Member of the Federation of Family History Societies Coryana Rose Cory Society Website www.corysociety.org.uk E-mail:[email protected] DECEMBER 2007 NUMBER 44 In this issue: Edith Mary Cory. 1 My War 3 Norfolk News 4 Cory Pioneers in Canada – from Milton Damerel, Devon 5 - 7 A Plot of Land Near Lollards Pit 8 -10 The Watermen 11 - 14 Letters to the Editor: Donation 14 Membership News 15 Executive Committee 16 Insert: 2008 Cory Membership Form EDITH MARY CORY 100 YEARS ON 24TH DECEMBER 2007 Edith, with her daughter, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great niece. Left to right. Nicky and Will Hayes, Eleanor Sanderson (Great niece) Emily Hall, Jean Hayes, Edith Cory, Ben and Simon Hayes, Max and Rachel Edith Mary Blake (Edie) was born on Christmas Eve 1907 at Manley Farm,Hall. Uplowman, to Mary-Jane and William Blake. She was brought up at Halberton where her parents lived first at Wallands Cottages and then at Cordwents Farm. After a brief period working in London, Edie returned to Halberton where she met her future husband, Herbert Charles Cory. They were married on 20 December 1928 at Holsworthy Methodist Church and farmed at Gratton Hill Farm, Milton Damerel, until September 1945. Their daughter Jean was born there in 1938. After Edie’s father retired from farming, Edie and Bert took over Cordwents Farm where they remained until their retirement in 1966. Edie enjoyed Halberton Women’s Institute and Bert played in the Institute Skittles Team. Two Surprise Cory After a short time at newly builtReferences Court Found in Way, Sampford Peverell, they moved toCambridge a bungalow at Longmeadow, Tiverton, in January 1969. In later life Bert was visited by Reverend Pinches from Tiverton Baptist Church and then Edie Four generations. continued attending services and the very enjoyable ‘In Touch’ Group. Unfortunately Rachel’s husband, Justin Hall, could not be with us due to his father’s illness. Edie’s siblings of the Blake family farmed around Tiverton and in Emily and Will. retirement, most have moved into the town. The family have always given Edie has just moved to Somerville great support and companionship. Edie’s Residential Home, Somerville Road, husband Bert died in 1981. Brother Willand. A party to celebrate a Hundred Ernest, a builder, moved to Street, Years was arranged for family and close Somerset but often visited until his death friends on 24th November. in 1998. Sister Nora, a District Nurse at Tiverton for many years, died in 2001. Earlier this year her brother, Harold, died. However, four of the family remain – Winifred, Joyce, Roland and Edie. Joan and Gerald Howe from Sampford Peverell continue the link on Bert’s sister’s side of the family. Edie’s daughter Jean taught and lived in London until a recent move to Surrey. She has two children, Simon and Rachel, who live nearby. Edie is delighted by four great-grandchildren, Max, Ben, The Cory Society December 2007 Newsletter No 44 Page 2 My War Sylvia Fry As a five year old I lived with my Mum, Dad and baby brother John in Hendon, London. We lived in a first floor flat, near Hendon aerodrome which the Germans targeted. I used to tell my Mum I heard the air raid siren go off, just so she would let me get up and sit with her and baby John. One particular night, I really did hear the siren, and as I sat with them there was a tremendous bang, soot came down the chimney and the lights went out. Mum said that a bomb had been dropped close by. My poor Mum, on her own with us, had to struggle out and we were taken to a rest centre. I can remember lying on the floor with loads of other people in the rest centre. Dad drove for the Ministry of Defence and was away from home My father, Jack Denny, uncle Bob and that night and when he arrived back next auntie Violet Wells holding me, and her day he was shocked to see all the glass sister, my mother Flo (née Burrell Cory). and brick dust all over my bed. Had Mum not let me get up, I probably wouldn’t be here, to tell my story. sweets were rationed. Later on I remember the doodlebugs When my husband Doug was a boy, a going over with all the searchlights bomb landed in the hall of his house, pointed up towards the sky, and going whilst he, along with his family, were into an Anderson shelter in the garden, hiding under the stairs. Luckily the whenever there was an air raid. Then in bomb didn’t go off, because Doug and I the day time, watching the doodlebugs married in 1955 and we have 2 children, going overhead, feeling safe as long as 9 grandchildren and 6 great they still made a