Author: secretary

To us, this sounds like the script to a Two Ronnies‘ sketch, but presumably people wishing to travel on the York mail could work it out – or maybe end up in Edinburgh?!

“Considerable alterations will be made in about a month’s time, in the arrangements of the mails which pass through Stamford. The present ‘York mail’ will go northward by Northallerton, and not at all to York. Its time is to be still further accelerated, so that it will reach Edinburgh (394 miles) at six o’clock on the second evening, or in 46 hours after leaving the General Post office in London: its speed, therefore, must be more than ten miles an hour when travelling, or nine miles an hour including all stoppages. It is to reach Stamford at a quarter before six in the morning. – The Glasgow mail is to be taken entirely off this road, (it is to be made a branch or continuation of the Leeds mail;) but a new coach, to be called the York mail, is to travel at the same time as the Glasgow now does: it is to come from London by Biggleswade, and to go through Selby and Thorne to York, and forward to Newcastle and Edinburgh. This new coach is not to travel quite so fast as the other Edinburgh mail: it is to reach Stamford from London at half-past six in the morning, and is to pass upward at about the same time as the Glasgow mail now does, viz. 11 o’clock in the day. The coaches are to take separate lines northward from Bawtry instead of Ferrybridge.”

The Stamford Mercury, 25th March, 1825.

Many human bones, coins and artefacts were found in Chapel Close, Langham, Rutland. We wonder if more have been found since.

“There is a small close near the village of Langham, in Rutland, which has for many centuries been known by the name of the Chapel Close; and it is supposed from the rise of the ground in one part of the close, that a Romish chapel formerly stood on the spot, but there is not any record which shows how long it has been destroyed, though that event is supposed to have occurred long before the Reformation. This ground is now in the occupation of Mr. John Messing, of Langham; the parishioners are making a pit through it for getting stone to repair the roads, and the workmen have found at different times eight complete human skeletons, one of which was measured as it lay on the earth, and was found to be considerably more than six feet from the skull to the bottom of the leg bones; and at the bottom of one of the arm bones lay a ring, which is supposed to have been on the finger of the deceased person. Not any remains of a coffin of any kind have been found; and the ring was so decayed that is broke into small bits on slight pressure. The persons employed have likewise found five pieces of ancient silver coin, about the size of old sixpences, but worn very thin, and having on them the figure of some monarch, and a Latin inscription scarcely visible; – also a small copper coin, of the size of a farthing; the date under the tail-side is very much defaced, but it seems to be 850, which makes it nearly a thousand years old: it is supposed to be of the reign of Athelwolf, who died in 856. A great deal of melted lead and slate has likewise been found, and some small bits of beautiful pavement, &c.-The hill or rising ground is dug about halfway through, and it is conjectured that something still more curious may yet be found.”

The Stamford Mercury, 11th February, 1825.

The Bull Running festival was part of Stamford life and folklore for over 600 years. In this obituary published on 15 July 1808, The Mercury described it for those who knew nothing about it: “…an annual festival is kept here on the 13^th November when, the shops being shut, all business deferred, and the streets and every outlet from the town stopped up, a mad bull is let loose to range all day, followed by thousands of intrepid “bullards”.  The obituary recorded the death of “Mrs Ann Blades, …Empress of the Bullards in Stamford. On the day of the festival it has been her practice to be splendidly attired in blue.” Skip forward 179 years and the festival was revived by a local publican. Much fun was had by all!

“The word had evidently got around . . . there were no animal rights campaigners and even the police kept a low profile as crowds waited expectantly for the start of the bull-running.

It turned out that there was nothing to beef about – just a few pantomime-type bulls and a crowd of runners in red T-shirts.

Revival of the ancient custom – the brainchild of publican Dave Ladd – got its fair share of laughs from the good-humoured crowd, many of whom got a soaking from the over enthusiastic runners and bulls, armed with water pistols.

