Shrewsbury link to Richard III mystery

I was interested to read the story over the weekend that historians believe they have finally discovered where King Richard III is buried – under a car park in Leicester.

It brought back memories of the story in Four Centuries at The Lion Hotel when Henry Tudor decided to cross from Wales into England at Shrewsbury in August 1485 on his way to do battle with Richard III, pictured below, at Bosworth Field.

But Shrewsbury’s then first resident Thomas Mytton refused to let him over the Welsh Bridge, saying: “We know no King but Richard, Henry Tudor shall not enter this town but over my belly,” i.e. over his dead body.

However, after seeing Henry’s large army and following advice from colleagues he decided it was more prudent to let Henry into Shrewsbury.

So as not to lose face, Mytton lay in the road on the bridge ‘belly upward’ for Henry to step over him.

The royal visitor is believed to have stayed at Tudor House, which is still there on Wyle Cop below The Lion, before marching to Bosworth where Richard III was killed and the last medieval king of England was buried in a Franciscan friary in the area.

However, the friary was knocked down during Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries and it is believed the most likely site for the church is the car park of a county council social services office in the centre of Leicester.

Archaeologists from Leicester University, along with members of the Richard III Historical Society, hope the two-week excavation will change the way the monarch is viewed historically, who is traditionally seen as a tyrant who murdered his way to the throne, disfigured by a hunchback and withered arm.

If any remains of the king are found, his DNA will be matched against that of Joy Ibsen, a 16^th century generation descendant of Anne of York, the sister of Richard III.

Mrs Ibsen died four years ago aged 82 and her son, 55-year-old Michael, watched the dig begin.

After the battle of Bosworth Field Henry became Henry VII, ending the War of the Roses and the beginning of the Tudor dynasty.

To find out more about this Shrewsbury link to Richard III signed copies of The Lion Hotel book are available for £6.50 including postage in the UK and £7.50 anywhere in the world by emailing John@jbutterworth.plus.com 

Memories of a cheating Tory MP

A friend of mine came round specially to see me this week after he had read Four Centuries at The Lion Hotel, Shrewsbury.

Keen fisherman Len Handy enjoyed the stories in the books about Shrewsbury’s most eccentric MP, John ‘Mad Jack’ Mytton, who was born at Halston Hall, near Oswestry, as he fished the lake there regularly, pictured below.

‘Mad Jack’ was born on September 30, 1796, and as he father died when he was two he inherited the family seat which was worth about £60,000 then and £5m today, he had few financial worries.

In 1819, he decided to continue the family tradition by becoming MP for Shrewsbury and was easily elected – helped no doubt by offering constituents £10 each if they would vote for him and spending £10,000 on bribes, equivalent to £750,000 today.

He celebrated at being elected MP in typical Mad Jack fashion. While he was being carried shoulder high by the enthusiastic burgesses back to The Lion Hotel for a celebratory dinner, he leapt from on high into the hotel bar through the window in a shower of glass.

Charles G Harper says in his book The Holyhead Road (Chapman and Hall 1902): “No one was surprised for his was a freakish nature; but they would have been astonished if he had walked in, in the normal way, by the door.”

‘Mad Jack’ found the debates boring and attended Parliament only once – and that was for just 30 minutes. He preferred to spend his time horse racing, gambling and hunting and his horse Euphrates won The Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1825.

He also enjoyed playing practical jokes and challenging his friends to a wager in a carriage race round the Halston Hall estate, which ‘Mad Jack’ always won.

The Conservative MP easily beat his friends because he took a short cut along a path he had built at the bottom of the lake.

My friend Len from Stone said the path in the lake can still be seen there today.

If you would like to read more about ‘Mad Jack’ and other stories about this fascinating hotel signed copies of the book are available for £6.50 including postage in the UK and £7.50 anywhere in the world by emailing John@jbutterworth.plus.com 

Anniversary of amazing Lion hotel concert

Tonight 179 years ago an amazing concert took place in the Ballroom of The Lion.

