William Thomas Buckland

{|align="right"
Infobox Person
name = William Thomas Buckland


caption = William Thomas Buckland (1798-1870)
occupation = surveyor and auctioneer
birth_date = 5 September 1798
birth_place = Wraysbury, Berkshire, England
death_date = 1 November 1870
death_place = Wraysbury, Berkshire, England
spouse = Mary Wood
parents = Thomas Buckland and Ann Virgoe
religion =Baptist

William Thomas Buckland was born on 5 September 1798 in Wraysbury now in Berkshire, England, in the house on Longbridge Farm where he later lived, and where he died on 1 November 1870. He became an innovative surveyor and auctioneer,"History of the Auction" by Brian Learmount, Iver: Barnard & Learmont, 1985 [ISBN 0951024000] ] as well as establishing the Baptist Chapel in Wraysbury."History of the Parish of Wraysbury, Ankerwycke Priory, and Magna Charta Island; with the History of Horton, and the town of Colnbrook, Bucks.", G.W.J. Gyll, 1862, London: H. G. Bohn. [http://books.google.com/books?id=qMcHAAAAQAAJ Online Version at Google Books] [http://worldcat.org/oclc/5001532 OCLC: 5001532] ] He was married at St James's, Westminster on 25 September 1820 to Mary Wood. They had four sons and six daughters."The Baptist Magazine", J. Burditt and W. Button: Baptist Missionary Society, 1871 p.32-35. [http://books.google.com/books?id=FVAEAAAAQAAJ&&ei=1DTER9eGFKHeyASSuu2xCA Online version at Google Books] ]

Early life

While he was at school in Camberwell, in 1812, his father died, leaving six children, of whom he was the youngest. He left school in July of the following year. His apprenticeship, near Reading, was a 'hard bondage', of which he spoke often in remembrance of its bitterness. In 1820 he became a freeman of the City of London, and commenced business on Holborn bridge.

urvey and Auctioneering work

In 1828 he founded the firm "Buckland Surveyors and Auctioneers", later "Messrs Buckland and Sons" at Windsor. The firm expanded to include branches in Bloomsbury, Slough and Reading, and survived for over 150 years. His work originally included dealing with compensation claims for lands taken for the construction of Railways, under Private Acts of Parliament then in operation, and he was also responsible for the preparation of Tithe Award Maps, some of which can still be seen in the [http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc/content/index.jsp?contentid=-746638797 Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies] in Aylesbury and other local libraries.Kain, Roger J.P., Oliver, Richard R., Fry, Rodney E.J. and Wilmot, Sarah A.H. 1995. [http://books.google.com/books?id=SeuA3zA6GJUC&pg=PA50&ei=UpuESKPnF4f8jgGm3YSqCg&sig=ACfU3U2ooVoRm93jxzoxbiJ7tuPqckC6pA "The Tithe Maps of England and Wales: A Cartographic Analysis and County-by-County Catalogue"] . Cambridge University Press. p50. ISBN 0521441919 ]

Slough Cattle Market

In September 1850, W T Buckland and his son Thomas began conducting sales of livestock in a field belonging to te "North Star Inn" near the Great Western Road Railway Station in Slough. They began by holding sales on the first Tuesday of every month. This soon increased to every other Tuesday then finally every Tuesday. The market continued to be run by "Buckland and Sons" until it finally closed in December 1988."The History of Buckland and Sons", B E Bowyer, 1973]

By Royal Appointment

One of the annual highlights for the firm was the Christmas sale of stock from the Royal Windsor Estates.Provinces: Great sale of live stock on His Royal Highness Prince Albert's farms at Windsor. "The Economist," 22 October 1853, Issue 530, Volume 011, p9.] Held on the same week as the Smithfield Show, buyers came from all over the country to buy something from the monarch. The sale in 1850 was held on December 17th, and included Superior Fat Heifers for £20 each; 10 fat ewes, fed by HRH Prince Albert for 33/10; Fine Old Wether Sheep fed by His Grace the Duke of Buccleuch for 40/6. The sale made a total of £226. On the 12th of December, 1894, Messrs Buckland & Sons were proud to announce:cquote|The Prince Consort's Flemish Farm A Xmas sale of fat stock belonging to HM the Queen ON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1894 At One o'Clock precisely Carriages will meet the Trains at both Windsor Stations

Despite their long association with the Royal Estates, it was more than 40 years after their founder's death, that George V granted his Royal Warrant to "Messrs Buckland & Sons" in November 1911.

Wraysbury Baptist Chapel

In 1862, G.W.J. Gyll wrote a description of William Thomas Buckland, describing him as:

References

External links

* [http://wraysbury.net/standrews.htm Wraysbury.Net - Village Community Website]
* [http://books.google.com/books?id=qMcHAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA28&lpg=PA28&dq=ankerwyk&source=web&ots=gvPajcUWSp&sig=rs0M0_SRUoedh5z3rhRv0Y9HN-Q#PPA1,M1 Google Books GWJ Gyll selected chapters]
* [http://www.thamespilot.org.uk/ixbin/hixclient.exe?a=query&p=slough&f=generic_theme%2ehtm&_IXFIRST_=1&_IXMAXHITS_=1&%3dtheme_record_id=sl%2dsl%2dcattlemarket&s=k3su7zHfSqD Thames Pilot - Slough History Online]