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| The Oxenham Arms in South Zeal, near South Tawton - © Copyright Lewis Clarke and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1412429 |
"There exists in the family of the Oxenhams a tradition that a bird with a white breast is always seen fluttering over their beds, previous to the death of a member of their family.
The Oxenhams were an ancient family of considerable influence and importance, occupying and possessing
large and valuable properties in the vicinity of Okehampton. But the glory of the house has departed, though there are still branches of it at the present time residing at South Tawton, who still retain the tradition of the white bird. Very recently (1892) an Oxenham has said that the bird appeared to him, and very shortly afterwards his father died. It therefore appears that this bird of ill-omen is a legacy in perpetuity, bequeathed at an ill-starred moment to his descendants by some unfortunate ancestor. There are numerous records of the appearance of this bird prior to 1700, but the most interesting is that which describes its visit to Sir James Oxenham, on the eve of his daughter Margaret's nuptials.
The full text of a poem giving details of the appearance of the apparition, is given in " The Report and Transactions of the Devonshire Association for the Advancement of Science, Literature, and Art," for 1896, which was sent by Miss E. Gibbs, of South Tawton, who copied it from the housekeeper's commonplace book at Oxenham House...." [cont.]
Hewett 1900
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