Lincoln Companies - Penney & Porter Ltd

Penney & Porter Ltd was formed out of two companies after World War One;

Penney & Co of Lincoln were wireworkers who made principally screens for cleaning and grading corn, malt and other produce. John & William Penney started their business at 16 Broadgate in 1855, as general agricultural merchants.

John carried on with the business after William died in 1866. The company was renamed Penney & Co and carried on business as wireworkers, relocated at about this time to City Iron and Wire Works, 6 Broadgate.

John Penney died in 1871.  In the 1880s the workforce grew to over 120.

In the 1890s the firm expanded to 37 Waterside North as iron and steelworks.

Their range of products extended to wheelbarrows and garden furniture, but the screens were dominant into the twentieth century.

J T B Porter was an iron founder at Gowts Bridge Engineering Works, Gowts Bridge, Peel Street south of Little Gowts Drain and next to the Upper Witham, from 1855.  Peel Street was extended from no 4 to no 57 when the engineering works closed.

The firm specialised in installing gas works at country houses and became one of the largest gas installers in Great Britain installing around 600 units. Among the Houses where their systems were installed was Holkham Hall in Norfolk and Hartsholme Hall south-west of Lincoln. They also made structural and wrought ironwork, including for the roof of the Drill Hall in Broadgate and Montague Street Bridge.

Penney & Co and JTB Porter & Co merged about 1919 to create Penney & Porter (Engineers) Ltd.

In 1932 the company was still working from the Broadgate and Waterside North site of Penney & Co. Penney & Porter (Engineers) Ltd. was wound up in 1932 and a new company Penney & Porter (1932) Ltd was incorporated. ​By 1941 they were based at Riverside Works, Waterside South and listed in Lincoln Trades Directory as "mechanical, constructional, electrical & welding engineers, electric signs (neon), & corn screening & dressing machinery makers".

In 1955 Penney & Porter celebrated its 100th year in business, there was a celebration dinner, guests were entertained by an up and coming comedian and singer called Rolf Harris (I wonder what happened to him).  Recognise anyone in the image above?

Nicholson's Trentside Ironworks

In the early 1960s the company moved from their Waterside South factory to a new purpose-built factory on Outer Circle Road. Merged with Nicholsons of Newark in 1966 in an effort to save the struggling companies, the new umbrella company was named Penney Porter Nicholson.  Despite the merger redundancies in both companies continued.  

Some years before the merger Nicholsons sold the land surrounding their ironworks and leased it, the lease expired in 1968 and wasn't renewed by the owners, and all production was moved to Lincoln.  This was a major blow to both companies and all production ended the same year, all employees were redundant.

The history of two of the East Midlands oldest companies ended; Nicholson's in 1809 and Penney & Porter in 1855.

Do you have memories or other information about "Penneys" or Nicholsons of Newark?  Would love to hear them.

See Also:

Lincoln Companies - Lincoln Gas, Light and Coke Co.
Lincoln Companies - Clayton & Shuttleworth
Lincoln Companies - H Newsum & Sons Ltd
Lincoln Companies - Henry Poppleton & Sons Ltd
Lincoln Companies - W Rainforth & Sons
Lincoln Companies - James Dawson & Son Ltd.
Lincoln's Industrial Revolution

Broadgate, Built on Roman Foundations

Broadgate is one of the main south to north routes through Lincoln and is one of the more recent important roads of Lincoln.  The road is believed to have been built on the line of the Roman east wall and ditch of the lower city, probably in the 16th century, to relieve the traffic in the narrow streets east of the High Street.  Until the Reformation, most of the west side of Broadgate was the Grey Friars priory.

The above drawing from 1784 shows the north end of Broadgate, the road straight ahead is Clasketgate with the Cask Gate on the right, the gate was pulled down in 1785. 

Above is an image of the Blackfriary which was on the east side of Broadgate between Monks Road and Unity Square; it was taken down in 1828.

Broadgate terminates at Magpie Square, just north of the River Witham.  In 1842 there was a swing bridge over the river at the south side of Magpie Square which lead to Waterside South, Melville Street wasn't built until the mid-1850s.  Two markets bordered Broadgate: the sheep market on the site of the present St Swithin's Church and the Pig Market in what is now Unity square.  In 1848 the markets were moved to the Cattle Market on the north side of Monks Road.

