The Hampshire Family Historian | Volume 49 No.4 | March 2023

Hampshire Family Historian The

Volume 49 No.4 March 2023

Journal of the Hampshire Genealogical Society

Page 157

Page 142

Page 152

Also inside this Issue A Mother’s Life at Sea • “My husband and I” met HM The Queen • Theft When Swimming

PLUS: Around the groups • Members’ Surname Interest • Research Room

Hampshire Genealogical Society HGS OFFICE , Hampshire Genealogical Society, Hampshire Record Office, Sussex Street, Winchester. SO23 8TH Office only open Tuesday and Thursday 10am to 4pm Registered Charity 284744

Telephone: 07769 405195 Email: society@hgs-online.org.uk Website: http://www.hgs-familyhistory.com

PRESIDENT Dr Nick Barratt

PROJECTS Position vacant

CHAIRMAN Paul Pinhorne 84 Fontmell Road, Broadstone,

BOOKSTALL Tony Sinclair Email: bookstall@hgs-online.org.uk

Dorset BH18 8NP Tel: 01202 383736 Email: chairman@hgs-online.org.uk

RESEARCH CENTRE MANAGER Chris Pavey Email: researchmanager@hgs-online.org.uk

SECRETARY Position Vacant

MEMBERS’ INTERESTS Keith Turner Email: membersinterests@hgs-online.org.uk

TREASURER Ann-Marie Shearer at address at top of page Email: treasurer@hgs-online.org.uk

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND TRUSTEES: John Bowman Margaret Bowman

Fiona Ranger Ann-Marie Shearer Keith Turner Angela Winteridge

Phil Brown Kay Lovell Gwen Newland Chris Pavey Paul Pinhorne

Tony Sinclair Sue Stannard (Co-opted)

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY Margaret Bowman 11 Elbe Way, Andover SP10 4LD Tel: 01264 351361 Email: membership@hgs-online.org.uk

GROUP ORGANISERS – See Group Reports Pages

SUBSCRIPTION RATES: ALL MEMBERS £15

EDITOR Stephen Pomeroy at address at top of page Email: editor@hgs-online.org.uk

This journal is designed and laid out by Grey Cell Studios Southampton Telephone 023 8023 5780 Email: info@greycellstudios.co.uk

Hampshire Family Historian The

Contents

Editorial

138

by Stephen Pomeroy Chairman’s Report

139 140 142 145 146 147

March2023

HGS News

Vol 49 No.4 • ISSN 0306-6843

HGS Exhibition at the HRO

Farewell

Page 152

Searchers

Death in Dorset

by Roy Montgomery News from the Hampshire Archives 148 Surnames Featured in this Issue 151 The History and Future of Bastion No.1 152 by Alan Petrie A Mother’s Life at Sea 154 by Terry Gilmour

Deadline Material for possible inclusion in the June 2023 Family Historian should be received strictly by 21st May 2023 . All contributions are, however, appreciated as early as possible. The deadline applies to regular features only. Disclaimer The Hampshire Family Historian is the official publication of the Hampshire Genealogical Society. Material is copyright of the Society and may not be reproduced without written permission. The Hampshire Genealogical Society does not accept responsibility for personal views expressed in this publication, or in any articles. Submission of material The editor welcomes articles, feedback, letters or searchers requests for the journal. Text should be typed in black, with illustrations if appropriate. Send to the HGS Office at the address on the inside front cover marked for the attention of the editor. Please enclose a SAE for return of any photos or other items. Items can also be sent by e-mail to editor@hgs-online.org.uk as Word documents. In this case please send any photos or illustrations as separate image files rather than embedded in the document. You can have them in the document to indicate where they should appear or use placeholders. Images degrade when they are imported and resized when embedded. HGS reserves the right to reproduce submissions in publicity materials and on the society website. Please ALWAYS include a telephone contact — and if a member your membership number. To comply with data protection requirements please state what contact details you want printed in the journal or website, e.g telephone number and/or e-mail and/or address.

Page 157

“My husband and I” met HM The Queen 157 by Pat Gilbert Ancestry indexing error 161 by Richard Backhouse Members’ Surname Interests 162 Local Group Programmes 166 Theft When Swimming 179 by Roy Montgomery Death in Dorset 180 by Roy Montgomery Membership IBC

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Editorial

Message from the editor A quarter of the way through the year and thankfully COVID seems to not be causing the problems of the last years. However, in the UK many of us either before

meeting royalty Marion Gilmour article on her ancestor

Christmas or soon after have succumbed to a nasty cough, probably as we do not have the natural immunity of previous years as we are still limiting our ventures outside. Many of our groups are holding their winter season meetings using Zoom and will resume normal face to face meetings later in the year so please check the group reports section of the journal or better still on our website for details of your normal meetings or for online ones that you may like to ‘attend’. There is some important paperwork with this journal concerning membership and the annual conference day which you may need to fill out and send in or complete online to ensure your continuing membership or attendance at the conference day. Articles in this issue include: Richard Backhouse and some of the issues you may encounter with Ancestry Pat Hilbert’s response to the request about

Jane Beard and her life in service Alan Petrie

from the Gosport Group

contributed the article on the Bastion at Trinity Green, Gosport by the Friends of the Bastion - who allowed us to reproduce their research ahead of an exhibition, They are after any memories which people may be able to provide to bring to life the historical research. Also in this issue is a report on the HGS exhibition held at Hampshire Records Office and details about a forthcoming exhibition at HRO. Stephen Pomeroy Editor

Membership Renewal If your subscription is due for renewal please see the inside of the back cover and the insert in the centre of the journal.

