Rectory Lane Cemetery, Berkhamsted

Ann Idle Farran (436)

07/01/1841 –09/10/1925

Born in Madras, daughter of East India Company officer, married Francis Farran

Relatives

Francis Henry Farran — husband

• Karen Evans

Ann Idle Farran died 9th October 1925 aged 84.

Francis Henry Farran died 2nd February 1928 in his 84th year.

Before starting to specifically tell Ann’s life story, it is worth telling the story of her wider family as part of the history of Britain and its colonial past.

Ann’s father, Charles Farran, was born 28th October 1799, and baptised on 2nd December 1799 at Christchurch Southwark, the eldest son of John Farran, a gentleman, and Martha his wife. The previous year had seen the birth of Charles’ sister, Anne on 15th July. She was also baptised at Christchurch, Southwark on 10th August 1798 and at the time her father, John, was described as a merchant. Charles’ other siblings, all baptised at Christchurch Southwark were:

Robert, born on 10th August and baptised on 2nd November 1801.

Sarah, born on 22nd February 1803 and baptised on 15th April 1803.

Margaret Isabella, who was baptised on 27th June 1807.

It would be easy to assume that John Farran was just a London merchant, who stayed and conducted his business in or near to The City, however this would be an incorrect assumption.

John Farran, merchant of London married Martha Farran of St Peter’s parish in Dublin, Ireland on 7th September 1797. This link to Dublin is crucial to the story of Ann Idle Farran.

 As a merchant living in London, Ann’s grandfather John Farran appears to have had links with many of the gentry and merchant class involved in the commerce that the British Empire was founded upon. In July 1803, a group of shipowners led by Sir Robert Wigram (1744–1830) and Sir John Woolmore secured an Act ‘for the further Improvement of the Port of London, by making Docks and other works at Blackwall for the Accommodation of the East India shipping in the said Port’, which also established the East India Dock Company.
The administration of the East India Dock Company was vested in 13 directors, who were required to hold at least 20 shares each; four of them also had to be directors of the East India Company. From its inception John Farran was the Company’s secretary, issuing regular notices in the Morning Post, concerning the Company’s board of directors, and various aspects of their business. These business links meant that John was able to ensure that his daughters made advantageous marriages and his sons had good careers. One example of this concerned his eldest daughter, Anne. The Morning Post of 5th August 1834 reported on the following marriage:

On the 2d inst., at St Mary’s, Lambeth, Mr John Idle of Walworth, eldest son of the late John Idle, Esq., and nephew of the late Christopher Idle, Esq., M.P. for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis, to Anne, eldest daughter of John Farran, Esq’; late Secretary to the East India Dock Company.

In 1817 Charles Farran petitioned the “Directors of the United East-India Company” as he was “desirous of entering the Military Service of the Company as a Cadet for the Madras Infantry to which he has been nominated by Joseph Cotton Esq., as a personal favour to my Father”. Joseph Cotton was one of the directors of the East India Company and his nomination of Charles Farran stated that “He was recommended to me by his Father, John Farran Esq., Sec.y to the E.I Dock Company”.

The Bengal Army, established in 1757, was the army of the Bengal Presidency, one of the three presidencies of British India within the British Empire. The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company (EIC) until the Government of India Act 1858, passed in the aftermath of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, transferred all three presidencies to the direct authority of the British Crown. The Bengal Army expanded rapidly, such that by 1796 the establishment was set at three battalions of European artillery, three regiments of European infantry, ten regiments of Indian cavalry and twelve regiments (each of two battalions) of Indian infantry. The administration of such a force would have required many young men, such as Charles Farran, whose families were linked to the operation of the EIC.

On 29th April 1826, at the Parish Church of St Mark, Kennington, Surrey, Lieutenant Charles Farran of the Madras Infantry, married Emily Spence, a minor, by licence. The witnesses to their marriage were Charles’ father, John, and his sister Margaret Isabella.  After their marriage, they moved back to Charles posting in Madras, India. The couple had nine children, of whom six survived to adulthood. Their children were:

1)      John Farran was born on 29th January 1827 and baptised on 26^th February 1827 at St Mary’s, Madras. The baptismal register states that Charles as “Lieut’t 14^th Regiment No1

2)      Robert was born on 28th January 1829 and baptised on 26th February 1827 at St Mary’s Church, Madras. Robert became a Bookseller and Publisher. He married Eliza Gibson Thornhill, 3 Mar 1859, Paddington. Died 13 Dec 1889 at age 60 in Surbiton, Surrey

3)      Martha Isabella Hazelwood Farren was born on 8th June 1830 in Mangalore, Madras and was baptised there on 9th January 1831.

