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WALKED
THE
ASHBY WALK?
In Handbook
|
HISTORY
BACKGROUND
The
parish of Ashby St Mary is situated in the county of
Norfolk in the region of England known as East Anglia.
It is one of 118 towns and parishes within the local
authority area of South Norfolk District Council.
The parish lies approximately 7 miles south east of
the city of Norwich. The village is bordered by Thurton,
Claxton, Bergh Apton and Carleton St Peter. It
is located to the north east of the A146 road that extends
from Norwich to the most easterly point in England at
Lowestoft.
Ashby was named after all the ash trees that grew in
the village. St Mary was the name of its church so the
village eventually became known as Ashby St Mary. The
parish covers an area of almost a square mile at just
under 204 hectares. As at 2006 it comprises
about 125 dwellings with a population of approximately
300 inhabitants.
- CIRCA 4000-2500 BC
In late February 2011, Mike Harris was ploughing his
field in Ashby when he caught sight of an object that
turned out to be a Neolithic Axe Head.
The Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service in Norwich
issued the following information about Mike's find.
The
object is a part polished axe. The dimensions are 159
x 72 x 34mm (approx 61/4"
long x 27/8" high
x 13/8" thick).
It has a rounded polished cutting edge at the widest
point with the polish extending up to the mid length.
It has a flaked broad and rounded butt. The flint is
pale grey, speckled and with little patination, but
has scattered spots of iron staining. Apart from a small
chip on the cutting edge the axe appears to be complete.
Polished part- polished and flaked axes of this form
are characteristic and diagnostic of the Noelithic period
when, with the introduction of agriculture there was
the need to clear scrub and trees from the land.
   
Showing
axe head size Note
the chip on left end
Top edge Top
edge - side view
Mike was told the axe head was probably discarded due
to the chip on the cutting edge. With thanks to Mike
for contributing to part of Ashby's history - it is
surely ironic that he was doing with a plough what others
did over 4-6000 years ago with axe heads like this one!
- CIRCA 1000 AD
Ashby St Mary was referred to in the Domesday
Book when it was drawn up between 1084-86. At that time
the parish was known as Ascebei. Two
principal landowners in the area held parcels of land
as a direct tenancy from King William the Conqueror
in right of “Knight’s services",
this being the provision of a contingent of armed soldiers
when required by the King. These
two chief tenants were Roger Bigot and Godric the Steward.
The next tenant in the hierarchy under Roger Bigot was
Robert of Vaux. In turn Robert of Vaux was Sweetman.
It seems probable that Sweetman was an Anglo-Saxon and
not a Norman since he is recorded in the Domesday Book
as having held land in Ascebei before the Norman Conquest.
Under Sweetman there were “10 freemen …
at 30 acres. Always 1 plough; meadow, 2 acres”.
Sweetman’s holding also included “7
halves-a-freeman, at 27 acres. Always 1 plough.”
In
the other part of Ascebei, the immediate tenant under
Godric the Steward was Ralph. Under Ralph there were
“6 whole freemen and 6 halves under the patronage
of Aslac and Leofric, at 20 acres of land. Always 11/2
ploughs.” Godric’s land also included
parcels mainly in Claxton “under the patronage
of Edwin” which also brought in a further
“freeman and a half, 5 acres” in Ascebei.
Until the 1st World War, a windmill (see Gallery below
for picture) used to stand opposite the present site
of the Ashby St Mary village sign. Information taken
from Whites and Kelly’s Directory of Norfolk indicates
the Mill was owned by William Young in 1845, by John
Rushmore in 1864, by Daniel Burroughs in 1883, by Frederick
George Chapman in 1901 and by Albert Arthur Culling
in 1916. It is understood that a parishioner’s
father, born in 1902, recalled that on a journey from
Thurton School to his home in Sandy Lane, witnessed
the Mill being pulled down by a traction engine, which
also places the existence of the Mill up to 1916 or
beyond.
