Part of the Ingram-Green family tree (Great-grandfather)
James Ingram was born at Hedgeman’s Farm in Barkingside in Essex, and farmed there from the mid-1880s until his death in 1924.
Family background and early life
James Ingram was born at Hedgeman’s Farm in Barkingside, Essex on 10 February 1858. He was the 13th of 15 children born to Lionel Bull Ingram (1822–1875) and his wife, Caroline née Davy. He was baptised on 17 March 1858 at Holy Trinity Church, Barkingside.
At the 1861 census, 3-year old James was living at Hedgeman’s with his parents and nine siblings.
10 years later, he was at school in The Grove in Milton (near Gravesend, Kent). The headteacher of the school was William Henry Hedger (1831–1908), who had previously been an assistant at a school in Barking run by his mother, Maria.
Marriage and children
On 17 June 1877, 19-year old James Ingram married Annie Clark Bosworth (aged 20), at St Botolph’s Church in Aldgate, in the City of London. On the marriage register, James is described as a “farmer” and his parish is recorded as Aldgate. Annie was the daughter of Thomas Bosworth, a butcher from Leytonstone.
The couple had 8 children:
Annie Elizabeth (known as Queenie): born 17 October 1879, baptised 4 January 1880
James: born 29 March 1881, baptised 1 May 1881
Ernest Thomas: born 21 March 1882, baptised 7 May 1882
Lilian Maud: born 17 June 1883, baptised 2 September 1883
Nellie: born 31 March 1885, baptised 7 June 1885
Ethel: born 5 May 1886, baptised 8 April 1888
Mildred: born 11 November 1887, baptised 8 April 1888
Dorothy: born 1889, baptised 1893 (full details not recorded)
All the children were baptised at The Church of the Holy Trinity, Barkingside.
At the census in April 1881, James and Annie, with their first two children plus a nurse and a housemaid were living at Dunsprings Farm, which was a short distance north-west of Holy Trinity Church.
Hedgeman’s Farm
James’s father, Lionel Bull Ingram had died in November 1875, when James was 17. Since that time, James’s mother, Caroline, had continued to run the farm, with assistance from her sons, but by 1885 James and his growing family had moved in with Caroline at Hedgeman’s Farm.
In January 1884, James Ingram appeared at the Essex Winter Assize when he was sued by a Mr. Balls, a baker from Leytonstone, to recover damages sustained by Ball “through the negligence of the driver of a cart and three horses belonging to the defendant (James Ingram)”. On 15 June 1883, Balls was driving his pony and cart near Maryland station (at the southern end of Leytonstone High Road, when he collided with a dung cart driven by one of James Ingram’s employees, as a result of which Mr. Balls’s pony suffered a broken leg and had to be put down. Damages were awarded to the plaintiff of £28, plus costs, to cover the loss of the pony and damage to the trap.
In the 1891 census, James and Annie, and their eight children were living at Hedgeman’s with 68-year old Caroline, plus a general servant, Julia Misson, aged 25.
Sadly, two of the daughters died as infants: Ethel died on 26 July 1891, aged 5, as a result of burns and injuries caused by falling into an open fire on 2 February, and her chemise accidentally catching fire. Following an inquest on 30 July, she was buried at Holy Trinity the following day.
Dorothy died on 13 February 1893, aged 4, from “membranous croup“. She was also buried at Holy Trinity.
St Swithin’s Farm
In about 1898, James Ingram had taken a lease on St Swithin’s Farm (80 acres) in Woodford, located close to the River Roding (south of the present-day junction of the M11 and North Circular roads). He continued to run both farms until his death in 1924.
At the 1901 census, James and Annie were living at Hedgeman’s with their son, James, and the four surviving daughters, plus Julia Misson, now aged 35. (Ernest was now serving with the Army in South Africa.)
Ernest returned safely home following the end of the Boer War in May 1902. Sadly, further tragedy was to strike the family on 23 February 1903, when Ernest’s older brother James, was killed in a shooting accident, aged only 21.
Problems continued to beset James, and in August 1904 there was a serious fire at St Swithin’s Farm when two haystacks, containing 100 wagon loads of hay were “maliciously set alight by persons unknown” and destroyed. In February the following year, 17-year old Walter Cockett was charged with stealing a quantity of hay from the stackyard at St Swithin’s Farm, and was fined 15s.
Almost exactly five year to the day since the previous fire, in August 1909 there was a more serious fire which destroyed three hayricks and several items of equipment. The fire required the combined services of the Ilford and Wanstead fire brigades with a total of 21 men, and took 7 hours to bring under control, with only minor damage to the farm buildings. Arson was again suspected, but the culprit was never identified.
By the 1911 census, the children had all married and move out of the family home, leaving James and Annie on their own at Hedgeman’s, except for the long-serving Julia Misson, and 2-year old Edward Hennequin, the son of their daughter Lilian.
Second marriage
Annie died at Hedgeman’s on 14 April 1916, aged 59. The cause of death was Cerebral Apoplexy (a stroke).
Eight months later, on 7 December, James (now 58) married 50-year old Adelaide Amelia Kearsey at St. Mary the Virgin with Christ Church, Wanstead. She was the daughter of Joseph Kearsay, dec’d, a carman and his wife Rececca, from Wanstead.
In 1921, James and Adelaide were recorded at Hedgeman’s Farm, still being helped by their housekeeper Julia Misson (now 55) and a young domestic servant.
Julia Misson died in May 1923, and was buried at Holy Trinity Church, Barkingside.
