Links to the Bryan family of Rectory Farm

A visitor to this section of the website has spotted an extraordinary link with two of our recent stories in Family News.

Charlie Bryan noticed that Tim Taylor of Rectory Farm featured in a recent story when he went microlighting in France. Then he found our story called Memories of the Ray family, and realised he had connections with both items.

Mr Bryan contacted us to say that the stories caught his eye because Rectory Farm was the home of his Great Grandfather, Benjamin Bryant. Benjamin was born in Lower Heyford in 1840 but spent most of his life in Steeple Aston until he passed away in 1930 aged 90.  He is buried in the village churchyard with his first wife Elizabeth, the mother of his thirteen children.

One of Benjamin’s many children was Martha, who is pictured in our story about the Ray family. She married John Ray (1867-1936), the village baker and sometime landlord of the Red Lion.

Mr Bryan has sent us some photos. This picture shows Rectory Farm (now the rear) around 1902. The people are (from left to right) his grandmother Elizabeth Bryan, his Great Grandfather, Benjamin Bryant, his grandfather Charles Edward Bryan who was born in the house, and Fanny Bryan (nee Claydon) Benjamin's second wife who he married in 1901. 

This is a more recent picture of the back of the house. The fence and the water pump have gone, but you can still see where the door in the corner was.

This photo shows Benjamin and Fanny in the doorway of Rectory Farm on their wedding day in 1901. Maybe it was the prospect of looking after those 13 children that made Fanny look so miserable!

One of Benjamin's sons William was killed in the First World War, and his name is on the plaque in village church. John and Martha (nee Bryan) Ray are also buried together in the churchyard. Nearby are the graves of Fanny and other members of the Bryan(t) family.

Mr Bryan says he started researching his family tree several years ago as a result of finding the picture of Rectory Farm.  He had a lot of help at the time from Mrs Preston of Primrose Cottage.

He explains: “Since then I have managed to trace several lines from the 13 brothers and sisters who were children of Benjamin and Elizabeth Bryant.  Some of us met up a couple of years ago in Steeple Aston and did a walk of the village. Unfortunately Mr Taylor was not at home that day, so we could not see the house.

“However, I think my sister contacted the Taylors a few years ago, and they kindly supplied some pictures and history of the house.

“The last known Bryan living in Steeple Aston was Sarah who was married to Alfred John Putt and died in 1966. It may be that some of your readers might be descendents of the Bryans(t). I would love to hear from them. I have visited the village many times over the past few years and always feel at home when I am there, it must be in my blood.”

Tim takes to the open skies

Much to the relief of his wife and family, Tim Taylor of Rectory Farm is safely back from a trip to France. They were concerned because, unlike the rest of us, Tim didn’t take the train or the plane. He flew all the way to Bordeaux in a microlight.

He took the opportunity to hitch a lift with his cousin, Andrew. They are pictured here with their fragile craft. Appropriately, Tim's teeshirt reads 'Failure is not an option'.

The two of them flew in a “squadron” of six, to hop across the channel. One hour 45 minutes to Calais and no queuing, according to Tim. Rather different from the usual Heathrow experience.

On the way down to Bordeaux, Tim and Andrew 'dropped in' on a former Steeple Aston resident, Mike Coyle, who now lives in the Loire Valley.

As a farmer, Tim took a keen interest on the land below from his perch. He was checking out the state of the French harvest, which, he reports, does appear to have suffered from the recent weather.

Safely home now, he says his feet may be back on the ground, but the knees are still shaking!

Sheila celebrates her 80th birthday

Sheila Side, as twice Past President of Steeple Aston WI, had helped perform the cake cutting ceremony on the occasion of its birthday in March. This stood her in good stead when it was time for her to cut her own special birthday cake recently.

The sun shone and all looked wonderful in Sheila's garden when family and friends joined her there to celebrate, as she described it, "her coming of (old) age". Of course, all the candles were blown out in one go! Congratulations and best wishes on your birthday, Sheila.

