Chapter 53
John Traviss Squire was born in 1855 in Barnsley, Yorkshire. His parents were Alfred and Agnes Squire. In 1871, he was a solicitor’s articled clerk (effectively an apprentice lawyer). He was boarding with a surgeon dentist at 3 Howard Street, Sheffield.
Harriet Green was born in 1854 in Stainborough, Barnsley. Her parents were William and Mary Green.
John and Harriet were married in 1880 in Wortley, Barnsley. John took an opportunity to work in London and the couple lived at 33 Birdhurst Road, Wandsworth. He was working at the Inland Revenue at Somerset House. In 1891, he is described as ‘Solicitor, Assistant Inland Revenue”.
Somerset House is interesting as it was originally built to front the River Thames (it was a Georgian rebuild of one of a row of palaces belonging to Tudor aristocrats). From the beginning of the new Somerset House there was a fiscal presence in the shape of the Stamp Office and the Tax Office, the former occupying the eastern part of the South Wing from 1789 and the latter occupying part of the East Wing. One of its duties was the collection of income tax, introduced in 1842.
In 1880, the Victoria Embankment – the magnificent feat of civil engineering, under the direction of Joseph Bazalgette, which narrowed the river, was only ten years old. The District railway was built in the newly reclaimed land, and roofed over to make the street and promenade. It also provided a modern sewage system, to prevent the problems (such as the Great Stink) discussed in earlier chapters. It was also the first street in Britain to be lit by electricity – in 1878.
More on these individuals in Chapter 59.
John liked a pint – actually a quart! We still have a tankard of his. I remember cleaning it up a bit years ago, gradually making out the words chiselled on the base. “Duke” looked promising…
Eventually, I worked out that it says ‘Duke of York, Cheapside, Barnsley’ around the outside. There are pictures of it being knocked down… Across the middle, it says ‘Cricketers, Kingston’. More luck here – the pub still exists, although it is closed again now. The local paper shows it as having a very chequered history as music venue, drugs den and centre of massive fraud. Still, I managed to visit in 2015 and take a pint from John’s tankard.
John also played the violin – I think his instrument may have survived – does anyone have a picture? This was probably one of his music books.
He was a learned chap, and liked his old books. A Pope with the plea to ‘Return Duly with the corners of the leaves NOT TURNED DOWN, a Voltaire in French, and sundry Latin tomes with ‘patina’. Notable survivors are the family bible, with the family births and deaths written out: I’ve always found this touching. And a doodled Byron.
John died in 1894, aged 39. As is often the way, less is known of Harriet. It wasn’t easy as a young widow. In 1901, She was at 7 Brunswick Road, Kingston with her surviving sons. Phyllis was there too in 1911. She died in 1941, having lived through one World War, and part of another.
The Squire summary tree is at Chapter 59.3.