Monday 26 December 2022

What are your memories of the winter of 1962/63

The Big Freeze that happened during the winter of 1962 and 1963 brought snow to Eton Wick. On the morning of Boxing Day, the village woke up to a significant covering of snow. Over the following days and weeks, the Thames froze over, and the piled snow cleared from the Eton Wick Road remained on the side of the road for many weeks. 




This video on YouTube shows how the Big Freeze progressed as it brought disruption to everyday life



Do you have memories of that winter or photographs? Please share them with us. 

The Denham children and David Fearn certainly had some fun in the snow. 

The Eton Wick History Group would very much like to have a collection of photographs showing how the Big Freeze changed the village in December 1962, January and February 1963. 




 

Monday 19 December 2022

World War 2 Eighty Years On - July to December 1942

The periodic change of troops brought a section of 331 Bty. 106 Regt.  to take over the guns at Dorney camp, the battery being under the command of Major Shearer for the months of December '42. and January '43.

The No2 Conscription Act had allowed women to be called up for the Armed Forces to relieve men engaged on home defence for overseas duty.  A.A. Command was asked to supply men and guns, often as complete batteries and to replace these batteries the first mixed A.A. Unit commenced its training in 1940 and a gradual buildup of mixed units continued. The eventual number of ATS on gun sites exceeding 50,000.   Except for manning the guns, the A.T.S. posted to AA Command trained and served in all battery assignments as operators on radar, predictors, plotters, telephones, teleprinters and other essential trades serving as drivers, cooks, and clerks.

When posted to a newly formed battery more training was to follow until troop and sections could work as a team. The first mixed Batteries to arrive in the Slough - Windsor area came from 183(M) Regiment H.A.A. having joined 38 Brigade in 1942 / '43.

The batteries comprising 183 Regiment were 564(M)HAA; 608(M)HAA; 591(M)HAA and 640(M)HAA. Bty. H.Q. was installed at Chandlers Hill, Uxbridge. It is thought that 608 H.Q. was at Shirley Lodge, Colnbrook, Nr. Slough. ‘E’ Troop of the battery were stationed at camp SM8 Chandlers Hill, Uxbridge which was a show site often inspected by the ‘Elite’ from the War Office and others from the establishment. This Battery (608) had been formed at Blackdown Camp (Aldershot) in 1942 and after Gun Training at Ty Croes, Isle of Anglesey had proceeded to join 38 Brigade. Corporal Rose Castle (now Mrs Richings) from 608 Battery H.Q. Uxbridge was the first A.T.S. to arrive at Dorney Camp with Captain Martin. Their assignment was to make arrangements for the camp to receive a troop from the mixed battery. The tents of the original camp were still on-site awaiting return to depot stores for which she arranged transport to Slough Station.  The Battery that was about to leave the camp and go overseas was all male and Corporal Castle recalled her first day at Dorney.

Corporal Castle


“Being the only A.T.S. and the first, no arrangements existed for feeding so I went to the men’s mess hut a surprise awaited me in the form of a mass scramble to the centre of the table for the food and I was supposed to have what was left. The tea (char) was served up in a bucket. Needless to say, I got out and took myself to the Officers’ mess for my lunch”. Corporal Castle at first cycled from Uxbridge to Dorney each day but later lodged in the Eton Wick Road with an elderly lady whom she remembers was very kind, also the enjoyable cups of cocoa - made when she returned at night.  608 Battery manned sites at Datchet, Windsor Great Park 



Mary Lake remembers the day she joined 608 Bty.

"On the 10th. December 1942, I arrived by train at Windsor and on leaving the station I asked a policeman if he knew where I could find 608 Battery, “no joy”, but he directed me to the Windsor Post Office another blank, but they directed me to the privately owned local bus service.   I had no idea where it was going but eventually, we came to a camp and the driver let me off and waited until I had been to the Guard Room.  I was lucky and on thanking the driver retrieved my kit bag from the bus. It was then a wait until a Sgt Hellier picked me up and took me to Uxbridge.  (Blue Bus service. Windsor to Dorney) Three impressions were of the mist, sometimes very dense and when running on a call out it was a nightmare. On fine nights the mosquitoes would eat you to death, and the baby frogs presented another hazard; it was a wise precaution never to go to the ablutions bare footed as they would squelch underfoot. Sleeping in the bottom bunks of one's billet could be a frightening experience as one would awake with small frogs tangled in one's hair or frogs hopping over the blanket”.

Vivid memories by telephonist M. Suddaby, describe the inadequate camp facilities at Dorney:

 “Having just completed two weeks firing practice at Ty-Croes on the Isle of Anglesey we were posted to Dorney. Billets were allocated, but unfortunately the Nissen hut that telephonists and spotters were expected to occupy was in an appalling condition having previously been a meat store; an odour I have never smelt before or since. There was a shortfall of beds, so we were given the usual biscuit paliasses on which to sleep on the flagged floor. We could not deter the assorted number of cats from hanging around this hut, but horrible though it all was we just had to make the best of it. Fortunately for me I was on all night duty but was horrified when the poor girls trying to sleep in that hut told me of a night of horrors as dozens of mice left their nest under the flagged floor and ran over the beds and pillows and anywhere else, they fancied. helped by the cats continuing their vigil and making many successful catches. Next morning the Junior Commander came to inspect the hut and ordered the floor to be taken up and it was found that there were literally hundreds of mice nests under the flag stones.  We were transferred to share other barrack rooms which became overcrowded, and the mice decided to move in with us as well.  The accommodation was not the only problem as orders had been given not to drink from the tap as all water had to be boiled before use at the cookhouse; not having water available on tap was to lead to a first-time experience. After a walk from Windsor one warm evening, our little group were all desperately thirsty. On arrival at the camp, we found the cookhouse closed and no drinking water available. For the first time in our lives, we were forced to take a half a pint of beer from the NAAFI which was all they could produce.  It was nectar but personally I did not develop the habit.  We used to walk to Windsor in our free time and often saw the boys from Eton looking quaint in their mostly shabby suits with outgrown sleeves and trousers. No doubt they were affected by clothes rationing as was everyone else.

Although we spent an eventful six months or so as far as action was concerned, no enemy aircraft having entered our zone, we were therefore required to go to firing camp to get real firing practice in the summer of '43.  At this time ‘E Troop’ of 608 Bty. having gone to the Whitby firing camp from Uxbridge in July 1943 returned to the Datchet Old Polo Ground gun site, SM3, in August 1943. German planes were still active with Fighter bomber attacks on London and other targets requiring continued alertness by the radar operators and spotters to watch for the Hit and Run raider that could still cause havoc.

