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[4L. 2/03/76]  Monkeytree House pigsties were about where Mr Bartlett’s house (Ashlawn) is now.  They were brick with corrugated iron rooves.  They faced to the yard with the back to the orchard.  I am enclosing a photo that was taken from our door. You can see the back of the buildings.  The big tree in the middle of the photo was a pear tree.  There was a well with an iron pump in the middle of the yard and there was another building in front of the north gable of the main barn, it had brick piers at each corner, and was boarded in between and had a timber loft over it.  There was a doorway out of the loft into the north gable.  You can see where it was built up.

From your garage by the road (The garage was originally a three bay stone barn built on the verge.  Later it becamea stable and forge with the south bay removed and a brick south gable. Still a garage in 1985, now part of the house) there was a few feet of stone wall, then a pair of paled gates and then a boarded fence with laurel bushes inside up to about in line with the pigsties.  The pigsties didn’t come up to the fence by several feet.  The fence at the far end of the pigsties dividing the orchard, were iron railings with lilac bushes etc.

The Green’s (Greens snr & junr kept 2 pigs in the sties. Belonged to Pig Club in 1942) kept pigs when they were there.  There used to be a Pig Club years ago but I don’t know who any of the officials were (The Pig Club records begin in 1907 & amongst early members were John Shirley to 1935, Thos Hawkes to 1926 & Wm Hawkes to 1922, Albert Shirley to 1916. 17 members in 1930. 64 or more members during the war when several other villages joined because of pig food rationing. Supplied by Godsons in Church Lane. Last entry 1955 [Cropredy Parish Council archives]).  A Mr Stevens who lived in that row of cottages by Cherry’s yard (Mr Stevens lived in a stone row of cottages set back at the north end of Station Road) was the pig killer as long back as I can remember, after he gave up Mr Marlow Cherry did it for a bit.  Of course at one time nearly everyone kept a pig now only farmers do. 

[26L. 2/12/85]  I remember Mr Hill (Mr Hill built the wall before 1971) building the wall outside your house, the stone came from the old Vicarage.  I was surprised he was allowed to build it, especially on the corner as it partly blocked the view along the road. 

[2L. 24/01/75]  [A signed board found in a shut off cupboard, between the front door and living room window. Inside the Hills found a 1900 penny & “Relief of Mafking” on a piece of paper. Hills took off the door with the inscription on it and plastered over the old candle opening. “This cupboard was closed on July 9.1900/  by John Shirley, Carpenter/ in the presence of/  Thomas Cross, Painter./ Frederick E. Gardner, Painter./ Evan Hill, Painter./ Tenant/ J.W.Borton Esq./ Amen/  Examined/ and found correct.”]. The John Shirley standing by the cart in the photograph was my uncle and also the John Shirley whose name was on the bit of wood found in the cupboard.  I don’t remember the Frederick Gardner, but I knew his sons Charlie and Eddie, they had a plumbing and painting business where Jennings are in Red Lion Street.  Eddie lived there and Charles where the Post Office is now.  The Thomas Cross worked for them and lived at Gt. Bourton.  I just remember seeing him.  I have no idea who Evan Hill was.

[4L 2/3/76]  A John Smith had the post office in Chapel Row [No. 3].  You may be interested to know that I think the Post Office was next to Monkeytree House at one time.  I never heard anyone say so, but years ago I noticed the paint on the lintel over the far window was rough and raised in places and I could make out the words “Post Office” by following the raised places.  It has since been cleaned off and repainted.  [William Smith or his son George, who used this room as an office, may have run a Post Office from this house, then No. 10].

[15L.16/02/84]  I remember the ash tree down the Lane that Mrs Mold spoke of.  There was a small brick hovel backing onto the road in the corner nearest where Mr Storrie lived.  It had a thatched roof and was open towards the field.  I think it had a loft over.  There was a small rick yard too.  Mr Lambert (Home Farm. Mr James Lambert purchased Monkeytree House and Calves Close behind in Oct 1900 from Ed. Borton’s Exors. Cattle hovel and sometimes a hay rick in Calves Close) had a rick there sometimes.

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I nearly forgot to tell you when your house was first put up for sale there were some people looking round one day when I came by, there was a man standing outside and I recognised him as Seton Gordon a very prominent Scottish author on natural history, and all things Scottish.  I had seen him a few times at Highland Games when we were here on holiday.  Another man that looked at it too was a Mr Bartlett from Grimsbury who used to come round with paraffin.  My wife and I were amused one day he came, he asked us if we knew if it was haunted.  I don’t know what gave him that idea.  Have you seen any ghosts? [No! Hills sold it to Keegans in Dec. 1971].

[17L. 14/5/84]  I always understood that the man who was drowned skating on Clattercote Pool was named [James Watts] Borton.  I wondered if he was anything to do with the Bortons that lived in your house.  I think his tombstone is near the top of the churchyard [No. 42 is in the north west corner part of a row of Borton stones].

I have heard it said that it had been thawing for some time and when he went through the Lawn Farm rickyard on his way to the Pool some of the men working there warned him that it was not safe, but he said If he went in he could get out. As he didn’t come back after sometime someone went to the Pool and could see his cap floating on the water.