Drawn from the Autumn 2000 issue of
Civic Focus. Full details from
the HadSoc Secretary.
Heritage Review
The Civic
Trust has responded to the English Heritage formulation of a new strategy with
a ten-point action plan, which includes the following
1.
Higher skills in local authorities through training and professional
development.
2.
The duty of care on owners of heritage properties should be backed by improved
tax incentives and grants.
3.
Improve public understanding, particularly for young people.
4.
Praise and reward good practices.
5.
Research the social benefits of heritage management.
6.
Strengthen regional identities through local networks and awards.
7.
More encouragement, training and specific roles (as informal guardians) for
civic societies.
8.
Improve third party rights in planning.
9.
National Government should set a better example in its own heritage
activities.
10.
Raise the standard of every park and green space.
Phone Box Clutter
Unsightly
visual clutter, which degrades the quality of the street environment, is how
the Civic Trust describes a new rash of advertisements in British Telecom’s
telephone boxes which began to appear in Spring of this year. By early
October, Phone Sites, the company which sells the sites on BT’s behalf had
placed advertisements in around 9000 boxes, some in conservation areas and
adjacent to listed buildings. This is only a small proportion of the final
number.
The Civic
Trust condemns the use of public telephone boxes as advertising hoardings. “British
Telecom is pushing its luck”, says Mike Gwilliam, Director of the Civic
Trust. “First it scrapped most of the K2 boxes designed by Giles Gilbert
Scott and replaced them with utilitarian kiosks. Now the new boxes are being
defaced with advertising clutter to make a quick profit. Blocking the view
through the boxes conceals anti-social activity, making pedestrians feel
insecure”. The Civic Trust also believes that the advertisements compromise
public safety in other ways. Members of the National CCTV User Group have
reported that criminal activity such as drug dealing, making malicious calls
and phone box vandalism is taking place where the view of the interior of the
box is obscured from CCTV surveillance.
The Civic
Trust is compiling a dossier of telephone box advertising. Readers are invited
to send Ben Webster, their organiser, photographs of any examples found -
telephone 020 7389 1375.
On 28th November Clive Paine treated the Hadleigh Society to
another of his inimical entertainments. Although
supported by visual aids his performance upheld the best traditions of
storytelling, recounting a story with a Suffolk base but much wider
connections.
Mary, Queen of France, ended her days as the Duchess of
Suffolk, died in 1533 aged just 38 and was buried in Bury St Edmunds.
As daughter of Henry VII of England she was educated in several
languages in preparation for her role on the international dynastic scene.
When she was 3 he engaged her to the Count of Milan in the typical way
of cementing an alliance. As sister of Henry VIII she was very close to his
affections, and his greatest warship, Mary Rose, was named after her.
At 13 she went through a proxy marriage ceremony with
Charles of Castile but when Louis XII of France was widowed Henry saw a
greater opportunity for political gain and Mary went through the process of
proxy marriage with the 58-year-old French king.
Erasmus commented at the time that this would lead to England being
united with all the states of Europe. The
final ceremony was supported by casts of hundreds, with the Dukes of Norfolk
and Suffolk playing leading roles. Charles
Brandon, Duke of Suffolk even had to defeat and kill the German mercenary
champion of the French court in the jousting that followed the ceremony. Mary’s
coronation followed but 56 days later Louis died.
Once it was clear that Mary was not pregnant she again
became a political property to be traded, but pre-empted by persuading Charles
Brandon to marry her secretly. Charles
had been brought up in the Royal Court and it is quite possible that he had
always been Mary’s true love. After
protracted negotiations to return to England the couple finally confronted
Henry, and at some cost of land, Charles made his peace with the King.
The couple lived in London at Suffolk Place in
Southwark, and at several properties around Suffolk, including at Westhorpe
beyond Stowmarket. Mary continued to use the title ‘Queen of France’ and
this may well be the origin of many ‘Queen’s …’ place names around the
county.
We learned last month of the mediaeval rituals
associated with death but Mary’s surpassed all that, with a procession of
1500 people from Westhorpe to Bury. Neither
Charles nor Henry was at the burial, having other business and Charles married
within months.
