1. Some Memories.
2. Street Trading.
3. Homes and People.
1. SOME MEMORIES
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GENERALLY most of the activities of village life are centred around the village church, but in Braunton, Cross Tree, almost in the centre of the village, was the liveliest spot. This was the site of the old Saxon East Cross and was marked by an old elm tree. The site was almost a square and was the site of all open air gatherings and activities.
On summer evenings the band of the local volunteer corps would entertain the villagers and afterwards the local orchestra would follow suit.
It was the pitch of the Salvation Army, for open air meetings on Sunday afternoons, previous to being led by their band to their citadel in South Street.
After the Sunday evening services in the local places of worship there would be a united open air service under the tree Local worthies would speak and often shout and the voice of one sea captain could be heard a mile away.
Cross Tree was the pitch for cheap-jacks, quack doctors and people who had various wares to sell. On these occasions great crowds gathered. The cheap-jacks often started their sales by holding attractive competitions.
On one occasion an apple dumpling eating competition was held under the tree. A well known craftsman won the prize by consuming no less than sixteen boiled apple dumplings in quick time, a feat which was the topic of conversation for a very long time.
Hard by the tree was the Red Lion Inn and the ground outside was the pitch of quack doctors. I remember one American Quack who called himself Wanga. His pills were guaranteed to cure all ills and his lotions and medicines were unsurpassed. Wanga was a clever dentist and he gathered his crowd when he gave free dental extractions. As the patients climbed on to the platform in front of his wagonette the crowd cheered, and the applause was greater when the extraction was performed on a yelling patient. After the dental operation Wanga would lecture on various common ailments and proceed to sell his pills and lotions. Needless to say he did a roaring trade, and the local chemist had less customers after the quack's visit.
On one occasion a travelling phrenologist visited the village and gave open air demonstrations at a charge of one shilling each. A local farmer's son who was always spoken of as "John Little Truth" was there. Of him it was often said : "If you don't believe me go and ask John L." Some local wags who had previously primed the phrenologist, prevailed on John L. to get his bumps read.
After he had consented, he mounted the platform and sat on the chair. The phrenologist began by passing his fingers over various part of the victim's head. making casual complimentary remarks regarding the bumps of knowledge. health. business acumen and other qualities. At last his fingers rested on a spot and he said : " Yes ! This is the bump of truth. It isn't very perceptible but the little that there is, is as good as anybody else's." There was laughter and applause from the crowd, but poor John came down crestfallen and quickly disappeared.
The vans of various political and religious organisations also made Cross Tree their pitch. On one occasion the van of the United Kingdom Temperance Alliance made its appearance and for several nights temperance meetings were conducted from the platform. The peripatetic speaker, William Harbud, a well known temperance advocate, at that time, was waxing eloquent on the evils of alcohol when suddenly a well-known character of the village emerged from the Ilfracombe Inn, walked to the front of the audience and, holding up a quart bottle of beer. offered the speaker a drink. His offer being declined. he put the bottle to his mouth and demonstrated the way to empty it. Then, supported by his mates who had come out to join him, he coolly walked away.
Although the old Cross Tree could weather the gales of centuries. it had to give way to modern road improvements which eventually spoiled the character of the village and a stone plaque is all that brings to memory so many interesting events that took place in Victorian days. Other open air events took place in a field which is now the recreation ground. It was there that Johnny Martin of South Molton, a well-known West Country cheap-jack, pitched his travelling shop. Night after night he would gather a crowd who would enjoy the contests in singing of comic songs, speech making and above all the oratory and clever salesmanship of the cheapjack.
The last of this trade to visit us came from the North of England. He carried on his sales in a field behind the Iron Mills near the Church. His stories as well as his competitions were very original. Each night the competition for the next day was announced and the names of entrants taken. One night a pudding eating contest took place and there were about a dozen competitors. On this particular occasion those taking part were seated on either side of a long trestle table with their hands tied behind their backs. The puddings, which were just boiled, were lifted out of a large boiler and one was placed in front of each competitor.
On the word " Go " the game began.
Several of the young bloods burnt their tongues. much to the delight of the onlookers, but one notoriety began to bite off pieces from his pudding and place them to cool on the sides of his plate.
When the pudding was completely dismantled he quickly ate up the cooled pieces and had completely finished his task, long before the others. Then came the presentation of prizes. The Cheap-Jack announced the winner, who was callled to the front to receive his prize and the congratulations from the donor, who said, "I present these two beautiful vases to William Luscombe. the biggest glutton in Braunton." Needless to say. William heard of his wonderful performance and his new title for a long time afterwards.
