The Franklins

 

UNCLE WARDIE

Uncle Wardie (strictly speaking Great Uncle James William Warden Spencer; 1882-1959) did a lot of family history research in the days when it meant travelling all over the country and consulting records at first hand then copying them out by hand – no photocopiers and no internet in his day..... His first marriage, in August 1909, was to his first cousin Elspeth (Elsie) Maude Franklin and their close relationship resulted in them taking a conscious decision not to have children.


ELSIE FRANKLIN


ELSIE’s MOTHER – Sarah Sophia Young Franklin nee Spencer

Most of Uncle Wardie’s family came from Shipton-under-Wychwood in Oxfordshire and the Franklins were also a long-standing Shipton family.


ROBERT & ANN FRANKLIN – Elsie’s Grandparents

The surname can be found throughout the country having originated from the fact that a franklin denoted a rural status just below that of gentleman. It was, however, particularly common in Oxfordshire where the hearth tax returns of 1665 had 34 of them and the name was already widespread in the thirteenth century suggesting it must have grown from several families.


ROY FRANKLIN


The Franklin’s shop at Shipton

Elsie had six brothers and two sisters and one of the brothers (Robert John aka Roy) had a shop at Shipton and he was part owner with one of the other brothers (Norman?) of a shop in Tingewick.


NORMAN FRANKLIN


The Franklin’s shop at Tingewick

Tingewick lies in the north west of Buckinghamshire near the border of Oxfordshire. It comprises about 2,300 acres of mainly arable farmland and pasture with some woodland. It has a population of some 1,000 people. Part of the village lies in a Conservation Area and a number of the 400 dwellings are listed buildings. The Franklin shop at Tingewick is shown on this post card.