The Pateshalls of Allensmore Court

Throughout their years at Allensmore Court, the Pateshall family proved themselves to be kind and generous – indeed, they donated most of the money needed to restore the church in 1880, and Evan Pateshall donated the land for the building of a village school in 1870. (The school closed in 1957, but the building is now used as a village hall).

Servants were clearly well treated and many remained loyal for many years – in 1863 it was reported that Henry Neat, aged 43, died after many years being the faithful servant of Mrs. Burnam Pateshall; then in 1859, Mrs. Elizabeth Harper died at Allensmore Court aged 53, being described as “the faithful and attached servant of Mrs. Burnam Pateshall”.
In 1939, Alfred Kitson of Hereford, died aged 74 and the headlines were “Faithful Servant – Family Tribute to Dead Employee.” It went on to say that for 60 years he worked in the gardens at Allensmore Court, and served three generations of the Pateshall family, including Lt. Col. Evan P. Pateshall (died 1912) and Col. Henry Evan Pateshall, Deputy Lieutenant for Herefordshire and Chairman of the County Territorial Association.

Rear Admiral Nicholas Lechmere Pateshall

Nicholas was the fourth son of Edmund Pateshall, born 13th September 1781. He survived his elder brother, Edmund Burnam Pateshall and succeeded to his estates in 1848. He remained on active service until 1816, being engaged in many distinguished actions.

In 1840 he was Mayor of the city of Hereford, and he also became a Justice of the Peace.

He died 18th October 1854 and in 1858 a fine gothic monument in Caen stone was erected in his memory, in the monumental chamber over the family vault in Allensmore Church.

Evan Pateshall

Evan was the youngest son of David Thomas of Radnorshire, and was born December 1817. He was educated in Shrewsbury, and then King’s College London. He became a Magistrate and Deputy Lieutenant for Herefordshire as well as for Brecon and Radnor. He commanded one of the companies of the Hereford Rifle Volunteers.

Evan Pateshall was Mayor of Hereford in 1863, and in that same year he was returned as a member of the Town Council.  In 1873, Evan was again returned to the Town Council but Alderman Shellard petitioned against his election on the grounds that he was not a city dweller, and therefore not eligible to sit on the Council.  After an official enquiry, the seat was declared vacant.

The following year, Evan contested the MP of the city in the Conservative interest and was elected, however in 1879 he resigned his seat due to ill health.
Evan married Anne Elizabeth in 1842, she being the only child of William Pateshall. He took on the name Pateshall in 1855.
He died on April 9th 1885 aged 67.

Anne Elizabeth Pateshall lived until the good age of 95 when she died in 1910.

A treat for the Wesleyan Sunday School Children

The Hereford Wesleyan Sunday School enjoyed an annual treat, and in 1877  Evan and Anne Pateshall agreed that they could use one of his meadows at Allensmore Court.

140 children duly arrived with teachers;  ministers and friends, and a wonderful day was enjoyed, with games of cricket;  leaping;  swinging and running until hunger stopped play and they all devoured a magnificent tea on the grass.

During the evening Evan turned up to see that all was well, and was pleased to see the children enjoying themselves so much.  He then led the whole party on a tour of the garden and lake until it began to get dark.

Everyone finished the day with hymns and a big vote of thanks for Mr. and Mrs. Pateshall before heading back to Hereford in “vans” – sprung, covered carts.

It was reported that it was a most enjoyable day “without any serious injury”!

Edmund Burnam Pateshall

Edmund Burnam Pateshall was a well respected man, and became a Magistrate and Deputy Lieutenant for Herefordshire.

He was the eldest son of Edmund Lechmere, afterwards Pateshall,  and later when his mother died in 1820 he assumed by Royal license the additional surname and arms of Burnam.

The Royal License………take a deep breath before attempting to read!

Whitehall, March 1, 1820…….The King hath been pleased to give and grant unto Edmund Pateshall of Allensmore in the county of Hereford, Esq. one of his Majesty’s Lieutenants and in the Commission of the Peace for the said county, eldest son and heir of Edmund Pateshall of Allensmore aforesaid, Esq. deceased, by Ann his wife, only daughter and heir of William Burnam of Westington in the parish of Grendon Bishop in the said county of Hereford, also deceased, his Royal license and authority, that, from an affectionate regard to the memory of his said late honoured mother’s family, he the said Edmund Pateshall and his issue may take and use the surname of Burnam in addition to and preceding that of Pateshall.  And also to command that the said Royal concession and declaration be registered in his Majesty’s College of Arms.

in 1804 he married the eldest daughter of James Ingram of Burford, Salop, but they had no children.

Edmund died in 1848 aged 69.

Miss Alice Muriel Pateshall

I do love descriptions of weddings, and Alice’s in 1915 sounded lovely.
“A very pretty and fashionable wedding, and one of considerable interest to West Suffolk was solemnised at St. Mary’s Church, Kington, Herefordshire, when Mr. Windsor Duncan Parker, son of the late Duncan Parker J.P. and of Mrs. Parker, Clopton Hall, Woolpit, Suffolk, was married to Miss Alice Muriel Pateshall, daughter of the late Lieut. Col. Henry Evan Pateshall of Allensmore Court, Hereford. Owing to the war, the marriage took place very quietly. The ceremony was performed by the Lord Bishop of Hereford, assisted by the Rev. R. Pelly. The bride, who was given away by her mother, Mrs. Pateshall, was charmingly attired in a gown of silver toned charmeuse draped with an exquisite old Brussels lace shawl to form an Empire coat, with sprays of myrtle and orange flowers and Brussels net veil. She carried a beautiful bouquet of white carnations, lilies of the valley and white heather, and wore a pearl and diamond necklet, the gift of the bridegroom. There were no bridesmaids; the bride’s mother wore a gown of soft lavender brocade of simple design, with a beautiful blonde lace fichu draped with a velvet flower. Mrs. Duncan Parker, the bridegroom’s mother was attired in black charmeuse draped with black lace.

Allensmore Court Household and servants 1851 census

 Allensmore Court Household and servants 1861 census

Allensmore Court Household and servants 1871 census

Allensmore Court Household and servants 1881 census

 Allensmore Court Household and servants 1891 census

Allensmore Court Household and servants 1901 census

Allensmore Court Household 1921 census

In spite of the fact that Blacksmiths, or Farriers, were in huge demand because of the importance of sound horses etc. there were still a great many bankruptcies

These bankruptcies were spread out over Herefordshire, and didn’t seem to be confined to any particular area

December 1865

John Lane the younger November 1813 Butcher, Dealer Bodenham, Herefordshire
S. Redding May 1815 Butcher Colwall, Herefordshire
T. Powell April 1818 Butcher Leominster, Herefordshire
J.Morgan November 1828 Butcher Bromyard, Herefordshire
J. Wellington May 1840 Butcher Ross on Wye, Herefordshire
Robert Pye March 1848 Butcher Weston Under Penyard, Herefordshire
E. Smith August 1851 Butcher Eaton Bishop, Herefordshire
R. Little March 1853 Butcher Lea, Herefordshire
Elijah Savory November 1857 Butcher Ledbury, Herefordshire
E. Yapp February 1859 Butcher Leominster, Herefordshire
John Griffiths January 1862 Butcher Kington, Herefordshire
William Thorne Janurary 1863 Butcher Coddington, Herefordshire
Thomas Phillips February 1863 Butcher Byton, Herefordshire
Charles Edwards July 1863 Butcher Kington,Herefordshire
Adam Clarke April 1864 Butcher Ledbury, Herefordshire
Henry Harvey December 1864 Butcher Hentland, Herefordshire
William Spencer December 1865 Butcher Sutton, Herefordshire
William Kedward May 1867 Butcher Kington, Herefordshire
William Harding May 1869 Butcher Much Marcle, Herefordshire
G. Lloyd May 1876 Butcher Goodrich, Herefordshire
Charles Henry Smith August 1876 Butcher Bromyard, Herefordshire
J. Baskerville October 1877 Butcher Wellington, Herefordshire

They lived in the castle behind the church, and there are still some reminders of the family in the church today. The gravestone of Sir Humphrey Baskerville, died 1647, is in the floor of the Vestry, and the heads carved at the bottom of the Vestry arch may well be representations of members of the family. The Baskervilles died out in 1666, and the Barnsley family took over as Lords of the Manor. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle spent much time in Herefordshire, and it is thought possible that although the story of the Hound of the Baskervilles is set in the West Country he drew inspiration from Eardisley and the surrounding area. Certainly he used many local place names in the tale, as well as well known Herefordshire surnames.

James Bateman 1660-1718

James Bateman bought the Shobdon Estate in 1705 from Sir Robert Chaplin for the, then, vast sum of £30.428, and was already important in London society, having been Lord Mayor; Director of the Bank of England, Deputy Governor of the South Sea Company; an MP and Sheriff of London, and Director of the East India Company. Sir James Bateman replaced the old Jacobean Shobdon Court with a Palladian style mansion, which stood close to the church until 1933 when it was demolished. Sir James died in 1718 and was buried with splendid ceremony at night in Surrey at the Church of Tooting Graveney – he bequeathed the whole Shobdon estate to his eldest son, William (1695-1744) who was 23 at the time.

William Bateman 1695-1744

William married Anne Spencer in 1720, daughter of Charles Spencer the 3rd Duke of Sutherland and master of Althorp and granddaughter of John Churchill, the First Duke of Marlborough, and during the next twenty seven years William extended the extensive land holdings to include much of Kingsland, Wigmore, Aymestrey and Lingen. He became MP for Leominster and in 1725 George 1 gave him an Irish Peerage and he became Baron Culmore and First Viscount Bateman. In 1732 he became a Knight of the Order of the Bath. Unfortunately, his marriage did not last and they separated in 1738 – William died in Paris some six years later, and his heart is buried at Shobdon.

John Bateman 1721-1802

William’s oldest son John, born 1721, took on the management of the estate along with his uncle Richard (William’s brother), however John was rarely there being busy in London, so Richard (died 1773) ran things at Shobdon and organised the demolition of the Norman church and the building of a new one. The reasons for this are not known, but it is very sad that they destroyed one of the most beautiful Romanesque churches in the country – however, the new one is equally important. Lord John Bateman died in 1802 at the age of 80.

