George Pritchard at Ashley Farm, 1890- 1920: Local Farming Family
Alan Payne from research by Christine Pritchard, May 2020
Alan Payne from research by Christine Pritchard, May 2020
George Pritchard haymaking outside Ashley Farm Barn (now Thistle Barn) courtesy Christine Pritchard
George Pritchard carried on the tradition of farming similar to generations of his family before him. Until the mid-1700s most people kept small animals and grew vegetables and fruit in their gardens. It was a way of surviving over the winter months when buying produce was too expensive allowing people to slaughter their older animals or dig up the remains of root crops. Even those who were employed as labourers used common and waste land for their own small-scale husbandry.
Some people who were willing to take risks, took the gamble of becoming smallholders, renting land to grow surpluses for sale in local markets. The industrial revolution encouraged migration into towns and only a few families continued smallholding farm methods. Christine Pritchard’s family was one such. Their story tells us much about society and mobility in the Georgian and Victorian period.
Some people who were willing to take risks, took the gamble of becoming smallholders, renting land to grow surpluses for sale in local markets. The industrial revolution encouraged migration into towns and only a few families continued smallholding farm methods. Christine Pritchard’s family was one such. Their story tells us much about society and mobility in the Georgian and Victorian period.
Early Family Connections with St Swithun’s Church, Bathford
The early Pritchard family didn’t live in Box but settled in the next-door village of Bathford. There were connections with Box, however, because William Pritchard (1799-1869), the son of Samuel and Mary Pritchard, was born in Box. It was William who moved to Bathford when he married Sarah Cannings on 10 August 1825 at St Swithun, Bathford Parish Church. She was born at Bathford in 1803 and William and she lived with their family at Chapman’s Farm, Bathford, for most of their lives. They tenanted 70 acres and in 1861 employed 3 labourers and 3 boys. Many of the children continued the family farming tradition outside of Bathford but still regarded that village as home because they returned to be buried in the family plot at St Swithun’s. We might suppose that the size of families resulted in many children moving away, including William and Sarah’s five sons all needing a smallholding.
We can see that the family still related to St Swithun’s, Bathford, from the life of the fifth son Elias (1838-1889). He looked for another farm and initially he moved to Manor Farm, Langridge, close to where his brother Samuel lived. Elias married Sarah Ann Green (born 1840) from Wells, Somerset in 1865 and they had at least seven children. After a decade in Langridge, the family moved to Lower Hamswell Farm, Cold Ashton, close to where his brothers George and Samuel had farmed at times and by 1881, Elias and Sarah farmed 150 acres there. Needless to say, Elias was buried at St Swithun’s after his death in 1889 and his wife Sarah was interred there after her death at Twerton in 1891.
The early Pritchard family didn’t live in Box but settled in the next-door village of Bathford. There were connections with Box, however, because William Pritchard (1799-1869), the son of Samuel and Mary Pritchard, was born in Box. It was William who moved to Bathford when he married Sarah Cannings on 10 August 1825 at St Swithun, Bathford Parish Church. She was born at Bathford in 1803 and William and she lived with their family at Chapman’s Farm, Bathford, for most of their lives. They tenanted 70 acres and in 1861 employed 3 labourers and 3 boys. Many of the children continued the family farming tradition outside of Bathford but still regarded that village as home because they returned to be buried in the family plot at St Swithun’s. We might suppose that the size of families resulted in many children moving away, including William and Sarah’s five sons all needing a smallholding.
We can see that the family still related to St Swithun’s, Bathford, from the life of the fifth son Elias (1838-1889). He looked for another farm and initially he moved to Manor Farm, Langridge, close to where his brother Samuel lived. Elias married Sarah Ann Green (born 1840) from Wells, Somerset in 1865 and they had at least seven children. After a decade in Langridge, the family moved to Lower Hamswell Farm, Cold Ashton, close to where his brothers George and Samuel had farmed at times and by 1881, Elias and Sarah farmed 150 acres there. Needless to say, Elias was buried at St Swithun’s after his death in 1889 and his wife Sarah was interred there after her death at Twerton in 1891.
