618 A Village History Exhibition. [Oct., 



loth century. Then, when the Village Club, which was started 

 in 1921 in affiliation with the Village Clubs Association, was dis- 

 cussing ways and means, being still in debt to the building fund, 

 he suggested a loan exhibition illustrating the parish history. 

 The idea was received politely but without enthusiasm by a com- 

 mittee who did not realize that they had any individual part in 

 their parish history. However, it was agreed to try what was, 

 at any rate, something out of the routine of jumble sales and 

 whist drives. 



The promoter got to work, and applied to the big houses first, 

 meeting with sympathy and support, though few realized that 

 they had much to contribute. He then put up a notice in the 

 Village Club asking for the loan of specified articles, or informa- 

 tion as to where they could be obtained. This remained up for 

 about six weeks and elicited no single reply of any kind. A letter 

 addressed to four local newspapers may have served as a cheap 

 advertisement for the exhibition, but it only brought one letter. 

 This was from a lady in a neighbouring parish who offered a copy 

 of a small volume of " Poems and Songs " by a village " cord- 

 wainer " published by subscription in 1854. This was really 

 one of the foundation stones on which the edifice was built. The 

 local shoemaker-poet had begun his collection with an ode to the 

 parish concerned, full of allusions to families and places. He 

 had also addressed " Eecollections " to the village miller with 

 references to his playing of the " Violoncello in the Parish 

 Church." A visit to the grandson of the miller resulted in the 

 loan of the identical instrument and manv other articles belons;- 

 ing to former days, such as brand-irons, a sampler, and an old 

 flint-lock fowling-piece. In addition, information w^as forth- 

 coming about other relics in other houses, and then the list began 

 to gi-ow rapidly. At one time the promoter, in fear lest his 

 exhibition should come to naught, had applied to a local dealer 

 in antiques for the loan of examples of the iron industry for 

 which the parish was famous in the 16th and 17th centuries. 

 He promised to lend whatever was required but ultimately a 

 man-trap was all that was asked of him. An inquiry from a 

 stranger, a famous collector who wanted an extract from the 

 Eegisters concerning a tradesman who issued tokens in the reign 

 of Charles H, led to a correspondence, and the gift of rubbings 

 of the v?ry few specimens known to exist. Landowners lent 

 fire-backs and fire-dogs, ratchet pot-hooks and other specimens 

 of the work of the local furnace. Ox-yokes, flails, shepherds* 

 crooks, a horn-lantern, waggon bells, sicldes, and a variety of 



