Memories of Meonstoke

Meonstoke and its surrounding farmland

There are many people better qualified than I to write about Meonstoke, but this photo evokes memories of the Cooke's, who ran the village shop with cheerful kindness and where we shopped for essentials - and particularly for sweets which we took back to school in a biscuit tin (I have written about it here http://lawfordherry.blogspot.com/2007/11/st-ronans.html/). Opposite were (and still are) the quintessential Meonstoke family, the Biggs's and their magnificent thatched barn, scene of Christmas carol parties for over forty years - and below the village shop were the Harders - Paul and Anna- who I think were Danish. Below them was a house lived in by the Lushingtons - Betsy, Jane and John. And below that, Miss Apps ran a small private school. The Manor House stoood opposite below the Biggs's barn, and was lived in for a time by my cousin Ruth and her husband John Howard.

Some of this is mentioned in my Archive where Stocks Farm (signed from the triangle at the top of Buck's Head hill) is the main feature http://lawfordherry.blogspot.com/2008/02/stocks-1950-1970.html

Main Rd - Hill House

These are not really memories although I do remember my father talking a lot about Meonstoke with affection.
I have 2 old postcards and 2 old photos. The photos are of the building (I understand it was a Post Office at some date) in the picture above but when it was a private house. According to family tradition it was called Hill House and was built by William Cooper one of my ancestors. I do not know if that was true.
I do know from research that in the 1840s one William Cooper lived at Church Cottage while in the 1860s Mary Cooper (widow of one of the 3 Williams) and some of her children were living in Church Rd. She was a cordwainer (boot/shoe maker) as was her husband.
The younger William, her son was living at Gavdiff/Cardiff House at this time but I don't know where that was.
In the 1870s this younger William was living in Hill House with his wife Henrietta, daughter and granddaughter.
Later it was occupied by my great grandmother Lucy Cooper (one of William's other daughters) before her death in 1926. This is how my father came to know Meonstoke as her visited Lucy there often.
There are many Cooper graves in the churchyard and I once managed a trip there and found it quite an emotional experience. I also have some Knight ancestors buried there and I laid some flowers on any of the graves I could find.
I would willingly email copies of my pictures to any interested viewers and would welcome any correspondence from people who know of the Coopers/Knights/Matthews in that area
Thanks for reading this
Best wishes
Jo