The following is a transcription of the account Job Sturgess gave of life in Roade in the late 19th / early 20th centuries, illustrated where relevant with photographs kindly donated by others. The account is told in his own way, with his own phrasing.

Sturgess Family Memories

Cottages and workshop belonging to Job's father W.S. Sturgess, who had numerous business interests in the area - principally quarrying, but also building, decorating, and timber. Job's father was also the tenant of a Grafton Farm. There are mentions of him in The History of Roade and Roade Scrapbook elsewhere in this section. below - Sturgess sows, identified on the reverse of the photo as "Wonder of the West" and "Cleave Dreadnought"

Born at Roade Dec. 8th 1880 . Seventh son of a family of nine boys, one girl, also the seventh son of a seventh son. Lived in the village all my life.

My first recollections were my father taking the smallest boys to church each Sunday morning as soon as you could toddle and bumping you on a seat and daring you to move. On Sunday evenings he would take you for a walk while the others went to church, always the same way - “Money-hole way” (which it is still called today but I don’t know why as we always looked but couldn’t find any money) and from there up the lane to see John Lucas who kept the Fox & Hounds public house which is now the “Doctor’s House”.

My mother having died when I was 4 years old we had a cousin come to take care of us. She was a good woman and when we did anything wrong we had to repeat this little verse, and having to say it so many times, I have never forgotten it – it was this:

Birds in their little nest agree
It is a shameful sight
When children of one family
Fall out to chide and fight

German Bands

German Bands were a great attraction and we were told they were spies.

Dancing Bears

A Dancing Bear was a great wonder in [the] charge of 2 very big quaint-looking Poles. We were told they slept in Salcey Forest the night before, as they entered the village from Hartwell Road .

Plough Monday

Plough Monday was a great day for the locals who, with the Mummers, paraded the village led by a very small and active little man - “Smokey Smith”, who was the greatest wit and dancer of the party and plenty of refreshment was provided by Mrs. Skears at the White Hart public house.

Mail

One of the usual treats was most evenings a visit to the Post Office to see Jack Goods start off with the Mail Van at 6pm. Sometimes the old horse would start and sometimes it wouldn’t for a time at least. Also about the same time on Wednesday & Saturday Mr. Skears would come flying round the corner by Blacksmith Jones with his carrier van with old Toby a marvellous horse standing over 17 hands with great flat feet which you could hear flop flop flop coming up the hill by the New Inn and turning up White Hart yard at full speed when there would be 2 of Skears’s boys waiting to take him out and give him a hot mash always mixed in with a quart of old ale, he was supposed to have done the journey from the White Hart at Cotton End Northampton in 20 minutes.

Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria ’s Jubilee was in June 1887. A great day of rejoicing. Everyone in the village had 2 good meals in the old barns of the then Mr. Billy Butlin, and sports etc. were held in Church Croft adjoining. The Diamond Jubilee in 1897 was not quite on such a lavish scale but a good Public Holiday. Most of these occasions commenced the day with a service in the Church and having been in the Church Choir for 70 years I can recall lots of services, on these occasions and others connected with village life.

Village Feast

Another great holiday was Feast Week which began on the Sunday following the Ram Fair at Northampton on Sept. 19th and for a number of years it embraced a 2 day show. The first day horticulture, eggs, butter etc. the 2nd day sports etc. which was open to a radius of 6 miles and included entries from Northampton which helped to make it a big event. The chief organiser was Mr. J. Elder who was schoolmaster for many years one of the judges as a rule was Mr. J. Kightley who was head gardener at Courteenhall for many years. The allotments consisted of about 20 acres of land on the Courteenhall Estate and was all well cultivated but alas today it has dwindled to about 2 acres.

It was a merry time at the Feast especially when a cricket match was played between a baker and a tailor, the baker using his peel for a bat and the tailor his sleeve board. Of course there was always plenty to drink about at this time, which was good strong ale at 5 pints a shilling for beer if you had it outside, and Mrs. Skears would give the boy who fetched it ½pt. while she filled the jar.

Messrs. Roddis

Roddis’ yard was always a big source of enjoyment, who was a large proprietor of steam-engine, thrashing and ploughing machinery, which included from 15 to 20 sets of tackle and employed quite a lot of people, but the biggest event was when they had a set of very large New-Compound Ploughing Engines made by McFarrens of Leeds which came to Roade Station by rails and Jack Young the foreman took the men to get up steam and drive through the village to the yard. They were indeed fine engines Messrs. Allchins of Northampton made most of the other engines.

Tradesmen

There were some good tradesmen in the village 2 wheelwrights and carpenters, builders, blacksmiths etc. 2 hand sewn shoemakers who made all leather boots 15/- a pair, 2 tailors who all employed men. Also timber merchants, 1 pit sawyer who sawn large logs of timber 5’ and 6’ diameter into 1” boards, one man in the pit and one on the top of the log.

