Rectory Lane Cemetery, Berkhamsted

Harriet Lewis

1846 –17/12/1926

Wife of Walter Lewis and mother -in-law of Harriet Bates

Relatives

Elizabeth (Betty) Bates (755) — other

Harriet May Bates — daughter

• Melanie Hilton

Plot 764 Harriet Lewis (née Payne) (1846-1926)

Harriet was the daughter of William & Harriet (née Slaughter) Payne both of whom were born in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire. She was baptised on 22^nd February 1846 at St Michaels’ church in St Albans, an ancient Anglo-Saxon building near the Roman remains of Verulamium. Her father’s occupation was given as “greengrocer” and the family lived in Redbourn parish.

Her parents had married in Rickmansworth, but by 1841 were living at “Watercress Cottage” in Redbourn with their son William. William snr. was described as a “cressman”. Also in the household were four men described as labourers. It seems that William had set up in the watercress business and, at the age of twenty five, was already employing a substantial labour force.

A post on www.redbournvillage.org.uk explains the origins of the industry in the area which has strong similarities to the same trade in Berkhamsted. “Watercress could have been growing wild in the streams of the area for hundreds of years as the river has just the right amount of flow, temperature and shallowness the plant requires. Growing on a larger commercial scale was encouraged by the proximity of Watling Street, allowing relatively quick access to the large London market and then by the arrival of the railway. William Payne, is the first recorded grower in the village, from the early 1860’s, until around 1890. He lived in ‘Watercress Hall’ the exact location of the building is unclear, but it was probably situated beside the Ver in the south of the village.”

The 1841 census shows he was there twenty years earlier. Watercress had first been commercially cultivated in 1808 in Kent. William was far-sighted, perhaps seeing the potential of the railways which were then in their infancy in the 1840s.

In the 1851 census Harriet is shown living with her parents and two older brothers and two older sisters at Watercress Hall, St Albans Road, between the village of Redbourn and St Albans. The status of their home had clearly grown from “cottage” to “Hall” in ten years!

William was described as a “cultivator of water cresses”. Her maternal grandparents were living with them and two labourers, presumably involved with the watercress.

The watercress industry in the St Albans area took off in the 1860s with the building of the railway stations in the town. (St Alban’s Abbey 1858 and St Albans City, 1868) from where kilos of cress were shipped to London and Manchester daily.

In 1861, when Harriet was fifteen, her father and brother Charles described themselves as greengrocers. She was at home with her two elder sisters, one a bonnet-sewer and the other a dressmaker, and her parents were able to employ a fifteen year old servant boy.

Harriet married Walter Lewis, born in Chesham, on the 2^nd June 1870 in Redbourn. Her occupation was given as “bonnet sewer”. Walter, and both their fathers, were described as green grocers. Their daughter Rose was born in November 1870.

The Lewis family began married life living with Harriet’s parents. In the April 1871 census her father is described as a watercress dealer and her husband as a watercress planter. Harriet still contributed to the family income by continuing to work as a bonnet-sewer, making up local straw plait for the Luton hat industry.

Close to “Watercress Hall” was the Punch Bowl Inn which lies on the Redbourn Road (now A5183) halfway between Redbourn and St Albans. The inn dated back to at least the 17th century. The Redbourn Village website says, “Before its sale by the Bowes Lyons family in 1897, it was described as having four bedrooms, a bar, bar parlour, tap room, kitchen, cellar and coalhouse. There was stabling for three horses, a coach house and a garden at the rear.” It was rebuilt in 1901 and is now a private house. Walter Lewis took over as licensee, and in the 1881 census was living there with Harriet and their two sons and five daughters.

Harriet’s parents continued to live alone at “Watercress Hall” where William was described as “Master watercress grower”.

However, Walter died in April 1882 aged on thirty six, leaving Harriet with two sons, William and Walter, and four unmarried daughters – Harriet May, Kate, Lizzie and Ellen.

It seems she and her parents combined households and that Harriet and her sons involved themselves in the watercress business again. Her father William died in January 1891 and in the census of that year the family, including Harriet’s mother Harriet, were living in the High Street, Redbourn. Harriet, William and Walter are all described as watercress growers.

By March 1901 Harriett had moved to live with her daughter Rose who had married Frederick Lewis, possibly a cousin. Frederick was a publican in Chesham and Harriet’s unmarried daughter Kate was living with the family and working as a barmaid.

Ten years later Harriet was living at 26, Germain Street, Chesham in a little terraced cottage with two of her granddaughters, Alexandra (8) and Nellie (7). Where the children’s parents were has not been established.

By 1921 Harriet had moved to 11, Chapel Street, Berkhamsted, to live with her daughter (Harriet) May, the widow of Joseph Bates, “town postman” of Berkhamsted. Three of May’s sons and her daughter-in-law were also living in the household.

Another of Harriet’s daughters, Ellen, had married Frederick Baker, and the couple ran the Rose & Crown pub in Gossoms End. Frederick died on the 29th December 1922 and Nellie survived him for only a few days, dying on the 15th January 1923. They were buried here in plot 764. Harriet died on 17th December 1926, aged eighty and was buried with them.

