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People involved in the 1935-36 Beeston Castle Well investigationLast updated: 18 Jan 2026
The following list has been compiled using a number of publicly available information sources, including the ICI Winnington well investigators' original logbook & notes, a draft 'time capsule' list of participants that was deposited inside the well in 1936, the 1939 Register (an interim Census completed at the outbreak of WW2), The Internet Archive, The British Newspaper Archive, Kelly's Directory 1934 and other genealogical sources from the Ancestry and FindMyPast web archives.
Handwritten sources will often contain errors and omissions, so some of the names remain uncertain or with minimal detail, whilst others are best guesses using the above sources as a guideline. Birth dates may be estimates based on Census entries, so could be a year or two out. The best clue to confirming names has been to match initials and surnames from the 1935-36 investigation documents with people listed in the 1939 Register as chemical industry employees in the general area of Northwich, or sometimes beyond.
Further background detail about many of the people featured here is already known but has not been featured on this page. The main purpose of this list is to raise awareness of people's involvement in the 1935-36 Beeston Castle Well investigation in the hope of locating further documentary or photographic records about the project. It is not the purpose of this website to try to locate legendary 'lost' treasure in 'secret' tunnels at Beeston Castle(!)
If you recognise a family member from the list of people below and have a story, document(s), or (especially) photos specifically connected with the 1935-36 investigation that you'd like to share please get in touch via our Contact page.
A
'T Alcock' - probably Thomas Chesters Alcock (24 Mar 1908 – 24 Mar 1994)
John Robin Allen (1897 - 1956) Keen local historian, wrote book "Every So Often" c.1940 based on Cheshire Life articles and he featured in BBC Radio broadcasts Country Magazine Sun 30 March 1952, and Country Window around the same time.
George Munro Ashwell (1899 - 1970) - husband of Mabel below
Mabel Dora Ashwell (nee Good) (1901 - 1984)
In 1935 logbook attendance register:
'Aglin' - no further detail known.
B
Arthur Henry Bennett (1900 - 1969) aka 'Doc' Bennett, consultant surgeon to ICI Alkali Division, based at Victoria Hospital Northwich
Frederick Joseph Leigh Bentley (1903 - 1957)
'Bisbrown' - probably Harold (1894 - ) or possibly Thomas (1892 - )? or Eric (1903 - ?
'J L Bratt' - probably John Leslie Bratt (1916 - 1996)
In 1935 logbook attendance register:
'Brown' - possibly Herbert Brown (Feb 1886 - ) who is a likely management candidate. Another manager is the A H Brown who completed a training course at Lostock in 1930, with no further details yet known. Could also be one of a number of local 1930s ICI employees including Thomas (9 Jun 1892 - ), Harold (17 Oct 1894 - ), Eric (1903 -), George H (17 Jan 1891 - ), John H (2 Dec 1892 - ) or William H (24 Jul 1881 - )
C
Albert Callender (1904 - 1994)
'J Carmichael' - J W Carmichael is listed in ICI Winnington manager's cricket team in 1936 - no other details yet known.
Albert E Cashmore (1896 - 1972)
Leslie M Clark (1897 - )
'J? Conroy' - no further detail known.
Wilfrid Rodney Cousins (1905 - 1980)
'R J B Cowap' - probably Raymond John Bury Cowap (1915 - 1999) but no entry in 1939 Register to confirm job type.
'L H Cross' - probably Leonard Herbert Cross (1911 - 1975)
'Curzon' - probably Alfred Curzon (1901 - 1968) from Northwich, or possibly William, Harry or Ernest Curzon, all ICI workers from Winsford.
D
George William Daffern (1910 - 1993)
'B Dobell' - possibly Thomas Dobell (23 Jul 1893 - ) who is listed as an ICI Works Manager at a colleague's funeral in 1938, and living close to ICI Winnington in 1939. Might also be mis-spelling of Stanley Doble (16 May 1911 - ) listed in 1939 as scientific worker in chemical laboratory and in ICI (Alkali) research department cricket team in 1936.