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Chairman’s Report

Message from the Chairman I hope you all had a great Christmas and 2023 is going well. You may, like me,

please volunteer if you have the time to do so. In my last Message, I stated that Gwen Newland will step down as a Trustee at

either been treated to or purchased subscriptions to one of the many genealogy websites that are available. Or, like me, purchased a DNA test. Unfortunately, I purchased one and then two days later a better one emerged that would have been most useful. My mother was German and I wonder if my results will show I have Scandinavian genes. The area in Germany was ruled over by Sweden for many decades. I am not expecting any other surprises, but who knows. If you have tried a DNA test, why not share your experience with members through the Journal. By the time you read this edition, I am hopeful that we are now open on a Wednesday in the Hampshire Record Office (HRO). Again, I repeat, if you are local and can help out, please contact either me or Chris the Research Centre Manager. During January and February the Society had a display on show in the foyer of the HRO. This has generated much interest and excellent comments. My thanks go out to the members involved; Phil Brown, Jane Painter, Tony Sinclair and Sue Stannard. Again, these are members already involved in other roles, so

the next AGM in June. Gwen has been a loyal servant of the HGS for 10 years. She has taken on roles such as Minute Secretary, Membership Secretary, Secretary and Webmaster. I really wish to thank Gwen for all the work she has done for the Society. For many months I have been covering both the role of the Chairman and the Secretary. I cannot do both roles and ensure our Society progresses. So please if you are willing to help as either a Minute Secretary or Secretary, I would urge you to contact me. If we can appoint a Minute Secretary, that can remove some of the work the Secretary carries out. We are holding our Conference Day and 49th AGM on Saturday 17th June in Winchester.

Details are available from the Website. This year we will be attending several

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Chairman’s Report/HGS News

Shows around the country. Keep a look out for them. If you attend, introduce yourself to the ‘Dream Team’. Or why not help out. Last year, Terry and John from Yorkshire represented the Society at the York Family History Show. In the December edition, I mentioned two groups being suspended due to a lack of a group organiser. Unfortunately, another group

is at risk due to lack of members coming forward. I believe a group is more sustainable when several members are involved, taking on the various roles. Give it a thought please. Well, enjoy the rest of March Historian and

‘Good Hunting’

Paul Pinhorne Chairman

B3420

B3047

WE ARE HERE

Stockbridge Road

HGS Hampshire Record Office Sussex Street Winchester Hampshire SO23 8TH

Station

B3049

P

A272

Sussex Street

North Walls

Jewry Street

B3420

B3049

Durngate

B3330

B3040

Wales Sreet

Romsey Road

St Georges Street

P

The Westgate

Friarsgate

B3040

River Itchen

High Street

Bus Station

King Al fred’s Statue

Railway

Southgate Street

Town Hall

Winchester Cathedral

St Cross Road

P

B3330

B3335

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HGS News

Notes From The Membership Secretary I thought that I would share some points with you about HGS, its research table and office at Winchester Record Office. If you plan to visit, our help desk is manned from 10am-4pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday each week. The easiest way to get to the Record Office when driving is by using the Park and Ride. The building is adjacent to a Park and Ride bus stop and the railway station. The website is kept up to date by Richard are free to all who visit the website – Royal Observer Corps records and Fleet Marriages. These marriages are clandestine or irregular marriages and who knows whether their ancestors made use of this method of a “quickie” marriage. Under this heading there is a list of our reference library catalogue. This is a list of all the books, pamphlets and donated family trees that are available for research. If you find an item that you think may help you in your research please contact us and we will do a “look up” for you. Unfortunately, we have no system in place for

Backhouse, who is an Andover member, and is always worth visiting to see what is happening at HGS. www.hgs-familyhistory.com Members’ Area – In the Member’s Only Data there are two presentations available to view. One is by our president, Nick Barratt, about “Who Do You Think You Are” (WDYTYA) and the other is about the digitisation of the 1921 census in the UK. We also offer short term presentations when a speaker agrees to allow this to happen. Also, in the Member's Only Data there are small data sets which you will not find on any subscription sites but could possibly be of interest to you as a researcher. Groups - It is always worthwhile checking to see what other groups are doing under this tab. Some have Zoom meetings during the winter months. If a presentation appeals to you, please use the contact e-mail to request a link to a Zoom meeting. Research - there is a modest charge for simple searches and for a full breakdown of our current fees please click on the research button and select HGS Research Centre. Also, by clicking on the Research button on the task bar you will find two data sets which

the loan of books, but they can be made available to personal visitors for research. Unwanted Certificates – these have been donated by members having no further use for them. I am sure that many of us have ordered a certificate only to find it was the wrong one. Click on the SHOP tab to find the list of unwanted certificates, who knows and it may save you money if we have the one that you are looking for. Contact Us – Use this tab for any enquiry that you wish to make. I hope that these few points show you that HGS has a wealth of information that we can share with you about your Hampshire ancestors, but even if you do not have many county connections there are general knowledge books etc that will fit any part of England and Wales. Take care and stay safe Kind regards Margaret Membership secretary

