The Welton News and Views back catalogue contains a collection of ‘spotlight’ articles on people with a historic connection to Welton. Lord Chesham was one of these figures.
If you have walked back up into Welton from the canal via Crockwell Farm and crossroads, you may have noticed the headstone set just behind the hedge and across a cattle grid at the entrance to Welton Grange Farm, just on the bend of the gated road.
The headstone commemorates the death of Lord Chesham after a fall from his horse, however there is more to this than meets the eye.
The inscription reads:
This cross marks the place where C. Compton W, 3rd Baron Chesham
met his death while hunting with the Pytchley Hounds
9th November 1907, aged 56
Erected by his friends …
Except of course that this was NOT the place where Chesham fell!
In fact, Lord Chesham fell from his horse near Daventry Reservoir, in a field which was at that time part of Monksmoor Farm. An eyewitness account of the accident reported:
‘It was a fine Saturday afternoon with a field of anything from 700 to 800 [?] with about 200 second horsemen. Lord Chesham was taking a fence near Daventry Reservoir when the horse put his foot in a blind ditch. Lord Chesham was thrown bodily, landing on the back of his neck which was dislocated, and he died instantly. His body was taken to Holdenby House.’
With the passing of time, hedges were grubbed up, Daventry expanded, and the headstone was moved to a corner of the farmyard.
Who was Lord Chesham?
Born in 1850 in Piccadilly, Lord Chesham was Charles Compton William Cavendish, 3rdBaron Chesham and a prominent British Army officer, courter and Conservative politician. He had fought in the Boer War in South Africa.
He belonged to one of England’s most powerful aristocratic dynasties – the Cavendish family, led by the Dukes of Devonshire. He was directly related to Sir Wiliam Cavendish and his wife, Bess of Hardwick, famed for Bolsover Castle and Hardwick Hall.
Lord Chesham was succeeded by his second son, John who was just 13 years old at the time, his eldest son having pre-deceased him, killed in the Boer War aged 21.
During his lifetime, he served in the Coldsteam Guards and, after his retirement from the regular army, became Lieutenant-Colonel of the Buckinghamshire Yeomanry. He was reportedly a charismatic man, liked by his peers and those who worked for or served alongside him. It was in this role within the Yeomanry that he raised a regiment to fight in the Boer War (1880-81 and 1899-1902).
Following a string of humiliating defeats in the second (and bloodier) Boer War during December 1899, Cavendish, alongside the Earl of Lonsdale, offered to raise a volunteer regiment of mobile, mounted infantry to counter the fast-riding Afrikaaner Boer commandos. Led by Cavendish, the battalion sailed in January 1900 – indicating that the regiment was swiftly raised and mobilised.
The 10th Battalion Imperial Yeomanry, to give them their full title, were engaged at the Relief of Kimberley, Battle of Lindley and in a range of operations to dislodge Boer forces from the rocky hills or ‘koppies’ across central South Africa. Cavendish was mentioned twice in dispatches for bravery.
During his tour of duty, Lord Chesham’s wife, Lady Beatrice, and his daughter, Lilah, travelled to South Africa and were instrumental in funding and organising the Imperial Yeomanry Hospital to care for the thousands of sick and wounded volunteer soldiers. Lady Beatrice was awarded the Royal Red Cross for her efforts.
So how did the headstone come to be placed on Welton Grange Farm?
Amongst the many volunteers from his friends from the farming and hunting communities were members of two local families: the father of Gilbert Tebbitt and a Mr John Nichols, uncle to a Welton resident of the 1980s, John Nichols, of Crockwell farm.
For his part in the Boer War, Mr G. Tebbitt was awarded the Queen’s Medal. He also received a beautifully carved pipe bearing the insignia of the Imperial Yeomanry and the years 1900-1901 as well as 37th Company. At the base of the bowl were his initials: G.W.T. It is thought that this pipe was given by local people as a memento of his service to his country.
It is thought that Mr Tebbitt was out hunting with Lord Chesham on the day of his death. Given their close association, it seems probable that it was Mr Tebbitt who arranged for the headstone to be moved to Welton Grange farm from its rather neglected position in the yard of Monksmoor Farm. Since Welton Grange Farm was home of the Tebbitt family from 1907, we can surmise that the headstone was moved some time after 1907.
Lord Chesham is buried in Latimer in Buckinghamshire, and there is another memorial to him, a stone column and trough, in Brixworth – erected by friends and fellow members of the Pytchley Hunt.
The Welton News and Views back catalogue contains a fascinating collection of ‘spotlight’ articles of members of the community, one of whom was Fred Day – aka The Bee-Man of Welton.
In 1986 Welton News and Views ran a feature on Fred Day – otherwise known as Fred: the Bee- Man of Welton.
A resident of The Paddock, Fred developed a fascination with bees almost by accident in 1942 when, as a caretaker for a college of Further Education, a Science teacher introduced him to his bees, asking Fred to help him collect a swarm which had settled behind the college.
This was the first time Fred had even seen a swarm, never mind collected one!
It was established (though at the time of writing, it is not clear how that was done) that the swarm did not belong to the college, so Fred was ‘persuaded’ to purchase a second-hand hive and, with the help of the teacher, ‘hived’ the swarm, which now seemed to be his – as far as a swarm of bees can be! The story continued that, during the following summer the science teacher went on holiday, took up another post and never returned. His bees were neglected and died
This is particularly shocking to a 21st century reader, knowing the ongoing concern about the dwindling bee population and the effect that has on the fertilisation of plants and crops.
Fred’s swarm however survived, and so, drawing on the support of a friend who also kept bees, a self-help book “Beekeeping for Beginners’ and joining the Rugby Bee Keepers Association, Fred got stuck in (metaphorically, of course!).
Fred took both the theory (winter) course – when bees are inactive, and the active course (summer) when the bees were buzzing! He took examinations in both and passed at the end of that year – though it was not a painless process. As Fred put it, he ‘got well and truly stung’ despite wearing the full beekeeper suit and hood! However, over time he gradually built up an immunity to the stings so that he hardly had any swelling at all after being ‘got’… fortunately for him!
Bee keeping in the 1950s. Not Fred. At least we don’t think so, hard to say
The passing of the first set of exams was only the beginning. By 1945 Fred had 4 hives and provided guidance and support to other bee-keepers. He later acquired 3 further hives. He also kept one ‘spare’ hive in case of a swarm and in this way was highly successful – never having to buy a bee! (Q: How do you buy a bee? A: Carefully!)
The amount of honey from a hive varies according to the conditions of the season: in 1984 Fred produced over 400lbs of honey from hawthorn, lime and rapeseed; whereas in 1985 the harvest was down to 22lbs.
Fred became a member of the Warwickshire Bee-Keepers Association, which gave him life membership after almost 50 years of his involvement with the group.
Some Welton residents continue in 2026 to manage beehives in their garden. Given the ongoing national concern regarding bee populations, it is worth saying a big thank you to those members of our community… and for the rest of us, a reminder to plant wherever possible plants in your gardens that are bee / insect friendly, maintaining ponds and creating bee friendly shelters.
For more information see the Friends of the Earth who have a guide for bee-friendly gardening: https://friendsoftheearth.uk/nature/gardening-bees
.
Following on from this week’s newsletter, I just wanted to be sure everyone was aware of our speaker programme which recommences later this month. These meetings are open to everybody, no need to book. Just turn up, you’ll be made very welcome – and you’ll get a cup of tea or coffee! Or if you fancy something stronger, feel free to bring your owndrink.
September’s meeting – Walking through Daventry’s history
Monday 28th September 7.30pm Welton Village Hall. £5 a head cash or card.
Daventry has a rich history extending back to at least Roman and Anglo Saxon times and has over time been a hot bed of religious revolt, a welcome resting point for weary coach travellers and a key location for wartime communication.
Susan Watkins will take us on a virtual walking tour from Iron Age hill fort to 20th century Daventry, a communication beacon for many across the world.
Monday 26th October 7.30pm Welton Village Hall. £5 a head cash or card.
Guy Voice recounts how a military funeral in 2008 started a journey by two ex-servicemen to record all the county’s armed forces casualties who have died on duty since WW2.
Starting from a list of 20 names, the research now records 142 men and women who have died in action, on operations, through terrorism or on duty since 1945.
The talk will discuss how the names were identified, the method and approaches to the research, and who some of these men and women were.
November’s meeting – Welton History Project – a deeper dive into people and places
Monday 30th November 7.30pm Welton Village Hall. £5 a head cash or card.
What do Jane Farr the brewer, teachers Mr Quelch and Mr Bond and the Minors, the Benjamins, the Tolstoy boy and the Governor of Newfoundland all have in common?
Answer: they all once lived in Welton! The history of our village is full of surprising stories and this presentation will introduce you to several individuals through whose lives we get an insight not just into Welton’s past but into world history!
January’s meeting – 21st century Welton: your history, your voice
Monday 25th January 7.30pm White Horse. Free event butplease consider a £5 donation.
Starting with a few fascinating and lesser well-known stories of Welton, we shall explore all those weird and wacky things that make Welton what it is today.
Building on the meeting last January, this year we will be making history: capturing the 21st century voice about our village – what makes it special? How do we want to be remembered? What will the history of 20th/21st century in Welton capture?
February’s meeting – Save the Children: now and then
Monday 22nd February 7.30pm Welton Village Hall. £5 a head cash or card.
Save the Children started in 1919 and has become the largest international children’s charity working in over 100 countries including the UK. But who started it and why?
Marilyn Payne looks at how has it grown and developed over time and how it continues to operate today.
March’s meeting – An A-Z of food over time
Monday 22nd March 7.30pm Welton Village Hall. £5 a head cash or card.
What’s for supper mum? How might they respond if you answered with dormouse? Oysters? The carp that has been in the bath for the last two weeks?
Sharn Matthews’ presentation takes us on a quirky tour through food history from apples to zebra, and looks at some of the more unexpected foods that have been eaten – and yes, people in Paris did eat zebra in the 1870s!
April’s meeting – 20th Century social history through the eyes of Joyce Grenfell
Monday 26th April 7.30pm Welton Village Hall. £5 a head cash or card.
The comic monologues of Joan Grenfell give us an insight into social change during the twentieth century, particularly for women. In her own way, she was a social commentator.
This presentation by Jackie Hibbert of some of her work also contains an explanation of some 20th century social history which led to her skilfully observed monologues; still relevant and funny today.
May outing : 78 Derngate, Northampton
Details will be confirmed in the autumn, but a Thursday afternoon visit is proposed. Pre booking will be required. The cost of entry will be either £11 or £12 depending on numbers.
78 Derngate was remodelled by Charles Rennie Mackintosh in 1916 for the Northampton model engineer W.J. Bassett-Loake.
Shared transport is intended to support those who are interested in finding out more about not just this delightful building but these two extraordinary men.
June’s meeting – Trench humour in the First World War
Monday 28th June 7.30pm Welton Village Hall. £5 a head cash or card.
Soldiers often turned to humour to alleviate the stress of life in the trenches. Jokes, puns, and satirical songs were a part of the soldiers’ oral culture.
Much of the humour was lost on those outside the soldiers’ group, but it resonated with the soldiers and allowed them to cope with the strain of service and combat. Stephen Barker’s talk will be fully illustrated and offers a light-hearted look at one way in which troops tackled the horrors of war.
Welton seems to have always been a village that looks both backwards and forwards, as evidenced by our recent discovery of the Welton 2000 Project.
Mentioned throughout Welton News and Viewsin 1989, it was clearly a major community effort designed to celebrate the approaching Millennium.
Yet more than twenty‑six years later, the project appears to have slipped from sight — unless, of course, you know differently!
In December 1989, the Welton Local History Society reported that the WI, the Brownies, schoolchildren and society members had spent the year gathering material for an appraisal of the parish’s past and present, with an eye on what future changes might help — or hinder — village life.
An exhibition had been held in the village hall on Saturday 4 November 1989, showcasing everything collected so far:
WI questionnaire findings — a display built from responses to a summer survey.
Brownies’ gravestone survey — names, dates and a full plan of standing stones in the churchyard.
Parish footpaths — detailed descriptions and photographs charting routes across the village.
Then‑and‑now photographs — historic images paired with modern views of the same locations.
Hedge‑dating research — including hedges along Kiln Lane and the B4036*, estimated at around 700 years old using Hooper’s Rule.
Schoolchildren’s nature study — drawings and notes on local wildlife, from badgers and deer to the discovery of a snake’s nest.
What we would love to find out is:
• What exactly did the WI questionnaire ask, and what insights did villagers share?
• Where did all the collected materials go after the exhibition?
• Which hedges along Kiln Lane were identified as medieval, and can they still be located?
Were these hedges along Kiln Lane catalogued as medieval?
If any long‑time residents, former WI members, Brownies, or History Society volunteers still have memories — or boxes in the loft — the Welton 2000 Project may yet be rediscovered. Do get in touch if you can help.
Note: B4036 Road Reclassification
The B4036 near Welton refers to a historic road classification that was formally changed in the 1990s.
The original route connected Daventry to Market Harborough and ran directly past the village.
Under the reclassification, the Welton–Watford section ceased to be the B4036 and became part of the B5385.
It now carries traffic over the West Coast Mainline near the former Welton Station and passes under the M1.
The Welton–Daventry stretch was downgraded to an unclassified country road.
Last weekend we were thrilled to welcome over 130 people to our combined History of Welton in St Martin’s church and a celebration of the art of Eric Fleming in the village hall. The exhibition got off to a great start on Friday with a visit by Year 6 pupils and staff from Welton Academy. They were excited to see and learn the history of the Combles bell, retrieved from a WW1 battlefield by Eric Fleming’s father, Jim, and to explore just what it was like to live here in the past.
Organised as part of the area wide Heritage Open Day, the exhibition gave us an opportunity to share the many fascinating things we have uncovered about our village and its people. Thank you to those members of the History Group who visited, as well as people from Welton and beyond.
We were very fortunate to borrow a wonderful collection of the paintings by Eric Fleming from family members and residents, which was also very well received. Thank you to all who helped us with this, both in lending the paintings and the ‘volunteers’ (John and Pete) who collected them for us, as well as others who gave their time to ‘man’ the village hall on the day. Too many to mention – but you know who you are!
We have received some fantastic feedback from visitors, as you can see below:
“Really nice to see all this old history of Welton”
— Annette H
“Thought it was fabulous! Very interesting to find out about the history of the village I live in. Hope you can do it again next year”
— Samantha D
“This was an excellent exhibition, very detailed and comprehensive! The paintings are beautiful! The history of the village is so very interesting! Thank you for all your hard work and effort!”
— Sue D
If you were unable to visit the exhibition and would like to know more, please do visit – or even better, subscribe to – our website.
It’s free, easy to use and updated frequently with new stories.There is also entry into a prize draw for a £10 Marks and Spencer gift card for anyone who subscribes before 31st October 2026 – click here.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my partner-in-all things historic, Karen O’Mahoney for her hours of help in organising this exhibition as well as developing the website, helping research new leads and enigmas, making my basic Word documents look amazing – and so much more!
It has been a huge undertaking to get this far in just seven months and, together, we are determined to continue to unearth those forgotten stories and celebrate Welton’s astonishing, world-encompassing past.
And so, to the new season!
Our first meeting for the new season is on Monday 28th September 2026 at 7.30pm in the Village Hall.
Our speaker, Susan Watkins, will be taking us on a Virtual Walk through Daventry.
From the relative comfort of our village hall chairs you will enjoy the stories about the people and places in Daventry that have made their mark on the history of our nearest large town. Do come along – you may think you ‘know’ Daventry, but there really is so much to discover, from our pre-Roman occupants to more contemporary figures!
As always, entry is £5pp payable on the door – cash or card, both welcome.
This cost includes tea or coffee and a delectable biscuit or two! Or if you fancy something stronger, feel free to BYOB! Our full programme for the year is available on the website here.
Please do share this newsletter with friends or neighbours. The work of this group is reliant on the income generated by these monthly talks and so the more who come, the better!
Have we enthused you? Why not join our committee?
The Welton History Group is a small group of enthusiastic volunteers – five in total! None of us would describe ourselves as historians. Although some of us might describe ourselves as fanatics. All of us believe that our village has a fascinating story that should be uncovered, shared and celebrated, as well as saved for future generations.
But we really need YOUR support.
You don’t need to be an expert, fanatic or otherwise, or have to give up hours of your time.
We’d just really value some extra, enthusiastic, interested people who would like to:
muck in and contribute to the future of this work in any way you feel ok with
help shape the future of the History Group
If you are interested, please email me or have a chat at one of our meetings.
And finally …… a few Welton related quiz questions
• What connects Welton to a house and botanic garden in New Zealand?
• Which Welton resident was connected to the moving memorial to heroic Londoners who saved the lives of others, at the expense of their own, in Postman’s Park in London?
• How did an Anglo / French family from India end up living at The Red Lion?
• How are Leo Tolstoy, Alice Liddell and Jane Austen connected to our village?
Of course, if you can answer these, you would definitely win the quiz!
This is a tale of strange memorabilia and a journey of discovery!
A current resident of Lion House (part of the wider Red Lion property) shared with the History Group an intriguing discovery: a strange collection of memorabilia in a dusty box left by a previous owner and found at the back of the loft. There were no previously known names associated with the objects, all of which were deeply personal and covered a time span across over twenty years.
It was a mystery: who owned them? Who had left them there?
And would we ever be able to work out how they related to the Old Red Lion?
Initial scrutiny of the objects suggested occupation at some time post 1948 of a family who had travelled in or from India and may have had a French or Belgian connection as some artwork by a child, included in the list below, clearly had a surname suggestive of these countries.
A selection of items discovered in the Red Lion loft included:
Photograph of a man c.1930s, taken abroad
Photograph of a woman – c.1900 perhaps
Photograph of a man wearing glasses, and the same man with a woman
Photograph of a girl – possibly Marguerite or her daughter
Child’s drawing labelled “slightly wounded” by Felix Augier + writing by F. Augier dated 9‑11‑16 *
Signature by Marguerite Muriel Augier
Drawing of The Man in the Moon by Clare Augier *
Cartoon – “Why wasn’t I born a man?” signed Gladys M. Saint‑Yves *
Drawing of a basket of flowers signed by Stella Delanougerede, 21 October 1910 *
Menu for Landfall Dinner in Tourist B (1948?)
Timings for sailing between Howrah (27 July 1948) and Bombay (29 July 1948) on S.S. Ormonde
* Denotes items found in the autograph book
*Denotes found in autograph book
Our investigation began with online searches and what a story we uncovered!
📘 SS Ormonde – Background Note - click to read
Note: Built on Clydebank in 1914, the SS Ormonde was constructed as an Orient Liner for the Britain–Australia route. In October 1917 she was requisitioned as a troop transport, then refurbished in 1919 back at Clydebank as a passenger liner. During the 1930s she was converted to One Class, carrying 770 Tourist Class passengers, and later transported post‑war migrants. She was again requisitioned during WWII, with berths for over 1,560 troops.
In 1947 she was chartered by the British Ministry of Transport for the government‑supported emigrant scheme to Australia, with capacity for 1,052 passengers, departing Tilbury on 10 October 1947 after a £270,000 refit. She was scrapped in December 1950.
How items linked to her sailings to Australia via India came to be in the Red Lion remains a mystery. Could some WWI‑era objects relate to Belgian refugees who stayed in Welton and attended school? Might the family have returned post‑war? Or could the items belong to someone who sailed back to England, possibly from Australia via Bombay?
How items associated with her sailings to Australia via India came to be in the Red Lion was a mystery:
Could some of the WW1 period items link to Belgian refugees who stayed in Welton and attended school here?
Could the family have returned to visit post war?
Could items link to a family who sailed back to England possibly from Australia via Bombay?
Our investigations moved on to a search around the names on some of the items focusing on the Augier family name, in particular Felix, Claire and Marguerite Muriel.
Unpicking the puzzle
We began by discovering a Find My Past record for Marguerite Augier born on 28th October 1905. She died in Daventry in 1996. This was the name written on one of the documents listed above and found in the Red Lion attic.
We also found a marriage record for a Stella Marie de Delanougere in 1928 lodged with the British India Offices (Marriage) in Calcutta. She married Claude Stanislaus Augier – Marguerite’s father. Stella was the sister of Maud Adeliade Augier, who was Marguerite’s mother!
Further to the items linked to Felix Augier, we found a May 1949 newspaper clipping describing a quite horrid end to one Felix Augier on Saturday February 26th, 1949. The report began with hidden stores of bomb‑making equipment found in British‑run engineering works in Calcutta, which at that time was being intimidated by anonymous figures.
Letters were being sent to executives, technicians and foremen, building on ongoing attacks on British subjects working in India, believed to be the work of the outlawed Revolutionary Communism Party, then around 30,000 strong. The article linked this discovery with an earlier attack at Jessops Ironworks at Dum Dum the previous February.
Three Britons had reportedly been battered to death and their bodies thrown into furnaces. Two further massacres had been foiled. “Remember Jessops” had been scrawled onto factory walls as part of this intimidation.
The Dum Dum massacre received much publicity and was raised in Parliament. The attack began around 11am on Saturday 26th February 1949. Workers were quietly warned to “make themselves scarce” and men were seen picking up crowbars, shovels and spanners. A labourer tossed a bomb through the office door before the foreman was “levelled with a crowbar.”
More home‑made bombs were thrown. As British employees ran for safety, Indian workers set up machine guns on the roof. Outside, three foremen scrambled for their lives. One, Felix Augier, was repeatedly battered as he fought his way toward an office. He sustained severe head injuries and gashes to his arms. The newspaper reported that “he fell, gasping his last words ‘They have finished me’ before he died.”
Could this be Felix who drew and wrote the documents found in The Red Lion? We decided to dig deeper…
A record for the birth of Felix Reginald Augier in India, on November 27th, 1906, at Cossipore, Bengal in India to Clarence Stanislaus Augier and Maud Adelaide Augier answered our question - we now knew that the Felix who had written his name on our discovered documents was a brother to Marguerite Muriel Augier.
The Unfolding Story of the extended Augier family
Things start to get complex so you can refer to this colour coded family timeline at any time.
1930s–1940s – Marguerite later marries cousin Emile Eugene Augier, previously married to Isabelle Marie Augier.
1947–1950s – Independence and partition prompt many European families, including the Augiers, to leave India.
1948 (16 Aug) – Ormonde passenger list:
Mrs A. Augier (65), Mr E. E. Augier (31), Mrs M. Augier (42), Miss M. Augier (Mary Ann) (3).
England declared permanent residence.
1949 (26 Feb) – Felix Reginald Augier killed in the Dum Dum massacre.
1949 (5 Aug) – Widow Ernestine Renée Augier sails to England with children:
Noreen,
Brian Felix,
Clarence B.,
Adrian,
Gordon Reginald,
Rosemary Blossom.
They settle at 44 Somerset Waye, Heston.
1952 (10 Jun) – Clarence S. Augier, Stella M. Augier, Charlotte A. Augier arrive in England.
