The Last Squire of Betley

The release of dates for our open days this year have had the effect of focusing our attention onto those jobs still on the ‘to do’ list. Last week, we received a proof copy of a facsimile version of Godfrey Brown’s This Old House: A Domestic Biography. It was really lovely to see Professor Brown’s words, smartly bound in a new reprint. Its something Nigel and his brothers have dreamed of for some time, so it feels like quite an achievement – with everything we have been through as a family – to have ticked this task off. The proof has been approved, and we’ll receive the new copies in time for the upcoming open days.

The old and the new versions of Prof Brown's book

I’ve been working on information boards for the gardens too this week. These will be dotted around the garden to help visitors understand some of the history of the gardens. It will also explain some of the management practices the family have put in place. The boards have been fun to put together, using images from the family archives, and drawing upon historical titbits we’ve discovered through our research. It is our way of putting the history of Betley Court into the public domain, and keeping those memories alive.

Work in progress - an information board about Betley Court's hospital years

A few months ago, as I wrote a blog post, I mentioned GeorgeFletcher Twemlow in passing. I’d gone online in search of a picture of him to illustrate the post, and was surprised to find none were in the public domain. Similarly, I could find no pictures of the last Squire of Betley, Captain Charles Fletcher Twemlow. Admittedly, they didn’t live in the days of mobile phone cameras, where literally anyone can put their portrait into the public domain, but I was surprised because I’d expected gentlemen of their class to have left a visual mark, perhaps in the National Portrait Gallery’s collection online. Of course, there are lots of contemporary written pieces about both gentlemen. And with historic documents on the internet, images only appear online if someone takes the trouble to post them.

There are other ways to build up a picture of someone, if you are an amateur historian. I came across an obituary for Captain Charles Fletcher-Twemlow in the Nantwich Chronicle archives[1]. A good obituary not only gives you facts about the deceased person’s life, but creates a sense of who the person was and what their values were, and the staff writer at the Nantwich Chronicle did a fine job at that.

We find out that Capt Fletcher-Twemlow was a solicitor, and owned land around Betley. He was regarded as the ‘elder stateman’ of the village, playing an active role in Betley life, along with his wife, Evelyn. He was born Charles Royds in London in 1901, and grew up in Sandbach. He later attended Eton, then went up to Cambridge University, studying law at Trinity College. He married Evelyn Theresa Christie in 1927. (She was from a notable family herself, her father a brewer in business, but also the political historian Octavius Francis Christie). ***As an aside, I found a photograph of Evelyn and Charles on their wedding day, as part of the Lafayette Negative Archive in the V&A’s collection, when I Googled her name. I cannot reproduce the image without permission from the V&A but you can view it HERE.***

Captain Charles Royds Fletcher-Twemlow, photographed in 1955 (photo from the private collection of Shirley Kennerley)

Upon inheriting Betley Court, Charles changed his surname by Royal License to Fletcher-Twemlow, a condition of the inheritance. Following the death of his great uncle George in 1935, he briefly enjoyed ownership for four years there before handing it to the Government so it could be used as convalescent and rehabilitation centre at the beginning of World War Two.

Betley Court during its hospital years

During World War Two, he served in the Royal Army Service Corps (the branch of the army concerned with logistics of the war effort) at the rank of Captain. In his later years, his main residence was Doddlespool Hall, two miles from Betley Court, which he shared with his wife. 

Doddlespool Hall, where Charles and Evelyn Fletcher-Twemlow lived, just two miles along the main road to Crewe.

After the war, Capt Fletcher-Twemlow played an active role locally. He was a member of the old Balterley Council, along with Newcastle Rural Council. He often held meetings at Doddlespool Hall, and hosted garden parties and fetes. He was also at various times, a representative of the Betley Horticultural Society Committee, a delegate for the Audley Branch of the National Farmers’ Union, and a governor of Madeley Secondary School (now Madeley High School).

Capt Charles Fletcher-Twemlow (centre), deep in discussions with his fellow judges at the Betley Show 1967 (Sentinel archive)

His inheritance included many farms, properties and land in the Betley area. He enabled many community efforts, for example permitting the annual Betley show and bonfire on his land every year. Capt Fletcher-Twemlow donated the land that Betley village hall is built on, along with much of the furnishing.

In summing up, the officiant at the funeral, Rev. Armstrong said that Charles Fletcher-Twemlow was a man of five virtues – patience, humility, gentleness, kindness and compassion. Sadly, the newspaper’s writer does not share the examples the Reverend gave, but I can supply an example of my own. As a young woman working in the village of Betley in the mid-1990s, I knew two households personally, that benefitted from the kindness of the Fletcher-Twemlows. They lived in ‘estate’ houses, and their tenancy came with a lifetime guarantee of residence, at a protected rent. The houses had been left to a charity, provided those conditions were met. Despite the changing times, the Fletcher-Twemlows honoured their obligations to their estate workers.

One of the roof voids, soon to be spanned by new steel beams

One last bit of news. We have a date for the arrival of the crane that will lift the new roof beams into Betley Court. The lads from Midland Construction Ltd have cleared the courtyard at the front of the house, and the crane will be installed there. It will also mean we will need to install temporary traffic lights on the main road for a short period, a condition of approval by Staffordshire Highways. We hope this will take place week commencing 20^th February 2022. We apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused, but it’ll be worth the temporary inconvenience to progress the rebuild of the roof.

All best wishes

Ladybird Su

UPCOMING DATES at Betley Court Gardens

DATE	ACTIVITY	DETAILS
12th March	Emes Society	Taster session – bulb planting ‘in the green’
13th March	Heritage tour of the Garden	Pre-booking required
9th April	Tours of the scaffolding and house showing the rebuild process	Pre-booking required FULLY BOOKED
10th April	Tours of the scaffolding and house showing the rebuild process	Pre-booking required
30th April/1st May	Official Opening weekend/Bluebell walk
16th & 17th July	Open Garden with Heritage Walk	Pre-booking required for walks
20th & 21th August	Tours of the scaffolding and house showing the rebuild process	Pre-booked event
8th & 9th October	Open Gardens	Talk and view exterior of Betley Court once the scaffolding is removed

 

 

 

 

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[1] Retrieved from https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/