HULL:
database file source="h:/!Genuki/RecordTranscriptions/ERY/ERYHullHistoryPP.txt"
A History of Hull
from Baine's Gazetteer (1823)
Part 5
A HISTORY OF HULL
Cromwell and the Protectorate.
After presenting a "dutiful address" to Cromwell on his assumption of the
protectorate, in which they thanked God for making "him the ruler over them,"
the people of Hull followed the current of the times, and made great rejoicings
on the restoration of Charles II. On this occasion the proclamation was read
amid the clang of bells and the thunder of cannon, and the people rent the air
with their joyful acclamations. The arms of the Commonwealth were pulled
down, and afterwards exhibited on a gallows, with the effigies of Cromwell and
Bradshaw, which were subsequently publicly burnt together. Another "dutiful
address" was now presented to the king, and his majesty was told that the
"shameful spectacle" of his royal father being refused admission to the town
could never have happened "had the inhabitants been their own garrison, or had
they not, by an armed power, been forced from that point of obedience, to which
their affections naturally tended." This address was graciously received, and
before the close of the following year, Charles bestowed a signal testimony of
his royal favour, by granting a new charter to the town, which not only ratified
all former charters, but conceded many new privileges. This remained the
governing charter of the town, until the passing of the Municipal Corporations
Act of 1835.
In 1666 the king's brother, the Duke of York - afterwards James II. - visited
Hull, with his duchess and several of the nobility, and was received with much
ceremony. He was presented with a curious purse, containing 50 guineas, and
entertained for three days by the mayor and corporation, at a cost of £170.
On the 3rd January, 1669, died the famous George Monk, Duke of Albemarle,
who had held the office of High Steward of Hull since 1661, and he was
succeeded in that office by Lord Bellasis, the then Governor of Hull, who held
the appointment until 1673, when on the Test Act passing, he, being a Catholic,
refused to take the oath required by that Act,* and resigned the office, with all
his other honours and commands. The king appointed his natural son, the Duke
of Monmouth, to succeed Bellasis, both as Governor and High Steward of Hull.
* This Act required every public officer to receive the Sacrament in the Church
of England, and to make a declaration renouncing the Doctrine of Transubstantiation.
In 1681, the wall connecting the North Blockhouse with the castle was
removed, and the citadel formed. These new fortifications were finished in 1700,
and cost upwards of £100,000. The citadel was near the present South Bridge,
and occupied the whole of the triangular piece of land formed by the rivers Hull
and Humber, and the Victoria Dock. The angle at the north bastion included
the old castle, and the South Blockhouse stood at the western bastion. The
citadel was surrounded by a moat or fosse, by which it was completely insulated,
and was, in its time, a place of great strength, and one of the chief strongholds
of the north. The citadel was demolished in 1863.
On the discovery of the Rye-house plot, in 1682, the Duke of Monmouth was
deprived of the offices of Governor and High Steward of Hull, which were bestowed
upon the Earl of Plymouth. He was welcomed with great state, and was also
made Recorder of Hull. This is the only instance of the three offices being held
by one person.
In 1686, Judges Allybone and Powell held the assizes at Hull, and on the
day following their arrival, being Sunday, the former requested the sheriff (Richard
Ellis), and his officers, to attend him to the Catholic chapel. This they did, as far
as the door, but they could not be prevailed upon to enter with him, and to be
present at the service.(For a historic contrast, see under date, June, 1887. Post.)
The Earl of Plymouth died 3rd November, 1688, and Lord Langdale
succeeded him as Governor and Recorder, and Lord Dover as High Steward of Hull.
In the following September, the corporation elected Francis de la Champ as
mayor, but the king objected to the election, and commanded them to continue
Mr. Hoare, the late mayor, another year, and the corporation reluctantly obeyed.
