Woodcroft Castle used to be known as Woodcroft Manor. It dates back to the twelfth century and appears frequently in court papers over the centuries. It is best well-known for the Civil War siege and death of Dr Michael Hudson, but it has a much better connection.
On 6th October 1570 Woodcroft Mansion house was referred to as having been 'purchased of the late King Edward VI'. Many of the local manors have been owned by monarchs, often being given as presents. However the ownership of Woodcroft might suggest that it was once much more important than it is now. Indeed, in 1575 the manor was valued at £15, 6 shillings and 8 pence, which was more than Milton Manor.
Milton Manor, situated to the West of Peterborough, has existed since at least 1381. The manor has long been associated with the Fitzwilliam family, but they did not create it.
William Fitzwilliam purchased the manors of Milton and Marholm from Robert Wyttilbury/Whittlebury in 1502. He also bought Longthorpe Tower in the same year.
In 1575 all of the manors belonging to the Fitzwilliams were valued. Milton Manor, now the main residence, was only valued at £15, but Marholm Manor was valued at £32 and 5 shillings.
Situated on a turn in the River Welland to the east of Peakirk and Northborough, Waldrum or Waldram Hall has been long gone. It was once an important hall and was owned by William Cecil and the Fitzwilliams. There is believed to have been a building on the site since the twelfth century. There are several references to the hall over the centuries, in parish records and poll books. It is also located on a map of 1543 which is stored in the National Archives.
The hall's position on the Welland was at a good crossing point. A ferry service was provided by the hall across the river and up to Crowland too. This would have been the only crossing point in this vicinity on the Welland before the bridge was built in Deeping St. James. The route was said to have been used by pilgrims heading to Walsingham and was a good source of income.
The hall belonged to the parish of Maxey and a fee was paid to the manor of Maxey to rent it. A fee was also paid that allowed the tenant to charge a toll for crossings and to fish the waters.
The hall was still in use in the first half of the Twentieth Century when pictures and personal accounts exist. By this time the hall was an unprepossessing stone house, regarded as no more than a farm house. After the building of two bridges in the Deepings in the Seventeenth and Nineteenth Centuries, the ferry at Waldram Hall fell out of use and the building was no longer a decent source of income. The construction of the railway loop line to Lincoln effectively cut off the building rendering it useless.
Reference
D. Price, River Welland, Amberley Publishing, 2012
The Feoffees were a group of men who oversaw the administration of money collected and distributed to the deserving poor. They also ensured that the city was in good running order.
They were selected from the upper echelons of Peterborough society and represented the city. This meant that they provided hospitality to other dignitaries and travelled to meet them. Their account books have examples of some of the expenses they occurred.
In 1630 it appears that some of the men travelled to Stamford. References were made to food and drink consumed, including venison (deer meat). One curious sentence reads:
For our horsmeate at Stamford and given to thosler - 6d
Thosler would translate as 'the ostler' and seventeenth century ostlers cared for horses, but what have they paid him six pence for? Horse meat looks like the obvious answer, but even in the seventeenth century, eating horse meat was frowned upon because they were such valuable animals. Furthermore they would buy meat from a butcher, not an ostler. It is more likely to be a payment for food, drink and possibly stabling for their horses whilst they were in Stamford. However, it is possible that the Feoffees enjoyed a 'mane' course that was a little different.
W. T. Mellows, Minutes and Accounts of the Feoffees and Governors of the City Lands with Supplementary Documents, Northamptonshire Record Society, 1937, p67
The account books of the Peterborough Feoffees declare all of the money received and paid out by the administration. Most of the accounts refer to rent collection and payments to the ill and poverty-stricken. However, some of the details tell us about Stuart hospitality and even entertainment.
1628 a payment was made to 'Mr Joanes the player, for sheweinge of his puppites, and for sheweinge tricks in our common hall.' (1)
Translated: 'Mr Jones the player, for showing of his puppets and for showing tricks in our common hall.'
He was paid the princely sum of 12 pence, which was around half a days wages for a skilled labourer.
The account was written between October and December, so it was possibly a Christmas treat. Glove puppets and shadow puppets were very popular at the time and an enjoyable treat for the whole family. We can only guess as to the tricks played by Mr Joanes but could it be that he also provided a magic show for the audience too?
A player was a term used in the past to mean actor. The 'common hall' referred to is very likely to be the Moot Hall, an arcaded wooden building which stood where Miss Pears Almshouses were built. The building was well-positioned on the corner of Cumbergate and Exchange Street and overlooking the market.
(1) W.T. Mellows (ed), Minutes and Accounts of the Feoffees and Governors of the City Lands, with Supplementary Documents, Northamptonshire Record Society, 1937, p48
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu was born in May 1689, the eldest child of the future 1st Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull. She married, against her father's wishes, Sir Edward Wortley Montagu, who was later twice MP for Peterborough. Lady Mary is today chiefly remembered for her letters, particularly her letters from travels to the Ottoman Empire, when her husband was the British ambassador to Turkey. These witty and well observed missives, as well as her other writings demonstrate that she deserves to be better known as a great writer.
Aside from her writing, Lady Mary is also known for introducing and championing smallpox inoculation (variolation) to Britain, which she had seen demonstrated during her time in Turkey. She had a great interest in the disease as she herself had suffered from it and was left badly scarred, and her brother died from it. Innoculation remained controversial and in later years was replaced by Edward Jenner's much safer technique of vaccination using cowpox rather than smallpox itself.
Lady Mary died on 21st August 1762 of breast cancer having recently returned from Venice to London. Edward Wortley Montague had died the year before. Their names are remembered in the Wortley Arms, originally the Wortley Almshouse.
Reference:
http://blog.wellcomelibrary.org/2016/05/lady-montagu-and-the-introduction-of-inoculation/
Thomas Worlidge was born in Peterborough in 1700 to Roman Catholic parents. He studied art in London as a pupil of the Genoese refugee Alessandro Maria Grimaldi. He went on to study with engraver Louis-Philippe Boitard. About 1740 Worlidge settled in London in the neighbourhood of Covent Garden, where he remained for the rest of his life. He spent the winter social season in Bath, painting the portraits of society members. His most popular work consisted of heads in pencil, for which he charged two guineas. The dominant force in his work was Rembrandt. His imitations of Rembrandt's work in etching and dry point sold well and remained popular after his death.
He married three times and is said to have had thirty-two children by his three marriages. Sadly, only Thomas, a son by his third wife, survived him. He died on 23 September 1766, and was buried in Hammersmith church.
Reference:
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Worlidge,_Thomas_(DNB00
Image from the National Portrait Gallery collection.
John Mordaunt was the first Earl of Peterborough. His beginnings were not auspicious, as his father was incarcerated in the Tower of London on suspicion of complicity in the Gunpowder Plot. He died in 1608 when John was 11. John was taken from his Catholic family and was made a ward of Protestant Bishop of London, George Abbot. Abbot believed the best way of dissuading him from following the same path as his father was by a good education: he was therefore educated at Oxford.
After completing his education, Mordaunt was invited to court, where he was a great success. Charles I created him Earl of Peterborough, by letters patent of 9 March 1628.
During the English Civil War he deserted the king and fought on the side of Parliament. When he died on 8 June 1642 his son Henry, 2nd Earl of Peterborough defected back to the Royalists.
John Mordaunt had the drama 'Tis Pity She's a Whore' dedicated to him by the playright John Foot.
The earldom died out when the 5th Earl, Charles Henry Mordaunt died, childless, on 16th June 1814.
Reference:
Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
The graffiti scratched onto the walls of the eastern end of the cathedral are numerous. They vary in size and form, but almost all contain initials or names of the artist.
One of the best names to search for is John Forster, who rather enjoyed scratching his name in the walls. His letter form is rather impressive and he has had enough time to fully form his name and date it. We can assume that he enjoyed making his mark because his name appears twice on the wall of the New Building. Update! John Forster's name and initials appear at least 4 times on the north and east walls of the New Building. Three of the items are dated, so we know it's the same John Forster. If you find any more, let us know!
His first signature (should that be graffiti tag?!) was scratched at the north east end of the cathedral. It is dated 1687. Further east on the same wall you can find his second attempt from 1688. Rather pleasingly it is easy to see an improvement in his letter formation and a more confident signature. He used an I in place of a J because that was the style of the 17th century. If you're looking for his name, you'll need to look for IF or Iohn Forster
John Forster was likely to have been a pupil of King's School, which was based in the cathedral grounds at that time. How he managed to find the time to mark his name in such detail, we will never know. We can only guess what his punishment would have been if he was caught doing it.
