poppies

The Beavers of Oakham

There were eight men from Rutland called Beaver who all died in the First World War. Most were from Oakham, and all of them were related to each other. That’s because many of the Beavers who still live around the county are descended from John Beaver who set up home in Oakham in 1598. He had ten children, of whom four died in infancy. The rest remained in the area and had their children.

John is the 9x great grandfather of Shane Beaver who has researched the family history “My Family and other animals – the Beavers of Oakham”.  His work has shown that seventeen members of the Beaver family died in the First World War, including the eight from Rutland. Some of the men were related very closely – including an uncle and nephew of the same name who both died. Private Albert Beaver was the youngest of ten children – and his oldest brother, William named his one of his children after his brother. That nephew, Stoker Albert Beaver, enlisted at just 17 years old and also died.