Some of the tools used in times past strike us, these days, as just a tad dangerous for the user. Such a tool was the spoke shave. These were sometimes known as a draw knife. We have such a tool at Market Lavington Museum.

This spokeshave, dating from about 1850, can be found at Market Lavington Museum

This one dates from about 1850 but still feels to have a sharp cutting edge. It was given to the museum by Bert Shore. He and his wife spent much of their married life living in The Market Place in Market Lavington. His wife was Flo Burbidge, born and raised in our museum building.

But back to that spoke shave.

The user sat astride a small clamp device and pulled the knife towards him. It seems to us that a small slip with such a sharp device could prove very awkward. We have used a picture from http://oculuswindow.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/stumbling-towards-windmills.html to show how the device can be used.

This chap was actually making props for a play. The spoke shave or draw knife was used to shape all sorts of smooth, rounded items.

Of course, spoke shaves are still in use today, but they tend to have blades which are protected and could only cause shallow cuts if things go wrong.

Today we offer what we think is a unique view of the back of the Co-op. The photo was taken in 1958.

The back of Market Lavington’s Co-op in 1958 showing the half timbered gables of the former Market Hall

It is the viewpoint that makes this such a difficult to work out shot – coupled with the fact that the buildings in the middle have all altered chimneys since then. In some cases windows have been added or removed and parts of some buildings have been demolished.

Our curator and archivist spent some time trying to sort out where this was taken from, asking various long term village residents for advice.

Let’s start with the information on our museum record which says, ‘photograph of half-timbered gables of the old Market Hall behind the present co-op’. The photo was taken in 1958. The record was written in 1985.

The white gable end still exists behind the co-op and is still white but devoid of windows. The middle gable – one of the half-timbered ones also exists but has been rendered over and is all white and windowless as well. The large half-timbered gable has been demolished, not so long after this photo was taken.

But where was the vantage point? The only clue to location was the chimney between the tree and telegraph pole on the left. That certainly looked as though it could be on the Workmans’ Hall. And it was possible to line up a small chimney to match the photo. From this we think the photo was taken from a raised back garden of a property on High Street. Our best bet is that it was taken from number nine – Bank House. In 1958 the occupants were Tom and Peggy Gye.

It is surprising what can turn up and get given to a museum like ours. The latest arrival is a nearly 90 year old account sheet and book from Market Lavington Prize Silver Band. Only the first couple of pages were used for accounts. Other pages were used by John Merritt, band leader, as an aide memoire to getting the band tuned up.

Here’s the front of the book.

Market Lavington Prize Silver Band accounf book for 1924/25

The original plate on the front of the book has been overwritten by John Merritt because he has copied J Ord Hume’s tuning instructions into the book.

Let’s take a look at the account page.

The accounts show a balance equivalent to more than £4000 in today’s terms

This page appears to deal with 1924 and 25 and it looks at the bank assets of a band which seemed to be doing very well financially.  The balance in the bank on 25^th July 1925 was £86=7=8d. Using even the lowest inflation equivalence formula this equates with more than £4000 in the bank today.

As we understand the band owned most of the instruments and the uniforms, it would seem it really did do well back in those days.

How wonderful to have this record.

The book then has John Merritt’s handwritten band tuning instructions.

John Merritt’s aide memoire when it came to tuning the Market Lavington band

Interesting to see, but seemingly quite technical – and this is the first of a couple of close written pages.

The book continues with alternative fingerings for a number of notes on different instruments.

John Merritt was bandmaster for 60 years. No doubt he needed to know what was possible on different instruments.

Robin Burgess was one of the sons of Alf the photographer. He was born in the spring of 1888 and actually given the names Robert William. But he always seems to have been known as Robin.

When his dad died, in 1918, he and his brother, George took on the photography business and continued to run it for many a year.

In 1921 Robert W Burgess married Elizabeth K Burnett. Elizabeth was known as Bessie or Queenie – not unusual names for someone called Elizabeth. She hailed from Easterton and was the daughter of Henry who was the sub postmaster in Easterton.  A couple of her brothers became much respected craftsmen working in Market Lavington. She was some ten years younger than Robin.

Our picture shows the couple in about 1964. It is a colour photograph – that’s lovely because they still weren’t all that common back then.

Robin Burgess, Market Lavington photographer and his wife, Queenie in about 1964

Although the business was in Market Lavington, Robin and Queenie lived in Littleton Panell. Both are buried in Market Lavington churchyard. Queenie died in 1965. Robin followed in 1970.

It is known that they had a son, Eric, born in 1923 and we believe there were three grandsons.

We’d love to hear from any descendants.

