The Butt Family (Including Family Tree)
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Subject
The challenge for you family History enthusiasts is to find what we have missed and help us splice them into one!
The two parts are :
Butt Family Tree - Root Robert Butt c1780
Butt Family Details - Root Robert Butt c1780
Butt Family Tree - Root Silas Butt 1815
Butt Family details - Root Silus Butt 1815
Description
There have been Butts living in the parish of Bisley since at least the mid 1700s. We have two family trees of the Butt family in the Oakridge area. One is the descendants of Robert Butt (1801-1880), a shoe maker, and his wife Eliza Whiting (1801-1877). The other is the descendants of Silas Butt (1815-1870), a sawyer, and his wife Eliza Gardner (1815-1884).
Robert Butt's family were mainly resident in Oakridge Lynch. Many were boot and shoe makers. Silas Butt's family were largely based in Waterlane and were sawyers and builders. During the 19th century, many of the women in the Butt family worked in the local silk mill.
The Oakridge Tything 1831 shows Robert Butt as proprietor of a cottage on the lane between Broadway and the middle road occupied by William Young valued at £2.15.0. (The cottage became derelict and was replaced in 1968 by a bungalow called Summerfield and this in turn was replace by three houses in 2017).
In 1869, Robert Butt was assigned by the Bisley Inclosure Award, land amounting to one rood and 33 perches at the top of Farm Lane for the price of £11, with an obligation to fence and maintain boundaries to this parcel of land. Butts Hill, the name now given to the upper part of Farm Lane, gained its name from Alfred Butt (1840-1916) who supposedly quarried stone there for his house and the walls of the enclosures.
In 1881 George Butt was living in Far Oakridge and is described as a Rate Collector. No doubt a popular occupation!!
In the Lloyd George Survey in 1910 Alfred is recorded as owner of two cottages on the site. Alfred appears to have occupied one cottage while the other was occupied by Bernal Gardiner. One cottage, possibly now replaced by Jaeno is described as a “stone built and stone tiled cottage in fair condition with 2 bedrooms, outside wash house and WC, no water supply and small garden” while the other has “a weaving shed and shoe makers shop as well as a ground floor living room, 2 bedrooms, outside WC, shed, pigsty, and well of water;” After Alfred's death his wife Annie Butt and son Edward sold the two cottages to Alfred Gilbert Orton, cabinet maker, for £200. Edward left the area and became an assistant schoolmaster first in Oswestry and then in Ealing.
The Silas Butt family had children baptised in church during 1840s and 50s and a Sarah Butt (died 1857) is buried in the churchyard. Edwin and Sarah Butt had Charles Walter baptised in the Methodist chapel in 1856.
Connections with other local families through marriage and acting as godparents to children link the Butt family with Gardners, Hunts, Witts, Youngs, Smiths, Davises and Whitings.
Records relating to the Charles Butt family in the School Log Book during the 1880s do not make happy reading.
In Oakridge school records the headmaster noted that "he allowed Charles Butt's children to come to school for their father is in prison and their mother politely asked me to allow her children to come, saying she had no money but would pay next Monday".
Clearly money was scarce and father Charles did not have much regard for education or teachers. We learn in February 1887 that James was readmitted after being away for the winter months and in the same month George was entered as an exception as it was decided it was impossible to get him advanced enough for examination.
George was sent home for school money in August 1888 and in May 1889 “George and James Butt sent home because they did not bring their school money. The amount they owe has increased from 5s 1d to 6s 2d not including the pence which should have been brought for this week.“ Two days later George and James brought 5d and were allowed to remain. There are repeated occasions when the children are sent home for school money in 1890.
In June 1890 “Charles Butt called this morning because he had received a warning from the attendance committee respecting Clara Butt. I showed him that she had been rather irregular being absent 25 times out of 110 openings in the last quarter. He threatened that he would keep them at home entirely, go to prison himself and let his family go to the workhouse, and afterwards said he would send all his children to Bisley school. I asked him to pay their school fees first, but he told me to summon him for the money. I had to check him for using bad language before some of the school children.”
In May 1898 another child, Frank, was reported to attendance officer.
In Feb 1899 “Charles Butt of Waterlane came to me as I left school today. He had been drinking. He put his fist in my face and struck me a light blow to the eye. He used extremely bad language and threatened me saying “I don't mind doing six months for you”. His son Ewart has not been punished in any way. His wife followed him and expressed regret for his conduct”.
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