Meet the ancestors

After this morning's macarons course at Ashburton cookery school, which I shall detail in detail somewhere, (maybe on my much-neglected other blog) Steve picked me up. We rearranged the the car to fill it with all the pretty pastel fripperies I'd made. That's one of the the best things about cookery school: there is so much food to take home!

Our first destination was Torbryan, a small village in the heart of rural South Devon. I knew that it was connected to my father's side of the family, but centuries ago. The Petre family, who also spelled their name Peters and Petter, were active in the wool trade in South Devon, but later made their fortune assisting the Tudor monarchs in dissolving the monasteries. This is odd, because they are also known to be a devout recusant Catholic family, complete with priest-holes in their Tudor houses!

The Petres moved from the hamlet of Torbryan and their big house, Tor Newton, some centuries back. Tor Newton was destroyed by fire. I believe. They ended up in Ingatestone, Essex, and the handsome house at the foot of the driveway of Ingatestone Hall, (where the 'main branch' of the family) lived was named Torbryan. It was there that my grandfather Bernard Petre grew up, and he would often cycle up the driveway to play with his cousins at the hall. His brothers, apparently, would cycle through the village in their PJs to get the morning papers! Shocking behaviour!

The house at Ingatestone called Torbryan was, unfortunately, sold in the late 1950s/early 1960s and a housing estate was built on the land, so the name survives only as a street name. The village of Torbryan, however, is doing well as a three-cows-in-an-orchard town with a fine and ancient decomissioned church and the 13th century Church house inn, opposite.

We first visited Torbryan in 2008, in high June weather, so it was time to go back to revisit the ancient inn and the church. I found it curious to reflect on how my ancestors might have drunk in the same dark-timbered inn, but would not have been looking at the (excellent) awards on TripAdvisor, nor eaten Tempura Prawns served by a Polish barmaid from Newton Abbot!

After a brief chat with the barmaid, I went back to the church because I thought there was a Petre/Peters/Petters plaque to be found. What we found was a remarkable story concerning the 12th-century carved oak rood screen. The church is kept open during the day, but in 2013 a terrible discovery was made at locking-up time. Several of the rood screen's carved figures had been hacked out of the panelling. No one had seen or reported any suspicious activity.

Fast-forward two years, to South London. An eagle-eyed enthusiast spotted the panels for sale, and instantly recognised them. Police were alerted, and a man with a Welsh address was charged with their theft. The stolen carvings are now in storage, and there's a security system comprising red carpets, sensors, trip wires, flashing lights and disembodied voices warning of special forces being on their way....

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/may/19/stolen-15th-century-torbryan-church-icons-recovered-by-police

I found William Petter's slab on the church floor just adjacent to the trip wires. Standing on them was not an option. So this shot was achieved with difficulty, but I wanted to show the crude carvings at the top: the long man; the skull and crossbones; the pierced heart. As some other visitors remarked, they look like children's tattoos! I do not know for certain if 'William Burringeali Petter, youman', was in fact any relative of mine, but another notice in the church indicates that the Peters family was prominent in the village at the time of the dissolution of the monasteries. I cannot say that I felt a definite connection, but as I was standing close to the sensors, I was worrying about when or if I would be electrocuted....

We had visited the gates of Tor Newton in 2008, and seen their distinctly Manderley-ish appearance of modern dissolution and ruin. I will search for the photo I took back then, as I may historically-blip it. We did not revisit it today, as we could not remember exactly where it was, and all roads through the little villages look the same, and all are signposted Denbury or Woodlands!

Our later travels took us to Totnes and back up the coast to Teignmouth, before rejoining the motorway at Exeter. We were gifted with bright sunshine all the way home. It has been a joyous experience to have a tiny break and a change of scene.