Category: Editorial

Editorial, webmaster and committee submissions

Visit to Milton-under-Wychwood by a Groves family descendant – 22nd April 2026

The story of emigration from the Wychwoods in the later 19th Century was recently brought to life with a visitor from New Zealand. We were contacted via the website by Shiree Sahayam from Tauranga, New Zealand, who is a descendant of the Groves family of the Wychwoods.

Shiree told us she was planning a visit to the UK and hoped to visit Milton-under-Wychwood to see the birthplace of her ancestors. I was pleased to host Shiree and her husband, Mike, in Milton and arranged to meet – very fittingly – at Groves Yard.

L-R  John Bennett, Mike and Shiree Sahayam at Groves Yard, Milton- under-Wychwood

A Family Connection Across 150 Years

Shiree is the great-great-granddaughter of Alfred Groves who had emigrated to New Zealand with his wife, Leah Cox and five of their children on the SS Ballochmyle in 1874. This is a different Alfred Groves to the one who gives his name to the Groves’ business in Milton.

I was able to show Shiree some historic Groves related photographs in the WLHS archives and other Groves related material, including a copy of the marriage certificate of Alfred Groves and Leah Cox, who married in 1852. We puzzled over the connection between her line of the family and that of the Alfred Groves who gives his name to the Groves business. I think we established that they were cousins, but more research is needed to confirm this!

Meeting Today’s Groves Descendants

We met with Puk Parsons the current managing director of Groves, who is married to Sam Parsons, another Groves descendant. Puk gave a warm welcome to her distant relative — a particularly rewarding moment for us all. 

L-R Puk Parsons, John Bennett, Shiree Sahayam

Walking Through the Village of Her Ancestor

We then did a tour through the village up to the far most cottage on the High Street which was once the home of her ancestor, taking in the Baptist chapel and graveyard and some other Groves related sights on the way.

I pointed out features of the village that would have been familiar to her great‑great‑grandfather in the mid‑nineteenth century. This was a time when Milton was still very much a working agricultural community of farms, barns, workers’ cottages and trades such as blacksmiths.

High Street Milton under Wychwood – outside Mr Puffen’s Forge

Shiree was moved to see her ancestor’s cottage, noting especially its small size. It was once occupied by two families, William and Ann Groves with their six children and William and Catherine Groves and their seven children. William , married to Ann, being the father of the Alfred Groves who emigrated to New Zealand

Last cottage out of Milton in the High Street – circa 1900
The same cottage in 2022

A Memorable Visit

From Milton Shiree and her husband were travelling on to Liverpool to attend the Liverpool v Crystal Palace match on Saturday 25th April (a 60th birthday celebration for Mike), also intending to “do” the Beatles experience they said!

It was a genuine pleasure to meet a charming Groves descendant; I think she will be taking home some positive memories of her ancestor’s homeland to share with her relatives.

John Bennett

New Zealand Emigration – Elsewhere On Our Website

Emigration to New Zealand: From Journal No 28
Cospatrick Resources
Letter from New Zealand to the People of the Wychwoods

Journal Articles on the Groves Family

Digital Archive: Journal No 7
Digital Archive: Journal No 8

Related Audio Recordings

Audio Recordings: The Groves Family – Talks by Norman Frost

Milton High Street over Time

Milton-under-Wychwood High Street: Introduction

Family History Research: An Interesting Find

At our recent meeting [ Details here ], Sue Honoré of the Oxfordshire Family History Society opened her talk with a reminder that ‘local’ and ‘family’ history are never truly separate pursuits. Anyone who has traced a family line—whether their own or someone else’s—quickly discovers how deeply personal stories are rooted in place.  

Sue emphasised the irreplaceable value of speaking with family members and recording their memories. Recollections passed down through generations, and even the stories of long-standing neighbours, can illuminate the lived texture of a community.

With this foundation laid, Sue guided us through the wide range of resources available to anyone embarking on family research—whether into their own lineage or a family of particular local interest.

A Real-World Example: The Hedges, Rathbands and Honeybones of the Wychwoods

Inspired by Sue’s talk, we turned to the web in search of examples of family history research connected with the Wychwoods. In doing so we came across a compelling piece by Dr Douglas Hope, who includes genealogical research among his many interests.

His article traces the ancestry of his daughter‑in‑law, Trudy Hope (née Hedges), whose curiosity about her roots opens a story that stretches across Shipton, Milton and Ascott. Her family line divides into two major strands:

  • The Hedges of Shipton under Wychwood, a family present in the parish since at least the sixteenth century, forming one of the long-settled threads of the community.
  • The Rathband–Honeybone line of Milton and Ascott, whose history intersects with the dramatic events surrounding the Ascott Martyrs of 1873.
Detail from the Ascott Martyrs Memorial Textile
Detail from the Ascott Martyrs Commemorative Textile © Sue Richards

A Historical Side-Branch

Dr Hope also touches on a branch not directly in Trudy’s line but still part of the wider Hedges story: Richard Hedges (b. 1819), whose emigration to New Zealand links the family to the tragic loss of the Cospatrick in 1874, one of the worst maritime disasters of the nineteenth century.

