Ravensbury: a poem written after a visit in 1850, recollecting childhood memories of people, places and events

ISBN 978-1-903899-58-8

Published by Merton Historical Society – November 2009

Further information on Merton Historical Society can be obtained from the Society’s website at
www.mertonhistoricalsociety.org.uk
or from
Merton Library & Heritage Service, Merton Civic Centre, London Road, Morden, Surrey. SM4 5DX

MERTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
LOCAL HISTORY NOTES – 29
RAVENSBURY
a poem written after a visit in 1850, recollecting childhood
memories of people, places and events
by William Wood Fenning
Transcribed with notes and introduction
by his great-great-granddaughter, Sue Wilmott
This poem was written by my great-great-grandfather, William Wood Fenning (1799-1872). He
dedicated his book of poems to his sister, Sophia Anne Fenning. On the cover he wrote, “This
memento of our visit to Ravensbury Mitcham 15 July 1850 is dedicated by her affectionate brother
WW Fenning”. It looks back over his years growing up at Ravensbury and mentions quite a few
people, places and events, some of which can be identified with reasonable certainty and others with
less confidence.

I don’t know much about William’s early life but his father was William (1767-1837) and his
grandfather, also William, lived 1740-1812 and was a calico printer on the River Wandle. His great
grandfather was Daniel Fenning (1715-1767), writer of many books of knowledge which are in the
British Library.

I don’t know his movements from place to place as a boy but later in his adult life he named a house
Ravensbury. He obviously had very strong ties to his beloved early childhood home.

I also have some lovely photos of the paintings he did. They are delightful and the originals are in such
good condition. They are reproduced in monochrome in this publication.

I also have a wonderful diary that is written by one of his daughters about their families’ life growing
up. Such a rare insight into the day to day life of a family in the first half of the 1800s.

THE FENNINGS AND RAVENSBURY PRINTWORKS

THE FENNINGS AND RAVENSBURY PRINTWORKS

For possibly 300 years Ravensbury was one of three centres of the textile bleaching and printing
industry which flourished on the banks of the river Wandle at Mitcham.

The embellishment of textiles with colours capable of withstanding washing was achieved by the use
of mordants, metallic compounds which react chemically with dye. The dye most commonly used was
obtained from the root of the madder plant which, although naturally of a reddish hue, when used with
different mordants (from the French mordre, to bite), would produce a range of colours. The method
followed in mordant-madder printing, which ensured that only the patterned part of the calico retained
the colour, was to print the fabric with the mordant, and then to uniformly dye the whole of the piece
being processed. Subsequent exposure of the cloth to sun and air bleached out the dye from the
untreated portion, leaving the desired pattern on a white ground. Experienced dyers could produce
a great variety of colours and shades by their choice of mordant and by manipulating the strengths
of the solution applied.1Arbuthnot experimented with the cultivation of madder at Ravensbury, and
there is a suggestion that a mill on the Morden, or southern, bank of the Wandle, was being used in
the 1760s for the grinding of dyewoods, another source of colour, but the building had been converted
to snuff milling by 1790, when it was in the hands of William Fenning.2

In 1780 the Mitcham land tax records list a new occupier of the Ravensbury calico print works –
Thomas Hatcher, who held a house and lands valued at £100 p.a. for tax purposes. The ‘proprietor’
of the land was Richard Gee Carew, Sir Nicholas’s heir. By 1779 John Arbuthnot’s relative, Admiral
Marriott Arbuthnot, was in residence at Ravenbury House, and from this point on the histories of the
house and the print works diverge.3 Hatcher’s “neat white house” lay on the same bank of the
Wandle as the old manor house, but about a furlong (200 m) to the north-west, and downstream. The
prints produced by Hatcher were evidently highly regarded – a contemporary refers to him as “a
gentleman much noted for his manufactory in the callico line”4 – and he would appear to have taken
over at Ravensbury in immediate succession to Thomas Wapham. Unfortunately Hatcher’s tenure
was to be of short duration, for he died in 1787; his standing was such that his passing merited a note
in the Gentleman’s Magazine.5 The house overlooking the river remained in the occupation of his
widow for a year or so, but by 1791 it had become the residence of William Fenning.

Thus we find the Ravensbury works in the hands of William Fenning “of Merton Abbey” who had,
in fact, paid poor rates for premises elsewhere in the parish of Mitcham as early as 1769, and whose
firm, Fenning and Company, had been renting land near the Ravensbury factory in the early ’80s. Like
Hatcher, Fenning had previously been manufacturing at Merton, the first indication of his involvement
in the calico printing industry being in the will of Jonathan Meadows of Merton Abbey, thread
whitster, dated December 1778, in which Fenning is styled “Mr. William Fenning of Merton in Surrey
calico printer”.5 Very wisely, it transpired, he took out a fire insurance policy with the Royal
Exchange in March 1791 to cover the “utensils and stock” and the timber-built, tiled-roofed watermill
at Ravensbury for the sum of £100.6 Two years later the author of Ambulator observed, after
noting that Fenning had grounds for bleaching and printing on the banks of the Wandle at Ravensbury,
“Mr. Fenning has an engine in case of fire, the pumps of which are worked by the same wheel that
is used in the business. He experienced the benefit of this machine a few months ago, when his
premises took fire, and would have been totally consumed but for this admirable invention.”7

William Fenning ran the Ravensbury works for over 20 years before his death in August 1812, at the
age of 74. He was buried in Mitcham churchyard, where the inscription on his tombstone affords him
the style of ‘Esq’.8 His son, also named William, inherited the business but, either lacking his father’s
enterprise, or perhaps finding the returns from block-printing insufficiently rewarding in the face of
competition from the new roller-printing methods being employed at the Merton Abbey works and
elsewhere, he relinquished his interest shortly after the end of the Napoleonic War. The flurry of
arming and drilling which followed the renewal of hostilities with France in 1803 had seen the

Its cup of healing to the troubled heart!
Then cease, good sister, for the dead to mourn
Who, strong in faith, have sought the dreaded bourne
Whither, we all are travelling – to meet
Those who have passed it, in their safe retreat:
There, where no pain shall vex, nor doubts ensnare;
Where praise shall be exchanged for earth ‘s weak prayer,
And all be harmony, and all be peace,
With bliss unthought of that shall never cease; –
In faith, behold again her brightened face,
And clasp her sainted form in fond embrace:
Re-union sweet! which nought again shall sever,
Seraphic love! – progressing still for ever!