Five weeks later the Prince of Orange landed 15,000 troops on the Devonshire
coast. Lord Langdale having expected that the Prince would enter the Humber,
had caused great quantities of warlike stores and provisions to be brought into
Hull, for the purpose of sustaining a siege. The, inhabitants - many of whom
remembered but too well the horrors of the two former sieges - were thrown into
a state of consternation. Their apprehensions were, however, removed, when it
became known that William had landed at Torbay. Most of the Catholics in the
neighbourhood fled from the rage of the country people to the protection of Lords
Langdale and Montgomery - who were both of that faith - at Hull. The town
and citadel of Hull remained in the possession of the Catholic party until the 3rd
of December, when it was rumoured that a plot had been formed by the governor
and his adherents to secure all the Protestant officers. Under this apprehension,
Fort-Major Barratt, Captains Copley and Haurner, and other officers, consulted
with the magistrates, and it was decided to call privately to arms such of the
soldiers as were attached to the Protestant cause, and to secure the governor and
the principal persons of his party. The measures were concerted with such
secrecy, that Lord Langdale was seized at his lodgings. Nearly at the time,
Lord Montgomery was secured by Captain Fitzherbert, and Major Mahony, by
the Fort Major. The inferior Catholic officers were also secured, and the next
morning, Captain Copley, with 100 men, marched out to relieve the guard, who
were still ignorant of what had transpired in the night, and, without difficulty,
seized such of the Catholic officers and soldiers as were found there. The town
forts and citadel were next secured, and the anniversary of this bloodless event
was long celebrated at Hull by the name of "The Town Taking day." The room
to which tradition points as that in which this plot was concocted, is the
magnificent old oak-pannelled room known as "The Plotting Chamber," which still
exists in "Ye White Harte" hostelry, in Silver Street, which is supposed to
have then been the residence of the principal plotter De la Champ, who, no
doubt, entered into it in revenge for the king's action on his election to the
mayoralty.
William and Mary.
After the proclamation of William and Mary, Lord Langdale was displaced,
and Sir John Hotham (a descendant of the governor who refused to admit Charles
I.) was appointed Governor of Hull in his stead; but the knight dying soon after,
be was succeeded by the Duke of Leeds. Lord Dover (being a Catholic), refusing
to take the oath required by the Test Act, the (fourth) Duke of Kingston was
appointed High Steward, and the latter was succeeded in 1691 by the Marquis of
Carmarthen, who held the office until his death in 1712, and no successor was
appointed for a period of 54 years.
From this time no public event of any magnitude or importance occurred at
Hull - except the formation of the Hull Dock Co., which is noticed later on - until
towards the close of the 18th century. In 1766 the Marquis of Rockingham was
appointed High Sheriff of Hull, in which office he rendered great service to the
town. He took charge, in the House of Lords, of the Bill under which docks
were established at Hull, and, as the advocate of the place, he secured from the
Crown a grant of the site of the ancient walls of the town for dock purposes. In
1778, on the threatened invasion of England by the united powers of France and
Spain, he visited Hull, and offered, at his own expense, to erect a battery for the
defence of the town; but the corporation, having entered into a subscription for
a similar purpose, declined his offer. He died whilst filling the office of Prime
Minister, in 1782, and was succeeded as High Steward of Hull by the fifth Duke of
Leeds (then Marquis of Carmarthen) in 1786.
1778 - The last execution of a criminal.
In 1778, the last execution of a criminal took place in Hull, when John
Rogerson was hanged for coining, on the 19th of August. Ten years later, the
centenary of the landing of the Prince of Orange - of whom the fine equestrian
statue in the market-place had been erected by public subscription in 1734 - was
celebrated with striking demonstrations of joy; and in the following year, when
the king (George III.) recovered from an alarming illness, no town testified more
joy and loyalty than this. In 1794, assizes were held in Hull for the last time,
arrangements being afterwards made for the trial of prisoners at York. During
the exhausting wars which followed the French Revolution, the system of
impressing sailors for the Royal Navy gave Hull people much trouble, and led to
serious riots here. On the 4th November, 1794, Prince William (afterwards Duke)
of Gloucester visited Hull. On the following day he reviewed the volunteer
companies, Surrey Militia, and Hanoverian Horse, after which he reviewed the invalids
at the Citadel. He accepted the freedom of the corporation, and was made a
brother of the Trinity House. H.R.H. was the first member of the royal family
who visited the town since its gates were shut against Charles I.
