< Back The Archaeological Excavation of Exeter Down, Stamford West, Lincolnshire By Kate McLauchlan Introduction Wessex Archaeology conducted an archaeological excavation in 2017, on the land at Exeter Down, Stamford, Lincolnshire. The excavation was undertaken before a mixed-use development was constructed. Prior to the excavation an archaeological desk-based assessment, fieldwalking, geophysical survey and trial trenching was undertaken. This report implied the presence of Iron Age archaeological remains and the site was dated to the Early to Middle Iron Age (c5th to 2 nd Century BCE). There were two excavation areas: Area 1 and 2 (see Figure 1). Area 1 contained the remains of a sequence of three roundhouses, the latest of which was set within an enclosure defined by a ditch and probable internal bank. Area 2 contained industrialised features: two furnaces used for iron smelting and a group of pits. The ceramic and technological finds date this area also to the Early to Middle Iron Age. Figure 1. OS Map of Exeter Down area displaying the location of the two excavation areas before development of the area. The Archaeological Findings 1. Features Overall, three roundhouses (ring gullies) were found at Stamford West, in Area 1, along with associated features; and Area 2 contained the industrial activity with a series of ore smelting features. An Iron Age roundhouse is a circular structure that uses, in Stamford’s case, timber posts to form the structure and the roof. Four phases (1, 2, 3 and 4) have been assigned to this site. The dating of the ranges was provided by radiocarbon dating and pottery sherds. Where some of the features are ambiguous to date to a phase they were assigned to two phases, i.e. Phase 1 / 2. Most of the phases were found in Area 1, in particular the settlement and Area 2 for the iron ore smelting. Phase 4 is post-occupation and seems to be an agricultural setting. Listed below are the phases and the sub-phase and what features were found. There are two plans below: Phase 1 and 2 (figure 2), and a Phase 3 and 4 in Figure 3. Phase 1 (Early Iron Age; 5 th Century BCE): A roundhouse (ring gully 1), which was not enclosed, was identified in Area 1, along with a possible post-hole and pit outside of the roundhouse. Between roundhouse 1 and 2, three postholes were found and not able to associate them to either ring gully, however it is possible that they were like roundhouse 2 and were enclosing the ring gully. Phase 1 / 2: Between ring gullies 1 and 2, a series of features were found with little dating material so assigned to phase 1 and 2. One pit, part of a gully and eighteen postholes were excavated. The postholes were found to be in two groups: part of an external ring and a cluster. Phase 2 (Early Iron Age; 6 th to 4 th Century BCE): The building of a second roundhouse (ring gully 2), was found in Area 1, encircled by at least 19 postholes. Four postholes were found at the entrance and two others within the proximity of the structure. Figure 2. Phase 1 and 2 in Area 1 (Copyright Wessex Archaeology, 2017, p162). Phase 3 (Early to Middle Iron Age; 4 th to 3 rd Century BCE): A third roundhouse (ring gully 3) and its associated postholes, enclosure ditch and recut ditch were excavated in Area 1. Whilst in Area 2, there were 41 pit features, two postholes, two gullies, a ditch and two metalworking furnaces. Thereby suggesting industrial activity began in this phase. Phase 4 (Middle to Late Iron Age; 2 nd Century BCE): Two ditches and four pits were found in Area 1. These features were indicative of agriculture now happening here. Figure 3. Phase 3 and 4 in Area 1 (Copyright Wessex Archaeology, 2017, p162). Unphased Features: Ten pits were found and excavated in Area 1 and were not able to be assigned to a phase or if they were Iron Age due to the lack of dating material. Post-medieval Features: Natural water courses were found with clay tobacco pipe and pottery that dates to the Post-Medieval period. 2. Archaeological Artefacts Ceramic: Early to Middle Iron Age pottery, typical to this region, was found. Unfortunately, the report had no photographs of the pot sherds, but there was a selection of drawings of the profile and markings (see figure 4). Some Scored Ware was also found; an East Midland pottery produced during the Middle Iron Age, possibly later. Figure 4. Illustrations of some the pottery found (Copywright Wessex Archaeology, 2017, p178). With regards to the iron smelting, the ceramic remains were in relation to the furnaces, dating to the Early to Middle Iron Age. The technological evidence infers that iron smelting was the main activity and this technology was at its early stages. The furnaces were not well preserved and were possibly the bowl type (figure 5). Figure 5. Furnace 2074; Area 2 (Copyright Wessex Archaeology, logy, 2017, p182) Animal Bone: A large assemblage of remains were discovered in Phases 1 to 4. These consisted of domesticated cattle, sheep/goat, pig, horse and dog. In Phase 1 there were small amount found of cattle, sheep/goat and pig. Then in Phase 3, there was a large increase in domesticated animals (when the site was at its most prolific) and included the horse and the dog. A small number of other animals remains were also found, again in Phase 3: the woodpigeon, fox, red and roe deer. Other Finds: Some metalworking debris (mostly slag, some fired clay, stone and flint), a fragment of human skull (in a ditch in Area 2), a part of a clay pipe and a piece of ceramic building material. Environmental: Charred plant matter consisted of barley, emmer and spelt wheat and some weed species indicative of the surrounding area (hedgerows, meadows and woodland). Conclusion This site was an Early to Middle Iron Age settlement that undertook iron smelting in Phase 3. Figure 6 gives an example of what a roundhouse may have looked like. Phase 3 was when the site peaked; evidenced by the features, and the greater amount of animal remains, agriculture, and ceramic finds. The small-scale iron production (smelting) was used for local usage, based on the type of furnace they used; a bowl type furnace. Radiocarbon dates indicates the occupation of the site had started by the 5th century BCE and lasted for about two centuries, ending by the early 2nd century BCE; the Early to Middle Iron Age. By 2 nd Century BCE the site seemed to stop being used as a settlement and iron production, and focused on agriculture. As to why, this is unknown. Site preservation was satisfactory and yielded some informative. Unfortunately, there was extensive plough damage and poor soil conditions at this site. Despite this, the preservation was satisfactory and enlightened us as to what happened here, in a local, and to some degree regional, context of Iron Age settlements and their farming practices, and iron technology. Figure 6. Copyright Chiltern Open Air Museum 2017. An example of what an Iron Age roundhouse may look like ( https://www.coam.org.uk/buildings/iron-age-roundhouse ). For further information about this site, and the Wessex Archaeology paper, please go to: https://www.wessexarch.co.uk/our-work/exeter-down-stamford . The link to the paper is at the bottom of the page under Downloads. Glossary Bowl-type furnace – one of the earliest types of furnace used for smelting. A basic round external wall and a deep crucible