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DEVONIAN YEAR BOOK
1916'/^
^
ILLUMINATED ADDRESS
Presented to Captain William Pillar by the London Devonian Association.
Frontispiece
THE
I
Devonian Year Book
I
FOR THE YEAR
191
in I
(SEVENTH YEAR OF PUBLICATION)
R. PEARSE CHORE, B.A.
One's native place is the shell of one's soul, and one's church is the kernel of that nut.
H. Belloc, The Path to Rome.
PUBLISHED BY
Xon&cii: THE LONDON DEVONIAN ASSOCIATION
(JOHN W. SHAWYER, Hon. Sec.) 16. Regent Street. S.W.
[ SIMPKIN. MARSHALL, HAMILTON. KENT & CO. LTD.
>16ri5t0l : JOHN WRIGHT & SONS LTD.. STONE BRIDGE
(/or the West cf England and South Wales).
w
JOHN WRIGHT AND SONS LTD., I'RINTERF, BRISTOL.
• "'N2S1SS4 S78740
Contents.
The London Devonian Association — Officers and Com- mittees - - - - - - -7
The Year's Work - - - - - - 10
Devonshire Patriotic Fund - - - - - 13
Died for their Country - - - - - i5
" For Dartymoor " - - - - - 22
Captain WiUiam Pillar — A Devon Hero - - - 23
'Devon Men" - - - - - - 28
WilHam Hayman Cummings, Mus.D. — Dr. T. Lea Southgate 29 Notes and Gleanings - - - - - 35
" Drake's Drum " — Sir Henry Newbolt - - -51
New Light on Drake — Sir Clements R. Markham, K.C.B. 52 " Called Up "—Dudley Clark - - - - 54
Farthest from Railways : An Unknown Corner of Devon
— R. Pearse Chope - - - - - 55
"The Visitors' Book : Hartland Quay "— R. A. Knox - 76 The Saints of Devon, Part IL — Rev. J. F. Chanter - "]"]
Some Recent Devonian Literature — H. Tapley-Soper - 107 AffiUated Societies ------ 109
Devonian Societies not Affiliated - - - - 120
Rules of the London Devonian Association - - - 121
List of Members and Associates - - - - 124
Officers and Committees
The London Devonian Association. Officers and Committees.
1915-16.
President :
The Right Hon. the Earl of HALSBURY, P.C.
Paat Presidents :
The Right Hon. Earl FORTESCUE, K.C.B., A.D.C., Lord-Lieutenant
of Devon (1909-10). The Right Hon. Lord NORTHCOTE, G.C.M.G., G.C.I.E., C.B.
(1910-11).
Vice>Presidents :
The Right Hon. the Earl of MOUNT EDGCUMBE, P.C, G.C.V.O.,
VD. The Right Hon. the Viscount ST. CYRES. The Right Rev. the LORD BISHOP OF EXETER. The Right Hon. Lord CHURSTON, M.V.O.
The Right Hon. Lord CLIFFORD OF CHUDLEIGH, VD, A.D.C. The Right Hon. Lord SEATON.
The Right Hon. H. E. DUKE, K.C., M.P., Exeter (Plymouth). The Right Hon. GEORGE LAMBERT, P.C, M.P. South Molton
{Spreyton) . Sir CLIFFORD J. CORY, Bart., M.P. (Bideford). Sir H. Y.-B. LOPES, Bart. (Roborough). Sir WILFRID PEEK, Bart. (Rousdon). Sir GEORGE W. KEKEWICH, K.C.B., D.C.L. [Peamore). Lady MARKHAM (Arlington).
Sir roper LETHBRIDGE, K.C.I.E., M.A., D.L., J. P. (Exbourne). Sir JOHN JACKSON, K.C.V.O., M.P. Devonport. Lt.-Col. Sir FREDK. UPCOTT, K.C.V.O., CS.I. (Cullompton) . Sir EDWIN A. CORNWALL, M.P. (Lapford). Sir JOHN W. SPEAR, M.P. Tavistock (Tavistock). Sir harry J. VEITCH (Exeter). Commander H. L. L. PENNELL, R.N. (Awliscombe). Colonel E. T. CLIFFORD, VD (Exeter). Major WALDORF ASTOR, M.P. Plymouth. Major A. C MORRISON-BELL, M.P. Honiton (Harpford). Captain E. F. MORRISON-BELL, M.P. Ashburton (C'hudleigh). T. DYKE ACLAND, Esq., M.D., F.R.CP. (Columb-John). A. SHIRLEY BENN. Esq., M.P. Plymouth.
Rev. W. p. BESLEY, M.A. (Barnstaple). Minor Canon of St. Paul's. J. B. BURLACE, Esq., F.R.G.S., F.Z.S. (Brixham). JOHN COLES, Esq., J. P. (Tiverton). A. E. DUNN, Esq. (Exeter). H. T. EASTON. Esq. (Exeter). JOHN GALSWORTHY, Esq. (Manaion).
The Devonian Year Book, 1916
Vice-Presidents : — Continued.
Rev. H. R. GAMBLE, M.A. {Barnstaple), Hon. Chaplain to the King.
ALLEN GILL, Esq., F.R.A.M. {Devonport).
T. CANN HUGHES, Esq., M.A., F.S.A. (Hittisleigh).
JOHN LANE, Esq. {West Putford).
F. B. MILDMAY, Esq., M.P. Totnes {Flete. Ivybridge). R. J. PARR, Esq. {Torquay).
Rev. RICHARD PEEK, M.A. {Drewsteignion). EDEN PHILLPOTTS, Esq. {Exeter). P. E. PILDITCH, Esq., J. P., L.C.C. {Kingsbridge) . J. C. PILLMAN, Esq., J.P. {Plymouth). Alderman C. PINKHAM, J. P.. C.C. {Plympion).
G. H. RADFORD, Esq., LL.B., M.P. {Plymouth). SYDNEY SIMMONS, Esq.. J.P. {Okehampton). S. M. SKINNER, Esq.
MICHAEL B. SNELL, Esq., J.P. {Barnstaple).
H. TAPLEY-SOPER, Esq. {Stoke Gabriel).
Rev. W. temple, M.A. {Exeter).
HENRY TOZER, Esq. {Exeter).
HENRY VIVIAN, Esq. {Cornwood).
Rev. a. J. WALDRON {Plymouth).
H. MICHELL WHITLEY, Esq., M.Inst.C.E. {Plymouth).
Rev. H. S. WOOLLCOMBE. M.A. {Northlew).
Chairman of the Association :
Colonel E. T. CLIFFORD, VD {Exeter). Cranley Gardens, South Kensington, S.VV.
Committee :
Chairman.
Alderman C. Pinkham, J. P., C.C. {Plympion),
Linden Lodge, Winchester Avenue, Brondcsbury, N.W.
Deputy Chairman. R. Pearse Chope, B.A. {Hartland), Patent Office, 25, Southampton Buildings, W.C. Prof. W. S. Abell, M.I.N.A. {Exmouth), 11, Wedderburn Road, Hamp-
stead, N.W. Stanley J. Bowen {London Bidefordian Soc), 22, St. Paul's Churchyard,
E.C. G. E. Bridgeman {Ugborough), 8, Lavender Sweep, Clapham Common,
S.W. J. B. Burlace {Brixham), 38, Corfton Road, Ealing, W. Norman W. Champion {Sheldon), 8, Holmewood Gardens, Brixton Hill,
S.W. N. Cole {Salcombe), 45, Allerton Road, Lordship Park, Stoke Newing-
ton, N. G. W. Davey {Sampford Spiney), 16, John Street, Bedford Row, W.C. J. Donald {Three Towns Assoc). " Westleigh," Whytecliffe Road,
Purley, Surrey. H. Geald (Threepton), la, Middle Temple Lane, E.C. H. H. M. Hancock {Barumites in London), 56, Devereux Road, Wands- worth Common, S.W. W. Inman {Stoke Gabriel), Sherbourne, Longley Road, Tooting, S.W. W. J. McCormack, J.P. {Plymouth), Dunkeld. Slough, Bucks. F. A. Perry {Tiverton), 4, Kirchen Road, West Ealing.
I
Officers and Committees
John Ryall (Exeter Club), 94, Jerningham Road, New Cross, S.E. J. Summers {Old Ottregians Soc), 44, Grove Hill Road, Peckham, S.E. J. H. Taylor (Northam), The Lodge, Old Deer Park, Richmond.
F. G. Wright (Tiverton), 10, Old Deer Park Gardens, Richmond. Robert Yandle (Tivertonian Assoc), 22, Carter Lane, E.C.
Hon. Auditors. Gilbert Harris (Plymouth), 78, Wood Street, E.C. J. Arnold Hill, C.A. (Holcombe Rogus), 19a. Coleman Street, E.C.
Hon. Treasurer. H. Brinsmead Squire (Torrington), London County & Westminster Bank, Ltd., 90, Wood Street, E.C.
Hon. Assistant Secretary. R. Stewart Barnes (Vealmpton), 53, Moorgate Street, E.C.
Hon. Secretary. John W. Shawyer (West Buckland School O.B.A.), 5, Hemington Avenue, Friem Barnet, N.
Benevolent Fund Sub-committee :
G. E. Bridgeman, G. W. Davey, H. H. M. Hancock, W. Inman, J. H.
Taylor.
Finance Sub-committee :
J. B. Burlace, G. W. Davey, W. Inman, W. J. McCorm.vck, J. Summers.
Year Book Sub-committee :
Prof. W. S. Abell, J. B. Burlace, H. Geen, F. A. Perry.
Representatives on the English County Societies Conference :
Colonel E. T. Clifford (Chairman of the Conference), G. W. Davey, J. W. Shawyer (ex officio).
National Memorial to Drake.
President : The Right Hon. Winston Churchill, M.P.
The London Devonian Association is represented on the Executive of the National Committee by Colonel E. T. Clifford, Vice-Chairman, The Right. Hon. George Lambert, Hon Treasurer, Major A. Clive Morrison- Bell, M.P., P. E. Pilditch, J.P., L.C.C, G. H. Radford, M.P., and J. W. Shawyer.
Note. — The Chairman of the Association, the Chairman of Committee, the Deputy Chairman, the Hon. Treasurer, the Hon. Assistant Secre- tary, and the Hon. Secretary axe ex officio members of the Committee and of all Sub-committees.
k
10 The Devonian Year Book, 1916
The Year's Work.
Under the stress of War the normal functions of the County Societies in London have necessarily undergone great change. The disposition of members to meet at social gatherings for mere enjoyment has rightly given place to a heartfelt desire for the direction of energies and resources into channels where they can best be utilized for the alleviation of the hardships of fellow- countymen who are fighting England's battles on the sea and on lands beyond the sea, and of those whose ill fortune has led them as prisoners of war into the hands of enemies devoid of chivalry — devoid even of the common dictates of humanity ; for the provision of comforts and practical assistance to those who have been broken in their country's service ; and for the augmentation of the national provision for the dependents of our soldiers and sailors.
Two Concerts were held by the Association during the year for the furtherance of these objects. The first was in aid of the Devonshire Patriotic Fund, in the Great Hall of the Cannon Street Hotel, presided over by the Right Hon. George Lambert, M.P., Civil Lord of the Admiralty, and resulted in a substantial sum being handed over. The opportunity was taken of inviting Captain William Pillar, the skipper of the trawler Provident, of Brixham, to attend and be presented with an illuminated address recording his gallant act of rescuing 71 survivors of H.M.S. Formidable, which had been torpedoed in the English Channel by a German submarine. A full account of this function appears on pages 23-27.
The second Concert was held under the presidency of the Right Hon. T. J. Macnamara, LL.D., ParUamentary Secretary of the Admiralty, at the Balham Assembly Rooms, generously placed at the disposal of the Committee by Mr. J. B. Beare, a native of Devon. The proceeds were, on the advice of Earl Fortescue, forwarded to the Mayoress of Exeter for the purpose of being added to her fund for soldiers and sailors already in existence.
Mr. R. P. Chope gave the members of the Association an illustrated lantern lecture on " Farthest from Railways : an Unknown Corner of Devon," a full report of which appears on pages 55-75. The chair was taken by Mr. J. C. Pillman, J. P., one of our Vice-Presidents, and there was an excellent attendance.
The Year's Work ii
The Children's Party was held as usual at the Holborn Hall, and was a distinct success, 134 children and over 160 adults being present. A distinct and charming innovation was the presence of a number of Belgian Refugees, to whom special invitations had been sent.
The Annual Dinner and the Annual River Trip were both cancelled.
Owing to the fact that the greater number of Devonians in London on whom the Rifle Club relied for support have joined His Majesty s Forces, the attendance at the Rifle Club has been meagre, and consequently the Committee have decided to dis- continue for the present their arrangements for the use of the National Reserve Rifle Association Range at Blackfriars. In this connection it is recorded with regret that Mr. G. B. Godsland, the Captain of the Club, and Mr. R. W. Mourant, both of whom shot for the Association in the Winans' Cup Competition, have fallen in action.
Reference has been made to the Devonshire Patriotic Fund which was instituted at the suggestion of Earl Fortescue ; as a result of the Committee's efforts the sum of £223 Os. 5d. has been received. Details are given on pages 13-14. The fund remains open, and contributions will be gladly received by the Hon. Treasurer.
During the year 40 new members were elected, and it is in- teresting to note there are now 16 Home Societies and 8 Societies of Devonians abroad affiliated to the Association, in addition to 18 Home and 5 Colonial Societies, which may be regarded as Corresponding Societies.
The Association has had the misfortune to lose through death three of its most distinguished Vice-Presidents, viz.. Dr. W. H. Cummings, the Hon. Lionel Walrond, and Mr. W. H. K. Wright. Obituary notices appear elsewhere. The Rev. William Temple, M.A., Rector of St. James's, Piccadilly, son of the famous Arch- bishop, and Mr. S. M. Skinner, Chairman of John Barker & Co., Ltd., have been elected Vice-Presidents.
The Annual General Meeting of the Association was held at Anderton's Hotel, Colonel E. T. Clifford occupying the chair. Messrs. J. B. Burlace, G. W. Davey, W. J. McCormack, and W. H. Smart retired and were re-elected. Mr. Henry Gillham, who had served on the Committee for six years, resigned owing to indifferent health, and Mr. F. G. Wright, one of the original members, was elected in his stead. Mr. R. Stewart Barnes was elected Hon. Assistant Secretary. Mr. W. H. Smart resigned the position of Hon. Subscription Secretary, and the thanks of the Association are due to him not only for the work done by
12 The Devonian Year Book, 1916
him in his official capacity, but also for the great amount of time generously given by him in connection with his duties as Hon. Secretary of the Entertainment Committee. Mr. Smart remains on the Committee, so the Association can still rely on his cordial co-operation and assistance whenever opportunity arises. All the other officers were re-elected.
After the disposal of the routine business, the Chairman referred to the disappointment the Committee of the National Memorial to Drake in London had experienced, owing to the fact that, although the matter was so near completion, it had had to stand over entirely owing to the War. He also referred to a scheme which had been put forward by the Conference of the English County Societies in London which would enable members of all the affiliated Societies to have an opportunity of under- taking the visitation of and provision of comforts for wounded soldiers and sailors, natives of their own counties, now lying in London hospitals. The meeting cordially appreciated the scheme, which, we learn, is approaching completion.
The membership of the Association still falls far short of what it should be, and the co-operation of existing members in ex- tending its ramifications amongst their many friends from the old County in London would lead to a corresponding extension of the influence and value of the organization. It will be readily recognized how necessary this is for the effective realization of the immediate objects indicated above, and the consequent material benefit to those who have so generously answered their country's call. The question of employment of the partially disabled after the War is one which particularly commends itself, and looms large on the horizon ; much good might be done in this direction. The direct connections of the Com- mittee must necessarily be limited ; it is therefore hoped that every reader of this book will lose no opportunity of helping to increase the membership, and so forwarding the interests of the London Devonian Association in the best practical manner.
J. W. S.
A Wish.
One thing I ask of Heaven :
A very httle gold. That I may go to Devon
And live there till I'm old.
Geoffrey Dennis.
Devonshire Patriotic Fund
Devonshire Patriotic Fund.
In the last Year Book was given a first list of subscriptions to this fund obtained through the London Devonian Association. The amount actually received was £170 5s. 6d. Since this book was published the following additional subscriptions have been received, making a total of {223 Os. 5d., and a cheque for £200 has been sent to the Treasurer of the fund. The subscription Hst is still open, and it is hoped that many more contributions will be received during the coming year.
The object of the fund is to give assistance in case of need to the wives, famihes, and other dependent relatives of Sailors and Soldiers (Regulars and Territorials) belonging to the County, and to aid in the care of the sick and wounded. In addition to providing monetary assistance in these cases, the Fund is being utilized to purchase materials for the use of the numerous ladies' working parties which have been formed to make hospital garments and clothing comforts for the troops.
SECOND LIST OF SUBSCRIPTIONS.
Amount previously acknowledged Devonshire Patriotic Fund Concert Hong-Kong Devonian Society Subscribers : —
£ s. d.
170 5 6
24 811
20 o o
W. Barret, Esq.
A. J. J. Brock, Esq.
G. K. Hall Brutton, Esq.
F. T. Chappie, Esq. Dr. Francis Clark
G. Curry, Esq.
A. C. Dennys, Esq. H. L. Dennys, Esq. J. A. Dove, Esq.
A. Dunrich, Esq.
H. R. G. Elson, Esq. F. Goodman, Esq.
B. A. Hale, Esq.
H. C. R. Hancock, Esq. R. H. Hancock, Esq. F. A Hazeland, Esq
C. W. Heard, Esq
P. M. Hodgson, Esq.
A. Shelton Hooper, Esq.
J. Hooper, Esq.
Philip Jacks, Esq.
E. P. H. Lang, Esq.
J. D. Lloyd, Esq.
G. C. Moxon, Esq.
M. Stafford Northcote, Esq.
Dr. W. W. Pearsel
H. R. Phelips, Esq.
H. E. Pollock, Esq.
W. Pope, Esq.
Dr. J. H. Sanders
N. J. Stabb, Esq.
Dr. F. O. Stedman
C. V. Swiggs, Esq.
J. Tooker, Esq.
E. M. Tozer, Esq.
Capt. Wilde
14
The Devonian Year Book, 1916
Society of Devonians in Bristol
Eng.-Capt. VV. D. Chope, R.N.
G. W. Wilcocks, Esq.
Swansea Devonian Society . .
Miss K. Lawday
Ottregians in London, per J. Summers, Esq.
£ s-
I I
oil
d. o o o o
/223
With reference to the contribution from the Hong-Kong Devonian Society, the Hon. Secretary (Mr. PhiHp Jacks) writes : " This amount has been collected by the Hong-Kong Devonian Society, to which most of the Devon men in this Colony have subscribed their mite. People here generally have already subscribed or are subscribing a percentage of their monthly pay to the Prince of Wales' Fund, so that we could not get as large a sum for the Devon Fund as we might otherwise have done. On the receipt of your letter I called a meeting of the Committee of the local Devonian Society, who decided that, instead of holding the Annual Dinner this year, the members should be asked to subscribe a small sum for the benefit of the men of Devon and their families who are in distress owing to the war."
The Royal North Devon Hussars.
An Appeal for Comforts.
The following letter from Earl Fortescue has appeared in the local press : —
" Sir, — We now have information that the Royal North Devon Hussars are fighting against the Turks in the Gallipoli Peninsula. We know there are many in Devon who would wish to help in sending comforts to the men, and are therefore appeaUng through your colunjns for money to provide plum puddings, cigarettes, tobacco, chocolate, etc. Mufflers, socks and mittens are acceptable presents. Parcels and cheques should be sent to Mrs. Sanders, 150, St. James's Court, London, S.W.
Yours truly, (Signed) Fortescue, Hon. Col. R.N.D.H."
Died for their Country 15
JBietr for tftcir (ffountnj.
Allen. — Died of wounds in France, on Sept. 26-27, i9^5» -nd Lieut. F. J. Allen, 9th Devon Regt., son of Mr. Allen, of Clapham, age 22.
Anstey. — Killed in Flanders, on June 24, 1915, Capt. George A. Anstey, ist Devon Regt., son of Maj. W. Anstey, of Fleet, Hampshire, age 27.
Aplin. — Died of wounds in France, on ^lay 13, 1915, Lieut. Elphinstone D'Oyly Aplin, 2nd Gloucester Regt., son of Lieut.-Col. H. M. Aplin, of the Royal WilHam Yard, Plymouth, age 22.
Arundell. — Killed on the Suez Canal, on Feb. 3, 1915, Capt. Reinfred Tatton Arundell, 2nd Rajputs (Indian Army), of Cheriton Fitzpaine, age 38. He saw active service in Tibet, 1903-4, taking part in the march to Lhasa.
ASHCROFT.— Killed whilst leading his men into action on Sept. 25, 1915, Lieut. Ernest Ashcroft, 8th Devon Regt., son of Wm. Ashcroft, of Prenton, Cheshire, age 31.
Bates. — Lieut. Raymond Plumptre Bates, 2nd Devon Regt., son of Philip Bates, of Bude, age 25.
Baynes. — Died from pneumonia, on March 19, 1915, following wounds received at Festhubert, on Dec. 21. Ma]. Nigel Williams Francis Baynes, Gloucester. Regt., son of W. F. Baynes, of Torquay. From 1 901-4 he was employed with the West .\frican Frontier Force, having seen active service in the South African War. 1899-1900, when he obtained the Queen's medal with two clasps.
Bennitt. — Died in France, on Oct. 7, 191 5, of wounds received in action, Capt. Harry Pynson Bennitt, 7th Seaforth High- landers, son of the late Pynson Bennitt, of Totnes. He saw service in the Somaliland, Gambia, and Gold Coast expeditions, for which he received the general African medal with three clasps.
Bewes. — Killed in France, on May 23, 1915, Lieut. Reginald Charles Hope Bewes, ist The King's (Liverpool Regt.), son of R. A. Bewes, of Plymouth, age 25.
Blacker. — Killed in France, on Oct. 18, 1915, 2nd Lieut. John Robin Blacker, ist Coldstream Guards, son of C. Blacker, of Torquay, age 18.
BoLiTHO. — Before June 3, 1915, Lieut. William Torquil Macleod Bolitho, 19th Hussars, son of Maj. W. E. T. BoHtho, D.S.O., 1st Royal Devon Imperial Yeomanry, and of Hannaford, Ashburton, age 23.
