Whatmore Family History

Only a few individual members of the Whatmore family possessed fine houses - Micklehead Hall, Lancashire, Thornton Hall near Bradford, Watmer Hall near Canterbury and Marshwood House near Wilton being some of these. The majority of family members owned or more likely rented farms and cottages in the countryside. Many family members, however, worked at one time or another as servants in great houses and one of these - who was no ordinary servant - was Thomas Whatmore (1880 - 1967).

Thomas was born in the hamlet of Nash End in the parish of Arley, a few miles north of Kidderminster. The parish, which lies on both sides of the River Severn was by that time in Worcestershire, but had previously been in the county of Staffordshire. Thomas’ father was Samuel Whatmore who had been born in 1838 a few miles up stream at Chelmarsh in Shropshire. Samuel had married Catherine Mary Hardwicke in 1866 at Kidderminster. They had a large family, Thomas being the tenth of a total of thirteen children.

Thomas was at home with his family at Nash End at the time of the 1881 and 1891 censuses, but by 1894, aged 13  he was working as a page boy at nearly Arley Castle.

Arley Castle in the 1960s, now demolished

Copyright: Rhys D Whatmore

Thomas Whatmore in 1894, Page Boy at Arley Castle

Reproduced by kind permission of his son, Thomas William Whatmore

At the time of the 1901 census Thomas Whatmore was working as a  footman at Coleoerton Hall in Leicestershire. In 1908 he was working as a footman at Gwysaney Hall, Mold.

Thomas married ALICE MAY CRUMP on 1 June 1910, but tragically she died on 14 August 1911 when they had been married barely a year.

 In 1912 Thomas was working as a valet at Astley Hall, Dunley. With the outbreak of war, Thomas enlisted in the army and served as an Officer’s Cook in the Kings Shropshire Light Infantry (Private 23731).

Private Thomas Whatmore

Reproduced by kind permission of his son Thomas William Whatmore

Thomas remarried on 1 October 1916 at Tettenhall, Staffordshire, to Mary Ann (Molly) Griffiths. In 1919 they were living at 9 Verulam Street, Liverpool and Thomas was employed as butler to Henry Sutton Timmis at 4 Croxteth Road, Liverpool.

By now, Thomas had obtained wide experience in service and this led to his appointment in 1920 as Butler at Speke Hall, Liverpool, initially to Miss Adelaide Watt and later to her aunt Mrs Annie Starkie.  Thomas  was to remain at Speke hall until 1947.

Now situated on the fringe of Liverpool Airport, the construction of the hall began in 1490, replacing earier buildings. For many generations it was owned by the Norris family. The building was gradually renovated and extended from the end of the 15th century onwards. The earliest part of the present building is the Great Hall (1490 - 1506). The Great Parlour dates from 1525 - 1535, the North Bay being also added at this time.  The South wing was altered and extended between 1540 and 1570. The North range was added by Edward Norris in 1570. Today the house is one of the treasures of the National Trust and is well worth a visit.

Use this link to view photographs of Speke Hall: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-spekehall/w-spekehall-gallery.htm

 Thomas and Molly lived initially at the Home Farm House, later moving into the West Lodge. They had two children:  Francis Edward  who was born in 1920 and later emigrated to Australia and Thomas William who was born in 1922.

Thomas Whatmore and his family in 1926 at the South Front of Speke Hall

Reproduced by kind permission of Thomas William Whatmore

In 1926 the Starie family moved out of Speke Hall which was shut up and Thomas Whatmore was asked to stay on as caretaker. The Whatmore family now moved into the house itself.   It must have been a fabulous place for two youngs boys to grow up in and we are most fortunate that Thomas William Whatmore has written a book about  his life there.  In the book he describes getting about by oil lamps, the cleaning and maintenance of the house, the staff,  and the adventures which he and his brother had. Not suprisingly there were several ghost stories attached to the Hall and Thomas recounts some of his own experiences.

Thomas William Whatmore’s book is an invaluable account both of life in a great house in the 1920s, and of how the house was maintained until 1947. Unfortunately the book itself is now out of print but I recently put the contents onto a CD ROM. If anyone would like a copy of the CD ROM, the author has kindly  agreed that I can send these out. There is no charge for the CD ROM but the receipt of an addressed jiffy bag with a 50p stamp would  be appreciated. Please contact me at rhyswhatmore@talktalk.net

Molly Whatmore passed away on 1 April 1929, but Thomas Whatmore and his family continued to live at Speke Hall, Thomas remaining there until 1947. Thomas Whatmore Senior died on 20 November 1967.

