Mrs. Clare Adams nee Rainbow, outside 18 Park Road in 1950s
HDHS archive
Children in costume in a field behind High Street, c.1920
l - r: Sherwood children, Brian, Kitty(Snaith), Dorothy (Booth), Charlie, Nancy(Sawbridge), Pat(Lockwood), Bill and Pam Rainbow(Homer) HDHS archive
Church End infants school c.1920
back Row.: Edie Rainbow, ?,?,?,?, Fred Smith ?,?, Bert Keeves , Bill Gable, Cliff Eakins, Gladys Walker.
Front Row: Eleanor Clarke, Emily Ckarke, ?, Syilvia Lane, ?; Cisse Nichols, Eileen MacInnan Seated: Cissie Evans, Phyllis Sharp.
HDHS archive
Dance band c.1951
l - r: Arthur Chilton (Trumpet), George Parkinson (Clarinet), Alf Bennett (Drums), Vera Higgs (Violin), Len Rainbow (Double Bass), Jean Asher (Piano ).
HDHS archive
Hanslope brass band c.1950
l-r: Alf Bennett, Les Brownsell, Malcolm Simons, Len Homer, Hugh Gregory, Elsie Campbell (Conductor), Aubrey Leaver, Mr Hillyer, Len Rainbow, Bert Asher, Arthur Chilton, Cliff Campbell.
HDHS archive
Hanslope Brass Band
c.1900
Back row l-r R W Time, A Draper, F Time, W Herbert, H Wesley, A Low, J Herbert,H Gable
Middle Row L -R R A Herbert, W Pedley, A Hillyer, J Kerridge, D Herbert , J Elliot, J Amos, Wesley, S Nicholson.
Front Row l - r R W Tite, W Stanton, T Trasler, A Herbert,F Simmons, H Herbert, J Rainbow, Kerridge.
Seated B Herbert, F Wesley.
Holiday Queen's attendants 1946
l - r: Pam Rainbow, Stella Taylor, Jean Crick, Gladys Asher.
HDHS archive
May Queen Parade 1946
Outside 20 Gold Street shop.
L-R Stella Taylor, Pam Rainbow, Kitty Sherwood. Jean Crick, Gladys Asher.
HDHS archive
Andrew and Betsy Nichols
c.1900
Andrew Nichols was born in 1841 to a family of agricultural labourers in Castlethorpe. He was the youngest of seven children of John and Elizabeth Nichols. She and her daughters were lacemakers. Andrew was working on the land by the time he was 10, but seized the chance for better pay and conditions as a striker at the railway carriage and waggon works at Wolverton. A striker worked in the blacksmiths’ shop as a labourer to the blacksmith where he would have struck the hot iron for the blacksmith to work on.
Andrew married Betsy Maria Rainbow on 14th July 1863. She was the daughter of Thomas Rainbow and Ruth nee Carter of Hanslope and was one of 11 children. They were agricultural labourers and lacemakers too. When bobbin lace went out of fashion due to the new and cheaper machine-made lace, the ladies reputedly burned the lace pillows and bobbins on the fire.
Andrew and Betsy had 6 children. They also headed to Wolverton to work, the boys as printers and the girls as envelope makers for McCorquodale’s.
Andrew and Betsy lived in the High Street at Hanslope. By 1901 they were living next door but one to the shop kept by Julia Varley.
Andrew Nichols died in 1912 and Betsy continued to live in the High Street. House title deeds show she was a tenant at number 9 High Street in 1930; the actual date of her death is not known but she was visited by her great grandson Roy Payne with his parents Walter and Grace Payne at number 9 during the 1930s.
