Having survived traditionalsuperstitions surroundingthe number thirteen, we’re

relieved to find ourselves able topublish Wellingtonia issue fourteenwithout any problems!

As usual, we’ve done our bestto give you a wide selection ofsubjects to enjoy reading. Wewould also like to remind you thatpast issues of the magazine areposted to our web site when papercopies of each issue have sold out.You may then download andcirculate them free of charge.Other documents on our site mayalso be downloaded.

Please also take time to look atthe ‘Special Papers’ on the site:these cover historical subjectswhich, for a variety of reasons,cannot be included in Wellingtonia.New Special Papers, as well asother material, may be added atany time, so please visit our site atintervals to check the situation.

Finally, we are always happy toreceive information and borrowitems which help to increase ourknowledge of the history of ourarea, so please bear us in mindwhen you come across old photos,event programmes, etc.

We would also appreciate anyhelp you may be able to give withrunning the History Group, so feelfree to get in touch if you’d like togive us a hand, whether helpingout at our public talks or followinglines of research (like lookingthrough old newspapers at thelibrary). Every little helps!

WellingtoniaNewsletter of the Wellington History Group,

rediscovering the past of Wellington in Shropshire

Issue 14: First Half 2013

WELCOME!

Only £2.00

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

Page2. Call Out The Yeomanry

Part One3. Rubber Ducks in

Wellington4. Coronation Recalled5. Parish Church Garden6. The Clifton Cinema7. Notice Board8. Our Coronation

10. Blackshirts in Wellington part 3

11. In’Vest’ments12. The Cottage Hospital13. Early Rising Club14. Behind the Masthead15. Signs of the Times16. Printed Wellington, 191318. To the Tower for Treason

20. Miscellany

Wellington and QueenElizabeth II’s Coronation

See pages 4 and 8.

Visit us at www.wellingtonhistorygroup.wordpress.com

The CliftonSee page 6.

This cry would have been heardlocally when disturbancesoccurred in the area in the late

eighteenth and early nineteenthcenturies. With the great industrialchanges that were taking place camemuch social unrest, and the forces oflaw and order – magistrates and thelocal militia - were put under greatpressure to keep the peace. Theoutbreak of war with France in 1793and the threat of invasion increased thetension and led to the formation ofvolunteer units throughout thecountry.

The first such voluntary forcewas raised in Wiltshire in 1794,and in Shropshire the first troopwas that formed by WilliamCludde in Wellington in 1795.Other Shropshire troops followed,including another local one raisedby Thomas Eyton. At the end ofthe French Wars in 1814, the twoWellington troops (togetherofficially known as ‘The 1st Corpsof Shropshire Gentlemen andYeomanry’) amalgamated withthose from Bishop’s Castle,Ludlow and Halesowen (then inShropshire) to form the SouthShropshire Yeomanry Cavalry,with headquarters in Ludlow.When the Shrewsbury YeomanryCavalry joined with the SouthShropshire in 1828, the countythen had two consolidated

2 Wellingtonia: Issue 14: First Half 2013

regiments – the South SalopianYeomanry Cavalry, based inShrewsbury, and the NorthSalopian Yeomanry Cavalry inOswestry. These in turnamalgamated in 1872 to form theShropshire Yeomanry Cavalry.

During the first half of thenineteenth century, the YeomanryCavalry was deployed on severaloccasions to quell disorder invarious parts of this andneighbouring counties. But themost serious outbreaks of troubleoccurred on the East ShropshireCoalfield, the industrialised andmost heavily populated part of thecounty.

Where magistrates workingwith local mine owners andironmasters failed to nip trouble inthe bud, then the Yeomanry wouldbe summoned. In July 1795 thefirst Wellington troop (the ‘WrekinCompany’) had been called out todisperse food rioters at MadeleyWood, and again in 1800 troopswere at the ready when collierswere agitated by the high price ofcorn.

The seven years following thefinal defeat of Napoleon in 1815were a time of depression in theiron trade and this brought socialand economic unrest. Wages werecut and further reductions in 1820led ironworkers and miners to

strike. The Yeomanry Cavalry wascalled out but, after initial scufflesin Wombridge and WrockwardineWood, the strike was called offwhen arbitrators decided the menwere entitled to their old level ofwages.

A far more serious situationdeveloped the following yearwhen wage reductions were againannounced by most of the localironmasters. In February strikingminers and ironworkers from thenorthern half of the Coalfieldmarched towards Coalbrookdale,cutting pit winding ropes andplugging blast engine boilersalong the way.

When they heard that theYeomanry Cavalry had been calledout, they retreated to the cinderheaps above the Old Park furnaces(an area now occupied by theForge Retail Park). Here they wereconfronted by magistrates and themilitary, but the reading of theRiot Act failed to disperse a crowdnumbering over 3,000. When twoof the suspected ringleaders werearrested, the troops were peltedwith lumps of slag as they tried totake the prisoners to the lock-up inWellington. The troops opened fireand in the ensuing melee, theprisoners escaped, two collierswere killed, one cavalryman wasinjured when his pistol went off in

CALL OUT THE YEOMANRY! PART ONE Neil Clarke

Edward Herbert, 2nd Earl of Powis(1785-1848) by Sir Francis Grant

(©National Trust Images/JohnHammond) on the Ballroom Staircaseat Powis Castle, Powys, SY21 8RF.

For visitor information,call 01938 551944 or visit

nationaltrust.org.uk/powis-castle

Peterloo Massacre by Richard Carlile

was separated into two halves anda groove made for pouring in theliquid latex; the latex had somesort of oil mixed with it to keep itfrom setting prematurely.

This was then put into anelectric oven and baked for a shorttime, after which some of the latexwas poured away from the inside,leaving it hollow. It then wentback into the oven and was bakedagain for a few more minutes.

After cooling, the two halvesof the mould were separated andthe rubber models passed on tothe trimmers, stuffers, paintersand packers.

Surplus rubber was cut off, theinside was stuffed with kapok andsealed either with waterproofingor a squeaker and finally paintwas added. The moulds were usedmany times.

After this the toys wereindividually boxed and packed bydozens, which were themselvespacked into grosses, and in turn

3

his holster and the magistrates’clerk was wounded in the arm.

In the following daysYeomanry Cavalry troopspatrolled the Coalfield andringleaders were seized. Of thenine arrested for rioting, two weresentenced to death (one of whomwas later reprieved) and sevenwere gaoled for nine months.

The incident at Old Park soonbecame known as the CinderlooRiot; this was a mocking referenceto the Peterloo Massacre of twoyears earlier, when a largepeaceful demonstration in StPeter’s Field, Manchester wasbroken up after local magistratespanicked and called in theYeomanry Cavalry, resulting in thedeath of 15 people. (It was called‘Peterloo’, in ironic comparison tothe battle of Waterloo.)

A temporary recovery in theiron trade was followed by furthertrouble in December 1831. Whencolliers struck in protest againstthe lack of work at satisfactorywages, the Yeomanry Cavalrywere ordered to assemble atWellington and were deployed to

protect ironworks and collieries.They were successful in frustratingan attempt by the strikers to closethe Steeraway limestone mines butwere unable to prevent windingropes being cut at the Blists Hillmine. Little came of a meetingwhere magistrates andironmasters heard evidence from adelegation of strikers but, with theYeomanry still active, there was ageneral return to work before theend of the month.

The iron trade prospered in thelate 1830s, but bad times returnedin 1840 and at the beginning of1842 the ironmasters againattempted to reduce wages. Thestrike that followed in July andAugust was blamed by themagistrates and ironmasters onthe influence of Chartism, thepopular movement pressing forthe reform of Parliament and awider franchise; but there is littleevidence that the strikers werepolitically inspired.

In the northern part of theCoalfield some machinery wasbroken, ropes cut and boilersplugged, and a march towards

www.wellingtonhistorygroup.wordpress.com

Coalbrookdale was planned.However, the deputy LordLieutenant of Shropshire, the Earlof Powis, handled the crisis in away that avoided confrontation.He had the newly-created countypolice force at his disposal andkept the Yeomanry concealed atPriorslee Hall (the residence ofJohn Horton, manager of theLilleshall Company) as anemergency reserve..