William Hanbury/Bateman 1780-1845

Neither Richard nor Lord John had heirs, and the Estate passed to William Hanbury (1780-1845) of Kelmarsh Hall in Northamptonshire in 1802…….he was descended from Sir James Bateman on the female line. It was not until 1837 that Mr. Hanbury became a peer, so for a gap of 35 years there was no Lord Bateman at Shobdon. In order to formalise the title, William had to change his name to Bateman-Hanbury.

William Bateman 1826-1931

The Second Baron Bateman, William (1826-1901) son of the above, took the title of Lord on the death of his father in 1845 and was Lord Lieutenant of Herefordshire for nearly 50 years, being involved in the life of the county as well as the Shobdon Estate. He loved hunting, and owned a racehorse, which perhaps hints at a lavish lifestyle…….certainly his finances dwindled to the point where Shobdon had to be heavily mortgaged. Even though he had to live more frugally, he still did exemplary public works in his post of Lord Lieutenant. He died in London in 1901 and his body was buried at Shobdon amongst much grieving.

William Bateman 1856-1931

The Third Baron Bateman, yet another William (1856-1931) was the eldest of eleven children and took on the title at the age of 45 when his father died in 1901 – when he died in 1931 and the Bateman dynasty ended. Slowly but surely the estate was broken up as money became tighter and tighter and these days very little of the big house remains except for the former servant’s wing.

The family were much embroiled in the English Civil Wars, and Rudhall died whilst commanding the Holy Island Garrison. He had a brother, Charles, who was exiled with King James l, and he died in France. Charles had a son, also called Charles, who having renounced the English Government was unable to return to Breinton to claim his estate. He secretly, with the help of a friend, leased the land to the Dean of Hereford, but when the friend died, his housekeeper Alice Shaw inherited the land. Eventually the whole estate was gifted to Thomas Cooke of Kinnersley who had built up a thriving Tannery in Weobley. Thomas passed on the land to his brother James Cooke who was a bookseller at the British Museum in London, and James returned to Herefordshire. James had one son, Thomas, who after going to Eton and Oxford became a Barrister, then later a Lieutenant Colonel in the Hereford County Militia.

 
David was educated at Lichfield grammar school, before going to a theatrical academy opened at Edial by Samuel Johnson – the academy didn’t do well, and eventually in 1737 Samuel Johnson and David who had formed a friendship headed for London, where David became a wine salesman in the family firm before pursuing his dream of being an actor and playwright.

David Garrick the Actor

David Garrick starting his acting career anonymously as he didn’t want his family to know that he was following what was regarded generally as a low profession, and even after the death of his mother in 1740 he was still reluctant to confess. He appeared in several plays where he was reasonably well received but failed in his attempts to work at Covent Garden or Drury Lane.
In 1741 though, everything changed. He gave a phenomenal performance as Richard III at the Goodman’s Fields Theatre in London and he began to act under his real name as well as telling his father what he was up to. He became an overnight sensation and went on to play many diverse roles brilliantly.

 
In April 1747 some of David’s friends helped him to raise money in order to buy the lease of the Drury Lane Theatre, and he and his new partner James Lacy turned the theatre into one of the finest in Europe. David had high standards and didn’t suffer slackers, be they actors or technicians, and there was a high turnover at the Theatre – however he cherished those that he found favourable, even eschewing chances to play Macbeth again after his leading lady in the play, Hannah Pritchard, died in 1768.

One change at the theatre that took him a good 15 years to bring into effect was the banning of inebriated men from sitting on the stage; something that could never be imagined now.
The theatre layout was very class conscious, with the upper gallery being for working classes; the next level down was for middle classes, and the lower boxes were for the gentry. The pit in front of the stage was used by professionals, and the boxes at the very top of the auditorium were used by prostitutes who were on the lookout for business.

David made other innovatitive changes at the Drury Lane Theatre, replacing the candles with oil lamps in the auditorium, and using lanterns to light the stage. His clever business sense saw him reap the rewards, and he built a large mansion on the banks of the river in Hampton to add to his other residences in London.

David Garrick the Man

David was no great oil painting, but possibly his charisma made it easy for him to attract women, and for a while he lived with Peg Woffington, an actress who specialised in cross dressing parts including Rosalind in As You Like It. Eventually Garrick brought the relationship to a close.
He married Eva Maria Veigel, a Roman Catholic Austrian opera dancer, in 1749; they were to have no children but the marriage was a happy one and despite her lack of English, she threw herself into lavish entertainment with her husband. In 1763 they embarked on a continental tour, but Eva was in great pain with her back, possibly a slipped disc, and David nearly died of typhoid in Munich.

 
David had a great many influential friends, including Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough, both of whom immortalised him in oils;   he also had shares in several newspapers of the time, and lately it has been suggested that he indulged in more than a little self-promotion, writing numerous wonderful reviews of his own performances. There is no doubting his excellence as an actor and businessman, but certainly his many articles praising his own acting prowess would have fuelled the public’s adoration.

 
David Garrick retired from the stage and sold his share of the Drury Lane patent in 1775, before settling down to enjoy his retirement. He became a member of Johnson’s Literary Club which met once a week for dinner and discussion, and at Hampton he loved spending time in his garden with his dogs and relatives, or indoors in his library.

Death of David Garrick

David had always had kidney problems, and whilst staying at Althorp with Lord and Lady Spencer during the New Year celebrations of 1779 be suddenly became very ill. He returned to his house in Adelphi Terrace, where he died. He was buried in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey.

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He was also a pioneer of modern anaesthetics as well as looking for ways to improve the general health of people in Herefordshire. He was a keen naturalist, and along with the Rev. Charles Bulmer (of cider fame) he researched orchards in general and cider making in particular.
His grave is in Breinton churchyard.

Churches of Hardwicke

• Holy Trinity Church - Hardwicke

  This church dates from around 1853 and was largely funded by the Penoyre family who were prominent in the area. The Rev. W. T. Penoyre was the first vicar of this church.

  Foundation stone laid for new church

  In 1849, on the 12th June, the foundation stone for the new church in the township of Hardwick and parish of Clifford was laid by the Rev. T.W. Webb of Tretire amidst much ceremony.

  The Rev. Mr. Clay of Exeter officiated as priest in the order of service, assisted by the Rev. W.N. Penoyre who gave out the 100th Psalm which was “sung with good effect”.

  Consecration of new church

  in 1851, the ceremony of the Consecration of the District Church of the Holy Trinity took place on 3rd September.

  The sky was blue, and the weather perfect.

  Description of Holy Trinity

  “The church which consists of a nave, clear storied, with aisle up the centre, chancel and vestry, is built in hewn stone in the early English decorated style prevalant in the 14th century, with exquisitely stained glass windows.  It is calculated to accommodate 15o persons”

  “On entering the church the effect caused by the entire absence of galleries and by the lofty and high pitched roofs, is exceedingly striking.  The roof timber is all of the best heart of oak.

   

   

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Font, worked by Edwin Hughes

   

   

  

   

   

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• People of Hardwicke - Col. Thomas Powell

  Thomas Powell led a conspicuously simple life, and along the way gained many true friends.

   

  Thomas was born in 1770 in the parish of Clifford;  at 17 he bought himself a commission as Ensign in the 14th Regiment, then from March 1793 until April 1795 he served with his regiment in Flanders.  He engaged in all the actions and sieges during those notorious campaigns, and experienced the horror of the British Army’s retreat from Dunkirt to Bremen.

   

  The troops were more than two weeks without any food apart from the odd vegetable, and our hero Thomas survived for 8 days on nothing but raw onions – all this in the most severest cold weather.

   

  When the 14th returned home, it was sent to the West Indies to take part in the reduction of the French and Spanish islands – during this time Thomas succeeded to the command of the regiment, both as Major and Lieutenant Colonel.  He was to escape death in the trenches and on the battle field on more than one occasion, and was once wounded through his hips by a musket ball.

   

  He was exceptionally brave, and exhibited great qualities of discipline and leadership.  Unfortunately, ill health forced his return home and he resigned his command to General Sir James Watson.

   

  In 1808 he recieved the commission as Lieutenant Colonel of the Second Regiment of North Herefordshire Militia, and he went on to take that regiment to the highest condition.

   

  Eventually Thomas Powell retired to a quiet spot in Herefordshire, where he discarded his duties of landlord;  magistrate and gentleman – much to the delight and affection of all his friends and neighbours.

   

  Thomas was a great agriculturist, being Chairman of the West Herefordshire Agricultural Association;  he was ever ready to help the poor and it was thought that when he died there would be broken a connecting link between the upper, middle and lower classes of society in Herefordshire.  He was a staunch supporter of civil and religious liberty, and his influence amongst local voters was great.

  On his death he left one son, the then vicar of Dorstone, and he was buried at Clifford Church on 26th April 1856.

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“Bacton Villa near Abbey Dore was the scene on Friday last of much festivity on the occasion of the coming of age of Mr. J.H. Hamp. A mixed brass band arrived at Bacton about half past seven o’clock and the bells of Abbey Dore and Bacton commenced ringing, continuing with the fire of cannon, throughout the day. Some time since a Committee was formed to collect subscriptions, with which were purchased an ox, a wagon load of bread, a quantity of cider and two fat sheep.
A procession was formed at the Lion Inn, and accompanied by the band, with the ox ready for the spit, bread, five hogs heads of cider in three wagons drawn by 15 grey horses richy caparisoned with rosettes etc., advanced to the residence of Mr. Hamp where it arrived about twelve o’clock. The concourse of persons on foot and horseback was numerous and the procession was a mile in length and it is calculated that there were two to three thousand persons present. There were several flags with the procession and at Dore were two triumphal arches having the words “long life and happiness to John H. Hamp Esq.” surmounted upon the one, and on the other which was very tastefully decorated, and placed at the entrance to the lawn, “Welcome!”
Eventually, after lengthy speeches……..
“The beef and mutton, with the accompaniments of bread and cider, having been satisfactorily disposed of, a succession of all kinds of rustic games took place – girls running races for bonnets and gown pieces; boys for hats; others leaping the brook, climbing a greasy pole, bobbing for sixpences in a tub of water etc. In the afternoon there was a dance upon the green, with Mr. Hamp leading off with a lady from Ross and the visitors at Bacton joining in the animated throng.
At night a brilliant display of fireworks took place, after which again there was a dance within doors and a healthy enjoyment was kept up until morning.!

