Newsletter Number 75

August  2002

This edition not complete...............sorry

Editorial

Well! That was a strange one that was eh? I’m actually talking about ‘The London Historical Action Spectacular’ which personally I’m still in two minds whether or not I enjoyed it. A beerless day is not the best way to advertise a muster to this society, but to a large extent it worked although I think if we were camping nearer to our performing arenas things could’ve be different. So apart from the gripes did we enjoy it? I think the answer has to be a reserved yes, but only because of the paucity of other larger events that are in the calendar this year. Of course that does not take anything away from the organisers of the event itself, who worked tirelessly throughout the weekend, much of it for our benefit, and of course the weather was at it’s most belligerent best.

Tilford has also come and gone (without me again), so next on the agenda seems to be our R.I.E at Powderham Castle. For those of you newer members who are not used to being in the ‘Organising Regiment’ please expect to be asked to help out, normally at inconvenient times and always during drinking times. Events like these need a certain amount of back work to make everything tick, so when the ‘Bearded Wonder’ or Grant ( The Organisers) ask for a favour don’t make life difficult by disappearing, they know all the tricks, all the hiding places and most,  though not all of the excuses.

Those of you that attended Tilford should have noticed that the Landlord has taken into account customer complaints and purchased a complete set of drinking vessels with matching jugs. This should in theory stop all pewter tankards being waved around at future Living History events as we move yet another step further down the line in the authenticity stakes. Whilst we’re on the subject, a word of warning that at Corfe this year beer will be granted with a little more military wherewithal and not the usual ‘Letscrowdroundthebeertentanddrinkitdrythengetdownthepub’ type thing. Hopefully we can come up with a few scenarios which incorporate plenty of what we do best.

For those of you that have been on holiday for a few weeks now I can confirm that the rumour mill (normally so true) is once again spot on accurate with it’s assertion that (Black) Georgie (the Greek) is to step down as Commanding Officer of this regiment at the end of season 2003. This does not mean that he will disappear never to be seen again, nor does it mean that he will be scrubbed from the front page of this newsletter. What it will mean is that he will now spend more time shouting at you during the times that you normally associate with relaxation, i.e. when he’s at Army Council Meetings. He will still be the Colonel and please God he will still write his usual bit for the magazine!!!

 Pip

Letters and Articles

The Cropredy Lectern

A recent family and fairly non alcoholic trip to the beautiful Oxfordshire village of Cropredy took us to the famous old church by the bridge that in 1644 saw the battle. The church was typical 12^th century and we entered it with the usual reverence specially saved up for these occasions only to find out that there was nobody (obviously) present to be reverential to, so we just wandered around looking at the various Woman’s Institute knitting patterns, children’s drawings and some very dodgy looking armour apparently from the seventeenth century.

When I said that there was nobody else present, that wasn’t quite true. There was a sad looking old man muttering away to himself and on occasion looking across to where the congregation should be. Not being the type of family to intrude, we approached him and started listening to what he had to say for a few minutes. When he spotted us he told us that he was performing the sermon the following day and was just practising as he wanted to get it right, being that it was Easter and all that.

He then saw me staring at the base of the lectern which had four feet, three that were Golden in colour the remaining one a dim matt black.

Apparently (he said) there was a battle just outside the church involving the wicked Parliamentarians and the brave, just Royalists in 1644. Upon hearing of the approach of the rebel forces a quick thinking young curate, (with nothing better to worry about obviously) threw the golden coloured lectern into the River Cherwell, now that in itself must have been quite a feat because upon examination this thing was about 5 foot high and solid too.

Anyway the battle passed into history, the macho Curate probably also passed fairly quickly into history along with the secret of the whereabouts of the lectern, and although he had unquestionably foiled Cromwell’s Crew-cuts, he had also done the village out of a bible holder. Years later though somebody, somehow put two and two together and decided to go for an eighteenth century ‘Time Team’ expedition and arming themselves with long pieces of wood and a boat went searching (successfully) for the long lost lectern.

Disastrously though it had lost one of it’s golden legs in the cover up attempt and so amid much mutual back-slapping a local metalworker (for want of a better description) was hurriedly despatched to make a replica leg akin to the remaining three. Within a few short weeks the lectern was proudly displayed to all and sundry complete with four beautiful dim matt black legs, along with the rest of the lectern. Nobody had thought to take into account forty odd years of silt, water damage nor corrosion and despite the whole lectern being filthy nobody at that time thought to give it the once over with the Brasso!

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