The Richard Jefferies Society will be holding their annual Study Day at the Richard Jefferies Museum, Marlborough Road, Coate on Saturday 25 July between 10.30am to 4.30pm.

The topic for the day is the illustrators of Richard Jefferies' works, of which there have been many. John Price, the Chairman of the Society, will give an illustrated talk on the subject in the morning whilst the afternoon session is open to the audience to discuss their favourite illustration or artist. Each contributor will be given 5 minutes.

The meeting is open to the public and is free (bring a picnic lunch - refreshments are available).

For more information telephone 01793 783040.

New season open times for the Richard Jefferies Museum at Coate

Countryside lovers will have more opportunities to visit the Richard Jefferies Farmhouse and Museum from May to mid-September this year before it closes temporarily for repairs on 14 September 2009 to the end of the year.

As well as the usual open days held on the second Wednesday of the month from 10am to 4pm, the Richard Jefferies Society is opening the doors to the public on the first, third and fourth Sundays of the month from 2-5pm starting on 3 May and ending on National Heritage Day, 13 September.

Richard Jefferies, writer and naturalist, was born in 1848 at Coate. The house where Richard Jefferies was born and spent most of his early years is now owned by Swindon Borough Council and, as part of our local heritage, it is maintained in honour of his work and contribution to English Literature. This is where Richard Jefferies developed his skills that were heavily influenced by the landscape around his birthplace.

The Richard Jefferies Society provides the volunteers to run the museum, supplies books for the library and for sale and has lent the main exhibits. This year there are some new items on show that include original paintings and sketches of Holy Rood Church and the Old Town Mill by Richard's uncle, a 250 year-old book that belonged to his great grand-mother, a diary dated 1887-9 kept by his cousin Mary Cox who lived at Snodshill Farm and family photographs of his Aunt Martha Hall and cousins who lived in Old Town.

The Museum is also open by special appointment by contacting the Richard Jefferies Society on 01793 783040 and can be accessed from the Marlborough Road, next to the Sun Inn or from the overflow car-park at Coate Water Country Park. Admission to the museum is free. It is not wheel-chair accessible.

More information: http://richardjefferiessociety.co.uk/ or telephone Jean Saunders on 01793 783040.

THE RICHARD JEFFERIES SOCIETY

PRESS RELEASE

New life from Richard Jefferies' ancient yew tree at Coate

6th November 2008

The 160th anniversary of the birth of Richard Jefferies was marked today with the planting of a small seedling yew tree in the Jefferies' garden at Coate.

The tiny three inch high plantlet was rescued growing under the ancient yew tree removed by Swindon Borough Council in September that had towered above the old house, now a Museum, built by Richard Jefferies' grandfather in 1826.

Richard Jefferies, born at Coate Farm on 6th November 1848, was particularly fond of the ancient yew tree that was home to a family of thrush that, for generations, he had observed nesting in the old tree. He recorded the birds' activities in his second novel Restless Human Hearts published in 1875.

Visitors to the Museum and devotees of the Victorian nature writer expressed great sadness at the loss of the ancient tree and wanted it to be remembered in some fashion.

A spokesperson for the Richard Jefferies Society said:

"The yew tree is associated with long-life and was most commonly planted in sacred places. One of Richard Jefferies' themes in his writing was the timelessness of nature. We hope that this little tree will be allowed to grow in the Jefferies' garden and mark the writer's spiritual attachment to his birthplace."

RICHARD JEFFERIES “SPIRIT COUNTRY”

An illustrated lecture by Roger Vlitos, photographer.

Liddington Village Hall, Saturday 11th October 2008: 2.30pm

Richard Jefferies (1848-1887) called the landscape around his home at Coate to the Downs “spirit country” because of its timeless and inspirational qualities. The lecture will show how writers such as Richard Jefferies, Thomas Hardy and Robert Byron; artists like John Piper, Paul Nash, Eric Ravillious and David Inshaw; photographers like Bill Brandt, Charlie Waite and Fay Godwin, all found inspiration in their local landscapes.

