Richard Bassett descends from #220B Richard Bassett as follows:
Richard Bassett and wife Elizabeth Hooper
Richard Bassett (b. 1685) and wife Sarah Caldwell
Thomas Bassett (b. 1731) and wife Mary Jones
William Bassett (b. 1776) and wife Jane Cambel
James Bassett (b. 1807) and wife Elizabeth Kinnersley
Richard Bassett (b. 1849) and wife Emma Alcock
Richard and Emma (Alcock) Bassett of Eardisland, Hereford, England
Pictured provided by Peter C. Bassett
Richard’s Story, A son of the Village
Life in a time of Innovation
The winter cold on January 19th 1849 was thankfully held at bay in the White Swan Inn Eardisland by the fire being, generously tended by landlord James Bassett, for the benefit of the guests and especially his wife Elizabeth, who was about to bring their seventh child a son into the world. Richard was born into the rapidly changing Victorian era. Railways were spreading, the Corn Laws had been repealed, and information flowed via electric telegraphs and the penny post. Overseas the times were also changing, potato famine in Ireland was prompting emigration and after the discovery of Gold at Sutters Mill, California, the first ship carrying miners, the 49rs, immortalized in the song Darling Clementine, arrived in San Francisco, they even had their photographs taken.
When Richard was one year old, plans for the Great Exhibition were announced and work commences on the renowned building in Hyde Park made from Cast Iron and the recently invented Plate Glass, this would eventually be the Crystal Palace. In the same year Poet Laureate William Wordsworth died from Pleurisy. The Wordsworth’s had a great affinity to Herefordshire spending much time at Brinsop Court which was tenanted by his brother-in-law. From Brinsop they traveled widely and Mary Wordsworth’s nephew Thomas Hutchinson was vicar at Kimbolton from 1841, he was so pleased to have the famous family stay with him in 1845 at “Grantsfield” that he had their initials carved on what is now known as the Poet’s stone at Leysters, a place where they sat and mused. This is to have some significance in Richards’s future.
Growing up Richard had plenty of relatives to visit nearby, his uncle Thomas ran the Old Bull as a stopping point for Drovers, later when trade began to dwindle due to the railways he moved into farming ending up at Limes Hall. Uncle John lived in the Orchard but after fathering six daughters moved into the Swan to be a lodger. Aunt Elizabeth was resident at the Bridge cottage where she stayed well into her seventies supported by the rents left to her by Richards’s grand-father William. Just a stones throw away was the village school and when Richard started there the Crimean War was being fought, from which Florence Nightingale would return to confront parliament with the unpleasant truth that due to their poor support provided for the army more men died of disease than enemy action.
Growing up in these dynamic times with visitors coming with tales of the many new wonders, must have been enthralling for a young Herefordshire lad. Not only for Richard for just as the first trans-Atlantic telegraph cable was being laid, his brother James set out for Church Stretton in 1858, where he was to train as an Architect, go into partnership, be bankrupted, and eventually successful in Aston Birmingham. By the time Richard reached twelve, elder sister Jane was in London and was soon married to Joseph Plumb from the Strand area.
Some time around this period Richard sets out in the world but not following in anyone’s footsteps. Times have changed some what, the rush to build railways is petering out, the American civil war blockade is preventing exports of cotton, and manufacturing is in a downturn. Richard goes into service and lands a position to one W. Wordsworth in Cumberland. It is “Willy Wordsworth” the Poet Laureate’s son. I can imagine when asked at the interview where he came from and Richard replying Eardisland, then Willy Wordsworth saying: “Ah my cousin is just the other side of Leominster.” You can see it would be plain sailing after that!
Richards mother is taken ill and sister Jane returns from London with Husband Joseph Plumb and two daughters to take over running the Swan Inn, with father James staying on as a lodger and returning to his original trade as a builder. Richards mother Elizabeth Bassett nee Kinnersley died in 1868 and is buried in the grounds of St. Marys church Eardisland. Her imposing monument is on the right of the path just through the entrance.
The next part of the story is somewhat of a surprise to find out that Richard marries Emma Allcock, abode: Manchester Jail. Emma’s profession: Chaplain’s Servant. We may never know how they met, but Willy Wordsworth is a Magistrate so there is a chance they may revolve in the same circles some time. Fate having brought Richard and Emma together, they get married by special license at Old St. Pancras London, August 1877. Richard’s profession is now Butler, the witnesses are his sister Elizabeth Plum and brother John who has moved to London and trained to be a Chemist and Druggist. John lives with his wife of ten years Ellen in St. Pancras, unfortunately he will be a widower in the next ten years, also Richards’s sister Sarah will pass away at age of thirty, and his cousin George will begin a new life in the USA.
