WANTED: A man able to milk and make himself useful on farm, early riser, cottage in village near work – Apply to A E Knot, Fenny Compton.

Banbury Guardian January 1915

Mr S J Mawle has received a letter from an officer at the front in which the writer says “The German soldiers are under an awful delusion. An officer who was captured on Christmas Day says that the Germans have taken Calais, and London is terribly bombarded”.

Banbury Guardian January 1915

Warwickshire:

The sale of estates has, I think, been generally postponed since the war began. There is a tendency by auctioneers and the press to write up the demand. If there was any genuine demand desirable properties would change hands privately oftener than they do. I know of miles of frontage close to one of the favourite towns in the Midlands where the owners declared land values for their own protection from increment duty under the Finance (1909-10) Act, 1910, not a plot of which has been enquired about up to the present time.

There are plenty of applicants for farms but substantial men of experience are few and far between. Prices are better all round since the war began, but labour is very scarce, and the cream of the young men are very properly entering the army. The labour question frightens farmers more than anything else.

All financial schemes for assisting capital-less men to buy land are in abeyance now the Government itself cannot borrow (without sinking fund) under .4 per cent; such schemes must have ended in disaster anyhow. County seats are unsaleable. Most estates which have been sold entire in recent years have made from 20 to 25 years’ purchase on the rental with the mansion, shooting, and all the appurtenances included.

The County Councils have, when left alone, have acted prudently and with judgement, but when bustled up by the Government have made purchases which will be regretted later on.

As regard the timber trade, merchants try to buy at slightly increased prices, but will have to give more if sellers keep their heads. There is a genuine demand for oak and larch thinnings for pit props; fine ash timber is very dear and hard to find.

George W Raikes, Ragley Estate.

Banbury Guardian 1915 (from ‘The Estate Gazette’ )

The Bicester Hunt: Saturday 16^th January, Fenny Compton Wharf.

Minutes of Meeting

Mr W J Weld presided at the meeting on Thursday, and there were also present Messrs Ridley Brown, R H A Holbech, A Fairfax (clerk), G Elkington (surveyor) and J Smith (inspector).

Miscellaneous

The clerk reported that Mr R H A Holbech had been elected the member for Farnborough to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Mr F S Beauford, and had signed his acceptance of office.

The Chairman – I am glad to see you here again.

Mr Holbech – Thank you.

Mr Brown – I am sure that is the opinion of every member of the council.

The Clerk, with reference to the alleged overcrowding at Shotteswell said, in reply to the Inspector that he had received no report from Dr Johns in reference to this matter.

The Inspector said that one of the cottages was now fit for occupation, and the other was vacant. The man had taken away the key in his pocket and neither Dr Johns nor himself could get into the house – (a laugh). The family who had occupied it had now gone.

The Clerk said that the balance in the treasurer’s hands was £193.18s.7d., but there were some rather heavy sums to pay that day. He called attention to the order of the Local Government Board with reference to the new Milk and Dairies Act, which appeared in the columns of the Guardian last week. He also read a communication from the National Housing and Town Planning Council stating that their annual meetings would take place at Birmingham on the 26^th and 27^th of January, and he would like a good attendance.

Mr Brown thought the Chairman might go.

Mr Holbech – I don’t think it affects us very much.

It was agreed that the Chairman should go if it suited his convenience.

The Radway Drainage Scheme

A letter was read from Mr W Fleming, the Clerk of the Radway Parish Council, calling the attention of the Rural District Council to the above matter, and stating that it was now eight months since it had promised to submit a plan to their parish, and their patience was somewhat exhausted in consequence of this not having been done. The letter further called attention to a hedge overhanging the footpath leading from the school pool to the pool at the top of the village.

Mr Brown said the matter of the hedge had been attended to.

The Clerk – With regard to the drainage scheme, what is to be done?

Mr Brown said he thought it would be a wise thing if a few of them were to meet and discuss the thing with Mr Hunt, the agent for the Radway Estate. He (Mr Brown) thought they should carry out a bigger scheme than the one proposed.

The Clerk – Do you mean a drainage scheme for the whole village?

Mr Brown – No, only for one part of it.

The Inspector here remarked that the drain at Mr Gwyer’s, which had been a difficulty for so long, had been put right.

Mr Brown remarked that that was another reason for his suggestion for a larger scheme. He thought the time had come when they should take the bull by the horns and carry out something like “a respectable” scheme for that part of the village.

The Inspector – Those alterations at Ivy Cottage will intensify the difficulty in the channel leading to the pond near your house.

Mr Brown replied that he was aware of that, and that the surveyor and some of the members should meet at the place, and they must have Mr Hunt with them. He had got a plan himself about which he had had the opinions of men who were entitled to respect in such matters. They must not fight shy of it because it was going to cost a little bit of money. The time had come when something must be done on a larger scale than that what they had hitherto intended.

The Clerk suggested that a committee of the whole Council should meet at the place on an early day.

Mr Brown said that something should be done so that Mr Hunt might make an arrangement with the owner of the Radway Grange estate. There must be some preliminary enquiries.

The Clerk – When shall we meet?

Mr Brown – There is no great rush.

The Clerk said it would be as well if he were to fix an appointment with Mr Hunt. The Clerk said their surveyor and inspector might formulate a scheme.

It was agreed that the whole Council should meet at the village and go into the matter, and the Clerk was instructed to write to Mr Fleming to this effect.

It was agreed to advertise for stone.

This was all the business.

Banbury Guardian January 1915

An abstract of accounts of the receipts and payments of the Rural District Council for the above-named Rural District for the half-year ending 30^th September 1914.

RECEIPTS	£.	s.	d.
Balance in hand at commencement of half year	105	17	7
From Overseers in respect of general expenses	197	12	6
Grant under Agricultural Rates Act 1895	102	13	9
	406	3	10
PAYMENTS	£.	s.	d.
Maintenance of District Roads	116	1	4
Salaries (Highways)	15	0	0
Fees for Lists of Births and Deaths	1	3	8
Salaries of Officers (Public Health)	39	10	0
Establishment Charges	7	3	10
Election Expenses	1	19	0
Compensation to late Clerk to the late   Kineton Highway Board	3	19	10
Balance in hand at end of half-year	221	6	2
	406	3	10

Dated this 6th day of January 1915

Arthur Fairfax – Clerk to the said Council

Banbury Guardian January 1915

 

January 1^st 1915

 

We return to the trenches after 3 days rest, the war has started again.

It is still raining, our dug out leaks, keeps dropping in, my blanket is wringing wet weighs three times as heavy and has got to be carried besides an oil sheet, top coat, fur coat, cooking utensils, they begin to get heavy after doing about 8 miles, we are having 5 days in trenches and 3 out, much better than 6 in and 2 out  as we do get 2 clear days rest, I hear the piggeries where we stayed has been shelled killing 17 of the kilties.

 

Diary of Private W Tapp, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, November 1914- January 1915

Imperial war Museum Archives