"A Little History of Bottesford"
Pages from a lost manuscript
By Sue Middleton
We are most grateful for permission to transcribe and publish this fascinating insight into shops and trades in the village around the 1890's.
The anonymous author left the village in 1899 and was prompted to write on noting the closure of Rose Dyer's shop in an article in the Grantham Journal. This shop closed in 1973. The author is therefore remembering back eighty years to the 1890's and must have been in their late 80's or early 90's at the time of writing.
We have reproduced the original manuscript. The manuscript is then transcribed as written with added photographs and other information drawn from trade directories and census material of the period. Checking such sources reveals just how accurate the author's recollections are.
Mr Andrew Goodson found these pages 5 and 6 from what must have been a longer manuscript, in documents kept by his mother - Mrs. Maisie Goodson. If anyone has access to the other pages please do get in touch.
Page 5 from the original manuscript
Reproduced with the permission of Andrew Goodson
Page 6 from the original manuscript
Reproduced with the permission of Andrew Goodson
Transcription and notes
(C/O = Grantham Co-operative Society)
"A Little History of Bottesford.
I was very interested to read in the Grantham Journal that Mrs. Rose Dyer was giving up her General Stores in Chapel Street, Bottesford, the building itself has a long history as a shop although the exact date is not known.
Rose Dyer gave up her General Stores at the right-hand of the T-junction of Queen Street and Chapel Street in 1973. Kath Randall was the previous shop keeper and is well remembered for being able to find items in a shop crammed to the ceiling with goods.
Photograph by David Middleton
Eighty years ago I remember it as a private house and living their was Mr. Lane, a baker, who let the two front rooms to the Grantham Co/Society who made them into one large shop, the front door to enter in, quite a super stores in those days. Mr. Lane had the back of the house for is business. The Co/Society did not stay in business long. I think only for a year or two.
At that time Mr. J.D. Robinson had set up business as a butcher, is shop was in Chapel St. (a place at one time they kept animals in) opposite Mr. Lane bread shop.
Mr Robinson's shop premises later F.A. Winn's General Store
Copyright Ted Rayson
He did the place up and put in a window and carried on, killing taking place in a building in the yard of the Mill House in which he lived. As the C/O had now left he took their place and put a window in the shop facing into Chapel St., and gave up his other shop.
Mill House, Queen Street, Bottesford where J.D. Robinson lived in the 1890's. The photographs show the house in the 1970's and 1870's
B.L.H.S. Archive
At the corner of Chapel St., I think its now called Devon Lane, lived a Mr. Fisher he had a horse and waggonette business he died, and Mr. Lane moved into house and carried on his baking business and also making pork pies calling himself the pork pie king.
The Old Bakery Devon Lane, Bottesford. The Lane family ran the bakery business until at least 1900 according to the Kelly's Directory. However by 1908 Kelly's lists John Henry Phillips as running the bakery. The Simpson family were the last bakers at these premises. They closed the bakery business in 1953.
B.L.H.S. Archive
H. Simpson and Sons Bakers - staff outside the bakery on Devon Lane, Bottesford in 1950. Left to Right - Tom Simpson, Winifred Claricotes, Cecil Briggs, Kathleen Langton and Emily Rayson
From the collection of John Simpson
From now things settled down. Next to the Coffee House lived Mr. Wood a grocer and seed shop, old age and wanting a smaller place took the little house facing the cross, now the barbers. Mr. Woods house and shop were taken by Mr. Copeland as a ladies outfitting dresses, hats, shoes etc.
Mr Copelands Market Street premises (now Paul's Restaurant) and the Coffee House (now a private residence)
B.L.H.S. Archive
In White's directory 1877 Mr. William Wood is listed as a grocer, draper and tailor on Market Street. Herbert Copeland is mentioned as a tailor, draper and shoe dealer in Market Street in the Wright's Directory 1899. Soon after these premises become one of the butcher's shops in the village.
B.L.H.S. Archive
The author recalls that Mr Wood moved to a smaller house, which became a barber's shop. The photograph shows Deacon's hairdressers and tobacconist which occupied these premises for many years from at least 1928 (Kelly's Directory) until the late 1970's
Copyright Ted Rayson
Just before all this going on, John Thomas Lane who lived opposite the Cross in the double fronted house with an overgrown yew tree each site the path, one could not see the house, both Mr. and Mrs. Lane was very old, strange and queer, Kate Ann look after them, eventually they died.
