Gore and Collins Family Connections Andrew Gore Douglas, June 2017
The original house at Ashley Grove has now been demolished (courtesy Hilary Foord)
In the last issue Andrew wrote about Mrs Anna Collins (sometimes called Anne or Ann) who lived in 1793 at Ashley Grove, Box. She was the niece of Lieutenant General Sir William Draper and friend of some of the most notorious women in Britain, including Countess Bessborough, Lady Caroline Lamb and Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire.
In this article he considers the social network in which Anna Collins and her relatives moved. In so doing he found many prominent Box people, including members of the Speke and Twisleton families.
In this article he considers the social network in which Anna Collins and her relatives moved. In so doing he found many prominent Box people, including members of the Speke and Twisleton families.
Mother and Sister
We can see several of Anna's family members through the wills of her mother Anna Moore (nee Draper) and her sister Mary Ashe. The family came from Bath where Anna Moore lived at the Bladud Buildings.
In her will dated 1807 Anna Moore left her properties to her daughters, Mary Ashe and Anna Collins. Her property at Sidmouth, Devon, went to her eldest daughter, Mary, and her leasehold interest in Bladud Buildings together with her household goods and furniture to her daughter, Anna Collins. She left several sums of money to her granddaughters and bequests of money to her maid, cook and household maid. You can read the full details of her will below.
We can see several of Anna's family members through the wills of her mother Anna Moore (nee Draper) and her sister Mary Ashe. The family came from Bath where Anna Moore lived at the Bladud Buildings.
In her will dated 1807 Anna Moore left her properties to her daughters, Mary Ashe and Anna Collins. Her property at Sidmouth, Devon, went to her eldest daughter, Mary, and her leasehold interest in Bladud Buildings together with her household goods and furniture to her daughter, Anna Collins. She left several sums of money to her granddaughters and bequests of money to her maid, cook and household maid. You can read the full details of her will below.
| will_of_anna_moore_1807.pdf |
Both Mary and Anna had married well. Mary, the eldest, married Benjamin Ashe and they had two daughters Caroline and Anna. Both these children were rising in Georgian society. Caroline became the wife of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Brownlow and their son Charles Brownlow was a Member of Parliament for County Armagh, Ireland, from 1818 to 1832, before becoming the first Baron Brownlow of Lurgan in 1839. Anna Ashe married the Honourable and Reverend Thomas James Twisleton and their son, the Venerable Frederick Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, became the 10th Baron Saye & Sele.
The Twisleton family returned to Box in 1901 when the Hon Dorothea Twisleton, wife of the Hon and Rev Charles Twisleton, took up residence at Heleigh House, Middlehill, where she lived for over thirty years until her death in 1933. It was she who renamed the house previously known as Newton House, calling it after her relative Baron Audley of Heleigh, an Irish peer. Whilst the Box connection was unintended, it does emphasise the limited social and geographic environment of these families.
The children were clearly close. In Mary Ashe's will she nominated Anna Collins as one of her trustees and a beneficiary alongside her daughters Caroline Brownlow and Anna Twisleton. But the family relations also went across into marriage partners and the extended families of people of the same social status. This included the Gore family to whom Anna Collins was related through her niece Anna Susanna Gore.
The Twisleton family returned to Box in 1901 when the Hon Dorothea Twisleton, wife of the Hon and Rev Charles Twisleton, took up residence at Heleigh House, Middlehill, where she lived for over thirty years until her death in 1933. It was she who renamed the house previously known as Newton House, calling it after her relative Baron Audley of Heleigh, an Irish peer. Whilst the Box connection was unintended, it does emphasise the limited social and geographic environment of these families.
The children were clearly close. In Mary Ashe's will she nominated Anna Collins as one of her trustees and a beneficiary alongside her daughters Caroline Brownlow and Anna Twisleton. But the family relations also went across into marriage partners and the extended families of people of the same social status. This included the Gore family to whom Anna Collins was related through her niece Anna Susanna Gore.
| will_of__mary_ashe_1817.pdf |
The Gore Family
We dealt with the story of Mary Ashe's sister, Anna Collins, in our previous article when we saw that she was a major beneficiary of the will of her cousin, Anna Susanna Gore. This family relationship was significant in Box's story and enables us to get a deeper insight into the Speke family, lords of the manor of Box.
The Gore family was descended from Sir John Gore, Lord Mayor of London, 1624, a son of Gerard Gore, patriarch, who lived for
91 years from 1516 to 1607 and was described as one of the greatest Elizabethan Merchant Aldermen of the City of London. It was their descendant, John Gore of Barrow, who married Anna Susanna, the subject of the will. We find out much more about Box through the will of their daughter, Hester Gore of Barrow in 1722.
Hester was unmarried and fairly wealthy in her own right. Her concern was to leave the value in her estate to other family members and, in so doing, she recorded that her older sister, Ann, had married Thomas Speke of Hazelbury. This is not absolutely accurate as the male branch of the Speke family had died out in Box. The estate had devolved through Dame Rachel Speke and, on her death, to her nephew, George Petty Speke. It was his son, Thomas, who had married Ann, although Thomas had died by 1726, when the Northey family bought much of the estate in Box.
Hester had moved to Hazelbury with her sister and was part of society in Box. She left £10 to Rev George Miller for the poor of Box ... to be distributed amongst them by the Minister of Box according to his discretion. But the bulk of her estate went to her siblings: £700 to her brother Edward and £600 each to Ann Speke and William Gore. You can read the full details of Hester's will by clicking on the link below.
We dealt with the story of Mary Ashe's sister, Anna Collins, in our previous article when we saw that she was a major beneficiary of the will of her cousin, Anna Susanna Gore. This family relationship was significant in Box's story and enables us to get a deeper insight into the Speke family, lords of the manor of Box.
