Index

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The Seymour family - courtesy of Mr. Smith via Mrs Howell

Mrs Grote-Joyce and a group of ladies c.1900 - courtesy of Mrs Betty Wadkin via John Abbott

Women's Institute Members through the decades -courtesy of Mrs. Bellamy, Mrs. Bowes, Mrs. Fryer, Mrs. Howell

Mrs Mason - interviewed by Brian Widdowson

Mrs Keal - interviewed by Brian Widdowson

Village Characters - courtesy of Joyce Bainbridge, Gay Baggaley, Mrs Bessie Dring and Mr Len Dring via John Abbott, Mr Edlin via Mrs Howell, Derek and Violet Handley, Mrs Margaret Ogden and, Mrs Tuckwood

Village Teams - courtesy of Mr. J. Abbott, Mrs Fryer, Mr. G. Lane, Mrs Howell and Mrs Jean Spicer

The Royal British Legion in the mid 1930s, coutesy of Mr. J. Holmes and Mr. D. Andrews via John Abbott

Village Outing 1946/7- courtesy of Joyce Bainbridge via John Abbott

Dr Barbara Moore in Long Bennington during the 1950s -courtesy of Mrs. G. Baggaley via John Abbott

Opening of Wood Close Retirement Bungalows in the 1960s - courtesy of Mrs Susan Edwards via John Abbott

The following is an abridged version of an interview with Mrs Mason, by Brian Widdowson, carried out in May 1998 when she was then 90 years old

Mrs. Mason once lived at the Limes, Church Street, Long Bennington. Her father rented the Limes from the water mill owner, Mr. Rowbotham.  Her parents were Mr. and Mrs. Hopkinson and her father ran a Steam Cultivator business. A steam engine was positioned each side of the field one engine dragged the plough across and the other pulled it back ( He is listed in the 1922 directory as William Hopkinson - Agricutural machine owner). When Mr. Rowbotham retired from the mill he wanted the Limes back and the Hopkinson family moved to Elston. Mrs. Mason has photographs of the steam engines taken at Elston. Altogether there were six engines. One of the engines had a brass plate with Mrs. Masons name, Catherine, on it and another was named Mary. When tractors eventually came in to use her father went bankrupt.

Mrs. Mason was only a child of school age when the family first moved to Long Bennington. She was born at Balderton Grange. Her father was a farmer there but he moved to the Firs in Farndon and set up the Steam Cultivator business. He then moved from Farndon to Long Bennington. Mrs. Mason was placed in the infant class at Long Bennington when she first came to the village but was quickly moved up to the next class. This was during the first world war. ( approximately 1914). She stayed on at Bennington school until she was fifteen and the family moved shortly after she left  school to Elston, next to the Chapel there. (approximately 1922) The normal school leaving age was 14 but she asked if she could stay on longer.

She remembered going to the Manor House and there being a big old mulberry Tree outside. She also went to Priory House when the Younghusbands were there. They had a big old gramophone with a large horn and the children practiced country dancing there in a group of  24 or so.

Mrs. Mason's youngest brother was born at Bennington. While he was being born a Zeppelin came over the village following the course of the Witham and dropping bombs but none fell on Long Bennington

She remembered the orchard belonging to the Doctors house. As children they went to pinch the doctors apples. He used to say you can pick them up from the floor but don't pick any from the tree. Mrs. Mason remarked on the high banks that are now next to the Witham and remembered that it used to flood regularly near the footpath from Church Street to Westbrough. When it was frozen over she remembered skating on it.

Hitchcocks Lane was known as Itchicoo Lane and is now called Acklands Lane. The Main Road was always referred to as the Ramper.

She went to whist drives and dances in the Iron Church and remembers that the Vicar was aggrieved about it because it was a religious place originally. Her family used the old Wesleyan Chapel at the end of the village. She remembered that the flower show was held in the iron Church and that it was used by the WI but on reflection she thought it must have been the Mothers Union. Bottles of milk were bought from the dairy at the back of the White Lion, now Witham Bank. Fishermen used to fish in the Witham near the Royal Oak and after a days fishing get drunk in the Royal Oak.

 

 The following is an abrdidged version of an interview with Mrs Keal, carried out by Brian Widdowson, in December 1996 and January 1997 when she was then about 75 years old

She was born in Long Bennington and lived in Perseverance Cottages. Her farther was Arthur William Probyn who served in the BEF during WW1. He also went on the British military expedition to Tibet circa 1904. The party was lead by a Younghusband who lived in Priory House. and that Younghusband obtained him a military pension.. She claimed that her father installed telegraph wires from Tibet (to British India?) and that he was a telegraphist. Negatives of some photographs taken in Tibet by her father are in the Victoria and Albert museum. They were deposited in about 1994. by a Mr John Clark of the V & A who collected them from Mrs Keal. Her fathers notes were on the back of some of the original prints  of these photographs. These prints were possibly in the possession of her sister, but a lot had been thrown away. Her sister also had letters written by her father. Her father committed suicide by jumping off a railway bridge in Balderton, leaving her mother with 4 little ones. The suicide was reported in a Newark paper. Her youngest sister was born after the suicide.

She remembered sneaking into the vicarage grounds and into a large hollow tree to smoke cigarettes when she was 15 years old and receiving cloth parcels from the Grote- Joyce's when they were in America . She also remembered Gash taking over the mill at Long Bennington. This was the same Gash family who ran the bus service between Newark and Nottingham