THE Journal OF THE KILVERT SOCIETY Number 41 September 2015 THE KILVERT SOCIETY Founded in 1948 to foster an interest in the Reverend Francis Kilvert, his work, his Diary and the countryside he loved Registered Charity No. 1103815 www.thekilvertsociety. org.uk President Ronald Blythe FRSL Vice-Presidents Mrs S Hooper, Mr A L Le Quesne Hon Life Members Miss M R Mumford, Mrs Hurlbutt, Mrs T Williams, Mr J Palmer, Dr W Mom Lockwood, Mr J Hughes-Hallett Chairman David Elvins Dates for your diary Sandalwood, North End Road, Steeple Claydon, Bucks MK18 2PG. All teas and pub lunches must be pre booked with the Secretary by post or email (jeanbrimson @hotmail.com) Hon Secretary Alan Brimson Saturday 26 September 30 Bromley Heath Avenue, Downend, Bristol BS16 6JP. 12.30pm Meet at church of St James, Kinnersley, for a email: jeanbrimson @hotmail.com picnic lunch, followed by a conducted tour of Kinnersley Castle. Tea provided by the castle, £7.50. Vice-Chairman Michael Sharp The Old Forge, Kinnersley, Herefordshire HR3 6QB. Sunday 27 September 3pm Commemorative Service at St James’ Church, Hon Treasurer Richard Weston Kinnersley, followed by tea and croquet on the lawn at 35 Harold Street, Hereford HR1 2QU. the Rectory, by kind invitation of Major and Mrs James Greenfield. £4.50 per person. Hon Membership Secretary Mrs Sue Rose Seend Park Farm, Semington, Trowbridge, Wiltshire Tea on both days must be booked with the Secretary by BA14 6LH. Friday 18 September. Hon Publications Manager and Archivist Colin Dixon 2016 Tregothnan, Pentrosfa Crescent, Llandrindod Wells, Powys LD1 5NW. Wednesday 2 March Visit to St Barnabas’ Church at the lower end of Great Hon Editor of Journal 41 Charles Boase Clarendon Street, Jericho, Oxford OX2 6BG. Details will be sent in the new year to those who indicate Website: www. thekilvertsociety. org.uk they want to go. The Treasurer would like to thank all who responded to his appeal to change their standing-orders to the new subscription rates. If you are on email please help us to cut postage costs by sending However, there are still a few members yet to make the change. your e-address to the Secretary at [email protected] Front cover The portrait of the Rev Sir George Cornewall (1833-1908), the Rector of Moccas, is reproduced courtesy of Francis and Anthea Chester-Master. See David Machin on Sir George and the later history of the Moccas estate on p356 Back cover Top, the Rev Anand Sodadasi, Vicar, blesses and dedicates the replacement Kilvert Memorial Gates at Bredwardine churchyard donated by the Society. Below, Jeff Marshall, who organised the commissioning of the gates on behalf of the committee, watches the man who made and installed them, local carpenter Philip Minton, attach a brass commemorative plaque. Before the ceremony the screws for the plaque were accidentally dropped, prompting a hunt on the lane leading to St Andrew’s. On the left is St Leonard’s, Keevil, visited by the Society in June. Relaxing beside the Kennet and Avon Canal before tea at Mike and Sue Rose’s on that visit are Colin Dixon and Richard Weston and his brother Charles, whose report can be found on p354 From the Chairman, David Elvins Contents Recently I mentioned to a friend that I was a member of the Kilvert Society. He said that he had used the Diary as a reference, along with other contempo- Inside Front Cover Officials rary accounts, regarding weather reports. Part of his job was to gather informa- of the Society and tion on the weather in order to gain a better understanding of climate trends Dates for your diary over the last hundred and fifty years. 354 Our June outing to As a nation we are supposed to be obsessed by the weather. The 1st July this Robert Kilvert’s first year was the hottest July day on record. Kilvert reports a similar hot spell in curacy left some 1874. On 9 June he leaves Chippenham for a holiday on the Isle of Wight: questions unanswered The heat was intense especially at Bishopstoke where the train stood out on the blazing rails at the for Charles Weston junction in the burning sun and we could not alight nor get any shelter. The Wiltshire downs and 355 Sadness tempered with Salisbury Plain were white and glaring with drought and chalk and dust in the scorching blinding joy marked our visit to sun. Everything seemed parched and dried up by the 2 months’ drought except some brilliant patches Cwmgwannon of crimson sainfoin which lighted up the white hot downs and burning Plain with the purple bloom and splendours of heather. 