Borley newspaper articles - various sources

from the Foxearth Historical Society

February 17th 1802 - On the 13th inst there died at the age of 68 the Rev John Bull of Pentlow and late Rector of Inworth and private chaplain to the late Earl of Macclesfield and for many years magistrate in the county of Essex.

March 31st 1802 - The Rev John Bull is instituted to the rectory of Pentlow, vacant by the death of his father.

November 19th 1817 - Died a few days ago at Pentlow parsonage in Essex, Mrs Toundren relic of the Rev Henry Toundren and mother of Mrs the wife of the Rev John Bull rector of Pentlow and Tattingstone.

October 1st 1834 Died on Wednesday last from apoplexy the Rev John Bull rector of Pentlow and Tattingstone, highly respected and lamented.

October 29th 1834 The Rev J.G.Bull, late curate of St Mary's, Monmouth, has been instituted by the Lord Bishop of Norwich to the rectory of Tattingstone

November 14th 1848 - On Friday last a melancholy suicide was committed at Nottingham which produced a degree of interest than any event for many years. The Rev W Brown, for two years has been officiating as Curate of Snainton near Nottingham. Shortly before Easter, the Rev E. Bul1 of Pentlow in Essex came with his family to Nottingham, exchanging his residence with the Rev Coleman who was out of health and required a change of air. Mr Bull has a daughter aged 17 years who is a ward in Chancery and will be possessed of considerable property, this young lady having become the object of Mr Brown's attention, he made his attachment known to her father who in considerate terms declined his offer on account of her youth. At 4 o'clock he entered the ruins of the castle and entered a compartment at the S. W. corner, drew a pistol and shot himself in the forehead. Temporary insanity .

November 28th 1848 - We hear that the Nottingham Journal has received a letter from Mr Bull whose family has been plunged into deep affliction by the shocking occurrence, saying Miss Bull did not in the least favour his overtures. Deceased was 26 years old and of fine appearance, 6ft in stature. The following is a copy of the letter from Mr Bull to the deceased. "Dear Sir, After you left this morning I conversed with my daughter as I told you I would, she feels obliged by the preference you have shown her but begs me to say you must dismiss from your mind all thoughts on the subject that occasioned your visit today and that indeed she is too young to be treated with upon a such subject. I am Sir, your's faithfully Edward Bull."

March 10th 1852 - In the little village of Acton (a parish next to Borley just across the river) a legend was current not many years ago that on certain occasions the park gates would fly open at midnight without hands and a carriage drawn by four spectral horses accompanied by a headless groom and outrider and would proceed with great rapidity towards a place called"nursery corner", the corner tradition says this is the spot where a bloody engagement took place when the Romans were Governors of England. Nearby there is a haunted pool called Wimbrell Pond in which tradition says an iron chest of money is concealed, any person who throws a stone into the water will hear it ring and a small person in white will call out in distress "thats mine". I send you these legends as I heard them from the lips of my nurse, a native of this village.

February 18th 1862 - Bury and Norwich Post - Married on the 11th inst at Hastings----The Rev H.D.E.Bull, the son of the Rev Edward Bull, Rector of Pentlow, Essex, to Caroline Sarah the eldest daughter of the Rev H.S.Foyster, rector of All Saints Hastings.

May 24th 1864 - On Friday evening a terrific thunder storm struck Sudbury, At Alphampstone, Essex, a lightning flash struck a straw stack and destroyed it on Mr Battle’s farm. He is a farmer and malster, the buildings were also destroyed together with two cows and one horse, the farmhouse only escaped, 100 coombs of malt were also consumed. A tree at the rectory at Borley was struck and shattered to pieces by the electric fluid.

June 21st 1864 - Bury and Norwich Post - Court of Exchequer----Bevan v Countess Waldegrave. This action is by an attorney not now in practice against Countess Waldegrave for breach of covenant. The plaintiff alleges that an agreement between him and the late Earl Waldegrave and himself that if a sum of money that he had lent his Lordship was not paid by a certain time when the next presentation of the living of Borley should fall in, the plaintiff shall have the right of presenting the incumbency but if the money was repaid as agreed upon the covenant should end. The money was not repaid before the presentation fell in and he made an application to defendant, the Countess to indect a nominee of her own. The application was not attended to but the Countess presented a gentleman of her own selection, the plaintiff then demanded repayment of the money lent but the defendant pleaded that the money had been repaid, the trial took place 12 months ago at the Guildhall before the Lord Chief Baron and the jury found for the defendant but subsequently the plaintiff obtained a new trial on the grounds of improper reception of evidence, but refusal to receive the conversational which took place under which it was written. The majority of the Court upon hearing the argument of Counsel thought the evidence had been received and ultimately it was decided that a new trial should be granted unless defendant’s counsel agreed to withdraw the equitable plea and in that case there would be further argument on the remaining pleas.

