A book of local poems has been donated to Buriton’s Heritage project with many of the verses describing life in and around the village in years gone by.
The compilation was produced to mark the Silver Jubilee of 1977 and, in his introduction to the book, Percy Legg thanks Delia and Brian Rudman for encouraging him to bring the collection together (and for typing it all).
Percy was born in 1896 and died in 1981. A number of the poems describe changes in the village during his lifetime.
As well as about a dozen of Percy’s poems, the book contains some by Edith Dearne (nee Legg) and a couple by Fred Legg which have already been featured in the 2019 publication: ‘Buriton and the First World War – Through Local Eyes’.
There are references to the church and Methodist chapel, to the village pond, the school, the shop, the pubs, the flower show, the cricket team, to local employment (including the limeworks and hop-picking), to the building of new houses and to the rolling downs before the forests were planted as well as to the tribulations of war-time.
Longer accounts of a number of Percy’s recollections are featured in the ‘Buriton – in living memory’ publication: http://buriton.org.uk/publications/
The copy of ‘Percy’s Poems’ has kindly been donated to the Heritage Bank by Rosemary Clark who now lives in Petersfield. A copy will also be deposited at the Hampshire Records Office in Winchester.
