Sir William Henry Prescott MP (1874 -1945)
DNA Journey - Former MP Tottenham North (1920-1922)

 

It was a most unlikely experience to discover that a distant ancestor of a well-known TV star had once been a Member of Parliament for Tottenham who had served under David Lloyd George in his First World War coalition government.      



Anybody who watched the ITV Programme ‘DNA JOURNEY’ (16th Oct 2024) featuring the actors Sue Johnston and Ricky Tomlinson, would have been interested to learn of this Tottenham connection, when they revealed that an ancestor of Sue Johnston had been the MP for North Tottenham following WW1. His name was Major William Henry Prescott.

It transpires that he campaigned vigorously to address the problem of insufficient housing for returning soldiers and their families in his constituency, which prompted the slogan ‘Homes Fit for Heroes’.  He personally influenced the Prime Minister, David Lloyd George, to introduce the Housing, Town Planning, &c. Act 1919 which promised government subsidies to help finance the construction of 500,000 houses within three years which is seen today as the birth of Council housing.

Although not revealed on the TV programme, he also fought to recognise the memory of the many men from Tottenham who lost their lives during the Great-War. During the First World War he was commanding officer of 222nd Field Company, Royal Engineers, part of the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front. He was invalided home to the United Kingdom in 1915

I was therefore pleased to discover from local newspaper reports at the time that he participated in the opening ceremony for the WW1 West Green Memorial in 1922.  Along with my late brother, Ray Swain, we had campaigned for the restoration of this Memorial and also researched the lives of the 640 names listed there.

 


EXTRACT FROM TOTTENHAM & EDMONTON WEEKLY HERALD - 1922

 

The TV programme also mentioned that he was very highly respected by the Prime Minister, David Lloyd George. William Prescott stood down at the 1922 election. He was appointed a CBE in 1920 for his role in raising troops in Tottenham and was knighted in 1921.

In 1921 Sir William Prescott was a co-founder of the ‘Tottenham War Services Institute’, a charitable trust that appears to be still operational today after a period of 104 years.

William Henry Prescott had married a Lancashire lass named Bessie Stanley, in Runcorn Lancs in 1897.  They were later to have 4 children:

·        Richard Stanley Prescott (1899-1968)

·        Bernice Louise Prescott   (1903 - 1999 )

·        Grace Gwendoline Prescott (1905 -1978)

·        William Robert Stanley Prescott (1912-1962)

In 1900, whilst living and working in Reigate Surrey, he was accepted as a member of The Institution of Civil Engineers. Shortly after his acceptance it was noted that he had moved and been appointed Borough Engineer for Tottenham Urban District Council. 712 High Road Tottenham

 

In 1924 he was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of Middlesex. He had also been Chairman of Middlesex County Council. We are indebted to the wonderful Bruce Castle Museum in Tottenham who shared a photograph of a splendid painting of Sir William Prescott that is held in their archives, showing him in in his robes when Chairman of Middlesex County Council.



He had also been afforded the ‘Freedom of the City of London’ in March 1920 while still living in Tottenham.



 Years later, in the King’s Birthday Honours list in 1938, he was made Baronet of Godmanchester.

 

 In the 1901 Census William Prescott and his wife Bessie, along with their son named Richard, were living at 21 Lansdowne Road, Tottenham. His occupation was given as Civil Engineer.  On a personal note, my Great Grandfather was living in nearby Siddons Road. He worked for the Public Record Office in Fetter Lane, London and travelled daily by train to London. He would have walked past the ‘Prescott’s’ house nearly every day and it would not be beyond the bounds of probability that they were known to each other.  



1901 CENSUS - WILLIAM PRESCOTT AND FAMILY 21 LANSDOWNE ROAD - TOTTENHAM

 

In the UK Census of 1911, William Prescott and his family were living at ‘Allington House’ White Hart Lane Tottenham, and his occupation was given as ‘Engineer and Chief Surveyor- Tottenham Urban District.


1911 CENSUS - WILLIAM PRESCOTT AND FAMILY - ALLINGTON HOUSE - WHITE HART LANE - TOTTENHAM


 WHITE HART LANE - TOTTENHAM - c1907

 

Sir William Henry Prescott also acted as a consultant to a number of government committees on water supply and roads. Chairman of the Metropolitan Water Board (1928-1940)

Another strange claim to fame is that in 1929 the large steam engines and water pumps installed at Kempton Park Pumping Station, were named in honour of Sir William and Lady Bessie Prescott.



 

At time the 1939 Register was compiled prior to WW2, Sir William Prescott and his wife, Lady Bessie Prescott, were resident at a grand house named ‘The Chestnuts’ in West Street, Godmanchester in Huntingdonshire. His occupation was given as Chairman of the Metropolitan Water Board and the Lea Conservancy Board. It was interesting to note, in a newspaper cutting from the Huntingdon Archives, showing a picture of ‘The Chestnuts’, that a reference to an adjacent property named ‘River Lea’ was occupied by his daughter Bernice Grey (nee Prescott). One can only presume that it had been so named because of Sir William Prescott’s association with Tottenham and also his position on the Lea Conservancy Board.  



1939 REGISTER - SIR WILLIAM PRESCOTT AND LADY BESSIE PRESCOTT - THE CHESTNUTS - WEST STREET - GODMANCHESTER- HUNTINGDON


THIS NEWSPAPER CUTTING FROM THE HUNTINGDON ARCHIVES PROVIDES SOME HISTORY REGARDING THE CHESTNUTS

 

Sir William Henry Prescott( Baronet Godmanchester)  died at his home in Godmanchester on the 15th June 1945. He had been predeceased by his wife Bessie a few years earlier in 1940. As you will see from the Probate record below, he left an estate of £22,052 which would have been considered a sizeable sum in 1945.

 

The television programme (DNA Journey' also revealed that Sir Mark Prescott, 3rd Baronet Godmanchester and the Grandson of Sir William Prescott, is today the racehorse trainer for King Charles III, although I have been unable to verify the fact.


 

SUMMARY:  Major William Prescott (1874-1945) had come from very humble beginnings and ironically, he had been born in the Prescot district of Knowsley in Lancashire. He had later studied law at Gray’s Inn London. Clearly he had led a very interesting life and accomplished so much and his elevation to become a Baronet is a testament to his achievements.

In conclusion there was a fitting moment within the TV programme, when Sue Johnson, a staunch supporter of Liverpool football club, disclosed that her dad had always said his second football team he would support would be Tottenham Hotspur. Before now she had never understood why but perhaps suddenly she begins to realise why.   

 

Article prepared  by Alan Swain -December 2024
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