DATE: July 1984
SURREY
Newsletter
No.1
EDITORIAL This first
issue of the Newsletter of the Briginshaw One-Name Study will, I hope, be the
forerunner of very many more to come and that it will keep family members
up-dated with their family history as joint research progresses. I cannot do
better, by way of introduction, than reprint an article I wrote in 1981 and
which appeared in the August issue of the journal of the East Surrey Family
History Society that year for this set out clearly how some of us became
involved in the research of this family name: Kindness Rewarded by Jack
Saunders Prompted by
Hilda Dixon's incredible story -'Coincidence and Family History' recounted in
the last issue of the Journal, and at the risk of boring Members with yet another
story of almost unbelievable chance, I set out on these pages a story that has
taken me half way round the world, linked relatives that descend through five or
six generations and added countless names andconnections to my family tree in a
sequence of events that even now I find hard to believe cold have happened. I tell this
story because it is a story that most be told but aIso I tell it in the hope
that it may be an encourage ment, not only to beginners, but to these who have,
perhaps, waited a long time for a breakthrough or seem to have come to a
deadend for this story did not happen overnight. If patience be a virtue the it
has been richly rewarded in this case. For me it all
started with the kindness of a lady back
in August 1978. Jane Jones of Bray in Berkshire had just joined our
Society, was putting the finishing touches to her transcript of Bray Parish
Registers, and seeing that I had research interests in the area, wrote offering
to help me. I must be ever grateful to her
for writing that kind letter. Little
did either or us know how far reaching were to be the consequences.I had only
been a member myself for just over year but had already carried out
considerable research in Berkshire and Buckinghamshire during that year and
this had taken me back to my great great great grandparents in my direct line -
Richrd Saunders (born c 1157) and his wife Mary. They had lived in Maidenhead in the parish of Cookham but Mary's
maiden name and when and where they had wed eluded me and I seemed to have come
to a deadend I replied to
June's letter with a three foolscap page epistle detailing my many connections
with the area. She thought it of sufficient interest to pass it to a local
historian John Brooks who had started work on his Berkshire Marriage Index. He
then wrote to me and gave me some useful information including a 'gem' from a
private book kept by the Vicar of Cookham at the beginning of the 19th Century. Not all his references to his parishioners
were flattering But against the name of my great great grandafther (also
Richard) were just six little words but how important they were to be - 'Nephew
to Farmer Briginshaw of Taplow'. They took
me across the Thames to Buckinghamshire and to Taplow new Churchyard where I
found a number of M/I's to the Briginshaw family and the address of a farm 'Amerden
Bank' which I was able to visit and photograph. I
was at this time preparing the script and taking many photographs in Berkshire
and Buckinghamshire for a tape / slide presentation on my family history which
some members will remember I showed to our Society's monthly meeting in March
1979. Searches in the Parish Registers of
Taplow and surrounding parishes finally gave me, at Beaconsfield, the marriage
I had been looking for - Richard Sounders, Master Grocer
Maidenhead, and Mary Briginshaw of Taplow on 21. 10. 1777 by licence. Buckinghamshire
CRO produced the marriage licence and allegation and the Parish registers of
Taplow & Bray together with a number of wills gave me many members of the
family and its co-laterals, the names and location of half a dozen farms and
houses and the parents of Mary – John and Mary Briginshaw and I was back to two
of my great great great great grandparents. Noticing
in Taplow a connection with a family of Norringtons I mentioned this to our
fellow members John and Jeanette Norrington an d further research by them in Taplow. found many
family connections and the burial place of my Mary in Taplow. old Churchyard amongst
the resting place of the early Briginshaws - 'In Memory of Mrs Mary Saunders of Maidenhead who died August
10th 1831 aged 75 years’.