Thomas Whatmore (third from the left) with his brothers at his father’s home at Nash End, Arley in the 1930s.

Reproduced by kind permission of Thomas William Whatmore

Having mentioned the ghosts of Speke Hall, you may like to read one or two relevant extracts from Thomas William Whatmore’s book.

A Strange Story

This is a story that I used to tell the scouts at camp around the fire at night.

It was in 1942 during the war, in December on a cold frosty clear night about 11pm. I was coming home to the Hall down ‘The Walk’ after being on Home Guard duty in Hunts Cross.

As I approached the Hall there was what appeared to be a light coming from the North Entrance. There had been an air raid earlier, so I thought that perhaps an incendiary bomb had fallen and was burning itself out on the bridge  (or so I hoped). By the time I reached the north lawn entrance I could see that it was not a big light but two small ones coming from the Servants Hall and the North Entrance. I could not understand the reason for these lights, as a black out was in force and no lights should have been on. It was my duty to inspect and extinguish them.

The North Entrance, Speke Hall

Reproduced by kind permission of Thomas William Whatmore

I rode onto the top of the back bridge and leaving my bicycle, I walked along the side path towards the North Entrance.  As I approached the top of the bridge time seemed to stand still. I seemed to be walking in a dream. The light at the entrance was a candle in a lantern, the wicket gate in the main door was open, a figure in a robe was standing inside. I could see his face. It was  a man in his fifties. His hair around his bald patch was gray. It had been dark in his youth for the eyebrows were thick dark and bushy. The face reminded me of someone but who it was I could  not remember at that time.

The priest, as so he was, invited me in and he led me through the side door on the left. We had entered a chapel. Candles were lit upon the Altar.  I could not manage to tell him that there was a war on and a blackout was in force. Time did not seem to matter. He invited me to knee at the Altar and gave me a blessing. I was then led out to the door, and an alms dish was held out to me. The only change in my pocket being 2/6d, I placed it in the alms dish. I was then ushered out of the Main Entrance and onto the bridge. At the end of the bridge I looked back. The lights had gone out.

Time had returned to the present. I could not find anything wrong so I returned to my bicycle and went into the Hall by the kitchen entrance.

 In the morning after dressing , I went to collect my change to put it in my pocket. I was 2/6d short. Memory of the night before came back to me. I immediately went to the Lamp Room at the Front Entrance. Just inside the door was a tin lid with 2/6d in it.

Memory of the priest came back to me, I realised where I had seen him before. His face had been that of the Revd. Canon Edward John Norris who had died in 1937.

The Servants’ Hall at Speke Hall in 1920

Reproduced by kind permission of Thomas William Whatmore

The Legend of the Tapestry Room

Speke Hall passed from the Norris family to the Beauclerk Family. In 1736, Lord Sidney Beauclerk, 5th son of  Charles, !st Duke of St Albans, married Lady Jane Norris. They had only one son, Topham Beauclerk, born in 1739, who succeeded to the Speke Estate in 1766. He married Diana, daughter of Charles, 3rd Duke of Marlborough. They had three children,  son Charles George and two daughters. Charles George inherited the estate in 1780 but only retained it for 17 years. Then in 1795 he sold it to Richard Watt , a merchant of Liverpool.  It is from the period of the Beauclerk’s occupation of Speke Hall that we have the legend of the Tapestry Room.

Photograph of the Great Hall, Speke Hall, showing a ghostly figure  by the doorway.

Reproduced by kind permission of Thomas William Whatmore

The legend concerns  a lady of the Beauclerk family who was living in the Hall during the period between 1736 and 1795 who, finding her husband facing the probability of bankruptcy and ruin, murdered her child by throwing it form the window of the Tapestry Room into the moat. She then committed suicide in the Great Hall by cutting her throat.

The spirit of this unhappy lady haunts the Tapestry Room and the Great Hall. I cannot say that I ever saw her, or heard her, in all the 20 years I was in Speke Hall. But I did hear doors banging, floor boards creaking, bells ringing and windows rattling. All these occurences can of course be explained away in one way or another, but it was always cold by the screen door of the Great Hall.