5f70a104

DIANE'S CANAL BLOG

Thu, 10 Nov 2022 04:37:50 GMT

Diane's Canal Blog

<<2022 I am so sorry, all the photos appear to have dropped off this account.>>

Navigable Waterways by L T C Rolt was published in 1969 by Longmans, quotes remain in purple , extra information as before from Wikipaedia etc in blue . Lost Canals & Waterways of Britain by Ronald Russell was published in 1982 by Sphere Books, quotes in brown

Friday 16th February 2018

Tom deals with the increasing power of steam:
Matthew Murray fitted the captured French privateer 'L'Actif' with one of Trevithick's high pressure engines in 1811-12 to the order of John Wright, a Yarmouth Quaker. Renamed 'Experiment', this steamer sailed to Yarmouth where she made her first voyage from Yarmouth to Braydon in August 1813. She later worked regularly between Yarmouth and Norwich. In 1814 steam tugs first worked between Hull and Gainsborough on the Trent and between Gloucester and Worcester on the Severn. Regular services started on both rivers a few years later.
It was the threat of railway competition that persuaded the canal companies to take a second look at the possibility of using steam power, and many fanciful schemes for 'canal trains' appeared at this time.
William Fairbairn carried out an elaborate series of experiments on the Forth & Clyde canal, both with horsedrawn boats and with the steam sternwheeler 'Cyclops', in which he studied the wash created by the boats at varying speeds.
Fairbairn became an advocate of steam power for canals and, as a result of his experiments, the passenger steamer 'Lord Dundas' was built for the Forth & Clyde by Fairbairn & Lillie of Manchester. She was a twin-hulled craft with a single central paddle wheel.
Faced with competition, canal companies pressed the government for power to act as carriers on their own canals. The Ellesmere & Chester canal company obtained its own act for this purpose in 1830 but this was followed by a general act in 1845 . This measure undoubtedly stimulated the introduction of steam power, although at first this chiefly took the form of company owned tugs towing 'trains' of bye-traders' boats on canals which were not heavily locked. Steam tugs were introduced on the Aire & Calder Navigation in 1836 and on the Macclesfield and the Shropshire Union in the 1840 s. On the last named, tugs at first operated between Autherley Junction and Ellesmere Port, but later their use was confined to the section between Chester and the Port. Steam tugs were regularly employed on the Gloucester & Berkeley from 1860 onwards, and on the Bridgewater Canal from 1874 .
The railway companies, taking advantage of the undoubted damage caused to the banks by the wash of power driven craft, banned steamers on all canals owned by them. In 1856 the steam tug 'Pioneer' designed by John Inshaw of Birmingham with twin contro-rotating propellors to minimise wash, was bought by the Moira Colliery Co. for towing boats on the long level of the Ashby Canal. (see 5th Jan 2018 below) The owners of the canal, the Midland Railway Company, prohibited its use, but this was successfully contested in the Court of Chancery following experiments conducted by an independent engineer which showed that provided speed did not exceed 3 mph, no injurious breaking wave was created. Following this victory additional tugs, the 'Volunteer' and the 'Harrison' were commissioned, and these towed coal boats from Ashby to Coventry, Rugby and Braunston.
Owing to the wash created by propellers, various alternative methods of mechanical haulage were tried during the 19th Century. An experiment with cable haulage was made on the Bridgewater Canal and electrical traction, using overhead supply cables, on a section of the Staffs & Worcs Canal. through the agency of its parent, the London & NW Railways, the Shropshire Union experimented with steam locomotive haulage on its Middlewich branch in 1888 . 18-inch gauge metals were laid along the towpath and the small 4-wheeled locomotives were designed specially by John Ramsbottom and built at Crewe. The experiment was soon abandoned but the locomotives were put to work on an internal railway in Crewe works. The actual locomotives concerned have long been scrapped but one of a similar type is now preserved in the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum at Towyn.
All the earlier applications of steam power on canals appear to have been used solely for towage and so far as is known the first use of steam cargo carrying craft was on the Grand Union Canal in the 1860s. These steam boats were operated by the canal company and although no details of them are known, since each operated with a towed 'butty' boat, we may assume tat they were narrow boats.
Latterly, the two most notable fleets of cargo-carrying steamers were those operated by the Leeds & Liverpool Canal Carrying Company and by the carrying firm of Fellows, Morton & Clayton (FMC) on the Grand Union and its associated waterways. Both originated about 1800.
The Leeds & Liverpool fleet totalled 30 craft. The hulls were of the normal 'short boat' design except that they were narrower in the beam, 13ft instead of 14ft 2in. They loaded 28-30 tons, the machinery occupying 10 tons of cargo space...A loaded steamer towing two loaded 'short boats', a total of about 110 tons, could travel the whole length of the L & L main line, 127 miles and 92 locks, at an average speed of 2 mph, including the time spent in lockage. On such a journey the cost worked out at a little over one tenth of a penny per ton mile, including fuel, men's wages, oil and engine stores, depreciation and interest on capital. The campany maintaind that this represented a saving of 25% on the cost of the 300 horses which the steamer replaced.
When the fleet was disbanded, many of the steamers were sold to bye-traders, a few of the steamers continuing in operation until the 1950s, butthe rest were fitted with Widdop Diesel engines which were locally built at Keighley.
The FMC steamers were narrow boats of 'composite' construction, i.e. they had elm bottoms but iron sides...Unlike the L & L steamers, they ran condensing and burned coke. They were always kept in a highly polished and spotless condition, a curtain (supplied by the owners) being hung between the boiler and the engine to protect the latter from dust.
A steamer and its towed 'butty' was manned by an all male crew of 7, immaculate in white overalls and white cord trousers. They worked 'fly', i.e. 24 hours a day, to a strict timetable...a hammock was slung in the engine-room so that the fireman could rest between firings.
The usual London terminus of these steamers was the City Road Basin, but from this starting point they worked on 4 different turns. Many ran only to Braunston because of the narrow locks beyond this point. At a depot in Braunston the steamer's cargo was offloaded into a butty boat which, together with the steamer's butty, was taken forward to Birmingham by horses. The steamer reloaded, picked up a loaded butty , and returned to London. the crews engaged on this turn were known as the 'Braunston Rubbing Rags'. Some cargoes, however, especially soap, were worked right through to Birmingham by the steamers, the crews on this run being known as the 'Greasy Wheelers' or 'Greasy Ockers'. The latter term probably derives from Ocker Hill, where FMC had their early headquarters. Crews working steamers to Coventry were known as the 'Mud Heelers, perhaps a cynical comment on the state of the Oxford Canal. Finally there were the 'Woolly Backed 'Uns' (origin unknown) , those who worked the steamer service from London up the Leicester Section to Nottingham.
I apologise if you don't find this information interesting, but I am fascinated by this terminology, and value Tom's knowledge of the names used as there is nothing on the internet about them.
The machinery on these steam narrow boats occupied 10 tons of cargo space, and before WW1 FMC had begun to replace them by the much more compact Swedish...semidiesel engine, thereby making available an extra 5 tons of cargo space. the last steamer travelled through the Grand Junction in 1931 and was abandoned at Hilmorton on the Oxford Canal.
Diesel propelled motor-boats, each towing a 'butty', thus became the invariable form of transportation on the narrow canal system.
No matter what form of propulsion may be used, ice is the greatest enemy of canal transport...The arctic weather in the first two months of 1963 brought the surviving fleet of commercial craft on the narrow canals completely to a stand. This proved to be the coup de grace and there is now practically no commercial traffic left on the whole of the narrow canal system apart from a few enthusiastic bye-traders. the harsh fact is that, under modern economic conditions, the pay load of the narrow boat is too small to justify the man-hours expended in working it.
Nevertheless, the narrow canal system, apart from being a monument to a bygone engineering skill, is an asset which this country cannot afford to lose. As water suppliers to industry these canals are proving increasingly valuable, while they have been described as a linear National Park 2000 miles long. As such they are an invaluable asset in this overcrowded island, a fact that the astonishingly rapid growth of pleasure traffic in the past decade demonstrates (written in 1969 remember) .
That the value of our narrow canal system has at last been recognized by government was shown by the White Paper published in Sep 1967. This proposes the retention of virtually the whole of the remaining system as an amenity. This means that posterity will enjoy the canals that the great engineers of the past have given us.

Well said, Tom! Since he wrote this, as I have been reporting for the past year, the positive movement he started has gone from strength to strength and now the canal system is, in many areas, better than it has been for several decades.

Many restoration projects have been led by local canal societies or trusts, who were initially formed to fight the closure of a remainder waterway or save an abandoned canal from further decay. They now work with local authorities and landowners to develop restoration plans and secure funding. The physical work is sometimes done by contractors, sometimes by volunteers. In 1970 the Waterways Recovery Group was formed to coordinate volunteer efforts on canals and river navigations throughout the UK. British Waterways (BW) began to see the economic and social potential of canalside developments and moved from hostility to restoration towards a supportive stance. Its official policy was that it would not take on support of the newly restored navigations unless they came with sufficient dowry to pay for their ongoing upkeep. In effect, this meant either reclassifying a remainder waterway as a Cruising Waterway or entering into agreement for another body to maintain the waterway. Today, most are managed by the Canal & River Trust (CRT, successor to BW), which tries to have a more positive view on canal restoration, and in some cases actively supports ongoing restoration projects.
In 1990 the CBOA - Commercial Boat Operators Association - was set up by commercial enterprises to be the 'voice of the industry'. It is run by committee and makes representations to government, local government and navigation authorities. It meets with the CRT, Maritime & Coastguard Agency, Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Department of Transport. It also acts as a clearing house for enquiries concerning freight movements.

Tuesday 13th February 2018

For the purpose of calculating the tonnage tolls payable, all canal boats had to be 'gauged' by toll clerks stationed at strategic points on the system. On the narrow canals where boats were all of the same type, this presented little difficulty. When a new boat was built, she was sent to a special 'Weigh Dock' such as that beside the Grand Junction canal near the north end of Braunston tunnel.
Here she would be progressively loaded with weights while the displacement...was accurately measured. Sometimes, as on the Shropshire Union, appropriately calibrated scales were then fixed to the boat's sides, but more usually the information was sent to the toll clerks concerned to be recorded in their books. The clerks then measured the displacement with a calibrated gauging rod and ascertained the tonnage from their boat record. On a canal which handled different types of craft, however, this system broke down.
The spread of canals in England coincided with the development of the steam engine, so it is not surprising that the idea of using steam power as a means of canal boat propulsion was canvassed at a very early date. Appropriately enough, the first two canals to be built became the scene of the earliest experiments in steam propulsion.
Apparently the first experiments on the Sankey Canal (St Helens) were by one John Smith in 1793 and achieved a speed of 2 mph. To those who ridiculed his contraption, John said 'Before 20 years are over you will see this river covered with smoke' and he was not far wrong.
Whereas the 'Old Navigators', true to form, took no further action, the Duke of Bridgewater was keenly interested and resolved to repeat the experiment. At about this time he was introduced by the Duke of Devonshire to Robert Fulton , fresh from his deliberations about tub boat canals with Lord Stanhope in Cornwall, and under Fulton's direction a second steamer was built for the Bridgewater Canal...Apparently this steamboat succeeded in drawing a train of 8x 25-ton coal boats, close coupled on the tub boat principle, from Worsley to Manchester at a speed of 1 mph. After Fulton's departure to Paris in 1797 , the experiments were continued by Captain Shanks RN of Deptford, but in 1799 they were abandoned. The steamboat was christened Buonaparte by the Bridgewater Canal boatmen, from which one may gather that it was decidedly unpopular with them. Its engine finished its career at one of the Duke's collieries, where it became more affectionately known as 'Old Nancy' and worked until 1851.
Such 18th Century experiments could not hope for more than a very limited success, because Boulton & Watt's patent monopoly, coupled with their persistant refusal to co-operate in steam propulsion experiments of any kind, forced inventors to use the Newcomen principle which was inherently unsuitable for rotative motion. (see 24th Oct 2017 below) When the Watt Patent lapsed in 1800, aspiring inventors at last had an unfettered choice of motive power.
In 1801 William Symington built the famous stern-wheeled steam tug 'Charlotte Dundas' for use on the Forth & Clyde Canal...In March 1802 she towed two barges, each of 70 tons burden, for a distance of 19½ miles along the canal in 6 hours against a strong head wind.
Nevertheless, the Forth & Clyde Company decided that the advantages of steam tugs did not compensate for the damage done to the canal banks by wash and the Charlotte Dundas was laid up. Symington's hopes were raised, however, when the Duke of Bridgewater ordered eight similar tugs for his canal. Unfortunately, the Duke died shortly afterwards and his order was repudiated by his agent, Captain Bradshaw. Poor Symington died in poverty, a disappointed man.

