George & Annie Floyd

click The Grocers of Lacey Green & Loosley Row for other grocery stores.

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Joseph 'George' Floyd born 1865 was the son of Peter Tyler Floyd and Ann, nee Horwood. See Peter and Ann Floyd

Annie Janes born 1865 was the daughter of Henry & Mary Janes

George and Annie had 3 Children as follows :-

Daisy Floyd born 1893

Annie Elizabeth born 1894

Emily Floyd born 1902 married Arthur Harvey in 1930. click Emily & Arthur Harvey for their life story

Lily Brazier was one of three orphans they adopted

Research by Miles Marshall

George had been the assistant gardener for John Forrest of Grymsdyke, and they lived at Lane Farm, Lacey Green. He also ran the local Primrose League 1883 The Primrose League and was Secretary of The Reading Room for him. see John & Evelyn Forrest for the 'Forrest' history

Annie inherited a shop and cottages in Loosley Row

This brick and flint cottage on Lower Road, Loosley Row was built in 1864 by Henry Janes.  The cottage had a bread oven and grocery shop.  When Henry died he left his Lacey Green bakery to his son Hezekiah. The Loosley Row Shop and Lane Cottages nearby, he left to his daughter Annie.

The family moved into the Loosley Row Stores after giving the tenant Mr Harvey notice and waiting some time before he went.   It became known as “Floyd’s Stores”.   They continued with the shop with all the usual groceries and provisions, sweets and tobacco.   They also sold some hardware such as bass brooms, besoms, tea pots and other crockery, coal shovels, needles, cotton and darning wool.   Annie paid great attention to the window displays.   It became the children's duty to dress the windows, turning everything out at regular intervals so that they could be cleaned and polished inside and out.   The window, nearest the chapel next door, had shelves loaded with rows of large sweet jars.   The other window display varied with the season.   In spring a large display of garden seeds from John Walkers, nurseryman and seedsman at Thame, for which they had the agency.   At Christmas a colourful show of toys and decorations were the attraction.

George developed other enterprises in conjunction with the shop.   He kept and fattened pigs and also bought fat pigs for slaughter.   Annie cured the bacon and the hams and ran down the lard, all of which they sold in the shop.   Every market day he would collect fish and newspapers from High Wycombe.

Everyone watches the spectacle of the pig killing with Bill the Butcher.

A COAL and CARRIER BUSINESS He bought a horse and cart and started a coal business, collecting the coal from the goods yard at Princes Risborough and later he bought a second horse and cart, employing Harry Gomme as driver and started a general carrying trade.   He carried parcels to and from both Princes Risborough and High Wycombe stations.

OUTSIDE CATERING He undertook outside catering for such functions as the Chapel outings, where Mrs Thomas, (their daughter Annie) recalled serving tea, lemonade, ginger beer, cakes and buns from trestle tables at Whiteleaf.

TIME FOUND George Floyd was always a keen gardener, having been a gardener to Mr. Forrest of Grymsdyke, he was often in demand to judge the allotments at Longwick.   He was also secretary to two local slate clubs – at the ‘Sprat” and the ‘Whip’.

Research by Laurence Rostron. "In 1924 George Floyd inherited Court Cottage, Church Lane, Lacey Green, from his father Peter Floyd of Floyds Farm. See Peter and Ann Floyd. In 1935 Joseph George Floyd died and bequeathed Court Cottage to his wife Annie Floyd."  

GROWING FAMILY George and Annie had a third daughter Emily, born after they moved to Loosley Row.   They also brought up three orphan girls from about five to fourteen years, when the vicar of Lacey Green found them employment in service.  They regarded the Floyds as 'family' all their lives.

EMILY TAKES OVER STORES It was Emily who eventually took over the business.   She had married Arthur Harvey in 1930, born at  Bryants Bottom but then living with two brothers at Lodge Farm, Saunderton.  He moved into the shop but continued working as a builder for White Bros. in High Wycombe until George became ill and Arthur took over the coal and carrying side of the business.   When George died the name of the shop was changed to “A.W.Harvey”.

POST OFFICE

The post office was added to their other activities in 1945.   Emily and her mother Annie still ran the shop.

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