In 1904 Frank Baker married Marion Bessie Dodd and the following notes refer to the distaff side of the family.
It appears that a Thomas Dodd (born 1737) of Aldworth Berkshire married a Mary Hope probably of the same Parish on July 30th 1770. Children of the marriage were:-
Martha (1770)
Mary (1772)
Ann (1777)
Sarah (1778)
Sarah (1779)
Moses (1780)
Moses married firstly Sarah Brown and secondly Elizabeth Newton and had by Elizabeth the following children:-
Elizabeth (1811)
John (1813-1885)
William Henry (1818)
Joseph (1820)
Moses (1821)
Ann (1822)
Thomas (1824)
Mary (1826)
Martha (1827)
Richard (1829)
John Newton (1845 - 82)
Jane Francis (1847 - 1942)
Elizabeth (Bessie) (1849 - 1924)
Frank Knight (1851 - 1929)
Frank married Jane Boxshall (born 1852) in 1878 at Wandsworth and they had only one child, Marion Bessie 1879 - 1946. Marion married Frank Baker in 1904 and it will thus be clear that the direct line of descent from 1737 is Thomas, Moses, John, Frank and Marion. Before following a number of the side branches it is worthwhile to set down what is known of any of these ancestors.
Of Thomas nothing appears to be known but of his son Moses much is obvious from a surviving letter written in 1827 to his brother-in-law Robert Newton. References to Buttermere and to Shipmans Hill and to the fact that his children were baptised at Bradfield and Yattendon indicate that he farmed in Berkshire. The letter in question is a long one and pulsates with distress and a sense of injustice which he feels as the result of his and his wife's treatment at the hands of his other brother-in-law Thomas Newton, presumably the Executor or Administrator of his father-in-law's Will.
It is clear that he was a man of some substance, having received a dowry of £1,000 on his marriage to Elizabeth Newton. Coupled with his statement that he was worth £3,000 before the marriage and a reference to handing over the farm to his brother-in-law, Thomas Newton - "He took possession of it all to the amount of £4,534-16sh at a very low rate valued by you and your brother and myself in the parlour at Buttermere July 20th 1817" - The inference is that he was a fanner in a big way, the figures quoted indicating a value today of some one third to a half a million pounds.
The wording of the letter is bitter e.g. "I always held you in the highest esteem knowing you to be a man that feared God but now I am at a stand and wonder at the reason as you cannot speak a favourable word for a sister in distress" - "No one stood by her but her friends left her. St Paul experienced the same" - "When your brother Thomas shook hands with me I was like Emaza (Amasa 2 Samuel 20 9/10). I did not espy the sword concealed as was to pierce my heart which I have since experienced, little did I think I had such an enemy in the world as your brother Mr Thomas Newton appears to be." A quotation from Job and much more in the same vein indicates the depth of his feelings.
What the cause of the trouble was is not clear but it would appear the calling in of a loan after a possible failure, such treatment being considered hard and despicable. This is only a conjecture and the outcome is not known.
In view of the fact that Moses had an earlier marriage with Sarah Brown at Bradfield in 1804 and his eldest child Elizabeth was born in 1811 there was probably a gap of a few years between the death of Sarah and his second marriage with Elizabeth Newton. Of Elizabeth's parents nothing is known but her brothers and sisters were:- Robert (to whom the letter was written), Thomas, Richard, Mrs Cousins and Mrs Prowse. Obviously the Newton parents were substantial people.
The second child and eldest son of Moses and Elizabeth was John, born 1812/13, who married Hannah Bessy Knight born at Henley on Thames in 1817. John would have wished to be an engineer, but his father insisted he became a farmer. He lived at Iver Heath in Buckinghamshire and took a great interest in the building of the Parish Church. He died in 1885 and is buried in a prominent position immediately outside the west window in a plot some seven feet square, it being intended that his wife should rest by his side. She however went to live after his death in 1885 with her daughter Bessie Sargent at Kings Norton, Birmingham and dying shortly after was buried there. Near John's grave in the Iver Heath churchyard is that of his son John Newton Dodd born 1845 and died unmarried in 1882.
John and Hannah Bessy lived at Laurel Cottage reached by a field footpath from the Church. Their great niece recollects happy visits there with her mother.
To avoid confusion reference is later made to their children other than Frank and also to Hannah's pedigree.
Their fourth child was Frank Knight Dodd the well loved grandfather of Frank & Marion Baker's children. He married Jane Boxshall born 1852 from the Clapham Common area who died at Danbury in 1932. Jane was the daughter of John Frederick Boxshall and Maria née Eddins, John Frederick being the son of John Boxshall of Claylands Road Kennington. He (John Frederick) owned a butcher's business in the vicinity of St James Church and he died in 1863 at the age of 44, having married Maria at Kennington Parish Church in 1847.