Roger Vlitos, born in the USA, has been an editorial and travel photographer for the past 25 years. He is also a published author whose work has appeared in magazines and books worldwide. Past photographic work has included Arts Council posters, a series of landscapes for the National Trust, an exhibition and publication on Welsh Legends that won Design Council awards, plus assignments for the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, as well as The British Museum and Natural History Museum in London. He currently lectures on photography at Bath University and lives in Avebury.

Roger’s father was with a trainload of Allied servicemen delayed in Swindon station on their way to prepare for the D-day invasion. He was only 18 at the time and he met an elderly Swindon couple who took him under their wing that day. They drove him to see the Downs and gave him The Story of my Heart to pass the time. Roger's father read it and scribbled words like ‘wonderful’ in the margins. He kept the book for many years until he gave it to Roger. That book by Richard Jefferies, and the inspirational landscape of Wiltshire, drew Roger to work here as a photographer.

For more information contact The Richard Jefferies Society on 01793 783040
Entrance free

The Richard Jefferies Society publish three important books relating to the Victorian nature writer, Richard Jefferies.

Richard Jefferies' first job was as a reporter for the North Wilts Herald, although he believed that he might achieve fame as a novelist. Shortly after marrying Jessie Baden from Day House Farm the second of his novels entitled ‘Restless Human Hearts’(1) was published in 1875. At the time, the reviews killed the book. The plot was described as grossly immoral and an offence against decency. One reviewer advised that the book should be kept under lock and key. The novel was never re-issued and any existing copies sell for around £200. Whilst the Richard Jefferies Society might find fault with the novel that would have benefited from good editing, they believe that the neglected book is worth a second chance and they have published it for the first time in over 130 years with an introduction by Andrew Rossabi, a past President of the Society.

The second book published is an index of Richard Jefferies’ works (2). No-one has ever attempted to compile an index of a collection of books before, which, in itself is a major achievement. It is an index of themes, thoughts and observations: partly a word-index (e.g. names of species) and partly a subject-index (e.g. Nature and Man, Farming, Religion) - the emphasis is on the non-fictional writings.

The final book is a biography of Richard Jefferies entitled ‘The Interpreter’ (3) which documents his life from birth to death.

The books are on sale at the Richard Jefferies Museum at Coate, open on the second Wednesday of the month from 10am to 4pm and the first and third Sundays from 2-5pm until the end of September. Orders can be made through Amazon or by contacting the Richard Jefferies Society direct.

(1) ‘Restless Human Hearts’ by Richard Jefferies, Petton Books 2008, ISBN: 978-0-9522813-3-7, 480 pages. Softback: £8, Hardback: £20 plus £2 postage.

(2) ‘Richard Jefferies: an Index’ by Hugoe Matthews and Phyllis Treitel, Petton Books 2008, 260 pages, ISBN: 978-0-9522813-2-0. Hardback only: £15 plus £2 postage.

(3) ‘The Interpreter: a biography of Richard Jefferies’ by Audrey Smith, Blue Gate Books 2008, 192 pages with black and white illustrations, ISBN: 978-0-9555874-3-6. Softback only: £5 plus £1 postage.

ALLIANCE OF LITERARY SOCIETIES' AGM

Hosted by the Richard Jefferies Society

PROGRAMME

SATURDAY 17 May 2008

Holiday Inn, Marlborough Road, Coate, Swindon


10.30 Registration and coffee.

11.00 Welcome by Lady Treitel, Vice-President of the Richard Jefferies Society: A brief account of Richard Jefferies and his associations with Coate.

11.30 ALS Annual General Meeting.

12.30 Luncheon.

14.00 “Richard Jefferies: His Life and Thoughts” - a Lecture by John Price, Chairman of the Richard Jefferies Society.

15.30 Assemble at the Jefferies Museum (across the road from the Holiday Inn)

-18.00 “Jefferies Land” a short film produced by the Richard Jefferies Society that shows local places associated with the writer.

Coate Water and Jefferies Museum - guided tours.



Refreshments at the Museum & Raffle Draw.

19.00 Evening meal at the Holiday Inn (bookings are being dealt with by the ALS Chair, Linda Curry l.j.curry@bham.ac.uk - you have to pre-book your meal). As there will not be any formal entertainment over dinner, if anyone would like to bring their favourite literary piece (a short poem, etc.) to read at dinner, please do so.


