George Freeston's 1976 story of Arthur Eaton Basford (1886-1976)

Blisworth-born Arthur Eaton Basford died on June l8th 1976, aged 90 years; His parents lived in one of the twelve Railway Cottages on the Northampton Road. His father was a railwayman, as were all the other men-folk in the other eleven houses in the row, which were built for railway workers by the London & Birmingham Railway Co. in 1848.

Arthur Basford commenced his schooling in the Infant School in the Stoke Road (built 1874 -closed 1913) and then graduated to the Senior School opposite (the building now awaiting restoration as a village hall). The Basford parents were staunch Baptists, but the village school was church controlled and of a foundation created in the year 1504. Clashes were inevitable between some of the Baptist families and the Church over their doctrinal teachings. Arthur's parents objected to the compulsory teaching of the Catechism. They also objected to the local tax towards the education of the village children which did not allow the Baptist community to have a say in running the School.

In 1876 in the next village of Roade a National School was built for boys and girls. This school was non-denominational, and this fact interested the Blisworth Baptists very much. Subsequently, Arthur Basford and a small band of other Baptist children went to Roade National School. They walked to and fro daily taking with them their meagre meals for the day. Young Arthur was quick to learn that this morning walk could be put to good account and for the sum of two shillings and sixpence a week he delivered the then small amount of daily papers to the villages of Courteenhall, Roade and Stoke Bruerne using both the morning walk and the evening homeward trip to do so. Newspapers then were issued from the bookstall situated on the platform of the main line at Blisworth Station.

On leaving school Arthur obtained work at Blisworth Station in accordance with family tradition. By steady progression and subsequent promotions he duly arrived at Willesdon Station. At Willesdon he met and married his wife where they settled down and brought up their family of one daughter.  On retirement Arthur and his wife came "home" to Blisworth, and lived in Connegar Leys, where they enjoyed a splendid "evening" of their lives.

Arthur Basford was a superb product (together with many of his contemporaries) of a Christian family - a strict though kindly education based on the primarys, i.e. reading, writing and arithmetic. He was further blessed with a good brain by which he absorbed a great measure of the good things of life through self education during his wonderful life of 90 years.