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November, 2010:

The Stuart Hibberd Story

Nov 28th, 2010
by Dorset Ancestors.
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“Goodnight, everybody, goodnight”

This mellifluous farewell would have been familiar to those with radios tuning in to the then Home Service of the BBC during the post-war years. The “Golden Voice” belonged to Stuart Hibberd, one of the earliest celebrity broadcasters of the Corporation’s early and intermediate periods, who with his friend and fellow Dorsetman Ralph Wightman set an example of a standard in radio presentation, which has now largely lapsed. By the time of his death in November 1983 at the ripe old age of 90, Hibberd could look back on an illustrious career, and one not without its firsts in the field of radio.

Stuart Hibberd was born in the east of the county into a Broadstone family in 1893, and educated at Weymouth College, from where he won a choral scholarship to St. John’s College, Cambridge. On the outbreak of war in 1914 he joined the Dorset Regiment, going on to serve with distinction in the Gallipoli campaign and also with the army in India.

Having survived the war he passed a somewhat aimless and obscure five years, during which time, in 1923, he married Alice Chichester, daughter of Lt Col Gerard Chichester, a senior officer of his former regiment. But the following year Hibberd’s big break came. Spotting a newspaper advertisement placed by the just two-year-old BBC for a Broadcaster/Announcer, he applied for the job and was accepted. Despite being a rural Dorsetian the successful candidate possessed one excellent credential he spoke RP (received pronunciation) which stood him in good stead when he was engaged to fill the announcer vacancy at the then headquarters of the BBC at Savoy Hill.

At this London station Hibberd was soon promoted to Chief Announcer. With impeccable annunciation, his voice soon became the best known on the airwaves. Hibberd was one of the very earliest of the radio newscasters, at a time when the transmission of bulletins was not allowed before 7 p.m. When live outside broadcasts of dance music were begun in the mid 1920’s the studio microphone was fitted with a cut-out switch to prevent dancers from relaying illegal adverts or messages to friends.

The General Strike of 1926 burdened Hibberd and his colleagues with additional responsibilities, as newspapers were not being printed, compelling the public to rely on the BBC for all special news of the stoppage. The Savoy Hill station had to be put under heavy police guard, which was maintained there throughout the ten days of the strike. Because of the extra news, bulletins had to be extended, and senior staff was brought in to help. One rather curious stipulation the BBC made at this time was that all announcers had to wear dinner jackets. Stuart Hibberd did not object to this ruling, but nevertheless hated the tight collars and stiff, short cuffs, which creaked when he was reading on the air!

In March 1932 the Broadcasting House building in Portland Place became operational, and Hibberd made broadcasting history on the 13th by reading the first news bulletin ever transmitted from the Corporation’s new home. The 39-year-old broadcaster initially found the building depressing, though this in no way hampered his professionalism. Few in the media would have been surprised when in 1935 at the age of 42 Hibberd was awarded the MBE for his services to radio.

The Second World War inevitably brought about something of a seismic shift in the BBC’s operations and scheduling, which included the start of regular midday news bulletins. In April 1940 Hibberd was transferred for a while to the BBC’s station at Bristol. Here, he and his colleagues became closely involved with the news flooding in from the many theatres of war and were – by proxy- an indispensable part of the war effort on the home front. Possibly to avoid the stigma of being a non-combatant “reserved occupationists” Hibberd served in the Home Guard in his out of work hours until July 1942, when he was able to return to Broadcasting House. With the slow return to normality after the war, the BBC ventured into new broadcasting territory with shows such as Tommy Handley’s ITMA; Hibberd himself took part- and sang- on Children’s Hour from time to time.

During these years too, Hibberd’s thoughts and philosophy about what made good broadcasting practise crystallised in his mind. Like all experienced broadcasters he was conscious of the importance of writing for the voice, as distinct from the printed page. This had been realised in the early days of radio, when a special technique had to be contrived. But Hibberd went further: he founded a blueprint or guide to good presentation for his successors to follow. For example he advocated that broadcasters should avoid long sentences and instead script those which slide easily off the tongue. Phrases like: “the Soviet & Finnish State” or “extraordinary orderliness of the room” should be avoided. Hibberd also eschewed parentheses, believing their use should be kept to a minimum because of the difficulty in making meanings clear, and the need to vary intonation of the voice.

