1923 Rolls-Royce

A delightful early 20hp, which started life as a landaulette by Connaught, but now with a very appropriate, very well built open tourer body, which we believe to be by Wilkinson of Derby, built in the 1960s. We have a buff logbook dating to 1954 & from that we can establish that in 1960 it was registered as a lorry, but by 1962 was listed as a tourer, registered in Derby. It seems that the car has been active in club circles for many years, and featured a few times at R-R.E.C. events over the last few decades. As well as being convincingly correct, high quality, with excellent double-curvature panelling, etc, the coachwork is also enhanced by the fact that it has a lovely period design windscreen and rear ‘Auster’ screen, polished aluminium bonnet and correct, straight-sided tyres on split rim wheels, and more besides. The car was last with us in 2011, and is still in very similar condition, being beautifully mellow, sound, attractive and sweet in character. A lovely car, running nicely, offered serviced and newly MoT tested.

Chassis No. GF7                     Reg. No. FU 1525                        £57,500.

 Snippets:  Woes of Willingham House

Delivered to Charles Wright at Willingham House, Market Rasen – (the Wright family’s other estate was Anston Hall – occupied by the family from the late 1600s to 1947 when it  was sold). The Willingham Estate came into the Wright family ownership via the union of the daughter of the 1^st owner of Willingham - Florentine Tenturier (a Huguenot who had fled France) & Matthew Boucherett in the late 1600s. In 1724 their grandson Matthew Boucherett married Isabella Ayscough of Stallinborough and their son (born 1755) was christened Ayscough Boucherett I – there were 3 subsequent Ayscoughs. The “new” Willingham House was designed in 1790 by Robert Mitchell for Ayscough II - MP, High Steward of Grimsby & responsible for the introduction of Grimsby’s new harbour prior to his death in 1815 when his curricle (a fast horse-drawn trap) overturned at the base of Willingham Hill.  1792 saw the birth of Ayscough III who became High Sheriff of Lincolnshire – he fathered 3 sons & 2 daughters - Ayscough IV died aged 15, Henry 1818/1877, Hugo died aged 20.  Louisa (1821/95) and the remaining daughter Emelia (1825/1905) a noted suffragette & founder of Women’s Suffrage Journal.  In 1905 with the ending of the Boucherett bloodline Willingham was inherited by the Barnes family, due to Michael Barnes marrying Mary Boucherett in 1798 (in 1552 Sir George Barnes was Lord Mayor of London).  After a few years due to the end of the Barnes bloodline the property passed into the hands of the Wright family –  Charles & Margarita had 7 daughters & 2 sons!  Sadly both sons - Robert & Charles were killed alongside each other whilst serving with the 1/1 Lincolnshire Yeomanry during WWI in Israel.  Charles Wright only owned GF7 for 2 years as he died in 1926 when his gun went off by accident at Willingham House.  During WWI the house was used as a convalescent hospital and in WWII it housed German PoWs who, due to excellent woodland cover around the house escaped on a regular basis!! The logbook shows that GF7 remained with the Wright’s until Margarita’s death in 1942 when it was transferred into the name of a relative Douglas Wright, however, the chassis cards show GF7 as being with Lt. Col. Charles Francis Cracroft Jarvis of Doddington Hall which dates from the 1600s and is still with the Jarvis family – perhaps they know more?