In 1951 Henry Marshall John Burdett became Rector. Mr. Burdett was keenly interested in the history of the parish, and his enthusiasm resulted in a Pageant of Parish History, which took place in the summer of 1955, the 800th anniversary year of the building of the church and the jubilee of the building additions.
On All Saints’ Day, November 1st, 1955, a Thanksgiving Service was held at which the Lord Bishop of Winchester (Dr. A.T.P. Williams) preached. The church was filled to overflowing by parishioners who could surely echo the words of the Rector: “We have inherited from the past a building which is a thing of beauty, and which, under God, will be a joy and an inspiration in centuries to come”.
from: The Story of a Quiet Parish – Compton and Shawford by B.M.Clegg
Table of Contents
The Rector’s letter
from the Parish Magazine, December 1955
My dear People,
The climax of our Anniversary Year passed off very happily with an inspiring service on All Saints Day and a lively party two days later. The opening words of the Bishop’s sermon were :— “I think that anyone who was not moved by our service this evening would be very dull of imagination”, and I am sure that there were none such in the church that night ; it was a great occasion which will live long in our memories.
The Party, too, was a notable event. An unexpected feature was the appearance of a magnificent cake, 30 lb: in weight, presented by Captain and Mrs. Blake and made by the students of a department of the Technical College in Southampton; it was a kind and generous thought which was much appreciated.
For the benefit of posterity, I intend to place in the church safe a sealed packet— “to be opened in 2055”—containing a short description of Compton as it is today, copies of the literature connected with the Pageant and the Service, the, Parish Magazine for November, an account of the Service in one of the local papers, a copy of the “Times” for All Saints Day (which contains the announcement of Princess Margaret’s great renunciation) and anything else which is likely to be of interest. It may be that one of our choirboys (like Mr. Wilmot who sang at the Service in 1905) will be a Sidesman in 2055.
November has also been memorable for the opening of the “Vice-Admiral Reeves Memorial Scout Hut” which stands in the centre of the Council Houses and will be of the greatest value, to the village; we are all grateful for the generosity of Mrs. Reeves and the enthusiasm of Mr. Westbrook which have brought it into being. I understand that it will be possible to use it for other activities when it is not required for scouting, and I am sure that it will be a most useful addition to the amenities of our community.
“The old order changeth”. These words spring to one’s Mind with the passing of Mr. Wilfred Godwin whose death took place on November 17th. For more than 50 years he had farmed the valley in which Compton lies, and when he retired in 1953 and the land was divided into small-holdings, it was perhaps the greatest agricultural event in the parish for 500 years. He had a deep love of the land which he served so well and of the village in which he lived so long, and his passing will be mourned by all who knew him. Requiescat in pace.
We have had two Golden Weddings in November and we offer our heartiest congratulations and best wishes for many happy returns to Mr. and Mrs. Whatmore (Nov. 4th) and Mr. and Mrs. Bailey (Nov. 14th).
A parishioner has kindly offered to give some plants to anyone who is starting a new garden; if Council house tenants or others would like some and let me know, I will put them in touch with him.
May God fill your homes with happiness at Christmastide.
Your sincere friend and Rector,
H. M. J. BURDETT.
The Time Capsule
When the “time capsule” was sealed, the date for opening was set to be 2005 rather than 2055.
It was duly opened in 2005 by the PCC, without fanfare, and was replaced in the church safe without being publicised in any way.
It was not until about 2019 that the “time capsule” came to the attention of the Local History Society.
It was displayed in church, and to meetings of All Saints’ Guild and the Local History Society, and then passed to the Hampshire Record Office for safe keeping.
Letter from 1955 to 2005
In this year 1955 we have been celebrating the 800th anniversary of the building of the old part of our church and the jubilee of the new part. A pageant was performed in June in Rectory garden on a lovely summer day before 700 spectators and a Thanksgiving service, at which the Bishop of Winchester preached, was held on All Saints Day.
Some account of the parish as it is today may be of interest to a future generation.
In 1953 there were about 290 families in the parish: in a few months’ time there will be about 400 most of the new building is of council houses off Attwoods Drove on a site to be known as Martins Fields. The first council houses (numbers 1 to 14) were built about 1926 and enlarged in 1955; the second (numbers 15 to 24) about 1947, and now the third set, including six blocks of flats of being built.
Many houses have also been built in the last two years at the bottom of Fairfield Road, in Highways Road and on other sites.
The old school (built 1838, enlarged 1894) still stands and is overcrowded with 60 children. The building of the new school which has long been planned has not yet been begun. In 1953 the church commissioners sold the farm in the valley (720 acres) to the County Council who are dividing it into 12 small-holdings. Some houses have been adapted and enlarged for the small-holders and some new ones built. There will soon be the same numbers of men farming their lands as in 1426. The old Tithe Barn has this year been repaired and adapted to modern use as a farm building; The timber pillars and rafters have been carefully preserved. There is no main drainage (except for the council houses) nor street lighting in the parish. The electrical power system is shortly to be linked with that of a large area centred at Lyndhurst, and posts carrying cables will cross the valley from Martins Fields to Silkstead and beyond.
A branch line will run from the bottom of the valley to a transformer on the other side of Yew walk. (This “walk” is still complete with a line of yews and some whitebeam sloping up the south side of the valley from east to west; the Anglo-Saxon track within it can still be traced in the upper part).
The Winchester bypass road ends at the top of the hill where it joins the Southampton road which only admits of two lines of traffic and is heavily congested. The wayside cross stands on a hillock above the junction. Many accidents happen on this stretch of road, and there is a plan to construct a new road from the top of the hill to pass west of the houses in Otterbourne road and to join the Southampton road beyond Otterbourne village. A new Scout Hut was opened in 1955 on a site in Martins fields. An ugly bungalow has just been built opposite the church: in order to do this, 3 beech trees were felled on the west side and one on the south: the remaining trees are in fine condition.
The fabric of the church is sound and is surveyed every five years (a bill is now being introduced to make this compulsory). During the 1940 – 45 war an incendiary bomb fell on a flat tombstone just outside the South door and the mark is plainly visible: apart from this, the parish suffered no damage from bombs. The average age at death is much higher than it was 20 years ago, but this parish parish is still remarkable for the number of old people: there are 12 over 90 and about 25 over 85. The oldest is Mrs Cremer who was 99 on April the 13th 1955: her father was born on October 21st 1795 (the battle of Trafalgar was fought on his 10th birthday) – an almost incredible span of years.
“The times have changed: the church still stands”: those words from the epilogue in our pageant are true today as, under God, there will be when these lines are read. “Across the years our love a greeting sends” with our own prayers that you in 2005 may be as happy in your community and your worship as we are in 1955.
HMJ Burdett – Rector
A Goodly Heritage
A short history of the parish by B.M.Clegg included in the November 1955 Parish Magazine with a copy in the time capsule to be opened in 2005 (click to view)
