The Mansfield Family
Clutton Church and Rectory. 1906 to 1944 (Taken from my document on the history of the village of Clutton ©)
The Rectory was surrounded by tall chestnut, sycamore, yew and elm trees, which sometimes suffered storm damage. These trees were always full of rook’s nests. The house was approached through heavy iron gates just as the bend started to the left towards Cholwell with a high wall bounding it from the road. This wall, which ran about where the centre white line of the main road is now, was in constant need of repair, through age, frost or accident damage. In October 1922 a local mason from Temple Cloud, Smith, was called in to effect a small repair to the wall but in his attempt a much larger section fell down. Whether this was by accident or design must be open to some conjecture but needless to say the rector was somewhat displeased! At the far end of the property opposite the gate to Cholwell House was a small gate leading into a garden and orchard. This was let out to a cottager from Cholwell for his own use. Much of this garden was lost when the road improvements of the 1960’s took place. Dandos kept one of their lorries inside the main gate under the trees by arrangement with the rector who was not too pleased on one occasion when the gatepost was knocked down. In September 1933 the heavy gates were replaced after another incident when Fred Dando’s lorry was emerging from the Rectory drive at about 8-00 am. A railway lorry descending the hill rammed Fred’s lorry and as a consequence, the gates were totally destroyed. Although a Bristol firm replaced the gates as an insurance claim, they were never as good as the old ones.
To the left, inside of the gate and adjacent to the boundary wall of Mycott, was a tennis court. This was built and levelled by parishioners led by Alf and Joe Ettle, with the permission of the rector, Jimmy Mansfield, in August 1929. Tennis had been very popular in the village during the 1930’s and villagers formed a tennis club and came to the rectory to play. I recall seeing the tennis court in the 1940’s, very overgrown but with some vestiges of the outline and the net posts still evident. A gate in the rear wall led down to the church across the field known as ‘Park’ or ‘Parks’. In the east corner was a sunken lawn with ornate flower beds and borders. I recall with amusement when one of the later rectors, the Rev. Gordon, phoned father one morning to request a tow. He had approached the garden too fast up the drive, the brakes failed, plunging the old Morris Six, himself and his little terrier through the laurel bushes down into the depths of the sunken lawn and totally out of sight. I took one of our Albion lorries down and managed to extricate the car which fortunately suffered little apparent harm.
To the south, a level lawn at the top of a high wall gave a view across the field known as ‘Red Hayes’ to Temple Cloud. In June the church always held a fete in these gardens and once I recall a maypole was set up on this top lawn, which as school children we had to perform around. This was orchestrated by Ivor Hoyal, the schoolmaster. The whole garden needed a tremendous amount of upkeep and the incumbent had to either do it himself or with paid help from the village people. Records show Roland or Arthur Church paid 5/4d per week in the early 1920’s for gardening work. Some work was also given to Joe McGranigan and later on to Joe Ettle. There was a large garage, once a stable, under the trees with outbuildings for fuel stores etc. It actually faced the main road with ample room under the chestnut trees to manoeuvre a car in and out but later, the door has been made to face the gate.
Inside, the rectory had large rooms and in my schooldays part of the upper floor was let as a separate flat. The flat had been originally servants quarters and then used during the war by evacuees from London and Hastings, notably the Baker family, and later by Tony and Lucy Rogers and Pam and Eric Ellis. The flat was accessed strictly by the back door. Each large room had a bell pull at the fireplace to summon the servants, there was also a bell pull with a shiny brass knob at both front and back doors which caused a system of bell-crank levers to sound a different set of chimes for each location. I also recall large roomy cellars. The maintenance of the rectory had to be tendered for and paid for out of a ‘dilapidations’ fund. The lighting was by oil lamps, oil or paraffin was also used for cooking upto the late 1930’s when some extra heavier wiring had to be installed due to the purchase of an electric cooker. The sash windows were a constant problem as was the roof leaking especially after heavy snow which blocked the valleys and gutters. The jackdaws fancied the chimneys as nest sites and the stained wooden floors needed constant revarnishing. My mother’s cousin, Harold Tiley, was the painter and decorator most deployed by the rector, while for dripping taps, burst pipes and water tanks, Harry Elford of Stowey Road or Donald Dagger were near at hand.
