THS Talks

Memoirs of a Buccaneer describes a twelve-year tour during which Dampier visited the Galapagos and became the first Englishman to map parts of Australia and New Guinea. To borrow the book Contact… amanda.laws@virgin.net

Coronavirus Issue Early May 2020 www.titchfieldhistory.co.uk

Borrow a Book

Naval Surgeon and Titchfield resident Edward Ives sails to India under Vice-Admiral Watson. In 1777 Ives published an account of his travels. ‘A Voyage to India in the year MDCCLIV’

It Happened in… 1754

Next planned talk September 15th

Cheryl Butler enthralled us with Gothic Tourism in February and we are lucky to have her back to talk about The Puritan Migration. With such a strong link to the south coast and with the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower sailing in October a very apt time for the talk.

Titchfield History Society Newsletter

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A GHOSTLY TALE – MR SHAKESPEARE’S PENNY

by George Watts

Lots of people think that the ghost at the Abbey is a hooded monk in long white vestments. Well there might be such a ghost, but I haven’t met him. The one I met was quite different.

It was the summer of 1939, tiring of the strawberry picking, I idled my way into the Abbey, where I sat in the warm sun and dozed off with my back against the old red chimney stack.

I woke up with a start, having sneezed from the strong smell of smoke. I was startled as there in front of me sat a boy, hand around his knees staring at me. He was wearing a dirty white shirt, a pair of ragged breeches, no shoes, and old stockings which his toes showed through.

“Can you see me? He said in a country-sounding voice.” “Yes” I nervously replied. I asked if he was from the Tudor play. He said “No, I’m here all the time, but I sleep a lot” I asked his name.

“William Poore” he answered… saying “Master Shakespeare asked me that when I held his horse”. “Poor William” he said laughing and gave me a penny as I used to help in the stables when I wasn’t cleaning the chimneys”.

He went on to say “I sleep up the chimney where it’s nice and warm but it makes me cough a lot”. So much that I had to go to the wise woman of Funtley, they called her Miranda. She gave me a potion which made me sleepy and so I curled up in my favourite place, and when I woke up, everything had changed. The master and mistress had gone away, and I didn’t know anyone.

I was very scared. No one could see me”.

Continued over

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Issue #: [Date] Dolor Sit Amet Coronavirus Issue Early May 2020 www.titchfieldhistory.co.uk

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A Ghostly Tale continued

We sat talking as he slowly disappeared, the smell of soot was the last thing to go. I kept this to myself and haven’t seen William since.

But year’s later whilst thumbing through a parish register, I came across William Poore, buried January 1614. He had died when the fire was lit that night, having been drugged by the potion. It seems they only buried his body as William is still in the chimney. Further searches revealed he was baptised on 22nd July 1599.

Back in 2016 George relayed this story to the History Society at an event in the Abbey. The following morning a gargoyle fell and landed where George had been standing. A few days later English Heritage used a cherry picker to make sure the stonework was safe. The basket on the cherry picker when fully extended became stuck and would not come down. Someone was called to attend and fix the problem.

Strange but true!

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TITCHFIELD IN 1952 Older residents of the village might remember the following Titchfield businesses dating from around 1952. They are taken from ‘Blotter Year Books’ produced by the ‘Parish Church of St, Peter Titchfield and Congregational Church Newsletters. The adverts, by a wealth of village businesses, give an insight into how busy and diverse the village was in those days.

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R & L Collis, Soft Furnishing, Antiques, 31 The Square Tel 3268 G L Williams & Sons, Ironmongers and General Providers, 3,6 & 10 South Street, Tel 88 H C Waters, Baker & Grocer, 21-23 South Street F H Ingram, Taxi Service, The Queens Head, Tel 154 A H Freemantle, Builder and Funeral Director, 46 South Street, Tel 15 N K Smith & Son Family Butcher, 6 High Street, W C Knight, Grocer, 35 West Street David Chase and Son, Builder and Contractors, East Street, Tel 166 Cedar Taxi Service, Bicton Ash, St. Margaret’s Lane. Fareham 2277 R Dunn, Dispensing Chemist, 26 The Square, Tel 10 Collihole, Drapery and Furnishings, 32 The Square Tel 3238 Smith’s. Greengrocery and Cafe, 18 High Street Lankester and Crooks Ltd, - ‘Titchfield’s Finest Store’ A Page, General Stores and Tobacco, 3, Bellfield

