Reading Observer 08-1920

BUTTER.
~f UID.I

of

~~~=~~~~'~~:;~f,

Duke of
,...... now it

The ~v ~

W<><retC !lio p",k ~t Comh&-EOst .,,4.
her. ~ Coi>mbe ,t,olf tho road 1011011'1 til. nclse,
of
Woodotock
aftording
.. ~6W. ov~a J:teyood. the f"~1oda
nlliiy 4bwa.rd. tJIe Wijjdruab, and tp{; now S.
,.Bel...., the l&i>d , .I~ d~I.r' to Ih.
nver .Bo)'ODd
n'" ' to • Ijjgb l'dge On
one sId" yoo .... tho ~ 01 th<> OIiVdt HIl.lJ'
borough, and nght lD I'?PI. til. 'J;r.tty .£O;t"'bud~
'Plllage of Long Haodbdrough .nla 1. a ,~LCat
01 the ~~tn.o. ..~. th41
&long the ndgeraboft t.he n.-er,
pomt' It .... deep BOt lD
......-orw- tDo"whole

• ""pe""

thi.".

wtuCh

were not

1 '~Dld.n,•. to th •• o,,;ti~. top "~ "t4IFdIOe!'Wlue

repJete w1f.b, many Interesting fact. concerning
life tn rural England lrom ~ ..,.h..t
th. h ..tory ol]jerkslii.. plaT" .... _ " n", .. 'I·1:=~~7:~:J~~
the n&1'T&tiv6. For u.unple,
;.
h,.tonc earlhWorb: Mr Dltch1leld Wl'ltoo

INorthern, B.r~ overlooking the

WHO

,•• ndi" ....."'d' l cloud.....

of,,-tllich

Bntl~h ongm

o~ t1i.' ~r"""nll~~~~~~~~i~~~~~~~~

P _ t , h.. gIven rot anot.ber lDtoroftlni [~orl<
to IhI .......ld illustrating the rural lifo of\J'dlg
Ba.rkham,
who W'tOte tho story
la.od
In It!! vanooa: stages
Ml' Dltohfie1d bas
Dllid • • Iif. stttdy. of naaI hfe, 1"\ll"a1 cl;urch..
aDd n.n:Qlt.e<:tore, and rural lolk lore, and ha. /fpI_,ni ..
~dy' publiBhod !!Om••ine.n boob on th....
""~" ~ tbo l"oot reoOnt of whiclo ...oro .. The
Old Tim. Pation " and .. By'faye lD Berkshire
and the Oo:t.nroI.ds.· Hi.'"' letut. work,
Old
Vlllage Lif." (Methuen _d Co, 7. 6d net) 19

broken by great
'
COOmbe "l& a love.ly villago ofv~~t.::~"d:~;~
In a COUDty of many ~UI81t.,
.till Ia a beAUty apot It. name
' ~ Its
.ky

'11 Dltohl!6Jd" l~Y.A ,

VoJ. of tho Whit<> Horae, faI_ and
of Valleys an~ not unre.nowned In etoyY~
old 1kltLSh k.ckway, the Ick:nH~ld wi y ,
wa.y of the Idem, !It.retohing froin Eaat
to Glouc&8teralbre
G"oardlng 1ts eoun.

Near It lS Stoneti.eld, woence has

been ~uarnNi for ages building .tone 01 good
ll\ It. n81ghbOurhood a", ~ of .0 ealJed
qua.lIty, e&pe~lal1v the ,tope .Jus which glTe camp' or fortIfied enclosures Theae prumtlve
t he houses In thl.& distrIct thcLI' chat'act~flllc Jove-- forirNSel U8U&Uy foUa'w the sba.pe of the hills on
liDes!
