100 years ago

December 16, 1911 BEFORE the ordinary business of Pershore Court this week, the chairman said he would like to say a few words about a matter which had lately caused a good deal of discontent among the publicans of Pershore and the district.

There had been an entire misunderstanding on the matter, he said. He thought the publicans did not understand the difference between games and gaming; gaming was gambling. A good deal of gambling had been going on in certain quarters, and Supt Hill was determined to stop it. He had, of course, no power to stop legitimate games. There were a few illegal games, and it was the duty of the publicans to find out what these were. The chief constable had no intention of stopping ordinary games, so long as there was no money passing hands, or anything which could be paid for with money. he had given the information out of kindness to the publicans. He (the chairman) was quite satisfied that Supt Hill had wished to do his duty and gave them warning so they should not be caught unawares. He hoped no more letters would be written to the paper about the matter. He understood one of the letters (though he had not seen it) had been written by a person who ought to have known better. He hoped that the publicans would quite understand the position.

75 years ago

December 19, 1936 MR John Dowty, a native of Pershore, how living at Ombersley, addressed his first meeting as the prospective candidate for the British Union of Fascists, at Pershore, on Friday evening. Mr J M Bent, district officer, presided, and other supporters present included Cpt Bentinck Budd, inspecting officer of the British Union of Fascists for the Midland Counties, the Rev N C R Campbell (Defford), and Mr B Ellis, of Evesham.

40 years ago

December 16, 1971 FORENSIC experts are exmanining bones from two human skeletons which were uncovered by builders at Harvington this week. The skeletons were found 2ft, 6”

below the surface by two Church Lench builders, Mr Dennis Benton and his brother, Maurice. They were digging trenches for an extension to Padmore Cottage, which stands beside the main Evesham road. Work on the extension has now been suspended until police get a laboratory report. Insp F McVittie, of Evesham, said that the bones had been sent to Birmingham for examination by a Home Office pathologist. He said they appeared to be very old and it seemed fairly certain that the ground in which they were found is part of the original churchyard.

He believed that in about 1916, a churchyard at the front of the church was closed and a new one opened behind. A passage was made through the old churchyard linking the roadway with the new churchyard at the back. “It is true they were found only 3ft down, but it is quite possible that they were 6ft down when the burial took place, and that a lot of earth has probably been moved in the normal course of events since,” he said.