1964 – Marguerite's daughter Mary Ann Augier marries Kenneth Silverlock.
1973 – Mary Ann Augier and Kenneth living in Northamptonshire, son Jamie born
1970s–1980s – Marguerite, Emile visit or even live at The Red Lion, Welton.
1988 – Ernestine Renée Augier dies in St Albans.
1990s – Mary Ann and Kenneth Silverlock living in Daventry and then Lion House, Welton.
1996 – Marguerite Muriel Augier and Emile Eugene Augier die in Daventry.
2000s – Mary Ann and Kenneth emigrate with Jamie to Spain.
Clarence and Maud Adelaide married in 1905 in Calcutta.
Maud Adeliade (nee DeLaNougerede) died in 1927. They had 8 children: Marguerite Muriel, Felix Reginald, Claire Maud, Charlotte Ann, Isabelle Marie, Estelle, Joan Bernadette and Andre Leo. The last, Andre, was born in 1927, the year his mother died. Her death certificate tells us that she died from post-partum haemorrhage.
On October 9th, 1928, Clarence – a widower – remarried. His bride was ‘our’ Stella Marie De La Nougerede: the artist behind our picture of red flowers. He was 47 and she was 40. The marriage took place in Calcutta, Bengal. Stella was the sister of Maud Adelaide, and so Marguerite’s aunt became her stepmother!
The Augier and De La Nougerede families had a long history in India as well as an established pattern of intermarriage between cousins. Their family tree shows that Clarence and Maud, as well as Stella, shared common grandparents, great grandparents…
Why did members of the family find their way to England?
At this stage in our research, we were not sure why England was chosen as a place to make a home; however, history gives us a very clear reason as to why. In 1947 India secured its independence from Britain, however times were turbulent due to the partition which divided India into a Hindu majority land (India) and Muslim majority (Pakistan), which led to horrific racial conflict, mass migrations and the brutal deaths of up to 2 million people.
The tensions remain a factor in the sub-continent to this day. This and strong anti-British feeling also led to many ex-pat families or long resident British and European families in India to return to Europe.
On 16th August 1948, the passenger manifest for the SS Ormonde (see above) confirmed the arrival in Tilbury of: Mrs A Augier (aged 65), Mr E. E. Augier (aged 31), Mrs M. Augier (42) – this is Marguerite, and Miss M. Augier (aged 3) – their daughter (Mary Ann Geneivieve Augier). The document confirmed that England would be their permanent residence. Mrs A Augier’s address was given as 4 Sunnyside House, Cricklewood Lane, NW2 and the others 27 Meadow Road, Southall. All were listed as British passengers.
We discovered a second ship’s manifest dated 10th June 1952, which recorded the arrival of Clarence S Augier (aged 71), Stella M. Augier (aged 64) and Charlotte A. Augier (aged 39). All had the given address as 44 Somerset Waye, Heston, Hounslow. Later electoral roll registers confirm that the family continued to live in the West London area right through to the 1970s and beyond.
We also found a record that confirmed that on 5th August 1949 after Felix’s death, his widow – Ernestine Renee Augier – sailed to England on the MV Caledonia. She travelled with Miss Noreen Augier (a teacher), Brian Felix Augier, Clarence B Augier, Adrian and Gordon Reginald (all school boys and her sons) as well as Rosemary Blossom Augier – a schoolgirl, possibly her daughter. The family settled at 44 Somerset Waye, Heston ….. with Clarence and Stella! Ernestine died in May 1988 living in St Albans. She too shared the same surname as her husband before they were married, suggesting that Felix and Ernestine were related, as cousins, possibly through their grandparents: Francis Augier (1836-1894) and his wife Mary Emma Grant (1976-1917).
Finally, we discovered that on November 1st 1934 Marguerite Muriel Augier had married Reginald Cecil Ignatius De La Nougerede in Calcutta. He was 27, she was 28 and they were cousins. However, it seems that he died and she later married another cousin, Emile Eugene Augier.
So how does all this relate to Welton? Marguerite Augier died in Daventry in November 1996. Emile also died in Daventry, in 1996. It seemed to us, from the records, that for both parties it was a second marriage. We believed Emile was previously married to Marguerite’s younger sister, Isabelle Marie Augier.
It seemed likely that at some point after 1950 and before the 1990s, Marguerite Augier and possibly her husband and daughter lived in or visited The Red Lion in Welton, leaving their memories behind in a box in the attic.
Connecting with descendants of the family!
For a couple of months this was all we knew about the family. We had developed an online Family Tree to help us find the various documents needed to confirm our thinking. But this did not help us with the more immediate history relating to Welton that we were looking for.
One day, wholly out of the blue, a message was received from another history buff who was working on the same Augier / De La Nougerede family tree on behalf of a living relative. We got in touch and were then able to add names to our pictures and get a sense of the wider family connections.
Shortly after this our Welton History Group article popped up on someone’s else’s feed and we had contact with another relative of the family living in Australia, Charlie, leading to a meeting with his mother in, appropriately, The White Horse, of course, to discuss our findings and to reunite the family with their long-lost memorabilia!
Resolving the story of the Augier family and the link to Welton
Our meeting with Sam, the Augier descendant, confirmed that our findings relating to the family history were correct and she explained to us a lot more about the history of the Augier (pronounced oh-zhay) family.
The Augier family originated in France. Pierre Augier, known as Peter the Cutler, emigrated to India in 1787. Pierre was born in Savoie in France, close to the Swiss border.
His nickname was a nod to his profession as a worker with metals although he was also an armourer. An advert in the 1790 Calcutta Gazette referred to him buying an Armourer’s business.
His name also appeared on the November 1804 List of Europeans in Calcutta (as a Cutler, resident at Cossitollah Street), although in his Will Pierre described himself as a gunmaker.
Peter the Cutler died in 1833. It was through him that the family evolved. He had thirteen children, the eldest being Matthieu (Matthew) and was married twice. From Matthew the family tree continued to encompass at least 7 further generations.
Sam told us that earlier family members may have been involved in the development of railways in India and that several relatives had close working connections with the Calcutta Mint, starting with Pierre the Cutler’s son, Matthew. The family grew prosperous and from the arrival of Peter the Cutler there were several marriages within the Augier and De La Nougerede family.
Through painstaking research and confirmation from a number of family members therefore we can confirm that the collection of objects found in the loft of The Lion House were collected and owned by Marguerite Muriel Augier.
Having left India with Emile (her now husband and previous brother-in-law), they settled in London. Travelling on board ship and with probably only limited luggage, these were some of the keepsakes she ensured she brought with her across the world to London, making them very special indeed!
It is likely that Marguerite and Emile continued to live in the West London area, as the artefacts box found also included an airmail letter sent to Emile from a relative back in India (Maurice H. De La Nougerede), which was addressed to 27 Meadow Road, Southall – the same address given on the manifest for the 1948 manifest of the S Ormerod. Their daughter, Mary Ann, left, was just 3 years old when they returned from India.
She went on to marry Kenneth Silverlock in 1964. Kenneth was born in London and the couple married in Ealing. At some point the family moved north – and we know they were living in Northamptonshire by 1973 as the birth of their son, James, was registered as this point.
They may have initially lived in Warwick Street in Daventry, but at some point came to live in The Lion House, part of the Old Red Lion. We believe that as Mary Ann’s parents, Marguerite and Emile got older, they moved up to Welton / Daventry to be with their daughter and her family. This would explain why both their deaths in 1990 are recorded in Daventry.
Welton residents recall that Ken Silverlock owned and ran a tackle shop, close to where MacDonald’s in Daventry now stands. This later moved to his fisheries at Nether Heyford. He also had a greengrocer shop on the High Street in Daventry. Ken was a keen angler and very well known in Daventry. He and Mary Ann moved to Spain in the 2000s to set up a fishery and bed and breakfast.
So, our mystery box of amazing items was, in all likelihood, left behind by Mary Ann and Kenneth when they moved from Welton to live in Spain.
Felix Augier, the victim of the factory attack, was Marguerite’s brother; their mother was Maud Adelaide and their father Clarence Stanislaus. The box contained photographs of both. Claire Augier, who produced some of the drawings in the autograph book, was the sister of Marguerite and Felix. Claire Augier went on to marry Gerald Fleury and Sam, who came to see us in Welton, is her granddaughter!
From one small box of dusty old photographs, an autograph book, letter, postcard, wedding invitation and other humble items we have unearthed a complex family history, added a new line in the history of owners of houses in Welton, opened up a story with a link to key events in world history – and managed to reunite a family with treasures from its past!
Located on the left-hand side as you travel northwards up Churchill Road towards the church, The Firs dates from at least 1695 and extensive original documents exist for the house.
During its history it has been called The Firs and Welton Cottage. Its exterior has elements of Georgian design appropriate to construction at this time, although it may have been built around a smaller older property.
The Firs 1950s/early 1960s
The house was also a small holding with extensive land to the side and rear including paddocks – hence the name of the 20th century road of bungalows: The Paddock.
The property was extensively refurbished by Carl Ponder in the early 2020s and during the work a 1797 George III “Cartwheel” penny was found under a backdoor sill. This iconic large copper coin, measuring 36-37mm and weighing 28.3g was designed by Conrad Heinrich Küchler and struck at the Soho Mint, featuring a distinctive broad raised rim with lettering to prevent stop counterfeiting.
The obverse shows the king facing right wearing a crown of laurels whilst the reverse depicts Britannia seated. Over 8 million of these coins were minted and its equivalent value today would be about £1.63, so it was not a costly item to bury. But nonetheless, it would have been for a reason now long forgotten: perhaps to mark the date of renovation work or possibly as a good luck token to assure wealth in the household.
18th Century
In the late 1700s a George Ringrose lived in this house. He is listed on the Welton Militia List for 1777. At one time he was a prosperous weaver, using the upper floor of the property which let in plenty of light as his workshop.
However, he was declared bankrupt in 1802, at which point he absconded. It seems that he later recovered his wealth as by 1819 he had applied to “inclose a seat at Welton Church”.
Note:
To “inclose a seat” in a church meant:
Building wooden panelling or partitions around a pew — forming a box-like enclosure.
Creating a private or semi‑private family pew, often for a particular household or landowner.
Reserving the seat for that family’s use, sometimes with hereditary or customary rights attached.
This practice reflected both social status and local tradition, marking out prominent families within the parish interior.
19th Century – The Hill Family – influence across the globe
The Hill family lived at The Firs in 1851, where the census recorded Sarah Ann Hill, born in the Bahamas, with her children Louisa, Annie, Emily and newborn Edmund, plus her brother‑in‑law George Allinton and three servants. Sarah Ann was the wife of Stephen John Hill, a British Army officer and later colonial governor. Born in St Lucia in 1809, Hill joined the army in 1825 and rose through the ranks, serving in the West Indies Regiment and leading anti‑piracy expeditions in the Gambia. He became Governor of the Gold Coast in 1851, Sierra Leone in 1854 and 1860, the Leeward Islands in 1863, and Newfoundland from 1869 to 1876.
Sarah Ann was the daughter of Chief Justice William Munnings of the Bahamas. She married Hill in Nassau in 1830, though they did not live together until 1836, when their first child William was born. Her parents were killed by pirates shortly afterwards. The Hills lived in Jamaica and London before Sarah Ann moved to Welton in the late 1840s, likely for health, family connections to Rev Daniel Darnell, and schooling for her son William. A later son, Edmund Hill was born and baptised in Welton.
Sarah Ann died in 1869. Stephen Hill later remarried, fathered another child in Newfoundland, retired to London in 1876 and died in 1891. His estate was £184 11S 6d (equivalent: £27- 30K today).
Please click
here
to read a detailed history of the Hill family of the Firs including the story of the Governor of Newfoundland.
20th century – The Knibb and Porter family – connecting Welton to New Zealand
The Firs is central to the Knibb–Porter story, revealing how extended family networks shaped who lived there and why. The house first appears in records in 1910, when retired Welton farmer Martin Smith sold its freehold and the paddock lease for £500. Although this looked like a simple transaction, the archive shows it was actually a transfer within an interconnected family group: Smith was a relative of Harriet Knibb, and the purchase linked the Knibbs, Porters and Smiths in a shared chain of support. The Knibb family themselves had lived in Welton since the 1890s, and their daughter Annie later became one of the long‑term occupants of The Firs.
The house became home for Annie Porter (née Knibb). After her marriage to Ernest Porter, the couple moved into The Firs, supported by wealthier relatives who wanted to ensure better living conditions for the young family. In 1910, Samuel Knibb’s nephew, Francis Knibb—a schoolmaster—purchased the property, likely to help Annie and Ernest settle into a more substantial home. Census records from 1911 and 1921 show the Porters living at The Firs for decades, raising their daughter Cicely there and sharing the house at times with other residents, including Ernest’s brother Clement.
Ownership of The Firs continued to move through the extended family, reflecting both family support and practical inheritance planning. In 1925, Francis Knibb sold the property to Sarah Elizabeth Mills (née Knibb), Annie’s elder sister, who held it in trust with her daughters, Cicely and Eileen Mills. Later, Annie Porter and her daughter Cicely Knibb became trustees. The house remained the centre of family life until 1958, when Frank Knibb—Sarah’s illegitimate son—finally sold it to the Ellisons (see below), marking the end of nearly half a century of Knibb–Porter occupation.
The Firs also acted as a symbolic anchor for a family member who had travelled far beyond Welton, Sarah Elizabeth, who emigrated to New Zealand after her marriage. Despite her life abroad, she retained ownership of The Firs and passed it to her son in her will. The house’s long history of intergenerational stewardship reflects the family ties between the Knibb, Porter, Smith and Mills families.
Please click
here
to read a detailed history of the Knibb and Porter families of the Firs including why there is a Welton House in New Zealand.
20th century– The Ellisons
Thanks to Chris Smith for the abridged copy of an article on Mill Ellison from Welton News and Views,
who was a long‑established Weltonian living at The Firs for many years.
Mill, as she preferred to be known, was born Millicent in 1930 in London. Her dad was a policeman there. She first came to Welton when she was evacuated, aged 9. She didn’t stay long the first time though as she was soon sent to join her sister Joan, who had been evacuated to Grantham. However, in about 1954 Mill returned to Welton. During her growing up she didn’t particularly enjoy school and always wanted to work on the land and to be with animals.
She met her first husband, Gordon Whitbread and lived in Great Houghton. Sadly, Gordon was killed in a motorcycle accident when he was on his way to work. At the time their son, Stephen was only two weeks old, having been born prematurely. Life was very hard, but Mill was always a hard worker.
She met her second husband, Jack Ellison in Weedon. He was a plasterer and together they wanted to buy a house and some land of their own. Then one day they learned of The Firs, a smallholding in Churchill Road, Welton being for sale and with the generosity of an acquaintance who loaned them the money to purchase the house and land, they moved in; needless to say they both worked hard and managed quickly to repay the loan.
The house was in quite a state with a dangerous electricity supply and no running water, but they set about improving the house and cultivating the land. They had pigs, sheep and hens. Jack was always busy working on the house. Their land stretched across to where The Paddock housing is now. Although there was a well in the garden most of their water came courtesy of a spring across the road on the land of Mrs Phillips in The Old House. Mrs Phillips supplied water to several others, and had a pond across from Mill’s, where she grew watercress. Most weeks Mrs Phillips would pack up a picnic basket, and she and Mill would spend the day following the hounds.
Mill and Jack had a daughter, Penny. Penny was born just before Christmas, in the midst of Mill getting the chickens and turkeys plucked ready for villagers! Penny was ‘horse and animal mad’ and Mill and Jack built stables for her horses. Stephen, Mill’s first child became a professional photographer for Fleet Street and for many weddings as well as being a car salesman. Sadly, he died in 2018.
Mill has four grandchildren: Garry a local tree surgeon, Phillip who lives in Canada with his family and has a business there too, and Jack and Daisy who both live in Barnard Castle, and who visited their Grandma often. She also has three great grandchildren, Amber, Stella and Jack.
Mill lived at The Firs until 2020. When unable to manage on her own she moved to live with Penny, enjoying Penny’s garden full of flowers, and waving to folks as they passed by. Once she needed more nursing care she moved into Astley Hall on Middlemore, Daventry.
Memories and thoughts of Mill from Weltonians past and present
Mill is remembered fondly by many in Welton. Click below to read memories of her:
Read more
During all those years, Mill was well known to most Weltonians, young and old. Several of the youngsters were ‘paper boys and girls’ for her. Many remember her entrance hall stacked with books and goods she collected for the Kalli Animal Sanctuary in Guilsborough, a charity very dear to her heart.
Others recall chatting to Mill as she delivered papers around the village, the newspapers stacked into the pram she pushed to help with the weight of the deliveries. She used a succession of prams as villagers’ children grew out of them — doubtless Silver Cross never imagined their prams would enjoy such a second life! And of course, Mill often had one or two of her beloved dogs trotting alongside.
Mill always stopped for a friendly word; she had time for everyone. She also looked after several villagers’ greenhouses and gardens while they were away — always a very safe pair of hands. When children passed on their riding lessons she would come out with biscuits for them and polos for the ponies, earning her the fond nickname ‘Biccy Mill’.
Each morning we’d walk by The Firs and Mill would be setting out her stall of jam for the day…
an Honesty Box for the money… all proceeds to charity of course! There was often surplus fruit
from her lovely garden too.’
‘How great it was to be able to pick up all sorts of papers and magazines from Mill’s;
no trips to Daventry required! In those days it was papers from Mill, milk from Mrs Grainger,
sweets and stamps from Val Hamblin’s shop and post office.’
‘I remember that Mill was always mentioned in the pantomime; it was Mill and the papers and
Bill and the post! Two of Welton’s most cherished characters.’
‘Mill always had a warm welcome and a glass of sherry ready when Welton’s British Legion members
were out collecting for Poppy Day.’
After Mill moved out, the property was bought by the Ponders, who renovated it extensively and lived in it for a while, before selling to the current owner.
The Hills were a family that lived in The Firs. Theirs is a story that takes us far from Welton, across continents, to positions of colonial power and encounters with pirates.
The 1851 census records the following people living at The Firs:
Sarah Ann Hill (nee Munnings) aged 35, born in the Bahamas
Louisa Arabella Hill aged 11 – her daughter, also born in the Bahamas
Annie Hill aged 6
Emily Celestine Hill aged 4 – born in Nassau in the Bahamas
Edmund Stephen Hill aged 1 month and born in Welton; his baptism is recorded in the Welton baptism records on April 13th, 1851
George Allinton aged 45, born in Ireland and her brother-in-law, a surgeon in the British Army.
Also 3 servants
This was the family of Major Stephen John Hill of the British army – very much a career soldier. Stephen John Hill, KCMG, CB was born on 10th June 1809 and was, during his lifetime was governor of, in turn, four British colonial possessions.
He was born in St Lucia and began his colonial service in Africa becoming Governor of TheGold Coast (now Ghana) in 1851. In 1854 he moved to become Governor ofSierra Leone, a post he was reappointed to in 1860. In 1863 he took on the Governorship of the Leeward Islands and Antigua and in 1869 he became Governor ofNewfoundland, a post he held until 1876.
Left: Stephen Hill’s name on the board at the offices of the Governor of Newfoundland
Stephen Hill was of Irish ancestry but was taken into the Munnings household in the Bahamas following the death of his parents from fever in Honduras. It was through this this that he met and later married Sarah Ann Munnings.
He joined the army on November 10th, 1825, aged just 16. He was promoted to Lieutenant on February 13th, 1828, then Captain on April 15th, 1842. He commanded an expedition eighty miles up the Gambia in 1849 and was active in several attacks against pirates in the area, which was the primary objective of his mission.
Consequently, he was promoted to the brevet rank of Major on February 15th, 1850 – obtaining his majority in September 1851 when he was appointed “Governor and Commander in Chief in and over Her Majesty’s forces and settlements and their dependencies on the Gold Coast.”
Sarah Ann Munnings was the daughter of Chief Justice William Munnings, who came from an old Norfolk family. Her mother was a Bahamian, it was claimed, “of pirate blood” and who had a relative who sailed with the infamous pirate Blackbeard and was killed at sea.
Sarah Ann and Stephen were married in Nassau, by theRev Strachan in 1830 when he was 21 and she was 14. This was however on her father’s stipulation that they should not “live together” for six years.
They seem to have honoured this as their first child, William, was born in 1836 and christened at St Andrew’s, Surrey in Jamaica. We also know that Rev Strachan was a friend of Rev Daniel Darnell of Welton and his son, William Strachan, was registered as one of Darnell’s pupils at his school in what is now The Stone House, Welton.
Tragically, two months after William was born, Sarah Ann’s parents were drowned at sea by pirates whilst on their way to visit their new grandson. This may explain Stephen’s ruthless pursuit of pirates off the Gold Coast, West Africa later in his life.
At this point in his career Hill was a lieutenant in the West Indies Regiment. The family appear to have moved to London in the late 1830s, living at 57 Baker Street in 1839 and, in 1840s, living at 64 George Street, London.
We know that in addition to Louisa, Annie, Emily and Edmund the couple had at least 2 other children: William (born 1836, who came to Welton), and Mary (born 1841). In total the Hills had nine surviving children.
The Welton connection
It is believed that Sarah came to Welton for several reasons: to recuperate from colonial living and childbirth, as well as to recover from the bereavement following the deaths of at least two of her children. In the late 1840s Stephen Hill was pursuing pirates in West Africa. It is believed that her choice of Welton was in part due to personal association (Rev Strachan) and the proximity of shared acquaintances (Rev Daniel Darnell).
She wanted her son to be educated with other friends and associates from the West Indies and so moved into The Firs, Welton. Her son, William, lodged with Rev Darnell in The Cottage (now the Stone House). Here he is on the 1851 census for the Stone House.
Stephen Hill almost certainly visited her here, as their son Edmund Stephen Hill was born and baptised in Welton.
Hills’ career, his military and political successes, were widely reported in newspapers across the globe including the Worcester Journal, the Birmingham Gazette, the New York Times to name but three! On Oct 2nd 1869 The Morning Post (Canada) reported from the London Gazette of the day before:
“Downing Street, Sept 29 – The Queen has been pleased to appoint Colonel Stephen John Hill C.B.
to be Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the island of Newfoundland and its dependencies.”
Sarah Ann’s life however was far from the pomp and circumstance of her husband’s. She may have spent time with him in his posting to Sierra Leone (between 1854-1863) as evidence suggests they both lived at Government House there. However, she returned to England at some point where, tragically, in 1869 she went prematurely senile and died shortly afterwards.
Hill’s life after Sarah
In Newfoundland, Hill supported confederation with Canada and was disappointed when in 1869 the election gave the anti-confederacy the majority in the assembly. This aside he was a popular governor and re-married on 17th February 1873 to Louisa Gordon and went on to father yet another child: on March 19th, 1875, in St John’s Newfoundland, the birth was recorded of Florence Inez Hill, her father listed as Governor.
