Whatmore Family History

The parish of Neen Savage is situated between the parishes of Stottesdon and  Cleobury Mortimer in South Shropshire. In the 1841 census there was a Whatmore family at Overwood  in the north of the parish and one at Baveney Wood in the east of the parish. Although the descendants of these families did not necessarily stay in these two locations later on, for convenience I have termed these the ‘Overwood’ and the ‘Baveney Wood’ branches. This post is about the ‘Overwood’ branch.

 Overwood      Copyright: Sheila Kirk and reproduced here by her kind permission

 At Overwood in 1841 was a James Watmore aged 71, a thatcher, living with his married son George. This James would have been born about 1770 and we know that he was married to an Elizabeth who was buried at Neen Savage aged 66 on 15 February 1841, just before the census.

 There was a James Watmore baptised at Neen Savage on 18 February 1770, but he appears to have married a Joyce Hyde in 1793. They had known two children – James baptised in 1795 and Catherine baptised in 1797. Joyce (nee Hyde) died in 1793 when James would still have been a young man so it seems reasonable to assume that he remarried and that this second marriage was to Elizabeth.

  If I am right about James Watmore the thatcher being the same James who married Joyce Hyde then we can trace the origins of the ‘Overwood’ branch back through James’ parents – George Watmore (1725) and Catherine Crow, his grandparents William Watmore (1687) and Catherine Powlter, and his great grandparents Edward and Margaret of Cleobury Mortimer. Beyond this we cannot go as Edward’s baptism and marriage have not been traced (See earlier post on the Margaret Watmore who was ex-communicated).

We do not know what happened to James’ children by Joyce Hyde. He had seven known children by Elizabeth. These were George 1802, William 1807, Samuel 1809, Elizabeth 1811, Sarah 1815, Eliza 1819 and John 1821. We only know what happened to two of these children. Eliza married William Worrall in 1838 and their descendants still live in the area. George married Mary Ann Haycock in 1827 – and it is their descendants who carried the Whatmore name forward in Neen Savage and Cleobury Mortimer. 

James Watmore the thatcher was buried  aged 77 on 6 Feb 1847 at Neen Savage. His son George continued to live at Overwood with his wife Mary Ann and family. George and Mary Ann had five known children – Sarah 1828, William 1832, James 1836, George 1838 and Betsy 1842. 

 Sarah Watmore  born 1838 married Thomas Owen in 1848. Thomas was a paper maker from the Paper Mills at Neen Savage.

 William Watmore (1832) married Margaret Bywater in 1857. Originally a thatcher, William moved eastwards to Baveney Wood and became a farmer at Yew Tree. William and Margaret’s children were Amelia Jane born  1858 died aged only 7, Sarah Jane (1860) and Anne Elizabeth (1864) who married William Bowen , a mason, in 1886. 

James Watmore  (1836) married Eliza King in 1869 at Hayfield in Derbyshire. They lived, however, at Baveney Wood where James was a thatcher and a mole catcher. Their children were George Edward (1870), Mary Ann (1872) and Flora (1875) who married Charles H Hughes, a Brewer’s Drayman, in 1897.

 Betsy Watmore (1842) died when she only 3 years only.

 George Watmore born 1838 married Phoebe Coles in 1862. They lived at Baveney Wood where George was a farmer. Their grave in Neen Savage churchyard, up against the hedge near the entrance gate, is one of the very few early Whatmore graves to be found in Shropshire. Phoebe died in 1897 and George in 1914. 

 The grave of George and Phoebe Whatmore at Neen Savage

 The children of George and Phoebe are still remembered by people living in this part of Shropshire and I am deeply indebted to Barbara Davies (nee Whatmore) of Kidderminster – great grand daughter of George and Phoebe, who has very kindly typed up her memories of members of this family specially for inclusion in this post. Barbara has also provided copies of the majority of the photographs reproduced here.

George and Phoebe’s eldest child was Arthur William Whatmore (1865) and Barbara’s grandfather. He married Sarah Southall in 1892 – one of the three Southall sisters who all married Whatmores!. George Herbert, Arthur’s brother, married Emma Southall, whilst Harriet Southall married a member of the Baveney Wood branch of the Whatmore family. 

 Arthur William and Sarah had three children – Henry (1893 – 1976) who married Emily Louisa Pugh , Benjamin (1895 – 1956) who married Laura Jane Morgan – these were Barbara’s parents, and Phoebe (1897 – 1976) 

Arthur William and Sarah Whatmore with their children   Copyright: Barbara Davies and reproduced here by her kind permission

Arthur William and Sarah lived at Clee View, Baveney Wood, a three mile walk from the town of Cleobury Mortimer. When Barbara was a child, Sarah did this walk twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, always bringing Barbara’s mother a bunch of flowers from the beautiful garden at Clee View.  Sarah supplied Barbara’s parents with eggs and she cooked the most delicious chicken that Barbara has ever tasted. Arthur and Sarah’s house was a two-up two-down stone cottage with a smallholding where Arthur kept a cow and a pig. Arthur often worked for his son Benjamin. Arthur William was a Methodist and because there was no non-conformist church nearer than Cleobury or Chorley, he and Sarah held a service each Sunday afternoon in their living-room. Benches would be brought in from the barn and a reading desk for the Methodist or Baptist local preacher. Arthur’s sister Phoebe Whatmore would play by ear Sankey and Moody hymns on the harmonium and between 12 and 20 local people would form the congregation. Arthur died in 1942 but Sarah and her sister in law Phoebe Whatmore continued to live at Clee View. Benjamin would cycle over to keep the small holding in good shape. When Sarah died in 1944, her sons bought their aunt Phoebe, who had never married, a cottage in Cleobury where she lived until her death in 1976, providing a home for her elderly Aunt Tilly (Matilda Whatmore born 1874).

