Fascinating evening in Ludlow

I was delighted to be the guest speaker at this year’s annual meeting of The Ludlow Historical Research Group where I spoke about my two books, Four Centuries at The Lion Hotel, Shrewsbury, and God’s Secret Listener published by Lion Monarch Publishing of Oxford.

Chairman Jonathan Wood, pictured below, gave me a warm welcome and I was impressed by this active group.

Founded in 1976, it has a vibrant membership and a very well respected programme of research and publishing.

They also lead weekend walks around this historic Shropshire market town.

I learnt that Ludlow was a planned Norman town and by the end of the 12th century a grid pattern of streets had been laid out which survive, virtually intact, to this day.

Members are encouraged to undertake research projects, either individually or as part of small groups.

Some of the topics currently being researched by our members include:

Records of Burgess Admissions: Four members have begun transcribing and analysing the records of the Burgesses (Freemen) of the Borough of Ludlow. When completed the transcription will be available and become an invaluable aid for work on Ludlow families and on the understanding of local politics.

Bastardy Bonds: The Bastardy Bonds have now been transcribed as far as 1745, and is approaching the stage of entering the details on to a database and analysing the results. A general pattern is already emerging. The unfortunate young women who made these applications to the parish for financial help were almost all illiterate hired servants. Putative fathers ranged from fellow servants and labourers to dragoons from the regiment of soldiers stationed at Leintwardine.

The Merchant House, Ludlow: The purpose of this study is to examine the construction, evolution and past occupancy of The Merchant House. This is a 15th century hall house that in more recent times gained international fame as Ludlow's first Michelin-stared restaurant and so played a key catalytic role in the creation of the town’s present gourmet status.

World War One Soldiers: An ongoing research project is looking into the backgrounds of the Ludlow men killed between 1914 and 1918 during the First World War.

I was also very impressed with the modern Ludlow Library and the excellent views over the town from the lecture room on the top floor.

My talk seemed to go down go well with a number of questions afterwards – and I also sold copies of both books making it an enjoyable and successful evening.

I also made a note to go on one of their town walks on a sunny weekend.

Joy as Darwin garden appeal blooms

I was delighted to read in the Shropshire Star recently that the £75,000 appeal to buy part of the garden at The Mount, pictured below, where Charles Darwin grew up in Shrewsbury is going well.

The Shropshire Wildlife Trust has so far raised £12,000, mostly from members but also from supporters as far afield as the USA.

Darwin, who started out from The Lion Hotel, Shrewsbury, on his epic round the world trip on Monday, September 5, 1831, returned to Falmouth on October 2, 1836, where he caught the stagecoach to Shrewsbury surprising his parents by arriving at the family home for breakfast.

A Trust spokesman said: “No other part of Charles Darwin’s birthplace and childhood home is open to the public and this slip of woodland would open up a cherished corner of his world.

“The aim would not be to create a major tourist attraction, but to provide a much-wanted place where people can see where young Charles Darwin lived and the landscape that he loved.”

The cost includes buying an acre of wooded land, removing unsafe trees, opening up the views, boundary work and improving the access.

To donate visits www.shropshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/darwinsgarden or send a cheque to Shropshire Wildlife Trust, 193 Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, SY3 2AH.

There is more about Charles Darwin’s life and his book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in Four Centuries at The Lion Hotel, Shrewsbury.

Email John@jbutterworth.plus.com to buy a signed copy for £6 including postage within the UK or £7 anywhere in the world.

American visitors enjoy hotel tour

I was delighted to meet the Hall family from the USA and show them round The Lion Hotel this week.

A few days earlier Barbara Hall from West Milford, New Jersey, had emailed me to say that she was accompanying their school band who are performing tonight (Thursday, April 12) at 7.30pm at St Mary’s Church, Shrewsbury.

She had looked up the historic inn online and came across my book, Four Centuries at The Lion Hotel.

Barbara emailed me to say: “I am eagerly looking forward to my visit to this historic hotel and to reading your account of its history. 

“I am a retired librarian and a long-time fan of British literature on many levels and would like to buy six signed copies of my book.” 

I didn’t realise until I met Barbara that she had come over with her family.

Grandmother Barbara, pictured below with her son, Kevin, and daughter-in-law Mary were all in Shrewsbury to see their son and Barbara’s grandson, Sean, play the bagpipes in the West Milford High School symphonic band, known as The Highlanders.

Sean, like all the other musicians, was staying with families all over Shrewsbury.

For 76-year-old Barbara and Kevin, a physician, it was their first trip to England.

The group of 98 pupils and 31 adults had flown in on Sunday and had already given a concert to the Chelsea Pensioners on Wednesday morning as well as fitting in some sightseeing round London plus a trip to Stonehenge.

Then tomorrow (Friday) it is on to Edinburgh where the band will perform in the Scottish capital before flying back home on Sunday from Glasgow Airport.

Barbara said she had always wanted to visit England after writing to a pen friend during the war years from when she was 10 years old to 13.

“All I remember was the English friend kept writing to say ‘please send more jelly and stockings’.”

She said she really enjoyed seeing all the historical sights while son Kevin said he was amazed how helpful people were and how friendly English pubs were.

Barbara, Kevin and Mary, who had only been to London on her previous visit to England, were all impressed with Shrewsbury’s beautiful buildings.

They were fascinated by The Lion Hotel as I showed them the bedroom where Charles Dickens had stayed, the ballroom where Niccolo Paganini had played and where Charles Darwin had left on the stagecoach for the first part of his epic round-the-world journey.

Mary, who is a housewife and a volunteer helper with the band, said the school came every four years to Shrewsbury but added the all the members of the Hall family would like to visit Shrewsbury again.

I was delighted that as well as buying six copies of my book, Four Centuries at The Lion Hotel, they also bought a signed copy of my other recent on, God’s Secret Listener, published by Lion/Hudson/Monarch of Oxford.

If you are coming to The Lion Hotel and would like to meet me so I can give you a tour of the building email John@jbutterworth.plus.com 

I'm going to become a Grandad!

It’s not only Berti Dosti, whose story is told in God’s Secret Listener published by Lion Hudson Monarch, who has become a grandad for the first time as I reported in an earlier blog.

When we went out to South Africa in February this year to see our son Andrew and his wife Michelle the first news we were greeted with was that Jan and I were going to become grandparents.

Michelle, pictured below, had only just found out she was pregnant and so we couldn’t announce the news until this week when she passed the 12-week date.

The baby is due in mid October and we are all delighted as it’s the first grandchild on our side of the family and the first great grandchild for Jan’s parents, and also my Mum.

Jan has already offered to help by going out to Johannesburg in October and I have also agreed to play my part by staying in the UK as I would be more of a hindrance in their small flat.

Still I and the rest of the family will all be excited to see Andrew and Michelle plus baby when they come to England this Christmas.