Farming in the Pritchard Blood
We get an interesting insight into farming life at this time from the history of the fourth son, Samuel (1833-1908). He married Elizabeth Mary Nelms from Bristol on 24 November 1859 (1833) and by 1861 they had taken the tenancy of Shorts Farm, Old Street, Langridge, employing three men to help them on the 90-acre farm. It was very convenient, within four miles of Bathford but they didn’t stay there. In 1871 they took another short-term farming tenancy at Hamford Farm, Cold Ashton, where their daughter Elizabeth was born in 1866. By 1881 they had moved again, now farming 321 acres at Wilmington Farm, Priston, near Keynsham, employing 5 labourers, 1 boy and 1 woman. The frequent changes reflect the lack of profitability in farming at that time as well as Samuel’s determination to expand.
After Elizabeth’s death, Samuel married again on 22 December 1890 to Emma Mercy Pickering (1845-1922), a widow and daughter of Richard Hayward. By 1891 Samuel’s daughter Elizabeth had married and moved away, but the farm needed more labour and so they took in their niece and nephew, Mary Blanche aged 21, daughter of Elias and Sarah Pritchard, and Walter James Pritchard, aged 18, the son of George Pritchard. Samuel died at Wilmington in 1908 and was buried at Bathford with the rest of his family. Emma survived him, dying in 1922, aged 78, buried with her husband at St Swithun’s, although by then she had ceased farming and moved into a house at Beaufort Buildings, Larkhall, Bath.
As a third son, George Pritchard (1832-24 November 1891), stayed at home in Bathford for over forty years but decided to leave on his marriage to Mary Ann on 19 February 1873, when George was living at East Hays Cottage, Bath and working as a butcher. She was his cousin Mary Ann Pritchard, (born at Oakford, Marshfield in 1851-1939) and was nineteen years younger than her husband when they married. They tenanted various local farms: in 1881 Hill Farm, Cold Ashton, and in 1891 Rodney Farm, Bannerdown Road, Batheaston. Their family included Walter James (born 1873) Christine’s grandfather, Frederick George (born 1875) and Alice M (born 1877). Before resuming the story of this branch of the family, it is worthwhile to look at another George Pritchard (born 1854 at Oakford Farm, Marshfield) who came to Box and is shown in the headline photo.
We get an interesting insight into farming life at this time from the history of the fourth son, Samuel (1833-1908). He married Elizabeth Mary Nelms from Bristol on 24 November 1859 (1833) and by 1861 they had taken the tenancy of Shorts Farm, Old Street, Langridge, employing three men to help them on the 90-acre farm. It was very convenient, within four miles of Bathford but they didn’t stay there. In 1871 they took another short-term farming tenancy at Hamford Farm, Cold Ashton, where their daughter Elizabeth was born in 1866. By 1881 they had moved again, now farming 321 acres at Wilmington Farm, Priston, near Keynsham, employing 5 labourers, 1 boy and 1 woman. The frequent changes reflect the lack of profitability in farming at that time as well as Samuel’s determination to expand.
After Elizabeth’s death, Samuel married again on 22 December 1890 to Emma Mercy Pickering (1845-1922), a widow and daughter of Richard Hayward. By 1891 Samuel’s daughter Elizabeth had married and moved away, but the farm needed more labour and so they took in their niece and nephew, Mary Blanche aged 21, daughter of Elias and Sarah Pritchard, and Walter James Pritchard, aged 18, the son of George Pritchard. Samuel died at Wilmington in 1908 and was buried at Bathford with the rest of his family. Emma survived him, dying in 1922, aged 78, buried with her husband at St Swithun’s, although by then she had ceased farming and moved into a house at Beaufort Buildings, Larkhall, Bath.
As a third son, George Pritchard (1832-24 November 1891), stayed at home in Bathford for over forty years but decided to leave on his marriage to Mary Ann on 19 February 1873, when George was living at East Hays Cottage, Bath and working as a butcher. She was his cousin Mary Ann Pritchard, (born at Oakford, Marshfield in 1851-1939) and was nineteen years younger than her husband when they married. They tenanted various local farms: in 1881 Hill Farm, Cold Ashton, and in 1891 Rodney Farm, Bannerdown Road, Batheaston. Their family included Walter James (born 1873) Christine’s grandfather, Frederick George (born 1875) and Alice M (born 1877). Before resuming the story of this branch of the family, it is worthwhile to look at another George Pritchard (born 1854 at Oakford Farm, Marshfield) who came to Box and is shown in the headline photo.
