South Luffenham is a village in the county of
Rutland
Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire.
Its greatest len ...
in the
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. It comprises the eastern half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It consists of Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Li ...
of England. The population of the
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
at the 2001 census was 432, increasing to 455 at the 2011 census.
The village lies largely on the north side of the
A6121 road from
Uppingham
Uppingham is a market town in Rutland, England, off the A47 between Leicester and Peterborough, south of the county town, Oakham. It had a population of 4,745 according to the 2011 census, estimated at 4,853 in 2019. It is known for its ep ...
to
Stamford. It is divided into two by a small stream, the
Foss
Fos or FOSS may refer to:
Companies
*Foss A/S, a Danish analytical instrument company
* Foss Brewery, a former brewery in Oslo, Norway
*Foss Maritime, a tugboat and shipping company
Historic houses
* Foss House (New Brighton, Minnesota), United ...
, which is a tributary of the
River Chater
The River Chater is a river in the East Midlands of England. It is a tributary of the River Welland, and is about long.
Course
It rises near Whatborough Hill in Leicestershire, and then flows east, past Sauvey Castle and Launde Abbey, befor ...
.
The village has two pubs, the Boot Inn (formerly the Boot and Shoe) and the Coach House (previously the Halfway House), as well as the parish church and the village hall. South Luffenham Hall stands a short distance to the south-east of St Mary's church. There is a ruined windmill to the east of the village.
Luffenham railway station
Luffenham railway station is a former station of the Syston and Peterborough Railway serving the villages of North and South Luffenham, Rutland.
History
The contract for the erection of the station was obtained by Groocock and Yates of Leices ...
was located to the north of the village and also served the neighbouring village of
North Luffenham
North Luffenham is a village in Rutland, in the East Midlands of England. The population of the civil parish at the 2001 census was 704, decreasing to 679 at the 2011 census. It lies to the north of the River Chater, east of Uppingham and west ...
. The railway station opened in 1848 and closed in 1966. In fact, there were two railway stations in the parish, since
Morcott station lay just within the South Luffenham parish boundary.
History
The village's name means 'homestead/village of Luffa'.
Before the Second World War, the
Earls of Ancaster
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...
owned all the farms and most of the cottages, except Church Farm, which belonged to the
Conants. The estate was then split up and sold off. In those early days, the village was self-sufficient, having two butchers and one baker. In addition, Bates' carrier journeyed from
Barrowden
Barrowden is a village in Rutland in the East Midlands of England.
]
The village's name means 'burial-mound hill'. There are a number of Tumulus, barrows in the area.
The population of the civil parish was 506 at the 2011 census.
There is ...
each Friday to convey goods, but no passengers, to
Stamford; cash would also be taken to the banks. Joe Kirby came from Barrowden each Saturday afternoon in a covered wagon selling haberdashery. The post came from Stamford by horse and cart, and subsequently by rail to Luffenham station, and whoever kept the village post office was obliged to take the letters round the village.
The last blacksmith was Mr Pepper from Barrowden who visited twice weekly until 1910. To the south of the smithy, in Back Lane in a shed, was a general grocers store.
In November 1904, as Edward Berridge of
Ketton
Ketton is a village and civil parish in Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is about east of Oakham and west of Stamford, Lincolnshire. The 2011 Census recorded a parish population of 1,926, making it the fourth largest settlement in ...
was delivering bread in South Luffenham, Charles Louth stole a loaf of bread to the value of 2½d, from the cart. He was sentenced to 14 days' hard labour.
Out and about
Around the village are a number of old lanes little used now as they were of old. Cannonball Lane leads up to Morcott Spinney, so called because it is handed down that
Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...
's men set up his cannons in this spinney from which to fire on
North Luffenham
North Luffenham is a village in Rutland, in the East Midlands of England. The population of the civil parish at the 2001 census was 704, decreasing to 679 at the 2011 census. It lies to the north of the River Chater, east of Uppingham and west ...
.
