Harry Floyd
From Lacey Green History
ckick Families for other local families
click Floyd for others in this family
Research by Dennis Claydon and Joan West See below for Harry's obituary by Rosemary Mortham
Harry George Floyd born 1906 was the son of Fred and Caroline Floyd See Fred Floyd
His mother died when he was 2 years old and he was then brought up by his grandparents William Saunders & Bethia Janes
There are 5 articles by Harry Floyd that were printed in Hallmark
click 1920 Harry Floyd's schooldays.
click 1934 Water Mains Laid in Villages.
click 1980 Harry Floyd Recalls Dairy Farming. This article is listed in Social Snapshots 1969-2000 inc
On 13th July 1939. Death of Frederick Floyd
Conveyance. Inherited by Harry Floyd, Floyds Farm. Also Vine Cottage with three attached cottages, meadow 1acre 3 roods 18 poles, and a garage at Idle Corner, which had once been the Coach House for the house Gracefield. The tenants of the cottages were Oakford, Turney, Mrs C. Ginger and G.Ginger
The Total Insurance Payments for the the premises were :-
1940 £540 p.a. 1947. £1,750 p.a. 1951. £3,100 p.a. ie. More than trebled from 1940 - 1951 (7 yrs including WW2). One third more from 1947 to 1951 (4 years)
December 6th. 1946 3 Conveyances :- (this document is archived in Lacey Green Village Hall)
Harry George Floyd to Harold George Janes. Conveyance. A portion of the mentioned property consisting of a piece land having a frontage to the road of 103 feet and forming the SW portion thereof, together with the messuage erected thereon, (Vine Cottage). The Janes family called the house 'Cliveden', not Vine Cottage. They did not stay there long, as their son, Roger, had asthma and the house was very damp.
Harry George Floyd to Henry John Turney. Conveyance Two cottages attached to the south side of Vine Cottage and a detached piece of garden ground.
Harry George Floyd to Leslie Jonah Ginger. Conveyance. A cottage attached to the south side of the above with garden, together with a right of way thereto from the road. (Research note. This last cottage opened onto Idle Corner).
Harry Buys Land1952 Conveyance. Harry Floyd purchased land for £200, Ordinance map no. 281, 0.762 acres from Monica Wendy Haines of Combe Martin, Devon
This land was subject to covenant as follows :- Subject to the right of the owner of Gracefield to discharge sewage water and soil by means of the existing substituted drain into the cesspool, subject to a conveyance made October 10th 1950, between Norman Basil Smith and Monica Wendy Haines, for the benefit of Gracefield.
Undated Memo from Horwood and Janes, solicitors. (This memo is archived in Lacey Green Village Hall)
H.G. FLOYD & MRS. M. BATEMAN
Memo to be endorsed on Vesting Assent of 2nd October 1939. (assent of inheritance of Harry Floyd following the death of his father)
Memo. By a Conveyance dated 27th September 1957 and made between Harry George Floyd of the one part and Margaret Bateman of 'Grymsdyke' Lacey Green, Bucks (Married woman) of the other part for the consideration therein mentioned -- All that piece of meadow land containing 1 acre 3 roods 18 poles or thereabouts and coloured blue on the plan drawn therein was conveyed to the said Margaret Bateman in fee simple.
Harry Buys More Land
August 8th 1962. Conveyance. Harry Floyd purchased land at Lacey Green for £560, from the Rt. Hon. Robert William Evelyn Rockly of City of London
Schedule. 2 pieces of land at Lacey Green, part of Lane Farm, Church Lane, containing 6.984 acres, nos.156 & 280 (ord survey, 1921 edition)
Harry sells a small piece of land to Bert Dell. click Bert & May Dell for more about Bert Dell.
1963 Conveyance. Bert Ralph George Dell purchased from Harry Floyd, for £100
Schedule. A piece of land, part of Floyd’s Farm, running in a narrow triangle to a point behind " Hickmans Stores" and “Kia Cottage”, for £100.
