Who remembers the Rag & Bone Men

[jackyadam8 10]

Do any of you remember the Rag & Bone men that used to go round the streest with a Horse and Cart shouting "ANY OLD RAGS"

 

My Nan would say go out and put these old clothes on that mans cart.

 

The more modern day version is the plastic chariy bags you fill and leave outside now.

 

i remember living on thirlwell road off heely bottom with "uncle jack" rag and bone cart parked outside am sure balloons were given to the kids

[davide463 10]

I also remember our R & B man giving gold fish as incentive.

[kenny.gray 10]

i remember a rag and bone man coming around the manor,he had the name collins on the cart and was from somewere on penistone rd. he said.we could get ballons,goldfish and colouring books.used to see him in town and he was the best dressed man around.

[retired 10]

The Collins you refer to on Penistone Road may have been the Collins who was at the bottom of I think Upper alber street near the juction of Infirmary Road. I remember the horse & cart and the wheel barrow. Kids got either a ballon or if you had a big bundle a goldfish. Collins was a big family of rag & bone men scattered around Sheffield. There still is a Collins scrap man who I often see driving around and there is Collins skips, they are the grand & great grand children of the above mentioned who was in the Upperthorpe area.

 

I worked in Kiveton on job in 2002 and a r&b man came round with a loud speaker on his van shouting any old rags and scrap. I was told as a lad that some of the rags went into making paper. I am sure Jackie of Collins skips might be able to answer some of the questions relating to the rag & bone business.

[Urien 10]

HI that was Collins yard, he used to hire out ponies and carts to ragmen, Arthur.

 

Mum used to send us up to Collins' yard on Langsett Road with old clothes and rags. There they would weigh them and give us a few clothes pegs for them. Mum was never satisfied with the number of pegs we got.

 

I can also remember the knife sharpeners and the chimney sweeps. We'd love to watch the sparks that the knife grinder made and it was a major event when some-ones chimney caught fire, 'cos they hadn't had it swept for yonks. We'd stand there amazed as flames would lick their way up through the chimney pots as the fire brigade tried desperately to put out the fire - magic.

Edited July 3, 2009 by Urien

[rf2690 10]

I can remember Collins on Alfred Rd,was sent there many times as a child.Who said good old days, not pushing the pram back up Newhall Rd/Carlisle Rd.

[carosio 186]

It makes one wonder what Collins (and other rag and bone men) managed to put on their tax forms!

Edited July 2, 2009 by carosio

[sheff72 10]

i remember them the colins rag and bone men they were base near the ccc outdoor centre

[chrishall 10]

I think case hardening was the main use for bones in the early steel industry tho I stand to be corrected on this. In the eighteenth and nineteenth century fitters would put small items like pivot pins etc, for steam engines, into a steel box with leather and bone and put it into a fire. A few hours later they chucked the red hot contents into some water, result, case hardened.

[Janner 10]

Rag & bone men were still going around Parson Cross in 1948.

[deedar 10]

Used to get a goldfish in a bag, keep it in a jam jar and it'd live for about a week. Either that or a colouring book.

[dibsy 10]

Rag & bone men were still going around Parson Cross in 1948.

 

They were still going round much later than that. I was born in 64' and I remember being at my nans and getting writing books and balloons off the rag and bone man.