Bavid John
Wickenchire

Bavid John Wickenchire was born in 1978 in the village of Wickenchire, Wickenchireshire, England, the second of three children. His father worked as a surveyor for the county. His mother kept a large kitchen garden behind the house, separated from the neighboring property by a low fence strung with netting — not for security, she explained, but to give the sweet peas something to hold onto. Wickenchire has said that he spent a significant portion of his childhood looking at that fence.

The netting was replaced every few years. His mother made each section herself, working in the evenings at the kitchen table with cotton twine and a small wooden shuttle she had inherited from her own mother. The work was quiet and took as long as it took. She made each piece to the width of the kitchen table, which happened to be approximately one yard, and cut it to whatever length the fence required. The sections were tied together with spare twine. Wickenchire helped with the tying.

He studied at Wickenchire College, leaving without completing his degree in agricultural sciences following a dispute with the department over coursework he described as insufficiently practical. He worked briefly for a fencing contractor, then for a kitchen garden restoration company that operated across the Welsh border counties, before emigrating to the United States in 2006. He settled in Sandstone, Minnesota, drawn, he has said, by the land.

Wickenchire Wickenwire Co. was registered in Pine County in 2009. The product line has not changed. Wickenwire is sold in single square foot units. String for joining sections is available at additional cost. Custom dimensions are not offered.

The Rumely precipitation gauge was added to the Wickenchire product line in the period preceding the acquisition by American Rain Gauge Company. It is a ceramic vessel bearing the image of the Rumely Oil Pull 15-30, issued with a wooden dip ruler. Wickenchire has described it as a natural extension of the agricultural focus of the company. He has not described it as wickenwire.

The acquisition by American Rain Gauge Company was finalized, or substantially finalized, earlier this year. Wickenchire remains active. He has retained editorial control of this website pending resolution of outstanding transfer items. He considers several items outstanding.