chamber inside. Radiocarbon dating – a scientific method used to date the carbon component of organic matter (e.g. bone, charcoal and wood) found by measuring the rate of decay of the radioactive carbon-14 isotope. Ring Gully - a ring ditch that is a trench of circular or penannular plan, cut into bedrock that encloses the roundhouse. Roundhouse – the main type of domestic housing used in Britain. Dating from 800BCE (Iron Age) to the Roman Conquest. It was a circular house that had post-holes or stone for the walls, wattle and daub insulation and a thatched roof. Scored Ware – pottery that was used between c300BCE and the Roman Conquest. They have deep cut marks on the exterior wall of the pottery. Primarily used as functional ware. Slag – waste material from iron smelting. Wattle and Daub – wattle is woven strips of wood, and the daub would be a mud-type paste to seal the wall. Figures 2 to 5 – are reproduced by kind permission of Wessex Archaeology. Figure 6 is reproduced by kind permission of Chiltern Open Air Museum. Copyright applies to these images. A print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

< Back Boat Commercial Inn, Stamford A Poem From 1865 Submitted by Chris Hunt On the Sea of Adventure Again I’m afloat! Once more have embarked, In my favourite Boat! My Spirits and Wines Are the best of their kind; My Home-brew’d is such None better you’ll find. The best accommodation That can be had in the town, Must give great satisfaction, And not cause a frown. Kind friends and the public I ask for your trade, None will treat you much better Than your Servant, JOHN WADE Source Stamford Mercury (Friday) December 22 nd 1865 p1/c4 Notes The Boat and Railway public house at the bottom of St Mary’s Hill on the corner with Wharf Road was formerly the Boat Commercial Inn, a name board closely linked to the adjacent river trade. In December 1865, it re-opened under the stewardship of John Wade a former proprietor. And to mark and publicise the event John Wade inserted the above doggerel poem in the Stamford Mercury. In 1865 its address was commonly described as Bridge-foot on St Mary’s Hill. The pub was acquired by local brewery, Melbourn Brothers, in 1911 by which time the & Railway had been added. It finally closed in 1962. Chris Hunt December 2025 A print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

< Back My School-Days in Stamford by EDITH NESBIT [The article below was written by Edith Nesbit and is part of her memoirs entitled My School-Days which was serialised between October 1896 and September 1897 in The Girl’s Own Paper . It has been suggested that the period in question was between the autumn of 1866 and the spring/summer of 1867. Nesbit was most famous for her children’s novel, The Railway Children (1906), and the subsequent award-winning film of the same name. This memoir gives us a picture of a dame school in Stamford from the viewpoint of an eight-year-old schoolgirl, albeit written in her late thirties. And, of course, her opinion that she never ‘wished to see Stamford again’. (Chris Hunt).] I spent a year in the select boarding establishment for young ladies and gentlemen at Stamford, and I venture to think that I should have preferred a penal settlement. Miss Fairfield, whose school it was, was tall and pale and dark, and I thought her as good and beautiful as an angel. I don't know now whether she was really beautiful, but I know she was good. And her mother, dear soul, had a sympathy with small folly in disgrace, which has written her name in gold letters on my heart. But there was another person in the house, whose name I will not put down. She came continually between me and my adored Miss Fairfield. She had a sort of influence over me which made it impossible for me ever to do anything well while she was near me. Miss Fairfield's health compelled her to leave much to Miss ----, and I was, in consequence, as gloomy a cynic as any child of my age in Lincolnshire. My chief troubles were three, my hair, my bands, and my arithmetic. My hair was never tidy, I don't know why. Perhaps it runs in the family for my little daughter's head is just as rough as mine used to be. This got me into continual disgrace. I am sure I tried hard enough to keep it tidy. I brushed it for fruitless hours till my little head was so sore that it hurt me to put my hat on. But it never would look smooth and shiny, like Katie Martin's, nor would it curl prettily like the red locks of Cissy Thomas. It was always a rough, impossible brown mop. I got into a terrible scrape for trying to soften it by an invention of my own. As we all know, Burghley House is by Stamford Town, and in Burghley Park we children took our daily constitutional. We played under the big oaks there, and were bored to extinction, not because we disliked the park, but because we went there every day at the same hour. Now Harry Martin, he wore striped stockings and was always losing his handkerchief and suffered from his hair almost as much as I did. So when I unfolded my plan to him one day in the park, he joyfully agreed to help me. We each gathered a pocketful of acorns, and when we went to wash our hands before dinner, we cut up some of the acorns into little bits, and put them into the doll's bath with some cold water and a little scent that Cissy Thomas gave us, out of a bottle she had bought for twopence at the fair at home. "This," I said, "will be acorn oil, scented acorn oil." "Will it?" said Harry doubtfully. "Yes," I replied, adding confidently, "and there is nothing better for the hair." But we never had a chance of even seeing whether acorns and water would turn to oil, a miracle which I entirely believed in. The dinner-bell rang, and I only had time hastily to conceal the doll's bath at the back of the cupboard where Miss ----- kept her dresses. That was Saturday. Next day we found that Miss ----'s best dress (the blue silk with the Bismarck brown gimp) had slipped from its peg and fallen on to the doll's bath. The dress was ruined, and when Harry Martin and I owned up, as in honour bound. Miss Fairfield was away in London and so we were deprived of dinner, and had a long Psalm to learn. I don't know whether punishment affects the hair, but I thought, next morning at prayers, that Harry's tow-crop looked more like hay than ever. My hands were more compromising to me than anyone would have believed who had ever seen their size, for, in the winter especially, they were never clean. I can see now the little willow-patterned basin of hard cold water, and smell the unpleasant little square of mottled soap with which I was expected to wash them. I don't know how the others managed, but for me the result was always the same. Failure; and when I presented myself at breakfast, trying to hide my red and grubby little paws in my pinafore, Miss ---- used to say: "Show your hands, Daisy, yes, as I thought. Not fit to sit down with young ladies and gentlemen. Breakfast in the schoolroom for Miss Daisy." Then little Miss Daisy would shiveringly betake herself to the cold bare schoolroom, where the fire had but just been kindled. I used to sit cowering over the damp sticks with my white mug, mauve spotted it was I remember, and had a brown crack near the handle. Sometimes I used to pull a twig from the fire, harpoon my bread-and-butter with it, and hold