Marcher Apple Network APPLES & · PDF filesturdy fortified tower of St. Michael’s ......

APPLES & PEARSAFALAU A PÊR

Marcher Apple Network

Volume 2 No1. Autumn 2007Non-members £2

In this issue: PageThe Paramor Orchard 2Mike Porter’s Orchard Gleanings 5Our Museum Orchards 7Meet the Committee 10Brogdale: What’s Happening ..? 12‘A very Happy Life’Profile of Ray Boddington 16Plus our regular features

Reviving the old varieties of apples and pearsin the marcher counties

www.marcherapple.net CELEBRATION

ISSUE

The Paramor Orchard


Following news of thesuccessful completion of thepurchase of a site for a MANorchard, members of MANvisited Cwmdu on 3rd May fora preliminary celebration of theacquisition. Dr Margaret Gill,

who generously provided thefinance for the project, and isalso the artist painting theapples and blossom for theforthcoming Pomona of theWelsh Marches, ceremoniallycut the tape across the

orchard gateway, and poured alibation to the goddessPomona. Members presentmade an informal tour ofinspection and drank a glass ofcider to toast the success ofthe project.

CELEBRATION

MAN members assemble to see Margaret Gill cut the tape

Margaret lines up the scissors Cutting the tape A libation

MAN members toast the success of the project

Tom Froggatt, the successful bidder.

Peter Austerfield, Mike Porter andTom Froggatt (backs to the camera)

discuss possibilities with Richard Wheeler

1Apples & Pears Autumn 2007

The year 2006/7 has been oneof our busiest, and it says muchfor the hard work and dedicationof your committee and supportfrom you, the members.

Since we took the path ofproducing materials to aididentification and to be of generaluse and interest to as manypeople as possible, we havemaintained, if not increased, ourmomentum. Even now there is talkof CD 3, and the possibility of afacsimile version of theHerefordshire Pomona has re-surfaced. But these are for thefuture and at the moment we areoccupied with things described in moredetail elsewhere in this Newsletter.

One thing that has helped us to keepup the momentum is our ability tocommunicate electronically. Mostcommittee members now use e-mail asroutine, and together with oursecretary, Marie Ward, this has madeour organisation much more efficient.Needless to say we also have ourexcellent website provided by ourWebmaster, Richard Wheeler. (SeeWebmaster’s Report, page 15)

There was a sigh of relief on the 12thApril when the Pomona sub-committeefinally approved version 15 of our newCD Vintage Fruit. The number ofversions indicates the work involved inproducing what I think is a very worthyfollow-up to our earlier CD TheHerefordshire Pomona. The two havetaken about 5 years to produce andRichard Wheeler is to be congratulatedonce again for his splendid work. TheCD, a unique publication on ciderapples and perry pears, was launchedon Monday 7th May at Westons BottleMuseum, when Keith Knight was theguest speaker. Buy it and you will notbe disappointed.

The next publication will be our ‘WelshMarches Pomona’ in book form. Thisproject has been mentioned before(see Newsletter No 12) and is now wellunderway. With text by Mike Porter

and water colour illustrations by DrMargaret A V Gill, this promises to beanother unique production and onethat, in its way, will contribute to thecollection of Pomonas associated withthe area. Publication is scheduled for2008/9 (See progress report onpage 9)

We have of course another reason tobe grateful to Dr. Gill and this relatesto the other major event of the year.Through her generosity we have beenable to purchase 5.6 acres of land inWales to give MAN its own orchard.This is the lead story in this Newsletter,and next year’s Newsletter will no doubtsee the first of many progress reportson the development of the orchard.

A recent ‘Forward Planning’ meetingfocused on how we organise our AGMand Apple Day. This is the MAN eventof the year, and last year we began tothink about different ways of doing it.The discussion continues, but generallythere is a consensus that the time hascome for a change. This year we areseparating the two events, so that theApple Day will be on Saturday 6thOctober at the Cider Museum,Hereford, and the AGM, also at theCider Museum, will be on Saturday 1stDecember. Following the AGM therewill be a talk by Dr Murray Mylechreeston the life and work of theHerefordshire pomologist, ThomasAndrew Knight.

Speaking of change, you will beaware that the Newsletter hastaken on a new appearance. After12 years it was thought that it wastime to review our majorpublication for members. What yousee is the result of many meetingsof the Editorial Committee, chairedby Tony Malpas, and discussions ingeneral committee. We hope youapprove of the new style.

Once again there were manyactivities over the year, fromshows, fairs and identificationsessions to orchard visits andpruning work. There were twomembers’ events. Although, sadly,

I could not attend the visit to Cui Parcto see the orchards of our President,Sir Andrew Large, it was very highlyregarded. As numbers were limited, anumber of you were disappointed notto have been in the first twentyrespondents, so I am glad to say thatSir Andrew has kindly agreed to ourarranging a repeat visit in 2008. Ourthanks to Sir Andrew and Lady Largefor their hospitality. October saw a fullday devoted to ‘The Long AshtonLegacy’, hosted by the Cider Museum,Hereford, and organised by TonyMalpas. This well attended eventprovided an opportunity to hear at firsthand, from two of those involved inresearch at Long Ashton, Liz Copasand John Worle, and to see thepractical applications in the orchard atField Farm. In January of this year Ivisited Whitecross School, Hereford, topresent four framed prints of apples onwhich their ‘Academy’ names arebased. The prints, provided by ourWebmaster and professionally framedin ‘Academy’ colours, were a gift to thisnewly opened school from MAN. The‘Academy’ names are Bromley, Hagloe,Moyle and Styre. Trees of the lastthree varieties (Hagloe Crab, GennetMoyle, Eggleton Styre) have beenplanted at the school. They are stilllooking for Bromley, as indeed are we.There is a picture taken at the event onour website,www.marcherapple,net/whitex.htm

Peter Austerfield.

NOTES FROM THE CHAIRMAN

2Marcher Apple Network

A combination of two pieces ofgood fortune has enabledMAN to make our orcharddream come true. Dr Margaret Gill made us anextremely generous offer ofthe purchase money, and asuitable parcel of land came upfor auction at just the righttime and place. Mike Porter provides thebackground.

An orchard of our own has long beenan ambition of the Marcher AppleNetwork. In March, at a tense auctionat the Angel Hotel, Abergavenny, aparcel of land at Llanfihangel Cwmduwas knocked down to MAN,represented by our Treasurer, TomFroggatt. The purchase, made possibleby the generosity of Dr. Margaret Gill,illustrator of the forthcoming Pomonaof the Welsh Marches, has presentedus with an exciting opportunity torealise our dream. It will not happenovernight, nor without careful planningand a lot of hard work, but we are embracing the challenge withenthusiasm. The way in which theorchard will be developed and managedhas already generated severalproposals and provoked considerabledebate; the committee would welcomefurther ideas. In the meantime,perhaps it might be helpful to look atthe geographical and historicalbackground of our holding.

The village of Cwmdu is situated in thefoothills of the Black Mountains, in the east of the old county ofBrecknockshire and within the BreconBeacons National Park. Our holdinglies on gently sloping ground at analtitude of 150 - 160m, facing south-west towards the village, with thesturdy fortified tower of St. Michael’sChurch a prominent landmark. Duewest across the valley is an Iron Agehill fort, Coed y gaer, hidden by trees.A brook called Rhiangoll runs throughthe village and down the valley in asoutherly direction, flowing past the

Norman Castle of Tretower beforejoining the River Usk.

In medieval times Tretower Castle wasthe stronghold and administrativecentre of the Lordship of Ystradyw(usually called Straddewy by theNormans) which encompassedterritory which later became theparishes of Llanfihangel Cwmdu andLlangynidr. Apples have been cultivatedin this region for hundreds of years. Acharter, dated about 1175, from JohnPicard, grandson of the first NormanLord of Ystradyw, includes apples in alist of crops grown on his demesne. Amanorial estate plan of 1587 shows alarge orchard, marked ‘Perllan’, on thebank of the Rhiangoll beside the castle.A cider cellar, constructed in thesixteenth century, can still be seen atTretower Court.

Our holding consists of two pasturefields, one of five acres and the otherhalf an acre, both surrounded by stock-proof fences and hedges. In onecorner of the larger field there is adamp copse with tall alder and ashtrees and, in spring, a colourful groundflora. The soil in both fields is a fertileloam derived from the underlying OldRed Sandstone.

