{"id":1030,"date":"2019-07-26T21:08:28","date_gmt":"2019-07-26T21:08:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stmartinsthompson.co.uk\/?p=1030"},"modified":"2019-07-26T21:20:32","modified_gmt":"2019-07-26T21:20:32","slug":"prince-frederick-duleep-singh-and-his-connections-with-thompson-merton-breckles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stmartinsthompson.co.uk\/?p=1030","title":{"rendered":"Prince Frederick Duleep Singh and his connections with Thompson, Merton & Breckles"},"content":{"rendered":"

Peter Bance gave a fascinating talk at St Martin\u2019s tonight all about Prince Frederick Duleep Singh. This was followed by Bronwen Tyler explaining his connections with Thompson and Ann Cuthbert spoke on living in same house that Prince Frederick lived in when he lived in Breckles. <\/p>

Prince Frederick Duleep Singh (1868 -1926) was the third son of the Maharajah Duleep Singh of Elveden Hall.\u00a0 Prince Freddie, as he was often known, would have been very familiar with this area. \u00a0His father entertained Lord Walsingham and they took part in shooting parties, together with the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII). He lived for a time at Breckles House, Stow Bedon and the gates now bear a plaque commemorating his time there. <\/p>

The Prince was a very keen historian\nand believed in the restoration and preservation of historic buildings, not\nmodernisation and alteration.  He shared\nthese views with Rev Charles Kent, who was Rector of Merton and also a noted\nlocal historian. The Prince was a Christian and would probably have come to\nknow the Rector by attending church services in the area.  The Prince\u2019s involvement in Thompson arose from\nthe proposal by the Diocese to close Thompson Church and make Tottington the\nmain church. The Prince suggested he would underwrite the cost should it not be\nraised by public subscription. <\/p>

They succeeded and the restoration work was completed in 1913. However, the fundraising continued, and provided a new organ, a Bible and a Lectern.\u00a0 Despite their greater hardships, even the men at the front are recorded as sending donations, thinking of their home in the midst of war.\u00a0 The Rector\u2019s contribution was recognised in a stained glass window but for reasons unknown the Prince was not. We have now been able to rectify this by gaining permission to install a plaque in St Martin\u2019s in his memory; we are grateful to Peter Bance and Ann Cuthbert for their sponsorship and for their continuing support of St Martin’s.<\/p>