(29) Adams, later Woollcombe-Adams and Stopford-Adams, of Ansty Hall

The Addam or de Adam family seem to have been minor landowners in Essex (Harlow) and Hertfordshire (Great Amwell) in the 16th and 17th centuries.  The Rev. Simon Adams, who was rector of Aston-le-Walls (Northants) from 1627-73, moved the family’s focus to Northamptonshire, where they built up property at Moreton Pinkney and East Haddon, although most members of the family also pursued a professional career.  In 1744 Clarke Adams (1719-76) married Elizabeth, the daughter of Rev. William Tayler of Ansty Hall (Warwickshire).  Although she died a few years later, the marriage gave him an interest in the more substantial Anstey estate, which he and later his son Simon Adams (d. 1801), a lawyer, seem to have managed on behalf of Edward Taylor, a lunatic (d. 1799), and which Simon inherited on Taylor’s death.  

Henry Cadwallader Adams (1779-1843), who inherited in 1801, was probably responsible for remodelling Ansty Hall in the early 19th century.  He sold his land in Staffordshire (Wigginton, Dosthill) in 1801 and part of his Northamptonshire property in 1824 and 1829.  This consolidation of interests in the county established the family among the gentry of Warwickshire, where Henry was High Sheriff in 1837.  Capt. George Curtis Adams (1807-83) sold the remainder of the Northamptonshire estate in 1869.  On the death of his son, Henry Cadwallader Adams (1850-92), Ansty passed to his sister Emma and her husband Lt-Col. Edward Woollcombe, who took the additional name and arms of Adams in 1893.  Their grandson, Peter Adams (b. 1912), sold the estate in 1956 to his distant cousin, Derric John Stopford-Adams (1907-94), who was a great-grandson of the first Henry Cadwallader Adams (d. 1843).  Stopford-Adams retained the estate until 1986 when he sold it to Twinland Ltd. for conversion to an hotel.

Ansty Hall, Warwickshire

Ansty Hall: the lower two floors of the seven-bay centre represent the original house

A handsome red brick house built in 1678 by Edward Taylor, whose family leased the estate from the Dean and Chapter of Windsor.  As originally built, it was a two storey red brick seven bay, double-pile house with stone quoins and dressings, with four main rooms on each floor and a central staircase.  The principal fronts face north-west and south-east, and the lower part of the north-west front still dates from this period.   Externally, it is not unlike the demolished Allesley Park on the other side of Coventry.  

Ansty Hall: rear elevation.  On this side the work of different dates is more evident

The garden front is also of seven bays, but plainer; there are no quoins and the doorway here has no pediment.  Inside, many 17th century features survive, including the bolection-moulded fireplace in the entrance hall, the panelling of the drawing room and library, and the staircase with an openwork scroll balustrade with heavy moulded handrail and panelled newels.  

In the later 18th century the estate passed by marriage to the Adams family of East Haddon and Moreton Pinkney (Northants), and either Simon Adams (d. 1801) or his son Henry Cadwallader Adams (1779-1843), made major alterations.  These included widening the garden front by the addition of a recessed bay and single-storey quadrant link at either end, adding the top storey and the present doorcase, pediment and slate roofs, and remodelling the interior.  The dining room is of this date and has an Ionic screen at one end, and the remodelling also saw the replacement of many of the fireplaces in the main rooms.

To the right of the entrance front is a lower, recessed two storey service wing, added in the mid to late 19th century but keeping to the style of the original building.  The house is reputed to have been the model for the home of Mrs. Cadwallader in George Eliot's Middlemarch.  It was converted into an hotel after 1986.

