Since early 2020, Forncett History Group has published regular short articles in the village magazine, the Forncett Flyer. These articles have now been collected here on our new blog - Forncett History Notes. This blog offers the opportunity for these articles, and other news from the Group, to be read more widely and also provides a forum for us to publish short articles which don't fit easily elsewhere within the structure of the website. Please share this new page with anyone who you feel might be interested. If you would like to be added to our email distribution list please Contact Us and then you will receive an alert when any new article appears.
Forncett History Group started its 2022 programme with a meeting at St. Edmund's on Wednesday 16th March. The major item on the programme was a very interesting and informative talk by Philip Yull about the history of his house, Harley House on Long Stratton Road, which was built one hundred years ago this year.
Those Forncett residents who are regular attenders at the summer fete will be familiar with contests to "guess the weight" of something, such as a cake or a jar of sweets. However, back in 1910 local residents were set a more demanding challenge!
A fascinating story concerning local history occurred some time back, when I was able to view a so called "copy book". The manner in which this parchment-bound volume found its way into my hands is related in detail in The Forncett Flyer of June 2006 Vol IV No 6.
As Christmas approaches, some residents of Forncett will undoubtedly be looking back to the terrible floods last Christmas Eve and hoping that we will not see similar weather conditions again this year. Of course, the topic of flooding in the Tas valley is not new, indeed it has been a topic of concern for well over a century, as evidenced...
Our village hall in Low Road plays a central role in much of Forncett village life today and villages have always needed a venue for many social activities. Whilst pubs and churches served as important meeting places, activities such as village fairs and fetes often took place on fields and in barns loaned for the occasion by one of...
The naming of village roads was historically often far more informative, and more "colourful" than it is today. So, many Forncett residents will probably be unaware that West Road in Forncett End was previously known locally as "Duck's Mud". It's not known when the road was renamed, but the original designation was undoubtedly very descriptive!
Recently I had occasion to sort through various personal possessions in order to reduce the paper mountain, which had been amassing since goodness knows when! Amongst the various boxes there were a number of 'little treasures'. I expect some of you will know what I mean. These items that had not seen the light of day for many a long...
Last month we invited recollections of Forncett Stores at the top of Tabernacle Lane, and, by a remarkable coincidence, a recent enquiry to the Forncett History website was related to that same shop!
The Village Shop was an invaluable institution in village life for at least two centuries. Sadly, Forncett no longer has a single shop, but in times past the village had at least four general stores as well as bakers, butchers, bicycle shops and more! So, before memories of these places are lost for ever the History Group is keen to...
Today we are all familiar with the large (in some cases very large!) tractors that are used to cultivate the land around Forncett. However, it was actually only about one hundred years ago that tractors began to appear in the village, and even as late as 1939 there were many more men in Forncett who identified themselves as "horseman on...