M A Y 2 0 2 0 | V O L . 8 SHOSCOMBE NEWSLETTER

Events Most events around the village have been cancelled due to the current situation. Here are a couple of events highlighted by request: The Village Hall Commitee AGM which normally takes place in May has been cancelled until further notice

A very grateful villager would like to say a big thank you for all the kindness shown during this very difficult time

100 Club April 2020 1st - £100 - Annamarie Pritchard - No.28 2nd - £50 - Neil & Lesley Kondratowicz - No. 6 3rd - £40 - Steve Causer - No.184

Editorial If anyone would like to place a commercial advert in the Newsletter, for a small donation towards printing costs, please let us know. There will be no charge for community adverts. Shoscombe Defibrillator

The Newsletter has a monthly circulation of 250 copies, delivered to every home in If you need the defibrillator in an emergency: the village by volunteers from our community.

Items for the June 2020 Newsletter to be submitted by 21st May either by posting 1.Call 999 into the postbox of 46 Single Hill or via our new email address 2.State the kiosk postcode BA2 8NB [email protected]. 3.You will then receive the access code and

A copy of this newsletter and the calendar for the village hall bookings can be found assistance from the Ambulance Service on the village website www.everythingshoscombe.org M A Y 2 0 2 0 | V O L . 8 Shoscombe Parish Council

I hope you are all well and staying safe in these unprecedented times. We have not held a Parish Council meeting since March but are keeping in regular contact with each other via email and remote access platforms to maintain communication and are making plans to meet remotely next month.

I have, again, been in contact with B&NES regarding road markings and some pot holes as I am aware that works are still going ahead in other areas and that the marked reduction in traffic means this has become a lot easier to undertake. The school markings have been completed so I am hopeful the re- painting of white junction markings can follow soon.

You will have seen the car park at the village hall has been closed to cars. The decision to do this was not taken lightly but, following concerns raised by residents, together with the issue of a number of cars racing around the area, it was resolved the gate should be locked for the time being with this being reviewed in a few weeks’ time. The Recreation Field is still open to villagers to use for exercise and dog walking whilst maintaining social distancing but the play area, along with other play parks in B&NES, will remain closed until further notice.

I am preparing all our end of year financial paperwork and this will be available on the website once it has been passed by the council.

You will have seen the school is closed to all but a handful of children and this will remain so for the time being until further guidance is issued from the Government and Department of Education.

Should you have any concerns, worries or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me on 01761 431068.

Jean Fossaceco – Clerk to Shoscombe Parish Council

Aggressive Cat In the last year there have been multiple occasions of a large ginger and white tom cat attacking my cat. This has resulted each time in a visit to the veterinary clinic which has cost me a large sum of money. I live in Hamilton Terrace and I was wondering if any one could help identify this cat? Please contact me via email on [email protected] Thank you, Lucy M A Y 2 0 2 0 | V O L . 8

Bath & North East Somerset Council is calling on residents to consider their own health and that of their neighbours by not having bonfires where possible during the coronavirus (COVID- 19) pandemic.

People are asked to avoid lighting fires in case others living near them have had their breathing affected due to the virus or have other respiratory problems that could be worsened by smoke. The council is therefore asking for residents’ cooperation in protecting everyone’s health by not burning their waste while they wait to have it collected.

Councillor Dine Romero, council Leader, said:

“As we’ve seen through the Compassionate Communities hub to help our most vulnerable residents, there are strong communities in Bath and North East Somerset that are pulling together to support each other through this pandemic: We’re asking if people could also support their neighbours by not lighting bonfires while the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Smoke can pose a risk to people’s health, so avoiding fires will reduce the chance of people having their airways affected and avoid further burden on the NHS. We appreciate that it’s inconvenient for residents that garden waste collections have been paused so we can continue to provide essential services, but I hope people can work with us on this and please hold onto their garden waste until we are able to start collecting it again.”

