Mercuriosities

The act which gave women over 30 a vote, had come into law in February, 1918. But it was not until the 1928 ‘equal franchise’ act that they were able to vote on the same terms as men. The attitudes expressed in the following item were, unfortunately, still common and thankfully, seem very outdated nowadays. Interestingly, Mr W. Holt-White does not appear to be a ‘well-known author’ today.

“Women who have made History.

In an interesting article written by Mr. W. Holt-White, the well-known author, in the November number of the Royal Magazine (C. A. Pearson, Ltd.), a review is given of women’s demands as embodied in a recent manifesto, and of the probate results should they be granted.  Dealing with “Women who have made History,” Mr. Holt-White says:-

“I hate to be unkind to women, I detest to appear unchivalrous, but, if woman forces the issue she must, at least, face the facts.  And the facts, so far as history goes, are not very much in her favour.  If you run through the names of women who have won to fame in this world – Helen of Troy, Cleopatra Beatrice, Catherine de Medici, Madame de Pompadour, and so on, one has to admit that their fame has rested entirely on their sex.  There are, of course, a few exceptions, such as Boadicea and Joan of Arc.  Poor dears! How they have been overworked!

For the rest, notable accomplishments on the part of woman have been neither frequent nor famous.  In art, literature, and music she has produced some notabilities but no geniuses who will live.  In science she can record Madame Currie (sic), but in medicine, for instance, beyond Dr. Garrett Anderson, she has produced few physicians or surgeons of lasting utility or note.  Then, though architecture urgently demands the attention of the female mind for the better planning of the home, architecture has no great charms for her.  The great domestic businesses such as Department Stores, have been created by men, and are run by men.  It is a horrible thought that the most beautiful gowns in the world are still designed by men.

“Woman may argue that she has not had time to make good, that it will take generations of education and progress to place her in a position when she can fairly, and with a decent chance, compete with man.  I do not dispute it. I would only remind the good lady that if this is so, she mistakes revolution for evolution, that she is trying to run before she has learnt to toddle, and that in formulation her present formidable demands she is really asking too much of poor man.””

The Stamford Mercury, 22^nd November, 1918.

Why do Oakham stocks have three holes? An intriguing question and an even more intriguing answer! Actually, Oakham stocks have five holes – four and a smaller one. Perhaps the story is of old Tommy is true, but the BBC found a more prosaic answer.

“A great deal has been written from time to time about the stocks which are still preserved in several places throughout the country. Among the best specimens to be seen now are those at Oakham, and in regard to these stocks a Leicester correspondent has discovered something puzzling, which no doubt has escaped the notice of many visitors, and probably residents. The writer says : “I have seen illustrations of stocks made to secure one or two persons, that is with two or four holes to fasten their legs, and others with holes for hands as well, but never one with three, and one of these very much smaller than the others. What was its purpose? I set out in search of information, and was fortunate enough to come into contact with one of the ‘ancient’ inhabitants of the quiet old town, who was able to satisfy my curiosity.” That little hole? Why that was made for old Tommy -‘s wooden leg! He was always getting tipsy or doing something for which he was sent to the stocks. For some time he got off because of his wooden leg. But he became such a nuisance that at last that little hole was made, and there he used to sit, the butt of all and sundry, with his sound leg through one of the larger holes and his wooden peg fastened in the small one!”

The Stamford Mercury, 16th August, 1918.

As we now know, Kaiser Wilhelm II (aka William Hohenzollern) never stood trial for his part in the first World War, but there was much speculation about it at the time and comparison with the trials of other great men and women.

‘From an article in “Chambers’s Journal,” entitled “Concerning State Trials,” we extract the following:-

Students of human nature and of history must look forward to the coming trial with intense interest. Do eminent and great men, fallen from their high estate and tried for their lives display this greatness by any special composure or dignity? In very many cases this has been so. King Charles was a gentleman always and never more so than at his trial. The same may be said of Louis XVI. Th trial of the French King and Queen does not deserve the august name of a State trial; but answer of Marie Antoinette to the scoundrels who sentenced her to death was simple, courageous and thoroughly queen-like. With the immeasurable contempt of an aristocratic woman. a haughty daughter of an empress-queen, for the rough, ill-clad rabble into whose hands she had fallen, she did not deign to discuss their rite to judge her or the validity of their verdict. In six, short stinging words she told them what she thought of them. “Vous etes tous de profonds scelerats!” (You are nothing but a lot of scamps.) And with this, without another word, she swept out of their presence.

