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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Staffordshire => Topic started by: sec3mitchdr on Monday 04 February 13 00:20 GMT (UK)
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Hi
I have discovered that some of my ancestors according to 1901 census lived at 'Woodcroft' in Leek Staffs. No road/street is given so I am thinking that it is a building of some significance. Can anyone give me any info about where it is/was and anything about it. If anyone has a photo that would be great. Any help will be much appreciated.
sec3mitchdr
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I think it's an area rather than a building?
Woodcroft First School exists today.
As does the street Higher Woodcroft, Woodcroft Road and Woodcroft Avenue.
And there is also Woodcroft WI!
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Hi KGarrad
Thanks for your response. I had already picked up on the road names etc that you mention but was thinking that these possibly came after a house had been demolished and an estate sold off for development. The census and other records that I have found do read as if there was a 'house' named 'Woodcroft' rather than it simply indicating an area.
Thanks again
sec3mitchdr
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The StaffordshirePastTrack site has maps of the area from 1899-1904 which has Woodcroft marked - it's either a single property or a small group - hard to tell:
http://www.search.staffspasttrack.org.uk/engine/GIS/default.asp?pan=4&scale=1
That site has maps of different dates for much of Staffs via the "Map Explorer" tab.
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Hi mshrmh
Thanks for this - looks like the place I'm looking for. Census record indicates quite a number of servants so I'm guessing that there was a main house and a number of out-buildings. Seems strange that there appears to be no references to it that I have come across.
Thanks again
Regards
sec3mitchdr
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A bit more searching produced a reference in British History Online "Woodcroft, a house of the earlier 1880s"
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22911
It's in the paragraph under the illustrations Figs 17 & 18 and there's another mention about the later housing estate in the paragraph that starts "A 9-a. estate in Nab Hill Avenue" -seems there was also a house called Woodcroft Grange
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Hi mshrmh
Thanks for this - it seems to confirm that a house called Woodcroft with some land did exist in the area to the West of the Newcastle Rd. It would be interesting to know its history and reason for its demise if anyone has any further info.
Thanks yet again
sec3mitchdr
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http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/0/7/4/8/3/8/webimg/602642824_tp.jpg
on ebay..
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.
No...the link I was going to give you doen't work.
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Hi 'Hepburn'
Thanks for this. The photo is just what I am looking for. Are you able to give me any more info about its source as I would really like to be able to make it large enough to read the text. Any further help will be much appreciated.
sec3mitch
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Do you have a web album? You could save it in the album and then use the zoom... :)
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Thanks for reply. I've tried that but any attempt to zoom or enlarge just blurrs the text. Was this a photo offered for sale on Ebay or elsewhere. If so please let me have the details as I will be happy to purchase. I think it needs to be a higher resolution image to enable any enlargement.
sec3mitchdr
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It was on there but it had been sold....I'll try and find it again.Last time the link didn't work..
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http://www.rootschat.com/links/0suv/
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Thanks 'Hepburn' - you have been very helpful. The ebay advert enlarges sufficiently for me to read the text but I am also contacting the seller with a view to purchase.
Regards
sec3mitchdr
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Great.....Let me know how you get on ;)
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Hi 'Hepburn'
Just to let you know that I have now managed to obtain a large clear image of the 'Woodcroft' house in Leek. It really looks to have been a very imposing property and I am still mystified as to why it was demolished after only about 50 years (1880 - 1930).
Thanks again for your help.
sec3mitchdr
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Wonderful,well pleased for you....Were your family living in it at the time of the photo?
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Hi 'Hepburn'
Henry Davenport, a well-known, silk manufacturer and mill-owner in Leek at the time was living in Woodcroft with his wife and two children plus about five servants. Henry unfortunately died young at the the age of 49 in 1895. Once the two children had married, Eliza, Henry's widow went to live with one of them and the other, Fred Davenport moved into Woodcroft with his wife Alice and their two sons. Fred was killed in WW1. His widow continued to live there until the two sons married and then she sold it to the Shorter family in the mid-1920s. It appears that they then sold it to developers in the 1930s who demolished it and built a housing estate. I think the problem probably was that it was too big having 9 bedrooms a billiard room, library and 3 reception rooms together with stables and other out-buildings and about 2 acres of land.
