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A new date for your diary

January 17, 2016, 2:53 am
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A new date for your diary.

Full Council Meeting, Council Chamber, Civic Offices, Euclid Street 

Thursday, January 21st 7pm

Having given consideration to the Friends of Lydiard Park petition (which now stands at 8,409 signatories) members of Swindon Borough Council are going to debate the subject again.

Motion 7a - Lydiard Park and House

(i) Councillor Garry Perkins will move:

"This Council notes the online petition signed by over 8,300 people, saying: "We the undersigned oppose Swindon Borough Council's plans to hand over Lydiard House and Park to the commercial sector."

This Council requests that the Board Director, Service Delivery ensures that the report scheduled to go to Cabinet in February sets out a timetable allowing a further three months for all proposals to be developed more fully so as to reflect the Council's goal of securing a sustainable future for Lydiard House and Park."

(ii) Councillor Jim Robbins will move and Councillor Jim Grant will second:

"This Council notes the Swindon petition with more than 8000 signatories, which states "We the undersigned oppose Swindon Borough Council's plans to hand over Lydiard House and Park to the commercial sector."

This Council believes Lydiard House and Park should not be transferred to the commercial sector and urges Cabinet to reconsider its plans for this heritage asset."

Members of the public are allowed to attend this meeting.

There is still time to sign the petition - let's make it 10,000 before Thursday.

Civic Offices c1948


Civic Offices captured more recently


1950s aerial view of the Civic Offices

Entrance to Lydiard House


Lady Bolingbroke taking tea on the front lawn at Lydiard House


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John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester.

January 17, 2016, 10:40 pm
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I will be conducting a portrait tour of the Ladies of Lydiard at Lydiard House on Saturday, January 23, at 2.30pm. as part of theBehind Closed Doors programme of events. All the events are free but you do need to book. Phone Charlotte Thwaites on 01793 465277 or email CThwaites@swindon.gov.uk.

We might even take a passing glance at John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester.

John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, died on July 26, 1680, aged 33 years old.  It had been, how can I put it, an eventful life.

The son of Anne St John and her second husband Royalist hero Henry, Viscount Wilmot, John was a bit of an embarrassment to his mother.

It wasn't just the lewd poems or the bawdy plays, his dismissal from court or the drinking and whoring that upset her.  It wasn't even the attempted abduction of his future, fabulously rich heiress, wife to be Elizabeth Malet that made her raise her eyebrows.  Well actually it was, but what really upset her was that he wouldn't renounce all of the above on his death bed - and boy did she try hard to persuade him.

John was born at Ditchley, Oxfordshire and at the age of just 12 was sent to Wadham College, where it was said he 'grew debauched.' These things happen!  Having picked up his MA three years later, John went off on the obligatory Grand Tour, which probably finished off the debauchery tuition.

Following the abduction attempt, John married Elizabeth Malet. The couple had four children - a son who died young and three daughters.

Elizabeth who married Edward Montague, 3rd Earl of Sandwich. Anne who married first Henry Bayntun and next Francis Greville and Malet who became the wife of John Vaughan, 1st Viscount Lisburne.

Back home in London John was the toast of the Restoration Court.  He frequented the theatre, gave acting lessons to his mistress Elizabeth Barry and wrote a lot of very rude poetry.

But it was the death bed renunciation of his life long atheism that was the real best seller and remained in print for two hundred years - a cautionary tale for any young man about to embark upon a life of excess.

John died at his home in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, his body so ravaged by his lifestyle that it was unknown whether it was the effects of alcoholism or venereal disease that eventually killed him.

John's portrait, attributed to Peter Lely, hangs in the Dining Room at Lydiard House.  Visit the Lydiard Park website on for details of opening times.

John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester

Anne St John, Countess of Rochester

Elizabeth Wilmot, Countess of Rochester

Lady Elizabeth Wilmot

Lady Anne Wilmot

Lady Malet Wilmot



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Frederick St John and George Stubbs

January 28, 2016, 11:18 pm
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The Favourite Hunter of Henry Viscount Bolingbroke - a copy of this painting hangs in the library at Lydiard House

As Swindon Borough Council agonizes over what to do about Lydiard House, who would have thought that Frederick, 2nd Viscount Bolingbroke and 3rd Viscount St John might have been its saviour!

This is 'Bully' who famously divorced Lady Diana Spencer, sold the family pile at Battersea, spent a fortune on Sevres porcelain and bought more than 90 thoroughbred racehorses during a ten year period. "I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast horses. The rest I just squandered," he might have said to the press of the day.*

Along with the horses he bought, raced and sold in the 1760s, Frederick also became the patron of a Lancashire born artist specialising in painting horses.

The first of Frederick's horses to be immortalised in oils was 'Lustre, held by a groom.' Next came 'Tristram Shandy' followed by a bay filly called 'Molly Long Legs.' 

Frederick had a group of his brood mares and their foals painted, most probably in the Lydiard parkland. The title for this atmospheric painting is 'Mares and Foals disturbed by an approaching storm.'

In 1765 Frederick had the celebrated 'Gimcrack' painted following his win on Newmarket Heath. And to complete his gallery of equine portraits Frederick had painted 'Turf,' a bay who earned him around 2000 guineas, a 'Favourite hunter of Henry, Viscount Bolingbroke' and 'Hollyhock.'

In 1943 things were just about as bad as they could get at Lydiard House. With the Palladian mansion house falling down about his ears, Vernon, 6th Viscount Bolingbroke, moved into Brook Cottage, the home of his own great grandfather, one of the gamekeepers once employed on the estate.

Up at the mansion house he had the mother of all clear outs - donating 2 and a half tons of historic documents to the wartime paper salvage scheme. Furniture was burned on the front lawn and in December of that year he dispatched four paintings for auction at Christie's; two fetched £4,410 each, a group of mares and foals made £1,365 and a fourth, the 'favourite horse of Henry Viscount Bolingbroke standing by a river, the family seat and church seen in the background' made £787.

