(32) Adams family of Greenfield Hall and Woore Manor

Adams of Greenfield

The Adams family were landowners in Tunstall from the 13th century and established as potters by 1447.  In the late 18th century they were among the principal rivals to Josiah Wedgwood.   Several branches of the family were often active simultaneously, and since they all tended to use the Christian name William, they can be hard to disentangle.  The last family business was sold to the Wedgwood group in 1966.  In addition to large scale pottery works, the family were landowners in the Burslem-Tunstall area of Stoke-on-Trent and elsewhere in the county.  

Thomas Adams of Burslem, master potter, died in 1563.  His great-grandson, John Adams (d. 1641) left Bircheshead Manor to his eldest son Thomas and property at Sneyd Green, Tunstall and Bagnall near Leek to his younger son, William (d. 1677).  

Map of the Burslem area, 1775, showing the locations of the places mentioned

Bagnall Hall, as depicted in a photograph published in 1904.

William’s son William died unmarried in 1710 and he bequeathed Bagnall to his brother Edward, who was succeeded in turn by his son William (1702-75), grandson Richard (1739-1811) and great-grandson William (1772-1829), who sold it.  William Adams also leased Fenton Hall, but this seems to have been given up after his widow’s death and was demolished in 1847.  

His son William Adams (1798-1865), perhaps the most distinguished potter the family produced, lived at Greenfield Hall, Tunstall (acquired through his marriage to Jane, daughter and heir of Jesse Breeze) and purchased Newfield Hall, Tunstall from Sir Smith Child bt. in 1858.  His son, William Adams (1833-1905) inherited both properties and also acquired Moreton House, Wolstanton (Staffs).  Greenfield Hall passed to his eldest son, William Adams (1868-1952) but was demolished shortly before 1908 for coal mining; William lived thereafter at Oaklands, Barlaston (Staffs).  Moreton House was inherited by a younger son, Percy Walter Lewis Adams (1875-1952), who later acquired Woore Manor (Shropshire).  William’s son, William Anthony Adams (b. 1909) lived at Lea Head Manor, Aston (Salop) and Crawford, Oulton Cross, Stone (Staffs) in 1969.  Percy’s son, Joscelin Francis Whieldon Adams (b. 1919) then lived at Coombe House, Uley (Glos).

Fenton Hall, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire

The house stood on the low ground to the south-west of the manor house, and was a five bay, two storey pedimented house, probably of the late 18th century, with an early 19th century veranda, which was tenanted by William Adams (1772-1829) from 1818 and subsequently by his widow.  Adams was no doubt responsible for adding the verandah.  The house was demolished in 1847 to allow the construction of the North Staffordshire Railway.

Basford Hall, Wolstanton, Staffordshire

Basford Hall, Wolstanton, from a photograph published in 1904.

A five by three bay, three-storey pedimented late 18th century house, built for Dr James Justin Bent MD (d. 1814) and extended in the early 19th century for his son, Dr. Richard Bent.  The original house was made deeper and given a single-storey wing on the left hand side, into which a new pedimented entrance was formed.  The house was demolished in the 20th century, although some of the farm buildings associated with it survive.

Descent: Built for Dr. James Justin Bent MD (d. 1814); to son, Dr Richard Bent MD , who sold 1839 to Edward Adams (1803-72); who sold to nephew William Twigg (d. 1867); sold to Edward Challinor (d. 1879),  to nephew, Charles Challinor (d. 1893) who occupied the house by 1872 and began the development of the estate for housing.

Greenfield Hall, Tunstall, Staffordshire

A brick house with two original wings joined to a five bay central block by single-storey connecting links, built in 1791 for Theophilus Smith and originally called Smithfield.  

Greenfield Hall, Tunstall: an engraving of the house (then called Smithfield) by W.C. Wilson in 1794

Smith also created the nearby settlement of Smithfield and built a pottery there in 1793, but was bankrupted in 1800.  His assignees sold the house in 1801 to John Breeze, who renamed the house Greenfield.  His granddaughter, Jane Breeze married William Adams (1798-1865) in 1827, and they made additions in 1842.  The house descended in the Adams family and was demolished for coal mining shortly before 1908.  The site is now occupied by a housing estate.  In the late 18th century the estate was noted for its trees and lawns and a private swimming bath.

Descent:  Theophilus Smith (fl. 1788-1801); to assignees in bankruptcy who sold 1801 to John Breeze (d. 1821); to son, Jesse Breeze (d. 1826); to daughter, Jane Breeze who married in 1827 William Adams (1798-1865); to son, William Adams (1833-1905), whose unmarried brother, Thomas, and sister, Jane, lived in the house; to son, William Adams (1868-1952), who demolished c.1908.

Newfield Hall, Tunstall, Staffordshire

A substantial two storey house with a five-bay entrance front and four-bay side elevation, built between 1764 and 1770 for Capt. (later Admiral) Smith Child (d. 1813).  

Newfield Hall, Tunstall in 1947, shortly before demolition.

A pottery works was built on the estate before 1800, but the house remained in private occupation until the mid 19th century, when it was divided into apartments.  In 1858 the estate was sold to William Adams for mining purposes and that family retained the hall until after c.1945.  It was then unoccupied and was demolished c.1948, with the site being reused for an industrial warehouse.  Some of the outbuildings survived in 1963.

Descent:  Thomas Baddeley (d. 1770); gave the estate 1764 to his nephew, Admiral Smith Child (d. 1813); to grandson, Smith Child (fl. 1838), who let to the Admiral’s partner, John Henry Clive until c.1825; sold 1858 to William Adams (1798-1865); to son, William Adams (1833-1905); to son, William Adams (1868-1952), who demolished c.1948.

Moreton House, Wolstanton, Staffordshire

Moreton House, Wolstanton

A five bay three-storey house of 1743, built for Ralph Moreton (d. 1787).  It was acquired in the late 19th century by William Adams (1833-1905) and passed to his younger son, Percy Adams (1875-1952), who sold it on acquiring Woore Manor.  The house had become derelict by the 1970s but has since been restored.

Woore Manor, Shropshire

Woore Manor, 2012

A five bay two storey house of around 1800, probably built for George Watkin Kenrick as a replacement for a house which had been in the Kenrick family since c.1600.  Older work may survive in the large rear extension, which is mainly late 19th and 20th century.  The house was for sale in 2013.

Descent: George Watkin Kenrick (1770-1839); to son, George Kenrick (1810-81), who sold... Percy Walter Lewis Adams (1875-1952); sold after his death to Douglas Moore Kenrick (1912-98).