From the last days of June until the end of the war in Europe air activity was seen and heard frequently over the village as large formations of American Air Force bombers passed over. Damage to the American planes that had been inflicted by the German defences was plainly visible when returning from these raids. Falling debris and signal flares fired by the stricken planes was often seen by those watching their return. The drone of aircraft engines continued into the night as heavy bombers of the R.A.F. passed over on their way to attack Germany.

 

U.S. Airforce Boeing B-17 Known as a Flying Fortress, heavily armed with thirteen half inch machine guns. Crew 10.  Bomb load 8000lb.

 



RAF Avro Lancaster. 
Used in bombing of 
Germany. Armament. 8 - 10 .303 machine guns.  Crew 7. Bomb Load 18,000lb

 


Hardships and inconveniences which the war had brought by Christmas 1942 of rationing, blackout, lack of fuel and the worry of families for husbands and sons serving overseas did not reduce the enthusiasm and support for functions that took place in the village.  Satisfactory blackout curtaining had been fixed to the Institute windows allowing Whist Drives, Dances and other entertainment to be held at night. As the hall was still in use by the L.C.C. school, rooms used by them always had to be made ready before and after any social use. At the end of 1942 many of the evacuated children had returned home to London which made it possible for those remaining to be absorbed into the Eton Wick and Porney  School, Eton. The London County Council (L.C.C.) school ceased to use the Institute at the end of the Summer Term.

 

This is an extract from Round and About Eton Wick: 1939 - 1945. The book was researched, written and published in 2001 by John Denham. 

Monday 12 December 2022

Old Days of Eton Parish - CHAPTER XI - SOME FORWARD MOVEMENT IN TOWN AND PARISH.

IN the middle of the eighteenth century there was very little life in the Church of England, except among the few who were stirred by John and Charles Wesley, and these for the most part met with but little sympathy from their fellow churchmen. Generally speaking, church worship was cold and dreary, and the sermons preached were dry moral essays. As far as can be gathered, Eton was no exception to this state of things. A tombstone in Old Upton Churchyard has a significant inscription, which reflects on the times. " Here lies the Body of Sarah Bramstone of Eton, Spinster, a person who dared to be just, in the reign of George the Second, obiit Jan. 30, 1765, aetat. 77." 

It has already been stated that the Collegiate Church was intended by Henry VI. to serve as Parish Church for the people, as well as the Chapel for the Foundation and School; and had his original design of a spacious nave been carried out, there would have been no need of any other buildings for the accommodation of the townspeople and parishioners. They would probably have had their own nave services, as is the case in some Cathedrals and in Merton College, Oxford. But in the course of two centuries the School had grown beyond his calculations, and nearly 400 Oppidans had to be accommodated, as well as the King's Scholars. The consequence was that the Church was overfilled, and the tradespeople and poorer parishioners, already ill provided for, were little by little crowded out. 

We can easily imagine the results. Many, finding themselves little welcomed, drifted off to Windsor, and a century later Windsor Church was popularly spoken of in Eton as 'the Parish Church'; others sought spiritual help in those dissenting communities which were then springing into existence, while with many others this unfortunate condition of things was the beginning of indifference and of the entire neglect of common worship. 

At last the evil impressed itself on a member of the College, the Rev. William Hetherington. In his desire in some measure to meet the wants of the townspeople, he built, at his sole expense, a small Chapel of Ease in the High Street, near the entrance of the approach to the present Church. As far as can be learnt, it was a very miserable building, and a very poor substitute for what was still the Parish Church, but it was better than nothing, and no doubt was the means of saving many in the parish from spiritual destitution. This building was consecrated on September 8, 1769, and stood till 1819. At the same time, and probably from the same source, £200 was invested and conveyed to the College for the repairs of this building and was in 1875 transferred by the College to the Vicar and Churchwardens. The College also undertook to allow a competent provision for a minister to officiate there. This same Mr. Hetherington is note-worthy as the founder of a most useful London charity for the blind. 

The population of the town seems to have further increased somewhat at the beginning of the next century. A census taken in 1811 gives the number in the parish as 2279; there were then 314 inhabited houses, 430 families, 272 persons employed in trade, etc., and twenty in agriculture. 

One consequence of this increase was that the first Chapel of Ease became too small, and accordingly in 1819 the Provost and Fellows undertook to rebuild it on a larger scale. The first stone was laid on August 5, and it was opened on October 29 in the next year. The Windsor and Eton Express of November 5, 1820, gives the following report. 

 " On Saturday last, the new Chapel at Eton, which has been erected by the liberality of the Provost and Fellows of Eton College, was opened for Divine Service. 

" An admirably appropriate sermon was preached by the Rev. J. B. Sumner (one of the Fellows, after-wards Archbishop of Canterbury). The Chapel is a very neat building, particularly in the interior, which is fitted up with great elegance. A most tasteful altar-piece has been presented to their native town by Mr. Ingalton and Mr. Evans, artists, of Eton, which in design and execution is highly creditable to their talent. We understand that a subscription has been raised by the inhabitants for the purpose of marking their grateful sense of their obligation to the College of Eton, by furnishing the Chapel with some handsome Communion Plate." 

This report no doubt fairly represented the taste of the day, but those who remember this Chapel describe it as mean and unsightly, both inside and out. Outside, against the east wall, and flush with the street, stood the parish watchman's box. Within there were galleries on three sides, and high pews facing the pulpit, which stood near the west end, so that, except in part of the Communion Service, when it was the custom for the congregation to face east, the backs of most people were turned to the altar. " The tasteful altar-piece " consisted of the Ten Commandments, illuminated, and supported by cherubs. A well-known Etonian of the last generation, then a little boy, William Adolphus Carter, is said to have sat for one of them. 

Until 1832, when a barrel organ was introduced, the hymns were accompanied by a band consisting of several instruments, such as comets, flutes and violins, played by young men living in Windsor and Eton. 

The services (they were but few) were under the care of the Conducts¹ of the College Chapel. The expenses were wholly defrayed by the College, and the worshippers there, as in too many English parishes, grew up in ignorance that it is the duty and privilege of church, people to maintain their place of worship and to contribute to the support of their ministers. 

The Communion Plate mentioned above was presented to the College and was by them transferred to the parish in 1875. 

The attempts thus made by the College to meet the wants of the town were not however considered satisfactory. The comment of a much respected townsman, made some seventy years ago, probably represents the sense of grievance expressed in the town generally. He writes : " This was very kind indeed, but it placed the townspeople in a false position in regard to the Parish Church, and so they have remained ever since, for in course of time it was supposed that this was the place of worship belonging to the town, and that the College had an exclusive right to the Parish Church." 

