RADWINTER ARCHIVES - LOCAL HISTORY RECORDERS REPORT 2015

More Radwinter China Acquired
Radwinter Society has acquired three more pieces of Radwinter creamware featuring the church. Two of the pieces, a mug and a teapot match two pieces already in the Radwinter Archives, a Cream Jug and Candlestick donated by Beryl Barbour and Joy Matthews. These are all coloured orange on a white ground and bear a black and white picture of Radwinter Church. The third of the new items is a cup and saucer which has a plain white ground with no orange

The Radwinter Visitation
Durer's Visitation
The picture of Christ in the Virgin Mary’s lap, which had at first presented difficulty in identification had unmistakeable been borrowed from Michaelangelo’s pietà, which the Artist had probably sketched while on a visit to Rome. Compare the black and white version with the colour picture on the Radwinter Reredos wings.

Radwinter’s First World War
A recent purchaser of our book on the First World War, Elaine Smith, was kind enough to send me a copy of the review of the book that appeared in the Society of Genealogists Magazine. After a comprehensive description of the subject matter of the book, the reviewer, Barbara Jarvis, concluded with the following paragraph:

‘Of particular interest and help is the detailed indexing of local Radwinter surnames, which will assist any researcher looking into this area. By the end of the book, the reader cannot help but feel a familiarity and affinity with the residents of Radwinter and the story of how the First World War was experienced by them is one that almost all cities, towns and villages in the country could tell from their own perspective. The fact that this book captures the events and experiences in such an illuminating way does it much credit.’

Elaine was also helpful in supplying me with additional details of the Gypps and Thake families mentioned in the book. She said:

‘Frederick Walter Gypps: his three brothers were as you suspected and the reason they were not mentioned is that all three were living and working in London. They all served, John with the RASC, David with the Middlesex Regt. and Jabez had a colourful time serving with three different units, being sent to Russia and even arrested for desertion (not proven!).

‘The Thake brothers: There were two James William Thakes, one who was killed serving with the Marines at sea, and the other who was brother to Albert and Thomas Frederick. I have his service records and it was he who was wounded in 1918 serving with 3rd Bn. Essex Regt. He was later pensioned out of the Army and died in 1974 in Kent. Thomas may have been the second brother as I have found evidence of service in the Army that may fit, but not certain. I cannot find anything to fit Fred and as he was 13 when war broke out, he might have missed the fighting. I also thought that Edmund Thake may have been Edward John Thake who served with the RHA, and was living in Radwinter in 1911.’

Miss E. Jarvis Wins Picture Competition
Zofia Everett has sent me a cutting from the Saffron Walden Weekly News for December 23 1932.  In it there is a report that a Miss E Jarvis of Radwinter had won £330, as with two other lucky competitors, she shared the £1000 prize for the ‘Sunday Graphic’ Picture Puzzle No. 89.  The report goes on to say:

‘Miss Jarvis, who is a partner in the general business of E.W. Jarvis at Radwinter, with which she has been since the age of 14 years, has consistently entered for the weekly competitions, including crosswords, since she sent in her first entry form.
‘It is my first win,’ she said in an interview, ‘but I have found that perseverance pays.  I was often told by relatives that I had plenty to do without meddling about after competitions, and that I should not get anything, but I have shown them that they are wrong.  I have received a pleasant surprise, and am very pleased.’

‘Miss Jarvis takes a keen interest in the competitions, and stated that she refers to competition papers for a little help.  Miss Jarvis and her relatives have been readers of the Press and News for many years.

‘The correct entry,’ said the lucky competitor, ‘was the first of four,’ and when asked if she would still continue her entries, pointed to a stamped and addressed envelope ready to post.’

HMS Lapwing Remembered
The Saffron Walden Local Press for 11th and 12th March carried the story of how the 70th anniversary of a Second World War tragedy was remembered. On March 20, 1945 HMS Lapwing was sunk with the loss of 158 lives. It had been torpedoed by a German U-boat while at the head of a convoy of Allied ships just six miles from her port of destination at the Kola Islet, Murmansk, Russia.

A memorial had been erected in the Close Gardens in Saffron Walden and on Saturday, March 21 this year a short service was held to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the sinking.

