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HISTORICAL
PAGEANT We think that in these days of scurry and bustle it would be as well to take you back for a spell to the quiet days of your forefathers of this village and the first mention of it in history. To this end we propose to show before you in procession the people we find historically recorded commencing from the first mention of it in the Doomsday Book in William the Conqueror's time. In order to help fix the dates we mention, we have brought with them either the King or Queen who was reigning during that period, or some great man who is familiar to you in history. First, the name Endrebie means wood on a hill the latter part of the word " by " shows that it of Danish origin. The first mention, then, was the reign of William the Conqueror in the two books called Doomsday Book - so called because it admitted of no appeal. He summoned all tenants to Assembly to swear allegiance to him instead of allowing them to swear it to their own baron. Thus no baron could claim allegiance of his vassals to fight for him against his sovereign. In the first scene is William and Hugh de Grentesmesnil, who was first Norman Governor of Leicester, & Ulf, who was his subtenant, swearing allegiance to William and giving the value of all his holdings, amount of his stock and number of men on them, Ulf has no surname. Hugh possessed seven houses in Endretesbie or Endrebie. Scene
I. The
next scene we go on to Richard Coeur de Lion's time. When this King
was in Palestine his brother John made war on the English nobles. Among
those He ruined was the Earl of Huntingdon and his son Robert, or, as
we know him better, Robin Hood. He saw his father killed, home destroyed.,
and he became an outlaw. Here you see an encounter with a ruffian, when
Maid Marion has come to seek Robin in the forest. Scene
II The Abbot of Leicester gave Simon of Enderby 1 virgate of land (30 acres) to build this Church at Enderby. Richard de Grahame was presented by the Abbot and Convent of Leicester to the Vicarage of the new Church at Enderby, and the daughter Church of Wheston (Whetstone) became attached to Enderby, till 1867. Scene
III. Scene
IV Now
we pass to 14 10, when John, Earl of Somerset, held the Manor in the
time of Henry Plantaganet. About this time youths of noble rank swelled
the retinues to learn their knightly duties. Their sports were cock
fighting, bull and bear baiting, and archery on the village green. They
had shows and pageant too, and biblical stories were represented. Scene
V. The next mention of Enderby is 1485, when Queen Margaret claimed this Manor as part of her marriage dowry. About this time was the period of miracle play representing lives of saints in which virtues and vices were impersonated. These plays were performed on wooden stages by wandering companies. Here you will see Queen Margaret waiting to see a Company of Mummers. The Mummers or Mimers were the first introduction of humour in plays and the play you will see will be like such a one. Notice how it rhymes. Scene
VI.
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Scene
VII Nobles offered her a crown which she really did not want. She was crowned Queen, but ten days after they deserted her anti a plot was hatched to put Mary on the throne.Mary became Queen and afterwards Lady Jane Grey was accused of treason against Mary and beheaded. This scene is what might have taken place if we had been there to see it. Scene
VIII. In the next scene we show Queen Elizabeth, for during her reign there is mention of 82 families in Enderby. Here is Elizabeth and Raleigh and the Earl of Leicester, with the villagers giving a May-Dance before the Queen. Scene
IX. Henry, Earl of
Huntingdon, who held the Manor, sold it to Thomas Gardiner, and in 1625
it was sold Sir George Quarles. Afterwards Sir Richard Colman held it
and sold it to Richard Smith, who endowed £10 a year for a school
for poor children. He followed King Charles II. into exile and returned
with him in 1660. We show them talking together on their return, also
his daughter Ann Smith who married Sir William Loraine, who took the
name of Loraine Smith. Their son, Charles Loraine Smith, who was Lord
of the Manor in 1784 was the Sporting Squire and life long friend of
Hugo Meynell, one of the original heroes of the Quorn Hunt. He was a
big man, rode a powerful horse and took part in the famous Billesdon
Coplow in and was the only man on the field to cross the Soar on horseback.
He lived to be hale and hearty and died in his armchair. His son the
Rev. Lambton Loraine Smith had the same sporting tastes as his Scene
X. From the Rev. Lambton Loraine Smith the Hall estates and Manor passed to a banker named Mitchell. In 1843 he was in difficulties but his brother set his affairs straight, but he again became bankrupt. 'Tis said poor folk visited the Hall for lumps of bacon, bread, cheese, &c., so probably generosity was the cause of his difficulties. Anyhow we portray him in company with some people hearing of the legend of Enderby and the result. Picture an alehouse and the servant joining in conversation with customers. By the way, his son Dicky Mitchel was a splendid cricketer and played for England, and brought an All England Team here to Enderby to play. Scene
Xl. Now
we come to the time some of you remember, when Mr. Charles Brook bought
the Hall. He built Schools, rebuilt the Church with the exception of
the tower (while this was being done people worshipped in the School)
in 1868 at a cost of, £7000. This gentleman had the road made
which we call Leicester Lane, and planted the avenue of lime trees to
make the entrance. It was, within the memory of some, a bridle road
with two gates to go through, and there were hedges like there are now.
Many a boy and girl earned coppers at these gates front the people who
flocked to Enderby from Leicester to visit the Strawberry Gardens when
the Marstons lived there. As many as 11,000 have visited them at a time
People could pay 1/- eat as many strawberries as they liked, and dance
to the band. About this time the Rev. George Edwards, 1867, was the
Vicar of Enderby. Whetstone became a separate benefice by all Order
in Council. Mr. Edwards was a keen temperance worker and through him
Mr. Brook gave a new set of brass instruments and founded a Temperance
Band. Building Societies were started and Enderby "grew."
Instead of finishing at about the "Nag's Head." fields were
bought and \Vest Street, John Street, Rawson Street, sprang up and many
green fields and gates vanished. Where Gable Cottage stands there was
a blacksmith's shop and close by was a noted character, who was teased
by the boys as she worked near the door of her thatched cottage at her
one hose frame, Ann Lowe "Rocky" Orton, who made " bull'seyes,"
was another character. Mr. Brook bought a public-house, " The Bull's
Head," and round about there sprang up the reading room, afterwards
the Conservative Club. The only paper that came into the village once
a week was called Bell's Life and cost 8d. but only two men could read
it, so they read it aloud to their workmates. The thatched houses at
the back of Mr. Bradshaw's shop are a sample of the old houses in Enderby.
There was a square of them and a plot of grass at the front. Brook Street
is really a private road which belonged to Mr Brook and was the road
to his home farm buildings. Scene
XII. |
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