< 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

< 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

a list of inquests < Back Death by Misadventure: Coroners' Inquests 1700-1850 - Part 2 John Hartley 1978 NOTES to list of Coroners’ Inquest papers – Stamford Town Hall http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/coroners-inquests.htm provides guidance on the general availability of Coroners’ Inquests papers nationally as well as a (very brief) bibliography. Currently (2012) no Coroners’ Inquest papers appear to be available online.This list gives only the barest outline of details: date, subject, verdict with some indication of cause of death and an indicator (by means of an asterisk - *) if evidence was presented to the jury, was included with individual files, and is now available.These records are not currently available for consultation, but some further details may be available by contacting this website. Please note that this list was compiled in the early 1970s after the discovery of these papers and has not been subsequently altered. The papers were the source for the article in the Stamford Historian vol.2 (1978) pp7-20 to be republished shortly on this website. A print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

Browse Stamford Local History Society's library of published historical articles linked with Stamford and the surrounding area. ARTICLES Browse our library of published historical articles linked with Stamford and the surrounding area. The Archaeological Excavation of Exeter Down Located at Stamford West, Lincolnshire Kate McLauchlan 3 August 2026 Read Article Stamford Post Boxes: A History Post Boxes from six different monarchs Trish Auciello 24 May 2026 Read Article Stamford Borough Police Force 1836 to 1889 Reform to the structures of the police forces across England and Wales Chris Hunt 24 April 2026 Read Article The Life and Loves of my Great Great Grandfather A talk for the Stamford Local History Society on 4th Dec 2026 by Trish Auciello Trish Auciello 28 March 2026 Read Article The Battle for 51 High Street, Stamford The story of a Listed Building and the battle to save it in the 1960s Richard Asher 28 February 2026 Read Article Stamford Library Report May 1907 In May 1907 the Public Library Committee produced a report Chris Hunt 17 January 2026 Read Article Stamford Library Catalogue 1907 Printed by Dolby Brothers Chris Hunt 17 January 2026 Read Article Stamford Library Rules and Regulations 1906 Stamford Free Library was formally opened on 25th January 1906 Chris Hunt 9 January 2026 Read Article Stamford Fire Engine 1904 Chris Hunt 29 December 2025 Read Article Edward and Francis Butt Shortages of regal coins in the last five hundred years Martin R Warburton 31 October 2025 Read Article A walk around Stamford town centre post boxes Trish Auciello 30 September 2025 Read Article Searchlight on Land, Labour and Social Problems 1903 Burghley House by Stamford Town John Taylor 12 September 2025 Read Article In The Star & Garter at Stamford and the 1851 Census The Life of a Stamford Publican in 1851 Mike Key 21 August 2025 Read Article The Social Impact of the Church in Victorian Stamford Lecture for Stamford Museum's Winter Lecture Series in 1998 John F H Smith 28 June 2025 Read Article The Saracen's Head Inn, Stamford: Uncovered? Number 1 St Mary's Place John Daffurn 11 May 2025 Read Article List of Known Melbourn’s Tied Houses 1869-1971 Linked to a previous Article - Melbourn's Tied Houses Chris Hunt 28 April 2025 Read Article F Dawson, Grocer, Stamford. Unofficial Farthing Frederick Dawson was in business for only two years, from 1854 to 1856 Martin R Warburton 29 March 2025 Read Article Building on the Stamford Manorial Waste The use of the Stamford Manorial Court Rolls to construct a building’s history. Chris Hunt 3 March 2025 Read Article A brief report into research carried out to establish the location of Bradcroft Hamlet, Stamford Research by Richard Asher Richard Asher 3 February 2025 Read Article Town Bridge, Stamford Town Bridge, Stamford By Nicholas J Sheehan 3 February 2025 Read Article The Early Days of Trade Unionism in Stamford and the Labour Dispute at Messrs Blackstone & Co in 1890 Chris Hunt 13 January 2025 Read Article Eat, Drink and Be Merry – the 1831 Stamford Election Papers relating to the Stamford election of 1831 John