For Hargrave in Suffolk UK
AcknowledgementsIn 1999 a group of people from Hargrave met to bring together thoughts and reflections on life in Hargrave as we approached the Millennium. At the same time a village appraisal was conducted and the findings presented to the village in 2000. The information on parts of this web site labelled with "Information taken from HARGRAVE - A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE - May 2004" is the product of that working group and although it is a very personal view of life in Hargrave as we move away from the 20th Century and into the 21st Century it is a valuable snapshot and hopefully will be of interest. Update 2020 - The document "HARGRAVE - A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE - May 2004" is a snapshot of what life was like in Hargrave up to 2004. Much of this was based on a village review that was carried out in 2000 / 2001. A further village review was taken in 2013 which formed the basis for producing a Neighbourhood Plan which was finally 'made' in July 2018. |
An Historical BackgroundAround the turn of the first millennium East Anglia was continuingly being ravaged by the invading Danes and we may wonder whether the nineteen local residents recorded in the Domesday Survey (1086) were surviving East Angles or were of Scandinavian origin. Prior to the Norman Conquest, the manor lands of Haragraua (Hares Grove*) had been held by Aluiet, one of four Freewomen of West Suffolk, and it is recorded that she held 480 acres of land and the church. Some four fifths of the medieval churches of Suffolk were already in existence at the time of the Conquest and it is probable that Hargrave was one of them, although the oldest surviving fabric of the building dates from the Norman period of architecture. It is also probable that a medieval hall existed in the vicinity of the present church and hall (although the existing Hargrave Hall dates from mid-sixteenth century), and that our nineteen early residents also lived in that area, undertaking their predominantly sheep and pig farming.Following the Conquest the Manor became one of more than three hundred holdings of the Abbey, held at the time of Domesday by William De Waterville and subsequently by the Monks; by Ralph the Falconer of Barrow; and by Robert Payne. At the time of the dissolution of the monasteries it passed to Sir Thomas Kitson and in 1717 was sold to the Earl of Bristol to become part of the Ickworth Estate. In 1912 the area of land under cultivation in Hargrave was 1,781 acres, a mere twenty percent increase in the eight hundred years that had elapsed since Domesday. The population of the village developed equally slowly, and for the first five hundred years following the Domesday record it was virtually static. It then grew to 324 during the next three hundred years, probably due to the change in agriculture towards corn farming, and reached its peak of 520 in 1861. From then, the great depression in agriculture caused an exodus from the villages to the towns and Hargrave was no exception. Its population decreased to 264 by 1931 and has remained at approximately that level to the present day. There has been a marked change in the occupations of the residents of the village. Two hundred years ago 86 people from 64 families were engaged in agriculture and in 1931, 77% of the families were similarly employed. Today, less than one tenth of our residents are employed on the farms in the village, and more than double their number are employed outside the village in retail and services industries, in public sector and local government occupations. Almost three-quarters of our working residents commute to their place of work. * The name HARGRAVE either means ‘Hare (hara) Grove’ or ‘Grey/Hoar (har) Grove’. Har is often used in other names in association with things marking boundaries, and some scholars think har came to mean boundary, making ‘Boundary Grove’ a possibility. James Rye : Suffolk Place-names. |
Architecture and Planning
Hargrave’s architecture is not exceptional, and its housing is predominant. Apart from the Church, no non-residential buildings appeared until the Public Elementary School was erected in 1840, and the Methodist Chapel and the Village Hall were built in 1926. The Drill Hall was added in 1949. The church has been restored many times, and little of the original building remains. The Norman nave is very simple and somewhat rudely executed. The chancel was added in the middle of the thirteenth century, and its Early English architecture is clearly evident. The tower was added in the latter part of the fifteenth century and alterations to the windows and other parts of the building were also undertaken at that time. The north aisle was built by the Victorians in 1869 during the English Renaissance period of architecture, and the north vestry was removed when the aisle was built. A second world war bomb demolished the south porch, which unfortunately was not replaced, and the building is poorer for its loss. The 15th century font was moved to the nave when the north aisle was built, and the carved screen at the junction of the nave and chancel which includes carvings of a fox and goose, unicorn, dragon, fish and eagles, together with figures of saints, facing toward the chancel, was probably re-erected the wrong way round during one of the