Coach Trip to Historic Harwich

For our third outing this year we pushed the boat out, hiring a large coach from Felix so that many history lovers could arrive in Harwich for 10.00. We had arranged to be guided around the historic centre, with its more than 200 listed buildings, by David Whittle, a member of the Harwich Society, whose knowledge of the buildings and of historic events in Harwich was simply incredible. The tour then returned us to the Ha’penny pier for lunch, followed by afternoon visits to Beacon Hill Fort and the Harwich Redoubt. The tour was organised by LWHS member Ian Davidson, to whom we are very grateful, whilst our driver, who it turned out was son in law of village resident Mick Pease, did a superb job ferrying us around.

There is an incredible amount to see in the historic centre, as the map of the heritage trail clearly indicates, see below, whilst next year Harwich celebrates 400 years since the sailing of the Mayflower, the ship that transported the first English Puritans (now known as Pilgrims) to the new world. In truth we really just scratched the surface, so another visit next year, which is the 400th anniversary year of the sailing, could well be on the cards, particularly as the Harwich home of the ship’s Captain, Christopher Jones, will by then be open to the public as a museum.

The Harwich Maritime Trail

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The Ha’penny Pier was opened on the 2nd of July 1853, getting its name from the ½d toll charged. Originally the pier was twice as long as the present one but sadly one half burnt down in 1927. It was a popular departure point for paddle steamers until after the First World War. The ticket office now houses the Ha’penny Pier Visitor Centre (run by the Harwich Society) and open daily from May 1st until the 2nd weekend in September. We also had an ‘official welcome’ by the Harwich Town Crier, James Cole, which set things off very nicely.

A small museum on the pier houses an exhibition on Harwich and The New World, featuring Christopher Jones and the Mayflower in 1620. Models of the ship, which was around 100 foot long with a maximum beam of 25 feet, showed just how small she was, particularly as she set sail with around 130 people on board, 102 passengers and between 25 and 30 officers and crew.

Conditions on board were extremely cramped and uncomfortable during the more than two month long passage (from 6th September to 9th November); huge waves constantly crashed against the ship’s topside deck, fracturing a key structural support timber. Passengers had already suffered agonizing delays, shortages of food, and other shortages, and were now called upon to provide assistance to the ship’s carpenter to repair a fractured main support beam. Repairs were made using a jackscrew, essentially a very big car screw jack, which was on board to help with construction of settler homes.

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The tour began in earnest when we left the pier, with our first stop at the ‘Navyard Wharf’, now operated by the Harwich Dock Company with Roll on/Roll off ships sailing to ports in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Belgium. Previously this was the site of a naval shipyard and before that of a small 12th Century castle.

A large number of warships were built in Harwich between 1660 and 1827, see photo below, with perhaps the most famous being HMS Conqueror which was built in 1801, the fourth ship to bear this illustrious name. She was a 74 gun 3rd rate ship of the line with two gun decks, which from experience were found to embody the best compromise of sailing ability, firepower and cost – possibly the optimal configuration. She fought at Trafalgar under the command of Captain Israel Pellew, whose captain of marines took the surrender of the overall commander of the combined French and Spanish fleet, Admiral Villeneuve, aboard the French ship Bucentaure (80 guns). The old shipyard bell was cast by John Darby, bell founder of Ipswich in 1666; this was originally housed in a tower in the middle of the Old Yard, being rung daily to summon people to work.

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Next we came to the site of the first Harwich School, founded in 1724 by Sir Humphrey Parsons, Alderman of London and MP for Harwich, for 32 boys aged 8 to 14, with its inscription above the door – for those that read Latin, the inscription reads as follows:

‘IVVENTVTI HERVICENSIS
Boni moribus & litters
Et Religions Sanctiffimae rudimentis
Secunduni instituta ECCLESIAE ANGLICANAE
Imbuendae
Has AEdes Sacrari voluit
Sumptibusq; fuis extrui curavit
HUMPHRIDVS PARSONS ARMR.
Civic & Aldermannus Londinensis
Et
Ad Comitia Palrliamentaria ab hoc Burgo delegatus
A.D. 1724.
Te DEUS OPTIME MAXIME
Patrons vult Fundator
Tu largitoris eximij munifi entiae
Felices des eventus
Te Favente Honori Succedant Tuo
Et Juventus & AEdes
Nullo peritura die.’

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We then passed the headquarters of The Harwich Society at 5 Church Street – a house known as Foresters, and perhaps the oldest house in Harwich; previously it was the Foresters Arms, though known locally as the Drum and Monkey until the Luftwaffe effectively closed the pub in 1941.