When the miners’ grievances,particularly those relating tochartermasters (employed by mineowners to run the pits) and thetruck system (company-runshops), were brought to his notice,Powis relayed them to the HomeSecretary as well as to localironmasters, and the minersreturned to work on the promiseof reforms.

This was the last occasion thatthe local Yeomanry was called outin time of civil strife.

Part Two of Call Out The Yeomanrywill appear in the next issue of

Wellingtonia.

RUBBER DUCKS IN WELLINGTON George Evans

into great grosses (12 x 12 =144[gross] and 144 x 12 = 1728 [greatgross]). Why this old fashionedsystem was used, I never knew;nor did my father.

As well as rubber ducks, Flookwas produced (see Wellingtoniaissue 8) here. There were otherproducts including, as my sonremembered, a rubber monkey.

Most of the workforce werelocal women and girls. It was asmelly job with all the latex, andHeaven knows what ‘Elfansafety’would think nowadays but theyseemed a happy, cheerful crew.

We’ve asked before without any luck,so we’ll ask again: Does anyone have aChad Valley Rubber Duck and/orFlook that we could photograph?

In the early 1950s the ChadValley Toy Company had afactory in Orleton Lane,

Wellington, for the manufacture ofvarious rubber toys. Because theywere made of latex, which hasperished and disintegrated overthe years, there are few, if any, ofthem still around.

By far the best selling productwas a rubber duck, which waspopular for floating in the bath.They don’t seem to be around anymore, probably because most of usnow prefer to have a shower.

As my father was, for a while,a sort of foreman there I was ableto see the way they were made,which might be of interest toWellingtonia readers.

The first one made was eitherof wood or clay – wood I think –and that served as a model for therest. This was put in a containerand plaster of paris poured in halfway up. When that set, the tophalf of the mould was made which

4 Wellingtonia: Issue 14: First Half 2013

George Evans1953 was a very busy year for a lotof us. People were talking aboutthe New Elizabethan Age and theFestival of Britain, how exciting itwas and how prosperous we weregoing to be. We were also talkingas usual about bread rationing,clothing coupons and the longqueue for a house.

We had moved into a flat inNew Street (it’s now in HighStreet), I was changing jobs fromDawley National School toPrince’s Street and our lad Paul,born the year before, was quitedemanding of time and attention.

When talking about theforthcoming coronation weassumed we would be able to geta good view of it at the CliftonCinema or the Grand Theatre.

Some folks had these newtelevision sets but we had no cashto spare and anyway the picturesin cinemas were so much biggerand better. However, my wife’sfriend Erica Jones invited us roundto her home in Regent Street to seethe action on her TV set. Of courseit was all in black and white on avery small screen but we werewatching as it happened.

Just as the Archbishop wasabout to set the crown on theQueen’s head my wife realisedthat Paul, who was sitting on herknee, had nodded off to sleep. Shewoke him up excitedly andpointed his head at the screen,saying, ‘Look! It’s the Queen!’ Hedidn’t seem particularlyimpressed. We agreed thattelevision was all very well but notworth the money. There weremuch better pictures at the CliftonCinema in a few days' time.

Two other events of 1953stretched to the next year. FirstWellington Urban District Councilcleared All Saints churchyard,

moved the gravestones to thesides and grassed it over as aGarden of Rest (see the article onthe next page). This wascompleted in 1954 and opened bythe Bishop of Lichfield, afterwhich there was a lunch at theForest Glen. I remember returningto work at Prince’s Street andbeing sternly told by Cliff ButtreyI had alcohol on my breath.

The other event was furtheraway – the first ascent (notconquest please) of Mount Everestor to give its proper name,Chomolungma. John Hunt andEdmund Hillary reported theiradventures to HM the Queen inthe Festival Hall at a joint meetingof the Alpine Club and the RoyalGeographical Society and we werethere. It was a very excitingmeeting; Queen Elizabeth lookedradiant, although Edmund Hillarydidn’t look comfortable in adinner jacket.

Looking back I’m remindedthat in 1953, EIIR was Queen andEmpress of an enormous empireon which the sun never set. Thingshave changed a lot since; the sunhas set. The world has changedand so has Wellington. The pinkon the map showing the BritishEmpire has gone, though theCommonwealth is kept alive,mainly by the efforts of ElizabethWindsor. Long may she reign.

Joy RebelloI was at Loreto Convent boardingschool in Darjeeling at the time.News reached us about Everest - (Iremember feeling quite sad it hadbeen 'conquered'). Those of uswith any links to England -however tenuous - went to theGymkhana Club skating rink for aCoronation party. Later in the yearwe were taken to the town cinemato see the film.

A story - maybe apocryphal - isthat one of the nuns gave SirEdmund Hilary a crucifix whichhe placed at the peak! Tenzing'stwo daughters subsequently cameto our school - I think one wasgoalkeeper in our hockey team!

Shelagh NabbI recall being dressed inElizabethan costume and standingon the stage of the Odeon cinemaManchester singing patriotic songsas part of the Coronationcelebrations. I also watched theceremony on television and triedto spot my boy friend as he wasone of the soldiers lining the routeof the procession.

Pat FaircloughIt took our neighbourhood ofsome fifteen houses inHornchurch, Essex a whole year toplan a party to celebrate theCoronation.

I was a thirteen year oldschoolgirl at the time andexperienced delight that I had notbeen chosen to go to London toline the Mall and see theprocession. The one problem wasthe persistent storms and rain that,in February, had caused the tragicflooding in Canvey Island. Thewomen held a meeting and onefamily offered the use of a barnfor the occasion.

Goats, chickens and rabbits hadto be rehoused It was stillcommon for people to produce asmuch food as possible in gardensand allotments. The brick floorwas scrubbed and the walls androof decorated with bunting.

Tressel tables were laden withfood, and the men had managedto bring a whole barrel of beerfrom the local public house. Therewas even a small stage for theband and a microphone for thesingers. Most families had boughta television set so that theCoronation could be viewed as ittook place. Watching from thecomfort of the front room was amuch better experience thanstanding in the pouring rain tocatch a glimpse of the pageant.

Neil ClarkeI lived at Aqueduct at the time. Irecall that the weather was ratherdull and we gathered at aneighbour’s house to watch theceremony at Westminster Abbeyon TV.

During the afternoon we joineda village party on the tennis courtat Windmill Farm, the usual localvenue for such social gatherings.

CORONATION RECALLED Allan Frost

History Groupcommittee members share

their memories ofCoronation Day –

2nd June 1953.

Geoff HarrisonIt was my last term at juniorschool in a town in Lancashire. Tocelebrate the Coronation we had apageant and I was in one item

where we ‘pranced’ around theplayground (above) to a routine wehad practiced to the music We’reSoldiers of the Queen. Parents andfriends were spectators.

www.wellingtonhistorygroup.wordpress.com 5

These words were written in1954 (one year afterElizabeth's Coronation) to

explain why the unkemptgraveyard (below left) at All Saintsparish church was converted intothe garden we see today:

The conversion into a garden ofthe burial ground around the ParishChurch of All Saints is Wellington'sperpetual commemoration of theCoronation. It was not possible tocomplete the work in Coronation year,as the faculty received from theArchbishop of Canterburynecessitated two years of negotiationsand legal procedure in which theVicar, Church Council and UrbanDistrict Council fully co-operated.

Notable features of the scheme arethe provision of a sloping lawn fromChurch Street to afford anunrestricted view of the church, andthe reduction in height of theboundary wall in Church Street. Theold headstones have been removed andre-erected along the boundary of thegarden, and certain monuments havebeen retained in the eastern part of thegrounds.

The former burial ground has beencleaned, levelled and seeded andornamental beds of flowers and shrubshave been made. The present footpathshave been widened and improved andpublic lighting installed. A veryprominent feature of the scheme is thesunken garden with sundial centre-piece,immediately in front of the west door.

PARISH CHURCH GARDEN Allan FrostOrnamental notices suitably

inscribed in stone have been fixedinside the four entrances in order todraw the attention of the public to thenature of the grounds, in whichcycling, car parking and all gameswill be strictly prohibited.

Many local organisations andindividuals have presented seats forthe use of the public enjoying thegarden, which will forever bemaintained by the Urban DistrictCouncil under the Open Spaces Act,1906.

The provision of the garden willimprove considerably the centre ofWellington, and fulfil a long feltdesire for a place of quiet enjoymentfor present and future generations.

