Change of plan

The talk with Chris Wakefield in Feniton Church on Thurs 30th April at 7:30 goes ahead as planned,

but,

sad to report that we have to postpone the stone unveiling and the boundary walk,   on 10th May, until September, two reasons,

One. The stone is on the high seas somewhere between China and India!!! Delivery date unknown.

Two. Farmer, Husband, Boss and Son have asked that we don't walk across the cropped fields at this time of year!!


Thank you and we look forward to seeing you all on the 30th.

Feniton History Group held the 58th Meeting

What an interesting evening, many thanks to Roger who dropped by to share with us his interest in Fenny Bridges Mill. He has a death certificate gleaned for his interest in postal history. The certificate relates to Edward Coombe, Miller who died in 1840 and buried at St Anne's Chapel, but the graves there where re interred at Feniton Church. This is the inscription on the grave:

Edward COOMBE  of Feniton Mills in this Parish who gave land for the building of this Chapel 
d. 10.3.1840 in 44TH year of age
Also in the same vault  Sarah COOMBE his wife  d. 9.1.1860
(re-interred from Fenny Bridges Chapel 1949) 

Roger explained the marks on the folded death certificate gave the date of receipt and  the recipient would have paid the postage, envelopes were not used to the cost down.

More can be read here:



Regarding the roads in the village Jo kindly sent this note:

My Dad used to tell me  that he remembered the remains of the 'old road' which come down through a cleft in the rock behind Nap Cottage.  A cross road went North to Rutts at the top of the rise where Rutts Lane is now. 
He said there was an old woman's  cottage built into the cliff at the back of Nap Cottage garden and he and his mates used to climb up above it and drop stones on the roof.  I think it was of corrugated iron so they were typical little horrors!!  [Alan said his father was one of the little horrors!]
He remembered the new road being built as the Council needed to buy some of the Glebe Lands belonging to the Rectory (then Feniton House) and they lowered Broad Road gradually as it rose towards the Station so that the slope to Rutts was passable too.  They built the wall along the length of the Glebe Lands so as to keep the field up instead of buying more land to make a slope.
When I was on the Parish Council, Devon County wrote to ask who owned that wall as it was in bad condition.  I was able to give them the above details and to assure them that they owned it themselves!  To my knowledge, no repair work has ever been carried out by them since that date!!    Jo Chown 

Thank you Jo.

 Our work on the display for the Patteson Event  was very well received, thank you, the credit goes to all who helped.  Jackie went on the walk  to Alfington and a wonderful spread was lovely put on by Alfington Church.
Geoff explained there are still van loads of documents, including letters to Santa!!,   to be indexed and sorted in the Devon Heritage Centre, a work in progress.
 
Brenda asked us for photos suitable for the Parish Magazine cover, must have good definition to reproduce in black and white.

Memories of the snow in 1963 were discussed.  

Our earlier discussions on the coach Bishop Patteson would have taken to the train at Cullompton led Brenda to spot a print in an auction sale at Ottery of Russell's Flying Wagons.
 This link is very interesting:


Brenda also found out that Russell bought farms along the route to rest the horses, one being at Redloft Farm Offwell, no longer there now.

The railways, of course changed all this.  Brenda's great grandfather worked on the construction and was killed in a fall while working on a tunnel at Fowey in 1874.

Bill reported he is working with David to carve oak name plaques to place on the pews with coats  of arms on so that the families are identified to visitors. He has also kindly offered to make one for the History Group to place by our displays, following Brenda saying we should have put our name up on the boards to say we had done the work on the boards. Thank you Bill.

Our next event is the talk with Chris Wakefield from Ottery Heritage on Boundaries in the Church on 30th April. To be followed by the Rogation and Beating the Bounds walk on 10th May.

The Friends of St. Andrew's are holding a Wedding Dress display in the Church weekend of the 16th May. Brenda is writing up the history of wedding dresses to accompany the dresses.  

Our next meeting will be on Thurs. 7th May in the Nog Inn.

To close we must pass on our Congratulations to David and Sheila on the celebration of their Golden Wedding Anniversary.  


Talk on Boundaries

Feniton History Group invite
you to a Talk on Boundaries
in St. Andrew's Church Feniton
on Thursday 30th April at 7 :30 pm.
 Chris Wakefield of Ottery Heritage Society will be the speaker.
Admission £3.00 to include Coffee and Biscuits.