Visitors’ Book

As one of Tony Royle’s grandchildren, (still living locally!) I was delighted to read your very interesting article about his life. I would love to see some of his paintings/ink drawings. Particularly the one which I was very pleased to see hanging in the blacksmith’s workshop, on visiting to have our horse’s shoe put back on in the 90’s! Sadly, I expect this disappeared when the property was sold/vacated. I do have a couple of ink drawings of Badsey that I could dig out for your records, if you would like. I remember visiting Tony’s home in Badsey as a very small child, and know he and Una were very happy there. Thank you again for your very interesting article. Best wishes.
Caroline Smith.

I decided to write profiles for the war dead whose names are on the war memorial in Budleigh Salterton, Devon, where I live. Frustrating to see that nobody here had any information about H.Tanner, and the Devon Heritage website even lists him as Not yet confirmed. Eventually, an online mention of Budleigh Salterton in connection with his WW1 veteran father drew me to Hubert, where I found your excellent profile. What a brilliant site. Thank you. Discovering it was a real breakthrough. But what a sad story.

In regards to Harry Drax Bloxham, He arrived in Melbourne aboard the 'Troubadour' on the 10th of August 1851, His brothers James and Arthur, had already established themselves as squatters in NSW and Victoria. Harry, becomes a sub branch manager of the London Chartered Bank Melbourne. He becomes the Manager of the London Chartered Bank Sydney in March of 1860, arriving there by the 'Wonga Wonga' 1Mar1860, and will still hold this position in 1864. In August of 1863, He will be involved in the forgery case of a Mr Chubb, manager clerk for the firm J W Byrnes and Co. who have business with squatters in Queensland and who have their accounts with his bank. In 1864 he will have acquired pastoral runs in the Leichhardt and Kennedy districts of Queensland. He will die in Melbourne on the11th of June 1875 and is buried in the Melbourne General Cemetery.

I'd like to add some comments to the excellent biography of my "Uncle Eric." He wasn't really my uncle but he married my godmother when I was very young (about 1950) and thereafter my parents and Lorraine and Eric had a lot of contact. I first knew him when they lived in a gorgeous Tudor half timbered cottage in Stableford in Shropshire, from where he used to commute to work in Wolverhampton as headmaster of St Peter's School. I believe the retirement date given for him as 1958 might be a little early, since I recollect it being 1960. This would fit, since he would then have been 65. Shortly after his retirement, they sold "Stableford Cottage." My parents, with me in tow, spent quite a few trips looking for a home in the Evesham area and eventually bought Windward House, Murcot Turn and moved there in about 1961. We became frequent visitiors especially since I had a great fondness for their black Labrador dog "Rodney" who I used to take for long walks when I was in my early teens.
At school I was having a bit of a struggle working towards my Latin O levels in 1962 and "Uncle Eric" as a Latin scholar gently tutored me when I spent a couple of weeks with them in spring 1962. I passed!
We kept in frequent touch with them until I learnt with sadness of his passing in 1977. Happily I kept in touch with his widow Lorraine, my godmother, until her death in 2007.

Very interested to read the article of Walter Hall, and his family. He was my grandfather whom I never met. My mother is Ciciely, Doreen's sister , my mother ashes are buried next to her Father.

Thanks to Maureen Spinks for her lovely detailed post on Wingfield GEE and his connection to George AGG, both as his business partner and as an Auctioneer of his property. I believe this George AGG to be my third Great Grandfather. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Agg-7 Most of George Agg’s children emigrated to Australia in the 1850s, and the ones that remained behind have no living descendants as far as I have been able to ascertain. George’s father John AGG was a Postmaster, Bookseller and Publisher at Evesham. Some notes found online conflate this John AGG with his son also called John, who was the one that did a printing apprenticeship with his father, and then got into trouble for some of the things he published about people in high places. This younger John AGG https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Agg-51 ended up in America, and was a stenographer for Congress. He didn’t have any children as far as I am aware. The Will of the first John AGG mentions his son John in America. John AGG the older had two other sons, James and Thomas. I am still looking for information about their descendants, if any. I would be very interested to know if any of the Badsey AGG family members were related to John AGG of Evesham. In 1980, Gordon and Elena AGG of Coquitlam, Canada (https://vancouversunandprovince.remembering.ca/obituary/elena-agg-10653… ) visited Australia, and looked up the phone book, and found my parents (my Dad was another George AGG) and arranged a visit. They were unable to find a family link, but probably were distantly related. I gather from this website that Gordon was a descendant of the Badsey AGG family.