A New Zealand born farmer’s wife living at Plough Hill Farm, Radwinter, Mrs. Ruby Sowden, recorded in her diary on March 1st 1942 that, ‘This last week was Warship Week and, in the village, whist drives have been held in private houses – all very enjoyable. Radwinter has raised £4200’. A remarkable feat when you consider that the average wage at the time was around £3. The money raised went to the joint fund of Saffron Walden Borough and Rural District Councils which totalled £253,507.

HMS Lapwing
In June 1942 HMS Lapwing, a modified sloop of the Black Swan Class, was allocated to the Saffron Walden area. She was built on the Clyde and commissioned on March 21 1944. A certificate was sent to Radwinter Parish Council to commemorate our adoption of the ship and Mr H Richardson framed it. The certificate is among the Radwinter Parish Council archives.

After distinguished service supporting the Allied landings in Normandy and as an escort on the dangerous North Atlantic Convoys, she ran into two lines of eleven U-boats that were waiting for the convoy she was escorting. She was hit amidships by a torpedo fired by U968 causing her back to be broken in two and, within 12 minutes, she sank.

Newhouse Farm
I recently heard from Marcus Ridsdill Smith who sent me a collection of photographs relating to Newhouse Farm and the Radwinter Cricket Club.

The history of Newhouse is one of the most interesting habitation stories in Radwinter. As well as stories of the ghost of a nun that has been frequently reported, it has many other notable features.

Newhouse Farm is principally a Tudor residence dating from the 16th Century. The house has had a number of extensions over the years, perhaps the most noteworthy a classical brick Georgian façade on the eastern elevation. The house is Grade ll Listed and traditionally constructed, predominantly timber framed with a mixture of lathe and plaster and brick elevations, set under a tiled and slate roof. There are many fine period features, including the original square central chimney stack with seven diagonal pilasters on each face, substantial sash windows, parapets and balustrades.

There has been a farm here for many years, almost certainly from the fifteenth century. Its field names suggest that it was once a deer park, housed a pre-Saxon building, possibly an encampment or Roman villa. It was at one time owned by the Colne Priory Estate. The Priory had come under the operation of the Suppression Act of 1536, which transferred to the Crown all the lands and property of any religious house with an income more than 200 pounds per year. Within four years all monasteries in Britain had been dissolved - even those with an income less than 200 pounds per year. The Colne Priory being relatively rich was one of the first to go. It was dissolved, the prior receiving a pension of £20 yearly. The site of the priory and most of its possessions, were granted in tail to John de Vere, Earl of Oxford, on 20 July, 1536.

In 1585 Thomas Wale, Gentleman, bought Newhouse Farm from Henry Pinchest, Yeoman of Bocking. It was described at that time as being formerly called Searles or Coules. So the name must have been changed to Newhouse prior to the 1585 sale. It could have possibly been farmed or owned by the Searl and Coule families. There was a Searle family in Radwinter from early times and, as late as 1647/8 an arrest warrant was signed by Henry Mordant J.P. ordering constables to arrest and take Mary Beife and John Bentley to Colchester gaol for stoning Mary Searle of Radwinter and burning her house.

Newhouse was owned by the Wale family for almost 200 years from 1585 when, in 1768, it was conveyed to Mary Carter. At this time the Georgian façade with parapet and enlarged windows and a new front door were added.

Mary Carter was still listed in the 1841 and 1851 Censuses as the farmer although in 1841 Mary was aged 60 and a Mary Clayden, aged 25, was also recorded as the farmer.

Mr. & Mrs Walter Thurben arriving at Newhouse Farm
Also listed as living at Newhouse, as a servant, was Hannah Clayden, aged 20, presumably, Mary Clayden’s sister. Oddly, in 1851 Mary Carter was described as aged 74, born in Castle Camps but aged 60 but in 1841 as born in Ireland. By 1851, Mary Clayden is not mentioned as a Radwinter Resident and Mary Carter’s nephew, Charles Leonard was shown as farmer’s bailiff. Marcus told me that the Claydons followed the Carters. We know that Newhouse Farm was sold in 1872 and the Farm owner was not resident in either 1861 or 1871 when the Gray family lived there as farm bailiffs. But in the 1881 Census, we find John Claydon, aged 38, and Agnes Maria Clayden, aged 34, living there with children who were born in Radwinter as early as 1878/9. The font at the back of Radwinter Church was given in memory of William Clayden of Newhouse, Radwinter, who died aged 33 on 7th December 1877. It was given by his sister Emma and was dedicated on the first Sunday in Advent, 1879.

