In 1845 a Shapwick woman stood in the dock at Taunton Assizes accused of poisoning members of her family. Sarah Freeman née Dimond, born in 1817 to poor but honest parents, had led a troubled childhood. JASON GODDARD, CEO Exciting Times at Dovecote School History on our Doorstep: The Shapwick Murders 3 SUMMER I S SUE | J ULY 2 0 2 2 FRANK BARNARD Taught at the village school to read, write and ‘use the needle’ she had left at fourteen and by eighteen had two illegitimate children. A marriage was arranged to Henry Freeman and she and her son James settled in his cottage in Pedwell. When Henry and James died, apparently of cholera, she moved to Bridgwater and then to London where she led a rackety life. In 1844 she was back in Shapwick as the unwelcome guest of her brother Charles. Soon her mother fell ill and died, quickly followed by Charles after eating food prepared by his sister. Suspicious, police established OFSTED have been in and it's all go ahead for September. Some of their comments: "Leaders have thought deeply about the curriculum the school will teach. They have a ambitious vision for creating personalised learning for the pupils. To that end, they have created a flexible curriculum framework that can be adapted to meet the needs of pupils when they arrive at the school. All pupils are expected to have education, health, and care (EHC) plans. The pupils will typically have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with additional social, emotional, and mental health needs, particularly anxiety. Many will have a history of disrupted education and the curriculum has been specifically designed to support these pupils to achieve." We will be welcoming 30 staff and over 22 students for the start of the term. Staff will be training from 22nd August, just in case you are wondering about the increase in cars. The smallholding will start to realise its potential in August also. You are very welcome to come and say hello. Two of the new staff also want to introduce themselves: Hello Shapwick! We are two of the new teachers starting at Dovecote in August! Jess James and Flick Hayman. We are so excited to be joining the new school adventure and are keen to get involved in community life! As arts specialists we like creating crafts (knitting, crochet, artwork etc) and would love to get involved in helping you with charity projects and learning from your expertise! I’m sure our students will absolutely love being involved as well! Thank you again for our school's warm welcome and we look forward to meeting you soon. The barn owl sat winking and blinking In the safety of the old stone barn, Safe from cold wind that blew from the north, Just a part of the old country farm. But owly had to forage and hunt To find sustenance out in the night. He looked long and hard to find some food But the verges were all cut quite tight. No grass for the voles to have some fun, They had packed up and gone far away. So farmer, pay some attention. If you want your barn owly to stay, Leave a few feet of verge to grow wild So that little voles can sport and play. Then owly will stay safe in his barn Well-fed so he won't go away. Dora's Poetry Corner 'BARN OWL ' BY DORA WATKINS The Village Hall Committee is looking forward to a busy Autumn. We have the following events planned for the village: Sunday 4th September - Cream tea afternoon Saturday 22nd October - Harvest Supper Friday 25th November - Fish & Chip Quiz Night We are also planning to hold a 'Breakfast Bike Ride', look out for posters around the village and details on the residents facebook page confirming the details. Please come and join us and bring your friends too! Village Hall Plans BRIDGET DAWES There's a lot more but it goes without saying that we're delighted. From a sketch taken in court that she had bought arsenic from a Bridgwater chemist and poison was found in Charles’s body. This led to the authorities exhuming the bodies of mother, brother and son and arsenic was also detected. Charged with four murders but tried for one, Freeman was found guilty and hanged at Wilton. Her last words: ‘ I am as innocent as a lamb.’ Why did she do it? She wanted to marry George Davis, a Cheddar man, and planned to use more than £20 received from a Death Club to fund a move from the area. But he rejected her and she was heard to say: ‘ I will serve him the same trick as I did my husband.’ When Davis refused to meet her in a pub her brother picked up a pint of beer she had intended for Davis to drink, only for her to snatch it away and throw the contents on the fire. But she had been seen to mix a powder in the glass and afterwards a yellow substance was discovered in the dregs of beer. It seems that George Davis, Sarah Freeman’s intended fifth victim, had a lucky escape…
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