4)      Charles Frederick Todd was born on 2nd July 1832 at Bangalore, Madras and baptised on 17th November 1832.

5)      Joseph was born on 17th April 1833 at Masulipatam. At this time Charles’ rank was given as Captain. He died on 21^st December 1835 and was buried on 7^th January 1836 at St Mary’s, Lambeth. At the time the family lived at East Place, Lambeth, which was the home of Annie’s grandfather, John Farran.

6)      Henry Lacon Farran was baptised on 23^rd September 1835 at St Mary’s Lambeth. He died on 28^th April 1837 and was buried there on 5th May 1837.

7)       Sarah was born at sea on 31^st May 1837 and was baptised at St Mary’s, Madras on 14th September 1837.

8)      Stillborn son was born on 19^th September 1839 at Cuttack, India.

9)      Ann (known within the family as Annie) Idle was born in Madras on 7^th January 1841. Annie was obviously named after her married aunt, Anne Idle, nee Farran.

Annie’s siblings do not all appear to have moved between Lambeth and Madras with her parents. In 1841 her eldest three brothers, John, Robert and Charles were living at a boarding school in Newington, near Lambeth.

In the early 1840’s Annie’s father, Charles seems to have retired from the Army and returned to England. It would seem likely that the family returned to Lambeth due to Emily’s health. On 24th December 1844 the London Morning Herald reported upon her death as follows:

On the 22d inst., at Chester Place, Lambeth, aged 37, after a lingering illness, Emily wife of Major Charles Farran, Madras.

Annie was just three years old when her mother died, so she was probably cared for by servants. It is recorded that in 1851 her father employed a nursemaid, a housemaid and a cook.

On 12^th December 1847 Annie’s grandfather, John Farran died leaving to his only son, Charles a significant inheritance. John’s gravestone reads:

In memory of  John Farran Esq  of this parish  and of Amberden Hall Debden Essex  who departed this life the 12th of December 1847  in the 80th year of his age.

And it was the manor called Amberden Hall along with the “farms lands tenements and hereditaments situate in Amberden” that Ann’s father inherited. Charles remarried in June 1848 and his second marriage was reported in the Dublin Evening Post as follows:

June 3, at Kennington, Charles Farran, Esq., retired Major in the Hon E.I.C’s service, to Mary Ann, relict of T.N.Fraser, 37th Regt., and second daughter of the late William Johnson, Esq., of Kilwhelan, Cork.

In 1851 Annie’s family, including Emma, a daughter from her stepmother’s previous marriage, were living at Chester Place, Lambeth. The only one of Annie’s siblings to have left home was her eldest brother John, who was a banker’s clerk living in the St Mildred Poultry district of the City of London.

Charles’s second marriage created two new additions to the family:

10)   Edward was born 1850 and buried at St Mary’s Lambeth on 22nd April 1851.

11)   Richard Johnson who was born in Lambeth in 1854.

The 1850’s was a decade of change for the Farran family as Annie’s siblings left home to marry and make their own way in life.

Annie’s third eldest brother, Charles Frederick Todd Farran emigrated to Australia from England in the July of 1853. He married Isobel Cunningham on 7^th March 1867, at The Fulton, Sale, North Gippsland, Victoria and died on 17th March 1919, aged 87, in New South Wales, Australia.

By the 1861 Census, Charles and his second wife, Mary Ann, appear to have separated, living at different addresses, with Mary having reverted to the surname Fraser, and living in London, and Charles living at Chichester, Sussex, England, with his children, Sarah and Richard. By 1871, Charles had moved again and was living with his children, Sarah and Richard are at Ilfracombe in Devon.

Anne Idle Farran of St Michael’s parish, Bath married Francis Henry Farran of St Clement Danes, The Strand on 5th September 1867 at St Michael’s Church in Bath. Although living and working in London, Francis Henry Farran was actually born and raised in Belcamp House, a Georgian house situated within a substantial estate in Balgriffin in the northern suburbs of Dublin. The following year saw the arrival of a son, George Erle Farran, who at the age of just two was living with his grandfather, Charles Farran, and unmarried aunt Sarah Farran, in Ilfracombe High Street. At that same time his parents, Annie and Francis were living at Thornton Hill, Wimbledon, where Francis was described as a mouldings manufacturer. Thornton Hill was an area only recently developed in the late 1860s to accommodate the middle class who were attracted to London’s suburbs. In 1881 their neighbours were Charles Arnold, solicitor, and Col Frederick C Evelegh (retired). Annie and Francis named their house Belcamp, after Francis’ family home in Dublin.