S Hartley 6 January 2025 Read Article William Luff - Stamford petty criminal transported to Australia William Luff Karen Smith 16 December 2024 Read Article Melbourn's Tied Houses 1869-1971 Chris Hunt 4 July 2024 Read Article Brazenose College, Stamford A closer look at the building central to the story of Stamford's medieval university Nicholas J Sheehan 10 June 2024 Read Article John Flowers Bentley (1810-1884): Stamford Polymath from the Stamford Institution to Bentley Street John S Daffurn 25 January 2024 Read Article George Longstaff and ClayTobacco Pipe Manufacture in Stamford Nicholas J Sheehan 4 December 2023 Read Article The Etton Causewayed Enclosure: its significance within the Welland Valley and broader landscape Michelle Feasey 3 November 2023 Read Article The Stamford Terracotta Company J M Blashfield's business on Wharf Road Nicholas J Sheehan 8 August 2023 Read Article Uffington's road block defences in World War II Obstacles manned by the Home Guard Nicholas J Sheehan 2 July 2023 Read Article The Bridge Gate of Stamford and John Frammesley The site of a traitor's remains Chris Hunt 1 June 2023 Read Article The formation and first home of the Stamford Institution (1838-1842) When, where and how the Insitution was formed John S Daffurn 14 April 2023 Read Article Murage Tax for repairs to the town wall of Stamford A tax granted to the town by Edward I Chris Hunt 19 February 2023 Read Article Women's Suffrage in Stamford: Fight for the Vote 1913 Votes for women Chris Hunt 1 January 2023 Read Article Sufferings of the Early Quaker Community in Stamford Persecution of local Dissenters Chris Hunt 1 January 2023 Read Article Stamford, Spalding and Boston Banking Company 1832-1911 A Victorian provincial bank Chris Hunt 1 January 2023 Read Article William Shakespeare and Stamford Henry IV, part 2, act 3, scene 2 Chris Hunt 1 January 2022 Read Article Stamford. Elizabeth Pulley. Murder Most Foul Murder in a Lincolnshire town Chris Hunt 1 January 2022 Read Article The State of Stamford's Housing at the end of the Great War Housing fit for heroes Chris Hunt 1 January 2022 Read Article Parliamentary Election 1847 (Hustings and Poll) A contested election in Stamford Chris Hunt 1 January 2022 Read Article Recreation Ground Bandstand A report of the opening of Stamford's bandstand Chris Hunt 1 January 2021 Read Article Men of Stamford in the Hundred Years War Local men fighting France David Large 1 January 2021 Read Article October 31st 1940 - The Luftwaffe comes to Stamford A lucky wartime escape Chris Hunt 1 January 2021 Read Article Nora Blake: Young Stamford Pacifist A prizewinning anti-war essay K Hansell & N J Sheehan 1 January 2021 Read Article Ketton Gas and Coke Company (limited) A Victorian rural gas works Chris Hunt 1 January 2021 Read Article Political Pressures - Eighteenth Century Style A hotly contested parliamentary election in Stamford John Hartley 1 January 2019 Read Article The Stamford Deviation The decision of the Great Northern Railway to bypass the town Mike Sockett 4 May 2018 Read Article The Stamford Institution A permanent home on St Peter's Hill John S Hartley 1 January 2018 Read Article Stamford in 1868 An election and other happenings Chris Hunt 1 January 2018 Read Article Window Tax A replacement for the hearth tax Prof Alan Rogers 1 January 2018 Read Article John Clare and Bull Running A poet, and the pros and cons of bull-running Chris Hunt 1 January 2018 Read Article Stamford in Domesday Book 12C survey of local property Dr David Roffe 1 January 2018 Read Article V Bomber Crash at Barnack Five killed on training flight from Wittering Chris Hunt 1 January 2017 Read Article Stamford: The Home Front 1940 Air Raid Precautions Local provisions in event of WWII air attack Chris Hunt 1 January 2017 Read Article Belgian Refugees in Stamford Flemish exiles in WWI Jean Orpin 1 January 2014 Read Article The Brazenose Site in Stamford Nicholas J Sheehan 1 January 2013 Read Article Muster Roll 1584 A list of available arms for the Hundred of Nesse David Nalson 1 January 2012 Read Article Don't Meddle with my Business! A 16C warning Stamford's relationship with Mary Tudor's government Professor Alan Rogers 1 January 2012 Read Article David Cecil's Will and David Cecil's Wife: Two Notes Early history of the Burghley dynasty Professor Alan Rogers 1 January 2012 Read Article The King in Stamford Baron From the Proceedings and Odinances of the Privy Council Professor Alan Rogers 1 January 2012 Read Article Medieval and Early Modern Stamford Taxation Returns Important local tax returns (1332-1524) Professor Alan Rogers 1 January 2012 Read Article Terricus of Cologne An alien merchant in Stamford in the 13C Prof Alan Rogers 1 January 2012 Read Article Restoration and Rebuilding of Browne's Hospital Repairing one of Stamford's almshouses David Wallington 1 January 2012 Read Article