- 1854
The following entry appears in the History, Gazetteer
and Directory of Norfolk, 1854
"Ashby parish contains 249 souls, 58 houses,
and 485 acres of land and is situated 3 miles N.N.W.
of Loddon, and 71/2
miles S.E. by E. of Norwich. Robert Gilbert. jun., Esq
is the chief landowner; there are also several smaller
land proprietors, but Sir Chas.H.Ric, Bart is lord of
the manor, and he and Sir W.H.Proctor are alternate
patrons of the rectory, valued in the King's book at
£6 and consolidated with Carleton St. Peter. The
Church, dedicated to St. Mary, is a spacious edifice,
with a square tower and three bells. In 1843, it was
thoroughly repaired, new windows added, and seatly fitted
up with open seats. There are 28 acres of glebe, and
the tithes are communted for £176 per annum.
Directory:- Rt. Gilbert, jun.,Esq., the Hall ; Rd. Eldon,
wheelwright ; Mrs Amelia Maillet, Ashby House ; Rev.
David Pegg, (Baptist) ; Isaac Shreeve, shoemaker ; Wm.
Todd, butcher ; Wm Young, corn miller ; and Goe, Basey,
Wm. Goodram, Daniel Mansfield, Jas. Mays, and Jac. Smith,
(and parish clerk), farmers."
[Source:www.historicaldirectories.org-History,
Gazetteer and Directory of Norfolk 1854, Loddon Hundred,
page 517]
- 1937
The following entry appears in Kelly's
Directory of Norfolk, 1937 (21st) edition:-
"ASHBY ST. MARY (near Norwich) is a village
and parish, 71/2
miles from Norwich (Norwich Thorpe being the most convenient
station), 3 miles south-west from Buckenham station
(by ferry) on the Norwich, Yarmouth and Lowestoft sections
of the London and North Eastern railway, and near the
navigable Yare, and 31/2
north-west from Loddon, in the Eastern division of the
county, Loddon hundred, Loddon and Clavering petty sessional
division, Loddon rural district, county court district
of Norwich, rural deanery of Brooke, archdeaconry of
Norfolk and diocese of Norwich.
The church of St. Mary the Virgin is an ancient structure
of flint in the Norman and Early English styles, consisting
of chancel, nave, south porch and an embattled western
tower containing 3 bells; the tower was restored in
1928 : the south porch is a fine specimen of Norman
work : the church was restored in 1849, and in 1903
the chancel was new-roofed and repaired : during the
progress of the work an ancient aumbry was discovered
in the north wall: in 1914 an organ was given by Mrs.
Wyndham Gray : the church has 120 sittings.
The register dates from the year 1620.
The living is a rectory, with the vicarage of Thurton
annexed, joint net yearly value £327, including
10 acres of glebe, with residence, in the gift of the
Governors of Wrekin College, and held since 1934 by
the Bev. Thomas Sewell Wontner M.A. of Selwyn College
and Ridley Hall, Cambridge.
The poor's allotment consists of about 6 acres, let
at £9 yearly.
The principal landowners are R. T. E. Gilbert esq. J.P.;
William H. M. Andrews esq. and the Rev. J. J. Woolsey
M.A.
The soil is light sandy ; subsoil, sand and brick earth.
The chief crops are wheat, oats and barley, sugar beet
and market garden produce. The area is 503 acres ; the
population in 1931 was 165.
Letters through Norwich, via Thurton. The nearest M.
O. office is at Bergh Apton & T. office, Loddon.
PRIVATE
RESIDENTS
Andrews, William H. M., The Lodge / Child,
Miss, Ross Arden / Gilbert, Robert
Thomas Edwin J.P., Ashby hall
Ward, Miss, Ross Arden / Wontner,
Rev. Thomas Sewell M.A. (rector), Rectory
COMMERCIAL.
Basey-Fisher, George, farmer. Hill farm /
Catchpole, Leslie Wm., market gardener, Ashby villa
Catchpole, Nelson A., market gardener, Vally farm /
Cotton, Robert Major, farmer / Forder,
William, market gardener
Frost, Frank, market gardener / Gifford,
George, market gardener / Harwood, Bertie
John, market gardenr. Chapel rd
Hoddy, John, farmer & licensed horse slaughterer;
best prices given for live & dead horses & cattle,
Hill house. Thurton 23
Hurrell, Arthur. market gardener /
Parfltt W. & Sons, market gardeners, Grange Garden
house
Rich, Reginald Wm. saddler / Smith,
James, market gardener / Watkinson,
John Henry, market gardener
Whiles, Charles, market gardener /
White, Jas. Alfred, wheelwright"
(With acknowledgement to Kelly's Directories
Ltd)
- THE CHURCH OF ST MARY THE VIRGIN, ASHBY
ST MARY
A
sketch of Ashby St Mary church is displayed next to
the vestry door and was completed originally as part
of 'Views of the Churches in Norfolk, illustrative of
Blomefield's history of that county, from original drawings
by R Ladbrooke Vol. 1 — Norwich printed &
published by IB Ladbkooke Feb 1823'. This particular
copy was printed by Rowney & Foster in 1871.
