LMHAS Visit to Little Waldingfield

Last night society trustees were delighted to welcome 21 members of the Long Melford Historical and Archaeological Society (LMHAS) for a walking tour of the village, followed by light refreshments in the Parish Room. Happily the weather did its bit as the evening was glorious and the village looked a treat.

The tour began in the church, the building LMHAS members were most interested in following a recent talk by their president, Clive Paine, in which he made copious reference to our very own St Lawrence. We think we did justice to the church building, with brasses revealed, the listed organ viewed and discussed, the Frank Francis carved cross talked about, as also were the numerous wall plaques, the font and the pulpit etc, and a number of visitors bought church guides for some additional reading.

The tour proper then started with a walk down Church Road to Pink Cottage, with stops to talk about Priory Farm and the School House, then back up towards The Street with stops for The Priory, Churchside and the Parish Room. Our guests had by this time separated into smaller groups, each with a trustee; all had been given a leaflet detailing the main features of the buildings of interest, and this elicited many questions which (hopefully) all trustees were able to answer.

Turning left we meandered down to The Grange and back, with stop offs at The Old White Horse, Greengates (the old Wesleyan Chapel), Park House and The Swan, which in its current state elicited many questions from visitors. Carrying on, we stopped at Enniskillen, Pitt Cottage / The Stores and Wood Hall, for one of the highlights of the evening. Lauren had very kindly allowed nearly 30 people to wander down her drive to view the rear of this very lovely 16th/17th century hall, which was basking in the setting sun with all its wonderful wooden beams on show.

Carrying on we then stopped by Malting Farm before taking the footpath down to the church, giving us a chance to advise of the Commonwealth war grave in the Open Churchyard and the grave of Robert Branford in the closed churchyard. The latter rose to the rank of Superintendent in the Metropolitan Police, something highly unusual in the 1850’s for a black man with limited education. He had clearly impressed his superiors and judges by ascending to this senior rank, so much so that in 2017, 200 years after his birth, a memorial service was held by his grave, with senior members of the current Metropolitan Police Force present, reinforcing the importance of Robert’s achievements and acting as a continuing role model for the future.

After about 90 minutes, trustees and guests gratefully retired to the Parish Room for some well deserved refreshments and discussion of any further questions. We even sold a couple of the village histories and some more of Clive Paine’s church guide, all proceeds from which benefit the church renovation fund.

Hopefully our guests had a great time, we certainly did, and even better, LMHAS are reciprocating with members of LWHS invited to tour selected parts of Long Melford, along with a visit to their Heritage Cente. To see what LMHAS do, please visit their website: https://www.lmhas.co.uk/

The guided tour of LM will be on Wednesday 3rd July, commencing at 19.00 at the Heritage Centre, and is for members only; please let myself or Sue Sheppard know in advance, so that we can keep track and not lose anyone on the night.

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Our next talk is on Wednesday 22nd May, at 7.30 in the LW Parish Room, when David Wood will tell us the history of Felixstowe’s Landguard Fort, and a fascinating story it will be; having visited, I can highly recommend it, and this talk should really whet the appetite of those who have yet to visit.

Lastly, here are reminders of two further trips organised by trustees, who have recently been exceptionally busy:

• Nethergate Brewery on Wednesday 5th June at 1.00 pm; and
• Harwich Historical Tour on Saturday 6th July
  This is going to be a fantastic tour of the heart of the old town, guided by members of The Harwich Society with visits to the museums they operate, lunch on the Ha’penny Pier and a visit to Beacon Hill Fort in the afternoon. Pick up by dedicated coach will be from the The Swan car park at 09.00, with departure from Harwich at 16.00. With a subsidy from your society, we have set the incredibly low prices of only £15.00 for members and just £20.00 for non-members.
  Please contact Sue Sheppard on 01787 247980 or email sheppard.susanm@gmail.com to confirm your booking, because numbers are limited.

 

 

 

 

The History of Landguard Fort – Our Next Event

On Wednesday 22nd May, at 7.30 in the LW Parish Room, David Wood will tell us of the history of Landguard Fort in Felixstowe, and a fascinating story it will be.

First built nearly 400 years ago, the fort guards the Orwell navigable channel – because Harwich Harbour was the best haven for large ships between the Thames and the Humber. It was the site of the last opposed seaborne invasion of England, by the Dutch in 1667, who were repulsed by the Royal Marines in their first land battle.

The current fort was built in the 18th century and modified in the 19th century, with substantial additional 19th and 20th century outside batteries. It was manned through both World Wars and played an important anti-aircraft role during the Second World War. In 1951 two of the old gun casemates were converted into a ‘Cold War’ control room, before it was disarmed and closed in 1956.

Having visited the fort, I can highly recommend it, and this talk should really whet the appetite of those who have yet to visit.

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The Suffolk Gipsy – A Talk by Pip Wright

Little Waldingfield History Society was delighted to welcome Pip Wright, local historian, writer and master story-teller, back to the Parish Room to tell us the story of ‘The Suffolk Gipsy’,

an autobiography written by Heigham Steggall and published with the help of the Rev’d Richard Cobbold (of Ipswich brewery fame) some 150 years ago.

To set the scene, Pip told us that he had been so intrigued by the story, which he didn’t believe and which was no longer in print, that he decided to undertake his own research and rewrite the story, with some of the original words alongside his own. As he then said, surprisingly, most of it can be shown to be an accurate representation of a remarkable life.

I hope that I can do justice to this amazing story, which is available to purchase from Pip at http://www.pipwright.com/gipsy.htm

In 1854 John Heigham Steggall (JHS) visited Wortham rectory to meet Rev’d Richard Cobbold (RRC), of Ipswich brewery fame, and to ask for his assistance in publishing his autobiography. RRC agreed and edited the book, almost certainly romanticising it in the process; he also changed its name and ensured that the book cover just mentioned his name. RRC also got both JHS’s birth place and date wrong, but as Pip said, there were no birth certificates at the time, so this probably explains the error. The book was finally published in 1857.

Rev’d Richard Cobbold

JHS was born in May 1789 and privately baptized at Creeting St Mary. He was a grandson of the rector of Wyverstone, who died shortly after his baptism, whereupon his father moved them into the parsonage where John spent his childhood. At the age of seven he was sent to a private boarding school run by Mr Edmund Rogers in Walsham-le-Willows, about about five miles from his home. He hated the school, because Rogers terrorized the children with an extremely harsh regime where the rod and whip were liberally used, so he ran away home, to be immediately sent back again!

He remained at the school until the following June when he ran away again, in the early hours of the morning; not home, because he knew he would immediately be sent back, so he just walked away from both. After some time he was unsure what to do next, when a large dark skinned man yelled ‘Boy, what are you doing here’? It was Jonas Gibson, an educated man married into a gypsy family, who suggested that he came back to their (primitive) camp for breakfast, where JHS told his sorry tale. The kindly gypsies understood his situation and suggested that he stayed with them a while.

An early gipsy camp

To protect both JHS and themselves, John’s long hair was cut short; his fine clothes were removed for storage, being replaced by rags, so that he would look the part of a gypsy child. Jonas spotted that his voice was too refined to be that of a gypsy, so John was told to pretend to be deaf and dumb whenever they met anyone else – good advice because the camp was soon visited by the local constable and his deputy Mr fake. Being fooled by John’s appearance, they went away satisfied.

Pip advised that it is unknown how long JHS spent with the family, which may have been just a matter of weeks, but that he probably had a lot of fun as it was the height of summer. Whilst travelling around the family visited Norton, where the local gamekeeper knew the family and gave them a couple of rabbits, then the two men went off into the woods in search of something more. A little later, there was the sound of a gunshot, and shortly thereafter Jonas came running back saying that Tom Sealy had been shot and that the children needed to run off to get a doctor and a priest. All the children ran off except JHS, who Pip advised would not have understood the Romany this instruction would have been given in. Knowing that something was wrong, JHS asked if there was anything he could do to help; Jonas wasn’t too keen, because he knew the accident would take some explaining, before finally saying that JHS should go off in search of clean rags for bandages.

John went off to Norton Hall, arriving just as the squire was returning home. Looking like a gypsy child he received a whipping, but managed to explain that the keeper had been shot and that they needed some rags for bandages. The squire came down to the wood to see for himself, whilst also thinking something was wrong, because gypsy children generally kept quite whereas JHS was quite voluble and well spoken.

There were now many people in the woods and no one could really understand how the accident, if it was such, had actually happened. Jonas explained that Tom Sealy (TS) had expressed a desire to marry his daughter, who being quite young Jonas wasn’t happy about; seemingly TS then began remonstrating with his loaded gun, which somehow was dropped and went off. Not satisfied, the squire told Jonas that he and JHS would have to go before the local magistrate for him to decide the truth of the matter – at the court room in the Pykkerell Inn at Ixworth.

It seems that both Jonas and JHS spoke well, though of course John had not seen the accident so was repeating what Jonas had told him; however, there were two people present who had recently seen them both before – the constable and deputy Fake – who were not impressed. The magistrate was unsure what to do, enquiring ‘will the keeper live’? As this was unsure, he remanded both into custody at Bury – probably at Moyses Hall – where Jonas and the boy were separated, being able to meet up just once a week when exercising.

