20 November 2018

The November meeting of the Thurcaston and Cropston Local History Society included a brief Annual General Meeting and three short talks by members.

Friendship: the Herricks of Beaumanor and the historian Nichols.

Anne Horton told us a little of the friendship between the Nichols family and the Herricks of Beaumanor Hall focussing on two members of the Nichols family.  John Nichols from London who wrote ‘The History and Antiquities of the County of Leicester’ spent much time in the area and was friends with William Herrick and his younger brother John, and he writes of taking “strenuous outings” with them.  His grandson, John Gough Nichols, spent 20 years cataloguing the Herrick estate and was involved in the commissioning of the stained glass armorial window in Beaumanor Hall during its rebuilding in the 1840’s.

The planned Bradgate Railway through Cropston.

Peter Smith showed us plans for the Leicester, Groby and Bradgate Park Railway, proposed in 1898. It would have been a privately owned branch line from Newtown Linford joining the Great Central Railway at Rothley. Its route ran through Cropston, crossing the junction between Leicester Road, Station Road and Bradgate Road (but no station at Cropston was planned). A Private Members Bill was needed for its construction and the petition stated that it was mainly intended for passengers. It was in fact hoped to get stone from quarries in Sheet Hedges Wood to the railway network, and also open up the possibility to quarry in Bradgate Park.  The Commons Committee held on 20^th March 1899 felt there was a ‘flimsy case” for the railway and it was rejected.

A light-hearted look at the Peninsular War.

Finally, Brenda Hooper took a seasonal look at the Peninsular War by giving a rendition of ‘Sam Small’s Christmas Pudding’ in the style of Stanley Holloway.  The monologue was written by Marriott Edgar (he wrote sixteen for Holloway).  In this, Sam is fighting Napoleon’s troops at the Siege of Badajoz in Spain and …“By an unprecedented mis'ap, The puddin' 'is mother 'ad sent 'im,  'Ad blown Badajoz off the map!”

16 October 2018

Georgina Maltby visited the Thurcaston and Cropston Local History Society in October to tell us about her cousin the stained glass artist Theodora Salusbury and the art of stained glass making.

First of all Georgina Maltby explained what needs to be taken into consideration when creating a stained glass window, and the steps involved in the process: the space and shape of the window are important; how the light will come through it; and whether there are any shadows from outside that will affect it.  Then a cartoon is drawn, the glass is cut and coloured, then leaded up and finally installed.

Theodora Salusbury (who liked to be known as Miss Salusbury) was born in Leicestershire in 1875, and was one of five sisters, none of whom married.  Her father was a solicitor in Leicester and they lived close to the church of St James the Greater on London Road, before moving to Birstall.   The family was very fond of birds and she often depicted them in her windows, and sometimes used a peacock as a signature which she chose as it is a symbol of resurrection.  Unfortunately all her papers were destroyed after her death in 1956 so it has been a ‘wonderful treasure hunt’ for Georgina Maltby to find her windows.  One of the first  she created was The Annunciation (1920) which is in St James the Great Church, Birstall.

Leicester was an advantageous place to live and Miss Salusbury and two of her sisters studied at the Leicester School of Art.  There were a number of well-established families who would commission work and there are more than a dozen of her windows in Leicestershire, including three in Birstall and one in Woodhouse Eaves.  She studied at the Slade School of Fine Art, and later trained with Christopher Whall (a leading stained glass artist in the Arts and Crafts Movement), before setting up her own studio in St Agnes in Cornwall.  Her career really began after the First World War when she was 45.  Her work is characterized by her use of vivid colours and finely drawn figures, particularly babies and children. At some time (probably during World War II) she moved to Bath to live with her sisters, and it is here that Georgina Maltby remembers meeting Cousin Dora and being given a gift of a peacock feather by her.  Miss Salusbury died in 1956.

If you would like more information about Miss Theodora Salusbury and to see photographs of her windows, Georgina has just finished a finely illustrated book.  ‘Theodora Salusbury 1875-1956: Stained glass artist’.  By Georgina Maltby and Andrew Loutit.

18 September 2018

Cropstone House Farm is the attractive stone-built building which is set back on the right hand side of Cropston Road, just as one leaves Cropston village.

Anne Horton’s research revealed the amazing lives (and secrets) of many of its owners and tenants. In addition, the farm’s current owner, Stephen Burrows, was happy to add to Anne’s account, bringing the Society’s Members up-to-date with the family’s history. The Burrows Family have owned the house and land for over 80 years.

