Thread for antique letter decipherers! Pics included

[OldTrot]

Thought I'd set up a thread for those of us interested in historical letters/ postcards/ photos

Here's my current one... and what I have so far!

? June 14th 1843

Send my father tomorrow
Mr W ??? Hungerford (don't think it's this)

1/2 ? ?
1/2 ? ?

The sooner leader is up here packing, the better, he had better bring up some empty ? there are so many ? bottles (?) to move

[WarningToTheCurious]

32 shillings or 11 shillings for half a gallon would be very expensive ale though? And Cunningtons were wine merchants.

[TressiliansStone]

Leader is definitely a surname in Wiltshire at that time.

There's a Thomas Leader Ag Lab in Swallowfield, Wiltshire, with his family in the 1841 census.

[WarningToTheCurious]

Can you find Westall in the 1841 census for Hungerford?

[OldTrot]

I've contacted the virtual museum in Hungerford to ask if they're interested. I'm sure they will be so they may be able to shed a little more light on it

I'm just down the road from Hungerford actually - 10 miles or so, which is coincidental

[TressiliansStone]

WELL!

I've found a William Westall & family in Newtown, Hungerford, in the 1841 census but it's a dreadfully faint image. I think he might be "Ag Lab" but really can't say.

However I have found a Westall family you might like. Don't have time to fathom this all today, but there's a will of a John Westall of Hungerford proved in 1836.

You can download it for free here:
discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D283144

And it's an absolutely beautiful will detailing his "4 rummer glasses 6 blue dishes 2 doz[e]n blue plates different sizes" etc. He makes his daughter Jane executor, and mentions his wife Fanny.

Now there is a Fanny Westall, widow, aged 81, living in Hungerford High St in the 1851 census (more detailed than 1841) and her occupation is... "Formerly Postmaster".

There are other Westall wills in that Discovery (National Archives, Kew) catalogue, all free to downloade.

[TressiliansStone]

Ooh!
"I also give and bequeath to my Wife Fanny one half of my stock of made wides and one half of my stock of Foreign and British spirits and half a hogshead of Table Beer and half a househead[sic - dictation error?] of strong beer with the Casks"

That's a bit more detail about drinks held in the house than I normally see, though not completely out of the ordinary.

Also:
"I give an bequeath to my Nephew Samuel Westall Solicitor in London my silver Watch with the Gold Chain and Gold Seals"

So that tells us a bit about John Westall of Hungerford's family.

[TressiliansStone]

"made wides wines"

[TressiliansStone]

Obviously John Westall d 1836 won't be the one addressed in the 1843 letter, but could be connection.

[OldTrot]

Wow @TressiliansStone that's amazing - and there had to be a connection I'm sure. And you've narrowed it down that this family certainly liked a drink judging by the will

[TressiliansStone]

There's a Westall auctioneer based at Marlborough in the newspapers. In 1843 he's part of Westall and May.

"Mr Westall is instructed to sell by auction..." a lot of real estate, but also eg "household furniture, china and glass, post chaise, stage coach, landau, fly, &c, post horses, and harness" when he disposes of the whole establishment of the Red Lion Inn, Lambourne.

That matches quite well with the content of your letter, and it looks like the auctioneer has quite a wide territory. However your letter does specifically concern Messrs Westall in Hungerford, which doesn't match so well.

[TressiliansStone]

Oh this is the sort of helpful snippet we like to see:

HUNGERFORD and MARLBOROUGH. The 'Poictiers' East Indiaman that left Gravesend on Saturday last for Madras with troops and passengers was a very superior ship in point of accommodation to any that preceded it this season. The medical officer in charge was Dr. Westall, the son of Mr. William Westall, late of Hungerford, and a nephew of Mr. Westall, of Marlborough. The appointment was given by his patron, the Duke of Wellington, commander-in-chief.
Reading Mercury, Saturday 08 May 1847, p2

[TressiliansStone]

There's also a John Westall Mayor of Marlborough in 1847.

Sorry, I'm just chucking stuff at you rather than creating a coherent story.

But there's definitely lots of raw material if anyone wants to put the time in assembling it.

I'm getting plenty of quality hits using Ancestry and the British Newspaper Archive.

[WarningToTheCurious]

@TressiliansStone

WELL!

I've found a William Westall & family in Newtown, Hungerford, in the 1841 census but it's a dreadfully faint image. I think he might be "Ag Lab" but really can't say.

However I have found a Westall family you might like. Don't have time to fathom this all today, but there's a will of a John Westall of Hungerford proved in 1836.

