Part 8 (1/2)

'William Speare, D.D., buried 1812.... He formed a Paddock of 120 acres [of land left him in this parish]. His penuriousness was as remarkable as his taste. Often I have seen him in Exeter, whither he rode every day, with one spur only, and that tied to his boot with string.

'1814.--James Hammett, 39, was before he came to reside in Whitstone, a follower of Joanna Southcott, from whom he purchased for half a crown a piece of parchment, which was to ent.i.tle him to free admission into Heaven.

'1820.--James Sutton, 82, was for many years s.e.xton of the Parish, was buried according to his request near the Rectory Granary. He said that the Rector had been very kind to him; he would lie as near as possible to his house.

'1829.--Ann Hexter, School-mistress at home and Mistress of the Sunday School many years. Was for twenty years occasionally insane, and at last never free from lunacy.

'1832.--William Earls--poor--humble--honest--was made happy by my present of what he called ”Multiplying Gla.s.ses.”

'Thomas Lake, 85, said he had never taken medicine and would not begin at 85.

'1833.--John Coven, my carpenter, 26 years, never defrauded his employers of a minute's work; but his obstinacy was equal to his honesty. He spent all his gains, openly declaring that the Parish should maintain him when he could no longer work. At his death he had received 60, but he gave up to the Overseers a legacy of 30.

'1834.--John How, 73. Having a pension of 4.0 a week, as Serj. of Marines, once refused a s.h.i.+ll. from me, saying he did not want it.'

The notes include a compressed but lurid tale:

'1835.--Thomas Snowden, 54. He died the day his son was christened, of apoplexy.' The curate, W. Ley, had been present at a festive christening dinner, and had left Mr Snowden still entertaining a fellow guest. The seizure took place while they were alone. 'Mrs S. sent for Ley, and, taking him into the room, said: ”That's the man who has just killed my husband.” That man she afterwards married.'

Some interesting memoranda from the overseers and churchwardens give a glimpse of hard days in the past. In 1811 an entry shows the churchwardens making an effort to relieve the acute distress caused by the high price of food. Wages were particularly low, and a succession of bad harvests raised the price of wheat to famine price, whilst the war with Napoleon prevented any grain coming into the country, from France or America. So we find rice and barley sold to poor paris.h.i.+oners cheaper than they could have bought it for themselves.

'_Account of Barley bought for the use of the Poor._

April and May, 105 Bushels at 13d. per Bush.; June, 135 at 11d.; August, 20 at 9s. 6d.

Sold at 8d. per Bush. loss 57 11 2 1/2 Four Hogs. 12 Rice cost 8 15 9 Sold for 6 0 5 1/2 Loss 2 15 3 1/2'

In 1796 there is a cryptic entry:

'Paid for a man for the Navy 11 13 0.'

Nothing more, though a few words in reference to the matter would be very welcome. Possibly the best explanation is, that at a time when men were being impressed for the navy on every hand, and the Government was making immense efforts to get men and money, the parish provided the bounty-money for a man, perhaps a paris.h.i.+oner, who had just joined with or without his good-will. But this is insecure ground, and the meaning can but be guessed at. In 1807 there is a very different, but also unusual, item:

'Mr Sowden's huntsman for killing a fox, 3s. 4d.'

To return to Mr Brown's 'Record,' the memoranda are followed by a long and very interesting list of 'Parochial Superst.i.tions,' some of which, but not all, are generally known. He also tells one or two stories with a caustic touch where he might have suggested a supernatural atmosphere.

'”The Parsonage is haunted.” This has been a.s.serted for 100 years, at least. It is still a.s.serted, and proved too by the following story, invented by Jacob Wright, a lively servant of mine in 1814. ”'Jacob,'

said my master, 'come into my room. I am going to lay the ghost--don't be frightened.' Well, we went in, and frightened enough I was when I saw the ghost fly out of the window with _Master's hat and wig_.”'

If only Mr Brown had had enough imagination to omit the word 'invented'!

His eyes must have twinkled again while he was enjoying the following speech: 'It is reported that a calf with two heads has been seen in Hare Lane. Hannah Splatt says: ”Though I have walked about as a nurse at all hours, I never saw anything _more frightful_ than myself.”' The italics in both cases are his. Superst.i.tions are followed by a long list of words that strike him (who must have come from 'up the country') as peculiar, though many of them are commonly used to-day. And he makes one delightful quotation. In mentioning the fact that Devons.h.i.+re people say 'to' where others say 'at'--far instance, 'working to blacksmith's,' or 'living to Exeter'--he writes: 'Dr Atterbury used to say that if he had been Bishop of Exeter, the Devons.h.i.+re folks would have called him Dr To Terbury.'

Rejoining the Teign, one descends a valley very beautiful, but less striking than Fingle Gorge, the sides wider apart and less high, but thickly wooded. It is especially lovely in late March or early April, when the woodbine wreaths give an earnest of what the spring's full touch will bring, and buds are bursting and tiny quilled leaves showing on the hazels scattered among the oaks that form the chief substance of the coppices. Near Dunsford lies a sea of blue-green daffodil spears, with the pale gold flowers showing among them. These flowers push up among the rustling brown leaves, under interlacing branches overhead, but at a turn of the river a large flat meadow spreads out before one, and here the daffodils indeed 'dance' in their myriads. Just beyond is the bridge below Dunsford, and here are several tiny islands, each about large enough to hold a sapling and a tangle of overflowing green that trails into the water; and rus.h.i.+ng by on each side, after falling over a little weir, the river dashes itself into a line of foam and races on under the archway.

Some miles down the valley and east of the river is Doddis...o...b..leigh, whose chief feature is its church. The chancel is early Decorated, the nave and north aisle Perpendicular, and in the windows of this aisle, and more especially in the east window, is some good stained gla.s.s--a rarity in the churches in this neighbourhood. The subject, a rather uncommon one in England, is the Seven Sacraments, and, as the old gla.s.s was no longer intact, the window has been lately restored.

Farther south, and on the other side of the river, is Christow, with its granite Perpendicular church. In the porch is a tribute to long service--a stone to

NICHOLAS BUSSELL, 46 years clark Heere dyed xix Feb. 1631.