Felbridge & District History Group

More Old Surrey, Burstow & West Kent Hunt Personalities and The Kennels, Felbridge

The following document looks at the lives of some more of the Old Surrey, Burstow & West Kent Hunt personalities who were omitted from our previous Handout on the Old Surrey, Burstow & West Kent Hunt in 2015 [for further information see Handout, Old Surrey, Burstow & West Kent Hunt, SJC 03/15], as well as the lives of the some of the hunt workers who resided at The Kennels.  It will also cover the history and development of some of the buildings that were re-used or newly constructed to create The Kennels, Felbridge.   Whether you agree with hunting or not, it has been part of the cultural story of Felbridge for over a hundred years and therefore merits historical consideration.

 

Early 20^th Century Residents of The Kennels, Felbridge

As established in the previous Handout on the Old Surrey, Burstow & West Kent Hunt, the Burstow Hunt moved to new kennels that had been built by Hubert F Sturdy in Felbridge in 1908 at Hodgehorn Farm (see below).  Apart from providing a home for 50 couple of hounds, Hodgehorn Farm and the new kennel complex also provided a home for several people associated with the Hunt.  This second Handout, gives an opportunity to include the names and lives of some of these people, without whom The Kennels could not have functioned.  In 1910 Harry Molyneux and Charles Hamblin were residing at Hodgehorn Farmhouse, the former having moved with the hounds from The Kennels at Pound Hill, Bletchingley, where he had been Huntsman for the Burstow Hunt from the late 1890’s.  In 1910 there is no mention of The Kennels, Felbridge, as an address in the Electoral Rolls, just Hodgehorn Farm so presumably the area was still known as Hodgehorn Farm. 

 

Harry Molyneux

Harry Molyneux was born at Draycot Cerne, near Chippenham, Wiltshire, in 1856, the son of John Molyneux and his wife Sarah née Vasey; John spending his working life as a Gamekeeper.  Besides Harry, John and Sarah had at least five other children, including: John William born in 1849, Edwin born in 1851, Harriett born in 1854, Nath (registered as Nath not Nathanial) born in 1859 and Joseph born in 1865. 

 

By the age of three, Harry was living with his grandparents, William and Elizabeth Molyneux at Keepers House, Nuneham Courtenay near Abingdon, Oxfordshire, where William was employed as Park Keeper.  In 1871 Harry had moved into John Sootheran’s household at Ivy Cottage, Ampleforth, Yorkshire, where he was employed as a farm servant.  Eight years later Harry married Mary Harris in Glamorgan, in April 1879; the couple moving to The Dog Kennels, Shirburn, Oxfordshire, where Harry was employed by the South Oxfordshire Hunt as a Whipper-In.  A Whipper-In (also known as a Whip) is an assistant to the Huntsman and their main job is to keep the pack all together and to prevent the hounds from straying or rioting. 

 

By 1891 the Molyneux family were living at Keble Farm, Hurst near Wokingham, Berkshire, where Harry had taken up the appointment of 1^st Whipper-In for Thomas Colleton Garth’s Berkshire Hunt.  Harry Molyneux was to remain there for about twenty years (his service with the South Oxfordshire Hunt considered to be ‘first-rate’) before he was appointed Huntsman with the Burstow Hunt and the family moved to 2, Raneleigh Cottage, School Road, Burstow, Surrey.  The Huntsman (sometimes a professional, sometimes not) is responsible for directing the hounds and usually carries a horn for communication with the hounds, the followers and Whippers-In.  

 

Harry and Mary had eight children: Alice Mary born in 1881, Violet born in 1882, John Henry born in 1885, Edwin William born in 1887, Amy Charlotte born in 1890, Albert born about 1893, (Harry) Thomas born on 18^th January 1895 and George Harris born in 1901.  The first two girls were born in Sherborne, the next five children were born in Hurst and the last child was born after the family’s arrival in Burstow.

 

With the construction of the new kennel complex in Felbridge, Harry Molyneux and his family moved to Hodgehorn Farmhouse where they lived until his retirement as Huntsman in 1911 being succeeded by Frank Clark.  On leaving the Burstow Hunt, Harry Molyneux, his wife and three of his children moved to Rowlands Farm in Lingfield.  Later Harry and Mary would follow their daughter Amy to Romsey in Hampshire where she had settled with husband Maurice George Austin Hacker, who was the victualler at The Hatchet Inn, Salisbury Road, Sherfield English near Romsey.  Mary died aged sixty-eight in Romsey in 1923 and Harry Molyneux died there aged eighty-two on 11^th June 1938.     

 

The Kennels, Felbridge

In 1911, The Kennels, Felbridge, is listed in the Electoral Roll and it is Hodgehorn Farm that does not appear and remains absent until 1915.  In the 1911 census there are four households at The Kennels:

Dwelling	Name	Age	Place of birth	Occupation
6 Rooms	Frank Clark	38	Watnall, Nottinghamshire	Huntsman
	Millicent Clark	39	Overton, Hampshire	Huntsman’s wife
	Lionel Frank Clark	10	Sedgefield, Durham	Huntsman’s son
	Lily May Bazley	18	Brighton, Sussex	Servant
5 Rooms	William James Hunt	33	Devonshire	Stud Groom (Fox Hounds)
	Mary Hunt	31	Somerset	Stud Groom’s wife
	Frances Waterman	14	Somerset	Mary’s sister
	Frank Russell Davies	14	Surrey	Boarder
3 Rooms	Richard Rous Davies	25	Caterham, Surrey	Groom
	Thomas Robert Thomas	27	Knockholt, Hampshire	Groom
	Reuben Cox	23	Withyham, Sussex	Groom
	Thomas Scrubey	45	Northchurch, Hertfordshire	Groom
	Edwin Henry Perrin	28	Sydenham, Kent	Helper
2 Rooms	Frank Barden	27	Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire	1st Whip
	William Henry Olding	22	Milton, Northamptonshire	2nd Whip
	Robert George Bridle	22	Horsham, Sussex	2nd Kennel-man

 

Based on map evidence, early postcards and paintings of The Kennels, the lack of evidence of Hodgehorn as an Electoral Roll address between 1911 and 1915 and taking into account hunt hierarchy, it would seem likely that in 1911 the Clark household (with Frank Clark as Huntsman) was occupying Hodgehorn Farmhouse (the 6-room dwelling).  It seems likely that the remaining households occupied what is now the pair of red brick and tile-hung cottages known as Kennel Cottages, possibly divided as three dwellings in 1911, one containing five rooms and the other divided as two households containing three rooms and another two rooms respectively. 

