An Interesting Snippet

The Parish Registers of Whaplode - Memorandem - January 27th 1820 - At the last summer assizes, John BIMROSE, of this parish, was capitally convicted of wilfully firing a gun about midnight, into the chamber window of William Wilders, of the Star public house. He supposed that his wife, whom he had turned out, was there: for which offence the said John BIMROSE received sentence of death, & was left for execution on Friday the 6th day of August 1819. But on Sunday: August 1st, myself, the Churchwardens, Overseers of the Poor, & almost every Parishioner, signed a petition for commutation of punishment: at the same time setting on foot a subscription to defray the expenses of sending a special messenger after the Judge, to Derby, for that purpose, which was happily effected: & the messenger arrived back at Lincoln Castle with a reprieve on Wednesday Aug 4th at about 10 o'clock at night... Ultimately he was transported for life N.B. The whole expense was £21

It ought not, by any means, to be omitted recording that, among the principal people of this Parish, shooting into houses, breaking open doors, demolishing windows & such like transactions, in the night, has been, for some years, a common drunken frolic: which was always made up in a day or two, by paying for the damage done, & spending a few shillings, by way of a treat!!!....It might have been reasonably supposed that the narrow escape of this poor culprit would have proved a wholesome example: & effected a moral reformation in the Parish, but, alas, the grosser acts of violence are only restrained! The same spirit of notorious impiety, profligacy & licentiousness continues to prevail. And a great many are triumphantly bringing up their children in the same contumacious manner!!! That God Almighty may turn the heads of the disobedient, into the wisdom of the just, thro Jesus Christ our Lord Saml OLIVER. It was in the registers of Samuel OLIVER that the fact was noted that the parents of the child were 'stark raging Ranters'. The name BEMROSE seems to have started out in the Lincolnshire area wsere it was highly concentrated in the 1881 census. It is thought to have originated from the name of a now vanished village.

Whilst on the subject of prison. The archive books CDs are at half price and I have just purchased the 1861 census for the Isle of Wight. On one disk is the prison and if one of your ancestors was here then you will have trouble pinpointing him as they are only listed as for instance - J. B. – Prisoner – U – 17 – Tailor – Lincolnshire – Boston or J. B. – Prisoner - U – 12 – Labourer – Lincolnshire – Frampton and these two do exist as above. Best of luck.

Bits and Bobs

The Times (London) 17 Jul 1908 - Prizes for large families - At the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society's annual show, opened yesterday at Sleaford, prizes were offered to the agricultural labourers who had brought up and placed out the largest numbers of children, without having received parochial relief. The first prize of £4 went to George FARMERY, of Hemswell, Lincoln, who had 23 children, 17 of whom were brought up, and 14 placed out. The second prize went to John ELSEY, of Lusby, near Spilsby, who had 14 children, 14 of whom were brought up, and 11 placed out. The third prize-winner was William BELL, of Croxby, Caistor, with 14 children born, 11 brought up, and the same number placed out. The five men competing in the class had a total of 78 children.

A couple of months later it was listed in the New Zealand newspapers. He won again the next year and received another £4. With wages being 15 shillings a week the winnings would have been a nice addition to the family budget.

Posted by Alan MOORHOUSE