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Lucas Family of Box Market Place Brian Lucas and Janet Freeman All photos courtesy Brian Lucas May 2019 Brian Lucas wrote to us about his memories of living in Box: My grandfather, Thomas William Lucas, lived in the Market Place, Box, with his first wife Naomi Elizabeth (nee Clarke). They had three children Arthur Thomas (my father), Jack my uncle and Elizabeth (Topsy) my aunt. They also adopted a daughter, Glynis. They moved to Townsend Villas (now Cobden House), perhaps this was at the same time that they adopted Glynis. My great grandparents were Joshua Lucas (born in Corsham in 1857 - 1931) and Sarah Elizabeth Sperring (b 1849) who married in October 1877. Joshua was a labourer for most of his working life, probably with poor education before the Box Schools were opened in 1875. In 1891 the family lived at 4 Mill Cottages and by 1901 the family had moved to The Parade, Market Place, Box, where Joshua was recorded as Hawker to a General Labourer. Ten years later they were at Saltbox Cottages, Box, where Joshua was a picker in the stone quarry. |
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Surprisingly, 54-year-old Joshua volunteered for service in World War 1 along with other younger members of the family. Unfortunately, the record of his military service doesn’t appear to have survived, so we don’t know where he served.
Grandparents at Townsend Villas
My grandfather, Thomas William Lucas trained as a stone mason’s apprentice. Thomas was born on 15 May 1882 at Wadswick and married Naomi Elizabeth Clark. In 1911 they lived in Glovers Lane, Box, with their young family, where Thomas was a banker mason at Lambert’s Stoneyard, Box Railway Station. It was a well-paid job and they later lived at Townsend Villas (now called Cobden) for many years.
Most Sundays we visited Thomas Lucas, my grampy, at Townsend Villas by catching the bus to Bathford Halt then train to Mill Lane Halt at Box. My grandfather had a very large garden which stretched from Hazelbury Hill at the front of the house to Barn Piece Lane at the back. He grew lots of vegetables and fruit and had about a dozen beehives which kept us in honey. He also sold honey. There wasn’t any mains water; his needs came from a well at the top of the garden, then down a pipe to the house. There wasn’t any electricity in the property, only gas for lighting and cooking. I still have the receipt for connecting him to the mains gas at a cost of 1s.9d, one shilling and nine pence (nine pence in current coins)!!
Grandparents at Townsend Villas
My grandfather, Thomas William Lucas trained as a stone mason’s apprentice. Thomas was born on 15 May 1882 at Wadswick and married Naomi Elizabeth Clark. In 1911 they lived in Glovers Lane, Box, with their young family, where Thomas was a banker mason at Lambert’s Stoneyard, Box Railway Station. It was a well-paid job and they later lived at Townsend Villas (now called Cobden) for many years.
Most Sundays we visited Thomas Lucas, my grampy, at Townsend Villas by catching the bus to Bathford Halt then train to Mill Lane Halt at Box. My grandfather had a very large garden which stretched from Hazelbury Hill at the front of the house to Barn Piece Lane at the back. He grew lots of vegetables and fruit and had about a dozen beehives which kept us in honey. He also sold honey. There wasn’t any mains water; his needs came from a well at the top of the garden, then down a pipe to the house. There wasn’t any electricity in the property, only gas for lighting and cooking. I still have the receipt for connecting him to the mains gas at a cost of 1s.9d, one shilling and nine pence (nine pence in current coins)!!
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Grandad stored his apples in the cellar under the house. Every time we visited, my sister Janet and I would “turn” the apples over. He also brewed mead from the honey. We were always told to make sure the door was closed as the cat would get in and come out tipsy! Tea on Sunday was always bread and homemade jam or honey and dough cake from the Co-op. When we came home, we walked to Mill Lane Halt. By looking through Box Tunnel, you could see daylight through the other end and, when it went dark, we knew the train was coming. If we came home by bus, we walked through the Ley past Brickell’s ice cream factory and Browning’s garage to the Lamb Inn pub on the Devizes Road.
