[ All the text on the following pages is as written by Joan Barksfield except for the text in square brackets which is my own or has been contributed by others (acknowledged in the body of the text).

The images are of varying quality: some are original, some are copies of old photographs which my mother had made for her shows. The dates of the old (black and white) photographs are mostly unknown although some are clearly very old, possibly going back into the 19th Century. Where estimates are given ("c1920") they are my mother's. Of the more modern (colour) images the technical quality is sometimes not of the best and I am tempted to go back and retake present day images using more sophisticated (digital) techniques. However, I am conscious that even amongst these "modern" images some have already become historical themselves - after all, those images from the late sixties already reflect a time long gone. For example see the images of the Old Stores! Therefore, apart from some minor adjustments to get the best from them (and inserting some newly taken images where I could not find any in the archive) I am leaving things as I find them.

My mother acknowledges Peggy West amongst others below. It was only when I read Valerie Springett's book "The Firm - Peggy's Memories Revealed" that I realised that a proportion of this talk was created with Peggy's input. Valerie's book is nonetheless well worth reading. To obtain a copy please contact Christine Dawson of the FVS: johnchrisdawson@btopenworld.com

You can go through the slide show page by page as it might have been presented in the Village Hall at Frieth (Next slide please !) or jump to the information about particular properties from the map or index on the left if you prefer. ]

The following is a compilation of two talks that I gave at Frieth Society meetings with the above title. A number of people assume that I was born and bred in Frieth, however for most of my life I had lived in London and thought of myself as a Londoner. Then during World War II I met Fred Barksfield. We married in 1948 and came to live at The Platt, the family home.

The extended Barksfield family had at some time been associated with a number of properties in the village so I have some knowledge of them too. As you know I taught at Frieth School for many years and after the School Centenary in 1965 when I met a number of elderly 'old pupils' I developed an on-going interest in local history. For folk history I have had invaluable assistance from older Frieth residents, sadly many of whom are no longer with us : Mrs Sarah Brown, Mrs Emma Keep, Mrs Ireland, Mr Charlie Brazier, Mr Ted Collier, Miss Muriel Glyn-Jones, my mother-in-law Mrs Cecilia Barksfield and many others.

Miss Peggy West has been an enormous help and a wonderful source of information. [ Peggy passed away in 2006 ] Thanks too to all those people who have let me study their property deeds. Other sources of village history are old wills, the census returns from 1841 onwards, the Tithe map and schedule of 1845 and information as stated in the Bibliography.

If you find something written in the following pages is untrue please tell me [ Contact ] and I will make the appropriate corrections.

Joan Barksfield October 2001

Next slide please