William Fillingham  (1841-1906)

WILLIAM Fillingham was the proprietor of the George Hotel.

Born at Hose, Leicestershire, his father died young so William was brought up by his uncle John then the owner of the hotel.

John Fillingham had in turn succeeded Miss Fraser in 1955 but he died without any heirs in 1879. His widow took over for a year, then she too died and William took it over.

A staunch churchman, he was a sidesman at St John’s, Spittlegate.

He was Overseer of the Poor and Surveyor of Highways and an active member of Spittlegate Local Board and Burial Board as well as on the Board of Guardians for the Workhouse.

He became a town councillor in 1885 but declined promotion to the aldermanic bench.

A keen bowler, he was president of Grantham Bowling Club and farmed 400 acres of land in the Spittlegate area.

Yet he still found time to run the George Hotel and maintaining its traditions.

He was reduced to moving about crutches or riding in his pony and trap in the last five years of his life following a paralytic seizure.