Welcome
Charney Bassett and the surrounding area has lots of fascinating history and stories; from the earliest times to the present day. This website has been developed in order to capture some of these for your enjoyment, information and remembrance.
Whoever you are reading this – a villager, someone from further away, a researcher or anyone else – you are most welcome. Enjoy browsing or, if you are looking for something specific, use the ‘Search’ box on each page.
What’s Happening?
This history website has been created and is maintained with the backing of the Parish Council. Work is ongoing and the website is promoted via regular updates in the Charney Chatter and via the email system.
With your help we can improve and develop this site further. If you have additional information or believe something is incorrect or inappropriate or would just like to let us know what you think of the website please contact the website managers Ian & Amanda Graham at charney.history@btinternet.com or contact one of our local historians joseph.ody192@btinternet.com .
And if you would like to know what’s new then see the updates list below Click to go directly to the page.
What’s new since 2024 October’s Charney Chatter?
What’s new since 2024 May’s Charney Chatter?
What’s new since 2023 November’s Charney Chatter?
- William Bath, curate in charge of Charney from 1882
- Rev John Bowles 1728
- Four photos of Rectory Farm House, August 1963
- Painting of the mill pond with buildings behind by Abraham Hulk Jnr, (1851-1922)
- More Receipts added, Charney Manor Field Rent 1958; Turkeys Rectory Farm 1956; New Road Garage; Southern Electricity Board 1960; General and Water Rates 1960.
- Letters potentially being the start of the development of Orchard Close 1960
- Ordnance Survey Map 1952, published by The War Office
- Rectory Farm Occupancy 1891 to 1950s
- Conscientious Objectors and the Peace Movement
What’s new since 2023 October’s Charney Chatter?
- USAF aerial photos of Charney 1944
- Various minor updates to Cherbury Camp and Charney Manor
What’s new since 2023 June’s Charney Chatter?
What’s new since 2022 December’s Charney Chatter?
- October 2022 Archaeology digs and survey reports
- Forward to the First Charney Bassett Parish Council Meeting 5th May 1952
What’s new since 2022 October’s Charney Chatter?
- Sliver Jubilee Lonely Hearts 1977
- Stephen Allen miller and publican of The Chequers 1871
What’s new since 2022 August’s Charney Chatter?
- House Occupancy – Timings (No7), Stoneleigh (Nos 8 & 9), Byways (Nos. 10,11 & 12), Brook Cottage (No. 14), Wick Cottage (No. 15), Adjacent Cottage to Wick Cottage (No. 16)
- Charney Archaeology update, presentation 18 July 2022
- 3D Laser Scans of Charney Manor and St Peter’s Church
What’s new since 2022 June’s Charney Chatter?
What’s new since 2022 May’s Charney Chatter?
- Updated Graveyard Plan and burial table
- Uncle Tom’s Cabin – a pottery fragment
- House Occupancy 1881-c1950. Remainder of Longworth Road added and some of Main Street including The Chequers and The Horn Inns
What’s new since 2022 April’s Charney Chatter?
- St Peter’s Church – The Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland
- House Occupancy 1881-c1950. Bridle Path and some of Longworth Road added
- Memories – Peter Davies
What’s new since 2022 February’s Charney Chatter?
- House Occupancy 1881-c1950. New Road 20, 23-33
- Gloucester District Land Registry Map c1910
- School Good Conduct Certificates 1924-1928: Harold Wheeler
- Cricket – West Indies touring side visit Charney July 1990; Cosmos Cricket Club
What’s new since 2021 December’s Charney Chatter?
What’s new since 2021 October’s Charney Chatter?
- Additional information on Yates from The Four Visitations
- Additional information on Dunch from The Four Visitations
- New page on Fettiplace from The Four Visitations
- Double Bell-cot and curious reference to a Brass – St Peter’s page
- Identification of the location of the picture of the W Cripps and Son photo
- Memories – Stan and Edwina Hodgkins, interview transcript 2011
- The Great Seal of King Edward VI for the sale of Charney Manor 1552.
What’s new since 2021 September’s Charney Chatter?
