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Magazine Spring 2016 Number 93 The Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society The Image © redpix photography

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Page 1: The Magazine Spring 2016 Number 93 - University of Leicester · Historian and two editions of the Magazine. The Society also arranges an annual season of talks at the New Walk Museum,

Magazine Spring 2016Number 93

The Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society

The

Image © redpix photography

Page 2: The Magazine Spring 2016 Number 93 - University of Leicester · Historian and two editions of the Magazine. The Society also arranges an annual season of talks at the New Walk Museum,

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TheMagazineThe magazine and newsletterof the LeicestershireArchaeological and HistoricalSociety

Spring 2016Number 93Published twice-yearly by the LeicestershireArchaeological and Historical Society

President - Michael Wood

The GuildhallGuildhall LaneLeicesterLE1 5FQ

Distributed free of charge to all members,and available to non-members in electronicfrom our websites:

www.le.ac.uk/lahswww.lahs.org.uk

Editor: Stephen [email protected]

© 2016 The Society and respective authors

The Leicestershire Archaeological andHistorical Society was founded in 1855 topromote the study of the history,archaeology, antiquities and architecture ofLeicestershire.

Each year, the Society produces itsTransactions as well as the LeicestershireHistorian and two editions of the Magazine.The Society also arranges an annual seasonof talks at the New Walk Museum, issuesoccasional publications and offersexcursions and other special events.

For membership information and enquiriesplease contact the Membership Secretary,Matthew Beamish, by email to:[email protected] or 0116 252 5234.

Contents4 Mary Annie Sloane Retrospective

An exhibition at New Walk of the work of a former LAHS member and respected local artist

10 The Century TheatreThe closure of Snibston Discovery Park places a question mark

over the future of the travelling theatre built in Hinckley and rescued from the Lake District

14 The DMU Heritage CentreElizabeth Wheelband, DMU Heritage Centre Co-ordinator tells

how this new heritage centre was designed - around the remains of the church where Richard III’s body lay in state before his burial in Greyfriars.

17 Loughborough- Textile Town?Dave Postles outlines the direction of his continuing research into

Loughborough’s socio-industrial past

18 The Search for Richard IIIPhilippa Langley talks candidly to the LAHS Magazine

24 2016 W.Alan North Memorial Lecture How to reserve your tickets for this important lecture to be given by Prof Andrew Wallace-Hadrill

25 The Cotesbach Schoolhouse News of a recently-opened and imaginative new heritage project in south Leicestershire

News of a generous bequest to the Society

Reports from ULAS

Latest acquisitions by the Society’s Guildhall Library

Nichols 100 - An update

Membership Matters

PLUS:

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A major bequest for the LeicestershireArchaeological and Historical SocietyIn September 2015, the LAHSreceived a communication from a firmof local solicitors to advise that theSociety had been mentioned in thewill of a gentleman whose estate theywere managing.

They asked for confirmation that wewere a registered charity as this wouldhave a bearing on any monies that couldcome our way. It was further explainedthat the bequest was intended 'to providea lecture each year on the High MedievalPeriod of the East Midlands to be givenby anyone from Leicester University orother suitable qualified person ...'

We had no further communication untiljust before Christmas, when theHonorary Secretary received a largepackage of papers by recorded delivery.It was only after reading through manypages of legal notices, that the actualscale of the (pre-tax) bequest was

URGENTTransactionsVol. 89 – APlea for Help!Our distributors have made amistake and sent some membersduplicate copies of Transactionsvolume 89.

As this error has combined with areduced overall print run (a resultof our efforts to only print as manycopies of the journal as needed), thishas resulted in very few spare copies.If any members have been sentduplicate copies of Vol. 89, 2015,please return them to me at theaddress below. We will reimburseyou your postage costs.

Matt BeamishHon Membership Secretary,LAHS,c/o ULAS, University Road,Leicester. LE1 7RH

indicated - and the figure required severalattempts to read in order to ensure thatthere were no misunderstandings ormisconceptions. We discovered that MrJohn Scarborough has bequeathed to theSociety investments with a current value of£863,843.00.

In the last financial year, the LAHS enjoyedan income of just over £25,000, and spentalmost as much. Over the past five years,the Society’s income has averaged about£18,000, and we have struggled to keepwithin that budget whilst maintaining ourregular publications at a consistently highstandard.

Although the fine detail of the bequest isstill to be indicated to us, including any taxfor which we may be liable, and how muchof this sum may be immediately availableto us, this is a major event in the Society’s161 year history. Needless to say, we shallbe keeping the membership fully informedof deliberations in the months to come.

David SmithAs this issue of the Magazinewent to press, the Officers of theSociety were saddened to learnof the passing of David Smith,one of the LeicestershireArchaeological and HistoricalSociety’s longstandingmembers, former Officer,Honorary Minutes Secretary andVice-President.

His funeral took place on Friday12 February 2016 at St Pius XRoman Catholic Church inNarborough. He was buried inthe cemetery next door to hishome.

There will be a full writtencelebration of David’s life andwork in our next issue.

LAHSNewsandNotes

The W.Alan North Memorial LectureWe are delighted announce that the 1026 W.Alan North MemorialLecture will be given by Professor Andrew Wallace-Hadrill,University of Cambridge.

The title of the lecture is Herculaneum : past perfect, futureconditional. The date is Thursday 10 March 2016 at 7.30 pm inthe Victorian Gallery at the New Walk Museum.

As we know this will be popular with our membership, we ask youto please book your seats in advance. Please see Page 24 for fulldetails.

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In the 2013 edition of the LeicestershireHistorian, LAHS member SHIRLEYAUCOTT wrote an article about MarySloane which attracted the attention of amember of Mary’s family. Meetings anddiscussions followed which led tonegotiations with the New Walk Museumand has resulted in this much-welcomedexhibition.

‘We are all agreed thather contribution to theArts and CraftsMovement needs to beacknowledged andvalued inLeicestershire, as wellas further afield.’

Writing in the Spring 2015 issue of thisMagazine, Shirley also emphasised thatMary should be recognised as a pioneeringwoman who helped to forge a path for otherwomen artists to follow at a time when theirartistic talents were not always recognised,or valued.

‘Her watercolours andetchings of Leicesterand Leicestershirescenes and its pasttrade of FrameworkKnitting are animportant part of thecounty’s heritage.’

Mary Sloane - A Portrait of the artist

The Leicestershire Archaeological andHistorical Society is delighted to beassociated with this important exhibitionof a significant but rarely celebratedLeicester artist.

Born into a comfortable middle class life -her father was a doctor at the LeicesterRoyal Infirmary - Mary chose to pursue anartistic path at a time when trainingopportunities for women were limited. Shewas educated at Belmont House School andthen studied at the Leicester School of Art,continuing her training in Bushey,Hertfordshire and London.

Her energies were directed into her art,campaigns for womens’ suffrage, travel anda close friendship with May Morris,daughter of William Morris, father of theArts & Crafts movement. Her interest indesign was broad and covered medievaljewellery, textiles and embroidery.

Bringing together many previously unseenartworks from private family collections,this exhibition will cover both her earlyLeicester period and later life in London.

An important exhibition of Leicester born artist and one-timeLAHS member Mary Annie Sloane (1867-1961)

The exhibition opens on Friday 25 March2016 and continues until Sunday 3 July2016 in Gallery 7 of the New WalkMuseum.

Members of the Society are invited to aprivate viewing of the exhibition onThursday 12 May 2016 at 7.30pm as partof the 2015/16 Lecture Season. Theviewing will be led by Simon Lake,Curator of Fine Art, Leicester MuseumService.

Mary Sloane in 1891/92 byH. Steele and Co, 322 Upper Street,Islington, London.

A Framework Knitter at work. MarySloane, Watercolour, 1891

Portrait of a Young Lady, Mary Sloane

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Bradgate Late Upper Palaeolithic site (Lynden Cooper, JenBrowning, Matt Beamish, James Harvey)

November is a time of great change at the Park with the greentrees transformed to autumnal hues and the beginning of theirleaf fall. The deer ended the rut and entered a period ofgathering. The elusive red deer can be seen in large socialgroups of mixed gender – a herd of 33 deer were spotted on thefloodplain last week. Unfortunately for the deer this is also thetime when the culling programme restarts.

While we ponder the possibilities of witnessing ecologicalchanges that may have been the raison d’être for the Late UpperPalaeolithic occupation the excavation continues. Seven spitsof 20mm depth have now been removed systematically withall worked flint of 10mm+ size plotted by GPS (all teammembers are now proficient at this). The GPS data isdownloaded daily allowing updated plots which inform ourinterpretations and demonstrates any need for extending thesite limit. We have been exploring the limits to east, west andsouth and feel confident that we have found the main locus ofactivity. The wet weather is used as an opportunity to clear thesieving backlog and process the finds. On-site flint assessmentallows for identification of the tools and by-products:identification lags behind the excavation logging by a week orso. There are circa 2,500 logged finds and countless pieces ofmicro-debitage from the sieving. Tools number over a 130 andit seems that every day another text book tool is revealed.

The plots suggest that the scatter has good spatial integrity withidentifiable knapping zones and activity areas. Most of the toolsare broken which bodes well for future spatial analysis – tools

Reports from ULASRecent work by University of Leicester Archaeological Services

were likely left at their point of breakage. The tool classes anddispositions suggest that we have gearing up for the hunt(projectile point manufacture), re-tooling (replacement ofdamaged points) and subsequent processing of the catch(numerous scrapers, retouched blades and piercers). If there is apalimpsest of activities this may well have occurred over a periodof weeks during one autumn c 14,500 years ago. This seasonalmodel has some support from the findings from the Creswelliancave sites: summer hunting of wild horse is known from the

southern caves (eg Gough’s Cave) while there is evidence ofover-wintering at Creswell Crags. The two known open airCreswellian sites, Bradgate Park and Wey Manor Farm, Surrey)suggest that small groups operated in the landscape with seasonalaggregations at the cave sites.