These were just four of eight pictures Frederick had commissioned in the 1760s, painted by George Stubbs, the most famous painter of horses this country has ever produced. The painting of Hollyhock was given to M. Monet in 1766 who obviously thought it needed livening up and had a couple of figures and a flock of sheep added to the background. The painting was later bought by the Prince of Wales in 1810 and now hangs in Windsor Castle, part of the Royal Collection. 

Today the whereabouts of 'Tristram Shandy,' which sold at Christie's for £2.3 million in 2000, is unknown, but 'Molly Long Legs' hangs in Liverpool's Walker Art Gallery.  

And in 2011 one of George Stubbs's works fetched a cool £22.4 million, making it the third most valuable Old Master ever sold. And what was this painting? It was Gimcrack on Newmarket Heath with a trainer, a stable lad and a jockey, one of the paintings Vernon sold in 1943.



Gimcrack on Newmarket Heath with a trainer, a stable lad and a jockey 


Mare and foals disturbed by an approaching storm


Turf with Jockey up at Newmarket

Molly Long Legs
Hollyhock
Lustre held by a groom

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Portrait of the Week - Holles St John

January 30, 2016, 2:37 am
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The Behind Closed Doors event at Lydiard House continues this week with an afternoon talk.

Wed 3rd February 2.30 pm
Wigs, Ruffs and Robes - Discover hidden stories behind the portraits of sumptuously dressed aristocrats with Lydiard House educationalist Nancy Heath.

All the tours and talks in this series of events are free (donations are welcomed) but places are limited and you do need to book a place. Telephone Charlotte Thwaites on 01793 465277 or email cthwaites@swindon.gov.uk.

For details about forthcoming events visit the Lydiard Park or the Friends of Lydiard Park websites.


by Maria Verelst


This little dimpled darling is Holles St John, youngest son of Henry 1st Viscount St John and his second wife Angelica Pellisary.

Angelica had 12 children, but only four survived to adulthood, George (1693-1716); Henrietta (1699-1756); John (1702-49) and Holles (1710-38).

Little is know about Holles excepting that he was an equerry to Queen Caroline, according to his memorial in Battersea church.  He was very close to his sister and would appear to be the only member of her family who continued to see her following her expulsion by husband Robert Knight, Lord Luxborough.

Holles was also very fond of the theatre, although whether as an enthusiastic member of the audience or as an actor is unknown. On his death he left his sister shares in Covent Garden Theatre, naming her as executrix of his Will.

In the name of God Amen I the Honoble Holles St John Esq youngest son of the Right Honble Henry Lord Viscount St John being of sound and perfect mind and memory thanks be given to God for the same do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament in manner and fform following ffirst I give and devise all that my ffreehold Estate whereof I stand seized pofsefsed of or Interested in called ffreien Court with the Mefsuage Outhouses Lands and premifses thereunto belonging and appertaining now in the occupation of Richard Perry or his undertenants Situate lying and being at Peckham Rye in the Parish of Camberwell in the County of Surry unto my sister Henrietta Knight Wife of Robert Knight Esq for and during the term of her Natural Life and from and immediately after the decease of the said Henrietta Knight then I give and devise the same to my Niece Henrietta Knight daughter of my said Sister Henrietta Knight for and during the term of her Natural Life and from and immediately after the decease of the said Henrietta Knight the daughter then to the heirs Males of her Body lawfully to be begotten And for want of such Issue Remainder to my own right heirs for ever Item I give and bequeath unto Sir Peter Soame Baronet two hundred pounds and to his Sister Msrs Jane Sarah Soame five hundred pounds of lawfull money of Great Britain I give to my Servant Jeremiah Trean (?) ffifty pounds and all my apparel both woollen and Linen I desire my Executrix herein after named to lay out ffifty pounds on a Monument to be Erected in the Church where I happen to be buryed I give to my Brother the late Lord Viscount Bolingbroke my Diamond ring which was given me by me ffather and after my Debts ffuneral Charges and the Legacies hereby given are paid and Satisfyed I do hereby give and bequeath all the rest and residue to my personal estate Goods and Chattells whatsoever and wheresoever unto my said Sister Henrietta Knight and her Afsigns whom I hereby constitute and appoint Sole Executrix of this my last Will and Testament In Witness and whereof I the said Holles St John have hereunto sett my hand and Seal the first day of November in the tenth year of the Reign of Our Sovereign Lord George the Second over Great Britain King Defender of the ffaith And in the year of Our Lord One thousand Seven hundred and thirty Six Holles St John Signed Sealed Published and Declared by the Testator Holles St John as his last Will and Testament in the Presence of us who set our hands as witnesses in the presence and at the Desire of the said Testator – Morris Jacob Wale Tho: Osbourne
This Will was proved at London before the Right Worshipfull John Bettesworth Doctor of Laws Master Keeper or Commifsary of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury lawfully constituted the Seventeenth day of October in the year of Our Lord One Thousand Seven hundred and thirty Eight by the Oath of the Honble Henrietta Knight (Wife of Robert Knight Esq) the Sister of the deceased and Executrix in the Said Will named to whom administration was granted of All and Singular the Goods Chattells and Creditts of the said deceased being first Sworn by Commifsion duly to Administer

An obituary published in the Gentleman's Magazine descibes Holles as being 'of a lively Genius and a sparkling wit,' but not every publication was so complimentary. The author of Bolingbroke and His Times - The Sequel, published in 1901/2 calls him 'fat, unwieldy, and, like them all, turbulent.'

Holles died on October 6, 1738 aged 27. He was buried in the family vault at St. Mary's, Battersea where Henrietta erected a monument to his memory, according to wishes expressed in his will.


Art print is by Daniel Lysons.
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A Talk and Tea Party

February 2, 2016, 3:21 am
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Swindon Suffragette, with Swindon Heritage, are hosting a talk and tea party to celebrate Edith New's birthday in March.

