Parish Pump was a series of articles that ran between January 1971 and September 1975 in The Country Gentleman's Association monthly magazine. Written by Julian Grey, the articles detailed life in a fictional East Anglian village between the 1930s and the 1970s.
"Ancient men full of guile, bigotry and craftsmanship supping from chipped mugs at an ancient settle, they are long gone. No Parish Pump remains the same forever, and ours - like all the others - has had to change with the times." (Jan 72)
Grey is a writer and a townie, and as such is initially viewed with much suspicion by the mainly agrarian natives when he arrives in 1937. However, over time he is accepted as a harmless, if dilettante, member of the community. He brings his family up and sees the village change as technology and social change reach the depths of the countryside.
The centre of the drama is unnamed, but referred to as the community around the Parish Pump. This is one of three satellite hamlets [1] surrounding the more dominant Greater Seething. They in turn feed into a market town called Steepleborough [2] (May 1975). A parish council still exists [3]
Within the village
| Name | Brief description | Episode |
|---|---|---|
| Ossie Badger | Local poacher | Oct 75 |
| P.C. Barter | Village Bobby | Jul 75 |
| Old Mrs Barter | Village nag | Mar 74 |
| Myrt Bilbury | Schoolgirl | Sep 72 |
| Susan Bilbury | Grey’s new cleaner | Jun 73 |
| Bert Billings | Love rival | Jan 74 |
| Caleb Bingham | Local farmer | Mar 73 |
| Corky Carter | Aged villager | Nov 74 |
| Joseph Crane | Oldest resident | Nov 74 |
| Barney Dean | Ex G.I. | Jul 75 |
| Bob Grudging | Village timekeeper | Apr 73 |
| Mrs Grisby | Wealthy widow | Nov 71 |
| The Hartley Hales | Wealthy arristves | Mar 71 |
| The Hollidays | Eccentric architects | Jun 73 |
| Jasper Horncastle | Hall Secretary | May 72 |
| George Laycroft | Smallholder | Mar 73 |
| Maureen McGinty | Irish maid | Sep 74 |
| Len Milliken | Village handyman | Jul 72 |
| Jasper Pettigrew | Dandified roadman | Apr 73 |
| Alfred Porson | Clive’s Grandfather | Aug 73 |
| Clive Porson | Solicitor | Aug 73 |
| Dave Porson | Father of Clive | Aug 73 |
| Cyril Podger | Hypocondriac | May 75 |
| Amos Pilling | Gambler | Sep 72 |
| Rosie Randall | Mother of 6 | Mar 72 |
| Ken Sparrow | Gamekeeper | Oct 75 |
| Henry Stobbs | Thatcher | Nov 73 |
| Maureen Stray | Village beauty | Aug 75 |
| Sarah Stray | Mother of Maureen | Aug 75 |
| Shiner Sparrow | Love rival | Jan 74 |
| Marigold Upson | Grey’s 1st cleaner | May 73 |
| Dr Wilkinson | Traditional medic | May 75 |
Unnamed characters These include
The series ran from bi-monthly in 1971 and 72; then again in 1974 and 75; in 1973 a shorter, but monthly, article, appeared.
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
"There is no great amity, just a polite acceptance of the other's existence." (Sept 75)
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