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LITTLE WOODHAM”, GOSPORT’S “ 17TH Century Re-enactment Village”,won a pioneering award in 1984 for its imaginative, fresh approach to history. The idea of showing simple local lives affected by the 1642 “Seige of Portsmouth” came from two “English Civil War” enthusiasts, Stuart Peachy and Dave Brown. Near Gosport’s Grange Farm, Rowner, they built the imaginary hamlet of “Little Woodham” around 3 timber-framed WATTLE & DAUB huts. “Civil War Society” experts came to act out the impact of “Armed Bands” on the villagers. Visitors loved it, and the event won a special 1984 Heritage award.

Stuart and Dave persuaded Gosport Council to fund and run the new delightful Project.! Dozens of local schools enrolled, then coach loads of excited children explored the leafy site to absorb the sights and sounds of Little Woodham in 1642 Royalist Portsmouth was just firing the first cannon on terrified Gosport held by a Rebel “Court of Guard”!

For well over 20 years now, “Little Woodham” has been delighting children and adults, with the help of local trained Volunteers. In 1985 the St Vincent Adult Centre laid on a “17th Century Training Course” for locals to learn about 1642 speech, manners, housing, food, metal and woodwork skills , plus musketry, gunnery, charcoal burning, etc! A team of ladies sewed dozens of 17th C gowns, caps and aprons, plus petticoats for children and mens’ uniforms, smocks & shirts etc. in the St Vincent School’s Needlework Rooms, kindly made available!

In October 1985, talks by “1642 Little Woodham” Volunteers gave the St Vincent Local History Club one of its most lively meetings. “ 5000 children and 3000 adult visitors had each paid to spend 2 hours going round the site in the first two weeks of a very hot July” said Sheila M, describing the costumed Volunteers, busy in their simple homes and craft workshops, as alarming rumours spread. Rival Armed Bands had practiced musket fire nearby! Noisy gunners crowded the old “Grey Goose” Inn, and you could hear the innkeeper’s wife scolding them and the maids! and the oven!– and the hens clucking around her dirt floor!

Authentic 17th C. smells drifted from woodsmoke and cooking, from soap-making and stale ale, and from the smelly sheep in the pen. There was even a Catalan Forge built of bricks, with huge bellows fanning the charcoal to smelt more iron for everything from nails to cannon-balls.

Life in “LITTLE WOODHAM,” – Gosport’s 17th C. village (Part 2)

But the hit of that 1985 meeting was Marion G.’s witty re-enactment of the well-dressed lady of 1642. Marion, a lively Gosport Volunteer, had also joined the “Civil War Society”, and been invited to a “Court Wedding” between two of its members. So there she stood facing our St Vincent History Club Members in her becoming yellow wedding outfit. Then she calmly proceeded to undress herself in front of us all!

As she did so, she explained the function of each garment as she took it off– her cap, her snood, her kerchief, her apron, her sleeves, her skirt and her “busk”. Finally she stood before us in her voluminous, ankle-length white shift. “Under this” she explained mischievously “the well dressed ladies of 1642, rich and poor alike, wore nothing but shoes”.

Her practical suggestion that the St Vincent Adult Centre should be asked to provide a 17th Century Dress-making Class using authentic patterns to make clothes for the Volunteers was a great success.

The St Vincent Local History Class soon researched GOSPORT’S REAL 1642 ENGLISH CIVIL WAR It was a more distressing reality than the lighter side of 1642 life shown at LITTLE WOODHAM.

King Charles 1 had been forced to start raising his Royalist army at Nottingham on 22nd August 1642 because the very first cannon-ball of the Civil War had been fired from Royalist Portsmouth at poor little GOSPORT, which had been occupied by a Rebel “Court of Guard”.

On 18th August, the Rebel Guards ordered local carpenters to build two firing platforms for cannons on the Gosport shore opposite old Portsmouth. (south of today’s high-rise Flats). “Whereat the troubled Governor shot at them…letting fly that night at least 60 bullets.” The terrified Gosport people had never heard or seen anything like it before! One carpenter lit a candle in his lantern. He was shot and died.

The clerk recorded in the Alverstoke Parish Register on 24th August, 1642 that “John Baker of Gosport was killed by a shot from Portsmouth. His was the first sad death of that cruel Civil War, which ended seven years later with the last death – King Charles 1, in 1649.

Re-enactment opening dates can be obtained from Gosport Town Hall, 02392 584242   Also www.littlewoodham.org.uk

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