In which I search for William Hall, who named his Swindon home Longford Villa after his Irish birthplace, and ended up in Jefferies Land.
The inscription on an intricately carved Celtic cross in a prominent place in the Christ Church burial ground provided enough information to start my research.
Examples of free standing Celtic crosses have been discovered in Ireland dating back to the 7th century, so it came as no surprise that this memorial was for an Irishman.
William Hall was born on September 8, 1815. I found the first reference to him living in Swindon in the online UK Railway Employment Records 1833-1956 when he entered the employment of the Great Western Railway on January 1, 1846 as a clerk.
By 1881 he has climbed the professional and social ladder. He describes himself as 'Accountant Loco Dept of GWRailway' and he now lives in an impressive property along The Sands (Bath Road) which he names Longford Villa after his birthplace.
But as regular readers of this blog will know, it is William's wife who I am really interested in. The woman who appears on census returns as having no occupation or profession, just an appendage to her husband's life and career.
Martha's father John Luckett Jefferies had left his Swindon home and moved to London and a job with a Mr Taylor, a printer and publisher with a business in Red Lion Court, Fleet Street. John married Fanny Ridger at Old Church, St Pancras on November, 1809.
Their first child, a son James, was born on May 2, 1811 and died 16 days later. Four more children were born in London, Fanny on June 30, 1812; Eliza on August 18, 1813, Mary on January 12, 1815 and James Luckett Jefferies on December 8, 1816. And then the bombshell! A letter from Swindon adopted a worrying tone. There were concerns about the family business and John's eccentric brother who was in charge.
In 1816 John was forced to leave the job, the home and the life he loved in London to return to Swindon.
The family continued to grow and Martha was born in 1818 followed by Sarah in 1820; Richard in 1822 and John in 1824.
Martha Jefferies married William Hall at Holy Rood, Swindon's original parish church, on June 30, 1849 and the couple had seven children. Their youngest son Frederick James died aged six years old and is buried with Martha's Jefferies ancestors in a large grave in Holy Rood churchyard.
Join the Swindon Heritage team for a guided walk around Holy Rood Church and graveyard on Sunday July 28. Meet at the church in Lawn, Old Town for 2 pm.
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Jefferies family grave in Holy Rood churchyard. This is not the grave of author Richard Jefferies who is buried in Broadwater Cemetery, Worthing.
The inscription on an intricately carved Celtic cross in a prominent place in the Christ Church burial ground provided enough information to start my research.
Examples of free standing Celtic crosses have been discovered in Ireland dating back to the 7th century, so it came as no surprise that this memorial was for an Irishman.
William Hall was born on September 8, 1815. I found the first reference to him living in Swindon in the online UK Railway Employment Records 1833-1956 when he entered the employment of the Great Western Railway on January 1, 1846 as a clerk.
By 1881 he has climbed the professional and social ladder. He describes himself as 'Accountant Loco Dept of GWRailway' and he now lives in an impressive property along The Sands (Bath Road) which he names Longford Villa after his birthplace.
But as regular readers of this blog will know, it is William's wife who I am really interested in. The woman who appears on census returns as having no occupation or profession, just an appendage to her husband's life and career.
Martha's father John Luckett Jefferies had left his Swindon home and moved to London and a job with a Mr Taylor, a printer and publisher with a business in Red Lion Court, Fleet Street. John married Fanny Ridger at Old Church, St Pancras on November, 1809.
Their first child, a son James, was born on May 2, 1811 and died 16 days later. Four more children were born in London, Fanny on June 30, 1812; Eliza on August 18, 1813, Mary on January 12, 1815 and James Luckett Jefferies on December 8, 1816. And then the bombshell! A letter from Swindon adopted a worrying tone. There were concerns about the family business and John's eccentric brother who was in charge.
In 1816 John was forced to leave the job, the home and the life he loved in London to return to Swindon.
The family continued to grow and Martha was born in 1818 followed by Sarah in 1820; Richard in 1822 and John in 1824.
Martha Jefferies married William Hall at Holy Rood, Swindon's original parish church, on June 30, 1849 and the couple had seven children. Their youngest son Frederick James died aged six years old and is buried with Martha's Jefferies ancestors in a large grave in Holy Rood churchyard.
Join the Swindon Heritage team for a guided walk around Holy Rood Church and graveyard on Sunday July 28. Meet at the church in Lawn, Old Town for 2 pm.
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| Martha Hall (right) pictured with her sister Fanny Cox |
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| The Hall siblings and their cousin |
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| William and Martha Hall |
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| Grave of William and Martha Hall |
Jefferies family grave in Holy Rood churchyard. This is not the grave of author Richard Jefferies who is buried in Broadwater Cemetery, Worthing.