Parish Historical Society

Newsletter Spring 2016 - Autumn 2016 Volume 2 - Issue 4

History is the sum total of things that could have been avoided. Konrad Adenauer Konrad Adenauer served as the first post war Chancellor of West Germany from 1949 - 1963 In this Issue Welcome from your Chairman Dr James Horsfall Welcome from your Chairman P1 I am very pleased to report that our membership total is now AGM November 2016 P1 108. This helps to explain why we are getting such good Forthcoming Events P1 turnouts at our meetings despite other local meetings taking Events Review P2 to P5 place at the same time! Any ideas for future talks are very nd welcome. My thanks, as ever, to all committee members and 2 World War Correspondence P6 especially James Puttick for producing the newsletter more or Snippets P7 less by himself. Alison Bolton has offered to organise some Parish Walks P7 local walks in the summer to view local history - see page 7 AGM 20 November 2015 P7 for details. The 7th Exhibition P8 Society Officials P8 It is acknowledged for a business to succeed it must always be looking to the future to ensure it makes improvements to its services or products. To stand still can lead to contraction and Forthcoming Events eventually closure. This is also true of societies and our historical society is no exception. On Wednesday 6 April this at The Boldre War Memorial Hall year we have an open meeting, which I hope many of you will at 7.00pm attend. The meeting will give you the opportunity to ask questions about your society and Boldre parish. I would Wednesday 23 March 2016 therefore ask you, prior to the meeting, to think about your Talk by Philip Unwin society and what you would like to see it achieve in the coming years. You may like to consider how to attract more younger The SS Great Britain in Bristol members to join us, or you may like to know how to research The Concorde of the Day your family history. A very ambitious goal would be for the society to purchase or lease suitable premises in the parish, Wednesday 6 April 2016 which could form a meeting room and a research/reading Open Meeting room with storage facilities. John F Kennedy's famous quote is quite appropriate when you are deliberating about the society Where you can ask anything concerning the history and I paraphrase "ask not what your society can do for you; of the parish of Boldre. Discussion, questions and ask what you can do for your society". maybe answers.

The Annual General Meeting November 2016 This year's AGM will be held on Friday 4 November 2016 at the Boldre War Memorial Hall at 7.00pm. After the meeting Brian Goodall will talk on the History of the Rowing Club - a date for your diary. Boldre Parish Historical Society Newsletter Spring 2016 - Autumn 2016 Page 2 Events Review

Once again our Chairman has excelled himself by arranging a series of excellent talks which, as he confirmed in his Welcome Notes, have been very well attended. As the years pass by it becomes more difficult to find speakers who can tell us about aspects of our local history, which we have not heard about before. This is why our last talk in March is about the SS Great Britain and why our Chairman will welcome any ideas for future talks. On Friday 20 November 2015, after our AGM, we had two lectures for the price of one. Two of our members, John Cockram and Richard Williams, spoke about The and the Great War in 1915 and the beginning of 1916. A summary of the talk follows along with a summary of the first two talks of 2016.

1 The Sadness of War ……….

John commenced his part of the talk by telling us about the casualty breakdown, commencing with the 31 local men who died from natural or accidental causes. This figure was swollen by the seven Territorials who died in India, mainly from heatstroke, dysentery or enteric fever. He then moved on to talk about the 12 men who died at sea - including George Pilkington from Boldre who was lost with his submarine C31 off the Dutch coast.

However, the main part of his lecture concerned the Western Front in 1915, which accounted for the deaths of 80 local men. Sir Edward Hulse from , seen right, who had taken part in the Christmas Truce in 1914, was killed at Neuve Chapelle in March. This was the first British offensive of the war and initially was very successful. The main cause of loss was the Second Battle of Ypres during April and May 1915, which cost 37 local lives including Bert Kingswell of Pilley. Alan Hargreaves of Lyndhurst, seen left, died at the battle of Aubers Ridge in May 1915. Another ten local men were killed in the Battle of Loos in September 1915 including Bob Pearce and Clive Worthington of Boldre.

