Rural Leicestershire

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Village life

1.54 mins

[465kb]

Interviewee:

Well, my father was a farm labourer in those days and he worked in, at the big farm in the village and he was what we called a cowman. And then, of course, my mother, I mean, we lived down in a tied cottage away from the village, a little way down the lane and our house was on its own. It was amongst the fields which was a wonderful really. And we were the only ones, really, in the village that had water laid on because the water came from the farm to supply the troughs in the fields for the animals. So we had tap water whereas the villagers had pumps [...].

EMOHA:

It sounds like you were better off than other people in the village, though.

Interviewee:

Yes, well we'd got water laid on. People used pumps, you see, or if they were in an enclosure like we called 'The Rookery' or 'The Green' they'd got a tap that supplied all the people. But at the farm where Dad worked, they'd got a daughter and, you see, we didn't mix with them because they went to grammar school and so, of course, we didn't mix with Miss Mabel, as we had to call her. And she always, it always stands out in my memory of her and her mother walking up the village in their beautiful jackets and skirts with their walking sticks. And you didn't speak to them.

EMOHA:

Didn't… Not at all?

Interviewee:

No they didn't acknowledge anyone.

EMOHA:

Not even "Good morning"?

Interviewee:

No. No. My father worked for them you see.

Last updated: 21/11/03
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