Patrick Comerford
I have been researching two branches of the Comerford family in London in recent weeks and have visited some of the areas where they lived and the London churches where they were baptised, married and were buried from.
These two branches of the family (see here and here) share a common ancestor, Thomas Comerford, who came to London from Ireland and was a tobacconist in London from the mid-18th century. Although they went on to have contrasting social experiences and lives, they continued to share the same naming patterns when it came to naming patterns.
Now I have come across a third branch of the Comerford family in London that I believe may be closely related to them. But as I was putting together a family tree for this third London branch of the Comerford family, I found an unexpected connection with Old Wolverton, which is less than half an hour’s walk from Stony Stratford, and Castlethorpe and Hanslope, villages about three or four miles north of Stony Stratford, and in nearby Newport Pagnell.
When I moved to Stony Stratford four or five years ago, I found opportunities to visit a number of places within a short distance in both Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire associated with branches of the Comberford and Comerford families.
For ten generations, members of the Comberford family of Comberford Hall, between Lichfield and Tamworth in Staffordshire, and their ancestors in the Parles family owned large portions of land in north Northamptonshire. These families gave their name to the manor near Watford Gap that was known for centuries as the Cumberford Manor and, before that, the Parles Manor. When the heiress Joan Parles married John Comberford, she brought the fourth part of the manor of Watford once held by the Parles family to the Comberford family ca 1460, and from then on it was known as Comberford Manor or Cumberford Manor.
Joan and John Comberford owned the manor of Byfield, with extensive property there and in Watford, Murcott, Shutlanger, Stoke Bruerne, Shaw, Alderton and Wappenham, along with half an acre in Yelvertoft. The Comberford family sold the former Parles estates in Stoke Bruerne, Shutlanger, Alderton and Wappenham in 1504. But the family continued to hold on to the Cumberford Manor until Thomas Comberford sold his share of the manor in Watford to Sir John Spencer in 1563.
Quite separately, John Comberford’s father, Judge William Comberford, bought properties in Newport Pagnell and Tickford in 1470-1471.
Later, John Comberford’s grandson, Canon Henry Comberford (1499-1586), Precentor of Lichfield Cathedral, was the Rector of Yelvertoft in 1546-1560. One of his predecessors there was his first cousin, the Revd Professor Thomas Babington, who was the Rector of Yelvertoft in 1510, and was also the Rector of All Saints’ Church, Milton Keynes, briefly in 1560, as well as Rector of Adstock and Sherrington, Buckinghamshire (1557), and Rector of Twyford, Buckinghamshire (1560-1563).
One of the London branches of the Comerford family has a number of members who have lived in Northampton for four or more generations, where they have been involved in the boot industry and the trade union movement. Another branch of the family closer to home in Buckinghamshire, orginally from Rosenalis an Ballinakill, Co Laois, has given its name to Comerford Way, a street in Winslow.
My interest in the London branches of the Comerford family led me to another connection with these parts of Buckinghamshire. In July 1952, Herbert George Comerford (1928-2021) from Bierton near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, married Barbara Ruth Whiting (1929-2016), of Manor Farm, Wolverton.
Barbara Comerford was born in Potterspury, Northamptonshire. Her father, Charles Reginald Whiting (1886-1954), was born at Castlethorpe, Buckinghamshire, and later lived at Pottersbury, Hanslope, Newport Pagnell, and then at the Manor Farm, Old Wolverton. Charles and his wife Gladys died in Old Wolverton and are buried in Holy Trinity Churchyard, Old Wolverton.
So in recent days I went back to Castlethorpe and to Old Wolverton went in search of Manor Farm, where Barbara Comerford’s parents lived from 1929, to see their grave in the churchyard at Holy Trinity Church, to see the Whiting family graves in the churchyard at Saint Simon and Jude in Castlethorpe, and to find out more details of the history of the extended family Whiting family who had become intertwined with this branch of the Comerford family through the marriage of Barbara Whiting and Herbert Comerford.
Manor Farm in Old Wolverton was managed by the Gleed and Wilkinson families for a long period before the Whiting family took over the farm in 1929 and they farmed the land for the next 41 years. Their time represents the last chapter of active agriculture on the property before the area was transformed with the development of Milton Keynes.
