‘It runs in the family’ as the old saying goes, something certainly true of our twentieth century printshop workers. #EYAConnections affords us the opportunity to shine a light on those familial links and to delve into the social history of OUP’s Printing House.
According to a 1956 article in staff magazine The Clarendonian, ‘The Press has long had the reputation of being a ‘family’ firm, with fathers handing down to their sons the skill and tradition of their craft.’ The article, entitled Four Generations, focuses on Christina Gladys Goodger, then of the Lithographic Department. Her sister Phyllis previously worked in the Press Bindery, as did her mother. Her father, William, worked all his life at the Press and was manager of the Bindery at the time of his death in 1918. Her grandfather John and her great-grandfather Joseph also worked at the Press, the latter being a caretaker who lived at the lodge.
Five years after this article appeared, The Clarendonian posed a challenge about a Press family record in relation to the Slatter family, six members of whom racked up an impressive 250 years of service at the Press between them. Could anyone beat them? As it turns out, yes, the next issue features a response by the Greens totalling a whopping 380 years of service, starting with William from 1856, followed by his seven sons, three grandsons, and one great-grandson, mostly in engineering and warehouse work. Like father, like son (and son, and son)!
These issues also feature a number of spreads highlighting Fathers and Sons, Brothers, and indeed Fathers and Daughters. Jobs for the men focus on the Machine room, the Warehouse, the Monotype room, and the Bindery, as well as reading, composing and van driving. Jobs for the women centre on the Bindery but also in offices working on correspondence, publishing, and white papers.
1963 saw double with an article about twins working at the Press – the Parker brothers and the Bird sisters – as well as the twin daughters of another employee named Parker, whose wife and father also worked at the Press. This was outdone three years later, however, when triplets joined for the first time – Derek, Sandra, and Irene Stansfield, born on 8 March 1951 at 3.27pm, 3.42pm, and 3.49pm respectively. Now that really is keeping it in the family!