In 1545, when the Mary Rose sank, Henry asked
Charles to organise its salvage. He
visited the scene, and died in his bed that night. It was not until Victoria’s reign that the British royal
family fulfilled Erasmus’ prediction.
A brief autobiography from The
Reverend Canon John Griffin
‘Suffolk
born and Suffolk bred, Strong in the arm and thick in the head.’
I need make no
disclaimer about the head, for I was not born in Suffolk. My father was a
Worcester man who came to this county to be Rector of a pair of small villages
near Kessingland when I was 12½, and since then I have only lived elsewhere
when at school or college. As for being strong in the arm? Well, as I have
often said, ‘The Lord gave me good muscles, and my father taught me how to
use them!’, for my inclinations from childhood have been practical rather
than academic.
My ministry
began in 1938 at Bramford and, when war came, school boy military training
came in useful for arms drill with our Home Guard collection of Boer War
relics and shot guns: of the kind now seen on pub chimney breasts. Later, the
Bishop sent me to Halesworth, whereas he had been asked to allow me to apply
for a naval chaplaincy. Halesworth had once been connected to the sea via some
locks built on the river Blyth. Both there, and at Bramford, days off and
holidays were spent working on farms, and working an orchard to pay the rent
of a house.
In 1944 there
was a mini tornado that had sheets of lead on the church roof flapping like
wet dishcloths, and much fun was had hanging from the end of a rope as they
were beaten back into place. When VE day came the organist’s son was sent up
a ladder to reeve a new flag halyard, and it was not until he had done so that
we discovered the wooden pole was as rotten as the proverbia1 pear, and the
boy could easily have been catapulted onto the nave roof 40 feet below. This
required a rush job fabricating a steel mast some 30ft high at the local
engineering works: also a l4ft x7 ft wooden cross, stayed by army telephone
wire, and illuminated by a pair of enormous old fashioned car headlamps. These
made a fine sight from the A12 at Blythburgh.
In the summer
of 1946 I moved to Stratford St.Mary and strict instructions were left about
the very temporary quality of the sash cord holding the l6ft topmast of the
flagstaff, and the wire guys of the cross. Unfortunately these were not
heeded: another gale caused the cross to sail over the churchyard like a
glider, and the descending topmast to punch a hole in the roof of the tower.
At Stratford
the rectory, bought in 1938, was an enlarged cottage that was standing in
1442; it was a wet summer, and an apron of roofing felt had to be spread
across the front bedroom floor to let the water out through a hole knocked in
the wall; and the aforesaid wall had to be shored up by a pair of young elm
trees cut from the paddock; until it could be underpinned and the bulge held
with tie rods. Work on the poor old place lasted three years, and after 15 a
new one was built to my late wife’s and my design.
I was moved
into Hadleigh as assistant curate in March 1972 and began to learn something
of local politics - an interesting subject - and Hilary and I were married in
the early summer to live at No. 5 Brett Avenue. She was regularly placed in
charge of the Ipswich Hospitals as deputy matron, but our marriage survived
the disconnected timetables of church and medicine until, on the eve of my
60th birthday, the Bishop sent me to five small and very independent parishes
North of Wickham Market. There he suggested we ‘camp out’ in one of the
two vacant rectories until another should be built: meanwhile £50 was handed
over to put our choice to rights. But we only camped out on holidays so, once
again the house, a lovely, late Georgian mansion this time, had to be attended
to: it was about 11 years before a new one was acquired.
After 5½
years the soles of my shoes were becoming thin; and since Hilary’s house in
Church Street needed much doing to it, and retirement age was past, I retired;
to become architect, carpenter and joiner once more.
My ordination
vows had nothing to do with bricks and mortar; but, in between equipping two
churches with heating, their church halls with loos, and myself with
accommodation, the attempt has also been made to present faith in Christ Jesus
as a sensible way to resolve many difficulties. In retirement here I became a
founder member of our Society and its first Chairman. Now, having recently
past four score years and seven, the attractions of a more comfortable chair
and a good book are hard to resist. It is important to know when to retire!
