The BBLHS Companion to Horsburgh's Bromley
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The BBLHS Companion to Horsburgh’s Bromley Being a transcription of notes added by William Baxter to Bromley From the earliest timest to the present century by E.L.S. Horsburgh published in 1929 with copies of the added pictures and drawings together with some additional information and explanation. ©Bromley Borough Local History Society 2017 Horsburgh’s Bromley Companion Introduction When Edward Horsburgh completed Bromley from the earliest times to the present century in 1929, it represented the culmination of many years work by a number of people. It was also rather late, having been intended to record the town’s history up to around 1900 and be published soon after! However, apart from the delay caused by the Great War, it is perhaps not surprising that being the result of work by a committee of local worthies, agreement on what should be included or excluded caused some dissension. Without the modern benefits of word processing, it was also more difficult to review and amend any text and it appears that the decision to publish was to an extent one of “now or never”. Following publication, one committee member at least, William Baxter, took some exception to the accuracy and range of the contents to the extent that he started making amendments and additions to the published text. These changes grew to such a point that he eventually dismembered a copy of the book, inserted his changes and had it rebound in two volumes. At the end of this Companion will be found a critique of the original book, which is well worth reading, as it points out Baxter’s somewhat ambivalent involvement and the books limitations which, sadly have not yet been rectified, in the topics covered and the way what was done was less than ideal. Nevertheless, “Horsburgh’s Bromley” remains a very interesting read and I believe the information below provides some worthwhile extra information. After joining the Bromley Borough Local History Society and starting to do some of my own research into a town I had lived in all my life, but about which it turned out I knew embarrassingly little, referring to “Horsburgh”, as the book is generally known, was a regular habit. I became aware that an “annotated” version existed but I had never seen it nor knew of its exact contents. Matters might have stayed like this but for the generous donation from the estate of a former member of the Society, Jean Tresize, when a sum of money became available for whatever we wished to do with it. After some discussion, it was agreed that a portion of the bequest should be used to transcribe the annotated Horsburgh. With the willing cooperation of the Local Studies & Archives Manager Simon McKeon and Bromley Library’s Archivist Lucy Bonner, two history undergraduates were recruited to carry out the essential if rather tedious work of digitising the Baxter volumes once released from their locked cupboard. Our thanks to Elizabeth and Harry for their efforts – we wish them well at university. On completion of this task using the superior facilities of Bexley Library, the over-900 scans were then distributed to Society members who had kindly volunteered their time and their eyesight to transcribing Baxter’s hand-writing into easily readable text. My thanks to Tony Allnut, Pat Manning, Don Green, Jean Wilson, Tudor and Judy Davies and Michael Rawcliffe for their sterling efforts. However, even after combined review and reference back to the source material there were a few words or phrases which remained unclear so we have sometimes had to make a best guess. Confusingly, there were three William Baxters, as described in Horsburgh on pages 406/7. Our William Baxter, born in 1861, was the son (the second child and only boy of nine children) of William Walmisley Baxter (1829-1900) and his wife Caroline Elizabeth nee Cooper (1829-1896) and grandson of the first William Baxter and his wife Isabella. William Baxter married Mildred Jane Maydon in 1887 and they had one daughter, Mary Maydon Baxter (1889-1925). Although he took over his father’s chemist shop in 1897, it appears the work did not enthuse him and it was sold to Lipton’s Tea Company in 1907, leaving him free to concentrate on his main interest, local history, until his death in 1934. Just to add to the confusion of names, reference will be found below to another Baxter family, originally from Chislehurst, who founded the Bromley estate agents, later Baxter, Payne and Lepper and who were very active in Bromley in the 19th and 20th centuries. 2 The Companion The tables below refers by page and line to the original Horsburgh. Later reprints may have some pages omitted but should correspond with the list below. To make sense of the references you will need to own a copy of Horsburgh’s book (frequently available on eBay) or to have an electronic copy of the scanned version Page: Where Baxter has made a comment either on a particular page or an insertion referenced to a particular page, then that page number is used. Where pages have been inserted with new or additional information which is not directly referenced to existing lines, these are identified by the word “Insert”. Line: Line numbers are counted where there is any text, excluding chapter headings and the book or chapter name above the line. Line numbers may be incorrect because a) the exact relevance of the comment to the text is open to dispute or b) I miscounted! Add: This is what Baxter wrote followed in some cases by our interpretation or comment on the information provided. Baxter used both pen and pencil (although some at least can be attributed to other hands) to make his additions but I have ignored a few marks, underlines or question marks which seem to be only a mental comment, as well as a few pedantries that do not add any useful information. Likewise, he occasionally duplicates information already included by Horsburgh or previously added by himself. I have adopted what I hope is a common-sense approach to including these entries. Baxter is very keen on superscripted letters e.g. Wm for William, and these have been retained. Amend: Where it is clearer, a section of the text has been rewritten with words, letters or numbers inserted by Baxter in braces {} within Horsburgh’s words which should now be read as shewn. Where I have interpolated letters or words into the Baxter text, they have square brackets [] around them. Delete: This indicates Baxter’s belief that the text is in error and should be self-explanatory. In addition to the rebound, two volume book, Baxter also started making additions to what his personal copy, number 61, signed by Horsburgh as part of the efforts to drum up more money to pay for the cost of publication. He apparently then decided to get another copy and work on that. In many cases information in Copy 61 is included in the rebound version either exactly or in a similar form. Where there is additional information, this is included below at the appropriate point, the page and line numbers being in italics. Reference is also made to B N/C (the format may vary) which are Baxter’s Notes and Cuttings held in a series of books at Bromley Library. Although I have added information in the right hand column where it seemed some explanation was helpful, it would have been possible to expand on almost every Baxter comment as well as to add much to Horsburgh’s original text. That this task remains is indisputable but it is not the purpose of this publication. However, if as a result of your own research you are able to add to or correct the information below, please send an email to [email protected] where it will be gratefully received and recorded. Any errors or omissions are entirely my fault! Max Batten www.bblhs.org.uk Bromley Borough Local History Society Bromley, February 2017 3 Page Line Baxter Comment/Interpretation Flyleaf Add: William Baxter 24 College Road Bromley Kent Where William Baxter Jnr lived Add: Copy No 61 signed E.L.S.Horsburgh Insert Eastmount A handwritten letter from Horsburgh to Baxter. Ryde I.W. Whether or not this was in response to some Dec.1.1929 comments by Baxter is unclear but seems to be conciliatory in tone. It is possible that Baxter My dear Baxter, had expressed his concern over some issues, Can it now be said of you “I have seen of the travail of my soul , and am and this idea is supported by additions at the satisfied”? top of the letter in pencil: I hope it can, & that you do feel that the volume which has just appeared is a “Chap 51 v16 and quote... monument worthy of the place you love so well, & and in some measure Psalm 139 v16-17 correspondent to our hopes, researches, & many labours. Isaiah 53. 11” There is one thing I deeply regret – that the Preface should have been written, despatched, & possibly printed before the Index was completed. Other-wise there would have been full recognition of your sole authorship of that Index, & In the first verse he is surely thinking of: of the truly admirable way in which you have accomplished a thankless task. I “And I have put my words in thy mouth and trust that some opportunity may yet occur for a public acknowledgement of this I have covered thee in the shadow of my additional great service you have tendered to the book, and to the Town.