Thomas Edgar (2): The 1870s

Johnson Edgar, the tenant of Down Hall Farm and the owner of the windmill at Preston St. Mary, died in 1872, leaving behind him his wife Sarah and four boys (plus one girl, assuming Sophia was still alive).

My great-grandfather Thomas, described as a farmer of Preston, was one of the executors, and he proved Johnson's will, which included effects of less than £1000.[1] This might be proof that Johnson's position was shaky in his last years, but, as we shall see later, there's evidence against this hypothesis, and perhaps he had just arranged his affairs to avoid what we now call inheritance tax - it might be significant that in 1881 a law was passed to prevent the obvious dodge of making gifts to your heirs while you were still alive.[2]

Who inherited or took over the lease on Down Hall Farm on Johnson's death? Perhaps it was the eldest son, John, because when he himself died two years later (1874) the death was registered in the Cosford District, which includes Preston, not in Stowmarket where he was working as a miller in 1871.  I shall provide evidence below that proves that Thomas was in possession of the lease on Down Hall soon after John's death - so if it was John who took it over in 1872 it went out of his branch.

A macabre incident of 1873 shows there was a 'Mr. Edgar' employing labour at Preston St Mary in that year, but unfortunately doesn't tell us if it was Thomas or John.

In the February of that year, one Daniel Lambert, returning home from his work at Mr. Edgar of Preston's heard a 'melancholy cry' from the bottom of an embankment close to Lavenham Station.  

"Lavenham Railway Station" by Steven Duhig from Bowie, Maryland, USA - Lavenham Railway StationUploaded by oxyman. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Commons 

Lambert and another man went to investigate and found It was from George Eary, a nineteen year old who had to try to get a free ride by hiding in a pig truck attached to the open cattle truck of the Bury-Colchester train. As he jumped out, he fell with his right foot on the rail and the train ran over his leg and  smashed it to pieces. He died in spite of an amputation by Mr. Barkway, surgeon.[3]

Another court case - this one in early 1874 - also fails to tell us for certain which Edgar was at Down Hall Farm.

On January 16 1874 William Howe, a labourer of Lavenham, was found guilty of trespassing in search of rabbits on the land of 'Mr. Edgar of Preston' on December 23.  Ruffel Spraggous (sic) deposed that he'd seen the accused in a field and when he approached he'd started to dismantle his gun. He seems to have been interested in poaching partridges as well. Thomas Edgar 'had the shooting' and had asked to look out for him. Howe said in his defence he had a family of 12 and no work (his record on Ancestry shows that if he was exaggerating the size of his family to win the sympathy of the court, he wasn't doing so by very much.) He was fined 7s. with 7s. costs or two weeks jail. Howe's son was found guilty of poaching on Spraggous's own land on the 20th. December.[4] Does this mean John was 'Mr. Edgar,' who leased the farm while Thomas had the shooting licence? (In a previous post we saw Thomas's interest in shooting.) Or are the two Edgars one, both in fact Thomas, who leased the land and had the shooting? And, although it's a reasonable assumption that the land on which Howe was attempting to carry out his poaching was Down Hall Farm, this isn't actually stated in the report.

But six months later there's no further doubt: when Thomas married on June 30, 1874 he was described as 'of Down Hall'. John died in the April-June quarter of that year, and it may or not be a coincidence that Thomas married soon after. The bride, Harriet Ann, the second daughter of Mr. Thomas Worters, [5] was from Milden, so the wedding was held there, presumably at this church:

"St Peter's Church, Milden - geograph.org.uk - 724655" by Andrew Hill. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Commons 

Two months later, Harriet was pregnant. Thomas was just over 30, his wife was 22.

But country life went on around them, and before they could welcome their first child, they had to suffer another foul incursion on the Edgar lands.

On January 19, 1875 Alfred Snell was accused of trespassing in search of rabbits on 'land in the occupation of Mr. Thos. Edgar of Preston'. William Turner, a gamekeeper of Brent Eleigh had seen him and his dog get over the fence from 'Mr. Root's stubble field'. Snell denied everything, including ownership of the dog, but was fined 10s plus 7s cost or 14 days in prison.[6]

Arthur Thomas Edgar was born on April 10, 1875 into a hopefully peaceful and crime-free Preston St Mary.