She had come home to her final resting place with her family in
that most beautiful spot beside Taplow Court. Jane Jones subsequently provided
endless family entries from Bray registers to add to those I had extracted from
Cookham and Taplow and I was able to build up an extensive pedigree. At this time I had entered into
correspondance with another member, Anne Mee of Chrischurch, New Zealand and
carried out a small amount of research for her. She will be mentioned again
later in this story. Time passed and then in June 1980 I
attended the annual general meeting of the Society of Genealogists. After the business of the meeting many of us
formed little groups, met old friends and discussed family history matters over
a glass of wine. At one stage I was
talking, in company with our Treasurer, Jean Tooke, to Barbara Bassil, Secretary
of Windsor, Slough & District Family History Society and Jean suggested to
her that as I had so many connections with the area covered by her society I
should show my tape/slide presentation to their members. This was subsequently arranged for ten
months ahead, at the end of April this year. On the appointed day I arrived at
Slough and presented my tape/slide programme.
Half way through this a little muffled cry of surprise came from a lady
in my audience and at the end when we came to question time I was astounded
when this lady, Georgina Baker of
Maidenhead, and who has a special interest in Taplow and its history, produced
a file with many notes, extracts from registersand pedegrees of the Briginshaw
family wich correesponded with those I had just shown on the screen! No wonder that little cry of surprise came
out of the dark! Subsequently I learnt that Georgina
had replied in July 1980 to a request which had appeared in the Maidenhead Advertiser
for information and help in tracing the Taplow ancestors of Jennifer Langford
of Chrischurch, New Zealand, who had written to them. A pen-friendship ensued and Georgina carried out considerable
research for her. Here was another act
of kindness taking place within a mile or two of that first one which were to
be inextricably linked. Yes! Jenny is also descended from John and Mary Briginshaw and we are
fifth cousins. Small world indeed! I immediately wrote to Jenny, who
has been carrying out research for longer than I, and you can imagine her surprise
was not less than mine had been. A long
and interesting exchange of information and family news has commenced and we
look forward to meeting one day. This story is not finished even now
for Jenny just had to know Anne Mee and sure enough they had met several times,
Jenny being a member of the Chrischurch Branch of the New Zealand Society of
Genealogists of which Anne is past President!
Already we know of Briginshaws in Australia, Tasmania and Jersey. Many more relationships and connections are
in the offing both in England and New Zealand and only this week the telephone
rang to reveal another New Zealand cousin on holiday in England and we have
already met, Whilst Georgina on avisit to her sister in Vancouver telephoned
the only Briginshaw in the local directory and sure enough another branch of
the family has been added to swell the number of descendants of John & Mary
Briginshaw which already number several hundreds. It would be interesting to know the
odds against this story every being written. This story has not included all the
links in the chain which holds it together and without which it mighthave
broken, I turn cold when I think - ;’If Jane had never written to me …….’, ‘If I had not attended that AGM …….’, ‘If Jenny had not written to the Advertiser….’, ‘If Georgina had not attended that April meeting …….’, One finds that genealogical research
is paved with good deeds and little kindnesses but rarely can two have had such
far reaching consequences. Of course much water has flowed
under the bridge since this was written and a family history built up which is
beyond the wildest dreams of those early days.
Others already carrying out research or interested were 'discovered' and
have added their contributions. This
year Jenny made that long anticipated visit to England and many happy hours
were spent in furter research, visits to nacestoral homes and meetings with
family members included a Briginshaw ‘get-together’ at Cheam in May THE EARLY BRIGINSHAWS
- Insert excel sheet: Letter 1 Chart 1 LATEST INFORMATION The most
exciting recent ‘find’ was the entries in a Family Bible in the possession of
Alice Welsford (nee Briginshaw) and a great, great, great gandaughter of
Richard and Millicent (nee Jefferies) which gave us the long sought after date
and place of John of Taplow’s birth – 11.7.1706 at Halton, Bucks. This was followed up by Jenny Langford and
Georgina Baker when the Halton ParishRegisters were examined by them at
Buckinghamshire Record Office at Aylesbury.