- Additional information and updates to Charney Manor page including Census and Register data to 1939
- Additional information to the Chapel in Charney Manor
- Additional reference (Keyser, Charles E. Publication date 1904) to the interpretation of the Tympanum in St Peter’s added
- Charney Fête Sept 2021
- Marriage of Charles Beesley and Ann Lyford 12th May 1842
What’s new since 2021 August’s Charney Chatter?
- Photo of Home Farm and the Coxes added to the gallery
- Charney Manor Census Data 1841-1881
- Larger Medieval Houses in the Vale of White Horse. By C. R. J. Currie A paper with lots of architectural detail about Charney Manor published in Oxeniensia Volume LVII (1992)
What’s new since 2021 May’s Charney Chatter?
- Friday 03 September 1943 VICTORY CHURN CONTEST CERTIFICATES OF MERIT FOR BERKSHIRE FARMERS, Manor Farm, Mr Akers
- Charney Youth Hostel? Reading Standard – Friday 09 April 1948
- Engagement announced of the Hon. R. G. Whiteley of Charney Manor, 1924
- Military Medal Award, 1916, Sgt. George F Shorter, Green Farm, The Green, Charney Bassett
What’s new since 2021 April’s Charney Chatter?
What’s new since 2021 March’s Charney Chatter?
- Maps: 1574, 1605, 1720
- Rivers Map, including the River Ock, illustrating Drayton’s verses
- Philip 1 Roman Coin
- Charney Feast 1995 Badge
- Additional information on WWII Evacuees
- School Mistresses additions
What’s new since 2021 February’s Charney Chatter?
- School Mistresses
- Card and more photos – Queen’s Diamond Wedding Anniversary and Charney Olympics 2012
What’s new since 2020 December’s Charney Chatter?
- Inland Revenue Finance Maps 1912
- Roman Coin (Elagabalus) and Roman Dividers
- Mr. Reginald Lester Pay – Death of a hero (towards the bottom of the page)
- Resistivity Surveys of Manor Farm Field and Grounds of Charney Manor
- Pandemic
What’s new since 2020 November’s Charney Chatter?
- Presentation, by The Choir, to Rev J Whitehurst March 1882
- Setting up Small Holdings in Charney – Sir William Anson, Bart., M.P., and Mr E. A. Strauss, M.P. arguing in ‘The Times‘ about the impact plus other commentary.
- Various newspaper articles including fighting after a Charney Feast and other fights!
- TENDERS for the Restoration of CHARNEY CHURCH 18 August 1877
- Floods at Charney June 1903
What’s new since 2020 October’s Charney Chatter?
- Fire at The Chequers 1923
- Football and Sports Meeting 1919
- Rev. James Williams, to hold the rectory of Longworth, with the chapel of Charney annexed: Kentish Gazette – Saturday 09 September 1769
- The Doors of the Stables were maliciously broke open and the Hair cut off the Manes and Tails of their Horses
- Last Monday night sixty-one fat sheep were stolen from the turnip fold Mr. Dewe, of Charney – and other stories
- Fire burning property of Mr. Dew, Mr. John Bunce, ‘a Mill upon River Ock’ in 1773.
- Bowling on The Green
- Charney Bassett WI meetings including 7th Birthday party and Annual Garden party
What’s new since 2020 June’s Charney Chatter?
- More information and additions to the Dewe family history page
- The layout of Charney Bouverie Pusey School Buildings
What’s new since 2020 May’s Charney Chatter?
- VE Day 2020, 75th Anniversary – photos
- Additions to The Horn Inn and additions to the publicans of The Chequers
- Newspaper Cuttings concerning The Horn Inn
- Photos of cache of old bottles
What’s new since 2020 March & April’s Charney Chatters?
- Archaeological Test Pits 1-4 Reports (The Green and Mill Cottage)
- Archaeological Test Pits 5-7 Reports (The Manor Tennis Court)
- Archaeological Test Pits 8 & 9 Reports (Wick Cottage)
- Clegg, Mineral Water Maker bottle
What’s new since 2020 February’s Charney Chatter?
