The Meaning of Our Trademark

    Everyone comes from somewhere and our Trademark has bookends representing three villages in England with which the proprietor has family ties: Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire; Frenchay, Bristol; and Westonzoyland, Somerset.

     In Britain's 1881 Census the proprietor's great-great grandparents [Crouch] lived at 100 Lower Road, Frenchay, Bristol, except the eldest son, William Crouch, who was living and working in Westonzoyland, Somerset.

     On 16 February 1882, William and Keturah Bawdon of Penzoy Farm were married in St. Mary's Church, Westonzoyland. Later that year they immigrated to the United States. They are the patronymic great-grandparents of the proprietor.

     To the left of the books is Frenchay, represented by St. John the Baptist Church and the first two cottages of the four on Lower Road (since at least the 1990's all the cottages have names, not numbers). William's parents and most of his siblings are buried in the graveyard.

     To the right of the books is Westonzoyland, represented by St. Mary's Church and the Sedgemoor Pub. As in Frenchay family members are buried in the local graveyard and cemetery; Keturah's parents (Alfred and Elizabeth) lie beside the walk to St. Mary's door.

     With artistic license St. Mary's and the pub are reversed and the pub sign, moved to the right edge of the pub, shows two crossed keys. The reason for including the Westonzoyland "local" with a sign of ‘Cross Keys' - and not, for example, the 1881 distaff family home (Penzoy Farm) - is explained thus:

     Penzoy Farm remains a working farm, but not in the family. And genealogical research by the proprietor's parents had traced the Crouch family back to a third village - Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, circa 1680. While little is known about the eldest ancestor both his son - a documented ancestor - and one of his grandsons were publicans in Beaconsfield. From 1753-1780, the son owned 'The Sign of the Dog' or 'Greyhound' pub (both names were used, as well as 'The Sign of the Doggie') on Windsor End; the grandson owned ‘The Cross Keys' on Wycombe End.

     "The Greyhound" was still a pub in the 1990s when visited by the proprietor but today is an Italian restaurant and wine bar, so it remains a working business. "The Cross Keys" remained a pub until mid-20th Century (the proprietor has an original photograph of The Cross Keys and its publican, Mr. Morgan, during Queen Victoria's Jubilee) but by March 1968 the "Cross-Keys Gallery" was advertising an "Exhibition of the Women's International Art Club" with "Paintings · Prints · Sculpture" ("Bucks Life" magazine, Vol 2 No 12,  page 4). Hence the Cross Keys sign was chosen to represent the Crouch family ties to Beaconsfield (and publicans).

     For more about the Bawdons [whatever the spelling] see The Greenwood Tree, The Somerset and Dorset Family History Society magazine, November 2010, pp. 99-100 (and two minor edits on p. 10 of the February 2011 issue) by Lizzie Bawdon, wife of the proprietor's fifth cousin, Alan, of the village.

     Therefore our trademark represents three English villages of importance to our family history - Beaconsfield, Frenchay and Westonzoyland.