British Newpaper Archive and Chiselborough
by Simon Spurway
What is the British Newspaper Archive?
• National Lottery funded partnership between the British Library and ‘findmypast’ to digitise 40 million+ newspaper pages from the British Library's vast collection, running from 1603 to today.
How does it work?
• Keywords within the scanned pages of the newspapers are recorded. A search engine then allows you to input your criteria (eg Chiselborough) and presents you with a list of articles to download, each having a brief summary so that you know what to expect.
• You then temporarily download the articles of choice for viewing. The charge is 50p per article.
Can everybody use it?
• Yes! Simply Google ‘British Newspaper Archive’ and set up an account.
Can I keep the articles?
• In principle no, as the downloaded articles disappear after you leave the website. This however is when you find that the ‘PrntScr’ button on your keyboard has its uses, or alternatively use the Snipe tool in Windows. Beware however of copyright infringement should you forward/publish any articles.
Who owns the copyright for the articles?
• Originators or British Newspaper Archive
• The Chiselborough website cannot therefore currently exhibit any of the articles which is a shame. Presently, permissions would have to be sought to copy and re-use each individual article (impractical). We will however explore whether a ‘blanket permission’ could be obtained on the pretext of ‘academic research’.
Is there much on Chiselborough?
• Oh yes, nearly 3,000 articles. That should keep you busy!
• Dated from the early 1800’s through to today and largely taken from the Western Gazette.
What is in the Chiselborough newpaper archive?
• A fantastic wealth of reports allowing insights into Chiselborough’s social history by listing people, places, events and so on.
• Church, mission, school, club, farming, society, fair etc. event reports.
• Criminal event reports. As every family /social historian knows, criminals left the best historic records in the papers! To this day, the Western Gazette loves to fill column space with reports of the criminal courts. Well behaved people however leave little record of themselves.
• Acts of benevolence.
• Details of an annual horse race coming from Norton Sub Hamdon (or before), passing underneath Gawler’s Hill, over the Chiselborough water jump and progressing on to West Chinnock. Chiselborough inhabitants used to watch from the top of Gawler’s Hill.
• Medical events such as outbreaks of scarlitina (Scarlet fever) that killed five people and death from lockjaw following cart accidents. Most notable however are multiple reports, all linked to a Royal Medical Society paper of 1847, detailing the extremely high occurrence in Chiselborough of severe goitre (cretinism) and its associated gross enlargement of the thyroid gland, now known to be caused by a lack of iodine dissolved in the local spring water. The malady even had a name - ‘Chiselborough neck’. The paper describes Chiselborough village consisting of :
“..four perfect idiots, seventeen partial idiots, five deaf and dumb and the majority of the remainder with an obvious deficiency of intellect, having marked speech impediments and bronchial problems. Their stature was short, heads large and hairy, eyes sunken and lips flattened. Their walk was like the waddle of duck. Their imperfect appearance and mental duress inevitably resulted in the practice of intermarriage.”
• Events of local dignitaries such as Gawler and Phelips (Montacute House).
• Many of the non Chiselbough related events on the pages are equally as fascinating. For example, the passing of laws that facilitated the building of local railways.
Sadly, copyright prevents the copying and forwarding of actual articles. So, instead, parts of several articles have been abridged below to provide a ‘taster‘ of what you can find.
Chiselborough Fair, 6th Nov 1833 (Dorset Chronicle)
Chiselborough Fair was well attended and prices good. Wethers fetched 35s, lambs 18s to 25s, fat sheep 6s. There was an extraordinary pen of sheep grazed by Mr Dibble from the Stock of Alf Sampson
Cows die after eating yew, Nov 1833 (Wilts General Advertiser)
Mr John Pitt , of Chiselborough, near Crewekerne, has lost eight cows by eating cuttings of yew incautiously left in their field.
Horse Thief – 15 years’ Transportation, April 6th 1839 (Somerset County Gazette)
Somerset Lent assizes:
Wm Langdon, Chiselborough, indicted for stealing two mares, property of S. Murley, Chiselborough.
Samuel Murley : On 29th October found I had lost two mares from a field called ‘Brocklow’. From information received, went to stables of a man named Locke in Plymouth and found my mares.
Wm Locke: Was at Totnes fair on 30th October where I bought two mares from Wm Langdon and associates, one called ‘Bristol Jack’.
John Coombes (Constable, Dorchester) : Had a warrant for Langdon and arrested him at Charminster and took him to magistrates immediately. Langdon admitted that he met with Locke, Bristol Jack, Wm Betty and a Mr Giles and wished them to go to a field in Chiselborough. They went with him, took the horses and rode off to Totnes fair. Locke bought the horses and they divided the money Betty £5, Giles £5 and after expenses the remainder split to Bristol Jack and himself.
