George Barnes is the first known person in the Barnes family. He was born in Attleborough, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, about 1811. The church at Attleborough had not been built at that time so he could have been baptised in the nearby village of Chivers Coton, but there is no evidence either way. It does seem likely however that his fortunes depended on the local coal mines of which there were several, for he first appears in Aylesbury as a coal carter. The coal business was also bound up with the canal system in that central part of the Midlands but this is so intricate that a clear route southwards is not obvious.

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George Barnes & Mary Hedges
Walton, Aylesbury & Whitchurch

Photos below are of Whitchurch where Mary was born

	The earliest positive date for George is his marriage to Mary Hedges on Christmas Day 1834 in St Mary's, the parish church of Aylesbury. Mary was born in the village of Whitchurch, a few miles north of Aylesbury, about 1811. It is possible that Mary's family had already moved to Aylesbury before they met and that she was related to other Hedges families in the town. Her parents were probably Thomas and Catherine, but the parish records are not on the IGI or, as far as is known, available on microfiche, but only in Aylesbury.
		These memorial stones are in the floor just in front of the pulpit in Whitchurch. As can be seen the inscription is badly damaged but the surname, Hedges, can be made out on both as well as the wife's name, Elizabeth which is really clear. Her husband's name appears to be a first name and an initial but is otherwise illegible. As he died in 1792, (on the first day of one of the longer months) it is just possible that they could be Mary's grandparents. No other Hedges were found in the graveyard.
The village of Whitchurch is still small, lying mainly along the road to Aylesbury, and is full of very old houses cheek by jowl with the new. The further picture on the right illustrates a variety of ages and styles The pub was here a couple of centuries before Mary Hedges was born and a short lane beyond leads to the church so it would have been a familiar 'landmark'.

Family of George Barnes & Mary Hedges

George and Mary had 9 children, all baptised in St Mary's parish church, Aylesbury:

1. Richard Barnes chr. 22 Jul 1835 m. Susannah
2. Samuel 'Barns' b. & chr. 1 Sep 1837 (son of George 'Barns' and Mary), d. Dec Q 1840
3. William Barnes b. Jan 1840, chr. 10 Jan 1840 d. Jun Q 1871
4. Mary Ann Barnes b. June & chr. 10 Jun 1842
5. John Barnes chr. 5 Apr 1846 m. Mercy Scutchings
6. James Barnes b. 28 Feb 1846 chr. 5 Apr 1846 m. Mary Jane Stockwell on 14 Aug 1867
7. Thomas Barnes b. Jun Q 1848 chr. 7 Sep 1851
8. Jane Elizabeth Barnes b. Jun Q 1850 chr. 7 Sep 1851
9. Elizabeth Barnes b. abt 1853

Most of the dates above have been obtained from both the IGI and FreeBMD. It does appear that three of the children were baptised within days of their birth and that later the gap was much larger. The IGI gives the parents' names so can be considered more accurate here as the only birth certificate obtained to confirm the information is for James.

The Horse and Jockey (aka The Aristocrat)

In 1851 George and Mary were living with their family on Walton St. Although the Horse and Jockey was licensed by 1842, steeple chasing having begun in the area about 1835, it appears that a Beechey family held the license in 1851. It does not appear therefore, as previously thought, that the two places are the same. George and Mary did run the Horse and Jockey after 1851 as can be seen from a list of addresses given in the censuses.

date	George's age	occupation	address
Census 1841 P.O.		agricultural labourer	Walton St
Census 1851	40	boatman	Walton St
Census 1861	50	coal carter and beerhouse keeper	Horse and Jockey
Directories 1864-1869		beer retailer	Horse and Jockey
Census 1871	60	coal labourer	Walton St
Census 1881	70	general labourer	45 Walton St

Walton St, formerly a turnpike, runs south-eastwards from Market Square and by 1824 it was already built up all the way to the hamlet of Walton. The address is now given as Wendover Rd but this is continuous with Walton St. The open patch of land which was opposite is now reduced to a traffic island though it has given its name to the area as 'Walton Green'. It was approximately at the end of that branch of the Grand Union Canal, which was soon one of the most prosperous canals in the country. No. 43 was the Bear Inn. Walton parish church, and no. 42, the Baptist Chapel were on the opposite side. Most of the old houses in Walton St have long gone in various rebuilding and road-widening schemes. Their son John became a bricklayer - there was plenty of building work as Aylesbury was expanding very rapidly at this time - and their other sons were 'carters'.