George Pritchard (born 1854-) at Ashley Farm, Box
This George Pritchard (born 9 January 1854 at Oakford Farm, Marshfield) was the ninth of eleven children of James Pritchard (born Marshfield 1804) who married Sarah Watts (born Cheltenham 1815). The family lived at Oakford Farm in 1851 and 1861 and in 1871 and 1881 at Langridge Court Farm, Bath.
George followed the family tradition in farming but the route he took was unusual. Lacking capital to invest, George only had hard work to rely on. He teamed up with William Pinchin, one-time civil engineer and later farmer. William was the son of the Box Mill owners, Samuel and Hannah Pinchin, and he had lived at Ashley Farm since 1851. In 1881 William was employing 6 men, 1 boy and 3 women to farm the 281 acres but was struggling to manage it by 1890.
In 1891 George and William entered an arrangement which we nowadays call share farming. Thirty-six-year-old George worked the land in lieu of rent due to sixty-six-year-old William; they shared accommodation in the house and probably profits on the farm. In the 1891 census, William described himself as retired farmer and lodger, whilst George called himself farmer, both of them looked after by George’s married sister Sarah W House (born 1849 Marshfield). This lady was Sarah Watts Pritchard who had married George Alfred Hows (sometimes spelled House) (1853-) on 21 July1878 at St Pauls, Bristol, daughter of James Pritchard.
In 1893 William died leaving George and his sister at Ashley Farm, joined by their niece, Emily Pritchard, born 1880 at Wellow, the daughter of Worthy James Pritchard. After William’s death, George continued as an unmarried farmer. He tried to diversify taking in two boarders in 1901, a young railway clerk and a retired farmer, to supplement his income. In about 1910 George married Annie Mabel Pyke (born 1878 in Bath and usually known as Mabel) a girl twenty-two years younger than him and the daughter of a Bath draper. They lived at Ashley Farm in 1911 with George’s niece Florence Kidner (born 9 April 1891 at St Catherine), daughter of Emily Jane Pritchard, although they would have rattled around in the farmhouse which had twelve rooms.
This George Pritchard (born 9 January 1854 at Oakford Farm, Marshfield) was the ninth of eleven children of James Pritchard (born Marshfield 1804) who married Sarah Watts (born Cheltenham 1815). The family lived at Oakford Farm in 1851 and 1861 and in 1871 and 1881 at Langridge Court Farm, Bath.
George followed the family tradition in farming but the route he took was unusual. Lacking capital to invest, George only had hard work to rely on. He teamed up with William Pinchin, one-time civil engineer and later farmer. William was the son of the Box Mill owners, Samuel and Hannah Pinchin, and he had lived at Ashley Farm since 1851. In 1881 William was employing 6 men, 1 boy and 3 women to farm the 281 acres but was struggling to manage it by 1890.
In 1891 George and William entered an arrangement which we nowadays call share farming. Thirty-six-year-old George worked the land in lieu of rent due to sixty-six-year-old William; they shared accommodation in the house and probably profits on the farm. In the 1891 census, William described himself as retired farmer and lodger, whilst George called himself farmer, both of them looked after by George’s married sister Sarah W House (born 1849 Marshfield). This lady was Sarah Watts Pritchard who had married George Alfred Hows (sometimes spelled House) (1853-) on 21 July1878 at St Pauls, Bristol, daughter of James Pritchard.
In 1893 William died leaving George and his sister at Ashley Farm, joined by their niece, Emily Pritchard, born 1880 at Wellow, the daughter of Worthy James Pritchard. After William’s death, George continued as an unmarried farmer. He tried to diversify taking in two boarders in 1901, a young railway clerk and a retired farmer, to supplement his income. In about 1910 George married Annie Mabel Pyke (born 1878 in Bath and usually known as Mabel) a girl twenty-two years younger than him and the daughter of a Bath draper. They lived at Ashley Farm in 1911 with George’s niece Florence Kidner (born 9 April 1891 at St Catherine), daughter of Emily Jane Pritchard, although they would have rattled around in the farmhouse which had twelve rooms.