 

Kennel Cottages

The building that became known as Kennel Cottages was built sometime between 1895 and 1910.  However, there had been a structure on part of its footprint since at least 1875 but the footprint of the building changed to that of the current cottages between 1895 and 1910.  From the Felcourt Estate sale catalogue of 1919 (based on the 1918 O/S map), the structure that became Kennel Cottages appears in part of plot 466, with a newly constructed Huntsman’s Cottage in plot 465.  In 1919, The Kennels was put up for sale as Lot 16, the bulk of the complex occupying plots 459, 459a, 465 and 465a, which form a strip of land extending northwards from Kennel Lane.  Along with this strip of land were structures in part of plot 466, which later became Kennel Cottages and the complex of farm buildings situated at the top of Kennel Lane.  The sales particular for The Kennels in 1919 reads:

Lot 16

 

THE KENNELS

Adjoining Hodgehorn Farm and one mile from East Grinstead; Extending to

13a. 0r. 8p.

 

The principal Residence is newly built, in red brick with tiled roof, and contains

Sitting Room, Kitchen, Scullery, w.c. and three good Bedrooms; also large Mess

Room, six small Bedrooms and spacious Store Room.  These could be thrown

into the house, thus considerably increasing the accommodation.

 

COMMODIOUS RANGE OF WELL-FITTED HUNTING STABLES

Erected in red brick with tiled roof.   Surrounding large well-drained yard with

brick causeway. Fifteen excellent Boxes, two Stalls, large Saddle Room and

Scouring house with concrete floor and Forage Room.  Three-bay Cart Shed

with Loft and Granary.

 

AN ENXCELLENT HUNTSMAN’S HOUSE

Newly erected in brick and rough cast, containing Sitting Room, Kitchen, Pantry,

Scullery, Bathroom and three Bedrooms, w.c. and Garden.

 

WELL-APPOINTED AND MODERN KENNELS

Equipped with every convenience for cleanliness and food preparation, and comprising

brick and tile building with Mess Room, Pantry, Lobby, six-Cubicle

Dormitory and Recreation Room, Office and Coal Store.  Matchboard linings and

parquet flooring.

 

Kennels for 50 couples of hounds, with concrete flooring and enclosed yards; two

Lodging Rooms, Isolation Room, and Sick Kennels with movable wood floorings

on pulleys.  Feeding Room, fitted Boiler House, Meal Loft, Slaughter House,

Corral and

 

11 ½ ACRES OF PASTURE LAND.

 

Company’s water laid on.

 

SCHEDULE

No. on Ord. Survey	Description	Acreage
TANDRIDGE
465a	Kennels, Mess Room, Garden etc.	0.565
465	Cottage, Garden and Pasture	4.220
459a	Slaughter house, Paddock and Garden	0.617
459	Pasture	7.257
Pt. 466	House, Buildings, Stabling and Garden	0.390
	Total	13.049

 

A Right of Way for all purposes is reserved to the Purchaser of this Lot over and

upon the road leading to the Kennels, Stable Yard and Cart shed, the Purchaser of this

Lot to bear half the cost of upkeep of road.  Let to the Old surrey and Burstow

Hounds at £160 per annum.  Possession can be obtained on 1^st May, 1920, by

giving three months’ previous notice in writing.

 

From the sale particulars it is confirmed that what became Kennel Cottages was situated in part of plot 466, thus the ‘House, Buildings, Stabling and Garden’ in the above schedule, whilst the Huntsman’s Cottage was in plot 465 described as ‘Cottage, Garden and Pasture’.  It would appear that after Hubert Sturdy had the new kennel complex constructed, the Burstow Hunt and then the Old Surrey & Burstow Hunt (after their amalgamation in 1915) were paying £160 per annum rent for The Kennels and as they still hold the complex to this day, must have either purchased Lot 16 in 1919 from Hubert Sturdy or at some point shortly after.

 

From the 1919 Felcourt Estate sale plan, the house and garden part of ‘House, Buildings, Stabling and Garden’ schedule refers to ‘the principal Residence’ in the sales particulars (the building that became known as Kennel Cottages), whilst the ‘Buildings and Stabling’ equates to the ‘commodious range of well-fitted hunting stables’, the square courtyard block situated to the east, behind Kennel Cottages.  Therefore we know in 1919 that Kennel Cottages were constructed of red brick with a tiled roof and contained a sitting room, kitchen, scullery, W.C. and three bedrooms; as well as a mess room, six more bedrooms and a store room.  As the years progressed these rooms were ‘thrown into the house’ as suggested in the sales particulars thus creating the pair of semi-detached Kennel Cottages.

 

In 1999, no.2 Kennel Cottages was put up for sale, the sale particulars describing the property thus:

Charming cottage in semi-rural location

The property is situated in a semi-rural location approached over a private driveway being approximately half a mile from Felbridge village and about three miles from East Grinstead ……….

 

The property is an older style semi-detached cottage modernised and improved by the present owners being built with brick and tile hung elevations under a pitched and tiled roof.

 

An oil fired central heating system is installed and the accommodation includes many character features with two separate reception rooms and kitchen down stairs whilst on the first floor there are three bedrooms and a bathroom with a feature Victorian style suite.

 

There is a further attic bedroom with access to the roof space so providing further scope for conversation, subject to consent.

 

Outside there is an area of garden principally lying to the front.

 

And in 2001 no. 1, Kennel Cottages was put up for sale, the sale particulars describing the property thus:

Period Cottage in Felbridge

A period cottage in the sought after area of Felbridge is on the market for £199,950 and is offered with vacant possession.

 

It has three bedrooms, is part tile hung, retains many period features and is tastefully decorated.

 

The cottage has a hall with beech laminate wood flooring, lounge with feature fireplace, beech laminate wood flooring, replacement pine skirting boards, exposed feature beams; kitchen with units, built-in hob and double oven, space and plumbing appliances, ceramic tile floor; recently fitted bathroom with Victorian-style fittings, shower cubicle and power shower.

 

On the first floor are bedrooms 1 and 2, each with Victorian fireplaces, and bedroom 3.

 

The gardens are lawned and have shrubs and conifers

 

Neither cottage now form part of The Kennels and are both individually, privately owned.   

 

The following covers the lives of three of the resident hunt workers who lived at The Kennels, Felbridge, serving the Burstow Hunt in 1911, before it’s amalgamation with the Old Surrey Hunt when it became known as the Old Surrey & Burstow Hunt. 

 

Robert George Bridle

Robert George Bridle (who also went by the name George Robert Bridle and was known a Bob) was born in the Horsham Workhouse, Sussex, on 1^st August 1890, the son of Rose Hannah Bridle.  Shortly after Robert’s birth, Rose married Walter Duke on 28^th December 1890, possibly Robert’s natural father.  Rose and Walter went on to have at least a further nine children including: Albert born in 1891, Walter born in 1892, Frederick born in 1894, Ada Caroline born in 1895, Thomas born in 1900, Annie born in 1901, Alice Elizabeth born in 1904, Emily Beatrice (known as Beatrice or Beattie) born in 1906 and Edith Mary born in 1910, died in 1911; and may also have had Harry born in 1897, died sadly died in 1898 and Ralph Bernard born in 1898, who sadly died in 1899.

