DERELICT SUNDAY

After a good service at Church, I went over to see Mum.  Her carer wasn’t due to arrive until 1.30 but just after 12.30 she was ready for her lunch, so I made that and then we sat and watched Songs of Praise together.  I had told her last night that I was expecting her to get up and sit in the lounge, so she knew I was going to push for that - and didn’t argue!

We enjoyed singing together - but I must admit I would rather have had the third song, “In Christ Alone” as the winner rather than “Jerusalem” but Mum was happy that she knew most of the songs today.  I have given her another challenge and that is that by next weekend, I want to see her not only getting up but also getting dressed - so I may have to do a little persuading towards the end of the week.

Mr. HCB then took me out towards South Marston, but we couldn’t find the derelict hotel we were looking for, so carried on along the road to Fresden, near Coleshill, Wiltshire. However, there didn’t appear to be anything there and research I have done since we got back states that it is just a hamlet, although there is a reference to Fresden Wood and Fresden Farmhouse, so perhaps this barn was part of the farm.  The barn appears to be in reasonable condition from this side, but when I walked along the road and took more photographs, it was quite dilapidated - but those shots weren’t that good and it was rather muddy - it’s very strange though that we could see no other houses around.  

I did find a mention of Fresden in the 1851 Census and it mentions “Maggot Mill Farm” as being in the “Tything of Fresden” with William Rickards being a farmer of 430 acres employing 28 farm labourers.  Apparently, a farmer with about 500 acres would be considered prosperous and at the lower end of the upper middle class, typically employing all the labour he needed.  I can see from the Census that as well as a wife, son and two daughters, Mr. Rickards also employed four servants, one of whom was a dairywoman.

There is also mention of Upper Fresden and Lower Fresden, and this appears to be where all the agricultural/farm labourers lived.  The Archer family, who lived at Upper Fresden, had five daughters and a son, the head of the house, Mathew Archer, being a shepherd, so I wonder how big, or small, their cottage was?  Perhaps all the cottages have been demolished now because of course, it is almost 170 years ago. 

I do love finding out about different people and places in the past, and hope you have found this interesting too.

“Life can only be understood backwards; 
     but it must be lived forwards.” 
Søren Kierkegaard