Rectory Lane Cemetery, Berkhamsted

Eliza Bassill Howard

1862 –20/10/1927

Daughter of timber merchant Cornelius East, married Frederick Howard

Relatives

Josiah East — other

Frederick Howard (694) — husband

• Christopher Dolton

ELIZA BASSILL HOWARD; 1862 – 1927

Eliza was born in Berkhamsted during the second quarter of 1862. She was the third of five children[1] born to Cornelius East and Susannah East (née Bassill). Cornelius had been born in Chesham. The family had moved to Berkhamsted in the 1840s and Cornelius’ father, Job East, took over a small shovel making and wood turning business. Job, with the help of Cornelius and another of his sons, Josiah, developed the business into one of the largest in the town, East and Sons Ltd.[2]  By 1871 Cornelius, who described himself as a “contractor and timber dealer, employing 30 men and 6 boys.” The family lived in Gossoms End and Eliza, then age 9 years, was attending school.[3]

Eliza’s mother, Susannah, died in 1877 and in the following year her father remarried. His second wife was Catherine Ann Mead. In 1881 Eliza, 19 years old, was still living in the family home in Gossoms End, but she had left school and was working as a clerk, presumably for her father. His business had grown further in the ten years since 1871; in 1881 he employed 50 men and 10 boys[4].

Eliza married Frederick Howard on 27^th April 1886.  Frederick, who had been born in Berkhamsted, was an auctioneer, estate agent and furniture dealer and ten years older than Eliza. The wedding was celebrated at St Mary’s Church, Northchurch. The Bucks Herald reported that “…unusual interest was manifested in the proceedings. The bride, who wore a veil and orange blossoms, and a dress of blue Irish poplin trimmed with plush…There was a large congregation present, and as the bridal party left the Church the bells rang out merry peals, while their path was strewn with flowers and they were greeted with the customary salutations. After the wedding the happy pair left for Hastings for their honeymoon.”[5]

Following the wedding, Eliza moved into Frederick’s premises on Berkhamsted’s High Street where he lived and conducted his business. Eliza and Frederick had two children, Arthur Frederick Howard, born 1892, and Ronald Bassill Howard, born in 1896. Arthur died in 1958 and Ronald in 1952.

In 1891 Frederick became Berkhamsted’s Postmaster, a position he was to hold until his death in 1918. His premises in the High Street were converted for use as a new post office and remained in use as such until 1909 when a new, purpose-built post office was opened in Lower Kings Road. Eliza, Frederick and their two children continued to live on the High Street after the post office moved to Kings Road. The census returns for both 1901 and 1911 show that Frederick and Eliza employed a live-in domestic servant.  

Frederick died in 1918. Eliza survived him by nine years, dying at the age of 65. Her address, at the time of her death, was The Lodge, The Common, Berkhamsted. She was buried in Rectory Lane Cemetery with Frederick.

Frederick Howard (694)

1852 –15/11/1918

Auctioneer and furniture dealer who became Town's Postmaster

Relatives

Eliza Bassill Howard — wife

Alfred Howard (87) — father

Sophia Howard — mother

Arthur Howard — brother

• Christopher Dolton

FREDERICK HOWARD; 1852 – 1918

Frederick was born in Amersham during the first three months of 1852. He was the third of five children[1] born to Alfred Howard and Sophia Howard, née Shrimpton. By 1861 the family had moved to Berkhamsted’s High Street where Frederick’s father was in business as a furniture broker, appraiser and upholsterer. Frederick, aged 8 years, was attending school.[2]

Frederick’s father, Alfred, died in 1873 and his older brother, Arthur, died three years later in 1876. In 1881 Frederick, then age 27, was still living in the family home with his widowed mother, his unmarried sister Sarah and his older brother William. His mother had taken over her husbands’ business as a furniture dealer. William had become a dealer in antiquities, whilst Frederick worked as an auctioneer and estate agent.[3] It is apparent from contemporary newspaper articles that Frederick’s younger brother, Walter, also worked with Frederick in his business which went by the name of Messrs Howard Bros..[4] Contemporary newspaper articles provide us with examples of sales undertaken by Frederick as an auctioneer. In September 1890 he conducted a sale held at the Kings Arms of 200 shares in the Great Berkhampstead Gas Light and Coke Company Ltd., described as “…a sale of remarkable character…” [5] In December 1890 he was the auctioneer of a number of freehold properties including properties 1-8 Elm Grove.[6]

In addition to his work as an auctioneer and estate agent Frederick, like his father and mother, also sold furniture from his premises in the High Street. However, in 1891 Frederick became Berkhamsted’s Postmaster.[7]

Berkhamsted had for sometime been a centre for distributing post for several Buckinghamshire towns and villages. As early as the 1830s efforts were made to drop off and collect mail without unduly delaying trains. The driver of Royal Mail cart was called at 3.00 am to meet the mail train which arrived at 3.45 a.m. The mail was then delivered to surrounding the villages and the cart returned 18 hours later with the day’s collection of post in time for the night train.[8]

In 1851 the part time post master was James Abbey, a tailor, whose shop-cum- post office was on the east side of Post Alley, the narrow passage in the High Street on the opposite side of the road to the Kings Arms. When Frederick became Postmaster, the post office was moved across the road to Frederick’s premises on the corner of Prince Edward Street. This provided larger accommodation for the public, a telegraph room, offices, and a large sorting room. The Post Office moved again in 1909 to a purpose-built post office in Lower Kings Road, where it remained until 1958, when a modern post office was built near St John’s Well Lane.[9]

During 1889 the Post office conducted the following business – Money orders, £4,549; postal orders, £20,193; savings’ bank, £2,139; licences issued, 271; telegrams, 12,353; registered letters, 2,422; sale of stamps, £2,619:1:6.[10] Frederick had a staff of ten town and eleven rural postmen, five telegraph messengers, and five clerks and telegraphists.[11]

Frederick married in May 1886; his bride was Eliza Bassill East, a daughter of Cornelius East. The East family had moved from Chesham to Berkhamsted in the 1840’s and Cornelius’ father, Job, took over a small shovel making and wood turning business. Job, with the help of Cornelius and another of his sons, Josiah, developed the business into one of the largest in the town, East and Sons Ltd.[12]  

The wedding took place at Northchurch Church. The Bucks Herald reported that “…unusual interest was manifested in the proceedings. The bride, who wore a veil and orange blossoms, and a dress of blue Irish poplin trimmed with plush…There was a large congregation present, and as the bridal party left the Church the bells rang out merry peals, while their path was strewn with flowers and they were greeted with the customary salutations. After the wedding the happy pair left for Hastings for their honeymoon.”[13]

Frederick and Eliza had two children, Arthur Frederick Howard, born 1892, and Ronald Bassill Howard, born in 1896. Arthur died in 1958 and Ronald in 1952.  The family lived at the premises which became the Post Office in 1890, 131 High Street. The census returns for both 1901 and 1911 show that Frederick and Eliza employed a live-in domestic servant.

Frederick himself died on 15^th November 1918. and his estate was worth £463 6s 8d.