Boxing Day 1899

In 2024 I shall begin work on a new book, a history of the parish of Lydiard Tregoze in the 20th century, based on the diaries of Elliot Woolford.

In 1899 Elliot Woolford moved to the village of Hook where he took over the tenancy of Hook Farm, part of the Lydiard Park estate. Elliot kept a meticulous diary recording daily work on the farm from 1899-1940. In this unique archive we learn about changing practices in agriculture as he continued to modernise and develop the farm. He mentions family members, friends and neighbours, social and national events and life on the declining Lydiard Estate.

Here is how he spent that first Christmas at Hook Farm with his brother Rowland.

Tuesday December 26, 1899 St Stephen. Bank Holiday

Got a Gun Licence out for Rowl. 10/- 10.0

Gave Mother 10/- for Household Exs. 10.0

Sent £13. 15/- to Bank.

Went up to Mr Owen Hales. “Creeches Farm” shooting

Rowl shot two sparrows all told. Could not find a rabbit

Started 2 Blackbirds these escaped unhurt with the exception of a little fright & palpitation.

We spent the evening with them viewing photos of the family and indulging in a few games with the childrens playthings the Party broke up at 11.15 pm all perfectly sober.

Weather Dull foggy & raining all the forenoon

Very quiet Xmas Generally No doubt owing to the War

Image of Creeches Farm taken 1880-1890 is published courtesy of the Friends of Lydiard Park.

The day before Christmas

In 2024 I shall begin work on a new book, a history of the parish of Lydiard Tregoze in the 20th century, based on the diaries of Elliot Woolford.

In 1899 Elliot Woolford moved to the village of Hook where he took over the tenancy of Hook Farm, part of the Lydiard Park estate. Elliot kept a meticulous diary recording daily work on the farm from 1899-1940. In this unique archive we learn about changing practices in agriculture as he continued to modernise and develop the farm. He writes about family members, friends and neighbours, social and national events and life on the declining Lydiard Estate.

Read about the day before Christmas 1902. Work carried on as usual but Elliot also records his sorrow at the sudden death of his much loved mother.

Tuesday December 23, 1902

Mother Died to Day at 2.40 o.clock P.M.

Cut 425 Sprouts 17 Bags Savoys etc

I went to Swindon & delivered vegetables received Cash 1 15 0

Bought fish 6d Butter 1/3 1 9

Paid Mobeys for their labour 9/- 9/- & 4/- 1 2 0

Gave Ellen 20/- to get mourning 1 0 0

£2 13 9

2 3 9

Mother died this afternoon at 2.40 Rowl, Aunt Martha, Ellen, Fanny Matthews, & Father was there also Fred Woolford’s wife “Bessie” She died very happy & passed away without pain while in Rowls arms as he was trying to turn her over. We feel her loss to us we were so attached to her for she was most devoted to us all & ever studdying our well being & comfort and could never do enough for us. She asked to see Sam but he did not arrive till after she had been fallen asleep two hours. I went over in the Evening.

Weather Mild

Frances Ann and William Woolford are buried in St Mary’s churchyard, Purton. Image published courtesy of Duncan and Mandy Ball.

Angelo Vitti – revisited

Paul Vitti kindly responded to my recent blogpost about his great grandfather Angelo Vitti. He has sent me a copy of the original photograph from which the grainy newspaper one was taken and some additional information about the family and 26 Albert Street. Many thanks Paul.

Angelo Vitti was my great grandfather. I can go back to 1700 in Settefrati where Loretto was born. Then Michele, Francesco, Antonio, Angelo, Alexander, Gerald and then me, Paul. Angelo’s brother Cesidio is also buried in Radnor Street. He died in 1899 in Swindon and in the same year his wife gave birth to a son, also Cesidio, Angelo’s nephew, in Italy. In 1926 Cesidio jnr. set sail for America followed, 2 years later, by his mother and his wife. They settled in Struthers, Ohio. Their house there is now a car park but two adjoining houses remain.

26 Albert Street, the former Rhinoceros. Angelo owned all the properties up to the ‘Roaring Donkey’. In this photo is Angelo and Maria plus my grandfather Alexander, his brother Laurence and several sisters. I am in contact with one of Maria’s great nieces. My grandfather sold the premises in the fifties for £4,500. The whole site has just been redeveloped with new apartments and some houses. In this photograph the fellow looking out of the window is in what became my bedroom for a while until my parents moved into two room digs in Princes Street. It was a fascinating old property with a cellar that ran under all those adjoining houses, an internal courtyard and dormitories along the rear boundary in Little London. The 1911 census shows 63 lodgers living in the various properties and dorms. I remember it all so well.

