Wagon Wheel Nut BACK CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE IN FULL Hayes and Son - Wagon Wheel Nut Hayes and Son were a very successful Carriage and Wagon makers whose main works and showroom was on Scotgate and the site is now a car park. Established in 1825, successive generations took the firm from being a wheelwright in Wansford to a business with factories in Stamford, Peterborough and London and from repairing farm wagons to the construction of carriages for the Prince of Wales, the King of Sweden and the Gaekwar of Baroda. The firm also made motor car bodies before the First World War, held Government Military Contracts and built one-offs like a Rhinoceros Wagon for Wombwell’s Menagerie. A disastrous fire in 1921 hastened the end of the company which ceased trading in 1924. DOWLOAD PDF Previous Next

< Back Royal Writs Addressed to John Buckingham Bishop of Lincoln 1373 Submitted by Chris Hunt ROYAL WRITS ADDRESSED TO JOHN BUCKINGHAM BISHOP OF LINCOLN 1373 Mandate to attend parliament to discuss certain difficult and urgent business and for the king’s war expedition overseas, at Westminster on the morrow of the feast of St. Edmund [17 November], with praemunientes clause. [Edward III]. The writ is contained in a mandate of the bishop to the official of the archdeacon of Lincoln ordering him to order the clergy of his archdeaconry to be present in the church of St Mary by the Bridge (ad Pontem), Stamford, on the Monday after the feast of St Leonard the Confessor [7 November] to elect two sufficient proctors to represent the clergy in Parliament, and to certify to the bishop by letter patent what he has done. Liddington October 1373. Source. Royal Writs addressed to John Buckingham Bishop of Lincoln 1363-1398. Lincoln Record Society, LRS Volume 86. 157 [Reg. 9C p.24]. A copy of the book is held in Stamford Library. Note. St Mary by the Bridge is the church that we see today at the top of St Mary’s Hill . The Bishop issued his writ from his palace at Lyddington in Rutland; parts of the building have survived as the former Bede House now owned by English Heritage. The parliament sat in the medieval Palace of Westminster from November 21st to December 10th 1373. A print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

< Back Barton Transport Limited Concrete Bus Stop Post Survivor By Chris Hunt There is an odd-looking concrete post sited between St George’s School on Kesteven Road and the top end of Lincoln Road in Stamford. It is a Barton Bus Stop post; a timetable panel would have been attached to the flat areas. They were manufactured in the company’s own concrete casting plant in Nottingham. At one time, such posts would have been found all over the town and in some of the surrounding villages where Barton Transport Ltd. had routes. By the 1970s Barton Transport Ltd. was the largest independent operator of buses in the UK. Barton’s headquarters were in Chilwell where they had a large depot. Other bus depots were sited across the East Midlands. In 1961 Barton’s acquired Cream Buses which had been established in Stamford in 1924 by Mr W. H. Patch, when he left the employ of Peter Brotherhood’s in Peterborough. Cream Buses claimed that they had over a million passengers a year in the late 1950s, with a fleet of twenty-two buses and coaches. On being bought out by Barton’s the familiar Cream Buses were replaced with newer red ones. One of the reasons was that Barton’s had a diesel fleet, whilst Cream Buses had been fuelled by petrol. The depot in Stamford, off Radcliffe Road in Halliday’s Yard, remained in use. Barton’s remained independent until 1989 when they were bought out by Trent Buses, with the firm being rebranded Trent Barton, although buses branded as Barton were still running between Stamford and Oakham in 2000. Few of the concrete bus stops have survived; locally there is the one on Kesteven Road, another in Marholm and a couple in Wittering. They must have been introduced in the 1960s soon after Barton’s took over Cream Buses. This type of post gradually fell into disuse as a result of nationally agreed standards for bus stops which were introduced in the 1970s. Today the bus stop on Kesteven Road is still served by a bus, the Stamford Hopper Service No. 182. Note If you come across any others locally could you please contact the author through the Stamford Local History Website messaging portal. A print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

< Back An Amusing Apology from a Lincolnshire Newspaper 1806 Whereas I, Benjamin Birch, Of Boston town (and near the church), At Stamford Market, o’er the bowl, Got drunk and slandered neighbour Cole. For which he has --- to my vexation --- By law compelled this declaration: That I, without just cause or reason, Made use of words as base as treason, And therefore do his pardon ask --- A most unpleasant, painful task. But as I own I was to blame, Why dang it! Then I sign my name. By B.Birch Boston January 1806. Source. The Million (a London Magazine) September 2nd 1893 (Saturday) p17/c1, in the Queer, Quaint and Curious Section. A printed version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

a history of Stamford's workhouse < Back Stamford Poor Law Union Dr Stella Henriques 1979 This article was written by the late Dr Stella Henriques, and first published in the Stamford Historian in February 1979. As a source for the article, Dr Henriques made extensive use of the files of the Stamford Mercury, which at that time were little used by local historians. In a brief introduction, Mr William Kirkwood puts the Stamford workhouse into context. The workhouse described here lasted some 65 years until, in 1899, the Guardians took the decision to build a new workhouse on the Bourne Road (now Ryhall Road); this new building was completed in 1902 and accommodated 175 inmates. After 1930 the new workhouse became a Public Assistance Institution and in 1948 became part of the new National Health Service as St. George’s Hospital. The building was demolished some years ago to make way for retirement housing. Introduction By 1836, when the building of the St. Martin’s workhouse was started, Stamford had known almost a hundred years of experience with town workhouses. During that time there had been two successive houses, one in St. George’s parish and the other in St. Michael’s parish, both of them shared by most or all of the parishes on the town. But a new house was needed after the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act which created a new Stamford Union with a total of 37 parishes covering a large area of Rutland, Northamptonshire, the soke of Peterborough, Kesteven and even parts of Huntingdonshire. With such a large area after 1834, any comparison of figures from before the Amendment Act would be valueless. Yet it is important to remember that the town workhouse before 1834 also served a wider area than just the parish in which it stood. However, it was clearly much too small to serve the area of the new Poor Law Union and thus another one had to be built. The Poor Law Amendment Act had two other main results. It made Stamford for the first (and incidentally for the last) time the administrative centre of a region; and it strengthened the position of the Marquess of Exeter, whose estate it covered and who came to hold the position of Chairman of the Board of Guardians. This last fact does not necessarily however, explain the siting of the new workhouse. Most of Stamford’s land was as yet unenclosed, which made it difficult to find building land; so that the offer of the Marquess of a suitable site in St Martin’s parish would seem to have been an act of generosity. Not long after the period described below, the workhouse was rebuilt once more in St George’s parish, this time on the Ryhall Road. The present building is the second one on that site, having been erected in the twentieth century. 1836-1837 On January 20th 1836, the Marquess of Exeter laid before the new Stamford Union Board of Guardians a plan and estimate for a workhouse to contain 300 paupers. The buildings were to cover ‘2 rood and 10 perches of land and their expense was estimated by Mr Browning (the architect) at £3,880.’ Lord Exeter offered to sell for the purpose a piece of land on the north side of the road leading from St Martin’s to Pilsgate. Some people didn’t approve of this site as they considered it to be ‘low, damp and unhealthy, being in the neighbourhood of the river, and adjacent to meadows subject to being flooded’, and a Building Committee was appointed to investigate the whole subject of site and plan of the building. However, the committee decided that the new workhouse should be built on the site offered subject to some alterations to the plan, and when these were done it was adopted on the understanding that the alterations would increase the expense by £100. The house was to contain six wards: one for 40 able-bodied men, one for 40 able-bodied females, one for 51 infirm men, one for 51 infirm females, one for 60 boys and another for 60 girls. The Marquess accepted the proposed terms of £100 per acre. The plans were sent to the Board of Commissioners in London for approval and an application was made for a loan of £4,800 for building the workhouse, to be repaid in ten annual instalments of £480 each. Tenders for building the workhouse were now received, and that of Mr. Pilkington was accepted at a price of £3,645, exclusive of the charge for a wall to surround the whole premises which would cost £500 more. It was feared that there would be extra expense for the foundations ‘as the site is that of an exhausted stone pit’. In fact the site was questioned in mid-March when the contractor stated that to make the foundation on that spot would cost £900 more than had been allowed for in the estimate, and feelings ran high. The Marquess was entreated to consent to abandon the site but he refused to do so and in April, Mr Pilkington was told to fulfil his contract, the time for completing it being extended to the 25th March 1837 ‘in consideration of the time (as well as money) lost in the foundations.’ The vicar of St Martin’s complained that there would be an increase of clerical duties as the workhouse would be in his parish, so a Chaplain had to be appointed; also there was a necessity of providing a burial ground for the use of the Union. The loan of £4,000 was granted at 4% per annum and a petition was forwarded that the period for repayment be extended to 20 years. Fire insurance was to be borne at the joint expense of the Union and the contractor. In September, the corn-mill and dressing machine which had been ordered arrived from Birmingham; these were now put up so that there might be employment for such able-bodied men who might be admitted. The request by the Chaplain to the workhouse ‘that a surplice be found for him’ in addition to his £25 a year was ignored by common consent. Previously, the Board had met in the Town Hall, but on 5th May 1837, the Guardians met for the first time in the Board-room of the new workhouse, and a few days later, 17 men, 13 women, 22 children and two lunatics (sex unknown) had arrived from the earlier town poorhouse. 