Magpies Bridge was built 1858, this image is from 1938, it joined Magpies Square (Broadgate) with Melville Street.  The bridge was widened in 1939/1940 and renamed Thornbridge.

 This attractive jumble of buildings stood where Premier Inn is now were, photographed in 1973.  The corner building on the left was Shipleys, one of Lincoln's leading builders merchants.  Shipleys were taken over by Jackson's, a competitor, and the joint company traded as Jackson Shipley but now the Shipley name has been lost and the company now trades as Jackson Building Centres.  At the far end of this block of buildings stands the Wheatsheaf Inn, later to be renamed O'Rourkes Irish Bar, a popular Lincoln pub in the 1960s.  The tall building in the far background is the Lincoln telephone exchange.

Broadgate 1949.  The Drill Hall, known locally as Bread and Cheese Hall, paid for by Joseph Ruston of Ruston, Proctor & Co, for the First Lincoln Volunteer Company, is the building with battlements in the centre-left of the photo.

 

Royal Visitors to Lincoln

Stephen

The first recorded royal visitor to Lincoln was King Stephen, but Lincoln became an important centre during the Norman period: King William may have visited to view his mighty castle on the hill. Before William, there may have been visits by Saxon monarchs of which all record has been lost.

Stephen's first visit to Lincoln was in the early part of 1141. He left before Easter and returned to fight the Battle of Lincoln in the streets of the upper city. He was taken prisoner and lost his crown. Following his release, he again unsuccessfully attacked the castle in 1143.

Henry II

Henry II was crowned in London on 19 December 1154, John Speed, the chronicler, says he was crowned at Lincoln in 1155. Paul de Rapin-Thoyras, the French historian, describes the event as having taken place at Wickford (Wigford) in 1158, most probably at St Mary's Guildhall. The date given by Speed is more likely to be right as Henry probably used his second crowning as a way of securing the support of his subjects before his departure for Flanders, where he was the guardian of the lands of Dietrich of Alsace.

The chronicler, Roger of Hoveden,(?-1201) stated that the King cautiously avoided entering the walls of Lincoln, for the ceremony, but wore his crown in Wigford, to defeat a widely believed prediction, that no king wearing his crown in Lincoln would have a prosperous reign.

Henry stayed in LIncoln for Christmas the same year.

John

King John was a frequent visitor to Lincoln, he arrived on 20th November 1200 and stayed for six days. On the second day of his visit, he met with King William of Scotland.

​The following day the two KIngs met for a conference, outside of Lincoln, on a "lofty hill" (thought to be where Upper Leys Road is now). It was here King William swore fealty to John. On 26th November the body of Bishop Hugh (later St Hugh was brought to Lincoln from London. John acted as one of the coffin bearers.

King John returned to Lincoln, Jan. 13th and 14th, 1201, on a journey to Yorkshire via Grimsby.

In 1205, Lincoln had a third visit from King John, at Lincoln Castle on the 3rd October. Shortly before this (on 25th September) William de Bramfield, a subdean had been murdered by another subdean in St Peters Chapel in the Cathedral. According to an unknown chronicler, William was "a good and a just man". There are two stories about the fate of the murderer: one states that William's servants cut down the murderer and threw his body out of the Cathedral, the other states that the murderer was tied to the tail of a horse, dragged to Canwick Hill and there hanged. Very little is known of the murderer or the reason for the murder. King John left LIncoln for Spalding on 5th October.

In 1211, he stayed again at Lincoln, from January the 9th to the 13th, on his journey from York, where he had spent Christmas. He left Lincoln on the 4th for his castle at Sleaford.

In 1213, on 9th and 10th January and 15th February, he was again at Lincoln. 

In 1215, he made two visits to Lincoln, first from Feb. 22nd, to Feb. 27th. During this visit, he compelled prominent citizens of Lincoln to place their sons in his custody, as a security for the parents' loyalty and continued allegiance, as several of them were showing support for the barons, and for Prince Louis of France, who had landed at Dover.