Henry was a very wealthy man leaving about a quarter of a million in his will (1885). He was my cousin x3 removed. Unfortunately none of his wealth came down my branch of the family!
Regards
sec3mitchdr
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That's a travesty :)) fancy not getting any of money.. :( Still,it's a shame they demolished it.
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sec3mitchdr,
I am researching the Fynney family of Leek.
On the 1891 census the Prince family are shown as resident at Woodcroft House, Leek. Head of the family is a silk manufacturer William Prince his wife is Ella Milward Fynney 1834. Ella died in 1893 and William in 1896 I had presumed that the children were still at Woodcroft in 1901 I am obviously mistaken.
Could you tell me where you obtained the photograph I would love a copy.
Cheers
Boy Scout
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Hi 'Boy Scout'
Your 'Woodcroft House' and my 'Woodcroft' are two different properties. If you look again at the 1891 Census you will see that Woodcroft is listed above Woodcroft House. There was also a Woodcroft Grange at which the Shorter family lived - these were also silk manufacturers. I think all of these houses were probably on an area known as Woodcroft just off the Newcastle Road to the SW of Leek. It seems incredible that the site appears to have been levelled in the 1930s and all of these houses lost. If you look at the current map of Leek there is a Higher Woodcroft off the Newcastle Rd and the original Woodcroft site was to the NW of that.
I am happy to let you have a copy of the architect's image of Woodcroft but as I said it is not your Woodcroft House. If you want one send me your email address.
Hope this helps.
sec3mitchdr
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Hello Again sec3mitchdr,
Thank you for your reply and offer but as you say the image is not the house we are interested in. It is true that many houses are lost but Leek in particular has retained much.
Good luck wit your further research.
Boy Scout
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Hello Again sec3mitchdr,
I'm not sure if this is any use to you but I believe that there is a photograph of Woodcroft Hall, Leek in a book by Catheryn Walton called Lost Houses of North Staffordshire. I have not seen this personally but am reliably informed that it is so.
Could this be your Woodcroft.
Boy Scout
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I have a photo from a glass negative circa 1910, the box has "Woodcroft, Leek" on the back. Not sure if this is Woodroft Grange or House or not any of them. (http://)
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Hi Andavid
Thanks for your interest in this. Unfortunately I don't think it is the house that was just called 'Woodcroft'. As you mention, there was also a Woodcroft Grange and Woodcroft House and possibly others in the same area so I am thinking it is probably one of these.
Thanks again
Regards
sec3mitch
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Andavid, This is a magnificent photograph and it would be interesting to identify it correctly. As sec3mitch says it is unlikely to be his Woodcroft a photograph of which I have hopefully attached to this. Your house could possible the one I referred to earlier as being the home at one time of the Prince family. We have an elderly Aunt who may know but she is not on the internet so it will take me longer to get in touch with her.
sec3mitch, since my previous post on this subject I have done more research and have a newspaper report of a Wedding between the Prince and Depree families. This report not only lists the guests but also details of their gifts. Amongst them are members of the Davenport family, including Fred and there were gifts from the staff at Woodcroft, which Woodcroft, again we do not know. If you would like a copy of this I am happy to share if you PM me with your e-mail I'll sort it out.
Boy Scout
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Andavid, both sec3mitchdr and I have been working together on this, off forum, in an attempt to identify these properties there seems no doubt that there were two houses, one called Woodcroft which was built for Henry Davenport and Woodcroft House/Grange which seem to be the same property variously described. Could you assist by indicating where your picture came from in an attempt to provide providence.
We have a good photograph of Woodcroft and it is clearly not the one you kindly posted, leaving the question is yours Woodcroft Grange.
Boy Scout
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Not sure if you are still interested in Woodcroft but in this week's edition of the Leek Post and Times there is a 3 page article about Woodcroft. I think you have a good knowledge of the history of the house but there are some photos taken of the rear of the property and of the ruins of the tennis pavilion etc. I had a look to see if the article was online but unfortunately I couldn't find it. However, if you want to know more details, I'm happy for you to get in touch
Chris
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Hello, Iīd be very interested in seeing the article in the Leek Post and Times. I am a descendant of Henry Davenport, he was my great great grandfather. His daughter Minnie was my great grandmother. My parents have a family book called "Woodcroft" commissioned by Henry with photos of the family outside as well as photos of the inside of the house and grounds. As you say Henry died young and the house was left to his son Fred, who was killed in the First World War. I believe his wife sold the property after his death. As far as the family fortune, I know nothing of it...except that much was lost during the Great Depression.
