James Swallow was always known as Jimmy Too - the reasons why are not known but it was a nickname that stuck.

Born in Little Hadham to James Swallow (s0049) and Ann Gillett he was christened on 29th September 1844. He was the youngest of six known children and the only male.

In his younger days he was a groom and horse keeper and in the 1891 census listed his occupation as farmer.

Jimmy married Mary Petchey, also of Little Hadham and two years his senior; between them produced four off-spring in seven years: William, Annie, Albert and Fred.

Jimmy and his family lived with Mary's father - John Petchey - at the time of the 1881 cenus. They lived in Church End  at the Common House (Fiddlers Croft) just South of the Stortford Road near Stone Farm and the Church End turnoff.

One night in the 1870`s, after a night in the Angel pub, Jimmy stumbled into a ditch, breaking a leg very badly. His wife, Mary, worried that he hadn`t returned, went out with a lantern and scoured the lanes looking for him. He was a big man, and when she found him she struggled to get him home. He spent some years recovering, and could never work properly after the accident, just doing a little gardening for the Rev. Bury.

Jimmy`s wife Mary spoke of seeing the first ever train to pass along the Stortford to Cambridge line just after it was built when she was just four or five years old.

A full picture of Jimmy Too with walking stick can be seen by clicking here.