Cod Almighty | Postbag
The one with a brief history of Cleethorpes
23 July 2003
In this week's Postbag: island in the sun; as the Crowe flies; Big Brother bullying; Gallimore has been down the pub again; oh cum on; and the history of the world and everything.
Meggies
I am sure I have read it somewhere. The word 'meggies' meant somebody who was born between Brighton Slipway and Princes Road. The reason is because there was a small island near Brighton Slipway (I think it was actually a sandbank or something) called Meggies Island. These people were called 'meggies', but I'm not sure where the phrase 'I'm off up meggies' came from.
from Dave Payne
Chimes
I'm a Pompey fan who lives near Hull, just checking up on Crowey who is apparently training at Blundell Park. If you get the chance sign him up. Great pace, great control, great passing, great crossing, great shot. The only thing that lets him down is his defending on occasion but if the Mariners are looking for a left-sided wing back or want to take a chance at playing him as a left-sided midfielder, do the best you can to convince him. He'd thrive in the second division. Some of us boys are disappointed to see him not given the chance in the top flight but it seems Arry is more content on drafting in more and more 30somethings but less of that.
Good luck next season. Division one will look weird without either of our teams in it.
from Mike Atkins
Big Brother
Whatever happened to your updates on Steph Coldicott's campaign to win Big Brother. She's made it to the final on Friday night you know. Her odds of 20/1 to win might tell you about her chances though.
from Lee Forrester
Letters Ed responds: We wondered the same Lee. So we took a big stick and beat our diary writer to near death until he reinstated his BB updates.
Tykes!
TYKES R GOIN UP!!!! WE WILL PISS ON U FISHY BOYZ!!!!!!!
from BARNSLEY BOYZ
Letters Ed responds: Say hello to Gallimore and Donovan for us, won't you?
Splash
"Diary in sexist joke shocker as GTFC fan splashes two grand."
Splashes 2,000 what? Litres of spunk?
from Ian Holdsworth
More Meggies
Having spoken to the fountain of knowledge (my Mum) who in turn spoke to Aunty E who knows everything. Between the pair of them they have answered the question about 'Meggies'. Now I swear that to the best of my knowledge they have not been on the cooking sherry, so here it is.
Close your eyes and drift off way back in time, I mean way back, even before the birth of the beautiful game, Cleethorpes wasn't even Cleethorpes. It was then known as, wait for it, 'Megs Island'. The high lands of Cleethorpes where surrounded by water from Beacon Hill to Trinity Road up and around High Cliff the whole area was surrounded by water and 'Megs Island' was a fishing hamlet.
Throughout the ages it became custom for anybody born above Issacs Hill to be known locally as a 'Meggie'. Old Clee was the area the other side of the moat. Apparently family names have survived for centuries and are still common in the Cleethorpes area today. The likes of Appleyard, Chapman, Horner and Lidgard (my Mum's a Lidgard ). Oh, and the Nuttalls were the first family to have donkeys on the beach. Curiously, if you're a 'Meggie' you apparently wear red flannel underwear!
On your other recent subject 'Top Town': Top Town meant POSH long before the BECKHAMS. To work up 'Top Town' was considered an honour and boasted such names as 'Lawson and Stockdale' where as a teenager my mum worked in the 'Mantle Department'. Coats and suits to you and me. Then there was Guy and Smiths, Chambers Coffee Shop, Johnsons Chemist, Pailthorpes the Jewellers and the Pestle and Mortar public house.
If you worked up 'Top Town' you would go to The Ship Hotel on Alexander Road for Christmas lunch the day you broke up for Christmas, which I suppose in those days was probably Christmas Eve.
from Tim White
Well that's told me. Although I'm not sure what. Give us some feedback about footy n that. It's not hard, is it...as the vicar said to the...oh forget it.