Some time later Jonas became very ill, and fearing that he was dying, asked to see JHS, when he apparently told him his life story. Jonas claimed that he was the son of a titled landowner in the south, who would have been married against his wishes when he had already fallen in love with his gypsy wife Mog, though Pip is unconvinced by this. Tom Sealy then recovers, to say that it really was an accident so both were sent home, from gaol, though sadly Jonas died soon after. 

John is reconciled to his family and another school found, much more to his liking, in Botesdale. After completing his school studies he was articled to a surgeon practising in Bacton; this was a seven year apprenticeship and he soon became fed up with continually cleaning up after the surgeon, saying to an uncle that he was bored. The uncle being keen for him to go to sea, JHS was persuaded to take a berth on one of the uncle’s whalers bound for the South Pacific Ocean, on a ship appropriately called Adventure, John becoming the ships surgeon. Now 18, John enjoyed his sea adventures, writing about the animals he had seen, but after completing the voyage, the ship returned to the Thames, and John wonders what to do next.

After spending several months at home he was offered a cadetship with the East India Company, bound for Madras in India. He was ill on the way to India but recovered to receive his commission as an ensign of the 15th Regiment of Native Infantry. III heath continued to afflict him so he was invalided home, but on the return journey took a large splinter in his thigh during an action with the French. He was honourably received at home, being a wounded soldier on full pay with a leave of absence for three years to decide his future. During this time he resigned from the army and began studies at Corpus Christi, Cambridge, being ordained as a deacon in June 1814, Diocese of Norwich, and as a priest the following year, even though he did not actually complete his studies – Pip advised there was a shortage of priests at the time!

JHS then married Sarah Weeding at Great Glemham in October 1815, but shortly after his father had a stroke and was forced to sell the living to pay for his care, rather than giving it to John. So John became a curate at Wyverstone, but because this didn’t pay well, he also set himself up as a surgeon in Rattlesden. Popular with his patients, this didn’t prove a good idea, because his cut price fees upset the other local surgeons; when a young girl had to have a leg amputated, he was blamed by them for providing the wrong diagnosis and effectively struck off – after 15 yearsʼ service to the local community!

Sometime later Lord Thurlow proposed that JHS and his wife should come and reside in the parish of Great Ashfield, where he would build them a house; it was an offer too good to decline, so John remained as a priest there for fifty years. His wife died in 1876 and in 1879 he married Elizabeth Syer, living until 1881 when he was died and was buried at Great Ashfield.

During his life JHS claimed to be a gipsy, a surgeon, a soldier, a sailor and finally a parish priest, mostly living in the villages of central Suffolk, but also travelling to India and the South Seas, as well as spending time in Bury jail. Throughout his life John always tried to show gipsies in a favourable light, because of the kindness they had showed him when young and in trouble, and once again Pip enthralled his audience and LWHS guests heard a quite fabulous and amazing tale.

John Heigham Steggall

 

Our next events will be at 7.30 in The Parish Room on:

22nd May: The History of Landguard Fort, Felixstowe by David Wood

First built nearly 400 years ago, the fort guards the Orwell navigable channel because Harwich Harbour was the best haven for large ships between the Thames & Humber.

19th June: Sudden Deaths in Early Nineteenth Century Suffolk by Geoffrey Robinson

Fireside hearths, pantries, village ponds and brewing rooms were dangerous places when death was never far away. Sudden deaths & their inquests were the lifeblood of columnists, whose reports fascinated readers with tales of misery and misfortune.

 

Both events are going to be great, and we very much look forward to welcoming guests both new and old to the Parish Room.

 

Day Trip to Harwich – 6th July

Last night at our AGM, trustees announced that a proposed day trip to Harwich had been confirmed, for 6th July, leaving Little Waldingfield (by The Swan pub) at 09.00 sharp.

This will easily be our grandest adventure, open to both members and non members, and we are very grateful to Ian Davidson for kindly arranging the details, as follows:

• Arrive Harwich 10.00
• Walking tour of the pier and historic town centre from 10.00 to 11.30.
  Guided by experts the walk starts at the Harwich Society Ha’penny Pier Visitor Centre taking in the New World Exhibition therein. The walk then takes in the Pier and Harbour area before proceeding to the Electric Palace. Unfortunately currently closed for roof renovations. From there we proceed through the Churchyard to Harwich Green to visit the Ancient Treadwheel Crane (1667). The High and Low Lighthouses are next and we proceed along Church Street, which includes “Foresters” Harwich’s oldest house. The Guildhall is next followed by Christopher Jones house and the circular walk ends back at the Ha’penny Pier.

  There are over 200 listed buildings within the small area we visit.

• A special visit to the Guildhall, from 11.30 to 12.00.
  Usually closed at the weekend, we will be greeted by the Mayor in full regalia, complete with his historic 700 year old chain of office. Inside we will see the Council Chamber, the Mayor’s Parlour and The Carvings Room, where prisoners were kept awaiting trial. Etched into the bare wooden walls of the room are elaborate carvings of ships, gallows and symbols to ward off evil spirits, all of which date from the late 18^th century.  One carving is of a ship flying the Stars and Stripes dating from the time of the American War of Independence, whilst another is of a hot air balloon dated at the time of the Montgolfier brothers.

We will break for lunch from 12.00 till 14.00, with options being fish and chips on the Ha’penny pier or eating at one of many restaurants nearby. There will be time for private visits to the lightship LV18, the last surviving example of a manned light vessel in British waters, preserved in its original configuration and restored to a high standard of authenticity, moored on the quay.

From 14.00 to 15.00 there will be a guided visit to Beacon Hill Fort, where many of the C20th buildings survive, retaining important military information on the architecture of gun installations, ammunition storage, communications, observation and radar posts. There are also great vistas across the water to view Harwich docks, Felixstowe docks, Shotley peninsular and Landguard Fort / Landguard Point.

Before the coach leaves on its return journey, there will be time for trippers to walk the coastal paths near the fort or check out in more detail some of the sites viewed in the morning guided tour, for example the Maritime, Lifeboat or Lightship museums, or to wander round some of the other historic streets in Old Harwich. Its going to be a brilliant day out.

Prices, which include the return coach fare and gratuities to the Harwich Society and Beacon Hill Fort, have been set incredibly low as our thank you to members, and are also open top non members who may wish to accompany members:

Members: Just £15.00

Non members: Only £20.00

The coach has already been booked so we are ready to go – don’t delay. To sign up please contact:

Susan Sheppard: on (01787) 247980 or email  Sheppard.susanm@gmail.com or

Andy Sheppard: email  sheppard-andy@sky.com

 

The Amazing Story of Rev’d. John Heigham Steggall, the Suffolk Gypsy – Our Next Event

On Wednesday 17th April, at 7.30 in the LW Parish Room, Pip Wright will tell us the true story of a local man who lead an amazing life 200 years ago.

Around 1800 this son of a parson ran away from school at Walsham-le-Willows and joined a family of gypsies. Involved in the shooting of a gamekeeper, he was arrested at Norton, tried at Ixworth and imprisoned in Bury. Later he trained as a doctor at Bacton, sailed to the South Seas on a whaling ship, served with the army in India, was a surgeon at Rattlesden and ended his long life as a vicar at Great Ashfield.

LWHS events are open to all, young or old, members or not, and if you like history, whether recent, ancient or somewhere in between, then you will enjoy our talks. Just £4.00 (or £2.00 if a member), gives access to presentations lasting about an hour, which are followed by tea/coffee, plus biscuits, in the company of like minded individuals.

For tickets please contact one of the following, or simply turn up on the night: Sue Sheppard on 01787 247980, or Diana Langford on 01787 248298

Little Waldingfield Recorder’s Report 2018

Little Waldingfield Recorder’s Report 2018

January

The year started with the completion of the redecoration of the Parish Room kitchen, which is now a lovely bright white space thanks to the installation of new LED lighting. Pres Dieu, which went up for sale last January at £510,000, is now being marketed for £475,000.

This month’s edition of Bury and West Suffolk magazine included an article entitled ‘A wander around Waldingfield’, in which the reporter writes of her walk from Little Waldingfield to Great Waldingfield, starting at The Swan car park, down Church Road to Archers Farm and then turning right across the footpath. Boston Cottage, The Parish Room, Churchside, the church, Walnut Cottage (and Joyce Smith waving from her window), School House and Pink Cottage all get a mention and there are beautiful photos of the pub, Churchside and the church, together with a map of the route taken.

The Sudbury Miniaturists resumed their monthly craft sessions on the 9th, after a Christmas break, but their numbers are ever diminishing and it is likely this will be their last year with us.

The first Parish Council meeting of 2018 was held on the 11th, attended by seven members of the public. At the meeting it was advised that responses to the Neighbourhood Plan questionnaire, sent out in November, had been received from over half of the village’s addresses, and that any change by Babergh District Council (BDC) of the status of the village from ‘hinterland village’ to ‘hamlet’ would not take place until at least the spring.

