This is how it was during the first twenty years of the century :
The Rector of Calstone was the Rev. Danneman. He always wore a black frocktail coat and carried an umbrella or walking stick. He knew every parishioner’s birthday and would visit on that day to bring a present of 1/4lb of tea for the women or an ounce of tobacco for the men.
South Farm was occupied by Mr & Mrs Ansty with the Bowsher family living at the Mill. The Misses Norah and Marjorie Jefferies lived at Sprays Mill with their aged mother; Miss Marjorie played the organ at Calstone Church and Miss Norah cycled into Caine each weekday to her job at Lloyds Bank. Miss Minnie and Mr. Hill Maundrell lived at Old Farm. They ran a ‘Thrift Club’ and villagers paid 6d per week each Friday evening by handing in the money through a window at Old Farm.
Mrs Maynard was the school mistress, teaching the upper school, with Miss Sterry teaching the lower school. They worked hard for the children, the highlight of the school year being concerts and plays in the autumn. During sewing lessons, the girls making underclothes had to sit behind a screen so the boys should not see!
Edwin Green lived at the Whitening Ring Cottage, now demolished, at the top of Spout Lane. A bungalow was built at the bottom of Church Lane to replace a thatched cottage. Three women lived in the bungalow – Emily Rivers and Ellen and Florrie Smith. They ran a laundry and laundered for people for miles around.
A carrier called Alfie Holmes did the collecting and delivering by pony and cart.
Mrs Robbins ran the shop and post office at the top of Sprays Hill. The adjoining Reading Rood was open each evening for young and old of the village to get together. Occasionally there was a dance or social evening. In 1912, to celebrate the coronation of George V, there was much merry-making and a band played on the high bank opposite the Reading Room.
Tog Hill was occupied by Joseph Rivers, his wife and ten children. He was a watercress cultivator and sold his bunches of watercress door-to-door in the Caine area. Life at Tog Hill was almost self-supporting with milk from the goats, meat and eggs from the chickens and a slaughtered pig when needed. The bacon sides were salted and cured and hung in the cool cellar of Tog Hill. The chitterlings were washed clean in the gushing part of the nearby stream. A regular purchase in Calne was a sack of flour for the home-made bread. On Sundays, they walked, regardless of weather, to attend a chapel at Quemerford, which is now a dwellinghouse. Joseph Rivers died in the summer of 1911 while tending his bees in the garden of Tog Hill. One of his ten children Arthur Rivers took over the house and later became Waterworks Manager at Calstone. Another son, also Joseph, was known as Jo Quart because of his thirst. It obviously did him no harm – he lived until his mid-90’s at Green Lanes.
Most of the houses in Calstone at this time were owned by the Bowood Estate. The Keeper was Aaron Wooten who lived in the bungalow at the corner of Moggs Lane. He kept the village hedges immaculate. He was a familiar sight with his gun and always wore a wide belt. This belt was highly respected by the village lads, being frequently removed to deter any mischief maker!
In 1919, there was a three-hour downpour and the Millpond burst its banks. After subsiding, huge trout were left on the grass and the village people ate very well for a few days.
This was taken from a Calstone Newsletter from early 1986. The “Worthy” mentioned is unfortunately not named. If anyone knows who it is please let me know and I will update the post.
The picture above is of Joe “Quart” Davis and was taken in 1920.