Below: Thursday, 8th July, 1954.Lord Bishop of Lichfield, Dr. A L.

Reeve, thanks the workmen.

On Coronation Day itself, I wasone of many able to watch thewhole ceremony on the television.

My uncle had a television setfitted the day before the event andthe whole family was invited towatch – and probably the wholestreet.

Certainly the front room, of asmall ‘two up, two down’ terracehouse, was filled to overflowing;the front door, which opened ontothe street was almost permanentlyopen.

Allan FrostI was three years old at the time,the baby of the Frost family.

What do I remember about thisCoronation Day?

Nothing. It was one of many events

which I, as an historian, regret notwitnessing or remembering.

6 Wellingtonia: Issue 14: First Half 2013

Orleton Hall and attended byrepresentatives of Clifton CinemasLtd. The programme states thatthe doors opened at 7:00pm and,after the opening ceremony, thetwo feature films shown wereCaptain January starring ShirleyTemple and The Big Noise starringAlistair Sim.

The first manager of theWellington Clifton in 1937 was B.S.Wilmott and, by strangecoincidence, the last manager wasDuncan Wilmott (they were notrelated). Other managers at theClifton included Sidney Whiting,Steve Newton, Ray Head, FreddieStudd and Bill Gough.

The Wellington Clifton wasbuilt with a capacity of 1,188 (808in the stalls and 380 in the circle),with a car park for 150 vehiclesand an internal colour scheme ofrose-pink. The stage was 42 feetwide and the screen was 24 feet by18 feet. There were a number of artdeco features throughout thecinema but few remain. Whileexternally the cinema hasremained almost the same, therehave been a number of internalalterations, involving the creationof additional dressing rooms andthe doubling of the depth of thestage.

In 1954 the capacity of thecinema reduced to 995. A furtherreduction took place in 1978because of changes in the foyerarea and the provision of alicensed bar. All these reductionswere made on the ground floor.The only changes to the front ofthe building were made in 1968with the erection of an American-style canopy.

When the cinema opened itwas equipped with a BritishThomson-Houston projection andsound system, which was updatedat various times, with the finalinstallation being a Westrexsystem.

The Clifton presented otherforms of entertainment besidesfilms, including local talentcontests and ‘lucky numbernights’, which were held on a

Friday and were advertised underthe slogan Make Friday Night –Clifton Night. Individual artistsalso appeared on the stage,including The Bowetts (a comedyacrobatic act), The Great Nixon(the world’s master mind reader),pantomimes and, in January 1939,the Wellington Orchestral andOperatic Society presented a showcalled Goodnight Vienna.

During the Second World Warthe Clifton remained open, apartfrom a 10-day closure inSeptember 1939. Opening on aSunday started in April 1941 as awar-time measure for the benefitof military personnel and factoryshift workers. The 1950s wereheydays for cinemas and theintroduction of Cinemascope withthe first wide screen film The Robestarring Richard Burton beingshown at the Clifton in 1954. TheClifton continued to flourishthroughout the 1960s and 1970swith Saturday morning sixpennyshows for children which Iremember fondly. My favouritefilm was the adventure series TheMark of Zorro.

There followed a gradualdecline in the popularity of towncentre cinemas yet, even as late as1979, the Clifton had a weeklyaudience of 2,600.

The Clifton closed down on the27th April 1983, despite a petitionsigned by 30,000 local people. Thiswas not the end of the story as thesite was bought by the Saveritesupermarket group. However, theClifton reopened as a smallercinema in May 1987, using just thecircle seating. This was a short-lived reprieve; the cinema finallyclosed down on the 24th Dec 1988.It became a Dunelm furnishingsstore which recently relocated toTelford Forge retail park.

There is currently acommunity-based campaign tobuy the site and reopen the Cliftonand the adjacent building as amulti-purpose arts centre with acinema and other facilities.

The renaissance of the Cliftonwould be a great achievement forWellington and would bring theglamour of the silver screen backto the town. Further details can befound at www.theclifton.org.

Wellington has had fourcinemas over the years.The other three were

The Picture Pavillion in Mill Bank(opened 1911, closed 1927), theGrand Theatre (originally calledthe Rink Picture Palace) in TanBank (1911-1975) and the TownHall in Market Street (1920-1959).The Clifton cinema was built in1936 by the Clifton cinemas group,a West Midlands company with anumber of cinemas around theBirmingham area. It was built toexactly the same design as theRosum Cinema in Leamore,Walsall, for a reported cost of£45,000. The white façade of theRosum cinema still survives, butthe building has been convertedfor retail use.

The chairman of the group wasSidney W. Clift; other directorswere Leon Salberg (who was alsoproprietor of the AlexandraTheatre in Birmingham), Ernest S.Roberts (the architect for thebuilding) and J.H. Baker (aBirmingham solicitor).

The Clifton cinema chain(originally called CinemaAccessories Ltd) started in 1935with the building of the Regalcinema in Wednesfield, nearWolverhampton and anotherRegal cinema in Wells, Somerset.Cinemas had become morepopular than theatres as a form ofentertainment and the chainrapidly expanded, with nine newpurpose-built cinemas carrying theClifton name being built in threeyears. Six of these were located inthe Black Country towns andvillages of Lye, Sedgley, FallingsPark, West Bromwich, Great Barrand Coseley, with three more builtfurther afield in Leominster,Ludlow and Wellington. Apart theWellington Clifton, only threemidlands Clifton buildingssurvive: the Great Barr Clifton is aderelict bingo hall, the Lye Cliftona market hall and the SedgleyClifton is a Wetherspoon pub.

The Wellington Clifton wasopened on Monday 18th January1937 by Major E.R.H. Herbert of

THE CLIFTON CINEMA David Weston

7www.wellingtonhistorygroup.wordpress.com

NOTICEBOARD

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.

KETLEY

HISTORY GROUP

(KHG)In the eighteenth centuryKetley was a cradle for the

inventions of Quakerindustrialist William

Reynolds (1758-1803) andhis Lunar Society associates.

Today, the contribution ofKetley and its people to the

growth of the IndustrialRevolution is now largely

forgotten: through theresearch of its members,

KHG seeks to redress thissituation.

Ketley History Groupnormally meets at 7pm in

Ketley CommunityCentre, Holyhead Road,TF1 5AN on the first orsecond Wednesday ofevery month. The next

meeting, on 3rd July 2013,will reveal Ketley research

updates and feature a‘Come & Share’ session inwhich people are invited

to bring their own oldKetley photos.

Contact David 01952252459 or Sue 01952

412937 for more details.

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 June 12thALLAN FROST: TRAVEL BY STAGECOACH

(be prepared for a bumpy ride!)

*Wednesday July 17th: VISIT TO CHRIST CHURCH

Meet at 7:15pm at the church entrance off New Church Road

*Monday October 14th: WELLINGTON LITERARY FESTIVAL EVENT

ALLAN FROST: WELLINGTON BETWEEN TWO WARS

Allan hopes to launch a new book covering this period at this talk,and issue 15 of our Wellingtonia magazine should be available.

See Press for details of other Literary Festival eventsor visit www.wellington-shropshire.gov.uk

*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 ARRANGED

*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

*Wednesday June 18th

ALLAN FROST: A VISUAL CRAWL AROUND OLD PUBS

*Wednesday July 16th

PETE JACKSON: WELLINGTON TOWN FOOTBALL CLUB

7:30 at the Buck’s Head Football Ground Learning Centre.

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: joyrebello@hotmail.co.uk

Other officers of the Wellington History Groupcommittee are:

President: George Evans.

Chairman: Geoff Harrison.

Treasurer: Wendy Palin.

Wellingtonia Editor: Allan Frost.

8 Wellingtonia: Issue 14: First Half 2013

There were parades andnumerous parties organised byresidents for the benefit of thechildren (most of whom were alsogiven Coronation souvenirs) intheir streets. For example, 150children from King Street andcustomers of the Black Horse inntook part in a parade (below left)along King Street to Park Street,then via Plough Road to a teaparty in the Union Free Churchschoolroom. Crockery was loanedby the proprietors of the RobinHood Restaurant. School sportswere held in Constitution Hillschoolyard, and souvenirs werehanded out by organisers W.North, L. Pitchford and J. Dunn.Community singing followed. Theevent concluded with everyonesinging God Save The Queen.