Bristowe. — Before March 19, 191. 5. Lieut. Robert Owen Bristowe, 2nd Devon Regt., age 26.
i6 The Devonian Year Book, 1916
Bruce. — Killed at the Dardanelles, on May 24, 1915, Major John Elliott Lidderdale Bruce, R.A.. son of Col. E. A. Bruce, of Barnstaple, age 45. He took part in the Wuntho Expedi- tion, 1891, was mentioned in dispatches, and received medal with clasp. In 1894-5 he took part in the Waziristan Expedition, receiving a clasp, and in 1897-8 in the operations of the Tochi Field Force on the North-West Frontier of India, and received, medal with clasp. In 1900 he received the Queen's medal with three clasps for his services in the South African War, and in 1898 was on the staff in the operations in the Mohmand country, on the North-West Frontier of India, and received medal with clasp.
Bryant. — Died at Roulers of wounds received on Apr.l 26, 1915, Capt. H. G. Bryant, 2nd Shropshire Light Infantry, son of H. S. Bryant, of Torquay. He saw service in the South African war and gained there the D.S.O.
Byfield. — Died at Boulogne, on March 24, 1915, of enteric fever contracted in the trenches. 2nd Lieut. Arthur T. S. Byfield, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infatnry, son of T. W. Byfield, of Plymouth, age 20.
Carden. — Killed in France, on Sept. 26-27, 1915, Maj. Henry Charles Carden, D.S.O., 9th Devon Regt., son of the late Sir John Carden, Bart., of Templemore, age 60. In 1900-2 he went to South Africa with the Imperial Yeomanry, was mentioned in dispatches, and received the D.S.O.
Carver. — Killed in action in France, on Sept. 25-27, 1915, Lieut. Frank Maitland Carver, 8th Devon Regt., son of Frank Carver, of Bude, age 21.
Cole. — Lost in H.M.S. Lynx, Comm. John F. H. Cole, R.N., son of R. H. Cole, of Torquay.
CoPNER. — Missing, believed killed, on Sept. 25, 1915, Lieut. Arthur Bruce Copner, Devon Regt., son of the late A. L, Copner, of Ilfracombe.
Davies. — Killed in action in France, on Sept. 25-27, 1915, 2nd Lieut. Maurice Albert Mervyn Davies, 9th Devon Regt., son of L. R. Davies, of Montagu Mansions, Portman Square, W., age 25.
DiTM.\s. — Before Jan. 19, 1915, Lieut. T. O. B. Ditmas, Devon Regt., age 28.
DoDGSON. — Killed in action in France, on Sept. 25, 1915, Lieut- Kenneth Vernon Dodgson, 8th Devon Regt., son of Rev. F. V. Dodgson, of Dr. Barnardo's Homes, Barkingside, age 24.
DowNES. — Died on Aug. 11, 1915, of wounds received at the Dardanelles, Lieut. Gilbert George Downes, 6th Lincoln Regt., son of D. G. Downes, of Up-Ottery.
Eardley-Wilmot. — On March 19, 1915, Lieut. Frederick Laurence Eardley-Wilmot, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, son of Col. A. Eardley-Wilmot, R.A., of Westward Ho, age 20.
ExELL. — On July 31, 1915, Capt. Noel Jardine Exell, 9th King's Royal Rifles, son of the Rev. Exell, of Stoke Fleming.
Died /or their Country 17
I'ergusox-Davik. — Killed at the Dardanelles, on May 9, 191.5, 2nd Lieut. Herbert George Ferguson -Davie, Royal Marines, son of Sir William Ferguson- Davie, Bt., of Greedy Park, Crediton, age 42.
l"'oRTESCUE. — On Sept. 4, 1915, Capt. Grenvillc Fortescue, nth Rifle Brigade, son of Capt. the Hon. Arthur Fortescue, Cold- steam Guards, and nephew of Earl I'ortescue, age 28.
GoLDiE. — Accidentally killed, before March 10, 191 5, Maj. Mark Leigh Goldie, D.S.O., M.V.O., Royal Horse Artillery, son of Col. M. H. G. Goldie, R.E., of Plymouth, age 39. He served with the Aro Expedition. Southern Nigeria, in 1901-2, and for his services, which were mentioned in dispatches, he received the medal with clasp and the D.S.O.
Gransmore. — Killed in action in France, on Sept. 28, 1915, Capt. Rodney Gransmore, Middlesex Regt., son of Capt. Gransmore, R.N., of Paignton, age 25.
(iRANT. — Killed in action in France, on Sept. 25, 1915, Lieut. -Col. Alexander George William Grant, Devon Regt., age 47. In the South African war he was Commandant at Eland's River, and was employed for some time with the Rand Rifles. He took part in the operations at Paardeberg, and in the actions at Poplar Grove. Dreifontein, Houtnek, and Zand River, and in other operations in the Transvaal, being mentioned in dispatches and receiving the brevet rank of major, the Queen's medal with five clasps, and the King's with two clasps.
Gregory. — Killed in France before May 20, 1915, 2nd Lieut. S. M. Gregory, 6th London Rifles, son of Rev. W. H. Gregory, of Okehampton.
(.REiG. — Killed on Oct. 1 7, 1915, while serving with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, Maj. Morl^nd John Greig, Royal North Devon Hussars (Yeomanry), of Exford, Somerset, J. P., Master of the Devon and Somerset Staghounds, age 51.
Harrison. — Killed in Flanders on July i, 1915. Lieut. Eric Harrison, 3rd Leicester Regt. (attached to ist), son of F. P. Harrison, of Devonport, age 17.
Hellyer. — Died at Boulogne on May 8, 191 5, of wounds received near Ypres, on April 28, 2nd Lieut. Sidney H. Hellyer, 4th East Yorkshire Regt., son of Charles Hellyer, J. P., of Brixham, age 25.
Hewitt. — Killed in France, on Sept. 27, 1915, Frederick Whitmore Hewitt, Chaplain to the Forces, Vicar of Brixton, South Devon, son of S. Hughes Hewitt, of Camberley, age 35.
Hill. — Killed at the Dardanelles, on Aug. 7, 1915. Maj. Frederick Thomas Cecil Hill, 6th York and Lancaster Regt., son of A. !\L Hill, of Yelverton, age 41.
Hodgson. — Died in hospital of wounds received near Neuve Chapelle, on March 13, 1915, 2nd Lieut. PhiHp Ormiston Hodgson, 2nd East Lancashire -Regt., son of Lieut. T. T. Hodgson, R.N., of Teignmouth, age 27.
1 8 The Devonian Year Book, 191b
HuLM. — Died of wounds received in action on Sept. 25, 1915, Lieut. Wynne Odyerne Hulm, 8th Devon Regt., son of Mrs. Wynne Hulm, of Finborough Road, S.W., age 27.
Hume. — Died of wounds received at the Dardanelles, before May 8, 1915, Lieut. -Col. Robert Ouseley Cuthbert Hume, ist Border Regt., son of Capt. Walter Hume, of Lynton, age 48. He took part in the Waziristan Expedition, 1894-5, receiving the medal with clasp. He had also the Tirah medal with two clasps for service on the North-West Frontier in 1897-8.
Hunt. — Died at Boulogne on Nov. 28, 1914, from wounds received in action, 2nd Lieut. Alfred J. Hunt, Royal Field Artillery, son of Capt. Hunt, of Abbotscliffe.
James. — Died in France, on Sept. 30, 1915, of wounds received in action, 2nd Lieut. Charles Douglass-James, South Staffs. Regt., son of C. H. James, J.P, of Ingledene, Plymouth, age 20.
James. — Killed in France on Sept. 25, 1915, Lieut. William Douglass- James, R.G.A., eldest son of C. H. James, J. P., of Ingledene, Plymouth.
Jeffreys. — Killed in Flanders, on July 11, 1915, Capt. Darell Richard Jeffreys, Devon Regt., son of John Jeffreys, of Canterton Manor, age 33. He served in the South African War, taking part in the operations in the Transvaal in 1902, and being awarded the Queen's medal with four clasps.
Kekewich. — Killed in action in France, on Sept. 25, 1915, Capt. Arthur St. John Mackintosh Kekewich, 8th Devon Regt., son of C. G. Kekewich, age 28.
Koebel. — Died of wounds at Gallipoli, on Aug. 24, 1915, Capt. Charles Edward Koebel, Royal West Surrey Regt., son of Oscar Koebel, of Bishopsteignton, age 36.
Lafone. — Capt. Claude A. Lafone, D.S.O., 2nd Devon Regt., age 37. He served throughout the South African War, was mentioned in dispatches, and was awarded the Queen's medal with five clasps and the King's medal with two clasps. His D.S.O. was granted for " conspicuous gallantry on the night of Dec. 18, 1914, near Neuve Chapelle, in capturing a trench from the enemy."
Legge. — Before Dec. 26, 1914, Capt. Ronald George Legge, Devon Regt., son of the Hon. Charles G. Legge, age 36. He served with the Imperial Yeomanry in the South African campaign, and held the Queen's medal with four clasps.
LiPTROTT. — Died at Boulogne from wounds received in action, Lieut. Eric Carr Liptrott, 6th Jats L.I., son of Rev. B. B. Liptrott, of West Teignmouth, age 26. His double company was specially congratulated for brilliant work in the trenches by the Divisional and Brigade Generals. He served in the Mohmand expedition with the West Yorkshire Regt., and received a medal.
Lock. — On Nov. 26, 1914, Lieut. Henry John Lock, Royal Marine Light Infantry, H.M.S. Bulwark, son of Maj. Lock, of Musbury.
Died for their Gauntry 19
Lucy. — Died on March 19, 1915, of wounds received near Neuve Chapelle, on March 12, Lieut. Reginald Eric Lucy, 2nd Northants Regt., son of Reginald Lucy, of Plymouth, age 21.
Mackenzie. — Died at Ismailia of acute bronchitis, Maj. Kenneth Lee Warner Mackenzie, 62nd Punjabis, son of T. D. Mackenzie, of Exmouth, age 40. He saw active service in 1897-8 both at Mohmand and Tirah, being present at the capture of Sampagha Pass, at Dwatoi, and in the Bara Valley. For these services he received medal with clasp and clasp respec- tively.
Morris.— 2nd Lieut. Henry Gage Morris, 2nd Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, son of Col. Morris, of Budleigh Salterton, age 17.
Mortimer. — Died of wounds received at the Dardanelles, on Aug. 10, 1915, 2nd Lieut. William Lionel Gueritz Mortimer, 6th Royal Dublin Fusiliers, son of Rev. R. A. Mortimer, of St. Mary Major, Exeter, age 20.
Newton-King. — On April 12, 1915, 2nd Lieut. A. R. Newton-King, Royal Irish Regt., son of Maj. Newton-King, of Westward Ho, age 20. He took part in the retreat from Mons, and the battles of the Marne and the Aisne. He had been twice previously wounded, and was one of the first officers to receive the French military decoration.
Orlebar. — Killed at Neuve Chapelle, on Jan. 9, 1915, Lieut. Robert Evelyn Orlebar, 2nd Middlesex Regt., son of Lieut. -Col. E. H. Orlebar, of Ivybridge, age 20.
Paddison. — Killed in Flanders on July 30, 1915, Lieut; George Mitford Paddison, 6th Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, son of Richard Paddison, of Tiverton.
Page. — Died in France, on Nov. 11, 1914, from the result of an accident. Col. Robert Burton Page, late Lancashire Fusiliers, of Exmouth.
Parker. — Killed in Flanders, on July 30, 1915, Capt. William Mackworth Parker, Adjutant of the 8th Rifle Brigade, son of Lieut. -Col. W. F. Parker, of Delamore, Devon.
Pitts-Tucker. — Killed in France, on Dec. 20, 1914, Lieut. Cecil Mortimer Pitts-Tucker, ist Highland Light Infantry, son of W. E. Pitts-Tucker, of Barnstaple.
PoPHAM. — Lost on active service, before Feb. 26, 1915, Lieut. - Commdr. Arthur Leyborne Popham, R.N., son of Rev. E. L, Popham, of Hemyock.
Radcliffe. — Killed in Flanders, on July 30, 1915, Capt. John Douglas Henderson Radcliffe, 7th King's Royal Rifle Corps, Fellow of All Souls, M.A., B.C.L., son of A. N. Radchffe, of Bag Park, Widecombe-in-the-Moor, age 30.
Renton. — Killed in Flanders, on June 2, 1915, Capt. W. G. F* Renton, King's Dragoon Guards, son of W. Renton, of Tiverton. In the South African War he took part in the operations in the Transvaal, Orange River Colony, and Cape Colony, being mentioned in dispatches and retJeiving the Queen's and King's medals, with two clasps.
20 The Devonian Year Book, 1916
Rogers. — Before Feb. 22, 1915, Capt. Francis Caryer Campbell Rogers, M.V.O., Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, son of A. C. C. Rogers, of Paignton, age 31.
RuNDLE. — Killed at Rouge Bancs, on May 9, 1915. Lieut. Raymond Wallis Kundle, ist Sherwood Foresters, son of Brevet Col. G. R. T. Rundle, C.B., R.A., of Ermington. He was present at the battle of Neuve Chapelle.
Smyth-Osbourne. — Killed in France, on Aug. 29, 1915, Lieut. Wilfrid Smyth-Osbourne, ist Worcester Regt., son of J. Smyth- Osbourne, of Iddlesleigh, age 21. He served in the battle of the Aisne, and was wounded on Oct. 24, 1914, at St. Julien in the first battle of Ypres.
Sparling. — Reported killed in France on Sept. 26-27, 1915, Maj. Norman Chalmers Sparling, 54th Sikhs, attached 6th K.O.S. Borderers, son of Lieut. -Col. J. P. Sparling, LA., of Westward Ho. He served in the Zukka Khel expedition, and received medal with clasp.
Sparrow. — Killed on March 10, 1915, Capt. Benjamin Charles Sparrow, Garhwal Rifles, son of Benjamin Sparrow, of Ivy- bridge, age 33. He saw active service in South Africa, receiving the Queen's medal with five clasps.
Spencer. — Killed on Dec. 18, 1914, Capt. Charles James Spencer, 2nd Devon Regt., son of C. A. Spencer, of Leicester, age 35. He was wounded in the South African War, where he was present at the relief of Ladysmith, and at the actions at Spion Kop, Vaal Kranz, Tugela Heights, Pieters Hill, and Laing's Nek. He received the Queen's medal with five clasps and the King's medal with two clasps.
Spottiswoode. — Capt. John Spottiswoode, King's Royal Rifles, son of G. A. Spottiswoode, of Chatton, Devon, age 40.
Steel. — Died on Nov. 2, 1914, from wounds received the same day at La Clytte, Maj. E. B. Steel, R.A.M.C., of Exeter, age 43.
Stirling. — Killed in Flanders on Jan. 2, 1915, Capt. James Stirling, The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), son of Col. Stirling, R.A., of The Grange, Rockbeare, age 30.
Stirling. — Killed in Flanders, on Aug. 21, 1915, Lieut. Richard Kellock Stirling, 5th Royal Fusiliers, son of Richard Stirling, of South Brent, age 22.
Toms. — Accidentally killed in Flanders, on Nov. 27, 19 14, Lieut. Arthur Woodland Toms, 3rd Devon Regt. (attached), 2nd Scottish Rifles (Cameronians), son of Woodland Toms, of Jersey, age 23.
TozER. — Killed in action in France, on Oct. i, 1915, 2nd Lieut. Horace Gordon Tozer, 2nd York Regt., son of J. C. Tozer, of Stoke House, Devonport, age 20.
Tracey. — Killed in action in France, on Sept. 25-27, 1915, Lieut. Geoffrey Eugene Tracey, 9th Devon Regt., son of the late H. E. Tracey, M.B., and Mrs. Tracey, of Willand, Devon, age 19.
Died for their Country 21
Trefusis. — Killed in B'rance, on Oct. 24, IQ15, Brigadier-General the Hon. John Frederick Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis, D.S.O., son of the late Lord Clinton, age 37. He served in the South African War, and held several staff appointments, including A.D.C. to Lord Methuen from 1904 to 1909. From that year to 1913 he served as adjutant of the Irish Guards, of which he was gazetted temporary Lieut. -Col. in December, 1914. On Aug. 16. 1915, he took up the command of the 2oth Brigade in the famous 7th Division, and led it in the successful attack upon Loos.
Uniacke. — On March 13, 1915, Lieut. -Col. Henry Percy Uniacke, C.B., commanding 2nd Gordon Highlanders, son of Capt. Uniacke, of Laywell, Devon. He had previously served with his regiment in the Tirah campaign, being wounded and mentioned in dispatches. He was severely wounded in the head by shrapnel on Oct. 29 in the battle of Ypres, but resumed command of his battalion on Jan. 26. He was mentioned in Sir John French's dispatches, and was made C.B.
Watkins. — Killed on Jan. 31, 1015, I,ieut. Eustace Arundel de St. Barbe Sladen Watkins, 2nd Devon Regt., son of K. A. Watkins, of Chippenham, age 26.
Webb. — Killed before Achi Baba, on Aug. 6, 1915, " gallantly leading his men to the attack," Lieut. Gerald Vernon Tisdall Webb, 2nd Hampshire Regt., .son of the late Capt. W. W. Webb, I. M.S., and of Mrs. Webb, The Hermitage, Exeter.
Whipple. — -Died on Nov. 24, 1914, from wounds received on the 2oth, Capt. Herbert Council Whipple, ist Devon Regt., son of Connell Whipple, of Plymouth, age 35. He served in the South African War, and was present at the relief of Lady- smith, and at the actions at Colenso, Spion Kop, and Laings Nek. He received the Queen's medal with four clasps and the King's medal with two clasps.
Fight the Good Fight !
Hurrah ! for dear Old England !
Come, Britons, one and all. Strike on, strike hard, strike home, strike sure.
Till War himself shall fall ; Fight on, keep heart, look up, be firm.
And never once forget That Heaven proclaims this God-stamped truth,
" The Right shall conquer jTt."
E. Capern, Poems.
22 The Devonian Year Book, 1916
For Dartymoor.
(Reprinted by the special permission of the proprietors of Punch.)
Now I be man ov Dartymoor, Grim Dartymoor, grey Dartymoor ; I come vrom wur there bain't no war,
An' Tavy be a-voaming ; I'd pigs an' sheep an' lass — Aw my ! The beyootifullest wench 'er be ! An' one vine day 'er comes to I, An' zays — " My Jan," 'er zays, — " lukee !
To France yu must be roaming ! Vur Devon needs her sons again ; Her du be rousing moor an' fen ; An' yu must fight wi' Devon men
Vur Dartymoor, your Dartymoor ! "
I zays, zays I, " Leave Dartymoor ? Grim Dartymoor, grey Dartymoor ? Wliy, lass," I zays, " whativer vor,
While Tavy be a-voaming ? While pigs be pigs, an' 'earts be true; An' market prices purty vair ; Why should 'un go an' parley-voo ? " 'Er zays, " 'Cuz yu be waanted there !
That's why yu must be roaming ! Vur Devon needs her sons again ; Her du be rousing moor an' fen ; An' yu must fight wi' Devon men
Vur Dartymoor, my Dartymoor !
" Ef yu woan't fight vur Dartymoor, Grim Dartymoor, grey Dartymoor, Things shall be as they wur avore
Us courted in the gloaming ! " 'Er zays, an' left me arl alone, A-thinking over what 'er zaid, Till arl wa$ plain as Dewar Stone — I zays to Dad, " Mind pigs is fed.
While I be gone a-roaming ! Vur Devon needs her sons again ; Her du be rousing moor an' fen ; An' I must fight wi' Devon men
Vur Dartymoor, our Dartymoor ! "
^z
CAPTAIN WILLIAM PILLAR
0/ Bri.vham, Devon.
Captain William Pillar — A Devon Hero 23
Captain William Pillar.
A DEVON HERO.
Devonians in London held a memorable gathering on Saturday night, January 30, 1915, when a very large company assembled to do honour to the skipper of the Brixham trawler Provident, who, with his crew of three, rescued seventy-one survivors of the battleship Formidable, which was sunk in the Channel by enemy submarines on New Year's Day. Glowing tributes to Captain Pillar's bravery were paid by the Right Hon. George Lambert. M.P., Civil Lord of the Admiralty, who presided, and by Colonel Burn, M.P., who supported him. The London Devonian Association, which had organized for the occasion a patriotic Bohemian concert in aid of the Devon County Patriotic Fund, expressed its admiration in an illuminated address.
The announcement that the captain and crew of the trawler are to receive at the hands of the King the silver medal for gallantry in saving life at sea, and also substantial monetary reward from the Admiralty, was loudly cheered.
Many men in khaki sat among the Devon men and women, whose patriotic feeUngs were deeply stirred by the main incident of the evening. A large contingent of the Devon Regiment sat in the gallery, and they were not the least demonstrative in rendering honour to their comrade of the sea. During the evening a collection was taken for the Devon County Patriotic Fund. Captain Pillar was pressed for signatures to the portrait of himself which was presented with tlie programme, and it was announced that he would give autographs at half a crown each for the benefit of the fund.
Colonel Clifford (Chairman of the Association), extended a welcome to Mr. Lambert, who, he said, had come straight from a hard-working desk, and had to sacrifice himself to be there. Devonians ought to be proud that they had such distinguished representatives of their county at the Admiralty as Mr. Lambert and Mr. Winston Churchill — for they claimed Mr. Churchill as a Devonian. His forbears were bred and born in Devonshire, and the blood of Drake was in his veins. (Applause.)
Mr. Lambert acknowledged the greeting of his " fellow Devonians," and then welcomed Captain Pillar, who took a place at his right hand for a photograph. His appearance was the signal for a great outburst of cheers.
