KNOTTLA NICKNAMES
by TERRY SPENCER B.A.(Hons), Ph D.
The
rich diversity of Knottla nicknames has a long pedigree. In medieval times
the word ‘eek’ denoted an additional item, defined in later eras as
‘also’ (1) Thus, a familiar or humorous name given to a person or
thing in place of, or in addition to, the real name was an eek name (i.e.
one used for the purpose of identification), the ‘n’ of ‘an’ being
elided with ‘eek’ to produce a ‘neek’ name which by dint of usage
became linguistically corrupted to produce the common noun, ‘nickname’.
In
his amusing study of local characters, the late Frank Chambers provides a
tantalising glimpse of the genre, prefacing his examples by asking,
"How
did nicknames originate?
That’s what I want to know
Magic Charlesworth’s wicket keeping skill
Earned him his name, no bother
But where do we get Shewdy
The nickname of his brother?" (2)
Chambers
then produced a series of stanzas containing upward of forty such
nicknames.
By
his query, the Knottingley Laureate touched upon the fundamental dilemma:
that while the nicknames bestowed on people of an earlier generation are
frequently remembered by succeeding generations, the origins of such
sobriquets are far less frequently remembered.
Chamber’s
mental excursion concluded;
"I
think we should a parchment scribe
A really worthy cause
To keep alive such nicknames
As Yawnucks Tomlinson and Twisler Vause." (3)
It
was in the course of a recent conversation with Roger Ellis that the
subject of nicknames arose, following which, in an idle half-hour, I
casually began to compile a list of those I recalled. My list quickly
exceeded fifty in number and I was seized by a natural desire to list as
many more as I could obtain. In this desire I was greatly assisted by Ron
Gosney and Roger Ellis whose enthusiasm to compile a comprehensive list
was the equal of my own. It was Roger who drew my attention to the work of
Frank Chambers which, while I was familiar with and had long admired
Chamber’s work, I had failed to remember in the context of the present
topic.
This
essay then is an attempt
"a
parchment [to] scribe".
More
than that, to analyse, categorise and where possible, define the origins
of local nicknames and where such defy explanation or analysis, compile a
list for the historic record and thus, in acknowledgement of the
prescience of Frank Chambers, "…keep alive such nicknames."
Two
of the earliest known local nicknames have religious connotations and were
originally conferred as proper forenames. Kilham Horton was named after
the Reverend Alaxander Kilham, an associate of the Methodist leader, John
Wesley. Following Wesley’s death in 1791, Kilham became associated with
the dissident faction which led to the foundation of the New Methodist
Connexion and the ultimate establishment of the Primitive Methodists at
Knottingley about 1818. Nor was Kilham Horton’s forename a singular
example, a Kilham Johnson also being recorded.
Kingdon
Hirst was a further name with biblical influence and a sin the case of ‘Kilham’
the name was bestowed upon succeeding generations of each family as a
nickname.
The
hereditary factor is a noticeable element with regard to many nicknames.
‘Tiny’ Firth, a tall man, left a nickname which was applied to his
equally tall son, Eric Firth. Frank ‘Dobber’ Sutcliffe, ‘Happy Joe’
Bagley, ‘Clocky’ Burton, ‘Gully’ Maeer, ‘Slasher’ Towell, ‘Killer’
Kemp, ‘Wiffy’ Brooks, ‘Wag’ Robinson, ‘Pum’ Askin and ‘Scuffer’
Scholes, are all examples of nicknames bestowed by local society on second
and third generation issue, although in most cases neither the bestowers
nor the recipients can define the meaning or origin of the inheritance.
A
number of nicknames of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
were those of men employed in the local glassworks, particularly those
belonging to the bottlemaking fraternity. The nickname often arose from
some aspect of working practice or incidents arising during the process of
production and were commonly bestowed in jest on apprentices attempting to
master techniques demanded by the various stages of the craft. ‘Puffer’
Hawksworth, a glassblower who learned his trade in the late nineteenth
century, was probably named for his blowing expertise. My adoptive father,
was referred to as ‘Cheeky’ Spencer, not because of a rude disposition
but from his distended cheeks during the process of bottle blowing.