Previous owners: Dean & Canons of St George’s Chapel, Windsor granted lease of demesne 1544 to Richard Harrison, who sold 1550 to John Barker; to son, William Barker; to son, Richard Barker (fl. 1619-37); to daughter Mary Barker, wife of Thomas Woodcock (d. c.1640); to daughter Anne Woodcock (d. 1671), wife of Richard Tayler (d. 1676); to son, Edward Tayler (1652-1721); to son, Edward Tayler (1683-1749); to brother, Rev. William Tayler, rector of Malpas (Cheshire) (c.1684-1750); to son, Edward Tayler, a lunatic (d. 1799), on whose behalf it was managed by his nephew, Simon Adams (d. 1801), who inherited it; to son Henry Cadwallader Adams (1779-1843); to son Major-Gen. Henry William Adams (1805-54); to brother, Capt. George Curtis Adams RN (1807-83); to son Henry Cadwallader Adams (1850-92); to sister, Emma Louisa Adams (d. 1915), wife of Lt-Col. Edward Woollcombe(-Adams) (d. 1914); to son Major Cecil Edward George Woollcombe-Adams (1873-1936); to son Peter Edward Adams (b. 1912); sold 1956 to distant cousin, Derric John Stopford-Adams (1907-94), who sold 1986 for conversion to hotel.

The Adams family of Anstey Hall

Adams, Rev. Simon (c.1602-73), rector of Aston-le-Walls (Northants).  Son of Simon de Adam (d. 1644) of Great Amwell (Herts) and St. Margaret's, London and his first wife; baptised at St Margaret Moses, London, 24 June 1602.  Educated at Pembroke College, Cambridge (admitted pensioner, 1619; BA 1622/23; MA 1626).  Ordained priest in diocese of Peterborough, 1627/28; rector of Aston-le-Walls (Northants), 1627/8-73.  He married Cicely (d. before 1677), daughter of William Abbis of Bedford and had issue:
(1) Cecily Adams (1628-84), m. Thomas Cooper (d. 1680), gent., of Lubbenham (Leics) and had issue two sons and three daughters; will proved at Leicester, 1684;
(2) Simon Adams (1631-1709) of Moreton Pinkney (Northants) (q.v.); 
(3) Dorothy Adams (b. 1633; fl. 1670), m. Richard Miles (fl. 1676) and had issue seven children; 
(4) Thomas Adams (1636-39), died young;
(5) Rev. William Adams (1638-66), Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford; baptised 12 April 1638 and buried 20 April 1666 at Aston-le-Walls;
(6) Thomas Adams (b. 1639, fl. 1685), baptised 26 December 1639 at Aston-le-Walls; m.1, Elizabeth, daughter of William Flexney of Oxford and had issue, and perhaps m.2, 1685, Jane Whynyates of St. Olave's, Southwark; ancestor of the Adams family of Lavendon (Bucks); 
(7) Sarah Adams (fl. 1676), m. William Fullwood MD of Huntingdon; 
(8) Hester Adams (fl. 1676), m. William Sanderson, gent. of Pilton (Warks) and had issue?
He probably began the process of building the family's lands in Northamptonshire.
He died in 1673, aged 71, and was buried at Aston-le-Walls, 5 August 1673.  Will proved in Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 10 September 1673. His widow's will was proved in the PCC, 23 November 1677.

Adams, Simon (1631-1709), of Moreton Pinkney (Northants), gent.  Eldest son of Rev. Simon Adams (c.1602-73) and his wife Cicely, daughter of William Abbis of Bedford; baptised at Aston-le-Walls (Northants), 7 July 1631.  He married first, c. 1656, Elizabeth Hindes (d. 1660) of Priors Marston (Warks) and second, c.1661, Anne (d. 1708/9), daughter of Robert Cooper of Lubbenham (Leics), gent., and had issue:
(1.1) Cicely Adams (b. & d. 1657);
(1.2) A child (b. & d. 1658)
(1.3) Mary Adams (b. 1660; fl. 1682);
(2.1) Elizabeth Adams (b. 1662), baptised 28 April 1662; m. 27 July 1693 Samuel Preston of Bugbrooke, gent.; 
(2.2) Anne Adams (b. 1663); baptised 28 July 1663;
(2.3) Susanna Adams (b. 1666), baptised 24 May 1666; m. at Daventry, 13 July 1695, Robert Onley, esq. of Newton; 
(2.4) Simon Adams MD (1667-1748) (q.v.);
(2.5) Sarah Adams (b. 1669), baptised 13 July 1669; m. 24 August 1691, Richard Houghton of Oxfordshire;
(2.6) Thomas Adams (b. 1673), baptised at Moreton Pinkney, 2 August 1673.
Lived at Moreton Pinkney (Northants).
He died in 1709 and was buried 27 April 1709.  His first wife was buried, 17 May 1660 and his second wife 6 January 1708/9, both at Moreton Pinkney.

