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Great great granny dies aged 108 | |
(about 3 hours later) | |
One of the oldest people in Scotland has died at the age of 108. | |
Elizabeth Cockburn, who lived to see six generations of her family grow up, passed away in Aberdeenshire on Sunday, 59 years after her husband. | |
For 78 years, she had lived in a remote croft with no electricity or running water near Turriff, but moved to a modern home before her 101st birthday. | For 78 years, she had lived in a remote croft with no electricity or running water near Turriff, but moved to a modern home before her 101st birthday. |
She is survived by seven grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren and five great great grandchildren. | She is survived by seven grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren and five great great grandchildren. |
Grandson Norman Cockburn, 53, said: "As every year passed by, we kept wondering how long she had left. But she would just keep on going. | Grandson Norman Cockburn, 53, said: "As every year passed by, we kept wondering how long she had left. But she would just keep on going. |
"She carried on her hobbies and was still knitting away three weeks ago. I couldn't say what the quality of the knitting was like, but she kept it up to the end. | "She carried on her hobbies and was still knitting away three weeks ago. I couldn't say what the quality of the knitting was like, but she kept it up to the end. |
She used to have an old fashioned radio powered by a battery Norman Cockburn | She used to have an old fashioned radio powered by a battery Norman Cockburn |
"She had lived in her croft for 78 years so we got a shock when she finally agreed to stay in sheltered housing. Until then, she had never used a TV before but took to it straightaway. | "She had lived in her croft for 78 years so we got a shock when she finally agreed to stay in sheltered housing. Until then, she had never used a TV before but took to it straightaway. |
"She was also very taken with having a bathroom inside because she had used an outdoor toilet all her life." | "She was also very taken with having a bathroom inside because she had used an outdoor toilet all her life." |
Elizabeth met her late husband, George, when she worked at the croft as the family housekeeper. | Elizabeth met her late husband, George, when she worked at the croft as the family housekeeper. |
They later married and brought up four children together, until his death in 1950. | They later married and brought up four children together, until his death in 1950. |
Mr Cockburn put his grandmother's long life down to working at the croft, carrying out tasks which most people take for granted, such as walking for half a mile just to get water from the nearest well. | Mr Cockburn put his grandmother's long life down to working at the croft, carrying out tasks which most people take for granted, such as walking for half a mile just to get water from the nearest well. |
'Very restricted' | 'Very restricted' |
The family had to walk another mile to the nearest garage to charge up their house battery for power, they also kept vegetable plots and some cattle on the farm. | The family had to walk another mile to the nearest garage to charge up their house battery for power, they also kept vegetable plots and some cattle on the farm. |
"She used to have an old fashioned radio powered by a battery," Mr Cockburn said. | "She used to have an old fashioned radio powered by a battery," Mr Cockburn said. |
"The battery used to take three days to charge and we were very much restricted to how much radio we could listen to because of the cost of the batteries. | "The battery used to take three days to charge and we were very much restricted to how much radio we could listen to because of the cost of the batteries. |
"When electricity came in, it was going to cost her £500 to get it installed. She couldn't afford this so just carried on living the way she was." | "When electricity came in, it was going to cost her £500 to get it installed. She couldn't afford this so just carried on living the way she was." |
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