WHGMag15 Layout 1 - Wellington History Group · and breeches, a helmet, and were armed with a sabre...

The History game seems tobe more popular now thanit ever was when I was at

school. Perhaps the fact thatincreasing numbers of folk aretaking an interest in theirancestors – and want to knowmore about their lives and theplaces in which they lived – hassomething to do with it.

This has undoubtedly led to agreater interest being taken intelevision documentaries (andeven ‘docusoaps’), historymagazines and, of course, books,especially those with local interest.

But we mustn’t forget thewealth of knowledge revealed inold newspapers and maps, andWellington Library is a good placeto spend a few hours gleaningfascinating details from books, aswell as newspapers on microfilm.

The latest additions compriserare (probably unique) mapsrelating to Wellington and itssurrounding area, including somefrom the Lord Forester Collection,all of which have been digitised atour request by ShropshireArchives.

These are now available forviewing on one of the library’scomputers. Ask a librarian toshow you how to access them.

They’re an important additionto the community history section.

WellingtoniaNewsletter of the Wellington History Group,

rediscovering the past of Wellington in Shropshire

Issue 15 : Second Half 2013

HISTORY’S HOT!

Only £2.00

IN THIS ISSUE******************

Page2. Call Out The Yeomanry

- Part Two3. Wrekin MPs4. Harry Hampton5. Notice Board6. Dickson Monument7. Local Author’s

Centenary8. Wellington Town FC

10. Art Deco & Modernism12. Dothill Park14. The Wellington Gibbet15. Plaque ‘Trigged’16. 50 Years Ago: 196318. Workhouse or

Almshouse?20. More 1963 Images

If Dothill House wasn’t‘Dothill House’, what was it?

(this extract from 1944 Sale Particularsgives a clue.) See page 12.

Visit us at www.wellingtonhistorygroup.wordpress.com

The Wrekin Constituencywas created in 1918.

How many of its Members ofParliament can you name?

See page 3.

The Art Deco TrailSee page 10.

The Yeomanry volunteermovement began in response tothe French threat to this country

at the end of the 18th century, butYeomanry troops were actuallydeployed in dealing with outbreaks ofdomestic civil unrest during the earlynineteenth century. How was theYeomanry organised in this area andwho made up its personnel?

From its beginning the officersof the Yeomanry came mostlyfrom the landed gentry, and in thisarea that meant from the Cluddes,the Eytons, the Leekes, theForesters and the Charltons. Thesefamilies also provided the countymagistrates, who played a leadingrole in keeping the peace. Someprominent local industrialists alsobecame officers in the Yeomanry inits early years.

The rank-and-file memberswere tenant farmers and workerson the landed estates. All membersof the Yeomanry were expected toundergo a period of training eachyear, to attend an annual campand to parade in full dressuniform. The officers wore ascarlet tunic, turned up with blackvelvet and gold lace, white sashand breeches, a helmet, and werearmed with a sabre and pistols.

With the reorganisation of 1814,the two Wellington troops (jointlycommanded by a major since1798) became part of the SouthShropshire Yeomanry CavalryRegiment, commanded by aLieutenant-Colonel. Within theregiment, each troop wascommanded by a captain andbelow him, in order of rank, werelieutenant and cornet (who carriedthe colours); and in the ranksusually two sergeants, twotrumpeters and about 90 men.

THE CLUDDES

The most prominent figures in theearly years of the Yeomanry in thisarea were members of the Cluddefamily and their relatives.William, son of EdwardPemberton of Wrockwardine,inherited the Orleton estate on thedeath of his uncle Edward Cludde

2 Wellingtonia: Issue 15: Second Half 2013

in 1785, on condition that hechanged his name. In the year hewas mayor of Shrewsbury, Williamraised the first voluntary corps inShropshire, as described by a laterLieutenant-Colonel of theregiment:1795 – On March 6th, a meeting washeld at the Pheasant Inn, Wellington,over which Mr Cludde of Orleton wasrequested to preside, and in a veryimpressive speech laid down thenecessity of every man coming forwardto assist in defending a gloriousConstitution against the meditatedattack of foreign foes...It was resolvedthat a Corps of 80 men should beenrolled, and Mr Cludde wasunanimously chosen to be Captain. Itwas also decided that the troop shouldbe called ‘The Wrekin Co. of ShropshireYeomanry Cavalry’.

When a second Wellingtontroop was formed in 1798, WilliamCludde became MajorCommandant of the two combinedtroops, termed ‘The First Corps ofthe Shropshire Gentlemen andYeomanry’; and with theamalgamation of five local troopsin the southern half of the countyin 1814 he became Lieutenant-Colonel of the South ShropshireYeomanry Cavalry. This was aposition he held until his

resignation in 1827, the year beforehis death.

His role was acknowledged onthe inscription on his monumentin Wrockwardine Church:He served his country for many yearsin the capacities of a magistrate andsoldier, in the latter commanding theSouth Shropshire Regiment ofYeomanry Cavalry with distinguishedzeal and ability, and in both renderingimportant benefits to hisneighbourhood in times of difficultyand danger.

Other members of the Cluddefamily and relatives who served inthe Yeomanry were William’s sonEdward, son-in-law William LaconChilde and cousin ThomasPemberton.

Edward Cludde (1783-1840),who succeeded his father atOrleton in 1828, had become anofficer in the second Wellingtontroop in 1803, and the celebrationof his 21st birthday at a Yeomanrygathering was recorded in thefollowing newspaper report:May 2nd 1804. On Thursday, beingthe 21st birthday of Major [sic]Cludde, great celebrations took place atOrleton, Wellington. The WellingtonVolunteers had a grand field day andafter marching into town fired threevolleys. Afterwards the Corps wasentertained to dinner by theirCommander Colonel [sic] Eyton.

William Lacon Childe ofWrockwardine had marriedWilliam Cludde’s daughter,Harriet, in 1807 and two yearslater took over from ThomasEyton as captain of the secondWellington troop. He continued ascaptain in the South ShropshireYeomanry Cavalry until hisresignation in 1826, soon aftersucceeding his father at KinletHall (near Cleobury Mortimer).

Thomas Pemberton ofWrockwardine Hall, WilliamCludde’s cousin, served aslieutenant in the first Wellingtontroop from 1795 to 1798.

OTHER GENTRY

Thomas Eyton, whose residencewas ‘The Mansion’ in the CrescentRoad area of Wellington, formedthe second Wellington troop in1798 and remained its captain

CALL OUT THE YEOMANRY! PART TWO Neil Clarke

William Cludde in uniform (paintingin Shropshire Regimental Museum)

until his resignation in 1809.Following his disgrace and suicidein 1816 [see Wellingtonia issue 11],his son moved back to Eyton Halland played no part in theYeomanry; but his grandson,Thomas Campbell Eyton becamecornet (1830), then lieutenant(1838) in the South SalopianYeomanry Cavalry until hisresignation in 1859.

Thomas Leeke of LongfordHall became a lieutenant in thesecond Wellington troop in 1822.His uncle, Egerton Leeke, who hadbeen a captain in the same troop in1803, lived at the family’s originalhome at ‘The Vineyard’,Wellington. Thomas’s son, RalphMerrick Leeke, became captain ofthe new Newport & Shifnal troopin 1834.

John George Weld-Forester,whose family seat had beenDothill Park until the move toWilley Park in the mid-18thcentury following marriage,became 2nd Baron Forester in1828. He had become a lieutenantin the South Shropshire YeomanryCavalry in 1825 and captain thefollowing year. He remained in theYeomanry until his resignation in1859.

St John William ChivertonCharlton, who succeeded to theApley Castle estate in 1838, was anofficer in the Dragoon Guardsbefore becoming a lieutenant inthe South Salopian YeomanryCavalry in 1859 and captain twoyears later, a position he held untilhis death in 1864.