1850 In January 1850 there were 250 inmates, 49 more than the previous year at the same time; 917 persons were recipients of out-door relief as against 813 in 1849, and the cost of weekly maintenance was now £79. 8s. 0d as against £76. 5s. 5d in 1849. The following month, numbers were diminishing as far as able-bodied men were concerned as ‘work in the field was about to commence.’ On March 13th, the Inspector of Union schools made a favourable report on the industrial training of the children. It was also ordered that the inmates of the Union house should have two half-day holidays to visit Stamford mid-Lent fair and that the children should have a gratuity of 1d piece on each day. There were 165 paupers in the house, 35 less than at the same time in 1849. Contracts for supplies consisted of bread (2nds), per 4lb loaf, 3 ¾d; flour, per stone, 1/7d; Scotch oatmeal per 32 lbs, 4/6d; beef and mutton per stone 5/3d; black tea per lb 3/4d; Jamaica sugar, per lb 4d; Leicestershire cheese per lb. 6d; Patna rice per lb. 2d; salt per cwt 1/9d; yellow soap per cwt. £2. 2s. 0d; store candles per doz. 4/9d; butter (Dutch) per lb 9d; soda per cwt. 8/-; and hard pit coal, per ton 12/8d. It was interesting to note that by 1870 there were some changes and additions. The 4lb loaf was 4 ½d; beef and mutton had become separated and beef without bone per stone was 8/11d; mutton per stone 7/11d; suet (beef and mutton) per stone 6/9d; loaf sugar per lb 5d; peas (split) per bushel 7/6d; butter (salt) per lb 1/- or fresh per lb 1/4d; tallow soap (mottled) per cwt. £1.15.6; tallow soap (yellow) per cwt. £1.10.0. In March 1850 the Schoolmaster and Schoolmistress made an application for an increased allowance of rations on the grounds that the rations were more liberal for similar persons in the Unions of Bourne, Spalding and Sleaford, but as it was stated that the Stamford salaries were higher than in the other places the application was left ‘undetermined’. In April the Mercury reported that ‘In the face of much zealous prophecy to the contrary, the lower classes in this part of the country are happily better off than they had been for a long period. The complaints of deficiency of work are comparatively few, and able-bodied men find employment at a fair rate of wages. The Great Eastern Railway works at Peterborough afford labour to very many hands, and we hear that the Marquis of Exeter employs more than a hundred persons in some agricultural improvements he is effecting at King’s Cliffe.’ There were fewer inmates and the number of casual paupers nil; there had been 131 at the same time in the previous year. The Mercury concludes ‘Whatever may be the cause of this decrease of pauperism, the fact is gratifying in a moral and social point of view, and it will of course prove beneficial to the rate payers.’ In May, the returns continued to show a fall in the numbers: 143 inmates compared with 156 in 1849. Admission of casual paupers was three against 79 in May 1949. ‘It is believed the Bath Test is the principal agent which deters the application of vagrants. Not one in 100 will submit to a thorough washing.’ The following month the figures were even lower. The Government Inspector of Schools visited the Union-house in September and in the Visitors’ Book remarked that he found the state of education very satisfactory but there was ‘room for improvement in the spelling of the lower classes.’ Contracts were entered into for supplying shoes and drapery. By November, applications for outdoor relief were increasing – mainly for the infirm, widows and children. It was hoped that the start of works near Lynn on the Norfolk and Lincolnshire Estuary would give employment throughout the winter to labourers who couldn’t find jobs nearer home. At the December meeting of the Guardians, the Medical Officer complained that two of the sick inmates had greatly abused him, and that one of them had seized a poker and advanced towards him in a ‘threatening attitude.’ The second man had refused to take his medicine and said that he wasn’t being properly treated. However, the doctor was able to prove that this was not the case and the man was reprimanded. When the first patient was summoned to be sent before the Magistrates, it was found that he had discharged himself and left the premises. For Christmas Day, the Guardians subscribed among themselves and provided ‘festal fare’. Each man, woman and child was regaled with roast beef, plum pudding and ale, to the complete satisfaction of all. 32 able-bodied and 30 aged men, 42 able-bodied and 7 aged women, 42 boys and 41 girls and 11 infants. 1870 In January 1870, a man who came to Stamford as a confectioner was taken ill and complained that he had been kept in the Vagrant ward for two months. One of the Guardians (Dr Hopkinson) said that it wasn’t a proper place for a person suffering from disease and the Medical Officer was asked for an explanation. One cannot help feeling that the Medical Officer enjoyed giving it, for in his statement ‘he described the nature of the disease under which the man was suffering, and said that the infirmary of the Union-house was so full that the patient was really better in the tramp-ward than in the infirmary, the area of the latter not affording the proper number of cubic feet of air for those sent there’. He also referred to a minute made by him as far back as 10th June 1868, in which he pointed out the necessity of appropriating the fever hospital as an infirmary and using the infirmary as an infirm ward, and that a qualified nurse ought to be engaged by the Guardians. The Guardians agreed to the engagement of a nurse and Mr Heward (the M.O.) followed this up by asking for a small room in the house for a surgery ‘where he might see some of the patients and dispense medicine, and that a medicine chest with medicine be furnished by the Guardians his remuneration as a Medical Officer of the house being insufficient, taking into account the number of patients and the quantity of medicine required.’ This was discussed the following month. One of the Board members complained that at the Stamford and Rutland Infirmary the cost of medicine and instruments came to 4/6d per patient and of that 3/6d was spent on drugs, and that in a large dispensary in Berkshire, it was only 1/9d per patient. It was explained that in a district where low fevers and ague prevailed as in Lincolnshire, more costly medicine was used. So it was decided that the M.O. should have a room set aside for a surgery, his salary should be raised from £25 to £35 per annum and Cod liver oil and Quinine should be paid for extra as usual. Some weeks later a nurse for the infirmary was appointed. The severity of the weather in February brought about an increase in the number of able-bodied men seeking relief. In cases of families, bread was given, but in the main admission to the house was offered. A Poor-Law Inspector who was leaving the district reported that the receiving wards required to be whitewashed and properly furnished; the vagrant wards were in a dilapidated state and required more light and ventilation; the children’s day rooms and schoolrooms should have ‘boarden’ instead of stone floors; and the house generally required to be painted and whitewashed. When these recommendations were considered, the boarding of the schoolroom floors was resisted on the ground that they would need to be washed frequently and as they took a long time drying, there would be a greater risk than at present in the children catching cold. A notice containing a list of women, girls and boys requiring situations was affixed outside the Union-house gate. In April, an extremely heated discussion took place on the meaning of the term ‘destitution’. This arose from the case of a woman who had applied for relief. She was a widow with two children and lived in a house of £8. She had been helped in paying this by her uncle who had died. She had managed to keep herself by using her savings and small earnings for three years, but could do so no longer. It was contended against her claim for relief that while she had furniture, she could not be considered destitute. The Board agreed that in justice to the Ratepayers she must be refused relief; but in opposition it was remarked that the Board should be considered Guardians of the poor as well as the ratepayers, and that having so long tried to keep her family without troubling the Union, she should not be compelled to sell her household goods before she could claim relief. The application was refused by five votes to four. The number of inmates was and had been higher for some months than at the same period in the previous year, e.g. May 6th 1870, 203; 1869, 169; Outdoor relief was however less; 1870, 799 (£89. 19. 3) and 1869, 818 (£108. 3. 