Great Aunt Elsie
This article is based upon information supplied by my great aunt Elsie in 1992.
Although an Ushaw Moor girl she lived with her Godparents at Consett until, at the age of ten, she moved back to her parent's home in Ushaw Moor.
At the age of ten Elsie attended the Ushaw Moor council school opposite Temperance Terrace. She was very much a church girl and was actively involved in the church sunday school and Band Of Hope. She enjoyed all of that as well as school activities such as concerts, rounders and hockey.She recalled that sunday school picnics were held at Sedwickes farm at New Brancepeth. She also remembered her day trips to Redcar and fortnightly holidays each year at her aunt's home in North Shields.My great aunt remembered being given a new dress every Easter and Whit.
The family got electric light when they moved to 14 South View; it was supplied by the colliery.
Slang was frowned upon and therefore never heard at home whereas respect for others was actively encouraged by her parents.
Elsie's grandfather, Richard Hope [Dickie Hope's grandfather] owned the house next door to the post office in Temperance Terrace. It was called 'Raymount' For the sake of clarification it was and is, 2 Temperance Terrace. Her grandmother used the sitting room of that house as a general provision shop. Her grandmother and her great aunt baked a lot of bread for sale in the shop. Much later it was turned into a fish shop, run by Lizzie Hope.
Christmas was always a very enjoyable time. Every member of the family was at home for it. Her mother always made ginger wine . As for presents they were not big, but much appreciated; typically Elsie got a box of paints and games such as ludo and snakes and ladders.
On leaving school Elsie went into domestic service in Bradford. She felt it was very much 'upstairs and downstairs'. My great aunt followed that up with similiar service in Harrogate and then Cumberland. It was in Cumberland that she met her future husband, John Moses.He was a deputy at a Maryport colliery. They then moved to Yorkshire and started a family.
Wilf Bell
Paul,
Every time i read your article about Great Aunt
Elsie it brings a smile to my face, my maternal Grand-
mother lived in High View, after the electricity was
installed she would switch on the kitchen light so that
she could see to fill and light the paraffin lamp and
then switch the electric light off again.
No amount of
assurance or advice from my mother would make her change
her mind saying "it,s dangerous, it could cause a fire",
my parents even asked the local Methodist Minister to
have a word with Grandma Wanless which he did, all to no
avail until old -age caught up with her and she no longer
had the strength to lift-down the old oil lamp
Regards to all
Geoff, Turner.
(Comment this)
Thanks
Paul :) (Comment this)
Paul,
My apologies to both you and Wilf for yet
another blunder, i,ll make sure it never
happens again.
G,T. (Comment this)
Wilf Bell (Comment this)