Ipstones Historical Society
THE Ipstones Historical Society met on February 29 for a talk and slide show given by Kath Reynolds on the subject of bringing up baby.
The speaker, who has visited before, started by outlining that the talk would concentrate on the challenges of bringing up a baby through the 1950s and onwards.
There have been major changes in what is deemed acceptable in baby care. In the 1950s pregnant women tried to cover up their baby bumps with large smock dresses and tabards, but this is vastly different today as mums often have their bumps on show.
Women mainly had their babies at home but during the 1960s and 1970s, but this changed to most mums going into hospital or maternity units. They had ten days’ bed rest after the birth with the newborns being looked after in the hospital nurseries.
The fathers were never at the birth and they may have celebrated with a pint down the pub and a cigar! What a contrast to today as fathers are usually holding the mum’s hand and they are encouraged to nurse the baby, taking an active role in its care.
Once the baby came home it was usual that the mother had to be “churched”, which involved the new mother visiting the vicar to give thanks or to be cleansed.
Christening gifts were a range of items from a small white bible, to silver bangles, or money boxes to silver spoons and pushers. Clothes came in blue or pink and consisted of knitted matinee jackets, bonnets and booties. Now however there are a myriad of colours and options available.
The 1960s saw the promotion of bottle feeding baby with all the usual sterilising equipment, Milton fluid being the brand of choice. The pram was a grand affair such as the ubiquitous Silvercross carriage-built vehicle with a fringed canopy which mums used to leave the baby in outside the shops!
Mrs Reynolds displayed to the society a huge variety of baby products from her collection which bought back many memories and we discussed personal experiences.
The next meeting will be on March 28, on the subject of the Lost Uttoxeter Canal, given by Mr D Marriot.
Our April meeting will be the society’s Annual General Meeting when the yearly subscriptions will be due. All are welcome, members £ and non-members £4 on the door. informed of what the Civic Society is currently involved with.
So reporting from our routine committee meetings is the easiest way to do this. Our March meeting reviewed the progress we are making with our Blue Plaques Scheme and members were informed that two plaques for St Edward Street and one for the Foxlowe are all awaiting planning approval.
A one-minute silence was observed in memory of the late Mrs Margaret Heath. Minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved and correspondence from SFWI was shared. The NFWI Board of Trustees have agreed to put forward Dental Health Matters to the Annual Meeting in May, as the 2024 Resolution. All were thanked for casting their votes.
The SFWI Spring Event ‘Here Comes Spring’ will take place on April 24 at Stafford County Showground.
Upcoming local events include: 30th March; ‘Cock & Pullet Racing’ at The Winking Man, 7pm for 7.30 start, in conjunction with Leek & District Show Poultry Section and Flash First Responders.
April 12; ‘Ladies Evening’ at St Edwards Academy, Leek. Doors open 6.30pm. Fashion Show 7.30 prompt. Tickets £5.
April 19; Coffee Morning at Trinity Church, Leek in aid of MHA (Charity Care Provider for older people in UK)
At the meeting, a discussion took place regarding how best to remember our deceased members and it was suggested that plaques could be placed in the WI garden in Horton Churchyard, as a permanent memorial to them.
Permission is being sought to put up poppy displays in and around Rudyard, prior to the 2024 Remembrance Sunday.
Members were asked to begin work on producing poppies in a variety of materials to use to form the displays.
Our speaker for the evening was David Cliffe, who gave us a very interesting talk and slide show on ‘Victorian Views’ – Leek and District’s first professional photographers.
David goes behind the camera to look at the district’s earliest photographers, operating from the 1850s onwards.
As well as taking hundreds of portraits, these pioneer photographers started to take their cameras out of the studio to record street scenes, historic buildings and important events. Their work now represents a valuable record of Victorian life in the Leek area and also important buildings that have since been lost. The raffle prize, donated by Pauline Tunnicliffe, was won by Hannah Wheeldon. The next meeting will take place on Thursday April 11, which will be a Birthday Party and Social Evening. All are welcome to join. For more information on any of the above events or membership of Rudyard & District WI, please contact either Carol Alcock on 078781 40642, or Suzanne Sheldon on 07518 074185.