wellingtoniao the latest issue of wellingtonia, which is the first of two issues scheduled for 2011...

to the latest issue ofWellingtonia, which is the firstof two issues scheduled for

2011 (the second will, hopefully, beavailable in the autumn).

As our supporters know, wewere most fortunate in obtaining agrant which enabled us to producefull-colour magazines for issuesone to five inclusive, and letreaders have them at no charge.

Because we were unable toobtain another grant, we thenproduced issues six to nine during2010. Unfortunately for many ofour followers, these had to bepublished via our web site, whichmeant we were unable to reach thewider ‘audience’ we hadpreviously.

Now, in response to countlessrequests, we are experimentingwith having paper versionsproduced again, but this time witha modest charge to cover the costof printing.

However, we shall not be able(in normal circumstances) to sellmagazines in shops because itwould entail supplying them at adiscount, which would then meanhaving to charge more per copy tocover our costs, and we wouldalso have to enter the murkyworld of chasing up payment ofinvoices.

This means that we shall haveto rely on you, our readers, tospread the word and buy copies atour events or from committeemembers (the details for the mainones are listed on page 5).

The provision of futuremagazines depends on us sellingsufficient copies of this and thenext issue unless, of course, we areable to find alternative fundingfrom elsewhere. In short, we needall the financial help we can get!

There is absolutely no doubtthat our magazines and publictalks are popular, and we are surethat you will continue to supportus in every possible way.

There’s so much more to learnabout Wellington, The Wrekin Hilland the Weald Moors, so pleasehelp us to carry on! Donations, ofcourse, are always welcome!

WellingtoniaNewsletter of the Wellington History Group,

rediscovering the past of Wellington in Shropshire

Issue 10: First Half 2011

WELCOME ...

Only £2.00

Who’s all at sea?See page 16.

Visit us at www.wellingtonhistorygroup.wordpress.com

A Wellington-sponsored Oxen demonstration?See page 4.

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

Page2. Hesba’s Hundredth4. Freedom from Hunger5. Noticeboard and

Contact Details6. Wellington Market

House8. The Willowmoor

Enigma 9. Historical Accuracy?

10. To Those Who Served in World War II

11. Park Junior School Summer Sports Day, 1961

12. 100 Years Ago14. 1911: Coronation of

King George V16. Norah Wellings18. Bird’s Eye View19. Royal Arms in

Churches; New Reading20. Photos from 50

Years Ago

It is difficult to understand justhow internationally famousand widely read Hesba

Stretton’s novels were during, andfor quite some time after, herlifetime. What is even sadder isthat modern readers have littleknowledge of, or no regard for, herachievements, much favouringnames ‘of the moment’.

There were already signs thather fame was becomingovershadowed by misconceptionat the time of her third and finaldeath in 1911. Using the obituaryprinted in the Wellington Journaland Shrewsbury News as acontemporary example, Hesba’sworks were, by that time and withlittle or no understanding of herrange of subject matter, classifiedas ‘for children’, typicallyconcerning waifs. Then, as now,the standard of journalisticaccuracy was somewhat lacking.

2 Wellingtonia: Issue 10: First Half 2011

This over-simplistic view of herachievements as a writer havebecome her legacy, which is aterrible shame.

She didn’t just write about‘waifs’, although a fair number ofher books do feature street urchinsof one sort or another.

However, it is the manner inwhich Hesba’s stories expose theharsh realities of poverty,ignorance and the way arcane,unsympathetic and ofteninhumane laws affected thecircumstances in which so manypeople lived, often through nofault of their own.

There were so manycircumstances wherein seeminglyhappy folk could fall ondevastatingly debilitating hardtimes, and Hesba’s tales highlightthe shortcomings society had indealing with them. Or not. Such isthe variety of subject matter inHesba’s books that they providean insight into the realities ofVictorian society that no non-fiction history book could everhope to achieve.

Nevertheless, her novels aren’tsolely confined to life’s traumas inEngland; her penmanship tookworld affairs into account,including the American Civil War,the Seige of Strasbourg and theplight of Christians in Russia.

Hesba works attracted theadmiration of, for example,Charles Dickens, George BernardShaw, Victor Hugo and QueenVictoria. It is a sad reflection ofour times that Hesba Stretton isnot given the acknowledgementshe so richly deserves.

HESBA’S HUNDREDTH Jason Thornfall

Hesba’s birthplace in New Street,then the town Post Office and a

bookseller/publisher’s, is nowoccupied by Miles outfitters andCashino Gaming. Miles Hosken

stands next to the brass plaque below.

Wellington’s greatestwriter died 100 years ago on

8th October 1911.Will her achievements be

given priority promotion byCouncillors and the town’s

Literary Festival Committee?And if not, why not?

A Jessica’s First Prayer magiclantern slide. The book was the subject

of several series of such slides.Slideshows, in which picures wereprojected and accompanied by text

from the story, were immenselypopular in churches and schools.

Hesba (real name Sarah Smith)apparently holding a copy of

Jessica’s First Prayer.

The funeral took place in HamCommon churchyard onWednesday. The service whichwas conducted by the Vicar ofHam (Rev J R Pridis) was verysimple, no hymns being sung.

The mourners were Mr G BStretton (Assistant Master atDulwich College), and Mr Philip EStretton (nephews), Mrs Webb,Mrs M Stretton and Miss HopeSmith (nieces).

A few personal friendsgathered around the grave inwhich Miss Smith’s sister wasburied last February. Thosepresent included Lady Sudeley,Mrs John Biddulph, MissLawrence, Mrs J W Harker, MissMaddison, Miss Percival, MissAnna Buckland, Miss AliceReacher, Dr Roger N Goodman,Mr G Randall (Secretary of theNational Orphan Home), Mr J HNoble and the Rev E H Knott.

If you’d like to know more aboutWellington during the years HesbaStretton lived here, and the way townlife affected her writing career,together with the impact her novelshad on important people who wereresponsible for changing English laws,Allan Frost’s book The Life of HesbaStretton 1832 – 1911 explains whyshe is our most celebrated home-grown daughter and an authoress ofnote; it also includes the full story ofJessica’s First Prayer.

Allan will be leading a ‘walkingtalk’ around Hesba’s Wellington inJune and giving an evening talk at theLiterary Festival in October.

3www.wellingtonhistorygroup.wordpress.com

WELLINGTON JOURNAL14 October 1911

SMITH – 8th inst. In her 80th year,at Ivycroft, Ham, Middlesex, SarahSmith (“Hesba Stretton”), daughterof late B Smith, formerly ofWellington.

DEATH OF “HESBA STRETTON”– A Gifted Shropshire WriterThe death occurred on Sunday ather residence, Ivycroft, HamCommon, Middlesex of MissSarah Smith, more widely knownas “Hesba Stretton”, an authoress,of considerable ability. Thedeceased lady is the daughter ofMr B Smith, bookseller andpublisher of Wellington and wasborn at Church Stretton 79 yearsago.

She began her literary careerwhile resident in Wellington. Herfirst effort, a slight little effusionunder the title “The Lucky Leg”finding acceptance by CharlesDickens, who published it“Household Words” and sent hera cheque for £5 in paymenttherefor.

Her frequent contributions tothis and other periodicals wasvery favourably received by thepublic and she soon gainedconsiderable repute as a writer forchildren.

Her first great success was“Jessica’s First Prayer” publishedin 1867, a book which earnedworld-wide reputation, and wastranslated into a number ofEuropean and Asiatic tongues. Herstories were all of an evangelicalcharacter [not strictly true!] andwere primarily intended for theyoung [also not strictly true.]though they were read withavidity by adults also [very true!].

“Alone in London” was a taleconsidered by many to be evensuperior to “Jessica’s First Prayer”as a picture of child life; andamong her other works whichnumber about 40, the mostpopular proved to be “Pilgrim’sStreet”, “Half Brothers”, “Fern’sHollow”, “Bede’s Charity” and“Fishers of Derby Haven”.

It was estimated that upwardsof 200,000 copies of her storieshave been sold in variouscountries. [We now know it wasconsiderably more, and that’s not

counting ‘pirate’ copies produced in,for example, America.]