Richard then told us about the naval aspect of the Gallipoli Campaign and followed by explaining how the landings at Helles and ANZAC Cove, on the 25 April 1915 were conducted. Two local men from Hythe - Captain E Unwin VC RN and Lieutenant Colonel Doughty VC, seen below right, both won their VC’s at this time. Later in the year the August landings and battles cost the lives of 56 New Forest men, including nine men who were drowned when the Transport ROYAL EDWARD was torpedoed bringing reinforcements to the campaign. In all, local villages suffered the loss of 84 men in the campaign before the peninsula was successfully evacuated on 8 January 1916. Minor operations in Salonica, West Africa and Mesopotamia cost the lives of six more local men.

2 A Monumental Project ……….

The first talk of our Spring 2016 Autumn 2016 season was given by Donald Mackenzie. His subject was the awakening memories of a forgotten New Forest naval hero and the Burrard Neale Monument Anniversary Restoration Project. As always our meeting was well attended and for those of you who could not attend you missed a highly entertaining talk. Don is able to entertain and inform his audience with his highly articulate, serious and at times humorous delivery. Don was representing The Lymington Society who are leading the project on behalf of the Lymington and Pennington Town Council supported by the Hampshire Garden Trust. Other local organisations including the Council and the New Forest National Park Authority are involved in the Burrard Neale 250 restoration project. Boldre Parish Historical Society Newsletter Spring 2016 - Autumn 2016 Page 3 Events Review continued ……….

2 A Monumental Project continued ……….

Last year was the 250th anniversary of the birth of Sir Harry Burrard Neale, our Forgotten naval hero. Who is Sir Harry? He is certainly the most celebrated and illustrious person to have come from Lymington and his monument stands proudly in our parish. He was born Harry Burrard on 16 September 1765 and in 1795 he adopted the additional name of Neale when he married Grace, the daughter of Robert Neale of Shaw House, Wiltshire. His father was William Burrard, the governor of Yarmouth Castle on the , where he may have been born. He was also the nephew of Sir Harry Burrard, 1st Baronet of , whom he succeeded in 1791. Following his education at Christchurch Grammar School he joined the in 1778 rising through the ranks to finally being promoted to that of Admiral 1810. During his time in the Royal Navy he distinguished himself in 1797 by quelling the Mutiny at the Nore, an anchorage in the Thames Estuary, which also found him Royal favour. He helped to sink 20 enemy ships and was one of the Lords of the Admiralty between 1804 and 1807. You would have thought his naval career would have kept him fully occupied - but no - he was a Member of Parliament for Lymington on four occasions between 1790 and 1835 and also Mayor of Lymington on many occasions. He was invested as a Knight Commander of the in 1815 and advanced to a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in 1822. He became Commander in Chief, Mediterranean Fleet in 1823, which led to his appointment of the Order of St Michael and St George the following year. He died without issue in 1840 and was succeeded by his brother George and was buried in Lymington Church. He was obviously widely respected in Lymington and beyond and a magnificent obelisk was erected in his memory by public subscription. The monument has been known as the Walhampton Monument for many years, which is one reason the Burrard Neale 250 project aims to revive awareness and appreciation of our forgotten New Forest naval hero. The other three aims are to restore the Walhampton site and monument to their former glory, maintain the attraction of the Walhampton site and to celebrate Sir Harry's 250th anniversary. The restoration of the site would also upgrade the Solent Way that runs through the site and leave a legacy to ensure the site is looked after and Sir Harry is remembered. (There is an interesting Snippet provided by Margaret Orman on page 7, which is appropriate to this section. Ed.)

To achieve these objectives there has been a phased approach commencing with arranging publicity to awaken interest in Sir Harry and his monument, followed by raising funds for the landscaping of the site and improving the Solent Way. These funds will make the site safe and accessible. Finally additional funds would be required to restore the Monument. Over the last two years the publicity campaign has been well received and many more people are aware of the reason why the Monument was built. A schools programme was initiated involving 8 primary schools including Walhampton school. This has helped to increase an awareness and interest in our local area and the idea of heritage and citizenship. The fund raising for the landscaping of the site raised in excess of £25000 and to date has enabled the site to be cleared with a new fence and the planting of 1200 new plants and trees together with some 7000 bulbs. A drainage scheme, pond and new path have also been completed. Much of this work has been done by a loyal band of volunteers. Viewed from a distance the monument looks in good shape but closer inspection confirms there has been water penetration, staining and damage to the stone and surrounding paving. The monument therefore needs repointing, cleaning and repairing. Also plants are growing out of it. Currently funding bids are being planned and architects have been appointed and cleaning trials have been carried out. Hopefully in the next year or so we will see this very important monument restored to its former glory. The Lymington Society would love to hear from anyone with an interest in this project. It is not too late to get involved, or you may just want to follow the progress of the project. Contact can be made via the web site www.burrard-neale250.org.uk or by telephone 01590 672673. Boldre Parish Historical Society Newsletter Spring 2016 - Autumn 2016 Page 4 Events Review continued ……….

