< Back Ketton Gas and Coke Company (limited). Chris Hunt 2021 Today, unless you live in a very rural village, you take a gas supply as the norm. Of course, it has not always been the case. In September 1965 forty-odd miles off the Lincolnshire coast Natural Gas was discovered and so began a speedy decline and demise of the Coal Gas industry, which was colloquially called Town Gas. The production was of course not dependant on the size of the settlement, but more on the ease of obtaining cheap coal balanced by customer demand, or should that be a population that could afford the cost of the product. It was not until the first decade of the 19th century that the technology for the safe production and distribution of gas was available. This led to the world’s first gas company in 1812, the London and Westminster Gas Light and Coke Company. Initially outside of Britain’s coalfields the only places where cheap coal was available, were ports, riverside sites and towns supplied by canals. A major factor was that the use of gas for street lighting was so much cheaper than the use of oil lamps or candles. In Stamford’s case it was not until June 1823 that Royal assent was given for a Company for lighting the streets of the town which were first lit in March 1825. Locally to Stamford there were gas works at Easton on the Hill, King’s Cliffe and Ketton. Cheap coal only being available with the coming of the railways to these villages. The Ketton Gas and Coke Company (Limited) was incorporated in 1862. The Company was capitalised at £1,250 made up of 250 £5.00 shares. In November 1862, it was reported in the Stamford Mercury that a few shares were still available from the Company Solicitor, a Mr. John Dabbs of Stamford, and it further stated that ‘there is reason to believe that an ample Dividend of a permanent character will be realised’. The chosen site close to Ketton Railway station had been purchased and a contract had been entered into with Mr. George Bower of St Neot’s to provide the engineering equipment. The Directors of the Company had plans and specification drawn up for the building work which were made available between November 7th and 14th 1862 The tenders to be in the hands of the Secretary at the Office in Stamford by 1.00pm on November 15th or by 6.00pm on the same day at the White Hart Inn, at Ketton. Notice was given that the Directors would be meeting at the Inn on the same day to consider the Tenders and that those Tendering were invited to attend. Mr. Bower had also entered a Tender for the building work as on November 21st 1862 the Company announced that his Tender had been accepted, that the work would commence immediately with completion in ‘about two months’. George Bower, 1826-1911, was an industrialist and developer of gas appliances, whose products were sold at home and abroad from his iron foundry in St Neots. By 1880 he had also provided Gas Work equipment locally to gas works at Easton on the Hill and Kings Cliffe, and locally to the Marquis of Exeter at Burghley House, the Great Northern Railway at Essendine, Apethorpe Hall and Shillingthorpe Hall. The Ketton Gas and Coke Company must have initially been seen as a successful venture for in June 1865 five of the £5.00 shares were sold at auction by Mr. William Langley at the Assembly Rooms in Stamford for £6 2s 6d per share (a profit of 22.5% over three years). This success was short lived as at auction held by Mr. Richardson in March 1867 at the George Hotel, twenty fully paid up £5 shares went unsold as they only achieved £4 7s 6d and were bought in. If share prices are a guide to business success it would seem that the Company was not seen as a firm investment for when sixteen fully paid up £5 shares were offered by auction in January 1869 they sold for prices varying from £3 6s 0d to £3 10s 0d. In comparison shares in the Stamford Gas and Coke Company which had a face value of £50 were selling for £83 or £84 each. Clearly by 1891 the Company was in difficulty as in the August of that year the then Company Secretary, a Mr. H. B. Barnett, issued a notice that a meeting would be held on September 1st to consider the ‘Financial and General Position of the Company, and determine whether the business of the Company ‘shall be continued or wound up voluntarily or otherwise, and to transact such other Business as may be necessary’. The decision was made to issue a Winding-Up Petition for the Company which was duly advertised in the London Gazette on September 25th 1891. On October 20th 1891 the Ketton Gas Works and Plant were offered for sale by auction. This included the Gas Manager’s House, Retort and Purifying Houses, Purifier, Scrubber, Condenser, Meters, Mains, and other Effects, on a site of approximately 600 square yards. It therefore comes as a surprise to discover that the sale of shares in the Company were still being advertised in the Stamford Mercury in May 1899 when thirty fully paid £5 shares were offered at auction. Clearly Ketton still enjoyed a gas supply for in May 1908 the Gas Works and Plant were again offered for sale as a going concern. The site was described as having a Stone-built and Slated Manager’s house, Stone-built and Tiled Retort and Purifying Houses, Gasometer, Purifier, Scrubber, Condenser, Meters, Mains, and other Effects. The purchaser was Mr. J.H.Silcox, the managing director of the Pontardawe (Swansea) Gas Company for £360. New ownership under new management resulted in a degree of investment for when finally the ‘fixed and loose plant’ was sold in April 1916 some of the equipment was relatively new. What effect the Great War had on the supply of coal, a labour force to run the plant, or the demand for gas is uncertain. Messrs. Richardson, the auctioneers, split the machinery into Lots, including a Gasometer in excellent condition with 6,000 cubic feet capacity, a new 3¼h.p. 1915 Gas Engine by Crossley with fitted water cylinder, a Gas Engine by Robinson of Manchester, a new 1914 Exhauster by Bryan, Donkin & Co., a Scrubber, a set of Condensers, a 1914 Station Meter by Willey & Co., a Winch for raising the Purifier Box Top, two Retorts Beds (one of three beds and the other of one bed) with lids, a Boiler, two Water Tanks, eighty nine new slot and ordinary Gas Meters, and thirty one Gas Cookers (1914). Along with other numerous Gas Fittings and other effects. The site was sold separately and in 1923 the cottage, retort house, outbuildings, along with about three miles of gas mains; was bought by Mr. Sivers of Ketton for £250. So ended Ketton’s gas supply until the arrival of natural gas sixty odd years later. Ketton Gas Works 1886 A print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

< Back A walk around Stamford town centre post boxes By Trish Auciello For a small town, Stamford has a wide range of postboxes covering six monarchs, and examples of all of these can be found in and around the town centre, covering the three main types of post box: - pillar: free standing, usually cylindrical - wall: rectangular, in the wall of a building or sometimes with its own brick surround - lamp: a smaller rectangular box, either attached to a lamp post or on its own supporting pole This is a self-guided walk to visit the postboxes, it will take about 60-75 minutes, although this can be extended to include shopping or a coffee somewhere along the way. It is circular so it can be started at any convenient point. Note: the route involves walking alongside and crossing busy roads, and you will need to take responsibility for your own safety at all times. We start at the railway station, obviously handy for those arriving by train, but also close to the Cattle Market car park. Here you will find a Victoria wall box on platform 1. Most postboxes have the cypher of the reigning monarch when they were installed and this one has VR, Victoria Regina, who reigned from 1837 to 1901. The station was opened in 1848, and is now a Grade II* listed building and wall boxes were first introduced in 1857. From the station, walk along Station Road where you can see a George V pillar box across the road junction on the corner of High Street Saint Martin’s and Water Street. Cross the busy road with care for a closer look. George V reigned from 1910 to 1936 and his cypher is GR. Although you might expect his cypher to show GVR in some form as the fifth King George, he took the view that he was the first George with a postbox so GR was quite sufficient. This box is the only GR on our walk. Walk along Water Street right to the end to see an Elizabeth II lamp box , outside the old Stamford East station, now converted to two houses. Elizabeth II reigned from 1952 to 2022, and her cypher is EIIR. This is the closest lamp box to the town centre and the only one on our walk. Retrace your steps, cross the Albert Bridge, and walk up Albert Road. Turn