Of a somewhat different typewas her novel “The Clives ofBurcot” a work which excitedmuch interest especially inShropshire for one reason becausethe scene of the plot was laid inWellington and immediate localityand it commanded a wide sale.

Apart from literature herinterests were few but to thesuccess of some modernmovements she contributedmaterially.

The most important of thesewas the crusade against the ill-treatment of children whichresulted in the formation of theLondon (later National) Societyfor the Prevention of Cruelty toChildren.

During the famine of 1892 inRussia Miss Smith collected £1,000for the relief of the peasants andwent to much trouble to see it wasproperly distributed.

It is said that Alexander II wasso much struck by her story“Jessica’s First Prayer” that heordered it to be sent to everyschool in the Russian Empire, buthis successor revoked that orderand directed that every copy ofthe work should be burnt.

“Hesba Stretton” nevermarried. Her long life was abeautiful example of good, works,Christian faith and patientsuffering nobly borne.

She was a very shy andsensitive nature and greatlydreaded publicity and show inevery way. A charming friend, atrue woman, a real companion, sowell worth knowing and loving.This is what all those who foundher were honoured by herfriendship.

She had been confined to herroom for the past 4 years and hadtwice had the “distinction” ofreading her own obituary notice inthe London press – the firstoccasion being in January 1909,and the other in February of thepresent year when her sisterElizabeth (rumour had it at firstthat it was “Hesba”) died at theresidence at Ham where they hadspent upwards of 20 yearstogether.


In the mid 1960s there was agreat popular national causecalled the Freedom From

Hunger Campaign. The idea wasthat Western nations like oursshould help some of the poorer,emerging peoples to grow morefood for their expandingpopulations. What we would sendthem was not food but thetechnology to grow it. It seemedan exciting new idea. A nationalorganisation was set up.

At the time I was sufferingfrom ‘Ex-Mayor Syndrome’, as Ihad recently been chairman ofWellington UDC, and was back tobeing my usual, unimportant self.I needed something important todo. As a geographer I thought thisfilled the bill. So we naturally setup a committee of which I waschairman, using the contacts andbit of influence derived from theUDC. We had an excellentsecretary, Chris Townsend, whoseemployers at British Sugarsupported the project, and hespent a great deal of time workingfor the campaign, especially whenthe factory was between seasons.

Wellington quickly becamequite excited with the idea but didnot want to be tied to the nationalprogramme. We always were anindependent town and we woulddo our own thing. We thought thatif we could show the people whocontributed to our charity exactlywhere the money was going andwhat it would do, they would behappier than simply pouring hardearned cash into a general fund.Then we hit on Uganda.

The project involved sendingan agricultural expert to Ugandaat our expense and letting theirgovernment send him to where hewas most needed. We contactedHarper Adams College for adviceand lecturer Maurice Eddoes wasa tower of strength. We advertisedthe job – three years in Uganda fora minimal wage, working with thelocal folks and improving theirlives. There were severalapplicants and we selected a shortlist and interviewed them. Onechap was getting a hard grillingfrom Maurice; I felt sorry for him.His name was Frank Pitkin andhad many useful attributes andskills. We gave him the job.

Meantime Wellington set toand raised the money by diversemeans. We persuaded thousandsto pay 6d to plant a seed of wheat,including the chairman of theNFU. Girl Guides polished shoesin the market and charged. Littleboys (including mine) gavepuppet shows and made theirfriends pay to watch. We gave a‘Bean Feast’ at the MajesticBallroom, a black tie event,charging for a ‘posh’ dinner andserved bean soup, bread andwater. Of course we rattledbuckets all over the place. Weraised over £3,000, a large sumthen. We also had a lot of fun.

Students from Harper Adamslent glamour to the occasion at atime when foreigners, especiallyblack ones, were rare. HenryShashawanyana, from Ugandaand Kent Ntsekhe fromBasutoland attracted crowds with

their talks on life in their exoticcountries. The students alsoorganised their ‘Rag’ to supportus. We had money coming in fromHadley, Ketley and the countryaround as well as Wellington.

We were held up for a whilebecause Milton Obote, Ugandanpresident, was marrying his fourthwife, which stopped the countryfor a time. Chris Townsend talkedto him on the phone. EventuallyFrank Pitkin had his send off andwe waited for action. It soon came.He was sent to a village near theNile and rapidly befriended thelocals. Soon they were clearingbush land for crops – cash crops aswell as food. There was someunrest so the Government Agenttook Frank a shotgun forprotection, though he neverneeded it. Frank played Ruggerfor Uganda occasionally. Theyplanted sorghum, wheat, coffeeand cotton. They brewed beerfrom the grain and had to putFrank to bed one night. Theproject was a great success; Frankwent back to farming in England.

Meantime in Wellington themoney was still coming in and wehad more than enough. Ratherthan send it to headquarters inLondon we decided on a newproject. We sponsored an Indianstudent at Harper Adams on aPoultry Husbandry course. Thiswas Ramashwar Kishore, whovirtually hitch-hiked by air fromCalcutta as he had no money.After the course Ramashwar tookover a huge poultry business innorthern India.

So far it was a great successand we in Wellington were proudof our contribution to the greatworld problem. Later camedisillusion. Idi Amin (‘Dada’)became President of Uganda, setabout exterminating all whoopposed him and unleashed areign of terror. The newlyprosperous, happy village wasoverrun, the Asian businessmenwho handled most of the tradewere expelled and miseryreturned. Worse was to come, afterIdi, when the Lord’s Army of boysoldiers murdered and ran riot.

Better times are now back, soI’m told.

FREEDOM FROM HUNGER George Evans

How Wellington helpedUganda and India

www.wellingtonhistorygroup.wordpress.com 5

MEMORABILIA WANTEDWe are always on the lookout for old photos, event programmes andanything else connected with Wellington, The Wrekin Hill and the

Weald Moors. Yes, we already have many, but we need YOU todelve into your own archives and let us borrow anything relevant

for a short while to take copies.

For example, does anyone have abetter quality photo of the ErcallStores in Wrekin Road seen hereon the right? This poor quality

picture, taken from a sale leaflet,is the only one we have and wecould do with something better.Also, can anyone tell us moreabout the history of this shop?

NOTICEBOARD

HISTORY GROUP CONTACT DETAILS

Please address general correspondence to:

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

Tel: 01952 402459. email: [email protected]

Other officers of the Wellington History Groupcommittee are:

President: George Evans, 18 Barnfield Crescent,Wellington, The Wrekin, TF1 2EU.

Tel: 01952 641102. email [email protected]

Chairman: Neil Clarke, ‘Cranleigh’, WellingtonRoad, Little Wenlock, Shropshire, TF6 5BH.


Treasurer: Wendy Palin, 35 Pembroke Drive,Wellington, Telford, Shropshire, TF1 3PT.


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

WELLINGTON HISTORY GROUPFORTHCOMING EVENTS IN 2011

S a t u r d a y J u n e 11 t hW E L L I N G T O N ’ S M I D S U M M E R FAY R E

Vi s i t o u r s t a l l i n t h e p a r i s h c h u r c h y a r d .

*W e d n e s d a y J u n e 1 5 t h : A l l a n F r o s t

W E L L I N G T O N ’ S A R C H A E O L O G Y

Ta l k s t a r t s a t 7 : 3 0 p . m . i n t h e C i v i c O f f i c e s .

*W e d n e s d a y J u n e 2 9 t h : A l l a n F r o s tH E S B A S T R E T T O N ’ S W E L L I N G T O N

Tw o - h o u r w a l k . 7 . 0 0 p . m . f r o m C i v i c O f f i c e s f o y e r.

*S a t u r d a y S e p t e m b e r 3 r d : N e i l C l a r k e

I N T H E F O O T S T E P S O F W I L L I A M R E Y N O L D S

Guided walk around Ketley; detai ls to be announced.

*Tu e s d a y O c t o b e r 1 8 t h : A l l a n F r o s t

H E S B A S T R E T T O N ’ S WA I F S ( A N D M O R E )Literary Festival talk; details to be announced by the Town Council.