3 Archaeology with more than just a pinch of Salt ……….

On one of the wettest days of the year and despite the Lymington River bursting its banks, which prevented a number of members reaching the Memorial Hall, about 40 members managed to attend the talk given by Frank Green, Archaeologist at the New Forest National Park Authority (NFNPA). Frank talked about The Salterns and Recent Archaeological Work including the Lymington salt industry, which produced common salt, sodium chloride, for many years. Frank commenced by giving us an overview of the Salterns area most of which is owned / managed by Hampshire County Council (HCC). Some of the offshore mud is leased by the Harbour Commissioners and the intertidal areas are leased by Hampshire Wildlife Trust and in some cases the New Forest District Council. On occasions storms along this coast sometimes show up archaeological remains. About 5 years ago there was a Rapid Coastal Zone Archaeological Assessment by volunteers and two members of NFNPA staff. Divers visited 3 specific vessels. The outcome of the project was around 3,000 new archaeological sites and heritage features along the coastline. All that information goes into the local Historic Environment Record held by HCC and shared with other national records. This Assessment covered the whole of the coastline of the National Park area and also the Forest District, starting at the Dorset/Hampshire county boundary and ending at Redbridge boundary with Southampton. To study the archaeology Frank explained we have to go back into the distant past. He used the Efford landfill site as an example and told us about an archaeological excavation on that site by Wessex Archaeology in the 1990s/early 2000. The excavation was able to establish the differences in the periods of salt production in Lymington. It indicated that there were phases of salt production that take us back into the Roman period, into the iron age and possibly even into the bronze age; so that the salt industry here in Excavation along a trackway to Lymington potentially goes back something like 4 or 4.5 thousand years. The Creek Cottage excavations found a range of features including mysterious parallel slots. Archaeologists do not understand what these particular features in the Excavation along trackway landscape actually mean, which are found commonly in the Salterns area and to Creek Cottage they seem to be associated with the very early stages of salt production. At Pylewell there are also the parallel features but they have not yet been excavated. Lymington is very lucky that the Salterns were regularly visited by people who wrote accounts of what they saw. One by Daniel Defoe written in the early 18th century, confirms that the whole of the southern part of is provided with good quality table salt from Lymington. In the course of time, when the salt industry collapsed, most of these areas were drained and turned to pasture. Salt barns at Creek Cottage There are many items of archaeological interest along and in the canal leading up to the remaining salt houses. Frank described the pre-Tudor way of producing salt where gravel from the seabed was thrown into the salt pans to increase the salinity of the brine. In some places there are large gravel heaps left over once the brine had been extracted and the water boiled off. Not many gravel heaps remain in the Salterns because the canny folk of Lymington sold the gravel for other purposes.