Rectors
From 1815 the Rev Thomas Bryan Johnson was rector for many years but we have no record as yet as to any description of the rectory building itself at this period. He was there for sixty four years until 1879, a very long time indeed.
The Rev. Albert Boudier, who had been sponsored into the incumbency by the Earl of Warwick in 1879, died on St Basil’s Day 1897. There is no mention in the 1881 census however, of the Rev A. Boudier but his son, John Harvey Boudier is shown as living in the school house cottage nearby aged 22. He went on to be ordained in holy orders like his father and found a parish in North London., paying a surprise visit to the village in 1911 staying at Cholwell. The rectory was rebuilt and enlarged by Rev Boudier in the early 1880s which could account for his absence from the village during the 1881 census as it is stated “empty undergoing rebuilding”.
Albert Boudier had been rector at Clutton for eighteen years and on his death, was succeeded
in 1898 by the Rev. Leonard Hancock. Five years later he too was replaced by James Theophilus Müller, again from Warwick, and who retired in 1906. Mrs Müller was a frequent visitor with her daughter thereafter to Cholwell and the Rees-Moggs. In about 1910, Muller’s widow gave a new altar frontal to Clutton Church.
The Mansfield Family
The whole history of Clutton in the first part of the twentieth century can be said to be influenced greatly by the Mansfields and they were very much respected.
In 1906 the Earl of Warwick secured the services of James Mansfield M.A. as incumbent who went on to be a great influence in the village over the next forty years and thus deserves more than a brief mention. Born 17th November 1875 at Shirehampton, Bristol, educated at Weymouth College, he was a Cambridge graduate, had studied theology at Wells and had been curate at Dulcote.
James arrived at Clutton with Gladys early in September 1906 to see to arrangements for furnishing, decorating, and preparing the Rectory, having formally asked Mr Crosse for her hand upon hearing of the confirmation of the chance of the living of Clutton.. They were met at the station by a carriage and a trap provided by the Rees-Moggs with whom he stayed at Cholwell House for a couple of weeks. They were also greeted by the sound of the church bells rung specially to welcome them to the village. He was installed as rector on the 10th September and the induction took place on the 18th. The Mansfields married on October 9th 1906 and had a short honeymoon in Oxford. On July 31st 1907 a son John Grazebrook was born at 10-30pm., and next on August 21st 1909, a daughter Elisabeth Margaret. She was baptised on Sept. 26th 1909 and survived only for some nine months, dying of meningitis on August 4th 1910. She was buried in Clutton churchyard two days later, her tiny coffin carried by four choirboys. Another son entered the world at 4-25pm on March 19th 1911. This was Charles Edward – “Fatty” or “Billy” as he was sometimes known to the family, probably to avoid confusion with James’ elder brother Charles, who was a headmaster at a private boys school in Berkshire.
James Mansfield seemed a man at odds with himself. He soon became friendly with the large influential Davy family at Chelwood House and also with the equally large and well connected Scobells at Kingwell Hall. Sam Davy and his father before him, was the local solicitor with offices at Temple Cloud magistrates court. He married Doll or Dool Scobell during WW1 and James would be invited regularly to Chelwood or Kingwell for golf or bridge parties. James was a socialist by tendency, however he liked nothing more than to be seen with the nobility and gentry (he had his own armorial bearings, the licence for which he renewed annually as one of his ancestors it was said, was a Lord Chief Justice) but was equally at home with the miners, the farmers and the ordinary folk. The Scobells were the then-fashionable “blue stocking socialists” which suited ‘Jimmy’ as it gave him a “foot in both camps”. James Mansfield was always known as ‘Jimmy’ around the village. He was interested in the Clutton Football Club, of which he became, in 1921, both President and Secretary, travelling with the team to matches all over the area. He enjoyed cards, billiards, and cycling - a necessity as he neither drove a car or motorcycle - and the cinema. He helped instigate the rifle club in the range at Upper Bristol road in 1911, and was the secretary. He attended such diverse activities as the speedway at Knowle and the dog racing, the Mendip Farmers point to point, where he enjoyed a little flutter, losing more often than winning, and later on when given the chance, he enjoyed a trip in a light aircraft. He went to Bristol regularly, either by bus or by train or even not averse to cadging a lift in the milk lorry.
