Articles and Updates | Page 5 of 14 | The Wychwoods Local History Society

A Winter’s Tale in the Wychwoods: Our Latest Milton Library Exhibition

To complement our latest photo-sampler exhibition in the The Wychwoods Library in Milton, here we revisit a few recent and historic weather events courtesy of WLHS members and other contributors locally.

Shipton in the Snow

First-off, we were pleased to find this superb aerial view of Shipton under Wychwood created by Hamish Fenton, which forms part of his library of Shipton images.

From around 2am on Dec 10th 2017, around 6 inches of snow had fallen with temperatures around freezing. Trees heavily loaded with snow brought powerlines down resulting in no electricity for most of the village and some neighbouring areas.

More of Hamish’s Shipton images are h ere .

Revelations in the Snow

In Jim Pearse’s article ( here), he explains the abandoned benefits of the old ridge and furrow system. The width of modern machinery – drills, sprayers and combines – causes difficulties on ridge and furrowed land. They hit the ridges too hard and miss the furrows. Jim tells us this is the main reason for the modern levelling of these fields.

Ridge and furrow in the Evenlode valley looking south from the Ascott Road near Shipton. Ridge and furrow often shows up clearly in frost or snow (as here), or in the early morning or late evening in oblique, low sunlight.

But ridge and furrow has an advantage on grassland since, after prolonged heavy rain, a flat field will be waterlogged whilst furrows channel away all the excess water allowing the ridges to dry more rapidly. We witness the effects in recent years, and this year included, of prolonged rain on fields locally.

Another Discovery

Here [ Link ] was another contribution from local resident Ian Sanders. Again, the arrival of a dusting of snow can reveal hitherto invisible lines in the landscape.

Old course of the Evenlode from Shipton bridge

On Sunday 24th January 2021 the snow came, transforming the landscape, and revealed a watercourse running across the field to the left of the Evenlode as you look northwards from the bridge.

Ian tells us that if we compare this to the 1830 map of the area, we see that the river did not run straight to the bridge as now, but meandered across this field in very much the same pattern as the watercourse that shows up in this snowy scene.

If this watercourse is in fact the old course of the river, then it confirms the accuracy of the 1830 map.

Weather Related Features – The Wychwood Magazine

Readers of The Wychwood magazine are regularly updated by the weather reports of local meteorological expert John Miskin. Examples of his reports can be found h ere, and h ere.

In his 2018 article “Let’s Talk About the Wea ther” , John mentions particularly the winter of 1981/2. This winter features also in a couple of the images in our January 2024 library display.

Joey out for his walk in January 1982 in Ascott Road

Large digger from local quarry in Shipton High Street. Spent days clearing snow in January 1982 from Chipping Norton road and then the village roads

John tells us that 1981/2 was particularly hit by snow, when over 40cm of snow fell in December and January. It was on the night of the 12/13th January 1982 that he recorded the lowest temperature of -20.7°C (-5.2°F). In fact, it is possible that the temperature could have been as low as -22°C in the frost hollow 450 metres on the Ascott Road heading away from Shipton.

The thermometer reading from the night of 12th/13th January 1982

The maximum temperature on the 13th was only -9.8°C (14.3°F) after a particularly heavy snowfall and under clear skies.

Here are some images of winter 1982 in and around Shipton from John’s collection

.. and finally, for now…

Log Barn Ascott under Wychwood in the Snow — Long Barn – Ascott under Wychwood

Our January 2024 Evening Talk: Cemeteries of Oxford : more than a Century of History

Speaker: Trevor Jackson

Subject: ‘Cemeteries of Oxford : more than a Century of History’

26 members with 4 guests attended our first talk of the year, a fair attendance for a cold January evening.

Our speaker was Trevor Jackson, who had previously given us a talk on the history of RAF Brize N orton. This time his subject took us through the history and development of the cemeteries in Oxford.

Background

Between 2005 and 2017 Trevor was the Registrar and Manager of Oxford City’s cemeteries at Wolvercote, Botley, Rose Hill and Headington. He and his team were also responsible for maintaining the grounds of 11 closed Anglican churches in the city. Trevor came to the work after 30 years with the RAF, which included work around the repatriation of war dead from overseas operations, and the attendant management of service funerals.