LITERARY WALKBY FRIENDS OF

SHROPSHIRE ARCHIVES

HESBA STRETTON’SWELLINGTON

2011 marks the centenary ofHesba’s death in 1911, so

now’s the time to discovermore about the town’s most

famous writer. Allan Frost willlead a two-hour talking walk

around Wellington centre,revealing why certain places

were significant to thisinternationally famous and

politically influential author.Meet outside the entrance tothe Civic Offices, Wellington,

at 7.00p.m. on29th June 2011.

After the walk, attendees willbe able to purchase Allan’s

biography

The Life ofHesba Stretton

1832–1911for only £5.00 instead of therecommended price of £7.50.


The only visual evidences ofWellington’s Market Houseare a map (above, showing

the approximate position of thebuilding’s footprint) produced forLord Forester in 1793, and anengraving by W. Gauci (below) inShropshire Gazetteer, currentlybelieved to have been publishedaround 1795 by T. Gregory.

Other documentation isfrustratingly scarce but we havebeen able to ascertain certain facts.

The building measuredapproximately 12 by six metres. Ithad columns which supported atimber framed hall. A weathervane probably projected above theroof and there may also have beena small bell tower for sounding analarm or calling townsfolk to acentral meeting. If the engravingbelow was made before 1805, it

implies there was a belfry but, as Ihave yet to discover more reliableevidence, am unhappy to state thisas a fact.

Even these basics raisequestions. For example, how manycolumns were there, and werethey made of timber (possibly) orstone (more likely)?

In The History of Wellington byR.M. Baxter (1949), he says, ‘This[Market House] is reputed to havebeen as fine as the one which still addsinterest and character to MuchWenlock, but it must be admitted thatits situation gave some excuse for itsremoval. Some forty years ago,pictures of this market house were stillto be found.’

He also says, ‘Miss Auden, inMemoirs of Old Shropshire, afterwriting of the fine half-timbered oldmarket house at Much Wenlock, says,“Wellington possessed an equally fineMarket House as late as 1804, but ithas now disappeared” and “drawingsare extant of a fine half-timberedMarket House of seventeenth centurydate”.’ Does anyone have copies ofthese old pictures? If so, please getin touch.]

Trying to track down referencesto the Market House in deeds andother old documents is difficult,not least because alternativenames like ‘Market Hall’, TownHall’, etc., are used at differenttimes. For example, in the QuarterSessions records for July 1760,there’s a note saying that‘Wellington Townhall’ waslicensed as a Dissenters’ MeetingHouse, which met in a room onthe first floor. (There would

undoubtedly have been more thanone room in that part of thebuilding, with steps providingaccess from below.) Part of theground floor may also have beenused as a holding cell formiscreants awaiting a hearing.

The Market House served avariety of purposes. At groundlevel, sheltered between thecolumns, it was customary forwomen to sell cheese, butter andother dairy products as well asfowl on market days. Othertrading would also take placehere, including the annual Hiringor ‘Mop’ Fairs which sprang upthroughout the country after thedevastating effects of the BlackPlague led to a shortage of labour.

At such fairs, the MarketHouse became the equivalent oftoday’s Job Centre, where menand women stood around holdingor wearing symbols of the workthey were able to undertake, likewomen holding mops to obtainjobs as servants, while menclutched at straws to show theywere farm labourers. Hiring fairsgained a bad reputation forencouraging exploitation andvictimisation, but they were anecessity of life for folk wishing togain a few months’ wages to staveoff poverty and hunger.

While the covered area wasuseful at markets and fairs, theessential purpose of a MarketHouse was to provide the townwith a public meeting house in acentral location.

This was where town officialswere centred, such as the AleConner who tested the quality ofale before it could be sold.Essentially, this was where traderspaid tolls (the fee required toenable them to sell livestock,produce and other goods onmarket and fair days).

One of the rooms acted as amanor court where hearings wereheld and judgements passed. Onfair days, it became a sort of‘trading standards’ court, knownas a Court of Pie Powder (from theFrench Pied Poudre, ‘Dusty foot’),so called because many of themain offenders were traders whohad travelled miles to sell itemswhich weren’t always of

WELLINGTON MARKET HOUSE Allan Frost

Wellington’s MarketHouse was demolished

around 1805, having servedthe town since at least theearly seventeenth century.But what did it look like,what was it used for, andwhy was it dismantled?

Powis, John Foster, Thomas Forsterand William Cheshire, gent, by virtueof HM Commission from the Councilin the Marches of Wales to themdirected on behalf of the plaintiff...’,which makes it the earliestreference unearthed so far.

Wellington must have had amarket house/town hallfunctioning as a court house andlocal administration office longbefore this particular MarketHouse.

The chances are that it waslocated in the market place, andpossibly even in the same place,we simply don’t know. Perhapsour ‘seventeenth century’ markethouse dates back to 1514 or evenearlier. We’ll never know. But wedo know this Market Houseexisted from sometime in the1600s until about 1805, and maywell have looked similar to theone at Wootton Bassett (above) inWiltshire, the design of which wascommon in many English towns.

But why was the Market Houseeventually dismantled, and wheredid the building materials go? Theshort answer is that the House,situated as it was at the narrowestend of Market Square close to the

acceptable quality, or sold in shortmeasures.

Courts of Pie Powder inWellington were introduced whenKing Henry VIII granted themarket charter of 1514 to SirChristopher Garneys (for furtherdetails of this charter, see SpecialPaper 1 on our web site).

The point of such courts was todeal with transgressions in tradingstandards and petty criminalactivity without delay and meteout immediate punishment, oftenmaking the punishment fit thecrime. Consequently, the townpillory, stocks and often awhipping post were standardinstruments of law enforcementwithin the market place.

A butcher caught selling rancidmeat could expect to spend a fewhours in the pillory with a largepiece of evil-smelling meathanging around his neck, and folkselling poor quality vegetablescould suffer the indignity of beingpelted by rotten food whileresting their blistered feet in thestocks. Pickpockets and otherpetty criminals, always prevalentat crowd gatherings, suffered evenmore violent short and sharpretribution at the whipping post.

In addition to Pie Powder, theMarket House also seems to havebeen the place for other legal andcourt functions, such as theQuarter Sessions.

Rob Francis has told me a note(SRO 999/Uu 4) at ShropshireArchives includes the words, ‘Atthe town hall in Wellington, 24thApril, 2 Charles [1626]: Depositionsof witnesses taken before Thomas


even narrower entrance to MarketStreet, caused considerablecongestion to horse drawnvehicles and people alike, agrowing problem as the towneconomy expanded during theeighteenth century.

Lord Forester, despite someoneat the time noting 'WellingtonMarket Hall, resolution to ask LordForester's leave to rebuild', said ithad to go, so it went, and some ofthe official functions previouslyconducted here seem to have beentransferred to rooms within theSun Inn, Walker Street and theTalbot Inn, which stood roughlywhere the HSBC Bank is on acorner of Market Square.

Sadly, we don’t know wherethe timbers forming parts of thebuilding, or its columns, went.

At my suggestion, Telford &Wrekin Council, as part of therepaving project recentlycompleted in the centre ofWellington, kindly agreed to markthe existence of this economicallyand socially important historicbuilding by incorporating cast ironmarkers and a plaque (below)featuring a conjectural drawing ofour long-gone Market House.

What a great way to marksome of our heritage!


The road from Wellingtonthrough the Forest Glen toLittle Wenlock passes

Willowmoor Farm (above) beforeit climbs towards the village. Anumber of factors suggest thatWillowmoor is an area of somehistorical significance: first, thereis the name of the place; then, theremains of mounds in fields onboth sides of the road; and finally,the discovery there some time agoof a hoard of weapons. So, whatdoes all this mean?

The nameThe most obvious explanation ofthe name Willowmoor is that thearea was once associated withwillow trees; and the expert onShropshire place names, the lateMargaret Gelling, suggested asmuch.

Apparently, the bounds ofWellington Hay, as described inthe Cartulary of ShrewsburyAbbey in 1301, had ‘Le Salyn’ as aboundary marker in this vicinity.This was probably derived fromthe medieval French ‘salegn’,meaning ‘willow copse’, and thereare similar examples of this usagein the neighbouring counties ofWorcestershire and Cheshire.

However, an earlierexplanation of the namewas that the ‘llow’ elementof Willowmoor is derivedfrom the Old English‘hlaew’, meaning ‘burialmound’. And there are, ofcourse, the remains of anumber of mounds in theWillowmoor area.

