Unidentified country house

[JenB]

Given the 'horsey' photos early on in the thread this is interesting (from the link above)
In the 1890's Howbury Hall was vacated by Frederick and let to Robert Peck, who established the celebrated Howbury Stud. Peck won the Derby in 1898 with Jeddah

Robert Peck, 'breeder of blood stock', together with family, visitors (including an 'owner of horses' a 'merchant' and a 'barrister at law' is in residence in 1891, with a staff of 8 + groom
RG 12 / 1252/ 160 / 16

[arthurk]

I'm not much good on horses, but this is Jeddah, who won the Derby in 1898:

https://tuckdb.org/items/75058

Any likeness to the ones above?

[noytd]

Once again many many thanks to everybody who has helped with this.

Horse racing certainly makes sense to me, part of my ancestry involves the Yardly Stud near Birmingham which was run by the George family who produced a number of famous horses in Victorian times.

I have found these images of Robert Peck.

http://www.horseracinghistory.co.uk/hrho/action/viewDocument?id=891

His image does not appear to be in the photo album. However, I have tried to piece together his family and something of interest does appear.He had a daughter named Lillian Peck (1872-1961) who married a man named Antony Oliphant Sargeaunt (1876-1929). The marriage took place in Renhold on the 1 August 1899. What is striking about this link is that Mr. Sargeaunt was from Folkestone, Kent (from a Royal Navy family) - remember the Kent area connection, and once married the couple eventually settled in Kings Langley (not far from St. Alban's - remember the hunting photo). I have tried a quick search on the newspaper library to find an image of Antony or Lillian, but came up with no luck.

However, I did come across a photo of Antony's brother Bertram (1877-1978) - 31 August 1910 - The Sketch.





If I am right then these photos would be around 11 years apart.

I have only very briefly put this together, but I think it is a promising lead and the surname Peck does appear in my family, but is an unresearched part of the tree at present. I also had an instinct that the mansion would have been rented and that the photo album might have been some sort of wedding gift. The one missing link so far is Woodcote. I might be completely wrong, but so far the pieces seem to be there to merit my further research into this possibility.

I have sent a message on Facebook to Howbury Farm (aka Howbury Hall), as I have noticed that the property still remains in the Polhill family. So I shall see if they might have any information regarding the property during those times.

[KGarrad]

Just for interest, Bertram Edward Sargeaunt was the author/compiler of the Isle of Man, Great War, Roll of Honour, and The Isle of Man and the Great War, and also A Military History of the Isle of Man.

http://imuseum.im/search/collections/places/mnh-site-213806.html
https://books.google.im/books/about/The_Isle_of_Man_and_the_Great_War.html?id=EkBzPQAACAAJ&redir_esc=y
https://www.amazon.com/military-history-Isle-Man/dp/B0007K5GNY

. . . and there's more!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Books-Bertram-Edward-Sargeaunt/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A266239%2Cp_27%3ABertram%20Edward%20Sargeaunt

[noytd]

I have spent a bit of time today trying to confirm or deny the link to the Peck family.

To being with the photo that appears to be the oldest, is one that shows the main featured woman when she was younger.



This is the best image I can find to compare the gentleman with Robert Peck. However, I am not very good at facial comparisons.

The next photo features wedding portraits from 1894 of Edith Peck and Harry Bates. The album contains a photo of a couple perhaps 10-15 years after the wedding portraits.



Another image shows Howbury Hall (06 September 1899 - The Sketch) shortly after the death of Robert Peck. What I have noticed with this photo is the ivy on the house. This does not appear on the photographs that I have. However, the ivy does appear in World War I era photographs of the property. At a guess the images I have might therefore be during the 1890s?

Roughly the Peck family lived at Howbury Hall from November/December 1889 until around January 1900, when the widowed Mrs Beck went to live at Pemberley House in Bedford. Between 1900 and around 1903 the hall was occupied by James E. Platt, and in around 1903 the Poilhill family returned to take up residence.



As JenB has pointed out, there is a certain interest in horses. Looking through the album there are a few photographs specifically of horses. Whether they are race horses or not, I do not know. However, the photo below is perhaps interesting. It is the only image to display any form of livery.

All of his sons became racehorse trainers, the eldest in 1911 being described as the horse trainer for the Earl of Durham. Perhaps the other mystery country house might be to do with the sons and their work.



This photo still remains a bit of a mystery as I have found no candidates for any of the people featured, as nobody who looks like they could be Robert Peck appears?



Still plenty of research to be done, but hopefully I am now heading in the right direction.

[Ruskie]

Noytd, I think your Peck / Sargeaunt link is a good one. Re the photos you have found (one the wedding announcement and the other from your album), I am not sure if these are the same man.

It could be that one of the images is reversed, but the men part their hair on different sides. The one is the wedding photo appears to have thinner and straighter hair (although it could have been combed and plastered down for the formal photo). Having noted these slight differences, the men do look very similar so even if they are not one and the same, they are probably closely related, possibly brothers.

Added: I am very keen for you to find out the name of your "main featured woman." 

[Jool]

Ruskie, I noticed the men's hair parted on different sides too, but I think the newspaper may have flipped him so that the bride and groom are looking towards each other.  They do look very similar though, especially the shape of the ear.

[Mike in Cumbria]

You probably already know this, but the man holding the horse is most likely a groom rather than a family member. I think the photo is of the horse, rather than him!

[Treetotal]

The photos in your message #128 are taken around the same time as both men appear to be wearing the same two and half inch collar which if memory serves me right was in fashion between 1908 - 1912.
Carol