The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1884-09-16 00:00:00

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE FORDISOTUY ItELIC.
To Mt

Sir,—As the stone bee nw been rem ,ve.l to its
original pmition by the parishioners. I trust Mist the
suttoritiee wiU deem it tit to 14 it remain. I w. old
also take the liberty of hinting to the o 4 unite, tlist
it would be sreu for him to stud) he feelings of the
redhinte of Forclington rather than by making childish
awl silly complaints as to fOLIIIVirI4 old lau.lraorke
wvier Mc idea of It. be'ag an ra,,tion. By co
doing he would oblige, among others,
TSUI FORDIXOTON.

Dated, 13th September, 1:164
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A corm') ,nrient wAte. : —From I mose of time and
lo,s of all authehtic rcoord it won ri ho imposeible t
chow what was the original intention ol the f Toler
inlasbitsriti of F onlington in ol acing the oil stone
at the carder of the TOIMI Lacing the Green. By
some it is coojectorel that it mark. the old landmark
or boundary ef Fordington, awl others w'oo p•cfeds
to know something of antiunity suppose it to be the
remain, of some part of a D nidic it circle ; but be 1114
it may, the Fordington resident, of the nineteenth
century attach a great interest end ti ,n to Ws
old stone, which, in their opinion, ha, " braved the
bottle and the beset n for many , e. The
oldr•t lahatiltanta have relatwl that worn they were
youngsters the atone wag re,tarril by their grand-
went, as a very , Talent tone, out ue one ever
dreamt of it, ever being rem ,ved front the site where
for so hog • period it hot been o'l,wet to rest.
Great indignation was radioed whoa it was found, ab ,ut
• fur ;might ago., that the goo: had heel removed by
oar of those in high authority at the r. rparet of a
recent arrival, holding the " truportsht to nuitlon
of pariM pastries 'ter, so I deposited on the t
of the Sili.bury Walk. A I, tter appeared in
the D root away Express, calling the attention
of the act to the nor. • of Mr. Robert H,lllt.
▪ „s well and faithfully represent• the wishes
of bin fellow parishioner:, aunt it I. to hie credit he
11..4 no time in bringing the matter before the Council
at their neat me. tine, with the recilt that the matter
we,loft in his hands to con•ult the Mayor and the
w'dte, of the p.-i.hi mere te to the en oet art vantageou.
1, ...riot, for tho stone. What id., was in the mind
of Mr. Hunt it in not known, but certainly he intended
to oonwilt the feeling of the oarishioners on the
matter. The unanimous wish has been that no site
woo b •tter than the original one, and the men of
Fordington, true to old traditions and determination,
determined that there should be no further delay, and
on Friday last • large crowd collecte I on the top of
the Walk. with 'even. an I planks ard set &Worts!, I.
work removing the et nee; dr” obetruction b.•ing
removed, rope. were attached, rn I after • long pull
and a strong poll from wi'ling ban Id, the COOS was
hoi.ted on a trolley, • procremion of workmen
formed. ropes atteched to the vehicle, and, to the
etrdiu. of " Auld Lang Syne," wig In, 111.:11 glee by
the men, the crowd moved on in ths direction of Ti..
Green. ily the time they arriv,,,l at the epolt
which the doe wit t depeira,l, the crowd bad
increase I to some 300 people, who chewed lustily ae
the work of depwithig c ditmencid. Toe etone id
computed to weigh upwards of • too, end it war
with gr. at difilculty and labour that it was pieced inn
It. old place. A lamp noisome candle. had neen lent
to •'low tine op 'rater, to do th-ir work ouccewsfully,
eol about nine o'clock it wane strip!sie I to the satin-
( action of all present, the event being eignalised by a
round of cheer., stain and Loin renewed. At a call
from some of the pariehlunerd t' -ea goo.l hearty cheers
were given for Mr. Hobert Hunt, who ha I din. hid
best to get the stone hr ,ught back. It is to the
credit of the Ford,ngt m men that no diatorbanco
took i lace, there being n hooting or any evidencee of
row ly ion ; everyone seem, I phrased at their ni cht'd
adveoture, and wishes were freely exprowed that the
authorities would net at.io me 'die with the et .0..
A few minutes alter nine the crowd gradually
dwindled away, bat before toe company broke up a
working nese, whose year. nowiser over the three-score
years and ten, did the light I mtuti: to the am use-
meat of the onlookiers, he widening that the stone w • ,
all tight, be having had his Sing on it.