His uncle, Philip Charlton ofWytheford Hall, had been a cornet(1822) in the ShrewsburyYeomanry Cavalry and lieutenant(1835) in the South SalopianYeomanry Cavalry.

INDUSTRIALISTS

Richard Emery of Burcot House,Wellington nailmaker and lessee ofthe Steeraway limeworks, waspromoted within the officer ranksof the first Wellington troop –cornet in 1795, lieutenant in 1798and captain in 1804. He continuedas captain in the South ShropshireYeomanry Cavalry until 1828, theyear before his death.

Henry Williams (above, photocourtesy of Paul Luter), local canalengineer and ironmaster, was alieutenant in the secondWellington troop in 1798. Apartner in the Ketley and Lawleyironworks, he lived at Ketley Hallfrom 1818 until his death in 1842.

William Anstice of MadeleyWood Hall inherited a share in theMadeley Wood Company from hisuncle, William Reynolds, in 1803,the same year that he became acaptain in the second Wellingtontroop.

Thomas Jukes Collier, aWellington wine merchant withinterests in the coal and iron tradein the Wombridge area, becamelieutenant in the first Wellingtontroop in 1804. He was later inbusiness in Newport.

Joseph Reynolds, half-brotherof William, was a partner inWellington’s first bank in 1805 andmanager of Ketley ironworks until1816. He became a cornet in theSouth Shropshire YeomanryCavalry in 1822, resigning when itunderwent amalgamation in 1828.

- . - . -With the setting up of police forcesacross the whole country by themiddle of the nineteenth century,the need to ‘call out the Yeomanry’no longer existed. The last timethat the two Shropshire YeomanryCavalry regiments were called outwas in 1842, to deal withsuspected Chartist agitation. Theregiments were amalgamated toform one county regiment in 1872.

C=Conservative; IC=IndependentConservative; I=Independent;

L=Labour; Li=Liberal; U=UnionistSir Charles Solomon Henry (Li)

(1860 - 1919)Dec 14, 1918 - Dec 27, 1919

Charles Frederick Palmer (I)(1869 - 1920)

Feb, 20 to Oct 25, 1920

Major-General Sir CharlesTownshend (IC) (1861 - 1924)Nov 20, 1920 - Nov 15, 1922

Mr Howard Stransom Button (L)(1873 - 1943)

Nov 15,1922 - Dec 6, 1923

Mr Henry Nixon (L) (1874 - 1939)Dec 6, 1923 - Oct 29, 1924

Mr Thomas Oakley (U)(1879 - 1936)

Oct 29, 1924 - May 30, 1929

Miss Edith Picton-Turbervill (L)(1872 - 1960)

May 30, 1929- Oct 27, 1931

Colonel James Baldwin-Webb (C)(1894 - 1940)

Oct 27, 1931 - Sept 17, 1940

Mr William Arthur Co!egate (C)(1884 - 1956)

Sept 26, 1941 - July 5, 1945

Mr Ivor Owen Thomas (L)(1898 - 1982)

July 5, 1945 - May 26, 1955

Mr WilliamYates (C) (1921 - 2010)May26, 1955 - March 31, 1966

Mr Gerald Fowler (L)(1935 - 1993)

March 31, 1966 - June 18, 1970

Dr Anthony Trafford (C)(1932 - 1989)

June 18, 1970 - F eb 28, 1974

Mr Gerald Fowler (L)(1935 - 1993)

Feb 28, 1974 - May 3, 1979

Mr Warren Hawksley (C)(1943 - ?)

May 3, 1979 - June 11, 1987

Mr Bruce Grocott (L) (1940 - ?)June 11, 1987 - May 1, 1997

Mr Peter Bradley (L) (1953 - ?)May 1, 1997 - May 5, 2005

Mr Mark Pritchard (C)(1966 - ?)

May 5, 2005 -

www.wellingtonhistorygroup.wordpress.com 3

WREKIN MPS


Joseph Henry ‘Harry’ Hampton(1885-1963), famous footballerand England International, was

born in Wellington. He was thefourth child of five in Henry andSelina Hampton’s family, whichlived in Bury Yards in 1891. Hisfather was a wood sawyer. By 1901only Harry and his brother Georgewere still living at home when thefamily had moved to 16 and 17Glebe Street.

Harry became a wood turnerand married Kate MaryHannaford in June 1906 at WestBromwich. By 1911 Harry hadbecomes a professional footballer,living at 32 Anderson Road,Erdington, Birmingham with Kateand daughter Beattie and aservant.

He started his footballingcareer with a number of localclubs, including Shifnal Juniors,Hadley and Lilleshall Iron Worksbefore making his debut forWellington Town on 19thSeptember 1903 (away to Walsallin a Birmingham League match,which Wellington lost 1-3).

During the 1903-04 season, hemade 24 appearances and scored16 goals (although some recordsfor scorers are missing for then).He transferred on a professionalcontract to Aston Villa for thelarge sum of £120 in April 1904.

The 1904-5 season at AstonVilla was a great success: the clubfinished fourth in the first divisionand reached the FA Cup final atCrystal Palace where, in front of acrowd of 101,117, Harry scoredboth goals in a 2-0 win overNewcastle United.

Nicknamed ‘Happy Harry’ and‘The Wellington Whirlwind’,Harry had a great goal scoringrecord at Aston Villa and to thisday he still remains the top scorerof all time with 242 goals in 372matches. He also played in the1913 FA Cup final for Villa whenSunderland was beaten 1-0 infront of a crowd of 121,919.

Harry was a ‘physical’ centreforward but in this match he hadto play in defence after the Villa

goalkeeper went off injured andthere were no substitutes in thosedays. There were some strongtackles and Harry and anotherplayer were suspended afterwardsfor an ‘unspecified incident’.

His tremendous goal-scoringrecord at Villa was as follows:

Despite his goal tally, Harrywas overlooked for internationalmatches, perhaps due to hisphysical style of play. However, on17th March 1913, he was selectedto play for England against Wales.England won 4-3 with Harryscoring one of the goals.

In April 1913 he scored thewinning goal when England beatScotland 1-0. He played a furthertwo internationals, giving him arecord of 4 international caps forEngland and scoring 2 goals. Thewar interrupted his internationalcareer but he did play in the‘unofficial military international’against Scotland in May 1916 atGoodison Park in front of 22,000when England beat Scotland 4-3with Harry again scoring .

Enlisting for the Great War in1915, Harry served in the Sommeand suffered from the effects ofmustard gas poisoning whichdamaged his lungs. He was neverthe same player after the war. Hisgoal tally was:

The Who’s Who of Aston Villabook describes Harry Hampton as

‘afraid of no-one, his strong, forceful,determined play was appreciated byplenty of fans. He was the idol of theVilla Park faithful fans, Hampton wasrobust in the extreme. He often bargedthe goalkeeper’. On one occasion hewas able to barge the famous 22stone goalkeeper William Foulkeover the goal-line. (Foulke wasborn in Dawley but played forSheffield United and Chelsea).

On February 25th 1920 hereceived a free transfer and signedfor Birmingham City FC in thesecond division where again hewas a success. He played for twoyears there, scoring 31 goals in 57matches. In September 1922 hetransferred to Newport Countywhere he played only 14 matches,scoring two goals.

He returned to WellingtonTown January 1924, playing 5matches and scoring five goalsbefore retiring as a player. Recordsconfirm that Harry played 29times for Wellington Town scoring‘at least’ 21 goals.

He then took coachingpositions with Preston North Endin 1925 and Birmingham City inJanuary 1926. After completelyretiring from football, he moved toRhyl where he ran the Carltoncafé.and died, age 77, in 1963.

Sadly, there is no memorial inWellington to this great footballer... but he is still remembered atAston Villa.

[With thanks to Maurice Barker,official historian to AFC Telford

United, for his help.]

