Annual meeting of the
Lincoln Diocesan Architectural Society
in 1861

THE local antiquarian societies of England have made a large and valuable contribution to our historical knowledge. Most English counties possessed one, either on its own or in conjunction with a neighbour, while some supported more than one. The oldest of these bodies still at work are the Spalding (Lincolnshire) Gentlemen's Society, founded about 1710, and the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1813) and of the county societies, the Royal Institution of Cornwall dates from 1818. These three enjoy a seniority all their own among the chief societies of the present day.

Most of the others dated from the first thirty years of Queen Victoria's reign and the chief impulse towards their foundation came from the study of Gothic architecture, usually by gentlemen amateurs anxious to increase their knowledge of historic sites and buildings, particularly churches. There is a reference to the Lincoln Diocesan Architectural Society as early as 1844, therefore making it one of the oldest of the county organisations, giving the lead to others in the area.

It was the habit of the society to hold its annual meetings at various locations around Lincolnshire and in 1861, Bourne was chosen as a suitable venue, mainly through the persuasion of Robert Mason Mills, founder of the town’s aerated water business and a dedicated antiquarian with a lively interest in all matters historical. The event was the result of several weeks of planning inspired by the Rev Edward Trollope, the society’s honorary general secretary, who had travelled to Bourne the previous month to make the arrangements, form an organising committee and draw up an itinerary. Tea was served on the first day and dinner on the second at the Town Hall, the catering being provided by Mr Henry Bott, landlord of the Angel Hotel. A fleet of horse-drawn carriages was also on hand to take visitors on a tour of the locality each day, the north of Bourne on Tuesday and the south on Wednesday.

Visitors came by rail from all parts of Lincolnshire, the numbers attending swelled by local people. The event was ticket only and the committee promised those staying in the town overnight that due provision would be made for their comfort as well as on the journey and at table and also in securing well-aired and comfortable beds. The committee reported on Tuesday 21st May: “We have succeeded in arranging for the supply of the tea, dinner, beds and breakfast at very reasonable charges.” Contributions were also involved towards the cost of organising the event, setting up a temporary museum in the railway goods warehouse off South Street and the printing and distribution of programmes.

The demand for tickets was so great that those available were issued on a first come first served basis although many were disappointed.

 EXTRACT FROM THE STAMFORD MERCURY ON THE
SUBSEQUENT PROCEEDINGS on
WEDNESDAY 5th and THURSDAY 6th JUNE

The annual meeting of the society was held at Bourne on Tuesday and Wednesday last and as predicted the visitors received a hearty welcome from the inhabitants who erected no less than four triumphal arches, all profusely decorated with foliage etc. That at the entrance to the railway station contained the inscription “Welcome to Bourne” and that at the entrance to the Castle Meadow “Castle of Brunne”. The others were erected across the two roads near the [Ostler] memorial fountain [in the market place, now the town centre].

Many homes exhibited large flags from the windows. A temporary museum was formed in the railway goods shed [demolished in 2005] which had been generously lent by the [Midland and Great Northern] railway company for the occasion. This spacious building was very tastefully decorated with foliage, the work of several ladies of the town. On the walls were scrolls containing these inscriptions:

Hereward the Wake, the Patriot
Baldwin Fitzgilbert, founder of Bourne Abbey 1188
Robert of Bourne, the Chronicler, 1300
[Lord] Burghleigh, statesman, born 1520, died 1598
[William] Trollope, the Grammar School Founder, 1636
[Job] Hartopp, the voyager, born circa 1550
(He was the companion of Hawkins round the world)

Below these were hung rubbings of monumental brasses which, although exhibiting a very sombre appearance, are interesting as illustrating the costumes of the various mediaeval periods. There was also an interesting collection of Egyptian, Etruscan, early British, Roman and mediaeval antiquities, including urns, statuettes, vases, busts etc. A large display of drawings of Lincolnshire churches, photographs of ecclesiastical buildings, engravings, a series of 12 beautiful bronze busts of Roman Emperors, fine marble busts of Omphale [Queen of Lydia who owned Hercules as a slave], Aurora [Greek godess of dawn], Diana [Greek godess of the chase] and Pallas [one of the Titans], a large collection of examples of mediaeval seals, chiefly possessing local interest, including those of Vaudey Abbey [in Grimsthorpe Park] and Bourne Abbey; a garment taken from an idol at the sacking of the [Egyptian] Temple of Beyt in the Gulf of Cutch [in the Arabian Sea] in 1859, specimens of Chinese carving and Indian inlaid work, etc. A British urn, containing burnt bones and a comb, found at Baston [near Bourne] on the previous day, was exhibited by the Rev C P Worsley. Amongst the principal contributors to the museum were the Society, the Rev Edward Trollope, Mr Robert Mason Mills of Bourne, Mr Robert Parker of Morton, Mr Moss of Lincoln etc and there were a few specimens of ace workmanship from China and India sent to England by Mr C M Paradise, midshipman in the Royal Indian Navy.

