At Trinity Church this morning was a Sevice of Thanksgiving for the life of Leslie Argyle. Leslie had been a member at Trinity since the Primitive Methodist Chapel, in Ock Street, closed and joined forces with Trinity in 1945. He also worked for over 40 years at Trotman’s Bakery, and when that was taken over by Holmes, he joined Day’s Bakery in Edward Street. He used to bake communion bread for Trinity and the “sheaf of corn” bread for harvest.
He had a love of traveling, walking, music and dancing and joined the Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers in 1951 and was elected as Mayor of Ock Street in 1980. (Thanks to Andrew who teaches piano and singing at Abingdon Piano School for the first two pictures. Andrew was taught Morris Dancing by ‘Les’ .)
The coffin was brought in to the accompaniment of Harry Knight on accordion playing “The Girl I left behind Me ” – The Old Marching tune of The Berkshire Militia.
There were 21 other Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers following the coffin. Icknield Way Morris, and Bampton Morris, were also represented in the congregation.
The hymn “Lord of the Dance” followed a performance of “How D’you do Sir” by the Morris Dancers.
Many thanks to everyone concerned for a wonderful and moving service at Trinity – a fitting tribute for a fine man.
cheerio Les, a proper chap !
I have a photo of Leslie http://www.abingdonwalks.co.uk/album/displayimage.php?pid=1139&fullsize=1 it is labelled Abingdon Morris Dancers Dance in Honour of Leslie Argyll at Long Alley Almshouses. What changes he must have seen!
Sheaf of corn?
Re number 4 above: Loaf of bread baked in the shape of a sheaf of corn, traditional in churches at Harvest time.
@ Colin: absolutely – not “sheath” of corn!
How many sheafs of corn make a stook?
A stook is where a number of sheafs are placed upright leaning against each other to dry before being taken to farmyard for threshing. (Lincolnshire terminology).
I joined Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers in 1967 as an 11 year old along with members of the Faringdon District Scouting community (long back story) and Les was a great mentor to us all. Tradition is important and it is thanks to Les that our Abingdon Tradition is still vibrant. Don’t let it die, please take a look at the Morris Teams website and come out to watch them at Mayor Making in June. That will be a fitting legacy to one of the worlds best ever Gentlemen.
Although I do not remember Les I well remember Trotmans. It was a very small shop near the Regal, the baking must have been done at the back. On a Saturday there were always queues out of the door. They made the most amazing Lardy cakes, I can smell them now.
I worked with Leslie at Edward St., and Bath St. Bakery, and a nicer gentleman you could never find. He was an inspirational and intellectual chap who will be sorely missed by us all.
Pat, in 2020 I have just come upon this part of the Abingdon Blog from 2014 when Les Argyle passed away. It is intriguing to read about him because as a Canadian family history buff I was able to meet him for tea at his apartment on Ock Street the year before. My Argyle ancestors lived in Abingdon for a very long time but with respect to relatively recent years, my grandmother Gertrude (Gertie) Argyle Ledsham was a cousin of Leslie’s father Aubrey Argyle. Gertie’s father who started up the Argyle Dairy in Abingdon was George Argyle and Leslie’s grandfather was a brother of George named Albert Argyle. Anyway, the dairy was first situated at the corner of Edward Street and Victoria. From your note I am guessing that the Edward St. bakery where you worked with Leslie was right around the corner from the Dairy around 1900. Was the Edward St. bakery named Trotman’s? Lesley’s mother’s family name was Trotman. My grandmother Gertie spoke of it a few times here in Toronto, the city to which George Argyle and family eventually emigrated. I wish I had known this man better. He was such a gentleman to my sister and to me.