Some tips to reduce garden waste include: Make compost at home – no need for a special bin. Spread out grass cuttings to dry for a few days before putting in your green bin – this avoids making the bin heavy and reduces any smells from rotting. Make a mulch with grass cuttings. Reduce how often you mow the lawn and let a mini meadow grow for small creatures to enjoy M A Y 2 0 2 0 | V O L . 8 Shoscombe Local History Group What’s in a Name? Part 2 Ever wondered where local place names originated? Read on…

Carlingcott A name found in Domesday as Credelincote comes from a Saxon personal name with old English ing-cot and telling of this as ‘the cottages associated with a man called Cridela

Camerton The tun or farmstead on the Cam Brook. A Celtic river name probably derived from camm, or crooked

Dunkerton A name listed as Duncretone in 1086. Din or dun could be a rock or hill so the tun or farmstead associated with the hill

Faulkland In 1243 it was Fouklande which is seen as being literally ‘the folk land’ in Old English folc land

Farrington Gurney Ferentone or Old English fearn tun refers to the farmstead where fearns grow. Gurney refers to the de Gurney family who were here in the 13th century

Hinton Charterhouse Recorded as Henton Charterus in 1273 it is ‘the chief or high farmstead’ being held by the Carthusian monks from the prior founded there

Wellow The earliest surviving record dates from 1084 as Weleuue, which can only have been the name of the stream here and a Celtic word meaning ‘winding’

Fosse Way The old Roman road which was named from the fosse or ditch running along side it.

Others Shepton Mallet The name derives from Old Engish scoep and tun meaning 'sheep farm'. The Mallet comes from the Malet family around 1100

Glastonbury To the Celtic root 'glasto' (woad) the Saxons added 'inga' (people), 'eg' (island) and later 'burh or bury' (a fortified place). Woad - a plant of the cabbage family - grew all around the area in pre-Norman times and provided an important source of dye colouring.

Curry Rivel No not from an Indian takeaway but from Curi, a Celtic river name. Rivel comes from the Revel family in the area. Tales from the Shoscombe Archives . Email if you would like info on the history of the area for the next newsletter. [email protected] Stoney Littleton Long Barrow I would like to introduce myself as Fred Chaytors and I now hold a position with English Heritage with respect to the Long Barrow at Stony Littleton. This came about as I was looking to voluntary work for either English Heritage or National Trust. Getting to the stage of having a role to play was long and arduous (actually 3 phone conversations) and it seems I fit the people skill set they were looking for and my understanding of the role requirements. I think in reality they had no one else interested in the job. The last time I had such a prestigious role was at Junior school. My official title is "site monitor". I have reported once on the site condition but if anyone visits the site and has any comments or observations please let me know [email protected] 432382 07801 149865 M A Y 2 0 2 0 | V O L . 8

Due to the current restrictions on movement and the need for social distancing, plants will be for sale at different locations in Shoscombe, Shoscombe Vale, Stony Littleton and Single Hill, rather than at Shoscombe Village Hall When? Between May 2nd – May 16th

Where? At various locations in Shoscombe, Shoscombe Vale, Stony Littleton and Single Hill – a list of addresses is currently being compiled – see below…..

How much will plants cost? The following is a guide to prices: Small - £0.50 Medium - £1.00 Large - £1.50 Tray - £2.00

Payment: Either pop cash into the “Honesty Box” or pay it directly into the VH Bank Account: Account name: Shoscombe Village Hall Bank: NatWest Sort code: 60-14-24 Account no: 55796966 In line with Government guidance, please make your visits to the plant stalls part of your daily exercise and avoid using your cars Locations: Any villager is welcome to sell plants on behalf of the Village Hall Funds. We would like to circulate a list of locations where plants will be for sale. Currently we have Rose Cottage, The Brow & Sharpmead Arches in Shoscombe Vale, and Springfield Farm in Stony Littleton. If you intend to sell plants at your garden gate and would like me to add your location please email your name and address to [email protected] by April 30th

Nature in the Village Over the last few weeks our world has changed considerably. However, nature just continues as normal and with the wonderful weather we have had, is producing a fabulous show of colours. The white haze of blackthorn has now gone but the hawthorns, which have sent out their fresh green leaves, are now blooming with flat heads of pretty white flowers which smell lovely and look like snow covering the tops of the branches.

The brook is running clear and the green weed is waving in the rushing water. The kingfisher is around, such a loud call for a small bird, who flashes along the brook, just a foot or so above the water in a riot of colour, blue and orange.

