These almshouses bearing his name, and consisting of eight tenements, were built by him in the year 1596. Four were for aged women widows, and four for aged men widowers. Each pensioner had £4 annually by quarterly payments, and there was a biennial allowance of £6 for the purchase of a gown of black frieze of 20s. value from the owners of the Stoneleigh Estate. The latter was discontinued years ago and money given instead. There was also £1 per annum recreation money for the Committee. They are now closed, pending rebuilding.
It was a pleasure to talk to the inmates. One in particular, a Mrs. Martin, loved to recall the days of her youth, which had been passed in a village near Hatfield. She remembered when Napoleon Bonaparte was regarded as a kind of ogre, and when naughty children were told “Boney is coming” it reduced them to a state of abject terror. One day a man was seen coming towards the village on a dandy horse, when the cry was raised “Boney has come at last.” The children fled in wild alarm to hide themselves. She and her little brother crept under a four-post bedstead, and it was a long time before her mother could induce her to believe that there was no cause for fear, and that she might emerge with safety, which after much persuasion she did, but her brother refused to leave his hiding place for the whole of that day. When she was a little older she was put to school by a lady, and in return she had to do her needlework, most of the school time being taken up in this way. Before sewing machines were invented a woman’s time was fully occupied in doing the needlework for her family. Ready-made articles were unknown. Girls were taught to be very thorough in their work, and if they wished for embroidery they had to make it themselves.
QUAKERS’ MEETING HOUSE
or Society of Friends is adjoining. It was erected in 1744, and enlarged about the year 1775, and fitted with seats for about 400 persons. Considerable additions were made in 1832. There is also a burial ground attached to it, which was added in 1803, and was closed some years back.
The deceased were interred in rows without any distinction, and a plan kept which identified the spot where the departed friend was interred. There are neither grave stones nor any other monuments to mark the spot where any one lies.
At one time there was a number of this sect in Tottenham—a very admirable class of people, thoroughly just and genuine. Their dress was rather quaint, but worthy of great admiration; neatness, goodness, and simplicity form the three features of it. The poke bonnet was perfect, with the sweet little goffered frill round, in nearly all cases, a nice face, so suitable to the wearer; then generally a dove or mouse-coloured silk gown, neatly made and very ample in the skirt, just to escape the ground. It would have been a great fault to have a speck of dirt on them of any kind. They were scrupulously clean and on no account did they like or allow their ankles to be seen.
A friend of mine knew two old lady Quakers who many years ago kept, for amusement, a small private school of twelve or fourteen children; she herself was one of the pupils for eight or ten years, and admired them exceedingly with their pretty white caps drawn tightly with cords, but at the same time thought them a little sharp. Of course in those days each child had individual attention, and she remembers perfectly well, when being taught to write, the old lady with ruler in her hand, the pupil seated at the table; if the pen was not held properly, down came the ruler thump across the knuckles without any warning.
Another little incident. They were very keen on sampler work, and if one did not put the needle into the canvas quite right, the first thing cue felt was the needle run into one’s fingers.
The child of to-day would not appreciate that kind of treatment; nor did they then.
This same friend also told me of a Quaker who had a very large grocer’s shop. He was often asked for a little piece of string by the country women, and I suppose he got rather tired of giving it, so on one occasion he said in his quiet way, “Take what thy conscience will allow.” The woman said it would allow her to take it all.