Cwmdu parish tithe map, drawn up in1844, shows that the present largefield was divided, at that time, into twosmaller plots, which were part of theglebe. The rental charge on one fieldwas paid to the Rector – at that timethe Rev Lord William Somerset; therent for the other field was due to theVicar, Rev Thomas Price. Both fieldswere farmed by John Gwillim, whoappears to have been the largestfarmer in the parish, with about 380acres to his name. In 1844 theRector’s Glebe was recorded aspasture and the Vicar’s Glebe asarable. The small half-acre field was ameadow which belonged to the farmnearby called Pencaecrwn. Recentmanagement as sheep pasturethroughout the year has obscuredformer differences in vegetation. Anyvariation in the composition of the

present grass swards seems to bemainly due to fluctuations in drainageconditions, as the area of field near thecopse is watered by a seasonal spring.

The churchyard below holds thetombstone of Rev Thomas Price, Vicarof Cwmdu from 1825 – 1848. Hewas a fervent patriot who did much topromote the Welsh language at a timewhen it was severely threatened by theEstablishment. Thomas Price, perhapsbetter known under his bardic name ofCarnhuanawc, was a polymath with awide range of interests andaccomplishments – historian, essayist,musician, orator, linguist andantiquarian. He played the flute, guitarand Welsh harp and was awholehearted supporter ofEisteddfodau. He wrote a History ofWales, published in Crickhowell and,with his friend Lady Llanover,contributed to a translation of theMabinogion.

According to his biographer, JaneWilliams, he was a great supporter oftraditional ways, and in his garden atCwmdu cultivated vegetables favouredby his ancestors, such as the leek andsmall yellow turnip, brightening his plotby sowing seeds of broom and fragrantgillyflowers. Plainly an early exponentof biological control measures, hetrained his ferret to hunt down the ratswhich had attacked his library. Suchan enlightened man would surely have approved our plan to cultivatetraditional varieties of apples, such as Pig yr wydd, Landore and TenCommandments, in an orchard on hisformer glebe.

Mike Porter

THE PARAMOR ORCHARD

Tretower Castle


We became aware of this land for sale, described by the agents asLot 1, Cwmdu, only very shortly before the date of the auction, whichwas 29th March 2007. The agents' particulars described it as'conveniently situated close to the centre of the village of Cwmdu,just off the A479 Crickhowell to Talgarth road, and of total area2.264ha or 5.59 acres, for the most part gently sloping andproviding good grazing, with the benefit of good road access and anatural water supply.' An outline plan of the site is shown drawn ona section of the 1882 twenty-five inch Ordnance Survey map in whichits position in relation to the church and village of Cwmdu can beseen.

Everyone on the Committee who went to see it thought that it wouldbe suitable, so Tom Froggatt and Mike Porter were commissioned togo to the auction and bid for it. Tom takes up the story.

After several anxious hours on the phone with MAN member andsolicitor Nigel Recordon, Mike Porter and I went to Abergavenny onMarch 29th to attend this auction sale, and were met there by Nigel toclarify several legal points. We were interested in Lot 1, and biddingsoon commenced in a crowded room. Knowing the amount we hadbeen promised, we felt that funds could be stretched a bit more, and,at £5000 over our 'limit', we were the victors. (Our benefactorafterwards very generously made up the extra £5000). The next,smaller, plot then went for very much more than we had paid, and wewere even more excited. With legal formalities completed, we then hada celebratory meal before returning home in a jubilant, but sober,manner.

Tom Froggatt25” OS Map (1882) of Cwmdu showing

Paramor Orchard Site Plan

Margaret Gill explains

Now that the Marcher Apple Networkhas been able to purchase its own plotof land for the creation of the ParamorOrchard, members may be wonderingat the name. Who were theParamors? Simply, they were mymother’s family, about whom mybrother has written in a volume ofverse entitled The Paramor Poems - acelebration of a Kentish family. “Labourers mostly, your ancestors andmine, who drudged from dawn to duskin squire’s fields...” are the openinglines of a poem addressed to oursecond cousin John Paramor (artist,now living on the Costa Brava and lastmale descendant of “gentle” John,vicar’s coachman). But not all theearlier Paramors worked the land;

some were more adventurous, andsome even achieved a local fame.There was the Elizabethan ThomasParamor, remembered in Thanet assponsor of the last trial by combat tobe fought on English soil (or rather notfought, as it was banned at the lastmoment by the Queen); as Mayor ofCanterbury, he presided over thesecond Guy Fawkes night celebrationsand his name is to be found inscribedon the ceremonial sword. A centurylater when castaway on Anguilla,another Thomas was rescued by awarship of William III, fortuitouslynamed The Paramour and carrying onboard the astronomer Edmond Halley.Another seafarer was my grandfatherWilliam, master mariner; as first mate,he sailed with Joseph Conrad (secondmate) in the “Adowa”, and later

captained his own ship. Then there was“my might-have-been uncle” Jack, poetand idealist, who followed his “dreamsof chivalry” to death on the beach atGallipoli. Finally there are the ParamorsI knew in person, my mother Marjorie(teacher and mathematician, “the sumof all gentleness”) and her siblings:Frank (architect), who walked “withoutthe torment of ideals” and sleeping “inWelsh chapels of quiet stone, left ashilling for the roof at dawn”; Edith (civilservant), who “shared her birthday withthe century” and spent her latter years“content with Brecon’s hills and skies”;and Helen (teacher), indirectly due towhom I moved from the orchards ofKent to make my home in the WelshMarches. This is the family theParamor orchard celebrates.

Margaret A.V.Gill

WHO WERE THE PARAMORS?

PURCHASE OF THE PARAMOR ORCHARD


1. “Gentle” John Paramor(1832-1904)

John Paramor was born inSibertswold in East Kent. Apprenticedas a boy to the blacksmith inNonington, he later used hisknowledge of horses to become theVicar of Nonington’s coachman. Hemarried a local girl and begat ninechildren. On his employer’s death,John moved the family to Rusthall,where he worked as a steward at theSpa Golf Club (Tunbridge Wells). Amodest man who led a modest life, ofwhom his daughter-in-law was able towrite, when learning of John’s death:“His was a beautiful life, as near‘Christlike’ as an earthly person couldbe…”

2. William Paramor, MasterMariner (1861-1904)

Unlike his ancestors, William went tosea. Indentured at the age of 16, heworked his way up to becoming amaster mariner in sail and steam. Hiswas an adventurous life whichincluded being shipwrecked offSamoa, and nearly being rammed bya German cruiser in Penang Harbourin the autumn of 1914. Fond ofreading, he made a congenialcompanion for Joseph Conrad, whoserved with him for six weeks in the“Adowa”. In his reminiscences, ‘APersonal Record,’ Conrad refers toWilliam’s “cheery nature”. In the yearhe gained his Master’s Certificate hemarried the girl next door, AnnieMiddleton; and in due course therewere five children, including Jack andMarjorie (see below). In 1928 theParamors left Leytonstone forWorthing, where their bungalow wasnamed “Adowa”.

3. John Frederick Paramor(1894-1915)

Jack Paramor, William and Annie’sfirst son, was sensitive, reflective,popular and as a poet certainly gifted.He won a scholarship to BancroftsSchool, and later served in theAccountant General’s Department ofthe GPO in London. Before war brokeout he had already joined the 7thBattalion of the Essex Regiment,which arrived in the Dardanelles inAugust 1915. In early October Jackfell to a Turkish bullet. The familynever really recovered from thetragedy. Pencilled in his brown armybook are 11 beautiful sonnetsdedicated to Jessica in Sussex. Did she ever see them?

4. Marjorie Maud Gill (née Paramor) (1908-1977)The youngest of the Paramor children, Marjorie had a sweet temperament andin time showed academic brilliance. She obtained a first-class degree inMathematics at Bedford College (University of London) and went into teaching.In 1933 she married Donald Gill and they moved to Chislehurst, where theirchildren, David and Margaret, were born. A Christian and a Socialist, Marjoriehad a lively social conscience as well as a strong sense of family: her familypicnics on the beach at Worthing were planned with mathematical precisionand never without jelly.

Copies of the photographs fromthe family album, and their

captions, were kindly provided byMargaret’s brother, David Gill.

