{MONTHLY OPEN MEETINGS}
We have monthly meetings of general interest, a great opportunity to listen to entertaining speakers and to find out what else is going on in our U3A. These meetings are open to all you do not have to be a member of Crediton u3a to attend
Meetings are usually on the third Wednesday of the month , at the Boniface Centre in Crediton Starting at 10.00 am Tea or coffee and biscuits included all for the price of £2.00
Please respect others’ vulnerabilities and worries by keeping a distance. We want everyone to feel comfortable but we know that some feel more comfortable and safe among crowds than others. Please also come warmly dressed as increased ventilation may well reduce the room temperature.
We now have reserved seats at the front of the hall for the harder of hearing.
On Saturday 21st of September we ran small stall in the Crediton Farmers Market to offer information about both our branch of the u3a and the u3a organisation in general. The stall was run by volunteers and they handed out leaflets to many of the people at the market and had a number of quite encouraging inquiries about possibly joining.
This years stall at the farmers market
Events so far this year
April’s Talk: Smallpox, Silverware and 600 years of History’ by Martin Pailthorpe
Martin told us about the local history research he has carried out in his local village of Kings’ Nympton, focusing on the smallpox outbreaks in the area in the 18th century. Smallpox was a serious disease for many centuries. Voltaire noted that in France 60% of contacts became infected and of those 20% died. Many others were left badly scarred or blind. For a long time, in Europe there was no effective treatment. However, Lady Mary Wortley Montague, an aristocratic English lady, saw a practice called variolation while on her travels in the Ottoman Empire. Here, pus was taken from a sore on a patient with a mild case of smallpox. This was then scratched onto the skin of a healthy person. This person would contract a mild form of the disease that left few scars. The infection provided immunity to further infection, although it did carry some risk.
In 1755, the local landowner, James Buller, read an article about variolation. As there was smallpox in the area, he decided to try the process out on himself. On the 28th November, he was inoculated with the virus and by the 18th November, he had recovered after a mild infection. He offered the same opportunity to the local villagers and about 80 people took advantage of his offer. However, the local vicar, Rector Southcomb, took a dislike to the scheme. He threatened to evict anyone living on church land who dared to have the treatment, saying the inoculation was a sin. There then followed a series of extremely irate letters between Buller and Southcomb. In one of the letters Southcomb accuses Buller of destroying the body and the soul! Eventually, Buller succeeded in getting Southcomb removed from the parish. To celebrate the success of his work, Buller gifted a silver plate and cup to the church, engraved with a statement supporting variolation.
Today smallpox is no longer out in the world (although some laboratories have a stock of the virus). This is largely due to mass vaccination with a weakened virus isolated by Edward Jenner in 1798. This treatment is much safer than variolation, causing few symptoms. Today we no longer need to be vaccinated. However, people of our age may have small scars on our arms where we once were vaccinated, many years ago.
March’s Talk: Earth Energy Lines around Crediton by Peter Knight and Alan Murray from The Devon Dousers
The talk started with a description of dowsing. We were told that dowsing can be carried out with a forked twig, two metal L-shaped rods, a pendulum or even one’s bare hands. A change in motion or position indicates a positive result. Dowsing can be used to detect water, minerals, archaeological remain and pipelines under the ground. Most people can dowse provided they believe in the likely success of the process.
Dowsing can also be used to detect the earth’s energy lines. These are similar but not identical to Ley Lines. (Although the difference still eludes me, sorry!) Peter and Alan described two Energy Lines that they believe run through Cornwall, Devon and Somerset. They are called the Michael and the Mary Lines. These run more or less parallel to each other up the centre of Devon and Cornwall. However, they are not straight lines and often wander to go through significant places. The Michael Line goes through many churches called St Michael and the Mary Line goes through many churches called St Mary. Sometimes they cross over, and these places also seem to be significant, e.g. Glastonbury Tor. The lines appear to cross under Crediton’s Holy Cross church too.
February’s Talk: Mining and Society by Robin Kear
Robin’s talk defined mining as the extraction of ores and other economically viable minerals. These could be metals. Gemstones, industrial materials and even energy. As a vital primary industry, it operates on the principle that resources must be mined if they cannot be grown, However, mining is a relatively small portion of the global GDP.
Robin’s presentation traced mining from ancient obsidian tools and Stone Age monuments to its formalisation in the 16th century. It addressed the industry's historical side effects, such as lead and arsenic poisoning. Some mineral properties, like tin allotropes, influenced major historical events including Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow and Robert Falcon Scott's expeditions.
Forthcoming events
For previous events in 2024 please click on Talks in 2024 button below
For previous events in 2025 please click on Talks in 2025 button below
For 2023 years meeting reports please click on the "Events in 2023".