Our best find? Very difficult to say as many exquisite examplesof tools have been unearthed. However, there was some audiblerustling of anorak when a core was found last week. The bladecore had been carefully worked by an expert artisan, but the finalworkings were inept, almost certainly the hand of a young child.A similar core was found at Wey Manor Farm.

Broughton Astley, Broughton Way (Tim Higgins)Back in October 2012 trenches were excavated to evaluate anarea for a proposed mixed use development, off Broughton Wayat the northern edge of the village of Broughton Astley.Geophysical survey had identified linear anomalies, some ofwhich were probably Iron Age or Roman. The evaluationtrenches subsequently confirmed the presence of a ditched

Left : A solitary young stag feeding .Right: A successful stag parades with his harem on the floodplain. Perhaps similar behaviour occurred in the Late Glacialperiod and heralded the start of the hunting season where aggregations allowed successful kills.

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Hallaton (Vicki Score)This year at Hallaton saw us abandoning the medieval chapel totry and find more information about the Roman features underneathof which there is much, many intercutting with pottery dating fromthe first to fourth century although some earlier material and twoIron Age sherds were also found.

The square enclosure around the chapel was shown to comprise amedieval stone wall on the alignment of a Roman ditch, althoughwe were unable to find either of the corners we were looking for.

enclosure, probably a Late Iron Age farmstead. In Septemberthis year an excavation confirmed the presence of an extensiverectangular farmstead with large number of internal post holes,possible storage pits and potential livestock pens. Thealignment and arrangement of some of the post holes suggestpotential structures. Some of the pits displayed near verticalsides and may have been used for storage. The upper part of aBeehive quern and a possible saddle quern were found withintwo of these pits. A large number of Iron Age pottery sherdswere also found within the various features.

The results of the fieldwork suggest that there was evidencethat the enclosure was possibly remodelled with the southernextension added and some of the ditches were recut and cleared.However the arrangement and number of internal featureswould suggests that farmstead was a short-lived settlement.

Bradgate Late Upper Palaeolithic site - The excavation asspit 5 is completed. The exposed rocks are a talus depositderived from the weathering of the grano-diorite outcropduring the Late Glacial Maximum. The flints are situated inthe top of the deposit while the stone-free head deposit (toleft) yields lots of bracken roots but few tools. It is suspectedthat this area was always damp and was avoided.

Iron Age Farmstead Enclosure Broughton Astley

The northern medieval wall around the chapel as seen fromthe drone– the chapel is top centre against the field boundary.

Leicester, Bath Lane, Friars Mill (Donald Clark, withSue Henderson, Luis Fareleira Gomes and Carlos Merino)Following on from John Thomas’s evaluation of a small areaearmarked for a new building close to the Bath Lane frontage,and the discovery of a well preserved Roman structure, a largerarea was stripped for more detailed investigation.

Although partly robbed, several courses of superstructure of thenorth-south wall of a substantial building survived, together withan associated mortar floor on the east side. The northern end ofthis wall then joined an east west wall with much deeperfoundations. Although some tesserae and fragments of wallplaster were found on the site, the overall impression seems tobe of a large utilitarian structure, presumably tucked in adjacent

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indicating a deep and apparently long lived sequence of Romanactivity on this part of the site including a complex series ofoccupation layers & floor surfaces associated with possiblepost-holes or beam slots at the base of the sequence. Above thiswere layers of made ground upon which there was later Romanoccupation, represented by robbed stone walls mostly runningN-S (with one E-W exception).

The walls may represent one large or two smaller buildingsassociated with with tessellated floors, of which fragmentssurvived. Pottery from the medieval pits indicate a wide spanof occupation. Several contained complete or substantiallycomplete pots, whilst others had preserved timber linings, andwere probably cess pits, rubbish pits and wells in the backyardsof Southgates properties. Some stone-lined pits represent latermedieval activity whilst 18th century occupation is indicated bya brick-lined well that contained an interesting ceramic and glassassemblage that had been dumped in as the feature went out ofuse. This included a range of fine and coarse ware pottery

to the rampart of the western town defences. The building liesabove 700mm or more of Roman deposits. As to function –we currently have no idea, but it is surely significant that it liesvery close to the huge public building dug by WardleArmstrong on the east side of Bath Lane in 2013 and not farnorth of the possible baths building at the Merlin Works site tothe south.

The site is also that of Leicester’s earliest factory – Friars Mill –which has now been restored after a major fire. We were treatedto the spectacle of the cupola being craned into position watchedby a small crowd, including the City Mayor and, from the top ofa cherry picker, Dave Myers (of Hairy Bikers fame ) who ismaking a programme for the BBC on the restoration of historicbuildings.

Leicester, Southgate Street (John Thomas, Mathew Morris)At very short notice (the piling rigs were already on site) ULASwere appointed to carry out excavations on the site partiallyevaluated by Albion Archaeology in 2012 where well preservedRoman archaeology had been revealed. Two areas were examinedin the autumn of 2015 where new student blocks were to beconstructed. The northern was close to the Southgate Streetfrontage and covered what appeared to have been two medievalplots delimited by the remains of at least two boundary walls.Medieval pitting covered much of the excavation area, leavingtantalising 'islands' of Roman stratigraphy between them

(Above and below) Examples of the ceramic assemblagefrom the 18th century well

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including early porcelain plates, tea bowls and saucers as wellas several miniatures including a teapot. Coarse wares includeda number of Pancheon ware bowls and dishes.

The assemblage also contained a collection of completewine/brandy bottles and medicinal bottles. Useful datingevidence was provided by one pottery sherd decorated with araised dot crown motif above a hand-painted 'G R'. It is hopedthat clearer idea of the dating will be established if thedecorative style on the pottery can be identified.

The southern area, close to the Southgates frontage, wasrelatively unscathed by medieval activity, with just large pitsquarrying Roman street gravels. One large rectangular pitproduced a very fine assemblage of late medieval/early post-medieval table wares, glazed ridge tiles, roof slates, iron fittingsand a number of interesting small finds including an ironarrowhead and a copper alloy spear head. Gaps between pitclusters and surviving gave clues to medieval plot boundaries,otherwise there was little evidence of medieval structures. The

Pits, pits and more pits (the northern area,)

Unravelling late Roman occupation (the southern area)

Roman sequence was very well preserved, the area coveringthe north-western corner of a Roman insula with theintersection of two cambered gravelled streets, one north-southand one east-west, running along the western and northernsides of the excavation. The north-south street is of particularsignificance as it is previously unrecorded in this part of town.Running along the eastern and southern side of the streets wasa substantial stone boundary wall, mostly robbed but with twosections still in-situ. There were five courses of survivingsuperstructure, with evidence at the base for clay waterproofingas protection against water run-off from the street.

In section, activity behind the wall, inside the insula, was quietwith a thick deposit of ‘garden’ soil building up against theface of the wall. However, in the later Roman period, a seriesof crude structures appear to have been built up against thewall – shallow stone wall footings, crude stone floors, post-holes and a series of industrial features very reminiscent ofthose seen on the Highcross site Freeschool Lane. A largenumber of late Roman coins have been recovered from thesesurfaces, as well as other copper-alloy artefacts and slag andit might be that the furnaces are for reclamation of metals. Theexcavations finished in October 2015

Late Roman copper alloy ‘chip-carved’ belt buckle

Indented glass unguent bottle

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Excavation provided supplementary constructional details of themanor house, including evidence for a chimney and hearth baseand beamslots and hints of north and south cross-passages in thecentral hall range.

The hearth base (15) was constructed from flat sandstone slabs,degraded from heat reddening, with a chimney built around iton three sides. A lip around the front of the hearth possiblyrepresented a second hearth, and was associated with a fragmentof cobbled flooring. The entire structure was set upon a roughrubble base and measured 3.4m x 1.2m and 0.26m in height

Post-medieval window masonry fragments from the fabric of amodern drain indicate post-medieval modifications to thebuilding subsequent to its c.1505 construction date. A modernassociated external drain produced several window masonryfragments, reused as drain lining. The ovolo moulded mullionedand transomed masonry is likely to derive from a late 16th or17th century phase of building alteration.

Lubbesthorpe, Lubbesthorpe Bridle Way (Wayne Jarvis)Further trial trenching and excavation in the area of the MBAcremation burials. Although the site had been badly ploughedout, further pits were excavated which produced cremated bone,and what is probably pyre material in a larger pit nearby.Trenching is continuing (at the time of writing at Trenchnumber 183!), and has mostly been quiet, confirming previoustrenching results and geophysical survey. However an area ofgood features potentially of Neolithic date has been identifiedand this will entail further work with trenching and an open-areastrip.

Melton Mowbray, Sysonby Riverside Farm (Wayne Jarvis)

Series of features identified here, in a follow up to previouswork that had only identified c.18th century activity. Most ofthe features from the current work are probably related to themedieval ‘lost village’ site of Sysonby, as we are adjacent tothe church, and a medieval moated site lies just to the south-east. These features consist of some occupation and also largeditches. Some evidence may be later and associated with theornamental gardens of 17-18th century date, and a couple ofearly features with a background ‘noise’ of struck flint hintingat earlier activity.

