REDCAR – Constables Job

Accreditation Cleveland Standard 01/04/1933

After The Wreck
FIGHTING FOR THE SPOILS
THE CONSTABLES JOB
REDCAR CHARACTER OF OLDEN
DAYS

   The village constable was an important person, philosophical and discreet as the story I shall reiterate will show. His was not a whole time job. His duties were very few, sometimes a dispute would arise over a bit of wreckage cast up on the shore, the matter would be fought out, the winner taking the spoils and the vanquished getting a flogging. Then was the time for the constable to show his authority.
Upon his return from work the matter would be reported to him. After tea he would put on his best Sunday clothes and his top hat, put his staff under his arm and set out for the offender’s house. Upon arriving he would knock at the door with his staff and say, “Open in the name of the law.”
Now a case in point.
When he entered the house the constable was invited to sundry drops of gin, of which there was a plentiful supply in these days of smuggling.
Nothing more was heard until the neighbours were arrested at midnight with loud knocking on their doors with the constable’s staff as the owner rolled home singing, “Rocked in the cradle of the deep.” to the best of his ability.
Awd Yah was a character whom I knew. He was a fisherman and also a fish buyer. He was tall and very thin. He wed a very portly fish wife, by name Mrs. Wilson. I was standing against the pier one day, when a fisherman referred to Mrs. Wilson in describing her a fat woman whom he had seen at Hartlepool. He said; “She hadn’t sike a kite at as Mrs. Wilson, but sheea’ had a tremendous beam.”
Awd Yah hawked his fish in the country where be evidently found it was as dry a job selling it as was eating it by the condition he came in.
One day he went to Staithes Fair. Feeling hungry he called at a house to get something to eat. The good lady whom he called upon said, “Ay coom in thas as thin as a harparth o’ soap after a lang day’s walking.”
When dinner was ready she said: “Bring th’ cheear ip an trigg (fill) th’ weeam (belly) weel bud deean’t trigg it about t’ Plimsal mark or th’ll bust.” Awd Willie Sleigtholme was a canny old soul; he and his wife liked a glass of yul for supper, their only indulgence which they get.
One day Willie suggested getting a six gallon cask from Snowden’s at a shilling r gallon. “We shall save three ha’pence r pint,” he said.
Willie’s wife was agreeable so they had one set up in the pantry. The first night Willie drew two glasses and said, “Now lass, we’ve saved thre ha’pence what if you say to saving another?” which they did.
The next day they saved another three ha’pence at dinner time and by the weekend the cask was empty. The old lady said, “We will go back to Johnnie Hickley’s it is cheaper.”
Muffin Dick was a quiet old man. He sold hot rolls and muffins for Johnnie Dove. Every morning he came round calling. “Hot rolls smoking hot rolls,” and in the afternoon, “Muffins new muffins.”
Awd Slim Wilson was the village herbalist who specialised in oils and salves.
Awd crossed-leg Winter was a little man, but never the less good old sort. He had one leg crossed over the other, and walked with two sticks. He had a stable in Bath Street, where he he housed a pony at that time on one side of Bath Street and part of the other were a small white washed cottage and stables built in cobblestones and clay from the beach.

        ARTHUR PRATT