24 The Devonian Year Book, 1916
Colonel Burn, in asking Mr. Lambert to make the presentation, said he was proud to represent a Devon constituency, and he was still prouder, though a Scotsman, to have a strong vein of ancient Devonshire blood in his veins. It was peculiarly fitting that on such an occasion they should have so distinguished a representative of the Admiralty as Mr. Lambert present. The high officials at the Admiralty were performing a great work. No regiment in this tremendous campaign had more distinguished itself than the county regiment of Devon. (Cheers.) The reason why they were able to assemole so peacefully that night, and able to pursue in England their normal avocations, was first of all the work of the British Navy. Devonians knew the part that was being played by the men of their county in the navy as well as in the army. In the town from which Captain Pillar came, Brixham — (cheers) — they had the home of the trawling industry, and 800 men, fishermen of that place, were serving in the Royal Navy. (Cheers.) As member for the division, he appreciated very highly the gallantry of the Brixham fishermen. This was not the first time that deeds of heroism had been performed by Brixham men, and certainly at no time had the traditions of gallantry been more splendidly upheld than on this occasion. On his way to that gathering he (Colonel Burn) met his old friend. Lord Charles Beresford, who on learning the nature of his business said : "I want you to tell Captain Pillar that I am proud of him, and more than that, that the whole of the British Navy is proud of him." (Cheers.) He felt that to be absolutely true, for Captain Pillar performed a deed which was not only heroic in the way of saving life, but which brought safely to shore seventy -one men who would be able to do tneir duty. (Cheers.)
Mr. Lambert said : " The New Year was ushered in with gloom ; the Formidable was sunk in the early hours of the morning. But there was a glimmer of sunlight for us Devonians in that gloom, since it brought out the fine seamanship of Captain Pillar, who is here this evening. Picture for yourselves New Year's morning. It is half-past nine, a heavy southerly gale, and big seas running. A boat full of men is sighted, with a shirt or a scarf at the end of an oar as a signal of distress. Then Captain Pillar in his smack, seeing this boat in distress, had to close reef his mainsail, shift over his jib, and then had lost sight of the boat. He made on to the course on which the boat had drifted, sent his third hand — there were but four on board — aloft to sight the boat. The boat was sighted. Three times after he got near they threw the line ; three times they failed. The fourth time they were more successful. They reached the
Captain William Pillar— A Devon Hero 25
boat, but on the weather side. Then with fine skill they brought round, and got the rope to the leeward, fastened it to the capstan, and brought sixty-nine sailors and two petty officers, seventy- one in all, on board the smack. (Cheers.) The last two were hurt, and had to be carried aboard. Then came a battle with the seas for six hours more. It was one o'clock ; at seven o'clock they reached Brixham, where these men were looked after. Official reports, as you may know, do not err on the side of luxuriant eloquence, but here is the official record of the deed done by Captain Pillar and his men, and I can add nothing to it : ' The rescue was only effected by careful and splendid seaman- ship, and not without danger to the smack. An error of half the ship's length would have swamped or crushed the boat, which was already holed in several places and kept afloat by baling with sea boots and clothing, and even a leg and arm stuffed into the holes. The small boat was cut adrift and sank almost immediately.'
" Such was the state of the boat from which these seventy-one were taken safely off by the smack Provident. As Colonel Burn has so well said, they saved seventy-one sailors. The navy is grateful to them, and you and we all — I speak not as a member of the Board of Admiralty — have reason to be grateful to the navy. They are doing their work, not boastfully, but calmly and confidently, silently, and well. From the top to the bottom, from the veteran First Sea Lord, who has been called from his retirement, and who now directs Britain's naval might, whose genius is largely responsible for its force and efficiency to-day — from him down to the humble stoker, without whose perspiring efforts even the mightiest warship would be
' As idle as a painted ship Upon a painted ocean '
— the navy is protecting our commerce and our food, the very life-blood of our country ; the navy is enabling us to send across to France or to various parts of the British Empire, or to bring from distant portions of the empire, men who are fighting the empire's battles in Flanders or elsewhere. There are Devonians in the navy, and we Devonians are proud of the navy from hereditary pride. There were Devonians in the North Sea last Sunday, when Admiral Beatty brilliantly foiled that cultured and courageous German purpose of butchering more babies, and wounding, maiming, and killing more women and old men. There were Devonshire men there then. The Blucher did not go back to Germany, and I can con<:eive of nothing (excuse my strong language) nearer hell than being on board a warship battered by superior force. Imagination boggles at it.
26 The Devonian Year Book, 1916
" But it is not only in the navy, it is across the narrow Channel in Flanders, amid those mud-soaked trenches, that the Devon soldiers are doing their duty as Devon soldiers always do. I take this line from an officer's letter from the front : ' The Devons were perfectly wonderful — no humans could have done more.' I am glad we have here to-night a private in the 1st Devons, invalided home, who has fought in the trenches in Flanders. (Cheers.) It is my privilege to present this memento of our esteem to Captain Pillar.* It is a token of the gratitude of the London Devonians. But next week there will be a wider and a higher honour conferred upon him and his men. His Majesty the King has been graciously pleased to award to William Pillar, William Carter, John Clarke, and Dan'l Taylor — (laughter, amid which the speaker remarked that he had almost expected to come to 'Uncle TomCobleigh') — the silver medal for gallantry in saving life at sea. (Loud cheers.) The King intends to present those medals himself a week to-day, and, as a tangible reward from the Admiralty, at the same time will be presented to Captain Pillar £250, William Carter ;^100, John Clarke, £100, and little Dan'l £50. (Cheers.) Captain Pillar, I ask you to accept this address as a token of the admiration of the London Devonians, and as a mark of their lasting gratitude." (Cheers.)
The address was then read by Mr. J. W. Shawyer, the hon. secretary, and received by Captain Pillar amid a scene of great enthusiasm.
The recipient acknowledged the gift in these simple words : " I am no speaker : I am only a Brixham fisherman. I am glad you appreciate that I have done my duty."
The short speech was loudly cheered.
The details of the programme as arranged were as follows, there being several encores : —
Part I. — Selections by Almeda Orchestra, under the direction of Mr. Alfred Growtage ; solo, the National Anthem, Miss Marion Battishill ; song, " The Land Between the Seas," Miss Marion Battishill (Plymouth) ; Devonshire dialect recital, " Jan's Cricket Match," Mr. Charles Wreford (Poltimore) ; song, (a) " The Lass of Lydford Down," {b) " Devon for Me," Mr. Frank Webster (Exmouth) ; humorous sketch, " My Marriage." Mr. Ben Lawes ; song, " Impressions," Miss NeUie Perryer ; song, " Heart of Oak," Mr. Clay Thomas ; humorous sketch, " Faust Up-to-date," Mr. Ben Osborne ; song, " Land of Hope and Glory," Miss Trilby Small (Barnstaple) ; some experiments in sleight of hand by Mr. Herbert Collings.
* See Frontispiece.
Captain William Pillar — A Devon Hero 27
Part II. — The National Anthems of the AlHes by the Orchestra ; song, " The Garden of Your Heart," Miss Marion Battishill ; duet, " Conversations," Miss NeUie Perryer and Mr. Ben Osborne ; song, " Drake's Drum," Mr. Frank Webster ; song, " Are we Downhearted ? " Miss Nellie Perryer ; song, " Three Jolly Fishermen," Mr. Clay Thomas ; humorous sketch, " All about Love," Mr. Ben Lawes ; song, " Lovely Devon Rose," Miss Trilby Small ; Devonshire dialect recital, " The Orytorio," Mr. Charles Wreford ; " Auld Lang Syne." The accompanist was Mr. Harry Collman.
Among those present were the following members of the committee : Alderman C. Pinkham, J. P., C.C. (Plympton), Brondesbury, N.W. (chairman) ; Mr. R. Pearse Chope, B.A. (Hartland), (deputy-chairman) ; Professor W. S. Abell (Ex- mouth), Messrs. G. E. Bridgeman (Ugborough), J. B. Burlace (Brixham), Norman Champion (Shaldon), G. W. Davey (Sampford Spiney), J. Donald (Three Towns Association), H. H. M. Hancock (Barumites), W. Inman (Stoke Gabriel), J. W. McCormack. J. P. (Plymouth), F. A. Perry (Tiverton), John Ryall (Exeter Club), J. Summers (Ottregians), J. H. Taylor (Northam), Robert Yandle (Tivertonian Association), Mr. J. W. Shawyer (West Buckland O.B.A.), Mr. H. B. Squire (Torrington), Mr. W. H. Smart (Plymouth), (hon. secretary of the Entertainment Com- mittee), and Mr. N. Cole (Salcombe) (chairman of the Entertain- ment Committee).
Several were present from Brixham in addition to Capt. Pillar, who was the guest of Mr. J. B. Burlace. The party included Mrs. and Miss Winifred Burlace, Miss A. Clare, Mr. Cecil Fox, Mr. A. L. Hannaford, Mr. and Mrs. Newman, Mrs. Almond, Miss Crees, Miss Gregory, Miss B. Dugdal!, and Mr. H. M. Smardon (hon. secretary of the Brixham Torbay Royal Regatta Committee and the ex-president of the Devon Rugby Union).
Hearts of Oak.
Still Britain shall triumph, her ships plough the sea. Her standard be justice, her watchword ' Be free.' Then, cheer up, my lads, with one heart let us sing Our soldiers, our sailors, our statesmen, our King. Hearts of oak are our ships, hearts of oak are our men.
We always are ready.
Steady, boys, steady. We'll fight and we'll conquer again and again.
David Garrick.
28 The Devonian Year Book, 1916
Devon Men.
(Reprinted by the special permission of the proprietors of Fundi.) Froini Bideford to Appledore the meadows lie aglow With kingcup and buttercup that flout the summer snow ; And crooked-back and silver-head shall mow the grass to-day^ And lasses turn and toss it till it ripen into hay ; For gone are all the careless youth did reap the land of yore,
The lithe men and long men,
The brown men and strong men, The men that hie from Bideford and ruddy Appledore.
From Bideford and Appledore they swept the sea of old With cross-bow and falconet to tap the Spaniard's gold ; They sped away with dauntless Drake to traffic on the Main, To trick the drowsy galleon and loot the treasure train ; For fearless were the gallant hands that pulled the sweeping oar, ;
The strong men, the free men.
The bold men, the seamen, The men that sailed from Bideford and ruddy Appledore.
From Bideford and Appledore in craft of subtle grey Are strong hearts and steady hearts to keep the sea to-day ; So well may fare the garden where the cider-apples bloom, And Summer weaves her colour-threads upon a golden loom ; For ready are the tawny hands that guard the Devon shore,
The cool men, the bluff men.
The keen men, the tough men, The men that hie from Bideford and ruddy Appledore !
^?
{^Photo hy Jlisteif, 42, Baker Street, IF)
WILLIAM HAYMAN CUMMINGS, MUS.D. (Dub). F.S.A.
Formerly principal of the GuiUhall School 0/ Music ; y ice- President 0/ the London Devonian Association.
WillMm Hayman Cnmmtngs 29
William Hayman Cummings,
Hon. Mus. D., Dub., Hon. R-A.M., F.S.A. By Dr. T. LEA SOUTHGATE.
(Reprinted by permission from Musical News.)
William Hayman Cummings was born August 22, 1831, at the pretty village of Sidbury, Devon, the home of his family for long past. Shortly afterwards his parents removed to London. The musical aptitude of the boy becoming apparent, at the early age of six he was placed in the choir of St. Paul's Cathedral, at that time governed by the terrible William Hawes, Master also of the Choristers of H.M. Chapels Royal. The boys were boarded in Adelphi Terrace, and Cummings went to the City School of the Corporation. Five years later he became attached to the Temple Church, studying the organ under Dr. E. J. Hopkins so satisfactorily that at the age of seventeen he was appointed organist at Waltham Abbey. It was here that the young musician made the now universally used Christmas tune, " Hark ! the Herald Angels Sing," from a subject by Mendelssohn in his " Festgesang " — " Vaterland." At that period it was quite common to adapt favourite themes for church use. Weber's " Softly Sighs " was employed, and Goss made an excellent chant from the slow movement of Beethoven's " A " symphony. " Lo, He Comes " was another example of early nineteenth century treatment for church use. With a keen appreciation of fitness, the youthful organist saw how well the melody would go to the old revered hymn, and his adaptation enjoys wide accept- ance. A pleasing remembrance of Cummings' connection with the composer of " Elijah " was preserved in the form of Mendels- sohn's visiting card, which he signed and gave to the youth who sang with the altos on the performance of the work at Exeter Hall, on April 18, 1847. Later on his voice becoming settled, he re-entered the Temple Choir, and after some time became a lay vicar at Westminster Abbey and a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal. All this was indeed an education carried on in that most famous of all our music schools, the Cathedrals, the nursery of so many of our notable Enghsh musicians for ages past. To J. W. Hobbs, an admirable singer and composer of several popular songs, Cummings was apprenticed, Teaming much from him in purity of tone, clearness of enunciation, and the expression
30 The Devonian Year Book, 191 6
which distinguished his singing in church and in the concert- room. Later came some study under Randegger, Thanks to all this methodical culture, the young tenor soon arrived, and for many years he held a prominent place, not only in London, but likewise at the Three Choirs and other provincial Festivals. His musicianship was put to the test at Birmingham in 1864, when he was called upon to take the place of Mario, singing at sight in Sulhvan's " Kenilworth," a performance which drew from the composer quite a remarkable testimonial to the artistic insight and skill of the young singer. Sterndale Bennett wrote the tenor part in the " Woman of Samaria " especially for him. In America he met with so much success when engaged for the Handel and Haydn Festival at Boston in 1871, that he was sub- sequently encouraged to make a tour in the States with a quartette of notable English singers. The visit of this band in 1871, viz.. Miss Edith Wynne, Madame Patey, W. H. Cummings, and Lewis Thomas, was an admitted revelation to the Americans as to what the best English concerted vocal music was like. Owing to the frequent illnesses of Sims Reeves, the rising tenor was constantly called upon to take his place ; a special instance was that in 1866, when he sang in place of Reeves at all the Norwich Festival performances of that year. In 1872 he took part in a memorable performance of Bach's " Passion," given at Westminster Abbey ; some years later he acted as Precentor and Conductor of the services at St. Anne's, Soho, a church where Bach's music is made a special feature. He urged the perform- ance of " St. Matthew's Passion " at one of the Novello Oratorio series carried on in 1870, and which may be characterized as the modern setting off of the vocal works of the great contrapuntist. During all these years Cummings was a prominent member of several of the old Glee and Madrigal Societies. For these bodies he composed quite a large number of part-songs, glees, madrigals, and catches, several winning prizes offered by the executives ; a choice example is, " O Thou Sweet Bird," written in 1850. His vocal experience has been extensive beyond church services. He sang in opera at Drury Lane, the Gaiety Theatre, and frequently at Manns's famous Saturday Crystal Palace Concerts, and at the Shakespeare Tercentenary Festival at Stratford-on-Avon in " As You Like It." He was the tenor in Leslie's opera, " Ida," Randegger's " Rival Beauties," and in the performance of Men- delssohn's " Son and Stranger," given by the New Philharmonic under Dr. Wylde ; and he created the tenor parts in Smart's " Bride of Dunkerron," Randegger's " Fridolin," and Hiller's " Nala and Damayanti." So much for Cummings' career as a public and successful vocalist.
I William Hayman Cummings 31
With his appointment as Professor of Singing at the Royal Academy of Music, in 1879, commenced a new phase of his life. There he taught with success until 1896, when he was called upon to direct the music at the Guildhall School of Music, established by the Corporation of the City of London ; the post became vacant by the death of Sir Joseph Barnby. Prior, however, to this change, he had been teaching singing at the Royal Normal College for the Blind, Upper Norwood, and had acted as chorus master and afterwards conductor of the Sacred Harmonic Society, then in its decline, on the death of Costa. The Com- mittee, considering that the mission of the famous old Society was accomplished, dissolved it. While at the R.A.M. Cum- mings, thanks to his excellent method, may be said to have created many singers, who have since attained eminence. Not . only did he carry to the City establishment this ripened experi- ence, but having been on the Academy Committee of Manage- ment, he also brought with him business aptitude with a wide knowledge of music and men, not the least of the advantages the City reaped in the new appointment.
Besides these busy phases of a musician's life, there were other spheres of work in which Cummings' remarkable activity and usefulness were displayed. For a considerable time he was Orchestral Director of the Philharmonic Society, acting as Treasurer up to his death. It requires much knowledge and tact to manage a body of this sensitive nature. In this respect Cummings was always singularly successful. Ever courteous, considerate, and kind, I can truly say I have met with no one more diplomatic, able to smooth difficulties, and work for a satisfactory outcome than he whom we mourn ; such is a gift possessed but by few. He had a great affection for the Royal Society of Musicians, of which benevolent association he had been Treasurer for years past, giving up much time to its affairs, and going to town regularly every Sunday evening (the appointed meeting time in the Royal Charter) to see to the business con- nected with the Society. He was the founder of the Purcell Society, formed in 1876, to publish and perform our great musi- cian's works, several of which he edited. Cummings was one of the group responsible for the institution of the Incorporated Society of Musicians ; he devoted much time and attention to the affairs of this national association. He was also one of the founders of the Musical Association, and read a number of papers before that learned body. On the retirement, from ill- health, of Sir Hubert Parry, Dr. Cummings was elected President of the Society, and up to quite recently attended and took part in the discussions carried on after the papers were read. His
32 The Devonian Year Book, 1916
investigations into the music of the past, especially English music, to which may be added his admiration of Handel and his works, secured for him the distinction of the Fellowship of the Society of Antiquaries. By way of acknowledgment of his contributions to the notable Music Loan Exhibition in 1904, promoted by the Worshipful Company of Musicians, and a Lec- ture, " Our EngUsh Songs," delivered at the time, he received the Freedom of this ancient City Guild. Finally, it should be recorded that in 1900 he had conferred on him the distinction of Mus.D., Hon. Causa, by the University of Dublin, a generous public acknowledgment of the long services he had in so many ways rendered to the art of music.
There remains one more feature, and that an important one in the long career of William Cummings, that has to be chron- icled, viz., the creative side of his musicianship and his literary output. Mention has already been made of some of his vocal works. Though most of these were written long ago, they are not forgotten ; some of his sacred music is still heard in our cathedrals and churches. Perhaps the most important of his works is the cantata, " The Fairy Ring," produced in 1872, still in favour with our choral societies. His music invariably dis- plays the cultivated, imaginative, and refined musician. An important text-book is " The Rudiments of Music," written for the Novell© Primer series. This has found such wide acceptance that it has been translated into several languages.
In the realm of what may be termed pure literature, Dr. Cummings' output ranks important, for he was always a pains- taking, earnest searcher after facts, and knew how to present these in a useful and attractive form. He was an extensive contributor to " Grove's Dictionary " and •' The Dictionary of National Biography." A great admirer of Purcell, and possessing a knowledge of his music of various types that perhaps no one else can claim, he has given us a character- istic " Life of Purcell " in the Great Musicians series, revealing much historically not before known. His book on the source of our National Anthem, " God Save the King," tells all that can be discovered on that vexed question of authorship. " Rule Britannia " and the " Life of Arne " must likewise be cited as a contribution to the national music history of our land. Lastly should be mentioned a useful " Biographical Dictionary of Musicians." It must have taken a long time and much labour to have got together the hundreds of names and dates in this handbook.
What a busy, tireless life all this widespread activity reveals ! What a lesson of industry it teaches to not a few ! Cummings
WiUiam Hayman Cummings 33
was a fluent, ready speaker, always happy in expression. Despite multifarious close duties he found time to do a consider- able amount of lecturing ; notable were the series he gave at the Royal Institution of Great Britain in 1894, and at the London Institution in 1900. He seems to have belonged to nearly all our societies connected with music. He was an Hon. R.A.M., Vice-President R.C.O., and a member of the Board of Musical Studies of the University of London ; he served the office of President of the Union of Graduates in Music in 1904, and that of the Incorporated Stal^-Sight-Singing College, 1905. It may be added that he was often called upon to act as judge at Competition Festivals, a duty he was peculiarly fitted for, owing to his long experience, exact taste, and acquaintance with music of all types.
Of the results of Dr. Cummings' rule at the Guildhall School of Music from 1896 until his retirement in 1910, it is enough to observe that improvements were introduced in the methods of tuition, the students were encouraged to take a wider view of the art, the concerts — showing the result of work — became of much more importance, and the number of those studying there increased largely. He was entertained at a banquet on his appointment, a memorable gathering of musicians and friends presided over by Sir Alexander Mackenzie, and having by his side Sir Hubert Parry, Sir John Stainer, and Sir Frederick Bridge. Sir Alexander paid a graceful tribute to Cummings' work in the past and to his natural gifts, which peculiarly fitted him for the new post at the City School.
He said in the course of this : "-There is hardly a field of our Art in which he has not laboured successfully. We know him as an artist, teacher, conductor, composer, antiquary, and musical historian. Surely this is an exceptionally long Hst of accomplishments, gifts, and talents, not one of which has been allowed to lie fallow, to become rusty or blunted for want of exercise ! The great City School of Music is to be congratulated on securing him as chief administrator."
In later years Dr. Cummings was again entertained and honoured for a very different cause. In 1907, addressing the members of the Incorporated Society of Musicians, he considered it his duty to warn and expose a supposed royal but dangerous method of acquiring singing. The proprietor of this scheme brought an action for Ubel against the Principal of the G.S.M., and lost his case. The subsequent bankruptcy of the unsuccess- ful plaintiff left Cummings with a very heavy bill of costs to pay. However, a committee was formed, the musical profession with the Worshipful Company of Musicians rallied round him, and
3
34 The Devonian Year Book, 191 6
the whole of the money was raised. At a public banquet, pre- sided over by Dr. E. Prout, the then Dublin University Professor, such a gathering of musicians came together as has certainly never been seen before in our country. It was all a rightful testimony to that fearless devotion to duty which characterized the career of William Hayman Cummings from youth until his death. An address of thanks to him for what he had done was signed by almost every professional musician of note in the kingdom. It was declared that the cheque presented was, " For the valuable services which with exemplary courage he has ren- dered the community."
Cummings married his old teacher, Hobbs', daughter, Clara, who had for her godmother, Clara Novello. It proved a union of deep and long affection. Mrs. Cummings died only last year, leaving a large family to mourn her loss. Retirement from ■official duties in the City by no means implied cessation of activity on the part of its aged Principal ; on the contrary, a good •deal of important business work was got through, despite the heart trouble which eventually mastered him. Always a keen student and collector, Dr. Cummings, in the course of his long life, had amassed a library probably the most important, so far as English music is concerned, of any collection in private hands. At his pleasant country home in Dulwich he devoted his spare time to research in musical history and out-of-the-way investiga- tions, one of the latest of these issues being the explosion of the Handel and Edgware Blacksmith myth as to the popular harpsi- chord piece of the Anglo-Saxon master. Now he rests from his multifarious labours, leaving behind him a memory that will be cherished by all his many friends who mourn his loss.