Memories of the Ray family in Steeple Aston

Dear Editor,

I have just discovered your web site and write to say how much I have enjoyed reading about it and the surrounding area. My name is Tony Ray. I was born and have lived all my life in Cumbria - but have much interest and affection for the village.

My late father was Edgar Ray born at South Side in 1915, the youngest of nine children and son of John Ray 1867 - 1936 (the village baker). His mother was Martha Sarah, maiden name, Bryan, from Rousham. John Ray was also the landlord of the Red Lion in the early part of the last century.

From the stories my father told me about village life and the people he grew up with, I have always felt part of the place and tried to visit often over the years. A few of the family names on your website sound very familiar.

After John Ray died in 1936 the family all went off in different directions, my father eventually settling in Whitehaven, Cumbria in 1945.

My Grandfather also had a brother, Ernest Ray, who lived at Payne's Hill.
The 1901 Census describes him as Mounted Rural Postman. Then he was 37 years old and had a wife Annie, three children, Mabel 6, Gertrude 4, and Ernest 2. They later had a daughter, Mona Beatrice in 1903. I remember visiting her with my parents in the 1960s, then Mrs Fred Irons, when she lived at the Duke of Cumberland pub in nearby Clifton. I am sure I must have a few distant relatives scattered around the villages.

I enclose a couple of pictures from the past, which may be of some interest to anyone still left who may remember the Rays.

The first photo was taken in 1927 in the orchard at the back of their Steeple Aston home, South Side Villa. It shows John and Martha Ray and their son Edgar and daughters Kathleen and Edith.

In the second photo, taken in the early 1900s, the man in the right of the picture is my Grandfather, John Ray. He is standing outside the family home with the Bake House on the left. The chap holding on to the horse was called Ollie Woods.

Kevin and Natasha's Wedding

Kevin Simmonds and Natasha Hazell from Shepherds Hill got married at Bodicote registry office on Friday, 9th November. A really nice day was had by all and even the rain kept off!

A Perfect Day for Pamela

The sun shone at last in Steeple Aston for the wedding of Pamela Mawson to Simon Knowles on Saturday, 25th August. "It was a perfect day," said the proud father of the bride, Geordie Mawson.

The happy couple pictured here were married in the Church of St Peter and St Paul. The second photo shows them with Simon's parents, Steve and San and Pamela's parents, Geordie and Pat.

Over 80 guests attended the wedding ceremony for the couple who live in Shepherds Hill. Pamela is a familiar face in the village as she works in the local Post Office; Simon, who works for Pro-Drive, the racing car team based in Milton Keynes, plays for the Steeple Aston football team.

After the church service, the guests travelled by coach to the reception at Bicester Golf and Country Club. Seventy more friends joined them for the evening reception. A few days later, the couple left for their honeymoon in Cyprus.

New twins in the village

Alison and Dave Moran now have two gorgeous twin boys, Joshua and Isaac. They were born on 3 July at 10.59pm and 11.20pm and weighed in at 5lbs11½ oz and 5 lbs 7 oz. They developed jaundice hence had to stay in hospital for a few extra days, but it has cleared up now and both are putting on weight fast. Alison is very obliging about letting visitors have a cuddle so the twins already have a full social life. Alison took them to meet their future playmates at the Mothers and Toddlers Group when they were only three weeks old.

The two boys are rather different in character and looks, though both are charming and very alert. Joshua is placid and sleeps virtuously while Isaac is less easy to settle and asks for more attention. Both boys seem to have feet that are too large for their otherwise fitting babygros so perhaps they are due to be tall. It will be a long time before we know.

Hello from old Friends

John & Ivy Ray, former Steeple Aston residents who have moved to Kirriemuir in Scotland have visited the site and taken part in the Treasure Hunt. They've asked us to pass on their regards to all their friends in Steeple.