5). Seventy four vagrants were admitted. At the latter part of May, a large number of wives of Militia men applied for relief, their husbands being at Grantham for training, and allowances were made. The severe winter had been followed by a prolonged drought and in June many able-bodied men were out of work and applied for relief. The drought lasted for nearly three months with no ‘sensible amount of rain except for one day’. However, later some work was found in Southorpe woods, the steward of the estate having started grubbing operations earlier than intended so that the pressure of able-bodied applicants was somewhat diminished. A brick-maker from Bourne was summoned to appear to explain why he had not contributed to the support of his father who had been an inmate for some years; other sons were also summoned and the brick-maker was ordered (on order from Bourne Sessions) to pay 2/- per week for his father’s support. Later the father left the house. July 19th. The applications for relief were fewer but the number in the house continued in excess of the average – 185 as against 146 the year before and 60 vagrants. It was noted that one batch of bread was ‘very heavy’. On July 22nd the Marquess of Exeter gave permission for the Union School children to have a picnic in Burghley Park and sent £6 to be expended on small presents for the party. The 84 children were given tea, cake, fruit and a number of swings and other amusements were provided. Each child was given a basket of fruit. August. The new Poor Law Inspector reported that he was satisfied to find ‘that certain suggestions made by his predecessor had been carried out and that all the inmates of whom he had made enquiry admitted that they were kindly treated’. He also suggested, among other things, that there should be a fence in front of the infirmary to ‘keep the patients from the paupers who work or walk in the garden’. And that the receiving wards should be ventilated. It was agreed by the Board that the contract for meat next quarter should be beef and mutton separately, and not in aggregate, and that henceforward the inmates should have mutton twice a week and beef on Sundays. The relieving officer was asked to prepare a list of aged recipients of out-relief who would prefer to be paid entirely in money instead of money and bread. The intention to enclose the front of the infirmary with a ha-ha fence was recommended and the labour for such could be found in the house. As the autumn approached so did unemployment increase and also applicants for relief, many of whom had come from long distances in search of work. In October as there was a large number of old and some able-bodied men in the house without work, it was decided that they set to oakum picking. The cost of the material was 13/- per cwt and when picked was worth 20/-, so it was agreed to buy a ¼ of a ton of junk, inmates to pick 3lbs per day and tramps 1lb. December. The Central Board issued an order on the boarding out of pauper children. Previously children could not be placed in homes beyond the limit of their own Union. However the Guardians were now empowered to do so. The order recommended that there should be no boarding with out-door paupers; that, in the foster parents open air should be preferred to sedentary labour, that special attention should be paid to decent accommodation and the proper separation of the sexes; that great care should be taken to provide children with education and with clothing; and that all boarding out in large towns to be avoided. Christmas was now approaching and the usual Christmas dinner for the inmates was voted and it was also determined to give an extra shilling to families on out relief. The dinner was to be given on the 26th as Christmas Day fell on a Sunday. Before this, the inmates had a dinner of roast beef and plum pudding on the 20th to celebrate the coming of age of Lord Burghley. The Marquess sent £10 to be spent on articles for the women and children. There was also a Christmas tree for the children but that was reserved for the 26th. It was unfortunate that ‘owing to bad cooking’ the Christmas dinner for the 207 inmates was not enjoyed as much as usual. The number of inmates on December 30th 1869 and 1870 were as follows: 1870 1869 Inmates 207 215 Out-relief 797 856 A print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

Find out about future talks at The Stamford Local History Society. Details for forthcoming talks are shown here as well as details of previous events. Become a member today. TALKS During our season, which runs from September to June, we arrange talks on a variety of topics usually related to Stamford and its surrounding districts. Current Programme of Talks 2025/26 4 June 2026 AGM including three mini talks Chris Hunt, Trish Auciello, Chris Hunt Fish & Chips, Twelve Boxes - Six Monarchs, Stamford's Lost Font. 2 July 2026 Closed Stations and Steam: The Stamford Area & The Beeching Cuts. Chris Hunt An Illustrated Talk 3 September 2026 Stamford Photographers Philippa Massey 1 October 2026 Missing Buildings of Stamford Part 2 Chris Hunt 5 November 2026 Stanford and the Great Cecil Mike Burton 3 December 2026 Members Evening and Mini Talks To be announced Mince pies and drinks 4 February 2027 Stamford Alms Houses Penny Rowley 4 March 2027 A History of Crime and Punishment Stuart Orme Past Seasons' Talks 7 May 2026 The Luttrell Psalter, The Lord of Irnham's view of 14th Century England. Professor Michelle Brown 2 April 2026 Excavations at Prior's Hall, Corby, Northants Paddy Lambert To be held in the Church Hall 5 March 2026 John Clare - The Helpston Poet Rev Garry Alderson 5 February 2026 Celtic Paganism in the Stamford Area Professor Andrew Breeze 4 December 2025 Members Evening Trish Auciello, Richard Asher Mince Pies & Mini talks - The Life & Loves of my Gt/Gt Grandfather and The Battle for 51 High Street - 1960's Stamford 27 November 2025 The Story of a Rutland Mosaic Jim Irvine A Roman Mystery in the Heart of England 6 November 2025 Polish Servicemen in Stamford in 1944 Suzanne Sawyer Through Dad's Eyes 2 October 2025 Stamford East (Station) to Stamford Midland (Station) via Peterborough North Chris Hunt 4 September 2025 Fair Maid - Joan Holland, a romantic story Philippa Massey 5 June 2025 AGM Free Evening Chris Hunt Mini-talk - Shopping on Stamford's High Street before World War One 1 May 2025 Stamford Bradcroft and the Ancient Meeting Place of Rutland Dr Keith Roffe 3 April 2025 The Blackfriars Estate (Stamford) Growth, Dissolution and Development Keith Hansell 6 March 2025 Portable Antiquities Scheme Dr Lisa Brundle 6 February 2025 Stamford JUSTHEAT Project Dr Kathy Davies An Update 5 December 2024 Mince Pies and Mini Talks Free Evening 7 November 2024 The 1737 Stamford Parliamentary Elections John Smith 3 October 2024 The Road to Losecoat Field Dr Nicholas Bennett 5 September 2024 Mahomet Thomas Phillips Prof Heather Hughes 6 June 2024 AGM and Free Talk The Bacon Family Murders 2 May 2024 In Search of Two Brothers Jonathan Smith (Lincolnshire Regiment WWI) 4 April 2024 Must Farm Archaeology Christopher Wakefield 7 March 2024 Mrs Cromwell's Cookbook Stuart Orme 1 February 2024 Stamford Castle Prof David Stocker 7 December 2023 Members and Guests Evening 2 November 2023 Castle Cement Sinan Urhan 5 October 2023 Robert 'Troublesome' Brown Rev Peter Stevenson Father of Congregationalism 7 September 2023 The History of Horse Racing Penny Rowley and Stamford Racecourse 4 May 2023 The Villages of Kesteven Rev David Bond 6 April 2023 Southorpe Peter Jackson Two Thousand Years of History 2 March 2023 Grey Friars or White Friars? Linda Ball In Search of Stamford's Friaries 2 February 2023 Collyweston Palace Update Chris Close 3 November 2022 Law & Order in Stamford Philippa Massey Crime Punishment and Policing 6 October 2022 Private Life of Oliver Cromwell Stuart Orme 15 September 2022 The Hommet Family Prof. Daniel Power Norman 12th Century Lords of Stamford 7 April 2022 Genealogy on the Internet John Daffurn using a real heir-hunter case study 3 March 2022 Broad Street Stamford Chris Hunt 3 February 2022 More of Stamford's Victorian Underbelly Claire Richardson Henry Corby and the Murder of Miss Pulley 6 January 2022 Update on the Collyweston Palace Project Chris Close (Postponed COVID-19) 4 November 2021 Barnack Stone- Brian Palmer Rags to Riches 7 October 2021 Strumpets, Harlots & Prostitutes Claire Richardson Stamford's Victorian Underbelly 8 April 2021 Strumpets, Harlots and Prostitutes Claire Richardson (Postponed COVID-19) 3 February 2021 Prehistoric Settlement in the Welland Valley Andrew Hatton (Postponed COVID-19) 5 November 2020 A Tank from 'D-Day' to Bergen-Belsen Gerry Wells (Cancelled COVID-19) 1 October 2020 The Private Life of Oliver Cromwell Stuart Orme (Postponed COVID-19) 3 September 2020 The Courtier and the Queen Malcolm Deacon (Cancelled COVID-19) 9 April 2020 The Road to Losecoat Field Dr Nicholas Bennett (Cancelled COVID-19) 2 April 2020 The Village of Barnack Brian Palmer (Postponed COVID-19) 5 March 2020 Wothorpe Towers Paul Griffin 6 February 2020 Local Archaeological Sites Mike Clatworthy Torpel & Downhall Manors 7 November 2019 The Eleanor Crosses Keith Busfield 3 October 2019 Stamford's Courts and Yards Philippa Massey 5 September 2019 Castle Construction, Conquest and Compensation Dr David Roffe Christine Mahany Memorial Lecture 4 April 2019 Beginners guide to investigating house histories D Frearson & C Bancroft-Turner 7 March 2019 Where Old Stamfordians go Dan Stamp and what they get up to 7 February 2019 The Urban Churchyard Rev David Bond 1 November 2018 Mercury Memories Jonathon Smith 4 October 2018 Margaret Beaufort Stuart Orme Henry VIII's Grandmother 6 September 2018 Rev Arthur Galton Dr Maggie Mckay One time Vicar of Edenham 5 April 2018 Boudicca Chris Carr The Creation of Two Empires 15 February 2018 Stamford in Domesday Book Dr David Roffe 16 November 2017 The Civil War in Peterboro Don Chiswell and latest archaeological discoveries 19 October 2017 Colleges & Collegiate Churches Rev David Bond (Lincs, Leics, Northants) 7 September 2017 Dr John Willis and his family Chris Adams 13 April 2017 The Political John Clare Roger Rowe 9 March 2017 The Roman Archaeology of the Nene Valley Prof. Stephen Upex 9 February 2017 Sir Malcolm Sargent Penny Rowley 24 November 2016 Thomas Hotchkin of Tixover (1774 - 1843) Brian Palmer 20 October 2016 The Deepings Canal Project Maggie Ashcroft 14 April 2016 Life at Norman Cross: Stuart Orme the World's First POW camp 11 February 2016 British Racing Motors Jonathan Smith 22 October 2015 Stamford Fairs and Markets Keith Hansell 17 September 2015 Flag Fen Sarah Wilson 9 April 2015 Magna Carta Dr Henry Summerson 5 March 2015 Landlords & Neighbours John Hartley Pubs posh and pokey in St Mary's 27 November 2014 WW1 Jeremy Banning 6 November 2014 Victorian Church Restoration in Stamford John Smith 9 October 2014 Stamford Standoff Matthew McCormack Army versus Militia in Georgian England 11 September 2014 The Daughters of Durham David Marcombe St Leonard's Priory, Stamford, in context 13 March 2014 Researching Urban History Alan Rogers 20 February 2014 Longthorpe Tower Stuart Orme 14 January 2014 Stamford in 1913 Chris Hunt an Illustrated History 20 November 2013 Recent Discoveries and Challenges Jenny Young in Stamford's Archaeology 17 October 2013 Stamford's Role in the Cold War Richard Barry 26 June 2013 Contesting Stamford's Past John Beckett Local Historians in Conflict (17th to 19th centuries)