Shocky Balke (baulk meaning a strip of grass between cultivated strips) leads southwards from the top of Pinfold Lane on to the
common
Common may refer to:
Places
* Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
* Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts
* Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts
* Clapham Common, originally com ...
, where there was a pond. From this point, the track became Hangman's Lane up to the
gallows
A gallows (or scaffold) is a frame or elevated beam, typically wooden, from which objects can be suspended (i.e., hung) or "weighed". Gallows were thus widely used to suspend public weighing scales for large and heavy objects such as sacks ...
, sited there, it is said, to discourage the poor who would collect their wood and feed their geese on the common. The point is marked today by some fir trees.
The common originally stretched from Barrowden Lane to Foster's Bridge. The
Earl of Ancaster
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...
exchanged his fields, on which the allotments and recreation field now stand, for the of common on which he built
Luffenham Heath golf course which opened in 1911. In January 1921, fire destroyed the workshop, showroom, and caddy's hut at the Golf Club, having been started by a spark from a stove in the workshop.
At Christmas 1793, a tribe of gypsies were camping at the 'Follies' near Foster's Bridge. The
gypsy king, named Edward Boswell, had a beautiful daughter, Rose, the Princess. She was just 17 and dying of consumption (tuberculosis). When the time came to move on, she was too ill to travel in a jolting caravan, and so the gypsies stayed a further two months on the cold bleak heath. When she died, the churchwardens of South Luffenham would not have her buried in the parish because she was not a Christian. The curate, the Rev. Bateman, finally over-ruled his parishioners and she was buried in the south aisle. A few weeks later, a marble slab arrived from London, and was placed over her remains, subscribed by the many gypsies who converged from afar to express sympathy with their king. The slab is still faintly discernible in the church:
“In memory of Rose Boswell, daughter of Edward and Sarah Boswell, who died February 19th, 1794, aged 17 years. What grief can vent this loss, or praises tell, how much, how good, how beautiful she fell.”
Of other road tracks, Clay Lane leads to the fields below the cemetery, and for those following the main road to
Morcott
Morcott is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland
Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Li ...
, there used to be a footpath along the north side, but some years ago, the Council widened the road and absorbed the path. On the south side of this road stands a brick barn, this being built in Victorian times to serve as a dance hall for the two villages.
The village green was once surrounded with white posts and chains, with a seat in the middle. The fence was put up so that the children could play within without being disturbed by wandering cattle. The posts were removed in the 1930s.
In the 1920s, the Asphaltic Slag & Stone Co. Ltd set up a quarry and erected an office on the Stamford road, opposite the entrance to the recreation ground. Twenty men were employed but not from the village. The quarry business only lasted some four years as the stone was quarried out. Nothing survives as the site has been levelled.
In 1919, ironstone pits were opened on the road to
Pilton; there were extensive sidings to service the pits, which closed in 1968.
Another quarry opened up at the north-east of the parish and was served by a rail line connecting with the main line near Foster's Bridge. In October 1920, Arthur Waterfield was killed by a fall of earth while engaged at the Luffenham Ironstone Works.
Tunnels
Tunnels are said to run from the church to the Foss (the stream), and from the Old Hall site in Tailby's (now Bellamy's) field to the church. One villager recollects in 1912 going down the latter tunnel to rescue a terrier dog. The tunnel was some five feet high, ten feet down and built of rough stone. Having travelled five yards (5 m) in the direction of the Hall he gave up and returned because of the crumbling condition of the tunnel walls.
There are various theories regarding the mounds in Tailby's field. Some recount that it is the site of the Old Hall and surrounding cottages, others think that the main mound covers an old
icehouse
Icehouse or ice house may refer to:
* Ice house (building), a building where ice is stored
* Ice shanty, a shelter for ice fishing also known as an ''Icehouse''
* Ice skating rink, a facility for ice skating.
* Ice hockey arena, an area where ice ...
. It is true that a few years ago a calf fell into a tunnel beneath the mound, and that afterward this was firmly covered over.
