What did our forebears eat? In 2013 Shapwick was the subject of the prizewinning book by Mick Aston and Chris Gerrard, Interpreting The English Village, based on a detailed historical study over more than twenty years led by Mick Aston of Time Team fame. Among other topics, they ask: Two hundred years ago and more what did our forebears eat? 'The animal stock farmed in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries went unchanged from earlier centuries. Sheep bones outnumber cattle & pig together, and there are more cattle than pig, although the pattern does vary across the village. But there is no reason to think that good tables were not kept in many village houses and this rather dull butcher's list might easily equate to tasty ham rashers, potatoes fried in cream, buttered toast and eggs for breakfast and sometimes beef-steak for lunch, followed by home-brewed beer and smoking, then tea and cards, with a supper of bread and cheese before bed. Many villagers kept poultry and also ate rabbits, probably breeding them in hutches. These dishes are all locally documented and even the poorest households could muster pea soup, herring and potatoes, boiled peas, a basin of gruel, bacon and potatoes, and suppers of tea with bread and butter, all of which are described at the trial of murderess Sarah Freeman. Disregarding her addition of fatal dosages of arsenic many of these dishes were fresher and more seasonal than most diets are today.' In the Junior section of the club both the Under 12 and Under 10 teams reached the respective finals of their Mid-Wessex League Plate competitions, with the Under 12s finishing victorious, beating Yeovil in the final by 61 runs. The women’s team continued to thrive, moving up from playing pairs cricket to the T20 Holland Division where they finished 6 . They also reached the semi-final of the softball knock-out cup, losing to a very strong Chard team. Rebecca Travers was the 6 highest scoring batter in the league with 231 runs in 6 innings including 5 not outs. Sarah Royall finished 4 highest wicket taker with 8 wickets and a best of 3 for 17. th th th The men’s first XI finished 5 in the Premier Division of the Somerset Cricket League winning 8 of their 14 completed games. James Hayman was the second highest scoring batter in the Division with 756 runs at an average of 69 and a high score of 148. Jacques Luckins finished 6 in the Division batting th th AUTUMN I S SUE | OCTOBER 2 0 2 6 7 Shapwick and Polden Cricket Club with 547 runs at an average of 42 and a high score of 131. In the bowling averages captain Josh Luckins finished 6 with 21 wickets and James Hayman 9 with 20. th th The second XI narrowly missed out on promotion, finishing 3 in Division 6N of the Somerset League, winning 9 of their 12 completed games. Captain Tom Barr was the 6 highest run scorer in the Division with 315 runs, while Alistair Barr was 10 with 256 runs. Tom was also third in the bowling averages with 19 wickets in just 48 overs and a best of 5 for 22. rd th th Overall a successful season that started and finished with games cancelled and abandoned due to rain but was more memorable for a summer of very hot playing conditions and little rain at all. We look forward to 2027 and hopefully a more balanced spread of weather! ALISTAIR BARR The Under-10s Shapwick History Group Shapwick History Group doesn't have anything in the calendar at the moment, but stay tuned! In the meantime share your local history ideas with us at History@shapwick.org or find us on Facebook. JOHN ANDERSON The Under-12s
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