(464) Fleming and Baxter of Sibdon Castle

The story of this family begins with Richard Fleming (1681-1748), a lawyer who inherited the Shropshire estates of Westhope in Diddlebury, and Shadwell in Clun. To these he added Sibdon Carwood (Shropshire), which there are some grounds for believing his family may previously have rented from the Corbets. In 1745 he sold Sibdon to his eldest son, Edward Fleming (1711-73), who was practising as a barrister in London, and moved to Dinmore Manor in Herefordshire, which he may have leased. When he died in 1748, Edward also inherited the Westhope and Shadwell properties, though Dinmore Manor passed to Richard's second son, another Richard Fleming (1713-72). Edward Fleming is the central figure in the story of Sibdon Castle, for through his remodelling of the house and his landscaping of the grounds he largely created the estate that exists today, but despite this, he is not a sympathetic figure. He was permanently overstretched financially, and his creditors, his wife and his family all paid the price for his chronic indebtedness, both financially and emotionally. In 1763 his wife left him for several weeks, and although she eventually returned to Sibdon for the sake of her children, her relationship with her husband remained strained until she died in 1770. In 1773, Edward was murdered by the addition of a fatal dose of arsenic to his breakfast potage, and it was quickly realised that a member of the household must have been responsible. The housekeeper was charged with the crime but acquitted at her trial at Shrewsbury Assizes, and the crime was never brought home to anyone else. Later speculation suggested that Edward's only son, Gilbert Fleming, who inherited the family estates, might have been responsible, and that perhaps he had bribed the housekeeper to administer the poison, but the truth will probably never be known. Gilbert drank himself to death less than a year after his father, which does sound rather like the effects of a bad conscience. He died intestate, and his three surviving sisters and their husbands agreed a partition of his estates between them. As a result of this, Sibdon Castle passed to the eldest daughter, Sarah (1742-74), the wife of John Baxter of The Rock, Llanllwchaiarn (Montgomerys). Sarah herself died just seven months after her brother, so Sibdon Castle passed into the hands of the Baxter family.

John Baxter (d. 1788) was a gentleman farmer, who had served as High Sheriff of Montgomeryshire in 1770, and he seems to have continued to live at The Rock, a farm in a loop of the River Severn, since he and his wife were both buried at Llanllwchaiarn. He was succeeded at Sibdon by his only surviving son, James Fleming Baxter (1768-1830), who was trained as a solicitor in the office of James Kinnersley at Ludlow (Shrops). Although his father died before he had completed his articles, he seems to have qualified as a solicitor, for by 1808 he had been appointed Town Clerk of Ludlow, a responsible position which he held until his death. He seems to have lived chiefly in Ludlow rather than at Sibdon, although since there is no evidence that the latter was let, he perhaps divided his time between the two: they are only about ten miles apart.

Sibdon Cottage, which James Fleming Baxter left
to his mistress, Elizabeth Gwilliam, in 1830.

His appointment as Town Clerk demonstrates fairly clearly that James commanded the confidence of the leading townspeople, and it is a telling comment on the prevailing moral standards that he could do so while (as his will makes explicit) living openly with Elizabeth Gwilliam, a woman who was not his wife, and who bore him two children. In fact James never married, and he bequeathed his estate to his illegitimate son, James Baxter (1805-71), although he made extensive financial provision for his mistress, who was also left a charming Regency Gothick cottage on the Sibdon estate, which he may have built for her.

