Box Vicarage Residents Alan Payne June 2021
Postcard of the vicarage (courtesy Box Parish Council)
The present vicarage in Box has had a number of different names – Mead Villa, The Vicarage and even The Rectory. This article traces the story of the house from before its ecclesiastical connection to its early clerical residents.
Old Parsonage
We need to start the history of The Vicarage with an entirely different property, The Old Parsonage. This was the original home of the Horlock family in Box which stood on the site of the current Box House. This house was destroyed by fire in October 1805, which was recorded at the time as: An ancient and respectable property, with most of the furniture belonging to the Rev Mr Horlock, was destroyed by fire, occasioned by a candle being placed too near the window-curtains. The engines belonging to the Fire-Offices of Bath attended but the house was consumed before their arrival.[1] The Old Parsonage was a grand property described in 1672 as: three bays of buildings, with a dove house adjoining to the south side of it, with outlets to gardens and orchards belonging to the said house. Also, a stable containing one bay of buildings.[2] It was built on Glebe land (areas allocated to the vicar) and had appropriate stain glass windows stating: Remember the four last things - Death, Judgement, Heaven and Hell.[3]
After the fire, the Rev Isaac William Horlock decided to rebuild another extravagant pile, the current Box House, which became the family’s dynastic base after 1810. His youngest son, Dr Holled Darrell Cave Smith Horlock, succeeded him as vicar in 1831 and took up residence in Box House, at that time known as The Vicarage.
The property isn’t shown on the Tithe Apportionment map or records of that time suggesting that it dates after 1840. This is confirmed by the description of the property in the Historic Buildings Listing where its Grade II designation describes it as built in the mid-1800s and at some point the Horlock family acquired it.[4] The house was let to various different tenants in the middle of the century. In 1861 Adam W Elmslei (born 1789), retired West India proprietor, was living there but I have found nothing more about this person. In 1871 Henry Shebbeare Esq (1797-27 May 1885), a retired General Practitioner from Odiham, Hampshire, lived in Mead Villa together with his wife Henrietta Ann (daughter of Major Bellingham of the 1st Bengal Native Infantry), two daughters and three servants. He was a well-known family doctor in Hampshire, on one occasion performing a field operation on Sir John Mildmay, MP who had fallen off his horse and damaged his skull.[5] He was very wealthy and probably rented the house whilst looking for a property in Bath, where he moved shortly afterwards to 8 Beaufort Buildings West. On his death in 1885 he left an estate of £20,202.18s.11d (£2½ million in current values).
When he left Box Church and the village in 1873, Dr Holled Horlock kept the freehold of Box House as a private home and Box Church took over both Mead Villa and Springfield Villa. They kept Mead Villa as the new vicarage and let out Springfield Villa.
Rev George Gardiner at The Vicarage 1874-1896
When the Horlock family left Box, they sold the advowson (right to appoint vicar) of Box Church to William Stancomb of Potterne for £4,500.[6] He was a landowner, Wiltshire magistrate and Deputy Lieutenant of the county, and his family had lived in Blounts Court, Potterne since 1809. A reflection of his wealth was that, on his death in 1902, he left the staggering amount of £127,067 (equivalent to £15 million today). William had a plan for the advowson and installed his son-in-law, Rev George Gardiner (1842-20 May 1897), into Box Church in 1874 shortly after George had married Bridget Downing Stancomb in 1870.