Mary Stuart, always vehement, quick and passionate, but now aging, grey-haired met her doom calmly, quietly answering and herself interrogating her judges. Was her dignified conduct a proof that she felt herself to be innocent? Hardly that; but women have a wonderful power of deceiving themselves, and as twice a Queen she denied to anyone on earth the right to judge her. Charles Stuart and Louis Capet made the same ineffectual protest. Without doubt William Hohenzollern must honestly be of the same opinion, and, contrary to the general idea, he would have some right on his side. Human wisdom for what it is worth, has for ages past invested royalty with an inviolable sanctity, above all laws. And the Kaiser could go even a step further – he could advance the pleas of his vaunted partnership with the Almighty. which (if admitted) should absolve him of all blame. This claim may have its use where, and as long as, the imperial “ipse dixit”* was accepted as final; but a court of law is the most sceptic of bodies, and, as William will find does not accept unsupported testimony.

The Stamford Mercury, 16th January, 1920.

*he said it himself – i.e. an assertion without proof.

Middlemarch was screened on BBC 2 in 1994 and proved to be very popular with viewers. The designers chose Stamford for their setting, because very few Georgian houses survived the World War 2 bombing of Coventry (Eliot’s intended location). The influx of film crew was exciting for Stamfordians (many of whom were recruited as extras), but equally caused some headaches due to blocked roads.

“BBC sets up in town

Historic Stamford’s TV trip back to the past starts on Monday, when BBC cameras start filming a new star-studded drama serial.

Homes and streets will stand in for George Eliot’s fictional Middlemarch – and Barn Hill’s former clinic has been transformed into a fever hospital.

But the work could trigger traffic hold-ups, with roads set to be sealed in the town centre this month and next.

As many as 70 actors, crew and support staff could be involved at any one time in filming the six-part series, whose producers plumped for Stamford because of its similarity with 1830s Coventry.

Among the stars are Sir Michael Hordern and Patrick Malahide, most recently seen in the Inspector Alleyn Mysteries.

Locations include Barn Hill, the first venue for filming, plus All Saints’ Place, King’s Mill Lane, St Mary’s Street and St George’s Square.”

Stamford Mercury, 2nd July, 1993.

Today, we have Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick, in Boston in 1927 it was a very different story. . .

“WOMEN NOT WANTED

FOR POLICE DUTIES IN HOLLAND DIVISION.

A meeting of the Holland Standing Joint Committee was held at Boston on Wednesday, Mr. Fitzalan Howard presiding.

Twice as much Insobriety.

The Chief Constable (Capt. C. Mitchell-Innes) reported that the indictable crimes during the past quarter numbered 51, for which 31 persons were charged; for the corresponding period of last year 61 offences were reported and 34 persons charged. The number of persons dealt with for non-indictable offences during the quarter was 494, as compared with 520 in the corresponding period of last year. There had been an increase in cases of drunkenness from 43 to 88.

The Chairman regretted the increase in cases of drunkenness, but it was pointed out that they arose in the south of the division.

A grant of £457 4s. 6d., Holland’s proportion of £300, was made towards strengthening the Joint Police Superannuation Fund.

Sub-committees were appointed to deal with the provision of police cottages at Spalding, Long Sutton, Fleet, and Benington.

It was reported that £1039 was payable for police services during the coal strike by other authorities, half of which would go to this county and half to the government.

Not required.

A letter was read from the Home Office with reference to the employment of police-women, and the Chief Constable caused much laughter by remarking that if they gave him policewomen he would not know what on earth to do with them.

The Committee expressed themselves in favour of rear lights being used by cyclists.”

The Stamford Mercury, 21st January, 1927.

This touching tale of rehousing endangered newts was reported 27 years ago. Let’s hope the colony is still surviving in its Uffington idyll.

‘A rare species of newt has been found a new home by a major housing developer after it was discovered at an Uffington building site.

Around 70 to 80 Great Crested Newts, which are an endangered species, were found in a disused seasonal pond but are now living in water haven purpose-built by David Wilson Homes.

Th rescue operation was co-ordinated with the help of ecologist David Jones and English Nature who approved the new 100 metre square pond which features aquatic plants, shrubs and trees.

The company’s landscape architect, Margaret Leech, said: “It’s the first time the company has come across anything like this.

She added: “It was a nightmare transplanting them to the new pond. It took about four days with us catching them with nets and carrying them in buckets.”

Mrs Leech says the pond has been designed with gently sloping sides so it attracts other wildlife and when the newts were moved so were frogs and toads.

The rare newts which Mrs Leech likens to “little dinosaurs”, can grow to more that eight inches long and have a crest running down their backs.

The moist-textured reptiles are green and brown in colour and develop a blue and orange chest in the breeding season.

Most of the Great Crested Newt population lives in Europe and Mrs Leech said: “We have got to maintain our stocks for the rest of the world.”‘

The Stamford Mercury, 13th August, 1993.

