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Emma Davies was a
big-hearted lady with a flair for business. The shop was a general store
specialising in sweets and toffee, and naturally was a favourite with
children, who would come with their pennies from a considerable distance.
Emma had established a very popular custom - each child who proffered a
penny for sweets up to a certain hour on new years day, would receive, not
only a generous supply of sweets, but also the coin returned to them into
the bargain. Needless to say the place was always full long before the shops
opening time. Once a gang of boys arrived with empty pockets, hoping for the
best!! One of them however possessed a penny, a new one at that, and he was
persuaded to lend his coin to each of the others, until they had been
supplied. The "rich" boy went in first, received his sweets and the penny
back and passed it to the next boy who followed with the same happy results.
This process was repeated many times until one boy went in and received his
sweets but not the penny back. Emma seeing the same shiny coin became
suspicious and kept it. However when the "tragedy" became known to the boys
outside waiting their turn, the scene can be better imagined than described
to you.
Shop Emma existed in 1885 and may have been where the clinic in Well St. is
today?
Contributed by Nigel Morris (May 2002) |
