Vauxhall Victor 152 FLV 1959Vauxhall Victor 152 FLV 1959

The Denshire Family Of Ashtead House

September 24, 2021  •  Leave a Comment

When I was writing a book on the history of Ashtead 20 years ago I was lucky enough to be loaned a  Victorian photo album by the then owner of Ashtead House in Surrey. The album was from the Denshire Family who lived there in the 1800s and with the album were details about the family.

Ashtead House Farm Lane Ashtead Surrey 1865Ashtead House Farm Lane Ashtead Surrey 1865Standing in Farm Lane , this house was the residence of Captain Nathaniel Smith and his wife Hesther from the late 18th century. Their three surviving daughters remained unmarried, this was believed to be due to the opposition from their mother, despite their being suitable suitors. George their son married a beautiful young woman, Sarah Hardman, who again was not accepted by Hesther. The marriage ended in disaster, Sarah leaving George with five young children who were brought up by his mother and sisters at Ashtead House. The eldest son, also called Nathaniel, married and had two children. Elizabeth their daughter married Charles Denshire in 1841, sadly to be widowed 12 years later. In 1859 Elizabeth married the widower Reverend William Denshire , her late husband's cousin, and with the marriage came eight step children.

This photo of Ashtead House, which stands in Farm Lane was taken c.1865. Nathanial Smith who had made his fortune in India moved to Ashtead House around 1790 with his wife Hester. He had the house substantially rebuilt around 1800. Their three surviving daughters, who lived in the house with them, remained unmarried. This was believed to be due to opposition from their mother, despite their being suitable suitors. George, their second son married a beautiful young woman called Sarah Hardman who again was not accepted by Hester. The marriage ended in disaster, Sarah leaving George with five young children, who were brought up by his mother and sisters at Ashtead House. The couple's eldest son, also called Nathaniel, married and had two children. Elizabeth, their daughter married Charles Denshire in 1841, sadly to be widowed 12 years later. In 1859 Elizabeth married the widower The Revd William Denshire, her late husband's cousin and with the marriage came eight step children six girls and two boys. The family are pictured below outside Ashtead House in 1861.

The Denshire Family Outside Ashtead House 1861The Denshire Family Outside Ashtead House 1861From Left To Right Elizabeth, Hester (Aged 9) , Isabella (13) Mrs Elizabeth Smith (Elizabeth's Mother), Emma (15), Selina (11), Miss King (The governess), Mary (8), Seated on the grass Henrietta (6), Charles (4) and William (7). The history of the Denshire family at Ashtead House can be read here.

The Denshire Family From Left To Right : Elizabeth, Hester (Age 9), Isabella (Age 13), Mrs Smith (Elizabeth's mother), Emma (Age 15), Selina (Age 11), Miss King (the governess), Mary (Age 8).
Seated on the grass Henrietta (Age 6), Charles (Age 4) and William (Age 7).

 

Isabella was the first of the Denshire daughters to marry. She married Henry Bailey on the 8th Nov 1870. On the day of the wedding Miss Denshire arranged for St Giles School in Ashtead to be closed and the infant children to throw rose petals at the ceremony. 

The Wedding Of Isabella Denshire And Henry Bailey At Ashtead House Surrey 8th November 1870The Wedding Of Isabella Denshire And Henry Bailey At Ashtead House Surrey 8th November 1870

On the 24th July 1872, Selina Denshire married Charles Wilde pictured below under what was reputed to be the largest tulip tree in England which stands in the grounds of Ashtead House. Her brother William Denshire, aged 18, is standing on the left. The remaining Denshire daughters, except Emma, had all married by 1889. Emma Denshire, the eldest daughter was considered to be the most beautiful of the sisters, but it was said she was jilted and after that remained unmarried, inheriting Ashtead House on her step-mothers death and living there until 1939 when she died in her 92nd year. Emma is buried in St Giles churchyard Ashtead.

