The Hadleigh SocietyJuly 1990
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HADLEIGH SOCIETY NEWSLETTER -
JUNE AND JULY 1990

AGM

NOEL TURNER AWARD

THE RED ROSE

PLANNING

ENVIRONMENTAL

HISTORY

THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING - Wednesday 27th June 1990

In his address as outgoing Chairman Noel Turner reminded all members present that there had been six Society meetings during the past year with numerous Environmental and History Group meetings.

The year had also seen the formation of the new Planning Sub-Committee of the Executive Committee under Peggy Crabtree and Douglas Wood to look into and respond promptly to planning and development matters. The Executive Committee itself had met six times during the year meeting in the private homes of members for which we were most grateful.

The venue for Society meetings has remained East House but regrettably we shall soon need to find suitable alternative accommodation and to this end a special team is to be formed to look into the matter and to recommend a programme of speakers and events for 1990/1991. If members have any comments or suggestions we should be pleased to hear from them.

During the year there was a visit to the 15th century Leez Priory by arrangement with John Bloomfield who, later with wife Tricia, kindly opened their historic home and gardens for our enjoyment, for which we thank them both.

A scrapbook and diary of Hadleigh events has continued to be kept by our two official ‘recorders’ Paul Garrod and Jim Betteridge - the latter continuing to edit the newsletter. We are indebted also to Graham Panton and his employers British Telecom for faithfully producing the newsletter copy at minimal cost. Whilst on the subject we should not forget to thank Peter Boulton and his most tolerant staff for use of their office and local photocopying facilities. This is to say nothing of the series of splendidly distinctive Hadleigh Society posters designed and produced throughout the year by Joe Byrne for which we are most grateful.

It was also appropriate to thank our group of volunteer helpers who quietly get on with making tea and coffee and rustling up the odd ‘cheese and wine’ from time to time and, perhaps just as importantly, tackling the washing up afterwards. Here may we add more volunteers are always most welcome.

Noel went on to thank all officers and members of the Executive Committee, the Environmental Group (past and present) and the stalwarts of the History Group, for all the hard work put in freely on our behalves, throughout the year to maintain the Society’s high ideals and in supporting his chairmanship.

There would, no doubt, be changes from time to time in the future but with the continued support of the membership our retiring chairman felt confident that we should continue to go from strength to strength seeking to achieve the aims of the Society expressed in our 1982 constitution which he’d helped to compile.

Before handing the meeting over to the new chairman, Noel read out the names of the officers of the new Executive Committee and concluded by presenting the Society with one of his Auctioneering gavels ,for use as the Chairman’s gavel to keep future meetings in order, for which he was duly thanked.

On taking over, Graham Panton completed the naming of the new Executive Committee (as below) and invited the Rev. Canon John Griffin to reply to Noel’s farewell Address as Society Chairman.

In responding to this invitation, John Griffin whilst pleading not to have acquired the ‘fatal eloquence’ of the preacher without humility, said that he had known Noel Turner for many years and, as one of the Founder members of the Society, Noel had held various posts over the years, giving us the benefit of his great experience and expert knowledge. He had been Vice-Chairman for some years and Chairman for the past 12 months. We all owed Noel a great deal for his work for the Society and for always maintaining the highest standards. In thanking Noel for his services over such a long period and, notwithstanding the cause of his retirement from office, it was hoped that he would continue to contribute to our progress for many years to come.

The Executive Committee for 1990/1991 will be as follows:

Chairman   Graham Panton
Vice-Chairman   John Bloomfield
Treasurer   Paul Garrod
Secretary   Jim Betteridge

The committee will be:

Jan Byrne
Sally Looker
Douglas Wood
Gordon Sutcliffe
Peggy Crabtree
Environmental Group Michael Greenwood
History Group Joe Byrne

N.B.

(i) Ben Allen stands down from membership of the Executive Committee under the 5-year rule but has agreed to continue as non-voting Membership Secretary for which we are most grateful.

(ii) There being only the above nominations for office no election was necessary under the Society’s Constitution.

THE HADLEIGH SOCIETY NOEL TURNER AWARD

Following the Rev. Canon’s address and the tacit approval of Noel Turner, it was proposed by John Bloomfield and seconded by Ben Allen that the Society’s award in recognition for ‘Outstanding improvements to, or conservation of, Hadleigh’s buildings or environment’, considered annually, shall in future be known as ‘The Hadleigh Society Noel Turner Award’.

The motion was carried unanimously and nominations for the award are invited from Society members for this year’s consideration. You should bear in mind that in deciding to make an award your committee and any experts that they may consult will be considering how sympathetic the work is with its surroundings and how well it integrates with them. They will expect all work to display a high quality of workmanship and to be an example of good practice.

Nominations should include sufficient details of the improvement or work carried out to enable the committee to decide whether an award should be made.

Nominations should be received by the Secretary before 1st January 1991.

"ONE RED ROSE" - An explanation from ‘W.A.B. Jones

President of the Hadleigh Society

 

Historical study is a search for truth. What is the truth about the Clopton’s Red Rose?  We have to go a long way back in history. After the Norman Conquest England was divided into local economic units or manors. The Lord occupied the best house. The land was divided into strips of about an acre. The Lord kept some - his demesne. The rest was shared among the villagers - the villeins.

