Thicknecks and Waterwalkers

[keckfaro]

Talking to an old chap when I was in hospital and the talk got round to local old sayings and as he was from Padiham I asked him if he knew why people from the town had got the nickname Thicknecks,he answered that and he also gave me the answer as to why old Padihamers gave the nickname Waterwalkers to people from Burnley,bit of a quiz but does anybody want to have a go at giving me their answers,could be some interesting replies.

[keckfaro]

PS.I,ll give the answers on Friday if nobody gets it before then

[nicky-ger]

that's a good one...

I'll know about the padihamer thicknecks and I'll give up a guess for the burnley waterwalkers...

Padihamer Thicknecks:

In the past when the water supply was private they had a little problem with the water (don't know exactly which stuff was in the water or which wasn't in there) but that gave the padihamer people an illness which gives you a kind on tumours on your neck - so it looks thick... that's why !

Burnley Waterwalkers:

I think they used to call them Waterwalkers because Burnley is surrounded by water, you find it all over Burnley, and even if you can't see it its under the whole place... maybe thats why...

[pmhread]

I've heard two reasons for Padiham thicknecks... one of them is shown above and the other dates back to the cotton mill times. There was so much cotton fibre floating around that it built up in peoples throats and caused breathing difficulties and infections....

No idea if either of those are correct but I would be interested in finding out the 'official' reasons (if such a thing exists).

Don't know about waterwalkers... never heard of that one... I assume it's something to do with the canal and cotton though. Did they used to float down the canals on cotton bales to get them from a to b?

[pmhread]

Originally Posted by keckfaro

Talking to an old chap when I was in hospital

Wasn't a chap called Duncan by any chance?

[keckfaro]

Nicky-ger,who have you been talking to,you know a lot to say you hav,nt been in Padiham that long.You,re right about the water,in long gone days Padiham was supplied with water from a resovoir up in the hills above Padiham and for years people were at the doctors complaining of swellings in the neck,these are called goiters Nicky,anyway they finally traced the cause to be the water from the resovoir,cleaned it up, the goiters disappeared and to this day some Burnleyites call Padihamers thicknecks,so Nicky that makes you a German Padiham thickneck,the other part of your answer is not right.Keep trying.

[keckfaro]

Pmhread,the answer to the first part of the question is above,the 2nd part has nothing to do with the canal but if nobody gets near with the next few answers I,ll give a couple of clues,and no his name was,nt Duncan,he was called George Devon and he used to be a jockey in his young days,a very nice old man,he died a couple of days after I was discharged.Very sad.

[keckfaro]

Everybody seems to have given up on it so I,ll give you a couple of clues,these might be more benifitial to the older end of the BWebbers.In my younger days right at the bottom of Ightenhill Park Lane there was a place called Bluebell Wood,I think there is still a wood there but nowhere near as big as it was then,carry on right down to the river Calder and around that area before the advent of computers and television a lot of families would go down there in the warmer months and they would use it as a picnic area and the kids would play and swim in the river,the first clue is what is there now that was,nt there in the earlier part of the 20th century and the second part of the conundrum is what was there then but there,s very little left now,if anyone can answer that then should be able to work out why people from Burnley were called by Padihamers Waterwalkers

[Col.Kurtz]

Is it something to do with the stepping stones down there? I remember seeing an old postcard of a scene of them with loads of people queueing up to go across them...this was before telly, so I guess you got your kicks whenever and wherever?

[keckfaro]

You,ve got it Col Kurtz,the reason they called Burnleyites waterwalkers is that before the bridge was built people used to cross the river via the stepping stones and anybody looking up the river from Padiham way saw what appeared to be,from a distance,people walking across the water hence the term Waterwalkers.Well done,interesting innit.

[Col.Kurtz]

lol, I'm good me

[nicky-ger]

Originally Posted by Col.Kurtz

lol, I'm good me

you mean we are good lol now there are a few more people who know about this old sayings - I think we have to keep such things in our minds - it's a little bit of history ;o)

[vetbike]

Being from Padiham ( left there in 1956), the story I heard was that people from Burnley considered themselves mentally superior to their sturdy, stockily built neighbors from Padiham and continually put them down.
The Padihamites had some posters printed and displayed in Burnley. These announced that a well known person was going to appear on a certain day at a spot near the old stepping stones and walk accross the river Calder. As this location was close to Burnley a large crowd appeared on the appointed day.
Naturally no one appeared, the Burnleyites having realized they had been duped , dispersed. From that day on they weren't allowed to forget they had been taken in by this joke. From then on they were known as "Burnley watterwalkers"!
My father used to tell this story, hope it helps to solve the puzzle.
Cheers, Vetbike.

[Poppy]

I have no idea where this comes from my husband, dad used to say it
" Oh what a sight to see
set out on a plate
with a nice cup of tea
a negg and a nam and a nonion" :yo:
(there is some weird poetry on this site but is not old)
http://www.freewebs.com/grumpybearsart/poetry.htm

[Kiki]

Havent heard this but find it interesting! I have an old postcard of the stepping stones and wonder if they are still there?