Okeham or Oakham, which Camden supposes to have been so called from the oak trees which grew in its neighbourhood. If is pleasantly situated in the vale of Catmose, 95 miles north northwest from London, and is the county town, where the assizes are held. It is well-built "and inhabited, and has an ancient castle built by Waikelin de Ferrariss, or Ferrers, a younger son of the Earl of Derby, in the reign of William the Conqueror, and continued to be the residence of that family till the male issue were extinct: since which time it has been in the possession of several noble families., till at length it came to the Earl of Nottingham. Of the ancient castle, however, there are only part of the outer walls facing the ditch now remaining, the principal structure having been long since demolished, and the building that now stands on the scite of the ancient one was built with the materials of the castle. In this structure is the hall in which the assizes are held and the public business of the county transacted.

The town consists of two parishes, though there is but one church; one is called the Lord's Hold, and the other is called the Dean's. The former is under the Right Hon. the Earl of Winchelsea, who is lord of the manor, and who holds a court once a year to fix upon parish officers, at which all the inhabitants must appear and pay one penny, or be amerced according as the clerk pleases; and all freeholders, copyholders, and waste-holders, pay their acknowledgements. The latter is under the Dean of Westminster, who holds a court once in three years. It is chiefly copyhold, and the dean is lord of the manor. To the Lord's Court the towns of Bramston, Belton, and Wardley, in this county, and Twiforde and Thorpe Sackville in Leicestershire, owe suit and services.

The Church, which is dedicated to All Saints, is a spacious structure, with a nave, chancel, and bide aisles; the tower, containing a clock, and a good ring of bells, is terminated by a lofty spire.

There are several charitable foundations in this town, among which is an Hospital, very much decayed, founded and endowed by William Dalby, a merchant of Exton in this county, in the reign of .Richard the Second, about the year 1398. It was dedicated to. St. John and St. Anne, and consisted of two chaplains and twelve poor men, who were to pray for the good estate of that king and Isabel his queen, and after their decease for their souls; but in the year 1421, Roger Flore, Esq. of Okeham, becoming the patron, made several alterations and additions to the former statutes. It was valued, at the Dissolution, at 121. 10s. per annum. The building still remains, though the charity is differently supported to what it was previous to the Reformation; and the present governors maintain that it is a new foundation, and consequently of a different patronage.

Here is likewise an Hospital and Free-school built and endowed in the reign of James the First, by the Rev. Mr. Robert Johnson, minister of North Luffingham, a village about five miles southeast of this town. This hospital is called Christ's Hospital, and the bishops of London and Peterborough, the deans of Westminster and Peterborough, the archdeacon of Northampton, and the masters of Trinity and St. John's Colleges, Cambridge, are perpetual governors.

In the year 1711 a Charity-school was likewise opened in this town for educating and clothing 12 boys, and the same number of girls.

Here were anciently two markets; on Wednesdays and Saturdays; but at present there is only one on the last mentioned day, with eight annual fairs, viz. on the 15th of March; April 8; May G; Saturday in Whitsun-week; September 9; Saturday after October 16; November 19; and December 15.

According to the late returns, the parish or manor of the Lord's Hold consisted of 225 houses, and 1,056 inhabitants, viz. 491 males, and 565 females, of whom 156 were returned as being employed in trade and manufacture; and the Dean's Hold, including the adjoining hamlets of Barleythorpe and Brooke, consisted of 132 houses, and 557 inhabitants, viz. 283 males, and 274 females, of whom 74 were returned as being employed in trade and manufacture.

A remarkable custom has prevailed in this town from the most ancient times, and is still continued, that every peer of the realm the first time he comes through this town must give a horseshoe to the lord of the castle and manor; and in case of refusal the bailiff is authorised to stop his carriage, and take a shoe from one of the horses feet. This, however, is usually prevented by a pecuniary compliment, when a shoe is made and ornamented in proportion to the gift, after which it is nailed on the door of the Castle-hall. Some shoes are of curious workmanship, and are generally stamped with the names of the donors; others are made very large, and some of them are gilt.—This custom is doubtless derived from the de Ferrers, the ancient lords of the town, whose arms were three horseshoes, and whose name imports workers in iron.

