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Arborfield
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Memories
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The Jeacocke family's involvement with St. Catherine's Church, Bearwood
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(We are grateful to Edith Jeacock, of Shrivenham Local History Society, for writing this article for 'Berkshire Old and New', issue 1, 1983) An Arborfield Tale Have you heard of ‘rough music’, or the simile ‘like a tom-tit on a round of beef’, or heard of a man getting a turd in his tea? I learnt of all three when joining the group studying old documents at the Berkshire Local History Association’s day conference one Saturday in October 1981. My particular document (BRO reference D/EW1 L3) concerned the case of certain labourers from the Arborfield area accused of inciting a riot outside the small farm of Mr. Goble, who had been found striking his wife with a stick. Her offence was the evenings and nights spent at a neighbour’s by the name of Mr. Chandle, so Mr. Goble did appear to have a degree of grievance. It is possible, however, that the labourers were encouraged to riot by the local landlord, stirring up trouble against Goble’s landlord. The labourers pleaded that they were only following a custom of the neighbourhood called ‘rough music’, which took place when a man resorted to violence against his wife. The men rang sheep bells, blew horns and banged pieces of iron outside the house to support the wife against the husband’s lack of gallantry. When the ‘rough music’ continued for seven nights, however, the neighbours intervened and abuse and argument followed. Certain people were examined by lawyers for the landowners as witnesses, and amongst them was Richard Clark from Bearwood, who received a letter from an anonymous woman so full of lively abuse that I quote it in full. The envelope has written on it, ‘Richard Clark at Mr. Walters Garden House, Bear Wood. With Speed’, and the letter reads: ‘Richard Clark you must not be surprised of a few lines to you from one who is not such a fool as yourself and all the rest of you. I suppose you thought you was going to frighten the Arborfield young men but you was devilish mistaken. I wish they had given you a good ducking that’s what licktrenchers ought to have. I have not been to interfere with the Bear Wood fools not yet but I shall be there on Monday to meet all the Cowards at the wood. I shall see that five fools shall not fall upon one Arborfield man to tread his toes and scratch his face. As for that bit of a butler he looks like a tom tit on a round a Beef and there is George Hill another such a fool and Radband the same. I wonder that you are not afraid the timber falling upon you as you are Cutting it but I suppose the other men are oblige to instruct you as they see you are such a fool some delights in having a fool. As there is always one fool at play so I reckon you as such. So no more at present a friend to truth and a looker on I wrote it the postman brought it you paid for it law who would a thought it. Peep fool peep at your brother why shant one fool peep at another. I hope you will get served out for it. O you Cowards you bear Wood Cowards I hope you will get a good ducking for it you bear wood fools O you Cowards. If I was your wife you should not have a bit sugar in your tea I would put a turd in it to see if that would sweeten it that would make a Beautiful Flavour. From a friend of good understanding and not from a fool’. I’m sure Ms. Unknown felt much better after writing this! As for me, I decided that TV soap opera has nothing on the old documents in the BRO for entertainment value. Edith Jeacock Shrivenham Local History Society. (Note: Caleb Jeacocke was an Agricultural Bailiff on the Newlands Estate for much of the 19th Century.)
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