M
USIC.
And what if all of animated nature
Be but organic harps diversely fram'd,
That tremble into thought, as o'er them sweeps
Plastic and vast, one intellectual breeze,
At once the Soul of each, and God of All ?
S. T. Coleridge, Poems.
Notes and Gleanings 35
Notes and Gleanings.
The Hon. Lionel Walrond, M.P.
The Hon. W. Lionel Charles Walrond, M.P. for the Tiverton Division, President of the Tivertonian Association, and a Vice- President of the London Devonian Association, died in Scotland on November 2, 1915, at the age of 39. He was the only son of first Baron Waleran, formerly Chief Whip of the Unionist party and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancashire, and was born on May 22, 1876. In 1904 he married Lottie, eldest daughter of George Coats, one of the captains of British industry, and there are two sons, his heir being William George Hood Walrond, who was born on March 29, 1905.
Although it was not the lot of Mr. Walrond to fall upon the field of battle, to him nevertheless belongs a share of the honour of those hundreds of Britain's best sons who have laid down their lives for the fair fame of their country, and to his name — a name alread}' writ large on the roll of the country's service — is due a place upon its roll of honour. His life was sacrificed for his country just as truly as if he had died of wounds on foreign service. With a heart greater than the capacity of his physical frame, a body never robust, and still further weakened by his appHcation to public work, he sought with eagerness to take his part in the. fight for liberty, and in the early days of the war volunteered for service. No less nobly minded and feeling no less the imperious call of duty, his devoted wife urged and encouraged him. In the meantime he threw himself into the task of recruiting for the army with industrious zeal, and a month or so later the wish of his heart was granted when he received a commission in the Army Service Corps. On December 12, 1914, he sailed from Southampton for France, Mrs. Walrond having in the meantime shouldered her share of duty by turning the family seat at Bradfield into a convalescent home for soldiers which she personally superintended. As Mr. Walrond said himself, rather by way of disappointment and complaint, the A.S.C. was not a fighting corps, but its duties put such an unaccustomed tax upon his physique that almost from the first he endured more than many a robust man would experience in the actual fighting line. Suddenly deprived of those comforts to which his position entitled him at home, the exposure and anxiety, the strain of fresh and
36 The^Devonian Year Book, 1916
arduous duties were an immense tax. Yet he endured bravely and cheerfully.
An incipient throat trouble, contracted as soon as he got out, did not yield to treatment, and after about three months' active service, Mr. Walrond was ordered home with acute laryngitis. His enforced return went much against the grain of his wishes, for his heart was in his new work, and he was constantly chafing to be back in France. Bearing his disappoint- ment with characteristic bravery, he set himself, under skilled advice and assisted by the nursing of his wife, to accompUsh his recovery as speedily as possible. The bracing air of Scotland, his wife's home, was tried, as were all other means which medical science could suggest. The very anxiety with which he desired his restoration to health perhaps fretted him and made recovery more difficult. England has indeed lost a worthy son. — Western Weekly News.
Plymouth's Librarian.
It is with the greatest regret that we have to record the death, in his seventy-first year, of Mr. Wilham Henry Kearly Wright, a Vice-President of the London Devonian Association, and for many years Librarian of Plymouth. He was a fellow of the Library Association, and for many years a member of its Council ; and he was also a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. The following account is abriged from The Librarian, of June, 1915 :
" He had few advantages of birth and early education ; and his parents were only able to send him for a few years to ' the Free School.' His first start on the work of life was in the Plymouth Bank of Deposit ; and when its existence came to an end, he took service at Millbay Station, under the old South Devon Railway Company.
" When the railway servants formed a library, Mr. Wright was made their librarian ; and, when a librarian was required for a Plymouth Working Man's Association, he was found able and willing to undertake the duties. These were both honorary appointments ; but when the Public Libraries Act was adopted at Plymouth, in 1876, Mr. Wright had his reward by being appointed public librarian of Plymouth, a position he held with ever-increasing usefulness until the day of liis death. During the whole period of its existence, Plymouth Free Library has been identified with him. He it was who made the Devon and Cornwall collection at the Library, and he it was who was mainly instrumental in persuading Mr. Carnegie to give £15,000 towards providing the fine set of buildings for the Library in Tavistock Road.
Notes and Gleanings 37
" His own literary labours have been considerable. He has published a good many books, principally of an historical and descriptive character, including the transactions of a curious old Plymouth fellowship called ' The Blue Friars.' Among works of wider interest, it may be mentioned that he edited Gay's Fables for Warne's ' Chandos Classics.' ' The Western Antiquary ' ran for several years under his guidance. Taking up the subject of book-plates, he formed a special society in 1891, called the Ex-Libris Society, and acted both as its honorary secretary and as editor of the Ex-Libris Journal. He was also for some years honorary secretary of the now defunct United Devon Association, and editor of Devonia, its monthly organ."
He has been a valued contributor to past numbers of the Devonian Year Book. In 1912 he wrote an interesting article on " Eden Phillpotts, Poet and Novelist " ; in 1913, one on " John Gay and the ' Beggar's Opera ' " ; in 1914, on " Drake in History, Song, and Story." Plymouth Hoe in a great measure owes to him both the Drake statue and the Armada Tercentenary Memorial.
He was well known in the West of England as a lecturer, a vocalist, and an elocutionist ; and his stately figure and sonorous voice will be especially missed from St. Andrew's Church choir, of which he was its oldest member.
" Tommy Bucknill."
The Right Hon. Sir Thomas Townsend Bucknill, who retired from the Bench in February, 1914, died on Oct. 4, 1915, at his residence, Woodcote Lodge, Epsom. Familiarly known to everybody as " Tommy Bucknill," he was the most popular man at the Bar and maintained his popularity on the Bench. He was a son of Sir John Charles Bucknill, the founder of the Volunteer movement, to whom a national memorial was erected on Northernhay, E.xeter, and he was born at Exminster in 1845. He was called at the Inner Temple in 1868, took silk in 1885, and was Recorder of Exeter from that year until his elevation to the Bench in 1899. He was well known as a hard rider to hounds ; he loved horses and horse racing far better than " briefs and bamboozling," as he once summed up his profession, and he found his chief pleasures at his country seat at Epsom. He was verj- fond of fishing, and described himself as a born poacher. " When I was shooting in North Wales with a member of the Chancery Bar," he said, " I took off my coat and vest, and showed my friend how to tickle trout in a wayside stream. My movements were watched by a local lad who
38 The Devonian Year Book, 1916
accompanied me on our shoot, and the following year, when visiting the neighbourhood, I was told the boy was in prison. My informant added : ' He saw you tickle trout last year. He had been doing it himself since, and they caught him.' "
I n The Defender of Kimberley.
The gallant defender of Kimberley, Major-General Robert George Kekewich, C.B., was, on Nov. 5, 1914, found dead in his bed at his residence, Whimple Rectory, Devonshire, a county with which his family had been identified for centuries. He had recently been in a nursing home suffering from a nervous break- down, and death was due to a gunshot wound in the head. Only two or three weeks previously he had been gazetted a Divisional Commander in the New Army.
The gallant officer obtained his commission from the Militia in December, 1874, and was posted to the 102nd Foot, but was transferred to the East Kent Regiment (" The Buffs ") a few days later, and was Adjutant of the 1st Battahon from 1876 to 1883. On promotion to substantive rank of Major in 1890, he transferred to the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, and on reaching the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in 1898, he was appointed to command the 1st Battalion Loyal North Lancashire Regiment. He first saw active service in the Perak Expedition in 1875-6 (medal with clasp), and in 1884-5 he was in the Soudan, and for his services received the medal with clasp, the bronze star, and brevet of Major. He again saw service in the Soudan in 1888, when he was present at the action of Gamaizah. At the outbreak of the South African War he was stationed with his regiment at the Cape, and was sent to command the troops in Kimberley, where he remained during the siege of that town. He afterwards commanded a mobile column, and on one occasion was severely wounded. For his services he was three times mentioned in dispatches, and received the brevet of Colonel, the Queen's medal with three clasps, the King's with two, and the C.B. At the conclusion of the war he was promoted to Major- General for Distinguished Service. He was Colonel of " The Buffs " at the time of his death.
A Statue of Captain Scott.
Mr. Balfour, First Lord of the Admiralty, unveiled, on November 5, 1915, at Waterloo-place, a statue, subscribed for by officers of the Navy, in memory of the late Captain Scott. The statue, which is in bronze and shows the explorer in his Arctic dress, is the work of Lady Scott.
Notes and Gleanings 39
In a short address, Mr. Balfour said : "It seems strange, perhaps, to us at tnis moment to have a ceremony in honour of a great sailor, whose performances, from the very nature of the case, were performances in times of peace, while we, at this moment, have but few thoughts for anything but the immediate necessities of war. Yet it is not a bad thing, even at a moment when the British Fleet is supporting the whole of the Entente Powers in their efforts against Germany and Austria, that we should remember, when the Fleet is showing us what it can do in time of war, how great also have been its performances in times of peace, A familiar quotation tells us that peace has her victories as well as war, and the sailor whose great performance we are here to commemorate was the hero of one of those peaceful victories which, nevertheless, resemble the victories of war more than most victories of peace, in that it involved danger, struggle, and an heroic death. What the Fleet has done for the safety of these shores, for the greatness of this Empire, and for freedom throughout the world, is a commonplace among the English-speaking peoples. We some- times are apt to forget how much it has done in the unwarhke and yet most dangerous work of exploration, travel, and of wresting from Nature secrets most jealously held. Between the place where I am now speaking and the Admiralty only a few yards off, there are already two statues erected by a grateful country to great explorers. The statue opposite where we are standing is that of Frankhn. The statue nearer the Admiralty is that of Captain Cook. We are adding to those two another statue of one full worthy to be ranked with his compeers.
" Captain Scott showed all the great qualities of the British sailor, the British explorer, the British man of science. His services to knowledge were great. He perished in carrying out a great work, and we do well to celebrate his memory, and to place for perpetual record of his fame the statue which I am unveiling. He has one great advantage over, so far as I know, every other man whose memory is commemorated by statues. In most cases the artist does not know him whom he commemor- ates, except by reputation, and he struggles with great difficulty to reproduce from such pictures as remain, or from the memory of friends and relatives, a true likeness of him whom he desires to commemorate. Captain Scott has had a happier and far rarer destiny, for his statue has been made by Lady Scott. It was not only loving hands, but an eye that knew, and a memory that recorded all that could be seen and known to her. And we, who look upon it, and those who come after us, when we have departed, will be able to look upon this memorial of
40 The Devonian Year Book, 191 6
Captain Scott and say, ' Thus he appeared to those who knew him in hfe. So he was portrayed by one who was united with him hving and has commemorated an immortal testimony of her affection after his death.' This is a rare work of art ; it has been made in memory of a man of rare courage and rare genius." — The Times.
Two Privy Councillors.
The last Birthday Honours list contained the names of two Devonian Privy Councillors, viz., Mr. Henry Edward Duke, K.C., M.P., a Vice-President of the London Devonian Association, and Mr. Francis Dyke Acland, M.P.
Mr. Duke was born near Plymouth in 1855, son of the late Mr. W. E. Duke, quarry proprietor, of Merrivale, Devon. In 1879 he joined the staff of The Western Morning News, and shortly afterwards represented that journal in the Press gallery of the House of Commons. He was called to the Bar at the age of 29, and rapidly made a reputation. He was appointed Recorder of Plymouth and Devonport in 1897, and about a year later took silk. He has for a number of years past had one of the largest practices at the Common Law Bar. He has appeared in many famous cases, and is a most formidable and skilful advocate. His successful political career began as Conservative member for Plymouth, which he represented from 1900 to 1906. He has represented Exeter since December, 1910, and has won the esteem of all parties in the city by his devotion to its interests. On the recent amalgamation of Devonport with Plymouth, Mr. Duke voluntarily relinquished his office of Recorder of Devonport without claiming compensation to which he was legally entitled. The position which he has won in the House of Commons was recently recognized by his selection as chairman of the committee which is to consider claims arising out of the Government's control of munition factories and the regulation of public-houses in the areas where munitions are manufactured.
Mr. Acland comes of a family which has been associated with the representation of Devon and Cornwall for 300 years. His father (the Right Hon. A. H. D. Acland) was Minister for Education in Mr. Gladstone's last Administration. At Balliol College, Oxford, the new Privy Councillor took honours in the School of Modern History. From an early age he has displayed his father's deep interest in education. In 1900 he was appointed junior examiner in the Board of Education at South Kensington, and during three years' work he helped to establish the system of secondary schools. Yorkshire owes much, in connection
Notes and Gleanings 41
with its educational system, to his labours as assistant director of secondary education. His Parliamentary career has been a brilliant one. On entering Parliament as Liberal member for the Richmond Division of North Riding, he became Mr. (now Lord) Haldane's private secretary, and in March, 1908, was appointed by Mr. Asquith financial secretary to the War Office and finance member of the Army Council. Defeat at the poll brought his tenure of these offices to an end. He has represented the Camborne Division of Cornwall since 1910. For eight years an officer in the Civil Service Rifles, Mr. Acland had much to do with setting up the County Association under the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act. Prior to his recent appointment as Secretary to the Board of Agriculture, he did valuable work at the Foreign Office and the Treasury.
Dr. Macnamar.\ on the Devonshire Regiment.
At a concert given in the Balham Assembly Hall on March 20, 1915, under the auspices of the London Devonian Association, on behalf of the Devonshire Regiment, the chair was taken by the Right Hon. T. J. Macnamara, LL.D., Parhamentary Sec- retary of the Admiralty, who, although not a Devonian, was brought up in Devonshire, and had been both pupil and teacher in Exeter schools.
He said he accepted the invitation to preside with great pleasure and in affectionate remembrance of a fine old regiment — the old 11th Foot. To him — and he knew they would not mind his saying so — there was an even greater regiment — the old 47th, the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, in which his father served twenty-one years as a private, corporal, and sergeant — the regiment in which he himself was bom, the regiment in which one of his two soldier sons was now serving. The old North Devon Regiment, however, came next in his affection, for his father was attached to the depot of the old nth Foot for many years after the close of his twenty-one years with the Loyal North Lancashire, and he himself was brought up among them as a young fellow. The old 11th had never belied its proud title, " Semper FideHs." No matter how grave the test, no matter how heavy the odds, no matter how prolonged the struggle, the Devons had always performed the task allotted them — performed it quietly, faithfully, doggedly, stubbornly. No general in the field had ever reason to feel anxious about the old 11th.
Naturally, they would be interested to hear something about the history and record of this fine old corps. It was raised 230 years ago in the West of England to repel Monmouth's rebellion.
42 The Devonian Year Book, 1916
the Duke of Beaufort being its father. For a very long time it bore the title of the Duke of Beaufort's Musketeers. The regiment fought under the famous Duke of Marlborough, who was himself a Devon man. They were in the field with George II. at Dettingen. They went through the Peninsular War with the Duke of Wellington, where they greatly distinguished themselves. They were in the Afghan campaign, 1878-9 ; afterwards in Burma ; later in the North- West Frontier campaign of 1895 ; and in 1897 formed part of the famous Tirah Field Force. Next they were in South Africa. As they all knew, the Devons came out of the war with a reputation second to none with the British Army, and he well knew that in the terrible struggle which began on August 4 last, the Devons more than sustained their great reputation. He was sure the regiment had all their good wishes for the best of good luck in whatever might be before them ; for if ever men earned it and deserved it, they did.
Major Morrison-Bell a Prisoner of War.
The following extracts are from a letter written by Major Morrison-Bell, M.P. for the Honiton Division of Devon, and a Vice-President of the London Devonian Association, from Friedberg, Hessen, where he was then a prisoner : —
" I suppose I am posted missing with lots of others who fought that Monday ; but, alas, most of those will not be heard from again. Strange to say, except having my back nearly broken when the mines went off, and having my cap blown off later, I got off in a most miraculous way.
" I went up with my comrades on the left flank into the trenches on Sunday afternoon, after being twenty hours in support in a place they called the ' keep.' We had to improve some of the loopholes, and the company worked splendidly. Meanwhile, one-third were on outposts, and kept up a lively sniping all night. It all seemed very peaceful, and the war might have been a hundred miles away instead of thirty-five yards, as it was opposite my platform.
" As I was passing my dug-out the signaller said : ' There is a message just come in for you.' It was to say that the Germans were expected to attack in twenty minutes, preceded by a heavy bombardment, and that my trench had been mined, and to let the Coldstreams know.
" Here was a nice little bolt from the blue. I went back down the company, telling each man personally, and told them to oil bolts, and served out three extra boxes of ammunition, which we found there, and let the Coldstreams know. The men
Notes and Gleanings 43
were in splendid spirits, and soon got everything ready. In fact, they were a magnificent company.
" A couple of heavy shells came whispering over from our guns and plumped into their lines, and then all was still, and suddenly an inferno began. A mine exploded a few yards from where I stood, but just round the bend in a trench. Tons of stuff seemed to come my way, and I remember oending my back to try and support the weight I could sec falling. It knocked me down, but I was not buried, and still had hold of my revolver. Simultaneously with the mine their guns started shelling us, but chiefly the left end of the company, I think, and the Coldstreams. But something worse happened.
" The explosion of the mine was the signal to the Germans, who were not a hundred yards off, to reach our trenches. They came across in hundreds, and stopped on the edge of the trench shooting down on it. What could 130 men do against this ? They did all they could, and not a man left the trench. Against these crushing odds the right flank fought wonderfully, and the men were real heroes. I am afraid at least 100 were killed. There are thirty-two with Sergeant Young here. The three officers, about whom there seems no doubt, will be a great loss, as they were all good 'uns.
" The whole thing was over in a quarter of an hour. Looking to the left, where the trench bent round a bit, you could see Germans kneeling on the edges, and just above I could hear them talking. They kept back as long as there was any firing, and I managed to keep off nine shots with my revolver, and emptied the contents of a rifle I picked up. At last there were only three men left on my left, and one by one they were picked off.
" I realized suddenly I was alone. I slipped down into the trenches and squeezed against a little alcove and waited, feeling in a nice funk. Two men jumped down and covered me with revolvers, and I said : ' Ich bin offizier.' They were both very decent, and I felt I should not be killed. They crossed to the German trench, and a shell burst over them one man gave me a frightful crack on the face. Otherwise they were all very decent." — Devon and Exeter Gazette.
" Billy of Allington," V.C.
The following breezy letter was written by one of our Devonian heroes to the Rector of Alwington, and published by him in the Hartland Deanery Magazine for September, 1915 : —
" Sir, — I beg to be excused the liberty I am taking to write to you. My name is Wicketts, I am known to the troops as
44 The Devonian Year Book, 1916
' Billy of Allington.' I was born in Rollestone Cottage, above Woodtown, and I have mother, father, and several sisters and brothers lying in your churchyard. I was a little pale faced boy of no importance to anyone, going daily to Alwington school, but to-day I am the proud possessor of a breast you don't always see. I joined the army first in 1890, and was soon sent to Egypt, and afterwards to India. I went through the Chitral Campaign ; also South Africa, where I was awarded three medals, six fighting bars (King's and Queen's), and the Distinguished Service Medal. When the War broke out I was living at Portsmouth with my wife and fi.ve children, but I at once responded to the call, although I was clear from the Army, and went out with General French, our grand Chief, where I have been through thick and thin up to August 7, when I was offered a few days' leave to come home, and on Wednesday, 18th, I am off again. I suppose you know 1 was offered the V.C, and later on the French Legion of Honour, in the early days of the war. I was one of the little band who was left behind to bring up the rear on August 24, 1914, of which half has never been told. Heroes to their last breath, we had to hold on against terrible odds until September 6, crossing the Seine. Never shall I forget Charleroi ! Now, Sir, are there any more young men about your parish who have not yet joined; if so, tell them to come along, we want them, there are none better able to crush the murderer of dear little children and women than the boys of Devon, who, if they only knew what I know, would soon be with us. We who are here are doing our best ; we shall fight to our last drop of blood, but we may not last it out, someone must fill the gap. I have a dear wife and five little children, but I am prepared to die any death rather than German hands should touch them. Tell the lads to hurry up, we will help them as far as our experience goes ; the boys of Devon are second to none, fine fighting lads, and I know the bells of your church will welcome them home again. We want to add more honours to those already won, and they can do it if they come and try now. Sir, I have, I believe, one married sister and one brother at Bideford ; it may interest them to know I am still alive and in the best of health and spirits, happy as a sandboy. — I am, Sir, yours very truly, W, WiCKETTS, V.C, Sergt. -Major."
Another North Devon V.C.
One of the youngest officers in the British Army to receive this distinction is Second-Lieutenant George Raymond Dallas Moor, of the 3rd Battalion, the Hampshire Regiment, aged 18.
Notes and Gleanings 45
He is the second son of Mr. W. H. Moor, late Auditor-General of the Transvaal, and Mrs. Moor, of St. Berwyns, Braunton. The official announcement states that he was awarded the Victoria Cross " for most conspicuous bravery and resource on June 5, 19K5, during operations south of Krithia, Dardanelles. When a detachment of a battalion on his left, which had lost all its officers, was rapidly retiring before a heavy Turkish attack, Second-Lieut. Moor, immediately grasping the danger to the remainder of the line, dashed back some 200 yards, stemmed the retirement, led back the men, and recaptured the lost trench. This young officer, who only joined the Army in October, 1914, by his personal bravery and presence of mind saved a dangerous situation." During the action he was for eleven hours under continuous heavy fire in the trenches, and it was fourteen hours before he recovered from the state of collapse brought about as a result of his great efforts. He had previously greatly distinguished himself at the landing in Gallipoli.
Bandsman Rendle, V.C.