Joseph Bishop : am a farmer living in Chiselborough. Have known prisoner for 25 years; he is a blacksmith. Never knew any harm by him.
Verdict - Guilty
Sentenced to 15 years transportation to Australia.
Canadian Lantern Lecture, 19th Nov 1909 (Western Chronicle)
An interesting lantern lecture on Canada was given in the schoolroom. The slides were lent by Mr S Benson of Loudon, on behalf of the Quaker Oats Company, the lantern was manipulated by Mr M Chesshire.
Chiselborough Clothing Club, 21st November 1884 (Western Gazette)
The annual sales of Chiselborough Clothing Club took place in the School room. The goods were supplied by Mr Denner of Yeovil.
Ruffianism, May 6th 1870 (Western Gazette)
Chiselborough parish seems notorious for its ruffianism. Two or three times lately, Miss Lydia Greenham has had her windows smashed wantonly by stones. On the last occasion, only a few nights ago, two large stones were thrown through her bedroom window.
Chiselborough Club Supper, 3rd January, 1890 (Western Gazette)
On Christmas Eve, members of the Chiselborough Friendly Society celebrated their anniversary by partaking a supper together at the New Inn. Mr and Miss Fano served up an excellent supper for the fifty members.
Otter Killed, 22nd April 1887 (Western Gazette)
A fine young otter was deliberately killed at Byme bridge, Chiselborough.
Distribution of coal, 14th February, 1879 (Western Gazette)
Distribution of coal at the nominal rate of 3d per cwt (and in the case of the needy altogether free) was made this parish at the instance and cost of rector Rev C Newell. Messrs Templeman and Pitt kindly hauled.
Scarlatina (Scarlet fever) 15th February 1859 (Sherborne Mercury)
..above average deaths recorded due to the prevalence of scarlatina at Chiselborough (five deaths).
Yeovil Murder of PC Cox, 22nd January 1877 (Edinburgh Evening News)
A West Coker butcher called Vagg was passing Stump Stone, a deep cutting in Chiselborough, when two men walked into the road and hailed him. Having an idea who they were, he persuaded the exhausted wretches to jump into his cart so that he could drive them to Yeovil and offer themselves for arrest.
Opening of new Congregational Mission Room, 5th April 1878 (Western Gazette)
The new Congregational Mission Room, connection with the Somerset Evangelist Society, was opened for divine worship Tuesday.
Horse race, March 1879 (various newspapers)
… Swordsman slightly increased his pace and came much closer to Emperor, and both horses took the Chiselborough water jump together and cleared it splendidly. Both horses kept well together for the next two fences ….
… Weathercock increased his lead. On coming to the paddock Oona pulled up and left the race to the other four. On reaching the Chiselborough jump the positions were the same. Weathercock seemed to slightly stumble after the jump…
Goitre in Chiselborough, 1840’s (various)
Cretinism has been discovered in Somersetshire in the land locked village of Chiselborough. Amongst 400 inhabitants there are 24 dwarfed, swollen, idiotic victims of mental and bodily disease.
The majority of these victims are three (German) feet high, corpulent, bloated with misshapen heads , turgid lips and flattened noses.
Church Thanksgiving, 11th Sept 1870 (Southern Times and Dorset County Herald)
A thanksgiving service for the ingathering of the harvest was held in the parish church on Thursday evenight last, when Rev Newell, Rector, preached appropriate sermon.
School Examination, 13th Nov, 1874 (Western Gazette)
The Diocesan Inspector Rev Mitchell recently examined the school and reported as follows: A school of young children, none over standard 3, answering for the most part well for their ages.
School Treat, 7th August 1868 (Western Gazette)
The scholars of Chiselborough National school had their annual treat on Thursday thanks to their kind friend Rev Newell, who gave them some excellent advice before they returned to their homes.
Concert, 25th April 1873 (Western Gazette)
A concert was given in the school room through the instrumentality of Mrs Newell. There was a numerous attendance including Mrs Phelips and party of Montacute House.
Divine Service, 10th July 1855 (Sherborne Mercury)
The inhabitants of Chiselborough were enlivened on Wednesday last, by having a peal rung on their church bells by four brothers, residing in Chiselborough, whose united age was 301 years.
…and my favourite, a classic of provincial newspaper reporting :
Remarkable Duck’s Egg 21st Nov 1896 (Chard and Ilminster News)
A duck belonging to Mr T Mudford of Chiselborough laid a large egg, which not only contained a double yolk but also a perfectly formed hard shell egg of ordinary size.