THE John Harris Newsletter Society No 67 Autumn 2019 Artist inspired by Harris poem A minister in the Falmouth and Gwennap Methodist Circuit, the Rev Elizabeth Harris, has sent the Society this lovely image of a Cornish chough. In a message to chairman Paul Langford, she wrote: ‘This is a photo of the picture (Lino print) by Rose Hunter that we bought at the Salar Gallery in Hatherleigh, (Devon), where they were holding a Poetry in Print exhibition, drawing on work of various poets, including one poem by John Harris, The Cornish Chough.’ JHS 2 their intention to be present! Again, I Summer has flown by appeal to you all that if you have you Is that the experience of each one any ideas for fund raising, please of us? The realisation that it’s time to contact Tony or me, as sponsor- write again for the society’s newsletter- ship from businesses is limited as has caused me to reflect on activities there are no tax advantages when since the last time I communicated supporting The Society as it is not with you all by this means. a charity. One of the highlights of my Summer was the occasion when Tony, Gill and I were entertained to lunch in a local October birthday event garden centre by John Tremberth and We will celebrate John Harris’ 199th his wife, Milada, during their visit to birthday on 12 October at Troon Cornwall from their home in France. Chapel at 2pm and will welcome as our In our Summer newsletter, John speaker Miss Kerri Bridgeman, who wrote about his father, Reginald Trem- organised the event when a number of berth, and over lunch we were given Society members made a presentation sight of a file of the latter’s paintings at Morrab Library in Penzance. Kerri and presented with a detailed account has studied Harris’ poetry in some of John’s grandparents’ work as Bible detail as part of her English degree Christian Missionaries in China. They course at Truro & Penwith College. were Revd William and Emily Trem- I’m confident she will be well worth berth. John concluded his preface to listening to as she relates something of his writings by saying “For me this has her research. Please do your best to at- been a fascinating journey into my tend. Kerri hopes to get a John Harris family history and China’s turbulent page on the Truro-Penwith-Callywith past.” We had a most interesting time college Moodle system during this and were so grateful to John for mak- academic year. ing contact with Tony and arranging the meeting. If anyone would like to borrow this historical record, please contact me. And Autumn, with the Presentations dry leaves in his hand Our next presentation is planned for O’erwritten with the the Methodist Church Guild at Feock on Friday 18 October. I would invite stanzas of the wood, members to suggest venues for further When the rich grapes, presentations as we seek to make the by amorous zephyrs John Harris story more widely known, particularly as we approach the Bi- fanned, Centenary Festival next year. Hang by the porch, and cluster near the flood, The John Harris Speaking in wisdom’s ear that God to all is Bi-Centenary Festival good. from 16-18 October From Harris’s poem The committee is so grateful to those The Seasons members who responded to the survey about the 2020 Festival. The number of responses has encouraged the com- mittee to press on with the arrange- ments to celebrate this amazing man. I would appeal to those who haven’t yet responded to do so as among their Promote the festival number, I see the names of some Please continue to promote John whom I would expect to be present Harris and the Bi-Centenary Festival in 2020. Fact sheets are available from Chairman’s ramblings – but, of course, all will be welcome. Steve Crossman or Tony, and they give with Paul Langford Over the Summer, more American relatives of the poet have expressed introductory details about the event. JHS 3 Celebration of the life of a Devon poet Two images of the postman poet Edward Capern - the coloured image is of a painting by William Widgery in 1857. Both pictures copyright Burton Art Gallery and Museum, Bideford. BY TONY LANGFORD home he honed the verses he had com- Edward Capern and John Harris cor- posed during the day. responded. We may be celebrating the bi-cente- The self-educated Capern contribut- And in the summer of 1860, Capern nary of John Harris in 2020 but 2019 ed verse to the “Poet’s Corner” of the spent a week at Falmouth with Harris sees the bi-centenary of the birth of North