Oakham Castle (Leon Hunt)

The first phase of a continuing series of archaeologicalinterventions throughout November during restoration work atOakham Castle. This first phase focused on the widening of thepathway around the western side of the Hall, the footprint of anew toilet block (partially under the footprint of the newlydemolished boiler house) and a slot through the northernrampart to evaluate the level of survival of the rampart wall,which had been recently cleared of foliage.

Time Team (with some members of ULAS) carried out a dighere in 2013 where they found sections of two walls (ordifferent phases), possibly the remains of a solar block whichonce lay to the west of the Great Hall. In light of some remainswe discovered during a test pit excavated along the line of thepathway we also resurrected the Time Team trench to try torelate our new remains to theirs.

Tugby, Manor Farm, Main Street (Roger Kipling)

ULAS carried out a strip, plan and sample excavation at ManorFarm, Main Street, Tugby, Leicestershire, unfortunatelyfollowing the recent demolition of the manor house. An earlierbuilding survey by Neil Finn had established the Old ManorFarm House was probably constructed as a 2-storey hall andcross-wing house around 1505, based on tree ring dating of rooftimbers. The hall range was of timber-frame construction andthe high end cross-wing to the south of the hall had a stone-builtground storey and timber-framed upper story.

The east front of the hall range was rebuilt in the later 17th or18th century and alterations to its rood structure were madearound the same time. A substantial north cross-wing wasadded towards the end of the 18th century, replacing the originalin-line service end, and resulting in a house of near symmetricalH-plan.

Excavated plan of the manor house (above) and thefireplace and hearth base (below)

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storey front of house addition was added in2011 providing a mezzanine lounge bar,toilet facilities and disability access.

Despite the closure of Snibston DiscoveryMuseum in July 2015 due to CountyCouncil budget cuts, the Century Theatreprogramme continues to provide a widevariety of acts. Friday night CenturyCinema has a cult following with heritage‘B’ movies including items from the Pathe

The Blue Box - still moving forwardWith demolition notices up at SnibstonDiscovery Museum, what is the future ofLeicestershire’s largest museumartefact, the ‘Century Theatre’?

Known affectionately as ‘The Blue Box’,this unique former mobile theatre has beendesignated a ‘Theatre at Risk’ by theTheatres’ Trust, which is deeplydisappointing after the tremendous workput in by council staff and volunteers overthe last few years to build a programme andattract increasing audience and revenue.

Conceived in 1948 by engineer JohnRidley, and constructed in Hinckley 1948-52, the entire structure, which had space foran audience of 225, could be folded up andmoved to a different location every twoweeks. Four ex-RAF Crossley tractors wereneeded to pull each of the four 30ft trailerswhich made up the auditorium. Imagine thescene as it took to the road in 1952 withthese huge juggernauts, followed by sixtrailers for the cast and crew, - two bed-sitting rooms, a dining car, kitchen, bookingoffice and bathroom. It must have been awelcome sight to communities devastatedafter the war.

The Century Theatre toured the country fortwenty-three years before becoming apermanent fixture at Keswick, where itgained the nickname 'The Blue Box’. Itremained in Keswick until 1996 untilreturning home to Leicestershire inDecember 1996, to be sited at SnibstonDiscovery Park in Coalville. A new two

KEITH PARE

collection and British Transport Filmsaccompanying the latest commercial films.High quality touring theatre is a regulartreat and a strong series of stand up comedyacts such as Alan Carr, Alistair McGowanand Jon Richardson has produced regularsell out shows. As someone joked onTwitter “Comedy in a folding theatre?You’ll be creased!”

For heritage lovers, I have to recommend“A Brief History Of Music‘” on the 15thApril. Beginning in the Middle Ages andending up in the 20th century this fun andfast-moving show takes in 600 years ofmusical history in 90 minutes! Anotherhighlight of our forthcoming attractions willbe the touring drama "Call Mr. Robeson -A life, with songs" on Friday 18 March.Written and performed by Tayo Aluko, thisaward-winning portrayal of actor, singerand political activist Paul Robeson receiveda standing ovation at Carnegie Hall, NewYork.

New brown tourist signs now direct theatrelovers from Ashby Road. Please don’t beput off by the bulldozers dismantling theformer Discovery Museum. If this uniquetreasure is to survive, it needs your support.Have a look at the website for what’s onnext http://www.centurytheatre.co.uk

The 'Blue Box' of the original trailer-mounted Century Theatre (Photograph courtesyof Andy Dingley)

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The Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical SocietyThe Guildhall, Guildhall Lane, Leicester. LE1 5FQ

Registered Charity No 503240

Gift Aid declarationLeicestershire Archaeological and Historical SocietyPlease treat my subscription payments as Gift Aid donations. I confirm I have paid or will pay an amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Taxfor the current tax year (6 April to 5 April) that is at least equal to the amount of tax that all the charities and Community Amateur Sports Clubsthat I donate to will reclaim on my gifts for that tax year. I understand that other taxes such as VAT and Council Tax do not qualify. I understandthe charity will reclaim 25p of tax on every £1 that I have given.

Title _________ First name or initial(s) _________________ Surname ______________________________________________

Full Home address _______________________________________________________________________________________

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Please notify LAHS if you change your name or home address, wish to cancel this declaration, or no longer pay sufficient tax on your income and/or capital gains.

Please address all correspondence to:

Standing Order MandateTo __________________________________________ Bank/Building Society

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Please pay Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society (LAHS): £______ now and on the 1st May next, and annually thereafter (deleteas applicable), to their bank at Nat West,Leicester Customer Service Centre, 1 Western Boulevard, Bede Island, Leicester LE2 7EJ.Sort Code 60-60-06 Account Number 87270080

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Mr. Matthew BeamishHon. Membership SecretaryLAHS, c/o ULAS, School of Archaeology and Ancient HistoryUniversity of LeicesterUniversity RoadLeicester LE1 7RHTel 0116 2525234 Email [email protected]

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A Matter of Transcription?

During recent research, LAHS OfficerDAVID RAMSEY encountered aparticularly challenging document, thetranscription of which requires anelement of imagination and lateralthinking.

David writes ‘I came across the extracttaken from a letter written in the 2ndMarquess of Dorset's own hand recently(The insert below is from (BritishHistory on Line) and wondered if thefather of the Marquess (ElizabethWoodville's eldest son) had also had,what appears to be problems similar toDyslexia.’

‘ Thomas Grey, the 2nd Marquess, as ayoung lad, was taken to the safety ofFrance by his father, where he joinedHenry Tudor  who was preparing for hisreturn to England. This may well haveupset his subsequent periods ofeducation.’

Dorset owned land in sixteen Englishcounties and was a justice of the peace inseveral of them. In 1516, during a rivalryin Leicestershire with George, BaronHastings, and Sir Richard Sacheverell,Dorset unlawfully increased his retinue atcourt and was brought before the StarChamber and the Court of King's Bench.He was bound over for good behaviour.As part of this rivalry, he greatlyenlarged his ancestral home at Bradgate,here in Leicestershire.

For those who enjoy (relatively trivial)historic associations, it is interesting tonote that in 1530, in the final months ofhis life, Dorset assisted the King in thecondemnation of Cardinal Wolsey who,as we know, died in Leicester on his wayback to London to face the charge oftreason.

Furthermore, a contemporary of Dorsetwas Thomas White whose localphilanthropy is commemorated onLeicester’s clocktower. White wasmember of the Commission for the trialof Lady Jane Grey. Jane was Dorset’sgrand-daughter.

(From Henry VIII  1514   21–30   British History on line)

Since the writing of his "other" letters a packet ofletters and instructions had arrived from the King.Being on the point of dispatching other matters theyjudge it best to proceed, and not to join those mattersand the other together. [Thus far in a clerk's hand; the restin Dorset's own.] The first time Suffolk broke with theFrench K��ing of their charge he desired Dorset tohelp him and spoke only of Navarre, "to see how hewould take it, and to prove further his mind and seewhat we could get of him; who byhawfe (behaved)him with marvellous good words touching ourmaster, but nothing to the purpose of Navarre, butever to grope us and know the uttermost of ourminds. And vhy ansure (we answer) hyme vhyteplesante vordys agayne ever [no]w and thanegropynge ate him agayne; and when [he] saw itvholde by none hodyre vheys (otherwise) a kalyth (hecalled) [us to] bankete, and made hus ete and dryngeby hys bede; [and] that done a bade us goude nyde,and sayd [his Council] sude come in the mornynge tohus [; and we determin]yd to by has golse (?) totheyme ha[s we were to the] kynge and vy vher indyd (we were indeed) by the ... ynynge to theyme. ...that we had none hod[yre] ... they demandyt ofe hwsvyder v[y had any] tynge eles to say, and vhy saydvy trote and p[rayed them] to be pleyne vythe husand ife vy so fonde they[m we] volde by so vythetheyme; and so they departyth to [the] Kynge, andkame the nex day to hws and opy[nyd] ther to husthe Kyngys plesyre and mynde so largely to hus thatvhy vhele parse vyth (we well perceived) they [dealt]pleynle vyth thus and hes thanges kyfyne (thanksgiven) to t[hem and] prosedet farder in hore mater;and thane they b[egan] to loke hone apone.

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the old rates which were increased as ofMay 2012, and have also yet to send me topup cheques for any balances due. Emailremains a very effective way of contactingmembers directly – I can now communicatewith 84% of the membership electronically.

If you have not received any emails fromme ([email protected]), and you have anemail address do please let me know! Ifyou do not have an email address thenconsider having one!

All subscriptions paid directly to theSociety from member’s bank accounts areStanding Orders rather than Direct Debits:any increase has to be requested by youeither by contacting your bank, orcompleting a new mandate form andreturning it to me – I am unable to alter aStanding Order arrangement on your behalf.Members can now make any payments tothe Society by PayPal in addition to theexisting methods. The email address forpayments is [email protected] not essential, there are a numberof members with the same surnames, andsome of these with same initials - quotingyour membership number can help me notto make simple mistakes!

