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Who's Who in and Around Leicester

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This is Page Two

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Who's Who Sections:

Section 3: [Welford Road Cemetery]

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Section 4: [Dissenters, Martyrs, Reformers, Preachers & Secularists]�

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[Return to Index Page]

Section Three

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Welford Road Cemetery ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Grave Matters

All of the following entries are taken from the book "Grave Matters," or from the authors' (Max�

Wade-Matthews) website: "Leicester Research." In some cases you can click on the�names

to visit this site and learn more about these notable characters from Leicester's colourful

�past. Max now has his own web page on Welford Road Cemetery and�you can�

visit it by clicking on the very first name below (William Barfoot):

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Click on the name for additional information

~ William Barfoot ~

The son of an old established Leicestershire family, William received his freedom [Freeman of the City of Leicester] in 1849. In 1866 he was elected a Liberal councillor for the ward of West St. Mary. Eight years later he was elected to the aldermanic bench and elected Mayor. It was during his Mayoralty that the new Town Hall was opened in 1875. He was chairman of the Watch Committee when the new fire station in Rutland Street was opened (this was on the site of the present bus company premises). Outside of politics he was a keen angler, founding the Leicester Angling society in 1878. In 1889, for the sake of his health, he removed to Bournemouth. Keeping up his relations with his native town, he made frequent visits home to see his business (Messrs Rut & Co) in St Nicholas Street. This site is now part of the Holiday Inn Complex. Having had a leg amputated, William Barfoot died in October of 1916, his body was returned to Leicester for internment in the Welford Road Cemetery. From the book �Grave Matters� (page 9).�

~ John Biggs ~

He was born in 1801 and served as mayor of Leicester in the years 1840, 1847 and 1855. The leading member of Biggs & Sons, one of the main hosiery firms in the town, he was a kind and benevolent boss who was well regarded by his workers. After the slump of 1838, for instance, theirs was the first factory in the town to raise wages. It was also the first firm in the town to abolish frame rents, a system whereby the framework knitter had to pay his master a rent for the frame upon which he worked. Courtesy of Max Wade-Matthews

~ William Biggs ~

William Biggs, who served the town as Mayor in 1842, 1848 and 1859, was one the main advocates of Welford Road Cemetery. He also went into the family business in the course of which he travelled extensively in Europe and the USA. William was also involved in politics and on his brother's founding of the Leicester Political Union became the organisation's secretary. He was also secretary of the local Liberal Association and led his party in gaining the town's two seats from the Tories in 1838. This was the first time that the Liberals had won seats in Leicester and the two new Members were chaired through the town in a procession of about 20,000 people. In 1852 he was elected MP for Newport, Isle of Wight, a seat he held until 1857. He was a strong opponent of England's involvement in the Crimean War and wrote a pamphlet entitled Never Go To War For Turkey. During the American Civil War he often spoke out in support of the Union. He was also a believer in compulsory national education - an ideal not achieved in England until 1889. Author: Max Wade-Matthews

~ Benjamin Broadbent ~

Benjamin Broadbent was the founder of the firm of Broadbent's Ltd. In the mid-1840s he was a partner in the firm of Broadbent and Hawley, stone and marble masons of Horsefair Street, but by 1855 he was working on his own from 5 Millstone Lane. In 1856 he was responsible for the erection of the plaque on Bow Bridge commemorating King Richard III. Benjamin Broadbent died May 16 1862� aged 49 years. Author: Max Wade-Matthews

~ Thomas Burbidge ~

In 1833, with a view to municipal reform, commissioners were appointed by Parliament to visit several boroughs and collect evidence as to the way in which their corporations had managed local business. In September two of these commissioners, visited Leicester and requested the town clerk, Thomas Burbidge, to produce the Corporation Hall Books for the last twenty years and the Chamberlains' Accounts for the last ten years. This, Burbidge refused to do, being not over-courteous in his reply. In April 1836 the Attorney General made an appeal on behalf of Leicester's Mayor and Corporation to show cause why Burbidge should not hand over the accounts which were still in his possession. He was also requested to submit his bill for work done under the old regime as he had retained �4,500 of corporation money to "reimburse" himself, as he alleged, for work he had done on behalf of the town. Find out more about this colourful and controversial character at Leicester Research. Just click on the name above.

~ Dorothy Cain ~

'Dot' Cain is buried in Welford Road Cemetery. She was killed in September of 1926 as a result of a parachute mishap. Captain Muir had brought his aeroplane to the Blackbird Road Stadium which was on the present Parker Drive, between Somerset Avenue and Babingley Drive and arranged for the local people to take a parachute descent. Mrs. Cain was eager to try and mounted the aeroplane carrying a bunch of "lucky heather." At a height of 1000 feet, Mrs. Cain stepped over the side and jumped. The parachute, however, caught on the undercarriage and Mrs. Cain came free of the harness, crashing to the earth. She and her husband were the owners of the "Empire Hotel," at 217 Fosse Road North. From "Grave Matters" (page 8).

~ Samuel Deacon ~

Samuel Deacon ran a music shop in Gallowtree Gate. His shop was always stocked with the latest models of pianos as well as good selection of second hand ones. In December 1830, at a concert held in the George Inn Assembly Room, Deacon introduced his improved Patent Piano. Said to be one of the finest instruments ever introduced into a concert room, it produced not only a fuller volume of tone but also remained in tune much longer than the conventional piano. Deacon�s principle was that the wires were fixed in such a way as to supersede the then usual method of twisting thereby rendering them less liable to break, either from changes in the atmosphere or playing upon them, however hard the keys were struck. Deacon was so sure of his handiwork that he claimed that the strings could bear a tension of a third to a fourth above concert pitch without breaking. Indeed he promised to take back any piano within six months if it did not give satisfaction. In November 1830, while in Brighton, Deacon was honoured to exhibit one of his new pianos to King William and Queen Adelaide, who, it would seem, were so impressed that they purchased one, for by 1834 Deacon was proudly proclaiming his establishment as �By Appointment�. In 1849, Deacon was appointed the Leicester agent for the British Music Society�s publications, and, in 1852, that for Geoff Luff & Sons. The latter had just introduced the Royal Albert Cottage Piano, which, along with superiority of touch and increased durability, was claimed to be able to achieve a greater and more equalized power of tone over all other pianos. Samuel Deacon died October 17 1867 in the 80th year of his age. Author: Max Wade-Matthews.�

~ William & Elizabeth Dickesson ~

For 26 years William and his wife were the Master and Matron of the Leicester Union Workhouse, which was in Sparkenhoe Street, on the site of the present Moat Community Centre. Known as the 'Bastille,' was a lofty and spacious building with stone dressing in the gothic style and space for sixty inmates. In 1884 there had been a slump causing large numbers of people to become unemployed. At one point, no less than one third of Leicester's 60,000 population was out of work. This caused problems at the workhouse as there were many more people needing help than places available, so a system of 'outwork' was established. This mainly consisted of stone breaking; soul-destroying and pointless, it was very hard work, especially for those men who had not been used to strenuous labour. They had to do it, however, if they refused they got no financial help. The spirit of the Poor Law being that: "while no person shall be allowed to perish from want, no-one shall receive parochial aid who by any possibility can do without it." In 1885 the estimated cost of keeping a person in the workhouse was three shillings and sixpence. The scale of relief for a man, wife and child was sixpence and a loaf of bread, with an extra penny for each additional child. At weekends he received an extra sixpence worth of groceries. When the Dickessons had been appointed, their salaries had been deducted by ten pounds each on the understanding that if they discharged their duties to the satisfaction of the Board of Guardians, their remuneration would be increased. Obviously they did satisfy, for within the year they were on full pay. Elizabeth died in 1886 and her husband, the year after. This entry taken from "Grave Matters" by Leicester author Max Wade-Matthews.

