The Bomfords of Worcestershire
RUSHFORD
Extract from The Bomfords of Worcestershire by Dr Bruce Bomford FRCS, Salford Priors, 1983. The work was published privately and only a few copies were made. Re-published here with permission from Dr Bomford's sons.
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Rushford was generically a Smith farm and when Benjamin Bomford of Pitchill married Mary Smith, she brought the farm with her into the Bomford family estate.
The Dunn family were in residence at one time. Raish Dunn died and his widow married his brother Ven (told by Aunt Daisy Hughes).
The Lane family lived there also, Mrs. Lane being a widow with 2 sons and 6 daughters.
Mr. Alley from Bomford and Evershed Ltd., then lived in the house.
Mr. Striken was a monitor of Russian Languages at Woodnorton and he is reported as living at Rushford also for a time.
Ernest and Pat Bomford moved to Rushford after five years at Pitchill. Ernest had had to return from Wycliffe college at the age of 16 years to help his father with the farm and the steam tackle and ploughs. He helped his brothers to continue the running of R. and B. Bomford after the death of his father until the estate was divided up. Rushford came to Dick, and Ernest seems to have come off the worst being left with the stock and machinery, but no house or land. However, as Dick was pursuing his medical career he leased the house and farm to Ernest and Pat, and at a later date agreed to sell the farm to them. The family shares in Bomford and Evershed were split between the four brothers. I was told that Leslie and Dick made over some of their shares to Douglas, who gave them to Constance.
Hercs, as Ernest was affectionately called, was according to Leslie an easy-going person and he had the characteristic voice that we knew which all the Bevington sons had. During his early years he helped his father to farm a large acreage, for Raymond was farming land at Defford, Morton Wood, Pitchill, Bevington, in addition to Bevington Waste, which was rented from the Marquis of Hereford.
Ernest worked closely with Douglas and accounts of their farming methods are recorded in the papers held in the County Records Office at Warwick, as well as in “The Bomford Story”.
Ernest served on the War Agricultural Committee during the Second World War, and was active in N.F.U. matters. He and Douglas split up in 1942 and Ernest concentrated on farming work and took no further part in the running of Bomford Bros., but he was a Director of Bomford and Evershed for sixteen years.
Ernest continued to farm at Rushford until he died in 1962.
Brian Banting had been an assistant at Rushford for six years when Ernest died and he and Joan then moved into the farmhouse, while Pat converted the Old Granary into an excellent home, designed by architect Walter Thomson who employed Messrs. Sibbasbridge of Stratford-on-Avon to carry out the work. Pat has added to the house in later years and has continued to lead an active life as a Justice of the Peace for more than twenty years at Alcester Magistrates Bench, being Chairman in recent years and a former Chairman of the Juvenile Court. In addition Pat devotes much time to Women’s Institute activities and is an organiser of parties and family gatherings when we all meet and check up on each other.
Ernest and Pat had three children and their families are as follows:-
1. Nicholas married Gillian Reynolds from Surrey and they have two daughters, Kate Patricia Mary and Rebecca Ann. Nicholas joined the teaching profession and from Dartmouth he became housemaster at Wellington College, Headmaster at Haberdashers Monmouth School for boys, and presently Headmaster at Uppingham School. He has in safe-keeping many papers and photographs from Bevington.
2. Jane married Peter Pinkster, Captain Royal Navy, now retired. They have two daughters, Sarah Jane and Anna Victoria. Peter’s father came from Holland and after service in the Navy he became Managing Director, U.K. for Tedilands International.
3. Anthony married Elizabeth Veal from Ely, Cambridge. They have two daughters, Ciera Elizabeth and Rose Tiffany. Anthony is a photographer of Wildlife and has made films for “Survival”, a programme screened by Anglia Television. His work has taken him with his family to Shetland Islands, Madagascar and Malawi. Elizabeth has also been associated with the film unit and has published a book, “Secret Life of the Hedgehog”, by Liz Bomford, which illustrates the high standard of technique in photography which their unit has achieved.