Being a dreadful hoarder I come across from time to time old letters and cards which a lot of people would long ago have destroyed. However I must admit I was pleased to re-read a letter received in February 1933 from my old schoolmaster Edward Preece. In fact I was still in a class of the smaller children when he retired, but he came back from his home in Herefordshire occasionally to visit the village where for nearly forty years he was the schoolmaster. I got to know him well because he was interested in my research in local history. Many years after he died, on my way down from further north, I stopped off at Hereford and went out to the village of Madeley where he was born and where he died. Two neglected graves in the churchyard were those of he and his sister both of whom died unmarried. Enquiring at the village pub I was told there was none of the family left in the village and, sadly I thought, my old schoolmaster was almost forgotten.
Edward Preece became headmaster
here twice, 1878-93 and 1894-1919. Where he was during the hiatus has never been revealed. He was the parish
schoolmaster, since the school was built in 1872 by S. Lancaster Lucas, called the "Squire", who became sole
manager, assisted by the vicar and his wife. Later their interest flagged. The first headmaster was John
Baldwin who resigned in less than two years. George Payne followed and was very disinterested. "Very uphill
work for a schoolmaster in this parish" he wrote in the Lay Book. Pupils were not attending, fees were not
being paid. Payne walked out and John Van Dyke, a lively popular man, came but the "Squire", vicar and even
parents ceased to support the school. Before leaving Van Dyke wrote in his log "Having no funds I therefore
ceased work". Eventually the school became a Board School. Edward Preece came and from then on Inspectors
reports showed steady progress, resulting later in a "high standard of proficiency and discipline" being
recorded.
Heard from an old friend, Tom Butler, an American who has a great affection for Bradworthy. He has some distant relations here anyway, his mother being a Grills. Tom wrote from Puerto Rico to where he and his new wife have escaped from the cold in New York state where they live, lucky people! Last time I saw Tom was when I myself was in New York and we did a tour of the New England states, a highlight of which was the lovely old - yes old - city of Boston. Also went to New Plymouth of the Pilgrim Fathers and Biddeford (named after our Bideford, but with two "d"s) in the state of Maine. We crossed the St. Lawrence River at the 1000-Islands international bridge into Canada, visiting Grills I had not met before. Tom says he hopes to meet me at the great reunion of the Grills/Grylls clan at Penzance in August. He doesn't know the extent of my physical handicap. I am doubtful if the few Grills' around here, busy farmers, will be going.
A visitor from Australia to his parents here knows a Westaway family in Queensland, who told him their ancestors may have come from North Devon as they heard tell of Bideford and Barnstaple. I haven't any record of a Westaway who actually went from the village to Australia; but a Westaway family researcher writes of a George Westaway who in 1840 was clearing over 7,000 acres of bush country in what is now Victoria state in order to establish a farm. The area became known as the Westaway Run or Westaway Station. In later years George fell foul of enemies and was shot. He survived but did not return to his former duties. I've passed this information on to the Westaways in Queensland to whom it could be of interest even if they have no connection with George Westaway, the origin of whom is apparently not known.