His next and last visit, from the 20th September to the 2nd of October, was to see that the castle, one of the few still supporting him, was properly equipped with arms, and rid of the many people that would need feeding in case of a siege, then seemingly inevitable. On his arrival, the king was met at the west gate of the Castle, by its custodian, Lady Nichola de la Haye, the widow of the late governor, with the keys, which she begged the king to accept together with her resignation, as her advanced age had rendered her unfit to continue the duties of the office of Castle Constable in the event of a siege. The King refused to accept her resignation. From Lincoln, King John travelled to Norfolk and died in Newark on the 18th of October.

Henry III

His son, King Henry III, visited Lincoln on several occasions. He was at Lincoln at the beginning of 1230, on his return from York, where he and the King of Scotland had spent the Christmas of 1229. He made a short stay at Waddington probably as the guest of Ranulf, Earl of Chester, who then had a manor there. While there, he granted a charter to the Lepers of Lincoln, at the Malandry, dated at Waddington, 10th January 1230.

King Henry next visit was connected to the supposed crucifixion of a Christian child by Jews of the city. The child's mother, it was said, travelled to Scotland, where the court was then staying, to persuade the king to visit Lincoln to investigate the murder. The king and his queen arrived on the 3rd October 1255, having left Alnwick Castle on the 23rd September. The accused Jews were tried, it is not known whether it was in the presence of the king; and, as might be expected they were found guilty and sentenced to a punishment, but their chief crime was probably their wealth and their unprotected social position.

Edward I

Edward I made several visits to Lincoln. In 1280 the king and his queen and their family were invited to be present at the removing the remains of the late Bishop Hugh, whose canonisation had taken place shortly before, from the vault in which he had been interred in the year 1200. The remains of the bishop were reinterred in a shrine covered with precious metal and jewels and was witnessed by the royal family and a large number of prelates and nobles, and all levels of society. The ceremony took place on 6th October 1280, within the newly finished presbytery of the Cathedral, in the middle of which the shrine was constructed.

The King's next visit to Lincoln was towards the end of the year 1290, on the solemn occasion of being present at the interment of the casket containing the viscera of his dead queen, whose death had occurred at Harby, on the evening of Tuesday, 28th November. The King was at Lincoln on the 2nd December, the day of the ceremony: and the casket was entombed in the presbytery.

In 1301 he again came to Lincoln to meet his parliament, which had been appointed to assemble and hold its session in Lincoln, the location of the parliament is not known. He stayed at the bishop's palace at Nettleham. The parliament was opened on the 23rd January 1301, it was during this visit that Parliament formalised the creation of the title Prince of Wales for his son (later Edward II), the first English prince to hold the title. The parliament sat until the beginning of March and was one of the most memorable and important of these national assemblies that occurred in the middle ages. At this parliament it was, that the King ordered a letter to be sent to Rome, by which he forbade all papal interference with either the secular or political government of England; and the King with nearly all the nobles and powers of his realm set their seals and signatures, Lincoln, perhaps, never before, and never since, witnessed so large a group of nobles of this country as at that time. The letter was signed on 12th February 1301.

On the 20th December 1304, King Edward made a short visit to Lincoln on his way from Scotland to Westminster. The reason for this visit was to assemble another parliament of barons and ecclesiastics to finally settle certain regulations connected with royal forests, which had continued undecided since the previous parliament at Lincoln.

Edward II

Edward II also assembled one of his parliaments at Lincoln, it was one of the most important parliaments during his reign, and he was present at it several times. Many of the particulars of its decisions, political and ecclesiastical, have been preserved and printed, and it sat from the 27th January 1316 until the beginning of March. The King was at one while, lodged at the White Friars, in the great hall of which the members sat, and at another time he took up his abode at the Deanery, and the parliament following him, completed the session in the chapter-house of the cathedral. This parliament is probably best remembered historically for a brawl between Despencer, the King's favourite and one of the barons that opposed him. A further parliament was held in Lincoln in July 1316.

Edward III

Edward III, his son, at the start of his reign, while staying at Nottingham Castle, travelled several times to Lincoln: and on the 15th September 1327, he assembled a parliament, the last parliament held in Lincoln by any sovereign. Among the many and varied transactions connected with this visit was the confirmation and enlargement of the privileges of the people of Lincoln.

He was at Lincoln again in the following year where, on the 25th March, he confirmed several documents and left Lincoln on the same day for Northampton to meet his parliament.

