NEWSLETTER 6th January 2021
Belated Christmas Greetings and best wishes for the New Year to all our members.
Our limited 2021 programme is set out below, but please note that some of the talks are provisional, as covid restrictions may affect speakers’ availability or the viability of their presentations.
AS THE VILLAGE HALL REMAINS UNAVAILABLE THE TALK ON JANUARY 15th WILL TAKE PLACE AS AN EXCLUSIVELY ZOOM PRESENTATION. OUR CONTINUING APOLOGIES TO OUR MEMBERS WHO DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THIS SERVICE
The 15th January meeting will take place as scheduled but unfortunately exclusively as a Zoom meeting via the internet. We will send you an email on Thursday 14th with the Zoom invitation to join the Friday meeting, starting at 7.15pm. The speaker is our founder member David Beaumont, who will describe the background to the 17th-century civil wars and illustrate his work transcribing local claims for compensation following the end of the wars. His work contributes to an ambitious county-wide project initiated by Dr Maureen Harris with the support of the Friends of the Warwickshire County Record Office. The project’s aim is to transcribe the original claims made by each Warwickshire parish, using local volunteers, who have been initiated into the mysteries of 17th century handwriting through seminars and regular contact with Maureen and the WCRO. Those with experience of such scripts were specifically discouraged from taking part, as one of the objects was to encourage new researchers to this field. David was one of our members who bravely set out to decipher the documents for Kineton and neighbouring parishes. The edited transcriptions are due to be published with an analysis by Maureen in due course. In the meantime David will give us a preview of what some Kineton residents claimed they had lost during the chaotic years of the Civil Wars.
Review of November and December 20 meetings.
Our scheduled speaker for November was unable to deliver their 
talk, and at short notice your Chairman filled in. The simple Zoom arrangement, where the Host (me) and the Speaker (me!) were the same, seemed to work and we hope that future Zoom talks will continue to run as smoothly. The title Graffiti in Local Churches: devotion or desecration? turned out to be too simplistic, as the variety of marks in churches are often both devotional and scurrilous and much more besides. It is clear that although many of these vernacular inscriptions survive in pre-Victorian churches, many have also been lost to some vigorous cleaning and refurbishment regimes. As an archaeologist, the speaker is well acquainted with the problems posed by incomplete material, and so any conclusions, especially those based on where surviving graffiti are found, have to be cautious ones. That said, some locations do seem to have attracted graffiti makers, – eg the porch, chancel and tower arches, aisle pillars, and door and window surrounds, whereas blank walls, the favoured canvas of the contemporary graffiti artist, were largely ignored. Mystery still surrounds the meanings and motives of much church graffiti, and there is a growing research interest in documenting and recording it.
Report on Christmas meeting..
With the Village Hall still unavailable for our traditional December mince pies and mulled wine meeting your committee appealed to members to present short memorable personal recollections of Christmas via Zoom. Thank you so much to the dozen who informed and entertained us with their stories, and to the 25 participants who supped festive drinks and joined the meeting from their homes. Claire Roberts kicked off with an account of an exotic pre-Christmas festival in Oaxaca, Mexico, where oversized radishes are carved into intricate designs. Her photos of turkeys and entire Nativity scenes fashioned from radishes were extraordinary. As was her account of being warmly included in a family party, attended by accident – a welcome reminder of the kindness of strangers.
Steve Gale recounted how he, personally, switched off Christmas day 
BBC1 transmissions to the Orkneys, and then had to endure a very rough ferry crossing from Scrabster to Stromness (and back) to sort it out, apparently by flicking a reset button. Jane Waters described how her family of bakers in Sevenoaks produced elaborately iced three-tiered cakes for the local gentry. Tiers mean something a little less festive nowadays. Jane’s mother, born in 1912, could remember villagers bringing their Christmas turkeys to be cooked in the baking ovens on their way to church, and picking them up on the way home. The same was happening in Kineton at Fred Baker’s bakery at the top of Manor Lane.
Anitra Hall sent a letter with news of fresh disasters which I, as host, presented to the group, picking out Anitra’s varied talents and her regret at not being able to defend her cup for winning the folk singing category at Leamington Spa Competitive Music Festival, a casualty of lockdown.
