Rosemary Harding, Part 1

An interview with Rosemary Harding at her home Bussies Farm in Linwood on 20th October, 2016.

Images: Rosemary Harding copyright reserved. For any rights requests, please contact the New Forest Heritage Centre in the first instance.

Rosemary Harding    CH1   Duration: 4:17

CB:  So this is Clare Bates interviewing Rosemary Harding at her home Bussies Farm in Linwood on 20th October 2016.  So Rosemary, tell me about this first photograph. (RH001)

Rosemary: This is myself leading Conkers with [16.4] [information redacted] and [17.15] [information redacted] on and that was in about the 60’s.

CB:  In about the 60’s

Rosemary:  And that’s here.

CB:  And that’s Fritham Conker –

 Rosemary: Yes

CB:   And that’s the pony you particularly remember.

Rosemary:  Yes, he was a stallion.

CB:  He was a stallion. Okay, that’s lovely, thank you.  So, Rosemary, tell me about this second photograph here.(RH002)

Rosemary: This is my father on Conkers with [35.65] [information redacted] on. And that’s then, in the mid-sixties.

CB:  The mid-sixties. And your father’s name?

Rosemary:  That’s Raymond Stickland and it’s down outside the gate here.

CB:  Just outside the gate.  That’s lovely.  So this third photograph (RH003); that’s a lovely picture again of your father.

Image discussed in audio

Rosemary:  He’s on Sunsalve, (NFS 480, foaled 1961 bred by  [information redacted], Fir Tree Farm, Ogdens) which is a stallion. And it’s outside the gate on the Common here.  It’s got to be in the sixties.

CB:  Back in the sixties.

Rosemary:  Mmm.

CB:  Yeah, that looks lovely, thank you.  Okay, so we’re on to the fourth photograph now (RH004).  And tell me about this one, this is very interesting –

Rosemary:  Well this one is where my Dad and – I don’t know who the other person is – they’re colt-hunting, catching the horse by its tail, like they used to –  and that’s got to be in the sixties as well.

CB:  So the person on the left looks like they’ve got a rope –

Rosemary:  Yes.

CB:  And that’s who we don’t know.

Rosemary: Yes.

CB:  And the person on the right is Ray Stickland.

Rosemary:  I’m sure it’s my Dad.  And that’s how they used to catch them.

CB:  Proper colt-hunting.  Yeah.  That’s lovely. So on to the fifth photograph. (RH005)

Rosemary:  It’s a picture taken of the point-to-point, you know, that we have on Boxing Day.  But who’s on the horses, I haven’t a clue.

CB:  So interesting, they’ve got ties and jackets on.

Rosemary:  Yes.

CB:  Very.. not like.. I think –

Rosemary: They used to get on and go, didn’t they?  They never used to worry about all the gear, did they?

CB: Ange, Who did you say you thought that was?

Angie Wilson: [1:54.7]  [information redacted]…

CB:  [1:55.75] [information redacted] is probably on the lead horse.  So this is a lovely picture of the farm. (RH006)

Image discussed in audio

Rosemary: Yes.  This is –

CB: This is Bizzies Farm –

Rosemary:  That’s Bussies farm, yeah.

CB:  Bussies Farm, sorry.

Rosemary:  That’s okay.  That was taken in the ‘fifties, it’s got to be.

CB: Okay; and is that a caravan?

Rosemary:  Yes.  And that up there.

CB:  What, on top of the hill?

Rosemary:  That was to do with Hurn Airport, to bring the planes in.  And when we used to come across the top, we used to call it ‘The Ship’.

CB:  It looks like a ship, doesn’t it?

Rosemary:  Yeah.  Yeah.

CB:  So,do you remember that, up on the hill?

Angie Wilson:  I do, yeah.

CB:  So, is this before there was a house down there?  Or is there a house there.

Rosemary:  That is the house

CB:  Oh, that is the house.

Rosemary:  That’s how it was.

CB:  Oh, I thought it was a barn.

Rosemary:  No.

CB:  Oh, yeah, I can see now, you’re right.

Rosemary:  That was put up temporary in the war.

CB:  Yeah.

Rosemary:  And it stayed till 1992, then we knocked it down and we built this.

CB:  Oh, I see.

Rosemary:  Yeah. 

CB:  So this, number seven. (RH007)   You tell me it’s the Dalgetty cattle.

Image discussed in audio

Rosemary:  Yes.

CB:  The Dalgettys, where would they be?

Rosemary:  In the village here,  just across the Common.

CB:  Across the Common –

Rosemary:  But it’s called Little Pointers, the name of the farm was.

CB:  Yeah –

Rosemary:  And that’s in the yard.  They had black Galloway cattle, he did.

CB:  Oh, they’re Galloway, are they?

Rosemary:  Mmm.  He had hundreds and hundreds of them here.

CB: Somebody told me the Dalgettys had Black Angus.

Rosemary:  No.

CB:  Definitely Galloway.

Rosemary:  They’re Galloway, yes. ‘Cos they used to push them through Fordingbridge, put them on the train to go to Lymington –

CB:  Yes.

Rosemary:  They used to take them to Brighton, up near Rottingdean, on the waterworks place; they used to go there, and they also took them to the Isle of Wight.

CB:  And was that for slaughter or was that to gr –

Rosemary:  No, that was for grazing.

CB:  Oh, wow.

Rosemary:  So when dad used to go with them, and he used to drive them on the ferry –

CB: Literally? 

Rosemary:  Yes.

CB:  On hoof?

Rosemary:  On hoof.

CB:  Back of the ferry?

Rosemary:  Yes.

CB:  Wow!  That’s amazing.

Rosemary:  Yes, go down to Lymington, they used to drive them on the ferry. 

CB:  And then –

Rosemary:  Nudged(?) all the muck!  (Laughter)  This was in the early ‘fifties.

CB:  In the early ‘fifities, lovely.  Number eight photograph. (RH008)

Image discussed in audio

Rosemary:  That is the deer in the top field.  In the ‘sixties.

CB:  Jumping over the fence to eat all your grass.

Rosemary:  Yes.

CB:  They’re fallow deer, aren’t they?

Rosemary:  And Roe; and we get Sika.

CB:  Oh, really –

Rosemary:  Mmm

CB:  That’s a lovely picture. 

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