1923 - 1950

Original Brochure

Come to the Mead for Tea!

THE TEA GARDENS AT THE MEAD, ST. CATHERINE'S, Near BATH.

The Delights of St. Catherine's Valley.

The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer God's heart in the garden
Than anywhere else on earth.

DOROTHY FRANCES GURNEY

The tiny village of St. Catherine's, one of Somerset's sweetest beauty spots, is becoming every year an increasingly popular place of resort with all who love the unspoilt countryside.

Citizens of Bath have long revelled in its beauty at all seasons, and, thanks to the motor coaches from Bristol, which pass through Cold Ashton on their way to Marshfield and Chippenham, residents in the "Sister City" have now discovered that St. Catherine's, with its well-known Tea Gardens at The Mead, offers a delightful and convenient "halfway house" on a round trip which they may accomplish by combining a healthful walk and the swifter and less arduous pleasures of riding.

Main photo of the Mead Tea Gardens from the 1923 to 1947 Original Brochure

Dainty Teas In the Garden

The reason why The Mead Tea Garden has become so favourite a rendezvous is not far to seek.

"It is not only" (says the "Bath Chronicle," June 25th, 1923) "that the house is a picturesque old place, that its extensive gardens are aglow with sweet-scented flowers, that the scenery all around is of wondrous beauty, but, over and above all this, the actual teas provided are a sheer delight.

"There are all sorts of Scottish home-made dainties, including girdle cakes and shortbread, besides, in season (June and July), luscious strawberries and raspberries fresh culled from the garden, with ample supplies of cream.

The Wishing Well

"After tea you may stand before the quaint old Wishing Well in the Garden, with its never-failing spring of the clearest, coldest water, and legend says that if you carry out certain mystical rites while wishing, your desires will be fulfilled.

"If the unexpected desire of the 'well-wishers' is for a delightful walk to follow the tea it will certainly come true and that right speedily."

For the better accommodation of visitors a bungalow has now been installed, with a wide verandah, on which teas are served (as well as at the tables on the lawns), while ample room is provided within the bungalow in case of cold or inclement weather.

Teas are served both weekdays and Sundays, and parties are especially catered for. When large parties are arranging a visit a postcard intimating the fact will be much appreciated.

Fresh Fruit and Flowers may be purchased at The Mead. Tomatoes a speciality.

How to Get There.

Main map showing how to get to the Mead Tea Gardens from the 1923 to 1947 Original Brochure

The best way of approach from Bath is to take the Bathford tramcar as far as the "Lamb and Flag" at Batheaston, turning to the left at that familiar inn, whence St. Catherine's is reached in the course of half an hour's walk along a country lane which commands on either side extensive vistas of magnificent scenery.

The Round Trip From Bristol

Visitors from Bristol take the motor 'bus as far as the cross roads at Cold Ashton, where they turn south along the lane which winds through the beautiful Valley traversed by the little trout stream known as St. Catherine's Brook. Monkswood Reservoir and the stately St. Catherine's Court are passed on the way and an hour's delightful walk brings St. Catherine's into view.

Geting home again is a pleasant task in the cool of the evening, the stroll to Batheaston, the ride in the tram beside the Avon, passing Bathampton Weirs (beloved of the artist) and then the wondrous view of the myriad lights of the Queen City of the West climbing almost mountain resort high to meet the stars, being an exquisite experience with which to round off a happy day. Often it is difficult to decide where the lights of the City end and those of Heaven begin.

From Bath the G.W.R. provide an excellent service of trains to Bristol, or, if road travel be preferred, there are two motor-'bus lines, both starting from Queen's Parade Place (Gay Street Corner), which afford a ten minutes' service. The route of one passes through Saltford, Keynsham and Brislington to the Centre; the other goes to Bristol Old Market by way of Kelston, Bitton, Willsbridge and Hanham.

Over Bannerdown To Hunter's Hall

An Alternative route to St. Catherine's from Bath is to walk (or take the afternoon Castle Combe 'bus) over Bannerdown as far as Hunter's Hall, and then stroll along the shady by-road which brings you down into St. Catherine's past a tiny reservoir—Oakford (note the diving birds on it). When you join the main road again turn to the right and climb a ahort steep hill; The Mead lies just beyond it.