restorations. The tower houses three bells which have not rung full circle for many years. Unfortunately, swing chiming is also not now possible, owing to the deterioration of the bell wheels. The oldest of the three is the Tenor Bell founded in Bury St Edmunds. It is inscribed - ANNO DOMINI 1566 * ANNO REGINA REGINAE * ELIZABETH DE BVRE SANTI TONI ME EDMONDI STEFANVS FECIT. The Treble Bell was also founded in Bury and is inscribed - THOMAS CHEESE * JAMES EDBERE 1622 ,but the Second Bell was founded in Whitechapel and is inscribed - T.MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1831* ELIZABETH WHITE * SARAH WHITE. John Wesley frequently addressed audiences in Suffolk throughout his mission, during his journeys to and from Norwich. Hargrave’s Methodists are recorded as first meeting in a barn in the village in 1800. Their Chapel was built with donated money from villagers and local friends, and was built of Suffolk red brick with pebble-dashed walls and a slate roof. The building was of modest rectilinear form, and had domestic type fenestration. The Drill Hall, sited immediately to the rear of the Chapel was used mainly by the thriving Boy’s Brigade which attracted members from adjoining villages. It was built by the boys and their officers, utilising a second hand Nissun-Hut from Newmarket which was dismantled transported and re-erected. It was obtained post second world war, when building materials were almost impossible to find. The original Village Hall, built with money raised by its trustees, was a very simple building but nevertheless served as the only meeting place for villagers. The guinea that visitors paid for its hire in 1928, was double the charge that villagers had to find for a meeting, and they were obliged to vacate by midnight! It has been improved and altered over the years, most recently in 1993 when a dedicated group of villagers raised considerable money for its modernisation. The building is of rendered brick construction with a metal roof finish, having a main hall of sixty-five square metres in area together with ancillary accommodation. The Bull became a public house in 1844 and from 1859 until 1912 the village boasted two pubs through the addition of the Cock Inn. Both are now private residences, and it has been suggested that the Cock, once an ale-house, may in earlier times have been a hospice for pilgrims in transit to the great abbey in Bury. A third opportunity for a pint was once available at the Kicking Dicky at Bird’s Ends, apparently frequented by the ‘Horse Men of Hargrave’ the workers of the Suffolk Punches, the magnificent shire horses so essential to the farming of Hargrave’s stiff clays in the days before mechanisation. The last pint was pulled at the Bull on March 6th 1995. There are records of a number of shops in the village over the years, including locations at Bird’s End, Wash Cottage, Corner Cottage and Meadow Cottage, but the most recent was at the Old Post Office which was run for many years by the Pask family. This post office and shop finally closed in 1986 when Mr. and Mrs. Morley commenced their well-earned retirement. Housing developed alongside the existing roads throughout the centuries but during the early years of the present century many were allowed to deteriorate and were caused to be demolished as unfit for occupation. However, many early houses have survived and thirteen are currently ‘listed’ as having architectural merit. Most of these are of cottage form with plainly rendered external walls and exhibit little ornament or architectural detail in their external features. Their architectural qualities are mainly internal, in the details of their timbering, brick fireplaces, chimney breasts and staircases, and it is probable that in common with many Suffolk houses, their original timber frames have been plastered over. Wash Cottage is the only building now with external timbering. Unfortunately, the fine pargeting of many Suffolk houses does not appear in Hargrave, and neither has dressed stone been used in the village. The costs associated with the importation of stone into Suffolk, and with fine ornamental plaster work, caused them to be employed only in the houses of more affluent villages than Hargrave. Thatch roofing predominates in the ‘listed’ houses, though two have Suffolk pan-tiles and slate and plain tiles have also been used. Hargrave Hall, Grove Farm House and Green Farm House, all of which are 17th - 18th century buildings, have brick external walls, the former having a plain tiled roof and the latter two using slate roofing. The 16th century Tithe Barn at Southwood Park has a tiled roof and external timber boarding. The 15th century Mill House is the oldest surviving house in the village, but its 18th century windmill unfortunately did not survive beyond 1914. Approximately one third of the present houses in the village are more than one hundred years old, and a similar proportion are less than fifty years old. The village has enjoyed the statutory services of water and electricity for only the last fifty years - installation having been accomplished just twelve years before Yuri Gagarin successfully orbited the earth ! |
