Henry Jellis
© Josephine G. Jellis 1985
Chapter 1: Setting the Scene
I was born on the 7th February 1885 in Flitwick[195], a village situated in South Bedfordshire on the Midland main railway line, midway between Luton and Bedford. This makes it approximately ten miles from each town.
Before I go any further let me point out the boundaries of the village. The southern boundary is Westoning, but accepted boundary for some way is a small river (known locally as The Brook) named The Flit. Between this river and actual boundary for several hundred yards is a stretch of moor, used for allotments. There are several waterways here, but the main one is The Flit.
The River Flit has its source three to four miles west of Flitwick and flows easterly. At east end of our village, it turned waterwheel of Flitwick Mill. It then passes out of our parish into Greenfield and Flitton – two small hamlets in one parish. The river supplied water for wheel of Flitton Mill and then flows on receiving other water until it joins The Ivel. The Ivel is a tributary of the Great Ouse and enters that river some way east beyond Bedford.
The southeast boundary is Greenfield and Flitton, and east the village of Maulden. Ampthill is northern and Steppingley western boundary. I do not guarantee these places as cardinal points, also the places mentioned are parishes, the real built-up villages could be separated from Flitwick by upwards two miles of wood and farmland.
The Flitwick of my day was vastly different from the flourishing place of today, with its well built houses, electric light and mains water supply. No doubt its prosperity is due to its nearness to the town of Luton with its old established hat factories and its, later, large engineering works. Luton absorbs a lot of labour from its surrounding villages, and Flitwick makes a large contribution. The village now is one of the dormitories of Luton. But Luton, from my infancy, always played a big part in offering employment to people, especially women, of Flitwick.
Flitwick in 1980 was a large scattered village, thinly populated, situated in an agricultural area and farming, for men, was really the only industry. It did, however, have a station in the middle of the village, which served surrounding villages both for goods and passengers, but not all trains stopped there. The station was busy in my early days, with goods and produce from the market garden area being loaded for transport to London and Leicester. The busiest days for passengers were Monday and Saturday, these being ,market days at Luton and Bedford – Luton Monday, Bedford Saturday. There were corn and cattle markets at both towns so farmers would visit them frequently. The fare on market days to both towns was one shilling (5p) return.
The railway is built on a high bank as it passes through Flitwick. This is to carry it over two or three miles of bog land. It cuts our village into two parts and access to the two portions is by four arches and a bridge. The bridge is over the line at Flitwick station; one big arch is at one end of the village and one at the other end. In between each of the larger arches are two small subways for pedestrians, each one situated midway between the large arches and the bridge. The large arches re big enough to take any vehicle even if loaded high like corn or hay. So the railway offers no inconvenience to communication between the divided parts of the village.
Flitwick village is divided into three Ends – Church End, east End and Denel End, and two of these Ends have sub-divisions. Church End has its Horns End and East End its water End. The Parish Church is in Church End and the school is also here. In East End was a small Baptist Chapel that was only used on Sunday evenings and there was a Wesleyan Chapel at Denel End.
Come with me now for a walk around these Ends so that I can introduce you to the people and places of my childhood.
Chapter 2: Horns End
I was born in Horns End and there I lived for first eight years of my life.
Horns End is situated extreme south end of village and borders on the moors. Up to time of Parish Councils, this lane was little better than a cart track and had to be kept in some sot of repair by cottagers. In wet weather, it was well nigh impassable. Do I hear someone say “What about prams and bicycles?”, the answer is there were none. Poor people couldn’t afford prams so there were seldom seen and bicycles were in infancy.
By position of cottages, it would be imagined the End was a waste strip of No Man’s land and the old cottages had been erected by labourers and later claimed as squatter’s rights. Several of the old places were owned by occupiers but it is doubtful if could produce a title deed. The End lies between Westoning Road and railway, just a little east of the main Church End which was known to Enders as ‘Up Town’. It was a cluster of twelve cottages, thirteen originally but two had been turned into one. There were three brick and slate four-roomed cottages which were comparatively modern, two others not thatched, six lath and plaster, other brick and part other material. All had a bit of garden and a shed for coal etc. going down lane from Church End four would be on the left and eight on right.