His cousin, the dipper, by contrast is dark brown, apart from his brilliant white bib which is so noticeable as he bobs up and down on the exposed pebbles at the side of the brook. It dives under the water looking for food and emerges further up the brook. It speeds off, just like the kingfisher if it spots movement.

Further away, fields are blooming with the glaring yellow of rape, which almost hurts your eyes, and the more subtle greens of barley and wheat. by Sue Baillie Enjoy nature M A Y 2 0 2 0 | V O L . 8 Matthew Street, Vicar Where is your God? by Matthew Street, The Vicar, based on Psalm 42:3 'Tears are my food day and night, while people keep on saying to me, 'Where is your God?' (Psalm 42:3)

Where is your God now? Has anyone asked you this question over the last few weeks? They may not have used these words exactly but they mean much the same thing. People often ask this question during a crisis. Some are only too eager to do faith down, looking for any and every opportunity to say, 'Look at the problem we are now in, I told you so.' Others have a very different motive, having begun to explore the claims of Christianity for themselves and maybe even tentatively committed themselves to Christ, only to find their faith shattered by experiences, such as the one we are currently going through, that they cannot make sense of. Sometimes, and hardest of all to cope with, it may be us posing the question ourselves, unable to reconcile what we see in the world at a time like this with the things-we believe. Are there any easy answers as we experience this current pandemic? Well, if there are, I don't know of them.

Yet there is an answer of sorts, and like so much in our faith, it comes back to the cross of Christ. As Jesus hung there in agony, there were some gathered to gloat, some watching in disbelief, and even Jesus himself asking why God had forsaken him. The scribes and elders called out in mockery, 'He trusts in God; let God come and deliver him if he so wishes', or, in other words, 'Where is your God now?' It seemed proven beyond doubt that the God Jesus trusted in simply wasn't there, and yet we know that God was there most of all, reconciling the world to himself, opening the way to life for all. As this pandemic develops more people will probably ask us 'Where is your God?’ We will still occasionally ask it ourselves and probably struggle to answer our would be questioners satisfactorily. But if the cross teaches us nothing else, when God appears to be absent, he is almost certainly most powerfully at work.

BATH AND NORTH EAST SOMERSET COUNCIL (THTTC2178 GREEN STREET, SHOSCOMBE) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF USE BY VEHICLES) ORDER 2020

Notice is given that Bath and North East Somerset Council in exercise of its powers under section 14 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 intends to make an order to the effect of which will be to temporarily introduce a road closure in that length of Green Street, Shoscombe, from its junction with Rag Hill to its junction with St Julian’s Road.

This order is required because works are being or are proposed to be executed on or near the road to facilitate works to build chambers in the carriageway on behalf of Openreach from Wednesday 20th May 2020 for a maximum period of 12 Days. The road will only be restricted as and when traffic signs are in position and may not be effected for the whole of the period but only for so long as is necessary to execute the works. This is anticipated to be for 10 Days. ALTERNATIVE ROUTE Rag Hill - White Hill - Barn Hill - St Julian’s Road Vice Versa Applicant Details: Daniel Ryan Telephone: 02476 642814 Email: [email protected]

Dated: 30th April 2020 Traffic Management Team Lewis House Kelvin Packer Manvers Street Group Manager Bath, BA1 1JG Highways and Traffic M A Y 2 0 2 0 | V O L . 8 Single Hill Chapel Fred Chaytors has very kindly provided us with a booklet that he has on the Single Hill Methodist Church. Here is a excerpt: The class members who founded our church 1848. Give me the wings of faith to rise Within the veil, and see The saints above, how great their joys, How bright their glories be I ask them whence their victory came, They, with united breath, Ascribe their conquest to the Lamb, Their triumph to is Death George Bartlett, Elizabeth Selway, Hester Swansbury, Louis Swansbury, William Our glorious Leader Claims our praise Flowers, Maria Flowers, May Ann Moon, John Nicholas, John Selway, Robert For His own pattern given; Swansbury, Jane Swansbury, Jonathen James, Job Horwood, William Harding, While the long cloud of witness John Veal, George Coles, Mary Selway, Elijah, Selway, Elizabeth Selway, Elizabeth Show the same path to heaven Park