Land Use and FarmingThe soil-type of Hargrave is predominantly chalky boulder clay of the Hanslope series. This is a fairly heavy soil-type, and needs artificial drainage to make it suitable for the production of crops. In mediaeval times the majority of this land would have been used for grazing animals, although undoubtedly even from these early times, some of the easier working soils would have been used for growing crops. It would have been a subsistence agriculture based on the Manorial system. Wheat and barley would have been grown and some vegetable crops. Not until the great period for farming in the 1850’s-1860’s would arable farming have begun to rival livestock farming for land use in Hargrave, and even then sheep grazing and cattle and pig production would still have been of major importance. The big surge in arable farming came with the 2nd World War. The impetus for this was the need to be self-sufficient in food, and with tractors taking over as the providers of power on the land the heavy soils became much more manageable. Government grants became available to help with land drainage and these continued until the mid 1980’s. It was during this period, from 1940 to 1985 that the present field sizes and shapes evolved. Many of the present hedges are ancient hedgerows and have remained unchanged for hundreds of years. The main use of the land today is in arable farming and about half of that land is growing wheat. Other crops currently grown are oilseed rape, barley, beans and a small area of sugar beet. The grassland in the village is used for grazing sheep and a few beef cattle and also horses which are nowadays purely used for recreational purposes. An enormous change in the appearance of the landscape of Hargrave occurred in the 1970’s with the loss of virtually all the elm trees to Dutch Elm Disease. This had a far greater impact than any rationalisation of field boundaries, or hedge removal. In the last twenty years many hundreds of trees have been planted in the parish and these will begin to have an effect on the landscape in the next century. Decorative and recreational gardens are more important than ever before. Certainly up to about the mid 1950’s most of the village gardens would have been used for growing vegetables and in many cases for keeping a pig, certainly an apple tree, and a small area of flower garden, usually near the front door. The biggest difference between now and 40 years ago in arable farming is the yield of the crops grown. Forty years ago an acre of wheat would have produced between 1.5 and 2 tonnes of wheat, whereas today each acre will produce at least twice as much. Similarly yields of sugar beet and other crops have doubled in that time. Before the 2nd World War the majority of the men in the village would have been farm workers, and even the women and children would have helped on the land at busy times, such as harvest and hay making. Now, in the 21st century there are no more than half a dozen farmers and farm workers working full time in the parish. What of the future? All sectors of farming are in recession at the moment with beef, sheep, pig meat, cereals, oil-seeds and proteins all at very low prices. I foresee no dramatic changes in the land use in Hargrave in the near or middle-term future. Wheat is what this land grows well, and wheat is what it will continue to grow. The second half of the 20th Century saw a scientific revolution in farming. Plant breeding, plant nutrition and herbicide and fungicide science have revolutionised cereal growing, resulting in a plentiful supply of food which is, in real terms, cheaper than ever before. Organic farming of crops may have a future to play in the land use of Hargrave, but it will only be a minor role on a very small proportion of the land. Genetic modification, because of public concern and pressure, has been put back by several years, and possibly even for good. Looking still further ahead, global warming may play a part in the future with the wheat fields and sugar beet of East Anglia moving north to NE England and Eastern Scotland, and being replaced here by pasta wheat, soya beans and vines. Perhaps more of this in the next village survey in 100 years' time! Update 2020 - A village review was taken in 2013 and the results show that very few villagers still work in agriculture. Mechanisation of agriculture has reduced the number of workers required and most of the work is now being done by contractors from outside the village. |
Transport in HargraveWhilst East Anglia’s road network may be considered to be inadequate to the demands being placed upon it at the dawn of the new Millennium, Hargrave has its fair share of minor links within the local network. This is evidenced by the reasonably large number of heavy lorries that regularly route through the village, to the concern of many residents. Routes to the neighbouring towns and villages are reasonably direct and, as Hargrave has no shops or school, residents need to travel to reach such facilities. The majority of workers also travel out of the village to their workplace. The nearest railway station is located nine miles away in Bury St.Edmunds, which provides access to a service on the Peterborough to Ipswich line. Cambridge and Stowmarket are both twenty-four miles away by road, from which stations inter-city trains for distance travel to the north or south of the country can be obtained. The nearest airport is located at Stansted some 40 miles away. However, many international journeys would require travel