MEMORIES OF THE HANSLOPE PARK TRAGEDY - 2

Lynda Lancaster &
Beatrice May Anderton
In September 2001, the Society received an e-mail from Lynda Lancaster. Lynda had been searching the Web for information on Tathall End, as a favour to an elderly friend Beatrice Anderton, who had been born and brought up there.

Beatrice was eight years old at the time of the Tragedy. Her name then was Beatrice Geary, and she was the youngest member of a family of seven children. Her father was an estate worker on the Hanslope Park estate.

Sadly, Beatrice's eyesight no longer allowed her to view and recognise photos, but when Lynda read out extracts from this site, it brought back memories which she proceeded to relate to Lynda. Her account of her life in Tathall End and Hanslope has now been transcribed and presented to the Society, who are pleased and honoured to publish extracts of it here. A publication of the whole document has now been completed and can be purchased from the Society along with other Society publications.


(Footnote: The Society records with sadness Beatrice's death in late 2003. It is however immensely grateful to her for shedding so much light on the events of 1912, when all hope of finding living witnesses had disappeared)
The amazing thing was that this tiny eight-year-old seems to have been present at all the major events following the murder of Squire Watts and the suicide of William Farrow, and her reminiscences add poignancy to the tale as we see them through the eyes of a little girl. So return with Beatrice to about one o'clock on Sunday July 21st 1912 :

The Tragedy

"That hot Sunday morning, Mother had cooked lunch and my brother and I along with Mother and Father were sitting down to eat. We were having rabbit pie, new potatoes and fresh garden peas. Suddenly a shout came from outside, "Squire Watts has been shot!" With all thoughts of food vanished, we hurried out of the house leaving the door wide open. I ran down with other children to the murder scene. Being small we were able to push our way through the crowd to the front. Squire Watts was already covered over, and some men came with a sheep hurdle and covered William Farrow up with hessian sacks. They placed the body onto the piece of fencing. He was then carried by the men to his own cottage. We just stood staring at the scene, mesmerised with the fact that William Farrow had shot himself.

Later, we visited the cottage to have a look - myself being just an 8-year old curious child. He was in a coffin in the shape of a box made of very rough sawn timber with rope for handles."

Beatrice & her mother - 1906

Squire Watts' Funeral

"I recollect that the Squire's body was cremated and returned to the village for the funeral service. My friends and I had followed the procession and had crept into the church for a good view. We saw the vault door opening, and to me it looked just like an oven door. The wooden casket was the size of a sewing machine box."


William Farrow's Funeral

"William Farrow's funeral, after a great debate as to whether he could be buried on consecrated ground, took place during the night. I could take you to the spot where he is buried now. It is up to a dyke at the side of the churchyard. I attended the funeral and we stood in the field overlooking the graveyard. I can clearly remember the still moonlight and the quietness."
The Aftermath
The young Beatrice in a Tathall End
flower meadow
"Much talk, rumour and speculation went on quite naturally, but at the age of 8, I didn't really take it all in. I do know this however; the Squire was a very much respected and admired man, but Mrs Watts not so. She was not liked by anyone, and everyone felt that something very bitter had happened between Mrs Watts and William Farrow, and the bullets had been meant for her. She carried a parasol that hot day and after the first fatal shot was fired, she ducked down which they say saved her from the second shot. As children, you were expected to bow and curtsey every time she went past in the carriage. I refused to do this and so she would visit my mother to tell her of my behaviour.



Mrs Farrow and her three young daughters moved away very quickly. I now understand that maybe she moved to Lancashire. Nobody seemed to know where she had gone. Quite different from today! How the Press would have hounded her and her young family.

I can remember clearly Mrs Watts having the road diverted to avoid the site of her husband's murder. The area called The Grove was well kept and a fresh wreath was always on the spot. On my last visit in the early 1980's, I was saddened to see The Grove very much overgrown when I took some friends to see the area. I am amazed to think that it will be the 90th anniversary this year, 2002.

A rumour which circulated at the time was that Mrs Watts kept the clothes in which the Squire had been murdered in the Gun Room at the Hall, and on the anniversary of his death brought them outside and hung them on a line for an airing.

My father continued to work for Mrs Watts and as a good scholar he helped her with her book keeping and accounts and it was said that he was able to save her 'hundreds of pounds'. How this occurred I have no idea! I remember the Squire and Mrs Watts had two grandsons, one called Robin. They lived in London and were never seen.

The Hall was always well kept, but always had a very quiet atmosphere around it. No delivery people were ever seen coming and going. There were beautifully manicured May trees which were covered in beautiful deep pink blossom in spring."

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