Necessaries were the basic things needed to sustain life – food, clothing, shelter (see the lowest ‘rung’ of Maslow’s heirarchy of needs). This price fixing ensured that wages were in line with the cost of living. Today, however, necessaries seem to include all the needs Maslow lists, plus mobile telephones, cars, televisions . . .

“By the Statute of Richard II. Anno septimo*, all who sold wines and victuals, either wholesale or retail, were under the government of the Mayor of London; and by an Act of the 13th year of that reign, the Justices of the Peace were empowered to settle the price of wages of labourers and others, according to the prices of provisions, and to fix the value of provisions also. By an Act of the 25th of Henry the VIIIth, the Lord Chancellor and other great Officers had the authority of fixing the prices of necessaries, as had also the Magistrates in Cities and Corporations ; and there are various statutes which ascertained the value of beef, mutton, pork, veal, &c. by the pound.– Such a benign practice now, renewed by law, would be the greatest blessing which can descend from a legislature to the people.”

Stamford Mercury, 11th August, 1768.

*In the seventh year (of his reign)

Following the recent news that there should be thirteen zodiac signs, it was interesting to find this article from 1920. The International Fixed Calendar was designed in 1902, but never adopted by any country. Its strict rules, probably explain why! (Unfortunately, either Major Penberthy or the journalist who wrote the following item did not check his arithmetic: 13 x 28 = 364!)

“THAT THIRTEENTH MONTH! (by Major F. Penberthy). – ‘If someone suddenly asked me how many dates has August, I should automatically recite that doggerel beginning, ‘Thirty days hath September.’ I can’t help it. And I believe everybody else does it too.’ Writes Major F. Penberthy in the January Pearson’s Magazine. He proceeds to explain the coming reform of the calendar, which has been discussed for some time past by the International Convention, and is now likely to come into being. Major Penberthy’s article throws some extraordinarily interesting sidelights on a matter which is undoubtedly everybody’s concern. Under the new scheme the year will consist of thirteen months of twenty-eight days each. Leap year will be provided for by the insertion possibly between July and August of a day which could be made a world-wide holiday. How the new year will be worked from a business point of view is most interestingly discussed.”

Stamford Mercury, 16th January, 1920.

Murder in mid-18th century east-coast America was part of life. At this time the east coast truly resembled the wild west and Frederick Stump was lucky he was never brought to justice for these shameful murders. “The Frederick Stump affair” gives a more detailed account.

“Philadelphia Feb. 1. On the 10th of last month, four India men and two women went to the house of Frederick Stump, near the mouth of Middle-Creek, in the county of Cumberland in this Province, where the said Stump, after disabling them by making them drunk, most inhumanly murdered them, and hid their bodies under the ice in the creek. On the next day he went with a servant lad to an Indian cabbin, about 14 miles up the said creek, and there barbarously put to death an Indian woman, two girls, and a young child, and set fire to the cabin, and burnt the bodies to ashes. After committing these horrid murders, he freely confessed the whole to Mr. William Blyth, whose deposition, we hear, has been taken before the Chief Justice. The only reasons assigned by him for these atrocious violences, were, that he was afraid the six Indians intended to do him a mischief, and that he murdered the other four lest they should inform the other Indians of the death of the six. Upon the whole, he seemed to be under no apprehensions of punishment, and behaved as if he had done a meritorious action.”

Stamford Mercury, 14th April, 1768.

Skipping or any other playful activity was strictly forbidden in the Royal Parks without prior ‘authorisation’. Victoria Park lies on the Thames near Westminster where park rules were stringently enforced as one family discovered to their cost.

“Whitsuntide frolics.–At Worship-street police-court on Tuesday John Turner and Selina Turner, man and wife, were charged before Mr. Bushby with skipping in Victoria-park. Selina Turner was further charged with assaulting two of the park constables. The evidence showed that about 5 o’clock on the previous afternoon the prisoners and several others were skipping with a rope in the open portion of Victoria-park. The officers went up, and after requesting the skippers to desist took John Turner into custody. On the way to the station Selina Turner caught hold of one of the constables by the whiskers, and kicked the other.  At the station door she was taken into custody. In answer to the charge the prisoners indignantly denied that they were doing any wrong by skipping in the park. Selina Turner did not assault the officers, who used John Turner very roughly. The officers admitted that the male prisoner was not turning the rope when apprehended. Mr. Bushby said by the schedule of the Act under which charge was laid (Royal Parks and Gardens Act) it was enacted that no person should play any game in the parks except in accordance with the rules of the park, and the rules of the park said that no “unauthorised” person should play any game. The male prisoner had rendered himself liable to a penalty of 5l., and Selina Turner for obstructing the officers to 20l. fine. However, he fined the man only 5s. or seven days, and the woman 20s. or 14 days.”

Stamford Mercury, 6th June, 1873.