The defective speed indicator device (SID) reported last November has now been repaired and the stolen one replaced. County Councillor Colin Spence has confirmed that funding has been authorised for traffic calming measures at Haymarket Corner.

The Little Waldingfield History Society (LWHS) event on the 17th was a member only event, with Roger Green presenting a talk entitled ‘If these walls could talk’, on the history of his house to the 34 members present, followed by wine and nibbles. Saturday 20th was a stormy day with lots of rain and strong winds resulting in part of the playing field pavilion roof being blown off and landing in a neighbouring garden, followed by snow on the Sunday.

The Gatehouse at Holbrook Hall Park went up for sale this month with an asking price of £825,000; this Victorian building was the gatehouse to the ‘new’ Holbrook Hall, which was built in 1884 and is now Brookwood Manor care home. Number 2 The Street is also on the market at £240,000.

The last event of the month was a meeting of the Over 60s in the Parish Room, with a talk and demonstration on ‘makeup for the older woman’.

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February

A quiz evening was held in the Parish Room on the 3rd, with 36 people taking part and enjoying a two course meal of Moroccan meatballs and vegetables, followed by syrup sponge pudding and custard; £346 was raised towards the upkeep of the room.

There were two funerals at the church this month, on the 5th and 8th, in a week which also saw a sprinkling of snow. Shirley Hobson, who lived at Gable Lodge, had been resident in the village for many years and had been a staunch churchgoer and gifted flower arranger until her illness; Ken Horsley was born in the village in 1937 and grew up at what was then the village shop, which was run by his parents George and Ethel (now Pitt Cottage and The Stores). Ken was a keen member of the village cricket team in the 1960s, together with his brother Ray who still lives in the village.

Two planning applications were discussed at the Parish Council meeting, which was also on the 8th; the first was an application to convert a former piggery at High Street Farm into a dwelling and the second was for tree surgery at The Priory.

The LWHS talk this month by Jenny Antill, entitled ‘Between heaven and earth’, took the audience of 23 through 1,000 years of history of the Orthodox Christian church in Russia. A chair based exercise class was held in the Parish Room on the 21st, and on the 23rd a light-hearted bridge drive was held there, organised by the parochial church council (PCC). This was a successful event with 7 tables of bridge players who enjoyed lots of tea and cake while raising £322 for church funds.

There was light snow overnight on 26th, with a temperature of -4.6C at 6am on the 27th; the snow forecast for the rest of the day never materialised, with bright sunshine all day instead. It returned that night however, and by 10 o’clock the next morning there was at least 6 inches of snow. The planned Over 60s lunch in Cockfield on the 28th was postponed due to the weather, with more snow falling throughout the day and into the next morning, when temperatures were again approaching -5C

High Street Farm – Plans

March

March 3rd started with temperatures above freezing and there was a gradual thaw all day, despite light snow flurries in the morning. The lent lunch was held at Newmans Hall on the 7th, when a small group of people enjoyed homemade soup, bread, cheese and coffee and raised £100 for a farming charity.

At the Parish Council meeting on the 8th, the planning application to build a detached dwelling on Ireland’s Meadow was supported and BDC have granted permission for the tree works at The Priory; the new owner of The Swan (which has been closed since April 2017) intends to renovate and improve the property, subject to planning and listed building consents. The Parish Council also agreed to send minutes of council meetings for publication in the Box River News to make them accessible to those without internet access.

LWHS welcomed Geoffrey Kay back to the Parish Room on the 14th, when he gave a talk entitled ‘A tonic to the nation’, about the 1951 Festival of Britain, to the 26 members present – some of whom remembered attending the festival as children.

The village woke to a light covering of snow on the 17th, with more light snow showers continuing through the day and a temperature of -0.3C at 1.30 in the afternoon – the previous afternoon the temperature had reached 14C!

A forensic police van was seen outside Gable Lodge on 23rd March, following a break in at the property.

The annual village litter pick on the 24th was attended by 14 volunteers; over 20 bags of rubbish were collected and an article was published in the following week’s Suffolk Free Press on our litter pick and the problem of litter in general. The Over 60s AGM in the Parish Room on 28th was attended by 26 members.

Andy Sheppard has now resigned as Parish Council chairman and councillor after six years; this month also saw the resignation of Priest in Charge Judith Sweetman, who is retiring to Norfolk with her husband Rufus, and will leave her post at the end of June.

The Good Friday family service in the church on the 30th was followed by hot cross buns and children’s craft activities in the Parish Room.

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April

Speedwatch sessions resumed during the first week of the month – ironically this same week the hedge bordering a property on Haymarket Corner was partially flattened by a speeding vehicle, while a further accident resulted in a car in the ditch at Humble Green on the corner by Bells Drift.

The playing field AGM was held at the pavilion on the 5th, while that of the PCC was on the 10th and that of the Parish Room on the 11th. At the Parish Council meeting on the 12th Barbara Campbell was elected as interim chairman; Neighbourhood Plan public meetings were proposed for 9th June and 7th July, and the need to ensure that correct council details are held by the BRN was agreed. The annual parish meeting was held the same night.

LWHS held their AGM on the 18th following the regular monthly meeting. This month 29 members enjoyed a talk by Linda Sexton entitled ‘Sisters in adversity’, about the role played by the WI following the devastating floods of January 1953.

The following day, the 19th, was the hottest April day since 1949, while on the 25th Over 60s members enjoyed a trip to Perrywood Garden Centre.

Cows find some higher ground

Another car crashes on the bend

May

Speedwatch this month was held the week commencing 7th, and there were traffic lights in The Street on the 8^th, because of road works by Park Farm.

The funeral of Winnie Hamblett was held in the church on the 9th, with 95 people attending the service. Winnie had in the past been a great organiser of children’s activities in the village, running a youth club in the Parish Room during the winter months and sporting activities on the playing field during the summer; she died on 20 April, aged 75.

At the Parish Council AGM on the 10th Barbara Campbell was re-elected as chairman and Chris White as vice chairman. A planning application for a self-contained holiday lodge at Bell Farm was supported; the earlier applications for development at High Street Farm and Ireland’s Meadow have now been granted approval by BDC. The large potholes in Church Road, which had been reported to highways, have now been filled in.

A quiz evening held at the Parish Room on the 12th, with a two course meal of Spanish chicken followed by summer fruit pavlovas was enjoyed by 37 people, raising almost £350 towards the upkeep of the room.

On 13th the christening of Fred Clowes took place in the church. The 2 medieval chests in the church have been moved away from the damp walls and are now at the back of the pews, on wooden stands made by Ivan Carter and Ian Bowen.

A coffee morning in the Parish Room on the 19th, with a display of photographs of the Dordogne taken by Fran Gregor Smith, raised £184 for Christian Aid.

In response to comments made by villagers completing the Neighbourhood Plan questionnaire that the Parish Room should be used more, a notice was published in the BRN detailing the use of the hall over the previous 12 months; in total the hall was used for 59 public events and 10 private hire events.

Pip Wright was the speaker for this month’s LWHS meeting on the 16th, with 31 members and guests gathered to hear him on the topic ‘A picture history of Margaret Catchpole’.

The Over 60s went for lunch on the 30th to The Horseshoes in Cockfield, the meal having been postponed from February due to the bad weather then.

Proposed holiday lodge at Bell House

June

Speedwatch was carried out during the first week of the month. A public workshop was held in the Parish Room on the 9th by the Neighbourhood Plan steering group, focusing on the landscape character appraisal. LWHS member Allan Manning gave this month’s talk on the 13th, attended by 24 people, on ‘The battle of Waterloo’.

Chancel roof damage noticed in April, probably caused by the high winds in March, has been repaired using monies from the church fabric fund, and on the 16th the church saw the christening of Martín Sheppard. The biennial village open gardens was held on the 17th, with gardens open around the village, refreshments and plants and produce for sale; the sum of £844 was raised for church funds.

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A village afternoon tea was held at the Parish Room on the afternoon of the 24th, with all villagers invited to this free event to partake of tea, sandwiches, scones and cake – those who attended had a lovely afternoon but they numbered only 26, out of a population of over 350.

The Over 60s met in the Parish Room on 27th, with a talk on guide dogs followed by the usual tea and cakes. The last event of the month was the playing field midsummer dance on the evening of the 30th, with music provided by the Disraeli band.

July

Speedwatch again took place in the first week of the month, a week in which temperatures climbed steadily, peaking at 30.5C in the shade at 4.30pm on the 8th. Scaffolding went up on the church this week, and the Neighbourhood Plan presentation scheduled for the 7th was cancelled.

On the 11th members of the Over 60s enjoyed a coach trip to Southwold, with a two course meal in the pier restaurant – another gloriously sunny day. At the Parish Council meeting on the 12th it was noted that approval had been granted for the erection of the holiday lodge at Bell House, and that the Neighbourhood Plan was in receipt of a further grant of approximately £8,000. Following the discontinuation of support by BDC, councillors approved the spending of £10 on 500 dog waste bags. A quotation of £85 to clear the gravel pathway across the closed churchyard, from the pavement to the entrance to the open churchyard, was approved and a price for the future maintenance of this area was to be obtained from D Gott when his grass-cutting contract next came up for renewal.

