I stop hoeing at nine thirty and have lunch on the lee side of the hovel

June 19, 2006 10:45 PM

Letters by Badsey Council School children describing life in a market gardening community in 1933. A great insight into their lives and some excellent penmanship to boot. [via]
posted by tellurian (12 comments total)

Such long working hours. I was surprised at the use of 'hovel' in place of 'shed', only ever having heard it used to describe a poor, small house. Does anybody know what sort of flowers 'gillies/wallflowers' are (negro wallflowers and white gillies is all Google gives me)? Also, 'stubbing' = to grub up by the roots and 'haulm' = stems of beans and peas.
posted by tellurian at 10:46 PM on June 19, 2006

Wallflowers
Gillyflower (aka carnation)
posted by padraigin at 10:51 PM on June 19, 2006

Thanks padraigin, might have known they'd be something as common as carnations.
posted by tellurian at 10:54 PM on June 19, 2006

Great reading and the penmanship humbles me.
posted by arse_hat at 11:42 PM on June 19, 2006

Thanks tellurian, I liked this!
posted by creeky at 5:16 AM on June 20, 2006

Interesting, but they hardly look spontaneous. The similarity of style and content, precocious vocabulary and zero spelling mistakes suggest the children have been heavily coached and the letters recopied after error checking.
posted by raygirvan at 5:20 AM on June 20, 2006

Very interesting and different from 2006. Thanks for sharing.
posted by yoga at 6:10 AM on June 20, 2006

Interesting, but they hardly look spontaneous. The similarity of style and content, precocious vocabulary and zero spelling mistakes suggest the children have been heavily coached and the letters recopied after error checking.

Is that a bad thing? Certainly the teacher saw this as an opportunity to teach the children how to write and proofread formal letters. I know misspellings and the often comical turn of phrase used by children in their natural element are the fashion these days, but I'm guessing it would not be looked upon so well by an upperclass gentleman in 1930s England.
posted by lemoncello at 6:12 AM on June 20, 2006

Very nice post!
posted by OmieWise at 7:32 AM on June 20, 2006

I see where you're coming from raygirvan but: similarity of style and content, precocious vocabulary and zero spelling mistakes suggest the children have been heavily coached and the letters recopied after error checking. The letters were being sent to Sir John Russell (GKWTFHW - God Knows Who The Fuck He Was) but yeah, they were probably heavily checked. On the other hand, Similarity of Style and Content - It was no doubt done as an essay/form letter, Precocious vocabulary - (like stubbing and haulm)? Spontaneous: Look at this one - Your loving Yours Truly, is substituted. For me, it is the cutest of the set except for those that have arcane terms, those I love truly to bits. This is a product of what 'between the wars' (only available in hindsight) was like.
posted by tellurian at 8:30 AM on June 20, 2006

This is neither here nor there, but these letters are a bad fake, witten by a mom. The easy signifiers of juvenile prose are laid on so thick that it rings like those awful pamphlets about drugs and safe sex that tried to talk to kids "in their own language".
posted by Floydd at 12:49 PM on June 20, 2006

It's funny, I was thinking about the connection after I saw FeistyFerret in the sidebar. So many of these kids mention that in their leisure time they go to the pictures. FeistyFerret makes his own movies. I want to link these voices, separate and so different, but within one lifetime, so thanks Floydd.
posted by tellurian at 4:35 PM on June 20, 2006