At the northern corner of this field is the Adam and Eve Barn, so called because of the inset stone carving. It is thought to have been an earlier tithe barn to that which now adjoins the church. Before the
Great War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the building, also known as the old Primrose Barn (after the
Primrose League
The Primrose League was an organisation for spreading Conservative principles in Great Britain. It was founded in 1883.
At a late point in its existence, its declared aims (published in the ''Primrose League Gazette'', vol. 83, no. 2, March/April ...
used by them prior to 1900) served as the village hall, and dances were held there; here would be danced the '
Lancers
A lancer was a type of cavalryman who fought with a lance. Lances were used for mounted warfare in Assyria as early as and subsequently by Persia, India, Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome. The weapon was widely used throughout Eurasia during the M ...
' and 'down the middle', all to the accompaniment of an accordion. Later the old school room, opposite the new school, was used for village meetings, until the new village hall was built in September 1922. There was also, at the turn of the 20th century, a reading room and men's club in Sapcote Cottages.
The 'Old School', now a private cottage, was built in 1846 with pointed windows, to show its connection with the church. This first school was the
National School, and it was not until 1875 that the new school opposite was built by the rector, Rev. James Lonsdale and presented to the village. He built it at his own expense and purchased the old school to house the head teacher. In 1900, there were 130 pupils; in 1969, when the school finally closed, there were 30. In 1972, the building was turned into a private house.
The War
There is no recollection of any bombs falling in the parish during the Second World War, or of aircraft crashes. War touched the community in the form of 28
child evacuees, who in 1940 arrived from London at the height of the bombing of that city. Among them was young Terry Parsons, later to become a famous singer, under the name of
Matt Monro
Matt Monro (born Terence Edward Parsons, 1 December 1930 – 7 February 1985) was an English singer. Known as "The Man with the Golden Voice", he performed internationally during his 30-year career. AllMusic has described Monro as "one of the m ...
.
A
pinfold
An animal pound is a place where stray livestock were impounded. Animals were kept in a dedicated enclosure, until claimed by their owners, or sold to cover the costs of impounding.
Etymology
The terms "pinfold" and "pound" are Saxon in origi ...
was formerly sited at the south end of Pinfold Lane. It was constructed with a six-foot high stone wall with iron gates, and was finally knocked down in 1910, although a part of the wall still survives today. One villager recollects a farmer walking his sheep from
Ayston
Ayston is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is about one mile (1.6 km) north-west of Uppingham, close to the junction of the A47 and A6003. The population of the village was less than ...
to
Stamford Market and resting them in the pinfold overnight.
The village did not have a public pond and cattle would drink from the ford on Back Lane, crossing for villagers being by footbridge. There was a pond on private land, where the last bungalow on North Luffenham Road is now sited. A bridge replaced the Back Lane ford in the 1940s.
A lead village pump on the north side of The Square was removed in the 1950s. The well underneath was fed from another well at the corner of Cutting Lane and Gatehouse Lane, the Council paying ten shillings a year to the
LNW Railway for a pipe to run underneath the railway. The owner of the top well then demanded ten shillings a year. When the Council refused to pay, the supply was cut off. The Council then sank themselves a well in the Hempyards to supply The Square. The Hempyards, also known as the Ropewalk, survive as mounds today, but nothing is known of the actual works, and it is assumed that they closed in the mid 19th century or earlier.
The public water supply for the other half of the village came from the spring, still running today, and sited below the old grocer's shop opposite the Boot Inn.
Cattle were taken to be washed at the wash-dyke set in the Chater, just below the stone bridge on Moor Lane (North Luffenham Road). The wash-dyke was last used in 1925.
The mills
![North Luffenham Mill](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/North_Luffenham_Mill.jpg)
The windmill was built in 1832; in 1895, a storm blew the cap off, but the building continued to be used until 1908.