~ John Ellis ~

Although George and Robert Stephenson are names synonymous with the Leicester & Swannington Railway, its chief promoter, John Ellis, three times mayor of Leicester, is not as well known and does not get the recognition he deserves. He was chairman of the Midlands County Railway and one of the owners of Belgrave Hall. He bought the house in 1847 and lived there with his six daughters until their deaths. One or more of the daughters have been associated with the haunting of Belgrave Hall (see Leicester Ghosts in the Links page). Footnote: I don't have a link to go with this entry as yet; in fact, I don't have very much information at all at this time.� John Ellis was born a farmer's son in 1789 and was fully engaged with the family farm at Beaumont Leys, until 1832. In this year coal was discovered in north-west Leicestershire and Ellis approached George Stephenson to ask if a line could be built between the Swannington coal field and Leicester. A line was quickly built and opened in July 1832 the cheap source of coal bringing a new prosperity to Leicester. Ellis then took an interest in the establishment of a passenger railway for Leicester and was the main mover behind the Midland County Railway, which opened in 1840 with a station in Campbell Street. In politics Ellis was a reformer and was elected a town councillor in 1837. The following year he was made an alderman. he was often asked to be mayor, but always refused on account of him being a Quaker. His religion, however, did not stop him standing for Parliament, to which he was elected in 1848. At about this time he�gave up his farm and moved to Belgrave Hall. During his four years as a MP he was always recognised in the House as being a character - his blunt, but friendly demeanor and his straightforward and sincere speech always ensuring a full measure of respect. Courtesy (in part) to Max Wade-Matthews.�

~ Samuel Faire ~

Born in Derby in 1849, Samuel Faire moved to Leicester in his youth. Educated at the Mill Hill School, London Road, with his brother, he founded the firm of Faire Brothers & Co, shoe manufacturers. In due coarse this developed into a limited company with the older brother as Chairman and Samuel as Deputy Chairman. Alexander House, their factory in Rutland Street, built in the 1890s is considered one of the finest warehouses, architecturally, in the country. In 1891 he was elected to the council for Knighton Ward and was, for several years, chairman of the Fire Brigade Committee. Knighted in 1905, Samuel Faire was High Sheriff for the County in 1919, the year that King George V visited the town. He was keenly interested in the Ragged School Mission and the Poor Boys and Girls Summer Camp, the YMCA and the societies for the blind and the handicapped and was an ardent supporter of the Leicester Tigers. His only son, Clifford, was killed in action while serving with the New Zealanders in France during World War I. President of the Liberal association, Sir Samuel died in January 1931, aged 82. Over his memorial can be seen the family coat of arms. From �Grave Matters� by Max Wade-Matthews.

~ John Ferneley ~

John Ferneley(1782-1860) was born at Thrussington. he was apprenticed to his father, a wheelwright who worked for the Duke of Rutland. His earliest works were executed on the wooden planking of the wagons awaiting repair. The duke noticed the young man's work and, in 1810,� encouraged John to travel to London to study under Benjamin Marshall. In 1814, after various travels round Britain and Ireland, Ferneley returned and settled in Melton Mowbray, where he established himself as a painter of the gentry and their horses. During his career Ferneley had works exhibited in the Royal Academy and received commissions ranging from racing thoroughbreds to the hunting exploits of an Hungarian Count. he was an active follower of the hunt and is best known for his panoramic scenes of the hunt in full cry. John Ferneley is buried in Holy Trinity churchyard, Thrussington. This entry provided by Max Wade-Matthews of Leicester Research.

~ John Flower ~

Born in 1795, John Flower came from a family which for generations had been the proprietors of the Castle Mill. By John's time, however, the family had come down in the world and were poor woolcombers. While John was still young, his father died leaving the family in desperate straits. Showing artistic courage, John was greatly encouraged by Dr. Alexander of Danett's Hall, and, by the time that he was twenty, was proficient enough to be able to give lessons in drawing to others. It was about this time that he was brought to� the attention of Mary Linwood who was famous for her embroidery , both in England, and in Europe. Linwood introduced Flower to Peter de Wint, a Dutch artist who was working in London. Mary Linwood knew de Wint through his wife, whom she had taught embroidery. The great artist took young John under hid wing, refusing to take any payment for his tuition. A year later, John returned to Leicester where he spent the rest of his life. In 1826 he published his "Views of Ancient Buildings in the Town and County of Leicester." Noted for their fidelity to nature and excellent colours, his drawings are a vivid reminder of what old Leicester looked like in the early 1800s. In 1861, he moved to his new house, 100 Regent Road, which had been designed by Henry Goddard. Goddard also designed Flower's memorial in Welford Road Cemetery which was calved by John Barratt of Canning Place. John Flower died in 1861, aged 66. From "Grave Matters" by Leicester author Max Wade-Matthews.

~ George Foxton ~

George Foxton, a civil engineer and surveyor, was born in Yorkshire. Some of the posts he held included that of Officer of the Grand Junction Canal Company, Surveyor of the Leicester and Welford Turnpike and Director of the Leicester Gas Company. He was elected as a Liberal councillor in 1866 and served the town as mayor in 1872. George Foxton, who was said to be a shrewd man of business possessed of sound judgement, lived in Prebend Terrace, 79 London Road. George Foxton was Alderman and mayor of Leicester 1872-3. He died March 28 1878 aged 74 years. Author: Max Wade-Mathews.

~ John Fulleylove ~

Although John Fulleylove (1845-1908) trained as an architect in Leicester, he became a professional artist. He put on many shows in London culminating in a notable exhibition in 1896 of his pictures from a tour of Greece. He was elected a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour and of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters. As well as his paintings Fulleylove also illustrated several books for the publishers A and C Black such as Oxford (1889, The Mediterranean (1891), The Holy Land (1902) and Greece (1906). This entry provided by Max Wade-Matthews of Leicester Research.

~ Cyrus Gamble ~

1829-1902. In 1892 Cyrus Gamble, purchased a collection of music that had once belonged to E.W. Thomas, conductor of the Royal Opera House. When Mr Gamble's died his son discovered amongst the music Rule Britannia, a lost overture written by Richard Wagner in 1837. This important find, which was to be published in 1908, came to the attention of the humorous magazine Punch who remarked: "Mr Gamble, the discoverer of Wagner�s �Rule Britannia Overture,� has had to pay dearly for his good fortune. Every post brings him applications from bandsmen who have failed, asking him if he can discover their lost scores too!"

~ William Gardiner ~

His love of music had been with him since childhood having, at the age of six, sung a solo at the wedding of one of his father's friends. He learnt to play the piano and viola and in his early teens wrote, under the name Paxton, a hymn tune for the Great Meeting choir. In 1794 Leicester was the first town in England to hear the music of Beethoven when Gardiner, the Abbe Dobler and one of the Valentine family performed that composer's Violin Trio in E flat, three years before it was published in London. The proudest day of Gardiner's life was in August 1845 when he was present at the unveiling of the statue of Beethoven in Bonn. Introduced to the crowd as the man who had introduced the composer's music to England, he was invited to sign the parchment which recorded the date and facts of the inauguration which was to be soldered up in a lead box and deposited in the base of the statue. The only place on the document which would accommodate Gardiner's signature was under the names Victoria and Albert. Find out more at Leicester Research by clicking on the name above and then on "Leicester in 1834," and then on "Entertainment."

~ Samuel Ginns ~

One of the first memorial stones just inside the main Welford Road Cemetery gates is that of Samuel Ginns, one of the cemeteries first undertakers. Ginns was also the landlord of the Fleur de Lys which was situated at 37 Belgrave Gate. In early Victorian years, many poor people belonged to burial Clubs, which were, more often than not, organised by innkeepers. For the payment of a penny a week the club members were assured of a coffin and funeral. Ginns had been running such a club for some time, and when the new cemetery opened he began to devote more and more time to undertaking and less time to attending to his Inn. By 1851 he gave up the Fleur de Lys and devoted his whole time to the undertaking business. From reports in the Cemetery Committee Minutes, it would seem that he was not the World's best timekeeper, for his name is often mentioned in connection with his "want of punctuality." After his death, in April of 1869, his wife Ann took over the business. The concern remained in the family until the 1930s when it was merged with of Mr. Gutteridge. Ginns and Gutteridge is now the City's largest firm of undertakers with premises in Vaughan Way. From "Grave Matters" (page 6).

