Early Memories of Doncaster Mansion House
A few first-hand accounts of visits to the Mansion House in Doncaster predate the newspaper accounts of the feasts and assemblies which were held there. These are quite rare and give more details and perhaps a more honest account than reports which the newspapers of the time felt able to print.
The first account of a visit to the Mansion House is probably that of Amelia Staniforth of Firbeck Hall who made a trip to Doncaster on the occasion of the Mayor’s Feast of October 1784. We are grateful to Valerie Oxley who spent a year transcribing the Journal and has made it available to put on our website. The Staniforth family lived at Firbeck Hall and travelled to Doncaster mainly for the social events such as the races and the theatre. They were also avid card players like many in Doncaster society. This extract shows how entertainments were organised at the Mansion House – in effect very similar to the assembly balls found in other country towns at that time. This is probably the earliest first hand account of such a visit to the Mansion House we have. In all they spent almost 12 hours there.
‘Oct 27th Wednesday morning a little before 12. Mrs and two Mr Worsleys, Henrietta and Amelia went to Doncaster to the Mayor’s feast – the gentlemen went to dress, and the Ladies to Mrs Ellekers and Miss Tyas an hour, had Broth and about three went to the Mansion house.
The Drawingroom very full, after four went to dinner in the long room, sat at the Mayors Table – musick at dinner, a Table in the Drawingroom and one below, the Ladies went from dinner after six into the Drawingroom and went to tea about eight – Amelia at a different table from Mrs Worsley and Henrietta, they saw a great many of their acquaintance, Mrs Edmunds stay’d to talk to them a good while, Minuets began about ½ past nine and Country dances after ten, a very full crowded room, a great many Couple danced, about 12 they went to Supper, the dancers after, the others Company danced after supper and they came away a little before three, home about five’.
Thomas Asline Ward, (1781 -1871), a Sheffield Master Cutler, in his younger years, visited Doncaster as a member of the Sheffield Regiment of Volunteer Infantry and recorded his time here. Napoleon and his French army were threatening to invade England and militias of volunteer soldiers were training throughout the country. Ward’s diary entry for April 2nd, 1803 records that he marched from Sheffield to Doncaster, one of a party of 14 officers and 530 or 540 men. They camped on the Crimpsall for the next 14 days with a headquarters at the Angel Inn on Frenchgate. Each officer donated 10 days pay to defray the costs of mess dinners which included ale and a pint of port each day! The daily routine included drill for 6 hours in the morning, and an evening parade accompanied by the band in front of the Angel at half past six when the captains made their reports to the adjutant. The band then played and later the tattoo was beaten at 9 o’clock and then to bed.
The stores and ammunition were housed in the Town Hall with a guard to protect them. A guard was also placed outside the headquarters and the colonel’s lodgings on Hallgate. It was the custom to supply ‘foot ale ‘to the guard and band the equivalent of 6d each.
The following day (April 3rd) he was invited to the Mansion House for an Assembly Night
‘this being Assembly Night at the Mansion House Major Leader, I (Thomas Asline Ward), Lieutenant Norris, Ensign Pickslay, and Radford went there. Major Leader was introduced to the daughter of Mr. Moore, the vicar of Doncaster, by the Mayor and I to the daughter of Lt. Col. Sowersby. With these ladies we took two dances then retired. The other officers had retired in disgust as no one appeared to take the least notice of them. It is indeed remarkable that in the elegant and polite town of Doncaster there is no master of ceremonies, no manager of assemblies. Consequently, the gentry present having much pride and little civility omitted to pay that respect to strangers which is due to all who conduct themselves with propriety’.
On other days Ward with his friends took tea at St George’s vicarage in the company of the vicar, Mr Woodcock the late mayor and Mr and Mrs Edward Frank the son of Bacon Frank of Campsall Hall. He also spent the evening at Campsall Hall as well as treating a small party of ladies to tea at the Grandstand and the following day going with Major Shore and Mr Drabble to accompany Misses Benson and Thomas to Strawberry Island.
More rumbustious entertainment was enjoyed at the Angel although swearing, indecent language and talking shop invited a forfeit. Soon afterwards the Angel was swapped for the Red Lion ‘as the dinner and wine were generally considered superior to what we had at the other house and the attendance (waiters) and accommodation certainly so’. A visit to the Green Dragon also on Frenchgate where Ward had been promised an evening of good singing was a disappointment as it was ‘so full of tobacco fumes and spiritous liquors that I left before the singing began’.
On April 8th following a church service at St. George’s there was the drama of a court martial to deal with a sergeant who had refused to fill musket cartridges or march when asked. The following day Dr. Younge the Regiment physician said that the illnesses experienced by the troops was due to the ‘marshy damp’ on the Crimpsall so military training was moved to the racecourse although the mayor had to order that the furze (or gorse) was cut down to enable them to carry on.
There was some doubt as to the effectiveness of the Sheffield militia who though lavishly praised by the Mr Bacon Frank the Vice-Lieutenant of the West Riding were not considered up to the standards of regular troops in the opinion of the Doncaster Gazette.
The next week, on April 13th, the Mayor and Corporation invited the regiment to dinner at the Mansion House when 80 sat down to eat accompanied by the band who played songs, glees and airs’ late into the night.
Ward returned to Doncaster on September 26th where a church service was followed by a procession ‘in form and proper costume’ of the Mayor, Recorder, 12 Aldermen and 24 Common Council Men to the Town Hall for the resignation of Mr Rimington and the swearing in of Mr Wright as Mayor and then to the Mansion House for wine and biscuit. The Mayor has the right to reside in the Mansion House. Mr Rimington resided this year, Mr Wright being married declined’.
On September 2nd, 1805 the officers of the Sheffield Volunteers once more dined at the Mansion House with the Mayor, Corporation and 150 other visitors (no fire safety regulations in those days). They were invited for 4 o’clock in the afternoon but didn’t dine until 5. ‘A most sumptuous and elegant table was set out with all you could wish for, sweets, fruits etc and not withstanding the boasted politeness of Doncaster there seemed as much manoeuvring for delicacies as at the Cutlers’ Feast which is so branded for rudeness. I was surprised to see gentlemen eat grapes knowing a second course was to be set, and who afterwards ate heartily of partridges etc. Surely this is by no means superior to the visitors to the Cutlers Hall who forestall jellies and pocket sweetmeats for their children’.
Thomas Asline Ward was a friend of the Rev. Peter Inchbald (1778 – 1838) who he visited on separate occasions but was moved to record in his diary that he was the proudest man in Doncaster though the place is filled with pride’.
Thomas Asline wards diaries were published in 1909 under the title ‘Peeps into the Past’.