Village Blog

HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1921-2021) visits Broadway, 15th March 1968

HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, visited Broadway on Friday 15th March 1968, when he paid a visit to the Gordon Russell factory and the Lygon Arms Hotel. During his visit, the Duke met several villagers, workers and former workers of the furniture manufacturer Gordon Russell Ltd. Afterwards the Duke had lunch at the Lygon Arms with directors of the hotel, Gordon Russell Ltd, and Sir Gerard Nabarro MP for South Worcestershire, before a tour of the hotel which had recently been extended and refurbished.

Gordon Russell Ltd was first awarded a Royal Warrant in 1938 by Appointment to Her Majesty the Queen1, the firm having supplied pieces of furniture on a number of occasions to King George VI and his family. In 1957 the firm were commissioned to make another piece of furniture by the Royal Family. Employee, John “Jack” Blakeman of Broadway, was involved in the manufacturing of an occasional table, designed by Richard Drew “Dick” Russell, depicting a map of the D-Day Landings2. The table was presented by HM Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke, to President Eisenhower during their stay at the White House in October 1957. It was following this special commission that the Duke was invited to tour the Gordon Russell factory in Broadway.

Sir Gordon Russell receiving the Albert Gold Medal of the Royal Society of Arts for services to industrial design from the Duke of Edinburgh in 1962 – photo from Cotswolds.com

Amongst the villagers the Duke met on 15th March was Philip Chinn (see photo below) whose father worked in the Drawing Office at the factory.

The Duke of Edinburgh talking to Richard Chinn, Broadway – photo Birmingham Post

After lunch at the Lygon Arms, the Duke toured the hotel meeting members of staff. Following his visit, one of the new conference and entertaining rooms in the newly built Orchard Wing, The Edinburgh Room, was named after the Duke.

The Duke of Edinburgh at the Lygon Arms Hotel with Head Chef Charles Francis Hollington (far left), Chris Stapleton and Josef Heger (far right) – photo courtesy of Christine Dalton

The following newspaper report of his visit to Broadway appeared in the Birmingham Post the following day, 16 March 1968:

An informal Duke of Edinburgh put workers at their ease yesterday when he visited the Broadway furniture factory of Gordon Russell Ltd. He questioned them in detail about their training, work and home lives. Barriers of reserves and shyness broke down, and he received uninhibited answers.

The Duke’s arrival brought rousing cheers from the scores of villagers lining the main street. After signing the visitors’ book, he was shown around the factory by Sir Gordon Russell and the firm’s chairman, Mr. D.G.S. Russell. He was welcomed to Worcestershire by the Deputy Lieutenant of the County, Lt.-Col. I.W.D. Smith, representing the Lord Lieutenant, who was abroad.

The Duke was shown current and historical displays, and he put dozens of probing questions to his hosts about the furniture. In the contract room, he met 15 pensioners who had been specially invited back to their old place of work for the occasion. One of them was Mr. Lawrence Boyes, aged 67, who retired from the firm two years ago. Mr. Boyes, who was in a wheelchair, told the Duke that he had worked at the factory for 36 years. Also among the pensioners was Mr. H. Alloway, who was mainly responsible for the lecture bench and lectern which the Duke, as President, presented to the Royal Society of Arts in 1957.

The Duke was introduced to 5 apprentices who have gained Premier awards in the craftsmanship competition organised by the Gloucestershire and South Worcestershire Productivity Association. The award winners, Jonathan Millichap, Nigel Warner, David Boston, Robert Bearcroft, and Roderick Goodman, stood behind examples of their work as the Duke spoke to them. In another department, the Duke chatted with Michael Horne, aged 20, of Mill Avenue, Broadway, who was compiling lists of orders. The Duke was surprised to hear that Michael travelled all the way to Birmingham in the evenings for classes in cabinetmaking and design.

Martin Hall, age 25, explained to the Duke that the details of a plan he was preparing for the furnishing of a hostel at Bedford College of Education.

When he crossed the factory yard, the Duke stopped and spoke to wives of employees, who had left their housework to see him. Mrs. Hilda Jones, of Orchard Avenue, Broadway, told the Duke that her husband, Bert, had been working at Gordon Russell Ltd. as a cabinet maker for 40 years.