Nineteenth Century Developments

Trevor’s talk took us through the reasons for the establishment and development of the cemeteries at Osney and St Sepulchre (Jericho) in the mid 19th century. In addition to the effects of regular cholera outbreaks, there were other capacity issues in existing cemeteries, where the practice of “continuous burials “ was no longer sustainable. However, both new cemeteries filled rapidly, with continuing cholera outbreaks, and so were closed to new burials from 1855.

New Capacity

For new capacity, land was sequestered in the late 1880s to create the three cemeteries of Rose Hill, Botley and Wolvercote, with a further cemetery established at Headington in 1928.

Using these examples, we learned something of the structural maintenance of cemeteries, using retaining walls and careful monitoring of underground subsidence and the attendant danger of falling monuments, and also the layouts to include specific areas for children and victims of sudden infant mortality.

Some Highlights

Sobering subjects indeed, but intermixed with these realities, we had insights into the use of the cemeteries as filming locations – including the filming of “Any Human Heart” which transformed Rose Hill cemetery to a New York location, and also an episode of the TV series “Endeavour” at Headington.

We looked at the chapel architecture for each of the four cemeteries, including gate lodges which have now become private dwellings, as well as some biodiversity initiatives amongst the necessary ground maintenance work.

Trevor’s talk also took in stories of individual WW2 service personnel, and something of the Commonwealth War Graves, particularly at Botley. We also learned of some famous names whose resting place is at the large Wolvercote Cemetery, which has the graves of JRR Tolkien, Sir Roger Bannister and Isaiah Berlin.

The evening was a fair mixture indeed, with no small amount of dark humour to make for an educational and entertaining time.

Pantomime Shows in the Wychwoods: Memories

Pantomimes have always been very popular in the Wychwoods, and we asked Sian O’Neill, a stalwart of many of the Wychwoods’ productions over the years, to recall some key moments of her involvement in those historic performances. Here are some of her memories.

About the Pantomimes – My Involvement

The pantomimes in Shipton under Wychwood were inspired by Daphne Waugh, who persuaded the Shipton Womens’ Institute to partake in shows which she herself wrote, directed, and produced. Gathering as many people from Shipton as she could, Daphne put their talents to great use.

Meanwhile, Milton under Wychwood had their own pantomime, again using the varied and great talents of people in the village.

And similarly, in Ascott under Wychwood the village enjoyed their own unique pantomimes. Each show was always well attended by their supporters.

In 1995 I was asked to direct the Shipton pantomime, written by Shipton resident John Drew – Cinderella! John was the wordsmith of the panto and my role was to contribute ideas, build structure and to add to the humour.

The Clothes Show: A Precursor and Fund-Raiser

I had produced a successful ‘Clothes show’ for the Youth of the Wychwoods, at Chipping Norton Theatre in 1994. The old Beaconsfield Hall was deteriorating and showing its age after more than a hundred years!

The village was on a mission to replace the hall, and fund-raising was the name of the game. Around 100 children trooped up to Chipping Norton Theatre and after numerous rehearsals, whilst at the same time chasing clothes sponsors for financial support, a very fine Clothes Show was performed.

Last pantomime at old Shipton Village Hall. Hillary Wilson, Christine Halliday Margaret Nicholson and Gordon Halliday at the front

On to the Wychwoods

Although I had danced and sung in many Womens’ Institute pantos in my youth, through Ballet school in Carmarthen, and had studied dance and drama at the Rudolf Laban studio in London, I had not undertaken such a task before.

Determinedly I set to. My daughter, the only member of the family to have attended the Womens’ Institute pantomime, had been a Brownie and then a Guide. Christine Halliday, who ran the Guides, was usually the principal boy! The Guides were invited along to the dress rehearsal, where my daughter insisted that I include the Commuters and the Penguins!

Commuters and the Penguins? What and Who!?

The Commuters and the Penguins were a tradition of several Wychwoods pantos, first introduced by Daphne Waugh.

The Commuters a regular part of the WI pantomimes in the old Shipton Village Hall. December 1993. Man in brown suit is John Rawlins. On his left is Ian Mathews. Possibly Sir John Graham second from left

Despite the Commuters having such fabulous men as Sir John Graham, Ian Mathews, Malcolm Cochrane and Duncan Waugh, their individuality and insistence that they mustn’t peak too soon, was a force to be reckoned with! That at least one of them should go off in the wrong direction, or another one be out of tune in the song they were singing – or using the wrong leg – simply added extra hilarity to the sketch!

The Penguins had their own routine, and it didn’t matter what they did, because no one recognised them anyway, in their amazing penguin costumes. Horrifying! The village audience loved it!