right at the top onto Wharf Road, and look across to see an Elizabeth II wall box, opposite the Wharf Road car park entrance, on the wall of what used to be the Co-operative dairy, now residential. This may have been a Victorian box that has been replaced in recent years. Continue up Wharf Road and turn right at the end into Saint Leonard’s Street. Walk along here, past the mini roundabout, onto Priory Road, to see an Edward VII wall box on the corner of Cherry Holt Road. Edward VII reigned from 1901 to 1910, his cypher was EVIIR in a very ornate script. There are only two EVIIR post boxes, both wall, in Stamford. Cross Priory Road, and turn left into Pinfold Lane. At the top, at the roundabout, turn right to cross Uffington Road, then left in front of the early 14 th century Friary gate. The associated plaque mentions Whitefriars and over the years there has been much interchangeability of names between White and Grey Friaries. Recent studies suggest that this is the gate for Greyfriars, in which case you are standing on the spot where Elizabeth I passed through the gate, and who stayed in the friary building inside, as a guest of Lord Burghley. Turn right to walk down Ryhall Road to see Britain’s third rarest type of post box, an Edward VIII pillar box , outside what was a sub post office, now a barber’s shop. Edward VIII only reigned from January to December 1936 and his cypher is EVIIIR. There were about 271 post boxes installed during his short reign, and only about 130 still exist with his cypher, although others may have had the doors changed to a later monarch. I say third rarest because, in addition to the pillar boxes, there are only one or two wall boxes in existence, including one in Bawdsey in Suffolk. Currently, the second rarest post box is Charles III, although this will change as more are installed. Perhaps we’ll see a CIIIR in Stamford one day. Retrace your steps slightly to cross Ryhall Road, and turn left along Ryhall Road. Stay right at the mini roundabout onto Saint Paul’s Street, crossing the end of East Street, to continue towards the town centre. Our second Edward VII wall box is on the right outside Stamford School. Continue along Saint Paul’s Street, crossing Star Lane, into the High Street to the Elizabeth II pillar box outside Stamford Library. From here, you can either go up the narrow lane to the left of the library, Goldsmith’s Lane, usually known as the library passage, and turn left at the top into Broad Street, or turn right further down the High Street into Ironmonger Street which will also lead you to Broad Street. Cross Broad Street and turn left to the Elizabeth II pillar box outside Browne’s Hospital. Browne’s Hospital is an almshouse, and house of prayer, originally built in 1475, by William Browne, a wealthy wool merchant. Visit their website for more information, including opening times. The almshouses at the rear of the building are still in use today. Cross Broad Street again and pause at the top of Ironmonger Street to see a “ ghost box” where a wall box used to be. It’s possible this box was relocated to Kesteven Road, where there’s a GR (1910-1936) wall box in a 1950s housing estate. Continue down Ironmonger Street, turn right into the High Street, and turn left into Cheyne Lane, which is between Fairfax & Favor and the Cornish Bakery. At the bottom, turn right onto Saint Mary’s Street and walk a short distance to the only Victoria pillar box in town. From here, you can look down Saint Mary’s Hill to see the Town Hall on the left and the town bridge over the River Welland at the bottom of the hill. You can either continue along Saint Mary’s Street and follow the road round to the right to walk up Saint John’s Street into Red Lion Square, but, as the road here is busy and the pavement very narrow, you might prefer to return to the High Street and turn left to walk down to the square. At the end of the High Street, cross into Red Lion Square, and head diagonally right, past Nelson’s Butchers to the corner with All Saints’ Place, turn left and you will find two wall boxes at the post office . These don’t have a cypher, but a stone carving above them shows the cypher of GVIR and date of 1937. Continue into All Saints’ Street, where a visit can be made to Harrison & Dunn , a traditional ironmonger’s shop, otherwise turn left into Mallory Lane and down into Sheep Market. Cross the road and walk down Castle Dyke to the path across the meadows back to Station Road to complete our circuit. If you have enjoyed looking for Stamford’s town centre boxes, and want to see more, there are 38 in total in the town itself - happy hunting! Trish Auciello ©️August 2025 A print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

Pick & Company BACK CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE IN FULL Pick Motor Car Company Stamford - Spanner Messrs. Pick & Co started in business repairing cycles in the 1890s. It was only natural that John Henry Pick, Jack to his friends, should move on to making motor cars. By 1900 Stamford had a firm making motor cars. The firm had a site in Gas Lane where Danegeld now stands before moving to High Street, St. Martins. Many of the parts were made locally, including the bodies which were constructed by Hayes and Son at Scotgate. A successful business was being developed but the First World War brought an end to many of Jack Pick’s dreams with the company going into voluntary liquidation in January 1925. DOWLOAD PDF Previous Next

< Back NEW LANDLORD AND REFURBISHMENT AT THE GEORGE INN 1725 Submitted by Chris Hunt The George Inn in St Martins, alias Stamford Baron, Northamptonshire, being the largest and best Inn in Town, is being kept by Jonathan Smith, late of the Bear Inn at Reading, Berkshire, is just now new furnished; therefore is ready for the Entertainment of Persons of Quality and Others, with good Usage. N.B. He sells full Market Measure of Corn in the Stables. Source. Stamford Mercury (Thursday) April 8th 1725 p11/c2. Note. In 1725 the Stamford Mercury was published on a Thursday. The pages were not numbered by issue. A Printed version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

< Back Stamford Races 1849 - Admission Ticket to the Red Stand on Thursday July 19th 1849 Submitted by Chris Hunt Stamford Racecourse was on Wittering Heath, this ticket was for one of the temporary stands erected for race days. The permanent stone-built Grandstand survives, all be it rebuilt as a permanent residence at the east end of Racecourse Road. The ticket is 90mm by 60mm. A print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

< Back John Flowers Bentley (1810-1884): Stamford Polymath John Daffurn 2024 When Richard Newcomb gate-crashed the opening of the new, Bryan Browning designed, home of the Stamford Institution in 1842 he wanted to highlight the origins of the Institution four years earlier. Standing amongst the nobility and gentry of Stamford he stated that the Institution was “…originally projected and established by those who did not occupy the highest stations in life…” ( Lincolnshire Chronicle [ LC ] , 25.3.1842). That was indeed the case, as the provisional committee of the yet to be formed Institution, established at a meeting at Standwell's Hotel on 3 April 1838, comprised mainly of local shopkeepers ( Stamford Mercury [ SM ] , 6.4.1838). The interim chairman of this committee was Frances Simpson Jr, a soap-maker, and Thomas Fricker, the young editor of the Lincolnshire Herald and probably the most erudite amongst the group of grocers, ironmongers, curriers, jewellers and drapers, became its interim honorary secretary. The provisional committee pushed for a public meeting at the Town Hall which was held on 5 June 1838 where motions were passed to create an institution, with its attendant officers and committee. One motion thanked the provisional committee for promoting their cause and Francis Simpson, its chairman, responded: “…I feel Mr Mayor that it is a duty particularly incumbent upon me to make known to you the names of those of whom this provisional committee was composed; because, whatever good or ill may accrue from the institution we are about to form, (and I trust there can be none of the latter), will be attributable to those who had the moral courage to take the first steps towards its promotion and therefore their names shall not remain “ in umbra ” –shall not sink at once into oblivion– but, with your kind indulgence, I will now read them. First, let me mention that of Mr John Flowers Bentley, whose indisposition (which I hope will be of short duration) accounts for his absence from this meeting. He, it was, who first agitated this question, or, at least first mooted it to me…” ( LC , 22.6.1838) From instigator, to honorary secretary, to committee member, John Bentley’s association with the Stamford