You can download it for free here:
discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D283144

And it's an absolutely beautiful will detailing his "4 rummer glasses 6 blue dishes 2 doz[e]n blue plates different sizes" etc. He makes his daughter Jane executor, and mentions his wife Fanny.

Now there is a Fanny Westall, widow, aged 81, living in Hungerford High St in the 1851 census (more detailed than 1841) and her occupation is... "Formerly Postmaster".

There are other Westall wills in that Discovery (National Archives, Kew) catalogue, all free to downloade.

Eliza and Jane Westall ran a school in the High Street according to the same 1830 Pigot’s directory.

[OldTrot]

So fascinating @TressiliansStone

Trying to narrow it down a bit. I'd like him to be the auctioneer. I'm very close to Lambourne - lived in the next village along from it a decade ago.

The red lion is still there but more of a hotel now I believe

[TressiliansStone]

It looks like there was also an auctioneer Westall in Hungerford c1835. Same one but moved or had two offices, or older relative?

Also in 1835, the Marlborough Westall is – marvellously - auctioning the contents of Wolf Hall. I have no idea if that's the Hilary Mantel one: it's in Burbage, Wilts, and the auction is of the deceased estate of a George Pinckney.

[WarningToTheCurious]

@TressiliansStone

It looks like there was also an auctioneer Westall in Hungerford c1835. Same one but moved or had two offices, or older relative?

Also in 1835, the Marlborough Westall is – marvellously - auctioning the contents of Wolf Hall. I have no idea if that's the Hilary Mantel one: it's in Burbage, Wilts, and the auction is of the deceased estate of a George Pinckney.

Yes! It was the family seat of the Seymour family.

[TressiliansStone]

Ah well, you might like a nose at what's being sold then.

[TressiliansStone]

Advert for the Misses Westall's school. I fear the Miss Sutleffe of Henley may have the edge, though, with their newly acquired Pestalezzian System...

Reading Mercury, Monday 12 July 1830, p3

[TressiliansStone]

Probably none of this has anything to do with your letter, Trot!

There go another few hours...

[TressiliansStone]

Then there's this intriguing item in the National Archives catalogue which says it has been digitised.

I am NOT going to click, as I'm already down wormholes off wormholes off rabbitholes off the research I should be doing...

Folios 16-17. Letter from Mr Westall, Hungerford, [Berkshire], to Francis Freeling,...
Reference: HO 52/6/7
Description:
Folios 16-17. Letter from Mr Westall, Hungerford, [Berkshire], to Francis Freeling, concerning a riot in the town to increase wages and to break up the threshing machines. He refers to a crowd of up to 700 men, women and children. Mr Anning, a tanner, had his windows destroyed and Mr Gibbons, iron founder, had his workshop attacked. He states few 'Horse Soldiers' would have been useful at the time.
Date: 1830 Nov 22
Held by: The National Archives, Kew
discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C10111739

[OldTrot]

@TressiliansStone err do you fancy looking at this one? Not now of course but if you ever felt like going down another rabbit hole

This is local to me. 108 year old postcard. I can find her two daughters and I can find where she's buried (I walked round the graveyard but couldn't spot the stone) and I saw what she left in her will to her daughters - but would love to know more

The postcard says

Franked in Lincoln, 6pm, September 29th, 1915:
'Cold enough for snow.
Yours (name, beginning with C?)
PS Will write tomorrow
Thursday
20 The Park, Lincoln


Dearest Mother
Thank you for flowers. You will have had my letter. It is bitter here but very bright. Have not been over Cathedral yet. Present Bishop not liked at all. Had Zep over here a fortnighttoday at 9 o'clock and the Wednesday before too.
Fondest love

[OldTrot]

Pic may help

[OldTrot]

She's called Elinor Agnes Bedingfeld

She died in 1917 and she lived at 2 north view cottages in east Challow

Don't think the cottages exist any more though

[TressiliansStone]

Searching Ancestry for that name in 1917 leads straight to the 1885 London directory:
263 Vauxhall Bridge Road
>Belgravia Institute for Trained Nurses
>>Mrs E.A. Bedingfeld & Miss A. Brassington, sup[erintenden]ts
>Bedingfeld Mrs, Elinor Agnes, midwife

[TressiliansStone]

There's an Elinor Agnes and her husband George Longueville Bedingfeld having a daughter Amy Catherine Longueville Bedingfeld baptised at Holy Saviour church, Croydon, on 21 Jul 1872. He's a clerk (could mean clergyman) and they live in Denmark Road.