More Cinderella Fun

But this wasn’t the end of the fun. The shocked expression on peoples’ faces when the curtains opened in the second half are still legendary! Six women – Pat Bannister, Pat Canning, Diane Johnson, Gail Huntingford, Barbara Wilson and Jane Hills stood clad in black miniskirts, fishnet tights, DM’s and leather jackets- the memory will stay with me forever!

**Pat Bannister Margaret Canning Gail Huntingford Barbara Wilson +?+ with Sian O’Neill** – preparing for their moment!
**Cinderella 1995**

And they had a great trick up their sleeves to follow. They had found a motorbike to whisk Cinderella off to the ball. Laura Marshall was Cinderella’s double and ran into the hall and onto the stage, clad in black, and with a puff of smoke Cinderella – Hilary Wilson, appeared with her beautiful ball clad outfit. Magical!

And after…

The next pantomime I directed was Rapunzel, written by Trudy Yates. Rachel Rodgers played the heroine. After this success, Jack and the Millenium Beanstalk followed. This was very ambitious -demanding some great and skilfully constructed scenery. I was also briefly involved with MAFIA – Milton’s pantomime, which again put on a tremendous show.

The establishment of the Wychwood Players Amateur Dramatic Society, forged initially by Daphne Waugh, really brought the villages together and developed peoples’ natural talents, enriching all our lives.

Our November 2023 Evening Talk: Romans of Oxfordshire

Speaker: Marie-Louise Kerr

Subject: Romans of Oxfordshire: Roman settlements and their impact in the local area .

A fine turnout of 60+ enjoyed our final talk of 2023, when Marie-Louise Kerr talked with obvious enthusiasm on the subject of everyday life in Roman Britain.

Romans in Britain: Background

Marie-Louise began with the background context before and after the arrival of the Romans, referring particularly to accounts of pre-Roman Britain in Ptolemy’s Geography, and to examples of pre-Roman artefacts. These demonstrate, via some examples she showed, of excavated or found votive offerings, of a living, sophisticated culture among the tribes of the Iron Age.

This mirror, found by a metal detectorist at an unknown location near Didcot some time before 2007, is a fine example of a Late Iron Age decorated mirror, which are unique to Britain. Only 58 are known to exist, with just 18 complete mirrors.

So, with the arrival of the Roman Legions under the Emperor Claudius in 43 AD, we have a mixed story. This is a story of a consolidation of pre-invasion diplomatic and trading relationships exemplified for example in a Romanised version of the Atrebatean triple-tailed horse. It is also a story of insurrection and revolt as epitomised by the Iceni rebellion under Boudicca, which saw the destruction of the vital port of Londinium in a wave of other devastating but temporary setbacks for the new Roman era in Britain.

A Soldier’s Tale

As an example of an individual who lived on the cusp of the worlds of Empire and Britain, Marie Louise mentioned the soldier of the Second Augustan Legion, Lucius Valerius Geminus. His repurposed and fragmented gravestone was unearthed at Alchester near Bicester. Details here.

Reconstructed Tombstone of Lucius Valerius Geminus

Here was a soldier who came with his legion to Britain, and took the option after 30 years’ service, to settle with his plot of land. By inference, this would have been a common pattern.

Roman Villas

By using examples of the many Roman villas in our region, Marie Louise was able to introduce simple insights in the everyday lives of citizens of the time. Particular examples are the engraved glass beakers found by the South Oxfordshire Archaeological Group at a recent dig at Goring Roman Villa. “This may help” and “Give this to a loved one” are slogans we can all relate to.

The Goring Roman Villa is an example of an “Aisled” villa, one of two types of construction. The villa at North Leigh is an example of the “Courtyard” construction, with a communal space flanked by the living accommodation and bathhouses common to both types. The recent excavations by the Earth Trust at Wittenham Clumps offers a tantalising glimpse of the social hierarchy of the time – a villa with at least 15 nearby Iron-Age style round houses.

With these and several other examples of villa excavations, as well as examples of the reconstructions at Segodonum ( Wallsend) at Butser Ancient Farm in Petersfield , with its trompe d’oeil décor, we had interesting insights into how our Oxfordshire villas might have been set up, designed and furnished.

About Marie Louise Kerr

Marie-Louise’s background is in Ancient History and as a museum curator. She has over 15 years’ experience in the heritage sector, looking after museum collections and developing exhibitions around the country.

