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1818 Pasturage to Let. Prosecutions for trespass.

Were the Vellacotts at Hoar Oak affected? The sale of the Royal Forest of Exmoor in 1818 caused some anxiety to those farming families who held century’s old Commoners Rights to take their cattle and sheep up on to the Exmoor Hills for summer pasturage.    In Roger Burton’s file of research notes – kindly gifted to the Friends for safe keeping – are two interesting references to newspaper articles at the time.   The first is from the 27th August 1818 and is a notice posted in the Taunton Courier by John Knight – the new owner of Exmoor – offering pasturage for a fee on Exmoor.   The notice reads:  ‘Exmoor Forest  Notice is hereby given, that the Royal Allotment on the above Forest will be CONTINUED as a PUBLIC SHEEP PASTURE.  The Price of the Summer Keep of Sheep and Lambs will soon be inserted in this paper.  JOHN KNIGHT.  Simons Bath. August 6, 1818.’ Clearly the new owner, John Knight, intended to keep earning income from farmers using their old right to use the Forest as ‘public sheep pasture’.  However, by October of the same year it looks like relations between Knight and the farmers have soured – or maybe this is just a warning shot from Knight across the local farmers’ bows.  In the October 29th, 1818 edition of the Taunton Courier the tone has changed slightly.  See below. This notice reads:  ‘Exmoor Forest.  Qualified persons are hereby requested not to destroy the GAME and FISH on the above forest.  Poachers will be punished as the law directs.  Those who cut turf, heath or commit any other trespass will be prosecuted without any further notice.  JOHN KNIGHT.  Simons Bath  Sept 30, 1818.’ Elsewhere on these newspaper pages can be seen several types of warnings to ‘qualified’ people to not do what they weren’t ‘qualified’ to do.  In this case ‘qualified’ would probably be more accurately read as ‘allowed’ to do……in other words those farmers allowed to take their beasts up onto the moor for summer pasture were not allowed to fish, shoot game, cut turf or heath or do anything else Knight deemed as trespass. These two little newspaper clippings cast an interesting insight into the shaky period of changeover from Exmoor Forest being a Royal Forest to becoming a private estate. During this period the Vellacotts of Furzehill had secured their foothold and rights by converting the shepherd’s hut they had built at Hoar Oak into a permanent cottage for Charles Vellacott and his new wife Elizabeth.  More on this link: https://hoaroakcottage.org/vellacotts-2  Their ‘allotments’ under the sale of the Royal Forest (Nos 279 and 280) meant they were fairly secure in terms of their security on Exmoor and with established rights to take turf and heath and water etc off the moor.   Presumably, however, they were just as susceptible to  prosecution for poaching deer and fish – if they got caught! Thanks to Roger A Burton for his research which led us to these two items.  Thanks to the British Newspaper Archive for use of images BL_0000348_18180827  and of BL_0000348_18181029. All Rights Reserved.  Follow this link to another blog which talks more about the costs for locals to pasture their beasts on Exmoor. Pasturage of livestock on Exmoor – hoaroak
Posted by Bette Baldwin
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Recording Womens History

