CHAIRMAN’S LETTER
SUMMER 1985
Dear Fellow Members,
A very successful year was reported at our A. G. M. The "year" was, in fact, only nine
months, due to an adjustment of our accounting arrangements to match those of the Trust, but
in those nine months we held no less than FIFTEEN events and several of those indoor events
were attended by as many as 150 members, out of a total (then) of about 350. And perhaps
most important of all, we were able in that nine months to donate £1,125 to the Trust, and start
the present year with several hundred pounds in hand. Altogether an indication that our Centre
is healthy and exceptionally active.
A new venture in May was the provision of a publicity stall at an exhibition in Bingley Hall,
Stafford. For four days members of our Centre manned the stall, selling N.T. goods and
explaining the Trust and our Centre to visitors. New members were enrolled into both, and the
volume of sales exceeded all expectations. No doubt the success of this venture will lead to a
repetition on more than one future occasion; Many thanks to all who put so much hard work into
planning and organising this event, and to the many members who gave their time to helping
with the stall.
Now I make way for a very distinguished contributor. The article that follows is one that would be
envied by many publications with much wider circulation than our Newsletter;
Yours sincerely,
W. P. POVEY.
THE BAGOT GOATS … by NANCY, LADY BAGOT
Bagot Goats seem to have been taken for granted for so long that hardly anything has
been written about them, until the middle of this century.
The earliest record of their existence appears to be a record of proceedings of the Court
Leet at Abbots Bromley, the 6th October 1710. The Jury "do hereby acknowledge that,
whereas Sir Edward Bagot of Blithfield in the County of Stafford, Barr II, hath lessened the
number of his goats, that are dispastured in Bromley Wood, and which have there, as of right,
been comuned time out of mind by him and his ancestors, that the said keeping of a lesser
number of goats, this present year, was for the benefit, and advantage, of the neighbourhood
and freeholders of Bromley aforesaid, during the time that the said wood is in tillage, and is by
the free consent, and liberty, of the said Sir Edward Bagot, and that he may again, at any time
at his wish and pleasure, increase the same to an unstinted number".
(The above document is now at the County Record Office)
Richard Bagot, in his book, "Casting of Nets" published in 1901, mentions the family
tradition, that the goats were presented to Sir John Bagot by King Richard II. It is said, the King
enjoyed hunting in Bagot's Park, probably at the time of his visit to Lichfield, where he spent
Christmas 1397. Anyway, it appears to be Sir John who was the first Bagot to use a goat's
head as his crest, and it has been the Family crest ever since.
There is an illustration in J. G. Strutt's Sylva Britannica (1822) showing the goats under
the famous Beggar's Oak. He also says that the goats were presented to Sir John by Richard
II.
Having heard, from my husband, and various members of the family, that the goats were
brought to this county by returning Crusaders, one thought they would probably be of Middle
Eastern origin; however, one look at them abolishes that idea. They are Schwarzhals (black
neck) goats from the Rhone Valley, very fine looking animals. The head, neck and shoulders
are jet black, and the rest of the body is white. They are a long haired breed, the horns of the
males are long, and widespread, the nannies have horns too.
It is still quite possible that the goats were brought to England by returning Crusaders,
giving a supply of fresh milk, and meat, on the last stage of the journey home.
If the goats were given by Richard II, they must have been kept in one of the Royal
Parks for at least 100 years, perhaps they ate everything in sight, so that the King "killed two
birds with one stone" by presenting them to John Bagot!
The herd was about 100 strong when I first saw the goats, in Bagot's park, in 1946. It
was quite hard to find them, especially as the fence was broken down and the animals had not
only the rough parkland to wander in, but also, the woods surrounding it, almost 3,000 acres.
They were very wild and would stream away, following their leader, at the slightest hint of
anything unusual. It was a lovely sight, and my husband and I would have preferred to see the
goats continuing to enjoy the wild park and woods.
