My Gt Grandfather was born in 1849 and died in 1930 and was as mentioned before, the ‘trail blazer’ in the Green family and headed up moves from Holmpton aged around 20 to Crofton Nr Wakefield, Knapwell and Caldecote both in Cambridgeshire and finally Beoley in Worcestershire in his late 70’s. He had to run existing operations, source new farms, arrange the moves including livestock, had five children and with parents back in Holmpton until at least 1870, with his mother living to 1900 although remarried in 1887 to Henry Cowls, a solicitor and died in Great Yarmouth, he would have been a busy man. He corresponded widely particularly with family members abroad, visited London, and even took one of his daughters to France in secret when she became pregnant by a farm hand to have the baby adopted. William died in 1930 and I have three items of furniture made for him and some of his photographs perhaps confirm anecdotes that he had a colourful life. I heard my father and also via the RP book that WJ “never lacked ought for style and comfort”. Perhaps some of the photographs suggest that?
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Below is the text of a letter to W J Green ‘WJ’ on the occasion of his marriage to Lizzie Fox on 18th Nov 1875 from Mr Henry S L Wilson. The writing case with compartments in has WJG monogram on the top (made by Asprey and Son, New Bond Street and is known as the ‘New Bond Street Stationary Cabinet’). The case is in the possession of me his Great Grandson D W Green in 2019. The gift was made by a Henry S L Wilson who was the owner of the farm that Henry Green rented in Crofton as evidenced by a rental receipt.
Marriage Gift to W J Green
Elizabeth ‘Lizzie’ Fox
Please follow the link to the Fox connection above.
William and Lizzie’s Children
James Edwin (6), my Grandfather was born on 17th December 1876 in Crofton, W. Yorkshire. He married Emily Hemmant a draper and grocery shop keeper from Pontefract on 24th October 1904. She died in 1959 and he died in December 1969, both in Astwood Bank. I have a certificate confirming that he was a local Methodist preacher from 1900 for 46 years. There is another section of this website dedicated to Edwin and his Son Granville Green.
Green c.1882
Eleanor (6) Green (b.12th Dec 1880, d.Jan 1927) was born in Crofton and married Albert Leslie Armstrong on the 30th of August 1906. The wedding photograph below was taken at Highfields family farm, Caldecote, Cambridgeshire. (In 2017 I visited the same house and shared the photograph with the current owners who shared me their daughters wedding taken from the same position). Later In 1911, Eleanor and Albert were living at Dragon Avenue, Harrogate with their first born William Leslie, aged 2. In the 1911 census Albert Leslie was recorded as a Quantity Surveyor Technical Teacher.
Their 3rd child, Eleanor born 1920, married Robert Idris Edmondson with the wedding registered in the Runcorn District in the September quarter of 1946. I can find them in 1947, 1950, 1960 on electoral roles in Edmonton and Purley, both London but my trail goes cold as concerns any children or death dates.
In 1939 Albert Leslie is living in Coventry as a District Valuer but Eleanor, his wife, died in 1927. In 1929 we find him returning from South Africa on mv. Carnarvon Castle to Southampton with his son William Leslie aged 20. I have a record of his death in 1958 in Johannesburg but as he was a UK resident probate was granted to his Son-in Law Robert Idris Edmondson.
Further details on the 1st child, William Leslie “Bill” Armstrong have not been found but I suggest that there may be a South African connection- see later in this section.
Simmonds Wedding in 1968
Their 2nd child, Marion Lily Louise “Mari” was born in September 1911. Mari was a frequent visitor to my family home at Tookeys Farm and as a child I recall her as a fun loving spinster Aunt. We went to her wedding in 1968 at Bucklow, Cheshire aged 57 when she married Charles Earnest Simmonds a widower aged 76. Sadly, Charles died the next year In Bucklow and Mari In May 1995 in the registration district of Rochdale.
Marion (6) was born in Crofton on 3rd April 1882, married Rev John Wesley Green of Whittlesey on the 7th August 1907 at Caxton. Rev John Wesley Green b.1878 d. 1945 was the Minister at Linton and does not appear to be a close relative. They had William Wesley ‘Wes’ Green on 22nd April 1910 but Marion died on 27th April 1910, 3 days after the birth. I believe that Rev John remarried and died in Devon in 1945.
Margaret, Dorrie, Wesley & Dorothy.
All Green’s c 1967 @ The White House,
Astwood Bank.
Wesley John Green (child) married Dorothy Blantern in 1936. They had 2 children, the eldest Valerie in 1939 d. 2008 and Robert in 1944. The family were frequent visitors at Tookeys Farm as Wes was Granville’s first cousin. Wes worked in the steel industry in Sheffield and I recall the interesting gifts they bought for me at aged around 8-14. Wes died in 1987.
Lawrence (6) was born in Crofton 27th January 1884 and died young on 19th November 1885.
Dorothy ‘Dorrie’ (6) was born at Knapwell on 31st May 1890 and died in Redditch in the 1970’s.
They were both frequent visitors to us at Tookeys Farm to see their brother Edwin and nephew Granville and family. I recall Christmas festivities always contained listening to the Queens Speech with them standing to attention with due reverence at 3 p.m.
