No 50 (2014) Published by the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society LEICESTERSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY Founded in 1855 Join the County's Premier Archaeological and Historical Society..... .....if you have an interest in archaeology, local history, churches, historic buildings, heraldry, history or any other topic concerned with Leicestershire's past. 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LE1 7RH Tel. 0116 2525234 Email [email protected] www.le.ac.uk/lahs ‘Connecting history, heritage and archaeology groups across Leicestershire and Rutland’ Editor: Joyce Lee. All contributions should be sent to the Editor, 72 Shanklin Drive, Leicester. LE2 3QA Email [email protected] Reviews Editor: Cynthia Brown, Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, The Guildhall, Guildhall Lane, Leicester. LE1 5FQ Email [email protected] Published by the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, The Guildhall, Guildhall Lane, Leicester. LE1 5FQ Copyright © The Society and the individual authors 2014 ISSN 0024-0664 Printed by Central Print, Leicestershire County Council Leicestershire Historian 2014 No 50 (2014) Contents Editorial 2 From Berlin to New York via Leicester: The long journey of the Richard Graves 3 Attenboroughs’ ‘adopted sisters’ (Part 1) Map Covers on Sales Particulars Derek Deadman 11 Charnwood Street, Leicester: the first fifty years Cynthia Brown 16 The Last Dandy Standing: Sir Lumley St George Skeffington (1771-1850) David C. J. Howell 23 The Thomas Clulow Affair Paul Herrington 28 Resistance, Employment, Displacement: The Employment of Women in Shirley Aucott 33 Leicestershire during the First World War Shopping in Style J. D. Bennett 42 The Grand Leicester Musical Festival of 1827 PatrickJ.Boylan 46 Gazetteer of 2014 History Fair Stalls Caroline Wessel 55 Recent Publications Ed Cynthia Brown 58 Cover picture: Women munitions workers at the Standard Engineering Co. Ltd., Leicester. (Reproduced by permission of the Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland, location mark DE1620/78/13/1.) See page 35. Editor: Joyce Lee Published by the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, The Guildhall, Leicester. LE1 5FQ 2014 1 Leicestershire Historian 2014 Editorial One of the major historic events of 2014 is the hundred years anniversary of the outbreak of World War One. A particularly interesting aspect of the war on the Home Front was the development of women’s employment in jobs that had been formerly regarded as male preserves. Shirley Aucott shows how in Leicestershire, in common with elsewhere, there was considerable initial resistance to this. However, this gave way over time, as increasing numbers of men left for the Front, and women took their places, but strictly ‘for the duration’. Many fascinating aspects of wartime Leicestershire, from the Romans to the present day, were presented at the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society History Fair at Beaumanor Hall in March 2014. Caroline Wessel brings together an informative reference listing of all the groups taking part, with a description of each group’s wartime interests. The moving story of sisters Irene and Helga Bejach who arrived in Leicester from Berlin just before the outbreak of the Second World War, and who became the ‘adopted’ sisters of Richard, David and John Attenborough, is told by Richard Graves through the use of international sources and correspondence. Derek Deadman helpfully examines the usefulness to local historians of map covers on sales particulars for country estates – an unusual, little-known documentary source of material, examples of which can be found in county record offices. In the towns and cities, as the urban streets expanded, shops and shopping areas grew up, often remaining of interest long after they have physically disappeared. The fascinating story of Leicester’s Charnwood Street area and its emergence as a shopping area, along with its development as a working class neighbourhood, is explored in depth by Cynthia Brown using a range of documentary sources. Whilst many of the Charnwood Street shops were small family concerns, the town centre of Leicester became home to a number of now vanished, locally owned department stores, as well as to many other old-established retail businesses, as recalled and described by J. D. Bennett. Patrick Boylan presents the impressive details of one of the most extraordinary music festivals ever held in Leicester. In 1827 an astonishing, glittering cast of international singers, including Leicester-born Elizabeth Austin, and exceptional instrumentalists, were brought together in the town for a ‘Grand Music Festival’, providing a once in a lifetime opportunity and experience rarely witnessed even in London. In the 1930s, the Leicestershire Archaeological Society published a substantial history of the Skeffington family of Skeffington. Only brief reference was made to Sir Lumley St George Skeffington, and he is largely forgotten today, but as David Howell discovers, he made his mark as a playwright and was one of the best-known dandies of his day. Also in the eastern part of the county, Paul Herrington takes us on a fascinating exploration of the mystery of Thomas Clulow’s floorstone in Tilton church, showing how determination and detective work can overcome seemingly insoluble problems, and also serves as a very useful practical guide to sources. After a long wait, it was announced in 2014 that King Richard III would be re-interred in Leicester. The Recent Publications section compiled by Cynthia Brown and her team of reviewers helpfully pulls together many of the new and revised works on Richard III which have been published since the discovery. This invaluable section of the Leicestershire Historian also contains a record number of reviews and details of publications, reflecting the incredible amount of interest in local history from individuals and groups, whilst also showing the increasingly diverse formats being used for publication. The Leicestershire Historian aims to promote the study of the county’s history by providing a platform for established and new authors, and through encouraging the pursuit of research and project work. It also aims to publicise the work of local groups and organisations, and seeks to raise the awareness of research sources. Contributions for future editions are welcome from individuals, local groups, museums and other organisations and should be sent to the Editor for consideration. Articles can be short items or longer in-depth pieces, and can be submitted at any time. If you would like to discuss an idea in advance, please contact the Editor. Joyce Lee, Editor 2 Leicestershire Historian 2014 From Berlin to New York via Leicester: The long journey of the Attenboroughs’ ‘adopted sisters’ (Part 1) Richard Graves n the middle of August 1939, sisters Irene and Helga- Berlin Jewish population was therefore made up of Ostjuden Maria Bejach, aged 14 and 12, arrived in Leicester after – Jews from the East – and by the 1930s Jews were Ia three-day journey on one of the Kindertransports from prominent in many aspects of the city’s economic, Berlin. The plan was for the girls to stay with the intellectual and cultural life, maintaining 17 synagogues in Attenborough family in their home on the campus of the the city. then University College, now the University of Leicester, for a few weeks until they could continue on their way to New During the 1920s and early 1930s before Hitler came to York, where they had an uncle, who had agreed to provide power, the atmosphere of daily life was becoming temporary sanctuary for them. increasingly intimidating and menacing for Jews in Berlin. In 1926 Josef Goebbels founded Der Angriff (‘The Attack’), Less than three weeks after the girls’ arrival in Leicester, an organ of the National Socialist Party, which he used to Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain announced that Britain disseminate anti-Semitic propaganda and attack the Jewish was at war with Hitler’s Germany. Transatlantic shipping for press in the city. At the Jewish New Year in 1931 Jews were civilians was no longer safe nor feasible due to the threat physically attacked on their way home from synagogues, and reality of U-boat attacks on allied shipping. Unable to and in 1932 there was a spate of attacks on Jewish university travel onwards, Irene and Helga were to spend their students and academics in the city. formative teenage years in Leicester, staying with the Attenboroughs for Soon after Hitler