1914 Kelly’s PO Directory of Herts: Walkern

Walkern is a village and parish on the river Beane, a feeder of the Lee, and is 6 miles north-north-east from Knebworth and 5 east from Stevenage stations on the main line of the Great Northern Railway, 9 ¾ north by north-west from Hertford and 32 from London, in the northern division of the county, Broadwater Hundred, Stevenage petty sessional division, Hertford Union, Hitchin county court district, and in the rural deanery of Benington and archdeaconry of St Albans. The street forming the village is about 1 mile long.

The church of St Mary the Virgin is an edifice of flint and stone dating from about 1200 and consists of chancel, nave of 4 bays, aisles, south porch and an embattled western tower containing 5 bells, one dated 1626, three 1713, and one 1833; the south aisle is Norman work, and has a priest’s chamber over it but the greater part of the existing church belongs to the Perpendicular period; the chancel was rebuilt in 1878 in the Early English style and an organ chamber and vestry added; in a recess on the south wall is a remarkably fine effigy in Purbeck marble of a knight in complete chain mail, with armed legs, probably representing one of the family of Lanvalei, who were lords of the manor from 1160 to 1220; on the wall of the vestry is a brass inscription to Richard, son of John Humberstone, 1581, the reverse of which bears the greater portion of an inscription to John Lovekyn, four times mayor of London, ob. 1370, and buried in St Michael’s, Crooked Lane, London: there is a brass with effigies to Edward Humberstone, ob.1583 and Anna (Welche) his wife and 8 children; the reverse of this brass is made up of eleven pieces out of several Flemish brasses of various dates from c. 1400 to 1510, and in parts commemorating the Van Lauwe and Gryse families: In 1903 it was on the wall of the north aisle; another, with effigies, to William Chapman, citizen and haberdasher of London, ob. 1621 and Anne, his wife, ob. 1636 and 12 children, and a third of a civilian and his wife, c. 1480, inscription lost: In 1882 a new aisle was erected on the north side of the chancel by the Rev JG Cotton-Browne MA DL in place of a faculty pew which had belonged to the family at Walkern Hall; the aisle, designed by Mr Hugh Roumieu Gough, architect, was opened on St Andrew’s Day, Nov. 30th 1882: In 1908 the embattled parapets of the church were rebuilt in flint and stone: there are 260 sittings, 240 being free.

The register dates from the year 1559. The living is a rectory, net yearly value £340, with 20 acres of glebe and a residence, in the gift of Kings College Cambridge, and held since 1913 by the Rev William Eustace Mills MA of that college. Here is a Congregationalist chapel, erected in 1811, with 150 sittings; also Baptist and Wesleyan chapels, a village hall, an extensive brewery, mineral water works and a steam flour mill. The consolidated charities for distribution of bread to the poor consist of John Izard Pryor’s, dated 1861, and which is invested in Consols, bring in £2 14s yearly; an unknown donor in 1707 gave 1 ½ acres of pasture at Yardley, now producing £3 yearly; another unknown donor left before 1786 3 ½ acres of arable land, bringing in £5 yearly; a third unknown donor before 1786 gave one acre at Breckwellshot, which yields £1 annually, and the rector pays 6s 8d as a yearly charge. There is in addition the interest on a sum of £300, left by the late Rev JG Cotton Browne, which is distributed in gifts to the poor at Christmas.

Walkern Hall, standing in a well-wooded park of 30 acres is the residence and property of Mrs Cotton-Browne. Miss Cotton Browne, who is lady of the manor. EN Ward Esq of 57 Cromwell Road, London SW, and RT Hargreaves esq of Bennington Park, are the principle landowners.

The soil is gravel, flint and clay; subsoil various. The chief crops are wheat, barley, beans and turnips. The area is 2,986 acres of land and 6 of water; rateable value £3,930; the population in 1911 was 779.

At Walkern Bury, 1 mile east, is the site of an old castle, portions only of the moat now remain; Bassett’s Green is 1 mile south-east and Clay End, a mile and a half south-east, are hamlets in this parish.

