2004 Programme for the Donkey Derby, annual event held on August Bank Holiday and organised by the SPAJERS. Proceeds from this go to the senior citizens of Bampton and used to provide a monetary Christmas gift and possible summer outing. The Donkeys are ridden by children in races, which are sponsored by local businesses and bets are made on the winners. Held in Sandford's Field with accompanying Fete.

Copy of Newspaper Cutting reporting the passing of Jean Countess of Donoughmore. This is the mother of Lord Donoughmore, the 8th Earl of Donoughmore resident of Bampton, he lived in The Manor for several years and a prominent member of the SPAJERS and other Bampton organisations. The article also reports on the kidnapping of Lord and Lady Donoughmore by the IRA in 1974 and made National headlines.

An account of life at the Dutton's shop, Bridge Street, from 1971- 1979 by the daughter of the then Proprietors Ann and Ray Saunders, and Reg Saunders. Details the trades represented in the shop, and also lists the neighbouring businesses and the staff employed during that time. People who worked in Duttons whilst we were there
Reg Saunders
Ray Saunders
Ann Saunders
Dave Daniels (delivery driver)
Bubbles Allam wife of Pete Allam
Sue Taylor (wife of Dave Taylor)
Betty Schmidt (nee Kew)
Carol Smith (nee Bourne)
Amy Wooloff
Ivy Wright (nee Timms) (office)
Heather Hunt
Sheila Daniels (wife of Bill Daniels)
Dinah Taylor
Margaret Harrington
Stephanie Delnevo (Saturday)
Angela Head (Saturday)
Sharon Taylor (Saturday)
Anita Saunders (Saturday)
The Elephant & Castle, Bridge Street,
The Horseshoe, Bridge Street,
The Cotswold Grill, Bridge Street (landlord Dave Pasmore)
The George & Dragon, Cheapside
The Jubilee, Market Square
The Talbot, Bridge Street,
The New Inn, High Street (now The Morris Clown)
The Eagle, Church View
Other Businesses in Bampton
Emmies, Bridge Street (Emmie Papworth) Newspapers and Sweets
Butchers, Bridge Street (Vic assisted by Nobby – taken over by Ron and Betty Hickman assisted by Vince Govier)
Midland Bank, Bridge Street,
Arthurs Antiques Bridge Street (Arthur Hill) next to the Horseshoe Pub
Barclays Bank, Market Square (went on to be The Poachers Rest)
Central Garage, Market Square
International, High Street, supermarket (now the Co-op)
Fleur de Leys, corner of High Street and Bushey Row, Hair dressers (now a pottery shop)
Mrs. Ham, High Street, (now Strawberry Cottage) moved next to International where it sold toys and shoes (now Polished Beauty)
Launderette, Market Square, went on to be Temples Hardware and now Bampton coffee shop
Bovingtons Fish Shop, High Street
Hughes, Cheapside, wool shop
Cheltenham & Gloucester Building Society, Market Square, next to the Jubilee pub.
Constables, Market Square, Bakery

List of winners of the Shirt race from 1953-2011, namely: Harry Hampton and George Hunt, Cyril Smith and Robert Radband, Thorarian Benediks and John Wixey, Franks Smith, Rodney Adams, Frank Hudson, Jim Townsend, Mikey Smith, Richard Snook, John Fox ,Frank Piercy, Anthony Collett, Bryan Withers, Richard Buckingham Gary Barber, Stephen Radband, Thomas Cole, Martin Wheeler, Michael Beckett, G Kane, Craig Godwin, D Lawrence, K Curtis, George Blackwell, S Preston, G Clack, D Beckett, G Benfield, Deane Barber, Andrew Bridgeman, T Perry, A Gardner J. Shuker Jr, S Godfrey, W Money, M Green, Jacob Booty Richard Stephens,

John and his wife Lizanne have lived in Bampton for many years and for much of that time they were churchwardens and sacristans. They were a couple who just quietly did much for the village without fanfare. Lizanne made recycled cards for several years which were much sort after in the Vesey room. It’s good to know their three sons don’t live far away and promised John they would take good care of Lizanne.

The post box topper was made by two talented ladies:Mandy Wileman and Lynn Smith of St. Mary's Court. It was made to celebrate the coronation of King Charles 111. Mandy also crocheted two post box toppers to celebrate Morris Dance Day. Sadly, one was stolen and the second was thrown into the road. These two stoic ladiies were not to be beaten. They crocheted a beautiful Christmas tree, which they took to the Market Square and displayed at the switching-on of the Christmas lights. This enabled them to raise £25.00 for the charity; Help for Heroes. Well done, Mandy and Lynn.

