George & Edith Walton - Revision history

Joan at 16:18, 24 May 2024

2024-05-24T16:18:28Z

Joan at 16:07, 24 May 2024

2024-05-24T16:07:14Z

Joan at 16:04, 24 May 2024

2024-05-24T16:04:32Z

Joan at 15:39, 24 May 2024

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Joan at 15:28, 24 May 2024

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Joan at 15:20, 24 May 2024

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Joan at 15:14, 24 May 2024

2024-05-24T15:14:22Z

Joan at 15:05, 24 May 2024

2024-05-24T15:05:16Z

Joan at 14:57, 24 May 2024

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Joan: Created page with "/"

2024-05-24T14:55:26Z

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 The first week's money she insisted on having in pennies and carried them home tied in her handkerchief to boast of all the money she had been paid.   Her mother explained that a shilling would have been just as welcome and valuable and gave her 2d for herself.   She saved one penny, gave 1/2d to her sister and spent 1/2d on sweets at Mr George Floyds's (eventually Harvey's).
-'''In Service aged 12.'''   After working for a few months at "The Whip" Edith went to work [[in service]] at Wardrobes Farm and hard work it was for a girl so young, doing most of the work of the house, fires and grates, scrubbing stone floors and so on.   Bedtime was 5.30pm as she was up at 5.30 in the mornings in order to light the fires and scrub the pails for milking, except on Mondays when she rose just after four so as to get Sunday's washing up done before getting the copper boiling ready for Carrie Rutland to come along to do the washing.
+shop.
-The farm took summer visitors, so there was often a great deal of washing as well as all the extra places to lay, meals to serve and washing up afterwards.   Washing up was done with soda only in the water and the tables, boards etc had to be scrubbed with cold water to keep the wood white and when possible they were put out in the sun to dry.
+At age 12 Edith started work as a domestic servant.  click [[in service]] for this part of her life
 She worked at one time for a German family, learned German cuisine and some of the language, and eventually worked for a French family.   The German proved useful during the war when Mrs Walton was able to converse with German prisoners-of-war.

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:07, 24 May 2024
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		+	click [[Families]] for other local families
		+
		+	click [[in service]] for life as a domestic servant
		+
		+	click [[Janes]] for others in this family
		+
	Research by Joan West		Research by Joan West

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:04, 24 May 2024
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	'''George Walton died in 1973. Edith Walton died in 1982'''		'''George Walton died in 1973. Edith Walton died in 1982'''
−
−	'''''Research note.''' The following article was published in Hallmark in 1974: -- For the WI project '"Tell Me About When You Were Young" notes were made after talking to various local personalities and extracts were sent to the Bucks Federation of Womens Institutes. They will be printed in Hallmark as a record of earlier life in Loosley Row and Lacey Green.''

	'''Research was done on the life of Mrs George Walton of Clarinsted, Loosley Hill, Loosley Row by Madeline Cleaver.''' see [https://laceygreenhistory.com/w/index.php/Bill_&_Madeline_Cleaver Bill & Madeline Cleaver] for the life of Madeline. see also [[in service]] for other such stories.		'''Research was done on the life of Mrs George Walton of Clarinsted, Loosley Hill, Loosley Row by Madeline Cleaver.''' see [https://laceygreenhistory.com/w/index.php/Bill_&_Madeline_Cleaver Bill & Madeline Cleaver] for the life of Madeline. see also [[in service]] for other such stories.

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 '''Research was done on the life of Mrs George Walton of Clarinsted, Loosley Hill, Loosley Row  by Madeline Cleaver.'''  see [https://laceygreenhistory.com/w/index.php/Bill_&_Madeline_Cleaver Bill & Madeline Cleaver] for the life of Madeline.   see also [[in service]] for other such stories.
-'''Mrs Walton was born in 1897''' in the first cottage of a row of three which were converted to what was [[Well Cottages]], [[Church Lane]], but moved to Coombes Grubbings at an early age.
+'''Mrs Walton, nee Janes was born in 1897''' in the first cottage of a row of three which were converted to what was [[Well Cottages]], [[Church Lane]], but moved to [[Coombs]] Grubbings at an early age.
 '''Loosley Row School'''.  As her mother worked and it was necessary for her sister to go to school, so Edith went along too, at a very early age, probably two years old, and the teacher was quite prepared to look after her.   The school was in Loosley Row where the garage of  [[Loosley Dene]] is now and the teachers were Miss Tomkins and Miss Simpson.

