We are Isabel and twins, Wyn and Pat and Ted Jarvis (girls now are Whittingham, Nash and Mills) and our happy memories were nudged by reading Ranald Clouston's account of Lavenham and it prompted me to put this resumé together. In our early days, late 30's and 40's onwards, we stayed with our grandparents at 1 The Terrace (then called the Pygtle). They were Charlotte Rosina Rogers and George Jarvis, both born in old Lavenham. They were married in the church and buried in the graveyard. He died in 1945, her in 1960.

Isabel, Pat & Wyn with Kathy Walden (2 The Terrace) outside the Cock Inn

1 The Terrace from the Church tower

George & Charlotte with Isabel & Gertrude

Fred Jarvis 2nd top right

He worked at the horsehair factory and rode there at the crack of dawn on his penny farthing bike. Their only son Frederick George Jarvis was our father who died in 1986 and is mentioned on a plaque on the church wall by the font. We were all christened in the church. Our grandparents house was small (we didn't notice that then!!) but we thoroughly enjoyed our school holidays there, even though all the water had to be fetched from a tap over the road and waiting for a horse and cart to bring the milk man to measure out our pints of milk into the jugs left out each day.

The toilet was down the end of the garden in a row of 'wash houses', this was a wooden 'box' with a hole in it (and a bucket underneath, the contents of which was dutifully collected each week). The little squares of newspaper hanging on string were 'for the use of!!' This outbuilding also housed the washing boiler under which granny lit a fire (underneath the water) to boil up all the white linen bedclothes. It was a 'lovely' place to be near when the weather was chilly. We have great memories of trying to keep a candle alight, down the garden to the toilet, as there was no electricity yet.

Charlotte, Fred and George at her sister Amy Gooch's wedding

Amy (Charlotte's sister) with us all

Us on a picnic

Charlotte and Gertrude at 1 The Terrace

Behind these 'wash houses' everyone kept ferrets in little cages to 'rabbit hunt' to help with the meat content of the meals. We also went mushrooming before breakfast with grandad in a field which later had a police house built on it, which was later knocked down. At harvesting time we all had the job of chasing the hares away from the machines. At bath time the tin bath was brought in from the 'wash house' and put in front of the kitchen range in the parlour and whoever was first got the cleanest bath water!! It then was used to water the vegetables in the garden. Our days were filled with exploring Lavenham, visiting relatives and having some good games of hide and seek in the hedges of the churchyard.

Dad often took us bird watching around there too. Our mum was Gertrude Clarice Leathers born in Bury St Edmunds and enjoyed a career as a nanny, she went to Lavenham to be nanny to Ranald and Olaf Clouston. She spoke of very happy times in the 'nursery' and Isabel has the legacy of having Dr Olive Clouston for her godmother. She told us that the roads weren't paved and she had to push the pram along muddy roads so she'd often go through the church yard. It was here she met Frederick Jarvis (our dad) he was putting the lightning conductors on to the church tower and wrote little notes to her asking her out. He also helped to renovate The Swan whilst doing his apprenticeship as a carpenter. The messages were answered with 'yes' and they were married in Lavenham church in December 1934. They moved to Garboldisham where he took a job as a chauffeur to Corbett Woodhalls (father of news reader) family. Isabel was born here and the twins Pat and Wyn a year later in Kensington.

Is this Olaf (or Ranald)?

Fred, Trudy, Isabel, Pat & Wyn

After living for a while in a cottage in Wheathampstead, Herts, Fred secured a job in Murphy Radio as a carpenter and we all moved to Welwyn Garden City where brother Ted was born in 1945.

Charlotte on a visit to us in Herts

Lunch at the Cock Inn

Jarvises in 1981

When the war was over Fred moved to ICI and worked there until he retired in 1971. He died in 1986 after suffering from the dreaded asbestos disease. Mum (Gertrude) lived in good health until she was in her 90's and died in 1998 when she was nearly 93. They are both mentioned on a plaque in the graveyard with Charlotte and George. We often went to Lavenham to visit Kathy Walden at 2 The Terrace (formerly of the Priory) until she died in 2001. We will always feel our roots are there but are now all spread out in Budleigh Salterton, Hatfield, Cheltenham and Bluntisham (Cambridgeshire), so visits are not so frequent.

We hope you've enjoyed our resumé of early Lavenham life and thank Ranald Clouston for prompting it. Isabel Whittingham (née Jarvis) daveandissy@aol.com

50th Wedding Anniversary