The reasons behind the nickname are uncertain, but definitely involved both a monkey and a drum. One story says a monkey was trained to bang a drum to warn the licensee when a customer came in, and another has the monkey taking the drum around to collect fines for bad language; as our guide David said, both stories could easily be true.

Foresters was subsequently purchased by Winifred Cooper, who lovingly restored it and lived in it for 46 years, bequeathing the building to The Harwich Society, of which she had been President.

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A little further on we came to St Nicholas, a large brick church dedicated on 20th July 1822, built on the site of an earlier church occupying the site since 1177.  For centuries Harwich has been a port and ship building town, with St Nicholas the Patron Saint of sailors. Christopher Jones was married in the former church.

The gallery is surmounted by the organ designed for it and built in 1822 by Flight & Robson of London; at either side are additional galleries against the south and north walls, and at very high level, two additional galleries known locally as ‘the cages’, which were originally used by schoolchildren. It is not known whether these were Charity Children, but it is recorded that they sat under the eagle eye of the Beadle, who kept order.

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We then passed the Hanover Inn, which has incorporated into its rear wall, viewable from the churchyard, part of the ancient Harwich town wall, of which very little now remains.

Back entrance to the Hanover Inn

On the way to view Government House, we were shown one of the narrowest houses ever, built on the entrance to the stables of the house next door. A series of lovely looking houses then continue the delightful street, with its views over a small green to the water beyond, to the dwelling of the Harwich Recorder, in Government House, which is now converted into flats.

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We were now off to see the famous Harwich Treadwheel crane, built in 1667 on the site of the Naval Yard and moved to Harwich Green around 1932. It was operated by men walking inside the two tread-wheels, which together produced a balanced action. Each wheel is 16ft diameter, 3ft 10 ins wide, made of oak and spaced 4ft apart on a common axle 13½ ins diameter; the jib has a projection of 17ft 10ins. Described as a House Crane in official records, to distinguish it from the unenclosed type, it originally had a boarded roof, with pantiles.

A conspicuous omission was any form of brake, making this type of crane somewhat dangerous, so a spar was kept handy for levering against the outer edge of the wheel in case of accident; that said, were the load to take command, the men in the wheels would be revolved backwards with disastrous results.

The earliest known reference to this type of crane was by the Romans in 25 B.C. and by the Middle Ages they were common in Britain; by the end of the C17th / beginning of the C18th such cranes had just one drum, with power supplied by a donkey. As far as is known, Harwich has the only British example of a two-wheel man operated tread-wheel crane.

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We were now on Harwich Green, with good views of both the High and the Low lighthouses, to hear their story. The two lighthouses are 150 yards apart and worked as a pair – they were leading lights, so when one light was positioned directly above the other, as seen from the sea, the vessel was on the correct course to enter the harbor through the navigable deep-water channel.

They were built in 1818 under the supervision of John Rennie Senior, to replace earlier wooden ones, and belonged to General Rebow, who became very rich by charging 1d per ton light duties on all cargoes coming into the port. In 1836 Trinity House acquired the Lights from General Rebow, for £31,730 (about £3.5 million today), there being 12 years and 5 days remaining of his lease. It is suspected that Rebow was aware of the changing course of the channel, and the lighthouses became redundant in 1863 for just that reason; two new cast iron lighthouses were erected at Dovercourt, operating in the same way to guide vessels through the new channel into Harwich.

The High Lighthouse was sold for £75, without restriction, and was used as a private residence; it is now managed by The Harwich Society, as a museum of local interest.

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On our way to the Guildhall, we saw a private residence that used to be the Three Cups public house. Occupying a prominent position next to the church, the Three Cups was an ancient hostelry with a rich history opened in the C16th. The building was frequently called an Elizabethan mansion in the C17th, and was regularly used as an interim council chamber during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

It is a late medieval house of some quality, with C17th and C18th improvements, including a Georgian facade and an archway at the rear, and was remodeled again in 1949 when the top story and archway were removed. There has long been a claim that Lord Nelson came to the pub, to meet his lover Lady Hamilton, though there is no documentary evidence. After his famous visit to Harwich by sea in 1801, the room where he allegedly stayed with Emma was turned into a museum, and the postcard, see image below, is one of five different known to feature The Nelson Room, distributed for sale throughout England.

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The highlight of the tour had now arrived, with the Mayor of Harwich inviting us into his place of work, the beautiful grade I listed Harwich Guildhall. Originally the site of an inn called The Bear, it was purchased by the council in 1673 and rebuilt in 1769.

In 1974 The Guildhall became the home of Harwich Town Council, who restored it; this revealed a medieval wall painting and boarded walls covered with engravings of C18th ships and houses, carved into the woodwork and subsequently been plastered over. The engravings were most likely created by prisoners from the US war of independence, because this room was part of the lock-up when the Police Station was contained within the Guildhall. We were off to see the three most important rooms in the Guildhall.