It is recorded in Domesday Book that a Bagod (as it was then spelt) held land, in
Staffordshire, under Robert de Stafford. The Bagots lived at Bagot's Bromley, by Bagot's park,
from 1086 - 1360, when Rafe Bagot married Elizabeth de Blithfield, and the family moved to
Blithfield Hall, about 4 miles away.
When my husband succeeded his cousin, Gerald, Lord Bagot in 1946, the Hall and
surrounding land (but not Bagot's park) had been sold to the South Staffordshire Water Works,
who made a reservoir in the Blythe valley; about a year later, we were able to buy the Hall and
gardens back from the Water Board and started on the seemingly never-ending task of
restoring the old house. After receiving a grant from the Historic Buildings Council in 1955, we
opened Blithfield to visitors, and, of course, one of the things people wanted to see were the
Bagot goats. It was very difficult to catch some of the wild creatures, but, after the first, rather
disastrous, attempt, some were brought to Blithfield and put in a paddock in the park, in front of
the house. This was the first time any goats had been brought to Blithfield, as far as I know.
I used to take them branches, cut from sweet chestnut trees, every day. Soon I noticed
they were waiting for me, and one day I decided to hold on to the branch, and not just toss it
over the fence, and then move away. To my great delight a big billie, very cautiously, nibbled a
leaf then turned and dashed off to a safe distance. But, it wasn't very long before they were
dashing towards me and standing up, with front legs on the fence, in their efforts to get at the
leaves. My small dog was so jealous, he used to try to bite their hooves!
Goats have a reputation for "devouring almost anything, but I have found Bagot goats to
be very fussy eaters. I used to give them bread, left over from the tea rooms, but they wouldn't
eat it if there was the slightest trace of butter on it. Keeping the goats in a small area (small
compared to what they were used to) made life difficult for them, and for us; although they
didn't have to be milked, they had to be fed and de-wormed.
After my husband died in 1961, Bagot's park was sold and I'm glad to say,
Mr. Phil Drabble bought Goat Lodge, at the entrance to the Park. During the winter months, he
kindly looked after the goats in his wood, where they were protected from the East winds,
which swept across the reservoir and the paddock at Blithfield. The kids are born in January
and February (although, occasionally, one or two are born in the summer) so, shelter is
necessary..
The outbreak of foot & mouth disease was extremely worrying, especially as it was all
around Goat Lodge. Fortunately, some of the goats from Bagot's Park went to the Bagots at
Levens Hall in Cumbria, after the Park was sold, and now there are a number of small herds all
over the county mostly in Rare Breeds Survival Trust Farm parks. The only Bagot goats in
Staffordshire now are at Shugborough.
Blithfield Hall is being divided into five separate houses, so it is no longer open to the
public, but, when the work is finished and visitors can come to see the main room again, I may
have a few goats here once more.
The Rare Breeds Survival Trust are looking after my herd of approx. 15 goats, and it is
hoped that a billy from the Continent can be brought over to England, as the goats here are
very inbred.
Not long after the Rare Breeds Survival Trust took over the management of my herd,
one of the billies was entered in their Show at Stoneleigh. He looked very smart, behaved
beautifully and won first prize; although I felt very proud of him, I still like to think of the goats
as I first saw them and as they had lived for 600 years, wild, in the primeval Park.
Nancy Bagot
Compiler’s note (not in this Newsletter):This article was subsequently read for the Staffordshire Talking Newsletter for the Blind on
25/10/1987.
TALES FROM A CABINET MAKER'S WORKSHOP
The first Centre Meeting of 1981 was held on 28th January, when a record gathering of
more than 150 Members at the Walton-on-the-Hill Village Hall were entertained by Bernard
Jack with Tales from a Cabinet Maker's Workshop. Clearly no stranger to many in the
audience, he started at the beginning, as should all good stories, recounting how his hobby of
restoring antique furniture led him to adopt this as a 'second career'.