Not to be outdone, anotherstreet party (below, right) tookplace in Woollam Road, whereformer councillor J.E. Woollam(after whom the road is named)was present. The Wellington Journalstated that the residents ‘areemployees of the Air Ministry atHigh Ercall’. It was meant to be asit-down affair but over 250 cameand a buffet tea was providedinstead. The 100 children presentwere each given a souvenirsavings stamp book with twostamps. After the meal, sports tookplace on a nearby field and Mr. B.Collins led community singing onhis banjo. Rain caused an eveningstreet dance to be cancelled.

Elsewhere, 150 children fromHarvey Crescent, Windsor Roadand Arleston Avenue were treatedto ice cream and oranges in KetleyBrook Methodist schoolroom; 48

Glebe Street kids had a fancydress party at New StreetMethodist Church schoolroom andfireworks in the street afterwards;46 children living on the east sideof Dawley Road had to have theirparty in the home of Mr. & Mrs. H.Podmore at number 79 because ofpoor weather; inclement weathermeant a party for 20 children fromWoodlands Avenue also had to beheld indoors (at Mrs. Allfords,number 21) although the followingbonfire and fireworks displaywent ahead as planned; a party for20 children from Alexander Road,took place in a garage, (arrange-ments were ‘in the charge of acommittee of mothers’).

Tea at Mrs. Husband’s wasprovided for 25 adults living inLawrence Road after 24 childrenfrom the street had enjoyed aparty; some 40 children fromCranage Crescent had a party, asdid 75 from Wrekin Road andFoundry Road, which took placein the Darby & Joan Club hut. Aguinea from the party fund wasdonated to the Sunshine Homefor Blind Babies at Overley Hallfor their own special event whichwas organised by the WrekinRound Table. (Round Tablemembers also held a CoronationBall at the Forest Glen.)

32 children from Hampton Hilland Barnfield Crescent marchedin fancy dress around the crescentbefore meeting in a nearby farmbuilding (loaned by WellingtonTheatre Club) for ice cream, jelliesand Coronation cake. Games andsports prizes were awarded andother fun included a bran tub,conjuror and ventriloquist.

OUR CORONATION

One of Wellington’sresidents played a smallyet significant role in

Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation:Joan Lander of Sunnycroft, anaccomplished member of theRoyal School of Needlework,wasone of twelve women chosen toembroider the train of purple silkvelvet (see photo on page one).

Thirteen types of gold threadwere used to create the intricatepattern of wheat ears and olivebranches intended to signify peaceand plenty in post-war Britain.

Boy scouts organised beaconson high ground around thecountry, including The WrekinHill where a crowd of 200 saw a30-foot high bonfire lit promptlyat 10pm. Fires from distant hillscould also be seen to ‘signalize yetanother momentous day in Britishhistory’.

Wellington’s citizens founddifferent ways of becominginvolved in this joyous occasion;details were assiduously reportedin the Wellington Journal.

the southern end of modern NorthRoad). Over 2000 children andtheir parents were entertainedwith Punch and Judy shows,dancing and talent competitions(Edna Grattidge and RaymondMoore were among the winners),sports competitions, donkey rides,coconut shies, skittles, hobbyhorses and a treasure hunt. Aswould be expected, free pop andice cream added to the enjoyment.

Finally, Wrekin Road schoolgirlGeorgina Dodd of 7 FoundryRoad, whose ninth birthday fell onCoronation Day, wrote to theQueen wishing her a long andhappy reign, and said that shewould always remember the day.She received a thank you letterfrom the Queen’s private secretary.

followed by games andcommunity singing to recordedmusic.

House-to-house collectionsenabled children from the top ofHigh Street to visit TrenthamGardens and receive pocketmoney, sweets, crisps and ‘pop’.50 children and six adults fromAbbey Road went by coach toChurch Stretton and enjoyed apicnic in Carding Mill Valley.

About 130 children and adultsfrom Regent Street, ErcallGardens and Watling Street tooka bus trip to New Brighton andvisited H.M.S. Sheffield and otherships at Liverpool Dock. Paperhats, sandwiches, pop and crispswere provided, and a tea was helda few days later in the St. John’sAmbulance Brigade hut in WatlingStreet.

Other events deserve amention. A Coronation Concertwas held at the Girls’ High School,where combined choirs andorchestras from the Girls’ HighSchool and Wrekin College weresupplemented by the Boys’Grammar School choir. Eric Cliffe(piano) was among the soloists.Another concert took place atWrekin College.

Free shows of the officialCoronation film were presented byMr. W.I. Wright at his GrandCinema (Wellington) andGrosvenor (Oakengates). Some4999 schoolchildren and 1578 ‘oldfolks’ took advantage of the offer.

The main public event wasorganised by the Urban DistrictCouncil: a Fete (below, right) heldon the former Wool Sale Field(located off Spring Hill towards

9www.wellingtonhistorygroup.wordpress.com

40 children from High Streethad a party in Oddfellows Hallfollowed by a bonfire andfireworks display. Souvenir locketswere given to the girls andballpoint pens to the boys, as wellas oranges, chocolate crowns, rock,sweets and balloons. 50 olderchildren from John Broad Avenue,Primrose Grove and ForesterGrove went on a bus tour aroundShropshire after their party.

Carol Jones was crownedCoronation Queen (below, left) byCllr Mrs. C.N. Heath at an eventfor children from Stone Crescentand Princess Avenue. YvonneBroome carried the crown on a redcushion and attendants wereGraham Davies, Robert Parton,Christine Adams and Susan Amos.80 children toured Shropshire bybus and 180 enjoyed a tea party.Ken Poulter and Joyce Phillipswon the fancy dress competition.

Singing, dancing and ‘a varietyturn by Mrs. Owen and Mr. S.Dunn’ were the order of the day ata special event held at the DrillHall in King Street for 70 childrenand adults from Charles Road andWindsor Road.

A party for 25 children fromBank Road and Prince’s Streettook place at Mill Bank Dairy (bypermission of W. Naggington),

Above: Party time at Rose Grove.Some pupils received New Testaments,

others souvenir mugs or blue glasstumblers. Pre-school-age children were

given mugs by Urban DistrictCouncil chairman Hugh Herdman.

10 Wellingtonia: Issue 14: First Half 2013

The previous two articlesabout the Blackshirts havehighlighted the memories of

two Wellington residents whoremember the events of May 1939and the extensive press coveragefrom local newspapers, Action (theBritish Union of Fascists (BUF)newspaper) and from Shropshire'sChief Constable.

None of the contemporaryreports mention the presence of SirOswald Mosley in Wellington onthat Saturday of the riot.

Where was he onSaturday, May 20th 1939?

Whenever he spoke, there wasalways a great deal of publicity (asshown in the advertisementsbelow and on next page). He wasa nationally known figure withvery radical views and was said tobe a charismatic speaker.

There is no prior publicity inAction for a Wellington visit,unlike those shown below.

He gave talks on May 14th inBlackburn, Thursday May 18th inShoreditch and then Sunday May21st in Bethnal Green. It is justpossible, if not totally exhausting,that he could have travelled upfrom London on the 19th, spokenhere on the Saturday evening(20th) and got back to London fora meeting on 21st.

It would have been moresensible to break his journey hereafter the Blackburn speech (14th)and then continue on to Londonfor speeches on 18th and 21st.

H. Hobson Cooke was at all theprevious Wellington BUF meetingsand was said to be the speaker onthe 20th, the day of the riot. TheChief Constable mentions talkingto the 'leader' of the group topersuade them to abandon therally.

He surely would havementioned his name and written'Leader' if it had been Sir Oswald,who was the National Leader ofthe Party. Action writes that afourth meeting was planned onJuly 30th. Michael Goulding wasto 'complete the speech whichhooligans interrupted on May 20th'.

Was he the main speaker on the20th? Michael Goulding was aprominent BUF speaker in Londonand was rumoured to be theillegitimate son of WinstonChurchill.

What were the BUF policies thatcreated so much hostility?

Diana Mosley, Sir Oswald's wife,and sister to Unity Mitford wholived with Hitler in Bavaria, was aconvinced fascist. She wasimprisoned, without trial, at thestart of the war under DefenceRegulation 18b. She outlined theten points of fascist policy (seecolumn aside).