The watermill is early 19th century. Owned by Molesworths, a miller was employed, who was responsible for controlling the water level of the sluice and the working of the mill. In addition, his duties covered management of the Railway Hotel. After the closure of the adjoining mill, trade at the hotel decreased and it was forced to close in the 1930s. Prior to 1910, flour had mainly been milled, and sacks were hoisted to the second floor for storage and lowered to carts below when required. When the steam-driven mill was installed in 1910, the mill concentrated on offals; this consisted of split beans, split maize,
kibbled
A mill is a device, often a structure, machine or kitchen appliance, that breaks solid materials into smaller pieces by grinding, crushing, or cutting. Such comminution is an important unit operation in many processes. There are many different ...
wheat (lightly rolled for chickens) and barley meal. Gleaners from the fields took their grist at harvest to the mill to make barley meal for their home-fed pig. Wheat was
frailed (flailed) at home with two long poles with leather thongs, this having to take place when there was a high wind, in order that the chaff should blow away. Some gleaners frailed with a five-pronged fork.
The watermill was sold in 1927. Mr Asplin, the miller, closed the sluice gate one night, forgot about it, and by morning the house and the mill were flooded. He continued milling offal until 1948, when the flume broke, the river taking a different course, and the mill was forced to close.
A steam and electric mill was built by Edmund Stapleton in 1890. The mill machinery was railed direct from Thomas Robinson & Son Ltd of Rochdale via a siding from the
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It am ...
. The mill opened in 1892,
Babcock & Wilcox
Babcock & Wilcox is an American renewable, environmental and thermal energy technologies and service provider that is active and has operations in many international markets across the globe with its headquarters in Akron, Ohio, USA. Historicall ...
steam boilers driving the rollers, and grinding grain at the rate of 8 sacks, each of stone, per hour. Water for the boilers to make steam was pumped from the watermill. Production increased to 10 sacks per hour, then 20. Twelve men were employed from the village, and six from other villages. Men from Molesworths quarry, when short of work, came to the mill, but spent more time in the Railway Inn. In 1914, men earned 14 shillings a week and by 1919, 27 shillings a week. The furthest delivery point by horse and cart was to
Somerby, but in the 1920s
Foden steam engines took over, these being replaced by
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
cross-boiler engines with solid tyres. By 1925, a
Dennis
Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Christian saints named Dionysius.
The name came from Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstatic states, particularly those produced by wine, which is someti ...
petrol wagon was hired from Leicester. This had pneumatic tyres and speeds of were reached. Flour was then delivered as far away as
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
and
Spalding. Four tons would be carried on the wagon, and four on a trailer.
In the depression,
Cadge & Colman purchased the milling rights, but the mill became uneconomic and the business was transferred to
Godmanchester
Godmanchester ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. It is separated from Huntingdon, to the north, by the valley of the River Great Ouse. Being on the Roman road network, the town has a lo ...
. Luffenham remained a distribution centre until 1927. After remaining empty for some 13 years, Riull & Sons bought the premises and manufactured clips for rifle cartridges.
In 1942, the
Ryvita
Ryvita is a rye-based crispbread originally manufactured by the Ryvita Company. The company was founded in Birmingham, England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and S ...
Company installed a plant for drying and washing rye for biscuit manufacture, up to 20 men being employed at the peak season. The railway siding was in use at the time, but when the station closed in 1966, this link was severed and the factory closed. Newall Engineering then took the premises mainly for reconditioning of grinding machines, some 20 men being employed. The site is now Linecross Limited.
The common
From the 14th century until
Enclosure
Enclosure or Inclosure is a term, used in English landownership, that refers to the appropriation of "waste" or " common land" enclosing it and by doing so depriving commoners of their rights of access and privilege. Agreements to enclose land ...
in 1882, owners of land held their strips, called 'known acres', each owner or occupier using the same strips each year as his own, subject to rights of grazing. An area of was divided into 1,238 pieces among 22 owners. When the crops had been gathered, the land became common pasture until wanted for the next cultivation. In South Luffenham, only tenants of the arable land had rights of common over the arable, whereas in Barrowden, owners of certain cottages had grazing rights. The ancient custom had been that a fixed or 'stinted' number of beasts used the fields, but of later years this was disregarded.