I was told by my mum that I used to walk up to a pub (probably The Rising Sun or the Quarryman’s Arms) with grandad so he could get his beer jar filled up. It cost about 20d (old money). When grandad retired from Lambert’s stoneyard, he got a job as a night watchman at the ammunition dump. Sometimes while we were there, he went to work carrying his pickaxe handle - in case there were any badgers about (as he said!). |
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There wasn’t any television and the wireless only worked occasionally, so we just read magazines that grandfather had, like Picture Post and John Bull. If it was dark the gas lighting was on. It was a poor light at the best of times, then the light would start to fade and there was a mad dash to put a few pennies in the slot to get the light back up. The toilet up the garden was to be avoided if possible. it was covered in ivy and creatures ran about in it when it was dark.
As grandad’s garden stretched from Hazelbury Hill to Barn Piece we could take a short cut out of a gate at the top of the garden and go a short way up Quarry Hill to visit great Granny Clark. She would be sitting by her well-blacked iron fireplace. To us kids she looked very stern but, if we behaved ourselves, we could have a humbug from her sweet jar. Granddad’s garden ran alongside the old rubber works wall over which they threw the reject tennis balls for us so we were never short of balls.
When grandad died in 1962, uncle Jack sold the house and half the garden. He had a bungalow built on the upper piece of garden at Hazelbury where he lived with his wife Linda, who also worked at Box Co-op. Back then there were no more houses after Grandad’s on Hazelbury Hill, and there was no Bargates Estate opposite his house and only a few in Barn Piece Lane.
My Parents
Arthur, my dad, served his apprenticeship at The Wharf Stone yard with his father. Some of their work is in Bath Abbey and Wells Cathedral. In 1934 he was involved in a motor car accident. Cycling into Bath, Arthur was knocked off his bike turning from London Road into Lambridge Street. He was apparently uninjured and didn’t want to cause any trouble but the police wanted to prosecute the motorist, a stockbroker from Berkshire.[1] My dad had to appear as a witness for the police and the driver was fined. The driver’s attitude was that he didn’t think it necessary to make a statement to the investigating officer and thought it was nothing more or less than a complete accident. He was fined £4 plus costs. Later dad had another accident on his motor bike while travelling from Box to Larkhall. His injuries included a broken nose which left him with a slightly twisted nose for life.
As grandad’s garden stretched from Hazelbury Hill to Barn Piece we could take a short cut out of a gate at the top of the garden and go a short way up Quarry Hill to visit great Granny Clark. She would be sitting by her well-blacked iron fireplace. To us kids she looked very stern but, if we behaved ourselves, we could have a humbug from her sweet jar. Granddad’s garden ran alongside the old rubber works wall over which they threw the reject tennis balls for us so we were never short of balls.
When grandad died in 1962, uncle Jack sold the house and half the garden. He had a bungalow built on the upper piece of garden at Hazelbury where he lived with his wife Linda, who also worked at Box Co-op. Back then there were no more houses after Grandad’s on Hazelbury Hill, and there was no Bargates Estate opposite his house and only a few in Barn Piece Lane.
My Parents
Arthur, my dad, served his apprenticeship at The Wharf Stone yard with his father. Some of their work is in Bath Abbey and Wells Cathedral. In 1934 he was involved in a motor car accident. Cycling into Bath, Arthur was knocked off his bike turning from London Road into Lambridge Street. He was apparently uninjured and didn’t want to cause any trouble but the police wanted to prosecute the motorist, a stockbroker from Berkshire.[1] My dad had to appear as a witness for the police and the driver was fined. The driver’s attitude was that he didn’t think it necessary to make a statement to the investigating officer and thought it was nothing more or less than a complete accident. He was fined £4 plus costs. Later dad had another accident on his motor bike while travelling from Box to Larkhall. His injuries included a broken nose which left him with a slightly twisted nose for life.
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My father told me when he was a lad, a lot of Box children would go swimming in the Box Brook. He told me that the Rev Awdry got into difficulties swimming when he was a lad and had to be dragged out. I remember going down Mill Lane with my uncle to Tommy Best’s government surplus store. This must have been before he moved to Milk Street, Bath.
My dad also told me of a Box person who went into Bath one day per week on a horse and cart with a donkey leading. On the way back with a full cart the horse would be working hard pulling but the donkey had just enough slack in the harness not to do any work! Was this Bennie Drew, the Box baker? My uncle Jack worked for the Co-op in various places, ending up as manager at the Box Co-op. Before he married Linda (also from Box Co-op) he stayed with my parents and every day rode his bike to the Co-op store then back again after work. Elizabeth, my aunt, was an assistant at Box School before moving to Bradford, Yorkshire. |
Family Tree
Great great grandmother, Eliza
Great great grandmother Eliza (b 1832). No details of her husband. The Lucas family seems to have come from Wadswick where they were Agricultural Labourers in 1871. Children:
Joshua (b 1857), Thomas (b 1859), William (b 1861) and John (b 1863). They were constantly moving. In 1891 the family were at Millsplatt Cottages, By the Road.