In the crowd was Mrs. Lillian Blakeman, whose late husband, Jack, made a formica-top table which the Queen presented to General Eisenhower several years ago. After leaving the factory, the Duke walked along a sunlit pavement, to the sound of enthusiastic clapping, to lunch at the nearby Lygon Arms. There he was introduced to Sir Gerald Nabarro, MP for South Worcestershire; Mr. J.D. Wilson, chairman of Evesham Rural Council; Mr.W.R. Pritchard, chairman of Broadway Parish Council, and Prof. R.D. Russell, the design consultant of Gordon Russell Ltd.

After lunch he toured the hotel, visiting the new kitchens, the Orchard Wing, which will come into use in a few weeks, the Garden Wing, completed a few years ago, and some of the 17th century rooms in the original building.

It was the first occasion that the Orchard Wing could be used, and this was made possible by the special efforts of the architects, Russell and Hodgson, and the builders W.A. Cox (Evesham) Ltd. The first advance copy of the Gordon Russell’s autobiography, Designer’s Trade, was sent from London so that he could present it to the Duke. The book, published by Alan and Unwin, will be on sale from May 23. Gordon Russell Ltd, was founded by Sir Gordon in 1919, after he returned from war service. His father, Mr. S.B. Russell, had an antique business which he started shortly after taking over the Lygon Arms in 1904.

Debbie Williamson
Broadway History Society

Notes:

  1. Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002), later known as Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. Her Aunt, Lady Maud Bowes-Lyon lived at Orchard Farm, Broadway.
  2. The table was manufactured in English walnut, the top was in Formica with a screen-printed map of the D-Day Landings used by President Eisenhower (reproduced by Thomas De La Rue & Co Ltd.) and topped with plate glass. The legs and rails of the table were covered in black calfskin which an inscription referring to the presentation of the table by the Queen to the President. The table took 4 weeks to make and travelled with the Queen and the Duke on their aeroplane to North America.

Buckland Manor and Wormington Grange: War Nurseries during the Second World War and a Visit from Queen Mary

A War Nursery near Broadway is Founded

During the autumn of 1940, seven young children were removed from the dangers of living in war torn London to rural Buckland just outside Broadway. The evacuation and rehoming of the children was funded by the American Red Cross and the Surdna Foundation1 who had arranged for The Waifs and Strays Society (now The Church of England Children’s Society) to run a War Nursery2 at Buckland Manor.

In July 1940, Lady Ismay of nearby Wormington Grange3, whose husband, General Hastings Ismay was Winston Churchill’s chief military assistant, had taken in 30 London evacuees under the age of two. Children under five4 were difficult to place with families and Lady Ismay was approached by the Society’s secretary, Mr W.R. Vaughan, to find another suitable home for a small number of very young children.

At the time there were three Receiving Nurseries in London in which children under five were received for medical inspection, issue of clothing, etc., before being evacuated to the country to nurseries set up to specially cater for their needs.

Mr & Mrs Charles T. Scott of Buckland Manor offered their home to the Society and by November 1940, seven youngsters had taken up residence in a wing of the house under the care of Matron Miss Bride. Mrs Jane Scott (who became the Nursery’s Commandant) was often seen taking the children for a walk and her cook, Margaret ‘Bessie’ Andrews, prepared the children’s meals. Lady Victoria Forester, Lady-in-Waiting to Queen Mary, who lived at Furze Hill, Willersey, was also involved in the children’s welfare. Clothes and toys for the children were provided by the Women’s Voluntary Services both in London and Broadway, and additional children’s clothing from sewing parties held in the village.

Miss Bride told a reporter from The Evesham Journal that the children can “run just where they like” and although many arrived tearful and homesick they soon settled into life in the Cotswolds countryside. Miss Bride’s charges were all from London; Tony (the eldest), Maureen (the youngest, aged 20 months), Ernest, Eileen, David, Sailor and Ronald.

Buckland Manor c1944
Buckland Manor c1944

Queen Mary visits the War Nursery at Buckland Manor

By 1944, under Matron Miss Frank, the nursery at Buckland Manor had grown to be one of the largest in the area caring for 36 children5. Amongst the children, all aged under five, were children of Birmingham City transport workers as well as those with parents serving in HM Forces.

On Thursday 10th August 1944, Queen Mary paid an informal visit to Buckland Manor to see the children. The Queen was accompanied by Lady Constance Milnes Gaskell, Lady Victoria Forester and Major Forester, the local MP William Morrison and his wife Katharine Morrison, and Colonel George Mackie (County Director of the British Red Cross). The Queen stayed for half an hour and on leaving was presented with a bouquet of roses by two year old Gillian Adams from Birmingham.