The church is a grade II* listed building and is one
of five churches in the united benefice of Thurton part
of the Bramerton group of churches. Ashby St Mary was
probably the location of a Roman siting post and is
listed in the Little Domesday Book.
The church is a mixture of mediaeval styles of architecture
having been enlarged, restored or 'improved' over the
centuries and may be the location of the Roman siting
post and is probably built on Saxon foundations.
The
core of the nave is Norman (1066 - 1190) and probably
the original small Norman church extended east to the
old brown carrstone Quoins. The external flint masonry
is stratified and one of the Norman 'slit' windows survives.
The greatest legacy from the Norman craftsmen is seen
in the beautiful south Norman doorway with its very
old door with massive lock which still remains: note
two orders of colonnettes and Mass dials etc.
The original Norman Church was extended by the addition
of a new chancel during the Early English period (1190
- 1280). In the north wall are two early English/Norman
lancet windows and a priests doorway in the south wall.
The elegant Bell tower was built in the 15th century
with a small staircase turret. Note the gargoyles forming
the drainage from the roof. The masonry of the porch
contains Tudor brickwork which protects the south Norman
doorway and is late 15th or early 16th century.
Inside the church the original wall plates which supported
the mediaeval roof are still evident. Although the tower
arch has been lowered, the two fine lion corbels upon
which the original arch rests can still be seen. A considerable
amount of 17th century woodwork still remains, the outstanding
feature is the handsome communion rail. The ancient
and unusual alms box which has three locks may also
date from this period.
The font is probably 17th century with a Jacobean cover
and the bench ends are 16th or 17th century. In the
sanctuary is a mediaeval aumbry with a more modern door
and a mediaeval roundel dated 1604 in the more modern
east window. On the outside of the east wall are indications
of an original 3 lite window. The ledger slabs on the
east wall which list the Lord's Prayer, Ten Commandments
and Creed are late 17th century.
There are three bells in the tower which are hung for
swing chiming. The oldest tenor bell is mediaeval and
dates from 1424/1513 by Richard Brasyer. The others
are dated 1631 by W & A Brend and 1708 by Thomas
Newman. They were all refurbished to ring on Easter
day 2009; the first time all three bells had been heard
in over a hundred years.
The chamber organ was probably built around 1790/1830
and was rebuilt in 1866 by JW Walker. In 1873 the organ
was moved from Godstone in Surrey to Horstead Hall in
Norfolk. The organ was acquired by Ashby St Mary in
about 1912. The organ was completely refurbished in
2009 revealing a beautiful mahogany case (visible for
the first time since 1866) to complement the newly gilded
pipes.
The
coloured glass window in the south wall is a copy of
'The Light Of The World' by Holman Hunt. See back page
for further details. In the east window is a Swiss/Flemish
roundel with angel and shields 16/17th century. The
church plate at Ashby St Mary is an Elizabethan chalice
and paten dated 1568/9 plus a large pewter flagon probably
Jacobean (not in church). The baptism and
burial registers date from 1620 and the marriages register
dates from 1766. We can readily trace rectors back to
the 13th century.
The churchyard is dominated by the utilitarian concrete
war memorial on the west side as you approach the porch
which lists the parish dead of two world wars.
The
tombstones of George and Ann Basey are situated immediately
on the east side of the footpath as you approach the
porch and have attracted considerable publicity over
the last 25 or 30 years. George (who died in 1876) and
his wife Ann (who died in 1868) are shown surrounded
by their flocks of geese and turkeys, reminding us of
the fact that in that century and earlier, these birds
were bred in Norfolk in great quantities. East Anglia
holds the credit for the domestication of the goose.
