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The History group has now disbanded after many years of enjoyable evenings and days out.

The content of previous meetings has been kept below for histories sake!

Our thanks to Liz Shakespeare for leading our group for so long.

After seven years I have to admit I am running out of steam and finding it increasingly difficult to think of subjects for the meetings. I would be delighted if someone else would take on the running of the Society and would be happy to give support, but unless someone comes forward, I am afraid I must call it a day. I would like to thank everyone who has supported the group during seven successful and enjoyable years.

Liz Shakespeare

We had a very enjoyable meeting on July 4^th when three members shared their memories of Littleham in the 1970’s. It was lovely to have a full house and to welcome back familiar faces.

It was particularly pleasing that the subject was the history of Littleham, because that was where we started back in 2006. The original plan for the Historical Society, formed by request through the Parish Plan, was to focus on the history of Littleham and Landcross and this was achieved for two or three years of monthly meetings. We then branched out to encompass guided walks of Bideford with Peter Christie, talks on the railways and canals of the Bideford area, visits to historic sites including Buck’s Mills and Jennett’s Cottage and talks on subjects ranging from cloud seeding to emigration.

Littleham in the 1970’s

The new arrival in a community can see things through fresh eyes, sometimes observing details that those who have a long association with a place no longer notice.

Three long-established members of the Littleham community, Mari Galvin, Ian Atkinson and Liz Shakespeare, will give their impressions of the village when they first came to know it in the 1970’s. Come along to the meeting on Thursday 4^th July at 7.30, (a week later than usual in order to avoid clashing with the Art Exhibition) listen to what they have to say and add your own impressions of the village if you wish.

All welcome. £2 to include refreshments.

Recent events

On 28th February Liz Shakespeare gave a talk about the research and writing of her book Fever: A Story from a Devon Churchyard which is set in Littleham. Despite having been published in 2005, Fever still sells well - over two thousand copies have sold and books have been sent all over the world. Liz has received lots of appreciative letters and emails from people who have read it, some of them giving her further information about the people featured in the book. She told some amusing stories concerning some of the letters she received and  information on the families in Fever which was not available when the book was published.

Farm, Fish, Family or Faith.

A rather intriguing title? We have all known local people who decide to up sticks and leave North Devon, perhaps for new career opportunities in Australia or retirement in Spain. Had we lived in these parts in the mid-nineteenth century we would have seen that people were leaving not in dribs and drabs but in droves. It is thought that up to 10,000 people may have emigrated from North Devon in the mid-nineteenth century, which is astonishing when one considers that the population for Barnstaple was around 8,600 and Bideford 5,700.

As to why so many people wanted to leave, the clues are in the title.On Thursday 22nd November,  local historian Dr Janet Few explained it to us. She has carried out an in-depth study of nineteenth century emigration and told us fascinating stories about some of the families who moved away, including some examples from Littleham. 

Memories of an Appledore Childhood

On Thursday September 27^th we welcomed a familiar face – our very own Morris Poole  entertained us with memories of his childhood in Appledore and his reflections on the transformation of the village. He remembered a village which had life and vitality throughout the year, a place where people lived and worked and everyone knew everyone else. He had many amusing stories to tell and we all felt we could have gone on listening all evening.

A Historical Walk around Buck’s Mills

We were very lucky with the weather for our meeting on June 28^th as it was a lovely summer evening - a rare event this summer! We met at the main car park in Buck’s Mills for a guided tour of this historic fishing village with Chris Braund, chairman of the Braund Society.

Buck’s Mills used to be described as ‘the village of a single surname’, being populated almost entirely by people named Braund. It was said that their ferocity in scaring away prospective newcomers and the natural isolation of the place contributed to the formation of a tight-knit family colony. Things have changed somewhat now and we were made welcome by Chris, who took us back to those days and told us about the members of his family, enabling us to imagine life as it used to be in this picturesque fishing village. A most entertaining evening.

Donations were made to St Anne’s church roof repair fund.

The Braddick Family from the Beginning.

John Joseph Braddick came from South Devon to Bideford in 1864 to work as a clerk on the Southern Railway. He married Sophia Short, a grocer’s daughter, and ran the family business in Mill Street. They had twelve children… and the rest, as they say, is history. Today the Braddick family run many successful businesses in the Bideford area, from pubs and holiday centres to furniture shops.

Sharon Snell, nee Braddick, gave a lively illustrated talk which included many amusing stories about her family.

Tim and Freda Bourke have supported the Historical Society from the very beginning and feel it is now time to take more of a back seat. Bruce Bury has kindly offered to take on the finances. If anyone would like to organise the refreshments, either on a regular or occasional basis, please contact Liz Shakespeare

On behalf of the Historical Society I would like to thank Tim and Freda for all their support. I’m sure we will continue to see them at meetings.

