AN INTRODUCTION TO

THE HISTORY OF

SYDLING ST NICHOLAS

IN DORSET

 

THE SYDLING VALLEY

Travelling north-west along the Yeovil Road from the ancient town of Dorchester, one arrives at the hamlet of Grimstone. Then, under the railway viaduct, as through a gateway, one enters another world - the lower reaches of the Sydling Water - the entrance to the Sydling Valley. 

Here in these waters salmon spawn, after travelling the long distance from Poole Harbour, across Dorset from south-east to west. Sea trout and Brown trout grow fat and become fair game for heron and fishermen. This dear stream has encouraged the growth of watercress for distant markets. The nightingale, skylark, finches, kingfisher, and dabchick find sanctuary in this lovely valley. The deer and rabbit inhabit the uplands, and the fox rules the night. The weasel, stoat and hedgehog share the kingdom of the small animals. Spring in this sheltered valley, with its southern aspect, brings blackthorn and gorse blossom to deck it as for a bride. Summer draws out from the hills perfumes beyond description. Autumn colours beech, chestnut and the ripening grain, in contrast to the chalky downs. Winter, with the rushing Sydling Water, creates a stark beauty of its own. 

Above the lush water meadows the ancient earthworks of a prehistoric village overlook the winding road, from the edge of Grimstone Down. These early settlements were not in the narrow valley, but on the wind-swept heights, 400 to 500 feet above. Shearplace Hill, east of Huish Farm, is an example of the sites of the Celtic farmsteads which line the perimeter above the marshy valley floor. The early and late sun emphasises the shadows formed by these earthworks, and the small rectangular fields, which were cultivated long before the Romans came. 

In his story "The Grave By The Handpost" Thomas Hardy described the parish boundary between Sydling - "Sydlinch" - and Maiden Newton - "Chalk Newton" - as "The lonely monotonous old highway, known as Long Ash Lane, which runs straight as a surveyor's line ... on the foundation of the Roman road." This lane, since 1939 forming part of the A37 to Yeovil, is the only remaining link with the Roman influence in the parish. 

Saxon settlement in the 7th and 8th centuries led to the development of the three-field system (a primitive form of rotation of crops) and the strip farming, traces of which were to be found at Sherrins Farm as late as the 1950s. Where the strips - "lynchets" - were levelled along the sides of the hills around Sydling they often can still be dearly seen. Each householder was allotted his share of strips, sometimes quite scattered, the dwellings being grouped in the village. The priest's share was known as Glebe Land and was held through the centuries, until the last vestige, along Church Lane, was sold in 1963.

Winchester College archives contain documentary evidence of the existence of the mediaeval hamlet of "Elyston", situated north of New Barn and east of Upper Sydllng Farm. The name still survives in nearby Ellston Hill. 

A typical feature of the mediaeval countryside was the Deer Park - an enclosure bounded by a ditch and paling fence. There is the site of such a park, south-west of the village, between South Field Hlll and Fisher's Bottom. It is remarkable that from time to time deer may still be seen grazing upon this hill. 

Over the centuries the village has variously been named "Aet Sidan Lalince" (at the broad hill), and between 1280 and 1432, Sydelyng, Sydeling, Brodesidelyng, Sydelynge and Sidelyng. The earlist mention of this parish in the Winchester College archives refers to the fact that King Athelstan built the Benedictine Abbey of St. Samson at Milton, Dorset, in 933 "for the soul of his brother Edwin." Among other endowments given to the monks was one of thirty hides of land at Sydling and six at Hilfield "as a provision for their table.' The Abbot presented a minister to the church (obviously already existing) at Sydling. He received the tithes as Rector, and paid a pension of thirty shillings annually to the Abbey. In the 1086 Domesday Survey the church at Milton is listed as having the manor of Sydling and Hilfield. Today the living at Hilfield is in the care of the Franciscan Brothers, and the Vicar of Sydling is no longer patron, the patronage having been assigned to the Bishop of Salisbury, at his request, in 1977 on retirement of the then Vicar. 