 

In the early 1900’s the Duke family resided at Star Road, Roffey, Horsham, but by 1910 Robert Bridle had left home and was living at The Kennels, Felbridge, working as 2^nd Kennel-man.  It has been discovered that life for Robert whilst at The Kennels was quite eventful.  He was photographed in front of the new kennel block, along with a fellow hunt worker whose identity is not known, which was produced as a post card.  We know that Robert appears in the photograph because he wrote to Grace Marchant (who was living in East Finchley) on one of the postcards, posted in July 1910.  It is a personal message thanking her for the letter she’d sent him that evening and pointing out that ‘this is my card what I told you about’ followed by out-lining the intentions he had for their relationship.  Sadly we know that nothing came of their relationship as Grace Marchant died a single woman, aged ninety-six in New York in 1982.

 

In 1912 Robert appears in a newspaper report as one of the last people to have seen Lillian May Bazley alive before she died in April 1912.  Robert was recorded as having known Lily for about two years and that on the night in question had ‘walked out’ with her.   From the newspaper article is appears that Lily may have had boyfriend troubles and was unhappy about her current domestic position.  The Coroner’s Report revealed that her stomach contained ‘one-twentieth of a grain of arsenic’, which was ‘consistent with death from arsenic poisoning’.  At some point on that fateful evening, Lily had slipped away from Robert for a short period of time and on her return said that she ‘felt bad’.  At 4am Robert managed to get her to the house of Fanny Daniels, a friend of his, who lived at FrithPark at the bottom of Baldwins Hill, East Grinstead.  It was here that Lily, who had refused on several instances to call a doctor, eventually died on 30^th April, aged just twenty.  The Coroner’s Court, held at the Prince of Wales Inn on Lingfield Road, East Grinstead, revealed that they had found in her ‘vanity bag’ some ‘pathetic letters’ written to one Jack Burton, her mother, her sister and Mrs Eagles her ‘late employer’, together with a photograph of Lily’s mother.  The Coroner stated that on the back of the photograph had been written that Lily wanted it to be ‘placed in her grave’.  The jury returned a verdict of ‘Suicide due to temporary insanity’.

 

On 9^th August 1913, Robert Bridle married Fanny Daniels and they went on to have four children, including: Sydney George born in 1913, Fanny Amelia born in 1915, Thomas William born in 1916 and Gladys born in 1918.  Fanny had been born in Felbridge in 1887, the daughter of Thomas Daniels and his wife Amelia née White.  However, in December 1915, when Robert was called up for service in World War I, his service papers reveal that he may potentially have had an older son named Ronald Albert Garreth Daniels, born to Fanny Daniels of 18, Frith Park, Lingfield, on 1^st November 1910. 

 

By 1915 Robert had left the Old Surrey & Burstow Hunt and was working as a carter, living with his family at 18, Glen Vue, East Grinstead.  Robert, aged twenty-seven, enlisted with the 4^th Battalion, Essex Regiment but was transferred to the Reserve Garrison Battalion, Suffolk Regiment on 21^st June 1916 and was discharged on 8^th September 1916 (no reason given for his short service and discharge).  Sadly, Robert’s wife Fanny died in 1918, shortly after the birth of their daughter Gladys. Three years later Robert married Florence Nye.  Florence had been born in Cuckfield, Sussex, in 1899, the daughter of John and Mary Ann Nye.  Robert and Florence were married for eighteen years but sadly Florence died aged just forty in 1939.  In 1945 Robert married for a third time, May Edith (also known as Edith May) Oram.  May had been born in Lindfield, Sussex, on 4^th May 1899, the daughter of Horace Oram and his wife Elizabeth née Jupp.  Robert died, aged seventy-three on 10^th February 1962 in Warnham, Sussex, but May lived on until 1981 when she died aged eighty-two.

 

Frank Clark

Frank Clark was born in Watnall, Nottinghamshire, in either 1873 or 1875 (depending on which document you are using), the son of labourer Thomas Clark and his wife Jane née Jackson.  Frank had at least three siblings including; Gertrude born about 1872, Fred born in 1875 and Grace born in 1878.  By 1891, Frank had left home and was living and working as a groom at The Kennels in Rufford, Nottinghamshire.  He then moved to Somerset working for the West Somerset Vale Hunt.  Frank married Millicent Brown in the spring of 1897 in her home county of Hampshire.  They had their first child, Thomas Charles Clark in the winter of 1897, born in Somerset.  By 1901 the Clark family had left Somerset and were living at Hardwick Lodge, Sedgefield, Durham, where their second child, Lionel Frank Clark was born in March 1901. 

 

By 1901 Frank was employed as Whip with the South Durham Hunt but by 1904 he and his family had moved to Bridgnorth, Shropshire, where Frank was again employed as Whip at Cleobury Court and where the family was to remain until sometime between 1906 and 1911 when they moved to The Kennels at Felbridge when Frank took up the appointment of Huntsman with the Burstow Hunt.  However, on the amalgamation of the Burstow with the Old Surrey Hunt in 1915 to form the Old Surrey & Burstow Hunt, Frank Clark was succeeded by joint Huntsmen Cecil Octavious Gresham Leveson-Gower and Dick Burden [for further information see Handout, Old Surrey, Burstow & West Kent Hunt, SJC 03/15].

 

William Henry Olding

William Henry Olding was born at Milton Park, Castor, Northamptonshire on 2^nd February 1889, the son of John William Olding and his wife Annie Horner née Betts.  John Olding had worked his way up the hunt hierarchy starting as a groom and at the time of William’s birth in 1889 he was Huntsman/Whipper-In at the Milton Kennels.  William had nine siblings including: Amelia Annie was born in Warwickshire in 1881; John was born in Leicester in 1883 as was Frederick Bruce who was born in 1885; Gertrude Mary was born in Buckland Newton, Dorset, in 1887; Beatrice was born in 1892 in Earls Colne, Essex, as was Margaret who was born in 1894; and Arthur was born in Petworth, Sussex, in 1896.  Both Amelia and John died as infants and because the Olding family moved so frequently it has not been possible to determine the names of the other two children, save that in 1911 Annie declared that she had borne ten children but that only six were alive at that date.  Sadly John and Annie were also to lose their son Frederick in 1917, a casualty of World War I.

 

In 1911, William was living at The Kennels, Felbridge, where he was employed as 2^nd Whip.  On 7^th October 1915 William married Annie Mitchell Patterson at St Bartholomew’s Church, Burstow; Annie having been born in 1889.  William and Annie potentially had three children; an un-named female child registered in March 1917 whose death was also registered in March 1917, Thomas M born in 1917 and Edith M born in 1920.

