Sabin

Barbara Cassidy

My now deceased sister in law Mary Bailey and her husband Freddie lived in Deddington at Bullring Cottage alongside Castle House in the very early 1950s. Mary from Walsall and Freddie from Liverpool.  Freddie was studying at Exeter College, having had his education interrupted by WW2 as so many did and having been a Captain in the guards, tasked with oversight of 10,000 displaced persons in Germany. I can be quite sure of dates as they didn't marry until 1949 and were living in Manchester by 1952. They then had three children, lived in Orissa in India for a time then moved to London and Brighton before finally settling in Del Mar, California in 1974 where Freddie later became Professor Emeritus, Anthropology.

I know they lived in Deddington as my husband John and little sister Eileen used to visit their big sister Mary as children and have told me of the fond memories they have of the village and, in particular, the occupants of Castle House who were Mr and Mrs Philip Sabin. They recall rides in their Rolls Royce, wearing the chauffer's hat and the groom, stables and horses and afternoon tea in the garden on fine days. I understand that there is a gap in local knowledge about who owned Castle House around that time so hope this information helps to piece a fuller timeliness together re the history of that very beautiful house. Family members tell me that Freddie and Mary paid £400 for their cottage. Unthinkable now.