Yet tho ‘ thy gain would be to leave us now,
And soar redeemed from this poor scene below,
We cannot spare thee yet: still must thou stay
In fond communion with us by the way,
And, when bright summer sheds again her beam
O ‘er our old haunts – home, meads and Wandle ‘s stream,
May you be one, with us, to ramble there,
Refresh old memories with the prospect fair,
Revive our old attachments, and renew
Converse again on all we loved so true,
Till, as we walk, and fancy lifts the veil
From all their favourite spots of wood and dale,
Forms shall arise, to our admiring gaze,
With the sweet lineaments of olden days,
And gentle voices seem to whisper near
Soft loving words, and sighs in accents dear:
“What lingering still beloved? – how long, how long”
“Will ye be absent from our happy throng?
We wait – we wait for you – from earth ‘s unrest:–
To share our holy calm amidst the blessed!”

From the front cover

bourne – usually ‘bourn’; destination;
goal

seraphic – pure, serene

lineaments – distinguishing features;
distinctive characteristics

Till worn, and weary with their struggles here,

Till worn, and weary with their struggles here,

They gladly sought that peaceful sepulchre,

captain of the first company.9 His lieutenant was Robert Wasley, whose son John was to become

To sleep un-eulogized: the truthful stone un-eulogized – without a eulogy manager of the Ravensbury factory some 40 years later. (Robert Wasley, described as “Drilling
Master 50 years”, died 1 June 1842 aged 82 and lies buried with his wife Mary and daughter Sarah

Recording briefly their loved names alone,

in Mitcham churchyard.) Fenning resided at Baron House, a substantial property in Lower Mitcham,

With some few dates, to register their birth,

until 1807 and then moved to Christ Church (Southwark) where he died in February 1837. He was

buried in the family vault at Mitcham.5

And when for brighter worlds they left the earth.
One name, alas! too newly written there,
Evoked a deeper sigh, and fuller tear:
One, whom we hoped for years would still have been
A loved companion thro ‘ this chequered scene:
One, who with woman ‘s gracefulness, combined
The strength and compass of a manly mind; compass – range or scope
Whose sterling judgement, and whose loving heart
Could sound advice in pleasing guise impart; guise – appearance
Who, sorely tried with suffering, was seen
To bear her trials with a brow serene;
And who, midst all, still that bless ‘d temper showed
In health so strong, – to please, and to do good:
If tender nursing, or if art could save,
Or fervent supplications close the grave, supplications – humble prayers
Ah! should we there, so recently have come
To bear our much prized Mary to her tomb? Mary – his sister died in 1850
For thro ‘ her seven long years of pain and sorrow,
What was not sought that healing skill could borrow?
What aid not rendered that a sister ‘s love
In self abandonment, could constant prove?
By day, by night, for that afflicted one,
Ease, rest, sleep, health, – all cheerfully forgone!

Yes good survivor – as with us, you read you – the poem is dedicated to his sister,1 Montgomery F M, Printed Textiles. English and American Cottons and Linens 1700-

1850 (1970) 13/14
Sophia Anne Fenning 2 Surrey History Centre – Deeds, Ravensbury
3 Surrey History Centre – Land Tax Records, Mitcham

That cherished name, and o ‘er it, sorrows shed –

4 Edwards J, Companion from London to Brighthelmston II (1789) 185 Victoria County History of Surrey II (1905) 374

The thought, how much you eased her toils below,

6 Royal Exchange Fire Insurance Policy 120664 24 March 1791The agent appears to have been Sarah Benton of Mitcham, who also ran a bakery business.

Must have inspired a solace to your woe:

7 Ambulator or a Pocket Companion in a Tour Round Londoned. 5 (1793) 260 (quoted by Victoria County History of SurreyII, 373) and (1794) 185

But chiefly that blest thought, that you were made

Malcolm J, A Compendium of Modern Husbandry (1805) refers to the Wandle serving Mr Fenning’s calico and printinggrounds, and a plan of the Wandle through the estate of

Richard Carew, drawn by W Lazonby in 1804 (Lambeth Archives

A humble instrument of holier aid:

Minet 64/180) gives details of Fenning’s works.
8 Victoria County History of Surrey II (1905) 374

Aid to her soul: such aid as they can bring

The Gentleman’s Magazine, reporting Fenning senior’s death, describes him “of Ravensbury grounds, Mitcham” – the”grounds” being the bleaching or whitening grounds

which at this time played a vital role in the preparation of calico for

Who have themselves drank deeply at the spring

printing.
9 The National Archives WO 13/4060 – Muster Lists

Where pilgrims slake their thirst – and can impart

0 100 200 300 400 500
APPROXIMATE SCALE IN METRES
Annotated detail from the Mitcham Tithe Apportionment Map of 1846

Ravensbury *

Ravensbury *

How little changed each scene! o ‘er the soft glade
The noble elms still throw their wonted shade;
The sparkling stream, the bridge, the ruined mill
All still remaining, and all charming still;
And softly too, as when in infancy,
We felt its breath, and listened to its sigh,
Wondering the cause; the western zephyr blew,
And o ‘er our fervid path its odours threw.

