David Betterton, Author at The Wychwoods Local History Society

Our February 2024 Evening Talk: The Effect of Enclosures on Common Right

Wychwoods Local History Society Evening Talk Jan 2024

Speaker: Deborah Hayter

Subject: ‘Common right : private property and how enclosures shaped the Oxfordshire/Northamptonshire landscape’

There was a hectic period of enclosure by Parliamentary Act in the late 18th century which drastically changed the surroundings of many local villages which were still farming using the medieval open fields.

The Enclosure Map in Milton Village Hall

We were pleased to welcome 9 visitors to a gathering of 50+ to hear Deborah’s talk, which attracted some interesting audience questions, as well as a chance to socialise. Members and guests also enjoyed the opportunity to view the Enclosure Map archived in Milton Village Hall.

Milton Under Wychwood Enclosue Map in the Village Hall

Viewing the Enclosure Map of Milton under Wychwood

Definition of Terms

Deborah was able to explain that common land is land owned by the general public and to which everyone has unrestricted right of access. However,all common land is private property, whether the owner is an individual or a corporation. Although generally in the past, the owner of the common could have been for example, the lord of the manor, today many commons are owned by local authorities, the National Trust and other bodies for the public benefit. However not all commons offer total access to all comers.

In detail, common right included the following, although there were others:

of pasture: the right to graze livestock; the animals permitted, whether sheep, horses, cattle and such, were specified in each case.
of estovers: the right to cut and take wood (but not timber), reeds, heather, bracken and the like.
of turbary: the right to dig turf or peat for fuel.
in the soil: the right to take sand, gravel, stone, coal and other minerals.
of piscary: the right to take fish from ponds, streams and so on.

These rights related to natural produce, not to crops or commercial exploitation of the land.

Common Land Over Time

In her talk, Deborah demonstrated how the landscape changed over the course of 300 years. She showed the contrast in the total area of common land over time. In the late 17th century, perhaps 25-30% of the land in England was Common (or 8-9 million acres). By the mid-20th century only 4000 commons were recorded. These had an acreage of 1 – 1.3 million acres, much of which is to be found in Scotland and Wales, and the English North West.

We learned some of the key reasons over time which drove these massive changes. We started in the Middle Ages, when benign 12th century weather patterns morphed into harsher climate conditions in the next 100 years. This was a time which also included the massive depopulation of the country due to the Black Death, which caused de facto changes in land use as villages depopulated or disappeared altogether.

Open Field System

The open field system grew from these changes, through which common right became established. An example of the open field system still extant today is at Laxton in Nottinghamshire, but we do also see in the landscape in parts of the country, the visible signs of that system in the ridge-and-furrow in fields which have seen little of the plough.

Copy of part of the original Mark Pierce map of the L axton Estate 1635

**Medieval Ridge and Furrow above Wood Stanway** © Copyright Philip Halling

Towards the Parliamentary Enclosure Act

Enclosure thus was not always problematic. On the whole, agreements between land owners and a parish about enclosure were not by any means acrimonious, and in the 16th and 17th centuries we can find documents in the Chancery which show positive and settled working agreements.

But we learned that by the 18th century changes in agricultural practices – as improved crop rotation, additional land requirements for growing populations, and improved drainage systems, all conspired to create a drive to top-down efficiencies and so a commensurate diminution of common rights.

A key event was the ‘Inclosure Consolidation Act’ of 1801 which really spelt massive compromises to common rights. Much parliamentary enclosure took place throughout the first half of the 19th century, and so for example counties such as Oxfordshire found themselves at an epicentre of enclosing activity. Curtailment of rights and rural depopulation became watchwords.

Deborah took us though examples and exceptions to this general flow of history, with many maps and illustrations around field and road definitions which gave insights into the reasons for the look our landscapes today.

Included in her examples was the eventual loss of much of the Wychwood Forest, and intriguingly, the fact that Milton (1848) and Shipton (1852) came late in the cycle of enclosure activity. Why so late? she asked. Why indeed, Historians!

