Mercuriosities

A nice little anecdote about a young Malcolm Sargent at his primary School.

‘Many readers will remember Sir Malcolm Sargent as a schoolboy, both at the Bluecoat School, Stamford and at Stamford School, and an acquaintance recalls an incident concerning young Sargent while at the former.

As is the custom among new boys at the beginning of a new school term, he received the inquiry from another lad “What’s your name?” “Sargent,” he replied, “what’s yours?” Apparently his interogator halied from Rutland, and his reply, “Watchorn,” came to Sir Malcolm’s ears as “What’s yourn?” Somewhat nonplussed, the young Sargent repeated his name and also his own question. My informant tells me there were several such exchanges before the lad Watchorn established his identity.

Sir Malcolm, by the way, once publically stated that his first appearance on a stage was with the Stamford Amateur Operatic Society when, as a boy, he had a part in the “Mikado,” but a friend of mine informs me that doubtless unknown to himself, Sir Malcolm once had a “carrying on” part – as a baby in an entertainment in which his father took part, at the All Saints’ Church-room, Stamford.’

Stamford Mercury, 4th June, 1948.

Climbing boys and girls, technically called ‘chimney sweeps’ apprentices’ were sent up chimneys that were too narrow for their masters to climb. The practice in England was finally outlawed in 1875, although obviously discountenanced when this article was written.

‘A chimney-sweeper, named James Wilkes, travelled down from Lincoln in one of the steam-packets to Boston on Thursday the 18th inst., accompanied by an interesting-looking boy, about six years old. This child he took care should be in his sight as much as possible during the voyage ; but, notwithstanding his caution, the boy availed himself of an opportunity to communicate something to one of the passengers, which induced that person to watch where the fellow took the child, and afterwards having procured the aid of a police-officer, they searched the premises, and rescued the unfortunate boy from the clutches of Wilkes, whose obvious intention was to make him labour in climbing chimneys. It is supposed that the parents reside in Yorkshire, and it may be imagined how intense must have been the agony they have endured since their child was missed. On Friday, Wilkes was examined before the Magistrates of Boston, and remanded for further examination, to give time for due enquiry into the circumstances of the case.’

Stamford Mercury, 26th June 1829.

Easter Island remains a mystery today. Experts still disagree over the date the Polynesians colonised the island and why the civilisation collapsed so quickly. Here’s what people thought a century ago.

‘Mystery of Easter Island

“All the seashore is lined with numbers of stone idols, with their backs turned towards the sea,” wrote a navigator 150 years ago of this island–“which caused us no little wonder, because we saw no tool of any kind for working these figures.”

The “idols” are not the only mystery on Easter Island. Whence came the inhabitants ? From South America, 2,000 miles to the East ? Or did they sail against the prevailing winds from the distant island to the West ? Some hold that Easter Island is all that remains of a sunken continent. Wooden tablets have been found there, bearing a script which has defied all translation.

The statues stand on the slopes of Rano Raraku, an extinct volcano. The quarries from which the statues came are on the higher slopes. The shadow of this mystery lies over the land. “The inhabitants of today are less real than the men who have gone. In Easter Island the past is the present ; it is impossible to escape from it.”

Some of the statues are over 30ft. in height. They weigh 40 to 50 tons. They were erected chiefly, it is believed, to mark the “ahu” or burial-place of the dead. It is impossible, save on the great eastern and western headlands, to go for more than a hundred yards without coming across one of these abodes of the dead.

Looked at from the landward side, the “ahu” appears as a vast theatre stage, the floor of which runs gradually upwards from the footlights. At the back is a great terrace, on which are set the giant stone images, all facing the spectator.

“Irrespective of where he stands, he will ever see them towering above him, clear cut against a turquoise sky. In front of them are the remains of the departed. Unseen on the farther side of the terrace is the sea. The stone giants and the faithful dead over whom they watch are never without music, as countless waves launch their strength against the pebbled shore, showering on the figures a cloud of mist and spray.”

All of these remains have been overthrown and many broken. It is not known how they were overthrown. It is not even known how they were set up. In one place an “ahu” was built on a natural eminence. One side was sheer cliff, the other, a slope of 29ft., was as steep as the roof of a house. Near the top a statue was lying.

