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T17 Margaret Nolan
Memories of Ramsbottom from 1911
Born 01/07/1911
Recorded 01/10/1997
Length 02:15:13
- George Pickup's Family: Mention of three brothers and a sister, with the sister working in a dairy and singing.
- Weekly Routine: Sister walks to Ramsbottom and visits the narrator's house for rest.
- Childhood Memories: Narrator recalls family outings and saving money for holidays.
- Education: Attended school until age 14, with few students advancing to the convent.
- Theatre Experiences: Enjoyed amateur productions at local theatres, including operatic performances.
- Weaving Experience: Learned weaving from a relative, faced challenges with heavy tasks and machinery.
The document “T17.docx” is a detailed oral history transcript—a recorded interview with a woman named Margaret, born in Ramsbottom, England in 1911, who recalls her life and local community from early childhood through adulthood. Below is a comprehensive summary of its contents:
🧒 Early Life (1910s–1920s)
- Birth & Family: Born July 1, 1911, in Ramsbottom. Lived with her parents and siblings, Elizabeth and John, on Brook Street. Her mother was often ill, and her aunt (Aunt Lizzie) helped raise the children.
- Family Work: Her father worked for many years at Ramsbottom Paper Mill and later at a bleach works. He was respected in the community.
- Home Life: Their house had a living room, kitchen, and pantry. There was no running hot water. A stone “set pot” heated water for washing. The fire was central to cooking and heating.
- Bathing: Baths were taken in a tin tub; children took turns using the same water.
- Toilet: Outside but unusually advanced for its time—a flush toilet using natural spring water.
🏠 Life in Ramsbottom
- Neighborhood: Brook Street had eight houses; the family later moved to Carrack Street and then Major Street. She vividly describes neighbors, gardens, and local families (e.g., the Farleys, Halls, Whittakers).
- Local Landmarks: Mentions the Old Mill, Tallow Works (where animal fat was processed for candles), and a nearby stream where the children played.
🎒 Education
- Schooling: Attended St. Joseph’s School under teachers like Miss Murphy and Miss Burns. Miss Murphy was an Irish immigrant who taught violin and dance.
- Margaret left school at 14; her sister continued longer. She was weaker in arithmetic and preferred practical work.
🧵 Work & Trades
- First Job: Wanted to be a baker but was sent to learn weaving instead.
- Weaving Work: Describes looms, shuttles, threads, and the technical process of weaving cloth. Initially terrified of the machinery.
- Workplace Incidents: Once spilled a worker’s tea, causing an accident; later dismissed for being late and “putting herself out of work.”
- Unemployment: She had to sign on at the employment office (“the drill hall”) during a period of mass unemployment.
- Later Jobs: Worked at Torrisholme Mill near Lancaster and later at the Temple Manufacturing Company during WWII, producing parts for the war effort.
⚙️ WWII and Factory Work
- War Effort: Worked at a munitions-related factory (“Temple Manufacturing Company”) in Cobden Mill. Production was secretive and involved wire manufacturing.
- Blackout conditions were enforced; workers did fire-watching shifts.
- Her supervisor, Mr. Ingle, had built the factory’s machines himself.
🏙️ Community & Local Shops
Margaret provides a rich, street-by-street history of Ramsbottom:
- Mentions shops, sweet stores, butchers, chemists, and local characters such as Mr. Whittaker and Mrs. Walsh.
- Remembers the Empire Cinema and the Royal Cinema showing serial films and cowboy movies.
- Describes fish sellers arriving by train from Southport, post office, station hotel, and Old Fellows Hall.
- Details the arrival of wireless radio, early gramophones, and community excitement around new technologies.
🎡 Leisure & Social Life
- Entertainment: Weekly cinema trips, listening to gramophone music, and playing games in the street.
- Religion: The family were Catholic and attended St. Joseph’s Church.
- Community Organizations: Mentions the Ramsbottom Friendly Society (a burial or sickness insurance club) and how families contributed small weekly amounts.
🏘️ Social Observations & Morals
- Reflects on social norms—strict parenting, modesty, gender expectations, and good neighborliness.
- Notes how much cleanliness, thrift, and respectability mattered.
- Contrasts early 20th-century simplicity with modern life, remarking that children “were happy with little.”
🪑 Later Memories & Reflections
- Describes home décor improvements (e.g., “Wilton carpet,” brass fireplaces).
- Expresses nostalgia for community spirit, respect, and togetherness.
- Shares humor, warmth, and personal anecdotes about mistakes, small joys, and daily routines.
🧭 Overall Themes
- Working-class life in early 20th-century northern England.
- Industrial heritage and women’s factory work.
- Social cohesion and intergenerational family structures.
- Transition from pre-industrial living to postwar modernity.
- Pride in resilience, community, and moral upbringing.
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