Because of the fear - by no means unfounded - which the Forth & Clyde company had expressed that steamboats would damage canal banks by their wash, it was on the wider waters of navigable rivers that steamboats first made headway. The River Hull has the distinction of being the first navigable waterway in England on which steam propulsion was tried out. Robert Fourness and James Ashworth of York built a small paddle driven steamboat which ran from Hull to Beverley in 1787...This little vessel was later conveyed to London where it ran trials on the Thames and is said to have been purchased by the Prince Regent as a pleasure boat. Soon afterwards it was burnt - by Thames watermen it is supposed, fearing the new power.

Monday 12th February 2018

In the case of short tunnels where there was no towing path, a chain was often hung along the wall so that boatmen could haul themselves along or, where this was not provided, they used shafts. With the exception of explosive traffic, the ancient practice of legging survived longest on those canals where long tunnel were combined with a light traffic which never justified the use of tugs. Such a one was the Leicester line, as it is now called, the Old Grand Union and Old Union canals. Here, if they were not lucky enough to obtain a tow from a passing motor-boat, occasional horsedrawn coal boats continued to leg through the tunnels at Crick, Husbands Bosworth and Saddington until just before the last war.
To judge from contemporary prints, the earliest narrow boats evolved from the 'starvationers' of the Bridgewater Canal were crudely constructed craft with a straight stem carrying only a small cabin aft, or none at all.
[a starvationer was so called because they were thin with protruding ribs! They looked like a canoe]
They resembled the 'Day Boats' or 'Joey boats' of which great numbers were in use until recently for short-haul traffic on the Birmingham canal system. The resemblance is logical, for traffic on the first canals was local. Canal companies were only toll collectors, being forbidden to carry in their own boats, but as the canal system expanded into something resembling a national network, so a long distance carrying trade was born and firms such as Pickfords came into being. It was in the boatbuilding yards of such firms, it would seem, that the long distance narrow boat as we know it was born.
It seems these long distance craft owned by carrying companies displayed none of the elaborate decorations, the roses and castles, such as we associate with the narrow boat today. The earliest depiction of such decoration that this writer (Tom Rolt) has seen dates from 1875. The early carrying company's boats appear to have been manned by all male crews, who could afford to house their families ashore, and it was not until railway competition brought hard times to the canals that the boatman was compelled to take his wife and family onto the boat with him.
Mention has already been made of canals which were built to suit existing local types of river craft, the Yorkshire Keel canals being the most extensive example...or special types of boat evolved e.g. South Wales, where boats were generally shorter but broader in the beam...after the closure of the Welsh canals, some of them...could be seen doing duty as maintenance boats on the Kennet & Avon...Fen lighters that used to work on the small drainage waterways of the Bedford Level operated in 'gangs' of five, close coupled together by chains.
[later fen lighters, pulled by a motorised tug]
During the period when the Grand Junction canal was building and for a few years thereafter, the talk in canal circles was all of a system of barge canals throughout the country and of widening existing canals to the broad gauge. The Grand Junction company was very active in promoting or supporting such schemes. Initially the Grand Junction was used by wide boats, as was from the first intended... but a somewhat unwieldy choice for canal navigation one would have thought. Evidently the Grand Junction company discovered that for long distance work (narrowboats) were far more suitable. A pair of them could load almost as much as one barge, travel more easily in a restricted channel, pass through broad locks together, and present no passing problem in tunnels or bridges. Moreover, they could travel to or from any point on the Midlands canal system without the need for transhipment... they abandoned the campaign for a system of broad waterways; so much so that the Grand Union canal which, as we have seen, was largely Grand Junction promoted, was built with narrow locks at Watford and Foxton.
It is true that...there were boats intermediate in size between a narrow boat and a barge, in use on the Grand Junction...but their use was doubtless mainly confined to the lower part of the main line...between the Thames and the paper mills at Watford and Kings Langley.
The fact that history repeats itself is due to man's failure to learn from it.* When the Grand Union Canal Company was formed in 1929 by the amalgamation of the Grand Junction, Regent's and the two Warwick Companies, the dream of operating wide boats between London and Birmingham took on a new lease of life and to this end all the Warwick locks were widened and much deepening and widening work was done throughout. But only one prototype craft, the Progress of 66 tons burden, was ever built, and when the Grand Union Canal Carrying Company was later formed, after a brief experiment with compartment boats, narrow boats were chosen for the new fleet.
* not original, he is paraphrasing George Santayana 1905, as was Winston Churchill in 1948

Sunday 11th February 2018

Mention has already been made of the delays caused to traffic by the early tunnels where there was no alternative to the slow and laborious process of 'legging' the boats through. In the early days, the boatmen lay on their sides on either end of a plank thrown across the boat and pushed with their feet against the tunnel walls.
This was extremely hazardous since an incautious movement by one man could easily throw the other off and many were drowned in this way. In the short Tardebigge tunnel alone, the parish registers record that three men were drowned in 1842 and two more, within a week of each other, in 1846. Eventually safer boards called 'wings', which hooked onto the boat, were introduced.
In the case of long legging tunnels passing a heavy traffic professional leggers were employed to work the boats through.
At Blisworth, for example, there were two gangs of 12 men each, stationed at either end of the tunnel, four out of each gang taking night duty. Two of their numbered brass armbands, which proclaimed that they were registered as professional leggers by the Grand Junction company, may be seen in the Waterways Museum at Stoke Bruerne.
Because of its length combined with exceptionally heavy traffic, Blisworth Tunnel presented a particularly acute problem. At first, continuous wooden 'slide rails' were provided along the side walls 6in below water level and wooden chocks were fixed above this rail at 9ft intervals to serve as a purchase so that boats could be 'shafted' through. But this must have been as dangerous and tedious an operation as legging and the rails and chocks soon disappeared. In 1869 a system of haulage by endless wire rope driven by stationary steam engines was installed in both Blisworth and Braunston Tunnels, but this was evidently not satisfactory for in 1871 it was replaced by a regular service of steam tugs.
Tunnel towage was the first service to which mechanical traction was regularly applied on the canals, but where steam tugs were used it raised the problem of ventilation...in the longer tunnels the introduction of tugs meant that old working shafts had to be opened up as ventilation shafts.
Even so, the atmosphere in Blisworth and Braunston tunnels in steam tug days was apt to be impenetrable and scacely breathable as this writer (Tom Rolt) can recall only too vividly.
At Harecastle new tunnel, where the problem of ventilation was acute, a solution was found in an electric tug which hauled itself along on a steel cable laid in the bed of the canal. This was introduced in 1914, the towing path through the tunnel having become unusable due to mining subsidence. Originally, it was supplied with current from batteries in two 'tender' boats, one of which was always being charged at a small generating station at the south end of the tunnel. In 1920 it was converted to tram-type pickup from an overhead cable. All boats, powered or otherwise, were compelled to use this tug which therefore remained in service until 1954 when it was withdrawn and special ventilating equipment installed.
Services of steam tugs, running to timetable operated through most of the busier canal tunnels until the end of the era of horse haulage. They worked through:
Preston Brook, Barnton and Saltersford tunnels on the Trent & Mersey,
Foulridge and Gannow tunnels on the Leeds & Liverpool,
Westhill, Shortwood and Tardebigge tunnels on the Worcester & Birmingham canal, and
Islington and Maida Hill tunnels on the Regent's Canal.
These services mostly ceased during the 1930s when horseboats finally gave way to self-propelled craft. With the exception of the Regent's Canal, where tugs are still used for towing dumb barges from the Thames (flat platforms used to transport cargo) , tugs survived longest on the Worcester & Birmingham canal, where they continued to tow horsedrawn narrow boats through the tunnels until after the last war.
Here boat horses have come over the hill via the 'Horse Road' from Braunston to the Daventry end of the tunnel and are taking on fuel (from the buckets around their necks) supervised by the boatmen's children before the next stage of their journey. Meanwhile the Braunston Canal Tunnel 2-man steam tug has brought a well-laden boat (or maybe boats - there are 4 horses and a pony waiting) through the tunnel. It will pull over to the towpath, allow the horses to take over its burden and return to Braunston. Daventry Canal Association 2011.
So that they could be towed in 'trains' through tunnels, horse-boats were equipped with 'tunnel hooks' fitted on either side of the stern in order to keep the towline clear of the tall rudder post or 'ram's head'. There was on the Grand Junction Canal a considerable trade in explosives to Weedon Military Depot, which had its own canal basin. Boatmen engaged in this trade were forbidden to use the tunnel tugs; the boats had to be legged through. This precaution followed the disaster of Oct 1874 on the Regent's Canal, when the boat Tilbury, one of a train in tow behind a steam tug, and loaded with gunpowder, blew up as it was passing under Macclesfield Bridge, Regent's Park, with spectacularly destructive results.
Regent Canal barge explosion, Regents Park, 1874
This was probably the greatest explosion in London up to the time of the first world war. In the early hours of October 10, 1874 the barge Tilbury was third in a train of vessels being towed by a steam tug westwards along the Regent's Park Canal. It was laden with sugar, nuts, two or three barrels of petroleum and 5 tons of gunpowder. The gunpowder caught fire, causing a huge explosion, as the barge went under the Macclesfield bridge at North Gate, Regent's Park. The crew were killed, the bridge destroyed and windows were blown out a mile away. It also destroyed the house of Alma-Tadema who almost certainly owed his life to a prior engagement. The explosion caused such havoc that a detachment of Horse Guards were brought in to help keep order and to ensure safety from wild animals at the Zoo.

Saturday 10th February 2018

The last canal in Britain over which regular passenger services (as opposed to pleasure trips) operated was the Gloucester & Berkeley on which G & B Steam Packet Company operated a service. In 1935 this was advertised as conveying 'passengers and goods,twice daily each way in summer, calling at intermediate stations'.
When two horsedrawn boats met, one boatman had to 'give way' to the other by dropping his line in the water so that the oncoming boat could float over it. To those who have witnessed this procedure in the comparatively recent past it appears a simple and leisurely operation. They can have no conception of the confusion and bad language so caused in the past by the constant meeting of boats on canals carrying a heavy traffic which was entirely horse-hauled .
There was - officially at any rate - a strict order of priority, mineral carrying boats giving way to boats carrying parcels or general merchandise and both to passenger boats. The Duchess Countess (see yesterday below) carried on her bow a scimitar-shaped knife to cut the towline of any boat that failed to give way to her. Because of this passing difficulty and the confusion so caused, a contemporary hailed Telford's arrangement of two towing paths on the reconstructed Birmingham Canal main line as the greatest single improvement made in canals since their inception.
The right of first passage through a lock was often hotly disputed by the captains of boats approaching from opposite directions. On heavily used canals an effort was made to eliminate this source of friction by erecting posts at an equal distance from the lock in both directions and by instituting the rule that the boat first past a post should have the lock. So far as is known, this system was first introduced on the Grand Junction Canal.
A variant of it was subsequently used on the single line of the Stockton & Darlington Railway to determine who should go forward and who back to the nearest passing loop.

Friday 9th February 2018

When bow-hauling a river barge (see Tuesday below), the tow-line was attached at, or near, the top of the mast, because the banks along which the hauliers walked were often high and it was necessary to keep the line clear of the sallies (willows) that grew along the river's margin. Evidence of this may be seen on the famous old bridge over the Severn at Coalbrookdale, where grooves worn by the towlines may be seen high up on the iron arch. Where, as in this case, there was no clear towpath under the arch, a barge proceeding up stream would have to make fast while the free end of the towline was dropped over the upstream side of the bridge and allowed to float down to the barge on the current, there to be secured. The other end could then be detached and towing continued.
Sometimes it was necessary for the bow-hauliers to cross the river by ferries and many river ferries were established primarily for this purpose, their use continuing when horses superseded men for towing. On may rivers this change came late and under pressure from interested canal companies against the resistance of the bow-hauliers. It was not until 1804, for example, that a horse towing-path was provided on the lower Severn by the Gloucester & Worcester Horse Towing-Path Company.
The River Avon Navigation from Stratford down to Tewkesbury never had a horse towing-path, bow-hauling on the lower river persisting until the coming of steam power.
Throughout the hey-day of canals, horse towage was universal over the whole system, though sometimes mules were preferred as being more hardy, while on the canals associated with the Severn pairs of donkeys were used for the same reason. On the narrow canals, one horse or mule to one boat was usually the rule, although sometimes one would pull two boats...
Where, as often happens, the tow path changes sides it was necessary for the horse to cross the channel and for this purpose special 'turnover bridges' were usually provided, carrying the towpath both over and under the bridge to avoid the necessity of detaching the towline.
In passing through long tunnels, where there was a towing path, or over high aqueducts, horses had to be specially trained. For example, on the section of the Shropshire Union canal that includes Chirk tunnel and the aqueducts at Chirk and Pont Cysyllte, young horses were usually blindfolded until they had become accustomed to the job.
Before the coming of railways, passenger 'packet boats' were operated on many canals. These were of finer build than the normal trading boat to enable them to travel faster in a channel of restricted width. These were usually towed by two horses and there was no central mast, the lines from the two horses being attached to 'timber-heads' at bow and stern. A postillion usually rode the hinder pf the two horses. The last of these craft to survive was the Bridgwater Canal packet boat Duchess Countess. Having been sunk in her home waters for many years, she was salvaged and taken to the Shropshire Union canal near Frankton where she was used as a houseboat for many years. Latterly she had to be drawn out of the water and she finally disintegrated in the 1950s.
Here she is in 1940s, photographed by Angela Rolt when the Rolts and others tried to save her. Fortunately a photo survives of happier days, when in regular use
(sorry, photos have vanished)
Unfortunately they were not successful, as Tom says above, and she fell apart in 1950s. Some parts are kept in the museum at Stoke Bruerne.

