Page 28 - The Long Crendon Connection

Redditch Heritage The Long Crendon Connection

Links to Today's Generations

On my mother's side the background differs somewhat from that of the Partridges. For instance,
the Spencers do not originate from Redditch but from the village of Long Crendon in
Buckinghamshire close to Oxford. They were needle makers, a manufacturing trade closely allied
with fish hook making, in which the former trade existed in both Long Crendon and Redditch and
this would explain their eventual move in the 1860's to the latter. Several families made such a
move and some later returned to their original village. Like the Partridges, the Spencers had been
agricultural labourers during the 18th century and presumably earlier and then become needle
makers as the Industrial Revolution took hold in the 19th century.
Mr Philip Spencer was one of the dwindling number of workers in the needle trade who originally
came from Long Crendon. A Redditch Indicator obituary for him published 12th June 1918 says:
“Born in this small Buckinghamshire village 75 years ago he came to Redditch in 1864, and soon
entered into business as a manufacturer of surgical needles, founding the firm of Messers P.
Spencer and Sons. Some years ago he resigned the actual control, but to the last hour of his life
he maintained an active interest in the work that he had originated and so successfully carried
on. He had been for many years a member of the Board of Guardians of the Alcester Union and
at the time of his decease also held the post of overseer of Upper Ipsley Parish.”
Source: Extract from A REDDITCH BOYHOOD by Simon Partridge. March 2008

In 2006 I was researching my family history on my Mother’s side when I discovered that my
Granny Johnson’s Mum (my Great Grandmother) had been born in Long Crendon in 1848. I
returned to the book to read the passage again and eventually spoke to Anne Bradford about my
discovery. She in turn emailed to me this photograph………...
It seems that the list refers to the photograph. As I read it excitement mounted in me………….for
there were two names there which I knew from my family researches - they were Esther Turner
and Elizabeth Turner, sisters in the Turner family of Long Crendon Buckinghamshire, the tree of
which is documented later on (Elizabeth’s Birth Certificate also). So Ann Bradford was right….but
which two girls were the Turner sisters in the photograph? From the names chosen by Elizabeth
for her daughter (my Grandmother Esther Rebecca) years later, I concluded that the sisters were
close. The two girls to the right hand side of the 1862 picture are of similar features and stand
close together. The stature of the shorter girl would suggest that she might be about 14 years old
(Elizabeth) and that of the girl to her left to be older, perhaps 17, and therefore her sister Esther.
Upon this evidence I believe I am looking at my Great Grandmother Elizabeth who would give
birth some 22 years later to the lady whom I knew as Granny Johnson…….a child whom tragically
Elizabeth would only know for a few short months before her death in her thirty sixth year.

To return to the list….I believe that it holds further information and to that end I have done further
work and it tells us that some of the needle workers who left Redditch and journeyed to Long
Crendon in 1848 decided to return to Redditch in 1862. These I have highlighted in red. So perhaps
the photograph shows some who were originally natives of Redditch.
Source: Conversations with Peter White 2013/2014

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