The result is a fascinating read—an example of how genealogical research, when handled with care and curiosity, becomes far more than a list of names and dates.  

The full story of The Hedges of the Wychwoods (1800-1939) is here >>> [Opens in new tab]

© A.Vickers : WLHS April 2026 – ‘Who Do You Think They Were?’ – Evening Presentation

Library Displays: Updated List

The society continues to present its popular exhibitions of photographs in the Wychwoods Library in Milton. Topics for these are changed approximately every 2 months, creating opportunities for visitors to see a selection of images from our photographic archive.

Here are links to past exhibitions for more information.

Cubs in Action 1981 – Can you Name Them?

The society is actively collating a large section of its photograph archive into a searchable database. In this process, we regularly come across many images where individuals are not named, sadly.

We found these very interesting and high-quality photographs recently. They record a group of of cub scouts taking part in a conservation project to clear footpaths for Shipton Walks, in 1981.

Can you name any of them? We would like very much to know. And perhaps there are memories of the event which we can record for posterity?

Any information would be welcome. Please use the comments section below, or do contact us on this form if you are able to help! We have given each picture a code, so that you can refer to them easily.


ELW811
ELW812
ELW813
ELW814
ELW815
ELW816
ELW817
ELW818
ELW819
ELW820
ELW821
ELW822

We hope to hear from you!

WLHS at Milton Fete

The WLHS made its presence known at the Milton Fete this July 12th. We had two boards of photographs on display, mostly focussing on Milton subjects, plus other “albums” of historic photos of Milton. We also had our stock of Wychwoods History Journals and other publications available for purchase.

Images from Milton under Wychwood Fete – including the star attraction Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Our location on the Green was a good one, and, despite the relentless sun and heat, we had a good number of visitors to the stand; both browsers and those with questions. We had some interesting conversations. For example, several newcomers to Milton asked about the history of their recently acquired houses. It was pleasing to be able to show historic photos of some of them on our website.

The Oxford Waits: at Milton Village Hall on June 11th 2025

The Wychwoods Local History Society presented a special evening of entertainment with the renowned band Oxford Waits on June 11th 2025.

Mr. Tim Healey: Narrator, vocals, shawm, recorders

The Oxford Waits presented a lively evening of 17th Century music and song that ranged from the bawdy to the lyrical and poetic. Despite being all acoustic the music filled the village hall. Readings from contemporary records were woven into the performance along with a demonstration of country dancing from the period. We were also given an exposition of some of the historic instruments they were using – including the cittern, lute, hurdy gurdy, nykelharpa and hammered dulcimer.

The event was a special addition to our season of activities and proved to be a great success. It was a very entertaining evening, with many comments from  society members and visitors saying how much they enjoyed the show.

The Oxford Waits take their name from a real-life band of city musicians, known as ‘waits,’ who flourished in Oxford during the 17th century. Performers appear in period costume, and concerts are enlivened by street ballads, dance tunes, airs and rounds as well as readings from diarists and poets. Superb singing voices are matched by specialist skills in an array of period instruments.

The Oxford Waits have performed at a wealth of festivals, churches, theatres and arts centres, as well as featuring on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4. In 2006 they performed before her Majesty the Queen at the Royal Opening of Oxford Castle.

Line-up

  • Tim Healey – Narrator, vocals, shawm, recorders
  • Caroline Butler – Vocals, violin
  • Ian Giles – Vocals, hurdy gurdy, percussion
  • Edwin Pritchard – Vocals, violin, nyckelharpa, hammered dulcimer, 
  • Jon Fletcher – Vocals, lute, cittern

For more – visit the Oxford Waits website here >>>

Oxford Waits on stage at Milton Village Hall

Images of Fifield – New Photo Archive Addition

A new addition to our online archive of photographs has recently been made. The village of Fifield now features in an 80-image photo album, as part of our continued expansion of this online resource.

The images can be found here >>>

As with all our photograph albums, images can be selected individually, or displayed as a slideshow.

Some of these images alse feature in past WLHS publications. Here is a snapshot:

Fifield Residents Early 1900sDownload

An Audio Clip: Duncan Waugh’s Vicar’s Tale

the Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould  After W. & D. Downey, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Here is another in a series of extracts from our many Oral History audio files.

