Horsing Around My Village

Another Pastel Drawing of mine.. along with some History of where  I grew up .

The Horse to me has always held a fascination..As a child I would pester my Dad until he relented to let me have riding lessons.. Living out in the country in a small village in the Derbyshire Dales all my friends either lived on farms or had access to horses.. But being the eldest daughter of Five siblings my Fathers wages as a Quarry Face worker in the Limestone Quarry in the Valley of our Village Stoney Middleton meant that he had to dig deep into his pockets to allow me that luxury.. Needless to say my riding-lesson days were numbered, so I used to tag along with my friends and walk and run for miles alongside them as they rode and would jump for joy when at last I was allowed to ride for 10 minutes or so..

My fascination for horses I think for me began before my life on Earth started for I am sure I held a memory of riding long ago.. It wasn’t until later that my interest developed in Native American Indians and through past life memory recall I was able to recall living among these wonderful Tribes.

While I was growing up as a young girl I would help in the Village to create their Well Dressings A well dressing is a celebration of the life giving waters of fresh wells. And in the Derbyshire Peak District many villages create well dressings.. This is done by filling a wooden frame with clay, in the case of Stoney Middleton the clay is soaked in the Brooke which runs through the Village which once upon a time ran a small water wheel to the Mill which was the Boot Factory which is one of the oldest buildings in the village which began in the late 18th Century and by 1835 there were four factories in Stoney Middleton .. Lennon’s Factory still makes  Steel capped Work-Boots and Hiking Boots today. In fact when my Dad first left school aged 14 this was his very first place of work. 

After the clay was soaked petals from flowers from villages gardens and fields were pressed one by one to overlap by hand into the clay to make pictures.. As a child we were allowed only to do the borders not the main picture We would gather in the yard of the local Pub the Moon Inn… Where once upon at time it was said that a Murder took place of a Pedlar who had been to the next Village of EYAM  which was famous as the Plague Village in 1665 after a Taylor took in some fabric delivered from London this fabric contain Fleas which spread the Plague.. The Village of  Eyam shut itself off from the outside world and Whole families were wiped out.. a List of the Victims can be found here  a website that tells the story of the Plague..

Thousands of petals and seeds were used to make this Well Dressing.. more pictures  and information can be found on my links in red.   

Well Dressing week was always good fun.. There would be a Village Tug of war.. and fancy dress and in the old Days there would be the Village Beauty Queen..  and I also remember taking part in the May-Pole Dancing too..

At Christmas time as I child I would be part of the Choir in my Church St Martins,

Later I went to Sunday School at the Local Wesleyan Reform Churchwhere I went until I was 15yrs old.

At 15 I started Work and I left my childhood Horsing around Days and started upon my Adult Adventures..  

I hope you enjoyed your Trip around the Village I grew up in..

Here is Me.. Age 5..

Have a Great Weekend all of you.. Sue Dreamwalker