Mr Albert Holloway was born in the small cottage by the Church
in Cumnor on August 22,1902. His wife Mary, nee Bennett, was born in Barton
village near Headington, Oxford on May 13, 1907. Mr Holloway's earliest memory
was of his sister tipping him out of his pram.
At school, Mrs Cole, the headmaster's wife, taught the girls sewing. In the
dinner hour the boys used to lay paper chases. One day when they were playing
this game they suddenly saw an air balloon coming over them very low. They
rushed after it down the hill to see it land at Tilbury Farm. School was
forgotten. Eventually they reappeared for lessons. Next day Mr Cole, or 'Pilate'
as he was nick named, said in class. 'Will the 'balloon boys' stand up.' Now he
said I will not have you absent from school rushing after balloons. You will
stay in and miss your play time and write these lines - I will not chase after
balloons again.' This went on for what seemed weeks but they never forgot until
this day.
On Sunday the children attended Sunday School 10.00 - 10.45 a.m. and then they
went to Matins in Church at 11.00 a.m. In the afternoon they again went to
Sunday School.
They remembered how the village used to look. There was a grass triangle in the
middle of the road at Workhouse Corner (at the junction of Appleton Road and the
High Street). This name dates from the time when there was a parish workhouse
nearby. Under the Lion Tree at the top of Leys Road there was a seat. Here the
women sat in their bonnets and white aprons. The small clipped yew tree in the
garden of the thatched cottage in Abingdon Road used to have a cockerel or bird
on the top. It is at least 70 years old. This cottage still stands sandwiched
between the modern houses. There was once a wooden house or shepherds hut where
Harry Barson lived. It stood at the far end of Featherbed Lane towards Upper
Whitley Farm. Charlie Costar used to work for him at one time. Mr Holloway said
his parents lived in Leys Road before him, and his uncle and aunt before that.
These houses were built by St Johns College in the 19th Century.
Mr Holloway's father worked at Chawley Works until the strike of 1921. They
lived in one of the Works tied cottages in Cumnor High Street. After the strike
Mr Holloway related that the police and bailiffs came and put all their
furniture out on the street and he lost his employment and home. Mr Arthur
Wastie living then at Westfield Farm put the two groups of cottagers and their
furniture in his barn as a temporary measure. The trade union took the children
including Albert and his sister away to a Trade Union Home in the South East of
Britain for several weeks until the parents found new employment and homes
Cumnor Feast took place on October 14th. It changed over the years and early in
this century it had become a fair held in the main road through the village. Its
position varied. Sometimes it was from the Vicarage to Workhouse Corner, another
time Cutts End to the Vine and finally Mr Bert Holloway tells me it was once
scattered round the village. Once and only once does he recall the 'up and down'
horses on the 'Winners' and that year there were also stands round the 'Lion
Tree' at the top of Leys Road and in the yard of the Bear and Ragged Staff.
Dancing took place in the Skittle Alley against the Bear and Ragged Staff to the
music of a concertina. It cost ld to join the dancers. The boys used to like to
buy a metal toothpaste tube full of water for 2d and a bag of talc or flour ld.
They squirted the girls with water and threw the white powder over them where it
stuck. The tubes were returnable for 1d.
The local women did needlework. This was piece work on mens trousers for Hydes
Factory New Inn Hall Street or Lanes of Queen Street. They sewed the buttons and
button holes. Mrs Holloway's mother Mrs Bennett would make the complete garment
for Lanes of Queen Street. She once walked twice to Oxford in a day with one
pair of trousers because the order was urgent. Piece work was 4d per pair the
other rate was 3/6 or 4/- a day's work.
Lord Abingdon once met a woman coming back from Oxford on foot with all her
shopping. He said we must see if we cannot get some transport. Horse-drawn trams
came to the Black Horse Botley in the early days and later turned round at the
bottom of Cumnor Hill.
Mrs Saunders was an excellent needlewoman. Although her house was not
scrupulously clean her needlework was. She would wear a spotless white apron and
sit smocking childrens' dresses, made to order. Her work was much admired. Mr
Bennett, Leys Road, made hand-made leather shoes to order for Oxford University
dons and students and citizens. He reckoned they would last 3 years and then if
they were brought back he world sole and heel them. Mr Capel was a carpenter.He
was remembered for the buttonhole rose he wore. Mr 'Minky Evans and his wife
would slaughter, dress and cut up the cottagers pigs for them. Shepherd or 'Sheppy'
Pike would do likewise. Mr Holloway senior would regularly shave some of the
other men who could no longer shave themselves.
Wages were low. Agricultural workers earned 10/- per week compared with 17/- at
Chawley Works. The roadmen earned 5/- a day breaking stones. The ‘arkel’ cart
came along with a load of stone which was tipped out at intervals along the
road. The roadman set off with his lunch bag and his tools in the morning. He
would take a sack to sit on and sit by the roadside all day breaking these
stones into small ‘arkel’ stones to repair his length of road. He would cut the
roadside turves and take soil to bed the small 1imestones and then the turves
were replaced. He was also responsible for keeping the small trenches into the
ditches clear and the grass verges scythed in summer. They recalled a number of
men being roadmen. Mr West, Belcher, Vaisey, Shepherd Pike. The roads were
maintained from Chawley to Besselsleigh Tunnel where the present lay-by is, down
Tumbledown and all other roads out of the Village. Besselsleigh Tunnel was where
the trees met overhead making a dark tunnel.
There was at Rockley a stone crushing machine for roadmaking stone in the Stone
Pit. Stone was also brought from South Leigh. The Chawley Workers would go to
work at Rockleigh when there was insufficient work at Chawley or the weather was
not suitable.
The local carriers were Jimmy Douglas, who put up at the Horse and Jockey,
Abingdon 1907 approximately. Banger Harding was also mentioned and Miles, also
Gibbs' of Hinton Waldrist; Pratley of Appleton, Mitchell Drew of Eynsham, Brown
from Faringdon, Jack Bowton's father. Mrs Angel Heavens from Wootton. Baker from
The Greyhound, Besselsleigh. A two wheel cart came from Northmoor Standlake and
Stanton Harcourt.
In the First World War about 50 prisoners- of- war were stationed at Upper
Whitley Farm. They had a British Sergeant and four guards to look after them.
They were sent in pairs to farms in the area and a large number worked at
Chawley Works. They also dug trenches on Cumnor Hurst for men training in the
Queens Own Oxford Hussars, a Cavalry Regiment. Albert Holloway lost two brothers
in the War. They were torpedoed going to Russia.
Albert recalled that his grandmother used to go to Lenthall's at Besselsleigh
Manor to do the household washing. Mary remembered Miss Jervois's Fete, with
Kidlington Brass Band playing outside the Vine. They told the story of a Mrs
Bennett of Leys Road who used to go to the Red Lion (from which the Lion
Tree,took its name) each evening for her jug of ale or beer. A mild ale was
generally drunk by everyone before the days of tea and coffee. The man sitting
in the pub said 'Come on and join us.' 'I can't do that,'she answered, 'I left
me door,' meaning she had not locked it. Finally they managed to persuade her to
stay. While they all sat talking and laughing two of them slipped out and later
returned to greet Mrs Bennett with 'Here's your door, Ma'. There between them
was the door complete with all her kitchen towels and tools which she hung on
the back of it. They had somehow lifted it off its hinges and presented her with
it.
(Recorded by Iris Wastie, 1982)