Rutland and Stamford Mercury Memories: news and adverts we featured in May 2015, 2000, 1950, 1925 and 1825
Join us for a look back at what was in our newspaper in June 2015, 2000, 1975, 1925, and 1825.
Our Rutland & Stamford Mercury Memories is produced thanks to the support of the Stamford Mercury Archive Trust.
10 years ago
Detectives investigating the high profile murder of a man 15 years ago in Uppingham are making a renewed appeal for information.
The brutal murder of Clifford Clarke shocked the community when he was found dead in his flat, off High Street on Sunday, September 10, 2000. He had been stabbed several times to his chest and neck.
Numerous people have been arrested in connection with his death, but all were released with no further action.
Det Sgt Kev Burdett, who is working on the case, said: "Clifford was well known around the town, often visiting the green near his home. To locals he was known as Shaky, due to an illness that caused him tremors.
"Since time has moved on, people have grown up and allegiances between friends will have broken down.
"I believe those who were living in Uppingham at the time of the offence hold the key to us finding who is responsible for Mr Clarke's death.
"You may not have felt able to speak out about it at the time - maybe you were protecting someone.
"You could have pushed it to the back of your mind, thought it no longer mattered. It does."
Clifford's brother found him dead just two days after his 56th birthday.
A popular youth group in the Deepings is ‘staying put’ in defiance of an order from county officials to leave its base.
Deepings Youth Centre was ordered to vacate a building in Eastgate, Deeping St James, by June 8.
Lincolnshire County Council, which jointly owns the building with Deeping St James United Charities, is keen to buy it outright and sell it on, possibly for future development.
Peter Davies, the youth centre's chairman of trustees, said: "We had a general
meeting with Deeping St James United Charities earlier this month and they weren't in any hurry for us to go.”
As part of its campaign, Deepings Youth Centre plans to hold a public meeting to gauge support for either forcing the council into a u-turn on evicting them, or raising funds in order to pay a "reasonable rent" to whoever buys the centre or buying it themselves.
The county council has applied for planning permission to build a new tip in Bourne amid fears the current one could close in 2016.
The authority wants to develop greenfield land off South Fen Road, close to Cherry Holt Garden Centre.
A statement accompanying the application says the council is concerned Bourne could be left without a household waste recycling centre should Bullimore's Sand and Gravel, which runs the existing tip in Pinfold Lane, declined to retender in April 2016.
The statement also says the council has failed to find suitable land in Stamford. Should the tip in Bourne close, this would mean people living in the two towns would have to travel to Grantham to get rid of waste.
The planning statement says: "The purpose of the household waste recycling centre is to provide a facility which is to guarantee the service to the general public in future years to come.”
It adds: "It is not anticipated that there will be any significant change in the number of members of the public using the facility once it has been relocated to the new site off South Fen Road."
The search for land in Stamford on which to build a tip has been going on since 2007. The council was considering land off Ryhall Road but was unable to find a suitable site or the funds to build the tip. The county council funds a district council waste collection in Cattle Market car park from 9am to midday every Saturday.
25 Years ago
With so many websites about Stamford springing up, reporter Jo Bagshaw decided to get surfing on the 'Net to take a look at what's what.
www.stamford-online.co.uk
Stamford online has been up and running since April 1 and is recognised by the British Tourist Board.
Set up by Neil Evans of Sutherland Way, Stamford, for Hunky-Dorry Media, the site received 3,000 hits in the first month and has had 11,000 hits so far.
Neil said: "There is essential information like numbers for local taxi firms, where people can find the police and where to find help if they need it. It is essentially a bible for Stamford.
"Stamford needs a website aimed at younger people.We have left out a lot of the history. There is not a single mention of Daniel Lambert anywhere."
www.stamford-uk.community.everyone.net
Set up by Roy Carson of Sargents Court, in association with the town council. The site is the beginning of a much wider site, developing links between councillors and the community.
He said: "We have had thousands of people hitting the site. The mayor Terl Bryant has been extremely helpful and with his help I have been able to expand it.
