FOUND . . .

Found in 2001 in a Stoke Road house, Blisworth in a space behind a roofing purlin.
These are described in more detail below.

1.  A series of letters dated c. 1899

2.  A sheet from the centre (pages 9, 10, 11 & 12) of a copy of "The Christian World", February 10, 1898.

3.  One blackened Victorian ha'penny - so much for tangible treasure.

4.  A pair of ladies' shoes (elsewhere in the roof space) encrusted with dried
19th century mud - probably left there in the customary belief that it would
bring the family good luck.

The Letters

The letters span the period from July 1899 to October 1900, post marked via Towcester at a 1d. rate and generally sent weekly.  The hand they are written in is very well schooled.  The writer was a young lady from a remote village and the recipient was a young Blisworth man who had begun an apprenticeship in Northampton and was in 'digs' in the south part of the town.  We are trying to locate the family of the recipient with a view to returning the letters.

The following snatches are transcribed here to serve as a commentary on those times and the use of language.  The names of individuals have all been changed.
Eastcote July 4, 1899 ".. I did think you would have come either Monday or Tuesday night. I did not expect you on Sunday when it was wet.   You said when I have a bike I shall come over in the week but you have never been yet but I expect you have so much to take your attention in the town.  Out of sight out of mind I believe its so with you but I mean to enjoy myself this next week or two we think of going out Saturday afternoon .. your ever loving wench &c".
July 26 "I feel I must write a line just to know how you are.  I do hope you are better. I can't forget your poor thin face I hope you will send me a line back just to ease my mind.  B Hornsby has done his bit at Milton poor.  Bert don't like work I think they set him digging post holes and it blistered his hands ... good bye for now &c"
November 9, 1899 " ... I shall expect you and I will come and meet you up Gaton (sic) Fields and if you don't come I shall say something I ought not too from your ever loving &c. Excuse this it is a busy day I will start about 2 o'clock"
Sunday afternoon " ... our Ozzy tells me if you don't soon come to see me I shall be going off my head.  I shall come and see your landlady if she has got a spare bed for one night if she has not I can take Ben's place. ... I must close now and go and get the tea, Loving"
December 5, 1999 " ... It was lovely at Chapel, I sat close to Mr Davis who quite drowned my little voice, thank you for the violets I have put them in water just for the sake of you.  Flo has a skinned wrist and she said her mother told her to put some Vasiline on and she said to ask you whitch (sic) would be the best Vasiline or ice cream she said you would know what was best for sore places.  Hope see you again Sunday &c."
January 21, 1900 "I went to Pattishall today and Ike's wife called me in to see the baby.  She had got it naked its a nice child I think it was a boy but I'm not much of a judge it looked a fat little thing.  Miss Flo wishes to be remembered to you and she said she would love to have a go at you.  She is quite saucy her dreams she has had this last week are awful.  I tell her she must be thinking about nauty (sic) things ..."
March 15, 1900 "... Our Bill has seen about a bike for me but I don't know if I shall have it in time.  ... you would just laugh to see me on Bill's.   I have had two falls.   I did come off a bump and I can't sit on it long the saddle hurts so I must be very tender.  I have heard that G Tuckley is coming back to work at Graham's.  From your ever true &c."
September 5, 1900 " ... I had the chance of another man on Sunday, he wanted to take me for a walk and I told him I had one.  .. he is a butcher and I see quite enough butchering.  If you see Annie Massey just give her my love.."  [Massey - a Blisworth family in the Westley Buildings]
October 2, 1900 "...Fanny will be taken down a bit before long.  Her man is a chap who earns about 8 shillings a week.  I know where he lodges and my cousin says he is an idle young beggar he don't like work so you see what a catch she will have and he is only 18 years old.  He has about 3 letters a week so you see they are very strong on.... PS.   I must tell you I had my Ma very bad last week.  I was in a way I can tell you but she is better now.  I'm so glad I did feel frightened.  See you soon &c."

"The Christian World", February 10, 1898

This newspaper was a 20pp publication of about 'Daily Mail' size.  The paper seems to be edited for a non-conformist readership, so perhaps the recipient's family were Baptists.  [In fact, the head of the household was admitted to the Baptist church in 1870 - as discovered recently]  The four side centre-fold is badly crumpled and very dirty so that copying is ruled out.  Below there are three short religious articles and then three quack (?) adverts recorded here out of general interest.  The first article includes an early use of the expression 'wind-up' in noun form, it seems to mean 'a situation that one ends up in' rather than an annoying joke.

Most Alpine climbers have their story of a short cut. In a new bit of country they see a route which appears quicker and simpler than the regular one, and take it. At the end of the day they are congratulating themselves that they got off with a journey of double length and without the wind-up, which more than once seemed imminent, of a broken neck. The short cut succeeds sometimes, but not often. It is, as a rule, ventured on in inexperience and impatience, and turns out in nine cases out of ten to be the wrong road. And this experience is not limited to excursions over moor and mountain. In the wider region of life, where mind and heart are making their perpetual pilgrimages, the same thing obtains. Here also Lessing's word is constantly being proved that 'it is not true that the shortest line is always the straight one.' [it continues ...]

Bulletin

Rome has followed Paris in forming an 'Association of Prayers and Good Works for the Return of Great Britain to Catholic Unity'.    France and Italy are practically lost to Rome through scepticism, and the statesmen of the Vatican think (not without reason, perhaps) that the best chances of propagandism are in the countries where Romanism is least known.   On this subject Dr. Horton's sermon on 'Romanism and National Well-being' reported in this week's Christian World Pulpit, is an instructive commentary.   Fortunately for England there lives in it a vigorous and growing Nonconformity which is safeguarded against all the blandishments of an aesthetic sacerdotalism, and the heart of the country is as Protestant as ever.   The 'crusade of prayer^' has a stiff task to make England again, as Cardinal Parrocelli, the Pope's Vicar-General, said was the object, 'the Dowry of the Blessed Virgin Mary'.  [The Romanising of the Anglican church was of concern to the Blisworth baptists too in 1875]

Comment

Mr. Pecksniff was not the first man nor the last to use prayer as a weapon of offence. A London vicar, if a daily newspaper's report is correct, resorted to the method on Sunday morning. His church, is 'High' and some members of the Protestant Brigade attended. The vicar recognised them and informed the congregation. They had come, he said, in a spirit of hostility, and perhaps to laugh and scoff. He invited the congregation to pray that those misguided persons might be converted from the error of their ways and be led to the truth. The congregation obeyed the behest, and prayed audibly, with the result that the Protestants beat a retreat. To most people it will seem that such a use of prayer is profanation.

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