RootsChat.Com
England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Berkshire => England => Berkshire Lookup Requests => Topic started by: ballach on Friday 29 September 06 21:55 BST (UK)
-
HI LOOKUP PLEASE
JOHN HEFFORD C.1806 HEAD SHOEMAKER/BOOTMAKER
HANNAH HEFFORD WIFE.
CLARA HEFFORD DAU.
JOHN HEFFORD SON.
also if possible i am looking for john's father and mother
SAMUEL AND MARTHA HEFFORD
THANKYOU SUE :)
P.S THEY MAY BE UNDER HUFFER THEY WERE IN THE 1851!!!!
SORRY WRONG BOARD
-
Hi Ballach,
1841
HO107/2814 9 12
Wokingham
Down Street
John Heffer, 35, Shoe M
Hannah, 30
Clara, 9
Hannah, 8
John, 6
Ellen, 4
William, 2
Thomas, 6mo
All born in county.
Tanja
-
In case you start looking at maps Down Street was what is now known as Denmark Street and runs south from Wokingham Town Hall.
David
-
HI David
Thanks for that i was wondering where Down Street was! we did know however that there was a family house in Denmark street. Must be one of the same, thanks again
ballach
-
Hi Tanya
Thanks for that and again the census has sent up another name for me.
I fear as often happened a lot of children didn't make it.
Ballach
-
The history of the naming of Denmark Street is that it was originally called "le don" meaning "Hill Street". It was renamed from Down Street to Denmark Street in 1863 when Princess Alexandra of Denmark came to England to marry the future Edward VII.
Were your family called Heffer when the family house was there? I have access to a lot of history of the town and may be able to tell you more. Can you locate the house more accurately?
David
-
Hi David
yes there were Heffer then but through time it changed to Hefford!!
from the 1851 census they lived at 66 Down Street.
I have been told that John did have some houses built himself, but do not know where, but i have had it in the back of my mind that they may have been May Cottages London Road Wokingham, the reason for this is that by 1881 his dau. Clara and her husband are living at one of them. ant info that you have i would be really interested in
Ballach
-
I have nothing immediate but I am intrigued by May Cottages. The land to the north of the London Road that is Norrey's Farm and Keephatch Farm were at various time farmed by the May family. The cottages seem likely to have been built on their land.
66 Down Street gives me a problem. I wonder if in 1841 in was just a house count in the census and not an actual house number.
I note that in 1881 a Henry Hefford, tailor, was living at 6 Jessore Place, which I think was in the lower part of Denmark Street between "The Dukes Head" and the gas works.
What was the married name of the daughter who lived in May Cottages? I would like to locate them.
David
-
1881 Henry Hefford was Clara's sister he is my g.grandfather!!
Clara's surname was Bowyer but there is a transcribing error and it is under Beaver
1861- living at 12 london road wokingham then 1871 81 london road under Mays Cottages. I have had a look at the census form and it is hard to say if it is a house number or house count let me know if i can help anymore
Ballach
-
I live in London Road and I will in the next few days have a look at numbers 12 and 81 to see what is there now. My first thoughts are that neither are 19th century properties but I may be wrong.
The Bowyers were a fairly prominent Wokingham family. Stanley Leonard Bowyer was mayor in 1950, and was given the freedom of the borough in 1973. Bowyer Crescent is named after him. He owned the local petshop, which continued to use the Bowyer name after it was sold. The shop is still run by the people who took it over, largely unchanged, one of the few old fashioned shops left in the town but I can't remember if they have changed the name.
The Bowyers, mainly his son I think continued to run a DIY hire business after they sold the pet shop but I don't think that exists any longer.
The pet shop emerged from what was a corn merchants back in the 1930s and I also vaguely associate them with Building.
Henry Bowyer, I don't know the relationship seems to have run if not owned Ashridge Farm at the time of WW1. He was renowned for the table which he provided for the local shoots and at harvest time which included his home cured ham and farm butter. He had at least two sons the second one being called Frank. Henry employed the local thatcher which seems to confirm involvement in the building trade.
Just to complete the history, Ashridgewood which was the house which owned the land which later became the farm was the home of Sir Arthur Sullivan (Gilbert & Sullivan) for a period. I am not sure how thw the house and farm buildings relate.
David
-
Thats some interesting information there thankyou.
I have been told that John Hefford was and i quote ' a very well to do man'! i have also been told from a very distant relation that John was invited to a dinner on a Royal occasion, now what this was i have no idea!
The Hefford's had been bootmakers/shoemakers for a few generations in Wokingham and i am told 'well respected'
when i first started on the Hefford Family it was thought that he was 'just a poor bootmaker' but as i have dug deeper a fuller story is coming to light. it is all so facinating. I am researching about 15 names at the moment
Ballach
-
One more thought. The more I think about it the more convinced I become that the pet shop was called Henry Bowyer and sons when I first knew it in the 1970s.
-
I went for my walk today.
The Wokingham Pet Shop still indicates that it belongs to Henry Bowyer and Sons. It doesn't, as it was purchased some years ago by the husband of someone with whom I used to teach swimming. It also has another sign which says Corn Chandlers established 1926.
At the place where number 81 London Road should be there is a gap in the house numbers between two fairly old terraces. This gap contains a pre-war detached property and a much more modern detached house.
Number 12 London Road is more of an enigma. The first even numbered house is now number 60 and is a 1930s bungalow. Prior to that is the All Saints churchyard. It is probable that there were terraced houses backing onto the churchyard which have been replaced by a road widening and possibly some extension to the churchyard.
66 Denmark Street is currently part of a terrace of houses at the bottom of the street past the Duke's Head public House. This terrace I would estimate was built in about the 1920s.
There is in existence the diary of a nine day horse drawn caravan holiday taken by a group of five Wokingham men in 1911. This is currently in the possession of Michael Bowyer the grandson of Henry Bowyer. Extracts have been published in various places but probably the fullest is in the Wokingham Historian a publication of the Wokingham Historical Society.
The five men adopted aliases for the journey but Coachman Harry was Henry Bowyer. It was basically a pub crawl to the south coast and back. It is notable for the antics and practical jokes of five inebriated men rather than being of much historical interest.
David
-
Henry Bowyer my 1st cousin 2x removed was the father of Stanley Leonard Bowyer. Do you know if the Michael Bowyer mentioned in your note was Henry MB Bowyer b 1940 the son of Stanley?
Further to the earlier post Henry Bowyer was Bailiff to Ashridge Farm on the 1901 census.
Margaret (Bowyer) Guest
-
Sorry I don't know whether Michael was Henry.
David
-
HI
I do not know of a Henry Bowyer the Bowyer that is related to my family is William Bowyer b. circa 1828 Wokingham, however this William may have been a brother/Uncle of yuor relation