These confirmed the baptism – ‘John ye son of Wm and Sarah Briginshaw
was baptisedJuly 13 1707’. Also found
was the baptism of a sister ‘Sarah ye daughter of Wm and Sarah Briginshawwas
bapt on ye 16th of June 1704 – Day Labourer’. There is a year’s difference between the
bible and the register but if John was 90 when he died, as was stated at Taplow
in 1797, the 1707 would be correct. The
hunt is now on for the marriage of William and Sarah. It would appear that this did not take place at Halton nor is
there anything to indicate if Sarah and John were the first or subsequent
issues of this union. The only other
entry at Halton which might be relevant was the recording of a burial there of
a Willisam on 18th of October with Affid entered October 22nd
1729. This may or may not be our
William. I have put in a request to the Buckinghamshire Marriage Index. This index is not complete and this
particular marriage has not yet appeared but I am hopeful that it will turn up
as work progresses. We do not, of
course, know that the marriage took place in Buckinghamshire and the search may
have to be extended to neighbouring counties.
I have also entered a ‘Request for Information' in the journals of
Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and East Surrey Family History Societies. As a preliminary to many other sources that
can be searched I have started to look at Phillimore's printed marriage indexes. Of course not all parishes are covered by
these indexes but it seemed sensible to consult this easy source before
progressing to less readily available ones.
So far I have searched 44 parishes in Buckinghamshire in these indexes
plus some in the Challen Parish Register Transcripts but without success. There are many more to do. A recent examination by me of the
up-dated I G I (International Genealogical Index) for London shows the
following new entries: 1.
Richard
Briginshaw married Millicent Jefferies 1.2-1787 at St Andrew by the Wardrobe Queen
Victoria Street City of London 2 Kate
Briginshaw married Horace Rainbow 20.5-1872 at St Pauls, Stepney 3.
John
Briginshaw married Ellen Rumball
8.1-1842 at All Souls,
Marylebone 4.
Georgina
Bx!iginshaw married William Hobbs
22.11.1826 at St Anns, . Soho 5.
Georgina
Briginshaw married James Booth 22.11.1864 at St Pancras Old Church 6.
Annie
Maria Briginshaw married William Lewis Rumball 22.5-1866at St Pauls, Stepney 7.
Elizabeth
Ann Briginshaw married James Badcock 16-3.1840 at St Martins-in-the-Field 8.
Elizabeth
Brigengshaw daughter of Thomas and Hannah baptised 2.6.1762 at Sunbury
on Thames 9. John Briginshaw son of Thomas and Hannah
baptised 25.4-1759 Sunbury 10. Mary Briginshaw daughter of Thomas and Hannah
baptised 4.7-1756 Sunbury. 11. William Briginshaw son of Thomas and Ann was
baptised 8.4-1753 Sunbury Note: Most
of the above events are known to those of us who have been carrying out
research but they do give details not hitherto recorded and for the benefit of
those whose knowledge is perhaps more limited I will deal with each in turn 1. This
is the most useful entry giving us the maiden name of Millicent and the date
and place of marriage. Here was another
Briginshaw/Jefferies marriage and in a rather unexpected place. One wonders what was the relationship, if
any, between Mary and Millicent. The
1787 marriage perhaps of first cousins?
One must also wonder where the Sarah Jefferies who died in 1816 aged 79
of Islington and who lies buried in Taplow Old Churchyard a few feet from the
Briginshaws fits in. Is this marriage
and Islington leading us into London for the origin of the Jefferies? 2. This
gives us the Christian name of Rainbow, exact date and parish of marriage. Kate was the daughter of Richard Badcock
Briginshaw who in turn was a grandson of Richard and Millicent 3. This
gives us the maiden name of Ellen, exact date and parish of marriage. John was a grandson of John and Eleanor (nee
Neighbour) 4 This gives us
the Christian name of Hobbs, exact date and parish of marriage. Georgina was a daughter of John and
Eleanor (nee Neighbour) 5· This gives us
names of groom, exact date and parish of marriage. Georgina was a grandaughter of John and Eleanor (nee Neighbour) 6. Anna Maria was
the daughter of Thomas, a grandaughter of John and Eleanor (nee Neighbour) and
first cousin of John who married Ellen Rumball 24 years before. 7. Elizabeth Ann is
not positively identified but the name Badcock must have some connection with
the naming of Richard Badcock Briginshaw who was son of John Warren and
grandson of Richard and Millicent. 8/ 9/ 10//11 Not positively identified beyond the fact that they were the
children of Thomas Briginshaw who died in 1763 at
Sunbury and a copy of whose PCC Will I have wherein he is described as a
carpenter, leaves everything to his
wife Hannah and makes her sole executrix.