 

With the amalgamation of the Old Surrey Hunt with the Burstow Hunt in 1915 it would seem that William Olding left the world of hunting as by 1918 he and his family had left The Kennels and were living at Dowlands Cottage, Dowlands Lane, Copthorne, Sussex.  This was close to his parents who lived at Dowlands Farm where his father John was working as a dairyman.  In 1928 William and his family moved to Keeper’s Cottage, Keeper’s Corner, Burstow; the implication being that William had replaced a career with the hunt for that of game-keeping.

 

The Kennels after the amalgamation of the Old Surrey with the Burstow Hunt in 1915

With the most recently published census dating to 1911 we must turn to the Electoral Rolls for the names of resident hunt workers living at The Kennels, Felbridge.  In 1915 only Hodgehorn Farm and its resident was recorded, then there is no-one obviously living there in 1916 or 1917, but from 1918 both Hodgehorn Farm and The Kennels were listed as separate addresses in the Electoral Rolls until 1924 when Hodgehorn Farm disappears as an address.  Residents living at Hodgehorn Farm between 1915 and 1923 (its last entry) include:

* In 1913 Thomas Chitty was a tenant at Harts Hall, Felbridge.

 

The last entry in the Electoral Rolls for Hodgehorn Farm as an address is 1923, after that date it does not appear later adopting the name Garthfield Farm.  Between the years of 1915 and 1923 Dick Burden is recorded as one of the Huntsmen serving jointly with Cecil Leveson-Gower until 1917, then (during the disruption caused by World War I) Dick was joined by professional Huntsman James Cockayne.  Between 1917 and 1920 James Cockayne was sole Huntsman being succeeded by Dick Burden who returned as sole Huntsman until 1923.  On his leaving, it was reported that Dick Burden had been with the Hunt for sixteen years, serving eight years as Whipper-In and eight as Huntsman.  During the latter years of Dick Burden’s involvement with the Hunt, Hodgehorn Farm was home to Frank and Lilian Burden but it has not yet been possible to determine if Dick Burden was any relation.

 

Turning to the residents of The Kennels, the first residents to appear living at the address in the Electoral Rolls is the Lemon family in 1918, followed by the Gupwell family from 1921 and then the Petts family before Jack Champion (the longest serving Huntsman of the Old Surrey & Burstow Hunt) and his family took up residence in 1947 [for further information see Handout, Old Surrey, Burstow & West Kent Hunt, SJC 03/15].

 

Bob Lemon

Bob Lemon was born Robert Lemon at Berkely in Gloucestershire, in April 1864 one of at least eight children of Thomas Lemon and his wife Sarah née Baker.  Thomas was a domestic stableman/groom, the profession that Bob went on to follow.  By 1881, Bob had left the family home and was working as a domestic groom at The Rectory, Leigh, Wiltshire, for Rev. Ernald Lane.  In 1892, Bob married Lucy Jane Stokes, the marriage registered in Tavistock, Devon, and as Lucy was born in Devon and was living and working as a dressmaker in Devon in 1891, it would suggest that Bob Lemon had found employment in that county by 1892.  Bob and Lucy had six children including; Jack Francis B born in Brixham in 1893, Lucy Sarah born in 1896 (who sadly died in 1898), Florence Annie born in Sherborne in 1897, Thomas Henry born in 1900, Ernest James born in 1903 and Margaret Victoria born in 1907, the last three children born in Cirencester.

 

By 1897 the Lemon family had moved to Digby Tap near Sherborne in Dorset where Bob was working as a Stud Groom, implying that Bob had left domestic service and had found work with a local Hunt.  The family then left Dorset and in 1901 were living at 24, Somerford Road, Cirencester, Wiltshire, Bob still working as a Stud Groom.  However, in 1911 Bob was boarding at The Wheatsheaf, Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, working as a Stud Groom, whilst the rest of his family were living at Water Lane, Somerford Keynes, Cricklade in Wiltshire.

 

By 1918 Bob Lemon and his family had moved to The Kennels, Felbridge, where Bob was employed as a Stud Groom.  Bob remained with the Old Surrey & Burstow Hunt until 1920 when the Lemon family moved from the district and Bob was replaced as Stud Groom by Fred Gupwell.  By 1936, Bob Lemon was to be found in the Goudhurst area, although it is not known if he went there directly from Felbridge.

 

Fred Gupwell

Fred Gupwell was born Frederick John Gupwell in Bilston, Staffordshire, in 1873, one of at least three children of Edwin Gupwell and his wife Sarah née Nash.  Edwin Gupwell spent most of his life as a domestic coachman and after the loss of his first wife in 1872, took a second wife, Sarah Deborah Dugdale (known as Deborah) in 1910.

 

In 1891, Fred Gupwell was living at The Coach House, The Park, Little Thurlow, Suffolk, where he was working as a groom.  In 1901 he had moved to Northamptonshire and was living at The Manor House, Thorpe Mandeville, Brackley, where he was working as a coachman.  Also in 1901, Fred married Kate  Richmond and they went on to have four children: Frederick John born at Thorpe Mandeville in 1902, Walter born in Newbottle, Northampton, in 1905, Kathleen born in 1907 and Harry born in 1910, the last two children born in Titsey, Surrey.

 

In 1902, at the baptism of his son Frederick, Fred was recorded as employed as a groom and in 1905, at the baptism of his son Walter, Fred was recorded as a coachman.  It would then appear that the Gupwell family moved to the Titsey area of Surrey sometime between 1905 and 1907 where Kathleen and Harry were born; the Gupwell family arriving at The Kennels, Felbridge, in 1921 where Fred was employed as Stud Groom.  Fred was to remain at The Kennels working as a Stud Groom for the Old Surrey & Burstow Hunt until at least the outbreak of World War II in 1939.  Unfortunately no Electoral Rolls were produced during the war years so it is not known exactly when Fred Gupwell and his family left The Kennels, Felbridge.

 

During the known eighteen years that Fred Gupwell was at The Kennels he lived and worked alongside several other Hunt workers (occupation in italics where known);

Fred’s sons Frederick John jnr. and Harry Gupwell

Harry Holt and Irwin Jones (1923)

William Welbourne (Huntsman) (1924 – 25) [for further information see Handout, Old Surrey, Burstow & West Kent Hunt, SJC 03/15]

Horace Cooper (1926 – 1929)

Alec Covey (1926 – 1928)

Jack Scarriot (1926)

Arthur Goodall Thatcher and his wife Ethel (whose son Dick was Huntsman 1926/28) (1926 – 1928)

Jack (John) Kealey (Whipper-In) (1927 – 1936)

William Freeman and his wife Dorothy, Harry Gould, Albert Harvey, Edward John Janman, Sam Kilbourn, Herbert Nutt and Jack Scarrett (1929)

Frederick Alderton (1930 – 1931)

Arthur George Church (1930)

Gordon Frederick Knight (Huntsman killed in his first season) [for further information see Handout, Old Surrey, Burstow & West Kent Hunt, SJC 03/15] and his wife Violet (1930)

Patrick Thatcher (1930 – 1932)

John (Jack) Hewitt (Huntsman) and his wife Isabella (1931 – 1936)

Douglas Langridge (1931 – 1935)

John Graham Gosden and George Thomas Land (1933 – 1934)

Alfred Stowe (1933)

Robert Fenny (1935 – 1936)

John Fox (1935)

Leonard Wright living in The Bothy (1935)

Frederick Brewer (1936)

Stanley Johnstone/Johnson (1936 – 1938)

Alfred William Petts (Kennel Huntsman and 1^st Whipper-In) and his wife Ethel (1937 – 1946)

Herbert Taylor (2^nd Whipper-In) (1937 – 1938)

Jack Bailey, Wilfred Littleworth and Albert Powell (1939)

 

Although Fred Gupwell had left The Kennels by the end of World War II, he remained in the Surrey area where he died, aged seventy-seven in 1951.

