Oral history recording of Mrs Lucy Williams, North Ferriby, aged 94 years, audio recording

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Oral history recording of Mrs Lucy Williams, North Ferriby, aged 94 years, audio recording

Originally deposited as an audio cassette. Contains reminiscences of life in North Ferriby and Swanland during the early to mid-20th century. Timing: (00:05) Mrs Williams was born on 5 Aug 1889. Her father William [Andrew] worked in his father's undertaking business. (00:48) There was no tap water or mains drainage in North Ferriby at that time. The only frequent transport was from the train station. (01:22) The nearest doctor was 3 miles away in Hessle. (02:02) There were two carrier cars that could take anything you wanted into Hull and a little bus which only went into Hull on market day and then came back at 4pm. (02:50) They did not have telephones at that time. (03:14) There were seven children in her family. She was the middle of five girls. The two boys went into the undertaking business. (03:56) Her mother found the children difficult to manage in the school holidays and she asked the father to take one of the girls into the business. They decided to take her as she was the most 'naughty'. (04:11) She helped in the workshop at the undertakers. Her main jobs were counting nail boxes and taking messages. (05:12) Mrs Williams was picked out at age 14 to be a teacher but she began to have violent headaches and was unable to continue with her training. (05:56) The school building was where it is now, the old school by the pond. It comprised one large room and the classroom. Later they built another classroom on the site and used the old classroom as a cloakroom. (06:36) There was no need for a policeman in those days as the school master was 'enough'. He caned anyone who misbehaved. (07:24) Mrs Williams remembers the first water mains being put in during 1909 or 1910. Before that people used wells, the pump, or collected rain water. (09:27) When the mains water came they built a pump house which was run by a donkey engine at first. A big tank was installed at the centre of Queensbury Road. (13:09) People in the outlying farms had to come up to the pond with a water cart and back it into the pond to collect water for their cattle. (14:03) The miller would grind the corn and bring it to each house in sacks. Mrs Williams was about 14 years old at this time. The miller's name was Mr [Clayton]. People would take corn to him, to be ground for making barley and oats for the cattle. (16:07) There was a small general shop, where the stores in the village are now. It had a house window and it sold various products from paraffin to sweets. There was also the bricklayer, Mr Kirby, the butcher, and the tailor, Mr [Proud], who had a flourishing business. (17:02) The farm workers had their clothes made to measure. The tailor did a good trade in riding breeches. (17:30) The old men sat and talked at the blacksmith's shop, which was where the butchers is now located. (18:05) There was also a boot maker and a post office. (18:24) The post office was in Crowther Lane, which is now Gay Road. The tailor's shop was on the site of the present post office. (19:22) The doctor used to come every morning in his carriage. If you needed any medicine, you had to walk to Hessle for it after school or work, or the doctor brought it the next day. He eventually got an assistant doctor, who came on horseback. (21:23) The medicine was just to ease the pain in those days. The doctor also took teeth out. Dr Murray once said that he just used to give people a stiff dose of whisky afterwards. (22:40) Mrs William's younger sister got scarlet fever, but none of the other family members caught the disease. All the children were kept home from school. Her sister recovered. (23:18) Her father contracted typhoid. No one went to hospital when she was a child. (24:40) Mrs Williams was vaccinated against smallpox when she was a little girl. (25:29) Her grandmother died of smallpox in West Derby. (25:35) She remembers that 'St Barnabas' was opened as a mission hall when she was aged 8 or 9 years. The vicar got the land from the local squir, and money from rich members of the community, to build the hall. [It was then opened as a church], yet the parishioners still had to go to Ferriby for burials and weddings. (27:36) The Methodist church is done away with now. It was situated at the back of the stores in the village. But in those days it was the most popular church. They amalgamated with the Congregational church. (29:01) She remembers the outings as the only time the children got out of the village, on outings to Bridlington or Cleethorpes. They had a farm wagon to take them to Ferriby Station and they travelled by train. (29:27) If they went to Cleethorpes, they walked to the pier, took the boat to New Holland, and then caught a train to Cleethorpes. (31:04) She remembers when Sir James Reckitt lived at the manor house. They were not often in the village because they were Baptists. They went to a Hull church. They donated money to the village, but had their own staff. (32:38) The Reckitts had their own farm and a huge garden, which was opened for the flower show. They ran a cricket team in which their sons played. (33:53) Mrs Williams describes where the manor house was situated off Manor Drive. (34:30) The house on Greenstyles Lane is Swanland Hall which was owned by Squire Todd. He was part of the landed gentry, while the Reckitts were in business, although they were the main source of wealth in the village. (35:36) Swanland House at the end of the village was owned by Mr [Allen]. He was well known in the [timber] trade. (36:19) Mrs Williams thinks that this house is now flats. (38:14) There was a boy drowned during Mrs Williams' school days. Three boys were skating on the frozen pond when it thawed. One drowned when the ice gave way. (39:44) The local pond is supposed to be 'bottomless'. There is believed to be a well in it. A horse and trap were once trapped in the pond when the horse panicked and ventured too far. (41:11) Mrs Williams had a sewing machine powered by a foot treadle. (42:14) There was no electric lighting in Swanland until 1930. They used paraffin lamps which were hung from the ceiling. (46:14) Mrs Williams talks about her family and gives us the names of her brothers and sisters. The audio quality decreases at this point and it is impossible to hear what Mrs Williams is saying. Public access copy available on Preservica: https://eastriding.access.preservica.com/ (Search 'DDX1178/2/2')

Catalogue

Finding Aid: DDX1178/2/2

Title: Oral history recording of Mrs Lucy Williams, North Ferriby, aged 94 years, audio recording

