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Richard (“Dick”) Dod Baker 1856 to 1902
BAK00154
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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.
1856
Richard Dod Baker was the son of William and Henrietta Louisa (nee
Bellyse) Baker (BAK00121). He was baptised on 5
October 1856 at Audlem.
1861
1861 Census – Kinsey Heath, Buerton, Nantwich,
Cheshire
William Baker, head, widower,
born Leominster, Herefordshire in 1788, 73, magistrate
Ann Baker, daughter,
unmarried, 38, magistrate’s daughter, born Buerton
Mary Baker, daughter,
unmarried, 33, magistrate’s daughter, born Buerton
Jane Baker, daughter,
unmarried, 30, magistrate’s daughter, born Buerton
George Baker, son,
unmarried, 28, solicitor, born Buerton
Charlotte Baker,
daughter, unmarried, 25, magistrate’s daughter, born Buerton
Henrietta Baker, granddaughter, unmarried, 11, born London
Jane E Baker,
granddaughter, unmarried, 6, born Buerton
Richard D Baker, grandson, unmarried,
4, born Buerton
A visitor, John R
Piercy, 29 (who would marry Mary Baker in 1863)
3 house servants and a
groom
1871
1871 census – High Fields, Buerton,
Audlem, Cheshire
William Baker, 54, head,
land owner
Henrietta Baker, his
wife 46
Henrietta Baker, 22
John Bellyse Baker, 20
Richard D Baker, 14
Arthur Baker, 11
Charity Baker, 8
Charlotte L Baker, 4
Emily J Baker, 2
Two visitors, including
John Percy, their agent
Three servants
1881
He was admitted as a solicitor in 1881 and was a churchwarden of
Audlem.
Census 1881, Highfields, Buerton, Nantwich, Cheshire:
John Bellyse Baker,
head, single, born 1851, aged 30, gentleman
Henrietta Baker, single,
born 1849, his sister, aged 32, no occupation
Richard Dod Baker, single, born 1857,
aged 24, solicitor’s general clerk
Arthur Baker, single,
born 1860, aged 21, no occupation
Charlotte L Baker,
single , 14, scholar
Emily Jane Baker,
single, aged 12, scholar
Mary Dobson, a visitor,
aged 33
Martha A Egerton,
single, 19, servant
From the diaries of Richard’s three
younger sisters: The girls’ three
brothers, Jack (1850 to 1932), Dick (1856 to 1902) and Arthur (1858 to 1916),
were older and would have been in their 20s when the diaries were written. From
the entries it is clear that they lived outdoor lives and enjoyed the traditional
country sports. There are many references to their days spent hunting and
shooting. July visits to the races at Market Drayton, cricket in the summer and
skating in the winter, usually at Adderley and Shevington. For them, oyster
suppers seemed to have been popular.
But from the extract
below, perhaps Richard was less keen on field sports than his brothers.
Extract
from a pamphlet about Audlem
William
Baker’s second son, Richard Dod Baker, was rather unusual for his day and age,
insomuch that not only did he take no interest in field sports, but took great
delight in making fun of those who did.
In
the early 1870s the Cheshire Hounds met regularly in Audlem Square, under the
mastership of HR Corbet, father of the late Reggie Corbet of Adderley, a meet
which Richard’s father and eldest brother Jack always attended. Unknown to them
there was an occasion when he ‘borrowed’ a top hat, pink coat and white
breeches, also a penny farthing bicycle from Mt Moseley in the village. When
the meet assembled below the church at eleven, he duly arrived in full hunting
kit, riding the penny farthing and raising his hat to the mounted company.
Finally, when performing a specially deep bow to the master, he fell off at the
feet of that gentleman’s horse.
The tale is also
recounted in Audlem, The History of a Cheshire Parish and its five townships,
1997:
Their brother, Richard,
always known as Dick, was of an eccentric nature. There is a tapestry in Audlem
Church, woven by members of the WI, and one of the squares depicts a gentleman
in a pink coat riding a penny Farthing bicycle. The man so depicted was Dick
Baker, who rather enjoyed making fun of field sportsman. One day, when hounds
were due to meet in Audlem Square, he borrowed an old pink coat of his father’s
and a penny farthing from Mr Moseley at the shop. Then, when all were
assembled, he arrived on the bicycle, raising his topper to all and sundry.
Unfortunately, this caused him to fall off under the hooves of the Master’s
horse. Old “Regie” Corbet, the Master was equal to the situation. Turning to
the youth’s father: “Really, Will”, he said, “I should have thought you could
have turned your son out better mounted for an Audlem meet.”
1891
Census 1891, Sandy Lane, Audlem
Richard D Baker, head, single, 34,
solicitor
Henrietta Baker, single,
42, living on her own means
Charlotte L Baker,
single, 24, living on her own means
Emily J Baker, single,
22, living on her own means
Sarah Huntbach, general
domestic servant
1901
Census 1901 – The Cedars, Audlem
Richard D Baker, head, single, 44,
solicitor, born Audlem
Henrietta Baker, single, 52, living on her own means
Charlotte L Baker, single, 34, living on her own means
Emily J Baker, single, 32, living on her own means
Sarah J Cooper, 23, servant
From Audlem, The History of a Cheshire Parish and its five townships, 1997: Miss Burton’s book
tells of a kindergarten run at the Cedars, the residence of Richard Dod Baker,
solicitor, by the Misses Baker.
1902
Richard Dod Baker died unmarried on 23 September 1902. His will was proved in 1902 with an estate of £24,574.