MOYLE

Memoires of Ethel (Moyle) Ellery 1897 - 1979

I was born in a cottage in Trelyn lane, St. Keverne, in 1897, and was the eldest daughter of Simon and Clara Moyle (nee Exelby). My mother was a descendant of the Rev. Miles Exelby who was Vicar of St. Keverne in 1626 whose name can be seen on the list of vicars in St. Keverne Church. The family tree was traced back to the Rev. Miles Exelby by my late uncle, Richard Exelby of Trowbridge, Wilts. I think one of my earliest memories was of being held up to receive a Coronation mug of King Edward VII in 1902

 To us Feast time was exciting and I well remember the Square being roped off on Feast Monday morning and cattle brought in to be sold. There were houses in the square then, two shoe makers' shops. Mr. John Plomer and Mr. Richard Harris and a house we called the Bus house where Mr. Bill Tripp kept his bus. There were also two or three cottages and one was kept by a Mrs. Williams who sold sweets especially to the children. Feast Tuesday was another red letter day when stalls called standings were brought in from Helston for the afternoon and evening, and when it was dark they were lit up with lamps hung from the top of the stalls and burning paraffin with open flares, and often they were blown out by the wind. We always went home with some of Harry Perry's rock.

 On Saturdays we used to watch the two horse buses leave for Helston at two o'clock, driven by Mr. Pentecost and Mr. Bill Tripp usually with two horses but sometimes there were three. These buses went to Helston three times a week - Mondays, 9 a.m. for Helston market, Wednesdays 11a.m. and Saturdays 1 p.m. About nine o'clock in the evening on Saturdays we would walk up the hill and wait by Polventon for the bus to come home, and if we were lucky we could have a ride down the hill on the step. We then helped to carry in the parcels from the bus boot into the bus house.

 My first teacher at St. Keverne school was Miss Ada Bray, later Mr John Pearce, and the Headmaster was Mr. Ralph Clayton. Another memory was when the bells were taken from the church tower and sent for recasting. There was great excitement when they came back, brought from Helston by horses and wagons and met at Polventon by the villagers who hung wreaths of flowers round them. There was a big day when they were rehung and rededicated, the then Lord Major of London, Sir William Treloar, came to St. Keverne and after a service there was a big luncheon held in a marquee in the field by the Church Hall.

 I also remember seeing the fire which destroyed the old chapel in 1906 and saw Mr. Tommy Rule on the roof removing the slates. I once took part in a concert in the Ark (at the Band of hope) and sang "Bay of Biscay", Mr Norman Tonkin was M.C. I saw the first car come into the village, I think it was owned by Mr. P. D. Williams of Lanarth. Another thing that interested us was when the threshing machine was being moved from one farm to another. It was usually in two parts, drawn by four to six horses who often got stuck on Laddenvean hill and more horses had to be fetched.

There was little social activity during the winter months, we had to make our own amusements. The church choir and Sunday School had a concert about Christmas time and I often helped in some way. On leaving school at fourteen, in 1911, I went to work in the Post Office and draper's shop with Mr. G.W. Roskruge. Later the shop was sold to Mr. Congdon and the Post Office was moved across the road. I worked for Mr. Roskruge until 1919 when I left to take a post at St, Columb Post Office.

 

Mrs Ethel Ellery of St. Columb