E
Wallis E Ellis, (14 May 1892 - )
'C Ellison' - probably Charles Ellison (5 Aug 1912 - 9 Jan 2017), Dentist at Chemical Works in 1939, or possibly James C Ellison (19 Jun 1908 - )?
'D G Emerson' - probably Donald Godfrey Emerson (14 Feb 1911 – 24 Mar 1994), later Chairman of ICI Mond Division in 1960s and 70s.
Harold E Evans (1892 - )
Mentioned briefly in the logbook:
'Eaton' - possibly Richard P Eaton (20 Mar 1916 - ) or brother Joseph G (18 Aug 1913 - )?
F
'Farish' - no further detail known.
Eric William Fawcett (1908 - 1987) Credited with the first industrial synthesis of Polyethylene (later patented as Polythene), alongside R O Gibson below.
Charles George Paulin Feachem (1909 - 1978) Known as George.
Richard W de Fecamp Feachem (1914 - 2005) brother of George above. Feachem Bay on the eastern side of Baffin Island is named after him.
John H Fell (1911 - 2001)
'Dick Forster' - probably Richard John Forster (26 Jan 1892 - 1965).
In 1935 logbook attendance register:
'Fieldsend' - possibly E C Fieldsend who was linked to the Burnt Naze, Fleetwood ICI site in 1933?
G
Reginald Oswald Gibson (1902 - 1983) Credited with the first industrial synthesis of Polyethylene (later patented as Polythene), alongside E W Fawcett above. The last member of the group to descend the well.
'J G Gillbert' - probably John Guy Gillbert (5 Nov 1891 - 7 Nov 1974) Managing Director of ICI's Technical Division by 1939.
William Francis Glasscock (1905 - 1969)
H
'G Hodgson' - probably G P Hodgson (1892 - ) born in Queenstown, Ireland, migrated to Australia by 1935.
'J E Hunter' - probably Joseph Eric Hunter (13 May 1900 - ).
'T Hulme' - possibly Thomas Hulme (9 Nov 1914 - ) or Thomas Hulme (23 Mar 1912 - ), both living in Northwich area in 1939, but with no clear job link to ICI.
I
Alexander Scott Irvine (1911 - 1988) Known as Alec, brother of the climber Andrew ‘Sandy’ Irvine lost on Mt Everest with George Mallory in June 1924, kept an archive of documents about the project, including A C Rolfe's logbook, that were later passed to the Cheshire Records Office. Only five photos are included, as part of a Cheshire Life article in Oct & Nov 1937. All of these documents have already been researched and annotated. Irvine was the first to descend the well in 1935.
J
Mentioned briefly in the logbook:
'Jackson' - - possibly Sydney Jackson (20 Jun 1886 - )?
K
John Frederick Kenny (1909 - 1994) Born in Auckland, New Zealand, arrived in UK c.1934, migrated to Australia by 1937.
'Kirkman' - possibly Frank Kirkman (1894 - 1985)? Could also be G F Kirkman who is listed on Winnington C & D Shifts cricket team in July 1936, no further details yet known.
L
John Arthur Lanyon (1900 - 1976)
'Leslie' - no further detail known.
M
William E MacGillivray (1903 - ) husband of Elizabeth below.
Elizabeth MacGillivray (nee Curbishley) (1908 - 1967)
S Marriage - Possibly Stephen Marriage (1909 - 1999)?
'I A Marriott' - linked to Middlewich ICI site in 1938, no further details yet known.
'D Maughan' - Probably James Douglas Maughan (1896 - 1978)
'J L McCowen' - proving elusive on Ancestry and FMP, but listed in an ICI Research Dept cricket team in 1936(!)
R R McDowell - probably Robert Reginald McDowell (21 Jan 1915 – 12 Apr 1974).
R/H/K? Mills - first letter is unclear, possibly Harold Mills (1906 - )?
James Robertson Myles (1907 - 1986)
N
O
P
'H/W? M Peacock' - Probably Henry Musgrave Peacock (29 Apr 1907 – 9 Jun 1989) or possibly Wallace M Peacock (1907 - 1981)?
Douglas Stair Perry (1904 - 1977) husband of Helen M Perry, the founding Headmistress of The Grange School in Northwich.
