Sharnford Village

Thatched cottages, Sharnford, date unknown. Courtesy of the Records Office for Leicestershire, Leicester & Rutland.

Mr Morton: Well we went from, I was born in Market Bosworth August 8th 1891 and we moved to Sharnford on the death of my grandma, we took over the pub, the Blue Bell, at Sharnford. I can’t quite tell you when, I were only about six at the time. And then we went to Sharnford school under Mr and Mrs Barker, and then I left school somewhere around 13, I think.

Interviewer: What was the population of the village?

Mr Morton: Well at that time it was roughly, as near as I can say, about 480 persons.

Interviewer: Can you tell me what the roads were like?

Mr Morton: Awful. All water bound roads with no tarmac at all. No transport at all, only a carrier’s cart, that’s all there was.

Interviewer: So you were completely cut off?

Mr Morton: Absolutely. And every little outing to Hinckley used to be a red letter day, and it’s only three miles. There weren’t any such things as motor cars, or anything like, er, wireless, television, telephone, and electric light – no such things. We all had lamps, oil lamps.

Interviewer: So the village was completely self contained?

Mr Morton: Yes, well, not entirely because most of the men worked at the quarries in Stoney Stanton and Sapcote.

Interviewer: How would they get there?

Mr Morton: They had to walk. A distance of about two, two and half miles.

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