it to the fire: the warm, pale, greasy result I called toast. All this happened when Miss Fairfield was laid up with bronchitis. It was at that time, too, that my battle with compound long division began. Now I was not, I think, a very dull child, and always had an indignant sense that I could do sums well enough if any one would tell me what they meant. But no one did, and day after day the long division sums, hopelessly wrong, disfigured my slate, and were washed off with my tears. Day after day I was sent to bed, my dinner was knocked off, or my breakfast, or my tea. I should literally have starved, I do believe, but for dear Mrs. Fairfield. She kept my little Body going with illicit cakes and plums and the like, and fed my starving little heart with surreptitious kisses and kind words. She would lie in wait for me as I passed down the hall, and in a whisper call me into the store closet. It had a mingled and delicious smell of pickles and tea and oranges and jam, and the one taper Mrs. Fairfield carried only lighted dimly the delightful mystery of its well-filled shelves. Mrs. Fairfield used to give me a great lump of cake or a broad slice of bread and jam, and lock me into the dark cupboard till it was eaten. I never taste black-currant jam now without a strong memory of the dark hole of happiness, where I used to wait, my sticky fingers held well away from my pinafore till Mrs. Fairfield's heavy step and jingling keys came to release me. Then she would sponge my hands and face and send me away clean, replete, and with a better heart for the eternal conflict with long division. I fancy that when Miss Fairfield came downstairs again she changed the field of my arithmetical studies; for during the spring I seem to remember a blessed respite from my troubles. It is true that Miss ---- was away, staying with friends. I was very popular at school that term I remember, for I had learned to make dolls bedsteads out of match-boxes during the holidays, and my eldest sister's Christmas present provided me with magnificent hangings for the same. Imagine a vivid green silk sash, with brilliant butterflies embroidered all over it in coloured silk and gold thread. A long sash, too, from which one could well spare a few inches at a time for upholstery. I acquired many marbles, and much gingerbread, and totally eclipsed Cissy Thomas who had enjoyed the fleeting sunshine of popular favour on the insecure basis of paper dolls. Over my memory of this term no long division cast its hateful shade, and the scolding my dear mother gave me when she saw my sashes' fair proportions docked to a waistband and a hard knot, with two brief and irregular ends, was so gentle that I endured it with fortitude, and considered my ten weeks of popularity cheaply bought. I went back to school in high spirits with a new set of sashes and some magnificent pieces of silk and lace from my mother's lavendered wardrobe. But no one wanted dolls' beds any more; and Cissy Thomas had brought back a herbarium: the others all became botanists, and I, after a faint effort to emulate their successes, fell back on my garden. The seeds I had set in the spring had had a rest during the Easter holidays, and were already sprouting greenly, but alas, I never saw them flower. Long division set in again. Again, day after day, I sat lonely in the schoolroom, now like a furnace and ate my dry bread and milk and water in the depths of disgrace, with the faux commencements and those revolting sums staring at me from my tear-blotted slate. Night after night I cried myself to sleep in my bed, whose coarse home-spun sheets were hotter than blankets. All because I could not get the answers right. Even Miss Fairfield, I fancied, began to look coldly on me, and the other children naturally did not care to associate with one so deficient in arithmetic. One evening as I was sitting as usual sucking the smooth, dark slate pencil, and grieving over my troubles with the heart-broken misery of a child, to whom the present grief looks eternal, I heard a carriage drive up to the door. Our schoolroom was at the back, and I was too much interested in a visitor, especially one who came at that hour and in a carriage, to be able to bear the suspense of that silent schoolroom, so I cautiously opened its door and crept on hands and knees across the passage and looked down through the bannisters. They were opening the door. It was a lady, and Mrs. Fairfield came out of the dining-room to meet her. It was a lady in a black moiré (type of textile) antique dress and Paisley shawl of the then mode. It was a lady whose face I could not see, because her back was to the red sunset light; but at that moment she spoke, and the next I was clinging round the moue skirts with my head buried in the Paisley shawl. The world, all upside down, had suddenly righted itself. I, who had faced it alone, now looked out at it from the secure shelter of this screen. For my mother had come to see me. I did not cry myself to sleep that night, because my head lay on her arm. But even then I could not express how wretched I had been. Only when I heard that my mother was going to the South of France with my sisters, I clung about her neck, and with such insistence implored her not to leave me and not to go without me. I think I must have expressed my trouble without uttering it, for when, after three delicious days of drives and walks, in which I had always a loving hand to hold, my mother left Stamford, and she took me, trembling with joy like a prisoner reprieved. And I have never seen, or wished to see Stamford again. EDITH NESBIT A print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

< Back Stamford Town Bridge 1792 Chris Hunt 2024 It is ordered that the Bridge in the Borough of Stamford called Stamford Bridge shall immediately be repaired and kept on good and sufficient Repairs at the Expenses of this Corporation hereafter during the time that Lord Exeter the Owner of the said Bridge shall continue to suspend the Receipt of the Tolls and profits thereof. Source Hall Book 4 November 5th 1792 (2A/1/4 folio 240/241) Previous Next

< Back Fear of invasion at Stamford Grammar School after Dunkirk After Dunkirk (May/June 1940), when the threat of invasion was very real, a decision was made by Canon Day, Headmaster of Stamford Grammar School, to evacuate School House (the Boarders), together with any day boys who had parental permission, to a remote Elizabethan manor house in North Wales, close to Dyffryn-on-Sea in Merionethshire. So for seven or eight weeks, the Head, his wife, three teachers and some of the boys had a ‘summer idyll’ away from Stamford. Sources. The Stamfordian Vol 11. No 3. (Summer Term 1940) and various. A Printed copy can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

< Back Move of Police Station from Stamford Town Hall to the Portico Submitted by Chris Hunt MOVE OF POLICE STATION FROM STAMFORD TOWN HALL TO THE PORTICO The police offices at Stamford are this week being transferred from the Town-hall to the Portico. SOURCE STAMFORD MERCURY FRIDAY APRIL 4TH 1890 p4/c2 Note. The Portico on High Street is now part of Stamford Library. The police station was sited in an adjoining building to the left of the Portico, between the Portico and Goldsmiths Lane, and is now part of the library. The clock above the entrance is there to this day (January 2025). A print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