On Thursday 23^rd February, Littleham resident Mari Galvin told us about her great uncle, Harry Pennell, who was one of the naval officers on board the Terra Nova for Scott's last expedition. He was born in Devon and educated at Exeter School. He died aged only 34 when the Queen Mary went down in the battle of Jutland in May 1916.

Mari knew that her aunt had left letters belonging to him to the Royal Geographic Society so during 2009 she did some research in the archive and also at the Scott Polar Institute to produce a document for her family.

She wanted to find out what was happening during the expedition from the point of view of the Terra Nova, so she researched the ship rather than Scott and the polar party and used Scott's diary and other published books as well as the letters.  She found these letters particularly interesting as they reveal tensions that must have existed between the men and she also found it incredibly moving to handle them, particularly one from Bowers who died in the tent with Scott.

It was fascinating to hear about Mari’s discoveries.

At our November meeting Ian Atkinson shared with us his research into the Crealock family of Littleham. Many people are familiar with the grand tomb of General Henry Hope Crealock in Littleham Church and some may have wondered about his identity and the connection with the Crealock Arms. Ian told us about the army careers of  General Crealock and his brother, and of their fame as talented war artists. A large audience turned out to hear this fascinating story.

On Thursday 22nd September our speaker was the eminent local historian Peter Christie whose books on the history of Bideford and collections of old photographs have greatly added to knowledge of the area. He is an accomplished and amusing speaker and gave a very interesting talk on the Folklore of North Devon. We heard about the strange beliefs of our predecessors, the folk remedies that were used and customs that were engaged in until comparatively recently.

On Thursday June 16^th we were delighted to invite Littleham author Pamela Vass to launch her new book ‘Seeds of Doubt’. Littleham is now becoming well known as a source of historical books; there cannot be many small villages which can boast two publishing companies! Pamela and her husband David Hogan have visited the Historical Society before, to give a very interesting presentation on Torrington mathematician and inventor, Thomas Fowler.

‘Seeds of Doubt’ is a novel set against the background of actual events.

Strange cloud formations, vivid colours, a smell of sulphur in the air – all led to suspicions that government experiments might have been responsible for the floods that devastated Lynmouth in 1952. Suspicions that provide a gripping background for this novel.

The main character, Ingrid Clarke, follows in the author’s footsteps, discovering previously classified documents that detail these covert experiments. Driven on by her own guilty secret, the search becomes an obsession. Ingrid risks her marriage, her health, her entire future in a quest to discover the truth.

However, others are determined the truth will never be told and go to extreme lengths to conceal their manipulation of one of the greatest powers on earth.

'Seeds of Doubt' is available from local bookshops and from www.boundstonebooks.co.uk

 

  On Thursday May 5^th we visited the site of the Rolle Canal at Annery, by kind invitation of Adrian and Hilary Wills, who gave us a guided tour of this scenic site alongside the River Torridge at Weare Giffard. Adrian explained the social context which led to the construction of the canal in the 1820’s, around the same time as building of the turnpike road from Bideford to Torrington, and told us about the industries in the area which included pottery, lime-burning and ship-building.

We saw the sea lock that Adrian and Hilary discovered on their land, and subsequently excavated and renovated with the support of the Rolle Canal Society. We were amazed at the extent of the work that has been carried out, and at the now peaceful location of what was once a busy industrial area. Thanks to Adrian and Hilary for such an interesting evening.

On February 24th, Dr Janet Few presented a talk entitled 'Who Lived in Cottages Like These? Tracing the History and Previous Occupants of Your Home'. She provided us with a wealth of information during her lively and amusing talk.

In November Chris Hassall told us about the fascinating history of Packhorse Trails and Turnpikes, concentrating on the old routes through Littleham and Landcross. He had followed the routes carefully and took photographs to illustrate his journey for us.

On 23rd September there was a talk and book launch for Liz Shakespeare's new book, 'The Turning of the Tide.' This novel draws on nineteenth century documents to tell the intertwined stories of a young Clovelly mother confined in Bideford Workhouse and Dr Ackland, philanthropist and friend of Charles Kingsley. Liz Shakespeare is the author of Fever: A Story from a Devon Churchyard and The Memory Be Green: An Oral History of a Devon Village.

On Thursday June 24th Peter Christie led an evening walk at East the Water, Bideford. This area is often over-looked as the 'poor relation' of Bideford but it has a long industrial history and we were all very interested to hear of its development over the centuries. We were lucky to have a beautiful sunny evening and the views across the river to Bideford town were stunning.

 

Quite a large group attended our previous meeting at Annery, near Monkleigh. This was to visit the site of Annery House which was built – or rebuilt - in 1800 and sadly demolished in 1958. Toni Smyth who now lives on the site has researched the long and interesting history of Annery and kindly invited us to visit and view her display of photographs and articles concerning the house. We were all most impressed by the wonderful outlook over the Torridge valley.