The Toddington Anstees

by Gary. M. Anstey, chief researcher of the Anstey story project.

• Toddington Anstees Overview
• TO 1. John Anstee Junior (b 1798 Houghton Regis)
• TO 2. William Anstee (b 1828 Toddington)
• TO 3. John Howton Anstee (b 1861 Toddington)
• TO 4. William Howton [Henry] Anstee (b 1864 Toddington)
• TO 5. George Frederick Anstee (b 1865 Toddington)
• TO 6. Arthur Edward Anstee (b 1870 Toddington)
• TO 7. Harold Edward Anstee (b 1877 Toddington)
• TO 8. Geoffrey Arthur Anstee (b 1895 Toddington – served during World War One)
• TO 9. John William Anstee (b 1897 Leagrave – served during World War One)
• Further Details on the Toddington Anstees

Toddington Anstees Overview

The Toddington Anstees are a minor sub-branch of the Houghton Regis Anstees, who themselves are a sub-branch of the Swanbourne Anstees via the Prittlewell Anstees. The patriarch of the Toddington Anstees is John Anstee (TO 1).

The family settled in the Tythe Farm, Chalton and Lewsey Farm, Leagrave, both a stone’s throw from Toddington and slightly north west of Luton and Houghton Regis.

Further Details on the Toddington Anstees

#1. Anstee Road near Leagrave, Toddington is named after either John Anstee (TO 1) or his son William Anstee (TO 2), though we seek formal confirmation of which one and when.

#2. The first ‘Anstey’ entry we find in the Toddington parish registers is when Hannah Ansty married William Webb in June 1800. Hannah is possibly daughter of Benjamin Anstee (b 1717) – see the Houghton Regis Anstee page. Other early Anstee marriages in Toddington are two of John Anstee (TO 1)’s sisters, namely Elizabeth Anstee, who married William Foll in 1829, and Susan Anstee, who married William Medcraft in 1845 (see Further Details #4 of the Houghton Regis Anstee page)

#3. In the ‘Luton Times and Advertiser‘ on 11 May 1894 appears an article mentioning many of this sub-branch. “The Unionist candidate visited Chalton on Tuesday and addressed the villagers in the large barn on Mr W. H. Anstee‘s [TO 4] farm, the building being well filled with an attentive audience. Mr W. H. Anstee of Chalton presided and was supported by Colonel O. T. Duke, Mr W. Anstee [TO 2] (The Tythe), Mr John Anstee [TO 3] (Lewsey), Mr Arthur Anstee [TO 6] (the Tythe); Mrs W. H. Anstee; Miss Anstee…“

#4. Almost certainly of this sub-branch (and certainly of the Houghton Regis Anstees per the below newspaper article) is Henry Edwin Anstee (b 1847 Luton to mother ‘Terrey’). In the 1851 Census he was living with his Terrey grandparents at New Street, Luton. We cannot locate him in the 1861 Census and by 1871 he was lodging at Harpur Street, St Peter, Bedford; in 1881 he was an unmarried bankers clerk visiting the Foll family at Wood End Farm, Harlington, Woburn; in 1887 he was a clerk at the London and Counties Bank; in 1891 he was a bank manager living with the Foll family at Manor House, Lords Hill, Chalgrave. He died on 28 July 1893 in Haverhill – executor was T. Foll. The ‘Luton Reporter‘ 05 August 1893 reported “DEATH OF MR. H. E. ANSTEE.- it is with regret that we note the death of Mr. H.E. Anstee, for merely of this town, which took place at Haverhill Suffolk, on Friday last after a comparatively short illness. The cause of death is stated to have been cirrhosis of the liver and syncope. Mr. Anstee was 47 years of age, and was the resident manager of the London and County Banking Company, having at the time of his death been in the service of the Company for 28 years. He was well known in the neighbourhood and was highly esteemed, belonging to an old family of Houghton Regis.“. Bizarrely we are unable to pinpoint his precise position in this pedigree – however given that he likely never married it is of academic interest only.

Also see ‘Anstey: A Complete History From the Norman Invasion to World War One‘.

Anybody who finds any mistakes on this page, please contact us at research@theansteystory.com and we will correct them.