Moving Around
The question arises why George chose Box as a place to live. It could have been chance but one possibility is that there were more vacant farms in the area as residents could earn more from quarrying. However, it is more likely that he was following other family members because in 1891 Worthy James Pritchard (1848 Marshfield - 1909), moved from Twinhoe, Wellow to Shaylors Farm, Ashley, just down the road from Ashley Farm. Worthy married Jane Smith (born 1844 Bath, Somerset, daughter of Jacob Smith, butcher) on 27 December 1875 and they moved with their children, Edith S (born 1877 at Langridge); Worthy J (1878 at Norton Malreward); Emily Jane (1880 at Twinhoe), and George H (1882). They didn’t stay and in 1901 moved to End Farm, St Catherine, Bath.
These were some of the most difficult years in agriculture. Many local farms were too small for arable and farmers turned to milk and sheep. Even then farmers struggled to make a financial return with a variety of problems including the lack of milking parlour refrigeration and absence of hygienic milking methods to prevent bacterial growth.
Farmers had to cut corners and in January 1914 George sold lame sheep suffering from foot-rot .. which must have been readily apparent to anyone.[1] He was found guilty of cruelty and fined £3 and costs or one month’s imprisonment. It wasn’t the only indiscretion as in November 1917 he was fined for selling milk on the blackmarket at 3 shillings a gallon when the maximum price was 1s.5d. He was fined along with Ben Drew, the well-known Box baker, who was charged for overpricing bread.[2]
The question arises why George chose Box as a place to live. It could have been chance but one possibility is that there were more vacant farms in the area as residents could earn more from quarrying. However, it is more likely that he was following other family members because in 1891 Worthy James Pritchard (1848 Marshfield - 1909), moved from Twinhoe, Wellow to Shaylors Farm, Ashley, just down the road from Ashley Farm. Worthy married Jane Smith (born 1844 Bath, Somerset, daughter of Jacob Smith, butcher) on 27 December 1875 and they moved with their children, Edith S (born 1877 at Langridge); Worthy J (1878 at Norton Malreward); Emily Jane (1880 at Twinhoe), and George H (1882). They didn’t stay and in 1901 moved to End Farm, St Catherine, Bath.
These were some of the most difficult years in agriculture. Many local farms were too small for arable and farmers turned to milk and sheep. Even then farmers struggled to make a financial return with a variety of problems including the lack of milking parlour refrigeration and absence of hygienic milking methods to prevent bacterial growth.
Farmers had to cut corners and in January 1914 George sold lame sheep suffering from foot-rot .. which must have been readily apparent to anyone.[1] He was found guilty of cruelty and fined £3 and costs or one month’s imprisonment. It wasn’t the only indiscretion as in November 1917 he was fined for selling milk on the blackmarket at 3 shillings a gallon when the maximum price was 1s.5d. He was fined along with Ben Drew, the well-known Box baker, who was charged for overpricing bread.[2]
Leaving the Farm
In 1912 the Northeys tried to sell Ashley Farm but failed. Sale details suggest it was once a grand house with water and gas laid, an Attractive stone-built house … large kitchen, back kitchen, spacious cellars, wash-house with copper (implies dairy) and four bedrooms. It was probably run-down by then and didn’t sell until after the First World War, implying that the farm wasn’t profitable. In April 1920 the farming stock of Ashley Farm was put up for sale by farm agents Tilley, Culverwell and Parrott, who advertised the animals in the middle of a foot-and-mouth outbreak which had caused the closure of nearby Chippenham Cattle Market. They advertised 19 head of cattle, including just 7 dairy cows. Also, there were 52 ewe sheep, 25 poultry and 4 cart teams. The agents explained the sale that Mr George Pritchard is quitting, the farm having been sold and combined the advertisement with another Northey farm sale of the stock at Blue Vein Farm.[3]
Ashley Farm was acquired by Wiltshire County Council as a smallholding. The Sale Indenture of the farm in 1919 shows how complicated the Northeys’ interest as landlords had become.[4] The parties included George Pritchard as tenant and Wiltshire County Council as purchaser. It also listed George Edward Northey as vendor, his brother Herbert Hamilton Northey and Sir Edward Northey as present trustees of the family trust, Harriett Russ and Agnes Farthing annuitants of the life interest of the trust, Harry Damer first mortgagee, and the vendor George Edward Northey and his son Armand Northey as second mortgagees.