The moundsThe earliest description ofthe mounds was made bythe Rev. C.H. Hartshornein his book Salopia Antiqua,

published in 1841. Hartshornehad been curate at Little Wenlocka few years earlier and clearlyknew this particular area ‘…lyingon the south-east side of The Wrekin,in a sequestered and highlypicturesque valley, from which thereseems at first to be no outlet. To thissecluded spot I frequently wanderedwhen residing in the parish’.

He lists nine mounds – five inthe field to the west of the roadand four to the east (all ‘now almostundiscoverable without the assistanceof the farmer to point out where theylie’) – and describes them astumuli (i.e. burial mounds).

The next reference to themounds was by Samuel Bagshawin his Gazetteer of Shropshire,published in 1851. In the entry forLittle Wenlock, he states that ‘inthe immediate vicinity (ofWillowmoor Farm) are fivebarrows, which were openedabout 16 years ago, but nothingwas discovered in them’.

It wasn’t until the 1920s that aserious archaeological assessmentof the site was attempted. In anarticle in the Antiquaries Journalin 1928, Lily F. Chitty (who was tobecome a foremost authority onShropshire archaeological finds)stated that ‘not less than twelve lowmounds, of varied shapes and sizes,but having the appearance ofploughed-out barrows, can still betraced at Willow Moor’, nine to thewest of the Wellington-LittleWenlock road and three to theeast.

Although it was impossible to

take accurate measurements of themounds owing to their damagedcondition, the best preserved of all(no.1 on the map) had thefollowing dimensions: lengthabout 130 feet ENE-WSW, width70 feet and height 5 feet. Only thismound showed signs of theexcavation referred to by Bagshawin 1851.

Larger scale Ordnance Surveymaps (6 in and 2½ in.) publishedin the late 19th and early 20thcenturies marked some of themounds as ‘tumuli’, but they arenot shown on the 1 inch or currentExplorer maps of the area.

The hoardIn addition to referring to themounds at Willowmoor, the Rev.Hartshorne’s account alsomentioned the discovery of somebroken weapons in the area inca.1790 (fate unknown) beforegoing on to describe the discoveryof a large hoard of weapons in1835:

‘From residing in the parish…I amable to describe from personalobservation the circumstancesattending their discovery. Whilst alabourer was cutting a drain about ahundred yards from the left hand sideof the road leading from LittleWenlock to Wellington, by a hedgeside separating the two fields lyingbetween the top and the bottom of theascent, he suddenly came upon a heapof broken spears. They lay piled uptogether, and were two or threehundred at least, but all muchinjured. Among them were three orfour whetstones [for sharpeningweapons] and a celt [chisel-edgedimplement]. The spears and celt weremade of brass [sic.], many of the

former precisely like some ofacknowledged British originthat have been dug upelsewhere’.

Miss Chitty, in her 1928article, gives a far moredetailed account of thecontents of the hoard,which she confirms werein fact made of bronze(from the period ca.2000-500 BC); and she attemptsto trace where they weredeposited. Apparently,some went to Shrewsbury

THE WILLOWMOOR ENIGMA Neil Clarke


Museum, some to the Museum ofthe Society of Antiquaries inLondon, and others to thecollections of individuals,including the landowner, LordForester. Many of the weaponscannot be traced.

A selection of those that foundtheir way to Shrewsbury are nowon display at Rowley’s HouseMuseum in Barker Street – sixspear head fragments (onecomplete), a socketed axe and aflanged axe. The display captionsuggests that hoards such as theone found at Willowmoor mayhave been the result of:

(1) bronze smiths collectingscrap together and burying it forsafe-keeping (but in this casenever reclaimed), or

(2) weapons carefully buried as‘religious’ offerings, perhapsmarking battle sites or placeswhere spirits needed to beappeased.

ConclusionsSo, taking all these factors intoconsideration, what conclusionscan be reached about thesignificance of the Willowmoorsite? An hypothesis postulated bythe Rev. Hartshorne – that therewas a battle in the neighbourhood,followed by the burial of the slain– has some merit. This wouldaccount for the diverse collectionof tumuli, their curious situationnear the head of a marshy hollowoverlooked by higher ground, andthe fact that two hoards ofshattered weapons were found inclose proximity.

Also, the importance of a routethrough the Forest Glen andWillowmoor in the Bronze Age,where rival warriors may haveclashed, is suggested by themapping of finds from that periodwhich extend from the Severn atBuildwas, over the ridge east ofThe Wrekin and northwardthrough the country east of theRiver Tern, probably aiming forthe Peak District, the copper minesof Alderley Edge and the port ofWarrington.

On the other hand, it was oncesuggested that the moundsrepresent a small terminal moraineof the ice that encircled the

northern end of The Wrekin,penetrated the Forest Glen andwas baulked in its progress by theLittle Wenlock ridge; but the OSDrift map shows boulder clay andnot stony drift of morainiccharacter at Willowmoor. Afurther idea, that the mounds arewaste material from mineralworkings in the area, does nothold up because the formeradjacent mining and quarrying atthe Hatch (limestone) andMaddock’s Hill (camptonite forroad-stone) took place at over 100

feet above the Willowmoor site. The latest pronouncements on

the origins of the mounds statethat:

(1) they are ‘almost certainly theresult of water erosion’ (OSArchaeological Division) and

(2) ‘their interpretation (asmounds) can be questioned ontopographical, morphological andstratigraphical grounds’ (Sites &Monuments Register).

So, an enigma. Which of the above theories do

you favour?

HISTORICAL ACCURACY?

Do you remember this photoappearing in Wellingtonia afew issues ago? It was

printed to show how sloppyattitudes hide or, in this case,completely ignore historical truth.

The sign implies that the street(off Mill Bank) gets its name fromsomeone called ‘Greenman’,whereas in fact it’s supposed torecall the existence of The GreenMan public house which oncestood here.

It’s rather disconcerting to seeanother gross historical error onthe opposite side of Mill Bankwhere a new street sign has beenerected to replace an old one.

Prince’s Street (note theapostrophe) came about when ourVictorian forefathers thought itmore respectable to rename‘Brewery Street’ (so called because

of its proximity to the ShropshireBrewery (later Murphy’s PopWorks)). It was most unusual as itis the only street within the townwhich includes the grammaticallycorrect apostrophe. Whereasmodern convention drops theapostrophe as a matter of course,previous replacement signs herehave always retained theapostrophe, but not now (below).

So much for respectinghistorical tradition. The errors inboth Green Man Close andPrince’s Street signs have beenreported to (and ignored by) therelevant authorities.

It seems that our publicservants and electedrepresentatives are still not fullycommitted to preservingimportant, albeit sometimesquirky, aspects of our heritage.


‘What did you do in theWar, daddy?’ Youmay have seen the

poster which depicts a couple ofchildren asking their daddy whathis contribution to the ’war effort’was. It was a recruiting posterdesigned c.1915 and an attempt toboost recruitment of volunteers tothe forces at a desperate timeduring the Great War.

It played on the emotions; guilt‘daddy’ wasn’t doing his ‘bit’ andafter it is all over what could hetell his children – ‘he shirked thejob’ ?

The records of soldiers who‘did their bit’ in the Great War arequite easily available for anybodyto research – both in ‘paper form’and ‘on the net’. But what of yourfather, grandfather, brother whatcan we find out about their warservice in the second greatcatastrophe of the TwentiethCentury, World War II. How canwe research their war-record ?

Like any good family historyresearch you begin by talking toyour family, asking them to tell

you about what they know,perhaps using family photographsas a starting point; we wouldn’t besurprised if you haven’t got plentyof photographs tucked away andhaven’t a clue what they areabout. This asking isn’t alwayseasy, recently we heard from afamily member who was askingher mother about the ’family’ and“mother was so upset and angrywe gave up”, mother is 94; what afund of knowledge if only wecould ‘unlock’ it.

Talking to men who spentyears fighting in WWII,particularly abroad, is not easy, wecannot imagine the horrors theymay have seen or endured;perhaps all they want is to forgetand so when they returned homethey didn’t speak of theirexperiences.

