Newspaper Transcripts
Some Selected Reports from The Windsor and Eton Express
4th August 1827
Celebration of
His Majesty's Birthday
There will be a Dinner at the Town Hall
Windsor, in honour of this Celebration,
On Monday, the 13th Instant,
At Five O'Clock
The Worshipful the Mayor of Windsor in the Chair,
Stewards
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| The Members of the Borough | Mr.Sharman |
| The Rev.I.Gosset, Vicar. | Mr.Banister |
| William Legh, Esq. | Mr.Wm.Clode. |
| W.Voules, Esq. | Mr.Blunt |
| Mr.Adams. | Mr.Engall |
| Mr.Noke. | Mr.Snowden |
| Mr.Tebbott |
Tickets 14s each, to include Dinner, Dessert, Waiters, and a Bottle of Wine, may be obtained at the bar of the White Hart Inn, and of the Stewards.
To Sportsmen.
To Be Sold, a Brace of Excellent Pointers, Price Sixteen Guineas.
Apply to Mr.Charles Piper, Gun Maker to his Majesty, Windsor.
Windsor and Eton
The Windsor annual Melon Show was held on Wednesday last, at the Hope Inn, when the first and fourth prizes were adjudged to Mr.Anderson; second to Mr.Weedon; third and fifth to Mr.Brown; sixth to Mr.Fassett; and seventh to Mr.Ingram. The fruit exhibited was of the finest description.
At the sitting of the magistrates, on Thursday, Samuel Brinklett and James Church, were held to bail to answer a charge of assault at the next Sessions, on William Coker, a watchman of this borough.
On Monday afternoon an inquest was taken before J.Charsley, Esq., coroner for Bucks, at the George inn, Eton, on view of the body of John Kempster, aged seven years, son of a bargeman, of Eton, who was drowned the preceding evening. It appeared from the evidence, that between seven and eight o'clock, on Sunday evening, the deceased and sister accompanied their mother and a female named Elizabeth Bass, for a walk. They sat down for a short time in the Brocas meadow, on the bank of the Thames, during which two boys, acquaintances of the deceased, the eldest but 14 years old, passing in a boat, asked him to have a ride. Having obtained leave of his mother, provided he kept still and did not remain long, the deceased and his sister got into the boat. They had not proceeded far, and in the middle of the river , opposite Bargeman's Bridge, when a wherry, with four Castle labourers coming down stream, got close abreast of them, and the oar of the left hand man being lifted rather high from the rullock, swept over the boat, knocking one of the boy's hats off, and striking the deceased on the forehead off the stern and into the water. The mother and female had seen the wherry approach, and had called out to the men, but too late to be of service. They were now, on seeing the melancholy disaster, in great agony, and ran in different directions for assistance. In the meanwhile the wherry had returned to the spot, but the body had sunk, and the exertions of the men, and of the elder Mr.De Salis, in particular, an Etonian, (who dived several times in his clothes), proved on no avail. The body was not found for a quarter of an hour, when it was picked up by Talbot, a waterman, and immediately conveyed to the workhouse. Mr.Hammond, surgeon, of Eton, was in attendance, and resorted to the means recommended by the Humane Society, but to no effect. - The jury returned a verdict of Accidental Death, with a deodand of 1s each on the boat and oar.
An accident, which providentially has been attended with favourable consequences, happened on Tuesday last, at the Cavalry Barracks, to a young man named George Bowring, in the employ of Mr.Cooper, a plumber and glazier, of this town. He was repairing one of the water-engines there, and accidentally fell backwards in the well, to the depth of forty feet, when fortunately the stage across impeded his further progress; and though he fell on his back, he contrived to sustain himself till he was released from his perilous situation. Had the man been unable to have remained, inevitable destruction awaited him, there being an additional depth of sixty feet to the water, which we believe is about twelve feet deep. After the accident, the poor man was imprudently carried to his lodgings, at the Union, in High-street, instead of the hospital at the barracks, where medical aid was directly at hand. He has not received any material injury; and we are happy to say (under the care of Mr.Holderness, of the Dispensary), he has nearly recovered.
An extraordinary feat of pedestrianism has been performed in Eton this week, by the celebrated McMullen. He undertook to walk 102 miles, in twenty-four successive hours; and commenced his arduous task on Thursday evening, at half-past seven , in the Brocas meadow. The first twenty miles he walked in four hours, and continued during the night at nearly the same rate, having a few intervals of rest. He rather flagged in his pace during the latter part of his performance, which he finished within three quarters of an hour of the time, without much apparent fatigue. He was pretty liberally rewarded for his exertions, by contribution from casual visitors to the sport.