Other matters discussed at the council meeting were that push tests in the closed churchyard would be carried out in September, additional land behind The Swan has been purchased by the new owner from Brian Tora, and councillor Wells would attend a Speedwatch meeting at Bury police station on 1 August.

The concert performed by Landermason in the church on 13th was well supported and raised £537 for church funds. On 23rd a farewell tea party for retiring Priest in Charge Judith Sweetman was held in the Parish Room, attended by many villagers; Judith was presented with a leaving present of a painting and pottery bowl by local artist Sandy Larkman, together with a John Lewis voucher – her last service was in Boxford on 29th, although she would return for some special pre-booked ceremonies.

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Maintenance work continues at the church – following on from the chancel roof repairs, the treatment of the ancient chests for death-watch beetle and the tidying of the churchyard, the next job to be tackled is the weeding and extension of the cremation memorial space.

The last two events this month were the Over 60s strawberry tea, held in the Parish Room on the 25th, and the next Speedwatch session, which started on the 30th.

August

Allan Wells attended the Speedwatch meeting at Bury police station on 1st, accompanied by Andy Sheppard who is a regular Speedwatch participator; at this meeting they commented on the abuse sometimes received from passing motorists and requested occasional police presence during Speedwatch sessions. At the session the following day a policeman did indeed attend, and one such irresponsible motorist was reprimanded by the officer.

On the 13th the village postbox was destroyed after it was hit by a reversing vehicle, and the village was without a postbox for several weeks. Ironically this incident happened a week before Speedwatch resumed again on the 20th.

Village activities for the month ended on the 29th with a coffee morning and bring and buy sale organised by the Over 60s.

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September

The 1st of the month saw the village sale trail organised by Parish Room trustees. This was a lovely sunny day with garage sales around the village together with table sales, refreshments and tombola in the Parish Room, raising £124 for maintenance of the room. The push test was carried out in the old churchyard on 3rd with no issues resulting.

The church service on the 7th was led by Tim Harbord. A new repair has been achieved in the church – for many months plaster, small stones and flints have fallen from the ceiling above the west window outside the vestry. This considerable gap has now been filled by a beautiful piece of shaped oak, which has restored the look of the roof of the north aisle. The village now has two churchwardens, Tim and Sandra Harbord, having been without anyone in this position for many years.

At the Parish Council meeting on the 13th it was reported that the Neighbourhood Plan character appraisal was nearing completion and that the site assessment was currently in draft; a public workshop was planned for 17th November, but this was later cancelled shortly before the event. Downgrade of the village to hamlet status still remained a potential discussion for BDC. Approval of payment for the purchase of a replacement set of defibrillator pads and spares up to £100 was given, and the £85 charge for spraying and strimming the closed churchyard has been paid to the church.

Royal Mail advised that the postbox would be replaced and the parish clerk was asked to request that the brick housing of the original box be replaced.

The conclusion of the local government boundary commission electoral review was that a new Lavenham ward would be created, comprising Little Waldingfield, Great Waldingfield, Lavenham, Chilton and Cockfield. Haymarket traffic calming measures were scheduled to commence under road closure during the period 8-12th October.

Speedwatch resumed again during the week commencing 17th, while the new LWHS season started on the 19th with a talk by Martin Hedges on ‘Frauds of 19th century’, attended by 31 members and guests.

There was a quiz evening on the 22nd in the Parish Room with a two course meal of beef tagine followed by summer pudding, raising £386 towards the upkeep of the room – thanks were again given to Sue Bowen for her culinary skills. The following afternoon was the harvest festival service in the church, followed by appropriate refreshments.

The Over 60s had their monthly meeting on the 26th, and the postbox was replaced the same day, although with a more modern box on a pole instead of the earlier brick built structure.

October

The wedding of Matt Foster and Victoria Mound was held in the church on 6 the October on a very wet day, although the sun eventually made an appearance; Rev Judith returned to officiate at the ceremony. The road through the village was closed on the 8th, as planned, for new highway markings – there are now 30 mph roundels at several points along the road and new ‘slow’ signs at Haymarket Corner.

A coffee morning was held in the Parish Room on the 13th, raising £181 for church funds. On the 16th the funeral of Richard Mitchell took place at Bury crematorium; Richard lived at Larksmead in Church Road, the house having by been built for him and his wife Sue in 1972. He had been a parish councillor in the 1990s and was chairman of the Parish Room trustees for many years until his retirement in April 2017.

In the afternoon of the 16th Hartog Hutton gave a presentation in the Parish Room on proposed development of part of the land surrounding Enniskillen, owned by Brian and Elizabeth Tora. At the time of writing this report no plans had yet appeared on the BDC planning website. LWHS welcomed the return of Ashley Cooper on the 17th, with his talk on ‘Harvest Home’ greatly appreciated by the 47 people present.

Park House had been up for sale in recent months and has now sold, with the sellers moving out on the 23rd. This month’s Speedwatch session started the same day, while on the following day a coffee morning organised by Louise Smith and Judith Kiddy, which was held in the Parish Room, raised funds for the Oddfellows.

The month ended with the Over 60s outing on the 31st to Suffolk Food Hall and then on to The Shipwreck at Shotley for lunch.

Proposed residential development behind Enniskillen

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November

On the morning of the 2nd there was very low water pressure in the village due to a burst water main. The fields behind the houses in Church Road from Beaden to Pink Cottage welcomed the arrival of sheep, if only for a few weeks.

At the Parish Council meeting on the 8th Justin Nevison Grainger and his architect Phil Branton presented their plans for the development of The Swan, including the land purchased behind the premises. He confirmed his plans to open up the dining room and redistribute the space, making a country pub where patrons could dine if they wished. Submitted planning applications discussed were for the creation of a manège at Priory Wood, Slough Hall, tree works at Bramley Cottage and the erection of a garden shed at The Old Vicarage. Councillors noted that reflective markings on the bollards at Haymarket Corner, part of the traffic calming measures there, were missing and that highways had been informed that the village ‘gate’ had been knocked down. (At the time of writing this report in March 2019 no plans have yet appeared on the district council website in relation to The Swan, and the village gate has yet to be reinstated).

The remembrance service at the church on 11th was led by Tim Harbord.

The last Speedwatch session of the year took place the week commencing 12th.The Sudbury Miniaturists held their last craft session of the year in the Parish Room on the 13th, and as already suspected they will not be returning in January as their numbers are now so depleted; they said they had greatly enjoyed their sessions in the village and would consider returning in future if their numbers increased sufficiently.

Parish Room trustees were approached by Nick Pringle, a Fit Village Coordinator, who suggested the possibility of some form of classes in the hall commencing in the new year if there was sufficient interest amongst villagers – questionnaires were duly distributed to every household in the middle of the month. 16 people responded to the questionnaire, on the results of which it was decided to trial a weekly keep fit class, to commence in January.

Richard Humphries was the LWHS speaker this month, with a very entertaining and informative talk on ‘The history of silk’ on the 21st, much enjoyed by the 41 members and guests gathered in the Parish Room.

There was an hour long power cut in the village on the morning of the 28th, while that afternoon the Over 60s meeting in the Parish Room had a Christmas theme

December

A Christmas social event planned for the 1st at the Parish Room was cancelled due to lack of support; the raffle organised by the playing field committee was drawn that afternoon in the pavilion. On the 2nd, the first Sunday in advent, the village church welcomed Rev Cattermole to conduct Holy Communion; the first candle in the advent ring was lit, and after the service and refreshments the church was cleared and pews covered in readiness for the builders.

Permission has at last been obtained to begin knocking the old, damp plaster off the walls up to window height. New lime plaster will be applied, 3 coats in all, each one to be dry before the next is applied. This will be paid for by the appeal fund, which has already this year paid for repairs to the chancel roof, oak insert above the west window, repairs to the floorboards under the pews by the north aisle and treatment for death watch beetle in both of the ancient chests and the wooden flooring nearby. There is also a new notice board outside the church, made by Gordon Kennett of Edwardstone.

LWHS met this month on the 12th, with a talk by Kate Jewell entitled ‘Bonfire and bells’ at which 32 people were present.

At the Parish Council meeting on the 13th it was reported that the planning applications for Bramley Cottage and Priory Wood had both been approved by the district council. There has as yet been no reply from Royal Mail Sudbury regarding the reinstatement of the brick built post box and the parish clerk will complain to Royal Mail.

On the 15th and 16th a Christmas flower festival was held in the church, the flowers arranged according to the theme of carols. The Carol service was held in the church on the evening of the 20th, and Holy Communion at 9pm on the 24th.

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Susan Sheppard                                                                                     March 2019

The Story of East Anglian Almshouses – A Talk by Sarah Doig

Little Waldingfield History Society was delighted to welcome Sarah back to the Parish Room, to tell us the fascinating story of the history of Almshouses in East Anglia; the subject arose from her love of quirky history and early years historical research when she kept coming across the same type of building, namely the Almshouse.

The History of Almshouses

Sarah began by giving us the Chambers Dictionary definitions of Alms and Almshouse:

Alms: Plural noun, historical charity donations of money, food, etc to the poor.