James Baxter was trained as a solicitor, like his father, being articled clerk to Richard Barneby (1769-1830) of Worcester in 1822. After completing his articles he may have practised for some years in Birmingham, as he was living there at the time of his first marriage in 1827. After his father's death he relocated to Ludlow, where he lived in Mill St. and later Broad St., although it is not clear whether he was practising as a lawyer at this time. Like his father he may have divided his time between Ludlow and Sibdon. He had four sons, but the two eldest both predeceased him, so on his death in 1871 the Sibdon estate passed to his third son, the Rev. Henry Fleming Baxter (1838-1916), who was then vicar of Bushbury (Staffs), although he took an early opportunity of presenting himself to the living of Sibdon Carwood in 1872. His first concern at Sibdon was to remodel the church, adding an apse and replacing the Georgian ball finials on the tower with oversize battlements. He was probably also responsible for adding a small service wing to the house. In 1899 he decided to retire from his clerical duties and perhaps to make this financially possible, he sold the Sibdon estate to his younger brother, Herbert Fleming Baxter (1839-1905), who was an American merchant and much wealthier than his brother. In other ways, the decision is hard to explain: Henry had three surviving sons, who were respectively a doctor, a farmer and a clergyman; whereas Herbert had only one, who was an artist and sculptor with no interest in the estate. Henry's second son, Robert Hanbury Fleming Baxter (1874-1936), who had perhaps expected to inherit Sibdon, emigrated to Canada in 1899 and never returned. When Herbert's widow died in 1907, his son Fane Fleming Baxter (1873-1939) inherited, and at once let the house. It remained tenanted until he sold the freehold in 1929.

Sibdon Castle, Sibdon Carwood, Shropshire

Leland, writing in the mid 16th century, records the existence of a castle at 'Shepeton Corbet', which is probably to be identified with Sibdon Carwood, then an outlying estate belonging to the extensive Corbet family. Nothing remains of a masonry castle today, and it may always have been a timber-framed manor house. In the early 17th century the Corbets largely rebuilt the house on a U-plan, with the entrance front facing west and having a recessed three bay centre and projecting gabled wings. The wings survive largely intact today, and are of two storeys with attics above; inside, two rooms at the north end of the house, the kitchen and library, have distinctive wide fireplaces with segmental arches beneath hooded moulds, similar to those at nearby Stokesay Castle. The northern end of the house was probably the service end from the beginning, with the family rooms at the southern end, and this arrangement survives today.

Sibdon Castle: the west front, with the early 17th century gable-ends and the single-storey 18th century entrance block between them.
Image: Country Life.

In 1659 the Corbets sold the Sibdon Carwood estate to John Walcot (1624-1702), who undertook a further remodelling and extension of the house and rebuilt the stables. Work may have been in progress in 1672 when Walcot was taxed on only one hearth at Sibdon (although, as we have seen, at least two hearths survive from the early 17th century house in the present building!). Walcot refenestrated the centre of the west front with new timber mullioned and transomed windows with segmental heads, and created a new east range which is rather deeper than the west range and also a little wider. The new east front had four widely-spaced windows on each floor and an asymmetrically-placed doorway between the middle windows, all set under a hipped roof punctuated by brick chimneystacks with panelled sides. The asymmetrical doorway may be evidence that the new range incorporated some earlier work, rather than being entirely new. The windows on the east front had shallow segmental arches above flat heads, and were similar to those installed by Walcot's younger brother Thomas at Bitterley Court, making it likely that the same craftsmen were employed at both houses. Little survives inside of Walcot's time except for the secondary staircase in the centre of the house.

In 1725 the Sibdon estate was sold for £2,410 to Richard Fleming, whose only contribution to the building history seems to have been the rebuilding of the parish church, which stands in the garden of the house. He signed a contract for the work with John Tasker, a local builder, in 1738, and there was formerly a datestone in the east wall for 1741. The building that resulted was a simple two-cell chapel with a western bell-tower, although the the design of the battlements and ball finials on the tower was not finally decided until 1746. By then, Richard Fleming had sold the house to his son, Edward Fleming (d. 1773), who forsook a successful career at the bar to devote himself to the management and improvement of the estate. Sadly, he did not have the capital to match his ambitions for the place, but even so, the remodelling that he undertook in the late 1740s or 1750s, probably to the designs of William Baker (1705-71) of Highfields, is largely responsible for the present character of the house. On the west front, he filled in the space between the two wings with a battlemented single-storey block with a doorway beneath an arched fanlight, flanked by narrow windows. Although the main entrance had always been on the west side until now, this 'Palladian doorway' was intended as a secondary entrance, connecting the house to the stable court. 

Sibdon Castle: the east front in the late 19th century, before the removal of the glazing bars. Image: Historic England/Holden family.

