The Memories of Edith Colman

The Booklet

Many years ago a teacher at school gave me a rather battered copy of a book called ‘Memories of Old Arksey’ by Edith Colman. It was falling apart and some pages were missing but I found the content fascinating and so kept it. 

In the early 1990's I was able to obtain a more complete copy from the ‘Bentley with Arksey Heritage Society’ (see photo above). I have no idea how many copies of the book were printed, but it is no longer in print today. 

Here I present a retelling of the book in my own words, with some photographs of my own choosing which do not appear in the book, but add interest to the narrative.

Contents

• Edith Colman
• Memories of Old Arksey
• Girlhood in Old Arksey
• Peggy Legs and Killing the Pig
• A Rebel in Our Midst
• Vicar was a Genial Man
• Woolies for Soldiers
• The Golden Age Could Not Last

Edith Colman

Edith Colman was born in Norfolk on the 30th of June 1901. It is unclear when she moved to Doncaster, but it was certainly during her early childhood. The 1911 census tells us that nine year old Edith was living with her mother Annie Colman, at the home of Annie's two brothers, Fred and Francis Garner. Fred and Francis both worked for the Railways at the Plant, and all three siblings were born in Arksey. 

Nothing more is known about Edith until we get to 1961, when I found her in an old telephone directory. We can presume she never married, as her name hadn't changed. Her address is the other interesting information given here, and that is 38 Station road, Arksey. The very first of the terraced row on the north side of the road.

Edith Colman's former home

Sometime in the latter years of her life, probably the 1960's, she decided to publish an account of her childhood memories in Arksey, so that even after her death in 1975, her legacy to the history of the village she obviously loved, can still be enjoyed by all those similarly interested.

Memories of Old Arksey

 

Girlhood in Old Arksey

Edith's book starts out by portraying Arksey as an idyllic country village in the early years of the twentieth century, free from the grip of industry. She describes a peaceful village with green meadows, yellow corn, no cars and no crime. The people of Arksey were content with their lot and asked for nothing.

Idyllic Arksey

She goes on to describe the village in more detail; from the station, where a train ride to Doncaster cost 3d return, to the church and vicarage which occupied the centre of the village. There were twelve almshouses arranged in a quadrangle with a lawn in the centre, and there was a small vegetable garden for each dwelling. The schoolmaster and his wife, who both taught at the school, lived in the schoolhouse opposite. The bachelor Squire lived at the hall and employed a number of village people. She also mentions the village farms and old stone cottages which looked very picturesque. Mention is also made of the chapel and two shops, one of which was a combined post office and general store, while the other was a butchers and grocers shop.

She paints a picture of a tight knit community, where most families were related, by blood or by marriage, and the pride they had in the village they called home.

The Old School

When describing school life, Edith remembers how the youngest children (admitted at the age of three and half) were taught by a kind and patient young lady in a small classroom. She remembers three classrooms at the old school, the second of which was run by the headmistress and had a very different atmosphere from the first classroom, describing the headmistress as clever, but lacking patience with slow pupils. The 'cane' was very much in evidence to keep discipline.

Girls were taught to sew and knit, requiring them to take in something to be mended, patched or darned. The girls wore long frocks with white pinafores, black stockings and buttoned boots. The headmistress wore a skirt and blouse and kept a gold watch on a chain tucked into a small pocket inside the top of her skirt. The children found it a fascinating procedure whenever the watch was taken out and the time checked.

Arksey School in 1906,
Edith Colman could be in this photo as she would have been five years old

Edith remembers the winters being very severe with deep snow making the roads virtually impassable. In this chivalrous age boys escorted the girls to school, making sure they didn't slip on the icy roads. Inside the school, the classrooms were heated by large coke stoves. This required the girls to take it in turns to sweep up the ashes and tidy the hearth before going home for dinner at noon, a task no-one liked but had to be carried out properly with the headmistress looking on.

Moving into the headmaster's classroom brought even stricter discipline and harder lessons.The headmaster was keen on using the 'cane' for poor work, unruly behaviour or talking in class, and kept an eagle eye on the class from his position with his back to the stove. 

Edith describes how the headmaster would trust the class to carry on working in silence whenever he had to leave the room. On his return one of the boys would report someone for talking, and this usually led to a fight. Notes would be passed around announcing the time of the fight, and the whole school would turn up to watch until the best boy won, or someone came along and broke it up.

In the photo above, taken in 1906 in front of Arksey school. The headmaster was Henry Woodhouse, his wife Sarah was also a teacher and stands to the right of the photo. These are the teachers to whom Edith refers.

