The McKinnon boys

This tiny photo, not in good condition, shows two lads.

The McKinnon boys

 

Now that’s not too bad for an original image measuring 5.5 by 4 cms.

The back has a hand written caption.

We’ll amend the spelling a bit and say we have here two McKinnon boys of whom one lives at Northbrook.

Now the one who lived at Northbrook was Thomas McKinnon who was born in 1913. His family had been living in Easterton at the time of the 1911 census. They had two daughters then. Ernest, the other lad was born in 1912 so we surmise we have Ernest on the left and Thomas on the right. The Mckinnons clearly moved about for whilst Ernest’s birth was recorded in the Devizes district, Thomas’s was recorded in Pewsey. Subsequent daughters had births recorded in Devizes with one in Westbury.

Thomas married Vi Hurkett in 1936. They had a son called Malcolm.

This family all lived at Northbrook and are listed there on the 1964 electoral roll.

We know little of Ernest who may have been Frederick Ernest. He lived locally, but does not appear on Market Lavington records.

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A wedding in 1946

Back in 1946 Laurie Cooper married Renee Baker in Market Lavington. The photographer – at a guess it would have been Mr Burgess but that isn’t definite, lined up the guests for a group photo and here it is.

Wedding group at the marriage of Laurie Cooper to Renee Baker in 1946

We pass this over to our readers for help. The bride and groom are in the foreground but who are the other guests?

All suggestions gratefully received. Thanks.

RAOB outing to Bournemouth

Just over a week ago we published a photo of the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffalos in a charabanc on the edge of the Market Place in Market Lavington. It was captioned with the title given to this blog. As no year was given we cannot be sure whether this was another charabanc on the same outing or a different year. We suspect it was the same year.

RAOB outing to Bournemouth in Market Lavington

This photo is on High Street in Market Lavington just outside the Burgess’s shop. At the top left we can make out their ‘photographers and frame makers’ sign.

Sign over Burgess shop on High Street

This photo has a postcard back, but no publisher given. Hopefully one of the Burgess Brothers took it! It has a Burgess style of caption.

Almost inevitably we do not recognise any people so once again we hope we can get some guidance on that.

As usual in times past, a couple of householders have got into the photo!

That’s the Co-op, which still exists, behind the back of the bus.

 

Pages from a Gillman’s Devizes Directory

Our wonderful president keeps his eyes open and he found these pages on sale in a Devizes Market. The seller had suggested the directory dated from the 1890s. We think it dates from the Edwardian era. It has information about Easterton.

This, as is usual with directories, is not a full list of people but shows those in trade as well as the parish councillors. We can but wonder what a marine store dealer sold in Eastcott!

There is similar information for Market Lavington, stretching over two pages.

It is the presence of Charles Awdry as Lord of the Manor which tells us this is the 1900s. He bought the manor estate in 1902.

A useful addition to our stock of genealogy helps and it does include other local villages from Allington to Worton.

Church choir outing

Let’s start by looking at the back of a postcard for that has the caption.

A rather battered postcard

We can see the postcard is battered but we can also read that this is St Mary’s Church choir outing 1923 or 24

The image caption

And here’s the actual picture.

Fred Sayer Charabanc with choir members probably at Salisbury

Bus enthusiasts will, as is so often the case, be disappointed that the photographer has concentrated on the people and not the front end of the vehicle. This photo was in a recently acquired envelope labelled F Sayers Photographs so we assume it is one of Fred Sayer’s buses with the hood down for an open air experience. This is the kind of conveyance we call a charabanc.

The destination was clearly Weymouth. We think the photo was taken in Salisbury.

We could comment on the size of a church choir over 90 years ago – and on the number of youngsters. This, of course, was pre almost anything that gets called entertainment these days. It was enjoyable to go and meet your mates at choir practice and then there was the almost amazing excitement of the treat – like this one to Weymouth.

There’s a fair chance we won’t get any names here. Even the youngsters on the trip would now be over 100 years old (The baby on board would be about 94). But let’s take a closer look just in case.

 

Merging Market Lavington and Easterton

The two church parishes of Market Lavington and Easterton have separate identities but in 1962 they were merged into one benefice.

This document, published by HMSO, explains.

Document setting out the formation of the combined benefice of Market Lavington and Easterton

It looks as though this document has been used as a drink coaster at some point in the past so let’s transcribe this legal document.

AT THE COURT AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE

The 28th day of November, 1962

Present.

THE QUEEN’S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY IN COUNCIL

Whereas the Church Commissioners have duly prepared and laid before Her Majesty in Council a Scheme bearing date the 14th day of November, 1962. in the words and figures following, that is to say:

“We, the Church Commissioners, acting in pursuance of the Pastoral Reorganisation Measure, 1949, and the Union of Benefices Measures, 1923 to 1952, now humbly lay before Your Majesty in Council the following Scheme which we have prepared with the consent of the Right Reverend William, Bishop of Salisbury, (in witness whereof e-has signed the Scheme)

for effecting the union of the benefice of Market Lavington and the benefice of Easterton, both situate in the diocese of Salisbury.

“SCHEME

“1. Union of Benefices. The benefice of Market Lavington and the benefice of Easterton shall be permanently united together and form one benefice with cure of souls under the style of ‘The United Benefice of Market Lavington and Easterton’ but the parishes of the said benefices shall continue in all respects distinct.