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The Coach and Horses Inn, Prop P A Bayly Tel 107 Titchfield Motor Works and Filling Station, East Street Titchfield Tel 37 R J Osborn, Grocery and Provisions, 28 West Street Titchfield Abbey Co-operative Society Ltd, The Mill, C Broomfield, High Class Family Butcher, 15, South Street. Tel 3240 Fred Tift, Decorator, Brownwich Lane, Tel 3310 The Wool Shop, Stationery, Toys, Confectionery, Cigarettes, 40 South Street Tel 2325 E Rose, Grocer, 3 East Street Tel 3248 Rendezvous Service Station, Southampton Road, Tel 3162 R M & L Keeling Fruiterers 36-38 South Street Tel 2257 Titchfield Motors, K C J Bowring, St Margarets Lane Tel 2230 E & F Smith, The Cafe, 18 High Street W K Dimon, Newsagent, 15 South Street, Tel 2051 Titchfield Gallery, Stationery, Books, 35 The Square, Tel 2174 F W Betton, Carpet Specialists, 15 South Street, Tel 3052

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Issue #: [Date] Dolor Sit Amet

Coronavirus Issue Early May 2020 www.titchfieldhistory.co.uk

From Drill Hall to Community Centre

The beginnings of the Drill Hall go back to1899 when the Portsmouth Voluntary Brigade had a new roll of about 80 men who drilled in the Titchfield Parish Room. This proved too cramped and inadequate for this number, so the Officers of the Brigade approached Squire Delme who provided a site of one and a half-acres in Mill Street to the Battalion, upon which a corrugated iron building, line with varnished matchboard, was erected at a cost of £300. Half of this sum came from the Battalion and the rest was to be “raised by subscription”.

The building consisted of a large hall with specially underfelted flooring to reduce the noise of the drilling, and a couple of rooms for offices and armoury. A stage was also erected, as it was hoped to let the hall for concerts etc to reduce the debt on the building.

On 19 th November 1902 the village turned out in force to see the opening of this new building by Brigadier-General the Hon H.G.L. Crichton ADC who inspected the guard of honour. Colonel Delme Radclyffe and George Delme Murray were

thanked by the Commander of the 3 rd V.B. Hants, Col Cmdr Holbrook and a resume was given on the progress made by the company – eight of their number had volunteered and gone to S Africa, one of which, Pte. Moody, had died in then Baberton disaster and his photograph was unveiled by the Chaplain.

A bazaar was held in the afternoon, whilst singing and dancing took place in the evening. (Plus ca change, plus la meme chose!) All well and good until the evening of 13 th January 1951 when the Titchfield Territorial Drill Hall, (as it was then known), was badly damaged by fire. The cause of the fire was unknown, but appeared to have started in a small canteen at the western end of the building and a space between the wood and plasterboard ceiling and the roof had acted as a flue. Units from the fire service from Titchfield and Fareham attended and it took an hour to get the blaze under control, with further time cooling down and dealing with sporadic outbreaks in the roof.

On 14 th March 1953 a brand new Drill Hall was opened by the Duke of Wellington, Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire, President of the county Territorial Army Association. The commanding officer of the 535 LAA/SA Regiment, RA, (TA), Lt. Col Colson, said that the erection of a ‘magnificent’ building such as the drill hall in the middle of a community ‘sometimes raised speculation, but this was not the case in Titchfield which had a glorious connection with the armed forces.’ He listed involvements in various wars and hoped that, along with the Home Guard, a number of young Titchfield men who had fought in the last war would join the unit. This Drill Hall was brick built and had various rooms including messes, armoury, control room, and a large hall for drilling and shooting practice. (An architect’s plan of the building, dated May 1950, is ondisplay in the foyer of the Community Centre). These rooms were inspected by the Lord Lieutenant along with the aircraft recognition display and the guns used by the Regiment for training. He unveiled a commemorative ‘tablet’ which can still be seen in the Centre’s foyer.

Amongst the dignitaries present to witness this occasion, and to enjoy the music of the Royal Artillery Mounted Band from Aldershot, were Mr F. Norgett (Chair of Titchfield Rural Council), Alderman and Mrs Whitlocke (Mayor and Mayoress of Eastleigh), Mr and Mrs Dyke, The Rev Norman Miller and Mrs Miller, and Rear-Admiral and Mrs Chalmers. It wasn’t until the mid ‘60s, 4 years after the Titchfield Community Association had been formed, although as yet with no premises, that a complete reorganisation of the Territorial Army was announced in the 1966 Defence White Paper. From 1 April 1967 the title Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve (TAVR) was adopted and the former regimental and divisional structure of the Territorial Army was abolished.

The Community Association were determined that this building would become the premises that they had sought after for so long.

Ann Whyntie, 25th April 2020 Sources: Portsmouth News and TCA archives.

Addendum to last month’s article – ‘18th Centtury Flying Men - In 1607 at Lamborne Palace Sir William Essex who was the friend and patron of the inventor William Bush allowed him to build a 'ship on wheels' in his gardens. With the help of cables and windlasses he proceeded to successfully descend the adjacent church tower, before navigating his land ship across the Downs towards the Thames, where it entered the water and proceeded to London AL