WITHER LIE THE BODIES?

WHITHER LIE THE BODIES.

During the middle of the 17th century, following years of civil disorder, the English Monarchy was being threatened as to its very existence as dissension spread apropos the political problems with Scotland; even the Baronies of the Northern English counties took to an armed conflict which frequently involved highly brutal and sanguineous affairs.  As our local history tells us, Melton Mowbray was not to escape involvement in these violent times when King Charles I, in despair of his increasing hopelessness and in great anguish  of his Monarchy being about to be overthrown, was to blow the trumpet in August of 1642 when the fighting across the land began in earnest.

The Reverend J Ward, in his ‘Melton Mowbray in Olden Times’ - 1879, has provided us with much useful information about the past in which he narrates moments of the Civil War, especially those  of Leicestershire and Melton, in some detail. At the end of his descriptions of the divers battles and skirmishes occurring during the English Civil War - phases of which did in fact take place in Melton Mowbray - he analyses the scant information available from the chroniclers of the day as to the veracity of the few documents to be found on this important time of Melton's history.  Rev. Ward says of the Ankle Hill incursion locally:

‘From the accounts given of the battle of February 1645, it would not be difficult we think, to form some idea of the locality in which it was fought.  It is said to have been on the south side of Melton, about a half mile from the town.
The hill alluded to was no doubt Ankle Hill, and the ‘passe of the water,’ was some fordable part of the river Eye.

One sentence speaks of Sir John Girlington being drowned in his ‘confused flight over a mill dam,’ which seems to lead us to the neighbourhood of the mill now in the possession of Mr W S Barnes.  Another sentence says the ground where they fought upon was about a mile from the house of Sir Erasmus de la Fountain, at Kirby.’[Gate?]. With these particulars it cannot be difficult to form some sort of approximate opinion of the site of this ‘fair mead’ which was turned for once into an ‘Aceldema, a field of blood.’  An old tradition is amongst the people to the effect that “Ankle Hill’ received its name on account of once having been ankle deep in blood caused by some great battle fought there. There seems to have been a great diversity of opinion as to the results of these battles, each declaring itself the victor.’

Of much significance to me as I searched for evidence to connect with the unidentified male body parts recently found in twenty-first century Melton Mowbray off the Scalford Road, is the footnote printed on page 111 of the Rev. Ford’s little book in which he opines on the deposits of hundreds of slain bodies literally left bestrewn amongst the greensward of the Melton area - some roughly buried, others abandoned where they fell - details of which deaths were rarely logged, nor recorded, nor even properly buried officially, usually occurring during flight from mostly put into a shallow grave where they had lain. The great magnitude of his footnote reads;

’During the fierce conflicts above alluded to, we find that many were slain on both sides.  The question arises, what became of the remains of those who fell?  We find no record of them in the internments of either the town or in any of the surrounding churchyards. We think the probability is that they were buried where they fell; and that in future years many a ploughshare, or excavator’s shovel, will disturb the last resting places of those brave fellows whose bones have been quietly reposing in the dust for upwards of 230 years. [Soon to be 400 years!] In confirmation of this we may state the following fact: During the recent construction of the mansion of Mr Warren Sharman, on the Scalford Road, six or seven human skulls and bones, along with a short sword, were discovered buried in the gravel, about 18 inches below the surface. They were evidently the remains of young persons. The teeth were beautifully white and perfect. Some of the bodies seem to have been thrust in by violence, as if the graves had been too small. We think it very probable that those remains belonged to some of those who fell in a skirmish outside the town during those bloody struggles. The place where they were found is in the direct course between a fortified Belvoir and Melton Mowbray, which was the scene of more than one encounter

This was for me, a most illuminating account of the possibility today, when placed in context with the unidentified human remains which were discovered locally in 2019 - by no means the first such finds in this general area - during the demolition of the Catherine Dalley nursing home in Scalford Road, of providing a plausible identification of the mystery of the human remains unearthed there early into the project.

The building concerned, known originally as ‘The Lodge ‘ and later as ‘Northfield House,’ was built in 1875 by local ironmonger Mr Warren Sharman, following his marriage to Mary Chapman Charlton in 1860.  leased as a winter season hunting-box, it was in 1910 sold on to American businessman, Mr Foxall-Keene.  Subsequently, like many of the grander houses in Melton Mowbray it became another hunting lodge under the ownership of a Mr Foxall-Keene. Some half a century later, the lovely old house was purchased by the Leicestershire Health Authority, an investment to be deployed by that Authority as a council run care-home, mainly for more elderly patients.  Within the following few years this extremely popular residence was given the new appellation of ‘Catherine Dalley House’ was granted as a memento to remember a long- serving and greatly respected former employee and benefactor of the correlated name, who  devoted many years of her busy life to the great success of the original project.  The once welcoming doors were finally and with great sadness for many, closed for business, being regarded as no longer fit for the purpose of its objective long ago visualised. 