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HGS News

HRO / Winchester Museum Exhibition

This exhibition marked the start of the 50th year since the foundation of Hampshire Genealogical Society (HGS) in 1974 and was on display in the foyer of Hampshire Record Office during January and February this year. The purpose was to provide awareness of what HGS is, what it does, and what it has to offer to anyone interested in Hampshire based family history. The exhibition highlighted the work of HGS volunteers over the years, ranging from transcribing parish records and documenting memorial inscriptions to volunteering on our help desk at Hampshire Record Office (HRO). It also introduced our current project – the digitisation of about 90,000 handwritten cards comprising an index of Britons dying overseas. This is one of the biggest projects ever undertaken by HGS which will take until 2024 to complete. Work on our exhibition began in May 2022 when HGS members Phil Brown, Jane Painter

and Tony Sinclair met together to plan what themes should be covered in the display boards. They also started research into original documents and old books belonging to the society and used them to demonstrate how such items can be invaluable resources for family historians. Phil documented the origins and development of HGS, including the changing style of the Hampshire Family Historian over the years. Tony presented the story of how an old book kept in the family for generations helped his daughter trace the link through her maternal line to the Dorset poet

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HGS News

William Barnes. Jane presented a case study detailing how a family meal in a local pub sparked her interest in family history! Using HGS resources she was able to trace her 3x great grandfather John Frederick TEES to Titchfield. His son-in-law had been the landlord of the Queens Head, Titchfield, the same pub Jane had visited. The exhibition also documented how the current partnership between Hampshire Genealogical Society and Hampshire Record Office came into to being and how the fact that HGS has been based at the Record Office for the last 18 months has benefitted both partners. We also took the opportunity to display some of the items available in our online shop. The exhibition was well received by visitors to the record office and did indeed generate interest in some of our merchandise. The plan is to keep these display boards for future use so if you couldn’t get to Winchester there will be other opportunities to see the exhibition later.

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HGS News

Celebrating Charlotte Mary Yonge

This year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Hampshire’s most prolific, yet sadly overlooked, author Charlotte Mary Yonge (CMY). During her lifetime she received many accolades but since her death in 1901 her contribution to literature has not always received the attention it deserves. In order to raise her profile the CMY Fellowship is arranging a variety of commemorative events during 2023. One of these is an exhibition at the Hampshire Record Office during March and April. The following five display panels are planned: 1. CMY as a Hampshire woman 2. CMY the best-selling novelist 3. CMY and the Church of England 4. CMY and education 5. CMY in the Victorian context A small exhibition is also being arranged by Hampshire Cultural Trust in Winchester Museum. This will highlight CMY’s links with Winchester, her achievements as a novelist, costumes of the period and her longstanding housekeeper and domestic servant, Harriet Spratt. Another event, organised in collaboration with the Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society, is CMY Day which is scheduled for the 24 June. The morning will be spent in Otterbourne, where CMY was born and spent her whole life, and the afternoon at the majestic Hursley Park, where CMY had close connections with the Heathcote family, and Hursley village. At Otterbourne there will be a

musical contribution from “Madding Crowd” and at both locations short talks on the communities as CMY would have known them, plus the opportunity to undertake CMY trails (short self-guided walks). The latter are included in a specially prepared commemorative booklet, and produced with financial assistance from Hampshire Archives Trust. The charge for this event is £17. For further information and to book please visit https://www.hantsfieldclub.org.uk/sections /localhist-yonge-day.html or contact Roger Ottewill (rogeottewill@btinternet.com).

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HGS News

Apologies/Problems There were some issues which affected the December 2022 journal. Sadly, just at the critical time, Clive who lays out the journal, organises the printing etc was taken ill and was in hospital. He was later well enough to be released and managed to complete the journal. We wish him well and hope he will be well

enough to keep working as he does a good job for the society. Having got the journal ready, the UK postal workers decided to strike for another two days as the printed version was due to be sent out. Depending whether their pay issues are resolved this may be an ongoing problem with journals delayed by a few days.

Errata

The Romsey Group report for October was written by Ros Boon not Colin Dawe.

Bouncing e-mails

Maybe you have not heard from me! Has your e-mail bounced? I experienced a high number of ‘bounces’ last year, so if you have changed your e-mail/postal address please let me know. Many thanks. Margaret Membership Secretary

FAREWELL Robin Gain Sarratt

With the deepest regret we wish to inform readers of the death of the following HGS members:-

Member #6331 Member #3808 Member #4788 Member #12088 Member #11552 Member #3756

Roy Kersley David Maber

Petersfield Alverstoke Emsworth Stubbington Alverstoke

Diana Whittaker Patricia Woodruff Mrs Pamela Janes

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Searchers

Searche If you would like your request to be included in this section, please submit a brief, but specific, email or letter of enquiry or send a 'Word' based article with relevant names (and particularly your own name and address) detailed in BLOCK CAPITALS to Editor, Hampshire Genealogical Society, Hampshire Record Office, Sussex Street, Winchester. SO23 8TH. Please advise what contact details you want printed in the journal along with your query – email, telephone number, postal address, or via HGS Office, research@hgs-online.org.uk Please be patient as acknowledgement or reply

will not be made except through this journal. Photographs and illustrations are gladly accepted: – 300 dpi resolution jpegs by email attachment or on CD are welcome or laser colour photocopies (never ordinary ones) or black and white original pictures. All can be returned if you request it and supply an SAE. If sending original photographs through the post, please use a protective board envelope. EMAIL: searchers@hgs-online.org.uk and please always quote a full postal address for those without computers. If this is not done, your request may well be disregarded.

Abbreviations used: b = born, bap = baptised, bd = buried, c. = circa, C = Century, d. = died, mrd = married. Members are reminded that these pages are compiled from letters etc. that may have been written months beforehand, so postal addresses should always be checked for up to date changes.

