September workday 4th Sept

A message from Colin about this weeks HCV task.

"Dear all,

 

Just a quick reminder that autumn starts on Thursday (although it feels like we have been in it for a few days!) and Sunday is our next workday.

 

We will be working at John Cowap's Hall Farm checking and adjusting the tree protection around all the trees we have planted, as well as trimming round the edges so that the trees do not get flailed when the hedge is done.  If numbers allow I would also like to check as many nest boxes as possible.

 

Hope to see you all then

 

best wishes

 

Colin"

November Tree Planting and Bird Box Survey

On a beautifully bright November Sunday the work day for the Haslington Conservation Volunteers involved two tasks.  Firstly replacing a dead tree on Park Road and secondly inspecting various bird boxes in an end of season survey.

A pair of Whitebeam's had been planted about 5 years ago either side of the private road from Park Road to Haslington Hall.  Unfortunately flooding caused by a blocked field drain resulted in the Southerly tree drowning.  The drains have now been cleared and the tree was given a last chance to regrow this past year but unfortunately a replacement was required.



Dead Whitebeam to the South of the road

 



The northerly tree had survived the flooding to produce an excellent crop of berries for the winter.

The dead tree is cut down and the roots removed before the fresh tree from Siddington is replanted.

Colin is normally to be seen leaning on a spade but on this occasion its our colleague Sarah.

The new tree is safely enclosed in its animal proof enclosure.

Another section of the Haslington Conservation Volunteers set off with extending ladders to check what use had been made in the past year of some of the many bird boxes installed by the group.

Sarah is cleaning out box 34 in an oak tree near to Haslington Hall.  As can be seen below the box was stuffed full of grass and root material together with a large quantity of dry dusty soil.

Colin shows the contents of a second box which appears to include chicken feathers in the matrix.  The actual egg laying area was tunneled into the nesting material, complete with maggots.

The morning sunshine brought out many walkers including the webmaster of the Haslington Parish website who reports on our activities here.  http://www.haslington.org/news/local-news/new-tree-planting.html





 





Haslington Hall and the Women’s Institute

Haslington Hall and the Women’s Institute

Whilst Colin Lythgoe was compiling the Haslington Walks leaflet produced by Haslington Conservation Volunteers in 2008 he noticed what seemed likely to be an error in the association between Haslington Hall and the founding of the Women’s Institute - this had been repeated in many leaflets and guides about Haslington. Reasearch by Colin and his sister should now provide a definitive response.

HASLINGTON HALL AND THE WI: CORRECTING A POPULAR ERROR

There is a popular misconception concerning Haslington Hall and the founding of the Women’s Institute Movement. This is that the founder of the WIs was Mrs Watts, the wife of Colonel Humphrey Watts who lived at Haslington Hall. This is not correct.

The Women’s Institute movement was founded in Britain in 1915 by Mrs Margaret Rose “Madge” Watt. The first President and founding member of Haslington and Crewe Green WI in 1944 was Mrs Lillian Watts.

The origin of this error is not known but given the similarity of the names and the connections with the WI it is easy to understand how it could start. It has been repeated many times and is included in several local leaflets on Haslington; in information at a County level e.g. About in North West England: Haslington; “Haslington Hall is … Notable more recent residents include Margaret Rose Watt, who was influential in establishing Women's Institutes, Air Commodore Dame Felicity Peake, the first director of the Women's Royal Air Force … “ and is even included at a national level e.g. Wikipedia “Haslington Hall: … Previous residents include Margaret Rose Watt, who played an important part in setting up Women's Institutes in UK. She was a Canadian who lived in England between 1913 and 1919.”

Margaret Rose Robertson was born in Ontario, Canada, married Dr Alfred Watt and moved to Victoria, British Columbia. She was a leading figure in the local Women’s Institute, a movement which had started in Canada in 1897. When Dr Watt died in 1913 Mrs Watt and her two sons moved to England to provide for their education. With her she took her devotion to the Women's Institute. At the outbreak of World War I, she realized what a benefit a rural women's organization could be to England. With a small group of like-minded women, she interested the Department of Agriculture in London. When the first Women's Institute was established at LlanfairPG, Anglesey on 16th September 1915, it was patterned on the style of the groups in British Columbia. Mrs Watt strongly favoured the idea of having an international body for rural women. She campaigned for this from 1919 until 1933 when the Associated Country Women of the World came into being. She was elected President, a role she fulfilled until 1947. During this time Mrs Watt travelled the world spreading the word about Women’s Institutes. She died in Montreal in 1948.

Stephanie Lillian Clegg was born in Wilmslow in 1905. In 1930 she married Colonel Humphrey Watts, becoming his second wife. When the Haslington and Crewe Green branch of the Women’s Institute was founded on 17th September 1944 Lillian Watts was the first President. Colonel Humphrey Watts was a senior partner in the prosperous family textile firm in Manchester but his real loves were the theatre and the Territorial Army. He served in France with the Cheshire Regiment in the 1914-18 war and in 1930 was appointed Honorary Colonel of the Regiment. When he returned from France in 1919 he bought Haslington Hall. He married his first wife, Gladys Ethel Mary Parkes in 1907 and they divorced around 1926. They had two children and the second child was Felicity Hyde Watts. Born on 1st May 1913 at Cheadle Hulme, she spent much of her youth at Haslington Hall. After a distinguished career in World War II, she became the first Director of the Women's Royal Air Force when it was formed in 1949, when she was Air Commodore Dame Felicity Peake.

Colin Lythgoe 01270 Crewe 582642, 11 Waterloo Road, Haslington, CW1 5TF