This family may turn out to belong to a branch of the spelling Brigginshaw Other
exciting entries in Alice's Family Bible were those for the name Jefferies and variants. These
showed: 1.
Mary
Jeffries was born Aug 29th 1719. Died
Oct 3rd 1809 - wife of the above John Briginshaw (This appeared under the entry for John
Briginshaw born 1706) 2.
Jane Jeffries dau of Richard Jeffries
w'as born April 5th 1718 Pasted in the back of the Bible is a
rather curious printed list which reads as follows: Thomas Jefferrey, son of John
Jefferrey, bapt Sept 13th 1619. (Taken from the Register of Chafron,
at Peter Chafron.) Eliza Hentn, his wife, dau of Arthur
Hentn, born Jan 25, 1608 William Jefferrey, son of Thomas
Jefferrey, Baptized April 19 Jane Bert, the Daughter of Francis
Bert, Baptized September 27 William Jefferrey, Son of William
Jefferrey, born March 7, and Baptized April 1 1680 Thomas Jefferrey, Son of William
Jefferrey, Born April 8 and Baptized May 6 168(?) Elizabeth Jefferrey, Daughter of
William Jefferrey, Born Jan 17 and Baptized Jan 27 1682 Mary
Jefferrey, Daughter of William Jefferrey, Born March 11 1682-3 and Baptized
April 9 1683 John Jefferrey, Son of William
Jefferrey, Born Sept 20 and Baptized October 12 1685 Richard
Jefferrey, Son of William Jefferrey, Born December 30 and Baptized January 22
1687-8 Francis
Jefferrey, Son of William Jefferrey, Born January 31 and Baptized February 7
1690 James
Jefferrey, Son of.William Jefferrey, Born January 4 and Baptized January 7
1692-3 Jane
Jefferrey, Daughter of William Jefferrey, Born August 10 and Baptized September
15 1694 Hannah
Jefferrey, Daughter of William Jefferrey, Born November 2 and Bantized November
24 1696 James
Jefferrey, Son of William Jefferrey, Born November 29 and Baptized December 12
1698 Joseph
Jefferrey, Son of William Jefferrey, Born November 12 and Baptized December
29 1700 Abraham
Jefferrey, Son of William Jefferrey, Born May 31 1703 Sarah
Jefferrey, Daughter of William Jefferrey, Born May 31 1703 both at a Birth Abraham
Jefferrey, Son of William Jefferrey, Born December 8 and Baptized October
1 1705 Ann
Jefferrey, Daughter of William Jefferrey, Born November 19 and Baptized
November 21 1707 Ruth
Jefferrey, Daughter of William Jefferrey, Born October 29 and Baptized November
22 1710 Jefferrey,
Wife of Francis Jefferrey, died Sept 1738 Quite a family! But perhaps not all by the same mother. The 'Chafron, at Peter Chafron' would have
seemed likely to have been Chalfont St Peter (this spelling appears in an old
map) but none of the later entries appear in the register for that parish. It is of course possible that the reference
to Chafron applies only to the first entry.
