The Tener Family

This is a journal kept by Dennis Holmes and friends concerning the Tener Family.
The links below will take you to the "Tener Blue Book" - "TENER: A History of the Family in France, Ireland and America"; and to a Finding Aid.


NEW! Tener Eckelberry: A Life
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Monday, December 12, 2005

Brickworth, Wiltshire, England

I meant to include something about this beautiful home in the posting on Dec. 1, 2005.
Prior to our trip I located a web site for Brickworth and learned that it was a B & B. But alas, they ceased to be one as we were booking our lodging in England.

The web site for the B&B had some very interesting material on the house: I am copying that here ---
Brickworth Farmhouse was built in 1725, in the reign of King George I, though there is evidence that a much older house stood on the site. It was the farm for the large house built by Giles Eyre, who also built the local landmark, the Pepperbox, on the hill above the house. The farm passed into the Trafalgar estates when Kitty, sister of Admiral Lord Nelson, married into the Eyre family. The deeds of the farmhouse show it was sold by Albert Horatio Nelson Esq. to Laetitia Piggott, wife of Brigadier General Piggott in 1925. For many years it was a working farm, then well known as a riding stables, but now just 5 acres of land remain as part of the estate. We keep rare breed chickens in the orchard and also produce our own honey.

Because we were so close, right down the street in Whiteparish, and because the Brickworth property had been mentioned in Uncle Hampden's travelogue - from 1934: and additionally, in the monuments inside White Parish church, we decided to try and locate and visit the property.
We had brought with us a map showing where the home was located, very close to a major roadway, and not far from where we were staying. So, after visiting the church, we drove just a few miles and located the property.


We drove up to the property and parked in the parking area. I took a couple of photos of the exterior of the home and was greeted by the owner. After explaining who we were he was a bvery gracious fellow. We were also able to meet briefly with the lady of the house who was off for appointments!

As long as this web site stays 'up an drunning' you can access it to see the rooms inside. I did not take any photos of the interior of the home in an effort to preserve the privace of the current owners. This web site describes the property as an available B & B: http://www.2stay.com/uk/hotels/brickworthfarm.html

I located the following which describes the delelopment of the Whiteparish area - and later the building of Brickworth farmhouse - around 1605 by Giles Eyre: The 15th and 16th centuries saw the break up of the manorial system and by the mid 16th century most of the parish population was concentrated in Whiteparish village. There was no expansion in other areas and most of the 450 people estimated to have been here in 1580 must have lived in the village. The 17th century saw the enclosure of more open fields and an expansion into the area of a new land-owning class that had made their money elsewhere. New country houses, such as Bricksworth (c.1605 for Giles Eyre), and here is where I saw that there had been a fire and a rebuilding: .....while in 1860 Brickworth House was destroyed by fire and rebuilt.

Knowing this, I tried to photo thel house - and from the following angles you can pretty much determine the newer construction. . . . .

Somewhere I had read that there was a serious fire and the home was (at least partially) rebuilt in the 19th century.


While I did not ask, I believe the addition is the slightly taller building on the left - which also has the more outside and attached fireplace as opposed to the one on the right - built into the home.


This view is looking toward the front of the home, from an adjacent parking lot. The roof located closest to the lefft is also new construction - added after the fire in the 19th century. Shortly after the above photo was taken, I was met by the owner, and he showed us the home. We had a 'spot of tea. . . . .' in the front garden with their very pleasant guard dog. . . . . . . .


The following photo is of the front of the home.


We completed our visit at Brickworth, and left to drive up the road only a short distance to the "Folly" built by Giles Eyre around 1606. This is called the "peopperbox" and will appear on the next posting.

Thursday, December 01, 2005

White Parish Church & Brickworth in Wiltshire

Conducting some research into the Eyre family of Wiltshire, as mentioned in Uncle Hampden's travelogue of 1934 where we learn that he visited Brickworth and the church at White Parish, we can see that both are still standing today.



The small town of Whiteparish is situated along the A-27 roadway, south of Salisbury. Their web site boasts a population of near 1,500 residents.

Within Whiteparish there are two churches - a methodist and All Saint's Church - which I believe to be a Church of England (pictured to the left). Let us focus on the All Saint's Church, which we have learned was the family church of the Eyre's of Wiltshire!

This church was first built c. 1190 - but has experienced substantial repair and remodel over the centuries since then!

The Wiltshire County Council web site tells us a great deal about this church( http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getchurch.php?id=706 ) :
Remains of the early church can be seen in the Norman priest's doorway and other pieces of stonework that have been reset in the church. The church was later re-modelled in the Early English period. The north aisle is 13th century, as is the altered chancel arch, while the south aisle is partly 14th century.
Improvements had been made to the interior in 1853 there was a major restoration by William Butterfield in 1870, and externally the church now appears to be all Victorian. It is in limestone and flint chequers with a shingled bell turret under a steep pyramid roof. In 1969 a polygonal vestry was built concealing the Norman priest's doorway.

The original church was built by the Saxons.

What I found to be quite interesting about this church, and others in England also, were the various monuments to the Eyre family. In a published brochure for the church, there is mention of "one of the most fascinating" monuments "on the West Wall, to the right of the West door". This particular 'monument' is regarding "GYLES EYRE", and it reads:

"Buried here Gyles Eyre Efq. and Jane his
wife. A man much opprefsed by publick power
for his laudable oppofition to the meafures
taken in the Reigns of James and Charles the
firft. In the year 1640 (for then well
known court reafons) He was * * * * was
afterwards plundered at Brickworth by the
King's Soldiers of 2000. value and imprifoned
for refufing to pay the sum of 400 illegally
demanded of him by two inftruments under the
privy Seal bearing date at Oxford 14: Feb:
1643. He was Bapt: Feb. 1579 dyed Jan:
1655: having ifsue 7 sons (3 of whom were
likewife members of Parliament) and
4 Daughters"



In the brochure available in the church, the 'mystery' of the astericks was solved in 1992 when an American descendant of the family sent a copy of the original inscription without asterisks. "This showed that, to the family's shame, Gyles Eyre was publicly flogged!"

To my enjoyment there were other 'monuments' to the Eyre family inside the church. Not in any order they follow. . . . .

This 'monument' seems to tell us that the bodies of James and his wife are buried on the Church grounds. I looked at all of the head stones but could not locate theirs - the oldest legible headstone was about 1740 or so, yet I was unable to locate theirs. There were several which were badly weather worn.

This monument is interesting inasmuch as it appears to demonstrate that the Brickworth property was still in the family over a hundred and fifty years after Gyles Eyre!

This monument appears to be an engraved marble marker which was mounted on a wall inside of the church.

The following monument is telling us that the wife of Gyles Eyre - Dorothy Eyre, daughter of John Ryves of Ranston in the County of Dorset - is buried at the church. It also tells us that Gyles Eyre was a barrister of Lincoln's Inn.



And there is a 'monument' telling us that the remains of Jane, daughter of John Eyre, and "relict" of Samuel ORR Esq., are buried. This marker is quite legible and was also mounted on a wall inside of the church.

The marker above reads:

"Near this place

are deposited the remains of

Jane

Relict of Samuel Orr, Esq. **

and eldest daughter of

John Eyre Esq.

of Landford House of this County

Having exemplified a Christian's Faith

By a Christian's practice

She died February Vth MDCCCXXVI

Aged LXXV

This Tribute

To the memory of an affectionate relative

is dedicated by her Nephew

Henry Eyre Esq.

Of Botleigh Grange

Hants"