George Walker 1853-194

George Walker was born on 18^th July 1853 at Hill House Farm, Hampton Loade, Arvely, Bridgnorth, Shropshire, he died 21 March 1941.

His father was Charles Walker born 1822 in Kidderminster and his mother Jane Turley born 1820 of Upton Magna, Shropshire. Charles and Jane married in Todmorton, Lancashire. Charles’ father was also called Charles and came from Frome in Worcestershire.

Charles and Jane had nine children: John, Henry, Charles, George, Thomas, Edmund, Hannah, Edward, and Sarah Norma.

Charles was at some time a farmer, Post Master of Shatterford, Nr. Kidderminster and constable of that place, also miller at Alverly and a general carter.

Charles had an excessive liking for beer; this made a deep impression on his children, George in particular remaining a devout Temperance campaigner all his Life. One evening when they were still quite young George and Charles were left to tend the horse outside an Inn some way from home. As the hour got later the boys went in to beg their father to make tracks, after an abrupt exchange the boys took the horse and cart and left him to walk home. Charles eventually arrived home well into the next morning. On arrival it was clear that he intended to discipline his rebellious boys. They both beat a tactical retreat over the garden wall and left to make their own way

Charles the younger 1862, learnt his trade as a builder, eventually creating a large builders business with his son Leonard. C&L Walker is still remembered in Kidderminster to this day. Charles secured his first job on a large building site by seeking out the foreman who happened to be supervising work on the highest level of the scaffolding. The foreman gave him a job and said if he had waited on the ground he would not have bothered with him. Charles often came to Bridgnorth to visit his brother George. He always had  his bag of tools with him, and would go around George’s farm and repair his gates. Charles lived into his 90’s. and was seen out with his bicycle complete with tool bag the week before he died.

 George became a farmer/butcher. He began his retail career with a stall In Kidderminster market. He came near to disaster one evening returning home from market with an empty cart and a full purse. From Kidderminster northward the road rises steeply, no doubt years ago Shatterford bank would have been a deep Holloway with high banks each side. Some way up in the gathering gloom a man jumped out of the shadows to grab the horses reins, at the same time a second no-good went for the back of the cart. The pincer movement was aimed to stop the horse and relieve the trader of his day’s takings. George quickly whipped the horse making it rear and knock the first assailant aside. The other robber, now with his hands clinging to the back of the cart was beaten off with George’s meat cleaver. George and his cash survived to tell the tail.

On another 0ccasion young George and Charles took on a bad tempered bull near their home. The bull would charge anyone attempting to use the public footpath across the field in which it was kept.   The lads resolved to teach the bull a lesson. They entered the filed each with a stout stick and presented themselves to the bull. He soon took the bate and putting his head down he charge them. George and Charles stood their ground until the bull was all but upon them, with a fraction a second to spare they parted allowing the bull pass between them. As he went by they each grabbed the beast’s tail. The bull towed the lads around the field at high speed. As they went they beat the bad tempered animal with their sticks until in desperation to rid itself of its persecutors it plunged through a hedge. There were no more complaints about the bull in the field.     

George was always a man of action. If he found one of his men unoccupied he would put a broom and put it in his hands often saying, “Do something, even if you break something!” He remained always read to confront problems rather than retreat form them. When he was much older, there had been talk of a ghost appearing in a nearby lane. George and his second wife Ann took a stroll down this lane late one evening, on cue a white sheeted apparition jumped into the lane. George took his walking stick and beat the supposed ghost about the head at which it let out a yell and made off. George’s motto: “If you meet a ghost, hit it hard and hit it high”. 

             As his business developed George looked to gain a permanent retail foothold in Bridgnorth. His first shop was number     1 Mill St in the Lower Town. A shop can still be seen on the corner of St John’s St and Mill St opposite the Falcon Hotel. By the turn of the century he was well established at 61 High St. This business remained in the family until 1953. George also work a number of tenant farms around Bridgnorth including the Boldings at Colmere Green, the Rope Walk of Stanley lane, a farm on high ground at Meadowley above Morville. Finally he tow rented adjoining farms, Kingsley farm at Tasley and the Overs at Haughton.

61 High St   George 1853 in the Bowler hat 

The Willey Estate owned Kingsley and the Overs. After some years the estate put these farms up for sale by auction. George determined to buy, so he negotiated a mortgage loan with the local Lloyds Bank. He successfully bid for his prize in a very completive sale. Next day when he went to the bank to complete the transaction he was informed that the directors had withdrawn the loan agreement. (in those days banks were operated by local directors). George was up against the local establishment, not for the first time. He suspected collusion between the bank and the loosing bidder. George had long been a active Methodist, (a preachers plan for the Bewdley and Bridgnorth circuit dated 1902 shows him as a Circuit Steward, Local Preacher and Trustee of several chapels). Methodism came to George’s aid. He was put in touch with an individual in Walsall who was prepared to help Methodist business people with private loans. The loan was paid off on time and George became the freeholder of:-  his prime High street shop, over 250 acres of good farmland and several properties behind the shop at 1 Mill St. these included three small houses an a Malt house in St John’s St. He converted the lower level and the rear of this building into cattle holding pens and a slaughterhouse.

