Mr. and Mrs. Houghton celebrate their golden wedding to-day (Friday), and it was in order to glean some particulars about this happy event—writes our representative—that i interviewed Mr. Houghton.

“In my boyhood days,” Mr. Houghton said to me, “most of the lads in Rushden had to come to Higham Ferrers to work, mainly at driving the plough and similar occupations. At that time there used to be two toll-gates at the Rushden end of Higham Ferrers—one at the entrance to the road to Wellingborough and the other on the Rushden road.

Higham and Rushden Lads

used to meet every night in the field near the toll-bars to play or fight. We should have a good game at football one night, and the next night we should have a regular fight. Then we soon made friends again and the following evening we should be playing football once more—only to quarrel before we parted and to arrange for another fight.”

“How old are you, Mr. Houghton?” I asked.

“I am 76 years of age next birthday, and my wife will be 73 on her next birthday. We are both in good health, thank God, thought I can’t walk much. If I was as good on my legs as I am with my tongue,” he added with a hearty laugh, “I should be able to move about pretty briskly. I might mention that I was

Born in This Very House

in which I now live.”

“When were you married?” I asked.

“We were married on November 13th 1858, in the Higham Ferrers parish church, Mr. Malim being the clergyman. My wife’s maiden name was Boddington—Rebecca Boddington—and she was a native of Newton Bromswold. We have ten children living—four sons and six daughters—besides four who died. We have 27 grandchildren living.”

Asking for information about the children I found that the sons were:- Mr. Harry Houghton, who for 22 yeas was in the Royal Navy, and who now lives at Luton, where he is the verger of a church; Mr. Silas O. Houghton, of Higham Ferrers, who was at the front during the South Africa War; Mr. Thomas Houghton, who is the landlord of the Live and Let Live Inn, Wellingborough; and Mr. Edward Houghton, who is a pressman at a Wellingborough shoe factory.

The six daughters are:- Annie, now Mrs. James Freeman, of Higham Ferrers; Mary Ann, Mrs. John Clayton, a widow of Higham Ferrers; Drucilla, Mrs. Lidgett, of Hampstead, London; Nelly, Mrs. A. E. Harlow, of Cromwell-road, Rushden; Ada, Mrs. William Miller, of Grove-street, Higham Ferrers; and Edith, Mrs. William Perkins, who occupies the same house as her father and mother.

“I clearly remember

Queen Victoria

coming to the throne,” said Mr. Houghton, in answer to my inquiries. “That was in 1837. And I also well remember the birth of the Prince of Wales, now King Edward VII. I have seen him several times at Plymouth and elsewhere. I was in the Militia for some years. We were in Dublin at the time the Crimean War broke out, and a number of us, including Mr. William Knight, of Ebenezer-terrace, Rushden, volunteered to go whenever we were wanted. Now, Mr. William Knight and I are the only two left in this neighbourhood. We who volunteered were formed into the 2nd Battalion of the 48th Regiment. They sent us out to Gibralta, but took us no further. We were under the Marquis of Exeter. At the time of the Indian Mutiny we went to Plymouth and did garrison duty. The late Silas Bailey, of Rushden, was with us—he lost his arm in the Crimea War. At Plymouth I made many friends among the sailors, and obtained numerous curiosities from them. We had a live monkey once, and it used to run about the house—yes, and it used to

Steal Mr. Spong’s Apples,

too.” And Mr. Houghton chuckled over the memory.

Looking out of the window I saw the familiar old walnut tree which has seen generations succeed generation and centuries come and go. “Of course the walnut tree was fully grown when you were a lad?” I said.

“Yes,” he replied, “it is not so big now as when I was a boy. Several great arms have gone. Some of the branches used to touch the windows of the houses opposite. Those houses, by the way, used to be the Higham Ferrers workhouse. The walnut tree is supposed to be furthest round any tree in the district.”

“Both Rushden and Higham Ferrers have grown considerably since you first remember?” I suggested.

“Yes,” he answered, “particularly Rushden. I remember when there were

Only Three Streets in Rushden

—High-street, Duck-street, and Little-street. And at Higham Ferrers, what is now the Grove-street and Lancaster-street district used to be open fields—like Yelden open fields, without any fencing.”

“Do you remember the opening of the L. and N. W. Railway?” I asked.

“Certainly. I recollect when they were making the railway. I can remember the first engine there. It was before the rails were completely laid, and they brought the engine over by road from Northampton, through Wellingborough and Irthlingborough. When they were bringing it over the bridge they were afraid the weight would be too much, but they managed to get it over safely. It was what they called a dirt engine, and was used for the removal of the earth at the cuttings and the building up of the embankments. We lads used to go down and pay a halfpenny to have a ride on the tender as far as Ringstead, and we thought it a great treat, too.”

Mr. Houghton told me he had been

A Teetotaller for 44 Years

“When I was in the army I only knew one teetotaller in our Company—and wasn’t myself. I did not give up the drink because I didn’t like, but because I liked it too much. I have been a member of the Parish Church at Higham Ferrers now for about 43 years. For 18 years I was the sexton of the parish. For 24 years I was connected with the Church Sunday School as a teacher and as second superintendent. I worked with the Rev. E. Templeman and Mr. Peacock in starting the first Band of Hope at Higham Ferrers. We used to meet in the Grammar School, and among my boys were the present Mayor (Mr. Owen Parker), the Deputy Mayor (Mr. Thomas Patenall), besides the late Mr. Oliver Patenall and others. When the Band of Hope grew too large for the Grammar School we formed two Bands of Hope—one for the Wesleyans and one for the Church of England. I am probably the oldest teetotaller in Higham Ferrers. Mr. John Sargent. Mr. Ebenezer Knight, of Rushden, and I used to go about to all the great temperance meetings. This was in

The Rev. R. E. Bradfield’s Time.

I was at the opening of the old Temperance Hall in Newton-road, Rushden, and subsequently at the opening of the Rushden Coffee Tavern. For 12 years in succession I went to the Crystal Palace with the temperance choir from Rushden and Higham Ferrers. I helped in the building of the organ in the Higham Ferrers Parish Church. Canon Robson, of Northampton, preached at the opening of the organ and spoke about hymns, hymn writers, and hymn singers. When Mr. Hopkins, a former clergyman at Higham Ferrers, came to preach at the church just lately he and his wife came down to see me, and we had a talk about old times. I worked under four Vicars of Higham Ferrers. We are expecting to have a family gathering here next Sunday just to celebrate the golden wedding.”