But Dave, landlord of the town’s Green Man, revealed after the ceremony that he nearly decided to bring in a live bull at the last minute.

‘The only thing that put me off was its size,’ he said.

Dave said the original plan was to used pantomime characters and to have a real bullock on show in a cattle truck.

But his plans, which received national publicity, blew up after organisers refused to reveal details and animal lovers caused a storm of protest.

Shop assistant Jayne Addison drove into Broad Street in a vintage car to start off the bull-running. She won a ‘Lady in Blue’ competition and became the traditional figure in charge of the ceremony.

Dressed in blue period costume, Jayne released the ‘beasts’* from the two cattle trucks before handing out posies to the crowd.”

The Stamford Mercury, 10th July, 1987.

*It is believed that the beasts were none other than Brian Studd and Aubrey Johnson.

Mr. Watson, is seems was indeed a musician of wonder! His ‘one man band’ apparently sounded like an entire orchestra, involving his whole body, even more of a wonder because he was blind.

Another famous blind musician was Doc Watson (perhaps a distant relation?), the American guitarist, singer and songwriter.

“Mr. Watson, a Scotch artist, gave two evening concerts in the Guildhall on the 5th and 7th inst. The peculiarity of this performance renders it worthy of special notice. Mr. Watson, who has been deprived of sight from his infancy, performed on five instruments, bringing into simultaneous musical action his mouth, hands, and feet, – on two harmonicons*, two first violins, and a violincello, producing in combination the effect of a complete band. This, as we observed by the inspection of the instrument allowed to the audience by Mr. Watson, is produced by the addition of a sounding board and steel-bar to the violin, two additional sounding boards to the Victoria guitar. The contrivance is most ingenious, and does the inventor infinite credit, considering the physical disadvantages under which he labors.”

The Stamford Mercury, 8th October, 1847.

*A harmonica or mouth organ.

Johann Pestalozzi was a Swiss educationalist who wrote many works explaining his revolutionary modern principles of education. His motto was “Learning by head, hand and heart”.

“PESTALOZZIAN Preparatory BOARDING and DAY SCHOOL for Young GENTLEMEN, STAMFORD.

THE Misses HEATLEY, in announcing their Removal from St. Peter’s Hill to a capacious Residence on Barn Hill for the reception of Pupils, avail themselves of this opportunity to rep[eat their thanks for the support their friends have given to principles which are silently, though successfully, making way in England; a result long since foretold by their ablest advocate, the late Dr. Mayo. He always said they were so consonant with good sense, so much in harmony with the spirit of the People of England, that they must be adopted, though it might be that the name of Pestalozzi would not be appended to them. The general principle seem universally recognised, that Instruction is not Education; that the Child is to be treated as a moral, intellectual, and physical being; or to repeat the well-known words of Pestalozzi, that education must work on the Heart, the Head, and the Hand. It is not the amount of knowledge (in a Preparatory school) which Children may obtain, – but what is of far more importance than positive knowledge, and far more pleasing to witness, is the freedom of mind, and intelligent sympathy with the meaning of questions. This system attains the important end of sending Children into the world with well-furnished minds, capable of easy development. In whatever direction occasion may call for further progress, there is good ground-work laid: such as will bear ample testimony to the merits of the system.

The Autumnal Quarter will commence on the 29th of September.

Barn Hill, Stamford, Sept. 15, 1847.

The Stamford Mercury, 24th September, 1847.

It seems Pilgrim had a superb pedigree and won many races. At seven years old, he was now available as a stud.

“To cover this season, at Two Guineas and a Crown each Mare

The property of Mr. R. Loyde and Mr. T. Butterfield.

Pilgrim was got by Restless; his dam, Rosaletta, by Nabob; grandam, Rosetta, by Shafto’s Squirrel; great grandam, Rose, by Blank; great great grandam called Look at me Lads, by Grasshopper; Newton’s Arabian, Old Put, Saint Martin’s, Sir Edward Hale’s Turk, out of the Oldfield mare.