I think I had better go to the bottom of lane and work up to Church End. The first were a row of three cottages joined together; they were lath and plaster and thatch with two rooms down and two rooms upstairs. The upstairs must have been very low. There was only one door and small windows could not be opened. I was never in one, not upstairs anyway. The downstairs would be a fair size living room and a smaller room – more of a pantry, there was an open fire, no oven, the floor was brick tiles. The first one opened out sideways so faced south and had a separate entrance; other two had doors and windows that faced west. The first one had a larger garden, other two very small, and a ditch ran end of garden. Right in front of the two facing west was a well, only few feet from door, and could be a real danger especially if not kept covered.
In end cottage lived George Jellis[649] with his wife Jane[663], four sons and three daughters. George was a farm worker and his wife also worked for the same employer; outdoors in summer at one shilling (5p) a day and indoors in winter when required. The winter time she would be engaged sometimes peeling onions for pickling from say nine to one o’clock, for this pay would be eight pence (3½ p) and she might get a glass of beer on this kind of work. The normal pay for half a day was sixpence (2½ p).
Next cottage lived Josiah Jellis[(103], brother of my grandfather. He had a wife[Emma Parker 135] one son[Frederick (Shake) 144] youngest of family and at least five big strapping daughters. Don’t say “Where did they sleep?” – I don’t know. Josiah was a sawyer and a well sinker. His wife had enough to do at home and girls were out working at Luton.
Next came William Jellis[63] and his wife – he was generally known as Willie – and was father of George. The family had all left home when I was quite a child, but I think it consisted of three sons and two daughters. Willie was a handyman, more of state carpenter. He did repairs and erected new fences etc. Some of those fences showed some good work and stood for a lifetime. He also made ladders of varying lengths according to requirements. These were made from split trunks of spruce and rungs would be made of ash or oak. These ladders were very strong and were necessary for builders and farmers.
Next was the passage from lane to front of cottages. Then next came two semi-detached cottages – four rooms two up two down. These had bigger windows that opened. They had a stove that had an oven and, I believe, a tank for hot water; the tank would be filled by hand of course. For the use of both tenants, there was an outside wash house with a copper and a large oven for baking bread. More of the oven later. These, compared to others, were real luxury places.
In first lived my paternal grandparents Samuel[101] and Betsy Jellis[81]. They had three sons and six daughters, but several were married and lived away. One daughter[son, William, 124] had passed on before my birth. Samuel was a shepherd at about twelve shillings (60p) per week, plus Sunday pay when sheep were on turnips, or any special occasion; then he had lambing bonus and shearing money and extra for hay time and harvest. My grandmother was a big strong woman and a worker. The family at home were three girls – Luton workers in the hat trade – and Uncle Joe[131] a gardener. So there would be five to come home to a late meal. Gran perhaps was not a cook and stuff she had was offal, such as bullock’s heart or pluck or sheep’s head etc., but I remember when it was put on table seasoned with onions, parsley or other herbs it smelled lovely. Hungry people do not ask, “What is it?” Grandfather kept a dog for work with sheep and I think the dog helped with a dinner sometimes!
I should have said these cottages had a front and a back door, and faced east.
Next cottage lived George Bunker and his wife Jane. Jane was a relative of my mother but I can’t say what degree. Jane was a relative of my mother but I can’t say to what degree. George was a wheelwright and he had two sons who worked at same trade. They did all heavy farm carts and market gardener’s carts; the lighter traps were made by Bunker at Shefford. Any heavy cart in village was made by George Bunker. They were all good mechanics. Putting on the iron tyres to wheels was a great attraction to all schoolboys and older people too. There was a well in garden of these two cottages but I never knew it used as the water was too hard. George was only person down End that I remember keeping a pig. The keeping of pigs by cottagers was disallowed in my early days. The pig must be kept a certain distance from dwelling place.
Next to these places comes our mansion. This was a two room, one storey, lath and plaster thatch cottage. It was built endways to lane so door opened north. In living room there were two windows that could not be opened. One window faced south, door and other window faced north, the bedroom window faced west. So our back view was George Bunker’s pigsty! The two rooms were fair sized and our family consisted of mother, father, William and I.
~~~~~~~~~~ to be continued ~~~~~~~~~~