What is not mentioned in thispolicy statement is the increasinganti semitic tone of the fascistspeakers and newspapers, and theviolence which many of theirmeetings provoked.

Perhaps more interesting tomodern readers is Mosley'sattitude to what he called "moneypower". He was appalled thatcapital flows could simply chasethe highest return where ever inthe world it wished. Money

chasing high returns in USA andSouth America left British industrywithout capital for expansion andjob creation at home. Mosley wasour first anti globalist!

The movement got more andmore extreme as war approached.

One of its more popularthemes was 'No war withGermany' and support for thePeace Pledge Union.The BUForganised the biggest indoormeeting in Britain at Earl's Courtin July 1939 to oppose the war.20,000 people attended. Six weekslater war was declared.

BLACKSHIRTS IN WELLINGTON PART 3 Phil Fairclough

Phil Fairclough concludeshis investigations in this

three-part article.

DIANA MOSLEY'S POINTS

OF FASCIST POLICY

1. Loyalty to King and Country,“Britain First”.

2. Establishment of a CorporateState run by representatives ofemployers, workers andconsumers.

3. Raise wages to encourageconsumption. Women to be paidan equitable wage.

4. Action not talk in Government.

5. Britain buys from those whobuy from Britain.

6. A self contained British tradingempire for all our food, rawmaterials and markets.

7. Double our food productionfrom British farms.

8. Deal with poor aliens andfinanciers from the City ofLondon who do not use theirwealth in the national interest.

9. Wearing our Blackshirt showsdiscipline, solidarity andclasslessness.

10. A dictatorship with power ofaction, to answer to the people atan election after five years.

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It was because of opposition tothe war that over 1000 BUFmembers were locked up underRegulation 18b at the start ofhostilities (four of whom camefrom Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth),most were kept on the Isle of Man.A full list of internments can befound at:

www.oswaldmosley.com/downloads/18b%20Detainees%20List.pdf

One achieved notoriety after hehad left the BUF: William Joyce(known as 'Lord Haw Haw')escaped internment here and wentto Nazi Germany to broadcastpropaganda messages to Britainthroughout the war. Despite thefact that he was a citizen of theUSA, born of American parents inNew York, he was hanged as atraitor to Britain in 1945.

However, it should beacknowledged that most BUFmembers fought bravely for theircountry as one would expect fromcommitted nationalists.

What support did the BUFget in Shropshire?

Mosley came to Shrewsbury inJune 1934 to address a 'largenumber of members in the MusicHall, clad in their black shirts'(Shrewsbury Chronicle).

He was given a good reception,stressing that 'agriculture should beput back on its feet again, wagesraised to create demand and a stop to

cheap foreign imports'.There were 30 to 40 Blackshirts

in Wellington in May 1939 butonly one named: H. HobsonCooke.

Mosley failed, however, to getelectoral support. Of the 24candidates he put up in the 1931General Election, none wereelected and 22 lost their deposits.Nevertheless, thousandscontinued to turn out (and pay) tohear him speak right up to 1939.

The marches, the uniform, thedrum corps, banners, the excitingmeetings and fiery speechespulled in huge audiences.

The political theatre ofspectacle and violence ofBlackshirt meetings drew thespotlight of publicity away frommuch more powerful, private andinfluential right-wing groupswhose membership has remainedconcealed (despite intenseParliamentary pressure) for manyyears.

The Right Club, the Link, theNordic League and the Anglo-German Fellowship containedmany who were regarded aspillars of respectable aristocraticsociety but behind which wereconcealed violent anti-semiticattitudes, and a belief in oligarchicgovernment without theconstraints of a recentlyenfranchised electorate, whereinall men and women were finallygiven the vote in 1929.

Wendy Palin writes: I wasrecently sorting throughsome drawers when I

came across a pair of unworn bri-nylon vests. They were Marks &Spencers own St Michael brand,probably from the mid seventies.

I had an idea. On a recent tripto the University of Leeds, I hadseen a fascinating display from theCompany Archive; I wondered ifthey would be interested in theseforty year old undergarments.

A quick internet searchprovided me with an emailaddress and the offer made. Theprompt reply made me smile.

‘We would be delighted to acceptyour donation. The archive containsover 70,000 items dating back to theearliest days of M&S. Your donationwill receive professional archival careadhering to international standardsand will ultimately be catalogued andmade available to researchers,historians and the general public.They may also feature in ourpermanent exhibition in the future!’

I will be delivering the packagethis weekend when I visit my sonat the University and I plan tovisit the archive in the spring for amore leisurely look round.

Why not take a look at theirwebsite atmarksintime.marksandspencer.com

and see if you have anything youcould donate?

They don’t promise to takeeverything, but I for one am glad Ididn’t just throw these undesirableitems into the bin.

IN’VEST’MENTS

cottage hospital, as part of arationalisation of servicesassociated with the opening of thePrincess Royal Hospital. Despite awave of protests by local people,the cottage hospital closed inSeptember 1990.

However, in January 1990, theWest Midlands Health Authorityagreed to the establishment of anindependent Trust, which wouldlease the building and draw upproposals for re-opening thecottage hospital. The Trust,initially called the Wellington andDistrict Hospital Trust, wasestablished in 1992. The Trust wasable to buy the building, with thehelp of a mortgage.

The building remained emptyfor some time, while funds wereraised. Eventually, a large legacyenabled the building to be fullyrefurbished. However, it wasdecided to convert the buildinginto a nurse-led day care centre foradults with medical care needsand disabilities. The day carecentre opened in 2002.

2012 was an important year,being the 100th, 20th and 10thanniversaries of the laying of thefoundation stone, establishing theTrust and opening the day carecentre, respectively.

On the afternoon of Friday 24May 1912 the foundation stone forthe John Crump BowringMemorial Cottage Hospital waslaid during a ceremony attendedby various local dignitaries. Theofficial opening (bottom right) ofthe hospital and recreation groundwas in 1913.

Initially the cottage hospitalhad eight beds. However, by 1937it had been extended to provide 20beds, including two private wards.There was also an operatingtheatre and X-Ray room.

Before the formation of theNational Health Service, thecottage hospital was run entirelyon voluntary contributions.

In July 1948 the CottageHospital became a NationalHealth Service hospital.

The Cottage Hospital had abusy GP unit, attended by doctorsof six different practices. Surgeonscame from Shrewsbury to carryout operations and minor casualtywork was performed. Patientswere transferred from theInfirmary and the Eye, Ear andThroat hospitals in Shrewsbury forfurther care so that they did nottake up acute beds. Eventuallyoperations were discontinued atthe Cottage Hospital because thefacilities were better inShrewsbury.

For a year in 1965/66 birthstook place at the Cottage Hospitalwhile the maternity unit at theWrekin Hospital was beingrefurbished.

In 1984 the decision was madeby the West Midlands RegionalHealth Authority to close the

Ann Jones, later Mrs J.Crump Bowring, wasmarried to John Crump

Bowring at All Saints Church,Wellington, on 14 May 1861. JohnCrump Bowring had aFishmonger’s Shop at 34 NewStreet, Wellington, as well as aninterest in Grimsby fishingsmacks. He amassed a great dealof money.

The Crump Bowrings built alarge house on Haygate Road –Bradley Moor (above) – and alsobought land across the road fromtheir house.

John Crump Bowring died on18 May 1894, aged 59 years. Hiswidow, Mrs J. Crump Bowringdied on 24 May 1910, aged 72.

Mrs Bowring left about threeand a half acres of land on whichthe building for a cottage hospitalwas to be erected, £3,000 for thestructure and £400 for itsfurnishings and equipment. Shealso left five acres of land (below)for a public recreation ground –now called Bowring Park.

12 Wellingtonia: Issue 14: First Half 2013

The Cottage Hospitalin Haygate Road wasgiven to the people ofWellington. Business

manager Victoria Brainexplains its history.

THE COTTAGE HOSPITAL Victoria Brain

Jim Cooper contacted us afterour appeal for information onWellington’s Early Rising

Club. By coincidence, Jim hasbeen researching the diaries ofJohn Slaney, who, around 1835,took over the wines and spiritsbusiness previously run byWilliam Wardell at the BradfordArms (later to become known asSlaneys Vaults) in Market Square.