Devon Journal and it was here when they took rambles and visited Edward Capern, the postman poet of that his work came to the notice of several places of local interest. Har- Bideford. Born at Tiverton 0n 21 Janu- William Frederick Rock of Barnstaple. ris wrote of Capern: “He sang his ary 1819, he was sent to work in a lace Recognising Capern’s talent, Rock own songs, composed his pieces, and factory when just nine years of age. In set about gathering a body of subscrib- praised our land of mines and moors… 1848 he landed a job as a letter-carrier ers, resulting in the publication of Ed- ……I doubt if a truer poet ever ex- or postman at Bideford. ward Capern’s first book, called simply isted.” His post round took him from Bid- Poems, in 1856. Edward Capern died on 4 June 1894. eford to Buckland Brewer and neigh- It was a national success, receiving Devon-based writer Liz Shakespeare, bourhood and back, a 13-mile round critical acclaim, with Charles Dick- who lives in a cottage that would have trip which he undertook daily, includ- ens and Alfred Lord Tennyson among been on the poet’s postal route, has ing Sundays. The only time he had off those singing its praises. championed Edward Capern in recent was Christmas Day. Edward Capern went on to publish years. Her novel The Postman Poet It was on these rounds along leafy, three more books of poetry and a book (£9.99) is based on the life of Capern rural lanes and with a background of of songs he had written – The Devon- and she has also published a selection birdsong that Capern composed most shire Melodist – some of them to his of his work, The Poems of Edward of his poetry. own music. Capern (£7.99). (Both books are avail- Lying against a hedge, leaning on a For Capern was not only a poet but able from her website: www.lizshake- field gate or resting on a stile, he often a musician, being “no mean performer speare.co.uk). And musicians Nick wrote on the envelopes he was about on a flute” and possessing a fine singing Wyke and Becki Driscoll, also based to deliver. voice. He often walked around the in Devon, have produced a CD – The He would ask the recipients if he lanes singing the words he had written. Songs of Edward Capern the Postman could have the envelopes back and, Being contemporaries and working- Poet. (Available from www.englishfid- invariably, they agreed. When he got class poets, it is not surprising that dle.com, £10). JHS 4 My visit to Gwennap Pit BY JOHN TREMBERTH In July 2017 my wife and I vis- ited Gwennap Pit for the first time. Among the many items of family memorabilia, recovered from my late brother’s house the previous year, I came across a photograph taken at the 1915 Methodist annual Whit Monday rally, traditionally held at Gwennap Pit. Somewhere among the throng was my maternal great-grandfather from St Erth, Frank Maddern, who served as a local Methodist preacher for over 50 years. Not having GPS, we had a little difficulty finding our way. In Lanner, the last person to give us directions told us: “It’s a hidden gem”, and he was certainly right. On the morning of our visit there were very few visitors and we practi- was contacted by the Rev Ian Haile, a Journal also includes an article by Paul cally had the whole of this exceptional member of the Gwennap Pit Commit- and Tony Langford about John Harris. spot to ourselves. After our visit I chat- tee and a Vice-President of the Cornish As the JHS website mentions that the ted with the lady at the visitor centre, Methodist Historical Association, and association welcomes contributions mentioning my Cornish Methodist was invited to write an article for the about Cornish subjects in general I roots on both sides of my family. She CMHA Journal about my paternal contacted Tony and was delighted to suggested I write to Jenny Lockwood, grandparents’ Bible Christian mis- be given the opportunity of sharing who administers the site for the sionary work in China. It so happens with a wider audience the Cornish Methodist Church. In due course I that this year’s edition of the CMHA artworks of my father, Reginald Trem- JHS 5 The drawing of Church Lane, and a picture of how it looks today. FROM PAGE 4 berth. These are described in the JHS Tony Langford has recognised the draw- Summer 2019 Newsletter. ing of a country lane with cottages nest- One of the features of my recent trips ling among the trees as being in fact to Cornwall has been to visit the sites my father depicted in his artworks.