Institution spanned twenty-five years. John Flowers Bentley was baptised on 27 May 1810 in the village of Haconby, near Bourne. His father John Bentley Sr, the son of a farmer, was born in Swinstead, and his mother Sarah Flowers was born in Haconby. Within four years of John’s birth the family moved to the hamlet of Guthram Gowt, midway between Bourne and Spalding. There, Bentley’s father ran the New Inn and farmed some adjacent land. From 1815, John’s siblings were baptised in Bourne and, without a church in Guthram Gowt, that is the likely location of John’s schooling. There is no evidence of John Bentley’s education or early employment, but the life of Robert Sandall and a newspaper advertisement in 1863 provide clues for a hypothesis. Sandall was born a year later than John, in the neighbouring village of Rippingale, and was also a farmer’s son who eschewed work on the land. Sandall, who may have also been schooled in Bourne, became apprenticed to the bankers Eaton, Cayley & Co, and later joined Bentley on the provisional committee of the Stamford Institution. Many years later, in 1863, when John Bentley left Stamford, it was noted that he had been associated with the Eaton, Cayley & Co bank for almost forty years ( SM , 25.12.1863). If that statement is true, it might also place Bentley as an apprentice with the bank at the same time as Sandall. Were they also childhood school friends? After completing his apprenticeship, Sandall, at the age of twenty, moved to London before returning to Stamford to join the Northamptonshire Bank, on Stamford’s High Street, as a clerk. Bentley, on the other hand, if indeed working at Eaton, Cayley, may have remained with the bank for a while longer. However, by 1834 he was trading as a tobacconist on St Mary’s Street (Pigot & Co Directory , 1835). Within months of the publication of that directory, Bentley moved to the High Street where he had bought a property two doors away from the post office ( Stamford Borough Rate Book , 1836). He transferred his tobacco business, selling the finest Havana cigars, to the new shop, but also in March 1835 opened a glassware and crockery business on the same premises ( SM , 20.3.1835). The business seemed to prosper as Bentley regularly advertised his wares in the Stamford Mercury , but later in 1836 a curious advertisement appeared regarding the sale of shares in Reeth Consolidated Mining Company, a copper-mining company in Cornwall, stating that those wishing to buy shares should apply to J F Bentley ( SM , 30.9.1836). Is it possible that Bentley was also an investor? A year later, it was discovered that the managers of the mining company had issued a fraudulent prospectus and subsequently the shareholders lost their money. It may be a coincidence, but in 1837 Bentley discontinued his glass, china, and earthenware business, auctioned his stock at the Assembly Rooms, and advertised his property on the High Street to be let or purchased ( SM , 21.7.1837). Soon after the demise of his business John pushed for the formation of a scientific and literary society in Stamford, either because he wanted access to more information for himself or because he was driven to provide knowledge to a wider audience. The latter is more likely the case as is evidenced in his later life. Despite knowing that John spent a lifetime acquiring an extraordinary range of knowledge in science and nature through self-learning, the catalyst for this educational drive is unknown. Was he a star pupil at Bourne with a thirst for knowledge? Did he borrow books from Mr Rooe’s subscription library on the High Street? After the Stamford Institution was formed and its first home was established in Broad Street in 1838, John Bentley became its honorary secretary, taking over from Thomas Fricker who had always intended to stand down. Although Eaton, Cayley brought John back into the bank and provided him with an income it is possible that he resided at the Institute’s premises for at least eight years: at Broad Street (1841 Census) and on St Peter’s Hill (White’s Directory , 1846). Fig 1. First Stamford Institution site at 49 Broad Street (right) Fig 2. Stamford Institution, St Peter's Hill In 1840, Samuel Sharp, the stepson of Richard Newcomb, was elected to the committee of the Stamford Institution and became a close friend of John Bentley, especially in the field of geology. By 1842, Sharp had given up the idea of succeeding Newcomb as proprietor of the Stamford Mercury , instead taking over the bookshop and subscription library of Matthew Rooe, and later becoming an important Stamford geologist and antiquary. Evidence of John Bentley’s attained knowledge, his wish to absorb more current thinking, and his self-confidence came in 1844 when, either as a representative of the Stamford Institution or in a personal capacity, he attended the annual conference of the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BAAS) in York ( Yorkshire Gazette , 28.9.1844). This prestigious association was formed in 1831 with the objectives of acquiring scientific knowledge, disseminating it through discussion, and furthering science by removing obstacles to progress. The BAAS met annually, for almost a week, at different British locations where papers were read, presentations given and debates held. Whilst John had some credibility as the Honorary Secretary of the Stamford Institution he was in the presence of, and certainly not equal to, a heady mix of the cream of British and European science. These noblemen, doctors, British and overseas professors, Fellows of various societies, together with amateurs interested in science, attended the various lectures split into four distinct groups, each with its own committee : Physics (including Mathematics), Chemistry, Geology, and Natural History ( Old England , 8.7.1832). On those committees sat some of the greats of British science, mathematician Babbage, astronomer Herschel, chemist Faraday and naturalist Darwin. Fig 3. Schönbein (left) and Faraday (right) at 1846 BAAS conference Bentley continued to attend these gatherings until 1850 when the conference in Edinburgh was his last (Reports of the Annual Conference of the BAAS, online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ ). In Southampton, for the 1846 conference, Bentley was expecting to see Professor Schönbein of Basle demonstrate his, as yet unpatented, gun-cotton. The opening of this conference, attended by eight hundred persons, on Thursday 10 September was graced by the presence of Prince Albert who had sailed across from Osborne House. After the formal proceedings, the prince was introduced to Prof Sch önbein who privately demonstrated his gun-cotton by exploding some in the hand of Lord Palmerston, the Foreign Secretary ( Hampshire Advertiser , 12.9.1846). John had to wait until the following Tuesday to see this for himself, but Prof Schönbein did not appear, as he was in London trying to patent his invention. In his place, W R Groves Esq demonstrated a sample of the new explosive material, although the process of manufacturing the gun-cotton remained vague pending patent approval. On returning to Stamford, John recreated his own version, and gave a demonstration which was witnessed by the Stamford Mercury . The paper commented that Bentley “… (whose self-acquired knowledge of the principles of chemistry is as honorable [sic] to him as it is interesting to those who have the advantage of his acquaintance) …” had been experimenting and succeeded in mixing proportions of sulphuric and nitric acids to coat the cotton so that, once dried and lit, it exploded with a greater force than gunpowder and without giving off smoke or leaving a residue ( SM , 6.11.1846). He was not the only scientist in Britain or Europe that succeeded in such replication, but John pleaded in the Stamford Mercury article that Prof Sc hön bein be credited as the originator of the idea. Another of John Bentley’s interests, which he shared with Samuel Sharp, was fossil collecting and he would regularly visit the quarries around Stamford, especially those at Ketton and Collyweston. It was at a slate quarry in Collyweston that he discovered the fossil of a rare gastropod which was unique to the area. In 1851, the famous geologist John Morris and pal æ ontologist John Lyell registered the fossil’s name as Phyllocheilus Bentleyi , after its discoverer. In their later publication Morris and Lyell said that the name of the Collyweston gastropod “is complimented to J F Bentley Esq of Stamford who has enriched our knowledge of the fossils of that locality” ( A monograph of the Mollusca from the Great Oolite , p.15). Later variations were named Pteroceras Bentleyi and Malaptera Bentleyi . Fig 4. Phyllocheilus Bentleyi fossil The census of 1851 shows that John was no longer living at the Institution, but in Bath