Dear Members,
These newsletters seem to come round faster and faster, I feel as if I have only just circulated the last one, is there any significance in this, I wonder.
The latest epic from Peter's studios was his best ever production, I am sure you will all agree with this. Thank you Peter and your Pioneer friends. The early film showing the beauty contest, with a young Jim Steddon as the compere/ judge, showed me up for the fraud I am, I knew none of the youthful beauties taking part and only a very few of the male members of the cast of dozens. It brings out the fact that I still know so very little of Sherington's recent past, so why should I, as a comparative newcomer, be in charge of Sherington's history ? Is there no one out there with more qualifications (residency) than us incomers, interested in the history of Sherington, their favourite village.
But back to the film, it was introduced by Philip and his grandson Tom with great aplomb. The acting in the film itself absolutely first class, again, I knew none of the cast and maybe I should have. But it really was brilliant. CONGRATULATIONS to you all. Again those of you who missed it, missed a treat.
Friday November 26th we have booked a stall at the Christmas Bazaar, would anyone like to man this stall ????? I have the offer of playing a Christmas bowls match that evening. I can't do both, but I will miss the bowls as I think SHS and the Bazaar are more important.
The annual SHS dinner has been booked for the Tuesday 18th January in the newly refurbished Swan dining room. Kay, who did the honours last year will be moving among you all taking names as soon as is convenient, cost and time as yet to be arranged. But it will be good and reasonable, I am sure.
Developments in the village seem to be coming thick and fast, none of you can have failed to notice the laying of the new gas main through the village. We in the High Street thought it very good while it was up the Olney End, it does deter some of the through traffic and slow it down. But now it has reached the cross roads it is a bit noisy. The Swan development is now all but finished and has settled down to trade, we have a set of plans that show the changes.
There is a move afoot to develop End Farm, to convert the old barns to three luxury four bedroom dwellings, making four residences in all at the bottom end of Water Lane, this will do nothing to reduce the traffic up and down the lane. We also have the development plans for this.
I am not sure in what stage the proposed development at the White Hart is !
An animal ménage at No 1 High Street. The dictionary definition of this is ' An animal management centre', so we will have to wait and see what this entails.
Our farthest flung member Howard Dalton graced us with his presence for the film show, also the days preceding and following. Howard is still on the track of his Dolton/Dalton ancestors, who lived around the Blacksmiths shop, adjacent to the Crown and Castle. He keeps bewailing the fact that the enumerator did not visit the villagers in a logical sequence, but dodged around missing families and then going back to them at a later time. It is something that you must all take into account when looking at census documents. Because families are next to one another on the census sheet does not mean they were neighbours. But good to see Howard amongst us again. He also pointed out to me that my survey of St Lauds graveyard was not complete as The Rev Pretyman's grave had not been surveyed, it and at least one other are hidden under a mound of ivy. This omission I hope, with Maurice's permission, will be rectified soon.
Our copies of the 1841 and 1851 censuses were based on material supplied by Colin Davis, at the time he was doing some specific research and only gave us the data he was using, so they were quite abridged. The 1851 census has now been updated and the 1841 census will be fulfilled as soon as I can get to it. Incidentally the 1841 was the first countrywide national census to be taken and as such was the basis for all the following censuses. There are other censuses but these were all on a regional basis for some smaller specific purpose at a local level.
The next meeting will be on Tuesday November 9th at 8pm this will a general discussion evening. The following meeting on Tuesday 14th December will be our annual Christmas party, more about this in your next news letter. but please keep this date free if at all possible, we would love to see you all there.
N.A.
P.S. I still don't get much copy from you all.
(Substitute 'any' for 'much' in the above statement).