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The Council Chamber

The Chamber is a beautiful, oak panelled room, with walls adorned with large portraits and a window including a stained glass depiction of the town crest. The chamber also houses the regalia showcase, containing the seventeenth century mace and the mayor’s chain of office.

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The Mayor’s Parlour

The parlour remains the personal domain of the mayor of the day, housing gifts to the town and many other items of great local significance. Amongst its treasures are the Imperial brass yard and a portrait of Charles II, painted in 1675.

The Mayor’s Parlour

The Carvings Room

A unique feature of the Guildhall is the Carvings Room, once used to hold prisoners waiting to be tried or sentenced. 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 C18th.  One carving is of a ship flying the Stars and Stripes, dating from the time of the American War of Independence, and another shows a hot air balloon dated at the time of the Montgolfier brothers.

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On the way out we were shown a number of interesting objects on various walls of the Guildhall, including a copy of their Royal Charter, awarded by King James I, and a ships bell from the TSS (twin screw steamship) Brussels, a Great Eastern passenger ferry on the Harwich to Hook of Holland route. During the First World War, in March 1915 on the high seas, Captain Fryatt evaded a German U-boat, for which he was awarded a gold watch. Later that month he was ordered to stop by U-33, but instead he attempted to ram the submarine, which was forced to crash dive, for which he was awarded another gold watch, as also were the First Officer and Chief Engineer.

Later that year, in June, the Brussels was captured by German torpedo boats G101 and G102 and interned at Zeebrugge, where Captain Fryatt was arrested, after engravings on his watches revealed his previous actions. Unbelievably he was tried and then executed, on 27th July 1916, and the Brussels was taken over by the Kaiserliche Marine and renamed Brugge, serving as a depot ship at Zeebrugge.

In 1919 Fryatt’s body was exhumed and returned to the UK for burial, his coffin being landed at Dover and then transported in the South Eastern and Chatham Railway PMV (Parcels and Miscellaneous Van) to London; his funeral was held at St Paul’s Cathedral on 8th July that year. He is therefore one of just three bodies returned home from the First World War, the others being the Unknown Warrior and the nurse Edith Cavell, both of whom were also transported in PMV 132.

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Just down the road we came to the Stingray public house, which dates to 1921 when it was built as a replacement for the London Tavern public house; this was a pub owned by trustees of John Pattrick in 1870, but later purchased by the Co-operative Society – their first ever pub acquisition.

The Co-op thought the London Tavern was enough of a success to plan a new building, and in 1919 they closed the old London Tavern to convert it into a shop. Their new building was much more than a pub – it also featured a tea and reading room, and accommodation – it was named the Wheatsheaf, though people called it the Co-op Tavern or the New London Tavern.

The pub was built in the mock-Tudor style and was very well-appointed with beer served from beer engines with beautiful Wedgewood pump handles; customers also got their divvy, which many local people saved up to buy their bottles at Christmas. In 1976 the Co-op sold the pub and it was renamed the Stingray.

The Stingray public house

Our guide David mentioned that Harwich used to have over 50 public houses, and was keen to point out dead pubs as he took us around the historic centre. In its heyday Harwich was an important port, dockyard and garrison town, so was well supplied with Inns and Public Houses.

The number of pubs grew because of the presence of so many varied occupations and visitors to the town. Harwich was a famous and important sea-crossing and rich people would come with a retinue of servants looking for a place to stay, so nearly every public house or the house next door had accommodation.  Also present in the town were Coastguards, the Royal Navy, Merchant Seamen, Fishermen and Army Regiments, as well as local folk, all of whom wanted beer.

Many of the old pubs have disappeared, and of those that remain most have been changed beyond recognition, often becoming private houses or shops. To recognise this important passage of their history, Harwich have created a Historic Pub Trail to guide you round the town.

Harwich historic pub trail

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Christopher Jones, who captained the Mayflower when it took the pilgrims to America in 1620, lived with his mother and father at the King’s Head Street home; his first wife, Sara Twitt, lived in the house opposite, which is now the Alma Inn. She and their only child died within ten years of their marriage, and Jones went on to marry Josian Gray, herself a widow, and had eight children, four of which were born while they lived in Harwich.

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That concluded our comprehensive and most interesting morning guided wander around the old centre of Harwich, so it was now back to the Ha’penny Pier for lunch.

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After lunch Beacon Hill Fort was our next port of call; sometimes called the Beacon Hill Battery, it is a ruined military fort built to defend Harwich, and now a scheduled ancient monument.

