Baffled at a Bookcase

...a library needs to be handy and local; it shouldn’t require an expedition. Municipal authorities of all parties point to splendid new and scheduled central libraries as if this discharges them of their obligations. It doesn’t. For a child a library needs to be round the corner. And if we lose local libraries it is children who will suffer.

Alan Bennett, first published in the London Review of Books and then in 'The Library Book' (borrowed from Ringmer library, which is threatened with closure).

If you tolerate this...

Ridding our villages, towns and cities of libraries, which are essential in shaping a nation's consciousness, seems like a direct attack on the soul of the country.

Nicky Wire, from 'If you tolerate this...', originally quoted in The Guardian and published in 'The Library Book' (borrowed from Ringmer library, which is threatened with closure).

Ringmer library

My local library in Ringmer is threatened with closure, despite having moved to a new building last year. It seemed an opportune time to borrow Ali Smith's 'Public library and other stories' and to quote her correspondence with Sarah Wood about the opening of a new library:

It was a really fantastic moment in my life, in our lives, a moment of real change. The brand new building brought with it the idea that our local history was important - that books were important, but also that we were too, and that where we lived was.

A Creep of Tortoises in Ringmer

Recently I've been researching Ringmer's renowned reptilian resident - Timothy the tortoise - for Viva Lewes magazine... and discovered a few interesting facts that I couldn't squeeze into the final article.

Firstly, to avoid any confusion, Ringmer's Timothy tortoise is not the tortoise who died in 2004 and was dubbed 'Britain's oldest pet', despite some similarities. As well as having the same name, both tortoises were originally assumed to be male but were later shown to be female. In addition, it's likely that both were some kind of ship's pet before they reached England.

Our local Timothy was born in the 18th century - possibly around 1740 - by Henry Snooke, who brought it home to Ringmer. Mr Snooke gave the tortoise to his wife, Rebecca, who was the aunt of naturalist Gilbert White. When Rebecca died, Gilbert took her tortoise home with him to Hampshire, writing about the tortoise in his book 'The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne'.

The other Timothy, who ended his days in Devon, was born in the mid-19th century and has his own well-documented biography called simply 'Timothy the Tortoise'.

Henry and Rebecca are apparently buried together in Ringmer's parish church. Timothy, meanwhile, rests at the Natural History Museum in London.

My biggest surprise was discovering that Timothy may not have been the first tortoise in Ringmer. In 1774, Gilbert White wrote to his brother John, describing the differences between Timothy and other types of tortoise:

There are tortoises whose shells are always open behind and before "apertura testae anterior," as he says himself, "pro capite et brachiis; posterior pro cauda et femoribus." These apertures are supported, as it were, by pillars on each side and can never be closed. Of such construction is the shell of Mrs Snooke's present living tortoise, Timothy. But then there are tortoises whose under shell has a cardo, an hinge, about the middle of their bellies, commanding one lid or flap forward, and one lid backward (like the double lidded snuff-boxes) which when shut conceal the head and legs and tail of the reptile entirely, and keep out all annoyances. Two such (very small they were) Mrs Snooke had formerly; and the shells lie still in her room over the hall.

Although we can't be certain these tiny tortoises were born before Timothy, it's certainly possible that Timothy was bought as a replacement or even a companion for these creatures.

But it's Timothy that's remembered locally, with his likeness appearing in a number of places, including the village sign.

Recommended reading: 
Timothy the Tortoise: Rory Knight Bruce 
The Portrait of a Tortoise: Sylvia Townsend Warner 
Timothy; or, Notes of an Abject Reptile: Verlyn Klinkenborg

NB: The collective noun for a group of tortoises is a 'creep', according to most sources.

After a difficult life...

I've been doing some research into Rebecca Snooke. Rebecca was the aunt of 18th-century naturalist Gilbert White. Notably, her tortoise - Timothy - was passed to him after she died. It's this tortoise that features heavily in Gilbert's book The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne... and it's also this tortoise that features on the village sign for Ringmer.

Rebecca's husband Henry is buried below St Mary's church in Ringmer. There's a black marble tablet in the aisle, bearing a Latin inscription:

Post vitam difficilem
Hic quiescit
Henricus Snooke Armr.
de Ringmer
Ob: 19 Jan: 1763
Æt: 69.

["After a difficult life here rests Henry Snooke esquire..."]

Rebecca and Henry Snooke had both lived in Delves House (which is now the location of a sheltered housing development alongside the churchyard).

Apparently Henry's widow Rebecca - aunt of naturalist Gilbert White - was later buried with her husband, although there's currently no visible indication of her grave.

However, page 298 of The Topographer (volume 4) from 1791 tells us "in the same grave is buried Rebecca Snooke, widdow of Hy Snooke, Esq, who died March 8th, 1780, Aged 86. She was the 2d Daughter Of the Revd Gilbert White, of Selborne, Hants."

Incidentally, Timothy's final resting place is the Natural History Museum in London.

Ganges Indian Cuisine

Sometimes work doesn't feel like work at all. In this month's Viva Lewes magazine I'm reviewing Ringmer's Indian restaurant.

There's only one sure-fire way to deal with a cold winter's evening. "I'm wearing my curry dress tonight", says my wife. "It's stretchy". And I'm wearing my curry shirt, which contains an explosion of colours guaranteed to hide any spilled sauce. Suitably attired, we're going out for a meal in Ringmer.