Henryīs wife/widow was Eliza Hassell/Hassal (sp?). I canīt seem to find out much about her family, any information would be welcome!
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Hello Jane
Welcome to Rootschat. The book you have sounds very interesting. I'm sure that there are some people on this particular forum would be really interested to see some of those pictures. I don't know if the article about Woodcroft will be on the onLine version of the paper, but I'm quite happy to send you a copy through the post. This forum doesn't allow anyone to post their personal details but if you post 2 more replies, I will be able to send you a personal message.
Chris
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Thank you, thatīs sounds interesting. I imagine it might be possible to take a photo of the article and send it as an attachment here?
This is my first reply!
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I live in Spain, but my parents have a copy of the book at their home in the UK. Iīll be visiting them next month and could take photos of the Woodcroft album on my phone, download them onto the computer and send them as attachments here perhaps.
This is my second reply!!
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Hi Jane
It was me who started the Woodcroft posts and I have sent you a Personal Message (I hope!). Henry Davenport's mother, Carolyn Osborne was a relative of mine so I guess we are some kind of distant cousins. Is the Woodcroft booklet a one-off or do others exist? I have a lot of info on the Davenports which I would be happy to share with you. I am in contact with Neil Collingwood who is responsible for the Post and Times article and he and I would love to see your 'Woodcroft' publication. We would willingly pay for a commercial copy to be made or travel to where your parents live in order to scan the document - we really, really would like to see the publication. Hope we can work something out.
sec3mitchdr
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Hello there David, I sent an email reply to your private message last night, I hope you received it! The Woodcroft album is definitely not a booklet, as it was produced in the late 19th century and is large and weighty. I am happy to send photos of the pages of the album when I see my parents next month.
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It is now well over 4 years since the start of this topic. Much has been done off forum, in short it has been established that there were in fact two Woodcroft houses in Leek, one known as simply Woodcroft, which was built for Henry Davenport of Wardle & Davenport of Leek and his family. The other which is the Mock-Tudor building being built for William Prince and his family, silk manufacturers, also of Leek. With the prospect of more pictures of Woodcroft coming soon I thought that I would share a couple of pictures that have recently been discovered of Woodcroft Grange and the Shorter family mentioned in this topic.
These were discovered by the family of a lady who was a servant at Woodcroft Grange, Rose Annie Braddock Sellers, who worked there at the time of the Shorter family being in residence. Rose is the person shown, in uniform, outside the house, this picture gives a close up of the architecture of the house.
The second again gives an idea and close up of the structure of the building. The people depicted are Myrtle Shorter and Herbert Charles Sydney Perry. This couple marry in 1929. Herbert is a descendent of the Depree family and the Fynney family also mentioned in this topic. He is a cousin to the Prince family who, as previously mentioned, built this house.
Boy Scout
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Hello sec3mitchdr,
I am sorry I have just picked up your message regarding help with adding images. Images have to have a unique filename and can be no larger than 500kb.
I will send you a pm incase you try this and are still having problems
Regards
Sarah :)
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Woodcroft has found it's way to our local paper today (The Sentinel)
http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/history/after-century-away-pictures-original-878775
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Thanks Hepburn - some nice photos - what we really need now is a quality photo of the extended Woodcroft.
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Hello,
Are the Davenports listed here in relation to the Davenports of Woodcroft?
Little Longsdon was owned in 1816 by William Sneyd. (fn. 67) It was bought in 1851 by John Davenport of Westwood Hall, in Leek and Lowe, whose son George sold it in 1868 as part of the Westwood estate to John Robinson. (fn. 68) In the mid 1950s the Critchlow family bought the farm, and Mr. Harold Critchlow owned it in 1991. (fn. 69) The farmhouse is partly of the 17th century.