noise. grandchildren. I remember too, singing Ten Green Sylvia is also on page 15 with her cousins. Bottles in the school air raid shelter when there was an air raid and sweet parcels from Australia sent to the school. I can remember Mum cutting up a Mars bar and giving us a slice each because The Cory Society December 2007 Newsletter No 44 Page 3 Norfolk News Norfolk Co-ordinator If you think of Norfolk, you might presume it Runham Church Restored. is a quiet county. It is relatively quiet where present day Norfolk Corys are concerned In the 1930’s, the medieval church fell into and I don’t come across many. It’s not disuse, and though never declared often I find a Cory in the local papers redundant, it was closed as a place of either, so I was sure to notice the following worship in 1968. It was in a sorry state story. when it appeared in the 1974 Christmas special of Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, in Norfolk Pastor Unrepentant! which Michael Crawford bursts through a hole in the roof while playing the angel Angela Cory and her friend were walking Gabriel in a nativity play. Now the their dogs along the beach at Gorleston in restoration project of the last 12 years has October and came across 59 largeTwo plastic Surprise brought Cory the church into use again with three lemonade bottles washed up onReferences a 20m services Found a monthin although more needs to be stretch of the beach. Each bottle containedCambridge done. a religious message, printed in English. After picking up all of the bottles, an So when I met the churchwarden a few indignant Angela contacted the local months ago in the churchyard, I could newspaper, suggesting that this method of hardly complain about the overgrown spreading the word, whilst also polluting graves. I was trying to photograph the our seas with rubbish, was inadvisable. grave of Robert Cory (1747-1840) and his Equally outraged replies from those against wife Esther (1753-1841) who were buried dog walkers in general and particularly there, but I was not prepared for ivy those whose dogs fouled beaches followed. growing out of the lid of the cracked vault! Their son Samuel Barnett Cory had applied The Norfolk Pastor who had prepared the unsuccessfully to have their vault inside the messages was traced and was unrepentant. church in 1841. He was a solicitor, clerk to Apparently the Pastor and his wife had been the magistrates of the Petty Sessions for throwing bottles containing Christian East and West Flegg Hundreds and clerk to messages off Gorleston pier for over a the House of Industry. decade, hoping to reach foreign shores, and it was the first time they had returned to the The churchwarden offered to check the resort. The bottles were sent on their way church’s burial records for the Cory name with a prayer, usually at night, and although and later sent me three names, Robert aged they had only had one reply in all the years 92, Esther aged 88, and Samuel himself, they had been doing it, they had not been who was buried on 26 Oct 1876 aged 80. discouraged. His wife said that she was (Norfolk Corys Table A14 ) saddened by the response, for as a child she had always dreamed of finding a message in a bottle. And another story about a church only a few miles away.... The Cory Society December 2007 Newsletter No 44 Page 4 Cory Pioneers in Canada (Part 2) Thomas – after 19 years in Ontario - joins brother Richard in Manitoba. as written by Canadian, Doreen M Rodgers. Born Died Buried THOMAS CORY 1834 1915 Methven = Lucilia Sanders in 1858 1838 1914 Methven Selina 1863 1941 Fredrick (Fred) 1865 1958 Methven Emma 1869 1877 William (Will) 1874 1972 Minnewawa Milton 1879 1971 Methven Two sons who died young are commemorated in Any [ ] in the following text have been added by Ida Birch. Thomas, the youngest son, married Lucilia years of age) to go with him and drive their Sanders in 1858 in England, and emigrated team of oxen with supplies. On May 4th to Canada in 1861. They settled in the four teams and wagons, manned by Joe Township of Clark near Port Hope, and the Townsend, Albert E. Rome, J. Elliott and White relatives. Their family of three sons young Fred, started on their journey via and two daughters -- Selena, Fredrick, Portage La Prairie, crossing the William, Milton and Emma were all born Assiniboine River by ferry boat, oxen, in Canada. Although they lost a son and horses and two cows swimming across. daughter in England [two infant sons are buried in Milton Damerel churchyard] and After four days, Thomas, Lucilia, sons an infant son here.