Restless was got by Phaenomenon, out of Mr. Burdon’s Duchess, which was allowed to be the best mare England ever produced.

Pilgrim in 1800 (the first time of his running, and then 3 years old) was beat at Chester, by Collector, for a sweepstakes of 15 gs. each, 12 subscribers, he beating the same time Dick Andrews; (which is now allowed to be the best horse in the kingdom), Britannia, and Kill-Devil; and the day following he won the £50 for all ages, at three severe four-mile heats, beating collector, Gift, Prosper, Lord Howe, and Astark; and won a sweepstakes at Litchfield of 100 gs. each, h. ft. for 3-year-olds, beating Mr. Arison’s colt, by Overton – In 1801 he won the cup, value £30, at Chester, at three four-mile heats, beating Dapple, Tityrus, and Magnight; and £50 at Manchester, beating a chestnut filly by Buzzard, Ambo, and Babalon. – In 1802 he won a sweepstake at Ludlow’s of 10 gs. each (with 20 gs. added), 4 miles, 5 subscribers, betting Meteor and Frolic; and the day following he won £50 at three four-mile heats, beating Dapple, Meteor and Frolic; and Mr. Phillips’ Rolla. – In 1803 he won a sweepstekes (sic) at Ludlow, of 10 gs. each (with 20 gs added). 5 subscribers, beating Dapple, and a brown filly by Marske; and the gold cup, value 65 gs. at Chesterfield, beating Rival Fieldfare, and Meteor; and £50 at Warwick, at two four-mile heats, beating Pyrrhus, Knutsford, Eliza, and Galloper.

He is now rising 7 years old, and free from all blemishes; a good black, without white; full 15 hands 2 1/2 inches high, with great substance, and remarkable good action; and for soundness and constitution must be equal to any horse in the kingdom, for the time he was in training, besides other different lengths, he run in England and Wales forty-one four mile heats, during which time he was never known to be lame.

*** He will attend at Louth on Wednesdays, Wragby on Thursdays, Lincoln on Fridays, and Caistor on Saturdays; and will travel in that circuit during the season.”

The Stamford Mercury, 2nd, March, 1804.

Following a recent post about a fire in Fleet Street, another was reported in the same edition. This one was in Ludgate Hill near many workshops and warehouses.