On the east side, which became the entrance front at this time, he inserted additional windows between the widely spaced ones of the 1670s, to create a seven bay front, gave all the windows narrow moulded surrounds with small keystones, and built a new central porch with alternating angle quoins and an arched doorway that effectively concealed the asymmetric positioning of the doorway on this side. More strikingly, he added a battlemented parapet which rises at either end of the facade to incorporate an oculus window and again in the centre to incorporate a Diocletian window: although these windows are all classical in origin, the overall effect is strongly that of a toy fort.

Sibdon Castle: entrance hall and staircase in 1967. Image: Country Life.

The new porch on the east front led into one corner of the entrance hall, with full-height panelling articulated by giant fluted Doric pilasters. To the right lay the panelled Oak Room, which probably functioned as a study and business room, and beyond that the Gun Room. To the west there opened a new principal staircase, with inlaid treads, fluted colonnette newels, and three balusters to each tread, two of which are turned and one twisted for variety. Although generous in size and feel, the staircase actually takes up a surprisingly small part of the volume of the house. One almost expects it to lead to a first-floor saloon, but it goes up only to a state bedroom with an old-fashioned deep bed alcove divided from the rest of the room by a segmental arch. To the south of the hall are the drawing room and dining room, the latter with 17th century ceiling beams encased in plaster and decorated with 18th century egg-and-dart mouldings. Later alterations to the house have been few, and one major one has been reversed. A small service wing was built onto the north-west corner of the house in Victorian times, perhaps in about 1872, when Thomas Nicholson was making alterations to the church and may have worked on the house too. At some point - perhaps after 1899 - the glazing bars of the sash windows on the east front were all removed, giving the house the soulless blank look which so affronts modern eyes but which the Victorians seemed to have found a price worth paying for slightly lighter rooms and an uninterrupted view. Happily, they have recently been put back.

Edward Fleming's remodelling extended to the grounds of the house, where he created a long curving drive leading up to the house and the stable court, and was perhaps responsible for building the present kitchen garden. The decorative planting of the hill to the west of the house, the field trees to the south, and the creation of the small lake north-east of the house all seem to date from Edward Fleming's time.

Descent: Sir Pelham Corbet (c.1602-c.1659); to son, Robert Corbet (1629-98), who sold 1659 to John Walcot (1624-1702), who let to Charles Langford (fl. 1660); to son, Charles Walcot (1660-1726); who gave it to his brother, Humphrey Walcot (1672-1743); sold 1725 to Richard Fleming (1680-1748); sold 1744 to son, Edward Fleming (1711-73); to son, Gilbert Fleming (1745-74); to sister, Sarah (1742-74), wife of John Baxter (d. 1788); to son, James Fleming Baxter (1767-1830); to son, James Baxter (1805-71); to son, Rev. Henry Fleming-Baxter (1838-1916); sold 1899 to brother, Herbert Fleming-Baxter (1839-1905); to son, Fane Fleming-Baxter (1873-1939); sold 1929 to Robert Millington Holden (1885-1950); to son, Maj. Hubert Robert Holden (d. 1987); to son, Robert David Holden (1956-2014); to widow, Susan Emily Frances Holden (b. 1965).

Fleming and Baxter of Sibdon Castle

Fleming, Richard (1681-1748). Eldest son of John Fleming (1652-1716) of Westhope in Diddlebury and Shadwell in Clun (both Shropshire), and his wife Elizabeth (1655-1728), elder daughter of Sir John Edwards of Diddlebury (Shrops), kt., baptised at Diddlebury 20 July 1681. Solicitor. He married, 12 June 1708 at Morville (Shrops), Elizabeth (1683-1738), fourth daughter of Sir Edward Acton, 3rd bt., of Acton Scott (Shrops), and had issue:

(1) Mary Fleming (b. & d. 1709), baptised at Morville, 26 May 1709; died unmarried and was perhaps buried at Morville or Clun, 10 November 1709;

(2) Edward Fleming (1711-73) (q.v.);

(3) Richard Fleming (1713-72), born 25 September and baptised at Clun, 10 October 1713; married, 7 December 1752 at St George-the-Martyr, Bloomsbury (Middx), Frances Stukeley (d. 1795?), and had issue one son and one daughter; died 14 September 1772 and was buried at Clun (Shrops);

(4) Rev. John Fleming (1719-c.1782), born 4 August and baptised at Clun, 23 August 1719; educated at Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1738; BA 1741; DCL 1764); ordained deacon, 1742; rector of Greet (Shrops), 1754-60; rector of Acton Scott, 1756-81; vicar of Highley, 1759-77; JP for Shropshire; had a 'colourful' life, being jailed in Shrewsbury for debt, running away to sea in 1779 aged 60 to escape his creditors, going as chaplain on board HMS Ajax, bound for the Leeward Islands; he married Mary [surname unknown] of Morville (Shrops), but had no issue; died at sea in 1781 or 1782;

(5) Beatrice Fleming (1721-40), born 11 October and baptised at Clun, 23 October 1721; died unmarried in 1740.