Anne gave us details of previous owners of land in Cropston: probably a man called Cropp/Kroppr; another named Ulf, before the Norman Conquest; also Hugh de Grandmesnil, who received the estate as a gift from William the Conqueror around 1068; the Beaumonts and the de Quincys in the C12 and C13 ; the Ferrers family from 1264; and the Grey family from 1405 to 1925.

In 1925, the Grey family put Cropstone House Farm up for sale and it was bought, for the sum of £8000, by local brothers Charles and Robert Moss. They later installed Alf Burrows as their tenant and this later resulted in the purchase of the house and land by the Burrows Family in 1937. They were a talented family, undertaking a range of occupations as identified by census data since 1841. They were identified as lace-makers, teachers, artists and farmers. Richard Burrows, who purchased the farm, was already a farmer. Anne’s account of individual family members was really interesting and was accompanied by some wonderful photographs.

Of special note was Louie, daughter of Alfred and Louisa Burrows. Born in 1888, she was a head-teacher in a number of Leicestershire junior schools from 1908 and became well-known as a defender of women’s rights. In later life, she and her husband lived at The Garth (now The Cedars), in Thurcaston. Louie’s relationship with D.H. Lawrence resulted in his many visits to our local area. He claimed he had proposed to her on a train between Rothley and Quorn and his poem ‘Kisses on a Train’ bears witness, in typical D.H. Lawrence language, to that intimate moment. Louie is believed to be the woman on whom Ursula was based in ‘The Rainbow’. The relationship ended when Lawrence met another woman!

Photos of Cropstone House Farm revealed a beautiful building with casement windows, a porch supported by ornamental columns, and additional wings. Stephen described the walls as being comprised of many different kinds of stones, held together with lime mortar He supplemented Anne’s research by showing us ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos of some of the farm buildings –the Grain-store; the Chapel; the Mill; and the Stable, describing the alterations made as they were converted.

The history of Cropstone House Farm is complex and fascinating – Anne and Stephen certainly helped to bring it to life!

5 August 2018

The final summer outing for Thurcaston and Cropston Local History Society was to Beaumanor Hall. Our guide John told us the history and showed us the house and grounds.  What we see today is the Victorian house with obvious signs of its more recent past.

After the Norman Conquest William the Conqueror gave the land to his nephew as a hunting estate, but the first house was not built until 14^th century. The estate was purchased by the Herrick family in the 1550s.  The first Sir William made his fortune in gold, silver and jewellery.  Each subsequent owner was also called Sir William, when the 6^th Sir William died without a male heir the 7th, a bachelor from Wolverhampton inherited. In the 1830-40’s he pulled down the Georgian house (which no one had liked) and engaged a well-known architect of the time William Railton (Nelson’s Column) to build a new one. With a quote of £6,000 the house eventually came in over budget at £37,000!

Our tour started in the bar – originally the office from which Sir William ran the estate.  When he fell in a hunting accident (at the age of 82) he was brought back to the office and died with his wife beside him.  It was the first time she had been allowed into the office.  She continued to run the estate until her own death in 1915. In 1939 it was requisitioned by the War Office (and later bought by the Army) and used as a listening station and centre for military intelligence during World War II.  More recently in the 1970’s the hall was bought by Leicestershire County Council (LCC) to be used (and remains) as an education and conference centre.

The Library and the Morning Room retain much of their Victorian splendour with heavily decorated and carved wooden ceilings and marble fireplaces, however a similar ceiling in the drawing room did not survive the army occupation.  The magnificent stained glass window illuminating the Grand Hall and staircase was boarded up during this period and remains unscathed.  Upstairs the grand proportions can be seen, but the rooms have been repurposed first by the army and later by LCC.

Following a refreshment break we headed down to the cellars to see the working areas of a great house, including the bread kitchen, laundry rooms and meat preparation room.  One cellar has been set up as an air raid shelter, providing atmosphere for the final section of the tour.  In the grounds are a number of outbuildings that were part of the WWII listening station (Station Y) which intercepted and forwarded messages to Bletchley Park. These were made to look like agricultural buildings and farm cottages to disguise their real purpose from the air.  We saw inside Morse Cottages which had been used by radio operators.  This concluded an extensive and most interesting tour.

17 July 2018

On yet another warm July evening members of Thurcaston and Cropston Local History Society (T&CLHS) loosely followed the Thurcaston Heritage Walking Trail, taking a wander around some of the interesting places in Thurcaston based on the parish guide produced by the Charnwood Roots project.  Our guide Brenda Hooper (Hon President of T&CLHS) provided extra local knowledge.