HARRY HAMPTON Dave Weston

1904-05 28 matches 22 goalshelping Aston Villa win the FA

Cup1905-06 35 matches 20 goals1906-07 30 matches 21 goals1907-08 30 matches 19 goals1908-09 31 matches 9 goals1909-10 35 matches 29 goals

helping Aston Villa win thechampionship

1910-11 35 matches 21 goals1911-12 36 matches 28 goals1912-13 38 matches 30 goals

helping Aston Villa win theFA Cup

1913-14 35 matches 24 goals1914-15 32 matches 19 goals

1918-19 3 matches 5 goals1919-20 7 matches 0 goals


NOTICE BOARD

DISCLAIMER: Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this publication is correct at the time ofgoing to press. Wellington History Group cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions, nor do opinionsexpressed necessarily reflect the official view of the Group. All articles and photographs are copyright of the authorsor members of the Group and must not be reproduced without prior permission and due credit.

HISTORY GROUP CONTACT DETAILS

Please address all correspondence to:

WHG Secretary: Joy Rebello, 6 Barnfield Crescent,Wellington, Telford, Shropshire, TF1 2ES.

Tel: 01952 402459. email: [email protected]

Other officers of the Wellington History Groupcommittee are:

President: George Evans.

Chairman: Geoff Harrison.

Treasurer: Wendy Palin.

Wellingtonia Editor: Allan Frost.

OUR PUBLIC TALKS 2013–2014All talks begin promptly at 7:30 and are held in Wellington Library

unless otherwise advised. Admission is free but donations are invited.

* * *Wednesday November 20th

JIM COOPER: JOHN SLANEY, WELLINGTON WINE MERCHANT

* * *2014

Wednesday January 15thTOBY NEAL: WELLINGTON IN THE NEWS

* * *Wednesday February 19th

Speaker and subject TO BE ANNOUNCED

* * *Saturday March 1st

MARKET CHARTER DAY

Watch local Press for details of how this toll-levying Charterwill be commemorated in Market Square.

* * *Wednesday March 19th

BRIAN NELSON: SHREWSBURY–NEWPORT CANALS TRUST

* * *Wednesday April 16th

PAUL LUTER: INDUSTRIAL HISTORY OF KETLEY

* * *Wednesday May 21st

RICHARD LANGTON: POLICING IN WELLINGTON

* * *Saturday June 14th

Visit our stall from 10 o’clock onwards in All Saints parishchurchyard at WELLINGTON’S MIDSUMMER FAYRE

when we hope to sell the latest Wellingtonia magazine

* * *Wednesday June 18th

ALLAN FROST: A VISUAL CRAWL AROUND OLD PUBS

* * *Wednesday July 16th

PETE JACKSON: HISTORY OF WELLINGTON TOWN FOOTBALL CLUB

7:30 at the Buck’s Head Football Ground Learning CentreDonations after this talk will go to the football club’s current

charity appeal rather than for History Group funds.

* * *

HELP US – PLEASE!We know from experience that folk like

you have old photos, eventprogrammes, town directories and

even school, club and societymagazines and newsletters hidden

away in the darkest recesses of theirhomes. We also know that, unless

copies are taken now, there’s a dangerthat they will be thrown away or

destroyed ... and lost forever.Please help us preserve whatever pieceof Wellington’s history you happen tohave by letting us borrow it (or them)

for a few days so that we can takecopies. Rest assured, your originalswill be returned to you unharmed.

Our secretary (details below) awaitsyour call or email ...

WELLINGTONPUBS APPEAL

Allan Frost is writing a bookon Wellington’s Pubs andHotels. Please get in touchwith him if you have any

historical information, pricelists or other paper

memorabilia such as photos ofpub scenes and events – inside

and out – like sports fromdarts and dominoes to boxing

and football.His contact details are

email: [email protected]‘phone: 01952 299699;

address: 1 Buttermere Drive,Priorslee, Telford, TF2 9RE.

All items sent will be returned... Every little helps!


We’re blessed in this areaand around the countrywith historic churches of

all shapes and sizes which I’msure many of us enjoy. But howmany of us wander round thechurchyard and cemeteries? Notme. Or not until I completed anassignment for my Masters toanalyse the decay of a stonemonument in All Saints parishchurch in Wellington.

The one I chose to investigatewas the Dickson familymonument located behind thechurch. It is one of the fewremaining large scale monumentsin the churchyard after a clear upwas done in the 1950s when it wasconverted into a Garden of Restand handed over to the UrbanDistrict Council. During thisconversion, headstones weremoved and re-erected around theperimeter and ‘where possible’notice was served on the ownersof the larger vaults andmonuments. This was commonpractice across the country due tochanging attitudes after the GreatWar that dismissed the previousapproach of celebrating death andbuilding ostentatious monumentsand commemorations.Consequently, churchyards havebeen ‘tidied up’ in recent years,reflecting a modernist rejection ofVictorian aesthetics and anembracing of an Americaninfluenced lawn design.

John Dickson was adistinguished member of theVictorian community ofWellington, a railway contractorand local businessman as well asbeing a close friend of AlfredDarby I. His company ‘JohnDickson & Co.’ owned theShropshire Works and employed150 men according to the 1851census. He built several railwaylines around Shropshire, theMidlands and later Wales, oftenusing his own money,consequentially being declaredbankrupt twice in his career.Dickson died at the age of 73 andwas living in Mumbles, South

Wales at the time. There is noinscription of his death on themonument but he appears on theparish burial records of 1892 asdoes his wife in 1895, so it issensible to assume that they wereboth buried alongside theirchildren and other familymembers who are named on themonument.

Its current condition is fairlypoor, although most of thedecoration survives. The base inparticular is in a bad state, withseveral bits of stone missing andwhat appears to be a section froma railway track sticking out ateither end. It would be nice tothink that this is a ‘nod’ toDickson’s link with the railwayindustry, but it’s more likely tohave been inserted due to the closeproximity of the station and usedto help support the monument.

From indents in the base stone,it appears to have once hadrailings which were popularthrough the 1800s. Metal stillremains in the recesses which mayhave been removed for scraprecycling during WWII.

Conservation-wise, along withobvious signs of old age –discolouration, peeling paint,lichens and moss – there are alsosome serious structural issues.There is a complete loss of mortarin the joints, huge pieces of stoneare broken or missing, roots seemto be growing through the gapsand the base stones are uneven.There could be a combination ofreasons, including the generaldecay of the stone, and ingress of

water that has weakened somestones, causing them to crumbleand de-stabilise the base, as woulddismantling it on numerousoccasions to allow bodies to beinserted into the vault below.

There are no steps or othervisible method of getting into thevault, and it was not uncommonto disassemble the whole structurewhen bodies were added. Thismovement would gradually createlarger gaps. Another contributingfactor could be from themovement of ground and possiblesubsidence when the churchyardwas transformed.

There seems to be no record ofexactly when the monument wasconstructed as the earliest deathinscription date may not matchwhen it was erected. The DiocesanOffice has confirmed that there areno original drawings as there wasno need at that time for a ‘faculty’(permission) to be obtained – youbought your family plot and thatwas that.

Conserving these monumentsin a sensible way is just asimportant as conserving oldbuildings, although sadly notmany people think that; hence thelack of maintenance andcontinuing decay.

DICKSON MONUMENT Phoebe Farrell

Edith Pargeter was born on28th September 1913 at Horsehay,where her father was a clerk in thefitting shop at the local ironworks.

She was educated at DawleyChurch of England School and(below) Coalbrookdale High Schoolfor Girls. Leaving school in 1930,she had a brief spell as atemporary clerk in a LabourExchange before becoming anassistant and dispenser inBemrose’s, the chemist in DawleyHigh Street, where she stayed forseven years, living in a terracedcottage in nearby King Street. Theabove photograph of Edith wastaken at the chemist’s in 1936.

