Poetry Yorkshire

Poem for a Haworth Lass

One year after the publication of Cobbled Together, I was working on one of my poems inspired by my Mum and Yorkshire dialect poet Dorothy Nixon to share with her on her birthday, February 2. Sadly she passed away in Park View Care Home, Bradford, a few days before. She had a good life; a real good innings, folks would say, in Haworth, where she was born and lived for all but the last five of her 93 years.

The poem is about Haworth Cobbler Jim Deakin, who used to run his business from a small, dimly lit shop at the top of Mytholmes. The photograph, featured in the opening to Cobbled Together, shows the clogs that my mother wore as a young woman in her first job after leaving school at fourteen, at a worsted wool mill in Haworth. Yorkshire folk might say, with affection, that she’s popped her clogs for the last time. Rest in Peace, Mum.

The Haworth Cobbler

Jim did a lorra work
Up at Mytholmes top
Owt really med o‘ leather
Kem aht of ‘is tiny shop.

The' wer shelves up to t’ ceiling
Stacked wi’ many a pair
The smell o’ tanned cows hide
Filled t' cobbler's air.

He fettled clogs and boits
Put heels back on many a shoe
An’ mended satchels for us kids
To tek down Butt Lane to t' school.

8 comments on “Poem for a Haworth Lass

  1. This is a beautiful, moving post, Ashley. I love the flow of your mom’s writing and the striking photos. Thanks for the link to the book.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Caroline Chapman

    That was so touching I can remember the clobler and his shop was just like that I can smell it now !!xx

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Sally Christie

    I too can remember the sound & smell of that cobblers Caroline & Ashley. Special memories of a time gone by. Thanks mum!

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Pingback: Tales from the back passage: snickets and ginnels – NixonScan

  5. Pingback: 22 pics from ’22 – NixonScan

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