‘I’m Not Blessed Well Jokin’! An Oral History of Bembridge’ presents a collection of interviews with fifteen villagers who, when recorded in the 1970s and 80s, were all in their eighties and nineties, and their collective memories of Old Bembridge stretch back to the latter years of the nineteenth century and turn of the twentieth.
Their quality, age and humour make them totally unique.
Topics in the book covered include: schooldays, old village shops, fishing, farming, coastguards,
smuggling, lifeboats, entertainments, pubs, piloting, and many more.
Kenny: Opens a door to a past that pictures without dialogue can’t do
Paul Kenny, Bembridge Heritage Trustee, said,
“It really is a very interesting book. An insight into village and community stretching over a lifetime. Humour abounds.
“Even if you are a newcomer to the Island the descriptions of the village and its people opens a door to a past that pictures without dialogue can’t do.”
What to expect
The volume features many old characters, including: Granny Pryke the Smuggler;Mollie Downer ‘The Witch’; and Mrs Bull the Lady Cab Driver, among many others.
The book is proving to have a much wider appeal than just in Bembridge itself. Across the Island and beyond readers with little knowledge of the village are constantly struck by the humour in the interviewees’ accounts.
Eriksen: Superbly written
Music Teacher, Nina Eriksen, said,
“Superbly written… The introduction helped to gain an understanding of the time scale, and breadth of research that went into writing this excellent work.”
About the author
Alan Robert Phillips was Librarian at Bembridge for five years in the 1970s, having completed his traineeship in the old County Seely Library based in Newport.
He was an early environmental campaigner on the Island during the 1980s, and has lifelong interests in folklore, myth, archaeology and religion and especially the interrelationships between them.
Alan originally took a BA Honours in Philosophy at Cardiff University, and more recently an MA in Celtic Studies at the University of Wales Lampeter, where his thesis was on Welsh Harvest Traditions. He is the author of Cock & Bull Stories: Animals in Isle of Wight Folklore, Dialect and Cultural History.
Buy the book
‘I’m Not Blessed Well Jokin’! An Oral History of Bembridge’ can be purchased through the dedicated website.
Copies of the book can be purchased for £12 at the following locations:
- Co-op Welcome, Bembridge
- Spinnaker Chandlery, Bembridge
- Bembridge Heritage Centre
- Ryde Bookshop
- Waterstones, Newport
- Isle of Wight Traders, Newport
- Medina Books, Cowes
- Morgan’s, Shanklin
- Old Smithy, Godshill
- Occasions, Ventnor
- Holdings, Yarmouth
- Elliotts, Freshwater
- Mrs Middleton’s Shop, Freshwater
Article edit
10.20am 8th May 2024 – Local outlets added, credit to Bembridge Heritage added