She was an avid writer from anearly age; her first novelHortensius, Friend of Nero, waspublished in 1936 and thebackground to her second novel,Iron -bound (also published in1936), is set in the area where she

had grown up. The heroine, whoworked in a chemist’s shop inDatchet (Dawley), had a doomedrelationship with the manager ofthe ironworks at Thorpe(Horsehay); and there were visitsto the cinema in Meynell(Wellington) and to Happy Valley(?) ...’the farther side of Datchet,where the coal mines were hideousblack growths even in the darkness,and fearful girls did not venture afterlighting-up time if they could avoidit’.

Following wartime service inthe Women’s Royal Naval Service(WRNS), for which she wasawarded a British Empire Medal,Edith formed links withCzechoslovakia, translatingliterary works.

After she moved to Madeley in1956, she continued herprodigious output of work,eventually writing over 70 books,mostly novels with historical ormystery themes.

Though she had severaldifferent names as a writer, it wasnot until 1959 that she first usedthe pseudonym Ellis Peters. Shepublished the first of the BrotherCadfael series, the work withwhich she is mostly associated, in1977; and she went on to write 20more stories of the medievalsleuth of Shrewsbury Abbeybefore her death in 1995.

The previous year she wasawarded an O.B.E. in recognitionof her services to literature.

7www.wellingtonhistorygroup.wordpress.com

LOCAL AUTHOR’S CENTENARY Neil ClarkeWith regular maintenance and

some TLC this could have beenavoided.

The monument has communitysignificance, not only emotionallybut also socially: manyinscriptions relating to the deathsof young children may indicatemortality rates at the time.

Then comes the issue ofownership – ultimately, theresponsibility of maintenance lieswith the family, but most relativesmay be long gone or don’t want totake it on.

Does responsibilty then restwith the church or the Council? Asurvey of the churchyard, withrepresentatives from Telford &Wrekin Council and the DioceseAdvisory Committee, carried outin 2004 highlighted the Dicksonmonument as worth saving;suggestions were made to repairit. Alas, this has not happenedbecause of lack of finance. This isthe problem in so manyconservation projects, includingthose concerning gravestones andmonuments because they areconsidered a lesser priority thanthe fabric of the church itself.

A great deal of work would beneeded to fully repair themonument as well as those inworse condition around thechurchyard.

After making it into a publicspace (which is full of people onsunny days) it seems that thechurchyard’s origins and historicalstructures have been neglected,overlooked or disregarded. Thegrass is regularly mowed but thesame care doesn’t extend to the(sometimes dangerous and unsafe)monuments. Fortunately, in recentyears there has been an increasingnumber of ‘Friends of …’churchyard and cemetery groupswho help to promote the beauty ofthese outdoor spaces.

Next time you see a church orcemetery, take time to look aroundand appreciate these elegantmonuments. They tell their ownpersonal stories about families,local communities, as well asshowcasing the talents and stylesof stone masons and changingattitudes towards death andreligion.


PART ONE

As our underlying theme ismemories and the past, Ithought that it would be

an appropriate occasion on whichto try and clarify a couple ofpoints about our predecessorclub’s very early days.

The first one is the connectionbetween the football team ofWellington Parish Church Instituteand Wellington Town FootballClub.

The Institute was founded byReverend Benjamin Banning, andthe Wellington Journal of 14thDecember 1872 reported on aninaugural meeting.

Other references tell us that theInstitute also had cricket andhorticultural sections. It did nottake long for the footballers tobecome active, for the Journalreported that in March 1873 theInstitute played matches (homeand away) against United CivilService (Shrewsbury) and the OldHall School.

The PCI team, as it becameknown, continued to play matchesuntil Wellington Town FootballClub announced its presence in1879. There are references tomatches between the Town teamand Shrewsbury Ramblers,Shrewsbury Engineers andWellington Blues.

Then, on the 26th November1879, Eddowes Journal (aShrewsbury weekly newspaper)contained a report of a game,played at Eyton, between theTown club and Scarlet Runners,Shrewsbury. The item tells us thatboth teams were new, but only ‘in

a manner of speaking’, and that theWellington team contained ‘anumber of faces’ who formerlycomposed the ‘PCI’ team’.However, my researches into 1879failed to find a more definiteconnection between the two, and Ibecame indebted to an article inthe Journal on the 18th May 1930to confirm matters.

The item was a report of ajubilee dinner to celebrate thefiftieth anniversary of WellingtonTown. It took place in the ErcallAssembly Room (attached to theErcall Hotel), Wellington, and MrHarold York, the president, waschairman for the evening. He saidhe had been present at the firstmatch played by Wellington Townwhen ‘the club changed its namefrom The Parish Church Institute’.That is good enough proof that theancestry of the club goes back to1873.

The same article in the Journal,in fact the same speech by thepresident, also clarifies a second

point, and that relates to homegrounds.

In the first years, it seems thathome fixtures were played on apitch in Leegomery Road,Wellington, ‘kindly loaned for theoccasion by Mr Shepard’; Springhill;and Admaston. There are alsoregular mentions of pitches atStreet Lane and Haygate.

Now, this is where a littlefamily history comes in useful.

My grandfather, Bill Robinson,told me he could remember, whenhe was still young enough to bewearing a smock (which I took tobe a child’s country gown – thepoint is that he was quite young),seeing his uncle Harry play forWellington Town on a field atBarnfield Farm (opposite The OldOrleton).

My grandfather’s memoryshould have been accurate becausehe was born and raised atBarnfield Farm, which wasowned/tenanted by his father.My late mother could also

WELLINGTON TOWN FOOTBALL CLUB Derrick Moore

AFC Telford United hasrecently become a ‘championfor dementia’, to which end

the club has done workrelated to its history and the

memories of supporters. As part of that, the followingtwo articles appeared in the

club’s programme.

Wellington Town F.C. 1882-3, the season in which they won the Shropshire SeniorCup – their second success in the competition inaugurated in the 1877-8 season,when Shrewsbury Town were first holders of the trophy. Included in the team areJohn (later Sir John) Bayley, Percy Pratchett, son of Lieutenant-Colonel Pratchettwho is also in the photograph. Lieut-Col. Pratchett was a keen follower of the clubin those days. One of the outstanding players of that time was full back Joe Wilson.He could kick the length of the pitch, and was described by Mr. W. Roden (also aplayer of that time) of Victoria Avenue, Wellington, as the finest full back he hadever seen. ‘I have never seen one to equal him since,’ he said. The names in thephotograph are: Back row (left to right): C. Kendrick, Billy Birch, Alf Weston, DickNicholls, Joe Wilson, Col. Pratchett, Alf Jones. Second row: Herbert Robinson, W.Roden, P. Pratchett, Harry Hodgess, Billy Meredith. Front row: John Bayley, TomBradshaw, George Scarratt.


remember a field at the farm beingcalled the Football Field. I amconfident that, as the farm isopposite the southern end ofHaygate Road, this would be thepitch that reports called Haygate.

As to Street Lane, that was thename my grandfather and mymother often gave to the section ofHolyhead Road that lies betweenHaygate Road and Ercall Lane.

Anyhow, I think that thechairman’s speech in 1930 clarifiesthe point, because he stated thatthe club had played at Haygate(i..e. Barnfield), then at Admastonand later on the Red Lion ground(Street Lane).

It seems to me, then, that thepitches in regular use in thosedays were at Eyton, BarnfieldFarm/Haygate, Admaston and atthe Red Lion/Street Lane(Holyhead Road).

* * * * *PART TWO

The recent activities inconnection with historicalmatters (as a result of which

the club has been awarded thedistinction of being a champion onbehalf of dementia-relatedillnesses) have certainly stimulatedinterest.

As a result, I am indebted toJudy Meeson, who is an archivistat All Saints’ parish church, forvery valuable information on therelationship between the footballteam of Wellington parish churchInstitute and Wellington TownFootball Club.

