Retired Andover solicitor's quest to explore Penton Mewsey

But for the retired partner of Barker, Son and Isherwood, a solicitors practice in Andover High Street, the hobby soon turned into a passion when he decided to delve more into the depths of English history.

To learn how to read old English documents, the 85-year-old returned as a student to the University of Oxford, where he had graduated with a law degree decades ago.

John’s dedication and efforts turned him into a historian and author as he recently published a book on Penton Mewsey in which he tells the history of a chalk downland parish where he has been living for over 50 years.

Published by Andover History & Archaeology Society, the book talks about landscape, archaeology, architecture, agriculture to the social and religious history of Penton Mewsey, relying wherever possible on surviving documents.

Sir George Young, who lived in Penton Mewsey from 2006 to 2016, has written the foreward for the book.

The former MP of North West Hampshire wrote: "Readers will find many gems...in this fascinating book.

"In addition to being compulsory reading for everyone in the village – past and present - I hope it will inspire other villages to do what John has done for Penton Mewsey – motivate a local historian to devote his or her energy to researching the past and produce a book to rival this one."

An old photo of Penton Mewsey from John Isherwood's collection

John was born in Bolton in Lancashire in 1936 but was brought by his parents to Abbotts Ann as a babe in arms.

His father was then a young solicitor in Andover. By 1939 he had built a house in Andover as their family home.

But in 1940, he joined the army and in 1945 ended it in Germany. John spent the war with his mum in Boscombe, living with his grandmother.

John says he must have got his history quest from his mum.

He told the Advertiser: “Before her marriage, my mother had taught history in a Bolton state girls’ school. At school in Boscombe, I had an inspirational history teacher.

“When my schooldays ended, I spent two years of National Service in the Royal Artillery: most of it in Germany.

I was then lucky to win a place at the University of Oxford, where I graduated with a law degree, followed by a year at Stanford University in California on a Rotary Foundation scholarship for which Andover Rotarians had encouraged me to apply.”

At the end of his year in California, John crossed the Pacific to Japan in a Japanese cargo boat.

From there he backpacked his way home, doing voluntary manual work in several countries on the way.

After three more years of study, he qualified as a solicitor but then worked for five years as a staff member of Voluntary Service Overseas with several working visits to Africa and Asia.

Returning to the law in 1968 and, as an assistant solicitor to Barker Son & Isherwood the following year, John was invited to become a trustee of Oxfam GB and, with a couple of intervals, served as such until 1999.

In 1981 he was a founder trustee of WaterAid and its chairman from 1995-2001.

John became a companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 2001. At the same time, he retired as senior partner of Barker Son & Isherwood.

Having lived in Penton Mewsey for over 50 years, John now knows even the heartbeat of this neighbourhood.

“In 1969, my wife and I moved from London to Penton Mewsey where we brought up our two children and have been living ever since.

“The office building, 32, High Street in Andover, from which I worked, has housed solicitors continuously since 1854 and the practice can trace its origins further back to the 1720s. “When I began working there in 1969 its strongrooms contained many old legal documents, some of which mentioned Penton Mewsey. Most are now safely deposited at Hampshire Record Office in Winchester.

“This kindled an interest in English local history, which when I retired motivated me to return as a student to Oxford to learn some of the necessary skills – how to use old documents, the early ones with handwriting difficult to read and in Latin, where to find other historic records and how to interpret and use them.

“In turn, this has become a lasting hobby which has led to my writing a history of Penton Mewsey.

“It is not my first history publication and I hope it will not prove my last.”

Penton Lodge in 1810 (from John Isherwood's collection)

If anyone is interested in buying the book, it will be available from Andover History & Archaeology Society via Andover Museum, or from John at johnisherwood0@gmail.com.