Practically no money existed. The tenants paid no rent but had to work some days each week on the Lord’s demense. Tenants did not like this because they had to sow and harvest the Lord’s crops before their own. So when money came into use, most tenants "commuted" their services for money payments to the Lord. This suited the Lord, for he could then hire willing labourers, instead of compelling sulky villeins.

Willian Syre, in Hadleigh, for example, paid 2s.13/4d annually, by five instalments. By 1600, all servile tenure had ended. Tenants held their lands by "copyhold" - their copy of the entry on the Manorial Roll which recorded their rental.

These "rentals" stayed frozen for centuries. It certainly checked inflation. The Lords then began to find that to collect these small rents was more trouble than it was worth. So if a tenant paid, say, seven years or so in advance, they "enfranchised" his lands, which then became freehold, and were released from these payments for ever. As "enfranchisement" spread, the Lord’s annual income dwindled to nothing.

Richard Berney, Lord of Toppesfield, for example, in 1726 received £5.15s.11/2d, in amounts from 2d to 14s. So "Lord of the Manor" became merely an empty title, and in 1922 Parliament abolished all these obsolete feudal tenures and payments, and any remaining copyhold land was made freehold.

Kentwell Hall came into the Clopton family when Sir Thomas Clopton (d.1383) married Katherine Mylde of Kentwell Hall. She died in 1403, leaving Kentwell to her son, Sir william Clopton of Toppesfield. Sir William transferred his rights to hold a market and fair in Hadleigh to 15 trustees, the Hadleigh Market Feoffment, in 1438 and died in 1446. His son, another Sir William, added, we are told, the Guildhall building also, for the annual rent of one red rose. This was not an uncommon arrangement. The Feoffment for many years rented Nokes, a property in Shelley, in the same way. Cyril Cook and the writer have worked on the town’s documents for more than 25 years, and have not found these two grants, though they were recorded in the last century. However, when the archives came to us, we found one box had suffered so badly from damp and mice that its contents were only illegible fragments. So perhaps this explains the absence of these grants.

The Cloptons found Kentwell a better house than Toppesfield, so they moved to Kentwell, and lost interest in Hadleigh. In 1470 they sold Toppesfield to the Bendysshe family, who were related to them by marriage, and this, of course, included any right to receive the red rose. Since then, the same manorial rights have been passed, by purchase or inheritance, to numerous owners. The Cloptons parted with them 520 years ago, and in any case, the 1922 Act would have extinguished them.

However, the visits of the Clopton family are an excuse for a pleasing ceremony

- long may it continue!

(The family have, of course, recently visited Hadleigh from the U.S.A. and were duly presented with one red rose, by the deputy Mayor. Ed.)

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PLANNING SUB -COMMITTEE REPORT FOR PERIOD FROM 10th MAY 1990

 

Planning Applications

Total number advertised   21
Properties affected   19
Including:—
Listed Building applications   6
Others affecting the Conservation Area   7

Apart from 2 recent applications all have been examined by the Chairman and Secretary and it has not been necessary to make any representations.

1A Queen Street

A letter has been sent to the Babergh District Council regarding the unauthorised lettering on the doorcase of this property and will be followed—up.

The proposed ‘Frog Hall Lane’ Development

A letter dated 4th June from Babergh District Council informs the Society that consent for this has been refused and a further application has been sent to appeal. Formal notice from the DOE of a local Inquiry into the appeal has now been received. It will take place at the Council offices at 10.00 a.m. on Tuesday the 10th July 90. The written representations already made by the Society on traffic management and sewage disposal relating to this scheme will be placed before the Inspector. It is therefore not considered necessary to give any further evidence at the Inquiry.

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ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP

Chairman : Michael Greenwood (Telephone 824477)

The new group Chairman has made a good start and together with John Bloomfield, who recently stood down from the post to become Society Vice-Chairman, is busy putting up improvement schemes.

Michael is looking forward to welcoming any Society member interested in Environmental or conservation matters, in their widest sense, to the various informal get-togethers he plans.

If you would like further information on group activities, do give Michael a ring on the above telephone number or simply turn-up at the next get-together at 94 Benton St., Hadleigh on Friday 2oth July at 8 p.m. and find out.

Cash for Trash — or Recycling

East House are still collecting newspapers and aluminium cans etc., for cash towards funds for a new Community Centre. Alternatively, do use the town’s new CAN BANK next to the BOTTLE BANK in the Magdalen Rd. car park.

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HISTORY GROUP

Chairman : Joe Byrne (Telephone 822192)
Secretary Sally Looker( .. 825842)

As reported at the A.G.M. work is well in hand for the production of our booklet on ‘1881’ which it is aimed to have ready for your Christmas shopping!.

The next group meeting will be on Thursday 19th July at 106 High St., Hadleigh commencing at 7.30 p.m. for any member who would like to join in.

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NEXT SOCIETY MEETING - Address by J.J.Stansfield C Eng. FICE. FIHT.

Our next talk will be on WEDNESDAY 26th SEPTEMBER at East House on the subject of TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT from the County Surveyor himself - not to be missed!!

Editor : Jim Betteridge