Who would live in a house like this?

Come and take a peep behind the shutters and find out what was going on in these desirable residences.

Frampton Villa, Devizes Road.

Read all about William Edwin Morris – a man of inexhaustible energy

The Limes, Croft Road

Read all about Mrs Ormond passed away two years ago

Mannington Farm

Read all about The Old Congregational Church

Oxford House, Victoria Road

Read all about No Place Like Home

Florence Gladys Richards – accounts clerk

Female clerks photographed in 1916

You might be surprised to know that women were employed in the GWR Works from as early as 1874. It was not only Swindon’s sons who could benefit from a father employed in the Works but so could Swindon’s daughters.

By the 1870s the GWR was finding it difficult to recruit skilled men to move to Swindon. The problem was caused by a shortage of jobs for young women, the railwaymen’s daughters. The men wouldn’t move their families to Swindon if there was no work for their daughters. Joseph Armstrong, Locomotive, Carriage and Wagon Superintendent, addressed the problem by extending the Carriage Works on London Street and creating a separate upholstery department for the employment of girls only.

Women were probably most obvious in the Works during WWII when they were employed in engineering and other roles previously unavailable to them. Many were sorry to leave when servicemen returned to take up their jobs once again.

The employment of women as clerks, once traditionally a male role, began in about 1910 and by 1915 was increasing rapidly. In 1914 sixteen year old Florence Gladys Trehorne started work in the accounts department where her father Edwin also worked. Florence started work on April 6, 1914 joining others such as Winifred Sims, Grace Wright and Lilian Plaister, who went on to become supervisor.

After eight years Florence resigned from her job just two days before her wedding on July 5, 1922 (married women were then not allowed to continue working in the GWR) when she married Percival Stanley Richards at Trinity Presbyterian Church, Victoria Road. Perhaps Florence was looking forward to leaving her job and stepping off the 9-5 treadmill. Perhaps she was looking forward to being a housewife and all that cooking and cleaning!

Sadly, Florence died on July 26, 1928, aged 30 years. She was buried in grave plot D149 with her father Edwin Charles Trehorne who died in 1923. Her mother Amelia Ellen Trehorne died in 1940 and joined them both. Florence does not appear to have had any children. Percival never remarried. He moved back to Bath where he died in 1974.

Martha Ann Croom – farmer at Lower Walcot

Among the fitters and turners, the boilermakers and the carriage makers buried in Radnor Street Cemetery lie the farmers. Richard Strange, tenant at Mannington Farm, is buried with members of his family in a triple grave plot numbered E8463/4/5 and Martha Hale from Creeches Farm in Hook, Lydiard Tregoze is in grave plot E7999 and most recently I have discovered the Croom family, originally from Somerset, who farmed at Walcot Farm.

The 1891 census records three properties in the Walcot Tything. Henry Thorne and his family occupied the ‘farmhouse’; Ernest E. Cox was at Walcot Farm (3) and Robert Croom at Walcot Farm (2). Lower Walcot Farmhouse remains to this day, renamed Bailey’s farm after its long association with the family of butchers who signed a lease with Fitzroy Pleydell Goddard in 1916. It seems likely that this was where Robert Croom and his family lived in the 1890s.

Robert Croom and his wife Martha Ann nee Crees shared ancestral links to Witham Friary near Frome, Somerset. Both came from large, farming families. Robert was the son of James Croom and Elizabeth Ann nee Crees and grew up at Quarry Hill Farm in Witham Friary while Martha Ann Crees was the daughter of Benjamin Crees and Charlotte nee White and grew up at Brook House Farm, Westbury, Wilts. As you can see the Crees and Croom families intermarried.

Robert and Martha Ann married in 1866 and in 1871 were living at Grange Farm, West Lydford in Somerset where they farmed 200 acres and employed 9 men and 3 boys. Within a couple of years they had moved to Draycot Foliat, Wiltshire and by 1891 they were at Walcot Farm, most probably Lower Walcot. Following Robert’s death on October 14, 1892 Martha carried on in business with the support of sons James, Edward, Henry and youngest son Archibald Ernest Crees Croom.

Walcot under construction, but which of the farms is pictured in the distance?

It is difficult today to picture the numerous farms that comprised our town but several were still in existence until the 1952 Town Development Act was adopted. Swindon Corporation acquired 1,000 acres of land for building to the east of the town, swallowing up long held Goddard family property, including Lower and Upper Walcot Farms. The housing estates at Walcot cover former farmland that included ancient fields once named Glazemore Ground and Chantery Green.

Martha Ann Croom died in 1899 at Walcot Farm and was buried in grave plot D43 where she was later joined by her 5 year old granddaughter Ethel Lilian Croom who died in 1911. Lilian Croom, Martha Ann’s daughter-in-law, died in 1927 and was also buried in D43. Then in 1949 Martha Ann’s youngest son Archibald Ernest Crees Croom (husband of Lilian and father of Ethel) died at Liddington Wick Farm, Coate and he too was buried in plot D43.

