The Funeral of Squire Watts

as reported in The Bucks Standard - Saturday July 27th, 1912

(Transcribed from the original held in Milton Keynes Museum)

FUNERAL OF THE LATE MR. E. H. WATTS

Remarkable Demonstration Of Sympathy

DISTINGUISHED MOURNERS

There was a remarkable demonstration of sympathy at the funeral of the late Edward Hanslope Watts, Esq., the victim of the cruel murder, yesterday (Friday) afternoon. Noblemen, distinguished service officers, and well-known Bucks and Northants families were represented. In the village of Hanslope itself sorrow and sympathy at the loss of a kind and true friend was everywhere apparent. Blinds were drawn, business establishments ceased to trade and the licensed holders closed their doors for about two hours. By motor car and carriage ladies and gentlemen came to lay a last loving tribute at the tomb of the dead Squire. Almost without exception every one of the residents in the village, in the welfare of which Mr. Watts took so great an interest, was present. Aged men and women thronged into the church to join in the solemn service: village lads and maidens all in the habilaments of mourning, were there to see the last of a gentleman whose life was given up to the public good. The Parish Council and Parochial Sanitary Committee, which he served so well as Chairman, the Conservative Association, of which he was president, and many another body operating in the general interest of the community sent its representatives. Long before three o?clock, the time appointed for the funeral, the approaches to the churchyard were thronged, whilst every available seat in the sacred edifice was occupied. Despite the pressure, Messrs. G. A. Frost (warden), R.W. Dickens, L.Branston, G. Tebby, A. Garrett, C. Garrett, H. J. Wood, G. R. Hillyer, G. Whitbread, H. Herbert, S.W. Platten, J. S. R. Rutter, and D. Tucker (sidesmen) carried out the seating arrangements most satisfactorily. In the vicinity of the deceased gentleman?s house was a posse of Bucks police, with Supt. Pearce representing major Otway Mayne, the Chief Constable; also J. D. MacCallum, Chief Constable of Northants; Supt. Andrews, Deputy Chief Constable of Northants; Supt. Andrews, Deputy Chief Constable of Northants; and Inspector bailey of the same Constabulary.

The remains of the dead Squire had been taken to Golders Green the previous day for cremation. The ashes, placed in an earthenware urn and enclosed in an oak-panelled rectangular casket, were brought by motor car to the park the same night to await interment in the family vault in the Parish Church yesterday. The vault, in which there had been six interments of the deceased gentleman?s ancestors, stands under the family pew. It was about 2.30 when the sad procession left the Park. The chief mourners were:- Mrs. Watts (widow), Mrs. Mark Poore (daughter), Mrs Henry Bull and Miss watts (sisters), Mr H. E. Bull (nephew), Mr. Mark Poore (son-in-law), Mrs Trotter, Mrs R Selby-Lowndes, Mrs Herbert Bull, Mrs Lingard, Mr R Selby-Lowndes, Mr Cunningham, Col Aspinall, Mr Trotter, Mr Apthorpe, Mr H Fletcher, Rev C E M Wilson, Mr E Yatman, Mr Geoffrey Selby-Lowndes, Professor Mahoffey (deceased?s greatest friend), Mr R French, Mr R A Poore, and Mr P Poore.

The cortege was met at the entrance to the churchyard by robed clergy, who led the way into the sacred edifice. The casket was taken and borne to the chancel entrance by Mr C Whiting and Mr C Smith (tenants of the deceased). Mrs Watts, heavily veiled, was noticed to be carrying a bunch of white daisies, whilst other relatives carried bouquets of grasses, sweet peas and other flowers, which they later placed with loving hands in the vault. The service was quite simple. There were no hymns and no music with the one exception that Mr H Middleton, the organist, played the beautiful ?O rest in the Lord? at the close.

The service was conducted by the Bishop of Edinburgh, assisted by the Rev. Somerset Walpole (a relative of the deceased, the Rev Henry Trower (Vicar of Finmere, Buckinghamshire), and the Rev W J Harkness (vicar of the parish).

Prior to the interment the Bishop gave a short address, alluding to the sadness of the tragedy, the great bereavement the two families had sustained, and concluded by making an earnest appeal to the parishioners to shew every consideration, kindness and sympathy to the widow and the little children of the deceased gamekeeper.

