The King's Bench Prison

 

David Wait must have looked forlornly up at the grim 50ft brick wall as he was led through the wicket gate towards the gaoler of the King’s Bench prison on April 9th 1773. He had been arrested by the Sheriff of Middlesex’s men and taken three miles south over the river to Southwark. Meanwhile, his wife Eleanor undoubtedly worried about coping with their four young children back in New Inn Street, Shoreditch.

I discovered this story about my 6xGreat Grandfather David Wait (1738-1793) in April 2023 - 250 years later. Several people have asked if I have found out any more since. Well, during a break from working for my clients - I have, and it has given me a glimpse into a traumatic time in my ancestor's life.

My investigation started with a few lines in an issue of the London Gazette newspaper of 1774 and documents in the National Archives have shone more light on this case. David Wait a carpenter of Shoreditch, had promised to pay £40 6s. 5d to John Edington but had failed to do so. This was possibly a bill for goods supplied or a business matter of some kind. Edington entered a plea of ‘trespass of the case’ (failure to fulfil an agreement) and was claiming damages totalling £60. An arrest warrant had been issued for David to appear in court to answer the case. But, was unable to put up bail, so on 16th April 1773 he was committed to the King’s Bench Prison in Southwark as an insolvent debtor.

Debtors prisons were institutions in which inmates were kept until they could pay or were declared insolvent. The best-known were the Fleet, Marshalsea, Ludgate and King’s Bench. For those who were destitute, cramped conditions, filthy floors and starvation awaited and all the while an inmate remained his debt accrued. As the prisons were privately owned, a prisoner also had to pay for bed and board, even if none was provided, this led to corruption. Charles Dickens highlighted their grim conditions in novels like “Little Dorrit” and “David Copperfield”.

Some prisoners, who could afford it, paid for the privilege to lodge outside the King’s Bench. This was known as “Liberty of the Rules” and was normally just for long-term inmates. David does not appear in the “Prisoners’ Address Book”, so it can be assumed that he was housed in the prison for 15 months. 

King's Bench Prison had been rebuilt several times and took its name from the court. It had a reputation for being filthy and overcrowded. Outbreaks of typhus fever were common and sanitation consisted of one bucket in each cell. A letter written by Geoffrey Mynshall in 1618 from the prison described it as having, “more diseases predominant in it than the pest-house in the plague time …stinks more than the Lord Mayor’s dog-house”. 

David applied in June 1774 to be discharged under the recently passed “Insolvent Debtors’ Relief Act”. He was eventually released from prison on 28th July 1774 upon a hearing at the Borough Court, St. Margaret’s Hill, Southwark and after paying Edington £64 10s. A huge sum in those days. Using the Bank of England “Inflation Calculator” equates to £8,054.49 today! Perhaps his brother James Wait, a brandy merchant of White Cross Street, Islington, helped stump up the cash. Or, did he get financial support from his local Freemason Lodge of which David had been a member since 1771? Or a combination of the two?

 

After enduring those unimaginable conditions David and his wife Eleanor went on to have three more children. He lived for another 19 years but sold his property in New Inn Street, Shoreditch, two years before he died. 

James Coward and the White Feather

 

At this time of Remembrance, I want to recall the tragic story of James Coward, the older brother of my maternal grandfather. I have researched many military records for clients, but this tragic story will stay with me forever.

When Britain declared war against Germany on 4th August 1914, James Coward was 26. In September of that year, he married Laura Sayer at All Saints Church, Tufnell Park, Islington. The married couple lived at 15 Grove Road, Upper Holloway, Islington - James gives his occupation as a ‘Gas Fitter.’

As a married man, he would not have been expected to volunteer during the early stages of the conflict. A year later, the couple had a daughter, Edith Laura Coward. Sadly, the following spring, James's wife Laura passed away from Bright's disease. This is an old term for a disorder caused by the inflammation of blood vessels in the kidneys. She was just 29 years old.

On the 25th May, 1916 conscription was extended to married men. But James was now a widow with a dependant child, so once again his circumstances would have exempted his call-up.  But it was probably during a train journey home from work, that a woman cruelly dropped a white feather in his lap. 

The White Feather Movement was a propaganda campaign in England during WWI to enlist in the army. White feathers (a symbol of cowardice) were distributed by women of the Order of the White Feather to any man they saw who seemed capable of joining the army that was out of uniform.

James was so ashamed to receive this white feather he told his family: "That's it, I'm going!" He was determined to join the army. He enlisted in Wood Green on the 13th of October 1916 and was sent to the 1st Queens's Own Royal West Kent Regiment. 

In less than 12 months James had been killed. He died of wounds during an attack near Geluveld, Belgium on 4th October 1917. Reading his regiment’s war diary sent shivers down my spine. It simply states, “ The enemy shelled our positions at intervals during the day. The battalion suffered about 100 casualties of which a large proportion belonged to B Company.”