For their retirement Stuart and Alice made their home in Devon, where sadly Alice died childless in 1977. Stuart always maintained close ties with his native county, and was elected Vice President of the Society of Dorset Men, a position he held for the rest of his life. His book ‘This is London’ is an autobiographical reminiscence of his experiences over 26 years of his broadcasting career and his fond memories of the many personalities he met in this capacity. Referring to the programme broadcast on Christmas Day 1946, he wrote “…the outstanding performance was given by Ralph Wightman, who introduced a man named Cross from Dorchester; he was so homely and sincere in his approach, and forthright too, that I felt very proud of my native county.”

Of Stuart Hibberd himself, it was remarked that he was unusually tall for his time, one of the loftiest men to walk the BBC corridors. He was kindly and courteous, but reticent, and modest enough never to seek fame or accolades, but was always popular with the public and colleagues.

NB: In May 1957 Stuart Hibberd was featured on ‘This is Your Life.’

Memories of Weymouth’s Old High Street

Nov 22nd, 2010
by Dorset Ancestors.
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Weymouth can be a busy town – in summer holidaymakers crowd the seafront and the town, in winter it’s more peaceful, although the shopping streets are usually busy. Now the Christmas lights are on, the seasonal atmosphere aids the traditional pursuit of spending money and more money.

A Dorset Echo columnist commented that far too much of old Weymouth and Melcombe Regis has been demolished. That is certainly true, but there are still unexpected examples of the old towns which have somehow survived the march of modernisation. Some look increasingly threatened by neglect.

In Elizabethan times, it was Melcombe Regis on the north bank of the River Wey – where the modern town centre is now situated – and Weymouth on the south bank. There were many rows and disputes, until the Privy Council and the Queen forced the two boroughs to unite in 1571.

In the old borough of Weymouth – behind the ghastly concrete structure of the modern Council Offices – stands the rump of the old High Street. Leading from Holy Trinity Church to Boot Hill, this was the trading centre of the old borough – controversially demolished in the early 1960s, considered by many to have been a great corporate act of vandalism.

The old High Street, with the raised pavement, even today has something of the charm of Tudor England. The two oldest buildings are The Boot pub and the Old Town Hall opposite. The old centre of local government is mired in controversy as the owners, Weymouth & Portland Borough Council, have allowed this grade II listed building to decay for years. Repairs are estimated at over £100,000 and the council say it doesn’t have the money. Having installed a “temporary” odd replacement window, plastic drainpipes and chicken-wire over the windows, local criticism over their lack of stewardship has been increasing.

Across the road from the Old Town Hall, the splendid grade II listed Boot dates to about 1600. Well known to real ale drinkers, The Boot has won their Wessex Region Pub of the Year by the Campaign for Real Ale. This fine old pub, Weymouth’s oldest, is also lauded in the Good Beer Guide and the Good Pub Guide.
 
There are two versions of how the pub got its name. In the days of Queen Elizabeth I, the River Wey flowed at the back of the pub, with the public slipway running down the side. The Melcombe Regis ferry operated from here and “Boat Inn” could have been corrupted to “Boot Inn.” Others speak of the fact that the Dorchester to Portland mail coach would stop at the inn and force those sitting on top to help push the coach boot up the Hill. Did Boot Hill get its name from the pub, or vice versa? That is unclear.

The hooded stone mullion windows are certainly late Tudor and as the road falls away to the level of the old boat ramp, one door is at lower level.  Built on a slope, the bare boarded rise carries on up into the main room, which opens out to the full width of the house. A waist-high skirting board follows round the room and the walls are adorned with local pictures. The black beams are certainly original and the inside has a warm, homely feel. In winter, a real fire warms the room. A carpeted snug forms the right hand room, leading to a few more stairs and the short bar to the right.

Local historian Mark Vine has been researching the Civil War and highlights the many battles that were fought around The Boot and the old High Street. He rightly criticises the lack of official interest in an important historical story and battle site. Many royalist and parliamentary soldiers lost their lives in these skirmishes, the existence of which is not marked in any way.

In 1645, Colonel William Sydenham and his Commonwealth troops set up a defensive line at the top of High Street, near the Boot Inn. Roundheads set up cannon on the raised pavement by the Town Hall and pounded King Charles’ men every time they looked out of The Boot’s door! Eventually, there was a battle royal in High Street and a major massacre of 500 Royalists ensued, right outside the pub and along the quayside.