Colonel Sir Stephen Hill retired to London in 1876 where he lived at 72 Sutherland Avenue, Maida Vale. His death on October 20th, 1891, aged 82, was announced in The Times. Probate was granted to his widow, Dame Louisa Gordon Hill of the same address. His personal estate was £184 11S 6d (equivalent: £27- 30K today).
The Hills are just a small part of the story of the Firs. You can find out more here.
This history is complex – you can return to this colour coded timeline of key events to help you understand it at any time:
Knibb–Porter–Mills Timeline
1834 – Samuel Knibb born in Charwelton
1837 – Harriet Hadland born in Bicester
1861 – Harriet Hadland working in London for her cousin Sarah Beach
1865 – Samuel Knibb and Harriet Hadland marry in Charwelton
1868 – Harriet’s cousin Sarah Elizabeth Causby marries Martin Smith in Welton
1871 – Samuel and Harriet living in Kelmarsh
1873 – Infant Frederick Knibb, son of Samuel and Harriet, baptised at Charwelton; dies aged six months
1875 – Sarah Elizabeth Knibb born in Boultham, Lincolnshire
1879 – Annie Elizabeth Knibb born in Everdon
1881 – Samuel and Harriet living in Everdon with daughters
1891 – Knibb family at 3 Lower Church Street, Welton, two doors from Martin Smith; Sarah Elizabeth working away in London
1899 – Sarah Elizabeth working in Oakley; birth of Frank Knibb
1900 (March) – Samuel Knibb dies
1900 (May) – Harriet Knibb dies
1901 – Sarah Elizabeth back in Welton (without Frank) as head of late parents’ house; Annie a dressmaker
1901 – Frank Knibb living with John & Jane Brooks in Oakley
1903 – Annie Elizabeth Knibb marries Ernest Porter
1904 – Birth and death of Doris Porter, Annie’s baby
1905 – Cicely Ethel Porter born, daughter of Annie and Ernest
1906 – Sarah Elizabeth Knibb marries New Zealander Arthur John Mills on 8th September
1906 – Newly married couple sail to NZ on SS Athenic
1907 – Arthur Mills builds Welton House in Blenheim, NZ
1910 – Martin Smith sells The Firs to Francis Knibb, nephew of Samuel
1911 – Annie Porter and Ernest Porter living at The Firs, Ernest’s brother Clement living with them
1921 – Porter family at The Firs
1925 – Sarah Elizabeth Mills buys The Firs from Francis Knibb
1933 – Mills family travel to England – Arthur John Mills dies in England on 10th July
1936 – Sarah Elizabeth Mills living in NZ
1939 – Porter family still at The Firs
1941 – Frank Knibb marries Cicely Ethel Porter (first cousins)
1946 – Sarah Elizabeth Mills dies in NZ. The Firs left to Frank in her will
1958 – Frank Knibb sells The Firs to the Ellisons
1967 – Annie Elizabeth Porter dies in Welton
1974 – Ernest Porter dies in Welton
1984 – Eileen Mary Stace, Sarah and Arthur’s daughter, dies in NZ
1986 – Cicely Beatrice McHugh, Sarah and Arthur’s daughter, dies in NZ
The photograph, left above, was taken in Welton graveyard and records the lives of Harriet Knibb, wife of Samuel Knibb, who died on May 11th, 1900, aged 65, and her baby granddaughter, Doris Elizabeth Porter, who died 4 years later on 20th April 1904 aged just 10 months.
But what can we find out about who these people were and what their lives might have been like?
The right hand photo depicts the headstone in the cemetery recording Samuel Knibb himself – who ‘departed this life March 18th, 1900, aged 66 years.”
The headstone offers no more detail than that, but together they opened up an amazing family history that, in itself, captures the complex inter-familial relationships that influenced the settlement patterns in English villages and towns in centuries past.
It seems that Samuel and Harriet died just two months apart.
They were a humble agricultural family – so what was their story?
Our research into the house on Churchill Road called The Firs, first led us to the Porter family. Through accessing the extensive house archive, with deeds and records going back as far as 1696, we discovered that the Knibb family , followed by their younger daughter’s family, the Porters, had occupied the house for at least 48 years between 1910 and 1958.
The records also showed that in 1910 a retired Welton farmer, Martin Smith, sold the freehold of the house and the leasehold of the paddock of The Firs on Churchill Road for £500. This, we later discovered, was not just a sale of property – but the passing of land between extended family members!
We learned that Martin Smith was not simply a Welton farmer living two doors away from the Knibbs in the Lower Village of Welton but was also a relative – more on that below. There is more detail of the incredible chain of people who have lived in The Firs over time here.
This is a complex tale of interconnected families! In unpicking earlier records, we discovered that the Knibb family, whilst not native to Welton, had been living in the village since at least the 1890s, so what more could we find out?
The 1891 census – the starting point
Entry 47 on the 1891 census records the Knibb family at 3 Lower Church Street, living in a small 4 roomed property (2 up / 2 down cottage), which would probably be on the lower part of Churchill Road.
Samuel Knibb – head – an agricultural labourer aged 57 – born in Charwelton
Harriet Knibb – his wife – aged 54 and born in Bicester
Annie E – their daughter – aged 12 – a scholar and born in Everdon.
We know from other sources that the Knibbs had two daughters and that their first-born daughter, Sarah Elizabeth, was born in 1875 so would have been 16 at the time of the census. She was working as a servant in London at this time.
The census tells us that Samuel was born around 1834 and his wife around 1837. Samuel was born in Charwelton, on the Banbury Road out of Welton and the family had been established for some time in Charwelton as the 1891 census for Charwelton confirmed that Samuel’s sibling, Francis, (born 1828 and working as a gardener – not domestic) lived there with his wife and son, Francis junior (born in 1860) who was working as a teacher in the elementary school in Charwelton. Samuel’s wife Harriet (nee Hadland) was born in Bicester, Oxfordshire.
So, what else could we discover about Samuel Knibb?
Samuel was the son of Williamand Elizabeth Knibb. He was baptised in Charwelton on March 30th, 1834. His father was a labourer.
The 1841 census for Charwelton records William and Elizabeth with 6 children: Francis (13), Mary (11), George (9), Samuel (7), Eliza (5) and Ann (1).
By 1851 Samuel is still living in Charlwelton but has moved out of the family home and is recorded as a lodger in The Manor House, the home of Elme Browwick. Samuel is 17 and is employed as a groom. Ten years later, he is again lodging within Charwelton and still employed as a groom.
Samuel Knibb married Harriet Hadland on September 5th 1865 in Charwelton. The marriage was witnessed by Thomas Adams and Sarah Elizabeth Causby (more on the Causbys later).
In 1871 Samuel was recorded on the census for Kelmarsh, on the outskirts of Kettering. He is recorded as being 37 years old, married and working as a ‘stableman’ living in rooms over The Coach House. Incredibly he is working at Kelmarsh Hall, the huge country estate of landowner Richard Naylor. Interestingly he seems to be with a relative there, likely his nephew, as the next listing is for William Knibb, aged 24, unmarried, also employed a stableman and, like Samuel, also born in Charwelton.
The 1881 census shows us that Samuel and Harriet Knibb were living on Church Road in Everdon, with Sarah E aged 5 and Annie E aged 2. Samuel’s occupation is recorded as ‘groom’.
Of interest is the question of how the family of an agricultural labourer living in a small cottage could have afforded the fine gravestones we see today?
It is possible that, given that the gravestone for Harriet also commemorates a Knibb granddaughter who died four years after her death, Samuel and Harriet Knibb lay in less well marked graves for a few years until the stones were erected possibly by their daughter and son-in-law – the Porter family.
Harriet Knibb – extending the research: talking with descendants!
The Oxfordshire Connection
Around 1800 there lived a shepherd in Bicester, Oxfordshire by the name of William Causby. With his wife, Ann, he had several children and grandchildren, including: Hannah, John, Mary, Thomasand Susannah – who went on to marry a man called John Hadland. Susannah and her husband were the parents of Harriet, who married Samuel Knibb in 1865. If you are interested in the Hadland family you can read more below:
Read more
1841 census: New Buildings – Bicester Market End lists: William Causby (65), a shepherd, Ann (60), John (35) – son – a brewer, Thomas (30), Mary (30), Sarah (8), Jane (6), Sarah Blowfield (15).
John and Susannah Hadland: in the 1851 census Harriet’s parents are recorded as living in an area of Bicester called Crockwell, which was within the Market End area, close to the town centre and marketplace. This area would have been in the vicinity of Queen’s Avenue – the main N/S road through Bicester, roughly where the Community College now stands. There is now a Crockwell Close in the area which may commemorate this. Her father, John Hadland, was an agricultural labourer, born in Bicester, as was Harriet’s mother. Harriet was the eldest of six daughters at this point: Eliza, Sarah, Mary, Ann and Jane.
Hannah Hadland was baptised on December 11th, 1836, in Bicester. Her father, John Hadland, is listed as a “higgler” – a travelling merchant, peddler or street vendor.
Harriet Knibb’s aunt Hannah (Susannah’s sister) had married and had a daughter, Sarah. Sarah married a man called Phillip Beach, a bank clerk in Paddington, and would have been reasonably well off for the times. They were well off enough to employ Harriet as a servant before her marriage to Samuel Knibb. Harriet is listed on the 1861 census living at 16 Park Place Terrace, Paddington with:
Phillip Beach – 33 – Cashier in London and Westminster Bank – born Lymington, Hants
Sarah – 37 – wife – born Bicester
Phillip R. Beach – 2 – born Paddington
Hannah Bloomfield – 63 – mother-in-law- born in Launton, Bicester, auctioneer’s wife
Harriet Hadland – 24 – general servant – born Bicester
Meanwhile, another of Harriet’s aunts, Mary, had also married and given birth to a daughter called Sarah Elizabeth who went on to marry one Martin Smith – the Welton farmer mentioned earlier.
It was Sarah Elizabeth who was a witness to the marriage of Harriet and Samuel Knibb – which probably explains why the Knibbs moved into Welton, living just two doors away from Martin Smith, farmer and owner of The Firs. Harriet Knibb and Sarah Elizabeth Smith were cousins! We can presume it is this cousin that Harriet’s elder daughter is named after.
Meanwhile, Harriet’s uncle, Thomas Causby, had a daughter Jane, who married a farmer, John Brooks, of Oakley in Buckinghamshire. Jane Brooks* became a very important figure in the life of her niece, Harriet’s elder daughter Sarah Elizabeth Knibb (see * later in article). Additionally, John and Jane Brooks of Oakley had a daughter, Rhoda, who went on to marry the son of Martin and Sarah Smith in Welton. If you are following the genealogy you may spot that Rhoda and Martin’s son were cousins.
As mentioned in the introduction, Samuel and Harriet Knibb had two daughters, Sarah Elizabeth and Annie E, however we have found a baptism record for a son, Frederick, in Charwelton on May 11th 1873. Frederick died aged just 6 months and is buried at Charwelton.
The Knibb daughters; Sarah Elizabeth (1875-1946) and Annie E (1879-1967)
The 1901 census for Welton shows us that Sarah Knibb aged 25, is listed as the head of the family living in the lower village of Welton, and living with her is Annie Knibb (also listed as 25 years old, however we believe this to be an enumerator’s error and that Annie was actually 22 years old). By this point both Samuel and Harriet Knibb had passed away – both died in 1900, which would explain why Sarah is listed as the head of the household, in the same home as that of the 1891 census, two doors away from her Smith relatives.
This census also confirms that Sarah was born in Lincolnshire (she was baptised in Boultham) and Annie in Everdon. In 1901 Annie was working as a dressmaker, but there is no occupation for Sarah suggesting a recent move back to the village.
Annie E Knibb married Ernest Porter, a mechanic and engineer in 1903. The headstone for her mother at the top of this article tells us that their first child, daughter Doris died aged 10 months old in 1904. Ernest was born in Acton, Cheshire on 5th September 1880.
In 1910 The Firs was purchased by Francis Knibb, a school master from Radford in Warwickshire. The census below is from 1881 and shows him as a young man living with his parents in Coventry.
Francis was Samuel’s nephew. Samuel Knibb had many siblings one of whom, also Francis, had died in 1899 leaving a son also called Francis. This is our purchaser!
This helps to explain how Annie Porter (Knibb) – daughter of Samuel and Harriet, came to live in The Firs. It seems that that their more affluent relatives from both sides of the family – Martin Smith and Francis Knibb – came together to transfer ownership of the property of The Firs, so that Annie and her husband could move into a more substantial house to bring up their daughter, possibly to reduce the risk of early death linked to poor living conditions, which may have been what happened to baby Doris – an extraordinary act of generosity.
Francis never married and it seems took his responsibilities to his family seriously. In the 1911 census for example, he is recorded as being 51 years of age, living at 102 Radford, Coventry with his 85-year-old widower uncle, Thomas Knibb, his cousin Annie Gardner – 48 and single who worked as a housekeeper [his housekeeper, perhaps?] and a 20-year-old school master, Arthur Waterhouse who was a boarder.
The archives for The Firs also show that in 1925Francis Knibb, who was by then retired and living in Cheshire, sold the property to the eldest daughter of Samuel and Harriet Knibb, Sarah Elizabeth, however Ernest and Annie Porter continued to live at The Firs until 1958, which is confirmed by both the 1911 and 1921 census returns. In was in the 1911 census that we found the record for their daughter: Cicely Porter – aged 5 – born in Welton.
The Baptism record for St Martin’s Church, Welton confirms that Cicely Ethel, daughter of Ernest and Annie Porter was baptised on April 23rd, 1905, by F Hilton, Vicar of Welton.
Also living in the house at this time was Ernest’s younger brotherClement – see below – who was employed as a grocer’s assistant.
By the time of the 1921 Welton census Ernest Porter was aged 40, Annie was 42 and their daughter Cicely was 16. Ernest was now a smallholder, still living in The Firs. The census also shows us that another family was resident in The Firs at this time. We can find no family connection so maybe they were lodgers:
Alfred Stay – head of family – a plasterer from Rugby with a child under 1, no age given.
Nellie Stay – his wife, also no age given, born in Epsom, Surrey.
Local memory: Welton residents recalled that Ernest Porter could be seen every day driving his large herd of cows through the village to the field on the far side of the A361 and fetching them in again in the evening, whilst Cicely was a familiar figure in the early morning delivering milk around the village to those unable to collect it.
From the age of 15, Cicely was organist at St Martin’s Church, accompanied by a choir of some 20 or so parish folk. At this time, she would have been using the two-manual, hand blown organ, which stood where a later book cupboard was placed at the west end of the church.
By 1958 things were hard for the Ernest and Annie Porter. Ernest was now 77 and Annie around 79. Annie was struggling with the challenges of advancing years. She died in the 1967 and was buried in the new cemetery on Ashby Road. Ernest seems to have continued living in the village where he died on 14th August 1974 aged 93. He too was buried in Welton cemetery, at the top of the village.
What of Sarah, their elder daughter? More on her later. But first ………
The Porter Family Connection
We know from the records above that Ernest Porter was not Welton born, however the Porter family does appear on the 1891 census for Welton:
Entry 10 of the census tell us that at 11 Station Road lived:
Alfred Henry Porter – aged 39 -a stud groom employed and born in Whitchurch, Salop – now Shropshire c 1852
Elizabeth Porter (nee Hassall) – aged 38 – his wife, born in Acton, Cheshire c 1852
Albert H Porter – aged 15 – their son – also born in Acton, Cheshire in 1876
Clement Porter – aged 12 – born in Hill Cliff in Cheshire in 1878
Ernest Porter – aged 10 – born in Lymm – Cheshire in 1880
Percy Porter – aged 9 – born in Welton in 1883
So, we can see that the Porter family originated in Cheshire. They had obviously moved south any time between 1876 and 1881 and came to settle in Welton. As a stud groom it is likely that Alfred Porter was doing well and may have been employed by one of the large land-owning families in Welton or a nearby village. Their boys all feature on the school logs of Welton School, so evidently there was a commitment to their son’s education, rather than putting them out to work at a young age as was often the case.
There is no record of the older Porters in the 1901 census and our family with Ernest and Annie, with daughter Cicely and Ernest’s brother, Clement, are the only Porters living in the village on the 1911 census.
Sarah Elizabeth Knibb – the tale of a travelling woman
Unearthing the details of Sarah Knibb’s life has revealed a story of resilience in adversity and great determination
The detective work to uncover her story has been fascinating. We already knew that Samuel and Harriet Knibb had two daughters. The history for the younger, Annie, was easier to unpick through census and parish records as she had stayed in Welton. However, with Sarah it was a very different story and one that started with a gravestone and led us to New Zealand.
It was a chance comment by the current owner of The Firs, and the discovery online of the photograph of this headstone in Rapaura Anglican Cemetery in New Zealand commemorating Sarah’s death on 23rd February 1946 that enabled us to make direct contact with surviving members of the family and explore the fascinating history of Welton House, Marlborough, NZ, a restored Victorian villa just north of Marlborough.
We shall return to New Zealand in a moment – but we knew from Welton census records that Sarah was born in 1875 in Lincolnshire, and her wider family was primarily based in Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire.
From her descendants we have learned that as a teenager, aged 14 or 15, Sarah worked in domestic service. She was employed as a servant in London for an Elizabeth Major, which is why she does not appear on the 1891 census in Welton, but does appear on one in London. This may have come about through family connections again!
In around 1899 at 23 years old, Sarah was working as a servant in Oakley in Buckinghamshire where she gave birth to a boy named Frank Knibb. The birth certificate does not name a father.
As an unmarried mother, Sarah would have almost certainly have lost her job. This may well explain why the 1901 census for Welton shows us that she was now living back in the ‘Lower Village” (Churchill Road) in Welton with her sister. By this point Sarah would have been 25 years old and had no listed occupation. Her younger sister, Annie, would have been 22 and is a dressmaker. There is no record of baby Frank Knibb in Welton – the family told us that they believed he was in the care of a family in Oakley where Sarah had been working.
Further investigation led us to the 1901 census record below, showing that Frank Knibb, aged 1, was living in Oakley with John and Jane Brooks*, Jane being Sarah’s aunt mentioned earlier, and that he was described as their ‘nephew’. Such arrangements were not uncommon in the past to hide the stigma of illegitimacy.
Frank was still at school in Oakley in 1911, but boarding with a Coleman family.
As an adult, Frank Knibb joined the Royal Navy, serving as a telegraphist on HMS Renown during the First World War and HMS Faulknor in World War II.
Although brought up in Buckinghamshire, Frank must have had some connection with his Welton family, as in 1941 he married his cousin, Cicely (daughter of his aunt Annie Porter – nee Knibb – and Ernest Porter of The Firs). Given the discretion of his early life circumstances, it is not clear whether either knew for a fact that they were first cousins, however it is hard to believe that their mothers Sarah Elizabeth and Annie did not know.
Frank and Cicely later settled on the Wirral, raising their son, Phil Knibb, who remembers visiting The Firs as a child! Frank died in 1977. Cicely died in 1988 in Birkenhead, on the Wirral.
But back to New Zealand ……..
ArthurMills – husband of Sarah Elizabeth Knibb
We know that Sarah Elizabeth Knibb married Arthur John Mills, who was born in New Zealand around 1867 but had travelled back to the UK for a period during which he married Sarah. The family believe that his parents bought land in the area with a view to Arthur and his brother “breaking in’ the land as adult farmers. His parents had emigrated to New Zealand possibly during the 1840s. Read more about his pioneering parents here:
Read more
Arthur’s parents were John Mills (1836–1910) and Ann Mills (1841–1896). Both are buried in Rapaura Anglican Cemetery, where Sarah Elizabeth also lies. Arthur was the eldest of seven children: Edith (1868–1909), Mary Ann (1871–1955), Eliza Sophia (1872–1878), Elizabeth (1876–1961) and Frederick Francis (1879–1947). Alice Maud also appears in other records.
Arthur’s father John Mills was a “pioneering settler”, working with his cousin Daniel Ford on a 150‑acre plot divided between them in Grovetown, NZ. Ford, who emigrated in 1842, came from Uley in Gloucestershire, and the road they built to access their land still carries their names today: Mills and Ford Road.
Arthur and Sarah married in Welton on September 8th 1906. He was 39, identified as a farmer resident in Welton at the time of the marriage, and she was 30.The witnesses to the marriage were Francis Knibb and Alice Maud Mills.
We have the ship’s manifest recording Arthur’s voyage to Britain from Wellington on the SS Corinthic, docking in London on 14th May 1906, presumably to prepare for his wedding. He was accompanied on this outward trip by his relative Alice Maud.
Soon after their wedding, Sarah emigrated to New Zealand, travelling back with Arthur and Alice on the SS Athenic.
Note: there was free movement between Commonwealth countries at this time, so it would have been very easy for Sarah to move to New Zealand.
Some puzzles still to answer…
We also have records to suggest an Arthur John Mills travelled back to New Zealand in 1901 on the SS Waiwera, accompanied by a Mrs Mills. If these voyages are for our couple, it does raise questions regarding how and when they met, and how exactly their relationship developed prior to the 1906 England wedding. This Arthur is described as a ‘car man’ so may not be our man at all.
These matter aside, we do know that, living on South Island, New Zealand, Arthur Mills had become a prominent Marlborough farmer and local official. He and Sarah would have been significant people within their community.
Welton House – down under!
If you were in any doubt about the Knibb connection to Marlborough, New Zealand, you need only look at the name of the cottage that Arthur Mills built for his English born wife – Welton House!
Records suggest that the development of the garden at Welton House became a labour of love for his Welton raised wife. Here she is in the grounds of the house.
‘In 1878 Arthur Mills began the arduous task of removing the indigenous bush to create a plot for his first simple cottage and the groundwork for what would become Welton House garden.
The current homestead, Welton House, was built in 1901 for Arthur’s new wife, Sarah, and named for the village where she was born in England… From the beginning the seven-acre garden has been a significant part of the local community and was renowned for its elegant garden parties and fierce tennis tournaments’.
Note: the current owner has confirmed the 1901 date in this quote is incorrect.
We know that Sarah and Arthur returned to England in the 1930s, with their two daughters, as the headstone tells us that Arthur died in England on July 7th, 1933. A newspaper obituary for Arthur reads as follows:
Blenheim: July 10th, 1933. A private cablegram reports the death in Derbyshire of Mr. Arthur John Mills, a well-known Grovetown farmer and member of many Marlborough local bodies. He was on a health [unclear] visit to England, accompanied by his wife and two daughters. Mr. Mills was one of the original members of the Marlborough County Council and prior to [year unclear] a member of the Spring Creek Road Board, the Spring Creek River Board and other bodies. He was also predominantly identified with the Automobile Association and various farmers’ organisations.
It was whilst in England that Sarah may have been reunited with her illegitimate son, Frank Knibb as, also in 1933, she made her will, which was witnessed by her uncle, Clement Porter – who by this time was living in Virginia Cottage, Welton which is at the top of the hill.