The famous Signor Niccolo Paganini, pictured below, gave a concert in the balcony at the Shrewsbury hotel on August 15, 1833, on his way from Italy to St Petersburg in Russia.

Visitors can still see today this Assembly Room, or Ballroom, which has changed little since it was built in 1777.

They can look at the same delicate colouring on the walls and the emblematic figures of Music and Dancing painted on the door panels, the two music galleries, the chandeliers and the moulded plaster decorations in the Robert Adam style.

They can imagine what it must have been like when the famous Signor Niccolo Paganini gave a concert as advertised in the August 9, 1833, edition of the Shrewsbury Chronicle.

It said: Under distinguished patronage, Signor Paganini respectfully announces to the Nobility and Gentry of Shrewsbury that he will give a Grand Vocal and Instrumental Concert at the Lion Ballroom on Thursday evening, August the 15^th being positively the only time he can possibly have the honour of appearing before them previous to his departure for the Court of St Petersburg on which occasion he has engaged those highly  celebrated Vocalists, Miss Wells and Miss Watson, likewise Mr Watson, composer to the Theatres Royal, English Opera House and Covent Gardens, and member of the Royal Academy of Music who will preside at the Piano Forte.

Tickets 2/6d each (12.5p today) may be had at Mr Eddoes, Corn Market, Shrewsbury. The concert will commence precisely at 8 o’ clock.

As can be seen from the advertisement they preferred long sentences in the first part of the 19^th century.

To get Niccolo Paganini, a 19^th century equivalent to a rock star today, must have been an incredible achievement for Shrewsbury.

The musician, born in Genoa, Italy, on October 27, 1782, had dramatically changed the writing of violin music, astounding audiences with techniques that included harmonies and near impossible fingerings and bowings.

His Caprice No. 24 in A Minor, Op. 1, is among his best compositions, a work that has inspired many top composers.

As a former Editor of the Shrewsbury Chronicle I eagerly turned to the August 16, 1833, edition of the paper to see how the equivalent to the then arts critic treated this amazing concert coup for the town.

The first time I looked through the paper I missed it. But on the second time of searching I found what I thought was the beginning of the review at the bottom of page three.

Without a headline it said: “Paganini Concert at the Lion Rooms, last night, was crowded, not only by the first families in the county, but by many from Montgomeryshire and other parts of the Principality.”

I immediately scanned up to the top of the page for the continuation of the story. But there was nothing.

I was speechless, but I wouldn’t have been if I had been the paper’s editor in 1833 when the reporter arrived in the office the next morning after obviously burning the midnight oil to produce that paragraph.

Incidentally, the Shrewsbury Summer Season re-enacted the Paganini concert on Friday, August 15, 2008, at The Lion to celebrate the 175^th anniversary of the event.

Organised by Maggie Love, then the Arts Development Officer at Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council, the concert attracted a sell-out audience at the hotel as violin virtuoso Madeleine Easton, helped by musicians Claire Surman and Gary Cooper, played the exact violin pieces performed by Paganini in 1833.

Visitors to the hotel today can see the original programme, pictured below by Richard Bishop, on display in the reception.

If you would like to learn more about this fascinating hotel signed copies of the book are available for £6.50 including postage in the UK and £8 anywhere in the world by emailing John@jbutterworth.plus.com

Lion link to Derek's family tree?

I never cease to be amazed by the number of messages and requests for help I receive through my blogs.

This week a Telford man emailed me to order a copy of my book, Four Centuries at The Lion Hotel, Shrewsbury, and asked me to ring him as he wanted some help.

He ended his message cryptically: “My surname will give you a clue as to why I want you to call. Regards Derek Ashby.

I immediately thought of Shrewsbury solicitor John Ashby, who lived from 1722 until 1779, was town mayor from 1759-60, town clerk from 1767 until his death 12 years later and owner of The Lion.

Derek wondered if he was relative of John and asked me for any information I had about him.

I immediately sent him a copy of the research on the hotel done by local historian, W E ‘Bill’ Champion.

