Help - who is this?

[SamnJoan]

If anyone is still watching this topic, you might be interested to know that sadly Radford Church burnt down early last Sunday morning.   I believe all the records etc have been lost.   The fire was probably caused by an electrical fault.

On a more cheerful note, Happy Easter everyone.

Joan

[Amanda Thornley]

Hello Joan,
I heard this on the radio the weekend of the fire. This is such sad news. The local paper had front page coverage of the fire with headlines 'history up in flames'.
As you know I have only recently begun tracing my family tree and thought there may be connections to this ancient church, which I was hoping to visit some time soon.
I really feel for the local people who in the paper were devastated to loose such a huge part of their community
Amanda Thornley

[liverpool annie]

Oh my goodness ... that's terrible news !

What a shame !

Annie 

[brummie nick]

Is the pub in question, the White Lion,?

[SamnJoan]

Hi brummie nick

Yes, I think it is the White Lion.   It is on the other side of the main road from the, now, burnt out Radford Church.   The photo was hanging just inside the door, on the left.

Oddly the pub was gutted by fire a few years ago, but has now been restored.

Joan

[Kevwood]

Hi all, interersting post.

Found this , looks like C E Yate had a brother.

Arthur Yate was an acquaintance of Rudyard Kipling, and the younger brother of Colonel C E Yate MP. He wrote memoirs on his travel in Russia for the Scottish Geographical Magazine, entitled Travel Memoirs, 1916-1920, and Baku and the Caspian, 1920.


http://www.orderstjohn.org/osj/yate2.htm

Kev.

[brummie nick]

Hi brummie nick

Yes, I think it is the White Lion.   It is on the other side of the main road from the, now, burnt out Radford Church.   The photo was hanging just inside the door, on the left.

Oddly the pub was gutted by fire a few years ago, but has now been restored.

Joan

Hi Joan, the reason I asked the name of the pub is, some time ago I came across this sad tale about an inquest in the Kenilworth Advertiser in 1873



1) Inquest held at Radford in Leamington on body of Thomas COX 6 yrs of age,
son of Richard, agricultural labourer,  who was accidentally shot dead on
Saturday.  Thomas was with brother Joseph age 13 in a field at rear of the
Lion public house kept by Mr FREEMAN.  Joseph, employed by Mr Freeman for
weeding was sent for rake from tool house where a loaded and capped gun was
kept in the corner.  It accidentally fell down and fired.

[SamnJoan]

Hi Kev

This man gets more and more fascinating, what a family!   Thanks for that.

Joan



Hi brummie nick

What a sad tale.   Poor Joseph must have been devastated.   Fancy leaving a gun in a shed fully loaded.   I wonder if the publican Mr Freeman was held responsible.  That pub sure has a checkered history.

Joan

[sc84647]

I have information for you about the Thornleys at Radford Hall and have gone back to about 1710 with the Thornley family.   Henry Edward Thornley b 07.08.1854, d 27.06.1916 was my husband's g grandfather, lived at Radford Hall and ran the Thornley Brewery.   He is buried in the churchyard at Radford along with his wife Sarah Gilman and several other Thornleys. 

Joan - I'm also interested in finding out more information about the Thornleys, my wife is descended from the same Henry Edward Thornley who was her g g grandfather, and her family still live locally (and in fact lived at Radford Hall until the mid-1980s).  Any details you can share would be much appreciated!