Well on into Norman times shingle (wooden) roofs of churches, as well as of domestic buildings, were a fire hazard. This contributed to the destruction by flames of the Abbey of Milton, circa 1309. In order to rebuild, the Abbot and monks were allowed the greater tithes levied on the parish of Sydling. These only became available on the death of the last Rector, Richard Ie English, in 1333, when the first Vicar, Robert Russell, was appointed. The King had already given his licence, on condition that 20 marks be paid annually to the Chapter of Salisbury for Masses for the soul of Nicholas Longspee, Bishop of Salisbury, and his father, William Longspee, Earl of Salisbury. There is reason to believe, in the absence of other evidence, that this is how Sydling church came to be dedicated to St. Nicholas, and why there is a stone mitre over the north porch door. 

 

UPSYDLING

An early document tells of a lease by John le Brut of Upsidelyng (a community north of the village, near the head of the valley) "to Thomas le Brut, my son, of a tenement and acre of arable land, and pasture for a cow with my cattle, which tenement Stephen Ie lovene once held of me, in Upsidelyng, to hold for his life, rendering annually a rose at the feast of St. John the Baptist." Witnessed James de Cobeham, John de Chantmarle, John Bassett of Upsidelyng, (and others named); Dated: Upsidelyng, Fri. after St. Matthew 2 E Ill (23rd September 1328).

In 1381, by decree of Ralph Ergham, Bishop of Sarum, an agreement was made between Robert Manger, Vicar, and the people of Upsydiing, and in the presence of Robert de Burbache, Abbot of Milton, to the effect that the Vicar should celebrate mass and administer the Sacraments in the Chapel at Upsydling on certain specified feast days, in return for weekly offerings of bread, salt, water and candle. However, by 1558 we learn that William Wates (Churchwarden), Giles Penny, William Hutchings, and Henry and Edmund Wates of Upsydling in the parish of Brodesydelinge - at this time in the diocese of Bristol – complained that the Vicar, Robert Dowle, was not honouring this agreement. Consequently, the Court of Arches (Henry Coole, Archdeacon of Canterbury), ordered the said Vicar to pay S 15 costs to these petitioners. A receipt (dated 24th March 1558/9) by "Gyles" penny for this sum refers to Robert Dowle as "late Vicar of Nether Sydinge". Such a sum would be more than a year's stipend! Did Robert Dowle resign, or was he deprived of his living, or did he die? The next Vicar, Richard Argentine, was instituted in 1565 and was the first to be presented by Winchester College as patrons. 

In about 1955, during reconstruction work at Ham Farm, Mr Charles Barter discovered that the walls were capped by a string-course of moulded stones, unrelated to the building. An old, old man told him that he could remember, as a boy, these stones coming from what was left of the Chapel at Upsydling, the site of which is at Upper Sydling Farm. 

Records show that Upsydling was a very considerably larger community than it is today. In 1811 the total population there was 144; in 1859, 80. There was at least one blacksmith in 1833, later to increase to three. One of the few remaining cottages, at up Sydling Farm, has a most evocative name, "Edge-o'- Beyond". 

 

THE PARISH CHURCH

In Sydling St. Nicholas the parish church stands on the site of at least two previous buildings, believed to date from the earliest Christian times in this part of our land. The Sacrament has been administered here from the same chalice - the 'Sydling Cup' - for at least 400 years. 

The tower (1430) is the oldest part of the present building. The Nave and North Porch were completed in 1480. The fireplace in the Porch was for the benefit of Parish Council meetings! The bosses at the intersections of the ribs and purlins of the vaulted ceilings are original. Each one is different. 

The South Aisle was built in about 1500. It is thought that the foundations of the Arcade columns sunk either then, or immediately afterwards, so causing a tilt, and necessitating the erection of the two beautifully- proportioned massive buttresses outside the South Door, to counteract the thrust.

Many Masons' Marks found in various parts of the building correspond with those at Milton Abbey, the Abbot of which, until the Dissolution of the Monasteries, was patron of the living of Sydling with Hilfield. 

A Rood Screen once filled the Chancel Archway. Traces of it could, until recently, be seen above the Pulpit. On the right, at the east end of the Arcade, there still remains the opening for the doorway to the Rood Loft. 

During repairs to the chancel in 1972 it was discovered that two windows in both the north and south walls had been bricked up in 1720. An early print shows them to have been of the multi-paned round headed style. They had probably not been in existence for very long when they were removed to make solid walls for the family monuments which were subsequently placed there. The inner walls were found to be of banded flint and ashlar corresponding with the rest of the building, and had been reinforced with an outer brick skin, and buttresses on the north side. Beneath its floor is the vault which contains the remains of 26 members of the Smith family, who for a period of 150 years resided at The Court, to the north of the Church. The Smith memorials cover the walls, some of them very charming. A number have been restored recently. 