These have included archaeology, history of science and textiles collections as well as military and social history artefacts. She set up her Curator Without Museum talks business when she was between collections, but she is now Curator at West Berkshire Museum

Our October 2023 Evening Talk: Drovers’ Roads in Oxfordshire and Beyond

Speaker: Tim Healey
Subject: Drovers’ Roads in Oxfordshire and Beyond

Tim’s talk described how in centuries past cattle drovers made epic treks from the far reaches of West Wales to London’s Smithfield Market, passing through Oxfordshire on the way. His talk described the drovers’ lives and the tell-tale marks they left on the landscape.

This was another successful evening for the society, enjoyed by 50+ members and guests, and we are grateful to Tim for a lively and richly-illustrated presentation.

Tim’s talk focused particularly on the cattle droving from West and North Wales through to London and the Southeast which invariably covered routes through Oxfordshire. Cattle droving (and the movement of sheep and other animals) has a deep history, covering the country as far north as Skye and particularly the Great North Road. Records exist for example of Welsh cattle driven to London for the coronation of King John, and it is known that Welsh beef fed the army at Agincourt, and over time the burgeoning trade became subject to licenses and controls by the time of Henry 8^th and Elizabeth 1^st.

He showed images of typical drovers’ tracks, with lush borders and tunnels created by hedgerows – all a consequence of the rich soils fertilised by centuries of passing cattle. Tim quoted from Thomas Hardy as an illustration of how the presence of the drovers over centuries had become embedded in the consciousness of people of the countryside ” They wandered up the slopes till they reached the green track along the ridge, which they followed to the circular British earth-bank adjoining, Jude thinking of the great age of the trackway, and of the drovers who had frequented it, probably before the Romans knew the country.” – Jude the Obscure: Chapter 8

We had insights into how a token system to replace cash transactions was developed. Eventually new banks were opened to meet the need for control over the handling of cash for the sake of security and for the sake of avoiding criminality amongst the drovers themselves. The first of these, David Jones of Llandovery, opened in 1799. His brand was a black ox, which became over time the black horse of Lloyds Bank.

The effects of the development of the Turnpike system in the 18^th century had a huge impact on the economics of the business, culminating in direct action epitomised by the so-called Rebecca riots.

Some compromises were made with a system of special passes at reduced costs, but more crucially, the drovers found new routes away from the Turnpike roads, which created their own networks in the landscape. Tim’s talk covered some of these networks, and particularly the routes from North and West Wales through Oxfordshire and to the markets in London, further into Kent and Sussex, as well as southward to Salisbury and beyond.

Map of Oxforshire Drovers Routes — Map of Oxforshire Routes

Some typical reminders of these routes are to be found in place names such as “Coldharbour” – from the Norman French “Cul d’Arbre” – a sheltered spot beneath a tree, or “Little London”. Other reminders are in pub names, streets and lanes, and the wide verges on many roads, which allowed grazing “on the move”. Along the Ridgeway, other evidence of these drovers’ routes is found in the Scots Pines, a non-native tree, which were planted by drovers as a long-term marker for future generations.

Ferry at Bablok Hythe — Ferry at Bablock Hythe

Droveway Hill Map — Ferry at Bablock Hythe

Tell tale signs Scots Pines on the Ridgeway - Scutchamer Knob — Tell tale signs Scots Pines on the Ridgeway – Scutchamer Knob

Wide Verges A40 Witney — Tell tale signs Scots Pines on the Ridgeway – Scutchamer Knob

With Tim’s accompanying map illustrations of these routes, we learned much about the reception of local people to the drovers and stockmen – most of whom spoke only in Welsh.

Drovers in Abingdon – Reading Mercury 12 July 1859

Among many other topics, we heard of the Lurchers and other dogs who worked the herds, the special shoes made for the cattle for the long journeys, and the transport back to Wales of Windsor chairs in flatpack form.

Tim also covered something of the cultural legacy of the drovers’ roads and livelihoods, which is only rarely reflected in true folk tradition, although reference is made in work by Alfred Williams, and an opera by Vaughan Williams.

Postscript:

For those interested in some in-depth research on the drovers roads, here is a useful link : Welsh Cattle Drovers in the Nineteenth Century

About Tim Healey

Tim Healey is a freelance writer and broadcaster who has presented many programmes on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4. A frequent contributor to the Oxford Times he has a special interest in the landscape and heritage of our county.