4

In the MAN campaign to trackdown old apple varieties therehave been some notablesuccesses, but, says MikePorter, there are still a lotmore out there waiting to befound.

One of the main objectives of theMarcher Apple Network is to find andpropagate old varieties of apples andpears. The launch of a new style ofNewsletter seemed an opportunemoment to review our progress in thehunt. In our apple exhibition at theMalvern Autumn Show in 1995 wedisplayed a “WANTED” poster namingeleven varieties of old apples we werehoping to recapture.

These varieties had been chosen eitherbecause they were of local provenanceor had figured in reports of appleexhibitions staged by the WoolhopeClub prior to their publication of TheHerefordshire Pomona. At the Showin 1995 the poster provoked somediscussion but provided no “leads”.Subsequently two of the varieties(Onibury Pippin and Credenhill Pippin)have been refound; possiblerepresentatives of two other varieties

are under surveillance in our museumorchards, and our research has shownthat a further two were impostorsmasquerading under synonyms: ‘LadyDerby’, better known as Thorle Pippin,and ‘Longville’s Kernel’, alias Sam’sCrab. (See photo on page 7).

Since MAN was established fourteenyears ago, at least 27 varieties of “lost”apples have been rediscovered andbrought back into cultivation. Reportsdetailing the pursuit of the renownedNewland Sack, Onibury Pippin, ChatleyKernel, Sugar Loaf Pippin, Gipsy Kingand others have featured in previousnewsletters.

Such “finds” may result from unknownapples being brought in foridentification at shows or they may bethe result of highly organised raids onlocal orchards. Establishing the trueidentity of suspects may result from the

piecing together of small but significantclues or from a sudden flash ofrecognition. Whatever the initialstimulus, authentication requirespainstaking research, sometimesinvolving cultivation and intensive studyfor a number of years.

Our museum orchards have been ofgreat value in helping to untangleconfusion over identification. We nowknow that apples collected from fourdifferent places are all examples of thevariety King’s Acre Bountiful. We candistinguish between the aristocraticCodlins, Lords Grosvenor and Suffield.Keswick Codlin can be separated fromGolden Spire with more confidence.We now know that the so called“Newland Sack” from Erddig is King’sAcre Pippin. The various types of‘Quoinings’, for example, may be grownside by side for comparison.


ORCHARD GLEANINGS 2007

Onibury Pippin Chatley Kernel

Credenhill Pippin Sugar Loaf Pippin

From catalogues, handbooks andscientific reports we know that at least260 varieties of culinary and dessertapples and more than 140 varieties ofcider apples are associated with ourarea, i.e., reputedly raised here orintroduced by local nurseries. Lessthan half (about 48%) of the formercategory remain in cultivation.Probably an even smaller percentageof cider varieties are still extant. Thereare still plenty of “lost” varietiesawaiting rediscovery.

At the Malvern Show last autumn twovisitors from Credenhill, Mr and MrsBatchelor, happened to mention thatthey lived in a house formerly occupiedby Frank Whiting, a notable fruitgrower in the early part of the 20thcentury. At that time Credenhill musthave been very much at the heart of apple growing activities inHerefordshire. The Rector, theReverend C H Bulmer, had played aleading role in the compilation of TheHerefordshire Pomona, and wascelebrated locally as a judge of ciderand perry. His son, H P Bulmer hadestablished a cider-making business atCredenhill. Frank Whiting’s father,Richard, who farmed at Lower House,was churchwarden at Credenhill. TheBatchelors told me that thesmallholding which they now farmedhad been bought by the Whitings toprovide a living for Frank, who hadsuffered from polio in his youth. Muchlater, Mrs Batchelor’s father, Tom

Watkins, was one of three menemployed on the farm. In the earlyyears of the 20th century much of thefruit being produced was sent by trainfor sale in Edinburgh.

On a later visit I was shown thenotebook in which Frank Whiting listed,row by row, the fruit trees he wasgrowing between 1895 and 1906.Judging by the numbers of each sortthat were planted, the most popular atthis time were Lane’s Prince Albert,King of the Pippins, Cox’s Pomona,Bramley’s Seedling, Stirling Castle,Bismarck, Frogmore Prolific andWorcester Pearmain. About 170varieties of apples are listed, includingsome which have been rediscovered inrecent years, such as Onibury Pippin,Chatley Kernel and Credenhill Pippin.A few years ago a visitor to our stall atthe Big Apple event brought in appleswhich his father had called Credenhill

Pippin. Published descriptions of thatvariety are scanty, but the fruits wewere shown certainly matched theaccount of Credenhill Pippin in TheApples of England by H V Taylor, whostates that the variety had been raisedby Mr. Whiting of Hereford. It is acolourful, red–striped apple with a fineflavour and keeps in good condition untilFebruary.

It was tantalising to read, in FrankWhiting’s notebook, the names of manyvarieties of apple which havedisappeared from cultivation and arenot even to be found in the NationalFruit Collections. British Queen,Blacksmith, College Apple, WormsleyGrange Apple, Caradoc Scarlet andCredenhill Beauty were all being grownin Credenhill around 1900. Little isknown about Credenhill Beauty, a mid-season cooker, which, The AppleRegister records, was exhibited for thefirst and only time at the RoyalHorticultural Society’s Fruit Conferencein 1934. As Whiting was growing it in1901, it seems quite likely that he alsoraised that variety, and, possibly otherssuch as Blacksmith and Black Twig alsosent from Herefordshire to the 1934Conference at the Crystal Palace.Unfortunately, most of the apple treeson his plot were grubbed out about fiftyyears ago when the holding wasconverted to vegetable production.

Mike Porter

Gipsy King Winter Quoining compare with Crimson Quoining on p7


Sweeney Nonpareil


Thanks to the generosity oflocal landowners, MAN wasable soon after its formationto begin establishing museumorchards. Chris Porter looksback at achievements, andidentifies a few pitfalls.

After twelve years of working toestablish five MAN orchards in differentparts of the Welsh Marches, whathave we learned? What has turnedout well and, with the benefit ofhindsight, what could we havemanaged better? In the 1980s and90s crisis loomed. Local orchardswere being grubbed up and destroyed,grants being available for this. Withthem many wonderful varieties of applewere being lost and it looked as thoughfuture generations would never havethe opportunity to taste a PitmastonPine Apple or Ribston Pippin or smell aCrimson Quoining.

MAN has been very fortunate to enlistthe support of several landownerssympathetic to the cause ofestablishing Museum Orchards on theirland. Planting was started on fourorchards between 1995 and 1998, atWesthope, Donnington, Tredomen andCroft Pendarren; and at a fifth, LittleFfordd-fawr, in autumn 2002.

Westhope has 15 standard treesgrown from grafts of local varieties,such as Sam’s Crab, Severn Bank,Stoke Edith Pippin and Golden Harvey,taken from trees in Herefordshire,Shropshire and Breconshire in1993/4.

The crop last year was superb and thevigour and health of the treesdemonstrate the suitability of this well-drained, slightly calcareous site on thehill above the village.

Donnington had problems with drainageat first because machinery hadcompacted the heavy loam of the field. Apples do not enjoy having their feet cold and wet, but after thedrainage was improved this orchard of60 trees is starting to flourish. BecauseDonnington’s owners have lived andworked for many years across “thepond”, several of the varieties here, likeKing of Tompkins County, Golden Russetof West New York and Roxbury Russet,were chosen because of theirassociation with the U.S.A.

The other three orchards lie on theWelsh side of the Border. Tredomen isthe largest with over 200 trees ofvarious ages. Planting started in 1995,with trees having been grafted from

wood taken from old trees growingsometimes in derelict orchards whichwere impossible to identify, but whichwe thought ought to be conserved.

After being grown on healthy youngrootstocks it is easier to check themout. A few favourite trees of the areawere also grafted, like Sam’s Crab,Annie Elizabeth, HerefordshirePomeroy and Bismarck, which areuseful as control or reference trees.Each autumn the ID panel tries to solvesome of the mysteries, but many arestill known only by manuscript names.We have had some success in sortingthem out: “Plas Wye 2” and “BowlingGreen” are varieties now recognised asAlexander and Claygate Pearmainrespectively. Tree A4 from ‘Plas Wye’,B5 from ‘Lothlorien’ and F16 fromNorton Canon all turned out to be the same variety, a rather deliciouscooker King’s Acre Bountiful, namedafter the Hereford nursery where itoriginated.