As 2024 Women’s History Month draws to a close our last posting tells the story of one descendant of Hoar Oak Cottage and what happened when she tried to ‘tell her story’. In 1990, Edna Stevens submitted her memories of her Hoar Oak Cottage grandparents for publication in the Exmoor Review.  She always said that what she wrote and what was published were quite different and she’d always wanted the record put straight.  At the time Edna was already an elderly woman; she had hand written her memories on simple Basildon Bond notepaper and hadn’t kept a copy.  Sadly, Edna is no longer with us and won’t know that quite recently, one of her relatives, found her original letter in the Exmoor Society Archive and is now able to share it online.  We hope you find what she wrote of interest.  Memories of Hoar Oak Submitted by Edna Stevens to the Exmoor Society, June 1990 James Maxwell Johnstone was my grandfather.  He came down from Scotland in Nov. 1886 to work as a shepherd for Sir Frederic Knight and later, for the Fortescue estate.  Also my grandmother Sarah and their children Marion, Sam and Emily my mother.  They had to live in one of the wildest and most lovely parts of Exmoor – called Hoar Oak.  It was so lonely they had to be self-supporting. In those days their wages were low, but they had a cow or two and horses – also pigs and poultry – plenty of wood and peat for fires. Thank goodness my grandmother was a good cook – making bread, scones, cakes (Whortleberry pie and cream). Also butter and cheese.  The nearest small store was at Barbrook, which was a long walk over a rough track or ride horseback to Lynton. My grandfather was quite well educated – he taught the children quite a lot – they all worked very hard so life was never dull.  He had a great sense of humour, was a very good singer, they all sang the old songs (that are still remembered today).  Did the Scottish dancing. Can you imagine the impact it made with all the Scottish families getting together at Simonsbath. My mother used to play (outdoors?).  They were a large family, no money for toys in those days.  They had to make their own fun.  As Shakespeare said – “Find tongues in the Trees Books in running Brooks And good in everything thing.” No time for boredom, they broke in Exmoor ponies and rode the lovely hills – they also (went) past the Boundary Wall and played in the Old Cottage where years ago three or four Irish miners lived. Go on from there and get to Exe Head – Go right to the wonderful Chains.  They say you don’t know Exmoor unless you have walked across them.   Which I have done many times.  But oh those bogs.  I couldn’t do it now. The old track that passes Hoar Oak, was used years ago by men with Pack Horses coming from Challacombe going on to Furzehill, Barbrook then Lynmouth.  Before John Knight made the roads to get through from Simonsbath. I never knew my grandfather because he died in March 1904 at the age of 50 years.  He was ill only a short time and was buried at Lynton Cemetery.  Later the family lived at Lynton. For many years I have returned to Hoar Oak with my cousins and friends but now I cannot do the rough walk. The place has been turned into an old barn, which is sad – However my friend, Miss Frances Fry has done several paintings – before it was altered – Also I have many photos.  And Happy Memories of a wonderful place. By E. Stevens. Having sent in her letter and memories, Edna saw her contribution in print in the Exmoor Review.  It had been edited to read as follows: James Maxwell Johnstone was my grandfather.  He came down from Scotland in November 1886 to work as a shepherd from Sir Frederick Knight, and later for the Fortescue estate. He and my grandmother, Sarah, had three children, Marion, Sam and Emily, my mother.  They had to live in one of the wildest and most lovely parts of Exmoor, at Hoar Oak, so remote they had to be self supporting.  Wages were low in those days; but the family had a cow or two, pigs, poultry, and a couple of horses. There was plenty of wood and peat for the fires.   Grandmother was a good cook, making bread, scones, butter, cheese, and wortleberry pie with clotted cream. The nearest shop was at Barbrook, a long walk over a rought track, or on horseback to Lynton.  Grandfather was quite well educated, he taught the children, and they all worked very hard, so life was never dull.  He had a great sense of humour and sang well.  They all sang the old songs and did Scottish dancing.  Can you imagine the impact they made – all the Scottish shepherds’ families, getting together at Simonsbah, Scottish yarns, the Highland Fling, and the poetry of Robbie Burns, helped by a wee drap of whisky!  At the end of the party they rode home on horseback in the moonlight, the horses knew where the bogs were.  The old track that passes Hoar Oak was used years ago by men with pack horses coming from Challacombe, on their way to Furzehill, Barbrook and Lynmouth – that was before John Knight made the connecting roads from Simonsbath.  My grandfather died at the early age of 50 and was buried in Lynton cemetery.    One can see why Edna said, ‘they didn’t print what I wrote.’  Its not clear where the additional material about Scottish shepherds having parties in Simonsbath came from but it’s the two omissions which are fascinating.  Edna references Shakespeare’s play As You Like It and in using the well-known quotations about ‘Find tongues in trees’ and ‘Books in running brooks’ Edna captures beautifully how the Hoar Oak Cottage shepherd families lived in step with nature.  Nowadays a modern aspiration.  Then a simple fact of how life was lived.  How I wish for one more conversation with Edna to ask about that quotation.  The second omission is Edna’s reference to her friend and artist Frances Fry and her paintings of Hoar Oak Cottage made before the cottage was dismantled by the Exmoor National Park Authority.  The Friends of Hoar Oak Cottage have started to try and find these Frances Fry paintings.  As the last contribution for 2024 Women’s History Month, the Friends of Hoar Oak Cottage hope that in telling Edna’s lost story another bit of untold history about the cottage – the place and its people – can be shared and interesting new lines of investigation pursued.  Who knows what there will be to report in 2025!
Posted by Bette Baldwin
Agricultural History Exmoor Scottish Exmoor Links sheep Uncategorized

