A SON OFOFOF THE RECTORY Appleby Magna at the dawn of the 20th Century Aubrey Moore Expanded edition with a new chapter by Peter Moore Published by Information Byway cic in conjunction with Appleby Environment The Moat House 29 Mawby’s Lane Appleby Magna Swadlincote DE12 7AA First edition published 1982 Alan Sutton Publishing Limited, Gloucester This edition published October 2010: includes additional material by Aubrey Moore and Peter Moore Revised and Edited by Sonia Liff. Layout and Production by Marilyn Dunkelman Copyright © 2010 Peter Moore: original text and additional material, all rights reserved Frontispiece to the original edition (1982) Aubrey Moore is the only surviving son of the Rev. Charles Thomas Moore, rector of Appleby Magna from 1877 to 1922 whose brother was the then squire and owner of the 4500 acre Appleby estate which was in the possession of the Moore family for over three hundred years. “A Son of the Rectory”, at first unnamed, was written as a series of notes for the information of the author’s children and their descendants to put on record some details of the life and history of the family and the village and its inhabitants at the time of his early life at the turn of the century. It was after it had been read by a number of friends that Aubrey was persuaded to offer it for publication as a work of country and autobiographical writing of much more than local interest. Aubrey Moore and his wife, who have recently celebrated their sixty-fifth wedding anniversary, still enjoy an active life in the Oxfordshire village of Bloxham where they have lived for the past twenty-four years. To the memory of my father and mother Aubrey Moore 1982 All those responsible for its production dedicate this new, extended edition to the memory of the author of the original edition, Aubrey Moore, with gratitude, admiration and affection Introduction: 2 nd edition I am honoured and grateful to be asked to introduce a new edition of my father's memoirs of his early life as the son of the Rector of Appleby Magna, in Leicestershire, the Reverend Charles Moore. Charles Moore was Rector of Appleby Magna from 1877 to 1922. The publishers of the first edition made many reductions from Aubrey's original typescript. The first edition soon went out of print, but there has continued to be a steady demand for the book. It was to satisfy this demand that a handful of residents of the village, some time ago, decided to obtain the rights to publish a new edition, incorporating previously unpublished material from the original typescript. My gratitude at being asked to introduce this edition is because it gives me the opportunity to thank the people who have worked so hard, and so skilfully, over the last few years to produce this new, extended edition. A number of people in Appleby have made useful contributions in one way or another, which are greatly appreciated, but all will agree that full credit for the successful production of this new edition must go to Sonia Liff and Marilyn Dunkelman, long term residents of the village. They have used both their literary and their technical skills in incorporating material which the original publishers left out of the first edition, and in inserting explanatory pedigrees and explanatory footnotes. All of these additions greatly enhance Aubrey's original book as, I know, he would be the first to acknowledge with gratitude. Aubrey has an economical writing style, which makes for easy reading. In my own view his rather conversational style enhances, rather than diminishes, the appeal of his story and gives an immediacy to the subjects which Aubrey is recalling and describing, as if he is talking to the reader. Aubrey died in April 1992 at the age of 98, six weeks after his beloved wife, May. They had been married for just under 75 years. Although distressingly frail physically he retained his mental faculties to the very end. A week before he died I took him out for a pub lunch and on the way back in the car he said to me cheerfully “Ah well, things can only get better!” which summed up the sturdy, no-nonsense and optimistic view of life which he had always held. All my life I never heard him – or my mother come to that – grumble or admit to an emotional weakness, such as feeling depressed. Any doubts or troubles they may have felt they kept to themselves and did not reveal them to their family nor to the outside world. That was their philosophy and, generally speaking, the philosophy of their generation. This philosophy is evident in A Son of the Rectory even when Aubrey is writing about trench life in World War One. He cannot bring himself to admit to the horrors of his life in the trenches. “Anyone reading these notes must think that we had a really uncomfortable and miserable time in France” he writes. “Far from it. It was a cheerful and happy time. There were good times and bad times, the latter being very much in the minority.” These words are not the product of a memory mellowing with the passage of time. They are typical of Aubrey’s robust attitude to life as a young man, an attitude which he retained for the whole of his life to the very end. His refusal to express emotion about his own life and times did not prevent him from being a kind, generous and thoughtful husband, father, family man and friend, who inspired great love and affection. A Son of The Rectory is an extraordinary feat of memory of the major events and, especially, of the minutiae of the first 25 years of Aubrey's life and an important source of reference for social historians. Sonia and Marilyn, with the help of others in Appleby Magna, have performed a notable public service in enhancing the original work and in making it available, once again, to the general public. Peter Moore July 2010 Contents Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ 9 1982 Edition ........................................................................................................... 9 This Edition ............................................................................................................ 9 Illustrations .................................................................................................................. 11 Chapter 1 The Moore Family and Estate ..................................................................... 15 The Family ............................................................................................................... 15 Appleby Grammar School ....................................................................................... 21 Appleby Hall ............................................................................................................ 25 The Appleby Estate .................................................................................................. 29 The Acreage and Rental ........................................................................................... 30 The Rectory .............................................................................................................. 30 Christmas ................................................................................................................. 48 The Church ............................................................................................................... 50 The Choir Supper ..................................................................................................... 55 Chapter 2 Celebrations, Socialising and Entertainment .............................................. 59 Children’s Games and Hobbies ............................................................................... 59 Good Manners .......................................................................................................... 62 Dress Styles .............................................................................................................. 63 Family Celebrations ................................................................................................. 64 Church Choir, Bell Ringing and Related Social Events .......................................... 65 Sports and Hunting .................................................................................................. 67 Dinners and Balls ..................................................................................................... 68 Sharing Stories and Gossip ...................................................................................... 69 Self Made Entertainment ......................................................................................... 70 Travelling Players and Local Theatre ...................................................................... 71 National Events ........................................................................................................ 72 Chapter 3 The Farming Year ....................................................................................... 74 Chapter 4 Changing Technologies, Changing Lives ................................................... 86 Heating and Lighting a Home Before Electricity .................................................... 86 Farming Before Engines .......................................................................................... 86 7 Firefighting .............................................................................................................. 87 Weddings ................................................................................................................