Tape 002. Mrs Dorothy Ireland (nee Goss), sides 3 and 4

Tape 2 Mrs Ireland was born in 1894, and was interviewed on 25 November 1976. when she lived at 12 Chalks Road, Witham. She also appears on tapes 1, 3, 7, 33, 86, 90 and 97. For more information about her, see the the notes in the people category headed Ireland, Mrs Dorothy (Dolly), nee … Continue reading “Tape 002. Mrs Dorothy Ireland (nee Goss), sides 3 and 4”

Schools. The Church school and the Maldon Road School

Some of Witham’s children have recently moved up to our two ‘big schools’, Rickstones and Maltings (formerly Bramston). But until 1937, when Bramston Secondary School was built, there were no ‘big schools’ in Witham. A very few children, who could afford the uniform and pass the test, went to big schools in other towns. But … Continue reading “Schools. The Church school and the Maldon Road School”

Guithavon Street

  People often ask me where the street name “Guithavon” comes from. It was coined by Witham’s William Henry Pattisson in 1842, when he gave the land for Guithavon Street to be laid out. Previously there had just been a footpath. For many years I dismissed Mr Pattisson’s choice of Guithavon as just being guesswork. … Continue reading “Guithavon Street”

Schools. Infants 1895 onwards.

New infants are beginning school now, so I’ve been looking at what their lives would have been like a hundred years ago. In those days, many children started school when they were three or even two. The youngest ones were known as ‘the babies’. An inspector in 1899 wrote that ”the babies badly want a … Continue reading “Schools. Infants 1895 onwards.”