Sexton, W Cox

Post & Money Order and Telegraph Office. CE Pearman, postmaster. Letters through Stevenage arrive at 7.15am and 3.30pm; dispatched at 11.30 am & 6.40 pm; Sunday dispatched at 10.30am. Parcels are received and dispatched same time as the mails on week days only.

Wall Letter Box (near Rectory), cleared at 11.35 am & 6.40 pm; Sundays at 10.35 am
Pillar Letter Boxes – Finches End, cleared at 11.45am & 6.55pm; Sundays 10.45am & Walkern Hall; cleared at 9.20am & 5.30pm; Sundays, 9.15am.

Church of England School (mixed & infants) erected by Rev JC Wright, rector here in 1830, an addition being made in 1852 by Mrs Harding; the school will hold 96 children; average attendance, 80; the infants’ school was built in 1877, for 70 children; average attendance 45; Frank R Askew, master; Miss Mabel Edwards, infants’ mistress. This school is under the control of six managers; Rev WE Mills, The Rectory, correspondent.

Police Station, Horace Spencer, constable in charge.

Carrier to Hitchin & Stevenage – John Savage, on Tuesday returning same day

Private residents
Blaxill John. Brewery cottage
Cannon Mrs Owen
Chittenden Samuel Bowring, Walnut Tree house
Cotton Browne Miss, Walkern Hall
Cotton Browne Mrs, Walkern Hall
De vine Arthur Wilson Smyth
Estwick Amos. Montague house
Mills Rev William Eustace MA (rector). Rectory
Pearman Albert JP. Victoria house
Pearman Mrs. Mizpah house
Porter Thomas Franklin. Finches farm
Tucker James. The Laurels
Wright Herbert Wortham. Springhill
Wright Samuel Eustace, Lyndhurst

Commercial
Allison Horace, saddler
Allison Joseph, saddler
Askew Frank R, insurance agent & assistant overseer & clerk to the Parish Council
Boorman Charles Asher, cycle agent
Brown Frank Ernest, beer retailer
Canning Francis Richard, builder
Cannon John, boot maker
Carter George, boot maker
Copps William, farmer. Holmes farm
Cordell John, farmer, Bridgefoot farm
Cudlipp George, farmer
Cudlipp Thos. Farmer, Bassus Green
Dearman William, agricultural implement agent
**De vine Arthur Wilson Smyth LM SSA Lond. Physician & surgeon, & medical officer & public vaccinator 5th district, Hertford union. Walkern Croft
Estwick Amos, brickmaker
Farr Albert, farmer. Walkern Place
Foster Diana (Mrs), farmer. Rook’s Nest & Walkern Bury farms
Foster John, White Lion inn
Gray Thomas, Red Lion PH
Green Wallace, general dealer
Green Walter, builder & undertaker
Green William John, blacksmith
Hale John, gamekeeper to Miss Cotton Browne
Handscombe Bertie, baker
Harmer Frederick & George, wheelwrights
Jackson James William, blacksmith
Kerr James, beer retailer
Kitchener Ebenezer, grocer & draper
Kitchener John Elliot, baker
Knight Clara (Mrs), farmer
Lee Thomas, Yew Tree inn
Pearman Albert, miller (steam & water). Walkern Mill
Pearman Charles Edward, baker, Post office
Pettit William, plumber
Porter Samuel (exors of), farmers, Finches farm
Reed William, farmer. Park farm
Savage James, well sinker
Savage John, boot maker & carrier
Sawkins James, gamekeeper to Sir WB Peat. Boxwood
Sawyer Herbert Raynham, butcher
Smith Thomas, farm bailiff to Miss Cotton-Browne. Walkern Hall farm
Village Hall (Miss Cotton Browne, sec)
Wackett Samson, farmer, Boxbury farm
Warner Albert & Harold, painters
Westwood Ernest, butcher
Willatts Walter, head gardener to Miss Cotton Browne
Wright Samuel & Co., ale, stout & porter brewers & maltsters and aerated water manufacturers, Victoria Brewery and Mineral Water Works.
Youngs Harry, baker

** De vine Arthur Wilson Smyth LM SSA Lond. Has his address as Glebe Cottage Walkern in the 1911 & as Walkern croft in the 1915 Medical Registers of the General Medical Council