The Rector Returns: A Follow-Up

The Reverend Doctor Thomas Brookes was the Rector at Shipton from 1773 to 1814. The story of how his rather powerful portrait came to be returned to Shipton in 2013 was told in the Wychwood Volume 34 number 2 of 2013, and is also available here >>>

Recently the Wychwoods Local History Society heard from a lady called Vicky Sangster who lives in Sydney. She is a direct descendant of Dr Brookes’ daughter and wondered whether it would be possible to see his portrait while she was on holiday in England.

Vicky duly came to Shipton and, although time was tight, we arranged for her to see the portrait in the Prebendal where Dr Brookes formerly lived and St Mary’s where he preached.

Vicky Sangster with the Portrait at the Prebendal

Our September 2023 Evening Talk: ‘Morris’ Motopolis

Wychwoods Local History Society Evening Talk Poster

Speaker: Simon Wenham
Subject: ‘Morris’ Motopolis

Our first evening talk of the 2023/4 season saw 45+ members and guests convening at Milton Village Hall, for a fine and informative sweep through the history and development of the city of Oxford, through the prism of the story of William Morris and the motor works at Cowley.

Our speaker Simon Wenham was as surprised as the rest of us to be greeted in the car park by a fine example of the famous Morris Oxford “Bullnose” – we all thought this was part of his talk, but in fact it belonged to local resident Peter Meecham – a nice touch to set the stall out for the evening.

Peter Meecham’s Morris Oxford “Bullnose” at Milton Village Hall

Simon’s talk took us through the early stages of the evolution of the Morris empire, the “town vs. gown” dichotomy and the idea of Oxford as a city with “air of studied backwardness” caused by the conservative, established control of the city through the University hierarchy.

Oxford Morris Garage Longwall Street 1910

We learned of the early beginnings when William Morris at the age of 16 was repairing bicycles in his parents’ garden shed, to the development of a business which employed thousands of workers. We learned of the acquisition and development other businesses and brands – MG in Abingdon, Wolsey, and Pressed Steel included – in a career which elevated him to the title of Lord Nuffield.

Morris Minor Introduced 1948. 1 million sold by 1960

We gained some insights into the man as a creative and energetic business brain, a man who liked to “get things done” – but also a man of extraordinary philanthropy, giving most of his fortune to good causes in health care and education.

Woven through Simon’s talk were insights into the transformation of the city. High wages brought in workers from South Wales and the Midlands, and the factory expansion in the inter-war years meant housing developments swallowed up villages – not just Cowley, but Headington, Marston, Wolvercote, Botley, Littlemore, and Iffley – and filled the gaps between them.

Hence, we have a story of a tension between old and new and a constant debate on progress and conservation.

The debate is perhaps epitomised by the establishment of Morris’ Nuffield College. Here in the city centre is an extraordinary example of Morris’s philanthropy. It was built as Morris wished, in a traditional design in Cotswold stone. It was Oxford’s first co-educational college and first all-graduate college. Revolutionary. But also, even Morris had to compromise, having intended his college specialise in engineering but the university wished otherwise. He was persuaded that it should specialise in the social sciences.

About Simon Wenham

Dr Simon Wenham is a part-time tutor on the panel of Oxford University’s Continuing Education Department where he teaches courses on the Victorian period. His doctoral research at the University of Oxford was on the history of Salter Bros Ltd , an Oxford-based Thames boat firm, which resulted in several books.

Simon has been a regular contributor to Radio Oxford and has done interviews for a number of television documentaries .

WLHS at Tall Trees Care Home

The society was pleased to take up the invitation from the management of Tall Trees care home to give a local history talk for their Coffee Day on August 30th.

Wychwoods Local History at Tall Trees Care Home

Society secretary John Bennett took up the offer. He prepared an informative but light-touch journey through the history of five individual Shipton landmarks, to an audience of residents and family visitors.

His presentation was well received, with plenty of interactive questions and comments from the group. At least one audience member was eager to claim connections with the Reade family of Shipton Court, and others took pleasure in recognising faces from images in John’s carefully-selected set of photographs. There was certainly no shortage of instant and positive feedback!

Wychwoods Local History Talk by John Bennett

It was a delight to meet Lil Harmer and staff, whose commitment to the day was clear in the provision of a fine spread of cakes, fruit and copious cups of tea – creating a friendly and sociable occasion for all.

