Little Family in Box Annette Grindle June 2019
Photo courtesy Annette Grindle
|
Photo courtesy Bob Hancock
|
Annette wrote to us from South Wales because she had a photograph of Box which somehow connected with her ancestors called Little: I have an old photo which I am pretty sure is Charlotte Cottage, Box. After finding your article about the Chaffey Family with the picture of the cottage, I think I may have found the reason my family has this picture. I believe that Louisa Jane Little in the article was the sister of my great grandfather, Edward Albert Little. By their dress I think the photo is earlier than the one you featured. I am wondering if one of the ladies is Louise Jane (Little) Chaffey? There are four people on the photo including a small boy, possibly Bill Chaffey? If you have any information about the Little family from Box it would be much appreciated.
The Photograph
Annette’s photo is an amazing discovery. Although the angle is different, it appears to show Charlotte Cottage but there are significant differences between her photo (above left) and the one we previously published (above right). Also the emergence of Annette's photo in South Wales is curious.
Annette’s photo is an amazing discovery. Although the angle is different, it appears to show Charlotte Cottage but there are significant differences between her photo (above left) and the one we previously published (above right). Also the emergence of Annette's photo in South Wales is curious.
|
We can hazard some guesses about when Annette’s photograph was taken. Charlotte Cottage was developed after the Devizes Road was completed in 1841 to join Box and Melksham. On the 1840 Tithe Apportionment map (right) it is shown as New Road. The Chaffey family appear to have moved into the cottage in 1880 when James Chaffey lived there and renamed the property after his daughter, Charlotte. We assume that Annette’s family connection must be after this date. We can speculate about the children seen in Annette’s photo. Judged by the ages of the children, Annette’s suggestions seem to be correct: the young boy could be Bill Chaffey born 1902 and the girl his older sister Gladys born 1900. The women are more difficult to age but possibly they are the oldest child Elsie born 1893 and their mother Louisa Jane born 1865. Right: Part of the 1840 Tithe Apportionment map (courtesy Wiltshire History Centre) |
|
Little Family in Box
There are numerous references to the Little family in Box going back to the 1620s with the marriage of Abraham Little to Elizabeth on 8 November 1624 but there are no details of these people, just a name, until we get to the 1800s. Other branches of the Little family lived in Box at Kingsdown, Townsend and surrounding villages. There is a curious connection between the Little and Fluester families which ended in the notorious murder of Ann Little of Kingsdown in 1841. Ann’s partner, Ike Smith had been drinking at a pub called Grove Inn, Ashley, and murdered Ann after a furious row. The proprietor of the pub, Benjamin Fluester, gave evidence at the trial and Smith was found guilty and sentenced to transportation.
There are numerous references to the Little family in Box going back to the 1620s with the marriage of Abraham Little to Elizabeth on 8 November 1624 but there are no details of these people, just a name, until we get to the 1800s. Other branches of the Little family lived in Box at Kingsdown, Townsend and surrounding villages. There is a curious connection between the Little and Fluester families which ended in the notorious murder of Ann Little of Kingsdown in 1841. Ann’s partner, Ike Smith had been drinking at a pub called Grove Inn, Ashley, and murdered Ann after a furious row. The proprietor of the pub, Benjamin Fluester, gave evidence at the trial and Smith was found guilty and sentenced to transportation.
Little family tomb in Box Churchyard (courtesy Carol Payne)
Some members of the Little family were sufficiently wealthy to have a monument tomb erected in Box churchyard. It is a chest tomb (seen above) from the early 1800s with inscriptions on the top slab to J Little who died in 1816 and H Little who died in 1812. The first is probably James Little (1733 – 1816) who in the 1801 census was listed as a yeoman farmer at Henley, and whose children included Aaron, Frances, Hester, Betty, Ann and Marget (sic). The other inscription appears to be Hester, James’ wife. It may be that James and Hester’s son Aaron was the same person later described as a journeyman carpenter, who set up home in Box with his wife Ann Fluester sometime before 1838. There are further inscriptions on the side of the tomb referencing 1860 but the details are no longer fully legible.
Becoming Stone Masons
In the 1840s, Aaron and Ann Little were neighbours (and possibly had business connections) with Job Pictor, well-known Box stone quarryman and later fabulously wealthy quarry-owner. We can’t locate their house exactly but it appears to be close to the Old Dairy, in the centre of the village. The Fluester family were the point of connection as Job’s wife Mary and Ann Little were sisters. Most of Aaron and Ann’s children were born in the village, including Elijah Little born in 1838 and Louisa Jane (often called Jane) a year later. In 1851 they lived in the centre of Box Village, possibly the same property as John Fluester, father-in-law, who was listed as their neighbour. In 1861 Aaron was registered as Invalid aged 71 while his 52-year-old wife Ann worked as a charwoman.
