Osborne and Pillinger Families
Researched and written by Claire Dimond Mills, June 2024
Photos from Sally Stillman, Mary and Sharon Flint
Researched and written by Claire Dimond Mills, June 2024
Photos from Sally Stillman, Mary and Sharon Flint
Sally Stillman, with her sister Mary Flint, were born and raised in Ditteridge. They attended Box School and their father, Tommy Osborne, was the village postman for nearly thirty years. They asked Claire to research their family history, including how the Osbornes came to Box and their grandmother’s Pillinger family who have been in Box for hundreds of years.
Above: Thomas Henry Osborne, and
Right: Tommy Osbourne with his sisters |
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The Osborne Family
Sally’s grandfather, Thomas Henry Osborne, was born in Hilperton in 1872 but in 1901 he followed his older sister, Hester, to Box. Hester had married Walter Willie Wilkins, a native of Box, and the extended family lived first in the Market Place in the centre of Box and then moved out to Middlehill Common. Thomas’ younger sister, Rosie, also joined them in Box where she met and married Frederick Osborne Moody, landlord of the Northey Arms.
From his home in Middlehill, it would have been a short walk across the fields to Thomas’ job at Ditteridge House, where he worked as a domestic gardener for Major Cyril Brook Northey. It was working here that led Thomas to meet Margaret Louisa Pillinger when she was the cook there.
Sally’s grandfather, Thomas Henry Osborne, was born in Hilperton in 1872 but in 1901 he followed his older sister, Hester, to Box. Hester had married Walter Willie Wilkins, a native of Box, and the extended family lived first in the Market Place in the centre of Box and then moved out to Middlehill Common. Thomas’ younger sister, Rosie, also joined them in Box where she met and married Frederick Osborne Moody, landlord of the Northey Arms.
From his home in Middlehill, it would have been a short walk across the fields to Thomas’ job at Ditteridge House, where he worked as a domestic gardener for Major Cyril Brook Northey. It was working here that led Thomas to meet Margaret Louisa Pillinger when she was the cook there.
Wedding of Thomas and Louisa' Osborne in 1915
Thomas and Louisa married in 1915 when Thomas was 38 and Louisa, 29. Their first child Edith Ethel Margaret was born in 1918 and then twins, Thomas James (known as Tommy) and Joan Elizabeth Osborne, both born on 20 August 1920. At the time of the twin’s birth, the family lived at 3 Hill View, Ditteridge. The building is now two houses but, at the time, it was split into four dwellings. Possibly the rear of the house was numbers 3 and 4.
As Hill View, Ditteridge, appears today (courtesy Claire Dimond-Mills)
Tommy Osborne
Both father Thomas and son Tommy were working as gardeners for Northey in 1939 when Tommy enlisted in the army. He served as a driver in the RASC (Royal Army Service Corps) during the Second World War. He was in the 50th Tyne Tees Division which was sent to Egypt in 1942.[1] As a driver, Tommy’s main job was to supply petrol, ammunition, food and other goods. He later recalled travelling across the desert in lorries 50 yards apart which was very slow progress. The sandstorms were horrendous, besides covering you with sand you couldn’t see your hand in front of you. The very hot winds called “Khamsin” were as hot as coming from a baker’s oven.
Both father Thomas and son Tommy were working as gardeners for Northey in 1939 when Tommy enlisted in the army. He served as a driver in the RASC (Royal Army Service Corps) during the Second World War. He was in the 50th Tyne Tees Division which was sent to Egypt in 1942.[1] As a driver, Tommy’s main job was to supply petrol, ammunition, food and other goods. He later recalled travelling across the desert in lorries 50 yards apart which was very slow progress. The sandstorms were horrendous, besides covering you with sand you couldn’t see your hand in front of you. The very hot winds called “Khamsin” were as hot as coming from a baker’s oven.
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After the Battle of El Alamein, he was shipped to Sicily, but their ship was bombed and they had to swim ashore. After the successful invasion of Sicily, the regiment were sent back to England in anticipation of D-Day. He landed six days later in the 2nd front invasion, which then travelled through France to Belgium and Holland. He was stationed near Nijmegen for the battle of Arnhem and then fought on to Berlin, where they delivered potatoes to the civilians from the Railway Station.