- Act of Parliament (1832) to effect the sale to Philip Pusey the Manor or Lordship of Charney etc
- ‘New’ Village Hall vote – newspaper cutting Nov 1989
What’s new since 2020 January’s Charney Chatter?
What’s new since 2019 December’s Charney Chatter?
- Yate family history – updates and additions
What’s new since 2019 October and November’s Charney Chatter?
- Mini Quiz – an evening with the History Group 16th Nov 2019
- Manor Farm Aerial photo added to Memories of Manor Farm and Aerial Photos pages
- Additions to the Beesley’s family history page including Charles’ Will
- Aunt Sally 2019
What’s new since 2019 September’s Charney Chatter?
- Archaeological dig 2019 update
- List of Beesleys (pages to be consolidated in due course)
What’s new since 2019 August’s Charney Chatter?
- Yate (family histories)
What’s new since 2019 July’s Charney Chatter?
What’s new since 2019 June’s Charney Chatter?
- Operation Infatuate – William Miles WWII
- The Chequers – 1960s photo
- Lavatory Bucket Contents Disposal, 1950s Bouverie Pusey School
What’s new since 2019 May’s Charney Chatter?
What’s new since 2019 April’s Charney Chatter?
- Dunch Family History in Charney
- Gymkhana 1967 – Newspaper Clippings (last item)
What’s new since 2019 February’s and March’s Charney Chatters?
What’s new since 2019 January’s Charney Chatter?
- Apotropic Marks – taper burns
- Register of Electors 1919
- Installation of the Willow Spiral
- Floods of 1993
- John Hobson delivers papers on his scooter
- The Chapel in Charney Manor
- World Wars – additional pictures and text
What’s new since 2018 December’s Charney Chatter?
What’s new since 2018 November’s Charney Chatter?
- Report of the Charities Commission – Miss Mary Dewe’s Charity for Infant and Sunday School and Mary Dewe’s Charity for the Clothing Club
- Lists of those who served in the World Wars and Roll of Honour
- Engineering Drawings of The Mill, 1974 W Foreman
- Graveyard Inventory Updated
What’s new since 2018 October’s Charney Chatter?
What’s new since 2018 September’s Charney Chatter?
- New Road Pusey Estate Houses – Information added
- Reading Room – Map added
- Chronicon monasterii de Abingdon -reference and links added
- Charges for Letting School Premises in 1950 and Wedding Breakfast Charge for Mrs Bright in 1950 taken from the same table of charges
- Location and Approximate Layout of Bush Barn Airfield
What’s new since 2018 August’s Charney Chatter?
-
Who was the wife of Charles Beesley (1797- 1872)? A Detective Trail at bottom of that page
What’s new since 2018 July’s Charney Chatter?
- Restoration of St Peter’s Church in 1878 and the ‘discovery’ of the squint
- Scarecrow photos
- Family Tree – Descendants of Charles Beesley
What’s new since 2018 June’s Charney Chatter?
- Archery Club – do you know any others in the photo, if so let us know
- Iron Crosses – Nazerenes. More photos and information added
- The Manor Dig
- Beesley – Charles, James, John and the account of the infamous trial … convicted by chickens
- Women’s Institute – Two programmes added
- Wedding Breakfast Receipt – cost off set against a spare wheel!
- Photos ‘Then and Now’ – Green Farm
What’s new since 2018 May’s Charney Chatter?
What’s new since 2018 April’s Charney Chatter?
- Flint flakes and tools
- Ock/Millstream bridge then and now
- Ock/Millstream bridge photo – River Ock
- The Vale Islanders
- Unimportant Charney!, Parish Council (re) starts 1955 (?), Inspection of the Sewage Plant
- Cripps & Son Vehicle
- Memories of Vic Hodgkins between 1919 and 1939 and two poems
What’s new since 2018 March’s Charney Chatter?