Much was our converse then of former years,
And those who shared our chequered hopes and fears:
When, pleased to frolic with the little troop,
They helped to fly the kite, or drive the hoop,
Or cull, to us, then richer than the ore
Potosi yields, the cowslips golden store:
Yet then not safe from care: anxious we eyed,
So memory says, the herd, those meadows pride;

NOTES

meads – meadows

o’er – over

wonted – customary

zephyr – gentle, mild breeze

fervid – characterised by intense emotion;
marked by great passion or zeal
converse – conversation

cull – select
Potosi– city in Bolivia; rich silver mining area

The Wandle at Ravensbury

watercolour by
William Wood Fenning

* Every effort has been made to preserve the author’s original idiosyncratic punctuation and paragraph spacing.
And now from scenes, replete with life ‘s warm ties,

And glowing still with tender memories,

We homeward turn: but first, we solemn tread

Within the precincts sacred to the dead,

And round the tomb where, safe from cares and woes,

Our kindred take their long their last repose,

We silent stand: while thoughts revert to years

When they too journeyed thro ‘ this vale of tears,

Our fellow travellers: two snatched away

In the bright dawning of their summer ‘s day,

Ere from parental guidance they had passed,

Themselves to struggle in the world ‘s rude waste,

And find, as all still find who linger there,

What pitfalls lurk the loiterer to ensnare:

Let us not pity their contracted span,

Nor wish from youth, it had progressed to man.

The four who, full of years, beside them rest,

Loved in their lives, and in their memory blessed,

Could say, were voice permitted from the tomb,

If length of days were so desired a doom!

They might deplore how, tho ‘ sustained by grace,

Sin would beset them e ‘en to life ‘s last race,

And how, tho ‘ soothing mercies were bestowed,

Each added year brought its increasing load

Of cares, bereavements, sorrows, and the train

Of ills, that flesh contends against in vain;

rude – rough

contracted – reduced

beset – surround; hem in

The Old Church, Mitcham

watercolour by
William Wood Fenning

And struggling sigh still stifled in her breast;
While, the sweet breathings of her fervent prayer
Mingling with his, aye closed her work of care?
Can we forget how, when the sudden wind
Sweeping the grounds would leave its wreaks behind
She, to save further loss, thro ‘ want of care,
Of vulgar fingers, would for weeks repair
The finer fabrics, nor let one small sigh
Show her distaste for such long drudgery:
While, as she turned the tattered muslin round,
How would she listen to the well known sound
Of our good sire ‘s return, and with what grace
Hasten to welcome him with fond embrace,
And share his evening meal, and gently say,
“How has my love, my angel, fared today?”
And if, as then too often, he would show
Things had gone cross, and orders were but few,
How would she, striving to dispel his cares,
Throw her whole soul into his favourite airs,
And sooth him with his Jackson ‘s tender song,
Or Handel ‘s chorus thro ‘ the eve prolong;
While, charmed to hear the sweet musician play,
Absorbed, we listened to the solemn lay.
Model of all that gentleness and worth
Which renders woman at an English hearth
The genial orb by whose sweet ties of love
The lesser natures all harmonious move!
Fain would a son in loftier verse proclaim
Each loved remembrance coupled with thy name!
But that he knows, wert thou still breathing here,
Praise would be uncongenial to thine ear:
Thy best reward – if, to yon realms of light
Where, faith beholds thee now, a seraph bright,
Thou, when our term of pilgrimage is o ‘er,
Canst give us welcome to their peaceful shore;
To share with thee, and all thou loved ‘st below,
The bliss which the Redeemed alone can know!

And struggling sigh still stifled in her breast;
While, the sweet breathings of her fervent prayer
Mingling with his, aye closed her work of care?
Can we forget how, when the sudden wind
Sweeping the grounds would leave its wreaks behind
She, to save further loss, thro ‘ want of care,
Of vulgar fingers, would for weeks repair
The finer fabrics, nor let one small sigh
Show her distaste for such long drudgery:
While, as she turned the tattered muslin round,
How would she listen to the well known sound
Of our good sire ‘s return, and with what grace
Hasten to welcome him with fond embrace,
And share his evening meal, and gently say,
“How has my love, my angel, fared today?”
And if, as then too often, he would show
Things had gone cross, and orders were but few,
How would she, striving to dispel his cares,
Throw her whole soul into his favourite airs,
And sooth him with his Jackson ‘s tender song,
Or Handel ‘s chorus thro ‘ the eve prolong;
While, charmed to hear the sweet musician play,
Absorbed, we listened to the solemn lay.
Model of all that gentleness and worth
Which renders woman at an English hearth
The genial orb by whose sweet ties of love
The lesser natures all harmonious move!
Fain would a son in loftier verse proclaim
Each loved remembrance coupled with thy name!
But that he knows, wert thou still breathing here,
Praise would be uncongenial to thine ear:
Thy best reward – if, to yon realms of light
Where, faith beholds thee now, a seraph bright,
Thou, when our term of pilgrimage is o ‘er,
Canst give us welcome to their peaceful shore;
To share with thee, and all thou loved ‘st below,
The bliss which the Redeemed alone can know!

airs – songs or tunes

Jackson– probably William J Jackson (17301803),
an active composer, essayist, organist and painter, considered to be one of the most distinctive voices of his period

orb – a celestial body such as the sun or a planet

fain – gladly, willingly

wert – were

uncongenial – disagreeable, unsuitable in nature or character

seraph – a member of the highest order of celestial beings

Redeemed – those delivered from sin and
damnation

And, if perchance, its awful monarch reared
His form portentous, by the village feared,
Void was each basket, uncommenced each play,
And did he moo and:– how scampered we away!