Perhaps Rev George Gardiner’s main achievement was the creation of the New Box Schools in 1875. But his tenure was very short-lived. A keen cricketer and active sportsman, George was involved in a serious train crash at Thingley Junction on 5 November 1875.[7] The train guard was killed, George knocked unconscious and he suffered head injuries. George sued the Railway for negligence saying that they had a duty of care when the passenger train ran into a goods service engine. He had experienced depression, memory loss and mood tempers and was awarded damages of £5,500 (£600,000 in today’s values). George was incapacitated for the rest of his life, nervous in preaching and physically easily exhausted. By 1891 George was having to go abroad for his health and his local duties became intermittent.[8]
Old Parsonage
We need to start the history of The Vicarage with an entirely different property, The Old Parsonage. This was the original home of the Horlock family in Box which stood on the site of the current Box House. This house was destroyed by fire in October 1805, which was recorded at the time as: An ancient and respectable property, with most of the furniture belonging to the Rev Mr Horlock, was destroyed by fire, occasioned by a candle being placed too near the window-curtains. The engines belonging to the Fire-Offices of Bath attended but the house was consumed before their arrival.[1] The Old Parsonage was a grand property described in 1672 as: three bays of buildings, with a dove house adjoining to the south side of it, with outlets to gardens and orchards belonging to the said house. Also, a stable containing one bay of buildings.[2] It was built on Glebe land (areas allocated to the vicar) and had appropriate stain glass windows stating: Remember the four last things - Death, Judgement, Heaven and Hell.[3]
After the fire, the Rev Isaac William Horlock decided to rebuild another extravagant pile, the current Box House, which became the family’s dynastic base after 1810. His youngest son, Dr Holled Darrell Cave Smith Horlock, succeeded him as vicar in 1831 and took up residence in Box House, at that time known as The Vicarage.
The property isn’t shown on the Tithe Apportionment map or records of that time suggesting that it dates after 1840. This is confirmed by the description of the property in the Historic Buildings Listing where its Grade II designation describes it as built in the mid-1800s and at some point the Horlock family acquired it.[4] The house was let to various different tenants in the middle of the century. In 1861 Adam W Elmslei (born 1789), retired West India proprietor, was living there but I have found nothing more about this person. In 1871 Henry Shebbeare Esq (1797-27 May 1885), a retired General Practitioner from Odiham, Hampshire, lived in Mead Villa together with his wife Henrietta Ann (daughter of Major Bellingham of the 1st Bengal Native Infantry), two daughters and three servants. He was a well-known family doctor in Hampshire, on one occasion performing a field operation on Sir John Mildmay, MP who had fallen off his horse and damaged his skull.[5] He was very wealthy and probably rented the house whilst looking for a property in Bath, where he moved shortly afterwards to 8 Beaufort Buildings West. On his death in 1885 he left an estate of £20,202.18s.11d (£2½ million in current values).
When he left Box Church and the village in 1873, Dr Holled Horlock kept the freehold of Box House as a private home and Box Church took over both Mead Villa and Springfield Villa. They kept Mead Villa as the new vicarage and let out Springfield Villa.
Rev George Gardiner at The Vicarage 1874-1896
When the Horlock family left Box, they sold the advowson (right to appoint vicar) of Box Church to William Stancomb of Potterne for £4,500.[6] He was a landowner, Wiltshire magistrate and Deputy Lieutenant of the county, and his family had lived in Blounts Court, Potterne since 1809. A reflection of his wealth was that, on his death in 1902, he left the staggering amount of £127,067 (equivalent to £15 million today). William had a plan for the advowson and installed his son-in-law, Rev George Gardiner (1842-20 May 1897), into Box Church in 1874 shortly after George had married Bridget Downing Stancomb in 1870.
Perhaps Rev George Gardiner’s main achievement was the creation of the New Box Schools in 1875. But his tenure was very short-lived. A keen cricketer and active sportsman, George was involved in a serious train crash at Thingley Junction on 5 November 1875.[7] The train guard was killed, George knocked unconscious and he suffered head injuries. George sued the Railway for negligence saying that they had a duty of care when the passenger train ran into a goods service engine. He had experienced depression, memory loss and mood tempers and was awarded damages of £5,500 (£600,000 in today’s values). George was incapacitated for the rest of his life, nervous in preaching and physically easily exhausted. By 1891 George was having to go abroad for his health and his local duties became intermittent.[8]
The Gardiner Memorial Window in Box Church (courtesy Carol Payne)
By March 1896, George and Bridget sold the contents of their house and withdrew to Sussex for George’s health, where he died in Hastings in 1897.[9] Bridget remarried in 1919 but her second husband, Rev Frederick Drummond Hay, was knocked over by a cyclist and died in 1929. A stained-glass window and brass plaque to George were installed by her and their children in the Hazelbury Chapel in 1949.[10]
A succession of curates undertook much of the parochial work during George’s incapacity, including Rev J Harding in 1876 and Rev Albert Goodwin in 1879. In 1891 thirty-three-year-old Rev Harold J Blathwayte rented The Vicarage along with a cook and housekeeper and presumably acted as a locum minister. He was a keen photographer who had lectured on the subject in Stroud in 1888.[11] He left All Saints, Stroud and became curate of St Paul, Armitage Bridge, Huddersfield and in 1913 he set sail for Australia.[12]
Rev William White, Box Vicar 1896-1920
Perhaps the ministry of Rev William White (1860-1938) was the worst time to be a vicar in Box. Rev White was not well-connected by family or wealth and had married Jane Rain Tonkin (1861-) from Plymouth in 1882 a few years before he was ordained. His clerical experience was in curacies in Derby, Luton and Stepney, until in 1896 he was appointed to Box by the rector Thomas Hyde (1854-1908), wealthy Justice of the Peace, from Pixton Hill, Forest Row, East Grinstead, Sussex who had bought the advowson as an investment.