Tickell published his "History of Hull" in 1796, and at p. 660 he observes
"that this once-famous fortress, considered, formerly, as the strength and
safeguard of the north (the walls and fortifications of which, joined to the flatness of
the situation and great command of the river above it, have rendered it a place
considered as almost impregnable ever since the time of Edward II.), is now an
open town. To promote the convenience of the inhabitants as a commercial port,
the ditches have been filled up, the walls and ramparts levelled, so that the next
generation, and even many of the present one, will probably be at a loss to point
out to the inquisitive enquirers the place on which these strong and formidable
bulwarks stood, of which the pick and spade has not left so much as a wreck
behind."
1788 - The first steam-packet.
In this year, 1788, the first steam-packet constructed in England was built
on the river Hull, up a yard in Wincolmlee, under the direction of Mr. Fourness,
of Beverley, and Mr. Ashworth, physician, to whom a patent was subsequently
granted. This vessel was bought by the Prince Regent, who had it fitted up as a
pleasure yacht. The prince was so pleased with the invention that he granted
the patentees a pension for life of £70 a year each. It was not, however, until
October, 1814, that the first steamboat began to ply on the Humber as a regular
trader. This was the "Caledonian," and ran between Hull and Selby. Four
years later the "Kingston" and "Yorkshireman " - the first steamers that went
seawards from Hull - began to trade between this port and London.
In 1779 Earl Fitzwilliam was appointed High Steward of Hull, on the death
of the Duke of Leeds, and he continued to hold the office until his death, in 1833.
In 1813 great rejoicings were made here over the success at the battle of
Leipsic, which were repeated in the following year at the end of the "Campaign
for the Liberties of Europe." The proceedings, on both occasions, were marked
by the ringing of bells, the firing of salutes, bonfires, and other marks of popular
demonstration.
About the middle of the year 1831, the celebrated agitator, James Ackland,
came to reside at Hull, and soon distinguished himself; and for three years kept
the townspeople in a state of turmoil. He attacked every individual member
of the corporation. The bakers were charged with adulteration. The Court of
Requests, the Barton Ferry, the Trinity House, and all the other local charities
were severely handled, and he subsequently commenced a crusade against the
market tolls. To such an extent did this man's agitations extend, that no less
than 800 special constables were sworn in to keep the peace. He was the hero
of "a hundred fights" in the Law Courts, and was frequently in prison for libel.
On one occasion he was met by 20,000 persons, who paraded the town with bands
and banners. After varying fortunes he left the town. His stormy life was ended
in 1876, at the age of 72. In his time he played many parts, his rolés including
those of player, author, editor, methodist preacher, reporter, election agent,
prisoner, and it is even said beggar.
On October 15th, 1833, Sir John Ross and his companions arrived in Hull
after his second voyage in search of the North-West Passage. Sir John and his
gallant crew were given up for lost, when they were discovered by the Hull
whaler "Isabella " - a vessel he had himself commanded some years previously.
On the death, in 1833, of Earl Fitzwilliam, the corporation nominated the
celebrated Duke of Wellington as High Steward of Hull, but great excitement
prevailing in the town on the subject of municipal reform, the burgesses presented
a petition to the king against the appointment of the duke, and in favour of the
Earl of Durham, in consequence of which the duke declined to take the office, and
no appointment was made until 1836, when the Earl of Durham was appointed,
and held the office until 1840. In April, 1836, the celebrated Daniel O'Connell
visited Hull, his entry into the town being marked with much ceremony, and a
grand banquet was given in his honour at the Public Rooms. In the following
year, an awful catastrophe occurred here. A steam-packet, called the "Union,"
lying at the South End Pier, was blown up. The vessel was crowded with
passengers, and 13 lives were lost, whilst a large number of persons were seriously
injured.
In this year (1837), the majority of H.R.H. the Princess Victoria, and her
subsequent proclamation as queen, was celebrated with great eclat, which was,
however, surpassed by the festivities in honour of her coronation in the following
year.
1840 - Queen Victoria marries.
