Thoughts from Records

Touching and reading some books this afternoon, I suddenly was stuck by the realisation that what I was handling was over two hundred and twenty years old. That someone that long ago had handled the same and written in them, and here I was all these years later reading what he had written. I suddenly felt very priviledged to be doing so.

What I was looking at were some old church records.

One of the things I found interesting, gave an insight into the life of people in the 1780`s, was that alongside the names on the registers they had also given the trade or circumstances of the person.

Amongst the, to be expected, Labourer; Farmer; Sailor, etc., I found a lot of more unusual jobs - Mantlemaker; Twine spinner; Besom maker; Caulker; Watchmaker; Tide waiter (wonder what that involved?); Rope maker; Coal heaver; Chopper (wonder what he chopped and why); Shop maid, Cutler. A few had Pilgrim against them, one even had Gent - which set me wondering why he should have that description.

A large number were Servants, Invalid was written against another name, then I came across the one that seemed to me an even sadder description against several names - Pauper. And one even said gone to the Workhouse.

Actually handling books and seeing the handwriting in them, as against just learning history from printed books, really brought home to me the hard times that people had as against our lives today.


It also set me thinking, that maybe we should do the same with the records we keep in this day and age, so that people in years to come could look back and think... what did a dustman, traffic warden, check-out girl,.etc.... do?!

Not a hankie in sight!

Not a hankie in sight.... lots of nice presents again this year, my favourites being a wooden carving of two dolphins playing. I love the sight and feel of well carved wooden items, as well as being a joy to sit and look at, they make me want to touch and feel them whenever I walk pass them. There`s just something so calming about stroking wood.

My other favourite was a book by Alan Titchmarsh entitled Nobbut a Lad. I`ve not started reading it yet, I`m saving that pleasure for after the Christmas holidays for the long days of January.

Other presents included, an electronic Suduko game (don`t think I`ll do that for long - not that I can`t solve the puzzles, but I can`t see how people can be so hooked on those puzzles - give me logic puzzle books anyday, now those I can spend hours enjoying!), chocolates, toiletries, and other bits and pieces. But it struck me, how there was not a box of handkerchiefs in sight.... yet as a child one Christmas I opened parcel after parcel and found hankies after hankies after hankies! Infact I`ve still got many of them in my drawers - there were far too many to use - and thinking about it, what a present to give a young child - I wonder what todays children would say if they were given lots of hankies!!