Personalities, Part II , Blisworth, Northamptonshire, UK.

All pictures are presented at relatively low resolution.   Printed below each image is the photographer's name, if known.

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24-19    George Freeston (1911 - 2002)

Pictured here after the award on November 22nd, 1998 of an Honourary Fellowship of Nene University College for his unique legacy to the County of Northamptonshire.  Through a lifetime of dedication he built a detailed historical picture of trades, buildings and customs of the people of Blisworth.  The village is indebted to him for his work.  It wasn't until after he had died that something was done to apply order to his collection and publish some of the material.

In the inset he is clothed in a way we would recognise.

 

 

 

24-20  George's office at Plowmans, Stoke Road - actually just one of many "offices" in the house!  Photographed c. 1990.

 
24-21   Walter Alexander (1886  - 1976)

Although born in Blisworth he moved to London where he became a professional sign-writer.  He spent the latter part of his life in Blisworth.  Ever since his young days, his passion was photography.  On these web pages are numerous examples of his fine work.   It is unusual for a village to have such a significant record of scenes from the past and Blisworth is indebted to him.

 
24-22   Whitty Whitlock, carpenter, coffin maker, sexton, merciless leg-puller and wit.  A party at the Royal Oak on his 85th birthday.
24-23   Miss Marjorie Hare - junior class teacher from 1931 to 1966 - upon her retirement.  With Mr Rivett behind her - one of the school managers.

before joining the school Miss hare had published a book of poems for children - it is reproduced here.

 
 

 

 

 

 

24-24   George Bonsor, farmer at Cliff Hill Farm and a young Brian Bodsworth taken in c. 1965.

 

 

 

 

Picture kindly provide by the Bodsworth family

 

 

 

 

 

24-25   Bernard Burbidge (left) and his brother Charles taking in a not-so-old motorcycle.  Date was probably 1950.

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

24-26   George Freeston had four elder brothers: Ron, Frank, Bill and Ralph.   This picture shows three of them; left to right, Ron, Frank and Bill with motorcycling friend Arthur Longland.  The date was perhaps 1925.

 

 

 

 

Picture kindly provided by Charles Holding
24-27   Harry Alfred Goodridge, the blacksmith with his business on the Cross, at the pump in the yard behind the Sun, Moon and Stars Inn.  Bill Rickard, the publican, is preparing  a smoke!   Perhaps unusually for a publican, he took acting parts in the early productions of the Blisworth Music and Drama Society.  The date is c.1920 - there is no "British Waterways" painted onto the mill canopy (1934).   Behind Mr Rickard can be seen the canal-side leggers hut (08-08)

 
24-18   Caught on camera, possibly Walter Alexander's, the door to door knife sharpener with his mobile equipment.  Note the treadle for his grind stone as on early sewing machines.

 

 

 

 

24-28   A small group of railway men in the late 1950's.  Left to right,  Albert Simms (Shunter), Roger Robson (Guard), Mr. H.Hill (Stationmaster), and Walter Barden (Foreman).

Walter Barden and his brother Archie were both born in Blisworth around 1900.  It was normal to start school at 4 and be discharged at 13 years of age, having attended school for over five years. 

 

 

 

 
24-29   Emily Ann and William Ben Holding. Grand parents of the current Holding and Goodridge families in the village.

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24-30   Cyril Paxton - an official in the Manchester Oddfellows Society.   Indeed, he rose to be a "Grand" of that Society in the 1950s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

picture kindly provided by the Paxton family

 

 

 

 

24-31   Frederick Ratledge - his second wife ran a grocer's shop in the Stoke Road - though some remember it as a sweet shop, understandably perhaps.  This was the cottage with 3 steps up to the door, ie. number 33.

Fred Ratledge worked as a bricklayer for the canal company, roughly from 1910 to 1950.  

 

Picture kindly provided by the Paxton family - also the one below, probably taken by Millner of a group of his workers with Ratledge fifth from the right.  The location is thought to be Linford, Beds. and the canal is drained for maintenance work.
24-53   Mrs Millar, she learnt the art of cushion lacemaking from old Mrs Dix and moved on to be well known in the county as a teacher of the art.

Picture is dated approx. 1970.

 

 

 

 

24-32   William Goodridge.  Between the World Wars he provided a hair-cutting service from a shed on the Stoke Road allotments field.  He was nephew to both Alfred and Richard Goodridge, blacksmiths in the village.

 

 

 

 

 

 

picture kindly provided by the Goodridge family
24-33   William Twiselton.  Grand father to the late Brian Bodsworth.

 
24-34   Nurse Sargent.  Local District Nurse and Midwife - the last baby she delivered in the village was Doreen Donnelly.

 

 

 

Nurse Edwards took over in more recent times esp. the 1950 and 1960s. She lived in Gayton.

 

Part III