Stamford grew up at a strategic point on the River Welland
- where that river could be easily crossed at most times of the
year. On either side of the river were lowlands which could be,
and often were, extensively flooded. Early British traders, raiders,
hunters and migrants crossed at this point and traces of these early
inhabitants is evidenced by Neolithic finds in local quarries. In
these early days the river was forded which gave the growing settlement
its name - ‘Stony Ford’. This first ford was just east
of the present town bridge, but the Romans preferred a crossing
point farther west on direct alignment with Ermine Street which
crossed the Welland between the two Roman settlements and military
cantonments at Castor to the south and Great Casterton to the north:
the word castra being the Latin word for a camp.
Under the Saxons the community grew in size and it is to them that
we owe the present name Stamford - as a corruption of Stony Ford.
Although the town suffered heavily during Danish  invasion
of the 9th century, it prospered under Saxon rule and it was sufficiently
important to be granted its own mint by King Edgar in 972 that remained
in use for two centuries. The location of the mint is believed to
have been across the river to the south at St Martins; but the exact
site has yet to be identified. Samples of money coined at the mint
may be seen in the local museum.
In the 11th century the invading Normans, to ensure military control
of the area, built a strong castle on the site where the Saxons
had built a fort. It was erected alongside the river to protect
the ford crossing, the main road to and from Scotland and the growing
town itself which was, in the Domesday Survey, described as the
King’s Borough of Stamford. Trades and crafts developed and,
by the 12th century, the local cloth was known for its quality throughout
Europe. Pottery, too, was made in the town between the 9th and the
13th centuries; the first glazed ware to be made in England since
Roman times. In 1076 Stamford was appointed as a centre for the
hearing of law cases by the King’s Justices and the town was
frequently visited by monarchs on affairs of State. Parliaments
and other councils convened in the town and it was a meeting point
for the barons on their way south to Runnymede to ensure the signing
of the Magna Carta by King John.
At the end of the 13th century, the funeral procession of Queen
Eleanor, wife of King Edward I, stopped at Stamford on its progress
to London; on account of which, subsequently, an Eleanor Cross was
erected at the King’s command. At this time the town was of
great importance having been granted a charter by King Henry III
in 1256. It then possessed six monasteries and priories, six religious
colleges and no less than 14 churches. This rather unusual density
of religious establishments was renowned throughout Europe. Unfortunately,
few of these buildings and just fragments of others have survived
into the 21st century.
St Leonard’s Priory, founded in the early 12th century, was
the first of these buildings which was followed by St Michaels Nunnery
in the mid 12th century. The Greyfriars (Franciscan Order) was founded
by 1230 on a site to the east of the town, with the Blackfriars
(Dominican Order) founded by 1241 close-by. Shortly afterwards,
the Carmelite Order was given a small site between the two and the
Whitefriars was founded. To the west of the town, Austin Friars
was founded in 1341. In 1333 a number o f
Oxford students, displeased with conditions at their university,
transferred to Stamford and tried to set up a rival university at
the two colleges of the Black and Grey Friars. They were, however,
ordered to return to Oxford and their rebellion was firmly put down.
As well as religious establishments and colleges, Stamford was also
well endowed with guest houses and hospices for travellers on the
road. These included St Giles Leper Hospital, the House of the Holy
Sepulchre and the Hospital of St John. These establishments employed
many local people and exerted a great influence on the life of the
town – which came to an abrupt end with King Henry VIII’s
Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539. The effect and decline in
the prosperity of Stamford was immediate.
During the Wars of the Roses the town suffered greatly because of
its allegiance to the Dukes of York. The town was taken by the Lancastrians
in 1460 and damage was extensive. All Saints Church was partly destroyed
and the town archives were burned and with them the town’s
charters. However, the town’s charter was renewed in 1462
by Edward IV.
Stamford had a connection at this time with Henry VII. His mother,
who lived at nearby Collyweston, founded the Guild of St Catherine
which met at St Paul’s Chapel, now the chapel of Stamford
School. Henry VIII was entertained in the town several times but,
nevertheless, the town’s many religious establishments were
not spared the ravages of the Dissolution. Their passing greatly
upset the economic balance of Stamford and its environs. His daughter,
Queen Elizabeth I, also visited the town and the lordship of Stamford
was granted to her Lord Treasurer, Lord Burghley, one of the outstanding
figures of that period. His father and grandfather lived at Stamford
and he himself held offices of state under Edward VI and Queen Mary
and he helped place Elizabeth on the throne. He remained a trusted
and powerful minister until his death in 1598. His wonderful Renaissance
tomb can be seen in St Martin’s Church.
During the Civil War the town was held for Parliament and Oliver
Cromwell was in local command when Burghley House was besieged.
King Charles I came to Stamford in 1646 and,  disguised
as a servant, was admitted secretly into a house in the town and
left the next night en route to join the Scottish army; only to
be betrayed by them. The king thus spent his last night as a free
man at Stamford.
New charters were granted to the town in 1663 by Charles II and
the title of the Chief Magistrate was upgraded from Alderman to
Mayor. Stamford, at this time, was represented in Parliament by
two members and this state of affairs continued right through until
1867 when the number was reduced to one.
During the 18th century, Stamford was a major coaching stop on the
Great North Road. To enable easier access, the gates through the
town walls were pulled down. The great fairs and markets that had
been such a part of local life in the Middle Ages, had declined
although a number of customs and entertain-ments still continued
- including horse racing at the Stamford Races which survived until
the 1870s and the annual and barbarous Bull Running (chasing a tormented
bull through the streets of the town and driving it to its death
off the bridge) continued until 1839. It had, in fact, been a popular
annual event right through since the early 13th century, when it
was introduced by William de Warrenne, Earl of Stamford.
The population of the town was 4,022 at the first census in 1801
and had risen to 5,837 by 1831 at which time a national gazetteer
presented this portrait of the place:
“A borough and market town in the wapentake (division of a
county) of Ness in the county of Lincoln. The town is pleasantly
situated on a rising hill on the north bank of the Welland. The
houses are well built of free stone obtained from the neighbouring
quarries of Ketton and Barnack. The streets are indifferently paved
and lighted by gas. Water is brought from Wothorpe by pipes, the
distance being about a mile. In the principal street is the town
hall erected in 1776 on the site of an old structure that had fallen
into ruins. The town has also assembly rooms and a theatre which
is neat and commodious. Races are run in March and July and on the
banks of the river are excellent hot and cold baths. The Welland
is  navigable
up to the town for boats and small barges but the trade, inconsiderable,
is principally in malt, coal, timber and free stone. The market
days are Monday and Friday, the latter principally for corn.”
In later years the decline of the Great North Road as a coaching
route was, to a great extent, caused by the coming of the railways.
At the height of the railway era, early in the 20th century, Stamford
had two stations, the Midland Station serving Peterborough, Oakham
and Leicester and Stamford East Station (designed to echo Burghley
House and built of local stone) to Essendine for London. Today only
the Peterborough - Stamford - Leicester route survives although
this has been improved to form a part of the through route between
Norwich and Birmingham, thus giving Stamford good links with many
neighbouring centres of population.
The by-pass of the Great North Road, built in 1960, brought a new
peace to the town though local trade was inevitably affected. In
1961, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh came to Stamford
to celebrate the Quincentenary of the town’s Charter.
The creation of Stamford as a conservation area in 1967, the very
first conservation town, celebrated the beginning of a new era in
its history.
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