No 5 - UK, AYLESBURY, STONE and DINTON - Rolfe Country
We had a smooth early morning flight from Dublin to London - Luton Airport. After picking up our hire car we headed south west to Aylesbury (near Oxford). Why Aylesbury? Bryan's maternal great grandfather came from near here, emigrating to Queensland in 1888.
We had been communicating with a local genealogist who had been making some interesting discoveries. Read on to find out what.
Below - Sunrise as we fly from Dublin, Ireland to the UK.
Nancy snapped this 'interesting' photo just before we touch down on the hard stuff at London - Luton Airport.
Cathy, the genealogist mentioned above had located three places where the Rolfes had lived. At least one of these is still standing and she was able to gain access to it. And..... it is still called Rolfes Hollow (see sign on the gate below).
The current owners have done a lot of work renovating this 17th century thatch roof house. The walls are made of clay, mortar and straw which the locals call a 'cob' wall. Some sections had to be re-cobbed. They also had to replace half the thatched roof on the other side. Just half the roof cost 10,000 pounds and you get 10-15 years before the thatch needs replacing again. Houses like these are listed. Below the people left to right - Cathy the genealogist, Gillian the current owner and Bryan.
The current owners had this old photo of the Rolfe Hollows house taken from a different angle. There is a woman standing in front of the house who may be a relative.
Inside - if those old beams could talk, I am sure they could tell many a good story! Gillian the current owner showing us around.
The well worn step between the two downstairs rooms shows that this dwelling is seriously old. It is believe to have been built in 1630. As far as European - Australian history goes, Captain Cook was still yet to be born at this time.
A short distance from the Rolfe Hollow house is the Hartnell Church. It is located on the Hartwell Manor Estate. The church building is no longer structurally sound enough to use. This is where Bryan's great x 5 grandfather Rolfe married Elizabeth West in 1762.
There was a number of these tall trees near the church. They were probably around when Bryan's relatives lived here.
This is the entrance to Hartnell Manor. The building down the road in the centre of the photo was the stables, now a Spa and Coffee shop.
Another generation of Rolfes lived at Templecroft Terrace, Upton a hamlet of Dinton. The original building has been replaced. This plaque below was taken from the old building and added to the new building.
Below - the new dwelling at Templecroft Terrace.
And some more at the Stone Parish Church. Parts of this church date back to 12th century.
The Rolfes moved again to Westlington, another hamlet of Dinton. The census records do not specify the exact address - just Westlington Green. The houses below are some of the older houses around Westlington Green today. Richard Rolfe who emigrated to Australia left from one of these houses. These little hamlets or villages are the back drop for the TV series Mid Somer Murders and some other movies. Also the Seven Stars, Red Lion pub and a couple in the villages close by feature in movies and TV shows.
Below is a Goggle Earth image of the area the Rolfes lived in. In the top right hand corner is Aylesbury. The road to the south west goes to Oxford (off the map). The road through Hartwell, Stone and Dinton runs along a ridge with good agricultural land either side of the ridge. Most of the Rolfes were farm labours so would have toiled in this area.
The photo to the right was taken from Coombe Hill looking north west. Aylesbury, Stones and Dinton are identified. Oxford is to the left and London is about 50 kms behind the camera.
After a busy day visiting all these sites it was time for something to eat. The Seven Stars Pub is in Dinton. The original section was built in 1630. We enjoyed some very tasty and warm food here.
The accommodation in Aylesbury reminded Nancy of the hotel in Devon we stayed in with Isobel and Jeanette in 2013, which they nickname Fawlty Towers. We had the added bonus of Basil and Manuel this time attending to us in the restaurant, we had some giggles over this.
The next blog will probably be from London. Until then, God bless.
Bryan and Nancy
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