1908 - This was the year in which the Victoria County History was published. In Vol. 2, p.323 it says the following: "The hamlet of Leverstock is in the north of Abbots Langley, and a small group of cottages called Trowley Bottom lies 1/2 mile S.E. of the church. There are some isolated farm houses."
VCH also comments on p.392 of Vol. 2 that
" The Westwick estate, which is now included in Gorhambury, comprises the greater part of the west side of the parish (presumably the parish of St. MIchaels,) and Westwick Row is a small and scattered hamlet lying along each side of a street called Westwick Row about 3/4 of a mile in length and contains some interesting old plaster houses." [VCH, 2 p.323]
The legacy of Nathaniel Wishart bequeathed in 1900, was represented by consols costing £497 3s in the name of the Rev. A. Durrant( vicar ) and Messers Arthur Seabrook and William Charles Child the Churchwardens. [VCH vol. 2 p.230 ]
Chambersbury manor was owned by John Dickinson; the manor house was a white farm house at the end of Chambersbury Lane, close to Holy Trinity Church. [ VCH vol...2. p.326 ] ( This statement needs verifying in view of the fact that Kelley's Directory gives Thomas Dickinson as one of the principle landowners in the village - having inherited from his father. Presumably the discrepancy lies in where the respective volumes got their information from. It seems more likely that it was Thomas Dickinson who now owned Chambersbury manor, though it was apparently let to Joseph Bailey.)
1908 - The entry for Kelly's Directory for this year shows that the value of the living at Holy Trinity had gone down to £240 from £271 in 1902. Thomas Dickinsons was now resident in London rather than at Apsley, and was still a principal landowner in the village.
One of the main changes shown this year was the increase in the number of principal residents. They were as follows:
Joseph Bailey, Chambersbury Mrs. Bessant
Rev. Arthur Durrant 
Bonamy Panmure Eykyn
James Hamilton, Jeanettes George B. Houghton, Cox Pond
There was a new sub-postmaster in the person of James Hallet, who was also a grocer, presumably combining the two occupations. Post was now more frequent, arriving at 7.30.a.m. & 6 p.m., and being dispatched at 9 a.m. & 6.30 p.m., in addition the wall letter box at Bennetts End was now cleared twice a day.
The National School was now called The Public Elementary School, and was still run by Mr. & Mrs. Ford. Attendance had improved to an average of 120. George Doggett was still the Parish Clerk. A new official ,however representing the County Constabulary, was the village bobby, Constable Charles Huckle.
Principal changes in the commercial sector involved William Walter Sears giving up the post office in order to become a builder, and a new Smith in the person of Arthur George Mears R.S.S. The commercial list was as follows:
Jsph. Bailey farmer. Chambersbury Fred. Chas. Boatwright, beer retailer
William Charles Child, brick maker Thos. Childs, frmr, North End Farm
Sidney Clemow, poultry farmer Walter Stephen Cook, shoe maker
Thos. Daniel Cox, apartments George and Herbert Finch, frmrs, Corner Fm.
Percy Garratt, beer retailer James Hallett, grocer,&
Thomas Perkins, beer retailer Arthur Seabrook, Leather Bottle & shpkpr.
Arth.Geo.Seabrook, boot & shoe mkr. William Walter Sears, builder
John Smith, beer retailer Mrs. Eliz. Timson, Red Lion P.H.
William Robert Wright, wheelwright
Saturday 11th January 1908 - the following advert appeared in the Hemel Hempstead Gazette for a forthcoming fundraising entertainment:
Wednesday 15th January 1908 - Members of the Leverstock Green community put on an entertainment in Hemel Hempstead in aid of the parish room fund. The Gazette gave a long write up about the event the following Saturday ( a full transcript of which is available) from which it could be ascertained that "........The fund previous to last Wednesday stood at something like £118 and it is anticipated that ere long definite steps will be taken towards the erection of the Parish Hall........."
The second half of the entertainment consisted of a c comedy entitled "My Preserver" by H.T.Craven. The dramtis personae were as follows:-
Enoch Mallable Esq (an old bachelor) - Mr. E. Thomas
William Bury ( a professional countryman) - Mr. C. Moore
Dr. Padsford - Mr. Lane
Hillberry, (a ploughman) - Mr. J.H.Kirby
Philip, (a waiter) - Mr. G.F.Secker
Estelle Fitzwater - Miss Cox
Mary Walker ( her maid) - Miss H. Balderson
Dolly (a country girl) - Miss. D. Woodman
Mrs. Banter (a widow) - Miss M. Balderson
Miss Banter (her daughter) - Miss D. Cox
[Gazette 18th January 1908]
24th January 1908 - The Gazette gave a very lengthy 3000+ word report on political speaches given by the Earl of Verulam, Mr. Hildred Carlisle(MP for Mid Hertfordshire) and Mr. Arnold Ward in support of the Conservative and Unionist Party. The speaches were given to a packed schoolroom with the Earl of Verulam presiding.. [Gazette 25th January 1908]
25th January 1908 - The Gazette reported the following case from the recent sitiing of the St. Albans'Crown Court:
KEEN v PLOWMAN
Walter Keen, Butcher of High Street Hemel Hempstead sued Samuel Plowman of Woodside
1 Leverstock Green for £6 6s 1d.Mr. T. Penny Solicitor of Berkhamsted appeared for the plantiff,
and said the account was for meat supplied.Plaintiff said that the account had never been disputed.
He drove too and from the railway station in a respectable trap and went to London every day.
His position seemed to be agood one.An order was made for payment in 14 days.
