William
and Julia married in 1858. They had a daughter, Julia Letitia in 1859 and a
son, Courtenay Cracroft Spurrell in 1860, both born in Dartford. The 1861
census shows William (aged 48, a barrister-at-law) and Julia (39) living at
Bowman’s Lodge with William’s children Walter (19), Isabel (17), Alice (11),
Agnes (9) from his first marriage as well as Julia (2) and Courtenay (1), plus
a governess and four house servants. Alice died in 1864 aged 15. Bowman’s Lodge
was a house with an estate of 7 acres on Dartford Heath, by a road (then a
track) that is now called Swan Lane.
The
1871 census shows William (aged 58, a practising barrister-at-law and land
owner) living at Bowman’s Lodge with his wife Julia (49) and his children Agnes
(19), Julia (12) and Courtenay (11) plus a cook and two housemaids.
Courtenay
became a law student at Gray's Inn in 18771. In 1881, the household
at Bowman’s Lodge consisted of William (67, a barrister-at-law QC), his wife
Julia (57) and children Julia (22) and Courtenay (21, a law student) as well as
a cook and two housemaids. Courtenay was called to the bar in 18841.
This meant that he was qualified to argue a case in court on behalf of another
person.
On
5 March 1889, Courtenay married Gertrude Elizabeth Horner at St Paulinus Church,
Crayford. He was aged 29, she was 30. Gertrude was born in Crayford in 1858.
The 1871 census shows her aged 12 living at May Place, Crayford with her
parents Edward (aged 56, a drug merchant) and Mary (48), 6 sisters, 3 brothers
and 11 servants.
Courtenay
and Gertrude had a daughter, Penelope Gertrude Fooks, in 1890. She died later
that year. Sadly, Gertrude died early in 1891 aged 32. The 1891 census (after
her death) shows Courtenay (31, a barrister-at-law) living at Bowman’s Lodge
with his parents William (78, a barrister-at-law) and Julia (69) plus a
gardener, a groom, two cooks and a housemaid.
The
Ancestry website has a copy of Courtenay’s application for admission to the
Freedom of the City of London in 1901. His profession was Barrister at Law and
he occupied premises at 2 Brick Court, Temple. The 1901 census shows Courtenay,
aged 41, a barrister at law, living at South Hall, Farningham with a
housekeeper and parlourmaid.
On
30 April 1903, Courtenay married Marion Easton at St Michaels Church,
Betchworth, Surrey. He was aged 43, a barrister at law living in Farningham. She
was a spinster aged 42, a daughter of James Easton, a civil engineer. Marion seems
to have known Courtenay for some time, she was a witness at his first marriage.
In 1904, Courtenay and Marion had a son, Thomas Courtenay Fooks, who was born
in Paddington.
Electoral
registers indicate that Courtenay moved to Reynolds Place, Horton Kirby in
1906. The
1911 census shows Courtenay, aged 51, a barrister at law living at Reynolds
Place with his wife Marion (aged 50), son Thomas (7), a governess and 4
servants.
Reynolds
Place is a house on Rays Hill in Horton Kirby. Parts of the current building
date from 1703. The 1911 census says that it has 15 rooms. It was grade II listed
in 1982.
Reynolds Place,
Horton Kirby
From
1909 to 1912, Courtenay was President of the Committee that ran the Livingstone
Cottage Hospital in Dartford2.
The 1921 census shows Courtenay, aged 61, a barrister at law at The Temple in London staying at a hotel in Eastbourne with his wife Marion, aged 60. The census was recorded in June 1921, so presumably they were on holiday.
Courtenay
died in 1938 aged 78 at 7 Portland Place, London. He is buried in the
churchyard of St Mary the Virgin, Horton Kirby. The Dartford Chronicle printed
the following item
MR COURTENAY C.
S. FOOKS
LONG CAREER OF PUBLIC SERVICE
The funeral of
Mr Courtenay C. S. Fooks of Reynolds Place, Horton Kirby, took place at Horton
Kirby Parish Church on Tuesday.
