{"id":114,"date":"2015-04-15T21:50:07","date_gmt":"2015-04-15T21:50:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/brucemore.ca\/west\/?page_id=114"},"modified":"2020-06-11T01:14:01","modified_gmt":"2020-06-11T01:14:01","slug":"www-sarahs-family","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/brucemore.ca\/west\/www-sarahs-family\/","title":{"rendered":"W.W. & Sarah’s family"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"VennWWSfamily\"<\/a><\/em><\/span>1. Polly, Sarah, Emma, Will  2. Molly, <\/em>Heber, WWW, Ruth<\/em><\/pre>\n<\/blockquote>\n
(Click on red highlighted text for additional\u00a0inf<\/em><\/span>ormation. Click on photograph thumbnails to enlarge and use your browser’s back arrow to return to this page)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n
William Westell West<\/b><\/h2>\n
\"wwwbig\"<\/a><\/b>was born in Steventon<\/a> in 1847.\u00a0 In 1858, aged 11, he was installed as Mill Manager by his father Daniel (b. 1813) along with his eldest sister Fanny, aged 15, as a housekeeper, at lower Grove Mill (now demolished), where he. also supervised a miller and a carter.\u00a0 There were several harsh winters in those years and young William (11 years old) had to get up at 3 AM to break the ice so that the water could flow to run the mill.\u00a0 William and Fanny were given 16 shillings a week for housekeeping and buying clothes.\u00a0 The census of 1861 confirms that he and Fanny were still there in that year.\u00a0 He married Sarah Aldworth on Boxing day in 1868, moving to Venn Mill in the following year. He was for 25 years \u201cGuardian of the Poor\u201d for Abingdon District (1885-1910).\u00a0 This meant that he served on a committee which decided who would and who would not go to the workhouse (a 19th century British institution which took care of the indigent and infirm, including many retired people).\u00a0\u00a0 W.W.W. worked particularly hard to keep husbands and wives from being separated in these institutions (as was the custom).\u00a0 1993 Venn Mill owner: Alan Stoyel had early twentieth century Guardian of the Poor records in W.W.\u2019s hand (along with a piece of wood from Venn Mill with \u201cPercy\u201d carved on it). W.W.W. was also an overseer and school manager, travelling on foot or by tricycle. From 1896 – 1905, he was a supply (lay) Preacher at Grove Strict Baptist chapel.\u00a0 <\/span>In 1905, he and his wife Sarah (with youngest daughter Ruth) went to Reading (ostensibly for theological studies), leaving Grandpa John in charge of Venn Mill.\u00a0 In 1908, they went to Heathfield, Sussex where W.W.W. was appointed pastor. at the Ebeneezer Strict Baptist Chapel.\u00a0 We have a Booklet of sermons<\/a> which he wrote & preached during his final years.\u00a0 They lived at Laurel house until WWW\u00a0died in 1924, then Sarah moved 2 blocks away to “Steventon” (house). m\u00a0 During the war, grampa brought a Maple tree which was planted there (subsequently removed). \u00a0They are both<\/span>\u00a0buried in the churchyard there.<\/p>\n
 <\/p>\n
Sarah Aldworth<\/h2>\n
was born in 1845 in Wantage.\u00a0 <\/span>Her family had been well-to-do when she was a child\"sarah<\/a>\u00a0but\u00a0poor later.\u00a0 <\/span>She was proud that she was related to “royalty” in Ireland and visited there when she was young.\u00a0 <\/span>(British peerage lists include an Aldworth in Southeast Ireland near Carlow).\u00a0 W.W.W. and Sarah were married in the Wantage<\/a>\u00a0 Parish Church in 1868, beginning their home at Venn Mill in 1869. \u00a0(sarah’s wedding dress<\/a>) In addition to all of the household (and farm) chores, she sewed the clothing and brewed the beer (interesting activity for a Strict Baptist family). \u00a0<\/span>She was a great herbalist.\u00a0 Her\u00a0 recipe for yarrow tea, from Dr. Coffin\u2019s herb book, was so noxious that the children refused to admit when they had a cold.\u00a0\u00a0 (Grandpa John, asked later if he still used it, said \u201cNo, I had enough for 3 generations).\u201d \u00a0<\/span>She died at Heathfield<\/a> in 1939 and is buried beside W.W.W. \u00a0 Her will<\/a> is an elaborate list of pieces of furniture and a tea service bequested specifically to each of the children, which consisted of a \u201cheadless dragon tea set service\u201d in equal parts to the four girls. The remainder of the furniture was divided among the children.\u00a0 Interestingly the last clause in the will states that the remainder of the estate will be divided among the four daughters, Heber and Fred (none to Asher, Will, Grandpa John or Percy. (Aldworth pottery<\/a>)<\/p>\n