Adams, Dr. Simon (1667-1748), of Daventry and East Haddon (Northants), MD.  Elder son of Simon Adams (1631-c.1710) and his second wife Anne, daughter of Robert Cooper of Lubbenham (Leics); baptised at Moreton Pinkney, 19 July 1667.  Educated at Lincoln College, Oxford (matriculated 1684; BA 1688; MD).  He married 23 June 1692, Anne (d. 1736), daughter of Rev. William Gilbert of Culworth (Northants) and had issue:
(1) Rev. Simon Adams (1693-1731) (q.v.); 
(2) Catherine Adams (1696-1775), baptised 9 July 1696; m. 15 October 1724 Rev. John Gilman DD (1675-1741), , rector of Crick and Clay Coton, and had issue; 
(3) Anne Adams (d. 1747), m. 6 June 1716 Benjamin Warren (1680-1741/2), esq. of Bugbrooke (Northants) and had issue.
He lived at Daventry and East Haddon (Northants).
He died 10 May 1748 aged 80 and was buried 15 May 1748. at Daventry, where he is commemorated by a monument.  Will proved in Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 2 April 1749.  His wife died 2 December 1736 and is buried at Daventry.

Adams, Rev. Simon (1693-1731), vicar of Welton (Northants).  Only son of Dr. Simon Adams (1667-1748) of Daventry and his wife Anne, daughter of Rev. William Gilbert of Culworth (Northants); baptised at Daventry, 6 October 1693.  Educated at Rugby School and Lincoln College, Oxford (matriculated 1710/11; BA 1714; MA 1717). Ordained; vicar of Welton (Northants), 1721-31.  He married 10 Feb. 1717/18 Anne, daughter of John Clarke esq. of Drayton and had issue:
(1) Lt-Col. Clarke Adams (1718/9-76) (q.v.); 
(2) Anne Adams (1721-81), baptised 6 April 1721; m. 3 February 1742/3, Thomas Freeman (d. 1776), gent. of Daventry; died 26 April 1781 and was buried 1 May 1781 at Daventry;
(3) Simon Adams (1724-1801), attorney of Towcester (Northants); baptised 19 November 1724 at Welton; died unmarried, 18 November 1801 and buried 20 November 1801 at Towcester.
He inherited and accumulated property at Moreton Pinkney, East Haddon etc.
He died 2 October 1731 and was buried at Welton.

Adams, Lt-Col. Clarke (1718/9-1776), of East Haddon and Moreton Pinkney, gent.  Elder son of Rev. Simon Adams (1693-1731) of Welton (Northants) and his wife Anne, daughter of John Clarke esq. of Drayton; baptised 8 January 1718/19.  Lt-Col. of the Northamptonshire Militia.  He married 1st, 15 August 1744 at Daventry, Elizabeth Dobbins (d. c.1750), daughter and eventual heiress of Rev. William Taylor of Ansty Hall (Warks), rector of Malpas (Cheshire), and 2nd, 29 August 1751 at East Haddon, Frances (1725-81), daughter and heiress of Richard Clarke of Nortoft and Welton (Northants), and had issue:
(1.1) Simon Adams (c.1745-1801) (q.v.);
(1.2) Elizabeth Dobbins Adams (1747/8-82), m. 16 August 1771 Charles Watkins of Daventry; died 19 May 1782.
He inherited estates at East Haddon and Moreton Pinkney (Northants) from his father, and acquired an interest in the estates of his first wife's father at Ansty Hall.
He died 26 June 1776; buried at East Haddon, where he is commemorated by a monument designed by William Cox.

