'Happy' Joe Court
“Happy” Joe Court was one of a number of Campden characters around at the turn of the century – he lived in a cottage next to the Volunteer in Lower High Street and was a regular member and caretaker at the Baptist Church where his daughter, Lily, was Sunday School teacher. With his horse and dray he was carrier with local produce to the neighbouring markets and, at one time, conveyed the mails for the G.P.O. to and from the railway station. He also carried the local refuse for the Council to a dump on an old quarry on Westington Hill and used local lads to help him – particularly to help the horse to push the cart up Conduit Hill!! At blackberry picking time, local schoolchildren could earn a few pence by picking and taking them to Joe who supplied the jam factories in Evesham. Rabbit skins were also accepted by him – another source of pocket money for local “poachers”!!
We used to go and pick blackberries and Joe Court used to buy them, 1d a pound. I don’t know where he took them, maybe down to Evesham….. Joe Court used to collect the mail and the ashes – in the same cart! …. And he used to take us up to Campden House for the processions on his cart, he had a big dray and they’d put cloths over and we’d sit with our legs dangling over. Mary Whatcott
I had two jobs when I was at school – at the end of the week I’d have 6d, ½ d a day it was, 3d each. I used to go to old Joe Court he used to keep pigs and I used to call at his house and get a bucket and carry it up to the Golden Cockerel. They took me empty bucket and give me a full bucket of pigswill, carry it down six days a week and at the end of the week I’d get 3d. Dennis Hughes
Evesham Journal 29th November 1941
DEATH OF MR. J. COURT
The death took place on Sunday of Mr. Joseph Court at the home of his sister Mrs. Mary Ann Cooper at 6, Aston Road, Campden. Mr. Court who is in his 70th year, was the second son of the late Mr. and Mrs. James Court, an old Campden family. From boyhood he was a regular attendant at the Baptist Church, of which he was a Trustee up to the time of his death. Formerly he was a Deacon of the Church and was also Caretaker there for many years and a Chorister. He was for several years engaged by the GPO to convey mails to and from the Post Office to the the local railway station and also had a contract with the former Campden District Council to collect and convey the town refuse to the refuse dump. He was well known in the town and was always of a cheery dispostion being locally known as ‘Happy Joe’. His wife pre-deceased him ten years ago and his only daughter kept house for him until her death three years ago. Since then his health began to fail and for two years he had lived with his sister at 6 Aston Road.