William’s ministry started with extensive work to renovate Box Church in 1896, organised by architect Harold Brakspear.[13] The work completely changed the appearance of the inside of the church by removing the high, box pews and lowering the floor level by a foot. The first-floor wooden galleries were also removed which allowed proper access from the North Aisle, now the present main door. It was a most difficult time for the vicar, not least because of the building of the new Methodist Church in 1897 and the Methodist School in 1907, impressive structures in the very centre of the village. The established order in Box changed rapidly in these years when George Wilbraham Northey, lord of the manor, died in 1906 and his wife Louisa two years later in December 1907. The vicar officiated at both funerals.
A succession of curates undertook much of the parochial work during George’s incapacity, including Rev J Harding in 1876 and Rev Albert Goodwin in 1879. In 1891 thirty-three-year-old Rev Harold J Blathwayte rented The Vicarage along with a cook and housekeeper and presumably acted as a locum minister. He was a keen photographer who had lectured on the subject in Stroud in 1888.[11] He left All Saints, Stroud and became curate of St Paul, Armitage Bridge, Huddersfield and in 1913 he set sail for Australia.[12]
Rev William White, Box Vicar 1896-1920
Perhaps the ministry of Rev William White (1860-1938) was the worst time to be a vicar in Box. Rev White was not well-connected by family or wealth and had married Jane Rain Tonkin (1861-) from Plymouth in 1882 a few years before he was ordained. His clerical experience was in curacies in Derby, Luton and Stepney, until in 1896 he was appointed to Box by the rector Thomas Hyde (1854-1908), wealthy Justice of the Peace, from Pixton Hill, Forest Row, East Grinstead, Sussex who had bought the advowson as an investment.
William’s ministry started with extensive work to renovate Box Church in 1896, organised by architect Harold Brakspear.[13] The work completely changed the appearance of the inside of the church by removing the high, box pews and lowering the floor level by a foot. The first-floor wooden galleries were also removed which allowed proper access from the North Aisle, now the present main door. It was a most difficult time for the vicar, not least because of the building of the new Methodist Church in 1897 and the Methodist School in 1907, impressive structures in the very centre of the village. The established order in Box changed rapidly in these years when George Wilbraham Northey, lord of the manor, died in 1906 and his wife Louisa two years later in December 1907. The vicar officiated at both funerals.
The only known photo of Rev William White showing left to right: Rev G Tidy, rector of Ditteridge, George Edward Northey and (right) Rev White (courtesy Bath Chronicle 30 October 1920)
Life in Box was overshadowed by the events of the First World War. Rev White remained strangely quiet throughout the war, perhaps it was a natural reticence or possibly he felt that human words were insufficient.