Tuesday 6th February 2018

The need to economise water in lockage produced the device of the side pond on the Grand Junction and other heavily used canals. This consists of a masonry chamber beside the lock at an intermediate level, the two being interconnected by a ground paddle. By this means half a lock full of water can be discharged into the side pond before its paddle is closed and the remainder released into the pound below. The water thus stored in the side pond may then be re-used partially to fill the empty lock.
In theory half a lock of water could be saved at each lockage by the use of side ponds, and as the average wide lock on the Grand Junction passes 56,000 gallons of water each time a boat goes through, this amounts to a substantial saving. In practice, however, the saving was not so great, for if the side pond is used to maximum effect the time taken is greatly increased. Consequently, boatmen either neglected to use them altogether or at best only made a token use...Stern notices threatening dire penalties had no effect, as most boatmen could not read anyway!
On certain busy narrow canals, duplicate narrow locks were provided beside the originals and connected by paddles so that one acted as a side pond to the other. The Cheshire Locks by which the Trent & Mersey Canal descends from Harecastle summit towards Middlewich were duplicated in this way (see 1st Sep 2017 & 10th Nov 2017 below)
and so were the three locks at Hillmorton on the reconstructed northern section of the Oxford Canal (see 13th Oct 2017)
Most extravagant of all in the use of water is the lock staircase. In theory, if all the steps are equal, a descending boat carries with it only one lock-full, but a boat ascending a 5-lock staircase, e.g. Bingley 5-rise , (see 15th Nov 2017 below)
must needs draw five locks of water away from the summit. This inordinate consumption may be reduced by the use of side-ponds as at Foxton and Watford on the old Grand Union, but at Bingley there are none.
The great expense, both in water and time, of long flights of locks, and particularly of lock staircases, stimulated canal engineers to evolve different forms of boat lift, some vertical and others inclined, for use where the change of level to be overcome was particularly great. Unfortunately, although these embodied clever ideas, some of them later applied with success elsewhere, the ingenuity of their inventors generally made too exacting demands upon the technological advance of the time in translating their ideas into 'hardware'. (And there speaks a committed Engineering fan!) Consequently, although some of them worked well when first installed, in constant use the lifts were dogged either by the breaking of chains or ropes or by fractures and failures of the somewhat complex mechanism employed to operate them.
In his book, Tom Rolt then goes into the very detailed engineering of lifts and I struggled to grasp these, then lost interest, so I shall spare you... Moving swiftly on to the next chapter and his discussing of 'Traffic and Motive Power'.
In pre-canal days, traffic on our navigable rivers was handled almost exclusively by gangs of men called bow-hauliers. They were aided by the current when travelling downstream, or by the wind. Most river barges carried sail, the Yorkshir craft in Britain to carry a square rig. Norfolk Wherries trading on the Broads and associated rivers relied upon sail alone, owing to the flat nature of the country, and had an ingenious arrangement of coulterweighted mast and rigging which could be quickly lowered when passing under a low bridge. Unlike most river barges, wherries were not flat-bottomed but had a keel...When the wind failed, wherries were laboriously propelled by means of a long pole called a 'quant'.

Friday 2nd February 2018

To avoid waste of water in lockage, the summit locks should not be substantially deeper than those below, otherwise the water released from them will tend to run to waste over the weirs. The converse is also true as may be seen at Weir Lock where the Oxford Canal leaves the River Cherwell near Thrupp. This lock has a very small fall, so in order to take in enough water from the river to supply the deeper locks lower down the canal, its chamber has been broadened to a diamond shape.

In the case of a long level pound where the flow of water is always in the same direction, drawing water through the locks at the downstream end may cause a considerable reduction in the water level at that end. In other words the flow of water through such a long level is so slow, particularly if the pound is obstructed by weeds, that at the upstream end the pound may be full and the water running to waste over the spill weirs while at the downstream end it may be as much as six inches or more 'below weir'.
On a long pound, serious flooding would ensue in the event of the canal bursting its banks on an embankment and on later canals, where embankments were common, it became usual to narrow the canal between masonry walls at the embankment approaches and there to install a special 'stop-gate' so that the embankment could be sealed off in an emergency. Alternatively, the simpler 'stop-planks' are used for this purpose, these planks being slid successively into 'stop-grooves' formed in the retaining walls. These grooves are also provided above and below each lock so that the lock can be 'stopped off' for repairs.
On canals where water was precious, it was essential that leakage of water through the lock gates was minimal, and lock maintenance, especially the making and fitting of new lock gates or the fitting of a new elm sill is a highly gifted job. The heavy oak gates must be true and 'out of wind' if they are to fit snugly against the sill and also into the hollow quoin in the lock wall in which the gate swings. It used to be said of a good lock gate maker that when he had fitted a new top gate and the water had been let in against it he could sit and eat his lunch on the masonry sill inside the lock and not get his bottom wet.
I see that the Bridgewater Canal had just this problem and 2 years ago new stop-lock gates were fitted. In the article I read online the blogger was worried about the fit of the new gates and was worried they wouldn't last long. I must say, from the photo above I agree.

<I won't be able to blog myself for a few days now, as my daughter is visiting from Norway. So I will see you here next week>

Tuesday 30th January 2018

Nowadays, those who travel the canals for pleasure are apt to regard the stop locks provided at the junction of one canal with another as archaic survivals of bygone intercompany rivalries, but they had a very practical significance in the days of dense traffic. Then, no company could afford to make another a present of its precious water supplies no matter how friendly their relations might be.
It was equally vital to prevent loss of water through leakage, and for this puddled clay was the infallible specific. In the clay lands of the Midlands a comparatively thin layer of puddle would suffice, but on the chalk, and particularly on the oolite, it was quite otherwise. A section through the Thames & Severn Canal near Cirencester, made in the course of recent highway improvements revealed a lining of puddle not less than 30 inches thick laid on a course of rubble stone. Even this was not always sufficient to prevent leakage, although this was not necessarily the fault of the puddle. In periods of high rainfall, the flow of water through fissures and faults in the strata generates sufficient pressure to blow up the puddle in the bed of the canal. When conditions return to normal, the pressure drops and the water in the canal flows away from the blow holes. The section of the Thames & Severn Canal east of Sapperton Tunnel and the Kennet & Avon Canal in the Avon Valley suffered particularly from this trouble and it was never satisfactorily overcome. At Sapperton it defied even such an eminet civil engineer as Sir Benjamin Baker and finally the Gloucestershire County Council resorted to the desperate expedient of lining the whole bed with concrete.
There is an excellent page dealing with this case in detail on http://www.cotswoldcanals.net/sapperton-canal-tunnel.php - please take a look. I also dealt with this on 18th Nov 2017 - see below.
On the Kennet & Avon the pound worst affected has been dewatered. The section of the Lancaster Canal between Tewitfield locks and the Stainton feeder is similarly troubled, particularly in the vicinity of Turnpike bridge at Holme.
I must say here that these places nowadays appear to have recovered completely thanks to the work of the restoration organizations. The Holme Turnpike Bridge is often featured in photographs of canals as it is considered very attractive. It was built in 1816 and made a listed building in 2010.

Monday 29th January 2018

On the busiest canals. water drawn from reservoirs had to be supplemented by pumping engines, either to pump back the lockage water or to provide additional supplies. Where a canal had a busy branch falling from its main line at an intermediate level it frequently became necessary to install a pumping engine to return the branch locking water to the main line. The old Wednesbury branch of the Birmingham Canal was a case in point. At one time, in addition to six reservoirs, no less than 17 pumping engines were required to meet theneeds of the traffic on the Birmingham Canal Navigations. Sometimes, as at Braunston on the Grand Junction, special storage reservoirs were provided to hold the water used in lockage prior to its return to the summit by pump
In the case of a long summit, such reservoirs might be provided to store excess summit water in rainy seasons instead of letting it run to waste over spill weirs or through flood paddles. An example of this is Tardebigge reservoir, near the top of the famous flight of 30 locks on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal, although the pumps used to return the water to the summit level no longer exist
The Thames & Severn and the Kennet & Avon are examples of canals whivh depended entirely on pumped water supplies. In the former case this was drawn from springs at Thames Head where the site of the pumping engine can still be traced.
Unfortunately, a few years after Tom said this, the traces were removed and a private house now stands at the site. There is a stone to commemorate the source, though, albeit with no water for some distance.
On the Kennet & Avon, as we have seen, the original pumping plants still exist on site, although they no longer operate. Another example of an early pumping engine to survive on site ia Leawood Pumping Station on the Cromford Canal but in most cases the engines have gone, though the buildings may remain.
The oldest canal pumping engines still in existence are the Newcomen type engine formerly at Hawkesbury Junction on the Coventry Canal and the Birmingham Canal's Ocker Hill engine...now in the Birmingham Museum of Science & Industry

Sunday 28th January 2018

In some cases where the supply reservoir was built at a level considerably above that of the canal, it was necessary to construct a stepped weir at the point where the feeder joins the canal in order to break the fall of the water. A good example of such a weir is to be seen at the east end of Butterley Tunnel on the Cromford Canal, conveying the supply from Butterley Reservoir.
I am a little puzzled by this, as by all accounts the water coming into the Butterley Tunnel was via an adit underground mine entrance) and can still be seen in the tunnel. The eastern portal is blocked off, like the western
Sometimes streams flowing across the line of the canal were intercepted and used as direct feeders, but this practice is objectionable. Even the smallest stream deposits a surprising volume of silt in the canal and so greatly increases the need for dredging. For the same reason, silt rapidly accumulates in catchment reservoirs and the capacity of mostof our canal reservoirs has been considerably reduced by lack of dredging.
I'm sorry to say, Tom, that this has got even worse since you left us. When we moved to Hertford in the 1980s the local canals were dredged every year, and it was a common sight to see the little diggers at work on them. But in recent years they are a rare sight indeed...
Often it became necessary to construct additional reservoirs to supply the needs of the traffic. Thus trade on the Trent & Mersey was so heavy that Brindley 's original underground supply from the Goldenhill colliery soon became quite inadequate. It had to be supplemented by reservoirs constructed first at Rudyard, feeding via the Leek and Calden branches, and later on at Knipersley.
As a pioneer, Brindley may be forgiven a failure to estimate correctly the needs of future traffic, but in the case of some of his successors the fault is less excusable. Despite his other merits, as a canal engineer, John Rennie was especially weak in the matter of water supplies. Had traffic developed on the scale that their promoters envisaged, the water supply to the Rochdale and Kennet & Avon canals would have proved quite inadequate. Moreover both these canals exhibit the cardinal error of a very short summit level.
You may remember my photo showing the state of the Rochdale in 1984. I think this demonstrates fully the statement Tom made above; it just took the abundance of us 'pleasure boaters' to get the traffic as high as he suggested, along with the lack of dredging he mentioned to reach this heinous state. Fortunately, this has all been restored in recent years and the canal is much better now. (See 15th November 2017 below)
To ensure against rapid fluctuations of level due to temporary excess of demand over supply, most canal engineers from Brindley onwards provided a long summit level or, where this was not possible, increased its depth. For example, on the Leeds & Liverpool, Robert Whitworth not only by resurveying increased the length of the summit pound from one to six miles, but he gave it an extra depth of 2 ft. Of the more celebrated canal engineers, William Jessop was probably the most generous in the provision of water supplies.