Indeed, ‘blowers’ cheeks often became almost transparent and instances
are recorded when they burst. (4)
Owing
to the intense heat of the furnace it was necessary for the glassmakers to
drink prodigious quantities of liquid in order to prevent dehydration.
Most of the men drank beer which in the era of unrestricted hours of sale
was freely available. One who preferred to drink lemonade was George Penty
who therefore gained the lifelong nickname of ‘Pop’ Penty. Valentine
‘Gobby’ Gill may be another who owes his nickname to association with
the trade rather than to verbal facility although he and others of his
family were involved in breaking up discarded boats.
One
of the glassmaking fraternity, George Dodd, was nicknamed ‘Doddy’ or
‘Dodder’. I remember him when, withered and worn by age and hard
labour, he was one of a small number of superannuated faithful retainers
who were allowed to undertake light casual work sweeping up the machine
shops and warehouses at the glassworks long after their manual skills had
been supplanted by machines. One of the indignities of age was that such
men were occasionally the butt of insensitive jokes and remarks. Little
did I, or his detractors realise, that as a young resident at the Island,
Aire Street, ‘Doddy’ had saved no less than eleven people from
drowning and had received a public testimonial to his bravery from
Knottingley Urban District Council. (5) Another ‘retainer’ with
bottlemaking connection was ‘Nuts’ Buckley, though the origin of his
nickname is less apparent.
‘Happy
Joe’ Bagley was yet another ex glassmaker who became something of a
legend in the 1930s through his depiction of ‘mammy’s darling Boy’
at the local carnival. Dressed in jersey and short trousers and holding a
balloon on a string in one hand and a large jam-spread breadcake in the
other, from which he would take a periodic bite, thus smothering his face
in jam, ‘Happy Joe’ was the hit of the events. (6) The
characterisation is still recalled by some of the more elderly residents
of the town.
‘Happy
Joe’ was an hereditary nickname inherited from his father as was his
flair for capturing the attention of the public as shown by the occasion
when, fully dressed, ‘Happy’ Senior decided to entertain a large crowd
attending the annual Feast on the Flatts by jumping into the river. (7)
Many other nicknames doubtless had glassworks origins but are too abstruse
in nature to be defined within the context of the workplace.
Whilst
recently researching the history of Knottingley Silver [Prize] Band, I was
struck by the profusion of nicknames belonging to past generations of
bandsmen. ‘Fatty’ Chapman, ‘Spug’ Hargraves, ‘Joker’ Johnson,
‘Maggie’ Murphy, ‘Gully’ Draper and ‘Tiffy’ Hodgson, ‘Gully’
was a term applicable to another individual, namely ‘Gully’ Maeer, and
by extension, his son, Fred, but what was the meaning of the name? In the
case of ‘Tiffy’ Hodgson, the man himself has explained that it was
originally ‘Wiffy’, being a pet name bestowed by an elderly aunt.
Through usage and mis-pronouncement the name was transformed to ‘Tiffy’.
A similar metamorphosis concerning a similar name, is seen in regard to
‘Wiffy’ Brooks. It is believed that the nickname arose from Clifford
Brook’s portrayal of a character named ‘Wifey’ in a play produced by
a church drama group and was gradually transformed through linguistic
application.
A
further example of the process of transformation is provided by reference
to a nickname of a slightly later generation. Raymond Oakes was nicknamed
‘Pancho’ by his friend Stansfield ‘Tippy Toes’ Greenwood after a
dark featured, swarthy Mexican character in a popular comic to whom it was
considered Oakes had a passing resemblance. Over time the original
nickname developed as ‘Panshine’, presumably through word association
with the ubiquitous scouring powder of the War years. It is claimed that
‘Pancho’ Oakes was less than pleased with the adaptation.
