b'Bishop Wilton RevisitedFrom material supplied by David WalkerI n the late 1980s a Mr E. W. Slater visited Bishopgrandmother became the midwife, doctor, and dress-Wilton and happened to meet David Walker. Extractsmaker for the village and district. I think that most at from the letter he subsequently wrote to David fromthat time were born with her help.Norwich are reproduced below: She was a tip-top dressmaker and seemed to I was born in May 1907 in one of the old houses inbe always sewing when she was at home and not School Lane which are now pulled down. attending other people. I remember a big wagon One of the first things I remember is having a teacoming to the school (I think once a year) with yards and a mug for the coronation of George V in the yardof material for dresses, shirts, sheets and other things. of the old Fleece Inn. When I was very young I remember turning the sewing I went to the Primitive Methodist Sunday School (Imachine for her, she seemed to be making dozens of think it is now, or was, the Co-op) until it closed, whenshirts.Miss Shaw and Mr Inman got married. I wonder if anyone has told you about the two I left school at 13 and went to work for Mr Newby,bushes on the road to Garrowby where they used he had retired but his son was running the business. Ito race from, the first bush for married men, the left and went to work for Mr Wilstrop at Wilton Wold,second bush for single men. They had to race from then to Cot Nab for Mr Johnson. the bushes to the bridge while the clock was striking After that I worked for Mr Ripley and Allan with thetwelve.threshing machines, then I went with the fair run byI wonder if you have heard about the Monastry the Brumbys of Warter. Next stop Norwich in 1924.[the Manor House], I dont know anything, but I My fathers name, Hartley Slater, is on the Wardo remember next to the fish pond a big heap of Memorial in the Church Yard, but I was broughtconcrete slabs, it looked as if a building had been up with my grandparents. My mother is buried atthere. I was told there was an underground passage Huggate. from there to the Bishops Palace.My Grandfather was born at Gate Helmsley andI also remember a street lamp in the street but it came to Bishop Wilton to work in the foundry. Hewas broken, I dont know if it was private or not.married my grandmother who I feel sure was a MissI was with Mr Ripley when the threshing machine Gowland. broke loose and tipped over. Mr Ripley sat and cried I think at some time they lived in the windmillwhen he saw the damage. He had seen a lot of but it was in ruins when I first knew it. Later myengines over but never a machine.Former ResidentsN umerous old postcards capture former residents out and about in Bishop Wilton and most of them cannot be identified. How frustrating!Of the three individuals pictured here, the two well-dressed women have emerged from open doorways so we can assume they are residents. The bearded fellow with the boater sitting on the grass may be a resident but as he appears on another photograph taken in the churchyard (c1904) it is possible he has something to do with the photographer.The two blocks of cottages pictured, containing seven dwellings, occupied the plots that were later given the four house numbers of 83 to 86.At the 1901 census (no house numbers then, of course) the first dwelling on the right, appears to have been uninhabited, the second contained Ellen Johnson, a widow, and her son and daughter, James and Eliza. Perhaps the woman second from the right is Eliza?Look closely and youll see the obligatory boot scrapers at the door steps and blinds (as well as curtains) at the windows.96 BULLETIN 7'