The Gamekeeper's Lodge at Stratfieldsaye
George is the last of the clan born before civil registration, but is one of the children of Samuel and Thyrza that we know a fair bit about. Although we do not know exactly when he was born the 1841 census records him as being 5 years old, and the 1851 census shows him at 15 years old, the oldest of the children still at home, recorded as "Farmers Son". His likely year of birth is therefore 1836.
On 19 September 1859 he married Hannah RICHES, then about 18, in Old Buckenham. Eliza CHILVERS was one of the witnesses. Hannah was the daughter of an Attleborough farmer Charles RICHES. This Charles was 27 years older than his wife Elizabeth, and in fact at the time of the wedding would have been in his mid-seventies.
The 1861 census finds the couple now in Stratfield Saye in Hampshire, with an 8 month old daughter, Ellen. George is a gamekeeper. Stratfield Saye is the site of the Duke of Wellington's estate.
The 1871 census shows the family now in Pheasantry Lodge in Stratfield Saye. George is described as "gamekeeper and lodge keeper" and Hannah is recorded as "Anna". The children are Ellen(10), Elizabeth(5), George(3), Anna(2), Herbert Edward(1) and Frank(1 month). All were born in Stratfield Saye.
In the 1881 census George and Hannah still in Stratfield Saye, and George is working as a gamekeeper, living at Park Lodge West. Their first child, Ellen, was born around 1861 in Stratfield Saye, so . The life must have been good, because there is by now a whole host of children: Ellen (1860), Elizabeth (1866), George (1867), Anne (1868), Herbert Edward (1870), Frank (1871), Lewis (1872), Kate (1875), Frederick (1876) and Arthur (1878). On the night of the 1881 census (Sunday 3 April), the then 15-year-old Elizabeth was working as a domestic assistant staying at the home of her grandmother, Elizabeth RICHES (by then widowed) in London Road, Attleborough.
In 1891 the family were living in "Southend" in Stratfield Saye. George is still a gamekeeper. The children at home are Lewis (18, a gardener), Kate (16), Fredk (14, a farm servant), Arthur (12), Harriet (8) and Harry (6). Frank (20) was not too far from home, he was living in Stratfieldsaye House, then occupied by Henry, the third Duke of Wellington, and his wife Evelyn. Frank was a "steward's room boy". The other steward's room boy had the marvellous name of Bostock DOWLING.
Elizabeth was in London in 26 Hamlet Road in Penge as a general domestic servant to a lady "living on own means", Eliza ISAACS and her two daughters.
"Young" George was also in London, resident in the Duke of Wellington's Riding School at 42 Albert Gate, Westminster, where he was working as a "groom(domestic)". Meanwhile, Anne (described in the Census as "Annie") maintained the family tradition of being in service in London, as she was a cook in the household of a Congregational minister, William Peter WILLIAMS in 197 Amhurst Road, West Hackney. Interestingly the reverend was himself only 28 and his wife 23, and originated in Wigan in Lancashire - where I now live!!
Edward (presumably having discarded the Herbert to become "Edward H CHILVERS) has done alright too, as he is in the household of the 70 year old widowed Elizabeth, Duchess of Wellington at Burhill in Walton-on-Thames. He is an "usher of hall". The Duchess was the widow of the second Duke of Wellington, son of the famous general and politician. The Duke died in 1884.
The 1901 census shows the family address as "Cott. near Southend", Southend Farm being mentioned in the previous entries on the page. As well as George (63, gamekeeper) and Hannah (60), the children at home are shown as Ellen (aged 40 with no occupation shown), George (33, assistant gamekeeper) and Arthur (21, scullery-man/domestic), along with Harriet (18, a dressmaker) and Harry (16, stableboy - domestic). All children are shown as being born in Stratfieldsaye (sic).
Herbert is still working in the household of the now 80 year old Elizabeth, Duchess of Wellington. He is described as being single, 29 years old, a "worker domestic".
Lewis (shown in the 1881 census as Louis) is in Great Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire living in Gardeners Cottage. He is shown as Head with one or more boarders (the entries go onto a separate page), and his occupatiion is described as "Gardener Foreman Domestic".
Frederick was working in 1901 as a 23-year-old servant out-of-door - domestic in the household of a widow, Evelyn Wellington (another relation?) in Hatchwoods in Odiham,Hampshire.
Arthur was killed on Saturday 4 August 1917 fighting in India or the North West frontier. His roll number was 8408 in the 1st Battalion Durham Light Infantry. He is recorded as being 39 years old and his parents are George and Hanna (sic) Chilvers, of Stratfield Saye, Mortimer, Berks - no other family (ie wife) is noted. It is recorded he is buried at Nowshera Military Cemetery N35.
The records show the death of a 79-year-old George CHILVERS in the December quarter of 1916 in Basingstoke, Hampshire, a Hannah CHILVERS having died at the age of 72 in Basingstoke District, Hampshire in the June quarter of 1913 (Vol 2c Page 247).
Page last updated 30 December 2006
