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Joanne Vigor-Mungovin - Author Hidden Leicester

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Joanne Vigor-Mungovin - Author Hidden Leicester

Historian and Writer- Exploring Personal Stories and uncovering overlooked and darker aspects of Leicester's history.

Author of Joseph: The Life, Times & Places of The Elephant Man and Peppermint Billy: William Brown and the TollGate Murders of 1856. The publication of my debut non-fiction book - Joseph: The Life Times and Places of The Elephant Man, opened up opportunities for me to collaborate with Michael Portillo on Channel 5's Hidden History of Britain. Additionally, in 2019, I was able to locate the lon

g-forgotten grave of Joseph Merrick and subsequently worked with BBC 1 Inside Out on a project related to this discovery. My second book, Peppermint Billy - William Brown and the Tollgate Murders of 1856, is an enthralling tale that delves into the notorious case of the last man to be publicly executed in Leicester, William Brown, also known as Peppermint Billy. In addition to my contributions to numerous historical books about Leicester, I have also written several informative articles and engaging blog posts about the rich history of this city. Furthermore, I am also known for my captivating talks and tours that delve into the more macabre and unsettling aspects of Leicester's past.

10/06/2026

So, its 'Download' this weekend... i was a 'Monsters of Rock' gal myself... anyone got any 'Mosters of Rock' memories?????

07/06/2026

**On This Day – 7 June 1935**
**A Tragedy at Mount St Bernard Abbey**

On this day in 1935, a tragic accident cast a shadow over life at **Mount St Bernard Abbey**.

Brother John Holland left the monastery to start the pumps at a pumping house in a nearby field. When he failed to return, concern grew among the community. Hours passed before a passer-by discovered him lying on the steps of the pump house. He was still alive but unable to speak.

The injured monk was carried back to the abbey, but sadly he died just an hour later.

An inquest revealed Brother John had suffered a severe head injury after apparently slipping on the wet steps and falling backwards, fracturing his skull. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

What makes this story particularly heartbreaking is that Brother John's family had travelled from Ireland to witness his ordination, which was due to take place just three days later, on 10 June. Instead of celebrating one of the proudest moments of his life, they attended his funeral and the inquest into his death.

Brother John was a member of the Cistercian Order, whose monks live lives of simplicity, poverty, obedience, and silence. Traditionally, Cistercian monks are buried in their habit without a coffin, a final act of humility. In Brother John's case, however, a coffin was provided.

As was the custom of the monastery, his place in the refectory was left vacant. For thirty days after his death, his meals were served as usual and then given to the poor in his memory—a quiet and moving tribute from a community that mourned one of its own.

Ninety years later, the story of Brother John Holland remains one of the saddest in the history of Mount St Bernard Abbey—a reminder of life's fragility and of a family whose journey from Ireland, intended for a joyful celebration, ended in sorrow.

**May Brother John rest in peace.**

**Edit: This is not now a silent order Thank you for your message**

05/06/2026

When people think of Joseph Merrick, better known as *The Elephant Man*, they usually think of London. That's hardly surprising—the film focuses almost entirely on that chapter of his life.

But did you know Joseph actually spent the first **22 years of his life in Leicester**?

In fact, three of the four managers who cared for Joseph were from the East Midlands, and two lived right here in Leicester. Only Tom Norman was from outside the area, although his wife was born in Loughborough, giving him a small local connection too. And perhaps another connection is that his fifth cousin now lives in Leicester and spends a great deal of time researching and writing about Joseph's life! 😉😉

One often-overlooked figure is **Sam Roper**, Joseph's third manager in 1885. After retiring from the fairground business, Sam became landlord of the Durham Ox pub on the corner of Britannia Street and Belgrave Gate.

What's even more fascinating is that Sam Roper is buried in **Belgrave Cemetery**—the very same cemetery where Joseph's father, sister, and stepmother are buried.

History has a remarkable way of connecting people and places. The more I research Joseph Merrick's life, the more I discover just how deeply his story is woven into Leicester's history.

Below is the grave of Sam Roper, one of the people who played a significant role in Joseph's life.

Had you heard of Sam Roper before? Let me know in the comments. 👇

03/06/2026

📜 **On This Day in Leicester History – 3 June 1882** 🌳

Imagine Leicester on a warm Saturday afternoon in June 1882.

The city was booming. Factory chimneys filled the skyline, thousands of people worked in the hosiery and boot-and-shoe industries, and the streets bustled with traders arriving for summer markets and fairs. But on this day, Leicester's residents had something entirely new to celebrate.