Cesidio Vitti died at his brothers home, 26 Albert Street and was buried on June 5, 1899 in grave plot C442.

James and Annie Gardner – 5 Montagu Street, Rodbourne

They say every picture tells a story and I love these photos of the Gardner family shared on the Swindon Local Studies Flickr page. Meet James Gardner and his wife Annie pictured in their garden at 5 Montagu Street, Rodbourne taken in about 1935. I’d love to know what was said just before the camera shutter clicked.

Annie was James’s second wife. They married in St. Swithins Church, Walcot, Bath on December 27, 1905. James was 52 and Annie 39. James had several children by his first wife Sarah and presumably Florence Gardner was the daughter of one of these. She appears on the 1911 census aged 3 years old living with James and Annie and Annie’s mother Margaret at 5 Montagu Street.

These two charming photos of Florence appear with those of James and Annie.

James died at his home in Montagu Street in 1939 aged 86 years old. Annie died in 1947 aged 82. Her last address was Ford Street, just a stone’s throw away from Rodbourne. Perhaps she ended her days living with Florence?

James and Annie are buried in grave plot C639, Radnor Street Cemetery.

William and Sarah Ann Giddins

This headstone with its elegant script contains a lot of information, even if at first it seems rather confusing, and the family history it conceals is even more fascinating.

The first person buried in this family plot was William Golosha Giddins (jnr) who died in 1917 aged 29. Next to be buried here was his married sister Gertrude Mary Whateley who died in 1930. Then in 1938 Sarah Ann Giddins, their mother, was buried here and just three months later their father William joined them.

William Giddins was born in Newfoundland St John in c1861 where his father Robert served with the 8^th Kings 1440 Regiment for more than 20 years. Robert had previously served in British North America and the West Indies. Soon after William’s birth his father was discharged from the army as ‘unfit for further service in consequence of Chronic Rheumatism & general debility’ according to his military records.

Married with two children, Robert and his wife Catherine returned to his birthplace of Avebury where he worked as an agricultural labourer. Son William soon set out on his own adventure, joining the Wiltshire Constabulary and marrying Sarah Ann Cannings in 1885. By the time of the 1891 census the family were living at Martin, Fordingbridge.

William finished his career here in Swindon where the 1911 census returns record him at the Police Station, Swindon, an Inspector of Police. Sarah Ann, his wife of 25 years lives with him, their two children are both living elsewhere. Lodging with them are five police constables.

On their death both Sarah and William received a detailed obituary published below, so I won’t repeat all the details here, but I would like to know more about the National Spinning Competition and Sarah’s royal audience!

A Conservative Worker

Swindon Funeral of Mrs S.A. Giddins

At Radnor-street cemetery last Thursday the interment took place of Mrs Sarah Annie Giddins, of 56 Cheltenham-street, Swindon, who died on 10 July at the age of 74. The service at St. Paul’s Church was conducted by the Rev. N.W.L. Auster, who also officiated at the graveside. Mrs Giddins was the wife of Mr William Giddins, who retired in 1911 from his post as police inspector in Swindon, and three years ago they celebrated their golden wedding anniversary.

Mrs Giddins was a Londoner by birth. Throughout her life she had taken a keen interest in the work of the Conservative Association. For over 30 years she was a member of the local association, and of recent years was vice-chairman. She was also chairman of the Whist Committee and President of the Central Branch of Young Britons.

She had the distinction, many years ago, of winning a National Spinning Competition in London, later going to Sandringham, where she instructed the late Queen Alexandra in that art.

Chief mourners; Mr W. Giddins (husband), Mr Donald Giddings (grandson), Mr Cannings (brother), Mr and Mrs Freeth (nephew and niece), Mrs Oliver (cousin), Miss Young (cousin), Miss London (cousin), Miss Ellis and Miss W. Smith, the committee of the Queen’s Ward Conservative Association. Among those present at church were; Sir Noel Arkell, Mrs Oliver Arkell, Mr Mayhew, Mr and Mrs Preater.