Edith was born 17th March 1877 in North Street in Swindon and is buried in Polperro, Cornwall where she died in 1951.

We are holding our event on Saturday 19th March at 12.30 in St Saviour Church, Ashford Road, Swindon, SN1 3NS

The first hour will be a talk with local historian Frances Bevan and Edith's great-niece Tamara looking back at her work as a suffragette, sharing information about her life and family in Swindon and looking forward to our plans to get a memorial to Edith in her hometown. We hope to share photos from our archives and also from the March and Rally in October.

The second hour will be a tea party, come and enjoy a slice of cake and a cup of tea and maybe dress up in your suffragette finest again if you attended the march.

This is a free event but we ask that people confirm attendance in advance either on the Facebook event or by emailing swindonsuffragette@gmail.com to allow us to cater accordingly! If anyone would like to donate cakes or biscuits they would be very gratefully received on the day.







Marching down Wood Street


Tamara and Mary - Edith's two great nieces
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Nicola Cornick - Author Talk

February 7, 2016, 11:17 am
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Nicola Cornick - Author Talk

  • Date: 11th February 2016
  • Location: Central Library, Regent Street, Swindon, Wilts SN1 1QG
  • Time: 19:15 - 20:30
  • Cost: £2.50 (£1.50 Library Members)
Historical Romance - the fact and the fiction! Romantic fiction – from the medieval troubadours to Sir Walter Scott, Jane Austen to Barbara Cartland!


To celebrate Valentine’s Day, international best selling author Nicola Cornick tells the history of romantic fiction from the Middle Ages to the present. With tips for aspiring authors and advice on how to get published, Nicola reveals all about romance! Nicola will also be promoting and signing copies of her new novel'House of Shadows' published by MIRA Books. Nicola Cornick has been shortlisted four times for the US Romance Writers of America RITA Award and twice for the UK Romantic Novelists Association Romance Prize. She is also Awards Organiser for the Romantic Novelists' Association and a mentor for their New Writers' Scheme, which critiques manuscripts for aspiring authors. Tickets available from Swindon Central Library Ground Floor Help Desk as well as all other Swindon Libraries. For further information Tel: 01793 463238 or email: ccurtis@swindon.gov.uk




I can't wait!!
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Keeping up Appearances

February 8, 2016, 4:13 am
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The Behind Closed Doors event continues this Saturday, February 13 at 2.30 pm when Frances Yeo, Curator of Lydiard House shows how the Lydiard collection is cared for and demonstrates ways you can look after your own treasured possessions and furnishings.

All the tours and talks in this series of events are free (donations are welcomed) but places are limited and you do need to book a place. Telephone Charlotte Thwaites on 01793 465277 or email cthwaites@swindon.gov.uk.

How Bessie Howard, the daughter of carter, agricultural labourer and sometime blacksmith Thomas, became Lady Mary Bolingbroke is a story of rags to riches to genteel poverty and burgeoning debt.

The story goes that during a romance of more than 10 years Mary was forced to live a life of secrecy.  Her two illegitimate sons left behind at their Bath home when Henry and Mary visited Lydiard where Mary was forced to resume her role as housekeeper. The revelation of their marriage in 1893 only came to light after the Viscount's death six years later.

However, photographic evidence suggests the situation may be slightly different.  This myth busting snapshot of Mary and Lord Bolingbroke with one of their elder sons is clearly taken at Lydiard.  In a close knit rural community where Mary was related to half the Lydiard estate workers perhaps their clandestine affair was in fact an open secret.  The St John family had form when it came to illicit relationships and local memories were long.

Servant super sleuth Sharon, a former volunteer at Lydiard Park has researched the Victorian wage books, and dated another photograph of Mary taking tea on the Lydiard lawns with a footman in attendance to around the 1880s.  When the census was taken on the night of April 3/4 1881 there were four servants in residence at Lydiard House with Henry and Mary presumably at their Bath home.

In 1881 the work force at Lydiard was a mature one, headed by 61 year old Charles Wicks described as a General Servant Domestic and his wife Mary Ann employed as cook.  Mary Ann's age is recorded as 62 but further research has revealed she was in fact 72.  Perhaps she manipulated her age for the census enumerator to protect her job.  There were two housemaids living-in on that April Sunday night, Sarah Halliday 50 and seventeen year old Frances E. Selby.

Charles Wicks was born in the neighbouring parish of Lydiard Millicent in 1820, the son of carpenter John Wicks and his wife Mary.  Charles was working as a carpenter at the time of his marriage to Marianne (Mary Ann) Logden in 1842.  Elizabeth Oliver, Sophia Logden and Jacob Edmonds acted as witnesses at the wedding in St Mary's Church, Lydiard Tregoze and the following year twin daughters Sophia and Mary Ann were born.  Subsequent census returns reveal the growing family living at various addresses in both Lydiard Millicent and Lower Hook with Charles working as an agricultural labourer and carpenter.  In 1861 Mary Ann states her occupation as cook - although probably not at Lydiard House where Henry employed the Turner family.

Mary Ann died in the winter of 1882.  Whether Charles remained in the employment of Lord Bolingbroke has yet to be discovered.  By the time of the 1891 census Charles was an inmate at Purton Workhouse, most probably where he died in 1900 at the age of 80.






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An evening of romance - and chocolate roses!

February 12, 2016, 1:56 am
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If you've ever dismissed the romantic novel as inferior to other genres, Nicola Cornick made a few salient  points during her talk at Central Library last night.

Historian and best selling romantic novelist Nicola Cornick has a hugely successful 18 year writing career and with 40 novels under her belt (published in 27 different countries) she knows what she's talking about.

During her Valentine Day themed talk, at which there were book giveaways AND chocolate roses, Nicola charted the history of the novel, in particular the romantic novel, once considered a danger to women and children.