Percy Gordon LINDSELL

I am trying to find details of my Father's Home Guard Service during the second World War. The attached Certificate states that he served between the 16 August 1940 and the 31

December 1944. Unfortunately, during this period he was recorded as living at three different addresses, 18, Dene Parade, Horsham, Sussex, 8, Barham road, Petersfield and Fernwood, Forest Road, Liss Forest.

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Searchers/Member’s article

I have not been able to identify the Platoons that he may have served in and would welcome any suggestions on where to look for the information. David Lindsell (Member #15906) Contact Details:- 58, South view Gardens, Andover, Hampshire, SP10 2AQ Email trained@tiscali.co.uk

Death in Dorset

The 13th of April 1840 edition of The Salisbury and Winchester Journal reported on the inquest held on Wednesday 8th April on the death of Thos. SWENY in the “Black Dog” in Stoke near Wareham. He was a dealer from Portsmouth who got into a fight the previous day with William CLAPCOTT who lived in Stoke. They were presumably gambling with cards when a quarrel started over some comments made by SWENY on the way that the game was being played. As a result of the subsequent fight Thomas SWENY died. The verdict of the jury was manslaughter which resulted in William CLAPCOTT being committed to Dorchester Gaol to await trial. His confinement didn’t last long because a report in the same paper two weeks later on 20th April confirmed that at the Dorset Sessions he was found not guilty. Unfortunately the report did not reveal any

details from the trial other than that he was acquitted. Whilst looking for any further information on Thomas SWENY I couldn’t find any details of his burial in Dorset but as a long shot I did look in the HGS Burial Index. This resulted in a curious find of a burial of Thomas SWEENY, aged 23, that appeared in the St Mary’s burial register on 7th April. If this was the same person there is no way that he could have been buried on the same day that he died in Dorset. So were there two Thomas SWENY s living in Portsmouth at the same time who and died within a few days of each other, or did somebody somewhere get one, or both, of the dates wrong? Roy Montgomery (Member #3759) Sources – The Salisbury and Winchester Journal April 1840 HGS indexes

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News from the Hampshire Archives

The Hampshire Archives and Local Studies

Accessions Hampshire Record Office – some recent additions to the archives for Hampshire Archives and Local Studies and Wessex Film and Sound Archive. Personal, family and estate records Aldershot area photographs and documents: photographs of the military area of Aldershot, including the various barracks, Prince Consort Library, Wellington statue, Cambridge Military Hospital, troops including an early Aldershot group of NCOs and the First Aldershot Commander, General Sir William Knollys, c1860s-1920s; also churches in Aldershot, the May family, and photographs of Farnborough including Farnborough Abbey and churches; newspapers including Aldershot Military Gazette, 8 Jun 1900, copies of The Illustrated London News, 1860s-70s; papers, photos and correspondence of Major William James May, c1915-1920s, and photographs and papers of his wedding, 6 Jun 1906; typescript and handwritten drafts of a history of Aldershot; various menus and programmes, including some for masonic lodges, c1918 20s; abstract of title to 43 and 45 High Street, Aldershot, 1907; minute book of The Camberley and Yorktown Laundry Co Ltd, 1898-1900, minute book of The Farnborough and District Steam Laundry Company Limited, 1911-48, with Board Meeting minutes, 1910 27 (107A22, part listed) Blackman of Gosport, family papers: papers relating to the Blackman family of

Opening hours for Record Office visitors continue to be Tuesdays to Thursdays, 9.30am to 4.00pm. Researchers can visit without appointment to see up to six documents before 12 noon but booking is essential for those wishing to see more than 6 documents per day. Please check our website for the most up to date information at www.hants.gov.uk/librariesandarchives/archiv es. We will also be open for the following Saturdays in 2023: 4 March, 3 June, 14 October with the same service arrangements as for weekdays. Our programme to put Hampshire records online has taken a big step forward with Hampshire and Isle of Wight wills and other probate records, 1396 to 1858, now available on Ancestry. Note that access to Ancestry is free in Hampshire Libraries and Hampshire Record Office. Parish register entries up to 1921 have also been digitised. These are being indexed with the expectation that they will be available on Ancestry by mid-2023. Finally, there is more good news about digital access. From 1 February, the 1921 census on FindMyPast will also be available free in Hampshire Libraries and Hampshire Record Office. Two more great reasons to visit us in 2023!

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News from the Hampshire Archives

Gosport, in particular Mrs Dorothy Rose Blackman (d1979, wife of Leslie Blackman), a member of the organising committee for the Mayor of Gosport's Second World War victory celebrations, and a leading light in the local community. Collection includes cuttings, captioned photographs of the Gosport carnival, 1946, and related group photographs of Alverstoke Primary School, the Youth and Women's Fellowship Guilds at Christ Church, Stoke Road, Gosport, late 1940s, St Mary's Alverstoke church choir, 1950, Alverstoke Ladies' Bowling Club, c1950, and Gosport Red Cross detachment, 1952. Collection also includes a selection of papers concerning Mrs Blackman's son, David, including a circular message signed by King George VI commemorating victory in the Second World War, 8 Jun 1948, with certificate issued to Mr Blackman at the victory celebrations, 1946; photos and cuttings relating to Mr Blackman's life and interests, especially his career as a scientist and Government adviser on the movement of radioactive waste (working at AWRE, Aldermaston, Berks), including photos featuring the Marchioness of Anglesey who chaired ACTRAM (Advisory Committee for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Materials), 1980s. (112A22 uncatalogued) Houseman, Rohan and Benner, solicitors: deeds, legal documents and related papers concerning Heathcote family of Hursley Park, including conditions of sale and letting agreements for farms and properties on the Tylney Hall estate, c1892-1916, and papers