He arrived in Lincoln on 26th June 1330 and stayed for 4 days, For this visit, it is believed he was the guest of Bishop Henry Burghurst, who, though an enemy of his father, was in favour with the son.

Among the favours the bishop received from the king was the grant of the privilege of claiming for his palace the right of giving sanctuary to all persons who should there seek it. These visits appear to have been frequently repeated while the King continued his residence at Nottingham. The last visit by the king was in the summer of 1331.

Richard II

In 1386 Richard II presented a sword to the Mayor of Lincoln which is carried by the Mayor's Officer as the Sword of State. View the painting of the event here http://goo.gl/rfuPtc

Richard II and his Queen were visitors at Lincoln in 1387. On the 26th of March in the same year, in the choir of the Cathedral, and in the presence of the chief members of the chapter, the king was made a brother and the queen a sister of the fraternity of canons of the Cathedral Church of Lincoln.

Henry V

15 April 1421, Henry V was present for the decision about an important dispute between Dean John Mackworth, and the members of the chapter, the former claiming the right of visiting and punishing the offences and excesses of the latter, as well as those of the vicars, mass-priests, prebendaries, etc. Apart from the King, the Bishop, the Preceptor, Chancellor, Treasurer, Archdeacons, other ecclesiastical dignitaries, and laity were also present in the Hall of the Bishops Palace. To prevent the recurrence of these litigations, a body of Decretals were drawn up and signed by the chapter and many others in the presence of the king, and ratified by the bishop's seal in the Old Temple in London, on the 27th of May following.

Henry VI

Henry VI with his bride visited Lincoln in the autumn of 1445. They were the guests of bishop William Alnwick, who was his confessor, and they most probably lodged at the palace, during their short stay. He was met at the southern boundary of the city, by the mayor, sheriffs, and aldermen, accompanied by 80 or 100 citizens on horseback, of whom a certain convenient number was to ride forward to the cross on the cliff, and there to dismount, and, on bended knees, pray their gracious sovereign to remit to them or exempt their city from the payment of a tenth which was a demand not easily met by their impoverished means.

Edward IV

Edward IV visited Lincoln briefly on 13th March 1461. He was travelling north to do battle against Henry Beaufort's army at Towton, Although outnumbered by the Lancastrians. Edward secured victory. By order of common council, the King and his friends were to be presented for their dinner, with 12 pikes, 12 tenches, and 12 breams, to be fried and prepared at the city's cost.

Richard III

Richard III visited Lincoln in October 1483 little is known of the reason for this visit.

Henry VII

Henry VII. made a state visit to Lincoln in 1486, He cut short his visit and headed for Yorkshire to stop a rebellion against him. 

Henry returned to Lincoln in June 1487, after his victory at Stoke Field, near Newark Here he spent three days in public prayers, processions, and thanksgivings, he sent his standard to the church of our Lady at Walsingham, says Polydore Vergil, "as a monument of his victory and his gratitude." He ordered while he was at Lincoln, that all those who had been taken in arms should be put to death.

Henry VIII

Henry VIII visited Lincoln on the 10th August 1541, during his Royal Progress around his kingdom. This King very probably passed through Lincoln again on the 12th or 13th of October, when he returned from the journey to York, which had been the cause of his being in these parts, but his return-visit was perhaps incognito, as it was attended with no particulars worthy of notice.

James I

James I visited Lincoln in 1617 and stayed from the 29th March to the 5th April, he watched a cockfight at the George. He had four cocks put in the pit together and “the resulting uproar gave him huge delight”. The King then crossed the road to the Spread Eagle where there was a fencing match between a fencer of the city and an attendant of the court in which the Lincoln man had the best of it. “The King then called for his porter, who took the sword and buckler and gave and received a broken pate".

Charles I

28 October 1640, Charles I, returning from Scotland, visited Lincoln, he was met by Original Peart, one of the sheriffs, at “Burton Wall”. He presented the city with the Civic Mace. He next visited in 1641.

On 1 July 1642 he visited to gain support from the leading citizens of Lincoln to suppress the actions of the Puritans and protect his position of sovereign. The people of Lincoln were almost equally divided between supporters and opponents of the King, so it is not thought that any remarkable display of loyalty was manifested. The King left Lincoln on the 2nd July, for Beverley.