One of the first things archaeologists do before commencing a survey is to pull out the old maps. Even the very early maps of this area show salterns. In 10th/11th centuries the monks at Beaulieu were producing salt along the Beaulieu river between the abbey and the mouth. On 18th century maps salterns are marked all around the coast. 19th century maps show rectangular Normandy Dock clearance of salt pans where sun and wind concentrated the brine before it was processed vegetation and sediment 2010 in the boiling houses. 18th century French maps (made presumably with an invasion in view) also show salterns. Luftwaffe aerial photographs of the coast that have survived from WW2 are also a very useful source of information. Normandy Dock clearance of Another source are the tithe maps for Boldre and Lymington showing features vegetation and sediment like docks that run inland from the coast like Moses Dock, Maiden Dock and Normandy Dock. The advantage of tithe maps is that they show who owned land and what people were doing with the land. We can see who owned the salt production sites for example. This is how the St Barbe and Burrard families made their money. In a good year in the 18th century the salt industry might show ₤25,000 profit. But because salt production relied heavily on sun and wind to evaporate water from the salt pans, a wet summer where the pans filled up with rain water was disastrous for the industry. Boldre Parish Historical Society Newsletter Spring 2016 - Autumn 2016 Page 5 Events Review continued ………. 3 Archaeology with more than just a pinch of Salt continued ………. In the 18th century Thomas Rowlandson (English artist and caricaturist 1756-1827) painted several views of the Lymington salterns showing structures in the landscape like the boiling house and the bath house. Salt was transported by boats or overland through the Forest. Several 19th century illustrations have come to light, like the one showing an industrial landscape with windmills driving the pumps that moved the brine between pans and into tanks to be fed down into the boiling houses. It's difficult, however, to pinpoint exactly where the drawings were made from. Over the centuries storms and high tides have damaged the Lymington salterns. In one tremendous storm in the 19th century Hurst Spit was moved 40 yards inland. Now, if you go to Hurst Spit at very low tide or after a storm you can see traces of salterns on the seaward side of the Spit that were on the landward side before this huge storm.

The last two boiling houses at Creek Cottage are in a perilous state. It is hoped that by now, being under new ownership, they will be restored. Frank went on to talk, in detail, about these boiling houses. An excavation project with volunteers managed by Wessex Archaeology found foundations of an old wall which confirmed that one of them had been extended much further eastwards corresponding with the tithe map. It was originally an "aisled barn" with 4 massive posts supporting the roof with an aisle rather like a church. Frank showed a diary entry written by a visiting cousin of the St Barbe family, which gave a good account of salt production in the late 18th century. Her account corresponds with Rowlandson's views of the boiling pans, etc. Many of the documents have ended up in America. The Rowlandson drawings are in the Huntingdon Library in California. A lot of research on this topic has been done and information has been found in several different archives. Documents held by the Royal Society have also turned up in the past 30-odd years so that we now have a clear understanding of how the salt industry operated. Small rectangular pans, below sea level, were allowed to fill with sea water, concentrated brine then pumped into tanks and then into the boiling houses where remaining water was evaporated off using coal fires. In the second year of the Maritime Project a trench was excavated across the footpath that leads back to Lymington east of Creek Cottage. This trench found signs of 13th/14th century agricultural activity and also thick yellow clay similar to that which was typically used to line salt pans. Pottery and a lot of other artefacts were also found. The soil samples taken during the excavation were analysed in a lab in Southampton. The samples showed botanical material (sedges, heather) from hearths that once existed in this area where peat was used before coal to evaporate the water. Also other salts were found e.g. magnesium sulphate (Epsom salts), that are by-products of the salt production process. In Cheltenham Spa, they claimed to use only the best Lymington salts meaning not table salt, but these other by-products of the salt-making process. There was possibly an emerging chemical industry recovering various products from salt water. This is a field for further research. The Lymington salt industry failed in 1860s because of the cost of the coal, the unreliability of sun and wind and above all cost competition from salt mines in Cheshire. This resulted in many of the salterns being turned into oyster beds. However oyster production failed time and time again probably due to a virus in the oyster beds. The brine shrimp was another fatality of the salt industry failure. It was one of the great attractions for tourists and visitors up to the 1860s. We have no idea how brine shrimps got here - possibly in ballast water from boats. Frank concluded his talk by telling us about a colleague who was doing work in a French archive about 18 months ago and found a picture showing a wind pump and a tower. Possibly a view of the Lymington Salterns with the addition of Luttrell’s Tower at . So, perhaps the French artist was using a little poetic licence.

This report has been compiled by our part time secretary Pat Langfelder. (Thank you for your help Pat. Ed.)

Normandy Dock timber piles and Possibly a part of a former sea Possible salt working site stone from the dock side bank near Lisle Court near Lisle Court Boldre Parish Historical Society Newsletter Spring 2016 - Autumn 2016 Page 6

2nd World War Correspondence A second letter from Mr G Saunders to Mrs S Hayward. This one is dated 26 December 1942.