James died of his wounds and lies buried at Lijssenthentoek Military Cemetery in West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. His grave reference is XX. D. 10. He was one of over 9 million soldiers killed during the Great War of 1914-1918. There were also 20 million wounded and 359,150 men missing in action. 

His daughter Edith lived until she was 87. She often cried, lamenting that she never knew her father. All she had was a crumpled photograph of him that she treasured for the rest of her life.

My account my of James's story I hope, will be a testament to the sacrifice he made for his country and prove to future generations he was a brave Coward.

Three Cups Alley

 

After my recent post about my ancestor John Wait (1797-1868), several people have asked me about a place he lived in during the 1840s called Three Cup Alley in Shoreditch. It was difficult to find; the area has changed considerably down the centuries, but some of it does still survive.

The alley first appears in John Rocque's map of London in 1746. The north-south stretch was once known as George Street, while the grimmer east-west length was known as Three Cup Alley. 

The alley's name has a quaint charm, but in reality, it was far from being a pleasantly old-fashioned place. James Elmes in, “A Topographical Dictionary of London” (1831), gives us a graphic description of it:

“The place alluded to is Three-Cup-Alley, Shoreditch, where shame to magistracy, and those in power, it excels in nastiness, its entrance is dark as Erebus, and the polluted smell that issues from the nauseous filth … The posterior parts of their dwelling. Are they not bestrewed with blood, offal and contaminated matter, from which an effluvium arises that darts through all the avenues of the brain and makes the inhabitants wretched indeed.”

Most buildings around Three Cup Alley were demolished during the construction of Great Eastern Street in 1877 - probably for the best. All that survives today of Three Cup Alley, is a small section to the right of what used to be called George Street and now Fairchild Place. Today it is an extremely narrow, litter strewn dead-end, lined with air conditioning units. Hard to beleve that John, with his wife Jane and their eight children, eked out an existance somewhere along this squalid alley over 180 years ago.

The alley seems to have been named after The Three Cups Inn, once located at the southwest intersection of Bread Street and Watling Street, about a mile from the alley. The earliest surviving reference to The Three Cups is in a will dated 10th August 1363. For over 500 years, The Three Cups provided food, drink and shelter for guests and their horses. It was re-built several times and in 1720 was described as, 'large and well built and of great trade for country wagons and carriers.'  

Being located near a "prison house pertaining to the sheriffes of London," during the Sixteenth Century, records suggest it was a probably a meeting place for thief-takers.

Scottish Ancestry?

I am Scottish! It took a few years of research, but I recently found the baptism of my 4x great grandfather John Wait(e) (above). Two pages of this parish record confirmed my earlier research and revealed new information - my Scottish roots!

The first page shows that John Wait(e) was born on the 15th June 1765 - the son of David Wait(e) (c.1738-1793), a carpenter in Shoreditch, Middlesex. There are always surprises researching family history - this was a big one. John was baptised in The Scottish Church, London Wall,' in front of the Scottish congregation', on the 7th July 1765. (I have 18% Scottish DNA).

Reading through those two pages, I noticed the baptisms of David’s two other children,  James (b.1766) and Elizabeth (b.1768). Elizabeth must have been ill because she was baptised just over a mile away, in her father's house near Shoreditch by Rev. Robert Lawson. Intriguingly, there is also the baptisms of the two children of James Waite, a Cooper, from New Inn Street in Shoreditch. Were they related? My research continues!

The Old Scots Church formerly met at Founder’s Hall, Lothbury and was the oldest Scottish church in London. Its origins are uncertain, but existing records take it back to the Restoration of Charles II.

John Wait(e) was baptised by Rev. Robert Lawson, the son of a minister of Closeburn in Dumfries, Scotland. Lawson was educated at Glasgow University and was invited to Lothbury in May 1752 to be a pastor. On the 29th July of that year he was ordained.

Robert Lawson was greatly respected preacher; his congregation at Founder’s Hall increased so much that they decided to build a larger meeting house on land at the upper end of Coleman Street near London Wall. Construction of the new Scot’s Church finished in the summer of 1764.

Lawson’s ministerial services continued for nearly seven years until one cold, snowy day he became ill while walking from his house in Hackney. He died on 24th April 1771.

John Wait's Apprenticeship

 

Finding this document gave me goosebumps. It’s a vital piece of evidence showing not only my 5x Great Grandfather, John Wait’s (1765-1831) carpentry apprenticeship, but confirming the name of his father - my 6x Great Grandfather, David Wait.

This indenture, dated February 1st 1785, is a legal document from London, governed by the Custom of London (a set of bye-laws), binding John to his master, John Tricker, a carpenter of Mitchell Street, St. Luke’s in Middlesex. It stipulated that while serving his apprenticeship, he could not marry or trade in his own right.  