Identification can be a slow andpainstaking process, however. Theopportunity was taken to grow severalversions of supposedly the same varietyside by side so that they could bestudied. In the early days grafts of anapple known locally as “MonmouthGreen” were taken from several sitesalong the Wye valley in Radnorshireand Breconshire and the young treeswere planted at Tredomen. Whensomething similar, known as Landore,turned up in various places in WestHerefordshire, it was identified as thesame apple. Landore was referred toby the Reverend Francis Kilvert in1870. There was much speculationabout versions of another apple foundin the Welsh Marches whichresembled the pictures of the Costardapple varieties illustrated in TheHerefordshire Pomona. A graft of“Arrow Costard” was planted and thefruit from this young tree intrigued theMAN ID panel for many seasons. Afterchopping up several kilos of apples anddrawing, describing and comparingthem, inspiration struck when a similar

OUR MUSEUM ORCHARDS

Crimson Quoining

Sam’s Crab

Planting the first tree at TredomenOrchard in 1995. Ray Boddington,Frank Hemming, David Leitch

and John Aldridge.


tree, the “Winforton Costard”, wasdiscovered and recognised as ScotchBridget, an excellent apple varietywhich does very well in our Borderarea.

Sometimes a special trip may have tobe made to faraway RHS libraries tosearch through the old literaturebefore an identification can beauthenticated. This is how “Ty’r uchedCodlin” became determined as SugarLoaf Pippin, another HerefordshirePomona apple rescued at Tredomen.Twenty nine newly grafted trees wereplanted in March 2007, seventeen ofwhich are unknown: so the work goeson . . . The trees have prosperedespecially in the better drained areasin this fairly level meadow of heavy OldRed Sandstone, for last year thewonderful blossom resulted in asurplus of apples, even more thancould be sold at the AGM in October.

At Croft Pendarren, the landownerrequested that traditional orchardtrees be planted so that a mower couldpass beneath the branches. The 40varieties on M25 rootstocks have allbeen chosen because they are knownto grow well in the wetter climate of theWelsh border. Therefore BlenheimOrange, Catshead, Ashmead’s Kerneland Ribston Pippin, traditionalfavourites in orchards in the Marches,

have been planted alongside Welshvarieties like Marged Nicolas, Pig yrwydd, Pig Aderyn. Environmentalconsiderations dictate the way thisorchard is managed since it grows inestablished pasture (‘coed cae’ orwooded grassland) with its associatedflora and fauna. The older treesplanted in 1996 looked most beautifulthis year, with their blossoms followingthe display of the ancient pear alsogrowing there.

The youngest orchard at Lower Ffordd-fawr is more of a nursery plot, whereall the grafts are being grown on thesmaller and quicker developing M26rootstocks. The fruit from these youngtrees should be produced earlier and,being from healthy stock, identificationshould be easier. Disappointingly manygrafts failed here at first, but as it issuspected the cause for this is due tothe method of grafting in situ in a verydry season before the rootstocks wereestablished, perhaps we can learnfrom this.

Our trees have to fend for themselveswithout the application of fertiliserswhich tend to produce rather sappy

growth and anaemic tasting fruit.However, last autumn, the dark, pock-marked signs of “bitterpit” werenoticed in some varieties at Tredomen.This condition, which is generally dueto an imbalance in the mineral uptake,may need to be remedied in future bythe application of calcium nitrate orcalcified seaweed. Each orchard hasdifferent characteristics: Donningtonand Tredomen have rich, water-retentive soils, usually positive qualities,

but difficulties occasionally arise. AtTredomen about thirty or forty treeswere affected by stem-rot exacerbatedby the use of plastic spiral guards. Ina heavy, damp soil particularly, theseencourage worms, woodlice and antsto creep up the inside, bringing in soilwhich cannot dry out, so eventually rotsets in. Now the spiral guards havebeen taken away each tree may haveto be enclosed by chicken wire, as atCroft Pendarren, should rabbits startto be a hazard! We wentwholeheartedly for the use of mulch-mats too, hoping these would keepgrass from around the little trees.Unfortunately the grass grows over themat in one season making cuttingdifficult and affecting the health of treesin the damp areas. Voles are on site,however, to take advantage of safehomes which the grassy mats provide,MAN maintenance being sporadic.Over the years quite a lot has beenspent on ties for supporting the youngtrees, which have to be adjusted astrunks become sturdier. Some of thecheaper types of tie take two people todo the job, resulting in grumbles frommaintenance staff. (Volunteers!)

Scotch Bridget

View of Croft Pendarren Orchard. The mature pear (right) is the only tree thatremained from the previous orchard

Chris Porter checking fruit atTredomen Orchard, 2006

Old Blenheim Orange tree in anorchard at Checkley


A taller problem was encountered atWesthope where expensive seven foothigh wire cages had to enclose everytree when deer were found browsingthe orchard. This protection hasworked well and we are very gratefulfor Herefordshire Council’s contributorygrant. Maintenance though is difficult:it takes an athletic chap to control thebrambles and bracken inside theguards, as our Chairman, PeterAusterfield, will confirm.

Management of the orchards exploitsthe skills of all sorts of willingenthusiasts; from the early days ofidentifying unusual fruit and grafting thescions from these, to planting, pruningand training the resulting young“maidens”. It is vital that reliablerecords are kept and the health of the

individuals monitored. The guidance ofour Webmaster, Richard Wheeler andthe competence of our new Secretary,Marie Ward, have been invaluable inhelping with this essential “book-keeping” by setting up a database forthe orchards which will makemanagement easier.Soon outlets for all this splendid fruitwill have to be found. Possibly this willnot be a problem, because this is, afterall, the product which MAN memberswill enjoy. It is estimated that MANmust have nearly 400 differentvarieties of apple in its orchards,certainly a cause for celebration sincemany of these have literally beenbrought ‘back from the brink’. Twelveyears have seen changes. MAN,together with similar organisationsaround Britain, is not only helping to

create a feeling of hope about thefuture of traditional orchards, but canclaim to be making a difference byestablishing experimental, livingmuseums so that our great-grandchildren will be able to crunch aWorcester Pearmain, make “biffins”from Herefordshire Beefings, and enjoya baked Herring’s Pippin and cream.We are grateful to the landowners ofour orchards, Mrs. Molly Beaumont(Westhope), Mr. Roger Williams, M.P.(Tredomen), Mr. William Gibbs (CroftPendarren), Mr. Roger Gouldstone(Donnington) and Mr. David PryceGoodwin (Little Ffordd – fawr) forhelping MAN to achieve some of itsobjectives.

Chris Porter.

Three meticulously packed parcels of apple blossom, sent by post from Brogdale during May, enabled Margaret Gill tocomplete her watercolour paintings of flowers for the Pomona. We are most grateful to Dr Emma-Jane Allen, ScientificCurator of the National Fruit Collections, and her staff, for their help.The timely arrival of Tewkesbury Baron, King Coffee and GreenPurnell meant that only one variety, Ten Commandments, was outstanding.

In 2007 most varieties of apples in this part of thecountry flowered a fortnight or so earlier than lastyear, but Ten Commandments ran counter tothe general trend and was a day or so laterthan usual. Eventually, in themiddle of May, a telephonecall was received from NickWinney, Head Gardener atBerrington Hall, reportingthat the two trees of TenCommandments in theirwalled garden were justcoming into bloom. After a quick trip to collectsamples, Margaret was able to completethe flower paintings - logistically, if notartistically, the most demanding part ofthe exercise. Sincere thanks to Nick forall his help in maintaining a watching brief that was anything but...

Only the fruit of four varieties still remain to be painted. Margaret should complete the illustrations in the autumn, so thatpart of the project is up to schedule. The illustrations are beautiful and will be a tremendous aid in identification. Furtherresearch will require more days in London, delving in the archives of the RHS Lindley Library in Vincent Square….Someonehas to do it!

Mike Porter.