Membership Matters

Society membership is stable at around420 private members with a steady flowof new members to replace those whoresign or are deceased.

Institutional membership includes around70 societies and libraries in the UnitedKingdom, mainland Europe and furtherafield including the United States, Japanand Australia.

As membership secretary, my role includesmanaging day to day enquiries, joining newmembers, and posting out societypublications to new members andinstitutional subscribers. I maintain adatabase in which membership records arekept – this includes contact information,email addresses, records of paymentsreceived, Gift Aid declarations, invoicessent out, and publications despatched. Ihave developed the relational database inMicrosoft Access using some customscripting, and the database is encrypted toprotect member’s information.

Subscription rates remain unchanged at £20Individual, £25 Family, and £6 Student.Some 20 members have still yet to updateStanding Orders which are still paying at

MATT BEAMISH, MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY

If you are unclear on the state of yoursubscription, please do just ask – email,write or call. I can give you up to date,accurate information by return of email.

I am continuing to make Gift Aid claimsfrom HMRC – this is giving a very usefulboost to the Society’s income: If you cannotremember having made a recent Gift AidDeclaration and you are a UK tax payer,then please do make one in favour of theSociety. It will increase the value of yoursubscription to LAHS by 1/5. If you are ahigher rate tax payer, you can claim backthe amount of tax paid on the subscriptionabove the base rate. If you have previouslymade a Declaration and yourcircumstances have changed (i.e. you nolonger pay tax, or have started to pay tax)then please do contact me so I can adjustmy records. If you cannot remember if youhave or haven’t made a Declaration, thenplease do contact me and I will tell you. Mydatabase system is quite sophisticated, andthe relevant information is quickly at hand.

Forms for Standing Orders, Address andEmail updates, and Gift Aid Declarationscan all be found as part of the MembershipForm on our website – www.le.ac.uk/lahs

The BU History Group is planning a follow-up publication to their ‘BU People’ book whichwas published in 2014, and are inviting past employees of the British United ShoeMachinery Company and their relatives and families to submit material and memories whichcould be included.�

The BU History Group was formed in 2012 with the aim of recording the history of the BUfrom the people who were connected with it. The history of this major company representsa significant part of the history of Britain’s recent industrial past.

W.Alan North (centre right), whose legacy the LAHS celebrates each year, was anapprentice at British United, following in his father’s footsteps. He rose to serve as thecompany’s Overseas Manager. At that time, BUSM was the world’s largest manufacturerof footwear machinery, exporting to over fifty countries, and employing in Leicester alonemore than 4500 people. The BU History Group can be contacted through Burt McNeill byemailing [email protected].

History Group seeks British UnitedMemories and Documents

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ciation were surprisingly discovered in thecellar, along with bones, coffins and arte-facts.

The arches were considered a significantfind and the School decided to retain themwithin the institution, incorporating theminto the design of the new building. Theyremain in their original location today andcan now be seen by the general public inthe Hawthorn Building as the centrepieceof the new DMU Heritage Centre.

The motivation to create a Heritage Centrewithin the university arose for many rea-sons, one of which was the desire to givemore prominence to the ruins in the wakeof the discovery of the remains of RichardIII. There is contemporary evidence that

De Montfort University Heritage Centre

Built around the only remaining ruins ofthe medieval Church of theAnnunciation, De Montfort University’sHeritage Centre immerses visitors intothe fascinating story of The Newarke.

The area grew into a significant religiousprecinct during the 1300s with the founda-tion of the Hospital of the Honour of Godand the Glorious Virgin and All Saints(thankfully shortened to Trinity Hospital in1614) by Henry, 3rd Duke of Leicester andLancaster.

Henry was the grandson of King Henry IIIand chief advisor to King Edward III. Up-on his retirement he took residence inLeicester Castle and founded the hospital,which cared for fifty of Leicester’s poorand infirm, as an act of noble piety.

Following Henry’s death in 1345 his son,another Henry (the 4th Earl of Leicester and1st Duke of Lancaster), continued his fa-ther’s charitable spirit and built the Churchof the Annunciation just across from thehospital. Locals coined the construction ofthe church and its surrounding buildings asthe ‘new work,’ which was eventually cor-rupted to Newarke, giving the area itsname.

The church performed a chantry functionfor the house of Lancaster (meaning deans,canons and vicars prayed for the souls oflocal people or those who could afford toendow a chantry chapel in the church) untilit was destroyed during the Reformation in1548.

The land was then sold into private handsand a large manor house with gardens wasconstructed on the site, which had severalprestigious local owners in its lifetime in-cluding the Coltmans and Edward ShipleyEllis.

In 1897, the house and surrounding landwas sold for the creation of the LeicesterMunicipal Technical and Art School (nowknown as the Hawthorn Building of DeMontfort University).

Construction of this building took place inseveral phases and the old house was notdemolished until 1935 when two archesfrom the ruins of the Church of the Annun-

ELIZABETH WHEELBAND

Richard’s body was displayed in theChurch of the Annunciation following hisdefeat at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. Itis documented that he remained in thechurch for three days before his burial atGreyfriars.

Joining in the local interest of Richard III’sdiscovery, there was a desire within theuniversity to make more of these seeming-ly random arches on campus and highlighttheir connection to the story that captivatedhistorians world-wide.

Partly driven by Leicester City Council’sHeritage Team, who included the previ-ously isolated ruins in their Richard IIIwalking trail, DMU began to consider theimportance of having the arches available

The discovery of the arches during demolition work in 1935 prior to the construction ofwest wing of the Hawthorn Building

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The DMU Heritage Centre itself has beendivided into four separate galleries, focus-ing on different aspects of the university’slife: the Timeline Corridor, The Archesarea, a Temporary Gallery and the StudentGallery. Visiting the DMU Heritage Cen-tre requires walking down a length of cor-ridor in the Hawthorn Building, which hasbeen turned into a timeline of significantdates in the institution’s history, drawingalmost exclusively on material from thearchive for illustration. Using the corridorin this way has the added bonus of enticingcurious students, staff and internal guestswho use the space daily, and pop-in afternoticing the displays.

The panels around the arches tell the storyof the Church of the Annunciation and thewider development of the campus sitefrom Roman Settlement, with a case dis-playing some fantastic examples of localmedieval artefacts.

Two gallery spaces, the Temporary Gal-lery and the Student Gallery, are plannedto change every six months and highlightsome of the remarkable objects we have inour Special Collections- consisting of ar-chives, artworks and objects dating back toour foundation in 1870, which may not

for regular viewing and the increasing re-quests for public access within a busy uni-versity building.

A small team, including the university’sArchivist, proposed the creation of a centrethat could host the all-important account ofthe medieval Newarke, but also a spacethat would recognise the exceptional histo-ry of the institution and campus- not justthat of Richard III.

De Montfort University has roots goingback to 1870 as the Leicester School ofArt, a campus that includes buildings thathave surprising past lives and a fascinatingcollection of alumni/staff achievementsdocumented in the university’s archive.

After just under a year of discussion, de-signing, building and installing, De Mont-fort University’s Heritage Centre openedto the public in March 2015, just in time forthe Richard III re-interment festivities thatdrew thousands of visitors to our city.

The Centre had a fantastic reception frommedia, partners and the public followingthe launch, far beyond expectation, and weinstantly felt welcomed into Leicester’swonderful heritage community.

have been on public display otherwise.These two galleries will also allow us toshowcase the outstanding contemporarywork of our staff, students and alumni.

As the curator, I am (secretly) most excitedabout working with these galleries as theywill allow me to work hands on with someamazing and revolutionary projects goingon in the university. In fact, having thisunlimited diversity and constant academicdiscovery available at our fingertips is whatmakes the Heritage Centre unique.

A fundamental aspect of the Centre is itsfunction as an active teaching and learningspace. Being connected to a university hassparked several fantastic relationships withacademics looking for the appropriateplace to host projects, or even to provideinspiration for ones yet to be conceived.

The Heritage Centre has its origins in thistype of thinking as the space itself waspartially created with the help of students.Second year Interior Design students wereinvited to submit proposals to the overalllayout of the space, guided by their tutorwho has a background in museum design.

Aspects of designs from eight differentstudents were realised in the final layout ofthe centre and they were thrilled to beinvolved in a ‘live’ project, finding theexperience highly beneficial as a real worldexperience.

Other projects include work from DMU’sDigital Building Heritage Group, who con-tributed two remarkable pieces to the Cen-tre; firstly, a stunning digital reconstructionof the Church of the Annunciation.

Although no images of the original churchexist, the Group used a mixture of docu-mentary evidence, maps and drawings toimagine how the church would havelooked. They also went on field trips toexamine examples of similar buildings ofthe same age in the area. The reconstruc-tion images are currently on display in theHeritage Centre and prove popular withvisitors interested in the arches.

Additionally, this recreation has now beenprinted as an impressive 3D model whichshows, for the first time, how the churchmay have looked, both inside and out. Themodel allows guests to examine both theexterior and interior of the church and seefor themselves how the arches might haveappeared in context within the building.

3D model of the Church of the Annunciation courtesy of the Digital Buildings HeritageGroup, led by Dr. Douglas Cawthorne

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events in British political history, explor-ing the growth of democracy and the strug-gle many have endured in pursuit ofrepresentation and the right to vote. Thesemoments have ignited passion and change,shaping the contemporary rights we havetoday.

