 Fairford
Frogs
National news 400 years ago!
Kings Pamphlet
August 2nd 1600Kings Pamphlet
August 2nd 1600
“Strange newes from Gloucester, a perfect relation of the wonderful and
miraculous power of God showed for injustice at Fairford, between
Farringdon and Scicister, where an innumerable company of frogs and
toads (on a sudden) overspread the ground, orchards, and Houses of the
Lord of the town, and a justice near adjacent, and how they divided
themselves into distinct bodies, and orderly, made up to the house of
the sd justice, some climbing up the walls and into the windows and
chambers; and afterwards how strangely and unexpectedly they vanished
away.”
This curious story, recorded in the Wiltshire Archaeological and
Natural History Magazine, tells how a group of Anabaptists were roughly
treated in Fairford and received no help from the Lord of the Manor,
Esquire Barker and the local JP. The implication of the pamphlet is that
the plague of frogs was the just punishment!
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FHS News
On 15th September, over 60 people attended the talk by June
Lewis, Fairford’s historian and the Society’s president, on the topic of
“Fairford at War”. Among the subjects covered were the Home Guard, the
Fire Service, and how Fairford’s residents pulled together to cope with
the wartime situation. Mr Hedges at Farmor’s School had to cope with an
influx of about 90 evacuee children from London. This was especially
interesting for two ex-evacuees as they had travelled from their homes
in Wales and Herefordshire especially to hear the talk. They found their
names on the list of evacuees attending Farmor’s School and one evacuee,
Mr Harris, was able to identify himself in a photograph in June’s book
‘The Cotswolds at War’.
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FHS Committee
Keith Cottam (Chair) 711054
Brian Routledge (Vice Chair)
Alison Hobson (Secretary) 711768
Geoff Hawkes (Treasurer) 712053
Ian Westlake (Membership) 712329
Margaret Bishop (FCC rep)
Trevor Hing (FTC rep)
Roger Phillips (Fieldwalking)
Lesley Pincombe (Group Coordinator)
John Read (IT) |
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At the November meeting Brian Routledge covered the life of RAF
Fairford in 1944. His illustrated presentation included details of the
difficulties of starting up the new RAF station and the momentous events
of the D-Day and Arnhem airborne operations.
Membership Jan-Aug 06 £2.50
You can join at any meeting or by contacting Ian Westlake (Mem
Sec)
Membership forms can be downloaded from
here and given to any
committee member or handed in at Fairford Town Council Office, 3
London Street . |
To mark the 60th anniversary of end World War Two the first of a
series of FHS monographs has been produced – Fairford’s War Memorial
and Roll of Honour by Chris Hobson. It relates the history of the War
Memorial, originally intended to stand in the Market Square, and also
provides details of the Fairford men who died during World War One and
Two. Copies of the monograph can be obtained from the Secretary.
Additional information would be most gratefully received by the
Secretary.
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