Three years later, Tricker had moved (probably with John Wait) four miles into Moorfields Liberty, Shoreditch. He appears in the Summoning Book for poor rate defaulters in Shoreditch on March 7th 1788, where he promised to pay his rent in 10 days.

John Wait and his father David (1738-1793) were both carpenters, working in New Ivy Street, Shoreditch, Middlesex.

"This Indenture witnesseth, that John Wait son of David Wait of Shoreditch in the county of Middlesex, carpenter doth put himself apprentice to John Tricker of Mitchell Street, St. Lukes, in the same county ... citizen and carpenter of London, to learn his art, and with him (after the manner of an apprentice) to serve from the day of the date of these presents, unto the full end and term of seven years from thence next ensuing, and fully to be complete and ended. During which term, the said apprentice his said master faithfully shall or will serve, his secrets keep, his lawful commands every where gladly do: he shall do no damage to his said master, nor see to be done by others, but to his power he shall let or forthwith give notice to his said master of the same: The goods of his said master he shall not waste, nor the same without licence of him to any give or lend: hurt to his said master he shall not do, cause or procure to be done: he shall neither buy nor sell without his master's license: taverns, inns, ale-houses, he shall not haunt: at cards, dice tables, or any other unlawful games, he shall not play, whereby his said master may have any loss: nor from his said master's service day or night absent himself: but in all things as an honest and faithful apprentice, shall and will demean and behave himself towards his said master, and in all things as an honest and faithfull apprentice, shall and will demean and behave himself towards his said master, and all his during all the said term. And, the said master for the consideration the said apprentice, in the art aforesaid, which he now useth, shall teach and instruct, or cause to be taught and instructed, the best way and manner that he can, finding and allowing unto his said apprentice sufficient meat, drink, apparel, washing, lodging, and all other necessaries, during the said term. And for the true performance of all and every covenants and agreements aforesaid, either of the said parties bindeth himself to the other firmly by these present. In witness whereof the parties above-said to these  indentures interchangeably have set their hands and seals, the First Day of February in the Twenty Fifth Year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King , Defender of the Faith, and in the year of Our Lord  1785".

Pictures and the Past

 

These are some images of my family. Behind each picture, there are hundreds of stories. I often get asked, how do I start researching my family tree? My reply is always the same - start with a paper and pen and talk to your older relatives. Ask them about their memories. Let them describe their work, daily routines, superstitions, where they lived, neighbours etc. You will be surprised how willing they will be to chat about their early lives. Society has changed incredibly quickly, and their personal stories are priceless- and if not recorded will be lost forever. 

Luckily I did ask some of my family about their past, and my notebooks are full of stories about my maternal grandmother's hard life (middle left). Nanny Cuckoo; as I affectionately called her, was a remarkable woman. She lived through two world wars and raised six children - on her own.

My father (top left) often described his grandmother's strict Victorian ways; occasionally, he spoke about his experiences as a soldier during WWII; but I had to be careful - it triggered his nightmares. His memories later inspired me to write a book about his experiences fighting in the jungles of Burma. 

My mother (centre in the bottom row) is a goldmine of information and tells horrific stories of living in London during the Blitz. She also has many anecdotes about her grandfather Walter Coward (bottom right), known locally as The Iron Man of Islington. He must have been a colourful character. During the construction of the Astoria in Finsbury Park, he became buried under a collapsed wall. Hannah, his wife, thought he was dead. But, that evening he appeared on the doorstep covered in dust.  She fainted, believing she had seen his ghost! 

During research for my clients, I always add information that sheds light on the world their ancestors knew. Historical maps, school reports, trade directories, military records, electoral rolls and so on can all help. But, nothing can replace the colourful anecdotes of voices from the past. 

William Valentine Wait

 

St. Valentine's Day was an important day for my ancestors. 232 years ago my 5xGreat Grandfather John Wait (1765-1831) married Ann Wheatley (1766-1840) on the 14th February 1790, at St. Luke's Church in Old Street, Finsbury.

What a romantic day to be wed! In between working for my clients, I like to look at the world in which my ancestors lived. During this period, Valentine cards started to be sent. Initially, they were made by hand as pre-made cards were manufactured later. They consisted of lines of poetry decorated with flowers and love knots. An early hand-made Valentine puzzle, dating from the year of John and Ann's marriage, is shown.

Exactly a year later, John and Ann Wait’s first child was born. Their son, William was born on 14th February 1791 and baptised at Holywell Mount Chapel on the 10th March of that year. He was given the middle name Valentine.

William doesn't appear to have married, but when he died in 1857 he left a Will that showed he had been a reasonably wealthy barrister's clerk. Listed amongst his possessions were a mahogany Elizabethan bedstead and various silver-plated cutlery. He left his best clothes to his brother John Wait (1797-1868) - my 4xGreat Grandfather.

