Romsley & Hunnington History Society -

July 2016: The Ballad of St Kenelm

As part of Romsley and Hunnington History Society's 50th Anniversary celebrations, a special performance of the Ballad of St Kenelm A.D. 821 is being staged at St Kenelm's School, Romsley, at 2.00pm on Sunday, 3 July 2016.

The Ballad of St Kenelm, written by local novelist Francis Brett Young (1884-1954), tells the story of St Kenelm, the boy king of Mercia, who was murdered near Clent as part of his sister's plot to gain the throne. It is one of a collection of poems entitled The Island, first published in 1944, in which Francis Brett Young explores themes in English History in a masterly and lyrical fashion. The Francis Brett Young Society has now commissioned the local composer Andrew Downes to set The Ballad of St Kenelm to music, using a 14-piece orchestra and a cast of players to bring the story to life. The haunting music and Francis Brett Young's powerful verse make a moving combination.

The Ballad of St Kenelm will be conducted by Cynthia Downes. She will be joined by the Hagley Community Orchestra and the Central England Ensemble and her daughter Paula will sing the soprano lead. Tickets for this exciting and unique event are priced at £10.00 and are available from Paul Share, Chairman of the Romsley and Hunnington History Society, 197, Bromsgrove Road Hunnington, telephone 01562 710197.

Meeting Report - April 16

Despite the snow showers, the Church Hall was full for the meeting of the Romsley and Hunnington History Society, which took place on Tuesday, 26th April. Mary Bodfish, a founder member of the Smethwick History Society, gave a talk entitled, "You Can't Abdicate and Eat It – Edward Vlll and Mrs Simpson." In the week of the Queen's 90th birthday and the 64th year of her reign, it was interesting to look back to 1936, when the abdication of King Edward VIII took place.

Mrs Bodfish set the scene and gave us an in-depth insight into the characters of Edward, Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII, and Wallis Simpson, wife of Ernest Simpson. Both of them had traumatic childhoods and colourful lives before they were introduced by Edward's mistress, in 1930. Edward fell in love with Wallis and their love story was full of intrigue, with many twists and turns. However, marriage between the King of England and a twice divorced, American lady seemed to be unthinkable!

Edward had other ideas, and after she had divorced Ernest, he proposed to Wallis. This caused such a crisis that the Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, issued an ultimatum to Edward, he had to give up Wallis Simpson or the Throne of England! He rejected the throne and chose Wallis. In December 1936, he abdicated and his younger brother became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. Edward and Wallis were married in France, where they lived in exile for most of their lives.

Mrs Bodfish illustrated her talk with photographs, taken at the time. She said the general public were unaware of most of the events that took place, until Edward gave his abdication speech to the nation, indicating that he put the woman he loved before being King of England!

Michael Hall gave a vote of thanks to Mary for a thoroughly researched talk and an interesting evening's entertainment.

The next meeting will be on Tuesday, May 24th, the Annual General Meeting, followed by a dramatisation of "The Story of St. Kenelm", to celebrate 50 years of the History Society. On Tuesday, June 28th, Julian Hunt will give a talk on, "Dayhouse Bank". On Sunday 3rd of July, there will be a musical performance in St. Kenelm's School of "The Ballad of St. Kenelm." Tickets will be on sale soon. Everyone is welcome.

Pat Evans

Meeting Report - Mar 16

Black Country Churches

At the meeting of the Romsley and Hunnington History Society on Tuesday, March 22nd, Tim Bridges, a member of the Victorian Society and Hereford Church Building Support Officer, gave a talk on 'Black Country Churches'. If you were born and bred in the Black Country you would probably be familiar with many of the places mentioned, as Tim has been studying the history of the churches in the area.

Several of them have their origins in mediaeval times, but have been built on and extended over hundreds of years. The older ones were built of local sandstone, which was readily available, but in the 19th century they used bricks, made by hand in the numerous brick yards. Throughout the region the architecture of the churches is interesting, and as might be expected in a prominent glass making area, there are some beautiful stained glass windows.

Tim illustrated his talk with lovely slides, inviting you to visit the churches. Today, although some are covered on the outside with a veneer of black grime, absorbed from the smoke of the coal and steel industries, on the inside they are still very beautiful. St Bartholomew's overlooking the town of Wednesbury, has some intricate woodwork and richly decorated walls, reflecting the old mediaeval style.

Of course the churches have had to move with the times and have adapted to modern living. Some are now dual purpose, with shopping facilities in one part and the church for worship in another. We learnt a great deal of local history from the talk, which was very informative.

