The Mouse And The Church

A Memory of Old Swinford.

After our fine glass of bitter, Dad spoke to the landlord.

"Excuse me," Dad said, "but do you know anything about a mouse on the gates of the parish church?" The landlord was most genial and tried to help but had to admit that he had never noticed any mouse even though he had lived in the parish all his life and had even been married at the very church. We finished our drinks and went off on a mouse hunt.

After walking up the gentle hill to the church we examined the heavy wooden gates in minute detail, not quite sure what we were looking for. After ten minutes or so a very tall man came out of the rectory and chuckling to himself made his way across to join us at the gate. "Are you looking for the mouse?" he asked. We replied that we were and asked if he could help us.

"My grandfather brought me here in the early 1930s," explained Dad, "And I am sure he showed me a carved wooden mouse on the gate." "You are quite right," said the jolly vicar, "But I understand that some American GIs were stationed in Oldswinford during the war and they took it back to the States as a souvenir of their stay here."

He gave us the huge key to the church door and we entered the house of worship where our ancestors have been recorded in the Parish Register since 1602. We bought a copy of Nigel Perry’s history of the church and made a donation to the church fund.

There was some talk with the vicar about the church spire but I forget the details.

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