Visit to Toot Hill in Essex 2006

The 1901 Census had a surprise with an entry for Chris' Aunt Daisy Hunt aged 5 born at Toot Hill in Essex in i.e. before the family reached Enfield.

We called in on Toot Hill, near Chipping Ongar, on the way back from a visit to Maldon in Essex with our friends Graham & Nola Owers.

There were a number of farms in the Toot Hill area and a large house with stables now called the Green Man. It was pouring with rain but I did manage to take two photgraphs out of the car window:

In the Green Man are a number of old photographs in the Green Man which depicted what life was like when the Hunts lived there:

Village Scene

Another Village Scene with a large building (the Green Man) in the background

Outside the Green Man

Remarkably, from phtographs taken at the time, the pub had a fire and the pub was rebuilt in 1896. So it is likely that Chris' grandfather Arthur Hunt worked on the rebuilding and may be pictured in photographs at the time.

Visit to Enfield Early 2008

During a visit to Herfordshire, we went to see one of Chris' cousins who lives in Glenville Avenue, Enfield. Nearby was the house where Chris' Grandfather Arthur Hunt lived:

Arthur Hunt at the front gate of 80 Glenville Avenue, Enfield

Subsequent to the visit, another of Chris' cousin sent her a delightful photo of Chris' mother as an infant, taken in Enfield circa 1912:

Chris' mother Phyllis Marjoram Hunt in Enfield circa 1912

Phyllis is the baby of a few months old with her eldest sister Lily Hunt standing at the back with the other sister Elsie Hunt.

Eliza (Marjoram) Hunt

More recently, we went through some of the photos which we have kept in an old suitcase in the loft. In the suitcase was a framed photograph of Chris grandmother Eliza Marjoram as a young woman circa 1885:

Eliza Marjoram as a young woman

We took a chance and took the backing off the photo to see if the photo had any details on it. To our surprise, there was another photo underneath! It was a photo circa 1825 of Dorothy Hunt and Bill Eustace wedding in which Chris' mother was a bridesmaid (age about 12):

Wedding of Dorothy Hunt & Bill Eustace

We sent a copy of the photo to one of Chris' cousins and it turned out to be her grandparents and her mother had not got a wedding photo of her parents.

Visit of Chris' cousin and son, May 2008

Chris' cousin called on us with her son when she was on holiday in the New Forest and they had a good chat! We were delighted to give her the photo of her parents' wedding.

Wonderful!

Chris' cousin and son with me

Chris' cousin with the photo of her parents' wedding

Arthur & Eliza (Marjoram) Hunt & family at White Webbs Lane, Enfield

Another framed photograph shown in our hall is a photo of Arthur & Eliza (Marjoram) Hunt & Family taken in Enfield c 1916

Link to:
Visits to Debenham and Crowfield

Colin Bower
21 August 2020

Link to:
Family History Index