Chapter 5: John Thomas EGGLETON (b. 1827 d. 1895)

John Thomas Eggleton was born Broad Blunsdon in 1827. He was an agricultural labourer all his life. In 1851 he was living on Lower Street in Highworth, but soon moved back to his home parish where he married Catherine Smart in November 1854. Catherine was a sister of John Smart who had married John Thomas’ sister, Maria Ann, seven years previously. John Thomas and Catherine had seven children, all born in Broad Blunsdon. Shortly after the birth of the last child the family moved back to Highworth village. In 1881 the family had a lodger, two years old Mercy Poole. Why such a young child should have been staying with the family is not clear, perhaps she was a relative.

After leaving home William James, John and Catherine’s oldest son, lodged for a period with Charles Thomas and his family, at 2 Sheep Street in Cirencester. At that time William James was a plumber, glazier and painter. In 1882 he married Ann Mary Vashti Hicks in her home parish of Chedworth. The couple and their rapidly growing family spent the next seven or eight years in Cirencester, before moving to Chedworth where they spent a short time living at Pancake Hill. By 1894 they had moved to Great Barrington, followed by moves to Pangbourne in Berkshire and finally Tilehurst in Reading by 1900. At this latter location the family lived at 35 Grovelands Road. Throughout this period William James had practiced his trade as a plumber. Ann Mary Vashti bore at least eleven children in thirteen years, and possibly another four in the next five years. Remarkably all the first eleven survived the early days and months of infancy. In 1901 the property which the large family, with at least eight children at home, occupied in Reading was only a small terraced house. Perhaps by necessity, the three older daughters left home to work as domestic servants. Catherine was one of six domestic staff working for five members of the Figges family at 69 Frognall, Hemsptead. In addition a gardener and his family lived in a lodge and coachman and family lived in the stable block. Beatrice and Clara were the the sole domestic staff in households in Beckenham, Kent, and Maidenhead, Berkshire, respectively.

By the early 1880’s Henry George had moved to London where initially he lodged with the Lansdown family. Both the head of the family, John Lansdown and Henry George worked as Bath chairmen. Appropriately the former was from Bath. James Heath of Bath invented the bathchair around 1750. It gained in popularity and by 1830 had replaced the sedan chair as a conventional means of transport. It was used by wealthier people who had difficulty walking, usually the elderly. It had a wickerwork body and three wheels. The front wheel steered as the chair was pushed from behind.

By the turn of the century Henry James had progressed to selling Bath chairs rather than just pushing them. By that time he lived in Hammersmith with his wife London born wife and young family.

A Bath Chair

Frederick Able is thought to have died as a child. Frank became a baker, lodging for a time with John Glover in Swindon, the nearest town to the family parish. Later he practiced his trade in West Street, Maidenhead, Berkshire, where he raised a family with his wife, Emma nee Blay. Frank’s sister, Phadora, followed the usual early working of many young woman, going in to domestic service with a family in Highworth. Albert following in his father’s footsteps as an agricultural labourer. Florence Selina followed Henry George’s example and moved to London where she married William George H. Church in Kensington.

3 . . . . .John Thomas EGGLETON b. 1827 d.1895 m.Catherine SMART
4 . . . . . . William James EGGLETON b.1855 d.- m.Ann Mary Vashti HICKS
5 . . . . . . . Catherine E. EGGLETON b.c1883 d.>1901
5 . . . . . . . Beatrice A. EGGLETON b.c1885 d.>1901
5 . . . . . . . Clara A. EGGLETON b.c1886 d.>1901
5 . . . . . . . William John EGGLETON b.1887 d.>1901
5 . . . . . . . Frank Henry EGGLETON b.1888 d.>1901
5 . . . . . . . Florence May EGGLETON b.1891 d.>1901
5 . . . . . . . Arthur John EGGLETON b.1893 d.>1901
5 . . . . . . . Henry Lawson EGGLETON b.1895 d.>1901
5 . . . . . . . Wilfred EGGLETON b.1897 d.>1901
5 . . . . . . . Harold EGGLETON b.1899 d.>1901
5 . . . . . . . Winifred Mabel EGGLETON b.190 d.>1901
4 . . . . . . Henry George EGGLETON b.c1857 d.>1901m.Charlotte Mary COLE
5 . . . . . . . Albert George EGGLETON b.1885 d.>1901
5 . . . . . . . Ruby May EGGLETON b.1887 d.>1901
5 . . . . . . . William EGGLETON b.c1890 d.>1901
5 . . . . . . . Frank Henry F. EGGLETON b.1891 d.>1901
5 . . . . . . . Dora Matilda M. EGGLETON b.1893 d.>1901
4 . . . . . . Frederick Able EGGLETON b.c1860
4 . . . . . . Frank EGGLETON b.1860 d. >1901 m.Emma BLAY
5 . . . . . . . Louis EGGLETON b.c1887 d.>1901
5 . . . . . . . Frank E. H. EGGLETON b. c1889 d.>1901
5 . . . . . . . Florence Gertrude EGGLETON b.1890 d.>1901
5 . . . . . . . Ella Mildred EGGLETON b.1893 d.>1901
5 . . . . . . . Florrie Winifred EGGLETON b.1895 d.>1901
5 . . . . . . . Dorris EGGLETON b.1898 d.>1901
4 . . . . . . Phadora Alice EGGLETON b.1864 d.>1881
4 . . . . . . Albert Edward Smart John EGGLETON b.1867 d.- m.Abi GREENWOOD
4 . . . . . . Florence Selina EGGLETON b.1874 d. >1901 m.William George H. CHURCH