This photo is of three generations of the Beauchamp family, latterly of Leicester. Left is Leonard, born in 1874 in Dormston, Worcs. Next to him is wife Ada Louisa, born in Beaudesert, Warwickshire in 1871 (one of the 12 children of farmer William Hickin and his wife Ellen, all of whom lived into adulthood). Next to Ada is daughter-in-law Olive, then Leonard and Ada’s son, Selwyn (born in Walmley Ash, Warks.) and beside him, his wife, Sarah, holding her niece’s hand. (Sarah died not long ago, aged 105.)
In front of Selwyn is his niece Brenda (born 1932). She was the daughter of Olive and Selwyn’s brother Harold (who was behind the camera). Harold was born in 1905 in Bledington, Gloucestershire. This was one of the ancestral villages of the Beauchamps (Leonard’s grandfather was born there in 1815 and Leonard’s father was born in Lower Swell in 1840), but I think that Harold was born in Bledington because Leonard was working there at the time as a farm bailiff (a job he probably heard about through family in the area).
I wonder how old Brenda is here? Also, any suggestions as to why her legs were bandaged (apparently they often were in her childhood). As for the location, is that wall behind them a harbour or sea wall?
Everyone is smiling here. Appearances can clearly be deceptive. Leonard and Ada fought like cat and dog, it seems, and he spent much time in exile in his stable when he was a farm manager (in the years before he became a haulier). Ada and Leonard moved a good deal in the earlier years of their marriage, due, I am told, to her upsetting the neighbours with her tongue. It seems that she was a very generous person but had a fiery temper, whereas Leonard was very laid-back, but so mean that he could have given a Scotsman lessons. 😂
(I posted a photo of Ada and Leonard a while ago:
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=854357.0 )
Dave
