NEWSA rich feast and excellent company in beautiful surroundings and mercifully mild temperatures made for a perfect annual Summer Lunch in the grounds of St Bartholomew’s Shipmeadow on Wednesday 1st July. We are grateful to Nick and Jenny Caddick for hosting the event and for kindly showing guests the restored panels of the east window. Huge thanks to the chefs who prepared such delicious dishes (not all of whom are in the front cover photo), and whose dedication is so often evident in the splendid fare we enjoy at church events. Thanks too to Sarah Jane for organising a very successful raffle, which raised £269.00. The event raised £1,121.00 for the Fabric Fund, with the re-thatching of the nave roof the priority. On Wednesday 24th June the Community Payback team tidied the car parking area, weeded and trimmed the path from lychgate to porch, mowed paths through the churchyard and cleared the area around the tin shed. It was one of the hottest days of the year and the team worked tirelessly through the heat without fuss or complaint and finished the day in good spirits having done a magnificent job. The Community Payback team is booked again for the churchyard haymaking from Monday 17th August. They will undertake the heavy labour, but all helpers are welcome to support the team, for instance by raking the cut grass. If you can, please bring your own rake (and gloves). As ever, Chris Bardsley will kindly provide a lovely ploughman’s lunch. Cheryl invites anyone who can help wrap shoeboxes for this winter’s Lovebox campaign to come to a shoebox wrapping session at the church on Thursday 13th August at 2pm. The session is always a good ‘social’. The shoeboxes are to be blessed at Sunday service on 25th October. The PCC met for routine business on Thursday 9th July.The sales table organised by Jenny raised £100.00.Amy reports that the Foodbank was grateful to receive 138 items in June. FORWARD PLANNINGSuffolk Historic Churches Trust Ride & Stride, Saturday 12th September,9am-5pm. This event raises funds for the repair and restoration of churches and chapels. Participants are sponsored to walk, ride or drive around participating churches in the area. Half the money raised comes to Holy Trinity Barsham and the other half to a central fund, from which grants are made. Cheryl is the Barsham organiser and Beccles area coordinator, and participants may collect sponsorship forms from her in August. There will be a sign-up sheet in the church for those willing to volunteer to staff the church on a rota basis on the day to register participants as they check in. Harvest Festival, Sunday 27th September – Choral Evensong at 5.30pm will be followed as usual by Harvest Supper in the village hall at 7pm. Tickets, costing£12.50, will be on sale from Bridget in due course. SNIPPETS – Barsham’s thatched nave in contextThe architect’s Quinquennial Inspection Report identified some significant deterioration of the nave thatch, especially in the ridge and south side, where there are areas of slippage and a build-up of moss and lichen. With an estimated five to seven years of life left in the thatch, the PCC is arranging for several master thatchers to offer their opinion on the nature and cost of the remedial work required and is simultaneously directing fundraising efforts towards the Fabric Fund for this purpose. It is generally accepted that the life expectancy of a thatched roof is anything from 40 to 70 years, with ridge replacements perhaps every two or three decades. Longevity depends on the materials used, environmental conditions, and the skill of the craftsmen. Water reed has better durability than long straw thatch, and at Barsham we are lucky to have Norfolk water reed. Exposure to wind, rain and sun plays a part in the deterioration of thatch, as do pollutants and poor ventilation. It helps that the church is not entirely hemmed in by trees, and that Barsham is in one of the drier parts of Britain and some distance from sources of urban airborne pollution. Records show that the nave was completely re-thatched in 1906 and again in 1980, and it may have been rethatched at some point in between. The ridge would have been renewed more frequently, most recently in 2011. Today, most of the UK’s surviving thatched churches are in East Anglia, with approximately 100 in Norfolk, and Barsham being one of 30 in Suffolk. This distribution is no accident, bearing in mind the ready availability of Norfolk water reed. The nave at Barsham has almost certainly always been thatched since it was built a thousand years ago. Indeed, in Saxon and Norman times most village churches throughout the land would have been thatched. The use of thatch in domestic as well as ecclesiastical architecture was well established by the Norman era: the first written record of thatching dates from c.700 AD and archaeological evidence suggests its common use at least as far back as the Bronze Age. In some parts of the country, where water reed was not readily available, long-straw