Emboldened writing is the part of the clip audible in the ‘Getting out and About’ story.
<F Cu1>
<S RJ>
<G F>
<A 76>
<O MIDWIFE>
<C CUMBERLAND>
<V LONGTOWN>
<D 11-09-55>
<I SE>
<L CNS8: Cu1>
<T 8:45>
<SE Ho- how old were you when you started that then? SE>
<RJ What? RJ>
<SE Midwife. SE>
<RJ Uh I was +…
I would be about oh ## [/] about [\] thirty. RJ>
<SE Aye. SE>
<RJ Thirty. RJ>
<SE And how many babies did you bring in? SE>
<RJ Oh,
I cannot tell thee,
laddie,
I cannot tell thee.
# I could not tell thee how many I fetched in.
I ‘ve gone all parts of the world and # fetched the babies into the world. RJ>
<SE Aye.
# Bad times and good ones. SE>
<RJ Eh? RJ>
<SE Bad times and good ones? SE>
<RJ Aye,
bad times and good ones.
Aye.
Who was the last one I fetched into the world?
## Oh,
xxx xxx was the last one I fetched into the world.
# Oh,
I have two in the town.
Three in the town.
Young men.
And a young lass.
# She ‘d be about uh +…
Aye,
her mother ‘s been # dead thirty year. RJ>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<RJ She ‘d be thirty twee year old.
She would +…
She was not twee till her mother +…
when she died.
Her mother died.
She died with [/] with [\] another +…
She were going to have another baby,
you see.
And they went to xxx xxx the factory ‘s struck up.
# And we had to come out.
And I was at +…
with the most plenty and they went to the xxx xxx.
If they ‘d sent anybody afore me,
I would come,
# you know.
I was # used to her when she were having her bairns at certain parts of her body,
you know.
You held the bone back for the baby to come home. RJ>
<SE Uhhuh. SE>
<RJ But she uh +…
th- thou knows,
there ‘s # no +…
# Geddes,
# were with her.
So +…
# Well the news come [: came] to the town,
you know.
# xxx xxx xxx,
we called him. RJ>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<RJ Fetched the milk.
He says,
+” Ned xxx wife ‘s died this morning. “+
+” # Never.
What ‘s the matter? “+
+” # She ‘s not had her bairn. “+
# Aye.
# I made me self ready,
our Mary Ann was twenty one that day. RJ>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<RJ On the tw- +…
# nineteen or the twenty first of # January.
# I walked over from the most xxx xxx.
Right through Longtown.
# And right by half of it.
Half of it,
we call it.
And went to the Borden pit.
# She was like that. RJ>
<SE # Hmm. SE>
<RJ # And they could not get # [/] they could not get [\] a house xxx.
+” Well, “+
I says,
+” Ned, “+
# I says,
+” I [/] I [\] would have come to her.
I would ‘ve walked over if ever thou ‘d ‘ve sent for me. “+
+” Would thou? “+
I says,
+” I would. “+
I was that sa- +…
way used to her.
I fetched three of her lads into the world.
And [/] and [\] then I fetched the lassie into the world. RJ>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<RJ I fetched four of the lads into the world when I married Jimmy,
you know.
# And this one,
she dies.
Well +…
Ee,
you ken [: know] something?
The bairn was half way.
Couldna come. RJ>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<RJ Oh,
# whether uh there was a woman there or not,
xxx xxx xxx xxx.
And what they done to poor her +…
I examined her.
I could say what was the matter.
See,
there was a certain bone you had to keep ba- [/] keep [\] it back. RJ>
<SE Hmm.
Hmm. SE>
<RJ See? RJ>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<RJ Oh well.
I says,
+” Well Ned,
if thou had sent for me when she took bad,
I would ‘ve come to deliver it for thee.
I would ‘ve come to deliver it. “+
And mind,
she telled [: told] him.
Gan [: going] along that church road.
Four days afore she # had that baby.
Got the head of that baby.
She says,
+” This is my lass,
# I know it +…
I +…
it ‘ll never be born. “+
She says,
+” I ‘s dying. “+ RJ>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<RJ She walked # from the xxx cottages to Longtown xxx.
# And they carried the # groceries back,
you see. RJ>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<RJ Funny doings,
in them days,
man. RJ>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<RJ Thou xxx thy own stuff.
They would xxx you with [/] with [\] the si- xxx of them.
But I was working for the # xxx xxx.
Where she went along.
+” Halt, “+
he says,
+” thou ‘ll be alright. “+
She says,
+” I saw Becky this morning in the xxx. “+
+” # What she say? “+
Oh dear me.