Row, next door to the public bath (probably no. 15), with one servant and with the stated occupation of bank cashier. Later that year the Great Exhibition was opened in London, housed in the Great Shalimar, a purpose-designed building erected by Brunel (later removed and renamed Crystal Palace). Six million people visited the Great Exhibition during the six months it was open, with towns all over the country running special excursions to satisfy the interest. Amongst its exhibitions was an “exceedingly fine specimen of honey in its comb” by Mr J F Bentley of Stamford ( SM , 13.6.1851). Whilst the breadth of John’s interests seemed to know no bounds, he was also a generous man with both his time and money. In 1836, he donated to the repair fund for the re-building of St Michael’s church and in 1853 for the repairs and re-pewing of All Saint’s church. Later in 1853 he was appointed as joint auditor of the Stamford Burial Board together with his friend Robert Sandall. To the Stamford Institution he presented two maps (1854), and two glass cases of stuffed birds (1860). This was in addition to the numerous presentations he gave to the Stamford Institution and to other societies in later life. Fig 5. Oxy-Hydrogen Microscope In 1856, after eighteen years of service as Honorary Secretary to the Stamford Institution, John Bentley decided to resign . During those years, he had organised meetings and talks, sought donations of books and artefacts, and given lectures to its members. His tenure was greatly appreciated and the committee arranged for a testimonial where he was presented with an oxy-hydrogen microscope ( SM , 4.1.1856). These microscopes enabled objects to be magnified up to two million times and displayed on a wall or screen, enabling John to present his collection to a wider audience. Bentley was then a forty-five-year-old bachelor, and after leaving his honorary position he remained an active member of the Institution, being elected to its committee in 1859, where he continued to influence the society, as he had done since its formation. In Stamford, John would have known Richard Yates, either through the bank, the Institution, or by visiting Yates’s draper’s shop next to the Portico on the High Street. In 1860, Richard’s wife died in childbirth at the age of twenty-nine, and a year later Richard married Anne Lovell in her parent’s town of Wells, Somerset. Anne’s sister Emma was a draper’s assistant, and it is possible that Anne, with similar skills, had been recruited to work at Yates’s draper’s shop where her relationship with Richard grew. Bentley’s possible connection with Richard Yates may have influenced his later life. In 1863, Bentley’s station in society moved up a gear. The Midland Banking Company (not to be confused with the Midland Bank) was expanding and J F Bentley Esq was appointed manager of its Peterborough branch together with its satellite branch in Ironmonger Street, Stamford ( SM , 25.12.1863). This was ideal for John who, although having moved to Peterborough where he lived at the bank’s premises at 25 Long Causeway, continued to have strong social links to Stamford. Bentley’s mind was always active and his drive consistent. In 1868, he applied for a patent for “improvements in the mode of sinking or forming wells and in the apparatus to be used therefor, part of which improvements are also applicable for the sinking of cylinders or caissons for other purposes” ( London Gazette , 20.4.1869). Later that year, at a meeting of the Peterborough Agricultural Society John demonstrated another invention, a portable steam engine water filter, that he had patented a few months earlier. Within a year a company, Coulson & Wear on Wharf Road, Stamford, was advertising ‘Bentley’s patented water filter’ as sole agent ( SM , 15.3.1870). Also in 1869, Richard Yates, the draper, died leaving his wife Anne as a widow and son Richard Lovell Yates without a father. Anne subsequently moved to Rose Cottage in Tinwell. Behind the scenes in Peterborough, John must have been working to form a new society, as in May 1871 the Peterborough Natural History and Field Club (later the Peterborough Natural History and Archaeological Society, and now the Peterborough Museum Society) was founded, and Bentley became its first president. Besides John Bentley, the other founders may have included Dr Thomas Walker, a Peterborough surgeon and past secretary of the British Archaeological Association, and Henry English who was appointed as the society’s first honorary secretary. Another person linked to the early days of the society, and whose name remains most associated with it, is John William Bodger. When the society was formed Bodger had just turned fifteen and was little over a year into his chemist apprenticeship. In the autumn of 1873, he replaced Henry English as honorary secretary and soon after also became the society’s treasurer and curator, holding at least one of those positions until his death sixty-six years later. In his obituary he was credited as being “the principal mover in the founding of the Society”, however, one wonders if this was an embellishment of a revered gentleman and so-called ‘Father of the Peterborough Museum’ , almost seventy years after the event ( Peterborough Standard , 17 February 1939). Would a fifteen-year-old in the Victorian era really have pressed the likes of Bentley and Walker into founding such a society? Or, was his father, who presented a paper on “Oxford Clay” to the society in 1872, the adult driver, with his son, who was already collecting geological specimens, in tow. It must be assumed that even if not a founder the young man was one of the original members and, in Bodger, Bentley may have recognised his younger self, taken him under his wing, and supported him as the replacement honorary secretary when he was seventeen. Fig 6. Former Midland Banking Company office at Church Street In what must have been one of the society’s first field trips, members took a train to Ketton on Whit Monday 1872, and from there walked to Collyweston, Easton, Wothorpe and Burghley Park. Some visited the slate quarry at Collyweston, where Bentley had discovered his gastropod fossil, while others concentrated on the botany of the area. After the morning session they retreated to the Blue Bell Inn at Easton-on-the-Hill where they had an “excellent luncheon, kindly given by the esteemed president of the society, Mr Bentley” (SM , 24.5.1872). The afternoon session took longer than expected and the party had to cancel their proposed visit to the museum within the Stamford Institution. At the Midland Banking Company, in 1872, Bentley called for tenders to build new banking premises at the junction of Church Street and Cross Street in Peterborough ( SM , 21.6.1872). After it was completed in the spring of 1873, it also became John’s home. Between 1870 and 1875, John Bentley’s workload increased dramatically due, one assumes, to his willingness to take on additional responsibilities and to those promoting his energy and skill. During this period, he seems not to have shirked any approach for his time. Besides his day job as a bank manager, covering Peterborough and Stamford, he assumed many other roles: Chaired monthly meetings as president of the Peterborough Natural History Society Committee member for the Peterborough Workman’s Exhibition Treasurer of the Peterborough Literary Society Chaired meetings of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Workers Chairman of Peterborough Gas Company Committee member of the Peterborough Science and Arts Classes Member of Peterborough Improvement Commissioners Member of Peterborough Urban Sanitary Authority On 5 February 1873, Samuel Sharp Esq, FSA, FGS presented the second part of his important paper on the “Oolites of Northamptonshire” to the Geological Society in London together with a large collection of fossils and other geological specimens ( SM , 7.3.1873). Sharp was praised for the collection by Mr Etheridge FRS, the Government pal æ ontologist, and Mr Woodward of the British Museum commented how valuable the collection was compared to others as the fossils were linked to their stratigraphical location. In reply Sharp stated that the collection was not solely his own, but also that of his friend and former co-worker Mr Bentley, of Stamford. A couple of months later on consecutive days, two significant events changed John Bentley’s personal life and shaped the town of Stamford. Firstly, on 8 May 1873, at St Clement Danes church in London, sixty-three-year-old bachelor John Bentley married thirty-year-old widow, Anne Yates of Tinwell. It is assumed that John knew Anne through her late husband Richard, but what was the motive for marriage by this confirmed and extremely busy bachelor? Was it romantic?... there were no subsequent children from the