Page 20 • The HERALD • 14th September 2023 v SAY YOU SAW IT IN THE HERALD v ELECTRICIAN/HANDYMAN FULLY QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN (30YRS EXPERIENCE) • Mains Upgrades • Testing • Extra/Replacement Points/Lights • Outside Lighting • Sockets • Ponds • BT/TV Points • Ethernet Points • CCTV • Fire/Intruder Alarms • Basic Plumbing Repairs • Outside Taps • Showers • Heating Problems • Blinds/Poles Fixed • Flatpacks • Loft Work Boarding, Tidying etc ALL OTHER DOMESTIC WORK CONSIDERED Call Mick on 07738 166453 or email: michaelshelley80@googlemail.com New Forest Scaffolding All aspects of scaffolding undertaken • Extensions • Chimneys • Re-Roofing • New Builds etc For a friendly, local, reliable service and a free quotation Telephone: 07734 476855 www.newforestscaffolding.co.uk Full Liability Insurance Lychette Cottage, Roughdown, Blackfield SO45 1XG FREE ESTIMATES • 10 YEAR GUARANTEE HYTHE: office.atlaswindows@gmail.com FAX/PHONE 023 8084 0441 Unit 2, Hardley Ind Est, Southampton ESTABLISHED FOR 30 YEARS THE LOCAL WINDOW COMPANY WITH THE BIG REPUTATION SUPPLY & INSTALL • Windows • Porches • Conservatories in PVCu • Doors • Choice of Colours & Woodgrain Covering Blackfield, Holbury, Hythe, Marchwood and Surrounding Areas ~~~~~ Lady Driver - DBS Checked Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle ~~~~~ Short Local Journeys Cruise Terminal & Airport Transfers Hospital Appointments Pub Pick Ups/Drop Offs Call 07795 192398 Cash and Card Payments accepted in vehicle ALL ASPECTS OF ELECTRICAL WORK UNDERTAKEN • Full Rewires • New Circuits • Consumer Unit Replacements • Electric Vehicle Charging Points • Landlord Certification • Smart Homes • Central Heating Controls 023 8089 0932 or 07534 343631 www.alnelectrical.co.uk info@alnelectrical.co.uk THE LEGEND OF LAZY LAURENCE by Marc Heighway, mheighway@hotmail.com Marc hosts monthly local history talks, visit: nfhwa.org/events for details In a previous Herald article, I wrote about errant pixies that roamed the New Forest heathland. Known as Colt Pixies, these mischievous beings are believed to lure livestock and humans into the boggiest parts of the Forest where they then su er a cold and watery death. Colt Pixies aren’t the only malevolent sprites that inhabit the local lands… if you believe in such things of course. And why wouldn’t you? e New Forest has a magical quality, and for those with an open mind who know where to go, it can be possible to chance upon something unexplained. One such place that may o er an unexplained experience is Laurence’s Barrow on Beaulieu Heath. Barrows are very common across the New Forest. ey are burial grounds that originate from the Bronze Age, “Here in the Forest still dwell fairies. The mischievous sprite, Laurence, still holds men by his spell and makes them idle. If a peasant is lazy, it is proverbially said, ‘Laurence has got upon him,’ or, ‘He has got a touch of Laurence.’ He is still regarded with awe, and barrows are called after him.” Lazy Laurence (also spelled “Lawrence”) is part of traditional folklore in Dorset too. Some believe he takes the form of a fairy horse and gallops around guarding apple trees in orchards. If anyone dares attempt to scrump the juicy apples being grown for cider, Lazy Laurence might give them a nip, then hold them in his erce gaze, before sending them to sleep beneath the fruit trees. He may even a ict those who dare to go scrumping on his patch with stomach cramps and make them dither. is could all be complete nonsense of course, and perhaps you don’t believe in New Forest pixies and folklore at all. But just consider the next time you see someone not pulling their weight, as it might be because Laurence has “got upon” him or her. If you do want to believe, I suggest a visit to Laurence’s Barrow on Beaulieu Heath. Here you can attempt to nd and connect with the guardian spirit of the orchards. However, Lazy Laurence’s home is not easy to nd and is well o the beaten track. You might not even recognise it once you reach it. But here’s a clue. It can be found north of Pilley and Bull Hill, about halfway across the heathland towards what was the perimeter track of Beaulieu Air eld. e ancient landscape does get very boggy in wet months, so please be careful. I’d hate you to become the latest New Forest peasant to fall victim to a malevolent Colt Pixie and be tricked into walking into sticky, deep, and dangerous mud, never to be seen again. dating from 2,400 to 1,500 BC. eir appearance is characterised by a bowlshaped mound often surrounded by a shallow ditch. ey were typically used for the burial of individuals with a high social status. So, who is Laurence, and why does he have a barrow named a er him? As with many of the barrows in the New Forest, superstition connects them with fairies and pixies. Lazy Laurence is a pixie believed to travel the local heathland, woods, and enclosures. Just as pixies are said to live at the Colt Pixies Cave barrow on Beaulieu Heath, Laurence’s Barrow is said to be his own speci c place of residence in the same area. It’s possible to learn more about Lazy Laurence in John Richard de Capel Wise’s book titled ‘ e New Forest: its History and its Scenery’ that was published in 1862. Laurence’s Barrow Spread a Little Happiness e Wessex Rotary Shoebox Scheme is now underway for 2023 and, as in previous years, Hythe & Waterside Rotary will be supporting the project and are now collecting donations of lled shoeboxes. is not for pro t charity has been operating for over 25 years and has delivered over one million boxes. Boxes of gi s are sent to spread a little happiness to disadvantaged and displaced children in Albania, Montenegro, Moldova and Romania. You too can make a real di erence to these children. A lea et which explains the project and what can (and cannot) be included in a box can be obtained from Te Herald o ce in Hythe. Flat-packed boxes to ll, are available free by contacting Rotarian Maurice Rowles on 023 8084 2015 or their main enquiry number 023 8181 8187. Donations must be received by the end of October. Children opening their shoeboxes
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTIyNzI=