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Extract from the book 'Backward Glances' - Hutton Magna Post Office - written by Mrs Marian Lewis.
The first Office, known as a telegraph office, was opened on 30th November 1898 and John Nelson was appointed Sub Postmaster. It was well used and tree years later the Postmaster General agreed that the post Office could become a full money order office under the guarantee of the Parish Meeting at the agreed rate of £2-10s [£2.50p] per annum. The Hutton Magna Sub Post Office was opened by the Department as a full office on 1st June 1901 for the sale of money orders, savings bank, insurance and other business. Some twenty-one years later the Postmaster General decided to dispense with the annual guarantee by the Parish for transactions etc. Over the years many transactions have changed and, with the ever-increasing Post Office business, there are well over sixty different transactions that can be carried out in the little Post Office at Hutton Magna today.
In my time as Postmistress*, over the past twenty years, the Post Office split with the telephone and ended the telegram service from the Office, which covered Ovington for telegrams. The next big change was the split of the Post Office into three forming Post Office Counters Limited, Royal Mail Letters and Parcel Force which still continues today.
The first Postmaster, John Nelson, was followed by Mrs. Barry with Mrs. Louie Little taking over in 1918 and holding the post for thirty-four years. She was well known for making pie and peas on a Wednesday and doing catering for village dances etc. On retirement Mrs. Little passed the post onto a distant relative, Mrs. Winifred Nesbitt. Helped by her husband Frank she extended the shop side of the business by installing a deep freeze and selling ice cream etc.
She retired to live in Darlington and the shop closed with the Post Office moving to its present position [Plum Tree Cottage - see postcard] in 1978 with the present Postmistress, Marian Lewis*, being a descendant of John Nelson the first Postmaster.
The post for the village was first delivered by the Darlington to Barnard Castle stage [Mail] coach, stopping at Winston. In later years the train delivered it to Winston Station to be collected by horse and cart. The postal address at that time being Hutton Magna, Winston, DARLINGTON. In the late 1920’s a major change took place with all postal deliveries, with the introduction of motor transport when all postal services for the village were then transferred to Richmond Post Office for both deliveries and franking of [collections] letters, parcels etc. This also meant a big change for Mrs. Little for she then had to employ a post lady who collected the mail from the Richmond postman at the top of the New Road on the A66 and delivered it around the village and surrounding farms. A very responsible job because the men who worked for the North Riding County Council received their weekly wages by post. The post lady also took a mailbag on her bike to Ovington Post Office each morning, collected the mail in the afternoon from Ovington and Hutton Magna and took it to meet the Richmond post van on the A66. In later years the post van dropped the mail at the Post Offices then, in the fifties, it was delivered [direct] by the Richmond postman [driver]. This still continues today with all outward post from the village going, via Richmond, to Darlington [Mail Centre] to be franked.
A selcetion of postcards from Marian Lewis depicting local sceens / postmarks.
Plum Tree Cottage Post Office 1909 with Granny Hind, Jack, Matt, Sep & Rene.
Postmarked Barnard Castle 23 November addressed to Hutton Magna, Winston, DARLINGTON (connecting with the Stage [Mail] Coach).
Postmarked May 27, 1908 - Ovington to York via Winston and Darlington.
This card was more than likely collected from Ovington by the Hutton Magna Post Lady on her bike.
Whorlton Toll Booth. This cast-iron suspension bridge over the Tees had a span of 174 feet and stood 32 feet above the river bed. It was opened on 7th July 1831, replacing a stone bridge which was started on 9th June 1829 and was swept away by a great flood on 13th October of the same year. This photo c. 1902 shows Miss Ann Beadle, the toll collector, outside her toll house on the County Durham side of the river.
This photo call also be seen on pg 67 of Tom Hutchinson's book: 'The People's History' series 'Barnard Castle and the Tees Valley' from which the caption details are reproduced.
www.thepeopleshistory.co.uk
Saturday May 17, 2008.
rance
WAR HERO:
Gilbert Hind, a chauffeur who died in an Army hospital.
WAR HERO:
Bertie Hind, a farm worker who was killed in action.
WAR HERO:
John Hind, a blacksmith who died of pneumonia after being wounded in the trenches.
