FAMILY CHRONICLES by Harvey Starey January, 2005
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Extracts FAMILY CHRONICLES by Harvey Starey January, 2005 Together with the portrait of Benjamin John married again: Rebecca Ashworth, Hick, the great engineer who founded THE Edmund Asworth’s middle daughter Hick, Hargreaves is a portrait of a young and Margaret Elizabeth’s aunt. So, her aunt woman, on the back of which someone has became her step-mother-in-law. written MEH. My first thought was NOT Milton Ernest Hall but that it was a portrait You will remember that Edmund Senior, of Benjamin Hick’s granddaughter, with his brother Henry, founded the Margaret Elizabeth who married Edmund Cotton empire at Egerton Mill. Ashworth II, son of THE Edmund Incidentally, when he bought Egerton, he Ashworth of Egerton Mill and Egerton found the residents living in terrible Hall. That is, indeed, who it must be and conditions in the cellars of the Mill and, she looks young: Great Granny Ashworth with help from his father-in-law Thomas Christy, immediately set about building In Bolton Museum, hang two portraits of 100 four and six room stone cottages to Margaret (his first wife) and John Hick (son house them, thus creating Egerton Village. of Benjamin, the engineer), by the famous Within a year he had re-housed the Victorian Scottish artist Sir Francis Grant residents and filled in the cellars and all 1803-78. Their eldest daughter, Margaret their horrors, employing two architects and Elizabeth, is the young woman of whom I over 100 building staff. was talking: mother of our Drew grandmother: Gran. And I am now pretty Benjamin’s engineering company Hick, sure that it was this Margaret Elizabeth Harvgreaves, is today a subsidiary of who presented the portraits to Bolton British Oxygen. Benjamin was a great Museum in 1923. The museum has simply inventor, as Bolton Museum, with its 37 noted that they were a gift from Mrs exhibits of his work, testifies. He made Ashworth. Which Mrs Ashworth, one asks? hydraulic presses (the very largest), steam Well, I suppose it could have been Hilda engines and massive water wheels used in Deakin, wife of Edmund Asworth III, but the Cotton Industry. He was descended Hilda was rather “second drawer” and I from Sir Ellice Hick who was knighted at think it far more likely that the portraits the Battle of Crecy for capturing the French went to Margaret Elizabeth, when her Standard. His son John Hick and Henry parents died. Her mother, Margaret Bashall Ashworth were hugely popular as MP’s (John Hick’s first wife) died in 1871 and and great raconteurs. They obviously 1 worked very hard because The House of the Field Lane Charity (named after Field Lords received numerous pieces of Lane in the City, where Samuel established technical representation about the his orphanage by that name), a thriving industrial revolution and, in particular, foundation today, for relief of orphans and cotton from them. the homeless. Benjamin’s children included our grandfather John, William the vicar The Stareys came across with the whose last parish was Little Wittenham Conqueror and their house, The Hemm and, of course, Augustine, the head of a near Tenbury Wells has been held by the line which included Martin (Master of family since the Conquest. Tenbury Church King’s Canterbury) and Dr Christopher; is full of their history, including also Anne who married Richard Drew the ennoblement, like so many, after the famous architect, who built Bletchingley Crusades. The Royal College of Heralds and Hergest Croft for Lawrence Banks. The provides the proof of the line, through the latter was featured in Country life and RD armorial bearings carried down to this day has some 35 houses and countless churches and exhibited in our bookplates and in to his credit. He was a pupil of Henry Dad’s High Sheriff banners; it is the case Woodyer who in turn was William that whilst the disruption of the Butterfield's first pupil. Reformation can and does often obscure mere names, Armorial evidence is totally We are descended from Hick, Ashworth, reliable. Drew, Starey and Dingwall and one could write a book on any one of the branches; Around 1650, the eldest branch of the Rhodes Boyson has already written a book Starie de Hemm family took off to London about the Ashworths. and spelt its name Starey, whereas the branch remaining in Tenbury and Boraston We have in the Ashworth line, Sir John, a retained the Norman spelling. In London, High Court Judge and Sir Percy, a Chief they bought Croydon Palace from the Justice; in the Drew line, not only Richard a Archbishop and pursued their business in great Architect like Butterfield but also, his Linen, using the adjacent Mill and River for son Dick (our grandfather) who