| Collection | Winstanley Oral History Collection |
| Description | Mrs. N. Higinbotham, born 1881, interviewed in Crowborough. Her father was a city buisinessman and agricultural landlord, and her mother came from London, was from a family of four. Lived in London & Croyden but returned home for holidays and weekends.
[Track 1] [01:03:49] [00:00:01] Introduction: interviewee is Mrs Nora Higinbotham [NH] of Tritona, Harlequin Lane, Crowborough, Sussex. [00:00:23] NH born in ‘Dandelion House’ in 1881, NH father owned farm ‘South Hill’ in east Kent but worked in London importing goods from Germany. [00:03:09] Description of journey to ‘Hastingleigh’ (South Hill farm) from Surbiton; train from Waterloo to Wye, horse and trap. Details house and bailiff. [00:03:55] Shopping from Ashford and Wye; coal, cattle market. Details on shop ‘Tappenden’. [00:05:21] Description of water supply; rainwater tanks, water well with pony, copper for hot water and sewage arrangements. Mention of Surbiton water, alongside lighted pavements and carriages. [00:07:50] Description of carriers and farmers travelling; Ashford, Canterbury market for eggs, butter, cream. [00:09:04] Details on horses and traps and ponies. [00:10:25] Mention of husband passing in First World War. ‘Bodsham’ replaces ‘old rectory’ that NH father purchases, where NH lived as a widow at South Hill until remarrying a barrister. [00:12:21] NH mother and father pass away, and South Hill sold to ‘Jessel’. [00:13:18] Beginning on details of shooting parties. Patridge shooting in September; gamekeeper with dogs, fields. [00:15:04] Pheasant shooting in October to December; hand rearing, and ‘beaters’. [00:16:50] Rabbits, hares and pigeon as game, more details on birds and shooters. [00:19:43] Description of game animals and dinner; labourers and cooking staff. [00:21:09] Mentions paraffin lamps, a chore for NH. Discusses absence of gas and electricity, NH father falls ill and moves into Folkestone with NH. [00:23:17] Details on NH family, one sister, two brothers. Eldest ‘Leslie’ disappointingly inherits and sells South Hill. Youngest brother murdered in India. [00:25:12] Description on hunting clothes for women. [00:26:23] Further details on hunting; hounds, foxes, hunting Master ‘Selby Lounge’ and long trips home. [00:30:59] Details on where and how the hunt met, found in ‘Ashford express and County News.’ [00:32:23] Returns to hunting; keepers shooting foxes, use of multiple horses by hunters in ‘Pyschleigh’ and ‘Cotsmoor’. [00:34:10] Details on other hunting groups, NH belongs to ‘East Kent’ and occasionally ran with ‘Ashford over Harrows’. [00:35:45] Discusses repairs and damage to farmlands during hunts. [00:37:11] Mentions hounds from ‘Lymne’, and young people hunting from ‘Eavington’ and ‘Shorncliffe’ barracks, and ‘dragons’ from Canterbury. [00:41:12] Cuts to discussion on drawing rooms, ‘calling’, tea, gossip. [00:42:43] Details on dances and parties (‘Wye College Festival’) and people coming from Shorncliffe for tennis at ‘Timin’s’. [00:44:45] Shopping for clothes at London instead of Ashford, and little shopping at Canterbury. Minor mention of NH brothers at ‘cricket week’ in Canterbury. [00:46:21] Mentions NH mother has ‘Daimler’ car. Discusses women’s clothing, chauffer responsibilities, learning to drive and ‘ladylikeness’. [00:48:24] Mentions women’s education; NH attends expensive school at Eastbourne, hated school but enjoyed horse riding. Girls walked in ‘crocodiles’, netball, and learnt French and German. [00:52:06] Details on limitations of women’s careers after education; ‘comfort to mother’ until married. Professions limited to nurse or governess in a school, but was interested in horticulture. [00:55:09] Discusses more on girls’ dull social lives; older sisters, taught in Sunday schools. Courting and chaperoning mostly done through dances or brothers friends or tennis. [00:58:25] Mentions NH meeting first husband hunting at South Hill. NH father visits South Hill every weekend, NH mother prefers London. [1:00:16] Discussion on meal times; maids plan formal evening meal, lunch and cooked breakfast. Food sent up to Croydon from Kent; chickens, game, vegetables, fruit, cream and butter.
Summary created by Holly Faulkes, volunteer, 2025. |