“2. Taking effect of union. Upon the day when notice of the making of any Order of Your Majesty in Council affirming this Scheme is published in the London Gazette the union shall forthwith take effect.

“3. Patronage. After the union has taken effect the right of presentation to the united benefice shall be exercised by the patrons of the two benefices alternately, the patron of the benefice of Easterton having the first presentation to the-united benefice to be made after the union.”

And whereas the provisions of the Union of Benefices Measures, 1923 to 1952, the Union of Benefices Rules, 1926 and 1930, and the Pastoral Reorganisation Measure, 1949, relating to the preparation and submission of this Scheme have been duly complied with:

And whereas the said ‘Scheme has been approved by Her Majesty in Council:

Now, therefore, Her Majesty, by and with the advice of Her said Council, is pleased hereby to affirm the said Scheme and to order that it shall be and become effectual in law immediately upon the publication of notice of the making of this Order in the London Gazette.

W. G. Agnew.

The main effect was to be a shared Vicar. The next Rector that this area gets will have to serve five parishes.

Northbrook view – 1910

We love this picture. It just oozes past times when elderly gents had time to stand and stare. As the poet William Henry Davis says:

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

And here we have an unknown man standing and staring and, hopefully, feeling content.

Northbrook view in 1910

We are looking along the Northbrook stream towards the roundabout where Grove Road, Canada Rise and Parsonage Lane all meet. Stream Cottage is visible on the right side of the stream.

Our information for this Walton series card comments that it was taken in 1910 and shows how it was possible for the stream bed to be used as a ‘road’ in the days of the horse and cart. In fact on Market days in the early 19^th century the stream was part of a one way system because there was so much congestion on High Street.

There’s nothing new about congestion, but the 19^th century solution of using the stream was ideal in its day for cart wheels needed moisture to swell them up and make sure spokes and tyres didn’t get loose. It would not be at all suitable for present day motor traffic.

A garden party/fete in 1932

There are times when we rely on the judgement of others at a museum. This postcard has two captions on the back, both in different hands.

Information on the back of a postcard

The large writing which says garden Party & Fete Aug 17^th 1932 was written by our founder curator, Peggy Gye. We assume this to be correct, partly because Peggy was so hugely knowledgeable and partly because a precise date is given. The other bit of writing says, ‘nr the manse, Market Lavington’ and has had Brook House added to it, again in Peggy’s hand. So we really do assume this was some kind of Garden Party at Brook House on August 17^th 1932.

Women at a garden party at Brook House – August 17th 1932

It is a grand photo of women in costume clothing. Sadly we have no idea of any names. We’ll zoom in hoping somebody will tell us some of them.

Please do get in touch if you can tell us any more

Mr Cooper washing

Some of the scenes we discover on photos, within living memory for the oldest folks, seem almost unbelievable now.

Mains water came to Market Lavington as recently as 1936. Prior to that (and afterwards) many folks walked down to Broadwell to collect water in buckets.

Residents around the Market Place had their own pump for water – one pump to serve quite a lot of houses. This picture shows Arthur Cooper using the pump.

Arthur Cooper uses the Market Place water pump in the 1930s

James was born and raised a Market Lavington Market Place resident. He married in 1937 and in 1939 his address was number 12 Market Place.

We cannot date the picture with certainty, but presumably in the 1930s

George Meech

George Meech was born on Feb 26^th 1846 in the area of Stoke Abbot in West Dorset.

In 1851 young George was living with his parents at Stoke Abbot. His father, Samuel was a dairyman and his mother was Lucy. The census says that both parents had been born in Stoke Abbot as well. There were six children at home – three older than George and two younger.

George married Fanny Stevens at the start of 1872 in the Wimborne district.   Fanny had been born in about 1846 at More Crichel in Dorset. Her parents were James and Mary and James was a shepherd.

Fanny can be found with her parents in 1861 and 1871. George and the rest of his family seem to vanish from the censuses.

The next time we find George is in 1881, but this tells us that his eldest son was born in Broughton, Hampshire in about 1873 and the next, was born in about 1879 at Eastcott in Wiltshire. George was farm bailiff at Pond Farm, Fiddington, at the time of the census. Fiddington had been an outpost of West Lavington but some sensible boundary changes had taken place by this time.

It is believed, that because George Meech was at this farm it became locally know as Meech’s or Meech Farm.

In 1891, George, Fanny and family were probably still at Pond Farm but by now this was regarded as a part of the new parish of Easterton. The census just says they were at ‘Easterton Hill’ George is still a farm bailiff and as well as Edgar, aged 18 and Ernest, aged 12, Minnie Ethel Meech, aged 11 has arrived on the scene, born at Eastcott.

A Photo appeared in the Shire Album on Shepherds and Shepherding custom by Art Ingram and it shows a shearing gang at Meech Farm in 1892.

Sheep shearing gang at Meech Farm

In 1901 George was at a Farm called Wadman’s Farm on The Sands, Easterton, No children are left at home, but Fanny’s mother, Mary Stevens, aged 86 is with George and Fanny.

Pond Farm appeared in postcards – thought to be from the Edwardian era. This one was posted in 1909.

Pond Farm

Fanny died in the summer of 1928. The death is registered in the Devizes district.

George died on Died Jan 29^th 1936. He was buried on 1^st February at Market Lavington church yard. The Reverend Sturton officiated.