A card from Jack to Floss

We have seen the picture on the front of this card before. It shows a scene on the ‘lane’ leading to Littleton Mill with a delightful rustic bridge crossing it.

Wick Lane, Market Lavington in 1914

We now have the original card at the museum and can concentrate on the message rather than the delightful view.

Card message side

The card was sent to Miss Page of 70 Rugby Road in Brighton in Sussex.

The post mark

It was posted at Littleton Panell and from other knowledge we know this was May in 1914.

Miss Page was Floss Page. She and the card sender had become ‘an item’ in August 1910. After a courtship disrupted by WW1 the couple finally married in 1920. So the year on the postmark, ending with a 4 must be 1914.

Let’s read the message.

The message

The message is simple and much like modern electronic communication to start with – short and to the point. Basically write on Sunday addressed to me in Weymouth and I’ll get it. Also have a good day on Monday.

But then it refers to the picture and what sounds as though it might have been a romantic stroll.

‘Do you remember this place (where you kept getting caught in the briars)? Love from Jack.

Jack is Jack Welch – and do we sense he enjoyed his lady friend getting caught in the briars and, no doubt, needing some help getting free. Soon he’d be off to India, for some years before a serious injury threatened his life so even when he did return it was a couple of years before the wedding took place. Perhaps we gather a bit of the poignancy of the summer before the war in this card.

The marriage, sadly, was far too short for Floss died in 1933 aged 40. However she had produced Peggy and Tony by then and Peggy, of course, was our museum founder. Perhaps we should be very thankful for those troublesome briars.

Christmas Greetings from Louie

One Christmas card we have at Market Lavington Museum carries the simple message, ‘with love from Louie’.

Message on an 1890s Christmas card at Market Lavington Museum

Sadly, we do not know who Louie was or who she sent the card to. But it is a very sweet card, which probably dates from the 1890s. It was found in a Market Lavington cottage.

The front of the card from Louie

It would seem that a small boy in a white suit is waiting with his little sprig of mistletoe at the ready.

The card opens up –

–  and reveals the verse.

With loving greetings at Christmas.
May you have a Christmas
Full of mirth and glee
Yet amid your gladness,
Think sometimes of me.

There is no indication of who the card was to. Neither does the card give any indication as to publisher.

It is doubtful if we’ll ever know more about this card but if it rings any bells with you then you can make Christmas for our curator by letting him know. Click here to contact the curator.

Reverend Sturton’s Christmas Card

We recently met the Reverend Sturton on these pages when he was part of a team ringing a peal of Grandsire Doubles.

John Anthony Sturton was vicar of Market Lavington from 1906 to 1940. He was born in about 1875 at Little Bedwyn, to the east of Pewsey. His father, Jacob was vicar of that parish at the time.

In 1901 John Sturton was a clergyman residing in Lyme Regis.

In 1911 John was at the Vicarage in Market Lavington (now the nursing home). He shared this building with his mother and older brother.

John married Clara Olivia Ivy Kirke in 1916 in the Dorchester area.

Both John and Clara are buried in Market Lavington churchyard although after retirement they lived at the house called Sparrows on Oak Lane in Easterton. John died in 1945 and Clara in 1958.

Today we look at a Christmas card he sent back in 1913.

As befits a man of the cloth, the card has a religious theme to it, offering, as it does, Glory to God in the highest with an image of Mary and Jesus.

Front of card sent by the Rev. Sturton in 1913 and now at Market Lavington Museum

It is the card’s inner sides which give it the definitive Market Lavington connection.

Inside face of the card gives details of Christmas services at St Mary's, Market Lavington

As can be seen, this seems to have been just about an official church card. It seems as though the vicar had four Christmas Day services to attend to at St Mary’s. That would make an impossible schedule for today’s rector, for he has a benefice of five parishes to look after.

The other internal page has a religious text and Christmas greetings from the vicar himself.

Best wishes from the Vicar of Market Lavington in 1913

We’ll take this opportunity to wish our readers a very happy Christmas for this year – 2010

Vacuation – a Second World War Card Game

The Second World War ended some 65 years ago. Older residents of the village remember wartime and it is, perhaps, not surprising that we have many mementos of life during those dark years. One of them is a card game called Vacuation.

Vacuation card game box. Find it in the 'war cabinet' at Market Lavington Museum

The box for the cards appears to show three members of a family. They seem to have a mixed set of emotions. 

The back of the cards - a sombre looking evacuation area!

The cards themselves have a fairly sober back with a representation of a smoky city as the evacuation area and a more pastoral reception area. The card fronts however are enormous fun.

Just a few of the 'Vacuation' cards at Market Lavington Museum

Sadly we have no rules for the game. Can anyone help us with this missing component?