Lucy Ethel Colley (nee Hollowell) had her 90^th birthday a few years ago and with the exception of the first few months every one of those years has been lived in Denton.

 

 However, she was born in 1916 just up the road in Brafield, where both her parents were born. The name Hollowell was, and still is, a common one in Brafield and it was inevitable there would be some migration to immediately

surrounding villages. Lucy’s family were one of these.The picture left shows Lucy as a very young girl.

 

They moved to Denton when Lucy was a baby and lived in Old Yard Cottage in Main Street.  Lucy was a twin and, by all accounts, very much the smaller and weaker of the two babies. However it was her larger brother who was sadly to die in infancy. She had an older brother, Frederick ‘Mackie’ Hollowell, who was later to become the well-known publican at both the Quart Pot and later the Red Lion, an older sister  Alice and younger sister Emily.  Emily later married and became Mrs Ayres and her descendents still live in the village.The picture below shows, from the left, Frederick, Alice, Lucy and Emily. 

 

Lucy’s father, James Hollowell, worked up the Whiston Road at the stone pit where the dark coloured ironstone (used for contrast banding with the lighter coloured local limestone) was quarried. Later he worked at Billing Aquadrome where he dug gravel and was also employed at White’s funeral home in Wellingborough. However he died in 1931 when his family was quite young – Lucy was only 15 at the time.

 

Lucy’s mother, Mrs Mercy Elisabeth Hollowell (nee Robinson) was left with 4 children to support and her life was a hard one. She would walk all the way to Whiston daily where she worked at one the large houses occupied by a Mr & Mrs Butlin. It was said the family relied for food on left overs from the Butlin household to keep them going.

 

In due course Lucy married Reginald Ernest Hall from Hackleton but, sadly, he died from wounds he suffered in the War. A photo of Lucy's first wedding is shown below right. Brother Mackie gave her away and his wife, Lil, and sister Emily were bridesmaids.

 

In March 1946 Lucy was then remarried to Maurice Lesley Colley – for some reason he was always known as Tom. He had worked in racing stables since he was 13 and was already an experienced stable employee when, in 1936, at the age of 30 he began working for Cliff Beechener at The Elms (see -Agriculture and Farms) . War service in the Veterinary Corps interrupted this employment but after he had been demobbed he returned to The Elms in 1946. However in July 1949 Tom had an accident whilst riding out a difficult horse. He fell and was kicked leaving him with problems with his eyes and double vision bringing about the end of his riding career at

the age of 43. He is pictured left with a trusted friend.

 

Tom then became the local postman at the time when the post office was at Mrs Tamplin’s house in Bedford Road. He delivered the mail around the village and to the surrounding farms using his trusty bike and continued in this job until his retirement in 1973 at the age of 67. He was known for performing many a kindness to folk who needed a bit of help and also for his ever-present supply of Polo mints and cheery whistle.

 

He and Lucy had initially lived at 6 Main Street next door but one to Manor Farm and it was here their daughter Margaret was born. A few years later they moved to where the Upper Gatehouse which at the time was still 3 separate cottages.

 

Lucy continued to work hard taking Margaret in the pram up the Whiston Road with other families where there was work picking potatoes, peas and any other crops in season. She did housework at Denton Lodge Farm which at the time was run by Charles Russell. Sometimes Lucy would take a weakling lamb home to look after as both Tom and young daughter Margaret were real animal lovers.

 A photo from that time shows Lucy with daughter, Margaret and 'Nan' Whyman on the path to the church with Church Way cottages behind.

 

Lucy’s younger sister Alice, Mrs Ayres, owned the local paper round and Lucy often helped with this as well. She was a common site around the village accompanied by Tiny, her corgi, and frequently a lamb or piglet she might be looking after at the time.

 

In 1958 the family moved to 36 Bedford Road – one of the houses in Flannel Row - and then later Tom and Lucy moved to Leys Close and stayed there until Tom died in 1983. After a while Lucy moved to The Leys in the bungalow where she lives now  (2010).

 

So Lucy Colley’s life has been a very full and hard-working one – not