“Me go Leominster eat dog’s heart”
– Little In The Way Of Sunshine
So… what do we know about Leominster?
The A to Z of HMHB
The A to Z of HMHB
“Me go Leominster eat dog’s heart”
– Little In The Way Of Sunshine
So… what do we know about Leominster?
There are 14 Half Man Half Biscuit albums, plus two roundup compilations, as well as 4 EPs and a handful of one-off songs. No 'Greatest Hits'. Indulge yourself by starting here.
In which we chose the nation's favourite Half Man Half Biscuit song. For the next four years, anyway.
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peter mcornithologist
Until I heard this track , I had pronounced Leominster incorrectly for 60 years.
27 September 2015
dickhead in quicksand
Almost the frontman of Motörhead.
I wonder if any of those cars outside the Antique Market was sporting an abusive blue badge?
27 September 2015
gubbalookalike
I was chef at The Talbot Hotel on Main Street for a few years back in 1987 and at the time it had the most amount of antique shops of any English town, but when Antiques Roadshow rolled into town they found nothing of any considerable value or interest. Hugh Scully did spend all night trying in vain to cop off with the bar’s manager though.
27 September 2015
Russell Dean
I once owned a Toby Jug inspired, seemingly, by Hugh Scully.
27 September 2015
Dr Desperate
Just out of interest, @PMcO, how old were you when you started saying Leominster?
28 September 2015
peter mcornithologist
@ DR. D. I was 2. It was my 2nd word, beaten only by ptarmigan.
28 September 2015
BrumbiscUit
My attempt at Kirkudbright (q.v) was mockingly laughed, nay guffawed, at by a Scotsman.
28 September 2015
EXXO
So that’s what made you start saying Leominster?
28 September 2015
Lord leominster
Re post 1, above, by Peter McOrnithologist, 27 September 2015: NB correctly pronounces Leominster as ‘Lempster’. Most people, who have not had the pleasure of visiting the town and those who pass by north/south on the A49 or pass though east/west on the A44, incorrectly but understandably pronounce it as it is spelled, ‘Leo Minster’. The vernacular, however, is ‘Lemner’ which the Urban Dictionary defines as “the town of Leominster in Herefordshire, usually applied with backhanded affection” and “a term used to describe a dweller or long term resident of Leominster. Often thought to be derogatory, though this is most likely due to negative connotations surrounding the area.
That person is a Lemner.”
When spoken, Leominster is sometimes confused with the Irish province and rugby team of Leinster. When written, the county of Herefordshire is frequently confused with the English county of Hertfordshire.
15 November 2019
Lord leominster
Having spoken with the voice of authority, I’m now not sure that there’s a ‘p’ in the pronounciation of Leominster (in which case it’s a silent ‘p’, as in ‘swimming pool’). Possibly I pronounce it incorrectly and it should be ‘Lemster’. No one has ever corrected me so I think I’m getting away with it.
15 November 2019
Lord leominster
*pronunciation
16 November 2019
Lord leOminster
There was one too many ‘o’s in ‘pronunciation’, as there is in ‘Leominster’.
I think that I recently p, p, p picked up the idea of adding a p from this Wiki entry “William Fermor, 1st Baron Leominster (alias Lempster) (3 August 1648 – 7 December 1711), styled Sir William Fermor, 2nd Baronet from 1661 to 1692, was an English politician and peer.[1]”
For the avoidance of doubt, the name of the town is pronounced ‘Lemster’ (or ‘Lemner’ if you are a local in playful mood).
If you think it strange that I am uncertain as to how to pronounce my own name, turn and face the strange to see that I’m not alone: (see 2:05 in)
https://youtu.be/FiK7s_0tGsg
16 November 2019
EXXO
I was going to say last night, Mr. B (as Duff Leg Bryn, who should know) sings /lemstə/, which I was always told is correct standard (if not local) pron, although whether of not he favours a silent p is another matter.