The first fortification built was a blockhouse, constructed in 1534 during the reign of Henry VIII, though abandoned within ten years. After Henry’s death the site was rearmed, but by 1625 it had again fallen into disrepair, with Harwich considered defenceless.

The site accommodated most of the Harwich army and militia during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars era, as well as a naval signal station. In the C19th, prior to the building of the Breakwater, sea erosion had swept away much of the site, so by the 1880s the fort was considered out-dated; in 1889 work began on a totally new fort, completed in 1892.

After World War I the fort was disarmed and sold, but in 1940 it was brought back into service with a twin 6 Pounder gun position and director tower built. It was now known as the Cornwallis Battery and included the two 6 inch guns of Beacon Hill Battery, both being manned by men of the 515th Coast Regiment, Royal Artillery.

The hexagonal brick radar tower adjacent to the site dates from 1941; together with the electrical firing stations at the breakwater corner and at Landguard Point, this controlled defensive mines in the harbour entrance. It didn’t control the fire of the gun as new radar at Landguard arrived for this purpose in 1944. The site also housed anti-aircraft guns and torpedo tubes from time to time. It was finally decommissioned in 1956 on the dissolution of coast artillery in the United Kingdom.

The site now belongs to Paul Valentine and Barry Sharp, who with the help of volunteers have dug out huge volumes of earth and debris to uncover what is visible today, though a large amount of further such work remains to be done.

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Not originally on our itinerary, we managed to squeeze in a quick visit to the Harwich Redoubt, which was built between 1808 and 1810 to protect Harwich against the threat of Napoleonic invasion. It was part of the scheme that included construction of 29 Martello Towers on the East Anglian coast.

It is of circular shape, approximately 200 ft in diameter, with a central parade ground of 85 ft diameter. Hoists lifted shells from the lower level to the gun emplacements above, similar in design to earlier redoubts at Dymchurch and Eastbourne.

When built the Redoubt was on a hilltop with free views in all directions, though it is now surrounded by houses and allotments. Originally armed with ten 24-pounder cannon, the Redoubt was remodelled to accommodate increasingly heavy guns, as technology and perceived threats changed.

In 1861/2, work was carried out to accommodate 68-pounder cannon, and the emplacements were strengthened by adding granite facing, to withstand improved enemy artillery; a decade later three of the emplacements were altered to take the enormous 12 ton rifled muzzle loading (RML) guns. In 1903, three emplacements received 12 pounder quick firing (QF) guns.

The Redoubt never fired a shot in anger, though it was briefly taken back into military service during World War II, when it served as a detention centre for British troops awaiting trial. Following the war it was used by the British Civil Defence organisation, until they were disbanded.

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Thus ended a most enjoyable and action packed day we will all remember for a very long time, and the Harwich Society are to be much congratulated. Much was said about a return visit next year, when the Christopher Jones house and museum will be open, as part of the 400th anniversary celebrations, and trustees will consider this over the coming months. Combined with a longer visit to the Redoubt this would make for a great visit.

Postscript: The name Samuel Pepys, Chief Secretary to the Admiralty and one time MP for Harwich, frequently cropped up during our visit but I could not really find a place here to detail what he did for the town; perhaps this could be rectified with another visit.

Our next History Society talks will be at 19.30 in the Parish Room, on Wednesday:

18th September: St Audry’s Workhouse and Mental Hospital – Victorian attitudes Examined

It was believed that people were born to be poor or simply fell onto hard times through their own neglect, so whole families entered the workhouse or faced starvation – this is their story.

16th October: Goldingham Hall Archaeology and Manorial Records

Ashley Cooper will tell us all about Goldingham Hall and the Anglo Saxon community discovered in the grounds In his own inimitable way – not to be missed.

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

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.

 

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

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.

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.

 

Harvest Home – A Talk by Ashley Cooper

Little Waldingfield History Society was delighted to welcome Ashley back to the Parish Room to share his stories of harvest time, based upon his many talks with old farmers and farm hands from some 35 years ago. Reflecting his local history fame there were nearly 50 guests, including a number of older farm hands who were happy to share their own memories from harvests long ago, so it was a really great talk.

Ashley began by observing that though there were many harvest pictures from all manner of artists, both local and international, for some reason very few actually showed people at work; more often than not they showed harvests after completion, sometimes with workers celebrating or even sleeping (it was such incredibly hard manual labour after all). He then told us about Michaelmas, which in medieval England marked the end and beginning of the husbandman’s year, when farm tenancies changed. It was also one of the quarter days when accounts had to be settled, and on manors was the day when a reeve (an office held by a man of lower rank, appointed as manager of a manor and overseer of the peasants) was elected from the peasants. Because it fell near the equinox, Michaelmas was also associated with the beginning of autumn, with hiring fairs held at the end of September or beginning of October.