Pasturage of livestock on Exmoor

How much did it cost? The Friends continue to research the Scottish shepherds on Exmoor – how they came to be there and what their impact was.   One of the first known to arrive with a cargo of Scottish sheep was Gerald Spooner who took the lease of Winterhead Farm from John Knight in 1852.  More can be read about Spooner on this link    Gerard Spooner – hoaroak (hoaroakcottage.org)    One of the Scottish shepherds who came with Spooner was William Scott who went on to become John Knight’s Bailiff.  Recently, a research partner of The Friends, based in Scotland, found an interesting newspaper advertisement from 1865 that William Scott is advertising ‘pasturage’ on Exmoor – in other words charging farmers to take their cattle: bullocks, horses, ponies, sheep with and without lambs etc., up on to the Forest of Exmoor for a fee which ranged from 2/6 to £1 per animal.  Edward T MacDermot’s book, ‘A History of the Forest of Exmoor,’ gives an insight into this ancient practice and helps us to understand that the sale of pasturage to local farmers is a method to earn income from Exmoor which has a very long history.  McDermot records some of the charges for pasturage.  For example, in 1655, the charge would be 4d a head for sheep taken onto the Forest for pasture.  Equivalent to £1.73 in modern times.  MacDermot page 202 Knight’s purchase of the Royal Forest of Exmoor was part of an ambitious aim to introduce a modern agricultural reclamation project, but it seems the tried and true method of making the Forest pay – to charge local farmers to pasture their livestock on the moor – was still in place in 1865.  The advert from The Taunton Courier in April 1865 shows that Bailiff William Scott would be charging a fee of 2/6 a head for sheep in 1865.  Equivalent to £7.39 in modern times.  Hoar Oak Cottage began life hundreds of years ago as a one roomed shepherd’s cott used for the shepherd responsible for sheep taken up onto the hills of that part of Exmoor for the summer pasturage. MacDermot Edward T, 1973, A History of the Forest of Exmoor. Image courtesy of the British Newspaper Archive © Currency converter: 1270–2017 (nationalarchives.gov.uk)
Posted by Bette Baldwin
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Supporting Exmoor History Research

Last year, 2023, the Friends were pleased to support research undertaken jointly by the Universities of Plymouth and Exeter which sought to reassess how the ‘reclamation’ of Exmoor under the Knights should be considered.  This research, led by Leonard Baker, used information from two disciplines – archival material and paleoecological data.  Material held in the Friend’s archive, particularly the digitised and transcribed sheep diaries of Scottish Head Shepherd, Robert Tait Little, fed into this research project.  You can find out more about Robert on this link Robert Tait Little – hoaroak (hoaroakcottage.org) The researchers from Exeter and Plymouth felt that their findings enabled them to “position ‘reclamation’ within a sequence of long-term management practices that shaped these complex ecosystems” rather than reclamation being a one-off event of improvement during Knight’s heyday.  They say that “Revaluating the ‘reclamation’ of Exmoor using archival and palaeoecological data reveals critical differences between what historical actors wanted to happen, what they believed was happening and what was actually happening to local ecosystems.”  They explain that “Our work reveals that many of the schemes and projects that historians focus upon during assessments of upland ‘improvement’ were far less ecologically significant than previously assumed.” And that unfortunately, “this was not the exciting story of technological ‘progress’ and ‘conquest’ that the Knights, their agents, or subsequent commentators, wished for.” No doubt many – perhaps most? – of us have ‘bigged up’ what we or ancestors did and would like to be remembered by history in a positive light.  But this new research suggests the need to sometimes reassess what the historical record tells us.  The research team published in 2023 and their paper can be accessed on this link through Open Access Revolution and continuity? Reassessing nineteenth-century moorland reclamation through palaeoecological and archival research (tandfonline.com). *  It is a fascinating read and the same team are currently working on a book revisiting the reclamation of Exmoor story – due for publication in 2024.  For The Friends, it is a delight to be able to bring the record left behind by ordinary people, including Robert Tait Little, into this wider academic community.  His descendants are thrilled that his diaries have, all these years later, been dug into to help tell the ongoing history of Exmoor. *Distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.
Posted by Bette Baldwin
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Explore Your Archive December 2nd 2023

