WORCESTER Berrows Quarterly May 19, 2016
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WORCESTER Berrows Quarterly May 19, 2016 Who will People of the city – get the your King needs you! honours? 23rd, nine days after A rare and original call to arms bearing the the Commission of Great Seal of King Charles I has been bought Array was signed. The document was for the Faithful City. kept in the archives DR ADRIAN GREGSON tells the story. of the Lyttelton Family at Hagley Hall, Blue Plaques for city people. Worcestershire, which A PERSONAL summons of the civil war in the city was gradually sold. Chairman Phil Douce on why for the people of the and county, and is especially In 2010, many items the Civic Society is on the meaningful for Worcester, were permanently hunt for new names. city of Worcester to which sees itself as ‘the Faithful allocated to what is serve the King has just City’, loyal to the King in the now Worcestershire IN October 2011, Worcester been acquired by the conflict. Archive and Civic Society decided to start The official signature of the Archaeology Service a programme of Blue Plaques Worcestershire Archive King himself is visible at the top and are available for for Worcester people who had and Archaeology of the document. public research at made a contribution to the city. Service. The Commission of Array The Hive. A request was placed in was an obsolete summons The Commission of Array On March 16, this the Worcester News asking for Known as a Commission of to arms to serve the King, with the Great Seal and Commission was auctioned names of people who deserved Array, it dates from September deployed in the Middle Ages with the personal signature and the bid money was a Blue Plaque and twenty-four 16, 1642, and is a work of but fallen into disuse until of King Charles in top left raised by the Arts Council names were suggested. It was rare historical importance, Charles I revived it in 1642. He hand corner. England/V&A Purchase Grant agreed that the society would particularly for a city at the adopted this method of calling Fund, the Friends of the try to unveil two plaques a year. centre of the Civil War. on support because it was a information on the by September National Libraries, Worcester The first was for Benjamin Formally known as Letters personal summons to serve quality of support for 19, 1642, City Council, and the Friends Williams Leader, a prominent Patent, those signed by the the King, issued at a time when his cause in Worcester Worcester had of Worcestershire Archives. watercolour artist who lived at monarch – Royal Letters Parliament was devising a rival and Worcestershire, and been decided Our thanks are due to those what is now Diglis House Hotel. Patent – are uncommon and authority, its Militia Ordinance, received no great assurances upon as a site for an organisations. The plaque was unveiled on this one also has the Great Seal to call together supporters about the reliability of the armed contest. Royalists This historic document February 8, 2012. attached to it, reinforcing its of the Houses of Lords and county gentry as a whole. and Parliamentarians fought could feature in the refurbished Since that time, there have importance and legitimacy at a Commons. Charles issued the at Powick Bridge in what is Commandery. been plaques to Alice Ottley, time of upheaval. The King had relied on commission to rally the leaders generally regarded as the first www.worcestershire.gov. Godfrey Brown, the 1936 It is essential in the story Sir Thomas Littelton for of his supporters in the city as skirmish of the Civil War on the uk/waas Olympian, “Tip” Foster the England cricketer, John Williams later picture. the horticulturist and Sir The Summer meeting was a Edward Elgar. Others on the list Day at the races popular social event and drew include Ernie Payne, the 1908 big crowds – in 1759, about 500 Olympic Cyclist. people attended the “Public The Civic Society has a firm favourite Breakfast” at Widow Wythes, also had plaques unveiled to the Bowling Green, Diglis. mark the position of the old Jacquie Hartwright from the order to win the daily purse, A good “Ordinary” (lunch) Worcester Cross, and worked Friends of Worcestershire the horses had to run up to was served at various inns with Worcester’s County Archives has a grandstand view three four mile races and the including the Reindeer near Cricket Club to have a plaque of 18th century Pitchcroft. daily winner was decided by the Corn Market and for 2s on the White House Hotel, best overall race position. 