Adams, Simon (c.1745-1801) of Ansty Hall.  Only son of Lt-Col. Clarke Adams (1718/9-76) and his first wife Elizabeth Dobbins, daughter of Rev. William Taylor of Ansty Hall (Warks).  Educated at Lincoln College, Oxford (matriculated 1763; BA 1769; MA 1773) and Middle Temple (admitted 1770); barrister-at-law; recorder of Daventry, 1770-1801; deputy recorder of Northampton, 1774-1801.  He married 3 January 1778 at Tottenham (Middx), Sarah (c.1753-1833), daughter of Cadwallader Coker of Bicester (Oxon) and had issue:
(1) Henry Cadwallader Adams (1779-1842) (q.v.);
(2) Rev. Thomas Coker Adams (1782-1851), vicar of Ansty, Shilton and Foleshill (Warks), m. 16/23 September 1806 Mary, daughter of Johnson Pistor Withington of Bath and had issue six sons and four daughters;
(3) John Adams (1786-1856), born 1 September 1786; m.1, 1811 Elizabeth (d. 1814), daughter of William Nation of Exeter and had issue two sons and m.2, 21 January 1817 Jane (d. 1825), daughter of Thomas Martin of Nottingham and had issue a son, the Rev. Henry Cadwallader Adams (1817-99), children's author; John Adams m.3, 28 December 1826 Charlotte Priscilla, daughter and heiress of John Coker of Bicester House (Oxon) and had issue three sons;
(4) Sarah Coker Adams, m. 17 May 1800 James Beck of Allesley Park (Warks).
He inherited estates at East Haddon and Moreton Pinkney from his father in 1776, but sold the East Haddon estate to Henry Sawbridge, 1780.  In 1799 he acquired full control of the Ansty Hall estate on the death of his mother's brother, a lunatic, on whose behalf he had managed the estate for many years.  Either he or his son remodelled the house there.
He died at Bath, 10 March 1801 and buried at Ansty, 19 March 1801.  Will proved in Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 3 July 1801.  His wife died at Bath, 17 July 1833 and was buried at Ansty, 26 July 1833.

Adams, Henry Cadwallader (1779-1842) of Ansty Hall.  Eldest son of Simon Adams (c.1745-1801) and his wife Sarah, daughter of Cadwallader Coker of Bicester (Oxon), born 11 December 1779.  JP and DL for Warwickshire; High Sheriff of Warwickshire, 1837; Mayor of Coventry, 1836.  He married, 11/18 June 1803 Emma (d. 1857), eldest daughter of Sir William Curtis, 1st bt. and had issue:
(1) Maj-Gen. Henry William Adams (1805-54) (q.v.);
(2) Capt. George Curtis Adams (1807-83), RN (q.v.);
(3) Maj-Gen. Frank Adams (1809-69) CB, m. 1845, Ellen, widow of J. Straith and had issue; died 19 September 1869;
(4) Arthur Roberts Adams (1812-77) QC, recorder of Birmingham and Fellow of St. John's College, Oxford; died unmarried and without issue;
(5) Lt-Gen. Cadwallader Adams (1825-92) (q.v.);
(6) Emma Curtis Adams (d. 1880), m.1, Cdr. John Garrett RN and m.2, George Young of Appley Towers, Isle of Wight;
(7) Anna Delicia Adams (d. 1897), m. 1843, Alfred Burton of St. Leonards-on-Sea (d. 1877);
(8) Laura Coker Adams (d. 1859), m. Rev. Cadwallader Coker Beck
(9) Louisa Anne Adams (d. by 1898).
He sold land at Wigginton and Dosthill in Staffordshire in 1801 and some further land in Northamptonshire in 1824 and 1829.
He died in Bath, 31 March 1842.  Will proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, June 1842 and administration of remaining effects granted by the Principal Probate Registry, 11 April 1859.  His wife died 22 June 1857 at Corston House, Ryde (Isle of Wight).

Adams, Maj-Gen. Henry William (1805-54) of Ansty Hall.  Eldest son of Henry Cadwallader Adams (1779-1842) and his wife Emma, daughter of Sir William Curtis, bt.; born 31 January 1805.  Major-General in the Army; Lt-Col. of 49th Regiment; appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath.  He married 28 November 1843 his cousin, Katherine (d. 1905), daughter of Rev. Thomas Coker Adams, but had no issue.
He inherited the Ansty Hall and Moreton Pinkney estates from his father in 1842.
He was killed in action at Scutari in the Crimea, 19 December 1854.  His widow was granted the same rank as if he had survived to be appointed a Knight Companion of the Order of the Bath.  Lady Adams died 21 October 1905.  Her will was proved in London, 8 December 1905 (estate £26,949).