Saturday 27th January 2018

Tom Rolt discusses the importance of water supply:
For the engineers of the canals water supply was of paramount importance because it was this factor alone which determined the tonnage of traffic which a canal could pass. This may seem to be a truism, yet it is frequently overlooked by those who advocate making greater use of our canal system for commercial transport. Their argument is usually based on the undoubted fact that it requires less power to move a ton of goods by water than by either road or rail. They ignore the cost of providing the water, the essential 'track'. This blind spot may be due to the fact that our canal system has been but lightly used for so many years that we have forgotten the elaborate and often costly water supply provisions that were made in their heyday and which alone enabled them to carry the tonnage they did before the railway era.
In some cases, as on the Ellesmere Canal at Llantysilio (see 4th December 2017 below) , engineers were able to tap the upper reaches of rivers for a supply to their summit levels. This was a cheap and usually reliable form of supply, but even here the amount of water so extracted was often restircted by statute, or the canal company were placed under obligation to return the water to the river at a lower level. The most usual method, as we have seen, was to construct catchment reservoirs on suitable sites, connecting them to the summit level by feeder channels, sometimes in the form of navigable branch canals as at Wendover on the Grand Junction or at Welford on the old Grand Union.

Friday 26th January 2018

Finally, mention must be made of the canals of West Devon and Cornwall. These were purely local projects promoted either by mining interests or to transport sea sand for use on the land as a substitute for lime...
Today the Bude Canal consists simply of a sea lock at Bude with a stretch of broad canal extending inland from it for two miles to Helebridge. Prior to 1891, however, Helebridge was the starting point of a tub-boat canal which, with its branches, extended for nearly 40 miles...
The main line extended through Red Post and North Tamerton to Druxton, 3 miles north of Launceston. There was a branch from Red Post to Brendon, Holsworthy and Blagdonmoor, while a feeder branch ran from Brendon to a reservoir at Alfardisworthy. This reservoir, now known as Tamar Lake, and 9 miles of the feeder are now used for water supply purposes.
The system was worked entirely by inclined plane lifts, six in all. Two of these, at Marhamchurch, Helebridge and Hobbacott Down, lifted the main line 345ft above its level at Helebridge, while three further planes lowered the canal to its terminus at Druxton. The 6th plane was on the Blagdonmoor branch near Brendon and raised boats to the summit level of the canal near the junction of the feeder from Alfardisworthy. The Hobbacott Down lift was powered by a bucket descending in a well, but all the others by water wheels. All were engineered by James Green. In addition to these lifts, the works included an aqueduct over the Tamar near Burmsdon and a tunnel of 'considerable length' near Holsworthy.
Ronald Russell said in 1982: The lower length of the barge canal, including the lock gates and the pound of the sea-lock at Bude, is in good condition. The canal entrance is protected by a substantial breakwater...Beside the lock are the remains of a narrow-gauge edge-railway; trucks could run down to the sand and load up there, being drawn back by horses to be off-loaded onto to barges, which took the sand to tub-boats at Helebridge Wharf, or the tub-boats brought down to be loaded at Bude
Ronald gives directions to the remains of planes and bits of canal you could detect in 1980s
but canal preservation groups are working on improving accessibility. Bude Canal Regeneration Project started in 1998, displayed their plans in 2005, worked on the first 2 miles and the sea lock, completing this work in 2008. Unfortunately nature wasn't helping. Storms in 1997 caused extra work, completed in 2000, then in 2008 again, this time the lock gates at Bude were ripped off. Phase 1 was complete by 2015, and the canal is navigable to Helebridge, now phase 2 can go ahead once the funding is in place. 23 Jul 2019 will mark the bicentenary of the building of the canal, so it is hoped events will help raise the necessary sum.
Unfortunately, although there is a lot of information and many photos online, the organisers appear not to update these sites much and some date from 2010 or even 2006!

Tuesday 23rd January 2018

As authorized in 1811, the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal was to have run from the Bristol area at Morgan's Pill, down through east Somerset, crossing the rivers Yeo, Axe, Brue, Carey and Tone to a terminal basin at Fire Pool Mills, Taunton. Not surprisingly, in 1824 the company obtained powers to abandon this scheme in favour of the more modest one for a canal from the river Parret at Bridgwater to Taunton. Although this canal survives as a water channel, it is no longer navigable, chiefly owing to the construction of fixed bridges across it during the last war. Its completion in 1827 materially affected both the Chard and Grand Western canal schemes, both now electing to join this new canal instead of the Tone Navigation as originally planned.
It seems like Tom Rolt had given up on this one, but I shall return with better news...

As a coast to coast waterway, the Chard Canal , like the Dorset & Somerset, remained a dream, but it was revived in 1834 as a purely local project to link Chard with the B & T at Creech St Michael. It was completed in May 1842 with four inclined planes at Thornfalcon, Wrantage, Ilminster and Chard Common and two tunnels at Lilleston and Crimson Hill, the latter 1800 yards in length. A locally promoted railway between Taunton and Chard was incorporated in 1861 but 2 years later its powers were taken over by the Bristol Exeter Company who built the line and opened it in Sep 1866. To what extent this railway made use of the line of the canal is not known. The canal was bought by the Bristol & Exeter Railway in 1867 and closed.
The Grand Western canal scarcely lived up to its grandiose title. Incorporated in 1796 , nothing was done until 1810 when, as in the case of the Dorset & Somerset, cutting began on the summit level at Loudwell, with the object of completing first the proposed branch from that summit to Tiverton, 7¾ miles from its junction with the main line near Ayshford. This was in anticipation of considerable traffic in stone and lime from quarries in the vicinity of Burlescombe, and the work was completed in 1814 . There matters rested until 1827 when the opening of the Bridgwater & Taunton gave the GWC proprietors a fresh incentive to extend their canal to Taunton
To do this, however, meant overcoming a difference in level of 265 ft, and they had so far forgotten the dream of a barge canal from coast to coast that they decided to achieve this limited objective by building a tub boat canal using lifts instead of locks. This was on the advice of James Green the engineer of the Bude Canal in Cornwall (see later) . As opened in 1838 , there were eight vertical lifts and one inclined plane on this section of the canal, the former being not dissimilar from (sic) that built by Fussell on the D & S (see Sunday).
In 1863 the GWC was bought by the Bristol & Exeter Railway and the following year powers were obtained to abandon the canal between Firepool Bridge, Taunton and the summit at Loudwell...The summit section to Tiverton continued to be used for stone traffic from Whipcott and Burlescombe wharves, but on a diminishing scale. In 1904 ...there were only two boats at work on the canal, chained together and evidently survivors of the tub boats used on the Taunton - Loudwell section. Traffic ceased entirely after the First World War although some miles of the canal from the Loudwell end are still in water. So perished the dream of a canal from Bristol to the English Channel.
In 1982 Ronald Russell talked of the Chard having remnants worth seeing, and attempts to restore the B & T but wished for a proper restoration to navigation scheme, saying T he West Country needs living inland navigations; the B & T has been 'on the borderline, as it were, for far too long'.
Websites show this is no longer the case: the B & T had problems with water supply, as most canals, pumped across from the river Tone at Creech, where canal & river were close, and the beds were scoured of silt every 2 weeks. But The canal gradually became clogged with weed, and the railway took much of the trade. Between 1870 and 1874, income dropped from £2,500 to £1,700. Three years later, the Bristol and Exeter Railway merged with the Great Western Railway and the new owners were less interested...The opening by the Great Western Railway of the Severn Tunnel in 1886 brought further decline, for imports of coal and slate from South Wales to Bridgwater Dock and the canal could now be moved more directly. Provision in 1902 of water troughs near Creech to enable non-stop trains to pick up water required another 100,000 gallons of water a day from the Tone. The remaining traffic moved to the railway...the last commercial boats ran in 1907...and the canal was effectively closed.
During the Second World War the route of the canal was employed as part of the Taunton Stop Line , a defensive line which followed the course of canals and railway embankments from the mouth of the Parrett to Seaton on the south coast. All permanent bridges were mined with demolition chambers.
All of the swing bridges were removed, but were then replaced with fixed timber bridges at towpath level. Only essential maintenance was carried out, to ensure a water supply for fire-fighting and to prevent flooding. Control of the canal passed into public ownership in 1947, but the conservators could do nothing because of the bridges. It was absorbed by British Waterways in 1962 but the locks were all unusable and the cutting wall between West Street and Albert Street collapsed in 1968.
In Dec 1974 the Council bought Bridgwater Dock from British Rail and by 1980 had invested more than £50k in restoration of that, Kings and Standard Locks and bottom gates of Newtown Lock. Some bridges were raised but only 4ft - enough for canoes but nothing bigger. The cutting at West Street/Albert Street was rebuilt in 1978, the canal dredged and towpath widened by 1981. In 1983 a 6-year plan was agreed by lots of organizations and 3 swing bridges were rebuilt. By 1987 4½ miles of the canal were navigable. The rest of the bridges were raised to 8 ft, rather than rebuilt as swing bridges, and the canal was reopened in 1994. The River Parrett link is still not possible as the river is saltwater. The canal is used to supply drinking water to Bridgwater and in the local flood relief system.
The Chard only exists in bits and pieces. The Reservoir, main supply to the canal, is now a nature reserve. The inclines, despite 140 years of neglect, still remains have survived, as have three tunnels.
There was a large archaeological dig in 2015 but I cannot locate the findings online. The canal closed in 1869 but the lock junction position was not recorded, or the records were lost. The lock-keepers cottage at Creech St Michael was used as a WW2 pillbox and is now a bat roost.
Ronald Russell pointed out that the funds put aside for the GWC were used up in the war against Napoleon and after four years work, in 1814 only 11 miles were opened, at a cost far more than had been estimated for the whole project. Trade started immediately in lime and stone from the quarries, but no return carriage. The terrible financial constraints were why Green came up with his odd plans, first for planes, then lifts. In 1831 he was dismissed and W A Provis brought in. He introduced a steam-engine and several other improvements, to enable the line to Taunton to open in 1838 (with the help of private loans and investments). However, it was only functional for 4 years, then after 10 the railway company purchased the lot and closed it down. The navigation rights were extinguished in 1962, the same year in which the Tiverton Canal Preservation Society was formed. The society defeated a move to infill part of the canal in 1966 and then took part in negotiations with British Waterways to ensure the canal's future. These led in 1971 to the transfer of the canal to Devon County Council...following restoration work, navigation - in unpowered craft - is possible.
The eastern (tub boat) part is still derelict but studies have shown restoration is feasible. The western part - owned by the Council - is apparently now navigable and run as a country park. In 2012 a serious breach occurred at Halberton, where there is a 60ft embankment overlooking fields, and the whole was restored and reopened in 2014, just in time for the canal's 200th anniversary pageant
Although navigable, this canal is isolated from the network, so many people use the horse-boat services offered to the public

Sunday 21st January 2018

The region of Somerset and East Devon is a notable home of lost causes where canals are concerned. For here the dream of a canal to link the Bristol and English channels, and so avoid the passage round Lands End, was born in the Brindley era and lived on for 70 years before the railway age finally extinguished it. Schemes varied from Telford's grandiose ship canal on the scale of the Caledonian, which fortunately never left paper, to three more modest proposals for barge canals on different routes. These were
- the Dorset & Somerset Canal from the navigable Stour near Shillington to a junction with the Kennet & Avon at Widbrook, near Bradford on Avon, authorized in 1796 ;
- the Chard Canal from Seaton through Axminster and Chard to the River Parrett;
- the Grand Western Canal from the River Exe to the River Tone navigation at Taunton.
The proprietors of the Dorset & Somerset were obliged by their Act to construct first a branch from their intended main line at Frome through the Nettlebridge valley to tap the Somerset coal-field.
Since the country this would traverse was very hilly and difficult, it was decided to make this branch a tub boat canal and to use a type of 'balance lock' (in fact a form of vertical lift) patented by James Fussell, who owned an ironworks at Mells.
Part of this branch was built, for we know that Fussell's lift was demonstrated in 1800. Remains of this and 4 other lift pits have been found. These remains of the Nettlebridge Branch on Mendip, including ivy-covered aqueducts at Coleford and Murtry, represent the only portion of the Dorset & Somerset ever constructed