His Tuesday visits to Bristol were more often or not of a social nature rather than dealing with pastoral matters although the trip sometimes coincided with the need for a hospital visit or purchase of hymn books or items for the church. He paid regular visits to the Hallatrow Inn, walking via the railway line where he played cards with Captain Eschelby from Farrington Manor or to Temple Inn where he was served his tot of whisky at the rear door. When he became chaplain to the Clutton Union, the Inn became a favourite stopping place on his return home. In between, he found time to pay his visits around the village, having a free meal here and there while arranging for someone to play the organ or whatever, often ending up at the Warwick Arms.
The first son John, was an obvious favourite even though he got into many scrapes hardly befitting a rector’s son. Jimmy had high hopes for John who, on leaving Colchester House private school, then later Monkton Coombe School, went into the Westminster Bank in Bath. Bored with this, he was given a job with his grandfather at Wells. This did not last long however as John’s interest in girls (Una Milsom in particular) was greater than for the job and in 1929 grandfather, having voiced his complaint earlier, approached James to remove John to another occupation. John attempted to emigrate to Australia and Malaya; this was thwarted by the rector and his father in law so he sought a short service commission in the RAF, went to Egypt and to Iraq as a pilot officer. The villagers complained loudly to Jimmy in 1932 because a large bomber type plane buzzed the village on a number of occasions. It was John and a RAF pal taking air photos of the village and rectory. Jimmy had been known to comment on "……John's affairs, both ‘de coeur’ and otherwise"! The irate father of one such girl, Winnie King from Wells, threatened court action in April 1932 for breach of promise, but soon afterwards in June of that same year, John was seeing another girl, this time Mollie Foster from Bath. After his RAF term was up early in 1935, he left the service to become a civil pilot. His engagement to another girl Joan Malin, was announced in the Times in January 1935 but only a few months later in April, John reported to Jimmy (while the rector was in Paulton Isolation Hospital with suspected TB) that she had married his best pal. John was based at Whitchurch airport and it was due to that at this time, the telephone was installed at the rectory. After one or two incidents, John was killed in July 1935, crashing into the Bristol Channel just off Cardiff. A monument tomb stands to him in Clutton Churchyard which was erected by Blackers of Clutton in 1936 at a cost of £20-15-0d (£20-75).
Meanwhile Charles too, had attended Colchester House school, followed by Clifton College, leaving in 1929. Like his brother, he had a series of jobs, usually of a clerical nature starting at Elders and Fyffes on £80 pa., first of all in Southampton and later in Bristol and in 1932, at Plymouth. While at Plymouth he had a brush with the law, leading to a court case for assault. The firm did not like the subsequent adverse publicity and so his employment was immediately terminated. He applied for a job at at a radio firm in Reading which did not last long, then went to Robinsons Paper in Redcliffe, Bristol. He next went to Purnells at Paulton in 1935 working on shift work as a reader in the book bindery department. By January 1936 he had obviously had enough of shifts and found a job at Mardon Son & Hall in Bristol which he stuck to until the early years of the war when he volunteered to join the Royal Engineers. Not being qualified as an engineer however, he ended up as an officer in the Somerset Light Infantry and when on leave, used to drill the local Home Guard. He took on the role of scoutmaster in the village, encouraged by his father (who had to stand guarantor of his good conduct following the court appearance). After the war little is known of him but he married a lady five years his senior at Treneglos Church, Launceston, Cornwall on 7th January 1953 and eventually settled in Ireland as a Headmaster of a private boys boarding school from 1953 until 1970. He continued to teach for a further ten years after he retired and in 1986 wrote a book, a limited private publication funded by himself, about evacuees during WW2 called “Recarage to Victory” which he based upon the village of Clutton and his experiences there in his youth. A son William was was adopted in 1957 when Charles was 46 and his wife 51 and another boy was adopted in 1958. Charles died in 2002 at the age of 91!.