Their daughters, in addition to Jane, were Elizabeth and Kate. The latter did not marry but Elizabeth married a Goldfinch who lived at Chelmsford and had children Kate who married A G Baker (see Salisbury Baker line), Ellen married ? Legg, Bessie married ? Partington, Sidney in business with Fred son of A G Baker above at Stock in Essex, and Percy of Chelmsford. After Chelmsford the Goldfinches moved to 19 Station Road Annesley and finally to Thatcham, Berks. The Leggs had a son William, a draughtsman at Harwell and a daughter Gladys. The Partingtons also had two children, Edward and Kate.
To return to Frank Knight Dodd; after his marriage to Jane at Wandsworth in 1878, he moved to Sittingbourne in Kent where his daughter Marion Bessie was born in 1879, and later to Broadstairs where he opened an Ironmonger's and Whitesmith's business. The writer of these notes was visiting the shop recently and getting into conversation with an elderly man of 84, found that this man's father was apprenticed to F K Dodd at the turn of the century. He was later shown the actual indenture which makes fascinating reading and dates for six years from the second day of November 1891.
"During that term he shall do no damage to his master, shall serve his secrets and keep his commands. He shall not waste the goods of his said master, shall not contract matrimony nor play at cards, dice, tables etc and without licence of his said master shall not buy nor sell. Shall not haunt taverns nor playhouses. Shall not absent himself from his said master's service day or night unlawfully. But in all things as a faithful apprentice shall behave himself towards his said master.
And the said F K Dodd doth hereby take the said Charles Lambert Reader to be his apprentice in the art of whitesmith, gas fitter, bellhanger and tin plate maker and with the best means he can shall teach instruct or cause to be taught" etc etc "paying unto the said C L Reader wages at the rate of 2/6d per week in the first year 5/- per week in the second year" etc etc "And for the true performance" etc "parties abovenamed to these indentures interchangeably have put their hands and seals the second day of November in the 55th year of the reign of our Sovereign Lady Queen Victoria, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom Great Britain and Ireland DF in the year of our Lord."
Signed: F K Dodd
C L Reader
Witness J J Reader
In later life Frank Dodd and his wife moved to Danbury, but tragedy struck when, shielding himself against gusty rain he was knocked down by a lorry just outside the premises of Baker & Sons and died in Hospital two weeks later.
It will be remembered that his mother Hannah Bessie Knight was married at Henley on Thames in 1844. Not much is known about her other than that she was well loved by her Bury St Edmunds grandchildren, the Goldsmiths. Her parents were Peter and Elizabeth née Strange and they were married at Henley on Thames on May 11th 1816, the witnesses being William Randall, J Knight, Jno Strange, John Strange junior and Eleanor Hutchkins. J Knight is presumably the John Knight (father of Peter) who married Ann Cooper, a widow, on the 15th September 1787.
John had a brother Thomas born circa 1760 who in a miniature is portrayed as a jolly rotund gentleman.
It is now desirable to look at the Strange family who appear to have lived in the Henley/Windsor area in the 18th Century. Elizabeth was the daughter of a John Strange probably the Jno Strange witness to her marriage. In addition to her brothers (John Strange Junior) she had two sisters whose later married names were Mrs Shepherd and Mrs Giles. The three girls were known as the beautiful Strange young ladies and there is an interesting anecdote of their being pursued by the Prince Regent and the Duke of Clarence, later George IV and William IV and having to be hurried home to escape their attentions.
Elizabeth was reputed to be the god-daughter of Josiah Wedgwood and was given by him one of his red "Queens ware" teapots complete with the veiled figure of the widow of Sarepta on the lid. This teapot was used at the Christening of her daughter Hannah.
In a whimsical article in the Tasmanian Advocate of the 25th August 1937 fascinating little insights of the Strange family history appear. The article is headed "Antiques" and is by Amy Ruth Sargent, the great grand daughter of Elizabeth. The following is a copy:-
"Hush! Be quiet, be still, and listen - they are beginning to talk. Who are they? What are they? Where are they? That is the story.
Some old brass candlesticks are speaking in rather metallic tones, remembering the old country cottage on whose kitchen chimney piece they stood long years ago.
"Yes she used to rub me and bring out all the golden glow that was hidden in my brass. She loved me. Often I've heard her say 'Grandmother would like to see them bright and clean, she has passed on, and I must go very soon. I wonder who they will go to next?'And we came out here, to a new land. It was beautiful sunshine when we were unpacked from the case that had been at the bottom of the ship where we were without light and air for such a long time. Someone picked us up, saying 'Old brass candlesticks! They must have come from Great Grandmothers. Can you remember her, proud of her candlesticks?'
