Thomas Usborne of Bradfield, Berks.
Born September 11th 1838 at 5.New London Street.
Baptised at St Olaves, Southwark.
Married June 1st 1871 at Coates, Gloucestershire
to Agnes Elizabeth, who was born in 1850,
daughter of T.E.Gibbs, Rector of Coates.
Thomas died July 14th.1898. Buried at Bradfield.
Agnes died February 4th.1901 at Umballa, India.

          

       
Thomas was educated at Charterhous(?).
He  lived first at Godden Green, near Sevenoaks, Kent, then moved to The Cottage (now Mead House) in Bradfield, Berks. 
He was a director of the Baltic Company (later the Baltic Exchange). Hugh Barty-King wrote of the Baltic Company in 1874: "There were 62 preference shareholders. The Usborne family of Godden Green held 9075 shares. Two more Usbornes in Cork held 2800. These were the people who were reaping the rewards of the Baltic". In 1877 Usborne & Son were recorded as Corn & Flour merchants trading from South Sea House, Threadneedle St. London EC.       
His daughter, Dorothy remembers him with no great affection as a domineering character who seems to have a grudge against her for being so small and once lifted her up by the head to stretch her a bit longer. On his death he was discovered to have rather less money than his affluent mode of living had suggested.        
Agnes died in Amballa, India, aged 51, while visiting her son Charlie who had recently taken up an Indian Civil Service post.
Have a look inside "the cottage">>>
Read how they died.

The family soup tureen

"The Cottage" or "Bradfield Lodge" 

Martin & Nicola    
(gt-gt gd-children)  
at Thomas' grave   
 Bradfield Parish website reports:
At Bradfield Lodge Thomas Usborne lived with his wife, three daughters, son, sister, nephew and niece. They were looked after by a Governess, Nurse, Parlour-maid, Cook, Housemaid, under-housemaid, and coachman. All the servants, except the coachman lived in the house.

The Plaque in memory of her and her husband in Bradfield Church displays the full coat of arms belonging to their 2nd cousins.

J.E.Harding, head clerk of Usborne & Son wrote in 1939: "I came into the firm in 1882. Mr Usborne had retired from the business that spring to Bradfield.  The office of the firm when I came was South Sea House, Threadneedle st., before that it was 5 New London St, Crutched Friars where they occupied the whole house. The sole proprietor was my uncle Edward Saltmarsh. At one time the firm was called Usborne, Son & Moore."
In 1937 Tommy (b.1907) visited the offices of Usborne & Son at St Mary Axe in the city. "I was received by the elderly senior partner in a dim and dusty Dickensian office where clerks sat on high stools and had only recently given up using the quill pen. He remembered my grand-father as a "speculative little man". Thomas had been all but ruined by a rash gamble in Baltic wheat suggested by Baron Henry Schroder a co-director of the Baltic Company. The situation was rescued by the timely death of his brother Henry in 1890 who left him his ample fortune".