She had returned to New Zealand by 1936 as personal correspondence to her, found in Welton House, is dated that year.
On her death in New Zealand, in 1946, under the terms of her will, The Firs and its paddocks was left to her son Frank, although the will does not state their relationship.
Sarah and Arthur’s daughters
Our next point of investigation lay in the secondary stone, placed by Sarah Elizabeth’s grave, which is dedicated to J.L (Bill) McHugh and Cicely Beatrice McHugh.
‘In loving memory of J.L (Bill) McHugh died 12th July 1982 aged 69 years, loved husband of Cicely Beatrice – died 10th June 1986 aged 73 years.
Sarah Elizabeth and Arthur Mills had two daughters: Cicely Beatrice and Eileen Mary Mills. Remember that in 1925, their great uncle, Francis Knibb sold the leasehold and freehold of The Firs to his niece, Sarah Mills – their mother.
The property was sold ‘in trust’ which meant that the house (The Firs) could not be sold on without the agreement of the trustees. Unusually the trustees were Cicely and Eileen Mills, Sarah Elizabeth’s daughters. This was to provide inheritance safeguards and tax advantages.
Cicely and Eileen resigned as trustees in 1948, and new trustees were appointed: Annie Porter and Cicely Knibb (her daughter and wife of Frank Knibb.)
Finally in 1958, Frank Knibb sold The Firs and its land on to Jack and Mill Ellison, although by this point Annie Porter was suffering with probable dementia and Ernest held power of attorney in relation to the transaction. You can read more about Sarah and Arthur’s daughters here:
Read more
Cicely Beatrice McHugh was born Cicely Mills in 1907 or 1908, likely named for her cousin, Cicely Porter, born in Welton in 1905. She was buried in the Blenheim Anglican Cemetery in 1986. Although some of her online family‑tree details were posted by a Norwegian researcher, most verified information comes from direct New Zealand descendants.
The MyHeritage Norway entry confirms that Cicely Beatrice McHugh (née Mills) was born around 1908, died on 10 June 1986 aged 78, and was married to Joseph Linds (“Bill”) McHugh, who died in 1982. Her parents were Arthur John Mills (d. 1933) and Sarah Elizabeth Mills. Bill McHugh was a well‑known figure in New Zealand’s racing world.
Eileen Mary Mills, later Stace, Sarah and Arthur’s second daughter, became closely associated with the history of Eliza’s Garden Cottage and Welton House in Grovetown, Blenheim. Both properties are now recognised by the New Zealand Gardens Trust. Eliza’s Cottage, built in 1967, sits within a one‑acre woodland garden developed over fifteen years, reflecting the family’s deep horticultural interests.
Eileen was born on 19 June 1909 and married Henry Joseph Stace in 1943. Henry, born in 1878, died in 1958. They had at least one daughter, Elizabeth H. Stace (1945–2019), who in turn has two surviving children. The Stace family originated in England: Henry’s father, born in York in 1847, was a Colonel in the Royal Engineers and emigrated with his family to Marlborough, New Zealand, in 1861.
Eileen Stace died on 4 May 1984. Her home was on Staces Road, Grovetown—almost certainly named for her husband’s influential family. Her probate record shows an estate valued at £3132.
The Knibb and Porter families are just a small part of the story of the Firs. You can find out more here.
With thanks to Wendy Palmer of Welton House New Zealand for her help in finding Arthur’s history from information provided by Arthur’s grandson and for providing the photos of Welton House and the family
I know we do not normally put out a newsletter during the summer break, however there is much to update you on that could not wait until later in September.
Daventry Heritage Open Day – 12th September
For the last month we have been busy preparing an exhibition to showcase some of the fascinating discoveries we have made about the rich history of Welton. In fact, there has been so much that we have unearthed that it is hard to decide what to include!
The exhibition will be in St Martin’s Church between 10am and 4.00pm. It will be manned throughout to answer any questions visitors might have. We have designed a display, with lots of images, that aims to give visitors a real taste of the village then and now.
We will have a range of artefacts for you to see, such as the WWI Combles bell, that was retrieved from Flanders by a Welton soldier and donated to the school. We are very grateful to the staff at Welton School for agreeing to let us display this on the day. We also have an archive of Welton News and Views and a selection of Welton in the news reports going back more than a century.
It is still not too late to let us know if you have an item that you would be happy to share with us on the day, to help bring the experience alive! Please contact me or Karen O’Mahoney if you can help.
We have curated the exhibition to be as interactive as possible and have tried to cater for all age and interest levels, with a revised heritage trail for adults and a new young person’s version which encourages them to actively engage with what they see. There will even be a small prize for completed trails – for our younger visitors! Grown-ups will just have to take a personal pride in completing the trail, possibly at The White Horse!
It’s worth bringing along a small amount of cash as cakes will be available to buy, with proceeds going back into the History Group!
The free Heritage bus from Daventry will be stopping in Welton
We have prepared a publicity page for the Heritage Open Day website, including bus timetables, which you can access here.If you have friends and family outside of Welton, please encourage them to come along using the heritage buses.
In addition to the exhibition in the church, we are also delighted to be able to confirm that we will be hosting an exhibition of the art of Eric Fleming in the Village Hall. Eric was a prolific amateur artist and his many paintings of Welton, mostly from memory, provide a delightful perspective on the village in days gone by.
And in other History Group news ……
Wolfhampcote walk
I have been in touch with Mike Tebbitt, our leader for the Wolhampcote that was cancelled earlier this year. Regrettably Mike remains unable to lead the walk at present. I am sure you will join me in wishing him a smooth recovery. I am looking into alternative possibilities and will advise you of a revised date as soon as possible.
Programme of talks – 2026-27
Our next season of talks begins on Monday September 28th at 7.30pm in the Village Hall when we will be joined by Susan Watkins who will be taking us on a virtual tour of Daventry, exploring its long and rich history, how this is still reflected in the town we see today and some of the colourful characters associated with the town.
I do hope you will join us. Entry remains £5pp on the door, payable by card or cash. We will continue to provide refreshments or, if you prefer, please feel free to bring your own bottle! You can see the full programme for next year here.
Welton History Group website
Our website continues to go from strength to strength and is rapidly becoming the core of our communications. If you have visited us before, thank you – but please do take a look at the site from time to time, as we are constantly updating and adding new information – as well as adjusting the way information is presented to make it easier for you to use. A reminder that the address is weltonhistorygroup.co.uk.
For those of you who like stats, we’ve had over 1100 visits and 4100 page views since it launched earlier this year.
We also have 77 subscribers but we want more!
So anyone who subscribes to the website between today and 31st October goes into a prize draw for a £10 M&S voucher. If you are receiving this newsletter to your email you are already signed up – but please encourage others to do so, to help the History Group grow.
We would really love to get more members of the village active in shaping the History Group moving forward. We are only a very small group of five which can limit the extent to which we can bring the history of Welton alive to all.
We would value fresh input, ideas and support in developing our current projects as well as developing new initiatives. So, whether it is fund raising, research, helping out at events, developing the annual programme or any other ideas you might have, we need YOU! You can do as little or as much as works for you – no pressure!
Please email us at weltonhistorygroup@outlook.com or talk to any of us either at the Heritage Day event or a Monday evening meeting. We’d love to welcome you on board.
I hope to see as many of you as possible on 12th September in St Martin’s Church and the Village Hall. If you cannot pop by yourself, please do spread the word!
The Old House, located halfway up Churchill Road on the corner of Kiln Lane, has a long and interesting history and as such has always been of interest to Welton residents. So much so that, in 1986, the then Welton History Group set about studying the structure and history of the building.
For centuries it served as a communal oven, a vital facility in a time when most homes lacked the means to bake their own bread. We can imagine it was a real hub where women would have brought their dough and socialised with the others baking there.
Origins and early structure
We know the house is over 400 years old and the original History Group found it is evident that many features dated from the second half of the 17th century. It is acknowledged that some 18th century masons and carpenters could be quite conservative, so some features may have been executed in a manner suggesting they were older than they truly were.
It is also possible that at the heart of this building there remains a medieval core. To further explore its origins, in 1986 the History Group sent a set of scale drawings of the property to the Historic Buildings Commission. To date, the current History Group does not know the outcome of this.
C 1600-1610 – Richard and Thomas Clarke
Four hundred years ago the property was called The Bakehouse. We know this from records held at the Northampton Records Office. In 1610. Richard Clarke, of The Bakehouse, died and left his house to his son Thomas Clarke, who was a shoemaker.
We believe that the house at this time was one of a small number in the village that had a large oven, which was available for community use. A sketch we have seen suggests that a large oven, possibly partly external, was located on the far end of the property near where the current garage building sits.
Communal ovens were an important feature in many villages from the Middle Ages and on into later times,
when few houses had an oven. For daily cooking families would be reliant on a hearth within the house,
but for the baking of bread or pies, access to a communal oven would be required. We know that even as
late as the early 20th century, some Welton cottages still lacked access to a baking oven.
We have not yet been able to trace details about Thomas Clarke, however the records and later census registers show us that, in addition to the hugely wealthy Clarke family who had come originally from outside Welton and invested in huge areas of land, there was also a sizeable number of Welton born and bred Clarkes across many generations, many called William, Richard or Thomas.
In the 17th century the house was what we would call today a freehold property – in other words owned by its holder. However, an annual rent was still payable to the Lord of the Manor, which was paid in kind until the 18th century. In the case of The Old House, rent was paid in hens, and as the only ‘two hen’ house in the village, it is possible to trace the house through the Manorial Records.
1707 – 1717: Rev. Richard Nicholls: The vicar’s home
Above the door of the Old House is a tantalising date stone – with a clear 17, but not the following two numbers, and the letter N! The Manorial accounts show that the N on that date stone refers to Richard Nicholls, who was Vicar of Welton between 1707-1717. It appears that during that period Rev. Nicholls used the house as his vicarage, whilst his unfortunate curate was left to live in the by then largely ramshackle official vicarage, which was later demolished to make way for the enlarged park of Welton Place. It is believed that Rev. Nicholls upgraded the Old House, making it a house suitable for a ‘gentleman’ to live in, and recorded his initial and the date of his work above the door. The mark that looks like a W but is made of two overlapping Vs is likely a mason’s mark.
When Rev. Nicholls died, the management of his estate was complicated. Although he died in 1717, his official final will was not fully proved and finalised by the Prerogative Court of Canterbury until December 18th, 1723. The record of his will is currently held at the National Archives in Kew. It records him as a ‘Clerk,’ however this denotes a ‘Clerk in Holy Orders’ meaning that Nicholls was an educated, university educated gentleman who had been ordained into the priesthood.
When Rev. Nicholls died in 1717, the living (the parish income and church property) at St Martin’s fell into immediate temporary legal limbo. A Welton churchwarden, Thomas Duncomb was appointed as a “sequestrator” alongside the incoming vicar, Simon Adams.
The sequestrator’s role was to legally manage the parish’s tithes, glebe lands, and offerings during the
vacancy, ensuring the funds were safely managed and that the deceased vicar’s outstanding debts or final
obligations to the parish were settled before his heirs could claim remaining assets.
The reason why there was this delay was not uncommon. Had Nicholls been a poor priest or vicar, with only minor goods or wealth on his death, his estate would have been settled quickly by a local archdeaconry court. However, because his will had to be handled by the Supreme Prerogative Court of Canterbury, it tells us that at the time of his death Rev. Richard Nicholls possessed significant personal property, land leases or financial debts owed to him at over £5 over more than one diocese.
The 6-year delay may also have been linked to The Dilapidations Act, whereby outgoing vicars or their estates were legally responsible for “dilapidations” (disrepair of the church buildings or the vicarage). Since Nicholls’ curate had been living in a “ramshackle vicarage” during his tenure in Welton, his estate likely faced extensive legal evaluations to determine how much money from his will had to be diverted to fix the properties before his family received their inheritance.
It was only upon the legal finalisation of his administration that ownership and occupancy of this rectory property formally transferred to his successor, Simon Adams.
In summary, in his will opposite, Rev. Nicolls appointed three friends to oversee his will, William Whitman (?) of Dodford, Clerk, Benjamin Francis(?) of Daventry, Clerk, and Simon Adams of Daventry – “aforesaid Doctor in Physith…” father to Simon Adams, below.
Within the will he made provision for his wife, Susannah, his son, William and his daughter.
He wanted his estate used for the education and maintenance of his son and instructed that land he held in Duston should pass to his son, and that in turn his son should, from this, pay his daughter the sum of £400 – somewhere around £1 million in today’s terms.
It is also evident in the will that Nicholls held lands in Oxfordshire.
1717 – 1731- Rev. Simon Adams
Simon Adams was brother to the Lord of the Manor and one of the Adams family who had lived in Welton and Daventry for several generations. It was the Adams family that built the original manor house on the site of what is now Welton Manor and in 1660 the family built the Manor House, now called Old Manor Court, at the bottom of Churchill Road.
Rev. Simon Adams came from a distinguished family and his descendants went on to be closely associated with Ansty Hall in Warwickshire. The tree in summary details:
Adams Family – 17th & 18th Century
Rev Simon Adams (1602–1673) – Rector of Aston‑le‑Walls.
Son of Simon de Adam (d. 1644) of Great Amwell, Hertfordshire, and Cicely Abbis of Bedford.
Simon Adams, gent. (1631–1709) – of Moreton Pinkney.
Eldest son of the above; married twice and had nine children.
Dr. Simon Adams (1667–1748) – of Daventry and East Haddon.
Elder son of the above by his second wife Anne Cooper of Lubbenham.
Married Anne Gilbert, daughter of Rev William Gilbert of Culworth.
Died aged 80 in May 1748 and was buried in Daventry, where he is commemorated by a monument.
Rev Simon Adams moved into The Old House on becoming Vicar of Welton. Born in 1693, he was the son of the Daventry doctor, also called Simon Adams, above. He was educated at Rugby School before going on to Lincoln College Oxford.
In 1717 or 18 he married Anne Clarke, the daughter of John Clarke Esq of Drayton Manor in Daventry and later of Welton Place. He died on 2nd October 1731. His eldest son, Lt.-Col Clarke Adams served in the Northamptonshire Militia and married in 1744 Elizabeth Dobbins, who went on become the heiress to Rev William Taylor of Ansty Hall in Warwickshire.
1748 – 1846: The Gibbons era
By 1748, some years after the death of Simon Adams, the house had ceased to be the Vicarage of Welton, when it was bought by an up-and-coming farmer named Thomas Gibbons, one of the men who put his name to the petition against the enclosure of the open fields in 1754. The house remained in his family until 1846 when his two great-granddaughters put it up for sale, advertising it as:
“A farmhouse (now divided into two tenements) formerly known as the Bakehouse.”
By the early nineteenth century, populations were rising quickly and it was not unusual for larger homes to be subdivided into two or more smaller cottages rented by a number of tenants. The Bakehouse was not the only property divided in this way in Welton – see The Gables for example. Of course, later many divided properties were restored as single dwellings and in other cases pairs of smaller cottages were reconstructed to form larger cottages (e.g. Wisteria Cottage)
1846: Acquisition by the Clarke family
In 1846 the house was bought by the Rev. J.A Clarke and remained in the Clarke family as a pair of rented cottages, until the turn of the 20th century. It was in 1846 also that the Rev. Daniel Darnell became Vicar of Welton, living in The Stone House on the High Street which became the next Rectory of Welton, until his retirement in 1894, when a newer rectory was constructed by the Church on the current site of Harrington House, just next door to the Stone House.
20th century and modern life
Examination of census records does not help to track residents of The Old House from 1851 onwards as house names or detailed addresses are rarely used, however in the 1911 census we find:
Smith Family – Welton Census Snapshot
George Smith (46) – married; born in Flore; grazier, living on own account.
Emily Smith (40) – married for 25 years; 11 children born, 8 living.
Elsie Smith (15) – daughter; single; laundress; born East Haddon.
John Smith (10) – son; scholar; born Welton.
Emily Smith (8) – daughter; born Welton.
William Smith (6) – son; born Welton.
Rosa Smith (3) – daughter; born Welton.
This family reappears in the 1921census wherewe find the following living on The Green at the top of Kiln Lane, which we believe does refer to The Old House:
George Smith (56) – born in Flore; small holder; holds his own tenement at Welton.
Emily Smith (52) – born in Long Buckby; his wife.
John Smith (20) – son; single; born in Welton; groom, currently out of work.
William Smith (16) – son; drover.
Rose Smith (13) – daughter.
Fascinatingly, we can trace the family back to the 1901 census, which records them as living in the ‘Lower Village’ as follows:
George Smith (36) – head; coachman; born in Flore.
Emily Smith (31) – wife; born in Long Buckby.
Annie Smith (10) – daughter; born in Leicester.
Herbert Smith (7) – son; born in Flore.
Elsie Smith (4) – daughter; born in West Haddon.
John Smith (7 months) – son; born in Welton.
The family live just 2 doors away from another Smith family: this time Martin Smith aged 75, a farmer born in Welton, his wife, Elizabeth Smith aged 68, who was born in Bicester, Oxfordshire and their servant Amy Bester, aged 19, born in Welton.
We can trace Martin back to the 1851 census when he is recorded as 25 years of age, working as a coal dealer and living with his widowed mother Temperance Smith who was listed as 55 years old and a schoolteacher and his wife, Mary Ann who is aged 30. Could the two families be related in some way?
It is not yet clear whether this family did go on to occupy the Old House, however we do know that the current residents are part of one of the village’s longstanding families, remain active in the support of the village and are careful custodians of this incredible house.
During the 20th century the house was restored to a single dwelling. The restoration has preserved many of its wonderful historic features such as the thick stone walls, timber framing, stone framed windows and the traces of earlier hearths and partitions.
The Old House is an important part of Welton’s architectural heritage and its long story, alongside those of its various occupants and owners, mirrors the evolution of the village itself.
We do not know exactly when the first chapel was built on this site, but there was certainly one here in Anglo-Saxon times, the foundations of which are believed to lie beneath part of the church. It began as a chapel attached to the priory church at Daventry, and the Anglo-Saxon font can still be seen in the present building (see later in article).
Because it was a chapel rather than a parish church, burials were not permitted in the churchyard. Instead, villagers paid a “heriot” (burial fee) to the church in Daventry to be permitted to bury their dead there.
Following the Norman Conquest in 1066, life may have remained relatively calm for a few years. However, probably during the 1070s, Osbern de Neufmarche and his forces arrived and “violently seized” the chapel.
This was likely connected to the widespread rebellion in support of Edgar the Ætheling and his claim to the English throne. We can imagine local rebels seeking refuge inside the chapel, although the historical record does not tell us how events unfolded.
In 1135, William de Neufmarche, his son, returned the chapel to the monks of Daventry requesting pardon for himself and his father, as they had “unjustly and forcibly taken” the chapel.
On 2nd February 1141 the chapel was redesignated as the Parish Church of St Martin’s, rather than remaining a chapel of St Augustine’s Church in Daventry, which was attached to the Priory there. Even so, burial rights continued to belong to the Priory. Villagers still had to carry their dead to Daventry and continue to pay a “heriot” for burial. Church Court records show that when people were buried in Welton without permission, the bodies had to be exhumed and taken to Daventry.
Structural history
It is presumed that the base of the tower is oldest part of the current building. The walls of the building, of squared and coursed ironstone rubble are very thick except for a recess at the west end beneath the tower, which may have been the original entrance to the church.
The higher level of the tower appears to have been added later, with windows in the Early English style – i.e. simple, lancet windows with a pointed rather than rounded top.
This may have been when the roof of the nave was lowered. If you look closely at the east side of the tower where the tower wall links to the nave, you can clearly see the pointed inverted V line of an earlier, higher but narrower nave roof from a time when the church was far more modest in size.
The early medieval roof would have been thatch. The church tower had corner pinnacles until 1945 when 2 were removed, leaving the remaining 2 until 1950.
By the 13th century, Welton’s population had grown significantly from the 10 households recorded in the 1085 Domesday Book.
The field records for the late 13th century showed a higher population within the area, indicating the need for a larger church, so it is likely that the nave was widened by the addition of the north and south aisles at this time, although it was still smaller than the present building. A carving of a lion’s head on the west wall dates from this period. Viewed from the side, it appears to have wings, suggesting it may represent the winged lion, symbol of St Mark, and perhaps once formed part of a set of apostolic carvings around the church.
The church was also extensively modified during the late 13th / early 14th centuries in the “Early English / Decorated” style of Gothic architecture: put simply, this is recognised by the introduction of pointed arched lancet windows, although some later windows have more elaborate stone tracery (carvings) within the windows, characteristic of the “perpendicular” style of architecture that developed later in the 14th century.
A document dating from the late 13th century refers to the Alter to St. Mary in the Church of St Martin’s, which was probably situated at the East end of the South Aisle (i.e. to the right of the chancel as you enter the church today.)
The Church and the Black Death
Extending a church is often indicative of increased wealth within the area. Whilst we cannot be sure that applies here, it is certainly reasonable to assume that the building would have been developed prior to the 1348 pestilence, after which reduced population sizes and financial difficulties within the Priory would have made any rebuilding both impossible and unnecessary.
The Black Death devastated Welton, as it did across the country, reducing the overall population by between 30% and 40%. It devastated villages in waves of outbreaks right up to the 1360s.
It is believed that the south porch and vestry are later additions to the building. The nave possibly 19th century and the porch 16th / 17th century.
The Church in the later Middle Ages
Historically, Daventry Priory held the “Chapel of Welton.” In 1526 the Priory was closed on the orders of Cardinal Wolsey, shortly before the Dissolution of the Monasteries led by Cromwell for Henry VIII. Daventry was just one of several priories that Wolsey “dissolved” to generate income, much of which he used to found an Oxford College in his name: initially Cardinal College, Oxford founded in 1525, now Christ Church College. Thus, Daventry Priory’s rights over Welton, along with associated tithe lands, were transferred to Christ Church, Oxford.
The college still holds the silverware of Daventry Priory to this day.
St Martin’s Silver and Plate - click here
Item
Description
Silver paten (c.1700)
Weight: 8.3 oz; diameter 6¾"; foot 2¾"; height 1¾".
Marks: D H in irregular oblong, indistinct, twice repeated.
Gilt upper surface; embossed oak leaf border; closed foot plate.
Silver paten (1809)
Weight: 9.15 oz; same size as c.1700 paten.
London marks.
Made to match the first paten; identical except not gilt.
Silver flagon (1814)
Weight: 18.1 oz; height 9½"; top diameter 3"; foot 3½".
London hallmarks.
Jug‑shaped; embossed oak leaves; flat lid and handle.
Inscription around foot:
“The gift of John Plomer Clarke and Anna Maria Charlotte his wife 1811”.
Silver cup (1878)
Weight: 7.14 oz; height 7"; bowl diameter 2½"; foot 2¾".
London hallmarks.
Small spherical bowl, gilt inside; sacred initials outside; slight knop on stem; plain foot.
Replaced an older acorn‑shaped cup (similar to Fotheringay).
