Margaret Selby

by Mary Bevan

In some sense you could say that Margaret is Wimborne St Giles. Now 85 years of age, she has lived around here all her life and has no intention of moving away anytime soon.

Born at Creech Hill, one of three children, she moved to Monkton-up-Wimborne when her father went to work on a farm there. He regularly drove sheep from Monkton over the downs to Cranborne for pasture and back again. The family had a dog and a cat, Icky, who had a particularly keen sense of smell and always smelt the fish van coming on Tuesdays. They also owned a much-loved plough horse. Under the house at Monkton they one day discovered a cellar in which they found bricks from a tunnel that seems to have led into the open fields and was presumably used by smugglers.

Margaret’s brother Pete is still remembered by the older residents of the village as being a formidable player of both darts and shove-ha’penny in his time – and for having his special chair in what was then the local pub. Woe betide any visitor who tried to sit there: he was soon turfed out of it! Her sister, Hetty, worked as a nursemaid to the Earl of Shaftesbury, which meant that as a child Margaret often played with the young Earl – something very few people can claim to have done! At this time her stepmother was also working in the ‘big house’ in the kitchens, so the two families had a good deal to do with each other.

Margaret walked every day to school in Wimborne St Giles and says she loved her school days.  On leaving school she, too, went to work first in the big house kitchens and later for other members of the Shaftesbury family in Cranborne. She has always been contented with the country way of life and well remembers particularly happy times such as the Harvest Festivals and Christmas celebrations which were highlights of the year. She has many tales to tell such as those of her contacts with the Romany Gypsy families who were hired to work in the fields round about on jobs such as hoeing.  

Like so many of her generation, Margaret was brought up to be a very good needle-woman. Her work can be seen in the Millenium tapestry of St Giles village, now hanging in Wimborne St Giles Village Hall, to which she made a large contribution. And of course she is still playing her part in the life of the village, for example at the monthly coffee mornings where she’s usually to be found selling raffle tickets. And though living alone now she is still just as contented with her way of life. ‘I’m just happy as I am,’ she says – and smiles.