The Wells-Bladen family of Hazelwood
William Wells Bladen married Edith Bladen
born 9 May 1847 born c1859
Wolverhampton Hanley
died 12 Apr 1917 died 1904
Stone, Staffordshire Stone, Staffordshire
William Bladen son of William and Mary Anne Bladen married Edith Mary Bladen, daughter
of Charles Bladen of Glasgow, and his cousin. William was born in Wolverhampton but
moved to Hanley when his father got a job in the 1850’s with the Sheldon Bar Iron works (a
forerunner of British Steel). He was educated at Mr Osmond’s school at Sheldon before
taking a job with Pease Brothers. He was a colliery agent and private secretary to Charles
J Homer of Chatterley Collieries. William was secretary of the North Sheffield Field Club
from 1898 until 1915 and its president from 1895. The field club was a naturalist club with
sections for Meteorology, Geology, Zoology and Archaeology as well as having a sketching
division. Edith was also a member of the Field Club, her role was arranging outings and
excursions and she also sketched. William was a churchwarden of Christ Church in Stone,
Secretary of the local Nursing Association and an associate of the Young Men’s Friendly
Society. Edith died in 1904 and William died 12 Apr 1917.
1 William Charles Kenneth (Ken) Wells-Bladen, eldest son born circa October 1879 at
Stone, Staffordshire. He was a steel works assistant when he married Mary
Brennand, who was born in the British Colony of Singapore. Mary was the daughter
of James Brennand and Sophia Little. They married at Balrothery, Co Dublin on
28 Aug 1907.
The couple moved to Hazelwood house on the Upper Kilmacud Road and in 1909
William got caught up in the French Gardening Craze. This was a system of mass
intensive crop growing where vegetables and fruit were grown under glass domes
known as cloches. There was nothing new in this method, gardeners had used this
method for years, what was new was using the system on a commercial scale in a
bid to produce fruit and vegetables out of season or a least before conventional
growers could produce it, as early vegetables commanded a higher price.
Books like Gold producing soil were published and advertised. Claims and false
promises that the scheme could offer a return of £500-600 per acre were expounded
by the media of the day and it seized the public imagination. The scheme was
portrayed by the newspapers as a way of making big money and some in Ireland fell
prey but the majority of victims were in England. The only people to benefit were the
auctioneers who used it as a selling point for small holdings which were difficult to
lease or the companies like Pilkingtons who produced the glass domes.
Set-up costs were enormous and in reading the fine print, it seems that there
was no profit to be made in the first 2 years. Huge quantities of horse manure
and water were required, equipment costs were enormous and labour was
intensive as each dome had to be nursed. Ken devoted 2 acres to the French
garden and had to bore a well and add a tank that would hold 1200 gallons of
water. Set-up costs of 5K per acre were not unusual.
The garden was put up for sale along with all the equipment in 1912. It included
1300 glass bell domes, 3000 canes, 450 lights and glass frames made from deal,
500 French mats, even their dog, an 18 month old terrier was included in the
inventory. Two other known French gardens in Dublin ran into financial difficulty;
St Gatien's French farm in Rathfarnham and a French garden owned by Kathleen
Murphy at Drimnagh. Ms Murphy went bankrupt in 1914 owing nearly 7K, and
St Gatiens was sold and later became a training garden for lady students. It would
have cost Ken in the region of 2.5K in the UK for equipment originally without
including shipping costs. Mary Bladen went to England and moved to South Africa
in 1929 with her daughter Violet. She died there in 1935.
1 Violet Mary Wells-Bladen born in Shropshire on 9 Dec 1908. She moved to
England and then to South Africa in 1929. She returned to England after
the death of her mother and married John Brian Cornforth in 1937.
2 Denis Wells-Bladen born on 6 Nov 1911 at Hazelwood House on the
Upper Kilmacud Road. He moved to Johannesburg in 1929 where he worked
for Crown Mines. He married and divorced Barbara Mary Harrison and they
had a least one child. Denis was stabbed to death at the mines on
7 Dec 1958.
It appears that William immigrated alone to Seattle, Washington and married
Beatrice L M Tylecote of Vancouver there on 24 Sep 1914. They had two children
Kathleen and Charles. They were living at Vancouver in 1917 and Ken was working as
a metallurgist and did not attend his father’s funeral. He died in Vancouver in 1965.
2 Lionel McDonald Wells Bladen, second son born 27 Jun 1880 at Stone in Staffordshire,
joined the Royal Flying Corps and was wounded in France in 1915. He married
Florence Alice Cutter at St Georges’ Church, Hanover Square, 1917 and was working
as an architect in 1939. He died in Hampshire in 1946.
3 Harold Astbury Wells Bladen born 1881 at Stone, Staffordshire obtained an MA at
college and trained as a school teacher. He was tutor to the Nawab of Junagagh
in India in 1917.
4 Edith Mary Wells Baden born 1883 died 1885.
5 Verena Mary (Vera) Bladen eldest daughter born circa 1886 married Arthur Hill, son of
William Collins Hill of Egremont in Cheshire on 9 Jan 1907.
6 Phyllis Wells Bladen, youngest daughter born circa 1889. She worked as an accountant -
audit clerk for Bourner Bullock & Co, Charted accountants. She was a guide leader, and
chairperson of the Stafford Girl Guides. She died unmarried aged 92 in 1981.
