Harriet Parker Wren and Josiah Wren

a Hertford family

Harriet and Josiah Wren
Josiah and Leslie

Harriet Parker Wren and Josiah Wren from Ware at an earlier time in their life, but I have no information as to where this was taken. It seems very informal photo. Harriet appears to be holding a parasol.

The event where Josiah Wren is surrounded by Ladies shows his son Leslie Josiah seated cross legged in short trousers. He was born in around 1910, so the picture may have been taken mid-1920’s.

Josiah and Harriet eventually moved to Hertford to set up a bakery business.

This page was added on 30/10/2009.

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  • Josiah and Harriet are related to me Pamela Wren my father Frederick Wren

    By Pamela West (05/02/2024)
  • Josiah Wren was a distant relative of mine. Orphaned at the age of seven he spent his childhood with various aunts and uncles, all of whom seem to have been in the fish trade. In 1884 he began an interesting phase of his life travelling all over the world as a cabin boy on sailing ships. He jumped ship in Australia in 1887, living there for a few years. Upon his return to England he worked as a farmhand for his brother-in-law Dan Hankin at Chaldeans Farm, Much Hadham and then as a book keeper for my great-great-grandfather for a few years before starting his bakery shop at 3 Ware Road, Hertford in 1897. He spent forty years as a councillor on Hertford council where he played a large part in the provision of decent housing and the demolition of the slums. He was elected Mayor in 1924. He later wrote a book ‘Round the World in a Windjammer’ in which he detailed the adventures of his early life (and provided me with plenty of information for my family tree). He died in 1946. The first picture is interesting as he and Harriet would appear to be sitting on a reinforced concrete structure that has been knocked about quite considerably and I wonder if he might be visiting the WW1 battlefields but the only holiday mentioned in his book is one to Stratford-upon Avon.

    By Chris Page (04/08/2013)
  • Josiah Wren actually took over an existing bakery run by Mr W Westwood in Ware Road. In fact the bakery is still there; it’s now Simmon’s.

    By Mike Westwood (19/01/2010)