Procession for the unveiling of Box War Memorial (courtesy Bath Chronicle 30 October 1920)
The dedication of the War Memorial was the conclusion of William’s time in Box. It was a highly significant moment, when emotions ran high and words of comfort were of limited effect. A procession around the entire village made a huge crowd inevitable including the Corsham Town Band, the ladies VAD detachment, the Scouts, parish councillors, ex-servicemen, St John’s Ambulance volunteers, friendly society members and members of the general public. After the hymn Oh God, Our Help in Ages Past, the vicar addressed the crowd with thoughts that at such a time their hearts were full of many thoughts .. Foremost was the thought of the unselfish sacrifice which their brothers had made.. Perhaps they would not die for England; then let them live for England and for God, and live better lives for the sake of those who had gone before.[14]
William may not have been remarkable as a person but he was deeply loyal, coming back to officiate at the funeral of Augustus Frederick Perren, organist of Box Church, three years after his retirement.[15] He and his wife retired to 7 Lansdown Place, Bath and lived quietly there, William dying in 1938 and Jane in 1947.[16] They had no children and Jane left her money to a variety of charities and paid for a stained-glass window in the chancel of Box Church in memory of her husband who was vicar there for 24 years.[17] The memorial window for Rev William White is in the north aisle and shows Jesus with the Children.
William may not have been remarkable as a person but he was deeply loyal, coming back to officiate at the funeral of Augustus Frederick Perren, organist of Box Church, three years after his retirement.[15] He and his wife retired to 7 Lansdown Place, Bath and lived quietly there, William dying in 1938 and Jane in 1947.[16] They had no children and Jane left her money to a variety of charities and paid for a stained-glass window in the chancel of Box Church in memory of her husband who was vicar there for 24 years.[17] The memorial window for Rev William White is in the north aisle and shows Jesus with the Children.
Rev HDS Sweetapple
Henry Darrell Sudell Sweetapple, grandson of Dr Holled Darrell Cave Smith Horlock, was appointed vicar in 1920 after the advowson had been acquired by his relative, Mary Hilliburton Sweetapple. Rev Sweetapple’s tenure wasn’t very successful during a time of great unemployment in the village and declining church attendance. There were underlying issues also. In February 1923 Rev Sweetapple gave an interesting insight into the status of The Vicarage and the advowson of Box Church which had been transferred into the hands of the bishop.[18] He wrote: It was forced upon me by the condition of the so-called Vicarage House… The bishop has purchased, from funds at his disposal, the reversion from Mr White so that the way is clear for the house to be transformed into a real and proper Vicarage. It was a rather depressing lament from the vicar who left shortly thereafter in 1924. In February 1925 the financial situation of the vicarage was revealed at a meeting of parishioners as recorded in a local newspaper. The total income of Box Church was £501 pa, of which £376 came from tithes and charities. Of this £140 was paid as an annual pension to Rev White and another £10 paid to him as Rector of Hazelbury, leaving £148 as the vicar’s income. A lay sub-committee of villagers was set up to raise a further £140 to supplement this salary.[19]
It has usually been asserted that Rev HDS Sweetapple was the last of the Horlock family to live in Box but that isn’t the case. Another member of the family lived next door to The Vicarage at Springfield Villa and this amazing story is told in the next issue of the website.
When my good friend David Ibberson wrote “The Vicars of Thomas à Becket, Box” in 1987, he was breaking new ground in telling the history of the village through the lives of individual residents. His work was written before the internet opened up our avenues for research, which has enabled this article as a follow-up and complement to his work.
Henry Darrell Sudell Sweetapple, grandson of Dr Holled Darrell Cave Smith Horlock, was appointed vicar in 1920 after the advowson had been acquired by his relative, Mary Hilliburton Sweetapple. Rev Sweetapple’s tenure wasn’t very successful during a time of great unemployment in the village and declining church attendance. There were underlying issues also. In February 1923 Rev Sweetapple gave an interesting insight into the status of The Vicarage and the advowson of Box Church which had been transferred into the hands of the bishop.[18] He wrote: It was forced upon me by the condition of the so-called Vicarage House… The bishop has purchased, from funds at his disposal, the reversion from Mr White so that the way is clear for the house to be transformed into a real and proper Vicarage. It was a rather depressing lament from the vicar who left shortly thereafter in 1924. In February 1925 the financial situation of the vicarage was revealed at a meeting of parishioners as recorded in a local newspaper. The total income of Box Church was £501 pa, of which £376 came from tithes and charities. Of this £140 was paid as an annual pension to Rev White and another £10 paid to him as Rector of Hazelbury, leaving £148 as the vicar’s income. A lay sub-committee of villagers was set up to raise a further £140 to supplement this salary.[19]
It has usually been asserted that Rev HDS Sweetapple was the last of the Horlock family to live in Box but that isn’t the case. Another member of the family lived next door to The Vicarage at Springfield Villa and this amazing story is told in the next issue of the website.