The War Nursery at Buckland Manor closed down shortly after the end of the Second World War in late 1945/early 19466.

 

Debbie Williamson
Broadway History Society

Notes:

  1. The Surdna Foundation was established as a charitable foundation in 1917 by the American John Emory Andrus to pursue a range of philanthropic purposes.
  2. The first War Nursery was set up in February 1940 at Dallington in Northamptonshire. By the end of 1940, 30 nurseries were in existence housing over a thousand babies and young children. After the United States of America entered the war in 1942, the Ministry of Health undertook full financial responsibility for the nurseries, the total number of which grew to 400.
  3. In November 1942, Eleanor Roosevelt, the First Lady of the United States ( 4 March 1933 – 12 April 1945) visited the War Nursery at Wormington Grange.
  4. Approximately 89%, of all under fives evacuated were sent from the London area, and by August, 1945, the Metropolitan Evacuation Panel had dealt with applications for over 60,000 children many of which were applying for temporary evacuation. 9,046 young children were evacuated through the London Receiving Nurseries.
  5. The War Nursery at Wormington Grange had also increased in size, caring for up to 60 children.
  6. The War Nurseries were gradually closed after the end of the war. However, some 10,000 children across all ages were unable to return home for various reasons and had to be cared for until homes could be found. The War Nursery at Wormington Grange closed in February 1946.

 

 

One Hundred Years Ago: 8th September 1920

Afternoon Treat for the Children of Broadway

During the afternoon of Tuesday 8th September 1920, the annual treat given to the children attending Broadway Council Schools took place in the village. The children assembled at the schools, the Scouts leading the boys and the Girl Guides leading the girls. The children walked to church where a short service was held, led by Reverent F. Lambert, Minister of Broadway’s Congregational Church.

After the church service the children marched to the field at Top Farm, Bibsworth Lane, kindly lent by Mrs Wells , where tea was waiting for them. After tea the children participated in games until dusk.

 

Debbie Williamson
Broadway History Society

100 Years Ago Today: Auction of Land and Property in the Village

100 years ago today, during the afternoon of Tuesday 31st August 1920, an auction of Broadway land and property was held by E.G. Righton & Son in the Swan Hotel.

Lot 1 comprised a freehold stone cottage on the High Street along with a leasehold stone cottage, stabling, store rooms and walled garden, let to Miss Parker, Mrs Stanley and Mrs Diston at the rate of £19 per annum.

Lot 2 was Buckland Wood Farm with its stone house and various outbuilding comprising a slate roofed barn, 15.2 acres of pasture and a top field of 10 acres. The land was advertised as being “Capital Dairy Land” with good shooting. At the time it was let to Mr C.T. Scott, Master of Fox Hounds at the rate of £65 per annum.

Lot 3 comprised two fields of productive pasture (referenced as Nos 274 and 236 on the Ordnance Survey Map) known as Lower Battenhanger1 and Wheat Furlough totalling between 29 and 30 acres on the slope of the Cotswold hills above Broadway about half a mile from the centre of the village.

Lot 4 was advertised as a “Superior Pasture Field” of 22 acres called Battenhanger (ref. 275 on the OS Map and adjacent to Lot 3). The land had a water supply was leased to Mr Smith with a rent of £85 per annum.

Debbie Williamson
Broadway History Society

Notes:

1. Lower Battenhanger, Wheat Furlough and Battenhanger are fields south of the High Street and east of the Snowshill Road. The 1923 Ordnance Survey Map of the village does not have field 236 recorded but field 235, adjacent to Lower Battenhanger is noted as being Wheat Furlough.

Today: The re-opening of the Gordon Russell Design Museum, Broadway

Gordon Russell Design Museum Broadway
Gordon Russell Design Museum, Broadway

Today, the Gordon Russell Design Museum, Russell Square, in Broadway, is reopening its doors after a period of closure. The Museum will only be open on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 11am-4pm. Visits must be pre-booked and tickets are available via the Museum’s website.

Sir Gordon Russell
Sir S.G. Russell (1892-1980)

 

The Gordon Russell Museum tells the story of the Gordon Russell furniture company, which was based in Broadway for over 60 years, and explores the influence and legacy of Gordon Russell’s designs on a broad spectrum of 20th century design.