~ Catherine & Edith Gittins ~

In 1880 Edward Gittins, a corn merchant who lived with his family a few doors away (on Churchgate) in a big Georgian town house, owned No. 67 Churchgate (Granary Mews). Edward's eldest daughter, Catherine, was the Secretary of the local Kyrle Society; named after John Kyrle (1637-1724), an English philanthropist, the Society's aim was to better the lot of working people laying out parks and encouraging home decoration. Founded in 1877 the Society lasted nearly fifty years before being merged with the Leicester Civic Society. Catherine's sister, Edith, founded the Leicester Women's Liberal Association and was deeply involved with the women's suffrage movement. Both sisters were watercolour artists, teachers of drawing and members of the Leicester Sketch Club. Edith seems to have been the more talented of the two and had several of her works exhibited at the Royal Academy. Edith was also a Sunday school teacher at the nearby Great Meeting and in 1883, at that Sunday school's centenary, wrote a book outlining the history of the chapel. Catherine died in 1900 and Edith in 1910, both being buried with their parents in Welford Road Cemetery.

~ George Green ~

1816-1911. George Green was born in Market Harborough and was first apprenticed as a printer. However,he left this trade and started a corn business. In 1859 he came to Leicester and founded the company that was to become George Green & Sons Ltd (boot and shoe manufacturers). 1870 elected Liberal councillor for North St Margaret's ward. In 1894, when he was proposed for the office of Mayor, Alderman Thomas Windley said: "I have always admired the intense earnestness of Alderman Green's character, his zeal for service and his determination to only support such measures as he believed would minister to the public good." On his death the Leicester Chronicle wrote: "Mr Green carried into his public work a singleness of purpose, devotion to duty, unsparing industry and a large measure of practical foresight and intelligence which won him the confidence and admiration of his colleagues. He was a man of considerable intellectual force, had read widely and had developed a sound judgement and an enlightened view of the pressing problems of the day. He was a man of sterling integrity whose conduct was irreproachable, true and kindly, just and generous, who never closed his ears against any demand for justice, or cry for help." Author: Max-Wade-Matthews.

�~ Henry Harding ~

Henry Harding was appointed House Surgeon at the Leicester Infirmary in 1843. Engaged in treating patients suffering from typhoid, he contracted the disease which caused his death in November 1848. He had taken an interest in the Hospital museum and left 150 prepared specimens. Buried in St Margaret�s Churchyard, a memorial was placed in the Welford Road Cemetery the following year. Erected by the John O�Gaunt Lodge of the Freemasons, who paid five guineas for the site, the monument was to �perpetuate the recollection of the many virtues which adorned the character of Mr Harding and which gained for him the esteem of all who knew him.� The monument, which was built by Broadbent and Hailey of Millstone Lane, is now sadly deteriorating. From �Grave Matters� (page 14).�

~ Richard Harris ~

1777-1854. The main hosiery firm in Leicester in 1836 was that of Richard Harris & Co. Richard Harris began his working life as a printer's apprentice with the Leicester Herald. One evening, so the story goes, just before the newspaper was to be printed, young Richard knocked over some of the newly-set type, turning it into "pie." However, the publisher, Richard Phillips, who was to become Lord Mayor of London, was an ingenious man and, as there was no time to reset before the paper had to be printed in order to catch the stage, he ordered the printer to leave the type as it was. Above the nonsensical jumble of letters Phillips had printed words to the effect that just as the paper was going to press they had received an express from Holland and as there had been no time to translate the text, it was printed just as received in the "original Dutch." The translation, Phillips went on to say, would appear in the next issue - needless to say it never did. This entry courtesy of the Max Wade-Matthews Website - click on the name above to visit this site and learn more about Richard Harris and other notable characters from Leicester's colourful 19th Century period. Once there, click on "Leicester in 1834."

~ Robert Henry ~

Robert Wallace Henry MD was the son of the Rev Henry E Henry. He passed away on October 10 1931 Aged 63 years. For 36 years Dr Wallace Henry was ophthalmic surgeon in Leicester. He was the originator, founder and first President of the Union of Medical Practioners and of the Leicester and Rutland Public Medical Service. From 1914 to 1919 Dr Henry served as Registrar at the 5th Northern General Hospital, which was in the present Fielding Johnson Building of the University. Author: Max Wade-Matthews.

~ Edward Meadows & William Joyce ~

These two men were killed in the rail accident at Wellingborough on 2 september 1898. Meadows, of St. Saviors Road, was driving the 6:45 express from St. Pancras to Manchester, with Joyce, of Grove Road, as his fireman. The train was not due to stop at Wellingborough, and as it approached the station it was travelling at about 70 mph. On the station platform, two boys were playing with a luggage trolley. Suddenly it swung round and went over the edge of the platform onto the track. One of the by-standers, a postman named Smith, saw what had happened and jumpeddown to try and pull the trolley clear. However, it was too late. Meadows sensed that something was wrong and slackened speed but even so the train crashed into the trolley, carrying it to the end of the platform and then ploughing into an embankment. Several carriages were wrecked with many people injured, including six dead, amongst them, the two engine crew. At the funeral service in St, Savior�s Church, the Mayor, Arthur Wakerley, paid tribute to their bravery and Canon Stocks, who took the service, said that they were �faithful unto death, and did their duty to the very last�� The two memorials in Welford Road Cemetery were erected by the engineers and firemen of the Midland Railway. From �Grave Matters� (page 16). �

~ Thomas Moxom ~

A man very few people know about , he never achieved high office but nevertheless, was one of Leicester�s characters. Thomas Moxom ran a Ladies� Fashion Shop on the High Street. A frequent visitor to France, his shop always carried the very latest designs in ladies� clothing. In the early years of the �Reformed Council� he was one of only four Tory councillors against 38 Liberals. The two main topics which he constantly brought up at council meetings were the repurchase of the civic mayoral chain of office - sold at public auction in January 1836, and police uniforms. The town police had commenced operations in 1836, and the uniforms had always been purchased from the same company. Thomas Moxom, however, felt that the contract should go out to tender, From what little we know about him, he was a very likeable man and did not let his politics get in the way of friendships. He even seconded Richard Harris for the office of Mayor in 1843. This brought forth much laughter from the assembled councillors, for in the previous three years, he (Moxom) had apposed the elections of the Mayors on the grounds that they were all members of the Great Meeting [Unitarians]. Indeed, he once went as far as to refer to the Great Meeting as the �Mayors Nest.� Thomas Moxom died in October 1863. From �Grave Matters� (page 10). �

~ Henry Nicholson ~

One of the most prominent musician in nineteenth-century Leicester was Henry Nicholson (1825-1907). Nicholson was a virtuoso flautist and played in the first English performance of Mendelssohn�s Elijah at Birmingham Town Hall which was conducted by the composer. Nicholson used the opportunity to get the maestro to sign his flute case. This was the start of a life-long hobby, for he continued collecting many famous musician�s autographs including, on his visit to Leicester in 1903, that of the American "March King," John Philip Sousa. Sadly the case is now lost. The castellated monument over his grave was erected in his honour by the officers, NCOs and men of the Leicester Yeomanry. Henry, who had been their Bandmaster for over 40 years, had met the Duke of Rutland at Waterloo and, knowing of Nicholson's musical ability, the Duke had invited him to take over his band. Henry was also responsible for bringing some of the famous musicians of the day to Leicester, such as Paganini in 1833 and Franz Liszt in 1842.

~ Samuel Ptacek ~

Francis Ptacek, a member of the Prague Conservatoire, came to Leicester, on the invitation of Major Neal, whose wife was Czech, to take over the militia band in 1854. As well as his band and teaching commitments Ptacek also promoted concerts of popular music in the New Hall. He was also a composer and wrote such pieces as the overture Glengarrif and Sounds from Charnwood, a waltz that included the song �Old John of Bradgate Park�, which he dedicated to Mrs Thomas T. Paget. He also found time to be organist of St George's church. In December 1867 the people of Leicester showed their esteem of Ptacek by giving him a benefit concert in the Temperance Hall. During the evening he was presented with a purse, made by Mrs Neal, containing 150 guineas �as an acknowledgement of twelve years� work in cultivating the musical taste of the town�. The 200 performers included his band and the New Orpheus Society, of which he was conductor. Francis Ptacek was also the Music critic of The Bee, a local weekly sports and entertainment magazine. It was in this publication that, in 1882, Ptacek stated that he thought Leicester should be able to support a band of about thirty to play every day in the newly-opened Abbey Park. The expenses of such a band, he contended, could be met by the sale of programmes and a subscription list. The band, Ptacek believed, could be run on the same lines as the Militia band with the Mayor being considered the Colonel and the Aldermen and Councillors the majors and captains. An idea which, needless to say, never caught on. The news of Ptacek's death was received with great sadness in Leicester, especially as it was so unexpected. He had gone to Kent to spend Christmas with his friend Herr Sawerthal, Bandmaster of the Royal Engineers and, as he was preparing to come home, he suffered a fatal heart attack. Author: Max Wade-Matthews.