On 21^st July 1874 Annie and Francis had a daughter, Mabel Frances, whose arrival completed their family.

Annie’s father Major Charles Farran (retired) died on 30^th November 1876 at 6 Alexander Terrace, Putney. His death certificate records that he had had epilepsy for a year, but the cause of his death was given as a stroke (cerebral apoplexy) that he had had two days earlier. Annie was present at his death and so also registered it, at the time she was living at Belcamp, Wimbledon. Charles was buried in Kingston Cemetery, Kingston upon Thames.

The Farrans were very much part of the middle class, and their son, George Erle Farran, was educated in a way that reflected their position in society. George attended Rugby school, leaving there in 1886. In July 1891 George Erle Farran was listed as being at Oriel College, Oxford were he obtained his B.A. in Modern History and two years later he received his M.A from Oxford. He then went on to study at Ely Theological College before becoming a curate at Christ Church, Lancaster Gate, Paddington in 1893.

The death of Annie’s brother was announced in The Morning Post of 30^th December1889:

We regret to announce the death, at Surbiton, of Mr Robert Farran, formerly head of the firm of Griffith, Farran, Okeden and Welsh, of St Paul’s Churchyard and Charing Cross Road. He had not been actively engaged in business f nearly two years, and his retirement from the firm owing to his prolonged illness was announced a few months ago.

The 1890’s proved to be a busy time for the Farran family. On 11^th April 1894 Annie’s spinster sister, Sarah who had been living with her in Wimbledon, was married at All Souls Church, South Hampstead by the Rev Tewksbery H Kynaston, assisted by the Rev R.V Casson and the Rev. Canon Floyd DD, to William Smith, a 63-year-old widower of Bushey. Sarah and her husband lived on the London Road, New Bushey with a domestic servant. By 1911 they had moved to The Poplars, Clay Hill.

On 26^th October 1895 Annie’s son, Rev. George E. Farran, curate of Christchurch, Lancaster Gate, conducted the wedding ceremony of his cousin, Annie M Farran, daughter of the late Robert Farran of Surbiton, who was Annie’s second eldest brother.

The most exciting occasion as far as Annie and Francis was concerned took place on 14^th January 1899. The Morning Post reported as follows in its Marriages section:

BLOXHAM – FARRAN – On the 12^th inst. At St Mary’s, Wimbledon, by the Rev. G.E. Farran, M.A., brother of the bride, assisted by Rev J.K. Wilson, M.A., and the Rev. J.K. Bloxham, B.A., brother of the bridegroom, William Richard, second son of the late Edward Bloxham, Chief Clerk in Chancery, to Mabel Frances, only daughter of Francis Henry Farran of Belcamp, Wimbledon.

Annie and Francis’ first grandchild, Guy Cholmley Bloxham was born the following year in Pinner. In

1901 Mabel and William Bloxham were living at Royston Park, Pinner. William was a solicitor, and as a professional man was able to employ a cook and a nursemaid.

In 1905 Annie’s son, Rev. George Erle Farran became the Vicar at Holy Innocent’s church, Kingsbury in Middlesex. He remained in that post until 1926 when he became the Vicar of Christchurch, Mayfair.

Electoral rolls show that in 1910 Francis Henry Farran was living at 112 High Street, Berkhamsted. We have no idea why the Farrans moved from Wimbledon to Berkhamsted, but evidence suggests links to the town as early as 1908. On 7^th November 1908 the West Herts and Watford Observer reported that “The annual meeting of the Hunt known as the Berkhamsted Foot Beagles was held at the Town Hall Berkhamsted, on Saturday. The accounts for last season, which had been duly audited by Mr F.H Farran and Mr Godfrey Huggins, were duly passed”.

Francis’ accountancy skills were a great asset and meant that they were used to serve several institutions. In March 1909 he reported to the annual general meeting of the St Andrew’s Missionary Association, as Treasurer of that society.

The 1911 census confirms that Annie and Francis were living at The Manor, 112 High Street Berkhamsted with a waiting maid and a housemaid. Mr Francis H Farran appears to have been acknowledged as someone of status in Berkhamsted as he attended many charity and community events. On 19^th November 1912 he attended the prize-giving event at the Berkhamsted National School, in July 1913 he was at the Berkhamsted and Northchurch Conservative Association fete held in the grounds of Kingshill and in February 1915 he attended the Ruri-decanal conference, which was held at the Sessions Hall, Berkhamsted.