 

The following are a couple of co-workers who lived at The Kennels, Felbridge, during the time that Fred Gupwell worked there as Stud Groom.  

 

Jack (John) Frederick Kealey

Jack (John ) Kealey was born John Frederick Kealey in Cold Aston, Gloucestershire, in 1873, the son of John Kealey, a domestic gardener turned groom, and his wife Julia née White.  Besides John Frederick, John and Julia had at least five other children, including: George Thomas born in 1871, William Samuel born in 1875, John Marshall about 1878, Julia Mary (known as Mary) born in 1879 and Sarah Jane born in 1881.  By 1891, John F was living with his family at Back Street, Bourton-on-the-Hill, Gloucestershire, working as a stableman (groom) alongside his father who was working as a groom for the Rev. Frederick Farrer.  By 1901, John had left his family and was living and working as a groom at Lodge Farm Stables, part of the Compton Verney estate in Warwickshire.

 

On 9^th September 1903, John married Ada Maria Prickett, the daughter of William Prickett and Selina Jane née Jordan of Butlers Marston, Warwickshire.  By 1911, John and Ada were living at 31, Rosebery Avenue, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire; John working as a stableman (groom).  The census records that John and Ada had not had a family but that they were looking after a ‘nurse child’ (infant foster child) called Arthur White Cook who had been born in Molten Mowbray in 1910.  It is possible that Arthur was related to John as he carried the family name of White (John’s mother’s maiden name), which could have made Arthur a nephew.

 

By the early 1920’s John and Ada had moved to Blean in Kent where Ada sadly died in 1924, aged just forty-seven.  Three years later John had moved to The Kennels, Felbridge, taking up the position of Whipper-In.  John remained at The Kennels until 1936 and died aged sixty-five back at Blean in 1938.

 

Alfred William Petts

Alfred William Petts was born in Hurworth, Durham, in 1895, one of at least twelve children of John Jeremiah Petts and his wife Annie née Finlay.  At the time of Alfred’s birth John Petts was the Huntsman at Hirworth Kennels.  In 1911 the Petts family had moved to 5, Shines Croft, Otford, Kent, although John Petts was not residing with the family and may have already moved to County Down, Northern Ireland where most of the Petts family could be found from 1912 onwards.

 

By 1913, Alfred Petts had left his family and was working as a stable boy for Mr Sanderson at Moulton in Suffolk.  In 1924, Alfred married Ethel Louisa Wood, the marriage registered in Beverley, Yorkshire.  Little else is known about Alfred Petts until 1937 when he and his wife Ethel move to The Kennels, Felbridge.   

 

For the first three years of his time with the Old Surry & Burstow Hunt there was a full compliment of hunt staff with Douglas Benson and Lt Col. R S Clarke joint Huntsmen, Fred Gupwell as Stud Groom and Alfred as 1^st Whipper-In, along with Herbert Taylor as 2^nd Whipper-In and two or three other men making up the compliment.  However, with commencement of World War II numbers began to dwindle as men were called up for war service, eventually leaving just Alfred as Huntsman.  An insight into the life and staff of the Old Surrey & Burstow Hunt during the war years can be gained from a couple of newspaper articles dated July 1944, which state that in 1944 the Hunt ‘possessed 1 horse compared with 18 in 1939’, there was a nucleus of a pack of foxhounds – 12 couple of ‘fine and promising hounds, although slightly undersize due to lack of good food when they were young’.  Alfred Petts, ‘the only hand, was remarkably successful, he managed to get the hounds to the meets and back, look after the one horse and stable, as well as coping with the illness of his son.  He also carried out all the duties in the Kennels and in the field’.    The articles also noted that ‘he had been assisted by children as Whippers-In’.  In another newspaper article dated 31^st August 1945 it was reported that the staff had been reduced to just Petts who ‘had carried on single handed during WWII’.  It was hoped that hunting could resume but it was realised that it could not return to how it had been in the pre-war years.

 

What is apparent from the 1945 Electoral Roll is that although the newspaper articles talk about the lack of hunt staff, the dwellings at The Kennels in Felbridge still had residents including: Emily McCleery and Annie E, Jessie A and Margaret W Paling being joined by David W and Gertrude I Bacon and John R Wilson in 1946.  What is not clear is whether these people were involved with the Hunt or whether they were simply providing the Hunt with an income by renting the dwellings.

 

As for Alfred Petts, he left the Old Surrey & Burstow Hunt in 1947 (being succeeded as Huntsman by Jack Champion [for further information see Handout, Old Surrey, Burstow & West Kent Hunt, SJC 03/15]) and died ten years later, aged sixty-two, on 13^th May 1957 from 6, Ellerker Road, Thorner, Leeds.

 

What is apparent from looking at the personal histories of some of the hunt workers is that there was a huge amount of mobility within the working hunt community.  The vast majority of hunt workers, many of whom were single men, had been born into families with hunt connections or, at the very least, had connections with occupations in the equine world, i.e. domestic grooms or coachmen.  The position of the hunt workers was also very hierarchical, although each level was dependant upon one another.  It is also apparent that both World Wars had a large impact upon the Hunt as the younger men were called up for service leaving the older hunt workers to carry out the complete range of hunt duties and having to greatly cut back on the number of hounds and horses.

 

More Hunt Personalities

Having covered the lives of some of the hunt workers and residents at The Kennels, Felbridge, the following details the lives of some more members of the Burstow Hunt and, after the 1915 amalgamation, the Old Surrey & Burstow Hunt.

 

Brigadier General Arthur David Musgrave

Arthur David Musgrave was born in Adelaide, Australia, on 10^th March 1874, the son of Sir Anthony Musgrave and his wife Jeannie Lucinda née Field.  The Musgrave family was quite an influential family and it is worth spending some time on as a whole.