He inherited the Westhope and Shadwell estates from his father in 1716 and purchased the Sibdon Carwood estate from Humphrey Walcot in 1725, but sold it to his son Edward in 1745. At the time of his death he was living at Dinmore Manor (Herefs).

He died 20 June, and was buried at Clun (Shrops), 2 July 1748; his will was proved in the PCC, 29 November 1748. His wife was buried at Morville, 6 June 1738.

Edward Fleming (1711-73) 

Fleming, Edward (1711-73). Eldest son of Richard Fleming (1681-1748) and his wife Elizabeth, fourth daughter of Sir Edward Acton, 3rd bt., of Acton Scott (Shrops), baptised at Clun, 19 April 1711. Educated at the Inner Temple (admitted 1731; called 1735). Barrister-at-law (ceased practising in 1745). 'Smug and self-seeking', he was not an attractive personality. He was perpetually hard up and more than usually dilatory in paying his bills. He ignored his father-in-law's advice to clear his debts before embarking on the expansion of his estate or building and landscaping works, and his expenditure on the these matters so far exceeded what he could really afford that he begrudged any other expenditure, leading to tensions in his household. His wife left him in 1763 and although she later returned to him, there was never a true reconciliation between them. He was eventually murdered by someone in his household, who put arsenic in his breakfast one morning; his housekeeper was tried for the crime but acquitted. He married*, 27 March 1740 at Trowbridge (Wilts), Ann (d. 1770), daughter of John Allen Cooper of Cumberwell (Wilts), and had issue:

(1) Sarah Fleming (1742-74) (q.v.);

(2) Gilbert Fleming (1745-74), baptised at Sibdon, 29 November 1745; perhaps the most likely suspect in the murder of his father, as he inherited the Sibdon Castle estate on his father's death; he drank himself to death within a year, perhaps the victim of a bad conscience; buried at Sibdon, 26 May 1774; he died intestate and his property was apportioned among his surviving sisters by a deed of partition;

(3) Ann Fleming (1748-1801), baptised at Sibdon, 10 May 1748; inherited the Shadwell estate from her brother under the deed of partition; married, 29 August 1773 at Clungunford (Shrops), Richard James (1750-1802) of Ludlow, and had issue two sons and two daughters although only one daughter survived to adulthood; died as a result of injuries received in a carriage accident and was buried at Sibdon, 29 April 1801;

(4) Elizabeth Fleming (b. & d. 1751), baptised at Sibdon, 17 August 1751; died in infancy and was buried there, 29 August 1751;

(5) Frances Fleming (1754-92), baptised at Sibdon, 9 January 1754; inherited Westhope from her brother under the deed of partition; married, 20 October 1773 at St Paul, Covent Garden, Westminster (Middx), John Harries (1719-78) of Cruckton, Pontesbury (Shrops), barrister-at-law, but had no issue; died 24 November 1792 and was buried at Paddington (Middx); her will was proved 11 January 1793, and left all her property to Sir John Swinnerton Dyer (1738-1801), 6th bt..

He purchased the Sibdon Carwood estate from his father in 1745; remodelled the house and laid out the grounds. He inherited the Westhope and Shadwell estates from his father in 1748.

He was poisoned with arsenic in his breakfast potage, 31 March 1773; his housekeeper was charged with his murder but acquitted at her trial; it seems likely that his son, impatient for his estate, was the real culprit; he was buried at Clun (Shrops). His wife was buried at Sibdon Carwood, 6 May 1770.

* This may have been his second marriage, for on 31 January 1734/5, one Edward Fleming of Lincoln's Inn went through a clandestine marriage with Elizabeth Bunbury, spinster, within the precincts of the Fleet Prison.

