I have in my possession two antique pieces of furniture:

a beautiful Georgian Bureau/writing desk made of mahogany, with other woods,

and a charming medium sized gate legged oak table.

My grandfather Arthur John HUBBARD 1856 - 1935 was very good at dating and recording items. He recorded some of the history of the furniture that had come to Charlotte Marian VIZARD 1859 - 1940, his wife, my paternal grandmother.

The desk/bureau has the following inscribed on a brass plaque:

THIS DESK WAS THE PROPERTY OF THE REV^D JOHN FOLEY b. 1776, d. 1847 (sic) FOR 50 YEARS RECTOR OF HOLT, WORCESTER.

HIS SON WAS THE REV^D EDWARD WALWYN FOLEY, MY MOTHER’S BROTHER, WHOSE DAUGHTER, MY COUSIN MARY ANN FOLEY, LEFT IT TO ME ON HER DEATH IN 1920.

CHARLOTTE MARIAN HUBBARD, 1924.

The table has a nearly identical plaque:

THIS TABLE WAS THE PROPERTY OF THE REV^D JOHN FOLEY b. 1776, d. 1847 (sic) FOR 50 YEARS RECTOR OF HOLT, WORCESTER.

HIS SON WAS THE REV^D EDWARD WALWYN FOLEY, MY MOTHER’S BROTHER, WHOSE DAUGHTER, MY COUSIN MARY ANN FOLEY, LEFT IT TO ME ON HER DEATH IN 1920.

CHARLOTTE MARIAN HUBBARD, 1924.

The Rev John FOLEY 1775 - 1847 The Rectory Holt, Worcestershire.

The furniture was passed down to his son

The Rev Edward Walwyn FOLEY 1809 - 1900

Edward lived his later years at The Cedars, Upperton, Eastbourne, Sussex.

Previous to Eastbourne he had lived in Derbyshire, but I can’t find out when he inherited the furniture or if it went to Derbyshire.

Edward’s daughter Mary Ann was unmarried and cared for her parents until they died and then inherited the furniture. She continued to live at Eastbourne at the same address until her death.

Mary Ann FOLEY 1843 - 1920

On her death she bequeathed the furniture to her cousin Charlotte.

Charlotte Marian VIZARD (married name HUBBARD) 1860 - 1940. The furniture was sent to Hill House, Pleasant Stile, Littledean, Gloucestershire. On Marian’s death, the table and bureau/desk temporarily went to...

The Rev. John Waddington HUBBARD son of Marian, at Christ Church Vicarage, St Albans, Hertfordshire. John then at some point passed on the bureau and table to his brother George, newly back from India in 1944. George would have been in need of furniture and John had more than enough from Littledean.

The Rev. George Edward HUBBARD 1897 - 1977

3 March 1977 George dies. His widow Mollie Edith Hubbard (née BUCKETT) keeps the furniture until she decides to downsize.

Judith Frances Hubbard (b.1949) daughter of George and Mollie, is given the GATE LEGGED TABLE whilst Mollie is still at Ivy Road, c.1977. Gareth Jones her husband is ordained. Judith is ordained in 1994.

Meanwhile Nicolas George HUBBARD (b. 1956) had been given THE BUREAU in 1982 and it went to live at Milton Keynes.

Nicolas then gave it to Judith for safe keeping sometime after 2011 at Moorcott. The two items have stayed together since.

These two bits of furniture have moved house so often, it is a wonder they are as in good a condition as they are. It shows that good craftmanship pays off. They are still in use daily. The bureau is ideal for a laptop computer.

33.5cm/1ft 1in deep when unopened

92cm/3ft long

73 cm/29in high

Opens to an oval being 106cm/3ft 5ins across at the widest point

At Gloucester around 1999, I asked the cathedral carpenter if she could mend the table. Mother (Mollie) had once stood on it whilst home decorating (something one should never do to an antique such as this) and split the middle panel. Carol the carpenter did an excellent job, but the split still shows.

The drawer, which has a divider making two compartments, is original. However at some time, the drawer lost its original knob, so someone crudely carved a replacement. Often gate legged tables of this age have lost their drawers as they are useful as boxes elsewhere. Indeed, this drawer for many years was separated as a box for polish. In my mother’s hand is written CARDINAL and WAX on the side of the drawer.

98cm/3ft 3ins wide

50cm/1ft 8ins deep

107cm/3ft 6in high

There are three bits of paper stuck on the back wall of the interior, central pigeonhole giving bits of information.

1) The first is in Charlotte Marian’s hand - ‘This bureau was left to me by my cousin Miss A. Foley who died in 1920. She was the daughter of the Rev^d E.W.Foley, my mother’s brother. It is believed to have come from Holt Rectory, Worcestershire, my mother’s old home. C.M.H.’

2) The second note is in my father’s hand - (George E. Hubbard.) He writes ‘The back (right) foot was replaced in oak by Mr. Eales, Milton Malsor, Northampton. 9th July 1963.’

3) The third note is written in my mother’s hand - ‘This desk was left to me by my late husband, the Rev. G E Hubbard and I have given it to our younger son Mr. Nicolas G Hubbard, whose property it now is. “C.M.H.” of the first label is Charlotte Marian Hubbard, my mother-in -law and Nic’s paternal grandmother. 8/2/82’