Also listed in the bible were the birth dates of the seven children of
John and Mary Briginshaw which correspond with information that we already have
of their baptism at Taplow. JOHN BRIGINSHAW 1817-1902 In this first Newsletter and in
accordance with my promise to produce selected articles on individuals and
branches I decided to start with John whose decent is as follows: Richard = Millicent Briginshaw Jefferies b
15.8-1752 bp
23.9-1752 Taplow m
1.2-1787 St
Andrew by the
Wardrobe Queen
Victoria Street Bur 4.5.1824 Taplow
John
Warren = Martha bp
17.12.1789 W.
Wycombe b m d 1856 d
1857 Wokingham Wokingham
John = Hannah bp
6.4.1817 Dangerfield Saunderton b 1817 in
23.4.1849 Kings
Langley d 1858 d 17.3.1902 Wycombe Maidenhead Before coming to John we will take a
quick look at his father and grandfather , and it will be a quick look, for
little is really known of either.
Richard, we do know, was born on 15.8.1752, eldest son of John and Mary.
He was baptised 23.9.1752 at Taplow
Old Church and on 1.2-1787, when he was 35, he married Millicent Jefferies at
St Andrew by the Wardrobe, Queen Victoria Street, in the City of London. There has been a Church on this site since
1244 and probably even earlier. The
original was destroyed in the 1666 fire of London and was rebuilt by Wren in
the years 1685-1695. The Wardrobe was a Department of the Royal Household in
which the King's stores were kept. This
was moved elsewhere after the fire but the name of the Church was
retained. Wren's Church is still there
although it was gutted by Hitler's fire bombs on the night Of 29/30 December
1940 when so much damage was done to the City of London. However, the tower and walls remained and
the inside has since been rebuilt. This
picture was taken in 1984. We know nothing of Richard's early
life but it seems that at some time before 1789 (perhaps when he married) he
must have moved to Saunderton and taken a lease on the ancient 'Grange Farm
there. The Bishop's Transcripts for
Saunderton show him to be Churchwarden for most years 1798 to 1813 and although
we cannot be certain that it is the same Richard there is an Article of
Agreement dated 24.1.1789 Richard Briginshaw of West Wycombe, farmer, overseer
of the poor, to enclose Wheelers End (piece of Common Land) near the workhouse
for use of poor persons within the Parish.
Taken from a collection of deeds deposited by Sir John Dashwood, Bt in
The Bodlein Library. However we have
record of the birth of two sons - Richard Jeffries, Baptised 11.11.1788 West
Wycombe and John Warren who was Baptised
West Wycombe 17.12.1789. These baptisms and obviously of the first
issues were extracted by Georgina from West Wycombe Registers but there did not
appear to be any other entries although one must wonder if these were the only
two. Perhaps Millicent died young or
they had no further children for we do not know the date of Millicent's death
yet. The first son, Richard Jefferies,
we will look at in a future Newsletter.
John Warren who married, at a place and date at present unknown but
circa 1813, must have remained in Saunderton and in due course taken over the
lease of 'Grange Farm' from his father and in turn served as Churchwarden most
years 1820-1826. Richard died and was
buried 4.3.1824 Taplow Old Churchyard.
