Lily Tatum’s Story

35 years ago I met Lily Tatum who had a small farm in Todmorden before and during WW11. She was a fascinating character with many colourful stories to tell. This is a summary of how she described her 6 acres to me. Of course we can’t live like Lily did nowadays but perhaps we can be inspired by her ingenuity?

“ The farm and house had no mains water, electricity or gas so domestic life was hard. Our main business was the 600 hens that I kept in two big “hencotes”. Once a week the eggs would be collected by a “man from the ministry”. I had a carthorse called Dolly and I kept ducks and pigs, breeding piglets for selling on.

Sally the house cow was much loved and very productive. Every evening she would find her own way home to the barn. My husband Jack milked her in the morning before he set off for his job at the pipe works on Bacup Road. She produced enough milk for me to make my own butter and I often had milk left over for rearing calves.

I made hay myself in the bottom field and by the time we left the farm the grass was in good shape. By one of the hen cotes I grew potatoes, carrots, swedes and onions and the garden below the house had rows of fruit bushes, gooseberries, raspberries and loganberries and a large rhubarb patch. Every summer I bought a hundredweight (approx 50 kg) of sugar to make jam! “

by Sue Mellis