Our surname project facilitated a DNA kit, and not an inexpensive one, to a gentleman named Michael B. Sladden, who has contributed to the Badsey site. This was shipped to the address he provided, 11/5/2019, but was apparently never picked up (?). I do not wish to overstep anyone's privacy, but the DNA results are important to us, and the money this person provided was spent with no benefit to him or to us, so if anyone at the society can still contact him, we would like to arrange to send a replacement kit or otherwise learn the status. We have not gotten a response from his previously responsive e-mail address since the shipment confirmation, and are in limbo. Any attention you can give to this would be appreciated. Clinton Slayton, admin-Slaton Slatton Slayden Family & DNA Project

To add to my posting re my father earlier today.
- He was not taken in to the WW1 army due to a heart condition ( not lung )
- He was one of 9 boys and 3 girls. 7 of the boys served in the army in WW1 and of these 3 were killed ; George, Eric Lionel , Urban Arnold. ( one of my cousins was given the names Urban George Eric and always described himself as a " walking war memorial " ! ).

I have read your entry re my father Stanley Gordon Stephenson and would like to clarify/enlarge things.
- SGS was not called up to the war as he had a lung condition and was in an essential service - farming.
- He met my mother Elvira Peltzer when she came on leave from La Panne in Belgium where she was serving as a nurse with his sister Lilian.
- They married in Colwyn Bay, North Wales as this was where the Peltzers always took their summer holidays.
- I doubt whether she received the Military Medal as this was only given for extreme valour to non-commissioned members of the army. She may however have been given a medal of some sort to recognise her service which was just behind the lines ( she sometimes told of shells passing overhead ).

I run a Facebook page for my old school (Haverfordwest Grammar School, Pembrokeshire). The Akrill-Jones brothers are recorded on the school war memorial plaques as former pupils.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2720724084872801&set=pcb.101573…

I thought it might be of interest to share that I have come across the cause of death for Captain Christine Mary Edmonds (1918-1945), during my own research. She was a member of the Medical Women's Federation, and it is noted in their records that she died because of a riding accident whilst on service in India, rather than as a direct result of enemy action.

Thank you so much I have learnt a lot about Ellen Hooper

Thank you for the information regarding the above - she was my Uncle Walts Auntie - another piece of the family jigsaw.

I was so pleased to find new information on my paternal side of the family, the Waltons. I have some of the photos from my own Grandmother, Vera May Walton (granddaughter of Edwin and Margarett Walton) but there are some new ones that I've not seen and so nice to put names - and stories! - to faces. Thank you for this excellent archive.

Some friends in Evesham showed me a very similar ball, but theirs was found in their garden in Jamaica!

Your site is the best local society one I've seen, and being a former resident of Badsey I have dipped in and out of it over the past few years. The market gardening diaries of James Hall you mention are located in the Almonry Museum. Mr Fryer, then custodian, kindly allowed me access to them and other primary sources for use in my dissertation. This was in 1992/3. One diary consisted of an A4 ledger and an earlier one a much smaller, approx. A5 sized, hard backed note book. They did not appear to be catalogued at the time and Mr Fryer thought they were connected to a family in the Dumbletons. However, once researched further, I thought they were of a Badsey man: Theodore 'James' Hall. This was confirmed later when I also came across the Sidwell articles in the Evesham Journal microfiches at the library. Somewhere, I still have photocopies of some of the diary contents.

Good afternoon, I have just found your very interesting research. I just wondered if you had anymore info or photos of where and what my ancestors did. Alot of history in The Bengeworth/Evesham area. My gt gt William Davis is laid to rest at Waterside. Obviously moved I think I recall All Saints. His wife is also laid to rest with him, 1877. William died in a good place, The Royal Oak Inn, Evesham. Witnessed by his son who was also a blacksmith and Landlord of The Inn. He also is laid to rest at Waterside. We have visited and found both graves. We could not find Williams other son Wilson who is supposed to be laid to rest also there. My gt grandfather Alfred Davis was born 1835 in Church St, that house still stands. He also lived at Port Street and trained as a master barber. Latter moving to Birmingham. William Davis Born 1804 lived and worked as a blacksmith at Castle St, Evesham. So Alot of family history there. A friend who is a distant relative lives in Camden, London. We share the same gt gt grandfather. Wilson is on her side of the family. I'd be extremely grateful if you could help with anymore info maybe photos. I have researched for over 10 yrs now. Only recently could I go back another generatio. Monumental inscriptions etc, or purchase your book. Or anyone with anymore info on my Davis ancestors. Kindest regards, Keith Davis.