Visitors from Bath usually either walk on after tea, past the Court and Monkswood Reservoir, returning to Bath along the Gloucester Road, or take the lane to Hunter's Hall, thence reaching Bath via Bannersdown, passing, on the way, the Three Shire Stones. Many, however, now walk to Cold Ashton and catch the motor 'bus to Bristol, completing the round trip by train or motor 'bus as their fancy dictates.

Notes of Interest

TO ST. CATHERINE'S FOR TEA.

(From the "Bath Chronicle and Herald," Whitsuntide, 1931)

Better than the motor-car, better than the train,
Just an idle saunter in a lovely English lane;
Just a walk, a friendly talk, with time to pause awhile,
Time to stay, and time to play, or linger by the stile.
Sunny hours, and scented flowers, and, when it's time for tea,
You'll find it waiting at The Mead, for folk like you and me.
Here's a tip for Whitsuntide, for Jack and Jill, and Jane,
Stroll out to St. Catherine's; you'll want to go again.

MR. & MRS. WILSON.
THE MEAD,
ST. CATHERINE'S.
NEAR BATH & BRISTOL.

ST. CATHERINE was the patron saint of Bath, and the freemen of the City, in their ancient oath, swore to observe "S. KATERN'S DAY." Before the Dissolution of the Monasteries the priors of Bath had a Grange at St. Catherine's, the manor having been in their possession time out of mind.

ST. CATHERINE'S COURT. — One of the most picturesque houses in Somerset, the residence of Mr. Strutt, a kinsman of Lord Rayleigh. The terraced gardens are charming, and there is a quaint "Adam and Eve" bathing pool at the back of them. The house was rebuilt by Prior John Cantlow, of Bath, circa 1499. Note the lovely view across the valley referred to by the author of "John Halifax" in "My Mother and I."

ST. CATHERINE'S CHURCH. — A tiny building with square embattled tower adjacent to The Court. Portions are late Norman or Early English. Rebuilt by Prior Cantlow in 1499. Features are the tower, the chancel arches, the fine font, the colours of the carved pulpit, some precious stained glass, and the monument with figures to William Blanchard and his wife (1631). Near the Church is a cruciform tithe barn.

HUNTER'S HALL INN. — A farmhouse on Bannerdown. It ceased to be an inn sixty or seventy years ago, but in its heyday was a noted rendezvous of Bath and Bristol sportsmen for cockfighting, prize-fighting, pigeon-shooting and pony-racing. Over 600 feet above sea level, it commands a glorious view over Colerne, Ditteridge and the Wiltshire Downs.

MONKSWOOD RESERVOIR. — The main source of Bath's water supply and the headquarters of the little trout stream known as St. Catherine's brook. It is believed that, in the Bronze Age, there was a lake village built on piles around a lake on the site of the present reservoir.

EAGLE HOUSE. — Once the country residence of John Wood the elder, the famous architect, who came to Bath from Yorkshire in 1727 and, with his son, "changed Bath from a mean-looking town to the most beautiful in England."

THE THREE SHIRE STONES. — On Bannerdown, in a little alcove beside the road. They mark the junction of Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. A favourite "snap" for photographers, with three persons mounted on the Stones, one in each county.

A GRIM RELIC. —The tablet inscribed "E.R. 1761," in the wall on Bannerdown about forty yards on the Bath side of the lodge of The Rocks, marks the spot where Edward Roach, of Marshfield, was robbed and murdered. His gravestone is in Marshfield Churchyard.

"COLERNE DONKEYS." — The people of Colerne, a Wiltshire village (reached by a by-road from Bannerdown), have for generations been playfully termed "donkeys," some of their predecessors being alleged to have buried the vicar's donkey (during his absence) in the churchyard with its feet sticking up in the air and to have kept its hooves polished with sandpaper. Afterwards four big square stones were put on the hooves to keep them down. Antiquarians investigating this queer story declared the stones to be the base of a Saxon Cross around which the parishioners worshipped before the Church was built. The Cross has since been restored.

Photo Gallery: 1923 - 1950

1940 Original Tea Garden Entrance & sign & 1890 Greenhouse. Jonathan's father Bertram with kerry blue Sheila. Thousands entered by this little gate 1923 - 1946!

...And down the path with border of pinks which were sold in bunches.

