Sunday 22 October 2017

Plague and Dead Lane

Last week we had a quick look at disasters and plague houses in and around Loughborough. Today, a quick word on the plague house and some comments upon Dead Lane.

Following the death of Clemente Parsons and his son, Richard Harryman was paid eleven shillings to build the Pesthouse in The Rushes. Hewgh Foster provided either the foundation for the building, or the doorway and Nicholas Smith was paid five shillings for nails, and eighteen pennies for carrying stone to the house.

Of course, you know what I'm going to say next ... Nicholas Smith also died of the plague in May 1610.

Percy Davenport, author of that 1935 article on the plague, goes on to say that the Accounts of the Bridgemasters include an entry which indicates that they paid five shillings to have the Pesthouse taken down. Initially this sounds odd, but Percy establishes that this probably refers to a building that was already standing that was to be replaced by this new one that was currently being built. A later entry in the accounts shows that the building (whether this means the old one or the new one isn't quite clear) was sold to a John Marshall of Cossington for the sum of fifty shillings. Where exactly the Pesthouse was on The Rushes is not clear.

Next we learn that people buried at this time weren't given their own coffin, so one coffin was re-used time and time again. This particular coffin was made by Robert Joyner who was paid two shillings to make it.

As well as casting huge bells for churches and cathedrals, Taylors the bellfounders on Freehold Street, also make handbells, but I don't think they were responsible for making the handbell used during times of plague in Loughborough, as Nicholas Smithe was paid four shillings and sixpence for it. Besides, Taylors were not in Loughborough at the time.

And so to the topic of Dead Lane, or le Dede Lane, or le Dedlane, or Dedelane, as it has variously been known.

Percy suggests that the story of the origin of the street name, handed down from generation to generation of Loughborough folk, and even told by a respected school teacher to pupils of the Churchgate school in the 1890s, is an unlikely tale.

Percy thinks it's also unlikely that plague pits were dug along Dead Lane in the 17th century, and has not found any evidence that the ground had been consecrated. The street name goes back much further than this, and Percy goes on to quote five instances of mention of the name Dead Lane in old documents:
the oldest comes from a deed probably in the reign of Edward II, so between 1307 and 1327, in which it is recorded that Adam, the son of Ellias de Shathewelle, was granted land in Dede Lane.
in 1460 William Staunton rented a piece of land near Dede Lane from the Lord of the Manor, which land was adjacent to several tenements on Dede Lane itself
unscoured ditches on Dede Lane in 1486 led to a number of people being fined
in 1488 someone appears to be illegally living on le Dedlane
rentals paid to the Lord of the Manor in 1490 refer to le Dede Lane
So, there were people living on Dead Lane from times much earlier than the plague of 1609-1610, and even before the earliest mention of the plague in Loughborough, in 1515.

Percy's final comments are, well, either ironic, or poignant:
"I strongly hope that the suggestion which has recently been mooted, for changing the name of this old lane, will not be listened to by the Corporation."
Today, Dead Lane, which if I remember rightly, ran alongside the Shakespeare Street School, is no longer there, being covered by the ground level car parking area of The Rushes shopping centre.

School at the end of Shakespeare Street along whose side Dead Lane used to run.
The school at the top of Shakespeare Street 

The building that runs across the end of Shakespeare Street where Dead Lane used to be.
The new build at the end of Shakespeare Street along which Dead Lane used to run

Dead Lane used to run where the fence of this car park is now.
Dead Lane used to be on the left of what is now a ground level car park in The Rushes
Post Script
I've made this post into a video. Here's the link: https://youtu.be/nBPzHBD8QlA

Dyer, Lynne (2017). Disasters in Loughborough! Available from https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2017/10/plague-and-dead-lane.html  [Accessed 22 October 2017]

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Lynne 

6 comments:

  1. The building that was part of Limehurst school (The annex as it was known) on Dead Lane is actually still there, it's part of M&S! If you go to just past Sports Direct toward Tesco and look across the carpark you can see it.

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  2. Hello Unknown! Yes, I see it regularly when I go to the supermarket. It's got a lovely roof, and some great carved writing (Shakespeare Street 1887, and Boys School) in the stonework. Yes, it used to be an annex for Limehurst, and was also used by one of the forerunners of the university. Thank you for reading the blog and taken the time and trouble to comment. Lynne

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  3. Interesting. I have great great great grandparents listed as having lived on Dead Lane in the 1861 census of the name Hall. Would be interested of any further information....Richard Coyle

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    1. my ancestors lived dead lane in fact family of 8. Giles surname

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    2. Hi Emma! Thank you for commenting and sharing that your ancestors lived on Dead Lane. So far then, we have Giles and Hall! Hopefully, others will come to light at some point. Thanks again, Lynne

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  4. Hi Richard! Thank you for reading the blog and taking the trouble to comment. I'm glad you found this post interesting, and thank you for sharing some of your family story. It's been a long time since I researched this topic, but as soon as I have any more information on Dead Lane, I shall post it on the blog. Thanks again, Lynne

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