Theme:  Challenges – for the shepherd and the housewife. Two of the many, many challenges that would have face the shepherd, his wife and family who lived and worked at Hoar Oak Cottage would be – for the shepherd, protecting the sheep in winter and for the housewife, doing the laundry. From ‘The Housewife’s Poem’ by Mollie Hawcutt, written about Dorothy Little of Hoar Oak we learn that “She washed clothes in a boiler tub down by the river” and others have described the task of washing including a dolly and tub to agitate the clothes once out of the boiler.    Learn more here:  Dorothy Little and The Hoar Oak Cottage Housewife’s Poem The sheep stells seen on Exmoor, sometimes clearly visible, sometimes overgrown, were an introduction by Scottish shepherds to provide sheep with protection during the heavy snows of Exmoor.  More here:   Protecting sheep in winter – hoaroak (hoaroakcottage.org)
Posted by Bette Baldwin
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Explore Your Archive November 29th  2023 Theme UNIQUE

In the Friends of Hoar Oak Cottage’s social media sites – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – we have on occasion shared links to publications which explore the unique words and dialect associated with ‘old’ Devon including Exmoor dialect and terms.  For today’s theme ‘Unique’ we’d like to share The Friends archive of audio-visual clips about Hoar Oak Cottage and suggest a look at those by Jim Vellacott talking about unique aspects of life at Hoar Oak Cottage in his uniquely wonderful Devon accent. You can find the audio-video clips on this link . Jim loved sharing stories about his memories and times as a boy in and around ‘Fuzzhill’ including memories of Hoar Oak Cottage. And we loved hearing and recording them. Thanks Jim!
Posted by Bette Baldwin
Exmoor History Mining Uncategorized Vellacott

Mining in the Hoar Oak Valley

Stories and memories come in many shapes and this one is from a letter sent to the Voices Project by Roger Burton well-known Exmoor heritage author and North Devon mining expert.  Roger gave generously of his time and knowledge to the Hoar Oak Cottage Voices Project and after one meet up Roger got in touch and as he describes in his letter below, “the conversation triggered off something in the back of my mind concerning a mine and mining within the close proximity of Hoar Oak (in the mid-1850’s) which I had written up for the Exmoor Mine Research Group newsletter in July 2004.”

There is a long history of mining on Exmoor – well told elsewhere in books such The Heritage of Exmoor by Roger Burton; The Reclamation of the Exmoor Forest by Orwin and Sellick; The West Somerset Mineral Railway by Sellick to name but three.  However, this story starts with Roger reviewing letters from the Knight family estate which had been deposited in the Somerset Records Office in Taunton.

For the Knights, there was a strong desire to find other sources of income from Exmoor and mining was clearly considered a good option to pursue. This little collection of notes made by Roger Burton from estate managers’ letters from the Knight family collection relate to their attempts to resurrect an old mine at Hoar Oak which had already been used and abandoned by the 1850s.  A letter dated January 9th, 1856 states that:

“The mines at Hoar Oak have difficult ground to encounter but we are in hope of cutting the lode very shortly, the old lode has been cleared and the lode looks remarkably well. Vellacott* has cut through the lode which is showing it at the angle where Comer made his rapid turn to the east and it is 7’ to 8’ thick in clay, but has not seen any small stones of iron.”

Read more about the Vellacott family and their association with Hoar Oak Cottage here.

The next report is dated January 12th, 1856 and mentions that “Captain Morcambe and Trelease (Combe Martin Mine Captains) were at Hoar Oak yesterday. They were pleased with the appearance of the neighbourhood. The first cut old level is an unfortunate affair; it is run in again and some of the timber has given way. I have decided upon adopting the new level so far as it has been driven and then carry on a new level on the lode which is running north of Comers first or old level. The upper level is still going through hard ground; it will take many fathoms to reach the upper clays.”

By January 17th, 1856 it is being recorded that “They can’t take the timbers out of the first level; we are driving on north side without any timber” and on January 23rd that “The new level going well and 6 ft deeper than the old one” and on February 4th that “The Hoar Oak Miners driving new level at the Old Works the first one had nearly run together so no one could reach the end.” On February 12th it is reported that “The men are almost at the end” and by February 23rd that “Hoar Oak has reached old lode and there they well made a cross-cut to old mind workings.”