Storm at Marnhull – 1843

Nov 15th, 2010
by Dorset Ancestors.
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In July of 1843 a severe storm brought death and destruction to the Dorset village of Marnhull. The villagers suffered thunder and lightning, accompanied by very high winds with huge hail stones raining down on them. Several men were knocked senseless by lightning and injured; John Hasket, Joseph Warren, Robert and Sara Blackmore were lying injured days after the storm and narrowly escaped the fate of one young fellow, John Fudge, who was killed outright when lightning struck them. Livestock were killed, some animals being burned alive as the hayrick they were sheltering under was struck by a bolt of lightning. The apples, plums, gooseberries, and currants were beaten off the trees; banks and walls carried away with the water, hailstones measuring three inches still remained after 24 hours.

This storm was the harbinger of worse to come though it isn’t clear how badly Dorset was damaged by the second storm that tore across the country in August, and which thundered its way from Norfolk through Cambridgeshire and on into the Midlands. Following this second storm the General Hail Insurance Company was formed, later to become Norwich Union.

In the late 18th and early 19th century it was not unusual for people to live out their lives where they were born, their history recorded in the registers of just one parish church. So it was for John Fudge the second son of Samuel and Elizabeth Fudge; he was followed into this world by another brother and five sisters. His life, though, was cruelly extinguished by the storm.

John was baptised at Marnhull on the 8th of December 1816. On the 25th of February 1837, he married a girl from the parish, Frances Abigail White. Four years older than John, she was baptised at the church on the 18th of May 1812. In their turn they took their first child Henry to be baptised on Christmas Day 1839, a duty they performed for George White, their second son, on 19th of November, 1842.

The following year proved disastrous for this small family. The Register of Burials at Marnhull records that John Fudge at the age of just 26 years was buried on the 16th of July 1843 and worse was to follow. Henry we think may have pre-deceased his father and George, while still a babe in arms, lost his mother a few weeks later; her burial was recorded on the 22nd of October 1843 with no second chance of happiness for her. Sadly there is every reason to think George didn’t survive infancy.

We know about this devastating storm from a letter sent from Marnhull on the 16th of July 1843. Written by William Lewis and addressed to his daughter Mary Ward who he asks to pass it on to her brother John: they both lived in King Street, Wimborne Minster.

Mary was married to George Ward a Tallow Chandler and Robert the son of Mary’s brother Edward was Ward’s apprentice: George and Mary had a son and a daughter. John Lewis was married and employed as a Rural Post Messenger; he was married to Sarah Masterman Fripp; the couple had three sons and three daughters.

William and Lydia Lewis, just like John Fudge, were both born and lived out their lives in Marnhull achieving their allotted three score years and ten by a distance. William, baptised on 1st of February, 1778 was the son of Thomas and Mary Lewis and Lydia, baptised on 2nd of April 1782, was the daughter of Edward and Lydia Young. William and Lydia married at Marnhull on the 22nd of February 1810 and they had four children: Edward (1810); Mary (1813); John (1815); and Elizabeth (1821). We learn from the census of 1851 that William was a Hosier and Lydia a Dressmaker. We know William was literate and the Militia List tells us he was 5’4” tall. William’s passing is recorded in the Marnull Burial Register on 10th of August 1860 and Lydia, the Register reveals, was buried five months later on 28th of December 1860.

William Lewis’s graphic description of the storm continues “…there was another wagon near where William Galpen and Edward Acouts sister-in-law was and seeing what was happening they ran and dragged them out, else they could all have been burnt to death as all of them struck senseless and some crippled.. Mr Foox was coming that way and says he never witnessed such a scene.” And he goes on to say “…your dear Mother was in the pantry on her knees praying for herself and her dear children…”

Minterne Magna

Nov 8th, 2010
by Dorset Ancestors.
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The parish church dedicated to St. Andrew sits in beautiful and mostly wooded countryside in the Cerne Valley about eight miles south of Sherborne. The main route from that town to Dorchester runs through the village past, and some might say dangerously close to, the entrance.

With a population of only about 200 it is not surprising that the village lacks all the usual amenities. There are no shops, post office or garage, but it does enjoy the benefit of Minterne House with its gardens and parkland that are open to the public and draw in many visitors from March to early November.

Minterne Magna has connections to many powerful and influential families both at home and overseas, a boast confirmed by memorials to members of the Churchill, Napier and Digby families inside the church. In the churchyard is the tomb of Admiral Sir Henry Digby, who was presented with the Sword of Honour for the part he played as the Captain of the HMS Africa at the battle of Trafalgar over two centuries ago.

