Blandford Throwback Facts V

In 1741, two men, Will King and Ben Fluel, were publicly hanged in the Market Place for robbing Lady Grace Haynes.

In 1742, scavengers Robert Pitman and Richard Dutton were paid fifteen shillings (75p) per quarter to sweep the streets and remove the dung and filth.

In 1744, Blandford Races were revived after a lapse of several years.

In 1752, a cudgel contest was held in the Sword & Dagger public house. A two guinea prize was offered ‘to the man that breaks most heads and saves his own.’

In 1753, during this year, eight Blandford girls married soldiers.

In 1755, the famous Damory Oak was felled. It stood 75 feet high and its cavity could hold 20 men. During the Civil War, an old man sold beer in it. Its wood was sold for fourteen pounds.

During Blandford Races, cockerel fighting took place regularly in the White Bear and the Cock Inn.

Eccentric Jonas Hanway, the first man to use an umbrella in London, stayed at the Lion Inn with friends.

In 1756, thirty Blandford men joined the army stationed on Blandford Down and led by Major-General James Wolfe.

A highwayman stole the horse of Oxford clergyman, Reverend Collins as he travelled between Shaftesbury and Blandford. In return he gave the clergyman his old nag enabling the man of the cloth to continue on his way.

(Illustration: Blandford Market Place)

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True Lovers Knot - a Tragic Tale

True Lovers Knot public house describes itself as a traditional inn set in a picturesque Dorset valley in Tarrant Keynston. Yet, this historical hostelry is said to have gained its name from a particularly tragic tale and still to be haunted by a distressed former publican. This publican’s son met and fell in love with the daughter of the local squire. Because the young lad was not from the gentry they decided to keep their relationship secret from her father. Unfortunately, a stable hand saw the two young lovers together and told her father. Set firmly against this friendship the squire made plans to send his daughter away from the district. Not able to face up to life without her boyfriend, the young girl decided to commit suicide and hanged herself from a tree in the village. So upset was the publican’s son of hearing of his girlfriend’s death he too hanged himself from the same tree. The Tarrant Keynston publican had, himself lost his wife at child birth and now losing his son b

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Crown Hotel, Blandford is reckoned to be one of Dorset’s oldest hostelries. Yet its most tragic day, during a long history, must surely be when a young chimney sweep lost his life. The chimney sweep, who was just a child, suffocated and was burnt to death in a Crown Hotel chimney which had been alight a little while before. ‘His cries were dreadful and no-one could give assistance. Part of the chimney was taken down before he was got out.’ (Salisbury & Winchester Gazette 27th March 1780) The lad had gone up one chimney and attempting to go down another had become stuck. At the time children were used to climb up chimneys to clean out soot deposits. With hands and knees, they would shimmy up narrow dark flue spaces packed thick with soot and debris. After the 1731 Great Fire of Blandford it was realised that it was important to sweep chimneys regularly while many rebuilt houses had narrower ones. Smaller chimneys and complicated flues were a potential death trap for children. The sw

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