thatch was used, usually a wheat and rye combination, or sometimes barley and oats. Sedge was another possibility, and other variations included gorse in parts of Southeast England, bracken on the moors of the Southwest, and heather in the Northeast and Scotland. By the late 13th century, the use of thatch was dying out in urban centres, where the risk of fire spreading amongst tightly packed houses was all too real. In 1212 London banned the use of thatch and other cities followed. In the countryside, thatch survived as the principal roofing material until the industrial revolution, when the canals and the railways enabled cheaper and easier transportation of the more durable slate and tile. Here at Barsham in 2026, we await with interest the recommendations of the master thatchers, and in due course it will be fascinating to watch the craftsmen at work.AUGUST DIARYSunday 2nd August – Ninth Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP), Barsham. Revd Jonathan Olanczuk SSC.Sunday 9th August – Tenth Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Canon John Fellows.Sunday 16th August – Eleventh Sunday after Trinity. 11.15am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Desmond Banister SSC.Sunday 23rd August – Twelfth Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Graham Naylor. Sunday 30th August – Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Graham Naylor. Church correspondent: Robert Bacon 07867 306016, robert.bacon@yahoo.co.uk
NEWSTickets are now on sale for the Summer Lunch, which is to be held on Wednesday 1st July from 12.30pm at St Bartholomew’s Shipmeadow. Tickets cost £12.50 and can be purchased in advance from Bridget. All welcome and do bring guests. Cheryl’s Church Walking Group meets again on Sunday 28th June at 2pm at Barsham Church for a ramble of about 3.5 miles through Barsham and Shipmeadow. Tea will be served at the church afterwards. All welcome.The magnificent organ recital given by Dr David Flood on Saturday 30th May attracted a large and appreciative audience, filling both the nave and chapel, and spilling over into the choir stalls. David’s choice of music explored a range of styles and moods and included well-known as well as less familiar pieces. The beautiful and delicate Entry of Polymnie by Rameau was a favourite for many and the recital concluded with Widor’s epic and much-loved Toccata in F. A fabulous Barsham tea rounded off a memorable afternoon. Donations raised a net sum of £710.00, designated for the rethatching of the nave roof. Our grateful thanks to David Flood and to those who worked so hard to produce the tea.On Trinity Sunday, 31st May, we were delighted to welcome The Ven Rich Henderson, Archdeacon of Suffolk, to preach at our Patronal Evensong service. For the anthem the choir sang beautifully the hymn Affirm Anew the Threefold Name, sung in four parts to the tune Kingsfold, a traditional English country tune adapted by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Fizz and delicious canapés followed. Thanks to all who made this such a splendid occasion. As our churchwardens, Bridget and Cheryl attended the annual Archdeacon’s Visitation Service for the Waveney and Blyth Deanery at St Michael’s Beccles on Monday 8th June.Adrian Ramsey MP has been invited to attend the next Deanery Synod on 1st July to hear the PCC’s concerns about the suspension of the Listed Places of Worship Scheme, which since 2004 has provided grants towards the cost of VAT paid on church repairs.Swifts have been seen flying around the tower, responding to the electronic swift calls, but as yet there is no sign of nesting. The sales table organised by Sarah Jane raised £95.00. The Gift Aid rebate on donations and collections, received from HMRC in May, amounted to £5,235.43. Amy reports that 212 items were donated to the Foodbank in May. FORWARD PLANNINGHaymaking will take place in the week of Monday 17th August. The work will be undertaken largely by a Community Payback team, but we are encouraged to support the team and all helpers are welcome. As ever, Chris Bardsley will kindly provide a lovely ploughman’s lunch. SNIPPETS – The Summer Lunch: a blast from the past.The annual Barsham with Shipmeadow Summer Lunch is perhaps a faint echo of a tradition that was almost entirely lost during the Protestant Reformation of the 16thand 17th centuries. So-called ‘church ales’ were a church-led community celebration involving eating, drinking and entertainments, usually in the churchyard. They were a means of raising funds for keeping the church in good repair as well as alms for the poor. Church ales were a fixture in the calendar of most parishes in medieval England, often linked to the Church calendar, marking a church’s patronal festival or, quite commonly, at Whitsun. In many cases the churchwardens were responsible for brewing the ale and providing a plentiful and varied feast, though members of the community might also contribute. The ale that flowed liberally and the high spirits that