Oral History collection: Jack Richards and Ruth Richards (born 1896 and 1898, Rhossili, dairy farmers) interviewed by J. Mansel Thomas about Gower life

Track 1. [00:00:44] Sport: Origins of families of the 2 speakers. Discussion about how a family would gain a lease on a property and talk about family trees that link generations to the area of Horton. [00:06:55] Sea & Shipping: Many Gower people were Captains. Talk of Swansea being pretty remote and of Appledole. [00:06:33] Sport: Speakers mother has recollections of boats coming into Worms head. [00:07:44] Education: Secondary school and Miss Edwards becoming the teacher. [00:08:46] Education: Scholarships and going to Gower for examinations. [00:08:48] Education: Miss Edwards was the daughter of the Minister of Pitton Green. [00:09:20] Education: Speaker was born in 1896 and 63 years ago age 12 he went to lodge in a house with William Pugh and Jack Thomas they walked to and from school during lodging. [00:11:05] Education: The lodging house was very noisy. The woman who owned the house was a widow, Berthllwyd and Killan Colliery were there at the time and many Colliery electricians lodged there, one man was called Will Tanner. [00:12:02] Education: Attitude of his family when he tool on the scholarship. Talk about the 15achres of far his dad ran. He family also had the shop and post office and his grandfather was a sea merchant. His father drove a horse bus until Johnny Beynon took over. [00:14:02] Family: Mr Barratt used to walk along the beach and collect drift wood to make items. He was a retired engineer and was always asking the speakers dad to fetch things from him. [00:14:34] Community: People would write lists for the speakers dad (driving the horse bus) and his dad would go and fetch the items for them at a small cost. [00:15:21] Community: Details about the journey and shops that his dad would visit for people. [00:16:02] Community: Discussion about credit and shops issuing credit to customers. A notable character who was terrible for credit was John Griffiths. [00:16:04] Community: Female speaker talks about her uncle dying young and leaving behind her 2 cousins. She speaks of the help and aid provided by the family for her cousins to survive. [00:17:01] Farming: Fertilisers were purchased on credit and would be re paid when you order the following year's stock. Fertiliser was bought from Oldhams Manver. [00:17:48] Farming: Oldhams manver was taken away by the Steam Engine and went as far as Middleton. [00:18:16] Farming: Cattle walking to market. [00:18:47] Farming: Park Mill/Killay station the cattle would be taken off the person walking them and relayed over to a new walker. Butcher would buy a load2/3 people would take the cattle usually the cattle would cover 2 1/2 mile per hour. [00:20:25] Farming: Driving sheep with a good dog. [00:21:20] Farming: Loved to be on the farm doing farming unlike a lot of locals. [00:21:58] Estates: Bay Farm was taken on about the time he left school. Edward Tucker (Bevan Tucker's grandfather) only had one son who died young so he took on the farm himself. The land he had farmed before belonged top the Green. Speakers grandfather was a joiner. [00:23:05] Estates: Speaker talks about his father marrying and living in Pilton. Speaker was at Bay Farm until 1927 talking about his brothers Earnest and George and his marrying in 1921 - 1924 built Hampstead and Crossbreed. [00:24:39] Family: Speaker (Jack Richards) wife states that she asked the Jack out on a date as he was quiet and was always with his parents. [00:26:07] Family: Jack's wife was dating Morgan Gibbs at the time but wanted to date the speaker. [00:27:19] Community: No where much to go when coating so there was a dance and everyone would attend. She went to the dance with her parents and had both suitors waiting outside for her. [00:28:35] Community: There were a lot more girls in the area at the time than boys so Mrs Richards talks about people going into town to find a partner or the girls would date the "cottage men" Mrs Richards describes the "Cottage men" and who they were. [00:30:03] Farming: Fulton/Horton's the brewers used to visit and Mr. Fulton and her dad were friends. Details of Mr Futon helping the family. [00:32:06] Farming: Dairy Work 1927 took up farming and sold milk transportation started and altered the style of farming. [00:34:00] Farming: Comparing the start of dairy farming to today. [00:35:22] Farming: Dairy Classes etc available to the farming community. [00:35:33] First World War: Mr Richards was in the Army for 6 months and his wife chose to learn the dairy business in Cardiff whilst he was away. Talking about pecking order of who was called up to war first and last. Farmers and colliers and the metropolitan police worked together in Mr Richards' regiment. [00:36:56] Industry: Hot water was connected to the Dairy and a bath was installed in the kitchen. [00:38:29] Gower: Mr and Mrs Richards had electricity installed as soon as it was available as Mrs Richards' brother was and electrician and plumber. [00:40:21] Industry: Mr and Mrs Richards were the first in the area to start retailing milk. Each farmer would provide for