Pleased, we remembered him who erst possessed
Those verdant meads: a memory to be blessed!
The large estate, his bounteous Lord had given,
He knew to be a trust received from Heaven:
Thence, flowed his true beneficence, and zeal
To make his alms subserve the soul to heal;
E ‘er prompt to add, and recommend to those
Who sought his aid – the bible for their woes:
And then, ’twas not so easy to profess,
And wear, amidst rebukes, religion ‘s dress
As in these days, when, whatso’er the heart,
With her, ’tis rather modish to take part:
The faithful then were few, and doomed to bear,
For non compliance with the world, its sneer.
But this good banker counted all but dross
So he could ornament his Master ‘s cross.
Pre-eminent, in deeds, and Christian grace,
He left a blank ne’er filled up in that place,
Nor seldom shall we find, in village fane,
A marble eulogy than his less vain.
Conjoint with him – the tribute of a line
Is due to one – the tutor, and divine –
Whose service blessed the patron, as he proved
How his afflicted son could be beloved.
Of supple limb: of post erect and tall;
Of forehead high, of garb original;
Of placid mien: whene’er, where’er, he came,
Welcome was he:– his mission still the same,
To rich, to poor, to high, to low: in love

‘Twas to converse with each, and each improve:
No gossip he; but rich in bible lore,
And deep in human knowledge, he could pour
From his full mind, bright thoughts on mortal things,

perchance – maybe, possibly

portentous – of ill portent

erst – before the present time, formerly
verdant – green with vegetation

beneficence – the doing of good; active goodness or kindness; charity

subserve – be instrumental

non compliance – not conforming

banker – probably Henry Hoare, owner of neighbouring Mitcham Grove estate 1786-1828

fane – used here to mean church

post – posture

On our fond hopes, and vain imaginings;
Show how delusive these, and then, how grace
Proffered to us the only resting place:
We listening, sat: our sports laid by; the hour
Seeming a few short minutes: such the power
Of that good man, so gifted, so sincere,
To tranquillise the soul, and charm the ear:
Why did he not, like other pastors, gain
The obsequious incense of some London fane?
For eloquence like his was rare, or say,
Why did he not some rustic pulpit sway?
Too metaphysical perchance: his mind
Brooked not the rules which lesser scruples bind:
Had he conformed to those, he might have been
A pluralist, a prebend, or a Dean:
Constrained by these, he scorned each high degree,
And to his death, unbeneficed was he.

On our fond hopes, and vain imaginings;
Show how delusive these, and then, how grace
Proffered to us the only resting place:
We listening, sat: our sports laid by; the hour
Seeming a few short minutes: such the power
Of that good man, so gifted, so sincere,
To tranquillise the soul, and charm the ear:
Why did he not, like other pastors, gain
The obsequious incense of some London fane?
For eloquence like his was rare, or say,
Why did he not some rustic pulpit sway?
Too metaphysical perchance: his mind
Brooked not the rules which lesser scruples bind:
Had he conformed to those, he might have been
A pluralist, a prebend, or a Dean:
Constrained by these, he scorned each high degree,
And to his death, unbeneficed was he.

‘Twas said a very lion on the wave;
One, who tho ‘ furled his flag, and snug ashore,
Loved still to be a thunderer as of yore;
He liked to lead; he sought to cut his way
Through vestries not so pliant to obey;

delusive – deceptive

metaphysical – concerned with the first
principles of concepts such as being andknowing

brooked – tolerated

pluralist – someone holding two ormore ecclesiastical offices

prebend – a stipend paid from a
cathedral fund to support a canon or member of the chapter; here used to mean the prebendary who received the stipend

unbeneficed – without an ecclesiastical
living

Admiral – probably Admiral Marriott Arbuthnot (1711-1794) – a British Admiral who commanded the Royal Navy’s North American station during the American War of

Independence. He was living at Ravensbury House in 1779.

furled – rolled up and secured

vestries – meetings of parishioners to conduct parish business, originally held in the church vestry

pliant – adaptable, flexible

Ravensbury House
the Mitcham home of
Admiral Marriott Arbuthnot

watercolour by
William Wood Fenning

Borne down by circumstance, beyond control,
Losing his worldly all, – he kept the whole
Of his integrity, and by God ‘s grace,
Unsullied, honoured, pitied, left the place;
Thankful perhaps a home, at length, to leave
Where hopes had promised, only to deceive.
Yet had we no regrets? were hearts more cold
In those young days than now when growing old?
Did they ne’er wistful dream, nor gently sigh
O’er the bright river as it murmured by?
In memory ‘s eddies dwell no lasting trace
Of some fair form or young companion ‘s face
Whose cherished friendship made each scene more fair
And the sad parting difficult to bear?