~ Clement Stretton JP ~

Clement Stretton JP Late alderman and Mayor of Leicester 1878-1879 Died at Glen Magna 18 May 1891 aged 64 years. In 1868 Clement Stretton was head of a firm of solicitors based at 27 Belvoir Street, a practice he started in 1850. In 1868 he was elected a councillor for West St Mary's ward and in 1877 served the town as Mayor. Clement Stretton spoke out against compulsory vaccination and refused to sit on the bench when any cases came up under the Vaccination Act. He died at his home in Great Glen. Also in the same plot is his son Clement Edwin Stretton, a Victorian era engineer, and an authority and author on the design of steam locomotives.

~ Louisa Upton ~

Appointed Matron of Leicester Infirmary in April 1854, Louisa Upton had come with recommendations from the Nottingham General Hospital where she had been in charge of the dietary and general management. She took office at Leicester Infirmary when moral was very low; the House Surgeon was ill and the doctors were in constant dispute with the management. Such was her effect that she soon proved to be the oil on troubled waters. In May 1859, she announced her intention of applying for the post of Matron at the Lunatic Asylum. When the Infirmary Board heard about her intentions, they instantly offered her a �10 rise. This she accepted. Sadly she did not live long enough to enjoy the extra money, dying the following September. After her death, a subscription was mounted and a memorial erected with the proceeds. The memorial includes a �broken column� - the symbol of a life cut short. From �Grave Matters� (page 15). �

~ David Vaughan ~

Educated at Rugby and Trinity College Cambridge, in 1852 David translated Plato�s Republic with scholarly notes. He returned to Leicester in 1855 but three years later took the incumbency of Whitechapel, a post he held until 1860 when he was appointed Vicar of St Martin's and Master of Wyggeston�s Hospital. In 1872 he was offered the living of Battersea, worth �1,200 a year, however, he turned it down preferring to remain at Leicester where he was receiving only �140 a year. Today he is mainly remembered in Leicester for his work in adult education, being the founder of the Leicester Working Man�s College which evolved into the present Vaughan College, the Adult Education Centre of Leicester University. David Vaughan died in 1905 and is buried in Welford Road Cemetery. This entry provided by Max Wade-Matthews of Leicester Research.

~ Arthur Wakerley ~

Born in Melton Mowbray in May of 1862, Councillor Arthur Wakerley was articled to the Leicester architect James Bird... to be continued. As an architect he was responsible for many buildings which can still be seen, such as the �Turkey Caf� on Gramby Street; the �Singer Building� in the High Street; The Public Halls in Belgrave, Evington and Knighton; and for most of the development of the North Evington District. He also designed Leicester�s first council houses, built just after World War I. In 1886 he was elected to the Town Council and in 1897 served as Mayor, the youngest to do so since 1835. His year of office was marked by the Whitwick Colliery disaster, which claimed 35 lives. Outside politics, Wakerley was an enthusiastic Wesleyan preacher and ardent temperance worker. His other interests included poetry and archaeology. He never really recovered from the loss of his only son, Arthur, who was killed in action near Lens, in June 1917. Arthur Wakerley died in April of 1931. From "Grave Matters" (page 8).

~ Thomas Windley ~

Thomas Windley (1835-1933). Justice of the Peace, Alderman of the Borough and Mayor. In 1900-01, Thomas Windley joined the Council as a representative for Spinney Hill Ward. He served as Chairman of the Sanitary Committee and was responsible for closing many of the cesspools in the town as well as advocating byelaws for compulsory registration of infectious diseases and effective isolation. Thomas Windley was also the editor of the Midland Free Press, which he founded in 1862. He was also involved in helping young people, serving as a governor of the Wyggeston Hospital Schools and as a Sunday School teacher at Archdeacon Lane chapel. Author: Max Wade-Matthews.

~ James Windram ~

One of the most unusual sales that James Windram conducted was that of selling the Corporation Plate in 1836. The new Reform Council had just been elected and one of their first actions was to rid themselves of all signs of the corrupt ways of the old Tory Corporation and to this end they decided to sell off all the "paraphernalia and appurtenances which symbolized the dignity and extravagance of the old order." Commencing on Wednesday 27 January at 10 o'clock "to the minute" the sale took place in a crowded Guildhall. Examples of items that went under the hammer included a silver cup and cover, which had been presented to the Corporation by Sir Nathan Wright who had been Borough Recorder in 1680. This cup was purchased by one-time mayor James Rawson for twenty guineas. A tobacco box, which had been presented by George Bent, mayor in 1681 and founder of Bent's Hospital, was sold for eleven pounds thirteen shillings and fourpence. The three silver waits' collars were knocked down to William Derbyshire, a silversmith of Gallowtree Gate, for five pounds and fourteen shillings. The most historic of all the items sold was the large silver topped mace which had been purchased for �24.6s.6d to replace the one stolen by the king's troops in 1645. This "gilded bauble" was sold, amidst considerable excitement and some laughter, for �85 to Mrs Laughton, the landlady of the George III Inn, Wharf Street. Local tradition has it that Mrs Laughton, who was well known in the town for her staunch conservative principles, walked home preceded by the mace, carried by the erstwhile mace-bearer. If we can believe the story the mace also preceded the worthy lady to church on Sundays! James Windram died November 29 1861 aged 66 years. Author: Max Wade-Matthews.

~ John Winterton ~

A veteran of the Battle of Waterloo, where he lost a leg, John Winterton had enlisted in the 95th Foot, serving for four years and two month. Born in 1796, he lived to the age of 74. Landlord of the �Admiral Duncan,� Fleet Street, he died a fairly wealthy man. The inscription on his grave stone at Welford Road Cemetery reads: �He was severely wounded at the Battle of Waterloo and after lying three days and two nights on the field had his left leg amputated at Brussels

~ Edward Wood ~

Born in Derby in 1839, Edward Wood�s family moved to Leicester when he was eleven ears old. He had held several jobs before becoming apprenticed to William Baines, a hosier and outfitter, in the Market Place. In the early 1860s he joined the firm of Pickering & Statham, a small boot and shoe manufacturing business in Marble Street. However, it was not long before he set himself up in business, as a boot and shoe maker under the name of E. Woods & Co. In 1878 he sold the business to three of his partners; three men whose names are now household names: Freemen, Hardy and Willis. Wood stayed on as Chairman and Managing Director until his retirement in 1913, during which time the business rapidly expanded with outlets all over the country, from 40 in 1881 to over 800 in 1926. In politics Wood was a Liberal and was first elected to the Council in 1880, becoming an Alderman six years later. During his time on the Council, he served in the office of Mayor no less than four times. A philanthropist, he spent much of his time and money in the service of Leicester and its citizens. His one earnest desire was to serve the community, especially the Infirmary, of which institution he was the Chairman of the Board of Governors for many years. Founder of the Leicestershire Hospital Saturday Service, in 1906 he was knighted by King Edward VII for services to his fellow man. Sir Edward died in September 1917. From �Grave Matters� by Max Wade-Matthews.

