History
A Day in the Life of a Butcher's Boy Butcher’s were once a cornerstone of a high street, but there came a time in St. Neots, a few years ago, when not one was left. Recently there has been a small revival to provide an alternative to supermarket fare and help give diversity to the town centre. A century ago life for a butcher’s boy was a full time job as Ken Payne, who was born in St Neots in 1900, remembered:- “I left school at 13, it was easy then if one had a job to go to. I worked for Sam Abrahams, whose shop and house were near to the Fish and Chip Shop on the High Street. My job was on Tuesday and Friday to arrive on the premises at 7 a.m., feed the horse and scrub the inside of the butcher’s cart. At 9.30 a.m. Sam would come out to load the cart with beef, pork and mutton etc., load the cleavers, saw and chopping block, a half quartern loaf, cold chitterlings in a basin and cooked sausage for our meal. By 10 a.m. we were on the road to Great Paxton. At 10.30 we called at the Black Bull public house where I would be given a large wicker basket of meat ordered from the previous trip. My food would be tied in a red and white spotted handkerchief and this was tied to the handle of the basket. I went up London Lane to College Farm, from there to Cottons Farm where I would bring away more meat than I delivered. Then I went up across the
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brook to arrive at Toseland Lodge, the farm of Henry Major. From there into Toseland to the Hand in Hand Public House and Mrs. Val Manning’s house. Then on to Graveley for just one delivery. There I would sit on a stile in good weather and eat my meal. Then I went along the sunken road to Papworth St. Agnes. By this time it would be late afternoon. At Papworth the road led out those days directly into Ermine Street where I would sit and read on the roadside and wait for Sam. He would have delivered at Great Paxton, Offord and Godmanchester. He would also have supped at several pubs before picking me up on Ermine Street. From there it was back to St. Neots, the horse leading mostly, to arrive home about 7 p.m. Sam’s wife gave me my dinner after I had fed the horses, and so I arrived home about 8 p.m. On wet days we would sit side by side in the cart with a couple of sacks on our knees.” Have you any stories of your first job? St. Neots Museum web site would love to add them to their LOCAL STORIES page. Do call in to the Museum Shop with its new Spring offerings. Thanks to the 2001 St. Neots History Society newsletter for Bert’s story. Abrahams shop was on the south side of the High street to the east of Church walk.
By Peter Ibbett
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