George & Anne Hawes

Research by Joan West

George Hawes born 1860 was the son of John and Sarah Hawes

Anne Morris born 1866 was from Cookham

George and Annie married in 1892

George and Annie had 8 children Listed Below.

, who married in 1859.   His grandfather was Joseph, 1808-1872, a sawyer and later farmer.   His parents and probably grandparents lived in cottages behind the Black Horse,  Ye Olde Cottage.  They had a smallholding on a plot of land across the track going to the cottage and barn now known as Floyd`s Farm.    This became known as `Em`s Piece`,  and George`s sister Emma had a shepherd`s hut there in which she lived.  When George moved house, Emma and her hut moved with him.

George married a girl from Staffordshire who was in service at Loosley House.   He built Woodbine Farm when he got married.   Unfortunately they forgot to allow for the stairs, which had to be squeezed in afterwards making them very narrow and steep.   They had eight children, 6 girls and 2 boys.   Approximately  1905 Kingswood,  in Highwood Bottom. now cleared of its trees was sold and George bought it.   They moved there for a year or two, and Harry their youngest was born there. Finding it inconvenient for the school they came back to Woodbine Farm in the village.   The Glebe lands which stretch from the behind the bottom of Goodacres Lane across to Windmill Road, now known as `Pink Road`, he part time rented. He still  farmed Kingswood and rented  Hawk Hill.  He carried milk back from Highwood Bottom on a yoke.   He later started delivering milk in Lacey Green, from a car.  One of the few in the village.  Amy Johnson, the aviator, rode up from Risborough on her horse to buy milk from him.  He bought the field behind Woodbine in 1934 when William Saunder’s land (Stocken Farm) was sold up.

Their youngest son Harry inherited Woodbine and with his wife Minnie proved to be a very good farmer.   They had two daughters and a son.   When Harry died, Minnie rented the land to R.M.West and Son, who ultimately bought it from her daughters on her death.  They only wanted to keep farming the land and intended to sell the house.  However, at that time Paul and Trisha Johnstone (John and Joan West`s daughter and son-in-law) were wanting to move out into the country so they took over the house with the intention of doing it up and modernising it.   This proving impossible they applied to pull it down and replace it with a house that looked exactly the same from the front Permission granted they built their new  house themselves with the help of family and friends and the farm buildings became Woodbyne Fitness Gym.

N.B.  A shepherd`s hut is a small wooden caravan on wheels (metal) which could be moved around for a shepherd to live in. Especially useful at lambing time.  They were beautifully made, with an iron wood-burning stove for cooking and warmth.