Dear Mrs Hayward, Mr Cruikshank, of Boldre Lane, is now engaged in revising the Boldre Roll of Service, which hangs in the Church porch and is supposed to contain the names of all parishioners of Boldre who are away from home serving with the forces. I am helping him with regard to the Walhampton portion of the parish. I believe your two sons are now in the forces, but their names are not on this roll. Would you like to have them placed thereon? If so, please let me have their full Christian names, the force in which they are serving - Air Force, Royal Navy, Merchant Navy etc. Or in the Army, the particular unit or regiment. Their ranks also may be given. You had left this parish before they joined up, I believe, but as you are keeping up your connection with Boldre - taking the magazine and having your name and that of Mr Hayward on the Parish Church Electoral Roll, there seems to be a good claim for the insertion of their names on the Roll of Service if you so desire. Their address here would be "Leyland" Walhampton. A Devon address would be out of place. I trust that you and Mr Hayward are keeping well. I miss those interesting talks I used to have with Mr H. on the doings of by-gone times when we met at the local house of refreshment. Now it is either darts or crib, or both and as I play neither, a short drink, a glance at the "Echo" and then off home I go. Wishing you both a very Happy New Year. Yrs very truly Geo W Saunders.

Mr Saunders was a Boldre Parish Councillor for ten years from 1942 and it is thought he may have worked for the Walhampton Estate. He was still living at Myrtle Cottage, Undershore Road near the Waggon & Horses, which must be the local house of refreshment he refers to in his letter and Mrs Hayward was still living near Honiton Devon. Her eldest son William (Bill) was in the Army. An account of his war service can be found in John Cockram’s and Richard Williams book Boldre and the Second World War on page 223. Anthony (Tony) who was two years younger than Bill was in the Royal Air Force and in November 1942 he was stationed at Kinloss in Scotland. Boldre Parish Historical Society Newsletter Spring 2016 - Auumn 2016 Page 7

Snippets - provided by committee member Margaret Orman

New Milton Advertiser & Lymington Times 4th March 1967

Toll Bridge Free in 1969?

It was hoped that tolls would be removed from the Lymington Toll Bridge in 1969 Hampshire County Council was told at a meeting in Winchester on Monday. The chairman (Sir Alan Lubbock) said that of the £56,000, so far £38,000 had been recouped. “I think it will probably be possible to remove the tolls by the present showing on March 31st 1969” he said, which would be five years after the operation.

The photograph shows the Courteney Tracey Otter Hounds meet at the Lymington Toll Bridge in June 1925.

The Chronilcle 17th August 1916

The Walhampton Monument. (Completed in 1841 at a cost of £1482 3s Ed)

Councillor Goulding said a Sub-Committee was appointed to inspect the place. They visited the spot and found that it only needed a little tidying up; it would be only a small cost. The suggestion that a letter be written to Lord St, Cyres, asking him to keep the place in order according to his contract (for 1s a year for shooting rights). The council unanimously agreed to the recommendation.

Parish Walks ……….

A year ago in the Spring 2015 to Autumn 2015 Newsletter an article entitled “The present must look to the future - so the future can look to the past” was included. This article posed the question “will the inhabitants of Boldre, in 100 years time, be able to look back at photographs and postcards of the parish in 2015”. It also asked how many of today’s properties will be in existence in 2115, as many of our current housing stock are being extended and altered or even demolished. As a result a project to record the dwellings and landscape of the parish was commenced. It has got off to a slow start and in an effort to hopefully raise more interest in this very important project committee member Alison Bolton has offered to lead some short walks around the parish. The object of the strolls round the parish is to look at such features as building materials used, estimate the age of a building and see if, for instance, the chimney pots are hand made. Also to record whether the boundaries are walls, hedges or fences. Any information about a change of house name or who lived there in the past would also be very useful. The venue for the first walk, which will be on Monday 6 June 2016, will be outside of Pilley Post Office and Stores commencing at 7pm. Numbers will be limited, therefore if you would like to take part please let Alison know. Alison can be contacted on 01590 674607 or by email [email protected]

