This is an informal group which decided in March 2014 to get together on a regular basis to explore the history of St Mary Bourne and surrounding areas.
There is no formal membership (or subscription!) involved. Meetings are held every Tuesday morning in the house of a member, and those who would like to join in come as and when they are able.
We are fortunate in having a history of our village already in existence, written by Dr Joseph Stevens. That is the good news. But the bad news is that it has not been re-assessed since 1893, although there have been several booklets covering various aspects of village life since then, for example those by Kathleen Innes and Margaret Wedge, who brought the history up to the millennium.
We decided that the obvious place to begin to bring alive the past of our village is the First World War.
One of the main reasons for this is that our roll of honour, a copy of which hangs in our church, lists the surnames and initials of all those who took part. On Remembrance Sunday every year, the names of those who died are read out and we remember them, as Laurence Binyon promised.
But what of those who did not die? We believe that all those who abandoned their families and friends, livelihoods and all they held dear to take part in a national conflict also deserve to be remembered.
But before we can remember them, we need to find out who they were. What did they do? Where did they live? Our trail begins…
St Mary Bourne Goes To War 
What a brilliant start. I will be following with avid interest.
Thank-you so much, Harriet :>)
Excellent project.
I look forward to reading more.
Thank-you Ruth :>)
Thought i would take a look and to my amazement the first thing to pop up was about a family member, i am now hooked and facinated to find out more.Thankyou. kate Rampton
So glad we have managed to hook you, Kate 🙂
I am hoping to draw in family members like yourself who can help us fill in the blanks. Do please tell me if you think I have got the emphasis wrong – and of course any wrong ‘facts’. Do you know, for instance, whether Fred Wedge did go into the baking business with the Ramptons?
The English antecedents of my grandmother, Elizabeth Campbell Wedge, came from St Mary Bourne. James Wedge & his wife Hester are buried in the Ch of England cemetery there. Grandson Charles Wedge & wife Ann nee Roach emigrated to Canterbury New Zealand in 1851.His parents George & Hannah Wedge farmed at Upper Woodcott and are interred at nearby Woodcott St James. I would be delighted to make contact with Wedge family still resident in the locality.There is mention of a Margaret Wedge on your website who has written about the area. St Mary Bourne Revisited has provided a unique insight into their lives and times. .
Would you like me to put this notice into April issue of Hill & Valley? Also is there any other news/info you might like me to include? Best wishes Ruth
Yes please. Thank you kindly for replying. George & Hannah Wedge had 6 Children. Eldest Charles 1815-1875, emigrated to NZ, George 1816-1849, Sarah Ann (1851 census records her as Susannah) 1818-1862, married Benjamin Beckingham, Farmer at Ashe,Caroline 1820-1855 spinster,Earle 1823-1856 married Elizabeth Deller,& Arabella 1822-1896 married Thomas Deller. The Thomas Deller family were resident in Portsea. Hopefully this may resonate with someone. George Lauder of NZ, a grandson of Charles Wedge served in WW1 as a sapper.The on-line letters (St mary Bourne goes to War)are very moving. Times of great courage and tragedy.
Dear Lesley Treweek – If I put your notice about contacting members of the Wedge family into our community magazine Hill & Valley, could I please have a contact number or email address so people can respond to you direct. I am editor of the magazine and you can contact me on ruth.widen@btinternet.com Looking forward to hearing from you. Ruth
Hi Ruth,
I am hoping you did receive an e-mail from me on 21.03.2016 which I sent to your bt internet e-mail address. I had attached a Wedge family tree & photo.for inclusion in the magazine. You mentioned forwarding to me a copy of the magazine article. It hasn’t arrived and It occurred to me that my e-mail reply to you might have been blocked as SPAM. Thank you for all your help.Lesley
Dear Lesley. Thank you. I did receive your email and attach the copy which went into our parish magazine. Unfortunately there wasnât space to include the family tree and other details but I hope the short article brings a positive response. My sharp-eyed sub-editors failed to spot that a word was omitted in the text which Iâve added later, as you will see. Best wishes Ruth
Thank you Ruth. In response to the magazine article I have already been contacted by a possible Wedge relative. Regardless of the outcome I have enjoyed this exchange and loved reading the contributions. We remember our NZ servicemen & women on ANZAC day April 25th