Cholesbury-cum-St Leonards Local History Group NEWSLETTER No. 21 2017 - 18 Chairman’s Introduction I hope you will enjoy this Newsletter which is packed with interesting articles. I am most grateful to this year’s contributors. The aims of our History Group have always been to stimulate interest in local history with interesting talks from knowledgeable and entertaining speakers, and to discover more about the history of the Hilltop Villages. Once again we have assembled a varied selection of talks, spanning historical topics, both local and national and sometimes both. A good example is the first presentation from family members of Jennifer Worth, best known for her book about her career on which the BBC drama Call The Midwife is based. However, Jennifer was born very near us in Amersham which gives it two ticks. There are talks about the Civil War, a hoard of gold, some local spies, Chenies Palace and John Lewis to enjoy. Do encourage along others who might enjoy them too. The History Group’s founding members started an archive of photos and documents, and gathered stories about villagers. Over the years our archive has grown impressively but we know more could be done to find out from the wealth of, so far, unexplored documents, people, places, events etc related to our villages. No matter what knowledge or experience you have of research or history if you would like to get involved do get in touch. I look forward to seeing you all again for our 54th season. Please let our Treasurer have your subscription and membership form either ahead of, or at, the October meeting. Chris Brown A Night To Forget The following account is recorded in Tring Vestry shuffled his papers several times, and searched the Minutes, dated 7th December 1856, under the heading floor of the pulpit in an attempt to find the correct ‘Sabbath Evening at Tring Church’. sheet, but he could not. He then endeavoured to “It was expected that the Wigginton Clergyman extemporise, but after a few sentences he broke down would officiate, but at the appointed time he had not completely, so he announced the hymn, and brought arrived, and after some delay Mr Harvey (Vicar of the service to an abrupt conclusion. These incidents Tring) was obliged to commence the Service; in his caused much amusement, particularly to the younger hurry he opened the Prayer Book in the wrong place members of the Congregation.” and started reading Morning Service. After a while he Mercifully the name of the Wigginton Clergyman discovered his mistake and stopped, turned over the is not recorded, but some unknown Victorian prudish pages and found the correct place and continued. hand has jotted in pencil below this Vestry entry “Can Then arrived the Wigginton Clergyman. The such persons be called to preach the Gospel?” This Sexton, R. Delderfield, went up into the pulpit to light sort of incident may have occurred at Tring or candles. The Wigginton Minister not seeing the Sexton Wigginton, but I am sure never at Cholesbury, up there, went up also, but had to come down again, Hawridge or St Leonards – where things are much too as there was not room on the stairs for them to pass. well organised! At length the Minister got possession of the pulpit, Wendy Austin and attempted to read his sermon; but he was unable Ed. - Surprisingly, parishioners of St. Mary’s to find the first sheet. After a short search he Hawridge were also subjected to the whims of an discovered it on the pulpit steps. He retrieved it and incompetent rector. Rev. William Day, known as ‘the then commenced, and went on for a time but found drunken parson’, was imprisoned several times in that the other sheets were mixed (they were on sermon Aylesbury Gaol for inebriation and violence. See paper, and he had omitted to pin them together). He Local History Group article at: www.cholesbury.com Thanks to our Volunteers! A big thank you to everyone who helped out last season. The volunteers who set up the Halls and put away the chairs at the end and those who serve the teas and wash up are a vital part of our monthly meetings. We hope more members will come forward to join the team. It would be great to see some new faces: * Would you like to join the team serving the teas from time to time? Please contact Paddy Thomas. * How about occasionally setting out or tidying away chairs and tables? Please contact Richard Bysouth. Spring Outing to The Stanley Spencer Gallery and Cookham Cookham Regatta’. Christ is depicted sitting in a basket chair in the old horse ferry barge next to the Ferry Hotel. Another fascinating painting is ‘The Last Supper’ which is depicted in a local Brewhouse. The Gallery displays