“Do you mean to tell me,” said a guide who was directing the party, “that that was not done by mana? (magic).”–From “The Mystery of Easter Island,” by Mrs. Scoresby Routledge (Sifton Praed).’

Stamford Mercury, 2nd January, 1920.

Belgium secedes from the Netherlands and becomes independent. A contemporary account of the division of the country; you can’t help but empathise with Van de Weyer and his reluctance to sign the final treaty.

‘Brussels Papers received on Sunday contain intelligence respecting the new and final treaty between Holland and Belgium, determined on by the Five Powers. The substance of the treaty is, that Belgium shall form an independent state, comprising the provinces of South Brabant, Liege, Namur, Hainault, Western and Eastern Flanders, Antwerp, and Limburgh, excepting Maestrecht and the districts of the Prince of Limburg. A part of Luxembourg is also ceded to Belgium, for which the King of Holland will receive territorial indemnity in Limburg. The free navigation of the rivers running through both countries is recognised, as arranged by the Congress at Vienna. The National Debt will be equitably apportioned between the two countries, by which arrangement Belgium will be charged with a debt of 8,400,000 florins. The twenty-four articles were read in the Chamber on Thursday the 20th, together with two notes addressed by the Conference to the Belgian Plenipotentiary, Van de Weyer, and the answer of the latter. The Five Powers declare the terms of adjustment now laid down, are their final and irrevocable decision. M. Van de Weyer did not consider himself authorised by the instructions of his government to sign the articles, and indeed, in the Belgian Congress there already appear symptoms of dissatisfaction ; but the terms of the present arrangement being so perfectly equitable, it is obvious that their clamour and intemperance must be disregarded, and this impediment to the general tranquility of Europe effectually removed. The Belgian government are said to have received a separate intimation from the French ministry, that in case of their refusal to accept the treaty they must not expect to be assisted or encouraged by France.

Stamford Mercury, 28th October, 1831.

Bees have long been highly valued for their honey and the care of bees was a traditional rural pursuit. In 1820 this letter to the Stamford Mercury gives a detailed description of the bee box made by the writer’s neighbour.

Nowadays so many different types of bee hives or bee boxes are available, some of which sound like the one described below.

BEES.

Mr. Editor,- I request that you will give a place in your next number to the following attempt at describing the method by which a neighbour of mine manages his bees, and by which he always has his honey in the purest state, without ever destroying a single bee. In place of the common hive, my neighbour uses square boxes, made of thin board, about fourteen inches each way at top, and eight inches deep ; each box has a square hole cut out in the centre of the bottom and top, of about three inches across, exactly opposite to each other, and slips of thin board fitted to them, to slide out and in, as occasion may require. These boxes are placed close on the top of each other, to the number of three or four, and the slides drawn back the breadth of the hole, so that they will have a communication with each other. The bees are put into the uppermost box, and when it is completely filled with comb, in place of swarming, (as they must do in the common hive, for want of room) they work down into the second box, and so on to the bottom. By putting a pane of glass in the side of each box, it can be always be seen what progress they make downwards. By the time they are down into the third box, the slide is then to be put in, and cut off the communication between the first and second ; the upper box can be lifted off full of pure honey, without a single bee in it. – By the time they have reached the lowermost box, they are to be lifted off gently, and an empty one put in below it, and so on. One can have any number of sets of these boxes that their stock requires, and they are all to be placed in a wooden frame of convenient width, and in length to answer the quantity one intends to keep ; it is to be boarded entirely round ; the north side, however, to open on hinges, for the more conveniently taking out and putting in the boxes.

Stamford Mercury, 14th January, 1820.

Top hats are still de rigueur at Ascot. Over a century ago oval-shaped top hats were a new thing, nowadays men are spoilt for choice with hats of three different oval shapes : round oval, regular oval and long oval – who would have thought we needed so many? Here’s a modern guide to buying a top hat for those formal occasions.

‘LONDON PATENT IMPROVED OVAL-SHAPE BEAVER HATS,

Manufactured upon Blocks the exact Shape of the Head, and warranted to retain their form.