Peggy Legs and Killing the Pig

Edith Colman remembers a time when men laboured all day on the land and women slaved at home. There was so much work to do that even the children were expected to help out with certain chores.

Monday was wash day, and girls would help their mothers with this task after school. All the washing was done by hand, with rubbing boards and peggy legs. A common washing aid in the north of England, peggy legs, (or dolly), was basically a stool with a long handle which was turned back and forth in a large tub of rainwater and soap. Once the washing was dry, the clothes were carefully folded and put through a mangle which smoothed them and did away with the need to iron sheets and towels. Other items were ironed using a flat iron heated on an open fire.

The wash-tub and peggy legs

Monday was also the day of the blacksmith's visit. Boys would crowd into the small blacksmith's shop to watch as farmers brought their horses in to be shod.

One of the baking days was Tuesday and everyone baked their own bread. Dough was worked in a large earthenware bowl called a 'pansion', and girls were taught to knead bread at an early age. The bread oven was at one side of the coal fire while the other side had a water boiler with a tap, this is where the domestic water was heated. Water was drawn from the pump in the yard and was very pure. Water for washing and cleaning was rainwater collected in large barrels outside.

Edith remembers an old lady who brewed her own beer in a large copper, filling the village with the reek of it. She would often offer a glass to the men who lived nearby, although it was common to keep a barrel of beer in the house at that time.


Many of the cottage dwellers kept one or two pigs, and the killing of a pig often drew a crowd of school children. It was the local butcher who slaughtered the pig and then later cut up the meat for salting. Households that didn't keep a pig made up 'swill' for their neighbours' pigs, this consisted of washing up water (without any soap in it) and table scraps, this was used for feed.

The farm men worked the hardest during harvest time. School children helped by gathering in a large barn in the centre of the village, to make straw bands for tying up the corn sheaves. The harvest was taken from the fields by heavy farm horses to the stack yards, where it would wait for the threshing machine which would travel from farm to farm. Once the harvest was gathered in there would be a harvest festival held at the church with everyone contributing such items as corn, fruit, vegetables, homemade jams, honey and bread.

A Rebel in our Midst

Edith Colman remembers a time, before World War 1, when etiquette was all important, and how you were seen as a rebel if you didn't conform. Girls were taught to curtsy to the squire, the vicar's wife and people of importance in the village, while the boys touched their caps. However, Edith recalls an incident with a village newcomer who wasn't prepared to follow this particular village custom.

The curtsy

On the day in question, Edith and one of the newcomers were leaving school when they met a lady deserving of a curtsy. Edith recalls how the new girl looked on in amazement as she curtsied to the lady, and recounts the following conversation:

“Why did you bob down?”

I replied: “That was a curtsy”.
Again came a question: “Why did you do that?”                  
I  replied: “Because she is a lady and lives in a big house and keeps maids”. 
“Is she married?”

“No”.

“Then why do you call her Ma’am?” (We had answered her ‘Good afternoon’ with ‘Good afternoon Ma’am).

After some thought my friend added: “Well, I shan’t curtsy to her, and I shan’t call her ‘Ma’am’ but I might call her ‘Miss’”.

This she did, and as the lady in question was a Sunday school teacher, they got on very well together, 'Miss' being accepted without comment.

Arksey Hall, home of Squire Chadwick

Edith recalls how the squire would often be seen walking around the village with his white terrier dog, and how he would stop to watch the children playing, giving them each a silver three-penny piece. She recalls that the squire was a kind man who treated his employees well, and was much respected by everyone. Edith remembers watching for the squire while playing in a farmer's field, but ended up being chased off by the farmer brandishing a large stick.

Arksey Station in 1905

Holiday times are fondly recalled, with a day at the seaside, travelling by train from Arksey station. Christmas in Arksey was much anticipated by the children. 

Christmas day started with the early ringing of the church bells, after which the bell ringers would breakfast with the local undertaker and carpenter. Having hung up their stockings the night before, the children would receive an apple, an orange, sweets and sometimes new clothing. 

The New Year was 'let in' by the local butcher, who brought a piece of coal into the house. He would stay for a glass of beer or whisky and a slice of cake. 

On Shrove Tuesday the church bell rang at noon, this was known as the 'pancake bell'. An old lady would arrive at the school in a horse and trap at this time, and her groom would unload cases of oranges. Each child was then sent home with two oranges for their pancakes.