< Back Stamford the Home Front-1940-Air Raid Precautions Chris Hunt 2017 In the mid 1930’s cities and towns across the country prepared their Civil Defence in case there was another World War. Stamford was no exception and so once war was declared with Germany on September 3rd 1939 preparations for home defence were in an advanced stage. By 1940 trained volunteers were in place with comprehensive plans to deal with air raids which might bring high explosives, incendiary devices and gas attacks to the town. Before the War the German Luftwaffe were preparing maps and aerial photographs of military and strategic sites for a future bombing campaign against Britain. Some were taken by German military intelligence from German civilian and commercial aircraft. Sets were provided to bomber crews to assist them in finding primary and secondary targets. Over 150 English Cities and Towns were covered. Stamford was one of them. There were three electric Air Raid Sirens; at the Town Hall, the Police Station and at Messrs Blackstone & Co.’s works on Ryhall Road. In addition, there were two Steam Air Raid Sirens, one at Messrs Miles & Sons’ timber merchants in the L.M.S Railway station yard and the other at Williamson Cliff Ltd’s brick and tile works on Little Casterton Road. The action warning was a fluctuating or warbling blast on the electric sirens and short sharp blasts by the steam sirens, each of two minutes’ duration. If needed this could be supplemented by wardens’ whistles. Once the raiders were passed there would be a two-minute continuous blast on all sirens. For the presence of gas, hand rattles would be used with hand bells for cancellation of the gas warning. The nerve centre for the whole operation was the Stamford Report Centre which at the start of the War was in the basement at the rear of the Town Hall. Its function was to receive and collate reports from wardens and others to ensure as complete a picture as possible of damage in the event of an air raid on the Town. The centre needed to know the place where the bombs had hit, number of casualties and the damage sustained. The centre would then decide actions needed and co-ordinate the work of the A.R.P. services. The centre was run by an Officer in charge, a Deputy Officer and a number of telephonists; clerks (plotting and records), chart writers, indoor messengers and outdoor messengers. The centre was manned twenty-four-hours a day, although during the week between 9.00am and 5.00pm and on Saturdays between 9.00am and 1.00pm the Town Clerk’s department took over the responsibility. Outside of these hours in the week watches were timed between 8.00am and 9.00am, 5.00pm to 8.00pm, 8.00pm to 11.00pm and 11.00pm to 8.00am. On Saturday: 1.00pm to 5.00pm, 5.00pm to 8.00pm, 8.00pm to 11.00pm and 11.00pm to 8.00am. On Sunday: 8.00am to 10.00am, 10.00am to 1.00pm, 1.00pm to 5.00pm, 5.00pm to 8.00pm, 8.00pm to 11.00pm and 11.00pm to 08.00am. The planning was meticulous. A Light Rescue Party was based around the employees of Messrs E.Ireson & Sons builders of St Paul’s Street and a Heavy Rescue Party based from the yard of Messrs Bowman & Sons builders on Cherry Holt Lane. As for the Public Utilities, repairs to the mains were undertaken by the relevant company; Electricity (Urban Electricity Supply Co), Water (Burghley Estate) and Gas (The Stamford and St Martin’s – Stamford Baron – Gaslight and Coke Company). The Air Raid Wardens in the Town were split into nineteen sectors each when fully staffed would have six wardens with a Senior Warden in charge, each sector covered a specific part of the town. Each sector was allocated to one of four posts; Post No 1 was based in the Town Hall, Post No 2 at the A.R.P. Stores on Empingham Road, Post No 3 at the Police Station on North Street and Post No 4 at the Church Lads’ Club on St Pauls’ Street. Each post had a Head Warden who reported to a Chief Warden who had overall control in the Town and who was assisted by an Officer responsible for Records, Organisation and Training. The number of Special Constables was increased with the Town being split into four sections each with its own headquarters, the north section was based at the Police Station, the south section was based at the Burghley Estate Office, the east section at The Pantiles on St Paul’s Street and the west section based at the Waiting Rooms in Red Lion Square. Each section had a Section Commander and a Section Leader who reported to the Superintendent of the Borough Police Force. In addition to the Stamford Fire Brigade who were based on Scotgate there were two Auxiliary Fire Service Sub-Stations, one at Fancourt’s Garage on St Paul’s Street and the other at Cross’s Garage in St Martin’s. As well as Leading Firemen they had Auxiliary Firemen, Patrol Officers, Telephonists, Messengers and Engineers. There was a great fear that gas would be used against the general public and people were advised how to deal with Tear Gas, Nose Gases, Lung Gases, and Blister Gases. For decontamination the Borough Surveyor’s Department was responsible to cleanse the streets and if Blister Gas was used two squads were created to deal with the injuries. Three Cleansing Stations were set up, one for A.R.P. male personnel on Empingham Road, A.R.P. female personnel at St George’s Home on Ryhall Road, this was also to be used by uninjured members of the public, and the third for injured members of the public was based at the Stamford Infirmary Fever Blocks. Additional casualty services with First Aid Points were provided at the High School in Park Lane and at the St John’s Ambulance Station on East Street and First Aid Parties at the Church Lads Club on St Paul’s Street, Phillip’s Yard on Water Street and at the St John’s Ambulance Station. In addition, there was a Mobile First Aid Post at the Infirmary and St George’s Home was designated as a Civil Defence Hospital. In the event of people being bombed out of their houses the Fane School on Green Lane was designated for the homeless. In addition of there were the Stamford Division of the St John’s Ambulance and the Stamford V.A.D. (The Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) was a voluntary organization providing field nursing services, mainly in hospitals) of the British Red Cross. The Women’s Voluntary Service provided women to carry out clerical work, to deal with the Welfare of Evacuated Children, provide Hospital Supply Workers, Evacuation Receptionists, Storekeepers, Canteen Workers, Trained Nurses, Assistant Nurses, Nursing Auxiliaries, Ambulance Attendants, Ambulance Drivers, Mobile Van Drivers, Car Drivers and First Aid Party Drivers. An important part of the local planning was the provision of Public Air Raid shelters. There were nine in all with a total capacity to take 825 people; they were located at the Scotgate Inn at No 5 Scotgate (100 people), Alderman J.S.Prior’s house at No 2 Broad Street (50 people), Messrs Parrish’s shop at No 45 Broad Street (50 people), Messrs Thomas and Sons at No 11 Broad Street (200 people), Messrs Middleton’s shop at No 1 & 2 St Paul’s Street (50 people), the Old County Club at 27A St Mary’s Street (50 people), Mr Haynes’s house at No 16 All Saints Place (75 people), J.Woods & Son’s shop at No 10 