We got much of our pleasure by playing in the streets. Our only playground was at the Board School but not after school hours. The old caretaker saw to that. We sometimes got permission from a farmer to play a game of football or cricket in a field, but our chief pitches were the streets. Our football was often a blown-up pigs bladder, obtained when the parents of one of the boys killed a pig. Sometimes we bought a bullock's bladder from the butcher. If no bladder was available we used a tennis ball.
Sometimes we South Street boys would challenge the boys of other streets. There would be plenty of bruised shins on both sides and often the game would end with our opponents being chased out of our street.
We played cricket on any spare ground we could find. Our stumps were ash sticks cut from the hedges and our bats handmade from spare wood.
We got our training, however, and when we reached the adolescent age we were able to take our part in the foundation of the football and cricket clubs.
Today organised games at school, such as tennis, football, cricket, basket ball and hockey seem to be the only games played by the children. We Victorian boys organised our own games of hare and hounds, hide and seek, go-lace, prisoner's base, leap frog, fly, hat ball hoops, tops, marbles and paper chases and sometimes we invented new games. We had special times of the year for all our games and when the marbles were put away the tops were taken out. After a severe frost we could skate and slide on the ice around the marshes and often went to the ponds which in winter gathered in Braunton Burrows. Skaters from all parts of North Devon would come to the skating ponds at the Saunton end of the Burrows. At such times some of the bigger boys would take chairs near the ponds and augment their pocket money by charging for a seat when visitors put on their skates.
We always had a gay time on Guy Fawkes' Day. Therewould be plenty of cheap fireworks let off in the streets and a bonfire on the Beacon. There were no electric torches in those days but a mangold taken from a farmyard heap or a clamp in the fields would be hollowed out and made in the form of a mask. The lantern thus formed would have a slot for a candle and when it was lit we paraded the streets with the grotesque faces, held at various angles. We also bought coloured masks for a penny. Our gathering place would generally be around a shop window until a policeman came and chased us away.
We had many kinds of street entertainment. Those were the days of the "ballad singers." I especially remember one man who was dressed in a shabby suit with a long black overcoat and bowler hat. He began singing at the top of the street. The subject of his song was a murder and I remember his giving us the story of Jack the Ripper in various musical keys, after which he sold us the words of his song for a penny.
Other singers would give us the latest ballads and songs from the music halls. It was from such street performers as these that we learnt such songs as " Daisy," " Where did you get that hat?" and "A little bit off the top."
Often our entertainers would be tramps from Barnstaple Workhouse. They generally came in pairs and tried to sing a well known hymn, but it was often the first verse over and over again.
Then there were the German bands of from four to eight performers. Often they consisted of members of one family and their musical talent varied. Sometimes they were accomplished musicians and played selections from the best composers and at other times they made an abominable noise.
The Italian organ grinder was a frequent visitor. On top of his barrel organ sat a couple of monkeys which often gave more entertainment than the organ itself.
Later came the piano organ and the Italians who entertained us were Pascal Miele and his brother who lived 5 miles away at Barnstaple.
They also came in the summer with their ice cream barrow. the contents of which they served up in two colours and called "hokey pokey."
Other musical entertainers were Italian accordionists and dancers. One entertainer was a band in himself. He used his hands in playing the bagpipes and with his foot he manipulated a big drum, cymbals, bells and triangle strapped on his back.
Often Russians visited our village with dancing bears. On one occasion I saw six bearded Russians with four bears performing outside my home. The muzzled bears were led by long ropes and, standing on their hind legs they held a long pole with their front paws. They then danced along while their masters sang "Rum-tum-tummy-rum" over and over again.
2. STREET TRADING
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There was much more street trading than at the present time. The Fishman came two or three times a week with a handcart which he pushed all the way from Barnstaple and one man, Tom Pearce, called customers to his cart with the loud cry of "Macko ! Macko ! fresh Macko ! Macko !" His mackerel were sold at prices ranging from a penny to threepence each. During the herring season after a good catch the carts from Ilfracombe were to be seen in the streets, generally at night. The cry of "Coombe Herrin's sixty a shilling ! Coombe Herrin's" would bring oat men with pans, buckets and other utensils and three or four shillings worth would be bought for salting in for the winter.
In Summer time the familiar cry of "Worts ! Mazzards ! Worts ! Mazzards !" told us that old blind man Dick Yeo and his wife were coming up the street. Farmer Dick came from Swimbridge, where, with the adjoining village of Landkey, the mazzard Orchards have produced that particular form of black cherry since the sixteenth century. We paid 6d. a pint for whortle-berries which had been gathered on Exmoor and 3d. a pound for mazzards. Wort pie and Mazzard tart, with plenty of "Demshur Craim" then lOd. to 1 /- a pound. were most delectable afters for Sunday Dinners.