Blanche Louisa Smith

In some respects the desires of the 19^th century Swindon railway families were not so far removed from our own. People wanted a good standard of living, a regular income, food on the table and nice things in their home.

And when Blanche Louisa Smith married Thomas Edward Watkins she no doubt wanted the same.

The couple married in the June quarter of 1892 – not many weeks before their first child was born, again, not so very different from life today. At that time Thomas was working as an Engine Fitter in the railway works, a well paid job with good prospects.

Life had been a little different for Blanche. Her family had also been drawn to Swindon and the employment prospects here. On the 1861 census Blanche’s father was working as an ‘iron factory labourer’ (in the railway factory).

George died in 1879 aged just 41 years old. He was buried in the churchyard at St. Mark’s. By the time of the 1882 census his widow Ellen was living at 7 High Street (later renamed Emlyn Square) where she worked as a laundress. Living with her were three of her children, George 22 who worked as a boilermaker and Blanche 8 and John 5.

When Blanche and Thomas Watkins took their baby son to be baptised at the Primitive Methodist Church in Regent Street in 1892 they were living with Thomas’ parents in Eastcott Hill, but they would soon move away. In 1901 they were living at 17 Flathouse Road in the dockland area of Portsmouth, with their three young sons Thomas 8, George 6 and one year old Archibald.

When Blanche died in 1911 aged 38 years her address is recorded in the Radnor Street Cemetery burial registers as being 10 Oxford Street, Swindon. With no members of her Smith family buried in the cemetery Blanche was laid to rest with her father-in-law Charles Watkins who died in 1907.

Her two little daughters who died in infancy are buried in Portsmouth but remembered on the Watkins family grave in Swindon.

You may like to read more about the Watkins family here.

Granville Street and the Watkins family

Emma Louisa Newberry

Image of Drove Road taken c1926 and published courtesy of Local Studies, Swindon Central Library.

Emma Louisa Newberry died in 1964 aged 96 years. Emma was born in Guernsey in 1867. She had lived through almost a century of enormous social change including two world wars, the second of which saw the German occupation of her former island home.

Unfortunately, I can find out very little about her family background, not even her maiden name, but I will continue to research.

By 1893 she had married Ernest Walter Newberry, a gas fitter, quite probably in Guernsey where he was also born and raised. Emma’s Swindon story begins in 1894 when her daughter Gertrude May was baptised at St. Mark’s Church on May 27. Emma and Ernest, who was employed in the GWR Works, then lived at 28 George Street. In 1901 they were living at 54 Dean Street where their second daughter Clarice Louise was born. In 1939 Ernest and Emma were living at 86 Drove Road, their last home together.

Emma outlived not only her husband Ernest but both her two daughters as well. She died in the Isolation Hospital, Swindon on May 17, 1964.

Emma was buried on May 22, 1964 in grave plot B2669 which she shares with her husband Ernest who died in 1940, her daughter Clarice Hallard who died in 1958 and her son-in-law Herbert Hallard who died in 1948.

Her elder daughter Gertrude May died in 1954 but she is not buried here in Radnor Street Cemetery.

Kate Romans – a very good servant

Wednesday January 3, and as promised I am working on my new book based on the diaries of Elliot Woolford, but as ever the residents of Radnor Street Cemetery continue to creep in.

Following the sudden death of his sister Ellen in 1905 Elliot was compelled to engage a housekeeper. He appointed Kate Romans who had plenty of experience of domestic service and had recently been employed as a housekeeper for widower James Harper and his three sons in Swindon.

Kate was baptised on January 12, 1870 the daughter of Methodists William and Maria Romans. William states his occupation as labourer and in 1871 the family were living at 5 Eastcott Hill. So, I had to check the Radnor Street Cemetery burial registers and of course several members of the family were buried there.

Both William and Maria were from Chiseldon and their first child, Alfred James Leonard was born there in 1864 and was buried there in 1867.

By 1870 the family had moved to Swindon. William died in 1894 and was buried in grave plot A928 which he shares with his daughter Ada who died two years later.

Maria died at The Institution, Stratton St. Margaret and was buried on April 13, 1916 in grave plot C711. Like William and Ada’s grave, this is a public plot and Maria is buried with 6 others, although two of them are her sons. Ernest Edward Romans who died aged 17 in 1896 and Thomas Webb Romans who died in 1898 aged 38. A note in the burial registers reads – ‘fell down dead at Railway Wks Stratford S.’

I was able to locate various other members of the family – George Romans who died in 1926 and Alfred Henry Romans who died in 1934. Elizabeth Passmore nee Romans died in 1951 and was buried in plot C4677 with her husband and son and Sarah Ann Robinson nee Romans who died in 1913 and was buried with her husband in grave plot D1290. Youngest daughter Florence Jane died in 1963 – in Australia and I can’t find William Romans jnr either who died in 1936, but he maybe buried in Whitworth Road Cemetery.

But what about Elliot’s housekeeper Kate Romans?

On June 14, 1911 Elliot married Amy Newth. Kate had already handed in her notice as Elliot had recorded in his diary entry Tuesday May 23.

