Author: secretary

We have just seen some remarkable efforts in Tokyo, but the race described below and the feats accomplished in the story at the bottom are fantastic.

“A foot race of a novel description took place at Carlton, near Grantham, on Tuesday the 6th inst. Mr. Cleaver, a commercial gentleman, happening to be at the Coach and Horses Inn, offered to run any man in the place, or within ten miles, from Carlton to Barkston and back, a distance of seven miles, for any sum of money. A man named James Pick, totally blind, was backed against him for one sov*. The competitors started fair, but after two miles and a half had been accomplished, the gentleman who had eyesight gave up. His opponent executed the task easily, within three quarters of an hour. – Mr. Pulford, a friend of the loser in the race, not feeling satisfied with the result, offered to run the winner to his own home, a distance of three-quarters of a mile, for half a sovereign, which bet was instantly accepted. The blind man was again the victor, accomplishing his task in four minutes, and beating his opponent by several hundred yards. Pick in his first race was allowed to carry a stick; but after he had started in his second, his opponent objected to it, whereupon he threw it away, declaring he wished to take no advantage. It is said that he has offered to run any man within 20 miles, for 10l to 20l.”

*i.e. a Sovereign, face value £1.

The Stamford Mercury, 16th October, 1840.

“On Tuesday last, in Vauxhall gardens, Boston, a man named Cootes undertook to run a mile, walk a mile, wheel a barrow a mile, walk backwards a mile, hop one hundred yards, leap over fifty hurdles ten yards apart, and pick up fifty stones a yard apart and deposit them singly in a basket, within one hour; which task he accomplished three quarters of a minutes within the given time.”

The Stamford Mercury, 23rd October, 1840.

A girl goes missing, but her stepmother’s fearful dream points to the whereabouts of her murdered body. The case became notorious and was the subject of songs and plays and, in 1936, a film.

“On Monday evening a constable from Suffolk, of the name of Ayres, made an application at Lambeth-street police-office, stating that a strong suspicion was entertained that a most diabolical murder had been committed in Suffolk, by a person named William Corder. An inquest had been held that day on the body of the unhappy victim, which stands adjourned to Friday. In consequence of this communication, James Lee, an officer of this establishment, in company with Ayres, apprehended Corder; and a few minutes before the office closed on Tuesday evening, he was brought in custody before Matthew Wyatt, Esq. the sitting magistrate. From the statement, on oath, of the constable Ayres, it appeared that the murdered woman, whose name was Maria Martin*, aged 26, was decoyed, in male attire, on the 18th of last May, from the house of her parents at Polstead, in Suffolk, by the prisoner, who desired her to meet him at his red barn, when he promised her that they should go to Ipswich, and be married by licence. The unsuspecting girl (who was pregnant by the prisoner) accordingly attended at the time and place appointed. From that day to this, the girl has not been heard of. Since that time, however, many letters have been received by the parents of the unfortunate girl from the prisoner, in which he uniformly stated that he and their child were living most happily together in married state; and in the last letter he wrote, he stated that he should soon return and resume the occupation of his farm. He feigned many excuses for the silence of the deceased, from time to time. The mother of the girl, however, became alarmed, and the subject preyed so much on her mind, that she dreamed that her daughter was murdered, and her body buried under the floor of the barn by the prisoner, where he had appointed to meet her on the 18th of May. The corn which was in the barn having been recently thrashed, the mother requested that the floor might be taken up, which was accordingly done, when to her horror, she discovered the remains of a sack, in which was the mangled body of Maria Martin! The body was, of course, in a state of decomposition, but it was identified by one of the teeth in the jaw being out, which was her case. She was also dressed in the same male attire she wore on the fatal night. The prisoner was apprehended at Ealing, in Middlesex, and is reported to be married. At his house were found a passport for France, dated the 17th of December last, and a brace of pistols, which were bought at Ipswich. He said nothing, and was sent in the custody of the constable to Suffolk.”

The Stamford Mercury, 25th April, 1828.

*Her surname was really Marten.

Named after the ‘mythical’ outlaw of Sherwood Forest, this inn at Aslackby has now added Little John to its title presumably, because of the charming rhyme. It is still going strong and has excellent ratings.

"Gentlemen, if you think good,
Step in and drink with Robin Hood;
If Robin Hood abroad has gone.
Then take a drink with Little John.

