COTTINGHAM, BACK TO OUR ROOTS

Albert and Hilda Beadsworth; August 2005

Royal George Menu

Brenda, Richard, Judith and I took a journey back to our roots one weekend in August 2005. It had become clear from our researches that our branch of the Craxford family tree had diverged from the main trunk in Gretton, Northamptonshire several generations back and that our immediate ancestors born, lived and died in the neighbouring villages of Cottingham and Middleton.

This page carried our photographic record of the day.

L to R: Sheila Walsh (daughter of Connie Beadsworth);
Donald Crane (son of Eva Beadsworth); Hilda Beadsworth

We had been in touch with Irene Beadsworth for several months who had provided several leads back to the 1880s and had also been in communication with Jane Smith who runs the Cottingham village database. We had a convenient stopping off point in a hamlet on the edge of Rutland Water just outside Oakham and so this weekend was to be the opportunity to make acquaintance with long lost cousins, revisit the old homestead in Leicester, research Oakham and Rutland and pay a call to the heart of Craxford country – Gretton itself.

FRONT: Mary Needham (Laurie's sister);REAR L to R: Laurie Beadsworth (son of Fred); Norman Needham (Mary's husband); Mike O'Grady (Margaret's husband

FRONT:Norman Beadsworth (Cecil's son); REAR: Kath Crane (Tony's wife); Tony Crane (son of Eva Beadsworth)

Unfortunately the unpredictable English weather had other ideas and curtailed our plans, particularly for creating a photographic record of our travels. External work around Cottingham was very restricted and the visit to Gretton was called off. However we did make the trips into Leicester and Oakham and the fruits of our labours are being presented in other parts of this web site.

L to R Margaret o'Grady (daughter of Hilda Beadsworth);
Albert Beadsworth; Margaret Crane (Donald's wife); Sheila Walsh

Irene Beadsworth (Laurie's wife)

We also met with Irene and Laurie Beadsworth, first at their home in Corby Road and then we had lunch at the Royal George Hotel in the village where many other second and third cousins joined us. We were particularly please to meet Hilda Beadsworth who regaled us with memories of meetings with our father in Leicester Back in the early 1920s. Later, despite the weather, we went with Mary to their cottage in Water Lane beside the church in Cottingham. This has been the Craxford and Beadsworth residence in the village since about 1870.

Judith and I made a return visit to the Welland Valley in June 2009. It coincided with a spell of glorious weather and we were rewarded with a pleasant saunter around the village, making our acquaintance with many of the landmarks of historical significance to our family.

The War Memorial, Cottingham

Our first port of call was the 13th century Parish Church of Cottingham and Middleton, dedicated to St Mary Magdalene, where so many of our ancestors have been baptised, married and laid to rest. Although the earliest parts of the churchyard nearest to the church are overgrown, the newer sections provide areas of quiet contemplation amongst the memorials.

St Mary Magdalene Church, Cottingham: a view across the village from Blind Lane

Plot A: St Mary Magdalene churchyard

Next door to the church on Water Lane is the cottage (still occupied by their descendents) where John and Sarah Craxford brought up their family in the late 1800s.

Water Lane cottage: home of John and Sarah Craxford

From there we found our way onto Corby Road where we saw the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel and behind it the original chapel building (its significance can is explained in the story of John and Ann Craxford: This line terminates at Uxbridge) which is now used as a school hall.

The original Methodist Chapel; now used as a school hall

The old smithy, Blind Lane

Next we came to Blind Lane. It was from that vantage point we could look back across the roof tops of Cottingham to the church of St Mary Magdalene. Little remains of the Victorian lane and its back close of tightly packed cottages, the site of the tragedy of Thomas Christopher Claypole. Only the red brick barn where John Claypole manned the village smithy stands sentinel to where the entrance to Barrack Yard used to be.

L to R:Alan & Judith Craxford; Irene & Laurie Beadsworth

Jane Smith with Judith Craxford

We rounded off the day enjoying a buffet supper at The Royal George in the company of Laurie and Irene Beadsworth and Jane Smith, editor of the Cottingham village history web site.

Alan D. Craxford - Site Administrator

Page added: September 15th 2005
Last updated: September 19th 2011

ASPECTS OF COTTINGHAM: RECOLLECTIONS OF CYRIL LOAKE
"A week or so later a pigeon settled on the new pot when Fred happened to be passing with his gun ... and the lady needed another new chimney pot.."

DEATH FOR THREEHA'P'ORTH OF SUCKERS
"Cottingham is situated in one of the loveliest districts of the county of Northampton ... but not the most beautiful spots on earth can enjoy an immunity from crime."

MURDER MOST FOUL? IN COTTINGHAM???
Grandma Craxford found the poor child hanging behind the door with his throat cut...

IN SEARCH OF JAMES ERNEST'S OLDER SISTER
"This was either a mis-spelling of her second name Alice or whether it referred to a missing father ... "

A COTTINGHAM CRAXFORD ALBUM
Photographs of the descendents of John and Sarah Craxford

THE WILL OF WILLIAM CRAXFORD (1803)
"My daughter Mary should be permitted to live with my said wife so long as she chooses ..."

There are several other families resident in Gretton and Cottingham whose trees have historically intertwined with ours. More will be added here as they come to our attention.

For our first entrant, we note the marriage of Lucy Craxford and William Liquorish in Gretton January 1847. Pilotted by Philip Lickorish their ample branches are charted in "The Liquorish Family" website.

The Liquorish Family

If you would like to find out more about the villages of our ancestors, I can recommend having a look at the following:

A history of the village of Cottingham

Edited by Jane Smith, this is a wonderful resource of photographs, anecdotes and historical data of the village of Cottingham in Northamptonshire.

Gretton Internet Sites

The front page of this site leads to four other sections including a fully illustrated guide to the village of Gretton in Northamptonshire edited by Maurice Kellner and the Gretton Local History Society site supervised by Elisabeth Jordan. She has been very helpful on a number of occasions in pointing out directions of research and study into the family name. The illustration is "The Green, Gretton", from an original watercolour by Sheila Macadam © 1998.

I have recently discovered Craxford families living in Kettering. I hope developments will occur in that direction too.

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