Continuing the story of Elliot Woolford, farmer at Hook Farm from 1899-1941. On Friday December 31, 1915, as the impact of the deprivations of the First World War tighten, Elliot writes about the Childrens’ Christmas Tree – a big event on the local Christmas calendar held at the school in Hook, usually a few days after Christmas. A particularly welcome event, especially in 1915.
Friday December 31, 1915.
I went to Swindon and sold butter 12/- 12 0
Bt Groceries 2/6 Meat 2/3 papers 1/- Cigarettes,
Soap & Diary 3/3 9 0
Dog Biscuits 2/8 Sauceges 7d Sundries 2/6 5 9
Paid Carter 17/- William 14/6 Walter 14/6 Frank 8/-
Clarence 5/6 2 19 6
3 14 3
Carter, William, & Walter, attending to Cows
Frank not at work
Clarence took the milk first time instead of Frank
Amy, & Dora Ody, & Babe, went up to the school tea. Amy was the sole means of they having a tea. She had no difficulty in Begging the money. Miss Dora & Dolly Ody Mrs Newth Mrs & Miss Hale Miss Habgood Mrs Webb Mrs Painter & Mrs W. Ody took their Children & assisted. About a 100 children attended. It was quite a success. Mr Leighton School master & his wife worked hard preparing the school etc.
Continuing the story of Elliot Woolford, tenant farmer. December 1899 and Elliot spent his 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.
In 2025 I shall continue my research into the life and times of Elliot Woolford (farmer at Hook Farm) and the parish of Lydiard Tregoze based on his diaries. Selected volumes of the diaries can be viewed on the Friends of Lydiard Park website.
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 Cash1 15 0
Bought fish 6d Butter 1/31 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.
Pictured seated are Elliot and his wife Amy with their son Rowlie in the garden at Hook Farm.
Elliot died in 1941 and is buried in Hook Cemetery with his wife Amy who died in 1962. Hook Cemetery was laid out in 1891 in a field gifted by Viscount Bolingbroke. This field, formerly called Ables, was once part of Hook Farm.
Most of the time I am entrenched in Radnor Street Cemetery – but occasionally I venture out, sometimes to neighbouring churchyards and cemeteries. And sometimes my work with the Friends of Lydiard Park collides with Radnor Street Cemetery. I am presently transcribing the diaries of Hook farmer Elliot Woolford. On March 30, 1929 Elliot writes:
Saturday March 30, 1929
I went to James Henry Sadler Esq funeral at Lydiard Millicent this afternoon he was taken to Church on a farm wagon there was a lot followed he was much respected.
A short biography is published in the ‘Wilts Book’ discovered by Radnor Street Cemetery friend and colleague Mark Sutton.
Sadler. – James Henry Sadler, J.P., Lydiard House, near Swindon; son of the late Samuel Champernowne Sadler, J.P., F.R.C.S., of Purton Court, Wilts; born at Purton, August 17th, 1843; educated at Hoddesdon, Herts, and Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester. Landowner and agriculturist, farming some of his own property; Justice of the Peace for Wilts; member of the Wilts County Council since its formation, representing the Purton Division; Captain, Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry (retired); Chairman of the Cricklade and Wootton Bassett Board of Guardians, and Rural District Council; formerly, and for some years Chairman of the Purton and Lydiard Millicent Parish Councils, North Wilts Liberal Association, and Swindon Chamber of Agriculture. Recreations: hunting, and shooting. Married, in 1879, Ann Matilda, daughter of the late T.P.W. Butt, of Arle Court, Cheltenham.
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.
Local farmer Elliot Woolford kept a daily diary for more than 50 years and I’m transcribing it for the Friends of Lydiard Park online Lydiard Archives project.
The diaries in which Elliot records life in the small rural parish of Lydiard Tregoze constitute an important social document. Here he discusses everything from the vagaries of the weather to crop failures; from church festivals to village goings-on; the death of Queen Victoria and the end of the war in South Africa. His writing is unaffected and his voice colloquial, the diary was written for his reference only.
In 1911 Elliot brought his produce to Swindon market and delivered to shops in the town centre. One of his regular customers was George Watson who ran a greengrocers and florists at 21 Cromwell Street. In his diary Elliot records their transactions.
Friday April 7: Received 10/6 of Mr G. Watson for rhubarb delivered last week.
