The later early days (toad hall)
I will now move on to 'spankings I did not get but should have had, THAT I CAN REIMEMBER!
In the mid '70s we moved into a big house, with another family (who were already living there) in rural Lincolnshire! The house was called 'Toad Hall' after the book, 'Wind in the Willows'. These are some of the incidents I recall where my bad behaviour went unpunished!
The other Mum in the house was called Joyce, she had a husband called Martin, my Uncle, and three children named Richard, Julie and Jamie, who were my cousins. On more than one occasion, I would spot Joyce bending over doing something and sneaking up behind her I would give her a smack with a big hairbrush that would often happen to be lying around! On one of the ocassions I did this, she quite understandably got up, turned around and shouted at me, "you ever do that to me again, Simon, and I will give you such a hiding!" My Mum, I seem to recal,l heard the whole commotion and came into the large Farmehouse Kitchen to see what was happening. I don't remember exactly what happened next or what was said; but I was certainly not punished, in any way and did not a good hiding from my Mum! Another example of me escaping a spanking when I really did deserve one!
One of my other bits of mischief when we lived there - September '75 to May '77 - was to often on a Sunday, when they were having some private family time, go and knock on their living room window and make faces at them; Martin would often draw the curtains to give them some privacy! I think it is inevitable that my parents would have heard about this at some time or another! Again no spanking or punishment of any kind!
I remember we kids, with the help of my Father and Uncle Martin, made bows and arrows! They were all kept, when not being used and played with, in the hallway! One day I started fiddling with Jamie's bow and it accidentally snapped! It was to be fair, an accident; but I should not have been playing with it! This incident caused some friction in the house; but again my hide escaped a 'good hiding!'
There were other incidents to where I misbehaved and did not get spanked! I don't remember any of my cousins getting seriously spanked; but then they were not badly behaved like I was! Also I don't thin Uncle Martin and Auntie Joyce were especially strict!
In the vicinity of where we lived there were three other Farms nearby; the Mackensie's a family from Scotland consisting of Billy, Christine and their two boys Peter and Andrew; the Rylott's Maurice, Beryl and their two children Paul and Helen; and another family whose name I can't remember who had two boys the youngest of whom was called Stewart!
The Mackensies were, I seem to recall, quite a bit stricter than my Parents and Auntie Joyce and Uncle Martin! On Sundays, for example, Peter and Andrew were not allowed to visit friend's houses; (his parents were quite religious; as were Uncle Martin and Auntie Joyce) though we could go and play with them at their house! My cousin Julie once told us that on one occasion she went down to the Mackensie's house and walked in on - we just use to go in an out of each others houses unannounced and without knocking; the families had that kind of close relationships with each other - Andrew lying over his Mum, Christine's knee with his trousers and pants down getting a spanking! I don't know what for, though I vaguely recall something about him being rude to her; something that for a lot of kids back in the 1970s U.K. was a big NO, NO!!
My Mother told me that Beyrl, once told her that she use to punish Paul by sending him to his bedroom when he misbehaved! Then Beryl realised that this was not really much of a punishment for Paul since once in his bedroom could find lots of enjoyable things to do when there! So instead she started punishing him with the 'willow switch'! I don't have any more details about this; though apparently Paul's behaviour noticeably improved! The amazing thing is that Paul and Helen were very well behaved and well mannered kids; but in the 1970s even generally well behaved kids sometimes fell foul of the parents high standards and consequently paid the price!
Stewart's family I knew much less about; I'm not even sure if his Father was at home! I remember, very vaguely, his Mother! Again a Farmer! I think she was quite attractive! In general conversation I recall it was said she was fairly strict and use to "take his trousers down!" Of this I have no more details!
Again these anecdotes provide a microscopic example of the more general culture and climate of '70s Britain when spanking really was mainstream and corporal punishment was widely accepted! And I was, in this sense, on the periphery, avoiding the hidings and spankings that so many, if not most, other kids got!
In my next blog posting, I will highlight other later instances, after we had left 'Toad Hall' where I avoided spankings that I really should have been given!