Up the neighbouring valleys of the Wellow and Cam brooks ran the two branches of the Somerset Coal Canal (see map above) . These united, like the brooks, at Midford, the 'main line' running thence to a junction with the Kennet & Avon immediately west of the Dundas aqueduct. The two branches terminated at Radstock and Timsbury, where plateways ran to the various collieries. At the time the canal was authorized, the Somerset coalfield was extremely active and expanding. Both the Kennet & Avon and the Wilts & Berks companies welcomed the project, foreseeing a profitable trade in Somerset coal developing. The difference of level to be surmounted was so steep, however, and the valleys so deep and narrow that canal construction was peculiarly difficult and costly. Indeed the Radstock line was never completed as a canal, a descending tramway apparently was substituted between Wellow and Midford...and throughout after 20 years. On the Timsbury Branch the canal had to climb 130ft in little more than 1¼ miles between Midford and Combe Hay. Here Robert Weldon's 'caisson lock', one of the most fearsome and extraordinary forms of canal lift ever devised (more at a later date) was at first tried. It was unsuccessful and all trace of it has disappeared, although its memory is perpetuated in the name of Caisson House nearby.
An inclined plane...was then substituted, the coal being transhipped in boxes between the boats and the wagons on the plane. Not surprisingly, this proved so uneconomical that in 1802 it was decided to build a flight of 27 narrow locks. To supply these locks with water, two pumping engines had to be provided at Dunkerton and Combe Hay...the Dunkerton engine stopped pumping in 1898 owing to lack of traffic and the canal thereafter fell derelict.
Ronald Russell said: At the time of writing (1982) no society or authority appears to have any concern over the relics of this canal and it is perhaps extraordinary that of a line that was never completed and never used, so much has somehow survived.
He evidently was not aware of the fact that the Inland Waterways Association's section concerning restoration, the Waterway Recovery Group, has a branch in the area, run by one Derrick Hunt. He runs a website www.dorandsomcanal.org and there are walks etc. For example:
1) Edford Bridge - About 75 yards north of the Duke of Cumberland, a footpath heads west (over a wooden stile) along the bed of the canal. It leads to the old packhorse bridge over the canal. The underside of the arch has been infilled to prevent its collapse. The west face of the bridge can also be seen, but the canal westwards has disappeared. Returning to the main road, there is a masonry-lined chamber, still retaining water.
2) Eastwards towards Ham - Taking the footpath east, to Ham; follow the field edge then go through the gap in the hedge. Beyond this, the footpath follows the towpath on the south side of the canal bed, clearly defined for some 100 yards. In the woodland beyond, there is little trace of the canal and the footpath is difficult to follow
3) Westwards from Ham - Opposite a pole-mounted electricity transformer (labelled Ham Corn Mill), a waymarked footpath heads west over a stile, then over another stile into woodland. It runs along the towpath for 200 yards, with the canal bed on the north side.
4) Ham to Coleford - From the road, over a wooden stile, the waymarked path runs between hedges. After 100 yards the canal becomes visible. After crossing a stile, the canal can be followed through woodland. The path rises around the edge of a cutting and then, after another stile, descends to rejoin the towpath. Alongside a wooden footbridge and stile, a short stretch of the cut retains water. The canal disappears across an open field; follow the path along the northern boundary of the field and beyond, to join the road in Coleford.
5) Coleford Aqueduct - ("Huckyduck") From the road, a signposted footpath heads northwards to the aqueduct. From the path, there is a good view of the stone-faced two-arched aqueduct which spans the valley. Although now lacking any parapet, it was described in an 1825 pamphlet as a 'noble and stupendous aqueduct'.
5a) Coleford Tunnel - The canal tunnel is still in situ under the road in front of Coleford Methodist Chapel but is not accessible to the public.
6) Coleford Embankment - Pass through a stile in the stone wall just north of the Methodist Church. The course of the canal is by the line of trees. Take the path over a stile; it continues via the towpath, over an embankment. The canal bed disappears as it crosses a field; but reappears before it enters a cutting which was intended to lead to a tunnel.

Saturday 20th January 2018

The Basingstoke Canal , 37½ miles long from the Wey Navigation (see yesterday) at Woodham to Basingstoke Wharf, was authorized in 1778 and completed throughout in 1796 . It had a chequered career. Evidently its proprietors soon realised that, as a long branch serving a purely rural area, the canal had no prosperous future, for optimistic proposals were made to extend its western end either to the Kennet & Avon at Newbury, to the Itchen Navigation or to the Andover Canal at Andover. Needless to add, these came to nothing. Various attempts to revive the canal have been made and part of its length is still used for moorings. 5½ miles of canal at its western end were isolated by the collapse of the 1200-yard tunnel at Greywell, near Odiham, in 1932, and this section is now dry and derelict.
As usual, I would like to comfort Tom with images of today, as the entire length from the tunnel to the Wey have been restored by volunteers, reopened in 1991 and are now most beautiful, used by leisure boaters, but restricted by water supply and "conservation issues". In 1966 the Surrey & Hampshire Canal Society was formed and in the decades since then have done sterling work in restoration. The final part beyond the tunnel is in Basingstoke itself and has been built on. There is a protected bat colony in the tunnel, so this is probably how it will remain. Points of interest are the various pillboxes/bunkers built during WW2 and the Dragons Teeth at Crookham wharf, anti-tank defences

The Andover Canal, 22 miles long from that town down the valleys of the Anton and Test to the tideway of Southampton Water at Redbridge was surveyed by Robert Whitworth, authorized in 1789 and completed in 1796 ... like the canal at Strood it is disappointing because...
...Following its closure in 1859, the greater part of its length was converted into a railway which became part of the London & South-Western Railway. Some sections of the canal survived, however, but need some tracing. The Andover was connected with one of the most extraordinary projects of the canal mania, the Southampton & Salisbury Canal. This was to be built in two separate sections, Salisbury to Kimbridge and Redbridge to Southampton and Northam, the Andover Canal forming the link between them. The first section was apparently opened briefly for traffic as far as Alderbury Common, two miles from Salisbury. The second section included a tunnel half a mile long under Southampton which caused considerable difficulty and was never completed or used. The digging of that part of the canal, which ran parallel with Southampton Water provoked, understandably some ribald criticism. Like the Andover canal, part of this portion was later used by the Andover-Southampton railway.
There are only remnants of the Andover left, and Ronald Russell's account is basically directions to find these. He says you can pick up the line behind the cinema in Romsey - I assume this is now the theatre - and follow the footpath out of the town to the north. There is, I can see from Google Maps, still a Canal Walk, and a reasonably supplied stream. Painting of Rooksbury Bridge, Andover, part of the Canal Walk, Romsey.
Wikipaedia says: The canal terminus was on the south side of the River Anton in Andover. It then followed the river to its junction with the River Test, and crossed both rivers on two aqueducts. Below the aqueducts, it followed the east bank of the river to Redbridge. Above Kimbridge, there was a junction with the Salisbury & Southampton Canal. The junction with the Test at Redbridge, from where access to Southampton Water was possible, was situated above the medieval bridge, although the original plans showed it a little further to the south on the foreshore. The total length of the canal was 22 miles (35 km), and the 24 locks dropped the level through 179 feet (55 m).
In addition, several stretches of canal can be made out alongside the old railway track bed such as at Brook and also between Westover and Fullerton, where reasonable stone and brick remains of a lock are evident .

Friday 19th January 2018

In south-east England, the Thames & Medway canal was authorized in 1800 , its object being to open a direct route for barge traffic between the two rivers, avoiding the long and difficult passage round the Hundred of Hoo.
John Rennie acted as consultant and the canal was completed in 1824 , 3 years after his death. The one outstanding feature of this short canal from Gravesend to Rochester was the great tunnel through the chalk at Strood, by far the longest tunnel in this country. Its length, 3909 yards, was only exceeded by Standedge, but unlike the latter, it was of great size; the crown of the arch was 27ft above water level and its width of 26ft 6in included a 5ft towpath. There was an 8ft depth of water through the tunnel...the contractors were Pritchard & Hoof. The centre of the tunnel was later widened out to form a passing place for barges.
The canal was unsuccessful, but the size of the tunnel, large enough for a double railway line made it a valuable asset and it was eventually sold to the South-eastern Railway to become part of their North Kent line. The rest of the canal was abandoned in 1934 and only the terminal basins remained in use.
I thought it strange that I lived in Strood 1979-1983 and never knew of the canal or the famous tunnel. However, I see from websites that the canal disappeared at around the time this painting was done, 1847. The canal was sold to the railway company, as Tom said above, and they filled in the canal bed and ran a second track along it. The canal towing contractor's home was turned into Higham station. There have been occasional roof falls in the tunnel, but it has been relined and is still used today. The "other end" of the canal, from Gravesend to Higham was used up to 1934, but it suffered bomb damage in WW2 and some areas have been choked with vegetation or back-filled.
Ronald Russell said in 1982: A tunnel was not part of the original plan for a canal from the Thames to the Medway. Ralph Dodd , engaged in 1799 to survey a line for a canal to connect the two rivers so that sailing barges could avoid the sometimes dangerous passage around the North Foreland, proposed cutting through the chalk cliffs, but it was the recommendation of other engineers consulted that was adopted...As the number of boats using the canal at a given time depended on the tides, congestion frequently occurred...For some years the canal was moderately busy, fruit and hops being among the cargoes carried (and dung, I understand!) and the tunnel became a tourist attraction...Trains and barges operated side by side for 18 months; then the Southeastern Railway bought up the company, filled in the canal from Higham to Strood and laid double tracks through the tunnel. The section of canal from Gravesend to Higham traded for a further 87 years, mostly carrying farm produce, until it was abandoned by its railway owners in 1934. Part ofGravesend Basin is open and used for moorings. There are 3 canal cottages by the swing bridge over the river lock and on the far side is the Canal Tavern.
Pub is still doing well, as far as I can see, but the cottages he mentioned were demolished. In 1983 the Gravesend swing bridge was replaced, followed in 1990-95 by the one near Chalk (and again in 2015). Strood basin was filled in 1986 and has been built over. However, in 1976 the Thames & Medway Canal Association bought the canal remnants and have been restoring it, for example in 2004 the Gravesend basin was dredged and lock gates into the Thames restored and 2005 the swing bridge rebuilt again.
The canal is linked with footpaths and a cycle route and there are future plans to work on it. In March 2015, the first narrowboat in 80 years was launched from the slipway at Gravesend into the canal basin. Apart from Gravesend basin, the canal is mostly in water — though disused — from Denton Marshes to the north end of Higham Tunnel, with the exception of a blocked stretch between Chalk and Queen’s Farm (written in 2017)
On 24th October 2017 I dealt with the Wey Navigation - see below. Tom Rolt says:
In 1763 Sir Richard Weston 's old Wey Navigation was extended from Guildford to Godalming and in 1787 another ancient river navigation, that of the Sussex Arun, was extended to Newbridge. Its tributary the Rother being made navigable to Midhurst in 1794. It was almost inevitable that with this extension of river navigation, a canal link between the Wey and the Arun should be proposed to provide an inland water route between the Thames and the south coast and so, apart from its value for local trade, avoid the dangerous passage round the North Foreland. The Wey & Arun Junction canal was authorized in 1813 and opened in 1816 , Josias Jessop having been responsible for the survey and the design of the structural works. It was 18½ miles long from the Wey at Stonebridge Wharf to the Arun at Newbridge.
Moreover, the shortlived Portsmouth & Arundel canal opened in 1823, including a branch to Chichester, a cut across Thorney Island and the short Portsea Canal, provided an inland route between London and Portsmouth. With the exception of the Chichester Canal, the latter was abandoned in 1847, while the Wey & Arun canal, which had been badly engineered, and consequently suffered from a chronic shortage of water on its short summit level, was abandoned in 1871 .
In 1816, The Wey & Arun Junction Canal opened to great fanfare, linking the Wey Navigation near Guildford to the south coast via the Arun Navigation. Conceived during the Napoleonic Wars, the Canal was intended to provide a safe, efficient route from London to Portsmouth to carry goods supplying the dockyards. In its heyday, the Canal did carry many tons of cargo but the end of the war with France, and the arrival of the railways, sounded the death knell for the Wey & Arun as a business, and by 1871 it was formally closed. 200 years after it opened, over 3,000 members and volunteers are working to reopen the Wey & Arun Canal for leisure.
Ronald Russell said in 1982: The Wey & Arun was the central link in an ambitious scheme to provide a water connection between London and Portsmouth. The Thames, the Wey, the Wey & Arun Junction Canal, the Arun Navigation and the Portsmouth & Arundel Canal were the components. Despite the powerful support of the wealthy and influential Lord Egremont, the scheme was a failure...It was hoped that some 55,000 tons of goods would be carried annually. However in the 116 miles of waterway there were 52 locks; the river navigations were chancy and the W&A was chronically short of water at the summit; the through passage took 4 days and sometimes longer. In the first year 3650 tons were carried and that figure was never exceeded...For a couple of years there was a monthly bullion run from Portsea up to the Bank of England, the barges having an armed guard who slept on board. This ended in 1826, in that year Lod Egremont withdrew his support and the P&A found itself in financial trouble...In 1865 the Horsham &Guildford Railway opened, running parallel to the canal for 6 miles and providing direct competition. With no prospect of a commercial future for the canal the shareholders lost heart and the company went into liquidation.
From the Wey at Shalford it climbed slowly up to its summit near Cranleigh, then descended to join the Arun Navigation at Newbridge. With no major aqueducts, long tunnels or massive earthworks it did not leave much mark on the countryside...Its line seemed to wander uncertainly southward from Surrey into Sussex. Now you can obtain from the W&A Canal Trust a guide to tracing the route, the path linking the North Downs Way and South Downs Way.
I won't follow his directions or descriptions, as there has been much work done in restoration here and his details won't be true. I shall show you what the Inland Waterways Association says on their website:
Restoration started in 1971 and since then, more than half the route has been worked on, with 13 locks, 21 bridges and 2 aqueducts restored or rebuilt. The major project, and the most expensive, to date has been the building of the B2133 Loxwood High Street bridge and the new Loxwood Lock, costing about £2million. There are currently three-and-a-half miles of fully operational canal in the Loxwood area and the Trust has a Canal Centre at Loxwood, where its three excursion boats are based. The current limit of navigation to the north is Southland Lock, which was re-opened in the summer of 2014. To the south, the navigable section ends at Drungewick Lock. The next lock to the north, Gennets Bridge on the West Sussex-Surrey border, is currently in an advanced stage of reconstruction. Volunteers took over the project after contractors built the concrete shell. The first fully navigable section of the canal in Surrey – part of the Summit Level between Dunsfold and Alfold – was officially opened at the beginning of October 2016, at the same time as a new Compasses Bridge. The bridge, at the Alfold entrance to Dunsfold Aerodrome, replaced a 1930s concrete causeway which was blocking the waterway, in a project costing around £700,000.
The opening ceremony was performed by actor and Surrey Hills Patron Dame Penelope Keith, as part of commemorations to mark the 200th anniversary of the opening of the combined canal at the same location.
[Map. this shows how much had been restored by 2007 - and a lot more has in the 10 years since!]