After the war Thomas married Joan Muriel Cannings from Bath in July 1949. Sadly, his father, Thomas Henry, was not present at his wedding as he had died on 3 February 1949. An obituary in the Wiltshire Times, states he worked for Northey at Ditteridge House for over forty years and was heavily involved in the church as a member of the church choir, verger and a parochial church council member. He and his wife, Louisa, who died in 1962, are both buried at Ditteridge church. Tommy and Joan had two daughters – Sally born in 1952 and Mary Jane in 1955. They lived in Box all their lives with Tommy working as a postman for 29 years, retiring in the 1970s. He was an active member of the Box community, and took a significant part in the 1991 community play, the Devil’s Device, to celebrate 150 years of Box Tunnel. Tommy played the role of a policeman, directing trains through the tunnel. |
Tommy Osborne in Second World War uniform
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After he left the Post Office in 1970, Tommy retrained as a driving instructor, working first for a local driving school before setting up on his own. Many people in Box remember learning to drive with him. Mary’s husband, Roy Flint, worked with him, taking over the business when Tommy retired in 1985. Tommy had suffered from several heart attacks and died in the RUH on 23 July 1999 from acute renal and cardiac failure as well as pneumonia.
Tommy Osborne in the 1991 community play "A Devil's Device" (courtesy Carol Payne)
Osborne Sisters
Tommy's older sister, Margaret, had married Ernest Walter Tye on 13 July 1940. Theirs was a local wedding of note, attended by almost all residents in the area, including bridesmaids little Miss Marion Pillinger, the bride's cousin, and Miss Mavis Northey, daughter of AW Northey of Cheney Court.[2] After the war, Ernest worked for the Bath and Portland Stone Firms, and the couple lived at The Wharf, Box. Sadly, the marriage ended in divorce and Margaret married Stan Currant in 1950.
Stan too was a divorcee having been married to Ellen Clark. Stan was also a postman in the Box area.[3] Margaret and her sister-in-law, Joan Osborne, were founder members of Box Ladies Club. Started in 1962, the group held talks and took part in social activities to raise money for charity. The club ended in the 1980s.
Tommy’s twin sister, Joan, worked as a servant in Bath until her marriage in 1941 to Robert Russell Ford. The wedding took place in St Austell, Cornwall, which was Robert’s family home, but they lived most of their lives in Box. Robert worked for Avon Rubber Company in Bradford-on-Avon. They had two children, Sandra Eve and Mary Elizabeth, known by her second name, but the marriage ultimately ended in divorce. Joan died on 26 March 2013 and is buried in Box cemetery.
Tommy's older sister, Margaret, had married Ernest Walter Tye on 13 July 1940. Theirs was a local wedding of note, attended by almost all residents in the area, including bridesmaids little Miss Marion Pillinger, the bride's cousin, and Miss Mavis Northey, daughter of AW Northey of Cheney Court.[2] After the war, Ernest worked for the Bath and Portland Stone Firms, and the couple lived at The Wharf, Box. Sadly, the marriage ended in divorce and Margaret married Stan Currant in 1950.
Stan too was a divorcee having been married to Ellen Clark. Stan was also a postman in the Box area.[3] Margaret and her sister-in-law, Joan Osborne, were founder members of Box Ladies Club. Started in 1962, the group held talks and took part in social activities to raise money for charity. The club ended in the 1980s.
Tommy’s twin sister, Joan, worked as a servant in Bath until her marriage in 1941 to Robert Russell Ford. The wedding took place in St Austell, Cornwall, which was Robert’s family home, but they lived most of their lives in Box. Robert worked for Avon Rubber Company in Bradford-on-Avon. They had two children, Sandra Eve and Mary Elizabeth, known by her second name, but the marriage ultimately ended in divorce. Joan died on 26 March 2013 and is buried in Box cemetery.
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Left: Wedding of Margaret Osborne and Stan Currant in 1950 and Right: Joan Osborne in 2010
The Pillingers from Box
The Pillingers have been in Box for many generations. The earliest record of a direct ancestor appears to be the baptism of William, son of John and Sarah Pillinger, born 7 February 1656. It is highly likely the Pillinger men were agricultural labourers.
William Pillinger (born 1656) had a son Benjamin in 1683, who married a woman called Catherine. One of their sons was William (born 1722) whose wife was Elizabeth. Their son, Jeremiah Pillinger, was born in Box in 1748 and married Mary Sydnall from Box in 1769. One of their sons, also called William, was born in Box on 2 February 1776 and married Sarah Martin from Lacock in 1800. They had at least seven children and by 1851 were living at Wadswick where William worked as an agricultural labourer. Sarah died in 1862 and William in 1864, aged 88.
The Pillingers have been in Box for many generations. The earliest record of a direct ancestor appears to be the baptism of William, son of John and Sarah Pillinger, born 7 February 1656. It is highly likely the Pillinger men were agricultural labourers.