Both Mary’s father and uncle,two brothers, who served in theFar East never spoke of their life inthe forces. Mary is fortunate thather father, although he neverspoke of that time, did leave paperrecords – his call-up papers anddischarge papers, which includeddetails of the Naval Establishmentwhere he served and otherincidental papers, letters andphotographs, thoughtfullyidentified on the back. From these,since his death, we have been ableto reconstruct a framework ofthose four years away.

How can you find out aboutyour relative’s war service, if youare not so fortunate ? You mightthink it is easy, but the ForcesRecords from the Second WorldWar are ‘closed’, not available;they are not in the ‘publicdomain’.

The only available informationare personal recollections, maybepublished, after all there has beencountless books published since1945 about incidents during thewar-years, you may find yourrelative mentioned, stories andmemories shared by ‘unitassociations’ and the ratherimpersonal, but official ‘unitrecords’.

Knowing the force, army, navyor air force and the unit can be agreat help. There are numerousassociations for each force andwithin each of these there areparticular separate groups;squadron, ship, or regiment, oftenidentified on its ‘web-site’. Wehad photographs of Mary’s dad ona ship and a date – from this wewere able to visit the ‘internet’ andaccess some records of this navalvessel (from the unit association)and identify the photographs asbeing taken at a Japanesesurrender off the Island of We offthe northern tip of Sumatra.

Similarly Geoff was searchingfor the service record of an aircrewwho was killed on active service.The Commonwealth War GravesCommission internet siteidentified his death and the unit inwhich he served.

Air Force lists of Officers weresearched and it was possible toidentify the promotions and datesfor this officer. From a very usefulreference book ‘RAF Squadrons’which provides ‘a comprehensiverecord of the movement andequipment of all RAF squadrons …since 1912’, he was able to identifythe location and type of aircraftflown by this aircrew on their lastoperational flight.

This opened the way to look atthe Operations Book for thatsquadron, at the National Archivesand find further information. Inaddition the Station Log Book alsoprovided additional information –the fact a second aircraft was sentout to search for survivors, anddropped a dingy to two survivorsin the water.

These Squadron OperationsBooks provide a wealth ofinformation; the one Geoff lookedat provided a daily log of aircraftoperations, identifying the aircraft,its call sign, the individualmembers of the crew, the mission(task), time of take-off and return.In another section there are detailsof personnel posted to and fromthe unit, casualties anddecorations.

TO THOSE WHO SERVED IN WORLD WAR II Mary and Geoff Harrison

If your ancestors servedin the armed forces during

WWII, these notes may helpyou discover more about

what they did.

www.wellingtonhistorygroup.wordpress.com 11

These are more detailed thansimilar operational logs for otherservice units. These exist but toooften they do not identifyindividuals, perhaps an officer butvery rarely other ranks. It isdifficult using these records tofollow the service career of anindividual.

It has been possible to obtainservice records of a deceasedindividual but only if you are nextof kin and then by paying a largefee. Very recently the rules havechanged; since the end of 2010, ithas been possible for anybody toget the service record of adeceased person, on payment of afee, but only if the person has beendead for 25 years or more.

Of course, if your family livedin the Hadley area during the warand your relative served in thearmed services you could well befortunate with the publicationMemorial & Souvenir Brochure.

This publication is a revelation,a credit to those who had theforesight to set up the WelcomeHome Fund in October 1944. TheParish Council asked theCommittee which had workedfrom 1939 to raise funds for theComfort of fighting men to take on

the task of providing for theWelcome Home of men of Hadley.

Perhaps other local districtsproduced such records – do youknow of any? If so, please sharethis knowledge.

World War II memories areprecious and we ought to preservethem in any way we can – they areour HISTORY.

A heading, recently, in a localpaper proclaimed “Couple sharewar memories with A-level class”,this is just one channel to keep ourhistory alive.

PARK JUNIOR SCHOOL SUMMER SPORTS DAY, 1961

They just don’t have the sameSports Days in Primaryschools any more, do they?

Do you remember having totake part in at least one event?Egg-and-Spoon, Wheelbarrow orThree-Legged (even Slow Bike)Races for fun (but run oh, soseriously) for those less athleticallygifted; and ‘proper’ competitions(High and Long Jumps, 80yard sprints and hurdles) forthose with limbs that managedto achieve some sort ofpurposeful co-ordination.

All good fun, of course,unless your doting mumhappened to turn up andscream embarrassingexhortations of encouragementfrom the sidelines.

Then there were thecertificate presentations andtrophy awards.

As was usual at that time (July1961), Park Junior School in NorthRoad (now renamed ‘Wrekin ViewPrimary School for someunfathomable reason; and whathappened to the ‘Junior’ suffix?)invited Wellington Urban DistrictCouncil members to distributeprizes and add a degree of dignityto the occasion.

The photo below, whichappeared in the Wellington Journal,shows (from left to right):Cllr H. Herdman, (chairman of

the school managers), Mr. S.C.Brookes (head teacher), Mrs.Herdman, Clive House captainsChristine Rubery and HowardBowen, Cllr Ernie Griffiths, Mrs.A.N. Gwynne, individualchampions Jane Gale and RogerWhittles, and Cllr J. Pearce.

JanuaryThree men were charged withrefusing to perform their allottedtask of stone breaking for the reliefafforded them at the WellingtonWorkhouse. It was in accordancewith the regulations that eachdefendant should have broken acertain quantity of stone. One ofthe defendants observed that therewas not sufficient water in thebath on Friday night to cover theirankles. Mr Frost, Master of theWorkhouse, replied that in hisexperience the complaint was thatthere was usually too much water– the shorter the supply the betterthey liked it. (laughter). Thedefendants were each sentenced to7 days’ hard labour.

FebruaryCLOTHES-TEARING TRAMP

The defendant was charged by theMaster of the WellingtonWorkhouse, Mr F W Frost forhaving destroyed his clothes at theworkhouse. He pleaded guilty. …The Porter reported that thedefendant had torn his coat,trousers and shirt to shreds andsaid they were not worth wearing.That was not true, they were notin an indecent condition. 7 days’hard labour.

April SHROPSHIRE

HALF A CENTURY AGOThe following extract is from theJournal of 17 April 1861:The Committee of the Wellingtonpublic soup kitchen has just issuedtheir first annual report from which itappears that the kitchen was openfrom 11 January to 22 February last -a period of 6 weeks and during thattime about 350 poor families weresupplied with soup twice a week …

The subscriptions were mostliberal and enabled the promoters tolay the foundation of a permanent

institution … the committee are of theopinion that with careful managementthe soup kitchen may be made almostself-supporting …

A small annual subscription fromthe well-to-do inhabitants of the townand neighbourhood is all that wouldbe required for the support of thisinstitution unless it is wished andintended to extend its usefulness bygiving bread with soup. In somedistricts a loaf of bread worth, say, 2dor 1½d is supplied for 1d to eachapplicant for a quart of soup duringmost inclement weather and whenwork is scarce. This would be a greatboon to the poor and it is thoughtmight be adopted here next winter ifthe funds permit.

MaySHROPSHIRE

HALF A CENTURY AGOThe 1861 Census. The following isthe return of the Census of theWellington district as furnished byMr Howlet, Registrar of Births andDeaths. The population for thewhole district (which includes thevillage and park of the adjoiningparish of Wrockwardine ) was in1851 about 12,550, for 1861 –14,044 showing an increase in thelast decade of 1,494. Deducting1,048 for Wrockwardine thepopulation of the parish ofWellington amounts to 12,996 on 8April last.

MayNEW WELLINGTON

SUB POST OFFICE The Post Office authorities havesanctioned the establishment of asub Post Office in Haygate Road,Wellington. It is probable that MrPartridge’s shop will be utilized.

MayCINEMATOGRAPH LICENSE

Mr Sydney Bray applied for alicense for cinematographentertainment in St Patrick’s hall,Wellington (see photo of these MillBank premises at the top of thenext column).

The Clerk – there was someobjection about the doors.

The Superintendent – do bothdoors open outwards?

The applicant said that onedoor did and the front door couldbe made to do so if it was desired.

It was stated that that would bea condition and if that were donethe license would be granted.

