Richard Hurd Lucas

Richard Hurd Lucas was born on 1 November and baptised on 5 November 1789 at Ripple, Worcs.  He was the son of Robert Lucas and Hannah nee Hurd.  The ‘Hurd’ in his forename whilst his mother’s maiden name may also have been in honour of his great uncle Dr Richard Hurd, Lord Bishop of Worcester.  In 1814 Richard was awarded a Bachelor of Arts from Brasenose College, Oxford, and in 1818 he was living in Gloucester when he married Martha Elizabeth Ann Small at Clifton Reynes, Bucks, on 19 March 1819, having two daughters Ellen Hurd and Susan.

After leaving Norton they briefly lived at Prestbury whilst also having a property in Cheltenham.

He seems to have been a ‘colourful’ character becoming involved in libellous activities, assault cases both by him and against him. The libel claim was found against him for letters – ‘disgracefully offensive communications’ - he wrote that were published in the  Satirist newspaper of Cheltenham in 1835, ‘vilifying and calumniating, in the grossest and most disgusting language, the private character of the resident gentry of Cheltenham’. Repercussions were still causing street disturbances in 1838.

Richard was heavily involved in country pursuits, owning and racing horses, in 1836 he was Master of the Cheltenham Harriers, and for a number of years was also a Steward at Cheltenham Racecourse.

Richard had Sinton Court, Grimley, Worcs, built in 1838 but his wife Martha died on 7 May 1838 whilst they were living at 3 North Parade, Cheltenham, so presumably before the house was complete.  In 1841 he was widowed living at Sinton Court along with his two daughters and a host of staff;  Richard remarried Elizabeth Ann Hawkins on 22 May 1846 at Grimley and had one further child, Robert (1847-1856) who died at 9 years of age from bronchitis.

Although not clear on the above photo, the carving on the gable to the left of the house is of Richard’s initials which also feature prominently in the oak panelling of the snug inside the house, below.

Richard died on 24 July at Sinton Court and was buried on 31 July 1848 at St Bartholomew’s, Grimley.

His daughter Ellen also married into the clergy when she married Rev William Watson Wood on 28 July 1859 at Aldershot, Hants.