Ratford, Wiltshire

The Dumb Post public house

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This popular inn was once part of the Bowood Estate of the Earl of Shelburne. It is believed that the inn got its name from the custom of mailmen on carrier waggons pinning letters for local people to a post outside the inn in the days before the Royal Mail. This Georgian inn possesses documents dating back 200 years which contain a copy of the rules of the Dumb Post Friendly Society 1770, which may have been a sickness benefit or thrift club. The documents describe the Club Walk in Whit Week, a trek from the inn to Bremhill village cross, a service in St. Martin's Church, and a village day of feasting and celebration. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/dblock/GB-396000-171000/page/8

Uploaded to Geograph by Vieve Forward on 12 March 2016

Creative Commons License Photo © Vieve Forward, 12 March 2016. Licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons licence

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