Funeral arrangements were carried out by Messrs A.E. Smith and Son, 24 Gordon-road, Swindon.

North Wilts Herald, Friday, 22 July, 1938.

Death of Mr W. Giddins

Former Police Inspector at Swindon

Funeral Tributes

The death has taken place of Mr William Giddins aged 77, of 56 Cheltenham-street, Swindon. He was a retried police inspector, having served 27 years in the Wiltshire Constabulary, from which he retired in 1911, after 27 years’ service. As a constable he was first on duty at Wilton, after doing a month’s training at Devizes. Later he was moved to Marten, still in the same division, where he remained for 5½ years. While here, P.C. Giddins made a successful capture, after a struggle with a burglar, on 13 December, 1886, for which he was commended by the then Chief Constable of Wilts Capt. Robert Sterne, R.N.

Constable Giddins’ next post was at Winterslow, where he was stationed for seven years, and he was then promoted to sergeant and removed to Chippenham, remaining for 2½ years. From there he went to Great Bedwyn, where he did duty for 4½ years, when he was promoted to inspector and went to Pewsey.

Later Inspector Giddins was removed to Swindon, and was in charge of the Police Station at Cheltenham-street which was the New Swindon Station until the erection of the police station at Gorse Hill. Here he remained until his retirement. He then went into business, taking an off-licence beerhouse in Regent-street, Swindon. After being there two years, he found that too much indoor work did not suit his health, and he left and took up duties as a rent and debt collector. In 1933 he retired from all public duties. Mrs Giddins, who instructed the late Queen Alexandra in the art of spinning, died as recently as last July.

The Funeral

The funeral took place on Monday afternoon. The first part of the service was conducted at St. Paul’s Church, by the Rev. N.W.L. Auster (curate), who also officiated at the graveside in Radnor-street Cemetery. Six members of the Swindon Police Force, under the direction of Sergt. Nicholas, acted as bearers.

The family mourners were: Mr and Mrs Donald Giddins (grandson); Bessie Young (Cousin); Mrs A. Oliver (cousin); Mr and Mrs H. Frith (cousin); Mr H. Canning (cousin); Mr Ed. G. London (cousin); Miss Dorothy Ellis, Miss Winnie Smith, Mr. Eastwell, Mr. H. Couling and Mr P. Ward.

Amongst other mourners were; Mr and Mrs A.G. Beard (friends); Mr R. Comer and T. Loveday, the two last named being ex-policemen and friends of Mr. Giddins.

The funeral arrangements were carried out by Messrs. A.E. Smith & Son, 24 Gordon-road.

North Wilts Herald Friday 14 October, 1938.

What a coincidence!

On my way to conduct a guided cemetery walk for the Old Town Belles WI group recently, I met a woman who emerged from Section Lower C where the grass is as high as an elephant’s eye (to misquote the famous song from Oklahoma).

Ilse was visiting from the Netherlands on a week long, whistle-stop, family history tour of Wiltshire. She had spent the morning in Box and the afternoon in Gorse Hill before a quick visit to the cemetery.

She had no cemetery map and had by happenstance arrived at Section Lower C. She had hoped there would be numbers on the graves, but sadly that is usually not the case. She did have a grave number she had taken from a well-known website, but it was one that I had an ‘mmmn’ about – you know what I mean? However, Radnor Street Cemetery burial registers record the grave numbers which range from a single digit up to a four digit number and always preceded by a letter (and occasionally with a letter at the end e.g. D12A). But this was a five digit number without any letter. Mmmn!

Ilse wrote her email address and the name of her great-aunt on the back of my notes and today I’ve done some research for her. As I suspected the number she had was not a Radnor Street Cemetery grave plot number – but, guess what? Where she was exploring in the wilder reaches of Section Lower C was exactly where her great aunt (and great-great-grandmother) are buried. What a coincidence!

She has a wealth of family stories, which I am hoping she will share with me when she gets home. One of these was of how her great aunt met her husband-to-be when her hat blew off on Swindon station platform and he rescued it. Ilse says she has family photographs – obviously not of the hat retrieval incident – but what others might be revealed! What a fortuitous meeting. (And the guided walk with the Old Town Belles was most enjoyable as well).

Section Lower C

An overall view of the cemetery and a scan of Section Lower C where Ilse was searching.