Social Snapshot articles by Joan West
From Lacey Green History
1911. Employment Analysis from the Census of Speen and Lacey Green. These figures do not include Loosley Row which are not yet to hand.
103 Agricultural Labourers were recorded. Agriculture was in severe depression with yet worst to come. Bad weather had caused crop failures so there would have been very little work and thus no pay.
28 Chair Turners, commonly called “Bodgers”. Hampden Estate ran a commercial wood. From time to time they held an auction of felled trees when a group of men would purchase one and working in the woods make it into arms and legs for the Windsor chairs made up in High Wycombe.
15 were listed as Chairmakers. A few worked for themselves at home.
There were a variety of other occupations with fewer numbers. Farmers, blacksmiths, farm bailiffs, builders, brick makers, bricklayers, carpenters, innkeepers, millers, bakers and iron founders. Denner Hill stone quarry provided a number of jobs. Denner Setts were famous cobble stones, much sought after for streets and floors. Women virtually all made lace, sometimes beaded lace, but their market was drying up. Some were dressmakers, but times were hard and most women made their own clothes. Some were servants, but there were few big houses hereabouts to employ them.
There was no doctor. For that you had to get to Princes Risborough. Occasionally a monthly nurse was in the parish after a confinement. There was always someone local able to lay people out.
1914. Local Life. click 2014 Reporting Local Life in 1914
1920 Homes and Weather pre 1950
2024 Winter Weather.