Cardinal Thomas Wolsey was an important figure in the life and politics of Henry VIII. A well-educated man, he became an advisor to Henry. He is possibly best known for failing to annul Henry's marriage to Katherine of Aragon. Henry wished for more children and wanted marry Anne Boleyn, but divorce wasn't an option. Wolsey tried to get the marriage annulled by the Pope, but this was unsuccessful. Henry was angry that he couldn't end his marriage and Wolsey was in trouble. His failure to convince the Pope was seen as an act of treason and he was called to London to face Henry. But Wolsey's health had been deteriorating and he never made it back to London. He did, however, make it to Peterborough.
Peterborough Abbey hosted Wolsey's visit at Easter in 1530. He took part in many ceremonial duties including observing Maundy Thursday. As tradition dictates, he washed the feet of 59 poor men (the same number of men as his age), this was carried out in the Lady Chapel, which no longer exists. He also handed out gifts to the men. They received '12 pence, three ells of canvas to make them shirts, a pair of new shoes, a cast of bread, three red herrings and three white herrings and the odd person had two shillings.' (1)
Wolsey travelled on from Peterborough to the Fitzwilliam's at Milton for a few days. His health gradually faded until he died in Leicester Abbey on 29th November 1530. One of his many legacies was the building of Hampton Court Palace, which was taken by Henry VIII after Wolsey fell out of favour. His visit was also remembered in an iconic LNER poster advertising Peterborough, designed by Fred Taylor. A copy is on display on the top floor of Peterborough Museum.
(1) W. T. Mellows, The Last Days of Peterborough Monastery, Northamptonshire Record Society, 1950, p. xviii.
Thanks to the Churchwardens Accounts of St John's Church in Peterborough, we know some of the people living in the city in Tudor times. The church recorded how much rent was paid on property and who paid it. Most of the names are of men, but there are some women. Some people are only recorded by their surname.
A few of the names seem rather odd to modern eyes because they are spelt very differently to today, so alternatives are given. The four districts recorded relate to streets or areas that you might not recognise today, so their modern equivalent is provided. Dogsthorpe was included as a district, but has been missed off this list.
Prestgatt (Priestgate)
Fraunces (John Francis), Edward Bellamy, Elexaunder Mylner (Alexander Milner), Joanne Fletcher, Robart Pynnyng (Robert Pinning), Agnys Coper (Agnes Cooper), Sawnder (Alexander?) the labourer
Markettsted (Cathedral Square)
William Haw, George Spenser, Thomas Whyght (White), [Mistress Baley deleted], Sir William Bell, Allys Padman (Alice Padman)
Hygatt (Bridge Street)
Bygges Wyffe (Bigge's wife), John Houndysley (John Houndesley), John Pattenson
Westgatt (Westgate)
Wylkynson (Wilkinson), Joanne Cosson, William Farssett (possibly Farcet)
Bowngatt (Boongate)
John Monesty, The Myller (Miller)
W. T. Mellows (ed.), Peterborough Local Administration Chruchwarden's Accounts 1467-1573 with Supplementary Documents 1107-1488, Northamptonshire Record Society, 1939
In 1541 the great bells of St. John's church and Leicester Abbey were swapped over. It is not clear why the bells were exchanged, but the cost of the swap is detailed in the church records.
Robert Newcome received payment for weighing the bells and identifying that one was larger. A man from 'Wyttlyllsey' (Whittlesey) was paid 20p for supplying 'a gable to tacke down the olde bell and hang up the new'. But they were only bit parts in the story.
The bells had to be swapped over, so it was decided that the bell from Peterborough would be driven to Leicester, where they would collect the other bell and return with it. This was 1541 though! Four men including John Gedney and Robarte Allyn set off with 10 horses pulling a cart with the bell on top. They rested for the first night in Uppingham, fixed the cart and continued to Leicester. They stayed in Leicester for several days before making the journey back, stopping again in Uppingham.
In total they took eight days for their journey, fixing the cart several times. All of the costs of food and drink were paid for, as well as their accommodation. Not to mention payment for their time. John Gedney was paid 5 shillings for himself and the hire of four horses. Roberte Allen was paid 14 shillings 'for 6 horsys and 2 men for 8 days'.
W. T. Mellows (ed.) Peterborough Local Administration Churchwarden's Accounts 1467-1573 with Supplementary Documents 1107-1488, Northamptonshire Record Society, 1939 p145
The cemetery for Peterborough Cathedral is to the north of the building. Thousands of people were buried there, from monks to grave diggers. In the past, any people who had their funeral in the cathedral exited the building via the north door, which gave direct access to the graveyard. This is the last door that their body would pass through, so it is known as dead man's door.
In 1548/9 the lock of the door needed repairing, which is not surprising given how old the door is. Two pence was paid for 'mending the loke [lock] of the dedmans dore [door]',(1) which appears a bargain in modern terms. No records exist to say if the lock was needed to keep the living or the dead out of the cathedral!
(1) W. T. Mellows, The Last Days of Peterborough Monastery, Northamptonshire Record Society, 1950, p107
Peterborough was, for many years, controlled by the abbey. However, the creation of municipal control started in 1572 when three local men, Robert Mallory, Thomas Robinson and Jeremy Green bought some of the church lands and offered them to the city. Income from the lands was used to help the poor and keep the roads, church and other buildings in good repair with the advice of the church wardens. 14 Feoffees were chosen to oversee these activities, working as councillors do in the 21st century.
The feoffees consisted of between 4 and 14 respectable, wealthy men. They worked together to keep the city in good order and to help those in dire straits. The account and minute books of the feoffees detail monies given to the poor. Money was provided for food or clothing and sheets to wrap up bodies if they died. Well-known feoffees included Humphrey Orme, Thomas Deacon and William Hake.
Evidence of the work of the Feoffees can be seen in the first almshouses, founded in 1722 in Cumbergate. They were also the driving force for the Guildhall or Buttercross in the marketplace, which was where they held their meetings. They originally met in the Moot Hall or Guildhall, which was on the corner of Cumbergate.
Woodcroft Castle near Helpston was built in the 13th century as a fortified manor house with a tower and moat.
During the English Civil was it was occupied by Dr Michael Hudson. He was a priest who had been the chaplain to King Charles I and was a staunch Royalist. In 1648 Hudson garrisoned Woodcroft Castle with Cavalier soldiers and attempted to get Stamford to rise up against Parliament but he failed. He was chased back to Woodcroft Castle by a troop of Roundheads. They attempted to storm the castle but they were driven off with the loss of several men.
The besiegers were then reinforced by a full regiment of Roundheads who were determined to win the castle. Hudson and his men resisted bravely but it was stormed after the gates were blown in using gunpowder. The defenders retreated to the tower and Dr Hudson ended up dangling from the ramparts. When the Roundheads found him dangling they cut off his hands sending him plunging into the moat below. He was then dragged from the moat and disembowelled and his tongue cut out. His body was buried at Denton, Northamptonshire.
As a grisly postscript his tongue was paraded around local towns as a trophy and a warning not to oppose Parliament!
When Celia Fiennes travelled through the city in 1698 she noted that local people near 'Mrs St John's house' (Thorpe Hall) were using cow dung for fuel: 'as I passed the Road I saw upon the walls of the ordinary peoples houses and walls of their out houses, the Cow dung plaister'd up to drie in Cakes which they use for fireing, its a very offensive fewell (fuel), but the Country people use Little Else in these parts.'
Cow dung was a free and effective fuel for the people of rural Peterborough, but the smell would not have been popular! There had been a shortage of wood since the 1550's, so burning cow dung was a sensible alternative for the very poor who were unable to afford expensive wood supplies, or cut down their own wood. Other alternatives for fuel would have included peat, charcoal and coal, none of which were particularly pleasant on the eyes or lungs.
Animal dung has been used as a fuel since prehistoric times, with evidence from the Ancient Egyptians using dung as fuel and even references to it being used in the bible. Many areas of the world use animal dung as fuel.
Celia Fiennes was a prolific traveller who documented her journey around Britain on a horse. At a time when only the wealthy could contemplate travelling and when the majority of literature is written by men, Celia Fiennes' work is refreshing.