"And now we're here being looked at as antiques, lit up with the glitter of electric light; no longer the light bearers of the home, but some thing from the past."
A very proud rose-point lace scarf sighed gently, glad to be looked at again. "Oh the beautiful neck I used to caress - the lovely, fluttering girl whose beauty attracted the Regent. I remember," she breathed, "how I was hastily packed up with other lovely gowns, and in a post chaise, my lady, her boxes and maid, were hurriedly bundled far away from those sensuous eyes. She was not for him and his spoiling fingers, and I'm laid in a box for many years. Yes! its nice to be admired again, even if I am showing signs of age."
Another dainty lace scarf lifted her points and remarked "I'm not quite so old as you, for your lovely lady's daughter darned my wild roses and folk said she was beautiful too. Many a ball I fluttered at a hundred years ago."
"You dear young things," whispered a piece of rose coloured silk. "I was part of a bride's gown nearly two hundred years ago, and look at me! My colours are as bright and my flowers are as white as then, and when I was whole I could stand alone in my stiffness. When my little bride shook her curls all the beaux gathered round and fought for her smiles. Now they are all gone, passed on, shadows on a looking glass, and we are ghosts creeping out of the past to glean a little bit of comfort by being looked at by the great great great grand children of that bride and groom."
Then a stately pair of candlesticks spoke out in a very strange language. "The temple flowers are passing sweet; their heaviness fills the air, dark faces are thronging about us, we are grasped in dark hands, thrust into a sack, and carried on board a ship, and now, although the beauty is still there, we are no longer in the company of the Gods, but sunk to the ordinary household sticks. No! Never ordinary, for always some one will in passing say, "How beautiful!".
But would they be worthy of the candle that looks so old and discoloured? The little wick slowly moved, as if waking from a long sleep. "The last time I was awake was when George IV was crowned, and I, with my little flame, helped to light up St George's Chapel. There were many hundreds of us, each with its little point of light, and we made a blaze that in turn lit up the jewels in coronets, necklaces and orders, each candle doing its little best to light some jewel. When the people turned each one thought it was a hundred lights. Soon it was over, we were blown out and given to people about the Castle. I was packed with others and came here many years ago. Two were lit for a few minutes when George VI was crowned, they burnt as bravely, and shone as softly as they had done in the grand surroundings of Windsor Castle. They could not see their light striking on the Crown Jewels, but the thrill of it was in the air, and before they slept again they quivered in their joy"
"Bright eyes have looked at me and put their stitches in to make me dainty," cuffs and undersleeves whispered together.
The Christening robe of many years ago said, "Touch my softness, see my tiny tucks. Loving eyesight went to make me fine. What happy pride was carried with the first infant that wore me to the Church! Many since then have worn me, and I'm still carried to the Church. Even if I am unduly long for the modern babies, my fineness and my beauty still make some baby lovely on the day he is made a little Christian."
Others are waking and tinkling. Little voices are coming from quaint old pieces, but it's only to those who know and love them that the little voices can be heard and understood.
So the antiques whispered and hobnobbed together, each adding a memory, some sad, some glad, some - whisper it low - some bad, for in the good old days, there were bad old days, just as in these days, and there is nothing new under the sun--"
From this article it is clear that the earliest reference is to the wedding gown of Elizabeth's grandmother, but whether a Strange or not is unclear. The oak chest (known to be at least 300 years old) in which these wonderful pieces were stored as recently as 1937 is still about. It is in the hands of one of the nephews of Amy Sargent, Eric Sargent in Tasmania, brother of Hewlett Sargent.
Amy, Myra and Newton Sargent sailed with their parents in the S.S. Sorata from London to Tasmania in 1886. The parents were George Hewlett and Bessie Sargent, Bessie being the second child of John and Hannah Dodd and the sister of F K Dodd. The family appear to have been successful in a building business in Tasmania. Bessie was born in 1849 and died in 1924. Newton Sargent died in 1955 and a surviving letter indicates an erudite and very interesting man. He recalls visiting Frank and Jane Dodd and their daughter Marion before the voyage to Tasmania, and his wife Ruth maintained a regular correspondence with her cousins-in-law, the Goldsmith family until most of the latter died in the 1960's.