Appearance
and personal mannerisms often dictated bestowal of a nickname. Aside from
the obvious and frequently insensitively embarrassing terms such as ‘Fatty’,
‘Lanky’, ‘Ginner’, ‘Shorty’, and their slightly (but little)
more imaginative inversions such as ‘Slim’ and ‘Giant’ for
individuals who were the antithesis of such description, which I mainly
forswear in this essay, there are other illustrative examples. Harry ‘Weary’
Jackson was so named because his heavily-lidded eyes invariably appeared
half closed, giving him a tired mien. Harry ‘Lacquer’ Robinson was so
named for his well groomed and creamed mane of jet black hair. Less
attractively, Johnny ‘Spit-a-Gallon’ Miller’s sobriquet is
self-explanatory (a habit induced perhaps by working in the hot, dry
conditions of a bottle hole?) as is that of Harold ‘Teacakes’
Hargraves. A further culinary influence is evident in Eddie ‘Rabbit’ /
‘Rabbit Gravy’ Harrison’s nickname which arose from his frequent
excursions with his ferrets in search of a rabbit dinner.
‘Yawnucks’
Tomlinson was an old Knottla character so well known by his adopted name
that few used, or even knew, his surname. Streetwise, and full of guile,
‘Yawnucks’ effected an aristocratic air by wearing a monocle. Many
tales were told of ‘Yawnucks’ quick wittedness and opportunism. While
many of the tales are doubtless apocryphal others are no doubt true, for
example, the following incident.
Entering
Knottingley Town cricket field one mid afternoon, ‘Yawnucks, and a
friend unsuccessfully tried to cadge cigarettes from various
acquaintances. One, having rejected the supplicants, then asked ‘Yawnucks’
if he had heard the winner of the three o’clock race. "why? Has Tha
got a bet on?" asked ‘Yawnucks’. Upon being told that his
acquaintance had a bob each way on ‘Bluebell’, ‘Yawnucks’ stated
that it must be his lucky day as ‘Bluebell’ had won the race. The
delighted punter joyfully handed out his cigarettes before scurrying off
to collect his winnings. ‘Yawnucks’ mate pointed out that he could not
possibly know the outcome of the race to which ‘Yawnucks’ agreed,
adding, "but we got a cig’ out of it dint we?"
A
further example of ‘Yawnucks’ quick-wittedness is revealed in the
following tale. On a visit to Leeds ‘Yawnicks’ and a small group of
mates were walking along Boar Lane and passing a shop with empty windows
one of the group said "Sitha. A’ wonder what they sell there?"
A man who was standing in the shop doorway could not forbear to show his
contempt for the Knottla bumpkins and said aloud, "Idiots",
whereupon ‘Yawnucks’ replied, "Idiots eh? Tha must a done a
good trade then ‘cos tha’s selled ‘em all!"
Life
was more tragic for some of ‘Yawnucks’ contemporaries. Billy ‘Buller’
Wild was one of the glassblowing fraternity who in the early days of last
century was regarded as one of the smartest and best dressed young men in
Knottingley. Thwarted in love, ‘Buller’ suffered from severe
depression and fell into a mental and physical decline which resulted in
him losing his job and his lodgings. For two decades he lived in a cave in
one of the local limestone quarries, spending his days touring the town
living on cups of tea and food from former workmates and sympathetic
supporters. Given the harsh conditions, allied to the severe rationing of
food during the War one can easily imagine the effect on ‘Bullers’
health. During the bitter winter nights ‘Buller’ would gain unofficial
access to Bagley’s glassworks in order to sleep under the hot furnace
tank. One evening in the harsh winter of 1947 ‘Buller’ was discovered
in a seriously ill condition. A doctor was summoned and ‘Buller’ was
diagnosed as being in need of hospital treatment. Being in such a vermin’s
condition, however, he was denied the use of an ambulance. It was said
that he was taken to the Headland’s Hospital, Pontefract, on the back of
the Council dust cart.
The
story has a fairly happy ending. Discharged from hospital ‘Buller’ was
granted residence in Northgate Lodge, part of the former Pontefract
Workhouse, transformed by the recently established national Health
Service. For some years thereafter, ‘Buller’ could be seen within the
town, clean and tidily attired, until his death in the 1950s.
Another
semi-tragic figure whose nickname belied the circumstances of his life,
was Fred ‘Cheerio’ Ellis who initially worked on the railway until
incapacity from an accident forced him to undertake lighter, more casual
work.