Road to Reform also explores how Leices-ter has always been something of a radicalcity, its citizens eager to campaign forreform. The exhibition considers the ca-reers of some local figures prominent inreform, abolition, temperance and suf-frage.

Contemporary Protest

Organised in partnership with De MontfortUniversity’s Media Discourse Group, thisexhibition examines the resurgence of so-cial movements in Europe and beyond,with special reference to events in the UKand protest on the Spanish mainland.

Contemporary Protest explores the themesof austerity, national identity and politicaldiscontent to understand the experiencesof those who have decided to resist.

Building DMU - Later in 2016

In line with exciting recent developmentstaking place throughout De Montfort Uni-versity – including the £136 million trans-formation project to create the modern,

The Group is currently working on a fly-through of the Newarke, which will debutlater this year and showcase a virtual tourof the church and surrounding buildings.

This standard of student involvement issomething that will continue throughoutthe life of the Heritage Centre, and helpingto drive its success as a perpetual archiveof student achievement.

The Special Collections Team is veryproud that the university has invested in itsheritage in such a prominent way, and thatit has been received so warmly by col-leagues, partners and strangers. We areecstatic that the Heritage Centre is beingused to promote teaching and learning andthat the space provides a focal point for theuniversity community to gain a sense of itsshared past, celebrate its present successes,and look forward to the future.

The Centre has several current temporaryexhibitions which are on display until 8April 2016.

Road to Reform

Last year the country celebrated two majoranniversaries in the evolution of Parlia-mentary democracy – 750 years since thefirst Parliament and 800 years since thesealing of the Magna Carta. Timed to com-plement these anniversaries, Road toReform highlights some of the most radical

inspiring environment our students deserve –this exhibition will explore the history andpeople behind the buildings that shape ourcampus.

Showcase: Leicester School of Architec-ture

The Leicester School of Architecture (LSA)is one of the oldest schools of architecture inthe UK, with a 125-year history of technicalexcellence and creativity.

Today the LSA is a contemporary designschool offering the full spectrum of architec-tural education, with particular interests insustainable architecture, urban regenerationand the role of clients and users in cross-disciplinary design education.

The school’s BA programme was placed inthe top 10 architecture courses in the countryin the latest Sunday Times league tables.

This exhibition highlights the history behindthis notable programme and showcases arange of student work and achievement.

Elizabeth Wheelband is De MontfortUniversity’s Heritage Centre Co-or-dinator . For more information onthe Heritage Centre including open-ing hours please visitwww.dmu.ac.uk/heritagecentre orring 0116 207 8729.

The arches of the Church of St Mary of the Annunciation in the Newarke as they stand today within the Heritage Centre.Image © redpix photography

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institutional economics propounded byDouglass North et al.: that institutionalframeworks oiled the wheels, promotedeconomic expansion by reducing frictionsand transaction costs.

The time-distribution of bankruptcies alsoconfirms our understanding of localeconomic transitions. Thus, for example,we have the insolvencies of hosiers aroundHinckley in the late eighteenth century asthe hosiery industry changed in scale; theilliquidity in Loughborough during the1860s coinciding with the difficulty ofcotton supply; and other known features.Those explanations are one reason forduplicating the sectoral analysis utilised byHoppitt. That examination takes us,however, only so far in social and culturalelucidation.

The data are, consequently, also alignedwith 'social class'. Such a segmentationreveals that the most vulnerable toilliquidity were the lower-middle-classsmall retailers who depended on aggregatedemand from the working class. Theboundary between the lower-middle-classand the working class was porous – andambiguous. The lower-middle class wassusceptible to that projection into the abysswhich threatened all the working class.Credit and debt were not simply matters oftrust (Finn), but fear of the abyss, as literaryanalysis of contemporary novels hassuggested (Houston). There was a culturalas well as economic symbiosis. Howevermuch the lower-middle class attempted toseparate itself culturally (Bourdieu), theshadow of the abyss persisted. Examiningthe post-insolvency fortunes indicates onlya small percentage of continuity in the sameoccupation in the same location – and then

Textile Town

Although a native of Leicester, from anunskilled working-class background onthe Northfields Council Estate, I nowregard myself as a son of Loughborough,having moved to its vicinity in 1989.

Having completed an open-access book onthis town (which acquired borough statusonly towards the end of the nineteenth-century) from origins to c.1650, I am nowembarking on an analysis of thedevelopment of the textile town betweenc.1750 and 1890 (the end-date theapproximate conjunction of borough statusand the Housing of the Working ClassesAct). The first element will be publishedin the Transactions of the LeicestershireArchaeological Society in 2016, consistingof the structural transformation of landownership between c.1650 and 1890.

Another piece will then elaborate the spatialexpansion of the town between c.1812 and1890. It will reveal the spatialdifferentiation of expansion, with somelocations already 'polluted' or blighted bythe wharf, the gas works, so that working-class housing was concentrated here, whilstother locations, associated with thearistocratic and gentry parks above thetown, were more conducive for higher-quality housing (Sibley). For thedevelopment in the crucial 1880s, theminutes of the Local Board buildingcommittee contain the details of planssubmitted, which allows someconsideration of the building process.

Currently I am engaged on two particularaspects: enterprise and eclipse; and theboatpeople in Loughborough and the lowerSoar valley. The first extracts data onvoluntary bankruptcy (permitted by theBankruptcy Acts in the nineteenth century),imprisonment for bankruptcy (abolished in1869), liquidation by composition withcreditors, and other forms of insolvency,from The London Gazette. By nominalrecords linkage to the census data between1841 and 1901, we can discover thefundamentals of business failure in thelarger context of economic, social andcultural contexts. Research has hithertoconsidered bankruptcy as either a purelyeconomic variable or in its institutional andlegal aspects (Hoppit; Lester). Itsimportance for economic development isundeniable, concurring with the notion of

DAVE POSTLES

essentially as employees of the creditors andcommissioners (through remitting dividends).In numerous instances, the insolventexperienced a downward social mobility. Infact, the insolvent experienced a propulsion tomigrate as did the 'tramping' artisan(Hobsbawm; Southall). My research isconducted for the six small towns ofLeicestershire for comparative analysis againstLoughborough.

Decades ago, now, Mary Prior illuminated theclose-knit 'community' and networks of FisherRow, the boat society in Oxford. Theexamination of similar families inLoughborough and the lower Soar valley (inparticular Mountsorrel and to a lesser extentKegworth) reveals that in Loughborough thefamilies were not separate but well integratedinto their local society. They lived in housesinterspersed amongst other occupations. Theirchildren took advantage of the local industrialoccupations, daughters (and wives) especiallyentering into the textile factories. Boatmenwere recruited from other families which hadno involvement in the occupation.

These research projects are still in progress.These tentative conclusions are provisional.Loughborough was undeniably a textile townand the economic, social and culturalramifications of that character will have to beconfronted, as also the technical aspects ofmixed cloth like Angola and the variety ofcoarse textiles produced.

DAVE POSTLES, formerly Marc FitchResearch Fellow in the School of HistoricalStudies, University of Leicester, and latterlyUniversity Fellow in the School of English inthe same university, is now Honorary SeniorResearch Fellow at the University ofHertfordshire.

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few years later, John also publishedresearch that confirmed for me that the‘bones in the river’ story was a myth, andthat Richard’s body remained where it hadbeen interred in 1485 in the GreyfriarsChurch. As my own research dovetailedwith John’s in terms of the River Soaraccount, only one question now remained– where was the Greyfriars Church in thelarge precinct area?

By now I was searching the Richard IIISociety’s archives and a key article on theGrey Friars had been published in 1975 byRicardian Audrey Strange who lived inOadby. Audrey was the very first person tomention the three central car parks as thepotential location of the church, and theking’s grave, but an omission in thefootnoting gave no explanation for thisbelief.

However, two local historians, DavidBaldwin and Ken Wright, also questionedthe ‘bones in the river’ story and placed the

Looking for Richard III

We first met in 2012 as you werecompleting your research into theGreyfriars, and I was intrigued. How hada screenwriter launched the first eversearch for the grave of an anointed Kingof England?

I’d been researching Richard’s life-story fora biographical screenplay I was writing.Part of that research work had taken me toBosworth in 2004/5 when some Ricardians(members of the Richard III Society)suggested that I also visit Leicester.Amongst the places of interest was the NewStreet car park and a piece of medieval wallin an existing wall there which theybelieved may have formed part of the largeGreyfriars precinct that had once existed inthe area, and where we believed Richardhad been buried in its church in 1485.

These visits to Leicester changedeverything for me. It was in the adjacentSocial Services car park that I firstconceived the idea of finding the king’sgrave. It also changed my research focusfrom Richard’s life, to his death and burial.

In your lectures you speak at lengthabout the challenges you faced. Can youtell us a little about them?

It soon became clear that to have any hopeof being able to go in search of Richard’sgrave I needed to answer three keyquestions, which in 2005 lookedinsurmountable: How could we identifyRichard if we found him? Was his gravereally there, or had his body been throwninto the River Soar as everyone believed?And where was the Church of the Greyfriarslocated within the large friary area? Butwithin a few months new research waspublished.

It was the ground-breaking discovery. DrJohn Ashdown-Hill had discovered anall-female line of descent from Richard’seldest sister Anne of York to the Ibsenfamily in Canada and with it the potentialmtDNA sequence of Richard III. Questionone was answered. We could potentiallyidentify Richard if we found him. Then, a

Writer, producer and President of the Scottish Branch of the Richard IIISociety, PHILIPPA LANGLEY talks to Magazine editor, Stephen Butt

church and grave in the north-east of theprecinct site in Grey Friars (street) under abank building and road. But in 2007 a blockof flats was being demolished and a digundertaken at that location. No trace of thechurch was found. This dig was key for meas together with the accounts of localwriters (from the seventeen and eighteencentury), it now suggested that the churchmust be further west, where the SocialServices car park is located.

