Annie Johnson, 7 October 2003
Great Website! I thought you might find the enclosed extract interesting.
I am the daughter of John Charles Bradshaw, late of Crossbank House, and went to school in Cottingham in the 1950’s.
Below is an extract from a letter sent from Alfred Bradshaw of Hill Top Farm in about 1918 to his brother-in-law George Sturman in London, where his son John Charles Bradshaw was living.
Alfred’s first wife Annie Louisa Sturman died a month after John’s birth. Alfred then married Sarah Simpson and they produced a son, the Late Fred Bradshaw of Blind Lane. In the meantime, John’s brother Tom, died at about the age of 4 from Dyptheria.
“….Have had a man and 3 government horses a month, but they went away last Monday. We are all very glad the war is over. So far Fred Inchley is home. He has been one of the favoured ones. (?) Cookswell, is just as weak, and one of the pothoe boys, Bill, he’s not very grand. Mrs Mark Firth would send him to a good home and pay all expenses, but I think he belongs to the old gang – sooner go Publick house. Hope you have got the potatoes all right. I paid the carriage. All being well we shall be sending a parcel next week. The plague (influenza) that is about has taken W. Foster, Tom Cannam’s youngest son and poor old Bill Crain the highstrung boy, off very quickly and a great many been seriously ill. W. Reynolds was married on Wednesday. Had Fred Simpson home for 18 days leave. It would not be so bad going back now the firing is done. He looked better than last year. We shall be soon looking out for Xmas.
P.S. They are shifting some horses out of the army now – hundred every week.”
The style of writing is quite difficult to decipher, so any of the above names may be inaccurate – comments welcome!
Annie Johnson (daughter of the late John Bradshaw mentioned above)
7 October 2003
Hello Jane,
Pretty sure the row of cottages were on the Corby Road, opposite the ‘jitty’ down to Water Lane. During my childhood, Mr George Smith had an upholstery business in one of them. There used to be a footpath through the field at the back Stonepits, pronounced locally as stunpits, up to the council houses on Bancroft Road. There were allotments there I think, not to mention pigs! To describe the position a bit more accurately, they were just beyond the turn to Blind Lane.
Hope others agree.
Annie Johnson
Hello Annie,
How lovely to hear from you! The extract from the letter you have sent really brings to life what it must have been like living in Cottingham/Middleton just after the war. I’ve looked up the names that are mentioned in your letter on the 1901 Cottingham Census. So far, I have found the following:
• Frederick Simpson, Blind Lane, Cottingham, a mason’s son who would have been 38 in 1918.
• Fred Inchley, Middleton, aged 20 in 1918
• William Foster, Middleton, working as an errand boy in 1901, aged 32 in 1918
• Annie Sturman, Rockingham Road, Cottingham, dressmaker aged 28 in 1901
I can’t find any of the other people at the moment. I only have the full listing for Cottingham and I expect quite a few of the people mentioned are from Middleton. Some of them may not have been born in 1901 of course!
Thanks so much for your e-mail.
Regards, Jane
Hi Annie,
Thanks for the information on the stone cottages. Tim Davies agrees with you, and also mentions George Smith’s upholstery business, so looks like a cert!
Regards,
Jane
cottinghamhistory.co.uk
Hello Jane,
There is a large stone on the left of one of the wellhead pictures. When I was a girl, there was a curious area of massive flat stones, set opposite the yard gate to Crossbank House. They leaned against the field wall, onto the main road, where Jack Glover’s wall now stands. I have a picture somewhere of us kids standing on them. Wonder where the stones are now?
Annie Johnson
Hi Jane,
I took a book out of Market Harborough library recently called The Leicestershire Graziers, written by A.M. Billings – a founder member (I think) of the Leicestershire & Rutland Family History Society.
By a quirky coincidence there is a whole chapter about the first recorded Billings (of Rolleston) who was witness to the will of one John Dove esq. John Dove was buried in Wool at Cottingham in 1679. Bury Manor, copyhold land etc is mentioned. Have you ever come across it?
Kind regards,
Annie Johnson (of Bradshaw/Sturman descent!)