A POMONA OF THE WELSH MARCHES

Blossom of Byford Wonder drawn andpainted by Dr Margaret Gill


Sir Andrew Large,President

I first becameaware of MANwhen I beganmy collection ofapple varietieshere at Cui inthe early 90's. I

was collecting old varieties, andparticularly looking for local ones - bywhich I included those from all theMarches. Mike Porter introduced meto Sheila Leitch, and I was soimpressed by their boundlessenthusiasm and knowledge, as well asthe commitment to help in whateverway with my modest project - scionsto graft; advice about the varieties;identification etc.My hope for the future - which I amconfident will be met - is that MANwill continue the good work, spreadthe interest in our wonderful appleheritage, and ensure that futuregenerations will be able to sampleand enjoy these marvellous oldvarieties.

Dr PeterAusterfield,Chairman andDirector ofMAN

When I moved toHerefordshirethere werethree things I

wanted to do: plant an orchard, avineyard and establish a wild flowermeadow. Naturally, for the first, Ijoined MAN and sought advice. Lateri was persuaded by Ray Boddington tobecome the 'custodian' of the MANorchard in the village. This led to myjoining the committee and now I findmyself Chairman. Now well into its second decade, theMarcher Apple Network has becomea well respected association. Ourpublications are highly regarded, ouradvice is sought. We do this througha voluntary committee and, as ever,the support of our members. It is our

hope that we can keep up the goodwork with your help and, although thepeople will change, that MAN goesfrom strength to strength over thecoming years.

RayBoddington,Hon Vice-President,FounderMember, FirstChairman andDirector ofMAN

In the autumn of 1990 I met SheilaLeitch, through a greengrocer in Hay-on-Wye selling ‘Stirling’Castle’ labelledapples. I was soon introduced toMike and Chris Porter, and along withthe late Stan Baldock and JohnAldridge we met to explore orchardsin the surrounding area. Followingadvice, we established a formalorganisation which we called theMarcher Apple Network (MAN) in1993.My hope for the future of MAN is thatit will just flourish and grow, and thatpeople will come along and tend itsorchards and fruit collections!For a fuller profile of Ray see ‘A VeryHappy Life’, page 16.

Sheila Leitch,FounderMember,Network Co-ordinator,FormerNewsletterEditor andLibrarian

I joined the committee when seven ofus set up the Network in 1993. Myparticular interest in apples arosefrom moving to Wye View, where theold espaliers in the walled gardenproved a challenge to a botanist.Prior to marriage, my work with theNature Conservancy in South Waleswas a useful base for my position asNetwork Co-ordinator.My hopes for the future of MAN arethat we can enrol more young peopleand provide interesting events,

training courses and services tomembers, including those withoutspecialist knowledge, but who supportand appreciate our objectives.

Mike Porter,FounderMember andDirector ofMAN

Having grownup in westernHerefordshire,surrounded by

orchards, I would have found itdifficult not to have been interested inapples. A deterrent might have beenthe inordinate amount of time weseemed to spend peeling and cuttingup cooking apples. As children weknew the taste and ripening time of allthe apples in the garden and paddockand orchards behind the house. Inautumn we helped to harvest thecider and pot fruit. Here there wereancient trees where little-owls,redstarts and nuthatches nested. All the orchards have gone, replacedby houses. I hope we can persuade afew people to plant orchards andinclude some of our local varieties ofapples.

Chris Porter,FounderMember andArchivist

I becameinvolved withMAN because itseemed abrilliant idea atthe time.

Having moved house about twelveyears earlier to expand the applecollection which Mike (my husband)had been nurturing since the 1970s,it seemed a natural progression tojoin others in 1993 whose aim was totry to save traditional orchards andtheir fruit before these all becameextinct.MAN’s aims are becoming moreachievable as able, enthusiastic andyounger people are coming forward togive their time and talents. ‘Paramor

MEET THE COMMITTEEThe fourteen officers and members of the committee of the Marcher Apple Network are, it almostgoes without saying, an extremely hard-working bunch. Not many committees can boast fourFounder Members still serving after 14 years, and a steady growth from seven initially to fourteennow. Even so, perhaps not too much is known about them as individuals, how they came to it andwhy they do it. In an effort to remedy this, they were each asked to say, in about 100 words, howthey first became aware of MAN, what induced them to join the committee, and what their hopesand aspirations are for its future. Oh, and also to supply a photograph of themselves. These arethe results. Profiles and pictures compiled by Nicky Matcher.


Orchard’ is a wonderful opportunity,but it still has to be organised,planted and followed through. I hopewe shall all be inspired by workingtogether in this worthwhile venture

Tom Froggatt,CompanySecretary,Treasurer andDirector ofMAN

I first becameaware of MANin 1995 when Imet some

members identifying apples at 'TheBig Apple’. I had inherited some 100trees containing almost 70 varieties, Iwas in need of help. I joined theCommittee in l996 and soon becameTreasurer. I help at events and alsogive talks. Never a dull moment. My hopes for the future of MAN arethat we can recruit younger membersto care for our orchards and alsolearn the art and skills in identifyingapples. Thanks to a generous donorwe have purchased land to become aMuseum orchard. The ParamorOrchard project is ongoing. Please letus have your ideas.

RichardCheshire,Chairman,Cider Appleand Perry PearGroup

Ten years ago Ibought aproperty with acider appleorchard, and a

fortuitous meeting with John Worle ofBulmers got me interested in ciderfruit. I joined MAN after speaking tomembers identifying apples atLeominster. My interest in the cidervarieties led to the start of the Cidergroup and I was elected to theCommittee in 2004.My hope is that MAN can continue tocreate interest in our apple heritage.By branching out into production ofbooks and CDs we can appeal to awider public and inspire ourmembership to take an activepart in the organization.

DiggoryKempton,MembershipSecretary

I saw the RHSFruit Show inLondon whichmarked thecentenary of thegreat FruitConference of

1883, and remember the smell ofapples a hundred yards away comingfrom the exhibition hall. That winter Iplanted my first orchard of oldvarieties in a large rented gardenover the road from the Arsenalstadium. Neighbours responded byputting in fruit trees on their patch,and a streetful of back gardensbecame an oasis resembling theorchards and market gardens whichhad flourished there, provisioning theCity, before the houses were built inthe 1880's. On coming toShropshire it was a short step tomake contact with MAN in 1996.Full circle.

Tony Malpas,Vice-Chairmanand NewsletterEditor 2007

I first becameaware of MANwhen SheilaLeitch visitedour

smallholding on an open day andasked if we had any interesting applesgrowing here. I think maybe Diggoryvisited as well. Later, visiting an appleID session at Sheila’s house, I realisedwhat important skills the identifiershad and wished I had them too, so Ijoined the committee.My hopes for the future of MAN are adoubling of the MAN membership,some new members on thecommittee, and the furtherdevelopment of methods andmaterials for passing on the skills ofapple and pear appreciation andidentification to younger generations.

Nicky Matcher,Publicity Officer

I first becameaware of MANvisiting TheBlack MountainsFestival inTalgarth.

I joined, hoping to access expertiseand learn more about the apples inour old neglected orchard. I attendedsome apple skills courses run withGlasu. I joined the committee nearlythree years ago and broughtexperience of working with communitygroups on practical environmentalprojects and event marketing. I knowlittle about apples and I’m learning.The MAN committee is friendly,dedicated and knowledgeable.The future? MAN’s expertise, like fineold apple varieties, must not beallowed to perish, enthusiasticapprentices are needed. You?

Sylvia O’Brien,Project Officer

Having been amember of MANfor several years, I joined theCommittee recentlybecause, with thepurchase of the

orchard land in Cwmdu, MAN hadarrived on my doorstep. It seemed an ideal opportunity to start taking a more active part in MAN.In future I would like to see theorchard at Cwmdu developing into animportant historical resource forMAN as a whole and also for Cwmduas a community. This excitingventure should be seen and enjoyedby many people. I would like MAN tobecome more approachable andcommunity oriented, while remainingtrue to its well-respected, moreacademic roots.

Marie Ward,Secretary andEvents Organiser

I first became awareof MAN when I sawan advertisement fora part-time minutessecretary in ourlocal parish

magazine in Spring 2006. I appliedand successfully took up the post,which has become much more thanjust a job. As the newest of thepresent management team, I am learning rapidly about the worldof apples. I hope that MAN will reach morepeople, making links with children andtheir parents, especially in this era ofenvironmental and food awarenessawakening. I hope that we will beable to involve children in animaginative way in the development ofthe ‘Paramor Orchard’.

