c 1860 Samuel Page Widnall on lawn at Old Vicarage, Grantchester

Old Vicarage, (The Grange) 61 Mill Way, Grantchester

History of Od Vicarage

Listed building:

House. c.1684 and mid C20 restorations. Brick ground floor, timber-framed first floor, part replaced by brick, and original brick end walls.

This is the Old Vicarage referred to by Rupert Brooke in his poetry. He moved there in 1910.

The story of the Widnall family is told in detail by Christine Jennings in, Widnall – A Capital Contriver, 2003. This book also has a detailed account of Smith family.

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1380

Corpus Christi established the vicarage and appointed William Wendye.

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1683

Current house built

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Early 19th cent:

Occupied by Lilley family

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1850

Page Widnall acquired property from diocesan authorities. The Rev William Martin, newly appointed Vicar of Grantchester, wanted to live elsewhere and bought land in the centre of the village from Page Widnall for £100.

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1853

Widnall family move into the Old Vicarage from the Nursery House.

The diarist Romilly noted (14 April 1854) that Mr Widnall had moved in.

NB Lizzie Widnall was always called Lilly by her husband, Page.

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1854

Lally Smith moved to Grantchester to live with the Widnall family. She was aged 33.

Page Widnall takes up photography at about this time.

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1856

Lilly Widnall had a tumour on her breast removed by Dr George Murray Humphrey.  Chloroform would have been used by then.

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c.1859:

Lally Smith started a school at the vicarage.

The ‘Swiss Cottage’ was built in the garden.

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1861

Samuel Page Widnall, 35, farmer 120 acres employing 7 men 3 boys, b Grantchester

Elizabeth, 34, b Worcs

Ann Smith, mother in law, 71, b London

Laura Davis, niece, 9, b Worcs

Ruth Raynes, 18, servant, b Grantchester

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1871

Samuel Widnall, 45, farmer 78 acres 5 men 3 boys, b Grantchester

Elizabeth, 44, b Worcester

Eliza Ann Whitstone, 24, servant, b Wimpole

Fanny Stearn, 15, servant, b Grantchester

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Back: Tom Davis, Polly Greene, Dolly Theobold, Page Widnall

Front: Alice Greene, Lally, Lilly

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1881

Samuel Page Widnall, 55, retired farmer, b Grantchester

Elizabeth Widnall, 54, b Worcester

Martha Adcock, boarder, 67, annuitant, b Leicester

Jane Elizabeth Docwra, 18, cook, b Bourn

Amy Sarah Docwra, 13, housemaid, b Bourn

For a detailed description of the Widnalls see Mary Greene’s autobiography. In particular, chapter 1:

JoyofRemembering_1

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1891

Samuel Page Widnall, widower, 65, farmer

Lally [Sally] Smith, sister in law, 69, living on own means, b Worcester

Frederick Walter Greene, visitor, 28, living on own means, b Grantchester

Mary Charlotte Greene, visitor, 30, artist in oils and watercolour, b Essex

Mary Elizabeth Stigwood, servant, 20, domestic servant, b Stetchworth

The Greene family were living in 1871 at Riversdale, Grantchester.

It is difficult to find any trace of the Greene family in the 1901 census. members next appear in the 1911 census at Harston House.

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1901 The Old Vicarage

Sally Smith, 79, living on own means

Annie Smith, 44, servant

Florence Wagstaff in 1901 was a 19 year old servant on Ferry Stud Farm in Chatteris. She had been born in Grantchester which presumably was why Lally knew her.

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1908

Mr and Mrs Neave. They took in paying guests and one of the these was Rupert Brook who lived here from 1911 to 1913.

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Rupert Brooke died of blood poisoning on 23rd April 1915 on the island of Skyros where his troop ship was anchored. This was two days before the start of the Dardanelles offensive.

After Rupert Brooke’s death, his mother bought the house and gave it to Rupert friend, Dudley Ward. The house remained in the Ward family until the 1970s.

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