Yet another Devonian to receive the V.C. was Bandsman Thomas Edward Rendle, 1st Batt. Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, " for conspicuous bravery on November 20, 1914, near Wulverghem, when he attended to the wounded under very heavy shell and rifle fire, and rescued men from the trenches in which they had been buried by the blowing in of the parapets by the fire of the enemy's heavy howitzers." He was born in Exeter thirty years ago, but was brought up at Bristol, and the fact that he was attached to the D.C.L.L was " just a chance." His own impression of the events on November 20 were not at all clear. He said he was acting as stretcher-bearer, when Lieut. Colebrook was wounded. The German trenches were about 200 yards away, and our trenches were under a heavy fire i)i big guns, machine-guns, and rifles. Several sections of our trenches were blown in, and spaces, which were swept by the fire and without shelter, were left between the trenches which remained. " After Lieut. Colebrook was hit," he said, " Lieut. Wingate crawled over the gap to his assistance, and asked me to go with him. Together we bound up his wounds. An artery in his right thigh was severed and he was bleeding rather badly. The Germans were popping at us all the time. To get the wounded officer back I started to make a shallow burrow across the open space with my hands. Every time I threw up the dirt I had scraped loose I suppose my head bobbed up, and the Germans took pot shots at it. I have no recollection of how long I was exposed to the fire. I didn't take much notice of it
46 The Devonian Year Book, 1916
at the time ; one gets used to that sort of thing. I had to make several burrows in order to get cover of any kind. Fortunately, neither Mr. Colebrook nor I got hit on the way back. I had to crawl, of course, and carry him as best I could."
This account may be supplemented by the following extract from a letter written by Lieut. Wingate to his mother at The Court, Cullompton : —
" Two of the shells pitched into the trench only about 30 yards from me and blew ten men to pieces. They also blew down all the front part of our trench, and the earth filled up the dug- out part. This was very annoying, as it divided our trench into two parts, and made it impossible to get from one half to the other without running across this open piece of ground, about five or six yards. Of course, the Germans realized this, and put a machine-gun covering this space, so that anyone who crossed carried his hfe very much in his hands. A subaltern in my companj. (Colebrook) got shot that afternoon in that part of the trench without a communicating trench. He asked for me, so I went along to him ; this meant that I had to cross this gap, but luckily they failed to hit me. We decided it was quite impossible to move him until dark, as there was no way of getting him across the gap, so I sat down to chat with him, when suddenly the Germans started again with their shells. The first two went over the trench, but the next one pitched just short, and that buried me with mud. This, I thought, was a bit too much, so I said that Colebrook must be got away. Just then I got called away to the other end of the trench for a few- minutes. In the meantime, one of the stretcher-bearers (Rendle) lay on his stomach in the gap and under fire, and tried to clear the earth out of the original trench to get a safe path to get Colebrook past the gap. But another shell came and he decided to risk it. Rendle, the stretcher-bearer, took Colebrook on his back and wormed tiis way across the open gap on his stomach, thus getting him into the right half of the trench, where it was plain sailing." — Western Weekly News.
A German Submarine Evaded.
It fell to the lot of a Devonian, Captain William Henry Propert, of Dartmouth, master of the steamship Laertes, to give an example to the British mercantile marine of what might and should be done in case of attacks by an enemy's submarine. On February 10, 1915, his ship was attacked without warning by a German submarine off the coast of Holland, and, although the torpedo missed her by only a few yards and the ship
Notes and Gleanings 47
was under fire for an hour, until her upper structure was riddled with shot, the captain succeeded in saving his vessel and crew from destruction. " For his gallant and spirited conduct in the command of his unarmed ship when exposed to attack by the gunfire and torpedo of a German submarine," so the official announcement runs. Captain Propert was granted a temporary commission as Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve, and the King was pleased to award him the Distinguished Service Cross. The Admiralty conveyed to Captain Propert and the officers and men under his command an expression of high appreciation of their conduct, and bestowed upon each officer a gold watch ; a complimentary grant of £3 was also made to every member of the crew. This exceptional recognition was officially stated to be intended to mark the example set by this merchant vessel. Later in the year Lieut. Propert, R.N. R., was presented with an illuminated address by his fellow-towns- men of Dartmouth.
Captain Chichester Foils the Germans.
It seems appropriate at the present time to recall the fact that it was a North Devon man, Captain, afterwards Rear- Admiral, Sir Edward Chichester, Bart., who, in the Spanish- American war of 1898, prevented the German squadron from attacking the Americans. When, after destroying the Spanish squadron at Cavite, Commodore Dewey blockaded Manila, Chichester's ship, the Immortalite, and three other men-of-war were dispatched thither to protect English interests. Ships of other nations also assembled there, and amongst these the Germans, with such an assumption of menace, that Commodore Dewey fired a shot across the bows of the flagship of Admiral Dietrich, commanding the German squadron. But, before opening fire in return, the German admiral went to the Immor- talite in a boat to sound the disposition of the English commander.
On meeting in the cabin, Dietrich inquired, " What attitude are you likely to take up in the event of the Americans bombard- ing Manila ? " " That," replied Chichester, " is a matter known only to Dewey and me." Dietrich, somewhat disconcerted, paused, and then asked, " Where, sir, do you intend the Enghsh squadron to be, should, unhappily, a conflict ensue between the American Navy and that of His Imperial Majesty P " ." Ask Dewey," was the only answer vouchsafed, and the German retired down the side of the vessel growling in his beard.
Immediately significant orders were issued, and the four British men-of-war steamed across the line of the German
48 The Devonian Year Book, 1916
vessels, the Jmmortalite leading, and the others following in line, and when the senior vessel was about two ship-lengths off, the band of the Olympia played " God Save the Oueen," and the band of the Immortalite responded with " The Star-spangled Banner." It was but a common, every-day act of courtesy, but it was vastly appreciated by the Americans who witnessed it, and it was a significant hint of " Hands off " to the Germans,
The significance of this dramatic action was that it convinced the world that England was on the side of the United States, and that, to use the old familiar phrase, " Blood is thicker than water." It was the first signal demonstration which the Americans received that the sympathies of their kith and kin were with them, and that the jealousy of no third-power Power would be allowed to interfere with the just retribution which they were about to exact from their enemy. Sir Edward made history that day. He wiped out the memories of Bunker Hill and New Orleans — so far as they were bitter memories.
That his conduct was approved at home was shown by the Government conferring on him the C.M.G. Admiral Dewey showed his appreciation by buying a lion cub and calling it " Chichester," and the American authorities had the speech of Captain Chichester to the German admiral — " That is a matter known only to Dewey and me "—inscribed in the Naval School in Annapolis, U.S.A., where it embellishes one of the walls of the academy. And when Admiral Chichester came to die, some years later, a unique tribute of respect was paid to his memory in the United States ; for in every workshop, mill, forge, and mine, work was suspended from noon to five minutes past twelve on the day of his funeral, throughout the length and breadth of the Republic.
" The Pasha of Larnaca."
A Devonian of real mark, both as a scholar and an adminis- trator, has passed away during the year 1915, in the person of Mr. Claude Delaval Cobham, C.M.G. , late Commissioner of Larnaca, in Cyprus. He was the fourth son of the late Thomas Cobham, of Marley, near Exmouth, where he was born in 1842, and where he recently died. A Times correspondent gives the following interesting account of him, under the date, June 3, 1915 : " He was a man of many accomplishments, a scholar, and an antiquary, one who had seen the lands and knew the manners and minds and tongues of many peoples. From Rugby he went to University College, Oxford. When the English occupied Cyprus in 1878, he took ship for Larnaca and at once was appointed Assistant Commissioner, and in 1879 received
Notes and Gleanings 49
the post of Commissioner of the District, which he held until 1 908. There he bought an old Venetian house, which he or his Iriends named the Villa Claudia. Almost every one who went to Cyprus on Government business, or as a visitor, landed at Larnaca and was hospitably entertained by Cobham, especially if he was ' a scholar and a gentleman ' ; and few could fail to lie charmed by him and to learn from him something worth knowing about the Mediterranean and the East. And if the visitor preferred to talk in Greek or Turkish, French or German, Italian or Persian, he found Cobham able to converse with him in any of those tongues.
" The natives of his district reverenced him ; they called him the Pasha, not jestingly, but with all respect. He was an aristocrat, and loved to keep up the dignity of his Pashalik ; he was lame and found riding uncomfortable, and probably for that reason did not go about his district so much as he might have done ; and the routine of office work was not to his taste. But he was well suited for the special post which he so long filled. I believe that he never sought and would not have accepted any promotion out of his beloved island.
" Cobham was a man of strong prejudices and likes and dislikes. He would not allow that he had ever read a line of Dickens, and he would not admit any work by that author into his hbrary ; he was, in the days when I knew him best, strongly pro-German as against French ; he professed, perhaps not always quite seriously, to love the Turk and to hate the Greek, and he carried this so far that he would not have a Greek servant in his house, and always kept a villain of a Turkish cook, who went far to ruin his master's digestion. He published several books, dealing chiefly with the history of Cyprus, including translations from dozens of authors, in many languages, from the 12th to the 19th century, and he was also one of the compilers and editors of several editions of the ' Handbook of Cyprus.' When he left Cyprus he gave his valuable library to the Colonial Institute."
The Hermit of Bro.\dclyst. Remarkable evidence was given at an inquest at Broadclyst, E.xeter, on October 28, on David Mede Salter, retired clergyman, age 82, who was found dead at his residence, a bungalow which had been erected for him in the corner of a field some fourteen years ago. He was commonly known in the district as " The Old Hermit." The dead man never received friends. He was occasionally seen walking close to the bungalow, but rarely went out of sight of it. He had a daily paper sent by post,
4
50 The Devonian Year Book, 1916
and tradesmen had to leave their goods in a hut close by. He occasionally visited Exeter. At the inquest Dr. E. R. P. Lewis, Lancaster-gate, London, chaplain to the British Embassy at Lisbon, said that Mr. Salter was his uncle and a clerk in holy orders. He had been Fellow and Tutor of Jesus College, Cambridge, of which he was M.A. He gave up his living forty years ago, and was quite a recluse, although visited by friends from time to time. He wrote to the witness on March 8, saying : " I am still without any failure in body or mind." His family had tried to get him to have a house-keeper, but he refused any interference on the part of relatives or friends. Sidney Robert Withers, in whose field Mr. Salter had his bungalow, said he had not seen him for six months, although he lived a few yards away and delivered eggs and apples once a week. It was further stated that when the pohce entered the house they had to force three doors, the front, inside, and bedroom doors, before they could find him. He was lying on the floor dead, dressed in a shirt and cardigan jacket. Medical evidence showed death to be due to syncope, and a verdict in accordance was returned. — The Times.
" The E.keter Prophetess." On Dec. 27, 1814, died that remarkable woman, Joanna Southcott, in the sixty-fifth year of her age, after being dis- appointed in her expectation of becoming the " mother of Shiloh." During her life her " prophecies " were published in sixty-five pamphlets, one for each year of her life, and it is said that she had 100,000 followers, more than John Wesley ever had during his lifetime. In addition to the published works, there are still in existence a large number of her manuscripts which have neither been published nor copied. These are called the " sealed writings," and were placed in the hands of William Sharp, the engraver, in 1803, for safe custody. At Joanna's death they appear to have been in the care of Miss Townley, and in 1825 they were sent to the Rev. T. P. Foley, who left them in the care of his son, the Rev. Richard Foley. It is said that some of them have not been read even by believers, but are kept in a large wooden box, which is nailed up and bound with cords. This box is in safe custody, and, according to her followers, may only be opened " when it is sent for by the twenty-four bishops suddenly and unaware in a time of national danger." It was expected by many believers that this would have have happened on the 12th of January, 1915, that being supposed to be the last day of 1914 (old style) and presumably the centenary of Joanna's death ; but the time is not yet ripe — the bishops remain silent, and the box still reposes in its secret hiding-place.
Drake's Drum 51
Drake's Drum.
Drake he's in his hammock an' a thousand mile away,
(Capten, art tha sleepin' there below ?), Slung atween the round shot in Nombre Dios Bay,
An' dreamin' all the time o' Plymouth Hoe. Yarnder lumes the Island, yarnder lie the ships,
Wi' sailor lads a dancin' heel-an'-toe, An' the shore-Hghts flashin', an' the night-tide dashin'.
He sees et all so plainly as he saw et long ago,
Drake he was a Devon man, an' ruled the Devon seas,
(Capten, art tha sleepin' there below ?), Rovin' tho' his death fell, he went wi' heart at ease,
An' dreamin' all the time o' Plymouth Hoe. " Take my drum to England, hang et by the shore,
Strike et when your powder's runnin' low ; If the Dons sight Devon, I'll quit the port o' Heaven,
An' drum them up the Channel as we drummed them long ago,"
Drake he's in his hammock till the great Armadas come,
(Capten, art tha sleepin' there below ?), Slung atween the round shot, Hstenin' for the drum.
An' dreamin' all the time o' Plymouth Hoe, Call him on the deep sea, call him up the Sound,
Call him when ye sail to meet the foe ; Where the old trade's plyin' an' the old flag flyin',
They shall find him ware an' wakin', as they found him long ago !
Henry Newholt.
The words of this poem are given by kind permission of Mr. Newbolt. There are two excellent musical settings, one by Sir. C. V. Stanford, in his " Songs of the Sea," and the other by Mr. W. H. Hedgcock. The poem is, also, most effective as a recitation. — [Editor ]
52 The Devonian Year Book, 1916
New Light on Drake.
By Sir CLEMENTS R. MARKHAM, K.C.B., F.R.S.. &c.
(Reprinted by permission from The English Race.)
Sir Francis Drake, the first English circumnavigator, is acknowledged to have been a great seaman, yet there has always been an undercurrent of detraction. It is more than hinted, even in these days, that Drake was a rough sailor without polish, that he was cruel, that he was a pirate, that he robbed prisoners of their private property, that his famous voyage was merely undertaken for plunder, and that he had no commission em- powering him to inflict the punishment of death on the mutineer Doughty. It was Drake's misfortune that his own journal was lost, and that the only two accounts of his voyage were written by spiteful enemies, the chaplain Fletcher and a man named Cooke.
All this misrepresentation has been finally disposed of by Mrs. Zelia Nuttall in her very important work recently pub- lished by the Hakluyt Society, entitled New Light on Drake. This accomplished lady, in the course of researches on another subject, has discovered a great number of documents relating to Drake's voyage, among the archives at Mexico, Seville, Simancas, and other places. Most of these documents are depositions before the Inquisition by prisoners Drake had landed, and others. One is the journal of a Portuguese pilot who was taken prisoner off the Cape Verd Islands, and landed on the coast of Mexico. The evidence of those perfectly impartial — if anything hostile — witnesses now comes to light, to clear the character of a great English seaman, after a silence of more than three centuries.
First as to the object of the voyage. The name of John Oxenham is well known to the readers of Mr. Kingsley's West- ivard Ho ! In his deposition made in the Inquisition at Lima, John Oxenham declared that the main object of Drake's voyage was discovery in the interests of his country. He believed that a strait existed to the north of the American Continents, similar to the one discovered by Magellan to the south, and that its discovery would be most advantageous to England. In fact, he made a gallant attempt to find it, going far north along the coast of New Albion. It is true that he also
New Light on Drake 53
intended to recover from Spanish ships the amount that was robbed from his relative, Sir John Hawkins, at San Juan de Ulua. All the depositions bear witness to Drake's ability and knowledge as a navigator.
With regard to his power of life and death conferred by the Queen's commission, it is alleged that he had none. But the Portuguese pilot bears witness that Drake placed the document he afterward read before Doughty's execution on his head, which was only done, in those days, in the case of missives from the Sovereign. Moreover, Drake's distinguished prisoner, Don Francisco de Zarate, was actually shown the Queen's commis- sion. One of the charges against Drake, in biographies that have been written, is that he robbed Zarate's private property as well as seized his ship. This calumny is refuted by Zarate himself in his letter to the Viceroy of Mexico. All that happened was that they exchanged presents, and the Spaniard thought that he got the best of the bargain.
All the vSpaniards who made depositions testify to Drake's good treatment of them while on board ship. He spoke Spanish well, his manners were courtly, his hospitality thoughtful and genuine. They witnessed his performance of divine service, and the ceremony observed at his table. The gentlemen volun- teers, including some of the best names in Devonshire, dined with him, and a band played during the meal.
Not a single Spaniard met his death owing to Drake's voyage, which was undertaken for discovery and made legitimate by the Queen's commission. One ver.y interesting piece of evidence is that the great seaman was keeping a most careful journal. We are told that he spent much time in a cabin with his young kinsman John Drake, drawing capes and headlands, and new birds and fishes for his journal. The loss of this journal has been most injurious to the fair fame of the illustrious circum- navigator. Now detraction will be finally silenced by the evidence, not of his own countrymen, but by that of the Spaniards themselves, his fair-minded enemies. Enghshmen ought to be grateful to Mrs. Zelia Nuttall for the care and abihty v\nth which she has conducted her most interesting researches, which have resulted in such a complete vindication of one of England's greatest seamen. She has, indeed, thrown a " new light on Drake."
54 The Devonian Year Book, 1916
Called Up.
(Reprinted from The Times by permission of the Author.)
Come, tumble up, Lord Nelson, the British Fleet's a-looming ! Come, show a leg. Lord Nelson, the guns they are a-booming ! 'Tis a longish line of battle,- — such as we did never see ; An' 'tis not the same old round-shot as was fired by you an' me
What see' si thou, Sir Francis ? — Strange things I see appearing What hearest thou, Sir Francis P — Strange sounds I do be hearing They are fighting in the heav^ens ; they're at war beneath the sea Ay, their ways are mighty different from the ways o' you an' me
See'st thou nought else. Sir Francis ? — I see great lights a-seeking ! Hearest thou nought else, Sir Francis ? — I hear thin wires a-speak-
ing! Three leagues that shot hath carried ! — God, that such could
ever be ! There's no mortal doubt, Lord Nelson — they ha' done wi' you an'
me !
Look thou again, Sir Francis ! — I see the flags a-flapping ! Hearken once more, Sir Francis ! — I hear the sticks a-tapping ! 'Tis a sight that calls me thither! — 'Tis a sound that bids me
" Come ! " 'Tis the old Trajalgar signal! — 'Tis the beating of my drum!
A rt thou ready, good Sir Francis ? See, they wait upon the quay ! Praise be to God, Lord Nelson, they ha' thought of you an' me /
Dudley Clark.
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Farthest from Railways : An Unknown Corner of Devon 55
Farthest from Railways : An Unknown Corner of Devon.
By R. PEARSE CHOPE. B.A.
{Author of " The Story of Hariland," " The Dialed of Harlland," etc.)
A Lecture delivered to the London Devonian Association, January 11, 1915.*
If you will take any general railway map of England, such as " Bradshaw " or the " A B C," and try with a compass to draw the largest circle without crossing a railway line, you will, after many trials, fix its centre at Hartland Point, North Devon, for
When you have sought all England round. Farthest from railways this will be found.
Leaving the small detached light railway from Bideford to Westward Ho out of consideration, it will be seen that the nearest station " as the crow flies," or by aeroplane, is Bude, and its distance about fourteen miles, but the nearest by road, which is still the usual medium of communication, is Bideford. about sixteen miles, Bude being three or four miles farther and much more difficult of access.
The tourist, therefore, generally adventures by road from Bideford to Hartland, and, as an enthusiastic guide-book author writes, " even in Devonshire it would be difficult to discover a more delightful route. Throughout the whole six- teen miles, the tourist's eyes will be charmed with a succession of beautiful pictures, and if he be an artist, or a lover of art, he will be reminded at one point of Turner's ethereal conceptions ; at another, of the force and depth of Creswick ; here, of the poetical power of Gainsborough ; there, of the rude fidelity of Morland. Nature in all her ruggedness ; nature subdued by art ; wild bosky glens, haunted by mysterious shadows ; rich woodland vales murmurous with falling waters ; bleak, bare cliffs, where the sea-bird builds her nest ; the rippling stream, the broad and billowy ocean ; the yellow cornfield and the blossomy garden ; these succeed one another like the rapid and surprising changes of a fairy panorama."
* The lecture was illustrated by nearly one hundred lantern slides, specially prepared, but, as these cannot be here reproduced, the following report of the lecture has been slightly modified.
56 The Devonian Year Book, 1916
It seems strange that such a large tract of land should remain so long untraversed by a railway, but there are at last signs of a change. Two different railway schemes have been brought forward, and only last summer (1914) an excellent motor bus service was started. Indeed, this proved to be too good, for the buses attracted the attention of the Government agent, who at once commandeered them for the war.* Whether the advent of railways, or even of motor buses, would be altogether advan- tageous to such a place as Hartland, is a matter of opinion, for, in the words of an American poet, —
" The railway ruined it, the natives say, That passed unwisely fifteen miles away. And made a drain to which, with steady ooze, Filtered away law, stage-coach, trade, and news. The railway saved it : so at least think those Who love old ways, old houses, old repose."
At any rate, the result of this neglect by the railway companies is that, except to a few adventurous spirits — mainly from across the Atlantic, Hartland is still an unknown country, although its scenery is more beautiful, and its history more interesting, than those of any other place in North Devon. History perhaps appeals only to a few, but with regard to the scenery many will be inclined to say : " Clovelly we know, Lynmouth we know, and Ilfracombe — surely Hartland in all its glory is not arrayed like one of these ? " No, not like one of them, but hke them all and superior to any, for the chief feature of the Hartland scenery is its wonderful variety — soft wooded cliffs on the north, wild rugged rocks on the west, wind-swept moorland heights, and calm secluded vales. " Wild, glorious, and unknown," says one observant tourist ; "by far the most striking part of the North of Devon," says another ; " the wildest and grandest cliffs in the whole of Devon," says a third ; and many others are equally enthusiastic.
Hartland is a large parish — the largest in Devonshire with the sole exception of the Dartmoor parish of Lydford. Its area is over 17,000 acres, and its shape is roughly a rectangle, six miles from north to south by four and a half from east to west. It is bounded on the west by the Atlantic,
* Since the lecture was delivered, the following motor services have been started : (i) A mail car, from Bideford to Hartland and back daily, carrying passengers and doing extra turns on Tuesdays and Saturdays ; (2) Another car, running from Hartland to Bideford and back on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and doing extra turns when required ; (3) A char-a-banc, running during the summer months three days weekly, from Bude to Hartland Quay on the way to Clovelly, and back to Bude direct.
Farthest from Railways : An Unknown Corner of Devon 57
" Where on Hartland's tempest-furrowed shore Breaks the long swell from farthest Labrador."
