Among the projects to raise the money is an unusual scheme that has been undertaken by Mr Anthony Andrews, a specialist agricultural consultant, who lives in the village. Last summer, he chartered a helicopter to fly over Kirkby Underwood to enable him photograph most of the properties in the village, including the parish church, and the resulting aerial pictures are being sold to aid the fund. Over £200 has been raised in this way so far.
His aerial photograph of St Mary and All Saints reveals that the churchyard is practically circular, evidence that this was a pagan site before the arrival of Christianity. Its isolated position in the middle of farmland is also a reminder that the old village of Kirkby Underwood was originally clustered around the building but after purchasing the land in 1712, Sir Gilbert Heathcote set about the task of developing the area as a shoot and moved the village itself over a quarter of a mile to the east where it stands today.
The tower currently has three bells: a 4 cwt tenor dating from 1694 but recast in 1938, a second weighing 3 cwt from 1774 and a 3 cwt treble which is undated but is also believed to have been installed in 1694. They are rung regularly although the church has no team of ringers. The task therefore falls to churchwarden Frank Wyer who has been tolling alone every Sunday since 1946, continuing a family tradition dating back to the 19th century when his grandfather Thomas Wyer was bell-ringer and continued for 50 years until 1935. Three bells are a challenge for any campanologist but Frank intends to continue the job even when the new and fourth bell is in place. "I am not certain that I will manage it but I certainly intend to try", he said with enthusiasm.
Frank, now 71, has had a lifelong interest in the church where he has held office for half a century and where his wife Shirley is the organist, a post she has also held for 50 years. When they were married in 1959, the local newspaper headlined the event: Warden marries organist.
There is much speculation about the future of the Church of England and of our village churches, particularly those that are in decline. But it is people such as Frank Wyer who are keeping them alive with hours of dedicated, unpaid work and a belief that this monument to centuries of faith where generations of villagers before them have been christened, married and buried, should not be allowed to disappear from our rural landscape.
Thought for the Week: Lincolnshire Police, which charges council taxpayers more for policing than almost any other force in the country, has just increased its budget by 9%, an additional spending of £6.5 million and our council tax bills next month will be higher as a result. But many people are asking exactly where this money is going. Why, for instance, cannot they find a few pounds to shift an abandoned Mitsubishi Galant from the car park behind the Post Office in Bourne on which a notice says "Police Aware"? It has been there since February 11th and is not only taking up a valuable space, but is also being slowly vandalised and creating an eyesore in the very middle of our town.
There has been some discussion in the Bourne Forum over the derivation of the term Lincolnshire yellowbelly that has become an affectionate description for someone who lives in these parts. The origin of this phrase is obscure but the Oxford English Dictionary defines it as a native of the fens although, by common usage, it has come to refer to a person who was born and bred in the county. Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable supports the OED but embraces a larger area by defining it as a name given to people of the fenlands of the counties of Lincoln, Huntingdon, Cambridge, Suffolk and Norfolk but adds: "The Mexicans are also so called." Saturday 24th March 2001
An earlier term, now defunct, is fen slodgers who are referred to by Lord Macaulay in his History of England (1848-1861) as half-amphibious beings who lived in the more isolated spots and got their living by fishing and fowling over several centuries. In A History of the Fens of South Lincolnshire, published in 1868 by William Henry Wheeler, the fen slodgers are described as men who lived in huts erected on the mounds scattered among the chain of lakes which were bordered by thick crops of reeds, their only way of access to one another, and of communication with nearby towns or villages, being by means of small boats or canoes which they paddled along with a pole and also used in their fishing and fowling expeditions.
They lived in miserable conditions although they enjoyed a sort of wild liberty amid the watery wastes which they were not disposed to give up and they violently opposed any attempt to alter the state of the fens, particularly large scale drainage projects, and frequently filled up the dykes which the labourers had dug and pulled down the banks in an attempt to prevent such schemes from going ahead with the result that workmen often had armed guards to protect them. But their numbers were too few and they were too widely scattered to make any combined effort at resistance. These would appear to be the original yellowbellies of the Lincolnshire fens. There are, however, many other definitions that have some claim to validity and here are a few:
- The waistcoat of the uniform of the old Lincolnshire Regiment was yellow. The fastenings of the uniform tunic, which were known as frogs, were also yellow.
- Opium extracted from poppy heads and taken to relieve malaria that was prevalent in the fens in earlier centuries turned the skin a shade of yellow.
- Sheep grazing in mustard fields were dusted by pollen from the blossom that turned their undersides yellow.
- Women traders on street markets in past times are reputed to have worn a leather apron with two pockets, one for copper and silver and one for gold. At the end of a good day they would say they had "a yellow belly" meaning they had taken a large number of gold sovereigns.
- The term originated from Elloe, the name of the rural deanery that serves the fen area of the Lincoln Diocese. This in turn took its name from the Saxon Wapentake which was referred to as Ye Elloe Bellie - Elloe meaning out of the morass while bel was the Celtic word for hole or hollow.
