JOHN WILDASH – Who was John Wildash?
WHO WAS JOHN WILDASH?
(see also A Guest at Hall Place 1859)
In October 1983, Lawrence Biddle wrote an article for the Parish Magazine – a copy of which is on our website. He had been interested in a diary kept by a John Wildash for the year 1859. According to Lawrence, it appeared that John Wildash was a regular ‘guest’ of Thomas Farmer Baily at Hall Place. Lawrence Biddle wrote in 1983, “As a diarist, Wildash was no Pepys and on many days his only entry is a mere record of where he was staying … he stayed at Hall Place for 145 days in the year [1859] and at the Baily London House in Champion Park for a further 37 days”. Of interest is the insight into how the Bailys lived. The diary refers to the ‘shoots’ – of pheasants; hares; partridges. Of the journeys to London – from Penshurst Station, or occasionally Edenbridge, via Redhill, as there was no direct line through Sevenoaks at that time – nor did the train stop at Leigh (not until 1911). The Bailys also stayed at Chipstead Place five times in that year. Frederick Perkins, who owned Chipstead Place, was a cousin of Thomas Farmer Baily. On 6 September there was a grand cricket match in the park at Hall Place between the two houses. There was dinner with William Baily and the wedding of Susan Baily a second cousin to Thomas Farmer Baily at Hall Place and the daughter of John Walker Baily – you can see the relationship in the family tree on the website. Lawrence had also found amongst some papers a bill dated 1860 against the parish, signed by John Wildash in respect of three bottles of Communion Wine supplied at 5/- each, so perhaps he had some connection with the wine trade?
Lawrence was obviously curious as to the identity of John Wildash but, in 1983, he did not have the assistance of the internet to help him search and had assumed that perhaps John was a relation as he had stayed at Hall Place and at Chipstead Place. However, at some point after 1983, he must have found out, because on the photocopy of the diary itself there is a scribbled note in Lawrence’s handwriting stating “he was T F Baily’s valet. LAB”. Also, after he left Thomas Farmer Baily’s employ, he married he married Mary Ann Larking, widow who lived at The Goat’s Head Leigh, the licence of which was then transferred to him – hence the supply of communion wine mentioned above.
But being the Baily family’s valet would make sense and explain why John Wildash travelled so extensively with the family during the year 1859. In particular in September 1859 he joined the family (in a work capacity one would assume) on their holiday. The extracts from the diary below do not include punctuation. Thus John Wildash writes:
Saturday 10 September: “The Brake took the Hall Place servants up to Chipstead. Left Hall Place by the 7.2 train for Dover left Dover at 11 at Calis (sic) at 12.30 left Calis at 2. Arrived at Paris 9.30.”
Sunday 11 September. Paris 9.30, left at 11. Arrived at Marseilles.
Monday 12 September: Marseilles at 9 a.m. Put up at the Hotel D’Orion – dined at the Coffe and came on board of the Steamboat Oront and left at 10pm for Chiviti Vecchia at 1 came round Cape Corse and it came on to blow quite fresh.
Tuesday 13 September: on board of the Oront at sea had for breakfast omelet, sausage, melon, chicken, potatoes fried. Mutton cutlets (sic), grilled partridges. Desert melon grapes peaches almonds Green & small sweets & cakes – I made a very good breakfast took of all.
n.b. was at sea on the 13th.
Wednesday 14 September: The Orant at sea. Blowing quite hard with much sea sighted the port and had to run back blowing so heavy and such a rough sea to dangerous to attempt to go in came back to Porto Erobe and brought up left at 1.30.
Rather an interesting family to travel with. The father does nothing but smoke and spit, the mother does nothing but scold the kids, the youngsters do nothing but cry and cry and upset all the stools. The maid does nothing but cry and wipe up all the youngsters mess of course they are all sea sick in the bargain.
Thursday 15 September: The Oront at sea left at 1.30 am and came on to Chivile Vecchia and brought up at 6 am and put up at the Hotel Orlandi.
Hotel de Orlando. Went for a long walk to see the Pope’s new yacht. At 5 o’clock came by train to Rome, arrived at 8PM.
Friday 16 September: Hotel del Europa Rome
Saturday 17 September: Hotel Europa. Left the hotel at 6 am and came to the railway left at 7 arrived 9.30. Got our passports and came entrance of the steamboat Oronte at Chivili Vacchia for Marseilles at 2.30pm (illegible word) left Rome Sunday 6am.
Sunday 18 September: Left Chiviti Vacchia.
Monday 19 September: The Oronte at sea. Very fine with much sea in the afternoon came much smoother.
Tuesday 20 September: The Oronte steamboat arrived at Marseilles at 1am. Breakfast tea at the Hotel de Colonies and then went to the railway for Paris left at 10am. N.b. travelled all night.