William III

In 1695 William III visited Lincoln. He arrived on 29th October in the early evening and was met by the Mayor and other City officials. The city was full of visitors, "the town was glorious, with candles in everybody's window, so that a pip might have been seen and picked up."

The next day William visited the Cathedral “… having visited Lincoln, while on their tour through the Kingdom, (the King) made the citizens an offer to serve them in any manner they liked best. They asked for a Fair, though it was harvest when few people can attend it, and though the town had no trade nor any manufacture. The King smiled, and granted their request; observing it was a humble one indeed.”

The fair was held in Broadgate on the first Wednesday after the 12th September, lasting until the Friday. This fair became known as the “Fools’ Fair” as most of the potential buyers would be busy with harvest, but it was recorded in 1787 as the largest show of cattle in Lincoln for many years.

In September 1766 Prince Edward, Duke of York and brother of George III, came to the city. He saw the opera "Midas" performed by players visiting Lincoln.   Afterwards, he went to the County Assembly Rooms and "footed it in the merry dance" opening the ball with Lady Scarborough with a minuet.

Prince Albert

Prince Albert passed through Lincoln in 1849 to lay the foundation stone of the Grimsby docks

Queen Victoria

On the 27th August 1851 Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and the Prince of Wales had a brief stop at Lincoln, en route for Balmoral. An address was read by the Mayor and he presented the keys of the city, following Her Majesty’s reply some grapes That had been grown by Richard Ellison of Sudbrooke Holm. 

King Edward VII

The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, was a regular visitor to the city by train, mainly for horse racing, as a guest of Henry Chaplin of Blankney Hall.

King George V

King George V and Queen Mary visited Lincoln in April 1918 their itinerary included the Northern General Hospital (now Christ's Hospital School), Clayton & Shuttleworth, Ruston & Proctor, W Foster & Co., Robey & Co.  They also visited the Cathedral.

King Edward VIII (as Prince of Wales)

The Usher Art Gallery was officially opened on the 25th May 1927 by the then Prince of Wales with a solid gold key.

Queen Elizabeth II

Officially opened Pelham Bridge in June 1958.

Officially opened the first building at Lincoln University in October 1996.

Lincoln's World War One V.C.

Born in Lincoln on 12th August 1893, Leonard James Keyworth was the son of James and Emma Keyworth of 22 Coningsby Street, Lincoln. 

He tried to join The Lincolnshire Regiment at the outbreak of war in 1914. Rejected, he successfully joined the 24th County of London Battalion, the London Regiment (the Queen’s) Territorial Force as a private on 16th September 1914.

Following six months’ basic training in London, Leonard headed to the front line in France.

On the night of 25th/26th May 1915, the battalion had made a successful assault on a German position and was trying to follow it up with a bomb attack against fierce opposition.

In a letter home to his sister, Leonard modestly described his actions on the battlefield.

‘I can tell you we have had a very rough time. We entered the trenches at 6.30 on May 25th and were told to mount the trenches and commence straight away an attack on the German trenches about 250 yards away. This attack we made without our artillery’s covering fire.

‘Our lads went at it with great determination and were soon successful.

'I was with the bombing party and was the only one to come through without a scratch.

‘I went along a ridge on my stomach and threw bombs into a German trench, my distance being about 15 yards.

‘Men were shot down by my side. Still I continued, and came out safe.

‘I was at once recommended to my officers, who posted it to the colonel. It is supposed to be for bravery, but I cannot understand where it came in, as I only did my duty. But how I came out God only knows.

‘Some of our men who were slightly wounded, and who have come back, could not believe that I came out alive.’

This modest account belies the fact that Leonard was key to the success of the action that day. A fellow soldier recalled seeing Leonard refuse to give in even whilst under heavy enemy fire. He said:

'Seeing that we were done for, Keyworth laid hold of all the bombs he could get, and springing on to the enemy parapet, kept pelting them with bombs just as if he were taking shots at an Aunt Sally.

“It was a mercy that he escaped, for all the time the Germans were shooting at him madly. He kept it up for over two hours, and his audacity paralysed the whole German counter-attack.”

