Rosemary Mortham

Rosemary Mortham was one of first 5 writers and researchers of the Lacey Green and Loosley Row Local History Group

PROFILE as on the Local History Group website by Rosemary

Rosemary Mortham (nee Oliver) was born in High Wycombe, and moved to the village at the age of six, soon after the second World War. She attended St. John's School, and now feels almost like a local.

She has long been interested in village history, especially the history of the church and bobbin lacemaking. She was concerned that there was no record of how the village used to be. She had heard many stories from old village folk, and realised that her fellow writers had a wealth of knowledge which could easily be lost.

When it was suggested that all this information could be put onto a village website, Rosemary saw the opportunity to encourage and cajole the three village historians to finally write up at least some of what they know. She is now the informal secretary to the group.

Rosemary looks forward to seeing the results of their many years of research, and feels sure that others will also enjoy reading it.

Rosemary Oliver described Lacey Green School in a questionnaire at the School Reunion in 2000, organised by The Local History Group

1949-1958 Rosemary Oliver Tor Cottage, Church Lane, LG now Mortham, Pond Cottage, Kiln Lane, LG. Medical laboratory scientific officer. I Walked to school. Head Mrs Gurney. Vicar Rev. Steward.  40? in class. It had no new buildings then.. Toilets outside. Can’t remember punishments but Mrs Guerney had a temper and shouted.  No uniform. I had a ‘liberty bodice’ that I hated.  School meals-yes. Enjoy?- No, always potato, cabbage & gristle. Milk-yes.  Sports-exercise & skipping. Played- mainly fighting with the boys.

Additional Information. I loved my time at Lacey Green School.

Miss Jarvis was very kind. At 6, I was walking on my own to Sunnybank (now White House Farm) from school when I found my way blocked by a sheep in Kiln Lane. As a town child, I was so frightened I ran all the way back to school, and Miss Jarvis had to see me safely past the sheep!

A year later, we moved to Tor Cottage in Church Lane. Mrs Barefoot (Park Cottage) used to tell me off if I tried to take a shortcut through the churchyard.

I was friendly with Norah Smith (Church Cottage) and Rita Irving (Smalldean Farm Cottages). Norah & I used to walk to Smalldean down the footpath . We picked bluebells and cowslips. We sucked the sweet ends of the cowslip flowers, picked wild strawberries on 'Strawberry Bank' (Nature Reserve now). We got in trouble with the gamekeeper if we went too far into the woods.

I once took a bunch of wild flowers, including hawthorn blossom to Millicent Martin (Lynn's mother). She wouldn't take them in the house, as hawthorn was unlucky.

When I got bigger, Mrs Guerney allowed me to help with teaching the younger children, which I loved. I also enjoyed the school plays, although I didn't like being the "brown angel" in the nativity play. Brown has never been my favourite colour.

I loved St John's so much that I even went back for a couple of days at the beginning of the autumn term when I started at Wycombe High School. The High School was a terrible shock. There were so many children, and I felt no-one was interested in me.

Things have changed so much at St John's. It is much bigger, the children work much harder. We never had homework. After school we would go and "help" Mr West on the farm, or buy a penny roll from the bakehouse or sweets from Bert's. We were completely free to go anywhere we liked on our own, and no-one worried about us. Looking back, I had an idyllic childhood in Lacey Green.

Hallmark February 1998. Rosemary Mortham Retires

The following from the "in house" magazine at Stoke Mandeville Hospital might interest Hallmark readers who know Rosemary Mortham, nee Oliver. Rosemary came to Lacey Green at the age of five and attended the local school before moving on to the High School in High Wycombe and thence to the laboratories at Stoke Mandeville, when she first met the man she eventually married a few years ago!

Rosemary does all those things mentioned in the verses; she sang in the choir at St. John's, (Lacey Green Church) for many years before she took over the responsibility for the younger members but also sang with Lacey Green Singers, formerly the Community Choir, as well as the Princes Risborough Music Society and is missed by both. First of all, an acting member with Lacey Green Productions, she was already much involved with costume making and that side took over for quite a few years. She is missed there, too, but something always rushes in to fill a vacuum.

A number of people have been grateful in this village, as well as elsewhere, for Rosemary's talent for catering and especially for making and icing the most beautiful cakes. Can anyone remember that wonderful "book" which she made when the Rev. Bernard Houghton retired and left Lacey Green?

Now that Rosemary has retired, she has set herself goals and for the first year these have to do with gardening as well as re-organising, decorating and no doubt carrying out other ideas at home in Kiln Lane. After that, many organisations must – be waiting to see if she will favour them – with membership!

The following poem is copied from "in Touch", Stoke Mandeville Hospital NHS Trust Newsletter No 25 July 1997 :---The Pathology department is feeling bereft after the retirement of Rosemary Oliver after 35 years during which she became "confidante, teacher, mentor, diplomat and organiser’ to scores of colleagues during a career which saw her rise through the ranks to become Chief Biomedical Scientist in Serology. Ruth Levitt, Medical Laboratory Scientific Officer, summed up their feelings in verse.

Now Rosemary's Gone.

Pity our Pathology

There's sadness in Serology

Moans from Microbiology

Rosemary has gone

There's crying in Cytology

Hysterics in Histology

A hue from Haematology

Rosemary has gone

They're bereft in Biochemistry

Tearful in Transfusion

And all is in confusion

For Rosemary has gone

Whose shoulder can we cry on

For parties now rely on

And tea time cakes grow fat on

Now Rosemary has gone?

"She will be sorely missed" say Ruth and Glynis Jordain, a fellow MLSO "Hopefully she may find time to miss us, but knowing the incredible number of things she managed to be involved in, it is probably a vain hope. But if anyone needs a costume, a choir, a carnival float, an event organised or a cake made and decorated – she'll probably manage to fit you in!"

For research and writings by Rosemary, click: -

1929 Fred gets a Calling.

Lace Making researched by Rosemary This includes the full reports of the summaries.

1898 History of Pillow Lace researched by Rosemary (brief summary)

1900 Mrs Forrest helps Lace Sales researched by Rosemary (brief summary)

1964 Lace Makers Interviewed comment added by Rosemary

1898 Local Lace Makers researched by Rosemary

1933 Harry Floyd remembers Washday and Toilets before mains water. report by Rosemary

1953 The Church Choir report by Rosemary

1968 click Hallmark. Rosemary reported on the change of the Hallmark cover, and her poem (click 1968 The Bard of Lacey Green)is printed there