Peterloo, 'Orator' Hunt Do You Remember?
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Summer 2019 Issue 9 Preston Historical Society NEWSLETTER Do you remember? Your help needed Issue 9 Summer 2019 Peterloo, ‘Orator’ Hunt The aims and objectives of the Preston Historical Society are to promote and Preston Dr Robert Poole’s talk on the study of local Monday 13 May 2019, Do you know where and when these Preston celebrities lived? history in Preston and Lancashire by way Jimmy Clitheroe (1921–1973), the diminutive comedian and will be about Preston of social and natural radio star, may have lived at 84 Malvern Avenue, Frenchwood. history talks given and the Peterloo Massacre Is this true? Does anyone remember him? The trumpeter by local historians Eddie Calvert (1922–78), who enjoyed a hit record ‘Oh mein and speakers, various Hewitson, ‘threw the Huntites into a high papa’ in 1953, was born in Preston. Where? Delia Derbyshire events, and by using state of ecstacy’. A special medal was issued (1937–2001), the electronic music pioneer and joint-creator social media such as for Hunt’s voters inscribed “H. Hunt, Esqr., of the Doctor Who theme, moved to Preston in 1940 where Facebook and Twitter. M.P. for Preston, Dec. 24, 1830: The time is Wikipedia claims most of her relatives live. Are you one? Do Meetings usually start come. The triumph of principle”. Hunt’s you know where she lived and for how long? at 7.15 pm on the first parliamentary career, which lasted until Monday of each month 1832, was a lively one. He presented to during the season. The seasonal membership parliament the first petition for women’s What’s on subscription is £12.50. voting suffrage – a notable first for Preston. Non-membership He died on 13 February, 1835, aged 62, and image: Preston Digital Archive The Preston Historical Society admission is his remains are interred in Parham church, has three walks planned for this £3.00 per visitor. near Storrington, Sussex. A consequence of Wards End led from Lancaster Road to the old Ribble summer: Tour of historic Tithebarn bus station which was demolished in the 1960s to his victory is that the Stanleys, an influential Poulton-le-Fylde. Meet Poulton county family, quit their home Patten make way for the present building. Do you remember it? Stocks, Market Square at 7.30pm, Here’s a nice line up of Ribble buses in 1967, being passed by 24 June, leader Christine Storey; Need to contact the PHS image: National Portrait Gallery a Lancashire United X60 on its way to Manchester. June The Romans and Walton-le-Dale. for information or to find We often hear about demonstrations on 2019 is the centenary of the founding of Ribble Motor Meet St Leonard’s Church at out any last minute info? Brexit, climate change, fracking and so on; Services. There are exhibitions and events culminating, 7.30pm, 1 July, leader Dr David You can now call we take them for granted. But the right to with a day of free vintage bus rides and displays in Hunt; Rivington. Meet at the Top the PHS on hold public meetings and demonstrate is Morecambe, on Sunday 26 May. The Harris Museum’s Barn car park at 2pm, 19 August, 07504 262497 hard won. display continues until 7 July. Details on Facebook and at leader Pete Wilkinson. In 2019 we commemorate the 200th www.rvpt.co.uk/events COMING SOON anniversary of ‘Peterloo’, the violent The former Community History Library at the Harris suppression of a public meeting in St Peter’s reopens as their Heritage Reading Room. There will be an Field, Manchester on 16 August 1819. A exhibition in the Room called Writing: Making Your Mark. Monday crowd of about 60,000 people demonstrating The display, which runs until 27 August, is inspired by the 13 May 2019 for parliamentary reform was attacked by British Library exhibition of the same name which soldiers, special constables, and yeomanry image: Harris Museum investigates the origins, means and future of writing. The cavalry, resulting in eleven deaths and Friends of Winckley Square have a busy programme of PRESTON AND injuring more than 400. Of those killed five House, Church Street, and withdrew from guided walks about Edith Rigby; former residents; and THE PETERLOO were sabred, three trampled, one hit with a Preston public life. He has a rather obscure ‘Extraordinary women of Winckley Square’. Details are in stone, one was crushed, and one fell down a blue plaque on the first floor wall of the TSB the Winckley Square Times newsletter and from enquiries@ MASSACRE cellar. The attack was sparked by an attempt bank, Fishergate – good luck trying to read winckley.org.uk. The 2019–20 season of Preston Historical to arrest the principal speaker Henry it – and, besides the election medals, some Society talks starts at 7.15pm on Monday 2 September, with Speaker: ‘Orator’ Hunt, who later became MP for of which are displayed in the Harris a talk by Sir Peter Openshaw on ‘The Dreadful Murder of Dr Robert Poole Preston in 1830. Hunt defeated the Hon Museum’s Discover Preston gallery, some image: Preston Digital Archive Ann Walne at the Joiner’s Arms, Ribchester.’ E. G. Stanley which, according to Anthony quirky folk souvenirs. Continued on page 2 4 Summer 2019 Issue 9 Preston Historical Society NEWSLETTER Preston Historical Society NEWSLETTER Summer 2019 Issue 9 Continued from page 1 Peterloo, ‘Orator’ Hunt and Preston Preston’s forgotten woman pious scholar Hunt’s horse Bob died on 8 September 1819 – some claim P Old Tram Bridge P Bob was poisoned – and was buried in Mr Huffman’s garden on the north side of Ormskirk Road. His grave was marked TheOxford Dictionary of National Biography contains essays The Tram Bridge from Avenham Park to Walton-le-Dale there were plans, designed by William Cartwright in 1801, with a headstone: ‘Alas! Poor Bob!!’. (Bob was said to be about the great and famous. However it does indulge in closed in late February 2019. County Councillor Keith for a rather grand (and expensive) three arch classical worth 70 guineas – ₤73.50 – ₤4,221 at today’s prices to Hunt articles about lesser known figures; one such is Ann Baynard Iddon, cabinet member for highways and transport at LCC, aqueduct across the Ribble but, of course, it was never built. when a good 30-guinea horse would be worth ₤1731 today). (1672–1697) who was born in Preston. She was tutored by was reported in the Lancashire Post (27 February) saying The tramroad bridge, which looks rather rickety and Seven years later the horse’s bones were dug up and her father Edward Baynard (c.1641–1717), a physician and ‘I’m sorry we’ve had to close the Old Tram Bridge. However hazardous in old photographs, was repaired from time to distributed as souvenirs such as snuff boxes. Hewitson, member of the Royal College of Physicians in London. this is our only option after the recent inspection raised time. Coal waggon traffic ceased by 1865 when the bridge writing in 1882, recalled seeing one in a second-hand shop Ann was educated in sciences, literature, mathematics, concerns about its safety. The original bridge was built in and embankment were taken over by Preston Corporation. in Lune Street as well as one of the shank bones being used philosophy, theology, classical languages and literature. By 1802. It has been completely rebuilt in for rubbing up by a boot and shoe maker in Fishergate. the time she was in her early twenties she was considered to the twentieth century. The current What happened to the rest of Bob? Do you know anyone be a scholar. She was a pious and diligent churchgoer, never bridge piers, which are made of re- with a Radical relic of poor Bob? In 2019 commemorations missing daily services unless by illness. She spent much of inforced concrete, date to the 1930s, of the Peterloo Massacre peak with the unveiling of a her time in solitary meditation and other pious exercises. and the pre-stressed concrete deck memorial, designed by Jeremy Deller, outside Manchester According to Penelope Whitworth (Project Continua, 2013), dates to the 1960s. These elements have Central exhibition centre, on Friday, 16 August. There are she urged all young people to study philosophy, and, reached a point where they need to be many other events and exhibitions; details can be found at especially read the Bible, with a particular appeal to women replaced. Officers are now looking into www.peterloo1819.co.uk. In Preston we can hear Dr Robert to make an effort to educate themselves. Ann died, aged 25, the options and we will let people know Poole’s illuminating talk at the PHS meeting on 13 May. on 12 June 1697. She is buried in Barnes churchyard, London. more as soon as we can.’ Her epitaph read: ‘Here lies that happy maiden, who often As many of you will already know, said, that no man is happy until he is dead; that the business the bridge connected the Kendal- of life is but playing the fool, which hath no relation to saving Lancaster-Preston canal to Walton the soul: for all the transaction that’s under the sun is doing Summit and the national canal of nothing – if that be not done, all wisdom and knowledge network using a horse-drawn tramway. does lie in this one.’ Now the question for Preston local ‘Waggons’ were hauled to a steam- historians is where did the Baynards live in Preston? Are powered pumping station near the there any of their family members still living here? You can present Belvedere in Avenham Park image: Robert Pateson 1864 search the ODNB online for free using the number on a and then, after being attached to a revolving cable, they Lancashire Libraries reader’s card.