I knew she were going to have another. RJ>
<SE # Hmm. SE>
<RJ # Hmm.
So xxx. RJ>
<SE Aye. SE>
<RJ And so +/. RJ>
||
<RJ Oh,
we used +…
I used +…
we used to be in the byres and #,
follow them down and,
# put them out into the fields and #,
we used to milk # [/] milk [\] them,
you ken [: know]?
We had twelve kye.
# At Croft’s Head. RJ>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<RJ Twelve kye.
And these # cows # were black cows. RJ>
<SE Oh aye. SE>
<RJ And we used to get them into the head,
grand paps,
xxx xxx xxx xxx.
+” Get up there. “+
# Used to milk +…
Uh we had +…
I used to gan [: go] xxx xxx to the lads to strip them.
And then we ‘d +…
we sold the milk up.
And we got a big tin for to go with,
and a donkey to take the milk to Netherby.
xxx xxx xxx.
Little donkey.
Janet,
they called her. RJ>
<SE Aye. SE>
<RJ +” Now,
xxx xxx milk from Netherby xxx xxx for it. RJ>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<RJ And I should,
if I +…
# if the dairy maid xxx milk the croft at Netherby,
I used to go in and milk there,
and put the milk up. RJ>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<RJ # And go on a little way with a churn xxx,
a little wee wee churn.
And thou puts # last night’s cream # into that churn,
xxx xxx xxx.
xxx what it made.
Maybe about a pound of butter.
Does thou see? RJ>
<SE Aye. SE>
<RJ When thou got the spades # and thou clapped the butter. RJ>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<RJ [!= clapping noises]
Like that.
And then after thou ‘d got it,
thou would maybe get about that much butter.
See?
Then thou got the spades.
No salt in,
mind.
xxx!
# And made them little wee # xxx things.
Put them on a plate.
# And I made about a dozen,
xxx xxx.
And I keeped [: kept] away a bit of butter for me self,
Saturday xxx,
for to have for my breakfast. RJ>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<RJ That was to go for the Lady and Sir Richard. RJ>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<RJ For their br- [/] their [\] breakfast.
They never had salt in it.
They never had the salt.
# She used to laugh at me when I +…
said I,
+” You done? “+
And my ladyship xxx.
+” xxx!
in your butter. “+ RJ>
||
<RJ Well,
after +…
and all [/] and all [\] xxx xxx many years in the byre.
+” Now,
Fanny, “+
I says,
+” you ‘ll not be offended at me,
if I carry the milk down to the Netherby? “+
Oh,
maybe we have # atween here and the top of the town from the byres to Netherby.
To carry it.
+” I wouldn’t,
lass,
I wouldn’t.
I ‘d toddle on myself. “+
And she says,
+” I ‘ve gone and mashed a cup of tea.
And we ‘ll have a cup of tea.
# We ‘ll have a cup of tea. “+
#I says,
+” xxx xxx first butter,
it ‘ll be xxx. “+
I says,
+” Would thou have it? “+
+”Aye. “+ RJ>
<SE [!= laughs]. SE>
<RJ And we did xxx the butter. RJ>
<SE Aye. SE>
<RJ # Oh aye.
I says,
Aye,
there ‘s some grand fun at Netherby. RJ>
<SE Aye. SE>
<RJ Grand fun.
And this ‘d be +…
And when there were nice weather,
there were an awful lot of servants who lived,
when Sir Richard and Lady Graham were there,
thou knows.
And he ‘d no money and xxx,
but [/] but [\] they used to be grand times then. RJ>
<SE Aye. SE>
<RJ And they called the cook # Mary Ann.
She loved to sup.
xxx she often did.
And she got half tight.
By God,
she were giving you aught.
# I seen me getting xxx +…
you know.
# They had the- # a poultry woman,
the croft had.
# And [/] and [\] that woman had four dozen eggs to take down to Netherby.
# And we ‘ll say that +…
Were about a mile to walk to Netherby.
And four hens,
picked hens,
plucked thou knows,
for [/] for [\] the # gentry.
We all was going +…
And Mr Beckett would say,
+” Now, Becky,
you had to go to cr- +…
go to Netherby,
# with those eggs and things for the uh +…
I ‘ve got a phone message.
And # [/] and [\] they ‘d come,
and they [/] they [\] going to have visitors tonight. “+
# Johnny was polite,
but Beckett was not polite.
I says,
+” Aye,
that ‘s alright,
I ‘m away.
# More for what the nearest xxx. “+
And he says,
+” Thou know an awful lot xxx xxx xxx,
with them # chickens in my box,
and the eggs around here. “+
I says,
+” I ‘m throwing about seven deer,
young deers. “+ RJ>
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