Samuel Fones, John Winthrop’s nephew

The East Devon village of Woodbury, only a few miles from East Budleigh, has its own connection with Salem, Massachusetts. 

In 1662, following the death of Oliver Cromwell and England’s return to a monarchy under King Charles II,  Parliament passed the Act of Uniformity. 

The  Act forced ministers to conform to the new regime by insisting that they swear an oath which included acceptance of the Prayer Book and obedience to the bishops. As a result almost 2,000 dissenting ministers who refused to conform were removed from their posts. 

Puritanism had established particularly deep roots in Devon, and 121 of the ministers were from churches in the county, including St Swithun’s at Woodbury. The Revd Samuel Fones, ejected as minister after 16 years of service, was so well loved by parishioners that his congregation was reported to have wept as he climbed to the pulpit to preach his final sermon. He would eventually settle in New England, where he died in 1693. 

In crossing the Atlantic he was following the path of his uncle, Governor John Winthrop, one of the leading figures in founding the Massachusetts Bay Colony.  On 13 June 1630, the first of 11 ships in the Winthrop Fleet carrying a total of 700 English Puritan immigrants landed at Salem. 

If you are interested in the history of early America, and Roger Conant as a peacemaker in troubled times you can join the Devon Peacemaker Festival Facebook group at 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/700424602802079

A documentary video about Roger Conant?

On Woodbury Wide Awake Festival’s website you can view an attractive video documentary which tells us about botanist William Keble Martin’s achievements together with highlighting the dangers facing our natural environment today. 

Created by local artist and film maker Jemma Cholawo it uses images of beautiful East Devon scenery as well as interviews with both local residents and environmentalists.  

Surely something similar could be made to promote awareness of East Budleigh’s Peacemaker.  The  final slide? Maybe something like a quote from Mahatma Gandhi: ‘An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.’

If you are interested in the history of early America, and Roger Conant as a peacemaker in troubled times you can join the Devon Peacemaker Festival Facebook group at 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/700424602802079

A Festival at Woodbury, near East Budleigh

Festivals come in all shapes and sizes. While there are plans in East Budleigh for a Peacemaker Festival, only ten minutes away by road in a neighbouring village is a rather different event known as the Woodbury Wide Awake Festival. 

The Festival started in 2019, explain the organisers on its website.  ‘It explored the life, work and legacy of former local resident and renowned botanist Reverend William Keble Martin - who authored and illustrated the best-selling book The Concise British Flora in Colour (1965), and died in the parish just over 50 years ago in 1969.  

The festival also focused on the natural environment locally, on changes that have occurred in it over the last 50 years, and on environmental challenges for the future.’  

A different event, but both East Budleigh and Woodbury festivals have been inspired by the lives of worthy people from the past  who deserve to be better known.

If you are interested in the history of early America, and Roger Conant as a peacemaker in troubled times, you can join the Devon Peacemaker Festival Facebook group at

https://www.facebook.com/groups/700424602802079