As
a one man band (a popular phenomenon in the 1920s) ‘Cheerio’ earned a
living as a street entertainer, singing, reciting monologues, playing a
brass whistle, telling jokes and posing conundrums for pennies. ‘Cheerio’
also advertised in the local paper as a racing tipster and served as the
bellman, town crier and official bill poster.
A
resident of Back Lane Lodging House (formerly the Bluebell Inn) until its
closure on sanitary grounds in 1924, ‘Cheerio’ then lived at Mr.
Crapper’s (aptly named?) lodging house at Ferrybridge, and died in 1927
aged 53.
If
Frank Chamber’s description of ‘Buller’ Wild
"…with
long hair and ginger beard"
suggests
a scary figure who was, nevertheless,
"a
really kind of harmless chap
and not one to be feared",
is
correct, and it undoubtedly is, then the same dispensation applies to ‘Bob
Bunks.’ Robert ‘Bob Bunks’ Mountier, the scion of a pauper family
resident at Knottingley as early as the beginning of the nineteenth
century, was a one legged man who wore a wooden leg which made a thump as
he walked which was rather frightening to local children. Some mothers,
aware of this fact, used to coerce their siblings into good behaviour by
threatening to send for ‘Bob Bunks’.
Glassmaking
apart, occupation was an influential factor associated with nicknames. In
the case of ‘Mucjk Boat’ Johnson both trade and appearance played a
part. Wearing a top hat and a waistcoat from which dangled a watch and
chain, this genial soul worked as a scavenger, emptying ash pits and
middens and disposing of the night soil from earth closets, (of which
there was still a profusion as late as the 1930s) his appearance belying
the nature of his work.
Another
occupational nickname was that of Alf ‘Farmer’ Robinson. ‘Farmer’
looked after the draught horses at Bagley’s glassworks but with his
trilby hat, twill trousers and leggings and tweed jacket looked every inch
a farmer.
‘Legger’
Sweeting was so named because he had wide experience as a cattle driver,
walking beasts from markets as far away as Selby and York. Invariably
dressed in flat cap, Mackintosh and gaitered trousers, ‘Legger’, who
had a disabled arm, could be seen carrying a billycan by the handle,
clutched between his teeth.
‘Doody’
Braim was a farmer with a holding located at the top of Womersley Road
while ‘Porky’ Taylor, an Aire Street butcher, was so designated in
order to distinguish him from Arthur (and later, Tom) Taylor who owned a
butcher’ shop next door.
‘Clocky’
Burton belonged to a family of watch and clockmakers who were responsible
for the installation of the public clock on the front of the Ropewalk
Methodist Chapel in 1884, which was the only public clock in the town
before one was affixed to St. Botolph’s church some forty years later.
Nicknames
were not uncommon amongst teachers. ‘Bull’ Coward’s may have arisen
purely as a play upon his surname although he possessed a bellowing voice
which, belying his gentle nature, may have been an influential factor. ‘Proddy’
France was the nickname of another Knottingley teacher. Did his nickname
have religious significance (i.e. of Protestant stock) or was it gained
from prodding his pupils or, since he was a skilled musician, prodding the
piano keys?
Concerning
the teaching profession, the collective noun ‘Gaffer’ was commonly
accorded to headmasters. The appellation clearly echoed the parental usage
by which workmen showed deference to their employers but the term was not
confined solely to head teachers, being applied to senior teachers too. In
the early 1940s, as a pupil at Weeland Road Junior School, I recall Wilf
Hollingworth being referred to as ‘Gaffer’.
The
definition of the nickname of one notable workman, ‘Figs’ Firth,
appears to have been lost, but not his occupational prowess, for as a
bricklayer’s labourer ‘Figs’ was the doyen of his profession,
regularly providing the support necessary to ensure the laying of 1,000
bricks per day, no mean feat given the conditions of the trade which
applied in the inter war years.
