Tag Archives: shepherd

Mary Henderson, Sue Henderson nee Hillier, Thorley

My Mum, Sue Henderson nee Hillier, was born in Blacksmiths Cottage in 1929 but moved to Newclose Cottages, the east side, when she was one. She was christened ‘Eileen Amy’ but her grandmother said she was such a little dumpling, a ‘suet dumpling’ that she was nicknamed ‘Sue’ and known by that name from childhood!

Newclose Cottages 2013

Newclose Cottages 2013

My Grandad, Frederick, was known as ‘Shep’ Hillier, – he was shepherd for Newclose Farm. We think his prize sheep were Dorset Horns ; he certainly showed them in Dorset. Although ‘Shep’ followed his father, who was also a shepherd, he had served as a police constable in the Plymouth dockyards, at a time when policemen always went out in twos. He was a Special Constable in WWII
(Yarmouth School Log book 1944 Sept.8th : Police Reserve Hillier gave children a ‘Safety First’ talk this afternoon)

Shep Hillier earthing up potataotes

Shep Hillier earthing up potataotes 1940s photo Jean Storie

My grandmother Amy Rose nee Barton had originally come from Shalfleet but was working in service in Dorset when she met and married my granddad.
She was wife of a shepherd so she had ‘cade’ or orphan lambs to look after in her kitchen at lambing time, masses of washing to do with only a boiler but I remember how it was always neat and tidy. Mary Henderson b 1954

 

Pete Smith: Thorley, Broad Lane 1950s

Broad Lane above Thorley

Broad Lane above Thorley, looking towards Yarmouth and the Solent

Broad Lane

The fields at the top of our garden at North View were owned by Wellow Farm and although they were large, they still had hedges. Sheep or beef cattle were often grazing the fields and I remember going with my Dad ( Ralph Smith) to visit a shepherd up Broad Lane who was living in a field in his shepherd’s hut. This was a wooden hut on wheels that had steps up into it at the back. It had a primus stove for cooking, an old table and chair, and a makeshift bed. It was all very basic but the shepherd seemed happy enough to live there.

 A few years later all this changed when the hedges were grubbed out by a crawler tractor to create huge fields. It was the first time I had seen a crawler tractor and I remember being impressed by the sheer strength of the machine as it grubbed the hedges out. The technique used was fairly brutal: an assistant would wrap a length of chain around the trunk of the bush to be removed and the driver would haul it out, roots and all. Later all the hedging was burnt. The crawler used was not a nice shiny new one, it looked dirty and well used.  It was something of a mystery to me about how the steering worked as it had no steering wheel.

From time to time, and especially noticeable during school holidays because we were always around, were sudden loud explosions. Mum used to say “That’ll be Uncle Joe again,” meaning that Uncle Joe (who was the last Newbridge Blacksmith) had gone to work at the Quarry at the top of Broad Lane. There they used explosives to blast out the chalk so that it could be dug up and crushed for roads and other uses. The explosions varied from a dull thud to a loud window rattling noise even though we were over a mile away as the crow flies.

Peter Smith b 1946

Mary Greenen: Thorley, Tattels Lane

Tattels Lane

When I first arrived from Surrey, and met my father-in-law, George Greenen, I couldn’t understand his broad, country accent!
His father, Joseph Greenen, was a shepherd living in Thorley.  George, born in 1879, was the youngest of his 10 children.  His first job was as bird scarer in Thorley. George met Elsie Ash from Gunville at the fair in Yarmouth, and married her in 1913.
Her father, George Ash, worked as a Maltster for Mr. Mew at the Brewery in Newport. When he fell ill, George and Elsie moved from Thorley to look after Elsie’s father, and lived next door to the Malthouse in Holyrood Street, Newport.

George Greenen took over his father-in-law’s job and worked for Mews until he retired, other than when serving as a soldier in WWI.

Elsie and George’s son, Stanley, my husband, born 1930, graduated in Architecture and Planning and worked for IW Council as Planner.   Not bad for the son of a bird scarer!
Mary Greenen

Joseph Greenen, shepherd, of Thorley

Joseph Greenen, shepherd, of Thorley

Joseph Greenen, shepherd, b 1831  d 1911 married Merry Gatree ( or Gatrell) b 1834 d 1922,   buried in Thorley Churchyard