But who through every trial, still was nigh
Or to dispel, or share with us the sigh?
An angel, surely she! from pitying skies
Lent to uphold us in our destinies!
Could we forget her, as we passed along
Scenes where, her light step led our laughing throng;
Scenes where, her sweet voice seemed e ‘en still to reign
And echo with her loving words again?
Can we forget how there she patient strove
To sooth declining age? how far above
All thoughts of self, each pleasure was denied
As wayward dotage called her to its side?
Can we forget when our sweet brother lay
In pining sickness, how, from day to day,
For those long years, so unremittingly
She smoothed his couch, and cheered his languid eye?
Do we not see her o ‘er the sufferer bending
The surgeon ‘s skill with love maternal blending;
Of ease unmindful, taxing all her powers,
Tho ‘ oft her strength was scant, for hours on hours;
While looks of tenderness his patience paid,
And balmy words his sufferings allayed;
Her sympathising tear still kept suppressed,

nigh – near

she – his mother, Mary Chappel Fenning

dotage– excessive fondness; childish old age

brother – maybe one of his brothers William,
Joseph or Thomas – all died young
pining – failing gradually in health
unremittingly – persistently

taxing – putting a strain on

balmy – soothing

Some burly strong voiced delegate, like Bray,
Would at the close, emphatically exclaim,
“Master! we know your worth, and love your name,
“But were you now an angel. Yes? or No?
Without more argument? or we must go.”

Some burly strong voiced delegate, like Bray,
Would at the close, emphatically exclaim,
“Master! we know your worth, and love your name,
“But were you now an angel. Yes? or No?
Without more argument? or we must go.”

Such, were some portion of the cares and fears
Our sire experienced in those trying years:
Yet, still he struggled nobly to sustain
Their adverse current, tho ‘ he strove in vain:

artisans – skilled manual workers;
craftspersons

remonstrance – strong protest or expostulation

belied – misrepresented

inebriety – drunkenness

colloquy – conversation exchange;
dialogue

Ravensbury
House

watercolour
by
William Wood
Fenning

And in the meets for politics, around,
To let his own loud voice transcend and sound;
And when, some tougher lungs caused his to tire,
A broadside of strong language he could fire
In his retreat: yet was he gentle too,
Like most of our good tars – and kind, and true.

We had our General also, one who there
Oft came to sojourn with his daughter fair:
Well had he fought by that renowned tide
Where, his brave chief, Sir Ralph, had bled and died:
And she, ’twas said, with her soft cheeks and eyes
Had also gained important victories:
They were indeed a matchless pair: and few
Could see them on the sabbath in their pew,
Nor think Sir Hildebrand ‘s a noble mien
And that bright girl, o ‘er village belles – the queen.

A London alderman adorned the place;
Nor burly, coarse, or purse proud like the race,
For rather slim was he than otherwise;
Nor was his talk of puddings, or of pies,
Of venison pastry, or the full tureen
Of turtle studded with its islets green,
As we expected: (for our servants taught
Of such; all Aldermanic speech was fraught)
Proud of his civic aristocracy,
Not his the aim with lords and dukes to vie,
Nor to be too genteel, to talk of those
Resorts of commerce whence his fortunes rose,
Like our more modern traffickers, whose airs
Smack over much of fashionable squares.

Our village had its Gallic refugee:
(An arrant Jesuit, some said, was he:)
A pious chaplain in his patron ‘s hall;
Welcome to most, and affable to all:
Much was his worldly lore, and he had been
Spectator oft in many a hideous scene

tars – sailors

sojourn – to visit, or stay briefly

Sir Ralph – maybe Sir Ralph Abercromby (1734-1801), a British lieutenant-general noted for his services during the Napoleonic Wars. Died in battle in Alexandria, Egypt. A

monument was erected in his honour in St Paul’s
Cathedral.

Sir Hildebrand – maybe Sir Hildebrand Oakes (1754-1822) Lieutenant General1st Baronet.

alderman – probably Thomas Smith of Mitcham Villa 1792-1819, died 1823

purse proud – proud on account of one’s wealth

turtle – turtle soup

fraught – freighted, burdened

resorts of commerce– places of business

traffickers – traders

Gallic – French
refugee – perhaps Louis le Grip, one of a series of Roman Catholic chaplains to the Langdale family at The Firs,
Mitcham, 1788-1822

In his own land, in that terrific time,
When mobs and factions stalked supreme in crime;
And barely scaping from the vortex, found
Like other exiles, rest on English ground:
Though artful thought, none charged him with abuse
Of such asylum for his church ‘s use:
Nor was there then much scope, if so inclined,
For Rome ‘s sleek priest to sap the unwary mind:
Not then, in fashion ‘s sentimental page,
The medieval seemed the better age;
Nor then, did village chimes offend the ear,
And sickly taste a convent bell prefer;
Nor did one party in our church, desire
To change our vestments for Rome ‘s quaint attire,
Nor did another, with its lapsing train,
Barter our Gospel freedom for her chain.

In his own land, in that terrific time,
When mobs and factions stalked supreme in crime;
And barely scaping from the vortex, found
Like other exiles, rest on English ground:
Though artful thought, none charged him with abuse
Of such asylum for his church ‘s use:
Nor was there then much scope, if so inclined,
For Rome ‘s sleek priest to sap the unwary mind:
Not then, in fashion ‘s sentimental page,
The medieval seemed the better age;
Nor then, did village chimes offend the ear,
And sickly taste a convent bell prefer;
Nor did one party in our church, desire
To change our vestments for Rome ‘s quaint attire,
Nor did another, with its lapsing train,
Barter our Gospel freedom for her chain.

terrific – terrifying

scaping – escaping

vortex – a state of affairs that draws
people in

train – way of life

Doctor – probably John Parrott who lived by Mitcham Cricket Green from1789 until his death in 1832

ought – anything

horn– article made of the material of an
animal horn eg deer

spermaceti – pearly white, waxy translucent solid (from oil in the head of a sperm whale) used in cosmetics and candles

jocose – joking, jesting, humorous

grandsire – grandfather, aged man

fiat – an authoritative decree or
pronouncement especially by a person having absolute authority to enforce it

draught – dose of liquid medicine

As gossips used of yore, and get their sneeze
Of Rutter ‘s mixture in the passing breeze.
Such was not our delight: we loved to roam
Where fields of lavender exhaled perfume,
Where mint, and poppies, and pale camomile,
Would many a sultry summer ‘s hour beguile;
Or where, our acres of bright roses threw
Their otto widely with the morning ‘s dew.