John Slaney makes severalmentions of the Early Rising Clubin his diaries; some are shownhere to give a good idea of how itbegan and what its members did.

9 March 1832Friendly meeting at Mr Jones: From asuggestion I made some time ago toform a Society for the Promotion ofEarly Rising I was requested to drawup the Rules which having done, Ishew'd them this evening which metwith the approbation of the Companyand nine of these agreed to becomemembers. The principal of the Societyis that we agree to meet at a certainplace every morning at six o’clock orforfeit 3d., Sundays, Sickness, &cexcepted.

19 March 1832First morning of Meeting of the Earlyrising Society, a wet uncomfortablemorning, all found.

3 April 1832Sent the Rules of our Early RisingSociety by Tim Parker to the editor ofthe Shrewsbury Chronicle.[The letter opposite appeared on13th April.]

21 June 1832Our first Breakfast of the Early RisingSociety at Mr Jones' when the whole ofthe Members attended Male & Femaleexcepting Mrs S and everything wentoff very well.

[There is a gap in the Journalsbetween 20 October 1832 and 9September 1843.]

2 April 1845Have again commenced our earlyrising Society meeting at the NewsRoom.

5 September 1845Assembled together at the Wrekin & 35

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To the Editor of the Shrewsbury ChronicleSir,A Society under the above Title has been formed at this place, and can boast ofa considerable number of Members, both male and female; and as many ofyour readers may feel interested in knowing how a Society, having such anovel object in view, is conducted, I take the liberty of subjoining the principalRules:

1. That every Member of this Society shall meet at — , by 6 o’clock everymorning, between the 19th day of March and the 24th day of September, or indefault thereof shall forfeit three pence; Sundays, sickness, absence onbusiness, or other unavoidable causes, only excepted.

2. That every Member of this Society shall perform the office of Stewardin rotation, whose duty it shall be to attend at the place above named by aquarter before 6 o’clock in the morning, in order to see that the diligentmembers are there in proper time: or in default thereof shall forfeit three-pence. The Stewards to be changed every fortnight.

3. That females residing within half a mile of the place of meeting, beadmitted Members of the Society, and shall be subject to the same rules andregulations as other Members, with the exception that they shall not be calledupon to perform the office of Steward; and it shall be the duty of the Stewardfor the time being immediately after he has attended the usual place ofmeeting to wait upon the female Members at their own houses, and see thatthey are up in proper time.

4. That the Members of this Society shall meet at breakfast togethertwice in the course of the time above named, that is to say, on the 18th day ofJune and on the last day of the meeting, the same to take place not later than6 o’clock in the morning, and the expence thereof to be defrayed, partly fromthe forfeits that may arise, and the remainder (if any) by subscription of theMembers present.The above, Mr. Editor, are the principal rules, which should you thinkworthy of insertion in your valuable paper, will oblige.

Your obedient servant,S[laney]

Lawley BankApril 3rd, 1832.

sat down to dinner, & never did I seepeople enjoy themselves more.

12 June 1846A large party at The Wrekin connectedwith our Early Rising Society, givenby parties who are Honorary Members;we mustered nearly 50.

26 March 1847Commenced the Early Rising Societyagain John [his son, John HiattSlaney] has joined it.

12 June 1848Observed in the Daily News thatthere had been established at Newcastleupon Tyne an Early Rising Club.Wrote to the President The Revd. D CBrowning with our Rules.

2 April 1849 Commenced our Early Rising Societyagain. Knowles, myself & Mr Danbybeing the only Members. [Could thishave meant that the Society had

suffered a decline in membershipor commitment?]

19 August 1851Having £5 of our Early Rising Societymoney in Mr Danby’s hands for 2years, we determined to expend it in atrip to Bangor, accordingly myself &Mrs S, Mr & Mrs Knowles, MrDanby & Mr Jas Webb & Mr WmWebb accompanied by my Brother &his Wife who came over for thepurpose. Went by a Select SpecialTrain to Bangor & had a mostdelightful Ride; we stopped at theGeorge Hotel & after Lunch went &saw the Tubular & Chain Bridges &drove to Beaumaris & back, and highlydelighted with all we saw.

The last Early Rising Club entry inJohn’s diary reads:

21 August 1854The Members of the Early RisingSociety, having determined to availthemselves of an excursion Train toHereford, started this morning ...

Is this the end of the story?

EARLY RISING CLUB Allan Frost

The Wellington Journal andShrewsbury News (which hadbegun life as The Wellington

Journal in 1854 – see the originalmasthead below – and absorbedother, rival, newspapers over theyears) not only gave news fromthe two towns but covered thecounty from Whitchurch, MarketDrayton, Ludlow, Shifnal andmost villages reporting on whistdrives to weddings in great detail.

A reporter was also based inLlandrindod Wells with newsfrom all the villages in the mid-Wales area. All cattle markets werereported with prices and sales.

These stories arrived at theJournal offices in Wellington bypost, telephone, bus and train.

Advertisements were sent tothe front office (below) while newsitems were given to the editorialdepartment. The news was sortedby the sub-editors and then sent tothe composing room.

In the composing room theoperators set the stories on theLinotype machines into lead typewhich had to be read upside downand back to front. Headlines andadverts were also set on Linotypemachines whilst pictures wereprocessed by the photographicdepartment.

Following this the set type wastaken to the “stone” where it wasput into page form following aneditorial layout. The page wassurrounded by a metal frame. Thecompleted page was taken to thepress room where an impressionwas made onto a flong. This was

then used to make a half roundlead plate that fitted onto theprinting press. The press was fedfrom very large reels of paperwhich often broke and the pressscreamed to a halt!

When the papers were printedthey were taken to despatch andsorted into parcels which weredelivered to shops and villages.

BEHIND THE MASTHEAD Don Bates

14 Wellingtonia: Issue 14: First Half 2013

rename the street to Prince’s Street(that is, ‘the street of the Prince’)as an object of permanentmemorial to Prince Albert, QueenVictoria’s beloved husband whohad just died.

With the apostrophe removed,the name of the road comes tomean ‘the street of the princes’,which begs the questions: Whichprinces are they? Why is thisparticular street named afterthem? In other words, the factualreasoning behind the name iscompletely lost ... as is the respectimplied in the correct name.

It’s the unnecessary expenseentailed in not getting it right firsttime that is both annoying anddisappointing.

It’s bad enough when peoplemake up history and pass it off asfact (it’s never fair to mislead thepublic), but to blight the situationby this sort of carelessness and/ormisunderstanding shows ameasure of ignorance (or could itbe ‘We know best’ arrogance?).

It would be relatively easy tocheck with people who know andunderstand the implications ofmaking a bad naming decisionbefore wasting public money byhaving to correct avoidable errors.

Rant over.

SIGNS OF THE TIMES Allan Frost

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In issue 10 of Wellingtonia, wedrew attention to the need foraccuracy in road signs. We are

most grateful that, after severalyears, one of Wellington Town’scouncillors felt the issue wasimportant enough to dosomething about it.

All the street signs on Prince’sStreet have had their apostrophesrestored, and Green Man Closenow reflects the existence of theformer Green Man pub. We aremost grateful to Cllr AngelaMcClements for the active role sheplayed in putting things right.

There has been a sad trend overthe years for apostrophes to beomitted from street and roadsigns. Frequently this is authorisedby officials or council employeeswho don’t understand theimplications.

Recently, Mid Devon DistrictCouncil caused an uproar with its(later reversed) decision to ban theuse of this highly significant itemof punctuation on the groundsthat it ‘could cause confusion in anemergency situation’!

There’s more to this thansimple (and unforgiveable)ignorance by anyone, let alonecouncillors. Unsurprisingly, MidDevon officials were unable toexplain what trouble could arisefrom correct use of punctuation.And they admitted that theapostrophe purge has beenpursued unofficially for years.

Isn’t this what has beenhappening in our area since thecreation of the TelfordDevelopment Corporation andcontinued by its successors?

This backward trend has tostop, and Cllr McClements has,hopefully, started a desire forremedial action. If you notice anysigns where apostrophes havebeen removed, or changes madefor no sensible reason (as was thecase in ‘Greenman’ Close), wesuggest you contact your localcouncillor and chase things upuntil matters are put right. It’s theleast they can do to honour theheritage of each and every town in

the Telford conurbation. Beforeyou act, please check that yourproposed changes are, in fact,right.