< Back A List of Stamford Aldermen, 1398-1457 Chris Hunt 2022 Francis Howgrave in his 1726 book: An Essay of The Ancient and Present State of Stamford , listed ‘Aldermen of the Gild’ from 1398 to 1457. He states that Stamford was governed by prescriptive Magistrates long before King Edward IV’s Charter, but due to rebellious times, ill kept records and the town consumed by fire, many of Stamford’s records were lost. But, George Hill, Steward of the Town, and Alderman in 1662, had preserved a Roll listing sixty Aldermen prior to George Chapman who is mentioned as Alderman in the Edward IV Charter, sealed in 1462. 1398 George Wyches 1399 Stephen Maxey 1400 Robert Locksmith 1401 John Stanby 1402 Thomas Storine 1403 Thomas Spicer 1404 Ralph Harwood 1405 John Palfreeman 1406 Ralph Browne 1407 John Stacy 1408 Alexander Haine 1409 Robert Locksmith (2) 1410 Thomas Basset 1411 John Browne 1412 William Locksmith 1413 John Stanby (2) 1414 John Palfreeman (2) 1415 Alexander Mercer 1416 John Allock 1417 Andrew Draper 1418 Thomas Basset (2) 1419 John Browne 1420 Thomas Ralph 1421 Thomas Spicer (2) 1422 John Palfreeman (3) 1423 John Whitsade 1424 John Browne 1425 Robert Bendboar 1426 Thomas Basset (3) 1427 Thomas Spicer (3) 1428 John Longe 1429 John Page 1430 Richard Lee 1431 Laurence Melton 1432 William Marwood 1433 Richard Lee (2) 1434 Laurence Melton (2) 1435 William Browne 1436 William Marwood (2) 1437 Richard Lee (3) 1438 Robert Browne 1439 William Sturton 1440 Thomas Balksay 1441 William Browne (2) 1442 John Page (2) 1443 Richard Lee (4) 1444 Laurence Melton (3) 1445 John Browne 1446 William Browne (3) 1447 William Sturton (2) 1448 Richard Blagwin 1449 Thomas Gregory 1450 John Browne 1451 Laurence Melton (4) 1452 John Gregory 1453 John Page (2) 1454 William Hickham 1455 William Sturton (3) 1456 Thomas Gregory (2) 1457 William Browne (4) Notes The ( ) next to an aldeman indicates the number of times he held that office. There is no such number against John Browne as not all the persons listed above in the name are the same Alderman. For instance a John Browne died in July 1442, and a John Browne was again Alderman in 1462. Some genealogists list four generations of John Browne in Stamford. However, the William Browne who was Alderman in 1435, 1441, 1446 and 1457, did go on to be an Alderman in 1466 and 1470. Francis Howgrave does not list Aldermen for the years 1458, 1459, and 1460. The late Professor Alan Rogers published an article in Lincolnshire History & Archaeology Vol 41 (2006) which lists earlier Aldermen, variants, and analysis on the above list using deeds and leases. A print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

< Back The Saracen’s Head Inn, Stamford: Uncovered? John Daffurn 2025 A recently posted snippet on this site (see here ) identified an unknown medieval inn included in Prof Alan Rogers’ People & Property in Medieval Stamford (838. MB 4/58). It refers to ‘le Sarsynneshed in the parish of St Mary at the Bridge Stamford’ which was being repaired in 1435. The post resonated with me as other information I had accumulated when researching for Stamford Assets had also identified a Saracen’s Head Inn. Now, with documentary evidence, it is possible to formulate a proposition regarding both the exact location of the inn and the likely date it was built. 1. The Location of the Saracen's Head 1.1 Introduction Whilst researching for Newcomb owned properties in St Mary’s parish, I came across a group of documents held by the Lincolnshire Archives (LA). Curiously the entry heading in the archive catalogue mentioned that the documents related to a building which was formerly known as the Saracen’s Head. At the time I was unable, before the publication deadline for Stamford Assets , to decipher and unravel the complex group of documents from 1663 to 1850, involving multiple buildings and parcels of land. Having revisited them, I believe it is now possible to identify the location of the inn and its owners and tenants, from 1663. 