A
less enviable professional nickname and therefore one used
surreptitiously, was that bestowed on Mr. Dixon, proprietor of the barber’s
shop located within the building which also housed the Cherry Tree Inn,
Cow Lane end. The diminutive Dixon, at less than 5ft, almost as broad as
he was tall, was referred to as ‘Sweeny Todd’ but not, of course, in
his presence and certainly not when he was shaving a customer.
The
nickname of Tommy ‘Touchet’ Lightowler poses speculation concerning
its origin. Touchet was a family name of the Lords Audley, one of who had
been executed at Pontefract with Thomas, Earl of Lancaster in 1322,
following the abortive rebellion against Edward II the previous year.
A
descendant of the Touchets was the lawyer, Dr. Tetlow, who in the late
eighteenth century lived in the big house at the top of Racca Green, later
owned by the Twaites family. There is therefore ample evidence of the
Touchet’s association with the locality but less obvious reason for the
name to be associated with Tommy Lightowler. An indication may perhaps be
found in the events of 1885 when Jim Frazer, a local bottlemaker, laid
claim to the defunct Lovat Peerage at his native Newcastle. Was Tommy
Lightowler a sincere but self-deluded claimant of kinship with the Touchet
family who merely inherited the title as a nickname?
One
exception to my prohibition on nicknames alluding to size is that
concerning ‘Giant’ Hart, whose character was in inverse proportion to
his small stature. ‘Gi’ was a glassmaker who was displaced by the
advent of machine bottlemaking in the 1920s. Hearing that work for manual
craftsmen was still to be found in the small bottle holes of London
prompted the impecunious ‘Gi’ and a friend to tramp to the Capital,
cadging food en route.
Travelling
along the road the pair spotted a gateway leading to a distant farmhouse.
A friendly dispute arose as to who should walk to the farmhouse to beg
food and in the end ‘Gi’ agreed to undertake the task.
Nearing
the farmstead, ‘Gi’ spotted a pie which had been placed on a windowsill
to cool. As nobody was about ‘Gi’ snatched the pie and sped back to
his mate. Having consumed the pie ‘Gi’ stated that as he had obtained
the food it was only fair that his mate should return the dish and as his
fellow traveller made his way to the farmhouse ‘Gi’ shouted after him
"…and don’t forget to say thank you to the farmer’s wife for
her kindness."
Some
nicknames indicated physical prowess. George ‘Magic’ Charlesworth, the
Knottingley Town Cricket Club wicket-keeper, is alleged to have dived for
a ball and caught a swallow in flight.
In
this category several nicknames apply to people of my generation (i.e.
late 1920s – 1930s). Roy ‘Blood’ Pickersgill, George ‘Killer’
Kemp, and Lance ‘Cock’ Foster, were each in turn school champions in
my schooldays, although in the case of the latter there may be and
additional nod to the London district of Cock Fosters.
Concerning
the inter-war generations it is interesting to note the influence of
films, radio and comic books on the choice of nicknames. Thus, Tommy ‘Robey’
Rhodes, may be so called in reference to the late music hall entertainer
Sir George Robey, while ‘Blood’ Pickersgill’s elder brother,
Kenneth, was known as ‘Unbriargo’, a character in a song by Jimmy
Durante (who as ‘Schnozzel’ had his own nickname).
George
‘Dillinger’ Peel was named so when, awaiting the arrival of his
classmates for a woodwork lesson, he quickly shaped a wooden gun. Upon the
classroom door being opened, George sprang forward and shouted, "Stick
‘em up!" To his chagrin and the amusement of his peers, the
first person through the door was the teacher who replied, "Who do
you think you are – Dillinger?"
George
also had a brother, whose nickname was ‘Necker’ Peel. Does anyone know
why? I also vaguely recall ‘Sabu’ Pickersgill (?) a darkly handsome
figure who lived in Quarry Avenue and was named for his supposed
similarity to the youthful Indian film star of the 1940s Technicolor
extravaganzas ‘Elephant Boy’ and ‘Jungle Book’.
Other
contemporaries include Frank ‘Plute’ Keirnan, also known as ‘Plug’,
‘Pussy Holt, Charlie ‘Chukka’ Temple, presumably a play on his
forename, and similarly, ‘Spud’ Tate.