(Harriet) May Bates and her daughter-in-law Elizabeth (Betty) are buried in plot 755. The second wife of May’s son Albert, Olive Bates, lies in plot 1064.

Ellen Baker

1879 –15/01/1923

Second wife of widower Frederick Baker

Relatives

Frederick George Baker (764) — husband

• Melanie Hilton

Plot 764: Ellen Baker (1879-1923)

Ellen, known as Nellie, was born in early 1879 in Redbourn, Herts, the daughter of  Walter and Harriet (née Payne) Lewis.

William Payne, her grandfather, was a watercress grower. A post on www.redbournvillage.org.uk explains the origins of the industry in the area which has strong similarities to the same trade in Berkhamsted. “ Watercress could have been growing wild in the streams of the area for hundreds of years as the river has just the right amount of flow, temperature and shallowness the plant requires. Growing on a larger commercial scale was encouraged by the proximity of Watling Street, allowing relatively quick access to the large London market and then by the arrival of the railway. William Payne, is the first recorded grower in the village, from the early 1860’s, until around 1890. He lived in ‘Watercress Hall’ the exact location of the building is unclear, but it was probably situated beside the Ver in the south of the village.”

Ellen was the youngest of Walter and Harriet Lewis’s seven children: she had two brothers and four sisters, one of whom, Harriet May, married Berkhamsted postman Joseph Bates and is buried in this cemetery in plot 755.

By the time of the 1881 census the Lewis family had moved from Watercress Hall – still occupied by William and Harriet Payne – and Walter Lewis had taken over the Punch Bowl inn which lies on the Redbourn Road (now A5183) halfway between Redbourn and St Albans. The inn dated back to at least the 17th century. The Redbourn Village website [link above] says, “Before its sale by the Bowes Lyons family in 1897, it was described as having four bedrooms, a bar, bar parlour, tap room, kitchen, cellar and coalhouse. There was stabling for three horses, a coach house and a garden at the rear. There is no information as to the age or type of building.” It was drastically (if not totally) rebuilt in 1901 and is now a private house.

Walter Lewis died in 1882 and William Payne had also passed away as the 1891 census for Redbourn shows the two widows living together. Harriet Lewis had taken over as a watercress grower and her two sons, Walter and William were working with her and her four young daughters were also at home, living on Redbourn High Street. There is no mention of Watercress Hall.

Ellen, giving her name as “Nellie”, married Frederick George Baker on 8th December 1904 at St Peter’s. He was widower, a harness maker with one daughter who was living at 11, Montague Road. Nellie, for whom no occupation was given, was at 11, Chapel Street.

The couple had four daughters – Gwendoline Ruby (b.1908), Phyllis (b.1911), Hilda May (b. 1913) and Bessie (b.1918) – and one son, Walter Lewis (b. 1906).

By April 1911 Frederick was publican of the Rose & Crown, Gossoms End and Nellie was assisting him in the business.

By the 1921 census the whole family, with the exception of Henrietta, Nellie’s step-daughter, were at home at the Rose and Crown. Tragedy struck the next year when Frederick died on the 29th December 1922 and Nellie survived him for only a few days, dying on the 15th January 1923. Perhaps some contagious disease such as influenza attacked them both.

Nellie and Frederick are buried together here with Nellie’s mother, Harriet Lewis, who died in 1926.

Frederick George Baker (764)

1871 –29/12/1922

Harness maker who moved to Berkhamsted and became licensee of Rose & Crown

Relatives

Henrietta Baker (874) — mother

Ellen Baker — wife

Frederick Lovel Baker — son

• Melanie Hilton

Plot 764: Frederick George Baker

Frederick was born in 1871 in the market town of St Ives in Huntingdonshire, the second youngest of Henry and Henrietta (née Chambers) Baker’s six children. His father Henry was a tailor, draper and insurance agent.

By 1891 Frederick was a “saddle and harness maker’s assistant”, still living in St Ives with his now-widowed mother and two siblings, but by 1894 he was in London for, on the 13^th August that year, he married Betsey Conquest at the parish church of All Saints, Battle Bridge – the old name for the King’s Cross area.

The couple had two children – Henrietta Chambers Baker and Frederick Lovell Baker (born 1896). Henrietta was born at Bluntisham in Huntingdon in 1894, but the family must have moved to Berkhamsted soon after, as Frederick Lovell was born there in 1896. Betsy died aged only twenty nine in 1899 leaving Frederick to bring up their two children. In 1901 they were living at 5, Chesham Road and Frederick snr. was employed as a harness maker. Sadly, little Frederick died aged only six in 1902 and is buried here in plot 872 with his grandmother Henrietta Baker who died in 1900 at St Ives.

On the 8^th December 1904 Frederick married Nellie (Ellen) Lewis at St Peter’s. By then he was living at 11, Montague Road.

The 1911 census reveals a fresh start for Frederick because by then he had become the licensee of the Rose & Crown in Gossom’s End. His daughter Henrietta, a dress makers’ apprentice, lived with her father and step-mother and their three children Gwendoline Ruby (b.1908), Phyllis (b.1911), Walter Lewis (b. 1906).

Their new life lasted just over ten years: on the 29th December 1922 Frederick died, followed just over a fortnight later by Nellie, perhaps of the same contagious disease, such as influenza.

They are buried together.