A centuries-old piece of Basingstoke's history has found a new home after being rescued from a pile of rubbish.
The Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane Keith Chapman was handed a framed, 146-year-old public notice after a passer-by found it in a skip outside the Red Lion Hotel in London Street.
The document, dated May 16, 1864, was uncovered in August this year, and handed over to Margaret Bogar.
The 71-year-old from Penrith Road, said it was passed to her because her friend, who rescued the document, thought as she was the niece of a former mayor, it would be of interest.
Her uncle, William Doswell, was the borough's first citizen from 1939 to 1942.
She said: “Since I was given it I looked over it and tried to make sense of it, but couldn't. Therefore it remained leaning against my wall at home.
“I then decided it would be of more interest to the current mayor, so I sent it in and hoped that more information could be dug up.”
Since getting his hands on the document, Councillor Chapman said he was thrilled a piece of the towns history was rescued.
He said: “We were so delighted that someone was considerate enough to pass it to the borough council for safe keeping.
“This document shows how the council was run and how decisions were made back then, and we are grateful to the person for handing it in.”
Secretary to the Basingstoke Heritage Society, Debbie Reavell, was able to shed some light on story behind it.
She said the document tells residents of a public meeting in the Town Hall, (now the Willis Museum), on May, 24, 1864 at 11am.
The meeting was in reaction to a petition signed by 48 residents begging the mayor, Richard Wallis, to intervene in the break up of the 18th Hants Basingstoke Rifle Volunteer Corps.
She said: “Local volunteer corps and militias were very much a part of English life – formed during the Napoleonic Wars, they were the origins of the territorials which we still have today.”
Earlier that month the Basingstoke corps were disbanded, much to the dismay of the commanding officers.
The head of Hampshire’s militia, the Marquis of Winchester, hit out publicly at the Basingstoke group for refusing to disband.
In reaction residents issued a plea to the mayor to step in. They wrote in the petition: “The character of the town is seriously involved in such an unusual charge, beg to request you to convene a public meeting of the inhabitants as early as convenient to take the matter into consideration and adopt measures for vindicating the loyalty and character of the town.”
Do you know anymore about the document? If so contact the Basingstoke Observer newsdesk on 01256 694127.
