William Chaulk was christened on 21 August 1831 at
Great Haseley, Oxfordshire. He was the son of
William Chaulk and
Ann Cottrell. He appeared on the
1841 Census and
William Chaulk,
Mary Gurden,
Anna Maria Chaulk and
John Chaulk were living in the same household; William (Snr) the head is described as an ag. lab. On rear of photo of Haseley Court, chess board garden it says started by great grandfather Chaulk who was a gardener there. This may refer to William. The owners of the house (in 1998) stated they believed the garden was planted about 1850.
A book on the gardens of England refers to the chess board garden - "In 1542 the historian John Leland recorded that, `At Little Haseley master Barentyre hath a right fair mansion place and marvellous fair walkes, topiarii operis, and orchards and ponds. ' The trees of the present topiary were planted in 1850 and the records of a past owner refer to their being clipped into shapes around 1900. Fifty-five years later when Mrs Lancaster took on the property it was virtually derelict. The house was a shambles thanks to the troops billeted there during the war, and the gardens overgrown. Curiously, the topiary, though choked with weeds, was perfectly clipped thanks to the attentions of an old gentleman who bicycled over each season from Great Haseley to give his `kings and queens' as he called them, all the attention they deserved." He married
Mary Thorn, daughter of
John Thorn and
(?) (?), on 20 October 1855 at
Parish Church, Haseley, Oxfordshire, and the ceremony was witnessed by
Alfred Quaterman and
Elizabeth East; William described himself as a labourer and Mary a servant. At the time of Henry's birth William was a farm labourer. He appeared on the
1861 Census in
Great Haseley, Oxfordshire, and
Mary Thorn,
Elizabeth (Bess) Chaulk,
Thomas Chaulk and
Henry Chaulk were living in the same household; William the head was described as an ag. lab. He appeared on the
1881 Census in
Great Haseley, Oxfordshire, and
Mary Thorn,
Ellen Chaulk,
Ann Chaulk,
Mary (Polly) Chaulk and
Alice Chaulk were living in the same household; William the head is described as a carter. Alice is described as grandaughter born Thame. He appeared on the
1901 Census in
Little Haseley, Oxfordshire, and
Mary Thorn were living in the same household; William was described as a gardener domestic and his wife Mary as a Laundress Wash. He was buried on 20 November 1908 at
St Peters Church, Great Haseley, Oxfordshire.