From its roots in the oral, medieval troubadour tradition to the 1970s and 80s lucrative writing market the romantic novel continues today to be as popular as ever.

Nicola talked about her own early reading experiences and her grandmother's secret library kept hidden in her lavender scented wardrobe. It was here that Nicola became acquainted with the romantic works of Ethel M. Dell whose writing career spanned from 1911 to her death in 1939.

Nicola has just finished the second of three time-slip novels. The first, House of Shadows, is set against the backdrop of Ashdown House where she works as a tour guide and historian.

Her second book, due out later this year, has another local setting, this time Savernake Forest, Wolf Hall and Littlecote House.

Nicola is now researching her third book in this series, which gets ever closer to home with an Old Town location and a big, local family name - and no, its not the Goddards.

Nicola's books are available from Amazon WH Smith and Waterstones and can be borrowed from Swindon libraries.

Catch up with Nicola on her own website, the Ashdown House blog and Word Wenches.






Here is the Ashdown and Lydiard House connection …

William, 1st Earl Craven and builder of Ashdown House, was the son of Sir William Craven and his wife Elizabeth Whitmore. Elizabeth’s younger sister Margaret married Sir John St John, 17th century owner of the Lydiard Estate. In 1630 he was recently widowed with 11 children to care for, she was a 54 year old widow and ten years his senior. Her portrait hangs in the dining room at Lydiard House and her effigy lies next to Sir John and his first wife Anne Leighton on the magnificent bedstead memorial in neighbouring St Mary’s Church.

More than 80 years later and Sir John’s great grandson Henry St John, Viscount Bolingbroke was to seek refuge at Ashdown House. In 1714, as the country awaited the death of Queen Anne, Henry allied himself with the Jacobites and Catholic James, the Old Pretender. William, 2nd Baron Craven allowed his fellow Tory to use Ashdown House as a bolt hole where he plotted and planned to restore James II’s Catholic son to the English throne.


Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia by Gerard Van Honthorst - one of Nicola's heroines in House of Shadows



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Renaissance Wax - the answer to all my housework issues.

February 14, 2016, 1:57 am
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Who would have thought that I'd enjoy a talk about cleaning?

At yesterday's Behind Closed Doors event Frances Yeo, curator at Lydiard House (and STEAM Museum) explained how she and her staff care and clean the collection. There were quite a few surprises in store, but it all made perfect sense.

She explained why visitors might notice a discreet coating of dust on some of the surfaces and the less obvious that surface is, the thicker the dust - but as Frances explained, this isn't lazy housekeeping. Dragging a cloth across a dusty table top can cause an amazing amount of damage.

Apparently dust isn't a problem until it is several layers deep and this could take up to two years to accumulate. So no need to dust every week then - which has been my argument for, well a lot longer than two years!

Frances explained all about heat, humidity and light recordings and the difficult job of coping with the antiquated heating system in Lydiard House.

The niceties of when to conserve and when to restore were explained and I loved the story of Trigger's 20 year old broom that had 17 new heads and 14 new handles. (Only Fools and Horses). When one of the visitors asked about cleaning the chandeliers I hoped Frances might be about to show us the classic Del Boy and Rodney sketch!

We were then taken on a tour of the state rooms where Frances explained the practicalities of cleaning and caring for the collection. We were shown the effects of vigorous cleaning of the silver by over zealous St John servants and the damage caused more recently by removing the alcohol deposits in a decanter.

So what tips did I bring home to help with my own dusty deposits. Where can I buy Renaissance Wax - it could be the answer to all my housework issues?

The Behind Closed Doors series of events continues next week when Michael Gray will be delivering his fascinating talk Grand Designs. For more details visit the Friends of Lydiard Park website. Please remember that although all the events are free you do have to book by phoning Charlotte Thwaites on 01793 465277. 













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Love birds, hearts and Cupid's arrow

February 14, 2016, 11:04 am
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The summer of 2008 saw the BBC's Antiques Roadshow set up camp in the grounds of Lanhydrock, a country house in Cornwall where a piece of Lydiard Tregoze local history made a surprise appearance.

Expert Penny Britten provided a brief history of the printed Valentine and valued the 200 year old handmade one sent to Roadshow visitor Graham's great-great-great grandmother Alice Crook in 1803.

Alice Catherine Crook was born in Lydiard Tregoze in 1782, the daughter of Simon Crook and his wife the former Elizabeth Woolford.  Flaxlands Farm, part of the Lydiard Park estate owned by Lord Bolingbroke, was occupied by the Woolford family at the time of the couple's marriage in 1777, with Simon taking over the tenancy in 1782.

Although unsigned, Alice knew the sender of her Valentine.  Richard Hallilay, born in Greenwich in 1785, was the son of local girl Sarah Goddard and her husband, Richard Hallilay.  Graham supposes Alice and Richard might have enjoyed a holiday romance when the young Richard visited family at nearby Cliffe Pypard.

Richard had given Alice a writing case, some puzzles and a decorated poem as a Christmas present in 1802.  A comparison of the handwriting made it easy to identify the sender of the Valentine.


The intricate Valentine opens to reveal eight heart shaped sections on each of which the love struck Richard wrote a verse of poetry.  The poem opens with 'To you I write my dear A.C./Do not refuse the line./The boon I ask, pray will you be/My faithful Valentine.' Each section is decorated with love birds, hearts and Cupid's arrows.

Sadly the romance ended and by 1804 Richard was employed as a paymaster in the navy.  Perhaps the star crossed lovers were separated by Richard's ambitions.  Naval records indicate that he went on to hold a senior administrative post and in 1851 he was Agent and Steward at the Royal Hospital at Haslar in Hampshire.

Alice went on to marry Robert Gray, a coach proprietor.  After their wedding on November 12, 1812, Alice moved to Robert's home at a busy coaching inn on Ludgate Hill in the City of London - a far cry from the farm in Lydiard Tregoze.


