Some Selected Reports from The Windsor and Eton Express
1st July 1837
This day the 1st Regiment of Life Guards, under the command of the Hon.Colonel.Cavendish, marched into Windsor to do duty in the room of the 2nd Regiment, removed to the Albany Barracks, Regent's Park.
Proclamation of Queen Victoria in Windsor
On Monday last Her Majesty was proclaimed in Windsor. Edward Bovingdon, Esq., the Mayor, had, in order to show as much respect towards our youthful Queen as it was possible to do under the circumstances of the remains of his late Majesty lying at the Castle, and where the Queen Dowager was also staying, issued circulars requesting all persons who had intended to join the procession with which the ceremony would be attended, to meet at the Town Hall on that day, stating at the same time that no military display would take place. At the appointed time a very great number of persons, nearly all of whom were in deep mourning, assembled in the Town Hall, among whom were the members for the borough, and several of the neighbouring gentry, and most of the principal inhabitants of the town.
At one o'clock [?] the procession was formed, and moved away in the following order:- Peace Officers; Blue School, by fours; Clerk, and Sexton; Inhabitants, by fours; Peace Officers; Parochial Officers of New Windsor and Clewer; Borough Officers; Town Councillors; Aldermen; Town Clerk (J.Secker, Esq.); Curate, (the Rev. W.J.Moore); Rector of Clewer (Rev.Mr.Roberts); Treasurer (A.Moore, Esq.); Recorder (the Hon.J.C.Talbot); Constable; Mace; Constable; Sir John Elley, M.P.; Mayor (E.Bovingdon, jun., Esq.); Mr.Ramsbottom, M.P.; County Magistrates, Military Officers, Clergy and Gentry; Peace Officers.
At the Market-cross, at the bottom of Castle-street, the procession halted, when the proclamation was read by Mr.Secker, the Town Clerk. It then re-formed, and proceeded to the Castle entrance (Henry the Eighth's Gate), where it was met by the Dean and Canons, &c., of St George's Chapel in the following order :- The Naval and Military Knights; Castle Porter, with staff of office; Choristers of the Chapel; Gentlemen of the Choir; Minor Canons; Canons, and the Very Rev the Dean (Dr.Hobart); all of them in their robes. The proclamation was then again read opposite the Gateway, after which the procession (excepting the Dean and Canons, &c., who then separated) proceeded down Thames-street to the Eton side of the bridge, where it was met by the Provost and members of the College of Eton, with the officers of the College, and many of the students, and the proclamation being there read, the ceremony terminated.
Some attempts were made to hail with acclamations the accession of the youthful Queen, but they were instantly repressed, it not being considered decorous to exhibit any manifestations of joy in the neighbourhood of the Castle, in which lay the uninterred remains of departed Royalty, and where also any loud expressions of applause might have been heard by the Queen Dowager. Upon a proper occasion for exhibiting those feelings we are confident that the inhabitants of Windsor will be found among the foremost in hailing their new Sovereign in such a manner as will show their loyalty and respect towards Her Majesty; but it has been customary in this town, upon the occasion of proclaiming one Sovereign while the other lies at the Castle, to refrain from testifying any outward symptoms of joy.
Bucks Sessions - Aylesbury, Tuesday.
These sessions commenced this morning before Sir Thomas Aubrey and a full bench of magistrates. The calendar contained the names of 56 prisoners, but most of the offences with which they stood charged were of a trifling nature.
James Goddard, aged 42, was indicted for feloniously stealing, the dwelling house of Thomas Greenfield, a wooden box, containing 45 sovereigns, 11 half sovereigns, 12 half crowns, 89 shillings, 21 sixpences, 4 half pence, and a Bank of England note of the value of �100.
It appeared from the testimony of Mrs.Maria Greenfield, of the George Inn, Beaconsfield, and other witnesses, that the prisoner purloined the box in question, with its contents, on the 29th of April last, from the prosecutor's bed room. The prisoner was formerly a steward of the Beaconsfield Friendly Society, to whom the money belonged, and the offence was proved to have been committed by him from the circumstance of some loose mortar that had fallen from the wall against which the box was fixed, being traced to the room occupied by the prisoner in the above Inn. The box with its contents was found in the prisoners possession.
The jury found the prisoner guilty and he was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment and hard labour.
The Outrage at Eton College
It will be remembered that some short time since the statue of Henry VI was partly demolished at Eton College, and the sceptre carried off.
A Mr.Jesse, holding an appointment under the Admiralty, was traced to be the perpetrator of the outrage, and was apprehended, and underwent examination before the local magistracy, the result of which was that he was bound over in heavy bail to appear at these sessions to answer the charge.
Mr.Maltby, on behalf of the college, this day moved that the recognisances be discharged, it being the opinion of counsel that an indictment could not be sustained.
Mr.Rose, on the part of Mr.Jesse, begged to say that that gentleman felt the greatest contrition for what had occurred. No person had a higher respect for the college, and those that had the management of it, than Mr.Jesse.
Here the matter ended.
The number of persons for trial was greater than usual, but most of the offences were of a trivial nature.