William’s Farming Life
We believe that WJ must have moved to Crofton from Holmpton in the early 1870’s whilst in his early 20’s. In the 1871 census he appears as a lodger at Farm House Crofton, he farmed in the area and developed a milk round as evidenced by a fine photograph of a horse drawn milk float. (Picture above) This arrival time would have given him time to meet and marry a local girl, ‘Lizzie Fox’ in 1875 with the first child James Edwin arriving in December 1876. William’s sister, Eleanor, met and married Richard Henry Harrison from nearby Thorpe Audlin in 1874 so the assumption is that she was more likely to have met him whilst looking after WJ at Crofton than Richard finding Eleanor in the relative backwater of Holmpton. The 1881 census shows him living as a tenant at Farm House, Crofton with 3 infant children. They were farming 220 acres employing 5 men and a boy. Crofton was a mining community and nearby towns of Wakefield and Pontefract gave William access to a large population ideal for the fresh milk that WJ could produce and deliver. In autumn 1885 his sister Amy Catherine was staying with him and writing to their youngest sister Agnes. Lizzie was visiting doctors in Leeds with Amy following a consumption diagnosis, sadly Amy would die the next year aged 28.
William was a tenant of a dairy farm on the Wilson Estate of Crofton Hall by 1879 until the end of 1887. See dairy float of W J Green above.
It appears that WJ corresponded with family relatives and took great interest in farming matters in Australia and the USA. His Mitchinson Cousin Charles Biglin Straker emigrated to Australia and farmed Hammersley Station in Western Australia (now being heavily mined by Rio Tinto) was one such contact who also visited England on more than one occasion.WJ considered quite seriously moving to Illinois in 1883 from correspondence from his cousin John Ingleby.
By the 1890 he had moved to Manor Farm, Knapwell, Cambridgeshire and we find him here on the 1891 census with his family except his 15 year old son James Edwin. In 1901 we find WJ at Highfields Farm, Childersley Gate, Cambridgeshire with all his children including 24 year old James Edwin. From WJ’s pedigree flock book of Wensleydale Longwool Sheep it tells that this herd was established 17th Sept 1891 and was kept at Manor Farm Knapwell until Oct 1884 when it was taken to Highfields Farm, Childersley Gate Nr Caldecote. He won prizes for his sheep and judged them at shows. At Highfields he was on the War Agricultural Committee during WW1 ensuring that other men’s farms were run properly, producing foodstuffs to help the war effort and he played a prominent part in local affairs as a JP and as Chairman of the Chesterton Rural District Council. I hold a silver cup awarded to WJ as the winner of the ‘Best Hackney Brood Mare’ at the Gransden Show 1897.
After WW1 arable cropping remained depressed and this involved WJ moving again – this time to Beoley Hall Farm in Worcestershire where he moved in 1925 with his wife and two daughters Winnie and Dorrie. They were dairy farmers. William died in 1930 aged 81 and Lizzie in December 1944 aged 96. Eleanor Harrison’s (nee Green) daughter Bessie Harrison spent a deal of time as housekeeper around this time. I have a guest book which confirms how many guests enjoyed their stay at the farm with the nice old lady – latterly, many were forced evacuees from Birmingham in the blitz in WW2. In the late 40’s Winnie and Dorrie retired to Webheath, Nr Redditch where they died. I recall many Christmas’s spent with my two spinster aunts and as a young child I also recall, with not so fond memories ,of having to stand when the Queen gave her Christmas day speech at 3 p.m. Now knowing that this was a recorded message I guess the Queen’s children were not similarly treated.
Below are some photographs of the properties W J G occupied and the schools his children attended in Knapwell and Caldecote.
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My Visit to Cambridgeshire Farms – 2017
In 2017 I made a tour of the various Cambridgeshire farmsteads occupied by WJ being made very welcome at Knapwell Farm in Knapwell, Highfields Farm Nr Caldecote and Library Farm in Kingston. Whilst no longer farms, the land had been sold off many years ago the houses were very well maintained. The highlight was meeting a Mrs Grace Swindells (96) who actually met and remembered my Gt Gt Grandfather from the 1920’s. She was a 5 year old whose father worked for WJ Green. Some of the photographs in this section were obtained during this visit and below is a section on this visit and subsequent follow up.
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I met with Grace and her daughter Julie Day and with the current occupiers/census information I was able to ascertain that WJ Green farmed at Highfields on 220 acres with 5 men owned by Clare College, Cambridge. It was built as a ‘model’ farm. On my 2017 visit the outbuildings were in a sorry state but the main house and attached property were in good repair.
Grace’s father Earnest Hagger worked for WJ Green (laterly as the Farm Manager) and continued to do so until 1930 when he was tragically killed by a car whilst riding his bicycle when visiting another farm on the Childerly Estate. I was told that this greatly effected WJ Green who died later that year in July. WJ Green was very close to Ernest’s father, Thomas Hagger.
Grace recalled that WJ Green left Highfields in early 1925 to farm at Beoley but he visited Highfields at least twice before his death. WJ Green’s daughters also visited and hosted Ernest’s widow at Beoley, they maintained contact throughout their lives.
Fox Connection
Elizabeth Green nee Fox was my Gt Grandmother who died in 1944 aged 95. From records in my possession she appeared to have been a great retainer of family information so I have dedicated a section for her Fox family. I have a ‘Gospel Temperance Movement’ form signed by Elizabeth ‘Lizzie’ Green nee Fox dated July the 6th 1891. Such pledges not uncommon among Methodists at this time.
Her father was Charles Fox b.13th Dec 1797. His father, also Charles, married Sarah Bedford on 8th Nov 1796. He is recorded as a labourer on his sons baptism record. Charles b.1797 married Elizabeth Hesson? in 1843. In the 1841 census he was recorded as a widower and farmer with Elizabeth as a female servant with Charles. Marriages by a Charles Fox to Elizabeth Wilson in 1829 and to Hannah Lapidge in 1830 might be prior marriage(s) but no children have been identified.
Charles b.1797 ( aged 46) marriage to Elizabeth (aged 39) in 1843 produced Sarah in 1844 and Elizabeth in 1849. Census records suggest they remained on a 17 acre farm in Hessle until Sarah’s wedding to William Marshall in 1874 and Elizabeth’s to William James Green in 1875.
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I have no further information on the Marshall connection.
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