The proceedings commenced on Tuesday with divine service at the church at nine o’clock after which the architectural features of the fabric were explained and a short history of the Abbey given by the Rev Edward Trollope FSA.

BOURNE – THE CHURCH: The church is dedicated to St Peter and St Paul. It consists of a nave, northern and southern aisles, south chantry, chancel, vestry, south porch and tower at the west end. Although a large fabric, its plan has evidently been more extensive. The nave is divided from the aisles by four Norman (12th century) bays, the plain circular arches being supported by massive pillars having cushion capitals. The clerestory is Perpendicular (15th century), also the whole of the windows, with the exception of one in the chantry which is Early English (13th century). The west window is a fine and large one, of a Perpendicular character. The Perpendicular font is curious and interesting; its form is octagonal, the eight sides being cut in plain square panels and ornamented on the upper part with the Tudor flower [a rose]; one of the sides is blank and the others are occupied with the following inscription in black lettering: Jesus est nomen quod est super omne nomen [Jesus the name above all other names].

The west end of the church is curious from the mode in which the work of different dates has been set on and grafted into each other. There is a commencement of two Early English towers, placed upon a part of earlier date, but mixed between the towers with Perpendicular insertions. Of these towers, the north is only as the west end of the nave but the south rises much higher and has a Perpendicular belfry storey and pinnacles. Dividing the nave tower into three stages, the first may be styled Norman, the second Early English and the third Perpendicular.

The west doorway is of the latter date, on the north side of which is a holy water stoup with a crocketted canopy over it. In the south porch is another stoup. The walls of the chancel and south aisle appear earlier than the windows in them and there is a portion of an early English door remaining close to a buttress.

In the Rectory grounds is an Early English blank arcade, probably the south termination of the abbey cloisters. In one of these compartments, a recess has been made and in connection with it a curious story is told. Colonel [George] Pochin [Lord of the Manor of Bourne Abbots] resided here [then the Abbey House, demolished 1878] and having some remarkable choice of wine, it was placed in this recess under a strong lock and key. On going for a bottle of this wine to receive a particular friend, to his surprise he found the recess empty, every bottle having been taken away. On the robbery becoming known, the pilferers came forward and acknowledged the offence. They were workmen and while employed in effecting some repairs or alterations to the church, a brick fell from the wall. A workman put one of his arms into the aperture and brought forth a bottle of wine. It was partaken of by him and his companions and much enjoyed. They at once came to the conclusion that it had been placed there by the monks of the abbey and they made a successful search for more, taking possession of the whole of the hidden treasure.

In the churchyard is a very curious slab, the sculpture representing the brazen serpent in the wilderness. It appears to be of the 13th century but it could not have been exposed to the weather since that remote period. There are three stained glass memorial windows in the chancel: the east window was erected at the cost of the Rev Joseph Dodsworth, the vicar [of Bourne]. Each compartment contains the figure of an Evangelist and the rich tracery angels etc. The south window perpetuates the memory of the wife of Mr Edward Hardwicke and represents the Ascension and the north window, erected by the Dove family, represents the Resurrection.

There are monuments in the chancel recording the deaths of members of the Digby, Pochin and Foster families and tablets in front of the gallery recording charities left by Sir Thomas Trollope, Mr W Fisher and Mr Robert Harrington. The chancel walls are panelled. At the east end is an altar piece representing the Last Supper between two other paintings representing Moses and Aaron. They are said to have been the productions of a local artist named Casswell whose services were also obtained for decorating other churches in the locality in a similar manner. The church was restored about 20 years ago and is well cared for.

THE CASTLE OF BRUNNE: A small mound, the faint traces of an inner and outer moat, and a few cross bow slits inserted in the adjacent modern building are now the sole remains of the old Castle of Bourne and its adjuncts; but there is still sufficient to invite inquiry as to what was the character of the stronghold that once rose from this little grassy plain. It is probable that from the attraction of the stream ever more beautifully flowing from the spring of Peterspool, or Wellhead, the Romans found a station near this spot in connection with that branch of the Ermine Street running from the great city of Durobrivae [Castor, near Peterborough] to Sleaford, and also with that navigable canal, the Car-Dike, a supposition strengthened by the fact of an urn containing Roman coins having been found here in 1808.