Annual General Meeting 20 November 2015 ...... The Chairman commenced his report by thanking Ian Wild and his wife Ann for organising the exhibition, which was held in October. He also thanked other members of the committee who had prepared exhibits and helped with the construction of the exhibition. This included the excellent tableau of a 1940's kitchen in the stage area of the hall. A special mention was made regarding the sad passing of our president Robin McGarrel-Groves and the election of our new president Hugo Duplessis. The talks, as always, had been very well attended and the Chairman confirmed no further tours around large properties and estates are scheduled for the time being. The Membership Secretary confirmed membership was again good with several new members joining. Membership currently stands at 108 and he hopes members will continue to enjoy the Society, the newsletter and events throughout the year. New members are always welcome, at any time of the year. Do please mention the Society to family, friends and neighbours and they too might like to exchange family history. Further details can be found on the website www.boldreparishhistoricalsociety.co.uk. The Treasurer confirmed the accounts for 2014/2015 had been audited by Colin Wise and that the financial year ended with a bank balance of £1320. The income for the year amounted to £1108 and expenditure was £997 resulting in a surplus for the year of £111. All the current officers were re-elected. (for details see Page 8 Ed.) Boldre Parish Historical Society Newsletter Spring 2016 - Autumn 2016 Page 8 The 7th Exhibition ………. The 7th exhibition was held at the Boldre War Memorial Hall, Pilley on 24th and 25th October 2015. The preparations for our exhibitions always start many months in advance and with a number of questions. What projects should be covered? Will there be enough material? Will there be a good balance of pictures and narrative? Who is going to do the work? Will the exhibits hold people's interest? But of course everything is "alright on the night", as they say. As usual the exhibition was up to the expected very high standard. Over 200 visitors were able to view a 1930's/40's kitchen tableau in the stage area of the main hall and the histories of various local families including that of the Rev. John Staniforth. The Duplessis "Coffin Plates" from Arras in France, lent by our president Hugo Duplessis generated a display of the history of the Duplessis family at Newtown Park from 1857 to 1957. The Plates were in a sense "refugees" from the fighting in the Artois region of north eastern France in WW1. They languished on the stable wall of Newtown House until 1957. The Artois region was the ancestral home of the Duplessis family. Visitors were also able to study in depth history of people and places in the hamlet of Boldre, as well as activities and events within the of Boldre during the 1950's and 1960's. The detailed and fascinating record of residents of Norley Wood in 1910/1911 attracted a great deal of interest. Many visitors had relatives living there during that time and many more people who live there now are descendants of those living in the hamlet over 100 years ago. Of particular interest was the story of the Nursing Home, run by Mrs. Elizabeth Mary Gould (also known as Nanny Gould), which started off in Portmore and ended up in Highfield, Lymington. Among the more than twenty contributions to this project were some from Swansea, Colchester and Evesham. In fact one contributor, who lives in Woking, even delayed her holiday by a day to visit the exhibition. Talks and exhibitions are the hallmark of this society. It is what I would call a working society, uncovering and recording the history of people and places within the Civil Parish of Boldre from the earliest possible times right up to the recent past. So if you have photos, pictures, documents or information concerning anywhere or anyone within the area they would be most welcome. By the way, the Civil Parish of Boldre is an area of about 10 square miles embracing , Boldre, Bull Hill, Dilton, part of East End (some of which is in ), Tanners Lane and Pitts Deep, Lisle Court, Norley Wood, Pilley, Portmore, Pylewell, Sandy Down, , Undershore, Vicars Hill and Walhampton. Ian Wild - Deputy Chairman.

Nanny Gould’s babies

Society Officials and Committee Members

President Hugo Duplessis Chairman Dr James Horsfall 01590 676728

Deputy Chairman Treasurer Membership Secretary Part Time Secretary Newsletter Editor

Ian Wild Tim Farquhar Patrick Kempe Patricia Langfelder James Puttick 01590 673247 01590 673744 01590 675854 01590 688292 01590 623272

Committee Members

Alison Bolton Ted Cantrell Norman Gannaway George Gates Angela Grainger Pamela Keen 01590 674607 01590 672388 01590 677401 01590 678047 01590 675708 01590 626654

Margaret Orman 01590 675743 Society web site can be found at www.boldreparishhistoricalsociety.co.uk.

Every attempt has been made by The Society to secure the appropriate permission for material produced in this newsletter. If there has been any oversight we will be happy to rectify the situation. Written submission should be made to the Chairman.