In 1912 the Northeys tried to sell Ashley Farm but failed. Sale details suggest it was once a grand house with water and gas laid, an Attractive stone-built house … large kitchen, back kitchen, spacious cellars, wash-house with copper (implies dairy) and four bedrooms. It was probably run-down by then and didn’t sell until after the First World War, implying that the farm wasn’t profitable. In April 1920 the farming stock of Ashley Farm was put up for sale by farm agents Tilley, Culverwell and Parrott, who advertised the animals in the middle of a foot-and-mouth outbreak which had caused the closure of nearby Chippenham Cattle Market. They advertised 19 head of cattle, including just 7 dairy cows. Also, there were 52 ewe sheep, 25 poultry and 4 cart teams. The agents explained the sale that Mr George Pritchard is quitting, the farm having been sold and combined the advertisement with another Northey farm sale of the stock at Blue Vein Farm.[3]
Ashley Farm was acquired by Wiltshire County Council as a smallholding. The Sale Indenture of the farm in 1919 shows how complicated the Northeys’ interest as landlords had become.[4] The parties included George Pritchard as tenant and Wiltshire County Council as purchaser. It also listed George Edward Northey as vendor, his brother Herbert Hamilton Northey and Sir Edward Northey as present trustees of the family trust, Harriett Russ and Agnes Farthing annuitants of the life interest of the trust, Harry Damer first mortgagee, and the vendor George Edward Northey and his son Armand Northey as second mortgagees.
Other family members have also gone into farming. Above: Fred Pritchard at Uplands, Stroud in 1941. Photo courtesy Christine Pritchard
Christine Pritchard Added
For some time, I puzzled about which George Pritchard was my great great grandfather: the one born in 1832 or the one born in 1854 who was in Ashley 1890-1920. When my great grandfather Walter James married Florence Annie Holley on 19 November 1901, he recorded his father’s name as George Pritchard (deceased). This implied that my ancestor was George born 1832. Further confirmation came when the other George (born 1854) claimed that Florence Kidner was his niece in the 1911 census. George (b 1854) lived on after he left Ashley Farm and moved to 66 Kingsdown by 1939 still sharing the house with his housekeeper Florence Kidner, no longer mentioned in the register as niece.
My grandfather Walter James Pritchard (27 May 1873-1953), the eldest child of George (b 1832) and Mary Ann (1851-1939) was a farmer at Middle Hill Farm, North Wraxall, who married three times. His first wife was Florence Annie Holley (1877-2 July 1905) with whom he had two children; then Tabitha Mary Holley (Florence’s sister) with whom he had three children. Finally came Mary Grace Alvis, my grandmother from Toghill Barn, Cold Ashton, farmer’s daughter, who he married on 21 April 1919. They had one child George Frederick (18 March 1920-10 May 1980), my father.
My aunt Sarah Edith (Edie) Pritchard (1 June 1891-1978) was born 1 June 1891 and in 1939 was working as a lady’s companion/ help for Ada Locock at Byway, Chapel Lane, Box. After the war, Nurse Chalinor moved into the house and the three of them used to visit my cousin’s parents in a Morris Minor car, together with their scottie dog. Edie was my great-aunt who my cousin visited aged 5. Edie worked in Box Post Office at one time and later lived at 2 Roman Villas, opposite the church, where she sang in the choir.
How we can be misled, and how we can allow ourselves to be misled in family history.
The picture at the start of this article hangs in my hall – a proud representation of an honest yeoman farmer in front of his magnificent barn. The original photograph has written upon the back: George Pritchard, Ashley, Box. My great grandfather was called George Pritchard, he was (like all the others) a farmer and he had connections with Box; therefore, I assumed this was my ancestor.
Every family has their myths and this was ours. I embarked on researching my family tree in pre-internet times. I gathered a lot of information and I made this George fit. I was contacted by Box People and Places to learn more about the man in the picture. Quite early on they described to me the life that that this George had lived: a difficult struggle to make ends meet and inventive in his efforts to survive. So inventive he was prosecuted for watering the milk and selling diseased sheep. He did, though, live in a very beautiful house at that time. This didn’t fit with the family myth at all. It made slightly uncomfortable listening but the facts about the man in the picture were incontrovertible.
Looking back now, in the light of the meticulous research I can see that like a mis-matched piece of a jigsaw, I just kept pushing to make the man in the photo fit. I confess now to being relieved (and why does it matter after all this time) when it was pointed out that I had been researching the wrong George Pritchard. There were glaring mistakes in my records that I had chosen to ignore because they didn’t fit properly. While this George (born 1854) was watering the milk, my real great grandfather, also called George Pritchard (born 1832), was minding his own business in a small but perfectly respectable farm not far away. He was married to Mary-Ann Pritchard, the other George’s sister.