Death and tributes
James Ingram died at Queen Mary’s Hospital, Stratford on 27 April 1924, aged 66. The causes of death were “ischiorectal abscess” and pulmonary oedema. According to his obituary in the Eastern Counties Times on 9 May, he had enjoyed perfect health all his life until two weeks previous, when he complained of “an internal complaint”. He was taken to hospital but died two days after an operation to drain the abscess.
Like his parents and many other members of his family, James was buried at Holy Trinity Church, Barkingside, on 1 May 1924. The funeral was attended by his widow, Adelaide, and four of his five surviving children and their spouses (the exception being Mildred who by then had been cut-off by the family) plus many other members of the family, friends, employees and business colleagues.
The obituary says of James:
In South Essex farming circles, he was one of the best-known and most highly-esteemed agriculturalists, and was a notable figure in the markets within many miles of Ilford. Being a prominent member of the Ilford Farmers’ Association, he was nominated by that body to represent it at the South Essex Farmers’ Union.
He was in every sense a model farmer, a popular employer and a trusted friend in all classes amongst whom he mingled.
He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
On Sunday, 25 May, the Ilford Farmers’ Association held their annual service at Holy Trinity Church. The service was conducted by Canon Henry Ashton Lake, (Sub-Dean of Chelmsford Cathedral); in his address to the congregation, Canon Lake paid tribute to James Ingram, describing him as “one of the best-known agriculturalists in Essex” and spoke of “his useful influence among agriculturalists in all parts of the county”. “His death would be felt by all who knew him.”
His estate was valued for probate at £17,831.
Subsequent family history
After James’s death, his widow, Adelaide retired to Eastbourne in Sussex, where she died on 14 August 1960, aged 93. She never re-married.
His son, Ernest Thomas Ingram married Ethel May Legg in St Clement’s Church, Ilford on 26 December 1906. The couple had three sons and a daughter. Ernest died on 18 November 1927, aged 45.
Annie Elizabeth Ingram (Queenie) married James Charles Parker at St Mary’s Church, Lambeth on 19 September 1901, and had three sons and two daughters. She died at Tendring, Essex in October 1937, aged 58.
Lilian Maud Ingram married Henry Holland Hennequin at St Mark’s Church, Kennington on 22 April 1906. Henry became the chief engineer for Yardley, soap manufacturers. He and Lilian had two sons, one of whom died as an infant, and the other, Edward was killed in a motorcycle accident in March 1927, aged 17. Lilian died on 20 July 1941, aged 58.
Nellie Ingram married Henry Christopher at St Clement’s Church, Ilford on 2 June 1909; he became a factory manager for a clothing company. Their only child, Henry Morton Christopher served in the Second World War as a Pilot Officer with the Royal Air Force. He was killed when his plane crashed into the North Sea on 8 September 1940. Nellie died in June 1942, aged 57.
Mildred Ingram married Edward Langletz Willams, a shipping clerk, at Wanstead parish church on 8 October 1910. Their only child, Edward Langletz Ingram Williams was born on 23 April 1914. Mildred later had an extra-marital relationship with Gerald Bishop, from which her second son, Gerald Douglas Williams was born in September 1918, resulting in her divorce. It seems that she was then cut-off from her family, and did not attend her father’s funeral. She later had a long-term relationship with Charles Hack, and from 1928 until his death in 1948, ran the Black Bull pub at Cliffe, near Rochester in Kent. She was the only one of James Ingram’s children to live past 60, and died in 1983, aged 95.
Sale of farms
Following James’s death, the livestock and crops of both farms and the contents of the house at Hedgeman’s were put up for auction. On 11 September 1924, an auction was held at Hedgeman’s Farm by Alfred Savill & Sons, to dispose of “The Whole of the Superior Household Furniture and Effects” including a substantial amount of mahogany furniture and an upright pianoforte.
On 29 September, Savill’s held another auction to sell “The Live and Dead Farming Stock”, including 16 carthorses, 5 carts and 11 market vans. The third auction was on 7 October, when Savill’s sold the crops from both Hedgeman’s and St Swithun’s Farms, including 60 acres of growing crops (potatoes, cabbage, broccoli and rhubarb) plus 12 stacks of wheat.
St Swithun’s Farm (described as 80 acres of building land with a long frontage onto the new road) was sold at auction on 20 May 1925.
Hedgeman’s Farm continued to operate under other tenants until the early 1930s, when it too was sold for building land.
Sources
Ancestry.co.uk:
1861 England Census
1871 England Census
1881 England Census
1891 England Census
1901 England Census
1911 England Census
1921 England Census
England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966, 1973-1995
Essex, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1918
Essex, England, Church of England Deaths and Burials, 1813-1994
Essex, England, Church of England Marriages, 1754-1935
Essex, England, Church of England Parish Registers, 1518-1960
London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921
London, England, City Directories, 1736-1943
UK, City and County Directories, 1766–1946
Chelmsford Chronicle;
25 January 1889. Destructive Fire at Barkingside
12 August 1904. Ilford Fires
10 February 1905. Stratford Petty Session
5 September 1924. Hedgeman’s Farm, Ilford
19 September 1924. Hedgeman’s Farm, Ilford
26 September 1924. Hedgeman’s and St Swithin’s Farms, Ilford
3 October 1924. Hedgeman’s and St Swithin’s Farms, Ilford
15 May 1925. The Valuable Freehold Property known as St Swithin’s Farm
Eastern Counties’ Times:
13 August 1909. Big Fire at a Woodford Farm
9 May 1924. Death of Well-known Ilford Farmer
30 May 1924. Farmers at Church
Essex Herald:
28 January 1884. Essex Winter Assize. Balls v. Ingram
Essex Weekly News:
12 August 1904. Three Outbreaks of Fire at Ilford
Ilford Historical Society:
Newsletter No.148 August 2025. 100 Years of Redbridge