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 '''2nd marriage 1936 to George Abraham Walton''' at Samford, Suffolk.
-Edith and George lived at [[Clarinsted]], Loosley Hill, Loosley Row
+Edith and George lived at [[Clarinsted]], Loosley Hill, Loosley Row   They had no children.
 '''George Walton died in 1973.  Edith Walton died in 1982'''

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 '''Edith Kate Janes''' born 1897, was the daughter of [[Horace & Agnes Mary Janes]]
-'''1st marriage 1924 to Benjamin Robbins'''.  .''Research note Benjamin was too ill to sign the marriage register.''
+'''1st marriage 1924 to Benjamin Robbins'''.  .''Research note Benjamin was too ill to sign the marriage register.''    They lived at [[Clarinsted]], Loosley Hill, Loosley Row.
 Benjamin born 1895 was the son of Robert and Margaret Robbins  of Loosley Row.      .Benjamin joined the Royal Navy in April 1912.   In January 1926 he was transferred from his ship, the 'Pembroke', to the hospital at Chatham, reason given 'appendix'.   He died 6th January 1926, in Chatham, Kent. They had no children.   Benjamin's parents were Robert & Margaret Robbins from Loosley Row.

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:57, 24 May 2024
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−	/	+	Research by Joan West
		+
		+	'''Edith Kate Janes''' born 1897, was the daughter of [[Horace & Agnes Mary Janes]]
		+
		+	'''1st marriage 1924 to Benjamin Robbins'''. ''Research note Benjamin was too ill to sign the marriage register.''
		+
		+	Benjamin born 1895 joined the Royal Navy in April 1912. His last service was in 1926. He died in 1926.
		+
		+	Benjamin's parents were Robert & Margaret Robbins from Loosley Row
		+
		+	'''2nd marriage 1936 to George Abraham Walton''' at Samford, Suffolk.
		+
		+	Edith and George lived at [[Clarinsted]], Loosley Hill, Loosley Row
		+
		+	There were no children by either marriage.
		+
		+	'''George Walton died in 1973. Edith Walton died in 1982'''
		+
		+	'''''Research note.''' The following article was published in Hallmark in 1974: -- For the WI project '"Tell Me About When You Were Young" notes were made after talking to various local personalities and extracts were sent to the Bucks Federation of Womens Institutes. They will be printed in Hallmark as a record of earlier life in Loosley Row and Lacey Green.''
		+
		+	'''Research was done on the life of Mrs George Walton of Clarinsted, Loosley Hill, Loosley Row by Madeline Cleaver.''' see [https://laceygreenhistory.com/w/index.php/Bill_&_Madeline_Cleaver Bill & Madeline Cleaver] for the life of Madeline. see also [[in service]] for other such stories.
		+
		+	'''Mrs Walton was born in 1897''' in the first cottage of a row of three which were converted to what was [[Well Cottages]], [[Church Lane]], but moved to Coombes Grubbings at an early age.
		+
		+	'''Loosley Row School'''. As her mother worked and it was necessary for her sister to go to school, so Edith went along too, at a very early age, probably two years old, and the teacher was quite prepared to look after her. The school was in Loosley Row where the garage of [[Loosley Dene]] is now and the teachers were Miss Tomkins and Miss Simpson.
		+
		+	When Edith was four, the family moved to [[Corner Cottage]] , Loosley Row, opposite the Forge.
		+
		+	The Loosley Row School was a Church school and the Rev. Robson or his Curate Mr Corder, taught. Until it was explained to them how unkind it was, the children used to giggle when Rev. Robson talked to them, as he suffered from a speech impediment, and they suspected that this was the reason Mr Corder taught instead. However Edith won the Bishop's prize in 1908.
		+
		+	'''C of E Sunday School'''. Edith used to attend the Church of England Sunday School, where sometimes they were taught by the Vicarage maid. Once she was delayed and the children had to amuse themselves . Edith's parents were told by someone that she had been seen jumping over the tombstones, which occasioned probably the first thrashing of her life. It seems that even in those times the Church was not always well attended and Edith remembers a time when there were perhaps two or three when she went in with Nelly Adams, so they ran out again and the Rev. Robson came after them to fetch them back, where they dutifully sang up and made the best of it.
		+
		+	Edith sometimes took notes from the teacher to the Vicar and on one occasion saw the Vicar cutting grass with scissors, so she told him her father had some shears and she was sure he would lend them. Mr Janes bound the shears with rag to make them safe to carry and sent Edith with them, and a message to say Rev. Robson could keep them as long as he had need of them, but to return them afterwards. After this Edith was given a penny by the Vicar and felt very rich. This sum could seem a lot to a small girl when most families were large and far from well off as far as money was concerned.
		+
		+	'''Food'''. She cannot recall being without sufficient food. They gleaned corn and took it to the Mill, where mother always warned Edith to watch out for the sails. They always had a pig in the stye for the rent and one for winter food. There was alwas a rasher of bacon in the house, which is more than some of us can say today. Fresh vegetables were grown and coal was £1 a ton, bought through the farmer who employed Mr Janes and paid for at the rate of 1/-shilling a week, deducted from his wages, but it had to be fetched from from the station.
		+