~ Thomas Wright ~

Thomas Wright, who was born in Northampton, was a solicitor and head of the firm Thomas Wright & Son. He was elected to the council in 1879 for East St Mary's Ward. In 1885 he was High Bailiff of the County and in 1887 and 1891 served the town twice in the office of Mayor (1887-88, 1891-92). He was the founder of the Children's Hospital in Leicester and was knighted in 1893. Thomas Wright was also instrumental in establishing the Technical and Arts Schools of which he laid the foundation stone. He was president of the Leicester Rifle Club and the Leicestershire Club. He died at his home, the Hollies, Stoneygate and was cremated at Gilroes and the ashes deposited here in Welford Road Cemetery. Sir Thomas Wright JP was born February 15 1838 an died August 5 1905.

Section Four

 ~ ~ ~ ~ Dissenters, Martyrs, Reformers, Preachers & Secularists� ~ ~ ~ ~ 

The strong Free-Church/Puritan/Quaker/Non-conformist heritage of the Leicestershire area�

is evident in the lives of the people in this sub-section of the historical section above;�

indeed, Leicester at one time was proud to call itself "The Metropolis of Dissent."

Click on the name for additional information

~ W. H. Anderton ~

There were notable men among the Anglican clergy in Leicester. Men such as Canon Vaughan, the Vicar of St Martin's, a Liberal Broad Churchman, and that, on the whole, was the kind of Anglican clergyman that Leicester liked. High Churchmen were not common. One of the few there was at the time of the Oxford Movement, W. H. Anderdon, was Vicar of St Margaret's for four years - an energetic parish priest, who took his duties to the poor very seriously. But in 1850 he horrified the town by becoming a Roman Catholic, resigned his living, and departed Leicester. From The book "Life in Victorian Leicester" by Jack Simmons.

~ William Bentney ~

An English Jesuit priest born in Cheshire, 1609; died October, 1692. He entered the Society of Jesus September, 1630, was sent to the English missions in 1640, and labored there with great zeal and success for forty-two years. He was then arrested, at the instigation of a nobleman to whose sisters he was administering the sacraments, and was taken to the Leicester Gaol. No one in those parts being willing to bear witness against him, Bentney was at once transferred to Derby, where he was tried and sentenced to death at the spring assizes of 1682. His execution was delayed for unknown reasons, and on the accession of James II he was released. He was rearrested, however, tried and condemned after the Revolution, but the sentence remained suspended, and in 1692 he died in Leicester Gaol.

~ Charles Booth ~

The village of Thringstone, Leicestershire has a special claim to fame in its association with the Rt Hon Charles Booth PC (1840 - 1916) of Gracedieu Manor, the great philanthropist and pioneer of social research, whose tomb and beautiful epitaph can be found on the north side of Saint Andrews churchyard. Mr. Booth was a shipping line owner whose revolutionary inquiry into the conditions of the London working class and tireless campaign for the introduction of old age pensions helped lay the foundations of the modern welfare state. He was born at Liverpool on 30 March 1840, the third son of Charles Booth and Emily Fletcher. Charles Booth Snr was a wealthy corn merchant who, in 1860, left to each of his five children the sum of �20,000. In 1862, the young Charles combined his fortune with that of his eldest brother Alfred, investing it in the construction of two steamships, the Augustine and the Jerome, with the aim of building up a fleet to carry merchandise to and fro across the Atlantic. In 1871, Charles married Mary Macaulay of London, one of the distinguished Macaulay family, whose grandfather, Zachary, had been instrumental in bringing about the abolition of slavery and whose uncle was the great historian, Lord Thomas Babbington Macaulay. With a station in life so far removed from the perspectives of the working poor, one might wonder just how it was that Booth came to divert so much of his energy and resources into the arena of social questions and, moreover, how this giant figure came to be buried within the humble confines of Thringstone churchyard.�

~ William Bradford ~

(1663�1752)� Pioneer printer in the American colonies. Born in Bramwell, Leicestershire, he served an apprenticeship under a London printer before emigrating in 1685 to Philadelphia, where he set up the first press. He was one of the founders of the first paper mills in the colonies. Although he was a Quaker himself, he was arrested for printing a pamphlet critical of the Quaker government, his trial, at which no verdict was reached, was probably the first in the U.S. involving freedom of the press. On October 16, 1725, he began the first newspaper in New York City, and the fifth in America, the New York Gazette. "Here lies the body of Mr. William Bradford."� No not there - here --> [link].�

~ William Carey ~

(1761-1834) Preached at the Friar Lane Baptist Chapel, Leicester. He was sent by that church to India where he became a lifelong missionary to the Indian people. He was also an educator whose mission at Serampur set the pattern for modern missionary work. He has been called the "father of Bengali prose" for his grammars, dictionaries, and translations. There is (or was) a street or lane in Leicester named after William Carey where he lived and worked as a shoe maker. Motto: "Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God."�Carey's Cottage was for a long time looked after by the Leicester Baptist community; however, eventually the bulldozer won out and the cottage fell to make way for 'progress.' Update: Carey's house was on the site of the present Holiday Inn opposite the Jewry Wall. "The Romans built the Jewry Wall and we built the Holiday Inn." �Now there's progress. There is plaque to Carey's memory in the garden of the Costume Museum in Applegate. For more information and additional resources on this great man, click on the link above. New: Information and links to "The William Carey Museum," Central Baptist Church, Leicester.

~ John Clifford ~

(1836-1923). Evangelical Baptist minister and social reformer active in the British labour movement. He was the first president of the Baptist World Alliance. Clifford began work in a lace factory at the age of 10. In 1855 he was sent to the General Baptist Academy in Leicester, and in 1858 he became minister of Praed Street Chapel, Paddington. By 1877 the growth of his congregation required a new chapel to be opened at Westbourne Park. President of the Baptist Union from 1888, he was prominent for his defense of the Union from charges of heresy brought by C.H. Spurgeon, an influential preacher who opposed modern biblical criticism. Clifford also took the lead in helping unite the General Baptists of the New Connection with the Union in 1891, and in 1898 he became president of the National Free Church Council. His concern for social reform caused him to associate with the radical wing of the Liberal Party and with leaders in the Labour Party, including James Keir Hardie (1865-1915). For his advocacy of passive resistance to the Education Act of 1902, which required public funds to support denominational schools, Clifford became a national figure and several times suffered confiscation of his personal belongings. From 1905 to 1911 he served as the first president of the Baptist World Alliance. Among his writings are The English Baptists (1881), The Christian Certainties (1893), and The Ultimate Problems of Christianity (1906). - Encylcopedia Britannica

~ Chapman Cohen ~

Whereas Leicester does indeed have a rich connection with the non-conformists and dissenter movements, it also has a strong connection with the secular movement as well. Chapman Cohen was one such secularist who was born of Jewish parentage in September of 1868 at Leicester. His formal educational training was slight, but he read persistently on his own initiative, particularly in the field of philosophy. Largely through his philosophical studies, he developed views compatible with Secularism, and in 1889 began to lecture in the Secular Movement. Beginning in 1895, he was elected each year as a Vice-President of the National Secular Society. Early in his career as a Secularist he was recognized as Foote's chief colleague, and his election to succeed Foote as President of the National Secular Society came in fulfillment of a general expectation. [Chapman Cohen, "Almost an Autobiography" (1940), pp. 26-123; "Truth Seeker," March, 1895; "Cohen, Chapman," "Biographical Dictionary of Modern Rationalists" (1920), by Joseph McCabe; J.M. Robertson, "A History of Freethought in the 19th Century" (1930), II, 590; "Freethinker," October 23, 1892, to April 23, 1936, passim.] Inasmuch as the administrations of Foote and Cohen had much in common, the history of the Secular Movement in the period extending from 1890 to 1946 may conveniently be surveyed as a unit; and since Foote and Cohen, each in his day, were the outstanding leaders of the Movement, the period may fittingly be designated as the Foote-Cohen era.�

~ Joseph Dare ~

Joseph Dare was born at Titchfield, Hampshire, in 1800. He was one of two pairs of twins in addition to twelve other children. His mother, Hannah Isaacs, was Jewish, whilst his father, Thomas Dare, came from traditional rural stock, his father having been a miller at Bramshott. The family moved to Hinckley, Leicestershire, whilst Joseph was still young and became attached to the Unitarian congregation there. Only scanty information regarding Joseph's education survives, but it seems probable that it was elementary and received locally. Family tradition speaks of Joseph sacrificing higher learning in order to enable three of his brothers to emigrate to America. Joseph's parents and five of their children joined them in 1841. What is clear, however, is that Joseph loved reading and writing. Throughout his life he wrote poetry, and a book of his verse, The Garland of Gratitude, was published in 1849. In 1830, Joseph married a local girl, Mary Collington. They were to have nine children, though the two eldest daughters both died of fever in 1836. Joseph became a respected member of the Hinckley community as secretary of the Widows and Orphans Society, the Horticultural Society, and other voluntary bodies, in addition to running a boys' school in a room attached to the Unitarian chapel. He also acquired a reputation as an efficient accountant. In 1845, the Unitarian congregation of the Great Meeting Chapel on East Bond Street, Leicester, was about to establish a Domestic Mission in the town, and required a missionary to work amongst the town's poor. Joseph's reputation was well known to one of the leading figures in the congregation, Thomas Paget, the surgeon, and he was accordingly offered the position at a salary of �75 per annum. He accepted and the family took up residence in a house belonging to the Great Meeting, at 122 Churchgate, almost directly opposite St Margaret's Church. Joseph remained in the position of domestic missionary till 1876, when ill-health forced his retirement. He died in 1883. Continued - just click on the name above.

