A mixture of work with withies, glove-making, cider, sheep, and cattle was typical for the sources of family employment and income in the Parish. This post helps to illustrate this economy. It includes the premature death from pneumonia, of a family’s main breadwinner, worsened by the need to be working with withies……… on Westmoor.
The Males & Stuckeys : withies, apples, sheep and a tale of two dolls.
Sydney Male left. and brother Arthur Male right, stacking withies at the family farm in Burrow Way.
William Jeanes Male at the family home Rose Villa in Burrow Way. Rose Villa, previously owned by the Ducks who moved to Pass Vale Farm – Burrow Hill. The withy stripping machine is under cover on the left in front of “The Tin Shed”.
Left : Sydney, Hilda Annie Male, Arthur Male – brothers and mother.
Centre : Elizabeth Male, his grandmother, Arthur Male, his Aunt Edie.
Right – Bottom of Burrow Hill – Arthur Male – centre – & cousins.
At Rose Villa:
Left- William, Hilda & Arthur
Centre – Arthur & William with sheep
Right – Hilda Male, centre in white blouse with friend, her two brothers left, and William on stripping machine, right.
“William Thomas Male, my grandfather, followed the withy-cutting tradition, working the withy beds down on the moor. At sometime he bought his own withy beds. Also the youngest daughter Maud Males’ husband, Arthur Stodgell, was also a withy cutter, I was told. “
Claire Rutigliano – nee Male
Left to right:
Hilda Male finishing willows by hand & son Arthur – pile of the strippings in background.
Arthur Male left, on stripping machine.
“William, also bought cider apple orchards which he worked with the next generation and his second son, Arthur Male my father, who also owned withy beds . He cut the withies traditionally with a withy hook, back breaking work for a day I am told. He stripped the withies with a motorised stripping machine he had made, which he held a whole bundle of boiled withies under his arm and pushed it into a fast rotating , hedgehog-like, large spiked metal contraption and he had to hold on for grim death until they were pulled through almost to the end and pull them back out again. He then carried these with the wet bark hanging off and they were laid out on wires strung across the bottom of the apple orchard one withy thick.
Next, he and any one who could or would spend time – usually me and my grandmother Hilda Male- would pull off the loose barks so the white willow was exposed. They were left to dry and were turned by hand several times before they were bundled up again and tied with a specification to make one willow-like string to tie them up. When the willows were cut down, before the willows sprouted up, we put the sheep into the withy beds to eat the grass and weeds and fertilize the ground. Dad also exported willows to New Zealand.”
Claire Rutigliano – nee Male.
Left: Wedding of Arthur Male & Ursula Stuckey at The Methodist Church, Kingsbury Episcopi. Male family to the left and Stuckey family to the right.
RIght: Family Birthday celebration at Rose Villa : LtoR standing : Sidney, Ann, Arthur, Maud, Arthur
LtoR sitting : William, Hilda, Elizabeth, Edith.
Left – The shop at Stembridge Ash at the top of Bladon Hill – no longer there.
Right : Male, Stuckey, Jeanes – Family photo, outside the shop.