A Handbook of Who Lived Where in Hampton Court Palace 1750 to 1950 Grace & Favour a Handbook of Who Lived Where in Hampton Court Palace 1750 to 1950

Grace & Favour A handbook of who lived where in Hampton Court Palace 1750 to 1950 Grace & Favour A handbook of who lived where in Hampton Court Palace 1750 to 1950 Sarah E Parker Grace & Favour 1 Published by Historic Royal Palaces Hampton Court Palace Surrey KT8 9AU © Historic Royal Palaces, 2005 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. ISBN 1 873993 50 1 Edited by Clare Murphy Copyedited by Anne Marriott Printed by City Digital Limited Front cover image © The National Library, Vienna Historic Royal Palaces is a registered charity (no. 1068852). www.hrp.org.uk 2 Grace & Favour Contents Acknowledgements 4 Preface 5 Abbreviations 7 Location of apartments 9 Introduction 14 A list of who lived where in Hampton Court Palace, 1750–1950 16 Appendix I: Possible residents whose apartments are unidentified 159 Appendix II: Senior office-holders employed at Hampton Court 163 Further reading 168 Index 170 Grace & Favour 3 Acknowledgements During the course of my research the trail was varied but never dull. I travelled across the country meeting many different people, none of whom had ever met me before, yet who invariably fetched me from the local station, drove me many miles, welcomed me into their homes and were extremely hospitable. I have encountered many people who generously gave up their valuable time and allowed, indeed, encouraged me to ask endless grace-and-favour-related questions. I was also permitted to record personal reminiscences in order that future generations may benefit from their oral history. My grateful thanks. Thanks are also due to Dennis McGuinnes who suggested this work; to Sylvia McGuinnes, for her encouragement and advice; to David Best, Honorary Treasurer of the Royal Tennis Court at Hampton Court Palace, for supplying me with key names and dates; to Clare Murphy for her infinite patience and for editing the text; to Polly Wharram and Jackie Amis for their supreme research skills; to Caroline Catford for retrieving relevant historic files; to Ian Franklin for making people aware about my research and for his enthusiasm for the project; to Pierre Berthou, Chris Stevens, Sebastian Edwards, Jenny Band, Pat Sweeny, Les and Gill Strudwick, Terry Gough, Denis Mulliner, Derek Fitzsimmonds and Rachel Kennedy. Also to the many, too numerous to mention, who have kindly checked entries, including their own. It has truly been a team effort. Thanks also to the staff at the Public Record Office (now the National Archives) in Kew; at the Heinz Archive and Library, National Portrait Gallery; the Fawcett Library; the British Library, including the Newspaper Library, and the Oriental and India Office Collections; the Victoria & Albert Museum; Twickenham Local History Room; Richmond Library; the Imperial War Museum; the Metropolitan Police Archive; the North Kingston Centre; the Institute of Historical Research; and the Historical Manuscripts Commission. The Curatorial Department has recently accumulated a large archive of photographs, letters and diaries relating to grace-and-favour residents at Hampton Court. Grateful thanks are due to all those who have either donated or loaned material to Historic Royal Palaces. Finally, to my mother for acting as my unofficial ‘research assistant’. To all those who have helped and encouraged me in any way during the course of my research whom I have not mentioned, my deep appreciation. 4 Preface In his seminal work, The History of Hampton Court Palace, vol III (1891), the historian and former palace resident, Ernest Law, included an appendix listing the occupants of apartments in the palace from 1760 until 1891. It gave the reader a brief biographical insight into the recipients of royal warrants, outlining the type of person given an apartment and the professions and backgrounds from which they were drawn. Royalty, members of the aristocracy, those with military connections, diplomats, scientists, explorers and politicians all lived in the palace. These residents became the lifeblood of the building over a period of almost three centuries. In 1931 Margaret Maude, probably a relative of Lady Maude who lived in the palace from 1920 to 1942, published a pamphlet which updated Law’s list. In 1968 this was updated again by Maj-Gen Sir Charles Harvey, Chief Steward of the palace and himself a resident from 1970 to 1983. The list was last revised by Ian Gray, Superintendent of the Palace from 1981 to 1991, another resident. This current work was suggested by Dennis McGuinnes, Acting Palace Director, 1997–2001, and aims to produce a more comprehensive story to take the palace’s history into the 21st century. The intervening