A Grantham gentleman bought the property, after the Lane's lost a law case over some trouble with the Brewers of the Bull. After the house was repaired up, a Mr. Spikes and family lived there, he was a traveller for a Nottingham firm.
After a few years they left then Mr. Copeland wanting a smaller place with a shop took it and had the right hand front room with the new piece built over the garden into a shop.
Mr Copeland's addition to the house next door is still used as a shop - currently the Rutland Studios but fo many years from WW2 Mr and Mrs Moulsher's Grocery shop
Photograph by David Middleton
Mrs Moulsher outside her shop in the early 1980's
From the collection of Mrs. Ada Bond
Interior of Rutland Studio showing one of the original arched chimney alcoves and the 18th century boxed beam to the rear of the shop
Photograph by David Middleton
Then J. D. Robinson took over his shop and house, pulled down the middle part which was thatche, had it brick built, had a slaugther (slaughter) house built, also a bake house. Mr. J. Martin was baker for pork pies. After it was all finished he gave up the Queen St. and Chapel St. shop and the family all came to live in the new abode and I attended at the opening party. I think that when he started the butchering business he used to have a certain amount of beef come from Grantham, only killed mutton.
J.D. Robinson (far left - b.1864, d.1947) moved his butchery and pork pie business from Queen Street to Market Street in 1899 although the 1899 Wright's Directory, presumably compiled in 1898, still lists him in Queen Street. The 1901 Census shows J.D. Robinson as working as a butcher at 15 Market Street and Joseph Martin as a baker and confectioner at 13 Market Street. We can also identify the children in the photograph from the 1901 census information. From left to right - the children are: James, W. (b.1893, d.1934); Annie (b.1891); Victoria, M (b.1897) - on the knee of Mrs Caroline Robinson (b. 1856, d.); George (b.1889, d.1941) - holding the donkey; Richard (b. 1895, d.1918 'in the Great War') - sitting on the donkey. By 1908 Kelly's Directory gives G.H. Goodson as a butcher on Market Street. The 1928 Kelly's Directory then lists Harry Bugg a butcher at these premises (as shown in one of the previous photographs). After WW2 Mr Frank and Mrs Maisie Goodson ran their butcher and pork pie business from these premises. Their son Andrew Goodson converted it to a restaurant in the early 1990's. It is now Paul's Restaurant. The former slaughter house is now the 'Wine Lounge'.
From the collection of Mr David Hampson
Details of J.D.Robinson's shop sign
Enhanced by Kate Pugh
Details of J.D.Robinson's 'trade mark'
Enhanced by Kate Pugh
Details of J.D.Robinson's shop sign - 'Patronized by His Grace, The Duke of Rutland, K.G. The Ex-Sheriff J.P. of London, The Clergy, Gentlemen of the Medical Profession And Nobility of the District. Our celebrated Pies have been supplied to the Duke of Rutland at Belvoir Castle for Luncheons etc. and His Grace writes with Respect to their Most Excellent Flavour and Quality.
Enhanced by Kate Pugh
Paul's Restaurant
Photograph by David Middleton
Paul's 'Wine Lounge' on the left - formerly the slaughter house
Photograph by David Middleton
Soon after, on June 6th,1899, I left the village.
When the C/O first started these are shops in the village and it was only a small half the size as it is today. Miss Geeson, Church St., J. Sutton, the Cross, Mr. Marriot, Mr. Levick, W. Spalton, W. Sutton, Mr. White, Miss Richards, S. King all had their own customers."
All these shops are identified in the 1899 Wright's Directory:
Miss Elizabeth Geeson, grocer, Church St
Geeson's Shop, Church Street c. 1902
From the collection of Mrs. Owen
John Sutton, grocer, Market Street
Robert John Marriot, draper and insurance agent, Market Street
Samuel Levick, baker and confectioner, High Street
William Spalton, ironmonger. High Street
William Sutton, grocer and fellmonger, High Street (fellmonger - removal of hair from animal hides in preparation for tanning. Given that there were five butchers in the village at that time there would have been quite a supply of animal hides for processing)
Edward White. chemist and sub-postmaster, High Street
Samuel King, draper, Chapel Street
Miss Alice Richards, dress maker, High Street.