Mr Courtenay
Fooks died on Thursday last in London following an operation. He was 78 years
of age. Born at Bowman’s Lodge, Dartford Heath, he was educated at University
College, London. He had lived for the last 30 years of his life in Horton
Kirby, where he always took a keen interest in village activities.
Mr Courtenay
Fooks was elected a director of the Gresham Life more than 40 years ago in the
place of his father, Mr William C Fooks, who had been one of the original
shareholders of the society and had been associated with it from its foundation
in 1848. Mr Courtenay Fooks became a director of the Gresham Fire and Accident
Society on its formation in 1910 and succeeded the late Sir Reginald MacLeod of
MacLeod as deputy chairman of both societies in 1922.
He was for many
years chairman of the South Essex Waterworks Company. At college he studied law
and was called to the Bar at the Middle Temple. He was a keen hunting man and
rode with the West Kent Foxhounds at eight years of age and had hunted with
them ever since. For many years he acted as judge in their point-to-point races
and had been chairman of the Hunt for several years past. He loved shooting and
was a very good shot and keen on any sport.
A member of the
Horton Kirby Parish Council since 1907, he was Chairman for 22 years. He had
sat as a magistrate on the Dartford Bench since 1915. He was Chairman of the
Farningham Nursing Association, president of the Horton Kirby Cricket Club and
for many years a supporter of Horton Kirby Parish Church, acting for a time as
churchwarden.
Mr Courtenay
Fooks is survived by his wife and one son, Mr T C Fooks, who is at present in
Canada.
The
item contains a long list of those present at the funeral. Amongst them were
Mrs F Jackson (sister-in-law), Mrs A W Newton3 (sister), Miss
Hayward and Miss Ethel Hayward (nieces).
The grave of
Courtenay Fooks
The
inscription reads “In thankful remembrance Courtenay C S Fooks of Reynolds
Place in this parish. Died 14 July 1938 aged 78.” Probate on his estate, worth
£67,419, was issued to his widow Marion. £67,419 is equivalent to about £4.1 M
now, calculated using the Retail Price Index (RPI).
Marion
died in 1946 aged 85. Records show that probate was granted to the honourable
David George Brownlow Cecil (commonly called Lord Burghley), Sir Stephen George
Tallents K.C.M.G. and Walter Leslie Farrer, solicitor. The value was £64,827.
Stephen Tallents was a senior civil servant who lived at St John’s Jerusalem,
Sutton-at-Hone and gave the property to the nation in 1943.
Thomas
(Courtenay’s son) went to Cambridge University. In 1925 he won the annual
cross-country race between Oxford and Cambridge Universities. A photo of Thomas
crossing the finish line can be viewed online4. He knew Lord
Burghley - both were in a combined Oxford and Cambridge athletics team that
competed against Harvard and Yale5. Lord Burghley later won the 400
metres gold medal at the 1928 Olympics. The character Lord Andrew Lindsay in
the film Chariots of Fire is based on Burghley. Thomas married Lucy Day in 1935
in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He is listed on the 1939 register as a visitor at
43 Woburn Place, Holborn, London, a farmer (married). Thomas was granted a
Royal Aero Club Aviators Certificate as a pilot in 1946. He was appointed as an
Assistant Labour Officer in Kenya in 19526. Thomas died on 19
September 1991 aged 87 in Nairobi, Kenya, leaving an estate of £607,396. The T.
C. Fooks Charitable Trust was registered in 1993 with the aims of relieving
poverty and advancing education by making grants to suitable organisations. It
had ceased to exist by 2011 when it was removed from the register.
References
1.
“Men at the Bar” Wikisource accessed online 3.9.18
2.
Dartford : Some Historical Notes, S K Keyes, 1936.
3.
This is Courtenay’s sister Julia, who married Arthur William Newton in 1885.
5.
See caption to https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/license/515543138
6.
The Official Gazette of Kenya, December 1953.