Margaret Ann Ware 28th June 1933 – 4th July 2023

For more than four decades, from the 1960s, Margaret and Frank Ware were energetic contributors to Wychwood society and are fondly remembered by many particularly in the Wychwoods History Society and the WI.

Frank died in 2019 and now the death has been announced of Margaret (neé Williams)

Margaret was born in London in 1933. She gained a first class degree in Botany at Kings College, London and then did postgraduate research into plant biochemistry leading to a PhD in 1962.

She had a keen interest in social justice and current affairs and in 1957 she joined the Liberal party and became chair of the Dulwich Young Liberals. It was through this political interest that she met Frank Ware, whom she married in 1959.

Margaret and Frank rented in London for a couple of years, where Margaret taught, first in a grammar school and then in a technical college, but then they moved to Oxfordshire – first to Milton-under-Wychwood and then to Shipton-under-Wychwood – where Frank stood as a Liberal candidate at the 1964 general election. Margaret gave up work to support his political ambitions, and, when these were cut short, she continued to support him while he pursued an increasingly stressful and demanding career in tax and finance.

In 1965 Margaret gave birth to twins, Fiona and Alison. When they reached the age of eight, she began a 17-year voluntary career in local government – first on Shipton-under-Wychwood Parish Council, and then as an independent councillor on West Oxfordshire District Council, where she became chairman of the Recreation committee, vice-chairman of a Planning sub-committee and also served for one year as vice-chair of the entire council. For ten years she was also a governor of Burford School, which her daughters attended.

Margaret co-founded the Wychwoods Playgroup with a group of local mothers and she was instrumental in raising funds for and ensuring the building of a swimming pool at the Wychwoods primary school.

In 1981 Margaret co-founded the Wychwoods Local History Society, and subsequently edited its journal. She and Frank organised many field walks over several years, which many members of the local villages took part in. Notable finds were prehistoric flint arrowheads, medieval pottery and even fragments from a WW2 crashed aircraft.

Margaret was a member of the Shipton WI and enjoyed performing on stage in some of their pantomimes in the 90’s and early 2000’s. In one performance of a Spice Girls skit, she was Scary Spice dressed in tight fitting leopard skin leggings, and her mother, who was nearing 100 herself at the time, was not amused when shown the costume beforehand, saying, in a horrified tone, ‘You’re not going to go on stage wearing that, are you?’

Between them, Margaret and Frank also contributed significantly to the fundraising efforts for the building of the New Beaconsfield Village Hall.

Margaret and Frank shared a lifelong interest in archaeology and beginning in 1976 she was the District Council’s representative on the Oxford Archaeology Unit’s governing body. In 1992, they both began studying archaeology at Oxford University Department for Continuing Education, eventually being awarded the Oxford Diploma in Archaeology. From 1996 to 2005 Margaret served as chair of the trustees of Oxford Archaeology Unit, which by this time had become one of the three leading professional archaeological businesses in the country with a growing international reputation.

After the death of Margaret’s mother in 2005, Margaret and Frank moved to Leominster to begin a new chapter in their lives, and again got involved with the local community, joining the U3A and many interest groups.

In 2015 she became seriously ill and spent the next nine months on kidney dialysis three times a week. Remarkably, she recovered sufficiently to not need the dialysis and even to regain most of her former physical strength.

Margaret and Frank celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in February 2019.Then Frank had a stroke in the April and passed away after only a couple of days in hospital.

On 24th June 2023 – four days before her actual birthday – Margaret threw a 90th birthday party for all her friends in Leominster. She had a heart attack on Sunday morning, 2nd July, and was admitted to hospital. She died just six days after her 90th birthday. She is survived by her two daughters, Fiona and Alison, and by four grandchildren, William, Stuart, Becky and Silvia.

Read Margaret’s artice on the society’s first 21 years here

Ascott Martyrs Trust Family History Day

Saturday 17 June saw committee members supporting WLHS colleague Carol Anderson and the Ascott Martyrs Educational Trust’s family and local history day at Tiddy Hall in Ascott under Wychwood.

This was an enjoyable as well as informative opportunity for visitors to discover more about their family history. A major part of the exhibition was the Trust’s amazing Martyrs Family Tree (11 metres long it contains more than 2,500 names). Also on hand was Beverley McCombs whose book ‘The Ascott Martyrs’, introduced us to their family histories.

Visitors were also regaled by Charlbury Finstock Morris with a performance which included two of the traditional dances that originated in Ascott. A Facebook clip appears here thanks to Mark Pigeon.