Kilpeck may be delightful, but it was not without its share of villains and in 1839 James Beavan of this village went on the run after stealing sheep. He was described as being 36, 5’5″ tall with sandy hair, large whiskers, small eyes and thin features, and a bounty of five sovereigns was put on his head. (Just possibly a genealogist researching this name in Herefordshire will find this helpful!)

On Eastnor Knoll by John Masefield

SILENT are the woods, and the dim green boughs are

Hushed in the twilight: yonder, in the path through

The apple orchard, is a tired plough-boy

Calling the cows home.

 

A bright white star blinks, the pale moon rounds, but

Still the red, lurid wreckage of the sunset

Smoulders in smoky fire, and burns on

The misty hill-tops.

 

Ghostly it grows, and darker, the burning

Fades into smoke, and now the gusty oaks are

A silent army of phantoms thronging

A land of shadows.

John Masefield was born on 1st June 1878 in Ledbury, Herefordshire, in a house called The Knapp which was built by his father at the top end of town (The Homend).  The house is now difficult to spot as it is well hidden behind tall trees.  However, a member of the Masefield family owned and lived in the house at the time that I first wrote this, and he kindly gave permission for us to take a photograph:

Tragically, although developers were initially refused permission to demolish the house and build a retirement home, that decision was overturned due to the new Labour Government’s policy, and before too long this historic building will be no more.

Childhood of John Masefield

The above poem was a wistful memory of his happy early childhood days which were spent in carefree exploration of the beautiful surrounding countryside – all this was to change. His mother was a clergyman’s daughter who tragically died after giving birth to Norah, John’s youngest sister, when he was only 6, and then less than two years later both of his grandparents died. His father, a local solicitor, could not cope and had a nervous breakdown; he too died shortly afterwards.

John was entrusted to the care of a his rather unsympathetic Aunt and Uncle, who simply did not understand children.  They lived at the opposite end of Ledbury, at the Priory,

and I suppose that suddenly finding yourself landed with small relatives, and the task of bring them up, would be rather daunting, so some of their decisions may have been made in a mistaken belief that they were doing the right thing.   However, for John who had loved reading from an early age, it must have been heartbreaking when they removed the library of books from his home in an effort to steer him away from thoughts of a career in writing. He had been educated  at Warwick School (then sometimes referred to to as King’s School), Warwick, from January 1888 to July 1891, but at the age of 13 his Aunt sent him to the training ship Conway in the River Mersey, to begin a life at sea;  at first he was less than enthusiastic, but gradually grew to enjoy the life especially as he found that he had the time and the means  to indulge his passion for reading and learning.  From there, at the age of 16, he gained an apprenticeship on a four masted sailing ship, the Gilcruix, and one of his jobs was to record entries in the ship’s journal every day – something he must have loved!   The ship rounded Cape Horn on it’s way to Chile, and our hero experienced sea sickness in a major way for the first time – nothing new or unexpected in those turbulent waters – but  then on top of that was taken ill at Chile with severe sunburn which forced him to be hospitalised.   He returned to England by steamer as a passenger, where he eventually recovered, and at the insistence of his Aunt, who presumably was still worried that he would waste his life writing,  went back to sea working on a ship bound for New York….where he jumped ship and stayed for several years, initially roaming as a vagrant and taking whatever work he could find before landing a job in a carpet factory. All the while he continued to believe in his ability to write.

This extract from one of his books……..In The Mill……is about that period of his life:

“In a few days I mastered mistake-finding sufficiently to enjoy it very much and do it competently. I was at it all day long, working at speed; well, that was no hardship to me. From childhood, I had been trained to jump to the order; and speed has always seemed to me to be a vital part of efficiency. The continual movement put an end to my day-dreams about the Merchant Service college. I now was moving about all day long, going from floor to floor, stopping a loom, getting another under way, solving some odd error, or causing something to be set right, and having brief words with weavers now and then about the working of their machines. Most of my joy in the work came from its independence. I was the mistake-finder, running the job pretty much as I liked, trusted t do it well, and knowing that I was trusted. The flattery of this was a continual great delight to me; it was my first command, and full of the liveliest interest. No man can be unmoved by the great concerted energy of many men and women. The roaring thundering clang of the energy of the weaving-rooms was a big and exciting thing. Sometimes I felt that it was an enormous dragon and that my mind was going against it with one little purpose, to get at its secret springs and master it.””

It is recorded that John (known at the factory as Macey) was a hard and useful worker, and he gained several promotions, but on the day in 1897 that the Supervisor indicated that “Macey” could be given a large area of the factory to run by himself, he was horrified and immediately collected his pay and caught a merchant ship heading back to England where he threw all his energies into his writing. Initially he reported for newspapers, but his days at sea were frequently on his mind and he wrote many sea poems, including the well-known and evocative Sea Fever:  (later editions of this poem included the word “go* in the first line of each verse – as in “I must go down to the seas again…….”

I must  down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,

And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,

And a gray mist on the sea’s face, and a gray dawn breaking.

 

I must  down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide

Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;

And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,

And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

 

I must  down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,

To the gull’s way and the whale’s way, where the wind’s like a whetted knife;

And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,

And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.

Marriage and later life

John Masefield was often in ill health, and also suffered with depression which was probably partly due to the fact that he wanted to return to the countryside but had to remain in the city where he had found a low paid job in a bank.  When he was 23 he met Constance de la Cherois-Crommelin, who was 13 years his senior but highly educated and more than a match for his literary mind. She was a descendent of the Hugeunots who had left France to escape the persecution of the Roman Catholic church. She must truly have loved John, to have given up her rich and privileged lifestyle for one of relative poverty, and he adored her. They married in 1903 and had two children, a son and a daughter; with much of the money for day to day living coming from Constance. John worked hard writing book reviews, as well as books and plays but wrote little in the way of poetry but it is reported that on a spring day in 1911 he found some Primroses amongst the woods and heard a voice in his head saying “the spring is beginning.” Some weeks later he was once again out for a walk when suddenly a complete poem formed in his head and after rushing home to write it down “The Everlasting Mercy” was born. This narrative poem was published in October of the same year and received unprecedented attention from the critics.

John Masefield went on to write two more narrative poems and was generally acclaimed to be a genius, with the Edmund de Polignac prize being awarded to him (the monetary value being £100 – a lot in those days) in 1912. Prime Minister Asquith’s daughter’s birthday party in 1913 included such illustrious writers as George Bernard Shaw and Rupert Brooke in the guest list, and John Masefield was also invited.

When war broke out, John Masefield served in the Red Cross initially in France and then later on a hospital ship at Gallipoli, writing vividly about his experiences. When he returned home he was invited to the USA to lecture on Shakespeare and Chaucer and stayed there for about three months. Masefield spent the rest of the war travelling between England and France, at one time being given an assignment to write about the American medical relief forces on the continent, in the hope that it might sway American support for the war effort. Masefield felt that the American presence in France was pretty useless, he did manage to find some heroism in the American Ambulance services and wrote an article which was published in the May 1917 issue of Harper’s Monthly.

John Masefield was asked to meet the head of British Military Intelligence in France and was requested to write a full account of the Battle of the Somme.

During the 1920s, John Masefield and his family found a home near Oxford which was much more suited to his love of the rural life and countryside; he found a new hobby in beekeeping and kept some livestock.

He wrote prodigious amounts, and his works were regularly being published.

When Robert Bridges died in 1930 John Masefield was appointed Poet Laureate – John was unsure that he was worthy of such a post but King George V was persuaded by the Prime Minister that he was ideal and John retained the post until his death in 1967……….not quite beating Tennyson for the title of the longest serving poet laureate. He was also granted the Order of Merit by King George V, and had many honorary degrees from Universities throughout Britain. He not only continued to write, but also encouraged others – especially children, and he only began to slow down a little when he developed cataracts in his 70s

His wife Constance died in 1960 aged 93 after a long illness, and he was so devastated that he became a virtual recluse, although he did continue to write. He himself died in Abingdon on 12th May 1967 from gangrene in his leg, and he was cremated with his ashes being placed in Poets Corner in Westminster Abbey………he was the last poet to be buried there, as there was no more room.

His poems and his writing are truly beautiful and given his desire to encourage children it is appropriate that the secondary school in Ledbury bears his name as a lasting memorial to a son of the little town.

The Mortimer family were a very powerful medieval dynasty, who owned vast areas of land in not only Herefordshire, but also Shropshire and Wales. The origin of the name is one of only a few during the eleventh century to become hereditary – the first to bear the name being Roger who was seigneur of the castle at Mortemer-en-Brai in Normandy, and town of Mortemer sur Eaulne, which was high on a hill which was once surrounded by a small rather stagnant lake fed by the River Eaulne. The true translation of this place was “dead pool or dead sea”, and some people imagined that the name Mortemer had foundations in a crusade to the Dead Sea. Sadly not…..the name has its origins in a less than fragrant and rather small lake in France! The name evolved into Mortimer and stuck thereafter.

The Battle of Mortemer en Brai

In 1054 a battle known as Mortemer en Brai took place, where Roger fought for his lord, Duke William of Normandy against the French. Duke William was the victor, but sadly Roger had already sworn allegiance to the Count of Montdidier who ended up as one of the Duke’s captives, and when the Count was put into Roger’s custody he was bound to set him free. The Duke was very cross to put it mildly and the title of Lordship of Mortemer was stripped from Roger and given to his son Ralph de Warrenne, and they both subsequently came to England.

The Battle at Wigmore Castle

In 1074 they played a part in the battle at Wigmore Castle where they routed Wild Edric of Shrewsbury, and were given much land and estate including those of the late Earl of Hereford – by 1086 when the Domesday book was compiled, Ralph was not only Lord of Wigmore Castle but also held nineteen manors in Shropshire along with many more in other neighbouring counties and he continued to protect and defend his estates in Normandy. In 1088 Ralph sided against the King, William Rufus, but true to the family traits he changed sides later when it suited him to do so, and he fought for William Rufus against Robert Curthose.

The Ruthless Mortimers

At this time the family were relatively small fry in the hierarchy of the nobility, but they were nothing if not determined…….in fact they sounded somewhat ruthless and a little unpleasant if truth be told. During the early twelfth century they fought for huge areas of mid Wales, which they subsequently ruled with rods of iron; regularly killing or maiming any Welsh princes taken prisoners during battle and stopping at nothing to gain whatever they wanted.

