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When you reach the tiny hamlet of Holne, you may
go back to the place you came from or strike out on foot on one of the
ancient tracks which lead to some of Dartmoor's wildest corners - the
routes by which our Stentiford ancestors came to Holne to settle centuries
ago. Inside the equally ancient granite church, there is an oasis of calm and
peace. Richard's photograph shows its stained glass window, dating from Victorian times;
even though it is comparatively recent, it
certainly reminded us of how far our world has come from the innocent
and ordered
calm of the past. |
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There's a bit of a mystery surrounding the William
Stentiford who features in our Poor House story this month. If he
appears on anyone's Tree, we would certainly like to hear about it.
We've written much about the infamous "Apprenticeship" system
which tied our ancestors into virtual slavery for years at a time (and
turned them into criminals if they tried to escape) so we've included
the so-called legal document by which they were bound - you will notice
that at no time were parents asked to consent to their children being
sent away from home for years on end to take their chances in the homes of total
strangers. You will notice too that there were no checks on the welfare
or progress of the children as those years went by. Mary Puddicombe's
story could be the account of any child who passed through this system, |
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We'd like to say a very big "thank
you" to all of the 2003 Guest Contributors - Roy Hayter and Roy
Hewitt ( who each contributed two articles this year) Janet
Hiscocks, Beryl Stentiford, John Humphrey, Bruce Humphrey, Doreen
Norton, Beryl Cross, Jack Cross and Deirdre Polakowski - each of
whom has put their own special and individual mark on these pages. To
everyone who reads the magazine each month, thank you once more for your
continued support because, as we said last year, without you, it would
all be a bit pointless. The next Issue is already in the planning
stage so we wish all our readers a very happy Christmas and look forward
to you joining us again in 2004.
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Keep
in touch,
Muriel
and Richard
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