Gerfery Hudson, a person remarkable for his diminutive stature, was born at Okeham in 1619, and when seven years of age, was not above fifteen: inches high, though his parents, who had several other children of the usual size, were tall and lusty. At that age the Duke of Buckingham took him into his family; and to divert the court, who, on a progress through this county, were entertained at the Duke's seat at Burleigh-on-the-Hill, he was served up at table in a cold pye. Between the seventh and thirtieth years of his age, he did not advance many inches in stature; but it is remarkable that soon after thirty, he shot up to the height of three feet nine inches, which he never exceeded. He was given to Henrietta Maria, consort to King Charles the First, probably at the time of his being served up in the pye; and that princess, who kept him as her dwarf, is said frequently to have employed him in messages abroad. In the Civil Wars he was raised to the rank of captain of horse in the king's service, and afterwards accompanied the queen to France, from whence he was banished for killing a brother of Lord Croft's in a duel on horseback, lie was afterwards taken at sea by a corsair, and was many years a slave in Barbary, but being redeemed, he came to England, and in 1678 was committed prisoner to the gatehouse in Westminster, on suspicion of being concerned in Gates's plot; but after lying there a considerable time, he was at last discharged, and died in 1683, at 63 years of age.

About a quarter of a mile to the north of Oakham is a spring, to which, before the Information, it was customary for devotees to go on a pilgrimage, in honour of the Virgin Mary; and this spring is still called our Lady's Well.

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OAKHAM, the chief town in Rutland is seated between the sources of the river Gwash, or Wash, in the luxuriant vale of Catmos, 96 miles from London by road and 102 by railway by the way of Peterborough, 90 by Northampton and Kettering, 36 south from Nottingham, 6 1/4 from Peterborough, 26 3/4 east-by-north from Leicester, 12 1/2 west from Stamford, 11 east-south-east from Melton Mowbray and 6 1/2 north from Uppingham, and is the head of the hundred, union and county court district, in the rural deanery of Rutland (first portion), archdeaconry of Oakham and diocese of Peterborough. The Syston and Peterborough and Nottingham and Kettering section of the Midland railway passes the west end of the town and has a station here. The town is clean and healthy, is well lighted with gas by a limited company and paved with Yorkshire stone. The church of All Saints, seated on rising ground, by the site of the old castle, at the north-east end of the town, is a cruciform building of stone, chiefly in the Perpendicular style, consisting of chancel, ante-church, nave of four bays with clerestory, aisles, transepts, south porch and a western tower with four pinnacles and an octagonal spire, relieved by three tiers of spire lights and containing a clock and 8 bells: the organ was erected in 1872 and enlarged about 1879, at a total cost of £800, and further enlarged in 1898, at a cost of £400: the Teredos, a fine structure of alabaster, the gift of C. K. Morris esq. was erected in 1898, and brass altar rails, presented by the Earl of Lonsdale, and a marble pavement were added in the same year: the pulpit, lectern, reading desk, chancel benches and screens are all of carved oak, in the Decorated style: the ceiling is also of oak, panelled: the stained east window is a memorial to the Jones family, and there is another memorial window to Colonel the Hon. Henry Cecil Lowther, of Barleythorpe M.P., D.L. d. 6 Dec. 1867: at the west end of the church there is a monument to Ann, the daughter of Andrew Burton esq. of Oakham, and Fellow of Gray’s Inn, ob. June, 1642; there are other memorials to the Freer family, and a tablet to John Bullivant esq. late Lieut. 76th Regiment, who served under General Sir John Moore at Corunna and elsewhere, and died 2 May, 1825; there is also a brass recording the centenary commemoration of the foundation of Sunday schools: in 1858-9 the church was thoroughly repaired, re-floored and reseated and new carved screens erected, at a cost of £6,086: there are 850 sittings, most of which are appropriated to the inhabitants. The register dates from the year 1564. The living is a vicarage, with the chapelries of Brooke, Egleton and Langham annexed, joint net yearly value £700, with residence, and including 192 acres of glebe, in the gift of George Henry Finch esq. M.P. and held since 1894 by the Rev. Frederick Baggallay M.A. of Caius College, Cambridge, rural dean of Rutland (first portion), and surrogate.