 

The Museum has implemented new safety procedures to ensure visits are as safe and straightforward as possible, and visitors who pre-book will have the whole museum to themselves during their booked time slot.

Sports Day August 1920

Broadway Fete and Sports Day Organised by the Broadway Branch of the Comrades of the Great War Association

On Monday 2nd August 1920, the Broadway Branch of the Comrades of the Great War1 held their annual Fete and Sports Day at Broad Close. A committee, chaired by Donald Russell (owner of the Lygon Arms) with sports secretaries, W. Benfield. A. Ingram and M. Bates, organised the afternoon’s activities. The sporting events included; flat and hurdle racing, pony racing, bowling for a pig (which was won by Mr Sandals of West End) and a greasy pole. There was also a costume parade – the prize for the best dressed was awarded to Charles Savage who dressed up as a female land worker.

A tent was erected at Broad Close and refreshments were supplied by Mrs Nicholls, Mrs Warren, Mrs Jacques, Mrs Austin Davies, Mrs H. Collins and Mrs C. Jordan and the Broadway Brass Band played during the afternoon. The prizes were awarded to the winning competitors by Antonio de Navarro of Court Farm.

The Evesham Standard & West Midland Observer reported the following results on 7th August:

100 yards handicap for boys under 14: 1 R. Burrows2, 2 G. Lloyd 3. F. Dyer
Ladies egg and spoon race: 1 Elsie Steward3, 2. N. Lloyd, 3. C. Savage
120 yards flat handicap: 1 Augustus Cotterell4, 2 P.G. Biles5, 3 A. Hardwick
220 years hurdle race: 1 Charles Steward 2 J. Harrison 3 J.C. Biggs
Half mile handicap: 1 J. Cotterell, 2 C. Barnett, 3 Charles Steward
One mile flat handicap: 1 J. Cotterell, 2 W. Hartwell 3 P.G. Biles
100 yards veteran race (over 50): 1 W. Gilder6, 2 Fred Hill, 3 W.H. Biles
300 yards flat handicap: 1 H. Sandals, 2 D. Holland, 3 J.C. Biggs
440 yards obstacle race: 1 J. Cotterell, 2 Charles Steward, 3 J.C. Biggs
One mile walking race: This proved very exciting with Robinson and Folkes making a dead heat for first place with Steward well up.

Three teams entered for the tug of war, the visitors’ team obtaining the verdict rather easily. In the pony racing:

Ponies 13 hands and up: 1 Mr F.C. Cotterell’s ‘Blue Bell’, 2 Mr A. Proctor’s ‘Jenny’
Ponies up to 13.2h: 1 ‘Lightning’ 2 ‘Jenny’
Ponies up to 14h: ‘Lightning’ won easily, 2 ‘Jenny’
Horses of any height: 1 Mr F.C. Cotterell’s ‘Never Mind’, 2 Mr J. Atkin’s ‘Paddy’

Following its success, the fete and sports day was repeated the following year at Broad Close. It was held on the August Bank Holiday 1921 but following the amalgamation of the Comrades Association to form The British Legion the event was not held again.

In 1935, the North Cotswold Athletic Association organised an afternoon of sports on Broad Close, part of the village’s celebrations of the Silver Jubilee of HM King George V.

 

Debbie Williamson
Broadway History Society

Notes:

1. The Comrades of the Great War was formed in 1917 as an association to represent the rights of ex-servicemen and women who had served or been discharged from service during the First World War. It was one of the original four ex-service associations that amalgamated on Sunday 15th May 1921 to form The British Legion.
2. Reginald Harry Burrows (1906-1957)
3. Elsie Horne Steward (1909-1999), daughter of Charles E. Steward.
4. Augustine Cotterell (1901-1965)
5. Percy George Biles (1898-1996)
6. William Gilder (1859-1930)

Broadway Visitors in 1892

James Bettner Ludlow
James Bettner Ludlow (1859-1921)

From the mid 1880s, the rural idyll of Broadway became a popular destination for visitors from across the world. The Broadway Colony of artists, composers and writers, some of whom made Broadway their home, attracted a number of their friends from Europe and America to the village. Local newspapers regularly published lists of people who visited and stayed in the area at the time. The Evesham Journal reported in October 1892 that the following visitors had been staying in Broadway that summer:

