Local folk

Daisy at 14 years old

Donated by Daisy Noakes

Daisy 'in service' at Ovingdean Hall. Pictured here (back left) with the Butler and some of the other girls on the staff.

Donated by Daisy Noakes

Daisy and her son Denis pictured in Ovingdean Village Hall (2000) at the launch of the oral history book for which she was interviewed

Jennifer Drury

Daisy Noakes: 'in service'

By Jennifer Drury

I interviewed Daisy Noakes in 2000 for an oral history book I was producing as part of the millennium celebrations for Ovingdean village. At the time she was 91, and although she had completely lost her sight, she lived alone in a flat in Brighton. She was still managing to live independently, with domestic help twice a week and someone who helped her shop.

Daisy's self-deprecating wit
Her very small flat was as neat as a pin and Daisy knew just where everything was. Well, she told me, if she put something down and forgot where she had put it, she would spend a long time trying to find it again. This was told with Daisy's ever present self-deprecating wit - her sight loss was seen as just another of life's hurdles - and one she had no trouble in surmounting.

In service in 1923
My interest in talking to Daisy in relation to Ovingdean village, was to hear about her experiences when she was 'in service' at the boys' school in the village. In 1891, Mr F. Charsley had started a 'school for young gentleman' in Ovingdean Hall. The estate which contained the hall was once owned by Nathaniel Kemp, whose nephew was responsible for the building of Kemp Town. Daisy, whose sister was also in service at the school at the time, joined the staff in 1923.

She told me about her interview for the job:-

"My sister Lily was working at Ovingdean Boy's Preparatory School and she heard that one of the girls was leaving because she was pregnant so she asked the Matron whether I would be suitable to take on the job when the girl left. As soon as my Mother knew I was going to go for an interview she made sure that I looked the part. She bought off her neighbour a two-piece costume. The jacket came to my knees and the skirt came to my ankles. I had my school stockings and one strap black shoes on. When my mother looked at me she got a hat, turned down the lining, put some newspaper inside this and kept fitting it on my head to see if it would fit without falling over my eyes. She stood back to look at her work and said 'Well you don't look quite old enough' so she got her big fox fur out of the cupboard and put it round my shoulders. The head of the fox was biting its tail over my shoulder.

The interview was in November 1922 and I was thirteen years old, I would be fourteen in the December - it was agreed I would start in the January at £14 pounds a year - that worked out at £1. 3s. 4d. a month and my hours were from five in the morning until ten at night. You didn't get a rise for a year and you didn't have to buy a stamp for National Insurance until you were 16. You had to supply your own toothpaste, soap and if you needed shoe repairs bang went the lot!

My living accommodation was in a room with three other girls - in the room there was a long pole going from one side to the other and another going crossways. On these poles there were curtains hanging - if you wanted a bit of privacy you flicked the curtain along. Where they met in the middle we had four washstands - on the top there was a bowl and a jug with water - underneath you had your soap dish, toothpaste, mug and your flannel. Those bedrooms were so cold that sometimes we had ice on the water in the jug. There was a little door that opened and in there was what we called a 'gazunda' - that was the chamber-pot - we called it that because it goes under the bed! We had to use that because there was no plumbing for a toilet - in the morning you had to get a bucket to empty the lot and then go along a corridor, up some stairs across a landing till you got to the toilet to empty it."

A sense of fun and zest for life
During her interview Daisy regaled me with so many wonderful tales. She had a hard life, but through it all and even in old age with failing health, her sense of fun and zest for life shone through. Just to give you an idea - just before I left her we talked about health issues and my poor mobility due to osteoarthritis. To show me that she had no such problems Daisy lay flat on her back on the floor. While she swung her legs to touch the floor behind her head she said "Bet you can't do this!". Then she laughed at my concern that she was showing her pink, to the knees, knickers. "Not the first time I've flashed 'em dear" she said "and I hope it won't be the last".

'The Town Beehive' by Daisy Noakes published by QueenSpark Books - & - 'In Living Memory: An Oral History of Ovingdean Village' Edited by Jennifer Drury and published by Ovingdean Millennium Association are both available in Brighton Library.