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< Back Religious Foundations of Medieval Stamford John S Hartley and Alan Rogers 2017 There have been many requests for this book which is now out of print and not easily reprintable, so we have decided to create a .pdf of the book for free distribution. We have taken the opportunity to list below additional information found since its original publication under each of the headings as below. This pdf may be copied freely - we hope that eventually it will be available for download on the website of the Stamford and District Local History Society John S Hartley Alan Rogers February 2017 T he book can be read HERE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION GENERAL Considerable information about the ownership of property in Stamford by all the religious foundations is to be found in the following volumes which have been published since this catalogue was first produced: The Act Book of St Katherine’s Gild, Stamford, 1480-1534 edited Alan Rogers 2011 Bury St Edmunds: abramis ISBN 978-1-84549-509-1; 299 pages People and Property in medieval Stamford: a catalogue of title deeds from Stamford, Lincolnshire, from the twelfth century to 1547 2012 edited Alan Rogers abramis ISBN 978-1-84549-548-0 Noble Merchant: William Browne (c1410-1489) and Stamford in the fifteenth century, Alan Rogers 2012, abramis ISBN 978-1-84549-565-7 ALL SAINTS CHURCH Robert rector of church of All Saints in the Market late 12th century PRO E326/4293, 4626 Proctor of the mass celebrated in the church of All Saints in the Market 1339-40, PRO E326/4690 Church taxed at 8 marks 1450 PRO E36/52 Stock of All Saints gild valued at £4 1524/5 PRO E179/136/315 ST ANDREW’S CHURCH It would seem to have been located in the churchyard of St Michael - see PRO E326/4736 for mention of two churchyards; see also M E Briston and T M Halliday (ed) The Pilsgate Manor of the Sacrist of Peterborough Northants Record Society 2009 p 91 - St Michael’s church paying a rent for two churchyards in Staunford, 1271-4 ST CLEMENTS CHURCH Ascelin priest of St Clements church late 12th century PRO E326/4626 ‘Parson’ of St Clements church taxed to lay [sic] subsidy 12d, 1450 PRO 179/276/44 Chantry certificate 1548 PRO E301/33/122 ST GEORGE’S CHURCH This may be the church of St Gregory mentioned in PRO CP40/296 m42; Justin Simpson’s notes 1 p56 (in Town Hall, Stamford) 1450 church was untaxed - a pension of 16s was due to Fromond priory PRO E36/62 Stipend of the church in 1524/5 was £4 PRO E179/136/315 HOLY TRINITY/ ST STEPHENS CHURCH Stock of the gild of Holy Trinity valued at £3 1524-25 PRO E179/136/315 CPSD letters ST JOHN THE BAPTIST Valued at 17 marks without the pension to Fromond 1450 PRO E36/62 ST MARTIN’S CHURCH Gild taxed at 6d in 1450 PRO E179/276/44; paid pension to sacrist of Peterborough PRO E36/62 Stock of St Martin’s gild valued at £3 in 1524-25 PRO E179/136/315 Chantry certificate 1548 in full in Justin Simpson’s notes 1 page 93 Inquiry into land of church 1617 Justin Simpson’s notes 1 pages 140-1 ST MARY’S CHURCH Gild of Corpus Christi taxed at 6s in 1449-50, PRO E179/276/44 Gild of Our Lady, stock valued at £10 1524-25 PRO E179/136/315 ST MARY BYNEWERK See Howgrave pp 10, 96 ST MICHAEL’S CHURCH Pension in 1450 was 14s PRO E36/62 See St Andrews church Gild in St Michael’s church: in 1524-25, the stipend of the church was valued at £2, the stipend of the gild at £6, PRO E179/136/315 ST PAUL’S CHURCH For the gild of St Katherine which met in this church, see St Katherine’s Gild book listed above ST PETER’S CHURCH Valued at 14½ marks with pension to Lincoln of 20s in 1450 PRO E36/62 DEAN OF STAMFORD Alexander dean early thirteenth century PRO E326/4548 Reiner dean teacher and dean; probably son of Herward PRO E326/ 4541, 4548, 4626 1442 the will of John Browne father of William Browne was proved in the court of the dean of Stamford held in All Saints church; Devon Record Office Simcoe 1038 M/T/9/2. BROWNE’S HOSPITAL The most up-to-date account of this hospital is to be found in Nick Hill and Alan Rogers 2013 Guild, Hospital and Alderman: new light on the founding of Browne’s Hospital, Stamford 1475-1509 abramis The Wardens: managing a late medieval hospital (Browne’s Hospital, Stamford 1495-1518) edited Alan Rogers 2014 abramis and Stamford Survey Group. ST GILES HOSPITAL For Spittle Close in 1556, see Justin Simpson’s notes 1 pp 111-112 ST JOHN’S HOSPITAL Justin Simpson’s notes 1 p 91 cites chantry certificate: the free chapel of St John is annexed to a spittell house being situated upon Stamford bridge and is no parish church; one stipendiary priest SCHOOLS John Cissor alumpnus quondam domini Henrici Engayne 13th century PRO E328/16 Master Peter alumnus of Reiner sometime dean of Stamford thirteenth century PRO E326/4541 ST LEONARDS PRIORY Rent in St Mary’s parish, thirteenth century PRO E326/4553 1450 valued same as in 1291, PRO E36/62 1833 rebuilding John Chandler notes pages 188-9 See: Alan Piper, St Leonard’s Priory in Stamford Historian Nos 5 & 6 NUNNERY OF ST MICHAEL Possessions in the whole diocese valued at £66 13s 4d 1450 PRO E36/62 AUSTIN FRIARS Illustration on p.60 – the stone is now to be found on the inside face of the (rebuilt) town wall on the south side of North Street almost opposite the former Police Station, technically in the back garden of a Barn Hill property. Contribution by Lady Margaret Beaufort to repairs at Austin Friars of £3-6-8 St John’s Cambridge D91.20 p.195 GREY FRIARS First mention in 1240-45 in Calendar of Liberate Rolls 1240-45 p 253 [thanks to Martin Olle) Excavations by Cambridge Archaeological Unit 2015-16 - report not available yet BRAZENOSE SITE See Nicholas Sheehan’s article at https://www.stamfordhistorysociety.co.uk/published-articles-1/the-brazenose-site-in-stamford MONASTIC HOUSES ASHBY PRIORY: Rent of 2s given to canons of St Mary, Esseby, mid 13th century PRO E326/4760 BOURNE ABBEY held property in Stamford valued at £2 and free of court, 1450 PRO E36/62 BROOKE PRIORY: Valuation in 1450 same as 1291 PRO E36/62 CROWLAND: Valuation in 1450 same as 1291 PRO E36/62 CROXDEN ABBEY: Valued at £17 10s in 1450 - tax is paid by the tenants PRO E36/62 For sale in 1545, see Justin Simpson notes 1 p 27 CROXTON: Valuation in 1450 same as 1291 PRO E36/62 Bought by Thomas earl of Rutland in 1547 but came back to the king PRO E328/157 FINESHADE PRIORY: Valuation in 1450 same as 1291; tax paid by the tenants PRO E36/62 Rent of ½ mark in St Mary’s parish PRO E326/4551 Gable in west end of house used to support a beam, PRO E326/4747 House in Colgate PRO E326/4752 HUNTINGDON PRIORY : Valuation in 1450 same as 1291 PRO E36/62 See Justin Simpson’s notes 1 pp 28-29 PIPEWELL ABBEY: Valued at £2 6s 8d in 1450, PRO E36/62 SEMPRINGHAM PRIORY: Dispute between Elmes and Lee over a garden in the parish of St Peter which Lee claimed Sempringham had leased to him in 1528, PRO E321/15/7 SWINESHEAD ABBEY: See Calendar of Patent Rolls Elizabeth 1 Vol 5 p.74-5, No. 554 21 March 1570: Lease for 11 years to William Cecil lord Burghley of lands [...in Bourne ....] and (tenant named) in Stampford co Linc late of monastery of Swineshead .... rents a) £27-15-8 (detailed) and b) 8s. in consideration that three tenements on the premises have been burnt down and must be rebuilt - also costs of draining marshlands and repairing 2 mills badly decayed for which the Crown has been charged ....... VAUDEY ABBEY: Valuation in 1450 same as 1291 PRO E36/62 ANCHORESSES: There are several references to be found in the papers of Lady Margaret Beaufort in St John’s College, Cambridge, D91; see also publications listed at head of this note; also, E A Jones Speculum Inclusorum: a mirror for recluses Liverpool University Press 2013. Previous Next

WW1 Death Penny BACK CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE IN FULL William Henry Dawtry - World War One Death Penny William Henry Dawtry was born and lived his childhood at 24 St. Leonard’s Street before leaving school and joining the Army. As a regular soldier and in barracks on the Isle of Wight in the summer of 1914 he was a member of the British Expeditionary Force that sailed for France and moved north towards Mons in August 1914. As a member of the Royal Army Medical Corp attached to a Cavalry Regiment, he was very close to the front line when he was killed in action from shrapnel wounds on September 29th 1914. William has no known grave and his name is recorded close to where he fell at Seine-et-Marne LA FETTE-SOUS JOUARRE Memorial. He was buried in a field near Villers En Prayeres close to a sugar factory on the River Aisne. In the words of Rupert Brooke If I should die, think only this of me: That there’s some corner of a foreign field: That is for ever England … William is remembered on the War Memorial in St George’s Church and the Town’s War Memorial in Broad Street. DOWLOAD PDF Previous Next

investigating Stamford deaths < Back Death By Misadventure: Coroners' Inquests 1700-1850 - Part 1 John Hartley 1978 This is a slightly modified version of the original article, which appeared in Vol 2 of the Stamford Historian, published in 1978. In addition to the appendix below, published with the original article, further examples of the contents of Coroners’ Files will be added elsewhere on this website. DEATH BY MISADVENTURE: CORONERS’ INQUESTS 1700-1850 - PART 1 BACKGROUND Among sources often neglected by the local historian are the papers of Coroners’ Inquests. Studies of the work of the medieval coroner have been made [1] and collections of documents published [2] , but very little use has been made of inquest papers of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It may well be that they have been neglected because few have survived and their usefulness has not therefore been brought to general notice. It must be confessed at the outset that the papers often make depressing reading. Few can find much pleasure in detailed accounts of the deaths of suicides or of young children killed by negligence. However, the papers of an inquest provide information which cannot easily be found elsewhere. While other sources, particularly newspapers, may provide some information, it is rare that they contain the richness of detail to be found in evidence given by witnesses at inquests. Moreover,the evidence of witnesses often gives the modern historian an insight into the lives of the poor, rather different from that which is given by other sources. Something of this is apparent from the examples cited from the surviving inquests relating to the borough of Stamford. Stamford has a collection of over three hundred inquisitions dated between 1705 and 1850. More than half these official reports of the findings of the coroners’ juries have the evidence of witnesses preserved with them. These three hundred are the surviving ones; many more must have been lost, and it is not therefore possible to attempt more than a general survey of their findings. The Coroner The office of Coroner was well established by the early years of Edward I’s reign, and his duties were clearly defined soon after this. In Stamford, until 1835, the office of Coroner was held by each retiring mayor in turn [3] . Along with his other duties (including inquests for treasure trove and similar investigations) the Coroner was ordered to hold an inquest whenever an unexpected or unnatural death occurred within his jurisdiction. It was an offence to fail to inform him of a death which came into this category, as it was to bury the body before the inquest had been