several portraits by Spencer which were mostly painted as commissions. Spencer had a complicated love life and needed the money generated from portraiture to pay for the expensive tastes of his mistress. At our March meeting, just before the outing, Ann Danks, the archivist of the Stanley Spencer Gallery, gave a talk on the life of Spencer. So on our visit we saw some of the places and how Cookham influenced his paintings. After The Local History Group looked beyond the county what has been described borders to Cookham in Berkshire for its Spring Outing as an idyllic childhood on 16th March. The subject was Stanley Spencer, one in Cookham, being of the great English painters of the last century. tutored by his two older On our visit the attendees were split into two sisters, Spencer was a groups, to alternate between walking around Cookham student at the Slade and visiting the Gallery. We stopped outside the School of Art where one house in the High Street built by Spencer’s grandfather of his contemporaries and where he was born (see right). was Mark Gertler who Our guides, Keith and Sheila, were ‘mines of painted ‘Gilbert Cannon information’ and carried display files (see below) so at his Mill’ based on we could appreciate the Cholesbury Windmill, comparison between now in the Ashmolean the scene today and the Museum. version Spencer Spencer joined the Medical Corps in WW1 and painted. They pointed was posted to Macedonia in the Salonika campaign. out simple, everyday Later, he was asked to depict his war experience and views that Spencer had chose to paint the painted in his unique harrowing sight style and sold widely to of wounded establish his reputation. soldiers from a For example, we were battle in led through a hidden September 1916. gate into the water The following meadow, alongside the month another Thames, where we saw hard engagement the ferry crossing depicted in his ‘Cookham Regatta’ Northwest of painting and into the Churchyard which is the scene Salonika led to the fatal wounding of a Cholesbury of his ‘Resurrection’ picture (see right). man, Arthur Batchelor, who died later in Salonika Spencer considered his paintings of Bible scenes Hospital and is remembered on our Cholesbury war were his most important works and he used local memorial. scenes and his Cookham neighbours in his unique After WW1, which had a profound effect on versions of Gospel stories. Spencer, one of his best known commissions was the The Stanley Spencer Art Gallery turned out to be painting of murals depicting his life in the army a real gem packed with Spencer’s works from the covering the walls of the magnificent Sandham various phases of his life and including some of his Memorial Chapel at Burghclere, now maintained by much loved spiritual works. The largest work on the National Trust. Sir Stanley Spencer died in 1959, display, which is over 17 feet long, was his last major aged 68, at Cliveden, in Buckinghamshire. but unfinished oil painting ‘Christ preaching at John Farmer The Local History Group Library This year marks the sixtieth anniversary of the We added one more book by Wendy Austin to our Hawridge and Cholesbury Commons Preservation comprehensive collection of her work. Not only is Society and one of the books donated to the History Wendy a member of the Group, she is also one of our Group Library this year is very appropriate. Our regular speakers. The Railway Comes To Tring: Common Land by Paul 1835-1846 was compiled and edited by Wendy Austin Clayden MA is the book and Ian Pettigrew. to go to for a very full It uses notes, background to the one and historical extracts a half million acres of and many common land in England illustrations to and Wales. It will tell you give readers an how they came about and idea of the events where they are, how that led to the common land was arrival in Tring of registered, the rights of The London and owners, commoners, and Birmingham those with private rights Railway in 1837, or interests and the public including the and much more. If you are more interested in our own building of Tring commons, the History Group Library has another book Station. There are to borrow. also stories and In 1988 George Bunton, the then HCCPS descriptions and Treasurer, wrote A History - Hawridge & Cholesbury other details about local rail travel at the time. One Commons. This is a delightful little book full of local lively report by The Northampton Mercury on 16th history including a list of November 1844 described how Queen Victoria and properties holding Rights Prince Albert arrived at Tring Station in the Royal of Common and a list of Train after a 52 minute journey from Euston.