356 David Machin brings He arrives with his companions on the Isle of Wight and on 11 June he plays football and cricket the history of the with some of the children from the local Sunday School: Cornewalls and Moccas The heat was intolerable and I drank some 20 cups of tea. right up to date I have not read better descriptions of the weather than in the pages of the Diary. 357 Kilvert is essential reading for ecologists, writes Dr George From the Secretary, Alan Brimson Peterken on Moccas The arrangements for the September weekend are as follows: 359 Rob Graves disentangles Saturday 26 September, 12.30pm. the many branches of Meet at the Church of St James, Kinnersley, for a picnic lunch and then a the Thomases of Powys visit to Kinnersley Castle where we will have a conducted tour, following which tea will be provided by the Castle at £7.50 per person. 365 An astonishing find Sunday 27 September, 3pm. falls into the hands of Once again meet at St James’, Kinnersley, for a commemorative service, fol- Margaret Collins lowed by tea at the Rectory opposite, at £4.50 per person, after which croquet 368 Our 1887 map features can be played on the lawn in true Kilvertian fashion. the Bredwardine area Teas for both days must be pre-ordered by returning the enclosed order form to the Secretary by 370 Kilvert sensed some 18 September at the absolute latest please. magic at work at For our winter event we intend to revisit Oxford on Wednesday 2 March 2016. On this occasion Cwmpelved Green, we will visit the church of St Barnabas in the area known as Jericho, the scene of Kilvert’s diary thinks Dave Hepworth entry of Holy Thursday 25 May 1870 (vol iii, p315-320). We should also be able to take in other 371 John Palmer recalls his locations where Kilvert joined his old friend Mayhew to revisit their old haunts from their student grandmother, daughter days. of ‘the concubine’ Please return the expression of interest slip enclosed to the Secretary. Further details of the event 372 Diana Clutterbuck looks will then be sent to you in the New Year. at the life and times I do hope you will make every effort to support these events. Further plans for 2016 are being of the Rev Richard finalised and details will follow in the March 2016 edition of the Journal. Kilvert in Worcester 376 What of Ettie’s other From the Editor, Charles Boase home? Richard Parker I am sorry to say that this, my eleventh Journal, will be my last as Editor. goes in quest of The I will explain my reasons for relinquishing the editorship in a later, separate Pines in Bournemouth mailing. 378 Alan Seaburg reflects Editing the Journal has been a most rewarding and enjoyable experience. on the contagious Right from the start, with the friendly encouragement I had from Jeff Marshall enthusiasm of Kilvert’s when I took over from him as Editor, I have felt myself to be among friends and American admirers have made many new ones. Crucial to my survival in the early days was help I had from the Dixons, 381 Teresa Williams still feels that fount of knowledge of all things Kilvert, our archivist Colin, and Val, who was always willing in debt to RCB Oliver to undertake typing (and photography) for me. Many thanks to them. 22 years after his death I am also very grateful to all the writers and photographers who have so generously contributed their time and brilliant talents to the Journal. They have made theJournal what it is. Thank you very 384 Welcome to new much to them for their support. It has been a pleasure to be trusted with their copy. members, Notes and As every editor knows, having enough copy opens the door to editorial happiness. In fact, this Obituaries current edition is overflowing with good things and some material has had to be held over. Inside Back Cover Society But at least that means I will be able to leave material to my successor, whoever that is; I hope publications and other contributors will continue to give them their full support. TheJournal , as I am sure all would agree, recommended books is vital to the existence and purpose of this fine society of ours. about Francis Kilvert 353 How Robert Kilvert’s first curacy was good in parts Our summer outing was to the now-gentrified Wiltshire villages where the Diarist’s father Robert said the years of his first curacy had ‘generally’ had been times of great happiness, writes CHARLES WESTON As we were sitting in the dining-room this evening, my father sud- Once we were seated in the church (pictured below) Alan Brim- denly remembered and told us that he had been in Orders exactly 45 son gave us a potted history of Robert’s earlier life prior to his years, and that on this day he had preached his first sermon in Keevil arrival in Keevil.