Warren Nunn
A few lines in an English newspaper highlight the extraordinary generosity of a gentleman that blessed several Suffolk villagers who may otherwise have had a miserable Christmas.
In December 1852 (and again the following year), William Francis Farmer, esquire, gave generously to the “poor of Denham”, a village near Bury St Edmunds.
The Bury and Norwich Post article.
The article does not have details of the number of people involved but even if there were only a handful, the bounty he offered would have made an enormous difference to their lives.
Each man received a pound of beef (450 grams) and a quart of beer (about 40 ounces). Women and children aged 12 and above likewise got a pound of beef, but only a pint of beer.
Of course, drinking beer back then was much safer than drinking water, despite what anyone may think of young people having alcohol. The beer may probably had a low alcohol content as well.
Seven bushels of coal
Mr Farmer’s generosity also extended to providing each family with seven bushels of coal. A bushel may have been weighed as much as 60 pounds which means they would have received more than 200 pounds, or 100-plus kilograms, of precious coal to warm their homes.
As well, each woman received three yards (about 2.5 sq metres) of flannel which no doubt would have provided much-needed clothing.
So, who was this great benefactor Mr Farmer? His full name was William Francis Gamul Farmer. The 1852 newspaper report names him William Francis Gamuel Farmer and, the 1854 report spells his name William Francis Samuel Farmer.
Benefactor from London
However, there are several voter records of a William Francis Gamul Farmer living in Shoreditch, London, and he appears to be the benefactor in question.
In the Bury and Norwich Post of 19 April 1859 on page 1 there is a notice regarding the West Suffolk election. It includes a number of names on what is described as Lord Jermyn’s Central Committee. On the list is one William Gamuel Farmer, Esq., who is assumed to be Denham’s benefactor.
His connection to Denham, Suffolk, is unclear but he certainly was a man of means. He died in Croydon, Surrey, in 1860 aged 78.
Transcript of the first newspaper report:
Bury and Norwich Post 29 December 1852, p2. On the Thursday before Christmas Day, the poor of Denham were kindly provided for by William Francis Gamuel Farmer, Esq. Each man received 1lb of beef and 1 quart of beer; each woman 1lb. of beef and 1 pint of beer; and to every boy and girl of the age of 12 years the same; and under the age half-a-pint of beer and half-a-pound of beef; and plums, flour, and suet to each family for puddings. Also, to each woman 3 yards of flannel, and to every family 7 bushels of coals. The bounty was not confined to the poor in the parish, but also extended to those belonging to the parish, but residing in the adjoining village.
Note that a report of his generosity the following Christmas was published in January 1854 and is word-for-word the same apart from Gamuel being spelt Samuel.
Recent Comments