For an agricultural village such as Foxearth which had
witnessed the tragic fiasco of the Swing riots23, the
dwindling dominance of the land owner and his old-
fashioned arrogance was to be celebrated.

read  by  Mr  J.C.  Lambert.  The  choir  sang  the  Nunc  Dimitis
and  Mr C Sillitoe played the Dead March from  Saul as  the

cortege left the church.
The   mourners   were   Mrs   Oakley,   Mrs   Youngman   from

Walsham Le Willows; Mr David Ward, Miss Ward [sic], Miss
Winifred Ward; Master  Bernard Ward, Master Harold Ward

Now fresh employment prospects introduced new and
higher standards of pay and afforded people dignity. By the
close of the century and the end of Victoria’s reign, the old
patterns of village life were breaking under the strain, and
would soon be swept away.

and Martin  Bailey, Cambridge; Mr T Leggart, Mr  Farrance
the Haverhill  agent  and  the brewery staff  and  employees.  A

number of  parishioners  also attended. Mr  Rice of Cavendish
was amongst those present. The panelled oak coffin bore  the
following inscription and breast plate:

The opening years of the twentieth century (there was
much debate as to whether it began on 1 January 1900 or
1901) brought the widespread use by the better-off of
electricity, telegrams, automobiles and many other luxury
items. The village saw the infancy of mass communication
in 1901 when the brewery’s first telegram arrived from
Long Melford announcing the death of Queen Victoria.

In Loving Memory of Charlotte Ward
Who died Feb 25th 1902
Aged 78 years  

Two years into the new century on February 28 1902,
Charlotte Ward died after a short illness. She was seventy
eight. Her death, fittingly at the Brewery House (where the
offices stand today), was keenly felt - surely more so than
the prosaic voice of the South West Suffolk Echo makes out:

Charlotte was buried in Foxearth churchyard next to the
grave of her late husband George and her nephew George
Ward Miller (a former brewery worker) who had died from
typhoid in 1899 aged twenty four and whom Charlotte had
adopted.

The funeral of Mrs Ward (widow of the late George Ward and
mother of Mr David Ward) whose death occurred on Tuesday

His mother’s death must have had a powerful and
profound effect on David especially as his own wife Louisa
was seriously ill with cancer and would die from the
disease two years later, aged 48.

at  the  Brewery  House,  took  place  on  Friday  afternoon.  The
deceased  lady  was  one  of  the  oldest  parishioners,  and  until

five years ago was associated with the firm of Ward and Son.
The   Service   throughout   was    conducted   by   the   Rector,
Reverend W.J. Pressey.

He had good cause to look back over his parent’s past
achievements  with  a  certain  degree  of  pride  and
satisfaction.  People  from  a  modest  background  had
somehow turned from being small-time brewers into
running one of the most modern breweries in East Anglia,
if not the country.

Before its commencement Mr C Sillitoe who took the place of
Mr David Ward on the organ played O Rest In The Lord. The
hymns  sung  were  A  Few  More  Years  Shall  Roll  and  Abide

Now David was in charge of shaping a flourishing,
successful business that was proving itself against fierce
opposition. Indeed, in the early 1900s almost every village
had its own brewery supplying the local pub trade - Long

fuelled by desperation at low living standards, low wages and
underemployment caused by a stagnant demand for labour but a
rapidly increasing population.