Adams, Capt. George Curtis (1807-83) of Ansty Hall.  Second son of Henry Cadwallader Adams (1779-1842) and his wife Emma, daughter of Sir William Curtis, bt.; born 24 November 1807.  JP for Warwickshire.  He married 28 January 1847, Mary Susan, daughter of Edward Woolmer of Exeter, and had issue:
(1) Emma Louisa Adams (c.1848-1915) (q.v.);
(2) Henry Cadwallader Adams (1850-92) of Wandsworth (Surrey); born 28 July 1850; m. 20 September 1887 Harriet Sarah Monk, daughter of Robert Preston Drummond; died without issue, 25 December 1892; will proved 14 January 1893 (estate £113);
(3) Katherine Anna Adams (d. 1865), died without issue.
He inherited the Ansty Hall and Moreton Pinkney estates from his brother in 1854, but sold the remaining Northamptonshire property in 1869.  He may have added the service wing to Ansty Hall.  At his death his property passed to his elder daughter.
He died 11 December 1883.  His will was proved in the Principal Probate Registry, 26 January 1884 (estate £7,442).  His widow died 23 July 1893 and her will was proved 14 August 1893 (estate £10,493).

Adams (later Woollcombe-Adams), Emma Louisa (d. 1915) of Ansty Hall. Elder daughter of Capt. George Curtis Adams (1807-83) and his wife Mary Susan, daughter of Edward Woolmer of Exeter; born c. 1848.  She married 6 June 1872 Lt-Col. Edward Woollcombe (d. 1914), son of Vice-Adm. George Woollcombe of Hemerdon; he assumed the name and arms of Adams, 1893.  They had issue:
(1) Maj. Cecil Edward George Woollcombe-Adams (1873-1936) (q.v.)
(2) Gwendoline Mary Woollcombe-Adams (d. 1948), m. 1899 Capt. Richard John Oliver-Bellasis (d. 1938) of Shilton House, Coventry (Warks), son of Admiral Richard Aldworth Oliver;
(3) Dorothy Katharine Woollcombe-Adams (d. 1934);
(4) Hilda Margaret Woollcombe-Adams (d. 1963), m. 1911 Charles Augustus Oliver CBE, younger son of Admiral Oliver.
She inherited the Ansty Hall estate from her father in 1883.
She died 13 August 1915.  Her will was proved 15 October 1915 (estate £9,265).  Her husband died 30 November 1914.  His will was proved 10 February 1915 (estate £3,672).

Woollcombe-Adams, Maj. Cecil Edward George (1873-1936) of Ansty Hall.  Only son of Lt-Col. Edward Woollcombe (later Woollcombe-Adams) and his wife Emma Louisa, daughter of Capt. George Curtis Adams; born 1 July 1873.  Lieutenant in Hampshire & Isle of Wight Artillery.  He married 27 April 1911 Evelyn Frances Adams (d. 1942), daughter of Ralph Coker Adams Beck of Bookham Lodge, Cobham (Surrey) and widow of Charles Wriothesley Digby of Meriden Hall (Warks), and had issue:
(1) Peter Edward Woollcombe Adams (1912-65) (q.v.);
(2) Elizabeth Susan Woollcombe-Adams (1914-97), born 25 May 1914; married, 1937, George Maurice Berridge (known as Mick) Helps (1910-92) and had issue two sons; died December 1997, aged 83 and was buried at Ansley (Warks).
He inherited the Ansty Hall estate from his mother in 1915.
He died 8 June 1936.  Will proved 28 September and 18 November 1936 (estate £40,459 in settled land and £3,547 in personal effects).  His widow died 14 February 1942.  Her will was proved 15 October 1942 (estate £4,814).

