I have been in touch with Mrs Lyn Winsbury. After a most refreshing chat I promised to send her the below. She referred me to you at the Hatherleigh History Society.
The purpose of my contact with the burghers of Hatherleigh is due to my moving to a new property and the resulting discovery of a book long held in my family library.
The book I discovered was printed by The Religious Tract Society, written by Hesba Stretton titled ‘The Siege of Strasbourg’.
Hesba Stratton was the pen name of Sarah Smith an English writer of children’s books.
The relevance to Hatherleigh is that it is stamped inside the hardback front cover ‘PARISH CHURCH, HATHERLEIGH, SUNDAY SCHOOLS’.
There is the name of ‘W. Palmer’ written in black ink above the stamp followed by the words ‘5th CLASS’.
There is also the date written ‘HOLY THURSDAY 1893’
It clearly implies that the book was a prize won by ‘W. Palmer’.
I note in your records you have a photo of a turn of the century Sunday school class with a lad in the front row holding what looks to be a small chalk board with ‘5th’ clearly defined.
I wonder if that identifies the group in the photo as the ‘5th CLASS’. Wouldn’t it just be marvellous to know if the young man holding the chalk board might be one ‘W. Palmer’.??!!
Comments 1
Hello there,
I have been in touch with Mrs Lyn Winsbury. After a most refreshing chat I promised to send her the below. She referred me to you at the Hatherleigh History Society.
The purpose of my contact with the burghers of Hatherleigh is due to my moving to a new property and the resulting discovery of a book long held in my family library.
The book I discovered was printed by The Religious Tract Society, written by Hesba Stretton titled ‘The Siege of Strasbourg’.
Hesba Stratton was the pen name of Sarah Smith an English writer of children’s books.
The relevance to Hatherleigh is that it is stamped inside the hardback front cover ‘PARISH CHURCH, HATHERLEIGH, SUNDAY SCHOOLS’.
There is the name of ‘W. Palmer’ written in black ink above the stamp followed by the words ‘5th CLASS’.
There is also the date written ‘HOLY THURSDAY 1893’
It clearly implies that the book was a prize won by ‘W. Palmer’.
I note in your records you have a photo of a turn of the century Sunday school class with a lad in the front row holding what looks to be a small chalk board with ‘5th’ clearly defined.
I wonder if that identifies the group in the photo as the ‘5th CLASS’. Wouldn’t it just be marvellous to know if the young man holding the chalk board might be one ‘W. Palmer’.??!!
Roger G Smee. April 8th 2020/