Ilona followed with stories of more performances, this time during Christmases at the Blackpool boarding house run by her parents Olive and Alec. Channelling her mother, she recounted how neighbouring guest-houses passed Christmas entertainers along the street, the performers being plied with drink at each venue. Ilona remembered a magician objecting to the mirror he was obliged to stand in front of until she and Olive stood holding up a sheet to obscure it. Ilona remains sceptical of conjurors to this day. A well-oiled singer, having previously provided pianist Ilona with his music, launched out in a different key and tempo, reminding one of a well-known Eric and Ernie sketch featuring Andrew Preview.
Kneale Johnson was not able to provide a precise location for his Christmas story, because as a five-year old he was in transit to the Middle East via the Cape. His Christmas present he does know however. It was a Hornby O-gauge clockwork railway set which just fitted into the cabin. The captain and crew seem to have enjoyed it as much as Kneale.
Gill Ashley-Smith recollected idyllic childhood Christmases in Norwich, with feather beds and children’s stories, with delightful Boxing Day teas presided over by “Aunts” Gwen and Connie in their Victorian villa. Bread and butter featured strongly.
Peter Waters described the traditional Christmas proceedings in Shoreham (not by sea), much loved by Samuel Palmer and William Blake. The real father Christmas distributed presents prior to a Christingle service, and a visit to see Samuel Palmer’s house.
Closer to home Pam Redgrave revealed a history of swimming instruction, life saving and swimming pool construction. Forty years ago she helped build the High School swimming pool, a pioneer solar heated facility. On Christmas day morning 1980 she was one of a party invited to swim in the newly completed pool by the retiring headmaster, Mr Turner. She managed 40 lengths in an hour.
Ted Crofts’ story was worthy of a TV sitcom. When he was in charge 
of catering and entertainments at an Oxford hotel the pre-booked Father Christmas met with an accident before he was due to entertain a party of 30 children aged 3 to 10 years old on Christmas day. Ted was pressed into service but had to squeeze into a borrowed costume, too small for him, obtained after many panic phone calls. Presents appropriate to each child’s age had been wrapped and name tagged but several children had the same name, so Ted had to rely on his elf assistant, who had bought the presents, to advise him which ones to give to whom. Opportunities for disaster were many, but luck was on Ted’s side. I hope he got a bonus.
With Ruth Morgan’s tale we were in exotic country again, in Kenya, with another near disaster. At Christmas at their mission it was the tradition for the local tribespeople to don their war dress and weapons and dance in celebration. A newly arrived couple unaware of the benign nature of this performance were badly shocked, and an international incident was only narrowly avoided.
Your host then rounded off the presentations with his recollections of working as a schoolboy in a ramshackle Bristol toy factory surrounded by foul-mouthed women who randomly sabotaged the machinery to give them time for a fag. One day a drum of Teepol (neat detergent) used to make bubble mixture got tipped over in the yard and a misguided attempted to wash it away with a hose generated drifts of foam which escaped out of the yard across the suburban road outside like a fog bank into which the traffic plunged. All in all an education to an innocent middle class lad.
Bob Briggs sent a contribution which the Post Office delayed by 2 weeks ensuring that it arrived too late for inclusion on the evening. He recounts the experience of winters in Montreal during a five-year teaching stint in the ‘60s. He describes skiing, snowball fights with Americans (with the English demonstrating the advantage of the cricket bowling action over baseball throws), creating his own ice rink by chucking buckets of water on the ground, the Canadians dancing the twist on tables, reputedly to improve their skiing, and the beauty of the Laurentian Mountains. Not so exhilarating apparently is changing flat tyres in temperatures of minus 40 degrees, which happens to be the same in both Fahrenheit and Centigrade.
Thanks again to all these contributors for bringing us all some cheery recollections of happier times.
2021 Programme
Until further notice our programme will be delivered via Zoom. The meetings will be
January 15 David Beaumont: The Civil War Claims Project: Kineton and District.
February 19 Professor John Hunter: The Making of Tysoe Project: the story so far.
