Home   Stamford   News   Article

Subscribe Now

Mercury Memories delves into the newspaper's archives once again




Take a peek into the past with Mercury Memories this week:

10 years ago

  • A petition to save Stamford Museum is due to be submitted to Lincolnshire County Council this week. Stamford Town Council clerk Patricia Stuart-Mogg hopes to have collected all the copies of the petition by today, which have more than 1,000 signatures in total. The petition will be presented to Lincolnshire County Council, which is proposing to close the museum with two others in the county in a bid to save £150,000. The town council is also working on putting together a feasibility study. Along with former museum curator John Smith, they want to create a trust which would take on responsibility for the museum. If the proposals are approved the museum will close on June 30.
  • The competition has started, the visitors have arrived in their thousands but for Burghley Horse Trials director Elizabeth Inman and her team the hard work is far from over. There are a million and one things to do every year, from rounding up the deer to go into their temporary enclosure – a few escaped this year, to supervising the lowering of the level of the lake so that vehicles can cross it. There are 1,000 volunteers working on site, 500 caravans parked at the golf club, 200 staff radios that only work because of temporary phone masts and crash teams to prepare for any mishaps involving riders, horses and the public. A week ago one of Elizabeth’s main worries was the weather, with some atrocious downpours meaning the ground having to be protected from vehicles moving on site and the fear that gate numbers would be down. “If you want to work with horses there are not many good opportunities. I was very keen on riding but was not particularly competitive.” Elizabeth, who lives in Tickencote and who has been the event director since 2005, is obviously very proud to put together one of the top five three day events in the world, one that’s at the pinnacle of equestrian sport. The job has now become so huge that plans were already being made for the 2011 horse trials even before this one began.
  • Traders will be invited to a meeting to discuss the problem of advertising boards in Stamford town centre. Stamford Town Council has invited representatives from South Kesteven District Council and Lincolnshire County Council to a meeting so they can hear what action can be taken against the problem. Both councillors and Mercury readers, including Kathleen Windsor, who is registered blind, have complained about the number of A-boards cluttering the High Street, Ironmonger Street and the passages and alleyways. Town clerk Patricia Stuart-Mogg said: “We are still trying to get the lead professional from South Kesteven District Council to commit in a meeting. “But we are intending for the meeting to be an open meeting so businesses can attend. The town council wants to explore the legality of introducing a bylaw to charge businesses for having an A-board, but traders have hit out at this idea with many saying it would put them out of business.

25 years ago

  • School children and motorists are putting their lives at risk every day along a dangerous stretch of a Bourne road. The junction of Meadowgate, St Gilbert’s Road and North Street is “an accident waiting to happen” and there are fears that unless safety measures are introduced someone will be killed. The area was last in the headlines three years ago when pupils at Robert Manning School campaigned to get their crossing back on the town’s North Road. But despite a police survey and lengthy communication with Lincolnshire County Council nothing was done to improve the safety of the busy Bourne road, although double yellow lines were introduced on Meadowgate outside the Butterfield Centre. Now according to councillors the situation has got worse. At Bourne Town Council’s public health and highways meeting on Tuesday, Coun Mrs Mary Stark said: “Did anyone look at the traffic problems before the garage was built there? Didn’t anyone think the many different entrances might cause a problem? People are indicating to turn into St Gilbert’s Road, but other drivers don’t know if they are turning into the garage, Christopher’s Lane or St Gilbert’s Road. “Have we got to wait for someone to be killed before they do anything about it?” Coun Mrs Rosemary Hollingworth said: “There are people going to the health centre, children going to school and motorists using the garage. It is an accident waiting to happen.”
  • Five kittens, which stood a one in a million chance of being found, are being nursed at a Stamford home after being dumped at RAF North Luffenham. The three tabbies and two black kitten are believed to have been discovered by workmen in a decontamination building at the base on Thursday. The builders called the RSPCA who in turn called Mollie Towning, co-ordinator of the Stamford district of the Cats Protection League. Now Mrs Towning has hit out at the callous owner of the kittens. “I have been told the kittens had a one in a million chance of being found so it is obvious whoever dumped them had the intention of leaving them to die. “This is the third litter of abandoned kittens the CPL has taken in since April and it is totally unnecessary.” Mrs Towning added: “If people do not want the kittens then rather than dumping the poor creatures they should contact the CPL and we can arrange to find good homes for them and their mother. There is absolutely no excuse for this sort of cruelty.” The two-week-old kittens are now being bottle-fed and cared for by Mrs Towning. The CPL will rehouse the animals in about six weeks.
  • Award-winning tourist attraction – the Stamford Shakespeare Company – is searching for talented actors for its next season. With a successful summer run only just finished, the Tolethorpe-based theatre group is looking for about 80 amateur actors and actresses for 1996. This year the company, which has applied for a £450,000 improvement grant from the National Lottery through the Arts Council, enjoyed its best weather since it moved to the Rutland Open Air Theatre at Tolethorpe Hall in 1977. The 1996 season runs from June 7 to August 31 and will feature Richard III, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Twelfth Night. Each play will run for 24 performances on alternate nights.
25 years ago: September 1, 1995 – Lights, camera, action. The Old Rectory at Teigh is set for stardom as the fine building takes centre stage in a BBC dramatisation of Jane Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice
25 years ago: September 1, 1995 – Lights, camera, action. The Old Rectory at Teigh is set for stardom as the fine building takes centre stage in a BBC dramatisation of Jane Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice

50 years ago

  • Nearly 9,000 people have signed petitions protesting against any closure of accident and emergency facilities at Stamford Hospital. Borough councillor Mrs Winifred Smith, who organised the original petition, said on Wednesday that it contained about 8,000 names. Stamford branch secretary of the Amalgamated Engineering and Foundry Workers Union, Mr Clarence Richards, said that a petition organised among local trade unionists contained 600 signatures. Mrs Smith’s petition is to be presented to Rutland and Stamford MP Mr Kenneth Lewis this evening. “I am sorry that the AEF found I necessary to organise a separate petition,” said Mrs Smith. “I feel sure that if they had given full support to the original petition we would have reached 10,000 signatures easily. The AEF petition was presented to Stamford Trades Council at a meeting last night.
  • Preliminary work has started on the £15 million Empingham reservoir and the construction of a giant earth dam is expected to begin in a year’s time. Mr Barrie Maxwell, an engineer with the Welland and Nene River Authority, said this week that trial boring for the dam had begun. “About 35 to 40 men are employed in the preliminary stages of this work,” he commented. The work started a month ago and several drilling rigs are scattered on a site between the village of Empingham and Normanton Park. Mr Maxwell pointed out that at present the work was covering an area of between 600 and 700 acres. He added that workmen were using wooden huts but construction of temporary site offices would be completed in four weeks. These temporary offices will include a laboratory which will be used for soil analysis. Trial boring and survey work on the dam will continue into next year and this will be followed by the construction. Mr Maxwell told the “Mercury” that plans for the design of the dam had not yet been finalised but he added that earth for its construction would be excavated from the bottom of the reservoir. Completion of the dam will take about four years and when finished it will be 115 feet high and about half a mile wide at the base. First job on the construction will be the building of a tunnel to divert the River Gwash round the dam. This will be followed by the erection of aqueducts and tunnel pipelines from the Nene and Welland rivers to Empingham. Mr Maxwell stated that the whole scheme should be completed by 1976. “Of course, we could lose a year’s work; it all depends on what kind of summers we have,” he said. “At present the work is going to programme,” he added. With a surface area of 3,114 acres, the reservoir will be one of the largest in England – much larger than Lake Windermere although by no means as deep. The Oakham-Empingham road will have to be diverted through Burley Woods and a new road constructed from Hambleton to Oakham.
50 years ago: September 4, 1970 – One of the drilling rigs and crews at the site of the preliminary work associated with Empingham reservoir
50 years ago: September 4, 1970 – One of the drilling rigs and crews at the site of the preliminary work associated with Empingham reservoir