© June Bow & Karen Poff – July 2016
Return to Hazelwood page
William Wells Bladen married Edith Bladen
born 9 May 1847 born c1859
Wolverhampton Hanley
died 12 Apr 1917 died 1904
Stone, Staffordshire Stone, Staffordshire
William Bladen son of William and Mary Anne Bladen married Edith Mary Bladen, daughter
of Charles Bladen of Glasgow, and his cousin. William was born in Wolverhampton but
moved to Hanley when his father got a job in the 1850’s with the Sheldon Bar Iron works (a
forerunner of British Steel). He was educated at Mr Osmond’s school at Sheldon before
taking a job with Pease Brothers. He was a colliery agent and private secretary to Charles
J Homer of Chatterley Collieries. William was secretary of the North Sheffield Field Club
from 1898 until 1915 and its president from 1895. The field club was a naturalist club with
sections for Meteorology, Geology, Zoology and Archaeology as well as having a sketching
division. Edith was also a member of the Field Club, her role was arranging outings and
excursions and she also sketched. William was a churchwarden of Christ Church in Stone,
Secretary of the local Nursing Association and an associate of the Young Men’s Friendly
Society. Edith died in 1904 and William died 12 Apr 1917.
1 William Charles Kenneth (Ken) Wells-Bladen, eldest son born circa October 1879 at
Stone, Staffordshire. He was a steel works assistant when he married Mary
Brennand, who was born in the British Colony of Singapore. Mary was the daughter
of James Brennand and Sophia Little. They married at Balrothery, Co Dublin on
28 Aug 1907.
The couple moved to Hazelwood house on the Upper Kilmacud Road and in 1909
William got caught up in the French Gardening Craze. This was a system of mass
intensive crop growing where vegetables and fruit were grown under glass domes
known as cloches. There was nothing new in this method, gardeners had used this
method for years, what was new was using the system on a commercial scale in a
bid to produce fruit and vegetables out of season or a least before conventional
growers could produce it, as early vegetables commanded a higher price.
Books like Gold producing soil were published and advertised. Claims and false
promises that the scheme could offer a return of £500-600 per acre were expounded
by the media of the day and it seized the public imagination. The scheme was
portrayed by the newspapers as a way of making big money and some in Ireland fell
prey but the majority of victims were in England. The only people to benefit were the
auctioneers who used it as a selling point for small holdings which were difficult to
lease or the companies like Pilkingtons who produced the glass domes.
Set-up costs were enormous and in reading the fine print, it seems that there
was no profit to be made in the first 2 years. Huge quantities of horse manure
and water were required, equipment costs were enormous and labour was
intensive as each dome had to be nursed. Ken devoted 2 acres to the French
garden and had to bore a well and add a tank that would hold 1200 gallons of
water. Set-up costs of 5K per acre were not unusual.
The garden was put up for sale along with all the equipment in 1912. It included
1300 glass bell domes, 3000 canes, 450 lights and glass frames made from deal,
500 French mats, even their dog, an 18 month old terrier was included in the
inventory. Two other known French gardens in Dublin ran into financial difficulty;
St Gatien's French farm in Rathfarnham and a French garden owned by Kathleen
Murphy at Drimnagh. Ms Murphy went bankrupt in 1914 owing nearly 7K, and
St Gatiens was sold and later became a training garden for lady students. It would
have cost Ken in the region of 2.5K in the UK for equipment originally without
including shipping costs. Mary Bladen went to England and moved to South Africa
in 1929 with her daughter Violet. She died there in 1935.
1 Violet Mary Wells-Bladen born in Shropshire on 9 Dec 1908. She moved to
England and then to South Africa in 1929. She returned to England after
the death of her mother and married John Brian Cornforth in 1937.
2 Denis Wells-Bladen born on 6 Nov 1911 at Hazelwood House on the
Upper Kilmacud Road. He moved to Johannesburg in 1929 where he worked
for Crown Mines. He married and divorced Barbara Mary Harrison and they
had a least one child. Denis was stabbed to death at the mines on
7 Dec 1958.
It appears that William immigrated alone to Seattle, Washington and married
Beatrice L M Tylecote of Vancouver there on 24 Sep 1914. They had two children
Kathleen and Charles. They were living at Vancouver in 1917 and Ken was working as
a metallurgist and did not attend his father’s funeral. He died in Vancouver in 1965.
2 Lionel McDonald Wells Bladen, second son born 27 Jun 1880 at Stone in Staffordshire,
joined the Royal Flying Corps and was wounded in France in 1915. He married
Florence Alice Cutter at St Georges’ Church, Hanover Square, 1917 and was working
as an architect in 1939. He died in Hampshire in 1946.
3 Harold Astbury Wells Bladen born 1881 at Stone, Staffordshire obtained an MA at
college and trained as a school teacher. He was tutor to the Nawab of Junagagh
in India in 1917.
4 Edith Mary Wells Baden born 1883 died 1885.
5 Verena Mary (Vera) Bladen eldest daughter born circa 1886 married Arthur Hill, son of
William Collins Hill of Egremont in Cheshire on 9 Jan 1907.
6 Phyllis Wells Bladen, youngest daughter born circa 1889. She worked as an accountant -
audit clerk for Bourner Bullock & Co, Charted accountants. She was a guide leader, and
chairperson of the Stafford Girl Guides. She died unmarried aged 92 in 1981.
© June Bow & Karen Poff – July 2016
Return to Hazelwood page