An extract from the "London Gazette," dated 2nd July, 1915, records the following:

"For most conspicuous bravery at Givenchy on the night of 25-26th May, 1915. After the assault on the German possition by the 24th Battalion, London Regt, efforts were made by that Unit to follow up their sucess by a bomb attack, during the progress of which 58 men out of a total 75 became casualties. During this very fierce encounter Lance-Cpl Keyworth stood fully exsposed for 2 hours on the top of the enemy's parapet, and threw about 150 bombs amongst the Germans, who were only a few yards away."

Lance Corporal Keyworth received the Victoria Cross from the King at Buckingham Palace in July 1915. After the ceremony, he was interviewed by a reporter from the Daily Mail.

He was also awarded the Medal of St. George (2nd Class) of Russia.

Leonard was given a hero’s welcome.on 14th July 1915 when he returned to Lincoln. Crowds of people flocked to see him as his train arrived in the city and he, his family, the Mayor and Sheriff, were escorted through the streets by the Territorials. The crowds delayed their progress, it took half an hour to get to his home on Coningsby Street.

The Mayor gave a speech and then Leonard was carried shoulder-high to his door, as the crowds cheered.

Sadly on 19 October 1915, he was shot in the head and taken to the Stationary Hospital at Abbeville and died from his wounds, he was just 22. Three days after his death, his final letter home arrived at his parent’s house. It read:

‘I expect you will be wondering what has become of me. We have had quite a busy time.

‘I hope you both are quite well, in fact, all Coningsby Street. How is Lincoln looking now? I wish I could pay it a visit.

‘I am glad to say I am in the best of health and happy to know we are doing our best against the Germans and doing it well.

‘ We are fighting as Britons should do, and it is for our King and country.’

Leonard James Keyworth V.C. is buried at the Abbeville Communal Cemetery in France.

The Asylum and the Duelling Doctor

The need for a lunatic asylum in Lincoln had been discussed since the opening of the County Hospital, one of the main promoters of this was Dr Willis of Greatford, the man who treated George III for his madness.  Money for the Asylum was raised through public subscription, some subscribers gave as much as £100 (Worth £9,728.58 today).

 The Lincoln Lunatic Asylum is a Greek revival building designed by Richard Ingleman (1777-1838). Building commenced in 1819 and the Asylum opened for patients on 6th April 1820. It was Britain's first purpose-built Lunatic Asylum and became the first asylum in the country to achieve total abolition of mechanical restraint in 1837.

The buildings stand on grounds of 8 acres, west of Lincoln Castle, which was deliberately planted with trees to shield the patients from "poisonous miasmas" which came from the industrialised parts of Lincoln. 

The Asylum, led by Dr Edward Parker Charlesworth (see below) pioneered new ways of treating mental illness, without the use of restraint and barbaric methods to control patients.
One of the early Medical Superindents was Robert Gardiner Hill, who was a leading doctor in the field of mental illness.

Following the opening of the County Lunatic Asylum at Bracebridge Heath in 1852, there was an increasing emphasis on fee-paying patients. The Asylum was re-named as The Lawn Hospital for the Insane in 1885. 

New kitchens, waiting rooms and offices were built in 1893, designed by W Scorer of Lincoln.
Nurses Hostel was built in 1938 and is now the Charlotte House Hotel
​
The Hospital was taken over by the National Health Service in 1948 and was finally closed in 1985. The City of Lincoln Council purchased the Lawn in 1986 for £425,000, following extensive refurbishment the complex opened in 1990 as catering and events venue. 

 R W Stokes Ltd purchased the buildings only for £1,000,000 in 2015 for their headquarters and barista training.  

Edward Parker Charlesworth

Edward Parker Charlesworth was born in 1783 in the village of Ossington, Nottinghamshire, the son of John Charlesworth, the local rector. After undergoing initial training at Horncastle under Dr E. Harrison, he studied at Edinburgh University where he graduated as a doctor of medicine in 1807.

In 1805 he married Susannah Rockcliffe, daughter of Dr Rockcliffe of Horncastle.

Dr Charlesworth acquired a large practice in Lincoln and in 1808 he was appointed physician to Lincoln County Hospital, which was then on Michaelgate.

​The Lincoln Lunatic Asylum – a private hospital for the mentally ill –  Dr Charlesworth was appointed as visiting physician.

