Auntie Kate housewife

On September 15, 2023September 18, 2023 By HelenFinchIn #SticklepathOnePlace, Local History1 Comment

Kate continues to tell us about her life: Once I was married it was my job to make our little house into a home and do all the housework. Nice to be working for yourself though, making the choices. We had various tradesmen calling, like Fishy Holman, the fish man. He came twice a week from South Zeal. The butcher never came til late in the day, the midnight butcher we called him!

Then there was Mr Wonnacott’s groceries. He came with a covered wagon, horse drawn of course, with a tank built into the back for Paraffin. My sister Gina made sure I was not to buy that, ‘cos of course her husband Finch sold paraffin, and coal.

The baker, Marks from Okehampton, also came with his big square basket. Ooo such lovely bread, cottage loaves and so on. Sometimes he had a second much shallower oblong wicker basket, with lids that folded over each side, you know. Contained special treats, a jam tart or piece of cake. Wasn’t very often. Course you then you would have to pop down the road to the dairy for half a quarter of clotted cream. William would often give the girls a penny to spend at one of the sweetie shops – several ladies ran a little shop in the village to help make ends meet.

Like Miss Harriet Worden down by the bridge at Waters Meet, and Mrs Ada Tucker up at number one Ska View Cottages.

William loved to be part of any social events. Either in one of the local village halls or related to church or chapel. He even helped with making banners for the church parades. It was a lovely time in my life.

Sticklepath is a pretty village and attracts tourists to Dartmoor. When Gina was too busy with the guest house at Cleave House I would offer my help.

Sadly mother died in 1911 and William soon after in 1912. I always saved the memorial cards, a real source of remembrance when I lived away. Of course, you always knew bad news was coming when one of those letters arrived in an envelope with a black edge.

William was buried in the Sticklepath Burying Ground. We always call it the Quaker Burying Ground though it had been ecumenical for 100 years by then. Hidden down behind the Finch Foundry, it is a peaceful place where you can sit and contemplate the world with the gentle gurgling of the river Taw in the background.

A rough hewn granite headstone, really suited him. Boasting of course of his Crimean adventures.

Shortly after William died, of course, I lost his war pension. Having no source of income, I found a house-keeping position down in Cornwall – Tywardreath, near Parr. So that’s where I married the second time…

Don’t miss Auntie Kate telling tales of Sticklepath School:

Auntie Kate and Uncle Middle

On September 14, 2023September 15, 2023 By HelenFinchIn #SticklepathOnePlace, Local History1 Comment

#SticklepathOne #AllAboutThatPlace

This is the next instalment of the life of Kezia Ching, also known as Auntie Kate. Auntie Kate is my alter ego and she will be talking at the #AllAboutThatPlace event to celebrate our great genealogical and local history societies and the 10th anniversary of the Society for One-Place Studies.

You will have to imagine Auntie Kate’s Devonshire burr. “Now then me dearies I be going’ to tell ‘ee someat ’bout me firs’ ‘usband…”

Ooh, I loved them hats, I could alter the decorations and make it new for each occasion. Usually did it myself but for real special occasions I took it to Miss Finch who kept the milliners in Okehampton, on Fore Street there. I dare say that’s where I bought that one you see on the right.

This here soldier is my Crimean war veteran, Private William Middle.

We were married in 1898. There were murmurings of course – he were 40 years older than me. Older than my father indeed. Twas practicality and companionship really. I couldn’t have looked after him as a single woman, lived with him without being his wife.

Anyhow being married gave me a bit more respectability, and of course I had to give up my position and come home closer to Sticklepath. Eliza was my bridesmaid and William had Samuel Knight as his best man. So many gifts, twas very useful. William had lived in lodgings and I was in service, so we needed most things for the kitchen and so on. We went to live down Exbourne, rented a little place t’other side of Okehampton to start off, but that didn’t last long.

We soon came back to Sticklepath. We had a lovely little garden there next to the chapel – see me, a lady of leisure, sat there taking tea next to my husband, with a visitor!

Yer be our house, Farley Cottage, jus’ opposite chapel. That’s William, with our nieces – Phyllis and Muriel. Uncle Middle and Auntie Kate they called us. Well I suppose, being of senior years, using his surname showed the proper respect. He would have been ‘Uncle’ before we married cos his first wife were a Finch, a relation of the girl’s father. I, of course, sister to their mother Gina.

On high days, holidays and every Sunday, William would don his Crimea medals. People gathered each week before chapel or church and walked up and down the village greeting each other and chatting, sharing their latest news. William loved that, an audience for his stories of the war and how he helped with laying the first telegraph wire to America. In those days chapel was nearly always full and about 30 or 40 children would be there besides.

We all looked forward to the annual chapel outing and Sunday school anniversary. We had started having a few family picnics on Dartmoor by then too. And a bit later, 1920s we would all go in one of them Charabancs to Ilfracombe or Bude.

Next time Auntie Kate housewife…

Auntie Kate’s Early Life and Schooling

On September 12, 2023September 25, 2023 By HelenFinchIn #SticklepathOnePlace, Local History1 Comment

Kate had two sisters. Eliza was four years her senior and Georgina was two and a half years younger than Kate. Their mother was a dress-maker. I wonder if the girls were taught to make their own clothes at home?

Their twin brothers George and Louis were born when Kate was six. It is likely that once Eliza went into service Kate would often have been responsible for the boys.

We do not know which school the Ching children attended, but all the children were educated. They lived about equidistant from Belstone and Sticklepath. Both had Dame schools at times. Miss Martha Gillard had her day school in Belstone and I suspect the children went to her. Martha Eliza Gillard (b.1838) was of Irish extraction, but began her private school in Weigelia Cottage, Belstone by the age of 19. She is in William White’s directory 1878-9. At times it seems her mother Letitia ran the school, between them the school continued for 53 years, ending in 1910. Miss Gillard had a wooden leg, but that didn’t stop her. She lived to the grand age of 91 years.

Weigelia Cottage (Later Stoneycott) with the next generation of the Ching Family (George and Rose).

Miss Gillard is said to have used an ebony cane. After punishing a child she would wrap their hand in cobwebs to stem the bleeding and ease the pain.

For some children at that time Sunday school was their only opportunity to learn to read and write. The Ching Family were Methodist. Sticklepath chapel was very popular and a school room was added, opening in 1866 which must have been exciting for the 6 year old Kate. The bell was added at the same time, very unusual for Methodism. It rang for well over 100 years, calling people in to worship.