Tuesday 16th January 2018

In 1982 Ronald Russell said of the western end of the Herefordshire & Gloucestershire Canal O n the north side of the city (Hereford) is the railway station, and a few yards from the station building is the site of the terminal basin of the H&G Canal.
Not an auspicious start. A website from the 1990s says The Herefordshire & Gloucestershire Canal has completely disappeared at its western end in Hereford. The terminal basin was near the railway station but the site of the basin is said to be on waste ground and not accessible. However, in these changing times of the 1990's this might not now be the case. In a book written in 2015, author David Skeet explained that the proposed restoration plan in Hereford, involving a rebuilt canal basin in Hereford, is being held up by landowners. Along the line there are over 100 owners, some of whom are not sympathetic to the plans. HGCT are keeping involved in plans to develop the area, hoping to make the basin part of the proposed retail park.
The object of the local promoters of the canal was to transport coal from pits near Newent which had been worked to little profit for many years. Hereford in particular was to benefit from cheaper coal. The idea of giving Hereford a better water connection than the Wye was mooted by Robert Whitworth in 1777, but it was not until 1790 that action began and the line was surveyed by Josiah Clowes. 3 years later , with the Act obtained and money raised, Hugh Henshall was called in to re-examine the line; he proposed moving it nearer to Newent, across particularly difficult country, to avoid constructing a 3-mile branch. This plan was adopted - to no one's advantage as it transpired. From the economic angle the story of the H&G is a miserable tale. By 1798 the canal was open from Gloucester to Ledbury - 'a 16 mile ribbon of water serving few villages and a couple of smallmarket towns practically devoid of industry in any form'. There were 13 deep locks up to the summit at Ledbury and the narrow Oxenhall Tunnel, enormously expensive and troublesome to cut - 'Henshall's Folly' might be a fiiting name for it. A manager, William Maysey, was appointed at Ledbury for £30 a year and under his surveillance a little trade trickled in, turning over a few hundred pounds annually. On Maysey's retirement in 1827, the committee appointed as his successor a young local man, Stephen Ballard, whose energetic and ambitious drive has left its mark on the Herefordshire countryside.
Basically, he wanted the entire length constructed and carried others along with his enthusiasm. With hindsight, it now seems extraordinary that at the beginning of the railway age anyone with any sense would put up money for such an undertaking, estimated to cost £76,000 but in 1837 work began...The Ashperton Tunnel, with its spectacular deep cutting, was completed and so was the vital feeder from the River Frome, essential for the canal's water supply. In Jan 1843 the wharf at Canon Frome was in use...a year later the canal was open to Withingto...the following year Hereford. But by then enthusiasm had waned and nobody attended the ceremonial filling of the basin, and Ballard, in some distress, departed to a new appointment. As soon as the canal was completed the West Midland Railway offered to buy it. The offer came to nothing, however, and when it became clear that Hereford would have to wait some years for the railway the canal company was forced to try to make the line pay. This to some extent it succeeded in doing, through efficient management, rate cutting and the carriage of materials for railway companies. Eventually...the H&G leased itself to the Great Western Railway for £5000 a year...At last the GWR decided to replace the Ledbury-Gloucester section with a railway, using the canal to bring up materials from the Severn...The railway, built for the most part along the line of the canal, carried passengers until 1959 and freight until 1964; the rails have since been lifted and most of its structures demolished...
It seems the railway still runs between Ledbury and Hereford, but again a lot of what he reports one can see from footpaths etc has now gone completely. He reported there were red-brick wharf buildings at various places along the route, but without visiting the area I cannot say whether they are still in evidence. I think rather than follow his directions in this, I shall bring you the places on the Canal Plan site (which is much more up to date):

Hereford
Plaque at Widemarsh Bridge, photographed 2008
[site of canal bed photographed in 2012]
Aylestone Tunnel - no sign
Aylestone Slipway - see later
Aylestone Park - piece in water, near pub called Swan and bridge under Roman Road
Railway Bridge - the railway splits into two and the branch to Ledbury ostensibly crosses the canal on a bridge - Canal route is ?footpath
Barrs Lock - 5 miles further on - nothing to be seen from above
Crews Pitch - bridge taking road over a fragment of canal which has had much work done on it in recent years - see later
Monkhide Skew Bridge - built by Stephen Ballard in 1843 to take a minor no-through-road over the canal. Nobody knows why at this difficult angle
3 other bridges in the village of Monkhide and what appears to be a turning area by Monksbury Court
Ashperton Tunnel - Some history... So determined was Stephen Ballard to complete Ashperton Tunnel in as little time as possible that he set up home not far from the site. He built himself a house of dry bricks with only a few mortar courses so that he could be on hand to supervise the works at all hours. The major problem with the construction of the tunnel was keeping the shafts free of water and the dangerous nature of the work due to threat of landslides and flooding. One night Stephen Ballard stayed up until 1am with a boy who had fallen 60ft down one of the tunnel's shafts. The tunnel was often unstable, and to solve this problem it was lined with brick and stone throughout. The waters from the River Frome, needed to fill the canal section around Ashperton Tunnel, were legalised in November 1841 and on 20th August 1842 the Frome waters were let into the canal, which at that time had been nearly empty all the way to Gloucester. To celebrate the event two barrels of cider were bought for the navvies, which they rapidly proceeded to drink. Ashperton Tunnel had created problems and Ballard was forced to admit that the cost had far exceeded the estimates. He travelled to Birmingham in the hope of borrowing an extra £13,000, but returned empty handed on the newly-opened railway, remarking on its great comfort and reliability.
Boyce Court Bridge - rare section in water
Oxenhall Tunnel
North portal photographed in 2008, very silted up after wet summer, only the top showing.
Cold Harbour Lane Bridge - road goes over the canal just south of the tunnel
There then follows several locks in the Oxenhall area and much work is being undertaken here - see later
House Lock
aka Coal Branch Lock (Top Lock)
Double Lock and Rudford Lock obliterated by the railway, now also gone
and the canal terminates at Over Basin, which has been restored
Further restoration projects:
Aylestone Park - in 2002 Hereford Council acquired the site by partership with H & G Canal Trust (H&GCT) and Aylestone Park Association. They have cleared the towpath, built footpaths and a cycleway. In 2007 they had to remove large quantities of contaminated silt, 2009-10 Aylestone Slipway was constructed, opened in May 2011
In 2013-14 an overflow weir was constructed
Yorkhill - cottage and lock gone and canal bed dry since 1881. In 1995-6 the canal was dredged and the spoil spread on the farmer's field (gave him a better yield the following season!). 2005 volunteers reclaimed the towpath, canal bed and banks so that in 2008 they could be opened to the public.
Dymock - In 2013 a scheme was hatched for a new housing estate through association of H&GCT, the Parish Council, 2 Rivers Housing Association and the landowner. In 2014 the canal was restructured, an electicity main had to be moved and the towpath was built over it. In Feb 2016 20 homes were available, plus car park and play area. One of the homes is rented out to provide income for maintenance of the canal. In May 2016 the development won an international award, the Green Apple Award
Oxenhall - following closure in 1881, the lock gradually filled with silt & debris, trees grew alongside, their roots causing considerable damage to the lock walls and the overspill channel which ran beneath the cottage, past the lock. In 1996 the owner of cottage & lock gifted the entire section of canal with lock, cottage & aqueduct to the Trust. In 1998 the cottage was sold and sympathetically restored to its original appearance.
The tunnel - mostly still standing but will need external restoration. The north end passes under the M50 (built 1958-60) and the tunnel collapsed. In 2008 a gas main needed replacement and this was done on a concrete slab to aid restoration work at a later date. Work started on the south portal in 1991, involving lowering the water level and rebuilding the towpath. In 1994-8 volunteers cleared it of vegetation and rebuilt the damaged portal structure. The "Legger's Rest", a unique arched recess built into the bank at the portal was for a gang of men to shelter in - they assisted the passage of narrowboats by legging them along (not for donkeys, as Tom suggested). This was fully restored in the 1990s. In 1996 the canal was dredged and the spoil spread on the land, as at Yorkhill. However, this parrt of the canal is not in H&GCT ownership, so it is now overgrown again from the tunnel to Coldharbour Bridge. In 2000 Trust volunteers restored the lock chamber itself at Oxenhall House, as much of the original wall masonry had fallen into the chamber, and had to be replaced. This was completed in 2004 and the wing walls replaced in 2008.
Well Brook Aqueduct was examined in 2004 and found to be in much worse condition than expected, so it took until 2014. Meanwhile a Bailey Bridge was provided by the Army, who removed it when complete, when the stone was gently excavated and concrete poured in.
The Spill Weir by Lock House in 2013 took several months, including removal of a lot of rubbish
Vineyard Hill - H&GCT bought the site from the previous owner and restored it, opening Sep 2012
Over Basin - the Over Isolation Hospital had been built in 1903 on the site so when it came up for sale in 1993 the Trust bought it and in 1998 clearance began. The basin had been filled in but clearance was a part of the purchase agreement. 1999-2000 volunteers rebuilt the Wharf House and restored a length of the canal, forming a new canal centre and restaurant and in 2011 they bought the next piece of canal.
The canal connects to an unnavigable part of the River Severn, separated from the main line by weirs with derelict locks. The Trust has purchased one of these (using a legacy), tow cottages, some land and a small section of the River Severn and intends to develop the junction.