Ah! little knew we then, what seemed so fair
To us as children was the abode of care!
How unrequited industry there toiled,
And perseverance laboured, to be foiled:
What large demands the weekly wages made,
How failing merchants left their debts unpaid;
How art, o ‘er simple nature, would prevail,
And steam soon cause the water-wheel to fail;
And how machinery, at its command,
Would supersede the labour of the hand:
This factory too, had leaders, who possessed
For good, or evil, sway above the rest:
Skilled in their craft, and glib of tongue, their power
Oft caused the master many an anxious hour,
Knowing, as he had found it to his cost,
How when they pleased, his interests could be crossed;
And how old ties of service all were vain,
When midnight conclaves laid their subtle train,
Electing, for the strike, as they deemed good,
Whose mill at dawn should be a solitude.
Remembrance still can picture our good sire,
Whose patience sorely tried, would never tire,
Arguing, and striving, but in vain, to show
The bane and ruin which such leagues must do:
How, from whatever fancies, they came forth,
They helped the competition of the North,
And surely ended, stripped of their disguise,
In wailing wives and starving orphan ‘s cries:
How, when each orator had had his say,

Rutter’s mixture – Rutter and Co. made
snuff at Ravensbury Mill.

perfume – Mitcham was famous for the
growing and distilling of medicinal and aromatic herbs.

beguile – pass pleasantly

otto – otto, or attar, of roses; a fragrant oil derived from rose petals

bane – ruin, destruction

leagues – associations of individuals for
common action

competition of the North – textile printers in Lancashire were using steam power,
which was more efficient than the water-
powered practice on the Wandle.

Remove the nuisance and set free the stream:
The squire, regardless, with his shipwrights plied,
And in a fortnight had compressed the tide.
Meantime, the rumour of the threat had found
Eager recipients in the hamlets round,
And at the dawning of the eventful day,
The young, and old were early on the way,
All rather hoping, from each hostile sign,
The opposing forces would in battle join:
But none was fought: for at the appointed hour,
The miller heading a resistless power
Of his own men with others, called to aid,
Approached the river where the weir was made
In silence all; while resolution high
Nerved every arm, and flashed from every eye:
At the concerted signal, like a swarm
Of bees, they settled on the cause of harm,
With axe, with saw, with lever; how their blows
Were heard resounding till the evening ‘s close!
When, the glad river, from incumbrance freed,
Repaid the miller with its wonted speed,
And outside anglers, who had missed their game,
Toasted long time his venerated name.
He too, is dust: but doubtless there are still
Some who will loiter near his well known mill

Remove the nuisance and set free the stream:
The squire, regardless, with his shipwrights plied,
And in a fortnight had compressed the tide.
Meantime, the rumour of the threat had found
Eager recipients in the hamlets round,
And at the dawning of the eventful day,
The young, and old were early on the way,
All rather hoping, from each hostile sign,
The opposing forces would in battle join:
But none was fought: for at the appointed hour,
The miller heading a resistless power
Of his own men with others, called to aid,
Approached the river where the weir was made
In silence all; while resolution high
Nerved every arm, and flashed from every eye:
At the concerted signal, like a swarm
Of bees, they settled on the cause of harm,
With axe, with saw, with lever; how their blows
Were heard resounding till the evening ‘s close!
When, the glad river, from incumbrance freed,
Repaid the miller with its wonted speed,
And outside anglers, who had missed their game,
Toasted long time his venerated name.
He too, is dust: but doubtless there are still
Some who will loiter near his well known mill
plied – worked

concerted – agreed

incumbrance – obstruction

outside – not local, visiting, or mere spectators of the argument

Rutters’ Snuff Mill, Ravensbury

watercolour by
William Wood Fenning

Then turning to his sandwich, as he laughed,
“For me, agreeably with your kind request
I find your old Madeira is the best;”
Which, having quaffed, he smiling, bade adieu,
Intent, next day, the visit to renew.

Passing the confines of the village green,

We well remembered many a pleasing scene

At which we erst were gazers: arduous there,

In those days, toiled the skilful cricketers;

Peer and plebeian mingling in the sport,

And beauty gracing it with her resort:

While oft, that green, far different sight displayed;

The marching column; and the shining blade;

The rolling drum:– the spirit stirring fife;

The trumpet ‘s clanger; and the mimic strife:

Wickets, forsaken for the target ‘s aim;

And bowls abandoned for war ‘s deadly game:

Aye! those were times when England ‘s blood was warm,

And soldiers seemed as suddenly to swarm

As if those classic days had come again,

When heaving clods gave birth to armed men:

Some sneered indeed, and others thought it fair

To mock the devious line, and ill formed square;

Yet not a few there were, amidst that host,

Who hoped the Gaul would realise his boast,

And come, to prove with all his vaunting crew,

What British volunteers could really do.