Arthur John Cinnamond Pomeroy (1907 - 1995) Honorary Secretary of Winnington Hall Club during the 1930s.
'J Poole' - Possibly Joseph Poole (25 Feb 1901 - ) or John H Poole (20 May 1912 - ) or John Poole (5 Aug 1910 - ) or John Poole (28 Jan 1905 - ) all of whom worked at Chemical Works in Northwich by 1939.
Hubert C Prew (1901 - 1974) Known as Hugh.
'Proudfoot' - possibly John Proudfoot (1906 - )?
In 1935 logbook attendance register:
'Pickering' - possibly Thomas Pickering (20 Nov 1905 - ) or William E Pickering (19 May 1906 - ) or Edward A Pickering (6 Sep 1901 - ) or Stanley Pickering (14 Nov 1899 - ) or Thomas A Pickering (9 Jun 1908 - ), all of whom worked in the Northwich Chemical Industry by 1939.
Q
R
'K M Randles' - possibly Kenneth Arthur Mackenzie Randles (1910 - 1988)?
'P Ricardo' - no further detail known.
Jim Robinson - possibly James Robinson (1895 - ) from Northwich? Or possibly James Robinson (1896 - ) from Middlewich? Or possibly James Robinson (1892 - ) from Hyde?
Albert Charles Rolfe (1912 - 1971) main author of the project logbook, later given to A S Irvine above.
'H/N? B W Rose' - possibly Nevil Bruce Whitel(e)y(-)Rose (1896 - 1978)?: N B W Rose is listed in Winnington Managers' cricket team in 1936, and Plant Manager in Northwich area in 1937.
S
John Thomas Spruce (1889 - 1946)
'A Stagg' - probably Alfred Stagg (11 Feb 1889 - ). (NB 4 other Staggs worked in the Northwich chemical industry by 1939, but with different first initials.)
Fred Steadman (22 Feb 1911 - )
In 1935 logbook attendance register:
'Sam Swallow' - Possibly Henry Tyrrell Stanley Swallow (15 Sep 1905 - 3 Jan 1979) a neighbour of A S Irvine (above) by 1939. Could also be someone related to senior ICI scientist John Cuthbert Swallow?
T
Eric Bowman Terry (1905 - 1985)
'G H Thorp' - Probably Gilbert Hanley Thorp (1897 - 1983)
'Travers' possibly a mis-spelling of Norman John Pickles Travis (7 May 1913 - 2007) who had changed his birth surname by Deed Poll from Pickles to Travis by the time he was working for ICI in 1939. Might also be a possible mis-spelling of Percy Charles Trevor (19 Jun 1896 - 21 Feb 1975)?
Ralph Edward Tugman (1896 - 1986)
U
V
William Jones Varley (1904 - 1976) Liverpool University Archaeologist who excavated Bickerton Hill and Eddisbury Hill.
Brian Edmund Allen Vigers (1900 - 1986) described by some sources as the project's leader. Husband of Norah below.
Norah Violet Vigers (nee Malley) (1906 - )
W
'D Whittaker' - possibly Donald Whittaker (15 Jun 1911 - ).
'E G Williams' - probably Edmond George Williams (14 Feb 1912 – 25 Mar 1972) a member of ICI research staff who (with Michael W Perrin & John G Paton) took the development of Polythene to its next stage during winter 1935 - 36.
'D J Wilson' Probably Donald James Wilson (26 Feb 1912 – Dec 1941), Runcorn based by 1939 and described as a mechanical engineer at a chemical works. In 1935 a D J Wilson is linked to Lostock's ICI works - had he changed job and location since 1936? Could possibly be the Beeston Castle lodge keeper's daughter Dorothy Jane Wilson (12 Jun 1901 - )? Might also be mistaken initials for John D Wilson (26 Dec 1901 - ), Northwich based in 1939 and working in a chemical works research lab.