The Parish Church Institutewas accustomed to publishing amagazine, one of which(November 1879) states that ‘thefootball club, led by Mr WalterCorbett, in addition to winning anumber of matches, has placed a smallsum to the credit of the Institute. Thethanks of the Club are due to MrTaylor, of Haygate, for the loan of hisfield’.

It seems to me that this waseffectively an end-of-an-era report,because Wellington Town FootballClub had taken over the mantle ofthe PCI in the same month.

Two thoughts come to mind inrelation to this information. Oneis the reason for the change of

identification to Wellington TownFootball Club. I think that JudyMeeson and I have(independently) come to a similarconclusion.

In Judy’s words, ‘when it nolonger remained purely an activity forthe ‘spiritual and intellectualimprovement of its younger members’the club broke away from the churchand became a town-wide footballclub’.

In the early years of WellingtonTown club, reports of attendancesof upwards of a thousand are notuncommon, and it would not bestretching the imagination too farto suggest that the popularity ofthe PCI’s team had taken over theInstitute’s original purpose.

We need to bear in mind, also,that the population of Wellingtonwas much smaller than it now is,which indicates that attendingfootball matches was a ratherpopular pastime.

Judy Meeson’s information alsothrows some light on (or,alternatively, rather muddies thewaters in relation to) the earlygrounds. It records the fact that aMr Taylor had loaned a field atHaygate. As my great-grandfatherRobinson owned/tenantedBarnfield Farm (my grandfatherwatched his uncle Harry Robinsonplay for Wellington Town on afield there), it suggests thatHaygate and Barnfield Farm weredifferent venues.*

We can also throw into the mixthat matches were reported ashaving taken place at Street Lane(i.e. the present-day HolyheadRoad); Spragg’s RecreationGround, Street Lane; the Red Lionpitch (referred to in a speech bythe then chairman tocommemorate the fiftiethanniversary of Wellington Town in1930).

It occurs to me that it ispossible that the pitches at the RedLion and Barnfield Farm were oneand the same, but that remainsconjecture at this point.Nevertheless, reports of the timeindicate that the followinggrounds were used:

1. A match took place inMarch 1873 against the Old Hall

School on ‘a field kindly loaned forthe occasion by Mr Shepard’ inLeegomery Road.

2. In March 1874, there was agame versus the YMCA ‘on a fieldopposite Dr Rider’s.’

3. In February 1875 a fixtureversus Trench took place at SpringHill.

4. The game against Trinity(Shrewsbury) in October 1878 tookplace at Street Lane.

5. The venue for WellingtonTown’s match against ScarletRunners (Shrewsbury) was Eyton.(A report of February 1880 tells usthat a field, possibly the same one,was ‘kindly lent by TC Eyton’).

6. In October 1880 a gametook place at Haygate – possiblyMr Taylor’s, or Barnfield Farm orthe Red Lion or Street Lane etc.).There are then frequent referencesto Haygate.

7. Also in October 1880, anaway fixture was played at thehome of Wellington Blues. Iwonder whether that was thepresent-day Buck’s Head ground.

8. Spragg’s RecreationGround, Street Lane, is mentioned.

9. September 1888 witnessedthe move to a new ground atAdmaston Spa, but it was achange of surroundings of whichthe Wellington Journal did notapprove. It commented, ‘The fieldcan scarcely be said to be a good one.Not only was the grass far too long,the field of play was very uneven, andit certainly requires a lot of levellingbefore it as good a piece of ground asthe old one. The field was, however,capitally fenced out; the spectatorsbeing kept away from the touchlines’.

* * * * *[The photograph on the previouspage shows the Wellington Townteam in 1882-3, with mygrandfather’s Uncle Harry on theextreme left of the middle row!]

* * * * ** Editor’s note: This statement iscorrect. Mr T Taylor owned (as hisfamily had for a substantial number ofdecades by this time) the buildingknown as Haygate Farm. In the past, ithad had other names, including theRoyal Oak, the Haygate and the FalconInn – several of which were closelyassociated with stage coach services.


One of the most creativeperiods in our architecturaland design history,

strangely neglected now, wasduring the 1930s. People usuallythink of this time as onedominated by poverty,unemployment, strikes and warbut it was also one of the mostexciting time in the developmentof new artistic styles whichembraced new building design,London Underground stations andposters, clothing, jewellery,cinemas and glamorous cinemasets, pottery, ship, car and aircraftdesign.

This new universal style wasknown at the time as ‘Moderne’but is better known today as ‘ArtDeco’. It was perhaps the first timethat a single style had so muchinfluence over such a wide rangeof products, a few of which appearin the far column.

Anyone who watches thePoirot programmes on ITV3 willrecognise the style in many of thebuildings and interior decoration.The spectacular Midland Hotel,Morecambe, Lancashire (below) issometimes used.

Shropshire cannot competewith the ‘Poirot’ examples but wedo have quite a collection of Decobuildings in our county.

WHERE ARE THE

DECO BUILDINGS LOCALLY?

Grove Street, St GeorgesThe most significant collection isin the most surprising location,hard to find unless you know..

There are seven classic Decohouses in Grove Street, next toeach other, built by GeorgeEngland a local man who planneda further 23 houses there in thesame style. This would have madeit a site with more deco housesthan anywhere else in the country,rivalling Frinton Park Estate inEssex.

Surprisingly the Grove Streethouses were not built in the 1930s.The foundations were laid in 1939,only seven of the planned 30houses were completed in 1947.

Wellington CentreWellington's former Rural DistrictCouncil office on Tan Bank (top ofnext column) was built in 1939.

It was then a single storybuilding displaying typical Decowindows and stepped recesseddoors, flat roof and a white pillaron the classic frontage.

In the photograph above, youcan see the shielded car headlight,a wartime precaution to preventenemy aircraft spotting the carfrom above at night time.

Glass bricks were a favourite ofthe 1930 Deco builders and wewere fortunate to have a goodexample in the former Boys’Grammar School (latterly ErcallWood Technology College):

The Clifton Cinema (below,until recently occupied by DunelmTextiles and now standing empty),was built in 1937.

There are moves to restore itand create an Arts Centre for the

ART DECO AND MODERNISM Phil Fairclough


town. Let us all hope thecommittee succeeds in thisexciting venture.

The foyer at the front willbecome a cafe and could beredecorated in the original pinkDeco style.

Iron Bridge Power Station

The original power station wascompleted in 1932. All exceptingthe water pump house, was pulleddown in the 1960s to make wayfor a much larger plant. The pumphouse has some Deco featureswith the stepped top of the frontfacade (compare it with theWellington Spiritualist Church),the geometrical pattern ofcoloured bricks and the longnarrow rectangular windows.

Spiritualist Church,junction of Regent/Watling Street,

Wellington

Although built much later, thepale render on the front, thelettering style and the stepped topfrontage follow the 1930’s style. Somany men were lost in the Firstand Second World Wars thatpeople flocked to spiritualism atthis time in an attempt to contacttheir lost sons and husbands.

Other buildings of interest inthe locality are in Shrewsbury andLudlow. Oakfield Road and

Shelton Road, Shrewsbury havetwo fine examples of domestichouses but the most dramatic isthe one next to the CatholicChurch in Henley Road, Ludlow, astark contrast with the Basilicachurch next door:

It was not just buildings thatcaptured the excitement of theDeco style.

Highly collectable pottery fromClarice Cliffe (above), SusieCooper and Charlotte Rhead, alltrained at the Burslem Art College,are very sought after now byprivate collectors. In May 2013,two Clarice Cliffe candle stickssold at auction in Newport,Shropshire, for £400!

It was a universal style. Radios,furniture, even the humblevacuum cleaner were given thesun ray treatment sometimesdecorated with shiny aluminiumor chrome ‘go faster’ stripes.

Dancing girl statues, like thoseshown above, were produced inbronze, nude or nearly so, in verystylised poses. Buy them quickly ifyou see one ... they still seem to beshooting up in price.

WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR

It is very easy to spot the classic

flat roofed white stucco renderedthirties Deco buildings, but thereare many features in ordinary1930s semis that reveal theinfluence.

1. Sun Ray design on doors andeaves, as on these Hadley houses:

2. Coloured window glass,chevron design.

3. Stepped recessed doors withcanopies.

4. Sun trap window glass(curved glass at each end ofwindow).

5. Metal ‘Crittall’ windowframes, (made by CrittallCompany of Essex).

6. Corner windows straddlingtwo walls.

7. Port hole windows andrectangular windowsgeometrically arranged.

8. White outside render.9. Green glazed roof tiles.

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC?Very few major Deco houses areopen to the public. The full scopeof the style can be seen in hotelslike the Midland in Morecambe.

There are a few houses whichare open:

1. Coleton Fishacre, Kingswear,Devon (National Trust).

2. Eltham Palace (interior),Greenwich, London (EnglishHeritage).

3. Hoover Building, Greenford,Middlesex (a Tesco supermarketnow, but front and side still haveoriginal features).

4. Highcroft House, Dartington(National Trust).

There have been a few articlesabout the Dothill estaterecently in other

publications. We have been askedto clarify a few aspects andprovide some more illustrations.

The correct name for both theestate and its principal house wasalways Dothill Park, not DothillHall or Dothill House. DothillHouse was the name given towhat had been known as DothillLodge which lay on the northernside of the road which now curvesround where Whitchurch Roadjoins North Road. Dothill ParkFarm (later just Dothill Farm) wasthe name given to the farmbuildings which lay immediatelynorth of the main Dothill Parkresidence.

Dothill Manor was the namegiven to the pre-Conquest houseand surrounding estate. Theoriginal property was enlarged atvarious times and parts rebuiltuntil the Georgian-style complexseen in photographs (includingthose shown here) resulted.

A date stone set into the southfacing side of the segment whichsits between the highest portionand the lowest building(supporting the conservatory) borethe date 1642, confirmed buildingwork done at that time.

At no time was Dothill Park acastle; there has never been alicence to crenelate the formermanor house, as was the case atnearby Apley Castle. Without suchpermission, Dothill was forbiddento fortify the manor house.

Sometimes the existence of amoat or earthwork is cited asevidence but remains of anapparent earthwork to theimmediate east of the house (seethe 1929 map above) was probablynothing more than an enclosurefor cattle and sheep to preventthem straying before being taken(for example) to market or forslaughter.

Such ‘raised bank enclosures’were common from Iron Age timesright through to the end of theeighteenth century: Watling Street

Grange on Red Hill had one. Fullor partial moats were often createdaround Medieval manors as abasic form of protection againstintruders. Orleton Park still hasthe remains of one, for example.

Furthermore, a ditch betweenthe flower garden and the adjacentfield was simply a ha-ha, theditch-and-bank device used toseparate grazing land from formalgardens at many country houses.

In 1734, Lord Forester had twograssy hillocks created, one oneach side of one of the pools, forspectators to watch suchentertainments as water jousting.

Dothill was owned by the LordForester for many years before theGroom family occupied it from theearly 1890s (Richard Groom diedthere in 1893, aged 75).

Some time after Ernest Groom,the last of the dynasty to occupythe Park, died of a coronarythrombosis at the family timberworks on 22nd August 1944, theproperty was owned by theWrekin Brewery Coy. Ltd.Wellington Urban District Councilacquired the Park in 1956 with aview to building housing estatesand schools. Which it did.


DOTHILL PARK Allan Frost

In addition to farm workers, DothillPark relied on resident gardeners toprovide a steady supply of vegetables

and fruit, as well as to maintainformal flower beds. Billy Little (seenbelow with his wife, and opposite inthe photograph of the south-facing

garden wall near the Park Pool, in thelate 1930s) was the last. Peaches weregrown on the wall next to the lean-toconservatory at Dothill Park itself.


Above: Dothill Park c.1890s.Phyllis Little (left) and May Little

(right) outside their parents’ cottage(date not known).

South-facing wall and garden

Sila

ge p

it

DOTHILL FARM

DOTHILL PARK

Park Pool

The Dovecote

Billy Little’scottage

1642 DOTHILL FROM THE WEST

1642 date stone

LATER DOTHILL FROM THE EAST


Everyone likes a spooky storyat Halloween and when wewere young my sister and I

were no exception. As wetravelled along what is now theB5061 past Overley Hill, mymother would tell us of the tale ofthe gibbet that stood along theturnpike road near Uppington.

The exact location was unclearbut she was repeating what herFather Thomas Turner had toldher having heard the tale whenspending time in the village ofAston as a boy, staying withrelatives.

On joining Wellington HistoryGroup (WHG), I told GeorgeEvans the tale but he had noknowledge to back up the story.

Similarly, Allan Frost could nothelp, except to point out, quitecorrectly, that Wellington Courtsdid not have the power to pass adeath sentence; therefore, it wouldbe unnecessary to have a gibbet.

Hangings were carried out onthe gallows at Old Heath,Shrewsbury until 1795 when thesite was relocated to above theGatehouse of the prison. Publichangings continued there until1868 from which point criminalsmet their end inside the prisonwalls.

Several years passed and Ivolunteered to give a talk for theGroup about the part of my familythat had Wellington roots, theTurners. In the short time I havebeen working on my family tree,one thing I have learned is thatfamilies tend to be large and Ihave often gleaned informationfrom distant relatives or locals ‘inthe know’.

In this vein, Jim Cooperbrought a document to myattention, The Journal of JamesTurner 1854-58. I borrowed hiscopy and read it from cover tocover. Sadly, this fascinatingdocument was about a totallydifferent Turner family that wasbased in Wrockwardine. However,it did contain a story thatintrigued me because it referred tothe gibbet on the turnpike road.How could this be?

Reaching for the dictionary, I

saw the initial definition of gibbetas ‘a gallows’ but reading on therewas a second description of ‘anupright post with an arm onwhich bodies of executedcriminals were left hanging as awarning or deterrent to others’.

This must have been the natureof the gibbet I had been toldabout. (WHG Special Paper 2,page 2 refers to another gibbet thatI calculate was somewhere nearthe Apley Arms just north ofWellington.) As the practice ofgibbeting was outlawed inEngland in 1834 it is no surprisethat little is known of our localgibbets.

My gibbet had existed at somepoint on the road from Wellingtonto Shrewsbury.

Here is the story from JamesTurner’s Notes of the events of 1723,290 years ago, more or less as itwas written in 1872.

‘Robert and William Bolas wereengaged in breaking into a barn tosteal some wheat which WilliamMatthews and Walter Whitcombewere defending on behalf of theirmasters. Robert Bolas was executed atShrewsbury for the murder of themen, and was afterwards gibbeted in afield abutting on the turnpike roadnear Uppington.

‘Sometime after this event, someyoung men were drinking at theHorseshoe Inn at Uckington, when awager was made with a young manpresent that he durst not go to thegibbet and ask old Bolas how he felt.

‘The young man set out on hiserrand, but another of the party, by anearer road, got to the gibbet first, andconcealing himself behind it, awaitedthe arrival of the young man, whomustered just sufficient courage toput the question, “Bolas, how areyou?” when he was answered in asepulchral and tremulous voice, “Coldand chilly.”

‘The fright of the young man onhearing, as he supposed, old Bolasspeak, may be easily imagined; he setoff at the top of his speed andimmensely frightened, on his wayback, his fright being accelerated byanother of the party leaping after himfrom a hedge on his road home, loadedwith chains. It is said that the frightwas the cause of the young manlosing his reason.

THE WELLINGTON GIBBET Wendy Palin

The Horseshoe Inn at Uckington, as it was in 2006

15

‘Further detail reveals that Bolas’body was stolen by his friends andtaken to the river Tern , weights weretied to it , and it was cast into a holenear Duncott, still called Bolas’s Hole,but, saith report, nothing could makeit sink. Ultimately the authorities hadit replaced on the gibbet.

