Nothing odd at all in a Bull Mastiff having a keen sense of history -
after all, my forbears have been pinning down poachers on behalf of landed
gentry's gamekeepers for centuries. I just hope they were suitably rewarded;
chase an armed nutcase through the woods at night? No way, Manuel!
But if there was a nice haunch of venison at the end of it. Hmm...
This area is steeped in history; witness the early Roman fort built close to the crossroads on the A40, where it was very handy for the shops.
the
village
It first gets a mention in 1198, when it had the ancient Franglais name
of Fugelmere, derived from its marshy lake - fed by the River Alderbourne
- inhabited by lots of waterfowl (quite partial to a spot of Fugel-chasing
myself!).
First referred to as Fulmer Manor in 1254, it was lorded over by various knights, plus the King himself, until somewhen like 1590, when it was bought by Sir Marmaduke Darell, who had the distinction of serving under Queen Elizabeth I, James I and Charles I. It was this august gentleman that (starting in 1610) built the present church and what later became the pub. And he lived in Fulmer Place.
By 1650, The 'Orse was in use as an alehouse as well as a courthouse. Magistrates used to ride from Denham to Fulmer to dispense justice in what later became known as "a right good session".
In August 1672, Magistrate Sir Kirtley Hardy-cum-Whittingstall (an ancestor of the Hardy that was invited 133 years later to give the dying Admiral Nelson a big slobbery kiss at the Battle of Trafalgar) was riding from Denham for a right good session, when he was ambushed by a local baddie, Slippery Dick Shafto, a forerunner of the more famous Bobby Shafto. Slippery doesn't seem to have been a great highwayman, coz he only managed to kill Hardy-cum-Fearnley-Whitingstall's neddy, a rather nice thoroughbred black charger. Slippery Dick was caught, condemned and hanged on the Oxford Road (probably from the traffic lights). But the spirit of the innocent victim of this attempted crime lives on, coz it's for the magnificent steed that the Black Horse is named. Many thanks to John Mundy for compiling this tale - click here if you don't believe it.
Then, in the blink of an eye, it was today. And, if the more serious tabloids are to be believed, the Dick connection continues - Angelina Jolie regularly enjoys Spotted Dick in our restaurant! Isn't that just the weirdest thing? Ever?
For a slightly more detailed / factual account of the history of our village, check in any Bucks County Library, or maybe take a look at www.fulmervillage.org.
An early Roman fort
We think this picture was taken around 1900; the original is hanging in
the Top Bar. When you visit us, you'll be able to see how few changes
have been made to Windmill Road since it was taken.
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Fulmer is entered into the Best Kept Village in Bucks competition every year. A number of residents work hard to keep everything looking in tip-top condition. Their efforts have been rewarded with several First Prize so far - and I'm sure there are more to come! Volunteers meet at the pub at 9:15 on Saturday mornings; they are rewarded with a free lunch right next to the 2006 Cup. |