Our archive contains many recordings of talks given to the society in the 1980s and 1990s

In this extract, the late Duncan Waugh, in his 14th May 1991 talk on emigration to New Zealand ,  outlined the main reasons for the exodus.

Population expansion was one of the reasons.

Listen to the clip here:

Transcript

But behind all these (reasons causing emigration) was one overriding factor that’s usually politely called “demographic”.

I don’t know if you have heard that entertaining anecdote about the Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould, a famous Victorian parson. The one that wrote Onward Christian Soldiers and also saved from oblivion the song about Widdecombe Fair.

Well he was a conscientious, energetic parson down on the west side of Dartmoor. And he was at a, having, presiding over a children’s party one afternoon and he saw a pretty little girl sort of staring at him a bit fixedly and so he bent down benignly and said, “Good afternoon my dear and whose little girl are you?”

And she burst into tears and said, “I’m yours Papa” …..

The recording of the full talk is here >>>

More Extracts

… and a couple of clips from Duncan Waugh’s 1991 talk on emigration to New Zealand

An Audio Clip: Duncan Waugh’s Jail Cell Anecdote

WLHS 1990-1991 Season

Here is another in a series of extracts from our many Oral History audio files.

Our archive contains many recordings of talks given to the society in the 1980s and 1990s

In this extract, in his 14th May 1991 talk on emigration to New Zealand , the late Duncan Waugh offered this amusing anecdote:

Listen to the clip

Transcript

Not all the arrangements for receiving immigrants worked perfectly and one chap who got to Christchurch spent a few days in the immigration barracks at Addington, but they were so overcrowded that he’d never had his clothes off the whole time and slept chiefly on the mess room table.

Having obtained work but not accommodation, he was sent with his wife and child to the old police barracks in Armagh Street and was much surprised to be ushered into a police cell. The only alteration being that the old iron bar door was taken off and laid outside and a more civilized one put on.

 With this exception, the cell was in the same condition as when used for prisoners, the authorities not even having taken trouble to erase the choice compositions both of prose and verse with which the cell had been adorned by its previous compulsory occupants.

 As my wife cannot read and is like most of Eve’s daughters a little curious, she wanted to know what all the writing was about. So I had the pleasant task of pretending to read them to her,  converting them to what Scriptural texts I could remember.

Upon which she remarked “Dear me. I wonder what they locked the poor fellows up for. They must have been very religious.”  

The recording of the full talk is here >>>

More Extracts

… and a couple of clips from Duncan Waugh’s 1991 talk on emigration to New Zealand

More Extracts

… and a couple of clips from Duncan Waugh’s 1991 talk on emigration to New Zealand

Our December 2024 Evening Talk: A Victorian Christmas

A Victorian Christmas Poster

Speaker: Tim Healey

Subject: A Victorian Christmas

Tim Healey is a freelance writer and broadcaster who has presented many programs on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4.

The author of over 60 books he is also a frequent contributor to The Oxford Times on issues relating to popular culture and local heritage. Tim directs the 17th-century costume band The Oxford Waits, with whom he performs in period attire.

With a wealth of innovations such as Christmas trees, cards and crackers, it is fair to that the Victorian era in Britain shaped all our Christmas festivities. It is generally accepted that the royal family’s influence was significant, especially in the figure of Prince Albert.

In 1848, a published illustration showed Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and their children gathered around a decorated Christmas tree. This image captured the public’s imagination, and the tradition of the Christmas tree quickly spread throughout Britain. The idea of decorating a tree became a fashionable and widely adopted practice.

But with Tim we learned a great deal more about the existing strands of influence already present in these islands and the loosening of the influence of some of the more extreme Puritan values of the previous two centuries.

His entertaining talk described for example how Santa Claus’ appearance and style was shaped by the Dutch “Santeclaus”, and challenged the received wisdom that Prince Albert was the first to introduce the idea of the decorated Christmas tree.

Alongside the Christmas tree, other traditions began to take hold. Christmas cards became popular, starting with the first commercial Christmas card designed by Sir Henry Cole in 1843. The development of improved colour printing methods, and of course the arrival of the Penny Post were instumental in creating the fashion of Christmas card exchange. Meantime also, Christmas crackers, invented by Tom Smith in 1847, became a festive staple.

The plight of the poor and the influence of Dickens, as well as exploration of bygone customs such as Goose Clubs , London costermongers, “Wassailing” and the development of Christmas Carols from earlier popular songs – these were all part of the mix explored by Tim. In the mix also, he showed us some occasionally bizarre images of subject-matter for Christmas cards and gave some fun recitals of humourous verse.

Over 5o members and guests enjoyed a festive evening with a perfect mix of social history and Christmas goodwill, and we are grateful to Tim for perfect educational entertainment.

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