Between the two II!! old Akeman St.reet which they aroa.nd
Such 18 umngton Ce.st.le on
n.,. d ......d. and one ....rn. to ihinl< that at. the Berkshire Down. not '" great old stone bwld
!wood."' ·1 Coombe ltV'ed British worJoneo who dug out the mg WlLb. 1& nlOa.t and round tOWI!JIl"S ..and battle,¥me from where Ston••6eJd ;DGW 18, ..and oarriNI m.nts. but a 1"1'fl. spaco ,urrounae4 by n
It along t he Roman wp.y to bUild ill "lilu WhICh of e.vtb 011 vllUum. eIght or ten. feet b.lgh In 1I0me
ba.ve been unellrl.hed hereabout-that between pJa.oea but. lower at others. and outsule (£lS a.
Northlelg,h a.n~ StOnelficld CODl.lllg almoat WIthin great, broad dItch or IQS.8& ""hleb 15 again defend
our Vl!W But the pre•• nt nll!&6 pI Coombe ed By anol~.r banI< There 18 but on. ga<e1"'Y on
I.eems to be Ba.xon" lq It I dISpositIon wsth the
twast, wbere the bank ~ ClIl'Yed I'OUDd. 50
fields about the groups of !Jou&ea I ~ ~ , 'I to foI1'J\ a. sDTt of guard room Somo
~b'"rc.~.] Nea:r. the' 11fteenth C£mturi cburJ.. wbu$ was wert di1o1C:overed In tlJ.e rampart yean ago, where.an
ideocendiing
built In the pltlQW of an 91der oje 8n.d on 'hlgh~r doubtless sma)l tree trunka "'U'6 lnEert.ed as a.

but

ground, J8~ th& villag.e green. tr1a~'D.t tn ahap&,
for wattJf'oiWOl'~ paJlsading M an additional
WIth hoU!ee about t1l0 of lb. 8ldee...nd a ire:at def,DCc Th& maken of theM camps were V&ry

fu!1d enclo.ed by ,. U ' ''''ped .tone wall along cle~ and mgemou.
the oilier In tb& centie 1& &0 a~ and hollo,..
oak ~ere we re.ted a"lrile be'or~ re~lng Our
Journe~ to. Stonesfletd, relterblDg our melDOn,.
w~th a talk: about ilI& Cfift'erent: typu of Vlllagtl!l
and what each ty~ had to teRch Then we left
()OO~be and beg'&n our l!eM:Ch for th& ltoe df Ake

man Slreet W. found It, ~ mer. foot track, os
It a.,.;ended a '!.eeF knoll \Ih. lIead IIf & deep
valley conling "up directly om tbe ~d of ..
bIg ~t.heul.. Joop of E\"E!nlpde. wh(n 18 a. ford
rq<)n~~.iilg. th~ two porhoM <If on almost Ittatght
:T~;t~~~~~\I;~toneafieJd to the JtoroRn ulla; at
"'
W ••• t dawn to d,sou."tJi. probable

10

gunrding tJr. entrance••

m devtamg rmares and IutfaHa to deceIve an
ene y
Perha.ps the ldt.e-r would discover a.
gateway 1nto the fotlress that eeeroed not to be
well guarded A b71n 4 or dougbt.y wa.rrJon would
nl!h In , only to find a. blmd olley, while from
th& j bnnb a~e Deary stones and arrows wlt.h
a.n

f1mt h do and mw;Peroul Javelins would
own ,\",n them 1'h. mnke .. of
camps were putoral people, &nd thelr
gt'n.ted on t.he do" ne a.nd htllsld el '" hen
brought news of the ad, an ec of 3.
Gome !;lgnnl would be given by the

of .. horn, and th. lpeopl. Muld at once

the age long dllUSO of thl&o ld ~nQ,
thoLr fortress dnvlOg the}r cattle before
.a,r It cl'O/Iaes lb" countr:Vt-1Vh~re no bJg...c:entres
o..w81tmg there the advent ot Ui'elf foe!
of populatlOD exist eoun f .tl1tlt. Ils .. geJ1mlly
Ston& t.hat. now' !~n~ In fron t of
-J
~...
be
d f
hlgh'p d d.7' }""rom the ml'l' )'e foupg. th:l~ It
haVlng
en remove
tom'
has on II <c.reely on. Villose, Ind ,tbl' Illuot1'&tt.j :~;I~~~~"~ near Utlington
11
the
the early En411tb.:a,e.Ulers hilp <for the :f
to ha.ve been an
wne ... It c"!p.')!P tho
thIS purpooe It ,. a
"aUey
WE're terti.~, WIU~. great niiuna.