A photo of Evelyn's husband and Jonathan's father showing the original Tea Pavilion in front of The Mead

1948 - Just moved down from the House to the Brook.

Evelyn with her Austin at The Mead during the War; regularly raising funds for the war effort at The Tea Gardens with St. Catherine's parishioners and running 5 successful businesses - 600 would have tea at The Mead at a weekend. Huge endeavour and team work!

Evelyn's Restaurant in Bath. Jill's Grill with Trim Bridge 1932 - 1950. Prince Philip based at Corsham 1940s was a customer.

Evelyn - Jonathan's Mother - who bought the Mead on her birthday Sept. 12 1937 and ran the Tea Gardens and 4 other businesses up to 1950. She was presented at Court (Queen Mary) as a Dublin-London debutant in 1928 by Mary Fellowes who's husband Major Halford Fellowes was closely related to both Sir Robert Fellowes, the Queen's Secretary, and Julian Fellowes, who won an Oscar for Gosford Park and played in Monarch Of The Glen etc. and now lives just 4 miles from Jonathan in Dorset.

Feature from the Bath Chronicle,
Friday May 10 2002

Original Article by old tea customer, Christopher Hansford

ONE of the great Bath culinary institutions for decades was the glorious Mead Tea Gardens out in the beautiful St. Catherine's Valley near Batheaston.

The gardens were started back in 1923 and, until they were closed a few years ago, anyone who was anyone would be sure to be seen one weekend afternoon or another lounging around on garden chairs with pots of tea in real teapots and the kind of afternoon teas you just don't seem to see any more.

In recent years, the last owner of the tea garden was Jonathan Metcalfe, who ran the garden from 1970 through to 1992 having taken it over from his mother. The Mead has re-opened on selected weeks during the early summer to raise money for charity.

Jonathan, who now lives mostly in Dorset, has brought in this photograph which was taken by the Bath Chronicle back in 1948. The picture shows some of the Mead's visitors to the garden after Jonathan's mother had the tea pavilion moved down to the brook in 1947.

Jonathan, who was a very small boy when the picture was taken, says that his mother, who ran the tea gardens from 1937 to 1950, can be seen standing at the back.

(If you are on the picture or have any information please get in touch via the Guestbook!)

This 1948 picture of the Bath Orthopaedic hospital outing to The Mead was on the circular I sent out to some 200 of our old customers in May this year, the fourth year running we have done it for charity. 500 returned, £900 was made for Save The Children despite two all wet days when nobody came, just two lovely days and then a final flourish with a record 116 & £350 on the final Sunday for St. Catherine's Church restoration fund! My mother is second right at the back, shortly before going back to Ireland when she bought Cahore Castle on the Co. Wexford coast.

There was a happy outcome from this delightful publication by Chris. When the phone rang at the Buttles & it was the 12 year old girl in middle front of the photo ringing from Camborne in Cornwall 54 years on to say "it was she" and her daughter spotted it in the Bath paper! We are going to meet up when I next return to Valerie in St. Agnes, just 5 miles away, Val being my very good neighbour, friend and helper at The Mead from the start in 1970 until her move to Cornwall in 1980. Most of the children in 1948 were polio patients, I can remember the scene and them, when I was four!

BUTTLE list of Places,
Properties & Firms

Buttle Lake, Vancouver island (Yorks ER)

The Buttle Trust for Orphans, UK. (Yorks ER)

Buttle & Wilson, Stockbrokers, (Yorks ER) Auckland, New Zealand.

S.R. Buttle. chain of 130 shops Sydney, NSW. (Co. Wexford).

Buttles Barley Fed Bacon Co, (1866-1966) Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford.

Buttles Farm Machinery, Ballinahoun, Co. Wexford.

Buttles Timber Co. (Essex), St. Albans, Hertfordshire.

The Buttle Arms (Inn), Ferns, Co. Wexford.

Buttle Lane, Snaith, Yorks ER.

Buttle Lane, Churchstanton, Blackdown Hills, Somerset.

Buttle Lane, Shepton Beauchamp, Somerset

Battle(Buttle) Street, Clayhidon, Devon.

Buttles Farm, Compton Basset, nr Calne, Wiltshire.

Buttles (Farm), Churchstanton, Blackdown Hills, Somerset.

Buttles (Farm) nr. Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales. (formerly Buddle).

