Cataloguing Curiosities

Has anyone seen Bandy Will?

Cataloguing the Library often turns up items of curious interest. The Gordon Ward Papers – a lifetime collection of pamphlets, articles, visual records, cuttings etc., of most of the parishes of Kent – had this press cutting in the Bridge Parish folder.

CAUTION

Whereas four men, answering the following description, viz James Allen, dark complexion, small eye, stout made, had on when he went away a light great coat, short trousers, and laced shoes; James Kingsbury light complexion, short made, had on when he went away a light great coat, thickset waistcoat, dark breeches, and shoes; William Huson, alias Bandy Will, had on when he went away a thickset jacket and trousers, and laced shoes, and walks lame; Charles Ward pale, fair complexion, and had had on when he went away a short velvet jacket and velvet breeches, and laced shoes.

The above men are what are called 'Navigators', and have been employed by several gentlemen round this neighbourhood, but leaving this place in a clandestine way we the undersigned thought proper to give this public warning to prevent others meeting the same treatment we have from them, as they left Bridge something considerably in our debt.

RICH CHALLICROFT, victualler J. MINTER, butcher

We believe Richard Challicroft was a victualler in the early years of the nineteenth century, and that the 'Navigators' had probably been working on a canal project.

This amusing tale also emerged:

THE PARISH CLERK OF BICKNOR-CUM-HUCKING

Previous to 1867 Bicknor was a chapelry attached to Hollingbourne, and only had a service once a month, which was sometimes omitted owing to the weather being very inclement, or from other causes. This it was that enabled the clerk to take the pulpit as a quiet place in which to sit his turkey. The curate one Sunday had to ride over, owing to the weather being very wet, and when he came again the next month it was again a wet Sunday and the congregation was very sparse, which the clerk used as an argument why he should not preach; but the curate, however, owing to his absence the previous month, persisted in his determination to preach and the clerk had to confess that his turkey was sitting in the pulpit.

Dr. Frank Paton, Hon. Librarian