Arthur Hall met Nellie Burton, whilst working at Manor Farm, Walkeringham in Nottinghamshire, as a horseman/farm labourer. Like his father, George and grandfather William, Arthur was considered ‘good with hosses’. Today we would call him a horse whisperer. Local farmers often brought ponies for their children to ride and Arthur was always first choice for breaking them in. In later years this was one of the ways he earned extra cash to supplement his meagre income as a Wagoner and support his large family. Arthur was born in Hibaldstow the youngest son of George and Mary Jane Hall on the 10th November 1900. It was said at one time that if you were not related to a Hall you didn’t come from Hibaldstow. It was William Hall, Arthur’s grandfather, who was the father of the Halls of Hibaldstow. He moved there in the early 1850’s from Bishop Norton. The Halls originally came from Lincoln and it took them 500 years to travel the 20 odd miles and reach Hibaldstow by way of Sturton by Stow, Bishop Norton and Snitterby. William, the eldest of five children born to George and Mary Hall in Atterby (Bishop Norton) on 4th December 1831 became a Higgler when he moved to Hibaldstow. He must have been successful because he bought a house and land in Hibaldstow. A Higgler in those days was much the same as a contractor today. He had two horses and a cart and plough. He would hire himself out to local farmers ploughing or fetching and carrying with his cart. He was a small stocky man, as indeed are most of the Hall men. He was also strong. The story is told that when William moved to Hibaldstow and married Eunice Marris on 26th October 1853 in Hibaldstow Church he then walked the 8 miles from Bishop Norton (Atterby) to Hibaldstow carrying the family grandfather clock on his back for his new home. William was not going to waste his money paying carriers for something he could do himself. Nellie’s Father, Fraser Burton, was the farm foreman and had worked his way up from farm hand. Frazer was born in Roecliffe, Yorkshire and had met his wife, Florence Thirkel when she visited her grandparents in Skelton, a neighbouring village. Frazer’s maternal grandfather, Fredrick William Gough was manager of the brickworks in Roecliffe. His paternal grandfather, George Henry Burton and his two sons, lodged with William and Mary Margeaham in Green Cottages after the death of George Henry’s wife. George Henry worked, like most people in Roecliffe, in the brick works. It was there that he met and fell in love with and married Rhoda Gough. Frazer it is said adored his mother, Rhoda. Frazer never went to work in the brick works like his father and brother; rather he got a job at Bilton Village Farm, as horseman and lived in with the farmer and his wife and children, the Ingram family. Frazer found that he enjoyed working horses and very quickly became an excellent horseman. It was on one of her visits to her grandparents George and Jane Metcalfe, in Skelton from her home in Churwell; where the Thirkells lived that Florence met and fell in love with Frazer. In order to set up house Frazer and Florence moved to Walkeringham and were married in Walkeringham Church on 22nd October 1904. Frazer became a horseman at Manor Farm and worked his way up to farm foreman. Nellie was one of seven children all of them were born and brought up at Manor Farm. Frazer was not much pleased with the love match between his daughter, Nellie and Arthur to begin with because at the time Nellie was engaged to the Local Butcher, a wealthy and prominent man in Walkeringham. However, Nellie fell pregnant and Arthur was the father, reluctantly Frazer agreed to the union. Arthur and Nellie had a Church blessing at Walkeringham in November 1925, and Arthur moved in with the Burton family. Nellie and Arthur’s first daughter Rhoda was born January 2nd 1926. Rhoda was named after Frazer’s mother, and was his and Florence’s first and favourite grandchild. Rhoda later said that she was the only one who could get her own way with Frazer, a strict disciplinarian. It was said in the family that Frazer believed that children should be seen and not heard. It seems at times he was a man of few words. If a child spoke during quiet time in the evenings Frazer would get up out of his chair and with his index finger stab the child on the head and point to the chair in the corner and that is where the offending child had to go sit and remain until released by Frazer. My mother, Rhoda, was the only one never given this treatment. With hard work on the farm and his devotion to Nellie, Arthur soon won Frazer over. The fact that they were both good horse men would have helped. I can imagine the young Arthur getting tips from the older more experienced horseman. Arthur also got along well with Nellie’s siblings and in later years there was always a good humoured banter between them when they met up for the occasional family re unions. They would always pull each others legs about various events which happened around the time of Arthur and Nellie’s courtship and early years of marriage. I always had the impression that the Burton house was always full of love and warmth. Great granddad Frazer's bark was worse than his bite. For everyone who spoke of Frazer and Florence did so with fondness in thier voice and the banter between Arthur and Nellie's siblings was that of friendship; full of good humour and warmth. They were all comfortable and at ease in each others company.