1.2 1721 Indenture – Gift from Joshua Blackwell to his son, John (LA, MISC DON 1064/6) The most detailed document in the group is a 1721 indenture setting out the terms of a gift of property in the Monday Market [now St Mary’s Place] from Joshua Blackwell to his son John, in consideration of John’s marriage to Mary Winder. The gifted property included three separate messuages or tenements ‘and all manner of Outhouses Edifices Buildings Dovehouses Barns Stables Coachhouses Yards Orchards Gardens Backsides Ways Waters Watercourses Walls Fences Easements Privileges Profits Commons Emoluments Hereditaments and Appurtenances’. This indenture also details the families (Fairchild, Kettleborough and Wright) from whom Joshua Blackwell purchased these properties, and this aids the research into the location of the old inn. One of the properties is described as having a ‘malting office’ which links to a property advertised to let in 1723 (see 1.4) and which in 1721 was tenanted by John South and Dr Charles Wilson. South had, in 1719, been the landlord of the Swan Inn [located at 15 St Mary’s Street and later called the Swan and Talbot, and then the Talbot] and was mayor of Stamford in 1722/3. The link between the Swan Inn and the malting house property is replicated in 1795 (see Sarah Broughton in 1.5). 1.3 Additional documents 1663-1721 Although the 1721 indenture does not mention the Saracen’s Head, the five earlier documents below all confirm the inn by name and relate to property acquired by Blackwell from the Fairchild family, and, by inference, the Kettleborough family. These documents all relate to ‘three lower ground rooms’ being ‘part of and belonging to a messuage or tenement called or known by or name of or sign of the Sarisons Head [also Sarizons Head]’. 1.3.1 1663 Indenture, Robert Cammock to Henry Fairchild (LA, MISC DON 1064/1) The Cammock family were well known in Stamford and had resided in St Mary’s parish since the middle of the 16th century. Robert’s father and his uncle, Edward, had both been aldermen of the Corporation of Stamford and, in 1643, Edward had carried the town mace in front of Charles I when he processed through the town. Additional information within the indenture states that a tallow chandler, Willian Algar, had occupied the property north of the Saracen’s Head and Robert Cammock also owned the building south of the inn. In 1661, Robert’s daughter, Sarah, was born and the St Mary’s parish register gives Robert’s occupation as innkeeper. A year later, Robert’s father died and, as a wealthy and important inhabitant of St Mary’s parish, it is likely that he owned both the Saracen’s Head, occupied by his son, and the property next door which was his home. Robert, his eldest son, would have inherited these buildings from his father and one scenario would be that Robert moved into his father’s house and sold or let parts such as the ‘the three lower ground rooms’ of what had become a failing inn. The indenture also describes the rooms above the lower rooms as being in the possession of William Algar and Robert Cammock. However, by 1672 these upper rooms were owned by Thomas Kettleborough (see 1.3.2) 1.3.2 1672 Indenture, Anne Fairchild to Richard, her son (LA, MISC DON 1064/2) Anne, the widow of Henry Fairchild who died in 1671, gifted the three lower rooms to her son Richard on his marriage to Susan Nelsy. At that time the lower rooms were being let to Joseph Parnham, who in 1672 married into the Fairchild family, and the upper rooms were owned by Thomas Kettleborough. 1.3.3 1674 Indenture, Richard Fairchild to Major Fairchild (LA, MISC DON 1064/3) In 1674, Richard Fairchild leased the three rooms for ‘four score and nyneteene years’ to Major Fairchild, a butcher, who one might assume was a relative. 1.3.4 1698 Quadrupartite Indenture (LA, MISC DON 1064/4) This document appears to be a tidying up of Joshua Blackwell’s property portfolio in St Mary’s parish, by acquiring the three lower ground rooms, having probably already bought the upper rooms from Thomas Kettleborough, as well as a larger property and land from Robert Wright. However, over seventy years remained on the lease in 1.3.3 above, and as Major Fairchild had died in 1690 his widow Elizabeth and daughter, also Elizabeth, inherited the lease. The four parties to the indenture were the widow and daughter of Major Fairchild, Richard Fairchild and Susan his wife, who owned the freehold, John Rogers [father-in-law of Joshua], who held the property in trust for Joshua Blackwell, and finally Joshua Blackwell himself, who was to purchase the freehold. 