William Valentine Wait was buried on February 7th 1857 in St James Cemetery, Swain's Lane, Highgate, London. But his name would live on. When his brother John Wait had a second son on 31 May 1822, he was baptised William Valentine Wait. 

A Signature From 231 Years Ago

 

That moment when you see the signature of your 6xGreat Grandfather from 231 years ago...

The Princess, The Conqueror & The Viking

 

It is often a dream to trace a family back to 1066. And, this is what happened during my research for a client as a Christmas present for his wife. On Christmas Day, she was astonished to read about her family links to William the Conqueror, a Saxon Princess and even a Viking leader. My client has permitted me to describe some details of my extraordinary discoveries.

I started, as usual, with an examination of census returns and parish records. Soon I found that this particular Cushion family had an established bloodline in the County of Norfolk down the centuries. The resources, held in local archives, revealed that various academic investigations had taken place into the history of this family, including surviving subsidy rolls and manuscripts. As the days passed, a remarkable paper trail opened up for me. I linked her Cushion/Cussyn line with a Ralf le Cusyn de Limisi, a descendant of Ralph de Limisi, Baron of Oxenburg in Norfolk (c.1040-1093), nephew of William the Conqueror. Baron Ralph of Oxenburg had accompanied William to England during the Norman Invasion and was given lands in ten English counties, including Norfolk. 

So, I established that William the Conqueror, son of Robert I of Normandy and 3x grandson of the Viking chieftain Rollo, was also the son of the 26x great-grandmother of my client’s wife. Amazingly enough, legend states that Baron Ralph of Oxenburg married Princess Cristina, sister of Prince Edgar, an Anglo Saxon Prince. 

Of course, my client's wife cant move into Buckingham Palace yet. A surprisingly high number of people probably have a royal ancestor or two. The main problem lies with finding a gateway ancestor and the survival of records. Do you perhaps have roots with royalty?

A Journey in the Time Machine

Has a movie ever influenced you? One of my favourite films is The Time Machine, made in the 1960s starring Rod Taylor. After watching it on our black and white telly as a child, I was awestruck by the concept of travelling forwards or back through time. I rushed out to my library and read the original book. I have always loved history. Having the ability to visit a period long ago has always been a dream.

MRS. WATCHETT: Mr Filby, do you think he will

   ever return?

FILBY (quietly): One cannot choose but wonder. -

   You see, he has all the time in

   the world.

We haven't the scientific ability that the author H.G. Wells imagined in 1895. But, about 30 years ago, I discovered the next best thing after a long day trudging around a shopping mall in Essex. I espied a small paperback on the shelf of a tiny book shop, explaining how to research family history. It was what you would probably call an epiphany.

Many trips to London followed. I began researching census returns, ancient parish records and buying certificates. (This was before many archives were available online). Weekend visits to relatives now included me carrying a notebook, leading to my daughter Rebecca groaning, "dad's talking about dead people again!"

I became hooked and eventually completed a University course. 

Five years ago I started my very successful genealogy business. Now I invite my clients to climb into my time machine, meet generations of their ancestors, see where they lived, worked and worshipped and learn their individual stories.

   

The Font in St. Leonard's Shoreditch

On Christmas Day, during the stormy winter of 1797, my 4xGreat Grandfather John Wait together with his sister Ann, was baptised in St. Leonard's Church, Shoreditch, in the East End of London. One of seven children of John Wait, a carpenter (1765-1831) and Ann of New Inn Street. His parents probably chose this particular date, not because of any seasonal or religious reason, but because it was one of the only days of the year they were not working.

I will never know if John Wait senior and his family celebrated Christmas. They might have eaten rabbit if they were lucky and drunk gin and beer, which was easier to obtain than fresh drinking water. Although he was a carpenter by trade, life was incredibly hard.

Four generations of this Wait family lived within the sound of St. Leonards bells; many were baptised and married there. So its font is a link to my past. It stands immediately to the left as you enter St. Leonard’s - symbolic of baptism being the beginning of your life within the church. In 1740 a Mary Drought gave £20 towards constructing this font, made of white marble with a circular basin supported on a hexagonal baluster. My spine tingles when I imagine the many geneartions of my ancestors gathered around that ornate font.

Recently my son and I explored Shoreditch. We wanted to re-trace the footsteps of our ancestors along some of those old narrow streets. I  encourage clients to do this after they have received my research. Visiting where your forefathers worked, prayed and called home can be a fascinating experience!

A Visit to Shoreditch

 

My son Steve and I travelled back 278 years and visited Shoreditch in the East End of London in August to see where our ancestors had lived. In New Inn Street, my 6xGreat Grandfather, David Wait (1738-1793), worked as a carpenter. The experience of standing where your ancestors had lived and worked was unforgettable. I recommend it!! We even supped ale in The Old Blue Last, his local pub. The beautiful St Leonard's Church, where generations of our ancestors were baptised, married and buried, was unfortunately closed but still breathtaking to see.

