RootsChat.Com

England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Herefordshire => Topic started by: Yvie Tree on Sunday 16 October 16 15:29 BST (UK)

Title: 1939 - WOODHOUSE FARM LEDBURY a place for evacuees?
Post by: Yvie Tree on Sunday 16 October 16 15:29 BST (UK)
Hello,

I came across my Manchester family in the 1939 Register living at WOODHOUSE FARM BUILDINGS, LEDBURY which does not apparently have any connection to my family.

My grandfather is listed there at 13yrs of age, and a ruck of lines of information are blocked out because the records are closed. So it appears that they are all children, which may be a classic case of dormitories, or a school for evacuees.

What's a little peculiar is that also residing at Woodhouse Farm Buildings was:
- my grandfather's parents—George RICHARDSON (from Manchester) and Sarah PARRY
- Dilly PARRY, his older sister, 26yrs of age
- Susannah LONG, his married cousin from Tredegar

Can anyone give me any more information on the Woodhouse Farm Buildings in the 1939 era used as a place for evacuees, or was it something else?

Many thanks!
Yvie :)
Title: Re: 1939 - WOODHOUSE FARM LEDBURY a place for evacuees?
Post by: Spidermonkey on Sunday 16 October 16 15:47 BST (UK)
There is a newspaper advert for the 2nd September 1939 (Birmingham Daily Gazette) where Mrs Stackhouse of Woodhouse, Ledbury is wanting temporary help to assist with house and hop picking.  I wonder whether your grandfather and his family are there to pick the hops?
Title: Re: 1939 - WOODHOUSE FARM LEDBURY a place for evacuees?
Post by: Yvie Tree on Sunday 16 October 16 16:36 BST (UK)
There is a newspaper advert for the 2nd September 1939 (Birmingham Daily Gazette) where Mrs Stackhouse of Woodhouse, Ledbury is wanting temporary help to assist with house and hop picking.  I wonder whether your grandfather and his family are there to pick the hops?

Thanks, that could explain the whole family heading over from Manchester, especially if they were having to consider evacuating the children from Salford. I'd love to find out more about that...

Thanks
Yvie  :)
Title: Re: 1939 - WOODHOUSE FARM LEDBURY a place for evacuees?
Post by: BumbleB on Sunday 16 October 16 17:00 BST (UK)
This side-by-side map shows Wood House, plus nearby hop kilns!!!

http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/sidebyside.cfm#zoom=16&lat=52.0683&lon=-2.4561&layers=6&right=BingHyb

I suspect that all the "striped" fields are hopfields.

Title: Re: 1939 - WOODHOUSE FARM LEDBURY a place for evacuees?
Post by: ScouseBoy on Sunday 16 October 16 17:01 BST (UK)
I associate Herefordshire with Apples
Title: Re: 1939 - WOODHOUSE FARM LEDBURY a place for evacuees?
Post by: Spidermonkey on Sunday 16 October 16 17:06 BST (UK)
I associate Herefordshire with Apples

We also do a good line in cows too!

More info about hops (and other agriculture in Herefordshire) can be found here http://htt.herefordshire.gov.uk/herefordshires-past/the-post-medieval-period/agriculture-and-industry/herefordshire-agriculture/hops/hops-in-herefordshire/  Of interest to Yvie Tree might be the section on accommodation for hop pickers
Title: Re: 1939 - WOODHOUSE FARM LEDBURY a place for evacuees?
Post by: BumbleB on Sunday 16 October 16 17:08 BST (UK)
Certainly some of those fields are apple orchards - see Google Street View.  But obviously hops are grown in the area - why else would there be hop kilns?  :o
Title: Re: 1939 - WOODHOUSE FARM LEDBURY a place for evacuees?
Post by: josey on Sunday 16 October 16 17:09 BST (UK)
Looks like the all the footpaths around have disappeared under crops & into someone's boundaries...
Title: Re: 1939 - WOODHOUSE FARM LEDBURY a place for evacuees?
Post by: Mike in Cumbria on Sunday 16 October 16 17:09 BST (UK)
I associate Herefordshire with Apples

Hops have been a major part of the Herefordshire economy since the C17th, particularly in the Hereford/Ledbury area.
Title: Re: 1939 - WOODHOUSE FARM LEDBURY a place for evacuees?
Post by: Kay99 on Sunday 16 October 16 17:11 BST (UK)
Sadly most of our hopfields are now gone but there are some wonderful pics of hop picking times http://www.old-ledbury.co.uk/HopPicking.htm
Title: Re: 1939 - WOODHOUSE FARM LEDBURY a place for evacuees?
Post by: Yvie Tree on Sunday 16 October 16 17:48 BST (UK)
Thanks for all these links, will get reading  ;D