The A'Bear Branch

Memorandum by F.R.B.

Lyson's Eng...(unreadable)

p.411. Manor of Bear Place, Parish of Wargrave is property and residence of Moses Ximenes, Esq., who purchased in 1780 of the Hon Capt. Hamilton. Previously it had been in the family of De Grey and Silver and is said to have been formerly in the A'Bears, a family still existing and supposed to be of the great antiquity but their names are not found at the Heralds College nor among the Tower Records.

Bear Hill was in 1746 Lady Preston's Seat.

H.J.Reid's History of Wargrave 1885.

p.114. Register of the Parish Church.
About the first name is Abear. Several times occurs between 1536-43. In 1544 the death is recorded of no less than nine of them within three weeks believed to be father, mother and seven children, probably caused by an epidemic.

It is currently believed that the A'Bears date from the Conquest, but we have elsewhere noted the first mention of the name viz. in 1340. The College of Arms fails to record them.

William Silver married Jane daughter of John A'Bear early in the 18th Century. By the Will of John A'Bear dated 1709 certain properties in Wargrave passed to the above Wm. Silver and are now held by Mr. Darter his descendant.

(* ? William Silver Darter who died about 1888. F.R.B.)

Mrs. K.J.Clisenson's History of Shiplake.

p.357. In 1887 Mr. Sewell let Shiplake Court Farm to Mr John Burton A'Bear, one of the ancient family of yeoman farmers known for centuries in this neibourhood both in Berks and Oxfordshire.

Note: The A'Bears have a right to the Three Feathers as armorial bearing, like the Prince of Wales, given to their ancestor after the battle of Crecy.

p.358. In December 1819 Mr Daniel A'Bear died, and was buried at Shiplake at the age of 32 and his Mother, Mrs Elzth. A'Bear died the next month, January 1820.

There is no doubt of the great antinquity of the A'Bear family. It seems probable also that originally they were a branch of the De la Beres' family, as to which there are many records to be found in the various published Records.

The following is taken from the record of "Wills and Administrations in the Archdeaconry of Berks from 1508 to 1652". Issued by the British Record Society Ltd. 1893:-

In November 1906, I (F.R.B.) was corresponding with Mr. John Bevan A'Bear of "Cornfields", Henley-on-Thames, Farmer and subsequently saw him several times and he was good enough to allow my Father and myself to see some old Deeds and Wills of which we took a note. There is a small bell in Waltham St. Lawrence Church Tower presented by Mr. John Abeare of the Hill in 1818.

The Hill or Hill Farm was owned and farmed by the family for many generations. In fact nearly all the farms each side of the River have at some time been farmed by this family and the name appears in old deeds relating to property hereabouts.

The Gibstrode Farm House has for many years been turned into a Cottage for one of the hands. F.R.B.

The following notes were taken from the Deeds and Wills produced as stated by Mr. J.B.A'Bear:-

From Burn's History of Henley-on-Thames (1861) p.266

This Book containing the Court Roll from 1622 notes:-

Notes of papers relating to the A'Bear connection in possession of Miss Augusta A. Mills. (April 1911)

Mutilated copy of the Inscription:-

Sacred to the Memory of Joshua ABear who departed this Life Feby. the 15th 1800 Aged 43 years.

More recent research (2003) has found that the complete quotation should be:

Richard Lloyd (in 2003) writes:

I've spoken to Di Bush who lives at Gibstroude farm. The old cottage (pair of cottages) were pulled down about 1970, at the time when the Bushes built their current bungalow. The door with the painting was kept, and is somewhere on their premises - probably in the loft. The painting is of a man with staring eyes draped with a snake (I think she said) and the men refused to go into that area of the farm to work when the door was open because they were scared of it! It was looked at by an art expert, and deemed to be early 19th century; has been used as a dartboard at some time! I'll hope to get to see it sometime and try and photograph for you.

Pope (in 1929) wrote:

On a door in the farmhouse there is a painting with a local reputation for age, but I think it unlikely the painting is 50 years old or the door 100.

What slightly complicates the Gibstroude question is that the present Farm of that name was during the 20th C an outpost, run from the farmhouse now known as Highfield Farm, half a mile away across the fields.

This page was very difficult to read, and it is possible that there are a few errors of transcription.

Copyright © Anthony Hickson