Christine’s story shows the problems of tenant farmers in the years of agricultural depression after 1880. Part of the problem were short-term tenancies, inability to pay rents at a time when landlords were themselves in financial difficulty and the absence of a viable crop in the smallholdings of North Wiltshire. Despite government support during the two World Wars, it is a problem which still bedevils farming in our time.
For some time, I puzzled about which George Pritchard was my great great grandfather: the one born in 1832 or the one born in 1854 who was in Ashley 1890-1920. When my great grandfather Walter James married Florence Annie Holley on 19 November 1901, he recorded his father’s name as George Pritchard (deceased). This implied that my ancestor was George born 1832. Further confirmation came when the other George (born 1854) claimed that Florence Kidner was his niece in the 1911 census. George (b 1854) lived on after he left Ashley Farm and moved to 66 Kingsdown by 1939 still sharing the house with his housekeeper Florence Kidner, no longer mentioned in the register as niece.
My grandfather Walter James Pritchard (27 May 1873-1953), the eldest child of George (b 1832) and Mary Ann (1851-1939) was a farmer at Middle Hill Farm, North Wraxall, who married three times. His first wife was Florence Annie Holley (1877-2 July 1905) with whom he had two children; then Tabitha Mary Holley (Florence’s sister) with whom he had three children. Finally came Mary Grace Alvis, my grandmother from Toghill Barn, Cold Ashton, farmer’s daughter, who he married on 21 April 1919. They had one child George Frederick (18 March 1920-10 May 1980), my father.
My aunt Sarah Edith (Edie) Pritchard (1 June 1891-1978) was born 1 June 1891 and in 1939 was working as a lady’s companion/ help for Ada Locock at Byway, Chapel Lane, Box. After the war, Nurse Chalinor moved into the house and the three of them used to visit my cousin’s parents in a Morris Minor car, together with their scottie dog. Edie was my great-aunt who my cousin visited aged 5. Edie worked in Box Post Office at one time and later lived at 2 Roman Villas, opposite the church, where she sang in the choir.
How we can be misled, and how we can allow ourselves to be misled in family history.
The picture at the start of this article hangs in my hall – a proud representation of an honest yeoman farmer in front of his magnificent barn. The original photograph has written upon the back: George Pritchard, Ashley, Box. My great grandfather was called George Pritchard, he was (like all the others) a farmer and he had connections with Box; therefore, I assumed this was my ancestor.
Every family has their myths and this was ours. I embarked on researching my family tree in pre-internet times. I gathered a lot of information and I made this George fit. I was contacted by Box People and Places to learn more about the man in the picture. Quite early on they described to me the life that that this George had lived: a difficult struggle to make ends meet and inventive in his efforts to survive. So inventive he was prosecuted for watering the milk and selling diseased sheep. He did, though, live in a very beautiful house at that time. This didn’t fit with the family myth at all. It made slightly uncomfortable listening but the facts about the man in the picture were incontrovertible.
Looking back now, in the light of the meticulous research I can see that like a mis-matched piece of a jigsaw, I just kept pushing to make the man in the photo fit. I confess now to being relieved (and why does it matter after all this time) when it was pointed out that I had been researching the wrong George Pritchard. There were glaring mistakes in my records that I had chosen to ignore because they didn’t fit properly. While this George (born 1854) was watering the milk, my real great grandfather, also called George Pritchard (born 1832), was minding his own business in a small but perfectly respectable farm not far away. He was married to Mary-Ann Pritchard, the other George’s sister.
Christine’s story shows the problems of tenant farmers in the years of agricultural depression after 1880. Part of the problem were short-term tenancies, inability to pay rents at a time when landlords were themselves in financial difficulty and the absence of a viable crop in the smallholdings of North Wiltshire. Despite government support during the two World Wars, it is a problem which still bedevils farming in our time.
Family Trees
My Direct Ancestors including George Pritchard (born 1832)
Samuel Pritchard (possibly 1770-1844) married Mary. Children include
William Pritchard (born 1799 in Box, died 1869).