Preston Hall, Aylesford

Preston Hall c.1719

 

As a child, I used to stare up at the towers and turrets of Preston Hall and re-imagine the stories of its ghosts, hidden tunnels and headless horseman. I vaguely remember going to a Christmas party at the Hall for children of the British Legion Village. As we approached its heavy oak doors, down the grand drive, it seemed two carved lions were watching us from their stone plinths.

One evening my father brought home a print of the old Preston Hall. I was amazed that this beautiful manor house with its sprawling grounds (above) had once existed nearby. Now, for my benefit, I have briefly opened the door on the often-overlooked story of the Hall and glimpsed episodes of Tudor intrigue, Elizabethan plots, executions and even hidden staircases!

The Domesday Book mentions Preston Manor, and later documents show it sold to the monks of St. Andrew in Rochester. Succeeding generations of the Culpeper family from Bayhall Manor in Pembury then developed the estate as a farming concern. Many of them were called Thomas!

A Thomas Culpeper was a courtier during the reign of Edward I and later became Sheriff of Kent. But, his son Walter switched sides during the rebellion against Edward II. Together with his three brothers, he took part in the Battle of Boroughbridge. Later that year, Walter refused Isabella, wife of King Edward, entry into Leeds Castle in Kent. The furious Edward then besieged the castle and 'took Captaine Colepeper and hung him up.'

Later generations of the Culpeper family who inherited Preston Hall became Justices of the Peace and Sheriffs of the County. When Sir William Culpeper died in about 1457, his son Sir Richard (1429-1484) inherited the estate. He had at least three children. His daughter Joyce (Jocasta) married Sir Edmund Howard in about 1510. They had two sons and three daughters, one of their daughters, Catherine, would become embroiled in court intrigue. 

Her uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, found Catherine a place in the household of Henry VIII’s fourth wife, Ann of Cleves. Soon she caught the eye of the 48-year-old king. Henry quickly had his marriage to Ann annulled, making Catherine his new queen. 

Henry described Catherine Howard as ‘a rose without thorns,’ but his opinion quickly changed when he learned of her alleged affairs, including one with her sixth cousin Thomas Culpeper (11514-1541). 

Catherine was imprisoned in the Tower of London, charged with treason, and beheaded on February 13th 1542. A year earlier, the execution of Thomas Culpeper occurred at Tyburn. Like many traitors, they displayed his severed head on London Bridge.

The story of Preston Hall as the setting of Catherine and Thomas's love nest and the legend of their meeting by a secret staircase featured in The Tudors TV drama shown in 2007-10.

Later another Thomas Culpeper became mired in political intrigue. We know that Thomas Culpepper (1517-1587) was born in Preston Hall. In 1554 he met secretly with Thomas Wyatt the Younger and others at nearby Allington Castle to plot against Queen Mary and put her sister Elizabeth on the throne. But, the rebellion failed, Culpeper and the other ringleaders were incarcerated in the Tower of London. One of the prisoners with Culpeper was a certain Thomas Vane, husband of Elizabeth Culpeper.

An inscription on the stonewall of their cell in the Tower reads:

“ Be thou faithful to the end and I will give you a crown of eternal life – 1554, T Fane, T. Culpeper, of Ailsford, Kent.'

Culpeper and Fane were later pardoned, unlike other rebels. Documents in 1561 show Thomas Culpeper as a new purveyor of Rochester Bridge. Five years later, his daughter Anna Culpeper married Sir Henry Crisp of Thanet.   In Aylesford church, between the two pillars of the chancel, a commemorative brass plate records Crisp's internment in 1594. 

Although Preston Hall Manor stood just over the river from Aylesford, the ancient church of St. Peter and St. Paul only lists the Culpeper’s in the late 16th Century. Earlier family records exist in their other residences like East Farleigh and West Peckham. But, Aylesford does contain what has been declared one of the best rectangular tomb chests in Kent, erected in memory of Sir Thomas Culpeper (c.1549-1604) by his wife Dame Marie (Maria). 

Originally from Old Soar Plaxtol, this Thomas Culpeper inherited the ‘royal manor of Aylesford;’ in 1604 from James I and became a knight of the realm. He married Marie Pynner in about 1587; they had six children.

The last of the Culpeper family to live in Aylesford was Alicia, who inherited the estate from her brother in 1723. She was widowed four times and sadly survived all of her children. She spent her later lonely years at Preston Hall where she died in April 1734 and interred in the north chancel of Aylesford Church.

Preston Hall then passed to the Milner family through Alicia’s last marriage. By this time, the former Elizabethan manor, described as a ‘plain white stucco square building of an elegant appearance crowned with tall brick chimneys', stood on the west of a beautiful avenue of cedars that stretched from Aylesford bridge across timbered parkland to Barming.