At the 2012 dig, my mantra (which wasedited out of the documentary) was ‘church-road-church’ as research into these variouswriters spoke about the ‘Gray Friars’ beingto the south of St Martin’s church (LeicesterCathedral).

From what I could glean the position offriaries was generally discussed in relationto the church, not the kitchens, refectories,dormitories and orchards. It was thoughonly a working hypothesis.

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a modern map of Leicester. This showedthe circular central area of the garden to belocated in the school playground and partlyunder the school building. If this layout wascorrect, could the king’s grave be in theplayground? Finally, John had alsoproduced a layout of the Greyfriars church(based on the Greyfriars in Norwich) whichshowed the church in the northern end ofthe precinct stretching from the SocialServices car park into New Street. Sadly Icould not obtain permission to dig theprivate New Street car park but in hindsightthis helped the focus of the project.

I now waited for John to publish his book(Last Days of Richard III, July 2010). Theworld of film and TV is necessarilyacquisitive and securing the rights to thiswould also help protect the search project.In August 2010 I approached Leicester CityCouncil, the owners of the Social Servicescar park, about a search and they agreed.I had also pitched it to Channel 4 and theywere interested. This was importantbecause we were in the worst recession inliving memory and the project needed apowerful incentive and enabler. As theclient in the search project, I was now givenpersonal permission to cut the tarmac.

We’re you happy with the layout of thetrenches?

Yes, very much so. I didn’t need the testpits I’d discussed with Richard Buckleybecause ULAS’s Trench One went rightover my key area in the northern end of theSocial Services car park.

It seems that meeting Dr John Ashdown-Hill was a key moment for you?

It was the catalyst to the launch of theLooking For Richard Project on the veryday we met in Edinburgh in 2009. I hadinvited John to give a series of talks on hismtDNA discovery and the king’s burial tomy branch of the Society and we discoveredthat by different research routes we hadboth reached the same conclusion: theGreyfriars Church (and the king’s grave)must be situated in the northern end of theSocial Services car park.

My research had unearthed two plans ofLeicester that seemed to confirm thishypothesis. Billson’s plan and his ‘church-road-church’ was by now my smoking gun.

So why was your plan to investigate allthree car parks?

They were open spaces which to myknowledge had never been investigated butwere also situated directly ‘south’ of St.Martin’s Church (Leicester Cathedral).

Moreover, the New Street car park mightbe important because of a plan by Throsbyand the school playground also becameimportant when I finally met RichardBuckley who had undertaken his ownresearch and found Thomas Roberts’ mapof 1741. This was a very exciting discoveryas it showed what looked like Herrick’sgarden which had held the last knownmarker to the king’s grave (1612, Wren).As a result, I asked Richard to overlay it on

The diagnosis at the gravesite had a bigimpact on you as we could all see fromthe documentary. Why was this?

By the time I got to the dig I’d beenresearching Richard III for many years. Thecontemporary source material spoke abouta man who was clearly very physically able,fighting in three battles, running constantskirmishes with Border Reivers andinvading Scotland with an army of 20,000.Also, physical descriptions of the king bythose who met him did not mention anyabnormality. So to hear the remains beingdescribed as ‘hunch-backed’, the stereo-typical description of the king byShakespeare and the Tudor writers, was ashocking moment because it didn’t fit withwhat I knew about him. But, I could see theremains were ‘hunched’ in the grave. Theevidence was there.

However, when the remains were analysed,they discovered that he did not suffer fromkyphosis (when the head is pushed forwardand onto the chest) but scoliosis. This newdiagnosis fitted with a contemporarydescription of the king a year after his deathwhen he was described as having oneshoulder higher than the other. Our queentoday has one shoulder higher than the otherbut we only know about it because she hasplaced it on record. Similarly with PrincessEugenie who had such a severe scoliosisthat it required medical intervention.

With hindsight it seems so ironic that of allthe graves to be cut too short so that theremains were ‘hunched’, it had to beRichard’s. It’s sad also because manypeople still want to believe the misdiagnosiswith Richard as the stereotypical‘hunchback’. A screenwriter I very muchadmire, Julian Fellowes, stated this beliefon television during the reburial. I can onlyhope that more people read the university’sresearch papers.

The project started with a strangecatalyst, an intuition?

Curiously, what happened to me in the carpark (with the letter R) is not unique. Ithappened to Kathleen Martinez in 2009, thelawyer going in search of Cleopatra’s tombat Taposiris Magna, Paul Gething in 2012when he discovered the Bowl HoleCemetery in Northumberland, HowardCarter in 1922 and Edith Pretty in the1930’s. Edith’s is one of the most famousaccounts where she had an intuition about

Greyfriars, August 2012. (Photograph courtesy Colin Brooks)

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People are reading widely about RichardIII for the very first time and as a result arequestioning the received wisdom anddogma. The importance of this cannot beoverstated because only by reading widelydo you come to fully understand the manycomplexities surrounding his story.

It’s also been incredibly important for themyth busting the project has achieved,particularly with the ‘bones in the river’story. If you look back to the traditionalaccounts pre-2012 they all detail this storyas factual. We also now know, for example,that Richard was not hunchbacked and theTudor writers used his scoliosis todenigrate him with the most powerfulpropaganda when you take a small kernelof truth and exaggerate it.

We also know that he had no limping gaitand withered arm and his head did not

one of the large earth mounds in her Suffolkgarden being a grave. Archaeologistsdiscovered Sutton Hoo, the remains of a 7th

century burial believed to be of KingRædwald of East Anglia. It was describedas one of the greatest archaeological findsof all time and helped change our thinkingabout the ‘Dark Ages’ so that today, thispejorative term is falling out of use.

You have been called ‘emotional’. Whatdo you think of this?Going in search of the grave and mortalremains of a named individual who died onthe field of battle is a very specific aim thatI did not undertake lightly or without greatcare and attention as our ReburialDocument attested. It was important thatRichard (if found) be given what he didn’tget in 1485 and honoured as a fallen warriorso that the project could make peace withthe past. For me, there was nothing morepowerful that we could do.

Moreover, during my research, the CWGChad sent, under strictest confidentially,details of their reburial process. It was clearthat it was for them on many occasions anemotional process for identified, andunidentified, remains; they all had a storyto tell. I am a screenwriter and we bring tolife stories about the human condition. Forme, and many others, Richard’s story is anextraordinary one. Not the saint or sinnerbut the medieval man.

It didn’t help of course that the twooccasions where I got emotional over thecourse of the 7.5 year project, both endedup on screen with the context edited out. Assomeone who questions the Black Legend(and is also female, and Ricardian)sometimes people prefer stereotypes andarchetypes.

What was it like to be at the dig,watching your search take place?

It was fascinating, and exciting; every daybrought something new as I experiencedfirst-hand the incredible professionalism ofthe archaeologists. On a personal level, itwas also incredibly challenging andstressful. I was the risk-taker and I knew itwas a risk but for me even if we foundnothing, that would still tell us somethingand move our knowledge forward. Soeither way I was happy to take the riskbecause professional archaeologists agreethat they are not in the business of takingrisks, or looking for famous individuals.

Now that Richard is reburied what doyou feel were the successes of the project?

strike Bow Bridge, and there is a furtherdiscovery from John Ashdown-Hill that willbe announced shortly. The Looking ForRichard Project was a triumph for the openmind, and for me as a Ricardian this is whathistory is about – questioning.

The project also tells us is that we have tobe really careful when studying history asto what is truth and what is myth becauseeven now what we did in 2012 is beingrewritten. My shock at the gravesite is nowbeing described as being because of thescoliosis with the misdiagnosis of the‘hunchback’ being written out of the storyin my own lifetime, even though it wasrecorded on camera and broadcast aroundthe world. As a result, I’m trying to set therecord straight but it is a powerful reflectionof how history is written.

Are you doing any other projects on KingRichard III?

There is a very exciting new researchproject which I can’t say too much about atthe moment, and I’m also hoping that thefirst cinematic telling of Richard’s historicalstory may take place.’

Philippa is a TAPS writer, a BAFTA Rocliffeshortlisted writer, and finalist in SWF’sScriptmarket and Channel 4’s ‘Son of thePitch’ competition. Her 90 minutedocumentary, The King in the Car Park,made with Channel 4 and Darlow SmithsonProductions, was Channel 4’s highest ratedspecialist factual show ever, going on to winthe Royal Television Society Award for 2013and a 2014 BAFTA nomination.

Her screenplay Blood Royal on the life ofRichard III is based on Bosworth 1485:Psychology of a Battle by military historianMichael Jones, with whom she co-authoredThe King’s Grave: The Search for RichardIII in 2013. Founder of the Richard IIISociety’s Scottish Branch, and made itsHonourary President in 2015, she is aregular contributor to the RicardianBulletin magazine and was awarded theSociety’s Robert Hamblin Award in 2012 forfinding the mortal remains of Richard III.

In 2014, she co-authored Finding RichardIII: The Official Account, the book thatdetails the research behind the Looking ForRichard Project that got Philippa to thenorthern end of the Social Services car parkin Leicester in search of the king’s grave.

In 2015, she was awarded an MBE by HMThe Queen in recognition of her services to‘the Exhumation and Identification ofRichard III’.

‘I knew itwas a riskbut for meeven if wefoundnothing, thatwould stilltell ussomethingand moveourknowledgeforward.’