Monday May 15: 1 doz Pea sticks to Swindon for Mr G. Watson.
On Friday September 22 it was Mrs Watson who greeted Elliot, paying him £1 10/- for 20 dozen cabbage.
On Saturday September 23 Elliot writes in his diary: Mr G. Watson died last night after a short illness.
George Watson was buried in Radnor Street Cemetery in grave plot E7394. Two days later Elliot writes: Received 43/- of Mrs Watson for cabbage & turnips delivered.
Annie Watson continued to run the shop after the death of her husband.
Saturday October 28: 7/6 worth of cabbage to Mrs Watson and 9 old hens @ 1/3 each.
Annie and George were both in their 40s when they married; there were no children to carry on the business.
In time Annie moved in with her sister and brother-in-law, Susan and George Fowler at 23 Salisbury Street. When George Fowler died in 1929 he was buried in grave plot E7394 with Annie’s husband. Annie died in 1945 aged 80. She was buried with both the Georges.
George Watson’s shop pictured during flooding in Swindon July 25, 1909 published courtesy of Local Studies, Swindon Central Library.
Death of Mr. G. Watson, – At his residence, 21, Cromwell Street, on Friday night, Mr. G. Watson suddenly passed away. Deceased, who was 52 years of age, was a florist, and he had recently been under medical attention for heart trouble, though the end came quite unexpectedly. Mr Watson had lived in Swindon during the last nine years, and was on the executive of the local Horticultural Society. He was also a member of the Ancient Order of Foresters. He leaves a widow, but no children.
The funeral took place on Wednesday afternoon. The procession left the house at 3 o’clock and wended its way to St Paul’s Church where the first portion of the service was conducted by the Vicar (the Rev. H.H. Rackham). The cortege then proceeded to the Cemetery, where the Rev. T.L. Mackesy read the concluding portions of the service.
The floral tributes were numerous and handsome and included two artificial wreath inscribed “A token of respect to George Watson from stallholders, shopkeepers, friends and neighbours RIP” and “a tribute of respect from members of the Queenstown Club.”
Extracts from the North Wilts Herald, Friday, September 29, 1911.
One of our volunteers recently sent me a photo of a grave she had cleared and tidied up. This angel memorial surmounts the grave of a young child. Bex has a knack of finding graves with a particularly poignant story.
Terence Anthony Woolford was born in July 1930, the first of Reginald and Gladys Woolford’s three children. Reginald Charles Woolford was born in 1904, the son of Charles Woolford who worked as a wheel turner in the railway factory. In 1928 Reginald married Gladys Rose Popham, the daughter of Ernest Popham, a fitter in the railway factory.
Reginald and Gladys were living at 7 Drove Road in January 1936 when their young son was taken ill. He was admitted to the Isolation Hospital where he died. He was 5 and a half years old. His funeral took place in Radnor Street Cemetery on January 20 where he was buried in grave plot C1720.
I am presently engaged in a BIG project transcribing the diaries of a local farmer as part of the Friends of Lydiard Park’s archival work. Elliot Woolford kept a daily diary from 1885 until his death in 1940. No mean feat for a busy farmer with a small team of family members and local labourers working with him.
And then I wondered if there could possibly be any connection between Elliot and this little boy buried in Radnor Street Cemetery.
So far I have traced Elliot’s family back several generations. There have been Woolfords living in the Purton, Lydiard Millicent and Lydiard Tregoze area for at least 600 years. From Robert Woolford who married Susannah Staley in the parish church at Lydiard Millicent in 1757 to “William Woolford of ye parish of Lidyeard Treagoze in the County of Wilts yeoman” who in 1695 left four of his sons William, Benjamin, Nicholas and Oliver, £5 each in his will.
Returning to the story of little Terence Anthony Woolford…
A family historian has placed an extensive Woolford family tree on the Ancestry, website which I navigated with alacrity. At first there were no obvious connections; no farming background for Reginald, no links with the rural Lydiard parishes, but back and back I went. Then I discovered John Woolford born in 1600 in Trowbridge. John married Elizabeth Baker in the church of St. Mary’s, Lydiard Tregoze on February 12, 1621. He died in his adopted parish on February 28, 1674 and was buried in the churchyard there. This John Woolford appears in both little Terence and Elliot Woolford’s family tree.
Radnor Street Cemetery 