I was born in Ovingdean village, in one of the farm cottages in 1911. Father came to live in Ovingdean because he got a job at the farm driving the engine for the threshing on the farm. The family was my mother and father, my brother Percy, my sister Vera, and I had a little brother who died with paralysis. We lived in the cottages on the corner by the farm but of course they were knocked down. Our cottage was the one right on the corner, and if people wanted to go up the road they would say ‘At Hollands’ corner’.
Wearing our Sunday best
We used to go to St Wulfran’s church every Sunday when we were small; Mother used to say, ‘You must be good and you must be quiet’. We used to wear our best clothes for church, but sometimes we used to put our best things on in the week but Father couldn’t bear it – he used to like us to keep them special for going out anywhere, or if we were asked out to a party. The rector then was Mr. Anderson, he was a stout chap. I remember going up for the Sunday school treat we used to have in the field in the summer. At Christmas we used to have a party in the big dining room at the Rectory. It was the same down at Grange Farm, they always used to give the children a Christmas party with games like ‘Postman’s Knock’.
On Mother’s knee with a bun
The church had a ‘Mother’s Union’ – I remember going with Mother and sitting on her knee. It was run by Mrs. Field, the widow of a clergyman who lived in what was the Vienna hut. Of course it wasn’t called the Vienna then but it had been the teacher’s house. It was built for the village teacher but there weren’t enough children to go there and so the school closed. So Mrs. Field and her daughter came to live there, she was a widow. I remember one of her songs was ‘Tell me the old old story’ and I remember sitting on Mother’s knee and eating a bun and having a cup of tea. She also used to take us for Sunday school tea and I always remember at Harvestime she loved us to sing ‘Fair wave the golden corn’.
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It is such a pleasure to come across this memory. Thank you for sharing it.
I am currently tracing my Nan’s ancestry. Her name was Ethel Parker and she had a twin, Gertrude Parker. They were born in Crockerton, Warminster, Wiltshire. Their Mother Rosina Parker met and married William Hollands. Rosina and William left behind Ethel to live with her grandparents and took Getrude back with them to Rottingdean. Rosina also had another child in Crockerton called Nora Parker, 3 years after the twins. She was brought up by a family that were not relatives. William adopted Gertude when she was about 9. As mentioned in the article with Laurie Hollands, Rosina went on to have 4 more children. Finding these articles are very exciting. There is still a question as to what happened to Gertrude Parker/Hollands. I am visiting a cousin in Brighton in October 2021 who I contacted through our DNA. He is Percy’s grandson. Percy being my Nan Ethel’s half brother.
Laurie Hollands was my Great Great Aunt, her older sister Vera was my paternal grandfathers’ mother- my Great Grandmother.
Vera left Laurie and her mother Rosina in Sussex to work in domestic service in London in the 1920s and met and later married a baker called John Bishop- my Great Grandfather.
I remember trips to ‘Aunt’ Laurie’s in the 1980s and 1990s with great affection – she was a proper lady, a throwback to a bygone age. What I remember most were the incredible views from her bungalow across the downs, the free standing bath that wasn’t plumbed in and her incredible lemon cake and coffee cake!
I see the comments above by Lesley Ball – I am therefore related to you through my Great Great Grandmother Rosina Hollands! I had no idea she had children before Vera, Laurie, Percy and the young lad who died who I think was called Alfred and died about age 10. He is buried in Ovingdean Churchyard.
I last visited Ovingdean about 2012 with my now wife following a trip to Eastbourne- I’m due a return..
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