JuneCORONATION INCIDENT

The Litany during the Coronationof Queen Victoria was dischargedby two elderly prelates who wereunable to make themselvesaudible beyond a short distance.Seeing as it was necessary for thechoir in their distant gallery tofollow with the usual response atthe end of each petition it becamedesirable devise some method bywhich a general muddle couldmost easily be avoided. Theexpedient resorted to soundsstrange to modern ears, to say theleast of it. A functionary wasemployed to stand hard by thetwo Bishops with a flag in hishand. At the end of each sentencethis gentleman proceeded to signalwith the said flag to the singers inthe distance so as to ensure thevoices coming in at the propermoment.

OctoberAt his ordination as pastor ofWellington Baptist Church (seephoto taken by Wellingtonphotographer W. Cooper Edmondsc.1904 at top of next column), theRev Frank Pickles – in his closingremarks - said he would like itmade known through the Pressthat he had never been in a placein this country in which he hadseen so much begging to go on as


Interesting articlesappearing in 1911 editionsof the Wellington Journal &

Shrewsbury News.

100 YEARS AGO Joy Rebello


in Wellington. He had neverexperienced such persistentprofessional begging as that withwhich he had come into contact inWellington. He was notungenerous and whenever hefound a case of real need he wasalways willing to help as far as hecould but where he found peoplewho were too idle to work andwho tried to make a living out ofmisrepresentation of their needs orby professional begging, hethought a Police Court was theproper place and that they oughtto be punished for it (applause)

OctoberLETTER TO THE EDITOR

I should like to endorse the remarks ofthe Rev Pickles made at the ordinationservice at the Baptist ChurchWellington and reported in your lastissue … I can quite believe him.

Wellington at times appears to bebesieged with beggars of the typenamed. I have seen them begging intwos and threes each one taking every2nd or 3rd door thus doing thebegging in a perfectly organizedmanner and apparently with verylittle interruption.

The professional type oftenbecomes abusive if his demands arenot conceded, and leaves you withvery unkind wishes for your futurewelfare.

I would also like to take theopportunity of calling attention to thefact that it has become very unsafe inWellington to allow a cycle to remainoutside any shop door in the town forthe space of one minute withoutrunning the risk of lamp, cape, or

pump being stolen. I have lost both cape and pump in

this way and I know others who havelost lamps and I am told it isbecoming quite a common practice.

My view is that Wellington isvery much under-policed otherwisethis kind of thing could not exist tothe extent it does. As regards toprofessional begging the remedy islargely in our own hands. If we refuseto help - and the percentage ofdeserving cases is very small – ifindeed there is any percentage at allthen the professional tramp wouldsoon seek other pastures.

A Jones,Watling Street, Wellington

DecemberPolice Court News

TOO GOOD TO LASTAt the previous Court it wasrecognized with satisfaction thatthere was only one charge ofdrunkenness. As will be seen thishas quickly lapsed into thenormal.

22nd June 1911: John McCrea (below)won the above Charlton Arms

Bowling Club trophy, presented tohim by G.W. Corbett. John McCreawent on to help found the CivilianVolunteer Corps (a sort of ‘Dad’sArmy’) in 1914, which met in the

grounds of Wellington (later Wrekin)College. The trophy was recently‘found’ and returned to the Club.

The Charlton Arms Bowling Club‘employed’ young boys to help

members who found bending down toretrieve bowls somewhat difficult orirksome. This notice was intended toremind bowlers to make payment to

defray the meagre costs incurred.


Plans to commemorate theCoronation in Wellingtonbegan with a public meeting

held in the Town Hall in April.Apparently attendance was poor,but eventually it was agreed tofocus the celebrations aroundfestivities for the children(according to the Census, about2000), ‘the aged poor’ and apermanent memorial in the formof an extension of the Free Library.The Council guaranteed a sum ofnot more than £80 to the festivityfund on the clear understandingthat the Council was voting themoney to save the CoronationCommittee from ‘a very distressingcondition’ and it was hoped moneywould be raised by voluntarysubscriptions and that ‘thefestivities would be worthy of theloyalty and dignity of the UrbanDistrict and creditable to them all.’

However, compared withplans in other areas, as publishedweekly in the Journal, it wasreported that ‘the loyalty ofWellingtonians has been expressed ina tardy fashion’. Plans wereadmittedly not as elaborate as atsmaller places, but as the publicwas given the opportunity ofsubscribing either to a day-longfestivity or a permanent FreeLibrary extension, it was notedthat ‘those who chose to support itsenlargement rather than the transientrejoicings must not be accused of awant of sympathy with the passingdisplay of popular enthusiasm’.Celebrations for the children, giftsfor old people, a procession and

church services were planned, andit was hoped that townspeoplewould decorate their shops andresidences.

Although there was slight rainon the morning of Coronation Day,by 10 am the weather hadbrightened and the whole townwas in a ‘general carnival of colour’.Even the poorest householder hadmade an effort to enliven thetown, in some cases bunches offlowers from cottage gardens. Aspecial market was held in theSquare which was decorated withUnion Jacks, festoons, garlandsand illuminations, and flagsfluttered from chapels, publicbuildings, churches and schools.During the day fog signals werefrequently discharged from theRailway Station and the bells ofthe Parish Church were rung.

As there was no venue largeenough for a united service, it wassuggested that each denominationattend a special service in its ownplace of worship. Portions of theservice at the Parish Church weressimilar to that at WestminsterAbbey. The Commemorationservice under the auspices of thelocal Free Church Council washeld in the Wesleyan Church and acollection was taken up for theShropshire Sanatorium. Mass andBenediction were celebrated at StPatrick’s Church with impressiveritual, beautiful music, loyaltributes and prayers offered forthe King and Queen.

Due to the prevalence ofmeasles, there were many

disappointedchildren, aseven thoseconvalescingwere notallowed toattend theplannedrevelry, andhad to becontent withthe promise ofcelebrations ata later date.Those not

afflicted attended their respectiveSunday schools and then madetheir way to the fields at KingStreet. The children wore badges,ribbons and most of them carriedsmall flags. ‘Although the RomanCatholic school was comparativelysmall it was made attractive through anumber of girls being dressed in whiteand enveloped in long muslin veilswhich had a very pleasing effect.’

A Union Jack flag subscribedfor by the children of Wellington,New Zealand was presented and atelegram read out from Mr Ward,Prime Minister of New Zealand ‘Iam very pleased that you propose topresent the New Zealand flag to theschool children of Wellington. Pleaseextend my best wishes to the youngpeople.’ The children sang Childrenof the Nation and continued theirfestivities in Apley Park,generously let for the occasion bySir Thomas Meyrick, with theprovision of tea, sports, and aband. Twilight was a signal forthe children to return homecarrying ‘blissful experiences of theirCoronation treat.’

The inmates of the Wellingtonworkhouse fared well that day –they dined on cold roast beef andpickles, hot roast mutton andvegetables, followed by milkpuddings and stewed fruit, boiledcurrant and raisin puddings. Fortea they had bread and butter andseed and raisin cakes and laterreceived gifts of tobacco, snuff,Coronation handkerchiefs, tea andsugar. The guardians of theworkhouse had spent £2 ondecorations which was put to‘delightful advantage’, the dining

1911: CORONATION OF KING GEORGE V Joy Rebello

to a very perceptive degree felt thatpinch which has crippled many otherlocalities.’ ‘No wonder then that thedominating notes of Thursday[Coronation Day] were the paeons ofa people happy in the pleasant placesupon which their lines had fallen.’

Despite preliminarymisgivings, it was apparent thatCoronation Day had ended on apositive note as reported by theWellington Journal (24 June):‘During a long and honourablehistory Wellington has contributed itsadequate share of all that is best in thedevelopment of the nation. Thoughcomparatively few of its citizens havehad their names prominentlyinscribed on the roll of illustriousdeeds, yet hundreds of them have insuccessive years gone forth to fighttheir country’s battles or to help inbuilding up those vast colonies ofwhich Britain is justly proud.Plutocrat and democrat reside withinthe Wellington area and occasionallythe demarcation of capital and labourand the dividing lines of politicalfaction are perhaps more visible thanthey should be but on the auspiciousoccasion of the Coronation thoseindividual differences were lost in aunited and unmitigated outburst ofloyal devotion. It was fullyrecognised that in the petition ‘Godsave the king!’ the people were lookingbeyond … blazing bonfires, musicalbands, the glitter of pageantry andluxurious feasts and were reallypraying that they themselves may besaved and realizing that in thereigning monarch they recognised notonly the embodiment of principalityand power but the direct descendantof a Queen whose sceptre swayedduring an era of matchlessachievement and which shone with

15

hall being transformed into a‘charming resort’, and the frontdecorated with flags and colouredlights. It is gratifying to knownothing was wasted, as the nextday the children partook of ‘someof the good things which hadremained unconsumed’!