Starting in the churchyard we heard that the present church is the oldest building in the parish, with a Norman doorway and dating from the 12^th century. An earlier wooden Saxon church stood on the site and is mentioned in the Domesday Book.  The oldest gravestone in the graveyard is dated 1687.

From the churchyard we moved on to the neighbouring Church Hill field where humps and hollows can be clearly seen, signs of the first settlement of Thurcaston. The ancient track runs down towards the brook with raised earth platforms alongside where wooden huts would have stood.  Later, this field was incorporated into one of three great strip fields, before Enclosure.

Across the road from the church is the Old Schoolhouse, built by Richard Hill for the headmaster of the Charity School.  The present building was built on the site of the original school in 1875.  A couple of the group recalled memories of being at the school, which moved from this building in 1979.

On up Rectory Lane we went to the gates of the Grange, the former home of the rectors of the parish from the 1620s until the 1920s.  When Rector Richard Hurd (later Bishop of Worcester) lived here in the mid 18^th C he had the gardens landscaped.

Through the gate down Brooky Lane (now a footpath to Cropston) we passed signs of another early settlement, some of us walked down to Sandham Bridge, the packhorse bridge, this is likely to be an old salt route, and would have carried slate for building from Swithland to Leicester and beyond.

Latimer House, which dates from 15^th C, has had a number of uses: as a blacksmiths shop; at one time Baptist services were held here; and one wing was used as a reading room with free papers for parishioners to read.

The Memorial Hall was built in 1928 on land donated by Lord Lanesborough to commemorate the men who died in the First World War.  The poppy window on the first floor was installed in 2014.

A number of fine farmhouses were also pointed out as well as The Wheatsheaf Inn and the sites of two former public houses, the old Wesleyian Chapel and the old water mill. It all made a very interesting tour of the village.

On Sunday 17^th June members of Thurcaston and Cropston Local History Society visited Breedon-on-the Hill for a very interesting guided tour of St Mary and St Hardulph’s church with Peter Liddle (former County Archaeologist).

Location: The village of Breedon-on-the-Hill (the name means hill in 3 languages: Celtic – bree; Saxon – don; and English - hill) is in fact at the foot of the hill, the church of St Mary and St Hardulph stands alone on top surrounded by its churchyard.  The hill has been quarried over the centuries but extensively since the 1940’s, losing much archaeological evidence of what was originally an Iron Age Hill fort. Some artifacts uncovered by the bulldozers were saved by the quarry owner, but no archaeological survey was done. Many bodies were also unearthed which may have been mid-late Anglo Saxon burials.

History: This important Anglo-Saxon religious site was created around 675-691 AD.  Within a couple of generations the Vikings arrived reaching the neighbouring monastery of Repton by 873.  There is no documentary evidence of what happened at Breedon-on-the-Hill but it is likely it was plundered like many other religious sites.  The monastery may have been re-founded in the 10^th century following the end of Viking rule.  By the 1120’s there were Augustinian Canons here (never more than about five) and it became a small priory under the auspices of Nostell Priory.  The Priory was dissolved along with Nostell during the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539.  Later, part was sold to the Shirleys of Staunton Harold who wanted it to bury their family dead.

Exterior architecture: The church today is half the size as it once was and marks showing the roof lines of former buildings can be seen on the tower. There is no architectural evidence of the original Saxon buildings but Norman doors, 13^th century lancet windows and later windows from the 15^th century re-fenestration can be seen.  There is no sign of earlier cloisters, dormitories or the nave, and because of the surrounding graveyard no excavations can be carried out, however ground-probing radar would probably be able to provide some clues.

Interior: The jewel of the church is the Anglo-Saxon sculptures and carvings.  There are long sections of wall frieze depicting vine scrolls, birds and beasts.  There is also a series of panels showing human figures and a lion known as the Anglian Beast.   We were able to go into the tower to see the Breedon Angel possibly the earliest known carving of an angel in England.  The church also contains the family mausoleum of the Shirleys, and the dark and heavily carved Shirley family pew dated 1627.

https://www.leicestershirechurches.co.uk/breedon-on-the-hill-st-mary-st-hardulph/

15 May 2018

At the May meeting of Thurcaston and Cropston Local History Society we heard from Douglas Clinton about St Wistan, his death and afterlife.  He described the story of the murder, sanctification and cult of the 9^th century Mercian prince Wistan (aka Wystan or Wigstan).

It is thought Wistan died at Wistow Leicestershire in 849 AD. At that time it would have been the Bishop who awarded sainthoods not the Pope, so in Wistan’s case it would have been the Bishop of Leicester who gave his approval.

