Newsletter
Mylor Local History Group Newsletter November 2010
Chairperson Mike Marshman
Treasurer Janet Mosedale
Acting Secretary Jill Quilliam 01326376403. Email jjillq@aol.com
Dear All,
This, our second newsletter, should either reach you by email or through your letter box. If you are reading a copy belonging to some-one else, or have picked this up at a village function, please let us know your email or postal address so that we can send you your own Newsletter 3 next Spring 2011!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
We would very much like to wish Irene Champion a very happy day on 20 th November. She will be 100 years old!! Congratulations Mrs Champion!
Archive Centre
Janet Mosedale wrote about the history of our centre in the last newsletter, this time, we thought we would like to give you an insight into how it is run.
Our weekly routine
A member of the rota is on duty every 7 weeks, working in pairs. We are open most Thursday afternoons from 2pm to 4:30pm. During the 2½ hours, the duty people decide themselves, from a selection of ideas, what they may like to tackle. It could be sorting, researching, cataloguing, displaying or simply reading. It is wonderful when visitors call in to learn about our village. Any details of interest/requests are noted, and relevant material might be fetched from the archives for the visitor to peruse. Tea is usually made about 3.15. Our rota of helpers has recently had a very useful meeting to make decisions on the work needed to improve the organisation of the archives. Over the winter, we will be continuing to sort, index and make the archive material more easily accessible. (Should we gain a couple more helpers, then the rota would spread over eight weeks!!) Have a think.
Visitors to the centre We have a lot of fascinating articles on all aspects of Mylor: war time, memories, farming, buildings, the dockyard and schools; in fact over twenty topics, all available for anyone to see. If you would like to call in any week, just for a chat, please do.
There are also items for sale and photographs and maps to look at. Our display boards change regularly with a variety of topics. If you have any items you think maybe suitable for the archives, please consider showing them to us . We have a strict process when handling/ borrowing private material, so your items would be in good care if you wish to lend them. You may prefer just to show us and discuss something about them. But we are certain there must be a wealth of photos and other material within the village that would be of huge interest to others.
What about your old school/church/other organisation photos? Have you got any memories you could share, or memorabilia? If you are unable to get to the hall, then please ring Jill on 376403 and she will either collect items or suggest another time for you to bring them over. We are indebted to Tony Andrews for the donation of a magnificent collection of material for the archives. This includes a fascinating 1922 book of signatures from the Mylor school. Many of you may like to see this collection, amongst others. You don't have to have a specific reason for coming over - you will be welcome to browse.
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Mylor is forever changing and this of course is part of its history. The dockyard is undergoing development and photographs of its alterations will be taken. There is indeed an article about Roger Graffy in the November issue of the Parish Magazine.
Projects
Dating of houses
This year, we are attempting to date and record some of the dwellings in Mylor Bridge. To begin with, we are dating as many of the post war houses as possible which includes all the estates of course, but also several other houses/bungalows. Thanks to the hard work by Brian Whateley we have just taken possession of a tailor made map on which we will colour code all the information. The 'enlarged' Mylor village is actually in the centre of an A3 map (most larger maps annoyingly don't include the whole of Mylor , as many of you realise). Recently, a few people have called in on a Thursday afternoon with information on particular houses. Some of these are older houses which is fine because we are also keen to log these in the near future. We really appreciate the efforts. If you haven't yet been asked the date of your house, you may like to contact Felicity Collins email felicity@radman.co.uk or tel. Jill Quilliam who would be able to add the information to the records. Sometime early next year, we should have the map ready for you all to see.
Interesting people of Mylor
Work on our second project is gaining momentum. A group is researching the lives of interesting people in Mylor and in September 2011 there will be an exhibition of these in the Tremayne Hall. Robert Rundle, the Lobb brothers, Howard Spring, and the Lemon, Bonython and Tremayne families are among others our group are researching. Do please help us out if you have any information on these or other interesting people of our village. If you feel you would like to help us in any way with either of the two projects, please contact us. You would choose the research you wanted to do and you may have completely different ideas which would be great!
Reviews
Visit to the Cornwall Record Office - May 2010 A group of ten visited the Cornwall Record Office in Truro. We were given a warm welcome and guided tour by Tamsin Mallett, Principal Archivist. In our visit "Behind the Scenes", we were amazed at the extent and area of storage of so many old Cornwall County records and documents. Walking round the many corridors, we noticed various Estate, Family, Mining and other collections, including a room allocated to thousands of maps. Amongst the Estate collections are those of the Lemon Estate with rental records of property in Mylor Bridge. Since the visit, it has come to our notice that the Enys estate collection, as a result of grants and donations, is being catalogued to enable the public to access it.