About Deborah Hayter

Deborah has an MA from Leicester University’s Department of English Local History, and has been teaching Local and Landscape History in Oxford University’s Department of Continuing Education for some 20 years.

She is first and foremost a landscape historian, looking to answer the question ‘Why do places look like they do?’, but she has also taught courses on village history and on the history of poor relief, which is a particular interest.

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.

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.

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.

Visit to the Oxfordshire Museums Resource Centre: May 2023

The society recently arranged a fascinating visit to the Oxfordshire Museums Resource Centre, a large purpose-built, tent-like structure near Standlake. Here a group of society members were able to enjoy a couple of hours hosted by Christiane Jeuckens , who is the Collections Officer for the Oxfordshire Museums Service.

The Resource Centre is normally open to the public by appointment only, but WHLS members were given the opportunity to enjoy a special guided tour.

During the afternoon we learned about the role of the centre to preserve important artefacts, in the areas of archaeology and of social history. The centre houses 100,000+ items large and small, from Neolithic times to recent history. Just two examples we saw were the tombstone of Oxfordshire’s first named inhabitant (a retired Roman soldier ) and an early 18th century wooden blanket loom made from local timber.

Th group had a lively time wandering among the stacks, viewing pictures, photographs, farm implements large and small, domestic appliances, musical instruments, stone carvings. There was much indeed to take in.

The group was delighted to find that Christiane had lined up some particularly Wychwoods-relevant items for us to view, including the much-treasured Shipton Serpent, late of St. Mary’s Church but now housed in the Centre.

A facinating afternoon, and one well worth recommending to friends for a future group visit.

Cissie Carpenter and the Good Doctor

Here we publish an extract for our series of excerpts from our many Oral History audio files. In this one , Cissie Carpenter talks about a serious accident which befell her as a child, and her fond memories of the extraordinary care she received.

Listen Here

Cissie Carpenter with Trudy Yates 22nd March 1993

Dr Roe and the Founders of the Shipton Bowls Club

Transcript

But I’ll have to tell you about the little incident that I say in the winter which is Fox and Hounds and we used to make all the fun of chasing one another, you know. It was great fun. We had the packs for the hounds and the packs for horses and this sort thing, you know. All pretence, of course, but it, it was, they were happy days. You used to have just lots of laughs.

And one day I must tell you that I was playing with my brother up in the orchard and we were having, we were chasing, he was chasing me rather, and I was going down the path, a steep path from the orchard, down into the back door. And at the bottom of the path was a big grey water butt. I can see it now.

Well, of course, I chased down there, and thinking that I’m going to get there first. And I run into my grandmother with a, she’d got a big saucepan of hot boiling soda water. And I run straight into her and I got very badly scalded off. And it was the time that we had, it was Dr Roe then, and he was absolutely marvellous. He used to come in three times a day and dress my scold because I had blisters right, hanging right down.

(TY “On your neck and chest”)

Right from my, under my chin here, right down from my neck to the bottom of my chest Anyway he was so wonderful and then he wanted to send me to hospital I think you know because.

(TY “You probably would have been petrified to go away from your mother.”)

My mother said “No if she’s going to die, she’ll die here”. But he attended me so well. But he always said that I was his pet patient because he used to come in three times a day and put all this, it was like laurel leaves. It was a sort of a very thin green paper tissue, like.

(TY “Huh, I wonder what it was.”)

I don’t know what it was. But I remember him putting it on, dressing it with this and then ripping it off. Every time he come in and putting another lot on.

(TY “No ointment or salve under it?”)

No, nothing like that. It was all this green. I couldn’t tell you what it was. Never knew.

(TY “I wonder what it was. Still, it did the job. How long did this take?”)

Oh, twelve month. Twelve month.

