On Saturday and Sunday Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Burfield, of “Haydn House,” 141, Queen-street, Rushden, celebrated their golden wedding with their family.  The actual anniversary was Friday, for their wedding took place on May 12^th, 1894, at St. Mary’s Church, the curate, the Rev. Mr. Blathwaite, officiating.

  Since he was 12 months old Mr. Burfield has lived at Rushden; he claims Northampton as his birth-place.  After reaching the age of 10 years he became a cycling enthusiast.  When older he became a member of the Rushden Amateur Cycling Club and won a number of prizes, among them a Centre Championship certificate, dated 1893, for beating the standard set time in a speed race.

  Mr. Burfield claims to be the first man in the town to ride without holding the handlebars, going to work in this fashion while reading the daily paper.  His employment has been chiefly as a shoe finisher, but in recent years he worked in the lasting department, retiring from Messrs. John White’s factory in Newton-road at Easter.  Mr. Burfield holds an interest in gardening too, and his spare time is well occupied by his two pieces of allotment, with cycling still included.  He is now 71 years of age.

  Mrs. Burfield, aged 69, hails from Daventry, but has been in Rushden since she was 14 years old.  Her home has always been her chief occupation, but some years ago she belonged to the Co-operative Guild and Adult School.  Formerly she was Miss Mary Ann Britchford.

  The couple keep in very good health.  There are three children – Mrs. E. New, of Birchall-road, Rushden, Mr. E. Burfield, of Raunds, and Mr. Horace Burfield, of Rushden – and one grandson.  Mr. Burfield has a sister, Mrs. Holyoak, who resides locally, while two brothers are in New Zealand and one is in Canada.  Of the three surviving brothers of Mrs. Burfield, two live at Higham Ferrers and one at Kettering.

  A cake was made for the week-end tea parties by the son-in-law.