The arrival of the war in 1914 should not have impacted Annie and Francis’ family overly as her son-in-law would have been too old for the call up and her son was ministering to the people of Kingsbury. However, the Rev George Erle Farran appears to have temporarily left his living in Kingsbury to serve with the Red Cross, mistering to the troops in France.

On 25^th May 1918 Annie, Mrs Farran of The Manor House, Berkhamsted, placed and advertisement in The Bucks Herald, as she needed a general cook and a parlourmaid. Good references were required. On 1^st November 1919 Annie was advertising yet again for staff, this time requiring a Cook-general, house parlourmaid and a gardener. Staff were clearly difficult to employ and retain because another advertisement was placed on 10^th May 1824:

COOK General; two in family; house -parlour maid and gardener kept; no basement or children – Mrs Farran 112 High Street Berkhamsted.

Throughout their time in Berkhamsted the Farrans would have seen their children and grandchildren grow and establish careers.

In December 1920 their eldest grandson Guy Cholmley Bloxham was promoted from the Royal Military Academy to 2^nd Lieutenant serving with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary stationed at Shorncliffe Camp Garrison in Kent. A second grandson Patrick Francis Cholmley Bloxam was a boarder at Clifton College, Bristol in 1821.

Anne Idle Farran of The Manor House, Berkhamsted, died on 9^th October 1925 at the West Hertfordshire Hospital, Hemel Hempstead. Her executors were her children, the Reverend George Erle Farran and Mabel Frances Bloxham, wife of William Richard Bloxham. Francis Henry Farran of 19a Down Street, Mayfair died on 2ds February 1928. His will was proved on 6^th March 1928 by his son Rev George Erle Farran D.D.

Francis Henry Farran

26/03/1842 –02/02/1928

Born in Dublin, a mouldings manufacturer who moved to Berkhamsted later in life

Relatives

Ann Idle Farran (436) — wife

• Karen Evans

 Plot 436

 Ann Idle Farran died 9th October 1925 aged 84.

Francis Henry Farran died 2nd February 1928 in his 84th year.

 Francis Henry was the fourth son of George Farran, Esq of Belcamp Park, Dublin. His parents George Farran and Elizabeth Caroline Chomley had married on 19th November 1829 by licence at Coolock Church in Dublin. The minister who conducted the ceremony was Elizabeth Caroline’s Uncle, Rev Francis Chomley. Francis’ father, George, had studied law at Kings Inn, Dublin prior to his marriage, whilst his mother, Elizabeth Caroline, was the daughter of John Chomley of Belcamp Park, Dublin, and part of Ireland’s Protestant gentry. Francis Henry was the sixth of eight children:

Jonathon Joseph Farran, born 29th June 1831 at York Street, Dublin, was baptised at St Peter’s church Dublin and buried

Anne Josephine Farran, born 24th December 1832.

Joseph Farran, born 29th April 1834 at Belvedere Place Dublin, was baptised at St George’s church, Dublin on 21st May 1834.

Elizabeth Farran, born in 1836, died at Belcamp Park on 6th June 1846

George Hampton Farran, baptised at Santry on 30 March 1838, son of George and Elizabeth of Oakley

Charles Frederick Farran, born 29th January 1840 at Belcamp, was baptised at St George’s church, Dublin on 5th March 1840

Francis Henry Farran, born 26th March 1842 at Belcamp, was baptised at Santry on 29th May 1842.

William John Farran, baptised 11th August 1845

Edward Chomley Farran, baptised 17 Oct 1847

The Farran brothers were well-educated men who held prominent public office.

Francis’ 3^rd eldest brother, George Haughton Farran, M.A., served in the Judiciary Department in Bombay from 17^th May 1866. He had various positions in the courts and tax office before his retirement in January 1899

Francis’ 4^th eldest brother ,Charles Frederick Farran was educated at Trinity College, Dublin and called to the English Bar in 1864. He came to British India and worked as the Advocate General and Puisne Judge of Bombay Presidency. Frederick Farran was the first editor of the Indian Law Reports, Bombay Series, which commenced in 1875. In 1895, he was appointed the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court after Sir Charles Sargent and served there till 1898. He was  knighted on 27th January 1896 and

died in Bombay on 9th September 1898.

In August 1866 Francis’s youngest brother, Edward Chomley Farran, was appointed to be a clerk in the Record Department of Exchequer, Dublin.