The interests of the town and the College also appear in opposition in another matter, and in October 1796 a case was tried at Quarter Sessions at Aylesbury between them. The College had pleaded exemption from the payment of Poor Rate on its property, but the decision was to the effect that the College was rightly liable. Since then, it has contributed its share of the rate.

But if sometimes there was a clashing of interests between the residents on the two sides of Barns Pool Bridge, there were also occasions when they fought side by side. 

In 1826 an attempt was made to bring into Parliament a Bill called the Eton Enclosure Bill, which would have done away with those Lammas rights described in Chapter I. By an energetic representation to the Commons, this Bill was defeated on May 1 by a majority of 173. The victory was celebrated in Eton with feastings and bonfires. 

A banner designed for the occasion, preserved for many years by the late John Harding at the " Crown and Cushion," is still in existence and is the property of Mr. H. J. Hetherington. On one side it is adorned with an illuminated inscription: 

The glorious 1st of May 1826. 

173. 

On the other is emblazoned: 

May Eton flourish and ever protect her rights. 

Some twenty years later another attempt was made to override these same Lammas rights by Mr. Thomas Hughes, who built two houses on Lammas ground oppo-site Eton Wick. An action was brought against him, and the case was tried at Aylesbury with the result that he was compelled to pull down his houses. This second triumph was also celebrated with rejoicings.

 Later in the century some exceptions were made in cases where the ground enclosed, or the building erected, was for the general benefit of the parish. But this concession was only granted after a unanimous vote of ratepayers, assembled at a public meeting. 


1 Conductitii Capellani, i.e. hired Chaplains. They were appointed by the Provost for seven, and later for ten, years, and were then entitled to certain of the College livings if a vacancy occurred. 

OLD DAYS OF ETON PARISH by The Rev. John Shephard, M.A. was published in 1908 by Spottiswoode and Co Ltd. The text is has been copied from the original book that is now out of copyright.



Monday 5 December 2022

Photographic History of Eton Wick and Eton - Businesses - The changing face of Ada Cottages

Lovell's Shop and Post Office

Ada Cottages are immediately west of the Three Horseshoes public house on the Eton Wick Road. The first photograph shows the village's first Post Office and bakery shop — Lovell's General Stores. Thomas Lovell was in the stores from c1880 to c1914. Possibly Thomas Lovell is the man in the shop doorway, and his baker is standing by the delivery barrow. Brother Fred Lovell had a draper and footwear business. 


In the late 1930s Ada Cottages housed the 'UNEED US' haberdashery. The two partners were Marjorie Morris and Mabel Woolhouse. Marjorie was the village Girl Guide Captain. Mabel was the Guide Lieutenant and the daughter of Ted Woolhouse, the Cycle Shop proprietor. Wartime clothes rationing made the clothes shop unviable. 


The George Williams ironmongery shop
in the eastern half of Ada Cottages in the 1970
 
The shop will be remembered by many anglers for supplying fishing tackle. George Willaims came to Eton Wick from Windsor and was a cobbler by trade. He transferred his business to the second parade of Council shops when they opened, later retiring to Australia, where he died. The school lollipop man in the white coat is Tom Cox. Tom a leg in WWI. 

Ada Cottages and Three Horseshoes
at the end of the 20th century.

Other businesses operating from Ada Cottages include Bright's Fish and Chip shop (1930s); Gurdock's Tailoring and Haberdashery (a WWII Jewish evacuee family) and Eric Springford's Shoe Repairs (1960s). 

This article was first published in A Pictorial History of Eton Wick & Eton.

Monday 28 November 2022

Tough Assignment - Harry Cook

Harry, aged 4, in his Sunday best
showing his early love of cricket.

On September 30th, 1985, a brief story of his life was told by a man who has lived in the village of Eton Wick all his life, and has been associated with the chapel since his boyhood. This man is a very rare person and for those who know him and whom he has helped, (and there must be very many), and for those who have heard him pray at the Chapel Prayer Meetings at 6pm Sunday evenings, he seems to have a special 'closeness with God', and that relationship is reflected in his daily life.

He epitomises what the disciple Peter could well have been like - a very human person with a loving heart, far bigger than most. He truly walks with his God.

Harry Cook was born on May 14th, 1911 at the house where he still lives - 18, Inkerman Road. He recalled that when only a few months old, and in his mother's arms, the house called Busane, which stood on the site where Bryanston now stands, (and originally called Farm Belle), was burned down. His father lived at Busane while still a bachelor. He was a 'fly driver', or a registered horse drawn cab driver. His father was also a keen gardener and in the grounds of Busane he had 21 cold frames and 2 greenhouses. He was an artistic gardener and prepared hanging baskets and displays for boat houses and house parties etc. In the cold frames he grew many violets. When the Chapel was built his father collected £10 towards the costs - a large amount of money at that time.

Harry had one brother and one sister, the sister sadly dying when very young. He attended Eton Porny School and walked most days along the roughly made up Eton Wick Road which had no kerbs, and played football as he and his friends ran to school. There were very few cars at all, and when a horse drawn cab came along, they would get behind it to sit and ride on the axle. This was called 'whip-whip-behind', with the cab driver throwing the whip back behind him over the cab, to deter such naughty boys! Harry's father died when Harry was five.

Harry remained at school until he was 14. His first job was as an office boy for Harvey and Squelches. A year later when 15, he became apprenticed to Streets the builders. His apprenticeship lasted for 5 years with a further 2 years as an 'Improver'. A total of 7 years apprenticeship. As an Improver he earned 17s a week (85p) and before that 9s a week (45p), with increases of is a week each year. He would leave Eton Wick at 6.45 am each morning and walk to work at Slough to start at 8am. He finished at 5pm and walked home. On Saturdays he worked from 8am until 1pm. His neighbour then, and now, Mr Jack White, walked continously in this pattern for some 30 years while working, and still enjoys walking.

While very young Harry was taken to the chapel by his mother and passed through the Sunday School. He was eventually taken in as a Sunday School Teacher by Mrs Tough. Harry remembers her as a stern lady, but she had a lovely face. "I think she was a lovely lady". Harry's father would take her in his cab to meetings at Queen's Street and Cookham Dean and would wait to take her home to Eton Wick. This information was passed on by Harry's mother.

Harry's first preaching appointment was at Dedworth in Windsor Baptist Church when he was 22. Preachers were in short supply and often took six or seven services a quarter, travelling by bicycle as there were few cars.