(TY “For a four year-old”)

Yes, I was twelve months in bed with this. But on my, must have been my fifth birthday, I remember him coming in the front door with two parcels. It’s so vivid, isn’t it, when you’re a child? And Dr Roe come in with these two parcels. He said “You’ve been my”, what did he call me, pet patient I think. “And here’s something for your birthday”. One was a doll’s tea set and the other was a doll’s furniture set.

(TY “Oh, bless him.”)

Yeah, yeah, marvellous, wasn’t it?

(TY ”And by that time you were up?”)

I was up, yes. Yeah. I don’t know, I was still in bed, mind you, but I mean I’d got over the worst, I think. And I remember him coming in so vividly with these parcels. I can see him now.

(TY “How kind. Imagine a doctor doing that now. They’re all too busy aren’t they?)

Yeah, yeah wonderful, wasn’t it? Anyway, I got over that.

(TY “And now that that must have been before you went to school.”)

Oh I was at school at the little Baptist, up by the Baptist Chapel then.

(TY “Oh you were in school then?”)

I was in school then, yes.

The Full Interview

The interview with Trudy Yates includes memories of Cissie’s early family life, and her time at the infants school and then the Grammar school in Burford. Then her later time as a housemaid, including at Shipton Court. It includes her marriage into the close-knit Carpenter family . Cissie’s reminiscences also feature childhood games, memories of the local shops and businesses in Milton and Shipton, an outing to the the Scottish Highlands, and particulary this dreadful accident she had aged about four and her treatment by Dr Roe.

More Extracts

Bim Champness and Some Memories of Village Characters

Here is a short extract from one of our many Oral History audio files. In it, RAF veteran Albert “Bim” Champness includes a summary of his extended family and also recalls Wychwoods village characters, in a clip from a 45-minute conversation. The full 23rd March 1995 interview covers wide-ranging details of an interesting life from difficult beginnings.

Albert Champness, known as Bim 1919-2014 Served in the RAF during the Second World War servicing aircraft used by the Dam Busters.

Albert Edward Champness born 2 May 1919 – 29 October 2014
Always known as Bim. Served in the RAF during the Second World War servicing aircraft used by the Dam Busters.

Listen Here

Bim Champness Remembers. Interviewed 23rd March 1995

Transcript

After a ten-year gap, Steven arrived and then four years after that when my wife was 39, Sarah arrived. But of course, we were very thankful for her because, as I said, we were to lose our eldest daughter.

I got my leg pulled with a friend on gapping out the children, as he put it, and he very cheekily said, “Well if you will go to bed on Sunday afternoons, what do you expect!” I didn’t touch him, but I felt like whacking him one!

Anyway, so that’s a bit about the family.

Well, what have I done in the village? I’m afraid I’m guilty of not taking too much interest in village life, although I did really. I used to love to watch the cricket and the football matches. I became, I suppose, more engaged with the Chapel than any other activities, but I thoroughly enjoyed village life.

In those older days we knew everybody and there were real characters in those days — Jackie Miles the Postman, Ridley the farmer, Wally Rawlins who owned half Milton, Shipton, Bournemouth, Reading and I don’t know what else he didn’t own but was a real character, and some of the men who worked in Groves’s Yard too, I remember well.

Not to mention the sportsmen — Perce Bridge who was a superb fast bowler, Doggie Pritchard who could mix it up with speed and spin and could act the fool at most of the matches, and one or two fine footballers, such as Frank Miles who played for the County on one or two occasions, and I remember another sportsman from Shipton, Buckney Slatter, who was urged to turn professional but played for one of the famous London amateur clubs which I think was called the Corinthians in those days.

Summary of the Full Interview

The interview is by Janet Wallace and covers Bim Champness’ life story. It includes his early life after being adopted in London, his adoptive family’s move to Milton in the early 1930s when he was 12, following many family visits to grandparents in Fifield, his apprenticeship and early working life in Milton, his marriage, wartime service in the RAF, subsequent career and retirement, family life, and involvement in village activities especially the Baptist chapel.