concerning the sale of Tylney Hall in 1916; copy will of Sir William Heathcote of Hursley Park, Bt, 13 Oct 1881, and related legal papers, c1912-53; papers concerning the trust funds comprised in the marriage settlement of Sir William and Lady Heathcote, and the will of Sir William Heathcote, 1885-1902; miscellaneous papers concerning family trusts, 1889-1958; probate of the will and codicil of Mrs Clara Rosalie Heathcote, dec'd, dated 16 Mar 1896, with related papers.(76A02, uncatalogued) Northington Farm, Overton: day book for the Northington Farm estate, Overton, recording daily expenditure on the farm and surrounding estate, 1940-50 (93A22) Nonconformist records East Boldre Baptist Church: Registers of births and burials, 1823-94 (births 1823-59, burials 1837-94); Church meeting minutes and lists of membership, 1817-60; Church Meeting minute book, 1860-1977; Church Meeting minutes, 2000-10 Church Meeting minutes, Oct 2012-Oct 2019; Leaders' Meeting minutes, Oct [year not known]; AGM minutes, Feb 2017 (100A22) Parish Council records Bramdean and Hinton Ampner Parish Council: Parish Council minute book, May 2020-Apr 2022; Recreation committee minute

books, Apr 1981-Jan 2022 (71M72) Soberton Parish Council: Parish

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News from the Hampshire Archives

recent accessions include the following: Berkshire films: VHS tapes (12): St Peter's church, Drayton, film by Bob Winter, 1987; Two episodes of 'Challenge Anneka', 1989; 'Live Work and Play the Bracknell Forest Way', late 1980s; excavations for new heating system at St Nicolas, Newbury, 1992; St Mary's Church, Shaw cum Donnington 150th anniversary pageant, 1992; 'Parish of Compton', 1994; Brightwell cum Sotwell 50th anniversary, 1995; video of last County Council meeting, Thames Valley Television, 1998; Celebrating Warfield in Year 2000; My School Days production for White House Preparatory School, 2000; The Reading Water Voles, 2001; The Reading Cattle Market 'Past and Present', 2001 (AV768) Wallbank films: DVDs compiled by Alan Wallbank - The Great Performer, 2019; Fredericks Legacy, 2022; Time to Say Goodbye, 2022; The Crowning Glory, 2022; Cecil Gordon Vokes, 2022, with notes about Cecil Vokes (AV258) Events Our programme of events for the first part of 2023 is now online at What's on at Hampshire Archives | Hampshire County Council (hants.gov.uk), and tickets are selling fast. We are offering two new online talks, on Florence Nightingale and on the Highclere Castle archive, and repeating a couple of our

Council minutes, May 1980-Mar 2008 (51M73) Upper Clatford Parish Council: Parish Council signed minutes, Mar-Dec 1993, 1996 2006 (125M94) Langrish Parish Council: Parish Council minute books, 1981-2007 (3 vols); Annual Parish Meeting minute book, Mar 1977-Apr 2003; Map and Schedule of Rights of Way in Langrish, 1934 (46M91) Parish records Ecchinswell Parish: marriage register, 1844 2019 (147M82) Smannell Parish: marriage register, 1858 2000 (53M95) Compton Parish: Compton parish time capsule, sealed in 1955, celebrating the octocentenary of All Saints' Church, and the fiftieth anniversary of the 1905 extension which more than doubled the size of the old Norman church (the time capsule was unsealed again in 2005); Compton and Shawford parish magazines, Jan-Dec 2022 (1M76) Photographs Aerial photograph of Wolvesey Palace and Castle, Winchester: Large aerial colour photograph of the Bishop of Winchester's Palace, also known as Wolvesey Palace and the ruins of the earlier Bishop's Palace attached to the rear, c1990 (114A22) Wessex Film and Sound Archive’s

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News from the Hampshire Archives

most popular topics, family history, and house history. You can book via the online shop here Hampshire Record Office – Tagged "Event" – Hampshire County Council Shop (hants.gov.uk). Following the tremendous success last November of our first onsite film screening since pre-pandemic days, we will be hosting two more screenings this year, on Fashion on Film (22 May), and Romsey on Film – watch this space for details. We hope to see you there! Our prices are currently being held at last year’s levels, making our events even more of a bargain too, so please do share the details with friends and colleagues in your organisations. Our events programme is complemented by a

range of exhibitions in our foyer. Currently, a fascinating exhibition from HGS occupies the space. This will be followed on 28 February by an exhibition marking the bicentenary of the birth of Charlotte M. Yonge, one of the most popular writers of the nineteenth century. Then from 2 May to 29 June, the Micheldever Station Heritage Group’s display focuses on the community created by the station. Did you know that we have been hosting Archive Ambassadors workshops for many years now? This day-long workshop is aimed at groups which are looking for the best way of caring for their archives, but which have no professional archive experience. It covers preservation, cataloguing, digitisation, and online access, as well as oral history. If you would like more details, please contact archives.enquiries@hants.gov.uk.