​His methods were revolutionary – and unpopular – in his work to change the restraint methods employed by medical staff in the majority of mental hospitals. His efforts were soon recognised and an order banning hospital attendants from using restraint or violence was made.

In 1824 he became involved in an argument with Charles Sibthorp of Canwick Hall. Angry words were exchanged at a turnpike meeting which culminated in a duel being fought between the two men. The duel took place on 9th August 1824 in a secluded place between the Carholme and the Burton Plantation. Although shots were fired both men missed and honour was satisfied.

Dr Charlesworth died of paralysis on 21st February 1853 and was buried in St Margaret’s Churchyard, Lincoln.

A statue by Thomas Milnes (1813-1888) was erected in his honour in the grounds of The Lawn and unveiled on 12th July 1854

Robert Gardiner Hill

Robert Gardiner Hill was born in Louth, Lincolnshire in 1811 and was educated at Guy’s and St.Thomas’ Hospitals and qualified as a M.R.C.S. (Member of the Royal College of Surgeons) and a L.S.A. (Licentiate of the Society of Apothecaries) in 1834. In the same year he was appointed house surgeon to the General Dispensary at Lincoln, in 1835 he was elected Medical Superintendant at the Lincoln Lunatic Asylum.

"After he left Lincoln Asylum in 1841 Robert Gardiner Hill went into general practice in Lincoln with another doctor - Harvey - but after a few years started a private mental hospital in Lincoln (note: Eastgate House). ​

"Apparently he was extremely popular in the town for his good work and in 1851 they made him mayor ..... Robert Gardiner Hill then took a private home at Brentford but after two or three years bought Shillingthorpe Hall near Lincoln to do the same type of work on his own.

"He then went back to London and took over Earls Court House where he prospered and died." (Typed note in Dr Harold Gardiner-Hill's Family Book)

He married Charlotte Brown in Lincoln in 1841. He was Mayor of Lincoln in 1853.
His ‘non-restraint’ method, which was ‘a procedure with momentous results to the insane’, led to the widespread practice of this principle in England.
He died of a stroke at his home, Earls Court House, Old Brompton, London, in 1878.

Sources: Obituary: British Medical Journal

Horse Racing at the Carholme

Horse Racing in Lincoln has a long history.

The first horse racing in the area is thought to have taken place at Temple Bruer: The Knights Templars, seeking a break from jousting and tournaments, would wager on the results of races held among themselves. After the dissolution of the Order farmworkers would hold races at the end of harvest.

The first recorded race was on 12th February 1597, when "the mayor's charges for a scaffold at the horse race" were approved. This must have been a wooden framed tiered stand so that spectators would have a good view of the race.

In April 1617 King James stayed in Lincoln for a few days:

" On Thursday (3rd April) thear was a great horse race on the Heath for a cupp, when his Majestie was present, and stood on a scaffold the Citie had caused to be set upp, and withall caused the race a quarter of a mile long to be raled and corded with rope and hoopes on both sides, whearby the people were kept out, and the horses that rouned were seen faire."

George 1 also visited Lincoln races in 1716, putting up £100 guineas in prize money himself.

Horse racing moved to Waddington Heath, a four mile long course, and remained there until 1770. It is believed that horse racing then continued near Dunholme for the next 20 years

In 1793 horse racing moved to the Carholme on the West Common at the edge of Lincoln. Most of the horses entered were local to the area until in 1806, when a Gold Cup of 115 Guineas was instituted.

At first a temporary wooden shed was erected for the important visitors at the meeting. In 1826 The Grandstand was erected by the Corporation.

The provision of the grandstand and improvements to the course and turf was at a cost of £7,000; a large sum of money in 1826. The improvements meant that more people could enjoy the spectacle of horse racing on the Carholme.

But in 1831 Lincoln was still regarded as an unimportant racing venue. The New Sporting Magazine of that year says, "The utter insignificance of these races would not have entitled them to a place in our monthly notices but for the extraordinary scene that occurred in the third day.":

700 or 800 "thimblemen"* including many dishonest characters moved from race meeting to race meeting to cheat people out of their winnings, turned up at the Lincoln meeting.

