Post by ken on Feb 18, 2012 0:51:32 GMT -5
Being 75 years old I can remember the life of miner's wives from the early forties. They worked almost as hard as their husbands. Although Easington had pit head baths then, a few miners still prefered to go home to bathe. These could be identified by a large black area beside the back gate where the miner's pit clothes were dashed against the wall to get the dust out. The wife had to get the fire going as the hot water was supplied from a boiler on the coal range. This was then ladled into the tin bath using a large "ladle tin" Family had to vacate the room while the miner had his bath.
Washing day was usually Monday and all hoped for a good drying day. Clothes were washed in a 'poss' tub using a poss stick which was usually a long stick with a copper bell on the end. Usually the bigger children had to help with this chore as it as hard work. If it was raining the washing was hung an a drying rack hauled up to the ceiling in front of the fire. Any extra was hung around the fire area wherevever there was space. If it was a good drying day clothes lines were strung across the back street with a long pole in the middle to keep the washing off the ground. This was fine until the coal motor came to deliver the miners' coal ration This was dumped on the path outside the coal house. The coal motor driver had to get all the women to take in the washing so he could drive down the street to drop the loads of coal. He was not popular that day.
No washing machines those days and no vacuum cleaners either. Periodicaly the larger floor coverigs were taken out and hung over a washing line and beaten with a bamboo or willow carpet beater. Smaller rugs were taken into the back steet and shaken between two women. This was harder than coal hewing I think.
The woman of the house would normally provide a meal for the men going out to work and if they started at 4Am they would be up with them. In their spare time they would make 'clippy rugs' from cut-up old clothes. This was often a family pastime with the women sitting round a wooden frame on which a length of hessian was stretched.
No wonder the miner's wives looked old before their time
Ken
Washing day was usually Monday and all hoped for a good drying day. Clothes were washed in a 'poss' tub using a poss stick which was usually a long stick with a copper bell on the end. Usually the bigger children had to help with this chore as it as hard work. If it was raining the washing was hung an a drying rack hauled up to the ceiling in front of the fire. Any extra was hung around the fire area wherevever there was space. If it was a good drying day clothes lines were strung across the back street with a long pole in the middle to keep the washing off the ground. This was fine until the coal motor came to deliver the miners' coal ration This was dumped on the path outside the coal house. The coal motor driver had to get all the women to take in the washing so he could drive down the street to drop the loads of coal. He was not popular that day.
No washing machines those days and no vacuum cleaners either. Periodicaly the larger floor coverigs were taken out and hung over a washing line and beaten with a bamboo or willow carpet beater. Smaller rugs were taken into the back steet and shaken between two women. This was harder than coal hewing I think.
The woman of the house would normally provide a meal for the men going out to work and if they started at 4Am they would be up with them. In their spare time they would make 'clippy rugs' from cut-up old clothes. This was often a family pastime with the women sitting round a wooden frame on which a length of hessian was stretched.
No wonder the miner's wives looked old before their time
Ken