He who now pens these unpretending lays,

Still claims remembrance of those stirring days:

When, feuds allayed, and party sobered down,

Improvised warriors teemed from every town,

And every housewife of each hamlet, strove

To deck a soldier worthy of her love;

When, epaulet affixed, and gorget tied,

And trusty weapon belted at his side,

Admiring dames beheld their captains stand

Fresh brushed, and powdered, for their high command:

arduous – requiring great exertion;
laborious

cricketers – cricket is known to have
been played in Mitcham at least since the early 18th century

resort – visit

mimic – imitation or pretence

heaving clods– a reference to the Greek
myth of Cadmus, who sowed dragon’s teeth in the soil, from which sprang up armed warriors

Gaul – Napoleon

vaunting – marked by boastful pride

unpretending – unpretentious; modest

lays – ballads, songs, tunes

allayed – abated, alleviated

gorget– a piece of armour for the throat by 1800 part of an officer’s insignia

powdered – with long hair whitened with flour

While one, imprinting parting kiss, would say,
“Oh do not march, my love, so far today!”
Such warlike sire ’twas our good lot to have,
Such dulcet counsel our fond mother gave:
Nor did the labours of that martial time
End in mere drills: it wants some skill in rhyme,
Deftly, to sing how, when the marching done,
And all the rank and file to bed were gone,
The chief manoeuvred with his mimic power
Oft till the waning of the midnight hour:
Wheeling his wooden warriors, left and right,
And massing pasteboard columns for the fight:
Whilst his good helpmate, patient at his side,
Half smiling sat; and her swift needle plied.
When milder planets shed their peaceful beam,
And French invasion vanished as a dream,
Transferred to us, these model men of war
Oft in the nursery quelled the rising jar.

While one, imprinting parting kiss, would say,
“Oh do not march, my love, so far today!”
Such warlike sire ’twas our good lot to have,
Such dulcet counsel our fond mother gave:
Nor did the labours of that martial time
End in mere drills: it wants some skill in rhyme,
Deftly, to sing how, when the marching done,
And all the rank and file to bed were gone,
The chief manoeuvred with his mimic power
Oft till the waning of the midnight hour:
Wheeling his wooden warriors, left and right,
And massing pasteboard columns for the fight:
Whilst his good helpmate, patient at his side,
Half smiling sat; and her swift needle plied.
When milder planets shed their peaceful beam,
And French invasion vanished as a dream,
Transferred to us, these model men of war
Oft in the nursery quelled the rising jar.

dulcet – pleasant to the ear, soothing,
melodious

massing – gathering

pasteboard – stiff material made from
pasted sheets of paper pressed together
plied – wielded

jar – a quarrel or disagreement,
especially a minor one

beldam – old woman, ugly old hag

The National Schools,
Mitcham

Artist unknown

The spot was seen too, where, so gossips tell,

Our reverend pastor in the current fell:

He, greater adept at the rod and line

Than angler for men ‘s souls by word Divine,

Had come to tempt the troutlings; but alas!

Wet was the day, and slippery the grass;

And ere His Reverence had made his dish,

Or, as some say, had even hooked a fish,

His form was seen recumbent in the flood,

Next moment to emerge begrimed with mud:

While tittered some, one shouted, full of glee,

“An Anabaptist must our parson be”:–

The tidings soon thro ‘ all the hamlet sped,

And many a joke by rustic wits was said:

He relished not those jokes, and never more

Was known to vex the Wandle ‘s finny store.

We owed to fish, another incident,

Which, midst such scenes with novelty not blent,

Was long the talk of all the village round,

And puzzled legal brains ( ’tis said) profound.

Fond of his trout, and proud to show at home

His speckled treasures, pre-disposed to roam;

Our neighbouring squire, unused to be in fear

Of check from ought, resolved upon a weir:

Soon from a hulk whose wanderings on the waste

Of larger waters were considered past;

Ribs, beams, and knees were brought, and planks, a store;

And piled together on the river ‘s shore –

The stalwart owner of the nether mill

Heard of the plan: he also, had a will:

And said, the (?) power till then, enough

To turn his wheel and grind his well known snuff,

Confined by this unusual chain, no more

Could yield its needed strength as heretofore;

And notice gave that, if on such a day,

The rising structure were not cleared away,

He would himself, howe’er the squire might dream,

adept – a proficient person

made his dish – caught a fish (i.e.
something to be cooked), or perhaps had caught enough fish to make a meal

Anabaptist – a believer in baptism of adults only

finny – having fins

blent – blended

speckled treasures – the Wandle trout
were renowned for being marked with spots like a tortoise

ought – anything

hulk– the hull of an old, unseaworthy or wrecked ship

ribs – curved hull timbers in a ship

knees – knee-shaped ship’s timbers

stalwart – strong, stout-hearted

heretofore – before this time, until now

Or gained for him a decorated name;
Gladly we welcome him from warfare free,
Nor love him less because he ‘s not C.B,
The light of piety that warms his breast
To us, more precious than the starry vest.

Or gained for him a decorated name;
Gladly we welcome him from warfare free,
Nor love him less because he ‘s not C.B,
The light of piety that warms his breast
To us, more precious than the starry vest.

Our youngest playmate in those hours of glee:

E ‘en then, in size of limb, ’twere plain to trace

The grenadier in embryo of our race:

And one, in intellect endowed as well,

Where ‘er the future called him, to excel.

If with regret, we saw the path designed,

Though meant the best, unsuited to his mind,

That whilst he measured column, plinth and frieze,

Exciting scenes alone had charms to please,

And that at length, Vitruvius was laid down

For a more stirring channel to renown;

And if, aspiring by the sword to rise,

He has been absent long ‘neath torrid skies;

We know that Science woos him even there,

And language offers him her prizes fair:

We see him sheath the sword, and don the gown,

Dispensing justice with a bright renown,

Where Indus pours his fertilising flood;

Resolved to exercise his powers for good,

And ne ‘er so pleased, as when to all around,

With hospitality that knows no bound,

With little kindnesses and courtesies,

He adds a charm to friendship ‘s sacred ties:

We also know, that tho ‘ all caressed

In that, his exile, still within his breast,

Beats the fond heart for those he left at home,

And lives the hope amidst them still to come,

And linked once more in social harmony,

With them again to journey and to die.