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Life then was very different to today. Ashley noted that market towns such as Sudbury had a Corn Exchange (now a fine library), a livestock market and both wind and watermills, respectively now an Airbnb artists retreat and a hotel. He then quoted some lines from ‘The Farmer’s Boy’, a poem by Robert Bloomfield in praise of the infamous flinty substance made from ‘three times skimm’d sky-blue – it seems that on long journeys across the Atlantic, shipboard rats would chew through almost anything, including the tough oak boxes in which cheese was packed, though even they were unable to tackle Suffolk cheese:And strangers tell of ‘three times skimm’d sky-blue.’

To cheese converted, what can be its boast?
What, but the common virtues of a post!
If drought o’ertake it faster than the knife,
Most fair it bids for stubborn length of life,
And, like the oaken shelf whereon ’tis laid,
Mocks the weak efforts of the bending blade;
Or in the hog-trough rests in perfect spite,
Too big to swallow, and too hard to bite.
Inglorious victory! Ye Cheshire meads,
Or Severn’s flow’ry dales, where plenty treads,
Was your rich milk to suffer wrongs like these,
Farewell your pride! farewell renowned cheese!
The skimmer dread, whose ravages alone
Thus turn the mead’s sweet nectar into stone.

It’s enough to put you off cheese for life!

Ashley’s tales were full of anecdotes from farming related memories, including:

• Local rector Trevor Howard, who used to milk by hand, remarking that there was ‘always one awkward cow who would kick and stamp’. One day milking seemed to be going well, with Trevor believing the awkward beast had reformed, but just after completion of the milking and before the pail could be removed, the bovine put a foot in the milk. Even men of the cloth get mad sometimes, so he emptied the milk over the cow’s head, presumably feeling better but with a bit of a milk shortage.
• A reminiscence from one old lady who, on collecting apples from Twinstead and then sorting them for storing, came across a lovely rosy one that was rotten on the other side; being somewhat upset by this she threw it out of the bedroom window, whereupon it hit a cyclist on the head. The next year, the same man, who was an inspector of something or other once again came by, striking up a conversation with the lady in question and recalling his unfortunate experience nearby, of which the dear lady denied any knowledge!
• Frequent references to the Great Whelnetham potato train puzzled Ashley for some time, until one old lady pointed out that a train went through the town every day at twenty to twelve, signifying that it was time to put the potatoes on to boil.
• A snippet from Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park concerned a heroine who needed a wagon and cart to transport a piano; it was harvest time and all wagons were needed, so the fine lady had no option but to wait until the harvest was completely gathered in.

Ashley had plenty of memories of animals being driven along country roads and through towns and villages, along with a number from the audience who fondly recalled such times:

• Cows to and from their field and milking place;
• Pigs, sheep and cows from one farm to another following purchase / sale;
• Geese and turkeys from Norfolk, all the way to London ahead of the Christmas holidays.

We were then told about ‘A tour through the eastern counties in 1722’, written by Daniel Defoe following his return and in which he wrote:

For the further supplies of the markets of London of poultry, of which these counties particularly abound, they have within these few years found it practicable to make the geese travel on foot, as well as the turkeys, and a prodigious number are brought up to London in droves from the farthest parts of Norfolk; even from the fen country about Lynn, Downham, Wisbech and the Washes; as also from the east side of Norfolk and Suffolk, of whom it is very frequent now to meet droves with a thousand and sometimes two thousand. They begin to drive them in August, by which time the harvest is almost over and the geese may feed in the stubbles as they go. Thus they hold onto the end of October, when the roads begin to be too stiff and deep for their broad feet and short legs to march in.

The idea of managing up to 2,000 birds for perhaps three months seems a fantastically hard task to me, but it was done for centuries around many parts of the country, until the arrival of the railways changed things for ever. Turkeys could wear little leather shoes to protect their feet, something geese would not allow, so they were often driven through warm / hot tar followed by sand; this provided protection, prevented their feet from drying out and also had antiseptic qualities.

Modern day goose droving – just 500 birds!

Ashley then told us of the many and varied crops grown in and around our local area, such as hops, teasels (to raise the nap on cloth), wood, saffron (from which the famous market town got its name), flax, apples, potatoes, wheat and barley etc. Children were frequently absent from school, both for the main arable harvest and also to pick acorns for pig feed, as well as wood to burn. We were told the present school summer holiday almost certainly came from the arable harvest, with schools not breaking up until the harvest commenced. This was then entirely weather dependent as very wet weather could significantly delay the harvest; in 1879 Bulmer school did not start their summer holidays until August 28th, only returning on November 7th.