Buttles (Cottage), Clayhidon, Blackdown Hills, Somerset.

Buttles (Cottage), Tor Street, Wells, Somerset.

Buttles & Buttles Cottages, High Easter, Essex.

The Buttles, Hatch Beauchamp, Somerset.

Buttles Plantation, Hatch Beauchamp, Somerset.

The Buttles, St. Catherine's Valley, nr Bath, Somerset.

Buttles Mead, south Dorset.

Buttles Island, River Slaney

Buttles Island, River Shannon west of Limerick City.

Buttles Field, Craan, Ferns, Co. Wexford.

Buttle, 900 year old parish, Gotland, Sweden. Baltic Sea.

Buttlegate, Downderry, east Cornwall coast. (formerly Buddle).

Buttlejork, goldmines, Victoria, Australia.

Buittle, ancient parish in Dumfrieshire, Scotland

*There are around 20 place names with BUTTEL in them in Germany.

Clans

Co. WEXFORD BUTTLE and Co. TIPPERARY BEETLE. (from Rhineland 1709)

BUTTLE of County Wexford and BEETLE of County Tipperary, Ireland. The descendants of Hans Wilhelm BITTEL who came from the Rhineland. Palatinate(Pzalz) in Summer of 1709 with 13.000 via Rotterdam to London. Most went direct to new British colonies in Eastern America but some 213 families were sent in September to Dublin to become tenant farmers under British landlords in S. Ireland. John William Bittel is found in Youghal, Co. Cork 1712/14 with a son baptised there and on Palatine lists. The Co. Wexford BUTTLE family have records starting in 1736 in south Co. Wicklow with John Buttle at Coolefancy near Tinahely....then his younger brother Henry Buttle near Ferns at Coolatore etc. who took many farms. John jun. of Coolefancy then takes Kilmichael a 200 acre farm in north Co. Wexford where this line stays for just 200 years. Younger sons Henry, Benjamin and John take off for Ontario in May 1852 and the former settle near Cobden on farms, the latter in Hamilton. Another son Thomas returns to Co. Wexford and his line are now well established there in business and farms.Henry's lines of Coolatore and Ballinacoola further south around Ferns include the Clologue family with 9 children in 1808-1827 period which include Samuel jun and William and Thomas who all leave for USA. Eldest son John is the father of John & Samuel who found Enniscorthy businesses, Buttles Bacon Co. etc 1870 - 1920. Many of these descendants are now in Ireland, Australia & N. Zealand. We have records and family trees of all of these lines but are looking "out there" for further descendants! In 2004 it was discovered by pure chance that the original German must have had a son left in Munster and a colony of the BEETLE family was found living since 1795 at Ballingarry, Co. Tipperary with its stunning view across to Slievemanon mountain. Descendants now with the spellings Beetel in USA and Beatty locally have been located. They are now 8th. cousins to their Buttle kin of Co. Wexford. We are in touch with many of this Clan but if you are one of the Irish Buttles/Beetles please contact! (Jonathan Buttle F. Metcalfe who has researched since 1966!)

SWITZERLAND BITTEL.

In the deep GOMS valley of the upper reaches of the famous river Rhone in the most south westerly Canton and in the German speaking eastern part, there are to be found around 150 families of BITTEL to-day with parish records of them going back into the 1600s. This is the biggest concentration anywhere and points to a Swiss origin (like SWITZER also in Ireland) and not German, perhaps a few migrated up the Rhine for work and then we find Wilhelm Bittel on the ships with 13,000 migrating in the summer of 1709 via Rotterdam and London from Rheinland Pfalz. Around 2,000 of these settled on farms with landlords in Ireland. There is a mountain called Bettelberg at 6,000 feet north west of VISP so like the British royals Battenberg maybe they had their own mountain! Out of this Rhone valley leads south to the Matterhorn. The origin of the surname remains unknown (it could have come from Bettelberg? as Metcalfe did from Calf Top mountain in Yorkshire?)...and there are 4 place names in southern Germany like Brunsbittel and Bittelbron.

