Hereford Quakers Newsletter January 2018

“How do you do it?” said night. “How do you wake and shine?” “I keep it simple,” said light. “One day at a time.”

 (from Gold from the Stone, by Lemn Sissay)

Events are at the Friends Meeting House, 21 King Street, Hereford HR4 9BX unless otherwise stated

Tuesday 16th January

Universal Credit

We will explore together how this is going to work as it comes to Hereford in March and whether there are any practical points we can highlight / preparations we can make to help avoid some of the possible difficulties for claimants both amongst our members and in the wider community.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity – Churches Together in Hereford’s events

Thursday 18th January, 12.30

Meeting for Worship at the Friends Meeting House, followed by soup lunch

Sunday 21st January, 17.00
United service at St Martin’s, Ross Road, preceded by tea at 16.00

Monday 22nd January, 12.30

Taize service at All Saints

Wednesday 24th January, 13.00

Prayers for Peace at the Cathedral, followed by soup

Thursday 25th January, 10.30 – 12.00

Coffee Morning at St Peter’s Dates for your Diary

9th – 11th February

Our Quaker Roots

Area Meeting Residential Weekend at Cleobury Mortimer

Tuesday 27th February

Education Meeting: What Do We Want From These Meetings in the Coming Year?

19.30 – 21.00
Do come with your ideas and suggestions.

Saturday 10th March

Area Meeting at The Pales

Tuesday 13th March

The Bundle

A play about the experiences of some asylum seekers Wednesday 11th April

Millichap Peace Lecture – Scilla Elworthy

Saturday 12th May

Area Meeting at Almeley

Saturday 9th June

Fellowship Day at The Pales

Friday 22nd June

Night of the Churches

Saturday 14th July

Area Meeting at Ross

Sunday 16th September

Area Meeting at Clun Valley

Saturday 10th November

Area Meeting at Hereford

Archaeological Excavations in Friar Street (previously known as Quakers Lane)

John Meaford writes: I have been showing an interest in the demolition of the bus garage in Friar Street, Hereford. I understand that McCarthy and Stone are to build retirement homes there (see Planning Application 173773). I worked as a bus driver out of this garage for three years until 2010, when I retired. But the main reason for my interest is that the Quaker meeting houses preceding the present King Street building were on this site. Friar Street was previously called Quakers Lane.

I asked Herefordshire Council about archaeological investigations. Julian Cotton, the Council’s Archaeological Advisor, very kindly phoned me to tell me about a recent dig, carried out in advance of development.

It appears that about eight trenches have been dug. Remains of the meeting house (referred to as a “chapel”) were found in the north of the site, near Friar Street. The archaeologists have told us that what they found had been disturbed by building works many years ago. What Julian Cotton assumed would be of more importance to us was that a graveyard was found in the south east part of the site. This graveyard was not disturbed by the present investigations. The dig proved that this graveyard was never joined to the known / in use non-Quaker graveyard over towards Barton Road, so I think we can assume that the newly-discovered one is Quakers only.

The buildings of the new development, as it is planned at present, would not be constructed in the Quaker graveyard, but its roads and footpaths may be laid on top. This information was passed to me by phone; a report will be published and attached to the planning application. The report will eventually be filed at HARC (Herefordshire Archive & Records Centre).

I can say from personal knowledge that the bus garage has a heavy concrete raft laid over the whole site. There were no patches of bare earth, and no gravestones were visible anywhere. Although the heaviest vehicles that we drove were the 12m / 40ft single deck Enviros on the Worcester service, 14 to 18 tonnes empty, Hereford garage did have heavier double deckers in earlier years. I say this to communicate the strength and weight of the concrete surface over the remains.

From previous research which Wendy and I have undertaken for Heritage Open Days at the King Street meeting house we understand that the Friar Street meeting house was:

1. Probablybuiltinthesecondhalfofthe1600’s.ItwassoldbytheQuakersin1806, then converted to cottages at some point.
2. Thesecottagesweredemolishedandin1891averylargeDrillHallwasbuilton the site now occupied by the bus garage. Photos show that between the drill hall and Friar Street was an associated parade ground. The gravestones of the Quaker cemetery (if any) must have been removed before the drill hall and parade ground were built.
3. AssumingthattheDrillHallandthebusgaragearenotthesamebuilding,in1920 the bus garage was built. It was in use until about two years ago. What I would like to bring to the attention of Quakers is that if it becomes necessary to lift Quaker burials from the 1600’s and 1700’s, the Council are very concerned that they act according to the law, and in a respectful way. But Quakers do not have “consecrated ground” for our burials. Also unless the gravestones have been laid flat and buried, (which I do not expect), there will be no means of identifying the

individuals. I do not know of a plan of the graveyard such as has survived for the King Street meeting house garden.

For my own part I value the information that the archaeologists are finding about the early meeting house(s) on the site (the first in Hereford), but I would not place any extra burden on the archaeologists if bones must be moved. I would not seek a ‘service (meeting) on reburial’, but I am writing this so that our meeting may collectively determine what it feels is required.

Hereford Food Bank

There will be a collection made for the Food Bank in Hereford on the last Sunday every month (bring and share lunch day). The box and a bag will be in Room 1, and items will be taken to the Food bank the following day.

Please bring:

•   TINS – hot or cold foods, vegetables, fruit, rice pudding
•   DRY GOODS – Smash potato, rice, powdered milk, custard, instant coffee, sugar
•   GENERAL – UHT milk, pasta sauces, jam, marmalade, instant / microwave meals
•   HYGIENE – shampoo, toothpaste, soap, household cleaners such as washing up

liquid and detergent.
Up to 1,000 people a year benefit from this service in Hereford.

For further information about Quakers, please contact: Clerk: Ruth Stanier – ruth.stanier@smquakers.org.uk

Please submit copy in writing for the next newsletter (February 2018) to the editor, Liz Chave – liz.chave@smquakers.org.uk by 22nd January

smquakers.org.uk www.quakers.org.uk