In 1179 Roger killed Cadwallon of Wales when he was going home from the court of Henry II with a pass of safe conduct, and royally teed off, Henry put Roger in gaol where he languished until his release by Richard I in 1191. The Mortimers constantly bickered, for want of a better word, with the Welsh barons, until it all blew up when Simon de Montfort started a rebellion against the King. Roger initially supported him and then, naturally, changed sides but at the Battle of Lewes in 1260 he lost all his army and was nearly killed himself. Later, at the battle of Evesham, Roger managed to get his own back and chopped of de Montfort’s head then sent it as a present to Lady Mortimer back at Wigmore……presumably it was Valentine’s Day! He was richly rewarded for de Montfort’s defeat, and was given the confiscated estates of the Earls of Oxford.

Roger was surprisingly loyal to King Henry III and rescued the future King Edward I from his prison in Hereford Castle, but perhaps it was, as always, done to further his own interests. He became one of the Regents who governed England on behalf of Edward I when he was away at the Crusades and the family rose in status. It is rather sad that Roger finally died in 1282, not in battle or on some glorious quest, but from illness.

Roger’s son, Edmund, captured the Welsh prince, Llewelyn, at Builth and after having him killed he sent his severed head to the King. He himself died soon afterwards at Wigmore having suffered fatal wounds during another battle at Builth.
Edmund’s son, Roger (yes, yet another one) inherited Ludlow Castle through marriage, and indeed many of his forebears estates, and at the age of thirty was made Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Eventually he became one of the leaders of Edward I’s army, and when Edward II came to the throne he helped to regain English control in Ireland.

Roger Mortimer revolts against the King

In true family tradition though, events caused Roger to start a revolt against the King. Someone betrayed him, and he was overcome and sentenced to death for treason, however he was not ready for this fate and managed to escape on 1st August 1324 once accomplices had drugged the guards. He fled to France, and ingratiated himself with Edward II’s wife, Isabella, before returning to England in 1326 with a small invading army and after gathering support, drove the Royalists to the Welsh borders and managed to arrest King Edward. Poor Edward, not only had Roger stolen his wife, but now his realm.……however, in effect Roger was the true ruler of England at this time, through Isabella, and amongst other things he forced the king to recognise the independence of Scotland, and acquired the premier earldom of England, becoming the Earl of March in 1328. In 1327, Roger and parliament tried to force Edward to abdicate but he stubbornly refused, so Roger kept moving him around and leaving him in disgusting and very damp dungeons in the hope that he would just die. Roger virtually starved Edward, and almost tortured him with the appalling treatment, but Edward was a strong chap and just kept on living. Finally Roger lost patience and had the King murdered at Berkely Castle in Gloucestershire, which meant that Edward III succeeded to the throne, however he was still a minor and in effect Roger and his allies were the true rulers of England at this time, through Isabella, and amongst other things he forced the young king to recognise the independence of Scotland, and acquired the premier earldom of England, becoming the Earl of March in 1328. Many people detested Roger for his arrogance and love of displaying his riches, and Edward III was not best pleased that Roger was clearly bedding his mother, nor was he unaware of the tyrannical way in which his country was being run. Eventually King Edward gained the courage to arrest Roger at Nottingham on 19th October 1330 and thereafter had him hung for Treason at Tyburn on 29th November 1330.…… actually, he was not content with mere hanging, and included drawing and quartering!

The 2nd Roger Mortimer

One can imagine the King dusting off his hands with satisfaction, but surprisingly his hatred of Roger Mortimer did not extend to the rest of the family, and even though he had taken control of all the Mortimer estates when Roger was executed, the gave them all back including the Earldom to Roger’s grandson………yet another Roger. (Sorry, it’s wretchedly confusing, but they only ever seemed to use two names – Roger and Edmund).
This second Earl Roger was to be knighted alongside the Black Prince at Crecy in 1346 and seemed to be loyal to the King, but he died suddenly in 1360. His son Edmund (what else!) then became the 3rd Earl of March and Edward III clearly thought him a very decent sort of chap because he gave permission for Edmund to marry Philippa, his niece – and granted him the extra Earldom of Ulster and Connaught. He became known as “The Good Earl” but was killed in Ireland, and his son Roger (sigh) became the 4th Earl of March.

The 3rd Roger Mortimer – 4th Earl of March

When Edward IIII died and Richard II became King he was not at all popular and the barons took great advantage, but later the king rallied and was able to regain power. Richard and his wife were childless and it became evident that the Black Prince’s bloodline stopped with Richard II, and amazingly now it seemed that Roger Mortimer was now the heir to the throne, partly due the above marriage of Edmund to the royal Philippa…….in the fourteenth century this was not the most exciting of prospects that it might appear, and in fact was mostly downright dangerous. However, Roger was never to discover this as he was killed in Ireland, and the burden fell on his son, Edmund. (This family really didn’t believe in importing new names did they!)

Edmund Mortimer – 5th Earl of March

Richard II was deposed in 1399 when he went to Ireland, during which time one of his enemies, Henry Bolingbroke invaded Yorkshire. Richard rushed back but was ambushed, and Bolingbroke imprisoned him in the tower, (he died the following year) whereupon Henry IV took power by laying claim to his descent from Edward II. Many people conspired to put the young Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March, on the throne, considering him to be the true heir……including his uncle, another Edmund (not even going to bother commenting on these names any more), however he was thrown in gaol in Harlech Castle, and his family were murdered.
During this time, the Welsh Marches roundly resented the Mortimers’ association with Richard II, and this partly caused Owain Glyndwr’s revolt which ended in the loss over ten years of all but a few castles in Wales to the English.
Edmund, 5th Earl of March was fiercely loyal to Henry, probably because he had no wish to be King himself, and told tales on anyone who tried to put him on the throne, and in 1415 joined him in France – unfortunately he developed dysentery at Harfleur and had to go home, leaving the army to fight at Agincourt.
Being Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Edmund was really under obligation to go over there from time to time, but maybe because both his father and grandfather had been killed there he managed to avoid his duties for some time, however in 1424 he was forced to make the trip to quell a rebellion. He wasn’t killed, but he caught plague and died in 1425, and along with him went the last of the male line of Mortimers as he had no children. He did have a sister, Anne, who married the Earl of Cambridge and she inherited all the titles and estates of the Mortimer family. These in turn went to her son Richard, Duke of York, (father of the future Edward IV and also Richard III) who fought against Henry VI and sided with the Earl of Warwick with the Yorkists at the start of the Wars of the Roses.

When he died at the battle of Wakefield, his son carried on the fight against the Lancastrians, and won the battle of Mortimer’s Cross in 1461.

All the Mortimer estates and titles became absorbed by the Royals.

Her father was a smith, but she was orphaned at an early age and went to live with her grandfather at Dinedor.  He was an old soldier who, after many year’s service, had returned to Herefordshire a poor man.  He had no pension, no Chelsea Hospital to fall back on, and they suffered much privation.

Nell was a pretty brunette, well known for her liveliness, humour and vivacity.

Nell Gwynne Goes to London

When her grandfather died, she went to London to seek her fortume and fell in love with a strolling comedian who became manager of the King’s Theatre.  At first she made some money as a flower girl, and then as an orange girl in the lobby of the theatre.

Before long, her lover introduced her to the stage and one evening King Charles II went to the theatre in order to see one of his favourite actresses perform;  the lady was suddenly taken ill, and Nell went on stage in her place wearing a white pasteboard hat the size of a cart wheel!

King Charles II and Nell Gwynne

King Charles was so taken with Nell that he took her away with him that night in his own carriage and she became his favourite lover.  In 1670 she gave birth to a son, but he had no title which rather irked Nell and one day when the King visited her she dangled her baby by one leg over the bannister of the stairs declaring that he was a nameless wretch.  King Charles was so alarmed that he quickly exclaimed “St. Albans”, and Nell was duly appeased……….so came about the first Duke of St. Albans!

Years later, the King commanded Nell to put the huge hat on once more, saying that if she did she could have anything she wanted.  She put the hat on, and remembering the privations of her poor grandfather at Dinedor, she claimed the establishment of Chelsea Hospital.  This was built and every year the hospitallers drank to the immortal memory of Nell Gwynn.

The last words of King Charles were “Don’t let poor Nelly starve”;  Nell died in Pall Mall in 1691.

Many years later Nell’s grandson, Bishop Beauclerk planted the elm trees at the upper walk in the Castle Green, Hereford, which of course sadly no longer exist.

Thomas was born in 1770 in the parish of Clifford;  at 17 he bought himself a commission as Ensign in the 14th Regiment, then from March 1793 until April 1795 he served with his regiment in Flanders.  He engaged in all the actions and sieges during those notorious campaigns, and experienced the horror of the British Army’s retreat from Dunkirt to Bremen.

The troops were more than two weeks without any food apart from the odd vegetable, and our hero Thomas survived for 8 days on nothing but raw onions – all this in the most severest cold weather.

When the 14th returned home, it was sent to the West Indies to take part in the reduction of the French and Spanish islands – during this time Thomas succeeded to the command of the regiment, both as Major and Lieutenant Colonel.  He was to escape death in the trenches and on the battle field on more than one occasion, and was once wounded through his hips by a musket ball.

He was exceptionally brave, and exhibited great qualities of discipline and leadership.  Unfortunately, ill health forced his return home and he resigned his command to General Sir James Watson.

In 1808 he recieved the commission as Lieutenant Colonel of the Second Regiment of North Herefordshire Militia, and he went on to take that regiment to the highest condition.

Eventually Thomas Powell retired to a quiet spot in Herefordshire, where he discarded his duties of landlord;  magistrate and gentleman – much to the delight and affection of all his friends and neighbours.

Thomas was a great agriculturist, being Chairman of the West Herefordshire Agricultural Association;  he was ever ready to help the poor and it was thought that when he died there would be broken a connecting link between the upper, middle and lower classes of society in Herefordshire.  He was a staunch supporter of civil and religious liberty, and his influence amongst local voters was great.

On his death he left one son, the then vicar of Dorstone, and he was buried at Clifford Church on 26th April 1856.

(Variously recorded as Fellpotts; Felpot; Phellpots; Phillpotts; Philpotts; Philpot; Philpots and Phillpot.)

Whilst there are snippets of information about the Philpot family in historical records, there is no indication that anyone has studied this family in any great detail, despite their role in local and national politics, and their links to those who feature prominently in the County’s history.

This article therefore aims to rectify this by telling the story of a family arguably driven by dynastic ambitions; achieving political influence, status and wealth – even if the pursuit of this was to the detriment of their own kin.