Graham believes that Alice died before 1837 and there is no evidence of her on the 1841 census.  The Valentine, preserved with other family letters and documents, has been passed down the generations from mother to daughter.  It is presently in the safekeeping of Graham's sister.
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Behind Closed Doors - Grand Designs

February 18, 2016, 12:51 am
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A house has stood on the site of the Palladian mansion in Lydiard Park since the 13th century and until 1943, when it was purchased by Swindon Corporation, had just five owners - the Tregoze, Grandison, Beauchamp and St John families.

During the 500 years of St John occupancy the house has been modernised, remodelled and neglected until following the death of Lady Bolingbroke in 1940 when the trustees of her will put the property on the market.

For more than 70 years the local authority has restored and refurbished the fabric of the building, tracked down and purchased furniture and artefacts that once belonged to the house, including numerous stunning portraits and paintings that now hang on the walls.

In 2005 a £5 million restoration programme saw the parkland and walled garden returned to their former 18th century glory and it looked like the future of Lydiard House and Park was secure...

The Behind Closed Doors series of events continues on Saturday February 20, when Michael Gray will be delivering his fascinating talk Grand Designs. 

And on Wednesday February 24 there is a repeat of my Lydiard Ladies portrait tour.

For more details visit the Friends of Lydiard Park website. Please remember that although all the events are free you do need to book by phoning Charlotte Thwaites of 01793 465277.

Barbara Villiers, Countess of Castlemaine

Lady Diana Spencer

Looking through to the State Bedroom

The rear of Lydiard House revealing the interesting different phases of the building

Anne Leighton - my favourite Lydiard Lady

Hidden door, hidden secrets of the Ladies of Lydiard


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It's all in the detail - the Grand Designs of Jack St John

February 21, 2016, 6:59 am
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Architect and Lydiard House expert Michael Gray gave a packed audience a fascinating talk about the Palladian mansion as part of the Behind Closed Doors series of events.

Michael, who designs 'modern' stately homes, explained how architecture tells us a lot about the client who commissioned it, and there was plenty to learn about the St John family.

Lydiard House was remodelled by Jack St John between 1738-1748 using his wife's inheritance. Anne Furnese was at first co-heir to her father's estate, but following her brother's death she inherited the lot. The money, therefore, came in fits and starts, which is pretty much how the building project at Lydiard House progressed. Features were added and embellished as the money became available, not so very different from big building projects undertaken today, explained Michael.

The architecture and decorative features, both inside and out, are full of coded messages, which weren't lost on the 18th century visitor but might not be quite so obvious to the modern one.

Did you know that the front entrance, the west elevation centre piece, evokes the style of a Classical Temple? And if you wondered what the motifs beneath the pediment above the door symbolise, they are all about life and death with the skull of the oxon symbolising virility and fertility.

As Michael explained, this is a feminine house, maybe a nod to the fact that  it was Anne's money that paid for it all, but Jack did put his mark on the masculine library and the room beyond.

Evidence of features from the older house are on show such as the beams in the drawing room, which date from the 17th century and the fireplace in the library, which doesn't fit the chimney breast and may have come from another of the St John family homes.

The expensive, embossed red wallpaper in the drawing room was a later, 19th century addition; the original wall covering was handpainted Chinese wallpaper and a much more delicate design.

And if you wondered what the significance was of a bedroom on the ground floor, this was very much a status thing, evidence that the family was eminent enough to receive the monarch for a sleep over.

If you're a Behind Closed Doors follower there are still two more talks to come. I am repeating my Lydiard Ladies portrait tour on Wednesday, February 24 at 7 pm and on Wednesday March 16 at 7 pm in Uncovering History, Jane Rutherfoord talks about ancient wall paintings and her fascinating conservation work at neighbouring St Mary's Church.

The talks and tours are all free (although donations are welcomed) but you need to book by phoning Charlotte Thwaites on 01793 465277 or emailing cthwaites@swindon.gov.uk

The Behind Closed Doors events are a collaboration between the staff at Lydiard House and the Friends of Lydiard Park.


The western elevation

The St John coat of arms and motto



The 'temple' entrance

The south tower. How many of these windows are false?



Classical bust and plaster work

The library and the over large fireplace

The state bed
Anne Furnese in coronation robes



John (Jack) St John (he of the Grand Designs)


The finished work
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A Talk and a Tea Party

March 1, 2016, 2:55 am
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So, what is it like growing up with a famous suffragette in the family? What was the family view on her militant activities? Did they support her, or was she an embarrassment?

These are some of the questions we will be asking Tamara Dugdale, Edith New's great niece, at A Talk and a Tea Party at St Saviour's Hall, Ashford Road on Saturday March 19, 12.30 to 2.30.

Edith was born on March 17, 1877 at 24 North Street, Swindon and we will be celebrating her 139th birthday in style with Tamara in conversation with Leah Bevan-Haines and Frances Bevan. Sadly Edith died when Tamara was very young but did she grow up hearing about her famous great aunt, we wonder?

Tamara will be telling us more about Edith's family and what she thinks inspired her to take up the Votes for Women cause.

Another opportunity for us to wear our suffragette costumes, so don the purple, green and white colours ladies (banners are optional) and let's wish Edith many happy returns.

For further updates and to let us know you are coming, visit the Swindon Suffragette facebook page.

Here are some photos from the October 2015 events.

Our fab banner telling the story of Edith New

A guided walk of Old Town saw us visit Christ Church. Here we are standing by the grave of Edith's maternal Frampton grandparents.


Organiser Leah Bevan-Haines


Tamara wearing Edith's original sash

Swindon Suffragettes, 2015 style, get ready to march

Perry Barrett wearing an original Edwardian police uniform - and he grew a moustache in honour of the occasion

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Spring is in the air at Lydiard House and Park

March 9, 2016, 9:33 am
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It might not have felt very Springlike today, with squally showers and a chilly blast, but the forecast for the rest of the week is looking promising and I feel in a buoyant Lydiard House and Park mood.