In the late autumn before Christmas, whole droves of
geese and turkeys could be seen waddling slowly and
noisily along the roads to London and the Smithfield
market. The flocks could make about 10 miles a day,
guided by drovers who were skilled men who had to ensure
their arrival in good condition. Apparently nothing
could equal these Norfolk reared birds on the London
Market where they commanded higher prices for the table
than those bred in other parts of England. The sequel
to this story is that an image of Ann Basey and her
geese has now been incorporated into the village sign.
- ASHBY ST MARY CHURCH ORGAN
(see Gallery below for pictures)
Edward Birkbeck must have been a thoughtful man. Not
only did he remember his wife's birthday, he actually
did something about it two months beforehand.
Sadly two months was not enough for his idea, which
was to give his wife a pipe organ in their house in
Godstone, Surrey. One of the best organ builders of
the day, J W Walker, did offer to have something ready
by April 15th 1866, which they achieved by rebuilding
an older instrument. Seven years later the
family moved to Norfolk, and, at a cost of £9,
the organ was put on the train to Norwich and re-erected
at the new family home, Horstead Hall. Here it remained
for nearly forty years, until presumably the organist
had died and the remaining family no longer wanted an
organ. In 1912 it arrived at Ashby church where it has
been for the last 97 years.
After 143 years of regular use, and nothing beyond tuning,
a few repairs and occasional cleaning, it is hardly
a surprise that the essential workings were worn out.
Rust, rot, and mice had all taken their toll.
Several firms of organ builders were invited to assess
the task of restoration. Their inspections told us that
originally the organ dated from between 1790 and 1830.
It was said to be 'a very special unspoilt instrument'
and 'an organ from the end of the classical tradition...a
more or less complete historic organ'. It originally
had two manuals, but no pedals. A fine Cuban mahogany
case had been painted over, firstly with an 'oak' effect
and later in 'pine', almost certainly to fit in with
the houses where it was installed.
There was some feeling a hundred years or so ago that
it would not be seemly for church organs to sound too
bright, and a sombre tone characterises church instruments
from that period. As an instrument from a secular background,
used for home entertainment, the Ashby organ has always
had a warm and bright cheerfulness about it. Now that
the mahogany has been stripped of the Victorian paint
and the pipes regilded to their original splendour,
the organ adds a real 'wow factor' to entering the building.
And it now sounds even better. Richard Bower's
Norfolk firm beat four others to the contract and the
result is a triumph. Let's hope it does another 143
years...
(With acknowledgement to parishioner
Arnold Miller)
- VILLAGE SIGN
Commissioned by Ashby St Mary Parish Council
to celebrate the millennium, the village sign was unveiled
during 2000 (see Gallery below for picture). Its
entire nurture to life and manufacture was fittingly
provided by residents of the parish. The particular
design of the sign was arrived at in the knowledge that
history records a link between the windmill, the Lady
and the geese depicted on it, to Ashby St Mary. It has
been established that it was the practice in the 18th
and 19th centuries to walk geese which had been bred
in Norfolk to London in readiness for the Michaelmas
trade. For protection their feet were bound with webbing
and covered in tar. This journey took some 10 to 14
days and they were fed en route by grazing the corn
stubbles. A carving of a lady with geese is to be found
on a tombstone situated in Ashby churchyard (see Gallery
below for picture). Pictures of it have been published
in many books and magazines.
(With acknowledgement to parishioner
David Catchpole)
POPULATION
At the 1841 Census it is recorded that “263
Souls” resided in the parish. By 1861 there were
257 Inhabitants. From then on the population declined
gradually. In 1901 it stood at 176 remaining reasonably
static for the next two decades, down to 165 in 1931
and reaching a low point of 155 in 1971. By 1991 it
had risen to 240 and rose again to 290 by 1998. There
are currently in the region of 300 inhabitants.
Ashby
Family Research Genealogy -
www.any-village.co.uk/surnames.asp?name=AshbyStMary
Ashby St Mary Church and Churchyard -
Co-ordinates - Lat. N 52:34:04 Long.
E 01:26:34
www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/ashbystmary
www.roll-of-honour.com/Norfolk/AshbyStMary.html
British Towns and Villages Network -
This site claims to receive around 1.4 milion
hits per week. Following an invitation from the network,
it now contains a link to the Ashby St Mary website.
www.british-towns.net
UK Villages -
A community website for finding a wide variety of information.
www.ukvillages.co.uk
GALLERY
Our
gallery of pictures reflects Ashby St Mary, past and
present. Three examples are shown.
