West Briton, July 30, 1925
Devoran Village Club
Effort for Building Fund
In aid of the building fund of Devoran Village club, a garden fete was held in the beautiful grounds of Tregye, lent by Mrs. Powys Rogers, on Friday.
The fete was opened by Mrs. Tremayne of Carclew and Mrs. Rogers, Mrs. Perks, Miss A. Williams, Mr. W. Michell (secretary) and Commander Austen also spoke.
Bugle Silver Band rendered selections.
The stall holders and those assisting were:
Fruit and Flowers – Mesdames Edwards, Simmons Hodge and Miss J. Edwards. Ice Cream – Mesdames Sidell, Jones and F. Bond.
Refreshments – Miss Tyacke, Mesdames Treffry, Pellesier, Austen, Pascoe and Miss Miller.
China – Mesdames Perks and Powys Rogers
Work Stall – Mesdames Shepherd, W. Mitchell and Pengelly.
Pound Stall – the Misses Dingle, A. Williams, and Harris
Sweets and Toys – Mesdames J.H. Williams, Parsons, Hoare and Lemin.
Jumble Stall – Miss Rogers, Mrs Beauchamp and Miss Roberts
Monte Carlo – Miss Butler
Bowling for Cockerels – Messrs A. Horton and E. Folley
Klondike – Messrs R.J.S Langdon and G.T. Langdon
Houp-La – Mr. J. Holman
Clock golf – Commander Austen and Miss Robertson
Treasure hunt – Commander Austen
Gate Stewards – Messrs J.S. Nicholls, W.W. Parsons, J.H. Williams, E. Lemin, W. Michell and P. Currow.
An open-air whist drive was held in the evening, and Mrs. Powys Rogers afterwards distributed the prizes to the following:
Ladies 1. Miss K. Lilly. 2 Mrs. J Pooley, consolation Miss K. Phillips;
gentlemen 1. Mr. E. Lemin. 2 Mr W. Wortley, consolation Mr W. Simmons Hodge.
The M.C. was Mr W.W. Parsons.
The proceeds after paying expenses, amounted to over £30.
As reported in the West Briton, July 30, 1925
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Blog Editor’s note: Devoran Village Hall or Club was heavily funded by Whist Drives in its early years.
These were an interesting range of activities at the Tregye Summer Fete fundraising for the Village Hall, 1925.
£30 in 1925 is worth about £1,500 today (2024) according to this helpful Bank of England website: https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator.
Some unusually named games – Klondkye was probably named after the Klondike Goldrush in the 1880s 90s which attracted many miners and prospectors from all over the world including Cornwall. Like Monte Carlo, it was or is a (solo) patience card game, which doesn’t sound very adaptable to a fete setting. My favourite odd activity amongst these has to be ‘Bowling for Cockerels‘.
This fundraising fete must have been quite a sight to see. I have visited Tregye for training courses, now part of Truro and Penwith College and this Grade 2 listed large manor house has amazing views and lawn areas.
Some interesting names here –
Tregye House: image source Truro and Penwith College
Heir to the Rogers family at Tregye, Miss Rogers is likely to be C.C. Rogers or Clara Coltman Rogers (C.C. Vyvyan), a gardener, writer and traveller who married into the Vyvyans at Trelowarren family. She was also a friend of Daphne Du Maurier.
Miss A. Williams and Mrs Perks at Glanafon or Glenafon (Point?) were both involved with the local women’s suffrage or suffragette movement. https://devoranwarmemorial.wordpress.com/2018/02/06/devoran-suffragettes-wspu-1914/
Many of these people are buried in Devoran churchyard, which is full of interesting WW1 and WW2 war memorial and village hall related headstones such as Parsons, Tyacke and many others: https://devoranwarmemorial.wordpress.com/2020/06/22/devoran-churchyard-headstones-connected-to-ww1-and-ww2/
Their fundraising efforts will be amongst those remembered in a display and event at the Village Hall to mark its 100th anniversary on 27 April 2024.
Blog post by Mark Norris, 16 March 2024
Devoran War Memorial Cornwall 