ESSEX BUTTLE and BUTTELL, BOWTELL, BOUTEL. (from Normandy 1066)

The surname has various spellings in Essex such at Bowtell, Boutel, Buttle, Buttell, Battle and is historically the oldest in England and may well be the forerunner to all the English county Clans and people with our name ie Jonathan Buttall the Blue Boy! We now have substantial family trees or branches out of Hempstead; one Bowtell line out of Thaxted which became the major epicentre of the Essex Clan and with many of that spelling now in South Africa; Boutell of Aspall Hall, Suffolk; Little Easton; West Ham; Little Sampford; Haverhill; Alphamstone(of Revd. Leslie Buttle who lived to be 100 and out of Yeoman farmers there) and Stifford in south Essex. There is very little doubt that the progenitor in Essex was in 1066 with William the Conqueror from Normandy and from a hamlet (hameau) just 16 miles south of our farm there now....Walter de Botteville DeBetuile....Botteville has ancient manor and church near Ste. Mere Eglise & Valognes and just 4 miles from Utah Beach of 1944....the massive invasion going the other way to that of 1066 from Barfleur which is on the same Cotentin peninsula! He was given the manor and lands of Ongar in Essex after the victory in 1066. His son was Sir Humphrey deBattell, his son Thomas DeBattaile and his son Sir Richard who held Bataylee Hall in Essex. There is no doubt they were early barons as part of the Norman Conquest to control England. And records show the family holding the manor & castle at Ongar much later on in the 1400 & 1500s. (Chipping Ongar). Out of this lineage came the strong Yorkshire East Riding Clan with its important lines to the New World and at home. The Little Easton branch has produced Jeffrey Buttle in Ontario world ice skating champion and son of Peter Buttle who is a 4th. cousin of Peter Buttle & Family who own Buttles Timber Co. of London & St. Albans. With excellent contacts with more than 25 members of this illustrious Clan in their respective branches, research continues.......

BUTTLE, BATTLE, BATTELL of Yorkshire, East Riding.

This very large Clan is centred on the parishes of Howden and Eastrington in the flat loam lands just north of the wide Humber river to the east of Hull. They are also well established back into the 1500s in adjoining Bubwith, Seaton Ross, Holme upon Spalding Moor, Aughton, Ellerton and district. Sir Robert Buttle, priest, was vicar of Hemsworth in 1540s as are church wardens recorded then....as well as Wills and witnesses of Buttles as far back as the early 1500s. This Clan is reputedly out of the Essex original Norman Clan and descend from the 1066 baron of Chipping Ongar, created by William the Conqueror to control England. Three branches have made their mark: The Buttle Trust based in London, founded by Revd. Prebendary William Buttle for children in need. ..and his brother Prof. Gladwin Buttle. The Buttle Stockbrokers of New Zealand who own White Island there and include the mayor of Auckland Sir Keith Buttle,1950s. Buttle Lane in Snaith is left behind by this family that lived there and went to New Zealand in 1840, the founding year of that new country. Revd. George Buttle, Methodist missionary in that year was born here in 1810. Expeditionary Kew Gardens botanist from 1865 John Buttle was given his name for the most beautiful lake in the centre of Vancouver Island, British Colombia. There is a Utah Mormon branch here and a link with San Francisco's university. I am in touch with descendants of these families and have been good friends ever since the extensive research. Many of this large Clan now reside in the cities of Hull and York. 80% will have the spelling Buttle, 20% the spelling Battle/Battell.

COTSWOLD BUTTLE and BUTTELL (1540)

We have ancient records back as far as mid 1500s in this world famous area of picturesque stone villages. In Winchcombe at the time of Catherine Parr whose family bought Sudeley Castle there at that period....she being one of Henry VIII's wives. We have one large family tree linking 5 present day Buttle families as 5th. cousins to each other and dating from 1780. These include Paul Buttle, Lake district author and the Isle of Man branch of Buttell. Ancient records of the Clan are found in Guiting Power where the name is BUTTOLPH 1690s, Temple Guiting, Notgrove, Snowshill 1608, Saintbury, Stanway, Salperton, Hatherop, Turkdean, Naunton.... and Buttells on war memorials at Hayles Abbey church and Buttles at Hampton beside Evesham where they still reside as at ancient Guiting Power.

