Review - The Act Book of St Katherine’s Gild, Stamford, 1480-1534

Ashwell Remembers By Sally Harnett. Published by the author. Price £10. Available from the author at ashwellpc@gmail.com Compiled and published by Ashwell resident, Sally Harnett, this Spiegl produced book is being sold with the proceeds being donated to the Air Ambulance. It was produced as a result of interest generated from an exhibition in Ashwell to commemorate the centenary of the First World War. It draws upon George Phillips’ ‘Rutland and the Great War’ and local press reports gleaned from The British Newspaper Archive, supplemented by information from the writings of Tony Traylen, Caroline Aston, and local reminiscences. In addition, the compiler has added some war poetry and material relating to animals in war. The exploits of Rev. Adams, Ashwell’s 1879 Afghan War Victoria Cross holder, are recorded. Additional material has been found to supplement Phillips’ entries to record individuals and details he omitted. Michael Doyle was able to help provide a record of Lyonel Jacobsen, not previously recorded in Ashwell’s entries, and the author goes someway to help disentangle the complicated family tree of the Whalley family of Ashwell Lodge, to whom Jacobsen was related. Complementing the section on the First World War is a section recording the Ashwell fallen in the Second World War. There is no equivalent of Phillips to record Rutland’s contribution in this war, so this new material is most welcome. It includes pieces on Cecil Brewster killed by the Germans in the Wormhoudt Massacre before Dunkirk in 1940, and on Aircraftman Cyril Bailey drowned in the sinking of the Troopship ‘Anselm’; in 1941. This small publication highlights the need, using modern research methods, to bring Phillips up to date for the First World War, complementing it with material relating to the Second World War, a task this publication does for one Rutland Village. PD

The Complete Guide to the Parish Churches of Rutland By Andrew Swift Published in 2014 by Velox Books, Leicester - Softbound - 114 pages – A4 ISBN: 978-0-9575701-2-2 - Price £15 plus £3 for courier delivery The Parish Churches of Leicestershire By Andrew Swift Published in 2013 by Velox Books, Leicester - Volume 1: Ab Kettleby to Launde Abbey Chapel Softbound - 286 pages – A4 - ISBN: 978-0-9575701-0-8 Price £20 plus £3 for courier delivery Volume 2: Leicester’s Medieval Churches to Wymondham Softbound - 311 pages – A4 ISBN: 978-0-9575701-1-5 - Price £20 plus £3 for courier delivery All three books available from local bookshops, Rutland County Museum or via andrewswift.co.uk Andrew Swift, a geologist with a passion for historic buildings, has published three books about the Anglican churches of Leicestershire and Rutland. Volume 1 of The Parish Churches of Leicestershire covers Ab Kettleby to Launde Abbey Chapel, and Volume 2 covers Leicester’s Medieval Churches to Wymondham, a total of 316 churches in the two volumes. The Complete Guide to the Parish Churches of Rutland covers all 50 churches in the county, including Normanton. The author, an honorary visiting fellow at the University of Leicester, is quoted as saying ‘I’m interested in history and became fascinated with churches and their place in social evolution over time’. All three books follow the same format – a main photograph of the outside of the church, around 400 non-technical words on the history, features and general design of each building as well as anything else of interest, and a full page of up to 15 colour photographs to illustrate the text. Volume 1 of the Leicestershire books has a foreword by the Bishop of Leicester and volume 2 has a good bibliography. Likewise, the Rutland book has a foreword by the Bishop of Peterborough and a bibliography. There are of course other books on the churches of Rutland – including the Victoria County History for Rutland, volume II, Canon John Prophet and Tony Traylen’s Churches of Rutland, Gillian Dickenson’s Rutland Parish Churches Before Restoration, Leonard Cantor’s The Parish Churches of Leicestershire and Rutland and Pauline Collett’s The Parish Churches of Rutland (reviewed in the April 2013 issue of this Newsletter). All bring something different to the reader and the new volume on Rutland churches is no different. If, like me, you enjoy exploring the parish churches of Leicestershire and Rutland, you may want to buy all three of these excellent new publications. Robert Ovens