Janet was wonderfully energetic and keen to be involved in all facets of our village life. I particularly appreciated her contribution to our Women's Institute (now sadly defunct.) She had an admirably positive attitude to life and carried others with her. I was always pleased to receive her handmade cards at Christmas. if you are able to arrange a celebration here in the Charltons at a later date I should very much like to attend. Christine Wellstead

Tribute to Janet Russell Baillie 28.02.1921 – 02.12.2020 Given at her funeral 04.01.2021 Imogen and I have many happy memories of Gran over recent years. We’ve been fortunate to be able to visit her on a regular basis since she moved to Braintree and then Foxholes. We visited numerous houses, gardens, churches, cathedrals, mills and barns together. She was good company as she was always enthusiastic, keen to learn and to ask questions. She loved a guided tour, and had a particularly successful one at St Albans cathedral where she bombarded the guide with questions about architecture, wall paintings, stained glass windows, religious practices. In the car she told us, frequently, how bends in the road had been determined by the turning circle of a team of oxen. Gran had a habit, for as long as I can remember, of asking first whether she had told a particular story, and when the answer was, ‘yes you have’, going ahead and telling it again in, yet further detail. She was game for anything. She didn’t hesitate before climbing the steep rickety ladder in the flour mill at Anglesey Abbey. I thought at the time that at 95 she may well have been the oldest person ever to do so. She was proud of her height and had a way of drawing herself up and saying, ‘I’m so tall’ even when all others in the room looked down on her. She would gamely take on all comers in back to back contests. At the same time, she was extremely flexible, and we marveled at her ability to seamlessly bend down to tighten her shoe laces (or on occasion shamelessly pick a flower or two in a national trust garden). She was at her happiest on a mobility scooter, and used to bomb up and down amongst flower gardens, vegetable patches, and along parkland tracks, and even at times ‘off road’. She had good posture, always wore a hat, gripped the handlebars firmly and had a rigid determination about her. There was a touching scene at Wimpole Hall, where a little girl and her mum, holding hands and beaming smiles, stepped to the left, so as to let Gran past. Gran accelerated towards them, shouting out ‘in this country we drive on the left, move over’. Gran always referred to Foxholes as ‘the prison’. We discovered the hard way that an invitation to join her there for lunch was not so much for the pleasure of one’s company, as to experience just how ‘awful’ it was. However, wherever we took her out for lunch (we’d spend hours researching options) Gran would invariably finish by saying, ‘thank you very much for the meal but I’m sorry to say it’s nowhere near as good as the chef serves at Foxholes. One time, returning to ‘the prison’, she had with her a tray of various heathers she’d bought at the garden centre. She went directly to the office, marched in, and presented them to Usha. To which Usha responded, ‘if this is a prison Mrs Baillie, why are you bringing us presents.’ That is one of the very few times I’ve ever seen Gran lost for words. More recently (pre Covid) Gran was increasingly content to stay with us in her room. Imogen had perfected tea making to Gran’s exacting standards, we had learned to bring garibaldis, not chocolate hobnobs. We looked at the McGavin family albums (holidays at the coast, Grandad relaxing on the beach in his suit). She loved talking about the past. What gave her the most pleasure, and pride, was the recollection of me and Andrew coming to live permanently with her. Arriving in Harrogate, bursting through the door and shouting, ‘we’re here Auntie Janet’. She had forgotten that we had stayed in Harrogate numerous times before. She had been a phenomenal support to our mum, always quick to offer help when Jeanette was ill or in hospital. Jeanette’s letters show the extent of her warmth and friendship for Janet, and make clear that in the event of her death it was Jeanette’s wish that we should live with the Baillies in Harrogate. My memories of Harrogate are entirely happy ones. The birthday parties, panic post, apple pie beds, go-karts known as bogies, the snow and ice and the igloo. The warm welcome we received from the whole family. And the frost on the inside of the windows. We’ve had some great Christmas visits from Gran in London. She was life and soul of the party, the centre of attention. She’d get tipsy on the elderflower presse. She was a pleasure to give presents to and the whole family enjoyed thinking of what to get for her. We have missed her this year, and indeed this past year. As a family we’re really going to miss her. It is a comfort to know that Gran died peacefully, amongst her treasured belongings, in the place she regarded as home. Robert (Bob) McGavin 04.01.2021 Son of Jeanette and Arnold McGavin. Janet was Arnold’s sister. She and Allan adopted Robert and Andrew in 1961, following the deaths of both their parents who each died of natural causes.

Gran had 9 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. Along with my own, I am including memories of Gran from my cousins. Gran was adventurous and loved to travel: from abseiling with Christopher at the Calvert Trust; visiting Nick and Jeremy in Thailand and Barbados; joining Jenny, my mum and I on a driving trip to the Christmas Market in Koln; and I also remember meeting her in Denmark when I was living in Germany. She would also put on slideshows for the family, of the trips she and Grandpa took. All we remember is being shut in a dark room, sat on a concrete floor for what seemed like hours. Our childhood memories of Charlton Mackrell and later Charlton Adam include the smell of the dog biscuit factory, playing in the garden, the spiders, and meeting up with Auntie Isabella and Uncle Dennis. There were always jobs to do including slicing runner beans, fetching the ice cream from the garage, gardening and for Nick, cleaning the car. Nick stayed with Gran when David, Jenny and Jeremy were in Barbados and he went to school in Taunton. Apparently, they were always at school rather quickly as Gran liked to drive a bit fast. We always ate well on our visits and Gran was very proud of how fast she could make scones for unexpected visitors and she was also remembered for putting coins in the Christmas pudding. Tea and the tea cosy is another firm favourite of ours. In later years, the tea was required to be made to a specific strength and would be sent back if incorrect. The coffee also had to be very weak and it was easier to count out the grains of coffee to make sure it wasn't too strong. The colour of the sugar also had to be correct, white for tea and brown for coffee. There was always a milk jug and it was all generally served on a round tray. Gran and I did lots of visits over the years, (I was used to driving to Somerset from when I passed my test at 17) she loved to take a drive and explore. She told me, she was very proud when I joined Citizens Advice as she had been involved in the local one in Rugby. She remembered a much more hands on time. And she still admired it’s knowledge and caring ethos. Gran was known for always being well dressed, for her stories (including the bomb), her laughter and for playing in the garden with the great grandchildren. Gran was a very determined lady and she continued to do it her way right to the end. Rest in Peace Gran. Karen, granddaughter