to Heathrow Airport which is over 90 miles away by road and two and three-quarter hours' journey by rail. Hargrave’s dependence upon the private car was highlighted by residents’ responses in our recent survey - ‘that very few experience transport difficulties in regard to shopping or travel to work’. The average ownership of motorised transport (cars, vans and motor cycles) is 1.8 per household. Car ownership amounts to 1.5 (average) per household and 68% of these are used for journeys to work or education outside Hargrave. Taxis are used, weekly, by less than 1.5% of our residents. The school bus service which is provided by the County Council is well used, but the use of a car by some households for transport to school, indicates that the service is not fully comprehensive. Our survey also indicated that the majority of our residents are resigned to the use of their cars for work, or for shopping and leisure, despite the present national concern to find alternatives. Almost half of our respondents to a question regarding the desirability of improvements to the bus service stated that they had no opinion on the matter, and most of those that did indicate interest wished for improved time-tabling. One bus is routed through the village each morning, except on Sunday, for travel to Bury St. Edmunds, and this service is increased to two buses during school terms. A further bus service, also to Bury St.Edmunds, is available from the southern edge of the village each morning. This rather meagre service reflects the national problem of the financial viability of rural bus services, and does not provide a viable alternative to the private car. Update 2020 - Public transport in Hargrave is now almost non-existent with just one school bus running into Bury St Edmunds in the mornings and returning in the late afternoon. If there is space on this bus the general public can pay to use it. However it gets little use apart from the school children and is no competition to the private car. Traffic volumes through the village have increased considerably in past years and we now expect almost 1000 vehicles per day in each direction passing through Bury Road. We still get a lot of non-agricultural HGV traffic using the village as a rat run to get to or from the A14 without going through Bury St Edmunds. |
Employment in HargraveA subscriber to the Suffolk Chronicle in 1914 wrote that ‘Hargrave is best described as a retired village’. If those words were used to convey seclusion they may equally be true today, but the level of activity in employment mirrors normality. Our number of retired residents is 18%, which is roughly the national average, and excluding our housewives and our young people in full time education, our employed residents amount to almost 60% of our population. Unemployment is low at 2.3%. Out-commuting is a feature of our residents’ employment with less than one third of the total being employed within the village. Of those working outside the village, roughly half travel to Bury, Newmarket and Cambridge. However, our survey indicates some in-commuting to businesses based in the village. Our survey recorded twenty-five businesses located in the village but sixteen of these are self employed people with no employees. A further twenty people are self employed but based outside Hargrave. Nine businesses employ twenty-four people in the village. At the time of this survey (2000) the businesses located in Hargrave include agriculture (11), construction (3), finance and professional services (2), transport (1), and three manufacturing outlets. Agriculture / Horticulture (3) Manufacturing (3) Communications / IT (4) Retail / service industry (6) Financial services (3) Tourism e.g. hotels - catering - B&B (0) Local government / public sector (7) Construction (2) Transport (1) Food processing (1) Other Sectors (16) |
Education in Hargrave‘The School is a neat flint built structure with a brick extension, having an average of forty-five scholars, who are in the care of a headmistress and two supplementary teachers’ The National School, which was then its official title, was built in 1845 and attended by 40 pupils. It was enlarged in 1878 at the cost of £120 to the advantage of 80 pupils. A copy of the agreement between The Managers of the Church of England School - Hargrave and Maria Margaret Todd head teacher made out in 1898 states her salary to be £63 per annum. Mrs Todd taught at Hargrave for twenty-six years and part of that time her assistant was her daughter Trixie who taught at the school for 40 years. The gravestone in tribute to mother and daughter can be seen in Hargrave Churchyard. Mrs Morley recalls being in ‘the Little Class’ and going to join the older pupils for prayers and hymns. The organist was facing her and so was the back of the organ in which there was a hole through which she could see a pedal moving up and down. This was so fascinating to the little girl that she forgot to sing and was reprimanded severely by her teacher. Mrs Morley also vividly remembers another occasion, when the boy beside her made a mistake in his work and his excuse to the teacher was that “Irene Pask jogged me Miss”, whereupon the teacher marched round to the accused and instantly slapped her on the knuckles with a ruler. Can you imagine the double distressful humiliation because of that untruth, and