Meetings for the first few months of 2004 (as well as the A.G.M.) will be at the Bowling Club (next to the garage in the middle of Aston Ingham).

 We have been unable to book Thursdays, so,  NEXT YEAR’S MEETINGS UP TO AND INCLUDING THE APRIL MEETING WILL BE ON WEDNESDAYS at the usual time of 7.30.

PROGRESS ON THE VILLAGE HALL

Work has started on the village hall and is expected to be completed at the end of April next year.  The Hall is to be refurbished, enlarged and improved. We look forward to returning there for the May meeting.

The Aston Ingham Bowling Club Hall has been booked for 7th January, 4th February, 3rd March and 7th April. PLEASE MAKE A NOTE OF THESE DATES IN YOUR DIARY!

GROUP RESOURCES.   Our Group is increasing its’ library and other resources.  Most of you will know that there are many very interesting books, video and audio tapes in the library.  Our Librarian, Virginia, is always happy to consider your recommendations (and of course donations).

We have basic equipment available for speakers to use when they visit us ( OHP, screen, marker board, lectern lights, extension lead etc). We hope that later we may be able to expand these facilities to include a slide projector and other useful equipment...ideas welcomed!

NEXT MEETINGS .

    Thurs. 6th Nov. (Bowling Club) 7.30.  A.G.M.

    Thurs. 4th Dec. ( Royal Oak Much Marcle)   Christmas Dinner.  

     Wed.  7th Jan. (Bowling Club) Symposium on Geopathic Stress.  Co-ord. Richard Bartholomew

S.H.D. Committee 2003/4

Please make sure that the Secretary is aware of any nominations you may have in good time.

Nominations are open for all nine posts. Nomination forms are available by post and at the A.G.M. You may or may not wish to find a seconder. You may be required to justify your nomination to the meeting in the event of a tie. 

COMPETITION  Not many replies!!, I guess that you all have nice shiny dowsing rods already. Anyway the answer was 1. Zero, he was just standing on one foot.  2. Facing 180 degs.

The bestest answer came from Maureen Hill who wins the fine rods (lucky Maureen).

THIS MONTHS COMPETITION.  Winston Churchill was Prime Minister in the 40s and 50s.

He once appeared suddenly in a cloakroom where there were several ladies “adjusting their dress”.  Despite some shock and commotion for a while, there were no complaints or press reports of the incident.

Given the morals and attitudes of the day, this could seem quite surprising....What happened that explains away the whole incident.......(and it’s the truth!!)

The prize of a beautiful scented candle ( to help your meditations ?) to the first member to give me (Rob) the correct answer.

ANCIENT MEASURES

 Continuing the theme from the last newsletter.  Here are some definitions of quantity. 

Thanks to Richard Sheppard of www.hemyockcastle.co.uk  for the information below.

Acre (area): (Anglo-Saxon field.) The land area that can be ploughed by one ox team in a day - actually in a morning because the Oxen would need resting in the afternoon. Traditionally in the strip field farming system, an area 40 rods long by 4 rods wide (ie. 220 yards by 22 yards). Sometimes used as a measure of width: One acre = 4 Rods wide. One tenth of a square furlong. Similar to the French Journal, and German Morgan or Tagwerk. The modern acre is 4840 square yards.

Arpent:  is also a measure of land roughly equal to a modern acre.

Bushel:  A dry measure of 8 gallons, or 4 pecks.

Carucate:  Land, equal to a hide (used in Dane law).

Denarius: The English silver penny, hence the abbreviation "d" and the coin in most common circulation. Introduced by the Romans.

Ferding  Administrative unit of land. Fourth part of a hundred.tly a quarter.)

Ferling or Quarter: Quarter of a Virgate.

Fother (also called fodder, foder, fodur, cart-load, load, wain, waine, wey, etc.): Weight. A cart-load. About 19½ hundredweight, dependent upon material. Also, six sacks where each sack is five fotmal. Volume. 40 bushels or 320 gallons.

Fotmal (also called fotmæl, fotmel, votmel, etc.): Length. One foot (foot-length, foot-print or foot-space). Weight. About 70 pounds of lead. (Definitions varied between 70 and 72. Weight also depended upon material.) A thirtieth of a fother. A fifth of a sack. 5 stone.

Furlong: (Anglo-Saxon field.) The length of a plough furrow - ie. Furrow-long. In the strip field farming system, the length of the field strip ploughed before turning the ox team to plough the next furrow.