The church has walls built from local rubble and flint with dressings of ashlars and Ham Hill stone. It is entered through the slim west tower and comprises a nave, chancel and north chapel. The nave and chancel were built in the early part of the 15th century; the north chapel was added about two hundred years later and the west tower was rebuilt in 1800 and heightened during restoration work carried out in 1894. The tower is home to two late medieval bells.

The chancel has a partly restored east window with three lights; in the north wall is a 15th century window with two lights and in the south wall are two windows: the western modern and the eastern similar to that in the north wall. The doorway is 15th century, as is the chancel arch.

As you walk down the nave from the west tower entrance towards the chancel, there are the huge wall-mounted monuments to Napier’s and Digby’s. They tell of famous ancestors: Sir Nathaniel Napier who built the Alms Houses in Dorchester known as Napier’s Mite; of Charles Churchill who as a boy was page to King Christian of Denmark and later became a Gentleman of the Bedchamber to Prince George. He fought with his brother The Duke of Marlborough at Blenhein.

In the south wall of the name are three windows, the middle one modern, the other two of the 15th century. The late 17th century arch is partly obscured by the gallery and the organ. The octagonal bowl of the font is 15th century, though the base is modern.

On my previous visit to St. Andrew’s in 2005 the east wall of the north chapel was scarred back to the stone. This was because of emergency action taken to remove the huge Napier monument after it had become dangerous, with bits and pieces falling off it while the whole monument was moving away from the wall where it had hung for more than two and a half centuries. Enquiries revealed it was likely to need £12,000 to repair the monument and place it safely back in position; a fund had been started but it was anticipated some time would pass before the monument would be seen again.

It is now returned to its place in the north chapel. The white veined marble monument has Corinthian side-columns, entablatures, continuous cornice, cartouche-of-arms, putti and allegorical female figures. To Sir Nathaniel Napier, Bart., 1708-9, and Jane (Worsley), 1692, and Catherine (Alington), 1724, wives of his son Sir Nathaniel Napier, Bart. For all its size and dominance the monument cannot detract from the wonderful north chapel window of five four-centered lights, the middle light higher than the rest.

The monuments here are huge and overpowering and arguably unsuited for such a small church but the windows are beautiful. There are several photographs of the church, monuments and windows in the gallery. If you visit St. Andrew’s take care as you leave – you could be just one step from heaven!

Toller Fratrum

Nov 1st, 2010
by Dorset Ancestors.
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During the 11th century the Knights Hospitallers, the brethren of St. John of Jerusalem, came to the area below Beaminster Heights and Toller Down and settled in what became known as Toller Fratrum. Toller is a reference to the Hundred of Tollerford and Fratrum is Latin for Brothers. Here the knights set up home and built their storehouses.

The church we see here today is from the 19th century but inside there are two ancient relics. In the wall and dating from the 12th century is a fragment of a relief illustrating Mary Magdalene wiping Christ’s feet with her hair and the tub-shaped font strangely decorated with archaic figures including a two headed monster that may be of Saxon date. The church is of a simple single cell design comprising a nave, chancel and small bell-turret.

It is one of only three churches in England dedicated to St. Basil the Great, an honour more usually bestowed on churches in the east. St. Basil ruled over fifty bishoprics in the fourth century. Over looking the river Hooke, a tributary of the river Frome, the church is set a little aside from the manor house, farm buildings and workers cottages that make up this hamlet, the smallest of the three Tollers; the others being Toller Porcorum or Great Toller and Toller Whelme.

The Manor House, built on the site of the original Knight’s home and nowadays known as Little Toller Farm, and the thatched outbuilding were erected in 1540 by John Samway of Winterbourne Martin, who purchased the estate in 1540. The west of the house was added later. There is a chimney breast near the centre with two tall twisted stacks and a gable finial carved as a monkey with a mirror.

On John Samway’s death in 1586 the manor passed to Robert Samway, who left it to Bernard Samway when he died in 1620. Through marriage Toller Fratrum became the property of Francis Fulford of Devon and remained in this family for over a century. The Tudor work including several Tudor windows must be credited to John Samway but it was the Royalist Sir Thomas Fulford who was responsible for adding the west part of the building.

The Fulford family were also joined in marriage with the Sydenham’s who, in the middle of the 16th century, moved into the Manor of neighbouring Wynford Eagle, coming originally from Somerset. The marriage of Thomas Sydenham to Elizabeth Fulford is recorded at Wynford Eagle on 15th of June 1581 and in 1694 there is a record of the marriage of John Sydenham to the widow Susannah Fulforde. Wynforde Eagle was a chapelry of Toller Fratrum.