Page 6 - Leighton News October 2018
P. 6
-6-
Old Leighton Characters – Lily Bason
I thought readers would like to hear about an old Leighton character Lily Bason. She was the daughter of
Field Williams, the gamekeeper on the Leighton Estate and lived
at Park House. She had a sister May who died age 18 and a
brother Bert who died in 1924 aged 23. They are all buried in Eryl, Leighton 1959
Leighton Churchyard. It is worth having a look.
While living at Park House Lily had a pet fox who had a kennel
close to the house and would not settle down for the night until
she had been to say goodnight, probably giving it a tit-bit. In
later life she had a pet dog Rusty, a mongrel who she would take
for a walk along the Mab on a long piece of twine, fastened to a
piece of wood, which she would let out and rein in as necessary.
She worked at Forden Workhouse as a seamstress and said the
sewing of shrouds upset her.
She married Fred Bason from the Pentre, the village postman, FRED BASON GILLIAN (aged 3) LILY BASON
and they made their home at Park Cottage. They did not have
any children. Fred served in the First World War and suffered
from the effects of Mustard Gas. I remember his funeral in the
60’s as I walked home from Leighton School. Lily had 2 cases of
stuffed animals in her front room at Park Cottage. One had a fox
with a rabbit and a grass snake, the other had a cormorant in it.
Mr and Mrs Bason were friends of my father’s and he rented the
fields at Park Cottage, kept the hedges down by pleaching and kept cattle there as well. After ringing in the
New Year at Leighton Church he would “first foot” for Lily, entering through the front door and leaving via the
back door.
Mr Hancock, Welshpool Hairdresser (where WH Smith is today) lived at Park House in the 60’s and bought a
piece of land from Lily in the 70’s and built the bungalow where Philip and Barbra Mills live today. Lily died
aged 89 in 1978. Dick Gittins, a retired farmer from Trelystan, bought Park Cottage and the land and built
the bungalow where Mott Jones lives today. Poplar Drive is built on Park Cottage fields.
from Gillian Pearce (née Jones)
HISTORY SNIPPET No. 1
Last month’s story about the Leighton church spire reminded David Sutton about the scaffolding and
work on the spire he saw as a pupil on the way home from school. He phoned from Denmark with
his memories of this and the great interest it caused in the village.
Apparently the top of the spire was moving or had started to lean. The scaffolding had to be put up
to the very top and David along with his school friends hoped to make the climb — but were
thwarted to find that the ladders up to the first stage were removed at night.
We think this work was going on between 1939 and 1941. Many photos were taken at the time so
if you know of any do send them in for a future issue.
HISTORY SNIPPET No. 2
In 1870 Thomas Morris, who was mayor of Welshpool, was waiting for the ferry to cross over to Leighton. The
water was very high at the time and he witnessed the ferry tipping over and drowning the ferry-man. He was so
shocked by the event that he started a fund to build a bridge over the Severn. A large part of the funds were
donated by John Naylor of Leighton Hall and the bridge was opened in 1871
from ‘Welshpool Past & Present’
Old Leighton Characters – Lily Bason
I thought readers would like to hear about an old Leighton character Lily Bason. She was the daughter of
Field Williams, the gamekeeper on the Leighton Estate and lived
at Park House. She had a sister May who died age 18 and a
brother Bert who died in 1924 aged 23. They are all buried in Eryl, Leighton 1959
Leighton Churchyard. It is worth having a look.
While living at Park House Lily had a pet fox who had a kennel
close to the house and would not settle down for the night until
she had been to say goodnight, probably giving it a tit-bit. In
later life she had a pet dog Rusty, a mongrel who she would take
for a walk along the Mab on a long piece of twine, fastened to a
piece of wood, which she would let out and rein in as necessary.
She worked at Forden Workhouse as a seamstress and said the
sewing of shrouds upset her.
She married Fred Bason from the Pentre, the village postman, FRED BASON GILLIAN (aged 3) LILY BASON
and they made their home at Park Cottage. They did not have
any children. Fred served in the First World War and suffered
from the effects of Mustard Gas. I remember his funeral in the
60’s as I walked home from Leighton School. Lily had 2 cases of
stuffed animals in her front room at Park Cottage. One had a fox
with a rabbit and a grass snake, the other had a cormorant in it.
Mr and Mrs Bason were friends of my father’s and he rented the
fields at Park Cottage, kept the hedges down by pleaching and kept cattle there as well. After ringing in the
New Year at Leighton Church he would “first foot” for Lily, entering through the front door and leaving via the
back door.
Mr Hancock, Welshpool Hairdresser (where WH Smith is today) lived at Park House in the 60’s and bought a
piece of land from Lily in the 70’s and built the bungalow where Philip and Barbra Mills live today. Lily died
aged 89 in 1978. Dick Gittins, a retired farmer from Trelystan, bought Park Cottage and the land and built
the bungalow where Mott Jones lives today. Poplar Drive is built on Park Cottage fields.
from Gillian Pearce (née Jones)
HISTORY SNIPPET No. 1
Last month’s story about the Leighton church spire reminded David Sutton about the scaffolding and
work on the spire he saw as a pupil on the way home from school. He phoned from Denmark with
his memories of this and the great interest it caused in the village.
Apparently the top of the spire was moving or had started to lean. The scaffolding had to be put up
to the very top and David along with his school friends hoped to make the climb — but were
thwarted to find that the ladders up to the first stage were removed at night.
We think this work was going on between 1939 and 1941. Many photos were taken at the time so
if you know of any do send them in for a future issue.
HISTORY SNIPPET No. 2
In 1870 Thomas Morris, who was mayor of Welshpool, was waiting for the ferry to cross over to Leighton. The
water was very high at the time and he witnessed the ferry tipping over and drowning the ferry-man. He was so
shocked by the event that he started a fund to build a bridge over the Severn. A large part of the funds were
donated by John Naylor of Leighton Hall and the bridge was opened in 1871
from ‘Welshpool Past & Present’