Both the incorrect signs forPrince’s Street and Green ManClose illustrate very clearly theneed for special care when signsare proposed, made and installed.

Green Man Close isn’t, nor everwas, the same as Greenman Close.‘Green Man’ relates to the pub ofthat name which once stood onMill Bank where a small housingcomplex has since been built.

‘Greenman’, however, hasabsolutely no significancewhatsoever, but may lead folk tothe conclusion that someone withthat surname played a significantpart in the town’s history. Anomitted space is not onlyconfusing but also an insult toWellington’s heritage.

The position regarding themissing apostrophe in Prince’sStreet is, perhaps, even moreinsulting. Originally, the earliestpart of the present road was calledBrewery Street in recognition of itsclose proximity to the ShropshireBrewery (later to become O.D.Murphy’s pop works) located onHolyhead Road.

Wellington’s respectful TownCommissioners decided in 1861 to

1981: location of former Green Manpub and cottages now occupied byGreen Man Close on Mill Bank.

16 Wellingtonia: Issue 14: First Half 2013

Where did our ancestorsobtain informationabout cultural and social

events as well as news? Andwhere did they go to find outabout town officials, organisations,businesses, and even who livedwhere?

The same places we, as town orfamily researchers, go: oldnewspapers and town directories.We are fortunate that copies (albeitmicrofilm versions) of theinestimable Wellington Journal &Shrewsbury News are readilyavailable for viewing, togetherwith a selection of survivingprinted Wellington & DistrictDirectories, at Wellington Library.However, one directory whichisn’t included in that selection isone of my own Hobson’s 40thDirectory for 1913, extracts ofwhich are reproduced on the lastcolumn on the next page, top andcentre right.

I’ll begin with the WellingtonJournal. In addition to adverts for awide range of products, includingBurslem & Sons’ tailor madegarments (see foot of next page)and lunchtime meals (‘ordinary’meals as opposed to special ones)and an excellent choice of roomsfor an eclectic variety of patrons,whether they were arriving by(rare) motor car, (less rare) bicyclesand horse drawn carriages or(most common) train.

The newspaper was also acrucial means by which newbusinesses, or existing businessesunder new ownership, advertised,as Alfred Barlow realised (above).

Similarly, professional servicesneeded to let prospective clientsknow when collections werescheduled (as for the Salop SteamLaundry) or surgeries could bevisited. This was particularlyimportant in situations where, forexample, a dentist came to thetown once a week (sometimes lessfrequently), although why Mr.Gregory needed to hold hissurgery at a bootmaker’s in CrownStreet is open to conjecture.Perhaps it was the easy access topliers in various sizes ...

Possibly the most excitingevent of the year was the arrival ofBroncho Bill’s Wild WestExhibition and mammoth TwoRing Circus, which was held onParton’s Field on Bennett’s Bank,now home to Telford College ofArts & Technology.

Wild West shows had beenpopularised by the inimitable

Buffalo Bill Cody, whose ownshow had performed at Wellingtonin 1904.

Broncho Bill was the stagename adopted by John Swallowwhose own Wild West show wasbased in the Wolverhampton areafrom 1912 onwards. His showtoured the Midlands as well asparts of Europe, and apparentlygave a successful American tour ...(the phrase ‘coals to Newcastle’comes to mind ...), although theFIRST VISIT TO THIS COUNTRY claim inthe above Wellington Journal noticesmacks of invention.

Swallow’s son, an equestrianrider also named John, succeededhim and, in 1931, joined forceswith Rosaire’s Circus. As far as I

PRINTED WELLINGTON, 1913 Allan Frost

17www.wellingtonhistorygroup.wordpress.com

can tell, Broncho Bill’s Circuscontinued to exist into the 1960swhen it was owned by Billy Mack,a showman considered by some tobe ‘eccentric’, who claimed thecircus was of American origin (!)and promoted it as ‘The WildestShow on Earth’.

Two of Broncho Bill’s mainattractions were performingelephants Salt and Sauce(sometimes Salty and Saucy), bothborn in 1900. They had beentrained by George WilliamLockhart (real name Locker, 1824-1904) whose reputation fortraining elephants was second tonone.

These pachyderms appeared ina number of circuses, such as BillySmart’s, Bertram Mills’s, Rosaire’sand Paulo’s, and even lived atDudley Zoo for a while. Sauce hadalso performed at Buffalo Bill’scircus, and both ‘acted’ in the filmElephant Boy.

According to Wikipedia (not asource I rely on for accurateinformation, so be warned!), Saltaccidentally got stuck in Vauxhalllake whilst touring with Ringland'sCircus in 1952. After seven hours andwith the aid of a crane she was freedfrom the lake, but suffered frompneumonia and died after a week.According to the local press over ahundred wreaths were left for her atthe circus. It was predicted that herlifelong companion, Sauce, would diesoon afterwards but she lived until1960, dying from ‘natural causes’.

= = = =Moving on to Hobson’s 1913Wellington & District Directory, Istrongly suggest anyone interestedin discovering more about thetownship seeks out a copy fromany year.

Hobson’s seems to have beenthe first to produce a directoryspecifically for the town; until thefirst was published during the

1870s, directories tended tocontain county-wide information,and weren’t so detailed as thoseproduced by Hobson or its worthysuccessor, John Jones, whose ownversions of the Wellington Directorydate to the late 1930s.

To give the Directory its fulltitle will give a better indication ofthe area covered by the ‘district’element: THE WELLINGTON &DISTRICT DIRECTORY, Almanack &Diary for 1913, including Wellingtonand Neighbourhood, Hadley, Dawley,|Madeley, Broseley, Iron-Bridge,Coalbrookdale, Oakengates, St.Georges, &c.

The ‘&c’ part is important: itmeans that the Directory coversmost of, if not all the smallerhamlets within the designateddistrict. The inclusion of villages isgenerally unusual because theyseldom get a mention, let aloneany commercial detail, in towndirectories. This, of course, meansthat researchers are able to findout more than they mightotherwise be able to withoutdelving into less helpful sources.

I mentioned earlier thatdirectories contain a wealth ofdetail, especially concerningofficial and other bodies, likecouncils and their committees, firebrigade, taxes, Post Offices, police,court and magistrates, places ofworship, charities – even soupkitchens – medical matters, theLibrary and Public Baths, politicalassociations, the markets company,market days and the ShropshireYeomanry, Royal Horse Artilleryand KSLI, schools, and clubs andsocieties.

Furthermore, minute detailssuch as the names and positions ofall the main folk responsible forrunning these bodies is also given– an invaluable gift for everyonewanting to know more about whattheir ancestors may have beeninvolved in.

And all this is supplementedby page upon page of adverts ...and not just those relating to ourarea. They concern every sort ofpill, potion and countlessconsumer products of the day.

I love local newspapers andtown directories – why not explorethem for yourself?

Francis Charlton stoodalongside his widowedmother, Mary, and sisters,

Margaret and Mary whilst thesoldiers of Cromwell, led by hisUncle Robert fought and killed thefamily servants and burned theirhome, Apley Castle. We cannotknow what influence this hadupon such a young boy of about 5or 6 years of age, but it no doubthad a profound influence on hislater life.

His immediate future was to bespent in a number of homes, aswell as Apley Castle, with thethreat of being put in to the ‘care’of his Uncle Robert; a fate whichhis mother desperately prevented,after all if Francis was to dieRobert would inherit the Charltonestates including Apley. His earlylife was one of turmoil, not just atime of physical warfare but alsopolitical and religious fighting.Even though the Protectorate,Commonwealth of Cromwell,ceased in 1658 it was two yearsbefore the Restoration of theMonarchy in Charles II.

The seventeenth century hadbegun with religious fightingbetween the followers of the Popeand those of the Church,Established by Henry VIII;fighting which resulted in manyexecutions on both ‘sides’depending upon the beliefs of themonarch of the time.

The seventeenth centurycontinued with not only political

fighting, between King andParliament in the Civil War, butthere were underlying religioustensions; in this instance the mainopponents were those who held tothe Established Church and thosewho wanted more Independencefrom the rites and practices of thatchurch, the Puritans.

