D103
<F La4>
<S Bill Cross>
<G M>
<A 74>
<O RETIRED LABOURER>
<C LANCASHIRE >
<V DOLPHINHOLME>
<D 24-05-54>
<I SE>
<L CNS15: La4>
<T 8:45>
<BC Everybody called it cake,
like. BC>
<SE Aye. SE>
<BC You know,
a piece about that size,
you know,
and they used to mix their # meal in t(he) day or two before,
then let it get to working,
you know.
# [!= coughs]
Then put it on t(he) backs to make it into cakes. BC>
||
<BC Well,
it was # it was the same as in a corn,
well,
there were some of these have,
but that house hadn’t one in.
# Corner come [: came] further out than that,
do you see?
And it had a square +…
# well,
a # sheet a higher than +…
aye,
that there.
About that width,
went right across from yon wall to t(he) fireplace,
do you see?
# Then it were built up with a fireplace underneath it,
# and you fired up underneath it,
do you see?
To get your plate hot.
# You +…
well,
you +…
some families used to throw their # oatcake on,
they could do it,
but some wriggled it on,
do you see?
# And my grandmother ‘d get it into her spittle,
you know,
and just put it on,
then one spittle,
of course,
and it were just # right shape,
you know. BC>
<SE I see. SE>
<BC And it ‘s as thin +…
well,
as thin as a fly wings,
you know. BC>
<SE Aye. SE>
<BC To be good.
# And then just let it get brown at one side,
you know,
they don’t turn it over.
# You see,
just # shove it under your spittle,
do you see?
And then when t(he) bottom ‘s done,
it ‘s ready for to hanging up on t(he) xxx.
Well,
# this here ‘s +…
# t(he) lad as is here now,
is grandson to t(he) old people that were there when I were there.
# But he ‘d be getting now +…
# he must be getting about fifty,
I dare say. BC>
<SE Oh yes. SE>
<BC Summat like that. BC>
<SE Aye. SE>
<BC # He xxx +…
t(he) mill ‘s done away with now,
you know. BC>
<SE Yes. SE>
<BC Just has [/] has [\] his own farm. BC>
<SE Oh. SE>
<BC They did badly,
you see,
after their +…
# t(he) old folk went to get to drinking,
you know,
and they lost all their money,
do you see?
# Aye. BC>
<SE Hmm. SE>
||
<BC I ‘ll bet I ‘ve driven t(he) best horses from xxx station to xxx mill that ‘s ever walked up t(he) road. BC>
<SE # Hmm. SE>
<BC # Oh,
I ‘ve sold ’em for hundreds and # two hundred and that way on,
many a time. BC>
<SE # Hmm. SE>
<BC # Well,
we ‘d a mare,
sold her three hundred and fifty out of t(he) lorry shafts.
# That ‘s a long while since.
# Thou knows,
in xxx,
you know. BC>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<BC I ‘ve had some good horses.
# I ‘ve had bad luck with some on [: of] ’em,
you know. BC>
<SE Yeah. SE>
<BC We ‘d a proper good # gelding.
# Well,
t(he) old man give [: gave] +…
# I don’t know,
he give [: gave] about eighty guineas for it new,
it ‘d a job for to get on his feet.
# Were brought up till he ‘d get a year old,
and we had it # in what they call t(he) top holm,
here down in t(he) bottom,
xxx.
# And they was having a tea party up at Wearside yonder,
# and # I said to t(he) son,
Tommy,
like,
he ‘s dead now,
I said,
+” I think we ‘d better fetch yon # young horse up afore t(he) band starts playing,
like. “+
# I said,
+” They ‘ll happen gallop. “+
+” No, “+
he says,
+” they ‘ll be alright, “+
like.
But # anyway,
# They set off and took gallop and some on [: of] ’em jumped over t(he) fence,
and it jumped the top of t(he) gate,
# and broke t(he) gate and a piece took off of t(he) gate,
right into his heart,
you know.
# He ‘d managed to walk down home,
but when I pulled it out,
he soon died.
# That were a big loss,
you know. BC>
<SE Aye. SE>
<BC Aye. BC>
<SE # Did you ever have any troublesome horses? SE>
<BC # No,
not so bad. BC>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<BC Never naught but what we could manage. BC>
<SE # Hmm. SE>
<BC Once there was one of them we couldn’t give a ball. BC>
<SE Aye. SE>
<BC Like,
a # digestive ball,
you see,
or a constitution ball or xxx.
# Put your hand in,
I bet it would br- +…
get hold on [: of] you,
you couldn’t get one down.
So we get a gun a purpose.
# Put a gun +…
We could shoot ’em down,
that kept it.
[!= laughs] BC>
<SE [!= laughs]
Aye. SE>
<BC Aye,
get hold of her,
put t(he) gun in her mouth and touch t(he) trigger and t(he) ball ‘d go down her throat.
[!= laughs] BC>
<SE [!= laugh]
Aye.
Hmm. SE>
<BC No,
it was t(he) only trouble that ever we had was that,
I think. BC>
<SE Aye. SE>
<BC And it ‘s t(he) only horse has ever run away with me. BC>
<SE Was it? SE>
<BC Aye. BC>
<SE # Hmm. SE>
<BC I didn’t let go,
I went with it like,
I stuck to it,
but +…
# it galopped to t(he) top of t(he) hill up there right at Green Bank Bottom,
# and I got a bit hared like at that,
but I stuck to it all t(he) while.