Another familiar figure in the autumn was the blue jersied Breton boy, bearing on each shoulder poles strung with Onions. Johnny Frenchie, as he was called, went from door to door otfering his wares.
A Cargo of onions, brought from Brittany to Barnstaple was hawked around the town and neighbouring villages for several weeks.
A string of onions weighing from 6 to 8 pounds could be bought for one and sixpence. 2d. to 2d. a pound was an average price.
The ringing of his bell would tell us that the muffin man was coming. Dressed with white coat and apron and with a flat white cap on his head, he carried his mufflns and crumpets on a tray covered with a white cloth and carefully balanced on his head.
Quite a familiar figure was Mrs. Taylor of Barnstaple. who was a china, hardware and marine store dealer. She came with her wagon loaded with pots, pans, brushes and other household utensils on Tuesdays and called for the "best clothes" at the end of the week.
We often gathered around her wagon to see the pretty vases and china dogs that she brought and many a mantel piece today is ornamented with some of her china ware.
There is a humorous incident in connection with a visit Mrs. Taylor made to a house at the bottom of our street. The lady of the house had bought a lot of china from Mrs. Taylor on trust, and in spite of persuasion, the money was not forthcoming. One day she called at the house and said. " Now, look here, Mrs. W--n. If you don't pay me next time, I'll put you to trouble."
"All right, Mrs. Taylor, I'll be sure to pay you something when you come at the end of the week." was the reply.
Three days later Mrs. W. looked down the street and saw the familiar wagon. Turning to her boy she said : "Bennie. Old Muther Taylor's coming up the street and I don't want to zee 'er. If 'er calls, you tell 'er I'm gone to Barnstaple."
"Aul rite, muther." said Ben.
Soon a knock at the door announced the call of the unwelcome business woman. Ben went to the door.
"Where's your mother ?" said Mrs. T.
"Aw, Mrs. Taylor, 'ers gone to Barnstaple," was the reply.
"When will 'er be home ?" said Mrs. T.
"Wait a minit," said Ben, " I'll go upstairs and ax 'er."
Mrs. W. had to come down and face the irate Mrs. T. and as for Ben, he got a good beating for being so thoughtless. Mrs. Taylor told the story from door to door and Ben was for a long time afterwards nicknamed "I'll go upstairs and ax 'er."
One of the favourite breakfast dishes was fried bacon and laver, which was a prepared seaweed. It grew in flakes on the rocks and sands at the bed of the estuary of the Taw and Torridge. and was in season except in the months of May, June, July and August. Two or three times a week a boatload of women would be conveyed from Vellator to Broadsands and. between the ebbing of one tide and the rising of the next. they would be kept busy gathering the flaky weed. The incoming tide would bring them back with sacks packed full. The next day the laver was washed to remove all sand and grit and then given a long boiling in vinegar. It was then placed in covered baskets, lined with calico cloths and hawked to regular customers in the village at 3d. a pound.
Today (1966) laver is a delicacy rather than a regular article of food and is sold at 2 shillings a pound.
Sometimes we would answer a knock at the door and be greeted with a request from a little bearded man with a black bag : "Any Dutch drops today ?" This little Dutchman had a remedy which was guaranteed to cure almost every imaginable ailment all for 9d. a bottle, " Dutch drops " was a medicine which was kept in the cupboards of many homes in those days.
There were three well-known packmen who came at regular intervals from Barnstaple with their packs on their backs. They visited the homes, opened their packs and spread their goods on the table. All types of clothing were displayed, orders taken and measurements made for suits and other garments. The old villagers of Braunton and other North Devon villages will long remember the names of Mingo, Tresise and Trengrove, the packmen, who came with their packs on their backs.
The village barber's shop in Caen Street was of particular interest. It was the gathering place of young and old, especially on Saturday mornings. Hung on the wall was a large printed card:
It was worth the price of a haircut and the long wait attending it to hear the conversation : sailors talking about their voyages, the fishermen talking about the " Gurt Salmon " they had caught; the farmers complaining about the "terrible bad times" and the cripples talking about the various concoctions for their rheumatics. There was one old customer who, when greeted by the barber with " How be you today ?" replied, "I be terrible bad. 'Tis the wind, you knaw. Iss, 'tis the wind. But I knaw the cure. Tu penn'orth of rum will do it but dree penn'orth be better." It would not be a big dose in these days !
