1 - Day One Hester Bankruptcy Hearing

On the first day of the hearing Frederick Hester was being questioned by Mr Chapman, Official Receiver.

Mr.Chapman:    When did you first begin to buy land at Canvey Island?

FH:                         1900 or 1901.

Mr Chapman:    1899 was it not?

FH:                         Yes somewhere about it.

Mr C:                     What capital had you then?

FH:                         When I started at Canvey Island there was about £2,000 in one or another securities and other things.

Mr C:                     What were the securities?

FH:                         It would be in house property and land and interest in it.

Mr C:                     You mean to say you sold your securities and realised £2,000 for them since?

FH:                         I cannot say exact by how much I have realised on them. I may have had more from all I know. I cannot tell you what it was I cannot tell you this amount. I have not thought of it.

Mr C:                     Have they not been realised?

FH:                         Most of them.

Mr C:                     Some part of your estate now consists of property that you had before you began buying land at Canvey Island.

FH:                         Yes one item £460.

Mr C: That is all?

FH:                         Yes.

Mr C:                    The rest of your property you have realised for cash?

FH:                         Yes I believe so.

Mr C:                     Is it a fact?

FH:                         Yes I have sold them and realised money.

Mr C:                     I suppose when you began to buy land at Canvey Island you had to borrow money for the purpose of buying it?

FH:                         Not at first.

Mr C:                     How much did you buy?

FH:                         The first section… the first lot I think was £200 or £400 worth.

Mr C:                     What amount of land did that represent?

FH:                         I could not tell you, the first contract was for £3,000, the first contract at Canvey Island.

Me C:    What amount of acreage did that represent?

FH:                         About 36 acres I should think.

The Registrar:    Was this at Canvey Island?

FH:                         Canvey Island – Yes.

Mr C:                     Do I understand you to say that you did not carry out the contract that you took up part of it?

FH:                         I took it up in sections that was part of the contract to take it up in sections as I wanted.

Mr C:                     According to your means.

FH:                         Yes as the money came in.

Mr C:                     Did you take up each section, lay it out and develop it?

FH:                         The roads were generally made and the plots pegged out. The land was cleared and so we went on from one estate to another.

Mr C:                     How much have you cleared in this way?

FH:                         I cannot say the number of acres.

Mr C:                     How much should you think?

FH:                         Oh 400 or 500 or 600 acres is may amount to.

This is just part of the transcript. You can click on the copies below to read more. Additional pages/days will be published shortly.