They were very successful in the first two days, but on the third day the racegoers attacked them with clubs and sticks. At first the thimblemen held their own; but a large number of horsemen arrived and routed them. Then the local people destroyed their stalls and caravans.

The royal purse of One Hundred Sovereigns, given to several Towns in England, to be run for mares only, in order to improve the breed of blood horses, and the ' Gold Cup ' or Subscription Plate of One Hundred Pounds. Many famous horses ran at the Carholme course in the early 19th century, among them:
Eclipse, Redshank, Carnaby, Volage, Bessy Bedlam, Bullet, Ballad Singer, Fleur-de-lis, Laurel, Lucy, Mullatto, Fortitude, Briuda, Lottery, Gallopade, Varnish, Marie, La Fille Mai Garde, Nancy.

The 1826 Grandstand

The winning of the Lincoln Gold Cup by Bessy Bedlam was celebrated by the naming of a public house at 33 Steep Hill in her honour. By 1857 it was re-named Fox & Hounds.

Jumps were added to the course in 1843 but were not a popular addition to the racing.

The Lincolnshire Handicap was first run in 1849, was won in that year by Media, a filly belonging to Lord Exeter; and in 1874 the race was won by the famous Fred Archer, then only a boy, on a horse called Tomahawk. Gradually Lincoln became more popular, and the Spring Meeting in particular assumed the importance to racing it retained until the closure. A second, larger grandstand was erected in 1897, designed W Mortimer, a well respected local architect, and built by William Wright. At the Spring Meeting in 1900the starting-gate was first used in a race for 2-year-old fillies, a feature of racing in which Lincoln can claim to be a pioneer.

The spring meeting, held in March, was the opening meeting of the flat racing calendar.

The winners of the Lincolnshire Handicap from 1926 to 1937 were, in chronological order:

King of Clubs (1926), Priory Park (1927), Dark Warrior (1928), Elton (1929), Leonidas (1930), Knight Error (1931), Jerome Fandor (1932), Dorigen (1933), Play On (1934), Flamenco (1935), Over Coat (1936), Marmaduke Jinks (1937) -     

Click on "Flamenco" to see the horse win the 1935 Lincolnshire Handicap.

The New Stand in 1897

Racing moved to Pontefract from 1942 to 1945 and never really recovered after World War II.
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In 1964 the Horse Race Betting Levy Board announced they would not support the course after 1966. A meeting of the City Council was held 21st July 1964 in the Guildhall where it was decided that horse racing at the Carholme would cease immediately, therefore the last race was held on 18th March 1964, ending a tradition of almost 200 years of racing on the Carholme.

The 1826 grandstand was demolished in 1966.

The 1948 Lincolnshire Handicap had the largest number of runners - a total of 58!

Lincoln Racecourse Regeneration Company was formed in 2010 to bring racing back to Lincoln but it was opposed by the City Council and many West End residents, so the course is destined to remain unused for the foreseeable future.

*The word "thimbleman" has passed into obscurity but this is the best definition I have found:
"thimblerigger: one who practises the trick of thimblerig; a low trickster or sharper. Also thimbleman."
A thimbleman may also "nobble" horses.

The Legend of the Head in the Wall

 If you walk Along Lincoln's Eastgate from Bailgate towards Langworthgate you will come across a high stone wall on the north side of the Cathedral.  Look up and you will see a stone head sticking out of the wall.

The "Legend of the Head in the Wall" is not very well known, even to the people of Lincoln.  If you go on the "Lincoln Ghost Walk" you will be told that the Dean of Lincoln had it placed there to remind those in holy orders that they must be temperate in their drinking habits.

The version I prefer is the one told me by my father many years ago:

"The husband had gone out for a drink at the White Horse Inn, across the road, (where the restaurant is now).  The wife became anxious when it was time for bed and he hadn't arrived home, so she opened the sash window and looked out.  While she had her head out of the window the sash failed and the window came crashing down and broke her neck.  The husband arrived home much later to find the lifeless body of his wife through the window."

The head was carved and placed in the wall as a memorial to the unfortunate lady.

In my view the logical explanation for the head is that it came from the Cathedral when Cromwell's men decapitated many of the statues and some jolly fellow thought that it would be a wheeze to put it in the wall!

This and other stories about Lincoln can be read in: 

It's About Lincoln: Snippets of History