My
close schoolfriend, Derek Fairbairn, was nicknamed ‘Chris’, derived
from the name of a character in the late 1940s radio show ‘Ray’s A
Laugh’. Upon being asked what the letter ‘C’ of his second name
represented and replying "Charles" he was contradicted
with "No it doesn’t. It’s for ‘Crystal Jollybottom, you
saucebox", the catchphrase of a character in the series. The
nickname was abbreviated to ‘Chris’ sometime thereafter.
My
own nickname was ‘Carl’, from Carl Svenson, a Scandinavian villain in
the radio series ‘Dick Barton, Special Agent’. I am still trying to
figure out whether ‘Carl’ was allotted to me because of an imagined
similarity between my surname and that of the fictitious character or if
the influential factor was the (hopefully) imagined similarity of my
nature and that of the villain.
Concerning
‘Dick Barton’, it is claimed that ‘Chris’ Fairbairn’s younger
brothers, Keith, who had a shock of white hair, and Joseph, were known as
‘Snowy’ and ‘Jock’ or ‘Jocker’, after Barton’s fictitious
assistants, Snowy and Jock.
Moving
to more recent generations, we find the influence of television in names
such as Roy ‘Flint’ Stone, together with ‘Acker’ and ‘Cody’
Shaw, Barry ‘Bacca’ Burdin, and John ‘Hollmottlemight’ Holloway
(there’s a nickname with which to conjure?)
A
nickname from an even more recent generation is that of Paul ‘Highness’
Lodge. In the late 1960s I took over a class at Ferrybridge Junior School
in the middle of the academic year. One of the children was referred to by
his classmates as ‘Highness’ and intrigued by the apparent degree of
deference, I sought to find out the reason for the nickname. Neither Paul
or his fellow pupils could provide an explanation, however, and it was
only much later when preparing a history lesson that it occurred to me
that the term ‘Highness’ might have arisen in consequence of a
previous lesson, being derived from Paulinus, who, having arrived with St.
Augustine in 597, later travelled north to bring Christianity to the
kingdom of Northumbria. Upon checking with Paul I witnessed a spark of
recognition in his eyes which was akin to the image of a lightbulb in a
bubble above the head of characters in the ‘Beano’ and ‘Dandy’ and
to my great satisfaction Paul was able to confirm my theory.
And
what of the ladies? Substitute names for women appear to be exceedingly
rare. There is, of course, Elizabeth ‘Dizzy’ Kellett, who was anything
but and therefore so inappropriately nicknamed that speculation defies
reason. Conversely, Hannah ‘Mrs Beautiful’ Rhodes, the proprietor of a
general goods shop at the Island Court corner of the Flatts, was given her
name because be it ever so humble an item anyone sought to purchase was
invariably described as being "beautiful". Mrs Rhodes was also
known to some as ‘Mad Hannah’.
Many
of the known nicknames are of obscure origin and by their nature, defy
both definition and categorisation. All that one can do is to provide a
glossary and hope that in the fullness of time the record may be
supplemented by further detail. here then, are some of the remaining
Knottla nicknames, together with brief comments concerning the same and
the appellants.
‘Fatty’
Chapman
Ernest ‘Mull’ Clark
Freddy ‘Guy’ Pearson – pronounced with a soft ‘G’ as in ‘giant’
Jimmy ‘Bolo’ Tranmer
Bob ‘Smocky’ Daw
‘Tabsie’ Garner – he and brother Tommy, were associated with the
Sparrow Castle gym club.
George ‘Dodger’ Haigh
Percy ‘Fiddler’ Baines – a marine engineer who objected to his
nickname.
‘Crafty’ Spence – for many years the Knottingley ferryman operating
from the Island Court jetty.
George ‘Jig’ Middleton
‘Sharky’ Tunningley, also known as ‘Shengo’.
‘Smasher’ Wright
‘Colmosh’ Marshall – nickname may be a doggerel abstract of Colin
Marshall??
‘Shemmacks’ Baxter
‘Nipper’ Green – a diminutive but energetic younger brother, hence
‘Nipper’ ??