In 1932 while working as a plumbers mate with a man called Calder, they decided to go into business on their own. Pay then was ls.5hd an hour, London rate, and ls.4hd an hour, local rate. Calder and Cook, plumbers and hot water fitters, were based in Alpha Street, Slough. After about 2 years they separated, because 'his wife wanted to run the firm, and I wasn't under no pettycoat government!'.

From 1934 Harry worked from Eton Wick, and, but for the war, continued active work for the next 50 years in and around the village.

When the school room (Tough Memorial Hall) was built in 1934, Harry was asked by Mr Chew to be clerk of works (unpaid). There were many problems during the building, with the builder not too particular with materials used. Harry insisted, for example, that the wood covering the lower walls around the schoolroom were of pine. It was Mr Chew who persuaded Harry to become self-employed.

At this time there was a small isolation hospital in Eton Wick which had belonged to the Eton Board of Health, and it was proposed to change the hospital into two bungalows. 'The hospital had lovely 18" brickwork'. The conversion was wanted to house a cowman for Bell Farm. Harry submitted a tender and was given the job. During this year of 1934 he saw Bobby Calvert of Eton and arranged for timber on monthly credit. 'You couldn't get loans from banks then'. Harry received a whole lorry load of timber for the conversion at a cost of £20. The two bungalows had to be reconverted into one bungalow as Mr Wright the cowman thought it too small.

Harry continued to preach until the outbreak of war. After the war, Tom Seymour, George Ives, and Harry, were invited onto the Plan as local preachers. Harry felt that he could not accept unless he completed the examinations.

Harry inherited a love of gardening and was an allotment holder from the age of 13. His first plot was on the area or 'slip" on the field to the left of the foothpath enroute to Cippenham. Harry served on the Eton Wick Allotment Committee between 1949 and 1984, as secretary; treasurer; and vice chairman. Over those years he organised 15 village horticultural shows on the Wheatbutts (which was then an old orchard), or in the Village Hall if wet. These generated much interest in horticulture.

Harry has always been interested in dogs, and during a 30 year period owned an alsation and two golden retrievers. Until recently he arranged all the plumbing for the annual Windsor Dog Show. He also had a great love for cricket, and before the war the village team played on the Warren at Saddocks Farm amongst the cow packs and all! - real village green stuff. 'We went round with barrow and shovels before play started. They don't know what it is today. Tailor made cricket. Tuesday's and Thursday's was pitchwork'. When you look at Harry's hands today they are still rough from manual labour with several fingers misshapen from injuries received as a wicket keeper. This, and some arthritis now prevent him from gripping as powerfully as before. If only those hands could tell all their work!


A love of flowers and flower arranging was passed on to Harry from his father. He never received any training, and simply 'chanced his arm' at shows. "I just seemed to have a natural gift". 'Chuck 'em into a vase and let them fall into place'. Harry's gift of flower arranging was a natural talent which led him to be acknowledged as a judge of this art form. During the period of 1956 and 1979 (23 years) Harry was almost solely responsible for the flower arrangements in the chapel - a service of love to the Lord which left the congregations sometimes gasping at their brilliance and innovative skill. It was a privilege to see the displays which were remarked upon by all the visiting preachers for their expression of colour and pattern. It is very doubtful if any church anywhere in the country had such regular displays of pure floral genius. 'It's because I love flowers and put them to best advantage, into the way the Lord arranges them. They seem to arrange themselves. If you go into it, it's amazing - a petal from a seed like a grain of dust'. Harry has always produced exceptional vegetables, particularly onions. At one Harvest Festival several years ago, the Rev. Leslie Groves glanced over the lectern looked at the display and retorted, 'Good heavens, those onions remind me of the Brighton Pavillion'.

Harry entered the Army in 1941 when called up. Until then he had been involved in the war effort building air-raid shelters. He joined the 66th Field Hygiene Section and was attached to a Battalion of the 7th Army in the Middle East. Malaria was a particular problem and part of his work was to investigate where the mosquitos were breeding and decide action to be taken, like the fitting of 'fly doors'. The Bedoins who lived in the area often left their dead animals unburied, and these were breeding grounds for the flies. These Bedoins would be given an ultimatum - either bury the animals or not receive any water from the Army. 'At night there would be so may mosquitoes on the walls that it was impossible to put a penny piece between them".

Harry spent four years in Egypt/Tel Aviv/Syria and Allepo on the Turkish border. When demobbed, he returned to his work and being much involved in and around the village. "I never went pubbing". Harry was then asked - what he considered to be the most important thing in life.

"Caring neighbourly for other people brings contentment. Doing the Lord's work. But he leaves you to do it. No other hand but mine. If you live just for self, can't be any happiness in it. Always pray that the Lord will use me each day. Caring for one another is the greatest thing you can do. Help whatever way you can. Cares. Show that caring. Lord Jesus come into my heart each day. I often prayed with Sylvia and Joyce, the three of us together. 'Use us today Lord'. Then later would say -'He hasn't half used me today - I've been in all sorts of trouble!'.

The Eton Wick History Group is most grateful for the kind permission given by the Eton Wick Methodist Chapel to republish this history, Tough Assignment on this website.

Monday 21 November 2022

Old Days of Eton Parish - CHAPTER X - SOME ETON BENEFACTORS.

In 1695 Dr. Godolphin became Provost and Rector. He was noted for his liberality. The College owes to him the statue of the Founder which stands in the Schoolyard, and the parish is indebted to him, as the Table of Benefactors in the Church porch informs us, for having " built alms-houses at his sole expense, on ground held by lease under the Dean and Canons of Windsor, for the reception of ten poor women, to be appointed by the Provost of Eton." This has proved of great value to many a hard-working woman and secures a comfortable home and freedom from care in old age.

Part also of the property held by the Eton Poor Estate, viz, the close at Eton Wick called Wheat Butts, was purchased by the help of his gift of £50, added to a legacy left by Dr. Heaver, and other money.

It appears also that he subscribed £I,000 towards a fund for altering and re-arranging the Church, " so that the children of the Schole (the Eton boys we now call them) may appear under one view, and likewise that all the people of the parish may be so conveniently seated as to hear with ease all the public offices of the Church, which at present by reason of their number, and the ill disposition of the place, they cannot possibly do." The said alterations seem to have been affected with miserably bad taste, and most signs of them have long disappeared, but at any rate the intentions were good.

A few more particulars about the Eton Poor Estate may be of interest. This Trust seems to have been originated early in the seventeenth century with certain legacies, left for the benefit of the poor, by Fellows of the College. John Chambers left £40, Adam Robyns £20, Matthew Page £40, with which sums two houses were bought in Thames Street, Windsor, and are still the property of the Trust. In 1685 land was purchased at Langley Marish with £20 bequeathed by Robert Allestree, £20 by John Rosewell, and £50 by Mr. Searles.