‘As the curtains of the night beganto close nothing was more pleasurablyanticipated than the Wrekin Bonfirewhose towering flames illumined theshadowing landscape.’ Althougheverything was in readiness somedays before, it was consideredprudent to delay erecting the pilein case some mischievous foolmight set fire to it ‘for a lark’prematurely. The bonfire was ofthe typical beehive form – 20-24 fthigh, and 18-20 ft circumference atthe base. It was lit at 10 pm, and itwas anticipated it would be seenat its best at about 11.30 pm – notonly from people in the town, butalso, it was expected, from 19counties. Hundreds of peopleascended the hill, the NationalAnthem was sung on the summitand cheers given for Lord Barnardand his agent, Mr Ashdown, whohad made the necessaryarrangements for the beacon. Inthis instance the beacon did notwarn of an approaching foe butwas a signal ‘of what it hoped to bethe beginning of a new era of nationalprosperity.’

There was a distinct air ofoptimism in Wellington at thistime and the Journal reported onWellington’s marked advancementsince the coronation of KingEdward VII. The town’s healthrecord had improved withreduction in disease-producingcentres, streets had been widened,there was ‘increasingattractiveness andextension of itsarchitecture’, morefacilities for ‘moral andmental culture andwholesome recreations andbetterment in nearlyeverything thatcharacterizes a virile andprogressive community.’

Wellington had alsoenjoyed a certainamount of commercialprosperity ‘and has not

unparalleled lustre. It was only to beexpected then that Wellingtoniansshould industriously see to it that sofar as their acquiescence and resourceswould permit, the crowning of theKing should be invested with fittingdignity and afforded every facility forits adequate commemoration.’

P.S. – ‘Throughout the country anumber of children signified approvalof the festivities by being born onCoronation Day.’ A boy was bornto Mr and Mrs Knapton of VictoriaAvenue, Wellington and receivedroyal recognition of the event‘Knapton-Wellington-Shropshire. TheKing congratulates you on the birth ofyour boy on Coronation Day.’

New ‘Zeland’and Union Jack flags inMarket Square (above) and the

presentation of the New Zealand flagwhich actually took place opposite the

Drill Hall in King Street.

www.wellingtonhistorygroup.wordpress.com

Wellington and Ironbridgewere centres of soft toyand teddy bear

manufacturing in England in thetwentieth century, with the ChadValley, Merrythought and VictoriaToy Works. Merrythought is nowthe last surviving Teddy Bearfactory in the country and ismaking the commemorative 2012Olympic Games Teddy Bear.

Norah Wellings was a keyfigure in the development of thisindustry in our town. She wasborn in Wellington on the 17thJanuary 1893, in hergrandmother’s home, called‘Brookside’ just off Watling Street.Her father Thomas was a masterplasterer and his wife, Sarah, hadtwo children, Leonard and Norah.The family lived in ArlestonVillage on the edge of Wellington.

Norah was two years youngerthan Leonard. She was welleducated, excelling in art andbotany and left school at the age of14 to help her mother look afterher invalid father. Norahcontinued her education at homewith private tuition from a cousinwho was headmaster of a localschool. She embarked on acorrespondence course with theLondon School of Art where shestudied drawing, painting, stilllife, landscapes and sculpture. Shealso developed a love of gardeningand a knowledge of herbs; Norahalways sprinkled rosemary fromher garden through her hair whenshe washed it, maintaining thatthis was why her hair retained itssoftness and colour throughouther life. She had a lifetime closefriendship with her brotherLeonard. Norah was softly spokenand shy, and was not given tosmall talk.

She considered herself plainand was once overheard speakingto her reflection, ‘Norah, you arenever going to be beautiful so youhad better make yourself useful’,so she remained at home with hermother until her father’s death in1918.

Norah was extremely keen onart and design and, after the deathof her father, obtained a job withthe Chad Valley Company in 1919.The Chad Valley Company (asubsidiary of Johnson Bros ofBirmingham who had bought partof the former Central Hall in NewStreet in 1916, whereupon itbecame the Wrekin Toy Works)had been manufacturing toys for anumber of years and was wellknown for its boxed games andtoys. The company had decided todiversify and had just started toproduce soft toys, mainly teddybears and dolls. Norah quicklybecame one of the chief designersspecialising in soft toys and dolls.

Brother Leonard was a verybright boy and, after leavingjunior school, the headmasterrecommended that he be educatedat Wrekin College but he becamean apprentice at his familyplastering firm instead. In 1914Leonard joined the Royal HorseArtillery and served in the GreatWar. In 1918 he returned toWellington, just before his fatherdied and he became the familybreadwinner. Leonard was also anartist and was well known for hisplastering skills. He had his ownbusiness in workshops off VictoriaAvenue.

In 1918-1919, land was sold inArleston Village by Lord Forester,and the Wellings family bought ahouse and two other plots of land.Leonard, Norah and their mothermoved into the house; Leonardbuilt his own home (which hecalled ‘The Cottage’) on one of theplots, and a bungalow (called ‘TheBungalow’) on the other plot intowhich Norah and their mothereventually occupied.

Norah rarely spoke of her timeat the Chad Valley and left there in1926. It is said that she decided toleave after the managing directorwanted her to take on anapprentice. She refused, andterminated her employment,reportedly tearing up her designsso that her successor could not usethem.

Norah decided to set up herown business and, as Leonard hadhis plastering premises in VictoriaAvenue, rented a building withinthe workshops. In 1926 the NorahWellings Company at the VictoriaToy Works began making softdolls and toys with a staff of sixwomen (including her cousinMary Wellings, and the sistersAlice, Florrie, Margaret and NorahTinsley).

There is no doubt that she wasone of Chad Valley’s chiefdesigners and that her designtalents were much sought after. InJune 1931, one of Chad Valley’sdirectors, Mr Johnson, wrote toNorah offering one of twoopportunities:

1) Chad Valley couldpurchase her business but allow


NORAH WELLINGS Dave Weston

Norah Wellings was thelocal girl who made good in a

highly competitive world.Her luxury dolls command

staggering prices at auction.This is her story ...

Norah Wellings sculpting a doll’s head.

work 12-hour days to fulfil specialorders for the Coronation.Interestingly enough, around 70%of the stock was exported,especially to the USA, Canada andAustralia.

The Second World War had adevastating impact on thecompany, although it managed tocarry on, albeit on a smaller scale,with most of the workforce laid offwhile a selection of military dollswas produced. After the war thecompany specialised inmanufacturing dolls as holidaysouvenirs for luxury cruise liners,particularly those of the Cunardcompany.

The end of the Norah Wellingstoy factory came quite suddenly.

her to continue to run it under hername with her own staff, or

2) Form a subsidiarycompany in which Norah and herfamily took their interest in shares,or partly in shares and partly incash.

The letter from Mr Johnsonfinished by saying ‘In any case,my idea would be to continue torun both businesses as separateconcerns in which customers neednot know we are in any wayconnected, while variouseconomies and other advantagesmight be derived by joint buying,stocking and other facilities’.

This, of course, did not happen,and Chad Valley’s proposal waspolitely rejected, but the offershowed how competitive NorahWelling’s company was in the dolland toy industry.

Norah’s soft toys and dollsquickly became popular, andArthur Ferriday (a cousin) joinedthe company as sales manager.The Norah Wellings companyreceived Royal acknowledgementwhen, in 1927, Queen Mary wasset to visit the factory to bepresented with a ‘Cora’ doll.Unfortunately, bad weatherdelayed the Queen and altered thearrangements, so Norah and sixmembers of staff had to go toShrewsbury railway station topresent the doll. This waswonderful publicity for Norah’syoung business.