it was her birthday too! During the war when a German aeroplane flew over Hargrave and Chevington dropping a load of incendiaries, one of which fell into the kitchen of nearby Bush House, Miss Rush the headmistress told how she ordered the children to get beneath their desks. One considerate youngster, Dennis Plummer, poked out his head as she was still standing in the classroom and implored her to get under a desk herself. Perhaps there was little improvement in facilities at the school, since the extension because there was no recorded opposition to closure in 1947. This may have been because no hot meals were provided! The closure of Hargrave school started the custom of pupils travelling out of the village for their formal education. They first walked to Chedburgh School, but by 1954 the school at Chedburgh was overcrowded so the juniors (children of eight to fourteen years) transferred to Chevington School. Eventually, most children from Hargrave travelled by bus or taxi to Chevington Voluntary Controlled Primary School. Pupils remember flying pieces of chalk, thrown by the visiting priest, which those sitting next to inattentive pupils needed to be adept at ducking, and they also remember the swimming pool that stayed open for pupils to use during the Summer holiday. The three teacher school continued educating five to eleven year old children until 1971, when West Suffolk began the change to the three tier system of schools which exists today. Hargrave and Chevington children went at first to the purpose-built Westley Middle School in Bury St Edmunds, and two years later, pupils aged nine transferred to Horringer Court Middle School. In spite of complaints from parents the eight o’clock till four-thirty pm. school day was now part of life for nine and ten year olds, along with the older students attending Upper School. Chevington Voluntary Controlled Primary school was closed in 1989 together with Chedburgh, Whepstead, and Horringer schools. What were the feelings of the parents and those five to eight year olds as they started towards the brand new bigger Ickworth Park Primary School at Horringer? However, classes have not been held totally within school buildings as we know them. Early in the 18th century various charitable organisations organised lessons to teach workers who could not read. As early as 1811 classes were held by the Methodists in a cottage in Hargrave. Now, weekly classes are held in Chevington Village Hall. These are very different and cover a variety of courses that run for ten weeks in the Autumn and Spring terms, organised by Hargrave Workers Education Association for local villagers. They were started in 1993 by Margaret Slade. Various courses have been sponsored by the Women’s Institute including the topics of art and canvas embroidery as well as informative monthly talks. In 1988, as a result of a questionnaire distributed in Hargrave, a course entitled ‘An introduction to Word Processing’ was held in the Village Hall. Readers will see from the Occupational Status chart that in 1891 just over 20% of the village population were in full time education compared with nearly 12.5% in 1999, when more students continued studying until they were 18 years old or more. The age profile shows that there were far more children under 15 in Hargrave in 1891 but both years display a sharp decrease in the 16 to 17 age group. Does this show disappointment with village life or a positive desire to explore and seek independence? |
Worship in HargraveSt Edmund's Church As we approach the end of the 20th century, religion seems to have become less formal. Few people feel it necessary to worship together, but a greater proportion believe in a god. There are many distractions now on Sundays with television, sport and other recreations which are probably responsible for an all-time low in the congregations. St Edmund’s Church, Hargrave, which dates from Norman times, is in a somewhat parlous state. The situation of the building itself (well away from the main areas of population) does not make it easy for people, and the lack of reasonable access by car is not ideal for worship at the end of the second Millennium. Update 2010 - Renovation of the church is under way. Kevin Green from Chevington has been appointed to carry out the brickwork repairs and repair the communion rail and some patches of plaster inside. Kevin started on 15th November 2010. We now have sufficient funds to go ahead with the vital window repair and conservation work, and hope to start by April 2011, which is fantastic news!
Hargrave is now in a benefice which includes Chevington, Brockley and Whepstead. At the moment there is no Rector and because of the Church of England’s financial problems, Hargrave will become part of a benefice of six parishes, to wit, Chevington, Hargrave, Chedburgh, Depden, Rede and Hawkedon.
The chapel is in good repair and a service is held every Sunday (2004) The congregation, though small, comes from Hargrave and nearby villages. Hargrave has enjoyed a solid move towards Ecumenism with the Methodists and Church of England members worshipping together and holding Lent meetings which are also attended by one or two members of the Roman Catholic Church. This Ecumenical movement has happened quite naturally in Hargrave and we look forward to shared worship in the years ahead.