I prefer the explanation about the fen slodgers but you can take your pick.
Schooldays, we are told, are the happiest days, and although most of us are glad, and even relieved, to depart the hallowed halls of learning for the more uncertain world of work, we remember our time there with nostalgia and affection and in later life seek out those who were our classroom friends, those old familiar faces remembered by Charles Lamb (1775-1834), and who share our memories, for why else would the school reunion survive as a popular forum of memory and anecdote of those hours before the blackboard of learning?
Janice Leonard (née Peasgood) has been reliving her past as a pupil at Bourne Grammar School in those days when the accommodation was mainly redundant army huts from World War One and teaching materials were at a premium but it was the best that Bourne had to offer and no matter what the shortages were during those years of austerity, the tuition was of a very high calibre and the hallmark of all that was good in our educational system.
The time she remembers was fifty years ago and although much has changed since, one thing shines through her memories and that is the pride of being part of the grammar school system that became the basis of her life not only as a person but also as an educator because Janice went on to become a teacher.
She now lives in Canada but has fond memories of those formative years at Bourne Grammar School and I know from the number of former pupils who log on to this web site that she has touched a common bond. Her essay on the years she spent here, The Play's the Thing, is added today to our feature Memories of Times Past together with two very evocative photographs that I am sure will revive many happy memories, not only for those who are also featured in them, but for everyone who is proud to regard this school as their alma mater.
The Mitsubishi Galant abandoned in the car park behind the Post Office in Bourne since February 11th was still there this weekend although I had hoped that my mention of it in this column last Saturday may have spurred the police into action. It is now six weeks since it was left there and the vehicle is slowly being vandalised and causing an eyesore as well as taking up a valuable parking space.
But not all of our public authorities are slow to acknowledge their duties because I have received a most helpful email from South Kesteven District Council which I pass on in case you spot other cars left in similar circumstances. Anne-Marie Coulthard of the environmental health department writes: "This department can also deal with abandoned vehicles under similar legislation as the police. If you find other vehicles which appear to have been abandoned, this authority can deal with them within the limits of our protocol. The police have powers to remove vehicles much quicker than the legislation which we work within allows but they will only do this when the vehicle is causing an obstruction or hazard. I trust that you will find this of help."
During the year 1998-99, the council received notification of 179 abandoned vehicles, which were dealt with under the terms of the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act of 1978. So now you know who to telephone if the police seem to be dragging their feet next time you see a forsaken Ford in a public place gathering dust and rust and attracting vandals. I have therefore officially reported this particular car to the council for removal under their existing powers and so we now have two authorities on the case. Watch this space for progress.
Thought for the Week: A correspondent living on a kibbutz in Israel has emailed me about the foot and mouth epidemic currently sweeping Britain. There are fears that it could take hold there but she informs me that all cattle in the country are inoculated against the disease and that Israel is now helping Palestinians take similar preventive measures with their animals. Why is not such a policy being pursued here instead of the wholesale slaughter of perfectly healthy beasts?
During almost half a century's association with local government, I have never before known an authority to be reviled quite as much as South Kesteven District Council over its decision to end travel tokens for pensioners and issue bus passes for restricted journeys instead. Yet no one has come forward to take the blame, either officers, or more particularly councillors who allegedly make all of the decisions, and most have disappeared from the scene as quickly as they would have appeared were there an event of note for which they could take a bow. Saturday 31st March 2001
But one thing that has emerged from this sorry affair is that people power can triumph over a faceless bureaucracy, even one that has 56 councillors whose task it is to keep the authority in touch with the electorate yet failed on this occasion to allow their voice to be heard until pensioners took to the streets and lobbied council headquarters in Grantham.
It now transpires that the council has made a serious mistake in the handling of its controversial concessionary travel policy and the facts speak for themselves. Under the present system, travel tokens are issued to the elderly and disabled for use on whatever transport is available, including buses and taxis, and it has been operating quite successfully since 1974. But last month, as a result of new legislation, the Transport Act 2000, the council's Customer Services Committee decided to replace it from April 1st with a new system of photo passes for half-price journeys on buses only and confined to the council's administrative area.
The chairman, Councillor Mrs Linda Neal, the Conservative member for Bourne West, was specific and unequivocal over the reason why the new scheme was being introduced in the face of widespread opposition, not only from the general public but also from some fellow councillors: "It is a reluctant acceptance of a scheme forced on us by central government", she said. "The new scheme will certainly not suit our rural residents, some of whom do not have a bus service at all. The government has, however, made it compulsory for the council to make available bus passes for the coming year."
This statement, posted on the council's official web site, is now known to be misleading and proved to be so by contributors to the Bourne Forum on this web site and by a handful of pensioners with Internet access. The council said one thing but the people said another and they then weighed in with evidence from the government's own web site to prove their point. Their document headed Concessionary Fares: Guidance for Local Authorities goes to great lengths to explain that token-based schemes are likely to have become so valued, especially by people who find it difficult to use buses because of a disability or who live in rural areas where bus services are relatively few, that they should be continued.