To celebrate the foundation of our beloved sanctuary it is our wish to present a short history of our Church. First of all, let us give a short description of Single Hill. The hamlet of Single Hill is in the civil Parish of Wellow, lying in the Somer Valley about eight miles South-West of Bath, and two and a half miles North of Radstock. It is served by the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway - a halt having been opened there in recent years. Down through the valley flows the modest Wellow brook, winding its way to join the River Avon to Bath. The hamlet contains thirty-three houses which are built of local stone. The population is approximately about one hundred souls, the majority of the male population working in the nearby coal mines, although at the time of opening of our Church quite a number worked on neighbouring farms, but low wages and bad times forced many to take up coal mining as a more lucrative employment. The Methodist Church is built near enough in the centre of Single Hill and was actually built in the bed of the old Radstock- Midford Coal Canal. Along the outside of the building runs the old "dram"* road upon which ran the "dillies"** which were used to convey the coal from the Radstock Coal Field to the Midford canal. This "dram" road was originally the tow path of the canal and the old folk have told us the "dillies" were used as a means of transport to convey them on a Saturday, for a small charge, to the Market held at Radstock, or in the opposite direction to Wellow to visit the Parish Doctor Thus, to this valley and hamlet came the missionaries of the Primitive Methodist Church. The earliest record available shows that at the very first Quarterly Meeting of the Radstock Circuit, an authorisation was given for a missionary meeting to be held at Single Hill. This was in March 1840, and a Brother E Rawlings was the travelling preacher. Methodists of today may wonder what a travelling preacher was, but the Primitive Methodist Church, being a Church of the people, called their ministers by that name. Apparently, at the Missionary Meeting that was held on that date, a Society was formed, for we find in the circuit Membership Book for 1843, that there was a class at Single Hill consisting of 26 members, and a Brother Giles Selway was Class Leader for that year. As was the custom in those days, the class would meet in one of the homes of one of the members, in all probability, in the house of the Class Leader. * dram - a colloquial expression meaning tram road upon which trucks ran ** Dillies - the trucks

We shall publish further excerpts for the booklet. If you would like to view scans of the original document, please email your request to [email protected] M A Y 2 0 2 0 | V O L . 8

Village Hall Please be advised that all village events at the hall have been cancelled for next month. We will also not accepting any bookings for the near future due to the current COVID 19 situation. Details for hiring the hall are on the village website www.everythingshoscombe.org or contact Suzanne for further information on [email protected]

Shoscombe Village Directory

Electrical, Heating & Plumbing L E Services, Pippins, Shoscombe 433293 or 07714 327662

Decorator, Tiler, Plumber, General Builder Colin Bell, 46 Single Hill 01761 433810

Piano Tuition 01761 435656 Linda Lethbridge [email protected] Charlotte Ostafew BMus (hons) 07971 001424 All ages and abilities welcome livemoreeasily.com Alexander Technique lessons [email protected]

Life Coaching

Antonia Clews 07591 104080 Project self personal change coaching - supporting you to make and www.projectself.co.uk manage change in your self and your life [email protected]

Antiquarian and Secondhand Books Jo West, Woodborough Hill 01761 434585 Books bought and sold [email protected]

Learn Spanish with a Spaniard Daniella Gonzalez [email protected] Effective lessons that are tailored to all levels, goals and interests. Experience with children, Spanish for GCSE and A-Levels and teaching Spanish for business

Local Bio Oven, Carpet & Patio-Decking Cleaning Icthus Cleaning [email protected]

Tutor for KS2 SATS, GCSE English 01761 420229 or 07786 746151 Fiona Crockett - Qualifed teacher (retired) [email protected] M A Y 2 0 2 0 | V O L . 8 Free Range Eggs for Sale Local Oven, Patio- Decking, Carpet Cleaning £2.50 a Dozen BOCCA Certified, FSB Member Egg stations have been set up around Curry's contracted Agent the village - No deliveries will be carried FREEINDEX 1st place UK Oven out unless previously agreed with Rosie Cleaners Member Also available at the gate of Sharpmead Frome, Somerset & Wiltshire 01373 451225 or 07891 909789 For details www.icthuscleaning.co.uk please [email protected] ring Rosie on 07595 279126