NATHANIEL DANDO and Co. Oval Hat Manufacturers. Original Inventors, and only Makers of the Improved Oval Shape Beaver Hat, No. 42, Cheapside, LONDON, again beg leave to introduce to the notice of the public, their Patent Improved Oval Shape Beaver Hats, assuring their friends that they have now completely effected that desideratum of making a hat so near the shape of the head, that it is worn without being felt ; thereby preventing those frequent head aches, and unpleasant sensations, so often experienced by wearing the common round shaped hat on an oval head, which must of course cause an unequal pressure upon the veins, thereby obstructing the free circulation of the blood in the vessels of the head, and often producing most serious consequences.

N Dando and Co. beg to refer to the many medical gentlemen, of the first eminence, who are wearing and recommending their Oval Shaped Beaver Hats, for their peculiar ease and comfort.

Merchants and the Trade can be supplied with the Improved Oval Shape Beaver Hats, only by Messrs. Nathaniel Dando and Co. 42, Cheapside, London, and the public by most of the respectable hatters in the Kingdom.

A brief explanation of the Superiority of the Improved Oval Shape Beaver Hat, to the Common Hat.

The natural shape of the common hat from its being made on a perfectly round block, and brought to the oval shape of the head, by the hands and the use of a screw, is liable by wear, or when exposed to the damp or rain, to get soft, flap in the brim, and return to its natural round form ; thus losing its shape by being artificially produced.

The Improved Oval Shape Beaver Hat, being manufactured and finished upon an oval block, made to the exact shape of the head, (most of which are from one inch to one inch and a half oval,) will not lose its shape, not being artificially produced with the hands and screw, as is the case with the common hat ; but manufactured from its first state in the shape required to be worn, nor is its shape liable to be affected by the damp or rain.

Nathaniel Dando and Co. request their friends and the public particularly to observe, that they have not appointed any Agent in London ; that their Warehouse, 42, Cheapside, is the only house in Town where they can be supplied with the Improved Oval Shape Beaver Hat ; and that every hat manufactured by them, has their names engraved in the bottom of the lining.’

Stamford Mercury, 27th August, 1819.

Charles Green‘s first ascent by balloon was from Green Park in London on 19th July, 1821 at the coronation of George IV. He made many more ascents, including this one shortly after gas street lighting had been installed in Stamford. The Gas Inclosure was on Wharf Road.

Under the Patronage of the Worshipful the Mayor and Aldermen.

MR. GREEN, who had the honor to ascend at his Majesty’s Coronation by order of Government, respectfully announces to the nobility, gentry, and other inhabitants of STAMFORD and its vicinity, the he purposes on SATURDAY, JULY 2d, at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, making his 35th aerial voyage, from that well-known commodious situation, the

GAS INCLOSURE, STAMFORD.

A committee of gentlemen will superintend the arrangements and provide for the accommodation of those who may honor Mr. G. with their attendance. A band of Music will also be stationed in the inclosure.

Mr. GREEN will be accompanied in his ascent by Miss STOCKS, the young lady who ascended last summer from London with the unfortunate Mr. Harris, and who, from the total and sudden escape of gas, literally fell from the balloon from a height of nearly a mile, in Beddington Park, near Croydon.

Tickets of admission to witness the process of inflation, attaching the car, and launching the balloon, 2s each, may be had of Mr. MORTLOCK, Mr. ROOE, and Messrs. DRAKARD & WILSON, High-street, and of Mr. GREEN or Miss STOCKS, at the Assembly-rooms. For the accommodation of ladies, platforms will be erected, and a number of waggons placed within the inclosure; tickets of admission to which, 3s.; Children and Schools will be admitted at half-price.

The doors will be opened and the inflation commence at Twelve o’clock.

It is earnestly requested that ladies and gentlemen will provide themselves with tickets before the hour of admission, as it will greatly facilitate their quiet entrance into the ground.

The balloon, inflated with atmospheric air, together with the car and its appendages, will be exhibited in the ASSEMBLY-ROOM, on TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, and FRIDAY, previous to the day of ascent. Admission, Ladies and Gentlemen, 1s. each; Chilren & Servants, 6d. Open each day from 9 in the Morning till dusk.