# I pulled it up at t(he) finish. BC>
||
<BC They called him Jackie Smith.
I think he was here sixty six year.
# And I don’t think he ever had his dogs left a day while he was here.
# He was a horse driver,
a dog two horses,
like.
# And he was t(he) last town’s apprentice there was in England.
# Was that man. BC>
<SE # Hmm. SE>
<BC He lives xxx t(he) road here.
# He ‘d a shilling a # [/] a [\] year,
a suit of clothes,
xxx suit and a pair of clogs.
# For a town’s apprentice.
# And he couldn’t leave,
he had to stop his time. BC>
<SE Aye.
# Town’s apprentice. SE>
<BC A town’s apprentice,
then. BC>
<SE What ‘s that? SE>
<BC Well,
you were +…
If they wanted you t- # to go to work for ’em,
you see,
they could # demand you as a lad,
do you see? BC>
<SE Aye. SE>
<BC You was a town’s apprentice then.
You had to do,
you couldn’t leave,
till they +…
till you ‘d done your time.
You had twelve month to do. BC>
<SE Aye. SE>
||
<BC He was a man from here abouts.
I don’t know where he ‘d be born,
old Jack,
# Couldn’t tell you just where he ‘d be born.
But he was t(he) last town’s apprentice there was. BC>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<BC Hmm. BC>
||
<BC He used to # take his tea can home every twelve month to be washed up. BC>
<SE [!= laughs] SE>
<BC He had it hung up in t(he) stable and he used to +…
upon a egg anywhere,
he used to break it into his dinner and mix it up with t(he) fork and +… BC>
<SE Aye. SE>
<BC A big # strong fellow. BC>
<SE Aye. SE>
<BC Oh,
he ‘d do aught. BC>
||
<BC It was a fair family.
She ‘d two +…
# she ‘d four lads and # four lasses,
I think. BC>
||
<BC There xxx be a family of us,
there ‘d be +…
one,
two,
three,
four +…
# There ‘d be about eight of us,
I think.
Eight or nine. BC>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<BC Of course I was never brought up by my mother,
I was brought up by my grandmother and grandfather,
do you see.
# I never lived at home.BC>
<SE Oh. SE>
<BC # I have # I ‘ve one brother liv- +…
two brothers living yet.
# One I don’t know about,
I think he ‘s about Wigan somewhere.
He ‘s a [/] he ‘s a [\] xxx xxx.
He ‘d sooner have xxx than have his breakfast. BC>
<SE Aye. SE>
||
<BC Oh,
they ‘d be # [/] they ‘d be [\] over seventy # scholars at school when I were a boy. BC>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<BC That ‘s a long while since I went to school. BC>
<SE Yes. SE>
<BC I didn’t go so long. BC>
<SE What age were you when you left? SE>
<BC Me?
# Well,
I don’t think I ‘d be twelve.
# But I went to work when I were nine,
I had two hay months. BC>
<SE # Hmm. SE>
<BC Then I went t(he) year after,
you see.
Well,
I went every year at hay month,
like,
from being nine year old.
Then I left school.
I passed t(he) first standard and then I left. BC>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<BC You could do then,
you know.
They never bothered t(he) same as they do now.
Couldn’t ‘ve left now,
you know.
# Well,
my time were over again,
I wouldn’t leave as soon. BC>
<SE No.
# And what was your first full time job? SE>
<BC # Working at t(he) shop.
I went to be a counter jumper.
# I didn’t take to it. BC>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<BC I ‘d rather go a farming.
# Then I went to live at t(he) top of t(he) Lxx there,
a farm over there.
# Just at t(he) top of t(he) hill there. BC>
<SE Oh yeah. SE>
<BC I lived there a bit,
# and then my next job at xxx Bank.
# I was getting on a bit then.
I was second horseman there.
# Like working mysel up,
do you see? BC>
||
<BC Well,
I once had a good do at t(he) Kendal Show. BC>
<SE Aye. SE>
<BC I think we took +…
# Mind you,
xxx,
I think we ‘d four there.
We ‘d two a year old xxx xxx.
# And a two year old # filly.
And a mare and +…
# No,
I don’t +…
Aye,
and a mare and foal.
# We did terrible well that day,
we # [/] we [\] gets t(he) second by with t(he) # colt,
and we get t(he) first with xxx,
and we get t(he) first with t(he) blue mare.
# xxx I did very well. BC>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<BC I know we ‘d +…
Buffalo Bill was there t(he) same day,
with all his menagerie.
Of course he toured in train loads of his own,
you know,
do you see?
# Well,
we gets off # [/] off [\] t(he) ground at night to go and box.
We should be boxed +…
# oh,
happen soon after five o’clock,
I couldn’t tell you,
something here or about.
# But anyway,
when I ‘d xxx it ‘d be about four o’clock in t(he) morning.
# We were shoveling us irons up and down,
you see,
with Buffalo Bill going through.
# With his own tackle. BC>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<BC It was a busy day,
were that at Kendal. BC>
<SE Aye. SE>
Transcription by Juhani Klemola and Mark Jones, 1999 See http://digital.library.leeds.ac.uk/381/1/LSE_1999_pp17-30_Klemola_Jones_article.pdf and http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/ach-allc.99/proceedings/scott.html
