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Irene Megginson
THE five published books written by Irene Megginson, beginning with Mud on my Doorstep recounting her early married life, were all intensely personal, but none more so than Rachel, about her youngest daughter who died of cancer in 1991 aged 43.
Irene, a prolific writer of articles and letters, was born Irene Oxtoby, at Hull in March, 1919.
Her parents had a fish and poultry shop. She went to the French Convent, where she made many lifelong friends and was always known as "Oxo". Her great capacity for forming friendships from all walks of life was one of her defining characteristics.
Irene was very keen on drama and the theatre and enjoyed performing in school plays. This interest in the stage carried on throughout her life and in 2007, aged 87, she performed as Lisa, singing "There's a hole in my bucket", in a fundraising concert for Bishop Wilton village hall.
Her years at the French Convent were eventually recalled in her book Convent Life.
Leaving school at 16, she worked with horses in Devon until the outbreak of the Second World War.
On returning to her native Yorkshire she worked as a land girl for the Megginson family at Fraisthorpe, near Bridlington, and married their son Jack in 1940.
They rented their own farm near Fraisthorpe. She threw herself into farm life with all the hardships of a dilapidated farmhouse and men living in, with her usual determination, the episode giving her the material for her first book.
Other than farming. the great love of Jack and Irene was horses.
They had one son and three daughters, their son Tony being the only member of the family not to ride. His interests were more mechanical.
Their youngest daughter Rachel went on to become a very capable rider and competed at all the major eventing venues, often with great success, and Irene loved to travel all over the country with her.
In 1956 the family left Fraisthorpe to move to Cot Nab farm on the Halifax Estate near Bishop Wilton. Irene continued to ride, write, garden, paint, and cater for the large family, as well as on occasions working on the farm when needed.
She joined the Farm Women's Club, the WI, and the Church Council. Whilst at Cot Nab she began her 25-year stint of writing a column each month for the Dalesman and continued to write to local newspapers with her thoughts. She became familiar to readers of the Yorkshire Post for her regular contributions to the I Say column in Women's Post.
Jack took up driving with a pair of Welsh ponies and once again Irene loved supporting him when they competed in driving trials, and acting as groom, perhaps the only occasion she would relent and wear trousers.
Careful of her appearance, she hated drab colours and the fashion of women in trousers, but shopped with circumspection, preferring to support charity shops.
Irene loved any occasion to dress up and had the villagers in stitches, as on the Scarecrow weekend she wandered down the village dressed as a scarecrow, with her arms straight out – and she in her 80s.
She and Jack retired to Bishop Wilton in 1979, soon fitting into village life. Irene survived Jack by 10 years. She wrote his life story in A Life on the Wolds.
She will be remembered by family, villagers and countless friends for her endless enthusiasm, hospitality and fun. She also had an extraordinary memory for detail which made her a valuable historian of the East Yorkshire scene.
During the years of village life Irene enjoyed giving talks on "Farm Lads" and other topics to various groups throughout Yorkshire and she remained active until the last few weeks of her life.
Sadly she did not live to see her latest book, Just About Me, out in print, but the family intends to make it available before Christmas.
Irene, who has died aged 88, is survived by her son Tony, daughters Jennifer and Maureen and eight grandchildren.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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