Such is the invitation extended to those who visit the old-world village of Aslackby. ‘The Robin Hood’ which, incidentally, has just changed hands, is an ancient inn by the side of the main road as one enters from the north. If it has any connection with the famous outlaw it would be interesting to know in what way, though to what extent, if at all, ‘Robin Hood’ was an actual historical character has been much debated. Only two other inns in Lincolnshire – one at Boston, the other at Spalding – are known by the name of the jovial freebooter.”

The Stamford Mercury, June 24th, 1927.

A particularly gruesome murder is reported here, but there is no speculation as to the motive behind it. The murderer (a trooper in the blues) was clearly determined to carry out his task without worrying about the consequences.

“Considerable sensation was caused at Windsor on Sunday night in consequence of a very deliberate murder which was committed about nine o’clock in the Arthur-road, a thoroughfare leading from the vicinity of the Great Western station to Clewer village. The victim was Mrs. Laura Ellen Woolridge, aged 23, said to be a native of Bath, and who for about two years has been employed as an assistant to the postmistress in the post-office at High-street, Eton. There she was known under her maiden name of Glendell. She was, it is stated, married to a trooper in the Royal Horse Guards named Woolridge, but had lived very little with him. This man came to Windsor in the course of the evening, and went to 21, Alma-terrace, where Mrs. Woolridge was residing, and, under the pretence of signing a paper, was allowed to enter the house. Mrs. Woolridge thereupon asked Alice Cox, a young woman who was sitting with her in the front parlour, to fetch her hat and jacket, and while the latter was proceeding to the back room the man and woman went out of the the street door towards the iron wicket-gate separating the forecourt from the street. There he appears to have attempted to cut the throat of the unfortunate woman, who shrieked ‘Murder!’ and ran into the middle of the road, where he threw her down and accomplished his dreadful crime. The murderer is now in the hands of the Windsor Police.”

The Stamford Mercury, 3rd April, 1896.

Once again the issue of a north-south bypass raised its head. Some people welcomed it, but traders were worried that traffic would no longer come through the town centre and they would lose custom. After much debate and discussion in the 1920s, 30s and 50s, the bypass was finally opened in October, 1960.

“The question of the proposed bye-pass road though Stamford affords reason for serious consideration of other matters directly concerned with the welfare and progress of the borough.

In the old coaching days Stamford, by reason of its situation on the main trunk road between London and York, was an important and thriving centre, but with the advent of railways its progress, if not altogether stopped, was seriously impeded in favour of Peterborough, which since, ‘the great iron road’ was laid through that city, has reaped the benefit of enhanced commerce and all that follows in its wake.

To-day the roads are coming into their own once more, and now is the time for Stamford authorities to make every endeavour to regain what the town lost by reason of its isolation by the then modern means of transport.

It is freely mentioned that if the municipality does not carry out a scheme whereby better facilities are provided for the ever-increasing road traffic, the Ministry concerned will build a main road, which in all probability will run some miles west of the town, with the consequent result that Stamford will be once more left ‘high-and-dry’ – with every likelihood of never again having an opportunity of regaining its position.”

The Stamford Mercury, 17th June, 1927.

The recent discovery of a shackled skeleton in a Casterton garden is just one of a number of interesting finds around the Roman settlement over the years.

“1st.- Century Pottery Unearthed by Rampart Excavations

If a layman stands upon a ridge almost opposite Great Casterton secondary school and looks south and west, he sees the pretty village of Casterton, through which pours almost endless traffic on the A1 road.

Stand on the same ridge with an archaeologist, and a different picture is formed in the mind. He will build for you – as Mr. Philip Korda. M.A., and Mr. Graham Webster, F.S. A., created for me last week – a picture of a Roman township, surrounded by the River Gwash on the greater part of the circumference of an egg-shaped piece of land, the ridge upon which we were standing being the land barrier which completed the oval-shaped enclosure, while Ermine Street (the old Roman road) take the place of the busy Great North Road as we know it today.

For it had been discovered through new workings at Casterton that the ridge was indeed a rampart, surrounded by a ditch, which the Romans built to fortify the township.

Messrs. Korda and Webster told me that the new working was original archaeological research for, as far as they know, the ridge had never been examined before, although it has always been a source of speculation among local antiquaries.

Earthworks Opened

The earthworks have been opened during a fortnight’s summer school in archaeology for students interested in seeking information on the first century.

Casterton had been visited during the past two years by Mr. J. L. Barber, curator of Oakham School museum, and by boys from that school, who have been excavating a Roman villa site in a field off the Ryhall Road beyond the secondary school. Although research there had also occupied the summer school students part of their time, it was though that to open a new working on the rampart would provide a different type of excavating and work for them in contrast to the horizontal work that had been proceeding at the villa.

