| Ref No | WIN/063 |
| Collection | Winstanley Oral History Collection |
| Title | Mrs. L. J. Fuller interviewed by Michael Winstanley |
| Name of creator | Winstanley, Michael |
| Date | 10/02/1975 |
| Duration | 1 hr. 31 min. 01 sec. |
| Extent | 1 sound tape reel |
| 1 audio file Waveform Audio |
| Description | Mrs. L. J. Fuller, (nee Turner), born 1881, interviewed in Wingham. Her father was an ex-railway worker as he was injured and supported by wife. From a family of four. First jobs were domestic servant (1st housemaid), several jobs.
Track 1 [1:31:10] [Session 1: first interview: 10th February 1975] [0:00:00] Introduction: interview of Mrs Lucy Jane Fuller [LF] at Herne Common Hospital by Mr Michael Winstanley of the University of Kent at Canterbury on 10th February 1975. [0:00: 50] LF born the 31st May, 1881 in Eye, Suffolk. [0:01:07] Comments about growing up in Suffolk with her siblings and her father’s time in St. George’s Hospital. [0:03:14] Discusses how her mother made money while her father wasn’t able to work. [0:04:48] LF begins to discuss the origins of her career in service in Ipswich and learning from the station master at Eye. Description of servants in gentleman’s house in Bifrons, near Canterbury where she began work. [0:08:33] Introduction to the gentleman LF worked for, Mr Penn. Penn never worked but thought to have come from family with money from ships. [0:09:36] Description of LF’s position as a housemaid. [0:11:38] Explanation of the hours worked as a housemaid as well as brief description of the hierarchy of servants. Includes description of uniform and pay disparities between housemaids. [0:14:25] First mention of trips Penn used to take to Scotland for shooting. [0:15:15] LF used to use her one day off a week to visit friends in Canterbury. [0:15:54] Brief mention of big dinner parties at the house and how those would be served. [0:16:46] LF begins discussing her husband. Describes his clerical work in the Army as a Lance Corporal and the cottage they lived in at the time. Before joining the Army, her husband was a gardener for Penn, growing fruit, vegetables and flowers. [0:21:44] LF describes working in London before working for Penn and description of payment as head housemaid. Originally £36 wages, but when moving to different household, received £40. Mentions how lucky they were to be in a place when the war broke out, or might not have received wages at all. [0:26:45] LF describes that most called her by her maiden name, Turner, when working, but Mrs Penn called her by her Christian name because of the amount of time spent together. [0:28:59] Description of any other position she could have done as a girl, school teacher or service. Mentions admiration for a woman who used to speak on the television about work in service. [0:30:26] Description of typical Sunday at Church in Suffolk. Mention of LF’s wedding at Bifrons and services at Canterbury Cathedral. [0:35:35] LF tells the story of her younger brother and other boys in her neighbourhood dressing up as girls when going to school as young children and what schooling was like for the Penn children with a governess. [0:40:17] LF talks about travelling back to Suffolk to visit family when she lived near Canterbury and taking the train around South England. Specific mention of the rail fare and how it was not paid for by the family she worked for. [0:43:02] LF discusses travelling to Scotland with Penn. This is not classified as a holiday, but she describes with fondness the time spent with the servants at the house in Scotland. [0:46:42] Discussion of Christmas celebrations and big parties with visitors at the Penn house. [0:50:49] LF describes the cars that the Penn family owned and how they were run by the grooms. [0:53:39] LF describes her love for riding her bicycle on the country roads and how she used to get around when she was working by herself. She recently had to give up her bicycle on the advice of her husband. [1:00:06] LF describes the food they would eat as servants. Including wine and beer for the servants. Breakfast included eggs or bacon. Lunch would be a kind of meat or fish. Oysters were common, but only what she bought for herself and when at home with her father. [1:06:14] The Penn house gardener (LF’s husband) would grow the vegetables for the household. They would keep chickens as livestock, and have milk and butter from the farm. Other foodstuffs were brought in by van from Canterbury, including a variety of fruits. [1:12:32] LF describes how the house was lit and kept warm with oil lamps and coal fires, respectively. With hot and cold water taps in the house. [1:16:59] LF describes the logistics of Penn renting the houses that they would travel to as he never actually owned any properties. In Scotland, LF describes working with the staff and getting on with them. [1:20:02] Bridge Place was an additional big house to Bifrons and Penn moved there after Bifrons was overrun with soldiers. [1:22:00] LF begins discussing Cricket Week in Canterbury. LF’s husband also loved cricket and used to play for a local team and would travel to see the games. Games were also played in the house, mention of “whist”. [1:25:33] LF describes visits from the doctor and Penn suddenly becoming very ill. Mentions the unusual behaviours in the few days before he died when she was bringing his breakfast. Penn’s death occurred after the war, left £30 in his will to the head servants. LF describes him as very good and generous.
Summary created by Reese Wix, volunteer, November 2024. |
| PhysicalDescription | 1 sound tape reel : analogue, 5 inch reel, 9,5 cm/sec, 2 track, mono |
| Waveform Audio |
| Related Organisation | University of Kent |
| Related Place | Canterbury, Kent |
| Access filename | WIN-063-001A-A.mp3 |
| Category | Audio recordings |
| Access conditions | Available for consultation at the University of Kent's Special Collections & Archives reading room, Templeman Library, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NU. Access is available via digital listening copies. The University of Kent acknowledges the intellectual property rights of those named as contributors in this recording and the rights of those not identified. |
| Copyright | University of Kent and individual speakers |
| Material within the archive may remain within copyright under the terms of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Special Collections & Archives staff will assist where possible in helping trace copyright holders, but it is ultimately the responsibility of users to obtain the permission of the copyright holder for reproduction of copyright material for uses other than research or private study. |
| Level | Item |