The Adams family of Greenfield Hall and Woore Manor

Edward Adams (1660-1727) 

Adams, Edward (1660-1727) of Bagnall.  Seventh and youngest son of William Adams (1599-1676) of Sneyd Green and Bagnall (Staffs) and his wife Catherine Hanson (d. 1702) of Stoke-on-Trent, baptised 29 August 1660.  Probably a potter in partnership with his elder brother, William Adams, at Holden (Staffs), who retired after his brother's death in 1712. He married, 5 May 1687, Elizabeth (d. 1733), only daughter of John Meare of Handley Green (Staffs) and had issue:

(1) Grace Adams (1691-1701), baptised at Burslem, 1 June 1691; died young and was buried, 30 June 1701;
(2) William Adams (1702-75) (q.v.);
(3) Edward Adams (1709-45?), baptised 5 February 1709; married Martha, daughter of Joseph Adams of Burslem and had issue one son (William Adams (1746-1805), potter, who seems to have been apprenticed to Josiah Wedgwood); perhaps died 1745;
(4) Elizabeth Adams, married Joseph (d. 1756), eldest son and heir of William Hulme of Bagnall Grange.
He lived at Sneyd Green until he inherited his family's estate at Bagnall from his elder brother c.1710-12.
He was buried at Norton-in-the-Moors (Staffs), 22 April 1727; his will was proved at Lichfield, 7 May 1728. His widow was buried at Norton-in-the-Moors, 3 July 1733.

Adams, William (1702-75), of Bagnall.  Elder son of Edward Adams (1660-1727) and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of John Meare of Handley Green; baptised at Burslem (Staffs), 5 November 1702.  He appears to have had an interest in The Hadderidge pottery at Burslem, but combined this with farming activities.  He married 1st, 4 May 1730 at Stoke-on-Trent, Dorothy (1710-35), elder daughter of Francis Meare of Norton Green Hall, and 2nd, 16 July 1735 at Ipstones (Staffs), Sarah (1702-87), daughter of William Whieldon of Ipstones and Kingsley (Staffs) and widow of Samuel Braddock (d. 1734) of Howard Park, Cheddleton (Staffs), and had issue:

(1.1) Elizabeth Adams (1731-1806), baptised at Stoke-on-Trent, 7 February 1730/1; married 1st, 20 April 1752 at Burslem, Joseph Warburton (1723-69) of Rushton Grange (Staffs), master potter, and had issue; married 2nd, 14 January 1771 at Newcastle-under-Lyme (Staffs), Joseph Smith (d. 1796?) of Sene (later Sinai) Park, Burton-on-Trent (Staffs), canal carrier, but died without issue; her will was proved at Lichfield, 26 June 1806;
(1.2) Dorothy Adams (1733-44), baptised at Stoke-on-Trent, 18 February 1732/3; died young and was buried at Norton-in-the-Moors, 21 October 1744;
(2.1) William Adams (1736-1802), born 4 October 1736; farmer at Bagnall; died unmarried and without issue and was buried at Norton-in-the-Moors, 21 September 1802;
(2.2) Edward Adams (b. 1738), born 13 March and baptised at Stoke-on-Trent, 21 March 1737/8; farmer; died unmarried and without issue;
(2.3) Richard Adams (1739-1811) (q.v.);
(2.4) Thomas Adams (b. 1741), said to have been born in September 1741 and died in infancy;
(2.5) Ralph Adams (1742-1800), born 29 November 1742; of Milton and Endon; married, 17 January 1770 at Stoke-on-Trent (Staffs), Martha Ball (c.1747-1823) and had issue four sons and four daughters and further children who died in infancy; buried at Endon (Staffs), 15 January 1800;
(2.6) Sarah Adams (1744-69), born 4 July and baptised at Stoke-on-Trent, 22 July 1744; died unmarried and was probably the woman of this name buried at Norton-in-the-Moors, 13 December 1769;
(2.7) Mary Adams (b. 1746), born 21 August 1746; married, 25 February 1774 at Caverswall (Staffs), as his second wife, Thomas Gee of Caverswall, and had issue; living in 1775.

He inherited his family's estate at Bagnall from his father in 1727.
He died 20 December 1775 and was buried at Norton-in-the-Moors (Staffs). His first wife was buried at Norton-in-the-Moors, 8 June 1735. His widow was buried at Norton-in-the-Moors, 14 April 1787.

Adams, Richard (1739-1811) of Bagnall and Cobridge Gate. Third son of William Adams (1702-75) of Bagnall, born 17 August 1739.  Apprenticed at the Holden Lane Pottery. About 1759 he borrowed money from his father and established himself as a potter at Cobridge in Burslem, making unmarked salt glaze and white stoneware; about 1780 he expanded the works and transferred to the production of painted and enamelled creamware; he retired in 1793 and turned to country pursuits, especially shooting.  He married, 12 May 1765 at Whitmore (Staffs), Elizabeth (1745-1834), daughter of John Jackson of Greenwood Hall (Staffs) and had issue:

(1) William Adams (1772-1829) (q.v.);
(2) Richard Adams (1774-78), baptised at Bucknall-cum-Bagnall, 6 October 1774; died young and was buried at Norton-in-the-Moors, 26 July 1778;

(3) Edward Adams (1782-1813), baptised at Burslem, 13 March 1782; died unmarried and was buried at Norton-in-the-Moors (Staffs), 29 October 1813.
He inherited his family's estate at Bagnall from his elder brother in 1802.
He was buried at Norton-in-the-Moors, 19 April 1811. His widow is reputed to have died as a result of being knocked down by a cow whilst out walking, 11 March, and was buried at Norton-in-the-Moors, 14 March 1834.

William Adams (1772-1839) 

Adams, William (1772-1829), of Bagnall and Fenton Hall.  Only surviving son of Richard Adams (1739-1811) and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of John Jackson of Greenwood Hall and Whitfield; born 20 July and baptised at Bucknall-cum-Bagnall, 13 September 1772.  He was a pupil of Lewis Heath of The Hadderidge pottery, Burslem, in which he acquired his grandfather's interest.  He sold this in 1804 and took the Cliff Bank works in Stoke-on-Trent, and gradually expanded the business, so that by 1818 there were five potteries, which he involved his sons in managing. Churchwarden of Stoke-on-Trent, 1814-15. He was an able amateur musician, playing both the violin and the flute. He married, 18 January 1793, Sarah (1774-1846), elder daughter and eventual heiress of Lewis Heath of The Hadderidge, Burslem, and had issue:
(1) Anne Adams (1793-1857), baptised at Burslem (Staffs), 29 December 1793; married, 15 September 1817 at Stoke-on-Trent, Joseph Twigg (1780-1861) of Bank Hall, Burslem, son of William Twigg, and had issue at least three sons and one daughter; buried at Burslem, 12 November 1857;
(2) Sarah Adams (1796-1831), born 2 September 1796; married, 4 July 1827 at Stoke-on-Trent, James Guest (1796-1885) (who m2, 24 February 1835 at Manchester Collegiate Church, Jane (1805-80), daughter of Charles Cross of Manchester) of Medlock Cottage, Ardwick (Lancs) and Bowdon (Cheshire), merchant, son of Henry Guest, and had issue one daughter; died 5 February and was buried at Chorlton-on-Medlock (Lancs), 10 February 1831;
(3) William Adams (1798-1865) (q.v.);
(4) Lettice Adams (1801-27), baptised at Bagnall, 2 March 1801; died unmarried and without issue and was buried at Stoke-on-Trent, 18 January 1827;
(5) Edward Adams (1803-72) (q.v.);
(6) Lewis Adams (1805-50), born 11 July and baptised at Bagnall, 14 July 1805 and again at Stoke-on-Trent, 8 August 1814; lived at The Mount, Penkhull (which he leased) and later at The Watlands, Wolstanton, which he purchased by 1842 (sold 1862); partner in the family pottery from 1826; first chief bailiff of Stoke-on-Trent, 1839-40 and churchwarden of Stoke-on-Trent, 1842; Master of the North Staffordshire Harriers, 1836-42 and later an active member of the North Staffordshire Hunt; died unmarried and without issue, 23 September and was buried at Stoke-on-Trent, 28 September 1850;