1.3.5 1698 Indenture, Richard Fairchild to Joshua Blackwell (LA, MISC DON 1064/5) This document conveyed the freehold to Joshua Blackwell, having concluded the lease arrangements in 1.3.4 above. The five documents above, plus the 1721 indenture, do not identify the exact location of the Saracen's Head but provide information which, when taken together wirh 1.4 (the Blackwell family) and 1.5 (documentary evidence from 1772 to 1850) below, clarifies the situation. 1.4 The Blackwell family Between 1698 and 1721 there is a paucity of documentation to assist in the location quest, but genealogical information can help. In 1686, Joshua Blackwell married Mary Rogers, the daughter of John Rogers, a doctor, who is mentioned in 1.3.4, and they would have needed a marital home. A few years before, probably in 1680, Robert Cammock died and in 1682 his daughter, Sarah, married Robert Wright. Both lived and remained in the parish of All Saints, so it is possible that Sarah inherited her father’s property in St Mary’s and sold it following her marriage, as Robert Wright and Sarah are named in 1721 as being one of the parties from whom Joshua Blackwell acquired property. The assumption is that Blackwell acquired Robert Cammock’s house and made it his home before buying the upper rooms of the Saracen’s Head from Thomas Kettleborough and the lower rooms from Richard Fairchild. He lived in the house with his wife, Mary, but in 1699, at the age of thirty-two, she died having born him five children, including his son John. In 1702, Joshua, then a widower, married Lettice Winder, a widow, and they continued to live in the same house until his death in 1727 and Lettice’s death in 1730, even though it had been gifted to his son John in 1721. When John married Mary Winder, the daughter of Lettice from her first marriage, Lettice became both his stepmother and mother-in-law. Stamford Mercury , 20 February 1724 In 1723, John Blackwell, following the death of Dr Wilson his tenant, advertised the house with the malting office to let (Stamford Mercury [SM], 6 June 1723) and a 1724 advertisement for the same property mentions it having a coach house and stable for seven horses. After the death of his father and stepmother, John Blackwell demolished his large house and built in its place what is now 2 St Mary's Place. A few years later he extended the house which became 3 St Mary’s Place. One is now able to realise that the location for the Saracen’s Head is the property north of Blackwell's home – 1 St. Mary's Place. When John Blackwell died in 1770, he left a detailed will bequeathing a house tenanted by Dr Jackson, to Miss Eleanor Peart, and his main residence to his son Thomas Blackwell, the rector of St Clement Danes, London. However, in a subsequent codicil, his will was amended to leave both properties to Peart. Thereafter, the trail of 1 St Mary's Place, and therefore the site of the Saracen's Head, is well documented. 1.5 Documents and other information for 1 St Mary’s Place, 1770 to 1919. 1 St Mary's Place The death of John Blackwell triggered the sale of the building that was previously the Saracen’s Head and from that date documentary evidence exists for the ownership of the property until 1919, when it appeared in an auction catalogue as 1 St Mary’s Place. Eleanor Peart, the grandniece of John Blackwell, inherited his two houses and proceeded to sell them both. No. 1 St Mary’s Place was sold in 1771 to John Hays (LA, MISC DON 1064/9) for £220, and in 1773 the large house was sold to Edward Nott. In 1790, Abel Walford Bellairs bought the large property (2/3 St Mary’s Place) and in 1793 bought No. 1 from John Hays for £336. This latter deal appears to be a mechanism to enhance the Bellairs’ larger property next door, as in 1795 he sold it on to Sarah Broughton for £315, after carving out some of the land at the rear. The indenture stated that Bellairs was selling the house ‘except such part of the premises as have been lately taken into the yard and premises of the