1908 Charles Ede
From Lacey Green History
This report is listed in Social Snapshots 1900-1968 inc. under date 1908
Extracts from the autobiography of Charles Ede. In Lacey Green 1900-1909.
The Ede family moved to Lacey Green when his father took a position as chauffeur for a Mr Anderson of Parslows Hillock. As the cottage was not ready they were put up at The Pink and Lily public house, for about ten days, then moved to a cottage a little way down the road.
“The landlady appeared the boss. She was fat and happy and had previously been a cook in some posh place. It seemed to please my mother, as she was likewise. The landlord was a retired butler from the same house. He appeared very obedient.”
“When the tap room was cleaned up ready for business the tables were scrubbed very clean, sawdust on the floor, not forgetting the spittoons on the floor. These were cleaned with grate polish. It seemed to me most men in the country smoked clay pipes, and spitting was part of the act. An expert could shoot across the room and get a ‘bullseye’; but beer being better than it is today caused plenty of misses, so it was the landlord's job to clean them up.”
“Now my father wanted to find a church to go to. He also wanted me to see the school that I was to go to. He had heard they were nearby. Father and I walked a mile, when we turned left and commenced to go down the village of Lacey Green. The first thing I remember about it was the stink; I think everyone must have kept a pig and some not far from the road. People stared at us, similar to pictures I have seen of artist’s impressions of natives looking at Captain Cook as he stepped ashore in New Zealand.”
“A single bell rang – it sounded like one that sheep have round their necks.
We got to the church and the service began. Certainly a nice organ and expert player, but when the long thin parson began to speak, his voice was so cracked we could hardly understand him. It was said he had been thrown off a tram that had tipped over. My father was most particular when speaking of him or any other parson. It was always ‘His Reverent’. I preferred ‘old tin ribs’ as we named him”.
“Well I started School. It was 1 ¾ miles from home so of course I had to take my dinner. It was generally bread and dripping. I used to like that, it is not so good now. I had companions living near and like all children, soon became friends. I soon settled at school and people seemed very friendly”.
“I was very interested to go into the woods where the bodgers worked.
In the village it was a common sight to see women with a pillow, cotton and bobbins making Buckinghamshire lace. Also many people reared Aylesbury ducks and kept other fowl. Towards the weekend a cart would come round and buy these for the market. They called the man The Eggler”.
“It was difficult at first to understand many things when people were talking. They spoke a very broad, almost a language of their own.
As I grew older I often went down the village for some fun. Apart from changing gates or playing up with peoples’ doors, I don’t think I caused a lot of bother, although I understand the village policeman told my father he thought it a good thing when I went to sea…….”
“One day we boys heard some bad news. Now the lavatories used to be a little building at the top of the garden, with a bucket, but at the rear of some there was a pit. Of course these were emptied occasionally. A man nicknamed ‘Oxford’ was an expert at this. One day the earth at the side gave way. ‘Oxford’ was in it!”
“A few months before I was fourteen I told my father I was going to apply to enter what was called a Labour examination. My father said I wouldn’t pass. However I went by train to Aylesbury in company with another school mate. Shortly afterwards when I went to school one morning, the schoolmaster said I had passed the examination and that I could go home, but he said it would be good to stop and say the usual prayers first. I soon nipped home”. ……..”
P.S. “I did a water colour painting of the bodgers, which was hung in the Royal Institute in Piccadilly”.
Ed. The parson referred to was the Reverend William Robson.
The landlords at the Pink and Lily were Tom Wheatley and his wife.
From the school logbook. August 4th 1908. Charles and John Ede returned after an absence of 10 weeks, due to illness of their sister with typhoid fever.
From the school logbook. April 2nd 1909. Charles Ede and Archie Lacey are attending the Labour examination at Aylesbury today.