John sold the lease of 'Grange Farm' to a Mrs Schobell in 1830. The evidence for all this lies firstly in
the following extract from the Victoria County History of Buckinghamshire: Thame Abbey held lands in
Saunderton, afterwards called SAUNDERTON GRANGE, granted to it in free alms
late in the 12th Century by Robert de Saunderton for 2 silver marks
and a horse-load (summa) of oats and
for 40d paid to his wife. At the Dissolution this estate was in the
tenure of Thomas Winter. It was granted
in 1541 to the Dene and Canons od Christ Churcyh, Oxford, a grant which was
confirmed in 1546. They have since
retained it, their lesseein 1806 being Richard Brigginshaw. Mrs Schobell, who purchased the lease from
John Brigginshaw in 1830, was holding it in 1862 for £2. 4s. 4½d. yearly amnd
the price (regulated by the Oxford market) of 1 quarter 5 bushels of wheat, 1
peck of malt and two capons, amounting in all from £15 to £30. There are four pages on the history
of Saunderton from earliest times in the County History and are well worth
reading. Our second piece of evidence is an
extract, also made by Georgina, from the Bishop's Transcripts for Saunderton
and giving us the following baptisms of John Warren's children The transcripts
are in poor condition and some dates almost illegible but they clearly show
John Warren to be a yeoman farmer at 'Grange Farm': 1814 Jul 5th James
Briginshaw s John Warren & Martha The
Grange Yeoman 1815 Nov (19)th Sarah Briginshaw d John
Warren & Martha The Grange Yeoman 1817 Apr
6th John Briginshaw s John
Warren & Martha The Grange Yeoman 181(8)Apr 2(?) Richard
Badcock Briginshaw s John Warren &
Martha The Grange Yeoman 1819 (Dec)7th Martha
Briginshaw d John Warren & Martha The
Grange Yeoman 1821 Apr 8th Joseph
Jefferies Briginshaw s John Warren & Martha The
Grange Yeoman 1823 (Aug 8) Jesse Briginshaw s John Warren & Martha The Grange Yeoman Next we find John Warren's son
Richard Badcock marrying in 1843 at Wokingham, the marriage certificate showing
his father to be a farmer. The 1851
Census Returns for Wokingham show Richard Badcock to be living there with his
own family in Peach Street. It seems
probable that when John Warren left 'Grange Farm' at the age of 41 he moved to that area with his
family for he died in the registration district of Wokingham in 1857 a year
after Martha in 1856 in the same district.
If he did continue to farm we have yet to find this farm but 'Grange
Farm' at Saunderton is still there.
I called there recently when I was
given a cordial reception and allowed to take a number of photographs including
the one reproduced on the next page. I
am afraid that photocopying does not do justice to the lovely coloured
original. Now a beautifully kept stud
farm, I was shown all round. The
beautifully preserved Farmhouse has had alterations made to it and additions
added but even from the photocopy the original part of the house is easy to
identify:
Before leaving 'Grange Farm' and
turning our attention to John Warren’s second son, John born in 1817, it is
interesting to look at a description of the weather in Saunderton in 1739. Recorded on the first page of the Parish
Register Book for 1739 in the handwriting of Dr Christopher Willoughby, Rector
of Saunderton from 13th September 1734 until his death in July 1745 at the age
of 47, it reads: 'The frost began on Christmas Day,
the Sat Sun and Mon following, three
the sharpest daies were ever known.
Wind N.E. The frost continued without any intermission till Sat the 16
of Feb when it began to thaw, but frose again all the next week till the Sunday
following, when it thawed again and frose for some daie after. No rain from the end of harvest till the 12
of April which lasted 3 daies. Apl 20
it began to snow and continued 3 daies.
Frost lasted at nights till the middle of May. On the 4 of the same
month a good deal of rain and on July 30 a thunder-shower after that no rain
till sometime in harvest' Also in the Parish Registers are
recorded the population figures for Saunderton St Mary in 1800: 'The return made to the Population
Act 4 1 Geo 3d AD 1800 St Mary Saunderton. Houses 25 Families 25 Males 105
Females 88 Employed in Agriculture 98 In Trade etc 32 Others 63 Total 193' Now we come to John. What can we reconstruct of his life? Not much, but let us try to add at least something
to the bare bones of the dates of his birth, marriage and death. Born at 'Grange Farm' in 1817, twenty-two
months after Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, he was born into a period of peace
that England had not known for many a long year and, no doubt, one that brought
great relief, and yet, one that was to have much internal unrest and industrial
revolution. John was a lad of eight
when Stephenson started to build his steam locomotives, and by the time John was
twelve in 1829, he had built his famous 'Rocket'. Perhaps John had the dream of every
small boy thereafter to drive an engine.
We do not know if he ever did.
