Dear all,
As you can see, the latest Saga is entitled the Autumn/Winter Saga, partly because I was so late starting it, but mostly because I have decided to stand down for long-term health reasons, so it was my last edition as Editor. I know I said I would do two more, but I’m afraid time defeated me. It is fitting therefore that a large feature of this edition is my visit to Swynnerton earlier in the year, and a surprise guided tour of the estate by Lord Stafford, most importantly the ‘Lower Pool’, the lake that was once the moat around the old Hall, or Swynnerton Castle as it is also sometimes known. This was where our story began, where our common ancestor Aslen built his castle sometime after 1070. It was an extraordinary feeling, knowing that I was walking in his footsteps. We know almost nothing about him, other than as a name from the Domesday Survey, the man who held a knight’s fee of Robert of Stafford; but standing by that lake, looking at the island that still contains some foundations of that original castle, I really did feel over 900 years of history come alive. Of course, knowing that this would be the last year of the Saga, it also felt like the story had come full circle.
And so, 51 years after my father Iain Swinnerton began the Society by sending out his first double-sided A4 sheet, I’m afraid this will be its last descendant, in print at least. However, it is by no means the end of the Swinnerton Family Society – we will continue to research our history, and any stories we find will instead be published on this, our new website, and/or on our Facebook page. Whether you continue to pay your subs is of course up to you – without a magazine, we will completely understand if you don’t. The committee and I decided a few months ago to each make a monthly contribution, and we still have some of Jeremy Swynnerton’s legacy, as well as a sizeable anonymous donation back in March that enabled us to build this website. If you do continue to pay the subs, however, then we will of course be extremely grateful!
Lastly, I’d like to thank all of you for your support for my editorship over the last nine years (and my sister Jo for bearing to proofread my work!). Dad’s shoes were hard to fill, but I hope you enjoyed my Sagas.