"The original portal for the whole site was the town hall and to make it possible for Stamford people to voice opinions directly to the mayor and members. This is now possible."
www.stamford townhall.fsnet.co.uk
Since Roy set up the first part of the site - mentioned above - it has expanded and users can now voice their opinions on subjects affecting the town and put them to the mayor directly.
The mayor also hopes in the near future to post pictures of some of the regalia on display in the mayor's parlour.
On the site this week is an opinion poll on whether the town hall should have a Saturday surgery.
Roy is developing the site to include pictures and a CV of all 21 councillors.
Users will also be able to access The Stamford Mercury site.
www.stamfordonline.co.uk
Set up by Rutland Online, the site includes a residents' guide with information, forums, a tourist guide for visitors, and a business directory.
There is a section where local businesses can advertise products and services, and a town diary to promote the latest events.
The site has been set up with the support of Stamford Chamber of Trade.
Chris Quinn, member of Stamford Town Centre Management Forum, said: "We have no influence on the site but it has our full support and they have offered us space to promote Stamford Chamber of Trade and Commerce."
50 years ago
After a 25-year wait, work has started on Bourne's new Roman Catholic Church.
The design of St Gilbert's Church, as it will be known, will be a revolutionary one locally.
For the new building, in St Gilbert's Road, is round in shape and will also serve the Roman Catholic community as a social centre.
Said Father Patrick Pep pard, priest for the Deepings, Bourne and Corby Glen: "It will be a dual-purpose church.
"We shall be able to close off the sanctuary at one end, and use the rest of the building as a hall, with the usual ancillary facilities provided."
Fr Peppard has a model of the building, made by Mr Thomas Wilson of Oakham.
He said: "We have almost £19,000 in hand, but we have to raise the rest of the £50,000
ourselves through events in Corby Glen, Bourne, and the Deepings.
"But we find that people, including many non-Catholics, are extremely generous here."
The Bourne Catholic congregation worships in a small wooden building, the Church of the Sacred Heart.
The new church, being built by the Stamford firm of Bowman and Sons Ltd, is expected to be open in about 15 months’ time.
The driver of a coach which crashed into the back of a stationary lorry on the Great North Road near Stamford resulting in the deaths of five of his passengers sat in a wheelchair as a dozen witnesses gave some dramatic evidence at the inquest on the victims at Oakham on Tuesday.
He was Mr Frank Harness, of Horncastle, and he had his left leg amputated after it had been almost torn off in the crash.
Two of the passengers died at the scene and three others died later in hospital.
Nearly all the 25 other passengers in the coach were injured, some of them seriously.
The crash occurred in the parish of Empingham at about 8.25am on March 4 when the coach was carrying a party of catering staff, mainly elderly people, to the races at Huntingdon. The articulated lorry into which it crashed had been pulled up close to the grass verge because of a puncture.
100 years ago
William Henry Cooper, an employee at the Wittering Aerodrome, was charged with being drunk and disorderly and assaulting a police constable.
Cooper, arrested in Maiden Lane the previous night, admitted being drunk, but could not remember being disorderly.
PC Hardaker said just before 10 o'clock he received a complaint at the police station, and went into Maiden Lane, where he saw the prisoner with his coat off offering to fight someone in The King's Head public house.
His language was vile, but when spoken to he said he was very sorry.
Witness advised him to go home, but subsequently he had to speak to him again and he then arrested him.
PC Hardaker said the prisoner came over to him, wanted to fight, and struck him on the chest and arms.
With the assistance of Insp Sindall and PC Horton he took him to the police station, after he had kicked and struggled all the way.
Cooper had never been in the court before, he said, and asked the magistrates to be lenient, for he was married and had four children.
Magistrates ordered the man to pay £1 for being drunk and disorderly and £2 for assaulting the policeman.
He asked for time to pay the money, offering to remit £1 then and the remainder in a week's time, but his request was refused, and he was informed that the alternative to the fines would be 14 days’ imprisonment in each case. The money was paid.
The bells of All Saints' Church, Stamford, which have been silent for several weeks whilst improvements, including rehanging, have been effected in the belfry, rang out again on Wednesday evening, when the work that has been carried out was dedicated by the Vicar, the Rev E Louis C Clapton.
