Landrake with St. Erney - a rural parish in south east Cornwall.
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Memories
Mrs Frances Scoble remembers Landrake: (taped commentary)
My dad had been to America in the gold mines. When he came home to St Dominic that’s where I was born. I was christened there. Then dad took over Lowertown Farm in Landrake where I came as a baby. Mum died there when I was three years old.
When we lived at Lowertown, we had no indoor toilets so had to go to the bottom of the garden. When I was younger and I wanted to go, dad had to light the lantern and go down with me!
Dad got me a dog, a little Spaniel called Fido, and we always had cats around.
But I really had a happy childhood and went to all the teas - Dad always used to take me to the Chapel Anniversary Teas. Mr Behenna was the vicar then when I was young. We used to go down to the vicarage once a year for parties. Mr Behenna had a housekeeper and we used to enjoy these visits. The Ironmongers used to send money for the poor of the parish who would receive a loaf of bread as they left the Sunday morning service at the church. When I was a little girl, I thought it was for everybody and proudly walked home with my loaf.
When it was my birthday, dad always had children down from the village for my birthday parties. After the tea, we used to go out to our meadow and have games and races, and I remember dad used to buy some strawberries. Later on he planted a few strawberries so we had our own then.
In my younger days, we used to have dances and whist drives in the old school. There was no hall then. I helped to raise money for the hall.
During the winter evenings we would play games and Dad and I would sing hymns and songs around the piano. Sometimes I would go up to my cousins, who lived at Glenside Villas, and we would play card games and sing all the latest songs. My cousin Doris, who became Mrs Smale, played the chapel organ for over fifty years.
The post office then was in School Road, next up to Maunder’s Cottages. Mrs Comstock was very good to me and helped me get ready for when I was confirmed. I very often went to the 8 o’clock Communion with the family.
Also we saw Mr Brewer going by our house very often as he had fields next to ours out the lane. Mr and Mrs Brewer took me to my first Farmers Union Ball at Saltash.
I also remember Dad sending me to have boots or shoes repaired to Mr Walkey, who had his shop over Tideford Road on the right hand side. I loved sitting down and chatting to him. He was a lovely old man. His son, who married Mr Menhenick’s sister had a grocers shop up Church Street, just opposite the church where I often spent my penny on sweets.
I went to Landrake School and when I was eleven, I won the Sir Robert Geffery Scholarship and went to Liskeard Secondary School. Of course, there was no cars in those days so I used to have to go to St Germans to catch the train Monday mornings, go with the horse and trap, catch the train to Liskeard, lodge there all the week. I came back Friday evenings and dad used to go to Saltash market, take butter to Mrs Pawley, vegetables to Mr Freeman and I used to go then on Friday nights up to Saltash Station and come home with dad.
I went to school down there ‘till I think I was about 14½. Then I said to dad, “Can I come home?” I didn’t like staying down there all the week, so I left school to go to work on the farm.
I used to milk the cows and I was up 6 o’clock most mornings fetching the cows from Stoneylands, which is all built on now. Then I used to go to Saltash with the churns of milk on the horse and trap until Charlie Smale started with the lorry, then we would put our milk churns out and Charlie Smale would pick them up.
When I got older we formed a tennis club in Landrake. That was up the Green, part of a field. We used to play tennis evenings and then Edith Northmore formed the Brownies and she asked me if I would help. So I became Tawny Owl. I think there are two of my girls still living in the village - Marjorie Ashton and Kath Gee.
During all this time I went to Landrake Sunday School, was confirmed when I was 14 and was in the church choir. Evenings we would go for walks, play pianos and do other activities with our friends.
During the war we had people, women, down from the village to help with the harvesting. I remember one woman, Mrs Roberts, the policeman’s wife. Dad used to kill a pig in those days and told the housekeeper to boil the ham in time for when they came in for dinner. Well, when dad came in, the housekeeper had been at the cider barrel, so the women had to turn to and finish off making the dinner!
I helped on the farm - planting and picking up the potatoes. We had a big orchard, which is all built on now. I used to pick apples and a lot of blackcurrants.
After I left school, I used to go to church Sunday mornings. I used to milk the cows, go to the 8 o’clock Communion, come home and feed the animals - We had pigs, calves and poultry. Then do a bit of housework, tidy my bedroom and then go to church at 11 o’clock. In the afternoon I often went for a walk. Dad would never do anything on a Sunday except milk the cows and feed the animals. Then go to church at 6.30. We used to light the fire in the grate so had to saw up logs during the week.
Dad used to take me up to Callington Honey Fair in the horse and trap.
I lived at Lowertown until I was twenty three years old. Then dad had to give up because of poor health. Eventually I married Austin Scoble and we lived at the Glebe in St Erney where both my sons were born, John and David. I used to go to St Erney Church where I did the flowers. After that, we came up to Landrake to live at Mera Park Cottages and the boys went to Landrake School.
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