(7) Thomas Adams (1807-63), born 22 May and baptised at Bagnall, 31 May 1807 and again at Stoke-on-Trent, 8 August 1814; partner with his brothers in the family pottery businesses, but spent most of his time in Liverpool managing the firm's shipping office and making journeys to America and Mexico to develop new markets; after the dissolution of the partnership in 1853, he was sole proprietor of a works at Stoke; after the death of his brother Lewis he began betting heavily and made unwise speculations in railway shares, becoming bankrupt in 1861; died unmarried and without issue, 7 March and was buried at Stoke-on-Trent, 12 March 1863;

(8) Samuel Adams (b. & d. 1809), born 19 May 1809; died in infancy, 4 July, and was buried at Burslem, 7 July 1809;
(9) Elizabeth Adams (1810-62), born 14 July 1810 and was baptised at Stoke-on-Trent, 8 August 1814; died unmarried and without issue, and was buried at Stoke-on-Trent, 12 July 1862;
(10) Frances Adams (1812-79), born 8 December 1812 and baptised at Stoke-on-Trent, 8 August 1814; married 1st, 8 July 1868 at Sefton (Lancs), John Massey Morris (1802-69) of Burslem, son of Richard Morris, and 2nd, 30 July 1877 at Rhyl (Flints.), Joseph Walton (b. 1800) of Bowdon (Cheshire), corn merchant, son of John Walton, miller, but had no issue; died 24 February and was buried at Stoke-on-Trent, 1 March 1879; administration of goods granted to her husband, 20 March 1879 (effects under £800);
(11) Susanna Adams (b. & d. 1815), born 17 September and baptised at Stoke-on-Trent, 21 September 1815; died in infancy, 15 December, and was buried at Norton-in-the-Moors, 17 December 1815.
He inherited his family's estate at Bagnall from his father in 1811, but sold it to Thomas Wolfe. From 1818 he lived at Fenton Hall, which he rented, and which his widow occupied until her death; it was demolished in 1847. In 1839 his widow inherited The Hadderidge estate from her brother.
He died 2 September and was buried at Stoke-on-Trent (Staffs), 9 September 1829; he is commemorated by monuments there and in Lichfield Cathedral. Administration of his goods was granted to his widow, 6 July 1830 (effects under £3,000). His widow was buried at Stoke-on-Trent (Staffs), 14 March 1846.

Adams, William (1798-1865), of Greenfield Hall, Tunstall and Liverpool.  Eldest son of William Adams (1772-1829) and his wife Sarah, daughter of Lewis Heath of Burslem; born 9 November 1798.  In 1819 he joined his father's pottery businesses in the Stoke area, and gradually took over the management of his father's concerns with his brothers. In 1834 he built the Greenfield pottery in Tunstall. He developed his company's American market, and visited America in 1821 and 1825, after which the firm produced transfer-printed china with scenes taken from American engravings.  In 1853 he dissolved the partnership and sold all the works except the Greenfield site, which he continued to operate himself. He married 9 May 1827 at St Margaret, Westminster (Middx), Jane* (1804-64), elder daughter and co-heiress of Jesse Breeze (1776-1826), potter, of Greenfield, and had issue:
(1) Sarah Adams (1828-1907), born 20 March and baptised at Burslem (Staffs), 7 May 1828; married, 9 May 1867 at Tunstall, Harry Ward Astbury (1831-1900) of Stand Lodge, Radcliffe (Lancs), eldest son of John Meir Astbury, but had no issue; died 22 November 1907; will proved 14 January 1908 (estate £3,800);
(2) Jane Adams (1829-89), born 12 July and baptised at Burslem, 21 July 1829; died unmarried and without issue, 4 January and was buried at Tunstall, 8 January 1889; her will was proved 24 July 1889 (effects £9,338);
(3) Lettice Adams (1831-90), born 7 February and baptised at St Augustine, Everton, Liverpool, 12 March 1831; married, 18 April 1855 at Tunstall, Charles Challinor** (1829-93) of Basford Hall, Wolstanton (Staffs), coal mine owner, son of William Challinor, and had issue five sons and six daughters; died 20 April 1890 and was buried at Tunstall; will proved 7 October 1890 (effects £2,906);
(4) Lt-Col. William Adams (1833-1905) (q.v.);
(5) Mary Adams (1834-95), born 23 November 1834 and baptised at St Augustine, Everton, Liverpool, 28 January 1835; married, 4 January 1865 at Tunstall, William Simms Bull (1837-1919) of Tyn-y-Coed, Arthog (Merioneths.) and had issue three sons and five daughters; died 30 March, and was buried at Llanaber (Merioneths.), 3 April 1895; will proved 20 March 1899 (estate £12,813);
(6) Thomas Adams (1836-1905), born 19 August and baptised 12 October 1836; died unmarried and without issue, 18 February, and was buried at Tunstall, 22 February 1905; administration of goods granted 9 May 1905 (estate £1,448);
(7) Anne Adams (1840-42), born about August 1840 and baptised at Tunstall, 19 October 1840; died in infancy, 9 December and was buried at Tunstall, 16 December 1842.
He acquired Greenfield Hall, Tunstall, through his marriage in 1827, and made additions to it in 1842.  He bought the Newfield Hall estate from Sir Smith Child, bt. in 1858 and 1865.
He died at Rhyl, 23 October, and was buried at Tunstall, 30 October 1865, but is commemorated by a monument at Wolstanton; his will was proved 18 December 1865 (estate under £20,000). His wife was buried at Tunstall, 28 July 1864.

* For reasons which are obscure, she took her mother's maiden surname of Rainbow after her father's death, and she was married in that name, which has caused some confusion. Her sister Mary married Edward Adams of Basford Hall in 1833, and also gave her name as Rainbow.

** Charles Challinor met a sad end when he was crushed by a pumping engine at his mine while examining the machinery, 13 February 1893.