Ironmonger Street (50 people) and the Bull and Swan Inn at No 25 High Street, St Martin’s (200 people). These were sited in the cellars of the above properties. Local builders – Bowman and Sons – making alterations, for instance, to the cellars of the Bull and Swan. Of course other people used the cellars of their own properties for family and friends. In addition, of course there were the Anderson shelters which were given free to householders who earned less than £250 per year and those with higher incomes were charged £7 0s 0d. They were made up from fourteen curved and straight galvanised corrugated steel panels which were bolted together and designed to be semi sunk into the ground. The other type of shelter was the Morrison shelter, officially termed Table (Morrison) Indoor Shelter which had a cage-like construction and came in 359 parts and had three tools supplied with the pack. Those Air Raid Shelters that were made of brick and concrete were dangerous as near-by blasts made them unstable as they had a potential to implode, unlike the Anderson Shelters. Air Raid Shelters were also provided by firms for their staff who were involved in War Work and shops used their cellars for staff and customers alike. The Borough Surveyor was still drawing up plans for public Air Raid Shelters and in August 1940 plans were signed off by local builders. Gas masks were made available from the Town Hall. There were three kinds; a Baby Anti Gas Helmet which was supplied when the baby was born, this was normally exchanged for a small child’s respirator at about 18 months, these were suitable usually until the child got to four or five years of age when it was then replaced with an ordinary civilian respirator. Over a thousand people volunteered to assist in Civil Defence at the start of the war including a large number of women. Stamford physically survived the war virtually unscathed, other than two lone bombers who dropped bombs on the town; the planning was however in place if it had been a different story. A print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

< Back A brief report into research carried out to establish the location of Bradcroft Hamlet, Stamford by Richard Asher Introduction At the request of Professor Alan Rogers, I undertook a review of various maps and plans and instigated inquiries to establish whether any plans existed which refer to, or mark the hamlet known as Bradcroft, which is believed to have been located, in Medieval times, somewhere west of Water Furlong, Stamford and east of the village of Tinwell. It is thought the hamlet may have alternative spellings of Breadcroft or Bredcroft. For convenience I shall refer to the hamlet as Bradcroft even though some of the evidence points to other spellings (see Research Carried Out below). This research has been purely related to maps and plans and does not seek to include reference to any other form of historical documentation that may refer to the hamlet. This report is a summary of my findings. Background Bradcroft is referred to in the book “ The Making of Stamford ”, where it is said to have 6 lay taxpayers in 1332. It is referred to as an ‘outlying village’ (to Stamford) ‘(in Rutland on the west)’ [1] . The description goes on to refer to the church of “St Mary Bynnewerk had houses in the suburban part of its parish, running into the Rutland hamlet of Bradcroft, ancient demesne of the crown, which was often treated as a suburb of Stamford, too small to boast a parish church of its own.” [2] St Mary Bynnewerk is believed to have been located within the Stamford Town walls on the street which is now known as Petergate. There is therefore an assumption that the hamlet was just within the Rutland County boundary. The current county boundary runs in a somewhat erratic manner close to the existing course of the river Welland to the south, following what may have been the previous course of the river. It then rises in roughly a straight line between the two fields west of the Water Furlong allotment gardens, to the south side of Tinwell Road until just before the Stamford by-pass (A1). If therefore the county boundary has not changed, and if Bradcroft was in Rutland, then it must have been to the west of this line, towards what is currently known as South View Business Park. However, it is possible that in medieval times the boundary of Rutland may have been much closer to the walled town of Stamford than it is today. Extent of research carried out My investigation has related purely to maps and plans I have been able to access. A list of these is attached at Appendix 1. I made enquiries regarding maps of the area to the following establishments: i) British Library ii) Stamford Town Hall Archives iii) Rutland County Museum iv) Oakham Library v) Leicestershire and Rutland County Archive, Oadby vi) Burghley Estate Office As a result of these enquiries, I examined a number of maps at Stamford Town Hall, Oakham library, the British Library and my own map collection. Leicestershire and Rutland Archive and Burghley Estate Office said they had no maps or plans of sufficient age to be of assistance. The earliest maps were those of John Speed (1612) and Joannes (Jean or John) Blaeu (1645). The Speed map has an inset of “Stanford” at a large scale but shows nothing to the west of the town walls except “Peter’s Gate” (1) and “Austyne friers” (2). On the county map the county boundary runs in almost a straight line to the west of Stanford to join up to the unnamed river to the north (The Gwash). Apart from the words “Weland flu” on the river, there are no markings on the map between Tynwell and Stanford either side of the county boundary. The Bleau map is very clear. It shows the county boundary also running almost vertical from the Welland (marked “Weeland fl.”) to the Gwash (unnamed), although slightly curved east towards the Welland. Tynwell is shown a significant distance to the west of the county boundary. There is no other settlement marked, except for “Stanford” which is delineated by a town wall, gate and spires. Thus, a substantial settlement. The Bowen map (1778) shows the county boundary more curving round between the Welland and Gwash, with a large symbol for Stamford which shows some structures topped by a strange two-pronged aerial structure. This symbol is within the triangle formed of the river Welland, the county boundary and the Gwash where it flows into the Welland. To the west of the county boundary there is a church symbol, with the word Tynwell. Just to the right-hand side of the symbol for Tinwell is a large capital letter “R”. There is no key on the copy of the map I have seen, so the significance of the “R” is not clear. No roads are shown on any of the above maps. The John Carey map (1801) shows considerably more detail than any of the previous maps. It includes the main roads and shows Stamford in a more detailed layout, with St Martins specifically labelled and the outline of Burghley Park shown and named. The map clearly shows the rather bulbous extent of the county boundary immediately north of the Welland, the old Roman road (although this is not named) and a small number of buildings (including a church) at Tinwell. There is some sort of ‘blob’ on the south side of the road to Tinwell from Stamford, just west of the Roman road and east of the county