The Back Lane

I have written about the back lane before, but I thought I would share this photo which is the only one I have of the back lane – and my brother Harold joyfully running down it!

“The Sermons”

1. ? 2. Christine Birch, 3. Cynthia Howarth, 4. Evelyn Nixon                            1. Susan Hartley (?) 2. Jaqueline Bryers,

5. Susan Hartley(?), 6.Jacqueline Bryers, 7. Edith Coulshed                            3. Edith Coulshed, 4. Beverly

8. Nellie Peet                                                                                                                           (nee Roughly) 5. Nellie Peet,

6. Janet Peet, 7. Ethne (nee Halliwell)                                   These photos are from 1952 I think.

1. Christine Birch, 2, ?, 3. Harold Coulshed, 4. Janet Peet

5. Edith Coulshed, 6. Jacqueline Bryers, 7. Maureen Seddon

8. Myra Ball, 9. Nellie Peet

This photo was probably taken in 1953

This last photo was taken in 1956, I think. It shows my mother, Eva Coulshed (back row right) and her sister Belle (Ramsay) with Edith Coulshed, Keith Ramsay, Jean Ramsay and Harold Coulshed. We are all dressed up in our finest Sermons clothes! It looks like the photo was taken out in the countryside somewhere, but actually it was just down in the “garden” or pasture at the back of my Gran’s house alongside the Grimshaw brook.

My mother’s family all belonged to the Digmoor Methodist Chapel, and a very important part of their year was what they called “The Sermons” or in other words, the chapel walking day. I suppose it was called the sermons, because as all the congregation walked in procession around the village, they would stop at various places, sing hymns and a preacher would deliver a short sermon before the procession continued.

Much preparation and practice went into the sermons, which also included organising the children of the Sunday school, deciding what form the procession would take, and practicing the music for the services in the chapel that day.

It seems to have been an important occasion for the ladies of the congregation in that they all tried to get new summer outfits to wear on the big day. My Mother told me that they used to have a clothing club, and paid in a small anount each week so that they could afford to have their new clothes for the occasion.

Many far flung members of the family would try to return to Digmoor for the sermons, so it was also a time for family reunion and special occasion foods for the visitors.

Everybody hoped and prayed for fine weather for the day of the sermons.

Harry Simpkin

Hi has anyone got any photos of the Land that Harry Simpkin used to keep chickens on, he was my grandad and lived in union street?