Job Titles in a House of Correction

[Jane Elderfield]

Well, in case you ever wondered what job titles there were in a House of Correction, here's one from a census transcription I found tonight:


Hill William 25 - Twinkey Yes House Of Correction Falkingham, Folkingham, Lincolnshire HO107/0618/11/

Phillips William 25 - Twinkey No House Of Correction Falkingham, Folkingham, Lincolnshire HO107/0618/11/

--Jane E

(and, yes, I did submit a correction--after I stopped laughing)

[Jan1954]

(and, yes, I did submit a correction--after I stopped laughing)

Good-oh!

Perhaps they should have read this first.....

[Jane Elderfield]

One reason this transcription error (TWINKEY for "Turnkey") gave me such a laugh was a book I was given as a very small child (and which I still own).

It's called TWINKIE TOWN TALES. It's a hardback, with coloured illustrations, "Story in Rhyme by Carlyle Emery, Illustrations by Arthur Henderson, copyright 1927 Hamilton-Brown Shoe Company. U.S.A." (Probably it was a promotional give-away with Hamilton-Brown shoes.)

The TWINKIES are incarnated stars. They're smaller than a mouse, human-like creatures with stubby limbs, round bodies, and large heads with large pointed ears, round red cheeks, and quiffs of hair-- something like Kewpie dolls or Campbell Soup kids.

They're all male, with names like Snipper-Sneers, Tinker-Tum, Winker-Wee, Namer-Nod, and Thinker-Tad. They wear little pointy slippers (not Hamilton-Brown shoes), tights, and little dresses with petal hemlines and a bobble on each point. (All right, they're probably medieval jerkins, not dresses.)

The Twinkies are very industrious, cheerful, and pious. As the reader is told every few pages, they have other virtues, too:

"For what a Twinkie says he'll do,
He always does, in rain or shine,
Without a whimper or a whine."
and
"Twinkies are so good and brave
They always know how to behave.
They never fuss or say, 'I shant"
Nor tease, nor fret, nor say, 'I can't.'
But when there's something hard to do
They dig right in until they're through."

Well, the thought of these fat pink insufferable little prigs in a House of Correction really tickled my funny bone.

Does anyone else remember the Twinkies?

--Jane E