boundary. This does not look like the other symbols for a settlement, but it could be a small enclosure or simply where the colourist has spilled some ink! The Smith map (1804) is of very similar style and content to the Carey map (see above). The map of Stamford is more stylised and is truncated to the south. The “Welland River” is also only drawn half way between the county boundary and Stamford. As well as Tinwell being marked, Tinwell Toll Bar is shown, along with the letters “n” just inside the Rutland county boundary and “a” just outside it, both to the south of the road (Tinwell Road). There is no index to the map, so I assume that the explanation was in the commentary that accompanied the atlas. The untitled map dated 1814 from the British Library, is believed to be the initial survey by the Ordnance Survey. This is a detailed plan showing the field boundaries and details of each block of buildings within Stamford. Several other locations within Stamford are also marked (including St. Martins, St. Leonards, The Nuns and Hudd’s Mill). All roads are shown, but not named. There are buildings shown on either side of Tinwell Road to the east of the junction with Roman Bank and Water Furlong; a windmill on the corner of Roman Bank and Tinwell Road (on the west side). There are also two buildings or enclosures shown on the site of South View Farm. There is a large L-shaped field shown on the south west side of Tinwell Road, adjoining Water Furlong and stretching from Tinwell Road to the north channel of the river Welland, which has the county boundary running along the western edge. The north eastern corner (close to the junction of Water Furlong and Tinwell Road) appears to have some form of enclosure or copse. The Knipe Map of 1834 The Knipe map (1834) is a detailed survey of Stamford which extends to just beyond the Rutland county boundary on the west side of the map. This map shows the same field between the river (Welland), Tinwell Road (Uppingham Road on the map) and Water Furlong (unnamed on the map), as in the 1814 map. The larger scale of the Knipe map allows for more detail to be displayed. Again, there are buildings shown on both sides of the Uppingham Road east of the junction with Roman Bank and Water Furlong, but it also shows buildings on Water Furlong, along with what appear to be allotments on the east side of Water Furlong. There is also a notation on the map north of Uppingham Road, “Pewterer’s Hedges”. The field to the west of Water Furlong and east of the county boundary is shown with a number of different hatchings for different parts of the field. It is not clear what these different hatchings represent, although they may represent the direction of the furrows in an open field system. Part of the field is obscured by a panel listing the parishes in Stamford, but immediately above this panel are the words “Bread Croft”. This implies that this is the field name. The Stamford Enclosure Award map of 1874, a copy of which is held at Stamford Town Hall, shows the detail of the field. This includes a building being shown in the north-east corner of the field, adjacent to Tinwell Road and Water Furlong (no road names are marked on the map). The map also shows a public footpath across the field which remains to this day. The field exists, as shown on the previous map, but has a footpath running across the centre of the field from the east to west. The plan appears to consist of two distinct plans merged together, which excludes the lower part of the area and does not link to the area to the south. Also, the lower edge of the map is missing. However, the name “Breadcroft” appears on the land to the south of this field; south of the mill stream of the river Welland and north of the main channel of the river. This area is apparently demarcated as meadows, together with a small oval enclosure to the south of the mill stream. Research at Oakham Library also produced a book entitled “Maps of Rutland” compiled by M Goldmark and A R Traylen, published by Rutland History Society. This book contains a comprehensive list of maps produced of Rutland over the centuries, and reproduces black and white extracts from many of them. I have not had an opportunity to peruse all of these maps (see further research below). Knipe map detail showing Bread Croft just above the Parishes box Conclusions There are in my view four possible locations for the medieval hamlet of Bradcroft: a) Somewhere on what is now called Tinwell Road, to the east of Water Furlong, and west of Petergate, probably west of Rutland Terrace. b) Further to the west of a) above, between Tinwell Road and the river, in the vicinity of South View Farm Business Park, within the existing Rutland county boundary. c) To the south of the mill stream, in the meadows to the north of the main channel of the river Welland, west of Water Furlong. d) To the south and west of the junction of the road now known as Tinwell Road and Water Furlong, probably either side of the existing public footpath from Water Furlong to the South View Farm Business Park. I shall examine each of these possibilities in turn. a) This possible location is closest to the known walled medieval town of Stamford, and, in proximity to the Austin Friary, known to be just without the walls. This could then be regarded as part of the suburbs or extra mural area of the town, which would perhaps be suggested by the supposed link with St Mary’s Bynnewerk parish, and later All Saints. This area is approximately a mile from current the Rutland county boundary, but it is possible that the county boundary was much closer to the walled town in medieval times. The oldest map examined (1612) does not evidence this. Whilst the 19th Century maps indicate sporadic buildings in this area, there is nothing to suggest they are anything but the usual ribbon development, for quarrymen’s cottages and the like, typical of that period. None of the maps examined support any evidence for this location. b) South View Farm is located inside the present Rutland county boundary. However, there is no evidence that this is a location in occupation much earlier than the beginning of 19th Century [3] . There is no evidence in the maps examined that this was the location for the hamlet. c) South of the Mill Stream is the location of the word “Breadcroft” on the 1874 Enclosure map prepared by the Commissioners of Enclosure for the parishes of All Saints and St George, Stamford. Although this is within the then county boundary of Lincolnshire and is shown on the map to be part of the parish of All Saints, it is a primary candidate for the location. However, none of the earlier maps have identified any settlement in this location. In my view this is a field name and not necessarily indicative of the location of the settlement of Breadcroft, as the land is likely to have been too prone to flood and generally too marshy for permanent settlement. d) The area to the north of the mill stream, on the field and allotment gardens to the west of Water Furlong is in my view the most likely location for the medieval hamlet. This is in the area identified as “Bread Croft” on the Knipe map. Although this is the only map that identifies this location, and much of the field is obscured on Knipe’s map by the cartouche providing a list of parishes to Stamford, so that