There is a church library containing 200 volumes, in Greek and Latin, left by Lady Anne Harrington. The Catholic church in Mill street, built in 1883, under the direction of Father Van Dale, and dedicated to SS. Joseph and Edith, is a small and plain structure of brick with freestone facings and has a turret containing one bell. There are also Congregational, Calvinist, Baptist, Wesleyan Methodist and Primitive Methodist chapels.

In 1860 a cemetery was opened on the north side of the town under a Burial Board of 9 members, established in 1858; it consists of about 4 1/2 acres, with a residence for the lodge keeper, and has two mortuary chapels connected by an open corridor, surmounted by a square tower and a light and lofty spire.

The Agricultural Hall, in the High street, is a building of stone, with large and lofty rooms, and is now used as a public hall for entertainments. The town has a good trade in coal, corn and malt; the female part of the population are engaged in the knitting of fancy hosiery. There are two large shoe manufactories belonging to a Leicester firm, and a patent steam brewery and malting carried on by Messrs. W. C. and C. K. Morris, and occupying a range of buildings in New street, extending the whole length of Cross street. The principal commercial inns are the Crown, in High street, and the George, in the Market place. The ancient market-shambles ceased to exist from 1880, when a tree was planted at each coner of the site, and a drinking fountain erected in the centre. The market days are Saturday and Monday, the former for butter and general commodities, and the latter for corn and cattle. Three old fairs are held March 15th, May 6th and September 9th, and a pleasure fair is held in May, and other fairs, chiefly for cattle, on some Monday in every month, excepting January, so arranged as not to interfere with Stamford fairs. The Oakham Institute, in the High street, was established in 1877, and contains a library consisting of 1,150 volumes.

Forster’s charity includes a yearly sum of £10 and a proportion of the balance in hand of the charity each year and is for apprenticing orphan boys belonging to this parish.

St. Anne’s charity has an income of £392, derived from land and invested funds; 20 persons receive £14 yearly each from the above charity. Lady Anne Harrington’s rent-charge of £32 yearly is for distribution in money among the poor of Lordshold. There is a charity of £5 a year given away in penny bread. Warburton’s gift is a rent-charge of 10s. per year on land, given for the poor of Oakham in 1731; Robert Towell gave in 1721 £5 to the poor of Lord’s liberty and £5 to the poor of Barleythorpe and Westminster Fee, to be put in the town’s stock, sixpence each to be given to twenty poor widows, ten from each district, at Christmas; Green’s rent charge of £4 is for the poor of Oakham; Cramp’s charity is the interest on £20 for the benefit of poor widows of Oakham. Burton’s charity is a yearly sum of £5, distributed in the same manner as Lady Harrington’s charity.

