Devonshire's East Devon magazine September October 2018

A point of view!
Nelson’s Column
by JOHN FISHER
Welcome to the Heritage Museum in the
ancient town of Ottery St. Mary which has
more than 1000 years of documented history.
Jane’s words for
wise guys
Housed in a striking red-brick Victorian
building opposite St.Mary’s Church, the
premises have seen many previous lives
initially as the town hall, then a magistrate’s
court, a police station and more recently, the
public library.
History finds a home
HOW GOOD to be able to report the opening
of a new museum in Devon.
The museum is staffed by volunteers from
the Heritage Society whose energies and
objectives over the last 20 years have been
to draw together and preserve historic items
and documents for posterity as they sought a
permanent home for this unique collection.
Robert Neal of the society said:
“This latest venture should be viewed as a
development project; it will grow and change
to begin with, relying on our members’ input,
coupled with welcome suggestions from the
townsfolk who responded overwhelmingly
in favour of the project.”
Admission is free and the museum is open
Monday to Saturday between 10 a.m. and 4.00
p.m. initially up until mid October.
BBC’s Jane Garvey
THREE YEARS HAVE PASSED since this
column published its findings on the typical
greetings then being put out by staff to
customers at 79.37 per cent of Devon’s major
retailers and eating establishments.
There was a time, we wrote, when this would
be something along the lines of “Hello, How
may I help you?”
But then, our inspectors revealed, it had
become, “Yawl white dare?” This translated
as a rather meaningless, “Are you alright
there?” as if the customer’s physical location
was either in question or even in jeopardy.
Gather ye rose hips
while ye may
HEDGEROW FORAGING SEASON is upon
us once more when squirrels must needs be
beaten to this year’s rich nut harvest, sloes
sought and rose hips…rose hips?
Rose hips for syrup, jelly, wine and even
marmalade. But relax. This is no cookery
column but in October 1941, during WW2,
Devon families put on their wellies and set
out along country lanes and pathways in
response to a government appeal to hit the
hedgerows for “Rose hip Week”.
Scouts, Guides, WI and WRVS members from
across the county answered the call and
pooled their baskets full of rose hips. In total
some 200 tons were harvested, resulting in
600,000 bottles of rose hip syrup.
By 1943 the Ministry of Food had put out a
leaflet “Hedgerow Harvest” which contained
recipes including Rose hip Marmalade which
one domestic goddess described to us as,
well, “Hmm”..
When we mentioned wartime rose hip forays
to one Devon old-timer who reads this column
he told us that he and his mates used the
otherwise discarded rose hip fibres to make
“jolly good itching powder”, which they then
stuffed down each other’s necks. Those were
the days, eh Fred?’
A change
But last month’s survey has revealed a change
over the intervening three years. Today it
has become “You all white dare, guys?”
Now BBC Woman’s Hour host Jane Garvey
has followed suit and protested at the use of
“guys” not simply because it is another step
in the Americanisation of the language but
also because the word “guys” is gendered.
Guys is of course an import from Hollywood
(good guys, bad guys, youse guys) via Guy
Fawkes, who was most decidedly a chap before
he became a Bonfire Night effigy.
It is used increasingly in everyday speech
regardless of the make up of a group. And
she, Jane Garvey, and a lot of other women
who called the programme subsequently said
that they had had enough of it.
Our next survey on the subject is scheduled
for September, 2021.
JOHN FISHER
40
Countryside, History, Walks, the Arts, Events & all things Devon at: DEVONSHIRE magazine.co.uk