William Pillinger (born 1656) had a son Benjamin in 1683, who married a woman called Catherine. One of their sons was William (born 1722) whose wife was Elizabeth. Their son, Jeremiah Pillinger, was born in Box in 1748 and married Mary Sydnall from Box in 1769. One of their sons, also called William, was born in Box on 2 February 1776 and married Sarah Martin from Lacock in 1800. They had at least seven children and by 1851 were living at Wadswick where William worked as an agricultural labourer. Sarah died in 1862 and William in 1864, aged 88.
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William and Sarah’ son, Daniel, was well-known in Box for living to the grand old age of 91, having spent most of those years at Alcombe. Born on 6 November 1813, he married Hannah Ford, aged 19, at Ditteridge in 1838. He signed the marriage record with his mark, a cross, suggesting that he was illiterate. Together they had eleven children. Living in Alcombe, it is likely that Daniel worked either at Alcombe Manor Farm or Coles Farm. Things weren’t always peaceful in Alcombe, though, and in 1867, Hannah and her neighbour Hannah Meek were summoned to court for breach of the peace over a neighbourly quarrel![4]
Daniel and Hannah’s son, Henry James (known as James), also made it into the papers when he celebrated his Golden Wedding Anniversary with wife, Elizabeth, in 1933. [5] Henry James was born in Alcombe on 31 August 1860. He left school aged ten and went to work for Humphrey Hobbs at Coles Farm where he was paid 1s.6d a week to mind the sheep and starve the birds (acting as a scarecrow to prevent the birds from eating the newly sown seeds). |
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By 1881 Henry James had followed his sister, Emily, to London where he worked as a milkman for his brother-in-law, William Porter. While there he met Elizabeth Ann Iles from Didmarton, Gloucestershire, who was working as a domestic servant. They married on 27 September 1883 in St Luke’s Church, Chelsea.
Henry James and Elizabeth returned to Box and at the time of the birth of their first child, Kate Matilda Pillinger in 1884, the family were living at Westwood, located halfway between Ditteridge and Colerne. Henry was working as a labourer at Westwood Farm, owned by the trustees of the late John Taylor from Marshfield. The Pillingers were still at Westwood when Margaret Louisa was born a year later on 17 September 1885. A few years later, Henry James got a job as a farm bailiff in Winterbourne Bassett. They did not stay long before moving back to Ditteridge where James worked for the Goulstones at Hill House Farm. James worked there for over forty years and in his tenure at the farm he witnessed the modernising and investment in the farm which included new cow stalls and electricity. Sadly, in 1925 he also had to deal with an epidemic of foot and mouth disease in which all animals had to be put down. |
James and Elizabeth Pillinger
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Henry James was such a valued member of the farm that when he died in 1938, the Goulstones provided the horse and cart to transport his coffin to Ditteridge church. After his death, his wife, Elizabeth, moved to 9 Ditteridge Cottages and died there in 1945.
James Pillinger's funeral procession, 1938
Henry James and Elizabeth had seven children – Matilda Kate (1884-1982), Margaret Louisa (1885-1962), Ethel Beatrice (1887-1969), Hannah Mary (1890-1897), Daniel Herbert (1892-1985), William Henry (1895-1974) and Albert Edward (1902-1961). Daniel and William served in the First World War and their service is remembered on a plaque in Ditteridge church. After the First World War, Daniel married Emily Jones and ran his own market garden from their home in Alcombe. They had three children, Raymond, Francis, and Marion, pictured left. Daniel was living at Two Trees on the Devizes Road when he died in 1985.
Margaret Louisa worked as a cook for Cyril Northey at Ditteridge House when she met Thomas Henry Osborne and married him in 1915. She lived in Ditteridge for the rest of her life.
Margaret Louisa worked as a cook for Cyril Northey at Ditteridge House when she met Thomas Henry Osborne and married him in 1915. She lived in Ditteridge for the rest of her life.
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Left: Children of Daniel and Emily Pillinger and Right: Margaret Louisa Pillinger
References
[1] https://www.flamesofwar.com/Default.aspx?tabid=110&art_id=453
[2] The Wiltshire Times, 13 July 1940
[3] http://www.boxpeopleandplaces.co.uk/currant-family.html
[4] The Wiltshire Independent, 10 October 1867
[5] The Wiltshire Times, 30 September 1933
[1] https://www.flamesofwar.com/Default.aspx?tabid=110&art_id=453
[2] The Wiltshire Times, 13 July 1940
[3] http://www.boxpeopleandplaces.co.uk/currant-family.html
[4] The Wiltshire Independent, 10 October 1867
[5] The Wiltshire Times, 30 September 1933