Setting up his workshop in 1963 at the Old Smithy next door to his Sandon home, he
took on the restoration of pieces brought to him from all over Britain. He captivated us with his
many humorous tales, and despite the adoption of some of the work-study techniques used in
his previous business, it often took considerable time to find exactly the right wood from which
to effect his repairs. Numerous visits to dealers, far and near, and close inspection of the
'rough stuff' in their back store rooms eventually produced the correct match his craft
demanded.
He told of watching trees grow for years on a nearby estate and how he was able to
purchase them when they were felled and use them after careful storing and seasoning.
Mr. Jack was anxious that his craftsmanship and skill should not be lost when he
subsequently retired and we heard of the great pains he took to find "Max", an apprentice who
measured up to the exacting standards of his master. It gave great satisfaction that after five
years all his teaching bore fruit and the apprentice was now running a successful restoring
business nearby.
Clearly Mr. Jack's skills were not only in wood but also in word, for as he told his story
he proved himself an excellent raconteur. He displayed some superb examples of pieces
which he had made, as opposed to restored, and during the evening these were examined by
his audience with critical interest.
A Member of the National Trust, Mr. Jack not only declined to accept a lecture fee, but
generously donated £1 for each of the twenty four copies of his 'Antique Story Book' which he
autographed and sold during the evening.
Brenda and Peter Ashlin
MANAGENENT OF A STATELY HOME
Michael Tebbutt’s talk started with a near riot by the Staffordshire Nationalists. The title
slide, which had been on the screen of the Lichfield Arts Centre since the audience, arrived,
stated "Western Park, the Shropshire home of the Earl of Bradford". As Mr. Tebbutt started to
speak he was asked why this was, as Weston Park is obviously in Staffordshire: Many a speaker
would have been daunted, but not Mr. Tebbutt who supplied three good reasons ** before
launching into his talk on opening a house to the public.
He started by explaining that his attitude had to be more commercial than the National
Trust's. Weston Park is very much a family home, and strives to retain its character even though
sacrifices have to be made. (There is no convenient private part of the garden that the family can
use, so apparently they are compelled to do their sunbathing on plastic grass on a flat roof!
National Trust members were amused at the attitude over the stocking of the gift shop, i.e. if
"grotties are what the public will buy, then grotties must be on sale in the shop." This is the
opposite of the Trust's shops, where the stock remains tasteful even at the expense of the
takings. The catering at Weston is viewed from the other standpoint, however, and there are
constant efforts to improve the standard. Mr. Tebbutt said rather wistfully that if you can give the
public a good cup of tea and a decent loo, they will go away thinking that they've had a good
outing!
Weston relies on coach parties; visitors in cars are a bonus. It is equipped with ramps and
lifts for disabled visitors and so is popular with parties of handicapped people.
The guides on duty in the rooms are very important and are paid Agricultural Wage rates.
Twice a year they are taken on visits to get ideas and criticise. The idea backfired when they
found a guides' rest room at one house. Apparently never at a loss for words, Mr. Tebbutt
scotched that by telling them that they were paid to work, not rest;
Publicity is of paramount importance, and Mr. Tebbutt attacks this from every angle.
School trips are organised by education officers. The "Visitor Catchment Area" has expanded as
road links have improved. His "growth area" on the Campaign map is Cheshire and Lancashire.
Whilst he was talking to us, his "Weston Park Roadshow" was on tour in Preston. He organises
local press coverage about once a fortnight. Schemes to attract publicity range from calling for
volunteers to stand on the wing of an aeroplane flying in an air display, to staging battles, vintage
car events, horse shows, RAC rally stages, the Game Fair, etc. Occasionally publicity can turn
sour and cause a disaster, like the time a firework display clogged up the roads for miles around,
and those people who did get in filled the candlelit house with mud from the churned-up park.
