It Happened in Shropshire E-Book

Bob Burrows

• Herausgeber: Merlin Unwin Books
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

It Happened in Shropshire is a vibrant and compelling account of the county's diverse heritage; its heroes, its battles, its discoveries, its crimes. Bob Burrows's highly readable prose transports the reader through time, racing across the landscape of Shropshire's past from the woolly mammoths of 10,000 BC, the Roman occupation of Wroxeter and the Battle of Shrewsbury, to the Industrial Revolution and to the sporting achievements and murderous exploits of recent years. The book celebrates Salopians of national renown such as Charles Darwin, Clive of India, Wilfred Owen and Percy Thrower, as well as commemorating the accidents and disasters of: - Shropshire's ghostly past…and present - The legends of 'Mad Jack' Mytton and the charismatic outlaw Sir Humphrey Kynaston - A celebration of Salopian sporting champions: Ian Woosnam, Sandy Lyle, Richie Woodhall, Billy Wright - Shropshire's notorious and also its heroic vicars - The 'Black Panther' and other Salopian murderers exposed

Leseprobe

To the pots of gold at the end of my rainbow:

Emily Grace Burrowsborn 30 April 2004

Jacob Alexander Lynes Batesborn 10 May 2008

CONTENTS

Title PageDedicationMap of ShropshireIntroductionUnique Shropshire facts1.SHROPSHIRE: A PROFILE2.FAMOUS SALOPIANSClive of India 1725-1774Charles Robert Darwin 1809-1882Wilfred Owen 1893-1918Mary Webb 1881-1927Edith Pargeter 1913-1995Barbara Pym 1913-1980Percy Thrower 1913-1988In Brief3.FASCINATING CHARACTERSFulk Fitz Warin 1170-1260 (Foulke, FitzWarren, Fitzwarine, FitzWaryn)Dick Whittington 1350-1423Sir Humphrey Kynaston 1474-1534 ‘Wild Man’Thomas Parr 1483-1635 ‘Old Tom Parr’Judge Sir George Jeffreys 1648-1689 ‘The Hanging Judge’Molly Morgan 1762-1835 ‘Queen of the Hunter Valley’John Mytton 1796-1834 ‘Mad Jack’4.MEN OF THE CLOTHWe have done those things which we ought not to have doneSnow was falling, snow on snow, snow on snow, In the bleak midwinter long, long ago5.BIRTHPLACE OF CHAMPIONSWilliam Penny Brookes 1809-1895Captain Matthew Webb 1848-1883Sir Gordon Richards 1904-1986Billy Wright 1924-1994Sandy Lyle 1958-Ian Woosnam 1958-Richie Woodhall 1968-6.MURDER MOST FOULThe last man hanged in ShrewsburyThe Black PantherBritish Secret Service agents murder Shropshire woman?Murder at Heath HouseBehind Closed DoorsThe Chip Shop Murders… Two Men BatteredThe Massage Parlour Murders7.IT HAPPENED IN SHROPSHIRE… OR DID IT?Ghosts, Paranormal Apparitions and Legends8.DISASTERS, ACCIDENTS & TRAGEDIESRailway accidents9.THE BATTLE OF SHREWSBURY, 1403AcknowledgementsUseful AddressesBibliographyIndexAlso published by Merlin Unwin BooksAbout the AuthorCopyright

INTRODUCTION

Shropshire is a unique part of the British Isles in so many ways. Until King Offa of Mercia annexed the area in the 8th century, Shropshire was part of Wales and for centuries became a buffer between Wales and England and a political pawn, as successive invaders battled over its domain.

The Romans, Saxons, Vikings, Danes and the Normans have all in some way left their mark on this beautiful part of these islands.

It Happened In Shropshire is intended to entertain and to give a snapshot, a full-colour snapshot, of Shropshire, its Salopian citizens, events both historical and mythical and its development – while also attempting to highlight the county’s contribution to Britain’s history and culture.

Perversely the scholar and poet renowned for singing the praises of Shropshire was neither born, raised, educated nor lived in the county but has become synonymous with Shropshire through his poem, A Shropshire Lad. Alfred Edward Housman wrote several of his poems about Shropshire without having set foot in the county. His ‘blue remembered hills’ were his view of the Shropshire hills from a hilltop in his hometown of Fockbury, Worcestershire. The majority of his time was spent in London where he was Professor of Latin at University College before being appointed Kennedy Professor of Latin at Cambridge in 1911.

His acclaimed work, A Shropshire Lad, is written from the perspective of a young man living in London, feeling lonely and nostalgic for his home county and his past. When the book of poetry was published and became successful, those who knew Housman personally had difficulty reconciling his sober, almost severe presence, with the whimsical, nostalgic first person of his poetry sequence. Furthermore, those who came to Shropshire seeking the places that Housman featured in his work were often confounded to find that he had changed certain features. Nevertheless he did visit Shropshire from time to time and when he died in 1936 his ashes were buried outside the north wall of St Laurence’s Church in Ludlow, where now a tablet is inscribed with a few lines of his poetry.

A. E. Housman’s memorial, St Laurence’s Church, Ludlow. The lines of poetry read: ‘Goodnight ensured release, Imperishable Peace, Have these for yours.’