Harry Floyd Sells the Original 6 Acres of Floyds Farm for Development
March 5th 1965 Conveyance. Harry Floyd sold to James Baldwin, builder, 6 acres of land, bounded on the west by Westlands Road, Lacey Green.
The Development
James Baldwin built on the south side of Westlands Road. (The north side already had established houses.) Also a new road off Westlands Road, to the east, called “Meadow Rise”.
Harry Floyd Sells More Land to Bert Dell.
April 5th 1965 Conveyance. Bert Ralph George Dell purchased from Harry Floyd, a plot of land, next to Hickmans Stores. (Researcher's note. This plot was developed later, by Bert’s widow May. She called it “Honeysuckle Cottage”.)
4th January 1968. Declaration by Harry Floyd.
I, Harry George Floyd lodging at Stocken Farm, Lacey Green in the County of Buckingham do solemnly and sincerely declare as follows :
I am Sixty-one years of age and have lived in Lacey Green all my life.
I am the owner of the Farm house, outbuildings and farmland at the rear hatched green on the plan annexed hereto
I am well acquainted with 'Rose Cottage' and 'Ye Old Cottage' and the land to the north hatched pink on the plan. Access to the Farmhouse owned by me and also to 'Rose Cottage' and 'Ye Old Cottage' has always been over land coloured brown on the plan for as long as I can remember and certainly for the past forty years. Although there is no specific reference in my Title Deeds I have always assumed that I am the owner of the soil of the road coloured on the plan.
I have no objection to the owners of 'Rose Cottage' and 'Ye Old Cottage' using the roadway coloured brown as a means of access to 'Rose Cottage' and 'Ye Old Cottage' at all times and for all purposes. See Ye Olde Cottage and Rose Cottage, near Floyds Farm
AND I make this solemn Declaration conscientiously believing the same to be true and by virtue of the provisions of the Statutory Declarations Act 1835.
Declared before and signed by C M W Lt. Caytor A commissioner of Oaths. H. G. Floyd. (A copy of this declaration is archived in Lacey Green Village Hall)
11th June 1973. Letter from Winter-Taylor, Woodward & Webb, solicitors to H G Floyd, Esq. (this letter is archived in Lacey Green Village Hall)
Dear Mr. Floyd, Re Exchange of Land at Lacey Green.
We wish to confirm that completion of the exchange of land with Mr. & Mrs. Green took place on 9th May, 1973. Research Note. no record has been found of this transaction. Mr. and Mrs Green purchased Ye Olde Cottage and Rose Cottage near Floyd Farm, subsequently demolishing them and building a new house called 'Eumana. They may have purchased some land to build a swimming pool behind the house)
1981 Sale of Floyds Farm
1981. Offers invited for the freehold of old cottage and attached barn, Main Road, Lacey Green. Buckinghamshire. A subject for major improvement as two units, with planning permission for residential conversion of the barn.
Schedule : -
Cottage with: - Living Room 15 ft x 14 ft. Kitchen 15 ft x 5 ft. Door to garden. Two bedrooms. Bedroom 1. 14 ft x 10 ft 6 ins. Bedroom 2. 14 ft 6 ins x 10 ft..6 ins.
Barn of boarded and tiled construction, with: - Approximately 900 sq.ft. floor area, on one level.
Other buildings. There are a number of other buildings, but they are mainly in very poor condition.
Conditional Outline Planning Permission has been granted for the conversion of the existing barn to residential and two garages on land adjoining Eumana, adjacent on the east.
Services. Main electricity, water and drainage are available for connection. The water supply to a field at the rear of the property being sold must be continued.
Outgoings. To be assessed.
Directions. Find the Black Horse public house in Lacey Green. The property is found down the driveway immediately to the right of the Black Horse.