A sketch of the mine workings at Hoar Oak – included in a letter dated February 23rd 1856 – was included by Roger Burton in his notes to the Friends.  Although perhaps not very clear to us, it was no doubt very clear to the Mine Captains of 1856 what was being portrayed.

As mentioned on the sketch, the approximate location of the Hoar Oak Mine is at SS744 431 which puts it on the west side of the Hoar Oak Water and about 500 metres south of Hoar Oak Cottage.  Its intriguing to consider how much noise and disruption this mine would have caused the occupants of Hoar Oak Cottage.  Its not easy to pin down who was likely to be living at the cottage during the years of mining but it spans the 1850s which covers the occupation of the Moule family,  John Vellacott and then Mr Taylor.  It is entirely possible that the cottage – owned at that time by the Vellacotts and used to house their shepherds – may well have lain empty during this flurry of mining work.  It may have even been used to billet the miners in.  But if it was occupied by one of the shepherd families did the miners and other workmen benefit from cups of tea from the shepherd’s wife?  Maybe even a hot meal now and then?  Or were they just a nuisance to the Hoar Oak occupants trying to get on with their lives as sheep farmers and agricultural workers?  The letter from Roger Burton, including his notes taken in the Somerset Records Office, does actually mentions that ‘Vellacott had cut through the lode’ so perhaps one of the Vellacott family were actively trying to encourage this mining enterprise by doing some preliminary work for the Knights to establish the old mine at Hoar Oak could be made viable.   It would have been a much richer source of income than simple sheep farming.  The extract from the old map below – Ordnance Survey Maps – National Library of Scotland (nls.uk) – shows the site of the mining works identified by ‘iron workings’, ‘adits’, ‘spoil heaps’ etc below Gammon’s Corner.

On February 23rd 1856, it is recorded that “Hannay visited Hoar Oak and was pleased with clays and ores in the sample room. Lode of clay and ironstone is 5 ft wide.” Roger Burton tells us that this Hannay is almost certainly from Schneider and Hannay and a quick Google search shows them to be an active mining concern, Schneider, Hannay & Co,  in the mid-1800s.  Burton also notes that the Hoar Oak Mine formed part of the sett* leased to Schneider and Hannay on the April 3rd, 1856 but there is no evidence that that mining company ever actually worked the Hoar Oak mine and that, in fact, all previous work there had been carried out by employees from the Exmoor Estate.  Perhaps that is where the ‘Vellacott’ referred to comes in.

* A ‘mining sett’ is a legal term – traditionally used in Devon and Cornwall – referring to land exploited for mining.

On March 29th, 1856 it is recorded that there were “4 men driving at Hoar Oak Upper level” and on April 14th, 1856 a final note says “Hoar Oak works stopped.”   Roger Burton completes his letter to the Friends of Hoar Oak Cottage by saying: “It is obvious from the reports on the mine at Hoar Oak that mining had been carried out there in earlier times but, of that earlier mining, there is no record.”

The records of the Exmoor Mining Research Group – in which Roger Burton often published his researches – were lodged in the Somerset Records Office in 2014 and the Friends are planning to spend some time looking through them to try and find a few more gems of information to share about mining at Hoar Oak Cottage.  On this link it is possible to find a further bibliography and searchable database of mines on Exmoor. A recent research project, more on this link,  jointly delivered by Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, has investigated, amongst other things, the impact of Knight and his mining exploits on Exmoor and it is hoped this research will be made public soon.

Posted by Bette Baldwin
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Robert Tait Little and Military Leadership

The diaries of Robert Tait Little – Head Shepherd on Exmoor (1870 to 1907) – and a native of Dumfries and Galloway, are an absolute delight to read.  They are a treasure trove of information about the (mainly) Scottish shepherds were working on Exmoor through those years and tell us who was working on which herding, when they came and went and often where, in Scotland, they came from.  But the diaries are really a meticulous recording of stock on Exmoor and as Head Shepherd RTL’s records are superb.  Nonetheless it is the occasional recording of titbits which shed light on what the shepherds and their wives and their families were up to that are of particular interest in telling the story of Hoar Oak Cottage.

But there was another side to RTL.  He was clearly an erudite, well read, and thoughtful and we are sharing here 2 and half pages of his diary through January and February 1880, which take the reader into an entirely different area of RTL’s interests.  In these pages he reviews and comments on Captain Napier’s book on military warfare and, it seems, is expressing opinions on warfare, class and leadership.