Of the ancient Norman Castle, the Hall is the only portion in tolerable preservation, and is still used for holding assizes and sessions and the public business of the town and county: it is stated to have been erected between 1165 and 1191 by Walkelin de Ferrars, and in connection with this foundation a singular custom still prevails, by which every peer of this realm, on first passing through the town, is compelled to give a shoe from the foot of one of his horses, or upon his refusal the bailiff of the lordship may take by force a shoe (or an equivalent sum of money for the purchase of one), to be placed on the walls of the hall; whether this custom was instituted by the Ferrers family, who bore as their ancient coat:—“ arg. 6 horseshoes sa. pierced or; 3, 2 and 1,” has not been ascertained. Among many of different sizes, in proportion to the sum paid for the purchase, and some of which are gilt and stamped with the donor’s name, is one given by Queen Elizabeth, a very large example and curiously worked and gilt; there is also a splendid one from the late Duke of York, another given by George TV. when Prince Regent, of bronze and ormolu, which cost £50, one given by Her Majesty when Princess Victoria, 1835, and others by H.R.H. the Princess of Wales in 1881, in 1895 by H.R.H. the Prince of Wales and H.R.H. the Duke of Connaught on the occasion of their stay with the Earl of Lonsdale, 1807, 1872, 1877 and 1885, the Earls of Gainsborough, 1694 and 1867; the Earl of Carnarvon, 1880; the Duke of Portland, 1884; the Earl of Dysart, 1882; the Duke of Wellington, 1838; Lord Wimborne, 1892; the Earl of Essex, 1893; and Viscount Drumlanrig, 1894. Both courts, civil and criminal, are held in the same hall, which is undivided, the Judges’ seats being at either end, over which are nailed some of the horseshoes already mentioned, although originally these were attached) to the outer doors and gates.

Oakham was the birthplace of Geoffrey Hudson, the celebrated dwarf of the reign of Charles II.

Oakham Lodge, the seat of Richard Tryon esq. J.P. is a mansion of stone, situated at the east end of the town; it is surrounded by extensive grounds, which contain some fine cedars of Lebanon, and affords one of the best views in the neighbourhood, including in the distance the villages of Hambleton and Burley-on-the-Hill.

Catmose is the residence of the Right Hon. Gerard James Noel P.C., D.L., J.P. and Lady Augusta Noel and Catmose Cottage of Charles S. Newton esq.

Oakham has no incorporation, and is under the jurisdiction of the county magistrates. Courts-leet are held annually by the lord of the manor of Lordshold, George Henry Finch esq. M.P. of Burley-on-the-Hill, and triennial for the manor of Deanshold with Barleythorpe, of which the Dean and Chapter of Westminster are lords.

The chief landowners are the Earl of Gainsborough, the Earl of Ancaster P.C. the Right Hon. Gerard James Noel P.C. the Earl of Lonsdale and George Henry Finch esq. M.P. The area of Oakham Lordshold was formerly 2,010 acres; Oakham Deanshold with Barleythorpe, 1,235 acres; but under the “ Local Government Act, 1894," the parish of Deanshold with Barleythorpe was divided; the latter is now a separate parish, and Deanshold and Lordshold form the parish of Oakham. The area of Oakham is 2,047 acres; assessable value, £12,353. The population of Oakham Deanshold with Barleythorpe in 1891 was 1,146 and of Oakham Lordshold 2,396, including 65 officers and inmates in the workhouse.

OAKHAM UNION

Oakham union comprises the following places:—Ashwell, Barleythorpe, Barrow, Braunston, Brooke, Burley, Cold Overton (Leicester), Cottesmore, Edith Weston, Egleton, Empingham, Exton, Greetham, Gunthorpe, Hambleton, Horn, Knossington (Leicester), Langham, Leighfield Forest, Lyndon, Manton, Market Overton, Martinsthorpe, Normanton, Oakham, Stretton, Teigh, Thistleton, Tickencote, Whissendine, Whitwell. The population of the union in 1891 was 10,919; area, 58,001 acres; assessable value, Lady Day, 1899, £72,277 Board day, Monday, fortnightly.

PLACES OF WORSHIP, with times of services

All Saints’ Church, Rev. Frederick Baggallay M.A. vicar; Rev. Malcolm Parker Miller McLean M.A. & Rev. Henry Clennell Wilkinson M.A. curates; 8 & 11 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.; matins, 11.30 a.m. & evensong, 4.30 p.m. da:ly, except Thur.; Thur. evensong, 7 p.m.; saints’ day, holy communion, 8 a.m. or after matins.

SS. Joseph & Edith (Catholic), Mill street, Rev. F. F. Busch, priest; mass every Sunday, 9.15 & 11 a.m. alternately; benediction, every second Sunday, 4 p.m.

