A silver watch and the daring deeds of a brave child from Chippenham

This special silver watch tells the tale of the brave exploits of a ‘plucky’ boy from Chippenham, but without the happy ending

In 1898 Ambrose Neate was presented with this silver watch for bravely attempting to save the life of William Hatherell when he fell into the canal in Chippenham. But what happened to the watch afterwards is another story.

A branch of the Wilts & Berks Canal once came into the centre of Chippenham, with goods unloaded from a wharf where the bus station is today. The arrival of the railway in 1841, led to a decline in trade on canal and it began to be used as a rubbish dump. The canal soon became a notoriously dangerous place, especially if you fell in.

Just such an accident happened on 25 July 1898, when William Hatherell fell into the canal. As a keen swimmer and member of Chippenham Swimming Club, 12-year-old Ambrose Neate dived into the canal to try to save his life.

Sadly, William did not survive. So brave were Ambrose’s actions that the Swimming Club’s secretary, Joseph Buckle, started a collection to raise funds to present him with this watch. Its inscription reads:

‘Presented by many admirers to Ambrose Neate for his plucky attempt to save the life of William Hatherell July 25, 1898’

The watch was presented to Ambrose by the Chippenham’s Mayor, Lionel Hasler Marshall who declared on handing it him:

‘I hope it will keep good time, and if ever you have any doubt as to right or wrong it will remind you to do your duty, so that you will gain the respect of your fellow townsmen’

Later events show Ambrose did not listen to these words. As well as struggling to hold down a job, there is a strong possibility he was a bigamist, who had a second secret family in France. On top of this Ambrose also had a serious gambling problem, and often found himself in debt and in trouble.

It was his family in Chippenham who often had to deal with these threats and pay his debts, including selling off treasured items to raise money. It is possible that either Ambrose himself or his family had to sell the watch to pay a debt. This may explain why this once prized possession ended up with a family on the other side of the country in Essex.