Kineton & District Local History Group

At our March meeting Mr Alan Godfrey from Alcester gave an informative illustrated description of the development of the postal service in Warwickshire, from the time of Henry VIII to the present.  In the course of the fascinating talk we learnt that Hobson's Choice (no choice!) derives its name from a post master who insisted that post boys take the horse nearest the door, that Kineton's postal number was 41, and that the TV programme Lark Rise to Candleford is using parcel stickers a decade too early for the period of the show! 

Mr Godfrey showed many examples of local popstal relics, exhibiting a variety of spellings for Kineton (Kington, Kyneton, Keinton), and described some of the local characters, one of whom was recognised by a member of the audience as her grandfather.  We heard that over the years the office of Postmaster General has been occupied by a number of characters too.  Rowland Hill, for instance who introduced the Penny Black stamp and established the principle that senders paid for letters, not the receivers.   Initially he wasn't appointed as Postmaster general because he upset too many influential people. 

There is a local aspect to the office of Postmaster General, The joint incumbent between 1715 and 1720 was James Craggs, who was disgraced for his part in the corruption surrounding the South Sea Bubble scandal, the 18th century equivalent of the present stock market turmoil.  He died in 1721, possibly committing suicide rather than face a parliamentary inquiry.  His daughter, Anne, before her father's fall, married John Newsham, the Lord of the Manor of Chadshunt.  The extensive 18th century alterations to All Saints Church, Chadshunt , were probably financed from her fortune .  With her sisters she inherited her father's  estate, only moderately diminished by a punitive fine for his Bubble activities.  Her son James seems to have inherited a problem with money (as an adult he took his mother's maiden name of Craggs), as he squandered his considerable inheritance.  He mortgaged the Chadshunt estate  to Charlotte Digby before dying in Flanders, ending 200 years of Newsham lordship at Chadshunt.