Although there is some uncertainty as to the origins of the Philpot family, evidence suggests that they were most active in the County throughout most of the 17th and early 18th century and therefore what follows is mainly focussed on that time.

Thomas Philpot

Thomas Philpot was born in 1567 and married Elizabeth Carr (Carre) who was born in Bushley, Worcestershire.

Elizabeth’s parents were Nicholas Carr and Wynefred Lygon* (see below), and her grandfather was George Carr who bought a 99 year lease of Bushley Park from Bishop Ridley in 1551. Now Bishop Ridley took over the post of Bishop of London after Bishop Bonnor was imprisoned by King Edward……however when Queen Mary restored Bonner to his See in 1554, he tried to thrown George Carr off the land so that he could transfer the lease to his friend Mr. Lechmere. He didn’t succeed though, and the Carr family saw out the lease.

Anyway, back to the Philpots and together Thomas and Elizabeth had just the one child, Nicholas.

Thomas died in 1658, having made his will in which he left all his estate to his son Nicholas who was the sole Executor.

Elizabeth’s Will named two brothers, John and Tobias and a sister Anne – she also left money to the poor of St. Thomas Parish in Bristol and the poor of St. Nicholas in Worcester, as well as her son Nicholas, and his children Nicholas and Henry, Elizabeth and Anne. There were also five other unnamed children.

It is possible that Thomas’s father was Watkin Philpot, who died in 1592 but this has yet to be proved.

(Watkin married Sybil Rogers in 1567 (also written as Watkyn Phelpott and Syble Rogers) and this pair had at least six children, namely:
Thomas
Harry
Roger
Margaret
Margery
Ann

Watkin left a Will in which he donated 10 shillings towards the repair of Vowchurch church, and left money to his daughters Margaret, Ann and Margery resulting from annual rent of the Tithe and Manor of Vowchurch. He left his youngest son Roger all the lands that he owned, and the rest of his possessions to his son Harry. He did state that if his eldest son Thomas paid Roger £10 then he could own the land and there surely must be a story behind that sentence! This is the tenuous link to Thomas, and the only one that can so far be found.)

*
(The Lygon Family
Lived at Madresfield Court.

The Lygon family of Madresfield Court, Worcestershire, are themselves very interesting. Wynefred was the daughter of John Lygon (1494-1597) and Eleanor Hickford (1510-1567). John Lygon was the son of Sir Richard Lygon (1466-1512) and Lady Anne de Beauchamp (1462-1535). Anne’s father was Richard de Beauchamp (2nd Baron of Powick) [2] . His father was John Beauchamp, 1st Baron Beauchamp of Powick [3]. Basically, it is possible to trace their ancestry to Geoffrey V Plantagenet (The Duke of Anjou, husband to Empress Matilda and father of Henry II. Therefore, anyone descended from this Thomas Philpot and Elizabeth Carr/Carre union can trace their ancestry back over 1000 years)

Nicholas Philpot (1)

Nicholas Philpot (1615-1681) who married Mary Alye in 1641. Mary hailed from Hartpury in Gloucestershire, and between them they apparently had at least 8 children, six of which were:

Nicholas 1643 – 1683
Elizabeth b. c 1650 – died c 1716, married Augustine Ballow
Sarah married 1673 to Henry Meredith then later, the Rev. Bulkeley
Henry
Katherine married Edmund Lloyd

Nicholas either owned or leased the Poston Estate in Peterchurch, Vowchurch and Tunastone where he was patron in 1678, 1672 and 1677 respectively. He was a wealthy lawyer, being a member of the Middle Temple, but his life was not without controversy. At one time in the 1640s he was Clerk to the “Committee” of Hereford but he was dismissed……possibly in connection with scheming against the ‘pro Harley committee’. Then in 1647 he faced charges of delinquency, but after his home was searched and estate surveyed prior to a planned sequestration he was cleared of the charges.

In 1649 – 1652, and then again in 1660 – 1670 Nicholas was Clerk of the Peace

Nicholas died in London in 1681 aged 66. His Will requested that he be buried wherever he died and that £5 be given to the Churchwardens for the poor of that parish. Apart from many bequests to his family, he also left £5 for mourning to his “honest and trusty” servant John Hill along with a £10 legacy and a good reference for his next employer.
He left all his land and estates to his son, Nicholas or his male heirs.

Although Nicholas is buried in London as per his wishes, there is a slab memorial in the vestry of the church at Turnastone.

Will of Nicholas Philpot (1)

‘PHILPOT, Nicholas – of the City of Hereford, gent, 29 May 1681.
to be buried in whichever parish I die in and £5 to the Churchwardens for the poor of that parish.
to my grand-daughter Mary PHILPOT – £400 for her [marriage] portion and Ploughfield Farm [probably at Preston-on-Wye] for which I paid £600 and settled upon her so that her entire fortune would be £1000.
(for mourning) I give my eldest son and his wife £10, my son Henry £5, my son [-in-law] BALLOW and his wife £10, son[-in-law] WELLINGTON £5, son [-in-law] LLOYD and wife £10, my daughter MEREDITH[1] £5; my said grand-daughter Mary PHILPOT £5 and every one of the rest of my grandchildren 40/- apiece.
daughters Elizabeth BALLOW and Katherine LLOYD (wife of Edmund LLOYD of St Mary Woolnoth, London, citizen and grocer) – an annuity of £5 per annum each for life (paid quarterly) derived from my freehold lands in the parishes of Vowchurch, Turnastone and Peterchurch.
my honest and trusty servant John HILL – £5 for mourning and a £10 legacy [and a handsome reference for his next employer]; all of my daughter MEREDITH’s servants – 20/- each.
Executor: eldest son Nicholas PHILPOT; friends Dr ??? HARTORD and Mr John LLOYD [?senr] of Covent Garden – 40/- each for mourning.
Further Bequests: Any lands estates etc to son Nicholas and heirs male &c. (if any) else to my sons-in-law Augustine BALLOW[3] and John WELLINGTON[4] and my cousins Richard CLARK of Walford (and his brothers Stephen and Henry CLARK); leasehold lands in Bodenham and Lyde; cousin Thomas LANDON now dec’d. Signed by the Testator.
Witnesses: Richard WADELEY, William WADELEY and Thomas MOORE.
Proved PCC London 15 Nov 1681.

Notes: The Testator was the only child of Thomas PHILPOT(T) of Vowchurch co Hereford (but described as of Ludlow in the Visitation of Gloucestershire of 1623) by his wife Elizabeth daur of Nicholas CARRE of Bushley [? near Tewkesbury] co Gloucester. Nicholas owned or leased the Poston estate in Peterchurch, Vowchurch and Turnastone and was named as the patron of the first in 1678 and of Turnastone 1672, 1677. In 1676 he was living in the parish of St Mary Woolnoth in London (where he was buried) and died 9 Jul 1681 aged 66. He married Mary daur of Edward ALYE of Gloucestershire by whom he had 4 sons and 4 daughters of whom the eldest son (Nicholas) died 1683 aged 40 and is commemorated by a large slab memorial in the Vestry at Turnastone.

The Testator was a cousin of William PROSSER who bought the Snodhill/Snowdle estate in Peterchurch c.1660 and was still alive in 1677 [see his brother Thomas’s Will proved 1685].
[2] Sarah PHILPOTT married firstly 1673 at Vowchurch Henry MEREDITH and then the Revd Mr BULKELEY.
[3] Augustine BALLOW of St Mary Woolnoth, London; married 1671.
[4] His wife Anne died 28 Jul 1676 and was buried in Hereford Cathedral.’

Elizabeth Philpot and the Philpot Coat of Arms

Nicholas (1)’s daughter Elizabeth married Augustine Ballow in 1671 – a successful and wealthy merchant from Norwich in Norfolk and the son of Henry Ballow and Prisca Skottowe .
The couple had several children, the first of which was Prisca Ballow born in 1672 (died 1730) who married in 1689 Rowland Holt, the son of Sir Thomas Holt and brother of Sir John Holt, Lord Chief Justice.

In 1862 it was noted in Notes and Queries: a Medium of Intercommunication for Literary Men, that Elizabeth Philpot had made the claim that she was descended from John Philpot the martyr, and although a couple of questions were raised about this claim, it is clear from the records of the Heraldry of Herefordshire 1828 that the coat of arms for the Philpots of Poston, Herefordshire is almost exactly the same as those of John Philpots the Martyr.

Nicholas Philpot (2)

Nicholas Philpot mark 2 was born circa 1646, and at the age of 17 attended Oriel College, Oxford. He went on to marry Penelope Howard (or Haward) of Fletherhill, Rudbaxton in Pembrokeshire, the daughter of James and Anne Howard, and the couple had two children,

1. Nicholas (B? – 1732)
2. Mary – (1667-1685) You will recall that provision had been made for Mary in Nicholas’ (1) will and indeed substantial provision was made for her by her own father Nicholas (2). However, she died, aged just 18, shortly after marrying William Tranter in Herefordshire in 1685. She too is buried at Turnastone.

Nicholas barely had time to take stock of his inheritance from his father, when he himself died in 1683 and was buried at Turnastone, the bulk of his estate eventually passed to his son, yet another Nicholas Philpot. Wife Penelope was provided for in the Will, but two years later she decided to marry Sir Charles Hamilton, 2nd Baronet, in 1685; a little unlucky in love, she was again widowed when Sir Charles died in 1689. Nothing daunted, Penelope married yet again – this time to the Hon Richard Butler, son of Richard Butler 5th Viscount Mountgarret ( who had his lands seized for backing James instead of William). (The provider of this Philpot story discovered sources that claimed Penelope was merely living with Richard, however he discovered in the National Archives that she is described as Dame Penelope Hamilton Butler – wife of Richard).

In 1697 she and Richard even brought a case against her own son Nicholas; Penelope wasn’t adverse to litigation as even as early as 1662 she was the plaintiff in a case against her own mother and uncle for the Manor of Merton, lands in Herefordshire and Pembroke.

Nicholas Philpot (3)

The third Nicholas in the line up was the son of Penelope Haward/Howard and Nicholas Philpot (2); born in Herefordshire, Nicholas 3 also lived at Brockhill in Edgeware (what used to be Egeworth) North London, just a stone’s throw away from the James Brydges palace in Harrow Hill – convenient as Nicholas was agent/secretary to James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos, and was probably a lawyer given that he managed many of the Duke’s legal and property affairs. He was also made accomptant of the muster rolls as at the time James Brydges was paymaster general of the forces abroad and had made a great deal of money from that position. Brydges and his friends all appeared in the book “Corruption, Party and Government in Britain 1702 – 1713”.

