Where the Coltmans and Burleigh Hall Collide! Pt 1

Way back in 2023 I started a series of posts on this blog, about Burleigh Hall, and the people who lived there. I seem to have started at the end of the nineteenth century and into the early twentieth century, following on from a very brief mention of earlier inhabitants, way back in a post from October 2013, and directly following a guest post about Mary Tate. When I stopped posting about the hall, I did, however, promise you at least one more post, about more recent inhabitants! 

Also, way back in June 2023 I started a series of posts about members of the Coltman family. In those posts I concentrated mainly on just one or two family members, and deliberately didn’t go into much detail about Walter as I had (and still have) other plans for sharing that info. The links to all these earlier posts are listed below. 

So, in this post today, I’m going to try and bring the Burleigh House series of posts, and the Coltman family series of posts together, by sharing my research from 2023. And what better way to do this than to share with you the story of Howard Coltman? Here follows the first part of that story …

Howard Coltman’s parents were John Charles Coltman, and Fanny Kate Marshall had married in Loughborough in 1884. John was the son of Huram Coltman and his wife Eliza (née Lovett), Fanny Kate was the daughter of Thomas Whittle Marshall, a bank manager in Loughborough, and his wife Ann (née Baldwin) who had been born in Nottingham.

Howard Coltman was born on 19 September 1885 to John Charles Coltman and his wife Fanny Kate (née Marshall). I believe he was their first child, just as his father, John Charles was the first-born of Huram Coltman and his wife, Eliza.

In 1891, Howard’s grandfather, Huram Coltman, was living at no.135 Meadow Lane, in a house possibly named Lowlands. Huram’s eldest son, John, who was aged 34, an employer, being a steam engine and boiler maker, was at no.133 Meadow Lane, [1] with his wife Fanny Kate, aged 32. Also living at no.133, were John and Fanny Kate’s children, son Howard aged 5, son Charles E. aged 4, and son Claud M. aged 2, and a domestic servant, Annie E. Mitchell aged 14, from Hoton. John and all his family were born in Loughborough.

The family continued to live on Meadow Lane, and in 1901, when Howard was 15, the family included John Charles Coltman aged 43, a mechanical engineer employer, his wife, Fanny Kate, and children Howard (15), Charles E. (14), Claud M. (12) and Philip B. (7). Also living in properties on Meadow Lane were Howard’s uncles, Ernest, aged 33, a mechanical engineer employer, who housekeeper was Kate Mee, Kate Mee, and Charles W. Coltman aged 29, a steam engine fitter (worker), with Elizabeth his wife, and their daughter, Doris aged 1.

Howard had been attending the Loughborough Grammar School since 1896, and in September 1901 he was awarded the Year V prize for science. His interest in science would be later noted in The Loughburian, [2] on the occasion of his death, when it was reported that Howard was “… a pioneer … in the application of modern science to agriculture …”

Soon after leaving school, Howard Coltman spent 4 years at the Agricultural College in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, where he obtained the National Diploma in Agriculture in 1905. [3]

In 1909 Howard married Chrissie Kendrick, the daughter of Mr and Mrs Kendrick of Lock House, Loughborough, at Loughborough’s Wood Gate Baptist Church, in a ceremony conducted by the Reverend W. H. Spinks. Chrissie was born in 1885 and had spent her early years living on Paget Street, before moving to the Lock House, where her father was the canal manager. It’s possible that she was in charge of the Loughborough branch of the Girl Scouts, who formed in 1911.

It was around the time of their marriage that Howard and Chrissie moved to Vale Farm, Charley, in the heart of the Charnwood Forest, where a near neighbour was Herbert Morris, who lived at Lubcloud [4] with his family. Twenty-year-old Ernest Asa Blyth, who was born in Leamington Spa, was an assistant to farmer Howard, Sarah Jane Upton from Markfield, aged 19, was the maid, and Thomas Bull, aged 52 and born in Aston Upon Trent, was the cowman.

I think it was after this, around 1914, that Howard took over the Model Farm in Nanpantan, which was about 100 acres, 60 of which was ploughland, upon the death of Mr J. F. Sarjeant. In order to support the ‘war effort’, in September 1915, Howard, along with other local people who did the same, placed some of his fields at the disposal of the 3 /5 Battalion of the Leicestershire Regiment for the purpose of undertaking their drills.

A 1916 trade directory lists Howard Coltman as being a farmer in the parish of Nanpantan: prior to the incorporation of the borough in 1888, Nanpantan had been part of the parish of Loughborough, but it was excluded in 1888, and became a separate civil parish. In 1917, Howard was elected to the Rural District Council representing Nanpantan, a vacancy which had come about by the death of the previous incumbent, Mr E. Broad. Howard also took on some women National Service Volunteers to work on his farm, and reported that after only three weeks undertaking the work, although initially they knew nothing about agriculture they were progressing really well. Also, in support of the Loughborough branch of the Red Cross, in 1918, Howard of Model Farm, along with a several other farmers gave a number of sheep, at the Victory Fair which was held in the cattle market.