Mr. Tebbutt left us feeling that his enthusiastic campaign to make Weston park a popular
place to visit is a worthwhile task. He said afterwards what a joy it was to speak to a genuinely
interested audience, and he has benefited not only by his fee but by the fact that many in the
audience will want to visit or re-visit Weston Park this year.
** One reason was that the Bradford title derived from a village in Shropshire; another that most
of the estate is in Shropshire, and the third is that the Earl himself chooses to call it his
Shropshire home:
Ann Markwick.
OUR VISIT TO TATTON
Despite daunting pleas from police and road authorities to avoid all road travel in N. Staffs
and Cheshire, two coach loads of members clambered aboard - perhaps all the more eagerly to
escape the chilly snowflake-laden wind - and duly set off to join the M6 heading for Knutsford
and Tatton Hall. The temperature of the coach, contrasting with the outside elements,
maintained heavy condensation on windows, but little outside interest was obscured as most of
the journey followed the motorway. With those grim weather warnings ringing in our ears, it was
perhaps not very surprising that the conversational "buzz" was somewhat lower than normal, but
our confidence gratefully returned as, nearing our destination, conditions were, if anything, an
improvement on those left at home.
A short drive through the extensive Tatton Park gave us welcome glimpses of the deer
herds and Tatton Mere before unloading us at the Stable yard and Restaurant complex. Starting
with an informative slide and film show, visitors were then free to choose their priorities from a
wealth of indoor or outdoor attractions, the extent of which would necessitate either a much
longer stay, or at least a second visit, if all were to be enjoyed.
The Mansion itself proved a veritable treasure house to satisfy a wide variety of interests,
and a great deal of time, thought and effort must have been invested to provide such a complete
picture of "Upstairs-Downstairs" life and conditions of the period. The green coated official and
resident guides were most helpful and informative - and no doubt most Members were treated to
the pleasurable mental picture of the dining room splendour on the occasion of the Special
dinner occasion last year to honour the visit of Princess Grace of Monaco - following which the
attendant staff were indulged with the leftovers - fresh salmon, champagne and all!!
On completion of the Mansion tour the organised route led into the enormous Servants'
Hall, which holds the vast and varied collections of Egerton family trophies, weapons, fossils,
birds' eggs and hundreds of curios collected from all parts of the world together with exhibits of
early vehicles owned and used by the Egertons through the ages.
Having spent several hours indoors, it was a welcome change to sample the wonders
outside - or at least enjoy as much as our time limit would allow. What a treat it was to see those
lovely citrus fruits dangling from their laden branches in the Orangery, to gasp in wonder at the
floral feast in the Showhouse, and stroll slowly in admiration of the towering to the tiny in the
Fern House - those monster ferns from New Zealand - do they really contain them below the roof
by sawing their huge stems off and planting them deeper? Regretfully, the coach engines were
ticking over - all too soon it was time for tea at Cottons Hotel - a few minutes' drive away from the
wonders of Tatton Hall - and a fitting finale to a most worthwhile day. Our gratitude for whatever
spared us from those weather hazards elsewhere, and, by no means last, our appreciative
thanks to Tony and John for their attentive stage management (they even produced a tractor
when required!)
Bob Nicholls
GUIDED WALKS
The following walks are being arranged by the Mercia Region of the National Trust, to
provide the opportunity to become acquainted with some of the countryside properties in the
Region.
The walks are open to all. The atmosphere is informal, the pace leisurely and the distance
up to three miles. Some routes may be muddy. Please have adequately stout footwear.
There are no booking formalities. Just arrive at the starting point at the time given. There
is a fee for non-members of 50p, 25p for children. National Trust members free.
ATTINGHAM PARK - meet at car park (grid ref. SJ. 549098) at 11 a. m. Saturday, 20th
June, Tuesday 28th July, Thursday 20th August, Sunday 20th September.