union. Or, was it a logical relationship based on mutual need? Busy John, now a pillar of society, wanting support and home management, and Anne desiring financial security and a father-figure for her nine-year-old son Richard Lovell. Secondly, a day later on 9 May 1873, at a meeting of the newly formed Stamford Freehold Land Society (SFLS), J F Bentley Esq was appointed as its president ( SM , 16.5.1873). It is possible that, as the Land Society’s first president, he was also its founder, continuing to demonstrate the leadership he had shown when instigating the Stamford Institution in 1838, and founding the Peterborough Natural History Society in 1871. The formation of the SFLS was a direct result of the impending enclosure of the Stamford open fields. It had been a long time coming and was one of the last local enclosure acts in England, receiving its Royal Assent in 1871. The fields totalling 1,700 acres ran in a semi-circle around the north of the town from Tinwell Road in the west to Deeping Road in the east. However, the enclosure did not occur until the allocation of land, the preparation of deeds and their conveyance was completed in 1875. The SFLS was formed in anticipation of the enclosure which would free up land for building domestic properties. Land societies were a form of building society: members joined for a fee and bought shares, the income from which was accumulated to buy building plots. The plots were then sub-divided and allocated to members by a ballot for priority. The advantages to its members were lower costs for the land and legal fees, and the ability to become a freeholder which secured the right to vote. Eight acres of land were allocated to St George’s church in an area called the North Fields. Although the conveyance of this land was not completed until 11 August 1875, an agreement was reached in 1874 for the SFLS to purchase the North Fields site for £220 per acre ( SM , 13.11.1974). There was some committee dissent regarding this acquisition due to the extravagant price demanded by the church and the distance from the town. However, under the chairmanship of John Bentley it was passed narrowly with a majority of eight to seven. Fig 7. Conveyance indenture for Northfield's plots An early conveyance (November 1875) for several of the plots can be seen in Fig 7, with an enlargement below it, showing the Northfields area split into 107 building plots. Over the years these plots were sold by the SFLS in what is now known as the Northfields Conservation Area and a variety of terraced houses and larger villas gradually filled the available land. Fig 8. Plot allocation on Northfield's estate After his marriage in 1873, John Bentley and his wife lived temporarily at Bank House in Peterborough. However, at the end of that year John rented Balcony House in Glinton, a substantial 17th century house, largely rebuilt in the 18th century, and now listed Grade II. The house was owned by the Giles farming family who worked the land attached to the house. This new location was convenient for John’s interests in Stamford and Peterborough, being roughly equidistant between the two. Fig 9. Balcony House, Glinton Bentley’s involvement with the SFLS, and in particular the Northfield’s development, gave him an insight into land management in that area. And, in 1876, when the heirs of James Torkington Esq decided to sell the site of a former brickyard John took the plunge and bought it at auction. In 1873, Stamford Corporation had named the rough roads around the brickyard as Recreation Road, New Cross Road and Conduit Road, bounded to the south by the already named East Street. The brickyard had ceased operating in 1874 and remained undeveloped until Bentley acquired it, knowing that it could provide housing between the new Northfield’s estate and the Eastgate entrance to the town. By 1881, two terraces (Templar’s Cottages and Woolston’s Row) and four villas had been built on the land. One of the villas (probably Merriott Cottage) was occupied by the builder Thomas Woolston, who one assumes built Woolston’s Row (1881 Census). Woolston later, in 1886, built a larger house (Laurel Villa) for himself on Recreation Road and adjacent to Woolston’s Row, but he was not a good businessman and in 1889 was adjudged bankrupt. Fig 10. Houses built on the brickyard site prior to 1881 The new buildings in the brickyard, especially Woolston’s Row, were built at a low level because of all the clay that had been removed from the site for the bricks. As a consequence, the houses were prone to flooding and in 1880 the Council was petitioned to solve this “pressing nuisance” ( SM , 3.9.1880). As the discussion between Bentley’s solicitor and the Council were held ‘in camera’ the outcome is not recorded, but in December 1880 two advertisements were placed for tenders to lay drainage pipes. One by the Council for Recreation Road and the other on behalf of Bentley for Woolston’s Row both running down to the main drain at the junction of East Steet and Eastgates. Between 1886 and 1888, and unfortunately after Bentley’s death, the roads of the old brickyard were adopted by the Corporation. One was named New Street but the other, which replaced Woolston’s Row, became Bentley Street, after its late owner J F Bentley: a lasting reminder in Stamford, even though nobody has recently been aware of the connection. Fig 11. 3-5 High Street, Leicester, after being taken over by Grand Clothing Co. The resignation by John in 1877, due to ill health, from his positions as Treasurer of the Peterborough Literary Institute and President of the Peterborough Natural History Society may have been the first sign of him slowing down. However, he was still a bank manager, active with other societies, and also a property developer in Stamford. It is not known exactly when John retired from the bank, but it probably coincided with its acquisition by the Birmingham, Dudley & District Bank in 1881. This is supported by his move away from the area in March 1882, when Balcony House was advertised to let by William Giles ( SM , 24.3.1882). The change in location away from both Stamford and Peterborough suggests that all work, public service and extramural activities had ended and that his body and mind were starting to decline. Anne and John Bentley joined Anne’s sister Emma in the centre of Leicester where Emma owned a substantial draper’s business, E Lovell & Co, at 3-5 High Street (the impressive Marlborough House). It was a large property in the heart of the city, later taken over by the Grand Clothing Hall Company (see Fig 11). On 10 February 1884, in the presence of his sister-in-law Emma, John Bentley died, and the cause of death was later given as senile decay. Anne Bentley continued to live in Leicester after John’s death, remaining close to her sister. Later she moved to Rothley, a village near Leicester, where her sister joined her, after retirement from her drapery business. It was from Anne’s Rothley residence, in 1914, that she presented an enlarged photograph of her late husband, John Flowers Bentley FLS, to the Peterborough Natural History Society. It is assumed that FLS signified his fellowship of the Linnean Society, which would make sense given his interest in nature and fossils, but the Linnean Society archivist is unable to verify his membership. The presentation photograph of John Bentley cannot be located, but it is possible that Fig 12 is a copy of the original. Fig 12. John Flowers Bentley Esq F L S © Peterborough Museum & Art Gallery Anne’s son, Richard Lovell Yates, emigrated to Australia sometime before 1889, where he married and had two sons. The first, Richard, was killed in action in Gallipoli during WWI. In what may signify more than anything about John Bentley’s character is that Richard Lovell, who was John’s stepson throughout his formative years between nine and nineteen, named his second son John Bentley Yates. John Flowers Bentley, a farmer’s son, had been involved in banking for almost sixty years, from possible apprentice to bank manager. In addition, he had been a shopkeeper, a public servant sitting on various committees, and a property developer. However, for almost his entire life he was driven by a search for knowledge across a wide range of subjects. He was a chemist, fossil collector, apiarist, geologist, naturalist, botanist and inventor: a polymath. John Bentley’s drive to acquire knowledge was matched by his wish to imbue others with that which he had learnt. This is demonstrated by his push for the Stamford Institution and the founding of the Peterborough Natural History Society, where he often shared information through presentations, at times using his testimonial oxy-hydrogen microscope. Now, in Stamford, his name lives on in the form of Bentley Street, and globally geologists know of him for the rare Bentleyi fossils. © John Daffurn 2024 A print version can be downloaded HERE Other articles about Stamford Institution: The formation and first home of the Stamford Institution (1838-1842) The Stamford Institution Previous Next