Celia passed through Peterborough and much admired the cathedral and town. She wrote that the city 'looks very well and handsomely built, but mostly timber worke: you pass over a Long stone bridg. The streetes are very clean and neate, well pitch'd and broad as one shall see any where, there is a very spacious market place, a good Cross and a town Hall on the top (the Guildhall or Buttercross).'
She continued her prose, describing the cathedral in great detail before her journey continued on to Wansford.
Worth noting that she describes Peterborough as being in Lincolnshire and surrounded by the Lin (possibly mishearing Nin), suggesting that she hadn't taken a very good look at the city or spoken to the locals!
All quotes from: Celia Fiennes, Through England on a Side Saddle, Folkcustoms.co.uk, 2016, pp130-131
Thorpe Hall is a Grade 1 listed building built during the Cromwellian era between 1653 and 1658, at a time when very few stately homes were built. Oliver St. John (pronounced Sinjun) commissioned the house to be built by Peter Mills, who later helped to rebuild London after the Great Fire in 1666.
Oliver St. John was a judge, politician and Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas to Oliver Cromwell, whom he was related to through his second wife Elizabeth Cromwell, said to be his favourite cousin. This connection might have been advantageous in securing the land to build Thorpe Hall on.
The house was built in the shape of a cube, set amongst 6 acres of walled garden. Much of the interior of the house has changed over the years, but the wooden staircase is dated from the original house build and large fireplaces on the ground floor are worthy of merit.
The house has changed hands many times over the years and was at one point a boys school and a maternity home. It was bought by Sue Ryder in 1986 to be used as a hospice, with an extension added in 2015 within the old walled orchard.
On the 22nd of August 1485, Henry Tudor beat King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field, Richard had been king for only two years. This was the last battle of the War of the Roses, and brought to an end Plantagenet rule of England. Henry Tudor became Henry VII, the first Tudor monarch.
Richard III's body was recently found in a car park in Leicester, where he had been buried after the battle. Analysis of his body showed that he did have a curvature of the spine (scoliosis) which would have meant that his right shoulder was higher than the left, though with a good tailor and custom armour this would not have been obvious.
His body also revealed 11 injuries occurring around time of death including two injuries at the base of his skull that are likely to have been fatal. His remains also show a penetrating injury to his pelvis where a weapon must have been thrust from behind, entering the right buttock and penetrating right through the body. This type of injury would be hard to do to an armoured body, so was likely to have occurred after death as a humiliation.
References:
See links
Images:
1. Earliest surviving portrait of Richard III C. 1520, owned by the Society of Apothecaries (Public Domain)
2. Portrait of the young Henry VII, Musee Calvert, Avignon (Public Domain)
Elizabeth Cromwell née Bourchier was born in Felsted, Essex in 1598 to a wealthy family. She is known as being the wife of Oliver Cromwell and Protectoress of England from 1653 to 1658.
After her husband's death in 1658, and the restoration of the monarchy, Elizabeth was mocked and afraid for her life. She wished to escape London and petitioned Charles II to allow her to do so. Elizabeth moved to Northborough Manor to live with her daughter Elizabeth, who had married into the Claypole family.
Elizabeth Cromwell died in 1665 and was buried in St Andrews Church, Northborough. The parish records state 'Elizabeth, the relict of Oliver Cromwell, sometime Protector of England, was buried November 19th 1665.'1
Some items from her life and more information about her can be found in her homes in Ely and Huntingdon, which are now both museums.
The Bluebell Inn in Dogsthorpe is a grade II listed building on Welland Road. The reason for the listing is because of the dating stone which reads 'ITH 1665'. Originally built as a farmhouse, it became a public house early in the 19th century and has continued to be so for the last 200 years.
The building has been extended and improved over the years and during one of the improvements a wooden panel was found with initials and the date 1594, suggesting that the building is older than the date stone, or that the panel had been salvaged from elsewhere and reused in the building.
Picture credit: The Blue Bell, Dogsthorpe
The Duck Decoy at Borough Fen has been in use for centuries, although the first reference to it was in 1670. It was originally built to facilitate the capture of ducks which were destined for dinner tables, but now it is used to help capture and ring ducks for conservation purposes. The decoy appears quite remarkable on maps: it is made of a central pond with 8 curved, narrowing arms radiating from the centre. The arms or 'pipes' were tapered and curved so that ducks could be encouraged down them and easily captured. The last known use of the decoy for its original use was in 1951.
George Whitehead visited Peterborough in this year. Travelling with other Friends (which is how Quakers addressed each other then and many still today) through neighbouring counties he arrived in the city. He wrote, “I was much pressed in Spirit to endeavour for a Meeting in the City of Peterborow, tho’ I heard of no Friends there to receive me.”
A Meeting for Worship was arranged and was well attended by Friends from neighbouring areas and by local townspeople and, despite considerable abuse and violence from a mob, who considered Friends heretics, the gathering ended quietly in the afternoon, and Friends “…parted peaceably without molestation or disturbance.”
His visit did not result in establishing a Quaker Meeting in Peterborough.
George Whitehead (1636–1723) was a leading early Quaker preacher, author and lobbyist remembered for his advocacy of religious freedom before three kings of England. His lobbying in defence of the right to practice the Quaker religion was influential on the Act of Uniformity, the Bill of Rights of 1689 and the Royal Declaration of Indulgence. He suffered imprisonment and abuse for his beliefs.
The earliest known map of Peterborough is that created by John Speed. The main city centre streets can be recognised, as can several buildings including Peterborough Cathedral and St John's church. The cross keys symbol on the top left of the map is still visible around the city today on buildings and lamp posts.
On this day the notorious highwayman Gamaliel Ratsey was hanged.
He was born in Market Deeping, the son of wealthy Richard Ratsey. Unfortunately as a young boy he went off the straight and narrow. In 1600 he enlisted in the army which accompanied Sir Charles Blount to Ireland but his time fighting did not cure him of his wicked ways. On his return to England in 1603 he robbed the landlady of an inn at Spalding. He was caught but escaped from prison, stealing a horse. He entered into partnership with two well known thieves named George Snell and Henry Shorthose and went on to commit many acts of highway robbery in Northamptonshire (which at the time included Peterborough).
Ratsey’s exploits were notorious but were also characterised by humour, generosity to the poor and daring. On one occasion, near to Peterborough, he robbed two rich wool merchants then ‘knighted’ them as Sir Walter Woolsack and Sir Samuel Sheepskin. On another, whilst robbing a Cambridge scholar he extorted a learned oration from him. He usually wore a hideous mask leading him to be called ‘Gamaliel Hobgoblin’. Ben Jonson wrote in The Alchemist (Act I, Scene 1) of a “face cut….worse than Gamaliel Ratsey".
Due to his generosity to the poor and the tales surrounding him, he became something of a folk hero and was the subject of several ballads. Sadly for Gamaliel, within two years his partners betrayed him to officers of the law and on the 26th of March he was hanged in Bedford.
In 1576 Elizabeth I passed the title of Lord Paramount of the Liberty of Peterborough from the Bishop of Peterborough to William Cecil, Lord Burghley, whose descendants still hold this title.
Burghley House was built by William Cecil, later Lord Burghley, Elizabeth I's Secretary of State and closest adviser. It was originally designed in the shape of an 'E' to honour the queen, although she was never to visit. However, Queen Victoria was one of many high-profile visitors to the house and she planted a tree in the family's personal gardens at the back of the house. The gardens and park of Burghley House were laid out by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown in the 18th century, in line with many great houses of the time.
William Cecil's descendants still live in the house and hold the Burghley Horse Trials every September, which have been running since 1961.
The Guildhall, also known as the Buttercross or Chamber Over the Cross, was built to commemorate the restoration of the monarchy and was paid for by public subscription. It was built by local builder John Lovin, who was partly paid by the minting of an octagonal Peterborough halfpenny.
Many local influential families subscribed to the building of the Guildhall and several coats of arms can be seen on the side of the building. Peterborough Museum houses a turtle shell decorated with the arms of Sir Humphrey Orme, MP and owner of Neville Place (the site of the present museum). It is said that Sir Humphrey supplied the turtle for soup eaten to celebrate its completion.
