A Mystery Postcard

Postcards ought to be obvious. A decent postcard has information on it which tells you where it is. But this one doesn’t. However, it is a truly lovely card.

A postcard at Market Lavington Museum – place and people are not known.

So, the question straight away is, does anyone recognise this delightful rural scene?

Or how about the people shown?

Or maybe the lovely push cart might mean something to somebody.

The card does have a local interest for sure, for it was sent to an Easterton address. We think it may have been posted in Market Lavington, but we look at a barely visible postmark with the eye of hope.

What we know for sure is that it was sent to Mrs Emily Chapman and was posted in September 1928 for Emily’s birthday. Emily’s husband had the initial W. and they lived at The Clay in Easterton. We can find Emily and William Chapman listed as voters on the 1939 Electoral Roll, still at The Clay, Easterton.

Emily Jones married William Chapman in 1928 and they did, indeed, live at The Clay, Easterton. We believe Emily had been Emily Jones and that the couple had married in 1927

Advertisement

Wilsons at the Vicarage

We have already learned of the Wilson family who lived with the Reverend Frith and his wife at Market Lavington vicarage. Mrs Frith was the Wilson family aunt and she took care of the children following the death of their mother.

We now have photos of some of these Wilsons.

Let’s start with just one girl.

Violet Dottie Wilson who lived at Market Lavington Vicarage from about 1878 to 1900

This is Violet Dottie Wilson. Sadly, her mother died giving birth to her and that resulted in the move to Market Lavington. It was a long move, for the Wilson family were based in India. But in 1881 we find Violet, the youngest of the Wilson clan, at the Vicarage in Market Lavington.

Violet was still with her uncle and aunt at The Vicarage in 1891. This census also lists a daughter, adopted by the Reverend Frith called Catherine and a Frith niece known as May but properly, Agnes. Violet’s older sisters were still present as well.

Violet was a bridesmaid at the wedding of her cousin, Agnes May Cokayne frith which took place at Market Lavington in 1897. Perhaps the photo dates from about that time.

We think Violet married Harold Jones in 1900. Such a marriage was registered in the Devizes district. The couple lived in Camberwell, South London for the 1901 census. They had a six month old son called Donald.

Our correspondent in Richmond Virginia is keen to know more about this family and the other Wilsons. We’d love to know more about their life and times in Market Lavington.

Dr William Hay Ashford Brown’s brass plaque

The doctor, mentioned in the title was the Market Lavington medical practitioner from the early 1950s. For ten years he lived in the village, at Greystone House in the High Street which had long been a doctor’s house. In 1961 he and his family moved house, but for a while, continued to use the surgery at Greystone House. Later he had other premises, but the plaque we have comes from Greystone House.

Plaque from the Market Lavington surgery of Dr Ashford Brown

The plaque is made of brass, about 12cm by 8 and just carries the doctor’s name.

It is nothing remarkable but serves as a reminder of days when a room in a house (or even a caravan) was a doctor’s surgery. Nowadays, Market Lavington has a large, dedicated surgery building. There are four partners – doctors who run the surgeries, two practice nurses and a health care assistant, a practice manager and, no doubt, other admin and clerical staff.

Dr Ashford Brown, who retired in the mid 70s and died in 1998, would be amazed to see such services.

William Saunders

William Saunders was born in West Lavington in about 1853.

We find him as a youngster, in 1861, with his parents, Henry and Sarah on White Street in West Lavington. They were still there in 1871.

Henry, was the son of John Saunders. John’s father David, was known as ‘The Pious Shepherd of Salisbury Plain’.  A book was written about him.

William married Hannah Blagden of Market Lavington in 1876 and the couple appear to have made Market Lavington their home.

In 1881 William and Hannah and their son (4 year old William) and Hannah’s mother, Martha, lived at Broadwell Cottage, White Street, Market Lavington. William was a labourer.

In 1891 the Saunders, joined by a daughter – 8 year old Martha – were living on New Street, also known as The Muddle. William was a labourer.

In 1901 the same four lived on Church Street. Both Williams were described as ‘Gardener – not domestic’.