From the same cause we may fairly assume that the Saxon lords of Bourne Manor also settled themselves on this spot. Here then, we conceive lived Morcar, who fell with all his followers at the battle of Threekingham in the year 870; Oslac, who died in the reign of Helgar [this should be Edgar, 959-975] in 960; Leofric, the friend and counsellor of the famous sabbatical house at Croyland [Crowland] during the reign of [Edward] the Confessor, but, above all, his patriot son Hereward, long the subject of song at home and abroad, and also his younger brother, whose head was exposed within Bourne Castle after he had suffered death at the hands of the Normans. Here, moreover, continued to live the representatives of Hereward, deriving their name of “Wake” from the appropriate soubriquets given to their ancestor indicative of his watchfulness, until at length the elder branch merged with the Royal house of Plantagenet, one of whom, Thomas Wake, received here King Edward as his guest shortly after he had ascended the throne.

The only existing account of the character of the castle is contained in a MS description of the Towns in Kesteven by Peake [this should be Peak] whence we gather that the keep, flanked by four square towers at the angles, stood in the centre of an artificial mound; this was probably of the usual Norman form like those at Rochester, Newcastle and London. On the summit were “trim walks” commanding a good view of the fens.

Within were the hall and principal apartments of the lord of the castle; also, by the south side, those of the officers and ladies of the household, beneath which were a prison, a cellar and a scullery. This keep was surrounded by a deep moat crossed by means of a drawbridge and protected by a strong round tower 30 feet high serving as a gatehouse. Its wall was upwards of six feet thick, terminating with an embattled parapet and a massive door. Within, a solid round-headed doorway eight feet high gave access to the keep; stone steps leading to the top are also mentioned as several “niches”, i e archery slits, the exterior stones of which are now built into the end of an adjacent barn whose materials were derived from the remains of the gatehouse that once protected the inner bailey of the castle. A second moat defended the outer bailey which contained about eight acres of land and to this was subsequently added another piece of entrenched ground.

Cromwell is said to have destroyed this castle but when [John] Leyland [English antiquary 1502-1552, generally accepted as the father of English local history] visited it in the time of Henry VIIII scarcely anything but the earthworks of the castle remained, he saying: “There appears great ditches and the dungeon hill of an ancient castle against the west side of the priory, somewhat distant from it. It belonged to the Lord Wake and much service of the Wake fee is done to this castle, and every feodary [feudal tenant or servant] knoweth its station and place of service.”

From the site of the castle, Cromwell is said to have directed the fire of his artillery against the town. Or according to others, from the rising ground on the west, but this is entirely without foundation, although Bourne was burdened with the maintenance of a garrison that appears to have been quartered on the castle site, from the following memorandum in the parish register: “October 11th, 1645: The garrison of Bourne Castle began.”

Owing to the excavations that have just been so zealously carried on in anticipation of the Society’s visit, a very interesting discovery has been made here, whence we gather up the exact place of this feature, and have come across the timbers connected with the leverage necessary to raise the drawbridge over the inner moat, as well as the foundations of the round towers flanking this entrance to the castle. This is clearly shown together as the general plan of the castle, through the assistance of Mr Robert Parker, Morton, whose handy work is now exhibited, and will be found to elucidate this point very materially, (A plan of excavations was here inspected by the company.)

On returning to the town, the carriages for conveying the excursionists to the places named in the programme were in readiness and at the appointed time (10.30 am), a long procession of vehicles left the town.

The visitors then toured the locality, stopping at several places en route to explore old buildings, notably the churches. The places visited included [on Tuesday] Dunsby, Dowsby Sempringham Priory, Aslackby, Billingborough, Horbling, Threekingham, Folkingam (where they stopped for lunch), Rippingale, Haconby, Morton, and [on Wednesday] Thurlby, Baston, Langtoft, Market Deeping, Northborough, Peakirk, Crowland (where they stopped for lunch) and Deeping St James.

The Rev Trollope pointed out the interesting architectural features of each church. At the different places visited, the excursionists were well received. At Folkingham and at several villages, “triumphal arches” had been erected and the church bells also announced their welcome. The weather, however, was very unpropitious, rain having fallen throughout the journey until nearing the place of departure in the morning.