The Wedding Of Selina Denshire And Charles Wilde Ashtead House Surrey 24th July 1872The Wedding Of Selina Denshire And Charles Wilde Ashtead House Surrey 24th July 1872


The Mystery Of The Crump Family Of Gravelly Hill

September 22, 2021  •  Leave a Comment

  A very interesting photo I have in my collection is one which has been posted as a postcard and has a message on the back. It is of a couple with a little girl outside their house. I love it much more than any studio shot as somehow their personalities are in the photo. When whoever took this photo asked them to pose, the mother and daughter chose to proudly stand with their bikes. Both of them wearing their outside clothes before setting off on a ride. I'm amazed at how they chose to dress for a bike ride in those days. What would they make of all the lycra and helmets worn by cyclists today I wonder.

Lewis. Blanche And Elsie Crump 1903Lewis. Blanche And Elsie Crump 1903Lewis Crump as born on 2nd Oct 1862 in Dudley, Worcestershire. In 1892 he married Blanche Sidney Oram in Birmingham and they had one daughter Elsie Kate born 1893. Lewis died on the 16th April 1936 in Gravelly Hill, Birmingham and Blanche died on the 28th September 1953 in Bournemouth. In this photo the family are outside their home "Pendennis" 49 Minstead Road, Erdington, Warwickshire.

Lewis Blanche And Elise Crump Outside
"Pendennis"65 Oval Rd, Gravelly Hill, Warwickshire
 

The postcard was sent in 1903 to an address in Cardiff and the message was signed Lewis and Blanche Crump. I managed to find them quite easily with such unusual names. Lewis Crump was born on the 2nd Oct 1862 in Dudley, Worcestershire. In 1892 he married Blanche Sidney Oram in Birmingham and they had one daughter Elsie Kate born 1893. On the 1911 census the family lived at "Pendennis" 65 Oval Rd, Gravelly Hill Warwickshire. If you look closely on the photo you can see the name "Pendennis" on the wall above the front door. It was also recorded that Lewis and Blanche had one daughter Elsie and no children had died.

The postcard message is quite cryptic. Posted to a Mr Maton, Langland House, Oakfield Street, Roath, Cardiff. It read : Dr Mr Maton, Many thanks for the interesting communication. We both join in hearty congratulations & trust the progress will be maintained. Very Kindest Regards from Lewis & Blanche Crump. 

Lewis Blanche And Elise Crump Outside"Pendennis"65 Oval Rd, Gravelly Hill, Warwickshire Birmingham PostmarkLewis Blanche And Elise Crump Outside"Pendennis"65 Oval Rd, Gravelly Hill, Warwickshire Birmingham PostmarkPosted to a Mr Maton, Langland House, Oakfield Street, Roath, Cardiff. It read : Dr Mr Maton, Many thanks for the interesting communication. We both join in hearty congratulations & trust the progress will be maintained. Very Kindest Regards from Lewis & Blanche Crump.

By the late 1920s a strange thing happened to the records. On the electoral register Elsie is no longer living with Lewis and Blanche but a woman called Daphne Queenie Crump. I presumed Elsie had left home to get married, although I couldn't find a marriage record for her, and another female relative had moved in but it became even more confusing in 1931 when Elsie appeared on the register too.

Crump RegisterCrump Register

Lewis Crump died on 16 April 1936 when he was 73 years old in Bournemouth. After this the mystery deepens. On the 1939 register Blanche now registered as a widow is living with Daphne Queenie who's date of birth is the same as Elsie's in 1893 and she is listed as daughter. There seem to be only two possibilities, either Elsie changed her name to Daphne Queenie or the couple adopted another daughter who coincidentally was born in the same month and year as Elsie. Blanche died on the 28th September 1953 and the sole beneficiary of her will was Daphne Crump, spinster. Daphne died in Bournemouth in 1976 and appeared not to leave a will as a notice was posted in the London Gazette asking for people who may have a claim on her estate to contact the bank. I can not know for sure if little Elsie in the photo changed her name to Daphne Queenie and if she did what was the reason, but it makes me realise, the more research I do there are mysteries in every family. 

