Romsley & Hunnington History Society -

July 2016: The Ballad of St Kenelm

As part of Romsley and Hunnington History Society's 50th Anniversary celebrations, a special performance of the Ballad of St Kenelm A.D. 821 is being staged at St Kenelm's School, Romsley, at 2.00pm on Sunday, 3 July 2016.

The Ballad of St Kenelm, written by local novelist Francis Brett Young (1884-1954), tells the story of St Kenelm, the boy king of Mercia, who was murdered near Clent as part of his sister's plot to gain the throne. It is one of a collection of poems entitled The Island, first published in 1944, in which Francis Brett Young explores themes in English History in a masterly and lyrical fashion. The Francis Brett Young Society has now commissioned the local composer Andrew Downes to set The Ballad of St Kenelm to music, using a 14-piece orchestra and a cast of players to bring the story to life. The haunting music and Francis Brett Young's powerful verse make a moving combination.

The Ballad of St Kenelm will be conducted by Cynthia Downes. She will be joined by the Hagley Community Orchestra and the Central England Ensemble and her daughter Paula will sing the soprano lead. Tickets for this exciting and unique event are priced at £10.00 and are available from Paul Share, Chairman of the Romsley and Hunnington History Society, 197, Bromsgrove Road Hunnington, telephone 01562 710197.

Meeting Report - April 16

Despite the snow showers, the Church Hall was full for the meeting of the Romsley and Hunnington History Society, which took place on Tuesday, 26th April. Mary Bodfish, a founder member of the Smethwick History Society, gave a talk entitled, "You Can't Abdicate and Eat It – Edward Vlll and Mrs Simpson." In the week of the Queen's 90th birthday and the 64th year of her reign, it was interesting to look back to 1936, when the abdication of King Edward VIII took place.

Mrs Bodfish set the scene and gave us an in-depth insight into the characters of Edward, Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII, and Wallis Simpson, wife of Ernest Simpson. Both of them had traumatic childhoods and colourful lives before they were introduced by Edward's mistress, in 1930. Edward fell in love with Wallis and their love story was full of intrigue, with many twists and turns. However, marriage between the King of England and a twice divorced, American lady seemed to be unthinkable!

Edward had other ideas, and after she had divorced Ernest, he proposed to Wallis. This caused such a crisis that the Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, issued an ultimatum to Edward, he had to give up Wallis Simpson or the Throne of England! He rejected the throne and chose Wallis. In December 1936, he abdicated and his younger brother became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. Edward and Wallis were married in France, where they lived in exile for most of their lives.

Mrs Bodfish illustrated her talk with photographs, taken at the time. She said the general public were unaware of most of the events that took place, until Edward gave his abdication speech to the nation, indicating that he put the woman he loved before being King of England!

Michael Hall gave a vote of thanks to Mary for a thoroughly researched talk and an interesting evening's entertainment.

The next meeting will be on Tuesday, May 24th, the Annual General Meeting, followed by a dramatisation of "The Story of St. Kenelm", to celebrate 50 years of the History Society. On Tuesday, June 28th, Julian Hunt will give a talk on, "Dayhouse Bank". On Sunday 3rd of July, there will be a musical performance in St. Kenelm's School of "The Ballad of St. Kenelm." Tickets will be on sale soon. Everyone is welcome.

Pat Evans

Meeting Report - May 2016

The Annual General Meeting of the Romsley and Hunnington History Society took place on 24th May, 2016. Paul Share, the Chairman, opened the meeting on a sad note, as June Humphreys, our secretary for 23 years, passed away recently and we stood for a minute's silence in her memory. June was a lovely lady, who will be remembered for her quietly efficient organising ability, her skilful art of gentle persuasion and especially her kindness. She will be sadly missed.

It is partly through her work over the years that the RHHS is in the position it is today. We have 60 members, a healthy bank balance and a very promising programme of speakers for the next year. The formal part of the meeting was quickly concluded, as we were all looking forward to the presentation which was to follow.

This year the RHHS is 50 years old. In order to celebrate this event, Julian Hunt and Ruth Harper organised a very original evening. 1966 was the 100th anniversary of the Parish of Romsley. The Rev. David Copley, the Rector of St Kenelm's Church, and Mr. Joe Hunt decided to put on a pageant depicting, "The Legend of St. Kenelm". Not many villages can boast of a legend depicting greed, murder and retribution and a play was written by Geoffrey Pearson. This was performed in the Church, which was transformed for the occasion, much to the disapproval of some of the congregation. The play was produced by George Street, and was a great success. The actors, both children and adults, were all local people and there were performances every night for a week.

We still have a record of this event, as Mr. Alan Harper took many photographic slides. Julian Hunt and Ruth Harper had the clever idea to use the slides and some of the original cast and present members of the society, to retell the story and reminisce about their experiences of 1966. It was fascinating to see St. Kenelm, alias David Tromans, barely recognisable as the shy little boy king, taking the same roll today!

Now, 50 years on, we all enjoyed being reminded of the story, although there are still some unanswered questions. Was it a white cow or a red cow? We still don't know! However the audience of 70 people, which included some of the original cast, really enjoyed the evening, a blend of old and new, with a touch of nostalgia, thanks to the hard work put in by the performers. Ruth Harper hazarded a guess that it was the pageant of 1966 which gave Rev. David Copley and Joe Hunt the idea of instigating a History Society in the village. Little did they realise that their children, Ruth and Julian, would carry on the tradition of a History Society in 2016.

The next meeting will be on Tuesday, 28th June, when Julian Hunt will give a talk on "Dayhouse Bank." On Sunday, July 3rd, "The Ballad of St. Kenelm", an afternoon of lovely music, verse and entertainment, will be performed in St. Kenelm's School at 2.30pm. Tickets, priced at £10.00, are now on sale from Paul Share, tel. 01562 710197.

Pat Evans