It would appear that Mary Clayden or her heirs had inherited the farm but that the Claydens had not lived there until William, or perhaps John, decided to take up residence. Of great significance is the fact that, in the Radwinter Baptism Registers, John CARTER’s children are listed as William Carter, 1879, Godfrey Frederick 1880 and Mary 1882, all with the surname of CLAYDEN, as was the woman listed in the 1881 census as John’s wife.

The 1991 Census shows Walter Thurlow as the resident farmer with his wife Mary. This is presumably the enumerator’s mistake for Thurban. They lengthened the house by 15ft. and a third section was added to the façade. Walter Thurban, along with the Revd. J.F.W. Bullock, Mr James Gowlett, and Mr William Ruse, were the four Foundation Managers of Radwinter School but Walter attended his last School committee meeting in January 1905. Walter Thurban was buried at Radwinter in 1909 and thereafter the farmer is given as Mrs Mary Thurban until she was buried at Radwinter on 28th February 1918.

Newhouse was then farmed by John Gowlett until he was buried in 1927 and came up for auction in 1928. Cheffins Estate Agents’ auction details for New House Farm state that the Vendors were selling as the Personal Representatives of the late John Gowlett with the concurrence of his Mortgagees. The auction took place on Tuesday, July 17th, 1928 in the Town Hall, Committee Room in Saffron Walden. The property was auctioned Freehold with Vendor’s outgoings being the Saffron Walden Vicarial Tithe, the Saffron Walden Rectorial Tithe, the Wimbish Tithe, the Radwinter Tithe and Land Tax. Lot 1 included the Homestead, garden and agricultural land. Lot 2 was a field of accommodation land fronting the Sampford Road close to the Plough Inn and Lot 3 was two thatched cottages and gardens fronting the road near the School and in the occupation of Mr. Ruse and Mr. Goodrich. Among the special conditions of sale was item 6 that, ‘The Tithe shall commence As to Lot 1 with a Devise contained in the Will of George Stacey Gibson who died on the 5th April, 1883 and whose Will was proved in the Principal Probate Registry on the 5th September, 1883 and the Purchaser shall assume that the Testator was at the date of his death seised in fee simple in possession, free from incumbrances of the said premises; As to Lot 2 with a Stewards Copy Admission in the Manor of Bendysh Hall dated the 15th February, 1911 and as to Lot 3 with a Stewards Copy of Admission in the Manor of Radwinter Hall dated the 14th December, 1896’.
It was bought by the Freeman family and Mrs Annie Freeman and her son, Billy Freeman, were in occupation at Newhouse Farm until 1964 when it was purchased by Marcus Ridsdill Smith. Marcus sold the farm in 1998 and went to live in Portree, on the Isle of Skye, New House Farm being purchased by the Radcliffe family.

Marcus has also deposited in the Radwinter archives a number of photographs relating to the Radwinter Cricket Club, including one of the Ladies v. Gents cricket match of 1910. In this photograph Marcus has identified Bert Richardson, who kept the Post Office with his wife Lizzie but was then a plough boy at Hall Farm. There are also a series of photographs of the Cricket Dinners in the mid 1970s as well as cricket groups in front of Newhouse Farm and one of the Handbell Ringers. I would welcome the advice of anybody who thinks they might be able to identify any of the people in these photographs.

The Memories of a Working Woman
I was alerted to a publication which describes life in Radwinter in 1890 by Sophie McGeevor, a Member of the Cambridge Group for the History of Population and Social Structure who is studying for a PhD at Downing College, Cambridge. I found that I could purchase a used copy of the book on the Internet and so bought it for the Radwinter Records.