William Pritchard (born 1799 in Box, died 1869) married Sarah Cannings (born 1803 at Bathford) on 10 August 1825 at St Swithun, Bathford Parish Church. They settled at Chapman’s Farm, Bathford by 1861. Children:
Worthy (1826-1859);
Mary (baptised 1826-1849);
William James (1830-1885);
George Pritchard (1832-24 November 1891);
Samuel (1834-1908);
Elias (1838-24 August 1889);
Samual (born 1839); and
Louisa (born 1842)
George Pritchard (b 1832 at Bathford-24 November 1891) married Mary Ann (born 1851 at Oakford, Marshfield) on 19 February 1873, when George was living at East Hays Cottage, Bath and working as a butcher.
Mary Ann was a widow by 1901 with 3 children in 1901. By 1911 she was at Star Fall Cottage, Batheaston, described as poultry keeper with just Sarah Edith called assistant in business. Children:
Walter James Pritchard (b 27 May 1873 at Bath-1953);
Frederick George (born 1875 in Somerset);
Alice M (b 1887 at Marshfield) who later moved to Scotland;
Sarah Edith (b 1 June 1891 at Batheaston -1978).
Samuel (1834-1908) buried at Bathford) first married Elizabeth ML (b 1834), In 1861 they were at Shorts Farm, Old Street, Langridge; in 1871 at Hamford Farm, Cold Ashton, and in 1881 at Wilmington Farm, Priston, near Keynsham. Child included: Elizabeth ML (born 1866). Samuel’s second marriage was to Emma Mercy Pickering (1845-1922, widow, daughter of Richard Hayward, miller) on 22 December 1890. They lived at Wilmington and in 1891 took in their niece Mary Blanche (born 1870), and nephew Walter James (27 May 1873-1953). Samuel died at Wilmington in 1908 and was buried at Bathford with the rest of his family;
Elias (1838-24 August 1889, buried at St Swithun’s) married Sarah Ann Green (born 1840-1891, buried at St Swithun;s) from Wells, Somerset in 1865. Initially they farmed at Manor Farm, Langridge then Lower Hamswell Farm, Cold Ashton. Children included: William Stephen (born 1867); Wenna Fry (1868); Mary Blanche (1870); Sarah Louie (1871); Elias Samuel (1873-); Florence Francis (1874); and Amy Alice (1881).
Walter James Pritchard (27 May 1873-1953), my grandfather, farmer from Middle Hill Farm, North Wraxall, married three times:
First Florence Annie Holley (1877 - 2 July 1905), fifth child of Daniel Holley, market gardener, on 19 November 1901 and had two children Dorothy May (1904 - about 1980); and Kathleen Dorothy (b 9 September 1902);
Secondly, Tabitha Mary Holley (Florence’s sister) and looked after various children: step-daughter Elsie Amelia White (b 1904); step-son Arthur James White (11 May 1910-1986); Phyllis Irene (b 30 April 1913) and Walter Ivor (3 June 1915-27 November 1971); and
Thirdly, Mary Grace Alvis (b 12 February 1889) of Toghill Barn, Cold Ashton, farmer’s daughter, on 21 April 1919. One child George Frederick (18 March 1920 - 4 May 1980), my father.
My Great Uncle’s Family including George Pritchard (b 1854) of Ashley Farm and
My Great Grandmother Mary Ann Pritchard (1851-1939)
James Pritchard (born Marshfield 1804) who married Sarah Watts (born Cheltenham 1815). The family lived at Oakford Farm in 1851 and 1861 and in 1871 and 1881 at Langridge Court Farm, Bath. Children:
Jeffery (1837);
Isaac (1839);
Louisa (1841);
Sarah Watts (1843-1924);
Rebecca (1845);
Elizabeth (1847);
Worthy J (1848-10 April 1909 buried at St Swithun’s after living at Jury Farm, Ripley, Surrey) who married Emily Pritchard, born 1880 at Wellow;
Mary Ann (1851);
George (1854-1940);
Aaron (1856); and
Emily Jane (1858) and niece Comfort Watts (1856).
My Direct Ancestors including George Pritchard (born 1832)
Samuel Pritchard (possibly 1770-1844) married Mary. Children include
William Pritchard (born 1799 in Box, died 1869).
