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Written by Ann Gover
On this day 100 years ago, a baby girl was born in Long Buckby, Northamptonshire.
Her name is Madeleine Litchfield.
Her father served in World War I but was unfortunately injured and invalidated out of the army, swapping his uniform for a suit fit for a groom instead.
Madeleine’s mother was one of five children, with a great family history in the county going back several generations.
Madeleine herself had three brothers; one of whom sadly died when he was only three years old. The second died aged 55 and the third emigrated to Canada; where Madeleine visited him 30 years ago for his daughter’s wedding.
Living in Long Buckby until she was 12 years old, Madeleine then moved to West Haddon where she spent the next 80 years of her life.
In 1946, she married a farmer named Robert, the pair had two strapping sons together, Ian and Philip.
When her grand-daughter Emily was born, Madeleine organised for West Haddon church to be floodlit every year on her birthday.
Emily is already training to be a veterinary nurse.
Professing to remember nothing of school, Madeleine does recall a sweet shop just beyond the playground, owned by Mr Brady.
Here, she could go and buy five iced gems for just half a penny!
Only recently did she help children at a local school in Welford, Northamptonshire learn more about her childhood and toys from her era.
The students from Welford School were amazed to hear that five sweets could once be purchased so cheaply.
Through their many years together, Robert and Madeleine farmed. They raised sheep, dairy cattle and arable crops.
Madeleine was no stranger to hard work, having started at the tender of eight with a small job polishing jars in a shop.
Prior to marrying her husband Robert, she worked as a kitchen maid.
In this position, Madeleine was privy to a great deal of entertainment within her working household.
On one occasion, her boss’s daughter was presented at Royal Court!
Madeleine says she regularly started work at 6am on a Friday and didn’t go to bed again until Monday – a hard but enjoyable life.
Luckily, Madeleine managed to play as hard as she worked too…
Together with her father, Madeleine ran a fish and chip shop in West
Haddon as well as having her own Hen Business. At the time she raised hens, plucked them and then sent them to Blackpool via Royal Mail!
Madeleine used to love to dance.
She attended monthly dances at Guilsborough Grammar School, Northampton where guests were attended to by footmen and butlers.
Madeleine was also a very accomplished cook and still attends cooking sessions at Sibbertoft Manor in Market Harborough.
Although, regrettably she never really travelled much.
Family holidays were always two weeks in Great Yarmouth, until her two sons (aged six and 10 at the time) told her they would rather go on holiday with Uncle Douglas, on the Broads!
Madeleine says she has thoroughly enjoyed her life and is delighted to have
reached 100 years.
Here’s to an incredible woman’s story from the last century.
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