Source Trudie Mundel
Andrew and Betsy Nichols (nee Rainbow) pre-1900
Andrew Nichols was born in 1841 to a family of agricultural labourers in Castlethorpe. He was the youngest of seven children of John and Elizabeth Nichols. She and her daughters were lacemakers. Andrew was working on the land by the time he was 10, but then got a job as a striker at the railway carriage and waggon works at Wolverton. A striker worked in the blacksmiths’ shop as a labourer to the blacksmith where he would have struck the hot iron for the blacksmith to work on. The blacksmiths’ shop can still be found in the car park of Tesco built on the old Works’ site.
Andrew married Betsy Maria Rainbow on 14 July 1863. She was the daughter of Thomas Rainbow and Ruth nee Carter of Hanslope and was one of 11 children. They were agricultural labourers and lacemakers too. A story passed down in the family was how, when bobbin lace went out of fashion due to cheaper machine made lace, the ladies burned the hated lace pillows and bobbins on the fire.
Andrew and Betsy had six children. They also went to Wolverton to work, the boys as printers and the girls as envelope makers for Mc Corquodale’s.
Andrew and Betsy lived in the High Street at Hanslope but seem to have moved house with each census. By 1901 they were living next door but one to the shop kept by Julia Varley.
Andrew Nichols died in 1912 and Betsy continued to live in the High Street. House title deeds show she was a tenant at (present day) number 9 High Street in 1930; the actual date of her death is not known but she was visited by her great grandson Roy Payne with his parents Walter and Grace Payne at number 9 during the 1930s.
This photograph dates from around 1900. Source:
Trudie Mundell who also provided the narrative.
The Rainbow Family outside their home in Park Road, c.1920
Source: Enid Scarsbrook
Sisters Pam and Christine Rainbow c.1960
HDHS archive
Joseph and Caroline Rainbow c.1910
Caroline was Joseph's second wife. His first wife was also named Caroline.
Source: Peter Scarsbrook
Thomas and Ruth Rainbow, c.1865.
Thomas Rainbow came from a long established family in Hanslope dating back to Daniel Rainbow in 1693. They were all farm labourers and lace makers. Thomas was born about 1794 and was the eldest of five children. Ruth was born in 1804 the youngest of thirteen children to another old Hanslope family traceable back to Richard Carter in 1590.
In the photo he is wearing moleskin knee breeches and a stock round his neck. That kind of folded tie or stock was out of fashion by the 1830s but lingered on in the countryside. Her bonnet dates to the 1850s, when small muslin or lace caps were worn indoors. A larger 'poke bonnet' would have been worn over the top for outdoor wear. Ruth's dress dates from about 1860 so this photo was probably taken around the late 1860s.
Thomas worked as an agricultural labourer. Ruth was decribed as a 'labourer's wife' so she probably worked on the farm as well. They lived in Long Street and then in old age moved to Back Street. (Gold St) .They didn't live on a farm so they probably didn't live in tied cottages which gave them a degree of autonomy and independence, which is how Thomas worked as a carter for a while.
Thomas and Ruth had eleven children of which seven lived to adulthood. The girls were lacemakers, Betsy Maria from the age of six, and the boys worked on farms, although George went to Wolverton to work in the Railway and Carriage Works, and Frederick became a shoemaker.
Thomas and Ruth lived to a good old age; Thomas died in 1874 aged 78 and Ruth in 1872 aged 68. They must have been well loved by their family because they erected a handsome gravestone in Hanslope churchyard in their memory.
This photo was cherished by Betsy Maria, who married Andrew Nichols. It was passed on to their daughter Minnie Nichols who married John Rolls. Their daughter Gertie Rolls, who was the last generation of this line to live in Hanslope, married Bertie Weatherley. She was my Great Aunt and passed the photo on to me.
Photograph and information provided by Trudie Mundell
St James' Football Club 1896-7
C Nichols, W Rainbow (captain), C Eakins, F Keeves (referee), Mr C T Smith (president), A Gregory (linesman), A Herbert (trainer), C Hillyer, F Rainbow, J Hawkes, W Adams, H Jones, E Ditum, A Ditum, H Taylor
Source Gerald Ditum