1.  SIR SAMUEL MORTON PETO     

 

Peto  was born at Whitmore house, Sutton, nr. Woking, on August 4th. 1809. As a young man he was apprenticed in his Uncle's building firm. He eventually inherited this with his cousin, and they formed a partnership for some years called Peto and Grissell. In 1831 he married his cousin's sister, Mary, eldest daughter of Thomas De La Garde Grissell. The building partnership took on many substantial enterprises. Included were the Houses of Parliament*3, the House of Lords, the Victoria Hall, and many railways. The railways in particular were a high risk business, and sometimes there were great delays in payment, and although they always in fact made money, the partners separated, as Grissell did not like the risks involved.  Peto's second wife was Sarah Ainsworth, daughter of Henry Kelsall of Rochdale. They married 12/7/1843.

 

Peto became much involved in building the Eastern railways, stations such as Reading station, the Folkestone viaduct (over which I travelled daily to school at Dover College), and railways in Canada, Portugal, Denmark, and other countries. He remodelled Lowestoft harbour and the esplanade.

 

Peto purchased the Somerleyton Estate from  Lord Sidney Godolphin Osborne, inherited from his uncle, Rev.G.Anguish, and had the hall rebuilt and the gardens substantially laid out by Thomas, who had worked for him at Buckingham palace and the houses of parliament. The village was set out as a model village.   He decided to part with the hall in 1860, when he had really no alternative due to great financial difficulties, and was forced to resign his seat in parliament‑ he was M.P. for Norwich. After this he moved away and spent some time in the united states. He returned to England and eventually died on Nov.13th.1889. He was buried in the churchyard at Pembury.         (ref. Chown J.R., "Sir Morton Peto, A Memorial Sketch").

 

*3 Architect- Pugin.