6d a ticket about 650 people which, when it was the Star RACING in Worcester goes The races took place mingled each evening at Hotel, held the inaugural back to the 18th century over Pitchcroft Ham and the the Guildhall Balls. Other meeting of the club. when the calendar included a surrounding countryside. entertainments in the city Thanks to the generosity Meeting immediately after the Berrows Worcester Journal featured curious performances, Detail of image from the Haynes Collection (Worcs Archive ref of local people, all eight City summer Assize. advised readers that dogs such as “Monsieur Timbertoe BA14999) showing temporary wooden booths on the east. Gate plaques have also been By the 1750s, there were should be confined and sheep and his expressive dancing” and replaced ahead of schedule. large purses to be won – 80 removed from the course as the “Amazing Learned Dog”. establishment, Henwick Hill, Waiting, as Usual”. Names must be of people guineas on the first day and they would cause accidents. Later in the 18th century, where he offered a sedate www.fwarchives.org.uk who are no longer living – if £50 on the next two days. To get a better view, those not relishing the hurly “Public Tea-drinking, at Four www.worcester-racecourse. you have any ideas, please get The handicapping system was spectators crowded into burly of a noisy race day O’clock. Admittance Into co.uk in touch. different to today, but perhaps temporary two-storey wooden arranged to view the racing the Gardens One Shilling www.worcestershire.gov. www.worcestercivic most surprising was that, in booths, seen on the left of this from the gardens at Mr Bird’s Each Person. Music Will be in uk/waas society.org.uk Worcester Racecourse The King’s School, Worcester Brookes Catering Gallery Candles RGS Worcester www.worcester-racecourse.co.uk www.ksw.org.uk www.brookes-catering.co.uk www.gallerycandles.co.uk www.rgsw.org.uk WORCESTER Andrew Grant Sales & Lettings www.andrew-grant.co.uk By Michael Dames merge with the River Stour at Stourport together forming the DURING the last Ice Age, the modern Severn Valley. This sacred river River Dee’s northward course Worcester therefore enjoys over the river in Worcester. in memory of that historical was blocked by a massive ice the headwaters and trunk of But given Christianity’s incident. sheet. This caused the Dee the divine Dee ( Latin: Dea – objection to river-worship, in Considering the Severn’s water to accumulate in a huge Goddess) with her entire new 1136 Geoffrey of Monmouth timeless grandeur perhaps it is lake, which covered South course to the Bristol Channel obliged by inventing the story still able to absorb both pagan Shropshire. named Sabrina. that Sabrina was no more than and Christian attitudes into its By circa 13,000 BC this water Sabrina is a river deity the illegitimate baby daughter generous flow. had overtopped Wenlock named and recognised in pre- of King Locrinic’s mistress Edge and began to cut a historic and in Roman times Estrildis and that his Queen Michael, who lives in Worcester, gorge through that ridge at and celebrated again in Milton’s Gwendolene had snatched is the author of The Silbury Treasure Ironbridge. – The Great Goddess Rediscovered. 17th Century poem, Comus. away the baby and thrown (1992); Mythic Ireland (1992); Merlin Thereafter all the Dee’s Sabrina is also remembered by her into the river; the naming of Wales (1996) Published by Thames water was redirected to the new Sabrina footbridge of that river as Sabrina was and Hudson Painting of Sabrina by Michael Dames. in early January, 1796, and after No time to arriving at The Unicorn, he Richard Shaw, made his way to the house of Chairman of the find a rhyme Martin Barr, a partner in the Battle of Worcester by Robin Whittaker, Chairman riverside porcelain factory of End of the road of Worcestershire Historical Flight and Barr, and a leading Society, with the Society Congregationalist, where he tale of a notorious was to lodge. SAMUEL Taylor Coleridge, poet, He took the opportunity 17th century outlaw critic and philosopher (1772- to visit the factory. Martin Barr for highwayman 1834) is more usually associated is an interesting figure, who with Somerset or the Lake was closely involved with the JAMES Hind was born at But perhaps the most robbed he was acquitted on District, where he lived close to Worcester Evangelical Society, Chipping Norton, in 1616, daring feat of all was an attack the grounds of “insufficient his friend William Wordsworth and whose social aims would the son of a Sadler. He was on Oliver Cromwell himself. evidence.” for some years. have chimed well with those of well educated but he ran Aided by Thomas Allen and He was then charged It is not widely known Coleridge, including promotion away to London where he his gang they ambushed with murder but although that, as a young radical poet, of literacy and education immediately fell in with a gang Cromwell’s carriage just outside he was found guilty he was he visited Worcester in 1796.