Whatmore Family History

  Please click on pictures to enlarge them

John Smalman of Quatford  has ample claim to being another of Marjory’s illustrious ancestors as he was talented builder and architect. 

John Smalman was born on 7 April 1782 at Munslow, the eldest son of John Smalman and his wife Jane Wainwright. John of Quatford was a direct descendant of Edward Smalman of Neenton  via Edward’s 3^rd son William.

John Smalman of Quatford Castle     Portrait in the Town Hall, Bridgnorth     Photo copyright: Rhys Whatmore

About 1816 he enlarged Stanley Hall, Astley Abbots.

 Stanley Hall showing to the left the wing designed by John SmalmanPainting by John Holmes Smith   Copyright: Shropshire Archaeological Society and reproduced here by their kind permission 

In 1820 he designed the Rectory at Chetton. 

In 1823 he widened the two middle arches of the bridge at Bridgnorth by inserting iron girders.

In 1823  he designed  ‘The Albynes’ – a house between Bridgnorth and Ironbridge which is now a guest house  and can be viewed at this link:  http://www.thealbynes.co.uk/

In 1823/4 he designed and built Bridgnorth theatre.

In 1828 he designed the vicarage at Ditton Priors

Chetton Church     Photograph copyright: Geoff Pick  From the Geograph website and reproduced here in accordance with the term of the site licence which can be viewed at this link:http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/    

In 1829/30 he built the National Schools at Bewdley

John Smalman also  appears to have been involved in the early nineteenth century alterations at Dudmaston Hall near Quatt and was probably responsible for the new attic storey.

John Smalman made a fortune from his projects and in 1830 he built for himself a castellated mansion  at Quatford, known as Quatford Castle. At the same time he largely rebuilt the village of Quatford. George Griffith’s poem ‘The English Village’ is dedicated to John Smalman.

Quatford Castle     Postcard by Wildings of Castle Street Shrewsbury

A Whig in politics, John Smalman was elected  an alderman of Bridgnorth  in 1835 and he served as Mayor in 1837/38.

John Smalman died unmarried on 11 March 1852 aged 69 and was buried at Quatford where a memorial refers to ‘the vigorous will … simplicity of life, sound judgement and indomitable perseverance’ which enabled him to rise to ‘Honour and Fortune’

John Smalman was also a poet and several long manuscript  poems still survive including ‘Lines addressed to Mrs Farmer [of] Ludstone Hall on her judicious attention to the preservation of the character and state of that ancient mansion’ Not a very catchy title and hardly a poem to be included in popular anthologies!

The well know Victorian architect S. Poultney Smith of Shrewsbury (1812 – 1883) – a descendant of the main line of the Smalman family of Neenton), was the nephew and pupil of John Smalman.

A portrait of John Smalman used to hang in the Mayor’s parlour at Bridgnorth.

 Sources: 

‘A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600 – 1840’ by Howard Colvin     Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art

‘The Sequestration Papers of Thomas Smalman of Wilderhope’ Rev. W.G.D. Fletcher Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological Society  3^rd Series Volume 3 1903