To view a picture please click on the selected title.
2008 Ashby
Parish Council at the Ashby & Thurton Village
Hall Family Fun Day
Ashby
PC stall | Ashby
PC assist | Ashby
PC listen | Ashby
& Thurton residents tug-of-war
2010 Proms In The Park (Sandringham) - Russell
Watson & The Poringland Singers
Ashby
St Mary was represented at Proms in The Park at
Sandringham on Sunday 8th August when Poringland
Singers backed the principal act, tenor Russell
Watson. Ashby residents David Catchpole and Julia
Buckland are proud members of the locally acclaimed
choir which was honoured to receive an unexpected
invitation to perform just 14 days before the big
day! After receiving the music score, there was
time for only 2 rehearsals for Poringland Singers
to perfect their performance of traditional ‘prom’
music and songs.
After singing in front of an audience of over 7000,
by far the largest they have played to, Poringland
Singers were publicly thanked at the end of the
evening for their singing and professionalism –
by no less than Russell Watson himself.
1. Watson, Orchestra
and Singers | 2.
Watson, Orchestra and Singers | 3.
Watson, Orchestra and Singers
2011 - Two Diamonds seen in Ashby!
Ashby
St Mary has seen not one but two couples celebrating
their diamond wedding recently. Not only that, but
coincidentally, they did so on the same day! Jack
and Betty Kleeman and Ken and Julie Baish are neighbours
in the village where both celebrated 60 years of
marriage on Thursday 11th August..
Ken, 81, and Julie, 80, have lived on Mill Road
for 21 years while Jack, 84, and Betty, 83, have
lived in the village for 46 years. They met the
Kleemans during 1991, after moving to Ashby St Mary
a year earlier, when both couples happened to be
in the same restaurant near Hales. During their
conversation they discovered they were both celebrating
their 40th wedding anniversaries - and have been
friends ever since.
(More about this story appears in the Norwich Evening
News of 13th August 2011 or at this link diamond_delight
2011 - Dramatic sunset
Taken towards where The Street meets The
Common at the top of the hill, this was the scene
at 7.24 on the evening of 16th August. It definitely
gives the impression Norwich is on fire.
 |
Above photo in larger size - Distant_sunset Another
photo in large size - Close_up_sunset
2011 - Annual Strawberries & Pimms Church
Fundraiser
Another wonderful evening of parishioners took place
on 2nd July. Held at the kind invitation of Arnold
at his home in the village, the weather and company,
not to mention the strawberries and pimms, were
perfect.
The_ensemble
2011 - A Successful Arts Festival
Ashby St Mary Church held a varied arts festival
over ten days which was opened by Wendy Shaw on
Friday 28th August 2011 at the Arts & Crafts
Exhibition. Six successful workshops
were held during the festival, covering plant drawing
and painting, creative writing and rug making.
On Friday entertainment was provided by Elaine Smith
and her talented students Lauren Talford, Charlotte
Odell and Ruth Whybrow. A magical performance of
a Woodwind Recital of Bach, Wagner and other composers.
On Saturday the Red Beans 'n' Rice New Orleans Revivalist
Jazz Band played to a packed church. Audience participation
was achieved by The Bands Parade Master leading
a parade of the audience down the aisle, all waving
parasols to jazz classics. Afterwards food was provided
by Jamie Archer in the form of giant bangers. A
truly superb village event. The festival
ended on Sunday 4th September 2011 with a Festival
Service of thanksgiving.
Organiser
Raring_to_start
Fix_parasols Young_and_old Participation More_participation Sausages
2011
- A Hole-ly Mess
Following two heavy spells of rain on Tuesday 13th
September, a hole appeared in the road along Low
Common. It was extremely hazardous to all users
of the road, especially walkers and cyclists during
the hours of darkness. One of the parish's roving
reporters, Scoop, took the pictures below. Having
reported the presence of the hole to our District
Councillor it
was filled by 1 p.m. on Thursday 15th September.
The
photo with the shoe gives an idea of the hole's
size - not that the wearer has disappeared down
the hole!
To
submit a picture for inclusion in the Gallery, please
contact the Parish Clerk or Webmaster. Anyone
offering a picture
for the Gallery
does so on the condition the Parish Council retains
the control over its inclusion in this Gallery.
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