The whole idea of the course, as Mr. Korda (director of the course and excavations) explained, was for students to be instructed and have practical experience in these two kinds of work, and judging from the manner in which the students were earnestly working, it undoubtedly attained its object.

Added to Knowledge

The rampart must have closed up the vulnerable portion of the township facing in the general direction of Pickworth. When the archaeologists went to the sit they had no idea when it was built. It might have been Roman; it might have been mediaeval. The maiin task, therefore, hjad been to examine this, and towards the end of the course the earthworks have been identified as Roman. Thus the summer school can calim to have added something to the kknowledge of Roman Britain.

The highest part of the ridge had been the subject of the examination; no time was available to do anything in the former ditch. However, from the trench in the rampart, interesting discoveries have been made, including relics of the occupation before the rampart was built.

It was discovered that a wall had been made of clean material (clay and stone), some of whichi was no doubt taken from the ditch. A fair amount of early Roman pottery, however, had found its way into the construction, which indicated that, in addition to taking up material from the ditch, the builders also acraped up some belongings from the inside, or township.

Some pottery proved to be of the first century, while other finds included eye-brow pluckers! One of the diggers threw out a small glass blue bead while I was there.

Discovery of a hearth at the bottom of the newly-made pit was proof that there had been occupation before the building of the rampart. The pottery there indicated the last second century, which establishes the fact that it was after that period the the rampart was erected.

Valuable Exercise

Mr. Korda and Mr. Webster said that the exercise had been a very valuable one for the students, who included doctors, lawyers, undergraduates, medical officers, civil servants (male and female) and two housewives. Considering that lectures in the local secondary school occupied the mornings, the students got through a tremendous amount of work on the two sites. The parties for the villa and the rampart were chosen daily so as to afford variety, and the members performed a remarkable piece of digging for a group of volunteers not trained in pick and shovel work. The deep and fairly wide trench in the rampart was filled and the turf re-laid before the school broke up.

The director was very appreciative of the kindness of the Marquis of Exeter (owner of the land), Mr. Frank Healey, of Bridge Farm, Casterton (tenant) and of the Rutland Education Committee for the use of the school as accommodation and classrooms.

Experts’ Lectures

SApart from the practical work on the two sites in the adfternoons, the school was addressed in the mornings by Mr. Korda (on the Roman villa), Mr. Graham Webster (on Romad defences, etc.), Mr. M. W. Barley, M.A. F. S. A., of the Nottingham University Adult Education department, who organised the course (on local occupation of the Casterton area, etc.), Mr. J. P. Gillam, a lecturer at Durham University, and others.

Mr. E. G. Bolton, headmaster of the secondary school, himself a keen archaeologist, was most co-operative, and not a little of the success of the school could be attributed to him. Mr. J. L. Barber also gave consierable assistance.

Mr. Webster is, of course, an Old Stamfordian and curator of Grosvenor Museum, Chester.”

The Stamford Mercury, 18th August, 1950.

A suspicious noise alerted a householder to a potential break-in, but the burglar fled the scene, disturbing the neighbour’s ducks in the process. Like the sacred geese of Juno, it seems ducks make very good watchdogs.

“ATTEMPTED BURGLARY

AGILE NOCTURNAL INTRUDERS ESCAPE

Just before dawn on Wednesday morning an attempt was made to burglariously enter the house of Mr. H. A. Pearson, 24, St. Peter’s-Street. Mr. Pearson, who had been awakened some little time before by his young son, fancied he heard a peculiar noise downstairs, and, rising from his bed, distinctly heard what appeared to be a skeleton key being inserted in the door. He listened for several minutes, during which the noise continued intermittently, as though the would-be intruder was punctuating his attempts at forcing an entrance by looking along the street to ascertain that no-one was coming.

By this time the household was thoroughly aroused, and Mr. Pearson opened the bedroom window and called out. Owing to the verandah over the doorway, it was impossible to see who was tampering with the lock, but immediately there was a scuffling of feet and a man was heard to run along the pathway, dropping something which sounded like a small bag of tools. Nothing, however, was found, and it is thought the intruder had time to regain his property.

Mr. Pearson quickly slipped on a dressing-gown and ran downstairs, but the nocturnal visitor had disappeared.

A neighbour, who was awakened by the noise of the window opening, heard what appeared to be a man climbing the gates of Mrs. Starsmore’s yard, close by, and the theory that he hid there until the hue-and-cry subsided is borne out by the disturbance created by a number of ducks which are kept there. This quietened down, but about three-quarters of an hour later broke out again as though the depredator was surreptitiously making his escape.

