A FORMER farmer has celebrated reaching 100.
Barnard Castle’s Mary Hammond was born in the final year of the Great War and spent her early life at Parrick House, in Marwood.
She worked on the family farm and went to school in Langleydale and Eggleston before working in Middleton-in-Teesdale and Barnard Castle later in life.
Working on the farm with no tractors and just horses, she had three children – Enid, Colin and Nancy.
Tragically, her husband fell ill with tuberculosis in 1947 and died the same year.
“It was in the days before penicillin,” said her son.
Ms Hammond worked at Peat’s, in Middleton-in-Teesdale, and the school kitchen in the village.
She then moved to Vere Road, Barnard Castle, for 22 years before living for a short time with her daughter Nancy.
Still fit and lively, Ms Hammond now lives at the Manor House, in Barnard Castle.
A grandmother of seven and great-grandmother ten, she brought up her three figures last Wednesday (April 25) with a cake, flowers and a letter from the queen marking the occasion.
When it came to long life, she said staying away from drinking and smoking were key.
Mr Hammond added: “She was always up at five in the morning to milk the cows.”