The Horse and Jockey was and is at no.3 Wendover Rd, but is now renamed as the Aristocrat, occupying nos 1-3 as can be seen in the photo. The name 'Horse and Jockey', from 1842, came from steeple-chasing which began in 1835 but the 'ale-house' is claimed to be 17th century. Thomas James Barnes was born here in 1868, though his parents had moved into a cottage facing the canal by 1891. In 1881 the 'ale house keeper' was an 'Army Pensioner Col. Sgt', (Colour Sergeant) William White. It now stands on the end of a large 'traffic island', such a busy junction that it is difficult to imagine what it was like when the Barnes family lived there. With thanks to a descendant of the Turney family for extra information which cleared up some confusion about locations

The Barnes family often had other relatives living with them. In 1841 and 1851 Mary's younger sister Elizabeth, born about two years after Mary, was living with them and working as a silk weaver, perhaps ever since they were married.
In 1861 they had a lodger in Mary Chandler, a plaiter, also born in Whitchurch and perhaps related. In 1871 their son John and his wife Mercy lived with them and by 1881 John and Mercy had only moved next door to no.47. It is fairly obvious that the men, though 'in charge' of the business must have left much of the work to their womenfolk, a pattern common to this family and the later related family of Copes in Lambeth.

A plaiter would be a straw plaiter, a trade which is described in detail and illustrated with line drawings, along with silk weaving and lacemaking in Cottage Industries by Marjorie Filbee (David & Charles, 1982), a book of special interest to anyone practising these crafts today. The women usually worked at their trade at home, either selling their goods themselves or being paid for piecework, having been taught the rudiments at home from even as early as four years old. By 1884 at least, but perhaps much earlier, there was also a silk factory in Walton.

George and Mary were living at no.45 Walton St in 1881 and Jane, 29, a printer compositor was still at home. George died in the March Q of 1882 and Mary in the September Q of the same year. What happened to Jane subsequently or to John and Mercy next door is not known.

Family of James Barnes & Mary Stockwell

James Barnes married Mary Jane Stockwell on 14 Aug 1867 at Holy Trinity Church, Walton. Mary Jane, known as Polly, was born in Chinnor, Oxfordshire, but was living in Aylesbury by this time, her parents having moved to the baker's shop in Kingsbury (see the Stockwell family). The witnesses were James' sister Mary Ann, now 25, and Joseph Lovegrove, a bricklayer, who lived at 55 Walton Rd. (This road links at right angles to Walton St in Walton Green)' Joseph Lovegrove was still at the same address in 1881. There doesn't appear to be any family connection with him.

James became a coal dealer master, his address in 1861 being given as 1 Walton Green. By this time Walton St must already have been largely built up, judging by the house numbers, but this was probably what is now called 'ribbon development'. Originally Walton Green was a hamlet close to but not part of Aylesbury, with green fields between. Although the population had doubled since 1800, until the middle of the century Aylesbury was still roughly the same size. Now the scene began to change very rapidly.

As will be seen later the Barnes family soon became involved in the new industries arriving in the town. In 1870 the Condensed Milk factory (now Nestles) opened on Tring Rd next to the canal and with its own wharf and by 1880 it was employing 150 people. The printing firm of Hazell, Watson and Viney began as Hazell's printing works, a branch of the London firm, opening in 1867. In 1879 it moved to new buildings on the Tring Rd.and by the 1880s had about 400 employees. Between them and two later companies that came at the turn of the century they were for a long time the principal employers in the town. They not only drew people from the neighbourhood but many moved from elsewhere, like many of those from Hazell's in London.

James and Polly had nine children over the following twenty years, most if not all being born at 1 Walton Green

Correction: not at the Horse & Jockey as previously thought owing to confusion about the addresses. Although George was definitely the licensee for some years, there is no evidence at present that James ever was. In 1881 the 'ale house keeper' was William White, an Army Pensioner.