Wistan came from a line of Mercian kings descended from Offa.  He was the son of Wigmund and Aelfflaed (both offspring of Mercian kings).  Beorhtfrith was Wistan’s godfather, he wanted to marry Wistan’s widowed mother Aelfflaed, but Wistan refused, saying they were too closely related and it was against Church law.  Beorhtfrith went to visit him, supposedly in peace, but when they greeted each other he struck Wistan on his head with his dagger and his servant stabbed him with a sword, killing him and his companions.

Wistan’s death came prior to the Viking invasions.  The Vikings destroyed many documents so there is little written evidence of the time.  John of Worcester’s account, written two centuries later states “on 1st June on the eve of Whitsun Beorhtfrith son of Beorhtwulf King of the Mercians unjustly slew his kinsman St Wistan.  This man was the grandson of two Kings of Mercia”… when he died ”a column of light stretched up to heaven and remained visible for 30 days”. Wistan’s body was taken to Repton and buried in the tomb of his grandfather King Wiglaf.

Repton was a place of pilgrimage, but later St Wistan’s relics were moved to Evesham Abbey.  After the Norman Conquest, abbots questioned how saintly these local saints really were.  The Abbott of Evesham had Wistan’s severed head subjected to an ‘ordeal by fire’ which it survived unscathed!  In 1207 disaster struck Repton when the central tower of the church collapsed and broke the skull of St Wistan.

What ultimately became of his remains is unknown…

20 February 2018

Mathew Morris from University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) visited to tell us about the community archaeology dig which has been run at Castle Hill in Beaumont Leys.  In 2016 and 2017, Leicester City Council and ULAS conducted the dig as part of the ‘Story of Parks project’, a two-year Heritage Lottery-funded project.  The aims were to increase understanding of the origins and development of Castle Hill with the help of local volunteers, involving 2 weeks on site in 2016 and 2017.

Firstly it was believed Castle Hill might have prehistoric or Roman origins. Later it was thought it could be a medieval estate of the Knights Hospitaller. The land was held by the earls of Leicester until Simon de Montfort granted it to the Knights Hospitaller in the mid-13th century, and it was held by them between c.1240 and 1482.  The Hospitallers were a militant monastic order set up to provide hospitality to and protect pilgrim routes to the Holy Land. Later it became a royal deer park but was disparked by Henry VIII in 1526 into private ownership, with no sign of later occupation until the 19th and 20th century when it was used as a sewage treatment site. Today, it is part of the Castle Hill Country Park and has protection as an ancient monument.

Following a 2015 geophysical survey by ULAS, volunteers were involved in digging 3 trenches in 2016 and 5 in 2017.  Trench 1 included a metalled surface running along the inside of the bank, the bank itself and the ditch and some evidence of an entranceway. Trench 2 unearthed stone kerbing, a land drain and stone surfaces that may have been a pond. In Trench 3 stone rubble, broken roof slates and medieval pottery were uncovered, and some signs of iron working. In 2017 the first 3 trenches were reopened, and two more dug, trench 3 finding further evidence of the footprint of the building including the paved yard with a stone hearth. Iron slag suggests it was used as a smithy.  In a well, a high water table has preserved wood that was probably timbers from the building. These are being conserved for further examination.

Overall, the finds agree with the dates of the occupation of the site by the Knights Hospitaller. The excavations show that damage from the sewage farm was minimal, with the medieval earthwork very well preserved; the enclosure comprises a large ditch and stone-built bank; inside, at least one building had a slate roof and glazed ridge-tiles, suggesting it was more than a simple farm building, and had more than one use. Pottery finds are consistent with occupation on the site between 1240 and 1484 and there is no evidence of earlier or later occupation, with the site probably being abandoned and demolished in the 15th century.  Much of the excavated material is still being examined and catalogued.  The trenches have been covered but it is planned to make an application for more funding with the hope of returning to the site in 2019. If successful, Mathew promised to return with an update.

For more information on:

The excavation:  https://www2.le.ac.uk/services/ulas/discoveries/projects/medieval/castle-hill-in-search-of-the-knights-hospitallers

The Story of Parks:  http://www.storyofleicester.info/explore-leicester/story-of-parks/

Castle Hill Country Park:   https://www.leicester.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/parks-and-open-spaces/our-parks/castle-hill-country-park

20 March 2018

The speaker at our March meeting was our Honorary President, Brenda Hooper, whose talk was intriguingly titled “The Kings' Briefs”.  Those hoping for salacious royal gossip might have been disappointed but everyone else enjoyed a fascinating insight into a system through which the people of our villages contributed to charitable causes in the 17^th and 18^th centuries. 