X Y Z
Members of the local community (ie Bunbury, Beeston) known to be connected with the ICI investigation, but not named on the 1936 well document:
Cyril R Bell (14 Oct 1887 - 1972) professional surveyor, rating officer and ex WW1 Royal Engineer based at UDC office in Tarporley. Offered advice to the ICI team on search strategy and constructing a platform for investigating the uppermost passage. A self-confessed Beeston well mystery enthusiast who wrote to the ICI team on 4 Feb 1935 suggesting that the upper well tunnel may have been a sally port with a hillside entrance but dismissing the legend of a lengthy lower 'secret' tunnel to Beeston Hall. It is fair to assume that an ex-WW1 Royal Engineer might have had some useful insights into tunnelling, but his letter (although kept by the team) was largely disregarded in this respect.
Major Gilbert Francis Egerton Cotton (14 Mar 1880 - 1971) Agent for the Peckforton Estate owned by Lord & Lady Tollemache, which included Beeston Castle. He oversaw the ICI team's access to the castle site.
Thomas Hewitt (1802 -) - first gatekeeper of the castle under John Tollemache when the site was improved in the early 1840s, including the clearance of the well in 1842. Passed the role to Peter Jones in the 1880s, so it seems likely that Hewitt knew the 1842 well excavators and retold their story to Jones.
Peter Jones (1834 - 1910) second gatekeeper based in the castle lodge in the late 1880s and early 1890s. His anecdotal reference to a draughty tunnel being found during the 1842 well clearance to a depth of 116.5 yards was a key influence on the ICI team's decision to excavate the well. This 50+ year old anecdote featured in a notebook he is supposed to have compiled for his family in 1897 to mark Queen Victoria's jubilee. The notebook's title was Incidents And Accidents Round About Beeston Castle, and its current location (if it still exists) is unknown, although it may have been in Beatrice Tunstall’s (see below) possession at some point.
Richard James Parker (1878 -) Son of the influential Bunbury builder Charles Parker (1855-1933) (who had chaired numerous committees in Bunbury, constructed buildings for the Peckforton Estate and had extensive local knowledge). On 10 February 1935 (as the investigation story was featuring in local newspapers) Richard passed a 'rough copy' of someone else's notes on the Peter Jones well anecdote to the ICI team, accompanied by Peckforton Agent Major Gilbert Cotton. It was stated that Parker had obtained this copy 'some months ago'.
Beatrice (born Hilda) Tunstall (1889-1966) Romantic novelist, local historian and folklorist, based in Chester at the time but had previously lived in Bunbury when researching her novels. Author of the 1930s Beeston Castle guidebook, who also ran guided tours of the site, she was a firm advocate of the hidden tunnel to Beeston Hall legend. When the ICI team quizzed R J Parker about the source of the Peter Jones tunnel anecdote he referred them to Beatrice for more information about the castle and well. However no known record exists of ICI team members meeting with her. It is thus possible that she had transcribed the story from Peter Jones' original 1897 notebook, but this is not confirmed. She wrote extensively about local history and folklore for the Cheshire Life magazine and was a significant influence in Cheshire local history post-WW2.
Jane Wilson (6 Apr 1871 - ) the gatekeeper at the time of the ICI investigation, widow of Thomas Wilson (1868 - ) who had originally taken the gatekeeper role around 1896, after Peter Jones. In the 1911 census the Wilsons had four children - Rose May (18 Jun 1893 - 1972), William (c.1895 - ), Dorothy Jane (12 Jun 1901 - ), and Bertram (1907 - ). In the 1939 Register Rose May is listed at the Lodge with her mother Jane along with Dorothy Jane (who later became Dorothy Lloyd by marriage). Jane Wilson appears to have lived and worked at the Castle Lodge for at least 50 years.
Tapping the Source
This is the draft list of 73 names deposited in a vacuum sealed flask at the bottom of the well in 1936 when the investigation ended. This document was the starting point for the name list shown above. It is not known if it is definitive or if it was amended later, as the actual list is now at the bottom of the well shaft(!)
It shows those people who were thought to have been central to the investigation project. An additional 18 names were found in attendance registers from early in the project, and from logbook entries. As you can see, some of the 73 names don't have initials, and others may be mis-spelt.
Attempting to confirm the names through other sources has not always been easy, so any personal knowledge you may have of these people's part in the project would be most welcome.
People