SUNDAY 18 May 2008

Home base: Jefferies’ Museum at Coate (luggage can be stored)

10.00 LITERARY TREASURE TRAIL a car-sharing event

An opportunity to explore the North Wiltshire countryside and places that Jefferies immortalised in his works. The event will take the form of a literary treasure trail, with clues, that will include visits to places associated with other local writers. Car-sharing will be encouraged in order to take part in the treasure hunt and will involve some walking over rough terrain.


Luncheon: there is a variety of good country pubs that include inns at Wanborough, Hodson, Badbury, Liddington and Chiseldon as well as in the Marlborough area.

Refreshments will be available at the Jefferies Museum until 5pm.

Directions to the Holiday Inn, Coate Water and the Jefferies Museum. The National Express coach, that runs from Victoria Bus Station in London, stops opposite the Museum/Holiday Inn. Local buses from Swindon town centre that stop at Coate Roundabout include service numbers 10, 12, 13, 14 & 21.

The Holiday Inn can offer accommodation at a rate of £60 single and £70 for a double room including breakfast. To secure a bedroom by credit card, phone 01793 817082 or 817040 quoting the booking reference ‘Richard Jefferies Society.’ The Swindon Tourist Information Centre can help find and book other B&B in the area on 01793 530328 or 466454.

Raffle and stalls
Please bring an item (normally a book) that might be raffled to raise funds for the Alliance. The Alliance’s Members are invited to set up their own stalls at the Richard Jefferies Museum over the weekend.

170 year old fruit tree snapped in two by winds

Richard Jefferies famous mulberry tree was another casualty of the high winds that blew across central England in the early hours of Monday (24 September) morning. The old tree, thought to be about 170 years old, was snapped in two and lost its main branch (see picture).

The tree forms the main focal point in the back garden of the Jefferies house and museum at Coate and was planted by Richard Jefferies father.Richard Jefferies sent many hours sitting under this tree and even composed a poem to it [1] when it lost a bough during his lifetime.Now others are penning their tributes to the tree and it is hoped that the wood from the fallen trunk can be seasoned and turned into something equally beautiful and memorable.

Jean Saunders, secretary of the Richard Jefferies Society said:"We are all heart broken to see the tree in its present state. However battered it may be, we will still love it and treasure it. The fruits are delicious and children have danced around it this year singing 'here we go round the mulberry bush'. To be on the safe side, we are taking cuttings but hope that the tree survives another century or two".

(1) Richard Jefferies wrote The Tree of Life about 1871, but it did not appear in print until three years after his death. It was published in the Scots' Observer on 8 November 1890 under the title of The Mulberry Tree. The poem, however, may have publicised in the columns of the Wiltshire and Gloucestershire Standard before this.

THE MULBERRY TREE

Oh, mulberry tree, oh mulberry tree
Dear are thy spreading boughs to me.
Beneath their cool and friendly shade
My earliest childhood laughed and played.
Or, lips all stained with rich red fruit
Slept in the long grass at thy root.

Oh mulberry tree, oh mulberry tree !
The yellow moonlight shone on thee.
A few low words - a gentle sigh,
A tear within the upturned eye.
“I love—my fate to thee resign"—
A nameless thrill, and she was mine.

The mid-day sun in splendour blazed,
And all who stood around me praised.
The deed was done, the fame went round,
My brows with laurel leaves were crowned
My first—my proudest victory
Beneath thy boughs, oh mulberry tree.

The tears of Heaven were falling fast,
Mourning the memory of the past.
I knelt beneath the broken limb
In rain and night, and wept for him.
I saw the tomb - the planks laid there,
To slide the coffin to its lair,
"Ashes to ashes", this the end,
My first, my last - my only friend!

The morning stars grew pale and few,
In chilly draughts the east wind blew,
Lifting the black and frost-strewn leaves
In rustling eddies to the eaves.
Deceived no more with life's vain lies,
And all things equal in mine eyes,
I wait still near the mulberry tree
The dawning of eternity.

Whoe'er shall pluck the mulberry tree,
Bitter and sweet its fruit shall be;
Such - joy and misery still at strife -
The berries of the Tree of Life.