Ernest Cyril Freshwater was born on the 14th February 1899 in Islington, London, and christened on the 2nd April 1899, at St John the Baptist Church in Camden.
He moved into the village in 1917 after joining the army underage, and being told by the service doctor to get into the country and work on a farm. When he arrived there was a shop that sold everything, two bakers and a sadler.
He married Kathleen Emily Mould (the eldest daughter of John Samuel Mould of the Gardens, later known as the Post Office) in September 1918.
Ernest was very involved in the village community especially as a Parish Constable, these being appointed each year. This role was dispensed with in 1941 due to the policing of Counties Towns and Villages by the National Police Force
He was a member of St Mary’s Parochial Church Council and was made the Peoples’ Churchwarden in 1947 and he also held the office of treasurer for the church too. Both roles he held for 35 years until 1982. The photograph to the right shows Ernest (third from right on the back row) in the Church Choir in appriximately 1957, which was taken outside the church porch in their robes,.
Ernest became Parish Clerk in 1964 and then resigned in 1969, but was asked to carry on for a short time and carried on until October 1979 when he finally resigned!
During his life he worked for Bradshaw’s, the seed merchants of Cottestock as a grain representative. In his spare time, and having a large garden, became one of the many market gardeners who produced fruit and vegetables for Robinett & Son, the fruit and vegetable wholesalers in Peterborough. They collected surplus items from different growers, all items being left outside their houses in cardboard boxes for collection. He also supplied Mr Walker, the village greengrocer.
In August 1968, they celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary and the Stamford Mercury wrote about them as follows:
Congratulations and best wishes were extended to Mr & Mrs Ernest C Freshwater at a party given in their honour at Woodnewton school on Saturday to mark their golden wedding.
Mr Freshwater is a churchwarden and has been church treasurer for 22 years and the Vicar (the Rev B W Turner), on behalf of the church council presented them with a cheque.
Our picture shows Deborah Coutts presenting Mrs Freshwater with a bouquet. With them is David Gilbert, who had presented Mr Freshwater with a buttonhole.
The couple were serenaded by members of the church choir, to which Mrs Freshwater and her sister, Mrs M Allen have belonged over 60 years and members of the Sunday school also sang for them.
Not to be outdone, Mr Freshwater, an active 69-year-old, gave a rendering of “Captain Ginger”.
“Love and marriage, horse and carriage”, says the song, and it was a reality for Mr and Mrs Freshwater when they were married at Woodnewton parish church 50 years ago.
At the time Mrs Freshwater, a Londoner, was lodging with a cousin, who did not like cars, so the couple went to church in a hansome cab.
“It wasn’t really what I would have chosen” said Mrs Freshwater, “but we got there, which was the main thing”.
Mr & Mrs Freshwater have remained in Woodnewton ever since and now live at Hazel View, Main Street.
Mr Freshwater, who before his retirement was a traveller for E Bradshaw and Sons of Cottestock Mill, have been Clerk to the Parish Council for five years, but most of his spare time is occupied tending his garden.
The couple have a son (a Mr Douglas Freshwater of Corby), daughter (Mrs Joyce Chambers of Woodnewton) and five grandchildren.
They had two children Douglas John and Joyce and they eventually left the village in 1982 to go and live nearer to their daughter until they both died in 1989.