The next year gives us the first glimpse of something that -whenever its started - was to remain with Thomas for the rest of his life. On Friday October 22, 1876, Thomas, attended a conference convened by the Lord Bishop of Ely in the Athenaeum Lecture Hall, Bury St Edmunds.[7] 

Image: http://athenaeumbse.co.uk/about-the-athenaeum/

He was there in his capacity as a churchwarden, and, as we shall see, he occupied the same position in the Essex village where, after many wanderings, he ended his days.

The family continued to grow. Alice Louise was born on 12 September, 1876 at Preston, and my grandfather Herbert Sidney in 1878 - he was registered in the district of Cosford,[8] so he too was presumably born in Preston, and most likely at Down Hall Farm.[9]

Herbert Sidney Edgar in Vansittart Road, Windsor

In between these births - on February 4, 1877 - Thomas's uncle Johnson (not to be confused with his late father of that name) died at Down Hall Farm.[10] For about 30 years this farm had been central to the life of the extended family of our branch of the Edgars. But it wouldn't be long before it passed out of our hands.

Parts of Down Hall farmhouse date back to the fourteenth century - this is a detail from some recent repair work: http://www.traditionaloakcarpentry.co.uk/projects-repair-down-hall.php

In June 1878 the freehold of Down Hall Farm came up for sale by auction. Four lots were offered, and it's not clear how much of the land and buildings thereon was being farmed by Thomas at the time; lot 3 was described as 'Down Hall Farm' and that had just under 75 acres but the whole thing was 172 acres of 'very fertile...agricultural land'. with a farm house, agricultural buildings, double cottage and off-hand farm premises.[11] As Johnson Edgar was described in the 1871 Census as farming 172 acres, I think that Thomas's lease was probably for that area too. I don't know who bought the farm and I can't be sure that whoever it was allowed Thomas to stay on as tenant, but I think he probably did for a reason that will soon become clear.

Before 1878 was over, Thomas had lost his mother. Sarah Edgar died aged 90 on November 11 - described in the typical phrase of the time as the 'relict' (widow) of Johnson Edgar of Down Hall.[12]

What makes me think that the Edgars were still at Down Hall - which was probably where Sarah died - is the fact that in 1879, Thomas, described as a farmer of Lavenham, sold the Preston mill to one John Thomas Allen for £1,150. For the earlier history of what the historian of Suffolk windmills has described as a 'fine' tower mill,[13] see http://edgarfamilyintheworldblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/the-wealth-of-edgars-johnson-and-his.html

The 1881 Census has John Allen, a miller and corn merchant, living in Mill Road, Preston. The mill continued in service until about 1919 and was pulled down in 1928. [14]

This suggests that by 1879 Thomas had the lease of a farm - almost certainly Down Hall - and that by direct inheritance from Johnson in 1872 or later through John's family - he had also acquired the family mill. The fact that he sold it for a sum worth, however conservatively you do the calculation, over £100,000 in today's values, suggests that Johnson's will (see above) might not have represented his true wealth..

And Thomas's windfall makes what happens next amazing.

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[1] England and Wales National Probate Calendar.

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inheritance_Tax_(United_Kingdom)

[3] The Bury and Norwich Post, and Suffolk Herald (Bury Saint Edmunds, England), Tuesday, February 18, 1873; pg. 5

[4] The Bury and Norwich Post, and Suffolk Herald (Bury Saint Edmunds, England), Tuesday, January 20, 1874; pg. 5;

[5] The Ipswich Journal, Saturday July 4, 1874.

[6] The Bury and Norwich Post, and Suffolk Herald (Bury Saint Edmunds, England), Tuesday, January 19, 1875; pg. 8;

[7] The Bury and Norwich Post, and Suffolk Herald (Bury Saint Edmunds, England), Tuesday, October 26, 1875; pg. 3;

[8] http://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=bmd%2fb%2f1878%2f4%2faz%2f000168%2f323

[9] http://www.ukbmd.org.uk/genuki/reg/districts/cosford.html

[10] Bury etc. Tuesday, February 13, 1887, 5.

[11] Ipswich Journal, June 1, 1878.

[12] The Ipswich Journal (Ipswich, England), Saturday, November 16, 1878

[13] Boydell, 1979, 72

[14] http://www.suffolkmills.org.uk/newsletters/072%20November%201998.pdf, page 4.