Feniton History Group held the 76th Meeting in the Nog Inn

Another lively evening!! 
 I have been contacted by a gentleman asking if he could do a Talk on Dowsing,
Mr Palmer, was decided to look at this later in the year as we are rather busy over the coming months.

 Our Events: 
Railway Display in the Nog Inn on Sat. 18th March, we can sort  the detail next meeting. There will be 30 to 40 guests. This is for the General Steam Navigation Locomotive Restoration Society AGM.

We have the Church Screen talk on Thurs 20th April we will need to set this up at the March meeting.

Brenda has some excellent articles in the magazine of late, hope you have read them.
Love the one entitled Feniton’s Very Own Dad’s Army, by Brian Carnall.  Alan’s article on 19th Century Travel and the  Feniton Inn,  aka, Parr Cottage history is fascinating too.

Thank you Jenny for helping with the school project on the Battle at Fenny Bridges, we have both received a lovely “Thank You“ cards from the whole class, one pupil told us we will make wonderful teachers when we qualify!! We found the youngsters so polite and interested.

The Feniton Neighbourhood Plan Group are looking at unregistered heritage assets and green spaces, it was thought that most towns have wonderful parks, but not so in the villages.

Will tells us he is starting a Geological job in London so won't be down in Devon for many, many months. He will make contact when job ends but it may be next year.  Very best wishes to all at the History Group.  We will miss his company, take  care Will.

Chris Saunders can report to the meeting that the funding level for the Patteson Cross refurbishment  project has now met the expenditure thanks to a donation from Patteson House at The King's School and a grant from Ottery Town Council. The latter does still have to be ratified by full council sometime soon. The Commutation and rededication took place this month.

Chris attended the Tony Beard Memorial Service in Exeter Cathedral, many memories of a fine Devon man. Sadly, missed by all who knew him, personally and as a presenter on Radio Devon

Geoff  reported on the following finds while volunteering in the Devon Heritage Centre: 
 Records from the Exeter camera club now in DRO, he  gave details of an outing to Powerham Castle  with a heavy plate cameras, they got lost,  left  the camera on  the train, fell over the wall in the deer park,  got off at the wrong station on the way back ! Their trips were always an escapade it seems.

Archaeological papers detail a Neolithic dew pond  and pebble bed road. 

Army recruiting letters and copies and replies in Muster rolls for Devon Napoleonic wars and later.

Caster Castle, the cottage where the gardener for Feniton Court lived, past the Old School on the right on the Curscombe Road.  Alan went there before the war with his father as keen gardeners, the sub gardener lived there. The head gardener lived in Thorn Cottage, Mr Hapgood.   Christopher Flood was a Honiton Banker and had financial interests in mauch of the property in Feniton.

Christopher Flood notes,  he was called “King Caster” one of the Pot Wallop voters. More on this at this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potwalloper  Honiton was one of these seats.
His daughter is mentioned in the List of Feniton Rectors.

Henry Erskine HEAD        1828-1860
He was born on 9th January 1797, the seventh son of James Roper Head of Rochester. He married Elizabeth Flood of Honiton, daughter of Christopher Flood, on the 15th December 1823. He was at one time Chaplain to the King of Hanover. He was installed on 4th July 1828 - presented by John Rogers of Honiton, Druggist. During his period in office the church was in a bad state of repair and urgent restoration was carried out in 1836. He either died in Feniton on 16th May 1860 aged 63 or in London on 17h May 1860. (There are two accounts giving different locations and dates!) There is a memorial to him on the North wall of the chancel. Not buried in Feniton. He and his wife had 5 babies die between 1830 and 1836 in Feniton, 4 boys and a girl. Just one child survived, Margaret.
 We nattered about how researching has changed over the years, from looking at the actual documents, and trailing to London,  now it is all on line, back then you had to trawl the actual files.

 Bob’s holiday saw the 1st snow in Spain for 91 years. He told us how important the “right”  language is in  Valencia, it must be the local lingo.

Brenda,  asked if we could advise us of anyone who were  at the Feniton school 50 years  ago when it moved to the new site. Pupils in 1950s  and 1960s may have memories. 
 
 Alan was asked to find the origins of the The Hardy Wine family, they seem to hail from Stockland, not Gittisham, as thought, but of course they could have lived there  before he emigrated, the enquirer thanked us for our efforts.  

 A point was raised by Jackie as to how the village streets are named? Found this on a government website:
City, borough and district councils allocate postal numbers to houses and buildings in their area. They also name new roads and streets.
The council involves the land developer in the street naming process. They invite suggestions and possible alternative names from the developer. These street names with postal numbers go before council for approval.
But over the years these change due to new developments and war damage etc.
Thanks to all for a fascinating evening.

Next meeting in the Nog Inn on 2nd March 2017.