In time George granted the use of the upper story of his Malt house to the local Adult School organisation. This Adult School grew into the People’s Hall Free Church. Later Church acquired land opposite and built its own worship centre. George’s building was still used form many years by the church for it’s youth club.  

The new radical Liberal Party was gaining ground amongst nonconformists and working people. George stood as a Liberal candidate for the local council and was duly elected. He campaigned on many social issues including the reform of the licensing of the drinks trade. There were many little pubs and Gin shops particularly in the poorer areas of the town. The Liberal Government brought in a compensation act. This allowed for examination of any licensed houses trade. If there was judged to be insufficient turnover the license would be revoked and the owner compensated. Fewer pubs could now make a better living and the licensees had much more to loose if they did not trade responsibly.

There was a saying; “One sided as a Bridgnorth election”. Bridgnorth was notorious for elections in which there was hardly a vote cast against the establishment candidate. Politics at the end of the 19^th century was not for the faint hearted. The usual system in Bridgnorth was for the agent on poling day to lay on three mobs. One bunch of heavies would be enjoying free house at the crown hotel, while the second were deployed to the poling site in Listley St. these reinforcements would relieve the third crew who had been gently encouraging voters to see it their paymasters way. Poling would take place in the open street. The town clerk would sit at a table on a raised dais with the electoral roll in before him. Each voter was required to run up a horse-mounting block, (a set of three stone steps against the wall). The voter would call out his name across the open street and the Town Clerk would search for him on the electoral roll. When it was agreed that he was eligible to voter, he was obliged to call out his preference for all to hear. It would be a brave man who would withstand the will of the well-lubricated mob.

By 1909 it was George’s turn to be Mayor of Bridgnorth. The Town Clerk informed him that at Christmas the Mayor traditionally provide the inmates of the Workhouse with a barrel of beer and rations of tobacco. George would not compromise his temperance principles; instead he provided and personally served an ample roast beef Christmas dinner with knitted comforts for the ladies.

When it came time for George to hold his Mayor’s Banquet the whole town was transfixed with speculation about the place and form it would take. Clearly George would not use the tradition venue of the Crown Hotel; instead He hired the Corn Exchange hall next door. The loyal toast was taken in orange juice. In the town there was a debating society that might equate to the Rotary club of today. This group resolved to have a mock banquet to send up George’s event. A member of the debating Society a Mr. Foxall who was a pastry cook with a shop in the town. Like many Foxall’s he had a great sense of humour, he was known in the town as ‘Knacky Foxall (after him Foxalls were commonly referd to as Knackies). The mock banquet was held at the Swan Hotel in the High street. Knacky had been requested to provide the feast. His spread on the day was up to his usual high standard with a great pie as a centrepiece. In due course Knacky went up the yard for relief, on his return he found the great pie nearly demolished. “Oh” he cried, “the pie was not to eat, it was for display only, it was made with sawdust”. The meeting brook up in disarray with members being sick in the high street. The Wellington Journal got hold of the story and poems were published mocking the mockers.

George was a larger than life character but his children found him very embarrassing and would sometimes walk the other side of Bridgnorth’s very wide high street when he was about. George would gather young folk around the stove in the chapel on St Mary’s steps. He would arrive with a box of apples for all to share. His favourite activity was to gather all around the piano for a grand hymn singing.  In the town there was a wellknown jingle which went: “Come to grandpa Walker’s chapel, singing songs and eating apples”.

When a person had been Mayor of the town he automatically qualified to sit on the Magistrates Bench. George took his duties seriously. He would deal sternly with any one up in front of him for ‘drunk and disorderly’. Their only chance of mercy would be if they would ‘Sign the Temperance Pledge’, right there and then.

George’s brother Edmond, ‘Ted’, was a successful farmer. He married Alice Hazledine, a member of the local iron founders family. Ted died at the Lye Farm, Morville Heath. One of his sons A.C.Walker, ‘Cyril’ kept a prosperous family farm in Morville near Bridgnorth.

