The JESSE family of Reading

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Life story shared by Katie Amos

The JESSE family line in Reading originated with Thomas JESSE, the son of Leonard JESSE, who was born in Dinton, Wilts., one of at least seven children born to Leonard and his wife Grace (along with siblings Samuel and William).

He attended Oxford University, matriculating from St Alban Hall in March 1793, aged 30 (Alumni Oxonienses), although there is a suggestion that he may have already been in Reading working as a schoolmaster in 1790.

However, by 1810 he is living in Castle Hill House (nos 154-160 Castle Hill, on the northern side of the road – the building now known as Yeomanry House was also called Castle Hill House for some time, meaning there were 2 properties of the same name on the same road!)

He was living there with his wife, Christiana, nee TIMBRELL, whom he had married on 20^th June 1789 at St Laurence’s Church, both were of the parish. A year later and their daughter, Christiana Isabella, was baptised at St Laurence’s Church (Christiana junior lived until 1857, being buried at London Road Cemetery on 3^rd Feb. Age 66, ‘of Castle Street’). They then had a son, Thomas Norris JESSE, who was baptised at the same church on 31^st December 1792, but sadly he died and was buried, also at St Laurence’s on 28^th Sept. 1796. Happily they went on to have a daughter, Anna Maria, baptised as her siblings were, at St Laurence’s on 23^rd August 1793.

In October 1817 Thomas Jesse had a letter published in the Reading Mercury in which he suggests building a square of houses on land adjoining Castle Hill House. Whilst the square wasn’t ever completed, he was behind the houses of Jesse Place and Jesse Terrace, the latter alongside his nephew, also called Thomas JESSE.

This second Thomas Jesse was baptised on 25^th December 1795, the son of Thomas senior’s brother William, and his wife Elizabeth. To further cement the family relationship, this Thomas then married his cousin, Anna Maria, on 18^th June 1832 at St Mary’s Church, Reading.

On 13^th April 1833 they baptised their daughter, Christiana Maria at St Mary’s. She was named for her maternal grandmother (who had died the year before the couple’s marriage) and aunt, and with her mother’s middle name too.

This period looks to have been a time of change for the family, as the Reading Mercury of 18^th June 1832 shows that Thomas, Christiana Isabella and Anna Maria, had been in business together, under the name of Mrs and the Misses Jesse, at Castle Hill House, but now dissolved this by mutual consent. Looking back through the papers shows that ‘Maria Jesse’ ran a school from the house, and this continued into 1833, despite the partnership being dissolved, but the lack of adverts beyond this suggest that the school didn’t last much longer.

The 1841 census shows the widowed Thomas Jesse, now 75, and ‘independent’, with a female servant, Sarah NORTH, living alongside Thomas and Anna, their daughter Christiana, now 8, and another female servant, Sarah BARNETT, all in Castle Street. Sadly, a few years later Thomas senior died in 1847, having written his will, plus five codicils! He states that he is ‘of Castle Hill House’, and names his executors, including daughter Christiana, who has never married. The will mentions properties in Blackfriars, London, as well as Castle Hill, Reading, and also makes mention of another of the Jesse family – another nephew, Leonard.

The census returns continue to list the Jesse family at Castle Hill, in 1851 Thomas is noted as ‘house proprietor’ and a ‘proprietor of land and houses’ in 1861. By 1871 he had been widowed, but still continued to own houses (Anna had died in 1869, and was buried at London Road Cemetery).

Thomas continued on for a few more years without his wife, before dying on 22^nd August 1879 at Castle Hill House. He also wrote a will, which was proved by his nephew Edwin John Springbett Jesse, and Frederick Herbert of Wandsworth.

It looks as though Edwin was actually the grandson of Thomas Jesse senior’s brother Samuel, and he very much continues in the family business, and is noted in Sidney Gold’s book Dictionary of Architects in Reading, as commissioning plans for a number of properties across the Elm Lodge area, Chazey Road, Warren Road and River Road. Both Thomas’ also have an entry in this book.

An article in the Reading Chronicle of 21^st October 1977 says that Edwin could be considered ‘a builder of modern Reading’, and continues that he was a friend of another developer, Charles Fidler, and that he may also be associated with the acquisition (for development) of the Elm Lodge estate and the Blount estate at Mapledurham.

As taken from the Royal Berkshire Archives blog, ‘…for over a century Elm Park had a wider recognition as the home of Reading Football Club. Jesse arranged to lease land to the Club in 1895; shortly afterwards, he set his builders to work creating a pitch and had his architect, George Webb, draw up this plan for its first stand – subsequently known as the North Stand. It ran parallel to Jesse’s terraced housing in Norfolk Road, and was designed to provide bench seating for 600 spectators, with a dressing room, committee room and refreshment room beneath’.

Edwin died in 1921 five months after his wife. She was Harriet Clements SIMS, and they married in Reading in 1878. They had three children, Edwin William, Walter John and Elizabeth Harriet Rose (later Elizabeth Orton). They moved from 154 Castle St to Avenue House sometime between 1901 and 1911 – this is probably the property he asked George Webb to design in 1899 (as noted in Gold’s book). The 1921 census show him at the address, along with his widowed son Edwin, 3 servants and a visitor, he was age 79, and gave no occupation.

The properties Edwin Jesse requested from George Webb were:

• 1888 Elm Park Road temperance refreshment house, and 41 cottages on Elm Park Road
• 1899 Warren Road, Caversham, a new residence for Jesse
• 1902 2 detached villas on Chazey Road
• 1906 a residence on River Road for Jesse

A Mr Jesse also asked Lloyd and Savage to draw up plans for a villa on Chazey Road (1906), and E. Rouse for plans for 2 houses in Chazey Road and River Road (1905), presumably this was also Edwin.