Further additions were made to the Trust under the will of Dr. Heaver, who left £50 specially for the purpose of apprenticing boys, and Provost Godolphin added to this another £50. Out of this Trust, besides apprenticeships to boys, and clothes for girls entering service, a substantial sum is now contributed annually towards the maintenance of the District Nurse, and towards a few old-age pensions.

The generosity of the above benefactors encouraged others to follow in their steps, and these, although belonging to a somewhat later date, may be conveniently chronicled in this chapter. In 1729 a certain John Bateman left £100, to be spent in the purchase of lands or tenements for the benefit of the poor of Eton. This was carried out in 1733, and the rent is annually received by the overseers, and expended in March. By the will of Joseph Benwell, who died in 1773, £150 was left to the poor, to be disposed of at the discretion of the Baldwin Bridge Trustees. A little later, 1787, an old parishioner, Joseph Pote, who had taken great interest in the Trust and its records, left to the same trustees £50 to be put out to interest, and the proceeds distributed by equal portions in bread twice a year, on the first Sundays after the 29th of March and the 7th of November, " to each poor parishioner who shall attend divine service, if not disabled therefrom by distress, age or other incident." The will further directs " that on each of those days the tooth Psalm with the Gloria Patri be then sung by the congregation and poor attending this, as a thankful acknowledgment of peculiar instances of divine protection at those periods and other parts of my life."

For a long time the terms of the will were literally complied with, and the bread was brought to the Chapel for distribution. Since 1855 the Bridge Master has had the distribution carried out at the houses of the poor. 

At a later date still, in 1810, Provost Davies left £700 in 3 per cent reduced, for apprenticing two boys annually at £10 guineas each, and he also bequeathed £1000, the interest to be divided into four portions of £7 10s. and to be given yearly as pensions to two men and two women of sixty years of age. He further left £500, of which the interest was to be devoted to the almswomen.

All these gifts however were eclipsed by a bequest of greater importance still.

It is to Antoine Pyron du Martre, best known by his adopted name of Mark Anthony Porny, that the parish has most reason to be grateful. He was born at Caen in Normandy, and came from France in 1754 when a young man of twenty-three. After a severe struggle to maintain himself, he settled down as French Master in Eton in 1773, and occupied this position for thirty-three years.

It seems that, about 1790, steps were taken by Provost Roberts to establish a Charity and Sunday School for the children of the parish. A committee of twenty-two was appointed and subscriptions were collected, which enabled the good work to be carried on in a small way from year to year. This was the first attempt, since the College was founded, to give the children of the poor a religious and elementary education, and Mark Anthony Porny was much interested in it; but few knew how great his interest was, or anticipated his noble intentions.

It is, however, pleasant to learn that his worth of character was otherwise recognized, and that, towards the end of his life, he was appointed by George III. one of the Poor Knights of Windsor, and on his death in 1802 was buried on the south side of St. George's Chapel, where his grave is still to be seen with its Latin inscription.

By the hard work of teaching and writing school books, he managed to put by about £4000, and on his death it was found that " in gratitude for the little property he had acquired in this free and generous kingdom he had bequeathed the bulk of it upon trust unto the Treasurer of the Charity and Sunday School established in Eton in the County of Bucks, to be applied by the Trustees or Committee or by whatsoever name they may be designated for the time being, towards carrying out the laudable and useful designs of its institution." Mr. Charles Knight, Printer and Bookseller of New Windsor, was appointed his executor. There was some delay in carrying out this bequest, in consequence of a lawsuit instituted by some distant French relatives, and meantime the money was out at interest and had become worth £8,250. But at last the plaintiffs were defeated in their attempt to upset the will, and in 1813 steps were taken to build a Master and Mistress's house, now known as 129A and B High Street, with two schoolrooms behind which now serve as the Parish Room.1

The ideas of suitable school accommodation were much more limited than in these times, but, in the local press of the day, they are described as "neat and convenient buildings, in conformity with plans submitted to the Court of Chancery." They were built by contract for £1723 by Mr. Tebbott of Windsor.

The school was opened on April 26, 1813, the management of it being vested in the Provost and Fellows and eight other inhabitants of the parish, who were called Porny Trustees. After paying the cost of building, there still remained an endowment of £5200, the interest of which enabled the Porny Trustees to give a free education to ninety children. According to the old rules these scholars were elected from the Sunday schools, being the children of parishioners of Eton, born in wedlock, having been not less than one year in the Sunday school, and regular and punctual in their attendance.2

The Porny Trustees used to meet on the first Tuesday in each month except during the holidays. Every Porny scholar who reached the age of 14, and left school with a good character, received a Bible and Prayer Book.

The latter custom still survives, but in a later page some serious changes forced on the Trustees by altered circumstances will have to be recorded. 

1 A board bearing an inscription is still over the archway leading to the Parish Room.

2 The school hours in those days were in summer 8 to 12 and 2 to 5, in winter 9 to 12 and 1.30 to 4. On Sundays 8.30 a.m. and in the afternoon 2 to 5, or 6 in summer. 

OLD DAYS OF ETON PARISH by The Rev. John Shephard, M.A. was published in 1908 by Spottiswoode and Co Ltd. The text is has been copied from the original book that is now out of copyright.


Monday 14 November 2022

W. GEORGE - 51st Highland Division.

William George (Gunner No. 1529768) - 44th Battery 61st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment - Royal Artillery - 51st Highland Division.

William was born at Nethy Bridge, Inverness Shire in April 1909 as the eldest son of Alexander and Margaret George of West Culreach, Grantown on Spey, Inverness Shire. William had a sister who regrettably died when only 13 and a younger brother who served with the Royal Engineers during W.W.II. William attended the Abernethy School from five years old until he was 14. His early years of employment are not known, but he later travelled south to London where he worked as butler to Lord Glenndin. It was probably about this time he met Grace Paget of South View, Eton Wick Road, and on August 27th 1933 they were married at Nethy Bridge. Their first home was in Castle View Villas, Sheepcote Road, Eton Wick and in September 1934 a son was born in King Edward VII Hospital, Windsor. On March 15th 1936 a daughter arrived at their new home No. 12, Eton Wick Road. The children were named Dudley and Celia. William joined the Army at the outset of W.W.II in September 1939 and this meant leaving his home, his wife and two infants aged six and three years.

