Monday, 23 May 2011

Little Bedwyn


Entrance to church

Rear of church


On the hunt of my wife's ancestors or more precisely, her fathers ancestors. She always thought that he came from Sussex, but the reality is that the Mills family were Wiltshire born and bred for generations. I did not spot a grave in the church yard that had any link whatsoever with the family. But it is a beautiful church, quite dark inside. My flash had failed hence the shaky photographs. There is also a handstitched map of Little Bedwyn, destined to become a piece of local history. There was a notice on door that told us to leave the door open as swallows had nested in the entrance porch. A History of Little Bedwyn can be found here.
Millennium map inside the church
 Even though the picture is quite fuzzy, here is the information on the Roll of Honour.

To the Glory of God
AND IN FAITHFUL MEMORY
OF THE MENOF
LITTLE BEDWYN & CHISBURY
WHO FELL IN
THE GREAT WAR
1914-1918
___________

Brass Roll of Honour
HERBERT W. BARTHOLOMEW
R. MUNSTER VOLUNTEERS,1913
CHARLES F. FISHER
R. MUNSTER VOLUNTEERS, 1915
JESSE A. POWELL
R. MUNSTER VOLUNTEERS, 1915
CHARLES F.G. CHURCH
ROYAL FUSILERS 1916
EDWIN C. DREW
ROYAL BERKS REGT. 1917
CHARLES HARRIS
ROYAL BERKS REGT. 1917
FREDERICK NEW
SOMERSET LT. INFX. 1917
OLIVER H. MARTIN.
SOMERSET LT. INFX. 1917
________________

FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH
________________

THIS TABLET WAS ERECTED BY THE PARISHIONERS

There is a link to the memorial at Great Bedwyn here. A link to Hampstead Norris here also

Later on during a trawl of the internet I found this picture. I believe this was in the church - but I missed it!
Photographed in May 2004 by D & M Ball
The copywrite is theirs!
The interesting thing there is a Herbert Mills on this Roll of Honour. It ties this family to Little Bedwyn after all. The inscription is underneath.

YOUR PRAYERS ARE ASKED FOR THOSE WHO HAVE GONE TO SERVE OUR KING AND COUNTRY BY LAND AND SEA AND AIR


OUR ROLL OF HONOUR

BARRETT FREDERICK
BARTHOLOMEW ARTHUR  Prisoner of war
BARTHOLOMEW FREDERICK
BARTHOLOMEW HERBERT Died of Wounds
BOWSHER BENJAMIN
BROOKS EDWARD
BROOKS JOHN
BURDEN ALBERT JOHN
BUTCHER JAMES
CASWELL HARRY
CHURCH CHARLES Missing
COWARD WILLIAM ARTHUR
COX ELI Prisoner of War
COX RICHARD
CRIPPS CHARLES
DE CASTRO BERNARD
DREW EDWARD
FISHER CHARLES  Died of Wounds
FISHER WILLIAM
GINGER PERCY
GRANT ALFRED
GRANT GEORGE
GRANT JAMES  Missing
GRANT WILLIAM
HARRIS CALEB
HARRIS CHARLES
HUMPHRIES WILLIAM
HUNTLEY ERNEST
HUNTLEY JAMES
HUNTLEY STANLEY
JAMES ALBERT
JAMES GEORGE
JAMES HARRY
MAKEHAM LESLIE
MARTIN JAMES
MARTIN OLIVER
MILLS HERBERT
NEW FRED
POWELL JESSE  Died of Wounds
SARGENT HARRY
SHEPHERD CHARLES
SHEPHERD JOSEPH   Died of Wounds
WATERS HARRY
WOMERSLEY LAURENCE

Herbert Mills is emboldened.


The surnames are first. Those that did not survive are on the brass plate.






3 comments:

  1. My grandmother Rhoda Louise Mills is buried in the cemetry at Little Bedwyn. She married Oliver Henry Martin who was killed on the Somme in 1918. Then remarried to Thomas Bryant.
    Derek Martin.
    email. derek1901@yahoo.com.au

    ReplyDelete
  2. My mother moved to Little Bedwyn in 1996 into a house previously inhabited by another (unrelated) Mills. She's still there and I just moved back to Gt. Bedwyn, so the tribe is still here

    ReplyDelete
  3. Herbert Mills was married to my gt aunt.

    ReplyDelete