Alms House: Noun, Brit, historical a place where the aged, poor, etc were supported by charity.

The giving of alms started with the medieval monasteries, where Christianity demanded the poor should be cared for, beginning with provision of shelter and food for travelling pilgrims and then onto the most needy, and in particular to lepers.

During the medieval period, leprosy’s disabling consequences became visible in all communities across England – rural and urban, rich and poor – and its impact changed both the landscape of the country and the mind-set of the people. Reaction to the disease was complicated; some believed it was a punishment for sin whilst others saw the suffering of lepers as similar to the suffering of Christ. Because lepers were enduring purgatory on earth, they would go directly to heaven when they died, so were therefore closer to God than other people. Those who cared for them or made charitable donations believed that such good works would reduce their own time in purgatory and accelerate their journey to heaven.

Leper houses and hospitals were built on the edge of towns and cities, or in rural areas near crossroads or major travel routes. Lepers needed to stay in contact with society to beg alms, trade items and offer services such as praying for the souls of benefactors. There was high demand for places in leper hospitals, and ‘leprous brothers and sisters’ were often accepted fully into the religious order of the house. Many of these buildings were subsequently destroyed during Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s, though some remain, including St Mary Magdalene in Stourbridge – the Cambridge Leper Chapel.

Cambridge Leper Chapel by Andrew Dunn http://www.andrewdunnphoto.com/

The derivation of the word Hospital is from Hospice, a place where care, health and wellbeing was provided for the spirit, soul and body of the inmates; they provided hospitality and a place to rest and recuperate. Care in religious leper houses and monastic hospitals centred as much on a person’s spiritual needs as on their physical problems, and most hospitals consisted of a group of cottages built around a detached chapel, where praying and singing continued throughout the day.

Most hospitals were actually almshouses for the elderly and infirm, which provided basic nursing, but no medical treatment. An almshouse (also known as a bede-house or poorhouse) is charitable housing provided to people in a particular community. They were often targeted at the poor of a locality, at those from certain forms of previous employment (or their widows), and at elderly people who could no longer pay rent, and are generally maintained by a charity or the trustees of a bequest.

By the time of the Dissolution, religious orders had set up as many as 1,000 hospitals, almhouses, leper hospices and hostels for travellers across the country – vital to the social fabric of the period. These included the six hospitals of Bury St Edmunds, which were run independently of the abbey. Most were extensively endowed with lands and in the 1295 rental the Wardens of St Nicholas and St Saviour hospitals were second only to the church in their holdings of property. Along with St Peter’s and St Petranilla’s they were among the largest landholders in the suburbs as well, and were exempt from municipal tithes. Because of the presence of these hospitals, located on the major routes, Bury itself became an important centre of medicine. For more information please visit: http://www.stedmundsburychronicle.co.uk/Rel-hospitals.htm

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Sarah told us that St Saviour’s was the richest and best known, founded by Abbot Samson around 1184 according to Yates. In 1190 the Bishop of Norwich confirmed to it two thirds of the tithings from the same manor. Its endowments were enlarged throughout the 13th century and its complex became one of the most impressive collections of buildings in the Banleuca (*), which area was used as the boundary of the Borough of Bury St Edmunds until 1934. At this time St Saviour’s had a Warden, 12 chaplains and 6 clerks, with 12 poor men and 12 poor women in residence.

(*)        In 945 the monastery was granted a large area of land from the crown, known as the Banleuca.

The Great Hospital of St Giles in Norwich was founded in 1249 by Bishop Walter de Suffield, the original beneficiaries being aged priests, poor scholars and sick and hungry paupers. Clerics remained unmarried at this time, so had no family to support them in old age. Thirty beds were earmarked in the west end of the church for the sick poor, and thirteen paupers were to be fed at the hospital gates each day. Four chaplains, a deacon and sub-deacon, as well as a master of St. Giles were appointed. The hospital was modelled on the Augustinian rule, which discouraged excessive liturgical ritual and permitted more time for charitable works; despite this, the master and chaplains were bound to sing three masses a day, including one for Bishop Suffield’s soul, as well as a weekly mass in honour of St Giles.

The hospital avoided the dissolution of the monasteries, but on the death of Henry VIII it was surrendered to his son, Edward VI, who subsequently passed its guardianship to the city corporation. From then on the religious functions of the hospital were suppressed, allowing it to return to its original raison d’être of caring for the elderly sick and poor, and for the first time it provided medical care to its residents. It is now a sheltered housing and care village.

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The Role of Private Individuals

We were told that private individuals also established Hospitals (or Almshouses), which in the Middle Ages were broadly of four types; for lepers, for poor (and sick) pilgrims, for the poor and infirm, and almshouses or bedehouses. The last often included explicit instruction that the brothers and sisters resident there long-term should pray daily for the souls of the house’s founders and benefactors – the term ‘bede’ meaning prayer. Poor pilgrims often just stayed overnight at a hospital, and while some medieval hospitals took in the sick, others seem to have cared only for the old and infirm.

Typically we know more about the founders of the 850-plus medieval hospitals and almshouses in England than about those who resided there long-term – the brothers and sisters – and we know almost nothing about the people who were cared for in hospitals. Some leper hospitals housing those believed to have leprosy also took in those suffering from general infirmity, and by the later Middles Ages many of these leper hospitals no longer housed any lepers at all, instead taking in the old and infirm. Additionally, most hospitals accommodated no more than 20 brothers and sisters, 12 being the most common, along with a priest.

In leper hospitals an emphasis was on cleanliness and wholesome food, with clothes washed twice a week and, if possible, a varied diet supplied, often from the house’s own fields and livestock. The therapeutic effect of horticultural work and the beauty of nature were recognised; many houses had fragrant gardens of flowers and healing herbs residents took part in up-keeping. Many lepers also stayed in touch with family and friends, being allowed to make visits home and to receive visitors.

Sarah then introduced us to some of the more notable private individuals and the institutions they created:

Thomas Seckford: In 1587, Queen Elizabeth I granted Seckford a royal licence to build and endow almshouses in Woodbridge. Those interested in becoming almsmen were selected by Seckford and the local vicar, just needing to show they had lived honestly in Woodbridge for at least three years. The original Almshouses consisted of seven, two storey flats, constructed of brick and stone and set within two acres, close to the land the almsmen cultivated. Within them lived twelve men and a principal almsman. The Woodbridge almshouses received £112 13s 4d a year (more than £200,000 today) from Seckford’s business interests in Clerkenwell.

The Woodbridge almsmen were mostly skilled or semi-skilled workers around the age of 60. There was no provision for poor women, although three widows were employed as nurses for the sick almsmen, for which they received accommodation and £2 13 4d a year. In return for their £5 annual pension, the Almsmen lived by strict rules, wearing uniforms and silver badges bearing Thomas Seckford’s coat of arms, following regimes to keep them from ‘idleness’, abstaining from alcohol, attending church three days a week and unable to leave the Almshouses without permission. If they failed their responsibilities, they were made to pay fines or risked being expelled from the Almshouses altogether. In 1977 a day centre and residential home were added and in 2005 the old almshouse buildings were converted into 28 self-contained very sheltered flats.

The Seckford Foundation has, over the past 150 years, continuously developed the activities of the Foundation and its facilities. Since the turn of the century it has entirely remodelled the Almshouses, providing exceptional accommodation for its residents; constructed a 350 seat theatre for the benefit of the School and local community; substantially upgraded teaching facilities at Woodbridge School, to include a new classroom block, sixth form centre and technology centre; opened three new Free Schools, in Beccles, Ixworth and Saxmundham; launched Seckford Springboard to help young people under 25 to access education, employment and training; and led an initiative called ‘Flourish’, to help tackle rural poverty within Suffolk.

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Sir William Cordell: The Hospital of the Holy Blessed Trinity was founded by Cordell, then lord of the manor of Melford and resident of Melford Hall, in 1573. He was a man of national prominence, holding such high office as Master of the Rolls, High Steward of Ipswich and, in 1558, Speaker of the House of Commons. Born and raised in Melford, it was to the poor residents of the town that he gave the almshouses, specifically for 12 aged men and a warden.

The Hospital housed twelve ‘brethren’, and was built in a quadrangle with an inner courtyard garden and an outer walled garden. When first constructed, the garden was enclosed by a wooden pale fence, but in 1632 the brethren requested the garden be enlarged slightly and enclosed in a high brick wall. This was prompted because fruit trees inside were planted so close to the boundary that much of the fruit was stolen before the brethren could pick it. Four or five feet was taken from the adjacent village green and the brick wall completed in 1633.

In 1731 the garden was used for supplementing the diet of residents by growing fruit and vegetables, as revealed by the Warden’s accounts that year. The property was largely restored in 1847 and continues to be administered by the Trustees of the Hospital, providing Almshouse accommodation for poor aged persons of good character who were born or reside in the ancient parishes of Long Melford, Glemsford, Stanstead, Shimpling, Alpheton, Lavenham, Acton, Chilton or Sudbury. Free accommodation, heating and hot water are provided for the almspersons, with each flat connected to a community alarm system to ensure 24 hour assistance is available if required.