Repository: East Riding of Yorkshire Archives and Local Studies (UK47)

Level: Item

Description: Originally deposited as an audio cassette.Contains reminiscences of life in North Ferriby and Swanland during the early to mid-20th century.Timing:(00:05) Mrs Williams was born on 5 Aug 1889. Her father William [Andrew] worked in his father's undertaking business.(00:48) There was no tap water or mains drainage in North Ferriby at that time. The only frequent transport was from the train station.(01:22) The nearest doctor was 3 miles away in Hessle.(02:02) There were two carrier cars that could take anything you wanted into Hull and a little bus which only went into Hull on market day and then came back at 4pm.(02:50) They did not have telephones at that time.(03:14) There were seven children in her family. She was the middle of five girls. The two boys went into the undertaking business.(03:56) Her mother found the children difficult to manage in the school holidays and she asked the father to take one of the girls into the business. They decided to take her as she was the most 'naughty'.(04:11) She helped in the workshop at the undertakers. Her main jobs were counting nail boxes and taking messages.(05:12) Mrs Williams was picked out at age 14 to be a teacher but she began to have violent headaches and was unable to continue with her training.(05:56) The school building was where it is now, the old school by the pond. It comprised one large room and the classroom. Later they built another classroom on the site and used the old classroom as a cloakroom.(06:36) There was no need for a policeman in those days as the school master was 'enough'. He caned anyone who misbehaved.(07:24) Mrs Williams remembers the first water mains being put in during 1909 or 1910. Before that people used wells, the pump, or collected rain water.(09:27) When the mains water came they built a pump house which was run by a donkey engine at first. A big tank was installed at the centre of Queensbury Road. (13:09) People in the outlying farms had to come up to the pond with a water cart and back it into the pond to collect water for their cattle.(14:03) The miller would grind the corn and bring it to each house in sacks. Mrs Williams was about 14 years old at this time. The miller's name was Mr [Clayton]. People would take corn to him, to be ground for making barley and oats for the cattle.(16:07) There was a small general shop, where the stores in the village are now. It had a house window and it sold various products from paraffin to sweets. There was also the bricklayer, Mr Kirby, the butcher, and the tailor, Mr [Proud], who had a flourishing business.(17:02) The farm workers had their clothes made to measure. The tailor did a good trade in riding breeches.(17:30) The old men sat and talked at the blacksmith's shop, which was where the butchers is now located.(18:05) There was also a boot maker and a post office.(18:24) The post office was in Crowther Lane, which is now Gay Road. The tailor's shop was on the site of the present post office.(19:22) The doctor used to come every morning in his carriage. If you needed any medicine, you had to walk to Hessle for it after school or work, or the doctor brought it the next day. He eventually got an assistant doctor, who came on horseback.(21:23) The medicine was just to ease the pain in those days. The doctor also took teeth out. Dr Murray once said that he just used to give people a stiff dose of whisky afterwards.(22:40) Mrs William's younger sister got scarlet fever, but none of the other family members caught the disease. All the children were kept home from school. Her sister recovered.(23:18) Her father contracted typhoid. No one went to hospital when she was a child.(24:40) Mrs Williams was vaccinated against smallpox when she was a little girl.(25:29) Her grandmother died of smallpox in West Derby.(25:35) She remembers that 'St Barnabas' was opened as a mission hall when she was aged 8 or 9 years. The vicar got the land from the local squir, and money from rich members of the community, to build the hall. [It was then opened as a church], yet the parishioners still had to go to Ferriby for burials and weddings.(27:36) The Methodist church is done away with now. It was situated at the back of the stores in the village. But in those days it was the most popular church. They amalgamated with the Congregational church.(29:01) She remembers the outings as the only time the children got out of the village, on outings to Bridlington or Cleethorpes. They had a farm wagon to take them to Ferriby Station and they travelled by train.(29:27) If they went to Cleethorpes, they walked to the pier, took the boat to New Holland, and then caught a train to Cleethorpes.(31:04) She remembers when Sir James Reckitt lived at the manor house. They were not often in the village because they were Baptists. They went to a Hull church. They donated money to the village, but had their own staff.(32:38) The Reckitts had their own farm and a huge garden, which was opened for the flower show. They ran a cricket team in which their sons played.(33:53) Mrs Williams describes where the manor house was situated off Manor Drive.(34:30) The house on Greenstyles Lane is Swanland Hall which was owned by Squire Todd. He was part of the landed gentry, while the Reckitts were in business, although they were the main source of wealth in the village.(35:36) Swanland House at the end of the village was owned by Mr [Allen]. He was well known in the [timber] trade.(36:19) Mrs Williams thinks that this house is now flats.(38:14) There was a boy drowned during Mrs Williams' school days. Three boys were skating on the frozen pond when it thawed. One drowned when the ice gave way.(39:44) The local pond is supposed to be 'bottomless'. There is believed to be a well in it. A horse and trap were once trapped in the pond when the horse panicked and ventured too far.(41:11) Mrs Williams had a sewing machine powered by a foot treadle. (42:14) There was no electric lighting in Swanland until 1930. They used paraffin lamps which were hung from the ceiling.(46:14) Mrs Williams talks about her family and gives us the names of her brothers and sisters.The audio quality decreases at this point and it is impossible to hear what Mrs Williams is saying.Public access copy available on Preservica: https://eastriding.access.preservica.com/(Search 'DDX1178/2/2')

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DDX1178-2-2 ORAL HISTORY OF MRS LUCY WILLIAMS AGED 93 YEARS