By 1911, young William had left home. The other three lived in a 4 roomed cottage on Church Street, Market Lavington. This census is sometimes called ‘The Fertility Census’. It tells us that William and Hannah had produced two children in their 36 years of marriage and both were still alive. For the record, young William and his wife and family also lived on Church Street.

Our photo shows William Saunders and describes him as a groom at Clyffe Hall.

William Saunders – groom at Clyffe Hall, Market Lavington

Hannah Saunders died in 1923

William was still on Church Street on the 1926 electoral roll.

He died in 1933, joining his wife in Market Lavington churchyard.

Sybil Perry’s Memories

One of the real treasures we have at Market Lavington Museum is a folder containing Sybil Perry’s memories. Actually, it is two treasures, for Sybil produced two slightly different versions.

Sybil Perry moved to Market Lavington in 1924, with her parents, Mr and Mrs Baker, at the age of four. Her family had lived in the village for generations. Her grandfather had been one of the Smith family, who lived on White Street in Market Lavington. They were renowned as the dew pond diggers. In fact, Sybil’s first home in Market Lavington was her Granny Smith’s house – Broadwell House on White Street.

Sybil lived in Market Lavington until 1994 at which point she and her husband, Des Perry, moved away to be nearer children. During her working life Sybil was, like her mother, a school teacher at Market Lavington School. She has featured many times already in this blog.

Let’s look at the start of Sybil’s book.

One of the real treasures of Market Lavington Museum – Sybil Perry’s memories

And now her signing off – in the year 2006.

Sybil signs off in 2006

Sybil died in 2010. Through her memories she remains a true servant of this village.

Family and Friends at Fern Cottage

Today we are looking at a group standing outside at the back of Fern Cottage. Fern Cottage is on High Street in Market Lavington, between the Workmans Hall and the former chapel. (We have been informed this is actually the cottage NEXT to Fern Cottage)

Bill Pearce, family and friends next to Fern Cottage, Market Lavington

On the left we have Bill Pearce

The lady second from left and behind Bill’s shoulder has not yet been identified. Can anybody out there help?

The lady next to Bill and third from left is Rose Crouch. This photo has been given to the museum following a blog entry about World War 1 first aid materials.(click here) although we have also seen Rose before in a churchyard clean up party (click here). That picture dated from 1963. We think this one may have been taken in the 1950s.

Behind Rose’s shoulder is her husband, Bill Crouch.

The older lady at the front is Emily Pomeroy. She had previously been Mrs Emily Hobbs and was caretaker at the Workman’s Hall.

Behind Emily is Jean Pearce.

At the right hand end is Beavey Pomeroy. He was born in Devon and came via Bath to Lavington as baker at the Co-operative Stores.

Church House

Was this ever actually called Church House?

It is the building we now know as The Rectory (formerly The Vicarage) but at the unknown date when this picture was taken it was a private house, and the centre of activities of the Alexander family who were chapel members. However, we cannot dispute the house is on Church Street. The electoral rolls we have for 1926 and 1939 just tell us that Alfred and Sarah Alexander lived on Church Street.

The information on the back of the photo gives us a little information.

The information on the back of a photo tells us this was the home of Alfred and Sarah Alexander of Market Lavington

And here is the actual picture.

Church House, Market Lavington – a photo at this Wiltshire museum which is concerned with market Lavington and Easterton.

It would be good to know the year and the occasion. Sadly, the photo is not clear enough to read messages on the banners. Perhaps the large H in the window above the door indicates that this was Hospital Week?

Alfie Alexander was well known for being a character. He had certainly done well for himself in terms of housing. Alfie kept pigs in the back yard of the house – roughly where the rector now has his office. He ran some kind of refuse service, spreading what he collected over land in the Parham area.

An earlier entry on this blog showed Alfie walking with Winston Churchill in London. Alfie had decided to get this picture – and made sure he did. He didn’t know Mr Churchill at all.

The Reverend Gilbert King

The Reverend Gilbert King was Vicar of St Barnabas Church, Easterton in the early years of the twentieth century. He is a person we’d like to know more about at Market Lavington Museum. In particular, we’d love a photograph of him.

