Miss Kitty Prickett was born on 26th December 1900 and worked as a domestic for Miss Susan Collie, at Crawley Hall, from the age of 19 until she was 29.

Kitty lived in Stagsden and travelled each day to Husborne Crawley by bicycle. She recalls that she had Thursday afternoons and every second Sunday off. Kitty was employed as a House Parlour Maid as her mother would not let her go into the kitchens.

Miss Collie was very particular about the uniform that Kitty wore; it consisted of a pinafore dress and white apron to be worn in the mornings and then to be changed in the afternoon to a black dress for the receiving of visitors. Miss Collie did a lot of entertaining since retiring as the Headmistress of Bedford High School.

Miss Collie had two other staff: a cook and Mr Raynor, the gardener. Miss Collie herself had a live-in companion and two cats.       

The cooking was done on a range and the lighting was oil fuelled. Electricity was not connected until after Kitty left in 1929. Milk came from the farm next door which was owned by Mr. Howkins.

Kitty recalls that one Saturday night she had been asked to deliver some goodies by bicycle, to a child who was ill. As her bike had no light, she fixed a candle lantern onto the front and set off. It was a very dark and windy night and the candle soon got blown out and she was plunged into darkness, which led to her crashing into a man on Hulcote Lane!

Kitty had a paid fortnight's holiday a year, which she spent with her family in Hunstanton. She was required to work on both Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

When Kitty left Miss Collie's employ to get married, Miss Collie offered Kitty a car instead of getting married. Kitty did not take up the offer and got married to Mr. Sam Saunders. Kitty kept in touch with Miss Collie after she left and remembers when she had a miscarriage, that Miss Collie paid for both Kitty and her husband Sam to have a holiday.

Miss Susan Collie	Crawley Hall
Kitty Prickett	Kitty still smiling at the ripe old age of 100