This event gave rise to aShropshire saying “I am like OldBolas, cold and chilly.” Heard in 1830in Canterbury, uttered by a native ofthe London area, according to TheSalopian, Aug 24, 1872.’

This story leaves me with anumber of new questions aboutthe crime and the gibbet location;the search for answers is on-going.

For the record, WilliamMatthews’ murder left a pregnantwidow. He was buried in thesouth west corner of Wellington’sAll Saints churchyard (near wherethe Lych Gate now stands).

The grave is no longer there,but in 1872 a record of theinscription read:

Burial records show the burialtook place on Jun 21st (an affidavitdelivered).

The inscription was ambiguousand this led to speculation in thelate 19th century that Bolas hadmurdered all three familymembers, but inspection of thechurch records show that thecouple were married in Nov 1722so had not been married a yearwhen William’s life was taken.Margery died almost fifty yearslater. Their son lived until 1752,when he died aged 29.

* * * * *There will be more to report onthis story in the next issue ofWellingtonia.

Andrew Rochelle (1942-2006) hadnot long retired from his job as asurveyor for the Ordnance Survey(OS) when he died whileexercising in a gym.

Very much a Shropshire Lad,Andrew was born in Leegomeryand joined the Ordnance Surveyafter leaving Adams Grammarschool, Newport.

Following training atSouthampton, he workedsuccessively at Sutton Coldfield,Wick (where wife Wendy enlargedthe family with son Christopherand daughter Sarah), WestMalvern (for the Satellite TrackingUnit), Haverford West, Staffordand, finally, Wellington where theOS office occupied the floor abovethe HSBC on the corner of StationRoad and Market Square.

After Andrew died, the idea ofa plaque was mooted by NeilDewfield, a former colleague. Asfar as we know, the memorialplaque on The Wrekin Hill trigpoint is the only one in existence,and is an indication of how wellAndrew was regarded.

The plaque was installed inDecember 2006 in a touchingceremony attended by OScolleagues, ladies from LeegomeryWRVS cafe where Andrew hadworked in retirement, andmembers of his family.

www.wellingtonhistorygroup.wordpress.com

PLAQUE ‘TRIGGED’ Allan Frost

June 18th 1723Here Lieth the Body of

WILLIAM MATTHEWS,who was barbarously

Murdered by ROBERT BOLASand his accomplices.

Also Williamhis son aged 29 years

1770 Margeryhis wife aged (blank) years.

Folk walking to thesummit of The Wrekin Hill

often touch the trig point nearthe summit (the highest point is

actually a few metres to thenorth east) as a sign that

they’ve ‘made it!’ Yet few takethe trouble to read the twosmall plaques fixed to thecolumn sides. One plaque

simply states ‘This monumentforms part of the Ordnance

Survey’s National GPS Network’;the other includes a tribute to aman who, like many of us, hada strong affection for the hill.

Left: Ordnance Survey engineers fix Andrew’s plaque to the side of the column.Right: Ordnance Survey colleagues toast a respected colleague with his favourite

tipples: Old Pulteney single malt whisky (from Wick) and Martell Cognac.

Above: Andrew on a New StreetMethodist youth club hike, early

1960s. Below: The memorial plaque.


JANUARY

Major refurbishment of theCharlton Arms under themanagement of Mr. & Mrs. R.Baldwin does much to raise thehotel’s status. The cocktail bar(above), and the newly-createdOpen Road lounge bar were justtwo areas to benefit. The hotel hadjust been added to the RAC’s listof Appointed Hotels.

The weather was cold enough towarrant a mention: it was thecoldest January since 1948.

FEBRUARY

Boys at Wellington Grammarschool made their own skis.Members of the school’s Ski Club(below) tried them out on theslopes of their playing fields.

Motorists, however, had tocontend with severe delays totraffic along the A5 and countrylanes waiting for tractors to movestranded vehicles out of the wayand clear the roads.

MARCH

British Rail chairman Dr. RichardBeeching’s plan to restructure theBritish rail network includedwithdrawal of these services:

Local stops (Admaston, Walcot,Upton Magna) betweenWellington and Shrewsbury;Wellington–Stafford; Wellington–Crewe. The Wellington–MuchWenlock route was already closed.

All was not what it seemed.Beeching’s duplicitous ministerialannouncements said the changes

were essential to improve therailway network and guarantee itsfuture; in fact, the (hidden) agendawas to promote road transport andincrease the number of motorwaysin the long term.

APRIL

Local authoress Edith Pargeter ispresented with an ‘Edgar’ (aceramic statue of Edgar Allan Poe,whom some consider ‘to be thefather of the detective story’)awarded by the Mystery Writers ofAmerica.

Edith’s novel, written underher Ellis Peters pen name, Deathand the Joyful Woman, had beenserialised in the Chicago Tribune,and made into a film by AlfredHitchcock.

MAY

The Gas Board moved into a ‘fine’showroom in New Street:

JUNE

The Midland Bank on the cornerof Station Road and MarketSquare was proud to reveal itstotally refurbished andmodernised premises (below),complete with all the latestbanking facilities for the comfortand benefit of customers.

The Midland Bank was formedin 1908 following the absorption ofthe North and South Wales Bank

50 YEARS AGO: 1963 Joy Rebello/Allan Frost

The following reportsappeared in the Wellington

Journal & ShrewsburyNews at various times

during 1963.


which had previously occupiedthe site.

JULY/AUGUST

You can often tell when townplanners have outlandish andhideously expensive ideas: theypersuade councillors to raisepublic awareness of, for example,congestion and untidinessproblems – and the wonderfulideas they have to solve them.

So it was in 1963 whenWellington Journal ran reports ofhow bad the traffic problems inNew Street (above) had become.

How long would it be beforeexpensive plans would appear?

As it happened, no time at all. Urban District Councillors

apparently voted ‘unanimously’ infavour of a drastic redevelopmentof the town centre (see plan aboveright, which included a bowlingrink – very popular at the time)which would have destroyedmuch of its architectural heritage.

Commonsense prevailed,assisted by a stark realisation thatsomeone would have to pay for it.

The one aspect which wasclung to like a lifebelt was the ideaof a Ring Road. Every town worthits salt had one. The fact that itwas utterly inappropriate forWellington and would act as anoose, stifling future commercialdevelopment, was ignored.

Then as now, town plannersand councillors don’t always seethings as normal folks do ...

SEPTEMBER

Midlands Electricity Board’sproducts had instant appeal towomen. In an exhibition at WrekinHall, new equipment meant‘lighter work in the kitchen formeal preparation, cooking,laundry and washing dishes.’Naturally, disinterested men onlyhad to pay for all this wonderfulstuff ...

Vernon Cooper opened a newelectrical shop at 33 New Street(below), selling all the latestdesigns under the slogan, ‘Try inyour own home first.’

The firm ‘believes in high speedservice’ and delivery vans werefitted with radio telephones.

NOVEMBER

Dramatic improvements toemergency 999 calls came whenthe Wellington telephone exchangewas upgraded to include anautomated system.

DECEMBER

The weather made headlines againat the end of the year.

Mr. & Mrs. C. Rigby and theirson Paul, of Severn Drive, made asnowman in their garden:


Our picture of theworkhouse is no doubt thepicture of Oliver wanting

‘more’; that story by CharlesDickens was a deliberate attemptto portray the workhouse as aplace to avoid, but the simpletruth is that ‘Life was meant to bemuch tougher inside the workhousethan outside, and the buildingsthemselves were deliberately grim &intimidating - they were designed tolook like prisons. They were full ofillness and disease brought about byover-crowding & the starvation diet’.