When my good friend David Ibberson wrote “The Vicars of Thomas à Becket, Box” in 1987, he was breaking new ground in telling the history of the village through the lives of individual residents. His work was written before the internet opened up our avenues for research, which has enabled this article as a follow-up and complement to his work.
Residents of The Vicarage based on Cenuses
1861: Called Mead Villa - Adam W Elmslei (b 1789), retired West India proprietor
1871: Called Mead Villa - Henry Shebbeare, General Practitioner
1881: Vicarage - George Edward Gardiner
1891: Vicarage - Harold J Blathwayte, clerk
1901: Vicarage - William White
1911: Vicarage - William White
1939: Vicarage - Arthur F Maltin
Thereafter the house has been occupied by the vicars of Box as tenants of the diocese.
1861: Called Mead Villa - Adam W Elmslei (b 1789), retired West India proprietor
1871: Called Mead Villa - Henry Shebbeare, General Practitioner
1881: Vicarage - George Edward Gardiner
1891: Vicarage - Harold J Blathwayte, clerk
1901: Vicarage - William White
1911: Vicarage - William White
1939: Vicarage - Arthur F Maltin
Thereafter the house has been occupied by the vicars of Box as tenants of the diocese.
References
[1] The Globe, newspaper 24 October 1805
[2] David Ibberson, The Vicars of St Thomas a Becket, Box, 1987, p.28
[3] John Aubrey, Topographical, Canon Jackson, Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, 1862, p.58
[4] David Ibberson believed that Dr Nash of Kingsdown Asylum sold the Vicarage to Dr Horlock but this appears to be anecdotal (The Vicars of St Thomas a Becket, Box, 1987, p.36)
[5] The Reading Mercury, 17 May 1845
[6] David Ibberson, The Vicars of St Thomas a Becket, Box, 1987, p.36
[7] Trowbridge and North Wilts Advertiser, 31 March 1877
[8] The Bath Chronicle, 9 July 1891
[9] The Bath Chronicle, 19 March 1896
[10] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 28 May 1949
[11] Stroud News and Gloucestershire Advertiser, 23 March 1888
[12] Homeward Mail from India, China and the East, 12 April 1913
[13] See article St Thomas à Becket
[14] The Bath Chronicle, 30 October 1920
[15] The Bath Chronicle, 3 November 1923
[16] The Wiltshire Times, 27 August 1938
[17] The Western Daily Press, 3 September 1947
[18] Parish Magazine, February 1923
[19] Unidentified newspaper extract saved by Phil Lambert dated 27 January 1925 (courtesy Margaret Wakefield)
[1] The Globe, newspaper 24 October 1805
[2] David Ibberson, The Vicars of St Thomas a Becket, Box, 1987, p.28
[3] John Aubrey, Topographical, Canon Jackson, Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, 1862, p.58
[4] David Ibberson believed that Dr Nash of Kingsdown Asylum sold the Vicarage to Dr Horlock but this appears to be anecdotal (The Vicars of St Thomas a Becket, Box, 1987, p.36)
[5] The Reading Mercury, 17 May 1845
[6] David Ibberson, The Vicars of St Thomas a Becket, Box, 1987, p.36
[7] Trowbridge and North Wilts Advertiser, 31 March 1877
[8] The Bath Chronicle, 9 July 1891
[9] The Bath Chronicle, 19 March 1896
[10] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 28 May 1949
[11] Stroud News and Gloucestershire Advertiser, 23 March 1888
[12] Homeward Mail from India, China and the East, 12 April 1913
[13] See article St Thomas à Becket
[14] The Bath Chronicle, 30 October 1920
[15] The Bath Chronicle, 3 November 1923
[16] The Wiltshire Times, 27 August 1938
[17] The Western Daily Press, 3 September 1947
[18] Parish Magazine, February 1923
[19] Unidentified newspaper extract saved by Phil Lambert dated 27 January 1925 (courtesy Margaret Wakefield)