NORFOLK BUTTLE

Lots of records of this ancient name are found in registers and Wills in many scattered parishes out from and some in Norwich in the 1500s and probably earlier. Carleton Rode had a very substantial family there from at least 1560 - 1730 and with in 1575, the Scandinavian names Christian and Elsaborg! Much later on in 1800s Lyng parish had a strong family. The black sailed wherries plying coal on the broads had captains or owners Harry, Benjamin and Jonas Buttle around 1838 period. The fishing ports of Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft may have been the origin of Quebec Gaspe's fishingboats Capt. William Wentworth Buttle born c1813 in England. Amner, East, South and West Raynham, Bunton, Gt.Yarmouth Helhoughton, Rockland Tofts and many other parishes all feature. Steve Buttle footballer with Ipswich Town & Seattle Sounders and Greg Buttle, very famous with New York Jets both hail from the Norfolk Clan. I have 5 family trees as a result of contacts of recent times around the world. There may well be across over with BUTTOLPH of Norfolk but this is not proved.

NORFOLK BUTTOLPH (1300s)

This extremely ancient Clan is peculiar to the county of Norfolk. But its origins lie in the historic town of BOSTON, Lincolnshire which is a corruption of St. Botolphstown or stone, where St. Botolph the 7th. century saint preached/dwelled and gave his name to the place with its magnificent church..... the Boston Stump. So the surname is a place name toponymic. Earliest records have in the 1300s ...Thomas Buttolph a master at old grammar school in Norwich and Revd. John Botolf rector of Sharenton parish. The Buttolphs are scattered about the county in Gt. Bardfield, Lowestoft, Gt. Yarmouth, and then we have a family tree in Wymondham with it huge old abbey dating from 1830 .... Dr. Michael Buttolph, London School of Economics and others descend. In 1630 on the ship Abigail, Thomas Buttolph and wife Ann arrived in Boston, Massachussettes.....I am in touch with this historic family in America and one branch changed their name to BUTTLES in 1700s Many held important positions in Norfolk life. Revd. Thomas Buttolph was Dean of Raphoe, Co. Donegal and there is a plaque to him in Dublin's St. Patrick's cathedral!

SOMERSET BUTTLE, BUTTEL and BATTLE (1579)

The earliest record found is 1579 and this is a very ancient settlement in the still delightful unspoilt upland Blackdown Hills straddling the Somerset/Devon border. The two parishes concerned are Clayhidon & Churchstanton. Clayhidon has the earliest records and a cottage property called Buttles as well as Battle road. They then move and multiply in much larger Churchstanton, a parish with over 60 Buttles buried from 1620 onwards at the fine church and Buttles farm in Buttles lane dating from 1720s. Buttle changes to Buttolph for 30 years and back again around this time(!) I have a huge family tree of over 75feet containing 29 named branches, one spelt Buttel! Two of our Clan gatherings have been held here(see pics). Ralph Buttle of Wellington branch who wrote his book, Cyril Buttle of Tavistock branch was Somerset county cricket head groundsman, Brian Buttle of Bridgwater branch famous throughout Somerset's Musical Societies and Ida Prins Buttle of Calstock branch musicologist (she lived in Bathford and was head of music at Kingswood school in Bath) have all made their mark. Her father Methodist Revd. Jacob Buttle founded the London Cornishmens Society. Curry Rivel, Pitminster, Exeter, Yeovil, Ilminster, Tiverton, Wandsworth & Buckland St. Mary are some of the other branches. Surname BATTLE is found in the 1800s in mid Somerset and Shepton Beauchamp has Buttles Lane and Close and in Hatch Beauchamp the palladian gate lodge and wood around it on the Hatch Park estate of the Gore-Langton family are called The Buttles & Buttles Plantation from Samuel Buttle 1870s of Ilminster branch. In Tor Street Wells we find Buttles Cottage with fabulous view of the cathedral.

LANCASHIRE BUTTLE (1540)

This small Clan has a first record in the 1560s in north Lancashire in the beautiful Trough of Bowland at a still very rural parish called TATHAM. Here we find brothers Richard and Robert Buttle having children. This small branch then migrate into the historic and georgian port of Lancaster where they become well established 1700 & 1800s. The spelling Buttle remains throughout. Very few descendants remain and I am in touch with just two of them.

BOITELLE

A name found in the Netherlands esp. around Venlo and Maastrict. The name is French and came to Venlo with a Napoleanic soldier abt. 1810.