Many of Aaron and Ann’s children stayed locally. Their eldest son, Elijah, became a stone mason, a skilled and highly-paid tradesman shaping the stone blocks for architectural needs. When Elijah married, he and his wife appear to have set up home in Bulls Lane, Box, and, confusingly, they named their first daughter Louisa Jane (born 1865). She stayed in the village and in 1881, was domestic servant working in a baker’s shop for Elizabeth Noble in a premises roughly on the site of the house now called Miller’s on the High Street. As mentioned by Annette, it was this Louisa Jane who married into the Chaffey family in 1888 when she married Arthur Chaffey, James’ second son.
Becoming Stone Masons
In the 1840s, Aaron and Ann Little were neighbours (and possibly had business connections) with Job Pictor, well-known Box stone quarryman and later fabulously wealthy quarry-owner. We can’t locate their house exactly but it appears to be close to the Old Dairy, in the centre of the village. The Fluester family were the point of connection as Job’s wife Mary and Ann Little were sisters. Most of Aaron and Ann’s children were born in the village, including Elijah Little born in 1838 and Louisa Jane (often called Jane) a year later. In 1851 they lived in the centre of Box Village, possibly the same property as John Fluester, father-in-law, who was listed as their neighbour. In 1861 Aaron was registered as Invalid aged 71 while his 52-year-old wife Ann worked as a charwoman.
Many of Aaron and Ann’s children stayed locally. Their eldest son, Elijah, became a stone mason, a skilled and highly-paid tradesman shaping the stone blocks for architectural needs. When Elijah married, he and his wife appear to have set up home in Bulls Lane, Box, and, confusingly, they named their first daughter Louisa Jane (born 1865). She stayed in the village and in 1881, was domestic servant working in a baker’s shop for Elizabeth Noble in a premises roughly on the site of the house now called Miller’s on the High Street. As mentioned by Annette, it was this Louisa Jane who married into the Chaffey family in 1888 when she married Arthur Chaffey, James’ second son.
Explaining the Photograph
The differences between the two photos appears to be that Charlotte Cottage in Annette’s photo is almost level with the Devizes Road not perched up on the hill as now. It appears that the road may have been lowered at some point to smooth out the route from Devizes. Most of the other properties on the Devizes Road were built in the years 1893 – 1905 so it seems reasonable to assume that the road was altered about this time. This may help to understand the curious byway, next door to Charlotte Cottage, which runs up Chapel Lane and across the Devizes Road into Pye Corner and loops back to the Devizes Road. This was once the rather circuitous route of trackways in the area.
Annette’s photo came from her side of the family via her great grandfather Albert Edward Little who married Alice Mary Matthews at Frome in 1901. He was a corn miller’s clerk and the couple lived at 25 Beckhampton Road, Bath. The marriage didn’t work out and they were divorced shortly after Annette’s grandmother, Olive Ethel Little, was born in 1901.
Olive Ethel was raised in Abertillery by her mother and second husband and it was she who married Annette’s grandfather John Grindle. Annette wrote: My Grindle family mostly originated in the Forest of Dean. My grandfather's parents emigrated to America where, I assume, they were looking for mining work and where my grandfather and an elder sister were born. They then returned to the Forest of Dean for reasons not proven but family rumour suggested to look after an elderly family member. That is what started me searching to see if any other family members had emigrated to America. I found there was a brother and sister of my great grandfather who also emigrated and made contact with descendants in Ohio and Texas. After returning, my great grandfather was found living in Abertillery in the South Wales valleys where there are many mines. His family later moved to this area. Including other brothers and sisters.
Many years later my grandfather married Olive Ethel and the only connection we had was the photo and that her father came from Box. I have never found a divorce record for Edward Albert Little or if he remarried. Alice Mary Little remarried in 1910 to Frederick Coles also from Kilmersdon, Somerset. I am not sure if Frederick worked in the mines but I know they ran a grocery shop in Abertillery. They had one daughter between them who they brought up along with my grandmother Olive.
The differences between the two photos appears to be that Charlotte Cottage in Annette’s photo is almost level with the Devizes Road not perched up on the hill as now. It appears that the road may have been lowered at some point to smooth out the route from Devizes. Most of the other properties on the Devizes Road were built in the years 1893 – 1905 so it seems reasonable to assume that the road was altered about this time. This may help to understand the curious byway, next door to Charlotte Cottage, which runs up Chapel Lane and across the Devizes Road into Pye Corner and loops back to the Devizes Road. This was once the rather circuitous route of trackways in the area.
Annette’s photo came from her side of the family via her great grandfather Albert Edward Little who married Alice Mary Matthews at Frome in 1901. He was a corn miller’s clerk and the couple lived at 25 Beckhampton Road, Bath. The marriage didn’t work out and they were divorced shortly after Annette’s grandmother, Olive Ethel Little, was born in 1901.
Olive Ethel was raised in Abertillery by her mother and second husband and it was she who married Annette’s grandfather John Grindle. Annette wrote: My Grindle family mostly originated in the Forest of Dean. My grandfather's parents emigrated to America where, I assume, they were looking for mining work and where my grandfather and an elder sister were born. They then returned to the Forest of Dean for reasons not proven but family rumour suggested to look after an elderly family member. That is what started me searching to see if any other family members had emigrated to America. I found there was a brother and sister of my great grandfather who also emigrated and made contact with descendants in Ohio and Texas. After returning, my great grandfather was found living in Abertillery in the South Wales valleys where there are many mines. His family later moved to this area. Including other brothers and sisters.
