Newspaper article about the cancellation of 2023 Shirt Race, which had been one of Oxfordshire’s most popular social events was cancelled in 2023 , The historic Great Shirt Race at Bampton, organised by the Spajers (the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Junketing) - has delighted hundreds of people annually for seven decades. Cancelled because three committee members had resigned. Don Rouse, one of the organisers still in post, was Master of Ceremonies at this race since 1970. The modern version began in 1953 when village gasman John Quick, farmer Doug Read and fishmonger Paul Bevington dreamed up the idea of a pram race through the streets to celebrate the Queen’s Coronation.
These photos show a selection of businesses that are no longer available to the residents: Angela John Antiques, Health Matters, Barclays Bank, John Temple’s Hardware Shop, The Market Square Garage and Showroom where can be seen the clock that originally graced the Town Hall and The Farmhouse Pantry which had previously been a boutique and before that Mr Money ran his shoe maker and repair shop from that premises.
Leslie grew up in Bampton where his father , Jack Harrison , was a butcher for many years. His first butcher's shop was in Pear Tree Cottage in the High Street and he moved from there to run his shop in the right hand side of what became Adrian Simmond's shop, on the Market Square.
letters and information researching into the Spurrett family of Bampton and Aston done c1971 13 page PDF of letters between Sheila and Syd Emm and Mr Hughes Owens. which eventually resulted in a lot of history uncovered and documented in the following link
https://spurrett.uk/home/places/#bampton-oxfordshire The blog post here includes a diagram that may help explain the relationship between the various groupings. The summaries below include the following places (so far): Yorkshire Stow-on-the-Wold Siddington and the Lambourn Downs London Banbury, Oxfordshire Faringdon, Berkshire (now Oxfordshire) Hexham, Northumberland Bampton, Oxfordshire Aston, Oxfordshire
An article from The Bampton Beam discussing the history of the Girl Guide movement in Bampton.A page from The Beam 1991 volume 6 No3 about the Girl Guides in Bampton. It gives the history of the Girl Guide movement. There is a rather dark picture of Mrs Bullen (wife of Dr Bullen of Bampton) and Mrs Ewings meeting Lady Baden Powell at a Guide Rally. It is thought that the “Bampton Guide and Brownie packs were formed in 1949 by Mrs Margery Bullen who ran them for ten years with the help of Mrs Ewings and Eileen Graham. Mrs Jean Gascoigne took over the Guides in 1964 and was their leader until 1978. Mrs Meg Daley has been running the Brownies for the past few years assisted by Miss Elizabeth Tanner who was Lieutenant of the Guides before that. Mrs Mavis Clack and the late Mrs Margaret Wythes were Brown Owl and Tawny Owl in the 1970s and before that, Mrs Ham, Mrs Dora Ewings and Mrs Lynne Barber ran the 1stBampton Brownies.” In 1950 at the Remembrance Sunday Ann Spurrett, Dinah Dafter (colour bearer) and Barbara Green represented the Brownies
