James was the innovator of the Lardie cake, and would walk around Calne with
his wicker basket full of these famous cakes.

A favorite dish of the time in country folks homes was a piece of bread, spread
with lard and sprinkled with sugar. It may sound disgusting to you, but try it
with a piece of bread spread with butter, then sprinkled with sugar. I
guarantee you will like it! From this basic commodity available in almost every
Wiltshire home, perhaps came the concept for James' famous Lardy cakes. He
simply spread the lard onto a flattened piece of dough,then sprinkled it with
sugar and currents, then folded it up and baked it in an oven. Today there are
many bakers making poor Lardy cakes all across the land. James' are remembered
for the sticky toffee that enveloped them. Eaten hot, they were a real treat.
James's idea was taken up by George Henry Caswell baker in London Rd Calne, and
the two Miss Caswells in Avebury.
When George Henry died suddenly, his wife sold the business to Wiltshire's of
Calne, and they carried on making Lardy cakes in Maslens bakery, Church St.
Many years later I worked for Maslens who taught me how to make these
delightful cakes, so the Caswell family still has therecipe and technique of
James Caswell. I still occasionally turn out an odd Lardy cake, just to keep my
hand in!

James liked to make dandelion wine, and enjoyed a game of cards. This was
in the days before TV, and so most evenings would be spent with a few of the local
farmworkers invited round for cards and wine. According to Fred Goddard, they
were a wicked bunch of card players, and often the games would go on until dawn,
when the farm workers would stagger out and go straight off to work.

Fred actually delivered the Lardy cakes for 'Bill' and as a reward was given
one, hot from the oven, to take home for tea on Saturdays.

Numerous children were employed in the collection of Dandelion flowers for wine
production. They were usually given sweets from a jar in the shop as payment.

James had a serious accident when climbing up a ladder into the loft . The
ladder slipped and he grabbed for something to steady himself, and
unfortunately it was a huge eartherware pitcher. He pulled the pitcher over,
and he fell with the pitcher smashing on top of him. Fred seems to think this
was the beginning of the end for poor James.

In the 1898 North Wilts Directory for Yatesbury, James was recorded as being
the local mail carrier or postman.