 

Lt-Col. William Adams (1833-1905) 

Adams, Lt-Col. William (1833-1905), of Greenfield Hall, Newfield Hall and Moreton House, Wolstanton.  Elder son of William Adams (1798-1865) and his wife Jane, daughter of Jesse Breeze of Greenfield; born 13 June and baptised at St Augustine, Everton, Liverpool, 29 July 1833.  Educated at Rugby School.  Worked as a potter, in the family business; he closed the potteries in Stoke-on-Trent and transferred the company to the works at Tunstall; in 1872 he also bought the Newfield pottery. JP for Staffordshire; Lt-Col. of 1st battalion, Staffordshire Rifle Volunteers.  He married, 20 May 1864 at Leek (Staffs), Laura Eliza (1840-1914), elder daughter of Andrew Jukes Worthington of Ball Haye Hall, Leek (Staffs) and had issue:
(1) Laura Mildred Adams (1865-1912), born 5 May 1865; died unmarried 3 June 1912 and was buried at Wolstanton;
(2) Cecily Janet Adams (1866-1946), born 24 September and baptised at Wolstanton, 15 November 1866; lived at The Little Croft, Wolstanton; died unmarried, 28 June 1946, and was buried at Wolstanton;
(3) William Adams (1868-1952) (q.v.);
(4) Hugh Worthington Adams (1870-1928), born 12 February and baptised at Wolstanton, 10 April 1870; educated at Rugby; solicitor; HM Coroner for North-West Staffordshire, 1901-28; lived at Highfield, Barlaston (Staffs); a freemason from 1897; married, 24 July 1900 at Daventry (Northants), Clarice Sophia (1874-1959), fifth daughter of Charles Bennett Roche of Daventry, Flecknoe and Silverstone (Northants) and had issue two daughters; died 19 March 1928; will proved 25 August 1928 (estate £20,221);

(5) Frank Pemberton Adams (1872-1919), born 3 April and baptised at Wolstanton, 26 May 1872; silk manufacturer at Leek (Staffs), died unmarried, 5 November 1919; will proved 11 May 1920 (estate 39,476);
(6) Percy Walter Lewis Adams (1875-1952) (q.v.).
He inherited Greenfield Hall and Newfield Hall from his father in 1865, and purchased Moreton House, Wolstanton in the late 19th century.
He died of a heart attack at Moreton House, 5 March 1905 and was buried at Wolstanton; his will was proved 29 April 1905 (estate £15,782). His widow died 27 April 1914 and was buried beside her husband at Wolstanton; her will was proved 28 August 1914 (estate £2,227).

Adams, William (1868-1952), of Greenfield Hall and Oulton Grange (Staffs). Eldest son of Lt-Col. William Adams (1833-1905) and his wife Laura Eliza, daughter of Andrew Jukes Worthington of Balle Haye Hall (Staffs), born 12 August 1868.  He joined the family pottery business as partner in 1889 and after his father's death managed it in partnership with his brother Percy.  He seems to have been responsible for steering the business through a financial crisis in the 1890s, and by the First World War it was again financially secure. As a young man he played rugby for Stoke, being captain for four years. He married, 16 November 1904 at St John, Inverness, Mildred Mary (1875-1966), daughter of Rev. James Jordan Serjeantson of Hanlith Hall, Kirby Malham (Yorks), rector of St. Michael, Lichfield (Staffs), and had issue:

(1) Lt-Col. William Anthony Adams (1909-85), born 30 December 1909; JP for Staffordshire (from 1938) and Stoke-on-Trent (from 1952); played cricket for Staffordshire County Cricket Club (captain, 1936-39); married, 10 July 1936 at Eccleshall (Staffs), Margaret Elizabeth (1915-2006), daughter of William Edward Carter of Eccleshall Castle and had issue two sons; died 18 March 1985; will proved 12 September 1985 (estate £241,495);
(2) Richard Patrick Adams (1911-46), born 21 July 1911; managing director of Davenport Adams & Co., silk millers; was unmarried and without issue and lived with his friend, E.R. Watson; committed suicide by shooting himself, 15 June 1946; administration of goods granted 20 January 1947 (estate £24,090).
He inherited Greenfield Hall from his father in 1905, but demolished it c.1908 for coal mining in the area. The lived subsequently at The Gables, Alsager (Ches.) and Crawford, Oulton Cross (Ches.).
He died 27 December 1952, aged 84; his will was proved 15 April 1953 (estate £99,159). His widow died 29 July 1966; administration of her goods was granted 27 September 1966 (estate £4,078).

Adams, Percy Walter Lewis (1875-1952) of Moreton House, Wolstanton and later Woore Manor.  Fourth son of Lt-Col. William Adams (1833-1905) and his wife Laura Eliza, daughter of Andrew Jukes Worthington of Balle Haye Hall (Staffs), born 24 January 1875 and baptised at Wolstanton, 4 April 1875.  Educated at Rugby School.  Operated the family pottery business in partnership with his brother William.  JP for Stoke on Trent. Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, and published the parish registers of Wolstanton and works on family history. He married*, 26 April 1916 at Newcastle-under-Lyme (Staffs), Ada Gladys (1889-1966), daughter of Archibald Douglas of High Park, Salwarpe (Worcs) and Kingsland, Newcastle-under-Lyme, and had issue:
(1) Ralph Douglas Gresley Adams (1917-64), born Apr-Jun; died unmarried and without issue at Fulbourn Mental Hospital (Cambs), 6 March 1964; administration of goods granted to his mother 8 July 1964 (estate £269);
(2) Joscelin Francis Whieldon Adams (1919-91), born 22 March 1919; educated at Uppingham; an officer in the territorial army (Maj.) who served in the Second World War; a director of William Adams & Co., potters, and Davenport, Adams & Co., silk millers; lived at Coombe House, Uley (Glos); JP for Gloucestershire; married, 5 June 1952 at Holy Trinity, Brompton (Middx), Pamela Joan (1926-2020), daughter of Lt-Col. Reginald Wilmot Blomefield Peel OBE, and had issue two sons and one daughter; died 23 June 1991; will proved 6 September 1991 (estate £535,025);

(3) Lettice Carol Adams (1920-93), born 7 November 1920, married, 10 July 1947, Frederick Thomas Lawrence McCallum Dawson (1918-89) of The White House, Hadstock (Cambs) and had issue; buried at Hadstock (Essex), 16 August 1993; will proved 8 February 1994 (estate £373,321).
He inherited Moreton House, Wolstanton from his father in 1905, but sold it on purchasing Woore Manor.  Woore Manor was sold after his death.
He died 6 December 1952; his will was proved 20 April 1953 (estate £31,639). His widow died 3 April 1966; her will was proved 14 September 1966 (estate £2,993).

* An earlier engagement, in 1904, to Kathleen Constance May, daughter of Col. Charles James Briggs of Hylton Castle (Co. Durham) did not lead to marriage.