his neighbour initially however this was then taken over when the milk industry became regulated. Talk about the Milk board regulations. [00:41:55] Farming: Farmers could use their own milk but could not sell milk from their own farm if they were not a trader. [00:42:00] Farming: Regulations became stiffer and retailers would have samples of milk taken and tested. Hygiene checks and wholesale discussed. [00:43:10] Farming: Average Sell 17 cows in stalls besides the young. [00:43:38] Farming: Problems with keeping cows and transporting to town. Earnest would take the milk into town for the Richards family. [00:44:34] Industry: The family sold to Samuels on Walter Road who was a big retailer in Swansea. [00:44:58] Politics: Kill Market board by cheating the levies Herbert his cousin put him in a spot. Government fees etc explained. [00:45:40] Politics: Local scams that were in play for milk wholesalers who were selling to locals outlines Track 2. [00:00:02] Politics: Ministry of food took over Milk. Samuels had to sell his farm to pay his debts. His farm is as you go down Olchfa. [00:01:23] Industry: Bus people used to run a van to pick up parcels/milk and deliver it. War started and milk lorry came on scene and then your were told what patch you would sell milk in. [00:02:38] Industry: Sold to a man on Beechwood Road after being moved from Samuels. Uplands guy was straight as a die they'd know if a drop of milk had been sold on the side of the road by the driver. [00:04:29] Farming: TB testing in its infancy stages. Government introduced the testing per area (areas listed). [00:06:27] Farming: Testing became compulsory as people were selling cows with TB. [00:06:55] Farming: Untreated Milk who can sell this and to whom laws and regulations on it. [00:07:41] Farming: Mr Richards' views on better milk. [00:08:47] Farming: Pasteurising and getting rid of bacteria. [00:09:04] Farming: More samples taken from Mr. Richards dairy than most others as they were supplying the local schools with milk. [00:09:28] Farming: The gentleman who took samples from the farm always insisted on paying the dairy for his bottle. [00:09:59] Farming: Difficult moments with his cows they lost 7 or 8 cows to TB. [00:10:35] Farming: Details of a TB epidemic at their dairy, visits from the Ministry if there was a TB outbreak. [00:15:43] Farming: Auctioneer/Valuer puts a price onto cows for the farmers further details on what this would incur. [00:17:00] Farming: Months without income whilst TB was being cleared up, disinfected and scrubbing of the dairy. [00:17:38] Farming: Bred pedigree Freesia cows which were easier to buy than shorthorn cattle. [00:18:34] Farming: Any new born calf would be sketched upon birth to register their pedigree. [00:20:12] Farming: Income only affected by pedigree if you sold the cows. [00:21:13] Farming: Special allowances or adjustments for pedigrees. [00:21:57] Farming: Grows corn and straw talking about being a dairy whilst doing the seeding on the farm. [00:22:55] Farming: Cartons came along as bottles broke easily and therefore a lot of bottles were not returned to be reused. [00:23:22] Farming: Giving of leftover milk to calves and keeping some for themselves. [00:23:49] Farming: Summer was very different to winter for the dairy, they could not judge how much Milk to produce. [00:23:54] Farming: Consumption increase. [00:24:30] Community: Cooperatives set up during the war for grass drying. [00:25:08] Farming: Farmers in the area are very independent and choose to do things singularly rather than in a cooperative. [00:25:45] Politics: Court Leet finished when the estate finished it was held at the King Arthur and complaints against other farmers were dealt with there. [00:26:31] Politics: Tom Water lost his rights at Court Leet. [00:27:00] Politics: A representative from Court Leet was in every community. [00:28:10] Politics: Court Leet would meet once a year for dinner and discussion. [00:29:45] Estates: Hill End was a local estate, castle people not really seen. Discussion about Massiter Evans Helm Evans (Kern Evans's father). [00:30:32] Education: Helm/Massiter used to visit school once per year. Miss Edwards the school teacher arrived and Massiter stopped visiting (further details discussed). [00:31:24] Education: School Board finished before Miss Edwards arrived and the Parson was not allowed to give lessons at the school by Miss Edwards Orders. [00:32:29] Education: Miss Edwards and her influence on locals. Details of Miss Edwards leaving the school. [00:33:32] Education: Miss Edwards banned the local way of speaking in the Gower. [00:34:21] Education: A young girls life during Miss Edwards's reign at the school as told by Ruth Richards. [00:36:40] Community: Women's institute and what it meant to the community. [00:38:26] Community: Mrs John was secretary at the Women's institute. [00:40:04] Community: People getting around more with cars. [00:40:56] Community: the working life of Ruth Richards. [00:41:21] Community: Blodwyn is the current president of the Women's Institute and Mrs Bowls was president for a while. Mrs Chop done more in women's institute than these women but is too ill to talk