The process of gathering the harvest in began with the scythers, using the long handled variant of the sickle, with men following behind making the sheaths, or bundles of stalks held together with long stems or possibly twine. Sheaves were then collected together in bundles to dry out, a process locally known as Shocking, which is the Suffolk word for Stooking – or shraving in Essex. If it subsequently rained the sheaves had to be turned, and if blown over by the wind, picked up to complete the drying process. In order to separate the grain from the crop, stooks had to be ‘thrown up’ to the threshing machine, which required farmers to hire manual labour to complete. Harvest time was when labourers negotiated their wages and rents with landowners.

At the beginning of the harvest a dinner called the ‘Feast of the Ingathering’ was held,. At which reapers nominated one of their own as ‘Lord of the Harvest’, to act as their representative to the Lord of the Manor (the landowner who paid them for their harvest work). The Lord of the Harvest enjoyed certain honours, cutting down the first plants and the first to eat and drink at his electoral feast. A second in command was also often elected, jokily referred to as the ‘Harvest Lady’, to act as leader in the fields when the Harvest Lord was off negotiating wages. Reapers celebrated the election with ale and a drinking game, something the church disapproved of. Its hard to be too critical though, because wages for the harvest were fixed up front, and if the weather was poor and the harvest took longer, it was generally too bad and no more money was offered.

Such was the critical nature of the harvest wages we heard that this was often the only time in the year when families could put decent food on the table and perhaps buy some shoes or clothes for themselves and their children. In consequence, Gleaning, or collecting leftover crops from farmers’ fields after they had been commercially harvested (or on fields where it was uneconomic to harvest) was of crucial significance to poor families. To control the gleaning process, farmers left a single stook of sheaves, known as the gleaning policeman, in the harvest field. This signal was recognised by all in the village, and while it remained no one was to enter the field to glean. After reaping it was also common practice for farmers to rake the harvested field, in order to ensure that as many stray ears as possible were collected; alternatively he could let his pigs or fowl onto the field to pick amongst the stubble for the remaining grain.

Regulation of gleaning didn’t come just from the farmer however, as there were self imposed rules widely respected by gleaners, primarily the regulation of hours. In many parishes, the beginning and sometimes the end of the gleaner’s working day was governed by the ringing of a bell, usually the church bell, and known as the gleaning bell. Work was conducted according to these ancient customs, and women and children could be seen hurrying off in the early morning to take up their places in some distant field, though not an ear could be picked up before the gleaning bell rang. It was so important to rural societies that it was even sacred; in the Bible God explicitly ordered owners to give the poor a chance to glean in their fields, and it remained a fundamental feature of many rural societies until quite recent times.

Gleaners at work

After the harvest it was also usual for the Lord of the Harvest to go round local farm suppliers, the Wheelwright and Sadler for example, seeking Largesse with which to celebrate the gathering of the harvest, and from which our modern day harvest festivals descended. Lastly, this was also the time to catch rats and mice, with rat tails usually fetching a penny each. One old reaper told Ashley that one year his dog killed 150 rats in one session, which truly indicates the scale of the problem and the money that was on offer to eradicate these pests.

After a most memorable talk, Ashley was warmly thanked for his efforts; tea and coffee was served and many attendees stayed on for a good chat amongst themselves and to question Ashley further; it was a truly great evening.

21st November: History of Silk

With 50 years experience in the local silk trade, Richard Humphries will tell us:

• Why Sudbury today is the UK Silk capital;
• How the wool trade gave way to silk in East Anglia; and
• Why it remains the choice of fabric for our Kings and Queens.

12th December: Bonfires and Bells

Rituals and Festivals in the Medieval Suffolk Landscape.

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

Visit to Mildenhall Museum and Mildenhall Warren

If you are passing through / near to Mildenhall, I can wholeheartedly recommend you stop for an hour or so to check out their wonderfully eclectic little museum. Parking is not a problem as there is a free stay all day car park behind the large Sainsbury, which is store not far away, so there’s really no excuse.

The museum today lives in two converted flint cottages in the centre of town, converted into one building and with an extension at the back. In 2012 the Museum was awarded grants from HLF and  Forest Heath District Council, and the building was completely renovated with a long-awaited new floor.

A major new exhibit was the Anglo Saxon warrior and his horse, excavated at RAF Lakenheath and considered of international importance; another is the Mildenhall Treasure – more than thirty items of silver tableware dating from Roman Britain. This includes platters, spoons, goblets and bowls, mostly richly decorated, and because of its national importance / value, is now housed in the British Museum; authentic replicas on display give a real sense of the scope and splendour of this magnificent collection.

The Mildenhall Treasure

There is a superb Victorian printing press in the entrance lobby, used until very recently, an incredibly rare painted linen wall hanging, an alternative to expensive tapestries; unlike tapestries however, such wall hangings were usually painted / wall papered over and ultimately destroyed during subsequent renovation, perhaps centuries later, well worth a close inspection.

