LTP Questions

LTP Questions

Postby PanBiker » Sun Jul 21, 2013 11:17 am

THIS LIST OF QUESTIONS WAS ORIGINALLY DEVISED BY DR ELIZABETH ROBERTS FOR HER WORK ON BARROW AND LANCASTER. DURING THE INITIAL DISCUSSIONS ON HOW THE LTP SHOULD PROCEED, ELIZABETH WAS ONE OF THE ADVISERS AND SUGGESTED WE USE THESE QUESTIONS AS A FRAMEWORK FOR THE INTERVIEWS. THIS WAS DONE AND THEIR INFLUENCE CAN BE TRACED CLEARLY IN THE PARTS OF THE LTP INTERVIEWS THAT PROBED INTO SOCIAL LIFE.

SOCIAL LIFE IN BARROW AND LANCASTER - 1880 TO 1930

Name:

Address.,

Marital Status:

Number of Children:

(a) The Household

1. How old are you?

2. Where were you born? (Street and town)

3. How many years did you live in the house where you were born?

4. What other houses did you live in when you were young?

5. Can you remember why the family made these moves?

6. Where was your father born?

6a.What do you know of his father and mother?

7. If away from Barnoldswick, why did he come here?

8. Where was your mother born?

8a. What do you know of her parents?

9. If away from Barnoldswick, why did she come here?

10. How many brothers and sisters did you have?

11. Where did you come in the family?

12. Did any of your brothers and sisters die as babies or children?

13. If so do you know why?

14. When you were a child can you remember any relations living in the house with you?

15. If so which ones?

16. Did they live with you for a long time?

17. Did your family ever have lodgers? (For example, during the First World War when housing was short).

18. What was your father's job when you were born?

19. Did he ever have any other jobs before or after that?

20. How old was he when he died? Were you grown up then?

21. What was your mother's job before she married?

22. Did she work outside the home after she was married?

23. If so what did she do? What hours did she work?

24. Who looked after the children?

25. How old was she when she died? Were you grown up then?

26. Did any of your family leave Barnoldswick before 1930?

27. Why did they leave?

28. Where did they go?

28a. What is your opinion of the status of women in society during the period you describe.


(b) Housing and Housework

1, Out of the houses you lived in as a child which one do you remember best and why?

2. How many bedrooms did it have?

3. What other rooms were there?

4. Can you remember any of the furniture?

5. If you had a parlour can you remember what furniture was in it?

6. What did the family use the parlour for?

7. In which room did you have your meals?

7c. Was the floor sanded?

8. Where did your mother do the cooking?

9, Where did she do the washing?

10. Did your home have a bathroom?

11. If not where did you have a bath? Did you have a special bath night?

12. Was the lavatory outside?

13. Was it a water closet or a dry one?

14. If it was a dry one how was it emptied?

15. Did the house have piped water?

15a. What was the hot water supply?

16. If not where did you get your water?

17. Did your house have a stair carpet?

18. Do you remember the neighbours having one?

19, What floor covering did you have on the rest of the floors?

19a. Were the floor coverings left down all week?

20, What kind of curtains/blinds did your family have?

21, What kind did your neighbours have?

22. Do you remember any families not having curtains?

23. Did the women in your street whiten their doorsteps/pavements?

24. How was the house lit?

25, When did you first have electric light?

26, How did you dispose of your household rubbish?

27. How did your mother do the washing?

28, How often did she do it?

29. How long did it take her?

30. How did she dry it?

31. How did she iron it?

32. What can you remember most clearly about washing day?

33. How did your mother clean the house?

34. Was there anything to which she paid special attention?

35. Did you and your brothers and sisters do any jobs in the house?

36. Did the older children help the younger ones with dressing or eating or anything else?

37. Did the children do any jobs for the family outside the house like running errands or gardening?

38. Did your father do any work in the house – mending, decorating, cleaning, cooking, doing the fires, looking after the children, shopping?

39. Did your family own your house?

40. If so do you know how much your parents paid for it?

40a. When did they buy it?

41. If your house was rented, what rent did your parents pay?

42, Who was your landlord?

43. Was he a good/bad landlord?

44. Did you ever meet him?

45. Did your mother do any work in the house to earn a little money? (for example child minding, taking in washing, baking or cooking things to sell)

46. Do you remember any women in your neighbourhood doing these things?

47. Is your house still standing?

(c) Food and Shopping

1, What did your mother cook on? What fuel? Did she blacklead?

2. When did she first have a gas stove?

3. Did she make her own bread?

4. How much did she bake at a time?

5. How often did she bake?

6. Did she bake cakes? What kind?

7. Did she bake pies? What kind?

8, Did she make Jam/marmalade?

9. Did she make pickles?

10. Did she make homemade wine/beer?

11, Did she make her own medicines? What kind?

12, What did you usually have for breakfast?

13. What did you have for Sunday dinner?

14, What would you usually have for your other dinners during the week?

15. What did you usually have for tea?

16. Did you usually have supper before bed-time? If so what would you have?

17. Did your family have a garden or allotment?

18, If so what fruit and vegetables did you grow?

19. Did you eat them all or sell some?

20. Did your family have hens, pigs, ducks, goats?

21. If so were they for your own use or for sale?

22. Did you have a pudding every day? If not how often would you have them?

23. What kind of puddings did you have?

24, How much milk did your family have each day? Was it delivered and how?

25. What was it used for?

26. Did your family have butter, margarine or dripping?

21. What fruits did you eat most often?

28. What vegetables did you eat most often?

29. Can you tell me if you had the following food every week, once a month, very rarely or never?

(a) bananas

(b) rabbit

(c) dried foods

(d) fish: which varieties

(e) cheese (cooked/uncooked)

(f) cowheel, tripe, trotters, black pudding.

(g) eggs

(h) tomatoes

(i) grapefruit

(j) sheep’s head

30. Did your family ever have tinned food?

31. If so what kinds?

32. Was it ever bad?

33. If you didn't have tinned food do you know why your mother wouldn't have it?

34, Did your family drink tea, cocoa or coffee?

35. What did you have for Christmas dinner?

36. What were your favourite foods when you were a child?

37. What did you have to eat when your family was particularly hard up?

38. Did your father come home for all his meals?

39. If not what did he take to work to eat?

40. Or did the children take his food in?

41. Did your father always have the same food as the rent of the family or did he sometimes have something special?

42. Did your mother ever go short of food to feed the rest of you?

43. Who usually did the shopping in your family?

44. How often was it done?

45. Where were the vegetables bought?

45a. Where was fish bought and how did it get to the retailer?

46. Where was the meat bought?

47. Where were the groceries bought? Did retailers come to the house?

48. Did your family shop in the market?

49. If so why?

50. Did you ever shop at the Co-op?

51. If so why?

52. Were there any differences in prices/services/quality between the local street corner shops and those in the town centre?

52a. What hours did shops open?

53. Did the shops you used give credit?

54. Did your mother get credit? If so, how did the system work?

54a. Did anyone in the district lend money?

55. Can you remember the pawn shops doing good business when you were young?

56. Did your family ever use them?

57. Did the neighbours use them?

57a. What was the general attitude towards pawn shops.

58. Was there anything you ate when you were young which it is no longer possible to obtain?

59. How much housekeeping money would your mother have?

60. Was food short during the First World War? Do you remember queuing for food?

61. Do you feel your family was better fed during the First World War than before? If so why?

(d) Clothing.

1. Did your mother make any of the family's clothes?

2. Did she have a sewing machine? What make?

3. Did she mend the clothes?

4. Did you have any passed-on clothes?

5. If your clothes were bought where were they bought?

6. What happened to your old clothes?

6a. When were you breeched? First pair of long trousers?

7. What did you wear for school?

8. What kind of hat/footwear?

9. What did your family wear for Sunday best?

10. What kind of hat/footwear?

11. What did your father wear for work? Backleather or kneepads?

12. What kind of hat/footwear?

13. What did your mother wear for housework?

14. What did your mother wear when she went shopping?

15. What kind of hat?

16. Did your father mend the family's shoes?

17. How many outfits did you have at any one time?

18. How often did you have clean clothes?

19. Were any clothes made for you by a dressmaker?

20. Were you sewn in for the Winter?

21, Do you know anyone who was?

22. Did your mother belong to a savings club for clothing/boots shoes? Can you remember packmen, tally men, travelling tailors, scotchmen, Providence men?

23. What kind of clothes did your father's foreman/boss wear?

24. How did clothes change after the First World War?

25. What kind of clothes did you wear in the 1920's? Oxford bags?


(e) Family Life in the Home

1. Did you all sit down for all your meals together? Did you ever stand at the table?

2. If not which members of the family sat together and for which meals?

2a. What was family’s attitude to visitors at meal times?

3. Did your parents have any rules about the children's behaviour at the table? Eating between meals?

4. What were your parents strict about - times for coming in at night, swearing, being cheeky?

5. Did they punish you?

6. If so how?

7. Did your family have grace before meals?

8. Did you have prayers at home?

9. When you had a birthday was it different from any other day? Did you have presents, a special meal, visitors?

10. How did the family spend Christmas/New Year?

11. How did the family spend the Easter holidays? Did you have pace eggs?

12, Did you have any musical instruments in the house? Popular sheet music?

13. Did any of you sing? Did you have sing songs? How often? Local songs or work songs?

14. Were there any games you played in the house with or without your parents?

15. Did your family have a regular newspaper or magazine? Which one?

16. Did any of the family belong to a Library?

17. Were there any other books in the house? (Prize’s, presents, etc.)

18, Was there anyone in your family who did not read/write?