Some of the surnames featured in this issue (with page number) ADAMS . . . . . . . . . .179 BAGLEY . . . . . . . . . .154 BERNARD . . . . . . . .179 BODDY . . . . . . . . . . .180 BULLEY . . . . . . . . . .179 CLAPCOTT . . . . . . . .147 FAIRBANKS . . . . . . .156 FORWARD . . . . . . . .161 GAMBLIN . . . . . . . . .154 GREEN . . . . . . . .158/59 GILMOUR . . . . . . . . .154 GIRDLER . . . . . . . . .180 HEWLETT . . . . . . . .180 LAWRENCE . . . . . . .154 MURPHY . . . . . . . . .179 MULFORD . . . . . . . .180 MUTFORD . . . . . . . .180 PERKINS . . . . . . . . .179 PICKFORD . . . . . . . .156 PRIOR . . . . . . . . . . .154 SHERWOOD . . . . . . .154 STAPLES . . . . . . . . .154 SWEENY . . . . . . . . .147 SWENY . . . . . . . . . . .147 WEEKS . . . . . . . . . .179

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Member’s article

The History and Future of Bastion No.1,

The Past In 1660 King Charles II ordered better coastal defences for England. In 1774 Sir Bernard de Gomme began the overall fortification of the Portsmouth area including the Gosport Lines. This work continued for half a century. By 1790 England was at war with France. Servicemen were stationed at Forton Barracks and at Fort Monkton on the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour. In 1795 the Reverend Richard Bingham raised funds to build the Vicarage opposite Trinity Church. However, under protest he had to sell the land and lease the house to the army, which was occupied by the Garrison Commander. Number 1 Bastion was the last to be built in 1802 by convict labour. The Bastion never fired a shot in anger, and is believed to be one of only three in the country. Visiting today you enter the Bastion through the new large oak double gates opposite Trinity Church. To the right is an embankment with powder and shell stores on the ground level. The area in front was the parade ground. The grass

the 14 pivot gun emplacements. Walking towards Haslar Bridge and the footpath to Rampart Row on the left is the Caponier built after 1853 with slots cut in to the brick wall to allow rifle fire on any invading troops. Across the moat is the sluice gate built in about1840 to control water levels. The Bastion is a rare survivor of an 1802 military rampart that formed the defences of Portsmouth Harbour. The Bastion is a Scheduled Ancient Monument The Present The friends of the Bastion were formed in December 2018 following the interest in preventing this historic monument and Gosport landmark falling into disrepair. Gosport Council received a grant from the Coastal Revival Fund. Invasive sycamore and overgrown brambles together with 12 tonnes of litter were removed. The site is home to badger setts, bats, and numerous butterflies and moths are observed including the protected Jersey Tiger moth.

slope gives you access to the Terre Plein (Platform) which mounted

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Member’s article

Trinity Green Gosport By the Friends of the Bastion

The moat is designated a site of importance for nature (SINC) and contains the rare Haminoea Navicula as well as Gammarus Insensibilis and Monocorophium Insidiosum. The Future The old parade ground is where a new garden is planned with planters and benches, parterre (ornamental garden) and walnut tree. A path will be cut through a meadow with a labyrinth near the gate. Later a wooden viewing platform will be built to give the public a view over the ramparts to Portsmouth harbour and the Solent It is planned that the Mayor of Gosport will open the new Bastion amenities to the public at Easter time in April 2023 A Plea We know a lot about the history of the site, but nothing about the men and women who served in this Bastion. If any HGS Members have information about ancestors who served here or in the Gosport lines and are willing to

divulge this to The Friends of the Bastion can they please get in touch. Alan Petrie (Member #13714) Member of The Friends of the Bastion petriealan@aol.com View from the moat showing recent brickwork repairs

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Member’s article

My grandmother’s husband, Henry Norton Wheeler GILMOUR, was a bigamist and some of you may remember my short piece about him. Being abandoned by him in 1920, with four children to bring up, she went to sea and had an amazing life. Edith Maria GAMBLIN was the daughter of William GAMBLIN and Jane SHERWOOD and was born on Christmas Day, 1883 in Winchester. Edith had four siblings, William George, born 1877, Albert, born 1879, Emily Jane, born 1882 and Charles James, born 1887. In 1891, when Edith was four years old, her mother collapsed in the High Street in Winchester and sadly died. Jane was only 31 years old and the doctor performing the post-mortem said he had never seen such a diseased heart in one so young. On the 1891 census, Edith and her siblings were living with their aunt and uncle, William and Ann BAGLEY in Winchester. William married again in 1893 to Sarah PRIOR who Edith described as a good stepmother but “not a very tidy lady”. Edith married Henry Norton Wheeler GILMOUR on 1st April 1907 and had four legitimate children, Harry Douglas, born 1907, Charles Frank, born 1909, Arthur William, (my father) born 1913 and Rita Margaret, born 1920. Edith also had one illegitimate child, Ena, born in 1928. Ena did not remain with her mother and half siblings but was adopted, I believe unofficially, by George and Beatrice STAPLES . A Mother’s Life at Sea

Jane Sherwood

On being abandoned by her husband in 1920, because he had “jumped ship” in the USA, where he remained until his death, Edith decided to join the merchant navy (MN) in order to be able to support her children by boarding them out with family or friends. On the 1921 census my father was living with Enos and Florence LAWRENCE in Southampton as their adopted son and I understand baby Rita went to stay with friends. I am fortunate in having Edith’s MN discharge books which detail all her sailings and the ships on which she served.