**Abbey Park opened to the public.**

Built on land beside the ruins of Leicester Abbey, the park was one of the most ambitious civic projects the city had ever undertaken. Just days earlier, the Prince and Princess of Wales had officially opened the park, and by 3 June crowds were flocking through its gates to see it for themselves.

Victorian visitors wandered along newly laid pathways, admired ornamental gardens, and enjoyed views of the River Soar. For many working families, this was their first opportunity to enjoy a purpose-built public park designed purely for leisure and recreation.

At a time when Leicester's factories were entering their busiest months of the year, Abbey Park offered something precious: fresh air, open space and a chance to escape the noise of the city.

More than 140 years later, generations of Leicester people have picnicked on the same lawns, walked the same riverside paths and enjoyed one of the city's most treasured green spaces.

🌳 Do you have a favourite memory of Abbey Park? Share it in the comments below.

02/06/2026

Interesting grave stone dating from 1694 in Redmile, Leicestershire ....

St Peter, Redmile, Leicestershire

James Handley died 11 day of March 1694.

This poem is on the reverse of his headstone and reads:

This world it is a city full of crooked streets
Death is a market place where all men meet.
If life were Marchandice that men could buy
Rich men would ever live and poor men die.

A John Handley was churchwarden at Redmile and his name is recorded in the register started on 5th November 1663 at the time Thomas Daffy was Rector.

31/05/2026

⚔️ **On This Day in Leicester History – 31 May 1645** ⚔️

The morning began with fear. By nightfall, Leicester lay broken.

On 31 May 1645, during the English Civil War, King Charles I and Prince Rupert's Royalist army launched a devastating assault on Leicester. For days, cannon fire had battered the town's medieval walls. Smoke drifted above the rooftops as thousands of townspeople waited anxiously behind the defences.

Then the walls gave way.

Royalist soldiers surged through the breaches and into the streets. Fierce fighting erupted around St Martin's Church (now Leicester Cathedral), the market place, and the Guildhall. Defenders fought desperately to hold back the attack, while townspeople joined the struggle from windows and doorways.

The narrow streets became scenes of chaos and bloodshed. Muskets cracked through the smoke, swords clashed, and buildings burned as the battle raged from house to house.

As resistance collapsed, Leicester was sacked. Homes were looted, families fled for safety, and hundreds of soldiers and civilians were killed. Contemporary accounts described streets running with blood and a town overwhelmed by violence.

It remains the bloodiest day in Leicester's recorded history.

Yet the story did not end there.

The capture of Leicester shocked Parliament and helped trigger the campaign that led to the Battle of Naseby just two weeks later – a decisive defeat for the Royalists and a turning point in the English Civil War.

Today, as we walk through Leicester's historic streets, it's hard to imagine the scenes that unfolded here nearly 400 years ago. But beneath the modern city lies the memory of a day that changed Leicester forever.

Have you ever visited the Guildhall, Leicester Cathedral, or Leicester Castle and wondered what they witnessed during those dark days of 1645?

31/05/2026

On this day - 31 May 1877, Leicester briefly found itself at the centre of world history.

Just days after arriving in Britain, General Ulysses S. Grant—the victorious commander of the Union armies in the American Civil War and the 18th President of the United States—passed through Leicester during the opening stages of his celebrated world tour.

As his train paused at Leicester station en route from Manchester to London, civic dignitaries gathered to welcome one of the most famous men on the planet. Crowds turned out to catch a glimpse of the American hero whose leadership had helped preserve the United States during its darkest hour.

Grant's visit lasted only a short time, but it was a remarkable moment for Victorian Leicester. Here was a man whose reputation extended far beyond America: a former president, a military legend, and an international celebrity embarking on a journey that would take him across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

For a few minutes on that spring day in 1877, Leicester became a stopping place on one of the most famous world tours of the nineteenth century.

30/05/2026

A new birthday charm has been added to the collection.

Françoise Sôules now sits alongside Peppermint Billy and Hannah Read on my bracelet—a growing reminder that some of history's most fascinating stories begin in a courtroom.

Where next? Perhaps beyond notorious trials and into the shadowy world of witchcraft, superstition, and suspicion...

One thing is certain: another trial awaits.

More news soon. ⚖️✨

23/05/2026

On this day, 23 May 2014, judges ruled Richard III’s remains would be reburied in Leicester — finally putting an end to a very medieval family argument.

The Justice Secretary blasted the king’s extremely distant relatives for burning through public money, trying to get him buried somewhere else… despite being about as closely related to Richard III as most people are to a bloke in the Domesday Book.

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