As the fog closed in on an elderly woman toiling up the common from
Tixover
Tixover is a small village and civil parish in Rutland. The population of the civil parish at the 2001 census was 174, falling to 163 at the 2011 census.
The village's name means 'ridge with young goats'. The second element derives from either th ...
, shrouded against the cold night air, the sound of the church bell tolling guided her back to South Luffenham. In gratitude, and for other who might become lost, she donated a field, whose income should pay the sexton to ring the bells at 5 am and 8 pm daily from the end of October to 25 March. This continued for many years until the outbreak of the Great War. The field was originally at Foster's Bridge, but the endowment was transferred to the Bellringers Field, also known as the Feast Field and Bell Field, opposite The Coach House.
Notable people
*
Robert Cawdrey
Robert Cawdrey (ca. 1538 – after 1604) was an English clergyman who produced one of the first dictionaries of the English language, the ''Table Alphabeticall'', in 1604.
Career
Robert Cawdrey did not attend university, but became a school tea ...
, compiler of one of the first dictionaries of the English language, the ''
Table Alphabeticall
''A Table Alphabeticall'' is the abbreviated title of the first monolingual dictionary in the English language, created by Robert Cawdrey and first published in London in 1604.
Although the work is important in being the first collection of its ...
'', became rector in 1571 but was deprived in 1587 for his puritan sympathies.
*
Owen Gwyn, Master of St John's College, Cambridge from 1612 and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge 1615–16, was instituted Rector 28 October 1611, remaining in office until his death in 1633.
*
Robert Scott, (1811–1887) the co-editor with Henry George Liddell of a ''
Greek-English Lexicon'', the standard dictionary of
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...
, was rector here for four years before he was elected Master of
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the f ...
in 1854.
Balliol held the
advowson
Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, ...
from 1855 and many of the priests appointed were fellows of the college and noted scholars.
*In 1867, promising 17-year-old poet
Digby Mackworth Dolben
Digby Augustus Stewart Mackworth Dolben (8 February 1848 – 28 June 1867) was an English poet who died young from drowning. He owes his poetic reputation to his cousin, Robert Bridges, poet laureate from 1913 to 1930, who edited a partial edition ...
drowned in the
River Welland
The River Welland is a lowland river in the east of England, some long. It drains part of the Midlands eastwards to The Wash. The river rises in the Hothorpe Hills, at Sibbertoft in Northamptonshire, then flows generally northeast to Market ...
nearby when bathing with the son of his tutor, Rev. Constantine Estlin Prichard (1818–1869), rector of South Luffenham 1854–69 and formerly a fellow of Balliol College.
*
James Stephen Hodson
James Stephen Hodson DD FRSE (1816-1890) was a British academic and Anglican priest who served as rector of Edinburgh Academy from 1854 to 1869.
Life
He was born in Clifton, Bristol, in 1816 or 1817, the eldest son of George Hodson (1787–1 ...
, who was rector 1877-81, is commemorated here along with his brother
William Stephen Raikes Hodson
William Stephen Raikes Hodson (19 March 182111 March 1858) was a British leader of irregular light cavalry during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, commonly referred to as the Indian Mutiny or the Sepoy Mutiny. He was known as "Hodson of Hodson's ...
(1821–1858), a soldier prominent in the
Indian Mutiny
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...
- "Hodson of Hodson's Horse".
*
Agnes Maude Royden
Agnes Maude Royden (23 November 1876 – 30 July 1956), later known as Maude Royden-Shaw, was an English preacher, suffragist and campaigner for the ordination of women.
Early life and education
Royden was born in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, the ...