It is an autobiography written by Louise Jermy, née Withers. Louise was born on 30 January 1877 and visited Radwinter at the age of 13½ while she was recovering from an operation for a tubercular hip. She published the account of her rather sad life, Memories of a Working Woman, in 1937. The foreword to the book states that, ‘It is said to be the first autobiography written by a Women’s Institute member’. However self-effacing the narrator, it is a reflection of how empowered she felt by that organization to tell her story. Her branch held an official reception on the book’s publication, which stated that this was of, ‘considerable interest locally’, recording that, not only were many copies sold at the meeting, but, ‘A copy had been purchased by the Queen and a letter of congratulation from Buckingham Palace was read by Mrs. Jermy’.
The memoir was also publicised in the WI’s national magazine, Home and Country, where it was described as, ‘A human document of early experiences of life in service’. However Louise does not discuss her membership of the WI, but ends her story with her last paid employment. The WI encouraged her to write a memoir of her working life which is what she did.

The book itself gives a fascinating account of life in service but the passage covering her stay in Radwinter with her Stepmother’s Uncle and Aunt paints a very interesting picture of how Radwinter stood in its general development from the viewpoint of somebody whose experience at that time was at best provincial. If anybody wants to read the full book it can be borrowed from the Radwinter collection but here is an extract which describes her stay in Radwinter.

Louise’s Radwinter Stay
‘I went to stay with uncle John and aunt Anne—they were my stepmother's aunt and uncle really—and they lived at Radwinter in Essex, it is a little place six miles out in the country from Saffron Walden, and at that time was entirely out of the world, as the saying is. The old cottage was very old, quite primitive in fact. The fireplace was huge, the two big hobs were whitened and could be sat upon quite comfortably; there was no grate, just a few bricks left out in the centre, and a bar laid across, a couple of long chains and hooks hung down from the back of the chimney, and kettles and saucepans, boilers, etc., were hung on these when cooking; very little coal was burnt, in fact you might say none, mostly wood, and on looking up the chimney one could see the sides of bacon enclosed in their muslin being dried and smoked. There was practically no butcher's meat, or only on very rare occasions. Aunt Anne baked her own bread, baking once a fortnight, when she would make rabbit and hare or pork pies, fruit tarts, cakes, buns, and several huge loaves, besides a lot of batch cakes, which were pieces of dough, rolled out to about an inch thick with a rolling pin, and then cut into different shapes. The oven was a large brick oven built into the wall, and was on one side of the big fireplace, so that the smoke from it went up the chimney. It took two or three large faggots of thorns to heat it, and I used to stand and push the wood in as far as I could. When the oven was white hot it was scraped out, and then mopped to clean up the ashes and the door was fastened. On the door, being a wooden one, was a handle like a copper lid, and it was kept in place with a bar across it, like barring a door. The large loaves were the first to go in and were placed in at the back with a long tool like a wooden spade; then the pies and then the batch cakes. Aunt Anne's daughter-in-law used to bake on the alternate weeks, and whichever one baked would make a good supply of batch cakes, each sending fresh ones, exchanging every week so that we had some fresh bread, but it is surprising to say that aunt Anne's bread never got dry, it was always nice right up to the last piece. When the batch cakes came out of the oven, the pies were turned about, those which had been close to the sides were put into the middle and others to the sides, and then the cakes and buns were put in. The oven was never opened only to take out or put in. Batch cakes took one and a half hours to bake, buns about a quarter, sweet cakes and pies about one and a half to two hours. Aunt Anne said fruit cooked quicker, and that pork required longer than rabbit or hare. The large loaves were left for two and a half hours, and when it was all over and the oven had cooled off, the bed linen, etc., was placed in on clean paper to keep it aired until wanted. All the rest of the time, I had a long garden seat placed in that corner for me to lie down on, so that will give you some idea of the size of the chimney corner, for the seat fitted in front of the oven and was entirely out of the way, and I could lie there warm and quiet, out of the draught and out of the way too, until I got stronger.