Argyle Parade: Miss Murray (from London), Miss Paton (Wales), Mr Clutterbuck (Merioneth)

Cowley House, hosted by Mrs Righton: Mr & Mrs J.T. Morris and family1 (Ballinaboy House, Ireland)

The Green, Mrs Stanley: Mrs Harris and Mr Edward Harris (Windsor)

Ivy House, Mrs Holcroft: Miss Macpherson (Lichfield), Miss Davis (Bilston), Mr & Mrs Norton (Edgbaston)

The Low Farm, Miss Tennant: Major Corbett (Worcester)

J.W. Lill & Sons, Birmingham

The Lygon Arms Hotel, Charles Drury: Mr C Dixon, Mr H.M. Dixon, Miss Dora Dixon (Edgbaston), Mr Fred G. Clarke (Eastbourne), Mr. G.H.M. Morley (Birmingham), Mr J.W. Lill, Mr A. Lill, Mr D. Lill (Solihull), Monsieur Louis Saurin (Rue des Roses, Paris), Mr W.J. Gale2 (Toronto, Canada), Mr James Bettner Ludlow3 (New York), Mr & Mrs James Smith (Moseley, Birmingham), Mr & Mrs Lewis (Gloucester), Mr Joel Wainwright4 (Finchwood, Marple, Derbyshire), Mr & Mrs Schiefflein (New York), Mr J.H. Payne (Birmingham).

The Lygon Cottage, Charles Drury: Mr & Mrs John Baker and family (Pershore)

North Place Mrs John White: Mr & Mrs J.H. Bacon (Highgate)

North Street, Mrs C. Bunn: Mr Dyer (Cambridge)

Russell House Cottage: The Misses Barnard5

The Knapp Farm, Mrs S. Savage: Mr Peach (Straford-upon-Avon), Captain Henry Allfrey6 (Stratford)

The Swan Hotel, Mr J. Brick: Miss Maun (Bridgnorth) and Mr A. Maun (Shrewsbury), Mr F.W. Land (Leamington), Mr H. Jenkins, Mr C. Daniel, Mr W. Perrot (Bordesley)

 

Notes:

  1. The Morris family were Irish landed gentry who had inherited part of the estate of the Frenchs of Errislannan and they had a house in Ballinaboy, Co. Galway.
  2. J. W. Gale was a wholesale dealer in staple and fancy dry goods, woollens, tailors’ furnishings, and gents’ furnishings with premises at 24 and 26 Wellington Street West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Gale was the manufacturer of the celebrated “Gale Shirt Collars and Cuffs”.
  3. James Bettner Ludlow (1859-1921). James Ludlow was an expert on real estate law. Most of his time was employed in the management of the estate owned by himself and his sister, Annie, which embraced most of the water front of South Yonkers in New York.
  4. Joel Wainwright was a naturalist, author of ‘Memories of Marple’ and one of the publishers of The Strines Journal.
  5. Frederick Barnard’s daughters, Dorothy and Polly, served as the models for John Singer Sargent’s painting Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose which was painted in Broadway in the mid 1880s.
  6. Henry Allfrey was born on 9th September 1850. He was educated at Cheltenham College and entered the army in 1868, being gazetted Ensign on 19th May to the 2nd Battalion 60th Rifles. Promoted Lieutenant on 28th October 1871 and Captain on 29th September 1880. He saw service during the Zulu War. Captain Allfrey was the father of Lieutenant General Sir Charles Walter Allfrey, Commanding Officer of V Corps in North Africa and Italy 1942-44.

 

 

Debbie Williamson
Broadway History Society

 

 

 

 

1724: Highwayman John Tawney Executed for Stage Coach Robbery in Broadway

Gloucester Castle keep: the old county gaol. Based on an 1819 work, from W. Andrew, ‘Old English Towns’, published 1909. Via Wikimedia Commons.

In August 1724, John Tawney, of Ampney Crucis, Gloucestershire, was executed in Over1 near Gloucester after being found guilty at the County Assizes of the charge of highway robbery on the London to Worcester coaching route above Broadway.

Born in Ampney Crucis to parents who were described as being “honest parents” who gave him “sufficient competency to begin the world with”, Tawney reportedly kept “wicked company”. Aged 30 at the time of his conviction, Tawney was married with four children.