Wife Beating

It was the custom when a man beat his wife the other men would tie straw all round his house for people to see. If a man went with another's wife he was turned out of the village by a crowd drumming with tin cans, old buckets, or anything that made a noise. I do remember one of these cases.

Northampton Races

One great treat on Race Days which was held in spring and autumn was to go up to the George Hotel on the Stony Stratford Rd. to wait for the Earl of Euston to come along with his four in hand, on his way home to the Duke of Grafton at Wakefield Lodge when they threw out coppers to scramble for.

At these races some well known jockeys used to ride such as Tommy Foates, Sammy Foates, Tod Sloan and the great Fred Archer, the greatest of all jockeys.

Courteenhall School

About this time I was sent to the old Grammar school at Courteenhall for a year or two, but not being very brilliant I soon had to leave and go to work. This was a great school: the venerable-looking master with his long white whiskers was indeed a real gentleman and turned out a great many good men in the County. He was supposed to be a great Latin Scholar. I am glad to say the old school is today practically the same as it was in those days and the photograph of the late Mr. W.T. Haskins still hangs on the wall.

Railway Slip

The Great Slip in Roade Cutting caused a great sensation as it occurred on a Saturday evening just as the 6pm. Train to Roade had passed through, bearing most of Roade worthy from market and they were usually pretty merry. Some of us boys had to meet this train as mother usually brought a large bag of goods which generally had 20 or 30 fresh herrings for Sunday morning breakfast. Beautiful ones at 20 per 1s.

Church Institute

In 1883 the Duke of Grafton gave a plot of ground in the centre of the village for a Church Institute to be built, to be used as a Sunday School and for the other Church purposes, and it was built and opened early in 1885. Sir Hereward and Lady Wake of Courteenhall did much to help with subscriptions and other ways.

New Railway

About 1893-4 a new single railway was constructed for the Stratford on Avon Midland Railway Company from Towcester to Ravenstone Junction near Olney. This employed a lot of local labour and interest to boys. Crossing the main L.N.W.R. south of the Rail Station, the contractor had some real good horses for what we called the Run & Tip when they had an embankment to make when they crossed the Stony Stratford Turnpike. After it was opened it ran passenger trains for a few months, and a great day was when a party of Roade tradesmen, etc. had a day out to travel on it from Roade to Towcester and Olney, but the passenger traffic was not enough to warrant it keeping open longer. It has and is still being used for goods traffic.

"Peggy" Westley

A wedding of much interest took place at Roade Church when "Peggy" Westley who had a wooden leg was married. As he worked for Messrs. Roddis for a long time, the other men had a traction engine and a large converted railway coal wagon to take him to church, after they came out of church Mrs. Westley would not get into the wagon so the men promptly took hold of her and bundled her in, and amidst much steam and smoke they went puffing off with of course Smoky Smith with a red flag walking and running in front.

Motor Cars

The first motorcar that came into the village was owned by Mr. W.A. Stimpson of Messrs. Stimpson Bros. of Abingdon St. Northampton , shoe machinery engineers who lived at Roade, it was quite a novelty. Incidentally his nearly first journey was to take an old man to church to be married. He also had a man running in front with a red flag. My younger brother Harry owned the first motorcycle in the village. He was apprenticed to Messrs. Stimpson and is still driving cars in Canada , having held a driving licence for well over 50 years.

Graham White

The greatest of all sights was on April 27th 1910 when Graham White, competing for the £10,000 Daily Mail Prize for the first to fly from London to Manchester , landed in a field on the Ashton Road about 8pm. Soon crowds seemed to come from everywhere but as it was getting dark he decided to take a few hours rest and start off early in the morning. Dr. Ryan took him to his house and he had a few hours sleep but early in the morning it was learned that Paulin, a Frenchman was on the way and Graham White was sent for and started off but the Frenchman had nearly 2 hrs. start and so won the race.

Limestone Quarries

Roade had always been noted for its limestone which ran from East to West on the South of the village it employed quite a few men, and most of it was sent to Hunsbury Hill furnace to mix with the ironstone from Blisworth district. It also was for burnt lime and the harder stone for building as most of the older part of the village was built of stone and belonged to the Dukes of Grafton who were Lords of the Manor. The old village Pound is still in existence but as garden ground as it was sold at the Grafton Estate Sale with some adjoining cottages.

As to work, in those days everyone worked hard and the tradesmen’s pay was as I first remember 4½d, a hired labourer 3d per hour. I myself went to work at 15 for Messrs. Henry Martin of Northampton for the sum of 1½d per hour, and the time was 6am . to 5.30pm. but even then especially in the village everyone was happy and contented. Even if you had nothing you were welcome to share with someone else who had.

I am very thankful I have had my share of the Good Old Days.

Job Evans Sturgess. Dec. 8^th 1880 – May 13^th 1972