Next week sees the last in the Behind Closed Doors series of events on March 16 at 7 pm when Jane Rutherfoord will talk about ancient wall paintings and her fascinating conservation work at St Mary's Church, Lydiard Tregoze. For more information visit the Friends of Lydiard Park website.

Lydiard House, which has been closed since before Christmas, reopens on March 19 with a new exhibition called Lydiard at War.

And then yesterday yet more information arrived concerning future events at Lydiard House including the Friends AGM on May 7.  Mike Bowden, Chairman of the Friends, writes:

"Given the very serious threat Lydiard House and Park is currently under and the uncertainty of its future remaining in public hands, we will devote our afternoon to this issue, providing you with an update on events including the formation of the Lydiard Park Heritage Trust and its bid to take over the management of the House and Park. This will also be an opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have on the subject."

The Friends annual summer outing will be to Croome Court, Worcestershire, home to the Coventry family, among whom was Barbara St John, the daughter of John St John, the 11th Baron St John of Bletsoe. Barbara married George William Coventry, 6th Earl of Coventry in 1764. Read more about them on the Good Gentlewoman blog.

If you love Lydiard why not join the Friends? Membership costs £10 per individual and £18 for a couple. Under the present arrangements friends continue to have free access to the House and Walled Garden.

Barbara St John, Countess of Coventry

Summer 2014 edition of Swindon Heritage and the story of Frances Winchcombe

Lydiard House

Walled Garden

View across the lake

Sun dial in the Walled Garden

More views of the Walled Garden

Time travelling in Lydiard Park with the Woodvilles

The State Bed

18th century view of Lydiard House and Park

Classical bust in the Grand Hall, Lydiard House

Croome Court, Worcs. 




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33,000 stories - telling them one at a time.

March 12, 2016, 2:56 am
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This year's season of guided walks at Radnor Street Cemetery begins tomorrow, Sunday March 13th. Meet at the cemetery chapel for 2 pm.

This is the story of Alice and Frederick Legg, told on a previous walk.

Alice Legg was not a local girl. She was born in Wimbledon in 1886, the daughter of Frederick and Catherine Lovegrove.

Her first job was as a kitchen maid at a private girl’s school in Wimbledon. The duties of a kitchen maid were many and varied and involved a lot of cleaning and some cooking under the supervision of the cook. In this her first job, Alice was roughly the same age as the pupils at the school.

At the time of her marriage in 1911 Alice was working as a domestic servant for a Wine & Spirit retailer. Her husband Frederick was born in 1887, possibly in Faringdon.

They married at All Saints Church, Wimbledon on June 5, 1911. Both Alice and Frederick give their address as 65 Norman Road. The UK Railway Employment Records state that Frederick had begun working for the GWR here in Swindon On May 29, 1911 as a Boilermakers Helper, just weeks before his wedding.

Frederick later worked as Watchman in the Loco Manager’s office. He left the Works on Jan 4, 1943. The couple’s last home together was at 75 Okus Road.

Alice died at the Isolation Hospital. Frederick died at 432 Ferndale Road,most probably the home of one of their children.

The couple died within months of one another. Alice in June 1961 and Frederick in October of the same year.









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The Pitt Family - a life in service.

June 17, 2016, 3:38 am
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Guided churchyard walk takes place this Sunday, June 26 at St Mary's, Lydiard Park between 2-4.30 pm.

Today few occupations can guarantee a job for life but in the 19th century it was quite different. In 1871 there were 1.4 million women in domestic service - 6.5% of the total population.

One in three girls between the ages of 15-20 worked as kitchen maids and housemaids - and one record breaking Swindon family notched up an incredible combined service of over 160 years extending across three generations.

In 1818 James and Elizabeth Pitt moved to their new home, one of three stone built tied cottages in Mannington Lane close to the area marked by today's road sign. An agricultural labourer, James was first employed by tenant farmer Richard Dore King at Mannington Farm and later by Richard Strange who in 1835 signed a 12-year lease on the 237-acre farm.

The couple had five daughters, Eliza, Leah, Jane, Mary Ann and Martha, all baptised at St. Mary's Church, Lydiard Tregoze and of whom four were destined for employment at Mannington Farm.

Eldest daughter Eliza worked as a 'house servant' for over 24 years. In the 1860s the going rate for a housemaid was £14 per year, all found, the hours were long and the work hard. But as Mrs. Beeton, that doyenne of household management, advised her readers: "A bustling and active girl will always find time to do a little needlework for herself..."

Eliza's sister Leah served the family for just two years due to her untimely death at the age of just 18. She died on October 26, 1841 in Cricklade where she was then working in service.  The cause of her death was given as 'Visitation of God.'

Third daughter Jane put in an impressive 24 years service at Mannington Farm.  She began work in 1839, first as a house servant then after her marriage to groom Thomas Osman in 1859, as a dairymaid.  Fourth daughter Martha also began her working life as a house servant at Mannington. However by 1871 she had been promoted to Lady's Maid to Richard Strange's daughter Julia.

Elizabeth Pitt died in 1871 and her husband James in 1882.  An elaborate and expensive memorial, probably erected by their appreciative employer, marks their grave in the churchyard at St. Mary's, Lydiard Tregoze.

Julia took over the running of the farm after her father's death and by 1891 there was a whole host of Pitt descendants employed in the household, including Martha aged 52 and Jane Osman's two daughters, 21 year old Julia who is a housemaid and Louisa 28, cook. The Mannington Farm tenancy changed hands in the late 1890s ending over seventy years of Pitt/Osman family service to the Strange family.

Today the elegant 18th century farmhouse the Pitt girls cleaned and polished has been converted into flats and a bus lane passes by where the family cottage once stood.







