They need to up their biscuit game
Episode 4 of the Loremen podcast and a not particularly dramatic account of the Highwaymen of Swinbrook. A village more closely associated with Nazi sympathisers. Whilst getting our bearings we are instantly accosted by a gentleman asking us if we know where the Mitford graves are. We do, and we will get to them later.
First, the Highwaymen
story;
In 1806, the locals of Swinbrook noticed something peculiar about the new tenants of Swinbrook Manor. The once-wealthy Fettiplace family, who had built the grand manor and contributed significantly to the community, had fallen on hard times. With their fortune dwindled and the male line extinct, the elderly Miss Fettiplaces decided to rent out the manor and move to a nearby cottage.
Mr. Freeman, a wealthy London gentleman, soon moved into Swinbrook Manor with a retinue of servants. Despite his unclear source of wealth, he quickly gained popularity by hosting lavish parties for the local gentry. However, around the same time, a series of highway robberies began on the Oxford-Gloucester road. These robberies, while not close to Swinbrook, made nighttime travel perilous.
Suspicion grew as the Freeman household exhibited odd behavior. The servants were rough and uncouth, and the household seemed perpetually tired, as if they had late nights. A stable boy noticed that horses put to bed well-groomed were found exhausted and muddy in the morning, but he was warned to mind his own business and stay out of the manor.
The truth emerged dramatically when a botched robbery led to the capture of one of the robbers, who turned out to be Freeman's butler. It was revealed that Freeman and his household were a gang of highwaymen who had relocated to Swinbrook to avoid capture. Freeman and his butler were tried and hanged for highway robbery, and the stable boy proudly kept their pistols as a memento.
The walk is a fine ramble across arable land, two crossings of the river Windrush and taking in the villages of Asthall and Widford.
Evidence of the highwaymen is rare. The manor house was next to Swinbrook church but was pulled down after Freeman was executed. There is plenty of evidence of the Fettiplaces.
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Swinbrook Church
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Fettiplace Memorial
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More Fettiplaces
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| More Fettiplaces |
The Church Micro Geocache takes me to the more famous to Daily Mail Readers, Mitford sisters.
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| Front 3 - Nancy, Unity, Diana |
Nancy Mitford (1904-1973)
Nancy was a novelist and biographer known for her witty novels about upper-class life, such as "The Pursuit of Love" and "Love in a Cold Climate." She also wrote acclaimed biographies, including one on Louis XIV. Nancy spent much of her later life in France and was a beloved literary figure.
Unity Mitford (1914-1948)
Unity was a fervent supporter of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime, causing a scandal in Britain. She moved to Germany in the 1930s and developed a close relationship with Hitler. After Britain declared war on Germany, she attempted suicide, resulting in brain damage. She returned to England and lived quietly until her death in 1948.
Diana Mitford (1910-2003)
Diana was known for her beauty and controversial political beliefs. She left her first husband for British fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley. Diana and Mosley married in Germany in 1936, with Hitler as a guest at their wedding. During World War II, both were interned by the British government due to their fascist sympathies. After the war, she lived a quieter life, writing her autobiography "A Life of Contrasts."
A lot of history for a blog. Onto the pub.
The Swan is just around the corner, a very typical C17th award winning gastropub.
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| Mrs M at the Swan |
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| Dining Pub of the Covid Years |
Mrs M requests a flat white and I check out the beer options. Clarkson's Hawstone Lager and Cider found on draught in the wild for the first time. But I was never going to turn down a North Cotswold Brewery Best Bitter - even at the expense of my old favourite, TT Landlord.
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| Perfect session bitter |
Mrs M not impressed with the lack of Biscoff accompanying the hot drink. Sulkily she laments "forget about being dining pub of the year, they need to up their biscuit game"
Toilet art work providing her TripAdvisor review title.
Walk Details
Distance - 4.75 Miles
Geocaches - 1
Walk Inspiration - Loremen Podcast Episode 4 and Discover the Cotswolds, Walk 11
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