354

Frederick Dee, Rector from 1634 to 1639.

William Lloyd, Rector from 1679 to 1685.

Thomas White, Rector from 1685 until1691, when out of loyalty to King JamesII, he resigned rather than take the oath

of allegiance to William of Orange.

John Hinchcliffe, Rector from 1769 to 1794.

Richard Terrick, Rector from 1757 to 1754.

John Parsons, Rector from 1813 to 1819.Note Peterborough Cathedral in the

background.

Herbert Marsh, Rector from 1819 to1839. Note that he is sitting in the same

chair as John Parsons.

George Davys, the last Bishop-Rector,Rector from 1839 to 1851. He was also

at one stage tutor to Queen Victoria.

George Andrews, who was originally theCurate, was the first Rector since 1613 not

to be the Bishop of Peterboroughsimultaneously. He was Rector from 1851 to

1864 and was responsible for thefoundation of Castor School and building

the School Hall still used today by the

The benefice is unusual in having a picture of most of the Rectors from1613 to date. This is, of course in part because from 1613 until 1851 theBishops of Peterborough were the Rectors, and thus sufficientlydistinguished to have their portraits painted. Here is a selection of somethe portraits; the rest may be seen in the vestry at Castor, having recentlybeen refurbished in memory of John Gillam. Copies of portraits of the twoof Bishop-Rectors, Thomas Dove and John Towers, are in Chapter 26.

Picture Gallery

355

Some People and Places

Early Days of one Village Family

While many people were employed in farming or ancillary trades, others were employed in service, in the police force,and as landlords of public houses and so on. One such family was the Pell family. William Pell, with his wife Fanny,was the landlord of the George and Dragon at Castor before 1914. They still have descendants in the village today,Bruce Pell, and both Peter and Evelyn Chitty. One of William Pell’s sons, Edgar joined the police force. He was to bethe father of Len Pell, a churchwarden at Castor, and grandfather of Bruce Pell. One of William Pell’s daughters,Emma (born 1889) married Alfred Gubbins, at one stage a foot man at Milton. Emma and Alfred’s daughter is nowEvelyn Chitty. This collection of photographs shows some aspects of the life of this family from the turn of the 20thcentury, until the Second World War.

William and Fanny Pell, landlords of the Georgeand Dragon.

One of William Pell’sdaughters, Emma,

married AlfredGubbins, (left) born

1888, here shown as afootman in livery

before 1914 at MiltonHall. The man in the

centre is the butler MrPullen.

Edgar Pell, son ofWilliam Pell, in the

Yeomanry during theFirst World War. Note

the carbine in itssaddle holster. He

later joined the police.

Two of William Pell’sdaughters Gladys and Elsiein front of the George andDragon before 1914.

356

Even house staff on big estates had to be prepared to turn their hand to any job when necessary, including in the stables and actingas loaders and beaters on shoots (pre-1914).

During the First World War the George and Dragon was also run byWilliam and Fanny Pell ran as a convalescent home for wounded soldiers.This photograph is taken in the grounds of the pub; part of Castor House

can be seen in the background.: (l-r) back, 1 Gladys Pell,3 Elvina (‘Vina’)Pell, 5 Alfred Gubbins husband of Emma Pell, 6 Edgar Pell, 7 Elsie Pell.

Front William and Fanny Pell with convalescing soldiers.Edgar Pell (grandfather of Bruce

Pell) as a policeman.

Shooting party at Milton: beaters and loaders; the man fifth from the right isAlfred Gubbins, husband of Emma Pell (pre-1914).

Dora, Elsie and ‘Vina’ Pell outsidetheir house in Ailsworth.

357

William Pell’sdaughters ‘Vina’ andEmma . They aredressed in thespecial clothes wornby workers in themunitions factory atBaker Perkinsduring the FirstWorld War. Vinalater married farmerJack Bettles.

School Photo: 1929: (l-r) back: HildaParker, ?, ?, ?, Alec Jakes, Evelyn

Gubbins, Miss Ambrose; middle:Harry Hill, Peter Daley, next four

unknown; front: Doris Ward, ?, ?, ?,Joan Nix, Joyce Fisher.

Alma Glover and Evelyn Gubbins (nowChitty) at Hunstanton 1931; both theirmothers were daughters of William andFanny Pell.

Elsie, Vina and Gladys Pell.