it is possible the name had to be moved up to accommodate the panel, nevertheless Knipe has proved to be a quite accurate map in other respects, and may be taken to be more accurate than the Enclosure map, which after all was primarily concerned with the open fields to the north of Stamford. Also, the existence of a public footpath across the centre of this field to this day may support this view, although it has to be said that there are also public footpaths crossing site c) above. The evidence on the maps examined is not wholly supported by the documentary evidence quoted above (see Background). However, it is possible, as suggested at a) above, that the county boundary may have been further east in medieval times, placing this site in Rutland too. Further studies Further research is required to establish further evidence for the proposed location, including a review of all documents available relating to the Hamlet of Breadcroft (as the only two maps refer to it as that, admittedly one as “Bread Croft” and the other as “Breadcroft”). Most of these documents are likely to be of a medieval nature and require an expert in medieval documents to review them. In addition, I am not aware of the results of investigation of the Lincolnshire County Archives, or the Rutland and Lincolnshire Victorian County Histories, both of which may provide further information. The surface finds from a field-walk I carried out along the public footpath running across site d) need to be examined by a qualified archaeologist to ascertain if they provide any further evidence. A review should also be carried out of any further archaeological evidence which has been reported within the locations suggested, including the reports of the excavation of a “Roman Villa” in the vicinity of South View Farm in 19th Century. Obtain a copy of the Large English Atlas (Bowen) and seek an explanation of the letter “R”. Likewise, obtain a copy of New Atlas (Smith) and seek an explanation for the letters “n” and “a”. A review of the book “Maps of Rutland” compiled by M Goldmark and A R Traylen, and if possible, seek to inspect original maps, which have not been included in this research, listed in the book. Richard Asher March 2019 APPENDIX 1 Table of Maps included in review Publisher/Cartographer Description Date John Speed The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain - Rutlandshire 1612 Joannes Blaeu Theatrum Orbis Terrarum - Rutland 1645 Emmanuel Bowen Large English Atlas - Rutland 1778 John Carey New and Correct English Atlas - Rutland 1801 Charles Smith New English Atlas - Rutland 1804 Mr. Boyce Original Ordnance Survey – drawn survey map sheet 228 1814 James A Knipe Plan of Stamford Surveyed 1833 (published 1834) - Ordnance Survey First Edition (reprint) 1840 (not known) Stamford Enclosure Map 1874 [1] The Making of Stamford Leicester University Press page 49. [2] Ibid page 50. [3] Although it is believed that remains of Roman structures were found near here in the 19th Century. 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< Back October 31st 1940 - The Luftwaffe Comes to Stamford. An eyewitness account. Geoff Jones and N.J. Sheehan In 2024, eyewitness Dorothy Pridmore recalled the early moments of the attack on the town 84 years previously. ‘I was 13 years old and a pupil at Stamford High School. I was at Stamford Railway Station waiting to take the train to Oakham to meet my parents on my way home from school to Seaton where we lived. It was a cold winter’s day and I had taken shelter in the waiting room when I heard what I thought were hailstones hitting the railway tracks. They were actually bullets being fired from the German plane as it approached the town from the direction of Leicester. After a train passed through the station, schoolboys went onto the tracks to retrieve the bullets. No-one was hurt and I was able to cross the railway bridge to the westbound platform to catch my train.’ More information regarding the events of that day can be found in Articles under the title ‘The Luftwaffe Comes to Stamford’ A print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

Bungay Halfpenny Token BACK CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE IN FULL That’s a fascinating piece of local history! The coin is a Bungay Halfpenny token , dating from the late 18th century. These tokens were privately issued by merchants during periods when official small change was scarce. The design corresponds to a Suffolk (Bungay) halfpenny token , dated 1794 , part of the provincial “Conder token” series issued by merchants during a national small‑change shortage. The obverse typically shows Bigod’s Castle ” refers to Bungay Castle , built by Roger Bigod , one of the Norman Earls of Norfolk. The castle’s twin towers are depicted on the coin, symbolizing Bungay’s medieval heritage. The reverse shows Justice standing , with the legend FOR CHANGE NOT FRAUD and the date 1794 . The edge is usually inscribed PAYABLE IN LANCASTER LONDON OR BRISTOL . A very similar token with the same Justice figure and motto was also issued for Kendal (Westmoreland) , but that version includes an “R & D” cypher and the word KENDAL on the reverse, which this coin does not appear to show. Purpose - Used locally for trade when official coinage was in short supply DOWLOAD PDF Previous Next

< Back Nora Blake: young Stamford pacifist K Hansell, N J Sheehan 2021 Following the World War One exhibition at Stamford Arts Centre in November 2018, the Society was contacted by Paul Markwell regarding his mother Nora Blake. As a thirteen-year-old schoolgirl in Stamford, Nora wrote the winning essay in a national competition for children of ex-servicemen. Her achievement was reported in The Stamford and Rutland News on Tuesday May 8, 1934, and the essay was reproduced in full in the next issue of the newspaper. Stamford St George’s School Girl’s Prize Essay 1934 Nora Blake (aged 13) War War! The very word makes me shiver. Although the Great War ended before I was born, I know enough about it to realise that all countries concerned are still suffering from its results. We are all paying the penalty. No country can spend four years in destruction, blowing millions of pounds in the air in the form of shells, without suffering from chaos. The whole of the industrialised world was disorganised, and as a consequence many soldiers who survived from the war without serious consequences came back only to find it impossible to secure employment. Also thousands of families mourn the loss of loved ones, and thousands more have the care of those who were disabled, the blind, the crippled, the insane. Truly war levies a terrible toll. Without dwelling unduly on the horrors of war, or its far-reaching ill effects on the community, I think that all will agree that the great task of this generation is to arrange international affairs so that another war is avoided. Politicians during the war, I understand, talked a lot about it being a war to end war and since 1918 the League of Nations has had a meeting in Geneva with this end in view. Disarmament Conferences have been held and there has been much talk between nations. But, while every country agrees that war should end, the nations have not been able to form any plans to satisfy all. Every conference has closed without achieving any tangible result and