		+	'''Jobs'''. Edith can remember going "leaving", gathering eaves for bedding for the pigs. She used to collect four cans of milk a day from Cheshire's at Windmill Farm, two cans in each hand, for neighbours, and for this she received 1/2d a week and a piece of dry cake, much enjoyed. One job that helped the family finances was stone picking in the fields and these stones were used for the roads. One Saturday the family did so well that Edith's mother walked into High Wycombe and bought shoes for Edith and her sister - two pairs each, one for everyday and one for Sundays; something very unusual and long remembered.
		+
		+	At this time if a child passed the "Labour Examination" and had a job already or had a certificate to say she had never been late or absent for three years, then it was possible to leave school at 12. Edith had both and went to work at "The Whip" at 1/ a week, looking after the children of the family mostly, after her mother had stipulated that she should not go near the taproom, as she would hear swearing and the like.
		+
		+	The first week's money she insisted on having in pennies and carried them home tied in her handkerchief to boast of all the money she had been paid. Her mother explained that a shilling would have been just as welcome and valuable and gave her 2d for herself. She saved one penny, gave 1/2d to her sister and spent 1/2d on sweets at Mr George Floyds's (eventually Harvey's).
		+
		+	'''In Service aged 12.''' After working for a few months at "The Whip" Edith went to work [[in service]] at Wardrobes Farm and hard work it was for a girl so young, doing most of the work of the house, fires and grates, scrubbing stone floors and so on. Bedtime was 5.30pm as she was up at 5.30 in the mornings in order to light the fires and scrub the pails for milking, except on Mondays when she rose just after four so as to get Sunday's washing up done before getting the copper boiling ready for Carrie Rutland to come along to do the washing.
		+
		+	The farm took summer visitors, so there was often a great deal of washing as well as all the extra places to lay, meals to serve and washing up afterwards. Washing up was done with soda only in the water and the tables, boards etc had to be scrubbed with cold water to keep the wood white and when possible they were put out in the sun to dry.
		+
		+	Mrs Eggleton at Wardrobes was a religious woman and no work was doe on Sundays, hence the early rising on Monday for the little servant. To keep her on the right road the walls of her bedroom were covered in texts and as it was well away from the family you can imagine how lonely and perhaps nervous she might have been, but she used to sing hymns to keep her spirits up before she went to sleep.
		+
		+	'''In Service in London'''. At 14, with references from Mrs Eggleton, Mrs Smith at "The Whip" and the Vicar, Edith obtained a post as parlourmaid in London. Here there were prayers every morning in the servants' hall and the staff were expected to go to Church each Sunday and sit in the staff pew, wearing a black dress and special shawl and caps, a uniform in fact. Time off was alternate Sunday mornings or afternoons and evening and a half day in the week.
		+
		+	Spring cleaning time was different, when for a month they would be unable to leave the house except for one day when an outing to Crystal Palace was arranged with all expenses paid and they were able to stay until the evening and the firework display, although they paid next day with very hard work.
		+
		+	Edith would arrange with another maid for one to have an outing to see the changing of the guard while the other went to church and took in the sermon to pass to the other, so that they could answer any questions on it and then change about the next week.
		+
		+	In this household there were lists of all the jobs with the minutes allowed for each so that no one could find excuses for wasting time. Edith was supposed to do the mending. This was stipulated when applying for the position, and one afternoon she could not face all the darning and "ends to middle" of sheets etc. so she skipped off and played in the garden. When the mistress asked why the mending had not been done she pleaded a headache and felt it a judgement when a few days later she really suffered from a very ad headache.
		+
		+	From parlourmaid to kitchenmaid is really a demotion, but Edith wanted to train as a cook and this was the only way to do it, so she accepted the hard and menial work necessary, which included scrubbing stone flagged floors and then sanding them, that meant they were walking all day on gritty sand in the kitchen, but it absorbed spillages and was deemed hygienic no doubt. By the time the servants had climbed the stairs, bare wooded ones also scrubbed daily, and reached the carpets of the upper house, the sand had walked off.
		+
		+	It was hard working under a very severe cook but marvellous training, Mrs Walton says. Things once learned thoroughly were never forgotten. Each night it was Edith's job to wash all the teatowels and hang them up to dry before going to bed and one night she was brought from bed and made to dress completely and go down to the scullery and pick up a towel which had dropped and wash it again in cold water, by candlelight, and re-hang to dry. She never mis-hung one again.
		+
		+	She worked at one time for a German family, learned German cuisine and some of the language, and eventually worked for a French family. The German proved useful during the war when Mrs Walton was able to converse with German prisoners-of-war.