Monday 15th January 2018

In the West Midlands there are two abandoned canals of particular interest running through beautiful country. These are the Kington & Leominster (pronounced Lemster) and the Herefordshire & Gloucestershire Canals. The former was one of the more optimistic products of the mania period. It was planned to ascend from the Severn at Stourport by a flight of 17 locks in 3 miles to a 207ft summit level, thence passing through two tunnels, Pensax (3850yds) and Southnet (1254yds) to join the northern side of the Teme Valley, whose slopes it followed through Tenbury to Woofferton, crossing the rivers Rea and Teme by aqueducts.
At Woofferton it swung due south to Leominster where it turned west once more to follow the Lugg valley to Kingsland, finally reaching Kington, where it joined the Kington tramway, by way of the Valley of the Arrow. There was a third tunnel at Putnal Field (330yds) between Woofferton and Leominster. The route was surveyed by Whitworth and Thomas Dadford Jr was the engineer...It was speculative indeed to drive a canal involving such heavy works through this sparsely populated countryside, and in fact only from the tunnel to Leominster was ever completed. This was used to carry coal from the Mamble Pits to Leominster from 1794 until 1858, when the canal was acquired by the Shrewsbury & Hereford Railway, part of its bed being subsequently used by the Bewdley and Woofferton branch line, now itself abandoned. However, the wharf buildings at Broombank and Leominster still exist; so do Putnal Field tunnel, which gave its builders much trouble,
and the fine masonry aqueduct over the Rea at Marlbrook which survives in remarkably good order.
The central span of the Teme aqueduct was deliberately destroyed during the last war.
Some mystery surrounds the two long tunnels. Southnet is said to have been completed, but although the eastern portal can be seen in the grounds of Southnet Farm, there is no trace of the western end...there is no evidence on the ground to show that any work was ever done on Pensax. Until recently it was assumed that no work on the canal was done west of Leominster or east of Southnet, but recent field work has disclosed traces of excavation and the pier bases of a second aqueduct over the Lugg near Kingsland; also some excavation in the grounds of Dumbleton Farm, east of Southnet.
In 1795 part of the as yet unused Southnet tunnel fell in. John Rennie was called in to investigate and was most critical of Dadford's work. It seems that he was spreading himself too thinly, involved in too many projects at once, and did a (dangerously) slapdash job. 3 workers were killed in the collapse.
The Kington & Leominster...is an excellent example of the problems that can sometimes be posed by canal history which only field work can solve. (There are, supposedly eminent, contemporary accounts stating the existence of much that was never there outside the designers' office). No such mysteries surround the Herefordshire & Gloucestershire Canal, as it is known to have been completed throughout. Yet it is a parallel example of a canal with heavy and costly works promoted in the mania years through a rural area with no hope of earning a fair return on the capital expended. Running from the western branch of the Severn at Over, near Gloucester, by Newent and Ledbury to a terminus at Barr's Court Basin, Hereford, such well-known names as Whitworth , Clowes and Henshall were associated with its construction.
The canal was completed to Ledbury in 1798 , but Hereford was not reached until 1845 . Yet in 1881 the canal was closed when it was acquired by the Great Western Railway Company, who then proceeded to build their Gloucester to Ledbury branch line over part of its bed. This railway bypassed a short section of canal between Newent and Dymock which includes the 2192-yard Oxenhall Tunnel. The northwestern end of this tunnel is blocked by a landslide and...the interior by a roof fall.
There is a curious arched recess in the rock beside the southeastern portal of Oxenhall the purpose of which is obscure...maybe a donkey shelter, used while waiting for the boats to emerge. Considerable portions of the 8½ mile summit level of the canal from Ledbury to Monkhide remain including the tunnel at Ashperton.
This last was to have been 1192 yards long, but was reduced by open cutting to about 440 yards. As at Oxenhall, the northwestern end has been closed by a landslide
On the approach to Hereford the long embankment and aqueduct over the Lugg valley at Sutton Marsh survive, but so far as is known, there is now no trace of the third tunnel, 440 yards long, under Aylstone Hill, Hereford.
The Leominster Canal in the eyes of Ronald Russell: In the event 18½ miles from Leominster to Southnet Wharf were opened, costing £93,000. The shareholders' optimism went unrewarded; no dividend was ever paid. Between Kington and Leominster very little work was done...On the Ludlow road heading north from Leominster is the Wharf House. The site of the wharf is beside the house; an inconvenient distance from Leominster, it seems, but the canal had to keep on the north side of the town to avoid a second crossing of the Lugg. From the wharf, the canal heads northward for about 6 miles; the railway line...follows the same direction
The first substantial remains of the canal...are over the top of Putnal Field Tunnel
Construction of the tunnel had been difficult and expensive...both portals can be reached through the field...the stonework, untended for well over a century, is in surprisingly good condition...although the tunnel has collapsed in the middle.
The Friends of the Leominster Canal, among others, visited the site of the portals last year and someone paddled through to the blockage, saying it would take a lot of work to restore.
From the tunnel the canal continues northeastward very close to the railway, which eventually crosses it by the site of Woofferton Wharf and Locks just over a mile further on...near the old Woofferton Station.
Actually, I have tried to follow Ronald's route on Google Maps, tracing the canal-bed, and if there was little to see in 1982 (which he freely admits) there is even less now. The line of the old railway is a footpath, as in so many places nowadays, and there is little evidence of railway or canal. It is a shame, because there is nothing there in its place... The Rea Aqueduct was closed in 2014 as unsafe
He said in 1982 Nothing is being done to preserve the Rea Aqueduct, and in any event it is probably too late for anything but the most expensive and visually obtrusive measures. From the top of the aqueduct there is a fascinating and mostly beautiful walk to the Wharf House at Marlbrook. You pass the easily detectable sites of six locks and a lock cottage.
Unfortunately the following 36 years have erased these and I couldn't follow the path (canal or railway) along here. The Wharf House is fine, but, according to the owner online, even this has changed a lot
The openings on either side of the central bay were docks into which boats could be drawn for repair. Here coal was brought down from Sir Walter Blount's collieries by the Mamble tramroad...
The canal continued a short distance further east to Southnet Wharf...On the opposite side of the main road is the site of the northern portal of Southnet Tunnel. This, one of the most intriguing of all canal tunnels, was 1250 yards long. It was completed in 1795 but collapsed in the same year, never to be repaired. Rumour says that 2 men and a boat lie entombed therein.... About 2 miles further east a short stretch of cutting was begun near Dumbleton, but no traces of construction between Southnet and the Severn: no long Pensax tunnel and no splendid flight of locks down to the river. In June 1797 one spadeful of earth was dug opposite Stourport to mark the intended junction of the canal and Severn, but by this time it was becoming obvious that the project would not be completed. There was not enough trade and no more money...and eventually the company managed to negotiate a sale to the Shrewsbury & Hereford Railway for £12,000. In 1859 the canal was closed.

I shall have to leave Ronald's thoughts on the Hereford & Gloucester canal until tomorrow.

Sunday 14th January 2018

Before moving on, I need to report from Ronald Russell's book on the East Midlands canals mentioned yesterday:
The Grantham Canal ...was opened in 1797, traded successfully into the mid-19th Century and then sold out to a railway company when threatened with competition. Regular trading ended in 1917, but boat movements continued until 1936 when the London & Northwestern Railway refused to meet the cost of new lock gates and abandoned the canal. In fact the gates survived for some time but their remnants were removed in the 1950s, the locks were weired and several road bridges levelled. Then the Grantham became one of the first canals to be considered for restoration...the main obstacle is that there are plans for open cast mining in the vale and the future of the canal is uncertain...It is clearly marked on OS sheets 129 & 130...much of the towpath has been cleared by volunteers of the Canal Restoration Society...the length by Cropwell Bishop, where the canal was cut across gypsum beds, always leaked and is often dry.
Melton Mowbray Navigation and the Oakham Canal basin was to the north of the river bridge, close to the Boat Inn (now an industrial estate)...Navigation on the Wreak continued until 1877 when there was insufficient traffic to show a profit; on the canal it ceased in 1846 when it was bought and closed by the Midland Railway...Many of the 12 locks can still be found, their brick chambers crumbling away. There are locks at Ratcliffe, Brooksby and Asfordby, all easy to find as they are situated close to bridges
The Oakham Canal is not so accessible and there is not much of it left...some of its bed was used by the railway which bought it. On the approach to Oakham the canal lies at the rear of Springfield House and Catmose Vale Hospital. The wharf site is now occupied by Oakham School and a canal warehouse has been converted into the school hall (known as Wharflands) . On the Oakham Canal there were no fewer than 19 locks and little bits are still visible.
Both canal basins, and the areas east of the Melton Mowbray canal basin and north of the Oakham canal basin, have been redeveloped. Several sections were used for the route of the Syston and Peterborough railway which now crosses the canal at several locations. The site of the former Market Overton wharf, the warehouse (now converted into cottages) and the converted weigh-house can still be seen from the Market Overton to Teigh Road.
The former warehouse at the Oakham canal basin is now the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. The stonework around its windows, and the interior beams are the original .

Saturday 13th January 2018

Not surprisingly, in the mania years of the early 1790s many over-optimistic canal schemes were promoted. Some of these never got beyond the preliminary survey stage and need not concern us. Some were completed, wholly or partially, but enjoyed such a brief working life that today they are almost forgotten, their courses only to be traced with difficulty. Thanks to recent research into canal records, most notably the work of Mr Charles Hadfield, we now know the background history of these shortlived projects.
Tom Rolt said this in 1969, with many warnings that a lot of the planned ventures came to nothing and there is no evidence to see. However, I do have a book on this very subject written by Ronald Russell in 1982, so may well carry straight on afterwards with this, as there has evidently been plenty of research done in the 1970s we need to consider.
Long-abandoned canals make a particularly pleasant subject for fieldwork study because, almost invariably, they served predominantly rural areas. Most of them are to be found in southern England in regions scarcely touched by 19th Century industrial development. This was the main reason for their speedy eclipse. Rural traffic proved too thin to nourish them and today we are witnessing the disappearance of rural railway lines for the same reason. Happily...now, at the eleventh hour, some of these long-abandoned canals are being made the subject of special studies.
Examples of abandoned canals in the East Midlands are the 33 miles of the Grantham Canal, winding through the vale of Belvoir from the Trent at Nottingham to Grantham and, further south, the River Wreak Navigation from its junction with the River Soar Leicester Navigation at Cossington to Melton Mowbray with its extension, the Oakham Canal, to Oakham. In 1904 de Salis reported that there was 'not much trade' on the Grantham Canal and it was formally abandoned in 1936. Like other canals in the area it had broad locks, 18 in number, rising to Grantham.

Much of the canal remained in water due to agreements for irrigating agriculture, although a section at Cropwell Bishop was allowed to dry out. The rural route of the canal meant that it escaped infilling, though a railway embankment was built across the canal at Woolthorpe in the 1950s and has had to be excavated. Many hump-backed bridges were replaced with flat bridges over the years, and this has also created an obstacle to navigation.
Much of the canal is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, home to a rich diversity of wildlife. The reedbeds are home to rare bird species including sedge warbler, reed warbler and reed bunting. The towpath has been rebuilt as a lovely walking and cycling route. The Grantham Canal Society is working on ways to restore the canal for boats, while preserving it as a space for nature. A stretch of canal from Woolsthorpe to the A1 near Grantham is now once again navigable and the Society runs boat trips there. The Wreak or Melton Mowbray Navigation, 15 miles long with 12 locks, was abandoned in 1877 while its extension, the Oakham Canal, had an even shorter life, having been abandoned in 1846. There were 19 broad locks in a distance of 15 miles to Oakham.
The Melton Mowbray Navigation (a Jessop canal) was completed in 1796, and was so successful the Oakham branch was planned a year later. But in 1846 railway competition was so fierce they had to go. The Charnwood Forest Canal and these two were sold to landowners and all freight went from the area by rail by 1877. In 1997 the local branch of the Inland Waterways Association (Tom's group) formed Melton & Oakham Waterways Society, and much restoration is planned. They were awarded £50 million by the People's Lottery Fund in 2008, to fund 79 projects, of which bridge replacement was one ...Once completed, Syston Lock will need to be refurbished to open up the first 1 mile (1.6 km) of the waterway to Lewin Bridge and the Gate Hangs Well public house. Fortunately much of the Melton Mowbray Navigation was the original River Wreak, so is still there and with water (unfortunately the Oakham has mainly gone), and the bridges weren't lowered, so restoration is mainly of the locks.

Friday 12th January 2018

South-east of Birmingham the same pressure forced the Oxford canal company to make belated improvements, in this case the straightening of the northern half of their tortuous main line between Hawkesbury and Wolfamcote, just south of Braunston. This work was authorized in May 1829 and completed in February 1834 . It had the effect of shortening the line by nearly 14 miles. Cuttings and embankments carry the new canal through ridges and across valleys which the old contour canal had taken many winding miles to avoid. A new tunnel, 250 yards long with towpaths on either side was driven at Newbold (See 13th October 2017 below) and 3 aqueducts carry the new canal over the Rugby-Lutterworth road and the rivers Swift and Avon north of Rugby. At Newbold the south entrance to the old tunnel may still be seen...at right angles to the new tunnel...
The old line was abandoned with the exception of the portions leading to Stretton, Brinklow, and Clifton Mill Wharves and that section forming the junction with the Grand Junction Canal at Braunston and providing access to the Braunston boatyard. Cast-iron roving bridges of most elegant design were erected wherever it was necessary to carry the new towpath over the old channel.
These Oxford canal improvements are frequently but erroneously attributed to Telford. In fact he had no hand in them. Several engineers were involved whose names we do not usually associate with canals. Sir Marc Brune l was first consulted, Charles Vignoles made the survey and William Cubitt acted as consultant while the work was in progress.
The improvement of the Oxford , however, was closely bound up with a canal scheme with which Telford was associated. This was for a London to Birmingham route which would avoid the heavy lockage on the Warwick line by keeping north of the Avon valley. It was this scheme which stirred the Oxford company to action, for it was first projected to run to Braunston and so would have cut the Oxfpord out of the through traffic altogether. When the Oxford company undertook to straighten their line, Anstey became the projected junction for the new route, but the canal was never built. In the light of history this was unfortunate for, despite the costly widening of the canal between Napton and Birmingham carried out by the Grand Union company between 1931 and 1934, the heavy lockage on the Warwick line has remained a serious handicap to through traffic between Birmingham and London.
Those waterways associated with the Severn had long been impeded by the difficulties and hazards of navigating the tidal portion of that river below Gloucester. They enjoyed a very important fillip when the Gloucester & Berkeley Ship Canal was opened in April 1827 ...an ambitious project of the mania period, authorized in 1793, which had been struggling towards completion ever since. As planned in 1793 the canal would have been 18¼ miles long, 70ft wide and 15ft deep. But in 1818 the depth was increased to 18ft and the length was reduced to 16¾ miles by the decision to join the Severn at Sharpness Point instead of Berkeley Pill
Robert Mylne , the architect and builder of Blackfriars Bridge, was engineer of the canal until 1798. Finally after a number of successors had come and gone, Telford became responsible for completing the canal as engineer to the Exchequer Bill Loans Commisioners who organized very substantial government loans in order to complete the job.
Features of this canal are the fine ranges of warehouses at Sharpness and Gloucester
also the delightful little bridgemen's cottages with their pillared porches.
Fretherne bridge house
The New docks and entrance dock at Sharpness were opened in Nov 1874 .