A few days ago we looked at Wilsons at the Vicarage and in particular the life of Violet Wilson who spent virtually her entire childhood under the guardianship of her uncle and aunt, The Reverend Edward Blackston Cokaybe Frith and his wife, Maria. They lived at the Vicarage in Market Lavington which is now incorporated into the nursing home.

Since writing that a picture has arrived for us, at the museum, showing some of the wedding party when Violet married Harry Jones.

Wedding party at the marriage of Violet Wilson and Harold Jones in 1900. The photo was taken at The Vicarage, Market Lavington.

This picture was taken at Market Lavington Vicarage. The happy couple sit in the middle on a garden bench which appears in other photos we have of the building.

The man at top left is the Reverend Frith, vicar of Market Lavington and Uncle of the bride. We guess that the lady standing behind the couple is Maria Frith, the bride’s aunt. They were the blood relatives. The bride’s mother, who died giving birth to her, was Maria’s sister.

We can guess that the two bridesmaids are the sisters of the bride, Renee and Fanny Wilson who were also brought up by their aunt and uncle. We have no name for the other man.

Of course, if anybody can add anything, we’d be delighted to hear from them.

Making pastry may be a bit of a vanishing skill, for many folks find it easier to buy it ready made. However, whether home or factory made, it will probably need cutting to shape. You need a pastry cutter, perhaps like the one shown here.

A brass pastry cutter and crimper, dating from around 1900. It can be found at Market Lavington Museum

This is a two in one tool. The wheel end is a cutter which allows the user to create any shape they want to. The other end is a pie crimper. That comes into use when you need to join a pie base to the crust which goes over the top.

This cutter might be said to be utilitarian in design. It is made of brass and we think it probably dates from around 1900. It was used by a White Street, Market Lavington family.

Although Easterton always seems to have had a separate identity from Market Lavington, up until 1874 they were one and the same parish. By 1921, when Robert (known as Robin) Burgess married Elizabeth (known as Bessie or Queenie) Burnett, the villages had been separate parishes for over forty years. But of course, they were neighbours and it would be expected that people from one parish would marry partners from the other one. This wedding is a case in point.

Here we see the bride, Queenie, in her calf length wedding dress. She appears to be head to toe in white. Robin looks every inch the dapper young man in his smart suit with carnation, his pale tie and jaunty trilby hat.

We do not have the names of other people but we are confident that the older lady on the right is Marion Burgess, the widowed mother of the groom. The gentleman third from left and the one next to Robin certainly have the look of Burgesses.

Perhaps the older couple on the left are Queenie’s parents, Henry and Beatrice Burnett. Maybe the other two men are Burnetts. A comparison can be made with a Burnett family photo here.

We are not sure who the other women are.

Any suggestions would be gratefully received.

This time we are not showing a class photo, all neatly posed and looking glum although we have many such images at Market Lavington Museum and some will be on show  as part of  a ‘School Days’ display that we plan for the 2013 season. But this time we have a village street scene which includes the school building.

Outside Market Lavington School in the 1900s

People in the village will know we are talking about what we now call The Old School which is a community building in Market Lavington.  It is now more than 100 years since this photo was taken, but essentially, this man made scene is unchanged. There is still the flight of stone steps leading up to the lovely stone pavement. The entrance to the school looks the same with the same railings and the same little playground leading up to the same entrance.

Sad to say we do not know who the people are in the photo.

There’s a chance that the pony has hauled a cart of some kind, bringing children to school. For even in Edwardian times, and earlier, there was a school run. The parish of Market Lavington is long and thin and the southern outpost included Candown Farm, some three miles from the school. Sometimes children arrived behind the pony. We suspect that mostly they’d have walked, setting off early from home to meet the 9 o’clock bell.

Many of the older photos in the museum were taken by members of the Burgess family. This one, however, was taken by a travelling photographer from Trowbridge and given to the museum back in 1995 by a Salisbury man.

If you have items you would like to donate to the museum – and, with two exceptions, all 7000 plus items we have are donation – then do get in touch. We can copy photos and slides easily and quickly. All items MUST relate to Market Lavington and Easterton.

After the death of Lord Warrington of Clyffe in 1937, his former home was offered for auction. At market Lavington Museum we have the sale catalogue which gives an insight into the features of Clyffe Hall. There are not many words with this post so we can remind readers that you can see a larger version of the images by clicking on them.

The outer cover

The outline of the property up for auction.

The view from the lake.

Lot 1

Lot 1 continued

Lot 1 continued

Lot 1 continued

In the grounds

 Lot 1 concluded

 That’s a good description of the basic features of Clyffe Hall

Most of us, these days, use an automatic washing machine. You load it, select the setting and switch on and go and do something else. Later, you come back and remove the washing which already has most of the water out of it. You can easily transfer it to somewhere else to dry.

