Clement-Jones family 12/22 - Person Sheet
Clement-Jones family 12/22 - Person Sheet
NameSpencer Langton HOLLAND, 11717
Birth1856
Death1936
FatherGeorge Henry HOLLAND , 684 (1816-1891)
MotherCharlotte Dorothea GIFFORD , 11711 (1817-1897)
Spouses
Notes for Spencer Langton HOLLAND

From a posting on Ancestry .co.uk

A Generous Man

I thought villagers might like to know a little more about someone who was very generous with his time and money to many local people, particularly the young. He died over 70 years ago but we are still benefiting from his thoughtfulness. His name was Spencer Langton Holland and he was born in July 1855 in a village near Stratford in Warwickshire. His was a wealthy family of private means and Spencer was the youngest of at least 6 children. Soon afterwards the family moved nearer to London, to Ham in Surrey and from there to Wandsworth, with lots of servants.

By 1881 young Spencer was a student of law at one of the Inns of Court but by 1891 he was back home with his parents, practising as a barrister. Later that same year he married Harriet Alice Isaac in Shifnal, Shropshire. Harriet too was a member of a large family and a vicar’s daughter. By 1901 the couple were living in Kensington where Spencer was described as a barrister and solicitor. He maintained a keen interest in the church as well as the law and wrote several learned tomes on this subject. His brother, Henry Scott Holland, was ordained as a clergyman in the Church of England and Viviane Bryant suggests that it may have been he who instigated a move to Hertfordshire.

The couple, who do not appear to have had any surviving children moved to Potten End around 1910 to live at ‘Crossways’, then a new house, in Little Heath Lane. He may still have been a partner in a legal practice in London because it was his wife’s name that appeared in the telephone directories. He was a church warden and treasurer as well as a well known figure in Berkhamsted, chairman of the Rural District Council and a governor of Berkhamsted School. To quote Viviane Bryant: “There were few in Potten End who had not cause to be grateful to him: he showed a generous concern for the village school; leisure and housing were other areas marked by his open-handedness. A rich man by the standards of the early 20th century, he used his wealth in countless personal kindnesses, particularly to young people.”

Spencer himself was a cellist and he and his wife were both dedicated musicians who helped the village school to win a cup 3 times at music festivals. The school had no proper playground until Mr. Holland bought the land for the Sports Field and Recreation Ground and presented them to the village in 1929. The village children wrote him ‘thank-you’ letters and cleared the area of litter ready for their recreational activities. He and another kind lady paid for the swings and see-saw which were installed at that time.

Spencer Holland died in 1936 and his widow continued his support for the community. He is buried in the churchyard of Holy Trinity Church.
Last Modified 5 Aug 2013Created 4 Mar 2023 using Reunion for Macintosh