Gilbert was born in about 1857 in London. His father, Liverpool born Bryan King, was rector of St George’s East in London. He was already well over 40 when Gilbert was born. In 1861, a younger sibling was born in Belgium which probably explains why we can’t locate the family on the 1861 census.

By 1871, Bryan had taken up the post of Vicar of Avebury in Wiltshire – where he was also described as a landowner. No occupation is given for any of the ten children, ranging in age from 26 down to 10.. Gilbert, aged 14, was probably a scholar.

Certainly, by 1881, Gilbert was a student at Oxford although listed on the census at the Vicarage in Avebury.

Gilbert married Jane Walton in 1885. Jane, like Gilbert, was a Londoner by birth but the marriage took place in the Wycombe region of Oxfordshire/Buckinghamshire.

By 1891 Gilbert was an assistant curate at Avebury. He and Jane had a son, Noel, who was aged 5.

Jane died in 1892, aged 53.

Gilbert remarried in 1897. His new wife was Agnes Thynne and the marriage took place in the Melksham district.

In 1901 Gilbert and Agnes were at The Vicarage in Easterton and Gilbert was the vicar. Noel was boarding at St Edmond’s School in Oxford at the time.

Gilbert and Agnes still lived at Easterton in 1911. Gilbert, by then 54, was still the Vicar. Noel was in Sussex.

Lieutenant Noel Gilbert Bryan King of the Wiltshire regiment was killed on 17^th June 1917. He is commemorated on the Menin Gate in Ypres and also on the Easterton War Memorial.

Gilbert King died in the Helston area of Cornwall in 1930. He is well-remembered in Easterton because the road on the sands in Easterton and Market Lavington is named King’s Road.It was Gilbert who was responsible for getting it adopted and surfaced.

We have no photo of Gilbert but we have several of his church – St Barnabas at Easterton. This one, we think, dates from Gilbert’s time at the church.

St Barnabas Church, Easterton at the time of the Reverend Gilbert King

Lilian Sarah Mundy

Today’s blog entry is inspired by a news cutting from 1965

News article about the death of Lilian Sarah Mundy of Market Lavington

Weren’t these older news reports marvellous? They actually contained information. A reporter has clearly done a little research and has come up with a brief summary of the life of Lilian Sarah Mundy.

The old reports also used lots of names. Maybe it was felt that a name in a paper made people buy that issue. So, we also get a list of Vicar, organist and family mourners.

Mourners at the funeral of Lilian Mundy which was at St Mary's Church, Market Lavington

We’d like add a little flesh to the story of Lilian’s life. Sadly, we can’t trace the birth of a Lilian Sarah Barret (by any spelling) anywhere near Corsham.

Lilian appears on the 1911 census at Fiddington. This census gives her place of birth as Atworth.

We know she married Frederick Mundy in 1912.

Kenneth was born in 1915.

Herbert was born in 1920.

Barbara was born in 1925

In 1926 Fred and Lilian Mundy lived on High Street, Market Lavington. This was almost certainly above the shoe shop.

Fred Mundy died in 1933.

In 1939, Lilian lived on High Street with her son Ken who had taken over the shoe business.

Lilian and her son Ken were still at the shoe shop premises on High Street in 1964.

She was buried on 2^nd April 1965.

When The Spring was a country lane.

The road through Market Lavington is a ministry classified B road – the B3098. But this road has various different names as it crosses the parish. At the end nearest to Easterton, it is called High Street. At the crossroads in the centre of the village, by the Post Office, it becomes Church Street and as it wends its way towards West Lavington it becomes The Spring. Most buildings on The Spring date from after the First World War although older buildings include Spring Villa, Spring Cottage and Clyffe Hall. But apart from that, The Spring had the appearance of a country lane until the Alban Estate was built in 1926 (Click here).

The Spring, Market Lavvington, possibly about 1920

Unusually, this postcard was not published by the Burgess family, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t take it and the rights passed to another publisher.

Man, horse and cart - but what manner of cart?

It is hard to fathom out just what the horse is pulling and what the man leading the horse has strapped to his back. There looks to be a good-sized basket on the cart.

Can you name this chap on The Spring, Market Lavington?

Can anyone tell us the name of the young chap on the footpath?