Boddington families
Looking for our past!
The BODDINGTONs and the SHAWs - 'Metchley', part 1 'Metchley'* was the name of the house in Frome, Somerset, in which Frederick Arthur SHAW and Clare 'Clara' BODDINGTON began their married life in 1902. Both the SHAW and BODDINGTON families were in the wool trade and Arthur SHAW was a manufacturer. Frome was a major centre of woollen cloth manufacture until the 18thC but, although in decline, remained an important industry in the town into the 20thC. The reason for this page is that I have acquired a Visitor Book for 'Metchley' and it's contents shed some light on life in the SHAW family in the first decade of the 20th century. I am most indebted to Mrs Elizabeth Knights for bringing this book to my notice and for sending it to me. The following pictures are scans from the visitor book with, where possible, a transcription of the text and links to any persons mentioned who appear on this database. They are shown in the order they appear in the book, not in date order. Clare SHAW was also known as Clara and this version of her name often appears in the entries below. Further entries are on the next page …
* The name Metchley comes from Metchley Roman Fort and the associated Metchley Estate, and subsequent use of Metchley in the street names, in Harborne, Birmingham where the Boddington family lived in the latter part of the 19thC.
Shaw family page set
AcknowledgementI am very much indebted to Danika Lloyd, who undertook the research to discover the history of the Shaw family. I am also most indebted to Mrs Elizabeth Knights for bringing the Metchley Visitors Book to my notice and for sending it to me.
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