Two pewter plates
Diameter: 9".
Marks:
(1) X crowned
(2) Flower between leaves; “Francis” above; “Piggot” below
(3) Oblong: “Newgate Street, London”
Pewter plate
Diameter: 9".
Marks:
(1) Rose crowned with “London”
(2) Wheel with “In. Watts”
(3) Scroll: “WI…Aldgate”
Pewter plate
Diameter: 9".
Marks:
(1) I.W. in two joined semicircles
(2) Lion passant
(3) Britannia
(4) Covered cup
All marks in small oblongs.
All four pewter plates are plain.
John Plomer Clarke
Son of John Plomer (who took Clarke name and arms).
Born August 1776; married daughter of Sir John Nethorp of Scawby.
High Sheriff of Northamptonshire (1814); Lt. Colonel of Western Regiment of Northamptonshire Militia.
Died 23 March 1826; buried in chancel of St Martin’s.
Monument erected by his wife.
Note
A paten is a shallow precious‑metal plate used in the Eucharist to hold the consecrated bread.
After this transfer, burials were finally permitted in Welton itself, probably following the reconsecration of the “chapel” (as it was still called in some documents) in 1531.
It is believed that there were some burials within the church and there is a family crypt of the Clarke family, but the exact location of this is no longer known. 19th Century refurbishment plans suggest stairs in the nave, north of the tower arch, which may have led to a crypt.
During the reign of Elizabeth I, the Lord of the Manor was Richard Knightley, a committed Puritan. Not unsurprisingly, Welton Church became one of the radical Puritan churches within Northamptonshire.
As a result of the Puritans’ very strict belief in simplicity and lack of adornment – as well as their hatred of all things deemed to be “popeish” and associated with the Catholic Church - the decorated rood screen (a feature of early medieval churches that shielded the chancel from the nave) was likely removed and the walls covered with whitewash to hide decorative medieval wall painting at this time.
Worth a visit: It is worth visiting the church at Ashby St Ledgers, where the remains of medieval wall painting suggest how St Martin’s may once have looked.
Sir Richard Knightly appointed Eusebius Walker as vicar. This was well before Puritanism became widespread in England, and bishops regarded the move with caution. Walker attracted the attention of the Bishop of Peterborough after he excommunicated Joan Green for complaining about the length of services. Sermons at the time could last 3 hours or more!
The 19th century
During the nineteenth century places of religious worship expanded in Welton, with the development of two Nonconformist chapels: a Baptist Chapel at the corner of Ashby Road and Station Road, and a Methodist (Wesleyan) Chapel in Well Lane.
In the latter half of the century, the vicar, Rev. Darnell, who also ran a boarding school from what is now Stone House, together with Richard Trevor Clarke, oversaw major restorations to the church, including repairs to the roof and floor and the installation of stained-glass windows.
At the end of the 19th century the new vicar, Edward Liddell, sought to support unemployed young men by organising woodwork classes to teach practical skills. Their craftsmanship can still be seen in the church, particularly in the intricate fretwork on the pulpit, carved in 1899 by 5 men of the village, and the carved handrail just inside the north door. A brass plaque near the pulpit records the names of those involved.
Sadly, some of the same names later appear in the list of those lost in WWI.
The wonderful wood working skills of men in Welton are also seen in the beautiful alms box. This box for collecting money for the poor of the parish is in the shape of an open hand on top of the box, with the slot for the coin in the palm. The men of the village carved this for Edward Liddell in 1899 as a dedication to his parents.
The 20th century
In 1953 the Aeolian organ was installed, donated by Sir Halford Reddish, and between 1965 and 1968 the beautiful kneelers were created by members of St Martin’s Ladies Guild (and friends), 42 women in total including Olive Hupfield from Welton Manor, Mary Orr from The Manor House (Old Manor Court) and Valerie Reddish from Welton House as well as several members from the same family – Gillott, Kaddy, Lambert, Pilkington, and a few men too: Dennis Stringer and Arthur Robbins!
In 1964 the crucifix above the pulpit was given to the church by Mrs Abbot who was a church warden and had lived at The Stone House.
The roof of the nave was badly damaged by a fire in January 1977. Fortunately, most of the church valuables were able to be saved, however the roof and pews required considerable restoration.
The church bells
The 14th century tower now houses 5 bells, however in 1552 there were “three belles in y steple...” The bells are dated / engraved as follows:
1823 – added by voluntary contribution, cast by W and J Taylor, Oxford
1629 – inscribed with “God Save the King” – a reference to King Charles I (the pledge evidently didn’t work!)
Bell 3 was recast by W and J Taylor, Oxford in 1825; this bell was inscribed “celorum chrste platiat tibi rex sonus iste – 1629” which, Google translate suggests means “Christ, may this sound please you, King”.
1629 – “IHS – Nazar envs Rex..”a variation of the Latin inscription on crucifixes standing for “Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum” which translates as “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews”IHS being the first 3 letters of the Greek name for Jesus
1627 – “CUM SONO SI NON VIS VENIRE NONQUAM AD PRECES CVPIFS IRE”- translation here is hard but the gist seems to be that the sound of the bells summons you to prayer.
Back in the day as they say, the bells were rung daily at 5am between Lady Day (22nd March) and Michaelmas (29th September) and 6am during winter months, as well as at noon and the 8pm curfew. The death knell bells also sounded: 3 tolls for men and 2 for women (naturally!) and the tenor bell before and after the funeral. The first 4 bells were rung to indicate divine service.
W & J Taylor was a prominent 19th century bell founding firm. Originally from St Neots, they expanded their operation to Oxford in 1821 until they centralised their operations in Loughborough around 1845. The company was developed by Robert Taylor who took over the St Neots foundry in 1784.
They produced a number of bells worldwide including bells at York Minster and St Paul’s Cathedral and focused on making high quality, “true-harmonic” tuned bells – so next time you hear the bells of Welton – enjoy! They are special!
The interior of the church
One of the most striking features is the floor at the east end of the chancel decorated with 19th century polychromatic marble and malachite.
It is believed that the malachite was gifted to Lady Emma Louisa Tulloch, a friend of Tsar Alexander II of Russia, in return for a quantity of lace she had made herself for his personal use.
But who was Lady Tulloch – and what was she doing in Welton?
Lady Emma Louisa Tulloch (1819–1903) was born in Hull, the youngest daughter of Sir William Hyde Pearson and his wife, Elizabeth. She married Alexander Murray Tulloch, a distinguished Army officer and an important military reformer. Tulloch was also a pioneer in the use of medical statistics to demonstrate the devastating effects of tropical diseases on European troops.
Born in Newry, Northern Ireland, in 1801, the eldest son of Captain John Tulloch of Edinburgh, Alexander was educated in Perth before entering the Army in 1826. He served in India with the 45th Regiment and went on to become a leading figure in Army reform. In 1855, he and Sir John McNeill were sent to the Crimea to investigate the management of the British Army during the campaign. Their report was highly critical and was praised for its “faithful exposure of the errors” that had brought the Army into disrepute.
Alexander Tulloch died unexpectedly on 16 May 1864. The Illustrated London News reported that his “remains were interred on the 20th inst. at Welton, near Daventry”. It appears that he had suffered a short illness and had left London shortly beforehand to inspect a newly purchased property in Dorset. After his death, Lady Tulloch settled at Axminster, where she died in 1903 with an estate valued at £31,563 – equivalent to around £5 million today.
So why were the Tullochs buried in Welton?
The answer seems to lie in a family connection. Lady Emma Tulloch was the sister-in-law of Richard Trevor Clarke. The memorial to Alexander and Emma Tulloch pictured above is in the church.
There are over 30 memorial plaques inside the church which are detailed in the scrollable gallery below.
Sacred to the memory of Joseph Clarke Esq
Whose remains are Deposited near this Monument.
He died April 29th, 1773
In the 75th year of his age. Joseph Clarke built the Clarke family seat, Welton Place, in 1758, a grand mansion originally set in 711 acres of landscaped parkland and finally demolished in 1972. He served as High Sheriff of Northamptonshire. He died childless, passing the estate on to his brother Richard, below, who also died childless a year later.
Richard Clarke Esq
Departed this life Dec 6th, 1774. Aged 75.
Frances his first wife. Daughter and sole heiress of John and Frances Gardiner died July 20th, 1728. Aged 21. And is buried at Guilsboro’ in this County. John, their only son died May 29th 1729 aged 2 years.
This Mark of grateful esteem is erected by his Grand-Nephew
John, the son of John and Frances Plomer who, in compliance with his Uncle’s Will took the name and Arms of Clarke. Anno 1775
In Memory of Isaac Ashley Esq who died 27th January 173
7 aged 75 Years
Also Mary Ashley wife of the above Isaac Ashley who died 21st October 1738 aged 69 years.
Likewise Elizabeth Clarke widow of Richard Clarke Esq and daughter of Isaac Ashley and Mary his wife
Who departed this life 12th May 1779 aged 63 years
In Memory of John Plomer Esq late of this parish, who died
Dec 18th 1788 Aged 67 years, whose remains are deposited in the Church of Stone , Co Buckingham near to those of his first wife, Frances
Daughter of William Adams Esq of this Parish who died May 29th 1745 Aged 30 years.
William Adams, their second son died in his Infancy – Anno 1774
This monument is erected by desire of their elder and only surviving son, John Clarke
Sacred to the memory of John Clarke Esq, who after a life mark’d by constant and extensive justice, charity and benevolence died Jan 9th, 1805, aged 61, To the irreparable loss of the surrounding country and of his deeply afflicted widow and children by whom as a token of sincere affection this monument is erected.
Mary his pious and affectionate relict closed a truly well spent life on Christmas Day 1816 aged 73.
Henry Joseph their third son died in infancy 1729.
To the Memory of Mary Clarke
Second Daughter of John Clarke Esq
Born March 31st 1774. Died January 19th 1837
And buried in Christ Church Marylebone
“Mary, the wife of John Clarke Esq caused this monument to be placed to the memory of her grandfather James Lidderdale MD who died November 12th 1763 aged 85 , And of his wife Frances who died May 1st 1725 aged 30 and who are buried at Mansfield Co Nottingham.
Also of her Father and Mother Nicholas Child Esq and Helen his wife (only daughter of the above-named James and Frances Lidderdale) who are buried in St Bride’s Church London.
He dying March 19th 1746 aged 43, she, May 15th 1775 aged 69.
Also of her beloved Uncle, James Lidderdale Esq who having tenderly and affectionately supplied the pace of husband and father to his widowed sister and her Daughter. Died July 6th 1775 aged 66 and is buried at Chipstead in Kent.”
“In grateful and lasting testimony of conjugal happiness enjoyed in uninterrupted harmony for a period of twenty years this monument was erected by Anna-Maria Charlotte Clarke to preserve the memory of her beloved husband John Plomer Clarke who closed an useful and beneficient life at his seat in this parish March 23rd 1826 in the 5oth year of his age.
In his public character as a County Magistrate and an able Man of Business his valued services were generally and gratefully acknowledged. In private and social life by the attractive display of qualities singularly mild and amiable he conciliated the regard and esteem of all who had the honour and happiness of his acquaintance. Endued also with uncommon benevolence and tenderness of heart he eagerly sought and diligently improved every opportunity of doing good to his poor neighbours and dependents, constantly adding to their comforts as well as ministering with true Christian liberality to their wants…etc etc”
Anna – Maria Charlotte above named died June 1st 1831 (nee Nelthorp)
John Plomer Clarke was grand-nephew to Richard Clarke and inherited the estate in 1774, a military leader who raised the Daventry Volunteers and commanded the Northamptonshire local militia.
Latin inscribed table commemorating:
Richard Clarke: died 16th December 1829 (born Dec 1777)
and Phillippa (his wife) who died on 26th November 1845
(nee Tymns / born 1780)
Sacred to the loving memory of
Lieut Col Richard Trevor Clarke of Welton Place
Born 20th August 1813. Died 11th April 1897
Also of Fanny Maria, his wife
2nd daughter of Sir William Hyde and Elizabeth Janer Pearson
Died 5th June 1885
RT Clarke was a renowned horticulturalist and founder of the RHS Scientific Committee. He populated Welton Place with many exotic trees and plants.
“Sacred to the memory of Alexander Murray Tulloch, Major-General in Her Majesty’s Army, and Knight Commander of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath who was suddenly called top his rest on Whitmonday May 16th 1864 in the 61st year of his age.
Also of Emma Louisa Tulloch, his wife, who died June 8th 1903.
Emma Tulloch was born Pearson and was the sister to Fanny Maria, who was married to Lieut.Col. Richard Trevor Clarke above.
It seems the Tullochs were visiting Welton when Alexander died.
(For more information see profile of Clarke family)
In loving memory of George Henry Clarke, Captain R.N.
Son of Richard Clarke Esq of Welton Place
(Syrian, Turkish, Burmese and Baltic Medals)
Died at Teddington, April 10th 1899, aged 83 and of
Elizabeth Malone Clarke, nee D’Arcy, of Clifden Castle Co. Galway
Died July 22nd 1909, aged 86. (Elizabeth was a wealthy Irish heiress)
“They were lovely and pleasant in their lives.”
Sacred to the memory of The Reverend John Alexander Clarke MA
Vicar of Stratfield Mortimer, Berkshire
Second son of Richard Clarke Esq and Phillippa, his wife
Of Welton Place
Born September 9th 1814, died January 27th 1860
Also of
Mary Emma, his wife
Born January 22nd 1821
Died November 26th 1891
Sacred to the memory of Caroline Charlotte [Clarke]
Wife of Major Guiseppe Trombone and eldest daughter of Richard Clarke Esq of Welton Place and Phillippa, his wife.
Born December 2nd 1817. Died at Turin 29th September 1860.
Also of
Mary Susan, wife of Lieut. Colonel Ottavio Baratti and youngest daughter of Richard Clarke Esq of Welton Place and Phillippa, his wife.
Born November 24th 1819. Died at Milan 12th December 1802.
Major Guiseppe Trombone: An Internet search records a memorial to a Major Guiseppe Trombone: born Vercelli in 1822, he enlisted as a volunteer and died fighting the Battle of Custoza in 1866, at which point his rank was Lieut. Colonel.
Colonel Baratti was an Italian officer and pioneering figure in history of photography and is credited with founding one of the first Italian photographic periodicals “La Fotografia” in Milan in 1863.
In loving remembrance of George D’Arcy Clarke, Commander R.N.R
Eldest son of Captain G.H. Clarke R.N. (see above) who went to his rest on 31st July 1901 and was buried at sea.
Also of his wife Caroline, daughter of Sir George Kellner KCMG, CBI and of Caroline his wife; who died 3rd April 1922 aged 74.
GD Clarke served with the Royal Navy reserves as a Merchant Navy Captain, commanding large passenger and mail steamships for the British India Steam Navigation Company and associated lines.
James Richard Plomer Clarke OBE / Major Welch Regiment – Died 1947
And Louisa, his wife, daughter of the Rev. Nigel Honiss – Died 1944
JRP Clarke: son of Rev John A Clarke, JRP Clarke attended Winchester College (1871-75) before entering the military. After 3 years in the Northamptonshire and Rutland Militia, he joined the 41st Welch Regiment and served in Mauritius where he married Louisa 1885. They had a son, Richard Alexander Owen Clarke, who served as a Lieutenant Colonel. awarded his OBE in Dec 1919. JRP Clarke inherited the Lord of the Manor and estates of Welton following the death of his uncle, Richard Clarke.
The memorial was erected by his son, Richard (1896-1981).
“Mary Smith late of Brock-Street, Bath
Wife of Lewin - John Smith Esq of Manchester Square, London
departed this life very suddenly whilst on a visit at Welton Place
September 4th 1813 Aged 78
And is buried in the Family Vault beneath”
We do not yet know the relationship here with the Clarkes but assume familial as she lies in the family vault.
“To the memory of John The son of John Wafforne
and Damaris his Wife. He was buried near this Place
January the 6th Anno 1715.
Behold thy selfe by mee
Such a one was I as thou
And Thou in Time Shalt be
Even Dust as I am now”
The name Damaris is a feminine name of Greek origin meaning “calf, heifer or gentle” and holds a Biblical connection to a woman in Athens who followed the Apostle Paul.
1914-1918 War Memorial Plaque
“To the Glory of God and in Honoured Memory of the Men of this Parish who fell in the Great War.
Charles William Benjamin
Percy Benjamin
Herbert Leslie Benjamin
Thomas Wooton
Thomas Frederick Surridge
Arthur William Meadows
They Died that we might Live.”
An additional brass memorial below commemorates
George Bernard Facer who fell in World War II.
“Here lyeth the body of
Thomas Frost who departed this life
the 5th day of June 1699”
Linked to this memorial is the inscription :
“May reader shed a tear
On this just many slumbreth here
And whilst y [you] readest, thus on me
Think on the Glass y [that] runs for thee
3 Memorials linked to the Darnell family: from top
To the Memory of Daniel Darnell M.A. 48 years vicar of this parish
Born Sept 6th, 1811, Died July 31st, 1897
In the 86th year of age.
To the memory of Frances Charlotte Darnell, the beloved wife of the Revd. Daniel Darnell M.A. vicar of this parish who died March 6th 1867 aged 58 years.
Also, of Mary Esther their second daughter who died June 16th, 1858, aged 15 years.
To the memory of Jane, second wife of Revd. D. Darnell M.A. and daughter of Robert Stanfield Esq, Field House, Yorkshire
Died Oct 29th, 1896, aged 85 years.
In memory of Frances Sarah the beloved wife of
Charles Edward Barrrett-Lennard, Lieut. in H.M. 5th Regt. of Dragoon Guards and eldest daughter of the Revd. D. Darnell Vicar of Welton
Died at Edinburgh 5th April 1857
Aged 17 years and 10 months
In memory of three children of Revd. John Wilson and Elinor his wife who died in their infancy, namely
John Charles on the 11th of December 1810
Catherine Jane – January 1st, 1818
And John Charles (twin brother of Ashley Henry [John engraved beneath) on 1st February 1823
Sacred to the memory of a lady who was much esteemed and respected by the inhabitants of this parish
Eliza Sarah daughter of the vicar and wife of Revd. Francis Tebbutt
many years curate of Welton.
Her gentle and pious spirit returned to God who gave it on 30th June 1842 in the fortieth year of her age.
Also, in affectionate memory of three of her beloved children, viz,
Lionel Lyde Ward, died 25th October 1842 aged 16
Frances Tyssen, died 7th July 1837 aged 4
Eliza Frances, died 12th July 1837 aged 5.
‘Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.’ Matt. 5.8.
Near this place lie the remains of
John Wainwright A.M.
Thirty years vicar of this parish and a considerable benefactor to it.
He died May 16th, 1778, in the 75th year of his age.
Just above the date of his death the words “the Vicarage” are inscribed, either suggesting this was where he died, or perhaps a suggestion that he helped found / develop the vicarage.
In loving memory of
Sebastian Henry Garrard
Died 23rd February 1946 aged 77 years
And of his wife
May Eleanor died 10th August 1955 aged 87 years.
Major Garrard was a renowned Crown Jewellers who leased Welton Place from the Clarke family in 1906. He continued his work during part of this time and it suggested that Royalty may well have visited the house during this period. His wife was born May Cazenove and they had 2 children: Barbara Joan and Pamela Vera.
After Major Garrard’s death, local builder Frank Emery snr built Welton Brook, set back from Well Lane for widow as she no longer wanted to stay in the large house. Post war building restrictions did not permit the development of properties over the value of £1200, so the property was initially built as 2 semi detached homes, between which a doorway was created – to avoid govt restrictions!
These include 17 that relate to the Clarke family, 8 relating to Welton vicars and / or their family members, 3 of which are linked to the Rev Daniel Darnell, as well as a WW1/2 memorial and others related to deaths within the parish. There are also memorials linked to the Garrard family at Welton Place, the Ashley family and possibly the oldest memorial to Thomas Frost who died on 5th June 1699.
One memorial over the door explains an old Welton custom that features in the Head Teacher Log Books at Welton School during the 19th century. Each year in December the school had to be closed for the annual distribution of the bread. The dark wooden plaque above the north entrance explains this:
John Winterton of Welton Grange, Gentleman, who died July 1st 1855, left by his will the sum of £200 (clear of legacy duty) to be placed out at interest, either upon government or real security; in the names of the Vicar, Churchwardens, and Overseers of the parish of Welton. The income was to be expended, one half in Bread, the other half in Clothing, and distributed at their discretion, on the 21st day of December in every year, to the most needy and deserving widows, widowers, or other poor persons of the Parish.
A list of the known Vicars of Welton is also found in the nave, and these are listed with additional information where known at the drop down below.
The list starts in 1258 with Albredas and continues through to 2022 – a listed total of 52 people. However, this is incomplete – if anyone can fill the gaps ....
Welton Vicars and Clergy - click here
Year
Name
Notes
1258
Albredus
First vicar of Welton between 1258 and 1269, appointed by prior and convent of Daventry.
1269
John de Tilton
Possibly linked to the Digby de Tilton family from Leicester; Sir John de Tilton died in 1269.
1287
Richard de Saddington / Peter de Kelmcote
A John de Saddington lived and held land in Leicestershire. His son Roger held rights to a dwelling and 2 virgates of land (c. 60 acres) in Musele (possibly Mountsorrell). Hugh de Kilborth (Kibworth?) was his tenant.
1349
John Slauston
In 1353 a Peter de Slauston is recorded at Barrowden near Rockingham… though he was accused of trespass of vert and venison in the forest, so maybe not a close relation! He was the son of Robert Horpole of Slawston and in 1369 gave 2 dwellings and lands in Daventry to the prior and convent to provide wax lights.
c1414
John Russell
c1450
Richard Green
1452
Henry Cokkes
1464
Sir John Pysford
Historical records of 14th and 15th centuries refer to a Pysford family, linked unsurprisingly, to the village of Pitsford, 5 miles north of Northampton, Brixworth and Spelhoe hundred. .
1470
Sir Lawrence Aplow
1471
John Scott
1483
Edmund Yginton
1523
Sir William Chapleyn
1561
Ralph Phillips / William Philips
Ralph was presented to Queen Elizabeth I and instituted on 20 June 1561.
1578
Eusebius* Walker
From the Greek meaning devout, pious or worships well, which is ironic really – see opposite!
Possibly name derived from Witsey related to Holcot in Northamptonshire. Sir Richard Knightly appointed Eusebius Walker as vicar. This was well before Puritanism became widespread in England, and bishops regarded the move with caution. Walker attracted the attention of the Bishop of Peterborough after he excommunicated Joan Green for complaining about the length of services.
1611
Richard Amy
1612
Lewis Jones
1617
Richard Patrick
1645
Thomas Cox
1652
James Brown
1662
Jonathan Foster
Thomas Servel was curate.
1671
William Satchwell
William Jackson was curate.
1696
John McQueen
Curates: Edward Haigh, James Lang, William Abel, Knightly Adams.