Rejoicings were also held here on the occasion of the queen's marriage in
February, 1840, and on the birth of the Prince of Wales in November, 1841. In
1838, the steamer "Forfarshire," bound from Hull to Dundee, was lost off the
Farne rocks. It was this wreck that called forth the heroism of the celebrated
Grace Darling, and which has rendered her name "a household word." In 1840,
the Marquis of Normanby was appointed High Steward of Hull, and held the
office until his death in 1863. In January, 1844, when the Anti-Corn Law
agitation was at its height, those two celebrated advocates of Free Trade, Richard
Cobden and John Bright visited Hull as a deputation, with Col. Thompson, from
the Anti-Corn Law League; and great demonstrations were held here in July,
1846, on Sir Robert Peel's free trade measures becoming law.
The first railway connected with this town was the Hull and Selby line,
which was opened on the 1st July, 1840. This line now forms part of the great
net work of iron roads owned by the North-Eastern Railway Company. This
company's line, from Hull to Bridlington, was opened in 1846, and the ceremony
was remarkable for the meeting together for the first time of the corporations of
Hull and York at a grand dinner at the Public Rooms, presided over by George
Hudson, the "Railway King," then in the zenith of his prosperity. In the
following year the Paragon railway station was commenced, and it was then
thought to be unreasonably large and extravagant. But the "Railway King"
judged otherwise, and time has proved the correctness of his judgment. This fine
station covers an area of two-and-a-half acres.
On the 10th of August, 1849, a terrible form of Asiatic cholera made its
appearance in Hull, and the horrors of that time are remembered by many yet
living. The terrible scourge lasted three months, and carried off 1,860 persons,
being at the rate of one in 43 of the population. In his "Recollections of Hull,"
the late Rev. James Sibree says the men employed in digging the graves had no
respite, but pursued their doleful task both night and day. At first single graves
were dug, for the reception of some eight or nine bodies, but the demand for
room became so urgent, that double graves were constructed, in which the coffins
were piled one upon another, without any earth between them. Only two of
these, however, were opened; the sight was so appalling that the men refused to
dig any more. The cemetery hearse was in constant requisition to remove the
stricken poor from all parts of the town. The cholera plot presented the
appearance of a ploughed field, there being no time to make the graves neat.
Mr. Sibree records the fact that on one "awful day " - Sunday, September 9th -
he himself interred no less than 43 bodies of his fellow citizens. The alarm
spread quickly among the surrounding towns and villages, so that the principal
places of concourse, on market days, were entirely deserted. The railways
brought but few passengers, and those whose business compelled them to come,
feared greatly as they entered the woe-begone town. A day of fasting was
appointed, and special services were held in the churches "to acknowledge the
hand of Almighty God in the present awful visitation, and to implore the removal
of the existing calamity." The directors of the Hull General Cemetery Co.
erected, by private contributions, a large obelisk to commemorate this mournful
visitation. The inscription states that the remains of 700 of the victims are
buried near the monument.
From this, the darkest page in the history of Hull, it is pleasant to turn to
that which tells of the visit of Queen Victoria, the Prince Consort, and five of
the royal children. This event occurred on October 13th, 1854, and her majesty
met with a hearty, loyal, and hospitable reception. The royal party arrived at
six p.m., and the night was occupied in the presention of addresses, and the
royal dinner party. On the following morning, the spacious yard surrounding
the station buildings presented a spectacle never equalled in Hull; 10,552 school
children with 1,210 teachers, were marched into this yard in three battalions, and
ranged on a series of raised steps, forming a vast amphitheatre, round the
principal front of the hotel. The corporation, in their robes of office, with
several noblemen and gentlemen, also ranged themselves in front of the hotel.
Soon after nine o'clock, the queen, the prince consort, with the royal children,
came out on the balcony, over the portico, in full view of the vast multitude, who
at once commenced singing the national anthem. There was no heart in that
vast assembly but was moved with emotion, and her majesty was affected even to
tears. The queen and royal party afterwards made a progress through the town,
amidst the welcomes and acclamations of many thousands of her subjects from
all parts of Yorkshire. Before leaving, the queen knighted the mayor, Sir Henry
Cooper, on the Corporation Pier, at the south end. The corporation's expenditure
over this visit was £4,032 17s. Od.
