Tales from the Petwood

One of the saddest tales to be discovered from the history of the Petwood is that of 9 year old Robert Myler Jnr, the son of the Head Porter Robert Myler who tragically drowned in a well in the hotel grounds.

The young boy had been playing out in the hotel grounds all day as he often did. On this particular day, he had wandered off near the main entrance to play near a disused well which had not been discovered by the hotel staff. Falling into the well, Robert’s screams were heard by a neighbour who thought it was the sound of children playing and ignored it. That night when Robert did not return to the hotel, his parents and other staff went to look for him. Charles Leach the Head Gardener and his under-gardener William Howsam later found the poor child in the well deceased. He had died with his arms in the air desperately trying to escape. An inquest in Horncastle heard harrowing testimoniesfrom eye witnesses and those who were involved in the search. We understand that young Robert is buried in the churchyard in the village.

Young Robert's story is just one of many that we are unearthing as we look through newspapers and other sources of information relating to the Petwood and its past. We will be placing a small memorial plaque to Robert in the gardens of the hotel so that his short and tragic life is remembered. It seems only fitting that his life is commemorated in some way.  

We are always looking for interesting stories and anecdotes about the hotel and with its illustrious past, there must be many more stories that are yet to be told. Do you have an ancestor orrelative who worked at the hotel? Do you have any photographs of them during their time here? If so we would love to hear from you. Drop our Marketing Executive Lisa an email and let us know your tales from the Petwood!