Sold
1981. Conveyance. Harry Floyd sold Floyds Farm to R M West & Son of Stocken Farm for £24, 558
R M West & Son retained the land and sold the house and attached barn, retaining a right of way to the land at the rear of the property.
Harry George Floyd died peacefully in his sleep on Wednesday 24th April 1995
2000. Joan West received a letter from Roger Ward. click 2000. Letter re Floyd's
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Obituary by Rosemary Mortham
The end of an era. That is how several people have described Harry's passing and in a way this is true. Harry was born in 1906 but due to the early death of his mother, he was brought up by his grandparents, and became familiar with their memories of the previous century and their Victorian values. He was the last in a long line of Floyds, dating back to at least the seventeenth century.
His grandmother Floyd must have been an interesting woman - she came from Aston Clinton to work as a servant in the Vicarage at Lacey Green. The Vicar, recognising her intelligence, made her the first teacher at the newly opened church school. Harry, unfortunately, did not enjoy school, and must have missed quite a lot of education. He was often ill, suffering several bouts of pneumonia, resulting in a permanently weak chest from which he suffered for the rest of his life.
Life was hard for everyone in the village. When the weather was suitable, working in the fields was considered more important than schooling. From a very early age Harry was driving a horse and cart, sometimes delivering hay to the breweries in Wycombe and returning with spent hops to be used as fertiliser; and in times of drought making innumerable trips to the stream, near what is now the Cherry Tree Nursing Home in Saunderton, to collect water for the cattle. He also spent many long days ploughing the Stocken Farm fields with horses.
At the age of sixteen, he began driving his father's Model 'T' Ford. The village policeman soon put a stop to this and Harry had to wait till he was seventeen before venturing out again on the village roads. He loved driving, and often acted as unofficial taxi service for villagers who needed to get to and from Princes Risborough or Saunderton railway stations. He also used the car for many years to deliver the milk which was produced on Floyd's Farm, both when it was owned by his father, and later, when it belonged to him.
He was always grateful for the help in the farmhouse of Lily Adams, who was the wife of his great friend Tony. By coincidence Lily was born on the day that his mother died.
Through the milk round he became a familiar figure in the village. Milk was delivered by churn and ladled into jugs at the customer's house. ln any case, Harry must have been well known to most villagers. He appears to have been related to almost all of the original inhabitants. Joan West produced a most interesting family tree for him, showing how this came about.
Harry's grandparents, on his mother's side, had owned Stocken Farm. When they died it was sold
to Dick West, father of John who still runs the farm. Dick's wife, Hilda, was a kind and friendly woman. She generously told Harry that he would always be welcome at the farm.
When he was taken seriously ill, she suggested that he might stay with them for a while till he recovered. He remained at Stocken Farm for 40 years, eventually retiring with Dick and Hilda to ‘Cotswold’ on the corner of Kiln Lane.
Harry had no illusions about the romance of working on the land. He knew it to be very hard work. However, he loved his garden and he was an extremely good gardener. Much of his produce was sold in Bert's shop (now Hickman's Stores). ln later years he took over the vegetable garden at 'Pondside' in Kiln Lane (where he lived with Doris and Rosemary Oliver), turning it from a heap of clay, covered in weeds to a well organised, productive plot. He had no great love for flowers - he said you couldn't eat them! He much preferred a bunch of radishes.
He loved music which had, what he called, a good tune. He would sing along or whistle to his radio. He had been a choirboy in his youth, when his father was churchwarden. Another churchwarden was his uncle, who was father of Doug Tilbury. He also loved the theatre, and enjoyed many happy
trips to London with Hilda West, and in later years with Doris Oliver.
Although his roots were in the last century, Harry was definitely a man of the 20th century, seeing the multitude changes which altered Lacey Green from a poor agricultural community, to a desirable area for affluent commuters. He accepted the changes as inevitable, and did not resent them. He gladly embraced the innovations of modern life, and was more than happy to use them to make life easier.
Several articles were published in Hallmark giving Harry's memories.