The new Millennium presents a challenge to all christians. The ageing buildings, though sound at present, require constant attention and care. The pressures and pleasures of the 21st Century will no doubt provide a distraction, but we hope that Hargrave will go forward with new hope and vigour, and all to the Glory of God. |
Footpaths in and around HargraveFootpaths Rights of way - footpaths, bridleways, and byways - are essential to the enjoyment of the countryside and much has been done in recent decades to further this aspect of the rural environment. The Access to the Countryside Act 1949 sought to give statutory protection to the national network and under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act continuous review of the definitive routes became mandatory. Important changes to the principal statutes of the 1980 Highways Act were introduced in the Rights of Way Act 1990, and the Government’s consultation document issued during February 1997, introduced the popularly titled ‘Right to Roam’ bill which is currently being considered following the completion of public consultation. The overall local responsibility for the preservation of these ancient rights of way is vested in the Suffolk County Council, although the St Edmundsbury Borough Council assists in this work. The paths and bridleways around Hargrave originated as connecting routes across or around fields, between cottages and local farm, mill, church, village shops, blacksmith, public houses and the like in a similar manner to the establishment of the roads, and are well preserved. The routes are clearly marked with signposts and/or by ‘way-mark’posts at intervals along their routes. Bridle paths - routes intended for use by horses in addition to walkers - are distinct from footpaths, and horse riders in and around Hargrave usually respect the preserve of the ‘walkers’.
For many recent years, the role of Parish Footpath Warden has been undertaken by Dr.Robert Fleming - a notable walker of the routes often seen leading a group of local residents. His recent ‘retirement’ from his dedicated service has yet to be rewarded with the identification of a successor. It is to be hoped that our enjoyment of more sedentary leisure pastimes do not herald a loss of such a unique part of our heritage, since national surveys show that walking in the countryside is the single most popular form of outdoor recreation. Update 2020 - Walking in the countryside is still the most popular outdoor pastime, particularly at the moment while in lockdown due to the Corona Virus pandemic. The footpaths in and around Hargrave have had more use than ever before with residents going out for their daily exercise and still being able to maintain the 2 metre social distancing rules. The landowners who have footpaths across their land should be congratulated for keeping them clear and in many cases the grass has been cut. |
Boys' BrigadeInformation taken from HARGRAVE - A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE - May 2004 The Hargrave Brigade was the 8th Mid - Suffolk Company but for the first five years it was known as the 1st Wickhambrook. The first enrolments into the new Company took place on 15th March 1941 before a packed church congregation in Wickhambrook. The first Captain was Rev. Hewitt and Mr. Frank Morley was one of the five Lieutenants of the Company at the time. The combined groups, one at Hargrave and one at Wickhambrook, had a membership of 30 at inception and for an equal number of years the two groups existed with considerable friendly rivalry between them. The Company provided a wide range of activities for boys from six years of age to late teens, and was divided into three sections of age range - Anchor, Junior and Company Sections. Activities included outdoor sports, band instrument tuition and playing, PE, games, table tennis, snooker, crafts and drill and badgework. Mr. Peter Morley, Frank Morley’s nephew, was Captain and took the helm some fifty-eight years after he first joined the Company. The Morley name is almost synonymous with the Company, and no story says more about the character building attributes of the organisation, than that associated with the building of their Drill Hall during 1949. Following the early years, when meetings took place first in the Chapel and later in the Village Hall, an ex-RAF Nissun Hut became available in Newmarket, but the Company lacked the wherewithal to get it to Hargrave. The building was full of sanitary fittings - like gold so soon after the war - and a local builder was persuaded that he could have the fittings for re-use provided that he dismantled the building and transported it to Hargrave. Members of the Company then set to, to wire brush and paint every individual component of the building, preparatory to its