Lavendon Between the Wars

Village History

Employment

There were two building firms in the village, Mr R F Lay & Son and Mr Sam Lay & Son. Sam Lay lived on Castle Road in his later years.

Thatching was done by Mr Harry Marshall and Mr Tom Stiggins.

There was also a barber in the village for a few years. A dentist came to the village once a week.Most people in the village were self-employed, but whilst some were agricultural workers, a lot of men worked away at a factory in Olney or travelled by train from Olney to Northampton. Some worked in Rushden and walked there on a Monday morning and stay there until Saturday when they walked home.

The men working in the factories earned alot more than the men working on the land.

Apart from Lt Col Smith, who owned Holmfield Farm and was the principal landowner in Lavendon, there were also other farmers.

Clarke and Marks, of Uphoe Manor

William Hallworth, farmed Castle Farm

Amos Ingram, of Lower Farm - kept dairy cattle and supplied milk to the village via his daughter Iris, who went round the village on her bike with milk churns on her handlebars

Thomas Lay of The Nest, Northampton Road - father of Edgar Lay the Butcher

Walter Parris of Manor Farm

John Quenby, Grange Farm

Harry Rossiter, at Snelson

Cyril Taylor, of Tingewick Farm ("Tinnick Farm")

Sydney Williams of Northey Farm

The major crops grown in the area were wheat, barley, oats and turnips

The Lavendon Mill dates back to 1086. At one time there were two water mills in the parish, the other was at Snelson

At one time Lavendon had a lot of tradesmen, here are the ones listed in 1939:

John Cony, Miller at Lavendon Mill

Bernard Cotton, Bootmaker on the High Street

Percy Cunningham, Grocer