 

CATHERINE DALLEY HOUSE

THE HOUSES ON THE HILL

As one climbs up the long and gradual rise of Scalford Road towards the village of that name, we once used to see and know quite well, on the right hand side an old dwelling which was used in recent times as the very popular care home known widely as  Catherine Dalley House.  Recently, and sadly for many, the home which was owned and operated under the auspices of the Leicestershire County Council from its headquarters in Syston, finally closed its doors. A rejuvenated and altogether enlarged andstate-of-the-art facility,   another new care home for the town and area. Why or how, was this warm and friendly nursing home given the title of ‘Catherine Dalley.’?

Well first, let us take the opportunity to learn something of the old house which was originally constructed in 1875 by successful local businessman Mr Warren Sharman for his family, it then being in an isolated position, half-way along the eastern side of Scalford Road and close to where once stood a working windmill, one of several which once existed on the higher ground of the market town. Originally known as ‘The Old Lodge‘ but later renamed as ‘Highfields’, it is this house which would later become known to us all as ‘Catherine Dalley House.’ It is an interesting fact that much of the nearby Wartnaby sandstone used in its construction was taken from the house known as ‘Hill House’ on Ankle Hill when it was demolished to be replaced by the much grander  residence, ‘Wyndham Lodge‘ better know later as the ‘War Memorial Hospital.

Within a decade, Mr Sharman was joined by two other businessmen, Mr Ladbury and architect Mr Winter Johnson who both built large houses in the close community. Northfields House, immediately across the road from Highfields and like almost every similar large house in Melton, would be utilised as a ‘hunting lodge’ for the duration of the three months winter season, housing many wealthy and aristocratic visitors of great reputation and almost all of them hunting or equestrian aficionados who enjoyed the many available stables which would provide plentiful and generous accommodation for the many equine visitors.

An easy way to understand the practice of leasing hunting lodges or hunting boxes as they were often known, could perhaps be compared today with the renting of the large houses in Wimbledon during the much awaited tennis weeks at the world famous courts each summer, when large rents can be demanded and the owners go off on holiday to pursue other matters.

WHO WAS CATHERINE DALLEY?

Someone asked me recently, “Who was Catherine Dalley?” It was a fair question to which I did not possess a ready answer, as the care home bearing her name has been with us in the town for perhaps a half a century or more and has only recently bid us its sad farewell; so who indeed was the lady?   As it happens, Catherine was not too difficult to trace since as suspected, she was clearly a real person and not of fiction and it was thus interesting to discover some of her background as I searched for items of interest in the biography or genealogy of this interesting socialite who once inherited a chemists shop in Syston which doubled as a busy post office and who was to marry Leicester surgeon of some repute.

Catherine’s father was Thomas William Stain (1845-1947) a well respected chemist who also doubled as the local Postmaster for the Royal Mail for the nearby village of Syston on the periphery of Leicester, who lived and worked with his wife Mary (Hack). Born in 1845 in Oundle, Northamptonshire, Thomas was to marry Mary and the couple worked as a team in their small shop in the High Street, the main road to Melton Mowbray. Two daughters were born to the couple; Catherine Emma Stain – the subject of my search – being born in July 1871 and she followed by sibling Frances Martha the following year.

In 1897, by now aged 29 yrs and successfully educated in medicine, Catherine had become legally registered with the Post Office on taking over her father’s licence on his retirement, to act as the new Postmistress at Syston from the family home then known as ‘The White House.’ 

MARRIAGE AND MEDICINE

Three years later, in 1902, Catherine married Harry Parker Dalley, a highly respected Leicester physician/surgeon, but no children were born to the marriage.  Throughout a lifetime of being connected with medical matters, Catherine also became involved in the day-to-day working of the Leicestershire Hospital Boards and it happened that Syston was the location of the department which dealt with the elderly and all care homes of the County.  When it was decided that Melton Mowbray should support such a hospital, a suitable building, namely ‘Highfields’, as above was found to have been available just then and suited the needs of the proposed new home. It was duly purchased by the Board and converted ready for its official opening in 1957 to complete the advent of what was to become became the popular – and now alas, mourned – Catherine Dalley Home which was to provide for more than a half-century, comfort and succour to many grateful people.

 

  

Peter Smith commented on Catherine Dalley House The Houses on the Hill As one climbs up the long and gradual rise of Scalford Road towards the village of that name, we once … Thank you. This post has enabled me to identify a mystery photo on the Record Office website, which was wrongly captioned as John Ferneley's Elgin Lodge: https://imageleicestershire.org.uk/ViewItem?i=4371 The old OS Maps on the excellent website of the National Library of Scotland (https://maps.nls.uk/os/25inch-england-and-wales/) show this house, on the east side of Scalford Road, labelled as Northfield House, with Highfield House being on the west side. That seems to be the opposite way round from what you are saying in your article so I am now unsure as to whether this is the one that was built by Sharman or one of those by Ladbury or Johnson. Does your research make that clear? Approve  Trash | Mark as Spam

More information about Peter Smith URL: Email: p.j.smith@ntlworld.com Whois: http://whois.arin.net/rest/ip/80.0.116.16 (IP: 80.0.116.16)

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