< Back Harriet Swanson and William Blades. Two 19th-century market traders Keith Hansell 2024 When writing my book ‘Stamford Fairs & Markets’ I tried to add flesh to the bones of those who once sold their wares within the town, whether on a daily basis, or at one of the town’s weekly markets. It was inevitable that some would slip through the net, only to be discovered once the book had been published. William Blades, a fishmonger of Stamford, and Harriet Swanson. a butter seller from Belmesthorpe, were two such people. Harriet Swanson ‘ Suspected Child Murder at Stamford’. That was the headline from a report in the Stamford Mercury on Friday the 6th of October 1845. Harriet Swanson, a single woman of about 24 years of age, had gone to the Shepherd and Shepherdess public house around 1pm, as per usual, before leaving to sell butter in the Friday market. When returning around 6pm, she asked the landlady, Mrs. Sanderson, if it was possible to stay the night. Whilst being shown her room she announced that she was about to be confined and begged that she might not be turned away. About an hour later, at Swanson’s request, Mr. Edward Barber, surgeon, was called and was quickly in attendance. On entering the room he found the prospective mother in bed, with a man sitting by the bed-side smoking a cigar. After the man had departed, she told Mr. Barber that her name was Elisa Deacon, and that she resided with her brother and sister at Oakham and had come to Stamford thinking she might be better managed, having neither father nor mother. At eleven that evening she gave birth to a ‘ perfect and healthy’ female. When returning the following morning, Mr. Barber again found the child in good health and laying beside her mother. When asked if she had put the child to breast, she replied she had not, as she intended to “ put the child out ”, and that the nurse, who was in attendance, had the care of feeding her. On the Saturday afternoon, Swanson said that her daughter had made some gurgling noises in her throat. About six that evening, when the nurse took the child from its mothers arms, the child’s face and hands were black but it came to again after only a few minutes. After returning the child to its mother, the nurse left the room for a few minutes, but quickly returned when the mother called out that her child was dead. Mr. Barber was immediately sent for and on his arrival undressed the child but found no marks of violence, except a slight indentation on the upper lip, like the mark of a single finger-nail. The following day a post mortem examination took place but found nothing to indicate the cause of death. The inquest that followed lasted for four hours, and in the course of the investigation, Mrs. Sanderson admitted that Swanson, and the man seen on Mr. Barber’s first visit, often met at her house, sometimes going into the bedroom but generally into the front parlour. Swanson also stated that William Templeman, of Carlby, was the child's father and that he gave her a sovereign on Friday night to meet her immediate expenses. William Blades Or ‘ Pugnacious Blades’, as the Stamford Mercury headline called on Friday July the 18th 1862. Below is the transcript of that report. “A Fight, which though short was anything but sweet for one of the combatants, occurred between two fishmongers of Stamford named William Holland and William Blades, in the fish-market at the Portico on Monday morning. There seems to have formerly been a kind of partnership between the two present rivals. They had both been indulging too freely in beer, and the dispute arose in consequence of Blades attempting to carry off a box of herrings, which he fancied belonged to him. To this course, however, Holland strongly objected, having an impression that he was being robbed and high words ensued, which ended in a scuffle: the boxes were smashed, and the herrings strewn over the pavement. The disturbance being upon the very threshold of the police-station, acting-sergeant Leech interposed threatening them with “durance vile” if they did not desist. In defiance of this caution, however, they resumed the fight with increased animosity and violence, but were at last separated and locked up until their passion had cooled. They were ordered to answer for their drunken and disorderly conduct at the police-station on the following morning, but Blades was so severely punished and his vision so obscured, both eyes being deeply mortgaged, that he could not find his way to the station: the case was therefore adjourned till Wednesday, when they appeared before the Mayor (R. Bromhead, Esq.). and Edward. Cayley, Esq., and were discharged. Blades face showed such strange inequality of surface and variety of that, as would have been tested to their utmost the enamelling abilities of the notorious Madame Rachel”. Notes. The Shepherd and Shepherdess public house was located in Castle Street, Stamford, and was first recorded in 1831, later changing its name to The Castle and finally closing in 1959. From the sale particulars of 1893 it consisted of a parlour and smoke room located at the front of the building, with the bar and tap room behind. It also had five bedrooms, store-room, cellar and wash-house. The Portico, erected c.1807, stood in Stamford’s High Street, on a site formerly occupied by the White Lion public house. The fish market was situated behind the Portico, comprising two rows of covered stalls with a centrally placed pump. Market days were Monday’s and Friday’s. Blades vision must have been severely impaired as he only lived yards away from the police station in Rubbins Court on Stamford High Street. The report makes reference to a Madam Rachel, real name Sarah Russell, who operated a fraudulent cosmetic parlour in the 1860s, at 47a New Bond Street in London. She promised her female clients that she would make them beautiful forever but in truth she was no more than a con-artist, applying dangerous substances to her clients’ skin, with the inevitable results. A print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

< Back The End of the Stamford Bull Run In 1838, the magistrates having received a peremptory mandate from Lord John Russell, for the suppression of the Bull-running, part of a troop of the 14 th Light Dragoons, from Northampton, under the command of Captain Harvey, and a detachment of the metropolitan police, arrived on the 10 th of November. The Dragoons were quartered in Saint Martin’s, Stamford Baron, in Northampton, with orders not to pass the bridge. The town and neighbourhood were in a state of great excitement on Sunday and Monday. The only two bulls in the town, one belonging to Mr. Roberts, at the Horns Inn, and the other the property of Mr. J. Smith, farmer, Scotgate, were secured by the police in the Hotel stables. On Monday night, special constables were placed at every entrance to the town to prevent the arrival of any bull. On the morning of the 13 th , the people congregated in large bodies, and chance threw a bull in their way. A covered cart passed through the town at twelve o’ clock, containing a young bull, the property of Earl Spencer, from his seat at Wiseton, near Bawtry. The bullards took possession of the cart in Saint Martin’s, where the bull was let out, and immediately ran down Saint Martin’s and over the bridge into Stamford. At the bridge the police formed themselves in line and made an attack on the people, to stop the bull, but it was useless: the bull passed on up Saint Mary’s-hill to Saint Geroge’s square, down High-street, Scotgate, Saint Peter’s-hill, and into the bull-meadow, where he was taken by the police, and escorted by the dragoons to the Bull and Swan, and given up to his conductor. The people passed into the back way of Saint Martin’s, near the Sun, where an attack was made on the military with stones and brickbats, principally from women and children; and an industrious harmless man named Nathaniel Pollard, who, whist returning from his work, was wounded on the head by the Sergeant major, and several people were hurt by the police. The military after leaving a guard at the Bull and Swan, drew up opposite to Saint Martin’s church and charged their carbines with ball bearings: they then marched through the streets and the mob quietly dispersed. At the following Borough Quarter Sessions in January, 1839, James Woodall, Octavious Snary, John Kisbee, and William Pollard , were indicted for riotously assembling with sticks and staves and breaking the peace by running a bull calf: Pollard was further indicted for throwing a stone at Robert Seal, a Sergeant-major in the 14 th