Hello all I have a little booklet here specifically about the Blandford fire of 1731 written by the then curator of the museum (1987), Benjamin Cox. It says: the fire "started on the afternoon of 4 June 1731and destroyed the parish church, the almshouses near the church, the school, the town hall, and all but a dozen of the town's houses, public buildings and business properties. Parts of Blandford St. Mary and Bryanston near Blandford Bridge were also destroyed. Properties not destroyed were the Old House in the Close, the Ryves almshouses, Dale House and other buildings at the upper end of Salisbury Street and Whitecliff Mill Street." It also says that the fire ended the epidemic of smallpox that was raging in Blandford at the time. An account of the fire was made in 1735 by a witness who said that the fire started on the outside of a soap-boiler's house and the conjecture was that sparks fell from a chimney onto the thatch. This house stood on rising ground where four streets meet, not far from the middle of the town. There are lists of those whose houses etc were destroyed in Bryanston and Blandford St. Mary and those in Lower Bryanston. A list of those who died as a result of the fire or shortly afterwards and a very long list of the inhabitants of Blandford who lost their houses etc with assessments. The only Ryves mentioned is Ann in the Blandford list whose damages were assessed at £268.0.0 I think the Ranston estate is further out and I don't think it was affected, but I could be wrong. Debby > Hello, > I'm from the Ryves line in Blandford and have read just a little about the > fire in 1713 and the rebuilding of the town by the Bastard family. > > Can anyone describe how that got started and something about what it was > like to be in the midst of that fire and what happened to the people who > were burned out of their homes? Just how widespread was it? > > I understand it destroyed the Ryves' Damory Court but did it also take > their Ranston Estate? > > Thanks. Judy --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.775 / Virus Database: 522 - Release Date: 08/10/2004

Debby, Good job! What a lot of information you sent. We'll put it on one of the Reeves' websites popular in the US. A lot of us willl be interested to read this. Thanks so very much. Gratefully - Judy

Could anyone help us with bits of information concerning the Robert and John Ryves families and their times in Blandford Forum? They lived from ABT 1490 through ABT1550 in that area. I have heard that there is some kind of inscription pertaining to the Ryves in the Fifehead Neville church and wonder what that is. We will share any information we receive with other Reeves and be most grateful for it. -Judy