founded the required washing. In the Victorian era, Phillips and Drew, which became part of we find Benjamin Starey’s famous candle Union Bank of Switzerland. The architect’s business, for which he invented the twisted father was George Drew. George and his wick (which overcame the need to snuff brother Beriah were both solicitors; Beriah guttering candles), in addition to the was also an architect. They held and wholesale linen merchanting in the City. developed 300 acres of Streatham and Samuel Starey, his brother, became a close financed the Railway. friend of Dickens and introduced him to 2 Through John H. Starey’s marriage to Grace Dingwall, the family’s artistic and Granny (Starey) returned from Ceylon in musical traits were enormously 1896, the year Dad was born. I assume that strengthened. I have two portraits of Sol. Dad was born in Ceylon (his birthday Harvey and his wife Anne Sladen. They are being January) after which his mother copies made by Grace Dingwall from brought him and the aunts back to portraits by Sir Thomas Lawrence which England. They lived in Waldeck Avenue, hung in The Royal Academy. Bedford for 12 years, before moving, when grandfather finally retired, to Bodenham Sol’s daughter Mary Harvey married (Herefordshire) in 1906. Dad would have George Drew. They were also the first to been seven in 1903 and traveled to his respond to Prince Albert’s appeal for Prep. School the Knoll from Bedford. He finance to launch the Great Exhibition. was ten when the family moved to They chipped in £20,000, no mean figure in Bodenham and so, to continue his Knoll those days. There followed a great deal of schooling, he would have had the correspondence with the Prince Consort; a excitement of a long journey from committee was formed and Stevenson’s Bodenham. That was when he would buy, son (of Rocket fame) was chosen to chair it. for four shillings a Railway hamper of luncheon for himself and sister Esme; the The Drew descendants were mostly hamper contained a half bottle of claret! lawyers, even Dick our grandfather only The family lived at Bodenham for thirteen narrowly escaped the Bar to go into years, before moving back to Milton Ernest finance. George Drew’s eldest son George Hall. Henry became Taxing Master of the High Court of Chancery. M.E.H came onto the market from Lord Ampthill, following his high profile Our Grandfather John H. Starey’s interest divorce from Cristabel (nee Hart). The in the Far East (not only Ceylon) was divorce was all about paternity, which triggered by his working for the City Ampthill denied and, being before the days Merchants, Henkel Dubuisson. They were when DNA might have settled the issue, of French origin and had a world wide the case went to the House of Lords and reputation as traders in all agricultural both Lawyers and the Press had a feast! produce. Whilst I have visited the Sultan of Brunei and travelled through Sarawak, I Grandfather died in 1928. He therefore had did not manage to reach Java and Sumatra. less than nine years to enjoy the Hall, Grandfather’s pioneering stretched far which Ampthill, in a letter to Benjamin, across these former commonwealth had said was not at all too big, compact possessions. and warm. It has 43 rooms. Ampthill threw 3 out another wing for children, I think really nonetheless an emotional link with tangible for George 6th and his brother Edward memory and current friends. Prince of Wales, who were frequent visitors, when young. Granny Starey died in 1940 and the Hall, which had been home to friends as well as family, was requisitioned. After the War, it might have been possible for the family, including Dad’s unmarried sisters, Freda and Tita, to return to live in the Hall; I don’t think Mum much liked the idea. However, Ministry prevarication led to the poor old house’s “war wounds” being unattended for three crucial years. By the time it was offered back, the cost of repairs was quite beyond us. Dad tried to bring things around gradually, hoping for a miracle; however, the final blow came with Bandaranaike’s nationalisation of Tudugalla (Ceylon) and all foreign owned estates (never mind that the Ceylon economy was entirely dependent on its British and German management), which cut off the flow of all serious finance. The Hall was sold. That was when we should all have left, possibly to return to Tenbury or even Bodenham. It is interesting to reflect why logic has so little influence on the course of events. Notwithstanding the powerful ties the family held with other parts of the country, Dad’s heart was in Bedfordshire to which he had given a lifetime of Public Service. Furthermore, two generations had preceded him in Bedfordshire; not quite the same as going back to the Conquest but 4 .