What a day my mother chose to bring me into the world, no wonder they called me John, but I suspect the real reason was that my father was Richard John, may the Blessed Saint forgive all concerned.The happy event took place in a little cottage, the middle one of the first three you meet after leaving Ludgvan Churchtown and proceeding towards Lowerquarter. My only brother was also born there on April 4th 1905.
It was a small house and before my memory stirred we had moved to another on the bank of a river at Vellanoweth for my Maternal Grandmother lived there from when the house was built in July 1861 until she died about 1941, this house was built by Joseph Chellew, my Grandmother’s brother and I still have the 99 year lease which also had a ‘lives’ clause, which meant that when the person named died the property went to the ‘lord of the land’ in this case Squire John Pope Rogers. I don’t think this is a legal system any more.
While living in Vellanoweth my father worked at Wheal Giue Tin mine between Nancledra and Halestown a distance of about 6 miles which he cycled and worked a ten hour shift each day. Many miners travelled by donkey ‘shay’ which was a flat seat secured to an axle to which a pair of bicycle wheels were attached, it was a very light conveyance, and the donkeys were smartly clipped, groomed and well fed and could go at a fair pace, often galloping at full stretch. The drivers legs would dangle down behind the donkey’s rear and often he would have a passenger behind him facing backwards. The owners were very proud of their ‘Mokes ’ and often races were organised, but the use of whips or sticks was prohibited. Nevertheless the feet were conveniently situated to give the donkey a few hefty prods.