How Ussons got its Name

Soon after David and Di Hardie were married, they left Australia and emigrated to England because Di believed the cooler climate would help the migraine headaches that had plagued David all his
life.

As a 5th generation Australian, David had mixed feelings about the move, but he soon fell in love with Devon. The wide expanse of the moors and the twisting country lanes inspired his paintings.

He also loved the people and was intrigued by the Devonshire dialect, which was still spoken then.

Among the words he discovered was Ussons, meaning we, us, or ours. He quickly adopted it as his own and always grinned when he announced, ‘It’s time Ussons had our dinner.”

Over the years, Ussons came to mean family, but it had a deeper meaning too. 
It was a borrowed word, so it also carried a sense of belonging, or perhaps acceptance, community, and shared values.

When we were looking for a name for our new publishing venture, Ussons was the only one that felt right. It isn’t just a title. It’s also a tribute. It’s a way to honour the county that welcomed our family, and to recognise the shared imagination that runs through generations and communities.

 

 

David Hardie (Granddad)

Granddad never ran out of ideas. As a self-taught engineer, he could design engines, build almost anything, weld, saw, embroider or decorate cakes.

He was a talented artist but only worked in black and white until he married. After their wedding Diana was surprised to learn he was partially colour blind.

After some gentle persuasion, he agreed to let her arrange his palette so he would always know where his colours belonged and he soon gained the confidence to create beautiful oil-paintings.

Above all else, he loved sitting with friends, telling stories and laughing.

Di Hardie (Grandma)

Grandma was the rock on which the family was built. Although Granddad was often ill, she was indestructible.

She instilled in everyone the belief that anything is possible with enough hard work, and genuinely believed that kindness will always prevail in the end.

Her most prized possession was her typewriter, and she was happiest when sitting by a window, rattling away on the keys, lost in her own world.

She often told us she believed in fairies and insisted she would continue to do so until we could prove her wrong.

David Hardie

David inherited his father’s creative skills and can work with metal, wood, plastic, fabric, clay, or anything else he finds tucked away in his workshop.

He had a difficult time at school and holds the dubious honour of being the first person in the Westcountry to be diagnosed as being dyslexic.

Despite this, he won a playwriting competition while he was still a teenager which resulted in his script being produced by the BBC.

Philippa Hardie

During the Silverlands years, Phil was responsible for the much-loved Animal Meadow.

Whether caring for Nelson, the bossy goose, the mischievous pot-bellied pigs, or the goats that always tried to share visitors'
picnics, Phil ensured every animal received plenty of love and attention.

Amid the chaos and excitement of running a family attraction, Phil was often the voice of sanity and helped bring calm when it was needed.

Diana Townsend

Diana was shy as a child and preferred to stay at home as much as possible.

She was never lonely, because her father was an animal lover and their home was filled pets, including a dog, rabbits, mice, guinea pigs, budgies, goldfish, gerbils, a tortoise, a parrot and a mynah bird.

Her mother was mostly tolerant of the menagerie, until Diana brought home a magnificent stick insect.

Unfortunately, the insect had a hidden egg sack in its tank and soon tiny stick insects were found hiding all over the house. Even in the larder in a box of cornflakes.

They had to go.

Robert Townsend

Robert’s mother was an actress at the Hippodrome Theatre in Bristol which meant that from an early age he was able to see world class performers, including Laurel & Hardy when they visited the UK.

Although he followed a more traditional route when he first left school, Robert kept his love of theatre, and his natural ability to entertain and engage people.

It was his love of performing that made him the ideal person to welcome guests when the family opened their tourist attraction to the public.  

Robert quickly became recognised around the Westcountry as the Silverlands’ ringmaster.