- Memories of The Manor by Sheila Terry
- School: Photo c1966 added
- Council for British Archaeology village survey 1978 – a comprehensive overview of the village
- St Mary’s, Longworth, Parish Magazine – further years added re Charney
- Lyford Bridge over The River Ock and date stone – Pictures
- Vic Hodgkins – Royal Engineers – WWII
- Youth Club – Fundraising at Goosey’s feast and gymkhana 1985
- Memories of the early 1960s by Barbara Douglas
- Charney Manor Brochure
What’s new since 2018 February’s Charney Chatter?
- More years added to Longworth Parish Magazine Extracts
- The start of the Boy Scouts
- The Archery Club 1962 – under Newspaper Clippings
What’s new since 2018 January’s Charney Chatter?
- Henry Franklin
- St Peter’s Church – Ritual Protection Scratch Markings on Walls
- Minor additions to The School and Reading Room & Evening School
- Garages update
- The start of Charney Chatter 2004
- The Mill – news items
- The Playing field – news article
- Village College – End of term for French Class
- Lillie Bungay
- St Peter’s Church – Organ
- Youth Club – additions
- John Luker – WWII
What’s new since 2017 December’s Charney Chatter?
- Longworth Parish Magazine – 1892 when Charney was included for the first time
- Reading Room & Evening School
- Thiepval Memorial
- The Graveyard and Burials
- Never absent, never late, August 1907
What’s new since 2017 October and November’s Charney Chatter?
What’s new since 2017 September’s Charney Chatter?
- Archaeological Digs
- Bus shelter misuse
- Snow in Longworth Road 1976
- Retirement of George Mills, Churchwarden, early Summer 2000
- Majorettes at the Fete
What’s new since 2017 August’s Charney Chatter?
- The Queen’s Jubilee 2002 and Charney Olympics 2012
- Football
- Orchard Close Sales Brochure
- School photo added
- Frederick, William and Ernest Franklin, WWI plus other additional text
- Riots in Charney
- Aerial photos added
- Planting the Turkey Oak for the Queen’s Jubilee, 2002
What’s new since 2017 July’s Charney Chatter?
- Self-guided summer History Group village trail
- The sale of The Manor 1924
- Charney Bouverie-Pusey School Log Books
- The Green – Contract for sealing the road
- ‘Contract for repairs to machinery and fitting of a new water wheel at Charney Mill 1910’
What’s new since 2017 June’s Charney Chatter?
- Addition to WW2 loophole and spigot mortar
- Lancaster Bomber explosion damage to St Peter’s Church
- Addition to Charney Manor
- A few photos to Feasts and Fetes
- Photo to Stevens Garage and Aerial Photos
What’s new since 2017 May’s Charney Chatter?
- The Chequers at Pendon
- New and updated St Peter’s Church Bells Restoration photos
- Village Hall Appeal Letter
- Historic Churches Preservation Trust Letter and Photos
What’s new since 2017 April’s Charney Chatter?
- The Slate Club – under recent history, Charney Life
- Village College – under recent history, Charney Life
- A little more on Bush Barn Airfield & WW1 rationing book – under World Wars
- Youth Club – under recent history, Charney Life
- More photos – under The Gallery
- Parish Records from 1617 to 1974 – under Buildings and Structures, St Peter’s Church, Records of Baptisms, Marriages and Burials 1617 to 1974 and under Resources
- Various receipts – under Garages and also Resources, Receipts
- More Newspaper Cuttings – under Resources
- Additions to Feasts – under Charney Life
What’s new since 2017 March’s Charney Chatter?
- The River Ock – under recent history
- Map of the allotments – under Charney life
- More School photos
- Cricket Photos, Names added
- More on The Chequers and The Horn Inns – Under buildings and Structures
- Imperial War Graves Letter – under St Peter’s, Monuments
- Aunt Sally Winners – Under Charney Life, Aunt Sally
- Newspaper Clippings – Under Resources
What’s new since 2017 February’s Charney Chatter?
- Cricket pitch plan – under Charney Life/Cricket Club
- Text on the restoration of St Peter’s – Under Buildings and structures/St Peter’s/Restoration
- Photos from 2009 Feast
What’s new since 2017 January’s Charney Chatter?