1. Thomas James Barnes b. 2 Jun 1868, m. Ada Beatrice Cope 22 Sep 1889 d. 28 Sep 1946 (photo)
2. George Barnes b. Jun/Q 1870 (see the Ghost Story below)
3. Elizabeth Martha Barnes b. Dec/Q 1871
4. James Barnes b. DecQ/1876
5. Kate Barnes b. Dec/Q 1878
6. Henry Barnes b. Mar/Q 1880
7. William Barnes b. Mar/Q 1884
8. Mary Jane Barnes b. 1886 ('Jenny')
9. Frederick Barnes b. Jun/Q 1888 (photo)

Go to the Barnes photos to see the six sons at a wedding, probably about 1906

A sidelight on life in Walton Green was given by James' granddaughter Ethel who repeated a family story about another Barnes family, only the wife's name, Emily being known. Apparently the couple could be heard by all their neighbours in the street 'rowing throughout Walton'. James and Mary Jane obviously did not want to be associated with them!

James's wife, Mary Jane Stockwell, had a 1st cousin John Brazell living at 14 Albert St with wife Bessie and three children, Katie, Bessie and Daisy.Like James Barnes he too was a 'coal merchant, master'.

James and Mary Jane moved to Canal Terrace and their daughter Jennie (also Mary Jane) lived next door. This was at nos. 21 and 22, 'facing on to the canal and the white bridge'. These houses must have only just been built then but have now long gone. The canal itself, figured largely in the family's history. Thomas, the eldest son, and no doubt the others too, used to swim in it. It was also the scene of an incident which was not reported in the papers but was certainly dramatic enough when Kate rescued a child from the canal. She used to joke about being famous for it, but unfortunately she and the child were the only witnesses.

Footnote to these two families, of George and his son James: It is worth noting that in spite of it being a very common name there were in all only three Barnes families in Aylesbury in 1881. The third family was living only a few doors away at 5 Walton Green when James was at no.1, listed as Joseph B. 'Sherman or Barnes' who was 39 and born in Aylesbury. After listing the wife the same way the enumerator gave up and listed all the children as Barnes. Joseph Birch Barnes was 39, born in Aylesbury, and his wife Mary A. was 34, born in Stoke Mandeville. They had 4 children, Rufus 10, Kate 7, Jane 5, and Alice 9 months. Also living with them were Joseph's mother, Elizabeth, 65, born in Chesham, and his married sister, Henrietta Edwards, 22, with her son Albert aged 2. There doesn't appear to be any connection between Joseph and the other two families and there is evidence of various other Barnes in Aylesbury in other years.

A Charles Scutchings aged 38 lived at 66 Walton St in 1881, perhaps a brother of John's wife Mercy?

At No 1 Walton Place was George Eborn. His brother, William Henry Eborn married Ann Stockwell, James Stockwell's daughter by his first wife and was therefore aunt to Mary Jane (Polly) Stockwell. Although George was not therefore related to the Barnes family himself they could have been acquainted.

At 12 Market Square were Stockwell cousins, the family of Isaac Stockwell (dec), the draper from Chinnor. Isaac's wife Elizabeth was carrying on the business with her son Thomas Umphrey Stockwell, 1st cousin of James Stockwell, father of Mary Jane (nee Stockwell) Barnes. (see the Stockwell family)

At 52 Kingsbury Square were Brazells, 1st cousins of Mary Jane's relatives through her aunt Martha,, now running James Stockwell's baker's shop

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Richard was a railway guard living at 61 Roden St, Islington, London, in 1881. He married Susanna Galloway Pearce (or Pierce) who was born on 19 Aug 1839 & baptised on 8 Sep in the Workhouse Chapel at St Marylebone, her parents being John Pierce & Louisa Tyley. Richard and Susanna had 6 children, Henry Galloway born 1861 in St Pancras, Richard E. born 1862, in Paddington, and in Islington, Emily O. born 1866, Euphemia Mary (b.Sep Q 1870), Ernest James (Sep Q 1874) and Alfred Thomas (Jun Q 1879). By 1881 Richard E. was living with his maternal grandmother, Henry and Emily have not yet been traced, so Euphemia was the eldest still at home. The two boys were still at home at 52, Blundell Street, Islington, but not Euphemia who married John William Smith on 16 Jul 1890 [Free BMD Islington Vol 1b p.465] and was living at 73 Lennox Rd in Islington. Not very surprisingly John was working on the railway, as a platelayer's labourer. They had ten children (names and dates available if required). Alfred was a railway porter in 1901, presumably still at home aged 22.Return.

