John Bush (1867-1959)
John Bush was born in Horning, near Wroxham on the Norfolk Broads. His father was a farm worker, and John followed in his footsteps. He married Jane Spooner in 1900, whose father had farmed in Upper Street, Hoveton. It looks as if John Bush took on their farm when the Spooners moved to a bigger farm in East Tuddenham in 1897, as in the 1901 census he is listed as a farmer in his own right in Upper Street, Hoveton, with the same neighbours as the Spooners had. He and Jane remained in Hoveton and brought up their own family. By 1921 they were at Bisley Farm in Irstead, where they remained for the rest of their lives, their son Herbert taking over the running of the farm in the 1930s. John Bush died in 1959, two days after his 91st birthday.
John Bush’s dulcimer
John’s grandson, Stuart Bush (Herbert’s son), remembered him playing in the 1940s/50s. Stuart said that he played mainly at home, and his repertoire included ‘American tunes, civil war, cowboy tunes’. John also played melodeon (old-style 4 stop in C).
Stuart inherited the dulcimer and as some bridges were missing, he got a local wood-turner to replace them. Stuart and his father used to get strings from Wilson’s in Norwich.
The dulcimer has five strings per course over 22 bridges. The top is plain black with no gilt decorations and the four soundholes have plain wooden inserts. Underneath is covered in a typical blue paper with a hinged stand and four turned feet – all very typical of a Norfolk-style dulcimer. Two tuning keys were with it but no cane beaters or other playing implements.
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