back to the
Home Page
THE BOWLEY FAMILY
Refer to Tom's line of descent here for the key to the numbering system used to give information about those individuals who are mentioned.
There are two Bowley family trees that follow. This is because there were two Bowleys, Tom and Ellen, who married each other, both seemingly unrelated for at least three generations. Both families have their origins in the English county of Wiltshire. The records that have been found relate to a small geographical area of Wiltshire, concentrated on the parishes or hamlets of Fosbury, Galleywood, Great Bedwyn, Ham, Oxenwood, Shalbourne
We have quite a few old photographs and written memories of a place called Galleywood, where Tom and Ellen Bowley (Trudy's great grandparents once lived) which was situated on the Shalbourne to Oxenwood road. [Uncle Tom says they were tenants of Bryant.] The building no longer exists. Why it was demolished is not known. Some of these pictures and memories are shown here and other written memories are in the Voss section as part of the biography of Trudy's mum, Mary Elsie Voss.
OLD HUNGERFORD by Mary Voss
Out of Hungerford make for Shalbourne. When you come to the village green, the Plough is on your right but take the left fork to Rivar Hill. From the top, wonderful view, and the wind used to whistle through the trees in the autumn (what we’ve always called Rivar Hill weather). If you want to go further on, take right fork at top of hill and about a mile further on is a track ½ mile about, down to where Granny Bowley used to live. The cottage has gone but picture shows you.
However, carry on road to Oxenwood. In a dip on the right is the road up to the farm from where we fetched our milk and butter. Further on the left was Noon’s Farm and a lady came out once and cut peonies from her hedge of them, for us to take to school, the hedge being on the right of that road (the farm was set back on the left). Anyhow, you descend into Oxenwood where Hilda and I went to school for six months when we returned from Germany in 1925 (I was 5 and Hilda 7). The little old school was up a side road and I think it is still there. Oh, as you descend before you get to Oxenwood Green, there was a little village hall where we saw a girl guide concert and first saw maypole dancing outside, which I’ve never forgotten.
On the left of the green is the little village shop and post office, which sold everything and where we were made to say “please” and “thank you” by the postmistress who had numerous chins which wobbled and 'pince-ney'. We were terrified of her. You should be able to see where the old forge was (is) where we used to watch the blacksmith make his fine horseshoes in his Hell’s kitchen and outside.
The church where Hilda was christened was Fosbury, very near. She had been born near and was under 2 when we went to Germany and Tom and I were born in Hamburg and stayed five years while Dad learned hairdressing (& the language). We had to stay with Granny Bowley at Galliwood whilst Mum and Dad got established (we lived at Kilburn at first, in a flat) till Dad bought our first home at Hendon NW4, but of course we always stayed at Gran’s for school holidays too, so it was always home from home.
You know all Granny and Granddad Voss’s children (except Uncle Billy) were born in England and remained here, but Aunty Dolly went back to Germany with them and of course, married a German. Uncle Eric was only eight when they had to go back (1st Great War Granddad was recalled to Navy, but it was at the War’s end, I think) and they stayed ever after.
PS I may have got the farms mixed up (Noons and Oxenwood).
14 - TOM BOWLEY - Tom's great great grandfather
Tom was born in 1860, of Church Street, Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire. He married at the parish church of Chilton Foliatt on March 29th 1890, at the stated age of 29 years, with the occupation of game keeper. His father, Charles Bowley was shown as a 'Hostler'. The 1901 census shows him living as the head of the family in Tidcombe Village, aged 42, with his occupation as 'Ordinary Farm Labourer'.
There are photographs in a family album showing his grave on 20th November 1938 at Fosbury churchyard. Jess visited the church in August 2006 but there was no sign of a grave stone. This is hardly surprising as this would have been a very costly item for such a humble family. He did not leave a will.
15 - ELLEN BOWLEY - Tom's great great grandmother
Ellen was born in 1867 at Ham, Kintbury, Wiltshire, the daughter of Joseph Bowley and Eliza née Stroud. She married Tom Bowley in 1890 at the parish church of Chilton Foliatt. Her father Joseph Bowley was shown as a labourer. After Tom died in 1938, Ellen moved away from Galleywood in the winter of 38-39 and went to Round Coppice Farm, Iver Heath, Bucks, where she died in May 1946. (This came from the written recollections of Mary Jephcott, née Voss, Tom's grandmother.)