Francis Henry Farran of St Clement Danes, The Strand married Anne Idle Farran of St Michael’s parish, Bath on 5th September 1867 at St Michael’s Church in Bath. Anne Idle Farran had been born in Madras, India and her father had served with the East India Company’s army in India, so it is most likely that the couple met at a social event for the British civil servants in India.

The following year saw the arrival of a son, George Erle Farran, who was born in Surbiton on 14^th June 1868. At the age of just two was living with his maternal grandfather, Charles Farran, and unmarried aunt Sarah Farran, in Ilfracombe High Street. At that same time his parents, Francis and Annie, were living at Thornton Hill, Wimbledon, where Francis was described as a mouldings manufacturer. Thornton Hill was an area only recently developed in the late 1860s to accommodate the middle class who were attracted to London’s suburbs. In 1881 their neighbours were Charles Arnold, solicitor, and Col Frederick C Evelegh (retired). Francis and Annie named their house Belcamp, after Francis’ family home in Dublin.

On 21st July 1873 Francis and Annie had a daughter, Mabel Frances, whose arrival completed their family. Her birth was announced in The Belfast Newsletter on 24^th July 1873

Annie’s father Major Charles Farran (retired) died on 30th November 1876 at 6 Alexander Terrace, Putney. His death certificate records that he had had epilepsy for a year, but the cause of his death was given as a stroke (cerebral apoplexy) that he had had two days earlier. Annie was present at his death and so also registered it, at the time she was living at Belcamp, Wimbledon. Charles was buried in Kingston Cemetery, Kingston upon Thames.

In 1881 Francis and Annie were visited by Francis’ youngest brother Edward. However, the occasion ended very sadly as reported:

DEATHS

Farran – Sept 25 at Halliford, Walton-on-Thames, while on a visit to his brother, to the inexpressive grief of his wife and family, Edward Chomley Farran, son of the late George Farran of Belcamp Park, aged 34.

The Farrans were very much part of the middle class, and their son, George Erle Farran, was educated in a way that reflected their position in society. George attended Rugby school, leaving there in 1886. In July 1891 George Erle Farran was listed as being at Oriel College, Oxford where he obtained his B.A. in Modern History and two years later his M.A. He then went on to study at Ely Theological College before becoming a curate at Christ Church, Lancaster Gate, Paddington in 1893.

The death of Annie’s brother was announced in The Morning Post of 30th December1889:

We regret to announce the death, at Surbiton, of Mr Robert Farran, formerly head of the firm of Griffith, Farran, Okeden and Welsh, of St Paul’s Churchyard and Charing Cross Road. He had not been actively engaged in business f nearly two years, and his retirement from the firm owing to his prolonged illness was announced a few months ago.

The 1890’s proved to be a busy time for the Farran family, with a mixture of joyous and sad occasions.

On 11th April 1894 Annie’s spinster sister, Sarah who had been living with Francis and Annie in Wimbledon, was married at All Souls Church, South Hampstead by the Rev Tewksbery H Kynaston, assisted by the Rev R.V Casson and the Rev. Canon Floyd DD, to William Smith, a 63-year-old widower of Bushey. Sarah and her husband lived on the London Road, New Bushey with a domestic servant. By 1911 they had moved to The Poplars, Clay Hill.

In June 1895 the Queen approved the appointment of Francis’ brother, Mr Charles Frederick Farran, as Chief Justice of the High Court of Bombay.

On 26th October 1895 Francis’ son, Rev. George E. Farran, curate of Christchurch, Lancaster Gate, conducted the wedding ceremony of his cousin, Annie M Farran, daughter of the late Robert Farran of Surbiton, who was Annie’s second eldest brother.

1898 appears to have been more of a time of sadness. On 22nd June 1898 Francis’ mother, the widowed Elizabeth Farran died at Belcamp, Rabeny County, Dublin. Her will was proved Anne Josephine Farran, spinster of Belcamp.

The later that year “The Globe” newspaper reported on the following on 24th November 1898:

Probate has been granted of the will of Sir Charles Frederick Farran of Stag’s End, Hemel Hempstead, Chief Justice of Bombay, who died September 9, and the value of whose estate has been sworn at £14,757 by Dame Ethel Kate Farran, the widow, of 25 Promenade, Cheltenham.

