Born and Bred
A Yorkshire Family
Alice Tiffany
Alice's Story
Alice was born on the 6th of October 1883 in Bennets Yard, just off Marsh Street in Rothwell. She was one of nine children born to Alfred and Sarah Ellen Tiffany. Both her parents came from Rothwell and her father, Alfred, worked in one of the many mines in the Rothwell area.
Not much is known of her early life, when she was just 9 her mother died from Consumption (Tuberculosis) and it fell on the eldest girls of the family, Anne (12), and Sarah (10) to help look after the rest of the family and run the house, Alice would also have got involved in this, if only looking after he three younger siblings.
In 1911 it appears she was working as a General Servant (Domestic) for he brother-in-law Joseph Ward, who had married her sister Sarah in 1901. Alice, by now was the eldest of the girls who wasn't married and was still helping to run her father's house, which was now at 6 Jail Yard. Then on the 6th of April 1912 she married Ernest Henry Richardson at Holy Trinity Church, Rothwell.
Alas, there are very few photographs of either Ernest or Alice, Alice in particular was very reluctant to have her photograph taken. Those that I do have are of a poor quality. The following photograph of Alice is the only known photograph of her. She is shown with a group of other people, but who they are is unknown. A number of them appear with a variety of jugs, so maybe this was a church, or other such group outing or party. We will never know.
Shortly after getting married, Alice and Ernest moved into 10 Park View, this was a 3 room house just off Haigh Road, Rothwell. It was here on the 2nd of January that they had their first child, a son they named Frank. Six years later they were living at 10 Park Road (possibly the next street over) where they had their second child, this time a daughter they named Ethel.
From 1913, up to Alice's death in 1960, they appeared to have kept swapping houses between 10 Park View and 10 Park Road. However, it is possible that these were one and the same place and they had just had a change of name, as looking at old maps show the two names at the same place.
After Alice's husband, Ernest, died in early 1940, she would continue to live by herself at 10 Park Road a very independent old lady. She had always been very interested in sport and ran the tea room for Rothwell Cricket Club for many years where her son Frank was the Captain of the team. She lived long enough to see her eldest grandson, Brian get married to Maureen Porter, but was unable to attend their wedding due to ill health.
On the 21st of October 1960 she died from broncho pneumonia which was the cause of death was brought on following a fracture of the upper third of her right femur caused by a fall in the ward at Southmoor Hospital, Hemsworth, when attempting to get out of bed on the 15th of October 1960. An inquest was held on the 24 Oct 1960. The result of which was "Misadventure".
She had lived long enough to see her two children grow up, marry and have children of their own and had managed to see her eldest grandson, Brian, get married.
Recollections of Alice by Patricia Richardson
The following recollections of Alice come from a series of conversations Patricia (Tish) had with Alice's nieces, Lottie, Ivy and Jessie Ward, before their deaths.
Alice lived on Park Street in Rothwell and worked at Blackburn's Barkers which was on the corner of Butcher Lane, Rothwell. On a Saturday night she liked to go from Park Street to Lion House where he sister, Sarah, lived. Whilst she visited Sarah, and her daughter Ivy, would be baking a stone of teacakes.
In those days there was one baking day per week where everything made would need to last the family a full week until the following week's baking day. Thursday was Alice's baking day and her grandson Kenneth remembers her baking apple pies in a black leaded oven range; the pies were very pale in colour.
Alice always wore a sack pinafore and she would 'shoo' children away from playing in the ginnel (a narrow passageway between buildings) next to her house by flapping her apron. Ken recalls that she could be quite intimidating, as she had a gruff manner, and he was slightly wary of her.
Ivy recalls ... "Alice wasn't a loving straight forward sort of a grandmother or mother, she did think a lot about them but didn't show it" It appears that Alice was a kind person, but not in a warm loving way.
Alice did the catering at the Rothwell Cricket Club on Royds Lane, where he son Frank played, she made the sandwiches and cakes fro the team players and spectators.
Brian, Alice's eldest grandson, went to night school and he would take his homework to her house and study there. She would feed him up on 'Fatty Cakes'. These were made from leftover pastry. The pastry would be rolled out thinly and spread with butter, sugar and currents. It would then be folded over and the process repeated, maybe two or three times. The pastry would then be cut into shapes, baked and the served, once again spread with butter. Talk about cholesterol on a plate!
--- The End ---