Old Keighley Characters

Old Keighley Characters 

Johnny Touch Wood (MORLEY)
Johnny always nervously touched doors and window sills. He worked as a bottle
washer at Ackroyd's (corner of Russell St & Suresnes Rd) After he finished
work he would deliver newspapers, He lived in Devonshire Street. He had a
nervous breakdown through too much studying whilst at college.

Tommy NAYLOR (nick name Custard Britches)
Was an inmate of Eddie's lodging house. He had a big green box on a hand cart
on which he used to take the bedding to Keighley Corporation wash-house,
twice a week or more.

Frankie NAREY
Was a great friend of Tommy NAYLOR. They were said to fight together. He used
to stand at the top of Low Street, where the Midland Bank used to stand.

'Johnny Twabbles'
Lived in Eddie's lodging house. He stood on Station Bridge and later on
outside the Education Office. Children would run past this frightening
character, with distorted speech. An unverified rumour was that he carried a
cobbler's knife - which would have been razor sharp.

Clifford HOLMES ( Paymum)
Had a speech impediment and could not say 'Papers' only 'Paymum'. He would
ring a handbell, his voice did not carry. He stood outside the Midland Bank,
also sold firewood from his little cart.

'Peggy' SNOWDON
He only had one leg. He stood with crutches at Station Bridge.

Jimmy GINLEY
He was the fastest seller of them all, even though he only had one arm. He
stood by the Midland Bank, sticking the papers in between the railings.

'Johnnie Pot Taw'
Was a 4 foot tall midget. He had no permanent job, but sold matches for
example, outside the old Post Office. Like 'Johnny Twabbles' he also lived in
Eddie's lodging-house, but they often quarrelled about their pitch.

'John Thomas' (BRADLEY)
Used to play his portable gramophone on a pram, busking outside the Regent
Picture House (North St) and the Theatre. His records were usually cracked,
scratched and inaudible and the queues would shout 'Turn it off' He lived
near Quebec Bridge.

'Freddie Gramophone' (BUTTERFIELD)
was a rival to John Thomas, and had his gramophone mounted on a purpose built
cart. There were three queues at the Theatre (stall & circle -together ,
gods, pit) and two at the Picture House (stalls & circle), so there were
plenty of stands for John Thomas, Freddie Gramophone & Tingalary Tommy.
Freddie Gramophone would go to all the big houses on Spring Gardens Lane, and
on Sundays out to Eastburn. He was always reputed to be a member of the
BUTTERFIELD family of Cliffe Castle. He had a speech defect, which worsened
the more excited he became, and he used to shout and bawl so you could not
understand what he was saying. He married 'Alice Flatfeet' (GRAYSTONE) who
wore size 14 shoes and was K legged (knock-kneed) She was the daughter of a
farmer at the top of Black Hill, she worked at Parker's Mill in Golbourne
Street.

Archie SMITH
was the Theatre doorman. 'Good seats in all parts, circle, balcony and
stalls'. he would call. He wore a uniform as he walked outside.

'Old' Mr. GREEN
was the manager of the Theatre. He had a tin leg. He was very quick tempered
with his staff. He was the only man in Keighley who worked whilst wearing
evening dress - except for the orchestra, but they lived in Bradford and
elsewhere.

'Tinglary Tommy'
Played a barrel-organ, which was pulled around the streets by a small pony.
They belonged to Leo SOMMA.

'Emily Matchbox' (also known as 'Sally Matchbox')
Used to sing in the streets for pennies. She was hired from the Workhouse, to
work as a maid in the lodging-house. She also worked in the mill for a short
time, before selling newspapers and singing in the street. Her maiden name
was LUND, but she was reputed to be married to 'Joe Pump'. Whatever their
marital status, they lived in the same house in Park Lane.

'Joe Pump'
accompanied 'Emily Matchbox' with a concertina. He was an odd-job man. He
also sold firewood from a cart. He would also stand (with others) at the
bottom of Cavendish Street, with a shovel, and when a block-cart went to
deliver coal to one of the big houses, he would get a job to go and shovel it
into the coal-hole at the customer's expense (he would get a tanner or a
shilling)
'Old Blue Nose' (or Dick)
He hired a machine from Leo SOMMA, and sold roast spuds and chestnuts at
t'Top o' Town*
* T 'Top o' Town was the area around the top of the High Street, and the
bottom of West Lane, and the bottom of the present day Oakworth Road.

'Spud Mick' (Michael MCDONALD)
Had his hot (roasted) potatoe machine at the bottom of Cavendish Street, just
outside the coal yard. It was a fantastic shining apparatus and he sold 3
potatoes for 1d

'Sydney Pea Can' (WALKER)
walked around the streets, selling brown peas, from a cart pulled by a
donkey. It was sais he stirred his peas with his wooden leg. He lived down
Greengate.

'Peas All 'Ot'
Was another pea hawker. He carried a can with a small fire under it, to keep
the peas warm. He kept small pieces of coal in his pocket. He also lived down
Greengate.

'Johnny Born Drunk'
Was an out porter at the railway station. He used to stagger as he walked. He
had a hand cart, with which he would take stallholders' wares to the old
Market for them. He would work regularly with another man for the larger
loads. There were another two or three out-porters, but 'Born Drunk' gor all
the cream of the work from the stallholders, who would travel around the
local markets. He lived in the Kip.

'Aeroplane Jimmy'
Was a landscape gardner, laying out gardens. He walked with his arm
outstretched behind his back. He lived at Eddie's lodging house.