Victorian printing press

Linen wall hanging

Information on the wall hanging

There are domestic displays to remind you of your childhood and your granny’s house, along with items from the war, including a fantastic thermally insulated ‘onesie’ for a bomber rear gunner, along with many other items covering a vast range.

Museum displays

Bomb crew thermal onesie

There is also a 4 minute video tour of the museum available via the following link:

Video tour

Just a mile from the town centre lies Mildenhall woods which contain a rare building from the past, way back to 1,300 – Mildenhall Warren sits within nearly 1,500 acres in a very isolated spot. ‘As melancholy as a lodge in a warren’ as Benedick describes Count Claudio in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.

Owned by the Forestry Commission, which sensitively manages all the many competing interests over the forest – wood for felling, footpaths for rambling, rare plants for conservation, the warren banks (which contained the rabbits which were cultivated for fur and meat) – the woods are a great place to wander, picnic or just sit in the sun to enjoy the surroundings when deeply immersed in nature.

Mildenhall Warren Lodge before the roof was added

The lodge itself has been ‘restored’ by the tireless work of the ‘Friends of Thetford Forest’ (Mildenhall Woods are a part of the forest) and now shines a light on the life and work of an important industry. Timber for the fantastic roof was donated by the Forestry Commission, from trees within the woods, and now protects this very rare building from the ravages of the weather.

There is free any time access to the woods, and of the outside of the lodge; to see inside, one must visit when the Friends have one of their annual lodge open days. On such days, you may also have a chance to see an incredibly rare Breckland Artemesia which grows only on the southern sides of the high parts of the sandy warren banks – I have taken a photo which sadly doesn’t really do justice to such an important species – it is quite small though.

Breckland Artemesia – centre of photo

The new roof looks fantastic

Lastly there is a superb ‘Angels and Pinnacles’ church in the town – St Mary’s – which is also well worth a visit. In addition to its ‘Angel Roof’, there are superb wood carvings to the pew ends, and most unusually a small chapel built atop the entrance porch, though sadly this is now used as a storeroom and not open to the public.

View inside the church

Pew end carving

View from the rear

Angels inside the roof

There are loads of eating places to suit all budgets and tastes, so its really a great little place for a visit.

 

Our next events from our new programme will be at 7.30 in The Parish Room on Wednesday:

17th October: Harvest Home

Memories from the Sudbury/Hadleigh area, as researched by local historian and master story teller Ashley Cooper, of Gestingthorpe Roman Villa and natural history fame.

21st November: History of Silk

With 50 years experience in the local silk trade, Richard Humphries will tell us: Why Sudbury today is the UK Silk capital; How the wool trade gave way to silk in East Anglia; and why it remains the choice of fabric for our Kings and Queens.

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

Andy Sheppard                                                          4th October 2018

 

Between Heaven and Earth – A Talk by Jenny Antill

Our next event is on Wednesday 14th February, at 7.30 p.m. in the Parish Room, where Jenny Antill will present “Between Heaven & Earth, reflections on the Russian Soul over 1000 years of history”.

Together we will survey the art and history of the Russian Church, from its foundation in the 10th Century, discover the importance of the icon and the impact of C19th Slavic Revival on art / architecture, as well as the influence of religious images & ideas on soviet authorities in the 20th Century.

We know its Valentines day, but what better place to  spend an hour in the company of a loved one, jointly discovering the soul of this most baffling nation of myriad peoples.

Jenny is a brilliant speaker who has a First Class Degree in Russian Studies from the School of Eastern European and Slavonic Studies, UCL.  She has travelled widely in Russia and has given talks on Russian cultural topics at many venues, including Pushkin House, The Cambridge Russian Society, Essex University, Gainsborough’s House and last but not least Little Waldingfield.

Her knowledge of Russia, its langauage, history and culture is unsurpassed, so come along to be amazed and entertained, and to learn much about this most mysterious of countries. As Churchill once said, “Russia is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma”.

I really couldn’t put it better myself, and look forward to welcoming you on Wednesday.

 

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Zeppelin – Our Next Event

Our next event is this coming Wednesday (13th December), at 7.30 in the Parish Room, when Ian McLachlan will tell us stories from the Zeppelin raids on East Anglia 100 years ago:

• The first casualties in Great Yarmouth;
• Ditto King’s Lynn; and
• How the sky monsters were defeated.

Ian has talked to us before, and brilliantly, on the US war effort and its impact on us in ‘Overpaid, over-sexed and over here’, so we absolutely know that this talk is also going to be great.

