Lucy Ethel Colley (née Hollowell) celebrated her 90th 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 that some of them would migrate to the immediately surrounding villages. Lucy’s family was one of these.
They moved to Denton when Lucy was a baby and lived in Old Yard Cottage on Main Street. Lucy was a twin and, by all accounts, was the smaller and weaker of the two babies. However, it was her larger brother who sadly died in infancy. She had an older brother, Frederick ‘Mackie’ Hollowell, who later became the well-known publican at both the Quart Pot and, later, the Red Lion; an older sister, Alice; and a younger sister, Emily. Emily later married and became Mrs. Ayres, and her descendants still live in the village. The family picture in the carousel shows, from left to right, Frederick, Alice, Lucy, and Emily.
Lucy’s father, James Hollowell, worked up on 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 still quite young—Lucy was only 15 at the time.
Lucy’s mother, Mrs. Mercy Elisabeth Hollowell (née Robinson), was left with four children to support, and her life was a hard one. She would walk all the way to Whiston daily, where she worked at one of the large houses occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Butlin. It was said the family relied on leftovers 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 in the image carousel. Brother Mackie gave her away, and his wife, Lil, and sister Emily were bridesmaids.
In March 1946, Lucy remarried Maurice Lesley Colley—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 being demobilized, he returned to The Elms in 1946. However, in July 1949, Tom had an accident while riding out a difficult horse. He fell and was kicked, leaving him with problems with his eyes and double vision, which brought an end to his riding career at the age of 43. He is pictured with a trusted friend.
Tom then became the local postman at the time when the post office was at Mrs. Tamplin’s house on 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 kindnesses to folk who needed a bit of help and also for his ever-present supply of Polo mints and cheery whistle.
He and Lucy 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 the Upper Gatehouse, which at the time was still three 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 weak lamb home to look after, as both Tom and their young daughter Margaret were real animal lovers. A photo from that time shows Lucy with Margaret and 'Nan' Whyman on the path to the church, with Church Way cottages behind them.
Lucy’s younger sister, Alice (Mrs. Ayres), owned the local paper round, and Lucy often helped with this as well. She was a common sight 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 later, Tom and Lucy moved to Leys Close, where they stayed until Tom died in 1983. After a while, Lucy moved to The Leys in the bungalow where she lives now (as of 2010).
So, Lucy Colley’s life was a very full and hard-working one—not without its deprivations but also many moments of great happiness. Will there ever be anyone who stays in Denton longer? Quite possibly, as there are a few Denton-born residents getting on in years—but will any of them have lived in six different Denton houses?
A few months after this account was added, Lucy's long and eventful life came to an end in November 2010—so ended an era and the life of a legendary Denton resident.