held. The Parish Constable was ordered to provide a jury of at least twelve men (no upper limit was set) who had to appear unless they had a ‘reasonable excuse to the contrary’. The jury had to take the inquest ‘upon view of the body’, and no inquest could be held unless the body had been seen by the jury in the presence of the Coroner. The notorious inquest at Oldham, Lancashire, in 1819 on John Lees who died from injuries received at Peterloo, was never completed for this reason. It was the duty of the jury to find out what had happened, and to present a verdict to the Coroner, rather than to hear a case presented by a prosecution. The many questions which the jury had to ask were established by law. Detailed descriptions of wounds had to be made and these feature in almost all records of inquests [4] . The Verdict The decision reached by the jury about the cause of death was normally very clearly indicated on the inquisition, the signed and sealed report of the jury. Murder, manslaughter, accident and natural causes (‘the visitation of God’) are usually stated quite plainly, but one finds less uniformity in cases of suicide. The jury may give an explanation why a person took his own life; for instance, some physical defect may have brought somebody to the brink of insanity; but often no explanation is given. The distinction between temporary and permanent insanity is not always made. Thus, when William Venters of Stamford threw himself from the town bridge in November 1827, the verdict returned was suicide through lunacy, in spite of the evidence that he had been drinking quietly, though in a depressed state, at the Queen’s Head Inn. About ten o’clock in the evening his wife, ‘a woman not bearing a very good character’, entered the Inn and started ‘soliciting his return home’; one is probably safe in assuming that it was her nagging that drove him to his death [5] . Other qualifications to the verdict of ‘suicide’ were sometimes returned, and open verdicts were given in a number of cases of drowning and infant mortality. The Records of Coroners’ Inquests The records of inquests of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries usually contain three sets of papers. The first is the ‘Inquisition Indented’, so-called from the opening words of the official report. This has the general details of the finding of the jury, and may give a brief account of the events leading up to death when these can be ascertained. Secondly, many collections have statements of evidence, sworn before the Coroner, on which the jury based its decision. Some witnesses’ evidence was slight and it may be reported verbatim in the Inquisition; but in other cases, particularly the later ones, the evidence is much more substantial. In drownings and similar tragedies short recent biographies of the deceased may be given so that the jury could establish whether the death was an accident or suicide. Doctors’ evidence appears in most instances, whether to establish the cause of a natural death, often a hit-or-miss affair, or to report on the care of a person between accident and death. Workmates say what they know of an accident; travellers report on the state of health of a fellow passenger or the competence of a coach driver. From such evidence, much may be discovered. What may have been irrelevant to the Jury then, and therefore not mentioned in the Inquisition, may provide a valuable insight for the historian now. In addition to the Inquisition and the evidence of the witnesses, other papers may well survive among Coroners’ records. Lists of the jury were drafted before they were summoned to appear; the costs of witnesses were recorded; orders were made to hold persons who might have to face criminal charges when manslaughter or murder had been found to be the cause of death. If an inquest were held on somebody who had died in gaol, very thorough investigations were made, and these papers may be preserved with the other records. Included in one set of papers are the notes of a Stamford Coroner about suicide and how it should be regarded, while in another set is the original suicide note from a woman to her brother [6] . Other Sources It is often possible to gather further information about a case by recourse to other sources. Quarter Sessions Rolls may contain relevant material; Assize Courts dealt with murder cases and their records may complete the story of an inquest; parish registers may mention the burial of someone who died accidentally, with a note to indicate this. In the later eighteenth century, and for the whole of the nineteenth century, the local newspaper is a source which should be consulted in order to fill out the picture, though often it may add little, especially when the evidence of the witnesses is detailed or when, as increasingly became the case, the newspaper reported the inquest itself rather than relating the story independently. If the victim had been of importance in the local community a short obituary may have appeared. THE STAMFORD INQUESTS Few places possess a substantial collection of original Coroners’ Inquisitions with their subsidiary papers, and those that have survived at Stamford are most interesting. Their value is enhanced by the fact that for most of the eighteenth century we have the Stamford Mercury , while during the early nineteenth century as many as four local newspapers were published, copies of which survive. Murder and Manslaughter Only a few inquisitions at Stamford found murder to have been the cause of death. This is partly because all official papers had to be forwarded to the Assizes and it was not customary for copies to be kept locally. Of the five murders whose records survive among the Stamford Inquisitions, only one deserves a mention. In 1782 a quarrel between two victuallers in the town led to the death of Robert Osborne, master of the Black Swan. William Fawkner was held in gaol to answer for the offence. It appears that Osborne had been obstinate and had refused to give up a quarrel, in spite of pleas from his friends. The Mercury (28 Feb. 1782) reported that “the heartfelt grief of Mr. Osborne’s antagonist cannot be expressed, tho’ the nearest of his friends do not blame the person he fought with for this misfortune”. Manslaughter also seems to have been relatively rare, though this may again be due to gaps in the records. We know most about a case involving Richard Facon who made a visit to a ‘female acquaintance’ at Tolethorpe, about two miles from Stamford, in 1774. She was not at home so he went to the house of a friend of his, the miller Mr. Goodwin, thinking she might be there. He peered through a window but could not see her. However one of Mr. Goodwin’s servants saw the face looking in and told his master. Goodwin, who had been robbed a few months earlier, went after Facon, shot first and then asked questions. Facon’s hand was ‘shattered in a most miserable manner’ ( Mercury , 22 Dec. 1774) and Goodwin did not realise that he had hit an ‘intimate acquaintance and very good friend’ until after he had further injured him with the butt of his gun. Facon was taken back to Stamford where he died some days later. Though the accident took place outside the Stamford Coroner’s jurisdiction, it was usual for the Coroner of the place where the death eventually occurred to hear the inquest. Suicide Suicides seem to have been fairly frequent. Stress and strain are not modern phenomena, as the evidence in many cases makes clear. Methods varied greatly and they are often described in detail. Two cases of suicide by shooting occur; some cut their throats, but no records survive to show cutting of wrists as the cause of death. Hanging and drowning were most common of all. Juries had to be satisfied that a drowned person had intended to take his own life, and so the detail of the witnesses’ evidence is often considerable. ‘Gibraltar Pitt’ in the town meadows seems to have been a most dangerous place, since swimmers drowned there, as well as its having been the site of at least one suicide. An inmate of Browne’s Hospital, a medieval almshouse, Francis Allen aged eighty-two, put his head in a butt of water while troubled by a painful hernia, and a verdict of ‘delerium and despondency’ leading to suicide was returned. Others chose poisons: mercury, opium and even a ‘sublimate’ for treating venereal disease, but laudanum seems to have been especially favoured. Natural Causes Many deaths were, of course, attributed to natural causes, and one can often see in the medical evidence at these inquests an attempt by the doctors to get to grips with pathology. Many deaths are recorded as ‘from apoplexy’ and left at that. Some cases were however clear for all to see. Jane, the wife of John Chamberlain White, met her end according to the jury through too much ‘drinking of ardent spirits’, and there is the evidence of various witnesses to show that she had been in the habit of ‘drinking large quantities of spirits of lavender, spirits of wine, and other stimulants’ ( Mercury , 11 Mar 1831). Equally simple for the doctors to decide was the case of William Fletcher who died in the winter of 1800 through the ‘natural causes’ of starvation, illness and infirmity. The medical profession, and the Coroners’ juries, faced their stiffest test when confronted with the body of a very young child. It was often impossible to get any other evidence than the mother’s and this might be suspect. Thus ‘open’ verdicts may be returned in cases of this kind. But a jury in 1840 found that a new born female child of Frances Palmer, a widow, had died from ‘natural causes accelerated by improper treatment’. Perhaps the most perplexing case of all, both to the jury then and the reader today, was that of a ‘male infant child’ found dead in 1827. On the Inquisition its age is given as five days, yet at the inquest the jury returned the verdict of ‘stillborn’. With the Inquisition is a thick sheaf of papers containing evidence and the supposed mother, Elizabeth Cunnlngton, was held in custody by the Magistrates for inquiries to be made. Accidents at Home Not surprisingly poisons were also a common source of accidents in the home. In several cases laudanum, used by parents as an opiate to keep their children quiet, was accidentally administered. Edward Alexander, aged fourteen weeks, was given laudanum instead of children’s cordial in 1834, while James Addleshaw, a victualler, was given the same by mistake instead of tincture of Rhubarb. Samuel Spencer’s mother also intended to give her son tincture of Rhubarb but instead gave the three week old baby oil of vitriol (sulphuric acid). She realised her mistake immediately, but the doctors could do nothing to help the child. Other accidents in the home were quite common, especially to the very young or old. There are a number of cases of clothes catching fire, while dangerous cellar steps at Truesdale’s Hospital led to one death. Accidents at Work Work was always accompanied by hazards. On the last day of December 1795 the Coroner’s jury ‘sat on the body’ of Thomas Wing, aged eleven, who had fallen into the Welland the previous day and drowned. He had been fetching water for a forge nearby owned by his master, Thomas Harper. The Mercury (1 Jan. 1796) carried a report of the accident and criticised his parents: ‘his tender (sic) parents were soon apprised of the circumstance (singular we hope it.) His body was left to cool in the river till the next morning.’ Even a simple task like washing out a cart could be dangerous. Edward Jackson was drowned in a patch of deep water in the Welland when his cart went out of control. Not surprisingly the accidents at work were very varied. Richard Sandall fell from a ladder when a rung broke; Richard Scholes fell from a haystack he was making onto the upturned prongs of a pitchfork. At W. B. Edwards’ brewery at least one of two accidents was caused by intoxication. While Francis Cole was emptying hops into the boiling copper he fell in and was scalded very severely, but he survived long enough to make the uncomfortable journey in a jolting cart the half mile from the brewery to his home where he died eight hours later. Six years after this, in 1832, John Andrews did not take proper precautions, according to his workmate Ambrose Ripping, before going into a vat to clear out the dregs of the stale ale and he was suffocated by the gases that remained. It took several attempts by the foreman, Joseph Wilson, before he could stay long enough to attach a rope to Andrews’ leg ( Mercury , 5 Jan 1832). Abraham Ryley was knocked from the staging of Mr. Brown’s bark mill in 1813. It seems likely that a gust of wind started the mill sails unexpectedly. The force of the sails was such that he was thrown over some buildings, across a road and into a paddock. He left a widow and seven children, five of them under eleven, for whom the Mayor and the owner of the Mercury started a subscription ( Mercury , Aug. 1813). A similar accident had happened to Alice Wilson in 1745. At Hudd’s Mill in 1814 Job Topley, ‘an industrious man in the employ of Mr. Smith, miller’ ( Mercury , 28 Jan.) was standing on the water wheel clearing ice when it suddenly started, crushing him and nearly killing Stephen White, his helper, who gave detailed evidence at the Inquest. Although the range and variety of accidents is very great, certain trades were rather more dangerous than others. In spite of the incompleteness of the inquest papers it is possible to suggest that the most dangerous occupations were those connected with building and transport. The Building Trades seem to have had many accidents, involving most of the separate occupations within the trade. Unsurprisingly, stone quarrying was very dangerous and there are several inquests on people like Christopher Wilson and William Peasgood, both killed in 1818 when there was a rock fall in a stone pit. Once the stone had been won, other risks arose. Ladders and scaffolding caused accidents - Robert Pilkington, a member of a well-known Stamford family of builders, fell from a ladder in 1825 while the Gas Works was being made. Though the collapse of St. Michael’s Church in 1832 was not attended by any fatalities, repairs on churches were always dangerous. In 1788 Robert Shaw was working on the steeple of St. Mary’s Church when the rope of a basket used for lifting stone caught on one of the crockets of the spire and this fell on him; a ‘Charitable Card Assembly’ (the eighteenth century equivalent of a whist drive) was held for the benefit of his widow and her six children, and over £26 was raised ( Mercury , 29 Aug., 5 Sept. 1788). Surprisingly, only one death of a slater is recorded, perhaps because the job was obviously dangerous and more precautions were taken. In 1811 Thomas Jorden was working on the house of the Rev. John Butt and though others were at work there, nobody saw him fall. It was reported that he was subject to fits and it is possible that this was the cause of his mishap. Another member of the same family, Joseph Jorden, had been killed in 1786 while making alterations to a house when an arch collapsed on him. Finally, there was the case of Thomas Pierce, an architect who was responsible for work at the Stamford Hotel Cockpit in 1825. He was found dying by his own workmen at the foot of some stairs. If building was a dangerous occupation, transport in one form or another seems to have accounted for the largest number of accidental deaths. Cases were recorded, much as one might find today, of children run over - Charles Hudson was playing with a ball when he was hit by a cart; in 1793 Thomas Jackson, aged four, was run over; most tragic of all was the death of Mary Ann North, also aged four, who was run over by the cart her father was driving. Innocent pedestrians might suffer as well as careless children. Thomas Thompson, aged about eighty, called to a carter to beware of some holes at the side of Red Lion Square, a section of the Great North road. Whether the carter heard or not, the wheels of the waggon fell into the holes and the cart shed its load of elm tree trunks over the pavement and over Thompson. A stationary wagon was not necessarily safe either - William Olphin, nine, was playing with his friends near a cart, when its load of pipeclay fell over him. Whether he or one of his friends caused the cart to tip up was not proved satisfactorily, though the owner of the cart assured the jury that it was the fault of the children rather than negligence on his part that caused the accident. According to the Mercury (10 Jan. 1823) Olphin was in the act of removing the support of the cart when the load fell on him. Richard Pitt’s death in 1776 reminds us of the dangers for the pedestrian in winter journeys. He died, accidentally, so we are told, while travelling from Oakham to Stamford in cold, snowy weather. During the period between 1770 and 1840 several travellers along the Great North Road gave evidence to inquests that they had found a cart or wagon stationary beside the road without any driver. Further along the road they had found the driver dead, more often than not run over by the wheels ofhis own wagon. In some cases medical reasons were adduced for the prior death of the driver, but more frequently the evidence was that the driver had fallen from his bench, perhaps while drunk. It would appear that many carters tended to take advantage of the facilities which main streets in Stamford offered to the thirsty. Occasionally a coach, chaise or cart overturned, or the horses bolted, with fatal results to drivers or riders. In 1839 John Clarke tried to climb onto the Wonder coach as it left up the long hill from Duddington, about five miles from Stamford, to get a free ride into town, but he fell and his legs became entangled with a wheel. He was taken to the Stamford Infirmary but his injuries were too severe for him to survive. Even the arched entry to a yard could be dangerous; in 1729 Thomas Blain tried to drive a coach into Henry Dove’s yard but the archway was too low and he was crushed to death. Those looking after horses were also at risk - kicks from horses while they were being groomed proved fatal in a number of cases. In another instance a lad aged thirteen, George Waterfield, had, without permission, taken a horse out of a stable to graze. He lay down and slept, having first fastened his arm round the halter of the horse in such a way as to prevent its escaping from him. Something made the horse bolt, and Waterfield was dragged through the town. ‘When the body was disengaged’, the Mercury reported (18 July 1811), ‘It was in a state too shocking to describe’; nevertheless the account did continue: - ‘the upper part of the head had been literally beaten off against a stone’. The river seems to have been a much safer place for those earning their living. Only one person was reported as having drowned in a fall from a boat, though another was drowned while helping to build the town bridge in 1848. While some inquest papers must have been lost it would seem significant that none refer to people being killed while following a waterborne trade, in spite of the fact that many boats came up the Welland and the Stamford Canal during the period under review. By contrast the building of the railway between Stamford and Collyweston in 1847 led to four deaths in seven months with two more the following year. One man died during blasting operations when rocks fell on his head; two more were killed by falls of soil while undermining for cuttings; the other three were run over by horse drawn railway waggons removing spoil from cuttings to places where embankments were being made. In Stamford in January 1847, only a fortnight after direct railway communication with London had been established, James Bowley died as a result of an accident in the engine shed. Bowley was employed lighting fires and preparing engines for the early morning trains, a job which entailed arrival at work at about four o’clock in the morning every day. Unfortunately, the train due in from London at 10.30 p.m. on 21st January had arrived about five hours late and though its engine, No. 122, had been raked out there was still steam left in the boiler. By all accounts given to the inquest, Bowley went between the buffers of this engine and another, No. 17, to uncouple them, and thus broke the rule of his Company (as the Superintendent of the coaching department of the Eastern Counties Railway was quick to point out) by not ducking under them. As he went between the engines, No. 122 moved slightly and he was trapped and crushed. However, he did not die until six days later and was able to give his own version of the accident. This has been preserved among the inquest papers. According to Bowley, Charles Mitchell, a sixteen-year-old who was employed to clean the engines, “was on the tender of No. 122 shifting the rods, and I told him to leave off doing so and come off the engine.” Bowley claimed that Mitchell was “a bad boy and always full of mischief. I have frequently told him to leave the Engines alone as he has no business to touch them, he was very impudent to me, and I should have reported him .... but was afraid he might lose his situation.” Mitchell was questioned very closely by the jury, and his evidence tells rather a different story. “He instructed me to get on the Engine 122 and to put her back to the other engine No. 17 . . . I put her in motion but a little bit. . . ." The Mercury report (29 Jan. 1847) which was published during the