The Adams Family

Thomas and Mary (née Hyde) last appear in the Great Brickhill Parish Records with the baptism of their eldest daughter Elizabeth Hyde Adams in 1838. A baptismal record for their son Thomas [born 1840] has yet to be found but in a later census he gives his birthplace as Leighton Buzzard.

In 1855 Thomas and his family of seven children have moved to London to run a cowyard in Little Lant Street, Borough. In that year Thomas's second son Joseph records that he was a butcher of Lant Street. Within two years they also have another cowyard, at Valentine Place, a little over a quarter of a mile away, and Thomas also rents Clay Pit Farm in Lee, Kent, six miles away. Clay Pit Farm was a seventy-two acre dairy farm, employing 3 men in addition to Thomas, his wife and son. Presumably cows would be swapped between the yards and the farm as they came in and out of milk; the cowyards were set up to supply milk to the growing population of London. The cowyard in Little Lant Street employed 7 or 8 people in 1861 as well as the three siblings. Presumably most of these were delivering/selling the milk. By 1872 Thomas had reduced his acreage at Clay Pit Farm to a little over fifty-five acres. [55 acres, 2 roods, 4 poles.] The 1867 Rate Book for Lee records that for the house, outbuildings and land he paid £155 pa. in rent and £6:13s.0d [£6.65] in rates.

By 1861 Thomas, his wife and fourth son, Edward, live at Clay Pit Farm; his son and daughter Thomas and Elizabeth run the yard at Valentine Place, and sons John and William and daughter Martha run the yard at Little Lant Street.

In 1867 Thomas died aged 63, leaving effects of "under £1,500". His will may give some clue to who was helping him in the business. He left an Insurance policy of £1,000 to his wife, £200 to son William, £100 to son Thomas and £50 to his grandaughter Sarah Jane. The remainder was divided between four children including William and Thomas again. He also left real estate in trust or mortgage to be divided between sons John and William. At the time William, who received several bequests, was running the Little Lant Street yard and possibly was given the yard. Perhaps most suprising was that Sarah Jane, a twelve year old, was left £50 although her father was not mentioned in the will. She was living with her Grandfather in 1861 on the date of the census and was his second Grandchild, her sister Leah Hyde was a year older but without finding a record of burial it may be that she had already died. I have also not found a record of the death of her parents, Joseph and Marianne. Was the bequest because her parents had already died; or possibly she had been acting as a nurse to him during prolonged illness. Room here for more research.

After the death of Thomas his wife continued to run the farm with the help of Thomas, the son, who gave up the Valentine Place cowyard to move into the farm. After the death of their neighbour, John Seal, in 1874, the young Thomas and his wife, Jane, take over the neighbouring Burnt Ash Farm in addition to Clay Pit Farm, increasing their acreage to 244. While working both farms they move to the, presumably larger, Burnt Ash farmhouse. By 1881 Thomas and Jane employed six men and two boys. There they had children, John, George, Mary, Joseph and Arthur William before Thomas's death in 1882 aged forty. Jane is listed as the farmer in the P.O. Directory for Lee in 1882 but by 1886 they have moved away; presumably the task of running the farm and bringing up five children under the age of ten proving too much. In 1901 Jane is living at Rommany Road, Lambeth, South London with two of her sons. I have not, so far, been able to trace their descendants.

Over the years changes had taken place at the Little Lant Street cowyard as well. With Williams' marriage to Martha Ireson his brother and sister moved out. All of William and Martha's children are born there between 1871 and 1890. They were Mary [died aged 24 months], Martha, Francis, Elizabeth [died aged five years], Amelia [died aged 5 years], Laura, Ellen, Amy, Ada, William [my Grandfather, the first boy after nine girls!], Alfred [died aged four weeks], Agnes and Matthew [born when their father was 56]. In 1894 they move out of the cowyard to a house at Fawnbrake Avenue, Herne Hill, South London. William would have been sixty-one.

Possibly William left the cowyard at the same time as Jane left the farm as the businesses would have been linked. By this time the railway system was well established and the need for cowyards in London to supply fresh milk was rapidly diminishing.

1600's . . 1700's . . 1800's - The Farmers . . 1800's - The Labourers . .
1850's - The Farmers in London . . 1900's - Will Adams

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Last updated 17 January, 2003