On 12 February 1918, Howard and Chrissie welcomed the birth of their first child, a son whom they named John, who would go on to train as a lawyer. Meanwhile, work continued for Howard and in 1919 he was appointed as vice-chairman of the Loughborough rural district Council, while his wife, Chrissie was appointed to the Ladies Visiting Committee of the Loughborough Board of Guardians. 

By 1920, Howard Coltman was a JP, and living at Burleigh Hall, where he was occupied as a farmer, being an active member in the local branch of the Farmers’ Union. He came from a prominent local family, and was the representative for Nanpantan on the Loughborough Board of Guardians, and in 1920 was the Chairman of the Loughborough Rural District Council, and as a JP sat on the bench of magistrates for the Loughborough Petty Sessional Division.

The land at Burleigh amounted to about 200 acres, with about 80 acres being ploughland. A contemporary article [5] described Burleigh Hall as standing on the rising ground between Ashby and Forest roads, overlooking Loughborough, and with a charming view of the Charnwood Forest in the distance. The hall itself was very substantially built of brick and stone, with an interior that was furnished throughout in very finely panelled oak. The property had a water supply provided by the Loughborough Corporation, and also had a telephone.

The previous occupier at Burleigh Hall had been the Right Honourable Alan Pennington, until his death in 1913. After Alan’s death, his widow gave up Burleigh Hall, and auctioned off the good quality furniture (like the Chippendale, and the Queen Anne stuff), hunting and horse-riding equipment, coaches, and even greenhouse plants! During the First World War, the Hall was occupied for some of the time by the military, and some 55 acres of the land was broken up, and slag applied. As we read above, the farms connected with Howard (i.e. Burleigh and the Model Farm) were used to train land girls. Coltman was a member of the Local War Agricultural Committee.

When Howard Coltman took over Burleigh Hall, he adapted and changed many of the buildings, from being suitable for use by a country gentleman, such as Alan Pennington had been, to those more fitting for a modern farm. However, whether or not Coltman carried through with his idea of converting the pigeon cote into a corn mill or not, I am not sure.

Coltman was a very successful farmer, and in the summer of 1920, the yield of winter oats in a 10-acre field was about 10 quarters to the acre, despite this being the third successive white straw crop to be grown on the field since the land was broken up in the war, the previous crops being oats, followed by wheat. Coltman applied slag each time he broke up the fields, saying that he considered:

‘… that the turf, in rotting down, supplie[d] ample nitrogen and organic matter, and … the phosphates in the slag just give the necessary constituent for the corn to make the crop a success.’ [6]

Moreover, the crop was not attacked by wireworm, a potential destructor. A further field of 18 acres was used to grow potatoes, and another 25 acres was used to grow clover for hay. Coltman was also raising about 30 calves. It seems that some of his farming methods were new for the time, and quite experimental.

In a follow-up article appearing in the same newspaper the next week, it was reported that Coltman was also trying a crop that consisted of a mixture of hardy greens – giant rape, thousand-headed kale, and rape kale, specifically – in place of swedes, which would be food for the sheep – which included about 40 Oxford/Hampshire cross ewes - during the winter. 

Although Coltman had applied slag to some of his fields, which had been badly grazed for several years, the results were not as expected. So, lime was applied to these fields, and flattened into the ground by a steam roller, which seemed to improve the quality of the grasses grown there. Coltman seems to have kept a herd of cows for the past 10 years, presumably at the Model Farm, before Burleigh, and in 1919, he had the highest average yield per cow per year, and also the cow, Cockhorn, that gave the highest individual yield, and this put him at the top of the Nottingham Milk Recording Society tables, to whom another of his red shorthorn cows, Russell, was also well-known. The farm was also involved in the breeding of large, black pigs, but the breeding of horses had not been successful for Coltman, so he had decided to focus on growing corn. Poultry on the farm were predominantly of three well-known breeds; White Leghorns; White Wyandottes, and Buff Rocks, but some of the young were prone to be eaten by the local magpies.

It comes as no surprise to learn that Coltman, being an experimental farmer, used many innovative farming implements and machinery. One of these was an Albion potato planter, which was actually the first of its kind. Coltman’s two tractors were a Clayton and a Fordson, and he also made use of a hay and straw elevator.

When Coltman took over Burleigh, there was a large garden with glasshouses attached to the hall, so he used these to grow produce associated with a market garden, and was particularly pleased with his tomatoes. He also sold plants to allotment holders and keen gardeners.

