Answers

FORROW, Much Hadham, after 1925

July 2001

Jackie Sutherland (jackie_sutherland @t tapoil.com.au), of Perth, Western Australia, is looking for information on my grandmother's sister. Elsie May Burgess and George Forrow (married 16 April 1925) who ran the "Hoops Tavern" in Perry Green, Much Hadham. Elsie May died in 1959 at Perry Green and supposedly the family lived there for a while. We know they had 2 sons - John and David. Any information about the pub or the family would be most helpful.

Both John and David Forrow may still be alive and I do not publish address information on possibly living people on this site unless I already know that they are interested in family history, etc. This is to conform with the UK Data Protection Act. However you should be able to search the UK electoral roll and phone directory yourself for people named Forrow in Hertfordshire by visiting www.192.com.

The 1881 census index CD suggests the family may have come from Essex or London - as the surname does not occur once in Hertfordshire (although it may have been spelt/indexed as the commoner Farrow). It also shows that a William Perry and his family lived at the Hoops Public House, Perry Green, Great [=Much] Hadham.

There is information on Hoops in Hertfordshire Inns & Public Houses. Apparently the property was bequeathed in 1863 by the owner, James Spencer, to his nephew Peter Perry, although Thomas Prior (who was there at the time of the 1851 census) continued as licensee. While the property was transferred to Thomas Driver Medcalf, a Thomas Perry were still there in 1937. The property was still a pub in in the 1990s and the property is now owned by the Henry Moore Foundation. If George Forrow was licensee it may be he was there after 1937.

If you visit 192 and search the business directory you will find the following entry - showing that it is still in existence - so you could write to (or phone) the current licensee.

March 2002

Nigel Forrow (nigel.forrow @t btinternet.com) has kindly sent some useful information about the Forrow family of Much Hadham after 1926. This has been forwarded to Jackie Sutherland but is not reproduced here as it relates to living people.

April 2003

Heather Forrow Spurll (nightsky @t eagle.ca) writes: I am the daughter of Henry Edward Forrow (by his second and much younger wife) who was the licensee of the Ship Hotel in Tottenham. In an old family album (I am now 72) I have a photo of myself as a baby with "Elsie". Elsie's husband, George, may have been my father's brother, or nephew. I have old photographs of members of the Forrow family, and a newspaper clipping of my father's funeral. The clipping lists many Forrows who attended.

Glad to help out if anyone is still interested. I live in Canada now.

I have notified Jackie Sutherland of this interesting news. 

May 2004

Heather Forrow Spurll (nightsky @t eagle.ca) writes: This is simply to thank you for your website. I'm now in touch with Jackie Sutherland in Australia, who is related through her grandmother's marriage; with another person in Australia whose grandmother was from my line of Forrows some way back; with another Forrow in the the south of England, also probably related some way back; with a Farrow who may be able to tie the two names together; and just recently with several members of my own direct Forrow line. It's wonderful. Instant family!. Thank you so much.

October 2004

Maggie Magennis (MMagennis @t aol.com) has kindly sent some useful information about the Forrow family of Much Hadham after 1926. This has been forwarded to Jackie Sutherland but is not reproduced here as it relates to living people.

April 2005

Susan Murray (susan.muray @t virgin.net) is the granddaughter of George and Elsie Forrow and I have forwarded her comments to the others interested in this family.