FORGET dating agencies and lonely hearts coloums- for an old book found in a Ipstones house has all the advice a woman needs to find her ideal man for the New Year. Discovered by Bucknall historian Elizabeth Bass, The book was started around the 1830s and keeps the accounts of a Mr Brown, of Eaves, Bucknall.
But in between the boring lists of hours and wages owed to workers, are passionate poems and longings jotted down by his young daughter. She describes how girls would visit Wetley Moor in the New Year and go through rituals to help attract the attention of husbands to be and lovers.
She also writes how a woman can chose the right man by looking at the style of his hair. Mrs Bass has not been able to find out exactly who Mr Brown was, what happened to his daughter nor trace any of the family's relatives. Mrs Bass said: "The book was found in a house and given me to research".
"Mr Brown was a survayor of roads and the book is a record of what work was done and where. It has an account of wages and shows how much men were paid and how much things cost.
"In one section Mr Brown writes down how a pair of shoes for a girl cost six pence and wages for men were two pence a day". "But on the blank pages, in between the written accounts, Mr Brown's daughter poured out her daydreams and verse, which make fascinating reading.
In 1855 Miss Brown writes of a spell which should help a woman gain the attention of the right man. It says: "At the first appearance of the new moon, immediatley after the New Years Day - go out in the evening and standing over the spares of a gate or stile and looking over to the Moor, repeat the following lines:"All hail to the moon all hail to thee I beg the moon to reveal to me, this night who my husband will be" - the party will then dream of her future husband.
And if that doesn't work, Miss Brown explains how you can tell what sort of man would suit you by the colour and style of his hair. She writes: "Black, stout and healthy, but apt to be cross and surly. "If very black with such a large quantity of hair, he will be fond of where he fixes his attachments and not addicted to loudness he will make a good husband and take care of his family.
"If short and curly be of unsettled temper, given to drinking, and somewhat quarrelsome will show much fondness at first paying his addresses, but unsteady and forgetful afterwards. "Yellow hair inclined to jealousy". "Light brown, neither good nor very bad, middling in all respects rather given to women, but upon the whole a good character". "Dark brown, sensible and good humoured, useful and attentive to business, generally makes agood husband".
The above report was by Rosalind Chimes for the Evening Sentinel dated
15-01-2000.
The above Mr Brown was in fact, Job Brown my wifes, great great grandfather,and the young Miss Brown her great great aunt Joyce, of Moorside Farm, Eaves Lane, Bucknall.
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