C.B. – Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, which is
divided into civil and military divisions
vest– an outer garment, coat or waistcoat(vestment), on which is worn the insignia of the Order

Henry Fenning was Captain of Bengal Native Infantry and sometimes Assistant-
Commissioner, Scinde (now the province of Sind in Pakistan). Part of his job would be to maintain peace and order.

Vitruvius – Marcus Vitruvius Pollio –
(Late1st-century BC) Roman writer,
engineer and architect for the Emperor Augustus

Indus – largest river in what is now Pakistan

caressed – well cared-for, benefited

A headstrong urchin to the witch was brought,
To have the imp expelled, and duty taught;
“Aye! trust me, lady! he shall say the word!”
So shouted she – trembling the urchin heard,
Yet still resolved:– nathless, at close of day,
The spell proved potent; for he slunk away
Meek as a lamb, pronouncing as he came,
The prophet Daniel ‘s venerated name.
What was her spell, or by what summing art,
Satan was thus exorcised from the heart,

‘Tis not recorded: some thought her awful nod:
But William still believes – it was – her rod.

The saddler ‘s too was passed: the tempting place
That brought another urchin to disgrace.
Incautious friend! thy guinea was bestowed
On one, whose purchases there early showed
That generous nature, ever prompt to share
With all around him more than he should spare:
Wondering, the parents saw the various store
With which the tribe came loaded to the door:
The Donor, brother Dick: whips, whistles – all
Bought in the morning ‘s ramble at the stall:
Much did the mother strive, unused, to scold,
Much spoke the sire how hardly earned was gold:
The boy reproved, confessed the censure true,
And promised much this habit to subdue,
But unreformed the man: scold though we may,
Still will our brother give too much away:
Well, he has this return: the grateful voice
Of numbers, whom his gifts have made rejoice,
Poured out in earnest prayer to Him, who loves
The liberal soul, and the kind heart approves:
Forever flowing love to me, and mine,
O let me in this lay, my thanks entwine,
Brother beloved! as rolling years still show
Thy sympathising tenderness still true!

nathless – nevertheless

summing – summoning

nod – sign of command

guinea – a gold coin worth 21 shillings,
in 1800 about four weeks’ wages for a labourer

brother Dick – his brother Richard
(1802-1871) who later became a broker

And thence, we sought our childhood ‘s loved abode,

And thence, we sought our childhood ‘s loved abode,

Fondly together: for that home was one,

Where love in all its warmth and beauty shone,

And lighted at that hearth, the sacred flame

Through thrice ten chilling years yet burns the same.

Changed looked the house: neatness and comfort ‘s air

Once so conspicuous, ruled no longer there;

And narrow grown, what once seemed large, the hall;

And rooms then thought most spacious – now but small:

The vine no longer mantled up the side,

Nor did geraniums bloom in scarlet pride;

The graceful willow no more kissed the flood;

A stump remaining, where it pendant stood;

No more, the woodbine twining to the crown

Of the tall fir-tree, threw its fragrance down:

Yet still the spot was fair: in summer days,

A scene to envy much, and much to praise:

There, still the roses were profusely blowing;

There, as of yore, Wandle was softly flowing;

And verdant were his banks, as where we played,

And murmured still the coral decked cascade:

We saw where, erst the cherry orchard grew,

And white and black hearts of delicious hue,

And smiled to think how once, our sister fair,

Eager to seize the tempting treasures there,

mantled – covered, clothed

flood – large body of water
pendant – hanging
woodbine – honeysuckle

yore – of old, long ago
verdant – green with vegetation

sister – Sophia Anne Fenning, to whom he left this book of poems.

Ravensbury
printworks, the
Fenning factory

watercolour by
William Wood
Fenning

Ventured too close to the encircling river,
And rose, a Naiad, on its banks to shiver:
While still, as summer in her annual round
Dispensed her smiles upon that neck of ground,
And cherries ripened ‘neath their genial beam,
Sophia ‘s dip, was aye, our laughing theme.

We trod the path where erst, the laurels ‘ shade

(Ere the vile axe had dared their line invade)

Spread o ‘er the stream; by day, with giant arms

Yielding us covert, – but at night – alarms:

Witness the Major ‘s well remembered haste

When, he, a stripling, thro ‘ their shadows past,

As to our neighbours, on the further shore,

Nightly, “The Times” reluctantly he bore:

While oft, concerted, to enhance his fears,

Noises, and groans, and screeching sounds, he hears,

As mischief, in close ambush, wont to lie,

To pounce upon him as he whistled by.

Was it remembrance of that early scene

That made the sturdy soldier pensive then?

Or were the incidents of years since past

From youth to manhood ‘s memory retraced?

Was our good brother thinking of the time

When, in his bloom, he left his native clime,

To seek his fortune on the sunny shore

Where Ganga ‘s venerated waters pour,

And find, amidst the strangers scattered there,

Rarely a kindred soul his heart to share;

And the blest faith, a mother taught so true,

Scorned by the most, and practised by the few?

Was it the grateful thought, that filled his breast,

Of Grace Divine, that made such trial blest,

And gave him strength each duty to fulfil

And be the Cross ‘s faithful champion still?

What, if scant health forbids him more to stray,

And if his sword must now be put away

Ere it has led him to the ranks of fame,

Naiad – water nymph

genial – kindly or cheerful

laurel – large, vigorous evergreen shrub

covert – concealment

the Major – his brothers, Samuel and
Henry were both soldiers in India.
stripling – a youth

“The Times” – newspaper
concerted – planned or devised together

bloom – a glow indicative of youth and health; a flourishing healthy condition
clime – climate
Ganga – Ganges, river in Northern India

blest – blessed

scant – limited, barely adequate.