You don't know you're born.

Mrs. Fanny West was 95 years old when she died in 1910, before her death she was a fine old lady with a retentive memory and a cheery smile and very active and nimble for her age. She had been "the oldest guest" at the gathering held in Shodfriars Hall on January 1st. 1909 in celebration of the Old Age Pensions Act, when about 400 of the residents of Boston, who had passed the age of three score years and ten, were entertained at a tea and concert promoted by the Boston Liberal Association.

Mrs. West was born in June 1816, and in an interview two years before her death stated that she remembered the last election when voting took place in the Parish Church. Excitement was so intense that the electors tore off the green baise coverings from the pews in the church to make banners and flags.

She remembered she was cleaning the doorstep when the horsemen riding past announced the death of King William IV, and was present at the feast provided in a booth in Pump Square to celebrate the coronation of Queen Victoria.

Mrs. West had been a widow for fifty four years and when her husband died she was left with four children under seven years of age, the youngest being ten months, and no parish relief. The oldest boy, 9 years old, worked seven days a week for sixpence a day. The next, a mere boy of 8 years, worked for fourpence a day, Sundays included. Tea was a rare delicacy in those days, and more often was made by pouring boiling water over toasted bread and calling it tea because it looked brown. The eldest girl went out to service at 12 years of age for £1 per year, and Mrs. West toiled for the little ones, washing at one shilling a day, taking in sewing and gleaning in the harvest time corn getting enough to keep a pig in a stye. The humble pig in the olden days seems often to have been the saviour of the family.

Queen Victoria's "visit" to Boston.

The highlight of the year 1851 for Bostonians was undoubtedly the "visit" of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. About the middle of August of that year it became known that the Queen would pass through the town towards the end of the month on her way to Scotland. The Town Council immediately applied for permission to testify to the "loyalty and affection to Her Majesty and her Royal Consort, either by presentation of a loyal and dutiful address or such other mode as may be deemed most desirable."

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

At first the request was refused but a second application pointing out that the Queen would not be delayed, "as the train must necessarily stay for at least five minutes," succeeded. The station was decorated with evergreens and banners  and a Mr. Lewin loaned all the timber necessary for the special platform.
On the day, rejoicing began at 12 o'clock when the Mayor (John Noble) gave a breakfast in the Assembly Rooms. At 3.30 the doors of the station were thrown open and those who had succeeded in getting tickets - about 2,000 in all - began to pour in and secure their places. When the train arrived , Lord John Russell alighted and made the introductions. The Queen received the address from the Mayor, standing at the door of her carriage, and she "was pleased to show herself to the people at the windows on both sides of her carriage." Albert however seems to have remained in the background.
The "visit" over, the train passed slowly toward the Grand Sluice and the day's festivities were brought to a close with a civic dinner at the Peacock Inn.

The Royal Coat of Arms.

Commercial House at 17 Market Place was once run by J.W. Loveley, even today if you glance up you can still make out the name on the side wall.
The strange thing about the building is that it once had the Royal Coat of Arms on it.

Loveley's Commercial House showing the Royal Coat of Arms.

Mr. John Loveley, speaking in July 1993 said that his Great Grandfather had a bakers shop in Dolphin Lane for many years. In the 1870's he purchased the shop in the Market Place from a jeweller who was giving up business, and that some years before, one of Queen Victoria's daughters, whilst visiting Sandringham, rode over to Boston and in fact purchased some jewellery from him and in consequence he was entitled to use the Royal Coat of Arms. These arms were put on the jewellers shop and were still on the shop when Mr. Loveley purchased it and it remained there for many years. Later a son of Queen Victoria stayed one night at the Peacock Hotel, so this became able to use the title "Royal" and the Peacock became the Peacock and Royal. The Arms on Loveley's shop were sold to the Peacock and  as shown in the picture stood over the main door. Maybe someone can tell us where they went from there.

The Royal Coat of Arms, just visible, above the Hotel door.

Memories of Boston.

In 1914, Mr. James Faunt (then over eighty years old) of 10, Cornhill Lane looked back and told us of West Street in the old days.

West Street he said was largely a residential street and was one of the main arteries of the town but it also had the offices and warehouses of a great many of the business firms of Boston. The dwelling houses were frequently of great age and almost the last of them (a row of particularly old houses pictured below) were demolished and the Municipal Buildings built on the site in the early 1900's.

An old mansion house stood on the present site of the Co-operative Stores and nearby the business establishment of Mr. Norris had, in its rear, a garden forming part of a paddock from which the name of Paddock Grove arose. The paddock provided a feeding space for sheep and cattle but was also used by the children of the town as a playground.

Mr.William Mumford of 9, Tunnard Street who was 82 years old in 1914 also left us some good descriptions of the town. He was born in the neighbourhood of the Workhouse in Skirbeck Road and a few years later in about 1844 moved with his parents to West Street to a house at the rear of the shop of Mr. J.H. Clarke, a fruiterer, near the Primitive Methodist Chapel (below, near present day P.C. World).

Here his father had five acres of garden, a portion of which was destined to be the the site of the present railway of which he went to the opening of in 1848.

He also remembered seeing Queen Victoria passing through the town on a train, there were some pear trees near the station and he put a ladder against one of them and climbed it to get a good view. Passing on, he remarked that we should have seen the market when all the country lads came in the town in smock frocks or slops on, and with their braided waistcoats.

He remembered a time when there used to be dancing booths open all night, there was one at the Little Peacock he said, and they had a fiddler and a cornet player. He also said that there were some good boxers in those days recalling the names of Joe East and three of the Holden family. "Tom Holden was a little fellow of about 9 stones" he continued "and I once went down to the Scalp Marsh to see a fight between him and Joe East"

"I think Joe East had the hardest head of anyone, I have often seen him run butt at a wall with his head." He would shout "You can't hurt my head, I don't care how you hit it" "I have often seen him do it where the Rum Puncheon is (below, the present day Stump and Candle)."

There used to be some fine does at the Queens Head (just over Bargate bridge) and the London Tavern (opposite the present day Waterfront pub and both pictured below) he said.

They had a free and easy at the London Tavern every Thursday night and some good singers there were too, there was "Diggery" Pearson, he used to sing some queer songs, he was a comical card.

Finally Mr. Mumford tells us that years before he used to go down Tattershall Road to the race meeting, there were many flat races and for one event "trays" were put down for the horses to jump. He had seen hundreds of people on the high bank on one side of the course, where drinking booths were erected by various publicans.

The Peacock

The Peacock (in the Market Place) dated from around the 1670's.

The Royal was added, making it the Peacock and Royal, during the 1880's when a son of Queen Victoria stayed there.

It was finally demolished in the 1960's and the present Boot's the Chemist store was built on the site.