Street Tales: Huntingdon Street

image: Mike Driver
 

In the eighteenth century, Nottingham was a picturesque, quiet little town. So attractive, in fact, that during Daniel Defoe’s visit in 1725, he was so struck by its beauty, he penned that Notts was “one of the most pleasant and beautiful towns in England”. But it was also in this time, on 9 November 1765, that the tragic and sad death of twelve-year-old Isaac Beardsley occurred. He was son to the innkeepers of the Half Moon, Thomas and Elizabeth Beardsley, which was located on Carter Gate on the outskirts of the town. His parents could not have expected what would happen to Isaac that cold, November day.

Isaac was riding home from his father’s farm, located near the St Ann’s Well. At that time, St Ann’s Well was a popular beauty spot, much enjoyed by the people of Nottingham. Isaac had reached the outskirts of the town, near to Barker Gate, when the incident happened. Contemporary maps of the time show the bottom of Barker Gate to be on the edge of the countryside, lined with elegant Georgian houses and beautiful town gardens.

As Isaac arrived at a gate leading into a open field, he started to have trouble with his horse and had difficulty closing the gate. His efforts were being watched by a man named Joseph Spurr, also on horseback in the same field as Isaac. As the little boy struggled, Spurr aggressively shouted at him to close the gate immediately. Isaac became alarmed – perhaps frightened by Spurr’s aggressive behaviour – and quickly rode away, leaving the gate wide open. Spurr rode off after the boy and both ended up in an area, now Huntingdon Street, which at the time was close to the River Beck, now a culverted stream.

Isaac’s body was found and it appeared he had been beaten to death. Several people saw the incident, which was later described to a local constable. Altogether, nineteen witnesses attended the inquest over the boy’s death and Joseph Spurr was found guilty of manslaughter.

Isaac Beardsley was buried in St Mary’s churchyard in the Lace Market. His tragic tale was recorded on his tombstone by the request of his grieving parents. The inscription read:

“In memory of Isaac Beardsley the son of Thomas & Eliz: Beardsley who Departed this life the 9th day of November 1765: in ye 12th Year of his Age.

Stop Passenger to Ponder on this stone,
And think how soon this cruel Deed was done;
A wicked Wretch Pursu’d my Life to Slay,
Because to shut a Gate I would not stay:
So he pursu’d till me he over took,
Just by a Gap on th’ Margin of a Brook
And fear’d it is he firmly did intend
To my short Life to put a final end.”

The headstone was recorded in 1907 by Alfred Stapleton, but unfortunately, can no longer be found in the churchyard.

Nottingham Hidden History website