PAGE SIX
THE HIGHER
THE FEWER
There’s Always Plenty of Room
At The Top
By
NANCY J. MIDGETT
It's a lovely, sunny day today
with just the right quantity of nip
in the air to make one feel full of
vim and vigor, so let’s take a
walk. It is a long way I’m taking
you, so take it even and easy
and we’ll cover a lot of ground;
are you ready?
First we can just ignore some
3,500 miles of water and start off
in the county of Surrey, England.
I’ve walked about these parts
many an hour and day and I can
promise you that if we do get
lost, a few more hundred yards
or miles of walking will bring us
to a cottage, farm or house where
some kind soul will tell us the
way, or if we have food in mind
and sun is near noon, we can make
for a main road and in not too
many minutes a bus will be along,
the destination board of which will
tell us where we are heading and
the vehicle itself supply quick
transport for our turns.
There are many places we may
visit, each with the haunting air
<Jf many yesterdays, yet full of
the present energy of life with
beauty in each changing season
and always the promise that
round the next coppice, the next
bend of the woody road or over
the crest of the hill we climb, there
will be a lovlier and wider view
to urge us on to explore. To name
some spots along the way, there
is Brook, The Warren, Silver -
Wood, Shere, Coombe Bottom,
Juniper Hill and the Silent Pool
and many, many others.
Today we start from the little
hamlet of Shere, formerly spelt
Schur and Sheere which is the only
place of the name in the world
and needs no telegraphic code un
less some community has been sb
named in the comparative last few
years, that is the last forty years
or so.
We go up the road to Shere
church and take the field path on
the right opposite the church,
keeping straight ahead past the
forking paths, across two fields to
Burrows Lane. Turning to the left
down the lane we come to the
little village of Peaslake al>out a
mile further on. The sky is blue
and new washed by the spring
showers and though the tree buds
are swelling, very few green
leaves are showing except in the
sheltered places; the yellow of
primroses makes pools here and
there by the road sides, in the
woods and climbing the rounded
hill sides like the mottled shadows
cast by passing clouds, it seems
as if they too wish to see what
is on the other side of the hill.
The fields are freshly plowed
ready for the sowing and the birds,
hungry after a hard winter, are
searching the furrows for food.
Passing the village pond at
Peaslake we go up the hill aiM
across the common to the church
of Holmbury St. Mary and from
there we turn right down onto the
road by the Holly Bush Tavern.
Three hundred yards from there
we take a pathway on oui - left
across Pasture Wood to the road
to Leith Hill, which we cross and
continue on a path between cot
tages, across the common (com
mon grazing land) to Friday
Street, a tiny and out of the past
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community. There we turn right,
along the path to Leith Hill and
from there take a long look at
the lovely view while we relax.
When rested we back track to
Friday Street and by footpaths
to Abinger Hammer and Gomshall,
we return to Shere, the White
Horse Inn, a large, satisfying tea
and a lazy evening before bed.
It is good to know something
of the history of the country side
through which we walked, so here
is what information I have at my
disposal about two of the places
mentioned.
“Leith Hill is the most ele
wated hill in the south-east of
England. On the top of the hill
is a Tower, commanding a very
extensive view. Some compute the
distance of the circumference (of
the view) at 260 miles and from
it can be discerned 12 or 13 coun
ties, with part of the sea through
Shoreham Gap. The Tower was
completed in 1766 by Richard Hull,
Esq., of Leith Hill Place, on part
of the wasteland of Wotton Estate,
granted to him by Sir John
Evelyn, Bart, on certain conditions.
It bears on the west side the fol
lowing inscription, showing - the
purpose for which it was built:
(Translated from the Latin) —
“That you, traveller, may see the
County happy on every side, this
Tower, visible from afar, was built
at the expense of Richard Hull,
Esq., of Leith Hill Place, in the
reign of King George 111, A. D.
1766, not solely for his own pleas
ure, but for that of his neighbors
and everybody.”
“Mr. Hull was, by his own direc
tion, buried under the Tower and
within the building on the east
wall is a tablet of Portland Stone,
thus inscribed: “Underneath this
floor lieth the body of Richard
Hull, Esq., a native of Bristol, who
departed this life, January 18th,
1772, in the 83rd year of his age.’
“Till the year 1796, the building
served as a Prospect Tower, in ac
cordance with the wishes of Mr.