George’s sister Hannah married a Lloyd and lived to an old age in Erdington, just south of Bridgnorth. They had a son called Tom who was a big lad even when quite young. George sent his youngest son Frank to Erdington for a time to live with Hannah and her son Tom. Frank was a bit weedy as a boy and it was thought the village air would be better than the town air of Bridgnorth. While there Frank attended Erdington school with Tom. The schoolmaster was a little mad with a big attitude. One day he had cause to speak to Tom in class, Tom was less than deferential, possibly only a disrespectful look. The teacher stormed over to Tom and made a grab for his hair presumably to bang his head sharply on the desk. He missed and gouged Tom’s forehead drawing blood with his unkempt thumbnail. Tom stood up in his place, being a big lad at 13 he looked down on the teacher. The master went back to his desk for his cane. As he approached again Tom snatched the cane from the teacher bending it into a knot. At this he sent for his lady assistant from the next classroom. Together they struggled to eject this big stubborn lad. Eventually they made some progress but as they passed the classroom stove Tom grabbed the guard and clung on there until it came unfixed from the wall. All this time the entire class were cheering loudly and banging their desks. Eventually Tom was locked in the toilet until lunch when he was dispatched home with a note saying; “don’t come back”. And the older generation tell us that behaviour is getting worse!

George Walker married Annie. She who was born 4 June 1849 and died 11 July 1884.  They had seven children:- Annie, Edith Goddall, Elenor G, George, Agnes, Charles and Caleb. Mother and child Caleb died of an infectious disease. 1884.

Annie standing, Edith seated 

George and Annie’ eldest child was named Annie. She was not the easiest person to get along with, having a tendency to fixed ideas and direct speech. She neither married nor took up regular work outside the family. George posted her to Kingsley Farm to help in dairy and household duties but had to have her back at 61 High St when Dennis and his wife May found her too difficult to cope with. In due course she was dispatched to Canada to her brother George. George and his wife were Pioneer Prairie Farmers west of Saskatoon. Anne put the washing out in their sub zero temperatures; wet laundry immediately freezes to a very brittle state in those conditions, the merest touch will cause it to shatter into pieces with. Annie arrived back in England at the start of the Second World War. Frank her step brother took her in at 61 High St where she lived until he provided her and her sister Edith with a home of their own at 8 St John’s St. Frank and Minnie, his wife coped well enough with Annie as they each were out all day keeping their separate shops. Annie took charge of the house and its three sons; Alan aged 6, George aged 4 and the new born Martin 1939. 

George and Annie’s second child, Edith Goodall. She became a nurse and rose in her profession to be matron. 

Their son George emigrated to Canada around 1900 to become a pioneer settler on the prairie. He married Emily Pipprel, the daughter of a neighbour pioneer settler. The Pipprel’s came from the Channel Isles. Together they reared seven children. During the depression of the 30’s they sent some of the girls to family members in England to find work and training. Alice settled in England and Married Alfred Hinsley, who’s mother was Caroline Foxall. Two of the boys, Arthur and Walter served in the Royal Air Force during the war. They were both stationed at some time in Bridgnorth RAF camp.

Agnes' wedding main back row L to R ?  Harry ? ? ? Duke (directly behind the bride) Gladys, ?   seated  Charles and wife, Hannah, George, Annie 1877, Agnes, Ann (George's 2nd wife) ?            seated on floor Ewart,  Frank,  Phyllis,  Dennis   

Agnes was the only other child of George and Annie to survive to adulthood. She Married Duke Williams a Welshman. He was an inspector of taxes in Cardigan and they lived together nearby on the coast at in Gubert where they reader their two girls. 

George’s second marriage was to Ann Powis Smith of Kidderminster about 1890. She was born 15^th Oct 1855 and died 30^th Nov. 1939. They had six children: Harry, Alfred Dennis, Gladys, Ewart, Frank Leslie and Phylis Ruby.

Harry was the butcher at 61 High St following in his father footsteps. He joined the 11^th foot regiment to fight in the First World War. Harry married shortly before returning to the front and was killed in France in 1916 aged just 24. 

back row L to R Walker's:- Donald, Ann, Alan, Janet,   Middle row standing:- Phyllis, Frank & Minie, May & Dennis, Gladys    seated:- George Walker, his L  daughter Alice, his R wife Emily, daughter Madalin   

 

Alfred Dennis, ‘Dennis’ and Frank became partners taking on George’s business, Dennis mostly farmed at Kingsley and the Overs while Frank ran the butchery at 61 High St. They shared some work, Dennis manning the Friday country round and Frank helping with the farm when the shop was quiet.

Dennis married May Roberts, member of the large Roberts farming clan from North Shropshire. They had five children, all of whom married. 

Gladys married Arthur Skidmore and lived in Tamworth, they had two children. 

Ewart married Billey, they had two children. Ewart was not a very successful farmer and eventually he and Billey divorced.

Frank Leslie married Minnie Foxall, they lived at 61 High street until Frank sold the butchers business. They had three boys who all married.

Phylis Ruby married Harold Connolly, a scrap metal merchant in Bridgnorth. They had three children, Phylis died at the age of 54 and Harold remarried.