Preston Hall, Aylesford c.1850

In 1848 the ‘palatial residence’ was purchased by Edward Ladd Betts (1815-1872), a prominent civil engineer who had made his fortune building parts of the British, Canadian and Russian railways. Prince Albert’s favourite architect, John E. Thomas, was then commissioned by Betts to design and construct Preston Hall Manor House in the Jacobean style. After selecting a new site, it was re-built with a grand stone facade, large bay windows, high and magnificent ceilings and rich wood-panelled walls. Outside were installed ornate fountains, an orangery and decorated stables with a carriage driveway through elegant gardens complete with sculptures.

Edward Ladd Betts enjoyed extravagant parties - to bring guests to his new estate, he extended a local railway branch line into Victoria London. He constructed a new railway station called Preston Hall - later re-named Barming because the family disliked the association with a railway station.

During the banking crisis of 1866, Betts had to declare himself bankrupt. Six years later, he died in Aswan, Egypt. His family arranged for his body to be brought back to Aylesford and buried in the parish church.

Preston Hall now became the property of another railway tycoon, Thomas Brassey, who passed the estate on to his son Henry Arthur. The Brassey family became great benefactors of their local community; Henry was named, The Good Squire of Aylesford by locals. Sports days and Sunday school parties were held at the Hall in the summer when the Brassey family presented oranges, boots for the boys and items of clothing for the girls.

After the death of his mother Anna in 1891, the second son, Henry Leonard Campbell Brassey (1870-1958), inherited the estate. He married Lady Violet Mary Gordon-Lennox in 1894. Unfortunately, his new wife detested Preston Hall, describing it as 'a workhouse only fit for commoners'. So to please Lady Violet, he sold off 4000 acres of the Preston Estates and moved to Apethorpe Hall, Northamptonshire.

Robert Horner of Spitalfields bought the estate in 1906 - a year after the Sauber family were in residence. 

During WWI Preston Hall was requisitioned by the War Office, in 1919 they established a scheme to use the remaining estate as a training centre for recovering soldiers from tuberculosis. It was known as the Preston Hall Colony and later evolved into The British Legion. In about 1955 my father,  a veteran of WWII, recovering from tuberculosis, convalesced there. He eventually rented a house in The Crescent in the British Legion Village and worked for the British Legion Press. 

London in 1839

 

I have many ancestral connections to London. So I find this earliest photograph of the city particularly fascinating. It was taken by Monsieur de St. Croix in 1839, during his first public demonstration of the photographic process. This image was formed on a copper plate coated with silver, without the use of a negative. The process, known as a daguerreotype, resulted in the earliest snapshots in existence.

This remarkable picture shows Parliament Street from Trafalgar Square with the statue of Charles I in the foreground. Look carefully and you can see ghostlike traces of the people who stayed and watched long enough to register in the exposure. The two sat at the foot of the statue and the man sitting in the hackney carriage may be the first Londoners ever photographed.

Ann Wheatley (1766-1840)

 

Isn't this document beautifully written (above). Not all parish registers are this easy to read. It records my 5xgreat grandmother Ann Wheatley’s (1766-1840) baptism in the church of St. Giles-without-Cripplegate, Middlesex. She was born on the 7th March 1766, the daughter of James and Penelope Wheatley.

James Wheatley is described as a wire drawer. This old occupation involved making wire by extracting metal through various size holes in a template. Documents show the Wheatley family living in Holywell Lane, Shoreditch. 

South of Holywell Lane is New Inn Street were a warren of skilled craftsmen was beginning to thrive. Several generations of the Wait family worked here as carpenters and paid their rent to Lord Bateman. And it was probably along this cramped narrow street, amidst the sawdust and stacks of timber that James’s daughter Ann met up with her future husband, John Wait (1765-1831). 

Just over a mile away from St. Giles, along Whitecross Street and its old market stands St. Luke’s Church. As the population continued to increase in the area, St. Luke’s was built to relieve some of the pressure on St. Giles. And it was in St Lukes, on St. Valentine’s Day 1790, just a year after the start of the French Revolution, that Ann Wheatley married my 5xgreat grandfather John Wait. Exactly a year later, on 14th February 1791, Ann gave birth to their first child- a boy. This date meant a lot to the couple and they had their son baptised William Valentine Wait at Holywell Mount Chapel, near Curtain Road.

I have written several articles about William. My research showed that he became a successful barrister's clerk and lodged in Sandwich Street in Marylebone. He left a very detailed Will that revealed much of his lifestyle. His funeral took place in Highgate Cemetery on the 7th of February 1857.

Meanwhile, Ann went on to have three more children, Sophia Wait (1792-1795), Ann Wait (1795-1867) and my 4x Grandfather, John Wait (1797-1868). She passed away during the severe winter of 1840 and the burial register shows that Anne’s body was brought from Grays Inn Road, along Old Street and passed St. Luke’s into Bunhill Fields Cemetery where she was buried on January 3rd 1841.