THE SOIREE: At about 6.30 pm, the excursionists returned to Bourne and shortly afterwards an excellent and well served tea, with meat etc, was partaken of in the Town Hall which was tastefully decorated for the occasion. The society’s museum was opened and at 7.30 pm, the chair was taken by Sir John Trollope [the seventh baronet of Casewick Hall, and the first Lord Kesteven from 1869], who explained that he had been unexpectedly called upon to preside over that meeting in the unavoidable absence of the Bishop [of Lincoln, the Rt Rev John Jackson] who, however, would be with them on the following day.

Sir John, in the course of his remarks, said that it would be known to many of those present that his pursuits were not of an altogether scientific character [he was a fox-hunting man] and he was not often called upon to preside over a learned society. However, he had pleasure in presiding on this occasion: he felt greatly interested in the objects the society had on view and had no doubt that the truly interesting structures that had been visited would be attractive and instructive to the members of the society generally. The light thrown upon our past history by the archaeological remains which were from time to time investigated by this society must be interesting and instructive to everyone who desired to obtain a knowledge of the early history of this country. This was the first time the society had visited Bourne but hoped it would not be the last for the reception the society had met with in Bourne was very gratifying. He concluded by expressing his belief that the instruction and amusement to be brought out in the business upon which they were about to enter would amply reward all who had attended that day.

William Parker Esq [of Hanthorpe House, near Bourne, deputy lieutenant of Lincolnshire and High Sheriff from 1864], in the absence from indisposition of the Rev Joseph Dodsworth [Vicar of Bourne], presented an address of welcome to the society from the inhabitants of Bourne and its vicinity. The society’s reply was then read by the general secretary:

To the inhabitants of the town of Bourne and its vicinity. – We, the president and members of the Lincoln Diocesan Architectural Society, receive with much gratification the address that you have offered us in so flattering a manner and I thank you very heartily for this mark of your attention. We shall be exceedingly glad if any of our proceedings should prove either useful or pleasing to you. Architecture in general is the principal subject of our studies, and any such results as we may deem to be of service to others, we gladly place at their disposal. Should our proceedings, in conjunction with those of kindred societies, in any degree intend to improve the tone and character of the architecture of the present day, one great object of our desire will have been accomplished; but we feel in a more especial manner interested in the progress of ecclesiastical architecture, and in works connected with the reputation of churches, because wherever these have been carried out on the right principles they have almost invariably been forced to lead a more faithful and devout attendance upon the worship of Almighty God. History also engulfs a considerable share of our attention, as being not only a confirmatory witness of the conclusions to which our studies lead us, but a science necessarily intertwined with that of architecture, as well as one that never fails to give additional interest in the contemplation of ancient buildings or their remains. Thanking you very sincerely, gentlemen, for your kind wishes on our behalf as the future, as well as for your present most courteous reception of our society, we beg to assure you that no exertions on our part will be spared to render our visit to Bourne as agreeable as possible to you all.

After which came the very interesting treatise on “The Life of Hereward, the Saxon Patriot and formerly Lord of Bourne” which was read by the Rev Edward Trollope.

Sir Charles Anderson moved a vote of thanks to the lecturer for his very able paper which was seconded by the Rev F Massingberd. Mr Trollope, in replying, expressed the gratification he felt in the reception the paper met with and explained that he had not attempted to give the whole history of Hereward but only the most important incidents in his life of this most extraordinary man. The Rev G Gilbert moved, and Mr Parker seconded, a vote of thanks to the chairman to which Sir John briefly replied.

Afterwards, a public meeting was held in the temporary museum in the railway goods warehouse when the various displays were explained.

Our report of the proceedings will not be complete unless we record the names of those ladies and gentlemen of Bourne through whose untiring exertions the meeting was rendered so successful. The ladies were Mrs Sharpe, the Misses Dodsworth, Mawby, Farr, Munton, Parker, Nicholls, Banton, Bradley, Dawson and Gentle. Local committee William Parker, the Rev Joseph Dodsworth, W H Pengelly, C P Worsley, P Fenly, G W Keightley, J P Sharpe and Messrs T Harrison, H Bott, W Sang, T T Mawby, Henry Osborn, R M Mills, R J Shilcock, S Andrews, J Brown, J G Nicholls, W Webber and J Bott. The duties of honorary secretary were ably discharged by J L Bell, solicitor. In giving the names of some of the principal contributors to the museum last week we inadvertently omitted the name of that very clever ornithologist and animal preserver, Mr John Evans, of Bourne, who exhibited several cases of rare and beautiful birds etc. Amongst the antiquities preserved in the town is the bust of a crusader of the time of Edward I. It is inserted in a wall in the yard of Mr Banks.

Compiled from news reports in the Stamford Mercury published
during May and June 1861.

See also Photographs from the event

The archaeological excavations of 1861