“On Monday night about eight o’clock, an extensive fire commenced at the stables of Messrs. James Wilkinson and son, of Ludgate-hill, perhaps the largest upholsterers and cabinet makers in London; the stables were at the back of their large warehouses, and situated in a narrow lane called Little Bridge-street, – across which, above the houses, was a wooden bridge passing over the roofs leading from Messrs. W.’s workshops, &c. to other warehouses belonging to the same firm. The fire burst out in the course of a few minutes into an amazing blaze, illuminating Fleet-street and St. Paul’s-church-yard, and the uppermost portion of the cathedral being as distinguishable as at noon-day. Every avenue (and all the avenues are remarkably narrow) leading to the spot, was soon crowded to a painful and alarming excess, the curiosity being the greater from the rumour that ‘Apothecaries’ Hall’ was on fire: this rumour gained credence from the vivid and various appearances of the flames, which however were occasioned by the dry and large rooms, containing furniture and seasoned woods, having caught fire. Each sifde of Little Bridge-street, which was literally covered as well as surrounded with the workshops and warehouses belonging to Messrs. Wilkinson, were soon in flames; and the inhabitants of those humble dwellings, consisting of working people, had great difficulty in escapoing with their lives – if all did escape, whch is exceedingly problematical, as the street was soon blocked up with people and engines. Engines arrived at the spot soon after the fire broke out; indeed, several were in tne neighbourhood, around the premises where the fire had been in Fleet-street on Sunday morning. Water was soon afterwards obtainable, aa the plugs in Bridge-street were drawn; but it was still some time ere thee engines could be brought into effective operation. By half-past nine, however, they began to produce some some effect, as was visible by their volumes of black smoke that rose and curled frightfully amongst the extensive atmosphere of flame. But it was long before the conflagration would be readily brought under, there being such an immense extent of buildings on fire, and it being difficult to get many engines near enough to play on them. Saying nothing of the numersous small houses in Little Bridge-street, (and the inhabitants merit the most active commiseration,) the premises of Messrs. Wilkinson alone (now a ruin) consituted what might be termed a village. The property therein was valuable and immensely extensive; Mr. John Kay, a rich and extraordinary man, still well remembered in the city of London, and who on his death was succeeded by Messrs. Wilkinson and Son – The following are the names of the paarties ascertained to be sufferers by the above calamitous event: – Messrs, Wilkinnson and Son, upholsterers, who have experiences damage to an enormous exteent; Mr. Harveym linen-draper, the back of whose premises are considerably damaged; Messrs. Barlow and Blake, wine-merchants; and Mr. Blades, glass-manufacturer, sustained very serious losses; Mr. James, the foreman to the Hand-in-Hand Fire-office, had his house entirely destroyed, besides most of his household furniture; the houses of Mr. Larkin, a glass-cutter, – Smith, a rocking horse-maker, – Gregory, Jones, and Holland, in Evangelist-court, – were extensively injured; – all those houses were mostly let out in tenements to labouring artizans. As yet it is not precisely ascertained how the disaster originated. At one o’cock the walls of the burning pile fell down with a tremendous crash, and smothered the fire, but still an immense column of smoke continued to ascend. The light-fingered gentry were, as usual, on the alert, and made a successful harvest upon the property of the persons assembled, and that of the unfortunate sufferers. Some of the thieves are in custody. – This calamitous event has, in addition to the destruction of a vast quantity of uninsured properpty, caused an inconvenience almost immeassurable to Messrs. Wilkinson and Son, as the entire of the stock packed for foreign markets is destroyed. The workshops being also destroyed, all their workmen are thrown out of employ, and the loss of these poor artizans (their tools being included in the general wreck) is very great.”

The Stamford Mercury, 19th November, 1824.

A group of naval volunteers rioted at Chester, when one of their shipmates was press-ganged and thrown into the gaol. Many doors and windows were destroyed. It took four companies of troops from the Shropshire militia to calm the situation.

“A press-gang stationed at Chester having on the 28th ult. pressed one of the volunteers, who had been at sea, and lodged him in gaol, a great number of the members of the corps to which he belonged proceeded, after their parade, to the prison, and demanded the man. On receiving a refusal they threatened to proceed to violence, when Major Wilmot, their commander, came up, and declared that he would put the first man to death that attempted to force the gaol; upon which he was seized by the volunteers, some of whom called out to have his sword broken over his head. By the assistance of some friends, he was, however, rescued from them unhurt. They then turned their fury against the gaol; the windows and doors of which they forced in; upon which the gaoler, in order to secure the rest of the prisoners, gave him up: they then chaired him through the city. The naval rendezvous was the next object of attack, the windows and doors of which they destroyed. At their approach the press-gang retired; but, leaving their colours, the volunteers tore them from the staff, and dragged them in the kennel. Lieut. Col. Cuyler, inspecting Field Officer of volunteers in the district called upon the Magistrates to use their authority, who sent a note to Lieut. Burchell, requesting him to take his gang away till troops should arrive. – Four companies of the Shropshire Supplementary Militia, having arrived from Liverpool, at the end of some days, peace was restored.”

The Stamford Mercury, 20th January, 1804.

Curiosities discovered by workmen digging in Leadenhall Street, included this item (see below), the centre of a Roman tessellated mosaic which is now in the British Museum collection.

