The history of a Bury St Edmunds company which founded the town’s cattle market and sold a piece of clothing that led to claims about Jack the Ripper’s identity will be displayed at a special exhibition.
Henry Lacy Scott founded his auctioneer business in 1869 and over the years the company diversified to become Lacy Scott and Knight.
The town’s popular cattle market, which is where the Arc shopping centre now stands, survived the swine fever outbreak of the 1920s and fowl plague in the 1960s.
But the Bovine Spongiform Encephalitis outbreak of the 1990s saw that particular side of the business dwindle and the last cattle market in Bury St Edmunds was held in 1998.
Now the story of Lacy Scott and Knight will be told at Moyse’s Hall Museum in Bury to mark 150 years of the company.
The exhibition also features a digital history of the company, including the sale of the Bury St Edmunds workhouse in College Street in 1884, as well as its sale of a blood-stained Victorian shawl in 2007.
MORE: Bury St Edmunds plays role in solving Jack the Ripper mystery The shawl was said to have belonged to Jack the Ripper victim Catherine Eddowes. Seven years after the sale, buyer Russell Edwards released a book claiming DNA testing of the shawl had revealed the Ripper’s true identity as Aaron Kosminski – one of the chief police suspects at the time.Joanna Rayner, cabinet member for leisure and culture at St Edmundsbury Borough Council, said: “For over 100 years the cattle market was part of the town’s history. “Many people remember coming to town to see the animals with fondness today. Lacy Scott and Knight are a key part of that story and we look forward to celebrating their 150-year history at Moyse’s Hall Museum.”Ed Crichton, partner at Lacy Scott and Knight, said: “In our 150th anniversary year, we are pleased to announce a mini-display charting our company history at Moyse’s Hall Museum. “It will include items donated to the museum by the Lacy Scott family, photographs of the last cattle market held in the town, information and highlights from our 150 years as auctioneers, and a stunning medieval stirrup ring which the museum has acquired through a charitable donation by Lacy Scott and Knight.”The Lacy Scott and Knight exhibition runs at the museum from March 13 to April 11. For more information visit www.moyseshall.org
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here