 

Anthony Musgrave had been born in St John’s, Antigua, West Indies, on 31^st August 1828, the son of  Dr Anthony Musgrave, a member of the Antiguan House of Assembly and Island Treasurer from 1824-52, and his wife, Mary, née Sheriff.  Anthony was educated in Antigua and in 1849 was appointed Private Secretary to the Governor of the Leeward Islands.  In 1851, Anthony was admitted to the InnerTemple in London but returned to Antigua in 1852 to take up the post of Treasury Accountant and then Colonial Secretary between 1854 and 1860.  During the 1860’s Anthony developed a political career serving in a number of positions and countries including: Administrator of Nevis between 1850 and 1861, Administrator and later Lieutenant-Governor of St Vincent between 1862 and 1864; Governor of Newfoundland between 1864 and 1869; and Governor of the united colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia between 1869 and 1871.  In 1872, he was transferred to Natal, Southern Africa, and between 1873 and 1877 he was Governor of South Australia, followed by being Governor of Jamaica.  In 1875, whilst Governor of South Australia, Anthony was created GCMG (Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George).  In 1883, Anthony returned to Australia where he took up the position of Governor of Queensland, the position he held until his death in 1888.

 

Anthony Musgrave married twice, first to Christiana Elizabeth Byam on 3^rd August 1854 in Antigua, with whom he had two sons: William Anthony Byam born in Antigua on 24^th March 1856 and Francis Edward born in Newfoundland on 1^st December 1858.  Sadly Christina died on 15^th January 1859.  Anthony’s second wife was Jeannie Lucinda Field whom he married in San Francisco on 20^th June 1870.  This marriage produced four children: Joyce Harriet born in London on 11^th September 1871 but who sadly died on 11^th October 1874 as a result of falling into scolding bath water, a stained glass window was commissioned and erected in St Peter’s Cathedral, Adelaide, to her memory; Dudley Field born on 5^th September 1873; Arthur David (see below); and Herbert born on 11^th May 1875, all three sons born in Adelaide.

 

Anthony’s second wife, Jeannie Lucinda Field, had been born in New York on 9^th October 1833, the daughter of lawyer and law reformer David Dudley Field jnr. and his wife Jane Lucinda née Hopkins.  Jeannie was described as being a talented water-colourist and devoted much of her time to women’s suffrage and charitable organisations.  She believed strongly in self-help and during her life organised many hospitals, societies and associations, some of which bear her name like The Lady Musgrave Trust founded in Queensland in 1885 to provide safe and secure accommodation for immigrant women.  The Trust went on to assist more than 10,000 young women and their children and has now evolved into The Shelter Me from Homeless Project in Australia.  Whilst on the subject of the Musgrave name, Jeannie has a town on the coast of Northern Queensland – Lucinda, named after her and the name Musgrave appears throughout what was the British Empire, as there is an assortment of rivers, islands, mountain ranges and harbours that all bear the name Musgrave.  Closer to Felbridge, Musgrave Avenue on the Hurst-en-Clays estate in East Grinstead is also named after the family.

 

On the death of Sir Anthony Musgrave, his widow Jeannie left Australia and moved to England, where in 1893, she purchased Hurst-en-Clays off Ship Street, in East Grinstead, from the executor’s of the will of Charles Chevall Tooke.  Here she created a family home for her own sons and their families but her step-son William Musgrave and his family were also frequent visitors.  During her time in East Grinstead Jeannie and her sons showed a keen interest in the religious, social and philanthropic institutions of the town.  In 1911, an Anti-Suffrage Society was formed in East Grinstead and the inaugural meeting took the form of an ‘at home’ at Hurst-en-Clays, Lady Jeannie Musgrave being made President of the East Grinstead branch of the newly formed Anti-Suffragette League of which several Felbridge ladies, like the Spong sisters and their mother of Warren House Farm, were members [for further information see Handouts, Another Biography from the Churchyard of St John the Divine – James Osborn Spong, SJC 05/04 and Felbridge Triangle & development of Warren Farm, SJC 03/05].  Dame Jeannie Lucinda Musgrave died, aged eighty-six, on 12^th August 1920 and was buried at St Swithun’s church, East Grinstead.     

 

As for Arthur’s brothers, Dudley Field Musgrave became a midshipman with the Royal Navy, reaching the rank of Lieutenant.  Sadly he contracted typhoid fever whilst serving and died in Bombay on 9^th April 1895, aged just twenty-two years. 

 

Herbert Musgrave was educated at HarrowSchool and received a commission with the Royal Engineers in 1896.  In 1899 he was sent to South Africa where he remained for the duration of the Boer War and was mentioned in despatches seven times and was awarded the Queen’s Medal and King’s Medal.  Herbert remained in South Africa after the Boer War as part of the South African Constabulary and then spent four years in Malta.  He developed a keen interest in flying having witnessed the first cross Channel flight made by Louis Blériot in 1909 and realised that flying had significant military potential.  Herbert learnt to fly in 1912 (one of just eleven pilots at the time) and joined the Royal Flying Corp in 1913 under Hugh C T Dowding (later Air Chief Marshal, Lord Dowding who later resided at The White House, Copthorne Road, Snow Hill, Felbridge). 

 

Eventually Herbert was placed in charge of the fledgling Royal Flying Corps (RFC) experiments and in September 1914, experimented with dropping bombs from the air.  By January 1915, Herbert commanded the 104^th RFC Battery, reaching the rank of Major.  On 23^rd April 1915 Herbert married Georgina Hopkins and they had two children; Jeannie Lucinda born in 1916 and Herbert William Dudley born in 1918 (a month after the death of his father).  In March 1915 Hebert was seconded to the 1^st Army in France but was wounded on 10^th August 1916, his actions earning him the DSO (Distinguished Service Order).  After recuperation, Herbert returned to France but was sadly killed on 2^nd June 1918 and was buried at Esquelbecq, Nord-Pas-de Calais, France.

 

Arthur David Musgrave, as already established, was born on 10^th March 1874, the third child of Sir Anthony Musgrave and his second wife, Jeannie.  Like his brothers, Arthur was a military man.  Arthur first joined the Queensland Defence Force and by 1892 held the rank of Provisional Captain with the Queensland Defence Force but by 1902 he had transferred to the Royal Horse and Field Artillery and held the rank of Captain.  By 1912 he had risen to the rank of Major and with the outbreak of World War I served in Mesopotamia, having landed at Buera in December 1915 before moving on to Amarah on the Tigris River.  By 1917 Arthur had risen to the rank of Colonel, eventually attaining the rank of Brigadier-General.  Arthur was wounded 2^nd August 1918, leaving France in October 1918, having been awarded the DSO for his actions. 

 

Arthur married twice; his first wife was Gladys Ethel Jeddere-Fisher whom he married on 23^rd September 1912.  Gladys had been born in Dormansland, Surrey, in 1884, the daughter of Arthur Cuthbert Jeddere-Fisher and his wife Emma née Compton Barr of Wilderwick, Dormansland (both buried at St John’s church, Felbridge).  Sadly Gladys died, aged just thirty in 1914 and was buried at St John the Evangelist church, Dormansland.  Arthur married his second wife, Gwendolen Ellora Purey-Cust, on 4^th May 1927.  Gwendolen had been born in 1886 the daughter of Rev. William Arthur Purey-Cust and his wife Lucy Caroline née Jervois.  There were no children from either marriage.