To try and understand these pages which swerve so far away from sheep and shepherds the Friends asked Military Historian Phil Curme  http://www.walkingthebattlefields.com/ to transcribe and interpret the pages.  The results are fascinating.  We hope you find them of interest too.

Below are first shown images of the two pages followed by Phil Curme’s transcription and interpretation notes.

 

RTL writes:    (Note: …. is used where it is not possible to decipher the handwriting)

From Napier’s Peninsular War speaking of Wellington he says its certain …. exacted the confidence of his soldiers as a leader. It is not so certain that he ever gained their affections.[1] The barbarity of the English military code excited public horror. The inequality of promotion created public discontent, yet the General complained he had no …. reward or punish.[2] And he condemned alike the system and the soldier it produced. The latter were detested for everything but fighting and the officers were as culpable as the men.[3]

Deep unmitigated hatred of democracy was indeed the making of the English forces policy.[4] Napoleon was …. against, not as they pretended because he was a tyrant and usurper for he was neither; not because the invasion of Spain was unjust, but because he was the powerful and successful enemy of aristocratic privilege.[5]

29 Jan 1880

At Paris treason had done its work and Napoleon, the man of mightiest capacity, known for good …., who with minds enlarged with …. avarice and dissolution were at the very moment of triumph intent to defraud the people by whose strength and suffering they had conquered, the only reward they demanded was just Government.[6]

The Battle of Wellington was the making of a battering ram. Down went the walls …. The Battle of Napoleon was the …. and dash of a mighty …. before which the …. yielded and the healing flood poured onwards …. all.[7]

Napoleon the greatest man of whom history makes mention. Napoleon the most wonder commander. The most …. politician. The most …. statesman. Poland …. and Portugal, Spain and France fortune that …. Combinations of infinite …. war waiting for him. And with her aid the designs of man all at …. on a troubled Ocean. [8]

Feb 5, 1880

[1] History of the War in the Peninsula by William Napier, London: Thomas and William Boone, 1835

[2] The author is referring to the system of buying commissions in the British Army. Prior to the Cardwell

Reforms of 1871 promotions were mostly awarded on the ability to pay rather than merit. The inability to punish or reward is, I think, a reference to the inability of a commander to demote or promote based on merit.

[3] At the time of the Napoleonic Wars, Private soldiers in the British Army were generally uneducated and from impoverished backgrounds. Or, as Wellington is reputed to have said, they were ‘the scum of the Earth’.

[4] The author is suggesting that since only the rich could buy commissions, those who supported the system were protecting the interests of the aristocracy to the detriment of the ‘common man’. This is a sentiment that was rife during the time of the French Revolution. Promotion in the Grande Armée was on merit.

[5] The author’s comment resonates with an important strand of contemporary thinking. The British aristocracy were fearful that Napoleonic France would ignite revolutionary fervour amongst the working class. Napoleon was, after all, seeking to export the ideas that had emerged in France during the early days of the Republic.

[6] Here the author’s admiration for Napoleon is very apparent. He says that the it was the ‘common people’ who fought for Napoleon and they did so in order to secure a political voice. Sadly, this proved to be naive in the face of political reality.

[7] The author returns to his theme of Wellington compared with Napoleon. Wellington’s tactics were crude with a reliance on force of numbers whilst Napoleon was a skilled practitioner of warfare. His admiration for the latter is clear.

[8] This is the main point. Purity of thinking and high ideals being undone by hard realities. Despite being an exceptional leader (in the author’s eyes), Napoleon – in the end – disappoints.

Thankyou to Phil Curme for his time and knowledge in understanding these pages.  Phil leads walking trips of battlefields throughout the globe and can be contacted through his website http://www.walkingthebattlefields.com

Posted by Bette Baldwin
Exmoor Fauna Nature Uncategorized

The Wild Red Deer of Exmoor

The wild red deer that roam freely across Exmoor can frequently be found browsing around Hoar Oak Cottage although with their excellent camouflage you often need sharp eyes to spot them.  More often they see, hear or smell you first and your only view is of them running into the far distance.  However, there is no lovelier sight, especially when watched through the old parlour window just as the shepherd families must have done all those years ago.  For the shepherds, the deer would have been a mixed blessing.  They would, no doubt, admire their beauty but it would be tempered with the thought of losses of the precious and limited crops they were able to grow in the garden.