RichardWheeler,Webmaster andCD Editor

One of myreasons formoving toHerefordshire

was to have my own orchard with amixture of cider and pot fruit. It wasnatural to join MAN to learn moreabout traditional varieties and then toget more involved. I have tried tomake myself useful both with thewebsite and with the efforts todigitally reprint old books on applesand pears. With a background incomputing I hope that in the not toodistant future we will see programs tohelp with orchard management and,more technically difficult than it mayappear, identification.


The Brogdale pear collection The Brogdale cherry collection

The Brogdale apple collection at blossom time The Brogdale pear collection flowering

The Brogdale pear collection The Brogdale cherry collection

The photographs on this page werekindly provided by Dr Alison Lean

The Brogdale apple collection at blossom time The Brogdale pear collection flowering


The photographs on the facingpage give some idea to thosewho don’t know Brogdale, andwill serve to remind those whodo, of the importance of thecollection of fruit varietiesconserved there. But in spite oftheir importance, it is still by nomeans certain that thesecollections will continue atBrogdale, and a number of the Friends of BrogdaleHorticultural Trust haveestablished themselves as acampaigning group to try toensure that they do stay there.Also, the cherry blossom picturereminds us that apples andpears are not the only fruitinvolved. Mike Porter reviewsrecent developments.

It has been quite a challenge for aninterested countryman to keep abreastof events at Brogdale this year, let aloneevaluate their significance. Whenplanting began in 1952, the Ministry ofAgriculture, precursor of theDepartment of the Environment,Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), hada Fruit Research Station at BrogdaleFarm, which managed the NationalFruit Trials. From these experimentalplantings the National Fruit Collections(NFC) developed. The Governmentclosed down the Research Station in1989, but retained ownership of theNFC and Brogdale Farm. DEFRA nowfunds the upkeep of the NFC through acontract arrangement..

The Brogdale Horticultural Trust(BHT), set up to manage the NFC,bought Brogdale Farm in1990. UntilApril 2007 they occupied premises atBrogdale where they had a plant centre,offices, shop and tea room. They havenow moved to another site nearby atFaversham. Their contract with DEFRAto manage the NFC expires in April2008.

Brogdale Farm is now owned byHillreed Land, an investment anddevelopment company, who bought itfrom the Brogdale Horticultural Trustin 1999/2000. The land on which theNFC are planted is leased to DEFRAuntil 2016.

The Friends of Brogdale HorticulturalTrust (Friends) is an active supportgroup set up in 1990, now with amembership of over 700, whichsupports BHT, both financially throughsubscriptions and by helping withactivities such as guided tours, eventsand publicity.

In spring 2007 a contract formanagement of NFC for a period of fiveyears from May 2008 was put out tocompetitive tender by DEFRA. Optionsof keeping NFC at Brogdale or movingthem to another site were included.There are thought to have been four or five bidders, including BHT whosubmitted their bid in conjunction withImperial College (Wye) and East MallingResearch.

It is thought that DEFRA advised thatthe plans of the various bidders shouldremain confidential until the outcome isannounced. However, a well-foundedrumour that the BHT bid might involvemoving NFC from Brogdale causedconsternation in the ranks of theFriends, who also claim that they havenot been kept adequately informedabout the plans of BHT. At a SpecialGeneral Meeting of the Friends in April2007 the majority of those presentvoted to amend their constitution todemonstrate that their supportdepended on the NFC remaining atBrogdale. They have since establishedthemselves as a campaigningorganisation called the Friends of theNational Fruit Collections at Brogdale.Thus there are now two organisationsof Friends at Brogdale!

The owners of Brogdale, Hillreed Land,through their chairman Tony Hillier, haveexpressed their wholehearted

commitment to retaining the NFC atBrogdale and emphasised theirwillingness to co-operate with DEFRA tosupport the successful bidder. They arereported to be spending £1million onimproving facilities to attract visitorsand redeveloping appropriatecommercial units. Presumably theywould be prepared to provide suitableaccommodation for the successfulbidder to manage the NFC efficiently.

In the end it probably depends on theGovernment (and us the tax-payers)being prepared to fund the NFC in themeasure it deserves. Over fifty yearsof records, research and horticulturalexpertise have gone into building up thiswonderful collection at Brogdale. Itwould seem shockingly wasteful tosquander such an invaluable resource.The decision by DEFRA about the awardof the contract will be announced inearly autumn 2007

STOP PRESSJoan Morgan has reported that DEFRAhas decided to issue a new specificationfor the contract to maintain and curatethe National Fruit Collections. Theclosing date for bids is 21st September2007. The new specification does notappear to differ significantly, but the fullimplications of the changes have not yetbeen fully assessed. The option tomove the collections from Brogdale hasbeen retained. Friends of NationalFruit Collections at Brogdale has madea valiant effort to keep everyone awareof the changing situation. Anyone interested can [email protected] and sign apetition to keep the NFC at Brogdale.

Mike Porter

If you want to go into this subject inany greater detail, Joan Morgan’swebsite and blog www.fruitforum.netwhich she has been running sinceMarch this year is well worth a look.

BROGDALE:What is happening to the National Fruit Collections?


NEWS OF OUR ORCHARDS

Last year was not the best for the ciderapple crop. For some it was excellentbut for others a bad year. The coldspring, followed by the dry hot summer,meant that pollination was poor in someorchards and the dry summer resultedin small apples in many of the oldorchards. The grafts of last year’sdiscovery, Styre Wilding, unfortunatelyfailed, however more have been donethis year.

Last year I mentioned an old tree in anorchard in the Golden Valley. This has

now been positively identified as a GreenNorman. Grafts have been taken and Iam waiting to see if they are successful.In addition to the Green Norman there isanother very old tree which we cannotyet identify. The orchard owner has toldme that many years ago Mr GeorgeWood of Bulmers called it a “WillowNorman”. The growth pattern isunusual in that the shoots at the ends ofbranches tend to grow out at rightangles to the main stem and thenbranch again at right angles to form analmost square end to the branch. It has

been suggested that this may be avariety called ‘Wellow’; however the onlyreference to this name found so far isin the Tidnor Wood list of apples wantedbut not yet found. If anyone knows of thisname or a tree with similar growthcharacteristics please contact me Onceagain grafts have been taken and resultawaited.

In my search for “lost” cider applevarieties I have tried the Internet. Thishas turned up a possible Eggleton Styre.The tree nursery that stock it have told

CIDER APPLE AND PERRY PEAR GROUP

CROFT PENDARRENLast autumn Croft Pendarren orchard had its best harvest yet. Some trees cropped for the first time. Fruits from

Marged Nicolas, Bridstow Wasp and Pig yr wydd were taken over to Margaret Gill to paint, so their portraits will be seen

in the Welsh Marches Pomona. Pig yr wydd was blown over in one terrific gale, but it has been gently hauled back into

a more upright position. Quite a lot of the older trees have fruit again this year. The owner is helping MAN to manage

the cutting regime to control the bracken. Mike and Chris Porter

WESTHOPE ORCHARDThe autumn of 2006 saw the biggest crop of apples since the orchard was planted some 14 years ago. The full standard

trees have achieved a good size, though this is not uniform throughout the orchard. Sam’s Crab was so weighed down

with fruit that two branches snapped, in spite of some earlier thinning. Gascoyne’s Scarlet was a sight to behold with large

and very colourful fruit. Annie Elizabeth was the same. Such was the abundance of fruit that juicing was an option and

very good it was too. With John Aldridge’s help and pruning skills a number of the 15 trees were selected for some quite

radical pruning. The rest will have the same attention next year. Peter Austerfield

LOWER FFORDD-FAWR, near Hay-on-Wye, BreconshireFive years ago, this small nursery orchard site was established on a small-holding belonging to one of our members, David

Pryce Goodwin. Some of the apples which we had located during surveys, or had received for identification, were grafted

and planted on dwarfing rootstocks, in the hope that healthy young fruits would be easier to name than the small, often

diseased specimens obtained from very old trees. A few varieties were grafted from scions obtained from Brogdale

when we wished to have an example of a particular variety. These young trees were grafted on M9 rootstocks and some

were soon bearing fruit. However, not all survived on this site, which tended to be stony and to dry out, and Paul Davis

has begun using M27 for the more recent plantings. Replacements for some of the casualties were planted this spring

and the site is now almost full. Sheila Leitch

DONNINGTONThere was a reasonable amount of blossom at Donnington this spring, and a prospect of a crop not as heavy as last year.The trees in the orchard are continuing to grow well. Ray Boddington

TREDOMEN COURT, Llanfilo, BreconshireThere was a good turnout in early December for the tutored pruning session led by Chris Fairs of Bulmers. Some majorlopping was done on trees which had grown too tall for easy picking of fruit. Chris provided useful sets of notes for takingaway and giving confidence to beginners pruning in their home gardens and orchards. Two more pruning sessions wereheld in the Spring, and trees which had died were removed and some planting was also done. A data base is being setup to record management at this site and, later, it will be extended to cover the other museum orchards.