inquest, since an adjournment was made for a post mortem to be held, was unequivocal - it was Mitchell’s fault, they said. However, the jury found no evidence to suggest manslaughter and decided that since Bowley had broken Company Regulations, his death must be attributed to accident. This case has been dealt with at length to show something of the detail which inquest papers may contain. Other information which emerges from the evidence includes the report that Bowley and Mitchell were the only ones in the shed at the time of the accident, two other workmen having gone to the Exeter Arms, whether for breakfast or for a drink we do not know - and this at 4.30 a.m. In addition, Mitchell’s hours of work and wages are specified; 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. and a quarter of an hour each evening with some occasional extra duties for 10/6 (52½p) a week. Leisure One final group of inquests remains to be mentioned. Many leisure activities also had their dangers. One must interpret the term ‘leisure’ very loosely, since an evening’s drinking must fit this description. On 30 May 1791 Charles Myers spent the day drinking with his cousin, and in the evening he went alone to the Bull Inn. They refused to serve him there and gave him a chair in the kitchen so that he might sleep off the alcohol, but later he awoke and was taken upstairs to a first-floor room. He had a dream, so he told the doctor who attended him after his accident, that his cousin was leaving the Inn by the main gate, and he thought he would climb from the window to stop him, having no memory of being taken upstairs. In his consequent fall he fractured his thigh and died outside the Inn about an hour later. Many other fatalities, including falls from haylofts and down cellar steps of inns, occurred as a result of drunkenness. During winter, skating was always a popular activity and in 1814 William Freeman fell through the ice on a pond at Burghley House. According to the Mercury (4 Mar. 1814) the “weather and the ice afforded a warning of danger” but Freeman took no notice. Only one person saw him fall in, and though he was able to cling on for twenty minutes no help arrived for him in that time. It was said that the witness was unable to convince any of the people standing on Burghley Bridge that he was not hoaxing them. During the summer, when swimming in the Welland was popular, a number of drownings happened, either in the river itself or in the ponds which were then in the meadows. Among the inquests only one records a fatal accident as a result of the annual Bull Running in November, though another death as a result of being tossed by a bull occurred in January 1728. In 1801 Benjamin Overton, a horse keeper aged twenty-six, followed the bull on Bull Running day into the Welland. By all accounts he was very drunk at the time and most thought that the death was caused by the sudden shock of the cold water. Overton’s death is mentioned in the burial register of St. George’s parish with the simple comment ‘drowned on Bull Running day’. One other unclassifiable case deserves a mention. On 31 March 1802 William Reisby (or Reesby) aged fourteen had joined with many others in celebrating the Peace of Amiens. The news of the Treaty had reached Stamford the previous day and the Mercury published a special single page edition to announce that Napoleon’s France had agreed a peace with Britain. Though the Treaty lasted for no more than a year, it was thought at the time that it really would be the end of the war, and thus it was celebrated extravagantly throughout England. The Mercury (2 Apr. 1802) tells us that “the general mirth was unfortunately interrupted during the firing of the military in the Hay Market by the accidental discharge of a small piece of ordnance while loading, by which we are concerned to say a son of Mr. Reesby, baker in Scotgate had his head blown to pieces”. The Coroner’s inquest papers make it clear why the accident was so terrible; at the time the cannon went off the ramrod was still in the barrel, and it was this that hit William Reisby on the side of the head. If Reisby’s death is one of the most bizarre of all those that occurred and whose records have survived for us to read about in detail, it does nevertheless illustrate something of the richness of Coroners’ inquests as a source for the local historian. They can provide useful illustrations and examples for many different studies. APPENDIX This Inquisition with its sworn evidence is fairly typical of those that have survived at Stamford. It has been chosen because it shows a parish officer, the Beadle of St. Martin’s, showing little humanity as he ensures that his parish will not become liable for any costs associated with the traveller by forcibly removing him to the next door parish; in addition it is interesting to find a reference to a sedan chair carrier at work at this late date. Until 1835 St Martin’s parish, south of the river Welland came under the civil and ecclesiastical jurisdiction of Peterborough while north of the river the five parishes owed their allegiance to Lincoln; the town’s magistrates were ultimately responsible for all aspects of local government north of the river. In addition, until 1832, Stamford voted for two members of Parliament while St Martin’s householders voted in Northamptonshire. FORMAL VERDICT OF THE INQUEST The Town or Borough of An Inquisition indented and taken for STAMFORD our Lord the King within the Borough aforesaid, on Saturday the TwentyIn the County of Lincoln. fifth Day of October in the ninth year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Fourth by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, and in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and twenty eight before Matthew Rooe Esquire, Coroner of our said Lord the King in and for the said Borough, on View of the Body of a person unknown aged about Twenty Years, then and there lying dead, by the Oath of Thomas Peatling, John Abbott, William Chambers, William Cox, Daniel Whitehead, Francis Coy, Joseph Tomlinson, Samuel Lightfoot, Thomas Bainton, William Barton Parker, William Dawson the younger, William Lowson and Elijah Dixon, good and lawful Men of the said Borough, duly chosen, and who, being then and there duly sworn and charged to inquire, for our said Lord the King, when, how, and by what Means the said person unknown came to his Death, Do upon their Oath say, That on Tuesday last between five and six o’clock the deceased who said he was an Irishman was seen in this Borough in an ill state of Health being an entire stranger, that the next morning Wednesday he was found very ill and nearly exhausted, that in consequence he was taken to the Workhouse in the Parish of St. George in the said Borough where he languished for a short space of time and then and there died by the visitation of God in a natural way and so the jurors aforesaid upon their Oath aforesaid do say that the said deceased came to his death in manner aforesaid by the visitation of God in a natural way and not otherwise. In witness whereof as well the said Coroner as the Jurors aforesaid have to this Inquisition set their hands and seals the day and year first above written. (Signature of N. Rooe, Coroner with seal of the Borough of Stamford, and signatures and blank seals of thirteen jurors.) SWORN EVIDENCE TO THE INQUEST The Town or Borough of Informations of Witnesses severally STAMFORD taken upon Oath, within the BoroughIn the County of Lincoln aforesaid, on Behalf of our Lord the King touching the Death of a person unknown aged about Twenty Years, onSaturday the Twenty fifth Day of October in the ninth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Fourth by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, and in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and twenty eight before Matthew Rooe Esquire, Coroner of our said Lord the King in and for the said Borough, on an Inquisition then and there taken on View of the Body of the said person unknown then and there lying dead. John Arden of the said Borough, mason, sworn saith that on Tuesday last between five and six o’clock In the evening he was going into Saint Martin’s over Stamford Bridge and near to the end of the Bridge on the Stamford side he saw the deceased who appeared to be very ill and that William Scuithorpe the Beadle of Saint Martin’s was with him and shoving or forcing, him along over the Bridge into Stamford, that deceased declared himself to be very ill several times and the said Sculthorpe said he was drunk, that the said Sculthorpe shoved the deceased down and he fell upon his face on the Ground when the said Sculthorpe said I have done with you now (meaning the deceased) I have got you clean out of the Parish, that this Deponent being employed in carrying a sedan chair passed on and does not know what further took place at that time. That the next morning this Deponent being near to Mr. Lincoln’s back gate about half past six o’clock saw the deceased walking very slowly with his dress in a disordered state and he then seemed to be very ill. John Arden X his mark William Hudson, Tanner, sworn, saith that about six o’clock on Wednesday morning last on going into the Bark Mill upon Mr. Stevenson’s Premises he found the deceased lying on his back with his head hanging over a Basket and his Hat off, that he seemed to be in an intoxicated state and to have been there all night, that this Deponent removed him from the premises and he walked a little way and wanted to come back again but this Deponent told him he could not be allowed to do so, that he could scarcely speak but mentioned his name which this Deponent has forgotten and he said he was an Irishman - that about eight o’clock this Deponent again saw the Deceased under the Gas Wall and he seemed then to be in a state of exhaustion or intoxication which this Deponent did not know. William Hudson X his mark Leonard Stevenson, Surgeon, sworn Saith that on Wednesday morning last about seven o’clock he saw the deceased walking in a staggering way towards the Gas Wall, that when near it he turned about and stood fumbling with his hands with his Hat over his face and this Deponent thought he was tipsy but did not take further notice of him - That about an hour afterwards he was sent for to attend a person in Saint George’s Workhouse whom he found to be the deceased who had been taken there and put to bed - that on examination this Deponent found the deceased to be nearly exhausted and in a dying state - that he directed some food and cordials to be immediately given to him neither of which he could take and upon the whole this Deponent thinks that the deceased came to his death from ( ‘want and’ crossed out ) exhaustion and from no other cause. Leo. Stevenson Surgeon Taken and sworn before me M. Rooe Coroner. [1] R. F. Hunnisett, The Medieval Coroner , Cambridge 1961, and references cited there. See also Coroners’ Records in England and Wales , J Gibson & C Rogers 3rd Edn., Bury, Lancs; Family History Partnership, 2009 which gives a guide about the availability of records but little about their contents or uses. [2] Notably Thoroton Society, Record Series, XXV for 1966, Calendar of Nottinghamshire Coroners’ Inquests, 1485-1558 , ed. R. F. Hunnisett; also The Earliest Lincoinshire Assize Rolls, 1202 -1209 , ed. D. M. Stenton, Linc. Rec. Soc. XXII. [3] G. Burton, Chronology of Stamford , Stamford 1846, p. 116. [4] Any edition of the eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century handbook for magistrates, The Justice of the Peace and Parish Officer by Richard Burn, will provide information about the method of holding an inquest. It gives the wording of all the forms and the various technical and legal terms which were used in inquests. [5] The Stamford Coroners’ papers are at present (2012) stored in the Town Hall. It is possible to find an individual Inquisition quite quickly from the contemporary endorsement though currently these records are not available for consultation [See note to List of Inquests]. Newspaper references have generally been given when quoted. [6] Coroner’s comments on suicide in papers for inquest on Mary Ann Black, 17 July 1810; suicide letter in papers for inquest on Jane Congreve, 22 June 1842. A print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

