Brook End Cottages, Steeple Morden

History of Brook End Cottages

Brook End OS 1901

Herbert Godfrey Ilett was born in these cottages in 1914. He describes his life and the community in detail in “A Villager’s Life” (1993).

Herbert starts his account by saying that they were surrounded by orchards, apples, plums and pears. The trees were full of owls. Their neighbours were the Scotts and the Covingtons.  He would go to the Covington to get their pint of skimmed milk each day for 1d. The cottages were all rent-free as the they were tied to the farm for their labourers.

Herbert’s father was called up in 1916 to serve in France. He used to send silk cards home to his wife. He was wounded in 1918 and placed in hospital in Shrewsbury.

1921

Nathan Scott, 55, b Steeple Morden, farm labourer

Annie Scott, 54, b Steeple Morden

Reginald Scott, 18, b Steeple Morden, farm labourer

Percy Albert Ilett, 30, b Steeple Morden, farm labourer

Annie Ilett, 29, b Guilden Morden

Herbery Godfrey Ill, 7, b Steeple Morden

(Brook End Farm)

Arthur James Covington, 35, b Steeple Morden, farm bailiff

Florence Victoria, 33, b Steeple Morden

Arthur William, 7, b Steeple Morden

Leslie Clifford, 1, b Steeple Morden

Ralph, brother, 20, b Guilden Morden

1937 Herbert married Gladys Daniels at Ashwell church. The couple lived first with Gladys’s mother for three months before moving to a railway cottage at Ashwell Station. In December 1939 they moved to 2 Bogs Gap Lane.