Samuel was baptised on 1 Sep 1840 and is given as son of George 'Barns' and Mary, and he was also registered as born in the Sep Q 1837 [Aylesbury Vol.6 p.242].. The only discrepancy is in the IGI spelling of 'Barns' but the family was illiterate so none of the spellings were theirs. (See also Canning for Cannon in the same period) His death is given on Free BMD in the Dec Q 1840 [Aylesbury Vol.6 p.240], at the age of 3 and too early for him to figure on a census. Return

William's last appearance is on the 1871 census where he is described as a 'coal labourer' at the age of 31. He either died or had emigrated by 1881 as he cannot be found later. No relevant marriage or death has yet been found on Free BMD.

An entry in Chepping Wycombe for a house servant, Mary Ann Barnes, aged 18, could refer to her - name and age are correct - but her birthplace is given as Great Marlow which is not, as she was definitely born in Walton, Aylesbury. She was next a witness at the marriage of her brother James in 1867 along with Joseph Lovegrove, an agricultural labourer who had been living in Aylesbury at least since the 1861 census. Joseph and Mary Ann were married in the March Q 1874 at Stourbridge in Worcestershire, (on the west side of Birmingham). Joseph came from that area, having been born at Meriden in Warwickshire, (east of Birmingham) in the Jun Q 1843. Joseph died in the Mar Q 1881 and Mary Ann is listed as a widow by the time of the census, then living at 18 New St, Dudley, (not far north of Stourbridge). By 1891 she had returned to Aylesbury, living there on Exchange St with her three surviving children, Alice, 16, a printer compositor, Kate 14, a seamstress stated to have a weak spine, and Joseph, 10. Lizzie Laura, born in 1879 had been with her mother in Dudley in 1881 but died in Aylesbury in 1883 aged 4 , which suggests that she may have been staying with her maternal grandmother in Walton, Aylesbury. Mary Ann must have died before 1901 but this family has not yet been researched further. Return

John Barnes married Mercy Scutchings (b. 1844) on 27 Mar 1865 [IGI] and they lived next door to John's father at no.47 Walton St. On the 1871 census John was listed as a 'jobbing labourer' and in 1881 as a 'coal dealer'. He had been a bricklayer for a time, as given on the 1861 census but seemd to alternate between labouring and dealing with coal. There were no children of the marriage. Mercy died in the Jun Q 1887 Aylesbury Vol.3a p.365] and John was a widower for over 20 years before he died in the Dec Q 1909 [Aylesbury Dec 1909, aged 74, Aylesbury Vol.3a p.53 ]. Return

Thomas Barnes was listed as a coal dealer - a similar occupation to most of the men of the family - on the 1871 census at the age of 22 and was then still single. He has not been found in the censuses of 1881 or 1891 and a search through deaths of a Thomas in Aylesbury between 1871 and 1881 have failed to find him. Perhaps, like his older brother William, he joined the army or emigrated. Return

Jane Elizabeth Barnes, born Jun Q 1850, was still living at home with her parents on Walton St in 1881, now aged 29, a printer/compositor. The firm of Hazell, Watson and Viney from London had opened a new printing works in Aylesbury in 1867 where Jane may have worked, not a long walk from home, probably along the canal. She was 'at home' with her parents in 1881 and still single, but in 1891 she was living with her widowed sister, Mary Ann Lovegrove (see above) at 12 Exchange St..[RG number:RG12 Piece:1145 Folio:127 Page:35]. Return

Elizabeth was not Eliza Elizabeth born 1853 as previously thought. An Eliza Elizabeth's marriage has been checked and does not agree either, and there is no evidence for 'Eliza'. Elizabeth (as plain 'Elizabeth') was born in (Walton) Aylesbury about 1854 and appears with the family aged 7 in 1861 but hasn't been found after that date. She is not among deaths in Aylesbury between 1861 and 1871 and a search for an early marriage (by 1871!) has failed to find her. So what happened to her and where she was in 1871 remains an open question. Return