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Member’s article

William Gamblin

Edith Maria with Harry

After working on the Isle of Wight ferries, Edith joined the Union Castle line in 1921, sailing on the Arundel Castle to South Africa and one year later moving to the Windsor Castle as a laundress. Obviously being quite ambitious, Edith moved to the Homeric as a stewardess in 1925 on the regular run to New York. Then in 1926, she sailed on the Orca, followed by the Araguaya in 1927, the Albertic in 1928, back to the Homeric in 1928 and the Majestic in 1928. It was during one of these trips she became pregnant with Ena and I have no idea who her father was. Edith

remained with the Majestic until 1931 when she transferred to His Majesty’s Troop ship Lancashire carrying troops to India and China. Then in 1934 she went back to the Homeric cruising in the West Indies and Mediterranean. Edith then spent two years on the Aquitania on the New York run until she was asked to join the crew of a new Cunard liner called The Queen Mary. After a short “shakedown” cruise the Queen Mary embarked on her maiden trip to New York on 27th May 1936, returning to Southampton on 10th June 1936. Edith said she would never forget the

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Member’s article

Queen Mary Maiden Voyage

amazing fire boat welcome as they entered the Upper Bay in New York. During her time at sea Edith met many Hollywood stars including Douglas FAIRBANKS Snr and his wife Mary PICKFORD . She remained as crew on the Queen Mary until she retired from the MN at the age of 53 on 16th March 1937. Edith died on 28th November 1977 in Southampton. Returning to Ena, she was never mentioned by my grandmother or her children. It was as if she never existed and it wasn’t until late 2019, through an Ancestry DNA match with a half

cousin, I knew anything about Ena. After learning of this match, I contacted the daughter of a deceased older cousin who said this explained a mystery. My cousin had told her daughter that as a child Edith had taken her to see another young girl and given her presents. The two girls were similar in age. From this it appears that Edith did keep in contact with Ena. I am now in regular contact with Ena’s daughter, my half cousin Karen, who currently lives in Scotland. Terry Gilmour

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Member’s article

“My husband and I” met HM The Queen

I am responding to the Editor’s suggestion in his message in the last edition concerning members’ meetings with the late Queen. George, (my husband of 61 years) and I have been HGS members for some 28 years since we moved to Verwood in retirement. We met HM Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Prince Philip when HM The Queen opened the multi million pound Elmsleigh Shopping Centre in Staines in February 1979. In 1964 George had been appointed Deputy Clerk of Staines UDC, was then promoted to Clerk of the Council and finally spent the last 15 years of his working life until 1973 as the first Chief Executive of Spelthorne Borough Council. This meant that by 1979 he had spent a considerable part of 15 years of his life on the planning and building of Phase 1 of a “Comprehensive Development Area” (CDA) in Staines Town Centre. The Elmsleign Shopping Centre was a crucial part of Phase 1. It was serviced from a new overhead road which would facilitate the eventual pedestrianisation of Staines High Street, once part of the A30 Trunk Road until by-passed. Phase 1 embraced the following lengthy preliminary operations however. A ) Two public inquiries and several Court cases. B)The acquisition of over 100 interests in land. C)The removal of several hundred yards of disused railway on a high embankment D)Building replacements for factories, a synagogue, two Scout huts and a private bowling green and clubhouse.

E)The reburial of bodies from a Quaker burial ground at the London Necropolis Cemetery at Brookwood F)Constructing a major new inner relief road G)Building a bus station, a Multi Storey Car Park and several hundred surface car parking spaces. H)A compulsory purchase order, procedures to close existing highways and footpaths I) Diverting public utility services and J) Building a major surface water pumping station disguised as a park pavilion on the parkland fronting the Thames. All this against a background of central government restraints on local authority borrowing to spend on major capital developments The statue “Five swimmers” was by David Wynne who sculpted “Boy on a Dolphin at St. Katherine’s Dock and also designed the clasped hands on the 50p coin Following this letter from Sir Philip Moore, the Private Secretary to HM The Queen, we, together with our 18 year old daughter, were invited to a Royal Garden Party. We have also been privileged to meet other members of the Royal family in the course of royal openings occurring in the course of my husband’s work namely the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret and The Duchess of Kent. My husband can also be blamed for causing confusion for family historians by his part in overseeing the transfer of Staines Urban District to Surrey on the abolition of Middlesex County Council in 1965.

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Member’s article

Thomas George Mackenzie Green, 1920

Thomas George Mackenzie Green, 1965

Kings’ and Queen’s Watermen Watching the part played by Royal Watermen in HM The Queen’s funeral service brought back to me memories of the life of my father Thomas George Mackenzie GREEN – always known as George. A particularly poignant stage was when the Crown and other Royal Regalia were placed on the altar. The Crown was carried to the Dean of Windsor by the Royal Bargemaster. My father shown here had been appointed as a Royal Waterman both to HM King George VI and to HM The Queen serving from 1947 until his death in 1974. In that time, he had served as an escort travelling on Royal Carriages which transported the Royal Regalia to the Robing Room for the spectacular Annual State Opening of Parliament. The accompanying

photograph shows him in 1970 on the extreme

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Member’s article

The Queen returning in 1954 from her Commonwealth Tour

right of the then Royal Bargemaster, Bert Barry. The photo on the right shows my great uncle Allan Hasted GREEN carrying the Royal Mace to Parliament in the 1930’s. Above is a photo of HM The Queen returning in 1954 from her Commonwealth Tour to a Waterman’s Guard of Honour at Westminster Pier with my father extreme right In the mid 1920’s my father had become estranged from