Lizzie CLURE
Lived in Bocking and smoked her clay pipe. She used to walk around the
foundries and building sites. She was 60 in 1945, but always seemed very old.

Joe CLURE
the brother of Lizzie, used to sing in the Catholic Cluc, stood on a buffet,
to reach the higher notes. He was a tatter and earned his living from
collecting the rags-and-bones.

'Jimmy in the Bucket'
Would carry his bucket around with him, and would stand on his hands with his
head in the bucket and sing old songs in pubs and clubs. His head would be
beetroot red at the end of his turn. He lived in the Kip.

'Frizzie Lizzie' (Elizabeth MCDONALD)
she was an old lady who lived on damside, used to go cadging broken bottles,
rags, bones around the Market and elsewhere. She was only 4' 6" - 4' 7" tall.
Woman, if they were not careful, would be told their hair was like Frizzie
Lizzies's.

'Old' Sam ROWAN
Sold bobbins of cotton, buttons and tape, house to house. He carried his
wares in a big basket with a black oilcloth cover. He lived in Ivy Place,
Damside.

'Snigger' BINNS
was a well-known lady, who lived by Quebec Bridge, he husband used to tar
roofs.

'Mother' PERRY
Had a shop at the top of Snigger Binns' (Seedy) Hill, and was a second hand
clothes dealer. She would travel around the big houses asking if they had any
clothes which she could buy from them.

'Peggy' KELLY
Was a very small woman, only 4'11" tall, she kept a second hand clothes shop
at t' Top o' Town. Her real name was MArgaret KELLY, and she would not answer
to Peggy.

'Old Bill' LAYCOCK
Had a ragshop on Mill Street. He bought old and torn clothing which was used
for Shoddy, papermaking and tab rugs.

Tom NORTON
kept another ragshop (belonging to LISTER's crockery shop) in Mill Street.
Only had one leg.

Edmund LUND
Went around the streets, selling from a box cart, pipe spills and firewood.
He had a speech impediement, and spoke in a slow drawl. His big red round
face was like a tomato.

John KILROY
Was an Irish navvy and a massive 6'5" tall. He had hands like shovels. Every
now and then, after a heavy drinking bout, he would have to be restrained in
a straightjacket - by at least half a dozen bobbies from 'Number one'
(Devonshire St) as the local police station was known.

'Tar Pan Joe' (ASHTON)
worked on the tarpan boiler, which was puilled by a horse, when the
Corporation men laid the roads with stone setts.He would fill in the cracks
with hot tar from the spout of his tar bucket.

'Ski' Milk Man
Skim-milk or blue-milk had the cream taken away. The 'Ski' Milk Man had a
hand cart made for the job, with two milk churns on it. He sold the skim-milk
at about 1d per pint.

'Old Nellie'
was a peg seller, lived in Oliver's lodging-house with Abe MILNES, a stone
sawyer. She had a gruff voice, much deeper than you could expect a woman ever
to have.

'Daddy' FEATHER
had a pot/crockery shop on damside. He would auction dinner and tea services.
He could pile almost a whole service between his fingers and chin. And if his
price, was not reached, he would smash them against the wall. His wife was
called 'Tapioca Semolina' FEATHER

Billy FEATHER
Used to sing in pubs. He was 'Daddy and 'Tapioca Semolia' FEATHER's son. He
was going away to college and had a good education. But for whatever reason
he was down on his uppers. Although he had a cleft palate he was a good
singer. He would always end up singing 'Maquita'. He lived with 'Malizzie'
(Mary Elizabeth) HALLIGAN in Eastwood Square. They would sing together.

'Old Granny' HEAPS
Lived on Damside. Whatever the weather, she would always sit outside on a
little chair. All she lived on were cat's lights. No one ever knew how old
she was. She said she remembered soldiers in the place called the 'Barracks'
later knows as Ivy Place............

Patsy COLLINS
Had a peg leg. He would crack wooden doors and so on with his head for a bet,
when he had been drinking. Once he cracked an old oven door with his head
(which was shaped like and egg) He lived in the Workhouse.

Patsy MEEGAN - 'Patsy the Cooper'
made ashtubs (dustbins) and tubs for washing (washing tubs) out of old apple
barrels. Butter barrels and beer barrels with old bed laths (for the iron
bands) He was know to reside in Ivy Place.

Mickey LANE
A shellshocked soldier from the 1914-1918 War. He would dart across the
street, narrowly being missed by waggons and buses. (He could not have
survived modern traffic) One moment he would be deep in conversation with
you, the next he would shoot off. He refused to leave his house, in
Burlington Street, as it was being demolished around him in the 1930s. He did
not want to go to the Workhouse or St. Johns......BUT no one knows what
became of him.

Jimmy PATON
Would go around whitewashing cellars and ceilings. He would pawn his clogs to
get a drink and find some old shoes to wear in the meantime. He would then
redeem his clogs after he had done another whitewashing job. He lived in the
Kip.

'Smith Pick' PICKARD known as 'Belt O' Quids'
Would carry around the gold coins with which he was paid out after fighting
in the Boer War, he carried them in his money belt. He was a big man, who
worked for the Corporation, mostly on the manholes. He lived in eddie's
Lodging House.

The Beadle.
Was a massive Irish navvy, of short stature. He was very sociable and would
go to the 'Irish National' (Club). He lived in West Lane, and used to go
around with 'Widow' Tush a well known lady, who lived by the Brown Cow pub in
Turkey Street. (Brown Cow pub is still there)