Madge Gomme
From Lacey Green History
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Marjorie 'Madge' Gomme born 1898 was the daughter of Kilburn & Julia Gomme
Research Note by Joan West. Madge used to come to Stocken Farm to by eggs from us. Chatting to her I commented how sad it was that so many old photos got burnt when people died. She said that she had old photos that I could have. She brought them next time she came. Wonderful photos of the family and workers at the foundry. They were carefully wrapped in black tissue paper. She didn't think anyone else knew she had them. I had them copied and suggested it might be an idea to give them to the foundry which I believe she did.
In Hallmark the following article by Madeline Cleaver was published :-
In this article we have some memories of the Misses Hilda and Madge Gomme of Loosley Hill and we hope you will find them interesting and will want to tell us your memories too.
The Misses Gomme lived in Loosley Row down by the Foundry, where there was a public well. Most houses relied on water they collected in a butt from the roof etc. for ordinary use, but came down to the well for drinking water. In fact in a dry spell they had to come from further afield, even from Lacey Green, i.e. at the top of Promised Land drive and then over the footpath known as The Grubbin, using a yoke and two buckets. Miss Hiida remembers an elderly lady who used to go for water in an evening when there might be men there drawing water, as the well was deep and it was a heavy job. She was a widow and received 2/6d and a loaf of bread per week from the Parish and used to say that if she had a slice of bread and a potato for her supper she would think herself very lucky.
As children Hilda and Madge and their friends would take their hot cross buns and some fizzy lemonade to Lodge Hill and it was said that if they could run five times round the dell without drawing breath they would see the devil, but as no-one ever managed it, we cant say if he ever lurked there.
Before the first World War, her sister Miss Hilda Gomme became a postwoman.
Miss Madge Gomme worked as a between-maid at Loosley House, living in, and therefore subject to the discipline of the Cook who was rather strict. Cook did not like the girls going out in the evening, but if they could get out they did, and one night they came back to find that Cook had locked them out. Loosley House has a flat roof in one part and as luck would have it some workmen lad left a ladder near, which these girls used to gain access to the roof where a door had luckily been left unlocked. Madge remembers that Cook's face was a picture next morning when they went downstairs as usual. There used to be weekend parties and many dinner parties as the Tighes did a lot of entertaining and the first time Miss Madge had to serve in the dining room she managed to pour soup down some unfortunate gentleman's neck and could not be persuaded to go back into the room after she had made her escape.
During the first World War Colonel Tighe volunteered again in the Enniskillen Fusiliers, being Irish, and the family removed to Pirbright and took a house, Madge going with them for part of the war. Apart from that she has not moved around much in service, only moving with the family eventually to Ellesborough until Mrs. Tighe died and the family broke up, when she returned to Loosley Row.
The Misses Gomme have a scrapbook which includes letters and photographs from the time Hilda completed 50 years as a postwoman. A photograph was printed in a magazine called "Grit"! in the United States of America and brought forth a number of letters including an enquiry from a family named Gomme who originated in Oxfordshire, asking if there was a family connection. One letter was from a man who worked as a boy on the building of the railway from Princes Risborough to High Wycombe in 1902/3 and had lodged in Loosley Row. He had memories of the friendship shown to him by the Misses Gomme's father and brother before he emigrated to America to live in New York. At the time of Miss Hilda's retirement at the age of 79, after 54 years of delivering letters, it was estimated that she must have walked something like 84,000 miles in her job.
The Misses Gomme still cultivate their garden and get about, but Miss Hilda does not go out as much as she did.
Madge died in 1983 Mrs L Williams reported in Hallmark for the 81st Club. We are sorry to record the loss of Miss Madge Gomme from Loosley Row, who had lived there all her life. A nice quiet woman, who joined the club a few years ago.