This information would also have been sent by post to South Kesteven District Council and therefore passed on to councillors. Were officers at council headquarters familiar with this directive, as they should have been? And what about the councillors who allegedly run the authority? They constantly remind us of the mass of paperwork they have to deal with and so it must have been hidden away somewhere in their monthly pile. It seems obvious that they are not reading it after all. Otherwise, why did they vote for the much vilified new system of bus passes? We also know that the council is currently testing the use of the Internet for keeping in touch with its members and several leading councillors, including Linda Neal, are at the forefront of the experiment and if they claim ignorance of this information that was available both by snailmail and on the Internet, then what on earth are they doing initiating new regulations that will affect 20,000 people and cost an estimated £600,000?
There is now speculation over whether anyone's knuckles will be rapped over this ignominious episode that still has to be put right and although the council has made a public declaration of a U-turn, they seem to be in no hurry to enforce it. A matter of such public concern should have been settled immediately by the convening of an emergency meeting that is well within the council's powers. But can we expect any resignations from high-powered positions before there is a recurrence? Oh, what a silly question. Of course not. Many businesses of a similar size and turnover are proving themselves to be far more efficient than our local authorities and indeed they must be because they cannot call upon their customers to bale them out with ever increasing demands to keep them afloat by way of the council tax. Supermarkets particularly come to mind because they are always open to the public, their reputation is entirely dependent on fulfilling the needs of their customers and complaints are redressed immediately. Were our councillors to be employed by them, I wonder how many would survive even stacking shelves.
The council has been given an opportunity to right this wrong or it could face charges of maladministration. In this case you may complain to the Local Government Ombudsman and you can find details of how to do this on the appropriate web site at www.open.gov.uk/lgo/, or write to:
Mrs P A Thomas, Local Government Ombudsman,
Beverley House, 17 Shipton Road, York YO30 5FZ.
Tel: 01904 663200. Fax: 01904 663269.Councillors should never underestimate the will of the people and now that they have the Internet at their disposal, their voice will be increasingly heard.
There is great concern in the community about those criminal acts that desecrate our environment, particularly litter, vandalism and graffiti and we look to our public organisations to do all they can to keep such anti-social behaviour under control and to clear up whatever mess may be caused in the process. It is indeed their duty so to do. They must then be aware of the unfortunate situation that is emerging and one that will test the mettle of those councillors who represent us on Lincolnshire County Council. This column has repeatedly warned of what is likely to happen if we lose the rubbish dumping facility in the Rainbow supermarket car park on Saturday mornings and this fear has now become a reality because it is to end on May 26th. Householders arriving to dump their garbage last Saturday found notices warning them that they could no longer do so after that date because the Anglia Regional Co-operative Society Ltd that owns the site has withdrawn its permission for the facility to continue.
The insufficiencies of this arrangement were dealt with in the column as long ago as December 1998 and have been referred to frequently ever since until the Rainbow management became alarmed at the inconsiderate and often dangerous driving and parking by some visitors and the dumping of rubbish before the mobile skips arrived and in the summer of 2000, they indicated an intention to end the facility. This warning has now become reality but are our councillors aware of the seriousness of the situation?
The county council agreed earlier this year that a permanent waste recycling centre for the town will be provided and several locations are currently under consideration but negotiations proceed at snail's pace and as recently as last month I urged councillors to follow the advice of the Duke of Edinburgh and pull their fingers out. If the Rainbow site closes without an alternative available, then the scenario will be too horrendous to contemplate with tons of domestic waste awaiting disposal and nowhere for it to go and so it is inevitable that some will end up in ditches and dykes and roadside verges, at farm gates, on playing fields and in other public places.
Our county councillors must therefore look to their laurels for this will be their acid test.
The Bourne web site has received a small accolade from the BBC History magazine whose staff have been using some of the information they found here to help compile a feature that appears in the April issue, just published. The article Footsteps by writer Christina Hardyment gives details of a country walk of two to three miles around the village of Castle Bytham, eight miles south west of Bourne, taking in the remains of the Norman castle that is featured in our villages section. The castle was once owned by a Saxon called Morcar and was then occupied by William the Conqueror's brother-in-law Drogo who murdered his wife and fled the country. It was razed to the ground by Henry III but then massively rebuilt although all that remains today is a grassy knoll grazed by sheep and our photograph from the web site has been used to illustrate the article. This publication is Britain's best-selling history magazine and we are glad to be of help and honoured to be so recognised.
Thought for the Week:
I dread to be in England
Now that April's there,
And whoever wakes in England
Sees, some morning, unaware,
That the dappled cows and bleating sheep
Burn in pyres as farmers weep,
While dense black smoke hides the orchard bough,
In England - now!(With apologies to Robert Browning and his Home-Thoughts, From Abroad).
Return to Monthly entries