Of course, it wasn’t always like that. Our curator recalls his mother slaving away at the kitchen sink, washing sheets, scrubbing shirt collars etc, from when he was a lad. Our archivist even recalls helping her mother wash clothes using a dolly tub and posser.

When washing needed a transfer to the next stage it was often very wet, hot and covered in whatever cleaning agents were in use. Tongs were essential.

Then, in the UK, we reached the time of the twin tub washing machine. This had one container for washing and a separate spin dryer. Once again, the washing had to be manually moved from one place to another whilst absolutely sopping wet. Those tongs were needed again.

These days such tongs are largely museum pieces. We have some at Market Lavington Museum.

Laundry tongs dating from about 1960 at Market Lavington Museum

This pair of laundry tongs looks almost unused although they are 50 or more years old. They date from the time of the twin tub. The construction is simple. Two ‘blades’ of wood are joined by a spring steel hinge. The wood looks like beech although we don’t claim to be experts.

Very similar items can still be purchased so presumably some people still use them and of course, they’d have uses other than for laundry. The home dying of wool or other fabrics comes to mind.

These tongs, at Market Lavington Museum, were used by a White Street, Market Lavington family.

A short while ago we showed a picture of a carnival procession on Easterton Street and commented that a girl, dressed as a fairy, was Ena Gye. This photo of Ena, but taken in the Burgess studio, must date from the same occasion for Ena has the same costume.

Ena Gye of Market Lavington in about 1920

Actually, we could note that Ena changed the rather flimsy sandals for more solid walking shoes when she was in the carnival.

Ena was born in 1911 She was actually Georgina Maude Gye and her parents were Joseph Edward Gye, a builder and wheelwright and his wife Lucretia Ethel (née) Redstone. Her parents were known as Jack and Ethel. Ethel was a former school teacher.

Over the years Ethel built up a good stock of costumes and these were always in demand at carnival time. Presumably the Gye children had first pick.

Georgina married Philip Colman in 1941. They had one son. He was born in Hertfordshire.

Georgina died in 1986. By then she was in Cambridgeshire.

Controlling pests and vermin has always been something that farmers have done. These days we usually seek to despatch creatures with a degree of humanity. The end should be quick and should avoid animal suffering. In times past this was not always the case. All sorts of devices were used to trap creatures which then caused them much agony and a slow, lingering death. Such a device was the gin trap.

A gin trap at Market Lavington Museum

This one, which we have at Market Lavington museum, is typical, albeit a bit battered. It dates from around 1900 and could have had about 60 years of usage. These traps were made illegal in 1958, having once been the standard tool for trapping.

The thing that made these unpleasant was that they trapped an animal by catching and crushing a leg. The animal was not killed instantly and they suffered. There’s an excellent site, by a collector of gin traps at http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/andyspatch/gintraps.htm . This gives all the technical details of how they worked but basically, when an animal stepped on the metal plate the jaws snapped shut around that leg. Nasty! But as we have said before, we have to forgive people in the past for doing what we might now perceive as wrong. The aim was to maximise food production for we humans when rabbits decimated some food crops. The word decimated actually means taking one tenth which may be about what rabbits did.

We have three gin traps at Market Lavington Museum. It would need to be something very special to make us want any more.

We are going to see, today, a couple of photos showing ‘The Grove’ in Market Lavington. The photos are certainly not brilliant in quality or condition. Here’s the first – it could be almost anywhere.

The Grove, Market Lavington in 1923 = not the most exciting photo!

The Grove showing St Mary’s church, market Lavington in 1923. AShame about the photo condition!

This one is in shocking condition but at least has St Mary’s Church visible and a grazing horse.

We have some information about these images. They are dated as 1923. The pictures were taken by Maude Wright who emigrated to Canada and married there. She sent these pictures to Peggy Gye prior to 1985.

The question for us, which we hope someone can answer, is ‘who was Maude Wright?’  We know nothing at all about her. We do not know if Maude Wright was her married or her maiden name. We don’t know when she emigrated – but presumably after 1923. Do get in touch if you can tell us anything.

Let’s finish with a ten minute digital clean up of that second photo.

Ten minute’s work at improving the photo with Market Lavington Church.

Market Lavington and Easterton football team in about 1919

We think this picture could have been taken at Gye’s Yard on White Street. Ignoring the team for a moment, we can see, in the background, some kind of pump and a cartwheel which could well have been associated with the Gye’s building, carpentry and wheelwrighting business.