~ Phillip Doderidge ~

Phillip Doderidge, hymn writer and non conformist theologian, preached his first sermon from the "egg cup" pulpit at Hinckley's Great Meeting Chapel in Baines Lane, whilst also connected with Baines Lane was Joseph Dare, teacher, domestic missionary, poet and social worker, who had a great influence on social improvement in the county.�

~ George Fox ~

Born in Leicestershire in 1624. He initiated the gathering of the people known as the "Quakers" and later know as "The Society of Friends." In 1650 he was imprisoned for blasphemy at Derby, a place where the name Quakers was first applied derogatorily to him and his followers. Supposedly because he "enjoined Judge Bennet to quake at the word of the Lord," and because in their (the Quakers) earnestness they "bade him tremble." George Fox descended of honest parents, who endeavoured to bring him up, as they did the rest of their children, in the way and worship of the nation (C of E). But from an early age he appeared of another frame of mind than the rest of his brethren. He was more religious, inward, and observing, beyond his years, and the answers he would give, and the questions he would ask, astonished� those that heard him - especially in divine things. He refused childish and vain sports and the company of other youngsters. This link (above) will take you to a massive article on Gearge Fox.

~ Josiah Gimson ~

In the mid eighteen-hundreds a small body of secularists emerged in Leicester, including a contingent of working men who stubbornly refused to be fooled or compelled (as they might have put it) into an allegiance to Christianity. The group found an influential leader in Josiah Gimson. He was a wealthy Leicester industrialist, whose family had Quaker affiliations; he stood consistently for the utmost freedom of discussion, and this cause was one to which he gave his heart. The Leiester Secular Society, formed in 1853, pegged away at its task on a small scale, issuing pamphlets with such titles as "What Atheism Can Say For Itself." Though unorthodox and therefore unpopular - with strenuous churchmen like Canon Vaughan, with the conventionally-minded of all classes - the Secularists were in no sense revolutionaries. If they held a dinner in 1877 to celebrate the centenary of Tom Paine's birth, they found themselves ending up the evening by drinking the health of the Mayor and Corporation of Leicester. Their energies in these years were directed chiefly towards the building of their own meeting place. This they achieved in 1881, when their Secular Hall was opened in Humberstone Gate, in the presence of such stalwart supporters of the cause as Mrs. Annie Besant and Charles Bradlaugh. The Hall became a favourite place of assembly for the Socialists as well as the freethinkers. Nearly all their famous leaders spoke there -William Morris, Hyndman, Kropotkin, most of the Fabians. The Hall survives today little changed, its front still adorned with terra cotta busts of Soc rates, Jesus Christ, and Voltaire, a striking memorial of the Victorian challenge to organized religion. But ideas of that sort could appeal only to intellectuals - whether they were educated or not; and they were at all times a tiny minority. From The book "Life in Victorian Leicester" by Jack Simmons.

~ Reginald Ginns ~

Reginald Ginns OP (Order of Preachers - Dominican) A member of the community of St Albert The Great Priory (Edinburgh) since 1956. Born at Hinckley in 1893, he was at Hawkesyard School 1907-1912. joined the Order in 1912. Studied at the Ecole Biblique, Jerusalem, 1921-23. Then he returned to Hawkesyard, where he taught until 1938, being student master 1928-33 and lector primarius 1935-38. In 1932, during Master General Gillet's visitation, he took the examination for STM at Hawkesyard, and was awarded the STM in 1936. He was prior of the Roman Catholic Church of the Annunciation in Woodchester (Cotswalds) 1938-41, after which he served as a chaplain in the RAF. After the war he returned to Woodchester, and then to Hawkesyard, where he resumed teaching and become lector primarius again in 1948, until near the end of 1950. After a few years in London, in 1954 he was appointed novice master at Woodchester, but in 1956 he was relieved of this position, and shortly afterwards he went to Edinburgh. In 1959 he was appointed chaplain to the nuns at Stone, and he remained in Stone until his death in 1987.

~ Robert Hall ~

Robert Hall, a Baptist preacher at Harvey Lane chapel, was born at Arnsby and went to school at Wigston. Robert's thirst for knowledge was such that his teacher had to ask his father to removal his son from the school as he could not keep pace with his pupil. In 1785, after studying at Aberdeen University, Robert Hall moved to Bristol and, in 1790, to Cambridge. He returned to his native county in 1808 to take over as pastor of Harvey Lane chapel. He was an evangelical preacher who rebelled against the Calvinist doctrine that held that only the predetirmined elect could achieve salvation. Such was his great power and intellect that people would come from as far away as London just to hear him speak. In 1826 he returned to Bristol where he died five years later. The statue to Robert Hall (on De Montfort Street) is by John Birnie Philip, who had worked on the Albert Memorial in London, was inaugurated in November 1871. It is of white Sicilian Marble and stands nine feet high on a twelve feet high pedestal of Cornish granite. The monument represents Hall, a preacher at Harvey Lane, with his left hand on a book inscribed The Word, the forefinger thrust between the pages. The right hand is raised in the act of speaking. He is wearing a coat, knee breeches and silk hose. The statue, which is simply inscribed Robert Hall, cost �1077. This entry taken from Max Wade-Matthews CD: "A Virtual Stroll Through Leicester."

~ Thomas Hardy ~

No, not 'the' Thomas Hardy, but Thomas Hardy Calvinist Preacher (1790-1833). It is not difficult to spot Thomas Hardy's headstone in Kirby Muxloe churchyard. Situated on the right of the porch, it bears the longest inscription in the churchyard. Several hundred people from outside the parish crowded into the small church and spilled out into the church yard to attend his funeral and even after his death he leaves us with a devout message (or mini sermon) on his tombstone. He was born in a simple cottage on Blood Hill wastes, the fifth child in a family of thirteen. His parents were impoverished stocking weavers and hence they could only afford to own two books, the Bible and The Whole Duty of Man. Thomas Hardy studied, often late at night after working all day to help with the family's income, these two books until he knew them almost by heart. By the age of fifteen he was holding theological discussions with the curate at Kirby Church and acting as school master for the children of Kirby and surrounding villages. His faith led him away from the established church and he started preaching in Leicester. His congregations grew and they longed for a place of their own so in April 1818 they arranged to build, in such a fashion that in case of failure the building could be converted into 3 domestic houses, a chapel. Thus the Zoar Chapel, in York Street, was opened by Thomas Hardy on 13 September 1818. He was also an itinerant preacher with commitments in Deal (Kent) where he spent one month out of every six. He preached in London, South East England and across the East Midlands. Although in 1823 his friends bought him a Welsh pony to make his journeys easier, he preferred for health reasons to walk, often walking as much as 100 miles in a week. For really long journeys he used coach... From Thomas Hardy Calvinist Preacher, 1790-1833 (Kirby Muxloe website). For the rest of this entry, please click on the name above.