Many years later my grandfather married Olive Ethel and the only connection we had was the photo and that her father came from Box. I have never found a divorce record for Edward Albert Little or if he remarried. Alice Mary Little remarried in 1910 to Frederick Coles also from Kilmersdon, Somerset. I am not sure if Frederick worked in the mines but I know they ran a grocery shop in Abertillery. They had one daughter between them who they brought up along with my grandmother Olive.
Family Tree
Various Branches of Little Family
1. James Little (1733 - 1816), yeoman farmer at Henley, married Hester (d 1812). Children:
Aaron, Frances, Hester, Bettey, Ann, Marget
2. James Little married Ann. Children: Ann (b 1796 Box d 1841); Hester (b 20 January 1800); James (b 16 July 1802).
3. Aaron Little (possibly about 1795–between 1861 and 1871) was a journeyman carpenter, from Bristol, who married Ann Fluester on 7 August 1831 at Slaughterford, Wiltshire, England. She was born in 1809 in Biddestone, a village within a short distance of Box. Children:
Mary A (b 1832 at Biddestone; Elijah (b 1836 at Box); Elizabeth (b 1838); Louisa J (b 1839, Box); Albert Edward (b 1842); John J (b. 1843, Box); Alfred (b 1849, Box).
Elijah (b 1836) was a stone mason who married Jane (b 1841 at Tidcombe, Wiltshire). They lived in the centre of Box for most of their married lives, often in unnamed houses recorded as Chippenham Road (1871), Bulls Lane (1881) and London Road (1891). Children:
Louisa J (b 1865, Paddington) who was in domestic service in 1881 in Box;
Mary Annie (b 1867 at Greenwich), a dressmaker in 1891; Edward A (b 1869); Henry Fluester (b 1871); John James (b 1876); Alice M (b 1878 in Box); and Dora (b 1883 in Box).
Albert Edward (1868 – 1928, both in Box) who at Frome in March 1901 married Alice Mary Matthews (b Sep 1876, Kilmersdon, Somerset). Albert was a corn miller’s clerk in 1901 living in Bath.
Henry (known as Harry) Fluester (b 1871, Box) who served with the Gloucester Regiment in 1888 and was a sawyer in 1891;
John James (b 1876, Box), a stone mason in 1891, married Minnifred Hester (b 1878, Box) and they lived in Chapel Lane in 1901 and 1911. Mrs Minnifred Little served as a volunteer nurse in Corsham Hospital in the First World War - see In Memoriam. Children: Dora Vera (b 1901).
4. Albert Edward and Alice Mary had a daughter Olive Ethel who married John Grindle, Annette’s grandfather.
Various Branches of Little Family
1. James Little (1733 - 1816), yeoman farmer at Henley, married Hester (d 1812). Children:
Aaron, Frances, Hester, Bettey, Ann, Marget
2. James Little married Ann. Children: Ann (b 1796 Box d 1841); Hester (b 20 January 1800); James (b 16 July 1802).
3. Aaron Little (possibly about 1795–between 1861 and 1871) was a journeyman carpenter, from Bristol, who married Ann Fluester on 7 August 1831 at Slaughterford, Wiltshire, England. She was born in 1809 in Biddestone, a village within a short distance of Box. Children:
Mary A (b 1832 at Biddestone; Elijah (b 1836 at Box); Elizabeth (b 1838); Louisa J (b 1839, Box); Albert Edward (b 1842); John J (b. 1843, Box); Alfred (b 1849, Box).
Elijah (b 1836) was a stone mason who married Jane (b 1841 at Tidcombe, Wiltshire). They lived in the centre of Box for most of their married lives, often in unnamed houses recorded as Chippenham Road (1871), Bulls Lane (1881) and London Road (1891). Children:
Louisa J (b 1865, Paddington) who was in domestic service in 1881 in Box;
Mary Annie (b 1867 at Greenwich), a dressmaker in 1891; Edward A (b 1869); Henry Fluester (b 1871); John James (b 1876); Alice M (b 1878 in Box); and Dora (b 1883 in Box).
Albert Edward (1868 – 1928, both in Box) who at Frome in March 1901 married Alice Mary Matthews (b Sep 1876, Kilmersdon, Somerset). Albert was a corn miller’s clerk in 1901 living in Bath.
Henry (known as Harry) Fluester (b 1871, Box) who served with the Gloucester Regiment in 1888 and was a sawyer in 1891;
John James (b 1876, Box), a stone mason in 1891, married Minnifred Hester (b 1878, Box) and they lived in Chapel Lane in 1901 and 1911. Mrs Minnifred Little served as a volunteer nurse in Corsham Hospital in the First World War - see In Memoriam. Children: Dora Vera (b 1901).
4. Albert Edward and Alice Mary had a daughter Olive Ethel who married John Grindle, Annette’s grandfather.