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Rob
Foxton recalls:
(1909-2008)
Kate Harding (nee Denney)
lived in Veranda Cottage the second cottage from the North end of the row, a very smart lady when young. Her father moved to
Middlesbrough to work in the furnaces when mining in Rosedale was at its
highest before the 1st Word War. She married a John Harding he came from
Swaffam in Norfolk, through an agency, which
engaged young men to work on farms in Yorkshire, when there was a demand for
labour. I was Kate's blue-eyed boy, and a request when she died in 1951
aged 70 was for me to be a bearer at her funeral. John her husband died
in 1984 aged 92. (He watched the goings on at
Pasture House and would offer carpentry advice for DIY projects). A root of the dark red peony
that grew in the Harding's front garden is still flowering in Bernard Frank's
garden in Kent 2016).
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Freddie Dixon on bike, Walter Denney on right |
Kate's nephew Walter
Denney was a mechanic for "Freddie Dixon" who rode Harley Davidson and Douglas
motorcycles in the T. T. races on the Isle of Man.
I remember Wally coming to Normanby on a Douglas
flat twin motorcycle equipped with a new idea for increasing speed in races.
The spark on the plugs was cut off by a switch when, going round corners.
I can remember when they went home at night hearing the engines cutting out,
and then cracking up again. It was not success they were always
experimenting for more speed.
Charlie
Deaks lived at the house up our lane and to the
side of the Rectory (now demolished). He was a nice smart young man
about 8 years older that me. I remember he used to help me with my
college homework at night. He was educated at Barnard Castle College,
qualified as a teacher and taught at St Bedes
School in Westmoreland.
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Once when the river Seven
was flooded a person named Gamble set off home to Barugh
from the "Sun Inn" at night, he missed the bridge and fell into the river and
drowned. Afterwards the Council put up the white railings for
protection. John Wood told me that in the Churchyard there are two
tombstones, one is for a person killed by a bull, the other is for someone who
was drowned in the Atlantic. Local people sailed to America to work on
the Canadian Pacific Railway when it was being built.
Bernie
Frank 29th August 2005, speaking to Rob
Foxton on his 96th birthday, I mentioned that he
had purchased from Liverpool this postcard and did he know who Vera was at
Bridge Farm? Rob replied that the Patmore's and Tanton's
(Bailiff) managed Bridge Farm and kept race
horses for Captain
John Robert Renwick, who had Racing stables
at Langton Wold. He was well known for being a shrewd trainer and won many
races. Rob went to school with the daughter Vera. In Rob's words
"he
would sit next to her at school and they would hold hands under the desk".
Rob would have been aged 11 in 1920.
Phoebe Tanton
also lived at Bridge farm. In those days the farm house was two houses.
Phoebe walked with a stick and worked with animals.
Postcard
of Pickering dated 24th August 1920 posted
& franked
at Normanby
Post Office.
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Rose cottage
c.1950 was the
Foxton's home for many
years. Behind Rose Cottage there used to be a number of poultry houses run
by Rob.
Rob in Hereford 2000,
taken on a visit by Bernie |
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