Following initial training he was sent to France to serve with the Royal Artillery of the 51st Highland Division as a gunner. It is possible that he also served at that time with the 44th Battery, 61st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, with which he later embarked for Libya.

The early months of the war were relatively quiet until, on May 10th 1940, the German Army launched a fierce flanking attack against the neutral countries of Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg, while their strong armoured columns thrust rapidly against the French forces in their drive toward the coast. On May 23rd Boulogne fell to the enemy and five days later Belgium surrendered. With widespread confusion and much of northern France overrun, the British Expeditionary Force prepared for a seaborne evacuation from Dunkirk. Between May 30th and June 3rd over 330,000 troops were brought safely back to Britain by 887 craft of all types and sizes.

Meanwhile fighting was still much in evidence south of the Dunkirk beaches. The 51st Division was withdrawn from its defensive positions at the Maginot Line and given a 16-mile front to hold in the Somme region in support of the French Tenth Army. On June 4th they were engaged in a combined attack against the enemy bridgehead at Abbeville. 65 Divisions, composed of several French Army Groups and the British contingent, were opposed by 125 German Divisions which launched an attack along a 70-mile front between Amiens and the La on to Soissons Road on June 5th. Two days later a fresh attack against the allies drove a wedge into the French Tenth Army separating the IX Corps (French), which included the 51st Highland Division, from the rest of the Tenth Army. They were cut off along the Rouen to Dieppe route and in the utter confusion of Anglo-French command most of the Scottish Division were taken prisoner of war. The French Corps surrendered and only about 1,350 of the 51st Division troops managed to withdraw hastily to St. Valery and make good their escape by sea on June 11th and 12th. 8,000 of their comrades spent the next five years as P.O.Ws.

William George was fortunate enough to sail back to England, where the 51st were re-organised and merged with the 9th Scottish. Troops evacuated from Dunkirk and, nearly two weeks later, from St. Valery and other ports, had been forced to abandon their arms and equipment. Much of the next year was spent re-equipping and enlisting more personnel, always under the threat of a German invasion of Britain.

At this time the only aggressive war Britain could wage was in the air or in North Africa. The 44th Battery, 61st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, are recorded as arriving back in England on June 17th and embarking for Egypt on October 5th 1941, where they arrived on November 29th. Three weeks later they were in Libya. They were involved in The Battle at Gazala from May 28th to June 21st, 1942, and again in the defence of El Alamein between October 23rd and November 4th, 1942.

William's daughter, Celia, states that he was wounded, taken prisoner of war and put on an Italian Hospital ship en route to Italy and that the enemy ship was sunk by the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean. This story was found difficult to substantiate despite much searching. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission simply stated:

George, Gnr. William, 1529768, 44th Battery, 61st Light Anti-Aircraft Regt; Royal Artillery. died 14th November 1942 age 33. Husband of Grace Ena George of Eton Wick, Buckinghamshire. Commemorated on the Alamein Memorial; Egypt. Column 35.

This seemed to be as much as could be established until Dudley, William's son, produced a newspaper article of August 1996 headed "Truth surfaces after 54 years", which then went on to report a long and diligent search by someone trying to trace his father's death in W.W.II. The Ministry of Defence had been reluctant to admit the torpedoing of an Italian ship, the S.S. Scillin, by the Royal Navy submarine P212 Sahib in the Mediterranean in November 1942. Apparently bound for Sicily, the Scillin had 800 British P.O.Ws on board. The submarine commander, Lieutenant John Bromage, had been ordered not to sink any ships but believing the Scillin to be carrying Italian troops he decided to fire torpedoes. The Scillin sank within a minute, and it was only when the crew of the submarine heard survivors speaking English that they realised their tragic mistake. Only 26 British and 35 Italians were saved. Nobody likes admitting mistakes, but there can be no justification for a cover-up of over 50 years.

William George is commemorated at Nethy Bridge and Grantown on Spey in his native Scotland and on the Edinburgh Scottish National Memorial, the Alamein Memorial in Egypt, the Eton Wick Memorial and the Village Hall plaque. He is one of four Scots named on the Eton Wick Memorial — two from each war. The two W.W.II Scots both served with the Army in France and both were among the last to get away, after France's capitulation. The other man lost his life in the sinking of the liner S.S. Lancastria at St Nazaire. Coincidentally, St. Valery is now twinned with Inverness.



This is an extract from Their Names Shall Be Carved in Stone  
and published here with grateful thanks to the author Frank Bond.

Monday 7 November 2022

Photographic History of Eton Wick and Eton - Agriculture and Farm Houses - Farm Horses

Harry Cook ploughing with a team of horses c1920s.

Harry and brother Alf came to Eton Wick from Henley, where they had been farmers, in the early 1920s. Harry married villager Ethel Dace. They had one daughter Eileen. Ploughmen were very proud of the straight furrows they cut. Over the course of day, they walked many miles up and down the field, maintaining tight control of the plough handles and the horses. Harry worked for Saddocks Farm, among others. The picture below is of 'Porky' Banham tending his horses in front of the barns of Saddocks arm c1920s. 


Hay Making 

This photo is early 1930s, and is probably taken on South Field, with the trees and hedge of Eton Wick Road running from the left behind the horses. Cyril Tarrant is on the cart (arms folded); the others are believed to be, from the left: A Banham (Porky), Bert Baily and Arthur Tarrant on the rake. 

The horse gives way to the tractor

The horse gives way to the tractor. This picture was taken around 1930 on Manor Farm, and could well have been taken with the historic significance of the occasion in mind, as George Tarrant and his son Bob (in white shirt) stand by their new iron wheeled Fordson tractor, about to replace the horse in the background. 

The village blacksmith

The village blacksmith. This is believed to be blacksmith Arthur Gregory (left) with Charlie Benham, which would date the photo as early 1920s, as Jack Newell became the village blacksmith in the mid-1920s. The forge was located in Wheelwrights Piece, across the common brook opposite the Greyhound public house. It was a favourite place with the village children for spending a few hours watching the blacksmith at work. The lads helped with bellowing the fire and other odd jobs, while the girls could get steel hoops made for a penny. 

This article was first published in A Pictorial History of Eton Wick & Eton.

Monday 31 October 2022

The Three of Hundreds Chiltern - "Taking the Hundred"

Parish Map of the Chiltern Hundreds courtesy of British History Online

On 21st October 2022 Christian Matheson MP for City of Chester resigned his Parliamentary seat by being appointed by Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the post of Crown Steward and Bailiff of The Three of Hundreds Chiltern, he had "taken the hundred".  