Adams, Edward (1803-72), of Basford Hall.  Second son of William Adams (1772-1829) and his wife Sarah, daughter of Lewis Heath of The Hadderidge, Burslem, baptised at Bagnall, 16 July 1803.  Partner in William Adams & Co., potters. He married, 16 July 1834 at Walton-on-the-Hill (Lancs), Mary* (1811-63), youngest daughter and co-heiress of Jesse Breeze (1776-1826) of Greenfield, and had issue:
(1) Edward Richard (k/a Dick) Adams (1835-94), born 22 June 1835; lived at Leek and Congleton; an officer in Kings Own Staffordshire Militia (Lt., 1853; Capt., 1858; Quartermaster, 1869; retired 1881) and later a potters' colour manufacturer and a cashier in a silk mill; a freemason from 1883; married, 19 June 1873 at Sneyd (Staffs), Grace (1850-1912), daughter of Charles Bower May of Sneyd House, Burslem (Staffs), colliery owner, and had issue one son; evidently emigrated to Australia after 1891 and died in Melbourne (Australia), 22 December 1894 and was buried at Carlton North Cemetery there;

(2) Elizabeth (k/a Bessie) Adams (1837-93), baptised at Stoke-on-Trent, 18 January 1837; married, 13 September 1864 at Newcastle-under-Lyme (Staffs), William Holt (1826-83) of Great Yarmouth (Norfk), solicitor, elder son of George Wells Holt of Great Yarmouth, and had issue three sons and three daughters; died 11 November and was buried at Great Yarmouth, 15 November 1893;

(3) Edward William Adams (1838-66); born 15 June 1838; pottery manufacturer; married, 1 February 1865 at Over Peover (Ches.), Hannah (b. 1845), daughter of Thomas Jones, potter, and had issue one son and one daughter; died 10 October and was buried at Wolstanton, 15 October 1866; will proved 20 January 1871 (effects under £2,000);
(4) Frederick Thomas Adams (1840-1906?); born 17 January and baptised at Wolstanton, 20 February 1840; solicitor; emigrated to New Zeakand; married, 22 January 1870 at Tunstall, Hannah, daughter of John Tomkinson, manufacturer but had no issue; said to have died in New Zealand, 1906;

(5) George Alfred Adams (1843-44), born 23 March and baptised at Wolstanton, 19 April 1843; died in infancy and was buried at Stoke-on-Trent, 8 November 1844;

(6) Sarah Marian Adams (1841-1911), born 13 May and baptised at Wolstanton, 22 June 1841; married 1 November 1870 at Shelton (Derbys), James Johnson Charlesworth MD (d. 1864), eldest son of Moses Charlesworth of Longnor (Staffs), and had issue one son and two daughters; died 1911;

(7) John Adams (1844-84), born 26 October and baptised at Wolstanton, 22 November 1844; educated at Uppingham; surgeon in Burslem and later at Birmingham; married, 11 August 1875 at West Derby (Lancs), Margaret (d. 1884), daughter of William Henry Wordley of Liverpool, architect, and had issue one daughter; died 16 May 1884 and was buried at Ward End, Birmingham;
(8) Albert Adams (1846-97); born 7 June and baptised at Wolstanton, 10 July 1846; educated at Uppingham School; bank clerk; died unmarried 12 March, and was buried at Wolstanton, 16 March 1897;

(9) Frances Adams (b. & d. 1848), born and baptised 5 January 1848; died in infancy, 12 June 1848;

(10) Charles Lewis Adams (b. 1849), born 11 July 1849; emigrated to New Zealand, where he died unmarried at Dunedin.
He acquired Basford Hall before 1839, but sold it to his nephew.
He died 1 January and was buried at Wolstanton, 5 January 1872; administration of his goods was granted at Lichfield, 5 December 1872 (effects under £100). His wife was buried at Wolstanton, 3 December 1863.

* For reasons which are obscure, she took her mother's maiden surname of Rainbow after her father's death, and she was married in that name, which has caused some confusion. Her sister Jane married William Adams of Fenton Hall in 1827, and also gave her name as Rainbow.

Sources

Burke's Landed Gentry, 1925, p. 3 and Supplement, p.2; W. Turner, William Adams: an old English potter, 1904; VCH Staffordshire, vol 8, 1963, pp. 81-104, 205-24; T. Mowl & D. Barre, The historic gardens of England: Staffordshire, 2009, pp. 51-52; P. Nanney Williams, Adams: Britain's oldest potting dynasty, 2022;

http://www.thepotteries.org/tour/027.htm, accessed 7 September 2012; http://www.thepotteries.org/potters/adams.htm, accessed 27 April 2013.

Location of archives

Adams family of Greenfield Hall and Woore Manor: deeds and papers, 1670-1933 [Stoke-on-Trent City Archives, no ref.]

Coat of arms

Adams of Greenfield: Ermine, three cats passant guardant sable in pale, within a bordure azure.

Revision and acknowlegements

This post was first published 28 April 2013 and updated 3 September 2020, 4 April 2021, 18-19 July, 1-5 September and 17 November 2023. I am grateful to John Sutherland for an additional image, and to Philip Nanney Williams for supplying me with a copy of his recent book on the family.

(31) Adams of Drumelton House and formerly of Erne View

Adams of Drumelton

William Adams (1763-1817) of Gortgommon (Fermanagh) acquired Erne View (Cavan) in the late 18th century.  The location of this house has not been traced.  There is a modern street of that name in Belturbet (Cavan), but no house of this name can be identified on early 19th century maps of the area.  However, William's son, William Adams (1794-1846), inherited Drumelton House.  It is not clear whether this property came to him from Richard Adams (1793-1827), whose relationship to this family has not been ascertainted but who was described as 'of Drumelton' at the time of his death, or through his marriage to Eliza Cooney, whose mother, Matilda Talbot, was also described as 'of Drumelton House'.  At all events, Drumelton thereafter became the family seat.  The house descended to his son, William Adams (1837-1908), who remodelled it in 1884 to the designs of James Franklin Fuller, and thence to his unmarried children in turn.  Some of the land was sold through the Irish Lands Commission in 1930, but the house remained in the family until the late 20th century.

Drumelton House, Cavan

Drumelton House.  Image: Niamh Fitzpatrick.

The earliest deeds of Drumelton are said to date from 1715, which may imply that there was a gentry house from that time or soon afterwards; and the family still preserves a clock made in Cavan in 1723, which be a further pointer to the date when a household was established here. Nothing is known, however, of the appearance of the house before it was remodelled as a large late Victorian two-storey roughcast gabled villa with red brick dressings for William Adams in 1884 to the design of James Franklin Fuller, of Dublin.  The broad entrance front has projecting three-bay gables at either end, with a smaller two-bay gable in the middle; each of the main gables contains a circular limestone panel, showing respectively the coat of arms and crest of William Adams and his wife, Sarah Chatterton, to whom the arms were confirmed in 1882.  The main entrance is offset, under a bracketed timber canopy, into a curious single-storey lean-to porch that stands between the projecting gables. Either at the time of the 1880s remodelling or a little later, the downstairs rooms were given steel-lined shutters, presumably as a defence against attacks during the early 20th century Irish troubles.