Sheila Leitch

Apples & Pears Autumn 2007

me that it has been imported fromTasmania. Given that their Mother treehas not yet produced fruit we cannot becertain if their identification is in line withthe apple described in TheHerefordshire Pomona. A maiden treehas been purchased and we may knowsome time in the future.

It is our continuing task to try and find‘lost’ varieties. In addition, it is vital tofind as many as possible of the varietiesintroduced subsequent to the publicationof the early Pomona, particularly thosegrown on the Welsh side of theMarches. Those of you who haveancient trees, the variety of which is

unknown but was used for cider making,may have a variety of interest. Wewould like to hear from you. A briefdescription of the tree and fruit wouldhelp.

Richard Cheshire

In fact, he’s got two. You may have

noticed in recent newsletters that

Richard Wheeler has let it be known

that, with particular reference to apples

and pears, he is into deltiology (postcard

collecting) and also tegestology. . ? Yes,

you may well ask. The answer, in Richard’s

own words is, ‘A posh word for beer mat

collecting. Beer mats were introduced in

the 1920s and ever since then grown

men have indulged themselves by

collecting them’. Or in his case, cider

and perry mats. The example illustrated

here is from the Herefordshire cider and

perry maker, Westons.

As webmaster I am never surewhether to look at the large list ofthings which could be done or to lookback at all the progress which hasbeen made. I am naturally a pessimistand so would normally dwell on all thethings which haven’t been done. Butthis year I will try to keep away fromfalse promises for the future and willlook back over the last five years. Yes,it was five years ago that MAN burstupon cyberspace with its website.Some nooks and crannies of thewebsite are little used but the List ofNurseries and the Events Diary remainthe most popular pages (as, I suppose,they should). I could spend far too longinvestigating just how the website isused – how many foreign visitors cometo the website, how graphics designersconcocted a joke within the photogallery and, currently, how anotherjoke(?) is currently being played outover the fruit cages at TurnastoneFarm. But even webmasters need to“get a life”. Five years ago I could onlyreliably email one committee memberwith news about the website. This yearonly one committee member is withoutemail and the majority are onbroadband. This is an unexpected

outcome of the “Open Source”computer initiative – the committeehave been stimulated to making theirown IT arrangements for fear of havinga different system imposed on them!MAN now has a range of computerequipment for individual use as well asfor exhibition purposes. The latestVintage Fruit CD includes a slideshow –another reason for MAN to acquire aprojector now that prices are comingdown to affordable levels whilst ourneeds are rising to meet them.

The Open Source computer initiativehas proved somewhat of adisappointment. The MAN committeewould make an excellent case study ofhow (not) to deliver new technology.Mistakes from the project sponsorinclude failing to deliver all theequipment, correctly configured, on dayone; not having sufficiently directedtraining and related reference material;not having adequate time to ensurethat everybody was set up in their ownhome with the internet connection andprinting properly configured; andmaking the support team redundantbefore the project finished (!) Ofcourse, MAN never makes mistakes. .

. With hindsight we could have beenmore forceful about managing thehandover and training but, at the time,we did not want to rock the boat andlose the free computers. The benefit ofthe project has been that all the MANcommittee, bar one, is now on email.This has made communication ofminutes, meeting agendas etc so muchmore efficient. But the use of OpenSource software has not taken off.Indeed, seven of our computers havereverted to using Windows.

At last, mainly thanks to Marie Ward,our database initiative is movingforward. We have prioritised ourlimited resources towards an OrchardRecords database. By the time youread this we should have reviewed thesecond version of the prototype. I amquite excited at the prospect of MANhaving a useful tool to help with orchardmanagement especially as it arriveswith the purchase of the ParamorOrchard at Cwmdu.

Richard WheelerMAN Webmaster

[email protected]

WEBMASTER’S REPORT

HE’S GOT AN OLOGY

15

If any one person can be calledthe inventor of the MarcherApple Network, it has to be RayBoddington, Herefordian,musician and apple enthusiast.Here, in Ray’s own words, is theaccount he provided when TonyMalpas asked him about his longlife and his part in the setting upof MAN.

I have enjoyed a very happy life,extending to 80 years. My parentagewas partly Lancastrian, partly of thesouth of England. My father farmedfruit at Burghill, just north of Hereford,but sold up when I was nine years ofage, following the memorablydisastrous late frost of 1934. I recalla number of trophies won for thequality of his apples and later learntthat there had been regular contactwith the Long Ashton researchestablishment. Just previously I hadnarrowly escaped death fromperitonitis which left me a ratherdelicate schoolboy for a number ofyears.

ChildhoodIn the meantime we moved to HintonHall, Peterchurch, in the Golden Valley.One couldn’t imagine a more magicalplace to pass one’s later childhood withthe aid of a bicycle. The “South WalesExpress” – as it was known among thefamily – ran along almost the bottom ofour garden, three times a day (onetank locomotive, one carrriage, threetrucks and a guardsvan) between Hayand Pontrilas. Very rural – elderlyladies to whom I spoke had only been toHereford three times in their lives andonce to Cheltenham!

World War IIThis idyllic state of existence ended in1940 (with the War) when my fatherdied, very young, and my mother wasleft with three children to educate – Ihad just started at Repton, in

Derbyshire (£70 per term) – and,having sold up at Peterchurch, we leda somewhat peripatetic existence formuch of the War, ameliorated not leastby the Bulmer family – Mrs Percy andher son, Howard, with whom we stayedin 1941. Little more than a year latermy elder brother, Robert, disappearedon war service with his submarine,which has never been traced. His son,Christopher, now retired, cultivatesapples at his house in France, and is amember of MAN.

Education and EmploymentAt the end of the War, my motherbought a house in Holmer – which ispart of Hereford – and I, after a briefspell as a Naval rating – most of itspent in what is now Sri Lanka – wasaccepted for Brasenose College,Oxford, where I took a degree inModern History. Returning home, Ijoined the firm of H&G Thynne, tilemakers at Holmer and Withington,living with my mother until I married.On the demise of that company, I wasoffered employment by Henry Wiggin –Wiggin Alloys – a large company forHereford at that time, where Iremained until 1984 with responsibilityfor technical information andinformation retrieval systems.

MusicBeing of a musical disposition andalways based in Hereford, I have spentmuch of my leisure time in choral

singing, notably the Three ChoirsFestival, of which I wasSecretary/Administrator at Herefordfor twelve years, and Secretary of theFestival’s Association for another five,with close involvement in the running ofthe Choral Society, including sevenyears as its Chairman. All this cameto an end in 1990, as did my closeinvolvement with Hereford Civic Trust,when I developed angina.

ApplesWhat did I think about then? When mymother lived at Holmer, after the War,her newly built house lay in part of anold orchard where grew a fineWarner’s King plus a King of thePippins and a Wellington (Dumelow).When my elder sister and her husbandreturned from colonial service in whatis now Ghana, their Ledbury house layin a well-established orchard containingRival, Winston, Peasgood’s Nonesuch,Cox’s Pomona, Golden Noble,Monarch, Hector Macdonald andseveral others. In my own garden Ihave Annie Elizabeth, Charles Ross,Lord Lambourne and a mystery applethat might just be Granges Pearmain.