Vicar was a Genial Man

All Saints Church is at the centre of Arksey, and Edith Colman remembers a time when the church was at the heart of the community, and the vicar was regarded as a friend as well as a leader. A genial Welshman, he was known to enjoy a glass of beer with the men of the village. Edith doesn't name the vicar, but historical records show this vicar to be the Rev. Edward William Jones, who served the church from 1907 to 1910.

Arksey Church in 1912

Edith recalls a typical Sunday in Arksey; starting with mothers attending Holy Communion at eight a.m. After which, the children would attend Sunday school at ten a.m. Sunday school was held in the day school before the church hall was built. The children attended Matins in the church at eleven a.m. And then Sunday school would recommence at two thirty p.m. Sometimes this was followed by a walk before going home for tea, and Evensong at six thirty p.m.

The headmaster was the organist and choirmaster, which meant that many of the school pupils were admitted to the choir.

Edith recalls how the church bells were rung for every service, with often more ringers than bells. The Bishop was a regular visitor to the village and often stayed at the vicarage.

Edith remembers when the time came to be Confirmed. The Commandments, Catechism and Creed were all learned by heart, and the girls all had new white dresses. They would go to the vicarage before the service where the vicar's wife would arrange their veils.

First Communion dress

The year was punctuated by the church festivals and seasons, and Edith explains how these customs were observed in the village. For instance, during Lent, the children would give up eating sweets and save their pennies to buy an Easter egg. Extra money could be earned by scrubbing doorsteps and cleaning all the boots in the house.

Easter was much anticipated, it was the end of the fast and the children had their Easter eggs. Girls would often have a new dress to wear on Easter Sunday, and it was often the case that more attention was paid to the clothes rather than the church service.

Edith recalls how the Easter holidays would be spent playing in the streets with whips and tops, hoops and skipping ropes (made from an old clothes line), and games such as hop-scotch, marbles and cricket would also feature.

Hoop Rolling

One event which Edith fondly remembers is the 'Sunday School Treat', held at Arksey Hall. She remembers large tables covered in white cloths and lovely cakes and food. The children's mothers would help out and ensure good behaviour. Following the tea, the grounds were opened to friends and relations, some coming by train from town. The squire knew all the children by name and enjoyed the day along with everyone else.

Edith also remembers another festival called 'All Saints', when the church was beautifully decorated for Evensong

Another event which Edith recalls was the 'Feast'. It was held on the first Sunday in August, but started on the Monday before. Gypsies parked their caravans in the small lane near the church and small roundabouts and sweet stalls were erected. Stalls were also put up around the church wall, loaded with trinkets. Games such as, skittles and quoits were played in the evenings and the stalls were all lit by paraffin lamps. The Feast drew in relatives from other villages and ex residents. 

Recalling the customs surrounding a death in the village, Edith recalls how the 'passing bell' was rung by the verger to inform the village of the death. This mournful bell would ring for quite a while followed by three ones for a child, three two's for a woman, and three three's for a man. On the day of the funeral everyone would draw their curtains or blinds in their houses, and all the villagers would follow a hand-drawn hearse. The bereaved wore mourning clothes for a year and didn't attend any social functions during this time.

Woollies for Soldiers

In this chapter, Edith Colman describes a darker side of Arksey life. As the industrial era brought change to the village, war also brought death.

Edith explains how rumours of land being sold for the sinking of a pit nearby, cast a 'vague shadow' over the rural tranquility of the village. The year was 1908 and news of a pit at neighbouring Bentley brought mixed feelings. Yes, the pit would bring jobs and better wages for the men, but at the cost of the countryside becoming spoiled and dirty. Edith remembers that the area chosen for the mine was a place where she went for walks over the fields, and was very pretty.

Bentley Pit in 1911

Edith remembers how the new pit affected the population of Arksey. New houses were built for the miners and their families who came from other parts of the country. She describes that it was the first time that any 'foreigners' had appeared among them. However, they were soon accepted into the village, and they participated in village life, by joining the church, singing in the choir, and the children making new friends. Life went on in peace until 1914 when war was declared with Germany.

Edith recalls, that while most of the young men were keen to 'join up' as soon as they could, the war brought extra work for the school children. In the evenings, the girls would gather at the school house, where they would knit 'body belts' and socks for the soldiers, under the critical eye of the headmistress. Edith says they were rewarded with a certificate saying they had helped to knit garments for the soldiers in the 'Great War'. 

WW1 soldier.

