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Bull & Butcher/Folly Inn, Napton


Captain Pegg

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I have previously stated in other threads that this is one of my favourite canal pubs but it seems that it's existence may be owed to one of my boating ancestors William Neal. He was my first cousin three times removed i.e. his grandfather and my great, great, great grandfather were one and the same person (also William Neal).

 

Between at least 1881 and 1911 he was the farmer at what I think always was called The Folly and originally served ale to passing boatmen. He also seems to have been a coal merchant and boat owner as a number of boats in Oxford Canal records list him as the owner.

 

He is listed as 'Farmer and Publican' in the 1881 census but with a hand in all those pies (wrote that before I noticed the pun!) business must have been good because the building that is now the pub was built in the late 1880s. The pub was known as the Bull & Butcher in its original guise and wasn't licensed between 1940 and 1992 since when it has been the Folly Inn.

 

If anyone has any better information I would be very glad to hear it.

 

During my family research I have been consulting with Jeannette Smith Harrison on various people and also have some information on horseboats from Pete Harrison. I would like to record my thanks to them.

 

It has taken me a while to find the link to William Neal of Napton. My next task is to find if the Hannah Neal who I believe to have been grandmother to Henry Grantham the well known owner boatman and great grandmother to Henry Grantham who was latterly the lock keeper at Buckby is one of my blood relatives. I suspect she is although I already have the Henry Granthams in my wider tree as the Neal and Grantham families are closely linked.

 

JP

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I presume he bought it. Is he Sooty by likeness or because he does magic tricks badly?

 

I do wonder though if Ray Hoare who was landlord of the Greyhound at Sutton Stop for many years was related to the Hoare boating family who link the Neal family to the Hone family. He always treated my gran like royalty. Many folk didn't get the same treatment!

 

JP

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  • 7 months later...

Whilst researching Mike H's family history we've come across a connection with the Neal family:

Mary Ann Humphries 1851-1934 was the daughter of Robert Humphries 1823-1898. Robert was married to Ann Beesley 1825-1908.

She (Mary Ann) married her first cousin William Humphries 1846-1902 in 1869.

After the death of William she married William Neal b 1852 in 1909. 

Any help?

 

Edited by Ray T
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12 minutes ago, Ray T said:

Whilst researching Mike H's family history we've come across a connection with the Neal family:

Ann Humphries 1851-1934 was the daughter of Robert Humphries 1823-1898. Robert was married to Ann Beasley.

She (Ann) married her first cousin William Humphries 1846-1902 in 1861.

After the death of William she married William Neal b 1852 in 1909. 

Any help?

 

I have her as Mary Anne Humphries which is the spelling on the marriage record. Married at Kidlington on 6th April 1909. This is the same William Neal of the Folly Inn as referred to above. He was a cousin of my great grandfather David Neal. At various times recorded as farmer, inn keeper, coal merchant and also a boat owner according to health inspection records.

I think I have another more convoluted link to the Humphries family in my wider tree. I will look it up when I get home.

JP

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20 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

I have her as Mary Anne Humphries which is the spelling on the marriage record. Married at Kidlington on 6th April 1909. This is the same William Neal of the Folly Inn as referred to above. He was a cousin of my great grandfather David Neal. At various times recorded as farmer, inn keeper, coal merchant and also a boat owner according to health inspection records.

I think I have another more convoluted link to the Humphries family in my wider tree. I will look it up when I get home.

JP

Yes, sorry in my enthusiasm I missed off Mary! 

The spelling of Humphries varies, Mike's version is spelt Humphris. I have it also on record as "Umphries." I usually go with the spelling on the hatchem, matchem and despatchem records. I have understood the differences to arise from the fact that as many of the boat people were illiterate the people recording the records wrote down what they heard. 

Edited by Ray T
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1 hour ago, Ray T said:

Yes, sorry in my enthusiasm I missed off Mary! 

The spelling of Humphries varies, Mike's version is spelt Humphris. I have it also on record as "Umphries." I usually go with the spelling on the hatchem, matchem and despatchem records. I have understood the differences to arise from the fact that as many of the boat people were illiterate the people recording the records wrote down what they heard. 

It turns out I have Mary Anne Humphries in my records twice as I hadn't made the link between the two marriages. I have the wedding of William Humphries and Mary Anne Humphries as 12 April 1869 at St Thomas, Oxford. I assume your 1861 was a typo given the bride would have been 10 years old.

There are at least two other links between the Humphries and Neal families. One is via the Hoare, Hone and Skinner families through various marriages and the other is via the Grantham and Beechey families through the marriage of Bill Grantham and Doris Beechey.

JP

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According to the Ancestry records Robert Humphries and Ann Beesley had 13 children.

The first being: Mary A Humphries 1872-1951, born Oxford, or  Mary Ann Humphris 1872-1925, born Thrupp Oxfordshire. Will have to delve more into this.

Mike's lineage comes from Thomas James Humphries (also called John) b 1875 Thrupp d 1968 Ploughley, Oxford. This is Mike's Great Grandfather.

 The spelling is as presented by Ancestry.

I have corrected my typo.

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12 hours ago, Ray T said:

(snipped) The spelling of Humphries varies, Mike's version is spelt Humphris. I have it also on record as "Umphries." I usually go with the spelling on the hatchem, matchem and despatchem records. I have understood the differences to arise from the fact that as many of the boat people were illiterate the people recording the records wrote down what they heard. 

I suspect if asked "how that is spelt", the answer might often have been "just as it sounds". Near enough was good enough.

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22 hours ago, Ray T said:

According to the Ancestry records Robert Humphries and Ann Beesley had 13 children.

The first being: Mary A Humphries 1872-1951, born Oxford, or  Mary Ann Humphris 1872-1925, born Thrupp Oxfordshire. Will have to delve more into this.

Census records of 1881 and 1891 aren't consistent between Thrupp and Oxford but it is clear it is the same person. 1901 and 1911 say Oxford. I would think they are close enough for that not to be a point of concern given the consistency of other details. It may have been she was born on a boat in Thrupp but the family "home" (lived in or otherwise) was in Oxford* and that is probably where the birth was registered.

I believe she married William Smith in 1896 and was widowed soon thereafter remarrying John Barlow of Glascote - nephew of Samuel Barlow - at Kidlington on 16 April 1900. If I have the right person she died in 1925.

* - Kidlington crops up in marriage records suggesting that's where the family either lived or originated from.

Jon

Edited by Captain Pegg
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