Landscaping with nature: Humphry Repton's Attingham. A walk around the grounds to see
how the parkland was, or might further have been, modified by the designs of Repton.
DUDMASTON - meet at Dudmaston Hall car park, off A442 Bridgnorth to Kidderminster
road (grid ref. SO 747877) at 11 a. m. Wednesdays, 15th July and 19th August.
A walk around part of the park, woods and farmland of this typical country estate the
region's most recent major acquisition - looking at its wildlife and landscape history.
HAWKSMOOR NATURE RESERVE - near Cheadle, Staffs. Meet at main entrance on
B5417, Cheadle to Oakamoor road (grid ref. SK 039442) at 2.30 p. m. Sundays 28th June, 23rd
August.
A walk looking at the wildlife and landscape history of this beautiful wooded property on
the slopes of the Churnet valley.
THE LONG MYND - meet at Chalet Pavilion, Carding Mill Valley, Church Stretton (grid ref.
SO 444946) at 2.30 p. m. Sundays, 7th June, 5th July, 2nd August.
6th September.
WILDERHOPE, Wenlock Edge, Shropshire - meet at Wilderhope Manor (grid ref. SO
545928) at 11 a.m. Saturday 13th June, Wednesdays 29th July and 26th August.
A walk looking at the natural history (especially limestone plants) and farming pattern of
the 200 acre mixed farm which surrounds the Manor in this delightful rural setting. )
ALDERLEY EDGE, Cheshire - meet at the main car park near Wizard Inn on the B5087
(Alderley Edge to Macclesfield Road) grid ref. SJ 860772) at 7 p.m. Thursday, 16th July.
Explore this dramatic sandstone escarpment where copper was mined since the Bronze
Age.
"WESTMINSTER: PALACE & PARLIAMENT"
Mr. Cormack, the author of the above book, has once again kindly offered signed copies
of his new book, published this year, for sale to Centre Members at the remarkably low price of
£9.95p. He has arranged with his publisher that all profits from the sale of his book to Centre
Members will go to the National Trust. You will therefore have a copy of a very well written and
worthwhile book signed by the author, while at the same time helping the National Trust at no
additional cost to yourself.
"In this book Patrick Cormack gives life and significance to the saga of Westminster. His
dedicated and detailed research adds enormously to our store of knowledge. As the book moves
through the story of our yesterdays, it is as gripping as a thriller. This book is a masterpiece … In
my judgement this study … is a work of art worthy of its subject. There can be no higher praise."
- George Thomas, Speaker of The House of Commons.
It has also been hailed as the standard work for many years to come.
Any member who wishes to help The National Trust in this unique way should send their
cheques (made payable to A. W. Ball) to Mr. A. W. Ball, 17, Princefield Avenue, Penkridge,
STAFFORD, STl9 5HG. I will then make the necessary arrangements to get the required number
of copies ordered to the people concerned. Anyone wishing to have their copy(s) posted to them
should add £1. lOp to cover the cost of postage and packing.
Please allow ample time for delivery since Mr. Cormack's parliamentary duties are
considerable.
A. W. BALL.
Programme Secretary.
MERLIN WATERSON LEAVES US
Congratulations to Merlin Waterson, our Regional Historic Buildings Representative.
He has been promoted to Regional Director for East Anglia, based at Blickling. Our best
wishes go with mm. He will be greatly missed in the region.
HELP
Miss Dorothy Tame, one of our members, is also Secretary of the Young National Trust
Group in Wolverhampton. Since their formation in November, 1980, they have worked at
Wightwick, Dudmaston and Moseley Old Hall. They are appealing for old tools which members
no longer require, such as sickles and forks, to help in their work which, like our centre, must
be self-financing. If anyone has any such equipment which they could donate please contact
Cynthia Ball.
