| Collection | Winstanley Oral History Collection |
| Description | Mrs. P. Cobb,(nee Thornton) born 1890, interviewed in Margate. Her father was a Doctor and she came from a family of three girls. Her first job helped her father, late J.P & freeman of borough.
Track 1[1:35:39] [Session one: 1st July 1975] Phyllis Cobb [PC], born Cecil Square, Margate, 1890. A brief statement about the men in the family being medical men and a mention of her sisters. Discuss noises caused by early cars and modern cars, wearing nightcaps, and not being allowed to wear tight lacing like corsets.[4:45] A Lengthy discussion starts about her father's job as a Medical Officer of Health and what that involved, his job as a doctor, his visiting the deaf and dumb asylum, and her experience there when he held his surgery. Remarks about how modern drugs are a disservice, what his cures were and who he treated. Story about how she handled late-night visitors to see the doctor, a book that helped him prescribe different medications, stories about old cures for sore throats, how her father managed old wives' tales and then gypsies.[30:57] Discussion about her experiences visiting squalid houses in the 40s when she was a justice of the peace. Story about visiting a particularly dirty house in Margate and her struggle to endure it. Recollection about learning much about mental troubles.[34:27] Quick exchange about lice in her childhood, and then a brief discussion about her father's precautions with sick patients, and a story about visiting a poor patient who had tuberculosis with a bloody house, statement that there was more poverty in Canterbury than Margate [36:35] Discussion about how different childbirth was and the recovery from it [38:56] Discussion on someone covering her father when they went on holiday, where they went on holiday in the country, what they would do.[43:09] Long story about running the brewery, different hops and growing barley, annoyance at the malt house sign, and frustration of not being called the title she wants to be called as a widow. [47:56] Discussion about the process of mourning, and what you could not do and for how long, how the first war changed this and to what extent one mourned the royal family, and then their own family. How they weren't allowed to go as children, and how they would dress.[54:07] Discussion around differences between Sunday and normal dress and explanation as to what happened when they were finished with, and what people used to wear and when [58:28]
Explanation of what was considered prim and proper in general [1:00:30] Quick statement about parental smoking habits, then multiple examples of how people were expected to act and dress outside and inside for maids, then comments about the problems with tweed dresses and how they would trail, and get dirty and how women coped.[1:04:41] Discussion about how they cleaned them on their own without a cleaner with petrol, and the pride people had towards DIY at home in those days, and how food was bought raw and not wrapped food, a story about a cat spoiling flour. [1:08:04] Discussion about what was washed at home and what was given to the washerwomen, and later, how the laundries opened. Discussion about which of the washerwomen or laundries washed what types of clothing better and why. [1:10:57] Discussion on what different maids they had and the job roles, and which maids did the washing, further discussion on how many maids they had and how it changed as they grew up [1:15:44] Discussion about the nursery, and then when they saw their parents and how it changed as they grew older, and her dislike for the women that replaced the nanny when they were about 9, due to favouritism as PC’s sisters were better behaved. A story about how PC tried to boil scent to make the room smell nice, resulting in a fire that singed off her front hair. [1:20:25] Discussion about the nanny’s roles and responsibilities and what she taught the children, including PC, discussion about left-handed people being forced to write right-handed, and the discovery of a book that her nanny used to teach her basic elementary-level stuff. [1:24:13] The conversation switches to the governess. The improvement PC experienced between the governess teaching and the boarding school. Complaints about a general lack of understanding of children's individuality also point out the governesses didn’t have a formal education. Further discussion on who the governesses were and women's limitations in getting educated professions. [1:28:02] Brief discussion on the lack of ambition for an educated profession that was caused by this, and the aim was to stay at home and get married.[1: 28:58] Discussion about her part-time job and what she earned, initially calling it a horrid existence but she changes her mind, talking about the picnics and the social norm, meeting people, then not knowing them casually, only formally. The pressures on young women in their early 20s to get married, and two stories in which women were nuisances at balls or dances.[1:33:07] Discussion moves to chaperoning and the role her parents played in courting. [1:35:39]
Track 2 [00:37:22] [Session two: 15th July] Phyllis Cobb [PC], was born in Cecil Square, Margate 1890. The track begins with a discussion on social hierarchy depending on job roles and the difference of opinion between youths and their parents.[03:01] Discussion on how the maids were called by their first name and how it differed from male servants. An example of a servant was given, and PC reminisces about living close to him during the Second War [06:52] A discussion of how specific job roles were considered lower than others with a story about her fondness for a cobbler. And guilt over displeasing her mother. [9:46] A short explanation of how they bought the house and surrounding area, and then a discussion about summer boarders from places such as Birmingham [12:13] talking about all her old neighbours and what shops were in the neighbourhood, and a statement about how different seaside towns were to inland and why they are tougher. [14:47] Statement that Margate people are much better than those in Canterbury because of snobby behaviour in the cathedral, descriptions of some prominent figures there, then a lengthy story about the treatment of a lady there by those people.[18:15] Talking about the charity organisations, and a story about a man with a broken glass eye requesting another one and an explanation of who the “cathedral set” was [24:11] Explanations of the ways of the church, and how vicars might share stools with family, and others, and snobbish practises regarding these pews.[28:00] A discussion on where the ordinary people sat and how many of them there were, leading to a short conversation on the other churches in the area [31:25] Discussion on moving to Canterbury and what happened to the house in Margate in between moving to and from Canterbury [32:22] Quick explanation of where they moved to in Canterbury and then a further discussion of PC’s stepfather, the properties he bought, and then what he did as a job [34:29] Final description of her and her families opinions on him, then a further explanation of how he slowly bought property in bits and pieces, and a short story about her and her mother hearing birds.
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