 

After the death of his mother Lady Jeannie Musgrave in 1920, Arthur Musgrave took on Hurst-en-Clays.  He continued the family’s interest in the religious, social and philanthropic institutions of the town of East Grinstead and had several sporting interests, one of which was riding with the Hunt and between 1923 and 1929 he was joint Master of the Old Surrey & Burstow Hunt along with Douglas Benson.  Another sporting activity that Arthur enjoyed was shooting and sadly, whilst on a shooting holiday on the Loch Ericht Estate, Dalnaspidal, Pitlochry, Scotland, he died of heart failure whilst shooting in the field on 12^th September 1931.  His body was returned to East Grinstead and he was buried at St Swithun’s church. 

 

Hubert Frank Sturdy

Hubert Frank Sturdy was born Herbert Frank Sturdy in West Wickham, Kent, on 25^th February 1875, the son of William A Sturdy and his wife Mary Vyse née Millard.  William was a member of the Stock Exchange and besides Herbert, the couple had at least a further eight children, including; William Arthur born in 1871, Charles James born in 1872, Edward Vyse born in 1873, Ethel Mary born in 1876, Helen Margaret born in 1877, Florence Isabel born in 1878, Ida Maude born in 1880 and Norah Catherine born in 1884.  The births of the first three children were all registered in Wandsworth, then by Herbert’s birth in 1875 and for the next two children their births were registered in West Wickham.  Finally the last three children’s births were registered in Cuckfield, Sussex, the children being born at Pax Hill, Lindfield, Sussex.

 

Herbert was educated at MertonCollege, Oxford, and on 20^th October 1896, he was granted the Freedom of the City of London as son of William Sturdy, Citizen and Saddler of London, in the Company of Saddlers.  By 1901, Herbert had become known as Hubert, had left the family home of PaxHillMansion and was living on his own means as a boarder at Crudwell, Wiltshire.  In 1907, Hubert purchased the Felcourt Estate situated in Surrey from the Earls of Cottenham [for further information see Handout, The All Electric Farm at Greater Felcourt, SJC 07/13]and took up temporary residence at Newlands in East Grinstead prior to moving into the mansion house at Felcourt.  Around this date Hubert also purchased land (not yet identified) in Felbridge.

 

On 25^th July 1908, Hubert Sturdy married Gwendoline Agnes White at St Swithun’s church, East Grinstead.  Gwendoline had been born in Caterham, Surrey, in 1881, the daughter of Frederick Augustus White and his

first wife, Julia Lucy née Burnand.  Besides Gwendoline, Frederick (an under-writer) and Julia had at least seven other children, including; Arthur Frederick born in 1869, Florence Julia born in 1870, Helen Mary born in 1872, Antoinette born in 1874, Lillian Stella born in 1876, Ada Louisa born in 1877 and Graham Burnand born in 1879.  The first two children were born in Croydon and Whyteleaf respectively, and the remaining children were born in Caterham, Surrey.  However, by 1881 the family were living at 34, Brunswick Terrace in Hove, Sussex.  Sadly Julia died in 1883 and Frederick took a second wife, Catherine Louisa née Arthy who he married in 1885 and by 1891 the family had moved back to Caterham, living at Portley, Whyteleaf Road.  Frederick was still working as an under-writer in Insurance but was also listed as a Magistrate.  By 1901, the White family had moved to Oakleigh, Lewes Road, East Grinstead, Frederick listed as JP for Surrey and Sussex.  In his spare time, Frederick White rode with the Burstow Hunt, an association he had held since 1884 and, from various newspaper articles, there is some inference that Gwendoline also rode, which is probably how she and Hubert Sturdy met.

 

Hubert and Gwendoline started their married life living at Newlands in East Grinstead before moving to the mansion house at Felcourt (now known as Felcourt Manor, formerly the Head Office of Rentokil now converted as luxury flats and apartments) [for further information see Handouts, Yew Lodge, SJC 03/04 and Eating and Drinking Establishments of Felbridge Pt. 3, SJC 09/09].  In 1908, newspaper articles describe Hubert as a ‘keen agriculturalist’ who was elected as President of the East Grinstead Agricultural Society and Fat Stock Show and could often be found judging livestock at various local and CountyShows. 

 

Having purchased the Felcourt Estate from the Earls of Cottenham, Hubert set about having a new complex of kennels built for the Burstow Hunt at Hodgehorn Farm, one of the holdings included in the purchase of the Estate.  As is evident above, Hodgehorn Farm appears to have accommodated the hunt employees until the new kennels had been constructed, then there was a short cross-over period where both Hodgehorn Farm and The Kennels co-existed (shortly after the amalgamation of the Old Surrey Hunt with the Burstow Hunt in 1915) before Hodgehorn Farm became absorbed as part of The Kennels and the name disappeared from 1923.  Hubert held the position of Master of the Burstow Hunt between 1907 and 1915, following in the footsteps of his father-in-law Frederick White who had held the position of Master between 1905 and 1907.  In 1915, with the amalgamation with the Burstow Hunt with the Old Surrey Hunt it was decided that

Hubert Sturdy would be joint Master of the newly formed Old Surrey & Burstow Hunt along with Major Charles Leveson-Gower (brother of Huntsman Cecil Leveson-Gower), the position Hubert continued to hold until 1918 when Major Charles Leveson-Gower became sole Master [for further information see Handout, Old Surrey, Burstow & West Kent Hunt, SJC 03/15]. 

 

In July 1919, the Felcourt Estate was put up for auction by Hubert Sturdy and Lot 6 – Felcourt Farm with Model Farm Buildings was purchased by Richard Borlase Matthews [for more information see Handout, The All Electric Farm at Greater Felcourt, SJC 07/13].  On the sale of the farm, Hubert and Gwedoline moved from the twenty-five roomed mansion house into the smaller dwelling known as Oaklands, also on the estate.  At this date Hubert was still recorded as holding some of the Felcourt estate, the land in Felbridge and also land at Michells [Mitchells] Farm, Lingfield in Surrey, which had formed part of the Felcourt Estate in his initial purchase.

 

It has not yet been established when Hubert Sturdy left the Old Surrey & Burstow Hunt or indeed the Felbridge area, but he and Gwendoline ended their days at The Old Rectory, Maidford, Northamptonshire, where Hubert died aged eighty-nine on 10^th January 1964, leaving effects totalling £15,942 and Gwendoline died aged eighty-three shortly after, on 10^th March 1964, leaving effects totalling £39,812.

