Why my legs warn’t long enough to straddle the ‘oss..........
Joseph Philips otherwise known as ‘Tickling Joe’ was born in Leicester around 1738. It is not known exactly when Joseph was born, and when asked about his age he would always say – “Why, I wur born in that year as the pretender cum to England, that is, I’ve seed the reigns of five kings and queens together”, and to prove his age he would show off five crowns which had adorned the monarch’s heads. The crowns were cut from old hats Joe had made himself. Joseph was well known around the streets and markets of Leicester and renowned for his eccentricity. He had a huge fondness for children, he was often seen playing, entertaining, and making the little’uns laugh with delight. Joseph’s affection towards the younger generation earned him the nickname ‘Tickling Joe’.
Joseph was born in the St Martins Parish Workhouse, a group of five parish houses built in 1720 which once stood on Millstone Lane in Leicester. Not much is known about his family background. His grandfather was a printer and lived on Free School Lane and his father was a soldier who once served in the East Indies.
Joseph’s first apprenticeship was in Hinckley as a framework knitter, but he was soon whisked away to fight in the Seven Years War (1756 -1763). It was one day whilst Joe was walking through Knighton Hills to get to a village wake, he was approached by a soldier on horseback. The soldier who was amused by Joe’s 4ft 11” frame; half in jest and half in earnest suggested Joe to enlist under His Majesty’s King George’s banner to “fight the French”. Agreeing to the trooper’s request, the artillery man scooped up Joe into the saddle and rode off.
Joseph fought under the Marquess of Granby in Germany and Holland and belonged to the Oxford Blues. His role was a Kettle Drummer. The main purpose of drummers was to amplify the spoken orders of the commanding officer. During the Seven Years’ War military drummers made four pence more per day than private soldiers and were classified as non-commissioned officers. Their unique uniform visually distinguished them from the regiment they served in. Their apparel which was either the regiments colours worn in reverse or yellow and gold stripes, made them easy to spot and highly vulnerable targets. The drummers served such an important link in the chain of command that it was crucial they be replaced when lost in action.
Joe was discharged following the French campaign after acquiring an injury when riding. Joe often repeated when asked about his accident, “Why my legs warn’t long enough to straddle the ‘oss (horse)”. He was wounded several times during the war but often said he can “Fight his battles o’re (over) again”.
When returning to Leicester, Joseph worked as a mason’s labourer. Joseph loathed asking for charity and would often go days deprived of food. He preferred his allowance from the St Martin’s Parish of eighteen pence per week, work and earn a few pennies and eat broken victuals then be locked up in the workhouse.
To bump up his tiny income, Joseph carried water from the conduit (now Conduit Street) for the neighbouring tradesmen. Joseph helped labourers by doing little errands and collecting pins which he found on the pathways around the town, and probably selling them at the Saturday Market which he frequently visited. Joseph paid one shilling a week in rent for his lodgings which left him with six pence for food and clothing.
In the early hours of the morning, some days as early as six, Joseph would take morning strolls from his lodgings in Upper Churchgate all the way to the Racecourse at the top of the London Road (now Victoria Park).
In the winter months of 1837, an influenza epidemic hit Leicester. On 4 February 1837 it was reported St Margaret’s Church in the town hosted sixteen funerals in one day. All the persons to be buried had died from the contagion. Three bodies which had just turned up at the St Margaret’s gate had to be turned away and be buried elsewhere. In Melton Mowbray five hundred people where registered in one day suffering from the illness. Joseph was admitted into St Martins Workhouse. There he received the treatment he needed to help recover from the virus. At the grand old age of ‘approximately’ ninety-eight, Joseph preferred a good strong jug of ale to the “noxious mixture” the doctor tried to give him.
By July 1839, Joseph’s health was deteriorating, and because of his age and infirmity he was confined to bed. Joseph died on Tuesday 16 July 1839 at his lodgings in Upper Church Gate. His burial record puts him at the grand old age of ninety-eight, although the year before, on Thursday 23 August 1838 Joseph celebrated his One -hundredth birthday in the St Martins Workhouse.
Joseph ‘Tickling Joe’ Philips was buried in St Martins Churchyard (now Leicester Cathedral) on 21 July 1839.