At his trial in August 1724, Tawney admitted that he had in the previous two years been involved in several highway robberies including robbing 20 people going to Cirencester Fair. On the night he attacked the London Worcester Stage Coach, Tawney was accompanied by an accomplice called Stutley. Tawney admitted that they broke in to stables owned by Mr Lillington at Wotton-under-Edge to steal horses which they used to ride to the hill above Broadway where they attacked and robbed the occupants of the coach. Captain Bissel, who was on the coach, prevented Tawney and Stutley from making off with their bounty and they fled the scene.

Tawney was tracked down and was held at Gloucester Castle, which at the time served as the county gaol. Before Tawney was hanged at Over he was reported in the papers as  “being very sullen”. Before going to the gallows, Tawney allowed a Minister to pray with him and he was pressed by the Minister to reveal the whereabouts of his accomplice Stutley and another man he had mentioned during his trial but he refused to reveal their whereabouts.

 

Debbie Williamson
Broadway History Society

 

Notes:

  1. Prior to 1792, executions at Gloucester took place in the village of Over 2 miles from the city. The condemned were conveyed to the gallows in carts, sitting on their own coffins.

 

 

 

 

How Broadway celebrated VE Day in 1945

VE Day, Tuesday 8th May 1945, was celebrated by villagers with a parade down the High Street and a large bonfire and gathering on the village green which lasted through to the Wednesday evening.

George Keyte, retired village postman of Bibsworth Avenue, Broadway, supplied the celebrations with a couple of large barrels of cider which was given away free to revellers.

Special church services were held in all the churches and houses across the village were decorated with flags and bunting, with several floodlit after dark.

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Broadway History Society
8th May 2020

Next Talk Monday 16th March: Broadway’s Schools

The next meeting and talk hosted by Broadway History Society will take place on Monday 16th March 2020. Starting at 7pm in the Lifford Memorial Hall, Councillor Elizabeth Eyre will be giving an illustrated talk entitled Broadway’s Schools.

Elizabeth’s talk will cover the day to day running of the schools in Broadway including Broadway National School from its opening to its relocation on Lime Tree Avenue. Although there have been private schools in the village, Broadway’s village school, at The Old Schools, was the main centre of education from the mid 19th century1 until it closed on 22nd December 1914 and then new Broadway Council School2 on Lime Tree Avenue was opened on 12th January 1915.

All welcome. Non-members £3 on the door. Refreshments will be served before the talk.

 

Debbie Williamson
Broadway History Society

1. In 1855, when Sarah Ann Hedgecock was school mistress, there were 15 boy and 25 girl pupils enrolled at Broadway National School. From 1880, Horatio Kilwood was School Master with Miss Edith, Prince Mistress of the Infants and from 1883, William ‘Billy’ Timms who moved to Broadway Council School in 1915 with Miss Clements, Mistress of the Infants.
2. The building of the new Broadway Council School by Epsleys & Co, started on 16th March 1914. When the new school opened, on 12th January 1915, it could accommodate 170 pupils. The staff were: William Timms (Head), and teachers Miss Edith Timms, Miss Edith Neal and Miss Maud Colllins.

Next Talk Monday 17th February: A Builder In Broadway, Charles Edmund Steward

Charles E. Steward (1874-1954)

The next meeting and talk hosted by Broadway History Society will take place on Monday 17th February 2020. Starting at 7pm in the Lifford Memorial Hall, Committee Members Mary and Nigel Smith will be giving an illustrated talk entitled A Builder in Broadway, Charles Edmund Steward.

Charles Steward (1874-1954) was a Broadway Parish Councillor, Captain of Broadway Fire Brigade, and builder in the village and surrounding area between 1898 and 1954. Charles was instrumental in building many of the houses in Broadway we know today and Mary and Nigel’s talk will include some of the interesting building projects Charles and his firm, Steward & Co., worked on.

All welcome. Non-members £3 on the door. Refreshments will be served before the talk.

 

Debbie Williamson
Broadway History Society

Broadway Landowners in 1873

In 1873, the population of Worcestershire was 338,837 living in 69,988 houses across 242 parishes in the county. A census of landowners held that year records 5,796 people owning more than one acre of land, a total of 436,327 between them.

