Witty clergyman from the past is celebrated in a West Dorset village Project will also see the compilation of a local history book
A 17th century clergyman from West Dorset who came up with the famous saying “Charity begins at home but should not end there” is being celebrated in a new project at Broadwindsor.
Bridport artist and signwriter Jemma Thompson has been commissioned by Windrose Rural Media Trust to inscribe some of Dr Thomas Fuller’s memorable quotes inside The White Lion community pub.
Margery Hookings, who is leading the project, said: “We’re delighted to have secured Jemma’s services, especially as The White Lion is one of the pubs in Palmers Brewery’s original portfolio and Jemma was so instrumental in bringing the work of Palmers signwriter George Biles to life in the amazing exhibition in Bridport last year, as part of the Dorset Town of Culture initiative.”
The Rev Thomas Fuller (1608-1661) was Rector of Broadwindsor from 1635-1641 and his son, John, was baptised in the village on 6 June 1641.
Said Margery:
“Apparently, his sermons were so witty, the church was always packed. He was an extraordinary man, a prolific author and one of the first English writers able to live by his pen.
“His many sayings are very much relevant today, including ‘we never know the value of water until the well is dry’ and ‘A fox should not be on the jury at a goose’s trial.”
In the final year of his life, Fuller became Chaplain Extraordinary to Charles II. In 1651, the monarch had spent a night concealed in Broadwindsor, while he was on the run during his six-week flight from the Battle of Worcester.
Pub chairman Rick Dyke said:
“Aside from Thomas Fuller’s many quotes which survive him in some form to this day, what I find most relevant is that the spirit of his preachings were, at a time of civil war, described as characterised by calmness and moderation.
“How this world could do with a Thomas Fuller today. His time in Broadwindsor should be recognised, and I think that the quotations that will feature in the White Lion will be a fitting tribute.”
Flower Festival
Fuller’s sayings will also be the theme of a flower festival in the village church over the weekend of 31 May–1 June, when Broadwindsor stages its inaugural Oak Apple Fair.
As part of the festivities, there will be a church service on Sunday 1 June at 11am.
The pub will also be involved in the weekend events, which are being staged around Charles II’s birthday, which was the date in 1660 when the Stuarts were restored to the throne. Oak Apple Day – which alludes to the king hiding in an oak tree at Boscobel, Shropshire – was marked as a public holiday in England until Victorian times.
Commemorating Thomas Fuller is just one strand of Windrose’s project, Born & Bred. The major part focuses on gathering oral histories of people aged 55 and over who were born and/or bred in Broadwindsor.
The interviews are being conducted by Margery Hookings, a former editor of The Bridport News, who will compile them for a book, which is expected to be ready later in the year.
She said: “Since the pandemic, new families have moved into Broadwindsor and there is renewed interest in the village’s history.
Born and Bred
“I hope the Born & Bred project will complement the late Leonard Studley’s wonderful book, My Story: of nigh eighty yeas in the Broadwindsor area of the hill country of West Dorset, and add to residents’ knowledge of the village’s recent past.”
She added: “I am very grateful for support from Dorset Council’s Community and Culture Fund, the LHC Community Benefit Fund, Magna Housing Association’s Community Improvement Fund and The British Association of Local History, as well as significant in-kind contributions, which have helped make this project come to fruition.”
Windrose Rural Media Trust works with local people on creative projects in rural communities in Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire, and has built up a large film and audio archive.
Born & Bred follows on from Windrose’s The Place I Love project in Broadwindsor, which included an art exhibition, the collection of field names and folk songs and the unveiling of the village map in 2022, created by local artist Megan Edwards.