1707
Richard Nicholls
As vicar he lived in what is now The Old House, but in the early 1700s was the bakehouse. The letter N above the door suggests he made improvements to this property likely sometime after 1707. . His curate lived in what was then a rather ramshackle vicarage on land later used for the enlarged parkland of Welton Place. Nicholls died in 1717.
1717-1731
Simon Adams
And Thomas Duncomb, Sequestrator. Adams moved into The Old House on becoming vicar. On his death the house was bought by a farmer called Thomas Gibbons and remained in that family until 1846, by which time it was subdivided into 2 cottages., later bought by Revd. A. J. Clarke.
1748
John Wainwright
1754 Enclosure Act allocated 65 acres to the Church.
1778
John Rowton & John Campbell
1783
James Preedy
1785
George Laughton
1800
Richard Davies
c1837
Francis Tebbutt
On Friday 21 July 1837 the Coventry Herald and Free Press reported that on Friday 7th July Francis Tyssen, the 4-year-old son of Revd. Tebbutt died of scarlatina, followed on 12th July by his 6-year-old daughter Eliza Frances. These deaths were not noted in the Head Teacher log book.
1842
Thomas William Johnes
1846–1894
Daniel Darnell
On Fri 25th June 1858 the Coventry Standard reported that on the 16th June the second daughter of Revd. Darnell, Mary Esther, died aged 15.
Revd. Darnell also held a meeting in the National Schoolroom to start a society to be called the “Welton Institute” to provide a library, lectures and entertainments during the winter for a “nominal charge”. As President of the Institute, Darnell was supported by Mr George Smith of Coalville (see separate item on WH website) who was elected vice -president; Col Clarke was elected treasurer and Mr Quelch, the newly appointed school master, the secretary and librarian. The committee included Mrs Clarke and Darnell and Miss Stansfield. Its overall aim was to support the youths of the village. Darnell lived in The Stone House with his family and in which he ran a small boarding school for boys. He was obliged to resign in 1894 die to “age and infirmity” but continued to live in Welton until his death in 1897, when the Stone House ceased to become the Vicarage.
1894
Edward Thomas Liddell
The London Guardian carried an advert on Wed 1st Sept 1897 for an unfurnished cottage which would be available to rent for retired clergy of church workers from Oct 11th. It is advertised as having 6 bedrooms, orchard, stabling and being close to the church and post office. This was The Stone House (the “old” vicarage) and the Revd. was now living in the “new” vicarage, a large 3 storey house on the site of Harrington House. Liddell also supported and promoted wood carving by the men of the village and in 1899 donated the hand shaped alms box in memory of his father and mother, which now sits near the north entrance.
1902
Musgrave Hilton
1906
Charles Littledale
Prior to his tenure, Kelly’s Directory records that in 1906 the tenancy was vacant.
1907
James Fearn Sugden M.A.
Previously curate at St Luke’s Old Street EC, London.
1926
William Henry Fearis
Spelled “Ferris” on church list.
1938
S. G. W. Maitland
1942
John Whitehall Cheshire
The Sunday Dispatch of 17th March 1946 reported that Revd. Cheshire’s study at the vicarage was ransacked in a burglary. Telephone wires were cut and one clue was left – a flat bladed knife. One of the items stolen was a brass clock. A Police patrol in Ashby St Ledgers caught one of the men at 4.30am, conducting their 2nd burglary of a vicarage that night. They had in their possession the brass clock. 3 men from Islington were convicted of several burglaries.
1947
H. B. H. Horne
1950
F. W. Weaver
1955
John Gordon Kinnersley‑Taylor
Educated at Rugby School; linked to Sneyd‑Kinnersley family.
1958
James E. Wright
1962
Frederick William Weaver
His career included over 30 years as chaplain to the Mission to Seamen serving in China, Japan, Australia and Canada, vicar of Ashby St Ledgers, and finally Rector of Seavington St Michael’s near Ilminster. Died 1962, estate valued at £1 611 17S and 3d (about £30K in 2026).
1963
Derek H. Pilkington
In Sept 1964 the Birmingham Post reported that Revd. Pilkington barred a bride, Gillian Thorneycroft, from entering the church for her wedding until she removed it from her face. He claimed her face had to be visible to ensure there was no “substitution” – he also did not like the fact a photographer was engaged to take photos of the bride as she walked down the aisle
1970
W. Leslie Neill
Neill is recorded as officiating across a number of churches including Welton and Ashby St Ledgers, including at the wedding there in 1971 of Frances Ann Guest, daughter of the late Viscount of Wimborne to Ernest Martin Johnson of New York.
1976
T. Patrick Hammerton
Thomas Patrick is, according to AI, remembered for his involvement in local history. He was also `vicar when the church was badly damaged by fire in January 1977. He pointed out that if the fire had “gone unnoticed for another hour the church would have been almost totally destroyed.”
1988
Lawrence Gordon Davies
1928-2005; born in Wallasey and attended Downing College Cambridge. Held various posts.
1990
John W. Hargreaves
1999
Ann Slater
Ann was born in Northampton and ordained in July 1995 in Peterborough. She was a member of the Daventry Team Ministry and served in Daventry, Braunston, Catesby, Hellidon, Staverton as well as Welton.
2006
Theresa Davies
In 2008 Welton made the news for all the wrong reasons! On 11th Nov 2008 the BBC reported that Revd. Theresa had been banned from religious roles for 12 years for “conduct unbecoming to holy orders”. A self-confessed swinger, Davies admitted an alcohol problem and an open relationship with her husband. Parishioners complained of her being drunk at 4 separate church services.
2010
Chrys Tremththanmor
Not only once vicar of Welton, but a photographer and writer, and Clergy Training Officer.
2022
Kathryn Evans
The Aeolian organ in the South Aisle was presented to the church by Sir Halford Reddish and installed in 1953 to mark the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. It was manufactured in 1909 by the Aeolian Organ Company of New York (founded in 1887) and had previously been installed at Hengrave Hall, near Bury St Edmond’s in Suffolk.
This historic house was bought by Sir John Wood (1857-1951), barrister and MP for Stalybridge and Hyde, in 1895. After he died the house became a convent and it was probably around this time that it was acquired by Reddish for the church at Welton. An improved console was added in recent years.
The pews in the church were originally a lustrous golden colour but had to be given a darker stain following the disastrous roof fire of January 1977 to hide the burn marks caused by falling debris. The South aisle also originally contained pews but these were removed in 2004.
The tub shaped font mentioned in our introduction is believed to be Anglo Saxon in origin and as such is the oldest feature within the church. It is thought that this dates from the Saxon chapel which was violently seized by Osbern de Neufmarche, one of the Norman invaders. On close examination the remains of original carving can just be seen – two chevrons on one side.
The windows have been restored and replaced over time. In 1866-7 Darnell and Col Richard Clarke fitted 4 stained glass windows in the chancel – 2 were later damaged and replaced with clear glass. Glass in some windows may have been reused from previous windows. The small lancet window in the tower is dedicated to St Martin of Tours, noted for his charitable works.
The churchyard
The churchyard probably dates from when the church was adopted as a parish church following the dissolution of Daventry Priory. Established in the 1090s by Hugh de Leicester, the priory was patronised by local gentry and nobility in return for masses said for their souls.
However, by the 16th century the abbey was in decline and in 1525 Cardinal Wolsey secured permission from Pope Clement VIII to dissolve it.
Up to this time Weltonians would be buried in Daventry (see opening of this article) but after 1524 inhumations took place in the churchyard, it is now a closed graveyard, as it is full!
The number of standing headstones in the past, before they were removed on the direction of Sir Halford Reddish in 1968, being an indicator of this, although in the 16th – 18th centuries comparatively few graves would have had stone markers.
Notable features within the graveyard include:
Two ironstone headstones approximately 10 metres to the south of the south aisle, one dated 1667 and the other 1711 and 1713
A lead cistern dated 1673 to the south of the south aisle, west of the south porch, which is inscribed PTE. It was donated by Major Garrard of Welton Place in 1949
A Commonwealth Graves Commission marker to Private Thomas Wootton, who was one of the men of Welton who lost their lives during the First World War. (His story is detailed in a separate article on the website about Welton in Wartime). Private Wootton from the Northamptonshire Regiment died on July 19th1917 aged 37.
An elaborate tomb marker to Robert Francis Burton, of Churchill House (Welton Manor), son of Edmund Burton, who was born in 1840. He joined the army in July 1867 and served during the Indian Mutiny campaign, being present at the “relief, siege and capture of Lucknow” as well as taking part in several actions at Oudh. He retired from the army in 1867 and died in 1903.
The memorial to six year old John Hewitt, the son of Peter and Elizabeth Hewitt of Rugby who was “lost (by neglect)” on January 16th 1806 in a field in the parish and found on the 18th “starved to death” – a stark and sober reminder to parents as they walk up Churchill Road of their responsibilities as they walk up Churchill Road.
Memorial to the memory of Elizabeth, the wife of Edward Reeve she departed this life on 6th of March 1722 and of…
Could Gains Rhodes have been a sailor? The Benjamins were an extended Welton family and the third tombstone here to the sons of Samuel and Hannah Howard is a stark reminder of the perils of childhood and the fact that death was an ever-present fact of life. Their son Samuel died aged 9 years and 9 months in 1824 and another son, William Thomson died in 1827 aged just 11 months.
Left: here lieth the body of Thomas … 1667 - possibly the oldest gravestone, but increasingly hard to read.
Many of the gravestones have been weathered and are increasingly covered in moss and lichen. Those lifted and placed as a path and at the north side of the graveyard are completely lost now.
And finally .....
Sometimes you find something that really brings the past alive… and if you closely examine the columns in the nave, you may find the following. Scratched into the stonework of a column directly in front of a pew, it seems that someone in possibly 1866 found morning service a little dreary perhaps and chose to leave his – or her – mark behind!
Personally, I suspect William, who was able to get away with it as the column shielded him in part from the all-seeing eyes of the vicar in the finely carved pulpit! (look closely at the letters or better still go and check it out for yourself).
The pictures below also show us that other parishioners have been handy with a blade in bygone times, with TR engraved on a stone in the wall near the south porch and an intriguing AB carved into the stonework of the arched doorway on the north side of the church.
Not quite the fabulous medieval carving that can still be seen (just) in the window corbels – see left.
The above family tree is simplified, of necessity, and does not include many of the family members, however it does provide an overview which illustrates the long-term association of the family within the area. The family traces its roots to Daventry, where Thomas and George were both butchers. Later members of the family evidently moved to Welton.
George Emery (snr) above was born in 1857 and the parish records from Daventry show that on December 25th 1874, aged 19, a butcher by trade and living on Sheaf Street, he married Elizabeth Whitmill, aged 19.
His father is listed as Thomas Emery and his occupation was also a butcher. The bride’s father, Uriah, was a labourer.
In the 1901 Daventry census, George – 44 – is living at 10 Brook Street with Annie E, who is 45, along with daughters Mary A (24), Amy (17), Jessie (15) Maude (13), Grace (11), Maggie (9) and George (5).
In the 1911 census George Emery was 54, still working as a butcher and Annie Elizabeth was 55. They had given birth to 12 children, with 11 surviving. The family were living at 8 Brook Street in Daventry and also resident at the address were some of their children:
Amy – 26 – single – dress maker
Maude – 23 – single – dress maker
Grace – 20 – single – general servant
Maggie – 18 – single – Dress maker
George – 15 – single – butcher
John Emery – 14 – grandson – Chemist’s Assistant
The records also tell us that George Emery (jnr – George’s son born in 1896) was in 1915 living at 10 Brook Street and was enlisted within the Warwickshire RHA (Royal Horse Artillery) Regiment in June of that year. As a bombardier (gunner) – number 681. His is a sad story as the record also carries a note dated 18th February 1916 that “any articles of personal property belonging to the late No 681 Bombadier George Emery 3/1st Warwickshire Royal Horse Artillery should be disparaged to George Emery of 10 Brook Street, Daventry”, as should “any medals granted to the deceased”.
The 1911 census for Welton shows us that there were three George Emerys in the area (at least) as, although we do not have the exact location, we find listed:
George Emery – 49 – married for 23 years – Domestic Gardener – born in Bissington, Norfolk
Anna Maria – 47 – his wife – born Ayleham, Norfolk.
They are living in a 4 roomed house and in 1911 their son is not registered at that address. It may be that this is a family relation that has moved to Welton, or a complete coincidence!
Around 1906 William Joseph and his family moved to Dairy Farm (today known as Churchill Cottage on Elms Dyke) in Welton, and in 1909 were living in Woodbine Cottage on Churchill Road.
In the 1911 census, we also find William Joseph Emery recorded at Pear Tree Cottage. The photo below is taken of the cottage around 1910 so maybe that is Nellie at the door with her chickens!
William Emery – 32 – married 11 years; 3 children born and 3 still alive – born Daventry – farmer
Nellie – 28 – wife (details as above) born Daventry
William George – 9
Jack – 5 (baptised John Richard)
Frank – 2. The family later moved to Dairy Farm, known subsequently as Dalethorpe and now Charlotte Cottage. Frank’s baptism was recorded in the Parish Council Magazine of June 1909.
Photo circa 1912: William George,. William Joseph, Frank Uriah, Nellie and John Richard (Jack) Emery in orchard of Dairy Farm
In the 1921 census, William Joseph Emery (known as Bill) and his family is recorded as follows:
William Joseph Emery – 42 – born Daventry – Dairy Farmer
Nellie E – 39 – wife – born Daventry
William George – 19 – son – occupation listed as in “shoe trade” but ‘unemployed” at time of census
Jack – 16 – son – born Daventry – farm hand (John Richard was always known as Jack)
Frank – 12 – son – born 1909 in Welton, in Pear Tree Cottage – at school full time.
The family was still living in Pear Tree Cottage at this point, which was on a far bigger plot then than is the case today, with land backing on to Kiln Lane. It is much of this land that the Emery family continued to own for some time.
The original Pear Tree Cottage was later demolished in the 1970s, to make way for the current Pear Tree Cottage, built for the Hupfields, who owned the plastics factory on what is now Elms Dyke.
William George Emery, (eldest son of William Joseph and Nellie), was born in 1901, married Mary Gardiner, and by 1939 was living in The Rosary on Churchill Road. They had 4 children, the eldest, Bill, married Delia.
The middle brother, John Richard (b 1905) and generally known as Jack, married Edith and by 1939 were living at Hoborough Hill (Hobberhill Farm) just outside Welton. When William retired, son John Richard (known as Jack) carried on farming there. He and his wife Edith were tenants for Lord Wimborne from Ashby St Ledgers. Meanwhile, William George’s brother, Frank Uriah (1909 – 2005) married Selina Jane Ann Gregory, a Welton girl, in 1932.
Selina as May Queen 1920s
Frank became known as Frank Emery Senior and was a bricklayer and builder, with many properties in Welton a standing testimony to his skills. There is a section on Frank Emery senior below. Frank and Selina also had 3 sons: Frank Junior (b 1933), Claude (b 1935) and John (b 1938). It is said that Frank Jnr was born in a cottage next to “Nut Tree”, possibly “Woodbine Cottage” in Churchill Road. Claude was also born here.
John Emery (b 1938)
John Emery is a well-known, much-loved member of the community and, alongside many members of his family, has played an active role in supporting, shaping and caring for the village throughout his life. In an interview for Welton News and Views in 2018 he reflected on the fact that not only was he born in Welton but has lived here all his life. Born in Kiln House, next door to his current home, he reflected:
“That was my parents’ house. My father built it and I was born in that little room upstairs eighty years ago… My wife says to me, you think more of Welton than you do of me. I love my wife dearly, of course I do. But I do love this village.”
John had two elder brothers, Frank Jnr and Claude:
“My parents had three boys: my oldest brother, Frank, was an electrical engineer – he worked on the Valiant bombers at Gaydon as a radar man. I lost my middle brother three years ago; he worked as a bricklayer all his life, and I went into engineering, doing my apprenticeship with British Timken at Daventry behind the old cinema. They’d bring the old machines in from the factories at Aston in Birmingham and Duston, and we’d strip them down and completely rebuild them with new parts. My speciality was centre lathe turning and I later got into precision engineering, building machines for Rolls-Royce at Derby. We built two 40-tonne T-bed lathes for RB211 engines, which are still used today!”
John married his wife, Rita, from Long Buckby and who for 30 years worked at Welton Primary School, which their two daughters attended.
“Before she joined the school, she worked as a comptometrist (or Burroughs Calculator operator) for John Laing on the M1 when it was being built. She was based down at the old Welton Railway Station.”
Of Rita, he said:
“She was my first love. She swept me off my feet. We were married only four months when I was called up for my national service and I got shipped off to Germany, near Dusseldorf, for two and a half years. Whilst I was away, my father, a builder – a one-man band – built me this bungalow to get me started in life. I was very fortunate, unlike some of the kids today, to get that kind of helping hand and get me onto the housing ladder.”
John has always been active within the village, still serving on the parish council. His uncle, Bill Emery, had been chairman of the parish council for many years and during his tenure, John told an interview in Welton News and views some years ago, had actively prevented the introduction of street lighting in the village, saying the village could not afford it. John’s view, as reported in Welton News and Views was
“I say you should only ask for what you need to run the village but not to ask for any more than that.”
As Chairman and Vice Chairman of Welton Parish Council as well as being an active councillor for around five decades, John has always shown himself to be a very active member of community doing his best to get things done and make Welton a good place to be! John was also a keen cricketer, telling Welton News and Views:
“I’ve loved cricket all my life. Playing Saturdays and Sundays – How I got away with it, I don’t know with a young family. I’m a left-hand batsman and I love fielding. I played for Welton until 1972 when we lost the ground to the re-development of Welton Place. I played my club cricket for (nomadic Daventry cricket team) WH Hemmings …a local tailor in town. We played against some very good sides all over and often went on three-day tours! All the villages had a team and I’ve turned out for all sorts including Barby…”
John is second from the right, front row on this 1969 photo.
Finally, in Welton News and Views John made a very thoughtful observation:
“you can’t see Welton from the outside, not until you are in it…we have a lot of tree preservation orders which serve to not only seclude the village from its surroundings but serve as a natural habitat for birds, badgers, roe deer but to also form a channel for those passing to other areas. A lot is thought about here. It makes a pleasant place to live and pass through for people as well as birds and animals.”
Many of us would recognise and agree with this sentiment.
Frank Uriah Emery Senior (1909 – 2005) – John’s father
Like his son after him, Frank Uriah Emery was a driving force in developing Welton village, in particular as a builder, whose works include:
Hillside, a bungalow for his parents on the old Welton Road near the railway bridge. They moved there in 1947 and were still there in 1950 when they celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary.
The initial conversion of stables in Churchill House / Welton Manor for Brian Hupfied c 1970
Building a new smaller house opposite the stables for Olive Hupfield in 1969 following the death of her husband, Albert Hupfied – founder of the Plastics Factory on what is now Elm’s Dyke.
Building of new Pear Tree Cottage for Anthony Hupfield and demolition of old Pear Tree Cottage
The new village hall c 1970s and a conversion at the former Red Lion pub
Rugby Plastics Factory
Welton Brook – built for Mrs Garrard after the death of Sebastian Garrard, in 1946
Danesborough on Churchill Road – very similar to Churchill House built for Mrs Hupfield; Frank built this for his parents and Nellie continued to live there after Willim Joseph died, until her death in 1970.
Kiln House in 1936, where his youngest son, John Emery, was born.
Bungalows on Welton Lane (Glenfield) and Kiln Lane (Colwyn) where his sons, John and Frank junior still live today in 2026
Frank Emery Snr circa 1965 working on the Village Hall
Frank Uriah Emery senior was born in Woodbine Cottage, though by 1911 the family was living in the original Pear Tree Cottage, according to the 1911 Welton census.
He was one of three boys: George William (born 1901), John Richard (commonly known as Jack) and himself, Frank Uriah (born 1909).
Frank attended Welton School, where he was taught by Norah Burrows, who was headteacher of the school for 40 years.
He married his wife, Selina, in 1932. Prior to working independently, he worked in Coventry – and cycled there on his bicycle every day – a distance of some 20 miles!
He had begun as an apprentice builder for Websters in Guilsborough, later working for other builders, including Monsell in Coventry.
During the Second World War Frank Emery senior served in Arnhem, as No 14516171 Gunner Emery, with the 4th Regiment of the Royal Horse Artillery, having been first posted to RAF Cardington for training then on to RAF Bridgenorth. He took part in in the ill-fated dash to Arnhem, immortalised in the book and film “A Bridge Too Far’.
His granddaughter has a photograph and testimonial of his service which refers to him an “excellent driver”.
His military documents (left) confirm his occupation prior to the war as bricklayer. He was discharged from the army after the war on December 21st, 1945.
Frank was a shrewd businessman and very supportive of his clients, as the building of Welton Brook demonstrated! Lady Garrard, having recently been widowed, no longer wished to live in Welton Place. She sought a smaller property and Frank agreed to build Welton Brook for her, on land off Kiln Lane, which had probably been part of the Emery fields / allotment area. At the time, in 1946, post war building restrictions were very tight and no house could be constructed that was valued over £1200.
The house built for Lady Garrard, today known as Welton Brook
So Frank Emery constructed 2 semi-detached properties, creating a feature that could be very easily knocked through to make the 2 houses into one – one house for the cook, the other for Mrs Garrard. No application for a hole in the wall needed to be made, so for £10 Frank Emery was able to “convert” Mrs Garrard’s home into a 5 bedroomed property in the village of Welton! The council did try to pursue them, though unsuccessfully and the story made national news in the Daily Mirror under the headline ‘Hole in the Wall beats House Law’!
It seems however that Mrs Garrard, with only a cook and two servants for company, felt quite lonely in her new home, so a relative tells us that apparently Frank Emery junior (his son) was frequently sent up to Welton Brook to spend the night there!
This clearly stood him in good favour as in later years Mrs Garrard’s daughter married the Duke of Westmorland and Frank Emery junior and his wife attended the wedding in Westminster Abbey!
As Frank senior approached retirement and building work became more demanding, he took a position as a caretaker and general assistant at Rugby Plastics. Despite health challenges, including several joint replacements and at cataract operation at the age of 87, he remained active, tending his garden and enjoying home grown produce.
Frank Uriah and Selina celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary in 1997 surrounded by their family, including three sons, five granddaughters, one grandson and ten great grandchildren.
Even in his later years Frank remained involved with building projects, assisting his son Frank jnr with constructing a shed base and patio in 1998. Selina passed away in 1998. Frank continued to live in Kiln House until 2004 when, due to declining health, he moved into Redruth Nursing Home where he celebrated his 96thbirthday on April 10th 2005. He passed away shortly afterwards on April 20th 2005.
The history of this property has been compiled from comprehensive documents kindly supplied by a villager. Click below to see the full list of documents.