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Henry Tooley: Founded Tooley’s almshouses in 1550, with additional endowments in 1591 by William Smart. Rebuilt in 1846 with some C20 additions on the east side. The present buildings are on 3 sides of a garden court, with an entrance gatehouse on the west side. People still reside in the court, which is not open to unauthorised visitors. During Heritage Open Weekend, the main gate is opened so people can wander the grounds, privileged to be able to get a closer look at the iconic architecture of the place.

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Sarah then told us that not all almshouses were as grand as the above, and that philanthropic groups and charities also founded almshouses, including the Corporation of Great Yarmouth, who founded the Fisherman’s Hospital in 1702 for 20 old and “decayed” fishermen and their wives. The Charity now provides almshouses for retired fishermen and their wives or widows: not less than 60 years of age and who have served on vessels fishing out of Great Yarmouth.

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Arthur Winsley: Winsley left much of his property (Brickhouse Farm in St. Botolph’s Colchester) to the Charity in his will of 28th March 1726. The farm was converted into twelve almshouses and a Chapel for twelve ancient men ‘that had lived well and fallen into decay’. Winsley’s benefaction had included a weekly stipend of 2s 6d for each almsmen and 36 buckets of coal a year; on New Year’s Day a sermon in the almshouse chapel was followed by a dinner.

Over the years, the Almshouses have been added to as a result of a number of bequests and endowments. Although there were once 88, there are now 80, as a result of improvements which merged some properties, to provide a better standard of accommodation. Wives were originally evicted on the death of their husband, but happily this is not the case today.

Arthur Winsley Almshouse in Colchester

Sarah now told us of the Charity Commission, which was set up in 1853 to improve the oversight of charities, and which required the formalisation of all charities and charity trustees.

Margaret Ogilvey: Ogilvie Charities were founded in 1887 and now run four sheltered housing schemes, two in Suffolk and two in Essex, to create a caring and supportive atmosphere for residents living independently in self contained accommodation.  The confusingly separate Ogilvie almshouses, comprising 12 self-contained cottages, were erected in 1926, originally for workmen, by Margaret’s son Glencairn Stuart Ogilvie as part of his Thorpeness fantasy holiday village (which includes his famous ‘House in the clouds’ water tower).

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Sir Robert Gardener: Gardener founded a set of almshouses at Elmswell in 1620, entrusting their government entirely to six villagers and increasing the endowment in his will to keep pace with inflation. Over the central doorway a square limestone panel is inscribed: “Sir Robert Gardener KT. Sometime Lord of these Manors of Elmswell and Woolpit founded this almshouse in ye time of his life AN 1614 and gave unto it sufficient maintenance for six poore women widows to continue forever”.

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Life in an Almshouse

Generally residents were treated well as they had a safe place to eat and sleep, but they often had to meet many rules and regulations regarding: their suitability for admission; continuing conduct; and ongoing obligations to attend religious services, including also sometimes restrictions on what they wore. For example:

Robert Cocks: A music publisher and local benefactor who erected ten almshouses in Old Buckenham in 1860, for the reception of aged and deserving persons born in the parish. Like many founders, he oversaw the creation of the rules and regulations governing behaviour and use of the almshouses; these could be quite arbitrary and very strict:

Rules and Regulations

for the government of the ten Alms Houses

at Old Buckenham, Near Attleboro’, Norfolk.

Founded by Robert Cocks, AD 1860l.- The intention of the-Founder is that these Alms Houses should be the home for those persons, of the age of Fifty-five years and upwards, who have seen better days, whose habits are known to be temperate and cleanly and who have kept themselves independent of parochial relief.
II.- The Pensioners, who shall from time to time partake of the benefits of this Institution, shall be ten poor persons or families, natives of the above-named parish of Old Buckenham; and be Unmarried Men, Widowers, Spinsters, or Widows; such Families to consist of Husband and Wife only (one of whom, at least, shall be a native of the said parish); or of a Widow born in the said parish and one infirm daughter; and if either be removed by the “will of God” then the Survivor shall enjoy every privilege as tenant during his or her life, in the same manner as if both were living, unless such Survivor shall marry again, in which case he or she shall thereupon immediately quit the Alms House, and shall lose all the privileges of a Pensioner. Each Pensioner, besides living Rent Free, shall receive, every Quarter, Two Pounds, and One Ton of Coals every Year.
III.- No Lodger to be admitted.
IV.- No Relatives or Survivors of a deceased Pensioner are to have any part of the current Quarters payment.
V.- The Pensioners to visit and assist each other in lameness or sickness.
VI.- The Men not to swear or quarrel, and the Women not to brawl or scold.
VII.- No nails to be driven in the walls without the consent of one of the Trustees.
VIII.- No Shrubs, Plants, Flowers, or Trees, to be nailed against any of the external or fence walls of the Alms Houses.
IX.– The Ground in front of the Alms Houses to be kept as a Flower Garden.
X.– No Pensioner to keep Pigs, Poultry, nor Animals of any kind, except Birds, or a Cat.
XI.- No Pensioner to build, or cause to be erected, any Shed or Building of any kind on the uncovered ground attached to the Alms Houses.
XII.- No Alms House to be used as a Shop, and no Sale of Furniture or other things to take place, either by Auction or otherwise, on the Premises.
XIII.- It is required that all Pensioners will have the Chimneys of their Rooms swept three times in each year, namely, on the first Friday in January; the first Friday in April; and the first Friday in October; and will keep their Rooms clean, and preserve the same from ill-usage.
XIV.- It is imperative that the Pensioners should be regular attendants at a place of worship on the Lord’s Day, unless prevented by illness.
XV.- Any Pensioner who shall wilfully Damage the Property, papering of the walls, painted wood, or any part thereof, shall, at his or her own cost, make good such damage to the satisfaction of the Trustees.
XVI.- All broken Windows, caused by negligence of a Pensioner, to be repaired by, and at his or her expense.
XVII.- The Trustees shall have power to remove any Pensioner known to be in the habit of tippling or frequenting the public houses, or not strictly conforming to the above Rules.
By Order of  ROBERT COCKS, the founder
And the Trustees, The Rev Thos Fulcher, Mr Richard Bird and Mr Stroud Lincoln Cocks
21 August 1876

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Henry Howard: Founded the Hospital of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in Castle Rising, between 1609 and 1614. Howard’s will established a charity to provide sheltered accommodation for 12 women from the Parish, with rooms for the Sisters arranged around a central courtyard.

Sisters had to attend chapel every day, attend St Lawrence Church every Sunday and Holy Day dressed in their distinctive black hats and blue (later red) livery gowns, and say prayers for the founder whose badge they wore. In the early seventeenth century each Sister was given eight shillings (40p) per month, eight pence (3p) on festival days, an annual ‘chauldron (*) of coal’ and a gown ‘of kersey’ (brown woollen cloth) for everyday wear. There’s no dress code now, yet the residents take great pride in dressing in the “uniform” provided by Henry Howard for special occasions such as Founder’s Day.

(*)        A chaldron (also chauldron or chalder) was an English measure of dry volume, mostly used for coal, the word being an obsolete spelling of cauldron. It was used from the 13th century until the end of 1835 when the Weights and Measures Act that year specified coal could then only be sold by weight. It was not standardized and there were many different regional chaldrons, the two most important being Newcastle and London.

Many attempts have been made to calculate the weight of a Newcastle chaldron. Historian John Nef estimates it weighed 2,000 lb (907 kg) in 1421, and that its weight was gradually increased by coal traders due to taxes on coal which were charged per chaldron until 1678, when its weight was fixed by law at 52 ¹⁄₂ long hundredweight (5,880 lb or 2,670 kg). It was later increased in 1694 to 53 long hundredweight (5,940 lb or 2,690 kg).

A London chaldron was defined as 36 bushels (8 dry gallons) heaped up, each bushel to contain a Winchester bushel and 1 imperial quart (1.14 L), and to be 19 ¹⁄₂ inches (495 mm) in diameter, roughly a weight in coal of around 28 long hundredweight (3,140 lb or 1,420 kg).

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Generally pensioners (residents were sometimes called this) had to keep premises clean and in good repair, were often prohibited from keeping any animal that could damage the property or upset neighbours, and had to attend church regularly. Chimneys usually had to be swept once or twice a year, and commonly men could not swear or quarrel; women were not to brawl or scold. If people broke the sometimes arbitrary rules, trustees had the power to reprimand, formally give warning or even to eject transgressors, when their only course of action was probably the dreaded workhouse.

Almsmhouse Buildings

From her researches, Sarah advised that almshouses came in all shapes and sizes. Originally they were a bit like modern day hospital ward where pensioners resided in cubicles down each long side. Many almshouses were arranged around a courtyard, and many comprised a terrace of varying length. There were also some of completely different shapes, presumably reflecting the venefactor’s personal wishes.

The Rest, in Reydon, near Southwold, opened in 1908 and consists of a group of individual houses behind an unusual gatehouse. It was a charitable housing development for eight people established by Andrew Matthews, a successful art dealer. Residents had to be natives of Southwold, have lived there for more than twenty years, have limited income, be over 65 years of age and be of good physical and mental health. One unusual rule was that any resident displaying a certain photograph of Matthew’s wife, Ellen, on her birthday, was given a 5 shilling reward (approx. £30 today).

