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History of Hatching Green
William & Ella Seabrook, with four unknown soldiers – Ian Taylor family archives My maternal grand parents were William Seabrook & Ella Jane Seabrook (nee Ansell) and my earliest memories (late 1940’s, early 50’s) recall them living at No.5 Hatching Green Cottages. 1-5 Hatching Green cottages & The Limes, c.1988 – Detail from LHS1654-73, Peter Roseblade The 5 terraced cottages were owned by Ralph & Florence Halsey who lived in “The Limes”, a de...
The Samwells Family in Harpenden
William Samwells c.1821-1901 The George Inn, c.1900 The First Generation of the SAMWELLS family in Harpenden. The association of the Samwells family and their descendants with Harpenden commenced with the arrival of William Samwells, his wife and a number of his children sometime before 1881. The exact date is not certain to me, the first documented information I have regarding their residence in Harpenden is that contained in the 1881 census ret...
The Elliott 401 Computer at Rothamsted
... William Shears " The Elliott 401 was [..] handed over to the Science Museum, where it stands in a warehouse awaiting restoration [..] " Not anymore ! As per 2017, it now sits at the Mathematics gallery of the Science Museum. Although not in working condition it is nevertheless very well preserved. ...
Frank Yates FRS - 1902-1994
Frank Yates using Fisher’s Millionaire calculator, 1960s – Rothamsted archives Most scientists only know of Frank Yates as the author of Yates’ Correction, required when testing two proportions for independence. But he was responsible for many remarkable achievements in his long career, including sixty years at Rothamsted. He helped Ronald Fisher establish the principles of the design of experiments, he greatly assisted the RAF in the Second Worl...
Theodora's Journals - background to their discovery
In the 1990s Amy Coburn ‘discovered’ Theodora’s journals when she investigated a box of notebooks received by the Society in its early days. Clearly it was not feasible to publish the 11 handwritten volumes covering over 50 years from 1885-1937. However, realising their immense value as a historical source, Amy spent some years transcribing selected parts of the journals, and she gave many local history talks, based on Theodora’s material. She wo...
Group photos of soldiers, including Harpenden men, 1940s
... An album of photos from the Munt family of 30 Batford Road, includes a number of group photos of soldiers in the Second World War – mostly likely including either Ken or Hector Munt. Do any of these men belong to your family? Can you identify where the de-mob celebration took place? ...
The Civil War in Hertfordshire - 1642-1647
17c riding boots found in Rothamsted Manor, known locally as “Cromwell’s boots”. Dr Alan Thompson, recently retired from the Humanities Department, University of Hertfordshire, addressed the Harpenden Local History Society on 27th September 2011. Although Hertfordshire was not the scene of any major battles, it played a key role in respect of its geographical position. London was the Parliamentary stronghold, and Hertfordshire guarded the norther...
Theodora's Journals
... The book, an absorbing life story and a treasure trove of detail about Harpenden and its people, together with reflections on national and international events, represents an abridged version of some remarkable journals written by Harpenden resident, Theodora Wilson, covering the period from 1885 to 1937 . For a full description and sample pages, click here. To order your copy, please download and print the order form below. ...
Walton House School
... George Wolfe This school later became part of Hardenwick, the prep school in Wordsworth Road. My first few years of schooling from 1951 were at Walton House with Miss Donovan and Miss Kerr in charge. ...
The Lydekkers of Tollgate Cottage
... Shazia Ali I am currently occupying 69 Tollgate House, We have been running a successful hair salon for 10 years and going strong. I would love any information on the building and History from the details dated above. Regards Shazia Ed: We have added a page about the people who have lived at 69 High Street. ...
The Lydekkers of Harpenden Lodge - 1853-1979
... George Wolfe A book about Beatrice's son Robert has recently been published and is available from me at secretary@clutterbucktrust.org.uk ...
The Children's Sanatorium, Harpenden
This article was first published in Newsletter 89, p13, September 2002 . ‘[The Children’s Sanatorium] … stands on the healthy Hertfordshire uplands … where the sunshine is not filtered through a screen of town smoke, and where it has the full advantage of the invigorating breezes of the countryside. All around the Sanatorium are extensive gardens …’ This is the opening paragraph of a booklet describing the Sanatorium which was built in 1910 to ma...
Apprenticeship in 1911
Arthur C. Chalkley contributed his memories of Harpenden before the First World War to the Society’s competition in 1979*. He was born in 1895 in Bowling Alley, and described Piggottshill Lane as “a winding lane with two cottages at the top end on the left, which was called Rough Hyde” with allotments on both sides. The shops in Southdown “used to put in long hours, especially on Saturdays as most men received their weekly wages at one o’clock on...