In Broadway the following landowners owning more than one acre of land, are recorded as:

Isaac Averill – 309 acres
Michael Bedford – 184 acres
Reverend Charles Smart Caffin – 33 acres
Robert Careless1 – 49 acres
Charles Drury – 42 acres
The Executors of W. Fisher – 32 acres
David Hawkes – 20 acres
Joseph W. Morris – 25 acres
Owen John Morris – 25 acres
Edward Phillipps – 42 acres
The Trustees of Broadway School – 76 acres
Edward Stanley – 43 acres
John Wilson Wilson – 550 acres

The above figures are taken from the Return of Owners of Land 1873.

Debbie Williamson
Broadway History Society

1. Robert Careless (1841-1916)

Broadway: 1798 Register of Landowners

In 1692, during the reign of William III, a Land Tax was introduced by Parliament. It was the first, and for a long time, the only form of direct taxation in Great Britain (it was eventually abolished in 1963). The tax was levied on land and property, including personal property and salaries from public offices, and was collected from individuals, including wealthy landowners, tradesman and shopkeepers. In the 1690s the tax raised around £2 million which equated to around 35% of the national revenue.

The 1798 Land Tax Register drawn up during lists owners of land and/or occupiers by parish and the amount of tax owed. Owners of land valued under 20s were exonerated from the tax so do not appear in the register. The tax was calculated on a quota allocated to each parish which varied across the country. Additionally, land of the same acreage was not necessarily valued and taxed at the same amount with more productive land often assessed for more tax. The tax was set at 4s in the pound and in 1798 became a perpetual charge which could be redeemed by the landowner by payment of a lump sum equalling 15 years of tax.

The 1798 Register is most useful for identifying landownership and the register for the parish of Broadway1 in Worcestershire included the following landowners and their tenants:

Thomas Andrews
Isaac Averill2
Richard Averill – land occupied by Mr Moseley
Reverend Mr Baker – land occupied by Mr Dobbins
Mr Balinger
Francis Brooks
Richard Brown
Mr Bucknell – land occupied by Giles Stephens
Major Cotterill – land occupied by Mr Russell
Edward Cotterill – land occupied by Mr Lamley
Thomas Cotterill – land occupied by Richard Brown
The Right Hon. Earl of Coventry – land occupied by Mr Osborn
Mr Cowley – land occupied by Christopher Holmes
Reverend Mr Crawley – land occupied by Mr Holmes
Reverend Mr Davis
Ann Dunn
Mr Fisher – land occupied by Thomas Rastal
Thomas Fisher
Mr Gibbs
Mr Gould – land occupied by John Adkins
Mr J.H. Griffiths – land occupied by Isaac Averill
John Grinnell
Mr Grove – land occupied by John Newman
Mr Harris
Christopher Holmes
Mr Newman
Mr Perrin – land occupied by John Adkins
Mrs Perrin – Mr Brown
Thomas Phillipps3 – lands occupied by Thomas Smith, Robert Careless and John Grinnell
Mr Richardson
Michael Russell
Richard Russell
Bonner Shakle
Benjamin Smith
Executors of Thomas Smith – land occupied by Mr White
Mr Staite
Mrs Stephens – land occupied by Mr Collett
Mrs Ward – land occupied by Richard Davis
Stephen White
John Williams
Sir Edward Winnington4 – land occupied by Mr Brown
Reverend Mr Wyniatt5 – land occupied by Thomas Stowe

Debbie Williamson
Broadway History Society

1. Source: The National Archives
2. Isaac Averill (1749-1826)
3. Sir Edward Winnington, 1st Baronet (1728-1791)
4. Thomas Phillipps, father of Sir Thomas Phillipps (1792-1872)
5. Reverend Reginald Wyniatt (d.1819)

Next Meeting: Monday 20th January Russell House, Broadway, its People and History

Russell, House, Broadway History Society
Russell House, Broadway
The next meeting and talk hosted by Broadway History Society will take place on Monday 20th January 2020 in the Lifford Memorial Hall with an illustrated talk by Art Historian and former Director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Malcolm Rogers CBE, entitled Russell House, Broadway, its People and History. Malcolm’s talk will start at 7pm and refreshments will be served at the end of the meeting.

Russell House is a handsome Grade II listed Cotswold stone building on the green in Broadway with beautiful grounds. Built in 1791, the house has had a number of owners. One of whom was the American artist Frank Millet who moved with his family to Russell House in 1885. Millet, one of the Broadway Colony of Artists1, died in the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, and his wife, Lily Millet continued to live in Russell House until her death in 1932.