followed no doubt took the sting out of the inflated prices that served to maximise income from the event. Entertainments might typically include music and singing, Morris dancing, sports, mystery plays dramatizing stories from the Bible, and costumed pageants. In a tradition known as ‘king play’ a low-ranking member of the community presided over the events of the day as mock monarch. Church ales were noted for their over-exuberance and alcohol-fuelled excesses. In the increasingly regulated world of Elizabethan England the secular authorities, who appreciated the role of church ales in promoting social cohesion, were nonetheless concerned about drunkenness and its potential for disorder, violence and criminality. The religious authorities, and especially those of Puritan persuasion, were concerned that church ales promoted sinful behaviour: idleness, gluttony, lasciviousness, and that they were a ‘popish’ tradition, rooted in the pre-Reformation Catholic calendar.So it was that by the early years of the 17th century church ales were suppressed and went into sharp decline. For half a century from the 1590s a series of Local Orders caused local magistrates and judges to crack down on church ales. In 1604 the Church of England’s Canon 88 banned the drinking of alcohol on church grounds and forbade churchwardens to allow church ales to take place in churches, church houses or churchyards. By the end of the century the age-old tradition of church ales had been lost completely. At our Summer Lunch at the beginning of July we might not have the entertainments typical of medieval church ales, but there will be plentiful feasting, some drinking and an excellent community spirit, and the proceeds of ticket sales will contribute towards the upkeep of the church. I doubt the authorities – religious or secular – will need to worry too much about criminality or sinfulness.July DiarySunday 5th July – Fifth Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP), Barsham. Revd Jonathan Olanczuk SSC.Sunday 12th July – Sixth Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Canon John Fellows.Sunday 19th July – Seventh Sunday after Trinity. 11.15am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Desmond Banister SSC.Sunday 26th July – Eighth Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Graham Naylor. Church correspondent: Robert Bacon 07867 306016, robert.bacon@yahoo.co.uk
NEWSDo come to the Organ recital by Dr David Flood at 3pm on Saturday 30thMay. David (cover photo), who was formerly Organist of Canterbury Cathedral, will play an exciting programme of music by Gigout, JS Bach, Vierne, Mendelssohn, Elgar, Rameau, Saint-Saens and Widor. A delicious Barsham tea will round off a fabulous afternoon. Tickets are not required. Donations are to go towards the cost of rethatching the nave roof. The Ven Rich Henderson, Archdeacon of Suffolk, will preside at Patronal Evensong on Sunday 31st May at 6.30pm. Fizz and canapés will follow. On the afternoon of Sunday 26th April, 20 people and four dogs from Cheryl’s church walking group enjoyed a sunny ramble through Barsham and Shipmeadow, following marsh-side tracks and paths along the higher ground with views across the valley. The walkers enjoyed an excellent Barsham tea at the church afterwards. By popular demand, the walk is to be repeated on Sunday 28th June, starting at the church at 2pm. A sub-committee of the PCC has been set up to manage the recommendations in the architect’s Quinquennial Inspection Report. Should you want to know more, do speak to Malcolm. The parish of All Saints Mettingham has merged with Holy Trinity Bungay. Now known as Holy Trinity Bungay with All Saints Mettingham, the parish has one PCC but both churches retain their own church wardens. Peter Gascoyne has installed a camera and screen (visible in the cover photo) to enable the organist to follow the progress of the service at the altar. The PCC is grateful to Peter for his generosity and technical expertise. Dominique is grateful for the generous donations that have funded the new swift boxes in the belfry. The electronic swift calls are working, and swifts have been spotted periodically over Barsham since Sunday 10th May. The sales table organised by Sarah Jane raised a creditable £105.00.Amy delivered 132 donated items to the Foodbank in April and the Rev’d Pam Bayliss continues to express warm appreciation for Barsham’s support. FORWARD PLANNINGChurch Walking Group, Sunday 28th June, 2pm at Barsham Church – ramble through Barsham and Shipmeadow.Summer Lunch, Wednesday 1st July, 12.30pm at St Bartholomew’s Shipmeadow, at the kind invitation of Nick and Jenny Caddick. Tickets at £12.50 should be bought in advance from Bridget in June. SNIPPETS – A thousand years of fundingMuch has been written in recent times about the state of diocesan finances in the Church of England. Many Diocesan Boards of Finance are said to be operating in deficit and consequently there is concern about the ongoing affordability of clergy stipends. These