Many older people will recall the “Store Hoss” which used to deliver groceries, provisions and fruit and vegetables from the local co-operative stores. Horse and cart deliveries were commonplace in the 1940’s and 50’s and many of us as youngsters, used to arm ourselves with buckets and shovels to compete with others for the ‘horse dropping’ which were an essential fertilizer for our fathers treasured vegetable patch.
Stan Blakey of Gladstone Terrace, retained this tradition in Coxhoe until the 1980’s. Stan was a familiar sight with his horse and cart in Coxhoe, West Cornforth and Kelloe. He was unmistakeable, always wearing a flat cap with dark rimmed glasses. He dressed according to the weather but always wore a brown overall often with an anorak or duffle coat on top. His horse, Jess, pulled his fruit and vegetable cart throughout the community. Jess was a fine black Clydesdale mare with four white socks and a white blaze. She never missed a days work and never needed a visit from a vet.
In the early hours of Monday 21st February 1983 Jess was stolen from her paddock at the rea of Gladstone Terrace and Stan and wife Doreen were devastated. They feared she would be sold for horsemeat. Doreen was so upset that she collapsed and was admitted to Dryburn Hospital but soon recovered.
Stan said at the time ” I was so upset when i saw Jess had gone, I couldn’t move away from her shed for 10 minutes. I just stood there. She was lovely. We thought of her as one of the family. It was a well planned operation and I expect they will lot of money from her now”.
The theft of Jess was reported widely and fortunately a sharp eyed horse dealer in Lancashire was offered Jess for sale. He was suspicious because he had read of the horse’s disappearance from Coxhoe so he contacted Stan who travelled to Lancashire and was re-united with Jess.
Stan and Jess were real characters in the village who provided a fine service. It’s said that Stan invariably charged ‘straight amounts’ to his customers which avoided messing with small change. Such was his standing in the village that all knew that any advantage would be with the customer.
Terry Duffy, parish councillor, formerly lived at 11 Station Road East which is on the southern fringe of Coxhoe. He recalls that their household was Stan’s last visit on a Friday evening. He says that Jess had a tired and dejected look at the end of a busy day as he approached the house. However, when business was done, Jess was revitalised and trotted off at a fair pace up Blackgate knowing she was returning to her paddock and presumably a good feed of carrots, corn and hay.
Stan was regular visitor to the Victoria public house in Cornforth Lane (now a private dwelling). He loved to play cards and dominoes and Pat Gibson recalls that as the evening progressed and Stan drank more his cap was perched further and further back on his head!!
Stan, sadly no longer with us, is remembered as an upstanding member of the community who retained important village traditions.
Coxhoe Local History Group 