Drumelton House: detail of gable showing a coat of arms.  Image: Niamh Fitzpatrick

Previous owners: Matilda Talbot, wife of George Cooney; to daughter, Eliza Cooney (d. 1875), wife of William Adams (1794-1846); to son, William Adams (1837-1908); to son, William Chatterton Adams (1873-1917); to brother, George Chatterton Adams (1877-1954); to sisters, Elizabeth Irene Wilson Adams (1880-1963) and Lilian Welby Adams (b. 1886); to niece, Annabel Eveline Chatterton Harvey (1904-98), wife of Harold Archibald Allison (1906-68), who sold it... Mr & Mrs. A. Fitzpatrick (fl. 2012)

Adams family of Drumelton House

Adams, William (1763-1817) of Erne View.  Son of Francis Adams and his wife, born 1763. He married 1st a daughter of George Forbes and 2nd, Rosa Ann (d. 1846), daughter of Francis Kyttels, and had issue:
(1.1) William Adams (1794-1846) (q.v.).
He lived at Gortgommon (Fermanagh) and later purchased Erne View (Cavan), which has not been located.
He died in 1817.

Adams, William (1794-1846) of Erne View, later of Drumelton House.  Son of William Adams (1763-1817) and his first wife, a daughter of George Forbes; born 1794.  He married 1833 Eliza (d. 1875), elder daughter of George Cooney and his wife Matilda Talbot of Drumelton House, and had issue:
(1) William Adams (1837-1908) (q.v.);
(2) Matilda Adams (d. 1901), died unmarried and without issue.
He inherited Erne View from his father in 1817 and later Drumelton House (either from Richard Adams (d. 1827) or in right of his wife.
He died in 1846.

Adams, William (1837-1908), of Drumelton House.  Only son of William Adams (1794-1846) and his wife Eliza, daughter of George Cooney; born 18 March 1837.  JP for Cavan; High Sheriff of Cavan, 1887. In 1882, he obtained a confirmation of the family arms from the Ulster King of Arms, which notes that the coat exemplified appeared on the tomb of his great-great-grandfather, Francis Adams of Doohat (Co. Fermanagh). He married 15 November 1870 Sarah (d. 1929), third daughter of George Chatterton JP of Ballynamote House (Cork) and had issue:
(1) Sarah Frances Adams (1871-1954), married, 6 July 1904, John Chartres Molony BA JP of Madras Civil Service, and had issue;
(2) William Chatterton Adams (1873-1917) (q.v.)
(3) Eveline Norcott Adams (1875-1948), m. 1902 Very Rev. William Coates Harvey MA LLD, rector of Paynestown, Beau Parc (Meath) and Dean of Clonmacnoise, and had issue a daughter (Annabel Eveline Chatterton Harvey (1904-98), who married, 1938, Harold Archibald Allison (1906-68), later of Drumelton), 2 January 1948;
(4) Maj. George Chatterton Adams (1877-1954) (q.v.)
(5) Elizabeth Irene Wilson Adams (1880-1963), of Drumelton House; died unmarried and without issue, 18 December 1963;
(6) Lilian Welby Adams (b. 1886), of Drumelton House; died unmarried and without issue;
(7) Welby Alleyne Chatterton Adams (1889-1912), died without issue;
(8) Richard Randolph Adams (1882-83), died young;
He inherited Drumelton House from his father in 1846 and remodelled it in 1884.
He died 19 March 1908, aged 71.

Adams, William Chatterton (1873-1917), of Drumelton House.  Eldest son of William Adams (1837-1908) and his wife Sarah, daughter of George Chatterton of Ballynamote House (Cork); born 6 June 1873.  Educated at Trinity College, Dublin (Senior Moderator; BA); served in Egyptian civil service.  He married Priscilla Louisa (d. 1969), daughter of Bindon Blood Storey, President of the Institute of Civil Engineers of Ireland, but died without issue.
He inherited Drumelton House from his father in 1908.
He died in Dublin, 6 April 1917.  His will was proved in Dublin 14 June 1917.  His widow married 2nd, 1919 John Reginald Hare Duke (d. 1954) and 3rd, 1959, Col. Aleyn Whitely Stokes DSO MC (d. 1965), but died without issue.

Adams, Maj. George Chatterton (1877-1954), of Drumelton House.  Second son of William Adams (1837-1908) and his wife Sarah, daughter of George Chatterton of Ballynamote House (Cork).  Educated at Portora School, Enniskillen (Fermanagh) and Trinity College, Dublin (BA); served as a Major in the Inniskilling Fusiliers during the Boer War and First World War and was awarded the MC and mentioned in despatches.  He married 1919 Susan Holmes, daughter of George Reynell Gresson, but died without issue.
He and his unmarried sisters inherited Drumelton House from his elder brother in 1917. After the death of Elizabeth Adams in 1963 the house passed to their niece, Annabel Eveline Chatterton Allison (1904-98).
He died in 1954.

Sources

Burke's Landed Gentry, successive editions; Burke's Irish Family Records, 1976, p. 1058; K.V. Mulligan, The buildings of Ireland: South Ulster, 2013, p. 558;

https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000529303

Where are their papers?

Adams family of Drumelton House: no significant archive is known to survive.

Coat of arms

Vert, a pale between two griffins segreant or, the pale charged in chief with a trefoil slipped of the first.

Revision and acknowledgements

This account was first published 27 April 2013, and was revised 12 May 2014, 10 and 22 September 2017, and 7 February 2024. I am most grateful to Niamh Fitzpatrick and Camilla Allison for additions and corrections.

(30) Adams of Bowden House, Totnes and Old House, Sydenham

William Adams (1752-1811), a merchant and banker who served several times as Mayor of Totnes and became the town’s MP and Recorder, bought the Bowden House estate from the Trist family in about 1800.  On Adams’ death, it passed to his elder son, William Dacres Adams (1775-1862), who served as Private Secretary to two Prime Ministers (Pitt the Younger, 1804-06 and the Duke of Portland, 1807-09), and who was a Commissioner of Woods & Forests, 1811-34.  He married the daughter of Mayow Wynell Mayow (d. 1807) and through this marriage inherited the Old House estate at Sydenham (Kent).  Bowden House was occupied by his younger brother, Lt-Gen. Sir George Pownall Adams (1779-1856), but passed in 1862 to W.D. Adams’ eldest surviving son, the Rev. Dacres Adams (1806-71).  His son, Rev. William Fulford Adams (1833-1912), sold it to the Singer family in 1887.  William was a friend of William Morris and father of the artist, William Dacres Adams (1864-1951) and the bookbinder Katherine Adams (later Webb) (1862-1952).  In 1862 Old House, Sydenham passed to W.D. Adams’ third son, Mayow Wynell Adams (1809-98), who wrote a brief history of Sydenham in 1878; he sold the land for building from the 1870s onwards and the house was demolished in 1902.

