|
ROBINS, Wheathampstead, late 19th century September, 2010 |
|
Anthony Carter (acarter @t health.sdu.dk) from Denmark comments: Not to detract from the sacrifice made by George Upton Robins Jr. [who wrote poems and was killed in the First World War - see Lays of the Hertfordshire Hunt] but this was very much the landowning class. At the St Albans Petty Sessions in 1868, Edmund Slough of Wheathampstead was sentenced to 21 days hard labour for stealing 13 carrots, worth at least 2d, the property of Mr. GEORGE UPTON ROBINS, a solicitor and landowner from Somerset resident at Delaport House (the poet's father). This was reported under "More Examples of Justices 'Justice'" in Reynolds Newspaper 1 November 1868. In Tales from Old Wheathampstead & Gustard Wood it is noted of Flora Upton Robins that, "On her morning inspection of the stables she would put her lorgnette to her eyes and would see a cobweb no bigger than a sixpence in the corner of the high building."
This also fits into the pattern of information I have on George Upton Robins senior. In the book George and Henry, George Wren records:
From time to time he visited his parents taking his wages home, but he generally managed to save a penny to give to his granny, of whom he was especially fond, so that she could have 'a drop of beer'. Later, he was proud of his granny for she had been brave enough to speak her mind about what she considered to be interference, when a lady of the gentry class was visiting the cottage home. 'Madam' Robins was about to lift the lid of the cooking pot on the fire to see what the family would be having for supper, when George's grandmother spoke up. She told the visitor in no uncertain terms what she thought, whereupon the lady took umbrage and left, never to darken that cottage door again.
One can only wonder if the real reason for his grandmother's action was that the cooking pot contained game poached from local farm land - perhaps even that of George Upton Robins.
A check of my extracts from the Herts Advertiser revealed the following (effectively random) references:
In January 1866 Abraham Taylor and Joseph Weedon, of St Stephens, were found guilty of trespassing in search of conies on land of the Earl of Verulam, in occupation of Mr. George Robins.
In May 1882 he was one of the many people who contributed to the St Albans Cricket Club Pavilion Fund.
In January 1885 he attended at meeting of the St Albans Architectural and Archaeology Society
In February 1885 he is mentioned in some Hertfordshire Hunting Notes
In April 1886 he attended a meeting of the St Albans Farmers' Club
There were also references to him acting as a magistrate and he is listed in this role in the trade directories for (not 1878) 1882, 1886. 1890. 1895. (Not 1899)