In the early part of 1860, the question of a public park for Hull, was earnestly
taken up by the then mayor, Mr. Z. C. Pearson, who presented to the town
upwards of 27 acres of land, adjoining the Beverley Road, for the purpose of
providing a park. The day on which the first tree was planted, Monday, 27th
August, 1860, is memorable in the annals of Hull. More than 30,000 strangers
came by rail and boat from various places in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. The
procession, which formed a feature of the day's proceedings, was two miles in
length, and occupied three-quarters-of-an-hour in passing. On the following day
the festivities were kept up on the park ground, principally for the juvenile
portion of the community. On this occasion, Mr. F. W. Wallet, "The Queen's
Jester," treated the children of the workhouses, orphans homes, and ragged
schools to refreshments of ham, beef, tea, coffee, &c., taking the whole expense
upon himself.
On the 10th of March, 1863, the marriage of the Prince and Princess of
Wales was celebrated with every demonstration of joy and loyalty, and on the
29th of October following, the town was again en féte, when the Earl de Grey and
Ripon (now Marquis of Ripon) was installed Lord High Steward of Hull. To
render the proceedings still more memorable, the occasion was taken advantage
of to unveil a statue of the Queen in Pearson's park, and to launch four fine
vessels from the shipyard of Messrs. M. Samuelson & Co., in the presence of the
earl, the borough members, the civic dignitaries, and the gentry of the town and
neighbourhood. The imposing installation ceremony took place in the Sessions
Court, and at its conclusion, a procession was formed and proceeded through the
principal streets to the park, where the remainder of the ceremonies took place.
The proceedings terminated with a grand banquet at the Public Rooms.
On the 14th of October, 1864, Prince Albert Victor (the late Duke of Clarence),
the then infant son of the Prince and Princess of Wales, passed through Hull, in
charge of the Countess de Grey and Ripon, and five years later his royal parents
visited Hull in state, for the purpose of opening the Albert Dock, and met with a
hearty and loyal reception.
In 1873, Hull was honoured by a visit from his Imperial Highness, the
Czarowitz (now emperor) of Russia, and though the visit was of a semi-private
character, some little preparation was made for his reception. The occasion of
his visit was to inspect the yacht, which was being built here for the use of the
Czarevna. On the following day, July 5th, the yacht was launched in the presence
of the Czarowitz, and christened the Czarevna. Upon the passing of the Hull
and Barnsley Railway and Dock Bill in 1880, there were great public rejoicings
here, the town was truly en féte, and presented a most festive and picturesque
appearance. These rejoicings were repeated upon the cutting of the first sod on
the site of the Alexandra Dock, on January 15th, 1881.
During the year 1883-4, Hull was honoured by several royal visitors, viz. : -
Prince Henry of Battenberg, the husband of the Princess Beatrice, in November,
1883; the Duke of Cambridge and a distinguished party, in September, 1884; the
Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, in October, 1884. During the last mentioned
visit, their royal highnesses took a prominent part in opening a bazaar, in aid of
the Spring Bank Orphanage, and in laying the foundation stones of the new wing,
and of the out-patients department of the Infirmary. This was the duke's fourth
visit here.
On the 11th of June, 1885, Mrs. Rollit, the wife of Dr. (now Sir) Albert Kaye
Rollit, died during the mayoralty of her husband. The death of a reigning
mayoress is without precedent in the history of Hull, unless we take into account
the deaths of the mayor, his wife, and family by the plague in 1478. Mrs. Rollit
was universally respected, and her funeral was marked with signs of general
mourning, over 20,000 persons thronging the Hull cemetery and its approaches.
On the following Sunday, the Bishop of Ripon came specially to Hull to preach
the commemoratory sermon, which he did in St. James's church, in the presence
of the Corporation.