Wednesday 21 September: Arrived at Paris at 6.15 am. Breakfasted at the Buffet and left at 8. Arrived at Bolougne 1.30. Left at 4. Arrived at Folkstone 6.15 pm, left at 7.30 arrived at Hall Place 10pm.
So, the family were away from 10-21 September – but it sounds a rather exhausting holiday.
John Wildash’s further travels with the family around the UK included to London where they would often stay at Rawlinsons Hotel, to Cambridge, to Ripon for the shooting at Fair Lawn in October 1859, and trips to Brighton, as well as Chipstead already mentioned, and Champion Park in Camberwell to visit Mr William Baily. However, he also mentions trips to Faversham and Rochester – and having looked into his background – it appears he was born at Strood, Rochester in 1833, these two destinations were probably personal, family visits.
And some of the entries have a military theme: on 13 May, he writes “went to the artillery ball Woolwich, left Camberwell at 10.30pm and came back at 5am on Saturday morning.” And on 22 May 1859 he reports news of the first battle between the Austrians and French. But this is the only mention of this conflict in the diary.
But still on a military theme, in June/July 1959 it appears that John Wildish was at Dover – one assumes with Thomas Farmer Baily. On Monday 27 June he wrote ”came down to Dover and put up at the Lord Warden Hotel”. On 28 June “ took the furniture into the officers quarters up at the Castle;” and on the 29 June he “went up to the Kent Artillery store to see the troops muster”. He returned to Hall Place on 1st July but was again at the Lord Warden Hotel on Monday 4 July until 22 July. During this long stay he says he saw a steam tug towing a line of battle ships supposed to be the Russian line of Baltic ship Caesarwitch on her way for the Baltic sea. He also reports he saw the King of the Belgians come down to the Hotel and took lunch at 2.30 went on board of his steamboat and went across to … [doesn’t say].
On Monday 18 July he is still at the Lord Warden Hotel and writes that Aunt and Uncle Woodhurst, Uncle William, Mrs Longley and Eliza Hammond came and spent the day at Dover, went back at 7 o’clock in a private van to Faversham: the assumption is that these people were family and possible friends of John Wildash. I had a quick look at the censuses at Faversham and Woodhursts, Hammonds and Longleys, as well as Wildashes – including a William – are at Faversham. But it would take a longer research to find any connections to John Wildash – or Wildish.
However, I was curious to try and find at least a little more about John Wildash. Lawrence Biddle was correct about a connection with the wine trade, but not his initial assumption of a familial relationship to the Bailys, although as mentioned he later noted that John was the valet. It would make sense – as he travelled extensively with the family. But Lawrence would not have needed to look too far. Because there was in fact a John Hill Wildish (the surname seems to interchange between Wildish and Wildash in written sources) living in Leigh in 1861. He had married Mary Ann Larking (née Watson) at some point between July and September 1860 at Malling. He would have met Mary Ann in Leigh where she lived. She was a widow, her husband’s death is registered at Sevenoaks in SEP 1859 – and his Will states he died on 25 September 1859, his effects (under £600) being left to his widow. Mary Ann Larking was living at the Goat’s Head at that time. The Maidstone Telegraph of 6 October 1860 reported that the Licence of the Goat’s Head Leigh was transferred to John Hill Wildash who married the occupier Mrs Larking.
However, the 1861 census does not give John and Mary Wildish living at the Goat’s Head anymore – by the night of the census (7 April 1861), the landlord of the Goat’s Head was George Martin. In fact, earlier in 1858 a Frederick Relf was the landlord (Melville Directory of Kent). Therefore, Mrs Larking, with her then husband, William Thomas Larking (mar. 1851) would only have been landlords for a short period between 1858 and her husband’s death, on 25 September 1859. After John Wildash took over the licence in October 1860, he and Mary Ann did not remain long as landlords: by the time of the 1861 census, John Hill Wildish is at Clarke’s Farm (later Home Farm): now aged 28, he is the Steward, living with his step-daughter, Alice. The 1862 Kellys Directory confirms this by listing John Wildash as a land steward. His wife, Mary Ann is listed as with her mother, Elizabeth Watson, at Wrotham at the time of the 1861 census: her mother is widowed and a farmer – so perhaps was in need to help.
However, the Wildashes did not stay in Leigh. Although we do not know when they moved, by the time of the 1871 census they are at St Mary’s Bromley by Bow where John worked as a ‘Brewer’s Servant’ and in 1881 at Mile End following the same occupation. In 1891 the family had moved again, to Bapchild in Kent where John is now working as a painter and in 1901 he and his wife had moved to Faversham. Aged 78 (and Mary Ann 82) they are at Gillingham in 1911, which notes they had eight children or which five were living.
John Wildash eventually died in 1915, aged 82, his death registered at Medway.
Joyce Field (June/July 2021)