General Chat

Cas, an old neighbour who died aged 100 had that poem said at her funeral, I agree it's lovely. Dee, I was surprised a few years back , and I'm only talking about the 90's, when we were on holiday on Skye and I asked the lady we were renting the cottage from for the keys. 'Och we don't bother with such things' she told us. The door was never locked for the fortnight we were there! No-one locked their doors, not because they didn't have anything to steal, the houses all had every mod con, but I think more because in the smaller communities there is more respect. People on the Islands and many other small close knit communities are brought up all their lives living together and they see and appreciate the hard work their neighbours put in, every one knows each other and helps each other. Extended families all live near-by. People are more respectful of each other. In the larger towns and cities I think the feeling of 'community' has gone and with it respect seems to have flown out of the window too! Christine

My hubbys family lived in Tiger Bay where it was renown for being pretty rough....however, down there they never locked up doors, they just placed a big stone by the door to keep it open....people trusted one another and the community spirit was huge....everyone looked out for one another....however, now it is all very different unfortunately.

Cas....what a lovely poem!

Hi Dee In the early twentieth century the poor had very little if anything at all. There was no welfare state then and it was usually a case of living in squalor trying to eke out a living. Some even rented out space in their home which was usually one/two rooms with no running water/sanitation etc. So I would say for some at least if was safe to leave the door unlocked because they had nothing. Juliexx

Hi Cas Thanks for adding that poem, I think it just about sums up life in the 'good old days' Dee xx

Hi Dee, Your post reminded me of a poem in a local Welsh history book I read years ago... I am not sure who wrote it...thought it was apt to your thread. The Good Old Days We met, we married, a long time ago, He worked for long hours and wages were low, No telly, no radio, no bath, times were bad, Just a cold water tap and a walk up the yard. No holidays abroad, no carpets on floors, We had coal on the fire - we never locked doors, Our children arrived - no pill in those days, And we brought them up without state aid. No valium, no drugs, no LSD, We cured our pains with a good cup of tea, If you were sick, you were treated at once, Not 'fill in a form and come back next month'. No vandals, no muggings, there was nowt to rob, In fact, you were rich with a couple of bob, People were happier in those far off days, Kinder and caring in so many ways. Milkman and paper boys would whistle and sing, And a night out at the flicks was a wonderful thing, Oh, we had our share of troubles and strife, But we had to face it, that was life. But now I'm alone and look back through the years, I don't think of the bad times, the troubles and tears, I remember the blessings, our home and our love, We shared them together and I thank God above.

‘No door was locked – Poverty was everywhere but so were the Ten Commandments’’ This sentence comes from the synopsis of a book I have just read We are often told that our ancestors rarely locked the doors to their homes, and that theft was apparently not a problem. Was it because the poor had so little that there was nothing to take? Was it the fear of God that stopped people from stealing things? Anyone any theories or comments they would like to make?

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