358

Scenes from the Summer Festival of St Kyneburgha of Castor.This double celebration of both our Patron Saint, St Kyneburgha of Castor , and our village community takes placesevery summer in early July, consisting of a barbecue and dance on the Friday night, the Church Fete on the Saturdayafternoon, and a Festival Mass, at which the church banners are decorated with flowers and ribbons, and carried in pro-cession to the church. More photographs of the St Kyneburgha Summer Festival Weekend appear in the colour section.

Julie Taylor, who chairs the Church Social Committee andorganizes much of the weekend, with farmer Jim Wood checks thehog-roast will be ready for the Friday Night barbecue and dance.

Kevin Daley, with hissculpture of the Ladywho started it all St

Kyneburgha- before itwas placed in Castor

Church for itsdedication in July 2000.

Alison Brown and WendyDominguez serving at the salad andpudding table on the Friday Night.

People gathering on the School Field Castor for the FridayNight, while the band warms up.

Helen Jarvis being served by ‘JT’ Taylor.

Some families picnic on the grass, others sit in the marquee fortheir supper: in the middle Sue Chambers, Anne Armstrong,

Jack Armstrong, Robert Dickens, and Leslie Rigby.

The weekendinvolves hard work by

many people; two ofthe stalwarts are IanSheldon and Phillip

Brown, with theirpresentations given tothem in thanks for all

they have done,AD2003.

359

Brian and Bridget Goode at their stall on the Saturday Fete.

Afternoon tea in the marquee at the Saturday Afternoon Fete:sitting at the centre table are Jim and Patsy wood.

‘JT’ Taylor on duty again, now at the Fete; this time about toserve Steve Reed, the Tower Captain.

Judith Dickens serving at the barbecue.

Bruce Pell runs the raffle with his Aunts, Barbara Osborne neeSharpe and Christine Sharpe.

Steve Grys, Mick O’Boyle and John Elson at the Card Table.

Gary Elliott running the Scalextrix stand; the children are RossElliott, Helena Brown and Adam Brown.

The Art Exhibition in the Cedar Centre on Sunday Afternoon.

360

Sutton Golden Jubilee Celebrations 3 June 2002Celebrations for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee took the form of a Street party and a Barn Dance in the evening.

Street Party In Manor Road; Manor Farmhouse in back-The Barn Dance in the barn at Manor Farmhouse.

The Barn Dance in the barn at Manor Farmhouse.

The band at the Barn Dance.

The beacon is lit.

Games and Guys in the field.

The Jubilee barbecue at SuttonThe Jubilee barbecue at Sutton

361

Some Village People and Places Then and Now.

Augusta Stevenson, born 1871 inAilsworth, died in Sutton 1934, daughter

of Joseph Stevenson a plate-layer andlater Lay Reader at Sutton Church.

Kenneth Stevenson born 1873 inAilsworth, Augusta’s brother, outside his

house in Sutton.

War-time Wedding: First World WarCastor Church: note officer on left

saluting bride and groom.

B Squadron Northants Imperial Yeomanry camp at Milton 1906.

War-time Wedding: Second World War Marholm Church: (l-r):John Waterworth (Marholm farmer), Lt Bertrand (French offi-

cer, groom, later killed while flying his Spitfire in France),Kathleen Darby (bride), Noel Darby, Betty Darby.Shooting

CastorHangland:2nd from leftA Drury, endright FrankMorton ofScotsmansLodge Farm1930s.

Post-war Wedding: Party at Ferry Lodge 1949, havingmarried at Castor Church: (l-r) George Stannion, Rev Tom

Adler, George Dunham (groom), Betty Sherborne (bride),George Sherborne, Iris Sherborne.

362

Wedding at Castor Church 1950s: Graham Taylor and JanetHarris.

Wedding at Castor Church 1999: (l-r) Jane Weaver, PaulSharpe (groom), Mandy John (bride), Simon Clarke; front:

Samantha Dunham, Sophie Clarke, Zoe Clarke, Molly Beale.

Evacuees at the Old Mill Castor during World War Two. Catherine Hensman nee Wade with daughter Mary at VillageFarm Castor.

Jack McNaughten, actor and residentof Castor.

Joe Dudley with plough horses atHome Farm Castor – Joe worked for

the Poll family.

Castor boys in the yard of what is now the OldSmithy: Jim Harris, Jack Cook, Bill Harris 1920s.

363

Margaret and JimWhite in February1945. Margaret wasborn in Sutton.

Margaret and Jim White re-visit Heath House Sutton, whereMargaret lived as a child.

Brownies 1959. Ferry Lodge, beside the old A47, the day the bulldozers movedin. Part of the house was rebuilt on the hill above the new by-

pass.

Milton Ferry, the route is cleared for the new A47 by-pass.

