Marion Ingram, Transcript 1, Part 1
An interview with Marion Ingram at her home in Hilltops on 10th November, 2016.
Images: Marion Ingram, copyright reserved. For any rights requests, please contact the New Forest Heritage Centre in the first instance.
Marion Ingram Trans 1 CH 1 Duration: 6:18
CB: This is Clare Bates interviewing Marion Ingram at her home in Hilltop on 10th of November, 2016. So Marion, can you tell me a little bit about your Commoning history.
Marion: We’ve been Commoners all our lives, my parents were before me; and I would guess that grandparents all were, before that.
CB: Okay, and what were your grandparents’ names?
Marion: They were the Mansbridges of Longdown
CB: Longdown. And then your parents were?
Marion: She was a Ransom, my mother was a Ransom.
CB: What was her first name?
Marion: Joyce.
CB: Joyce.
Marion: Yeah.
CB: So Joyce Mansbridge.
Marion: Yeah.
CB: And her maiden name was Ransom.
Marion: Yeah.
CB: Okay. And your father’s name?
Marion: Leonard William George – great, long name, I’m afraid (laughs)
CB: Oh, okay! But we all knew him as Leonard –
Marion: Yeah.
CB: Okay.
Marion: Yeah.
CB: And you grew up…?
Marion: I was born at Mullins’ Farm at Hythe, which is just on – well, it would’ve been within the Forest boundary at that time – and then when I was five years old we moved to Ashurst and I was there until I got married and then I had – I married Brian Ingram and we lived at Furzey Lodge for about three years and then, when the bungalow came on the market, we were able to buy it and we’ve been here ever since.
CB: Lovely. Now what’s your prefix for your ponies?
Marion: My prefix is ‘Dear Leap’ but [information redacted]’s is ‘Oakwood’.
CB: Okay. And do you both have separate brands?
Marion: No. We share ‘BI’.
CB: BI. And your two children –
Marion: Yes.
CB: [information redacted] and [information redacted] –
Marion: Yes.
CB: They’re now practising Commoners –
Marion: Yes. They have been all their lives as well.
CB: And what are their prefixes and brands?
Marion: [information redacted] prefix is ‘Hilltop’ and her brand is LI; and [information redacted] prefix is Roehill. He changed; there are ponies registered, or were registered as Bishop’s Ditch, but [information redacted] didn’t like that. Unfortunately, it’s one of those instances, that we’d set up prefixes for them when they were young but, as he got older, he didn’t like it and then he had the opportunity to use Roehill, so he stuck with that. And his brand is 7A.
CB: Lovely.
Marion: And that was done because Brian went to the Office to get their brands made and [information redacted] was okay – her initials were still there; but [information redacted]’s weren’t, so [information redacted] was the clerk at the time, she said “How old is he?” and Brian said “7”; he said, “That’ll do – 7A”. (Laughs)
CB: Brilliant! That’s lovely. Okay, so let’s look at this first photograph. (MI001) Tell me a little bit about this one.
Marion: Well I don’t know too much about this one because obviously that was before Brian and I met, but the horse was Grey Boy or Briscoe, and I don’t know which it was; and I don’t know if Brian even remembers which one, because they belonged to [information redacted] and different local lads would ride them. But, anyhow, the point-to-point that year was finished at Bolton’s Bench – I don’t know where they started – and Brian won the children’s race.
CB: Did he? With his cup, that looks lovely. And what year do you think that was?
Marion: Um – About nineteen fifty-two
CB: Lovely. So photograph number two (MI002)
Marion: Yes, that would have been the same year.
CB: Okay.
Marion: I like his britches. (Laughs)
CB: Oh yeah! The old britches. So he’s sat on his pony again with his cup, looking very, very proud. So again, that was nineteen – what did you say?
Marion: It would have been nineteen fifty-two.
CB: Nineteen fifty-two. Lovely. So, number three. (MI003) Tell me about this one.
Marion: That was in nineteen fifty-seven. And the point-to-point finished on Backley. And I was riding in the children’s race which started – I think it was called Berry Wood? Back towards Verily and whilst I didn’t win the race, because I was in the Pony Club I won the Pony Club Cup.
CB: Lovely. So that’s you in the foreground; and who’s the lady behind you?
Marion: I’m not sure. This was Mrs. Parsons –
CB: To the right –
Marion: Yeah.
CB: And she’s got a bit of paper in her hand –
Marion: Yeah. Well, she was secretary at the time. But I would imagine that one was the president. No doubt, with a little bit of research, I could find out who she was that year.
CB: Okay. Do you know any of the other people in the back…?
Marion: No, I can’t say that I do.
CB: No. Again that’s lovely, looking very proud – So, photograph number four. (MI004) What can you tell me about this one?
Marion: I can’t remember how any of us got on in that race. I believe, looking at that one, it started in the middle of Wilverley Enclosure, the point-to-point did, and finished on Whitefield Moor. I know coming down the track I hit a clay hole and ended up upside-down.
CB: Oh no –
Marion: But I can’t remember what happened to Brian, whether he was placed or not; and I think that must have been… We were at the Finish and we were just having a celebration drink of some sort. I don’t know whether Brian won or not or whether we were just having a Christmas drink…
CB: So who’s in the foreground of that one?
Marion: [information redacted], he’s my brother-in-law.
CB; Your brother-in-law, and behind him is –
Marion: That’s Brian.
CB: That’s Brian.
Marion: Yeah.
CB: And what year do you think this was?
Marion: Nineteen sixty.
CB: Nineteen sixty.