Charles Akrill (1840-1907)
This short biography by Audrey Deacon was first published as part of an article on Akrill House in Newsletter 93 p15, February 2004. It is part of her research paper, dated 1991, on Akrill House, which acquired this name in 1931 in memory of a staunch Methodist – see page in Topics: buildings. Charles Akrill was born at Lincoln in 1840; his father died early, and he was mainly brought up by his mother. At about twenty-five years of age he went to...
Sir John Blundell Maple (1845-1903)
This short biography by Audrey Deacon was first published as part of an article on Akrill House in Newsletter 92 p 18, September 2003. His name lives on in the Maple flats, but not in the convalescent home he built – now Akrill House. John Blundell Maple was born on 1 March 1845 at 145 Tottenham Court Road, London, the elder son of John and Emily Maple. John Maple had founded in 1840, under the name of Maple and Cook, a furnishing and drapery bus...
Harpenden's last 'hue and cry'
Harpenden Lodge was the starting point of the last “hue and cry” recorded in Harpenden. “Hue and cry” had been in existence since medieval times: anyone chasing a thief or miscreant of any kind was entitled to call upon the assistance of anyone within earshot and they were legally supposed to join the chase. John Lydekker told the story in the Herts Advertiser in about 1935: “One morning some seventy years ago (about 1865) a rough-looking man wa...
The Haddens of Harpenden Lodge
James Murray Hadden (1750-1817), William Frederick Hadden (1789-1821), James Hadden (? – 1846) Extract from Eric Brandreth’s article on Harpenden Lodge, Newsletter 113, June 2011, p11 Sir Charles Morgan Bt sold the house, which still exists, to Major-General James Murray Hadden RA in 1804 and it is now known as Harpenden Lodge. Born in 1750, James Murray Hadden was trained at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich and given a commission in the Roya...
St Hilda's School
Advert in the Herts Advertiser and St Albans Times St Hilda’s, a private school for girls, was founded at No.2 Rothamsted Avenue, Harpenden in about 1890. From there it moved to 28 Douglas Road in the early 1900s, under the headship of Miss Craig. Theodora Wilson refers in her Journals (p.95, p.103, p.113) to her sisters Anna and Rhoda teaching there in the Kindergarten* from 1900, until Anna had to leave to take up home care duties in 1908. Broc...
Croft Nurseries, MacDonald, father and sons
... Lee Patterson "Macdonald of Harpenden" is mentioned in the 1919 minutes as being asked for advice regarding the greens at Stanmore Golf Club. ...
The Munt family of 30 Batford Road
Mr and Mrs Stanley Munt lived at 30 Batford Road, where they brought up their sons Hector (born 1912) and Kenneth (born 1914). Photos from the family album show the house, garden and the views from the front and back of the house in a snowy winter. The brothers learned to swim in the River Lea. With the outbreak of the Second World War they both enlisted. Hector spent around two years in a Japanese camp. Ken Munt married Rene Weston and photos sh...
The Weston family of Alma Cottage, Coleswood Road
... Dinah Castle lent her family albums to the Society in early 2012. To her frustration many of the photos were unidentified, but it is possible to put together a brief outline of the lives of her grandparents Bert and Annie Weston in Southdown from the early 1900s to the 1950s. ...
Harpenden's Museum - needing a Home - Part 1 - up to 2012
... CB Smith How about moving to the old library buildings when it moves to the Argos site? We'd love to, but we understand it has been sold to Harpenden Free School. (ed.) ...
Chestnut Cottage, Home Farm
A cutting from Hertfordshire Illustrated Review, volume 2, 1894, has recently come to light as we sort through files of papers bequeathed to the Society by the late Eric Brandreth. Nostalgia at the loss of picturesque buildings is not new! The disappearance of many of our old buildings in our villages is, from an artistic point of view, much to be regretted. They formed charming features in the rural landscape, but unfortunately they were as a ru...
The Red House, auctioned in 1904
This auction brochure, one of several in our archives, describes what was expected of an Edwardian residence, with grounds and outbuildings – the details are shown below. Sir Halley Stewart made The Red House his home from 1904 to 1937. The auction was held in the City of London, and the property was described as “in every way adapted to a City gentleman’s occupation … and having an excellent train service”. 1898 map, showing the entrance oppos...
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