Getting Steamed Up

24/10/1906

Information

Without entering into the debatable question of the desirability of two fire services in the city - one official, one volunteer - the Peterborough Express believed that it had become important to get a second steam fire engine in the city. It also pointed out that the volunteer team needed to become 'practically acquainted with the handling of a steamer'. Praising the volunteer service for their determination to raise sufficient money, it commented that they already had around £50 put aside for a steam engine. The Express also suggested that 'all citizens should show their gratitude for the Volunteer Fire Brigade by liberal donation to their fund'.

Taken from The Peterborough Book of Days by Brian Jones, The History Press, 2014.

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Bishop Dove Confirmed

1601

Information

Bishop Thomas Dove is a man who should be remembered. Born in 1555 during the reign of Queen Mary I, he 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 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 has 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.

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

https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-us/auction-catalogues/keys-aylsham-salerooms/catalogue-id-srkey10131/lot-05ee2c99-a6d5-4400-a41d-a6500103042e

https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details/collection_image_gallery.aspx?assetId=1192740001&objectId=41012&partId=1