No land intervenes between it and America, for, contrary to the general opinion, Cape Clear is much farther north, and we have the advantage over Parliament that Ireland does not block the way. On the north the parish forms the western extremity both of Bideford Bay and Severn Sea, generally but erroneously called Bristol Channel, and there is no land between it and Carmarthen Bay in Wales, about fifty miles off. On a clear day the high lands of Gower and Pembroke are plainly visible. To the north-east spreads out before us the charming panorama of Bideford Bay, terminating in Morte Point, near Ilfracombe, about seventeen miles away, and having Exmoor in the back- ground. To the south-west is a still more extensive, and almost equally charming, panorama, reaching to Trevose Head, beyond Padstow, nearly forty miles away, and including a view of " grim Dundagel, thron'd along the sea." About ten miles away in a north-westerly direction is the picturesque isle of Lundy, which is always a prominent feature in the landscape and represents the island of our dreams. Facetious persons allude to it as " the Kingdom of Heaven," Heaven being the name of the proprietor. Kingsley avers in " Westward Ho ! " that, for its sins, Lundy is included in the huge parish of Hartland ; but this statement is incorrect — it has always been a separate parish, though, before the present church was built, on at least one occasion a couple came across to Hartland to be married. The island varies so much in appearance according to the state of the atmosphere, that it is a favourite source of weather forecasts : —
" Lundy high, sign of dry ; Lundy plain, sign of rain ; Lundy low, sign of snow."
On the land side Hartland is separated from the neighbour- ing parishes of Clovelly and Welcombe by deep valleys, and at the back is a ridge, rising to about 750 feet, which forms the watershed of the river Torridge. On this ridge, just beyond the boundary of Hartland parish, is the source of the Torridge and the Tamar, which rise, so it is said, on opposite sides of the same " rex-bush " (clump of rushes), though one flows by a circuitous route to Bideford and Severn Sea, while the other follows a comparatively straight course to -Plymouth and the Enghsh Channel. From the watershed can be seen on one hand the peaked tors of Dartmoor and Cornwall, and on the other the rounded hills of Exmoor and North Devon.
58 The Devonian Year Book, 1916
Hartland is thus " on the road to nowhere," and can only be reached by surmounting this ridge at the back, which in itself is sufficiently forbidding to many people, not because of its height, but because it is "a rolling range of dreary moors, unbroken by tor or tree," though this was the scene selected by Turner for one of his most beautiful landscapes. The coaches from Clovelly to Bude pass along this ridge, but they give their passengers only a glimpse of the paradise beyond. Like the priest and the Levite of the parable, they pass by on the other side. Perhaps in due course the good Samaritan will come along, and not only leave his two pence with the host, but will also persuade others to do the same. Hartland has indeed fallen among thieves, who have robbed it of its reputation, for the railway companies do not even recognize its existence, and on all sides tourists are told that there is nothing to be seen there.
However, west of the watershed the scene changes. The comparatively flat table-land gets broken up into a series of small ridges and valleys, which make the land so hilly that it is said to be impossible to get sufficient flat ground for a cricket field in the whole parish. As John Bright wrote of Lynmouth : —
" They who come here in hope to shun The turmoil and the strife, Will find how hard it is to flee The ups and downs of life."
The high ground at the back is the source of a number of small streams which run to the coast, both north and west, and form those " delightful glens " so eloquently described by Kingsley : ' Each is like the other and each is hke no other EngUsh scenery. Each has its upright walls, inland of rich oak-wood, nearer the sea of dark green furze, then of smooth turf, then of weird black cliffs which range out right and left far into the deep sea, in castles, spires, and wings of jagged ironstone. Each has its narrow strip of fertile meadow, its crystal trout stream winding across and across from one hill-foot to another ; its grey stone mill, with the water sparkling and humming round the dripping wheel ; its dark rock pools above the tide mark, where the salmon-trout gather in from their Atlantic wanderings, after each autumn flood ; its ridge of blown sand, bright with golden trefoil and crimson lady's fingers ; its grey bank of polished pebbles, down which the stream rattles toward the sea below. Each has its black field of jagged shark's-tooth rock which paves the cove from side to side, streaked with here and there a pink line of shell sand, and laced with white foam from the eternal surge, stretching in parallel lines out to the westward, in strata set upright on edge, or tilted towards each other at strange
fi
1.— ROCKS AT BLEGBERRY. 2.— A WRECK AT BLEGBERRY.
Farthest from Railways: An Unknown Corner of Devon 59
angles by primeval earthquakes ; such is the ' Mouth ' — as those coves are called ; and such the jaw of teeth which they display, one rasp of which would grind abroad the timbers of the stoutest ship. To landward, all richness, softness, and peace ; to seaward, a waste and howling wilderness of rock and roller, barren to the fisherman, and hopeless to the shipwrecked mariner."
Once, and once only, has a ship been got off that has ever struck those terrible rocks. Although the number of wrecks has been greatly reduced since the lighthouse was built at Hartland Point, the local proverb still remains true : —
" From Padstow Port to Lundy Light Is a watery grave by day or night.
About ten years ago I compiled a list of thirty-five wrecks that had occurred off the coast of Hartland from 1862 to 1904, and the number has since been considerably increased.* In all about forty lives were lost. The last and largest of the series was an ItaUan steamship, the Rosalia, of nearly 2000 tons (3000 gross), carrying a crew of twenty-five, which was totally wrecked in a very thick fog at Hartland Quay on May 27, 1904 ; but the only one at which it has been my fortune to be present was the Hoche, a French steamship of nearly 900 tons, carrying a crew of twenty-three, which was wrecked in similar circumstances at Blegberry on July 1, 1882. In this case a small party of young men were spending the evening at the farm-house, when they were startkd by the arrival of a sailor announcing the wreck and asking to be directed to the nearest telegraph office. Learning that he was at Hartland, he said he had been wrecked there before, and, if we could only direct him to Stoke, he would be able to find his way to the town. Our party hurried to the top of the cliff, but not a trace of the wreck could we see for a considerable time, until one of us at length espied the top of a mast looming through the fog. Down we went one after the other, over the almost perpendicular face of the cliff — here about 250 feet high, and, strange to say, we all got safely to the bottom, though how we managed it has been a puzzle to me ever since. When we arrived there, we found that our efforts were all in vain, for the captain would not allow us on board and refused all our offers of assistance. He, no doubt, remembered the terrible tales he had heard about the
* Since the lecture was delivered, a Dutch steamship, the Flora, of Amsterdam, of 900 tons, with a crew of 19, was wrecked on April 3rd, 1915, at Longpeak, below Speke's Mill.
6o The Devonian Year Book, 1916
wreckers on our coast, and I am bound to admit that we have a sinister reputation in this respect.
" Save a stranger from the sea, And he'll become your enemy,"
is a well-known proverb, but the tales told by the Rev. R. S. Hawker, of Morwenstow, about " Cruel Coppinger," who was really wrecked at Hartland, are either fictitious or grossly exaggerated.
Excellent as Kingsley's description is of our combes, it strangely omits the most characteristic feature of all — the coastal waterfall. Of these we have seven in various stages of evolution, forming such a grand and varied series as is not to be found elsewhere in Great Britain. The most striking is certainly the compound fall at Speke's Mill, of which Mr. Newell Arber says : " It is by far the grandest and most imposing waterfall, or, rather, series of falls, on the whole coast ; and it is of such special interest to the geologist, and such a wonderful sight for the wayfarer, that it would be well if it were acquired for the nation." A detailed description of it, illustrated by diagrams and numerous photographic views, is given in Mr. Arber's book, " The Coast Scenery of North Devon." The first fall, nearly 54 feet in height, from about 160 feet above sea-level, is over one limb of a V-shaped fold in the rocks. The water then runs along the bottom of the trough almost horizon- tally for 132 feet, when it again turns at right-angles and cuts its way seaward through the ridge-shaped fold beyond, descend- ing by three smaller falls. These form part of the floor of an immature canyon or gorge cut in the cliffs by the stream. The first marks the point to which the waterfall has retreated from its original position above what is now a pool on the beach. It has not, however, persisted as a sheer fall, but has worn its channel back unevenly, with the result that there are now three separate falls. The top of the first of these is at least 100 feet above sea-level, but the sheer fall was once very much higher, probably 200 feet. In the future, provided the sea does not get in and destroy the canyon, the stream will cut down the remaining 100 feet, and the floor of the canyon will then be at sea-level. With regard to the big upper fall, this has been formed, strange as it may seem, by the trough or gutter at its base ; this trough or gutter is really older than the fall, and, as the stream has cut down along the strike, so the length of the first or dip fall has increased.
An example of an almost sheer fall, slightly modified owing to the fact that the stream is flowing in the direction of the
io
SPEKES MILL WATERFALL.
Farthest from Railways : An Unknown Corner of Devon 6i
strike, occurs at Blegberry ; here the stream falls over a cliff about 25 feet high, down one Umb of V-shaped fold which is being rapidly denuded by the sea. An attempt was made to divert this fall, to enable a donkey path to be made up the face of the rock, but the stream proved too powerful for the punv efforts of man, and washed away the masonry dam that he had erected to turn it into a new channel. In the valleys on each side are examples of the mature canyon stage in the evolution of a waterfall, that at Blackpool Mill being one of the best to be found on these coasts.
But it is not only the waterfalls that excite our admiration along these cliffs ; the marvellous foldings and contortions of the rocks are even more wonderful and awe-inspiring. " There must have been strange work here," says Kingsley, " when all these strata were being pressed and squeezed together like a ream of wet paper between the rival granite pincers of Dartmoor and Lundy." The effects, too, of marine erosion on such rocks are very remarkable. The wave action of the sea, aided by the grinding action of the pebbles on the beach, wears away the softer strata, leaving the harder in place, and ultimately Jforms either a deep cave, as at Moll Davy's House, Speke's Mill, or a complete tunnel, as at Smoothland, Blegberry. Sometimes large holes are made in the hard strata which the sea has failed to wear away and which run out from the cliff as buttresses ; a good example of this may be seen at Speke's Mill. As Mr. Arber says : "No words can convey the wildness and grandeur of these cliffs, as seen from the shore — the scenes baffle descrip- tion completely."
Another peculiar feature of the Hartland chff scenery is the sea-dissected valley. This is a very rare phenomenon, though there are two excellent examples at Hartland, one between St. Catherine's Tor and Hartland Quay, and the other at Bleg- berry. In the majority of cases rivers and streams enter the sea at right angles to the coast-hne, but it sometimes happens that they make a bend and run parallel to it before thev actually enter the sea. In such cases the sea will, as a rule, cut through the cliff at the bend and dissect the lower portion of the valley, so that the waters will jbe captured by the sea at some distance from the original mouth and will then enter the sea at right angles to the coast. In the first example, the stream now discharges at the north side of St. Catherine's Tor, which is part of the remains of the seaward wall of its valley, but it formerly ran along parallel with the coast and discharged at Hartland Quay. The force of the sea may be gauged from the fact that in 1878 the pier at Hartland Quay was complete,
62 The Devonian Year Book, 1916
forming an apparently snug little harbour, but since that date the whole has been swept away by the waves and now not one stone remains upon another. In the example at Blegberry, the stream now discharges at Sandpath, but it formerly ran along the valley between Blegberry and Smoothland and dis- charged at the side of Dame Hole.
A short distance to the north of Blegberry is Hartland Point. The lighthouse, which was erected in 1874 on a rock beyond the Point itself, is a remarkable piece of engineering, for the surveyor was unable to get anywhere near the site, and was obliged to make his plans from observations and measurements taken from a ship at sea. A road to it was first cut along the cliff on the north side. The Point is 350 feet high, and was formerly a picturesque object, but its natural beauty has been largely spoilt by the erection on the high ground behind it of a naval signalling station and a wireless telegraph installation. The approach to it is rather difficult, along a narrow ridge where a slip would be fatal, but the ascent is worth the risk, for on the top there is not only a lovely view on all sides, but there is also a complete calm, and the climate is so mild that primroses have been picked there at Christmas. Indeed, in all sheltered positions at Hartland flowers and shrubs grow in the utmost profusion^ — myrtles, fuchsias, escallonias, and even geraniums become trees reaching as high as the walls of the houses, and the whole district is a veritable " fern paradise."
A few months ago I was shown a copy of The Hartland News from a very modern and up-to-date Hartland, situated in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, U.S.A. The chief feature was a leading article on our own local paper. The Hartlatid Chronicle, which has attained world-wide celebrity as the " one-man news- paper," and has published correspondence and articles in Italian, Danish, Welsh, Irish, Marathi, and Taal (Cape Dutch), to say nothing of Esperanto and Simplified Spelling ; according to this American paper ours is the oldest Hartland in the world, and was in existence as far back as the reign of Elizabeth. What would the editor have said if she — for the editor is a lady — had known that our history really goes back to the beginning of the Christian era ?
About 1800 years ago the famous geographer, Ptolemy of Alexandria, gave the name Hercules Promontory to a cape which has been universally identified with our Hartland Point, or, as sailors prefer to call it, Harty Point. This one stubborn fact has furnished food for the speculation of many antiquaries. One suggests that, after slaying Albion, Neptune's son, in Gaul, Hercules may have crossed over into Britain in his golden bowl ;
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I — HARTLAND POINT FROM THE SEA. 2.— HARTLAND QUAY IN 1878.
Op/>ositt p. bi
Farthest from Railways: An Unknown Comer of Devon 63
another thinks that, as Ptolemy got his information from Phoenician sailors, the name Hercules refers to the Tyrian god Melkarth, the Baal of the Bible, and that a temple may have been erected to this god at Hartland Point ; while a third, misled by a forgery, gravely asserts that two pillars were actually erected there in honour of Hercules, and that the Phoenicians undoubtedly carried on a trade of some importance with the natives. The greatest living authority on Celtic Britain has suggested that Hercules may in this case be identified with one of the heroes of the Arthurian legend.
It is probable that in Ptolemy's time the people at Hartland belonged to a tribe or clan of the British or Celtic kingdom of Dumnonia, which extended over the present counties of Devon and Cornwall, and, if Germany wins the present war, is destined to become the future Kingdom of England. Although the Romans nominally occupied the country, there is no definite evidence that they ever reached this corner of Devon. Kingsley, indeed, speaks of Clovelly Dykes as a Roman camp, and refers in vivid language to a Roman villa on the top of St. Catherine's Tor, " now tumbling into the sea, tesselated pavements, baths, and all ; " but this building, as the name of the hill implies, is more likely to have been a chapel dedicated to that saint, and the Dykes are considered by modem antiquaries to have been the fortified town of some British king. Indeed, it seems to be quite a fair conjecture that these wonderful earthworks, enclosing an area of twenty acres and having five rings of defence, may have been raised by the renowned Arthur himself, for Hartland is almost at the centre of Arthur's land, which extended along the coast from Tintagel to the River Parret. The parish has remains of " cliff castles " at Windbury Head on the north, and Embury Beacon on the west, and it is reputed to have had one also on Hartland Point itself. Just beyond the boundary is the large grave-mound called Woolley Barrows, and about a score of smaller grave-mounds are marked on the Ordnance Map within the parish, most of them on or about Bursdon Moor, the probable scene of many a conflict between the Dumnonian or Cornish Britons and the all-conquering Saxons.
It has been pointed out that " where tradition says that King Arthur was strong, there recorded history would have it King Alfred was undoubted master," and we know that " Heorting- tunc " (Harton — in Domesday Book " Hertitone ") was one of the possessions which Alfred left in his will to his elder son Edward, and which, extending from Stratton to Cheddar, " seem to follow roughly the shadowy outlines of the great Arthurian kingdom." It is generally assumed that it was not
64 The Devonian Year Book, 1916
until about 750 that the Saxons gained possession of the whole of Devon, but, as Arthur is represented as fighting against them at Badon Hill, near Bath, in 520, and the evidence of place-names and dialect shows that the northern part of Cornwall is more closely alHed to North Devon than to the rest of Cornwall, it is at least possible that the Arthurian Kingdom was conquered some time before the rest of the Dumnonian peninsula. The thorough- ness of the conquest is shown by the fact that most of our place-names and nearly all our dialect words are pure Saxon. The names Hartland and Harton are more likely to have been derived from a Saxon settlement of Heortings, or men of the clan of Heort or Heard, as the earliest form " Heortingtune " indicates, than to have any connection with Hercules, or to have been derived from the number of harts found in the place, as suggested by Leland, the antiquary.
In King Arthur's time there arrived at Hartland a Christian missionary, called Nectan or Knighton,* to whom the present church is dedicated. He appears to have been one of a large body of Irish-Welsh people, who were driven out of Wales and settled in Cornwall and Devon. He is represented in legend as the eldest and most distinguished member of the large family of Brychan, a Welsh kinglet, after whom Brecknockshire is named. He probably landed at Padstow, and worked his way along the coast, setthng first at St. Nectan's Kieve, Tintagel. Leaving here, he continued to move northwards to Hartland, accompanied possibly by his sister Morwenna as far as Morwen- stow, to which parish she has given her name. Of his life at Hartland we know nothing, but we are told that one 17th of June he was pursued through the woods by a band of ruffians, and was finally caught and beheaded at the place now called Newton, where a church was erected in his honour. Taking his head in his hands, in the manner of these old-world saints, he walked as far as St. Nectan's Well at Stoke, and there, after placing the head upon a certain stone, he died. As a proof of the miracle, the chronicler tells us that the marks of blood remained 'bn the stone to his day. The legend was probably invented to account for the transference of the church from Newton to Stoke, and there are good reasons for supposing that there was a still earlier church on the opposite hill, at Cheristow, i.e. Church-stow, the place of the church, where there was afterwards a chapel dedicated to St. Wenn, another sister of St. Nectan. At any rate, the saint's relics were carefully preserved at Stoke Church,
* For a full account of St. Nectan, see the Rev. J. F. Chanter's article on " The Saints of Devon," in the Devonian Year Book, 1915.
Farthest Jroni Railways : An Unknown Corner of Devon 65
probably beneath the high ahar, until they were scattered to the winds at the Reformation. His statue in a canopied niche in the eastern face of the church tower represents him as a bishop, and there are very crude representations of his head on the two old Abbey seals. Another holy well is St. Clare's at Philham, which has a mutilated image of a female saint inside it. Mr. Chanter considers that the original of this saint was St. Cleder, a brother or nephew of St. Nectan, and that the name, being shortened into Cleer, was taken in later times to be a woman's name.
Tradition says that the first church at Stoke was built about 1060 by Gytha, wife of the great Earl Godwin and mother of King Harold, and that she dedicated it to St. Nectan because she believed the prayers of that saint had saved her husband from shipwreck, presumably off our wreck-strewn coast. It is striking to find that at Harold's great foundation, Waltham Abbey, a bone of St. Nectan was one of its most treasured relics. It is probable that at the same time Gytha founded the college of twelve canons or priests, which certainly existed at Stoke before the Norman Conquest, and that she endowed it with lands which were taken from her great manor of Harton and subsequentl}- formed the manor of Stoke St. Nectan — ^Nistenestoc in Domesday Book. After the Conquest the manor of Harton, which had probably been a royal manor from the time of King Alfred until it was granted to Gytha, was seized with the rest of the lands of Gytha and her family, by William himself, and again became royal property ; while the manor of Stoke was granted to " Girold the chaplain," probably ithe King's own chaplain. The other manors in the parish — Milford, South Hole, and Meddon — were small and insignificant. The im- portance of Harton, which included, and still includes, a con- siderable part of the present parish of Woolfardisworthy, may be estimated from the fact that it was assessed at nine hides, the hide being the unit of assessment, while the whole Hundred of Hartland, including the parishes of Hartland, Clovelly, Woolfardisworthy, and the detached parish of Yarnscombe, was only assessed at twenty hides. Clovelly and Bideford were assessed at three hides each, and Stoke at two hides. This relative importance of Hartland was maintained until the seventeenth century, for the parish registers prove that until 1620 Hartland had a larger population than Bideford, and in Elizabeth's reign it actually had twice the number registered at Bideford and more than half the number at Barnstaple. At the beginning of last century, when the first census was taken, the population of Hartland was still more than one-
66 The Devonian Year Book, 1916
half that of Bideford, and more than two-fifths that of Barnstaple.
Soon after Domesday Book was compiled, the manor of Harton was granted to a member of the noble family of Dynham, from Dinan in Brittany, and about 1170 Geoffrey son of OUver Dynham, founded the Abbey in place of the college of priests at Stoke. The manor remained in the family until the death, in 1502, of John, Lord Dynham, Lord High Treasurer of England, when it passed to the representatives of his four sisters. Tradition says that the Dynhams had their castle at the place now known as Castle, near Blegberry, where the remains of the large fish-pond may still be seen, but, although this was one of the three sections of the demesne or home farm of the manor in 1301, there is no record of any castle building there at that date. The mansion or dwelling-house was then in the middle section of the demesne, within the South Deer Park, near Hartland Town. However, the tradition of a castle at Blegberry seems to be kept up by means of a fortified farm-house, sur- rounded by a strong wall having an observation platform and loop-holes for guarding the approach and entrance door. The date of the house itself, as given on some ornamental plaster- work in the entrance hall, is 1627.
The foundation of the abbey — the only one in North Devon — was due to the influence of Richard of Ilchester, archdeacon of Poitiers, and afterwards Bishop of Winchester. It was of the order of Austin Canons, as modified by the rule of the brethren of St. Nicholas of Arroasia, according to which they had to abstain from flesh altogether, to wear no shirts, but to lie at night in woollen tunics, and to keep strict silence. It is doubtful whether this modified form of the Augustinian rule was ever strictly followed, and by the middle of the fourteenth century we find that even the simpler form had been sadly relaxed. The canons then had private huts where they held feasts and drinking-bouts with each other, and even with the lay brethren ; and they were enjoined by the bishop to frequent only the one known as the Prior's Cot (Prioriscawet), and not the one of which Richard de Chudbrook, one of the canons, kept the key. They were apparently in the habit of taking part in hunting and fowling, and of keeping horses and dogs.
The head of the convent was, of course, the abbot ; and a very important man he was. His will was law, subject only to the rules of the order and the control of the bishop. He had a town house in High Street, Exeter, and in the abbey itself he lived in his own lodgings, apart from the others. The number of canons was originally only twelve, but this was afterwards increased to
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fourteen. Their dress consisted of a long black cassock and a white rochet or surplice, over which was worn a black cloak with a hood. They differed from monks in allowing their beards to grow, and in wearing caps.