In 1887, the Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Victoria was celebrated with
much rejoicing. The first item of the celebration took place on Sunday, the 19th
of June, when the Mayor, Alderman John Leak - then in his fourth mayoralty -
and the Corporation of Hull, with their civic officials, attended solemn high mass
at St. Charles' Catholic church, Jarratt Street, in state. The sheriff being absent
from the town, did not attend, but sent his mace with his officer. The church,
particularly the sanctuary, was beautifully decorated with exotic plants, flowers,
&c. Haydn's Imperial Mass was sung, and the sermon was preached by Dr.
Burge, the Prior of Ampleforth. A detachment of blue jackets from the Humber
guardship, H.M.S. "Rupert," presented arms at the elevation, and their action
was afterwards questioned in the House of Commons, but nothing came of it.
This attendance is particularly noticeable, as it is believed to have been the first
visit in state of any municipal corporation to a Roman Catholic church since the
Reformation.
On the following day, the ceremonies commenced at nine o'clock, with a
breakfast, given by the mayor, at the Town Hall, to a number of representative
gentlemen. This was followed by a Jubilee service at Holy Trinity church, at
which the sermon was preached by the Rev. Canon Mc.Cormick. Later in the
day, the New Market Hall and the East Park were opened by the mayor. On
Wednesday, the 22nd June, the sheriff gave a grand banquet in the Town Hall,
and on the following Friday, his worship gave a magnificent reception at the
Artillery Barracks, to about 15,000 inhabitants of Hull and district, in celebration
of the Jubilee. Many thousands of the inhabitants were treated to teas and
entertainments during the week in the various wards of the town, as were the
inmates of the workhouses, orphanages, and other public institutions.
In 1887 the municipal hospital was opened by Dr. Thompson, Archbishop of
York. This building was designed to accommodate the inmates of the various
almshouses in the town, excepting the pensioners of the Trinity House.
In 1888, H.R.H. the late Duke of Clarence visited Hull on the 18th of
January, for the purpose of inaugurating a branch of the Discharged Soldiers' Aid
Society here, and H.R.H. was again here in March, 1889, when he was splendidly
entertained by the sheriff at a grand ball in the Artillery Barracks. This latter
year was especially notable for the number of representative bodies which
assembled in Hull. In April, there was the annual conference of the delegates
of the Licensed Victuallers' Defence League; on Whitmonday (June 10th), the
Annual Movable Committee of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows, which was
attended by 600 delegates from all parts of the United Kingdom. On the 22nd
of the same month, the Yorkshire District of Municipal and Sanitary Engineers
met in conference at the Town Hall. A month later, the Provincial Grand Lodge
of the Freemasons assembled here, and on the 3rd and 4th of August, the annual
conference of the Catholic Young Men's Societies of Great Britain took place,
and was presided over by Lord Herries, the Lord Lieutenant of the East Riding.
In September, the delegates from the Associated Chambers of Commerce, the
Primitive Methodist Conference, and the annual meeting of the Congregational
Union of Great Britain and Wales assembled here, and these were followed on
the 1st of October by the annual meeting of the Amalgamated Society of Railway
Servants. The Yorkshire Agricultural Society's Show was also held at Hull in
August, 1889, and was visited by 76,557 persons in three days, thus beating all
previous records. On the occasions of the above gatherings, the mayor (Dr.
Sherburn), and the sheriff (Mr. Arthur Wilson), displayed the most lavish
hospitality to the town's guests, thereby gaining golden opinions from all classes of
people, both at home and from afar. This year also witnessed, on the 10th
December, the opening of a Free Library for the East District, the gift of Mr.
James Reckitt, J.P.
In February, 1890, the Freedom of the Borough was conferred upon Sir Albert
Kaye Rollit, Knight, LL.D., D.C.L., &c., and in August, the High Court meeting
of the Ancient Order of Foresters, the largest friendly society in the world, and
the 55th annual meeting of the Ancient Order of Shepherds, were held here; the
former meeting being attended by some 700 delegates; and in the following
September, the Church Congress assembled here, and the delegates were entertained
to a conversazione, at the Town Hall, by the mayor. In September, 1890, the
river Hull overflowed, and caused serious floods in Drypool and Sculcoates. 1890-1
was marked by great educational advancement, the foundations of the New
Grammar School being laid on the 4th December, 1890, and of the Hymer's
College on the 21st of January, 1891, and the central Higher Grade School, in
connection with the Hull School Board system, being opened by Sir Albert Kaye
Rollit, in the following March. The Freedom of Hull was presented to Mr. Robert
Hymers, on the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone of the college,
which bears his name.