With the Restoration in 1660there was a very uneasy ‘peace’between these religious factions,made far worse by the Act ofUniformity which prescribed theform of public prayers,administration of sacraments, andother rites of the EstablishedChurch of England, following therites, ceremonies and doctrinesprescribed in the Book of CommonPrayer. Adherence to this wasrequired in order to hold anyoffice in government or thechurch. This Act incensed thePresbyterians and Independentsand was a cause of great mischiefin the coming years.

The Restoration was not aperiod of ‘sweetness and light’ buta ‘great intrigue’; politically therewere tensions between the pastwarring parties, even though therehad been a pardon for pasttreasons against the Crown; manyof these tensions could be foughtout in Parliament. Howeverreligious tensions had no forumfor debate; unless it was theprivate houses of the separate‘parties’; one of those houses beingRye House, Hoddesdon, north east

of London in Hertfordshire, seenin the illustration below.

Francis Charlton had marriedin 1655 at the age of about 16; heand his widowed mother livedtogether at Apley Castle but itmust have been a ‘stormy’relationship between a strongwilled, capable woman who hadmanaged the estate since theattack, and succeeded in payingoff the debts caused by thefamily’s adherence to the Royalistcause, and her son who wanted toestablish himself as head of thehousehold. Very soon Mary tookherself off to a house inKidderminster where some littletime later she was joined by herdaughter Margaret.

Francis would appear to havebeen diligent in his studiesbecause in 1664, aged about 25 hewas High Sheriff of Shropshireand a lawyer; he had Chambers atGreys Inn in London and a houseat Totteridge; not so many milesfrom Rye House at Hoddesdon.Indeed today they are on the samebus route. About the time he wasSheriff of Shropshire he lost part ofhis leg, the reason is not recorded,‘My cousin Francis Charlton of Apleyhath had his leg cut off, about thegartering place’, comment in a letterfrom Stephen Charlton.

The circumstances of his earlychildhood no doubt greatlyaffected his education andinfluenced his subsequent history.There is little doubt that he was infavour of the return of Charles buthe was also affected by the ideasand beliefs of others; RichardBaxter, his brother-in-law, becamedisenchanted with the EstablishedChurch; his cousin LordShaftesbury, one of the leaders ofpolitical opposition to Charles’srule, later fled to Holland andthere died. It is highly likely thatothers with whom he worked as alawyer, in the ‘Inns of Court’ inLondon had an influence. It isknown that he was ‘a hot andindiscreet talker, and apt to drawsuspicions on himself’.

The Act of Uniformity was agreat cause of religious unrest forthe dissenters from the EstablishedChurch; the knowledge thatCharles would be succeeded by

18 Wellingtonia: Issue 14: First Half 2013

TO THE TOWER FOR TREASON Geoff Harrison

his younger brother James, anacknowledged Roman Catholicadded further concern to the ruleof Charles and the uncertainreligious future of the country.Discontent was spreadingthroughout the country; the focusof much of this unrest was theDuke of Monmouth, the King’sillegitimate son, a supporter of theEstablished Church but at the timein exile in Holland, ambitiouslyawaiting the call to return to thecrown.

The Rye House Plot was‘hatched’ in 1683; the purpose wasto remove both Charles II and hisbrother James, his heir, andestablish the Duke of Monmouthon the throne of England. Theintension was to assassinate thebrothers on their way back toLondon from the racing atNewmarket; the road on whichthey would travel was close to RyeHouse where it was very narrowand there was good look out fromthe house. In addition the housecould easily be defended by a fewpersons against a large attack. Theplot failed; the racing wascancelled and the King’s partyreturned early to London but noplot is without its gossips andspies, many participants of theconspiracy were caught.

Francis Charlton wasimplicated along with many of hisfriends and contacts. Lord William

Russell was executed and othersfled abroad; still more of theconspirators ended in the Tower ofLondon. Testaments were takenfrom many of those both involved,and those on the fringe, of theconspiracy and these werepublished in 1685. Charlton hadbeen accused by Colonel Rumseyand Ferguson of providing moneyfor arms and they furtherimplicated him but in his defencehe said he knew nothing of anyconsultation or meeting about theKing. Mr Charlton is clearlyimplicated in the plot but on thefringe rather than deeplycommitted. Information given byZachary Bourn (above) mentions‘Mr Charlton with the wooden leg’.In another document it was said ofMr Ferguson, ‘Violent, malignant,regardless of truth, insensible toshame, insatiable of notoriety,delighting in intrigue, .. . ‘.

Such was the type of personwith whom Francis becameinvolved and as a consequence theTower became his residence; thewarrant to commit him to theTower was issued 11th August1683. During his months in theTower, as was the custom, he waspermitted to have his wife withhim: ‘September 3rd. An order wasgiven that Mrs Charlton should bepermitted to go to her husband.’

There was no direct evidencewhich implicated him in theconspiracy and he was releasedfrom the Tower in February 1684.Francis Charlton survived the plot,the accusations, confinement inthe Tower and died in 1698, beingburied in the graveyard at AllSaints Wellington 19th May 1698.

The Rye House Plot was

intended to make way for theDuke of Monmouth to take thethrone of England; it failed butalthough in this case Monmouthwas not directly implicated, hegathered around him some of theplotters who had fled justice.

When James succeeded, anyhope of a peaceful political returnof Monmouth ended; Monmouthnow placed his reliance upon hisperceived popularity andreputation with the people ofEngland: ‘He remembered theaffection with which he had beenconstantly greeted by the commonpeople in town and country, andexpected they would now rise ... towelcome him’. He landed in thesouth-west in 1685 and he wasdisappointed; he failed and wastaken and suffered execution.

Suffered is most appropriate;Macaulay writes, ‘The executioneraddressed himself to his office. ... Thefirst blow inflicted only a slightwound. The Duke struggled. Rosefrom the block . . . The head sankdown once more. The stroke wasrepeated again and again; but the neckwas still not severed’.

Indeed, it took five blows of theaxe to execute the Duke ofMonmouth.

19www.wellingtonhistorygroup.wordpress.com

20 Wellingtonia: Issue 14: First Half 2013

Wellington’s BlessedRobert Johnson schoolis due to close in 2014,

having first opened for pupils in1963. Do you have any connectionwith the school?

The History department, withhelp from Wellington HistoryGroup, has obtained a grant underthe Young Roots scheme with aview to producing a book andDVD recording its 50 year life.

The project is student led, withessential input needed from themany folk who have beeninvolved with the school as pupils,teachers, ancillary staff, parents,etc., over the years.

There will be a specialReminiscence Day at the schoolon Saturday 29th June from 12until 4pm, so please make aneffort to seek out all items ofmemorabilia (including photos,uniforms, certificates and so on) aswell as your memories.

If the project is to be successfuland meaningful, it’s vital that asmuch information and items aspossible are recorded.

Even if you can’t make it to theReminiscence Day, don’t let thatdeter you ... there are plenty ofother ways in which you can makea valuable contribution. Contactdetails are given below.

MISCELLANY

Further to the article in the last issue of Wellingtonia, evidence fromthe Wellington Tithe Map and Apportionment (1841) has establishedthat the Wellington branch of the Shropshire Banking Co. was

housed in the building in the centre of this photograph (i.e. to the left ofthe shut leading to Ten Tree Croft).

It seems likely that when Lloyds Banking Co. took this over in 1874they moved to (and enlarged?) the premises to the right of the shut, andthat the original building became known as Old Bank House. This wasoccupied in c.1889 by Miss F. J. Slaney. The photograph was taken in 1968,after the original top floor of Lloyds Bank had been removed ... it hasrecently been replaced during work to create residential apartments!

Can you helpwith this appeal?

Our presidentGeorge Evansrecently took thisinformal photo of theWellington HistoryGroup managementcommittee.

From left to right:Neil Clarke, RoyCorbett, Joy Rebello(secretary), PatFairclough, GeoffHarrison (chair),Allan Frost(magazine editor)and Wendy Palin(treasurer).

NEW WALK BOOKLET FOR THE WREKIN HILLS

The Royal Geographical Society has published anew booklet on The Wrekin Hills (including The

Ercall and neighbouring hills) inspired by GeorgeEvans as part of its Discovering Britain project. Aswell as providing pleasant routes it also contains

historical information. The booklet is free todownload and there’s also an audio version,

so pay a visit tohttp://www.discoveringbritain.org/walks/region/

west-midlands/wrekin-forest.html#tabbox