In the early 1930’s fruit and vegetable merchant, Bert Daws, asked Cliff Warwick of Birchfield Road, Birmingham, who owned a transport business, if he would operate a transport service in the Evesham area to collect produce from the local growers and deliver to his Birmingham business.

The job to operate the Evesham end of the business was given to Edward John Roberts always known as Ted. Ted Roberts had been market gardening, but due to rheumatic fever had been forced to give up his land at Bowers Hill.

Sandys Family origins

The Sandys family can trace its origins back to beyond 1300. The surname is pronounced ‘Sands’ and spelled ‘Sandes’ in early documents. They were resident in Cumberland when Richard del Sandys was one of the two Knights representing the county in Parliament in 1377, the first year of the reign of Richard II. Another branch of the family were established in Hampshire at ‘Vyne’, Sherborne St John. It was not until 1594 that one of the Sandys family acquired property in Wickhamford, the Manor House and its estates.

At the time of the 1871 census, Wickhamford Manor was occupied by Fred S. Smith and his family. He was a 34-year-old ‘Factor & Agent in Cloth Trade’, who had been born in Aston Manor, Warwickshire. His wife was Edith J. R. (28) and there were four small children present – Frederick H. N. (5), Edith L. M. (4), Ethel (2) and Arthur H. B. (1). The eldest had been born in Aston Manor and the others in Birmingham.

In September 1972, Rev. Peter Braby wrote an article for the Badsey, Aldington and Wickhamford Parish Review on ‘Goods of a Wickhamford Yeoman 1601’. This concerned the inventory produced for probate purposes after the death of William Spooner at the end of 1601. According to the parish burial register, William ‘Sponer’ was buried in Wickhamford Churchyard on 30^th November 1601.

Benjamin Ryle Swift was born on 21^st October 1866 in Birkdale, Southport, Lancashire. His father, the Rev. Benjamin Swift, was the vicar of that parish and his mother, Georgiana Elizabeth nee Darwin, was a cousin of the naturalist, Charles Darwin. The Rev. Swift baptised his son at St James’ Church, Birkdale on 27^th January 1867. His baby son’s second name was the maiden name of the Rev. Swift’s mother-in-law, Jane Harriett Ryle.

The censuses of 1841 to 1911 have many references to members of the Taylor family, most of them as tenants at the various farms in Wickhamford. The Church registers contain numerous entries for this family and the Churchyard contains gravestones commemorating no less than six generations of Taylors. An outline family tree of the family is given at the end of this article.

The Walters family first appeared in the records for Wickhamford in the 1881 census. Despite his advanced age, Henry Walters, at 84, was described as an agricultural labourer and he was living at Grey Gables, Manor Road. Also in the household were his bachelor son Charles, aged 31, (bapt. Elias Charles) also an agricultural labourer and Elizabeth his granddaughter who is described as a general servant.

Alfred Woodall lived in Wickhamford for about 25 years and made an impact on the local community as a fruit grower, active member of Littleton & Badsey Growers and the Congregationalist Church in Broadway. He was also a J.P., but not locally.