It seems unlikely although his younger brother Jesse certainly did so
but at that age he can have had little idea what a big part the railways were
to play in his life and that most of his working days were to be spent with
them. We know little of the first 23 years
of his life. When his father left 'Grange Farm' in 1830 at the age of 41, John was just 13 and it seems probable
that he would have worked with his father for a time but he must have been
attracted by the potential for the future and the excitement of this new mode
of transport which the rapid growth of the railways offered and probably the
chance of earning a higher wage. Then,
too, it would have provided the opportunity to 'escape' from the parochial life
of farming. At any rate, in October
1840 at the age of 23, he joined the service of the Great Western Railway. At this point I must ask for
tolerance if I make some errors of detail in writing of the history of the
railways. I have done my research as
carefully as possible but the history is so complicated by the springing up of
countless small lines, the heterogeneous multiplicity of amalgamations and, not least, the contradictory statements
of those who later came to write that history. The first public railway to use
steam power had been 15 years before when the Stockton and Darlington had its
public opening on 27.9.1825 with its one locomotive, Stephenson's 'Locomotion No 1’. The Great Western Railway came rather late in the field and had
only been in operation two years, opening on 4th June 1838 when the first
section of the London to Bristol line had been completed. This ran from Paddington and terminated at Maidenhead
Riverside (now Taplow). The line was
completed and opened throughout, 30th June 1841. It is perhaps interesting that when
the railway came to Maidenhead, which it did, not without opposition, the Watch
Committee under the Chairmanship of Robert Nicholson, fearing an increase in
crime during its construction with the influx of thousands of labourers,
appointed twelve additional special constables, one of whom was James
Lovegrove. Robert Nicholson was the
father of William Nicholson who founded Nicholson's Brewery in the town and
married my great grand aunt Sarah Saunders (a great grandaughter of John and
Mary Briginshaw) and James Lovegrove was the father of Edward Richard Lovegrove
who married Eleanor Georgina Brooks another great gtandaughter of John and
Mary. More of these connections in some
future Newsletter.
The Great Western Railway operated on the broad gauge and they ran, in
the early days, a varied collection of engines, just one of which is shown here
and which would have been operating on the G W R when John joined them. Already a big advance on those first engines
of 1825 but still fascinating to our eyes 144 years later. We do not know exactly when his work
first took him to Gloucestershire but nine years later he married Hannah
Dangerfield of Kings Stanley there on the 23rd of April 1849. We find him next at Stroud in the 1851
census when he was working as a railway porter: Stroud 1851 Born 67 Bath Place John Briginshaw Head Marr 34 Railway
Porter Bucks Saunderton Hannah “ Wife Marr 34 Glous Kings Stanley On that day (30th March 1851) we
also find: .45 Bath
Place William Rose Head Marr
35 Plumber Wotton-under-Edge Mary Wife Marr 37 Needlewoman Horsley John
Briginshaw Visitor 1 Stroud This John was John and Hannah's first born (March Qr. 18150) at Kings
Stanley so he was 12/15 months old. We
do not know who the Rose’s were.
Perhaps friends or maybe Mary was Hannah's sister or other relative and
looking after John for Hannah was by
now expecting her second Child (Elizabeth) in a matter of days. Four more children were to follow in due
course, James Richard in 1852, William
Ridler 1854, Henry Edward 1856 and Hannah 1858. The next we know of John is that he
has returned to his native Buckinghamshire.