The Cathedral was ravaged during the English Civil War when Peterborough, a town with Royalist sympathies, was taken by Colonel Oliver Cromwell. Nearly all the stained glass windows were destroyed and the altar and reredos, cloisters and Lady Chapel were demolished. Much of the Cathedral’s library was destroyed by Cromwell’s troops, by being burnt in the cloisters. The Royalist newsbook ‘Mercurius Aulicus’ describes it thus:
‘It was advertised this day from Peterburgh, that Colonell Cromwell had bestowed a visit on that little City, and put them to the charge of his entertainment, plundering a great part thereof to discharge the reckoning, and further that in pursuance of the thorow Reformation, he did most miserably deface the Cathedrall Church, breake downe the Organs, and destroy the glasse windowes, committing many other outrages on the house of God which were not acted by the Gothes in the sack of Rome, and are most commonly forborn by the Turks when they possesse themselves by force of a Christian city.’ Cromwell spent a month in Peterborough, lodging in the Vineyard at the back of the Cathedral Precincts, allegedly with concussion from having hit his head whilst galloping under a low gateway. Recent archaeological evidence has been found of Cromwell’s troops being camped in the Cathedral grounds.
In 1634 the right to hold a market on the Green at Thorney was granted to the Earls of Bedford, who held the lordship of Thorney from 1551. The market continued until 1830, and then a fair was held on the Green into the 20th century.
‘Old Scarlett’ was the nickname of Robert Scarlett, parish sexton and gravedigger throughout the Tudor period. He lived to the prodigious age of 98, dying in 1594 Married twice, he is known for burying Katharine of Aragon and Mary, Queen of Scots inside the Cathedral.
Amongst the hundreds of people that Scarlett buried during his lifetime was one ‘Edward the Foole’, a native of Crowland by birth and former court jester to King Henry VIII, laid to rest here in 1563. As was common practice at the time, and to allow for more burials in an already packed graveyard, the skeleton would have been exhumed some years later and the bones reburied in stacks. The image of an elderly gravedigger exhuming a royal jester’s skull might have stuck in the head of a Peterborough schoolboy, John Fletcher, the son of the then Cathedral Dean. Fletcher went on to become a noted Elizabethan playwright and worked with Shakespeare, even co-writing three plays with him, including the aforementioned ‘Henry VIII’. Is it possible that Fletcher may have suggested this scene to Shakespeare? Unfortunately ‘Hamlet’ was written between 1599 and 1601, and we have no evidence that the two men met until at least five years later, but it’s a tantalising thought nonetheless!
On the 1st of August 1587 Mary, Queen of Scots was buried in the Cathedral, 5 months after having been executed at nearby Fotheringhay Castle. The Dean, Richard Fletcher, officiated at both her execution and her funeral.
On Sunday 30 July her body was carried to Peterborough by night and placed in the Bishop’s Palace. The Funeral was held on the 1 August, with the Cathedral being hung with black and the arms of Francis II and Darnley displayed. An effigy of Mary was carried along with her emblems of state. The cortege included the Countess of Bedford, the Bishop and Dean of Peterborough, the Bishop of Lincoln and one hundred poor widows clothed in black. The Bishop of Lincoln preached the sermon. The Dean presided over the burial, and the officers cast their broken staves on the coffin. A lavish funeral banquet was held in the Bishop’s Palace. The funeral cost £321, one third of which was for food and drink!
Mary was re-interred on the orders of James I at Westminster Abbey in 1613, where she was buried next to Elizabeth I.
The site of the medieval Benedictine monastery of Thorney was granted by Henry VIII to John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford, beginning a connection with the Russell family which lasted until 1910, with the current primary school still called the “Duke of Bedford School.”
To increase his control over the church in this area Henry VIII created a new bishop (the former abbot John Chambers) and Peterborough Abbey church became a Cathedral by letters patent. The foundation charter of the Cathedral, formally established on 4 September 1541, constituted a chapter of a dean (appointed by the crown) and six canons. In addition the charter established six minor canons, a deacon, sub-deacon, eight singing men, and eight choristers, two schoolmasters serving 20 scholars and six almsmen. Henry also created a grammar school in the precincts, the foundation of the King’s School.
The great abbey of Peterborough was closed and its lands and properties confiscated by the king, Henry VIII. Orders had come the previous year to get rid of any relics, and the Abbey’s collection was destroyed. In the spring of 1539, Henry called a Parliament, and legislation was passed to enable all monastic property to be conferred on the crown: all the remaining monasteries were to go. Whilst some monasteries offered resistance, and the monks were dealt with harshly, Abbot John Chambers surrendered the Abbey seal with no resistance when Henry’s commissioners arrived on 29 November 1539. Chambers received an annual pension of £266, 13s 4d.
Many monastic buildings were pulled down, with lead from the roofs melted down into lead ‘sows’ for sale.
Katharine of Aragon, Spanish princess, first wife and queen of Henry VIII, is buried in the monastic church. Katharine died at Kimbolton, where she was living after her marriage to Henry had been annulled, on 7 January 1536, most likely of cancer. Despite the annulment she had always referred to herself as Henry's only lawful wedded wife and England's only rightful queen. In late December 1535 she wrote her last letter to Henry, as her 'most dear lord and husband'.
She was ordered to be buried at Peterborough Abbey as the nearest great religious house that befitted her status, whilst not giving her a burial in London where she might have been politically embarrassing. Her funeral was held on 29 January 1536. The heart of the funeral cortege included a coffin wagon covered with black velvet, as were the six horses pulling it, Heralds and fifty servants in black carrying torches, four banners in crimson taffeta and four golden standards. At the door of the abbey church the body was received by four bishops and six abbots and placed under a canopy lit by a thousand candles. Today Katharine is remembered annually by a commemorative service and series of events at the Cathedral and elsewhere in the city around the anniversary of her burial, 29 January. Many visitors place pomegranates – her heraldic symbol – on her tomb.
The Presbytery roof was renewed and an extensive building programme undertaken at the east end of the Cathedral creating the 'New Building'. It is an excellent example of late Perpendicular work with fine fan vaulting designed by John Wastell, who went on to work on Kings College Chapel in Cambridge. The building was commissioned by the penultimate abbot, Robert Kirkton, who funded some of his works by corrupt means, demolishing local properties and confiscating common land.
King Charles I was briefly held prisoner in the city. He was on his way to London to be imprisoned, prior to his execution. He was held in the Abbot’s Gaol, which is next to the west gate of the cathedral. There were many local supporters who included the Orme family.
One of the old wooden doors of the gaol can be seen in Peterborough Museum. The goal is currently used as a retail space.
In 1536 a Tudor house called Neville Place was built by Humphrey Orme, who was a courtier of Henry VIII. The house was built on the land where the current museum is. The Ormes were important in Peterborough for over 250 years. They were Members of Parliament, Magistrates and also Feoffees. They were royalist during the English Civil War and were involved in the building of the Guildhall after the Restoration.
Note: the building of Neville Place in 1536 is currently disputed because Humphrey Orme rented the manor of West Deeping in that year. Written evidence of the Ormes living in Priestgate does not appear until the early 17th Century when they were living in a cottage next to Neville's Orchard.
Peterborough Cathedral has two well-known connections to Tudor Queens. The tombs of both Katherine of Aragon and Mary Queen of Scots could for a while both be found in the Cathedral. Sadly, Mary Queen of Scots was moved down to Westminster, but Queen Katherine is still resting in peace.
Most people think that is where the connections to Tudor royalty end, but that is not so. In 1560 William Lattimer or Latymer, became Dean of Peterborough Cathedral. He had been chaplain to Anne Boleyn during her reign and had smuggled French religious books into the country for her. Later, he became chaplain to Elizabeth I and wrote the Chronickille of Anne Bulleyne (Chronicle of Anne Boleyn) a biography of her life. He wrote the book for Elizabeth I, her daughter.
Lattimer died in 1583 and was buried in Peterborough Cathedral.
According to the Cathedral registers, the font in the church was pulled down by Cromwellian troops. The registers state that it was 'puld downe, and the lead taken out of it by Cromwell's Souldyers.'
A new font was ready for its first christening by November 1660. The first child to use the font was a girl named Hellen Austin on 7th November 1660.
An elaborately carved font dating from the 13th century was rediscovered in 1820 in a canon's garden. It was unclear how long it had been in the garden and could possibly have been the one pulled down by Cromwell's soldiers. The lead in reference might have been an inner lining to the font. Knowing what we now do about lead, Hellen was lucky to to be the first child not to have a lead-lined christening.
