-From West Briton March 10th 2011

Signs that are pointers to the past will be recorded

The fingerpost sign at Peterville, St Agnes, now maintained by the local improvements committee is just one of many cast iron signs that will be recorded by OCS members.

FOLLOWING a successful survey of the county's cast iron letterboxes, Old Cornwall Society members are being asked to record the last surviving cast iron and alloy road direction fingerposts.

There are 700 milestones in Cornwall – more than in any county – but the Milestone Society is worried about the disappearing fingerposts and wants the societies' help to photograph them with details.

"There were some wonderful fingerposts in Corwnall," Ian Thompson, of the Milestone Society, said when he won the Federation of Old Cornwall Socieity's backing on Saturday.

"They are a bit special and Cornwall's are rather different from others," he said.

The Romans had milestones. Parliament ruled that mileposts were compulsory on all turnpikes from 1767, not only to inform travellers of direction and distance, but to help coaches keep to schedule and for charging for changes of horses.

Most of the cast iron fingerposts appeared between 1890 and 1910 after county councils were given responsibility for main roads and district councils for minor. The posts were often made by local foundries.

They were still being erected in 1964, said Mr Thompson, but it was then decided to go "continential" with road signs. Cornwall kept many fiingerposts and the new survey is to establish where they were.

Finding the county's oldest, veteran and interesting trees.

The OCS, which has almost 3,000 members, has also been asked to join other groups in the closing stages of finding the county's oldest, veteran and interesting trees.

Leading the survey, Dr Loveday Jenkin, who is with the National Trust at Lanhydrock, said the database had opened three years ago with only four trees. Now there were 500 notable trees.

Among them is the half-remaining Darley Oak at Upton Cross, Liskeard, thought to be about 1,000 years old and one of the 50 oldest trees in Britain.

Dr Jenkin said the UK had more ancient trees than anywhere in Northern Europe. Cornwall was not known for great forests, but was fortunate that much of its medieval landscape had changed little, she said.

There were also estates and owners who had introduced foreign trees first in Cornwall.

The survey set out to find ancient and veteran trees with interesting stories. Various groups had helped, including schools. Some areas were named after trees, she said.

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West Briton February 23rd 2011

Details of Joan's Funeral.

Joan Rendell

Joan, the Writer of Werrington, is laid to rest

By name phone number

A TINY lady who became a larger-than-life figure in her local area and throughout Cornwall was laid to rest on Tuesday at the church where she had worshipped for most of her life.

The congregation, packed into the church of St Martin of Tours at Werrington near Launceston, sang the Cornish anthem Trelawney as the coffin of writer and historian Joan Rendell was carried to its last resting place alongside her parents and aunt.

As a mark of respect, the Cornish flag flew at half-mast from Launceston Castle.

Miss Rendell, MBE and Bard of the Cornish Gorsedd, died in a fire at her Yeolmbridge home last May, aged 89. Problems in making a positive identification meant the body could not be released for burial until a few weeks ago.

The Rev Barry Kinsmen from Padstow, a past president of the Federation of Old Cornwall Societies, gave the eulogy, saying Miss Rendell rightly described herself as "eccentric, fiercely independent, a law unto herself, strong and determined but with an ability to work intensely hard for long hours on her writing and interests."

Collection

She was the author of 30 books, mainly on Cornish subjects but also including matchbox labels, of which she had the world's largest collection.

She was born in Launceston, her father a St Austell man who worked for the Admiralty. She studied at Ealing School of Art and exhibited at the Royal Academy; the school was close to Ealing Film Studios, where she met many famous people, including actor Tyrone Power.

Her parents had Tremarsh built before the last war, and the bungalow was her home for the rest of her life.

During the war she was in the Women's Land Army and also became involved in the National Savings Movement.

A great traveller, she was among a small party allowed into Albania after the war, and in 1956 visited Hungary to see a matchbox factory.

She was Werrington's parish clerk for 63 years, always writing the minutes with a fountain pen in ink which matched her nail varnish, which she bought from Harrods.

She never stopped writing, and on the eve of her death was working on her 31st book, Launceston Through Time.

Some of her interests were unusual for a woman, said Mr Kinsmen. She loved to drive her Fiat 500 at speed around the Isle of Man TT track and was interested in the lives of the riders who died and the memorials to them.

Her interest in the slave trade may have been stimulated by a memorial in the church to Philip Scipio, an African who worked at Werrington Park.

An artist and skilled flower arranger, she was a familiar figure strolling the lanes of Werrington, exercising her beloved dogs or driving her little cars, starting with a Messerschmitt, then a bubble car and, in 1968, a Fiat 500, with no syncromesh gears, still in her garage when she died.

The secretary of Launceston Old Cornwall Society until her death, she was a former county president and a life member.

She was made a Bard for her services to Cornwall, taking the title Scryfer Werren, "Writer of Werrington".

