Milk delivery from Hobbs Dairy in Lower Edmonton. The horse and cart, the milk churns and the jugs are as my mother describes for her local dairy in Upper Edmonton. Note the milkman's uniform which would have varied from one dairy to another, although the peaked cap would have been a standard. Possibly this milkman was helped by his son (the boy in the photo) just as my mother describes her family milkman as being helped by his schoolgirl daughter. Photograph, courtesy of Miranda Pender (see http://edmontonodyssey.blogspot.com ).
My earliest recollection of the milkman must have been around 1908 and was of a man coming to our door bringing a large can of milk with two measures hung from the side: a pint one and a half-pint one. He then emptied one or more of these measures into our own jugs, which were metal with spring lids. He called at the house twice a day, first early in the morning and again later on. In hot weather he came more often.
INFORMATION FROM THE 1911 CENSUS
The first milkman was probably either William Parker (senior or junior) or Alfred Parker. According to the 1911 census, William senior, 41, was a master dairyman, born in Warley, Essex, William his son, 22, was born in Romford, Essex and Alfred, 15, was born in Edmonton. They lived at 4 Bedford Row Upper Edmonton with William (senior)’s wife Mary, 40, who assisted in the business and was born in London, daughter Lily, 19 and sons Henry 17, Ernest 13, Stanley, 11, and Percy 9, all born in Edmonton.
I found no-one by the name of Hussey in Hazelbury Road in 1911. The milkman who my mother writes of must have moved in shortly afterwards and probably belonged to the family of Henry Hussey 58, milk carrier, born Bridport, Dorset who lived at 176 Langham Road in South Tottenham with his wife Ellen, 57, also born in Bridport with two single sons, William Hussey, 23, born Hornsey, also a milk carrier, and Henry Hussey 25 a printer. Grandson Fred Johnstone, 5, lived with them.
It would be interesting to know how these businesses related to those of the dairy shops in Silver Street.
There was a local milkman by the name of Parker and another in Hazelbury Road on our Huxley Estate in Edmonton by the name of Hussey. He had a horse and cart, and his cart always reminded me of drawings of Queen Boadicea's war chariot, high in front where the reins of the horse rested, then graduating to lower towards the back. The back was about a foot from the ground so that the milkman could easily step off to serve customers. He carried milk churns with him, and his schoolgirl daughter helped him with the rounds.
Although everything looked clean to the naked eye, hygiene was unheard of, and no doubt there were plenty of germs on that large can that went from door to door. Perhaps this was one reason why the milk would go off so quickly, although lack of fridges would have contributed.
If you can add anything, I would appreciate hearing from you. Pat Cryer
There were inspectors, who would come round to test the milk. This was very necessary before the advent of sterilised and sealed bottles. It was well known that some milkmen would add water to their milk. I remember hearing my father say while reading the local paper, "Old so-and-so has been prosecuted again for adding water to the milk". I even heard it said that some milkmen topped up their milk from the local pond.
Milk churns waiting by the road-side for collection. My mother asked me to take this photograph sometime in the 1970s while we were on holiday in a rural area. She said it reminded her of her childhood and was a sight rapidly disappearing.
These childhood recollections are of milk deliveries from a dairy in north London in Edwardian times.