Latest Update #6 - August 2013

Hello and welcome to the latest update... there’s been lots going on amongst the group, especially with paper research, but we have actually managed to get out on foot a little bit between work and old projects. We are on the verge of our next evening, which will be on Monday 9th September 2013 at 7.00pm at Trythall School, New Mill, and we have plenty to display and tell you about.

The first part of the Trevayler study shall be displayed which will give you some insight into the beginnings of this estate, ranging from the late 1500s through to the early 1700s. It has been decided to feed this in chapters, and I have to agree its the right way to do it, otherwise it would be just so overwhelming and extremely difficult to digest, so when I say this it is with respect for Pat that she has stuck at it and is determined to release only what she knows to be true... oh how the other half lived! In fact it was with a smile that the County Records Office have given us permission to print various records concerning the estate and, for once, it shall be very light reading, but enjoyable... more of that in the future.

A new project taking shape is the Rosemorran estate, once in the ownership of George John Esquire, and, like Trevayler, of quite some size and influence, but this is in it’s early stages. Within this there is another story that has emerged which takes wool milling all the way back to the late 16th century and this I am thoroughly enjoying as we do have some physical features on the ground in the area of Ridgeo which can be photographed and followed to show the layout of the water supply to its power house. Strangely enough, a grist mill also operated no more than two or three hundred metres away and it would appear running from the same source. How far back the grist mill goes is, as yet, uncertain, but we do have records of a Peter Marten, the son of the fuller, staying with another milling family in this area and seemingly unconnected with the workings of the fulling mill, in Ridgeo, late 1600s, after he was scarred from a fall in the fire! To anyone reading this, that owns an allotment at Ridgeo then you are on the site of the fulling mill and the slopes, as gorgeous and warm as they are for the vegetables would have been equally as fine for the drying of the wool. The steep hillside would have been perfect for running out the processed wool onto the racks and stretched onto the tenterhooks, if some of that makes no sense then join us on our next evening when all shall be explained.

You will have realised by now that our webmaster has added a jargon busting page, a very good idea to help you with your understanding of what we are talking about, especially when I start to write articles about stopes and drives and hitches etc, I occasionally forget to explain myself, story of my life! Stuart Emmett