100 years ago

  • Salvation Army – During the week-end the local fraternity received a visit from Major Dalziel, the Divisional Commander, and the Peterborough Silver Band, Successful and well-attended services were held in the Meadows, Red Lion-square, and the Citadel.
  • Scheme of Insurance for Footballers – A meeting of the committee and playing members of the Stamford Town Football Club was held at the headquarters, the Queen’s-head inn, on Monday evening, Mr. S. E. Laxton presiding, when V. Evans was appointed captain and E. Tye vice-captain of the first eleven and A. Gadsby captain and W. Betts vice-captain of the reserve team. The meeting discussed the possibility of forming a benevolent fund for the assistance of players meeting with accident, and it was decided to convene a meeting with representatives of other clubs in the town and district with the object of formulating a practical scheme. The rules of sick and dividing clubs and many kindred organisations debar the payment of benefits for incapacity resulting from sport, and the inauguration of a benevolent fund should confer advantage on local footballers. Such a principle has already been established at Peterborough, but the desire of some of those present at this meeting was the formation of a fund providing greater relative benefits in cases of necessity.
  • Local Railway Dividends – The 135th half-yearly meeting of the shareholders of the Stamford and Essendine Railway Company was held at the Burghley Estate Office on Tuesday. The report of the directors stated that the net revenue showed the balance available for dividend, including the balance from the preceding half-yearly account, amount to £2658 10s. 11d., out of which they were enabled to pay the dividends for the half-year on the preference shares and 1½ per cent, on the ordinary stock of the Stamford and Essendine line, and 7s. 6d. per cent, on the Sibson Extension line. The report was adopted.
  • More Women Voters – Mr. Charles Atter, deputy Registration Officer for the revision of the list of voters in the borough, held a court at Stamford Town-hall on Tuesday morning, when four claims, two in respect of both Parliamentary and local government election, were allowed. Three were made by women. There was no business of a contentious nature, and prior to the rising of the court Mr. Atter complimented the party agents, and the overseers on the creditable manner in which the lists had been prepared, remarking that the work had been most carefully done. The Registration Officer was also thanked for the courtesy he had shown to all concerned in the conduct of the business.
  • New Rector of St. John’s, Stamford – The Rev. A. C. Holthouse, who was last week inducted into the benefice of St. John’s, read himself in on Sunday morning, and preached in the evening
  • Congregational Pastor’s Farewell – The Rev. Carleton Thompson, who, for the past five years, has held the pastorate of the Star-lane Congregational church, preached his farewell sermon on Sunday evening, when the service was largely attended, and left Stamford on Monday to assume his pastorate at Birkenhead.