University Boat Race Course. There he had been apprenticed

as a boatbuilder and had become a member of the

Company of Watermen of the River Thames founded in 1514.. He was an accomplished oarsman having won Doggetts Coat and Badge in 1926. This is the oldest annually recurring event in the whole of the world’s sporting calendar having been rowed annually since 1715. I also knew something of his activities as a Royal Waterman. I was however totally surprised to find from

Alfred Alan Green

his Green family. So until I started on my family history in the 1990’s I knew virtually nothing about his ancestry. I

the Royal Archives at Windsor Castle that no less than 9 of my Green ancestors had been Royal Watermen with some 300 years of royal service They had been appointed

did know that his family had owned a boathouse on Duke’s Meadow on the

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Member’s article

by every one of the 11 monarchs from HM King George II in the 1730’s to HM Queen Elizabeth II. Furthermore four Greens had won Doggetts Race namely my great grandfather, my 2 X great uncle, my father and my cousin Bertie Green. Several more Greens had been placed. No less than 67 of my relatives had been Thames Watermen and were recorded in the Company’s records starting in 1666 – that is after the earlier records had been destroyed in the Great Fire. Furthermore, two Green females had married into the Phelps family

and this produced many more Royal Watermen, a Royal Bargemaster and 10 more Doggett’s winners. Until the advent of football pools professional rowing races were the subject of much popular betting. Both races and the training for races were therefore well reported in national and local newspapers. The digitisation of newspapers by the British Newspaper Library has provided me with a rich source of information about my family particularly in the Times and Telegraph. Pat Hilbert (nee Green) (Member #6405)

THE HGS NEEDS YOU! The HGS ‘Britons Dying Overseas’ (BDO) transcription programme is up and running and we need volunteers Volunteers will be required to transfer data from index cards to Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, for uploading to the HGS BDO website.

It matters not where you are in the world, we will try to find a way of sending the index cards to you for transcription. A knowledge of Microsoft Excel is helpful but full training will be given, face-to face at the HRO in Winchester, at your home (near Winchester) or via Zoom. If you are interested in helping us then please contact John Bowman bowman92@btinternet.com

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Member’s article

Ancestry indexing error In October 2022, I gave a talk to the Mere Historial Society. I spoke about my ancestors in that area and in particular focused on the Forward family. It’s a common surname in that part of the world and one of my ancestors, Frederick FORWARD, was easy to research as his name was unique during his long lifetime (1790-1872). As part of my research, I used Ancestry’s excellent Land Tax collection which is a really helpful national resource taken in 1798. Anyone with land can be found and this was the case for many Forwards. Taxes owed were proportionate to the amount of land occupied. To start my research I originally just searched for the surname ‘Forward’ with no other filters. This search produced a good number of land tax entries, many of which I used in my talk. However, in amongst the many typical records, I noticed a strange and significant number of entries for a person called ‘Brought Forward’. This seemed an unlikely first name and so I opened up one of the records. It was a valid Land Tax record but I realised that something was seriously wrong. On this, and each other, such occasion, at the top of each page record, the total monetary value from the previous page is copied over. In accounting terms, the amount is brought forward onto the top of the next page. In this Warwick record, these two key accounting words are clearly written in the ‘Name of occupier’ column together with the carried over total of £238 1s. And here lies the problem.

Under this heading are all the names of individual landowners and sums assessed for that area. But Ancestry has clearly decided that Mr Brought Forward is a real person! To prove it’s not a one-off, it happens all over the place.... This is a page from the equivalent Bedford Land Tax records. The amount brought forward here is £93 13s 4d. So beware if you have any names that could be interpreted another way! Richard Backhouse (Member #12569)

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Members’ Surname Interests

Members’ Surname Interests Database

Please continue to check the members’ interests webpage at http://www.hgs familyhistory.com/research-resources/me mbers-interests/ for latest details and service updates that will be announced there first. Members’ interests are published quarterly in this journal. There is a restriction in each journal of publishing a maximum of 15 entries per person to keep the journal to a manageable size. Such a constraint does not apply to the database, however, so it is possible to add further interests - within reason! Updates to your surname interests can be made online by following the examples on the page or by post. It is also possible to remove redundant entries, and this is encouraged - deletions are not notified in the journal; they simply won't remain in the database. Updates should be BLOCK printed and submitted in the format used in the following section or as shown on the form on members’ interests webpage. The county Chapman Codes are published at least once in any yearly HFH volume and should be used when submitting interests, e.g. HAM for Hampshire etc. Please note that addresses published in this section refer only to members who have submitted their interests. All enquiries and queries concerning this section should be sent by post to the Research Centre at the HGS Office (address on inside front cover), or go to

www.hgs-familyhistory.com/members interests-signup, or by email to

membersinterests@hgs-online.org.uk. N. B. Changes to email addresses will no longer be noted in the journal as many are already obsolete when published. Please contact the HGS Office for a member's current details if you encounter problems But please remember to inform the Membership Secretary (membership@hgs-online.org.uk) of any changes to either your current email or home address. In the following table the interests are in groups with the members details after the names they are interested in. Notes (‘1900’ given as example of ‘date’):

1900 + = after that date; pre 1900 = before that date; c 1900

= circa (about) that date (+/- 5 yrs);

C 20 = xx th. Century; parish a = area around parish

Remember that your addresses are your contact point, so keep them up to date.

If communicating by post remember that an SAE is essential these days, as not everyone has email. Please note that HGS cannot guarantee a response to any enquiry made of a member.

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