📜 Read More: Property Transactions Chronology
Date
Names
Summary
29th January 1853
Edmund Singer Burton Esq to Clarke Watkins Burton Esq
Conveyance of two cottages and gardens at Welton
22nd July 1908
Rev Clarke Watkins Burton
Probate of the Will of Rev. CWB
28th September 1908
Mrs Mary Venetia Burton to Mrs Fredericka Caroline Burton
Conveyance: re a cottage and a garden at Welton
11th January 1917
Mrs Fredericka Burton to Mr William H Clarke
Conveyance of a piece of land at Welton
9th June 1917
Trustee of Charity Lands to Mr William H Clarke
Conveyance of piece of land at Welton
25th September 1923
Mr W H Clarke and other and H.S Snell, Esq
Conveyance of Welton Manor, garden and paddock
28th September 1923
William Henry Clarke and Harold Saxon Snell
Sale for £75 of strip of land opposite Churchill House
1923
Abstract of the title of WH Clarke and his mortgagees to Monksmoor Farm
1923 – see below *
Richard Trevor Clarke of Welton Place and others
A summary of Captain JRP Clarke’s rights to land within Welton
20th February 1928
Harold Saxon Snell
Land Registry Official Search application
23rd February 1928
H.S Snell to Mrs M A Thomson
Conveyance of Welton Manor, garden, paddock and 2 small pieces of land
24th February 1928
Mabel Ann Thomson
Land Registry application in relation to Welton Manor
24th February 1928
Mrs M A Thomson to Mrs Florence Allan
Mortgage of Welton Manor, garden, paddock and 2 small pieces of land
1928
Mr H. S. Snell
Abstract of title to The Manor House
22nd June 1937
Mable Annie Thomson
Land Registry: Search re Welton Manor
1937
Mabel Annie Thomson
Abstract of the title of Mabel Annie Thomson to Welton Manor…
13th April 1937
Harold Saxon Snell
Land Search against his name; he was now living at Southlands, Daventry.
15th April 1937
Harold Snell Esq to Mabel Annie Thomson
Further assurance supplementary to the 1928 document above
24th June 1937
Mrs M.A. Thomson to Mr. C.S. Waring
Conveyance of Welton Manor, garden, paddock and 2 pieces of land
1st August 1941
Mrs H. M. Wareing
Vesting Assent re Welton Manor
1941
Mrs Hilda Mary Wareing
Supplementary Abstract of the title of H.M.Wareing to Welton Manor
1955
Mrs Hilda Mary Waring
Abstract of title of HMW to Manor House and land adjoining at Welton
26th July 1955
CS Wareing and HM Wareing
Land Registry Search
19th August 1955
Mr and Mrs E A G N B Orr to Mrs H M Wareing
Mortgage of Manor House and land adjoining situate at Welton
24th August 1955
Mrs Hilda Mary Wareing
Solicitors letter
August 1956
Midland Assurance
Policy Document
29th June 1964
Mr and Mrs Orr
Formal notice of 2nd mortgage completion
24th July 1965
To G.R.Stevens
Cover letter for property plan
1966
Mrs M.B. Orr
Abstract of the title to freehold property of The Manor House, Welton
18th April 1966
Re The Manor House, Welton
Property Search request
8th September 1966
Mary B and Ernest Orr
Confirmed land registry records
The body of this article is taken directly from the documents, but you can read a modern english summary below.
📘 Read Summary of the Welton Manor / Old Manor Court Archive
Early Burton Ownership (1830s–1908)
Edmund Singer Burton sold two cottages and gardens in Welton to Clarke Watkins Burton in 1833. Clarke later became Rector of Cliburn, and when he died in 1908 his estate passed to his wife Mary, who sold the Welton cottage property soon afterwards.
Clarke Family Holdings (1800s–1923)
The Clarke family owned a huge amount of land in and around Welton — over 827 acres in 1887. Their estate included Welton Place, many named fields, cottages, farms, and land stretching towards Daventry. Numerous village families rented cottages from them. Heavy mortgage debts in 1916 forced the sale of parts of the estate.
Sale to William Henry Clarke (1916–1923)
William Henry Clarke, originally a farmer from Arnesby, bought several plots in Welton between 1917 and 1923, including land from the Welton Town Lands Charity. By 1923 he owned Welton Manor / Monksmoor Farm.
Sale to Harold Saxon Snell (1923)
In 1923 Clarke sold Welton Manor (5.423 acres) to Harold Saxon Snell of Daventry. Snell also bought an additional strip of land opposite Churchill House.
Sale to Mabel Annie Thomson (1928)
Snell sold Welton Manor to Mabel Annie Thomson of Liverpool in 1928. She took out a mortgage with Florence Allan, which was fully repaid by 1935.
Thomson Ownership (1928–1937)
Thomson owned the property until 1937, when she sold it to Charles Smith Wareing of Thrupp Grounds.
Wareing Ownership (1937–1955)
Charles Wareing died in 1940, and his wife Hilda Mary Wareing took ownership. The estate included the farmhouse, garden, two derelict cottages, and the strip of land.
Sale / Mortgage to Ernest & Mary Orr (1955–1964)
In 1955 Ernest and Mary Orr took out a mortgage to buy the Manor House. Insurance documents list them as owners. The mortgage was fully repaid in 1964.
Decline and Redevelopment (1970s–1990s)
The Manor House and outbuildings became very dilapidated in the 1970s–80s. The link building was demolished and the stables were badly damaged by fire. In 1995 Harrabin Construction redeveloped the site, creating The Manor House, The Limes, The Stable House, and The Coach House.
The 1800s
29th January 1833: Conveyance Document relating to two cottages and gardens at Welton,between Edmund Singer Burton and Clarke Watkins Burton – this original document on vellum with seals has the serrated cut of an original indenture document.
It records that Edmund Singer Burton of Churchills is to sell at a cost of £45 to Clarke Watkins Burton of Lincolns Inn in London and thus to his “heirs and assigned for ever” “two cottages or tenements with gardens and appurtenances” in Welton that were at that time “in the tenure” (being rented?) by William Benjamin and XXX Ingram.
It also suggests that “Lease and Release” documents were signed on 17th and 18th November 1830 – transferring the landholder of these tenancies to Clarke Watkins. A signed statement confirms that the payment of £45 was received by Edmund Singer Burton.
The 1900s
22nd July 1908 – Probate of the Will of Rev. Clarke Watkins Burton:It tells us thathe was Rector of the parish and parish church of Cliburn (see below) in Westmorland. He bequeathed his estate to his wife Mary Venetia Burton. He died on 24th June 1908 at Cliburn Rectory.
The document also tells us that the gross value of his estate within the United Kingdom was certified by the Inland Revenue at £1558 10S 3d – approximately £163,000 today.
September 28th 1908: Mary Burton from Cliburn, Penrith in the County of Cumberland / Westmorland and was a widow at the time the Indenture was made. Fredericka Burton was listed as living at Churchill House in Welton and was also widowed.
It refers to the previous indenture of 29th January 1853 between Edmund Singer Burton and Reverend Clarke Watkins Burton relating to two cottages or tenements with gardens which granted these properties to Watkins Burton and his heirs (see above).
In his will (dated 23rd December 1870) and contained in the archive / see table) all his properties, including the above, were left to his wife, Mary Venetia Burton and her heirs. Under the terms of this document Mary Burton is selling the cottage (which was previously two cottages) and garden for £150. The name of the property is not given but, as it is held with the Welton Manor document archive, it may refer to property on the land held. The documents state the cottages faced Churchill Road.
The Clarkes’ ownership
The 1923* document: indicates that the land held by Richard Trevor Clarke in 1887 was mortgaged to several other individuals and that James Richard Plomer Clarke (then a lieutenant in Her Late Majesty’s Welch Regiment of Foot stationed in Cairo) and Richard Clarke’s nephew, held only the 3rd part of the properties.
It lists several properties the Clarkes were due tolls on as Lord of The Manor, as well as The Mansion House (i.e. Welton Place, located on Churchill Road – where Clarke’s Way now runs) with courts, courtyards, gardens, pleasure grounds, fishponds, waters, coach houses, barns, stables and outbuildings, known by the name Welton Place, formerly in the possession of Richard Clarke then of Richard Trevor Clarke, and The Lawns, Micklewell Ground, Micklemoor Hill, The Barn Close, Stone Pit Ground, Long Close, Lime Pit Ground, Wheat Ground, Dry Ground, Grove Ground, Arnyslade Hill and Grove, The Dove House and several spinneys and plantations and much more.
He also held 5 acres of pasture called Penfold Close formerly held by the Billingham family as well as several “closes or enclosed pasture lands called … Houghton Orchard, Blisses Holme and Green Lane… formerly in the occupation of George Ringrose (of the Firs) and Rev D. Darnell (of The Stone House).
The Malt Kiln which had been converted into cottages and enclosed ground on Kiln Close as well as lands extending to Daventry, including Lang Farm. The list of plots held runs to 5 pages. The lands held are those marked in yellow in the map below as surveyed in 1887 by Mr Rogers of Bedford and measured “827 acres, 2 roods and 34 perches” showing the Clarkes to have been huge landowners.
From this document we also learn a lot about Clarke’s tenants: the Blacksmith’s shop was let to the Harrisons at £4 a year and a small garden adjoining Round Close to a Sergeant Duffy.
Other tenants included four members of the extended Benjamin family (4 cottages across the village), Frank and Thomas Overton (2), Dunkley, Webb, Hatfield Smith, the Billinghams, Turney, Coleman, the Smith family held Round Close amongst others. All these names are also seen on school registers for the period.
These detailed property and mortgage liabilities were recorded in Clarke’s will, which identified his nephew James Richard Plomer Clarke as his heir. Richard Trevor Clarke died on April 11th, 1897. The old Manor was just a small part of his vast holdings and it is interesting that this key document lies within the archive for this property, though copies may have existed elsewhere.
In 1916 significant payments relating to mortgages held by the Clarke family in relation to parts of the portfolio were called in and £15 560 (£1.76 million in today’s terms) was paid by JRP Clarke in respect of this, discharging at least some of his debts in this respect. This may well explain why The Manor House was sold to William Henry Clarke – see below.
Supplemental abstract of the Title – dated 1923 – records that James Richard Plomer Clarke of 23 Victoria Park, Dover, Kent (a retired Captain in the British Army) in 1916 sold to William Henry Clarke of Arnesby the homestead and pastures. The document also indicates that other transactions occurred in 1887, 1904 and those of 1916 detailed above. The contents of this document are detailed at the start of this account, as it covers earlier 19th century details.
11th January 1917: Fredericka Burton is still resident at Churchill House; William Henry Clarke is listed as a farmer from Arnesby in Leicestershire. The plot is being sold for £50 and is described as being the site of “two dilapidated messuages and adjoining land belonging to “Monksmoor Farm and land belonging to the Welton Charity” and were previously tenanted by William Benjamin and a person by the name of Ingham (no Christian name given) in 1830s before they were acquired by Edmund Singer Burton (above). The Clarke family had at some point acquired Monksmoor Farm, which was once the name of The Manor House / Old Manor Court.
9th June 1917: In this document The Welton Town Lands Charity is given permission to sell the land for not less than £20 and stipulates that money received should be banked and held in trust for the charity. The letter from the Charity Commission gives details of the land as follows: “a strip of land 150 feet in depth and containing 350 square yards or thereabouts situate near Churchill House, Welton, having a frontage to the south side of the road leading to the village”.
The 1923 indenture below shows that a plot of land facing Churchill Road is no longer within the plot; this may well be the plot of land sold here in 1917. The Indenture names Herbert PIcton Morris Esq as Secretary of the Board of Charity Commissioners and as such the Official Trustee of Charity Lands as well as the names Trustees from the village. All Trustees from Welton hand signed the document.
It seems from this document that William Henry Clarke of Monkmoor Farm (a farmer and grazier) is enlarging his holdings in the village by this purchase for which he paid £20.
28th September 1923: This is an important document as it confirms that William Henry Clarke is now described as a resident of Welton and owner of Welton Manor. He was previously given as a Leicestershire farmer. JRP Clarke had one son who was a career soldier; Willliam Henry’s ancestry has not yet been explored. This Indenture of 1923 however also provides a useful property outline – see below, with a clear “chunk” excluded from the earlier plan.
In 1923 William Henry Clarke sold Welton Manor (aka The Manor / Old Manor Court) however it seems that a will was involved as two executors are also named: George Cresswell Turner of Leicester (a boot and shoe manufacturer) and John Russell Frears of “Hillsborough” Westcote Drive, Leicester – a “gentleman”.
The inventory records the sale of the property to Harold Saxon Snell of Daventry. It seems that in December 1916 Wiliam Henry Clarke mortgaged part of the property to John Stocker Giddings of Stoneygate in Leicestershire for £2000. Giddings died March 1921; his will of May 1916 appointed George Cresswell Turner and William Thomas Callard as executors, with a 1917 added codicil making John Russell Frears executor to his will as Callard had recently died. Probate found that the mortgage sum of £2000 plus current interest was owing to the executors.
Clarke sold the property to Snell for £1325 and the property is described as “farmhouse, garden and fields amounting to 5.423 acres …known as Monksmoor Farm but of late years more often called Welton Manor, together with barns and outbuildings.” The specifics of the plot is indicated in the picture above where the plot is encircled in red. At this point the mortgage was paid off and the full property moved to H.S Snell Esq.
A second indenture between Clarke and Snell dated 28th September 1923 refers to sale of strip of land 150 yards in depth and 350 acres square, “near and opposite Churchill House …and having a frontage t the south side of road leading to the village of Welton…being the site of two dilapidated messuages…” – this would be the land previously purchased from the Welton Lands Trust in 1917 for £20. This may be the “chunk” scooped out on the map above.
Note
Henry Saxon Snell: 6 December 1876 – 9th July 1942: was an English cricketer active from 1897 to 1913 who played for Northamptonshire. He was born in Highworth, Wiltshire and died in Daventry. He appeared in 3 first class matches as a right-handed batsman who scored 119 runs with a highest score of 52. He worked in Daventry along with Burton, as a solicitor.
He may well have been descended from an important Victorian family headed by Henry Saxon Snell (1831–1904), a renowned architect of hospitals; he was an assistant to Joseph Paxton (of Crystal Palace fame) who made his name in the 1860s with his innovative design for workhouses. Henry had 14 children so it’s hard to track a direct line of descent.
A second Harry Saxon Snell (Harold) lived between 1889–1956 and was a British film and stage actor, appearing in 23 films during the silent and early sound eras.
20th February 1928: Harold Saxon Snell is named in relation to a search of the Land Registry records. This may be linked to a possible change in ownership, probably sale of property to Charles Harry Thomson of 245 Stanley Road Liverpool and his wife Mabel Annie. A linked document dated 24th February 1928, in the name of Mabel Anne Thomson specifically names Welton Manor as the focus for the search. Interestingly this search was undertaken by Shoosmiths and Harrison Solicitors, Market Square, Northampton – a company still in existence today which was founded in 1845.
1928: Abstract of the Title of Mr H.S. Snell to “a messuage and hereditaments [dwelling place and associated building etc] formerly known as Monksmoor Farm but now known as “The Manor House” Welton…” A tracing in the document shows this to be the same plot of land at the bottom of Churchill Road and facing Welton Lane as per the 1923 conveyance above. The document recaps the 1923 document at the start detailing the mortgages against the property and the details of sales of parts of the lands already covered above. It seems that Snell had already made some investment in part of the property in 1923 (the third part).
February 24th 1928:Conveyance document for sale of Welton Manor between Harold Saxon Snell of Southlands, Daventry and Mabel Annie Thomson of 245 Stanley Road, Liverpool, wife of Charles H Thomson – tradesman (Merchant Taylor) for £1 300 “out of moneys belonging to her separate estate”.
The estate is described as a “farmhouse, garden and field of 5.423 acres”, previously known as Monksmoor Farm “but of late years called Welton Manor”.
On the same day a Mortgage Agreement is drawn up between Mabel Anne Thomson and Florence Allan , the wife of William Richard Percy Allan, an RAF flight lieutenant stationed at Helivan in Egypt.
The mortgage is designed to secure £700 plus interest and is in relation to the garden, paddock and 2 small pieces of land. In summary the mortgagee (Mrs Allan) agrees to advance the borrower (Mrs Thomson) the sum of £700 (approx. £57K today) – under the terms the £700 + £5 10S in interest will be paid back the following year and if not settled then to make half yearly payments. The borrower also undertook to keep the property in good state of repair.
An addendum dated 21st January 1935 confirms that the £700 and relevant interest has been made by Mabel Anne Thomson.
22nd June 1937:Land search in name of Mable Annie Thomson, now the widow of Charles Harry Thomson and Abstract of title of Mabel Annie Thomson to Welton Manor, garden, paddock and 2 pieces of land: confirms the 1928 transactions between Thomson and Harold Saxon Snell regarding her purchase of the property for £1 300 ‘In possession free from incumbrances”. A Further Assurance document of 15th April 1937 corrects an earlier error in a previous conveyance which left out the strip of lands (150 ft / 350 sq yards) that had been left out in 1928. This is countersigned by H.S Snell.
24th June 1937– details the sale of Welton Manor by Mabel Annie Thomson to Charles Smith Waring of Thrupp Grounds, Norton for £1000.
1st August 1941– Vesting Assent of Hilda Mary Wareing as Executrix of the Will of Charles Smith Wareing: Charles Wareing of the Manor House, Welton, died on 2nd November 1940. His will of 1923 left his estate to her and in this document, she puts the estate in her name. It includes:
The farmhouse (Welton Manor), garden and field 0f 5.4 acres as per the 1923 boundary
The adjoining land with 2 dilapidated cottages
The strip of land of 150 feet / 350 square yards.
The 1941 Supplemental Abstract confirms these details and confirms that Probate was granted in 1941.
July 1955: Abstract of the Title of Mrs Hilda Mary Wareing to the Manor House and land adjoining at Welton: confirms earlier sales of the property, including the 1923 sale by William Henry Clarke and Harold Saxon Snell, 1928 sale by Snell to Mabel Annie Tompson.
In July 1955 Hilda Wareing is no longer living at the Manor House but is stated as living in Upper Weedon according to the Land Search. It is not clear if she has left and rented out the property.
19th August 1955: Mortgage document between Mrs H M Wareing and Mr and Mrs Orr:
Ernest Augustus George Neill Benecke Orr – an Export Manager – and his wife, Mary Beatrice Orr, of The Old Forge in Crick which in summary provides £3000 from the lender (HM Wareing) to the Borrowers (Mr and Mrs Orr) to be repaid on 19th February 1956 with added interest of £3 10S percent per annum, or regular quarterly payments with interest. The borrowers must maintain the property and are not permitted to rent it out.
Also, within the document a memo on a 1955 Insurance Policy confirms the Orrs as “owners” of The Manor House, Welton, with Mrs Hilda Mary Wareing as 1st mortgagee and George Ralph Stevens of Scuttingham Manor, Sittingbourne and Geoffrey Ian Stevens of Holly Tree Lodge , Rodmersham in Sittingbourne as 2ndmortgagees.
The document closes with written confirmation by Hilda Wareing that the mortgage and interest + costs were paid in full on March 23rd, 1964.
The last documents in the archive confirm that Earnest Orr and his wife Beatrice owned the Manor House in Welton, now part of Old Manor Court. The family seemed to live there for a period of time. In 1977 a newspaper report describes how pewter tankards and tankards, as well as 2 clocks were stolen from the home of Ernest Orr.
Late 20th century development
During the 1970s and 80s the property became very dilapidated, the building linking the Manor House with what is now the Coach House was demolished. It is the building shown on this image with an arrow,
.
The stables and coach houses that had been built during the mid 1800s by the Clarke family were ravaged by fire and by 1979 lay derelict
In 1995 The Coventry Evening Telegraph reported that Harrabin Construction Limited was in the process of developing the Manor House and outbuildings, converting the old 17th Century Manor House into two homes, with some additional building, creating The Manor House and The Limes.
The Stable House at the far end of the top rom of building in the picture was created as a 4-bedroom home with the addition of a second storey at the end.
The current Coach House was originally called The Towers and made use of the pre-existing second floor over the turn of the building to create a 3 bedroomed home.
The Coach House 2020
Chronology of ownership as far as we know it
Approximate dates
Ownership
1660 70s to ?
E A
1700s
tbc
1800s – 1887
Clarke family
1916 – 1923
William Henry Clarke – farmer from Arnesby, Leicestershire
Circa 1932: L-R George Phillpot, Digger Marlow, Ronnie Garrard aka Bosow Garrard and Geoffrey Clark. Note that High Street is referred to as School Street in this photograph.
The school moves to Well Lane – 1915
School reopened in January 1915 and on 12th January the Headteacher, Edwin Bond noted that the “New School buildings” had been recently completed.
There was further cause for celebration on 22nd January a report from the “Bird and Arbour Competition” that the school had been entering every year for several years had awarded the Royal Society’s Prize Medal to Percy Edwin Bond, aged 11! Now, I wonder if he had any extracurricular support there?!
On March 22nd, 1915, LEA circular 122 advised the school that, whereas the school had been founded as a “National School” overseen by a “Board”, that with the creation of LEAs it would be redesignated as “Welton C.E. school – number 244”. This name would continue until the academisation of the school.
January 1915 also includes HT reports of an influenza epidemic (Jan 26th) which adversely affected attendance.
During the spring diocesan and quarterly exams continued, as did visits by Rev J.F Sugden, who on June 10th, now also checked the “Gardening Register” as well as weekly registers of attendance. There was a growing focus on the new gardening curriculum for boys with periodic visits by the LEA Horticultural Instructor, Mr. C.F. Lawrance.
Finally, the school year ended on July 30th for the 5-week summer break, but not before the children, the HT reports, in response to Circular 471, received the directed lesson on House Flies.
Whilst recognising the risk to health of house flies, this seems an odd area to focus on in the middle of a war.
School reopened in September to further LA Circulars: 478 and 479 relating to “The Teaching and Practice of Thrift”, which noted the “shortages of certain materials (chiefly needlework requisites”) and the “difficulty of supplying schools with these goods at present”.So, whilst we see evidence of the effects of war, the HT Logbooks tell us nothing directly about the impact of war on the children or their families.
Life carried on as normal, it seems. Oct 21st, 1915, marked the school celebration of Trafalgar Day with specific lessons delivered on this while in the outside world at this time…
The Canadians were defending Ploegsteert Woods (with heavy losses)
Allied troops arrived off Salonika
The Lusitania and a German Merchant ship were sunk in the Baltic by British submarines
Austrian / German troops invaded Serbia
British nurse, Edith Cavell was executed by the Germans after Court Marshall on 12th Oct
The decision was made to “wind down” the now infamous Gallipoli campaign…
But Mr Bond did record the receipt of a letter from an ex Welton pupil, William Jackson, on 18th November 1915 who was now stationed in Hong Kong which, he recorded gave, “an excellent account of his journey and experiences”.