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Further academic recognition for Nichols’scholar, Julian Pooley

Julian Pooley has made his name inLeicestershire during 2015 as a highlyrespected and admired scholar on JohnNichols, whose massive eight-volumeHistory of Leicestershire (1795-1815)reached its bi-centenary last year.

Julian is a Fellow of the Society ofAntiquaries and Public Services Manager atthe Surrey History Centre. He is also thecreator and Director of the Nichols ArchiveProject that calendars over 14,000 letters,journals and papers of the Nichols family,now housed in major libraries all over theworld. We are proud that Julian has twicereceived an LAHS grant towards hissignificant project.

We were pleased to welcome Julian asspeaker for the keynote opening lecture ofour 2014/15 lecture programme; and at ourNichols Bi-Centenary Celebration Dinner atthe City Rooms in May 2015 he delighted

trove that is sure to delight not only Britishhistorians but any early modernist with aninterest in politics, ritual, or social history.

Secondly, Julian has had a paper publishedin the Journal for Eighteenth CenturyStudies vol. 38 no. 4 (2015), pages 498-509,entitled ''A Laborious and Truly UsefulGentleman': Mapping the Networks of JohnNichols (1745-1826), Printer, Antiquarianand Biographer'. This piece, in turn, isbased upon a lecture that Julian gave at aconference at the University of York in2015. As there are references toLeicestershire in this article, it will no doubtbe of interest to some LAHS members.

Julian is certainly a man of many parts; hisknowledge on the greater Nichols family isdeep and wide ranging and his enthusiasmfor his specialist subject is both infectiousand inspiring. We wish him well and offerhim our sincere congratulations.

CAROLINE WESSEL

us with his informative and highlyentertaining after-dinner talk about Nichols,the bon viveur. In addition, the two chaptersthat Julian contributed to Caroline Wessel'sLAHS publication Nichols' History ofLeicestershire: a bi-centenary celebration2015 were welcomed and appreciated byinterested readers.

Now Julian has two more 'Nichols' feathersin his cap. Firstly, the new edition of JohnNichols's The Progresses and PublicProcessions of Queen Elizabeth I: A NewEdition of the Early Modern Sources 5 vols.(Oxford University Press 2014), with whichhe was involved, has been awarded the2015 Roland H. Bainton Book Prize forReference at the Sixteenth CenturySociety's annual conference held inVancouver.

In its citation, the award committee praisedthe new edition of Nichols as 'a treasure

We were very sad to receive news of thedeath of Mr Francis Nichols (1932-2015),a direct descendant of John Nichols,compiler and publisher of the eight-volume History of Leicestershire (1795-1815).

The bi-centenary of the History wascelebrated in great style by our Society lastyear, and the guest of honour at our NicholsBi-Centenary Dinner in May 2015 was tohave been Francis Nichols. Unfortunately, hebecame seriously ill a short while before theDinner and was unable to attend, althoughother members of his family were able to doso. Mr Nichols passed away on 21 June 2015aged 82.

Francis was a quite remarkable man ofextraordinary talents. Educated atWinchester, Oxford, and winning ascholarship to Yale University, he became aneconomist with the Colonial Development

Obituary: Mr Francis Nichols (1932-2015)Corporation. He travelled most of the globe,working for much of his time in the WestIndies and in Africa. In 1966 he marriedMaureen Cleave, a journalist and thebiographer of the Beatles.

He was always interested in helping andencouraging the people he met. In CentralAfrica, in the early 1960s, he became anexpert in the highly difficult skill of sexingTung trees, which were crucial to the localeconomy. In the West Indies he took aninterest in the role of oranges in theJamaican economy and wrote a definitivebook on this hitherto neglected subject. Hebrokered mining deals for a multi-nationalcompany in South America and soldprefabricated houses in tornado-ravagedpart of the Caribbean. He worked withvictims of leprosy in Hyderabad, raisinghalf a million pounds for the charity, Lepra,and cycled 400 miles across the desert toraise funds. Other astonishing travels

included driving from India to Afghanistanriding on horseback through the mountainsof Turkmenistan, and trekking in Tibet. Aftereventually settling in England, he became adedicated prison visitor, especiallysupporting 'lifers'.

Francis was a man of good humour andfamous hospitality. He gave tremendoussupport to our friend, Julian Pooley, duringthe years he was setting up his NicholsArchive Project - indeed, Julian regardedFrancis as one of his closest and dearestfriends.

Perhaps Francis Nichols' most unorthodoxventure was into Zen meditation which hetook up late in life, studying for a master'sdegree in yoga and meditation at the age of80, and this practice sustained him during hisfinal difficult illness. We join in mourninghis loss and send our kind thoughts toMaureen and his family.

CAROLINE WESSEL

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Since the early 1950s the Library has owned a two volumemanuscript work by the well-known Leicester author ErnestMorris entitled “Church Bells of Leicester (diocese andcounty) Parishes “ A –L, L –W. Because of its nature it hasonly ever been available for reference use in the Library.

Now, following a request from, and work by, the John Taylor BellFoundry Museum in Loughborough, this extensive survey hasbeen scanned. CD copies have been made and deposited with theLibrary and the Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester andRutland. It can also be consulted on the Society’s website(www.le.ac.uk/lahs). We are grateful for the work done by ChrisPickford and George Dawson in making Morris’s research widelyavailable.

The Library has a file of Ecclesiology Today: the journal of theEcclesiological Society [ issues 22, Apr.2000; 26,Sep.2001-50,Jul.2014 ]. These were donated by the late Ian Stevens, aspreviously recorded, and so there will be no more added. Howeverthis journal is now available on the website of the Society (forthose who love churches) (www.ecclsoc.org ).

Two publications from English Heritage Conservation Bulletinand Research News that were newsletters rather than substantialjournals are no longer available in hard copy. We received copiesfrom the publisher but had incomplete files of both titles, whichhave now been discarded. Research News 5 Winter 2006-7 hasbeen retained as it includes a local article “A late mediaeval /Renaissance garden at Ashby-de-la-Zouch [Castle]”.

News from the LibraryAUBREY STEVENSON, HON LIBRARIAN

ACQUISITIONSAll published in 2015 unless otherwise indicated

BOOKS and PAMPHLETS

BALDWIN, D. Richard III the Leicester connection.

BARTON, S. Church of the Martyrs: 125 years in the communityof West Leicester.

BIDDULPH, E. & BRADY, K. Excavations along the M25:prehistoric, Roman and Anglo-Saxon activity between Aveley andEpping. (Essex Society for Archaeology and History OccasionalPapers, New Series, No.3).

BUTT, S. Leicester in the !970s: ten years that changed a city.

DAVIES, D. Leicestershire dialect: a selection of words andanecdotes from around Leicestershire.

FOX, A. ed. Parish government in a Leicestershire village: theBuckminster Town Book 1665 – 1767 and Constable’s Book 1755– 1813. (Leicestershire Record Series Vol. 1). ISBN 9780954238841; ISSN 2058-5977. L.A.H.S., £18 (members’ price£15). HAVE YOU BOUGHT YOUR COPY YET ?

The former Drawing Office at John Taylor Bell Foundry,Loughborough.

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HICKMAN,T. A publishing adventure: “Rig and Trev“.Witmeha Press, Wymondham. Ltd. ed. of 30 numbered copies,£120. Personal record by Trevor Hickman of his work with thelate artist Rigby Graham. Donated by the author and publisher.

LUKE, M., BARKER, B. & J. A Romano-British farmstead atStretton Road, Great Glen.

PORTER, I. The last of the Luddites: Leicestershire can lay claimto being both the birth and death place of the Luddites.St. Mary de Castro [Leicester]: a visitor’s guide to the church.2014.

ZIENTEK, J. All Saints’ Church Shawell: church guide. Donatedby the author ([email protected]).

FILMS

The Media Archive for Central England (MACE) has digitised,as part of the national Unlocking Film Heritage project, 2 filmsowned by the Society and deposited there. A DVD copy has beengiven to the Library and the films can be seen on the Society’swebsite. The films are: Scenes in and around Leicester 1935-36,which includes the Jewry Wall excavation, and Lawrence:Leicester and Trip to Banbury.

PERIODICALS

Antiquaries Journal 95 EXCHANGE

Ashby-de-la-Zouch Past and Present: the journal of Ashby-de-la-Zouch Museum 17 Includes: The Callis - a history (or is thisCalais ? – read and discover!); Ashby Baths; History of theMammatt family. Donated by the Editor.

Cambridge Antiquarian Society Proceedings CIV EXCHANGE

Derbyshire Archaeological Journal 135 Includes a topicalarticle: Discovery and survey of W.W.1 practice trenches,Burbage (Derbys. that is EXCHANGE

English Place-Name Society Journal 46 2014 (but pub. 2015)

Harborough Historian 32 As well as Market Harborough articlesthere are also those on Thorpe Langton, Great Bowden, EastLangton, Marston Trussell and a review of the L.A.H.S. publication“ Nichols’ History of Leicestershire “ ( 2015 )...have you boughtyours yet? Donated by the Editor.

Hinckley Historian: magazine of Hinckley and District Museum76 Donated by the Editor.

Historical Research 88.241; 88.242; 88.243 ( Feb. 2016 ). 241includes an article of particular local interest: Royal and non-royalforests and chases in England and Wales.

Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society Transactions89

Leicestershire Historian 51

Rutland Record 35 Includes: Preston Manor House; Witch bottlefrom Exton; Population trends 1851 – 1911. An Index 21 – 30 (2001 – 2010 ) has also been published. Donated by the Editor.SPAB Magazine Autumn; Winter which includes House thatErnest built [Stoneywell Cottage, Leics.]