March 19 AGM (format subject to covid rules)
April 11 Colin Clay and Phil Taylor: Back Tracks: detecting the past
May 21 Michael Luntley: From This Ground: songs and stories from 19thcentury agricultural workers (a performance, so subject to covid restrictions being lifted)
June, July August Summer outings to Moreton Morrell College, Stoneleigh Village, and Croome Park, arrangements to be to be confirmed
September 17 Peter Coulls and Alan Jennings: Warwick and Leamington Tramways
Oct 15 tbc
November 19 tbc
December 10 Christmas treats/ Christmas speaker
Other Matters
Local historian Martin Greenwood has informed us of his new book called ‘The Promised Land, The Story of Emigration from Oxfordshire and Neighbouring Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Warwickshire 1815-1914. It covers Oxon mainly but there is plenty about its neighbours and the whole process of emigration, including the port of Liverpool, cost, shipping, passages, disasters, epidemic diseases and the experience of some after arrival, particularly in Australia.
The blurb goes on to say: The author has written a lively and knowledgeable story of emigration from Oxfordshire and its neighbouring shires from 1815 to 1914. The story begins with the voyages of Captain Cook, which led to the provision of new places for penal colonies in Australia. Free emigration also gathered steam in the 1830s, followed by the Great Exodus from 1850. The story evokes the bustle and confusion of migrants at Liverpool, and the emotions of departure. It looks at their shipping, health problems, costs and shipwrecks, and at their experience on arrival. It also examines the political changes, particularly to the Poor Laws and Corn Laws.
Martin Greenwood has written previously about village life in Flora Thompson’s Lark Rise Country and more widely in Banburyshire. His most recent book was The Real Candleford Green, The Story of a Lark Rise Village, and he both gave a talk to the Group on this subject and led a village walk round Flora Thompson country for us some years ago.
The book is available from Martin for £9.95 plus p&p £3 = £12.95, with a cheque payable to Martin Greenwood, posted to him at “Sarnen”, Main Street, Fringford, Bicester, OX27 8DP
Other Society News
Other societies are exploring ways of reaching their members, and members who can use the various virtual meetings apps can usually join them.
Warwickshire Local History Society
Saturday 16 January, 2.00pm, afternoon talk by Jim Ranahan: The photographer’s gaze: viewing Warwickshire since 1837
Tuesday 16 February7.20 for 7.30 start a talk by Adrian Walter: Non-conformist Educational Outreach in Stratford-on-Avon District Council 1860-1930.
K&DLHG is affiliated to WLHS and our members are entitled to join their meetings which are handled by Eventbrite. To join a meeting you must pre-register with Eventbrite. Google the Warwickshire Local History Society webpage, click <Events> pre-register via <Eventbrite> click on <Register> and then again on <register> and fill in your details.
KDLHG Committee Matters.
The committee met virtually on November 3rd, and again on November 24th to confirm the 2021 programme arrangements. Ted Crofts outlined the generally satisfactory state of our finances, as a result of no few speaker fees or hall expenses. The postponement of the Village Hall archive construction project means paying fees to Ark Storage for some time to come. Our PayPal account, which could be useful for more transactions than just the Village History book- eg Peter Ashley-Smith’s essays in due course- requires a password that seems to be unobtainable. Ted, Roger and Lucie to try to resolve this.
A review of the September and October “hybrid” meetings concluded that they were satisfactory for those in the Hall, but not for members at home. The technology for November’s exclusively Zoom meeting, held between the two committee meetings, apparently worked well. Any future talks held both in the Hall and via Zoom should use 2 computers, one to drive the Hall projector and a separate one to share the presentation via Zoom. The December meeting date was changed from the 18th to the 11th, and at the 24th November meeting Ilona’s suggestion that members could be invited to present short personal memorable Christmas experiences was agreed. Claire was thanked for her research on Christmas speakers, requested at the 3rd November meeting, and her suggestions were recorded for future reference, possibly for Christmas 2021. The evening meetings for January to September were confirmed, and Isobel undertook to pursue the possibility of resurrecting the Croome Park coach outing. Speakers are still to be confirmed for October and November 2021 as well as the first two months of 2022.
Catherine Petrie was thanked for undertaking to submit our programme to the various local newspapers and other outlets, in addition to providing and distributing the posters as usual, in a bid to widen our membership. The next meeting of the committee will be on Tuesday 26th January 2021 via Zoom at 7.00pm..
DF 6 January 2021