Because of her success, it wasnot long before Norah andLeonard decided they needed toexpand into larger premises and inMay 1929 they purchased theneglected former Baptist Chapel inKing Street. In 1934, Norah andLeonard bought Dr. Cranage’slarge house adjacent to the BaptistChapel. All the buildings wereeventually joined together by longcorridors as the factory expanded,and employees commented ontheir pleasant working.

At the height of productionthere were around 250 employees.The 1930s were a very successfultime – in 1930 Norah opened ashowroom in Regent Street,London, and dolls were sold to allthe major stores, includingHarrods. In 1937 the staff had to

Above: Norah’s stand at the BritishIndustries Fair, London, 1927.

Below: The former Baptist Chapel.

Bottom: Princess Elizabeth examinestwo Norah Wellings sailor dolls.


Leonard Wellings died on the 9thJanuary 1959 at the age of 67. Thismust have had a big impact onNorah as she lost her brother, bestfriend and business partner at thesame time. At the age of 65 Norahdecided it was time to retire. Shehad offers from other companiesto take over the business, but shecould never allow anyone else totakeover what she and her brotherhad created.

On September 4th 1959 allemployees were given two weeks’notice. It was reported that therewas a large fire in the factorygardens, where Norah wasburning the tools and designs forher dolls as well as all theunfinished dolls.

The factory was put up forauction at the Charlton Arms byBarbers on 2nd June 1960 (seebrochure below) when it wasbought by an electrical wholesaler.In 1974 the buildings weredemolished and replaced by flatsand a petrol station.

Norah remained in Wellington,living at the Bungalow andspending her time painting,gardening and cooking. She diedon 19th February 1975 at the ageof 82.

Norah is now remembered asthe most famous soft toy and dolldesigner and maker in England,and her dolls are much soughtafter collectors’ items today.

It would be a welcome gestureif Wellington commemorated herlife and work in some sort ofpermanent memorial.

Do you recognise the largerectangular shape of theBuck’s Head football

ground? If so, you’ll see WatlingStreet running horizontally acrossthe photo, and joining up withHolyhead Road on the left andBennett’s Bank on the right.

Dawley Road runs downwardsfrom its junction with HolyheadRoad, Mill Bank and WatlingStreet, while Lime Kiln Lanefollows a winding route to thebottom left.

The centre of the photo showswhat the Council housing estateson both sides of Dawley Roadlooked like at this time, with theancient settlement of Arleston setamong fields at bottom right.

Facing the Buck’s Headground, on the opposite side ofHaybridge Avenue, we can seebuilding work well under way onthe Walker Technical College.

How many other features canyou recognise, and can you seehow much has changed since?


BIRD’S EYE VIEW

The first aerial photo ofWellington was taken by anex-WWI pilot in the early

1920s. Such views give us adifferent perspective of placeswith which we are familiar ...at ground level. This one was

taken 50 years ago.

The reason for an example fromthis particular reign appearing inthe church is probably connectedwith the building of an extensionto St Lawrence’s – the presentnave - in 1822. Presumably anearlier Royal Arms had beendestroyed or simply fallen intodisrepair. Further investigation ofthe Churchwardens Accounts ofthe early 19th century inShropshire Archives might throwmore light on these matters.

The Friends of St Lawrence canbe justly proud of funding therestoration of an item of suchhistorical significance. After all,Royal Arms have survived in onlytwo other local churches – StMichael’s and All Angels,Lilleshall, has those of Charles II;and St Andrews, Wroxeter, thoseof George III. The fate of the RoyalArms once displayed (oneassumes) in Wellington’s twoAnglican churches is not known tothe writer.

Recently, the framed coat ofarms that had for someyears been stored in the

vestry of St Lawrence’s Church,Little Wenlock, was returned to itsformer position on the back wallof the north aisle, having beencleaned and fully restored. This isno ordinary coat of arms, but anexample of Royal Arms which canstill be seen in some of thiscountry’s Anglican churches.

So, why were Royal Arms setup in churches in the first place?When Henry VIII broke withRome in 1534 and assumed thetitle of ‘Supreme Head on Earth ofthe Church of England’, it wasordered that the Royal Armsshould be displayed in everychurch as a visible sign of theking’s authority. The Royal Armswere to be placed above thechancel arch, below whichpreviously had been a woodenrood screen supporting a largewooden crucifix. Most of theRoyal Arms set up in churchesduring the last years of Henry VIIIand the short reign of his sonEdward VI, though, were removedduring the equally short reign ofHenry’s daughter, Mary, whotemporarily restored the control ofRome. But, following a new Act of

19

Recent revisions to the officialWellington Town Council website at

www.wellington-shropshire.gov.uk

include a new section of informationon the page accessed via the ‘OurParish’ > ‘History of Wellington’ tabs.

This new section provides a detailedand comprehensive explanation ofWellington’s development as a markettown; where the first markets were held;why they were obliged to relocate andhow they expanded over the centuries.

Also included are notes on the generaldevelopment of the town, plus briefbiographical details of a few famouspeople born in Wellington.

Well worth a visit.In and Around Telford 100 Years Ago

www.wellingtonhistorygroup.wordpress.com

ROYAL ARMS IN CHURCHES Neil Clarke

Supremacy in 1559, which madeElizabeth I ‘Supreme Governor ofthe Church’, Royal Arms wereagain set up in churches duringher reign; and in the early 17thcentury two Archbishops ofCanterbury ordered a nationwidesurvey of churches to see if theirRoyal Arms needed repainting orrepair. However, following theCivil War and the execution ofCharles I in 1649, many of theRoyal Arms in churches weredestroyed or defaced during theCommonwealth period. With therestoration of the monarchy in1660, a Statute requiring that theRoyal Arms should be displayedin all churches resulted in manyold boards being brought out ofhiding and repainted and newones made.

Most Royal Arms were paintedon square or oblong boards orcanvas, though there are alsoexamples in cast plaster, carvedwood and cast iron. All reignsfrom James I to Victoria arerepresented, though there are afew from the 20th century. Theexample in St Lawrence’s, LittleWenlock, displays the Royal Armsof George IV, who reigned from1820 to 1830. It is painted oncanvas, within a wooden frame.

NEW READINGis Allan Frost’s latest book which doesexactly what it says on the cover.

Using an impressive collection ofpostcards published between the 1890sand 1917, many of them appearing forthe first time in a book, Allan revealsthe history behind each scene and,whenever possible, has made use ofcontemporary studio-colouredversions of what were otherwisemonochrome photographs.

Furthermore, he’s been able toinclude unusual images of towns andvillages – even single buildings –outside as well as inside the presentTelford borough boundary, from MuchWenlock to Cheswardine, and TheWrekin Hill to Shifnal and Tong,making this a worthy addition to thebook collections of everyone interestedin the history of Shropshire.

In and Around Telford 100 Years Ago

is part of Amberley Publishing’sThrough Time series and costs £14.99.


According to the notes which accompanied thesephotos, they were all taken in 1961. If youknow otherwise, please let us know. Anti-

clockwise, from top left, are:

Wrekin Buildings (otherwise known as the YMCABuilding) in Walker Street, with Watkins Garden Storeswhich had previously been located round the corneron the left in an old building in Tan Bank. WrekinBuildings was built c.1909 on a site formerly occupiedby C. Venables & Co., ‘silk merchants, general drapers,dress and mantle makers, tailors and outfitters’.

Featuring white glazed tiles reminiscent of a publicconvenience, Crown Buildings in Walker Streetbecame the new home for H.M. Inspector of Taxes(which had previously occupied Belmont) and theCounty Court office. Since Tax Office staff relocated toPriorslee in the 1990s, the premises have been used asa low-price furniture outlet and, for a brief spell inrecent months, a Chinese supermarket. It currently liesempty.

Passengers standing at Platform 3 on WellingtonStation.

A memorable visit by the Flying Scostman passingthrough Wellington Station.

The annual Remembrance Day service at the LychGate to All Saints parish church in November.

PHOTOS FROM 50 YEARS AGO

wellingtoniao the latest issue of wellingtonia, which is the first of two issues scheduled for 2011...

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