said Abel Walford Bellairs and then divided therefrom by the fence wall and buildings of and belonging to him the said Abel Walford Bellairs’ (LA, MISC DON 1064/10b). When Sarah Broughton bought 1 St Mary’s Place, she was still the landlady of the Swan and Talbot Inn (previously the Swan Inn run by John South in 1719). Sarah Broughton retired in 1795 and moved permanently into 1 St Mary’s Place (SM, 17 April 1795). Over the years 1 St Mary’s Place passed through the heirs of Sarah Broughton until it was bought by Richard Newcomb for £400, in 1850 (LA, MISC DON 1064/12). The complete list of owners and tenants of the building from 1663 until its auction sale in October 1919 can be seen in Appendix A. 2. The Origin of the Saracen’s Head Inn, Stamford Example of image for Saracen's Head inn sign The Oxford Dictionary provides the meaning of Saracen as i. An Arab or Muslim at the time of the Crusades and ii. A nomad of the Syrian or Arabic descent. The ‘Saracen’s Head‘ is described as a heraldic charge or an inn sign, and although many inns named the Saracen’s Head remain in England the word Saracen can now cause offence. Its use as a name for an inn is almost certainly linked to the Crusades which were a series of wars in the Holy Land from 1096 to 1297. The English did not participate until the 2nd Crusade in 1147 when a few knights ‘took the cross’ [taking vows and joining a crusade] and travelled to Palestine. In 1187, Richard, as the Duke of Pitou, took the cross and later, as Richard I, he led the 3rd Crusade in 1190, with the support of an army of 6,000 Englishmen. It is known that there was support in Stamford for pilgrims and knights travelling to Jerusalem before 1189, in the form of the house of the Holy Sepulchre, a hospital of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, sometimes called Knights Hospitallers. This was situated on the south side of the River Welland on the site of the George Hotel. Elsewhere in England there is evidence of a Saracen’s Head inn existing prior to 1194 as Richard I on his return from the Crusades visited one and renamed it the Royal Saracen’s Head. It is suggested in the location information above that the Saracen’s Head in Stamford may have been operating until 1663 and from Prof Alan Rogers it is known that the Saracen’s Head was being repaired in 1435 and therefore must have been built prior to that date. The knights and soldiers from the north of England would have retraced their steps when returning from the Crusade in 1194 and passed through Stamford on their way home. The success of Richard the Lionheart’s campaign in the Holy Land and its subsequent mythologising spread throughout the country, and this may have led to the naming of the Saracen’s Head in St Marys Place, an important area of Stamford adjacent to St Mary’s church. Finally, the southwest corner of the cellar of 1 St Mary’s Place ‘incorporates part of a 13th-century undercroft’ (Royal Commission on Historical Monuments, The Town of Stamford ). Could this be part of the cellar of the Saracen’s Head or even part of the three lower ground rooms sold to Henry Fairchild in 1663? The Saracen’s Head was built between 1190 and 1435, but with the existence of the undercroft one might err towards the beginning of the 13th century shortly after the return of the Crusaders. Appendix A Note… Text in italics indicates an assumption A print copy can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

Contact The Stamford Local History Society - we share a keen interest in all things historical in and around Stamford, Lincolnshire. CONTACT This page provides a contact form for messages and enquiries. Below it are directions to the location of our talks and meetings. Send us a message and we’ll get back to you shortly. Email Your location Your message Send Thanks for submitting! How to find us Our meetings are held at: Barn Hill Methodist Church, Barn Hill, Stamford, PE9 2AE. From September to June members or guest speakers give a range of talks, usually on the first Thursday of each month. Access is via the front door of the Methodist Church on Barn Hill and the covered walkway from Barn Hill or from North Street, which is also a wheelchair friendly entrance. Talks start at 7.30pm with complimentary refreshments served from 7pm. Entry is £2 for members and £5 for non-members , payable at the door.