NEWSLETTERS(Current copies only)

Ancient Monuments Society Newsletter

Essex Society for Archaeology and History NewsletterEXCHANGE

Friends of Friendless Churches Report

Lincoln Record Society News Review AND Trustees’ Report

SPAB Regional Groups Events Newsletter

Worcestershire Recorder: newsletter of the WorcestershireArchaeological Society EXCHANGE

NOTE: those publications above marked EXCHANGE are part oflong-standing arrangements whereby societies such as L.A.H.S.exchange publications without charge with similar organisationsthat have libraries.

LIBRARY CLOSUREPlease note that the Library will NOT be open on Sunday 15 May2016.

A PERSONAL NOTE

For many years David Smith as Hon. Minutes Secretary and I satnext to each other at Committee meetings in the Library. We wouldfrom time to time exchange quiet comments or mutually raisedeyebrows at some of the words we heard around the table. Hisknowledge of local vernacular architecture was unsurpassed. Hewill be much missed.

Aubrey Stevenson Hon. Librarian

Jewry Wall site : Excavations 1936/39

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to preserve Herculaneum, Pompeii’sneighbour and the other, lesser-knownvictim of the A.D. 79 eruption of MountVesuvius.

As controversy rages about Pompeii and thechallenges of its conservation, theneighbouring site of Herculaneum has,thanks to the Packard Humanities Institute,seen a 15 year experiment in trying topreserve some of the most precious remainsof antiquity. Why does it matter to preservean ancient site? What new insights intoRoman life can we gain from doing so? Thespeaker has been involved in theHerculaneum Conservation Project from itsinception and will offer fascinating insightson heritage preservation, a subject asrelevant for Leicester and Leicestershire asit is for Herculaneum.

‘Pompeii hasbecome a namerecognized aroundthe globe over thelast two centuries.Herculaneumsuffers from beingthe “little sister.”Prof. Wallace-Hadrill says: ‘For numerousreasons, Pompeii has become a name rec-ognized around the globe over the last twocenturies. Herculaneum suffers from beingthe “little sister.” Crucially, there were noexcavations in Herculaneum in the nine-teenth century, when the great modernmyth of Pompeii – Last Days of Pompeii –was formed. There have been many impor-tant scientific projects at Herculaneumsince Amedeo Maiuri relaunched excava-tions in 1927. Ours was not even conceived

Herculanum, Past Perfect, FutureConditionalTHE W. ALAN NORTH MEMORIAL LECTURE, 2016

Professor Andrew Wallace-Hadrill,OBE, FBA, FSA is Professor of RomanStudies and Director of Research in theFaculty of Classics at the University ofCambridge.

He was Director of the British School atRome between 1995 and 2009, and Masterof Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge fromAugust 2009 to July 2013. He will befamiliar to many people as the presenter oftelevision features about Herculaneum. Itwill be both a pleasure and a privilege towelcome him to the Victorian Gallery at theNew Walk Museum in Leicester onThursday 10th March, 2016 at 7.30pm topresent the W. Alan North MemorialLecture.

The W. Alan North lecture is held byLeicestershire Archaeological andHistorical Society annually. The lecture'spurpose is to advance public understandingof the Roman Republic and Empire.

When he was a teenager, Professor AndrewWallace-Hadrill visited Italy and becamefascinated by the ancient Romans and theremnants of the world they left behind.Later, as director of the British School atRome and head of the HerculaneumConservation Project, he pursued a mission

as an excavation project, but as a conserva-tion project. It is unique because it is not adig, but a conservation project, which aimsto preserve what has already been excavat-ed, but which even so generates abundantnew archaeological knowledge. It is inno-vative because it is in undertaking conser-vation not through the state, but as aprivately-funded, private-public collabora-tion.’

Admission to the lecture is free to mem-bers. Visitors are welcome and invited todonate £2.00 each, refundable if joiningthe society. Tickets must be booked inadvance using our online service atwww.eventbrite.co.uk.

Members who are not able book on linecan contact the LAHS Membership Secre-tary, Matt Beamish, LAHS, c/o ULAS,School of Archaeology and Ancient Histo-ry, University of Leicester, UniversityRoad, Leicester LE1 7RH. Phone - 0116252 5234 or Email [email protected]

Wall Mosaic with Neptune and Amphitritefrom Herculaneum

Professor Andrew Wallace-Hadrill of theUniversity of Cambridge.

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Marriott (1741-1808), whose descendantshave now lived on the Estate for sevengenerations.

The Marriott family, residents of CotesbachEstate for 250 years, stored away receipts,letters, diaries, maps, deeds and moreoffering a rich picture of every dayhousekeeping to current affairs and globaladventures in Georgian and Victorian times.

The Trust’s archive volunteers have yet tofind evidence to prove the exact date of theSchoolhouse’s construction. During therestoration, much of the original brick floorwas re-laid, the walls were rebuilt usinglime-plastering, and sheep’s wool insulationwas inserted into the ceiling cavity.

Built about fifty years after theSchoolhouse, the small Coach House hasbeen converted into a temperate archive tohouse over documents, photographs andillustrations relating to the Marriott familycovering almost four hundred years.

Back to school in CotesbachAn innovative project has recreated day-to-day life in a Victorianschool room and is providing access to an important local familyarchive.The small village of Cotesbach nearLutterworth is the location of a projectsupported by the Heritage Lottery Fundwhich has brought back to life twobuildings which were part of the socialfabric of the local community, and hasmade available to researchers andvillagers a family archive of considerablesignificance.

The Cotesbach Heritage Trust, a heritageeducation charity, was formed shortly afterthe discovery of the archive, and noworganises interpretative events to encouragea new awareness of this valuable asset. In2012 it was awarded an HLF grants of£672,000 together with other smallermatch-funding support to restore threedilapidated buildings.

At the centre of the project is a Grade IIlisted Georgian Schoolhouse, reputedly oneof the first of its kind in the country. It waspurpose-built in the late eighteenth centuryfor educating the children of Cotesbach andthe surrounding villages by the Rev. Robert

To date, the earliest document to be foundrecords a land transaction in Cotesbach inthe time of Henry VI (1422-1461). TheArchive also contains Elizabethandocuments from around the time of theEnclosures Riot, detailed records of theadministration of the Estate in thenineteenth century, including plans andEstate maps and extensive familycorrespondence. The whole archive, whichcontains more than six thousand documents,has been confirmed by the NationalArchives as of considerable historicalimportance.

‘The Marriott family,residents of CotesbachEstate for 250 years,stored away receipts,letters, diaries, maps,deeds and moreoffering a rich pictureof every dayhousekeeping tocurrent affairs andglobal adventures inGeorgian andVictorian times.’

The restored eighteenth century GradeII listed School House.

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The project is being seen as a fine exampleof how local heritage can not only berescued and protected, but used in educationand even recreation in the twentiethcentury, thus fulfilling the requirements ofthe Heritage Lottery Fund.

The Trust has constructed a glass and oakactivity space and cafe including a toiletblock, in the former milking parlour. Theschool house and the activity space isavailable to hire because the Trust is self-funding and not part of the Cotesbach Estate.

Activities include nature walks across theCotesbach Estate viewed through the eyesof Cotesbach Hall children, and a Victorianschool re-enactment from the perspectiveof a village child. These include sight of theoriginal school registers for Cotesbach aswell as Victorian-inspired ‘lessons’.

Associated with the constant need to fundthe ongoing cataloguing and maintenanceactivities, the Trust is also working withlocal artists to produce a range of relevantheritage and art-based gifts. Family Histo-ry Research Day gift vouchers are alsoavailable for sale.

Part of the funding for this project hasderived from the nearby Magna Park Dis-tribution Centre, an arrangement whichenables employees of Magna Park to takepart in events free of charge.

As with all well-formulated local heritageprojects, the Cotesbach Educational Trustis becoming a catalyst for wider communi-ty events. In the Trust’s current programmethese include an Open Farm Day, a MurderMystery Supper, a Pop-up Wool Week anda Music in the Yard Festival.

Full details of all events as well as theSchoolroom and the Marriott archive areavailable from the Trust’s websiteat:www.cotesbachchoolhouse.org.uk

The archives represent the day-to-day activities of generations of the Marriottfamily including detailed nineteenth century estate management records.

‘The Schoolhouse was purpose built by the first Rev Robert Marriott in thelate 18th Century. They learnt to read and write and how to become goodChristians. Some of the poorer children were provided with boots, so theydidn’t have to go barefoot on their walk to school, and we assume that withthe milking parlour next door they had plenty of fresh milk to drink in itsunadulterated state straight from the cow.

The girls worked hard at their needlework and won a prize in 1871. Once wefound an old copper dressmaking pin in a crack between the bricks.

In the late 19th Century, with the Elementary Education Act of 1880 whichmade schooling compulsory for children from aged 5, the Sherrier School inLutterworth took over as the catchment school.

We know that a family wedding party took place there at New Year in 1896,that children attended a Sunday School there in the 1940s and that therewere often whist drives held there – there were the remains of World Warblackout curtains round the windows. On such occasions, the villagers wouldprobably have used paraffin lighting and had an open fire in the grate tocreate a relaxed atmosphere – but being within earshot of bombs falling onCoventry, these must have been tense times to live through.

The old Schoolhouse remained the main gathering place in the village untilthe early 1950s, when an opening was made in the south all to form a doorfor a tractor shed, with part of the floor replaced by concrete to form a firmbase.

The tractor shed era was relatively short, because farming operations ceasedafter the A426 was built and opened in 1959.

Sam Towers, the game keeper, made it into a hen house in return for a readysupply of fresh eggs, the floorboards rotted away and the leaded windowsbecame full of cobwebs until the Millennium, when we started making newplans for its future.’

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