Red deer live in separate sex herds for most of the year, they come together during the autumn for the rut when the stags fight one another for claim of the females, the hinds.  The stags are at their most vocal then with a deep, guttural call (belling); this can be heard from some distance and helps would-be deer watchers to locate them.  Stag fights usually consist of little more than intimidation – when they spar, the heads are lowered and the antlers lock together.  It is mostly push and shove, a trial of strength, although the sound of antlers clashing can sometimes be heard. Injuries are fairly uncommon but not unknown.  When  the rut is over the herds separate once more.  The hinds give  birth in early summer to spotted and well-camouflaged calves.  They are remarkably difficult to locate for the hind grazes some distance away and the calf remains concealed for much of the day.

A lesser known fact about the stags is that they shed their antlers each year to grow new, larger ones.  The antlers are cast about April and begin to regrow immediately becoming fully grown three to four months later.  During that time they are protected by a soft, membrane – the ‘velvet’  and any damage to the horn is very painful.  By the time of the rut the antlers have shed their velvet and become hard and strong.  It is possible to find the cast antlers but they are notoriously difficult to spot.  Antler judging competitions are frequently held on the moor and is a good way of seeing close-up the difference in size and weight.

Exmoor is famed for its hunting and, although a contentious issue, continues to be a popular attraction whether on horse or as a car follower.  Exmoor’s origin as a Royal Forest has meant that the deer have always been hunted and it is probably because of the restrictions imposed by the Crown until the mid-1800s that Exmoor’s red deer descend from completely wild stock.  Whatever one’s opinion on the subject, the hunting records gives us much information including referrals to the Hoar Oak valley.  We can be reasonably confident that on Saturday April 7th 1945 the Hoar Oak shepherd family would have been watching with some excitement as the staghounds “…cast right up to Hoar Oak running fast up the water nearly to the county boundary…”

The Wild Red Deer of Exmoor, part of a series of blog posts exploring the flora and fauna that surrounds Hoar Oak Cottage.

Posted by Bette Baldwin
Exmoor Flora Heritage Nature Uncategorized

The Hoar Oak Tree

There has been a Hoar Oak Tree from time immemorial, marking the boundary between the Royal Forest of Exmoor and Brendon Common.  The term ‘Royal Forest’ denoted a hunting ground or ‘waste’ belonging to the Crown; more often a treeless area and not as we understand the word forest to mean now.  According to McDermot, writing in the early part of the twentieth century, the original tree fell in 1658 and a replacement was planted close by soon after.  This survived until 1916 when the tree now standing was planted.  Despite being over 100 years old this tree remains small and stunted due to the poor soil conditions and the harsh and exposed upland climate.  However, despite its appearance it is healthy and remains in fine condition.

At the time of the First World War, Bill Hobbs was the shepherd living at Hoar Oak Cottage; when he went to war John Jones, his brother-in-law, temporarily took his place.  There is no evidence that either men planted the replacement tree but they certainly would have been aware of its planting.

The Hoar Oak Tree, as has been seen, has a long and important history and is marked on several maps including the current Ordnance Survey.  It also featured on the Ordnance Survey map of 1890 and before that (as Ore Oak) on the Benjamin Doon map of 1765.  An even earlier reference to Whore Oake Ball dates to 1651.

Extensive, natural oak woods do thrive on Exmoor along the coastal belt and also at Horner.  The coastal oak woods are renowned for their wildlife and rare plant communities; the relentless gales and poor growing conditions have also stunted their growth but in a very different way to that of the Hoar Oak Tree.

Oaks are a valuable resource for wildlife.  One of the most common yet overlooked sights are the Spangle galls created by tiny parasitic wasps.  Each gall hosts a larva that is feeding on the leaf tissue beneath it and a single leaf can carry very many galls.  In the autumn the larvae fall to the ground before the leaves and complete their growth cycle protected by the leaf litter, emerging in early spring.  Despite the huge numbers of galls an oak tree can carry the larvae do very little damage.

Regardless of its diminutive size, the Hoar Oak Tree continues to be an important Exmoor landmark.   Situated just yards upstream, it also stands as a living link to the shepherds of Hoar Oak Cottage and their families.

 

 

The Hoar Oak Tree of Exmoor, part of a series of blog posts exploring the flora and fauna that surrounds Hoar Oak Cottage.

 

Posted by Bette Baldwin