George Sharpe, a formerchairman of Ailsworth Parish

Council 1964.

The Norman stone cut withchevrons, used as a support for

the bresummer at 1 Lover’sLane Sutton, was presumablytaken out of the church during

the Victorian restoration.

Graham Fox of Sutton at a ploughing competition at Baston.Looking North under the old road bridge over the now disused

railway line at Sutton; the village pump is on the right.

364

Robert Jarvis of Home Farm Marholm, with his Longhorn cow‘Maydencroft Angela’ and Longhorn bull-calf ‘Marholm Nero’;

Champions at the East of England Show 1992.

‘Gladdy’ Craythorne, who works at the Hollies Farm,haymaking 2001.

The ‘Ronnie Baker and Quentin Rigby’ float during theMillennium parade Castor 2000.

Fig 28. Michael Longfoot and Allen Herbert, both Uptonfarmers in their time, at tea in Lyn Bell’s ‘Open Garden’ 2002.

Marholm Lodges, back view. The house on the left is theKeeper’s Cottage.

Christingle at Castor: the nativity tableau, Annabel Martin asMary 2002.

Castor Village Hall is the setting for a wide range of socialevents: here it is the Burns’ Night of 2001. The honoraryScotsman for the night ‘addressing the haggis’ is Bertie

Fitzjohn, on his right his wife Sharon.

Julie Taylor, who chairs theCastor Church Social

Committee, also, with her team,provides support for other

village events, on this occasionthe Burns’ Night.

Lyn Bell nee Hornsby ofUpton opens her beautiful

garden in aid of UptonChurch.

365

The old North side of Top Lodge Farm Upton, probablyElizabethan in origin; old maps show that there was a toll-gate

here in the 18th century.

Thatchers working at ‘Three Chimneys’ Castor. This housewas at one stage three cottages and more recently the home

of Dr John Eades and his wife Ann.

The path to Sutton Church, with its lovely Spring flowers, wasrestored for the Millennium by Michael Rose of Sutton.

A cleaning day at Sutton Church. (l-r): Bob Cattrall(churchwarden), Susan Custance, Marilyn Gardner,

Alison Maddigan, Clive Gardner (churchwarden) 2004.

The outbuildings of ‘The Elms’ now converted by Vic andSandra Griffin as part of their home and garden.

This isolated barn, its Collyweston roof gone, was the barnwhen Ramshill was a farm at Marholm.

The Walker family outside their house in AD2000. (l-r): Sophie, Emily, Jo, Steve, Ben. This is

one of a series of photographs taken of everyhousehold in the villages of Castor and

Ailsworth outside their homes as a Millenniumrecord (Photo: T Blackmore).

Items of railway memorabilia found byKeith Garrett around his house, the oldStation-master’s house at Sutton (Heath

House).

‘Hoss’ Baker of Marholm, captainof the ‘Mighty men of Marholm’

winners of the Evening TelegraphTug-of-War competition.

366

The ancient meadows between Sutton and the River Nene. Sutton Church from the South, a view not often seen. The section atthe right (south-east) was possibly the Chantry Chapel of St Giles.

‘Robin Hodd and Little John’. Two ancientmarker stones in a field between the old A47

and the River Nene at Ferry Meadow.

Houses onChurch Hill

Castor; No 11,and behind it

‘HanoverHouse’ oncethe home of

Edmund Artis.

Old byres beside the Village Hall Castor.

The gate in the wall of the ‘Old Rectory’ was probably insertedin 1851, when the Glebe Farm became the Rectory; note the

section of old barn wall alongside the path.

The other side of the gate: Jackie Cook Chairman of the‘Friends’ of Castor Church with her dog ‘Whisky’.

A view of Vine House, the original rectory from certainly before1634, taken from Castor churchyard.

367

Not often seen in photographs, the North side of CastorChurch, including the North Aisle Chapel.

Castor ChurchWest End. The

central part wasthe nave of the

original NormanChurch. It shows

three differentstyles of window:

top middleNorman, rightEarly English,

lower centreDecorated styles.

Jackie Elliott nee Woodward, born inCastor, breeds Border Collies.

View of Marholm Church across the meadow from the South, Home Farm can justbe seen to the left.

Marholm People outside the Old Almshouses 1945: MichaelHill (brother of John Hill) in pram, David Bates in ‘wellies’.

Marholm People outside the Old Almshouses 2004: (l-r) JaneJarvis of Belsize Farm and daughter Isabelle, Freda Shimmin,

John Hill from an old Marholm family.

