INTRODUCTION
New Material.
The main focus of this website is to give to the wider public material on Harvington, which would not otherwise be available, such as Bailey's History of Harvington and the Millennium Souvenir. One of the great tragedies for history is its unrecording or loss, which includes both historical documents and folk memories.
Additional material is welcome.
Our ancient hamlet sweet by Alice Mary Cook from a local publication along with this photograph.
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THERE WASN'T so many folks as knowed
About our village afore it growed,
’Cept Arthur Mee who said ‘twas a sight
Of the pictureaskew in black an' white,
An' 'ceptin’ them artists as come to paint
The village as was. But now it ain‘t.
Cos why? Well, no repairs was done
To the “sweetest 'amlet under the sun.”
Them artists wanted it kep‘ that way:
To touch it would be a crime, they'd say.
So things were gettin' worse than bad;
Just ’alf a roof was what some folks ’ad.
But this could give us a lovely view
Of the midnight stars a-peepin' through.
An' sometimes, now l laughs to tell,
A rat ud come peepin‘ through as well.
The rain come drippin’ on our ’eads
An' toadstools grew a-side our beds;
The roofs got a-fallin' now and then,
An' buried many a scrattin‘ 'en.
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“Don‘t alter it," one more artist said,
With tears a-streamin’ from his ’ead.
So. in case 'is tender ’eart should break,
Nobody no repairs would make,
That‘s ’ow our ancient 'amlet sweet
Become just ruins each side the street.
Then along eomes one o' them sanity blokes,
What looks into your drains and pokes.
We ‘adn‘t no drains for 'im to smell
But the ditches we‘d got did just as well.
So, bein' a knowin' kind o' man,
’E said we needed a 'ousin‘ plan.
My grandad. what was a 'undred an' more,
Said us all knowed that ninety yea afore.
So they swep’up the ruins o’th" 'amlet sweet,
Built lots of 'ouses and made a street.
They even put ’ouses down the lanes,
With water laid on to taps an' chains.
Them artists? They upped an' mumbled
toodle-oo,
For our little old village ain' now on view.
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In 1868 there was a curious old custom still observed at Harvington; the children used to go round to all the houses on St Thomas's Day and St Valentine's Day repeating a doggerel rhyme as follows:-
'Wissal, wassail, through the town,
If you've got any apples throw them down,
Up with the stocking and down with the shoe,
If you've got no apples money will do.'
Recorded by Mrs Edith Towers when a child sang it at her door at Firbank in 1910.
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BIBLIOGRAPHICAL SOURCES
MANUSCRIPT SOURCES:-
- A History of Harvington, by Marjorie Bailey: published on this Website
- Churchyard Memorials, by Rev James Davenport: manuscript dated 1920: reproduced on this Website.
- Harvington Transported Through Time, by Phil Bawn, 2012: now reproduced on this Website
- Harvington's War Dead, by A.W. Stephens: produced around 2010: reproduced on this Website.
- History of Harvington, by John M Winterburn: Published privately 2001: reproduced on this Website.
- National Archives: a major source of material at Discovery National Archives.
- Our Village, by Marjorie Bailey: a church guide: reproduced on this Website.
- Parish Registers 1573-1812, by Rev James Davenport: manuscript dated 1920: reproduced on this Website.
- Parish Registers 1813-1929, by Julian Rawes: transcribed in 2017: reproduced on this Website.
- Worcestershire Archaeological Service, A pdf document covering of their records Harvington up to 2015.
PUBLISHED SOURCES.
- A History of the County of Worcester: Volume 3: published by Victoria County History, London, 1913.
- An Illustrated History of the Ashchurch to Barnt Green Line, by R.J. Essery: published Oxford Publishing Company 2002. Description of
- Evesham & the Neighbourhood, an Official Guide 1921. Drawing of a Harvington property on page 105.
- Harvington AD 2007: published by Bramley Barn Publications 2008.
- Household Almanack: published by W & H Smith 1972. Street Directory.
- Postcards, A number of postcards were published in the early years of the 20th century. Most have been reproduced on this Website under Pictures.
- Rural England, by P.H. Ditchfield: published Dent Books 1912. Photograph.
- The Vale of Evesham by Josephine Jeremiah: published by Phillimore 1997.
- The River Avon, a pictoral history, by Josephine Jeremiah: published by Phillimore 1999.
- The Buildings of England: Worcestershire, by Nikolaus Pevsner: published Penguin 1968.
- The Church & Parish of St James the Great, Harvington, A Millennium Souvenir: published Barn Green Press 2000.
station, plus four photographs and map.
- The King's England: Worcestershire, by Arthur Mee: published Hodder & Stoughton 1938. A small section plus two photographs.
- The Rural England of A.R. Quinton: published Salmon 1978. One painting.
WEBSITES RELATING TO HARVINGTON:-
- British History Online
- Harvington Memories. This excellent page on Facebook is well worth viewing.
- Harvington Neighbourhood Plan
- A Vision of Britain through time
MAIN CONTRIBUTORS without whom this site could not have developed as it has:-
Andrew Bailey, Phil Bawn, David Bishop, Hilda Brazier, Mike Clements, Sue Coley, Alice Cook, Steve Cook, Tom Cook, Jess Fairs, Annette France, Roderick Grub, Mike & Sheila Harris, Ian Lambert, Janet Lowe, George & Moreen Marshall, Bob Maud, Peta Millard, Peter Newman, Shirley Porter, Terry Prudden, Angela Raby, John Redmond, Harry Reynolds, John & Barbara Shailer, Rosa Smith, Kim Somerville, Alan Stephens, Zoe Stephens, Edith Towers, Will Winterburn.
Julian Rawes, Crooked Walls, Harvington
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