A most alarming fire broke out on Monday last, about eleven o'clock in the forenoon, at the village of Islip, five mile Oxford, which consumed six dwelling houses, two hay ricks, two barns, and some stabling, before the engines arrived from Oxford. The houses were situated at one end of the village, and stood by themselves. Had the wind been in the contrary direction, it is supposed the greater part of the village would have become a prey to the devouring element, as the wind blew almost a hurricane . We are sorry to say that very little of the property is insured. The amount of damages done has not yet been ascertained. Mrs.Pulley, Mrs.Cox, and B>Mr.Haskins, are among the sufferers. The fire broke out in a cottage, where the inmates were brewing; the chimney took fire, which communicated to the thatched roof.
On Thursday a fire broke out at Haslington Farm, near Botley, in the occupation of T.Ensworth, Esq., of Oxford, caused by a boy shooting at some birds in the barn. By this calamity, two cottages, one barn, a stable, cart hovel, part of a hay rick, with several farming implements in the barn, were entirely consumed. When the Earl of Abingdon heard of the fire, his lordship immediately sent all his workmen, and his fire-engine, to assist in extinguishing the flames.
Mr.J.Farndon, of Woodstock, Oxon., gathered a gooseberry, named Tom Sawyer, on Friday, the 27th of July, that measured 5 inches in circumference, and weighed 24dwts.6grs. It was the first and only one of that dimension ever gathered and exhibited in that part of the kingdom.
Aylesbury
Master Grossmith repeated his performance at Aylesbury on Monday evening, with some slight variations in the characters he had previously sustained. The audience was not less numerous or respectable than that which witnessed the exhibition of his talents on Friday, nor was there any abatement in the satisfaction which they derived from them, Master Grossmith is, in truth, a most extraordinary and interesting child. He is a favourite with both the comic and tragic Muses. We naturally go to witness the exhibition of so mere a child with our feelings disposed to hear and pardon so much that is amiss; but really we found little cause for the exercise of such lenity. His appearance, it is true, is youthful notwithstanding all the efforts of art; and his voice turning towards the "childish treble" sometimes renders the illusion of the scene less perfect, but these defects (if they can so be called) maturity alone can remedy; they are inseparably connected with childhood and were amply atoned for by his excellent delivery and action, and the clear conception which, it is evident , he entertains of the character he personates. By his sole powers he kept the company entertained for full two hours, and the expressions of satisfaction at the dropping of the curtain were universal. Since his performance he has been much caressed by many respectable families of Aylesbury; he has received several presents, and invitations without number. The friends of this young favourite intend that he shall exhibit his histrionic talents at High Wycombe in a short time.
On Saturday last, a lad of the name of Topping, an apprentice to Mr.R.Wilson, bricklayer, of Buckingham, fell from the top of a scaffold (at the front of the house of P.Bartlett, Esq.) upon the pavement, and broke his arm, fractured his skull, and was otherwise so much injured as to make his recovery doubtful. The accident arose from the scaffold being very narrow in the part from whence he fell; and having to deliver some mortar through a window, he incautiously overstepped himself, and was precipitated to the bottom, nearly falling on a man who was sweeping the pavement below.
It was omitted to be mentioned at the time it occurred that Mr.Brown, gardener to his Grace the Duke of Buckingham, at Stowe, was this year the successful candidate for the great silver medal annually given by the Horticultural Society, at Chiswick, to the exhibitor of the finest pines and grapes. The bestowal of the prize on Mr.Brown in preference to exhibitors from all parts of the kingdom is, no doubt, highly flattering to him, but it is not surprising to those who have had an opportunity of observing the high state of perfection to which those fruits are brought under his management. The houses in which they are reared are at this time well worth seeing, and are most obligingly shown by Mr.Brown, who has the disposal of the fruit.
On Monday last, an inquest was held at the Woolpack public-house, in the village of Stoke, near Aylesbury, before Mr.Burnham, one of the coroners for the county of Bucks, on the body of John Bradley, a haggle carter, who, as it appeared in evidence, met his death under the following circumstances :- Wm.Durley, a labourer in the employ of Mr.Whitchurch, of Stoke, about 12 o'clock on Saturday was at plough in a field adjoining the road leading from Wendover to Aylesbury, and observed the cart of the deceased going along the road to Aylesbury. It was loaded with bavins (about 150) on which the deceased was riding. The horse of the deceased started and ran away at the moment Durley looked at him, and the deceased attempted to get off on the offside of the cart. Durley on seeing this ran and jumped over a hedge into the road to assist him. The horse of the deceased passed him at the moment he got to the hedge, with its winker-halter off, and the reins loose on its back, and the deceased was then laying on the ground about 50 yards behind the cart. Durley went and spoke to him directly, and receiving no answer, he put his hand to his breast; but he seemed to be dead, for he neither breathed, nor moved hand or foot. The body was lying on its side, in a slanting direction from the hedge. There was a mark of dust on his arm and across his shoulder and head, as if the wheel had passed over him, and his head was laying on the footpath, which was somewhat raised above the road. - Mr.Savory , surgeon of Wendover, stated that the deceased died in consequence of his skull being fractured. The Jury returned a verdict of Accidental death, and ordered the horse to be killed !!!