This purpose of the workhousewas a response to the perceivedills of the time, the nineteenthcentury, when each person knewtheir place in society and whatwas expected of them; the poorworked or starved. Poverty was asocial disease and the suffererswere responsible for their ownfate. Legislation was put into placeso that each Poor Law Unionwould ‘look after its own’; thissimply codified what was alreadyavailable; there had been ‘poorsupport‘ from the parish forcenturies but it appears that withthe migration of farm workers andtheir families from the country tothe industrial manufactories indirty, grimy, unplanned crowdedtowns the destitution of the poorbecame more pronounced.

The Established Church wasthe ‘local authority’ of the middleages until the legislation of thenineteenth century which began toset up and develop what we mayrecognize as present day secularlocal authorities. In the growingcentres of manufacturing therewere but a few small parishchurches; the origin of the townwould have often been a smallvillage church, and these could notpossibly cope with the huge influxof poor families migrating to findwork, which they mistakenlybelieved could provide betterfinancial rewards than working onthe land.

The state had to intervene toencourage the development ofworkhouses. In 1782 an Act ofParliament permitted parishes tocombine to provide for a ’proper’workhouse but many parishespreferred to act independently inproviding for their poor. Furtherlegislation in 1834 compelledparishes to unite into ‘unions’ todeal with the poor and set upworkhouses.

Our local area was not one ofthe new centres of manufacturingsuch as Manchester, Birmingham,Sheffield and others; the relief ofthe poor changed little, yes therewas a workhouse but often thelocal parishes did their best to aidthe poor in the traditional manner.The Established Church was nottotally ignorant of the situation. Aswith any local authority, thechurch wanted to know abouttheir ‘region’ and in 1772 theBishop of Lichfield & Coventrysent out a questionnaire (below,right). And one of the questionsconcerned the provision for theparishioners; the response is fromthe Parishes of All Saints andEyton (left).

Relief of the poor in earliercenturies was the task of theEstablished Church through theparish, where a Poor Rate waslevied to support the work. Inaddition people of wealth oftengave donations to alleviate thesuffering of the poor.

Church records, often the GlebeTerriers, provide some evidence.Wrockwardine Glebe Terrier 1845 –‘Benefactions: Edward Pemberton’sbequest towards setting forth andbinding an apprentice every thirdyear, orphans being preferred; ThomasOre left £2 to the poor not dependenton the parish’.

In All Saints Glebe Terrier weread ‘Benefactions; RichardSteventon in 1658 gave £10 pa. to thepoor ... Walter Marygold ofLeegomery gave £1 pa. to the poor onGood Friday; Roger Pavier gave £4for the poor on Easter Monday ...’

This tradition of benefaction –those with wealth giving to theparish poor – has a long historyand almost always was rooted in‘buying salvation in the afterlife’.

Fulk Eyton who died 1454 left awill, the earliest Shropshire will tosurvive written in English and theearly part is certainly focusedupon his afterlife; there is a greatdeal of instruction as to the ‘dirgesand masses’ which were to be saidfor his soul. ‘... that there be takenmy best goods for to say five thousandplaceboes and dirigies, and fivethousand Masses and for every dirigieand Masses fourpence’.

In the latter part of this will hemakes a bequest to the almshousesat Tong College, in return thealmsmen are to say De profundis athis grave. Such concerns of thewealthy with their afterlife had ledto the foundation of almshouses;Tong College was such.

Almshouses were often placeswhere the persons in religiousorders had the care of ‘deserving’

WORKHOUSE OR ALMSHOUSE? Geoff Harrison

A modern photograph of a workhousewhere the environment has been

sanitized. Crown copyright 2007.


poor; in the case of Tong College,which had been established byLady Isabel de Pembrugge, wife ofSir Fowke Pembregge, there werefive priests and two clerks caringfor thirteen paupers.

More locally we have anotherprominent almshouse; PrestonHospital (see photos on this page).

The almshouse at Preston wasendowed by Catherine, the widowof Lord Herbert. In her Will of1716 she left money to purchaseland in Shropshire and to build analmshouse for 12 poor women and12 poor girls. It is said that the giftwas a thanksgiving for herdeliverance when lost in the Alps.

The money was in trust to herbrother Lord Torrington and threeother trustees. A few years laterLord Torrington made landavailable at Preston upon theWeald Moors to build such analmshouse under the guidance ofthe Trustees. He himself providedmoney to build the Hall.

The donated money was wiselyinvested by the Trustees both incommercial enterprises and inland and property; as aconsequence what had been analmshouse for 12 women and 12girls was able to provide for 20women and 20 girls after but a fewyears. The widows were choseninitially by nomination andselection by the trustees on thebasis of personal recommendationbut they had to be aged 60 or over,members of the Church ofEngland and to have ‘been of goodstation in life, though of reducedcircumstances in old age’.

Almshouses are notworkhouses, but in some ways arecomplementary. ‘Almshouses arecharitable housing provided to enablepeople (typically elderly people whocan no longer work to earn enough topay rent) to live in a particularcommunity. They are often targeted at

but essentially the exterior is as itwas a century or more ago.

We have just cause to beimpressed; the images speak forthemselves, but to emphasis theirarchitectural merit some words ofpraise.

It is ‘probably Shropshire’s mostarchitecturally distinguishedalmshouse’ and, in the opinion ofPevsner, ‘one of the most impressiveGeorgian almshouses, both grand andsober’.

Further historic accoladesinclude ‘most princely’ of Georgianalmshouses, ‘splendid but cheerfuland friendly with a generosity ofproportion and detail’.

A final comment from Buildingsof England (Newman & Pevsner2006): ‘At the beginning of theeighteenth century public architecturewas barely an identifiable category inthe county {Shropshire]. InShrewsbury the Goal, 1705, lookedmuch like an ordinary street house ...The one exception ... Preston-on-the-Weald-Moors Hospital, 1720-6, wheregenerous endowment and a confidentarchitect, probably Francis Smith ofWarwick, produced a building notonly large but grand and in theforefront of architectural style’.

* * * * *

the poor of a locality, at those fromcertain forms of previous employment,or their widows, and are generallymaintained by a charity or thetrustees of a bequest’.

Preston Hospital was built onthree sides of a quadrangle, theHall in the centre and each wingproviding accommodation;women on the west wing and theyoung girls in the east wing. TheHall was originally a school roomduring the week and a chapel onSundays.

Living conditions could nothave been further removed fromthe inmates of a workhouse; thegirls were schooled and preparedfor a life beyond the Hospital,instructed in the skills suited todomestic servants particularlyrelevant in a rural environment,and were expected to go intodomestic service: ‘whatsoever couldmake them useful servants’.

The women were eachprovided with livingaccommodation of a bedroom anda parlour, together with a smallgarden; and each received astipend, coal to heat theiraccommodation and a beddingand furniture allowance.

What of the building? If youhave not been along the road toPreston, you must. Trustees soldthe property recently, using themoney raised to provide moresuitable and modernaccommodation for the recipientsof their care.

The buildings have not beenaltered externally but are nowluxury apartments, the brickworkhas been cleaned, or so it appears


MORE 1963 IMAGES

Wellington Carnival Queen 1963with her attendants.

From the left: Sandra Buckle, VeraHensworth, Susan Sheard, Patricia

Gainham and Norma Gregson.

Headmistress Ethel Barnes and prefects of the Girls’ High School, King Street, 1963-64.

Right: Headmaster J.L. Morgan-Joneswith prefects of the Boys’ Grammar

School, Golf Links Lane, 1962-63.

Members and officials of New Street Methodist Youth Club on their annualholiday, this time at in Devon at Ilfracombe, 1963.

The Wrekin Beacon, seen in the coldwinter of 1963.

WHGMag15 Layout 1 - Wellington History Group · and breeches, a helmet, and were armed with a sabre...

Documents

Transcript of WHGMag15 Layout 1 - Wellington History Group · and breeches, a helmet, and were armed with a sabre...