The Gore family was descended from Sir John Gore, Lord Mayor of London, 1624, a son of Gerard Gore, patriarch, who lived for
91 years from 1516 to 1607 and was described as one of the greatest Elizabethan Merchant Aldermen of the City of London. It was their descendant, John Gore of Barrow, who married Anna Susanna, the subject of the will. We find out much more about Box through the will of their daughter, Hester Gore of Barrow in 1722.
Hester was unmarried and fairly wealthy in her own right. Her concern was to leave the value in her estate to other family members and, in so doing, she recorded that her older sister, Ann, had married Thomas Speke of Hazelbury. This is not absolutely accurate as the male branch of the Speke family had died out in Box. The estate had devolved through Dame Rachel Speke and, on her death, to her nephew, George Petty Speke. It was his son, Thomas, who had married Ann, although Thomas had died by 1726, when the Northey family bought much of the estate in Box.
Hester had moved to Hazelbury with her sister and was part of society in Box. She left £10 to Rev George Miller for the poor of Box ... to be distributed amongst them by the Minister of Box according to his discretion. But the bulk of her estate went to her siblings: £700 to her brother Edward and £600 each to Ann Speke and William Gore. You can read the full details of Hester's will by clicking on the link below.
| will_of_hester_gore_1722.pdf |
We get more knowledge about Box from the 1726 will of Thomas Speke, Hester's brother-in-law, the same year in which he died and most of the estate was sold to the Northey family. The will gives some fascinating insights into the world of the Spekes.
His estate was left in trust for his wife to be administered by his trustees, Edward Gore the Elder of Barrow (his father-in-law), Anthony Blagrave of Southcott, Berkshire (his brother-in-law) and the Rev George Miller of Box. This helps to confirm how well connected George Miller was in Box and how he managed to secure £100 bequest in Thomas Speke's will for the Box Charity School.
The will also identifies the estate called Box Agard, which has mystified historians. Thomas identifies it as the land, rights and tithes belonging to the lay Rector of Box when he says the rectory or Parsonage impropriate of Box alias Box Agard aforesaid and also all and all manner of tithes of corn and grain glebe lands portions pensions profits fruits emoluments hereditaments and appurtenances whatsoever to the said Rectory or Parsonage or in any wise appertaining. Thomas' full will is given below.
His estate was left in trust for his wife to be administered by his trustees, Edward Gore the Elder of Barrow (his father-in-law), Anthony Blagrave of Southcott, Berkshire (his brother-in-law) and the Rev George Miller of Box. This helps to confirm how well connected George Miller was in Box and how he managed to secure £100 bequest in Thomas Speke's will for the Box Charity School.
The will also identifies the estate called Box Agard, which has mystified historians. Thomas identifies it as the land, rights and tithes belonging to the lay Rector of Box when he says the rectory or Parsonage impropriate of Box alias Box Agard aforesaid and also all and all manner of tithes of corn and grain glebe lands portions pensions profits fruits emoluments hereditaments and appurtenances whatsoever to the said Rectory or Parsonage or in any wise appertaining. Thomas' full will is given below.
| will_of_thomas_speke_1726.pdf |
Andrew's research is massive and we are very grateful that he has allowed us to reproduce the sections which give us insight into our village and its inhabitants. We can see how families tried to retain their estates within their direct families and those into which they had married in Georgian times. It makes an intriguing web of connections between families.
This was not the end of the story, however, because Andrew went on to say, The present head of the Gore Langton family is the current Earl Temple of Stowe. In September 2016 Chandos Gore Langton and I organised a 500 year Anniversary Party to celebrate the birth in 1516 of Gerard Gore The Patriarch (1516-1607), at which we had 41 guests representing all branches of the family which included two earls, one lord and one duchess. The guests who attended included the Duchess of Norfolk,
Lord Arran, Earl Temple of Stowe, Countess Katherine MacMillan, Sir Josslyn Gore-Booth Bt, Admiral of the Fleet Sir Benjamin Bathurst, Chandos Gore Langton with apologies from Lord Harlech and Sir Hugh Gore Bt.
This was not the end of the story, however, because Andrew went on to say, The present head of the Gore Langton family is the current Earl Temple of Stowe. In September 2016 Chandos Gore Langton and I organised a 500 year Anniversary Party to celebrate the birth in 1516 of Gerard Gore The Patriarch (1516-1607), at which we had 41 guests representing all branches of the family which included two earls, one lord and one duchess. The guests who attended included the Duchess of Norfolk,
Lord Arran, Earl Temple of Stowe, Countess Katherine MacMillan, Sir Josslyn Gore-Booth Bt, Admiral of the Fleet Sir Benjamin Bathurst, Chandos Gore Langton with apologies from Lord Harlech and Sir Hugh Gore Bt.
Gore Family Tree
Edward Gore (1729-1801) married Barbara Browne (1729-1765). Children:
Barbara Gore (1758-1770); William Gore (later William Gore Langton) (1760-1847); Charles Gore (1764-1824);
Frances Gore (1762-1764); Edward Gore (1763-1763) and John Gore (1768-1792)
John Gore married 17 May 1790 at Marylebone to Anna Susanna Draper (born 1773 and died at Hotwells, Bristol, on
26 July 1793).
Edward Gore (1729-1801) married Barbara Browne (1729-1765). Children:
Barbara Gore (1758-1770); William Gore (later William Gore Langton) (1760-1847); Charles Gore (1764-1824);
Frances Gore (1762-1764); Edward Gore (1763-1763) and John Gore (1768-1792)
John Gore married 17 May 1790 at Marylebone to Anna Susanna Draper (born 1773 and died at Hotwells, Bristol, on
26 July 1793).