Light Dragoons. The solicitors were, - Mr. N. Wilkinson, of Peterborough, for the prosecution, and Messrs. Thompson and Son, Stamford, for the defendants. After considering for a few minutes, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty . In 1839, notwithstanding the precautionary measures adopted by the Magistrates under the direction of the Secretary of State, - the introduction of military and a London police force, - the appointment of special constables, - and the establishment of mounted scouts to perambulate the open fields, - the bullards on Wednesday, November 13 th , contrived to introduce a bull into the town, though only for a very short time. Captain Bell with 43 of the 5 th Dragoon Guards from Nottingham, and Inspector Pearce with 20 of the London police force, arrived in Stamford on Monday. Photograph taken of a picture in the Mayors Parlour, Stamford Town Hall. On Tuesday, Francis Butt, Esq. (the Mayor), with W. Hunt, J Roden, and R. Hunt, Esqs., Magistrates, swore in 90 special constables, and adopted every arrangement calculated to carry into effect the commands of Lord Normanby for the suppression of the bill-running. In the evening of Tuesday the metropolitan and the borough police took charge of the bulls of Mr. Smith of Scotgate, and Mr. Roberts of the Horns, and whilst they were conveying the animals down Ironmonger-street, they were assailed by a mob with paving stones: the promptitude and firmness of the police force, however, suppressed the riot at the expense of a few broken pates from their staves, and the bulls were locked up in a stable at the Hotel, and the following instructions were given to the constables. “Special Constables, when called out, have all the powers which belong to a Constable throughout the whole Jurisdiction for which the appointment is made. “They are each subject to a Penalty of £5. For neglect or refusal to serve, or to obey lawful orders for performance of the duties of office. “Any person assaulting or resisting a Special Constable whilst in execution of his office, or promoting or encouraging any other person so to do, is liable to a penalty of £20., or to be indicted for the offence. “The following arrangements have been made for to-morrow (Wednesday). “Horsemen are appointed to preamble the Fields. “Special Constables appointed to guard the entrances of the town, 87.-Messengers, 3.-Metropolitan Police at Town-hall. “Town police to perambulate the streets, and communicate with the magistrates at the Town-hall, every hour or oftener if necessary. “In case a Bull should appear to be run, or a riot take place, the whole of the Constabulary force immediately to fall in and concentrate and assist in suppressing the disorder, and in apprehending offenders. On Wednesday morning, at seven o’ clock, a horse patrol was placed in every direction at about the distance of a mile from the town, with orders to give instant notice in the event of any beast approaching towards Stamford. The Mayor and magistrates assembled at the Town-hall at eight o’ clock. - The soldiers also mounted guard at the George Inn, at the same hour. Parties now beginning to congregate in the streets, the magistrates issued the following order: - “Town-hall, Stamford. Wednesday, 13 th November, 1839. “The magistrates have directed that there should be no congregation or assemblage of persons in the streets; and the constables have strict orders to prevent any such occurrence. - By order, “Nath. Farrant, Clerk to the Magistrates” Everything remained tolerably quiet until between one and two o’ clock, when the cry of “the bull” was raised, and it was found that, in spite of the precautions adopted, a young bull, having a direction tied on it “for Stamford” – had been brought into the town from the fields North of Scotgate, was “run” across that street, up to Rutland Terrace, thence down Well-lane, and along Bath-row, to the Lammas bridge, where the water was very much out. Through the negligence, it is said, of some of the special constables – none of whom communicated to the Magistrates, as they had been directed to do, the circumstances of a bull’s having entered the town – the animal remained for some minutes about Lammas bridge; but as soon as the Magistrates became acquainted with the fact, Mr Reed (chief constable) and the borough police, with Superintendent Pearce and ten of the metropolitan force, proceeded to rescue the bull. This was not accomplished, however, until they had reached a distance of two miles from Stamford, near Tolethorpe, where the animal was found in the middle of the river, surrounded by several hundred people. Possession of the bull was immediately taken by the police, who proceeded to drive him towards Stamford, followed by the whole assemblage, with shouts and execrations. On nearing the town, the mob considerably increased, and symptoms of an attempting rescue becoming evident, a messenger was despatched for the remainder of the police force, and subsequently for the military, who arrived apparently in the exact point of time to prevent violence from the crowd, which now amounted to three or four thousand. Photograph taken of a picture in the Mayors Parlour, Stamford Town Hall. Stones were thrown at the police, and some severe blows given and received, when the appearance of F. Butt, Esq., Mayor, who headed the military, quieted these symptoms, and the bull was conduced into the town, between two files of dragoons, accompanied by the police, and followed by the many thousands who had further attempts at violence. collected, with shouts, but with no further attempts at violence. Photograph taken of a picture in the Mayors Parlour, Stamford Town Hall. The animal was then taken into the Hotel stables and secured, after which the mob dispersed, and the military and police withdrew. While the bull was being secured as above in the Hotel stables, an attempt was made by an individual to let loose another animal secured in the same place, by withdrawing the staples of the stable door, but he was fortunately observed by the police. The magistrates remained at the town-hall until a late hour, and the military and police were on duty till 10 o’ clock, when the town appearing perfectly quiet they retired, and no further commotion took place. The military remained in Stamford until the 15 th and the metropolitan police, after a few days, returned. The bull was claimed by Mr. Clement Bland, of Frith Lodge, who declared it to have been taken by violence from his premises, but by parties unknown. – On the dismissal of the military, the Mayor presented Captain Bell, in the names of himself and the other authorities, their thanks for his attention and zealous discharge of duty. SOURCE CHRONOLOGY OF STAMFORD BY GEORGE BURTON, 1846, PAGES 60 TO 65, PRINTED & PUBLISHED BY ROBERT BAGLEY Note: - The Stamford bull baiting and run was held on St Brice’s day the 13 th November for about 600 years until it was effectively supressed in 1839. A print copy 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

< Back F Dawson, Grocer, Stamford. Unofficial Farthing (W.4820) Martin R Warburton The Token Book 2 (Galata 2013) indicated that no information could be found about this issuer. Research at Stamford Library and in the British Newspaper Archive has revealed that Frederick Dawson was in business for only two years, from 1854 to 1856, and so avoided being recorded as a Grocer in either the 1851 or the 1861 census. Being in business for only a short time probably accounts for the scarcity of the token. During his short time as a shopkeeper he was, however, a frequent advertiser in the local papers. Examples include the start of his business in the Stamford Mercury of April 28th 1854; The apparent success of his business by advertising in June 1855 for an ‘...APPRENTICE. A Dissenter preferred...’; And the suggestion that perhaps all was not well with the business in his announcement in the Stamford Mercury of January 25th 1856; Frederick Dawson was born in 1832/3, a son of William Dawson, Baker and Confectioner of St Mary’s Street, Stamford. He is probably the same Frederick Dawson who died in Stamford in 1881, aged 48. Chandos House in the High Street is thought to be the first building on the right leading from Red Lion Square (to the left of St John’s Church) and is currently an outdoor clothing shop. Frederick Dawson’s short-lived business can possibly be connected with the decline in passing trade experienced by Stamford when the railways arrived from the late 1840s onwards. Before this his shop was in a prime location next to Red Lion Square on the old Great North Road from London to Edinburgh. Coaches stopped and horses were changed in Stamford. The other side of Red Lion Square still boasts The Millstone public house offering ‘good stabling and loose boxes’. It all changed though with the coming of the railways; progressively east and west from Stamford (Town) from 1846 to 1851, and from Stamford (East) in 1856. Many thanks for assistance go to Chris Hunt of the Stamford Local History Society and to Dave Smith of the Token Corresponding Society. A print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