Baptist, Melton road, Rev. Henry John Allison Suter;10.45 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.; Thur. 7 p.m.

Calvanist, New street; 10.30 a.m.& 2.30 p.m.; no minister.

Congregational, High street, Rev. Arthur Melancthon Perkins; 10.30 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.; Thur. 7 p.m.

Primitive Methodist, Dean’s lane, Rev. Shadrach Evans; 10.45 a.m. & 6 p.m.; Wed 7.30 p.m.

Wesleyan, Northgate street, Rev. John Birtwistle; 10.45 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.; Wed 8 p.m.

SCHOOLS

Archdeacon Johnson’s School, Oakham.

Archdeacon Johnson’s Rutland Charity, which embraces the schools of Oakham & Uppingham & a provision for certain poor pensioners, called the Bede-House people, was founded by Robert Johnson, archdeacon of Leicester, in the year 1584: he endowed the charity with certain lands & impropriations (in different parishes), the value of which is now about £4,000 yearly: he appointed governors for the management of the whole foundation, but each school now has its own separate body of trustees & the governors manage the estates, & appoint the Bede-House people. The Oakham school was re-constituted under a scheme by the Endowed Schools Commissioners, approved by Her Majesty in Council on May 13th, 1875, the object being to secure a first-class modern school; scholars are admitted from the age of 8 & may be allowed to remain till the end of their 19th year: the cost of tuition, as fixed by the trustees, varies from £8 to £17 10s. (residents of Oakham & neighbouring villages not paying above £12) yearly, for boys under & over 12 years of age; & the fee boarders—in addition to tuition fees—must not exceed £50 a year each: there are the following scholarships, exhibitions & prizes:—At the universities, sixteen exhibitions of about £30 a year each, founded by Archdeacon Johnson at Cambridge, to which boys from Oakham & Uppingham schools have the preference; five or six of these exhibitions are awarded every year & they are tenable for four years: two exhibitions of £50 a year each, tenable at the universities & elsewhere, for graduate clergymen’s sons at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, to which boys from Oakham school have the preference, in default of fitly qualified candidates from Grantham school: the sum of £200 is yearly assigned by the trustees for four exhibitions of £50 a year each, tenable for two years at least, by boys leaving the school for the universities, Woolwich, Sandhurst, Cooper’s Hill, the Inns of Court, hospitals or any other place of higher education: at the school there are several house scholarships, from £40 to £10, open to all comers, to be competed for annually in March; & there are also four exhibitions of £25 a year each, open to boys of Rutland, tenable at either Oakham or Uppingham schools: the old school-house, situate at the south-west of the Market place, is a modern building of stone, designed by Sir Sydney Smirke; a wing was added about 1890 & the whole building, which will now hold 90 boys, includes head master’s residence, school-rooms, boarders’ dining-room, library, music-room, science-room & laboratory, swimming bath, sanatorium, carpenter’s shop & four houses for boarders & dormitories, & all the boys have studies: over the principal entrance, carved in relief, are the arms of the founder: the schoolroom, with three class rooms, was erected in 1880 at a cost of about £1,600: the school is under the management of 15 trustees, one of whom is an hereditary trustee (being the right heir male of the founder), two others are ex-officio & there are nine representative & three co-optative trustees. Connected with the charity were two hospitals or almshouses, one at Oakham & the other at Uppingham, which, having fallen into decay, or being otherwise used, have long ceased to exist & the Bede-House people have been allowed to live at their own homes, their money allowance being proportionately increased; the recipients are chiefly decayed housekeepers & other poor respectable people who have not received parish relief, & the number has varied with the amount of funds at disposal, & has lately stood at about 100 at £12 each yearly; but under the present division of property, arising from the new scheme of the Oakham & Uppingham schools, the amount for the recipients of the charity will be more exactly defined & the number probably increased National, for 220 boys, 180 girls & 200 infants; average attendance, 175 boys, 152 girls & 156 infants.