16 November 2019
Lord leominsteR
Not sure if this should be filed under ‘Leominster’ or ‘Saxon hoard’ so I’ve filed it under both.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-50461860
21 November 2019
Lord leominster
Although the headline refers to a Viking hoard the story goes on to explain that the hoard is of particular interest to the local historian as “the coins, which are Saxon and believed to have been hidden by a Viking, provide fresh information about the unification of England and show there was an alliance previously not thought to exist between the kings of Mercia and Wessex.” In Leominster.
21 November 2019
Lord leominster
10km to the north east of Leominster lies the village of Leysters (also spelled Laysters) and down a quiet lane near to the church is the Poet’s Stone (sometimes spelled with no apostrophe, which I suspect is incorrect). I’ll give you the grid ref, you might like to go SO572635.
Here is a link to a picture of it.
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/784783
The Worcester News website explains “One place William Wordsworth loved was Herefordshire. William and his wife Mary often visited and explored much of the county. In 1845 they were at Leysters and rested for a while on a roadside stone. The vicar of Leysters was so chuffed by these celebrated visitors that he had the initials WW and MW carved on the stone, where they are still clearly visible. The stone is in a lovely setting above Sunny Bank Dingle.”
The stone has the further distinction of being on the watershed between the rivers Severn and Wye. Approximately 100m to the north of Poet’s Stone is a stream that flows north into the River Teme, near Tenbury Wells, that in turn flows into the Severn near Worcester. Approximately 400m to the south of the Poet’s Stone is another stream that flows south and becomes Cheaton Brook that flows into the Kenwater, near Leominster, that becomes the River Lugg before flowing into the Wye near Hereford. The Wye, of course, then flows into the Severn estuary. So a single raindrop falling close to the Poet’s Stone could take one of two very different routes to reach the same destination.
5 December 2019
Lord leominster
Scene of the last recorded use of a ducking stool in England.
Leominster Priory Church is home to the town’s ducking stool which is an imposing instrument of public humiliation and, arguably, torture. Here’s a picture of the ducking stool:
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/15898
The information plaque alongside the ducking stool acknowledges that “for some Leominster people its place in their Parish Church is emotive.” The church’s own website, http://www.leominsterpriory.org.uk, seems to be somewhat embarrassed by its uncomfortable legacy. The website has much interesting information about the history of the church but only mentions the ducking stool in passing.
The information plaque in the church informs thus:
“Records show that in 1634 John Gwatkyn was paid £11 5s for making a cage, pillory and Cucking Stoole. Whether this refers to the surviving stool is unclear….So it was that in 1809, for uttering foul and abusive language, one Jenny Pipes was paraded through the town and then ducked in the Kenwater near the bridge, where presumably a goodly crowd had gathered. This treatment had been ordered by the Magistrates and was witnessed by the town’s Mayor, Dr Watling. However the punishment’s ineffectiveness was demonstrated by the culprit who, upon release, repeated her offensive behaviour. This use of the Ducking Stool was the last recorded occasion of such an event in England. Further, in 1817 Sarah Leeke was wheeled round the town in the Ducking Stool but was spared a ducking because the river was too low.”
One contributor to TripAdvisor writes “This strange wooden relic is a fascinating piece of social history, though sadly it needs some repairs by the look of it.” Also “the town seems to be somewhat fixated on this item, with a modern town clock displaying a woman in the ducking stool.”
11 December 2019
Chris The Siteowner
£11 5s is well over £2,500 in today’s money. A local council contract for which Mr Gwatkyn can consider himself most fortunate.
12 December 2019
Lord leominster
*inheritance, not legacy
12 December 2019
dr desperate
Also answering the eternal question: apart from on ‘Bargain Hunt’, where else on earth can you hear the word ‘goodly’ being used?
12 December 2019
Lord leomiNster
Ref Post 9 above. Only today a visitor from up north congratulated me on the success of my local rugby team (Leinster beat Northampton, apparently).
15 December 2019
BOBBY SVARC
“Leominster, Leinster, Leicester, Lester, Duck Soup, 1933”
16 December 2019