Spaldwick’s Sweet-Shop Keeper Who Lived to 104
Rhoda Paine’s life stretched from the reign of George III to the First World War. Known locally as Spaldwick’s oldest resident—and for many years reputed to be the oldest person in Huntingdonshire—she died in February 1915 at the remarkable age of 104. A surviving photograph, local building history and a warm recollection by writer Harold Ashton allow us to see more than her exceptional age: they reveal a familiar village figure who kept a little sweet shop, attended chapel and quietly delighted a child with acid drops.
A life rooted in Spaldwick
Rhoda was born around 1810 or 1811. Local research identifies her as a granddaughter of the Revd J. Manning of Spaldwick Free Church, connecting her closely with the village’s Nonconformist history. The spelling of her surname varies between sources: the Cambridgeshire Archives catalogue and the Manor Farm history use Paine, while the Spaldwick timeline uses Payne.
For a considerable period she lived in two ground-floor rooms in the western extension of Manor Farmhouse. The surviving building history records her occupation of this part of the house, giving Rhoda a precise place within the historic village streetscape rather than leaving her as merely a name in a census or death notice.
Harold Ashton remembers ‘old Rhoda’
The most personal description comes from Spaldwick-born author and war correspondent Harold Ashton. In the ‘Rake o’ Flaze’ section of his 1917 collection The Tale of a Tank and Other Yarns, Ashton recalls sitting in chapel as a child. In the next pew was Rhoda, whom he describes as the keeper of the village’s little sweet shop.
“Old Rhoda, who kept the little sweet-shop in the village”
Ashton remembered that Rhoda was very deaf but said she could hear the angels singing on still Sundays. She brought a small paper packet of acid drops to chapel and gave the young Ashton a sweet for helping her find the correct place in the service. It is an affectionate literary recollection rather than an official record, but it transforms Rhoda from a statistic into a recognisable member of the community: devout, independent and kind to a village child.
Pages 114–115 of Harold Ashton’s ‘Rake o’ Flaze’, showing his recollection of Rhoda in chapel. The reference to Rhoda appears on page 114.
Rhoda, the chapel and the village photograph
The Cambridgeshire Archives catalogue describes the surviving photograph as a view of Spaldwick showing harvesting machinery, Rhoda Paine and, on the right, a house occupying the site of the later Plymouth Brethren chapel. Together with Ashton’s account and Rhoda’s descent from the Revd J. Manning, it reinforces the importance of chapel life in her story.
The child standing beside Rhoda is not identified in the catalogue information currently available. The photograph should therefore be captioned without assigning a name or relationship unless further evidence emerges.
Spaldwick’s oldest resident
Rhoda died in February 1915, aged 104. The Manor Farm history records her death at Huntingdon Infirmary; the existing Spaldwick timeline describes the place as Huntingdon Workhouse. These descriptions may refer to the infirmary attached to the workhouse institution, but the wording should remain cautious until the original death or institutional record is checked.
Her longevity was extraordinary, but Ashton’s memory preserves something equally valuable: an elderly woman in the next pew, carrying a paper of acid drops and maintaining a small kindness towards a boy who would grow up to become a prominent journalist and author.
Sources and further reading
Harold Ashton, ‘Rake o’ Flaze’, pp. 114–115. Photograph of the supplied volume. Page 114 contains Ashton’s recollection of Rhoda, the village sweet-shop keeper, attending chapel and giving him acid drops. The section appears in Ashton’s 1917 collection The Tale of a Tank and Other Yarns.
Cambridgeshire Archives catalogue — KPH/73, image 28 — https://calm.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/TreeBrowse.aspx?field=RefNo&key=KPH%2F73&src=CalmView.Catalog
Catalogue description for a Spaldwick village photograph showing harvesting machinery, Rhoda Paine and a house on the site of the later Plymouth Brethren chapel.
History of Manor Farmhouse, Spaldwick — https://www.spaldwick.com/wp-content/uploads/ShortpixelBackups/wp-content/uploads/Manor-Farm.pdf
Records that Rhoda Paine occupied two ground-floor rooms in the western extension, identifies her as a granddaughter of the Revd J. Manning of Spaldwick Free Church, and states that she died in February 1915 aged 104.
100 Years of Spaldwick — https://www.spaldwick.com/information/history/100-years-of-spaldwick. The existing village timeline records Rhoda Payne’s death in February 1915 at the age of 104 and her reputation as the oldest person in the county.