 Benjamin Whatmore had a milk round and his wife Laura Jane also did a round every day, carrying a can of milk with a ladle to measure it into the customers’ jugs. Barbara, their daughter, remembers how she loved to go with her parents on their rounds at weekends and holidays. Benjamin died in 1956 and Laura Jane in 1981. 

Benjamin Whatmore on his milk round in Cleobury Mortimer  Copyright: Barbara Davies and reproduced here by her kind permission

The following orbituary for Benjamin Whatmore appeared in the local paper: 

CLEOBURY FARMER’S DEATH   Mr Whatmore’s eventful life 

‘ The death occurred on Sunday at his home, 14, Lower Street, Cleobury Mortimer, of Mr Benjamin Whatmore, at the age of 61. He had been in poor health for several years. Mr Whatmore, who was born at Baveney Wood, had led a not uneventful life. He served with the KSLI during the first world war and was wounded in the leg during the campaign on the Somme. In 1919, shortly after being demobilised, he went to live at Cleobury Mortimer, farming first at Rose Hill and later adding Mortimer Hill to his holdings. Some years before the outbreak of the second world war, he was nearly drowned whilst trying to rescue some cattle during a severe flood. He was carried downstream several hundred yards before he managed to grasp a branch of a tree where he was stranded until rescued with ropes. About 15 years ago he had another miraculous escape when his car was hit by a train at the level crossing at Neen. His car was completely wrecked. Mr. Whatmore, who retired from farming three years ago when his health failed, had been prominently connected with Cleobury Mortimer Methodist Church since his arrival in the town, and for most of the time had held some office within the Methodist community. He is survived by his wife, who is superintendent of the Methodist Sunday School, and one married daughter.’

Cleobury Mortimer. The house on the left was the home of Harry Whatmore and the house on the right was the home of Benjamin Whatmore Copyright: Sheila Gammon and reproduced here by her kind permission

Henry Whatmore (Harry)  (1893 – 1978), Benjamin’s older brother had a fruiterer’s business for many years. He used to go in his lorry (one of the very few in Cleobury at that time) to pick up eggs and in-season fruit – blackberries, blackcurrants, plums and damsons – in the country around Hopton Wafers, Farlow and Catherton Common. Farmers’ wives would bring eggs to him on a Wednesday, which was market day. Harry would then sell this produce to shopkeepers in the Black Country. During the season the family would help pack the fruit, often daily, to go by train to these shopkeepers. Barbara, his niece, remembers writing innumerable labels for the boxes.

Harry Whatmore   Copyright: Barbara Davies and reproduced here by her kind permission

Later on, Harry became interested in canning damsons and other fruits in an outhouse by his home in Lower Street, Cleobury Mortimer.  He and his wife worked very hard at this business with the help of family and friends and ‘Whatmore’s Shropshire Damsons’ was born. By the time of the Second World War the business was known as H. Whatmore Ltd  and the produce canned included beans in tomato sauce.  Eventually Harry sold the business to  a businessman called Harold Hall and Harold’s brother-in-law  who kept the name of the business and extended it to a nearby disused school building. Harry Whatmore acted as manager and the firm employed some 20 women who canned fruit in the summer and vegetables in the winter. When Harry retired sometime in the 1960s, the firm closed down and the factory was sold to a wood firm.  

Returning to the previous generation – George and Phoebe’s second son was Thomas Alfred Whatmore (1868 – 1954). He had a farm at Pinkham, Cleobury Mortimer . He was much loved locally by all who knew him as Superintendant at the Methodist Church Sunday School. Thomas Alfred married Mary Ann Bird in 1903, but she died in 1919 when she was only 50. They had one child – another Thomas Alfred (known as Fred) born in 1906. Fred was a smallholder and postman. After Mary Ann died, her niece became housekeeper for Thomas Alfred Senior and Fred. When Fred married in 1928 to Gladys Wilhemina Jay, he and Gladys took over part of the family home and eventually Thomas Alfred went to live with three of his nieces in a new house which he had built in the garden. 

Thomas Alfred and Mary Ann Whatmore with their son in 1909   Copyright: Barbara Davies and reproduced here by her kind permission

George and Phoebe’s third son – George Herbert (1870 – 1949) who married Emma Southall, eventually took over the Southall family’s farm. (Upper Baveney Farm). Barbara Davies used to walk through the fields to visit them and remembers the delicious homemade cakes which they always provided. George and Emma had two children – George born 1910 and Mercy who married a William Morris. 

George and Phoebe had two daughters – Matilda (Tilly) who has already been referred to, and Mary Ann Whatmore (Polly) born 1872. She married George Grosvenor who was chauffeur for a doctor in Kidderminster – Polly becoming the doctor’s housekeeper. Tilly lived with them for much of her life, going in her old age to live with her niece Phoebe. 

The two other sons of George and Phoebe were Charles Albert Whatmore born 1877 who died in 1892 when he was only 15 and Charles Samuel Whatmore (1880 –1953) who married Elizabeth Owen in 1915. It is believed that they went to live in the Worcester area. 

The ‘Overwood’ branch of the Whatmore family was deeply involved in the local community and its members were greatly respected and loved by their neighbours. Descendants of the family still live in the Cleobury Mortimer and Kidderminster areas.