blackcountry staffs?

[Cathymjp]

Hi dawnwas.  My family also worked in the Cannock Pits.  My grandfather used to run around the houses locally in Hednesford when he was  a little boy knocking on the doors to get the miners up for their shifts for 6d a week.  He also did engineering work on West Cannock No. 5 colliery before going into farming.  I am fortunate to live on the edge of Cannock Chase - never moved far from my roots.

Cathy

[dawnwas]

Hi Cathy.Great to hear from you.When did your grandfather run around waking up the miners?
My DAd wasa Bevan boy during WW2,along with my Grandad.Grandad originally emmigrated from the area for canada late 1800's early 1900's.
As a boy Dad used to clean out the engines on the steam trains.
How lovely that you still live on the edge of Cannock Chase,I envy you that
I am a blackcountry lass with a strong link still emotionally to Chase Terrace,although I never lived there my self.
dawn

[Cathymjp]

Hi Dawn,

My grandfather was born in 1876 so it would be about 1882/3 onwards when he had his little job.  He lived with his family in the Hednesford/Chadsmoor area before he took the tenancy of a farm in 1911.  Sadly I never knew him, he died 20 years before I was born.  I never realised until researching the family at the beginning of this year what an extraordinary man he must have been to have built up a good farming business from nothing.  I don't know why but my father never talked much about his family - so the information I found this year has been an wonderful journey. 

Cathy 

[Traysha]

Regarding the 'yam-yams', I am making a guess to it's origins. When my husband did his National Service he was nick-named Am you. Instead of asking 'are you?' we tend to say 'am you?'.

Could it be that yam is short for the slang 'yo am' (you are).

Hope you can understand this black country dialect. Or (hope yo con understond this black cuntry dilect).

I've heard this dialect is the least favourite in the country, but it is the nearest to the Old English language and in my opinion it should be preserved and not ridiculed.

from a Black Cuntry Ouman.

[derryphilip]

The yam yam does come from you am and we tend to call brummies yo yo's from a similar saying but i can not quite remember what.

[jacquelineve]

  Thanks, now I know.

      I suppose we could have been referred to as

     "bin-bins"  or   "bay-bays"

                             Jackie,

[dawnwas]

hi sucad....I for one, would love to see the photo's. Dawn

[KathMc]

Thanks for all the links. It turns out this would be the part of Staffordshire my Hayes family lived in, really for one generation as far was we can tell. My ggg grandparents came over from Ireland and raised 4 children in the Cannock area (Michael, John, James, Mary Jane, and George). John was a coal miner, married a Hodson lass and eventually moved to Australia. James left for New Jersey, Mary Jane died at 15 and is buried in Rugeley with her mom and I assume her dad, although haven't found that yet. And I don't know what happened to Michael and George. I am on the hunt. It is nice to learn what life was like for them where they lived.

Kath

[rubygemstone]

Hi,
  I was born and breed willenhall and am still 1 mile away now. Willenhall was mostly known for the Lock industry and employing 2 or 4 people in their own backyards, if not others their own family's.
I cum from a family of Locksmith's dating back from the early 1500s from willenhall, new invention, willenhall, wolverhampton and tipton and darlaston.
My family was the Duncombe's married to squire's who had been going for 300yrs, Parkes, Dowens, Tuckleys, Applebys and so on we're all connected.
Willenhall was also known for the people being hunched backed and resting their backs in an hole in the wall, alot of people are still like it today.

                                                  Ruby