The opening of my Primary School

 

This newspaper cutting from The Gazette on May 7th 1963, was carefully kept in a drawer by my Nan in London. It shows the pupils of Aylesford County Primary School during its opening ceremony. I am sat in the front (with an x over my head). I still have those National Health glasses!

I have fond memories of this school in Teapot Lane. Every morning our Head Mistress, Miss E H Smiles held an assembly in that hall, which also doubled up as the school canteen. Huge hymn sheets would hang down from its ceiling and with the residual odour of school dinners wafting under our noses we would sing hymns like, 'All things bright and beautiful...'

As a gift to their headmistress, parents and children of the school collected a huge amount of milk tops - raising enough money to get Miss Smiles a beagle puppy. The pupils voted to name the dog Penny. 

Because this fund-raiser proved so successful the next project was even more challenging - an outside swimming pool. This was eventually constructed together with a pair of heavily creosoted wooden changing rooms. Of course, the boys soon began drilling peepholes with sharp implements through its dividing wall. 

One morning I stood on the side of that bright blue pool, beat my chest, did a Tarzan call and dived in. But unlike the Lord of the Jungle, I landed unceremoniously on my head. After swallowing what seemed like gallons of chlorinated water, I thrashed my arms about and scrambled back up to daylight. As I stood knee-deep, my ears popped and buzzed. Shaking and coughing I opened my stinging eyes and noticed several dead flies, wasps and a soggy brown carpet of leaves float past. This experience put me off swimming for life.

Adjacent to our primary school in Teapot Lane stood a small corner shop. Every weekday, heaving queues of children would wave their pocket money under the nose of the agitated shopkeeper. Sometimes they wanted a bag of marbles, but often it was for Bazooka Joe chewing gum, Spangles or packets of sweet cigarettes.

In the playground girls would skip, jump and sing, while the boys would hold British Bulldog competitions or chant 'Join Up For War!' Flying footballs would ricochet off high fencing behind groups of boys clutching handfuls of conkers, marbles and bubblegum cards.

A few teachers of that school still remain in my memory. Mrs Corbett, Mrs Seymour, Miss Hardy and Mr Dyson. But it was Mr Mellor's lessons in one of the mobile wooden classrooms that stand out. Looking back now he seemed way ahead of his time. His wonderful storytelling was enhanced by his wife's beautiful illustrations. One week, just before our summer holidays, our class made a short ghost movie. Every pupil appeared in the film and operated the 8mm cine camera. Mr Mellor even showed us all how to create special effects. One technique was filming through the ripples of heat given off by the classroom's old oil heater. This gave the scene a dream-like quality. If that film still exists, I would love to see it again.

In 1966 there was much excitement at school when the opening sequence of the movie 'Half A Sixpence' was filmed in Aylesford Village. Aerials were taken off the roofs of many of the old houses near the church and many children took the day off school to watch Tommy Steele dancing over Aylesford Bridge.

As reported in the Kent Messenger, Mr Mellor bravely took 27 of our class on a week-long field study trip to Doddington Youth Hostel in April 1968. This was the first time it had been done and was successful - although I was very homesick. During the trip some of the girls played a netball match, we went to a waterworks, visited a church and explored the beautiful countryside. Mr Mellor was a fantastic teacher.

The newspaper article about the oppening has:

“Aylesford County Primary School completed nearly six years ago, was officially opened by the Dean of Rochester, the Rt. Rev. R. William Stannard, at a dedication service in the school’s assembly hall on Thursday.

 The school although in use for nearly six years has never been officially opened or dedicated. the ceremony was held over until a new wing, comprising three classrooms, was completed the last term.

 Costing more than £64,000 to build, the school designed by Maidstone architect Mr Dennis Darbison will accommodate about 400 pupils.

 In his opening address, the Dean spoke of the importance of “bringing God into the lives of all those who pass through the school. The dedication of this school is not just a ceremony,” he said.

 “It is something you will remember all your lives; when you are older, you will be proud to come back and say, ‘this is my old school.’

 ‘It is a fine and important thing that you think is right and necessary to have your school dedicated in the name of God.

 “We have offered this school to God and asked Him to help it and to guide its progress through the years,” the Dean said.

Guests present at the ceremony included Miss M Maplesden Noakes, vice-chairman of the Kent Education Committee, who proposed a vote of thanks to the Dean, Alderman W.G. Sherman, chairman of the Maidstone Divisional Executive for Education, Canon H. J. Powell, Vicar of Aylesford, Mr G. T. Heckels, Clerk to Kent County Council, and Councilor John Evans, Mayor-elect of Maidstone.

Guests were welcomed by the chairman of the school managers, Mr A. A. Howick, who presided at the opening ceremony”.