Next
Meeting: The History group
goes back 120 years
This year is the two hundredth anniversary of the first
census of the United Kingdom. Except for the war years a census has been taken
every ten years. The full details collected for each household become
available to the public only after a 100 years. When, in the 1980’s, we
started putting Hadleigh census data into a computer we chose the most
recently available, which was for 1881. In
1987 we used this data, together with information from the Hadleigh Archive
and the Ipswich Record Office to put together a presentation to the Society
describing life and some of the events in our town during the year of 1881.
Now, thirteen years on and one hundred and twenty years
from the events described we have revised the script, added some pictures and
invite you to join us again for a look back at the “good old days”
Find out why a woman died because her husband didn’t
have a Guinea, why the schools were closed for seven weeks, why the fire
brigade couldn’t get to a fire in Aldham, why a petition was raised by
residents in the High Street, who’s servants included a Lady’s Maid and a
Footman and where was the shop we’ve used as our poster?
If you would find it more convenient why not renew your
Society membership by standing order or by becoming a LIFE MEMBER - for just
£70 or £100 jointly? Much of
our efforts and the newsletter reproduction and distribution rely on your
prompt renewal of subscriptions. If
you're interested have a word with our membership Secretary Rosemary Schade on
01473 824009.
Nominations are invited from any member of the Hadleigh
Society for an award to be made in recognition of 'Outstanding improvements
to, or conservation of, Hadleigh's buildings or environment'
In
deciding to make an award the Society's Executive Committee and any
expert they may wish to 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 details of the improvement
made or of work carried out and should be sent to reach the Hon. Secretary,
The Hadleigh Society c/o 134 Benton Street, Hadleigh, Suffolk, IP7 5AZ, by 1st
April 2001.
From time to time we get requests from people whose
family used to live in Hadleigh. Sometimes
they want to learn more about Hadleigh or about their ancestors.
Here are some of these calls for information; if you can help then
please contact the website editor, Graham Panton (see details on back page).
From: PG, of Fayette, Mo.
USA
I am descended from Rowland Taylor and would like to
find out more about the family and Hadleigh in general. When my grandfather died about 40 years ago, we lost all
contact with his family in the UK.
From: NTR (local)
I am trying to find out some information about Reverend
Mason, whom I understand was a pastor in the town. He painted some wall panels
at Odds and Ends on the High Street.
From: SM
I am a local amateur historian in Somerville, Massachusetts. In 1630 John
Winthrop of Groton, the first Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony,
established a farm here in what was then known as part of Charlestown.
I am seeking to research the history of Winthrop's home in Groton,
particularly the topography of Groton and of the Winthrop property at Groton
Hall or Groton Place.
From: JV, The Netherlands
We are searching for a Paleologus family.
My wife may be a descendant of this famous Greece family.
One of them had married with Mary, daughter of William Ball of Hadleigh
in Suffolk in Cottingham, 1st May 1600. Please
can you tell us something about this woman and her family: where did they
live, is there a picture available about the wedding, where was the marriage,
in which church, did they have children, where came this Paleologus from(we
did hear from Italy), where did they live?
Thanks a lot for your help.
From: NC
Having just come across your web site I was wondering
if any photographs of the Hadleigh Royal Observer Corps Post ever turned up.
From: S, Canada
I am searching for data that would help me build this
family history of mine. Seems my
grandparents met and married while they were in service about 1893, perhaps in
London, as that is where they both were working. My grandmother was the pastry cook for some doctor and I
believe my grandfather worked at a harness shop.
No documentation, just family stories. Shortly after they married,
moved to Canada and started a new life for themselves and all connection with
the UK just stopped. Funny this
should happen as I know my grandmother had a large family.
We have a picture of all of them.
Back of the old postcard says Aberystwyth, Wales.
A young family, late teens or twenty-somethings and one very old woman,
perhaps their mother. Searching
for record of the birth of Edward William Mann, born March 4, 1875, Hadleigh
Heath, Suffolk, England. My own
Dad is in his 90th year and never had any family to speak of except his own
immediate one. Makes one start to think of their own mortality etc.
Would be great to find some documentation regarding Edward William
Mann. It would give our roots
just a little more depth, if you know what I mean.
I do have his Statement of Service in the Canadian Armed Forces WW1 and
on this document it lists Hadleigh Heath as the place of birth. Any
information that you could come up with will be very much appreciated.
