The History of Crick House, Bicester (Oxfordshire)

Crick House is located on Church Street, Bicester, and was built circa the late 17th or early 18th century, although it was remodelled during the 19th century.

In February 1904, an inquest was held at the nearby Six Bells Inn concerning the death of Vera Grimsley Smith - the infant daughter of Mr Sydney Frederick Smith of Crick House. After reviewing the medical evidence given by Dr Cecil Hendriks, as well as testimony provided by local chemist Mr Mountain, the jury returned a verdict of 'death from narcotic poison'; it transpired that the child's mother had purchased cough mixture from Mr Mountain, who had advised her to give little Vera just 10 drops of the syrup (which contained laudanum/opium).

The mother swore that she had heeded the chemist's advice, but as Dr Hendriks stated, "it was a difficult thing to know how much a child could stand", and that Vera may have been "extraordinarily sensitive to opium". The parents were not charged, as it seemed to have been a genuine (albeit tragic) accident.

By 1909, Crick House was owned by a Mrs Haylock - in February of that year, the Bicester Herald reported that Miss Ann Langton (sister of Mrs Haylock) had died in the property, aged 91 years. Ann and her sister were daughters of Mr Thomas Langton, and they were "of a very old and well-known family". The Langtons were originally from Whitton, Northamptonshire, but Ann came to Bicester to live with her sister "many years prior to her death", and it was remarked that "she was a somewhat remarkable lady, for despite her age she possessed all her faculties to the last". Her cause of death was attributed to cerebral haemorrhage, although she had only suffered for around 36 hours before finally succumbing.

In 1912, it was reported that Crick House - "the property of the late Miss Clara Langton", presumably a relative of the aforementioned Ann Langton and Mrs Haylock - was bought by Mr W. E. Pankhurst for the sum of £230; Mr Pankhurst had already agreed a lease on the property before deciding to purchase, paying rent of £18 per annum. 

In the 1920's/30's, several generations of the Coles family resided at the property.

(Photograph courtesy of British Listed Buildings).

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