While the girls were busy with their knitting, the boys would work in the schoolhouse gardens, helping to keep the weeds down under the guise of 'gardening lessons'. As most of the men folk were in the Army, the boys would also work in the gardens of the almshouses.

Edith's memories of war time are of the food being very scarce, but she remembers nothing of the Zeppelin raids, sleeping soundly through them all.

When news came through of the deaths of a few young men from the village who had been fighting in France, people turned to the vicar and his wife for support. The kind vicar from Edith's early childhood had left the village in 1910. He was replaced by another Welshman, Rev. Arthur Rhys James and his wife. Edith recalls how the church was open all day for private prayer, and sometimes it was never left empty. Services during the week were held, with litanies and prayers said for the soldiers serving abroad.

Edith remembers how the sadness and tragedy of war drew the people of Arksey closer together. News of a young man's death being like a bereavement in one large family. She also recalls how the ladies from the almshouses dressed in sombre attire when attending the church services. They wore long skirts of deep black which trailed on the ground, being pinned up at the back with a large skirt pin. They wore black capes, and black bonnets, tied at the chin with long ribbons, and looked like figures from a bygone age.

Mourning Dress

Edith recalls how life went back to normal after the war ended, with some going out into the world to earn a living after leaving school, while others found employment nearer home, later marrying and settling down.

The Golden Age Could Not Last

Edith remembers, with some sadness, how village life changed in the gathering pace of the twentieth century. She describes how the lustre of the old rustic way of life began to fade. The vicar and his wife left the parish in 1924, to the sorrow of the villagers. He had been vicar, counsellor, and advisor to the people of Arksey. However, a new vicar and his family arrived, and took up the reigns of his predecessor. Edith remembers his kinds words on opening the door to someone in need,

“Come along in. Money and gold have I none, but such as I have I will give you – my time and advice”.

Edith describes him as a talented man, a good priest, who worked far too hard and literally 'gave his life for others', dying while still a comparatively young man. She describes how he helped people when the floods returned to the village. Arksey had been prone to flooding for many years, but after forty years, the village was struck by severe flooding once again. Edith remembers it as a frightening experience when the water gushed from the river banks, down the lanes, and five feet of water flooded the village. The people had to move their furniture and belongings upstairs, and many went to stay with relatives or friends until the water subsided. Those who insisted on staying in their homes lived upstairs, and the vicar helped them by taking milk, food and newspapers to them by boat. The church and vicarage were spared from flooding as they appeared to stand on their own little island. 

The vicar Edith remembers from the floods was Rev. John Pierce Price (1894 - 1953) who was vicar from 1929 up to his death at the age of 59. 

Flooding on High Street in 1932

Edith was away from Arksey during World War II, but remembers how it was an anxious time for everyone. Food shortages, strict black out rules, terrifying air raids and the worry of parents whose sons were fighting, was a time to be endured.

After the war, village life settled down again. Edith remembers how the people, saddened by the war, were drawn together and maybe even a little kinder to each other.

Edith describes the great changes which the village underwent following the war. Land previously used for grazing cattle was used to build new estates. New families moved into the village, and the roads were busy with cars, lorries and motorcycles all the time. Farm horses were replaced with machinery, and the Hall was divided into two houses, with the stabling block used as business premises. Unchanged were the almshouses, school and the ever constant church, towering over the village and protecting everyone.

Cottages on High Street being demolished in the mid 20th century.

Modern buildings stood alongside ancient ones, and Edith remarks that the ancient ones had much more character and dignity, "as if the old craftsmen had put something of themselves into them." Edith also recalls how a new vicar and his family had moved into the vicarage, and she describes seeing a happy little boy playing on the vicarage law, and a pram standing outside. She describes how the role of the vicar had changed from the days spent ministering to the needs of the parishioners. The parish was now much larger and the vicar was often required to serve as chaplain in the hospital, give religious instruction in school or as an industrial chaplain. She describes the very different role of the vicar's wife too. Very much the housewife, caring for her family, she would have had less time for parish work. They would have found it impossible to know all their parishioners as they did in the old days.

As Edith ends her book and her look back at her own life she recalls a poem:

I cannot see the course my ship must take,

But looking backward I behold its shining wake,

Illuminated with God’s light of love,

And so I onward go,

In perfect trust that he who holds the helm the

Course must know.

I cannot see the plan, on which he builds my life,

And oft the hammer blows confuse me,

Until, I see in all details, with his good plan

My life agrees.

Edith Colman

__________

Alison Vainlo

First written 2012, updated 2020