It is thanks to the Shrewsbury Chronicle  that we know John Ashby owned the hotel.

In its November 29, 1777, edition it states: “Last week was erected, over the new and elegant Assembly Room, at The Lion Inn in this town, on a beautiful pedestal, decorated with the arms of John Ashby Esq., a highly finished statue of a lion, larger than life, executed by Mr John Nelson, statuary carver of this place.

“This statue, and another of the same size and elegance, do great credit we think to the artist, as well as to the generous and public-spirited employer.”

That is all the Chronicle says, but it has helped historians in their research on the hotel.

In September 1775 Ashby employed William Haycock to erect a new inn on the site complete with a large Assembly Room, or Ballroom, which can still be seen today and has little changed since the late 18^th century.

When Ashby died on January 29, 1779, he left behind a fine reputation.

The Chronicle reported that: “He was a gentleman, whose exemplary virtues and amiable qualities are a more lasting monument of his good name, than any eulogy can express.”

However, his financial affairs were not so good and many of his homes and furnishings had to be sold to pay off the debts, including Sycamore Hotel, pictured below, the octagonal building at the rear of the hotel which he left to his wife and which can still be seen today.

All the best Derek with your research into your family tree and wouldn’t it be great if you were related to John Ashby of The Lion?

If you would like to read more about John Ashby and The Lion Hotel signed copies of my book can be ordered through John@jbutterworth.plus.com at the special price of £6.50 including postage anywhere in the UK and £8 anywhere in the world. 

84 Chinese teachers hear hotel's history

I was very honoured when hotel owner Howard Astbury rang me last Thursday evening to invited me to address 84 Chinese teachers who were having a lunch at The Lion on the Friday.

The Chinese had given up their six-week summer holiday to come on a teacher-development course at the University of Wolverhampton.

I made a mental note to mention that fact to my British friends who are teachers.

Daphne Laing, Director at the university’s Centre for Language and Communication Training, said they normally took their visitors to London for a celebration day out at the end of the course.

Because it might be too difficult this year with the Olympics they opted to spend their time in Shrewsbury instead.

After a tour around the town the group, pictured below, had a Chinese meal in the historic hotel ballroom and then spent the afternoon going round the shops.

Before lunch I gave a talk on the history of the hotel and the many famous guests who had stayed there.

They were fascinated by how old The Lion was and that they were dining in a ballroom built in 1777.

I was amazed that most of them had read some of Charles Dickens’ books, knew all about Charles Darwin and had even heard of Niccolo Paganini who gave a concert in the ballroom on Thursday, August 15, 1833, while the famous musician was on his way from Italy to St Petersburg, Russia.

It was also interesting to hear from Daphne how popular the English teacher training courses were with the Chinese and how numbers had doubled in the last year.

Naturally, my book, Four Centuries at The Lion Hotel , was on sale and I hope it will help the fame of this historic building and town spread to China.

How's about that then, gals and boys

I was intrigued to read in The Times yesterday all the various items sold at the auction of the late Sir Jimmy Savile’s belongings.

Sir Jimmy, who died just before his 85^th birthday last year, had asked that many of his possessions carry on making money for charity after his death.

The entertainer, pictured below, whose story of his visit to Shrewsbury is told in Four Centuries at The Lion Hotel, had many of his colourful items put under the hammer by Dreweatts, the auctioneer.

 More than 350 bidders packed the Savile Hall, Leeds, while there were another 700 waiting online.

Star item was the silver Rolls Royce the DJ called The Beast, which went to an online bidder for £130,000, more than £40,000 above the maximum estimate. The personalised number plate of JS 247 was after Radio One’s original medium wave frequency.

His yellow BMW Isette bubble car fetched £22,000 while other lots included golden suits, patriotically coloured string vests, sunglasses, boxes of Cuban cigars, underwear, a BBC1 Jim’ll Fix It badge, a Rolex watch and the red Jim’ll Fix It chair.

The auctioneers, who were anxious to stage a “great spectacle” in the spirit of the disc jockey’s funeral, certainly achieved that.