The late Dr. Magee was publicly received here, by the Mayor of Hull, on the
18th March, 1891, the day following his enthronement as the Archbishop of York.
This year also saw the revival of the office of Suffragan Bishop of Hull, which
had been dormant since 1579, Dr. Blunt, Archdeacon of York, being enthroned
Bishop of Hull, on the 1st of May. On the 22nd of July, the Victoria Hospital
for sick children was opened by the Marchioness of Salisbury, the wife of the
Premier, who, on the same day, launched H.M.S. "Endymion," from Earle's
shipyard. The Marchioness, who was accompanied by the Lord Mayor and
Sheriffs of London, the Lord Mayor of York, and other distinguished persons,
received a hearty welcome, and was hospitably entertained by the Mayor
(Alderman J. T. Woodhouse), and Corporation of Hull. The day was observed as a
general holiday, and several triumphal arches were erected in honour of the
occasion. The second annual congress of the Dockers' Union was held in Hull
on the 22nd of September following, and was marked by the resignation of Mr.
Tom Mann, as president of the union. The delegates were received by the Mayor
at the Town Hall.
On the morning of the 14th January, 1892, the deaths of H.R.H. the Duke
of Clarence and Cardinal Manning became known, there was a profound
sensation in the town, and by outward and visible signs the inhabitants gave
expression to the feelings which animated them. These signs of mourning
culminated on the 20th of January, the day of the prince's funeral. During the
afternoon most of the shops were closed, and there was an entire cessation of
business for several hours. Flags were half hoisted on the churches and
public buildings in the town, muffled peals were rung, the minute gun was fired
by H.M.S. "Audacious," and, in fact, never since the death of the Prince Consort,
in 1861, had the town presented such a general appearance of mourning. A
memorial service was held at Holy Trinity church at three o'clock. A procession,
from the Town Hall to the church, was formed in the following order
The Police Band.
The Mayor, his Chaplain, and the Town Clerk, preceded by the sword and mace bearers.
The Under-Sheriff and mace bearer.
Aldermen and Councillors of Hull.
Officials of the Corporation.
The Member for West Hull.
Wardens and Brethren of the Hull Trinity House.
Foreign Consuls.
The Borough Justices of the Peace, and the Judge of the County Court
The Borough Coroner.
The Clerk of the Peace.
Admiral of the Training Ship.
Captain and Officers of the "Audacious."
Commandant and Officers of the Artillery Volunteers.
Commandant and Officers of the Militia.
Commandant and Officers of the Riffe Volunteers.
Civil Servants: Collector of Customs, Receiver of Inland Revenue, Surveyor of Taxes,
the Postmaster, Board of Trade.
The Governor of the Prison.
Chairman and Members of the School Board.
Governor and Guardians of the Hull Incorporation of the Poor.
Chairman and Members of the Sculcoates Union.
The service was of a special memorial character, and was conducted by the
Rev. Canon McCormick, the vicar. The church was densely crowded, and held
but a small portion of the vast multitude who desired to be present. The scene
was, indeed, a remarkable one. The serried mass of people, here and there
relieved by the bright tints of a civic gown, or military or naval uniform, or the
glinting gold braid of a consul, or the simple white of a chorister surplice; the
fading light through the beautiful stained glass window, the violet and white
drapery of the pulpit and choir stalls; and the fantastic and weird effect produced
by the two burners in the midst of so much darkness - as it were a ray of hope in
a sea of sorrow - quite harmonised with the spirit of the occasion.
Data transcribed from:
Baines Gazetteer 1823
Scan, OCR and html software by Colin Hinson.
Checking and correction by Richard Tetley.
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