Category Archives: heritage

Henry VIII’s progress to Abingdon

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Henry VIII progress to Abingdon
Abingdon got a mention near the end of Episode 4 of the historic drama, Wolf Hall, currently being shown on the BBC. Thomas Cromwell dictates “Itinary for the King’s summer progress; depart Windsor, then to Reading, Missenden, Abingdon … then Wolf Hall!

Henry VIII stayed at Abingdon Abbey, on another occasion, at the start of April 1518 with wife Catherine of Aragon in the time of Cardinal Wolsey. There is an exchange of letters between Richard Pace, who is with the King, and Wolsey who is left to conduct government back in London.

The court were on the flight from the ‘sickness,’ and the chief chief issue concerning Abingdon is ‘There is very little accommodation in this small town’ and “Sufficient provision has been made at Abingdon of horse meat for the King. Cannot tell how ‘other poor men’ will do.”

The letters are available on the internet and Pace starts writing from Abingdon on 27th March 1518.

Old field-names

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Old Field Names
Champs Close (Peachcroft) This is an old field-name, possibly derived from the French ‘champs’ meaning ‘a field’.
Old Field Names
Chandlers Close (Peachcroft) Named after a field-name on the Radley Parish Tithe Map.
Old Field Names
Charney Close (Peachcroft) This is also called after an old field-name in Radley Parish.
Old Field Names
Corn Avil Close (Peachcroft) This is an old field-name in the Parish of Radley.

Thanks to ‘The Origins of the Street Names of Abingdon’ by John McGowan 1988. It needs to be updated and brought back into print.

B’ist thee a-gwaen to Ab’ndon faar?

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Ab'ndon faar
Fifty years ago or less, the speech of an Ab’ndonian would hardly have been understood by a person from the northern counties. and his dialect would sound strange to his grandson of today. He called a stone a “stwun”, a mole a “wunt”, – Wantage means the place of wunts – a pig a “peg”, and a sheep a “ship”.

He lengthened out his a’s so that yard became “yaard” and way “waay”. For “I am not” he said “I beant”, for “will you” he said “Oo’lt”. He would say “mwoast” and “mwoare” and “whum” and “wi”.

He used strange words like “unked” and “lear” and athert” where we would say uncanny, hungry, and across. “I” was used for me and myself, “he” for him, and “his’n” and “shis’n” for his and hers.

“B’ist thee a-gwaen to Ab’ndon faar? If thee b’ist I’ll see ‘ee theaar.”

(a short extract from ‘The School History of Berkshire’ by E.A. Greening Lamborn published in 1908 and no longer on the school history curriculum)

Blue Plaque for Cecil Kimber. One for Arthur Preston on the Way

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Blue Plaque
A Blue Plaque was unveiled at the Boundary House Pub last Saturday for Cecil Kimber, the creator of the MG Marque.
Blue Plaque
The Boundary House has been a pub for the last 25 or 30 years but before that it was a family home – built for Mr Cyril Viney, who lived there for many years, before and after Cecil Kimber’s residence.
Blue Plaque
There are now two plaques for Cecil Kimber who lived there from 1933-38. As far as I can tell Mr Viney was the proprietor there from 1927-33, and 1938-58.

The other Blue Plaque will be for Mr Arthur Preston, a great Abingdon Politician and Historian, who was active around 100 years ago. Trying to arrange his Blue Plaque has been more problematic and has been under consideration for almost ten years. The best location still needs to be decided. One place that could work would be Preston Road – the Abingdon road named after him.