The Life of Ida May Haigh: the "Child Vocalist of Golcar" (1907)
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7 I • • THE LIFE OF Ida ffiag l-laigf?, Tqe "Child Vocalist 0£ Golcar." BY J. GRIFFITHS. Head Master of the Knowl Bank School, Golca_r. HUDDERSFIELD. Advertiser Press Ltd., Page Street, and Queen Street South. 1907 . • .. • - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE. Ida May Haigh ... Frontispiece Ida's Home at Taylor Row 10 Kno,vl Bank Council School 19 Mr. F. Sandford ... 23 Providence Chapel and Sunday School 28 Ivlr. B. Collinson ... ... 30 Ida at I I years of age 49 Mr. W. H. Bowker 74 Mr. J. Griffiths ... 78 PREFACE. This little hook is intended to serve a three-fold purpose. We feel that Ida May Haigh, w bile here amongst her friends, exercised a sweet ennobling influence over them. It is hoped, in the first place, that this record of her life may, in the same way, if not in the same degree, stin1ulate the young, not only to utilize to the full their talents, but also to cultivate those Christian virtues for which Ida was remarkable. Secondly, it is hoped that the publication of the book will provide the means for the erection of a memorial. Thirdly, the volume itself too-conscious though we are of imperfections-will serve as a memento of her 1ife and work. Our endeavour throughout has been to give plain statements of facts, and to avoid any exaggerations. Those who have not been privileged to meet Ida and hear her sing 1nay feel that in many cases we are guilty of exaggeration. We are confident, however, that those who knew her intimately, and are therefore best qualified to judge, will agree that an honest attempt has been made to give an accurate delineation of the life and character of the young singer. It might be weJl also to state that no pecuniary advantage whatever accrues to anyone from the publication of thi~4book, as the proceeds from its sale will be entirely devoted to the object named above. RvEFIELD, GoLCAR, J. GRIFFITHS. /11 arch, I907. CONTENTS. Page Chapter I-Introductory. 1. Golcar: Taylor Row • • • ••• 9 2. Early Sorrows ... ••• II Chapter II- Ida May's Infancy. 1. Babyhood ... I2 2. Her first public effort ... 3. An early Service of Song 4. Childhood's Pleasures ... 5. In the Infants' School .. ... Chapter II I- Her Early .Successes. I. Her de but in song 17 2. The 1900 " At Home" ... ... I7 3. At the Knowl Bank School, The Three Concerts 18 4. Piano and Singing L essons ••• 22 Chapter IV- Her Work at Providence. I. Providence Church and Sunday School 27 2 . The three Anniversaries .. 31 3. Her adm-ission into the Church .. 34 4. The Bazaar at Providence .. 37 5. The visit of the Rev. F. Jewell to Providence ... 39 .. Chapter V- Services in Golcar and immediate Neighbourhood. 1. At Sunny Bank . .. .. 2. At Scape Goat Hill 3. At the Co-operative Stores' Concert CONTENTS, con,tinued. Page. 4· The Colne Valley Band of Hope ... 43 5. A Wellhouse Gathering ... 44 6. Winter Carnival at the National School 45 7. At the Vicarage . .. 46 8. At Parkwood 46 9. At Linthwaite Church School ... 48 IO. At her own School • •• ... 48 Chapter VI- Services further afield. I. At Marsden ... .. 51 2. At the Friends' Meeting House, Paddock 52 3. At Crosland Moor ... .. 54 4· At Mossley ... • •• 55 5· .At Marsh Parish School, Huddersfield 56 6. At Fartown Wesleyan School, Huddersfield 56 7· At Thornby, near Bradford ... 57 8. Interview with Mr. A. Pearson, Mus. Bae., Huddersfield ... 58 Chapter VII- Later Events. I. Unfulfilled Engagements ... ••• 59 2. Ida's Last Visit to Huddersfield . .. 61 3· " The Girl Patti " ... 64 4· Ida's Dream ... .. 64 5· Visit to Failsworth ... .. 65 Chapter VIII- The End. I. Her Illness and Death ... 68 2. The Funeral ... 70 3. The Memorial Service 72 Chapter IX- Retrospect. I. INTRODUCTORY. 1.- GOLCAR: TAYLOR ROW. Q ITU A TED three miles west of Huddersfield, ~ the quaint old village of Golcar occupies a co1nmanding position on the northern slope of the Colne Valley. The village, being built mostly on the slope of a hill, presents fro1n across the valley a picturesque appearance. The houses stand terrace above terrace, each sufficiently raised, as a rule, above the other, as to provide an uninterrupted view of the valley.· Strangers observing the place from the Linth waite side of the valley are often heard to remark on the quaint arrangement of the houses up the hill side, and, on taking a nearer view of the village and entet"ing its streets, their wonder is apt to increase rather than diminish, as they strive to extricate themselves from .amongst the web of lanes and alleys. There is little to break the monotonous grey of the place, except the newer blue-slated houses, and the few shrubberies and :gardens dotted here and there. Prominent among the terraces referred to, and easily located from across the valley by anyone versed in the topography of Golcar, is Taylor Row, a number of oldfashioned houses with their long rows of windows, .a reminder of the time when the hand-loom played an --= -=--------=------ - -- - - - ---- -----· Ida's H ome at Taylor Row. Drawn_ from Photo. by F. Sandford~ • II important part in the life of Golcar. Here at Taylor Row dwell James and Alice Haigh, the father and mother of the subject of our story. Mrs. Haigh has lived in this house practically all her life. 2.- EARLY SORROWS. Seven children have been born here to Mr. and Mrs. Haigh, of whom three only are now living, so that their recent bereavement is not the first of its kind that they have been called upon to pass through. The first cloud of gloom passed over the family when their little boy Arthur, two years old, was taken from them. Two years after the loss of Arthur, a little girl, Frances, was born-a sweet and beautiful child-who only lived to the age of fourteen months. Two years later was born Marion, a loving, intelligent child, possessing a sweet voice, who grew up to be able to sing and recite quite a number of hymns and songs. Her pleasing and affectionate ways made the parents feel that she had come amongst them as some reparation for the losses they had already sus tained, but "God nioves in a mysterious way," death came again and removed Marion at the age of four, leaving the poor parents in despair, "refusing to be comforted." .... .