On a recent visit to the Rural Life Collection at the Old Prison in Northleach, I spent time looking closely at the group of late‑nineteenth‑ and early‑twentieth‑century wagons displayed in the cart shed. Several examples stand side by side, each representing a different aspect of rural transport before mechanisation. From among them, one wagon in particular stood out - the name painted clearly on its side: Edwin Hatherell, Willesley, Wilts.
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| Wagon of Edwin Hatherell, Willesley, Wilts |
Willesley lies some distance from Northleach — roughly 35 miles by modern road routes. The wagon therefore travelled far enough in its lifetime to become part of a Cotswold‑based collection.
Here we have a Gloucestershire Archives record (D5865/1/2) (opens in new window) provides a firm point of reference: in 1913, Edwin Hatherell was the owner of the Willesley Estate near Tetbury. This places him as a landowner within the Gloucestershire–Wiltshire border region, active during the same period represented by the Rural Life Collection.
The wagon forms part of a wider group of agricultural tools and vehicles assembled after the Second World War by Miss Lloyd‑Baker of Hardwick Court. Her collection covers the period from the late nineteenth century to the first quarter of the twentieth — a time when horses were still central to farming and transport. In 1910, more than a million horses worked on farms across England and Wales. By the 1960s that number had fallen to around 60,000, and by the 1980s horses had disappeared entirely from agricultural labour.
When Miss Lloyd‑Baker died in 1975, her collection was accepted as part of her estate duties and transferred to the care of the Cotswold District Council. It was moved to the Old Prison in 1981, and today it is maintained by the Friends of the Cotswolds in partnership with the Corinium Museum.
Choosing one wagon from several makes it easier to appreciate the broader shift it represents. The Hatherell wagon belonged to a named individual in business within a rural estate, at a time when transport depended on horses, local labour, and durable wooden vehicles. Today, goods move quickly and largely out of sight. This wagon stands as a reminder of a different pace of work and movement — one shaped by the practical needs of farms and estates across the region, and preserved now as part of the Cotswolds’ rural heritage.
Footnote: Gloucestershire Archives, reference D5865/1/2, contains a farm diary of Mr Edwin Hatherell . The document provides confirmation of Hatherell’s connection to the Willesley estate.
The diary chiefly consists of references to farm work, but also mentions "Sherston" band and wassailers ("way-sailers") 23 December 1884, and polling day 1 December 1885. It includes: methods for making silage stacks and curing foot rot, lists of horses to break in, 1890 - 93; price of rabbits from Willesley, 1893 - 94; various poems; lists of livestock for breeding purposes n.d. (c.1882 - 85); lists of livestock food, 1882 - 83, 1886, and time sheets for work carried out in June - August [1884?]