This is a well captioned photo so we can name the men.

Back row (left to right): Dick Sainsbury, Wilf Moore, Peto Baker, Reg Harris, Fred Burnett, B Gale, Bert Burnett.

Middle row (left to right): Bob Sainsbury, Geo Alexander, Bill Mills, Harry Cooper.

Front row (left to right): Sid Mullings, Dick Andrews.

The photo is well captioned by name, but no date is given. We date it to about 1919.

Let’s pick on the lad with the ball.

Alec George Alexander, born Market Lavington but by this time of Easterton

This is George Alexander. He was born in 1897, the son of Richard and Jane. Richard was the publican at The Kings Arms. The family were there for the 1901 census but our George was entered as Alec G Alexander.  In 1911 he lived with his widowed mother at The Clays, Easterton.

Alec George served in World War 1. He was injured whilst in Mesopotamia and also served in India.

In 1922 he became a postman in Easterton. He earned 8/11 a week and his duties involved 15 miles of walking every day.

In 1926 he married Nellie May Ross, daughter of a gardener at Clyffe Hall in Market Lavington.

In 1936 Our Mr Alexander transferred to the Devizes area where he remained a postman until retirement in 1957 – but he worked in the office for a further five years.

Alec George Alexander had been a keen bandsman – a drummer. He played with the Market Lavington Prize Silver Band when he lived in Easterton.

He and Nellie celebrated their Golden Wedding in 1976.

Alec George Alexander died in 1980.

Harvey Lodge was a haulier – livestock and more general, based in the Lavington area in the 1950s. We have seen this photo, or one very like it, before on this blog.

Lorries belonging to Harvey Lodge of Market Lavington in about 1953

There we have Mr Whitbread of Devizes, Jack Romaine of Urchfont and Mr Harvey Lodge himself. He was from Market Lavington.

Today we’ll look at Harvey’s diary or day book – a big desk diary.

Harvey Lodge’s day book with records of his work

We have looked at one of Harvey’s day book before, picking a day in 1952 which says ‘Foot and Mouth starts at Chippenham. That would have been a bad day for farmers and hauliers but today we’ll take a look at a more normal day, precisely 60 years ago on March 6^th 1953. This would have been a time when the country was looking forward to a coronation but for farmers and hauliers it was just a working Friday – and that meant Chippenham market.

Harvey’s work, for March 6th 1953 involved taking a calf to Mr Specer at Halsted Farm in Easterton

It looks as though the day began taking stock to Chippenham Market. Farmers, of course, cannot know what they will buy at market, so no doubt deals were struck with Harvey and his team to get purchased stock home. It seems Harvey got animals coming in the right direction – Cheverell Mill, possibly Clyffe Hall and Devizes. The calf going to Spencer at ‘Halstead’ was going to Easterton.

Then he could turn his attention to other items, Hay and sticks amongst them.

It is always interesting to see prices. That £1-10-0 for taking two cows to Hartmoor (Devizes) is equivalent to at least £34.25 today.

Charlie Spreadbury and Sid Mullings on the platform of Lavington Station during World War II

Here we see two fine soldiers, doing their duty for King and Country. The two men are Charlie Spreadbury on the left and Sid Mullings on the right. They are standing on the down platform of Lavington Station.

We know nothing about Mr Spreadbury, except that he was the company cook.

Sid Mullings, we know rather more about. He was born in about 1899, the son of William and Amelia. William was a basket maker, a trade which Sid followed him into. He was to be the last of a long line of Mullings family members to work in basket making.

In 1911 Sid lived with his parents and brother on The Clays, Market Lavington. Sid served in World War I. Indeed, he is wearing medals awarded to him for service in that conflict in the photo. We believe he served in the Machine Gun Corps.

Sid married Emily Perrett in 1924. In 1926 the couple lived on The Clay, possibly with Sid’s parents. Daughter, Margery was born that year.

In 1939 Sid and Emily are listed on the electoral roll on The Clays. Sid’s mother, Amelia was with them.

Sid died in 1973.

Church Plate conjures up images of old silver ware, once used for communion and now stored safely away from light fingered visitors. Well, we have absolutely none of that at Market Lavington Museum. What we do have, just given to the museum, is a plate with an image of the church on it.

Commemorative Plate given to Market Lavington Museum shows the parish church

The wording reads, simply, ‘MARKET LAVINGTON  PARISH CHURCH’.

The plate was made by the Argyle company.

Plate manufacturer

The plate even has a price sticker on it.

The plate still has a price sticker on it

The plate was given in what we think was its original box and packaging. The packaging consists of pages from a ‘Drive’ supplement of the Wiltshire Gazette and Herald, dated 1999. That probably gives us our best idea of the date of the plate.