- Various small additions and more photos across the site
- Memories of Michael Cox – Under Charney Life, Memories
- Saxon Brooch – under Finds in Fields/Gardens/Rivers
- Quiz questions, answers, winners – under Resources/ Quizzes
What’s new since 2016 December’s Charney Chatter?
- Ridge and Furrows – Under Lumps and Bumps
- Various additions to St Peter’s Church, Charney Manor and the Village Cross
- Restoration of St Peter’s Church Building
- Restoration of the Bells of St Peter’s Church
What’s new since 2016 November’s Charney Chatter?
- Recollections from Manor Farm – Under memories
- Updates to World Wars page
- Women’s Institute – Under Charney Life
- Cricket Club – Under Charney Life
- Photos added to CADS, May Day, Feasts, Charney Club – All under Charney Life
- Electricity arrives – Under Memories
- Minutes of Smallholders’ Meetings – Selected Extracts – Under Smallholdings
- Mass dial and other additions – St Peter’s Church
- Village Cross sundial updates
- Vehicles – under Charney Life
- School punishment book
What’s new since the launch of the website on 19th September 2016?
- Aerial photos
- A condensed obituary of William Shippery – under Wesleyan Methodist Chapel
- Field names – on the Maps Through Time area
- Lumps and Bumps – all sorts of ring ditches, bronze age barrows, prehistoric pits
- Loads more photographs in the Photo Gallery
How it began
Several local residents were known to hold a wealth of knowledge about the history of the village, some of which could provide a starting point for research, linked to external sources of expertise and evidence.
However, informal approaches to put pen to paper did not bear fruit.
It was a decision by the Parish Council to appoint a communications team to: produce an electronic village newsletter, develop an email management system and re-launch their website which provided the necessary stimulus.
Feedback from residents revealed interest in including a history section on the village website. In late 2015 the communications team approached longstanding resident Joe Ody to host an exploratory meeting in The Chequers Inn.
Such was the interest that early in 2016 a village history group was formed operating on a less formal basis than a Society and utilising the Charney Chatter, email management system and the village website to help promote the Group, record information and provide a signpost to other sources of relevant information.
The enthusiasm, knowledge, and skills of those attending ensured the initiative took off at a pace. Bi-monthly meetings were held in the Chequers Inn for one hour. Individuals were asked to lead on topics of their choice and crisp action minutes ensured rapid progress was made. David Sibbert organised and facilitated the meetings which continue about every quarter.
It quickly became clear that with so much information coming to hand a separate linked website would be needed. The group recruited Amanda Graham who together with husband Ian developed a trial ‘history specific’ website.
A presentation was made to the Parish Council on 13 July 2106 followed by launch at a meeting in the Village Hall on 19 September 2016, attended by some 50 interested residents and invitees, and thought to be one of the biggest events held at the village hall.
A Christmas History Quiz and Summer History Treasure Hunt were also held, and we continue to get new enquiries, largely from people researching their family history, from all over the world.
A second open meeting was held on 5 July 2017 which resulted in 4 pilot archaeological test pits being dug on 15 September 2017, under the guidance of David Ashby, BA (Hons), MRes Archaeology, University of Winchester, the results of which are currently being evaluated.
The next steps?
In the near future the History Group and the Parish Council will address outstanding issues relating to continuity, accountability and how best this initiative might be taken forward in the future.
DS Nov 2017
(For the record the members the Group during this development period were:
Hugh Brookes
Barbara and David Douglas
Clive Dunn
Ruth Gerring
Amanda and Ian Graham
Elizabeth and Andrew Gunn
Mike Newman
Joe Ody
David Sibbert
Sheila Terry
Sue Wales
John Wright
The content comes from numerous sources and has been published with the best of intentions. It is correct to the best of our belief. Where links are provided to other websites we cannot guarantee or be responsible for the accuracy of the contents of those sites.
This website is owned by Charney Bassett Parish Council and is managed by a communications team working with the local history group. More information about the village of Charney Bassett can be found on the Parish Council village website www.charneybassett.org.uk