Nicholas had the backing of Brydges when he ran for MP for Hereford in 1715, but he was defeated. It seems that he married twice, as his eldest son (Nicholas 4) was baptised in 1695 at St. Nicholas in Hereford to him and a woman called Mary, however in 1700 Nicholas married Mary Valmer in Bristol, with his mother’s third husband, Richard Butler mentioned on the marriage bond. Unless of course it was one and the same Mary, and they just didn’t get around to marrying until later! Unlikely I would have thought.

Guy’s Hospital London was a major benefactor of James Brydges’ estate, including lands in Herefordshire (which I believe the hospital sold eventually in the 1960’s). Nicholas (3) appears to be the main person managing this, but on his death Mary (his widow) becomes a trustee and then after her John (shown below) takes on the role. Therefore, the post must have been hereditary for some reason…most likely they got some financial benefit from it.

Nicholas and Mary Valmer went on to have the following children, with all but James being baptised at St.Nicholas, Hereford.

1. John (b.1701)
2. Henry (b.1702)
3. Richard (b.1703)
4. Edward (b.1704)
5. Mary (b.1706)
6. James (b.1709)

On his death, Nicholas left a vast estate with lands in Edgeware, Herefordshire and Clifton. In his will dated 1727 he leaves his entire estate to his son John, Mary and ‘her heirs’. There is no mention of Nicholas (4) at all in the will. Although both Nicholas 3 & 4 die in 1732, I am unsure who died first.

There is a lot on the National Archives website about Nicholas Philpot (3) and two of the documents in their catalogue relate to invitations to dinner to Nicholas (4) asking him to explain the detention of the Edgeware Petty Sessions Minute Book ….sounds like he was up to no good, but in what way I do not know.

Nicholas Philpott (4)

Nicholas Philpot (4) was born 1694/1695 to Mary (surname unknown) and Nicholas Philpot (3), and was baptised at St. Nicholas in Hereford on 1st January 1695.

He married Elizabeth Hawksmoor, the daughter and only child of the renowned church architect, in around 1724, and was elected MP for Weobley twice, in 1718 and 1722. It seems that he basically bribed his way into the seat with the financial backing of the Tories and he was selected for being obedient to the whip.

Unfortunately he shot himself in the head on 6th July 1732 – being described by the Gentleman’s Magazine as a “lunatic” – a term which in those days was used to encompass many perfectly sane people who just happened to do something out of the ordinary!

Perhaps Nicholas (4) shot himself on finding out he was not to inherit his father’s estate!

The above information is provided by Christian Horton – if anyone has anything further to add to this family then please do contact me.

Robert Harley’s Childhood

Robert’s father was a domineering chap, and his insistence on strict religious routines plus his self important beliefs had a lasting effect on Robert – so much so that for all of his life he never entirely shook himself free of religious meditations.  Robert was also made to set great store by family ties and friendships.

When a young lad, Robert was noted at school to be cunning and sly, and there must have been quite a conflict within the boy because although he had been brought up with a very strict moral code, or maybe because of this, he learnt to play his role according to who he was with.

Robert Harley in Parliament

Robert arrived in Parliament via a by-election for a Cornish Borough, and almost immediately delivered his maiden speech which was well received.   He wheedled his way around his father’s, Sir Edward Harley, many colleagues and friends in the House in order to win a seat in Leominster, Herefordshire,  at the election of 1690, and succeeded in being endorsed by the House purely because of the way that people felt about his father and it had little to do with the merits of Robert.

Robert threw himself into parliamentary work, and was successful although not entirely well liked as people distrusted his tricky nature.  In 1691 he became Commissioner of Accounts which he found to be hard work, but he loved it and learned fast, although he made few friends.  He spent more and more time in London, and disgusted his father by turning to the bottle big time, but stoutly denied that he was drinking – actually he wriggled neatly out of it by claiming that he didn’t frequent public houses.

It would seem that Robert could be described as being obsessed with politics, and even when he was told that his pregnant wife Elizabeth back in Brampton Bryan had smallpox and was seriously ill he refused to leave London.  Five days later he was informed that both she and the baby were dead, and his grief did seem to be real…….for a short time.   It seems so sad that Elizabeth was reported to have declared that she was pleased that she had smallpox in Herefordshire and not London so that she did not disturb his work, and that she loved him to bits.

Robert Harley attacked by the Lewis brothers

Robert returned for a visit to Brampton Bryan then carried on to Radnor in Wales for a by election in the county.  Two men, the Lewis brothers, who held Robert responsible for their decline in power, set upon him in New Radnor, and if it were not for his considerable fencing skills he may well have been killed.

Robert Jones was born in Monmouth in 1857, and joined the 24th Regiment of Foot aged 19 in 1876.  He was one of 11 to receive the Victoria Cross for their part in the battle at Rorke’s Drift when a tiny force of around 100 soldiers defended a small mission station against the Zulu warriors.

At the age of 21, Private Jones along with Private William Jones, defended the wards at Rorke’s Drift hospital and they saved many of the patients in there;   using just his bayonet, Robert Jones managed to beat back the Zulus despite suffering four spear wounds and a stray bullet injury.   He not only managed to survive but he went on to help evacuate several hospital patients from the blazing building……..he was the last man to escape  before it burnt to the ground.  His bravery was rewarded when he was given the VC medal by Sir Garnet Wolseley at Utrecht in 1879.

When Robert Jones left the army he settled in Peterchurch in Herefordshire, and married Elizabeth Hopkins…..the pair went on to have five children, whilst he worked on a farm.  However his mental health deteriorated, whilst he suffered frequent nightmares relating to his part in the battle at Rorke’s Drift, and in 1898 he was discovered dead with gunshot wounds to his head.   The inquest recorded a verdict of suicide whilst temporarily insane.

Sadly this verdict had a bearing on how Robert Jones was buried, and although his VC gave him the right to a decent burial in the Churchyard at Peterchurch, some petty rules still applied and his coffin had to be taken into the churchyard over the wall rather than through the gate, and his headstone had to face away from all the others.

Very touchingly, on 22nd January of this year (2019) Robert Jones’ grave was honoured by the Royal Welsh Regiment;  The Regimental Band and Corps of Drums of the Royal Welsh attended a graveside dedication and laid a wreath.

The family was staunchly Catholic, and already included four priests when John studied for his priesthood and was ordained at Douai College on 23rd February 1625, following which he returned to England and began his work as a missionary in Herefordshire and Monmouthsire. His popularity steadily grew, and not just among the Catholics…..he was a very likeable man, and he continued to serve for more than 50 years, living with his brother at Pembridge Castle.

Then, poor John was caught up in the horrific doings of Titus Oates the perjurer who fabricated the Popish Plot, which was the non-existent conspiracy by Catholics to kill King Charles II. Oates was a spectacularly nasty character, with no scruples whatsoever, and his fraud was eventually uncovered but sadly too late to save many an innocent man.

In 1678, Captain John Scudamore of Kentchurch (a lapsed Catholic, although his wife and children were parishions of John Kemble) arrived at Pembridge Castle to Arrest the elderly John Kemble, and although people tried hard to get him to escape he merely said “According to the course of nature I have but a few years to live. It will be an advantage to suffer for my religion and therefore I will not abscond.” He was taken to Hereford, where he spent three months in gaol, before being taken to Newgate Prison in London…….no comfortable trip as he was bundled backwards onto a horse like a sack. For anyone that would have been torture, but for an 80 year old it must have been almost unbearable. When interrogated, John refused to admit to a non existent plot, and eventually was sent back to Hereford…by foot. There, in accordance with Elizabeth I’s Statute 27 he was tried for the treasonable offence of being a Catholic priest and for saying Mass, and was duly declared guilty, being condemned to be hanged drawn and quartered.

On 22nd August, his execution day, he requested one last smoke of his pipe, one last drink and to be allowed to finish his prayers. (To this day a “Kemble Cup” and Kemble Pipe” refer to a final drink or smoke before the parting of friends in Herefordshire). He was then dragged by means of a hurdle to Widemarsh Common, where after a declaration that he was dying for his religion and not for treason, and that he forgave all his enemies, he was forced to comfort and give courage to his executioner who really did not want to carry out the task of killing this likeable old gentleman. This may have been why the hanging went badly wrong – a little like someone being too gentle when wringing a chicken’s neck……. And it was a good half hour before Kemble actually died. He was then beheaded, and it would appear that his left hand was beneath his neck because this too was cut off; it is preserved at the church of St. Francis Xavier in Hereford; at least Kemble was only drawn and quartered AFTER he was dead. He was buried at the church of St Mary the Virgin at Welsh Newton.

Before long, people started talking of miracles, and one day when a deaf Scudamore’s wife was praying at Kemble’s grave, her hearing was suddenly restored. Likewise, her daughter was cured of throat cancer.

John Kemble was beatified in 1929 and Canonized on 25th October 1970.

The Lollardens

At this time, the Church was rich and powerful, but many people thought that it had lost its way, and they wanted to go back to the simple values without all the pomp and ceremony. Earlier, a group of men had founded a semi monastic community in Antwerp, devoted almost entirely to caring for the very ill or dying – naturally, much of their time was spent at funerals and crooning dirges; the German word for this was Lollen, and it followed that these men became the Lollardens. They had the backing of the common people but were persecuted by the clergy in both Holland and Germany. John de Wycliffe decried the Pope’s claim to be in charge of man’s conscience, publicly saying that it was blasphemous, and he took the Lollardens under his wing. Later, Wycliffe translated the Latin Bible into English so that everyone could understand what was written without having to rely on the clergy with their own twist on things.

Sir John Oldcastle and the Catholics

In 1401, Sir John Oldcastle was sent to take charge of the castle at Builth, following which we took 40 lancers and 120 bowmen to help out at Kidwelly Castle in Carmarthenshire. He was Herefordshire’s Knight of the Shire and sat in the parliament which opened in January 1404, but later that year returned to Hay on Wye in Herefordshire to take charge of the castle there. He was a member of a commission who were supposed to stop arms and provisions from reaching the rebels in Wales, but this was no easy task! However, during this period he became a personal friend of Henry the Prince of Wales. In 1406 he was made Sheriff of Herefordshire, and a couple of years later he married Joan from Kent, the heiress of John 3rd Lord Cobham……Sir John was then created Lord Cobham. By this time, the Catholics were becoming rather concerned with Sir John and his support of the Lollardens, and their concern deepened when in 1410 he got through a law which stated that arrested heretics must be imprisoned by the State and not the Catholic Church. Sir John set up a school in Kent for preachers, and gifted them parishes…….making himself even more unpopular with the Catholics.