She also wrote a number of letters between 1956 and 1980 to Mary Perrott. In one of these she refers to a letter from Alec Sargent in 1969 written to his cousin Newton. A recent obituary of Alec Sargent appeared in the press. He was a remarkable man, and was successively Archdeacon of Maidstone and Canterbury having been Chaplain to Archbishop Lang for many years. He was born and bred in Kent and lived in that county all his life apart from a spell as warden of St Paul's College, Grahamstown, South Africa, from where the call came from the new Archbishop. He was born in 1895, educated at Kings School Canterbury, was Chaplain to Cosmo Gordon Lang for twelve years, a residential Canon of Canterbury Cathedral for 29 years and a priest for nearly 70 years.
Between 1942 and 1968 he travelled usually more than once to every Cathedral in the Southern Province to enthrone a newly appointed Diocesan Bishop and that he was very highly regarded is obvious from the references to him in Lockhart's Cosmo Gordon Lang and he is also mentioned in Iremonger's Archbishop William Temple.
He was left in charge of Canterbury Cathedral throughout the 1939-45 war and is quoted as being a powerful force for over 40 years in the life of the Cathedral and Diocese. He died in January 1989 at the age of 94. Although not a blood relation of the Dodd's, the connection is a close and interesting one.
The remaining and second child of John and Hannah was Jane Francis. She was born in 1847 and lived on until 1942. In 1872 she married George Eaton Goldsmith, a Bury St Edmunds Corn Merchant. Their children were:-
Eaton Francis (born 1873)
Margaret (1874)
Ethel (1875)
Leslie (1877)
Violet (1879)
Florence (1880)
Beatrice (1883)
and Bernard (1885)
Margaret and Beatrice did not marry. Eaton (known always as Frank) married Edith Corrie Brown. Ethel married Robert Street, Florence married ? Lillico, Leslie married Helen Louise Long and Bernard married (1) Agnes Beith and (2) Muriel Roberts. The Goldsmith family were well known and highly respected people in Bury and Ethel Street in particular maintained a long correspondence with the Perrotts of Danbury and stayed with them.
Reverting now to the family of Moses Dodd, two or possibly three of his sons emigrated to New Zealand. They were William Henry, Thomas and it could be Richard Newton. The two former were born in 1818 and 1824 respectively and the last in 1829. Of the others nothing further is known of Elizabeth the eldest born in 1811. John born 1813 is of course in the direct line and dealt with in detail earlier in this record.
Joseph was born in 1820 and appears to have had a prosperous Estate Agency business in Slough. He married Harriet Amelia MacMorick and had children, William Henry, Alfred, Elizabeth, Sarah Anne, Rhoda and Harriet Amelia. William Henry's children were Frank, Maude, Bertram and Sidney, and in turn Frank's children were Frederick and Irene Maude and Frederick's daughter is Gillian Jennifer.
Sarah, known as Ciss, and Rhoda frequently visited Frank and Marion Baker at Danbury, neither of them marrying. Harriet Amelia married Arthur Redworth and their daughter Dora was living not long ago at St Leonards. Joseph seems to have been not well loved by his nieces at Bury, being somewhat sanctimonious, but the same nieces adored Moses (Junior), who married a widow named Mrs Latham with two daughters Kate and Elizabeth. Moses had one daughter by his wife called Amy who died early in life.
The Bury nieces recollected with great joy their visits to this family at Green End, High Wycombe and links were maintained with F K Dodd and his daughter Marion. Elizabeth married a Thomas Jackson and lived in some style in the West End.
Anne the sixth child of Moses and Elizabeth born 1823, died at the age of 25 in 1848. This death caused great suffering to her parents and there is a poignant letter from Moses Senior to his son Moses detailing funeral arrangements; this letter was written in 1848 and indicates that the son Moses was just about to be married to Mrs Latham, thus pinpointing the date of their marriage. In 1847 Anne worked a delightful little sampler in Buckinghamshire lace.
This must complete the Dodd family story but it is the writer's hope that the record is not too confusing in its ramifications.
There is one further note to be added in that some 15 years ago a family of Dodd's were discovered in New Zealand. They were dairy farmers and renowned for their cheeses. In all probability they are the descendants of one of the emigrating brothers of John Dodd, the great great grandfather of the generation for whom these notes are mainly written - viz, June Watson, Annette Phizackerly, Roger Baker, Marcus, Jonathan and Barnabas Pettman, Joanna Davie; Jocelyn, Patrick and Timothy Baker, Heather Knowles; Godfrey and Edward Perrott, Gillian Collier; Bridget Taylor, Nicholas and Kenneth Barker; Richard Ford, Catherine Brown and Annabel Brown.
At the time of writing these great great grand children are scattered world wide, dispersed to U.S.A., Australia, Malawi, Italy, Oman and Switzerland in addition of course to the U.K.
18.2.1989
R E Perrott (updated 2011)