Introduction

Giles Hodges Paul was born in 1858, probably at Cary’s Farmhouse in the High Street, Hardington. An orphan by the age of ten, he was raised by his stepfather, Giles Hodges. After completing his blacksmithing apprenticeship, he moved to Chelsea, London, where he achieved significant success, allowing him to retire by the age of 43 and pursue farming in Lingfield. He had seven children, three of whom emigrated to Canada and one to Australia.

Early life at Hardington

Giles was born at Hardington on 7 February 1858, the youngest of three children born to Thomas and Mary Ann Paul.[1]  He was probably born at Cary’s Farm in the High Street, where his father was the tenant. When Giles was about five weeks old, his father developed a serious fever. On Sunday, 4 April 1858, Giles was baptised at Hardington church, possibly as a precaution in case he fell ill or to please Thomas. Sadly, Thomas passed away the following Thursday.[2]

On 3 January 1861, Giles’s mother, Mary Anne, married her late husband’s cousin, Giles Hodges, who took over the farm.

When Giles was ten, his mother died from exhaustion after a difficult labour.[3] Following her death, he was raised by his stepfather for several years. By the age of 13, Giles had become an apprentice blacksmith, probably under the tutelage of Job Taylor, the village blacksmith.

On 4 February 1875, Giles’s stepfather remarried, which may have prompted Giles to leave home.

Life as a Farrier in London

By April 1881, Giles had moved to London, where he worked as a farrier and lodged at 5 Graham Street, St Luke’s. He remained a farrier throughout his time in London, although it remains unclear if he owned a business, as the employment status sections of the 1891 census were left blank, and no other evidence has yet been found to settle the matter.

On 14 August 1882, Giles married Alice Wedge at St Mary, Islington. She was a domestic servant, and her father was a slate mason.  Both Giles and Alice listed their address as 31 Tibberton Square.

They spent the first decade or so of their married life in and around Chelsea. In August 1883, their address was 90 Pavilion Road. In November 1884, their address in the baptism register is not clearly recorded but may read “150 Newlem Road”. From 1886 until at least October 1892, their address was 1 Little Exeter Street, where they occupied two rooms.[4] In 1899, their address was 32 Pavilion Road, Sloane Street, London.[5]

For reasons unknown, Alice travelled to Twyford near Winchester to have her last child, Ernest Douglas, who was born there on 25 August 1899 and baptised at the parish church on 17 September 1899.[6]

Life in Surrey

By March 1901, Giles had retired, and he and his family lived at 58 Oakley Road, Croydon, with six of their seven children still at home.

On 30 January 1905, Giles attended the funeral of his half-brother, Edward Paul, at Lewisham.[7]

By October 1905, Giles had moved to Lingfield, where he took up farming.[8] The 1911 census recorded that he had a live-in farming assistant, and by 1921, his youngest son, Ernest, was helping him with the farm.

By April 1911, Giles and his family had moved to Sugham Farm, the Common, Lingfield.

During the First World War, Giles became a special constable.[9]

By June 1921, Giles lived at the Nest, the Common, Lingfield, and farmed at Piers Farm, Lingfield.

Death

When he died on 15 October 1932, aged 74, his address was “The Farm,” Lingfield, Surrey, and he left an estate valued at £15,474-10s-10d.[10]

Alice died at “The Farm” on 14 August 1949, aged 88, leaving an estate valued at £2,833-8s.[11]

Children

Giles and Alice had seven children:

1883- Thomas Gils (emigrated to Australia; died in 1943);

1884- Alfred George (emigrated to Canada; died in 1960);

1886- Arthur William (became a farmer at Lingfield; died in 1962);

1889-Alice May (married a motor engineer named John Harvey Riches; died in 1976);

1891- Charles Daniel (emigrated to Canada; died in 1977);

1892- Emily Marion (married Lieutenant Harold Milton Bailey in 1917; emigrated to Canada; died in 1982);

1899-Ernest Douglas (served with the Roal Marine Light infantry during the First World War; farmed at the Nest, Lingfield; died in the Taunton district in 1966).

References

[1] His father named him after a brother who had died two years earlier.

[2] Thomas Paul’s death certificate.

[3] Mary Ann Hodges’s death certificate.

[4] Baptism registers of Holy Trinity, Sloane Street, and St Saviour, Walton Street.

[5] Twyford baptism register.

[6] 1939 Register; Twyford baptism register.

[7] Kentish Mercury, 3 February 1905, p.6.

[8] Westerham Herald, 28 October 1905, p.8 (twelve dairy cows belonging to Giles Paul of Lingfield to be sold at Edenbridge cattle market).

[9] Surrey Mirror, 9 November 1915, p.2

[10] National probate calendar.

[11] National probate calendar.