re-erection. Mrs. Laura Morley’s father made a piece of land available for the building, and after filling in a pond and levelling the ground, the task of concreting the foundations and ground-slab was undertaken. Piles of aggregate and sand were delivered to the land which is the present site of ‘Peasholm’ house and a large concrete mixer was obtained. With meticulous drill (or very nearly!) respective teams shovelled sand or aggregate or cement into the mixer, whilst an equally drilled team barrowed the product across and down the road to the building site. Peter observed that Hargrave only saw about ten cars in those days, and if they tried the same thing today they would probably be run over!. The friendly builder was on hand at site with a team of placers and tampers, and at the end of a very eventful Easter weekend the base was in position. Brickwork followed to a slightly more relaxed timetable and the Company then joined forces again to erect the newly painted frame and panels. Fifty years later, the building remains a tribute to their endeavours, and was in constant use by the Company, which had a membership drawn from Hargrave, Barrow, Chevington, Chedburgh and Wickhambrook. Update 2020 - the Boys' Brigade closed during the 2000s and at the end of 2010 the site, including the Methodist Church, had been sold for re-development. A new house has since been built on the site covered by the Methodist Church and the Boys' Brigade hut. The new house is called, appropriately, Chapelstone. |
Mill House
I have been doing some research recently on WW1 for my Granddaughter I thought my findings may be of some interest. My father Fredrick Buxton was born at Mill House in 1902. His father, my Grandfather, was the miller and baker, in the early years the windmill relied on sail power. You will see on the documents my Grandmother was named as next of kin, as neither of the brothers was married. They were a military family, Great Grandfather being a Bandmaster, Grandmother was born in India. The two brothers fought in the Boar War, when that terminated, they immigrated to Canada, only to return again for WW1. I can remember as a child staying at Hall Farm, with Mr & Mrs Henry Morley, Peter & Colin, My father was great friends with Henry as young lad’s. Best regards John Buxton
Soldiers of the First World War - CEF Name: MCGUIRE, ALBERT Rank: SGT Regimental number(s): 424065 Reference: RG 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 6869 - 25 Date of Birth: 01/04/1882 Attestation paper:
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Parish Records1. Parish: Hargrave Meaning: Hare’s grove or grey grove (Ekwall) 2. Hundred: THINGOE Deanery: Thingoe (- 1884) Union: Thingoe (1836 -1907). Bury St Edmunds (1907 - 1930) RDC/UDC: (W. Suffolk) Thingoe RD (1894 - 1974). Bury St Edmunds County Court District. 4. Soils: Slowly permeable calcareous/non calcareous clay soils, slight risk water erosion 5. Types of farming: 1086 8 cattle, 40 pigs, 100 sheep, 4 acres meadow, wood for 16 pigs 1500–1640 Thirsk: Wood-pasture region, mainly pasture, meadow, engaged in rearing and dairying with some pig-keeping, horse breeding and poultry. Crops mainly barley with some wheat, rye, oats, peas, vetches, hops and occasionally hemp. 1660 Blome: ‘being clay ground husbanded chiefly for the dairy’ and ‘fielding abounding with excellent corn of all sorts’. 1818 Marshall: Course of crops varies usually including summer fallow as preparation for corn products. 1937 Main crops: Wheat, barley, beans. 1969 Trist: More intensive cereal growing and beans. 6. Enclosure: No Info 7. Settlement: 8. Communications: Road: Roads to Denham, Little Saxham and Wickhambrook Rail: 1891. 5 miles Higham station: Newmarket - Bury St. Edmunds line, opened (1854), station closed for goods (1964), closed for passengers (1967) Air: (None) 9. Population: 1086 — 19 recorded 10. Benefice: 1254 Valued £5. 6s. 8d. 11. Church ST. EDMUND 1086 Church + 12 acres of free land Seats: 40 appropriated, 230 free (1873) 12. Nonconformity etc: 13. Manorial: 1066/1086 Estate of 4 carucates belonging to the Abbot of Bury St. Edmunds 14. Markets/Fairs: No Info 15. Real property: 1454 £2. 11s. 8d. rateable value 16. Land ownership: 17. Resident gentry: 1680 1 Baronet recorded 18. Occupations: 19. Education: 1818 1 small private school (23 attend) Public Elementary school built (1840), enlarged (1878 and 1910) Average attendance (1912) 55 20. Poor relief: 1776 £83. 3s. 11 d. spent on poor relief 21. Charities: DEYNES CHARITY 1855 Sum for annual distribution in money 22. Other institutions: No Info 23. Recreation: 24. Personal: No Info 25. Other information: Remains of moat south of Hargrave Green
Med. moated site (CRN 6149) Stray finds: Neo. axe (CRN 1256)
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