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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Bowden House, Totnes, Devon
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| 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.
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.
Old House, Sydenham, Kent
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| 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.
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| William Dacres Adams by Sir Thomas Lawrence, c.1810. Image from Philip Mould Ltd. |
(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.
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| Mayow Wynell Adams Image South London Guide |
(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.
Thank you and well spotted! This is indeed the material recorded in my original posting as in private hands, and I will amend my account accordingly.
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