Crockery like this was made and marketed locally several times so we cannot be certain as to age. What we can say is that this plate is in pristine condition.

Today we are going to look at another of the lads from the 1919 football team we saw the other day. His name is Henry Cooper, not to be confused with his ‘slapping it on’ and much more famous boxing namesake. To avoid confusion I’ll call our footballing chap Harry for that was what he was usually called.

Henry Cooper of Market Lavington
1899 – 1968

This is Harry who was aged about 19 or 20 when the photo was taken.

He was born in 1899 and was given an age of 1½ on the 1901 census. His parents were John and Elizabeth – both Market Lavington born. John was listed as a blacksmith and our Harry was the middle of three children born to the couple. The family lived in Market Place in Market Lavington.

Harry, had he been of a mind to, could have traced his Market Lavington ancestry back for generations. Father and Grandfather Cooper were Market Lavington born. Harry’s mother had been Elizabeth Hoare and she certainly had grandparents born in Market Lavington. She was with them at the time of the 1881 census.

In 1911 a bigger Cooper family still lived in Market Place. John was now listed as an agricultural engineer. Harry, aged 11 was a scholar. He was now the second of seven children at home with the parents. This census tells us that in 14 years of marriage John and Elizabeth had produced seven children and all were still alive.

In 1924 Harry married Edith Burt – another name with a good local provenance. We think she was actually a Devizes girl.

The 1926 electoral roll suggests that Harry was still at home with parents, in Market Place. Edith is not listed on this roll. She was under 30 and at that time only women over 30 could vote.

However, she is listed on the 1939 roll. She and Harry were at 9 Market Place. John, Harry’s father, was at number 3.

We believe that Harry and Edith had three children, Sylvia, Ivor and Honor.

By 1964 the old houses in the Market Place had been demolished. Henry and Edith lived on Northbrook, according to the electoral roll. We would now say that their house was on Northbrook Close.

Henry died in 1968. His address given as 2 Northbrook Close. Edith died in hospital in Devizes in 1984. Both are buried in St Mary’s churchyard.

We have recently been sent this information from a relative of Percy.

Private Percival Lorenzo Oram was  no. 102811 of the 166^th Battalion Machine Gun Corps. (Formerly in the Wiltshire Regiment.)

He was killed in action 31^st July 1917 near Wieltje North East of Ypres Belgium on the first day of the Third battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) aged 20.

He was the only son of William & Louisa Oram of the New Inn (now the Drummer Boy) public house in Market Lavington.  Percy was employed by the Great Western Railway Company as a clerk in the traffic department at Trowbridge. He has no known grave and is remembered at the Menin Gate and on the Market Lavington War Memorial.

In August 1918 his parents put the following in a local paper:

When the roll is called up yonder

And our Saviour counts the brave

Our son shall be amongst them

For his precious life he gave

No loved one stood beside him

When he gave his last farewell

Not a word of comfort could he have

From those who loved him so well

No-one knows the silent heartache

Only those can tell

Who have lost their loved and dearest

Without saying Farewell.

Peercival Lorenzo Oram of Market Lavington

Here’s a photo of Market Lavington Market Place with some kind of parade lining up – both military personnel and youngsters in scout uniform.

A parade in the Market Place, Market Lavington

It isn’t the best quality photo you ever saw and we haven’t fully worked out when it was taken, but it has much of interest.

A separately written caption tells us that this is an Armistice Day parade after World War 1. This could, technically be correct, but it certainly isn’t immediately after the first war. Take a look at the rear end of a car which is in the photo.

That bit of car looks to be about a 1937 model – or newer

Whilst we can’t positively identify that car, it looks to be something built from about 1937 onwards.

Now we are going to look at the hotchpotch of buildings at the back of the Market Place.

Where Fred Sayer kept his suite of buses and charabancs

This had been where The Lavington and Devizes Motor Services had stored vehicles. The windows on what was left of the lovely old house to the right carry evidence of that usage.

We are advised to travel by bus or coach

There was can see the notices urging us to ‘travel by bus’ and to ‘travel by coach’. The middle window indicates that a phone had been used by the company. But this doesn’t help us with date.

Market Lavington Prize Silver Band

A small contingent of Market Lavington Prize Silver Bandsmen are playing. The bass drummer looks to have a young admirer.

On the right of the photo is the main collection of people on parade.

Men and boys on parade in Market Lavington

It looks as though the soldiers are wearing forage caps which were introduced in about 1939. It seems to point to a time for this photo being the 1940s. Unless you know something different!