The Companye of Merrie Folke greet thee right well!
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PAYCOCKES HOUSE, COGGESHALL, 29TH AND 30TH JUNE 2024
What-ho chaps and chapesses, the Roaring Twenties are coming soon to Paycockes House, Coggeshall, Essex on the 29th and 30th June. Back in time to 1924, when the house was first gifted to the National Trust. More details can be found at Paycocke’s House and Garden | Essex | National Trust
In the meantime, we introduce to you Lucy Buxton, one of the most spiffing Party Goers attending. Toodle-pip.
Lucy Noel-Buxton (nee Pelham Burn)
I was born on 14th December 1888 in Winchester, eldest daughter of Major Henry Pelham and Janet Edith Orr-Ewing. Victorian England was in a state of social turmoil, Jack the Ripper stalked the streets of Whitechapel, Matchgirls went on strike and the Local Government Act established County and Borough Councils, and gave women the right to vote in local elections.
As a girl I studied at Malvern St James School and then Westfield College, Hampstead, a women’s only establishment which aimed to educate women for University of London degrees.
Politics has always been an important part of my life. My grandfather Archibald Orr-Ewing was a Scottish Conservative politician, and following in his footsteps I joined the Conservative party.
1910 found me campaigning against the Liberals, where I met one Noel Buxton. Noel was a Liberal whose early career was somewhat faltering. He wasn’t bombastic or a bully, he was clever, caring and believed that real change could be affected through politics. Despite our cries of “No Noel for North Norfolk”, in the General Election of 1910, he gained the Parliamentary seat.
I was not too downcast however, his humanitarianism, abolitionism and genuine desire for real, meaningful social reform drew me to him, as did his height. I am a very tall lady, and Noel stood, head and shoulders above everyone I had ever met, philosophically and literally.
Noel’s concern was not just for his fellow Englishman, but for the larger world. His grave concern for the delicate situation in the Balkan states at this time was proved right, with war breaking out in 1912. As Chair of the Balkan War Relief Committee, he visited Bulgaria with Mabel St Clair Stobart, and together they convinced the government to send an all-female medical unit to the war-torn region to bring aid and comfort to the innocent civilian women and children caught in the conflict.
Also in 1904, Noel had bought Paycockes House in Coggeshall, after there had been local uproar over its dilapidated condition. The Buxton family had a connection to not only the house, but also the Paycocke family. The Buxton’s had bought the property, and in the late 18th century took the terrible decision to divide it into three cottages and promptly sold it off. Rented to tenants, it had fallen into a sorry state. Noel had his cousin Conrad Noel and his wife Miriam oversee the restorations, letting them live there in exchange. Much time and effort went into restoring the fabric of this wonderful building, the gardens and some of the interior wood carvings. Some parts we could not restore fully, but I like to think that these traces allude to the fuller history of Paycockes House and the people who lived there.
We were married in April 1914 and in those early days lived at Paycockes House, though as time drew on, this beautiful house became more of a convenient stopping place when travelling to and from constituencies from London. We loved it nonetheless, and feeling the weight of responsibility for the restorations, we decided that once complete, we would put the house in the hands of the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest and Natural Beauty so that it may be enjoyed by generations to come.
Shortly after our marriage, in October 1914, Noel and his brother Charles were the targets of an assassination attempt in Bucharest. Still concerned for the Balkan situation, they had been trying to secure the neutrality of Bulgaria when an activist shot and wounded them. Mercifully they both survived their injuries. Craving a creating outlet and space to express myself, I began writing a book of sonnets and poetry. “Hay Harvest and other poems”. It sounds frivolous and pastoral, but I hope the reader will sense the subtext is a deeper, sadder worldview.
In January 1917 we welcomed our first son, Rufus Alexander into the world, and he was quickly followed by five siblings, two more boys Christopher Arthur and Michael Barnett, and three girls. Jane Elizabeth, Sarah Edith and Lydia Victoria.
In 1918, the first General Election was held, whereby women could stand for Parliament alongside men on equal terms. There were only 17 out of 1631, but it was a proud moment in women’s history. However, Noel lost his North Norfolk seat, and decided to join his brother Charles and wife Dorothy by switching allegiance to the Labour party, and I of course joined him.
Noel’s concern for human welfare led to the setting up of the Noel Buxton Trust in 1919, a charity donating to family rights groups, those supporting ex-prisoners, and Fight the Famine Council set up by dear Dorothy.
Noel regained his North Norfolk seat in 1922, and in the General Election of January 1924 he became part of Ramsay MacDonald’s first Labour Government, appointed Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries. I am so proud of him, all that he is and all that he will become.
Kind Review of a Schools Event Held 20th and 21st March 2024
If you are looking at creating a truly immersive historical experience, I suggest you look no further! The Companye of Merrie Folke will go above and beyond your expectations. We worked with a band of nine Folke for our Medieval Schools Festival, held in the grounds of St Mary’s Church in rural Essex. The 2 days of our event were a resounding success, down in no small part to the talents of the Folke.
Merrie Folke leader Paul was invested, organised and fully of fantastic background information, practical documentation and creative ideas from the outset. We immediately felt confident that he could help us bring our event to life and he did not disappoint. Nothing was too much effort – from providing outdoor cover in order to weather proof the event, to hand crafting delicious cheesy farts to cook over an open fire and engaging a range of Merrie Folke members who would provide wonderful immersive experiences for our 204 assembled local KS2 children – musicians and dancing, storytelling, a whimsical puppet show, gory demonstrations by a barber surgeon and a cunning man, food cooked live by the Medieval cook, and the opportunity to make (and take) both a hand pressed clay pilgrimage badge and a lavender bag.
Nia McIntosh
AN ANNOUNCEMENT
The Companye of Merrie Folke take unto themselves a very grayte pleasure in announcing that Huw Williams, Man at Arms, hath put out the story of hys lyfe thus far. T’is newly displayed wythin ‘Our Characters’ for your disport.
Image by courtesy of Richard Lincoln.
About Us
The Companye of Merrie Folke is a dedicated and experienced group of re-enactors portraying the daily lives of the common people and Gentry alike in the medieval and Tudor periods.
The Companye of Merrie Folke 