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Epsom and Ewell - American Connections
Some of the earliest Americans came from Ewell. In 1634 Christopher Foster left for the New World with his family - Rebecca aged 4, Nathaniel aged 2 and John who had been born that year. Later in 1682 George Palmer of Nonsuch left for America, taking ship on the Ann Catherine. Although he died on the voyage, his sons George, John, Thomas and William survived, along with their sister Eleanor. They purchased land in Pennsylvania from William Penn and settled there. In 1624, Sir George Calvert was created Baron of Baltimore in Ireland. He was granted part of Newfoundland, and tried to settle it, but was forced out by the French. He travelled to Virginia to see if it was possible to take up a grant of land there, but died before he could settle it. His son took up the grant and named the area Maryland in honour of the Queen of Charles I. His grandson, the third Lord Baltimore owned much property and land in Epsom. He lived at Woodcote Park (now the RAC golf club) and was Lord of the Manor of Horton. Amongst his official posts, he was Gentleman of the Bedchamber to Frederick, Prince of Wales, who lived for a time at Durdans: and he was also one of the MPs for Surrey. The fourth Lord Baltimore, who also lived at Woodcote Park, is buried at St Martins Church in Epsom. The Baltimore gave their name to the great American city of the same name. Only four hours' drive from Washington in the State of Maryland lies the small village of Ewell. It is one of the settlements on Smith Island, in Chesapeake Bay. For more than a century crab fishing has been the lifeblood of this community, but in 1995 restrictions placed on fishing, as the crabs were almost extinct. The restrictions soon forced local fishermen into debt and many local families are leaving the island. At the same time, a new visitor's centre is being built at a cost of £200,000 to present the island's history. The irony is not lost on the local fishermen, who believe there will shortly be no more history to document. Col Thomas Glyn of the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards is buried in the churchyard of St Marys, Ewell. He began his service in the American War of Independence. This was in 1776, at a time when the British Army was doing well at the Battles of Brooklyn and White Plains. By 1793 he had returned to Europe to take part in the Flanders campaign. The French revolutionary government was short of money and so attacked the Netherlands with an eye on Amsterdam's banks. Col Glyn and his foot guards fought what has been described as a brilliant engagement against a superior enemy at Lincelles. His relative, Major Richard Lewen Glyn of 81st Regiment of Foot Guards, died at St Domingo in 1795: this was on what is now the island of Haiti. He was in an engagement against a French force as part of a long running battle for France's West Indian colonies. The turn of the century saw almost an invasion of English racing by Americans. In 1900 five of the top ten jockeys were Americans. Some of them came to race, some were only interested in arranging large betting coups by doping horses. Lester Reiff, an American jockey, won the 1901 Derby after a very roughly ridden race. He was disliked by English jockeys for his combination of skill and dishonesty which made him a formidable opponent. Finally he had his licence withdrawn late in 1901, after stopping a horse in a race at Newmarket. In 1907 the Derby was won by Orby, a horse owned by an Irish American, Richard Croker. It was reckoned that 'Boss' Croker had made his money from racketeering and was boss of the powerful Tammany cartel in New York. Orby was the first Irish horse to win the Derby. One Irish lady told Croker's trainer, 'Thank God and you, sir, we have lived to see a Catholic horse win the Derby'. STEWART GRANGER was born James Lablanche Stewart in 1913 in London. He went to Epsom College and hoped to become a doctor, but on reaching pre-medical school he followed the advice of a friend (Michael Wilding) to take up acting instead. He attended the Webber Douglas School for Dramatic Arts in London. During the War he served in the Army and in 1942 was invalided out and joined the film industry. Because of his dashing looks he always landed the leading romantic roles. In the 50s he went to Hollywood under a contract with MGM and in 1956 became an American citizen. Amongst his most memorable films are King Solomon's Mines (1950), Scaramouche (1952), The Prisoner of Zenda (1952), Beau Brummel (1954), Bhowani Junction (1956), The Hound of the Baskervilles (1972) and The Wild Bees (1978). JULIA ORMOND is one of the favourites to assume Julia Roberts' 'Top Female Box Office' mantle. Born in Epsom, she found fame and fortune later than most actresses at 31. Starring in films like Legends of the Fall and First Knight, she stepped into Audrey Hepburn's shoes for a remark of Sabrina. She has gone on from acting to directing/writing and producing and has her own production company, which has been commissioned by Harold Printer to adapt a Karen Blixen short story for the big screen. She has also been named as one of the most beautiful people in the world. ALEX KINGSTON, former pupil of Rosebery School in Epsom, first made a big impact on the small screen as Moll Flanders. She has appeared in many other programmes including Grange Hill, The Bill and Crocodile Shoes, as well as appearing in films like The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover and Carrington. After Moll Flanders appeared on American TV, Hollywood called. She starred in Weapons of Mass Self-Destruction, which led to a leading role in the worldwide popular hospital drama ER. OLIVER REED, born Robert Oliver Reed in Wimbledon in 1938, attended Ewell Castle School. He was the nephew of the famous director Sir Carol Reed. Prior to going into the movies, he had worked as a nightclub bouncer, boxer, and cab driver as well as doing his military service in 1960 in the Medical Corps. Oliver Reed started his acting career playing bullies and villains because of his powerful brutal looks. But gradually he progressed to leading roles of a more romantic nature. In the early 60s, through his collaboration with Ken Russell in Women In Love (1969) and The Devils (1971), he became something of a heart-throb. His other best-remembered films are Hannibal Brooks (1968), Oliver (1968), The Three Musketeers (1973) and The Black Arrow (1986).
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