Mabel Janes

MABEL JANES REMEMBERS HER CHILDHOOD (she was born in 1887) in conversation with Joan West.

MABEL’s HOME was at “Sunnybank” in Highwood Bottom at the bottom of Kiln Lane.   All of Highwood Bottom on the north side had been enormous parish woodlands.   During the 1800s it had been gradually felled, but in the 1890s people were still coming chucking (digging up roots) for firewood.

POOR MONEY.   “Poor money” of 2 shillings & 6 pence per week was paid out at the Post Office, in Lower Road, Loosley Row.   She would see the people from Speen walking along the footpath across the Stocken Farm Fields on their way to Loosley Row to collect it.

ANN & EMILY GINGER.   She knew Ann Ginger who kept The Black Horse and her sister Emily.   Emily was simple.   She always curtsied to the big crab apple tree in the Horse Meadow at the farm because it reminded her of Mr. Brown, the farmer.   They were spinsters and Ann left the pub to John Saunders, the father of William Saunders and grandfather of Ted and twins Mosh and Millicent

STONE PICKING.   To raise a bit of extra money her mother Caroline would go stone picking in the fields.   These were used to mend the roads which were only earth tracks.  People had to keep the roads which went past their land repaired.   There was always a great demand for stones especially in lower lying places

MEDICAL HELP.   They could not afford doctors or dentists.   If you got a toothache you just had to ‘lump it’.     But there was always someone local who would act as midwife and someone to lay people out.

NO TRANSPORT.  Mabel and her brothers and sisters walked to Lacey Green School, as did all children, some from much further distances.  They had no other transport.

MABEL JANES STARTS TEACHING.   Report from conversation with Joan West.

1904.   On 24^th October 1904 Mabel Janes started as a teacher at Lacey Green School on a month trial.   She continued teaching there for 45 years.   She was then 17 years old and had attended the school herself.   She lived at “Sunny Bank” in Highwood Bottom, which many years later became known as White House Farm.

SCHOOL LEAVING AGE 11 YEARS.   The children aged three to seven had previously attended Loosley Row School and from seven years up went to Lacey Green.   However by 1904 both schools took children from three to thirteen years.    School was compulsory up to 11 years of age, when they could leave.  The boys might then take a job such as holding the head of a plough horse.

ONE BIG & ONE SMALL ROOM – 70 to 100 PUPILS.   The school consisted of two rooms – a small one for infants and a bigger one for the other grades.   She thought that there were between 70 and 100 pupils but could not give an exact figure as illnesses were prevalent which could keep a child absent for several weeks.   That winter of 2004/5 had severe frost and snow and as all children walked to school, some over 2 miles, attendance was low.   At one point 16 of the infants were away with whooping cough. There had also been croup and diphtheria of which an infant, George Saunders, had died.

EXAMPLES FROM the SCHOOL LOGBOOK

The following excerpts from the school logbook are also indication of attendance in Mabel’s first year---   “There were also many local attractions which the children would attend.  

1. On May 30th 1904 many children were absent due to the chapel treat at Loosley Row;
2. July 11^th  a half holiday was given for the anniversary of Speen Chapel;
3. Aug 5^th  In that week attendance had suffered due to several attractions in the neighbourhood;
4. 12th August harvest started so attendance low.  13^th August school closed for summer.
5.   26^th September tea at Lacey Green Chapel and the Wycombe Fair caused smaller attendance;
6.   October 20^th bazaar at Loosley Row Chapel kept children away;
7.   May 15^th half holiday given owing to a children’s tea given in connection with the Chapel anniversary;
8.   24^th May Empire Day, instead of the timetable, lessons on the history and geography of the British Empire were given, interspersed with patriotic songs.
9.   May 29^th Loosley Row Chapel anniversary tea;
10.    July 7^th Hay making in full swing;
11.   August 1^st School closed in afternoon on account of tea for Sunday School children
12. The winter of 1904/5 had severe frost and snow and as all children walked to school, some over two miles, attendance was low.
13. 3^rd February as the ordered coal had not been delivered no fires were possible so a holiday was given in the afternoon.    At this time 16 of the infants’ class were away with whooping cough. All the week of March 17th had been very stormy but attendance was returning to normal H.M.I. Report in April 1905.   The new headmaster Mr Phillips was praised for making a good start, particularly the infants’ class.   However it added “The question of improving the cloakroom and providing lavatory accommodation should receive attention.   The two cloakrooms are still altogether too small and inconvenient.  They should be improved and arrangements should be made for providing lavatory accommodation.