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The Hospital of the Holy Blessed Trinity: Founded in 1573 by Sir William Cordell, then lord of the manor of Melford living across the road in Melford Hall. Born and raised in Melford, he gave the almshouses to poor residents of the town, endowing them with land and property in the surrounding area to ensure a regular source of income. The Hospital housed twelve ‘brethren’ and was built in a quadrangle with an inner courtyard garden and an outer walled garden.

When first constructed the garden was enclosed by a wooden pale fence, but in 1632 the brethren requested the garden ‘be enlarged slightly and enclosed within a high brick wall to prevent fruit from being stolen’ – 4 or 5 feet was duly taken from the adjacent village green and the wall completed in 1633. The garden was used to supplement the diet of residents by growing fruit and vegetables, as revealed by Warden accounts for the year 1731. Major building renovations were undertaken In 1847, with further modernisation of the interior completed in 1964. In 1981 the south and east faces of the garden wall were rebuilt, and the property continues to be administered by the Trustees of the Hospital for the benefit of the poor of Long Melford.

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Hyde Park Corner Cottages, Cavendish: These much restored 16th century cottages on the village green below St. Mary’s Church became known as ‘Hyde Park Corner’ because of the practice of rectory visitors engaging in outdoor preaching on this area of the village green. They were rescued from the threat of demolition by the Cavendish Preservation Society and renovated, after which the George Savage Trust accepted responsibility in November 1957. It was thought that provision of ‘almshouse’ accommodation was within the spirit of the original bequest and they are now administered for the benefit of people connected with Cavendish, and form an outstanding group of renovated buildings of international interest. There are five separate dwellings, some with two bedrooms, and new residents must be over the age of 60 and have some connection with Cavendish through family or residence. Maintenance charges are kept at reasonable levels and seven village residents serve as trustees.

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Stuart Court Norwich: Built in 1915 in memory of James Stuart, privy councillor and sometime resident of Norwich. Comprises 14 bedsits, three one-bedroom flats and five two-bedroom flats, the latter allocated to couples who can show a health or similar need for the additional bedroom. The lovely gardens were renovated in 2015 as part of the celebrations for the centenary Stuart Court, and they are currently managed by the Norwich Housing Society.

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The Present Day

Many almshouses continue today, looked after by trustees of charities overseen by the Charity Commission. The Almshouse Association, virtually unknown outside the sector, sets best practice guidelines and also has a small fund to allow almshouses to modernise.

Some 2,600 almshouses continue to exist, operating some 30,000 dwellings and support around 36,000 people, mainly of retirement age, of limited means and who live locally to the almshouse.

Sarah then showed us a final gallery of some other almshouses images before concluding her fascinating talk on our local history and heritage, something she believes has been largely ignored by historians to date. The twenty plus audience were warmly appreciative of her efforts.

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Our next events will be at 7.30 in The Parish Room on:

17th April: The Amazing Story of Rev’d. John Heigham Steggall, the Suffolk Gypsy, by Pip Wright

Around 1800 this son of a parson ran away to live with gypsies. In a remarkable life, he was a surgeon, sailor, soldier and parish priest at Great Ashfield.

22nd May: The History of Landguard Fort, Felixstowe by David Wood

First built nearly 400 years ago, the fort guards the Orwell navigable channel because Harwich Harbour was the best haven for large ships between the Thames & Humber.

Both events are going to be great, and we very much look forward to welcoming guests both new and old to the Parish Room in Little Waldingfield.

The Story of East Anglian Almshouses – Our Next Event

Our next event is on Wednesday 20th March, at 7.30 in the LW Parish Room, when Sarah Doig will tell us the story of East Anglian Almshouses.

Beginning with the monks in the Middle Ages, there has been an obligation on Christians to look after the less fortunate, whether they old, ill or disabled. After the dissolution of the monasteries, Elizabethan gentlemen led the way in providing accommodation and funds for the deserving poor on their estates.

In 1853, the Charity Commission was founded and formalised the running of almshouses; surprisingly there are still some 2,600 almshouses and 30,000 dwellings today which house 36,000 people.

LWHS events are open to all, young or old, members or not, and if you like history, whether recent, ancient or somewhere in between, then you will enjoy our talks. Just £4.00 (or £2.00 if a member), gives access to presentations lasting about an hour, which are followed by tea/coffee, plus biscuits, in the company of like minded individuals. For tickets please contact one of the following, or simply turn up on the night: Sue Sheppard on 01787 247980, or Diana Langford on 01787 248298

Simply Suffolk – A Tour of Suffolk Pub Signs by John Goodhand

Little Waldingfield History Society was delighted to welcome John Goodhand to the Parish Room, to share his extensive collection of and knowledge about Suffolk pub signs past and present; sadly all too many pubs have closed during this time and some of his photos may be all that now remains. Thirty five members and non members alike thoroughly enjoyed his witty repartee throughout the showing of hundreds of photographs from his collection, which now dates back some years.

This review is a little different to usual because it was simply impossible for me to make notes during the quick fire presentation accompanying each photo, other of the pub/inn name, its location and perhaps some of the interesting facts mentioned. Many of the signs shown were of great beauty, though John did bemoan the modern trend for printing computer images onto plastic (or other materials – see below) which is then stuck onto the backing board; in his experience, traditional hand painted signs should easily last 20 years whereas the stick on plastic variety he often sees begin to peel off within 5 years.

According to the Suffolk Real Ale Guide (http://www.suffolkcamra.co.uk/pubs/publist) there are 552 real ale pubs in the county, which sounds a lot until you see their total of closed pubs at 2,367, which is nothing short of astonishing; something Little Waldingfield fully appreciates with the current closure of The Swan, our last remaining pub, and the Old White Horse which is now a private residence.

Before we get to the main event, some those glorious pub signs, it is helpful to gain an understanding of where they came from, to which I am indebted to the Inn Sign Society, from where the following material has been taken:

Sign Language

Along their roads the Romans constructed ‘tabernae’ – taverns – originally shops that mainly sold wine, where travellers could obtain food and overnight lodging. The Romans decreed that all taverns should be identifiable by branches of evergreens fixed to the outside of the building to symbolise Bacchus, the Greek god of wine, and which eventually gave rise to one of the earliest pub names – The Bush.

Behind the present-day idyllic image of the English country pub lie centuries of tradition going back to medieval times. The well-to-do would usually stay in local manor houses or perhaps castles, but commoners, who rarely left their home village, slept where they could in barns or under hedgerows. Then, an inn was a place offering ordinary travellers shelter for the night plus something to eat and drink, and many were established by hospitable monks who first set up hospices or hostels.

In 1393 King Richard II decreed that pubs must have signs “Whoever shall brew ale in the town for the intention of selling it, must hang out a sign, otherwise he shall forfeit his ale.”

Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1538, many hospices became inns run by lay brothers, who were the first innkeepers. Before Henry VIII ordered the breakaway from Rome, The Popes Head (now extinct) was a common name. To stay on the right side of the king, astute innkeepers quickly changed the name to The Kings Head (ubiquitous) which explains why the Tudor monarch’s face is still to be seen on so many pub signs today. Henry’s daughter, Elizabeth, by his second wife Anne Boleyn is also much in evidence on signs of The Queens Head.

As villages grew, the function of the inn changed, to become a social centre for the community as well as a lodging place for travellers. Despite rutted roads and the constant threat posed by highwaymen, the comparative luxury of the stage coach provided speedier travel for those able to afford the fare, and many inns, particularly in towns, became coaching inns. The Coach & Horses is a popular, present-day reminder of this heritage . Today, many such inns are recognisable by a large archway leading to a rear courtyard. As coaching days gave way to railways, we now have signs such as The Railway or The Station throughout the land.

Modern signs cover a huge range of subjects; Famous people and places, local stories and interest, many humorous, cartoon,or fashionably stylised.

 Types of Signs & Frames

For many observers, the image on the inn sign is what catches the eye and holds the interest. Should you not share that view, pause next time you pass a sign on your way into the pub, but take a new look at the whole sign; you might well be surprised by the amount of detail that is included.

In times past, most signs were hand-painted and made of wood or metal. Today, signs are increasingly produced by computer-generated graphics on lightweight materials such as aluminium, fibreglass, perspex or similar, whilst other materials used may include sandstone and stained glass.

Styles of Sign

• Hanging signs are normally fixed to the building and hang from a bracket.
• Gallows, or beam signs, stretch the width of the road or pavement, though many signs that once spanned the highway have been removed due to the increased size of vehicles. Watch out for the one over the main A140 road to Norwich.
  
• Pillory signs are freestanding and often situated away from the pub, often in the car park like our own Swan Inn.
• Banged-up is a term coined for signs fitted or mounted directly onto the wall of the pub building.

Types of Frames

Like paintings, images may be enhanced by the choice of decorative frame; modern frames tend to be made of wood or metal and most are plain, utilitarian and functional – in other words not particularly attractive. Some subjects are however suitable for intricate wrought-iron work, with many such frames in the past being made by the local blacksmith.

