Famous people from Waterlooville and Purbrook: 5 you should know
A countess whose life inspired a novel, a painter of a famous death, a general of the Somme, an MP and a Victoria Cross winner.
Notable people with documented links to Purbrook and Waterlooville include Mary Eleanor Bowes, Countess of Strathmore, who lived at Purbrook Park after 1792; painter George W. Joy; Major General Edward Ingouville-Williams; MP Jon Cruddas; and Victoria Cross winner James Masterson.
The best-known person connected to this corner of Hampshire is probably Mary Eleanor Bowes, Countess of Strathmore, whose life inspired a Thackeray novel. Wikipedia says that after 1792 she "lived quietly in Purbrook Park". She is one of five people with Wikipedia pages and a documented link to Purbrook and Waterlooville.
Mary Eleanor Bowes, Countess of Strathmore
According to her Wikipedia entry, her life inspired Thackeray's The Luck of Barry Lyndon, a story Thackeray heard from her grandson John Bowes in 1841. Westminster Abbey calls her an ancestress of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. We haven't said where she died, because sources disagree: one puts it at Purbrook Park, others at Christchurch.
George W. Joy, painter
George W. Joy (1844 to 1925) was born in Dublin. His best-known work is The Death of General Gordon, Khartoum, 26 January 1885, painted in 1893 and held in Leeds. Wikipedia says he retired to Purbrook and died there on 28 October 1925. That is the only source we found for the Purbrook link, so we offer it as reported.
"Inky Bill", the general
Edward Ingouville-Williams was born in Purbrook on 13 December 1861. He became a Major General commanding the 34th Division and was killed by shrapnel on 22 July 1916 on the Somme. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the Western Front Association confirm the death date and rank, and the WFA confirms the birth date. His nickname, "Inky Bill", comes from Wikipedia alone.
Jon Cruddas, MP
Jon Cruddas attended Oaklands RC Comprehensive School in Waterlooville. He was Labour MP for Dagenham from 2001 to 2010, and then for Dagenham and Rainham from 2010 to 2024, according to Wikipedia. He was born in Helston in Cornwall, so he is a local by schooling, not by birth, and the schooling detail comes from a single source.
James Masterson VC
James Edward Ignatius Masterson won the Victoria Cross at Wagon Hill, Ladysmith, on 6 January 1900. Wikipedia says he settled in Waterlooville in 1902, "latterly resided" there for over 30 years and died there on 24 December 1935. His great-grandfather, Sergeant Patrick Masterson of the 87th Foot, captured a French eagle at Barossa in 1811. That is a nice echo, since Waterlooville takes its name from the Heroes of Waterloo inn, established in 1815, according to Wikipedia and localhistories.org.
Who we left out
Several names looked promising but were too uncertain to include. The drummer Michael Giles is said by Wikipedia to have been born in Waterlooville, but other sources say Bournemouth. Referee Rob Styles is said by Wikipedia to have been born here too, and there are other names with thinner sourcing.
Follow Waterlooville.co on Facebook for a new local story every day.
Share this article