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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.
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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 |
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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. |
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He had also been afforded the ‘Freedom of the
City of London’ in March 1920 while still living in Tottenham. |
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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.
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![]() 1901 CENSUS - WILLIAM PRESCOTT AND FAMILY 21 LANSDOWNE ROAD - TOTTENHAM |
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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 |
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.
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![]() 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. |
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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. |
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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. 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 Background Image - DNA Helix |