What is a Dabber? - your comments

HERE are some comments on the origin of Dabber, from visitors to A Dabber's Nantwich after they read the previous page.  

 

Mark, "a Nantwich-born, but Crewe-based artist" writes: "I was born in Nantwich Hospital several years ago and have always wondered what a Dabber might refer to. A theory that I heard somewhere when I was younger was that a Dabber referred to early signatures. When the town's earliest trades were first established centuries ago, people working in the town were allocated a house along Beam Street. Quite who made the property available I don't remember, but it was almost certainly with funding from the Crown. To prove themselves as genuine Nantwich workers these lucky few had to sign for their houses. But since nobody could read or write in those days they simply dabbed ink on to the parchment with their thumb. An interesting theory but who knows? There are so many."

  

By "Nantwich Hospital" do you mean The Barony Hospital? This is a variation of the theory that people signing documents to be able to rent Beam Heath land as tenant farmers "dabbed" their thumbprint on the deed. But this must have happened all over the country so why were Nantwich people singled out to be the Dabbers rather than any other townspeople?  

 

Mrs Alvina Greig (no address) writes: My grandfather was born in Haslington in 1899 and lived in the Crewe area until the 1930s when he moved to Bucks. He told me that another name for Nantwich was Dab Town. He believed it was to do with the tanning/leather industry because he would then break into a little ditty which went . . .

 

There is a little town not far away,

Where dabs and tatching ends (go?) every day

...................................................-oh

...................................................-oh

What a stick of leather-oh!

Hip hip hooray!

 

He remembered all the lines but unfortunately I don't. I vaguely think there was another technical/local term used in the song. Tatching is something to do with working with leather. I have some tape recordings of him made before he died in 1972 so if I ever find the rest of the song I will try and let you know.

 

Thanks for that, Alvina. I agree that Dab Town would be a name for Nantwich based on the name Dabbers for the residents. but there is still the mystery of why Dabbers. I hadn't heard of "tatching". Would that make us Tatchers and Nantwich Tat Town? What a good job we decided to call ourselves Dabbers!

 

Granddad's story

GOOD web site. I am a Dabber from way back - Birchin Lane.  My Granddad and Great Granddad both lived there, at The Bootes. I remember a story my Granddad told me about the Dabber who was called up for Home Guard  duty during the war. Part of his training included staring at a landscape  for five minutes and then turning around and being asked questions on what he had observed, to which he was suppose to give great detail.  He was asked "What did you see, Dabber?" He replied "A big tree." " What kind of tree was it?" asked the trainer.  "A big wooden b****r," replied the Dabber.
 - Roger Moors, Vancouver B.C. 

 

Thanks, Roger.

 

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