Frank ‘Nagger’ Addy – promounced with a soft ‘G’ as in ‘major’
– was sexton at Knottingley Cemetery from 1930s – 1950s.
‘Pongo’ Martin
George ‘Judder’ Blakey – corrupted form of George.
George ‘ Judder’ Burdin – ditto.
‘Bogey’ Lightfoot – nickname possibly derived from surname
suggesting ghostlike movement ??
Alan ‘Dusty’ Rhodes – self explanatory hereditary nickname.
‘Whacker’ Scott
‘Lashings’ Askin
‘Babe’ Davies – youngest of family of all male siblings but nickname
may also have beeb influenced by name of baseball legend, ‘Babe’ Ruth
??
Terry ‘Tiger’ Watson
‘Slogger’ Wild
‘Icky’ Pick – a local tramp
‘Parmy’ Wilson – probably from his unusual forename, Parminus, which
was also his father’s forename.
‘Tuby’ Littlewood – tempting to think his nickname may have arisen
from association with Knottla Feast at which the Tuby family were always
represented and into which family several Knottingley people, including my
own, married.
‘Banjo’ Brown
John ‘Gelly’ Dickinson – the doyen of local billiard and snooker
players.
George ‘Coogan’ Rhodes
Herbert ‘Vinegar’ Winterbottom – promounced as Winegar’ – a Nat
Jackley lookalike – tallest man in Knottingley – made ‘Tiny’ Firth
look small by comparison.
Albert ‘Shaker’ Bagley
Albert ‘Gish’ Penistone
Harold ‘Yamps’ Whitwell
George ‘Peckham’ Savage
John ‘Gauk’ Adams
Tommy ‘Dreadnought’ Rhodes
Herbert ‘Lockey’ Fozzard
Hector ‘Sheg’ Aaron
Ronnie ‘Shenko’ Tunningley
Barry ‘Bacca’ Burdin
Benny ‘Chopsticks’ ? – surname unknown. Benny was a boat breaker and
the nickname may derive from that activity.
‘Bunny’ Turner
‘Crock’ Walshaw
‘Cadge’ Lightfoot – was he a habitual cadger??
‘Mush’ Link
‘Kiddy’ Mightowler
‘Wire’ Hughes
‘Shango’ Moon
‘Twisler’ Vause
‘Cubby’ Carter
‘Banker’ Sykes
Roy ‘Duster’ Simpson
Jeffery ‘Marcino’ / ‘Mark’ Ward
‘Wablo’ Emmerson
David ‘Tigrob’ Briggs
Kenneth ‘Snicky’ Garbutt
Stansfield ‘Tippy Toes’ Greenwood – so named for difficulty when
walking due to malformed feet, a nickname that today would be considered
insensitive and inappropriate on grounds of political correctness?
‘Mallock’ Penty
Terry Spencer
January 2007
NOTES
- For
an example of the use of the word ‘eek’ c.f. lines 5-7 of the
Prologue to Vhauser’s ‘Canterbury Tales’.
- Chambers
F. The Memorable Awakening of Rip Van Frankle – Characters of Old
Knottingley, Book 4, (1966) C. Chambers (ed), no pagination. I am
grateful to Frank Chambers daughter, Mrs J. Jackson, for permission to
quote from her father’s work.
- ibid
- Spencer
T. The Development of the Yorkshire Glass Industry, 1800-1945’,
Volume II, (2001) Chapter 7 pp 443-62 for a survey of the diseases and
illnesses of the trade and p445 for details of ‘Glassblower’s
mouth’.
- Pontefract
Advertiser 10-9-1910 for report of presentation to Dodds and 18-6-1910
& 20-7-1912 for reports of rescues.
- Spencer
T. ‘Fairs, Festivals & frolics: Knottingley circa 1840-20032,
Volume II, (2003) p39 for photograph of ‘Happy Joe’ Bagley as ‘Mummy’s
Darling Boy’.
- Pontefract
& Castleford Express 17-7-1914 p6
- Pontefract
Advertiser 24-9-1921 and passim for advertisements re Fred ‘Cheerio’
Ellis and ibid 26-2-1927 for obituary report.
- ibid
24-1-1885
|