Richard and Emma return to Cumberland and hold several local positions bringing up three children Emma, John and Mary. Not long after the Wright Brothers first flight, Richards wife Emma passes away in 1904 and his Son John Henry moves on to manage Aspdens Wood yard in Blackburn, where in 1907 he married Belinda P Doyle from Carlisle. On the Wedding Certificate Richard describes himself as Warehouseman. Richard passed away in 1912, during his latter years he has seen the introduction of Electricity, the Telephone, Motor Cars and Marconi Wireless Telegraph.
Richards’s son John Henry fathers three children Harry, Elsie and Fred, before he answers the call to the Great War, which he survives and is awarded the Military Medal for Bravery rescuing wounded from no-mans land. John succumbs to Pneumonia in 1932 at the age of 51, in his lifetime: public broadcast Radio & TV, Commercial Flight and the first Plastics were introduced.
Richards’s grandson Harry marries a local girl Edith in1938 and at the time of the Second World War is in the reserved occupation of Draftsman at Bristol Aircraft, so joins the Home Guard. Fred is conscripted and ends up as Staff Sergeant in REME in the North African campaign and Elsie Joins the St John Ambulance. Harry and Edith have two sons Peter in1944 and John in Emma’s profession: Chaplain’s Servant. We may never know how they met, but Willy Wordsworth is a Magistrate so there is a chance they may revolve in the same circles some time. Fate having brought Richard and Emma together, they get married by special license at Old St. Pancras London, August 1877. Richard’s profession is now Butler, the witnesses are his sister Elizabeth Plum and brother John who has moved to London and trained to be a Chemist and Druggist. John lives with his wife of ten years Ellen in St. Pancras, unfortunately he will be a widower in the next ten years, also Richards’s sister Sarah will pass away at age of thirty, and his cousin George will begin a new life in the USA.
Richard and Emma return to Cumberland and hold several local positions bringing up three children Emma, John and Mary. Not long after the Wright Brothers first flight, Richards wife Emma passes away in 1904 and his Son John Henry moves on to manage Aspdens Wood yard in Blackburn, where in 1907 he married Belinda P Doyle from Carlisle. On the Wedding Certificate Richard describes himself as Warehouseman. Richard passed away in 1912, during his latter years he has seen the introduction of Electricity, the Telephone, Motor Cars and Marconi Wireless Telegraph.
Richards’s son John Henry fathers three children Harry, Elsie and Fred, before he answers the call to the Great War, which he survives and is awarded the Military Medal for Bravery rescuing wounded from no-mans land. John succumbs to Pneumonia in 1932 at the age of 51, in his lifetime: public broadcast Radio & TV, Commercial Flight and the first Plastics were introduced.
Richards’s grandson Harry marries a local girl Edith in1938 and at the time of the Second World War is in the reserved occupation of Draftsman at Bristol Aircraft, so joins the Home Guard. Fred is conscripted and ends up as Staff Sergeant in REME in the North African campaign and Elsie Joins the St John Ambulance. Harry and Edith have two sons Peter in1944 and John in 1950 both on March 11th but six years apart. By a quirk of fate Harry is the first fare paying passenger on the worlds first Trans-Atlantic Jet Airliner the Comet Four. BOAC has set the inaugural flight for VIP’s as October 4th 1958 with Comets taking off from New York and London. Harry was in New York on a business trip and scheduled to return on Oct 3rd but the aircraft he was to travel on “went technical” and BOAC did not want the adverse publicity of a departure lounge full of their delayed passengers whilst they touted their new service to the Worlds Press. Therefore they used the “back up” Comet, that was there as insurance, to get the stranded passengers home. The seats were allocated alphabetically and Harry Bassett got seat:1A.
Richard Bassett was my Great-grandfather.
I survived what killed my Grandfather thanks to Antibiotics, and you are reading this thanks to Computers, Mobile Phones and Internet, and we all know about Nuclear Power, Space travel, Lasers and DNA.
Peter Bassett 2013
James and Elizabeth (Kinnersley) Bassett and one time owned the White Swan Inn of Eardisland. They are the parents of Richard Bassett.