Appointment to the position of Crown Steward and Bailiff of The Three of Hundreds Chiltern is a procedural device to allow Members of Parliament to resign from the House of Commons. Since MPs are technically unable to resign, resort is had to a legal fiction. An appointment to an "office of profit under The Crown" disqualifies an individual from sitting as a MP. Several offices were used in the past to allow MPs to resign, only the Crown Stewardships of the Chiltern Hundreds and the Manor of Northstead are in present use.

The Hundreds were local authority areas that they were set up during the late Saxon period across most of what became England and Wales, Rapes in Sussex the land of the South Saxons and Wapentake in areas of Medieval Scandinavian occupation and Wards in Northumbria and the other northern counties. 

Other MPs who have used applying to the Chiltern Hundreds included John Stonehouse who faked his own death in 1974, lived in Australia for several months and was arrested in Melbourne on 24 December 1974. He was extradited to the UK and convicted on 18 counts of theft and fraud, sentenced to seven years' imprisonment. He resigned as an MP on 27 August 1976 by way of application to become a steward of the Chiltern Hundreds. Another was John Profumo used the same method of resigning his seat in the House of Commons on 6th June 1963. 

The first application to become a Steward was John Pitt MP for Wareham, his application was on 25th January 1751. The most recent is Christian Matheson MP. Since January 1751 there have been 1073 MPs who have resigned their Parliamentary seat by applying to be Crown Steward and Bailiff of the three Chiltern Hundreds.

Tony Blair applied to The Three of Hundreds Chiltern and David Cameron chose the Manor of Northstead to leave to Commons after they relinquished their Premierships. 

The interest for the history of Eton Wick is that the Three Hundreds covered the south of Buckinghamshire are Burnham, Desborough and Stoke. The Stoke Hundred included the parishes of Colnbrook, Datchet, Denham, Eton, Fulmer, Hedgerley, Horton, Iver, Langley Marish, Stoke Poges, Upton-cum-Chalvey, Wexham, Wyrardisbury. Eton was initial within the Burnham Hundred.

Eton Wick may still only be a relatively small community it is part of the Chiltern Hundreds that still has a place in the UK's political life.

More details can be found on Wikipedia.



Wednesday 26 October 2022

Meeting Poster for 26th October

 


REARRANGED Interesting presentation by Nigel Smales at the village hall on Wednesday 26 October 22 at 7.30pm - everyone welcome

Tough Assignment - Mrs Sophie Chamberlain

 


Mrs Sophie Chamberlain at the age of 92 is our longest serving member, a modest person, but one who has quietly worked behind the scenes for more years than was remembered until we began to write this history. She was born in 1894 in Curlew Cottage in Northfield Road before it was known by this name. Neither of her parents were Methodist. Her father was an active member of the Church of England even serving as sidesman at St John the Baptist. Her mother had been brought up as a Baptist and, since there was no Baptist church in Eton Wick, she worshipped at the chapel and it seems likely that Sophie first attended the chapel as very young child with her mother. However, sometime while Sophie was still small, the family moved to another house on 'the front of the village' (Eton Wick Road) and for a few years she attended the Church of England with her father.

About 1905 the family moved back to Boveney New Town and once again her mother, Louisa Bolton and daughter Sophie became regular members of the chapel congregation. Sophie also joined the Sunday School and still vividly remembers the classes taken by Emily Lane. Three Sunday School Union examination certificates testify that she was a good Sunday School scholar. In spite of being a very shy person, Sophie loved the anniversary services even though it meant standing on a platform in front of the whole congregation and reciting a text or hymn -without a prompt for Mrs Tough did not allow this. To make certain she knew the words one year young Sophie decided to learn them by playing the piano and singing the words. It worked too well, for when Mrs Tough heard of this she 'encouraged Sophie to sing at the service instead of merely reciting.

When the Band of Hope was founded in 1913 Sophie became a member, and enjoyed the weekly meetings especially the hymn singing and reciting, though not always the talks against drinking. She, like the other members, signed the pledge and received her badge. About this time Sophie became a Sunday School teacher in charge of the beginners class. A year later the First World War began and brought Sophie into contact with Len Chamberlain, and at least one of her scholars still remembers his teacher proudly showing him her locket containing her sweetheart's photograph.

Sophie was married soon after the end of the war, living at first with her parents until she and Len moved into their own home in Alma Road. She continued as a Sunday School teacher until her son, Leslie was born, but for about ten years after this her chapel activities were confined to attending services, class meetings and the Sisterhood meetings. Her talent as a pianist, however, had not been forgotten and sometime during this period Sophie became the pianist for the Sisterhood and stand-by organist for the chapel. She fulfilled this role as pianist for nigh on fifty years, not giving up completely until about 1975.


In 1932 Mrs Chamberlain took on the role of chapelkeeper, a job that involved quite a variety of tasks and a considerable number of hours of labour every week. It was of course, her duty to keep the chapel floors clean, to maintain and light the old combustion-,stove and the fire in the schoolroom, to clean the windows and to polish the pews and the pulpit. It was also the chapelkeeper's responsibility to prepare the chapel and hall for each and every service and meeting - putting out the chairs and the hymn books, lighting the copper or boiler for the tea - and tidying the rooms at the end. Such work behind the scenes is often not noticed except when it is badly done, and this was rarely, if ever the case with Mrs Chamberlain, for as she confessed, 'she really loved that little chapel' and keeping it clean was an act of love and joy. At last in 1948, she gave up being chapelkeeper, though not for ever for she again took over the job in 1962 for another stint of nearly twenty years. Even then, at the age of 86 she was unwilling to relinquish all responsibility for the chapel and agreed to serve on the new property committee.

Meanwhile from 1951 to 1974 Mrs Chamberlain served as poor steward, and thus was responsible, or jointly responsible, for preparing the communion table and the bread and wine glasses for the communion service. The money collected at these services was retained by the poor stewards and used to buy fruit and flowers for members who fell ill. In 1974 the title was changed to that of communion steward and under this name Mrs Chamberlain served for another six years, making many welcomed visits to the sick in those years. 

The Eton Wick History Group is most grateful for the kind permission given by the Eton Wick Methodist Chapel to republish this history, Tough Assignment on this website.

Monday 17 October 2022

Old Days of Eton Parish - CHAPTER IX - SOME FORWARD MOVEMENT IN TOWN AND PARISH.

IN the middle of the eighteenth century there was very little life in the Church of England, except among the few who were stirred by John and Charles Wesley, and these for the most part met with but little sympathy from their fellow churchmen. Generally speaking, church worship was cold and dreary, and the sermons preached were dry moral essays. As far as can be gathered, Eton was no exception to this state of things. A tombstone in Old Upton Churchyard has a significant inscription, which reflects on the times. " Here lies the Body of Sarah Bramstone of Eton, Spinster, a person who dared to be just, in the reign of George the Second, obiit Jan. 30 1765, á´‚tat. 77." 