150 years ago

  • The report and recommendations of the new Poor-law inspector were considered at the meeting of the Union Board on Wednesday. It was agreed to ventilate more effectually the reception wards, but a suggestion that a partition wall in each should be removed was repudiated. The visiting committee recommended that the front of the infirmary be enclosed with a ha-ha fence, the wall to be three feet from the bottom and two feet above the level. This was agreed to, after some difference of opinion had been removed, and it is expected the labour for the work can be found in the house. The relieving-officer brought in second-hand clothes, a waistcoat, trousers and flannel shirt, found at Deeping. They had been bought from a man named Lyuagh, who escaped from the house in the union dress, and who is now suffering imprisonment in Peterboro’ gaol for leaving his wife and family chargeable. It was thought that as the clothes were not stamped or branded with the union mark a conviction was not certain: hence no order was made. The penalty for the offence of buying clothing or articles belonging to a union, or given at a union for the use of the poor, is a fine, or imprisonment not exceeding two calendar months. There was a larger number of applicants for relief than of late, and it is feared that as employment is becoming scarce able-bodied men will be asking for aid. The number of inmates was returned at 178, being 36 more than in the corresponding period of last year. Out-relief was given to 793 persons, at a cost of £94 1s. 2d.; corresponding week of last year 752, at a cost of £88 1s. 11/2d. Vagrants received in the house during the week 48.
  • The workmen of Messrs. Ashby, Jeffery, and Luke, of this town, enjoyed a pleasant pic-nic holiday on Saturday last at the Pickworth Wood, by the kind permission of Mr. Sanderson. Seven or eight waggons conveyed the party, consisting of the men and wives and friends, together with the lads and apprentices. The weather being fine, the woods delightfully shady, nuts tolerably plentiful, and the green sward in cricketing and dancing order, they spent a very agreeable day, returning about 8 o’clock in the evening, greatly refreshed and delighted with their outing.
  • On Monday last the Marquis of Exeter gave the labourers employed upon his Home Farm their annual harvest-home dinner. The men assembled at 2 o’clock, and the Rev. C. J. Dyer (this Lordship’s chaplain) gave them a short but appropriate address; after which they sat down and did ample justice to the good things provided. The healths of the noble Marquis and Marchioness and all the family were drunk with the greatest enthusiasm. A most pleasant afternoon was spent, and the men returned to their homes highly pleased with their liberal entertainment. On the following day all their wives and the extra women employed in hay-making were entertained to tea.
  • The sum of £24, with a supply of linen, has been collected at Uffington House, by the Hon. Mrs. Bertie, in aid of the sick and wounded Prussian and French soldiers, to which the household and village, including Newstead, have liberally contributed.

200 years ago

  • Lincolnshire, Kesteven. Notice is hereby given that His Majesty’s Justices of the Peace acting for the Parts of Kesteven, in the county of Lincoln, will meet at the times and places following, for the purpose of authorising and empowering persons or keepers of Common Inns, Alehouses, and Victualling Houses, within the said parts for the year ensuing. For the Wapentakes of Aveland, and Winnibriggs & Threeo...... At the Greyhound Inn in Folkingham, on Tuesday the 12th day of September next. For the Wapentakes of Beltisloe and Ness...... At the Black Horse Inn in Grimsthorpe, on Saturday the 16th day of September next. And for the Wapentakes of Aswardhurn, Flaxwell, Boothby Graffoe, Loveden, and Langoe...... At the Green Man Inn on Lincoln Heath, on Tuesday the 19th day of September next. B. Cheales, Clerk of the Peace for the said Parts, Sleaford, August 28, 1820.
  • Notice is hereby given, That the partnership subsisting between Robert Francis Pate, of Thorney, in the Isle of Ely and county of Cambridge, and George Wilson, of Wansford, in the parish of Thornhaugh, in the county of Northampton, coal, raft, and deal merchants, carrying on the trade or business of coal, raft, and deal merchants at Wansford aforesaid, was this day dissolved, by mutual consent. The said trade will in future be carried on by the said George Wilson, by whom all debts will be paid and received – Witness our hands this 11th day of August, 1820. Robt. F. Pate, Geo. Wilson.
  • Wansford Wharf. Mr. George Wilson takes this opportunity of informing his friends and the public, that the business of the Coal and Mercantile Concern in general will be carried on by him at Wansford, and he solicits the favors of his friends and the public. Wansford, August 31st, 1820.
  • Game. Manors of Aslackby and West Laughton. The Game upon these Manors having of late years been destroyed by unqualified persons and poachers, Notice is hereby given, that all such persons detected sporting or destroying Game upon the aforesaid Manors, or either of them, will be prosecuted as the law directs. Gentlemen are particularly requested not to sport thereon without permission. Horbling, 30th August, 1820.
  • The Game upon the Manor of Essendine, in the county of Rutland, the property of Mrs. Hankey, having of late years been most shamefully destroyed; Notice is hereby given, that all persons who shall be found sporting on the said manor, will be prosecuted as the law directs.The Gamekeeper has strict orders to lodge information against all unqualified persons. Thos. Steanes, Gamekeeper, Essendine, August 22, 1820.
  • T. Artindale, Tea-Dealer, Grocer, and Tallow-chandler, is in want of an Assistant: none need apply who are not acquainted with the Chandlery business.


Comments | 0
This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More