Ms Rendell never drank anything but water.

Service

The service was conducted by Canon Geoffrey Pengelly, of Egloskerry, assisted by the vicar of Werrington, the Rev Kenneth Wakefield.

An arrangement of blue and gold flowers – the colours of the Launceston Old Cornwall Society – rested on the coffin and an arrangement stood at the chancel steps, from members of the Dunheved Flower and Garden Group.

In lieu of other flowers, donations were invited for Werrington Church.

FEDERATION OF OLD CORNWALL SOCIETIES

Dear All

THE LATE MISS JOAN RENDALL MBE

These are the details we have to date:

The funeral service for the late Miss Joan Rendell, MBE will be held at St Martin of Tours Church, Werrington, on  Tuesday, February 15, at 2 pm.  It will be  conducted by Canon Geoffrey Pengelly, assisted by Rev Kenneth Wakefield.  The eulogy  will be given by a Past President of  the Federation of Old Cornwall Societies, Rev Barry Kinsmen, of Padstow. Following the service  the interment  will  take place in the churchyard.

There is no village of Werrington as such.  The church  and vicarage lie on its own in part of the grounds of Werrington Park Estate, in the parish of Werrington.  There is only a small lodge across the road.

The parish of Werrington   lies about four miles from Launceston  on the Launceston to Bude road (B3254).  From Launceston make your way to the village of St Stephens and continue on past the church to Yeolmbridge,  continue  straight up the hill  to Ladycross.  By the school turn right by Ladycross Farm (signed to the church —  unfortunately the ‘c’ is missing  from the sign) and continue on  past the cricket  pavilion and then  you will reach the church.  Parking   is to  be provided in a near- by field.   Would those attending   please write their names on a piece of paper (with titles  — Mr and Mrs, Mr , Mrs, Miss etc  with initials and  if they are representing   a branch or an individual) and hand it to the reporter at the  door.  

Instead of flower, donations are invited for  Werrington Church and may be given at  the service  or sent to Mr G F Gubbin, Funeral Director,  Penlaurel Bungalow, Langdon, Launceston, Cornwall. PL15 8NL.

Following the service refreshments will be served at Ladycross  Methodist Church Schoolroom, opposite Ladycross Farm.

For all those wishing to attend, it is advised that you get to the church early,  as only a few pews are to be reserved, and a large attendance  is expected

In due course the local paper ‘The Cornish and Devon Post,’ will  print a full account  of the funeral, listing all present.

Yours sincerely

Pauline Hope

Scouts looking for ideas to raise funds for Cornish Tarton Kilts

Dear Mr Pritchard,
 
This is a bit of a long shot. I'm trying to assist my son and his friends and thought that you or other members of the OCS might have some bright ideas ...... 
 
To cut a long story short:
 
This summer 36 young people from all over Cornwall  are travelling with their leaders to the World Scout Jamboree in Sweden, to represent the County and, with hundreds of others, the UK. More information can be found at http://wsjkernow.com/default.aspx
 
The youngsters - boys and girls aged 14 to 18 - have voted to have kilts in the Cornish tartan as part of their formal uniform for the jamboree and beyond; a supplier has been found and they have all been measured. The youngsters are unbelievably enthusiastic and proud to be able to identify themselves as Cornish in this way.
 
The leaders have applied for a grant for the £6k it will cost to kit everyone out (above the £2000 per head that the youngsters are already madly trying to raise). The leaders are  reasonably optimistic that the grant will be successful, but I am looking for sources of funds for a 'Plan B', in case the grant is not forthcoming, or is not available in time for the kilts to be made.
 
My request to you is whether you know of
 
i) any trusts or charities in Cornwall that we could apply to, or where I might find information on such trusts or charities
ii) any companies/employers who we might approach for support - for example those who are also strongly associated with Cornwall, or may have supported similar causes in the past. We are in touch with a couple of obvious candidates (eg Ginsters - see the group's badge for the obvious link at http://wsjkernow.com/SUPPORTUS.aspx)
 
I'd be very grateful for any suggestions or ideas, if that would be possible.
 
With many thanks in anticipation,
 
Ruth Weaver (mother of Will Reis, aged 15, part of Cornwall contingent for WJS22)
 
9 Gallacher Way, Saltash phone 01752 840901

The Federation Winter Festival was a great success this year and a report and photographs appears on the Events page .

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Two new books have been added to the Federations publications list. The first is "Angletwich & Poppydock" a book of Dialect stories, rhymes, sayings and words and the second is a book of Cornish carol music with words from the Redruth, St Agnes District. Both retail at £5 and are available from our on line shop. They will also be available at the Winter Festival.

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What did you call it?

Tony Mansell the Recorder for the St Agnes OCS is asking for help with some research. If you were brought up in Cornwall then please take a few minutes to answer by clicking on our Message Forum

Tony tells me that he has had over 40 replies so far. If you can help please get in touch with him.

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