Gibbs family of Tathall End

The following information was provided by descendents of Isaac and Sarah Beatrice Gibbs who lived at 42 Tathall End in the early part of the 20^th century.

Sarah Beatrice married Isaac Gibbs in Buckingham in 1888.  The marriage certificate records her name as Sarah Beatrice Dunbar.  Her father was recorded on the marriage certificate as George Dunbar.  Isaac was 49 and Sarah Beatrice 20. 

In fact Sarah Beatrice was born in Long Crendon on 2 September 1869 as Sarah Beatrice Dunkin, father George.  We can only speculate what made Sarah Beatrice change her surname.  Her mother had died in 1886.  She stated on the marriage certificate in 1888 that she was 20 (still under the age of consent, it being 21) and marrying a man of 49!  Neighbours of Isaac Gibbs witnessed the marriage.  George Dunkin may not have been invited to his daughters wedding.  On the birth certificate of Ethel Gibbs, one of Sarah Beatrice's daughters, Sarah Beatrice again stated her previous name was Dunbar.

Isaac Gibbs was born in Beechampton 1837.  He was a shepherd.  He married three times.  The first to Rosannah in 1859 they had one child, Alfred.  Rosannah died in 1864.  The second marriage to Fanny Miller in 1865 produced at least six children.  Fanny died in 1883.

Sarah and Isaac had 4 children George, Ellen, Ethel and Reginald.  Isaac died in 1903.

Sarah Beatrice married Jonah Gable in 1906, continuing to live at 42 Tathall End.  She died in 1940.

The following memories were recorded in 2006 by descendents of Sarah Beatrice and Isaac.

My paternal Grandmother came from Buckinghamshire.  My father Reg, his brother Eric, and two sisters Mazie and Vida visited Buckinghamshire regularly each summer.  On occasions they were even enrolled in the local school.  They all look back at those visits with fond memories.

My Great Grandmother and my Great Aunt lived in Tathall End, which is a small hamlet near to the village of Hanslope.  My Great Grandmother lived in part of a rented beautiful 16th century farmhouse with lattice paned leaded windows.  My uncle remembers getting washed outside, before being allowed inside the house.  The grand children and their mother and father all slept in the large open loft area, when they came to stay.  It had only one window. My Aunt Vida also remembers that apples from the orchard were stored in the attic.  The summers were spent in the fields or on the local farms.  Great Grandma cooked outside the house on a fire made from bricks.  The paraffin cooker was used only for the roast and Yorkshire puddings on a Sunday.  The door to at the right of the house opened to a bake house for making bread. 

Great Grandma always kept one pig, per year.  This was slaughtered by the local farmer, and witnessed by the children.  The pig must have kept the family in meat the whole winter.  My Uncle said that during the summer they would take two trunks down to Tathall End, one empty, and one full of clothes.  The empty one was returned by rail to York after the pig had been slaughtered in the autumn.  Also in the trunk were fruit from the orchard.  My Great Grandmother also kept chickens.

Great -Grandmother was a formidable character.  She ruled the house.  The Grandchildren had to mind their manners at the table, or a large stick would be used!

Uncle Eric has related that the original lead windows had to be pushed back into place during hot weather, as the lead warmed in the sun the glass became loose. The stream was so clear that it grew watercress, which was eaten.

There were four families living in the house at the time. The main porch had two doors, one to each side of the house.  My Great Grandmother lived on the right hand side of the house.

Our Grandmother took my sisters and me individually, on Holiday to Buckinghamshire.  In 1965 aged 11, I visited my Great Aunt Nell (My grandma's sister) with my Grandmother.  The memories I have were of looking out of the diamond patterned lead windows and thinking I was in a fairy story house.

I washed on a morning using a china jug and bowl in the bedroom.  We all shared the one bedroom.  A curtain separated us.  

The water was from the well outside the front door.  The well was almost flush with the ground.  It had a wooden cover on it.  Water was drawn up using a bucket on a long pole.  You had to keep an eye on the weather, and draw extra water if it was going to rain, as the water would go cloudy for a few hours afterwards, and was undrinkable.

I remember going for walks down the lane under the new M1, following the stream, and collecting watercress.

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