With just a day left of their honeymoon, Elliot writes in his diary on Tuesday June 20:

Miss Kate Romans left my employ today after 6½ years service as housekeeper. Very good servant.

So what happened next to Kate. Well, she’s proving to be a bit elusive. In 1939 there is a Kate Romans resident at St. Margaret’s Institution, Stratton St. Margaret. Her occupation is stated as Domestic Duties – Retired. In 1953 there is a death registered in Swindon for Kate Romans aged 81, which is roughly the correct age. Could this be Elliot’s Miss Romans? If anyone has any information I’d love to know.

Now it’s back to Hook Farm and Elliot Woolford’s diary.

Image of Hook Farm published courtesy of the Woolford family and the Friends of Lydiard Park.

Mr and Mrs Dashfield – married fifty years.

I can’t help but notice that Mary Dashfield doesn’t get equal billing in this story of her Golden Wedding Anniversary – so I shall redress the balance.

Mary Maria Sartin was born on February 6, 1859 and baptised at St. James with St. Stephen Church, Trowbridge on June 19. She was the youngest child of James and Martha Sartin. James worked as a Wool Dyer and Martha as a Laundress and Mary grew up in the Castle Street/Lower Courts area of Trowbridge.

She married John Dashfield in 1879 and by 1881 they had moved to 37 Cheltenham Street, Swindon with their baby son William.

By 1891 they were living at 1 Lambeth Terrace, Swindon with their six children. By 1901 they were at 21 Westcott Place, the three eldest sons already employed in the Works.

In 1911 Mary had already notched up 32 years as a wife and mother. She states that she has had 9 children of whom 8 are living.

Her life had been one of child raising and housekeeping, so maybe I don’t know that much about her after all, but hopefully this is a more rounded account than the newspaper article.

Married Fifty Years

To-day Mr and Mrs John Dashfield, of 21, Westcott Place, Swindon, celebrate their golden wedding.

Mr Dashfield is 72 years of age, and his wife is two years his junior. Both, who are in the enjoyment of good health, are natives of Trowbridge.

Mr. Dashfield came to Swindon 57 years ago, and entered the service of the GWR as a shunter. At the age of 18 he had the misfortune to lose his right leg whilst in the execution of his duty. He was afterwards given a position as storekeeper in the W Shop, which post he held until his retirement two years ago.

For 40 years Mr Dashfield was a co-worker or shopmate with the present Mayor of Swindon (Councillor G.H. Stevens).

Mr and Mrs Dashfield had a family of nine children, seven of whom are living. One son is at Weymouth, another at Christchurch, a third in Nigeria, and two are in Swindon. One of the daughters is Mrs A.M. Chappell, wife of the licensee of the Borough Arms, Wootton Bassett.

Mr Dashfield is interested in the club life of Swindon, and he is a keen horticulturist.

John Charles George Dashfield died at his home, 21 Westcott Place in 1943 aged 86 years. He was buried in grave plot D769 which he shares with Joan Mary Dashfield who died in 1926 aged 6 years old (most probably a granddaughter); his wife Mary Maria who died in October 1945 aged 86 years and Rosabella Minnie Chappell their daughter who died in 1948 aged 59 years.

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.

Thomas Anne Fergusson

Without a budget to purchase civil registration certificates and wills my research is dependent on local and online resources and sometimes it does involve a bit of detective work. Take for example Thomas Anne Fergusson who died on March 5, 1886 at 9 Rolleston Street, Swindon. Consulting the work of family historians on Ancestry, I was fortunate to come across this photograph of Thomas Anne. A clue to her movements is in the name of the photographer – Robert H. Preston, Penzance.

The Swindon link to this woman is her daughter Sophia Catherine Fergusson with whom she lived at the time of her death. Both women were born in Ireland and it would seem that Thomas Anne was probably known as Florence, using her official name on formal documents only.

Thomas Anne married Benjamin Tierney Fergusson at St Peter’s, Dublin on October 21, 1847. Sophie Catherine was born in Dublin in 1851 and just three years later her father died. The whereabouts of Thomas Anne and her young daughter between 1851 and 1881 are yet to be discovered. Sophia Catherine married Martin Etheridge in St. Mary’s, Penzance in 1883. On the entry in the marriage register her father is recorded as Benjamin Fergusson (deceased). The photograph of her mother, then aged 75, was taken in a Penzance photographic studio.

In 1886 Sophia and Martin lived in Swindon where Thomas Anne died. Both are mentioned as beneficiaries on Thomas Anne’s will. By 1891 Sophia and Martin and their three young children were living in Prestbury, Cheltenham where Martin worked as a Market Gardener.

The Etheridge family kept on moving and Sophia died in 1923 in Crickhowell, Breckonshire. Anyone researching Thomas Anne’s Swindon family (like me) would come up against a bit of a brick wall as there wasn’t one.

Thomas Anne Fergusson was buried on March 8, 1886 in grave plot A1062 where she lies alone.

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.