‘The harvest came in soon after I got there, and when the corn had been carted, all the women and children went gleaning. Aunt Anne went as well as the rest. By that time I was able to pull myself up so as to stand and take a step or two without crutches, although I did not go out without them, so as one of the women had a small baby she could not take with her, she left it in the carriage with me. I only had to give it its bottle at certain times, and just lift it into a little different position, not take it out or nurse it, as they knew I could not do that, or just rock the carriage a little if it cried. Aunt Anne said it would be company for me, and I was paid a shilling weekly, so I felt quite rich, and as father had given me a little to spend and there being nowhere to spend it except a small shop about half a mile away, it was too far for me to go, I soon saved something. So when aunt Anne went to shop to buy yeast for the bread, or to order barley meal for the pigs, she used to spend my money for me, and she would buy print for me to make myself aprons, and calico for underclothes and nightdresses. She also cut out the garments for me and taught me how to do so. So I had some nice things at the end of that year, when the time came for me to go home again and attend the hospital and report progress.

‘It was during my stay here that I saw the primitive way of threshing. The corn was all reaped by hand, cut with scythe or hook. The women gathered it into sheaves and tied it, and the children helped to put it into shocks. The corn was laid on the threshing floor and threshed out with the flail, when the straw was removed and the grain was shovelled up and put into a winnowing machine, also turned by hand, when the chaff flew everywhere, and the corn passed through the bottom, just like a great coffee mill; everything was done by hand. So you see what a behind the times place it was, because we had seen reaping machines at Romsey a long time before. The only clocks in this part of the country, except the church clock, which was a very fine one and chimed the quarter hours and struck the hour, and was at first the only way I could tell the exact time, until I got used to seeing the old-fashioned grandfather with only one hand and the dots between each figure to mark the quarters, etc. They all seemed to have clocks like that, at any rate, I never saw any others all the time I was in that part of the country, and aunt Anne's clock was nearly three hundred years old, so she told me. I suppose it was. I know I've never seen any like it before or since.
‘I used to walk to the Sunday school and church service in the afternoon on Sunday as soon as I could walk as far, and I still have the remains of the Prayer Book which was given to me for carefully learned lessons; in fact it was in quite good order until Wilfred had to take it to school every day, when he got the covers off and otherwise spoilt it. Still, of course, it was old and had been about a lot and seen a lot of service. Towards the end of harvest I really began to get about nicely, and I of course got very venturesome, so that I had one or two falls. The first I had frightened me a bit, because being cased up as I was I could not get up again, so I had to lie there until someone came to pick me up; but I forgot it, and on one of the tumbles I had I broke the splint—so I had to lie in bed while the blacksmith mended it again. After that I really tried to be extra careful, but the roads were very bad, and the lane to aunt Anne's was very stony and with large ruts in it made by the farm wagons, so it was not long before I caught the crutches in a rut again and down I went headlong, this time breaking the splint in halves. It shook me up a bit, and I kept in bed a few days and then resolved to get about again and also without the crutches as they seemed to be more hurt than help on such roads. So Aunt Anne bought me some new boots, with very low flat heels, and I walked very slowly indeed, but on the whole much more comfortably.

‘Towards Xmas I went home and reported at the hospital.’

Local Girls 1985 – by Jane Bown
Marcus Ridsdill Smith (from Radwinter but now living in Skye) recently sent me a copy of The Observer Magazine dated 15 December 1985.

The front cover image was by the renowned Observer photographer, Jane Bown, and showed two local girls with their Harvest Festival marrows. A little asking around by the Ambo Publisher, Dave Smith revealed that the girl on the left is Helen Hughes, whose parents still live in Radwinter. The girl on the right is Naomi Tuxworth, daughter of for Radwinter Secretary, Wumf, who until recently lived in Wimbish. They have since moved to Norfolk. Their names and photograph is recorded in the Radwinter Records database.

Jane Bown CBE (13 March 1925–21 December 2014) was an English photographer who worked for The Observer newspaper from 1949. Her portraits, primarily in black and white and using available light, received widespread critical acclaim and her work was described by Lord Snowden as ‘a kind of English Carrier-Bresson.’ Jane Bown photographed hundreds of subjects, including Orson Welles, Samuel Becket, Sir John Betjeman, Woody Allen, Cilla Black, Quintin Crisp, P.J. Harvey, John Lennon, Truman Capote, John Peel, Jarvis Cocker, Björk, Jayne Mansfield, Diana Dors, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Eve Arnold, Evelyn Waugh and Margaret Thatcher, and took The Queen’s 80th birthday portrait.

Michael Southgate
Radwinter Village History Recorder