Both John and Charles had an interest in cars and motorcycles and thus ran up plenty of bills at local repair garages such as Lensons at Hallatrow or Gawlers and later Smiths at Temple Cloud. John had a 1923 Bullnose Morris tourer with dicky seat, an MG Morris which he crashed and subsequently attended court for driving without due care and attention, then later a MG sports and an Essex among others. Charles had a series of motorcycles, BSA and AJS, then went on to cars such as a Gwynne 8 which proved immensely troublesome, a Morris Minor of about 1929 purchased two years old from Shearns at Midsomer Norton, a Standard, a Morris Cowley, and an Austin Ten. He also, during a brief spell of working as a publicity representative for Rowntrees of York, ran a company Austin Seven van which took him all over the south of England and South Wales.
As stated earlier, Charles was sworn in as scoutmaster in May 1933 and when the United Methodists gave up the little Zion Chapel at Bendalls Bridge in September 1933, his father negotiated with the Earl of Warwick’s agent for its use as a scout headquarters on Charles’ behalf. He gave up a lot of his free time with the scouts, even to editing a magazine, “Echoes”, for them and organising camps, concerts, and jamborees.
Gladys and James appeared to drift apart in their interests, rarely attending any function together. From the early 1920’s, when the Clutton pit closed and work was scarce, Gladys was frequently seen around and about with Joe Ettle, a miner, whom the Mansfields had employed on a casual basis for odd jobs around the time of unemployment in the early twenties. Joe had a motorcycle on which he regularly took Gladys for rides on a special pillion seat that he had made for her. They would depart as far afield as Southampton, Gloucester, Moreton in Marsh, Exmoor, or twice weekly to the cinema in Bristol; sometimes not returning until very late. Often the motorcycle would break down and they returned late by train or bus.
In 1936 a clairvoyant set up a tent at Clutton Flower Show in the field at Stowey Road. James Mansfield took the unusual step of paying her a quiet visit and was amazed to be told his fortune with some accuracy. He was told that he had two sons, that one son had been killed in a crash, that he lived in a house with a lawn around it, that he was either a doctor or parson and was a gifted speaker who wrote references for people. He was horrified to be told to 'beware the lady pillion rider', and that she could see a woman in hospital…! Gladys’ favourite trip with Joe was to Tynings Farm at Charterhouse on Mendip to “pick whortleberries”. She was very short and stout with a loud commanding voice, especially trying to out-sing “Floppin’ Jack” at Clutton Church which she attended even when living at Hallatrow in later years after James’ death in 1944. She was active in the village all her life with Women’s Institute, Red Cross, Clothing Club, Conservative and Labour party, Football Club, Childrens Country Holiday Fund, village dances, whist drives and, during the war, with the work with the refugees. She was a school governor for many years, a village sick visitor and would sit all night with someone who was seriously ill or dying or when respite care was required. She ran the Clutton Nursing Association in the years before the National Health; a small weekly subscription could ensure payment to a doctor, a nurse or for a stay in hospital. For instance, in 1930 soon after the arrival of a new village nurse, Mills by name, Gladys decided tht the nurse could work more effectively if she had a car. She saw a baby Austin Seven for sale and began a collecting fund to acquire it for the nurse although by 1931 a new nurse, White, had arrived followed soon after by nurse Rawles who continued the use of the Austin Seven.
Jimmy, a heavy smoker, had a history of chest problems. His health was failing during the second war and his long walks to to the various pubs became less frequent. After a lengthy illness late in 1943, during which time services at the church were taken by a series of visiting clergy, Gladys went house hunting. Plans were made for a move to 'Little Firs' at Hallatrow but Jimmy died before the move, early in 1944 aged 68. Gladys lived alone in 'Little Firs', often flying to Ireland to visit Charles who by then had become a school master there. She became blind and died in the early 1971 aged 85. The Mansfields made a huge impact on the village due to the length of time they lived here and their participation in absolutely everything taking place.