The house at 65 Oval Rd, Gravelly Hill still stands but everything looks very different today. Gravelly Hill, an area of Birmingham, is home to the present day interchange known as Spaghetti Junction. If only walls could talk 65 Oval Road may be able to answer the puzzle of what happened there to the Crump family in the 1920s, it seems it will remain a mystery.

 


The History Of Sutton Station

September 17, 2021  •  Leave a Comment

The first railway to Sutton was opened in 1847. It took to years to build and cost the lives of four young men, aged between fourteen and twenty four, who were killed in accidents during it's construction and are buried in St Nicholas churchyard. A small wooden hut served Sutton's residents as a station for nearly twenty years and although it seems very small, Sutton had only 1,500 residents at the time. In 1865 the Epsom Downs line was opened and many additional passengers travelled on the railway as a result. In Derby week 1865, 70,000 people travelled on the new line. The old wooden shed was dismantled and moved to Sutton cricket ground on the corner of Gander Green Lane for use as a scorers shed. I took this photo of it in 1997. 

The Old Sutton Station At Sutton Cricket GroundThe Old Sutton Station At Sutton Cricket GroundTaken in 1997

The new station, which is pictured here in a drawing from around 1880, had a booking office, waiting rooms and a shop. It was much better suited to the new passengers who travelled through to the coast on the newly opened Brighton line, from Leatherhead. This station continued in use until 1883 when it was demolished and another new building was erected.

Sutton Station 1880Sutton Station 1880

Sutton Railway Station 1883Sutton Railway Station 1883

Sutton was a busy town when this photo as taken around 1918. Horse drawn cabs line the edge of the pavement and at the corner of Mulgrave road, just out of view was a horse trough and drinking fountain for thirsty passers by! 

Sutton Station c.1915Sutton Station c.1915

Charles Gardner was one of the Station Masters at Sutton station. He joined the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway company in May 1870 as a booking clerk at Clapham Junction with a weekly wage of £1.00. He worked at different stations in South London rising to become Station Master at Old Kent Road in 1881. By 1891 he was working at Purley, and by 1901 he was in charge at Sutton. Charles retired at the end of 1913.He stayed in the area until his death in 1938.

Charles Gardner Station Master at Sutton Station Taken On 8th May 1905Charles Gardner Station Master at Sutton Station Taken On 8th May 1905Charles Gardner who was the Station Master at Sutton station. He joined the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway company in May 1870 as a booking clerk at Clapham Junction with a weekly wage of £1.00. He worked at different stations in South London rising to become Station Master at Old Kent Road in 1881. By 1891 he was working at Purley, and by 1901 he was in charge at Sutton. Charles retired at the end of 1913.He stayed in the area until his death in 1938. (Source research carried out on behalf of the HLF funded Past on Glass/Ordinary Lives)
Photo copied and cropped from The Past on Glass at Sutton Archives. Photographer David Knights-Whittome. Shared under the Creative Commons Non Commercial

                 Photo copied and cropped from The Past on Glass at Sutton Archives. Photographer David Knights-Whittome.

Shared under the Creative Commons Non Commercial
 

The population of Sutton continued to grow and the numbers of rail commuters increased. The new station pictured here was opened in 1928 to keep pace with the growth. New motor cabs replaced the horse drawn cab and the horse trough at the corner of Mulgrave Road moved to Brighton Road. 

Sutton Station 1940sSutton Station 1940s
This station still stands today and due to the pandemic the commuters are a fraction of what they were a few years ago. Will passengers ever return in the numbers pre-pandemic? Only time will tell.

Sutton Station Taken From Platform 4 Towards Platform 3Sutton Station Taken From Platform 4 Towards Platform 3Taken on 3rd January 2020.