Please make a note in your diary to ensure you don’t miss it, and as an added incentive, there will be mince pies with the tea / coffee – what’s not to like

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Superintendent Robert Branford – A Commemoration

On August 15th Little Waldingfield’s St Lawrence Church held a special commemorative service for Superintendent Robert Branford, who is believed to be the earliest mixed race police officer in the Metropolitan Police Service.

Sadly unable to attend the service, I could not write from personal experience on the day, but it seemed wrong not to record something of the life of this previously unknown resident of our village. The story was first unearthed by Stephen Bourne, a black-history author from Camberwell; with much reference to the commemorative booklet kindly produced by the West India Committee (v) and various on-line sources, here is Robert Branford’s story.

• A UK registered charity and the oldest body representative of the Commonwealth. Founded the London River Police in 1798, the oldest continuously serving police force in the world and the forerunner of the London Metropolitan Police, who were established in 1829

It seems that Robert’s birth date is unsure – his police pension record states May 1817 whilst census records (every 10 years from 1841) indicate both 1819 and 1820. He was born in Stoke by Nayland, a small village in the Suffolk countryside often referred to as Constable Country, to Daniel (a bailiff) and Sarah Branford. Very little is known of Robert’s childhood. He was literate, a requirement of the Metropolitan Police whom he joined on 14th September 1838, following recommendations from Superintendent Grinsell of L Division and Charles Pearson of Stoke by Nayland. Less than 10 years old at this time, the Metropolitan Police reflected London’s expanding diversity, an essential element for successful community policing as pioneered by the Thames River Police. As Warrant No. 14153 he served his entire career in M Division (Southwark), stationed at Stone’s End Police Station in Montague Street, Southwark.

On 12th January 1841 Robert married Sarah Honey at Holy Trinity Church in Newington, now the Henry Wood Hall, Southwark. Sarah was the daughter of labourer Arthur Honey and quite possibly illiterate at the time as marriage records refer to her mark rather than her signature. According to the 1841 census they were living in Bermondsey.

On 9th December 1846 Robert was promoted to Sergeant, and then to Inspector on 25th April 1851. The latter promotion was temporary because it appears he was demoted a couple of months later, for reasons unspecified, but happily permanently promoted to Inspector on 27th May 1852. Around this time the couple (who never had any children) were living at 10 Weston Place in Bermondsey, in a house shared with another policeman William Fidge and his wife Eliza Jane; possibly this accommodation was attached to the job. His final promotion was on 10th April 1856 to the rank of Superintendent.

During this period Robert commanded and made a great impression upon a young officer called Cavanagh, who subsequently rose to the rank of Chief Inspector himself. In his memoirs, Cavanagh described Robert as “Not an educated man, but what to my idea was of much greater importance, he possessed a thorough knowledge of police matters in general”.

Robert Branford retired from the force on 17th October 1866, at which time he was described as being 5 ft 10 inches tall – very tall for the age. He retired with a pension of £166 13s and 4d a year, equivalent to a little over £18,100 today, when living in Brunswick Road in Southwark.

He was much commended for his performance during trials by Mr Burcham, a magistrate at Southwark Court, who said that “He had known Mr Branford some years at this court and regretted very much that he had lost his valuable services; he hoped Mr Branford would, on his retirement, enjoy good health and be comfortable for the remainder of his days” – South London Press 3rd November 1866.

Shortly after his retirement the couple moved to Little Waldingfield, where Robert died on 14th August 1869 aged just 49, apparently from kidney disease; he left an estate of under £100 for his widow. As the Branford’s were not living in the village in 1861 they do not appear on that years census; Sarah worked as a domestic servant until her death in 1881, presumably in the village though there is no record of her living here as a servant or as a lodger in either the 1871 or 1881 census; there is therefore no record of their village address(es).

Sarah was subsequently buried with her husband in St Lawrence churchyard whilst sadly no photo of Robert or Sarah has thus far been uncovered.

Lastly, some words of thanks:

• To the Metropolitan Police Service for holding this service for a very special officer;
• To the West India Committee for producing such an excellent memorial service brochure;
• To Stephen Bourne for unearthing a wonderful story that should be remembered; and
• David Lamming for the photos of the brochure, at the graveside and in the church.

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Our new programme of events kicks off next month, on Wednesday 20th in the Parish Room, Church Road with Sarah Doig’s tale of ‘The A to Z of Curious Suffolk’. Sarah is a great friend of LWHS trustees and an absolutely brilliant speaker; this talk is based on her recent book of the same name, and will be a romp through rolling countryside along the shingled coastline of Suffolk to unearth an alphabetical cornucopia of strange, spooky & mysterious facts about the county.

I for one cannot wait to hear what she has to say about our lovely county.