Valentines Day Ball, Loughborough, 1928

Mayor’s Valentine event, 1928

Loughborough Market Place January 2020

The following is a newspaper report of an event held by the Mayor of Loughborough at the Town Hall on 14 February 1928, which appeared in the 'Sheffield Daily Telegraph' of 15 February 1928:

"Mayor as Host of 350 Girl Clerks.

CUPIDS AND VALENTINES

Quiet little Loughborough was last night the most romantic town in the world. St Valentine held his Court in the Town Hall, and decorated it specially with statuettes of Cupid. For perhaps the first time in his history. “municipalised romance” was organised, and at the invitation of the Mayor (Councillor Alan Moss (i)) 320 excited Loughborough girls attended a “lady clerks’ ball” – each girl bringing a partner.

“I am hoping that a good many romances will date from this evening,” said the Mayor. Beneath their shimmering frocks feminine hearts were beating just a little faster than usual, and even the young men were looking strangely serious as their partners brought them along to be introduced. In two of the dances the girls chose their own partners, and as they whirled around beneath the many-coloured light scores of men wondered whether, by the privilege of Leap Year, they would be invited to extend the partnership.

Dancing took place in the Corn Exchange and the Victoria Room, both of which were crowded to capacity.

Loughborough Town Hall

A Loughborough man in mid-Atlantic sent to the Mayor a wireless message congratulating him on the idea. More Valentines were sent in Loughborough this year than probably ever before, the ball having given a fillip to romance. The evening was full of surprises. There were three supper rooms and in each there was a lucky chair. The girl who sat on it received a little mauve box tied with ribbon and inscribed “The Mayor’s Valentine.” Inside the boxes were pearl necklaces. A similar Valentine went to the first girl to dance the Paul Jones with the Mayor. Then there was a surprise for the Mayor too. Amid enthusiastic cheering he was presented with two bronze statuettes by Rancoulet entitled “Amor Innocent” and “Mesager d’Amour.” (ii) These were given by the women clerks of Herbert Morris, Ltd..

“They are indicative of our appreciation of the kindly thought which caused us to be here this evening,” said the girl who made the presentation.

Dancing Mayors

The Mayor, in robes and chain of office, danced the Paul Jones (iii) and the Mayors of Nottingham (iv) and Leicester (v) also danced. The Mayor of Leicester said it was not only a novel idea as regards Loughborough, but a novel one as regards the whole of the United Kingdom and he had never heard of such a thing in any other country.

He hoped to see before very long a considerably increased column of marriages in the local Press. He had never seen so many charming young ladies, and he was sure that they would have some definite “results” from that gathering.

The Mayor of Nottingham said that in Nottingham they had some prominence in connection with an effort he had made to find the wife for a man in Australia.

“I have 160 girls now wanting husbands, and about 68 men wanting wives. Yesterday two gentlemen from New York made their requests to me, and today two from Australia. I am going to be inundated with correspondence and photographs, and I am sure I shall make a mess of it. (Laughter.) I do not know what may eventually come from this evening. I foresee a great deal, but whether it may be embarrassing to the Mayor afterwards I am not quite sure, but I hope you will have mercy upon him if there should be any mistakes.” (Laughter.) "

If you want to know more about the Moss family, pop along to the Local and Family History Centre in the public library and visit the exhibition which is open until 27th March 2022.  

You can find further information about the legacy of Alan Moss here. 

F is for Freeman

Well, if my book, ‘A-Z of Loughborough’, had come out in 2020 as was initially planned, it would have been in-date for well over one year, however, as it was, publication was delayed until mid-August 2021, so it remained accurate for only one month!!!

The book follows some of Loughborough’s history through an alphabetical listing of places, people and things, and under the letter, ‘F’ was an entry on the role of Freeman. I’m not going to repeat here what I’ve written in the book, but will instead, share some other detail. The full title is, of course, Freeman of the Borough: prior to local government re-organisation of 1973-4, which saw boundary changes, the borough in question would have been Loughborough, but post-1974 it became the borough of Charnwood.

