Agricultural History Review, Volume 65 Part 1 (2017), p. 157

The bold-print, capitalized opening title of Jonathan Spurrell’s first publication indicates a clear and proud acknowledgement that the focus of the book is on one small local area, Bessingham. This, the reader soon discovers, is a village in north Norfolk, boasting one of Britain’s oldest round church belfries. It is also home to many of the author’s ancestors, who form the basis of Spurrell’s research and discovery. This may lead to accusations of insularity, yet Spurrell’s work should not be dismissed outright as parochial. There is value in taking a microscope to a locale, where it may further our understanding of rural life, and highlight the connection between community and landscape. Spurrell has certainly done this. Through meticulous and painstaking study, leafing through his family tree, the author opens up a view of the whole community, which is both invaluable to those who study Norfolk, and of interest to social and agricultural historians.

The book is divided in to five parts, in which Spurrell takes the reader through the lives of the inhabitants of Bessingham, from the birth of the settlement through to the twentieth century. The scene is set with descriptions of Bessingham’s physical landscape and the early communities that settled there. Sequential lords of the manor are described, including a reference to the Paston family who held the manor there in the seventeenth century. The church of Bessingham also features heavily in Spurrell’s book, and this reflects its obvious influence and importance to the community as a whole. The church gives a central charm to Bessingham and thus to Spurrell’s work.

The book is at its best in its discussions of the nineteenth century. With access to labour account books, Spurrell has painted an in-depth picture of the day-to-day running of an estate. A description of men failing to turn up for work following a party to commemorate the marriage of the Prince of Wales in 1862 sits alongside accounts of the rise and fall of agricultural wages, the anecdote in this instance serving to augment the socio-historical narrative. The study also benefits from the recollections of locals whom Spurrell interviewed during his research. There seems to be a general feeling among those questioned that, following a period of contentment, when milk was delivered in churns carried on bicycle handlebars, Bessingham had by the mid-to-late twentieth century become a ghostly deserted village. The monograph finishes on a more hopeful note, describing the final renovations to the manor in a chapter entitled ‘Recipe of rejuvenation’.

Focusing inwardly, as already indicated, offers real insight into rural life. Spurrell’s text is peppered with fascinating examples of family life and struggles, such as when William Spurrell thriftily used the unfilled pages of his schoolbook because paper was an expensive commodity. Continually woven within the trials and tribulations of rural life are the specific lives of the Spurrell family. The Daniel Spurrell line of the family in particular appear to have led interesting lives. There are novel tales regaled of an escaped bear, the creation of a new species of Daffodils, and the shooting of 109 animals in one day. Yet, it also feels sometimes that there is an opportunity missed, namely to see how rural life in Bessingham compared to rural England more broadly. For example, it would be interesting for the general reader to be informed whether the population rise in Bessingham from the start to the middle of the nineteenth century was reflected elsewhere. The intricate details of the lives of the Spurrell family also made the book occasionally difficult to read. Additionally, it is a shame that some of the images interspersed throughout the study are sometimes hard to make out, or feature on a page to which they do not relate. Even so, for those of us who have not had the opportunity to visit Bessingham, they offer an insight.

As the book draws to a close, Spurrell’s use of the first person increases. This perhaps reflects his deep personal involvement in his writing, but it also makes his passion infectious. As Spurrell states, ‘the strong pull of family, and of history, is difficult to resist’ (p. 180), and it is this kind of personal joy and experience which adds richness to our understanding of rural life as a whole.