Page 25 - Moreton Village Only Book
P. 25
Moreton Village Only 25
which he seasoned up his chimney to become walking sticks. Joe did not believe in education
for the boys. When the Education Officer and the Police came from Thame over the
failure of the boys to attend school, Joe dragged his caravan over the border into Tetsworth
Parish, and when they came on the same errand from Tetsworth he dragged it back into
Moreton! Eventually the law caught up with him, and eldest son Charlie was dispatched to
school most unwillingly. He arrived on a Friday, which was games day. He was put to play
full back in a football match for the team representing the village lads, versus Thame lads,
although he had no idea what the game was about. It appears that he thought that the
object was to cripple the opponents, and he did this so effectively with his hobnail boots,
that everyone was afraid of him and the village side won 20 – nil.
Mabel Howes used to say that Betty Gubbins was a true gypsy. She could read the
tealeaves and used to boil ivy leaves, claiming that the resultant liquid was very good for
making her hair bright and shiny. Like most people at that time, she made good use of
herbs and wild plants.
Mabel married Tom Howse at the Chapel in Moreton in 1935 and the great similarity
of the two names Howes and Howse must have caused some confusion and perhaps some
hilarity as well. With marriage rather more popular than it is today, the chapel did, over
the years, see a good number of local couples pledge their troth between its four walls.
The wedding of Jack Smith’s parents, showing Bert Higgins giving away his
daughter Bertha, to Bert Smith on 28th July 1928. Jack was born in
ine Cottage and has lived in Morton all his life.
At about this time Una Cridland moved to the White House at the top of Moreton
Lane with her father who was a butcher. The house had been unoccupied for some 20
years, and before they could actually move in they had to remove brambles and an
assortment of other plants and weeds from the doors and windows to literally gain access,
as the place had become so overgrown. It appears that for a time in the late 19th century
The White House had been used as a “pest house”, or more politely a small Isolation
Hospital, though very little information is available to confirm this. However, it is likely
that the local authority had use of the building for isolation of very infectious cases such as
smallpox. The large-scale plan circa 1930 shown on page 15, which marks the brickworks,
also shows The White House which is clearly labelled “Isolation Hospital”.
The site of the house now known as Jessmere was bought by Charles Everett in 1933.
The site comprised four derelict cottages, two of which were demolished and the remaining
two renovated and a substantial extension built. Mr. Everett was an early car owner in the
village with a 1930’s Morris, from the range which immediately followed the Series 8
Bullnose. The main distinguishing feature of the car was the square radiator. Apparently
the vehicle was acquired for the princely sum of £7.00. However, the distinction of owning