The next meeting will be on Tuesday the 26th April at 7.30 p.m. in the Church Hall when Mary Bodfish will give a talk on 'You Can't Abdicate and Eat it - Edward and Mrs. Simpson'. The Annual General Meeting will take place on Tuesday May 24th, followed by a presentation by Julian Hunt and Ruth Harper 'Celebrating 50 Years of Romsley and Hunnington History Society'. Everyone is welcome.

Pat Evans

Meeting Report - Feb 16

About 40 members were present at the Romsley and Hunnington History Society meeting on Tuesday, 23rd February. The speaker for the evening was Derek Clarke RIBA, a retired architect. The title of his talk was 'The Restoration of the Cupola and Renewing of the Roof Coverings at Hanbury Hall'.

If you have a leak in your roof, the wisest thing to do is to have it mended as soon as possible. However, if the roof belongs to a Grade 1 Listed Building, then things are a little more complicated. The roof at the Hall had been leaking for years and had been patched up many times. In 2008 the National Trust decided that the old lead panels and rotting timber needed to be replaced and Derek Clarke was brought in to oversee the work.

The first step was to cover all the old buildings in scaffolding, which looked like a huge cage. Then the whole structure was wrapped in plastic sheets, to protect it from the weather while the work was in progress. Derek took photographs of each stage of the project and we were able to see Hanbury Hall from am entirely different perspective, looking down from the top of the roof! We even had a bird's eye view of the work from a helicopter.

Expert craftsmen were employed to replace the lead and timber and they also restored the Cupola, which was built as a dovecote and clock tower, with a weathervane on top. As the work was in progress, a special staircase was built so that visitors could view the roof. Over 14,000 people climbed up to see the work! In the upper part of Hanbury Hall there are three flats, which are used by the employees of the National Trust. It was proposed that solar collectors should be put on the roof to provide hot water for the flats, but because of the listed status, only if they were invisible from the ground!

Every little detail was carefully noted as the work was carried out and Derek's stunning photographs made a wonderful record of the one and a half million pound project. It was a very interesting evening.

On Tuesday, 22nd March, Tim Bridges will give a talk on "Black Country Churches" and on Tuesday 26th April, Mary Bodfish will give a talk 'You Can't Abdicate and Eat It - Edward VIII and Mrs Simpson'. On July 3rd we are looking forward to a performance of 'The Ballad of St. Kenelm'. This will take place in the school. There will be more details later. Everyone is welcome.

Pat Evans

Meeting Report - Nov 15

The meeting of the Romsley and Hunnington History Society on Tuesday, 24th November was well attended, with 46 members and visitors present. Max Keen gave a presentation - The Civil War in Worcestershire 1642-1651, or The Great Rebellion. Max, a teacher, certainly knew how to capture an audience, as he entered the Church Hall dressed as a Cavalier, bearing a very large Standard Flag!

History is always more interesting if it is local, and presented in such a way that you can imagine yourself there. Max's talk was certainly that. He began by outlining the causes of the Civil War between King Charles I, and later Charles II, and Oliver Cromwell. Men were recruited from the estates of the local lords and turned into soldiers. He described the features of the army uniforms, but surprisingly there was very little difference between the two sides. The Cavaliers wore red, while the Roundheads wore orange. The cavalry fought with swords and the foot soldiers fought with pikes and muskets. The battles were very bloody! Cromwell was brilliant at commanding his men and kept them under strict control.

In 1651 the army of Charles II was defeated at the battle of Worcester and the King had to flee for his life. Max's descriptions of the local conflicts between the Cavaliers and Roundheads were so vivid that it will be difficult to look at Dudley Castle, the Talbot Inn in Stourbridge, Friar Street in Worcester, and just outside my own cottage door (as there was even a skirmish on the old bridge at Bewdley), without imagining the sounds and sights of the Civil War. Three hundred and forty six years ago! If only lessons were like this in my school days. Max had one regret, however, and that was that there were no 'Blue Plaques' to commemorate these events! It was a very interesting evening.

The next meeting of the Society will take place on Tuesday, 23rd February at 7.30 p.m. in the Church Hall, when Derek Clarke will give a talk on 'The Restoration of the Cupola and Renewing of the Roof Coverings at Hanbury Hall'. The Court Rolls Group will meet on Wednesday, 13th January and Wednesday 10th February at 2.30 p.m. in the Church Hall. Everyone is welcome.

Pat Evans