Fawkes, Jack

by Clive Dalton

Down the burn side opposite R.J Burn’s blacksmith shop was a few cottages arranged in a right angle, and in the end one nearest the river lived a noted Bellingham character called Jack Fawkes. He was not seen in the village much as he was a bit immobile for reasons nobody seemed to know. But he was always at home if you wanted to do business – as business is what kept him going. He certainly was of solid build and he always filled any seat he occupied.

You’d have to describe him as a ‘dealer and trader’ and the best place to see him in action was at the annual May Day sale held at the auction mart in the village where he was always mounted in a large seat close to the auctioneer, so his slight nod or finger wag on his walking stick handle could clinch a deal.

And his range of purchases was beyond imagination – and you could see proof of this when he opened his door on a visit. No bargain at the sale which went into the night was ever missed by Jack. Presumably Joe or Kit Maughan which were his close neighbours did the cartage and removal for him. When you knocked on his door, he never invited you in. It was a pointless exercise in any case as you couldn’t get further than the inside doormat.

We Noble Street kids were a bit scared of him when we went to buy golf clubs which he had golf bags full of them. We could only buy single clubs as at two shillings each that’s all we could afford after a long time of saving up as pocket money was an unknown event. I hope his ghost remains on the mart field in its new future, and down the burn side.