I shall always remernber the revolving brush our barber used after a haircut. When about to perform our barber called his niece into the saloon and, whilst she turned the wheel, the barber held the revolving brush with both hands and ran it over the victim's head.
3. HOMES AND PEOPLE
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THE village of today is really a small suburban town with shops to supply most needs, areas with new council houses and some fine residences on the hillsides and environs.
Previous to the beginning of this century it consisted mainly of the original streets which are mentioned in an old book, " The Customs and Manors of Braunton " written in 1535 by William Wyott at the instigation of Abbot Dovell of the Abbey of Clive. who was lord of the Manor of Braunton Abbots.
Some of the houses mentioned in that book can still be seen. The houses in the village were the homes of farmers, sailors, tradesmen and land workers. There were 7 provision shops, 5 shoemakers, 3 butchers, 2 bakers, an ironmongery store, a chemist's shop and a tobacco and confectionery store. from which the villagers could get their stores. There were also the following inns : Abbot's Inn, New Inn, The Black Horse, The Red Lion, The White Lion, The London Inn, the Barnstaple Inn. the Mariners' Arms and the Agricultural Inn. at that time termed The Spirit Vaults.
At night the streets were dark, especially in winter time and people who had occasion to be out at night carried horn windowed lanterns in their hands. The common illuminant was a tallow candle, or as it was called, a " dip." The only other lights were those which came from the paraffin lamps in the houses and from the few shops which kept open till 9 or 10 p.m.
When the Parish Council came into being street lighting was introduced and oil lamps were placed in certain parts of the village. These were kept going by a part-time lamplighter and during the winter he could be seen walking through the streets, carrying a ladder on his shoulder which he climbed to Iight the lamps. At 10 o'clock he went around with a hook attached to a pole with which he extinguished the lights.
The cottages in the streets were built either of cob or of stone and generally had a living room, a back house and two or three bedrooms. The larger houses often had parlours and were double-fronted. I have a vivid memory of my grandfather's home. There was a large kitchen which was the living room a parlour, a narrow larder, a back house and three bedrooms. In the front there was a flower garden where roses bloomed over a trellis and there was generally a fine show of peonies, stocks, pansies lilies, dahlias, chrysanthemums and other flowers in season. At the back was a yard with a poultry run, pig sties and store room and a large kitchen garden. Adjoining the dwelling house was a large carpenter's shop. Outside the back door was a pump which drew water from a deep well.
Right up to the end of the nineteenth century there was a predominance of very old houses built of cob, coated with whitewash and thatched with reed. These had large square stone chimneys and many of the old buildings had small leaded windows. Many of the modernised buildings in all the streets. are built of cob with oak beams for the roofs. Although 1ow ceilinged and with stone floors they were very commodious. One large house in Church Street. recently modernised, has cob walls two feet thick. During alterations three fine old l6th century hearths were discovered behind layers of plaster and wallpaper. They have now been restored to their original state. In the same row, is an old house dated 1579, with a strong chimney, fireplace and front window protruding into the street.
One old house in South Street had an outside wooden staircase and when I was a boy I often ran up the stairs to take a peep at old Granfer Coles who lay bedridden in the room at the top.
A great number of these houses were really farm tenements and at the back of the dwelling houses there were stables, shippens and other necessary farm buildings.
In the 1890s there were ten such farm houses in South Street. Today there are only two, but many of the cob-built sheds remain.
At the top of Heanton Street there is a very fine old house " The Locks," with sheds. surrounding a large yard. a fine example of a medieval homestead.
In the nineties there were over 40 farm houses in the village itself. Today there are less than a dozen and nearly all these are on the West side.
In East Street there were three old farm houses with pigeon cotes in the gabled walls.
Almost opposite to the entrance to the Churchyard is an interesting farmhouse. Chapel Hill Farm, "The Bowers." It was rebuilt at the beginning of the l9th century and has a row of interesting stones, with Tudor carving along the front wall, between the ground floor and the first storey. They were probably taken from St. Michael's Chapel on the hill which was dismantled at the end of the l9th century.
The stone-floored kitchen was well supplied with cupboards and against the wall opposite the window was a large dresser lined with tea and dinner services. My grandfather's armchair stood at the side of the fireplace, which had an open grate and ovens on both sides. The largest piece of furniture was a settle which, when drawn near to the fire provided a comfortable seat for two or three - free from draughts.
Four hooks driven into the ceiling supported a large rack similar to those found in many homes at that time. On that rack were hams and shoulders of pork in calico bags, as well as large pieces of bacon which were salted and placed there after the two pigs had been killed. thus providing food for the winter.