,
suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in representative democracy, public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally i ...
campaigner, and 'woman preacher'
Inns
![The Coach House Inn South Luffenham - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/The_Coach_House_Inn_South_Luffenham_-_geograph.org.uk_-_207202.jpg)
Various businesses have been conducted at the Boot Inn, a shoemakers business in the mid 19th century, which ceased around 1900, giving 'the Boot and Shoe' its name. A coal business was also carried on from the inn, and the village bakehouse was on the west corner of the building, Mr Chard being the last baker until the 1950s. Villagers brought joints of meat and batter for
Yorkshire pudding
Yorkshire pudding is a baked pudding made from a batter of eggs, flour, and milk or water. A common British side dish, it is a versatile food that can be served in numerous ways depending on its ingredients, size, and the accompanying compone ...
s here on Sundays, and these were cooked in the bake oven for twopence a time up until 1935. The chamber for the flour for bread-making was sited above the ovens to keep it warm and dry, and bags of flour from Luffenham Mills were hauled up on a wooden ladder.
The Halfway House inn was so called as it was an
ostler house at the midpoint for
stages
Stage or stages may refer to:
Acting
* Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions
* Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage"
* ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper
* S ...
between Stamford and Uppingham. In 1814, the 'Lord Wellington Accommodation Coach' ran from
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
via
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
and through South Luffenham at 10 am daily and connected at Stamford with the 'Lord Welling Coach' for travellers on to
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
. The 'Leicester Coach' passed through at 3 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from Stamford. The pub was extended and renamed the Coach House in the 1990s.
The former post office was once two cottages; in the part that was later the shop lived George Hippey, a platelayer. He fell foul of the landlord and one day threw paraffin under the front door, followed by a lighted match.
Festivals
May Day
Children were trained to dance round the
maypole
A maypole is a tall wooden pole erected as a part of various European folk festivals, around which a maypole dance often takes place.
The festivals may occur on 1 May or Pentecost (Whitsun), although in some countries it is instead erected at ...
, which was set up in the school playground or on the Green, this celebration ceasing in 1923. The
May Queen
In the British Isles and parts of the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, the May Queen or Queen of May is a personification of the May Day holiday, and of Spring (season), springtime and also summer. The May Queen is a girl who rides or walk ...
and her attendants travelled around the village in three or four farm wagons, which were decked up with garlands, all the horses having their
martingale brasses highly polished. There was then a free tea for the children in the rectory (or occasionally the Hall) grounds, and the lawns would be lit up with large
Chinese lanterns
A paper lantern is a lantern made of thin, brightly colored paper. Paper lanterns come in various shapes and sizes, as well as various methods of construction. In their simplest form, they are simply a paper bag with a candle placed inside, alt ...
. In the evening there would be dancing in the Adam and Eve barn.
Ploughboy Monday
The ploughboys would go round from door to door on
Plough Monday
Plough Monday is the traditional start of the English agricultural year. While local practices may vary, Plough Monday is generally the first Monday after Epiphany, 6 January. References to Plough Monday date back to the late 15th century. The d ...
, the second Monday in January collecting wine and cakes – and money, if possible. The blacking of faces and dressing up by the boys, traditional in other villages, is not recollected in South Luffenham. The custom died out in the 1920s.
Wassailing Day
Wassailing
The tradition of wassailing (''alt sp'' wasselling) falls into two distinct categories: the house-visiting wassail and the orchard-visiting wassail. The house-visiting wassail is the practice of people going door-to-door, singing and offering a ...
was held on each 21 December until 1939. At this, the old ladies of the parish would visit the farmers and gentry to collect a shilling or a quart of tea.
South Luffenham Feast
(1st Sunday after 15 August). The Nassington or
Collyweston
Collyweston is a village and civil parish in North Northamptonshire, about three miles southwest of Stamford, Lincolnshire, on the road (the A43) to Kettering. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 514.
Geography
The villa ...
band would arrive to start the Feast Week by marching around the village, and then playing on the Green. During the week, cricket matches against other villages were held on the recreation ground. Fenwicks from Lincolnshire arrived with their swingboats, worked by pulling ropes, and a roundabout pulled round by a piebald pony called Tommy. These, other stalls, and a rifle range shooting at clay pipes, were set up in Bellringers Field, and they stayed for the whole week. It is remembered that Vincent Second, an Italian, came from Stamford with his gaily-painted float loaded with ice cream. Great bouts of singing and dancing took place in the pubs during the week, and most men got drunk, some paralytic, on homemade wine.