Hide: A unit of measurement for assessment of tax, theoretically 120 acres, although it could vary between 60 and 240 acres. By custom it was the land that could be cultivated by an ox plough team in one year. In the Devonshire Domesday Book, it seemed to average about 64 acres.

Hundred: Anglo Saxon institution. Subdivision of a Shire. Theoretically, but hardly ever, equalled one hundred hides. Generally had its own court which met monthly to handle civil and criminal law. Equivalent to the ancient Norse Wapentake. There was a Hemyock Hundred.

Knight's Fee: In theory, a Fief which provided sufficient revenue to equip and support one knight. This was approximately twelve hides or 1500 acres, although the terms applied more to revenue a fief could generate than its size; it required about thirty marks per year to support a knight.

Last:  2 wey. Definitions varied, usually about 2 tons, or 60 fotmal, or 80 bushels, or 640 gallons.

Leet: The term used for a subdivision of land in Kent equivalent to a hundred.

Man-at-arms: Soldier holding his land, generally 60-120 acres, specifically in exchange for military service. Sometimes called a Yeoman.

Manor: Small holding, typically 1200-1800 acres, with its own court and probably its own hall, but not necessarily having a manor house. The manor as a unit of land was generally held by a knight (knight's fee) or managed by a bailiff for some other holder. In later years, the power of the manor declined progressively in favour of the vill.

Peck: Volume. A dry measure of 2 gallons, or ¼ bushel.  Also, a "large" amount.

Plough (Land of one plough): The area of arable land capable of being tilled by one plough team. Equivalent to one Hide.

Riding: Administrative unit of land. Third part of a shire, eg. the Yorkshire Ridings (North Riding, East Riding, West Riding) which were established in the 9th century by the Danes.

Sack: Weight. Five fotmal (of lead).

Small Holder: Middle ranking peasant, farming more land than a cottager but less than a villein. A typical small holder would have 10-20 acres. Also known as a Bordar.

Sulong: Measurement of land in Kent. Equal to two hides.

Third Penny: The local earl's one-third share of fines in shire or hundred courts, often allocated afterwards to a particular manor or church as income.

Tithe: One tenth of a person's produce and income, due as a tax to support the church.

Vill: Administrative unit containing about 5 to 10 Hides and inhabitants. Equivalent to the secular parish. The vill usually contained several manors. As the feudal system declined, the vill took over importance from the hundred and manor. Later, the parish took on the duties and responsibilities, for example during the nineteenth century, the sick, poor, and destitute sometimes relied on the parish for aid. In Devonshire at the time of the Domesday Book there were 980 vills containing about 9000 hamlets or farms.

Villein: Wealthiest class of peasant. They usually cultivated 20-40 acres of land, often in isolated strips.

Virgate: One quarter of a hide. However, in the Devonshire Domesday Book, was used as a unit of tax rather than of land area. Hemyock was assessed as paying Geld for one Virgate.

Votmel: Weight. About 70 pounds of lead. See: Fotmal.

Wain (also called cart-load, load,, etc.): Weight. See: Cart-load. About 19½ hundredweight, dependent upon material. Also, six sacks where each sack is five fotmal.

Warpentake: Weapon-taking. Sub-division of land in areas formerly under Norse control - including Northern and Eastern areas of Britain -equivalent to Anglo Saxon Hundred.

Wey: Weight or volume. See: Cart-load. About 19½ hundredweight, dependent upon material. Also, 320 gallons, or 40 bushels, or 30 fotmal.

Yeoman: See Man-at-Arms.

Yoke: of land in Kent equal to one quarter of a sulong.

A.G.M.   THURSDAY 6th. NOVEMBER   7.30 p.m. AT THE BOWLING CLUB

Programme  7.30.....A.G.M.

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     On completion.....Presentation by Richard Bartholomew and Ced Jackson.

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                    8.45....Free Buffet and social.

The committee have worked very hard during the year to bring you an interesting programme. We are very serious about arranging Group activities to the advantage of as many members as possible. Please attend this function if you possibly can, make your opinion heard, and enjoy the social afterwards.

If you find it difficult to talk, there is always the suggestions book (usually on the library table at each meeting).

NEXT YEARS PROGRAMME

This is coming together nicely. Richard is very busy working on this (as well as starting a new business!!). We will have some very interesting, and well known speakers, some great field visits and training events, a week in mysterious Pembrokeshire, and the usual social events during the year.