Rob Forsyth
Harry Douglas Hopcraft - always known as Douglas - was born in 1892, the son of Alfred and Edith Hopcraft. The family had been in Deddington since at least 1790 when the first of 55 Hopcraft names are carved on gravestones in the churchyard.
He married Gladys Emily French (1899–1975) in 1921 whose family owned The Orchards on New Street and have a similarly long pedigree in the churchyard dating from the 1700s.
They had a son Donald who died in 1938 aged 14 of polio.
Douglas died on 10 September 1975 aged 83
Military Service
1914-18 He served in the Army as a 2nd Lieutenant, then Captain, with the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, earning an MBE published in the 1919 Birthday Honours.
The 1918 newspaper report of his award (l) reads:"A Captain from the Ranks.—Second Lieutenant Douglas Hopcraft, only son of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Hopcraft, of Deddington, who mobilised with the Oxford and Bucks Territorials on the 4th August, 1914, and served with them on the Western front and obtained a commission in the latter part of last year, and was afterwards drafted to his old regiment and went with them to Italy as a second lieutenant, has recently been raised to the rank of Captain 'for services rendered during the offensive by the Austrians in the middle of June last.' When in a tight corner, his company officers becoming casualties, he took command and succeeded in extricating his company at a critical moment. The promotion bestowed upon Captain Hopcraft is heartily congratulated by his fellow townspeople, who are very proud of the way in which so many of the boys from the old town have shown their mettle in their country's cause."
[pic ROC]1940-45 Royal Observer Corps [insert link]
[Date?]He served as a Magistrate at the local Magistrates' Court which later became the Deddington Library
He was one of the Trustees who officially acquired the former Axle Tree factory for the Deddington Institute in [date?], later the YMCA/Red Triangle Club then the British Legion Hall and Clubhouse.
1955 extract of an article in The Oxford Mail [author?]: "... I found that a hundred years ago there was a Hopcraft stonemason, another Hopcraft a brickmaker, a third an ironmonger and of course a Hopcraft, a builder. There is a stability about Deddington that in this world of constant flux gives me great delight.‘I’d like you to meet my mother,’ said Mr Hopcraft, ‘but she’s upstairs at the moment. She’s 95’. I was by this time getting acclimatised to Deddington. At any moment, I thought I should see Mrs Hopcraft senior come sliding down the bannisters. Mrs Hopcraft junior is one of the leading lights of the very flourishing Lawn Tennis Club.
Mr Hopcraft showed the author the former inn called “The Hole in the Wall,” *pointing out the blocked-up hatch where beer was once passed to customers. The building later served as a residence for several doctors, including Dr Hodges. Dr Hodges' wife wrote the acclaimed first novel Hostages to Fortune under the pen name Elizabeth Cambridge, which was a Book Society choice depicting life in Deddington". [insert link]
* The Mount on Goose Green in which Douglas and Gladys lived
Hopcrafts the Builders
His workshops and yard were on St Thomas Street on the site today (2026) of the local veterinary practice, Hook Norton Vets, and Cox's garage. He also served as the local undertaker, employing specialised tradesmen like joiner Alf Stanley to craft coffins.
Buildings he can be associated with are:
The Spinney, Duns Tew He built this house for his grandfather, Arthur Goundrey.
The Nurseries, Duns Tew: He built this property for his uncle, Edward Goundrey.
Castle View on Goose Green: Deddington: Douglas owned, let and updated this Grade II listed property and its surrounding cottages before conveying it in 1950.
Hopcraft Lane: Because the Hopcraft family were the village’s primary multi-generational stone masons and builders, Hopcraft Lane in Deddington was named in their honour. Many of the brick and stone residential homes lining Hopcraft Lane today were either built by his yard or stand on what was historically family-held land
1940 & 1942 employees [images of account book]