Fleming, Sarah (1742-74). Eldest daughter of Edward Fleming (1711-73) and his wife Ann, daughter of John Allen Cooper of Cumberwell (Wilts), baptised at Sibdon, 6 April 1742. She married, 30 April 1764 at Llanllwchaiarn (Montgomerys), John Baxter (1724-88) of The Rock, Llanllwchaiarn, High Sheriff of Montgomeryshire, 1770, and had issue:

(1) Ann Maria Baxter (1765-77), baptised at Llanllwchaiarn, 2 April 1765; died young, 10 June, and was buried at Llanllwchaiarn, 13 June 1777;

(2) Frances Fleming Baxter (1767-1841), baptised at Llanllwchaiarn, 26 June 1767; married 1st, 19 October 1784 at St Mary, Shrewsbury, Joshua Symonds (1760-91); 2nd, 25 January 1814 at St Chad, Shrewsbury, Richard Harper (1772-1832); and 3rd, 1 May 1840 at St Julian, Shrewsbury, John Meredith (d. 1855?) of Yockleton (Shrops), son of Thomas Meredith, farmer, but had no issue; buried at St Alkmund, Shrewsbury, 24 May 1841;

(3) James Fleming Baxter (1768-1830) (q.v.);

(4) Richard Baxter (1769-70), baptised at Llanllwchaiarn, 30 July 1769; died in infancy and was buried at Llanllwchaiarn, 15 March 1770;

(5) John Baxter (b. & d. 1771), baptised at Llanllwchaiarn, 11 March 1771; died in infancy and was buried at Llanllwchaiarn, 26 July 1771;

(6) Sarah Baxter (1772-1850), baptised at Llanllwchaiarn, 8 November 1772; married, 31 December 1792 at Llansanffraid Cwmteuddwr (Montgomeryshire), Richard Owen of Newtown (Montgomerys); buried at Llanllwchaiarn, 21 March 1850;

(7) Edward Baxter (1774-93), baptised at Llanllwchaiarn, 14 December 1774; died unmarried and was buried at Sibdon Carwood, 14 September 1793.

She inherited the Sibdon Castle estate under the deed of partition after the death of her brother in 1774.

She died 10 December 1774 and was buried at Llanllwchaiarn, where she is commemorated by a monument. Her husband died 24 August 1788 and was also buried at Llanllwchaiarn.

Baxter, James Fleming (1768-1830). Eldest son of John Baxter (1724-88) and his wife Sarah, daughter of Edward Fleming of Sibdon Castle (Shropshire), born 4 August and probably baptised at Llanllwchaiarn (Montgomerys), 7 August 1768. He was articled clerk to James Kinnersley of Ludlow (Shrops), 1784, and no doubt practised as a solicitor in Ludlow, becoming Town Clerk of Ludlow by 1808, a post which he held until his death. An officer in the Ludlow & Bishops Castle Volunteer Infantry (Capt., 1808). He was unmarried, but lived for many years with Elizabeth Gwilliam (c.1772-1853), by whom he had issue:

(X1) Elizabeth Baxter (1794-1828), born 17 August and baptised at Ludlow, 26 August 1794; married, 15 May 1818 at Ludlow, Rev. James Cumpson (1793-1835), vicar of St Chad, Shrewsbury (Shrops), and had issue three sons and two daughters; died at Shrewsbury, 16 May 1828;

(X2) James Baxter (1805-71) (q.v.).

He inherited Sibdon Castle from his father in 1788, but lived chiefly in Ludlow.

He died 24 January and was buried at Sibdon, 30 January 1830; his will was proved in the PCC, 1 June 1830, and made elaborate provision for Elizabeth Gwilliam. She died 14 September 1853.

