The Markhams

A Memory of Bascote.

My mum took us to Bascote Heath to see Aunt Hilda (nee Markham), she was married to Ted Fox. Aunt Hilda would take us round the woods to pick the primroses and violets and then we would have tea. On one visit Aunt Hilda told us of the story of a young girl found hanging dead over the gate, she had eaten poisonous berries. Can anyone verify this? On another occasion, Aunt Hilda was preparing tea and went into the pantry and came out holding a snake, the woods were full of adders that year, she just grabbed it and threw it into the woods. The outside loo was a bucket in a small shed this had to be checked every time as the snakes would curl up in there for warmth.
The cottage where my grandparents and Aunt Hilda lived have now been pulled down.
Wendy Willoughby

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