Bowden House, Totnes, Devon

Bowden House © Hamid van Koten

An early 16th century manor house built for John Giles, which was remodelled for Nicholas Trist in 1700-04 or 1722 to create handsome two storey east and south fronts with stone cornices and sash windows.  The nine bay south front has a 2-5-2 rhythm, giant pilasters framing the two bays at either end and the central bay, and a central pedimented doorcase.  The seven bay east front has a 2-3-2 rhythm with giant pilasters framing the two-bay end sections.  These handsome frontages however conceal the complicated remains of the older house, with a Tudor great hall lying in the angle of the two later wings.  

Inside, the east front has a richly if rather provincially Baroque entrance hall at its centre, the long axis of which is at right-angles to the facade.  On the wall opposite the windows, giant pilasters flank arched niches with full-length grisaille figures and a central doorway with open pediment and bust.  The long side walls have niches with shells and medallions above of Charles I (dated 1735) and Elizabeth I.  On the south side a broad coffered doorway leads to the staircase hall, with a good 18th century staircase around a well, with turned balusters, column newels and a ramped handrail; the fireplace opposite, not centrally placed, has a grand but rather chaotic overmantel. The plaster ceiling has a lively very large but low-relief figure of Mercury in a central panel, Victory and Pegasus in cartouches, putti in roundels and mythological scenes in rectangles; the disparate scales of the different elements are reminiscent of the entrance hall at Saltram.  Next to the staircase hall in the south wing is reused 16th century panelling and an imported wooden overmantel elaborately carved with the arms of the 2nd Earl of Bedford (d. 1585) flanked by high-relief figures of Judith and Holofernes.  From here a four-centred doorway leads into the former screens passage and the older part of the house.  The former great hall, now the Old Kitchen, has a late 16th century single-rib plaster ceiling and the remains of a Pegasus frieze.  The fabric of the hall is possibly older than the ceiling, as from this part of the house projects a much rebuilt north wing with an early Tudor wall painting on the upper floor.  Upstairs there is early 18th century panelling in the central room on the east front, and another panelled room and closet in the south range.  The house is now an alternative community, and the service wings and outbuildings have been much altered to create holiday flats.  The grounds may have been landscaped c.1788, when Rev. Browse Trist was given permission to divert a road further away from the house.

Descent: John Giles MP (c.1487-1552/3); to son, William Giles (c.1507-?81); to son, John Giles MP (d. 1606); to son, Sir Edward Giles MP (1566-1637); to first cousin, Richard Giles (1581-1648); to son, John Giles (d. 1676); to kinswoman, Mary, wife of Sir Richard Gipps, who sold 1704 to Nicholas Trist (1668-1741); to son, Browse Trist (c.1699-1777); to son, Hore Browse Trist (c.1736-80); to brother, Rev. Browse Trist (c.1742-91); to three daughters, who sold c.1800 to William Adams MP (1752-1811); to son William Dacres Adams (1775-1862); to son, Rev. Dacres Adams (1806-71); to son, William Fulford Adams (1833-1912), who sold 1887 to Sir Mortimer Singer (d. 1929); sold c.1914 to Montague Bush; sold to Robert William Campbell-Davidson (fl. 1923) requisitioned for use by US Army in WW2; used as special school; sold 1960s to Harvey family, who sold 1976 to Christopher & Belinda Petersen; sold 1990 to Bowden House Community.

Old House, Sydenham, Kent

Old House, Sydenham c.1895  Image Ideal Homes

A substantial but plain five bay three storey early Georgian villa with a low pitched roof concealed by a parapet, probably built c.1715 for Edward Hodsdon, a London wine merchant.  It was the centre of the largest private estate in Sydenham, and although outlying portions of the estate were developed from c.1860 the house itself survived largely unaltered, with grounds of 110 acres, until it was demolished for development in 1902.

Descent: Sold 1713 to Edward Hodsdon (d. 1737), wine merchant; to son, Edward Hodsdon (d. 1739); to brother, Thomas Hodsdon (d. 1766); to widow, Susanna Hodsdon (d. 1773); sold by her trustees 1786 to Mayow Wynell Mayow (d. 1807); to daughter, Elizabeth Mayow, wife of William Dacres Adams (1775-1862); to son, Mayow Wynell Adams (1809-98), who broke up the estate; the house sold by auction in 1900 to Edmondson & Sons, developers.

The Adams family of Bowden House and Old House, Sydenham

Adams, William (1723-89), of Totnes.  Son of Rev. Samuel Adams and his wife Susan, daughter of Bartholomew Parr of Silverton (Devon), born 1723.  Physician in Totnes and a freeman of the borough. He married Mary Chadder (1733-97) and had issue:
(1) William Adams (1752-1811) (q.v.); 
(2) Mary Adams (b. 1755), married, 1782, Giles Welsford (1752-1818); 
(3) Sarah Chadder Adams, m. James Hodge esq.; 
(4) Susanna Adams (1763-1848), m. John Parr Welsford (1760-1828), banker and secretary to Patriotic Fund and Waterloo subscription.
(5) Samuel Adams of Totnes (1769-1842), mayor of Totnes, 1809-10; later barrack master at Torquay (Devon) and Hounslow (Middx); lived for a time at Buckfast Abbey (Devon) which he leased from his brothers-in-law; married, 1800, Elizabeth Bentall (1779-1848) and had issue six sons and three daughters as well as another child who died in infancy; 
He lived in Totnes.
He died in 1789. His widow died in 1797.

Adams, William (1752-1811).  Elder son of William Adams (b. c.1725) and his wife Mary (née Chadder); born 30 September 1752.  Merchant in Totnes, in partnership with his father from 1770-83 and then with his brother-in-law, Giles Welsford. MP for Plympton Erle 1796-1801 and Totnes 1801-11; merchant and banker; Mayor of Totnes 1780-81, 1788-89, 1797-98; Recorder of Totnes, 1807-11.  He married, 1774, Anna Maria (d. 1830), wet nurse to HRH Princess Amelia, and daughter of Richard Dacres of Leatherhead (Surrey), and had issue:
(1) William Dacres Adams (1775-1862) (q.v.); 
(2) Sir George Pownall Adams (1779-1856) (q.v.); 
(3) Anna Maria Adams (1781-1844), born at Totnes, 1781; married Baldwin Fulford (1775-1847) of Great Fulford (Devon), and had issue fourteen children; 
(4) Louisa or Lewisa Sawyer Adams (1783-1867); died unmarried.
He purchased the Bowden House, Totnes estate (technically in Ashprington parish) from the Trist family c.1800.
He died 21 September 1811, aged 58.

William Dacres Adams by Sir Thomas Lawrence, c.1810.
Image from Philip Mould Ltd.

