Litl Rag

18 August 2000

Litl Rag

Fen dialect contributed to the naming of this house at March, Cambs.

When Arthur and Margaret Dunham took over the family farm 35 years ago, they knocked down an old alehouse to build their dwelling.

The pub, which was derelict, was called "The Lamb and Flag" but had been known locally as "The Little Rag". A mile away, incidentally, was another old pub which was nicknamed "The Big Rag".

So, when it came to naming their home, Margaret chose the name and Arthur chose the spelling, deliberately including "a bit of fen".

"It confuses people completely," says Margaret. "They write it in full – but we like it spelt properly. You get an extra tick if you spell it correctly."