Historically, the expansive Wolverton Manor estate was divided into three main tenant farms: Warren Farm, Stacey Bushes Farm, and Manor Farm. The original village of Wolverton seems to have been founded in the early mediaeval era, with the name deriving from the Old English for ‘Wulfhere’s settlement’. The village is recorded as Wluerintone in the Domesday Book in 1086, with around 50 households. A small motte and bailey castle was built just east of the site of the church in the Norman period, with a manor house also probably located in the vicinity.
The extent of the village was divided by the Grand Union Canal in 1800, although its plan appears to have been fairly linear, with central trackways surrounded by housing plots, and surrounding fields of ridge and furrow.
By the late mediaeval period, the village was owned by the Longville family. Many deserted villages declined due to the Black Death, but Wolverton is thought to have declined due to the Longville family enclosing the land for more profitable sheep pasture, or for deer hunting, with the inhabitants forced off the land.
Manor Farm House is a Grade II* listed house dating back to the 13th century, when the Gilbertine monastic foundation had its grange there. Manor Farm includes a farmhouse range dating from ca 1700 with 19th century additions. In the early-to-mid 19th century, it was built into an extensive model farmstead arranged around five-fold yards, built of local brick and stone with a two-storey tower.
The early 19th century house is a two-storey limestone house with an attic and a cellar. It is basically ‘L’-shaped with steep pitched gabled roofs, red tiles, and brick chimney stacks with stone bases. The south front has three segmental headed dormers and there is a two-storey extension at both ends of the front.
The central entrance has a stone doorcase, two three-quarter columns supporting a plain entablature and a blocking course. Inside, there is a wide oak staircase with turned balusters and finials.
The Whitings who moved to Manor Farm House, Wolverton, in 1929, were a prominent family with widespread farming interests across North Buckinghamshire and south Northamptonshire. As well as Manor Farm in Wolverton, family members also farmed at nearby Lodge Farm or Home Farm in Castlethorpe, Lower Farm in Castlethorpe, and Cosgrove Lodge or Elms Farm.
The Whiting family can be traced back to at least the mid-18th century:
Richard Whiting (born 1759) from Horton, halfway between Northampton and both Roade in Northamptonshire and Hanslope in Buckinghamshire. He was the father of at least two sons and a daughter:
1, Benjamin Evans Whiting (1785-1863).
2, Elizabeth.
3, Henry Whiting.
The eldest son:
Benjamin Evans Whiting (1785-1863), was born in Horton, Northamptonshire, in 1785. He married Sarah Manton (1793-1871) in West Haddon, Northamptonshire, on 7 November 1814, and they were the parents of two daughters and a son:
1, Caroline (1817-1856), who married Thomas John Ashby (1817-1890) in Moulton, Northamptonshire, on 14 March 1839.
2, Joseph Evans Whiting (1820-1888), of whom next.
3, Eliza (1826-1911), who married George Everard from Naseby, Northamptonshire.
Benjamin Evans Whiting died in Hardingstone, Northamptonshire, on 1 April 1863, and his widow Sarah died in Castlethorpe on 7 November 1871. Their son:
Joseph Evans Whiting (1820-1888), was born at Eakley Lanes, Stoke Goldington, Northamptonshire, in 1820. He married Caroline Higgins (1822-1913), who was born at Eakley Lanes in 1822. They were married in Saint John’s, Southwark, on 14 May 1848 and were the parents of eight children, six sons and two daughters:
1, Joseph Evans Whiting (1849-1923) of Caldecote. He was born at Eakley Lanes, 1 October 1849, and died in Newport Pagnell 7 June 1923. He bought Lathbury Manor in Newport Pagnell from Viscount Hood in 1904. He was married twice: (1), Elizabeth Tressler Manning (1842-1892), from Moulton, Northamptonshire, in Old Saint Pancras Church, London, 11 July 1870; (2) Elizabeth Syratt (1866-1935), from Soulbury, Buckinghamshire, in Saint John’s Church, Wembley, 23 June 1914; and he was the father of five daughters.