James and Elizabeth Pitt's headstone at St Mary's, Lydiard Park
Unauthorised use or duplication of these words and pictures without written permission is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Swindon in the Past Lane with appropriate accreditation.
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Rudler family

June 18, 2016, 12:58 am
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Join me on a guided churchyard walk at St Mary's Church, Lydiard Park this Sunday, June 19 between 2-4.30 pm.

You'll find several memorials to the Rudler family in the churchyard at St Mary's and it is most likely they are all related.

The first time the name appears in the burial registers is when Richard and Anne, the son and daughter of Richard Rudler, were buried on December 16, 1679.

More than a hundred years later John York Rudler married Ann Lock (sometimes called Lockey) in the same church on March 14, 1794. Their seven sons were christened at the 13th century font, where baptisms take place to this very day.

Two of the Rudler brothers are buried in the churchyard. Richard was innkeeper at the Prince of Wales Inn, Coped Hall Road for many years. He died on January 12, 1875 and shares an elaborate tabletop tomb with other Rudler relatives.

Henry, his younger brother, died at Banner's Ash Farm on October 9, 1884. His less elaborate headstone contains a lot of family history, which still takes a bit of working out, but revealed that Henry's first and second wives were sisters.

If, like me, you enjoy reading headstones you probably like reading wills as well. Here are a few excerpts from Ann's will.

This is the last Will and Testament of me Ann Rudler of Liddiard Tregooze in the County of Wilts Widow Whereas Thomas Lockey father of the said Ann Rudler Widow Formerly of Liddiard Tregooze aforesaid in and by his last Will and Testament bearing date on or about the second day of January one thousand eight hundred and five gave devised and bequeathed his whole fortune of money plate jewels goods chattels stocks funds securities and all other his personal estate whatsoever unto Gabriel Hollister and Ralph Broome their executors and administrators In trust that they or the survivor of them his executors administrators or assigns should convert such parts as did not consist of money or securities for money into money and invest the same upon Parliamentary or real securities or in the purchase of stock in the public funds and yearly pay the interest dividends and produce thereof to his daughter the said Ann Rudler then the wife of John York Rudler during her life for her own sole and separate use And from and after her decease in trust to pay his said personal estate or assign or transfer the stocks and securities in which the same should be then invested to and amongst all or any more or one of her children of the said John York Rudler on the body of the said Ann Rudler his wife ...

..... do by this my last Will and Testament in writing by me signed and published in the presence of and attested by the two credible persons whose name s are hereunder written as witnesses hereto direct limit and appoint that now and after my decease the said personal estate so bequeathed by the Will of the said Thomas Lockey deceased and the stocks funds or securities in which the same may be invested shall go remain and be and I hereby give and bequeath the same unto my four sons Richard Charles Henry and Cornelius equally to be divided between them share and share alike I give and devise All that my moiety or equal half part of and in All that freehold meadow ground called Lambourn Ground situate in the parish of Minety in the County of Gloucester (the entirety of which was devised to me and John Rudler Sheldon as tenants in common by the Will of Margaret Rudler deceased and all other my real estate whatsoever and wheresoever unto my friend William Priddy of Spittleborough Farm in the parish of Liddiard Tregooze aforesaid Farmer and Francis Templer of Purton in the said Count of Wilts yeoman To hold to them the said William Priddy and Francis Templer their heirs and assigns nevertheless upon the trusts hereinafter declared concerning the same (that is to say) Upon trust with all convenient speed after my decease to make sale and absolutely dispose of the said hereditaments and premises either together or in parcels and by Public or Private sale and to convey and assure the same unto the purchaser or purchasers thereof or as he she or they shall direct and to receive the monies arising from the sale or sales thereof and give effectual discharges for the same ….

.....And in the next place to pay unto all and every the children of my deceased son William who may be living at my decease the sum of ninety pounds to be divided amongst them share and share alike and if but one such children to such child wholly Also to pay to Sophia Rudler the widow of my said deceased son William the sum of ten pounds Also to pay to Thomas Hall of Hook in the parish of Liddiard Tregooze aforesaid labourer the sum of twenty pounds

This is a Codicil to the last Will and Testament of me Ann Rudler of Liddiard Tregooze in the County of Wilts Widow Whereas by my said last Will and Testatment in writing bearing date the fifteenth day of September one thousand eight hundred and forty six I have devised and bequeathed All my real and personal estate whatsoever and wheresoever unto William Priddy of Spittleborough Farm in the parish of Liddiard Tregooze aforesaid farmer and Francis Templer of Purton in the said County of Wilts Yeoman Upon trust to make sale and dispose of my said real estate and such part of my said personal estate as should not consist of money or securities for money and to collect get in and receive the remaining parts of my said personal estate And I have thereby declared my Will to be that the said William Priddy and Francis Templer and the survivor of them his executors or administrators should stand possessed of as well the monies to arise from my said personal estate as the monies to be produced by the sale of my said real estate Upon trust after payment of my just debts funeral and testamentary expenses and the expense incidental to the trust thereby related to pay unto all and every the children of my deceased son William who might be living at my decease the sum of ninety pounds to be divided amongst them share and share alike And also to pay to Sophia Rudler the Widow of my said deceased son the sum of ten pounds and upon certain other trusts in my said Will particularly mentioned Now I do hereby revoke the trust and bequest of ten pounds to the said Sophia Rudler contained in my last Will and Testament And I do hereby direct that the said William Priddy and Francis Templer and the survivor of them his executors and administrators shall and do pay out to the said trust funds and premises a further sum of ten pounds to the said children of my deceased son William to be divided amongst them share and share alike And I do hereby bequeath the same sum of ten pounds to them accordingly And in every other respect I hereby confirm my said last Will and Testament In witness whereof I the said Ann Rudler have hereunto set my hand and seal this twenty sixth day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty eight – The Mark and Seal of Ann Rudler X Signed sealed published and declared by the said Ann Rudler as and for a Codicil to her last Will and Testament in the presence of us present at the same time who at her request in her presence and in the presence of each other have hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses – Francis Wiltshire Wootton Bassett E. Dodd Clerk to Messr Pratt Solicitor Wootton Bassett