On 26th April 1921, at the age of 35, Howard was initiated into the Howe and Charnwood Lodge of the Freemasons.

On the census of 1921, which was taken in June, Howard Coltman and his wife Chrissie were recorded as being at Burleigh Hall, where Howard was a farmer who employed farm workers. Their son, John, does not seem to appear to be with them on the night this census record was taken, and I have yet to locate him. However, three of Howard’s employees were listed on the same census return. They were, Howard’s own brother, Philip, who was aged 28, and the private gardener to Coltman; William Pryce-Jones, who was a 19-year-old farm pupil, and Florence Mal, a general domestic servant. Further employees were listed on a separate page, for Burleigh Farm Cottage - the Woodford family. Thomas Woodford was 55 and a general agricultural labourer on Coltman’s farm at Burleigh Hall, while his wife, Elizabeth, was aged 52, and sons Albert, aged 22, and John aged 19 were both also general agricultural labourers. The Woodford’s two youngest children, Jessie and Cecil were both at school.

The Tinkler family were simply listed as living in Nanpantan, but head of the family, John William Tinkler, aged 42, was a horseman employed by Coltman at Burleigh Hall. Tinkler’s wife, Emma aged 41, and their daughters Ada aged 18, and Isabel aged 15, were all undertaking home or domestic duties, although Isabel was working at Burleigh Hall. Son, John aged 13, and daughters Doris aged 10, and Edna aged 6 were attending school.

Living at Burleigh Lodge in 1921 were William Kearn and his family. William was a 51-year-old gardener at Burleigh Hall, his wife, Annie, was not working, but his daughter, Lilian, aged 19, was a shorthand typist, currently working as a waitress at the Empire Picture Co. (which is today the Odeon). There were two visitors included in the listing – Mabel Peet, aged 21 and a trained lace hand from Long Eaton, although she was also currently working as a waitress at the Empire Picture Co., and 4-year-old Ruby Anthony.

In 1921, living at Burleigh Farm was Thomas Mayo, aged 72, was listed as a farmer and retired provisions merchant living at Burleigh Farm, with housekeeper Harriett Riches, Clara Pitchell (?) the assistant housekeeper, and visitor Molly Fendick. Mayo had come to Loughborough in 1881 to run a grocery business in Market Place, and by 1921 he had actually been mayor of Loughborough no less than nine times! Incidentally, Howard’s own uncle, Walter William Coltman, had also been mayor of Loughborough, but only seven times, although he does hold the accolade of being the youngest mayor when he was first appointed in 1911!

Next week we will conclude the story of Howard Coltman and Burleigh Hall!

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Notes

[1] A trade directory for 1891 states that John Charles was living on Stanford Road: at the time it would have been difficult for non-residents to differentiate the far end of Meadow Lane from Stanford Road

[2] The Loughburian, Vol. LXIX No. 196, pp, 3 and 89

[3] Incidentally, the recuperative drink and nutritious food supplement, Bengers, was made in Holmes Chapel, and the manufacturer was later taken over by Fisons, who had plants and offices at both Loughborough and Holmes Chapel. The college, which had been created in 1895, was at Saltersford Hall, and comprised 100 acres of farm and gardens. [I shall be blogging a little about Bengers in a post later this year, in connection with some other research I’ve been doing, so please look out for that!]

[4] Remembered fondly by the author for its fantastic café in the mid-late 2010s!

[5] The ‘Leicester Daily Post’ 21 August 1920, pg 4

[6] ibid.

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Links to earlier posts about Burleigh Hall and members of the Coltman family

Rev Wm Henry Cooper (Oct 2023) https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-reverend-william-henry-cooper-of.html

Rt. Hon Alan Pennington pt 1 (Sept 2023) https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2023/09/the-right-honourable-alan-joseph.html

Rt Hon. Alan Pennington Pt 2 (Sept 2023) https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2023/09/the-right-hon-alan-joseph-pennington-of.html

Mary Tate - guest post from Dr Pamela Fisher (August 2023) https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2023/08/mary-tate.html

Baron Muncaster (August 2019) https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2019/08/burleigh-hall.html

Lost Houses (Oct 2013) https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2013/10/lost-houses-found.html

Ernest Coltman (July 2023) - https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2023/06/so-who-was-e-e-coltman.html

Coltman family (July 2023) - https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2023/07/coltman-family-boiler-makers-and.html

Ernest Coltman and some loose ends (July 2023) - https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2023/07/ernest-edwin-coltmans-loose-ends.html

Ernest and Ernest Huram Marsh (July 2023) - https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2023/07/ernest-edwin-coltman-and-ernest-huram.html

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Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

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