[Gazette 25th January 1908]
Friday 21st February - "A dance organised by Mrs. Ford was held in the schoolroom, Leverstock Green from 8pm to 1 am.....and proved most succesful. Some 50 persons were present and a good programme of dances was gone through. Messrs Bernard Cox and W.A. Seabrook kindly officiated at the piano, the duties of MC devolvong on Mr. G D Little. The profits, amounting to £1 were handed over to the committtee of the Parish Room Fund." [Gazette 29th February 1908]
28th March 1908 - The Hemel Hempstead Gazette featured the following:
"LEVERSTOCK GREEN PARISH HALL FUND: Mrs. Cox and her talented friends have a gaina substantially increased the funds by the handsome sum of £11 0s 6d, the proceeds of the successful concert recently given at St. Mary's Hall. [Gazette 28/3/1908]
11th April 1908 - A Conservative & Unionist van visited the village and the speaker in charge held a succesful meeting on the green. [Gazette 18/4/1908]
Monday 20th April 1908 - The Easter Vestry of Holy Trinity Church was held in the schoolroom. "There were present: the Vicar, The Rev. ~Arthur Durrant, Messrs Child & Seabrook (churchwardens), J. Bailey Snr, J.K.Hart, P.Webster, Wright, Woodwards, WW Sears, F. Dell, G. Doggett, W. Dell. The churchwardnes' accounts showed a balance in hand after expenditure for the year of £49 3s 9d. All the retiring officers were re-elected." [Gazette 25/4/1908]
Saturday 25th April 1908 A field meeting of the Herts. Natural History Society was held at Bennetts End and Leverstock Green. The report on the meeting read as follows:
"This meeting also was under the direction of Mr. Whitaker and was chiefly attended by members of the Geologists Association. Sir John Evans had intended to act as one of the Directors, but he was prevented by illness which proved fatal on the 31st May.
The weather was not propitious, snow having fallen heavily in the morning, and also on the previous day. As the writer was not present, the following particulars are taken form the Director's report in the `Proceedings of the Geologists' Association' (vol...xx, pp.504-505)
At Bennett's End the Acorn brickfield, west of the hamlet, was visited, and a section a little south-east of the buildings exposed the loamy basement-bed of the London Clay, with two layers of pebbles, but without shells, in vertical junction with the grey and mottled clay of the Reading Beds. This indication of disturbance, with the occurrence of the chalk a few feet off, points to the probability of a fault, such as was seen and figured many years ago in a pit near, now abandoned. The greater part of the pit on the western side of the path westward of the brickyard, showing brown and red bedded loam, somewhat curved and of considerable thickness.
At the Greenfield Brickyard at Leverstock Green the brickearth was again seen. Many large blocks of pudding-stone have been found in it, also long and large flints, some upright. The chalk is reached here, and sometimes Reading sand is seen.
At the Highfield Brickyard, northward of Woodlane End, masses of pebbles were seen in the loam. Here flint implements have been found by Sir John Evans, who adopts Mr. Worthigton Smith's view that the brickearth is a deposit of lucastrine origin.
A walk of about 2 miles through the snow brought the party to Boxmoor, where tea was partaken of at the Railway Hotel. [S228, p. xv]
2nd May 1908 - The landlord of the Leather Bottle featured in the Gazette following a court case the previous week:
"AT ST ALBANS CROWN COURT
A PUBLICAN'S CLAIM
Arthur Seabrook of the Leather Bottle Leverstock Green sued E.E.Shearbun of Buncefield Hemel Hempstead for £9 in respect of goods sold, hire of trap and money lent.
Mr. T. Ottaway, solicitor, of St. Albans appeared for the Plaintiff and asked the defendant how he could pay.
DEF: I am unable to pay at present.
MR. OTTOWAY: What rent do you pay?
DEF: £35 a year.
MR OTTOWAY: You keep a gardener and housekeeper?
DEF: Yes
MR OTTOWAY: Who Pays them?
DEF: My solicitor has got all my affairs in hand and I don't have £1 a week to live on after he has paid other things.
MR OTTOWAY: Where does the money come from?
DEF: It was under my Mother's will. It was a trust legacy.
MR OTTOWAY: How much does it belong to you?
DEF: £3 a week.
MR OTTOWAY: Is that all you get?
DEF: I get fruit, eggs, vegetables etc. but not just at the present time.
MR OTTOWAY: How much is the capital?
DEF: It is £5,000 invested in the Midland & Caledonian Railways. The Midland is 2 ½% and the Caledonian is 4%.
MR. OTTOWAY: I put it to you that this is rather a fairy tale. You say you get £3 a week, and you live in a £35 a year house, keep a gardener and a housekeeper.
DEF:It is not, I have an order against me in the High Court.
MR. OTTOWAY: I believe you can pay if you like.
DEF: No I can't.
An order was made for payment in 25 days. [Gazette May 2nd 1908]
5th May 1908 - A hand-coloured postcard which was posted on the above date, ( postage half-penney!) to a Mrs. Barnes of Cotton End, Bedford, shows Orchard Lea, Leverstock Green. Sitting on the front lawn taking tea under a large parasol were the family, presumably that of Bonomy Panmure Eykyn, and including a small girl, possibly with her Nanny. Sitting in the background of the photo, were possibly the Housekeeper and maid.
This would have been the lawn which fronted onto Tile Kiln Lane. Sadly the house no longer exists, being demolished in the 50's or 60's when the houses at the West end of Tile Kiln Lane were built.
Interestingly, the photograph itself was taken by H.W. Flatt of Boxmoor, and the Postcard was published by J. Hallett, The Post Office Leverstock Green. The inscription on the postcard reads "You will know by this that I am home safe. R.B."
9th May 1908 - The following advert (on next page?) for a then state of the art dairy farm at Bennetts End appeared in the Gazette for the first time, and every week for several weeks.