Debbie Williamson
Broadway History Society

1. Broadway Arts Festival, held in the village biennially, celebrates Broadway’s artistic heritage of the world-famous colony of American artists, writers and musicians, who visited and worked in the village in the late 19th century.

St Michael’s Church Choir Supper Thursday 14th January 1892

Shortly after Reverend Francis A. Morgan was appointed Vicar of St Michael’s in 1887 (see below) he arranged a supper for members of the church choir. The Church Choir Supper was then held annually whilst he was Vicar.

The 5th Choir Supper took place on Thursday 14th January 1892 in the National Schoolroom. The Evesham Journal reported:

“About 30 sat down to a bountiful spread, which was served in the infants’ room, the Vicar being in the chair. Amongst those present were Mrs and Miss Pauline Morgan, Alderman Averill, Messrs H.T. Morgan, A. Wylde-Brown, W. Timms, A.R, Williams, W. Gill, W.H. Biles, A. Roberts, J.J. Bollard, M. Biles, G. Riseley, F. Stokes, G. Hunt etc. After the repast the Vicar, in the course of a few remarks, suggested that they might give a little bonus to the boys who stayed in the choir after they had passed through the standards. They now had a very good choir. There were some members to whom he felt he could not do anything but express his warmest thanks for the way in which they backed him up and he mentioned especially Mr Williams and Mr Gill. He passed on to speak of the necessity of their attending practice and service regularly, and in conclusion said they could do no better than re-elect Mr Gill leader of the choir. Mr Gill having acknowledged his re-appointment, the Vicar thanked him for again taking office and for his services in the past. Having chosen Walter Benn and Richard Foss as the two boys to look after the choir books he proposed the health of the organist thanking him for his work in connection with the choir. Mr W. Timms replied, and submitted in eulogistic terms the health of the Vicar. The Vicar in reply spoke of the great interest which Mrs Morgan and himself always took in the choir. Mr A.R. Williams said a few words on the importance of attending practice and said they were glad to welcome the Vicar back amongst them in restored health. Alderman Averill thought the choir might have a little trip during the summer, say down to Worcester where they could go to the Cathedral and hear the singing there. Worcester was one of the most completely restored cathedrals in England and he never found one in which the services were better rendered. Mrs Morgan also addressed a few words to the company and then an adjournment was made to the adjoining large room and a musical programme was gone through. Amongst those present at the concert were Viscount Lifford, Miss Caffin, the Misses Hensley, Mrs and Miss Clare-Balle, Miss Bedford, Miss Williams, Miss Morgan (West End), Misses Brick, the Misses Fridlington, Mrs Timms. Messrs H. Averill, G.M. Cook, Stanley (Snowshill), T. Gillett etc.”

Accompanied by Miss Morgan on the violin and on the piano by Mr H.T. Morgan, the programme included:

Good King Wenceslas – The Choir
Hybrias the Cretan – Mr S. Fleming
The Manger Throne and Wot cher – Mr M. Biles
We’ll all go a Hunting Today – Mr G. Riseley
Riding on top of an Omnibus – Mr T. Gillett
Billy Stutters – Mr J.J. Bollard
A Piano Waltz – Miss Clare-Balle
My Mother – Mr W. Timms
The Toreador – Mr S Fleming
He ought to have a Muzzle on – Mr Gill

The concert ended with all singing God Save the Queen.

Rev. Francis Augustine Morgan (1838-1921)

Francis Morgan was the second son of Rev. Samuel Francis and Mary Juliana Morgan of All Saints Church, Birmingham. He was baptised on 23rd August 1838 at All Saints Church, Birmingham, Warwickshire. Francis was educated at Wadham College, Oxford, receiving his BA in 1860 and MA 1863. He married Annie Bridget Harriet Rowlinson in Chepstow in 1865.

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Source: http://www.findagrave.com

Francis was the first Vicar and and builder of St Paul’s Church, Bath (1869-1885) and then Vicar of Chepstow before moving to Broadway in 1887 with his wife Annie and two daughters, Charlotte and Pauline). Rev. Morgan retired to Somerset in 1910 and died, aged 83, on 10th November 1921. He is buried in Locksbrook Cemetery. Lower Weston near Bath, with his wife (see photo) who died the following year, aged  on 22nd December 1922.

 

 

Debbie Williamson
Broadway History Society