In three weeks’ time, I will be boarding a plane to New Zealand for 7 months…it feels so surreal, I can’t believe I’m actually going.
I’m not going to lie, I am absolutely TERRIFIED.
The thought of going to a country on the other side of the world with nowhere to live or no job is rather overwhelming. However I know I am going to have the most amazing time and meet some incredible people.
Planning your trip can be very stressful (I would know.) There are so many little things you need to think about before you leave. Have you checked whether you need any vaccinations? Is your passport in date? Have you photocopied your documents? The list is endless.
I have created a short programme about the planning of my adventure; hopefully some of the advice may help you if you’re organising a trip.
I think if I could afford it, I would go out to eat pretty much every night; let’s face it, the prospect of having someone prepare, cook and arrange a meal for you AND then do the washing up is an appealing thought.
Ok, so I guess this can be achieved at home but I like the whole arrangement of getting dressing up and eating out, it’s such an enjoyable and sociable thing to do.
In the current recession and with money so tight, people are eating out less, so choosing the right place to go is vital. I mean we all want good value for money, the food needs to be spot on and the restaurant or café has to have the right atmosphere when you get there.
I have created a programme about some of my favourite restaurants and cafes in Suffolk, if you ever get the chance, check them out!
Rosemary talks to Bridget Wells-Furby about The Bohun of Fressingfield Cartulary.
This is number nineteen in the series of Suffolk Cartularies published by the Suffolk Records Society. To the general reader these publications must seem arcane, but for the local historian and students of medieval history they provide a valuable resource not just in their content, but also by virtue of the fact some-one else has done the donkey work of reading, transcribing and translating (in this case) almost 300 deeds and charters relating to land mainly in Fressingfield, North Suffolk, thus enabling immediate access to huge corpus of original material.
However, this cartulary is particularly special, for unlike most others, this collection of deeds and charters relates not to a monastic or great lay landowner, but to one whose parentage lay in ‘peasant ‘ or yeoman stock, gradually building a portfolio of land by the purchase and consolidation of tiny plots and strips – an acre or so at a time. In this way it evidences the active peasant land market of the free landholders of medieval Suffolk – a process hinted at elsewhere but here seen clearly. Thus John Bohun of Fressingfield laid the foundation for subsequent generations of his family to move upwards into the gentry and ultimately marry into some of the foremost families of the county. His second son, Edmund, having been enabled to pursue a successful career in the King’s Exchequer, and thereby accumulate a considerable amount of capital, then continued to amass a landholding to the point where he felt it warranted the production of a cartulary. His rise and position was further confirmed by being awarded a coat of arms.
As with any cartulary, the detail is immense as each tiny piece of land is described and located relative to other similar pieces which would have formed part of the patchwork of landholdings; each transaction witnessed by local people. So for the local historian it is full of references which can contribute to building up not only the geography and history of Fressingfield in the late medieval period, but also the interpersonal relationships of people within the parish, both family and friendship groups.
Bridget Wells-Furby provides the reader with a full and detailed introduction which teases out these relationships and enables some characters to be fleshed out – particularly John and his upwardly-mobile son Edward, who probably owed some of his rise to the influence of no-less a person than John de la Pole duke of Suffolk (and brother-in-law of Edward IV) of Wingfield castle in the adjoining parish. Some attempt is made at reconstructing the geography, with a number holdings indentified, if not located. Reconstruction is most successful with the village itself, and the layout of messuages around the market place and in particular the reference to the new guildhall in which much drinking was planned to take place – now (perhaps appropriately) the Fox and Goose pub.
This is a book for both the local historian in that it opens a window on a little bit of Suffolk in the medieval period, but also for the academic in that it provides a tranche of evidence to enable the illumination of the history of ordinary folk. We have to thank Bridget Wells-Furby for her diligence in both the translation and transcription, but also for putting together such a useful and informative introduction .
Rosemary Hoppitt
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Jon Taverner - Theatre & Outreach Manager for Eastern Angles chats to Dee about the current production "Round the Twist" and the forthcoming "Private Resistance". Also hear about a welcome return to the Hush House, Bentwaters where "Margaret Catchpole" is planned for the Summer!
Club President Margot Wobey and Vice President Peter See chat to Dee and bring us up to date with what's been happening and what's still to come in 2012. This is the 30th Anniversary Year of the Club which continues to thrive and welcomes new members of all ages.