It has already been stated that the Collegiate Church was intended by Henry VI. to serve as Parish Church for the people, as well as the Chapel for the Foundation and School; and had his original design of a spacious nave been carried out, there would have been no need of any other buildings for the accommodation of the townspeople and parishioners. They would probably have had their own nave services, as is the case in some Cathedrals and in Merton College, Oxford. But in the course of two centuries the School; had grown beyond his calculations, and nearly 400 Oppidans had to be accommodated, as well as the King's Scholars. 

The consequence was that the Church was overfilled, and the tradespeople and poorer parishioners, already ill provided for, were little by little crowded out. 

We can easily imagine the results. Many, finding themselves little welcomed, drifted off to Windsor, and a century later Windsor Church was popularly spoken of in Eton as the Parish Church'; others sought spiritual help in those dissenting communities which were then springing into existence, while with many others this unfortunate condition of things was the beginning of indifference and of the entire neglect of common worship. 

At last the evil impressed itself on a member of the College, the Rev. William Hetherington. In his desire in some measure to meet the wants of the townspeople, he built, at his sole expense, a small Chapel of Ease in the High Street, near the entrance of the approach to the present Church. As far as can be learnt, it was a very miserable building, and a very poor substitute for what was still the Parish Church, but it was better than nothing, and no doubt was the means of saving many in the parish from spiritual destitution. This building was consecrated on September 8, 1769, and stood till 1819. At the same time, and probably from the same source, £200 was invested and conveyed to the College for the repairs of this building, and was in 1875 transferred by the College to the Vicar and Churchwardens. The College also undertook to allow a competent provision for a minister to officiate there. This same Mr. Hetherington is note-worthy as the founder of a most useful London charity for the blind. 

The population of the town seems to have further increased somewhat at the beginning of the next century. A census taken in 1811 gives the number in the parish as 2279 ; there were then 314 inhabited houses, 430 families, 272 persons employed in trade, etc., and twenty in agriculture. 

One consequence of this increase was that the first Chapel of Ease became too small, and accordingly in 1819 the Provost and Fellows undertook to rebuild it on a larger scale. The first stone was laid on August 5, and it was opened on October 29 in the next year. The Windsor and Eton Express of November 5, 1820, gives the following report. 

" On Saturday last, the new Chapel at Eton, which has been erected by the liberality of the Provost and Fellows of Eton College, was opened for Divine Service. 

" An admirably appropriate sermon was preached by the Rev. J. B. Sumner (one of the Fellows, afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury). The Chapel is a very neat building, particularly in the interior, which is fitted up with great elegance. A most tasteful altarpiece has been presented to their native town by Mr. Ingalton and Mr. Evans, artists, of Eton, which in design and execution is highly creditable to their talent. We understand that a subscription has been raised by the inhabitants for the purpose of marking their grateful sense of their obligation to the College of Eton, by furnishing the Chapel with some handsome Communion Plate."

This report no doubt fairly represented the taste of the day, but those who remember this Chapel describe it as mean and unsightly, both inside and out. Outside, against the east wall, and flush with the street, stood the parish watchman's box. Within there were galleries on three sides, and high pews facing the pulpit, which stood near the west end, so that, except in part of the Communion Service, when it was the custom for the congregation to face east, the backs of most people were turned to the altar. " The tasteful altarpiece " consisted of the Ten Commandments, illuminated, and supported by cherubs. A well-known Etonian of the last generation, then a little boy, William Adolphus Carter, is said to have sat for one of them. 

Until 1832, when a barrel organ was introduced, the hymns were accompanied by a band consisting of several instruments, such as comets, flutes and violins, played by young men living in Windsor and Eton. 

The services (they were but few) were under the care of the Conducts¹ of the College Chapel. The expenses were wholly defrayed by the College, and the worshippers there, as in too many English parishes, grew up in ignorance that it is the duty and privilege of church, people to maintain their place of worship and to contribute to the support of their ministers. 

The Communion Plate mentioned above was presented to the College, and was by them transferred to the parish in 1875. 

The attempts thus made by the College to meet the wants of the town were not however considered satisfactory. The comment of a much respected townsman, made some seventy years ago, probably represents the sense of grievance expressed in the town generally. He writes : " This was very kind indeed, but it placed the townspeople in a false position in regard to the Parish Church, and so they have remained ever since, for in course of time it was supposed that this was the place of worship belonging to the town, and that the College had an exclusive right to the Parish Church." 

The interests of the town and the College also appear in opposition in another matter, and in October 1796 a case was tried at Quarter Sessions at Aylesbury between them. The College had pleaded exemption from the payment of Poor Rate on its property, but the decision was to the effect that the College was rightly liable. Since then it has contributed its share of the rate.

But if sometimes there was a clashing of interests between the residents on the two sides of Barns Pool Bridge, there were also occasions when they fought side by side. 

In 1826 an attempt was made to bring into Parliament a Bill called the Eton Enclosure Bill, which would have done away with those Lammas rights described in Chapter I. By an energetic representation to the Commons, this Bill was defeated on May 1 by a majority of 173. The victory was celebrated in Eton with feastings and bonfires. 

A banner designed for the occasion, preserved for many years by the late John Harding at the " Crown and Cushion," is still in existence and is the property of Mr. H. J. Hetherington. On one side it is adorned with an illuminated inscription: 

The glorious 1st of May 1826. 

173. 

On the other is emblazoned: 

May Eton flourish and ever protect her rights. 

Some twenty years later another attempt was made to override these same Lammas rights by Mr. Thomas Hughes, who built two houses on Lammas ground oppo-site Eton Wick. An action was brought against him, and the case was tried at Aylesbury with the result that he was compelled to pull down his houses. This second triumph was also celebrated with rejoicings. 

Later in the century some exceptions were made in cases where the ground enclosed, or the building erected, was for the general benefit of the parish. But this concession was only granted after a unanimous vote of ratepayers, assembled at a public meeting. 

Notes

1 Conductitii Capellani, i.e. hired Chaplains. They were ap-pointed by the Provost for seven, and later for ten, years, and were then entitled to certain of the College livings if a vacancy occurred. 

OLD DAYS OF ETON PARISH by The Rev. John Shephard, M.A. was published in 1908 by Spottiswoode and Co Ltd. The text is has been copied from the original book that is now out of copyright.