Baxter, James (1805-71). Illegitimate son of James Fleming Baxter (1768-1830) and his partner, Elizabeth Gwilliam, baptised at Ludlow, 27 May 1805. Articled clerk to Richard Barneby of Worcester, solicitor, 1822, and may have practised as a solicitor for some years before coming into his inheritance. JP (from 1836) and DL for Shropshire. He married 1st, 8 April 1827 at St Philip, Birmingham, Penelope (c.1799-1832), daughter of John Hammond of Ledbury (Herefs) and 2nd, 18 June 1833 at Ludlow (Shrops), Frances (1803-86), daughter of Thomas White of Ludlow, and had issue:

(2.1) James Fleming Baxter (1835-60), baptised at Ludlow, 20 June 1835; an officer in the 56th foot (Ensign, 1853; Lt., 1854; Capt., 1860); died at Ahmednuggar (India), 20 August 1860; administration of his goods granted to his father, 22 June 1864 (effects under £50);

(2.2) Alfred Fleming Baxter (1836-52), born 2 October 1836; died young, 22 June 1852;

(2.3) Rev. Henry Fleming Baxter (1838-1916) (q.v.);

(2.4) Herbert Fleming Baxter (1839-1905) (q.v.);

(2.5) Frances Elizabeth Baxter (1841-94), baptised at Ludlow, 31 July 1841; married, 20 April 1871, as his second wife, Rev. Henry Bayley Clissold (1828-79), rector of St Saviour, Bath (Som.), and had issue two sons and two daughters; died at Bath, 18 February 1894; will proved 13 March 1894 (effects £5,634).

He inherited Sibdon Castle from his father in 1830, but at least at first lived chiefly in Ludlow.

He died 7 June 1871; his will was proved 11 July 1871 (effects under £5,000). His first wife was buried at Sibdon, 21 May 1832. His widow died at Bath (Som.), 29 May 1886.

Baxter, Rev. Henry Fleming (1838-1916). Third, but eldest surviving, son of James Baxter (1805-71) and his wife Frances, daughter of Thomas White of Ludlow (Shrops), baptised at Ludlow, 18 May 1838. Educated at Brasenose College, Oxford (matriculated 1857; BA 1860; MA 1864). Ordained deacon, 1861 and priest, 1862. He held various curacies, 1862-67, before being appointed Vicar of Bushbury (Staffs), 1867-72 and then vicar of Sibdon Carwood with Halford, 1872-1900; after retiring he moved to Ealing (Middx), where he was a licensed preacher for a time. He married, 14 September 1869 at Bushbury (Staffs), Anne Maria (1842-1930), daughter of James William Weaver of Oaken, Wolverhampton, carrier and wharfinger, and had issue:

(1) James Fleming Baxter (1870-1910), born 12 August and baptised at Bushbury, 21 September 1870; educated at Westminster Hospital, 1887-98; qualified as a doctor, 1898 (LRCPE 1898; LRCSE 1898); practised latterly in the Canary Islands; died unmarried, 21 February 1910 and was buried in the English Cemetery at Las Palmas, Gran Canaria (Canary Islands);

(2) Gilbert Fleming Baxter (1872-73), born 5 November 1872 and baptised at Sibdon Carwood; died in infancy, Apr-Jun 1873;

(3) Robert Hanbury Fleming Baxter (1874-1936), born 28 January and baptised at Sibdon Carwood, 5 April 1874; educated at Lancing College; emigrated to Canada, 1899 and farmed at Cariboo, British Columbia; married, 24 December 1907 in British Columbia, Amy (1874-1947), daughter of Robert John Gedge of Coltishall (Essex), and had issue one son; died 6 October 1936 and was buried at Burnaby, Vancouver, British Columbia;

(4) Hilda Mary Fleming Baxter (1876-1962), born 14 October and baptised at Sibdon Carwood, 19 November 1876; married, 1908, William George Biggs (1878-1918), but had no issue; lived as a widow at Craven Arms (Shrops); died 25 June 1962; will proved 31 July 1962 (estate £54,235);

(5) Henry Courtney Fleming Baxter (b. & d. 1878), born Apr-Jun 1878; died in infancy, Oct-Dec. 1878;

(6) Rev. Godfrey Fleming Baxter (1879-1964), born 13 September 1879; educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge (matriculated 1898; BA 1901; MA 1905); ordained deacon, 1902 and priest, 1903; held curacies, 1902-19; rector of Essendon (Herts), 1919-39; rural dean of Hertford, 1921-26, 1935-39; married, 15 September 1909 at St Mary, Twickenham (Middx), Ethel Mary (1880-1951), daughter of Rev. H.P. Prosser, vicar of Twickenham, but had no issue; died 5 June 1964; will proved 13 August 1964 (estate £38,362).