At the Incorporation of the borough of Loughborough in 1888, the first mayor to be elected was Joseph Griggs. Griggs was also the first person to be honoured with the freedom of the borough, in 1905. Of the thirteen people granted this honour between 1906 and 1970, six were Aldermen: Thomas Mayo; Alfred Bumpus; George H. Bowler; Frederic Stenson; John W. Barker, and George H. Dean.

Joseph Griggs

Following the granting of the Freedom of the Borough to Joseph Griggs, Thomas Mayo was the next to be honoured, in 1911, and he was followed by Alfred Bumpus in 1916, and Alan Moss in 1939. In 1946, three men were thus honoured, being George H. Bowler, Frederic Stenson, and Alexander Young McGhie. In 1951, two men were honoured – John W. Barker and George H. Dean. They were followed by John S. Marr in 1957, Alfred Perkins in 1964, and two people in 1970 – Thomas S. Fielding and Malcolm H. Moss.

Thomas Mayo

Of the thirteen people listed, eight had previously held the position of mayor of Loughborough. They were: Joseph Griggs (1888-1890); Thomas Mayo (1899-1901, 1903-5, 1906-7, 1908-1911 and 1913-1914); Alan Moss (1927-1929); George H. Bowler (1924-1926); George H. Dean (1938-1940); John S. Marr (1933-1935), and Alfred Perkins (1944-1945).

Since becoming the borough of Charnwood, in 1974, the geographical extent of the honour has been expanded, as too, has the pool of people from whom to choose. That said, there have been honours conferred on far fewer people.

In June 2004, the athlete and long-distance runner, Paula Radcliffe, MBE, who had studied at Loughborough’s university, was granted Freedom of the Borough of Charnwood. In 2010 she made it into the Athletics Hall of Fame, and in 2015 into the Loughborough University Hall of Fame.

The second person to be granted Freedom of the Borough of Charnwood, in 2008, was Michael Jones, known locally as Mike, a councillor, a former mayor (2004-5), a regular contributor to the ‘Looking Back’ section of the local newspaper, the ‘Loughborough Echo’, and one of the main people involved in the Loughborough In Bloom entries.

The latest recipient of the honour is Lez Cope-Newman, a founder member and chair of the Loughborough BID (Business Improvement District) known as Love Loughborough, and local hotelier and businessman. Lez was granted the freedom in June 2019, and in 2021 he finally got to sign the illustrious book held by the council.

Freeman of the Borough of Charnwood, 2019, Lez Cope-Newman

As well as individual honours, freedom of the borough can also be granted to organisations and groups. So, in 2007, the Royal Anglian Regiment, and in 2010 the 158 (Royal Anglian) Transport Regiment, The Royal Logistics Corps, were granted such freedoms. In accordance with this honour, these regiments are entitled to parade in Charnwood, with full band and drums, and with fixed bayonets.  

So, very recently, the Borough Council elected to bestow the honour of Freedom of the Borough of Charnwood on the Leicester City Football Club, in recognition of the club’s success over the past few years, and the close connection made with the borough through the opening of a world-class training facility at Seagrave in 2020. This honour was granted at a special meeting of the council in Loughborough Town Hall on Tuesday 14 September 2021, the resolution to grant the honour having been passed by more than two-thirds of the council members attending a meeting specially convened to discuss and vote on the awarding of the honours, which was held in June 2021.

In its press release, LCFC quoted the current mayor of Charnwood, Councillor Paul Baines, who said that ‘The honour reflects the Club’s excellent ambassadorship for the city, county and the sport in recent years and how it engages positively with local communities.’ In the same press release, the chief executive of LCFC, Susan Whelan said ‘We hope that the club’s presence in the borough can continue to bring pride to the area and benefits to our communities that live within it. [She] look[s] forward to building on the working partnership in the coming years.’

I wonder who might be the next recipient of the honour of Freedom of the Borough of Charnwood?

Posted by lynneaboutloughborough 3 October 2021

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Dyer, Lynne (2021). F is for Freeman. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2021/09/f-is-for-freeman.html [Accessed 3 October 2021]

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