THANK YOU - BEFORE
I would like to take this opportunity to express my very sincere thanks for the overwhelming response to my appeal for help at the Practical Gardening & Homes Exhibition at
Bingley Hall, Stafford on the first four days of May, 1981. So many members have offered their
help that it will be impossible to accept all the generous offers made. However, in the current
economic climate, the National Trust is suffering as much as anyone and is likely to be calling
on Centres to an increasing extent for help in the future.
I do hope that those who are not helping on this occasion will find themselves able to
assist in the future in order that we may all help to share the extra burden which the Trust is
asking us to ease. My grateful thanks to you all.
THANK YOU - AFTER
I would like to offer my most sincere thanks to all those Centre Members who were
prepared to give their time to help us at this event and a special thank you to those of you
whose help we were able to take advantage of, whether by actually manning the stand or by
loaning various items to help make the stand so attractive.
From every point of view the National Trust Stand was a resounding success. We all
made many new friends and new members for both the National Trust and our own Centre. It
was also very pleasing to see so many of our existing members at the Show and coming to the
Trust Stand to say hello.
I am sure we all enjoyed ourselves enormously both meeting the many people who
came to see us and selling the National Trust and its goods, of which some items were sold out
(twice).
We have learned a lot from this experience and I know we still have a lot to learn.
Next time our mistakes will be different ones, but there must be a next time I am sure
you will agree, if you went to the Show.
Once again, many, many thanks.
Tony Ball
STILL TIME:
Below is a list of events on the current Programme for which places are still available:
Croft Castle & Berrington Hall - Fully booked, but with about ten or more extra
bookings another coach could be considered.
19th June
20th June
25th July
20th August
Caldon Canal (Friday) Plenty of spare places.
Caldon canal (Saturday) Some places still available.
Staunton Harold and Melbourne Hall - Some places still available.
Dudmaston - Some places still available.
THE NATIONAL TRUST - STAFFORDSHIRE CENTRE
INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT
FOR 9 MONTHS ENDING 31ST DECEMBER, 1980
Income £
A
B
Administration
Subscriptions
Donations
Printing, Stationery and postage Miscellaneous
Activities
Programme - summer
autumn
Bath weekend
Fund raising - Rose appeal
- Christmas Draw
Christmas Fayre
(proceeds)
Appeal re W. W. Marchant
Shop
Expenditure £
298
26
36
-------358
--------
335
17
-------352
--------
763
1,016
1,324
779
179
636
893
1,188
154
54
127
123
136
625
125
110
74
236
9
179
110
65
57
--------1,374
Net Profit
C
Donations to The National Trust
Shugborough Rose Appeal
Shropshire Hills Appeal
1,125
249
-----------
BADDESLEY CLINTON APPEAL
The National Trust Baddesley Clinton Appeal needs £100,000 for repairs and
alterations to Baddesley Clinton to enable it to be opened to the public. So far, £45,000 has
been raised. Your Committee has decided to donate £1,000 to the Appeal as soon as this
sum has been raised by our Centre - Editor.
PREVIEW OF FORTHCOMING CENTRE EVENTS
Christmas Lunch at Beefeater
Restaurant, Stafford:
6
625
500
-----------
Surplus
Garden party at Stafford:
Ramble in Cotswolds:
Lecture on 'Matterhorn Adventure'
at Lichfield:'
R.S.P.B. Lecture on
'Wild Life in Trust'
'Christmas Fayre' at Lichfield:
Surplus £
Saturday, 5th September.
Saturday, 29th September.
Tuesday, 6th October.
Thursday, 12th November.
Saturday, 12th. December,
or 28th November.
Sunday, 6th December.
Full details of these events will appear in the next programme.
EDITOR'S NOTE
I would like, once again, to thank all those who have contributed to this issue of our Newsletter,
and particularly Lady Bagot for her charming article on the history of the Bagot Goats.
The next issue of the Newsletter comes out in October, and I would be most grateful for
contributions - which should reach me at 25, Crescent Road, Rowley Park, Stafford by 11th September,
1981.
Guy de Visme