PALEY, William Victor
William Victor Paley was born at Freckenham, Mildenhall, Suffolk on 21 November 1840, son of Revd George Barber Paley (1799-15 February 1880), rector of Freckenham, and his wife Catherine Anne née Robertson (c.1804-25 December 1878), who married at St Michael's Church, Bath on 18 May 1837. In 1851, William was a 10-year-old, living at Pelham Place North, Kensington, London with his parents, George 51 and Catherine 46, and siblings George Arthur 13, Beatrice 8, Clara 5 and Rose 2, all born at Freckenham and in 1861, William, his parents and some of his sibling applied for travel documents. William married at St Margaret's Westminster Abbey on 27 July 1869, Augusta Harriet Nepean (26 May 1840-7 June 1937), daughter of Revd Evan Nepean (1800-1873) and Anne Jenner (c1809-1871). In 1871, they were living with his father at Church Lane, Freckenham, a 30-year-old 'living on dividend & interest', with his 30-year-old wife Augusta Harriet, siblings John 31 and Clara Catherine 25 and other visitors. By 1881, William was living at The Dell, Freckenham with his 40-year-old wife and two children, Ione Catherine Victoria 10, and George 9. William regularly exhibited at the Bury St Edmunds Fine Art Society including in 1881 'Going Home' and 'A Peaceful Day' and in 1882 two oil paintings 'A Boathouse' and 'Far from the Madd[en]ing Crowd'. By 1891 they had moved to Brook House, Lenoard Street, Horringer, Bury St Edmund's, where they kept six servants, when young George was a 'gentleman cadet in the marines' but as Major Paley was killed in action at Ypres on 31 October 1914. By then the family had returned to live at The Dell, from where William built Freckenham House and was the principal landowner & farmer. William Victor Paley died at Freckenham House, Soham, Suffolk on 9 April 1925, aged 81 and where his wife Augusta died in 1937.