2025 01 Spring with bleed - Flipbook - Page 4
After months of preparation by the History Society, Kings Nympton is the
subject of an exhibition in one of the galleries at the Museum of Barnstaple
and North Devon. Following a launch party attended by over 30 people, the
display will be on show until 3rd May, and includes some eye opening
accounts of the village9s past!
As you step into the
gallery the orst thing you
see is the stunning
display of silverware that
was gifted to the church
in 1756. It hasn9t been
on public display since
2007, and few in the
village will be aware of
its existence4still fewer
of the story behind it. But
preparing for the exhibition gave us the opportunity to delve deeper into
the background of the donation and what turns out to have been a most
momentous time for the Village.
As some of you will know, the silver was
donated by the then squire James Buller
(owner of Kings Nympton Park Estate, and 4 by
a curious coincidence 4 distant ancestor of
Henny Lichoeld) following the successful
inoculation of over 80 people in the village
against Smallpox in 1755. This occurred more
James Buller’s portrait (centre) than 40 years before Edward Jenner came up
on display at Antony House
with the vaccine against Smallpox. In fact
Jenner would
only have been 6 years old at the time.
Hugh Kenyon (the owner of the Park House
before the Lichoelds) directed us to a
wonderful archive held at Antony House
Cornwall by the Carew-Pole family, which
includes considerable correspondence
between Buller, the parson Reverend George
Antony House
4
for extra content— www.kingsnymptononline.com/additional-material