 

Terry-Thomas

Besides the hunt employees and members of gentry and noted local families, there have also been a few celebrities that have ridden out with the Old Surrey & Burstow Hunt.  One very well known character was Jimmy Edwards who also served as joint Master between 1972 and 1974 and again between 1979 and 1981 [for further information see Handout, Old Surrey, Burstow & West Kent Hunt, SJC 03/15].  Another such celebrity was the well spoken, quintessential ‘English gentleman’, Terry-Thomas, although he only rode with the Hunt and never held a position.

 

Terry-Thomas was born Thomas Terry Hoar Stevens at 53, Lichfield Grove, Finchley, London, on 14^th February 1911, the son of Ernest Frederick Stevens and his wife Ellen (known as Helen) Elizabeth née Hoar.   Ernest Stevens was the managing director of butcher’s business at Smithfield Market and besides Thomas, Ernest and Helen had four other children including: Jack Hoar born in 1904, Richard Frederick Hoar born in 1906, William Ernest Hoar born in 1909 and Mary L J born in 1915; the first two children born in Muswell Hill and the last two, like Thomas, born in Finchley.

 

By the early 1920’s, Thomas’s parent’s marriage was failing and in an attempt to bring the family closer together Thomas would put on small entertainments for the family in the form of slapstick comedy routines and jokes, as well as singing and dancing.  Although Thomas’s father had an interest in amateur dramatics, the small entertainments could not keep the marriage together and his parent’s divorced in the mid 1920’s.

 

Thomas initially went to FernbankSchool, Hendon Lane, Finchley, where he nurtured his distinctive, well-spoken voice, reasoning that ‘using good speech automatically suggested that you were well-educated and made people look up to you’.  This would definitely have helped him when at the age of thirteen, he was sent to ArdinglyCollege, a public school in Sussex.  Thomas would enjoy his time at ArdinglyCollege, in particular his association with pupils from the upper-middle classes.  It was at ArdinglyCollege that he discovered his hidden academic talents as he excelled in Latin and Geography.  Whilst at Ardingly he began to play the ukulele in the school jazz band (later switching to percussion) and briefly took up drama at which he was deemed to have no acting talent, although it gave him the confidence to perform comedy dance routines to the band’s music. 

 

Thomas remained at ArdinglyCollege until 1928 when he was expelled from the school through his inappropriate clowning around during classes.  Thomas then returned home to Finchley and found temporary work as a junior transport clerk for the Union Cold Storage Company at Smithfield’s Market, although, here too, he could not refrain from acting the fool and keeping his co-workers entertained.  These antics soon came to the attention of the company's management who prompted him to enrol in the company's amateur drama club, leading to his first amateur performance on stage in The Dover Road staged at the Fortune Theatre, London.   He made his first professional stage debut at a social evening organised by the Union of Electric Railwayman's Dining Club in South Kensington in April 1930.  In 1933, Thomas left Smithfield Market and worked briefly as an electrical equipment travelling salesman.  This job enabled him to ‘dress up’ and ‘perform’ his sales pitches, much like acting on stage.  In his spare time he played his ukulele with a local jazz band called the Rhythm Maniacs.  He also took up dancing and formed a partnership with the sister of Jessie Matthews, the actress.  He learned ballroom dancing and the couple were rewarded with the engagement as ballroom dancers at a dance hall in Cricklewood, although Thomas eventually found the dance-style too restrictive and decided to leave the act to try other forms of entertainment.  This led to Thomas entering the world of film as an extra, supported by teaching at the Ada Foster School of Dance in Finchley Road, Golders Green, whilst developing his unique style by performing comedy monologues and impersonations in night clubs and cabaret.  It was also the time when he was experimenting with his stage name, settling on Terry Thomas (later adding the hyphen that he likened to bridging the gap between his teeth!).

 

Terry-Thomas went on to have an extensive career in the world of entertainment appearing in at least 118 films on both the big screen and television, in both Britain and Hollywood, some of the more notable films being:  How do you view? (1949-1953); Tom Thumb (1958); It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963); Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines (1965); Disney’s Robin Hood [voice of Sir Hiss] (1973) and The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978).  Terry-Thomas was also the inspiration for several well-known characters that were modelled upon him including Basil Brush and the voice of the character Dick Dastardly in two cartoon series in the 1960’s called Wackey Races and Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machine.  Some actors have also used his persona as an inspiration for their characters, including: Dustin Hoffman who based his interpretation of Captain Hook in the film Hook (1991) on him; Rupert Everett who based his voice for Prince Charming in the film Shrek 2 (2004) on that of Terry-Thomas; and Paul Whitehouse who based the character the 13^th Duke of Wybourne from The Fast Show (1994) on Terry-Thomas’s on-screen persona.

 

At some point in Terry-Thomas’s life he acquired an interest in riding, possibly through the influence of his uncle George Hoar who was a horse dealer.  It has not yet been determined when his interest in hunting developed but the most likely person to have introduced him to it was fellow comic actor Jimmy Edwards who rode with the Old Surrey & Burstow Hunt [for further information see Handout, Old Surrey, Burstow & West Kent Hunt, SJC 03/15].  Terry-Thomas and Jimmy Edwards first appeared together in the film Helter Skelter in 1949 and later in several Royal Variety Shows.  They were also both members of the Handlebar Club, Jimmy being a founder member from 1947 when the idea was conceived in his dressing room at The Windmill Theatre in London.  ‘The object of the Club was, and still is, to bring together moustache wearers (beards being strictly prohibited) socially for sport and general conviviality.  The aim of the Club was to assist by all means at its disposal, any worthy charity or cause, particularly those devoted to ex-servicemen.  This aim still remains today and has helped particularly with children's charities’.  Terry-Thomas was a member by at least 1954 when his photograph appeared in an article about the Handlebar Club in Tit Bits asking ‘…and what about Terry-Thomas, who only accentuates that familiar gap in his front teeth with a moustache and certainly has more that his share of sex appeal?’.

 

It is known that Terry-Thomas had his own horse called Foxwind and from photographic and newspaper evidence can be found with associations to the Old Surrey & Burstow Hunt during the 1950’s.  He made for a striking (he was 6ft/1.83m tall) and distinctive character when hunting, wearing a bowler hat, jacket (sometimes tweed), waistcoat, cravat, extremely wide jodhpurs brought in at just below the knee with buttoned gaiters to the ankle and highly polished ankle-high riding boots, the personification of a ‘traditional English Gentleman’.  His horse was brought down from London before each Hunt and on one occasion in 1954 the horse arrived late and as soon as Terry-Thomas mounted him he was thrown, breaking his right wrist.  It is likely that Terry-Thomas had ceased riding with the Hunt by the mid 1960’s as work commitments kept him abroad quite a lot of his time and in 1971 he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease which would probably also affect his ability to ride to Hunt.

 

Despite his diagnosis, Terry-Thomas continued to work when he could but spent the last years of his life in a small flat with his second wife, Belinda née Cunningham, before moving to Busbridge Hall nursing home in Godalming, Surrey, where died, aged seventy-eight on 8^th January 1990.

 

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