In the reading room, open to the public, we were shown items of interest, how to access the catalogues and to use the microfiche readers. Of great interest was the original Tithe Map created c1840. Covering a very large table and with its original colouring, it shows every field and building in the parish at the time, each numbered separately. The accompanying reference book, or "apportionment", lists the owner, occupier, acreage and description of each numbered plot. A smaller scale copy of the map can be viwed ay Mylor Archive Centre.
The Cornwall Records Office welcomes the public and is well worth a visit for general interest or research. It is open Tues-Friday 9:30 - 16:15 and Saturday 9:00 - 11:45 and is at the Old Cornwall Offices. The entrance is off Treyew Road near Sainsbury. The Archivists are very helpful over procedures and ideas for furthering particular research. As many records are now on microfiche to view, including the ten yearly Census of Population from 1841 onwards, with wills and leases, it may be advisable to book a microfiche reader in advance taking advice on this by ringing 01872 323127. Felicity Collins
Note: Catalogues can now be searched on line at www.cornwall.gov.uk/cro
Visit to Lostwithiel Weather forecasts should never be taken too seriously, as 29 members of the Mylor Local History Group discovered on Friday 17 th September! Armed with equipment for every eventuality, we journeyed to Lostwithiel in a comfortable, compact coach in expectation of a full day experiencing all the delights of this ancient and historic town. After coffee at the Talbot hotel, we were divided into two groups, each with its own guide. We all learnt so much and all questions were answered with impressive detail. Photographic opportunities were plentiful, and cameras clicked, buzzed, flashed throughout the ninety minute tour of the town. For many, it was their first 'in depth' introduction to Lostwithiel, as although situated on a main road to Plymouth, it tends to be overlooked as a place to stop. This is now clearly no longer the case and for quite a number of us, it will be on the list for a second visit!
After the tour, we chose a variety of venues for lunch to suit our tastes and appetites; there being an excellent selection within the small town. Many of us gathered by the river, towards the end of our allotted time, exchanging views and comparing notes. Arriving back in Mylor, it was unanimously agreed that it had been a very successful 'first ' outing, and that another should be planned for the spring. Everyone was most grateful to Rosemary and Jill for organising, planning and arranging the day, and we look forward to our next MLHG visit! ( Don't miss out next time.....early booking advisable...this was a very popular outing!) LarrieMillett
Talk On Saturday October 16 th there was an excellent talk by Alan Cox about the Bude canal Past and Present. This unusual canal includes several 'arms '; one of which follows the Tamar nearly to Launceston. There are six inclines and we were shown the technical workings of one of these through slides and diagrams. The massive regeneration project is fascinating, though there have been problems. On 28 th March 2008, a severe storm took the Sea Loch gate off its hinges and the subsequent damage took many months of repair work. The Bude canal newsletter, The Tub Boat issue 52, is in our centre for you all to read. There is also a copy of details of work carried out in their regeneration programme so far.
Events for your Diary
Talks The History Group talks have started again for the season. At each evening, which begins at 7pm, there are light refreshments and items for sale. Also, this autumn, we have a lovely display of photographs of our trip to Lostwithiel, put together by Larrie Millett.
Our next talk will be on Saturday November 13 th . Mr Russell Holt will present a talk about Pre- historic Cornwall; giving us an intriguing overview of the most interesting features.
On Saturday January 15 th Mark Kaezmarck will be talking about Cornish tin mines. With the price of tin doing so well lately, who knows what the future of Cornwall is!?
Then on Saturday 26 th February there will be a talk about Cornwall's motor industry. This isn't just about the vehicles on the road but engines/farm machinery of many types.
Beyond Mylor
November 13 th 2pm at the Royal Cornwall Museum. Royal Institute Autumn Lecture: When did Cornwall become English? A lecture given by Dr Oliver Padell. Sounds fascinating! Details from the museum or its website.
March - September 2011 Passmore Edwards Centenary celebrations. A copy of the details is in our Centre and updates will also be there.
December 23 rd at Mousehole - Tom Bawcock's Eve festival. More information at our archive centre or on line.
12 th February 2011Hurling, that popular medieval sport of St Columb
The Cornwall Studies Centre at Redruth holds a lot of records and is a must for research. There are also regular, excellent exhibitions there. Tel 01209 216760 or call in to our centre for information.
Please remember to tell a friend about us. Someone is sure to have information to share and we like lots of people to share what we already have.