Sawtry History
This Month's Feature
The Burton Family and Burtons Drapers
In the 1800's and early 1900's there were several Drapers in Sawtry. Some of these shops sold solely clothing and haberdashery and some were Drapers & Grocers, a more general store. They sold a variety of goods including food as well. Most things were found in local shops in the 1800's and not many people needed to venture to the larger market towns unless they were taking things to market. There had been a shop here since the late 1700's when it was owned by Thomas and Sarah Prior. The picture below of Burtons Drapers opposite the Green, taken from the Sawtry CCAN website,dated 1910, the Burtons owned the drapers shop since the early 1800's. On the 1881 census there were two other drapers shops in Sawtry in addition to Burtons. Claysons, run by sisters Anna and Kate Clayson opposite on the Green where Thomas Morris Estate Agents used to be and of course there was Lane and Westerman down Green End Road where John Greens shop now is.
Burtons Drapers from 1841
Lane & Westerman Drapers now John Greens Stores, previously the site of the Post Office in more recent times
The Post Office on the Green in 1909 with Sub Post Mistress Laura Parsons standing at the door . Next to her, Claysons Drapers and Provisions.
The family consisted of William Burton and his wife Ann. William was born in Dry Drayton, Cambridgeshire around 1811, although the birthplace is not confirmed as it only said "Out of County" meaning out of Huntingdonshire, on the census form, I did find another record which seems to point to that as the birthplace. His wife Ann was born in St Ives, Huntingdonshire about 1804 They had several children Jane b 1835, John b 1836, Jabez b 1839, Samuel b 1841, Mary b 1842, Lydia b 1844 and Henry b 1845 who were all born in Sawtry St Andrews. On the 1841 Census of Sawtry it shows William Burton as a 30 year old grocer and draper and Ann who was 35, living "at the end of Back Street" the old name for Church Street. Their last child was born in 1845. By the 1851 census it shows Annie as a 47 year old widow. I believe that the family were then living in the house that is attached to the shop. She continued the business with the help of her children. By 1861 at the age of 24 her eldest son John, who was unmarried, was running the business. In 1860, Annie's third eldest child Jabez emigrated to New Zealand at the age of 21 and is featured on the "In Focus" page as a notable person of Sawtry. There were one or two local landmarks named after the Burtons that are still there today. To the right of the Drapers shop in the picture is an opening to a pathway that was a shortcut up to Belgrave Square that brought you out onto Gidding Road, where the Ex Serviceman's Club is, which
was known as Burtons Jetty, although the locals always pronounced it "Jitty".
The two red brick cottages on Green End Road that sit next to the Fire Station in Sawtry, were once known as Burton Villas, however it is not known when the Cottages got that name. I would assume that one of the Burton family lived there after they got married. The Sawtry Post Office was situated there in one of the Cottages at one time and the family that ran the Post Office lived in the other one. John Burton was also the local registrar in 1910. The Post Office has been in several places over the years in Sawtry. From where it was situated at Burton Villas, it then moved to the buildings that sit on the Green as in the picture above. In later years it was incorporated into The Drapers shop.. Lamberts owned the Drapers and Grocers after the Burtons, in the 1900's and other owners of the Shop was Lillian Siggers in the 1950's and the Hoskins in the 1970's, who bought the shop from Miss Siggers when she retired . The Drapers Shop on the High Street has always been a big part of the Sawtry landscape and a well known local landmark. It has also been a Bed and Breakfast. It is now a private residence.