~ Richard Harris ~

1812-1874. Richard Harris, with his brother John, was apprenticed to his father's hosiery business, which in time became known as Messrs Harris & Sons and was largely responsible for the development of the fancy hosiery trade in Leicester. Richard Harris was admitted a Freeman of the Borough in 1833, and in 1841 he joined his father on the council, as a member for St Mary's West. Thirteen years later, in 1854, he was elected Leicester's Mayor. Like his father, he was a zealous dissenter and as such was the main contributor to the erection of Victoria Road Church. For seventeen years he was one of the Justices of the Peace for the Borough of Leicester. He was elected to the Town Council in 1841 and was made Mayor in 1854 the latter office he continued to hold till hid resignation of it in 1873: Thus serving his native town for upwards of thirty years. He died May 3 1874 aged 62. Author: Max Wade-Matthews.

~ Sir Arthur Hesilrige ~

Sir Arthur was a friend of Cromwell and a general in the Parliamentary Army. After his father Thomas died in 1629 Arthur was brought up by John Pym, under whose influence he became a staunch Puritan opposed to the ecclesiastical policy of Archbishop Laud. Elected MP for the County of Leicester in 1640, his opponent in the second election of that year, Sir Richard Halford of Wistow Hall was sent to the Tower for Breach of Privilege when he referred to Sir Arthur as a man with "more will than wit." A promoter of the "Root and Branch Bill" which called for the extirpation of the bishops. On 3 January 1642, he was one of five MPs who escaped when King Charles entered Parliament demanding the arrest of the five as traitors. The following June he was active in Leicestershire executing the Parliamentary Commission of Array by raising a troop of horse that was incorporated into the army led by Essex. On 5 July 1643, he led his newly formed regiment of London Cavalry "The Lobsters" into the Battle of Lansdown where he was wounded. This entry and the article (follow the link) courtesy of Max Wade-Matthews.

~ Francis Higginson ~

Francis Higginson (1586�1630) American colonial clergyman, born in Claybrooke, Leicestershire, England, M.A. Cambridge, 1613. Admitted (1614) to the ministry of the Church of England, but became very critical of the Church of England and later became a nonconformist. In 1629 he joined with other Puritans and sailed on one of five vessels, which included the Mayflower, with a group of 200 settlers for Salem, Mass. His journal of the first months at Salem was sent back to England and printed with the title New-England's Plantation (1630). Elected minister of the settlement, he drew up a confession of faith and a covenant that were adopted. He soon died as a result of hardships suffered the first winter.

~ Thomas Hooker ~

Born in Markfield, Leicestershire, England in 1586; died in Hartford Connecticut, July 7th, 1647; known as �The Father of American Democracy.� He attended Cambridge University and was converted and ordained as an Anglican Minister.  After preaching briefly in the parish of Esher in Surrey, Hooker about 1626 became lecturer to the Church of St. Mary at Chelmsford, Essex, where he delivered fervent evangelical addresses.  Such church lectureships, an innovation of Puritanism, came under attack in 1629, and in 1630 Hooker was cited to appear before the Court of High Commission. He fled to Holland, forfeiting his bond.  In 1633 he emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony, where he was pastor at New Towne (now Cambridge). He became the pastor of a company of Puritans who had arrived from England the previous year; in expectation of his joining them, they had been called Mr. Hooker's Company.  But Hooker and his supporters became restive.  Discontented with the strict theological rule in Massachusetts, he argued with the Boston church leader John Cotton and left with a group of settlers to found Hartford in 1636.  In 1639 he was one of the drafters of the �Fundamental Orders� under which Connecticut was long governed.  He also promoted a plan for the �New England Confederation,� and is know as the founder of Hartford.  Thomas Hooker is buried in the Hartford Ancient Burying Ground.

~ John King ~

He was Born in Leicestershire in 1746 and educated at Oxford University and at the London Medical College where he obtained his medical degree. While in London he met John Wesley and was converted to Methodism; however, the rest of his family were true to the Church of England and after a bitter disagreement with his father, Joel King, John set sail for America in 1769 at 23 years of age. Fearless and eloquent, he rose from this humble beginning to become one of the foremost pioneer preachers in America. He settled in North Carolina where he was called the "Father of Methodism" in that state. He was also one of the original council of ten that composed the First Methodist Conference in America, in St. George's Chapel, Philadelphia, July, 1773.

~ Henry Knighton ~

A fourteenth-century chronicler. Nothing is known of his career except that he was a canon of St. Mary's, Leicester, and that he was present when Edward III visited Leicester Abbey in 1363. His chronicle was first published by Twysden in "Historiae Anglicanae scriptores decem" (1652); a critical edition by Lumby in the Rolls Series contains an exhaustive study of the only two manuscripts which have survived. Both are now in the British Museum. This work consists of five books and covers the history of England from the accession of Edgar in 959 to the year 1366, in which it abruptly ends. The sudden conclusion suggests that the writer died in or about that year, though from an earlier passage in the work we know that he was threatened with blindness, so that he may have been forced to desist through loss of sight... Continued at the Catholic Encyclopedia site: Handbook of Christian Apologetics - just click on the name above.

~ Hugh Latimer ~

(1485-1555) English prelate, reformer, and Protestant martyr, born in Thurcaston, Leicestershire. He was educated and ordained at the University of Cambridge, where he actively supported the principles of the Reformation. In the political and ecclesiastical controversy attendant on the divorce of Henry VIII, king of England, from Catherine of Arag�n, Latimer supported Henry. He was made royal chaplain in 1530 and was consecrated bishop of Worcester in 1535. He resigned four years later, however, because he could not accept Henry's Act of Six Articles, which severely restricted Protestantism. Latimer was imprisoned, but on the accession of Edward VI to the English throne, he was released and restored to favor at court. Shortly after Mary Tudor became queen, Latimer was condemned for heresy and, with the English Protestant prelate Nicholas Ridley, he was burned at the stake in Oxford. His famous quote, made to Nicholas Ridley, on that day: "...we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England as I trust shall never be put out."

~ James Mason ~

No, not the actor... At the close of the Victorian Age there was another more striking, High Churchman (see W. H. Anderton): the Rev. James Mason, who for forty years was Vicar of St Paul's (the remarkable French Gothic church that rises up above King Richard's Road). He was a famous and impressive figure - 6ft. 3in. tall, with a luxuriant beard; the target of repeated attacks from Low Churchmen and Nonconformists for his ritualistic practices. Much beloved by working men; he was so highly respected that in 1895 he was asked by all parties to act as arbitrator in a serious dispute in the shoe industry, and succeeded in averting a strike. In the last epidemic of smallpox in the town he worked on among the sick and dying, doing things that no one else would do, for fear of infection. If the Anglican church had its shortcomings, it had reason to be proud of such a priest. But still, he was an eccentric - the least characteristic of all Leicester's ministers of religion. The men who fitted most easily and happily into the life of the town were moderates, whether they were Anglicans or Nonconformists. From The book "Life in Victorian Leicester" by Jack Simmons.

~ Edward Miall ~

There were some notable men among the ministers of these chapels and churches. Of the Nonconformists, the most eminent stayed in Leicester only a short time, though it was an important stage in his career. This was Edward Miall, Minister of the Bond Street Independent Chapel. It was in Leicester that he took his vow to devote his life to compassing the disestablishment of the, Church of England, and it was from Leicester as a base that he laid his plans for establishing the Nonconformist newspaper. When they were fulfilled in 1841, and the paper was set up with himself as editor, he left the town; his subsequent life belongs to national rather than local history. Miall was persuaded to become the editor of the Nonconformist by another Leicester minister, James Mursell, who presided over the chapel in Harvey Lane (once William Carey's chapel) until 1845, when he and his congregation migrated to the new chapel in Belvolr Street -.Joseph Hansom's Pork-Pie Chapel, that is, which we know today as the Adult Education Centre. From The book "Life in Victorian Leicester" by Jack Simmons.

