The Shirley Village Archive

(2 April 1850 – 4 January 1908)

Botanist and vicar of Shirley between 1886 and his death in 1908.

Born in Diddington, Huntingdonshire. Married Alice Shirley, daughter of Rev. Walter Waddington Shirley and Philippa Knight, on 26 January 1887. He has his own entry on Wikipedia.

1887	He hosted Queen Victoria's Jubilee celebrations which involved feeding 120 parishioners with roast beef and plum pudding,
1888	He presided over the Vestry Meeting where parish appointments were made and the accounts were received and approved. He also presided over an "entertainment" held in the school-room.
1890	The choir's annual trip this year was to Buxton.
1891	He donated £10 to the fund for rebuilding the Derbyshire Royal Infirmary and married Samuel Normanshaw to Mary Gilman.
1895	In October, he found some ripe strawberries in his garden and sent them to the editor of The Standard.
1896	He gave a lecture about Silas Marner in the school-room.
1897	He published a pamphlet about the parish activities. Married Hamlet Yates, of Hollington, to Sarah Elizabeth Hudson, of Shirley.
1900	He was one of the lunch guests at the Brailsford Ploughing Match held at Shirley Hall farm.
1902	A supper was given in the school-room for 31 farm labourers of the parish. Tom Mellor of the Saracen's Head did the catering.
1903	He and Mrs. Michell entertained the choir with a roast supper, songs and games at the vicarage.
1905	Married Mary Bainbrigge, the butcher's daughter to John Comely of Hatton.
1907	John Maskrey, having been a member of the choir for 34 years, was presented with an oak clock. Vacancies for teaching staff were advertised in the Derbyshire Advertiser and Journal.
1908	He died. Details of his estate were published: he left £4,373 18s. 11d., gross, £3,851 net. Probate was granted to Walter Knight Shirley of Liverpool. Hardy and Hardy were instructed to sell by auction the surplus household effects. His obituary was published in The Times.

The picture is from natstand.org and released under the creative commons license below