Sutton Station 2020


The Royal Albert Asylum And A Little Boy

September 16, 2021  •  Leave a Comment

Two photos I added to my collection recently really brought home to me changes in our society over the last 100 years. They were of two brothers Fergus Kay Crook and Laurence Gilmer Crooks taken in the 1920s. The sons of Robert Kay Crooks and his second wife Edith Margaret Crooks (Nee Smith) they were born in Wigan Lancashire at a time after so many families had been torn apart. Sadly the eldest son Fergus was born with what would be called today a learning disability. In the 1920s however, it was a different time. He must have been so loved. His parent took him to the same studio as his brother to have his portrait taken but over the next few years the bothers paths separated. Lawrence lived with his parents but by the time of the 1939 register Fergus was registered at the Royal Albert Asylum. The hospital was built between 1868 and 1873 and was originally called "The Royal Albert Asylum for idiots and imbeciles of the seven northern counties" It's hard to even imagine a time when this was considered an acceptable title for an institution. The hospital was established under the Lunacy Act 1845, at a time when there was little understanding of the difference between learning difficulties and mental illness but by 1909 it had been renamed "The Royal Albert Institution, Lancaster". There was no mainstream schooling for children such as Fergus in those days and there would have probably been little choice for his parents but an institution. 

Royal Albert Asylum LancasterRoyal Albert Asylum Lancaster
By the time of the introduction of the National Health Service in 1948 the hospital had 886 patients and it was renamed "The Royal Albert Hospital", and by 1968 on it's 100th anniversary there were over 1,000 patients. It wasn't all bad though, many of the staff worked very hard and there are records of an annual staff play, a toy jazz band, football and cricket teams and children’s shows. The implementation of the ‘Care in the Community’ policy in the 80s meant that mentally disabled people were to be treated and cared for in their homes rather than in an institution, Royal Albert Hospital’s patients started relocating back into the community. However it was too late for a new start for poor Fergus. He died in the hospital that had been his home his whole adult life, in August 1981 aged 62 years. The hospital closed in 1996.

Fergus Kay Crooks Dec 1924Fergus Kay Crooks Dec 1924Read Fergus's story here

Fergus's younger brother Laurence appears not to have married or had children. He lived in Wigan all his life coincidentally dying exactly three months to the day, in December 1981, after Fergus aged 60. Both brothers are buried in Lower Ince Cemetery in Wigan. I really hope they are together.

Laurence Gilmer Crooks Jan 1925Laurence Gilmer Crooks Jan 1925Read Laurence's story here


Remembering Rose Bourne

May 27, 2021  •  Leave a Comment

 One of the memorial cards I have had in my collection is to Rose Bourne, a 21 year old young woman who died in 1921 aged just 21 years old. When Rose Bourne was born in January 1900 in Eastbourne, Sussex, her father, Spencer, was 32, and her mother, Jane, was 30. She had four brothers and three sisters. The family lived at 15 Carlton Road in the town. The house still stands, a pretty well tended terraced house, minutes walk away from the seafront. Rose lived with her father Spencer, who on the 1911 census is listed as a refuse destructor. This role appears to literally mean he was responsible for the destruction of the waste after it's collection. Rose was an 11 year old at school on this census and there was no record of any disability for her. She must have been a normal happy young girl, with the fun of living at the seaside and lots of brothers and sisters to play with.

The Wish Tower Eastbourne 1920sThe Wish Tower Eastbourne 1920s
At some point after this census was recorded Rose must have become ill. The family's carefully chosen words on her memorial card give a hint to how much poor Rose must have suffered. 

Memorial Card Rose Bourne FrontMemorial Card Rose Bourne Front Memorial Card Rose Bourne Inside 1Memorial Card Rose Bourne Inside 1 Memorial Card Rose Bourne Inside 2Memorial Card Rose Bourne Inside 2 Rose died on the 31st May 1921 and was buried in the family grave at Ocklynge Cemetery, Eastbourne with her mother who only died the year before at the age of 50. It seemed all so sad but searching on Ancestry the large family seem to have produced many descendants to remember Rose. At a time in the country of the great loss of the First World War this family certainly seemed to have their own heartache.

 

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