~ James Phillippo Mursell ~

James Mursell was the minister of the Belvoir Street Particular Baptist Church in succession to Robert Hall, the renown preacher of the early nineteenth century, whose statue stands in De Montfort Square. Mursell had a great social concern for the working man and was an ardent supporter of the Chartist Movement. President of the Baptist Union in 1884, he strongly advocated the removal of the barriers between the General and Particular Baptists. He was also a strong advocate of the disestablishment of the Church of England. In 1869 he mounted a subscription to raise a statue to Robert Hall, which was unveiled in De Montfort Square in 1870. All in all he ministered in the Town for fifty years, during which time he married three times. His first wife, Elizabeth died in 1835 on the birth of their daughter, who did not live long enough to be named. His second wife, Ann, died in 1855 and his third, Anna, 28 years his junior, survived him by 23 years, dying at Malvern aged 81. Mursell had distinguished himself in 1837 by his efforts to secure financial support for the Proprietary School, the Nonconformists' answer to the Anglican Collegiate School in Prebend Street. As his son put it, he "spent over a year stumping the country like a restless Don Quixote," riding a little beast known as Cockshaw's Pony. "Lest the whole population should go bodily to Rome via the Collegiate School." He was a staunch political Radical, one of the few prominent middle-class men in Leicester who declared his sympathy with the Chartists, an honest, respectable, consistent Nonconformist, in every sense of the termMuch missed by the dissenters of the town, James Mursell died in 1885 and was buried at Welford Road Cemetery.� From (in part) the book "Grave Matters" by Leicester author Max Wade-Matthews and "Life in Victorian Leicester" by Jack Simmons.

~ James Carey Pike ~

Born in Derby in 1817, James' father was a Baptist minister who had founded the General Baptist Missionary Society the year before James' birth. At an early age James entered the Baptist Church College at Stepney in London, and at the age of 21 was sent to Wisbech where he ministered until the death of his wife in 1851. The following year he came to Leicester and took over the ministry of Friar Lane Chapel. On the death of his Father in 1855, he took over the secretaryship of the Baptist Missionary Society. In 1873 he became very ill and his health gradually declined until his death at his Fosse Road home in August 1876. James Carey Pike was buried in Welford Road Cemetery.� From the book "Grave Matters" by Leicester author Max Wade-Matthews.

~ Thomas Simpson ~

Thomas Simpson was born in Leicestershire in August of 1710, and died in May of 1761. His father was a weaver and he owed his education to his own efforts. His mathematical interests were first aroused by the solar eclipse which took place in 1724, and with the aid of a fortune-telling pedlar he mastered Cocker's Arithmetic and the elements of algebra. He then gave up his weaving and became an usher at a school, and by constant and laborious efforts improved his mathematical education, so that by 1735 he was able to solve several questions which had been recently proposed and which involved the infinitesimal calculus. He next moved to London, and in 1743 was appointed professor of mathematics at Woolwich, a post which he continued to occupy till his death. The works published by Simpson prove him to have been a man of extraordinary natural genius and extreme industry. The most important of them are his Fluxions, 1737 and 1750, with numerous applications to physics and astronomy; his Laws of Chance and his Essays, 1740; his theory of Annuities and Reversions, with tables of the value of lives, 1742; his Dissertations, 1743, in which the figure of the earth, the force of attraction at the surface of a nearly spherical body, the theory of the tides, and the law of astronomical refraction are discussed.

~ Edward Taylor ~

Edward Taylor (1642-1729) was a New England Puritan. He was born in Leicestershire and became a school teacher with Puritan sympathies. After the Great Ejection, Taylor left England, studied divinity at Harvard, and eventually became minister of Westfield, Massachusetts. Taylor was a colleague of Increase Mather and Charles Chauncey, and corresponded with Richard Baxter and other divines in England. He carried on a long-running controversy with Solomon Stoddard over the Lord's Supper. "Here is Reformed theology in beautiful dress. The reader who loves Puritan sermons should welcome a chance to dive into this feast of Puritan poetry. They have been minimally edited, but do not be put off by the old spelling or unfamiliar words. Here is great literature that will repay slow examination, or even better, reading aloud."

~ Anthony Turner ~

Martyr of England. The son of a Protestant minister, he was born in Leicestershire and educated at Cambridge. A convert to Catholicism, Anthony went to Rome and joined the Jesuits in Flanders and was ordained in 1661. He returned to England and labored in Worcester until he was arrested in the so-called "Titus Oates affair." Convicted on perjured evidence, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn on June 20, 1679. Anthony was beatified in 1929.

~ Susanna Watts ~

Susanna Watts (1768-1842) was descended from John Watts who had rebuilt Danet�s Hall in the early 1700s. The family had, however, fallen on hard times and when her father died, when she was but 15 years old, there was hardly enough money left to support her and her mother. They moved to a smaller house in Belgrave Gate where Susanna taught herself French and Italian, earning money by translating classical works including the Telemachus in verse and Tasso�s Jerusalem, a work 0n which she was engaged when she died. In 1804 she compiled Leicester�s first guide book, "A Walk Through Leicester." The book was published without the author's name and it was not until thirty years later that the identity of the writer became known. Miss Watts was keenly aware of social issues. As well as being prominent in the anti-slavery movement, she also founded (in 1828) the Leicester Society for the Relief of Indigent Old Age. Although a devout member of the established Church she was also concerned with the movement to abolish Church Rates. Indeed, a few months before her death she had paid the fines of four non-conformists who had refused to pay the Rate. This entry taken from Max Wade-Matthews CD: "A Virtual Stroll Through Leicester."

~ William Whiston ~

Born Dec. 9, 1667 in Norton, Leicestershire; died Aug. 22, 1752 in Lyndon, Rutland. An Anglican priest and mathematician who sought to harmonize religion and science, and who is remembered for reviving in England the heretical views of Arianism. Ordained in 1693, Whiston served from 1694 to 1698 as chaplain to John Moore, Anglican bishop of Norwich. During this period he wrote A New Theory of the Earth (1696), in which he claimed that the biblical stories of the creation, flood, and final conflagration could be explained scientifically as accounts of events with historical bases. After three years as vicar of Lowestoft (1698-1701), he returned to Cambridge, his alma mater, as assistant to the mathematician Sir Isaac Newton, whom he succeeded as professor in 1703. From the works of early Christian writers, Whiston was led to Arianism, a doctrine that denied the divinity of Christ. Deprived of his professorship in 1710 because of his unpopular notions, Whiston organized a society for the revival of primitive Christianity, whose members met weekly in his London home (1715-17). Finally, in 1747, he left the Church of England to join the General Baptists. Among Whiston's other works are The Accomplishment of Scripture Prophecies (1708), Primitive Christianity Revived, 5 vol. (1711-12), a translation (1737) of the works of the Jewish historian Josephus, a revision (1745) of the King James Version of the New Testament, and his own Memoirs (1749-50). - Encyclopedia Britannica

~ Joseph Fowles Winks ~

Winks became pastor at Carey Street Baptist Church in 1839, a post he held until his death in 1866. A Poor Law Guardian, he was the first dissenting minister to be allowed to preach in the workhouse. He was also one of the first men in Leicester who spoke out publicly against cock fighting (outlawed in 1849), bull running (outlawed in 1835), dog fighting and badger baiting (both of which were not outlawed until the twentieth century). Joseph Winks was born in 1788 at Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. In 1823 he became a Baptist lay-preacher, first at Killingholme and then at Melbourne, Derbyshire. Wanting to make Christian literature more widely available he set up his own printing press, first at Loughborough (1825) and, in 1835, Leicester. His main publications were Christian magazines and books for children. Joseph Winks died 28 May 1860 and was buried in Welford Road cemetery. This entry courtesy of the Max Wade-Matthews Website - click on the name above to visit this site and learn more about Joseph Winks and other notable characters from Leicester's Colourful 19th century period. Once there, click on "Leicester in 1834."

~ John Wycliffe ~

English theologian, translator and reformer. He influenced Martin Luther and helped lay the foundation for the Reformation. It was during his last days at Lutterworth that he initiated the great work for which he is particularly remembered - the translation of the whole Bible into the English language for the first time. This was before the time of printing, so copies were costly and rare, but he sent his "poor preachers," later nicknamed "Lollards," throughout the length and breadth of England. He died in Lutterworth in 1384, but in 1428, condemned for heresy, his bones were dug up, burnt and thrown into the local stream.

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Section 3: [Welford Road Cemetery]

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