W.D. Sweeting, Historical and Architectural Notes on the Parish Churches in and around Peterborough, (Whittaker and Co, 1868)
https://archive.org/stream/historicalarchit00swee/historicalarchit00swee_djvu.txt
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © J.Hannan-Briggs - geograph.org.uk/p/3661559
Castor Church sits in a commanding position over the Nene Valley. It has a rich history with enviable Roman, Saxon and Norman construction within the building. Evidence of the Roman Praetorium and Saint Kyneburgha's church are easy to identify.
What is not as easy to see, but easy to hear, are the church bells. There are eight in total, six of which date from 1700. They were inscribed by the name of the bell founder Henry Bagley who lived in Ecton, Northamptonshire. Two bells declare 'Henry Bagley of Ecton Made Me 1700' and two repeat the statement in Latin. The other two are a mixture of Latin and English, the Tenor bell declaring 'I to the church the living call and to the grave do summon all.' Henry Bagley was a master bell founder and the second Henry Bagley. He also holds the honour of being the tutor of Henry Penn, Peterborough's well-known bell founder.
The two newest bells were installed as millennium commemorations. One is inscribed 'Untouched I am a silent thing, but strike me and I sweetly sing.' We can imagine that Henry Bagley would be happy with that sentiment.
The local church registers record all of the special births, marriages and deaths in Peterborough. One marriage stands out more than the others.
On 7th July 1711 the cathedral register states:
'John Sherwood a negro 3 foot high and Margaret Steward 2 foot and a half marry'd.'
Not only is this likely to be Peterborough's first recorded mixed-race wedding, but possibly the first marriage of two little people. No other records have been discovered relating to John and Margaret, so it is possible that they did not remain in the city. It is possible that John was, or had been, a slave, slavery not being abolished until 1833. Let's hope the marriage was a long and happy one.
Wothorpe Towers is a grade 1 listed building on the edge of the Soke of Peterborough. It was commissioned by Thomas Cecil of Burghley House in around 1600 as a lodge. Being so close to Burghley Park, it did not have its own deer park, as many lodges do. The land was originally in the ownership of Crowland Abbey and a small nunnery existed there. Following the reformation the land was gained by Richard Cecil, who was Groom of the Robes in Henry VIII's court and Thomas Cecil's grandfather.
Sadly, the building is completely ruinous. The four towers thankfully remain and provide the building with its distinctive silhouette. They are four stories high, which allowed them to stand above the three-storey house. However the main living space has all been lost, with the exception of a central spine wall and a few additions.
The ruins of Wothorpe Towers is in private ownership, but the gardens are being landscaped for visitors.
Lolham is a tiny hamlet close to Maxey and West Deeping. The few houses that exist sit close to King Street, a Roman road, which runs North to South through Lolham. King Street passes over Maxey Cut, the Welland and a few ditches at this point, which has meant several bridges were needed.
Lolham Bridges are grade II* listed structures. There are five bridges in the listing, the earliest of which has the date 1642 on the Western side. An inscription reads:
'These several bridges were built at the general charge of the whole County of Northampton in the year 1652.' (1)
However, the inscription might be slightly misleading because a record in Northamptonshire Archives references 'a trial about the responsibility to repair Lolham Bridge in 16668/9' (2). They were later restored in 1712 and 1916 (1), suggesting either flood damage or poor workmanship.
Given that people would have been using that route for nearly 2,000 years it is not surprising that there are earlier references to bridges at Lolham. Indeed, one of the earliest references is in 1408 in a writ in which 'a meadow to the west of Lolham Bridge' was valued at 11s 8d (11 shillings and 8 pence) (3).
Lolham Bridges are accessible from the north on a one-way road. However, there are no parking places close-by, or footpaths, so accessibility is challenging.
(1) Listing number 1365654, https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1365654
(2) Northamptonshire Records Office QSR 1/52 http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/378e675e-7c49-4751-8f3c-3cf992aba85b
(3) J. L. Kirby, 'Inquisitions Post Mortem, Henry IV, Entries 603-654', in Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem: Volume 19, Henry IV (London, 1992), pp. 215-234. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.... [accessed 26 November 2018].
Photo credit: Stone bridge at Lolham, near Bourne, Lincolnshire
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Rex Needle - geograph.org.uk/p/4436905
John Claypole was born into the Claypole or Claypoole family of Northborough and Lolham. He was the fourth child born to Adam Claypole and Dorothy Wingfield.
On 8th June 1622 John married Marie/Mary Angel at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in London. The Angels held the manor of Peakirk since at least the Fifteenth Century and were said to have provided a dowry of £1500. On account of their marriage John was given the manor of Northborough and also nearby Waldram Park by his father.
John trained to be a lawyer and was likely to be an early friend of Oliver Cromwell. He was MP for Northamptonshire during the protectorate; his friend Cromwell had been MP for Huntingdon. He was given a knighthood and later baronet by Cromwell, although he is rarely known as Sir John Claypole. He worked with his son John to levy taxes in Northamptonshire and later supported the marriage of John to Oliver Cromwell's favourite daughter Elizabeth.
Sir John died in 1664 in London, but his wife Mary was buried in Northborough when she died in 1661.
References:
https://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bi... A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 28 November 2018), memorial page for John Claypoole (13 Apr 1593–10 Apr 1664), Find A Grave Memorial no. 13526109, citing St. Andrew's Churchyard, Northborough, Peterborough Unitary Authority, Cambridgeshire, England ; Maintained by Wayne L. Osborne (contributor 46540493) .
Photo credit:
Lolham Manor or Hall is a grade II listed building with Tudor features. Dated to the early years of the Tudor period, it contains a fireplace from the time and also wooden panelling.
The manor was long associated with the Claypoles of Northborough Manor, especially Adam Claypole. He was living in Lolham Hall in 1622 when he gifted Northborough Manor to his son John Claypole. The hall is also associated with the Clitheroes/Clitherows and there is a reference to Christopher Clitheroe's Estate at Lolham in 1693 in the Fitzwilliam papers in Northamptonshire Archives. There is also a reference to a mortgage for Leonard Gale of the Manor of Lolham. Leonard Gale was father-in-law to James Clitheroe the second.
Lolham Manor is a private property and cannot be viewed by the public. The supporting picture is an example of Tudor panelling only.
References:
London Metropolitan Archives ACC/1360 http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/b292a2ca-9c28-4b37-8265-cf3875816561
Born in 1555 during the reign of Queen Mary I, Thomas Dove became chaplain to Queen Elizabeth I who was so taken by his ecclesiastic style that she referred to him as 'the dove with silver wings.' After working as a vicar in Saffron Walden and as Dean of Norwich Cathedral, he moved to Peterborough, where he was confirmed as Bishop on 21st April 1601.
He remained as bishop for 29 years, overseeing the removal of Mary Queen of Scots' body to London during his administration. During that time he was also Rector of Castor Church, as all Bishops of Peterborough were from 1613-1851 : he was the first to hold both positions together.
His son Sir William Dove of Upton commissioned a large memorial for his burial in Peterborough Cathedral in which he wore long ecclesiastic gowns and was laying with books around him. Sadly, the monument was destroyed during the civil war and his son had died in 1635, so it was not replaced, however, this is not the only item that survives from his life. In 1850 a wax imprint of the seal belonging to Bishop Dove was donated to The British Museum, which shows a country tableau of a man feeding a dove and another hitting a snake, with the distinctive cross keys of the city clearly displayed. The seal would have been pressed into wax to secure correspondence and make documents official. The original seal was put up for auction in 2016 and was made from bronze and leather.
He should also be remembered for his home in Upton, near Castor, where he erected a very unusual sundial, which has been identified as Scottish in origin. The very striking large stone structure must have been difficult to transport to Upton, being nearly 6ft tall, not to mention expensive. It is grade II listed and currently sits in a paddock which can be viewed from the village green.