August 5th 1862 - Bury and Norwich Post - There was an inquest at the White Hart Inn at Melford on the body of John Whyard aged 17 years, the son of Mr Whyard, grocer of Thurston and in the employ of Mr Farrow, builder of Bury. It appears deceased who was employed in the company of Richard Mathoby a carpenter and working at Borley Rectory and with other lads had gone to bathe on the Tuesday preceeding, in a river adjacent to the rectory where he was at work, the river was deep and deceased was cautioned not to go beyond his depth, Mathoby having swum to the other side heard someone shout that the deceased would be drowned, he jumped in to the water and seized deceased by the hair but finding himself being dragged in and exhausted he was forced to let go to save his own life, help was obtained but life was extinct when he was dragged out. John Barber said he heard deceased say when he went into the water that he had the cramp. Accidental.
(Note: This work cannot be the demolition of the old rectory as it mentions a carpenter and carpenters were not employed in demolition work. The Bull rectory was recorded as being built in 1863. However, work was probably started as soon as he was inducted to the living in 1862, and would have taken a year to build. This means we have a definite confirmation of the name of the builder, and we can be sure that the building was started before the summer of 1862)

Jan.4th.1866 - On Thursday morning at 5:30 a.m. Geo.Corder,a postal messenger, was proceeding from Sudbury to Borley, when he found a farmer, John Coker, lying in the road near Mr.Bull's garden, with a broken leg. Corder obtained assistance and took him home in a cart. It appears Mr.Coker was visiting Mr.Ardley at Borley Mill the previous night, and left at 10:30 p.m. being perfectly sober, he stumbled over some stones which had been shot down for road repairs, and had lain there all night without anyone passing.

April 15th. 1885 - An interesting magic lantern show was given in the school room at Borley, by Mr.Geo.Gooderham of Ipswich, the lantern showed good pictures of the war in the Sudan. At the conclusion a few comic pictures of John Gilpin were shown and elicited much laughter.

October 10th 1888 - "PENTLOW Attacked by a Herd of Swine." Whilst out shooting on Thursday last the Rev. Felix P. Bull had a narrow escape from being mangled to death by a herd of swine feeding in a stubble field of Mr Daniel Offord, of this parish. Whilst crossing the stubble it appears that Mr Bull's dog must have aggravated a sow with a litter of small pigs, the sow rushed at the reverend gentleman seizing him by the leg, who in pushing her off had his finger severely bitten, where upon he shot the sow dead and beat a hasty retreat. The value of the sow is about £6.

Sept. 21st.1892 - The men of Borley choir had an outing to London, they proceeded to Sudbury station in the rectory carriage. Leadenhall market and Billingsgate fish market were the first to be visited, at the latter one of the fish carriers, although covered in wet and dirt from the fish boxes on his head, spotted the "Borleyites" as country folk, and exclaimed in good humour, "This is a great deal better than sitting on a gate post scaring crows". Then a ride on a steamboat on the Thames for a service at Westminster Abbey, then on to Madame Tussauds, then home, a lovely day.

Nov.16th.1892 - The induction of the Rev.R.H.F.Bull took place at Borley on Sunday last, after the ceremony of locking and unlocking of doors was gone through, the bells were tolled, the ceremony was performed by the Rev.H. Blake of C. Hedingham.

April 19th 1934 - Borley. Death and funeral of Miss Alice Bull at Great Cornard. Mourners were, Alfred Bull and Gerald Bull, (brothers) Miss Ethel Bull, Miss Mabel Bull, Miss Constance Bull, Miss Millie Bull, (sisters). Rev.Foyster and B.Foyster, (cousins). Mrs Hayden and Miss Freda Bull, (sisters).

July 3rd 1947 - Suffolk Free Press. A bet was made in the mess room at Honington R.A.F station about someone sleeping on the site of the rectory at Borley. Two men had the courage to say they would sleep there, one later calling off. The man who was "sleeping" heard two cyclists approach and sat up, the result was amazing. The couple bolted, convinced they had seen the ghost.

April 1st 1948 - Mr Harry Price who spent ten years investigating Borley rectory has died. He was working on his third book about the rectory. It was concerning this that he wrote to Mr D. Field of Bury St Edmunds declining an invitation to lecture Bury Citizens Association and saying, "as you are Borley conscious you will be interested to hear my representative in Normandy has after many years obtained a complete story of Marie Lairre the Borley nun. I am writing a new book on the Borley nun in which this great discovery will be included."

April 14th 1948 - The Rev Henning, rector of Borley with Liston has written to the Free Press in defence of the late Harry Price following comments in the press that he was a fraud. He said, "I have known Harry Price since 1937. He has stayed with us at Liston and we have also visited him at his home at Arum Bank, Pulborough. It is quite untrue that he was a fraud."

[submitted by Andrew Clarke]