Refugees and snow – 1916
On January 29th, Mr Bond recorded: “Departure of the Belgian children after a stay of 1 year and 3 months. Although totally unacquainted with English at the commencement of that period they have gained a useful knowledge of the language, being able to speak readily and write fairly correctly. In some subjects, such as drawing and handwork, they have shown very marked progress. They have also joined in the amusements of the children after overcoming some initial shyness and their presence apart from the deplorable reason for its necessity has been a pleasing feature in the history of the village school.”
Context: During WWI there was a considerable influx of Belgian refugees following the German invasion of August 1914. A number of villages in the Daventry district, including Welton, actively hosted refuges. The influx of Belgians represented the largest refugee movement in British History, which at its peak was 250 000.
On October 23rd 1914 the Northampton Mercury reported that trains carrying nearly 1000 refugees stopped at Castle Station in Northampton where they were greeted and supported by locals.
Meanwhile life in Welton School continued, with heavy snowstorms leading to high absence on Feb 24th, March 8th, 28th and 29th. The average depth of the snow was 2ft with drifts of 5ft, and the HT reports that 3 infants who arrived in school “in a saturated condition” and “whose boots and clothing rendered it inadvisable for them to remain at school”. I’m amazed they set off in the first place!
In 1916 the school year ended on June 30th, and the new school year started on July 1st and the effects of war continue in the background when, on July 24th, written instructions from the LEA were received regarding the collection and disposal of used drawing and exercise books. Consequently, Mr Bond recorded on July 27th that the “older children [were]engaged this afternoon in the preparing and classifying of used paper as above”.
The school summer holidays ran between Friday August 4th and Monday September 11th… meanwhile the disastrous Somme offensive had begun (1st July) … but again, the school logbooks only refer to the effects of war when in response to LEA circulars and letters, such as:
Oct 2nd: “Received consignment of school supplies delayed in consequence of war conditions”
Oct 20th: “Received Circular 534 referring to Air Raids During School Hours”, C 530 ref. to shortages of school materials and C525 re regulations as to coal and coke supplies” – the latter inevitable as demand increases due to season change at a time when supplies were limited, but not good news for the community.
However, all was not doom and gloom – Trafalgar Day was celebrated again on Oct 20th and on November 10th the school received a “Cromwell portrait from the LEA as acknowledgement of a Trafalgar Day essay”.I do wonder who wrote it? Bond junior perhaps?
And Welton traditions did continue despite shortages, with the school closed on 27th November for the annual Welton Feast.
Note: Northamptonshire had a tradition of village and town feasts, typically held at the end of November. With records showing they ran in multiple locations from at least 1860 and, in Welton’s case, through to 1911, these annual events were a community celebration of the end of the agricultural year. They were also tied to the timing of rents becoming due and to saints’ days. They appear to have started on a Sunday and gone on until Monday – a little like some of our bank holidays today. Schools and businesses would shut, there would be food and drink, entertainment and generally a good time had by all.
Finally, on Dec 19th 1916 a War Savings Association was formed in the school, as part of a national initiative.
And so to 1917…..
The start of 1917 seems to be a re-run of 1916, with heavy snow on Feb 5th adversely affecting attendance of the younger children and another “excellent” performance in the Bird and Arbor competition, with a Certificate of Merit for the school and the Society’s Prize Medals going to Percy Bond and Violet Carter.
Indeed, Mr Bond reports that “the essay by Percy Bond was especially commended and placed amongst the ten best in the whole competition”.
April 19th – 30thsaw another influenza epidemic as well as an outbreak of whooping cough on 30th April.The Medical Officer visited the school on April 30th and closed the school until May 21st 1917.
On their return (May 22nd) the lessons that week, “in accordance with suggestions from the LEA…varied so as to bring before the children the question of our National Food Supply and the importance of avoiding waste”.
Life must have been tough and for those of us who grew up with grandparents who were children during WWI, we can begin perhaps to understand why they might have got so angry at us as children declining food. My grandmother could never accept my refusal to eat tinned fruit!
The summer continued with Empire Day on 24th May, on which “lessons were given throughout the school, the Roya Proclamation was read and patriotic songs were sung with the National Anthem at assembly and dismissal.”
On June 6th Mr Bond reports receipt of
“Circular S.A.63 with reference to ‘Absence of Children under Special Permit for Agricultural or other Employment”.
Context:
With agricultural workers leaving jobs to join the war effort food production was under pressure.
Harvests still needed to be brought in and farms kept working. In many rural areas children aged between 11-14 stepped in to provide unskilled labour on farms. LEAs, agricultural unions and other organisations accused farmers of exploiting the war time emergency to use children as cheap labour.
Under local byelaws, school attendance committees could permit children over the age of 11-12 to miss school to work but only in exceptional circumstances. Board of Education statistics reveal an increasing number of children aged between 11-14 were excused school for agricultural work during WWI. Between Sept 1914 and January 1915 just over 1500 children in England and Wales were excused for this reason, however a return on the number excused for agricultural work on 31st January 1916 totalled over 8000, doubling to 15 753 on May 31st 1916. This is why monitoring became closer but it was difficult to stop as the need was great.
Accepting the war time emergency, an extra 6 weeks holiday was given to schools in rural districts so older boys might work the harvest.
Thus, on Sept 14th:“In accordance with a scheme organised by the Food Production Dept holiday was given this afternoon to enable the children to gather blackberries for the use of the Army and Navy food contractors.”This was repeated on Sept 18th, Oct 2nd and 11th. On Sept 19thMr Bond notes that “lessons were delivered on ‘Sugar Registration Cards’ and their necessity to the older children at the request of the LEA”.
On December 12th, 1917, the head teacher, Mr Bond, made the following, fascinating entry:
“An interesting presentation has been made to the school in the form of a bell which was found in Combles by the father of one of the school children when the town was captured from the Germans in the Somme campaign last year.”
He does not tell us who the soldier was, not the circumstances of its discovery or donation.
We can tell from the picture above that the battle must have been intense. The school believes that the soldier found the bell amidst the ruins of the church and brought it home to fix it up.
This was done and the bell engraved … and this amazing donation is still held by the school to this day!
The bell is inscribed “Combles 1917 – Presented to Welton School”.
It seems astonishing that no other information was given at the time.
However, we have subsequently discovered, from his granddaughter, that the bell was brought back from Flanders by Jim Fleming. Jim was father to the artist Eric Fleming, who was the pupil in school at that time.
Born in Ireland, Mr Fleming had joined the Irish Guards in 1907 with duty at the Royal residences. He served with them for 13 years. His discovery of the handbell was reported in the Rugby Advertiser on March 24th, 1961, which states that the bell was found in the ruins of a school.
This was later presented to Welton School, inscribed as above. Mr Fleming went on to become a handyman at the Grand Union Canal Company.
The article was published to celebrate the Golden Wedding anniversary of Mr and Mrs Fleming, who at this time lived in Newnham. Edith, his wife, was formerly Edith Webb of Welton.
Context: The Capture of Combles – September 25th–26th 1916
Combles lies 30 miles NE of Amiens, 8 miles S of Baupaume and 10 miles E of Albert on the D20 Rancourt to Guillemont road. The capture took place during the Battle of the Somme’s “Battle of Morval”, involving the 5th and 56th London Divisions of the British 4th Army and a combined French force. Troops entered the village on September 26th but only after a major artillery barrage of 3 000 shells forced the Germans to withdraw. The soldiers from the London Rifle Brigade and the Queen Victoria Rifles were supposed to have been supported by tanks, which had just been introduced – however they were notoriously unreliable, as was the case in this attack: 2 of the tanks remained at the assembly point in Leuze Wood, whilst of the 3 allocated to the 56th Division which followed up the advance, 2 got bogged down.
Combles was a major German supply hub and shelter point as well as being a crucial salient into the Allied Line, which is why it was so heavily defended, such a priority for the Allies and brutally fought over. The village was later lost to the Germans on March 24th, 1918, before being definitively retaken in August 1918. The picture above illustrates the heavy damage to the village.
Losses: 5th Division: 1 749 casualties; 56th Division: 5 538; supporting NZ forces: 7 000 and German losses: 135 000.
Currently 535 British War Dead lie in Combles Community Cemetery.
1918and the vital collection of conkers
On January 18th the head teacher’s log book reports that, as a result of heavy snow, only 19 children – including 2 infants – attended school: “as it was not considered advisable to retain those, they were sent home and registers not marked.”Two things are striking here: the difference in weather patterns over the last 100 years and the fact that in severe weather it is deemed acceptable to just send children out again into the weather to make their way home alone!
References to the ongoing war remain few and far between, however on March 21st Mr Bond records that the school “dispatched 3 ½ cwt of horse chestnuts collected by the children in accordance with a request from the Ministry of Munitions”.
Why? Because the Ministry of Munitions collected horse chestnuts to produce acetone via the bacterial fermentation process: this was a critical solvent needed to manufacture cordite – a propellant for bullets and shells.
When German U boats disrupted maize imports, conkers provided a crucial locally sourced alternative for the starch needed as part of the manufacturing process.
Across the country school children and boy scouts were instructed to collect, bag and send tons of conkers to factories.
Additionally, this process helped conserve critical grain supplies for food. The campaign was, for many, a ‘secret” and children were only told that it was “urgentand invaluable war work” rather than specifically for the manufacture of weapons.
On June 10th the HT logbook records that the head teacher was absent as he was “called up for a Medical Examination at Northampton under the Army Services Act.” Fortunately for the children of Welton it seems that he was not called up for active service and school life continued as “normal”.
The new school year started on July 1st with 3 teachers (Bond, Hirons and Clarke), however on July 17th Miss Clarke was absent “on account of an inspection of the Daventry VAD hospital”.
A VAD / Auxiliary Red Cross Hospital was operating in Daventry between July 1915 through to 1918, providing 30 convalescent beds for wounded soldiers.
After the summer holidays, the school reopened on September 9th and on Sept 12ththe HT logbook records once again that ‘in accordance with the scheme organised by the Food Production Department holiday was given this afternoon to enable the children to gather blackberries for the use of the Army and Navy Food Contractors”. This activity was repeated on Sept 17th, 20th, 24th and 26th as well as Oct 1st, 3rd, 8th, 15th. Also, on Oct 21st the school afternoon started and finished an hour earlier to save fuel and lighting.
A Tragic Note (School Log Book):
On 21st November the school reopened, having been closed since Sept 30th, due to an outbreak of influenza on the order of the Ministry of Health. The HT records that “many of the children have been ill and with deep regret the death has to be recorded of Miss Ada M Hirons who for 8 years had been a member of the school staff”. Mrs Annie Bond, wife of Edwin, then became a temporary supply teacher.
1919 – and bizarrely no mention of the armistice!
What is most striking is that the HT logbook makes no reference at all to the armistice at all, except that on 31st January 1919 the head teacher notesthat the children were dismissed from school at “3.10pm on order to …see the captured German guns on view in Daventry at 4pm.”
Despite all the hardships and inevitable loss of the previous 4 years, the school was still inspected by HMI on May 15th and the resultant report of 25th July rather unkindly noted the following: “As the work of the first 9 months, July – March, (inclusive of this current year) had been hindered by epidemics and by various wartime activities, this further disturbance of the work [the delay in appointing a new teacher following the death of Miss Hirons] has assisted in bringing it below its usual standard.”
The early forerunner of that caring, sensitive organisation we now call Ofsted seems manifest all these years ago!
Inspection aside however, the children still experienced Empire Day lessons (May 23rd), and an afternoon School Treat at Welton Place (15th July) as well as the long-standing Bird and Arbor essay competition!
On May 31stthe school “…received Circular 632 notifying the desire of His Majesty the King ‘that in commemoration of Peace, an extension of the Summer Holidays may be granted in all schools by the Education Authorities”.
So, in 1919, the Welton School Summer Holiday ran from August 1st – September 15th.
In the new academic year, on Dec 15th we learn from Mr Bond’s logbook that this year the school continued to have its essays judged “excellent” and for the 2nd year in a row the school was awarded 3rd prize, but in addition “the Society’s Medal for meritorious individual essays was gained by May West and Mildred Carter. A special book prize was also won by May West.” May later went on to become Sunday School teacher in Welton and in later life she became a Sister May West – a nun – and lived in Plympton.
And so into the roaring twenties
February 11th: Sanitary Inspector for Daventry Rural District Council visited the school to make inquiries as to the water supply and drainage
March 15th: heavy snowfall affected absence especially of infants – when was the last time we saw snow in mid March?
March 26th: Major J.P. Clarke, formerly of Welton Place, visited the school. So the Clarkes have moved out by this period.
During this year HMI inspection – again; Bird and Arbor – again; an outbreak of measles – again; although the visiting Medical Officer of Health judged that the school should stay open unless attendance further declined. It didn’t, though remained low at about 60% through September.
On September 5th 1921 Circular 748 was received notifying “the adoption of a uniform school year for all public Elementary Schools, such Education Year to begin with the first school meeting following the summer holidays.”The September school year startfinally brings Welton School in line with schools today – 100 years on!
September 14th: Circular 691 re school libraries and C692 re Raising Age limit for Compulsory Education: under which education was to start on 31st December, March or August following the 5th birthday and this 1921 Education Act consolidated the raising of the school leaving age to 14. Prior to 1918 some children left school aged 12-13, boys to help on farm or to work and girls to assist in the home.
The 1918 Education Act had begun this process of raising the leaving age to 14 and made provision for a system of part time “continuation day classes for those at work aged 14-18. It also abolished all fees in state elementary (primary) schools.
October 26th: saw the first visit as part of a new “School Nursing Scheme” of the District Nurse!
1921: As the 1920s continued there remained a very careful focus on attendance, with regular reporting of cases of poor attendance, usually 5 – 6 per month, as well as annual HMI visits, diocesan inspection and reports as well as regular visits by the School Nurse.
The continued cultivation of the school garden remained a priority and on May 12th, 1921‘specimens of the school gardening class notebooks were sent to the Royal Horticultural Society’s show at Chelsea”. Welton School was evidently doing well!
The new academic year began on July 1st, 1921, with the following staffing structure:
Class 1 – standard IV – VI: Edwin Bond: Peterborough College 1897
Class 2 – standard I – III: Mary Robinson: Preliminary Certificate 1919
Class 3 – Infants: Daisy E Derby – Supplementary Teacher.
On return after the Summer Holidays, on Sept 5th, Circular 748 notified of “the adoption of a uniform school year for all Public Elementary Schools, such Education Year to begin with the first school meeting following the Summer Holidays”. And so, we see the start of the September – July school year – in 1921!
Scholarship Award (School Log Book):
“On September 23rd, as a result of the County Scholarship Examination held in March last [academic] year [1921] a Free Place at Daventry Grammar School has been awarded to Arthur Jones”. Good news day!
October 3rd saw the introduction of the National School Dentistry Scheme (Form M.I.D. 3) and the day after the afternoon holiday for the Statute Fair in Daventry which was held o 19th October, the school received its annual HMI inspection by Mr F Northrop – this time written in red ink!
Still in October – on the 31st – we see the introduction of the National Savings Association in schools, with Mr Bond absent from school between 10am and midday to attend a meeting regarding this in Daventry.
It is clear that, post war, there was a flurry of activities designed to improve the health, education and welfare of the nation… although the first 2 visits by the School Dentist had to be postponed – no reason given!
1922 – more snow and poor attendance
The year began with the usual entries regarding snowstorms and attendance, staff absence and the regular visits by Rev Sugden (register checks) as well as the School Nurse.
The Bird and Arbor medal winners were Winnie Elliot and Hilda Holland, Empire Day lessons were taught and the Annual May Feast held on 12th May. On February 28th following Circular 774, “a whole day…granted…[for] the wedding day of HRH Princess Mary”was held and the school closed.
Mrs Robinson (standard 2 teacher) was away from work from Nov 1921 until May 1st, 1922, which must have caused pressure in school. This must have been a hard time for Mr Bond, as his log book also records that on April 12ththe school was “unavoidably closed for a day owing to the head teacher being granted leave of absence in order to attend funeral of father”.
June 30th saw the annual diocesan inspection, July 7th a “visit from the School Nurse in connection with the County Inspection Scheme” and on July 14th Mr C F Lawrance FRHS visited to inspect the school garden.
After the summer holidays there was a huge change for the school when on Sept 29th Mr Bond records that: Miss Derby [Infants Teacher] ceased duty in accordance with a decision of the LEA that the services of a supplementary teacher should be dispensed with and the school organised upon a ‘2 group basis’”.
Thus, onOct 2ndthe school was rearranged into senior and junior sections only.
Oct 11threcords receipt of “Circular 806 together with a special edition of a Japanese newspaper printed in commemoration of the recent visit of HRH the Prince of Wales [the future Edward VIII] to Japan”.
Finally, the year drew to a close with: Nov 15th: school closure for use as polling station in parliamentary elections, Nov 26th: Annual Village Feast and Dec 22nd: resignation of Mrs Robinson due to ill health.
A trying year by all accounts.
1923 and a new name for the essay competition
Feb 12th: The now re-named “Bird and Tree” essay competition: “this school was judged ‘excellent’ and a Certificate of Merit awarded. The Society’s Medal for meritorious individual essays was given to Hilda Holland and Frank Emery.”
Note: This is Frank Emery junior who still lives in the village as of 2026!
The competing group of pupils were, in addition to the above: Winnie Elliott, Phyliss Webb, Phyllis Smith, Arthur Smith, Arthur Carter, Robert Bradshaw and John Hartwell.
Other events that spring included one child being excluded on Feb 28th – no reason given, 6 reported cases of poor attendance to the SAO (School Attendance Officer) and on April 12th a “demonstration lesson” delivered by visiting Inspector of Physical Exercises, Mr W Abbott.
April 26th saw another school holiday closure “in accordance with the desire of His Majesty the King ‘that a whole holiday be granted in all schools… on the wedding of HRH the Duke of York”. [the future George VI].
Fascinatingly, on May 29th“The Royal Messages to School Children were read and lessons upon ‘Our Empire’ were given”.The Royal Couple had recorded on March 28th a gramophone record designed to be played to school children across the Empire to encourage children to understand the “unity” of the family of the Empire, the personal responsibility of every child to “play their part” and moral guidance for them to develop the knowledge, bravery, honourable conduct and to put others before themselves. The image below is of the record.
Queen Mary also spoke of her wishes for the children. A recording of the content can be heard using the link here. This is the only surviving voice recording of Queen Mary.
Following the Summer Holidays, the School Dentist, M H Walmsley LDS visited the school on Oct 20th and on Nov 2nd an Ordnance Survey official called at the school to verify alterations in the map of the parish of Welton since the last survey.
There is work to be done here to investigate these changes!
1924 – difficult times for the school and Mr Bond
This was the start of a difficult time for Welton School. As the photograph shows below, Mr Bond’s regular entries in the logbook were always beautifully written in a careful hand and meticulous detail.
However, at the start of January 1924 it is very evident that something is wrong. The detailed regular entries are gone. There are only 4 entries for the month of January: 7th, 11th, 14th and 21st, each of a line or two only.
The handwriting is thicker, less carefully formed and the final entry from Mr Bond on January 21st reads:
Very poor attendance, many children ill.
Presentation of Bird and Tree prize medals by Headteacher.
Illness of Head Teacher. School closed.
And that was it. No explanation. After leading the school with evident pride, care and attention to detail for 20 years, Mr Bond suddenly and inexplicably stopped.
On January 23rd the HT logbook continues in a very different hand:
“School reopened; Miss C H Adams as a supply teacher. V poor attendance. Many children ill. L.J.B. Sheffield in charge. 52 pupils on roll”.From this point on the HT records are less frequent, less carefully written.
On Feb 2nd, Henry J Wright, headteacher of Great Weldon School took over, followed on Feb 18th by M.T. Wright, with other supply heads covering days or weeks at a time. During this time attendance continued to fall, with an average of 47.6% on Feb 20th.
On March 21st, Phyllis and Roy Smith were excluded for mumps and the Medical Dept of Health advised, followed by Alma Gregory, John and Bernard Moss on March 31st as well as Phyllis and Freda Starmer on April 4th. An epidemic of mumps was clearly sweeping across Welton.
Attendance rose slowly to 74.4% on April 11th, though snowstorms that day which “prevented children living across the field from attending”.The visit by the School Nurse on April 15th resulted in Arthur Miller being excluded “owing toa verminous condition”.
A Mrs Wilson and Mrs Nicholls – parents – were sent “white cards” – the school nurses used white cards to track children’s health, suggesting that there were concerns about the health of these children.
On May 16th the SAO visited and weighed the children to be medically examined.
When the Medical Inspection date came around on July 4th 21 children were listed for inspection of whom 3 were absent.
These problems possibly reflect the plight of many people living in Welton at that time. A 1914 land assessment report records significant numbers of cottages on all roads in Welton in a poor state, numbers are described as “uninhabitable” or fit only for demolition.
Many small cottages occupied closes and had shared outdoor toilets (called closets).
Given the privations of war, the post WWI epidemic of Spanish flu and subsequent epidemics such as the Whooping Cough above, life must have been very hard for many Welton families.
In 1925, whooping cough (pertussis) was a major, cyclical public health issue across England, including in Northamptonshire, in the era before vaccines became available in the 1940s and 1950s.
The mid-1920s saw significant numbers of reported cases, with approximately 152,003 cases reported in England and Wales in 1925.
And what of Mr Bond?
A newspaper report of December 20th, 1940, records the funeral of Mr Edwin Bond in his birthplace, Tiddington in Warwickshire, 1.5 miles NE of Stratford on Avon.
As the cutting below reveals he left his post in Welton after a nervous breakdown, leading to his retirement.
His son Percy, of Bird and Arbor success, was at his funeral with his wife, possibly Claire. We don’t know what triggered his collapse specifically though we can speculate.
He had been head teacher at Welton School since May 15th1905. He had started as a pupil teacher at the Tiddington and Alveston National School, qualified at St Peter’s College in Peterborough in 1897. After his retirement he retired to his birthplace until he died. His wife, Annie, predeceased him on 15th February 1935.
Oddly the 1925 HMI report on Welton School refers to the “failing health of the late headmaster”and does not mention the fact that he is still alive, suggesting a real stigma regarding mental health issues in the 1920s.
In January 1925Norah F Burrows took up the post of headteacher at Welton School and would continue her leadership into the 1960s, with current villagers having been taught by her. Her first comment on Jan 8th reads:
“Thereappears to be no completescheme of work in the school for the school year ending 1925. Consequently, one is now in course of preparation by the present head teacher. Number on roll: 43”.
And at the end of the academic year HMI report concluded: “the school has suffered much during the last 2 years owing to the failing health of the late headmaster and to the interruptions in staffing which followed his departure from this school in January of last year.
Class II which consists of Infants and standards I and II is in a very backward state… class I (consisting of standards III to VI) is far below the normal in attainment. Seven of the scholars in that class are in their last year of school and some of them find difficulty in reading passages containing such words as ‘necessity’ ‘precaution’ and ’violence’… The admission register is in a very neglected state”.
As is often the case in education there is a sense of implied criticism of all previous heads with the new head teacher the one celebrated as putting things right.