Proved at London with a Codicil 28th January 1851 before the Judge by the oaths of William Priddy and Francis Templer the Executors to whom Admion was granted having been first sworn by Comon duly to administer

Richard Rudler - Ann's second son

Henry Rudler - Ann's youngest son

Prince of Wales Inn, Coped Hall - home to various members of the Rudler family
The 13th century font (photograph courtesy of Duncan and Mandy Ball)

Unauthorised use or duplication of these words and pictures without written permission is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Swindon in the Past Lane with appropriate accreditation.
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Radnor Street Cemetery, Essie Fox and all things Victorian

June 19, 2016, 12:58 am
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Yesterday Radnor Street Cemetery resembled something straight out of a Victorian novel. Gravestones crouched half hidden among the grasses as wild flowers sprung out of once lovingly tended plots where far flung families seldom visit. 

It was wild, beautiful and with an air of abandonment, and for a moment I was lost in the world of Essie Fox, writer of dark haunting Gothic stories. Her debut novel, The Somnambulist, takes it's title from a painting by Pre-Raphaelite artist Sir John Everett Millais and was chosen by Channel 4's TV Book Club as one of the best reads of 2012. Essie followed this with Elijah's Mermaid, a sinister tale that begins with the story of Pearl - a web-toed child who is found half drowned and floating in the Thames one night. Her third novel, The Goddess and the Thief, is an exotic and sensual tale of theft, obsession and 'other worlds' Visit The Virtual Victorian, and read about Essie's inspiration for her work, which is what I was doing before my cemetery visit.

Armed with my cemetery map and camera I made a visit yesterday to take some photographs for the GWR themed walks I am researching, but it proved impossible to find the last two graves on my list. I knew roughly where they were but I felt a bit like the non swimmer I am paddling out to sea. Dare I go a few more steps or should I turn back?

Radnor Street Cemetery is caught in the dilemma of conservation area versus cemetery and all the responsibilities that go with its historical worth. There are 33,000 burials in the cemetery, each one with a story that tells the history of Swindon. The cemetery only receives four comprehensive grass cuts a year due to this conservation status but the good news is that it is due one fairly soon and will be neat and tidy for our Swindon Heritage History Day on July 10.

Meanwhile, the churchyard at St Mary's, Lydiard Park is trim and easily navigable, so why not join me there this afternoon, June 19 from 2-4.30 for a guided walk. 










The Somnambulist by Sir John Everett Millais






Unauthorised use or duplication of these words and pictures without written permission is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Swindon in the Past Lane with appropriate accreditation.
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St Mary's churchyard, Lydiard Park

June 20, 2016, 2:55 am
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A busy day at St Mary's yesterday. Lovely new contacts made and a request from the stewards in the church for a guided churchyard walk.

Here are photographs of some of the graves we visited.

Next guided churchyard walk takes place Sunday June 26.






Jonas Clark from Wick Farm


Henry and Rebecca Rudler from Banner's Ash Farm

Delicate detail on this tabletop memorial



Mary Ody 

Intricate detail




Says it all 


Unauthorised use or duplication of these words and pictures without written permission is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Swindon in the Past Lane with appropriate accreditation.
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William Dore

June 20, 2016, 11:04 pm
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Continuing the story of the Dore family ...

The local firm of auctioneers was central to commercial enterprise in any 19th century town and in Swindon one family dominated the scene.

The death of William Dore on July 12, 1877 saw the end of a family business spanning nearly 100 years and three generations. "An instance of the transference of business from father to son in direct succession rarely equalled," the Swindon Advertiser noted in an obituary to the third William Dore.

The Dore 18th century family roots were in the parish of Lydiard Tregoze. William Dore, the first in the auctioneering dynasty was Lord Bolingbroke's tenant and paid rates on Wick Farm and additional land called Prinnels, Blacklands and Greendown between 1806 and his death in 1815.

Baptised at St Mary's Church, Lydiard Tregoze in 1749, the son of Peter and Jone Dore, William married local girl Sarah Hedges.

William fulfilled his parish responsibilities as tenant and rate payer, and clocked up an impressive 13 years service as churchwarden with Jacob Matthews of Toothill, retiring in 1812, possibly due to ill health or just a general infirmity.

In addition to heading the thriving auction business inherited from his father, the second William Dore established a printing works, initially for his own requirements but which later produced an annual Almanack.

But it would be his son, also born in Lydiard Tregoze, who took the family business to new heights.

With the arrival of the GWR and a building boom in New Swindon, the family business flourished with livestock sales remaining central to the business.

Dore began holding cattle sales in a private yard by the Queen's Hotel close to New Swindon station. Increased trade saw him move first to a temporary yard in Lower Town before buying a two acre site which the Advertiser described as "one of the most complete and efficient sale yards of the kind in the west of England."

The opening of the new yard in 1873 was marked by a public luncheon where William Dore was presented with a golden auctioneer's hammer. He told how the wooden hammer he used in his daily work had been first used by his grandfather and passed to him by his father.

In a town once famed for its swine, Dore's new market specialised in the sale of sheep. Today a statue of a ram marks the former market site on Marlborough Road.



In 1875, just two years before his death, the sales at Dore's yard had become a weekly event and totally eclipsed the old High Street market.

Described as 'a man of retiring habits' William Dore had suffered from heart disease for a number of years but had continued to wield his hammer, and a year before his death had entered into a new partnership with Henry Smith. The firm survived into the 20th century as Dore, Field and Co.

images - Wick Farm, home to the Dore family and statue on the site of the former market on Marlborough Road, Swindon.
Unauthorised use or duplication of these words and pictures without written permission is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Swindon in the Past Lane with appropriate accreditation.
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