2, Henry William Whiting (1852-1918), born Eakley Lanes 25 February 1852, and died in London 29 December 1918. He bought Manor Farm, Willen, bought the Manor of Newport Pagnell in 1904, but sold it again in 1905, and bought the Manor of Caldecote in Newport Pagnell in 1908. He married Mary Elizabeth Thomason, eldest daughter of Bennett Thomason (1824-1878), of Beckerings Park Farm, Ridgmont, Bedfordshire, and Hannah Elizabeth Checkley (1817-1904), in Hanslope in May 1875, and they were the parents of seven sons and four daughters.
3, John George Whiting (born 1854), born in Stoke Goldington, may have died in childhood.
4, Benjamin Edwin Whiting (born 1854), born in Stoke Goldington, may have died in childhood.
5, Charles Evans Whiting (1855-1914), of Castlethorpe, of whom next.
6, George Benjamin Whiting (1858-1920), born Eakley Lanes, Stoke Goldington, 16 April 1858, baptised in Stoke Goldingham, 5 September 1858. He was married twice: (1) Catherine Francis Tipler (1867-1954), in Brixworth, Northamptonshire, in July 1891; and (2) Elizabeth Varney (1860-1889). George and Catherine were the parents of two sons.
7, Katherine Caroline (1861-1947).
8, Ellen (1864-1947).
Joseph Whiting died in Newport Pagnell on 18 April 1888; his widow Caroline (Higgins) died at Lathbury Manor, Buckinghamshire, in April 1913. When Joseph Evans died in 1888, three of his surviving sons – Joseph, George and Charles Whiting – went into partnership, while another son, Henry William Whiting, went out on his own.
The Whiting brothers farmed 3,600 acres and their farms included: the Green Farm, Newport Pagnell, 263 acres; Caldecote Farm (now Manor Farm), 90 acres; Lathbury, 550 acres; Mill Farm, Gayhurst, 320 acres; Home Farm, Gayhurst, 415 acres; Bunstay Farm, 150 acres; Stoke Goldington, 520 acres; Castlethorpe, 485 acres; Pindon End Farm, 240 acres; Home Farm, Moulsoe, 330 acres; Top Farm, Moulsoe, 220 acres.
Joseph Evans Whiting’s fifth but third surviving son was:
Charles Evans Whiting (1855-1914), farmer. He was born at Eakley Lanes in 24 June 1855. He had farms at Castlethorpe and Hanslope, for many years he was a Conservative member of Castlethorpe Parish Council, and he was the vicar’s churchwarden at Castlethorpe Church for a number of years.
In the late 19th century, the gallery at the west end of Saint Simon and Saint Jude Church in Castlethorpe was known with humour as the ‘Fishes Gallery’ because the leading families who sat there had the names Pike, Whiting and Eel.
Charles Whiting married Louisa Thomason (born 1858), daughter of Bennett Thomason (1824-1878), of Beckerings Park Farm, Ridgmont, Bedfordshire, and Hannah Elizabeth Checkley (1817-1904). She was born in Hanslope in 1858, and her sister Mary Elizabeth had married Henry William Whiting in Hanslope in 1875. Louisa and Charles were married in Woburn Sands, Bedfordshire, on 2 August 1883 and they were the parents of four sons and two daughters:
1, Dorothy Louisa (1885-1965), born Hanslope, 12 August 1885, married Alexander Edward Johnston (1889-1971) from Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, in Saint Mary’s Church, Church End, Finchley, London, 28 September 1935, died Highgate, 27 December 1965.
2, Charles Reginald Whiting (1886-1954), of whom next.
3, Kathleen Mary Whiting (1888-1958).
4, Joseph Evans Whiting MC (1890-1923), of Castlethorpe Lodge, Castlethorpe. During World War I, he was a lieutenant with the Royal Field Artillery in France. He was a county councillor, and represented Weston Underwood on Newport Pagnell Rural Council. He married Julia Elizabeth Nickson (1893-1984), and they were the parents of two daughters: Anne Elizabeth Whiting (1920-1940), who died at the age of 19; and Patricia (born 1921) married (Squadron-Leader) John Ramsey St John (1917-1959), DSO, DFC and Bar, RAF, of Wellington, New Zealand, in Castlethorpe Parish Church in July 1941. She later lived at Castle House, Castlethorpe, and bought it from Lord Carrington in 1961.