In 1411, Prince Henry sent an army under the Earl of Arundel to assist the Duke of Burgundy, and Sir John Oldcastle went as one of the Commanders……..it was not a large force, but they managed to prevail against France, and following this victory Sir John’s friendship with the Prince deepened further.

Sir John Oldcastle and Henry IV

In 1413, evidence of a heretical nature began to mount up against Sir John – many of Wycliffe’s belongings had been seized and destroyed, and whilst searching through his belongings several of Sir John’s books were discovered. Henry IV had just died, and King Henry V was reportedly disgusted by the contents of these books, whilst the Archbishop Thomas Arundel and other Bishops present attacked Sir John for maintaining Lollard preachers and their beliefs. Henry was very torn because of his deep friendship with Sir John, and asked the Archbishop for time so that he could try to persuade Sir John of the error of his ways. He failed, and indeed eventually Sir John became so angry that he left the King without asking permission and stormed off to Cowling Castle in Kent.

Sir John Oldcastle is convicted as a heretic

The Archbishop duly sent a summons to Cowling, which was refused by Sir John, and it was eventually stuck to the door of Rochester Cathedral – declaring that he must appear at Leeds Castle. Sir John took no notice, and was therefore excommunicated, with a further writ being sent which told him that he must give good reason as to why he should not be condemned as a heretic. Sir John refused to change his views, and his offer of a signed confession of faith to the King was rejected, along with requests to be tried by knights, or even a trial by single combat. He was eventually arrested under a Royal Writ, and at his trial was offered forgiveness and freedom if he renounced his beliefs. He refused and was convicted as a heretic, but the King was so desperate to try to help his friend that he was granted a 40 day stay of execution, and was put in the Tower of London. From here, he quickly escaped – although how remains rather a mystery. Perhaps a record of a trial some three years later on 4th October 1416, concerning a certain William Parchmyner (a Lollard bookseller) sheds some light? He was taken for trial at Newgate, and was charged, along with other unknown traitors, of breaking into the Tower and releasing Sir John Oldcastle, and then harbouring Sir John in his own house in Smithfield until the planned assembly of Lollards in St. Giles Fields as mentioned below. Parchmyner pleaded not guilty, but was quickly convicted of treason and executed.

Sir John Oldcastle’s escape, capture and death

Sir John reportedly then plotted to have the King, and many others, killed so that he himself could become Regent, and a Lollard assembly was arranged for 10th January at St. Giles Fields just outside London. The King was warned, and he closed the City gates then captured and killed the ring leaders the next day. Sir John himself managed to escape and hid in London before fleeing to Herefordshire where he evaded capture for a further four years, even though there was a reward of 1000 marks on his head. He attempted a rebellion when the King went to France, but failed and he was finally discovered in Broniarth in November 1417 – after a fierce fight he was badly wounded and captured, then taken to London on a horse litter. Parliament once again declaring him a heretic he was condemned to death and on 14th December 1417 was bound in chains, hung and burnt – history is unclear as to whether he was still alive when the fire was lit.

Roger Prichard

In 1672 he donated the nearby cottage to the Quakers and it is still in use for meetings to this day. Roger’s son Edward, and his brother in law John Eckley attended meetings regularly and were linked with William Penn when he established the American Pennsyvania Colony.

People of Almeley

• Sir John Oldcastle

  Sir John was born in around 1378 in Herefordshire, to Sir Richard Oldcastle, and due to the wealth of his parents gained an excellent education. Many people will know of Sir John from the works of Shakespeare, who based Sir John Falstaff in King Henry IV upon him. He was actually better known generally for being a leader of the Lollards and a supporter of Wycliffe, his home in the village of Almeley, North Herefordshire, being a staunch Lollard area, and he was thought of as “The good Lord Cobham”.

  The Lollardens

  At this time, the Church was rich and powerful, but many people thought that it had lost its way, and they wanted to go back to the simple values without all the pomp and ceremony. Earlier, a group of men had founded a semi monastic community in Antwerp, devoted almost entirely to caring for the very ill or dying – naturally, much of their time was spent at funerals and crooning dirges; the German word for this was Lollen, and it followed that these men became the Lollardens. They had the backing of the common people but were persecuted by the clergy in both Holland and Germany. John de Wycliffe decried the Pope’s claim to be in charge of man’s conscience, publicly saying that it was blasphemous, and he took the Lollardens under his wing. Later, Wycliffe translated the Latin Bible into English so that everyone could understand what was written without having to rely on the clergy with their own twist on things.

  Sir John Oldcastle and the Catholics

  In 1401, Sir John Oldcastle was sent to take charge of the castle at Builth, following which we took 40 lancers and 120 bowmen to help out at Kidwelly Castle in Carmarthenshire. He was Herefordshire’s Knight of the Shire and sat in the parliament which opened in January 1404, but later that year returned to Hay on Wye in Herefordshire to take charge of the castle there. He was a member of a commission who were supposed to stop arms and provisions from reaching the rebels in Wales, but this was no easy task! However, during this period he became a personal friend of Henry the Prince of Wales. In 1406 he was made Sheriff of Herefordshire, and a couple of years later he married Joan from Kent, the heiress of John 3rd Lord Cobham……Sir John was then created Lord Cobham. By this time, the Catholics were becoming rather concerned with Sir John and his support of the Lollardens, and their concern deepened when in 1410 he got through a law which stated that arrested heretics must be imprisoned by the State and not the Catholic Church. Sir John set up a school in Kent for preachers, and gifted them parishes…….making himself even more unpopular with the Catholics.

  In 1411, Prince Henry sent an army under the Earl of Arundel to assist the Duke of Burgundy, and Sir John Oldcastle went as one of the Commanders……..it was not a large force, but they managed to prevail against France, and following this victory Sir John’s friendship with the Prince deepened further.

  Sir John Oldcastle and Henry IV

  In 1413, evidence of a heretical nature began to mount up against Sir John – many of Wycliffe’s belongings had been seized and destroyed, and whilst searching through his belongings several of Sir John’s books were discovered. Henry IV had just died, and King Henry V was reportedly disgusted by the contents of these books, whilst the Archbishop Thomas Arundel and other Bishops present attacked Sir John for maintaining Lollard preachers and their beliefs. Henry was very torn because of his deep friendship with Sir John, and asked the Archbishop for time so that he could try to persuade Sir John of the error of his ways. He failed, and indeed eventually Sir John became so angry that he left the King without asking permission and stormed off to Cowling Castle in Kent.

  Sir John Oldcastle is convicted as a heretic

  The Archbishop duly sent a summons to Cowling, which was refused by Sir John, and it was eventually stuck to the door of Rochester Cathedral – declaring that he must appear at Leeds Castle. Sir John took no notice, and was therefore excommunicated, with a further writ being sent which told him that he must give good reason as to why he should not be condemned as a heretic. Sir John refused to change his views, and his offer of a signed confession of faith to the King was rejected, along with requests to be tried by knights, or even a trial by single combat. He was eventually arrested under a Royal Writ, and at his trial was offered forgiveness and freedom if he renounced his beliefs. He refused and was convicted as a heretic, but the King was so desperate to try to help his friend that he was granted a 40 day stay of execution, and was put in the Tower of London. From here, he quickly escaped – although how remains rather a mystery. Perhaps a record of a trial some three years later on 4th October 1416, concerning a certain William Parchmyner (a Lollard bookseller) sheds some light? He was taken for trial at Newgate, and was charged, along with other unknown traitors, of breaking into the Tower and releasing Sir John Oldcastle, and then harbouring Sir John in his own house in Smithfield until the planned assembly of Lollards in St. Giles Fields as mentioned below. Parchmyner pleaded not guilty, but was quickly convicted of treason and executed.

  Sir John Oldcastle’s escape, capture and death

  Sir John reportedly then plotted to have the King, and many others, killed so that he himself could become Regent, and a Lollard assembly was arranged for 10th January at St. Giles Fields just outside London. The King was warned, and he closed the City gates then captured and killed the ring leaders the next day. Sir John himself managed to escape and hid in London before fleeing to Herefordshire where he evaded capture for a further four years, even though there was a reward of 1000 marks on his head. He attempted a rebellion when the King went to France, but failed and he was finally discovered in Broniarth in November 1417 – after a fierce fight he was badly wounded and captured, then taken to London on a horse litter. Parliament once again declaring him a heretic he was condemned to death and on 14th December 1417 was bound in chains, hung and burnt – history is unclear as to whether he was still alive when the fire was lit.

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In front of the pulpit inside the church of St. Mary Magdalene, Eardisley, there is the tombstone of Bishop Coke, Bishop of Hereford, showing his coat of arms.

Bishop Coke was a Royalist and when Cromwell’s army arrived in Hereford he fled to Lemore, his home in Eardisley, where he died in 1646. His family remained at Lemore for a further 250 years, providing the clergy not only for Eardisley but also for many other parishes – some as distant as Dorset.

Francis Coke

Francis Coke was one of the last members of the family, and his wife Lily died aged 27 in 1892 in Chicago.

Sir John Coke

The final member was Sir John Coke KCB, who served in the Indian Army and survived the awful first day of the battle for Delhi during the Indian Mutiny; he was so thankful for his life that he donated an organ to the church and this was built in 1860 by Joseph William Walker.

In 1867 Lucy du Buisson played a harmonium for the first time ever at a service. The du Buisson family were responsible for building the rectory, which is now Breinton Grange, althought they themselves lived at Breinton Court, and they also were instrumental in building the school which could cope with 40 children. Sadly, the aforementioned Lucy, who was one of five children, was mostly very unwell, and although she married the son of the Curate after a delay when she contracted Chickenpox, this was shortlived as a month after their honeymoon Lucy died. Perhaps some blame can be laid at the door of a drunken coachman, who some years earlier went off the road when bringing Lucy and her brother back home from a party in the depths of a freezing winter…….they all ended up in the pond! This could not have been good for anyone’s health. Also given to the church by the du Buisson children were the oak lectern (in memory of George Proctor) and a crucifix in memory of Lionel Thomas Ricketts.