BUTEL

This name belongs to the Cotentin peninsular where we now have a Normandy farm! It may well belong to the pre 1066 Family of Buittelle and vars. which originates just 16 miles south of us in the tiny ancient hamlet of BOUTTEVILLE which prob. gave the family its name(?). Has ancient manor/manoir and/et church/eglise! Butels have emigrated to Jersey-Cornwall & are in London 18th. c and Huguenot records in Dublin 1685 onwards and famous in Queenstown, South Island, New Zealand via a Belgian family.

BITEL

This name occurs in London and Sydney and came from Russia with huge Jewish migration into London and New York from the Czarist persecusions of late 1800s

BITTEL/BUTTEL

Produced the S. Irish Buttles & Beetles in 1709 from the Rhineland Pfalz massive emigration to London 13,000 people left via invitation from Queen Anne Govt. via Rhine to Rotterdam.....after vicious winters and 30 years of French Catholic persecution. These two spellings are of same origin and are found scattered in Germany to-day from several place names like Brunsbuttel and Wolfenbuttel ....buttel being very ancient Saxon meaning a big house.

BITTLE/BITTLES

This surname is found in small numbers in Ulster and Cornwall with some Navy associations. The earliest date in Co. Down, Ulster is in 1775 at Seaforde. The landed Forde family of here also had an estate just north of Gorey, Co. Wexford and one wonders if there is a Bittel Rhineland - Buttle connection with my Clan? Most Bittles to-day are in Belfast, ex Newry & Newtownards both Co. Down. In Cornwall there are sparse records of the name, the earliest is at Probus in 1686.

BUTTLE of ULSTER

This very small landed family of Buttle date from the Revd. David Buttle from Scotland who became the first Presbyterian Minister of Ballymena from 1627-1662 and commemorated on a memorial in the church there. Randall, grandson David and George followed, the latter inheriting the Conyngham estate and Springhill House, now National Trust and changing his name to Conyngham. He built the new large village of Coagh, Co. Tyrone beside Springhill. This family were also lessees of Glenarm, Co. Antrim, Sovereigns of Belfast, High Sherrifs of Cos. Tyrone & Derry, Importers and owned properties in Dublin.

BOTTLE of Somerset

This very small enclave is centred on Wincanton and Penselwood in south east Somerset and is reputedly of French Huguenot stock as is the Hoddinott Clan in the same area. The earliest date so far is of Thomas Bottle a tailor in Wincanton in the late 1700s. (Of course this could be a name change from Buttle of the Blackdown Hills Clan further to the south west and dating back to the 1580s.)

GASPE, Quebec BUTTLE

A Capt. William Buttle born abt 1817 in England is the founder of this loyalist coastal fishing family in 1838 when he married Mary Flowers. His origins are still not found but I visited them on this lonely seashore in 1974 thinking they may be of my Co. Wexford stock. We have a full family tree from the Anglican church records there and I have met many of the families, sisters having come to The Mead for one of the Buttle gatherings. Origin could be out of Norfolk or Lancashire seafarers (?), and Buttles are still living on Chaleur Bay and now dotted all over Canada & USA.

BUTTALL.

This very interesting branch has never been connected to any other county Clans....but the spelling is pronounced the same as Buttle. In the mid 1600s we find them in Wrexham, NE Wales where as Quakers the head of the family was in gaol as a dissenter. They were steel makers (and may have come from the ancient Essex Clan and Cutlers Green there?).....a branch later went to Soho as ironmongers where JONATHAN BUTTALL was painted by Gainsborough and is the BLUE BOY. Another branch went to Topsham, ancient Roman seaport in Devon for Exeter and were sea captains, one ship manned by Capt. Benjamin Buttell sailed out in 1779 and was never heard of again. This family tree is complete back to 1600s.

ST. BOTOLPH

Lived c620 - 680 was a Saxon abbot of Iken in Suffolk and Boston, Lincolnshire.....which took his name, it is corrupted from St. Botolphstone or town. Boston, USA follows! He had a brother Adulph and they were from a noble family. Educated in the Benedictine rule in Belgium, his fame spread abroad and over 70 churches in East Anglia and 3 in London are dedicated to him, as well as around the Baltic Sea. His feast day is 17 JUNE ....which I adopted as our Buttles etc. day with its connecting Buttolph & Buttle surnames in various records. It was in the middle ages the largest fair day in many parts of England.