“Some curiosities found last week in digging opposite the East-India House in Leadenhall-street, prove to be exceedingly valuable. About ten feet below the surface of the street, the workmen finding something hard, it was immediately inspected by the respectable antiquarian Mr. Wilkins, by whose direction and assiduity a perfect urn was soon brought out. It contained a quantity of bones, among which a finger and jaw-bone were plainly discernible. A beautiful Roman tesselated pavement was also discovered, and by the nice attention of the same gentleman, one piece of about four feet by two was raised uninjured. The entire pavement seems to have been a square of nine-feet, in the centre of which is an elegantly adorned circle of four feet, containing a Bacchus holding a wand, and riding on a tiger; the figure is in purple robe, and the attitude of the beast is very grand: his head looking at the figure on his back, one of his fore feet raised, stepping well forward, and the tail extended. – Under the able directions of the librarian, there is no doubt of the whole being rendered well worthy the attention of the antiquarian.”

The Stamford Mercury, 13th January, 1804.

‘Central roundel from mosaic pavement; depicts Bacchus, riding on a tiger, referring to the myth that the god visited India; with geometric border.’

© The Trustees of the British Museum. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.

Luckily, no one was killed in this great fire caused by a spark from a candle, which happened to be near a gas leak.

“At about three o’clock on Sunday morning, great alarm and confusion prevailed amongst the inhabitants of Fleet-street, occasioned by one of the most destructive fires that have occurred for some years back. The watchmen of St. Bride’s passage, whose station is on the south side of the street near Bride’s parish, observed some smoke issuing from the premises of Mr. Bond, the linen-draper, No. 87. Some other watchmen came up, and set about alarming the inmates of that and the adjoining houses, whilst others hastened for the engines. On the door being forced open, a vast body of flames burst through the shutters,, and ascended with terrific fury. It was full 25 minutes before any turncock was to be found. During this delay, the devouring element gained such an alarming ascendency, that all attempts to rescue any of the stock in trade were found to be in vain. The house of Mr. Bond, in less than 20 minutes from the first alarm, presented one mass of fire, which, bursting through the roof, (the wind at the time blowing a heavy gale from the S.W.) spread in one huge sheet; and the houses of Mr. Hill, chymist, and Mr. Mattress, hairdresser, were included in the destructive scene; the flames spread over to the house of the notorious Carlile, at the corner of Bride-passage, the attics of which and the floor underneath were discovered to have caught fire. Either fire-engines by this time arrived; but notwithstanding the efforts of the firemen, the adjoining house to the left, Messrs. Pitman and Ashfield’s , oilmen, at about a quarter before four o’clock, was numbered in the conflagration, as was also Mr. Marriott’s, the furnishing ironmonger. The spectacle was snow awfully grand, the flames illuminating the horizon for a considerable extent, and spreading their devastation with incredible velocity. At half past four, Mr. Marriott’s extensive premises were entirely entirely in flames, which communicated to the houses of Mr. Smith, tailor, and Mr. Mercier, printer, which in a few seconds were on fire from top to bottom. It was now thought expedient by the firemen to turn their attention to the adjoining houses, and torrents of water were thrown upon them to check the farther extension of the fire. Fortunately a strong party-wall of the house of Mr. Phené, confectioner, saved his extensive premises; and the court on the other side had a similar effect, as regards Messrs. Davenport and Co’s china warehouse. A curious circumstance in the course of the confusion took place: some of Carlile’s family took refuge in St Bride’s church, and placed also there for security a quantity of his deistical publication – The Age of Reason was one of them. At five o’clock the entire fronts of the houses of Mr. Bond and Mr. Hill fell suddenly with a tremendous crack. At nine o’clock the fire was subdued. No lives were lost. The fire was said to have been occasioned by the incautious dropping of a spark from a candle in the closing of Mr. Bond’s shop, behind the counter, which (communicating with the gas, which it is thought was no properly turned off,) produced a destruction of property to the amount of nearly 100,000l.”

The Stamford Mercury, 19th November, 1824.