Fox Grove - Enbourne - Newbury

[janjim]

Hi,
We've been doing much research into the New family who resided arounded the Newbury area from around the early 1840's, and recently we have come upon our Great Uncle who resided at Fox Grove in the 1891 census, working as a Labourer, Builder's shop.

Wondering if there is any history in regard to this place?  We note that there is Skinners Farm which was next door, and having googled Fox Grove at Enbourne, see that it is a plant nursery of some form.

Would love to know if there is any more history on this place.   These relations of mine, when they migrated to Australia, called their home Fox Grove, obviously they had great memories of their place in Newbury.

janjim

[Wahian]

Well, for a bit of older history, in 1643 the Parliamentarian army  had come along here from Enborne/Hampstead Marshall on their way to Reading as the Royalists had arrived in Newbury who tried to block them off.  So, just east of your Fox Grove farm and up to Wash Common became the battle ground for the 1st Battle of Newbury, September 1643. One of the farms a bit along was used as a hospital. I don't know how old Fox Grove farm is though, so may or may not have been around at the time of this Civil War battle.

Paul

[janjim]

Hi Wahian,
thanks for this bit of history, but the property they lived at was "Fox Grove", not "Glove", I was aware of  history on the 1st Battle of Newbury in 1643, but not full details

Thanks again

Jan

[Wahian]

Fox Grove doesn't appear amongst the Listed Buildings at Enborne.  If you turn the census to the previous page, living with them is William Thomas and family who seems to work with John New.

Interestingly, next door the other side is Wheatlands Farm, the one used in the Civil War as a hospital, and one of my wife's relations is living there, Alfred Whitington and family, and for many years, Whitingtons also ran two shops in Newbury town centre. Alfred had married my wife's gt aunt, Ann Marie Ashman from Salisbury.

At the moment, I would hazard that Fox Grove was built in the 1800s.

John's earlier years are 1871 at Old Rd, Newbury which today I think is Old Newtown Rd, and then moved a short distance away to ( 1881) Shrewsbury Terrace, off Buckingham Rd. I think his parents are both in Newtown Rd Cemetery and the family has been around Newbury since at least 1748, though I guess you only wanted to know about his home at Enborne really.

[janjim]

Hi Wahian,
Anything of interest with regard to our New family would be great really.   Yes I was aware that John New's parents were buried at Newtown Road Cemetery.   We were over in the UK last year, and found various New graves there.  Also found Shrewsbury Terrace, off Buckingham Road, which we were most surprised to see.  Various members of the New family lived there.

  I'm interested when you say the New family have been around Newbury since 1748.     As far as we know John New Junior's Grandfather Daniel New b. 1792 at Ashbury and his wife Lucy were certainly shown in 1841 census. We have no further knowledge of exactly when this family arrived in Newbury.

Our G Grandfather and Grandfather used to run the London Apprentice Inn for a number of years before they migrated to Australia in 1911/1912.

Thanks for your interest, and if you have any other information on the New's it would be fantastic.

Jan

Daniel New b. 1792 is son of Joseph New and Elizabeth Hide

[Wahian]

Glad you were able to come here and see some of the places connected with your family.
Joseph New might have come from Newbury; then to Ashbury and eventually returned.
His son Daniel 1792 had two wives; Susan and Lucy with a lot of children.
John's father John, as you likely know, married Ellen Thorne in Marylebone, London 1853 and he was a police constable there judging by his stated address. Possibly a police officer in Newbury too?

By 1911, John and Fanny were living at Carnarvon Terrace, Newbury. They'd had 5 children by then, one of whom had died.

21 Dec. 1911 on board ship Miltiades, London to Melbourne were---Mr C E New, Mrs E M New, Master A E New,  Miss A P New, Miss N E M New, and possibly traveling with them, Mrs A Timms.  Is this your Charles Edmund and Elizabeth Mary New emmigrating?

Interesting about the pub connections too which looks to be a family story in itself.

Paul

[janjim]

Hi Paul,

Yes, this was great to be able to go to Newbury to see the places where our family came from, unfortunately we did not have enough time, and regret this.

John New who married Ellen Thorn, yes we have all information on his life, we definitely know that he was pensioned out of the London Metropolitan Police due to injury, but we've wondered whether he spent some time in Newbury as Constable as well, haven't been able to confirm this yet.   

Yes, that was my Grandparents, Charles Edmund & Elizabeth Mary New who migrated to Australia end of December 1911.

The Pub connection, well we also have Edmund New (second son of John New the Policeman) who was Licensee of the Two Brewers for a number of years.  Their son Edmund Walter New was killed on the Lambourn Valley Railway when he was 13 years of age.

This is interesting what you say about Daniel New b. 1792 having two wives, this is something we have worked on previously.  Several people have come back with information that Daniel had a wife Susannah Howard, and telling us that we've gone down the wrong track, our family should have gone to Fulham, London.      Our Daniel New was married on the 8.7.1826 at St. Marys Church Reading  to Lucy Wootton.   He was 34 years of age and was a Draper-Licensed Hawker.   Lucy had a daughter Jane born prior to their marriage.  So we have speculated that possibly Daniel would have been married previously due to his age.

Our Daniel & Lucy had children Martha b. 1826, Lucy b. 1830, John (The Policeman) b. 1832 (we come down the line of this John New) and Charles b. 1835 all born at Newbury.We have census records from 1841 onwards confirming this family at Newbury.  The Daniel New who married Susannah Howard, had children born between 1820 and 1840,
which makes us doubt that this was his first marriage - unless he was running two families at the same time, one in London and one in Newbury !!

Re John & Fanny New, that is also interesting what you say about them, as to the 1911 census, we thought they only had 2 children living with them by 1911, as they then migrated to Australia in 1911.  They actually arrived in Australia on the 27th May, 1911.  Depends when the census was taken of course.     Will have to do more research.

Thanks for all of this information you're providing, most appreciative.

jan

[Wahian]

Daniel New---the speculation that Daniel New married twice or that the one in Fulham is yours I can't see how these ideas came about I'd come across as they both soon collapse within minutes of looking at them.

It seems to me that back at Ashbury, these two Daniels were likely cousins; the later Fulham one being born some 12-18 months after your Daniel in Newbury.

[janjim]

Hi Paul,
Just going back to John New in 1911 census, could you please tell me who the five children were, and the one that died?

Yes, I'm pretty sure we're definitely on the right track with Daniel New.   We have only found one born in 1792, was wondering if you have the information on this other Daniel New being born 12-18 months later, just to confirm everything

Regards
Jan