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Thomas Weeding Baggallay (Thomas Weeding Weeding) 1847-1929
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Thomas Weeding Baggallay was born at around 2 p.m. on the 11th June 1847, at his parents' elegant house at 39 Tavistock Square, St Pancras. His father, John, was a 'gentleman' who had married Emma Weeding (hence Thomas's unusual middle name). The Baggallays were senior members of the judiciary, and Thomas was to follow into the 'family trade' and become a Justice of the Peace. |
|  Tavistock Square, St Pancras
Before that, however, he was to change his name. In 1868 he turned 21, and less than a month later - on 8th July 1868 - a Royal Licence was granted to him to use the surname Weeding. The reason for changing his name was simple - money. | His great uncle, another Thomas Weeding, had died in 1856, childless. This Thomas (another wealthy landowner) had set out a complicated order of succession for his inheritance. In 1866 Thomas came into his great uncle's estate, when he turned 21, on one condition. The will had stipulated that anyone inheriting "not previously having the surname hereinafter required" change their name to Weeding within 5 months. Thomas dutifully complied, and so Thomas Weeding Baggallay became Thomas Weeding Weeding.
|  The 1855 Will
Thomas Bagallay/Weeding played county cricket for Surrey - although he only made 9 first-class appearances between 1865 and 1874, as a right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper. His record was far from impressive - he only scored 181 runs in 15 innings (at an average of 12.06) and made just 4 catches. He did, however, manage one respectable innings of 82. In 1866 he was selected to play for Gentlemen of the South against I Zingari, alongside W G Grace, no less. Typically, he scored 0 and 3! |
Indeed he must have known the legendary Dr Grace quite well, as they were both members of the same hunt. But Thomas's real sporting passion was sailing. He had his own yacht - Cygnet - which he raced for many years. On 20th December 1876 he married Alice Brinkley, and went to France for his honeymoon. The week before he had written to the General Manager of London and South West Railways: "On friday next week I leave Waterloo en route for St Malo at 1245 - as some of the party are ladies and as the journey is a particularly trying one at this time of the season it would add materially to the comfort of all if you could order a carriage with a saloon compartment to be attached to the above train and reserved for our use". Ah those were the days, when you could demand a private saloon… Alice and he were to have four children - Emma (b.1878), Thomas (b.1879), John (b.1882), and Daphne (b 1884) In 1904 Thomas became Clerk to the Lieutenancy of Surrey, a position he held until 1927. When the Great War broke out in 1914, he wrote to Winston Churchill, then First Lord of The Admiralty, volunteering for the navy (he was 67 at the time), and also offering his house for use as a military hospital. More interesting than this, was the covering letter he sent to Churchill "I am emboldened to transmit the two enclosed offers to you personally for I think it is just possible that you may remember that I took part the ceremony of your initiation at Golden Square a dozen years ago or thereabouts" So, not only did this guy play cricket with WG Grace, he knew Winston Churchill as well! Tragically, the War was to cost Thomas both his sons. John was killed at Festubert in France on 22nd December 1914, and on 28th August 1917 Thomas was killed in action in Belgium. With his death the male line was destined to die out. There was thus no heir to the Weeding estate, for although T.W. Weeding had two daughters, the 1855 will had stipulated that only the male line should benefit. The days of the Weedings were drawing to a close. By 1926, things were not going so well for Thomas. His wife had been seriously ill during the summer. In July he wrote to his sister "I am glad to report that Alice is better, but she still has her ups and downs. Last night I am sorry to say was a 'down' night". She must have had a VERY down night later, because by September she had died. By this time, he was also in trouble with the tax office, and spent much of the year fobbing them off with excuses. Presumably this is why he spent most of 1928 selling off his (considerable) land holdings in Malden. In the same year, he tried to charter a yacht for his summer holidays, but was refused by several companies. Whether it was because he was broke, or simply too old (he was 81), we don't know, but it must have been particularly galling for him either way. On 19th December 1929, Thomas Weeding Weeding passed away, aged 82.
 The Times reports Thomas's death (above) and funeral (below)
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