Among those who were present to pay a last tribute to Mr. Watts were Lord Addington, Lord Euston, General Broadwood, Mr. H Grant-Thorold, Rev. O. Selby-Lowndes (Mursley), Mr. W. Selby-Lowndes, Miss J. Isham, Mr. Vere A R Isham., Mr and Mrs J M Knapp (Linford Hall), Mr W Trevor, Mr W Trevor J. P. (Lathbury), Mr W W Carlile J.P. (Gayhurst), Rev J T Athawes J.P. (Loughton), Rev J Turnbull and Major Mead (Great Linford), Sir Herewald and Lady Wake, Rev G F Sams R D (Emberton), Rev A G St John Mildmay (Old Wolverton), Mr E T Worley (Haversham), Mr W F Gore-Langton (Padbury), Mr A Lucas (Maids Moreton), Mr J J Atkinson, C C, Capt. Atkinson, Rev G M Capell (Passenham), Capt. M R Hall J.P. (Foxcote), Mr, Mrs, and the Misses Byam Grounds (Passenham), Mr Browning (Old Wolverton), Mrs Fitzroy, Mr F Allfrey (Newport Pagnell), Canon and Mrs Seymour Coxe (Stoke Bruerne), Col Campbell (Salcey Lawn), Mr Meyrick Selby-Lowndes, Rev A Wake (Courteenhall), Dr W H Ryan (Roade), Dr W H Bull (Stony Stratford), Rev M R Graham (Wolverton St Mary), Rev H and Mrs Last (Stony Stratford), Mr Donald Fraser (Tickford Park), Rev W B Rickards (Tyringham), Miss L selby-Lowndes, Mrs Bowyer and Miss Bowyer (Weston Underwood, Col W J Bowyer J.P. was unable to be present), Mr and Mrs Charles W Powell (Old Stratford), Mr E A Lovibond, Mr H A Pelly (London), Mr H J Connant, Mr J E Whiting (Moulsoe), Dr W G Rutherford (Hanslope), Mr and Mrs C Whiting and Miss Whiting (Castlethorpe), Mrs Whiting and Miss Whiting (Lathbury), Mr and Mrs J Roddis (Stoke Goldington), Mr and Mrs Masterman (Castlethorpe) and others.

The following of the late Mr Watts? tenantry were present: Messrs A Abbott, A Greenwood, W Weston, Viv Chandler, J Rainbow, Beasley, W Frost (and Mrs Frost), J Rose, D Tucker, C Lane, Levi Smith, A Smith, A Smith, C Smith, J Elkington (and Mrs Elkington), C Adams (and Mrs Adams), etc. Other residents in Hanslope attending were Dr Easte, Messrs J Neal, J Ruff, W Paybody, E Webb, E Turner, T Grisbrooke, R Bavington, Pearce, Fox, Martin (deceased?s keeper), Dewick, H Newberry, E Osborne, Chandler, Gregory, Courtman, Hawkes, Chapman, S Webb, G Webb, F Tompkins, A Sawbridge, V Sawbridge, E Capell, T B Phillips, E Turner, Reg Whiting, Mesdames Hillyer, Walker, Eakins, Bailey, Worley, Wood, Keeves, Williams, W Clerke, F Sawbridge, Tite Powell, Symons, Brownsell, Grisbrooke, Courtman, Capell, Evans, W Merry, Groom, Gardner, Symonds; Misses Walker, E Smith, Wood, Willimas, Brown, Hooton; Mesdames Lansberry, manning Rawlinson, Burbridge, Coey, Stewart, Nash (Castlethorpe), &c. There were manu other village people present, but it was quite impossible to get all names much as we would have liked to have done.

There were a great number of very beautiful floral tributes, including a harp with a broken string from the Hanslope parishioners, wreaths from the tenantry, from the indoor and outdoor servants, from the scholars of the Church End Schools, from the local Conservative Association, from the Rev. and Mrs Walker, New Zealand, who did duty at the Parish Church recently during the absence of the Vicar, and from Col. F. T. H. Bernard (Prospective Unionist candidate for North Bucks), and Mrs Bernard.