< Back Agreement between Stamford Town Council and Little Casterton for the use of the Stamford Horse Drawn Steam Fire Engine 1904 By Chris Hunt Introduction The following transcript is from a four paged signed copy of a Legal Document between Stamford Town Council and the inhabitants of Little Casterton (Rutland). Memorandum of Agreement made this seventeenth day of December one thousand nine hundred and four. Between the Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses of the Borough of Stamford acting as the Urban District Council for the Borough of Stamford and hereinafter called the Town Council of the one part and The Parish Meeting of Little Casterton in the County of Rutland, hereinafter called the Parish Meeting of the other part. Whereas the Town Council has recently acquired from Messrs Shand Mason and Company of London a Steam Fire Engine with the necessary appliances and equipment which said Steam Fire Engine for the purposes of identity has the word “Stamford” painted thereon. And Whereas the Parish Meeting has with the consent of the County Council and in conjunction with other Parish Meetings and Parish Councils agreed to pay the Town Council a yearly contribution for the use of the said Steam Fire Engine for the purpose of extinguishing fires occurring within the district of Little Casterton aforesaid during the period hereinafter mentioned. Now it is mutually agreed as follows: - 1) The Parish Meeting will during and throughout the continuance of this agreement pay to the Treasurer for the time being of the Borough of Stamford for the use of the Town Council the yearly sum of Two Pounds six shillings and three pence without any deduction the last mentioned sum, to be paid by two equal instalments on the first day of September and the first day of March in each year during the continuance of this agreement the first of such instalments to be paid on the first day of September one thousand nine hundred and four. 2) In consideration of such payments the Town Council agrees with the Parish Meeting that at all times during the period of five years from the date hereof on demand therefore being made to the Captain Superintendent or other Officer of the Stamford Fire Brigade or upon notice given or left at the Stamford Police Station of a fire however caused happening to any house, building, stack, agricultural produce or premises within the Parish of Little Casterton, the Town Council will, except as provided by Clause 4 of these presents, with all due promptitude by day or by night cause the said Steam Fire Engine properly equipped, manned and horsed to be sent to any such house, building, stack, agricultural produce or premises for the purpose of extinguishing or dealing with such fire. 3) NO charge or payment of any kind so ever shall be made or paid to the Town Council by the occupier of the premises where the fire occupier of the premises where the fire occurs or at which the said Engine shall be used or employed for the use of such Steam Fire Engine, but such occupier shall be liable to pay to the Town Council the reasonable and proper charges of the Brigade for their attendance and service at such fire and for the use of the horses employed in drawing the Engine from Stamford to the scene of the Fire and home again and the damage done to any hose or other appliance not forming part of the equipment of the said Engine. 4) Provided always that the liability upon the Town Council to supply the said engine aforesaid shall be suspended in all cases where owing to a prior call or claim (either in or out of the Borough) the Engine for the purposes of extinguishing or dealing with a fire have been taken or sent into another Parish with whose Parish Council or Parish Meeting the Town Council shall have entered into an agreement similar in all respects to these presents. No pecuniary liability shall rest upon or be incurred by the Town Council for any delay in despatching the said Engine to any fire nor shall the Town Council be called upon to make compensation for any damage which may arise from any cause whatever in connection with the despatching of the said Engine. 5) The Town Council will cause the said Engine at all times to be kept in a thorough state of repair and if the Engine shall at any time during the said period of 5 years become disabled or useless, the Town Council will forthwith hire another Engine pending the reparation of the said Engine, and the terms and conditions therein contained shall be applicable to the Engine so hired. 6) In case the said sum hereby agreed to be paid as aforesaid or any part or instalment thereof shall remain unpaid for 28 days next after the day fixed for the payment thereof it shall be lawful for but not obligatory upon the Town Council by notice in writing signed by the Town Clerk and directed to and served upon the Clerk to the said Parish Meeting to determine and put an end to this agreement and from and after the giving of such notice the respective rights and liabilities of the parties hereto shall cease and determine. The power hereby given to the Town Council shall be ancillary to their remedy for recovery by action at law of the said sum or any part thereof payable by the Parish Meeting as aforesaid and it shall be at the option of the Town Council either to exercise the power hereby given of determining this agreement or of proceeding by action for recovery of the said sum or any part thereof as this Town Council shall decide. 7) At the expiration of the said period of 5 years or upon the determination of this agreement the Parish Meeting shall have no claim upon the Town Council in respect of the subject matter of this Agreement nor to any matter or thing herein contained or referred to. 8) If any dispute or difference shall arise between the Town Council and the Parish Meeting touching any of the matters contained in this agreement such dispute or difference shall be referred to two justices of the Borough (not being members of the Town Council) whose decision shall be final and binding upon all parties. 9) The said Steam Fire Engine shall be and remain the absolute property of the Town Council. In Witness whereof the Common Seal of the Town Council was hereunto affixed and the Presiding Chairman and two Members of the Parish Meeting at a meeting of the said Parish Meeting have hereunto set their hands and seals as the act of the Parish Meeting. Testing the Shand Mason Horse Drawn Steam Fire Engine at Bath Row on March 28th 1904. Notes. 1) The above document had the Common Seal of the Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of the Borough of Stamford affixed at a Meeting of the Town Council, on February 6 th 1905 in the presence of George Higgs, Mayor of Stamford. The original document was countersigned and sealed by Charles Ormston Eaton, the Presiding Chairman of the Parish Meeting of Little Casterton, and by Mr Arthur Templeman and Mr Albert Broughton, two of the Members of the Parish Meeting, at a Parish Meeting held on December 17 th 1904 in the presence of Mr Henry Green. 2) The Town Council at this time offered villages around Stamford the opportunity to make legally binding agreements, for the use of the town’s fire-fighting equipment. This was made more possible as a result of the Town acquiring a second Messrs Shand Mason and Co. horse drawn steam fire engine in 1904. 3) The Mayor, Mr George Higgs (1852-1918) was a merchant of multiple shops in the East Midlands operating as a wholesaler and retailer, selling tobacco, briars, cigars and cigarettes and tobacconists’ sundries. starting with a tobacconist shop on St John’s Street in Stamford. By the turn of the century, he had expanded his business with shops in Newark, Nottingham, Sleaford, and three in Lincoln. He was a Kesteven County Councillor and served on several Committees and Charities within the town. His wife was a descendant of Sir Isaac Newton in the female line. 4) Charles Ormston Eaton (1827-1907) lived at Tolethorpe Hall. Born at Ketton Hall, he attended Harrow School and graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge. He was a director of the Stamford, Spalding, and Boston Bank which after his death became part of Barclays Bank in 1911. He purchased the site for the Roman Catholic Church of St Mary and St Augustine in Stamford, assisted in financing its building and paid for the organ. Chris Hunt December 2025 A print version can be downloaded HERE Previous Next

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