A significant fact is that on Tuesday night Mr. Pearson had a large sum of money in the house, which he had received too late to be banked.”

The Stamford Mercury, 5th August, 1927.

An unfortunate hill climb from the Plains of Philippi in the last act of Julius Caesar is the subject of this amusing Stamford theatrical reminiscence.

“Act V. of Shakespeare’s ‘Julius Caesar,’ if the bard’s dramatic pictures of battle of the period are correct, presents commanders of the Roman legions as highly cautious individuals. There is a familiar axiom that ‘Discretion if the better part of valour,’ and, if so, then had Cassius paid a preliminary visit to a phrenologist, his bump of discretion would have been diagnosed as about the size of a grape-fruit.

The stirring tragedy of Roman Empire days was presented in Stamford years ago, as a kind of scholastic jamboree, associated with an academy long since numbered among the vanished cradles of learning, and , of necessity, was very much adapted, owing to scenic economies.

All went fairly well until the final scrimmages began on the Plains of Phillippi (sic), and then it was more than apparent that the noble Cassius and other leaders had ample leisure for lengthy soliloquies and dialogue portions, the while less important but mote active, combatants, had their full share of ‘alarums and excursions.’ This attitude, peculiar to Gilbert’s Duke of Plaza-Toro *(whose place, when away had regiment ran, was always at the fore-ho!’) had its best example during the scene in which the stage boasted a sort of hill-top – really an expanse of painted canvas, intended to represent earth and grass.

Doubtless with praiseworthy modesty and not wishing to intrude upon battles where his presence might be unwelcome, Cassius requested the faithful Pindarus, another outsider in military enterprises, to ‘Go, get higher on that hill, and tell me what thou not’st about the field!’ The bearer of this absolutely risk-free errand started the climb up the hill-top, via the canvas, and, apparently, packing case supports, and then the edifice begun to sway. The messenger’s progress became more cautious, but the summit betrayed greater signs of shakiness. Cassius never had a reply, for suddenly the expected happened. The hill-top collapsed, and the hapless Pindarus vanished from the view of the startled audience, to the accompaniment of earthquake effects. The curtains were hastily drawn upon this scene of confusion, needless to say.”

The Stamford Mercury, 24th June, 1938.

• See The Gondoliers.

Now is the time of year when many people suffer with hay fever. The itchy eyes, runny nose and constant sneezing can be most unpleasant. Luckily, today we have efficacious anti-histamines (available not only for humans, but pets too!) and which also treat a number of other allergies. Of course, sadly they don’t work for everyone and certainly a visit to the coast or the Scottish heathlands should help. With regard to the suggestion that snuff be used – do not try this at home!

“Hay Fever, which, again has so many victims in its distressing grip, was long ago tackled in a very systematic manner by the Americans. Half-a-century ago a Hay Fever society was formed by a company of habitual sufferers, and applied itself to discovery of a means of prevention or cure of the malady. One conclusion arrived at was that in certain parts of the States residents were almost immune. In this country the problem had exercised the minds of members of the faculty, and zonal immunity appears to be a theory for which there is something to be said, the seaside, particularly if the patient avoid glare, being regarded as the best place for treatment. A high altitude – say, 1000 feet above sea level – is also recommended, and a gravel soil is said to afford alleviation. If means don’t allow of any of these courses of treatment, however, try snuff. If may have its objections, but it certainly is efficacious.”

The Stamford Mercury, 1st July, 1927.

A rather romantic view of spotting for trains at Oakham railway station in the 1950s. Does this still happen today or is it all ‘on line’?!

“Trains and railways have always held a fascination for boys of every generation – and what man will not admit to a boy-hood ambition of becoming an engine driver? – and the present generation is no exception.

A stroll round Oakham railway station will confirm this, for now, as in the past, boys wait patiently, notebook in hand, for the expresses, ordinary passenger trains, or slow-moving goods. As the great iron monsters clatter through, eyes eagerly scan the numbers on the engine, and pencils switfly jot them down.

Expert eyes, too, take another swift glance to ascertain whether it is a grimy little 0-6-0 goods engine or a smart-looking 4-6-2 monster, used for hauling the fast expresses.

With trains roaring or chugging through the station every few minutes, the Oakham ‘train-spotters’ have a wide choice. Who knows what the next puff of smoke may denote? Perhaps a London-to-the-North express or just a grimy coal train. Whatever it is, its number will be solemnly entered in the little books, and the boys will then settle down to wait the next arrival.”

The Stamford Mercury, 8th September, 1950.