In 1124 Hugh gave the church of St. Waird at Kilpeck to the monks of St. Peter of Gloucester, along with the chapel of Our Lady which was within the now ruined Kilpeck Castle.

Hugh’s son Henry took the surname of Kilpeck from the castle, it being his principal seat.

Next came John de Kilpeck who in 1200 obtained a charter from  King John that neither himself nor his heirs would lose their bailiwick in the Forest of Hereford, but when he died shortly afterwards, his heir Hugh was very young, so all his lands were given to the custody William de Cantelupe, the brother of the Bishop of Hereford.

John de Kilpeck’s son, Hugh married Egidia, and and they had two daughters as heirs.   Her two daughters Isabel and Jane married William Walerand and Philip Marmion respectively and the barony of Kilpeck was merged with that of Marmion.

Thomas Knight’s Childhood

He was the youngest son of Reverend Thomas Knight, and at the age of 3 his father died – nobody seemed to bother with his education, and at nine he was still unable to read or write.  He was however hugely observant, and one day he spotted the gardener planting some beans in the ground;  he asked why they were being buried and was told that they would grow into plants which would bear more beans.  When the event happened as promised, he decided to plant his pocket knife in the hope of growing more knives, but when nothing happened he considered the cause of the difference in the two cases……….these early thoughts led to his later brilliance with plants.

Thomas Knight’s Schooling

Thomas was eventually sent to school at Ludlow, and was then moved to Chiswick.

Although he went to Balliol College, Oxford University, he didn’t stay long enough to take a degree, choosing instead to return to Herefordshire to take up rural pursuits and indulge his keen interest in all things horticultural, funded partly by an inheritance from his grandfather, the wealthy ironworker Richard Knight.
Thomas married Frances Felton in 1791, after moving to Elton Hall near Ludlow, and began to seriously settle to working on development and cultivation of fruit and vegetables, building a walled garden, and installing hothouses.

He was described as being very knowledgeable of the classics and higher branches of mathematics, as well as on subjects of general information.

He was an active Magistrate, and a promoter of every public improvement.

Thomas Andrew Knight & the Horticultural Society

Thomas wrote a paper entitled “The grafting of fruit trees”, in which he noted how many old varieties of fruit trees were disappearing, and talked about the causes of disease, and this paper was noticed by Sir Joseph Banks of the London Horticultural Society. Sir Joseph was greatly encouraging and the pair frequently corresponded.
In 1809 Thomas Knight inherited the large estate of Downton Castle from his brother, and he was able to continue his research and to breed vast quantities of disease resistance fruit trees. His work didn’t stop with trees – vegetables also came into the equation, including peas, cabbages, potatoes and strawberrys.
The fruits of his labours (sorry!) were quickly adopted by others, and before long everyone was planting his new disease resistance trees and vegetables and were getting great results.
In 1804 Thomas Knight became a founder member of the Horticultural Society London, which later became the Royal Horticultural Society, and in 1811 he was elected President – he was re-elected every year until his death in 1838.

The Death of Thomas Knight Jnr.

Thomas Knight Junior, the son of the above Thomas Andrew Knight was born in 1796 and died tragically in 1827.

His death was a tragic accident;  one Thursday, a party of his friends met at his father’s mansion preparatory to the Ludlow Assembly that evening of which he was to have been President.  In the morning, they went hunting but returned early when no fox was found.

Thomas Knight was keen to further entertain his friends, so took a couple of them pheasant shooting in the woods near Downton.  About a mile from the castle, a pheasant rose, and one friend brought up his gun to shoot – at the very instant that he pulled the trigger, Thomas came from behind a tree into the line of shot, and received most of the charge which entered one eye and penetrated his brain.

The friend was beside himself with horror and remorse whilst Thomas was taken home where two surgeons, Baines and Wakefield, declared that they were very much afraid that Thomas was in great danger.

Thomas died at ten the following morning surrounded by family.  He was just 31.

The Hereford Journal Eulogy

Blessed with an understanding of the first order – heir to a large fortune – and rich in mental endowments, Mr. Knight was equally remarkable for his unassuming deportment, his exemplary moral worth, his contempt for the vicious, and his respect for the virtuous.

He was a most affectionate son and brother, a kind and indulgent landlord almost adored by his tenants, and to the poor, a discriminating and benevolent friend.  Whilst a mere youth he had selected the sterile regions of the north as the first sphere of his travels, and escaped many perils in the adventurous excursion.  He afterwards visited the Continent, and with a mind improved by travel, and a truly English heart, despising the littleness which seeks distinction amongst the follies of the age, he chose the nobler and more virtuous career of usefulness;  and in the bosom of his affectionate and admiring family, fulfilled the amiable duties of an English country gentleman.  He gave employment alike generous and considerate to all the poor and aged around him, visiting them at their humble dwellings with a courtesy that enhanced even the boons of charity and kindness;  and providing for their wants and the permanent welfare of their families, he was justly termed the poor man’s friend.

By his equals he was universally beloved, admired and respected, and was distinguished by liberality, generosity, benevolence and charity.

He gave bright promise of future eminence in the more imposing duties of public life, by the best of all pledges, moral worth, in a private station, and those duties he would have doubtless been called upon to fulfil if providence had spared him.

To the truth of all we have shortly said, the deep regrets alike of the rich and the poor in the vicinity of Mr. Knight’s late happy residence and of his friends in more distance places, bear ample testimony, and by them his virtues will long be remembered, and his early death deeply lamented as a serious private calamity and a public loss.

The Burial Place of Thomas Andrew Knight

He was buried at Wormsley, near to the tomb of his uncle, the late R.P. Knight.

Tom Spring’s Early Years

Tom Spring was 5 feet 11 inches and a half, and his fighting weight was 13 stone 2 lbs.

At the age of 17 he entered the ring at Mordiford to fight a man by the name of Hollands.  It was described as a most desperate battle, and after one hour and twenty minutes Hollands had to give up the contents – Tom Spring was declared the victor.

Two years later, he took on a man called Henley who had challenged him for £3 a side.  This fight also took place at Mordiford, and lasted for eleven punishing rounds with Spring emerging the victor.

There was little chance to prove his skills initially, but one day the 11th Duke of Norfolk who lived at the nearby Holme Lacy House, heard about Tom and his prowess and decided to invite him to fight at one of his lavish lunch parties as entertainment for the assembled guests.

Tom Spring and Tom Cribb

Tom took on every opponent in front of the Duke and his guests, and was reportedly never beaten; at the same time he was gaining valuable experience and improved his technique even further. Then in 1814 the All England Bare Knuckle Champion, Tom Cribb, arrived in Herefordshire on a sparring tour and Tom Spring managed to effect a meeting……the two formed a strong friendship and Tom Cribb happily passed on a great many hints and tips to further improve his fighting techniques. When Cribb retired from the ring, Tom Spring quickly earned the title of Champion and became known as “Light Tapper” Spring due to his delicate hands. He held the title between 1823 and 1824, with few challengers.

Tom Spring and John Langan

The most famous of his fights were with John Langan, an Irishman who was much heavier than Spring and also slower in the ring. Some 30,000 spectators turned up for their first match at Worcester Racecourse in 1824, but unfortunately the grandstand was not up to the task and many people were injured when it collapsed. The fight itself went on for a crippling seventy seven rounds, and finally even the bloodthirsty crowd were sickened and bayed for it to be ended. Spring’s hands were badly injured, and Langan was a complete mess! A few months later they met again in Chichester , although Spring’s left hand was still virtually useless he gave Langan another pasting – it was a testament to his kind character that instead of flattening Langan when he was done for, he merely pushed him to the ground.

Tom Spring and the Fair Play Club

Bare knuckle fighting was an extremely popular spectator sport, especially for the higher echelons of society…indeed, King George IV was so enamoured of the sport that at his Coronation he invited 18 prize fighters to act as ushers, and Tom Spring was one of them. He was highly thought of because not only was he an excellent fighter, but he was also a thoroughly nice chap.

Bare Knuckle fighters began to earn themselves a bad reputation with unruly behaviour by fighters and punters alike. All people connected with the sport thought so highly of the retired Tom Spring that On 25 September 1828, he was elected as the first treasurer of the newly formed “Fair Play Club”. A set of rules was established to include the supervision of fights “to preserve peace and order in the outer ring” and “to ensure fair play to the combatants”. Spring was able to employ boxers to uphold the rules and to ensure there were no ring invasions.

A sad end for Tom Spring

When he retired at the pinnacle of his success, he moved with his wife and children to London and then deserted them when he took over the tenancy of the Castle Tavern, Holborn. His wife died in a workhouse, and it is reported that soon afterwards in 1851 Spring succombed to the excesses of drink and died himself.

However, he was very highly thought of, and his behaviour was always exemplorary, and despite the fact that the Castle Tavern was known as a “fighting house” Tom strongly discouraged any throwing of fists, saying that “blows are ugly and sometimes expensive;  therefore talk about fighting as much as you please but not a blow shall pass while I can prevent it”.

He would send those intent on fighting a few miles out of town, and the Castle Tavern rapidly gained a very good reputation.

After his death in August 1851, his name was soon more or less forgotten until in 1951 the Tom Spring Memorial Committee was formed by a Herefordshire Police Sergeant – A.V. Lucas and a memorial was funded for West Norwood in London where Tom was buried. There is now also a memorial at Tom’s birthplace near Woolhope.

By Philip Halling, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9171982

This is a representation of what the memorial looked like, but the original one is sadly worn beyond repair.

Three Cups Presented to Tom Spring

The Hereford Cup

– an urn shaped piece of plate inscribed “To Thomas Winter Spring of Fownhope, in the county of Hereford, this cup was presented by his countrymen of the land of cider, in token of their esteem for the manliness and science which, in may severe contests, raised him to the distinction of champion of England.  1823″

The Manchester Cup

Presented at Manchester in April 1824 and similarly inscribed as above, with the addendum that an additional reason is the esteem in which they held his private character.

The Tankard

In 1845, leading men in the sporting world wanted to present a testimonial to Spring and £500 was raised to buy a tankard of vast dimensions and weight, together with a purse which was given to him after a dinner at his house.

The shield on the tankard was inscribed “Presented by public subscription to Thomas Winter Spring, ex Champion of England, in testimony of the sincere respect in which he is held for his pure and honourable conduct, during his long and unblemished career in public and private life.”