Hull; the privilege, however, was
thought to be abused, and it was
said to have been a harbour for
vagrants and smugglers, so about
1796, the entrance was closed up
at the instigation of W. P. Perrin,
Esq., of Leith Hill Place, and the
neighbouring gentry.
“It was found in this state in
1863, when the Lord of the Manor
had it re-opened. Thus the found
er’s wishes were again respected,
but the Memorial tablet remains
buried beneath Mr. Perrin’s ce
ment.
“During some excavations on
Leith Hill in 1837, an earthen jar
was discovered containing three
sovereigns of Henry VIII, who is
represented on his throne, four of
Edward VI (two without crowns),
one of Queen Elizabeth, a rose of
Henry VIII; and twenty angels of
the same reign. These coins are
now preserved in Wotton House.
Regarding the village of Abinger
Hammer, a lovely little place
where I have spent many a relaxed
hour over a good tea with water
cress grown in' the Inn’s own cress
beds, the records show much his
tory that in its day would produce
anything but peace and quiet for
those living near to.
“Before the discovery of coal,
the greater portion of the Iron
foundry of England was carried
on on the edge of the ancient
forests of Sussex, but as the for
ests became destroyed through
the advent of agriculture, and
from the making of Charcoal,
which was used in the Sussex
blast furnaces, so the industry of
working in Iron penetrated grad
ually North until the Valley of
the Tillingbourne in Surrey be
came one of the centres, if not
the centre of English Iron found
ing.
“The name Hammer indicates
that it was a spot, close to the
hamlet of Abinger where the Til
lingbourne provided the motive
power for the tilt-hammers, and
the bellows of the blast furnaces
of the local Iron foundries; and
today can be seen portions of the
Surrey Iron Foundry at the Dork
ing, or eastern end, of the marsh
ground, just where the Builder’s
Saw Pit is situated.
“Where excavations for build
ing and other purposes have been,
and are made, in the vicinity of
the Saw Pit, a layer of furnace
clinkers has been exposed, which
owing to the amount of iron still
remaining in them (through the
crude and rough and ready method
of its extraction), have by the ac
tion of rust, wielded themselves
together into a nearly unbreak
able mass. Those clinkers, even if
there was no other evidence, are
silent witnesses to the exact site'
where, stood Abinger - Hammer-
Forge.
Regarding to Hatch Farm
House, a local residence, the rec
ords tell us that “Judging from
the older portion of this house,
there is every indication that the
Hatch Farm House was built at
the time of Henry VII, and if not
by Bray himself (he having a
hobby for building and architec
ture), then by someone under his
direct orders. That he was the
proprietor of the Forge, is clearly
shown from the discoveries that
have been made from time to time,
lately at Merstham, of iron chisels
and hammer heads bearing the
rough sign of a Flax beater, which
was, and is, the heraldic deyice of
the Bray family, and the words
Abinger Forge.
—“ln two deeds, drawn up by
the then Sheriff of Surrey, Sir
William More, of Loseley Hall, a
Mr. Eldeston, Master - of Abinger
Forges, is called upon to contribute
large sums of money to provide
and fit out ships to prevent the
expected Spanish Armada from
landing troops on these coasts.”
“In the third record, a Mr.
Elkington of Abinger Forge, is in
Extra
Specials
3-750x16 new tires 60% off
list.
Used door glasses 41 thru 48
Ford-Chevrolet 2/3 off list
Used 16" Wheels $2.50
Used 15" and 16" tubes all
sizes $1.50
Seat covers as low as $3.50
Used starters and generators.
1947 Plymouth 2-door, $99.00
1947 Chevrolet 4-door, $99.00
1946 Ford Station Wagon,
$99.00 •
1940 Chevrolet 2-door, runs
good, new license, $50.00
/Uy7 ]