One of the loveliest memorials is that to Timothy Stoodly (Vicar 1702 - 1 724), on the north wall of the Nave, near the Pulpit. He was a man much beloved. In 1709 he wrote to the Warden of Winchester College asking permission to accept the offer by Col. Browne of Frampton Court, of the living of Frampton, to be held in plurality, his reason being that the benefice income of Sydling was insufficient for the needs of his growing family. This is the first occasion upon which we read of the relationship between the two parishes, which became a permanent plurality in 1946. In 1977 they became a United benefice with the parishes of Bradford Peverell and Stratton. The Incumbent of the benefice now lives at Frampton. 

As a result of the ravaging of the Church in Cromwell's time only very tiny fragments of the ancient stained glass remain, in the heads of a few windows. The two top stained-glass lights in the west window are 18th century additions, being the Coats-of-Arms of the Smith family. 

The Squint to the right of the Chancel Arch contains a stone corbel delightfully carved in the shape of a man's head. It was discovered in the roof space, above the Tower Arch, during renovations to the Nave roof in 1961. 

The Hatchments are the arms of the Smith family and the Arms of George I. The chief interest in the latter lies in the fact that the shield is quartered with both the English and the French royal quarterings, introduced by George I on the grounds that although we had lost France, he was nevertheless the rightful rules of that country!

The south and west doors are original, and are good examples of the work of that period. 

The Font is said to have been adzed from an early Roman capital. It is thought to be pre-Saxon. The date is unknown, but experts are agreed it is over 1000 years old. It was originally sited adjacent to and west of the westernmost pillar in the arcade. The octagonal Font Bowl leaning against the north respond of the Tower is of late mediaeval origin. 

The old Oak Chest, hutch-type, with strap hinges and three locks - for the Vicar and two Churchwardens - is early 13th Century. The slot in the top was probably to receive " Peter's Pence". This chest was stolen under peculiar circumstances on Christmas Day 1973 and was only recovered two years later. The lovely silver-grey of the oak had been spoiled by a coating of dark stain. Of the other Chests nearby, one is mid-17th Century, and the other late 17th century. 

The very pleasing Screen under the Tower Arch is early 18th Century. 

until there was a large Gallery for Choir and Organ, in the Tower. It protruded far out into the Nave. 

The Pews in the Nave are made up of 17th Century panelling and 18th century Box Pews reconstructed. In the South Aisle are the remainders of the 18th century Box Pews. The quarry tile floors here are original. Prior to the 1903 restoration' all the pews were of this high box type, filling Chancel, Nave and South Aisle. 

The Sydling bells are renowned for the mellow beauty of their tone. The Tenor, weighing over 19 cwts., is 16th century. The 3rd and 4th are dated 1611 and 1613. The Treble and 2nd are dated 1900 by J. Warner and Sons. 

During excavations at the time of the preparation for the new floorboarding in the church in 1982, the remains of the bellfounding were found at the west end of the nave. These included many pieces of bellmoulding (which are now in the County Museum in Dorchester), the casting pit and fragments of bronze. Evidence indicated that the bells were cast in the late 13th century at the time of the building of the church replaced by the present building. (A full report of the excavations may be purchased at the museum - if still in print.) 

The Sydling Clock is marked ETC 1593, and is probably the oldest of its kind in Britain. It is designed to strike the hours and has no external face. It is apparently unique in bearing the maker's initials and date. There is a tradition that it was made by a local blacksmith. The wrought iron frame, wheels and pinions still bear marks of hand forging. The time and striking trains are in line end-to-end, and the winding capstans are original. 

The fine Gargoyles which carry the rainwater from the roofs are a feature of the exterior. One of these, near the south door, appeared in the film "Far From The Madding Crowd" , when the downpour drenched Fanny Robins' 'grave'. Her 'gravestone' has gone, but there are memorials of interest in the Churchyard, including a millstone of the last miller of Sydling. 