The railway
At one time, thirteen trains a day plied between Stamford through South Luffenham and on to
Seaton railway station on a double line, although one track was taken up in 1914. A small engine pushed and pulled its single carriage up and down the line. The train was affectionately known as the Wessy, the Push and the Pull, the Puff and Dart, or the Dartzi. The line from Seaton was closed and lifted in 1966.
Inspired
At the turn of the 20th century Jack Ingram, a well-known
steeplejack
A steeplejack is a craftsman who scales buildings, chimneys, and church steeples to carry out repairs or maintenance.
Steeplejacks erect ladders on church spires, industrial chimneys, cooling towers, bell towers, clock towers, or any other hi ...
, visited the village one Saturday, and was asked to grease the weathercock. He brought this down from the church steeple, and promptly refused to put it back unless he was paid a gold sovereign. This was eventually given, but not before a fight had broken out over a disagreement amongst the villages over the 'levy'. Ingram later became a "milestone inspector" (a
tramp
A tramp is a long-term homeless person who travels from place to place as a vagrant, traditionally walking all year round.
Etymology
Tramp is derived from a Middle English verb meaning to "walk with heavy footsteps" (''cf.'' modern English ''t ...
).
There is a tradition in the village that sea-going boats once came up the Foss to a quay by the old village pond, and were unloaded by monks from a monastery below the church. The stream was thought to be a canal, when the sea came up to
Uffington Uffington is the name of several places:
; England
*Uffington, Lincolnshire
:* Uffington and Barnack railway station
:* Uffington Rural District
*Uffington, Oxfordshire
:* Uffington railway station (Uffington Junction)
*Uffington, Shropshire
;Un ...
, and was quite deep until the water was backed up and silted in the race to provide power at the watermill. The Chater was said to be six feet deep at the wash-dyke.
The great fires
In July 1874, Samuel Hippey, a six-year-old child, playing with
lucifer matches beneath a straw stack of Mr Ball, the baker, started a conflagration that spread to two cowsheds. The high wind at the time scattered burning thatch and straw in all directions and in 20 minutes George Tailby and George Pretty's farms were ablaze, as were four cottages, two occupied by William Faulks and Thomas Skillett, and a pub tenanted by George Watson. These were in Pinfold Lane; the position of the inn is unrecorded, although it is known from the 1846 Directory that the pub was the Axe and Saw with Mr Pridmore the licensee. The fire covered some , and eleven straw stacks caught fire as well.
Although plenty of water was at hand, the fire had too strong a hold and all that could be done was to douse the buildings nearby to prevent a spread. Apart from a pig and a few fowls, there were no casualties, but damage amounted to £1,327.
Fire brigades came from Stamford, Uppingham, and
Normanton, arriving too late.
In April 1913, after the passing of the LNWR
football special carrying excursionists to
Market Harborough
Market Harborough is a market town in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, in the far southeast of the county, forming part of the border with Northamptonshire.
Market Harborough's population was 25,143 in 2020. It is the admi ...
to cheer on Stamford (who lost), fire was noticed in Pridmore's farmyard. There was a high wind and it was assumed that a spark had come from the engine. Properties destroyed included Mr Greenfield's butcher shop, five cottages, two farms and three straw stacks; a quantity of livestock, mainly chickens, was also lost.
The Stamford engine pumped water from the brook, and the manuals from Uppingham and Normanton gave assistance. Every thatched building was burnt out, although those with slates were saved from serious damage; the Durham Ox sign was burnt down.
Later the Parish Council considered subscribing for the Stamford Fire Brigade, for they had turned out with their steamer although not obliged to. This was in the days before the local authorities took over the fire service.
References
External links
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Villages in Rutland
Civil parishes in Rutland