1955 Chev. Bel Air Station
Wagon, R&H, Power Glide
1955 Chrysler 4-door, like new
1955 Ford Custom, 2-door, R&H
O. D.
1954 Chevrolet 4-Door 210
Series
1954 Plymouth Belvidere, 4-
door, like new
1952 Dodge 4-door
1952 Willys Six, Station Wagon
1951 Dodge R&H, white tires
1951 Dodge 4-door, H
1950 De Soto 4-door, H
1950 Studebaker Champion
Coupe
1950 Plymouth 4-door, R&H
1949 Chrysler 4-door
1949 Chevrolet, 2-door, R&H
$125.00
1949 Chevrolet 2-door
1949 Mercury 4-door, R&H
1947 Chevrolet Coupe, clean
1941 Desoto 4-door, R&H
TRUCKS
1954 Dodge 54-ton Piekup
1953 Ford 54-ton Pickup
1953 Ford 54-ton Pickup, Like
new, R&H, spot Light,
De Luxe Cab
1953 Ford F-600 VB, Chassis
and cab 172” WB, 2-speed
axle
1951 Dodge 54-ton Pickup
1951 Ford Six 54-ton Pickup
1950 Chevrolet 1-tdn panel
1949 Chevrolet 54-ton Pickup
New 15 inch Wheels for
Chevrolet-Dodge-Ford
R. D. SAWYER
MOTOR COMPANY
Your FORD Dealer
Phone 116 Manteo
N. C. License No. 1969 1
THE COASTLAND TIMES, MANTEO, N. C.
the same year as the former two
deeds, haled up to Kingston and
fined twenty pounds for not pro
viding for the better upkeep of the
bridle paths and tracks of Surrey,
‘two horse loads of chalk, sand, or
clinkers for every horse load of
manufactured iron that was sent
from Abinger Forge. This same
Mr. Eldeston or Elkington and Sir
William More, the Sheriff of Sur
rey, met together in the Hatch
Farm in 1576 ‘to transact this
country’s welfare’; because there
is still preserved in Loseley Hall,
a letter from the Council of Queen
Elizabeth, dated from Hatfield,
which complains that great incon
venience had arisen from the man
ufacture of cannons, which being
exported into foreign parts, is
supplied to pirates haunting the
seas, and Sir William More was
ordered to visit the Iron Masters
of Surrey and forbid them making
any more.”'
Well now! having taken breath,
I do see that poor Elizabeth did
have her trials and tribulations
and home troubles to divert her
interest from Sir Walter Raleigh’s
‘Lost Colony’. Even when the world
was 'large and distances great,
things still worked “agin or afor”
and as since time began, just a
little happening away off starts
off a long, long chain of events.
ARCHIE BURRUS
SELF SERVICE FOOD CENTER
Phone 237 Manteo
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STUMPY POINT PERSONALS
Mrs. Nellie Payne, Mrs. Louella
Basnight and Juanita Montague re
turned from Wanchese and Eliza
beth City Thursday. Mrs. Payne
and Basnight visited their sister
and mother, Mrs. Lessie Twiford,
who is critically ill.
Mrs. Ruby Best, Mary Wise,
Minnie Wise and Melba Hooper
spent Monday in Washington.
Mrs. Florine Hooper and Phine
Wise attended the Woman’s So
ciety of Christian Service, N. C.
Conference in Durham.
Sgt. Bill Segriest and family
are spending a ten day leave with
Mrs . Segriest’s mother, Mrs.
Cecil Midgette.
Gaskill Payne of Norfolk spent
the week end here.
Mr. and Mrs. Melton Hooper of
Buxton spent several days at their
home here.
Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Twiford
spent Sunday with Mrs. A. T.
Twiford.
Mr. and- Mrs. Horace Hooper
and family spent the week end
with Mr. and Mrs. John Zachery
of Norfolk.
Mrs. Florine Hooper is visiting
Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Bell and Mr.
and Mrs. John Zachery of Norfolk.
Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Payne,
Chris and Mike, spent Saturday
in Washington.
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Porter of
Raleigh spent the week end with
Mr. and Mrs. George Payne.
Mr. and Mrs. Woodrow Best
were in Belhaven Friday.
Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Monette
were in Belhaven Friday, where
Mrs. Monette was admitted to
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Mr. and Mrs. Mack Brim were
in Elizabeth City Monday.
Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Payne spent
the week end in Norfolk with their
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FRIDAY, MARCH 30,
son, Dr. Wilbur Payne, and fam- '
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Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Payne and
children of Norfolk and Larry
Brinn, USCG, Elizabeth City,
spent the week end with Mr. and
Mrs. Neal Payne.
Thurston Midgett, USCG, is
spending some time here with his
family.
Mr. and Mrs. Ralph O’Neal were
in Engelhard Monday.
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