The Love family history in Lydiard Tregoze was explored by local historians Mark and Lorraine Child in the Friends of Lydiard Tregoz Report No 33 published in 2000 and entitled ‘For the Love of an Angel.’
When Mark and Lorraine’s research of St Mary’s parish registers revealed numerous entries of babies baptised under the name ‘Angel or Love’ they set about discovering the reason, suspecting an illegitimate birth might have set the trend.
And sure enough it was. In 1763 unmarried Martha Angell took her baby son to St Mary’s Church where he was baptised Joseph Angell. Three weeks later she married John ‘Love alias Luff’ who was, presumably the baby’s father.
Now a person can only have so many alias’ so young Joseph dropped the ‘Love alias Luff’ and settled on sometimes Angell (with or without a double l) sometimes Love and sometime both.
In 1828 John Angel married Mary Ann Watson and they named their children with various permutations of the names; Elijah Angel, John Love, Mary Angel or Love, Edwin Angel or Love, Keziah Love, Louisa Love, Julia Angel or Love, George Love and Abraham Angel or Love.
When their son, John junior, came to marry and raise a family all his children were given the surname Love, including his son Henry James who later followed another family tradition by becoming the Lydiard Park estate gardener as had his great uncle Abraham Angel who held the position in 1825.
James was presumably employed chiefly about the walled garden, which served as a vegetable garden during the Victorian period. He appears on the 1901 census living in Hook with his wife and their five children where his occupation is recorded as gardener. However he does not appear to have been the gardener for very long, although he was probably an estate employee for most of his life.
Ten years earlier he had been living in one of the Flaxlands Farm cottages and in 1911 he is described as Manager of Farm, still at Flaxlands, where in trade directories dated 1915 and 1920 he is working as baliff to Edward Hiscock esq Flaxlands.
In 2005 the neglected walled garden was restored and replanted as part of the Lydiard Park Project. More than one hundred and fifty fruit trees were planted, among them old varieties of apple including the Bedwyn Beauty.
Today James Love has become a 21st century advertising phenomena and it is his name that appears on the Lydiard Park heritage cider, complete with photograph and the proud boast that ‘all apple varieties used date back to 1743 or earlier.’
Mr Love's Heritage Cider costs £4 and is available from the Coach House Tea Rooms.
Mr Love's Heritage Cider costs £4 and is available from the Coach House Tea Rooms.
Now what’s not to love about a heritage cider …