Burghley Button BACK CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE IN FULL This lighter is made from Burghley Buttons - the buttons on the servants’ livery. It is silver plated as the silver has rubbed off on the high spots. Commonly known as trench art, the lighter was owned by Thomas William Glitherow, the great, grandfather of Trish Auciello, and who worked as a wheelwright on the Burghley Estate for 50 years. Thomas was born around 1874, so he would have been 40 in 1914 when WW1 started. Thomas would have been aged 42 when in January 1916 when the Military Service Act was passed. This imposed conscription on all single men aged between 18 and 41, but exempted the medically unfit, clergymen, teachers and certain classes of industrial worker. In 1918 during the last months of the war, the Military Service (No. 2) Act raised the age limit to 51. Conscription was extended until 1920 to enable the army to deal with continuing trouble spots in the Empire and parts of Europe. There is evidence that his son George, a blacksmith, serving in WW1, would have had the skills to make it, perhaps as a present for his father? DOWLOAD PDF Previous Next

< Back Blackstone & Co Works Rules 1916 Chris Hunt 2018 WORKS RULES FOR THE EMPLOYEES OF BLACKSTONE & Co., Ltd., RUTLAND ENGINEERING WORKS STAMFORD February 28th 1916 1. Working Hours. The Buzzer will sound ten minutes before and at the times for commencing work, namely 6 a.m., 8.30 a.m. and 2 p.m. It will also sound at the times for leaving off work, namely, 8 a.m., 1 p.m., and 5.30 p.m., and at 12 noon on Saturday. For night shifts the hours to be from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. 2. Meal Times. Day-time 8 to 8.30 a.m., and 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Night-time 9 p.m. to 10 p.m., with a break of 15 minutes at 2 p.m., during which period the machinery will not be stopped. 3. Overtime. Overtime is to be worked when, and to what extent required. All time lost during the week shall be made up before overtime is reckoned. 4. Orders. Orders and directions issued by the Managers and Foremen must be carried out promptly and efficiency. 5. Losing Time. Special attention must be paid to good time-keeping, in order that the output of the Establishment may be as effective as possible. Illness should be the sole justification for absence from work and such absence should be covered by a Doctor’ Certificate. 6. Piecework. Piece or contract work is to be worked as, when, and where required by the Management. In all cases of piecework the time rates will be guaranteed. 7. Time Recording. All men, when starting work, will be given a number and be provided with a card with the number upon it for use in the time-recording clocks. Upon this each man is expected to enter the time spent on the various jobs upon which he is employed. Great care is to be taken in booking the correct order numbers and quantities on his time card. All time cards must be given in each week to the Foreman on Wednesday night. Time Cards may be stamped in the morning any time from 5.50 to 6.30. Every minute made after6 will count, but after 6.30 no time can be booked until 8.30. Each man must stamp his card as follows: ----- On entering in the morning before breakfast. On commencing work after breakfast. On commencing work after dinner. On finishing for the day. The card must then be left in the proper partition provided in the box. Night hands must stamp on commencement at 6 p.m.: on leaving at 9 p.m.: on entering at 10 p.m.: and when leaving at 6 a.m. Cards must not be stamped more than ten minutes before working hours. Time will be made up and paid to the nearest quarter of an hour. Each man must see that his name, number, and the date are properly filled in. Under no circumstances can anyone stamp another’s card, by so doing he renders himself liable to instant dismissal, as also by defacing the stamping on his card. 8. Payment of Wages. Payment to be made at 12 noon on Saturday, with the exception of the night shift men, who will be paid at 6 p.m. on Fridays. 9. Care of Tools. Small tools are to be obtained from the tool room, and a check filled in by the man who receives such tools will be deposited in their place, which check will be given back when the tools are returned. Upon any man leaving or being discharged his tools must be given up to the Tool Room Foreman. Tools broken or not returned will be charged for at cost price. 10. Cleaning of Machines. No part of any machine or machinery is on any account to be cleaned or wiped down while any part of the machine is in motion. The cleaning or the wiping down of any machine or of any machinery is to be done only by those in charge of the machinery or machine tools, or by such other person as may be appointed by the Foreman or Works Manager. The last half-hour of Saturday morning is allowed for cleaning and is paid for at daywork rate. 11. Accidents. Any accident to persons or machinery is to be reported at once to the Foreman in charge. Workmen are strictly prohibited from putting on driving belts. This work, and the repairing of belts, is to be done only by the belt man or such person as may be appointed. Where belts have to be applied, or in cases where it is necessary to effect repairs to shafts, bearings, &c., the shafts must be at rest. Workmen are specially cautioned against wearing any loose jacket or sleeve or loose garment of any kind when working at, or in close proximity to, machines or machinery in motion, or which is liable to be put in motion. 12. Commencing and remaining at work. Every man will be provided with a copy of the Rules when starting work for the first time, and is expected to read and abide by them. When a man is engaged he must sign the works register and his signature will be his receipt for the book of rules. Every man must be in his place and at work immediately the buzzer has ceased to sound. All workman must enter and leave the works by the workmen’s entrance and make their way to and from their departments by the appointed roads and doors. 13. Absence from Work. Any man absenting himself without informing his foreman as to the cause, and who is absent for a period exceeding two consecutive days, must report himself to his Foreman before recommencing. 14. Fires. Workmen using portable fires are to exercise every precaution to eliminate any possibility of danger to the surroundings or building. No such fires may be lighted without orders. 15. Permit to leave the works during working hours. No one is allowed to pass out of the works during working hours, without a permit duly signed by the Foreman of the Department of the Works Manager. 16. Material. No material will be issued from the Stores without an order signed by the Foreman. 17. Offences. Any employee found guilty of any of the following offences shall be liable to a fine or to dismissal: --- Employing his time in carrying out work other than that for the Company. Loitering in the lavatories or using them for any purpose other than those for which they are intended. Talking, other than connected with the business, and loitering in the works or being away from his department or work without permission. Breaking open any fast lock place or opening or removing tools, &c., from any workman’s drawer or tool chest or from a bench or machine without authority. Smoking within the work gates during ordinary working hours. Bringing intoxicating liquor, or being intoxicated within the works. Bringing any person into the works without permission. Using waste, oil or any articles otherwise than as directed or for the purpose for which same is given out. Taking chips or any articles whatever out of the works without a permit signed by the Works Manager. Refusing to obey any lawful order of the Manager, Foreman or other Superintendent. Committing any act of dishonesty. Taking Time Cards off the rack other than their own. 18. Holidays. The following holidays shall be observed as works holidays. EASTER. The Works will close at 1 o’clock on the Thursday before Good Friday and be reopened on the following Tuesday morning at 8.30 o’clock. WHITSUNTIDE. The Works will close on the Saturday before Whitsun, and be re-opened on the following Tuesday morning at 8.30 o’clock. AUGUST. The Works will close on the Saturday before Bank Holiday at 12 o’clock, and be re-opened on the following Tuesday at 8.30 o’clock. The Annual Holiday will be fixed as nearly as possible for the last week in August. CHRISTMAS. The Works will close on Christmas Eve at 1 o’clock and there will be two days’ holiday in addition to Christmas Day, the Works re-opening on the third day after Christmas Day at 8.30 o’clock. These Holidays are liable to alteration as and when determined by the conditions existing at the period the holiday falls due, and notices regarding same will be posted in due time. Note The original rule book measures three inches by four and a half inches. The eighteen rules are printed in a small type face on nine pages of a twelve page pamphlet in red covers. The date February 28th 1916 is printed on the title page. A print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next