Adams, William Dacres (1775-1862), of Old House, Sydenham.  Elder son of William Adams (1752-1811) and his wife Anna Maria, daughter of Richard Dacres of Leatherhead (Surrey); born at Plymstock (Devon), December 1775. Educated at Moretonhampstead (Devon). A clerk in the Home Office from 1791; Private Secretary to Prime Minister (Pitt the Younger, 1804-06; Duke of Portland, 1807-09); Commissioner of Woods and Forests 1811-34. A freeman of Totnes from 1798. A friend of Sir Thomas Lawrence, who painted his portrait c.1810. He married 1804 Elizabeth (d. 1814), second daughter of Mayow Wynell Mayow of Sydenham (Kent) and had issue:
(1) William Pitt Adams (1804-52), diplomat; born 11 December 1804; m. Georgiana Emily (1815-92), daughter of Robert Lukin esq (who married 2ndly, Gen. Sir Henry Warre KCB) and had issue a daughter; died at Lima (Peru), 1 September 1852;
(2) Rev. Dacres Adams (1806-71) (q.v.); 
(3) Mayow Wynell Adams (1809-98) (q.v.); 
(4) Elizabeth Mary Adams;
(5) Rev. Herbert George Adams (1814-51), vicar of Cornwood (Devon), m. Eleanor (d. 1900), daughter of Baldwin Fulford esq.
He inherited the Bowden House estate from his father in 1811; and in right of his wife the Old House, Sydenham estate in 1807, and lived at Sydenham.  Bowden House was occupied by his younger brother.  At his death Bowden House passed to his eldest surviving son and the Sydenham property to his third son.
He died 8 June 1862, aged 86 and was buried at Sydenham, 14 June 1862, where he is commemorated by a monument in the churchyard.  Will proved 29 August 1862 (estate under £35,000).

Adams, Lt-Gen. Sir George Pownall KCH (1779-1856) of Bowden House.  Second son of William Adams (1752-1811) and his wife Anna Maria, daughter of Richard Dacres of Leatherhead (Surrey); born at Totnes (Devon), 1 January 1779.  An officer in the army (Col., 1813; Maj-Gen., 1819; Lt.-Gen.); appointed a Knight Commander of the Hanoverian Order, 1831. A freeman of Totnes from 1800 and Mayor of Totnes, 1828-29. He married 1821 Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of Sir William Elford, 1st bt. and had issue:
(1) Capt. William Elford Adams (1823-56), m. 1849 Anna Maria Bannerman (b. 1830) and had issue a daughter; 
(2) Rev. George Dacres Adams (b. 1824), vicar of East Budleigh (Devon), 1852-84; m. 1857 Elizabeth Agnes, daughter of Rev. R. Pattrick but died without issue?; 
(3) Arthur Elford Adams (b. 1826), m. 1847 Henrietta (b. 1824), daughter of William F. Bowman esq.; 
(4) Henry Cranstoun Adams of Lion House, Exmouth (1826-1911), m. Matilda Winslow (b. 1827), daughter of Thomas Patton esq. and had issue.
He lived at Bowden House, Totnes, which was owned by his brother.  He may have inherited property at Buckland Monachorum in right of his wife.
He died at Buckland Monachorum, 1856, aged about 77.

Adams, Rev. Dacres (1806-71) of Bowden House.  Second but eldest surviving son of William Dacres Adams (1775-1862) and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Mayow Wynell Mayow of Sydenham (Kent), born 1806.  Educated at Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1824, BA 1827; MA 1832); ordained deacon, 1829 and priest, 1830; curate of Stokeinteignhead (Devon), 1829; vicar of Bampton (Oxon), 1837-71; JP for Oxfordshire.  He married his cousin, Anna Maria (d. 1896), daughter of Baldwin Fulford esq. of Great Fulford, and had issue:
(1) Rev. William Fulford Adams (1833-1909) (q.v.)
(2) Philip Dacres Adams.
He inherited the Bowden House estate from his father in 1862.
He died 8 December 1871, aged 65.  Will proved 3 February 1872, effects under £7000.

Adams, Rev. William Fulford (1833-1909), of Bowden House.  Elder son of Rev. Dacres Adams (1806-71) and his wife Anna Maria, daughter of Baldwin Fulford of Great Fulford (Devon), born 19 July 1833.  Educated at Marlborough and Exeter Coll, Oxford (matriculated 1852; BA 1856; MA 1859); Clerk in Holy Orders; vicar of Little Farringdon (Oxon), 1864; Rector of Weston-sub-Edge (Glos).  A friend and contemporary of William Morris.  He married 13 November 1859 Catherine Mary (1830-1912), daughter of Thomas Horton of Bromsgrove (Worcs) and had issue:
(1) Margaret Adams (1861-74); died young;
(2) Katharine Adams (1862-1952), bookbinder (see Oxford DNB), m. 1913 Edmund James Webb (1853-1945) but died without issue;
(3) William Dacres Adams (1864-1951), artist and illustrator; born 19 August 1864; m. 1899 Marie Regina, daughter of Rev. Edward Houghton of New York and had issue one son and one daughter;
(4) Winifred Mary Adams (1867-68), d. young.
He inherited the Bowden House estate from his father in 1871 but probably never lived there and sold it in 1887 to the Singer family.
He died in 1909.

Mayow Wynell Adams
Image South London Guide

Adams, Mayow Wynell (1809-98), of Old House, Sydenham.  Third son of William Dacres Adams (1775-1862) and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Mayow Wynell Mayow of Sydenham (Kent), born 11 October 1809.  Author of A short history of Sydenham, 1878; JP for London and Kent.  He married Anna Maria (d. 1895), daughter of Major Hodge, who was killed at the Battle of Waterloo; and had issue:
(1) Edith Maria Adams (d. 1871), m. 9 November 1865 Edward R. Fisher of Thorncombe near Guildford (Surrey); died 9 October 1871.
He inherited the Old House, Sydenham from his father in 1862, but sold off the estate for building.  The house itself was sold after his death.
He died 18 Feb. 1898; commemorated by a monument at Sydenham churchyard.

Principal sources

Burke's Landed Gentry, 1850, p.6; B. Cherry & Sir N. Pevsner, The buildings of England: Devon, 2nd edn, 1989, pp. 195-96;  http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/SiteCollectionDocuments/SydenhamThorpesConservationAreaCharacterAppraisalPart2.pdf, accessed 27 August 2012; 

http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/lewisham/assets/galleries/sydenham/the-old-house, accessed 24 April 2013;

http://sydenhamforesthillhistory.blogspot.co.uk/2008_11_01_archive.html, accessed 24 April 2013.

Where are their papers?

Adams family of Bowden House and Old House, Sydenham: deeds and estate papers relating to Kent (Sydenham), 1530-1908 (Lewisham Local Studies & Archives, A64/1, A69/20); corresp and papers, chiefly of William Dacres Adams, 1770-1906 (British Library Add. MS. 89036).

Revision and acknowledgements

This account was first published 24 April 2013 and was updated 20 March 2014 and 2 December 2023.