After the dissolution of the monasteries, parishes had largely become responsible for providing relief to their own poor but in circumstances such as natural disasters the cost would be more than a single parish could afford.  The victims could then make a petition for the King or Queen to issue a “Brief” and, if granted, copies of the Brief would be printed and distributed across the country.  In most cases, details of the catastrophe would be announced by the rector at the Sunday service and a collection would be taken from the congregation as they left.

A large majority of the Briefs related to fires: for example in 1676 a fire in Northampton destroyed 700 of the 850 houses.  Our churchwardens’ accounts show that Thurcaston donated 16s 11d and Cropston 14s 6d.  In 1679 a Brief was issued for the rebuilding of St. Paul’s Cathedral after the Great Fire of London and our parish (then including Anstey) raised £1-06-11 in total.  Briefs occasionally related to other causes, e.g. replacing the lead roof of Edgbaston Church, which had been stripped to make musket balls in the Civil War; redeeming English captives and slaves under the Turks; or “the relief of Protestants fled out of Ireland”.

The procedure for obtaining a Brief and collecting in the funds was cumbersome and the expenses sometimes used up more than half of the sum raised.  There were also examples of abuse and parishioners became resentful of the increasing number of demands to support causes with no local connection.  The system of Kings' Briefs was finally abandoned in 1828, by which time insurance companies provided an alternative method of compensation for fires and floods.  However, the public’s willingness to help others in their hour of need has continued through national appeals such as the Titanic Disaster Fund and, more recently, the Disasters Emergency Committee and various crowd-funding websites.

16 January 2018

The first talk of 2018 was entitled ‘Power in the Landscape: The Grey and Hastings families in Leicestershire’ by Katie Bridger, a PhD student in the Centre for English Local History at the University of Leicester, whose principal interest is in people and the landscape.

Katie started by saying that throughout history it is important to anchor people and events down to places. Places have an important influence on people and vice versa. Her talk focused on two important landowners in Leicestershire during the 15^th century: Thomas Grey (1455-1501) 1st Marquis of Dorset, and William Hastings (1431- 1483) who was knighted at the battle of Towton.

A Yorkist, William Hastings became one of the key figures in England during the reigns of Edward IV and was buried at St George’s Chapel Windsor, close to the tomb of Edward despite the fall from grace which saw him executed for treason by Richard III. In 1474 he was given ‘licence to crenellate’ (fortify his property) at Ashby de la Zouch and Kirby Muxloe. At Ashby, his major achievement was the Hastings Tower. That the tower was built in a hurry can be seen from the haphazard arrangement of doors and windows. His ‘device’ is plastered all over the building, and the ‘sun in splendor’ and rose motifs around the fireplace demonstrate he was favoured by the King. At Kirby, he began a fortified redbrick house with a moat. The gatehouse and walls have his ‘device’, his initials, and other symbols picked out in blue brickwork. It was never finished because of his execution but the quality of construction can be seen.

Kirby Muxloe was built on the King’s Highway through Leicester Forest (roughly the route of the present day A47) and both the Hastings family and the Greys had land close to it. The highway was the scene of many disputes as local people would be supporters of one family or the other and there had been a long battle for supremacy in the area between the two.

Thomas Grey was the eldest son of Elizabeth Woodville who later married Edward IV. He was made 1^st Marquis of Dorset in 1475 and had interests all over the country. In Leicestershire, his properties included Groby Old Hall and Bradgate Park.   At Groby, Grey built on what had been there before, very close but not on top of the old castle. Bradgate House is thought to have been started during the first Marquis’s time and shows a change in thoughts about building, for example: by locating it at the centre of the park rather than close to a highway and not at the highest point; manipulating the water supply; and the building itself was not so tall. All of this shows more evidence of building for comfort rather than purely for power. However, Bradgate still looks out over Leicester and the people of Leicester can always see Bradgate.

Further reading/ References used in the talk

Childs, J., Henry VIII’s Last Victim: The Life and Times of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey (London, 2008).

Head, D. M., The Ebbs and Flows of Fortune: The Life of Thomas Howard, Third Duke of Norfolk (Georgia, U.S.A., 2009).

Hutchinson, R., House of Treason: The Rise and Fall of a Tudor Dynasty (London, 2009).

Skillington, S. H., ‘Star Chamber proceedings’, TLAHS, 12, no. 1 (1921), pp. 129-158.

Toulmin Smith, L. (ed.), The Itinerary of John Leland in or about the Years 1535-1543, J. Leland (London, 1907-1910), vols. 1-5.