My footsteps towards MANIt started in the summer of 1990 whenI had to give up my Three Choirs work.Having had my father’s copy of TheHerefordshire Pomona passed on tome by my mother when she wasmoving house, I occasionally looked atthe printed plates and wondered ifthere was any means around fortracing these old varieties. As amember of the Herefordshire branchof the National Council for theConservation of Plants and Gardens,(Chairman, the late George Clive Esq) Ifound myself accompanying the lateStanley Baldock – their official FruitCollator – in the latter stages of settingup the collection of ‘rare varieties’ atBerrington Hall, National Trust. Laterthat autumn, my wife Norma and Ihappened to be mooching around Hay-on-Wye, she in pursuit of the possible

A VERY HAPPY LIFE: Founders of Man: Ray Boddington



antiques bargain, when my eye fell onStirling Castle displayed in agreengrocer’s window. I justpurchased half-a-dozen saying that Iwas interested in tracing old applevarieties and would look them up in aspecial book that I had (the HarryBaker/Rosanne Sanders book whichNorma had picked up on a stall whenwe were mooching, again, in Dunkeld(Central Highlands) two yearspreviously). Anyway, the man picked uphis phone and spoke to Sheila Leitch,that there was an “apple enthusiast” inhis shop, gave me her address, and Iwas on my way to Wye View, Glasbury.That soon gave rise to meetings there,and expeditions to surrounding

orchards, Sheila calling on Mike andChristine Porter, who came over fromLlangynidr (Crickhowell), and I bringingalong Stan Baldock plus John Aldridge,whom I had met, I think, at Big Apple’sannual meeting at Putley, near Ledbury.There we came across Tom Froggattfrom Ashford Carbonel, who very soontook on as Treasurer.

How did I become aware of theMarcher Apple Network?Well, it originated in my head. Whenwe realised we might be eligible forpublic funding, we were advised to setup a formal organisation so that wecould apply for grant aid such as thePrince of Wales Trust. The group

honoured me by making me Chairman– not that I knew very much aboutapples, seriously, - and we went onfrom there. What geographical areashould we belong to, since we were allscattered about? That’s it! – the WelshMarches! – so that ‘MAN’ came torepresent our several situations andwas non – exclusive in scope, even if itdid conjure up an image of (rusty) chainmail and the swish of arrows! (Johnliked to say,” Watch your back, Ray”when we drove across the border bythe Rhydspence. His background wascloser to Covent Garden, I believe). I believe these links – like a goodmarriage – are made in heaven!

Ray Boddington

Friends in High PlacesAmazing how many apple and pearenthusiasts have an interest inmountain climbing and hill walking. OurNetwork Co-ordinator, Sheila, and ourChairman, Peter, have both spent timeat high altitudes, Peter most recentlyin the Andes earlier this year (See hisphotograph on page 10). Next, ourPresident, Sir Andrew, is going to climbKilimanjaro, and, in doing so, raisemoney for Marie Curie Cancer Careand Penmaes School, Brecon (forchildren with special needs). If youwould like to support what he is doing,or just to know more about it, seewww.climbkiliwithus.com

Thanks to James BaileyWith the change in our publishingarrangements, this is a good momentto say Many Thanks to James Bailey,ofCompuprint, Kilpeck, MAN member,and very patient and efficient printer ofour newsletters over the years, almostfrom the beginning. We wish him allthe best for the future, and are very

pleased that we shall still be able to callupon him for the printing of our flyersand other papers from time to time.

AcknowledgementsGrateful thanks to all who havecontributed articles and photographsfor inclusion in this newsletter,especially to David Gill, for thephotographs with captions of membersof the Paramor family, to Lloyd Lewisfor the digital photograph of the 1882OS map of Cwmdu, and to Dr AlisonLean for the photographs of Brogdale.

Finally, to Steve Bowgen for the designand layout of this newsletter, and to theOrphans Press, Leominster, for muchhelpful advice and assistance, verymany thanks.

Regrets, we have a few, . . . Because this has been a specialcelebration issue, it has not beenpossible to include a number of articlesand reports which members andcorrespondents have kindly submitted.So to Tony Gentil for his Fruit Notes, toJohn Clarke for his Spotted FlycatcherSurvey 2006, and to AnneShepherdson for Clunton Scrumpers2006, to Christopher Boddington forhis report from France on AncientApple Varieties in the Tarn, and toothers who have kindly offered articlesand reports, many thanks, and sorrythere wasn’t room.

But the good news is . . . You can see their articles on the

website, at.www.marcherapple.net/news.htm.The National Orchard Forum. TheSummer 2007, Issue 10 Newsletteris now available. Information about thismost useful compilation can be seen onthe NOF website www.nat-orchard-forum.org.uk Or write to the Editor,Ann Smith, NOF, 109 Orchard Way,Churchdown, Gloucester, GL3 2AP, Tel.01452–855677.

Spring News Sheet 2008 Items for the News Sheet arewelcome. Brief notices of spring andsummer events can be included, andshould be sent to the Editor, SheilaLeitch, at Wye View, Glasbury-on-Wye,Powys via HEREFORD HR3 5NU,Telephone No 01497 847354.Contributions, preferably on disc, toSheila Leitch, or, by email, via Marie Ward, [email protected]. Itemsshould arrive no later than the end ofFebruary 2008.

APPLES AND PEARS AFALAU A PÊRAutumn 2007 Volume 2 No1 is theNewsletter of Marcher Apple NetworkCharity No 1095151 Company No3787303 Regd Office: Ashford Mill,Ashford Carbonel, Ludlow, SY8 4BT ©Marcher Apple Network, RhydwaithAfalau’r Gororau.

MISCELLANY

Apples & Pears Autumn 2007

James Bailey

The Herefordshire Pomona CD,produced by Richard Wheeler for theMarcher Apple Network, containscopies of all the 77 colouredplates from The HerefordshirePomona, originally published bythe Woolhope Naturalists’ FieldClub of Herefordshire in 1885.The corresponding sections andtext descriptions of the 432varieties of fruit illustrated on theplates are included, as are thelists of local cider apples andpears and the lists of varietieswhich the Woolhope Clubrecommended for planting.

The Vintage Fruit CD contains 290separate descriptions of cider and107 descriptions of perry pears,all taken from hard to obtainreference works, namely PomonaHerefordiensis, also known asKnight’s Pomona, complete withits 30 colour plates, The Appleand Pear as Vintage Fruits byHogg and Bull (illustrated by 12 colour plates from TheHerefordshire Pomona) the

research papers by Ray Williams andothers in Perry Pears and ‘Cider Applesand their Characters’, and Bulmer’sPomona, including its 35 colour plates.

Prices £16.00 per copy, including postage and packing in the UK.

System Requirements These CDs each contain a “website on a CD” for use on as wide a range of computers as possible. Youneed just a CD drive and a graphical web browser (such as Internet Explorer). No additional software is required. Some of the

colour plates are quite large and are best viewed on a large (high resolution) screen. On smaller screens you may need to scroll

to see all of each plate.

Available from the Marcher Apple Network

Apples of theWelshMarches by MarcherAppleNetwork,withphotographsby MichaelPorter.

This first publication by MAN describes55 old varieties of apples cultivated inthe traditional orchards of the WestMidlands and the neighbouring parts ofWales. Twenty four further varietiesare described, which, though not inmost cases originating in the MarcherApple Network region, have beenextensively grown here in the past andare still to be found in local farmorchards. Price £5.00 inc p and p in the UK.

Full Colour Postcard ReproductionsSeven plates from The HerefordshirePomona have been chosen for this firstpack of seven full colour postcards fromMAN. In postcard format (6'' x 4'') thefront features the plate and the reverseis printed with names of the fruitsillustrated. There are three plates ofapples, two of pears and one each ofcider apples and perry pears. Price £3.50 per pack, plus 50p post and

packing for up to two packs, thereafter PLUS

15p per pack

Back Numbers of the MANNewsletter If you are new to MAN (orif MAN is new to you) you may wish tocatch up with the past and purchasesome or all of the Newsletters 1 to 12which comprise the now completedVolume 1. Many of the articles in thisvolume contain advice and ideas whichhave stood the test of time and stillmake an interesting read. Prices Nos 1 to 6 (1995 to 2000):£4.00, Nos 7 to 12 (2001 to2006): £7.00, All 12: £10.00, allincluding p and p in the UK.

MAN Library List An up to date list of all the publications in the MAN Library, managed by Sheila Leitch.Price £2.00 inc p and p in the UK.

To Order Preferably download an order form from www.marcherapple.net/books.htm or write to Diggory Kempton,The Membership Secretary, Marcher Apple Network, Brook House, Hopesay, CRAVEN ARMS, Shropshire, SY7 8HD.

Cheques should be made payable to Marcher Apple Network. Wholesale price list on request.

Also published by the Marcher Apple Network


printed by ORPHANS PRESS 01568 612460

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