Edna Molesworth Nee Gardner

A Memory of Wormleighton.

My grandparents lived in the Lantern House. Granddad, William Gardner, was a shepherd; Granny Mary Eleanor was a midwife and nurse for the area. She used to ride with the Doctor in a horse and trap to visit their patients. Granny brought over 1,000 babies into the world. They had 8 children who survived: 4 boys, Esmy, Jesse, George, William (my Dad); 5 girls: Hilda, Emma, Nelly, Eva, and Molly.
When Granddad retired they moved into No 7, The Cottages. That’s where I remember visiting them. Dad moved to Nottinghamshire to work. He married my mum (May Short); I arrived, then my sister Winnie, and brother, Brian.
We all went to stay with Granny during Dad’s annual holiday. Granddad died in 1928, Granny died in 1938. My cousin went to live with Granny when Granddad died.
She was Hilda’s Daughter, Nellie Bishop. Nellie worked for Mrs Wadland. Mr & Mrs Wadland had the farm facing the 10 cottages. They had 2 Sons. Sam, I think, took over the farm eventually. He had a house built in Auntie Mabel’s orchard. Auntie Mabel was Jesse’s wife and they lived in the first house on the left coming into the Village.
Mrs Draper lived in the Tower and she kept the shop and Post Office in the early 1920’s. It was dark in there and I thought it was scary. My Auntie Mable had the shop and Post Office at her house from around 1928 until she retired in 1947 when Mrs Thornton took over the Post Office. In 1948 my Husband started working for Johnnie Heritage as Groom/Gardener. We lived in the Tower with our baby son, Roger. Johnnie had 2 horses, Fosseway II who he used to race in Point-to-Point meetings and Billy who was retired. He also stabled “Unus” for a friend.
Mr & Mrs Darbishire were at the Manor then. They had 2 little girls, Anne and Wendy aged 4 and 2 years. A few years later they had another Daughter, Jill. Anne loved babies and soon became a playmate to Roger, Wendy too. I think Roger spent as many mornings at the Manor as he did at the Tower. They had a Nanny.
Roger took me to Wormleighton in 2001 and we called to see Mrs Darbishire. She lived in one of the cottages (two made into one) and she was so pleased to see us; we had a lovely nostalgic afternoon. Jill still lived in the village. Roger, Mary (his Wife) and I have visited Wormleighton twice since then, mainly to see more of the area where Dad was born. We found the Lantern House down the fields. It’s just the same on the outside but inside has been modernised. It was evidently a working farm on a large scale.
The Tower dates back to 1611. It was a prison during the “Battle of Edge Hill”. There are iron bars on the windows set into concrete. When I lived there I was so afraid if we had a fire we would be trapped, otherwise I was quite happy to live in Wormleighton. I knew everybody and they all knew me. It was a friendly place and I can still remember the names of most people who lived there and where they lived. The Passmores lived at the Hall, Maurice Passmore had a farm; his house was called “The Rookery”; it was facing Auntie Mabel’s House. Maurice lost his wife at an early age of about 40. He had a stone built bus shelter put on the stop bank in his wife’s memory. Mr Owen ran a bus into Banbury every Thursday and one into Leamington every Friday. He also ran one during the summer months on Sundays to Leamington. The “Stratford Blue” bus used to run every Saturday at Midday from the stop bank at 12 o’clock prompt, to Banbury.

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