years of research have provided immeasurable data. In addition to updating the publication, it was decided to build upon the information it contained – in particular, to expand the entries of those women listed under the careers of illustrious husbands, to whom they generally owed their apartment. In omitting their biographies we were not only doing them a great disservice but, more importantly, providing an incomplete history. Many were talented and distinguished in their own right, were titled and pursued successful careers or interests. Another primary intention was to provide more than the limited information formerly available on 20th-century grace-and-favour residents. The few surviving residents were consulted, as well as relatives and acquaintances; information was gathered from palace visitors and personal reminiscences were recorded and transcribed to gain an insight into a world of privilege and royal service. This has become an important archive of oral history of an almost-vanished population living in a royal palace. It has also now been possible to include official resident warrant-holders such as the keepers of the Royal Tennis Court or the Superintendent of the Gardens. However, it has not been viable to include all the domestic and other staff who lived in the palace over the years, although many names found in the 19th-century citizen censuses are included for the first time. Nor has detailed reference been made to the great many soldiers, and later police, who were stationed in the Barrack Block and on Hampton Court Green. All the estate houses have been incorporated and the buildings inhabited by palace employees, such as those occupied by the gardening staff. Material has been drawn from Peter Gaunt’s unpublished research (commissioned by Historic Royal Palaces) into the history of William III’s apartments at Hampton Court, which covers the period 1689–1986. In addition, information has been gathered from the meticulous typed and handwritten notes made by the late local historian, Gerald Heath, who spent many years undertaking personal research at the Public Record Office (now the National Archives) in Kew. For the first time, material was gathered from census returns of the 19th century, including details of domestic servants living in the palace. The limitations and possible inaccuracies of this information are acknowledged, such as the spelling of names and interpretation of handwriting. However, it was not always feasible to verify the exact facts and dates of all the entries, as many Public Record Office files for the 20th century remain closed. Access was granted to many other untapped sources, including the registers of births and marriages in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court, 1889–1938, and handwritten ledgers dating variously from 1870 until the 1970s and relating to the gardening staff. Many former Property Services Agency files document residents from the 1940s and those recently opened files at the Public Record Office. It is important to note that the suites of rooms were renumbered several times over the centuries, using both roman and arabic numerals. Many rooms were also assigned to apartments that were at some point reduced or expanded in size. For the purpose of this book, the current apartment numbers appear first, followed by the suite numbers used in previous publications. Wherever possible, the year in which residents moved into their apartment has been included next to their name. This may not necessarily be the year in which they were granted the apartment by royal warrant. Often, the recipient was obliged to wait months or even years before they could move in if the apartment was in need of refurbishment. Similarly, where possible the date of their resignation of the warrant, or of their death, has been included. 5 In preparing this survey, a wealth of new material illustrating the private lives of Hampton Court’s diverse residents has been assembled. This will form the basis of a new archive held by the Curatorial Department, Hampton Court Palace. Inevitably, such a publication relies on much secondary information and there will always be omissions or inaccuracies. If you have additional information on any of the entries, we would be very pleased to hear from you. Please contact: The Curator Historic Royal Palaces Apartment 25 Hampton Court Palace Surrey KT8 9AU England Email: [email protected] The publication of this handbook coincides with the launch of an exhibition at Hampton Court Palace in March 2005: Suffragettes, Soldiers and Servants: Behind the Scenes of the Hampton Court Palace Community 1750–1950. An accompanying booklet Grace & Favour: The Hampton Court Palace Community 1750–1950,

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