The List of Vicars, complete from 1333, when Robert Russell was instituted to the newly-endowed living, includes John Hutchins B.A. (1665- 1 702), grandfather of John Hutchins, the Dorset historian. Charles Edmund Duff (1907-1920), we are told, gave simple medical help to his parishioners, many of whom were far too poor to pay for a doctor's care. He "eased their hacking coughs-and -healed their suppurating cuts." 

The Church Records of Baptisms, Marriages and Burials are complete from 1565, with the exception of a 30 year gap during the Civil War and Commonwealth. They make interesting reading - sometimes happy, sometimes sad. There is considerable historical significance in the entry, ‘The duty to the King Satiffied until the 27th of May Ano Dom 1697". Smallpox epidemics leave their toll of burials. Burials "by the Parish" are first mentioned in 1786. Ages are first recorded in 1788, and some entries tell their own sad story - 30th December 1832: 'John Webber, abode Broadmain, aged 15.' "This boy was shot by the Coast Guard having been employed by his master, a glazier, to assist the Smugglers to carry away their tubs." The harshness of the 19th century is also reflected in the Baptismal Registers - 

"26th April 1829, William Henry, son of William and Susan Smith father (shepherd) transported to Botany Bay; mother, resident in Sydling. " 

In a copy of an Act of Parliament of 1802, affixed to a Register, we are warned, "Any person making false entries or copies, or altering or destroying register books, guilty of felony and transported 14 years. " 

 

THE PARISH

THE COURT has been the site of the centre of administration of the Manor and Rectory of Sydling since earliest times. Various records in the possession of Winchester College mention tenancies of the Manor held at the hands of the Abbott of Milton until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1538. With the surrender of Milton Abbey and its subsequent grant to Sir John Tregonwell, the property came into the hands of Henry VIII. In 1544 he made an exchange with Winchester College in return for lands he desired for enlarging his hunting ground - called in 1549 "Hampton Court Chase". A list of tenants 1539/40, with holdings and rents, commences with Giles Strangwyshe Kt. After his death, and some time before 1554, Mary Tudor made a request by letter to Warden White and the Fellows and Scholars Clerks of Winchester College, "desiring favour for her Physician Thomas Hughes of the reversion of the farm of Sydlin by lease to him as from the end of the tenure of Sir Giles Stramvysshe, frend Mayre"(sic), and bears Kt." The letter is signed by her own hand - "Your . on the back the note of the Warden, "My Ladie Marie for Sydyng". 

A m/s document dated 21st April 1559 reads, "To this Court there came Edmund Hardye, Francis Hardye, & John Hardye, son of Edmund Hardye, and a pasture for grazing took of their Lord, following Thomas Hardye's surrender, cows above the Lord's land in Brodesydling. This pasture once belonged to the Vicar, and is commonly called "le Vicar's Suyte'. & the aforesaid Edmund paid fealty to his Lord, & was admitted tenant." These names appear in the "Simplified Pedigree of the Hardy Family, 1450-1928", to be found in "Concerning Thomas Hardy: a Composite Portrait from Memory", edited by D.F. Barber, published by Charles Skilton Ltd., 1968. 

In 1582 Sir Philipp Sydney signed the surrender of the lease of the Manor. Poet, scholar, courtier, patriot, and soldier, he had married the daughter of Sir Francis Walsingham, Secretary of State to Queen Elizabeth Sidney died 17th October 1586, of wounds received in the Battle of Zutphen. It was he, who thirsty and dying, seeing a poor soldier, also dying and longing for a drink, handed him his water-bottle saying, "Thy necessity is yet greater than mine." At some date between 1582 and 1590 Sir Francis Walsingham's widow, Dame Ursula, took the tenancy. It is said that the initials "U. W. " , carved upon a beam in the fine Tithe Barn to the south-east of the church, are hers. 

There is, in Winchester College archives, an Order dated 1 5th Feb. 1655, By "Oliver [Cromwell], Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, to the Warden, Fellows, and Scholars-Clerks of the College of St. Mary of Winton [Winchester]" requiring them to produce the Court Rolls of the Manor of Sydling. (Was this interest in Syd[ing perchance the indirect cause of the destruction of the medieval glass in the church?) Lists of tenancies and rents were kept from earliest times, and were known as Court Rolls. Some of these in existence are actually filed on a leather thong. The Court Leet met regularly to meet with offenders who were brought before the Court to be warned or sentenced as befitted the case. There is a record of the " Presentment of William Thrasher for felony by stealing sheep" dated 22nd April 1672. The holding of these Court Leets in time gave to the Manor House of Sydling the title of "The Court". 