Working beside the ‘Old School House Marholm: StephenWeston, born in the parish, with dogs Bran and Jet; behind is a

section of the converted outbuildings of Manor Farm.

Colin ‘Jagger’ Jarvis from a Marholm farming family, withsome of his many hens on his small-holding on Walton Road

Marholm. Muckland Wood is on the horizon.

368

‘Fergus’ the bull of top Lodge Farm Upton with his ownersPeter and Claire Harris. Tony Evans as Tower Captain (back left) with his first band of

ringers.

A medieval body-stoneon the North side ofCastor Church. Manyother such stones havebeen for capping thechurchyard wall.

Stewart Wood andGladdy Craythorne

shearing at theHollies 1993.

Pollarded willows in the meadows between the railway line andthe River Nene.

An Upton view looking East towards Manor Farm

People at Noel Darby’s farm sale: (l-r): Peter Jarvis, RobinMorton, Will Craven, Stan Jarvis, George Morton 2004.

End of an era. Noel Darby’s farm sale in the field besideMarholm Farm 2004. The two men in the middle are Stewart

Wood and Gladdy Craythorne.

369

Joseph Stevenson,born Castor1834,

died Sutton 1894, aforeman plate-layer,

lay reader andchurchwarden lived

at 4 Nene Way Sutton.

Leonard Brown in RFC uniform,World War One.

John Harris at the Ferry, with hisgrandchildren. (l-r) Frank Harris, John

Houghton; front: Arthur and Charlie Harris(in dresses).

Billy Want of Castor driving a steam enginefrom the Gibbonsí yard. Billy’s step-fatherwas Gilbert Gibbons, and he worked in the

yard on leaving school.

Jarvis family of Marholmwedding group at Belsize.Front (l-r): third from leftFaith Jarvis, 4th CharlesWatts, 5th Laurie Annie Watts,6th Caroline Rose Watts(bride), 7th Cyril John Jarvis(groom), 8th Emma Jarvis, 9thGeorge Jarvis (with ErnieJarvis on his knee). The girl infront is Margaret Watts.(1926)

Brown family group, wife andchildren of Sam Brown.(Farm bailiff at Sutton). AdaMary 1868-1917, Leonard1878-1959, Amos 1865-1938,Mary Ann nee Moyses (wife ofSam Brown) 1838-1918.(Photos provided by Mrs EnidWilliams, Sam Brown’s greatgrand daughter).

370

Rogation Sunday Procession in Church Hill Castor beside VicGriifinís shop 1992; Eric Jinks (crucifer), John Harper (rector),

Rev Gordon Clarke is wearing a panama.

South face of Water Newton Church tower. The zig-zagmoulding above the bell louvres arch came originally fromthe Norman chancel of Castor Church, and was moved and

re-used here when the chancel at Castor was rebuilt in1220.Three horsemen in the yard of the Harris farm in the 1920s (now

the Old Smithy Castor).

View of Manor Farm Upton from the South-east 1920s.

371

A pony and trap waiting outside the Fitzwilliam Arms Castor 1920s.

Jim Thompson-Bell MM beside his tank, North-west Europe 1944. Jim now lives in Ailsworth.

Charlie Harris and Sam Catmull the blacksmith (before World War Two).

372

George Adams, Huntsman of the Fitzwilliam(Milton) Hounds, with his hounds at Castor

Church Summer Fete.

The entrance to the converted yard at Manor FarmMarholm. The former outbuildings are now

attractive cottages.

Tebbut’s Barn, beside the Barn Road Upton. This track is shown on a1582 map as ‘Sowthe Lane’. The Tebbut family were tenants at ManorFarm Upton from the 18th century to the 20th century, being Milton’s

longest serving tenant farmers. The Barn Road clearly replaced the formerRoman road King Street (a few hundred yards to the East) as the main

thoroughfare early on, certainly before the 16th century.

Sheds at the isolated Tebbut’s Barn Upton

Friendly faces in the pasture beside Home Farm Marholm.

373

In 1536, the village constable in Uptonwas Hugh Style; in 1762, the village

constable in Castor was Robert Wright.PC Richard Weaver, shown here, isour last village constable for the five

parishes. In the last few years thepolice house has been sold, Richard isleaving and is not to be replaced. We

now police ourselves.

The ‘Gerbs’: A new village band, this time a rock band called the “Gerbs”, playing at aparty in the Cedar Centre 2004.

St. Georges’ Day dinner 2004, the Village Hall isprepared.

St. Georges’ Day dinner 2004, Sitting down for dinner.

St. Georges’ Day dinner 2004, Theparty’s over - time to go home

374

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