The Villars Lowther Family

Ian Lowther married Ann Villars   in St. Mary the Less Parish Church at Chigwell, Essex, on 4th April 1959.

Chigwell then was a quiet and quintessentially English country village.

Opposite the church is the "King's Head" a Tudor coaching Inn in which the Wedding Reception was held.  The Inn was used by Charles Dickens as a setting for "The Maypole" in his novel "Barnaby Rudge".   

To the north of St. Mary's church is the Grammar School, now a Public School, where Ian was educated.   The school was founded in 1629 by Samuel Harsnett, sometime vicar of Chigwell who became Archbishop of York.   Many old pupils of Chigwell School left a significant mark on the world.   One of the most famous was William Penn who went on to found Pennsylvania in North America.

Our daughter Claire was born in 1962, married Simon in 1987. Claire gave birth to Benjamin in 1998 and to Emma in 2000.  They live near Woodbridge, Suffolk. 

Our son Mark was born in 1965 and married Sue in 2000.   They have a son, Peter, born in 2005 and a daughter Emily, born in 2009, and live near Beccles on the Norfolk/Suffolk border.

Interest in Charities and voluntary service has always featured strongly in the Lowther Family.   Ian was a Chorister and Bellringer at Chigwell Parish Church.  He became vice-chairman of the Chigwell Young Conservatives.

Later Ian Lowther was at first Bellringer, then Sidesman and afterwards Treasurer; and then for some years Vicar's Warden at Wymondham Abbey, in Norfolk. The Abbey is a Benedictine Monastic Foundation and the original Norman Nave is the parish church.   For a year between incumbents (1973-1974) Ian was appointed sequestrator of the parish benefice.   At the same time he served as Treasurer of the Wymondham Abbey Preservation Trust.

The Parish Church of St Mary and St Thomas of Canterbury, universally known as Wymondham Abbey, celebrated 900 years since its foundation during 2007. On Remembrance Sunday, 11th November 2007, the Archbishop of Canterbury - the Most Rev. Dr. Rowan Williams - presided and preached at the morning Solemn Eucharist in the Abbey.  This first visit by the head of the Anglican Church in its 900 year history happily provided a fitting conclusion to an outstanding year of commemoration.

This is a picture of the Lowther Family Coat of Arms as depicted in a stained glass window of the church at Lowther in Cumbria.  In recent years Ian and Ann have developed a keen interest in Genealogy.   They are particularly researching their branch of the Lowther, Bennett, Villars and May families.   Ian so far has traced his Lowther family ancestors to Oundle in the mid 18th Century. His maternal family, the Bennetts emigrated to New Zealand in 1851 and later generations became dairy farmers and milk roundsmen of  Mount Eden, Auckland. Ann's Great-Grandfather, Charles Villars was a Surgeon, living in Hackney. Her other Great-Grandfather, Henry Benjamin May, and his sons operated horticultural Nurseries at Upper Edmonton, London; and Chingford, Essex.   Henry May's speciality was exotic fernery.   His elder son, Robert, emigrated to New Zealand in 1908. Robert went on to found a successful nursery and Market Garden in Christchurch, specialising in tomatoes.  His late grandson Warwick was, until his death in 2005, a potato farmer at Darfield, Christchurch. For a little more information please visit The Lowthers in Retirement.

Lowther More about Lowther The Villars Lowther Family The Lonsdale Story  The Lowthers in Retirement

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