Before embarking on the task of constructing this book I had what best could be described as a skimpy knowledge of the county. However, after research and visiting many parts of Shropshire, I must confess that I now share Housman’s love of the county. The countryside and the picturesque, unspoilt villages and towns are best characterised, I think, by the small town of Much Wenlock where I stayed.

There I encountered no graffiti, local people comfortable with one another, an excellent programme of community events and a real sense of community spirit. Superb medieval buildings, the Guild Hall dating from 1540, the Priory ruins going back to the 12th century and the timbered 1682 Raynald’s Mansion in the High Street are complemented by the up-to-date service at the Raven Hotel. Built in 1700, the hotel incorporates Alms Houses from the 15th century and in the grounds are the remnants of a hall from the 14th century. Inside the hotel, the dining rooms are linked by a conservatory, the tiled floor of which has embedded in it a round toughened glass aperture, affording a glimpse into an ancient well below.

Baron De Coubertin was staying in Much Wenlock in 1890 when he addressed a meeting of 60 local people at The Raven. He had come to the town to meet William Penny Brookes, founder of the Modern Olympic Games. The hotel represents all that is best in my experience of Shropshire, utilising the history of the town to attract visitors and then by good service and cuisine that compares favourably with a top restaurant, ensuring that the visitor will want to return.

Many excellent books have been written by experts in their field on the history of Shropshire, its geology, canals, railways, mines, murders, its myths and legends. During my research I have been very much entertained and in awe of the authors’ detailed knowledge in their specialised fields. I cannot hope to replicate in one book the fine detail of so many expert publications in so many specialised subjects.

Nevertheless, I trust that readers will be able to dip in and out of this publication, seeking those pieces that interest them, and I hope that by avoiding too much detail and by keeping the narrative flowing, this book will have appeal to most Salopians and to those with a genuine interest in the county’s history, characters and evolution.

Salopians! What are the origins of this term which refers to a native of Shropshire? The Normans had a word for the area that was so unpronounceable that they shortened and softened it to Salopesberia or Salopescira and naturally, over the centuries, it softened to Salop. In 1888 the county council was actually called Salop County Council, a title that formally lasted until 1980 when the name of Shropshire County Council was adopted. However, a native of Shropshire is still today referred to as a Salopian.

The medieval High Street in Much Wenlock is flanked by glorious timber-framed buildings, limestone cottages and Elizabethan architecture.

NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW THIS! UNIQUE SHROPSHIRE FACTS

The River Severn is the longest river in Britain. It was once also the busiest river in Europe.Charles II famously hid from Roundhead soldiers in an oak tree in the grounds of Boscobel House, near Albrighton, in 1651.In 1709, Abraham Darby became the first man to use coal in the form of coke in the process of iron smelting.The world’s first cast iron bridge was built in Ironbridge in 1779 by Darby’s grandson, Abraham Darby III.The Ironbridge Gorge Museum is now a World Heritage Site.Lord Hill of Hawkstone Park was second-in-command to Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.The modern Olympic Games were born in Much Wenlock in 1850.Shrewsbury MP Benjamin Disraeli became Prime Minister in 1868 and again in 1874 for a further 6 years.Shrewsbury Flower Show was established in 1875. It is the oldest in the world.Also in 1875, Dawley-born Matthew Webb became the first man to successfully swim the English Channel.In 1911, Whitchurch-born composer Edward German wrote a Coronation March and Hymn for King George V. During World War II, General Charles de Gaulle and his family were offered sanctuary in Gadlas Hall, Ellesmere, from 1940-1.League soccer came to Shrewsbury, Shropshire in 1950.Salopian Sir Gordon Richards was knighted in 1953. He remains the only jockey to receive a Knighthood.In April 1959, footballer Billy Wright became the first player to win 100 caps for the English national side.The 1966 World Cup-winning England football team trained at Lilleshall Sports Centre.Shrewsbury won the popular television programme It’s a Knockout in 1969.Telford United Football Club played in the very first non-League F.A. Cup Final at Wembley in 1970.The lowest-ever weather temperature was recorded on 10 January, 1982 in Edgmond, Telford. The temperature was -26ºC.The 1987 Golf World Matchplay final was contested by two Salopians: Ian Woosnam and Sandy Lyle.Both Woosnam and Lyle won the US Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in 1988 and 1991 respectively.The G8 Summit of World Leaders was held at Weston Park in 1998.Bridgnorth has the only inland cliff railway in Britain.Shrewsbury is considered to be one of the most haunted towns in Britain.

Chapter One

SHROPSHIRE: A PROFILE

Shropshire has under 300,000 inhabitants spread across its 1,250 square miles, so it is not densely populated, that ratio being only a third of the national average. For its size though, Shropshire has made an astonishing contribution to England’s social and cultural history.

To most people the county is best known for its medieval towns and castles, for being close to the Welsh Border, for the wonder and ingenuity of Offa’s Dyke, for being the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, and for its farming. However, it has also produced some remarkable individuals who have represented Britain on the world stage and Shropshire has, over the centuries, remained vibrant and has used the advantages of its geography and history to good effect.

Britain, over the millennia, has been submerged under tropical warm waters, frozen in the Ice Age, turned to barren desert, and covered in huge rain forests. Shropshire of course has undergone the same cycle and much of the county was fashioned by forces beyond the control of man. Amazing to think that Wenlock Edge was once under warm tropical waters and when it rose up out of the sea it was formed out of millions and millions of shells of small marine life forms.