Among a variety of different occupants of The Court since the days of Dame Ursula, the family of Smith dominates the scene for over 150 years, from 1720. This family left its mark upon both the church and The Court. As Lay Rectors they used the vault of the former for the burial of their dead, and the Chancel for memorialising their accomplishments. They carried out vast renovations and additions to the latter, where their Arms and Crest (a grey- Through marriage the name hound) and cipher (J.S.) appear frequently.  Wyidebore came into the family. Another descendent, Mr. John Smith-Marriott, from 1865 to 1867 hunted a pack from The Court, commencing with beagles and then foxhounds. By 1885, when Francis Dudley North, Earl of Guildford, died at The Court after an accident in the field, the hunt had already moved to Cattistock. [t is said that the noise of the hounds at the kennel at Huish upset the villagers and caused the transfer. 

THE OLD VICARAGE has developed around an early Tudor house, with its mullioned and drip-moulded windows. Large improvements were made in 1640 by Ralph Taylour, Vicar at that time, who had his initials and the date cut into the stone over the doorway. Further large restoration was carried out in -1778,-making it a building of great interest and character. An authority on trees has estimated the two Yews in The Old Vicarage garden to be well over 800 years old, and the one in the churchyard, over 1000 years. As this species was commonly planted on church property, there is little doubt that the present buildings stand on an original site. 

In 1795 John Barber, a poor Sydling boy who had made good in the Isle of Wight, bequeathed a sum of money to the Vicar and Churchwardens, one of the purposes being the establishment of a school, and the provision of a schoolmaster, for the children of the parish. This was maintained, until its closure in 1966 by the Local Education Authority. The building became a home and artist's studio, and housed a thriving village industry until 1976. The present incumbent (1997) tells of how a painting which he had bought from the artist was the reason why he applied for the living of the benefice. 

Because of its outstanding natural beauty, with the various branches of the Syd[ing water winding through the village, the high sheltering hills around, and the many buildings of charm and grace (some thatched), this whole area has been covered by a Conservation Order. Some of the houses of architectural and 

historical interest are dated - including The Bakery (1733), and East House (1780). The Old Brewery was the home of Samuel Newman, whose parents were brewers here. He was an organ builder, but also made a few clocks, one of which is extant, dated 1836. He died as a young man in 1840. 

These buildings, with the Village Hall (1939) and Rocks Farm are grouped around the intersection of the Dorchester Road, Church Lane, High Street and East Street, with the Ham Stone shaft of the Village Cross and the chestnut tree. Here, from very ancient times, was held the St. Nicholas Fair, annually on 6th December. 

Sydling also possessed, until quite recently, that rare being in modern times, the Village Blacksmith. The sound of his hammer striking metal on the anvil was often heard ringing out from his Smithy in the High Street. (Now, another carries on the trade, but not from the Smithy.) Next door is the old Blacksmith's House, with its delightfully intricate wrought iron porch. 

For those who enjoy exploring on foot there are pleasant walks, bridle paths and footpaths, both in and around the village. The winding High Street, narrowing towards the north end, is lined with pleasing examples of domestic architecture, many of great antiquity. Banded flint and ashlar walls, walls of mellow brick, and chalk and cob walls, intermixed with roofs of tile, slate and thatch, combine to delight the eye. Slipping through Diamond Lane, at the back of the Greyhound Inn, one comes across a branch of the Sydling Water which gives the name to Waterside Lane, a place of quiet charm, stretching from the old Congregational Chapel on the north to East Street on the south, where again are found cottages up to 400 years old. East Street, from Rocks Farm to The Old Tavern, known until recently by its pub name of "Hit or Miss", with City Farm grouped to the South, and Three Acres nestling under the downs beyond, once more provide the visitor with an attractive view of this close-knit community. 

Wherever one goes, be it south past Court Farm and Lamperts Farm and the cottages hugging the road, and on to Huish, the Sawmill and the old Lower Mill Cottage; or north to Orchard Close, Marrs Cross (originally St. Mark's Cross) and up Sydling, there is the ever-present sound of the flowing streams making their devious ways down the valley. 

