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Hi,

There was a hotel on the Prom called The Strand Hotel:

View from the Strand Hotel

At the time (1850s I think), it was close to Uphill. I can't remember where I read it but I think Uphill wasn't a separate parish until the mid-1860s (I am not certain about this) - parish lands came under Bleadon before that. I am wondering if that might be where this comes from. Does the date (1850s) sound about right for your 3rd great grandfather?

Richard

Hi Albert,

That's fascinating - thank you very much for replying. I am obviously reading too much into what they called each other! In the case I am looking it, perhaps it was a mid-Victorian fashion to use their middle name rather than anything that was faith-based.

Thanks again and best regards,

Richard

Hi Richard,

My mother and father were devout members of the Wesleyan Methodist Church at Grays Thurrock married in 1934. Dad never had a middle name and my mother who was Hilda Hanna was always called by her first name. I, my brother and sister all had middle names but were always called by our first name. There are instances where at least one member of the family was known by his middle name that was my Uncle John William. My paternal grandfather only had one name at his christening in 1844 but on moving from Poplar after the 1881 UK census he chose to add a middle name which appeared in the 1891 census but so far as I know he was never called by the name he added.

I have a copy of that book - it wasn't published until 1929 although the interviews with the old inhabitants took place during 1882 and 1883.  It contains some fascinating information about life in Weston, not only the interviews but the results of many years of research by Ernest BAKER. 

It includes details of the implementation of the Enclosure Act when a James STAPLES was appointed Commissioner to see that the act was carried through. In June 1810, he started his investigations and each day he and others involved - probably including Samuel BAKER, (great grandfather of Ernest BAKER), who was clerk to the proceedings - "adjourned to the Weston Hotel, then kept by Mr James NEEDHAM, and enjoyed great dinners"   The Bills for June 22nd and June 23rd are included which amount to £29. 10s. 4d.  The bills include the cost of beds and breakfast for 2 people and hay for the horses overnight.

When they started auctioning the land designated by the Enclosure Act this advertisement appeared.

Thanks for this! What an interesting website and I hadn't seen this one before. That's interesting about Mrs Sawtell. If she was still there when REEVE took over, then does that suggest she lived there all the time while FRY was managing the Hotel? 

The plot certainly thickens! Very interesting find! I did find a reference in another history book that the Hotel had been built by Charles Taylor of Milton, I didn't know that he served beer there as this old Westonian recalls. That does suggest that he may have been the original tenant. I do suspect this gentleman was either mistaken in naming Peter FRY instead of Richard FRY, or it was a mistake by the reporter, because I have quite a lot of documentary evidence that it was Richard FRY who ran the Hotel for around 10 years, and also then The Bath Hotel, later the Imperial that he mentions. I don't know whether there were two names though (perhaps a middle name). I'll see if I can find out anything further about a Peter Fry. I do think the foundation stone was laid in 1808 too, but it sounds like he recalls the event well, even if he's perhaps mistaken about the year. Definitely intriguing stuff!