Great grandparents, Joshua and Sarah Elizabeth
Joshua Lucas (1857 - 1931) married Sarah Elizabeth Sperring (b 1849) in October 1877. Joshua was a labourer for most of his working life. In 1891 the family lived at 4 Mill Cottages and by 1901 the family had moved to The Parade, Market Place, Box, where Joshua was recorded as Hawker to a General Labourer. Three quarrymen lodged with them and one of the quarryman’s young brothers. Children of Joshua and Elizabeth:
John (b 1881); Thomas William (born 15 May 1882 at Wadswick – died 1962); Henry (b 1885); and Eliza (b 1888).
Grandparents, Thomas William and Naomi Elizabeth
Thomas William Lucas (born 15 May 1882 at Wadswick - 1962) married Naomi Elizabeth Clark (1881 – 19 September 1941).[2] In 1911 they lived in Glovers Lane, Box, where Thomas was a banker mason at Lambert’s Stoneyard, Box Railway Station. Later they lived at Townsend Villas (now called Cobden). Children: Arthur Thomas (25 June 1909 - 1994); Elizabeth Naomi (1911 – 2006); Jack (b 1912 - 1982); and Glynis. Thomas and his first wife Naomi Elizabeth are buried in Box Cemetery. His second wife Eve came from Guernsey and later went back there.
Parents, Arthur Thomas and Lucy Amelia Tate Greenman
My dad Arthur Thomas (25 June 1909 – 1994), stone mason, married Lucy Amelia Tate (b 22 June 1910 at Larkhall, Bath) in 1934. They moved to 14 Bailbrook Lane, Swainswick. Children: Janet Freeman (nee Lucas); and me Brian.
Great great grandmother, Eliza
Great great grandmother Eliza (b 1832). No details of her husband. The Lucas family seems to have come from Wadswick where they were Agricultural Labourers in 1871. Children:
Joshua (b 1857), Thomas (b 1859), William (b 1861) and John (b 1863). They were constantly moving. In 1891 the family were at Millsplatt Cottages, By the Road.
Great grandparents, Joshua and Sarah Elizabeth
Joshua Lucas (1857 - 1931) married Sarah Elizabeth Sperring (b 1849) in October 1877. Joshua was a labourer for most of his working life. In 1891 the family lived at 4 Mill Cottages and by 1901 the family had moved to The Parade, Market Place, Box, where Joshua was recorded as Hawker to a General Labourer. Three quarrymen lodged with them and one of the quarryman’s young brothers. Children of Joshua and Elizabeth:
John (b 1881); Thomas William (born 15 May 1882 at Wadswick – died 1962); Henry (b 1885); and Eliza (b 1888).
Grandparents, Thomas William and Naomi Elizabeth
Thomas William Lucas (born 15 May 1882 at Wadswick - 1962) married Naomi Elizabeth Clark (1881 – 19 September 1941).[2] In 1911 they lived in Glovers Lane, Box, where Thomas was a banker mason at Lambert’s Stoneyard, Box Railway Station. Later they lived at Townsend Villas (now called Cobden). Children: Arthur Thomas (25 June 1909 - 1994); Elizabeth Naomi (1911 – 2006); Jack (b 1912 - 1982); and Glynis. Thomas and his first wife Naomi Elizabeth are buried in Box Cemetery. His second wife Eve came from Guernsey and later went back there.
Parents, Arthur Thomas and Lucy Amelia Tate Greenman
My dad Arthur Thomas (25 June 1909 – 1994), stone mason, married Lucy Amelia Tate (b 22 June 1910 at Larkhall, Bath) in 1934. They moved to 14 Bailbrook Lane, Swainswick. Children: Janet Freeman (nee Lucas); and me Brian.
References
[1] Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette, 31 March 1934
[2] Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette, 27 September 1941
[1] Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette, 31 March 1934
[2] Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette, 27 September 1941