Rupert Gooddy, a Loyd House pupil from 1970 to 1974, died on July 10 2023, after a short period of illness.
He was brought up in Blackheath, South-East London, the son of John, the clerk to the Governors of St Bartholomew’s Hospital, and Barbara, a radiographer. He attended Carn Brea prep school, Bromley, excelling as a sportsman, and was at one stage coached by Derek Underwood, the celebrated England seam bowler.

In Loyd House his sporting progress continued and within two years he had represented Bradfield’s cricket 1stXI. He was a batsman of real power and had an excellent eye. One school report said: “Gooddy played a well-judged and entertaining innings.” Another described him as “a most dependable opening bat and a fine gully.”

Ru’s family spent a good deal of time with his maternal grandmother at Byworth, West Sussex, which may be what inspired his love of country pursuits. He fished and shot, pastimes he pursued enthusiastically all his life. As a boy he kept doves in the garden at Blackheath.

While at Bradfield Ru, ever the nonconformist, with his great friend James Sutherland, acquired two ferrets, Blodwyn and Bill, which were kept out of harm’s way in his Housemaster’s garden, until one morning the Housemaster’s wife opened the front door to find Blodwyn tucking into the contents of her milk bottles. Blodwyn and Bill were “asked to leave”.

He was also an accomplished footballer, golfer and tennis player, his achievements matched only by his insistent pall of self-effacement, any compliment waved away with a genuine lack of conceit. He was ludicrously modest, as well as kind and caring. While he could be, as he admitted, ‘a grumpy sod’, he was essentially an engaging mixture of understated, unshowy charm and quietly forceful mischief, an astute listener and a huge enthusiast for merriment and fun.

Ru was a brilliant and generous host; excellent at putting people at their ease. He spoke with great gentleness and warmth, often almost in a whisper. It was part of an easy, engaging charm, but you underrated Ru at your peril; possibly in business sometimes people did and regretted it. He was a doer, softly spoken but a man of action.

Professionally he was a shrewd, hardworking and extremely successful entrepreneur. There had been early signs of this flair. At the age of six, Ru reported very excitedly that his parents were allowing him to use a couple of square yards of space in their garden, for his own devices. He explained: “I want to grow cabbages that I can sell to my mum.” Thus, the successful businessman was born.

The interest in horticulture was developed in his time at Writtle Agricultural College, Essex. During that period he spent a year working at Wyevale Nursery in Hereford, where he gained a love of the Wye Valley and Black Mountains, his parents having bought a cottage near Hay-on-Wye, which Ru loved. He went on to work at Northmoor Nurseries and in 1979 he opened his own nursery, Rupert Gooddy Plants Limited, Bampton.

Ru clearly belonged in Oxfordshire, where he lived for over forty years, indulging enthusiams for motorbikes, fishing and of course cricket. Moving there was absolutely the making of him, and he married his wife Elizabeth in 1990. His son Francis arrived the following year and daughter Mimi a year after that. The marriage lasted for 17 happy years.

One of the people who worked for Ru for many years was Di Newman. She said of him: “He was such a good bloke. Funny, caring and looked after his staff really, really well … If anyone was in trouble, he’d help them out, he’d go above and beyond… he would always give the young a chance by offering them work and he would always consult his staff before making decisions. He was out in all weathers with us, and never asked anyone to do a job he wouldn’t do himself. He was fun-loving and always rewarded well … Nothing was too much trouble for him. You couldn’t fault him. He was a lovely, lovely man …”

He enjoyed life to the full and was enormously and rightly proud of his son Francis, who followed Ru into the nursery business and helped it go from strength to strength, and daughter Mimi. He had a gentle, all-encompassing love of life. He was generous and loyal, with a wonderful warmth. His distinctive and hugely lovable personality will be enormously missed by all those who knew him.

James Hanning

These three pictures are of Ann and Francis Shergold and brother Roy Shergold at the Elephant & Castle Inn in 1999

Mrs Rogers lived in Brook House on Bridge Street where she sold sweets and newspapers. Bampton is 18 miles from Oxford and 18 from Swindon and somehow, Mrs Brooks managed to get a sugar allowance during WWII from both Swindon and Oxford which enabled her to make and sell lots of sweets.

Brook House is the one on the left of the picture, across the road.

She is on the left in this picture with Mr and Mrs Albert Townsend from across the road at Castle View Farm. They are standing just inside the wall of the farm.

This is the funeral program from the church service for Constance Irene de Hamel. Constance did many things but is possibly best known for being a continuity announcer during WWII

There is a sound recording of Constance talking about her whole working life on YouTube at https://youtu.be/lnKzcJOBO8Q