Adams, Peter Edward Woollcombe (1912-65) of Ansty Hall.  Only son of Maj. Cecil Edward George Woollcombe-Adams (1873-1936) and his wife Evelyn Frances Adams, daughter of Ralph Coker Adams Beck; born 1912.  He married 5 October 1939 Brenda Amicia, daughter of Rev. Bracebridge Lindsay Hall of Weddington (Warks) and had issue:
(1) Rupert Adams (b. 1944);
(2) Nigel Adams (b. 1952);
(3) A daughter, d. young.
He inherited the Ansty Hall estate from his father in 1936, but sold it to his distant kinsman, Derric John Stopford-Adams (q.v.) in 1956.
He died in Birmingham, October-December 1965.

Adams, Lt-Gen. Cadwallader (1825-93).  Fifth son of Henry Cadwallader Adams (1779-1842) and his wife Emma, daughter of Sir William Curtis, bt.; born 1825.  Lt-Gen. in the Army; Col. of 49th Foot.  He married in India, 1871, Anna Catherine Elizabeth (d. 1922), daughter of Col. James Stopford CB and had issue:
(1) Maj. George Stopford Adams (1872-1915) (q.v.);
(2) Philip James Cadwallader Adams (d. 1912), m. 1909 S.C., daughter of A.W. Stanfield of Nottingham
(3) Evelyn Blanche Stopford Adams, m.1, 1900 Capt. Kennett Dixon (d. 1927) RN and m.2, 1939 Cyril Henry Barraud of Coggeshall (Essex), son of Herbert Rose Barraud of London.
He died 10 February 1893.  His will was proved 10 April 1893 (estate £22,367).  His widow died 10 April 1922, and her will was proved 10 June 1922 (estate £674).

Adams, Maj. George Stopford (1872-1915).  Elder son of Lt-Gen. Cadwallader Adams (1825-93) and his wife Anna Catherine Elizabeth, daughter of Col. James Stopford CB; born 1872.  Served in WW1 with Lancashire Fusiliers.  He married 12 July 1905 Muriel Ada (1884-1952), daughter of John Cooke Harker of Champion Hill, London SE and had issue:
(1) Derric John Stopford Adams (1907-94) (q.v.).
He was killed in action at Gallipoli, 11 May 1915.  His will was proved 24 September 1915 (estate £5,363).  His widow died 2 March 1952.  Her will was proved 2 May 1952 (estate £19,383).

Adams, Derric John Stopford (1907-94).  Only son of Maj. George Stopford Adams (1872-1915) and his wife Muriel Ada, daughter of John Cooker Harker of London SE; born 17 January 1907.  Barrister, diplomat and stockbroker.  He married 29 June 1935 Elizabeth Bruce Pakenham, daughter of Col. Arthur Hugh Block of Okehampton (Devon) and had issue:
(1) Paul Meredyth George Stopford-Adams (b. 1943) of Steppes Farm, Frampton, Dorset;
(2) Venetia Caroline Mary Stopford-Adams (b. 1936), m. Hugh Sefton Pigott, son of Alfred Sefton Pigott of Cheadle Hulme and had issue;
(3) Charmian Elizabeth Sara Stopford-Adams (b. 1939), m. 1961 Gervase Thomas More Shorter, son of Alan Wynn Shorter of Carshalton.
He purchased the Ansty Hall estate from his kinsman, Peter Edward Woollcombe Adams (1912-65) (q.v.), in 1956.  He sold it in 1986 for conversion to an hotel.
He died in Bridport (Dorset), June 1994, aged 87, and was buried at Ansty.

Sources

Burke's Landed Gentry, successive editions; V.C.H. Warwickshire, vol. 8, 1969, pp. 43-48; P. Reid, Burke’s & Savill’s Guide to Country Houses: vol. 2, West Midlands, 1980, pp. 126-27; G. Tyack, Warwickshire Country Houses, 1994, p. 224

Where are their papers?

Adams family of Anstey Hall: deeds and estate records relating to property in Warwickshire (Anstey etc.) and Northamptonshire (Bugbrooke etc.), and family papers, 15th-19th cents. [Warwickshire County Record Office, CR285].

Revision
Revised 21st February 2015.