He inherited Sibdon Castle from his father in 1871, but sold it to his younger brother in 1899.

He died 22 December 1916; his will was proved 20 January 1917 (estate £26,684). His widow died 15 September and was buried at Sibdon Carwood, 18 September 1930; her will was proved 6 November 1930 (estate £6,246).

Baxter, Herbert Fleming (1839-1905). Fourth son of James Baxter (1805-71) and his wife Frances, daughter of Thomas White of Ludlow (Shrops), born 9 November and baptised at Ludlow, 11 November 1839. American Merchant. He married, 27 April 1865 at St George, Hanover Sq., Westminster (Middx), Maria Jane (1846-1907), daughter of Charles Frederick Hancock of Hendon Hall (Middx), jeweller, and had issue:

(1) Violet Fleming Baxter (1866-1936), born 19 October and baptised at St Mary, Hendon (Middx), 27 December 1866; married, 19 October 1895 at St Paul, Hampstead (Middx), Thomas Leslie Nelson (1869-1926) of Field Dalling Hall (Norfk), son of Thomas Boustead Nelson, railway contractor, but had no issue; died 8 June 1936; will proved 31 August 1936 (estate £157,631);

(2) May Fleming Baxter (1870-1944), born 13 September and baptised at St Mary, Hendon, 27 October 1870; married, 15 July 1899 at St Paul, Hampstead, Dr. John Fawcett MD (1866-1944) of London, consulting physician to Guy's Hospital, London, son of John Bisdee Fawcett, insurance broker, and had issue one son and one daughter; died 21 August 1944; will proved 13 December 1944 (estate £86,134);

(3) Fane Fleming Baxter (1873-1939) (q.v.).

He purchased Sibdon Castle from his elder brother in 1899. At his death he left the estate to his widow for life and then to his only son.

He died 21 July 1905; will proved 18 August 1905 (estate £186,676). His widow died 6 February, and was buried at Sibdon, 9 February 1907; her will was proved 23 March 1907 (estate £50,345).

Baxter, Fane Fleming (1873-1939). Only son of Herbert Fleming-Baxter (1839-1905) and his wife Maria Jane, daughter of Charles Frederick Hancock of Hendon Hall (Middx), born 8 January and baptised at St Paul, Hampstead (Middx), 27 February 1873. Educated at Uppingham School and Jesus College, Cambridge (matriculated 1891). Sculptor and artist in oils. During the First World War he served on the War Refugee Committee. Appointed MBE, 1918, and OBE, 1920. He married, 30 April 1907 at Sibdon, Mary Scovell (1871-1955), daughter of Ambrose Ives Upson of New York (USA) and formerly wife of Daniel Thomas Vose Huntoon (1871-1943), but had no issue.

He inherited Sibdon Castle on the death of his mother in 1907, but he preferred to live in London, and let it until he sold it in 1929 to Robert Millington Holden (1882-1950).

He died 23 October 1939; his will was proved 15 January 1940 (estate £28,945). His widow died 6 July 1955; her will was proved 4 October 1955 (estate £11,161).

Principal sources

Burke's Landed Gentry, 1925, pp. 103-04; E.H. Martin, A history of the manor of Westhope (Salop), 1909, pp. 60-68; A. Rowan, 'Sibdon Castle, Shropshire', Country Life, 1-8 June 1967; J. Newman & Sir N. Pevsner, The buildings of England: Shropshire, 2006, pp. 593-95; G. Williams, The country houses of Shropshire, 2021, pp. 583-86;

Location of archives

No significant accumulation is held in a public repository, but it is believed some papers remain at Sibdon Castle.

Coat of arms

Fleming of Sibdon Carwood: none recorded.

Baxter of Sibdon Carwood: none recorded.

Can you help?

• I should be most grateful if anyone can provide photographs or portraits of people whose names appear in bold above, and who are not already illustrated.
• If anyone can offer further information or corrections I should be most grateful. I am always particularly pleased to hear from descendants of the family who can supply information from their own research or personal knowledge for inclusion.

Revision and acknowledgements

This post was first published 1 August 2021.