< Back Stamford in the Second World War 1940: Pillboxes By John Millard and Mike Sockett A printed copy can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

< Back Drowning on Broad Street Chris Hunt 2017 CORONERS INQUEST (JUNE 1ST 1839) LANDLADY OF THE BLACK SWAN On Saturday last an inquest was held by John Torkington, Gent., coroner for the borough of Stamford, on the body of Mrs. Sarah Dalton, widow, aged 76, landlady of the Black Swan Inn, who left the bar between 11 and 12 o’clock on the previous night, saying that she was going to bed. One of her daughters shortly after went upstairs, and returned to the bar, stating that her mother was not in bed, which excited surprise. The deceased was afterwards found floating on the water in a large cistern in the cellar, with her face downwards. It was stated that the butter and eggs were kept in a cupboard above the steps leading into the cellar, where the deceased had been in the habit of going for those articles for herself, she having frequently had a poached egg for her supper; there being no evidence, however to show positively for what purpose she went into the cellar on that night, a general verdict was returned of “found drowned”. Article appeared in the The Lincoln, Rutland and Stamford Mercury , on Friday June 7th 1839 p3c2 Note. The Stamford Corn Exchange Theatre (Broad Street) stands on the site of the Black Swan Inn and some of the cellars of the Inn are part of its basement area. Part of the Black Swan Inn can be seen in the late 18th century Bull Running painting which hangs in Stamford Town Hall. A print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

< Back A print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

< Back Murage Tax for Repairs to the Town Wall at Stamford Chris Hunt 2023 (from transcription by Justin Simpson F.S.A.) A murage tax was granted by Edward 1st to the town bailiffs to raise moneys by the taxing of goods brought into the town to repair its walls [P.R. 28 Edward 1, m16]. The King by writ made at Rockingham Castle on the 25th April in his 28th year (1300), by the announcement of William de Langton, Lord Treasurer, Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield (1296-1322), authorised the Bailiffs and honest men of Stamford for and towards its enclosure or walling for better security to levy (murage) toll on all goods brought therein for sale for a period of seven years next ensuing from the date hereof, viz., For every load of corn of all kinds for brewing, 1/4d. Of every horse, mare, ox or cow, 1/2d. Of every hide of a horse, mare, ox or cow, fresh, salt or tanned, 1/4d. Of every five bacon (pigs), 1/2d. Of every ten small (pigs), 1/2d. Of every ten sheep, goats, and pigs, 1d. Of every ten fleeces (of wool), 1/2d. For every one hundred skins of (bleeting) sheep, lambs, and goats, 1d. For every hundredweight of skins of lambs, kids, hares, rabbits, foxes, cats, and squirrels, 1/2d. For every hundredweight of grey (cloth) work, 6d. Every quarter of salt, 1/4d. Every load of cloth, 1/2d. Every entire (piece of) cloth of the value of 40 shillings, 1/2d. Every trussell (or roll) of cloth brought by a cart, 3d. Every hundredweight of worsted cloth, 2d. Every cloth of worsted called coverlet and worth 40 shillings, 1d. Every hundredweight of linen woll, 1/2d. Every hundredweight of linen woll of Aylesham, 1d. Every piece of fine Cendallo (silken cloth), 1d, and of other (kind of) silk, 1/4d. Every hundredweight of salt stock fish, or hard fish, 2d. Every cart load of sea fish, 1/4d; and every load of the same, 1/2d. Every salmon, 1/4d. Every dozen of lamphreys, 1d. Every thousand of herrings, 1/4d. Every load of cinders or ashes, 1/2d. Every load of honey, 1d. Every sack of woll, 2d. Every load of tan, to