We have no means of picturing to ourselves what the old monastic buildings were like, for no illustration of them is known to exist, and, with the exception of one or two granite doorways and the like in the basement, no remains are now to be found in their original position. When the present abbey was built, about 1780, the old belfry tower still stood at the north-east corner, and was so strongly built that it had to be undermined and buried whole in a trench dug for the purpose. The north wing of the buildings at that time, the dining hall (72 feet long), and the cloisters also formed part of the monastery, but all were pulled down. The arches of the cloisters, which were trefoliated examples of the Decorated style of architecture, are said to have been built into the basement, but it is doubtful whether many of the original arches remain. A Latin inscription, which is still to be seen, informs us that the cloisters were built of coloured marble at the beginning of the fourteenth century. The present building was originally designed in a monastic style, and had a cross on the top, but it has since been considerably modified.
At the dissolution of the abbey, with the other greater monasteries, in 1539, its total income was £306 3s. 2\d. and a pair of gloves. The abbot was granted the large pension of £60, but the prior only received £6 13s. Ad. The latter remained at Hartland, and for some years served as mass-priest in ''St. Mary's Guild," the north chancel aisle of the parish church, at the sole charge of Hugh Prust, of Thorry, whose initials still appear on some of the bench ends in the opposite chancel aisle, though visitors are often told that these letters stand for '■ Hartland Parish." The bulk of the abbey property in the parish was granted to WiUiam Abbott, the king's butler. The church is splendidly situated on the hill overlooking the abbey valley, and, on account of its size and the beauty of several of its features, it is frequently alluded to as '' The Cathedral of North Devon." It has been thus described in immortal verse by the poet-parson of Morwenstow : —
" How wildly sweet by Hartland Tower, The thrilling voice of prayer : A seraph, from his cloudy bower. Might lean to listen there.
For time, and place, and storied days,
To that great fane has given Hues that might win an angel's gaze,
'Mid scenery of heaven.
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6S The Devonian Year Book, 1916
Above, the ocean breezes sweep,
With footsteps firm and free : Around, the mountains guard the deep,
Beneath, the wide, wide sea.
Enter ! the arching roofs expand.
Like vessels on the shore : Inverted, when the fisher-band
Might tread their planks no more.
But reared on high in that stern form.
Lest faithless hearts forget The men that braved the ancient storm,
And hauled the early* net.
The tracery of a quaint old time
Still weaves the chancel screen : And tombs, with many a broken rhyme,
Suit well this simple scene.
A Norman font, with baptism bright,
The womb of mystic birth ; An altar, where in angels' sight,
Their Lord descends to earth.
Here glides the spirit of the psalm.
Here breathes the soul of prayer : The awful church — so hushed — so calm —
Ah ! surely God is there."
The approach to the church is by a short avenue of scarred hme trees leading to a lych gate, which is flanked by a very broad and massive granite stile. Just outside is the old church- house, now converted into cottages, and there are also other quaint cottages in the village.
The church is cruciform in shape, consisting of nave and chancel, with north and south aisles to each ; north and south transepts and porches ; and a western tower. In the absence of records, its age can only be determined by the style of archi- tecture. All, except the tower, is of the Decorated period (about 1350), while the tower is early Perpendicular (about 1420). Unfortunately, when the church was restored, in 1848, new windows of the Perpendicular style were inserted, representing a later period than the body of the church. The Norman font is, of course, of much earUer date (probably about 1180), and the screen and altar tomb are somewhat later (about 1450).
A striking feature of the nave is the large span of its arches. It is said that the piers incline outwards, which, together with the " wagon " roof, increases the resemblance to an inverted ship, as indicated in Hawker's poem. This peculiarity is not uncommon, especially in churches near the sea, and was intended to symbolize that the Church was the Ark of God.
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Farthest from Railways: An Unknown Corner of Devon 69
The great west tower, though plain, is a very noble structure, and is grandly placed, forming a conspicuous object for many miles both by land and by sea. It is 144 feet in height, and is said to be the highest tower of any ancient parish church in Devon, and, with one exception, in England. The pinnacles are crocketed, and terminate in crosses instead of the more usual finials. In addition to the statue of St. Nectan on the eastern face, there are grotesque animal gargoyles at each corner, below the parapet, which carry off the roof water. The lofty arch, 28 feet high, opening into the church, is " unequalled in the county for the bold style of the mouldings and capitals," but it was at one time blocked up by a music gallery, where the " musickers " played their fiddles, clarinets, and " bass viols," and, although it was carefully scraped at the restoration in 1848, it has since been again coated with whitewash.
The tower contains six bells, all having been cast in 1826 and one recast in 1886. At the former date, the famous bell- founders, W. & J. Taylor, undertook to cast six bells from the metal of the five old ones, and to pay themselves with the surplus metal, which was estimated to weigh 20 cwt., and to be worth ;^5 the cwt. The new bells were to weigh 50 cwt. and to be half a tone sharper, and the founders guaranteed that they should be heard farther than the old ones, and that their tone should be loud, sweet, and pleasing. This curious arrangement is indicated by the quaint inscription on one of them : —
" The names of Dennis, Heard, Chope, and Rowe With us can never die : They saved our hves ; not only so. But bade us multiply."
Another bell has the curious inscription : —
" We are a beacon to your God ; Attend our call and 'scape his rod."
The roofs throughout the church are of the " wagon " type, those of the chancel and the new portion of the north aisle being open-timbered, and the remainder pannelled, in some cases with plain boarding, in others plastered and whitewashed. A large portion of the nave roof is vividly decorated with painted stars, the colours being red stars on a buff background, and yellow on blue, in alternate panels. But the most beautiful of all is the roof of " St. Mary's Guild," considered by experts to be the finest piece of roofing of its kind in the county. It is apparently of fourteenth century work, and is probably contemporary with the church itself. It is elaborately carved and richly gilded and coloured. The pattern in each panel is different from all
70 The Devonian Year Book, 1916
the others, and the bosses are particularly beautiful in design. The roof was in a very dilapidated condition, but it has been splendidly restored under the careful supervision of Mr. Herbert Read, as a memorial to Thomas Chope, of Farford, and his wife ElizalDeth Abbott.
The font is one of the most beautiful examples known of the late Norman period. The upper part, which is ornamented with intersecting arcade work, is square — an unusual feature in most districts ; and it is supported by a cylindrical stem upon a square base. The stem has cable mouldings, separated by zigzag channelhng, which, according to the Rev. R. S. Hawker, re- presents " the ripple on the lake of Gennesareth, the Spirit breath- ing upon the waters of baptism." According to the same authority, the carved heads at the corners of the upper part and the base represent respectively the baptized, or saved, look- ing down upon the unbaptized, or damned, from whom they are divided by the waters of baptism.
The statement sometimes made, that Hartland Church still has its stone altar standing in its original place, is quite incorrect. The present altar is certainly of stone, but it is really not an altar at all, but a tomb, and was brought from the Abbey at the time of the church restoration, when it was known as " the abbot's tomb." The original stone altar slab, or perhaps two of them (for there were several altars in the church), may, how- ever, still be seen in the churchyard, just inside the lych-gate. There are, at any rate, two slabs, and the five incised crosses, always found on pre-Reformation altars, can easily be traced on one of them. Until recently they were placed beneath a hollowed block which apparently formed the base or sub-base of the churchyard cross. This, in an inverted position, in which it resembles a font, has now been placed inside the church. A new cross was erected on the site in 1897. A side altar with canopy, of early Flemish work, has recently been placed in " St. Mary's Guild," in memory of Sir Lewis Stucley, Bart., and altar rails and a litany stool respectively in the chancel and nave, both in memory of the late vicar, the Rev. T. H. Chope. The glory of the church is the magnificent rood screen, extend- ing across its entire width. It is 45 ft. 6 in. long, 12 ft. 6 in. high, and 5 ft. 10 in. across the top. It is certainly the largest screen in the county, and, in the opinion of many, the most beautiful. " It is noblj'' proportioned, and nothing could exceed the briUiance of its marvellous workmanship." The cornices in particular are sumptuous, having a triple series of vine-leaf enrichments, divided by twisted hollow beads, which enhance the richness, and having dehcate crestings above and below.
-70
i.— THE CHURCH SCREEN.— DETAILS OF CARVING. 2.— THE ALTAR.
<
Farthest from Railways : An Unknown Corner of Devon 71
The whole screen was probably richly painted and gilded when it was first erected, but the colours were then applied with thin spirit, instead of, as now, with oil. The work is purely English, and its excellence may be judged from the fact that, although one of the earliest of the famous Devonshire screens, it has never been " restored," but still remains in an almost perfect state of preservation, the crestings and missing bosses having recently been made good by Mr. Herbert Read.
It is interesting to note that this was not the first screen in the church, for the notches in the pillars, and the blocked-up doonvay in the wall above, show that there was an earlier screen extending between the pillars, and thus situated to the east of the present screen. In fact, this could not have been placed in proper position in the old church on account of its size, so the arches were raised in order to accommodate it, and are thus lop-sided. The staircase in the south wall for access to the rood-loft is still in existence, and in it is a sort of chimney or flue, which was probably surmounted by a bell turret and formed the passage for the rope of the sanctus bell.
In 1637 the famous organ-builder, John Loosemoore, who designed the case of the organ in Exeter Cathedral, was paid £4 " for setting of ye Organs upon ye roudeloft," and John Gibbins was employed to " erect and new build upon the roodloffe on both sides of the Organs there so many seates as the same will conveniently containe." In 1650 the organ was taken down again, and additional seats were erected in its place. Another organ was placed on the screen in 1846, but was soon afterwards removed to the chamber over the vestry, which is now walled off, and later it was again transferred to the floor of the north chancel aisle. It is now in the Chapel of Ease, in Hartland Town, and a larger organ, obtained second-hand from Ventnor, has been placed in the north transept.
There is another feature of the church which is deserving of mention, and that is the parvise or room over the north porch, generally known as " Pope's chamber," which was occupied in pre-Reformation times by the sacristan or sexton, who lived there and took charge of the church and its treasures. Accord- ing to tradition, this, and not the tower, was the scene of the legend told in Hawker's poem, " The Cell by the Sea," which narrates —
" How once the monk, with name unknown. Prepared that silent cell.
He came with griefs that shunned the light,
With vows long breathed in vain : Those arches heard, at dead of night,
The lash, the shriek, the pain
72 The Devonian Year Book, 1916
The prayer that rose and fell in tears.
The sob, the bursting sigh : Till woke, with agony of years.
The exceeding bitter cry.
This lasted long — as life will wear, E'en though in anguish nurs'd —
Few know what human hearts can bear Before their sinews burst.
Think not that deserts soothe despair.
Or shame in cells is screen 'd; For Thought, the demon, will be there.
And Memory, the fiend."
In this chamber are preserved the panels of an old Jacobean pulpit, the parish stocks, and the barrel mechanism of the former organ. The pulpit is interesting, and of unusual design. It was bought in 1609 for £\ 13s. Ad., but the curious inscription " GOD . SAVE . KINGE . JAMES . FINES " was not added until 1625, the year of James's death, and it is thought that the last word refers to this event. In addition to the carved panels, the pulpit had also the carved figure of a tusked goat, but both this and the word " fines " remain a puzzle to the antiquary.
The church plate is of special interest on account of the history of the chalice and its cover, the only original pre-restoration plate in the Hartland Deanery. The cover had been missing from time immemorial, but has recently been found in a cart- rut about a mile away from the church. Although the design is Elizabethan, the church accounts show that the chalice was made at Exeter in 1634, and the cover bears this date, together with the name " Hartland " and the treasurer's initials. In 1647 the parish clerk, Charles Deyman, was paid 13s. Ad. for preserving this chalice from the troopers, and the cover may have been lost at that time. The chalice seems to be very large, but the amount of wine bought and consumed was prodigious ; in one year, 20 gallons were bought " against Easter," 9| quarts for Whitsunday, the same quantity for All Saints, and lOi quarts for Christmas.
The church registers are noteworthy from the fact that they are absolutely complete from their commencement in 1558 to the present time. This is probably due to the facts that no change was made in the incumbency during the stormy period of the Commonwealth, and that the parish clerk was appointed registrar. The church accounts, too, starting in 1597, are full of interesting matter, and refer to many old-world customs, now
72.
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Farthest from Railways : An Unknown Corner of Devon 73
obsolete, such as providing armour for the parish pikemen and musketeers ; chained books in the church ; a dog-whipper ; payments for the destruction of foxes and other vermin ; briefs or Hcenses under the Great Seal to beg for various objects (such as the Great Fire of London) ; bell-ringing on occasions of pubhc rejoicing (such as " the victory in Flanders," i.e., the taking of Namur, in 1695) ; redeeming captives in Turkey, seamen, soldiers, Irish men, and travellers ; and burying persons in the church itself. This last seems to us a very repulsive custom, but people apparently attributed special virtue to it, for one of the epitaphs says : —
" Tho I ly here in confusing mould, I shall rise up like shining gold."
The mural monuments are not of much interest, and some are supremely ugly, one of the worst being a massive block of white marble to the memory of Paul Orchard. The earliest is to Anne Abbott, who died in 1610, but the most interesting is to John A'elly, who faithfully served that glorious prince, Charles the Martyr, and his son, during the civil wars as a " Captain Lewetenant " to Sir Robert Cary, and died in 1694. In the floor of the chancel is the table or top of what was once an altar tomb, which stood in the churchyard, just outside the chancel door, and is said to have borne the following inscription in brass letters around the rim : —
" Here I lie by the chancel door Here I lie because I'm poor ; The farther in, the more they pay. But here lie I as warm as they."
It still bears a small brass to the memory of Thomas Docton, who died in 1618. The legend runs that he quarrelled with his only son, and accidentally killed him through striking him in the temple with the buckle of his sword belt ; hence the inscrip- tions : " God gives and God takes away ; " " Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy ; " " Who art thou that judgest another man's servant ? "
The stained glass windows, too, are meagre, poor, and unin- teresting. Two of them, viz., a small v/indow in the chancel, with a figure of St. Nectan, and the tower window, are stated to be the gift of George Stucley and Lady Elizabeth Buck, in 1848 ; emd an elaborate window in the south chancel aisle, the gift of Lewis William and Ann Buck — Sir George Stucley's father and mother — in 1850. Another windo»\-, of fairly good colour but conventional design, has recently been placed in the nave to the memory of Sir Lewis Stucley, who died in 1911.
74 The Devonian Year Book, 1916
The church, strange to say, is nearly two miles away from the town of Hartland, or Harton. This was formerly a borough, with portreeve and burgesses, and held a weekly market and two annual fairs, dating from about 1280. The last town-hall, which was built about 1612, occupied the site of the present ugly chapel-of-ease, which was erected from the old materials in 1839, through the efforts of the minister, the Rev. William Chanter, who also occupied the position of portreeve at the time. The hall is said to have been a picturesque building, being partially supported on pillars, and it was approached by covered steps from the square. In it was transacted all the business of the borough and of the clerk of the market, and here the Justices held their sessions. The old town clock still remains in position, and is interesting as being probably one of the oldest pendulum clocks in existence. It is of extremely rude construction, and was originally made by John Morcombe, of Barnstaple, in 1622-3, for 33s., and was " new made " (i.e., converted into a pendulum clock) by the same clockmaker in 1657-8 for £\. The space beneath the hall was used as the market-house, and contained shambles for the butchers, and standings for hatters, tawers, glovers, and others, for Hartland then carried on a number of manufactures, the most important of which was weaving, which provided work for two tucking-mills or fulling-mills. The tanning business has only been given up within the memory of persons still alive ; and malting, cheese-making, brewing, and cider-making were carried on at several farms until quite recent times.
The town had its stocks, as well as the parish, and these also are still preserved. It had also a cucking-stool for women, con- sisting of a chair balanced at the end of a long beam like a see- saw, and mounted on wheels or runners ; the machine was wheeled to the edge of a pit or stream of water, and the offender was simply dipped as often and as long as necessary. For amusement, the authorities provided a bull-baiting once or twice annually, and they also encouraged cock-fighting and maypole games. The old bowling-green at the west end of the town has given place to houses built on the site.
Towards the end of the eighteenth century, Hartland took a prominent part in the Volunteer movement. Paul Orchard, the squire at the Abbey, was Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant of the North Devon Volunteers, and afterwards Colonel of the North Devon Regiment of Militia. The volunteers used to assemble on the Abbey lawn every Sunday morning for drill, after which they marched to church. It was fully expected that the French would land at Blackpool Mill, and, so great was
Farthest from Railways : An Unknown Corner of Devon 75
the hatred of Napoleon, the people chained his effigy to one of the devil, and set them up on Hartland Point. On the very day that Napoleon escaped from Elba, a great storm arose, and swept his effigy into the sea, but the companion figure was left behind, and was then removed to the church, where it remained for many years in " Pope's Chamber."
It is worthy of note that the Rev. William Chanter, who died in 1859, had been minister since 1797, and had acted as curate ten years before. His successor, the Rev. Thomas How Chope, died in 1906, so that between them they served the church over a period of nearly 120 years — surely a unique record.
In conclusion, it might be pointed out that it is impossible within the limits of a lecture to do more than indicate some of the chief features of interest, but it is hoped that at least enough has been said to prove the falsity of the statement that " there is nothing to be seen at Hartland." It cannot be expected that I have succeeded in instilling into you my own enthusiasm for the place, for it is to me " the fine land, the west land, the land where I belong," and, as Rudyard Kipling says : —
God gave all men all earth to love,
But since our hearts are small, Ordained for each one spot should prove
Beloved over all."
Hartland Church : An Appeal.
This beautiful church is in urgent rtced of repair. The roof has been patched again and again, and is now never watertight and needs a thorough overhauling ; it may be necessary to re-roof the nave and aisles. The floor of the nave is below the level of the churchyard on the south side, and there is no system of drainage to carry away rain-water from the roof. No system of heating has ever been installed The church stands near the cliffs in a most exposed position. The parish is very large, but the population is very scanty — less than one to every ten acres — and almost entirely agricultural.
The Vicar and Churchwardens intend shortly to have a detailed report of necessary repairs drawn up by a competent architect, but in the mean- time they are anxious to start a fund for defraying the cost of such repairs, for which at least ;^50o will be needed.
Donations will be thankfully received by them, and the proceeds of the sale of reprints of the above lecture, kindly presented by the author, will be devoted to the same fund. Copies of the booklet (15. each, by post 15. 2d.) may be obtained from the Vicar, Hartland, North Devon, Mr. W. J. Christmas, Post Office, Hartland, or Mr. J. C. Burrow, Chronicle Office, Hartland.
Edgar A. Luff, Vicar. Francis J. Wilton )^.,^^^,„,^,^„^ Henry Haynes \ Churchwardens.
76 The Devonian Year Book, 1916
The Visitors' Book : Hartland Quay.
What, Echo, shall I find at Hartland Quay, Save walls abandoned long ago, and sea ?
Go, and see.
Nay, but describe it, Echo, for thy sighs My roving accents quaintly parodize.
Paradise.
How shall I reach (for wind and wave are fickle) Those fields untouched by harrow or by sickle ?
Bicycle.
What of the beds ? What portion waits the roamer. Lulled by the murmur of the Atlantic comber ?
Coma.
What of the food ? What influence supreme. If baby seems in pain, will hush a scream ?
Luscious cream.
What exploits, then, shall occupy my time, Wearied with wandering in many a clime ?
Many a climb.
Were it not best to lie on couch of clover ? Great is the peril, lest I should fall over.
Faugh ! loafer.
If, yet untired, I'd cool the heated limb. Can any panacea heal this whim ?
A healthy swim.
What then my week's expenditure, and how Reckoned the cost ? my mind enhghten now.
Light enoiv.
What of mine host ? for, if the host be "rude, The fare, whate'er it be, is none so good.
None 's so good.
Come, Echo, thou has visited this spot ? I have conjectured shrewdly, have I not ?
Have I not !
R . A. Knox, Juxta Salices.
The Saints of Devon yy
The Saints of Devon.
By REV. J. F. CHANTER. M.A.. F.S.A.
II.— THE LESSER DEVON SAINTS.
In this division I would include all the Devon saints unnoticed in Part I. I have styled them the lesser saints, not because they were less distinguished, for some were far greater men and women than those included in Part I, but their shrines were not in Devon, or their connection with our county was less intimate. Several of these have been already mentioned because of their association with those whom I have called our greater saints, and of such it will not be necessary to give further particulars.
Of some of these lesser saints, their chief connection with Devon is that during their sojourn in it they founded Churches, and we must remember that among the early Keltic Christians it was the custom to name their churches after their living founders and not in memory of departed saints ; so when we find a church with a dedication to a Keltic saint, the presump- tion is that it was founded by the person whose name it bears.
Another class are those who were natives of Devon though little of their lives were spent iiv it ; a third, those saints who worked or spent part of their lives in our county. To include all who would come under the last two heads would make our list a very long one, for the Keltic saints were great travellers, and a very large number of them appear to have been in Damnonia at some time or another. So to keep it within bounds I shall only notice very few of these classes.
Finally, as to the order in which the names appear : the Keltic saints, owing to the impossibility of fixing exact dates for them, are given alphabetically ; the rest are in chronological order ; and I have added a revised Kalendar of the Devonshire Saints.
ST. BEDWINI.
The all too scanty references we have to St. Bedwini are of extreme interest because of the gleam of light they throw on the darkest page of the History of Devon, and because he is the earHest saint who is described. as Bishop of Damnonia ; nay more, he is styled Archbishop of our county, the only instance of such a title in connection with it, though the use of the
78 The Devonian Year Book, 1916
expression stamps the Welsh Triad in which it occurs as a late one, for Archbishops were certainly quite unknown to the early Keltic Church.
Skene, in his four ancient books of Wales, quotes a triad of King Arthur and his men which says : " There were three throne tribes of Britain, one was at Celliwig, which had Arthur as supreme King, Bedwini as chief bishop, and Caradoc Freichfas as chief elder." Another triad makes Celliwig one of the three Archbishoprics of Britain, over which Bedwini presided as Archbishop.
On the face there is nothing in these triads to connect St. Bedwini with Devon, but from various Welsh records we learn that CeUiwig was in Damnonia; the lolo MSS., for instance, tell us Celliwig was the Royal residence of Damnonia, though later it was removed to Caervyndawg. We have also in various lives of Keltic saints frequent references to Celliwig as the residence of Damnonian kings, and in one of them, the Life of St. Kebi, we get its exact situation given as being in what we call now the district of the Three Towns— Plymouth, Stone- house, and Devonport.