A perfect Model of the Balloon, 9 feet in circumference, formed with Gold-beater’s Skin and inflated with Gas, will ascend and descend in the room during the exhibition.

The Stamford Mercury, 24th June, 1825.

Pick’s 5-horse dog cart was one of the cars to be exhibited at the Stanley Cycle Show in London in 1900. A very detailed description of his dog cart is shown here, (please scroll down to ‘Pick’).

Stamford-born John Henry ‘Jack’ Pick, originally a blacksmith, became well-known as a manufacturer of farm equipment and bicycles. In later life he changed careers to be a successful greengrocer.

There’s a lot more on Twitter about Pick Motors including a photo, taken at the 2018 Stamford car show on the meadows, of a 1912 Pick Doctors Coupe which is said to be still local to Stamford.

‘The “Pick-of-All” Water-Cooling 5-Horse Dog Cart

WHICH ATTRACTED SO MUCH ATTENTION AT THE

STANLEY SHOW IN LONDON.

APPLY FOR PARTICULARS TO

J. H. PICK & CO., STAMFORD.’

The Stamford Post, March 1st, 1901.

Baptism by immersion was often performed in the River Welland, although these two on a cold November day sound particularly unpleasant. However, the minister got wet too!

On Sunday morning last the religious ceremony of a baptismal immersion in the river again took place at Stamford, and attracted an immense crowd of spectators. The minister on this occasion was the Rev. J. F. Winks, of Loughborough; and the persons who underwent baptism were Mrs. Brownlow Westmorland (a young woman who is parted from her husband), and a servant-man named Edward Bull. The ceremony took place between 10 and 11 o’clock in the morning at Lamb’s bridge, the part of the river Welland before selected for such an exhibition, but certainly a very dirty and disgusting spot, and rendered particularly so on Sunday, by the swoln and turbid state of the water at that time. Singing and prayer preceded the descent into the river: the Minister also for some time with great earnestness addressed the assembled multitude in explanation of the rite he was about to perform, until a visible perspiration stood upon his head and face; and in this state of mental and bodily excitement he stepped into the water, sounding his way with a stick as he proceeded, until himself and his proselytes were up to their middles in a powerful stream. He then pushed them backwards and they were for an instant lost in the river; but by his aid they were replaced on their feet, and were suffered to make the best of their way to the shore, in one of the coldest and most comfotless winter mornings that can be imagined.

The Stamford Mercury, 20th November, 1829.

Advertisements for Dennis’s Lincolnshire pig powders are now collectors’ items. They cure almost every disease of pigs and those of all kinds of poultry too.

DENNIS’S CELEBRATED LINCOLNSHIRE PIG POWDERS, PROPRIETOR J.W. DENNIS, LOUTH.

DENNIS’S CELEBRATED LINCOLNSHIRE PIG POWDERS speedily arrest Disease and save Life. The Proprietor challenges the world to produce their equal for the following amongst other Diseases:–

Colds, Retention of Urine, Tender Feet, Inflammation, Costiveness, Milk Fever, Coughs, Fits, Hoose, &c.

These Powders are an excellent Medicine and Condiment : by their use Pigs fatten more rapidly and attain a larger size.

Sold everywhere in packets, with full directions on each, six doses for 5d., twelve for 10d.

Sold everywhere. Chemists and others not having them in stock will readily procure them.

WHOLESALE of STURTON & SON, Peterborough ; BEALL and SON, Cambridge ; LOFTHOUSE & SALTMER, Hull ; NEWBERRY and SONS, TIDMAN and SONS, HOVENDEN and SONS, and W. MATHER, London.

May be had wholesale and Retail of the Proprietor and Inventor, JOHN W. DENNIS, Chemist, EAST-GATE, LOUTH.

LOCAL RETAIL AGENTS.

MARCH, MR. F., Chemist, High-street, Stamford ; Peterborough, STURTON and SON, J. H. Pearson, and ARTHUR CARLTON, Dispensing Chemist, 18, Long Causeway ; March, VAWSER ; Wisbech, BOOR ; Spalding, BIRCH.

Stamford Mercury, 20th June, 1879.