are funded substantially from local congregational giving through the ‘Parish Share’. In recent years Diocesan Boards of Finance have been increasing the sums asked for in the Parish Share, but in many dioceses church attendance and regular giving are in decline, so the current model of funding clergy stipends looks unsustainable in the long term. There has been some internal debate in the Church over the tension between this looming crisis at local level and the apparent wealth of the national Church, which holds an endowment of approximately £10 billion. While some of this is tied up in pension funds, it has tended to be directed at strategic plans and short-term projects rather than sustaining parish worship, although last year the Church of England’s National Three Year Spending Plans 2026-28 included a significant financial input to local churches and parish clergy in deprived areas. In fact, the present system of a centrally funded and standardised clergy stipend is relatively recent, dating from the 1970s. It replaced a decentralised system that had prevailed in one form or another for more than a thousand years in which the generosity of a stipend depended on the wealth of a benefice. The stipend was made up of income from tithes, glebe land, personal fees and sometimes historic endowments. Much depended on the size of the parish population and the extent and quality of its land. From at least the 10th century in England, tithes had been a mandatory tax of 10% of the agricultural produce or income of all parishioners, paid in kind. Greater Tithes included everything that came from the ground – crops, hay, wood – and Lesser Tithes included things nourished by the ground – livestock and their produce. Rectors were entitled to both forms of tithe, and vicars only to the Lesser Tithes. If there was glebe (church-owned land) in the parish, a rector could generate income either by farming it directly or by renting it out, and this remained the case until the 1976 Endowments and Glebe Measure. The 80 acres of glebe in Barsham in 1846 were rated at £120 per annum (£12,324 in today’s values according to the Bank of England Inflation Calculator). Further personal income came from fees charged for baptisms, weddings and funerals and, in some churches, from pew rents. Some clergy supplemented their stipends by taking on additional roles, typically as schoolmasters or chaplains to institutions. The 19th century Rectors of Shipmeadow were chaplains to the neighbouring workhouse and in the 1850s to the Shipmeadow Penitentiary. A priest might also benefit from donations, bequests, or from endowments from a rich patron. By the early 19th century, with widespread religious dissent, agricultural recession, urbanisation and industrialisation, the payment of agricultural tithes in kind had become unpopular and outdated. The 1836 Tithe Commutation Act overhauled the system, converting physical tithes into ‘tithe rentcharges’, a monetised payment linked to grain prices. The system of tithes was then dismantled in stages over the following century and a half. In 1891, for instance, the British Tithe Act restricted the payment of tithe rentcharges to landowners, exempting tenants. After rentcharges caused serious hardship for small farmers during the Depression of the 1930s, the 1936 Tithe Act abolished all existing tithe rentcharges and replaced them with a system of annuities payable by landowners to the State, which then compensated the Church – an arrangement that ended in 1977. It seems almost unbelievable that the last vestige of a system of funding that had its origins as early as the 7th century, and was certainly well established by the 10thcentury, should have breathed its last just 50 years ago.JUNE DIARYSunday 7th June – First Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP), Barsham. Revd Jonathan Olanczuk SSC.Sunday 14th June – Second Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Canon John Fellows.Sunday 21st June – Third Sunday after Trinity. 11.15am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Desmond Banister SSC.Sunday 28th June – Fourth Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Graham Naylor. Church correspondent: Robert Bacon 07867 306016, robert.bacon@yahoo.co.uk
David Flood When he retired from Canterbury Cathedral at the end of 2020, David had completed over 42 years of service in cathedral music. He was Organist and Master of the Choristers at Canterbury for 32 years from 1988 and before that Organist and Master of the Choristers at Lincoln Cathedral from 1986. In 1978 his first post after university at Oxford and Cambridge was as Assistant Organist at Canterbury.ProgrammeToccata in B minor – Eugène GigoutToccata and fugue in D minor – J S BachBerceuse – Louis VierneSonata no.3 in A – Felix MendelssohnPomp and Circumstance March no.4 – Edward ElgarEntry of Polymnie – Jean-Philippe RameauLe Cygne and L’Eléphant (Carnival of the Animals) – Camille Saint-SaensToccata in F (Symphony V) – C M Widor
