In 1957 Members of Ormside Women’s Institute compiles memories of life in North Westmorland around 1900.

Life was busy but cheap. “ Wages during the early part of the century were from 18/- to £1 per week for farm-workers and railway men, or 12/6 for farm workers who had board, lodging and washing.

Many wore clogs and a familiar sight in the station –yard was a stack of clog soles of all sizes.

They were made of birch wood by the coal merchant during slack periods. Another craft carried on in the village was making besoms, a type of brush similar to witches broom.

The Mill was a scene of activity when farmers had to rely on corn of their own growing to feed, cattle, pigs etc. The water mill was used for grinding corn until April 1924.

Grinding stones for making oatmeal for human consumption were last used in 1905. The charge for grinding the corn into mash was 8d per bag and 1/6 if dried into pig meal. The old mill wheel and ironwork were taken for scrap in 1941. Most farmers now have their own mills for grinding etc., electrically driven’.