With a. naturnJ. hole or
and
-1!.: h ..... ~nd there 'PI' hoY' ,...... '1ulte ex
.killed m the uf> )QU c.n , blow

..ted, .nd 0,,8 a. le•• t r .ttnbu~ tbo real diooo...-y of tlu. TOld to me. H • ..:&'r0l. In hi.
d,a~
.. Ottr mnster wdJ i douD>le" gel ""'At
"

, C--Y, _.: hlB discovery:

OT'

Thus remmd. pne ot the
whIch a mother aom.e tIme ago ga.ve 111
.. eelci.ng admlSS10n for her boy to. one Beachng
IICliool from another On elIqw,ry by the IIcbool
I

mUl.e!', .h. "'phed .. }Velll I like. ' my· l.d
Jeuned-,t~ truth. Hi4 t.,Cher at thO olher
ScboolJtoldo-lilll' the nomana mad. '~.Jll'Jh road.
and.1 know. Jolly "ell tb.t mf <II.!\. l1lAt' /t.lned
tea ~tlt.:·
...
~
l'
W. had .. conSldenible hill
•
geUlDg to
Thl.
very bleale
hunters, but ve had
mg the q..mo,; .. ~Oll!C'..ere aionO'of .ra"",:
meal t'lDut wu

Iittl. 'village
"""'h road
~ow 'It, to the CI!i,rlb~fY,),oad
S!onesBeid u a

j\ ttol Brlghtma.n, Eva.ns

,;tewarcl npd Cball'Jll:kfl of OOmnllttee,
Gornng Prop.;ramm& atcyard, Mr
Hon secret.Tlers 'M~ 1> J Cooper,
Bcpnott, I\O"stcd by; :!.;TN F E St.r•• t
tt~a.!lurrit:1 l\{r, P 1l, J f Coofter Refe-reeJ Lieut

1 Loo'Jdi.il -

A... ' , .

:.<."

~0J:! . . ~ ~ ~ ..
,-~. BPtnl:ra~SULTS
and' • deop, low. \ioQmmg lOund
)50 Yard. Boys, !lace - l'lrst lioat 1,,M A
and can bo heara for a long d,stance Ne~, Jerrold , 2 J GOsaon, 3,~C J Be..ley Seedn.!
campo th..... " often a"Neohlhlc tumul.. h.~t 1, A M, Wtlh'I" ~, R F<lrre'l, 3 • .E J
llMlI.to FlO.1 1 1;: J R.:dgAte, 2, R Far
the place. of bunal of BOrne tubal re11 ... 3. J ~d(.n TIme. 22 S$cs
There

lit

ono a.t Uffington known

tAppended are t~e

80 Vards GJrJs' :n.ace' -1. '" H

Smith'8 Oav&, to whlch a eLroDg& and Bitibert. ~ Salter
at.tached 'Ihe ~ra.V'G II known
100 Y&t:n HandIcap -

Sliarp; 2, L

or ahllJllb.red calm and w.. Ohil.. C...Ui over ) SoOOnd
, .v - I
a D GroeR, 3 J Bnght
Neol1thlo l"en, but ·"ey and ({va/k over) l!o,.rtb 'he.~
WHO • metAorkor and belongs
Fifth heal: W R
legend and
Thee. tell u.
1. :w.•.Wtlkin. (6 yard.l,
of the
& "'Jute steed
• 3, E Keeno (4! Yll!'~l
rIdden by
. and oItod by
J{.oe -l!l(.'
god
be, tb.\
Seoond heat 1 Galp"
of tbe
1 H.wkm. 2 Benger'
tb~)
,.
')
J

heat ..