My grandfather was a great herbalist and would provide remedies for all sorts of ailments. Wrapped in brown paper bags were supplies of horehound, yarrow, comfrey, black alder, mugwort, liquorice root and peppermint. Some of these herbs he grew in his garden and others he gathered from the wayside.
My aunt, who was his housekeeper, knew how to brew the dried leaves and produce effective medicines for coughs, colds and stomach troubles, but they had to be well sugared. Nothing gave me greater pleasure when a boy than to be told that I could go down to my grandfather's cottage and stay the night.
My aunt would provide a special tea. I was sent up to Mrs. Tucker's shop to buy a penny loaf and also given some money to provide treacle, which was drawn from a canister in our own shop. At the dairy further down the street a quarter pound of real " Demshur Craim" was bought for 3d. When my grandfather came in from his carpenter's shop we sat down to a sumptuous tea of Bread and Cream spread with treacle, "Demshur tetty cake" and well curranted yeast cake. straight out of the oven. After tea the curtains were drawn. the oil lamp lit and the settle drawn closer to the fireside. Whilst my grandfather sat in his armchair, smoking his twist tobacco from a clay pipe, my aunt would entertain me with stories and often with songs. Sometimes my grandfather, when working on the farms would bring home a large piece of Devonshire farmhouse cheese - "Blue vinney " we called it. This would either be a generous present from the farmer's wife or be bought at from 4d. to 6d. a pound. This cheese was made from skimmed milk in the farm dairy. and we preferred it to the American Cheddar bought in the shops. By the end of l9th century this local product was a thing of the past and we are reminded of it when we sometimes see an old cheese press lying in a corner and gradually rusting and rotting away.
The shopkeepers all had their regular customers. The shops were open from 6 a.m. till 9 p.m. and sometimes 10 p.m. on Saturdays, which was the busiest day of the week for the workmen received their wages on that day. Farm workers and casual labourers earned from twelve to fifteen shillings a week. Those were the days when meat was from 4d. to 6d. a pound, a four-pound loaf 4d., loaf sugar 2d. a pound, tea from 1 / 6 to 2 / 6 a pound, fat bacon 3d. a pound and interlean from 4d. to 6d. a pound. A favourite meal was boiled tea fish, and every grocer's shop had a stock of this dried cod, or what the sailors called " Newfoundland turkey." They always took on a good supply before starting on a voyage. One grocer, Mrs. Tucker, generally had a large dish of baked herrings in vinegar, on her counter and villagers often spent a penny for a baked herring when busily engaged. especially on washing day.
All of the shops catered for the children, and for a ha'penny we could get a stick of rock, a chocolate bar, two squares of chocolate, a slab of Slap-Jack or some liquorice laces. For a penny we could buy a well-filled lucky bag, a bar of chocolate cream, a turnover, which sometimes contained a three-penny bit, or a pocketful of hazelnuts. At Christmas time the shops were full of oranges, dates. broad figs and coconuts. We often put our halfpennies together to buy a threepenny coconut and took turns to drink its contents. Oranges were two a penny but Oh ! they were as sour as vinegar !
At the beginning of February the windows and walls of one of the shops at Cross Tree would be decorated with Valentines in preparation for February l4th. Valentine's day was the time when old and young paid off old scores or when first approaches were made by boy and girl friend. The Valentines of those days were highly coloured pictures and cartoons which caricatured males and females of every description, especially those with peculiarities of face, feature and gait.
Each one had an appropriate title and a doggerel rhyme. There were dark eyed damsels with dainty feet, young straw-hatted fops with cane in hand, older men with strawberry noses and cauliflower ears and old bespectacled ladies with atrocious headgear. These would be sent to unfriendly and self-opinionated neighbours or to anyone who was disliked.
For young lovers there were highly scented cards, in small cardboard boxes, bearing verses of a very amatory nature.
At the end of the nineteenth century public bake houses were still patronised. Loaves of bread, cakes and tarts made in the homes were taken to the bake house for baking. There were four such bake houses in Braunton. The oven was a large stone-lined chamber built into the wall of the room. The heat was generated by burning faggots of wood in the oven and on the red hot embers were placed iron plates containing the carefully marked loaves. An iron cover was placed over the opening and after an hour the brown, crusty loaves were taken out and placed on tables to cool. These loaves would keep for a long time and there was seldom any stale bread in the home. On Sundays the ovens were in great demand. It was a common sight on returning home from Church or Chapel to see villagers, hurrying along, with hot and steaming meals of roast pork and baked potatoes, flavoured with sage and onion stuffing, straight from the local bake house. We knew what our neighbours were having for dinner that day !
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