References
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dove,_Thomas_(DNB00)
The Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Chronicle Vol 66 Part 2, July 1796 p539-541 https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=46BJAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA541&lpg=PA541&dq=thomas+dove+upton&source=bl&ots=V61WpRL6rO&sig=ACfU3U3PhUNlKajKq5nfI6ogNC9B_v3kZg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiz5cLz9JLgAhWOURUIHZ4bBcEQ6AEwCXoECAUQAQ#v=onepage&q=thomas%20dove%20upton&f=false
Thomas Dove was the son of Sir William Dove of Upton and grandson of Bishop Thomas Dove. He entered the record books during the 17th Century English Civil War after being identified as a delinquent. The Civil War was fought between Royalist and Parliamentarian troops (Cavaliers and Roundheads) and when the Parliamentarians rose to power they decreed that all wealthy men who had supported the Royalists should have their land taken, with any profits helping to fund the war. They were able to buy back the land by paying a hefty fine and promising not to fight for the Royalists again. Thomas Dove was accused of 'Adhering to the forces raised against Parliament' and paid £930 to buy back his land (approximately £110,000 in today's money) and gain a pardon.
The amount that men paid was based on the value of their land and income from it. The fine didn't harm his marriage prospects however, and he married Elizabeth Wingfield in 1648 in Tickencote. Her family had sold Upton Manor to Thomas Dove's grandfather Bishop Dove and it is likely that the marriage would have pleased both families.
Reference:
Journals of the House of Commons 4,1644-1646, pub 1803 https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=aRRDAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA626&lpg=PA626&dq=thomas+dove+%22delinquency%22&source=bl&ots=NbjBZQ9Pui&sig=ACfU3U12RkMvVDTntUfWU7x_rmkAssvqHA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjm1bOt9JXjAhXXQRUIHZFADZQQ6AEwAHoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=thomas%20dove%20%22delinquency%22&f=false
Within the sanctity of St Andrew’s church, Ufford, lies the tomb of Lady Bridget Carre. Lady Carre was not born in Ufford, but she died in the village in 1621 whilst with her sister Katherine Quarles. Her tomb contains a quite remarkable effigy of Lady Carre reclining on her side leaning against her right elbow. She is resplendent in her ruff, cuffs and large hat and the rest of the effigy is well detailed to leave her advanced age in no doubt, as well as her wealth. The memorial still contains traces of paint from its original design, with vibrant reds, blacks and gold still clear to see.
Lady Carre was born to Sir John Chaworth and Mary Paston in 1542, living until she was 79. Her aunt, Eleanor Paston, was married to Thomas Manners, First Earl of Rutland, an ancestor of Charles Manners who built Ufford Hall. Her sister, Katherine Quarles, erected the memorial in Lady Carre’s honour. Lady Carre married William Carre of Sleaford, the major merchant family and her tomb is similar is style to that of Sir Edward Carre in St Denys Church in Sleaford.
Lady Carre is best remembered for being a lady-in-waiting to both Queen Elizabeth I and Anne of Denmark, wife of James I.
The memorial can be viewed in St Andrew's Church, which is open daily to visitors.
Grade II* listed, the Manor of Glinton was built around 1630-40, presumably by the Wyldbore family who are best known for building the Manor House on Westgate in Peterborough and for the MP Mathew Wyldbore who is remembered on 15th March each year in St John’s Church, Peterborough. Set back from the High Street, the house is identifiable by its ogee-shaped front gables with small balls at the apex. It is made from local stone with Collyweston slate roof and surrounded by over an acre of land.
Several other buildings make up the property, most of which are listed, including the grade II* listed stables, which are also 17th century along with the malt house, cattle sheds dating from the 18th century and a 19th century barn. The dovecote that also forms part of the group is dated to 1789 and contains a tablet with ‘1594 RW’ and is likely to have been reused from another building: he R W is likely to be a Wyldbore, but it not clear which one. The Manor of Glinton has existed since medieval times and this building is far from the first manor building. The 1594 date could have come from an earlier Glinton Manor building, or another building owned by the family.
The building is also connected to the Defoes who were said to have owned the building at various times along with their cousins the Wildbores.
References
Defoe's World - http://defoesworld.co.uk/93-2/
Glinton Manor House For Sale - https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-75765815.html
British Listed Buildings - https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101126792-manor-house-glinton#.XSXmgOhKjIU
Photo Credit
Manor House, Glinton, Peterborough cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Paul Bryan - geograph.org.uk/p/3532048
When the Bishop of Lincoln, William Atwater, visited Peterborough Abbey on 8th July 1515 he was not impressed with what he discovered. Instead of the upstanding penitent monks he was hoping to find, he discovered more of a student halls atmosphere. John Walpole or Walpool was said to have stolen jewels from St Oswald’s shrine to pay a local woman for her ‘services’. It is believed he was also in the group of monks who often visited a tavern close to the abbey (possibly The Angel, which the abbey supposedly owned) and after spending time in the ‘vulgar company of dancers and ballad singers’ arrived back in the dormitory and began singing and dancing until late. John Walpole must have atoned for his poor behaviour, for he remained at the abbey and was later noted as the prior in 1534. He was pensioned off in 1539 due to the dissolution of the monasteries and was provided with £14 per year, which was a very handsome sum for a pension.
Mary Deacon nee Harvey was christened on 15th June 1654 in Spalding. She was known as the wife of philanthropist Thomas Deacon and she was as much a keen philanthropist as he was. Thomas died in 1721, leaving money to start and maintain a school, but so did his wife. According to the memorial to Thomas and Mary Deacon, she gave £250 for a school in Fleet (near Spalding) which had begun in 1727 and provided free education to poor children. She also bequeathed money for St John's vicarage and the Grammar School (The King’s School).
Mary died without any living children, so her money and effects were shared out between her nephews and nieces and worthy beneficiaries. Her collection of books were offered to the Spalding Gentlemen's Society, where her nephew Joseph Sparke was a prominent member; he had also been a founder member of the Peterborough gentlemen's Society too. The society would not open its doors to women for over 200 years, but she wished for her books to be sent to a society that was based in her birthplace and had a family link.
The memorial to Thomas and Mary Deacon can be found inside Peterborough Cathedral along with their graves.
To be a common scold was to be a woman (or occasionally man) of nuisance. She was a gossip, loud, argumentative, unruly and unpleasant. If her husband had no effect at quietening her (for she was his property) then she could be labelled as a scold and face a suitable punishment. This has typically been associated with the ducking stool, a seated contraption that women were tied to. Whilst strapped to the stool or chair, they were ducked in a river or pond, being submerged for a short while under the water. It was not designed to injure the scold, but to dissuade them from their anti-social behaviour.
Unlike Norwich, which has identified the bridge from which scolds were ducked or 'cucked', there is no local tradition of scolds being ducked, however there is a record of a scold.
Known only as 'the wife of John Slegge' a woman was identified as a common scold 'to the grievous disquiet of the tenants'. We don't know which part of the city she lived in, but we do know that she was fined four pence for her crime. At a time when four pence went an awfully long way, it was hoped that the fine would help to curb her oral outburst and quieten her tongue.
Reference
W. T. Mellows and D. H. Gifford (Eds), Elizabethan Peterborough, Part Three of Tudor Documents, (Northants Record Society, 1956)
Image
A ducking stool from Cassell's Illustrated History of England, Volume 3 (Common Domain)
The church accounts belonging to St John the Baptist in the centre of Peterborough, were thankfully transcribed by W. T. Mellows some years ago. They allow the delicate pages of the original accounts to rest in the archives whilst the transcriptions are thumbed over. Far from being a dull record of money passing through the church’s hands, the accounts provides us with flashes of everyday life and the people working for or helping the church and from them we can learn a little more about life in the past in the city.
One of the records regards a William Farsett (possibly Farcet) who was a church warden. Unfortunately for him, he drew the short straw and had the task of ‘carrying out the doyng in the churchyarde’, which Mellows has indicated was dung! He was paid the handsome sum of 8 pence for the job, which is an excellent rate for 1543. Annoyingly there’s no indication of where in the churchyard the dung was, or whether it was human or animal. At least a later account tells us he had a cart, so he wasn’t moving it entirely by hand…
Reference
W. T. Mellows (ed.), Peterborough Local Administration Chruchwarden's Accounts 1467-1573 with Supplementary Documents 1107-1488, Northamptonshire Record Society, 1939
There is an old adage that spending time with children keeps you young: Mary Higby is the perfect example of this. Born in 1701, Mary lived in Yaxley with her husband Samuel Higby. He was a farmer and would have provided a comfortable living for his family, which was fortunate because there were a lot of them!
