Every family has a history. Many of us like to know what sort of people our ancestors were and where we came from. Furthermore we want our children and grandchildren to know as much as we know, and possibly more.
In this particular case I was lucky. I inherited my father’s dressing table and one of the drawers was stuffed full of documents, which dated from the death of his father, Richard Thorp, who had died in 1914. The documents provided a time capsule not only of how he had lived, which was recorded in detail, but also of society at that time. Richard Thorp had clearly been a remarkable man, not only a highly successful stockbroker and governor of a hospital, but also a man of great humanity. This is evidenced by the 60 condolence letters sent to his widow Emily on his death, not only from his equals but also from their servants.
The central character in this history is thus Richard Thorp, a typical Victorian gentleman. His crest above with its motto “Moderate, Proper and Diligent” exudes Victorian virtues, and this is surely how he lived. His ancestors had been brewers and farmers.
The spur to write this history came from a chance remark by my cousin Jeremy Gurney who was showing me a copy of the extensive family tree prepared by his brother Tim. He asked me how much I knew about our mutual grandfather Richard Thorp. This encouraged me to look into the “treasure trove” in my dressing table and to relate it to Tim’s family tree. I also had some notes I had taken from discussions with my father Sydney and his sister Peggy before they died. I put together my findings and copied them to the family. My nephew Mark then took the initiative and sent my findings to an established professional researcher, Martin Booy who worked under the name Explore Your Past. Martin came up with a well researched report detailing the members of the family back to 1795, based on civil registration records, censuses and parish records.
Martin Booy’s report became the basis for the present History. This was the skeleton that needed some flesh put on it. With the lockdown due to the Covid pandemic I found that I had spare time and resolved to do what I could with the help of others. I asked all living members of the family to provide photographs and to write mini-biographies of their own lives and of any close relatives who had died. They were all very helpful and my thanks are due to Martin, Gill, Charles, Mary and Jeremy for their contributions. Thanks are also due to Amanda Webb for providing photos of some of my mother’s paintings.
In June 2021 I was contacted by Mrs Anna Philpott, who was researching a history of the house where she lived, namely “The Glen”, in Seaton, South Devon. This was intended for publication in the journal of the Axmouth Vale Historical Association. The Glen, previously called “White Cliff Glen”, was bought by Richard Thorp as a holiday house in 1911; after his death it was inherited by his widow Emily who lived there until her death in 1923. Emily left the house to Sydney her son, who then moved to India for 5 years. However his sister Peggy lived there until her marriage in 1928. From 1928 the house was occupied by Emily’s brothers Henry William Dommett Soper and Arthur Walrond Soper who lived there until their deaths in 1936 and 37. Sydney then sold the house in 1938. I provided Anna with free access to the Richard Thorp papers and in return she guided me in my own researches and did a large amount of research herself into Richard’s life and into his forebears. In doing this she took the family tree back two further generations on both Richard’s mother’s side and his father’s side, and also extended the family tree sideways for both branches. I am enormously grateful to Anna for all her help.
This History starts with my generation and works its way backwards in time as far as possible. There is no reason why the next generation should not add to it so as to provide a record of their lives – for their children and grandchildren. I hope they will.
The website has been built and put together by Adi Zigdon Thorp, my nephew Mark’s wife, who has wide expertise in that field. I am very grateful to her for all the work she has put in.
If any reader would like to make changes to the text or to add anything, please contact me and I shall be very pleased to discuss what changes can be made. Readers should note that at the time of launching of the website, Dec 2021, the text is not complete and numerous changes and additions are still required. I shall continue working on it whenever I can, probably, and hopefully, for many years!
Rupert Thorp, December 2021
rupertthorp2@gmail.com
Thorp Family History 