< Back The Night of the Coventry Blitz - 1940 On the night of November 14th and into the morning of November 15th 1940, squadrons of German planes flew over Stamford on their way to bomb Coventry. That night, as on many others, fire watchers were readying in cities, towns and villages for the ever-expected arrival of the War to their communities. In Stamford, fourteen-year-old Eric Hunt, too young for the Army or the Home Guard, was on duty as a fire watcher at the top of Lowe, Son, and Cobbold’s brew house on North Street, wondering who was getting bombed tonight. Memories of Eric Hunt. 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 Anonymous Abuse – 1830s style: or Little Changes in Politics. By John S Hartley There has rightly been much criticism of certain social networks which have permitted anonymous personal abuse of their members. Today it all happens quickly and openly. In the 1830s abuse may not have been public in the same way, and its delivery took rather longer, but the scurrilous anonymous attack occurred then also. This is a companion piece to my longer article, Eat, Drink and be Merry , to be found elsewhere on this website. Two surviving anonymous letters were sent to the successful candidate in the 1831 Election at Stamford illustrate such abuse: both were sent to Charles Tennyson, uncle of the poet. Between 1735 and 1868 he was the only Stamford MP against the “Burghley interest”, represented below by Lord Thomas Cecil, brother of the second Marquess. Tennyson was elected the second MP for Stamford in 1831. He was initially mildly radical and a member of Grey’s 1831 administration. The 1831 campaign had been, literally, a bruising campaign, at the very height of the clamour for reform of the electoral system throughout the country. Three days after this first letter was postmarked, the new Stamford Members of Parliament, Cecil and Tennyson, fought a duel on Wormwood Scrubs, the source of much later ridicule. Cecil’s remarks relating to Tennyson’s election campaign had given offence, probably as intended. Neither was injured, both were arrested but no prosecutions followed. Anonymous letter to Charles Tennyson Lincolnshire Archives 2 T d’E, H/26/8 Sir [Postmark – 15 June 1831] You are a low foul mouthed blackguard and like most of your party a bully and contemptible coward. It is only to be regretted that Lord Cecil should have placed himself on an equal footing with a fellow who wants the manliness and courage to avow expressions that were heard distinctly by 30 persons including myself, and who would condescend to the meanness of a lie to escape the punishment that awaited Him. Had I been Lord Cecil I would have horsewhipped you on the spot, instead of treating you as a Gentleman; a character your coward heart has proved you to have no pretension to. You may anonymously throw dirt at your noble antagonist through the daily press, but it will not answer; you are branded at my club in St. James Street as a dastardly 1 poltroon and may throw your slime how or where you please. A friend of Lord Cecil A member of White’s St James Street C Tennyson Esqr. Ordnance Office Pall Mall 1 This word might equally well be read bastardly , thanks to an extra riser on the “d”. It is hard to imagine this was a careless slip of the pen! The second letter , also to Tennyson, written after the Reform Act became law on 7 June 1832, laments the fact that Tennyson has decided not to contest the next election for Stamford, preferring to seek the newly created seat of Lambeth. Ironically , after the passing of the First Reform Act in 1832, Stamford became even more securely a pocket borough for the Marquess of Exeter and the Tory party; voters in St Martin’s now became electors for Stamford Borough. The new enfranchisements, apparently overwhelmingly in the Exeter interest since the family owned most of St Martin’s, seem to have been the chief cause for Tennyson’s withdrawal. His fellow reformers, rejoicing in the emancipation of so many large towns in England seem scarcely to have noticed that Stamford had become even more firmly a Tory stronghold. A brief biography of Tennyson may be found in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (available online with a library ticket number); a full report of the three elections at the start of the 1830s may be found in the 1820-32 volume of the History of Parliament. In Stamford in the first half of the nineteenth century political colours were reversed from what we would expect today – “Blues” were the radicals, reformers and Whig/Liberal supporters, while the “Reds” (or often actually nearer orange!) were the Tory and subsequently Conservative supporters of the Exeter interest. The punctuation, spelling and grammar of this letter, a far cry from the sophistication of the first, probably reflect accurately the social divisions of the voters in the town. It goes without saying that Burghley House patronage, in various forms, both overt and covert, played a highly significant part in their seemingly unshakeable hegemony – until the arrival of the secret ballot in 1872. Anonymous letter to Charles Tennyson LAO T d’E H/36/27 Stamford July 2nd 1832 Sir is this the Reform Bill Passing It is with gratitude for my fellow Cuntrymen I now take up my Pen to write to you asking you Weather you have forgot the Words you mad use of on the Hustings if you have I will remind you of them. Did you not say that if you ever forsook the Borough of Stamford might God forsake you and another thing I will remind you of When you was at the George and Angel window you said that if you ever forsook Stamford you wished your Right Harm might drop from your Body and now has forsook it O What a Oath to take My Dear friend Pray Write and give your at your end Resons for not Coming God will forsake you for Our town is all of the Devil will take you an upRoar the People of Stamford is as Blue as ever it was we have Hopes that this may be a false Report becaus you Cannot Leive becaus of St Martins voting there is about 40 or 50 voters and we know of 19 Blues and 8 as will not vote at all. Had you Have Come again Stamford would soon of been its Self and there is a great many fresh votes I know of 20 fresh ones. Who would of thought you would of forsook Stamford Whilst you Had Breath in your Boddy I once thougt we should Beet the marquis of Exeter but now we must give all up to the Red Party, but Stop let me think. know we will not give up to them till thay make us and thay shall have work to mak us for thay shall kill me before I will give up to them your tital is Rit Honl is this Rt Hon no if this Report be true it is not but we Have Hopes yet but if it be true I will give my Hearty good wishes I wish you may Never get another place in Parlement Can you forget the Thousands that Came to meet you when you first Came to Stamford I never shall forget though you have forgot us but I must Conclud By saying that I shall Ever remain a true BLUE We will give all up now but ah now we are forsaken the Tears that have been Shed in Stamford is unacountable To the Right Honerable Chas Tennyson You Have Fought the Battle Till you thought you have done Get Beet and then you gone John S Hartley A printed version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