be sold by the week, 1d. Merchandize weighing a hundredweight, 1d. Of every weigh (168 lbs.) of tallow and ointment, 1d. Of every quarter wayde (?), 2d. Of every two thousand of garlic or onions, 1/2d. Every bale Cordwain (Cordovan leather), 3d. Every hundredweight of boards, 1/2d. Every mola (? millstone – see below), 1/2d. Every hundredweight of faggots, 1/4d. Every thousands of turfs, 1/4d. Cart load of wood or timber by the week, 1/2d. Hundredweight of tin, brass, or copper, 2d. Every trussell of whatever merchandize to be sold exceeding the value ten shillings, 1/2d. And for every trussell merchandize not (herein) named exceeding five shillings or more, 1/4d. Transcribed by Justin Simpson F.S.A. Notes Justin Simpson 1833-1896, was very much an antiquarian of his time, he was a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and was a prolific writer of articles which appeared in local and regional papers, and in learned journals, many of these articles related to Stamford. Glossary cordwain – leather for shoes etc., lamphreys – a fish of the genus Petromyzon, mola – salt-cake or millstone (salt was needed to tan leather), murage – a toll or tax levied for the building or repairing a town wall(s), tan – oak bark, trussell – a bundle, turf - peat A print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

< Back Window Tax Professor Alan Rogers 2018 Window Tax was imposed by Parliament in 1696, replacing the Hearth Tax, to help meet the cost of reminting the damaged coinage. After 1792 houses with between 7 and 9 windows were taxed at 2 shillings, and from 10 to 19 windows at 4 shillings. In 1825 houses with less than 8 windows were exempt. The tax was finaly abolished in 1851. The following extract is taken from a volume in the British Library entitled: 'Cases which have been determined by the JUDGES relative to the DUTIES on Houses and Windows and on Inhabited Houses'. Printed in the year MDCCLXXXII. For ease of reading a modern typeface has been used but the original capitalisation and punctuation have been preserved. CASE concerning a Surcharge made by the Surveyor of Windows Borough of Stamford Mr Howgrave was appointed Surveyor in 1762, and immediately after made a very diligent Survey in the Borough of Stamford, where he found several Houses undercharged, and the Commissioners allowed his several Surcharges; but Mr Howgrave having made a Charge of One Pound Ten Shillings upon the House inhabited by the Gaoler of this Corporation, for Eighteen Windows therein contained, Simon Peter Martin, the Gaoler appeared before the acting Commissioners on the 28th day of August last, and appealed to the Surcharge, which the Commissioners thought ought not to be in Charge, and determined in Favour of the Appellant. Upon which the Surveyor declaring himself dissatisfied, and requiring a Case to be specially stated according to the Direction of the Act of Twenty-first of his late Majesty King George the Second; the same is stated, as it appeared to the Commissioners to be as follows. The Gaol, which is very ancient, belongs to the Corporation of Stamford, by Grant from the Crown. The Appellant has been Gaoler of the Borough of Stamford above Thirty-two Years last past, and never paid Window Tax, Land Tax, Highway Assessment, Church or Poor’s Rates whatsoever, for, or in Respect of the Gaol, or his Dwelling house, The Appellant’s Predecessors never paid any of the Taxes or Rates above mentioned. 21st Sept. 1762 Thomas Taylor, Mayor John Exton, Alderman, Barnaby Turner, Francis Moore, Alderman 6th July 1767 We are of Opinion, That the Determination of the Commissioners is wrong. Mansfield E. Wilmot E. Clive Rich. Adams J. Yates J. Hewitt Middlesex A print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next