The most exciting occasion as far as Francis and Annie was concerned took place on 14th January 1899. The Morning Post reported as follows in its Marriages section:

BLOXHAM – FARRAN – On the 12th inst. At St Mary’s, Wimbledon, by the Rev. G.E. Farran, M.A., brother of the bride, assisted by Rev J.K. Wilson, M.A., and the Rev. J.K. Bloxham, B.A., brother of the bridegroom, William Richard, second son of the late Edward Bloxham, Chief Clerk in Chancery, to Mabel Frances, only daughter of Francis Henry Farran of Belcamp, Wimbledon.

Francis and Annie’s first grandchild, Guy Cholmley Bloxham was born the following year in Pinner. In 1901 Mabel and William Bloxham were living at Royston Park, Pinner. William was a solicitor, and as a professional man was able to employ a cook and a nursemaid.

In 1905 Francis’ son, Rev. George Erle Farran became the Vicar at Holy Innocent’s church, Kingsbury in Middlesex. He remained in that post until 1926 when he became the Vicar of Christchurch, Mayfair.

Electoral rolls show that in 1910 Francis Henry Farran was living at 112 High Street, Berkhamsted.

We can not know for sure why Francis and Annie moved to Berkhamsted, but his niece Kate Madeline Farran, daughter of Francis’ brother Charles, was the first member of the family to be born in Dacorum. She was born at Stags End House, Great Gaddesden in 1882. The household at Stags End House was substantial with the Farran family employing a governess, nurse, cook and three maids in 1891. It can only be assumed that Francis and Annie visited Stags End and found the area good enough to move to themselves.

On 7^th November 1908 the West Herts and Watford Observer reported that “The annual meeting of the Hunt known as the Berkhamsted Foot Beagles was held at the Town Hall Berkhamsted, on Saturday. The accounts for last season, which had been duly audited by Mr F.H Farran and Mr Godfrey Huggins, were duly passed”.

Francis’ accountancy skills were a great asset and meant that they were used to serve several institutions. In March 1909 he reported to the annual general meeting of the St Andrew’s Missionary Association, as Treasurer of that society.

The 1911 census confirms that Francis and Annie were living at The Manor, 112 High Street Berkhamsted with a waiting maid and a housemaid. Mr Francis H Farran appears to have been acknowledged as someone of status in Berkhamsted as he attended many charity and community events. On 19^th November 1912 he attended the prize-giving event at the Berkhamsted National School, in July 1913 he was at the Berkhamsted and Northchurch Conservative Association fete held in the grounds of Kingshill and in February 1915 he attended the Ruri-decanal conference, which was held at the Sessions Hall, Berkhamsted.

The arrival of the war in 1914 should not have impacted Francis and Annie’s family overly as their son-in-law would have been too old for the call up and their son was ministering to the people of Kingsbury. However, the Rev George Erle Farran appears to have temporarily left his living in Kingsbury to serve with the Red Cross, mistering to the troops in France. In 1919 he was recorded as being the Secretary of the No.8 Red Cross Hospital at Boulogne.

On 25^th May 1918 Annie, Mrs Farran of The Manor House, Berkhamsted, placed and advertisement in The Bucks Herald, as she needed a general cook and a parlourmaid. Good references were required. On 1^st November 1919 Annie was advertising yet again for staff, this time requiring a Cook-general, house parlourmaid and a gardener. Staff were clearly difficult to employ and retain because another advertisement was placed on 10^th May 1824:

COOK General; two in family; house -parlour maid and gardener kept; no basement or children – Mrs Farran 112 High Street Berkhamsted.

Throughout their time in Berkhamsted the Farrans would have seen their children and grandchildren grow and establish careers.

In December 1920 their eldest grandson Guy Cholmley Bloxham was promoted from the Royal Military Academy to 2^nd Lieutenant serving with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary stationed at Shorncliffe Camp Garrison in Kent. A second grandson Patrick Francis Cholmley Bloxam was a boarder at Clifton College, Bristol in 1821.

Anne Idle Farran of The Manor House, Berkhamsted, died on 9^th October 1925 at the West Hertfordshire Hospital, Hemel Hempstead. Her executors were her children, the Reverend George Erle Farran and Mabel Frances Bloxham, wife of William Richard Bloxham. Francis Henry Farran of 19a Down Street, Mayfair died on 2ds February 1928. His will was proved on 6^th March 1928 by his son, Reverend George Erle Farran D.D.

It is worth noting that on 30^th October 1935, at Christchurch, Mayfair, Francis’ grandson, Captain Guy Cholmley Bloxham, married his second cousin, Francis Susan Farran. Francis Susan was the daughter of Major George Francis Farran of the Royal Artillery in India, and grand-daughter of Francis’ brother, George Haughton Farran.