5, Benjamin Sydney Whiting (1893-1975), married Elsie Louise Adams (1902-1980) of Muswell Hill, at Broughton Manor Farm, Newport Pagnell, 17 September 1924, and they were the parents of two children.
6, Herbert George Whiting (1896-1969), born Castlethorpe, 18 April 1896, moved to the Cape, South Africa. He married Judith Vaughan Ingle (1898-1962) in Saint Barnabas Church, Cogh, Cape Town, 3 June 1931, and they were the parents of three children. He died in Cape Town, 8 February 1969.
Louisa died in Newport Pagnell on 30 January 1914, Charles was 58 when he died at Castlethorpe on 20 October 1914, and they are both buried in the churchyard in Castlethorpe. His funeral in Castlethorpe was conducted by the Revd WJ Harkness, Vicar of Hanslope, assisted by the Revd T Evans, curate.
The eldest son of Charles and Louisa Whiting was:
Charles Reginald Whiting (1886-1954) of Castlethorpe, Cosgrove and the Manor Farm, Old Wolverton. He was born in Castlethorpe on 3 December 1886, and later took on Manor Farm, Wolverton, in the mid-20th century.
Charles Reginald Whiting farmed the Lodge Farm, Cosgrove, and owned gravel pits bordering the River Ouse and Broad Waters. He began working gravel from his land to supply the Canal Company, and ran a successful gravel business until he sold the farmhouse, 110 acres of farmland and the gravel pits to the Cosgrove Sand and Gravel Company. He then moved to the Manor House, Old Wolverton, where he and his son Philip farmed over 300 acres at Old Wolverton Manor. Together, they managed the land for the final 41 years of its active life as a working farm until the land was acquired by the Milton Keynes Development Corporation.
He married Gladys Mary Montgomery (1893-1974) in Potterspury, Northamptonshire, in April 1915. She was born at Long Buckby, Northamptonshire, on 24 March 1893. They were the parents of three sons and a daughter:
1, Maurice Charles Whiting (1916-2010), dentist, born in Hanslope 19 May 1916; he married Rosemary Noel Harris (1919-2000) from Loxley, Warwickshire, in Evenlode, Gloucestershire, 15 March 1946; he died 12 March 2010.
2, Phyllis Mary (1918-1963), married Edgar Peter Brockes (1916-1977) in Towcester in January 1944.
She died in Kettering, 18 May 1963.
3, Reginald Philip Theodore Whiting (1921-1990). He was born in Potterspury 19 December 1921 and died in Wolverton 28 August 1990.
4, Barbara Ruth (1929-2016), born in Pottersbury 29 March 1929. She married Herbert George Comerford (1928-2021) of Aylesbury, in Old Wolverton, July 1952, and they were the parents of three children.
Charles Reginald Whiting died at the Manor Farm, Old Wolverton, on 23 May 1954; his widow Gladys died at Old Wolverton, Buckinghamshire, 3 February 1974. They are buried in the churchyard at Holy Trinity Church, Old Wolverton.
The second daughter and youngest of four children of Gladys and Charles Reginald Whiting was:
Barbara Ruth Whiting (1929-2016), who married Herbert George Comerford. Barbara Comerford was born Barbara Ruth Whiting in Potterspury on 29 March 1929. Her husband Herbert George Comerford (1928-2021), was born in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, 2 January 1928, and at the age of 21 in 1949, he was living in Bierton, near Aylesbury. They were married in North Buckinghamshire, in July 1952.
Barbara and Herbert Comerford were the parents of a large family, including four sons and a daughter. They later lived in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, where Barbara Comerford died on 21 August 2016, and Herbert Comerford died on 27 February 2021. I understand they have many descendants living today.
Today, the site at Manor Farm Court supports a modern working environment with the farm buildings preserved and converted into an office complex known as Manor Farm Court, while the surrounding agricultural land has been transformed by the Milton Keynes Parks Trust into the Floodplain Forest Nature Reserve.
As for Herbert George Comerford and his branch of the Comerford family, I hope to share my research on their family tree in the days to come. I have also found a Comerford grave in the London Road cemetery in Stony Stratford, but I need time to find out where those connections may lead to.