19. Did you have any toys? Who made them?

20. What did your mother do in her spare time in the house?

21. What did your father do in his spare time in the house?

22. What time would you get up in the morning?

23. What time did the children, parents go to bed?

24. Did you have any pets?

25. Did your father, mother, brothers, sisters smoke?

26. Did anyone in your family gamble?

27. When did your family have its first radio?


(f) Social Life Outside the Home

1. Where did you usually play outside the house (street, playground, field, etc.)

2. Who did you play with? Were there children you weren't allowed to play with?

3, What games did you play?

4. Did you go for walks? Bicycle rides?

5. Did you collect berries/firewood/fruit in the country?

6. What did you do with it?

7. Did anyone in the family go fishing?

8. What happened to the fish?

9. Did your father go out in his spare time?

10. Where did he go? How many times a week did he go out?

11. Did your mother go out in her spare time?

12. Where did she go? How many times a week did she go out?

13. Did they go out together? If not with whom did they go?

14. Did your family go to church regularly?

15. If so which one?

16. Which member of the family went regularly?

17. Did the children go to Sunday School?

18. If so how often?

19. Were there any social events connected with the church to which members of your family went?

12. What sort of people would you say went to your church?

21, Did they all mix well or were some stand-offish?

22, Did you ever go away for a holiday when you were young? Where did you go? Why did you choose that place? How did you travel?

23. Who went with you? Did you take food with you?

24. Did your parents ever take you on outings or visits when you were young?

25. Where would you go?

26. Did you ever go out with just your father?

27. Were your family connected with the Temperance Movement?

28, If so what were you told about the evils of drink?

29. Do you remember seeing women going into pubs?

30. What did people think about this?

31. Do you know of any families ruined by one or more members drinking?

31a. What is your opinion of drink?

32. In your local pub were certain rooms kept for certain people?

33. Do you remember any street performers, or sellers who entertained passers-by?

34. Did you belong to any clubs or societies before you left school?
(Church choir, Band of Hope, Scouts, Guides, Girls Friendly Society etc.)

34a. Did you sign the Pledge?

35. What did you think of Barnoldswick as a place to live in when you were young?

36. Do you remember going to a wedding when you were young - can you tell me about the clothes, getting to the church, the meal. anything which was different to a wedding now?

37. Do you remember a funeral when you were young? Can you tell me about the clothes* going to the funeral, the meal and anything which was different to a funeral nowadays?

38. Where did you enjoy going most when you were a child?

39, Did you have any pocket money?

40. What did you spend it on?

41, Did friends call at the house often?

42. Did your parents invite them to come? How often?

43* How did you spend Saturday when you were young?

44. Did you go to any concerts, theatres, music halls. cinemas before you left school?


(g) Politics

1. Do you remember your family discussing Politics?

2. Do you know what views your father held?

3, Do you know why he held these views? Did he allow them to be widely known?

4. Do you know what views your mother held?

5. Do you know why she held these views?

6. Was either your mother or father a member of a political party?

7. If so did they work for the party either before elections or during or both?

8, What can you remember about elections when you were young?

9. What part did children play in them?

10. Did your father ever feel that his job or hours would be at risk unless he voted for a particular party?

11, Did your father usually vote in elections?

12. Did your mother vote in elections after 1918?

13. What did your parents think about the Suffragettes and votes for women?


(h) Education

1. Which school/s did you go to?

2. How old were you when you first went?

3. Do you know how old your parents were when they went?

4. What benefits do you think you gained from school? Did you like it?

5. What were the teachers strict about?

6. Did you go to the Grammar School? If no, could you have gone?

7. How many of your classmates went?

8. How old were you when you left school?

9. How old were your parents when they left school?

10. Did you go to night school after you'd left school? What did you study there?

11, When you were at school were you able to get home for your dinners?

12. If not what did you eat?

13. For women - were you taught cookery and sewing at school?

14. Was this training useful to you after you left school?

15, For men - were you trained in any practical work at school?

16. Was this training useful to you after you left school?

17. Did your parents ever visit the school?

18. Did they show an interest in your school work?

19. Did the school ever contact them about your progress?

20. What job did your teacher suggest you do?

21. What did he/she think of as a good job?

22. How did your school mark Empire Day and other special events Queen Victoria's Jubilee, Coronations. etc?

23. Have you any memory of Nit nurse, medical inspection, attendance man, school inspector?



(i) The Neighbourhood

1, Did the neighbours help if someone was ill, or if someone died or was confined?

2. How did they help?

3, Did the neighbours do much borrowing? What did they borrow?

4, Did the neighbours visit you often - were they invited or not?

5. Did neighbours drink tea in each others houses often?

6, Did they talk on the doorsteps? What did they sit on? Any smoking or drinking?