Notes on the children of James Barnes and Mary Jane Stockwell

Thomas Barnes left home before 1891. He is said to have joined the Guards for a couple of years and during that time climbed up into the belfry of Holy Trinity church, Walton, with a friend where they carved their army numbers on the bells. Whether this story is true has yet to be discovered! Tom left the army, presumably without 'signing on' and like some others of the family, went to live in London, perhaps going straight to Lambeth. His brother George was a printer and there were Stockwell cousins nearby who were 'printers' and 'did well for themselves'. His aunt Jane Barnes back in Aylesbury was a compositor printer. Thomas himself became a bookbinder and worked for Eyre and Spottiswoode for 50 years before retiring. He died in 1945 in North Wales, having gone there from Brixton at the time of the Blitz. One of his daughters remarked that he moved 7 times in as many years. He is also said to have played the organ in church - possibly at Pinner near Harrow? See the Cope family for more about his wife Ada)Return Thomas James Barnes and Ada Beatrice Cope married on 22 Sep 1889. In 1891 they were living at 88, Park Street, Southwark, their eldest child, Edith being 9 months old. There was also an unexpected child listed as 'adopted', an Alfred Ballard aged 4, who does not reappear with them in 1901. It is assumed that 'adopted' was a term used rather loosely at the time so they might just have been caring for him for a while. (New)

George Barnes was a printer in Aylesbury. He moved to London, living on the Peabody Estate at Herne Hill at one time and in Rosendale Rd. in Lambeth, though in which order and at what time is not known. (information given by his niece, Ethel) He appears on the wedding photo. His son Frank lived at Brockwell Park and worked as a printer for Eyre and Spottiswood, the same firm as his uncle, Thomas. Frank is said to have seen a ghost, a man in white, standing by his bed. Soon after, at the age of 18, he died, being poisoned with printer's ink in his leg. George's daughter Florence (Florrie) lived in the flats on London Rd, Brixton, near Uncle Thomas on Rosendale Rd about 1920. She died having her tonsils out. Return

It is not known what became of Elizabeth Martha at present. She was not with the family on the 1881 census Return

James Barnes was a confectioner's errand boy in 1881. In 1891 he was living at 9 Walton Place. He appears on the wedding photo .Return

It is not known whether Kate was a nickname or not but she was always known by that name. She became a bookfolder at Port Sunlight on the Wirral (Cheshire). She sounds a lively girl. She wanted to be in the wedding photo with her brothers but her mother objected, saying the girls would "spoil it with their hats''. Return

Henry - always known as Harry - went to work for Chippendale's, the furniture makers, but whether in London or Aylesbury is not known. Return

William - known as Will - survived well into adult life but otherwise nothing is known about him .Return

Jenny's marriage and subsequent history was known but for a long time she could not be traced. Eventually it came to light that her 'real' name was Mary Jane, but was called Jenny. She married 'Gus Turney' who was born in Aylesbury in 1884 and was a carpenter at the condensed milk factory, then Nestles. Later he transferred to their factory at Carlisle where he 'cleaned out the vats' according to Ethel. They lived next door to the Barnes family on Canal Terrace, at nos.21 & 22 about 1900 to 1910, and perhaps later. They had at least four children and quite a few known descendants, one of whom worked at a nuclear power station (Sellafield?) and others in Bolton, Lancashire.Return

This photo of Fred is taken from the one of all six brothers. With his fair hair and no moustache, being then only about 16-18, he is the only one easily recognised. He did not marry.

Frederick Barnes - Fred - was said by his niece Ethel to have been killed on the Somme. This is confirmed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website. He enlisted in 1916 as a private in the "1st/1st Bucks Bn, Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry" and was sent to fight on the Somme. He died in the attack of Sunday, 23 Jul 1916 and is buried at Orvillers Military Cemetery in France, his name being engraved on the War Memorial there. The CWGC site gives only a general account in these instances in which hundreds of infantrymen were killed but the sequence of terrible events on the Somme is well documented in many books and in websites on military history, with details and maps of the actions in which the various regiments were involved. Return

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