< Back A Print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

Burghley House Tea Ware BACK CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE IN FULL Burghley House Tea Ware Tourism is not a modern phenomenon and neither is the collecting of holiday knickknacks. Guide books printed in 1797 and 1815 to Burghley House and subsequent guides have been on sale to this day. Victorian china tea ware fairings were produced with images of Burghley House, mostly by German manufacturers, of a poor standard and for show only! These items date from between 1891 and 1914. DOWLOAD PDF Previous Next

< Back Essendine to Ryhall Single Railway Ticket Dated March 28th 1959 Submitted by Chris Hunt. Right up to the closure of the Stamford to Essendine Railway line in 1959 the station at Essendine was still using pre Nationalisation tickets, in this example a pre-war L.N.E.R. ticket. A printed version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

< Back Hearth Tax Return for St Martin's, Stamford - 31st July 1663 Professor Alan Roger THE HEARTH TAX RETURN FOR THE LIBERTY OF NASSABURGH, FOR 31st JULY, 1663 [Stamford St Martin's section only in this extract] note by Tim Halliday of Peterborough. Stamford Survey Group wish to thank him for permission to reproduce the Stamford section of these returns. INTRODUCTORY NOTE This is the earliest hearth tax return surviving for any part of Northamptonshire and is now to be found in the Public Record Office under reference PRO/E179/254/12. The date of the Return is a little misleading in that the regnal year is stated on the first membrane to be 4 Charles II, whereas it was made in the fourth year of the King's return to England, namely 1663, being more correctly 12 Charles II. The manuscript consists of twelve rotulets stitched together at the head and the title given above is intended literally, since it covers the whole of Nassaburgh but no other hundreds of Northamptonshire. The manuscript is in very good condition throughout. The Return is divided into separate sections for each ward of the City of Peterborough and each vill or hamlet outside the urban area of the City. At the end of each such section, the manuscript provides a total, which refers to the number of hearths therein. The totals of entries provided in italics at the end of each section have been added to the transcript so as to show the number of buildings assessed in each such ward, vill or hamlet. The entries for Peterborough and its hamlets, including Eye, are grouped together in an orderly manner, then Paston and its hamlets, followed by Glinton and Peakirk (which two ecclesiastical parishes form one manor) but thereafter the entries follow an itinerary passing backwards and forwards across the northern part of the Liberty, hamlets often appearing before their mother villages or quite apart from them, before the itinerary reaches Stamford St Martin's, after which it progresses south through the western parishes to Wansford, then east through the hamlets of Castor before terminating with Castor itself. T M H, 1986 [ Mem 10] St.Martin's Stamford Baron Fyer Harths A print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

< Back W H Smith & Sons opens Book & Newspaper stall at Stamford Midland Railway Station and a Stand at the Great Northern Station in 1885 A book and newspaper stall has been opened at the Midland Railway station, Stamford, by Messrs W.H.Smith and Son, and a stand for the sale of newspapers and periodicals only is to be set up by the same firm at the Great Northern station. Source Stamford Mercury (Friday) August 28 th 1885 p4, c2 Note: - W.H.Smith’s didn’t have a shop on the High Street until the 1930’s when they took over premises of C. Haynes, Stationer and Fancy Repository. A print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

