Contents:
600th Anniversary Commemoration of Sir Thomas Hungerford: invitation, abstract of the service, report in The Times, and the Sermon by the Bishop of Bath & Wells
On Joining the Hungerford Clan, by Stanley Hungerford
On Further Tracing the Hungerfords, by Walter Goodman
Baerami and Charles Simpson: The Hub of a Wheel, by Ron Prentice
An Irish-Australian Freemason: Edward Hungerford (1863-1956), by ‘CS’
Hungerford Lists 4: Probate Records in England & Wales 1858–1992, by Peter Sherlock
Editorial:
by Peter Sherlock
Our fifth volume of Hungerford Journals displays the broad range of the Society’s interests, in both time and space. In November 1998, a service and dinner were held at the family seat, Farleigh Hungerford Castle, in Somerset, to commemorate the anniversary of the death of Sir Thomas Hungerford (died 1397). Due to his status as first recorded Speaker of the House of Commons, distinguished guests included the Bishop of Bath and Wells, and Lord Weatherill, sometime Speaker himself. Here we reprint the Bishop’s sermon, as well as extracts from the invitation and reports of the event. May there be many more such gatherings!
From the United States of America, Stanley Hungerford – pioneer of modern US Hungerford studies – tells of his interest in the family history, and his activities in producing an account of the descendants of Thomas Hungerford of Connecticut. Some exciting new material is coming to light on Thomas’s pre-American activities, about which we hope to report in the near future.
Taking us back to England is an article by our Member Walter Goodman of Painswick, Gloucestershire, contin- uing his story of his search for his ancestors. In this contribution, he tells of some of our Fettiplace relations, including one notable cook, Lady Elinor Fettiplace. We hope to tell more of the Fettiplace and Hungerford connections in a future issue.
Next we turn to Australia, where Ron Prentice gives us an insight into his grandfather, Charles Simpson, whose involvement with the Hungerfords parallels Ron’s own activities as ‘hub’ of the Hungerford wheel. Then we read of Edward Hungerford, the patron of the Masonic ‘Lodge Edward Hungerford’, courtesy of material provided by John de Boos.
Finally, our series of lists of Hungerford probate records continues with a fourth part.