Mary and Samuel had 14 children christened, with only 4 dying as infants and one as a child, which is an excellent survival rate for the time. Sadly, two of the infants to die were Johnathon and Sarah, who were twins born in 1740. Jonathan died after only a couple of months, with Sarah following him a month after. To compound their grief, their next child Peter died after only a few days and their last child Eleanour, born in 1844 died after only a few months. Thankfully, Alice was born in between Peter and Eleanour in 1743 and was their 9th surviving child. Their daughter Elinor (not to be confused with Eleanour) had died had the age of nine. In order, their surviving children were Elizabeth, Judith, Anne, Mary, Diana, William, Samuel, Isabell and Alice.
The most extraordinary part of this story is Mary's legacy. She successfully raised nine children who also successfully raised large families and so did their children. Being surrounded by a constant tide of new children must have suited Mary and she lived to be 90. Her death was recorded anecdotally in The Gentleman's Magazine who claimed 'She retained her faculties until the last hour of her life, and had been the mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother of 250 children.' Grab a cup of coffee and a pencil and paper to work out how many children her children had...
References
S., Urban, The Gentleman's Magazine, Part 1, (John Nichols, 1791), p568
Freereg.org.uk
Image by Nikon-2110 from Pixabay
Henry Heath was born in Peterborough in 1599. He attended St John the Baptist church with his family where he was christened a protestant. Being from a wealthy family, he was able to attend Cambridge University and went with the intention of becoming a protestant minister. However, whilst there he converted to Roman Catholicism, his father converting later in life.
At that time it was illegal to practice the catholic faith in England, so Heath travelled to France where he lived in a religious commune until 1643, writing many books. During that year he travelled back to England with the hope of spreading the word of the catholic faith. However, he was arrested shortly after his return and thrown into the infamous Newgate Prison in London. He pleaded guilty to being a Roman Catholic Priest and was sentenced to death.
On 17th April 1643 Henry Heath was taken to the gallows at Tyburn, close to modern day Marble Arch, where he was hanged, drawn and quartered as a warning to others. Tyburn was the execution place of many Catholic Martyrs and a dedication was carved onto the wall of nearby Tyburn Convent in Hyde Park Place to remember all of the martyrs.
A legal request was first made for his canonisation in 1886 and he was successfully martyred in 1987 by Pope John Paul II.
References
'A Peterborough Martyr', The Tablet, 22 January 1887, p. 36.
Image of gallows by ServiceLinket from Pixabay
Katherine of Aragon was born in Alcala de Henares in Spain as a princess to King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella. She died as a former queen, having been exiled to Kimbolton to live out her final years before being buried in Peterborough Abbey in 1536.
At the time, clothing and materials were used as a sign of status, with only the most privileged able to use the best materials and colours. The finest materials involved the combination of threads such as silk and fine strands of metal which were woven together to create glimmering fabrics, the most famous being cloth of gold. Silk was a very time consuming material to create and even more so when it was woven into velvets and dyed. So what was used for the funeral of a former queen?
Black silk velvet was chosen to cover Katherine's funeral wagon and members of the funeral cortege also wore black velvet too. It was a material that denoted superiority; it would almost certainly have been made in Genoa, Italy, where the best black velvet was created.1 The thread, the weave and the dyeing process made it a status symbol, but the plain style meant that it could be worn by anyone from the staff of royal households to their pets and not cause offence or break status barriers.
A writer of the time described the cloth placed over Katherine's body as she travelled in the wagon as 'a cloth of gold frieze with a cloth of crimson velvet'2, which would have stood out amongst the black velvet and black cloth used to cover the horses in the cortege. We can imagine people seeing the cortege as it travelled through the countryside and into Peterborough, the cloth of gold and black velvets leaving no one in any doubt that a lady of great importance was travelling to her final resting place.
References:
1. ‘Henry VIII: February 1536, 6-10’, Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 10: January-June 1536 (1887), pp. 98-108
2. M. Watt, Renaissance Velvet Textiles, The Met Museum, 2011, <https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/velv/hd_velv.htm> [accessed January 20 2021]
Image by 1200219 from Pixabay
Little remains from the parish of Botolphbridge in the south of Peterborough except in the parish name of Orton Longueville and Botolphbridge. The hamlet, known as Bottle Bridge or Botolph Bridge, has been subsumed into Peterborough, but is remembered in Botolph Green and the Botolph Arms, with Botolph Bridge used as the name of a modern health centre.
The parish of Botolphbridge had only ever been a small one, but it had a great position by a crossing over the river Nene to the North. Archaeological digs of the 1980s showed there had been a substantial medieval village with a manor house and church. The church, known as All Saints, and manor had both been there since at least 1086 when they were mentioned in the Domesday book, and potentially as early as the nearby St Augustine's Church which has evidence of Saxon features.
Sadly, the hamlet was all but deserted by the the seventeenth century, with the manor gone by 1669 and the church demolished by 1695. Stone from the demolition was used to extend the church of Orton Longueville, which was already affiliated with Botolphbridge, and may have taken in remaining parishioners.
The site of the church is recorded in many early Ordnance Survey maps, a stone marking the spot. It can be found south of Longueville Junction, part of the Nene Valley Railway line, and can be reached by following paths by the railway line or from Botolph Green
Reference:
'Parishes: Orton Longueville with Botolphbridge', in A History of the County of Huntingdon: Volume 3, ed. William Page, Granville Proby and S Inskip Ladds (London, 1936), pp. 190-198. British History Online <http://www.british-history.ac.uk> [accessed 25 January 2021].
One of the earliest Tudor records in Peterborough is a charter relating to St John's Church. It is part of a collection of charters, mainly relating to medieval Peterborough, that detail the exchange of church-owned property from one person to another. What is most interesting about this is its reference to three guilds that operated in the city, known as 'the guilds of the Blessed Mary the Virgin, St John the Baptist and the Blessed Saints George and James, Martyrs'. The guilds were run by Aldermen, who were a form of councillor and would have been very important in the city. The document does not tell us if the guilds are craft or merchant guilds, but it does list the name of the Aldermen as John Kilham, Walter Watson and John Joy.
Other records reference the three guilds in the medieval and Tudor periods and we know that they were based in St John's Church in the centre of town.
Reference: PAS/GCH/24 and 25, Charters Relating to the Parish Church (St John) and Guild Lands of Peterborough, 30 January 1487-88
Image by bluebudgie from Pixabay
Mary Queen of Scots was executed at Fotheringhay Castle on 8th February 1587 and buried at Peterborough Cathedral. The funeral nearly six months later has been frequently written about, but less so the local connection at her execution.
William Cecil, Lord Burghley, persuaded Elizabeth I to order her execution but he did not attend it. Instead his nephew MP Robert Wingfield of Upton, Peterborough, was tasked with witnessing and reporting back the event to his uncle. He wrote a description three days later, which is still one of the most influential accounts of the execution. In it he recounts the fine details of her clothing, her final words, her mannerisms and the actions of her staff and dignitaries. He recalled how the axe was dropped twice to sever her head after a small piece of flesh remained after the first chop and that her little dog was found hiding in her skirts after her death.
This report differs somewhat from the sentimental report of Pierre de Bourdeille, one of Mary's household. He retold a more dramatic story that emphasised her suffering before she died and supported the idea of her dying as a martyr.
Many sources name him as Sir Robert Wingfield, but he wasn't knighted until 1603 after showing hospitality to the new King.
References:
"The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, 1587," Eye Witness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (2005).
R. Wingfield, Execution of Mary Queen of Scots, History's Eye Witness Account, 8 February 1587, Wingfield Family Society (2017) < https://www.wingfieldfamilysociety.org/execution-of-mary-queen-of-scots/>
The Orme family were very influential in the 1600s in Peterborough. They lived for sometime at the Bishop's manor of Boroughbury and in Priestgate too. They were also engaged in the work of the feoffees, helping to manage civic matters and support the poor and needy. As with any family, they weren't all well-respected individuals.
Humphrey Orme was born in 1620 in the city and rose to become the first MP in his family in 1654. His appointment was not a popular one in the city, which was no doubt due to his royalist persuasions at a time when England was ruled as a Commonwealth. The petition of William Collins, Edward Bud, William Packer, John Cawthorne, James Taylor, John Howson, and Robert Andrew claimed that he should not be the city's MP because he was 'not a person of known integritie (sic) nor of good conversation.' They laid eight points against him including that he kept 'common company' and was 'a profane swearer', 'hard drinker' and when drunk 'twice quarrelled with one Lawrence Robinson, both of them stabbing each other neare (sic) unto death last time.' He was re-elected in 1660 and died in 1671 being buried in the cathedral. His behaviour makes modern MP misdemeanours look very mild in comparison!