There have been many changes in the village scene since the beautifully executed 1767 Map was drawn for Winchester College; but some farm buildings remain, including Ham Farm, and Lamperts Farm. "A willow bed" of 2 acres at Huish became the Watercress Beds, and later a thriving Fish Farm. All that remains of "The Poor Houses called The City" (Poor Law Institution) is City Cottage. The main road to Cerne Abbas passed here. The mills of upper Mill, near Ham Farm, and Lower Mill near Huish Farm, have disappeared, although the mill races are still there. until recent years the water flowed in an open course down the High Street, and continued to join up with the main stream just outside the old School. In 1889, P.C. 89 (the Village Policeman) recorded in his journal that Tom Churchill, crossing the flood roaring down the High Street after c, the terrible thunderstorms of 6th June, was swept away and drowned. “8th. Making further search for the body of Tom Churchill, and with others found it about a mile from where it was drowned, and removed it to the Greyhound Inn, Sydling, to await an inquest." 

The Greyhound Inn takes its name from the crest of the Wyldebore Smith family, and through the years it has played a significant part in the life of the community. It has been the meeting place of the Court Leet and the scene of Tenants' Lunches during the 'progresses' of the officials of Winchester College. The only other Inn in the village was The Hit or Miss at the end of East Street. 

The Congregational Chapel, now a private house, at the north end of the village is a listed building. It was erected in 1834, on a freehold site, given to the growing congregation, to replace a "somewhat lofty and spacious building, later used as the National Day School."

The Methodist Chapel, on the east side of the High Street, opened on Christmas Day 1866 and later became what was known as "The Parish Hall". This became redundant when the present Village Hall was built. This also is now a private house. 

The parish of Sydling St. Nicholas covers 5,028 acres; the soil is light, upon chalk. 

In 1859, when the population was 675 and the community was practically self-supporting, there were 1 1 farmers, 2 bakers, 1 butcher, 2 grocers, 1 blacksmith, 2 boot and shoe makers, 1 bricklayer, 3 carpenters, 1 tailor, 1 mason, 1 brewer, 2 thatchers, 1 miller, 2 shopkeepers, and 2 innkeepers. Most of the remaining adults were directly connected with agriculture. The present population of the parish is about 425 (325 when this booklet was first written in 1973), and now, when the era of the motor car has supplanted that of the carrier, the occupations of the residents are quite diverse, many travelling far afield to their various employments. Even so the major portion of the area is devoted to agriculture. There are now 9 farms, though some of these have now been amalgamated into single units - Upper Sydling, up Sydling, Sherrins, Ham, Rocks, Court, Lamperts, Huish and, straddling the southern boundary, Magiston. With mechanisation the number of farm workers has decreased dramatically, and many of their cottages have disappeared. Most of the arable is given over to grain growing, and pasturage supports dairy herds, beef cattle and sheep. 

The pattern of agriculture has changed through the centuries, even in the Sydling Valley. In 1550, 2,700 sheep were kept on one farm alone. By the late 18th century the Enclosure Act had made vast differences in farming, through the enclosure of arable cultivated under the open field system, and of common and waste land. The Winchester records include the following: "Sydling Inclosure Award. The undersigned Vicar of Sydling Saint Nicholas otherwise Broad Sydling in the County of Dorset do hereby certify that the execution of this ward by William Jennings, the Commissioner, was proclaimed in the Church in the said Parish, on Sunday the 10th Day of October 1824, being the next Sunday after the execution. George Feaver, Vicar. Witness, Thos. Coombs Atty. Dorchester. ' 

Now the picture has come full circle, and once again the hills are dotted with large flocks of sheep. From one farm 1,000 ewe brides were sold in 1972. Somehow, sheep look right on Dorset hills, especially the heights around Sydling St. Nicholas.

 

[t is our desire that this small publication will encourage and help visitors to enjoy this lively, friendly and happy village, so snugly tucked away in our beloved Sydling Valley, in the soft round hills of Dorset. 

We are grateful for the help given in our researches by Mr. Peter Gwynn, Archivist of Winchester College, Miss Margaret Holmes, County Archivist, Miss Pamela Stewart, Assistant Diocesan Archivist, and the staff of the Reference Library of the Dorset County Library. 

L.W.G. and GM. Hudson 1973