A snip in time for Ralegh Room





Friend of Fairlynch Richard Champernowne performs the opening ceremony at the Sir Walter Ralegh Room


East Devon residents think this is a wonderful part of Britain and cherish its fascinating history. But the fact is that a large number of us are ‘blow-ins’ attracted by the beauty of its landscape and its laid-back lifestyle.

So to open Fairlynch Museum’s ‘Beyond the Boyhood’ Sir Walter Ralegh exhibition it was wonderful to have someone with such a well known Devon family name as Champernowne.

Even better was the fact that Richard Champernowne, a Friend of Fairlynch Museum, has a family link going back through the centuries to Sir Walter.  His family records trace a blood line from Richard back to Sir Walter Ralegh's maternal grandfather Sir Arthur Champernowne – an MP, Sheriff of Devon and Vice-Admiral of the Devon coasts.

Sir Walter's mother Katherine Gilbert (née Champernowne) was one of Sir Arthur's six daughters and Richard is a descendant  of one of his two sons.” 

We know so little about  Ralegh’s early life in Devon that any glimpse into the background of this great historical figure is something to be treasured.

 


















Job done! The Sir Walter Ralegh Room is now open
 
So the time-honoured ribbon-cutting by Richard Champernowne at Fairlynch Museum’s preview evening on Thursday 2 April took on  a special significance.

Sadly we couldn’t find any Tudor scissors for the ceremony.


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