We have some indication of th e date by the birth of William Ridler in
1854 in Stroud and that of Henry Edward in 1856 in Wooburn. Two other things which may be significant
and perhaps provide clues for the
reason for this move are that the Bristol to Gloucester Railway which opened in
1844 was taken over by the Midland
Railway in 1846 when the G W R was given running powers between Bristol and
Standish Junction south of Gloucester and this ceased in 1854. Then the Wycombe Railway was operated by the
G W R after it was opene d between High Wycombe and Maidenhead via Bourne End on lst August 1854. The old Wycombe Railway had various branches radiating from High Wycombe. The single track section from High Wycombe to Bourne End formed
nart of the oldest portion between High Wycombe and Maidenhead. The Marlow Railway came later and the two
proposed extensions shown an this map were never built. The line was originally carried over
Cockmarsh near Cookham and the Thames on two timber viaducts which rocked
alarmingly every time a train crossed;
Here, it seems, John spent the rest
of his working days. He eventually had charge of Wooburn Green and Little
Kimble Stations, both not so very far from his old home at Saunderton. Sadly his wife died in 1858. Thirteen years later we find him in the 1871
census returns, now Station Master at Wooburn Green, with his sister Sarah
looking after his home: 1871 Census Return Wooburn Green Railway Station John Briginshaw Head Widr 54 Station Master Bucks Saunderton Sarah do Sister Un 56
House Keeper do do Elizabeth do D Un 20 Glos
Stroud Henry
E do S 14
Scholar Bucks Wooburn. The 1861 and 1881 census returns
have not yet been inspected. When John retired in October 1886 at
the age of 69 and after 46 years service with the G W R the Divisional
Superintendent wrote him a testimonial that anyone might be proud to have and
which is still in the possession of the family. At the same time the inhabitants of Wooburn Green subscribed to a
hansome parting purse, referring to him as their long respected Station Master
and spoke of him serving in a most obliging manner. This subscription list is also in the Possession of the
family. It is too long to
reproduce but a reduced photocopy of the letter is shown below.
Although the line still runs from
Maidenhead to Marlow via Cookham and Bourne End, over a rather more substantial
bridge, that portion that once ran from Bourne End to Loudwater and then to
join up with the main line at West Wycombe was closed and dismantled some years
ago. Recently I started at Bourne End to
trace the route of this old line that once meant so much to John. When I got to
Wooburn Green I was delighted to find the Station Master's House with adjoining
ticket office and platform still there although, sadly, in verv dilapidated
state and almost hidden by the wild, waist high, growth of weeds and tall
bushes and due for demolition. I met
the present occupier who is waiting-, to be re-housed (her husband still works
for B R in London) and she kindly let me wander all over the place to take a
number of nhotographs, one of which I reproduce here:
As I walked along the narrow and
overgrown platform I could picture John standing on that platform which he knew
so well a hundred years ago. Wooburn Green Station was a simple
unpretentious structure and must have quietly served the community almost as
part of the village scene but I am sure he was proud of it for all that. As I stood there I would not have been
surprised to have seen a Stephenson ghost train arrive along the now empty
track. After that I went on to Little
Kimble to take this photograph:
The
letter written by the Superintendent refers to John having charge of
Wooburn Green and Little Kimble Stations but it is not clear at what
periods. Little Kimble was opened
1.10.1863. Still in use to-day, it is
an unstaffed halt. I was touched as I
stood on the platform to read a little handwritten notice which read 'Enjoy your
journey and come safely home again'.
JOHN
BRIGINSHAW 1817 - 1902 This photograph of a hansome old
gentleman surely portrays a man with a kindly nature who deserved the respect
and esteem in which he was so obviously held by those who knew and worked with
him. John died at the age of 85 in 1902
in Maidenhead and lies buried in the cemetery there. John’s youngest brother, Jesse,
emigrated to America where we know he was driving passenger trains on the Long
Island Railroad and I hope to feature him in a future Newsletter providing
research I am initiating produces sufficient information. ODD SPOT This entry appears in The
Gentleman's Magazine 3 (1733) Page 156: Marriages March 1733 – Edward Cape
Hopton Esq (son of Richard Hopton Esq formerley Kt of the Shire for the County
of Hereford) married Miss Briggenshaw a fortune of 30,000 L !!! It is my intention to produce the
next Newsletter in the autumn when I hope to feature three more John's
(grandfather, father and son, born 1754, 1791 and 1821 respectively) the last
two being farmers on Foxleys Manor estate at Brav. I would welcome any information which might help to expand the
family history surrounding them.
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