7. Do you remember neighbours, men or women, quarrelling/fighting?

8, What did they quarrel about?

9. How often did these quarrels/fights happen?

10. Do you remember any poor children at school? Were they treated any differently from any other child?

11. Why did you think they were poor?

12. What kind of families were thought of as rough?

13. Which as respectable?

14. Do you remember any soup kitchens in your area? Did you or your family get food from them or help prepare food for them?

15. Did you know anything about the old workhouse? Model lodging house?

16. Did you know anyone who went?

17. Can you remember how widows managed to make a living in your area?

18. Did you have any relations living near by who could help your family if someone was ill?

19. When would you see your relatives?

20. What social class do you think your family belonged to?

21. Did you know anyone from the other social classes? How were they different to you?

22. What kind of jobs did the men in your street have?

23. What were thought of as the rough streets in your area?

24. Why?

25. What were thought of as the better streets in your area?

26. Why?

27. Who were thought of as the most important people in the town? Why? Did you ever come into contact with them?

28. What did children in your area think about the police?

29. How did the police treat the children in your area?

30. which other parts of the town did you go to regularly? Why?

31. Was there any sort of person (foreign, different religion, etc.) whom your parents preferred their children not to marry?

32. Do you remember anyone being called a real gentleman or real lady? Why?


(j)Health

1. Did your family have any special cures for illness?

2. Did your family have to call the doctor very often?

2a. How about the dentist?

3. If the doctor did come can you remember your family finding it difficult to pay him?

3a. How much confidence did the family have in the doctor?

4. Did your family belong to a Friendly Society?

5. If so what benefits did they receive?

6. Did your father receive any money from his employers or Trade Union if he was sick?

7, When it came into operation was your father covered by the Lloyd George scheme?

8. Did your family belong to a hospital scheme?

9. Did your family pay for death or funeral insurance?

10. If so which members were covered?

11. Did anyone in the family have any operations at home?

12. Were the babies in the family born at home? Can you remember any of your brothers and sisters being born? What happened in the house?

13, Did your mother have the doctor/midwife?

14, Was the midwife trained or not?

15, Were there any diseases which your family particularly dreaded catching?

16, Did you know an children with rickets?

17, If your mother was not able to feed her babies herself how did she feed them?

18. Was your mother particular about disinfecting the house, catching flies etc.?


(k) Work

1. I've already asked you about your father's job. I'd like to ask you more about his work?

2, What hours did he work?

3. What wage did he earn?

4. How much did his wage go up after 1918?

5. Was he paid for holidays?

6. Did he have any part-time jobs - what were they?

7. Did he ever have any accidents at work? Serious or minor? when did he have those accidents?

8. Did he suffer illness as a result of his work?

9. Was he ever out of work? When? For how long? Why was he out of work?

10. If so how did the family manage when he was unemployed?

11, Did you receive help from the Board of Guardians? Or any other charity?

12. What did the family think about that?

13, Did your father belong to a Trade Union?

14. Did he go to Union meetings?

15, Did he hold office in the Union?

16. Did you have any part-time job before you started full-time work?

17. What job/ you do?

18, What hours did you work?

19. What pay did you get?

20, What job did you get when you left school?

21, Why did you choose that job?

22. What hours did you work?

23. What pay did you get? Did you think that was a fair wage?

24. How much did you give to your mother?

24a. Did you work earlier than was legal? If so were you on the firm’s books?

25. How did your employer treat you?

26. What other jobs did you do after your first job up to 1930?

27. Did you serve an apprenticeship or do any other kind of training?

28. Did you belong to a Trade Union?

29. Why?

30. What jobs did your brothers and sisters do?

31. What differences do you think there were between labourers and tradesmen/craftsmen?

32. What work did your father/you do in the First World War?

33. Did your father/brothers/you serve in the army/navy?

34. If not. why not?

35. Did anyone in the family work on munitions?

36. What wages did they get?

37. What jobs were there for girls and women when you were young? What did you think of as women's work?

38, Did the First World War make any difference?

39. How did your family manage in the depression in the 1920’s?

40. What can you remember about the General Strike 1926?

41. How did your spare time activities change after you started work? Can you tell me how you spent your spare time?

42. Did you go to dances - tell me about them?

43. Did you go to the cinema, music hall, theatre?

44. Did you continue to go to church?

45. Did you take an interest in politics? Why?

46. Did you take part in or follow any sport?


(l) Marriage

1. Can you tell me where you met your wife/husband? Where did he/she live when you met?

2, How long did you know each other before marriage?

3. When did you get married?

4. What was your husband’s/wife’s job when you got married?

5. For men - did your wife continue working after marriage?

6. How many children have you?

(At this point the questionnaire can be used with slight modifications from the beginning to cover early married life)
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