28 - CHARLES BOWLEY - Tom's 3 x great grandfather
Charles was born illegitimate, in 1835 and was described as a bricklayer's labourer in 1860, when Tom was born. He married Harriet Church (although Tom's birth certificate shows her as Harriet Judge) on 1st March 1858 at Great Bedwyn, not naming his father but giving his mother's name instead. Their witnesses were Eliza French (Charles' sister) and George Bowley (Charles' brother). The 1861 census shows Charles as a lodger with his wife in the household of the Watts family and living at 34 Church Street, Great Bedwyn. Charles was described as a carter.
Charles' mother Hannah seems to have been quite a girl. She had three illegitimate children before marrying John French. This was clearly an irritation to the vicar of the parish who made notes to the effect that whilst Thomas was baptised with his sister Eliza on 20th December 1840, he was born on 18th July 1837, the illegitimate son of Hannah Bowley, before she was married to John French.
1851 census
Charles is shown as Charles French in the 1851 census, aged 16, a wharf labourer, born in Great Bedwyn, living in the household of Joanna French, a widow aged 76 in Great Bedwyn. Joanna is described as a pauper and with her are her sons William French and John French. John and Hannah French lived there with their family. Charles French (our Charles Bowley) is shown with his elder brother George French and younger brother Thomas French. Also shown are younger siblings Eliza Jane and David French, although we do not know whether the father given as John French was the biological father of the the three Bowley children. That is something that only a DNA study would reveal. The trail goes cold for us at the moment - unless we are to believe that John French was the true father of Charles!
1861 Census
Charles has by now married and moved away to start his own family but the French family has grown with the addition of two more French siblings, James and Martha. John French is now a glazier. Next door lived Sophia Grace and her son in law Thomas Bowley and his wife Sarah. Thomas was then an agricultural labourer.
30 - JOSEPH BOWLEY - Tom's 3 x great grandfather
Joseph was born in 1833 at Ham in Wiltshire. He was a farm labourer. He married Eliza Stroud.
He is shown in the 1841 census for Ham, at the age of 8 with his parents Charles and Hester Bowley and siblings Mary age 10, Elizabeth age 7, George age 5, James age 3 and Henry age 1.
1871 Census
RG10/1253, Cottage, Ham, Wiltshire
Name Rel Marr Age Occ Birthplace Joseph BOULY Head Mar 38 Farm Labourer Wilts, Ham Eliza Wife Mar 31 Berks, Shalbourne Jane Dau 13 ditto Mary Ann Dau 10 ditto Thomas Son 9 ditto Charles Son 7 ditto Ellen Dau 3 Wilts, Ham Frank Son 1
1901 Census
RG13/1124, Village, Ham, Wiltshire (two neighbouring households)
Name Rel Marr Age Occ Birthplace Joseph BOWLEY Head M 68 Farm Labourer Wilts, Ham Eliza Wife M 59 Berks, Shalbourne Jane Son S 15 Home ? Carter Boy Wilts, Ham James Thomas BOWLEY Head M 39 Grocer and Carrier Wilts, Ham Sarah Jane Wife M 36 Wilts, Bedwyn Dorothy? Emma Dau S 6 Scholar Wilts, Ham Wilfred Rupert Son S 5 ditto ditto Norman Ernest Son S 1 ditto Ada Mary Niece S 8m ditto
The details for James Thomas BOWLEY fit with the Thomas BOWLEY, son of Joseph and Eliza BOWLEY. James (or is it Thomas?) took the family up the social scale by running his own business. With this came the adding of an extra Christian name to himself and to his children. The BOWLEYs were on the way up!
57 - HANNAH BOWLEY - Trudy's thirteenth 3 x great grandmother
Hannah is shown in the 1851 census for Great Bedwyn, as Hannah French, wife of John French, in the house of her mother in law Joanna French. She was born around 1811 in Vernham, Hampshire, thereby breaking the Wiltshire connection. A search of the International Genealogical Index (IGI) did not show a baptism for Hannah in Vernham, although there was one for Tidcombe, Wiltshire, very close to our area of interest. If we can find her marriage record, she may have named her father, thus taking us back a generation and showing whether the Tidcombe baptism is correct.
Hannah had three illegitimate children before marrying John French, who may or may not have been the father of the earlier children. We should discount the French connection unless we can find a paternity statement in church records (unlikely). More research is required into Hannah's line, to see whether we can establish any kinship with the other Bowley line.
Please go here for the Bowley family trees.
back to the
Home Page