Percy George Benstead, 1882-1970
During his September 1908 visit to the Hamstreet area, Cecil Sharp noted a single song – ‘The Barley Mow’ – from George Benstead. In Sharp’s manuscripts, a singer’s age is often inserted in brackets after his or her name. It’s difficult to decipher the single character inserted in brackets after George Benstead’s name. Maybe it’s a ‘Y’, meaning Young.
David Sutcliffe has identified the singer as Percy George Benstead, who would indeed have been only 26 in 1908 – much younger than the singers from whom Sharp typically noted songs. He was baptised at St Matthew, Warehorne, on 14th May 1882, the son of William, a labourer, and Ellen (or Eleanor; her maiden name has not so far been identified). The 1891 census shows him just as George, living with his parents and seven siblings at Tinton Farm, Mount Field, Warehorne. 10 years later some of his siblings have left the parental home, but George is still there, living at Orman’s Cottage, Ham Street.
In 1907 he was married in Warehorne church to Kate Mills – “of this parish” at the time, but originally from Iden in Sussex. By 1911 they had three young children, and were living at 1 Mount Pleasant, Orlestone. The 1921 census has them living at Orchard Cottage, Ruckinge Road, Hamstreet, with the addition of a fourth child. At the time of the 1939 Register the address for Percy G. Benstead is given as 5 Fairfield Terrace, East Ashford – actually that’s what must have been a fairly recent housing development just off the Ruckinge Road in Hamstreet. His occupation, as in previous censuses, is Agricultural Labourer, but he’s also doing duty as a Special Constable. His wife, Kate, was shown as living at 1 Glanville Cottages, East Ashford – again that’s actually in Hamstreet.
When Kate died on 16th November 1967, her residence was Quince Orchard, Hamstreet. Percy died the following year, in Epping, Essex.
Songs
- The Barley Mow (Roud 944)
Leave a Reply