References:
Saunders, W. H. Bernard, Fenland Notes and Queries, ed. Sweeting W. D., (1891, G. C. Caster) pp. 99-100 <archive.org> [accessed 8 Feb 2021].
Helms, M. W. and Edwards, E. R., Orme, Humphrey [1620-1671] , of Peterborough, Northants, History of Parliament Online, <historyofparliamentonline.org> [accessed 8 Feb 2021].
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
Sir Walter Mildmay was educated at Cambridge and became an important figure in royal court proceedings and as an MP. In 1553, in the first year of the reign of Queen Mary, Mildmay was elected MP for Peterborough, having recently gained Apethorpe Hall (now Palace). He was a good friend of William Cecil of Burghley (who had not started building Burghley House yet) and he appears to also have been a good friend of Sir William Fitzwilliam II who had inherited his family estate at Milton and was a fellow MP for Peterborough in 1553; his daughter Winifred married Sir William’s son, also called William. He was also involved in the life and death of Mary Queen of Scots, visiting her with Cecil at Chatsworth and at nearby Fotheringhay, shortly before her execution.
Mildmay gained Apethorpe in 1551 after swapping lands he owned with King Edward VI, Apethorpe having been owned by Henry VIII. Queen Elizabeth I visited Mildmay there in 1562, with an engraving left on a chimney breast to commemorate the occasion, visiting twice more after that. We can also imagine rousing conversations between Mildmay, Cecil, Fitzwilliam and other Tudor dignitaries in some of the Tudor parts of Apethorpe that still stand today. The atmospheric Chapel and Hall are two very fine features of the original Tudor house that remain and can be viewed on guided tours of the house in the summer months with English Heritage.
References:
M. R. P., Fitzwilliam, William (c. 1550-1618), of Dogsthorpe and Milton Northants, The History of Parliament Online, <historyofparliamentonline.org> [accessed 11 February 2021].
S. M. Thorpe and R. J. W. Swales, Mildmay, Walter (by 1523-89), of Apethorpe Northants. and London, The History of Parliament Online, <historyofparliamentonline.org> [accessed 11 February 2021].
Apethorpe Palace, Wikipedia (2021) <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apethorpe_Palace> [accessed 11 February 2021].
Walter Mildmay, Wikipedia (2020) <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Mildmay> [accessed 11 February 2021].
Image: Paul van Somer I, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Abbey House sits on the B1040 to the west of the Abbey Church of St Mary and St Botolph and is now part of a complex of three individual premises, which include Thorney Abbey House or Place, to the West. The origins of Abbey House are believed to be Tudor, with sadly little of the first house remaining.
Abbey House was believed to have started as a grand hall house, the footprint being the furthest east section of the house, with a kitchen to the north of the hall. It originally belonged to Thorney Abbey but was sold to the Russell family in 1574 who bought several properties in the Peterborough area during the Tudor period, including Dogsthorpe Grange, which they appear to have sold in the year they bought Abbey House.
The house was considerably expanded in the 1660s, which meant a wall of windows became an internal wall. They now form an unusual feature in a sitting room, along with a sixteenth century fireplace. It is likely that other features of the Tudor building had survived, but a fire in 1971 meant that many details were lost.
For many years the house was home to Thorney Wildlife Park and some of the animals were kept in the house during the winter to keep them warm and dry. It was in February 1971 when a serious fire broke out in the Tudor part of the house, causing the death of three monkeys. A newspaper report of the time tells us that there were many small rooms and corridors in the original upper floors, which were all lost to the fire. The present building contains large rooms with only a couple of fireplaces hinting at the history now lost.
All of the buildings and grounds in the complex are private homes.
Reference:
J. Ayton, Country House in Cambridgeshire, <Justinayton.com> [accessed 15 February 2021].
Norton Claypoole was born around 1640 to John and Mary Claypoole or Claypole of Northborough Manor and emigrated to Delaware in America in 1678. Norton, a friend of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania and also a Quaker, was a well-respected man and engaged in many legal positions including Justice of the Peace for Delaware from Christmas Day 1682. He died in 1688 leaving a wife and several children.
Claypoole had many siblings and his older brother James, who was born in 1634 and had also converted to Quakerism, sailed out to America a few years later. In 1681 and 1683 he purchased land in Pennsylvania, sending servants to prepare the land with crops and build a small house ahead of his arrival. He arrived with his wife and children in October 1683 and lived there until his death in 1687.
Their brother Edward also emigrated to America, moving on to settle in Barbados.
Many Americans can trace their family back to the Claypooles and proudly associate themselves with the family that once called Northborough Manor their home. Northborough Manor is a private home, but the gatehouse can be booked for holidays or vacations depending on which side of the Atlantic you call your home.
References:
A. Brunk, The Claypoole Family Joiners of Philadelphia: Their Legacy and the Context of Their Work, Chipstone, <http://www.chipstone.org/> [accessed 1 March 2021].
Geni.com
Wikitree.com
The rich fertile lands around Peterborough have drawn people to the area for centuries. Similarly, the city and soke has offered a safe haven to migrants fleeing persecution, war or economic hardships. The Huguenots arrived in the Peterborough area, specifically around Thorney, during the seventeenth century. They were part of a group of people who had been subject to religious persecution in France for following Protestant Christianity in a country that was mainly Catholic.
They fled France and were welcomed in many countries in Europe thanks to high rates of literacy and their skilled craftsmen. In Thorney they worked under the leadership of Cornelius Vermuyden to assist in draining the flat but boggy lands of the fens and were rewarded with fertile farmland.
Records of the Huguenot population can be found in church records from Thorney. They were said to be the force behind the reuse of the Thorney Abbey church of St Andrew and St Botolph, with services beginning in 1652 and records in 1653. The Huguenots continued to speak in French for many years, so the church services and their records were also in French
Many French surnames are still common in and around the area, and include Fovargue and Lefevre References to the Huguenots can also be found in local place names including French Drove.
Thorney Museum is a good place to learn more about the Huguenots and view transcripts of their records.
References:
Thorney Society, 17th Century: The Earls of Bedford and early settlers, Thorney Museum <http://www.thorney-museum.org.uk/17th-century> [accessed 4 March 2021].
The Huguenot Society, Huguenot History <https://www.huguenotsociety.org.uk/history.html> [accessed 4 March 2021].
For such a small hamlet, Upton is satisfyingly full of interesting buildings and historical items. This is shown in the number of listed items in the area, none of which is as fascinating as the grade II listed sundial near to the manor house. The sundial was commissioned by Bishop Dove who lived in the manor house and was Bishop from 1601-1630 when he died. The sundial was originally kept in the garden of the manor house. But has since been moved to a paddock alongside the manor.
The plinth of the sundial is stone and features striking cavities that make it appear more as a piece of modern art than early 17th century garden furniture. The style and shape of the sundial appear to be in the style of Scottish stonework from the 17th century and may well be a rare lectern sundial, which would be quite appropriate for a bishop. How it came to rest in Upton is not known.
One account taken from The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire by John Bridges completed in the early 18th century and published in 1791 claims that it was created in the reign of Charles I and given that Bishop Dove died in 1630, we may assume it was created between 1625 and 1630. A sketch held in the collection of Castor church (of which Bishop Dove was rector) shows many of the details that once adorned the sundial but have been lost to the weather.
The sundial can be observed from a footpath near to the paddock, but is situated on private land.
The Baronetcy of Thornhaugh was created on 21st July 1603. It was conferred to Sir William Russell by King James I who had only been King in England for a few short months.
As with most of the gentry, Baron Thornhaugh owned land elsewhere in the country, but Thornhaugh was his principal estate and it was where he eventually died August 9th 1613. He had erected a large tomb before his death with his likeness laying on his back with his hands in prayer. His son kneels at his feet and other family members in profile around the base. The tomb has either been well respected or restored, for the colours and details are strong and clear, making it all the more impressive to modern eyes.
Image: Village Sign in Thornhaugh by Richard Humphrey (cc-by-sa/2.0)
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