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Richard (“Dick”) Dod Baker Alias Hassall while and architect
and surveyor at Leominster 1743 to 1803 Surveyor and Architect
BAK00083
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The home page of the Farndale family website of which this section is a part |
The Home page of the Baker family part of the website |
The Baker Family directory |
Notes on the Baker family history |
The Baker Family Tree, which is the best way to search the family history |
Headlines of Dick Baker’s life are in brown.
Dates are in red.
Hyperlinks to other pages are in dark blue.
References and citations are in turquoise.
Context and local history are in purple.
1743
Richard Dod Baker was the fourth child and eldest son of William
and Jane (nee Dod) Baker (FAR00068). Richard Baker was baptised
at St Mary Magdelene, Bridgnorth on 20 July 1743.
1753
Richard was educated
at Repton School. His father William had
designed a house at Wood Eaton for the Rev William Astley, the headmaster of
Repton School. William sent his oldest son, Richard, to Repton and his fees and
board for the first two years were paid by deduction from what the headmaster
owed the architect.
Richard, who followed his father in the profession of architect,
was sent to school at Repton, where the Reverend William Astley was then
headmaster. A few months before eleven year old Dick
was taken there for his first term, his father had begun to build for Mr Astley
a house at Wood Eaton, and the school fees for the first two years (£15 12s 2d
and £15 7s 7d) were paid by simple subtraction from the sums which the
headmaster owed his architect. Pocket money for Dick is a recurring item and
occasionally there was a present for the headmaster's wife: “Paid ½ pound
tea for Mrs Astley 9s”.
1771
Richard Baker (1743–1803), continued William Baker’s
practice after his father's death in 1771.
Richard seems to have practised mainly as a building surveyor, and there are few buildings that he designed.
Richard inherited Highfields but practised as an architect at Stratford upon Avon where his children
were born. It is thought that Richard had the central doorway at the entrance
front and the panelling in the hall installed.
Richard’s older sister, Charity Baker (BAK00081), her husband having died young, returned to Highfields and
managed the estate for her father and later for her brother while he was away.
Charity had as reputation as a forceful lady, and later became known in Audlem
as “Madam Barrow”.
Research by Nicholas Kingsley:
When William Baker, his father died,
Richard Dod Baker continued in practice until his death, when his elder son,
Richard Baker (1743-1803) was assisting him. Richard is, by contrast with his
father, a shadowy figure. He was educated at Repton School but did not attend a
University and became assistant to his father in his
architectural and surveying practice. After he succeeded to the business in
1771, its architectural output more or less ceased: he
probably did not inherit his father's creative gifts and he certainly did not
share his practical experience of building. He seems to have spent some of his
early years in Leominster, and it may be that his wife came from that town, as
he is said to have used her maiden surname (Hassall) while living there.
After his mother died in 1783 he moved to Highfields, and he was probably responsible
for the modernisation of the house which took place around that time. When he
died at the relatively young of sixty in 1803 [this seems to be wrong as he died in 1823 – see below?], he
described himself in his will as 'architect' rather than 'gentleman'. He had
left marriage and children rather late in life and his heir was a teenage son,
William Baker (1787-1863), who was a pupil at Shrewsbury School. He too seems
to have used his mother's maiden name from time to time, and when he was
married in 1813 he was called William Baker alias
Hassall. He is not known to have followed his father and grandfather into
architectural practice or surveying, but one of his five sons, Thomas Dod Baker
(1830-80) took up the profession again and became Borough Architect of
Kidderminster; several of the others became lawyers.
The family lived at Leominster until he inherited Highfields from his father on 29
October 1771.
1783
Richard Baker
married Hannah Hassall (1758-1826?), daughter
of John Hassall of Nantwich, Cheshire.
They had six children
Richard was an architect and surveyor at Leominster. While the
family was a Leominster, Richard used his wife's maiden maiden
name, Hassal.
Richard Dod Baker, born in 1743, married Hannah, the daughter of
John Hassall of Nantwich. He practised as an architect at Stratford upon Avon
where his children were, for some reason, baptised in the name of Hassall. This
was done, he explained in his will, “for peace and quietness”. On the
face of it, it would seem to have been an excellent way of preventing it. His
sister, Charity, having
married Lawrence Barrow, a banker who died young, returned to Highfields. She
managed the estate for her father and later brother, freeing them for their
architectural work. She was, in her later years, and she lived to be seventy eight, an extremely forceful lady, always known in
Audlem as “Madam Barrow”. (Highfields, Audlem, 16th century home of the Dod and
Baker families, John Bellyse Baker, 1982.)
1784
Richard Dod Baker (1784 to 1807)(BAK00100)
was born in 1784.
Adam's Weekly Courant, 5 October 1784: Note: The Manor of Basford (which is distant from Nantwich 5
miles, Sandbach 8, and Newcastle 10 miles) is bounded by a ring fence, and is
very compact and extensive, and hath great right of common, particularly
Basford heath, which is very large and extensive, and is situated in the
healthy and fine sporting county, where there is plenty of game, and the
several buildings in this lot are in good repair. For further particulars
inquire of Messrs Kent and Darlington, attorneys, Clifford’s Inn, London; Mr
Richard Baker, of Highfields, near Audlem, Cheshire; or Mr Joseph Skerrett,
auctioneer, in Nantwich.
1785
Hannah Mary Baker (1785 to 1851)(BAK00101)
who later married Dr John Bellyse was born in 1785.
1787
William Baker (1787 to 1863)(BAK00102)
who later married Ann Hough was born in 1787.
Aris's Birmingham Gazette, 22 October 1787: TO BUILDERS. Any person or persons willing to contract for taking
down the Chapel of Hanley, in the county of Stafford, and rebuilding the same,
according to a plan and elevations, now lying for inspection, at Mr Morgan’s of
Shelton, near Newcastle under Lyme, in the said county, are requested to
deliver in estimates, sealed up, to the said Mr Morgan, on or before the 20th
day of December next. All particulars respecting the said undertaking may be
had of Mr Richard Baker, of Highfields, near Nantwich, in the county of Chester.
1790
Jane Baker (1790 to 1849) (BAK00103) was
born in 1790.
1791
Mary Baker (b 1791)(BAK00104) was born in 1791.
1792
James Baker (1792 to 1818)(BAK00105) was
born in 1792.
1797
Chester Chronicle, 13 October 1797: CHESHIRE
GAME DUTY. Certificates signed from the 6th September, to the 29th,
both days inclusive … Baker, Richard, Highfields,.
Parish of Audlem, Esq …
1801
In 1801 the Oxford University Alumni showed he was a gentleman living
at Leominster, Herefordshire.
He was also an architect and surveyor and practised as an
architect at Stratford upon Avon.
In his last years he was living at Stratford-on-Avon,
Warwickshire.
1803
Richard Baker was
buried at Audlem on 9 July 1803. His will was proved in
the PCC on 30 September 1803. He
is buried at St George’s at Stratford upon Avon.
1826
His wife Hannah
is thought to have died in 1826.