Person:George Lucas (8)

From Barbara Stride Lucas Shown as a carter on son Michael's Birth Certificate (11.1.1940) See also notes for Michael. George and Dorrie bought Oak Cottage Danehill, under the Governments "Right to Buy" scheme in 1987. Because they were both retired, Trevor was their guarantor. He took over the mortgage payments, and "Grandma and Grandpa" (George and Dorrie) paid him the amount that their rent would have been. George was born in Penfold Cottage, Danehill, on 27th Sept 1904 and baptized in All Saints Church on 4th Dec 1904. In 1914 George's father, William, took over the duties as sexton of All Saints Church. William died in 1916, and George & his mother took over his duties as caretaker and sexton. The caretaker had to light the under-floor furnaces at the church on Saturdays, and to fill the fifteen lamps with oil and to trim the wicks; to be at church early on Sundays to light the lamps and see everything was in readiness for the services. The wage was 25 shillings per quarter in summer and 28shillings in winter. They also dug the graves - always at night. One night George was accosted, whilst en route with his lantern, by 3 village gossips: Abbie, Lizzie and Jenny. "Ain't you scared up in the graveyard at night?" George's reply was, "Not at all - they are all very comfortable and quiet up there. It's you 3 I'm scared of!" Welfare assistance began when Lloyd George's National Insurance came in in 1911. (George paid in 1912 4d per week; 1916 6d per week; 1918 1s 6d per week.) George worked at Danehurst for Mr Messel, who sold it to Mr Haslam in the early 1920s. He was the carter and grass cutter. As a carter he drew 90 tons of coal (£1 a ton) from Sheffield Park Station - bringing 2 tons at a time. This fed the 2 furnaces under the house, the copper in the laundry, and 20 tons for the greenhouse. He earned 35s per week with 8d per hour overtime - later raised to 9d. He had Saturday afternoons off, except for the care of his horses, when he played cricket. He was an excellent bowler, and once took all 10 wickets. In 1939, when World War 2 broke out, George joined the Fire Brigade at The Red Lion in Chelwood Gate. Later he became a Home Guard. By 1950, Danehurst belonged to Prince and Princess de Rohan, and George & Dorrie (& son, Mick) had lived in every house on the estate, including Danehurst itself when they house-sat whilst the Prince & Princess were away. In 1954 the Estate was sold, subsequently becoming a convent and an old-peoples-home. George and family moved to Oak Cottage, London Road, Danehill, a cottage tied to his new job as a roadman for East Sussex County Council - a job he did until his retirement in 1969. A very keen vegetable grower George was always busy in his garden, porducing far more than he and his family could eat - to the benefit of many Danehill folk. He was still gardening up to 2 weeks before his death in Feb 1999 at the age of 94, despite being almost completely blind. He was also stone deaf, but this did not stop his being fiercely independent, and he did his own shopping in the village, and cooked his own meals. He got a great deal of pleasure from Good Companions - held monthly in Danehill Village Hall. He was a well-loved character in the village, and feature on the front cover of the village calendar when he was 90.