Caroline Stride, Transcript 1, Part 3
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Caroline Stride Trans 1 CH3 Duration: 6:01
CB: Okay, lovely. Right. Let’s go on to this first photograph (CS001). Now what can you tell me about this handsome looking chap on the horse?
Caroline: Right, well this gentleman is George Henry Penny and he was the first farmer to have lived in this house at Blackwater; the house was built and they were the first people to move in it. So there’s always been a Penny in this house or Penny related in this house. The picture was taken outside of the farm, looking back towards Blackwater House. He – George Henry Penny – is Richard’s great-grandfather.
CB: Okay –
Caroline: On his father’s side. When? I think it’s probably the date is probably 1915, 1920, approximate.
CB: Okay. Right, lovely. So this second photograph, (CS002) Who’s this?
Caroline: This gentleman on the photo is Charles Hayter Penny and he was the son of George Henry Penny and this is of him as a young man, probably about the time that he got married, so I’d say sort of early, mid-twenties in his age, and he is outside of Blackwater Farm, just where the cart house is now; but the old cart house that you see in the background is facing the other way to what it is now in 2017, it’s near where the cowshed is, it’s facing a different way.
CB: Okay. When do you think that was again, roughly?
Caroline: I would say it was probably in the early nineteen twenties probably.
CB: Yeah. That’s lovely. Okay, so number three (CS003)
Caroline: This is another picture of George Henry Penny, dated in probably 1915, 1920. It’s outside of the farm, here at Blackwater. It shows the track going down towards Blackwater Bridge, as being a gravel track, so, you know, that’s obviously before any tarmac was put down. He was quite a respected man within the parish, he was the overseer; or certainly he is mentioned in the Parish notes in and around the time of the turn of the century, 1898 or 1900. He was mentioned in there as parish overseer, so he was quite a respected man within the parish of Minstead because we are in the parish of Minstead here at Blackwater Farm.
CB: Okay. Let’s have a look at this next one, so number four (CS004)
Caroline: Ah. Now the Penny family here at Blackwater had a milk round and this is Charlie Penny, Charlie Hayter Penny as a young man, probably before he got married and he was the er, his role was to go round and sell milk in the milk float as you can see here in the picture and you can see the logo of ‘Penny’ G.H. Penny & Son, Dairy, Blackwater and they had the milk round in this area and going down into Lyndhurst High Street as well I’ve heard them say.
CB: Okay
Caroline: And they used to have little quart or pint um …little
CB: Churns
Caroline: Churns. Well, or dippers –
CB: Oh, I see –
Caroline: Dippers – They had big churns and little dippers, and they used to dip out um –
CB: As much as –
Caroline: Mrs. Smith came to the door with a pint of milk, so Mrs. Smith came to the door with her jug and they put the pint in the jug –
CB: Oh, I see –
Caroline: Then, in another picture a bit later on you’ll see bigger churns but – and George Henry’s wife, Emma, she used to make butter and cream and that would all have been done within, you know, a home industry here. The dairy would’ve been adjoining the house here and they would’ve sold all dairy products to local inhabitants of the village.
CB: And do you think that’s a New Forest pony?
Caroline: ((After a pause) Possibly. Yeah, yeah, possibly, I think.
CB: He’s got the look of a forester, hasn’t he.
Caroline: Yes .. Yeah.
CB: Okay let’s have a look at the next one – number five (CS005)
Caroline Now this is Charlie Penny, Charlie Hayter Penny, this is Richard’s grandfather again. They were a family of horsemen, I will say. And they had a real belonging to the equine breed and they looked after them incredibly well, as you can see. They used to break them in and all sorts. And this is him again, outside of Blackwater Farm, by the cart house again in the background and er
CB: I love his britches.
Caroline: Yeah. Yeah. And gaiters. He never wore welly boots.
CB: Really.
Caroline: No. No. never wore welly boots. Hated them.
CB: Right.