A Review of Dad's Burma War

 

Yesterday I received this fantastic review of my book from Mary Cole, a moderator on the WW2 Burma Research Site: 

"Well, Tony Wait, I have finally managed to finish reading your father's story in between gardening tasks and helping others with research.

You have every right to be proud of your father (4 Field Reg & 4 RWK’s) and your achievement in writing his story.

The level of detail is fantastic and I certainly recognise many of place names where your father and mine may well have come into contact.

The descriptions of happy times, Xmas dinner and rum rations are juxtaposed against the terrible conditions in which they found themselves and the constant need to keep morale high during the dreadful monsoon of 44 as well as detailed descriptions of their experiences in the Pegu Yomas, even after the war ended, really brought it home that war doesn’t end with a click of a finger.

I would also like to thank you for the acknowledgement at the back of the book. There really was no need, it was a privilege to help in a small way and an absolute privilege to read this memoir".

Another Satisfied Customer

Another satisfied customer… 

Hello Tony,

I’m just home and had chance to glance through your presentation folder. It looks fantastic, thank you once again for your hard work, I am so happy with what you have discovered.

Michael Feeney

 

From Shoreditch to Axminster

I often wonder how my 4xgreat aunt felt on her wedding day in 1828, as she walked up the aisle of the ancient church in the village of Molland, on the southern border of Exmoor. Ann Wait must have felt a world away from the grimy streets of Shoreditch, in London’s East End, where she had been born. Did her father escort her? This was her second marriage and as she gazed around the box pews, did she see any other members of her family that had managed to travel the 200 miles to see her?

Piecing back together the lives of my ancestors and those of my clients gives me great satisfaction and this particular historical journey is yet another example of how interesting it can be.

Ann was baptised in St. Leonard’s Church, Shoreditch on Christmas Day 1797. She was one of four children of John Wait (1765-1831) and Ann Wheatley (1766-1840). John seems to have been a reasonably successful carpenter and paid around 10 shillings a year for a property in New Inn Street. I even found him listed as a member of Freemasons at the Lodge of Good Intent in the Ship Tavern in Leadenhall Street.

How Ann met her first husband, William Bowden Quartly, will no doubt remain a mystery, although members of the Quartly family were living around Shoreditch and the Lambeth area at that time. But the couple were married at St George’s Church, Botolph Lane, in Billingsgate, Middlesex on 27th July 1820. Ann seems to have signed the register quite tentatively compared to the confident flourish of her new husband.

Quartly was described as a yeoman farmer and gentleman in the village of Molland, Devon. But sadly his marriage to Ann only lasted three years. He died at the beginning of 1823 and was buried in St. Mary’s graveyard, Molland on the 5th February of that year. His gravestone still stands and is legible.

In that short time, Ann and William had two children, Sarah Ann and William Bowden junior. Sarah later married Henry Weekes a former ship's surgeon and William farmed 50 acres in Bickington, 20 miles from Molland, with his wife Anne.

So, five years later, on the 30 August 1828, Ann married William Gunn in the beautiful medieval church of St. Mary’s on a hill overlooking the picture-postcard village of Molland. Inside the church, she would have no doubt noticed the carved timber wall tablet above the squire’s pew, dedicated to members of the Quartly family - her previous husband’s family.

The 1841 Census shows Ann and William Gunn in Oakford near Tiverton, approximately 10 miles from Molland. William’s occupation is that of a school teacher and they now have a son, Frederick, born and baptised in Molland. Anne’s daughter Sarah Quartly is also living with them. 

In 1851 Ann and William were living on their own. Ann’s daughter Sarah had married Henry Weekes in 1845 and Frederick was working as a chemist’s assistant in Middlesex. The census also gives Anne’s place of birth as Shoreditch and William’s in Rackenford, Devon.

The sad news of the death of Ann’s eldest brother 

William Valentine Wait in the early weeks of 1857 was probably delivered by the newly formed Penny Post. William was an unmarried barristers clerk from Marylebone in London. His last will reveals that he had made Ann is sole executrix and states:

“I give to my sister Ann Gunn the wife of Mr Gunn of Oakford Bampton in the County of Devon, School-Master, five silver tablespoons, twelve teaspoons, four salt spoons, caddy spoon and sugar tongs and all other, my plate and plated articles and things except my plated castor stand”.

Ann and her husband were also beneficiaries of £200 a year from her brother’s life annuity, so they must have been fairly comfortable in their later years. This might have given them the financial incentive to move to Axminster, 40 miles from Oakford, where their son Frederick was a chemist.

Ann died in Axminster in 1867. She was buried in Axminster Cemetery and the memorial is still there (grave number 403). The inscription reads:

‘In affectionate remembrance of Ann wife of William Gunn. Died January 28th 1867. Also of the above named William Gunn who died March 21st 1870.’