So St. Bedwini was an early Bishop of Damnonia ; in the Mabinogion he is mentioned as the one who blessed Arthur's meat and drink, and in the Sayings of the Wise we have the triplet —
" Hast thou heard the saying of Bedwini, Who was a bishop good and grave : Consider thy word before uttering it."
These are unfortunately all the particulars we have of this almost unknown saint ; no dedication to him or day set apart to him are known of or ever mentioned.
Caradoc Freichfas, who is associated with St. Bedwini, is a very famous personage in the Arthurian romances, where he is the hero of various adventures, with his wife Tegau Eurfron, celebrated for her beauty and chastity. They had four children, all of whom were numbered among the saints : Sts. Cadfarch, Cawdraf, Tangwn, and Maethlu, probably all natives of Damnonia, though there is nothing in their lives that has any connection with our county.
ST. BEUNO.
On the north-west of Exmoor, where it dips into the Severn Sea, there lies a hollow, difficult of access from any point, so secluded that without a guide a stranger scarce can find it, so deep that for months the sun never shines upon it. Around the sheer hillside rises more than thirteen hundred feet from
The Saints of Devon 79
the sea, and is covered with stunted tree and coppice, through which httle tracks run aimlessly in all directions, leading one nowhere. Here, on a few yards of level, lies the Cell of St. Beuno, Cylbeuno or Culbone, as it is called nowadays. For centuries it has served as the only place of worship for a parish of fifteen hundred acres, with some twenty to thirty inhabitants. The people have forgotten the very name of their parish, which is Kitnor, but call it after the name of their Church — Culbone, and have had an imaginary patron saint, St. Culbone, invented for them, who has been a puzzle to the writers of local guide- books.
St. Beuno is best known as the uncle and teacher of St. Winefrid, the obscure Welsh maiden who has had so many of the fabulous miracles beloved of mediaeval hagiographers thrust upon her, that it has led many to question her very existence. But whatever may be the case with St. Winefrid, St. Beuno is a well-authenticated saint of the late Keltic period, who died about A.D. 645. Originally settled on the banks of the Severn, he left it on hearing the voice of an EngHshman inciting his hounds. " My sons," he said, " let us leave this place, for the nation of the man with a strange language will invade it, and it will be theirs." And so, leaving his abode, he wandered from place to place, and during this period he crossed the Severn Sea to Damnonia and founded the cell that still bears his name. Ulti- mately he settled at Clynnog, where he died, where was his shrine, and where his holy well may still be seen.
St. Beuno is the special patron saint of farmers. John Anstis, Garter King of Arms, gives a most interesting account of how, as late as a.d. 1589, bullocks were offered at his shrine, and to this day St. Beuno's hck is the name given by the small Welsh farmers to the mark seen on the backs of cattle that are in good condition. Calves born with a slit in the ear are looked on as particularly belonging to this saint ; it was formerly the custom to sell them and place the proceeds in St. Beuno's chest, an old church coffer scooped out of a trunk of solid oak, which is still to be seen in Clynnog church, with its three locks and small slit through which the coins were dropped. St. Beuno's day is April 21.
ST. BRENDAN.
Among the many voyages of St. Brendan, or Brandon as he was often called, was one to Britain ; after saihng the western seas, he returned to Ireland, and by the advice of St. Itha sailed again with a large company of disciples for Britain. Along the southern coast of the Severn Sea his name still
8o The Devonian Year Book, 1916
remains in several places : we have Brandon's path from Countisbury Cove towards St. Brendan's Church at Brendon, the Brendon hills, and Brendon's cell on the height that looks down on what is now the port of Bristol. Again, down in South Devon, at Hallsands, in the parish of Stokenham, there was a chapel of St. Brendon, so we may claim a connection with this most storied of saints, the Keltic Sindbad the Sailor.
To attempt to give any account of the life and voyages of this famous saint would be quite beyond our scope, as it would fill a volume in itself, but there is one story, though not connected with his voyages, that may be given. Seven years before his death a harper came to his monastery and, entering the refec- tory, played oh ! so sweetly ; noticing that Brendan was not with the monks, he asked if he might not play also to the Abbot. He was answered that St. Brendan was in his cell, but would not be able to hear him, as he always kept his ears stopped up with wax. The harper, however, succeeded in inducing the saint to listen to his music for a few minutes, and then immedi- ately the saint blocked up his ears again. The harper begged St. Brendan to listen a little longer, " No," said the saint, " for seven years ago I was in church, and there came on me an ineffable longing to be with my Lord, and, as I was in this ecstasy, lo ! a pretty bird flew in through the window and alighted on the altar and there sang, and his song was as the music of heaven ; since then I have never cared to hear the strains of earth."
St. Brendan, or Brandon, as he is oftenest called, is said to have been born in Ireland circ. a.d. 482, and died May 16, A.D. 577.
ST. BRIDGET
There is no female saint of the Keltic race that can compare in fame and popularity with St. Bridget ; her churches are numberless. In Devon we have the parishes of Bridestow, Bridgerule, Brushford — originally Bridesford, and Virginstow, all taking their names from her ; also we had St. Bridget's Chapels at Swymbridge and Wembworthy.
But was our Devon St. Bridget the same person as the famous Abbess of Kildare ? for, if so, the Keltic practice of naming a church after none but its real founder is abrogated, for St. Bridget, Abbess of Kildare, certainly never crossed the Irish Sea.
There were, however, several other saints named Bridget ; one was a Welsh saint, to whom there are several dedications, and of whom we possess a legendary life written in the 12th
The Saints of Devon 8i
century by a Welsh bard. Another and less known St. Bridget lived and died on an islet called Bridesey, near Glastonbury, and her shrine in Glastonbury Abbey was an object of great devotion ; and from the intimate connection between Glaston- bury and early Devon Christianity, the last is far the most likely to have been our St. Bridget.
But there is yet another reason for the great cult of this saint ; Bridget is a diminutive of Brig. And Brig or Bridget was one of the old Keltic goddesses in heathen times — the patroness of iron weapons ; one of the principal tribes in Britain, the Brig- antes, cadled themselves after her — altars with inscriptions to her still exist, and the Christian saint stepped into her place in the affections of many of the Keltic people. With so much uncertainty as to the identity of our Devon Bridget, it would be unwise to attempt any further particulars. St. Bridget's day is February 1.
ST. BUDOC.
St. Budoc is best known nowadays as giving his name to two west-country parishes — St. Budeaux, close to Plymouth, and St. Budock, near Falmouth ; but his name may yet be the origin of other place-names, such as Bideford, Bude, and Bude- haven, and he must have been well known in our county, as he is one of the few Keltic saints who found a place in Grandisson's Kalendar, where his festival is December 8.
There is a wonderful legend of his birth in the breviary of Dol, which is so quaint that it is worth giving.
His mother, Azenor, was the daughter of a King of Brest, and had married the Count of Goelo ; she had, like most of our Devon female saints, a wicked stepmother, who accused her of infidehty. Azenor was condemned on the false testimony of the stepmother, and sentenced to be put into a cider cask and thrown into the sea ; and, as she floated over the waves, her child, Budoc, was born in the barrel. The cask was at last cast up by the sea in Ireland, according to the present story, though more probably on the shore of Damnonia, where it was found by a wrecker, who thought he would tap the cask and taste the liquor, but as he was driving in his gimlet, a voice came from inside the cask crying, " Don't hurt us ! Don't hurt us ! " " And who may you be ? " said the man. " A babe desiring baptism," answered St. Budoc. The man in a fright ran off to the nearest priest to tell him the story of his wonderful find. ," Surely you are deceiving me," said the priest on hearing the tale. " Do you think I should have told you if there had been anything better than a babe in the barrel ? " rephed the man.
6
82 'ihe Devonian Year Book, 1916
On this the priest hurried to the shore, and, releasing the mother and child from the cask, baptized the babe. St. Budoc, the tale goes on, was brought up at a neighbouring monastery, Azenor living just outside and supporting herself by taking in washing.
On the death of the Abbot, Budoc was elected as his successor, and became so famous all the country round that the people wanted him to be their king ; this was too much for the saint's modesty, so he embarked in a stone coffin and sailed back to Brittany, where the rest of his life was spent. Quaint though the story is, one is somewhat surprised to find it forming part of a Latin hymn and used in Church in the 19th century. From his west-country dedications, however, there seems no doubt that this saint spent some part of his life in Damnonia ; his name is found in the extreme east of the county, at Ottery, as well as in the west — one quarter of the town being called Budoc's Ottery.
ST. CEWYDD.
St. Cewydd is the Keltic St. Swithun, or rain saint ; we find attached to him the same bit of folklore that centuries after was applied to St. Swithun, viz., that if it rains on his feast, it will rain for forty days. He is said to have been son of Caw, and so grandson of Geraint, King of Damnonia.
His principal dedications now are found in Radnorshire, but there are traces of him also on both sides of the Severn Sea ; there was a parish, near Bridgend, called Llangewydd, but a Sir Richard Grenville coming back from the crusades brought with him a Saracen convert to Christianity, called Lales ; this man pulled down Llangewydd church and moved it down to his new village, called Laleston. On this side of the Severn Sea, Kewstoke" takes its name from him, and the discovery last year of an inscribed stone between Parracombe and Lynton, bearing Cewydd's name in its Latin form, Cavudus, has been taken as pointing to a Cewydd settlement in North Devon. Cowick, near Exeter, also probably takes its name from him. His day is July 15.
STS. CONOGLAS AND COVENTINUS.
I have bracketed these two saints, because of both all we know is that they were bishops of Damnonia, and both were commemorated as such at Glastonbury, and no legend or life of either exists.
We find the name Coneglasse, in Gildas, as that of a king, where he speaks of him as " Thou tawny butcher, as in the
The Saints of Devon 83
Latin tongue thy name signifies." This is a good example of Gildas' exaggeration ; Conoglas means fair lord — glas being a pale colour, blue or gray, not tawny. St. Coventinus may possibly be the same person as St. Corentin, well known in Cornwall.
ST. CONSTANTINE.
St. Constantine is the founder of the Parish Church of Milton Abbot, and also had a chapel at Dunsford dedicated to him. As there are no less than six Constantines, or Cystennins as the name is written in Welsh, there has been some doubt as to the identity of our saint. He is by far the most likely to be the Constantine who was King of Damnonia in the 6th century, and who was mercilessly attacked by Gildas. He speaks of him as " the tyrannical whelp of the unclean lioness of Damnonia, who, disguising himself as an Abbot, did with sword and javeUn wound and tear two royal youths who had taken refuge in sanctuary." But Gildas' indignation seems to be levelled at the violation of sanctuary and not at the kiUing of the princes, who were a couple of young ruffians who richly deserved their fate, and perhaps Gildas' estimation of Constantine, Vortiper, and Maelgwyn is by no means a true one ; in all other records they appear as leaders of patriotic movements and nursing fathers of the Church.
The only life of our saint now existing is found so far afield as the Aberdeen Breviary, but there are also mentions of him in the fives of St. Petrock, St. David, and Irish martyrologies, which supply further details. The story told in the Aberdeen Breviary is as follows : —
Constantine, son of Paternus, King of Cornubia, married the Queen of Lesser Britain. On her death he forsook his kingdom, crossed into Ireland, and entered a monastery, where he served for seven years grinding corn in a mill. Thence he was taken, when it was discovered who he was, and was ordained priest. He then went to St. Columba, at Hy, and after that he was directed by St. Kentigern to preach to the pagans in Goldevia, where he was elected Abbot. He fell a victim to the heathen, who cut off his arm, and he bled to death in 596.
The fife of St. Petrock tells us that Constantine was out hunt- ing and pursued a stag, which St. Petrock protected from the hounds. Constantine in a rage struck at St. Petrock with his sword, but his arm became rigid till restored by St. Petrock, on which the King and twenty of his soldiers received the faith of Christ. From Irish sources we learn that Constantine's rank vas discovered by his being overheard saying to himself ont
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day when at his work at the mill : " Am I King Constantine, whose head has worn so many helmets ? Yes, it is the same., and yet not the same."
In the Aberdeen Breviary his day is March 11, the Bodmin Kalendar gives March 9, Roscarrock gives March .8, 9, and 13.
ST CURIG.
St. Curig, or Cirig, or Cyres, as he is called in Devon, is a saint who has had very hard treatment served out to him, as every- where he has had to give place to St. Cyriacus, the Eastern child martyr, and even the lives of St. Curig have been so interlarded with incidents belonging to the child and his mother Julitta, that neither head nor tail can be made of it. For instance, his wife is said to have been named Juliot, but whether this is the Cornish St. Juliot, or a reference to St. Julitta, it is impos- sible to say ; also in the Welsh Hymn of St. Curig he is in one verse spoken of as a man of perfect wisdom and a teacher of heavenly things, and in another as an infant.
According to Giraldus Cambrensis, he was a native of Dam- nonia, and had equal relations to Wales and Damnonia. This will account for no pedigree of him appearing in any of the Welsh saintly genealogies, though he was a very famous man in Wales and the inspirer of many of the songs of the Welsh Bards, who call him Curig the Blessed, and occasionally Curig the Knight. A fifteenth century bard refers to the brave Knight Curig's coat of mail, and swears by Curig's hand. Ulti- mately he became a Bishop ; his crosier was preserved up to the time of the Reformation in St. Germain's Church in Radnor- shire, and was thought to possess miraculous powers. Giraldus tells us the staff was particularly efficacious in cases of glandular and strumous swellings, and that a penny was paid as a fee for the application of it to the part affected ; it continued in great repute till it was committed to the flames and destroyed in Henry VHI's reign.
Dedications to St. Curig or St. Cyriacus and his mother are found in Wales, Devon, and Cornwall, and also in the partly Keltic counties of Somerset and Gloucester, but in no other parts of England ; so probably all belonged originally to tlie Keltic St. Curig, and from the number of them he must have been a very prominent person. In Cornwall we have Eglos- kerry, Calstock, Veep, and Luxulyan ; in Devon, South Pool, Newton St. Cyres, and chapels at Crwyws Morchard, and St. Cyres Hill, Honiton ; in Wales eight or nine ; one in Somerset — Tickenham ; and two in Gloucestershire. His day is February 17. One parish in Devon still bears his name — Coryton, which in Leofric's Missal appears as Curig-town.
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ST. DAVID.
Among the hundreds of Keltic saints who roamed far and wide in our Island, one name stands out pre-eminently, familiar alike to Goidel and Brython, Saxon and Norman, viz., St. David, the acknowledged Patron saint of Wales, as St. Patrick is of Ire- land and St. George of England. And yet, according to WiUiam of Worcester, we may claim him as a native of Damnonia, and there is no impossibihty in this, as his mother, St. Non, spent mu:h of her life near her sister, St. Owen or Wenn, whose home was in the district that we Devon folk call the Three Towns. But whether born in Devon or not, he certainly had a Devon- shire connection, and this accounts for there being no less than six foundations of St. David in Devon, viz., the parish churches of Ashprington, Culm Davy, Exeter, and Thelbridge ; and chapels at Ashprington and Awlescombe. His mother, St. Non. has a foundation at Bradstone, on the banks of the Tamar, and just across the river we find Pendewi, or St. David's hill.
Almost the whole of his life, however, was passed at a place that has ever since been strikingly identified with his life and memory — Hen Meneu, which means the old bush. This was Latinized into Menevia, the name it still bears, though more commonly called St. David's. Here, too, he died on March 1, about the end of the sixth century, at a great age ; his bio- grapher says 147 years, which is of course absurd, but in the desire to connect him with other saints his period has been stretched out at both ends. Even during St. David's life his monastery was looked on as a sort of Mecca to which the Keltic saints from all parts came on pilgrimage, and after his death his shrine was a great place of resort for pilgrims of all sorts and conditions, in spite of the difficulties of access ; to go there twice was of old reckoned the equal of a journey to the tombs of the Apostles, and till the days of motor cars it was almost the most inaccessible spot in our islands. We can still see his influence in the nomenclature of Wales, the endless Davids, Davys, Davises, Davidsons, and Dewey's that meet us every- where, in the long hst of parishes beginning with Llandewi, and in the very name of " Taffy " still bestowed upon the typical Welshman. His hfe is given in so many books that it is quite unnecessary to enter into its details, but there is one curious bit of folklore connected with him that I have come across in North Devon, probably brought across the Severn Sea by the mutual intercourse between North Devon and South Wales, which has been for many years, and still is, a large feature in the lives of the North Devon coast peasantry. The story is that before a man is going to die St. David sends him a lighted candle
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which will travel by itself from his chamber to the spot where he will be buried ; it is called the corpse candle, and it is meant to warn him to prepare himself for his last journey.
ST. DISEN.
The parish church of Bradninch, once a famous borough and head of the great barony of Braneis, but now little more than a village, is dedicated to St. Disen. Many of our local topo- graphers have given it as St. Denis or Dionysius, through ignorance of such a person as St. Disen or Disibod.
He is one of the group of Keltic missionary saints, such as St. Gall, St. Frigidian, St. Columbanus, and others, who have been quite forgotten in their native land, and are now only remember in the spots which were the scenes of their missionary labours.
St. Disen was an Irishman by birth, and is said to have been a bishop there about a.d. 620, and that on account of the decay of faith he left his own land — he appears to have sojourned in Damnonia for a period on his way to the Continent, where the scene of his later labours was near Maintz, and on a hillside overlooking a tributary of the Rhine he founded a monastery known as Mons Disibodi, where he died on the 8th of July, at the age of 81 ; the place is now called Disenburg.
The earliest life of him we possess was written by an abbess, named Hildegard, about 1160, and naturally is almost entirely useless for any particulars of his life before reaching the Continent.
ST. DOCWIN.
St. Docwin is a saint whose name appears in so many forms that it is almost impossible to recognize them as referring to the same individual. Rees, in his Welsh Saints, calls him Cyngar, Cunger, or Conger ; Capgrave's Nova Legenda says he is called Cungar among the English, Docwin (as if Doctor) among the British ; Nicholas Roscarrock gives his name as St. Dawe, and adds the Welsh call him Dochotwyr, or Dogotwy ; and in Welsh records he appears as Dochau.
Sir John Rhys, however, in his Celtic Folklore gives us a clue as to how all these variations arose ; he says, " There is a Latinized form of the original Goidelic name of the saint, Cuno-caros, from this was formed To-chun or Do-chun, and eventually Doguin and Docwin."
But whatever was the correct form of the name, St. Docwin was a Damnonian by birth, being a son of Geraint, Prince of
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Devon. There is a life of him in the Nova Legenda Anglice, but it is utterly worthless ; it describes him as a son of the Emperor Constantine, and then gives long accounts of his deaUngs with King Ine ; as one of these was nearly 200 years before our saint and the other nearly 200 years after, the utter uselessness of his life will be apparent to all,
St. Docwin,or Cunger, appears to have been settled in Eastern Damnonia, and to have founded churches at Badgeworth and Congresbury, but the gathering strength of the Saxons after the battle of Deorham caused him to leave the district ; he appears to have gone first to South Wales, where he founded the monastery called after his name ; afterwards he went to the west country, where he spent much of his life with his nephew St. Kebi.
Nicholas Roscarrock gives us some of the West-country traditions of this part of his life ; he says, St. Dawe spent much of his time in a hermitage in the parish of St. Kewe, where Roscarrock could remember a chapel standing that bore St. Dawe's name, and that his sister St. Kewe lived close by. One day St. Kewe came to visit her brother, but he refused to let her enter his dweUing till he saw a wild boar miraculously obey her, after which he received her, and she proved of such virtue and holiness, that after her death she was reputed a saint, and the parish church was dedicated to her. In a window of the church there is still a black beast supposed to represent the boar ; in reality it is the arms of a local family. Roscarrock also tells us that St. Dawe's feast day was kept in Cornwall on February 15, but the Welsh Kalendars give November 7. In the Welsh triads we have the saying —
" Hast thou heard the saying of St. Cyngar To those who derided him : Anger lasts longer than Sorrow."
ST. ELEN.
St. Elen is the founder of the Church of Abbotsham ; in the Tavistock Kalendar she is described, under Aug. 25, as Sancta Elena regina. She is probably the British princess known in Welsh traditions as Elen of the Hosts, wife of Maxim Wledig, a King of Britain who aspired to be also Emperor of Rome ; he defeated Gratian, and was for a short time Emperor of the West, but was himself defeated by Theodosius and killed in A.D. 388. In later times St. Elen was so often confounded with St. Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine, that it is often difficult to decide which is alluded to.
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ST. GERAINT.
f Geraint, or Gerontius, as it is sometimes written, is a name we frequently meet with in the early history of England, and there were at least three of this name connected with Devon, all of whom also have borne the title of saint, and so it will be necessary to consider them separately.
St. Geraint (1), son of Erbin, who is best known in history as King or Prince of Devon, and is the Geraint of Tennyson's Idyl, " Geraint and Enid." Of his life little is known, except that he was a famous warrior and was killed in a battle at Longoborth, which was either Langport or near Lyme Regis, circ. a.d. 480 ; there is a Welsh poem describing this combat, which ends —
" In Longoborth Geraint was slain — A brave man from the region of Devon And ere o'erthrown he committed slaughter."
Among the sayings of the wise we have also —
" Hast thou heard the saying of Geraint, Son of Erben, the just and experienced : Short lived is the hatred of the saints."
These two couplets give practically all that is known of him save the romance in the Mabinogion, and furnish no reasons for calling him a saint, but that title was given him for two causes : (i) As falling in battle against the heathen ; (ii) As father of a saintly family, for of his sons five, viz., Constantine, Selyf, Jestin, Cyngar, and Caw, have all been numbered with the saints, and in addition Caw has been styled the father of one of the three great saintly families of Britain.
St. Geraint (2), a king of part of Damnonia, who is mentioned in the life of St. Teilo as residing at a place called Dingerrin about A.D. 556 ; he was probably a grandson of Geraint (1), and founder of the Church of St. Gerrans, which is called after him ; he is said to have been buried in a barrow in the parish at Cam Point, and tradition said that he lay in a golden boat with silver oars. The barrow was opened in 1858, when a kistvaen with human remains was found, but nothing else.
St. Geraint (3), the King of Damnonia to whom St. Aldhelm