this is a very disappointing state of affairs. After sixteen years of conferences we find that the nations mistrust each other and are afraid to put down armaments. Suspicion is the order of the day and we find nations arranging to spend more money on defence services. All are seeking security but will a competition in armaments give security? Let us consider this question. This makes us think about the next war. I think that there will be as much difference in the next war and the Great War as there was between that and the Napoleonic Wars. I think death will come from the air in the form of gas and poison bombs. Attacks will take us by surprise and the result will be that large cities, with all their inhabitants, will be wiped out in a few hours. It seems very possible to spend all out lives in defence and yet be unsafe. What is the alternative? Just this. All lovers of peace must continue to work for gradual disarmament, even if their cause seems hopeless. All education should have this end view. Public demonstrations of a warlike nature should be avoided. Children should not be taken to torchlight tattoos and boys should not be encouraged to play with toy soldiers. An international army, having all the armaments of the world, should keep peace in the same way that the police force keeps civil peace. It is very rarely that a policeman has to fight but the knowledge that he is there, backed by the powers of justice, is generally sufficient to keep us safe from robbery and violence and I think that is the ideal for all peace lovers, for the world to be policed. Now, no idea was ever realised easily. Rome was not built in a day and all the countries of the world will not become suddenly reasonable. But if all people who believe, as I do, will work and pray for “The Day”, it will come. It may not be in our time. But good citizens are always content to work for a future generation. In our school we have a book on citizenship which has on the cover a figure of the head of Jesus. It has two faces. So, in school, we learn the history of the past. We find that great progress has been made and that the world is much better to live in than it was in the middle ages. When we compare conditions with what they are today, we should be optimistic for the future. Shades of the great reformers of all times encourage us to carry on with the good work and not to doubt the ultimate result. It also seems to me that all nations are waiting for someone to take the lead. They are like children. I frequently hear children say “I will if you will” but no one wants to that the initiative. I believe that if France would only begin, Germany would be glad to follow and vice versa. I wish one country would have the courage to tell the world “We will disarm by 1950”. If the country could be my own, I should be very proud. I for one would be willing to take the risk. If I am to have a sticky finish, I should like to know that my country has done the right thing. If the world persists in arming, a future war is inevitable. It may not be in my time, but as a good citizen, that is no consolation. I am aware that all I have said is idealistic, but nevertheless, all good peace-loving people must work for peace on these lines, looking with the eye of faith for the glorious dawn of the day when “Swords shall be turned into plough-shares and spears into pruning hooks” The Winning Medal Nora Blake was the third of the four children of Frank and Vida Blake, with an elder brother John, sister, Olive and a younger brother, Ken. They were all born and brought up in Stamford. Nora left school at 15 and went to work at Martin-Markham Ltd where she met her future husband, Len Markwell. In later life she was known as "Jill". Len and Jill moved to Ryhall in 1956 where they lived for over 50 years. Jill Markwell continued to write for pleasure, often poems that she would send to friends. She was always very proud of the medal that she won in the national competition when she was 13. Jill sadly passed away in May 2009. A print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

< Back Stamford Library Report - May 1907 By Chris Hunt In May 1907 the Public Library Committee produced a report covering the period from the opening of the Public Library and Reading Rooms on January 26th 1906. The Library had in this period received a number of gifts that included 619 volumes of books, a number of framed pictures, a clock for the general reading-room, plants and tubs, various periodicals, umbrella stands and other unlisted items. It was reported that the Library had enrolled 1,047 people, and that on March 31 st 1907 it had 2,312 volumes on its shelves. Clearly the Library was well used as it had loaned out 28,279 books: which were made up of: - Fiction, 25,169; Travel, 331; Science and Art, 293; Theology, 283; History and Biography, 1,246; and Miscellaneous, 957. The Committee was happy to report that only one book had been lost and that this had been replaced by the guarantor. Clearly not everyone had remembered to return books on time, as the Library had taken in £9 6s 4d in fines; as of the date of the report, there were no outstanding fines. The clock mentioned in the Report was presented by Mr William Edinborough in January 1906, after 120 years it is still going strong and keeping good time in the Library in the upstairs Local History Reference Room. Opening times for the Reading and Reference Rooms were 9.00am to 10.00pm, Monday to Saturday; and the Free Lending Library was open on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 2.00pm to 5.00pm and from 6.00pm to 9.00pm. The building was closed on Sundays, Christmas Days, Bank Holidays, and such other days as the Committee may have from time to time determined. The Reading Rooms were usually well attended and the large number of active borrowers proved the popularity and usefulness of the Library. The Building Account fund which had originally been gifted £2,500 by Mr Andrew Carnegie who had subsequently gifted another £100, and after further building contracts and furnishings had been paid, now stood at £35 11s 8d. The Revenue Account was also healthy: - Balance £144 6s 5d, grants from Stamford Town Council £285 6s 0d, interest £4 17s 2d, donations £7 17s 0d, sale of papers £22 11s 4d, catalogues £2 2s 6d, borrowers’ tickets £5 19s 7d, and fines £9 6s 4d. After an expenditure of £241 6s 11d on the purchase of books, periodicals, etc., and for rates, taxes, and maintenance, there remained a balance in the treasurer’s hands of £240 9s 5d. Based on price inflation (CPI), £240 in 1907 amounts to around £37,750 today. Over three years this equates to around £100,000 today; and by comparison, the average earnings of a manual worker in 1907 were £70 to £80 (for three years wages). In 1907 the Public Library Committee reminded the public that their income was not large and that it required care and prudence to cover its ordinary expenditure, and looked to the ratepayers of the town to assist them in preserving order in the Reading Rooms and in protecting the property, which after all belonged to them all. Donations were of course welcomed. One hundred and twenty years later this local free amenity is still going strong. And long may it do so. Chris Hunt January 2026 A print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next