 

Its now time to see some of the glorious pub signs John showed us, which I have segregated by area rather than attempt a more elaborate schedule that John tends to do.

Sudbury & Surrounding Area

The first local pub is the Cock & Bell in Long Melford, and three generations of pub sign are shown covering a remarkably short space of time. Note that the oldest appears to show three eggs inside the bell, but the golden coloured one is actually the bell clapper. John believes the name possibly came from the merger of two previous pubs.

The Grover & Allen shows how pubs can change when under new management, particularly nationwide chains such as Wetherspoons. This chain tends to divide opinion but personally I am in favour, because it keeps a pub and provides really great value; however, John advised that they don’t always keep the pub sign.

John particularly mentioned the Half Moon sign because it does represent what it says, apparently many such named pub signs simply show a crescent moon.

The Three Horseshoes in Bures shows a nice blacksmith type creation, in this case made mostly from horseshoes, which is a nice touch. The sign itself is a symbolic reference back to St Dunstan and one of his meetings with the devil – two shoes for the devil’s cloven hooves and one above your front door to keep the devil away (i.e. to bring good luck to the household).

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Ipswich & Surrounding Area

The Gardeners Arms is seemingly unusual in actually showing a pair of arms rather than a man leaning on a spade or fork, and is now sadly closed.

The Maypole was on the old Norwich Road, also now gone; John mentioned that it was a particularly nice image.

The Mermaid seems to be one of John’s favourite establishments – “A superb carvery with two for a tenner”. Unusually she is seen “swimming and wearing a bra”, rather than half naked on a rock.

The Compasses shows a compass resting on a map, not just any old map, but that taken from the novel Treasure island.

Treasure Island map

The Great White Horse hotel in Ipswich was made famous by Dickens in his novel ‘The Pickwick Papers’. In 1834, he stayed in Ipswich for the first time, at the Great White Horse Hotel in Tavern Street, mentioning the hotel in his novel:

“In the main street of Ipswich, on the left-hand side of the way, a short distance after you have passed through the open space fronting the Town Hall, stands an inn known far and wide by the appellation of The Great White Horse, rendered the more conspicuous by a stone statue of some rampacious animal with flowing mane and tail, distantly resembling an insane cart-horse, which is elevated above the principal door. The Great White Horse is famous in the neighbourhood, in the same degree as a prize ox, or county paper-chronicled turnip, or unwieldy pig – for its enormous size. Never were such labyrinths of uncarpeted passages,  such clusters of mouldy, ill-lighted rooms, such huge numbers of small dens for eating or sleeping in, beneath any one roof, as are collected together between the four walls of the Great White Horse at Ipswich.”

In the story Mr Pickwick inadvertently strays into a lady’s bedroom and, having extricated himself from an awkward situation, gets disorientated in the maze of the hotel’s dimly lit corridors. He has to rely on his servant, Sam Weller, to guide him back to his own room.

The Shannon was a 38-gun Leda-class frigate of the Royal Navy launched in 1806 which served in the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812. She won a noteworthy naval victory on 1 June 1813 when she captured the American Navy’s USS Chesapeake in a singularly bloody battle.

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Felixstowe & Surrounding Area

The Three Mariners has undergone a number of recent incarnations, beginning with a superb image of three vessels surrounded by sea serpents and accompanied by Neptune. The pub then became the Mariners Inn, before becoming Mariners Free House (third image).

I cannot track down an image of The Shipwreck pub sign, so have instead shown their sign upon a beached buoy.

According to John, the sign for the Hand in Hand is most unusual, with a farmer and a sailor shaking hands.

John believes the word Dooley is a reference to a hospital in India, which I believe is nearly right. An airline volunteer programme was conceived in 1961 by Dooley Intermed’, ten president and founder in support of humanitarian projects in Asia, including India, with Pan Am providing transport to and from the volunteer sites. There may also be a reference to ‘doolally’, an unkind word for someone a bit mad.

Felsto appears to be a shorthand for Felixstowe, so perhaps they should have had a larger pub sign.

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Aldeburgh & Surrounding Area

The Froize has an interesting image of a pair of ducks, with the pub possibly built on land once belonging to the now ruined Butley Priory. Froize itself is a term for a kind of savoury pancake.

The Vulcan Arms is perhaps my favourite sign, and is a winner of the Inn Sign Society’s ‘sign of the year, competition per John. It depicts Vulcan, the Roman god of fire, along with the famous tv/cinema Vulcan Spock, and my favourite ever military aircraft the Vulcan Vee bomber.

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Southwold & Surrounding Area

John noted that parrots feature quite often on pub signs, but that the Parrot & Punchbowl was a curious, and colourful, combination. John also suggested a possible reason, being that Whigs generally drank punch and Tories wine, hence the images of grapes alongside the punchbowl.

The Sole Bay Inn commemorates the famous battle between the British and the Dutch off Sole Bay.

John noted that Dunwich under the sea was a ‘rotten borough’, like Old Sarum, though this is not apparent in the pub sign for The Ship.

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Lowestoft & Surrounding Area

The landlord of The Royal Oak in Laxfield was previously at the Fox and Hounds in Chelsea, which John surmises is the reason for the change of their sign to incorporate a Chelsea Pensioner alongside King Charles.

A reasonable likeness of the explorer David Livingstone adorns the sign at Livingstones

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Woodbridge & Surrounding Area

John told us that the Green Man reference is very old, and associated with signs referencing the Wild Man, Jack in the Green and Puk. There is a Wild Man pub at Sproughton, but the photo is too poor to include here unfortunately.

The sign for the Red Lion at Martlesham is that of a ship’s figure head attached to an external wall, and most striking it is too.

The image for The Oyster Inn is most striking, complete with fishing boats, an oyster and an oyster catcher.

The Chequers is a very common name per John, and is a reference back to the chequer or checker tree – one of Europe’s most valuable hardwoods, being fine grained, dense and with good bending strength. The fruits, called “chequers”, are eaten by many birds and a few mammals, making the tree ecologically important; they are also edible to humans, apparently tasting similar to dates though now rarely collected for food. Before the introduction of hops, the fruit was used to flavour beer, which may be related to the ancient symbol of pubs being called the chequer board; the name “chequers” may also have been derived from the spotted pattern of the fruit, or possibly from the pattern of the bark on old trees.

The Elephant and Castle refers to the animal and its Howdah, the carriage on its back for carrying goods or people; interestingly Claudius the Roman Emperor brought at least one elephant into the country as part of his invasion of Britain.

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Stowmarket & Surrounding Area

The sign for the Magpie, formerly the Pie Inn, straddles the main road between a pair of gallows supports for the beam across the road. According to John this type of pub sign was very popular, until that is when one sadly collapsed and killed a person.

The Pickerell surname is derived from the Middle English word “pykerell”, meaning “young pike”, and thought to have evolved from a nickname for a sharp and aggressive person, or possibly as an occupational name for someone who caught or sold these fish. They certainly make for interesting images.

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Bury St Edmunds & Surrounding Area

The Crown and Castle is a most interesting sign as it references the Suffolk Regiment who are based at the Gibraltar Barracks in the town, hence the mention of Gibraltar and the image of a castle gate and its keys.

There are many pubs called the Black Boy, which usually depict a chimney sweep; the later sign shows Charles II, who was known as the black boy because of his swarthy complexion, though presumably never to his face.

The signs for the Five Bells and the Six Bells interestingly depict different types of bells, being hand bells and church bells respectively.

The Pykkerell depicts the middle English word for young pike, as noted above.

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To conclude this review, John brought great passion, humour and warmth to a subject on which most people have probably given little thought to; his talk was a hop, skip and a jump through English pub history, much enjoyed by everyone present, who left with the words “Look Up when next passing a pub” ringing in their ears.

 

Our next events will be at 7.30 in The Parish Room on:

20th March: To relieve need and distress by Sarah Doig

The fascinating story of East Anglian almshouses.

17th April: The Amazing Story of Rev’d. John Heigham Steggall, the Suffolk Gypsy

Around 1800 this son of a parson ran away to live with gypsies. In a remarkable life, he was a surgeon, sailor, soldier and parish priest at Great Ashfield.

 

Both events are going to be great, and we very much look forward to welcoming guests both new and old to the Parish Room in Little Waldingfield.

 

Simply Suffolk – Our Next Event

The next LWHS event is on Wednesday 20th February, at 7.30 in the Parish Room, Church Road LW, when John Goodhand will take us on an armchair pub crawl.

John has photographed inns and their signs for over fifty years, and in this talk he will invite us to travel the highways and byways of Suffolk, with pauses to consider some examples of an endangered species, the English inn sign; but:

• Which is the commonest,
• Where can you find a gallows,
• Which is the oldest, and
• What is Elvis doing in Botesdale?

Come along to the LW Parish Room to find out.

LWHS talks are open to young and old alike, whether members or not, and you will always be assured of a great welcome, a great talk and tea / coffee afterwards in the company of like minded individuals – for just £4.00 or £2.00 for members.