< Back LULU and the LUVVERS play the LANSBURY CLUB in STAMFORD on JULY 18th 1964 On the evening of Saturday July 18 th 1964 Lulu and her backing group the Luvvers played the Lansbury Club (later the Newage Club) on Wharf Road in Stamford. Very much described as a Glasgow band fronted by the sixteen-year-old Scottish singer Lulu, they took Stamford by storm. It was one of the largest crowds every witnessed at the Club with fans flocking to the town from miles around. One party of fans even went to the trouble of hiring a bus from Grantham. Hot from the success of the hit single, Shout, Lulu sang a full one-hour set, managing even to stop the dancing. Probably the club was too packed for people to move. She was described as having a sparkling personality, along with a chirpy little voice, and was wearing beige tight-fitting knickerbockers and a similar coloured top. All in all, it was a great night. Especially for Charles (Chas) Thompson, the doorkeeper, when Lulu sang Shout again as a special birthday treat. Lulu without tight-fitting knickerbockers and a similar coloured top Chris Hunt September 2025 A print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

< Back Roasted Grain Advert – Better Than Coffee - Sold in Stamford 1822 An Act of Parliament having been passed to legalise and promote the sale of the above article, and to encourage its use, the public are respectfully informed that PREPARED ROASTED ENGLISH GRAIN, making, when ground or broken. Hunt’s Vegetable Breakfast Powder, is now on sale at J. DRAKARD’s News-office, Stamford, at one shilling per lb. In pounds, half pounds and quarter pounds. It only requires one trial to convince those who use it, that this invigorating beverage is as grateful to the palate as it is salubrious and economical. One pound of the Roasted Grain, will go as far as one pound and a half of coffee, and it possesses ten times the nourishment without partaking of the heating and deleterious qualities of that berry. Sold wholesale at the manufactory, Broad-wall, Blackfriars-road, London; and all orders supplied, on the same terms, by application to J. Drakard, agent for the counties of Lincoln, Rutland, Huntingdon, Cambridge and Northampton, to whom persons in those counties wishing to become agents for the sale of this excellent, cheap, and nutritious beverages are requested to apply. Source. DRAKARD’S STAMFORD NEWS (FRIDAY) SEPTEMBER 20TH 1822 p1/c1 Note John Drakard is best known as the editor of Drakard’s Stamford News and the publisher of Drakard’s History of Stamford (1822) and other radical publications. He supported the radical cause and was also a thorn in the side of the Cecil family and against the Burghley interest in the town. It probably therefore should not be a surprise that Drakard sold Hunt’s Vegetable Breakfast Powder, a breakfast drink, made by a firm created by Henry Hunt, a radical orator, who had been arrested at Peterloo in 1819 and believed in parliamentary reform and the repeal of the Corn Laws. A printed copy can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

Parish & Sons - Tie Press BACK CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE IN FULL Parish & Sons - Tie Press In the late 1800s Thomas Parrish ran a Tailor and Outfitter’s business from 63 High Street. He had three sons and a daughter and during the 20th century the firm expanded with a Ladies, Children’s and Household Linen department at 10 High Street and a Furniture department was opened at 45 Broad Street. DOWLOAD PDF Previous Next

< Back New Footbridge over the River Welland 1863 Submitted by Chris Hunt The new footbridge across the River Welland, leading from Terra-cotta Lane to the Water Street railway station, was formally opened on Saturday last by Alderman Octavius N. Simpson, chairman of the committee, and attended by the Mayor and other members of the committee. The structure will be found exceedingly convenient to the residents of the eastern half of Stamford, more especially to those residing in St George’s parish. It has a very pretty appearance as viewed from the town bridge, and is quite an ornament to the part of the river which it spans. The structure consists of two stone abutments and one arch of 80 feet span, with a roadway of 6 feet wide, which is carried on Mallet’s buckled plates overlaid with asphalt. The main portion of the bridge is of rolled angle tee and plate iron, cast iron is only used in the bed plates and parapets, and the whole is put together with more than 8,000 rivets, and contains about 7 tons of iron. The stonework has been carried out by Messrs. Roberts, the ironwork by Mr. Cliffe, and the asphalt has been laid by Mr. Reedman, the whole having been done according to the plans and under the superintendence of Mr. Wright, Civil Engineer, Stamford whose plans it will be remembered were selected in competition out of 17 others. The total cost from first to last, including professional charges, will not exceed £400. Source STAMFORD MERCURY (FRIDAY) JULY 10TH 1863 p4/c3 Note. This footbridge was swept away by the floods of July 1880 and was replaced with the present Albert Bridge. Terra-cotta Lane was renamed Albert Road after Prince Albert, consort to Queen Victoria, who died in 1861. The railway station mentioned above is of course the old Stamford and Essendine Railway station whose main building and goods shed still stand at the east end of Water Street. A print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next