Lammas Lands
Lammas Lands Our central parks (Watts, Andrews, Houndwell, Hoglands, Palmerston and Queen’s) were once Lammas Lands. They were fields owned by the heriditary burgesses from Candlemas (2nd February) to Lammas Day (1st August). They were divided into strips for growing foodstuffs. After 1st August the fences were removed and the land used for animal pasture. In the 1850’s the land was bought from the burgesses and turned into parks. In 1862 the Mayor, Frederick Perkins presented the town with the beautiful avenue of trees that stretches to this day from Andrews (East) Park through Palmerston Park toward Houndwell. The word Lammas derives from Loaf Mass when bread was made from the first sheaves of wheat harvested and a blessing is given.
Long House
Long House In Porters Lane, situated near the Town Quay, are the remains of a Norman building about 111 feet long. It is a great example of early Medieval or “Norman” architecture. As the tax was based on the front of the houses, the buildings were usually narrow and long. Long House is also known as ‘Canute’s Palace’. The name ‘Canute’s Palace’ was first given to the building by Sir Henry Englefield (1752-1822) in his 1801 publication ‘ A Walk Through Southampton’. He wrongly suggested it was where King Canute ordered the tide back. Apparently, it worked – however, the water returned several hours later! The name “Canute’s Palace” is not really appropriate, as King Canute was crowned in 1016 and was not alive anymore when the house was built in the 1100s. Long House is not to be confused with the “Long Rooms” that used to be situated at the Western Esplanade. Before the town walls were built (after the raid in 1338) its doors opened straight on to the shore. The ground floor was the warehouse area. You can still see the supports on the wall where the lanterns or candles used to stand. The windows on the ground floor were simple and rectangular in shape, whereas the windows on the top floor are rounded and of typical Norman architecture, which is a sign as well, that the owners used to be wealthy. The western end gable is still at full height, but a lot of it was reconstructed. You can also see where the floor supports used to be. The living quarters on the first floor (built in style of a hall house) probably consisted of a large hall or living area, one or two bedrooms and an office (the counting house, on the eastern side). The first floor was reached by external stairs. You can still see the remains of the arched doorway on the first floor.
La Sainte Union
La Sainte Union After the French revolution Catholic education was limited by the state. In 1826 the order of La Sainte Union de Sacre Coeurs was founded to promote catholic education in France. In 1829 the attitude to Catholics in England was easing with the Catholic Emancipation Act. In 1830 the first Catholic church in Southampton, St. Joseph’s was opened. In 1880 the Sisters of La Sainte Union arrived in Southampton. They purchased Archers Lodge and opened The Convent High School for boarders in 1881. In 1904 a day school, St.Anne’s was opened. The two institutions merged in the 1960’s on the St. Anne’s site. In 1899 the Sisters had opened a Teachers Centre which became a female residential teacher training college in 1904. It was known as La Sainte Union College of Higher of Education. Later it became LSU and accepted students of all faiths and none. The site was taken over by Southampton University when the teacher training courses ceased in 1997 becoming New College. It is currently a residential development, incorporating some of the original buildings which are Grade II listed.
Richard Lyster
Richard Lyster Sir Richard Lyster was Judge and the Lord Chief Justice of England during the reign of Henry VIII and Chief Baron of the King’s Exchequer from 1546-1552. He married Isabel, the widow of Sir John Dawtrey (collector of customs under Henry VII) and lived with her in the building which is now known as the Tudor House Museum. He attended Queen Anne Boleyn’s coronation, riding in the procession beforehand. He also took part in the trial of Sir Thomas More and was Henry VIII’s divorce lawyer. During the Reformation he was accused of allowing Roman Catholic masses but this was not illegal in 1547. Following his first wife’s death, he married again. Richard Lyster died in 1553 and in 1567 and his widow erected a tomb to him in St. Michael’s church.
lucia Foster Welch
lucia Foster Welch Lucia Foster Welch was born in Liverpool in 1864 and moved to Southampton in 1903. She lived at 61 Oxford Street, in a seven bedroom semi-detached residence – now grade II listed. In 1927, Lucia was elected and became Southampton’s mayor. Lucia Foster Welch was, in fact, Southampton’s first Lady Mayor, first woman councillor, first woman alderman and first woman sheriff. As in Southampton the Mayor also holds the title of Admiral of the Port, Lucia was England’s first Lady Admiral. On a national level, Lucia was an extremely active (early) suffragette (a woman seeking the right to vote through organized protest). She was a member of the Women’s Social and Political Union, as well as the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies. A portrait in oils of Lucia Foster Welch by Frank Brooks, 1928, can be seen at Southampton City Council. She passed away in 1940.