William Pritchard (born 1799 in Box, died 1869) married Sarah Cannings (born 1803 at Bathford) on 10 August 1825 at St Swithun, Bathford Parish Church. They settled at Chapman’s Farm, Bathford by 1861. Children:
Worthy (1826-1859);
Mary (baptised 1826-1849);
William James (1830-1885);
George Pritchard (1832-24 November 1891);
Samuel (1834-1908);
Elias (1838-24 August 1889);
Samual (born 1839); and
Louisa (born 1842)
George Pritchard (b 1832 at Bathford-24 November 1891) married Mary Ann (born 1851 at Oakford, Marshfield) on 19 February 1873, when George was living at East Hays Cottage, Bath and working as a butcher.
Mary Ann was a widow by 1901 with 3 children in 1901. By 1911 she was at Star Fall Cottage, Batheaston, described as poultry keeper with just Sarah Edith called assistant in business. Children:
Walter James Pritchard (b 27 May 1873 at Bath-1953);
Frederick George (born 1875 in Somerset);
Alice M (b 1887 at Marshfield) who later moved to Scotland;
Sarah Edith (b 1 June 1891 at Batheaston -1978).
Samuel (1834-1908) buried at Bathford) first married Elizabeth ML (b 1834), In 1861 they were at Shorts Farm, Old Street, Langridge; in 1871 at Hamford Farm, Cold Ashton, and in 1881 at Wilmington Farm, Priston, near Keynsham. Child included: Elizabeth ML (born 1866). Samuel’s second marriage was to Emma Mercy Pickering (1845-1922, widow, daughter of Richard Hayward, miller) on 22 December 1890. They lived at Wilmington and in 1891 took in their niece Mary Blanche (born 1870), and nephew Walter James (27 May 1873-1953). Samuel died at Wilmington in 1908 and was buried at Bathford with the rest of his family;
Elias (1838-24 August 1889, buried at St Swithun’s) married Sarah Ann Green (born 1840-1891, buried at St Swithun;s) from Wells, Somerset in 1865. Initially they farmed at Manor Farm, Langridge then Lower Hamswell Farm, Cold Ashton. Children included: William Stephen (born 1867); Wenna Fry (1868); Mary Blanche (1870); Sarah Louie (1871); Elias Samuel (1873-); Florence Francis (1874); and Amy Alice (1881).
Walter James Pritchard (27 May 1873-1953), my grandfather, farmer from Middle Hill Farm, North Wraxall, married three times:
First Florence Annie Holley (1877 - 2 July 1905), fifth child of Daniel Holley, market gardener, on 19 November 1901 and had two children Dorothy May (1904 - about 1980); and Kathleen Dorothy (b 9 September 1902);
Secondly, Tabitha Mary Holley (Florence’s sister) and looked after various children: step-daughter Elsie Amelia White (b 1904); step-son Arthur James White (11 May 1910-1986); Phyllis Irene (b 30 April 1913) and Walter Ivor (3 June 1915-27 November 1971); and
Thirdly, Mary Grace Alvis (b 12 February 1889) of Toghill Barn, Cold Ashton, farmer’s daughter, on 21 April 1919. One child George Frederick (18 March 1920 - 4 May 1980), my father.
My Great Uncle’s Family including George Pritchard (b 1854) of Ashley Farm and
My Great Grandmother Mary Ann Pritchard (1851-1939)
James Pritchard (born Marshfield 1804) who married Sarah Watts (born Cheltenham 1815). The family lived at Oakford Farm in 1851 and 1861 and in 1871 and 1881 at Langridge Court Farm, Bath. Children:
Jeffery (1837);
Isaac (1839);
Louisa (1841);
Sarah Watts (1843-1924);
Rebecca (1845);
Elizabeth (1847);
Worthy J (1848-10 April 1909 buried at St Swithun’s after living at Jury Farm, Ripley, Surrey) who married Emily Pritchard, born 1880 at Wellow;
Mary Ann (1851);
George (1854-1940);
Aaron (1856); and
Emily Jane (1858) and niece Comfort Watts (1856).
References
[1] Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette, 10 January 1914
[2] Western Daily Press, 17 November 1917
[3] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 21 February 1920
[4] Courtesy Christine Pritchard
[1] Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette, 10 January 1914
[2] Western Daily Press, 17 November 1917
[3] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 21 February 1920
[4] Courtesy Christine Pritchard