Wednesday, 07 May 2008

PRESS RELEASE

The Tamworth based Peel Society has recently paid visits to three sites associated with Sir Robert Peel and the Peel family.

The first one was on Sunday, April 27th to Sandy in Bedfordshire to inaugurate the "Captain William Peel walk".  Captain Sir William Peel R.N. V.C. K.C.B. was Sir Robert Peel's third son.  He was the archetypical Victorian hero.  He entered the Royal Navy at the age of 13 and rose to become the youngest ship's captain.  He won the Victoria Cross three times over in the Crimean War and took part in the relief of Lucknow in the Indian Mutiny.  He was badly wounded and died of smallpox on April 27th 1858.

The Swiss Cottage, now the Headquarters of the R.S.P.B.

William Peel lived at the Swiss Cottage just outside Sandy.  He was only there a few years but had time to build a short connecting railway so the local market gardens could get their produce to London on the Great Northern Line.  When he died his estate went to his younger brother, Arthur Wellesley Peel, who became Speaker of the House of Commons.  He built a grand house called "The Lodge", which is now the Headquarters of the R.S.P.B.

The small town of Sandy took the initiative to make a walk from the Parish Church, where there is a splendid statue of William Peel, passed the railway he built to The Lodge and back.

preparing the ground to plant the sapling. l to r. Nigel Morris, Frances Bragger, Janice Morris and Roger Bragger.

In order to commemorate the sesquicentennial anniversary, the Peel Society asked the Bryan family of Drayton Manor Park to provide an English oak tree sapling from the park to plant by the "Captain William Peel" walk to link the place where he grew up to the place he lived.  They generously agreed and provided a plaque to inform visitors.  Four committee members of the Peel Society Frances and Roger Bragger and Janice and Nigel Morris drove down to Sandy with the sapling and planted it at the end of the inaugural walk, which was attended by about 35 people.  The picture shows them preparing the ground to plant the tree.

A party of 28 members and friends made the other two visits at the end of April to two of the great mansions of political families at the time when Sir Robert Peel was Prime Minister.  Woburn Abbey is the home of the Russell family, The Dukes of Bedford.  The Abbey contains a stunning display of treasure, including old masters, ceramics and gold and silver ware.  Lord John Russell was the leader of the Whig opposition to Peel and succeeded him as Prime Minister.

Hatfield House in Hertfordshire is the home of the Cecil family, The Marquess of Salisbury.  The family have been involved in politics since the time of Queen Elizabeth 1st.  The 2nd Marquess was a contemporary of Peel in the Conservative Party but they fell out over the Repeal of the Corn Laws.  The archivist and librarian showed the members of the Peel Society two hand written letters written by Prime Minister Peel to Lord Salisbury and one by Mrs Arbuthnot, a friend of the Duke of Wellington, to Lord Salisbury about the Corn Law crisis.  This the members really appreciated as it perfectly rounded off two spectacular visits.

End