The old wooden framework in which the bells were formerly hung was found to be crumbling away. This has been replaced by a strong and massive cast-iron frame, the work having been carried out by Messrs John Taylor and Co of St Neots. The six bells, after being cleaned and tuned, have been rehung with entirely new fittings of the most modern type.
The frame, which is made for eight bells, is supported by stout steel girders firmly grouted into the walls, thereby becoming a source of strength to the tower.
Sir, I also, like ‘A Ratepayer’, noticed the absence of Bradshaw from Stamford’s library last month. It may, of course, have been "borrowed" by some unauthorised person. The June Bradshaw is in the library to-day; also a Great Easter Railway timetable for April 1923, and a Great Northern Railway table for October 1923.
May I offer some further observations? The list of publications taken in should be revised. Special caution should be exercised in accepting those sent gratis, which generally have an advertisement or propaganda purpose. Reading which costs nothing is apt to be worth what it costs.
It is important that the clock should keep good time. This morning it was not going.
A list of the committee and officials might well be exhibited in the reading room.
I know I am not a Stamford ratepayer, and owe my admission to the reading room to the courtesy of the town. I am grateful for this, and make the above remarks in a friendly spirit. Yours faithfully,
J F Richards,
South Luffenham
Recipes
Hashed pork. Cold pork, pepper and salt, one spoonful of vinegar, one onion, two leaves of sage, and a little mace.
Chop an onion very fine, with the two sage leaves, put it into a saucepan with the vinegar and mace, pour in rather more than half a pint of water, and boil the whole together.
When done, strain the gravy from the onions and sage, cut some cold pork into slices, season with pepper and salt, dredge over the pork a little flour, and warm it with gravy.
Delicious dish of eggs. Quarter pound cooked ham, quarter pint brown sauce, half teaspoonful lemon juice, some stale bread, and four fresh eggs.
Out four rounds of stale bread (two inches across and two inches high), scoop out the centres and fry a golden brown in hot fat. Heat the brown juice; put into it the ham and lemon juice, and fill the croutes of bread with the mixture.
Poach the eggs gently, trim them with a cutter, and place one on each croute, sprinkle over each a little finely chopped parsley, and serve hot, on a dish paper, garnished with parsley or watercress.
It has been brought to our notice that the arm on the lamppost in Red Lion Square which is supposed to direct traffic to London (via St John's Street and St Mary's Street) actually points to High Street, which is, of course, not the way to London.
Many motorists coming southwards on the Great North Road have been misdirected because of the arm being in this position, and it is a matter which the highway committee of the town council might with advantage take in hand without delay.
200 years ago
A shocking accident occurred in Bourn Fen on Monday afternoon.
Mr Whitfield and his wife and servants left home about two o'clock to make hay, and two of their children, Hannah aged nine years, and Charles aged four years, remained about home: the parents returned at four o'clock, when, awful to relate, the objects that first presented themselves were the bodies of the above two children floating upon the waters of the Weir Dyke, into which it is supposed the younger child had fallen, and that the elder in attempting to extricate the brother also perished.
Inquests were held on the bodies on Wednesday, by S Edwards, Gent coroner, and in each case a verdict of found drowned was recorded.
An inquest was taken at Billingborough before Geo White, Gent coroner, on the body of Catharine Mears, who was found drowned in a beck near Billingborough. The deceased was the wife of Mr George Mears, a travelling toyman, who had left her husband at Stow Green fair in the afternoon of Saturday last, and had wandered about until she came to the above beck, near which she was seen by a soldier who was passing that way, and who observed her to be wandering about in a delirious state.
She was never afterwards seen alive, but on Monday following was found lying at her full length in the dike, with her legs crossed and her arms folded: the water was barely sufficient to cover her., not being more than a foot and a half deep.
It appeared that the deceased had never been in a sound state of mind since Lincoln April fair, when her husband was attacked by another traveller with a sharp instrument, which inflicted several wounds upon him, the sight of which so alarmed the poor woman that her senses were affected and she has since made several attempts to destroy herself. The jury returned a verdict of insanity.