To sum up, all these improvements, splendidly engineered though they were, came too late. Secure in their monopolies, the old canal companies, notably the Birmingham, Trent & Mersey, and the Oxford, had put off essential development for too long. By so doing they had forfeited the sympathy of traders who were therefore only too ready to transfer their allegiance to the new railways. The sorry sequel is well known. Canal toll rates came tumbling down in the effort to meet the effect of railway competition, but all to no avail. The once proud canal companies were soon begging the railways to take them over in return for a guaranteed dividend. Some obtained powers to build railways themselves and used these powers as a bargaining counter. E.g. "The Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company" formed as a result of the amalgamation of the Ellesmere & Chester and Birmingham & Liverpool Junction canals. It launched an ambitious programme of railway construction and actually built one, the Shrewsbury & Stafford, to lease to the London & Northwestern Railway (LNWR) in 1846.
With the coming of the railways the canal system became virtually frozen. Railway companies were unlikely either to improve or to extend the systems of canals they controlled, while companies who remained independent became too impoverished to contemplate such developments (E.g. the Droitwich Junction Canal, 1¾ miles long with 7 falling locks, promoted by the Worcester & Birmingham company in 1852 to link to their canal at Hanbury Wharf with Brindley's old barge canal from the Severn to Droitwich. Another was the Slough Branch of the Grand Junction, completed in 1883).
Only the Birmingham canal network continued to develop and expand through the 19th Century. For although the BCNs were leased by the LNWR from 1846, the system continued to handle very heavy short-haul traffic from canalside premises, much of which passed to the rail at special transhipment depots. Notable imrovements were:
Tame Valley Canal 8½ miles long, from the Walsall canal to a junction with the Birmingham & Fazeley at Salford, opened in 1844
Netherton Tunnel built to relieve the restricted Dudley tunnel. 3027 yards long, 15ft 9in high and its width of 27ft allows room for a towpath on each side. When opened in 1858 it was lit by gas.

Tuesday 9th January 2018

Meanwhile the Trent & Mersey, like the Birmingham company, had been moved by the railway threat to put its own house in order and again it was Telford whose aid was sought. Here the equivalent of the Smethwick summit was Brindley's old tunnel at Harecastle. (Already discussed in this blog on 29th August, 1st September and 10th November 2017 - see below).
This was a bottleneck about which traders had been complaining bitterly but without avail for years. John Rennie had inspected the tunnel in 1820, reporting that the roof was only 6 feet above water level in places and so narrow that the brick lining had been worn to half its original thickness by the passage of boats. The mortar was so soft that bricks could be pulled out by hand. Yet four years passed before the company finally decided to act and Telford was called in. Having been delayed so long, the work of driving a new tunnel parallel with the old was pressed forward with all possible speed, Pritchard & Hoof being the contractors responsible. No less than 15 shafts were sunk so that the work of driving the headings could be carried on simultaneously at 30 different points. In addition, cross headings were driven into the old tunnel so that boats could assist in the removal of spoil through the night. Such was the speed of operations that a 7ft diameter heading was completed in Oct 1825 , and the tunnel was opened to traffic in March 1827 . For sheer speed of execution, this was a feat of tunnelling that has seldom been surpassed, and when we recall that the old tunnel beside it had taken 11 years to build it is another striking example of the progress made in civil engineering technique.
Telford designed the new tunnel with a towing path after the model of his earlier tunnels at Chirk and Whitehouses but with slightly more generous dimensions. The presence of a towpath meant it was a 'one-way' tunnel, but Telford planned to enlarge the old tunnel similarly. This was never carried out, however, and southbound traffic continued to 'leg' through the old tunnel until the early years of this century (1914) when subsidence finally led to its closure.
From Hall Green at the north end of Harecastle Tunnels the Macclesfield canal runs northward along the western slopes of the Staffordshire and Derbyshire uplands for 26 miles to a junction with the Peak Forest canal at the top of the Marple locks.
We travelled the length of this canal in 1984, so I have mentioned it before here - mainly 1st September 2017 but also 17th Nov when discussing the Peak Forest.
There is a single flight of 12 locks at Bosley which lifts the canal up to the 518ft summit level of the Peak Forest. Construction was authorized in 1826 and the canal was opened in Nov 1831 . It provided a shorter, though more heavily locked, route between The Potteries and Manchester and also brought water transport to the towns of Congleton and Macclesfield.
Thomas Telford prepared the original plans but had no hand in the actual construction for which William Crosley was responsible, Pritchard & Hoof being the main contractors. The monumental stonework of bridges and aqueducts on the Macclesfield suggests Rennie's work rather than Telford's, and Rennie's influence may well have been at work because Crosley had previously been resident engineer of the Lancaster canal north end, which, as we have seen, displays some of Rennie's finest work. (See 27th November 2017 below) . There are a number of masonry aqueducts carrying the canal over the valleys of rivers and streams falling from the uplands into the Cheshire plain. The largest and finest of these is the Dane Aqueduct at Bosley.
Other examples are the aqueduct over the River Bollin at Langley, near Macclesfield, the Dean aqueduct at Bollington and the Red Acre aqueduct over Poynton Brook at Michelford.
There were two silk & cotton mills here, served by the canal. Both are still standing, although the railway arrived in 1869 and took the custom from the water.
The Trent & Mersey company would not permit the sacred waters of their canal to be contaminated by this upstart newcomer. They insisted on building their own short branch to join the Macclesfield. This curiously leaves their main line on the south side subsequently crossing over the latter as it descends the Cheshire locks, and continuing for over a mile to join the Macclesfield at Harding's Wood. Moreover, they ruled that the actual point of junction should be between two stop locks, one controlled by each company.

Monday 8th January 2018

The Birmingham company had embarked on their great improvement scheme in anticipation of the completion of a new direct water route between the Midlands and the Mersey. This was the Birmingham & Liverpool Junction Canal , conceived by Telford and actively promoted by canal interests, headed by the Birmingham Company, as a counter to the rival railway scheme. The canal won the day, receiving its Act in May 1826 . It was to be the last major victory for the old transport scheme over the new. It was also to be Telford 's last major work and to build it he rallied to his aid the survivors of those engineers who had served him so well on the Ellesmere and Caledonian canals: John Wilson and his two sons Alexander Easton and William Provis .
The canal runs from Autherley Junction, on the Staffs & Worcs Canal, near its junction with the Birmingham, to Nantwich, where it joins the old Chester canal, whose hitherto isolated waterways the new canal would now unite to the midland system (the B & L J is nowadays part of the Shropshire Union canal) . They also hoped that with the new company's influential support they might at last overcome the Trent & Mersey's opposition to their proposed branch to Middlewich. This hope was fulfilled. At long last this missing link was built from Barbridge on the old Chester canal to a junction with the Trent & Mersey at Wardle Lock, Middlewich, the ten miles of canal including a considerable masonry aqueduct over the river Weaver at Hoolgrave. It was completed in 1833 .

The Birmingham & Liverpool Junction canal is carried over Watling Street (A5) at Stretton by an iron trough aqueduct and there is also a short tunnel with towpath at Cowley (81yds) near Gnoshall.
(see 11th September 2017 below for my account of this in 1939, 1984 and 2009) The latter (tunnel) was originally intended to be 690 yds long, but after a little over 200 yards had been driven the rock proved to be so rotten and treacherous that Telford decided to open out the workings and go through the greater part of the high ground in open cutting. Further to the north, a second iron trough aqueduct carries the canal over the Nantwich-Chester Road.
There are 28 locks, falling to Nantwich, 15 of which are concentrated in a flight at Audlem

The outstanding feature of this canal is the magnitude of the earthworks which enable it to maintain a remarkably straight course through the rolling country of the Shropshire/Staffordshire border. No one can travel through this canal without being impressed by the contrast between it and the earlier contour canals engineered by Brindley and his school. It emphasizes the progress made in civil engineering during the canal era, illustrating that 'cut and fill' technique which would soon be used by railway engineers and, in our own day, by the builders of motorways. It is significant that Telford's last canal is still the most direct route between the Black Country and the Mersey.
Nevertheless the earthworks caused Telford considerable trouble and anxiety as all works that are ahead of their time must do. Knowledge of soil mechanics was still rudimentary and, doubtless from a desire to econimize in excavation, Telford chose far too steep an angle of slope for his cuttings. Repeated slips in Grub Street cutting near Norbury, finally forced him to cut back the sides.
The other notably deep cutting at Woodseaves (see 6th September 2017 below)
near Market Drayton, proved more stable though it has caused continual trouble with minor falls. Similarly Telford experienced great difficulty in stabilizing his great embankments at Shelmore, Knighton and Dorfold (Nantwich) and this was all the more galling because Shelmore and Dorfold were undertaken as part of deviations made to placate local landowners at Norbury Park and Dorfold Hall. They did not appear on Telford's original plans.
The completion of this canal not only provided a more direct and less heavily locked route between the industrial Midlands and the Mersey but also with Manchester via the new canal from Middlewich. Thirdly, a 10½ mile branch canal from Norbury, through Newport to Wappenshall provided a link with another hitherto isolated canal system - the old Shrewsbury canal and the tub boat canals of industrial Shropshire. On this branch canal near Preston-upon-the-Weald-Moors is the Duke's Drive Aqueduct, an unusual and little known iron trough aqueduct with stone embellishments bearing the arms of the Duke of Sutherland .[sadly this was demolished in the late 1960s]
The Birmingham and Liverpool Junction route threatened to take traffic away from the Trent & Mersey, but the days when that doyen of canal companies could play power politics with impunity were nearly over and while it certainly opposed te new route, its ineffective opposition seemed to lack the old fire and force. Perhaps its proprietors reflected that, comapared with the rival railways scheme, the B & L J was the lesser of two evils. At least it would bring its Manchester traffic to the Trent & Mersey between Middlewich and Preston Brook. It was this reasoning that had induced its proprietors to give belated consent to the junction at Middlewich.

Sunday 7th January 2018

One more important waterway remained to be built before the threat of railways appeared over the horizon. This was the Regent's Canal running in a great arc through northern London from a junction with the Paddington branch of the Grand Junction at Harrow Road Bridge to Limehouse. It was authorized in 1812 . The mainline is 8½ miles with 12 paired broad locks falling to an extensive dock at Limehouse, from which ship and barge locks gave access to the tidal Thames. There are two tunnels, Maida Hill (272yds) and Islington (960yds). Below the City Road locks, east of Islington tunnel, the City Road basin was built which largely superseded the old terminus of the Grand Junction at Paddington Basin as a centre for London traffic.
With the opening of the Regent's Canal in 1820 , the Midlands canal network was linked directly to London's dockland and the great period of canal construction came to an end. For a few more golden years, waterways would enjoy a monopoly of goods transport in an expanding industrial society. The shareholders of the older canal companies continued to enjoy a rich harvest, while even the later comers which had to struggle to complete their lines began to pay their first small dividends and looked forward to an equally golden future. Such dreams of unending prosperity were soon to be rudely shattered.
It was in 1825 that the canal companies awoke to the threat of competition from the new railways. This was the year that saw the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway. But it was not so much this purely local project that alerted the canal proprietors as the activities of George Stephenson & Son (This partnership was formed at the same time as Robert Stephenson & Co, the pioneer locomotive building firm of Newcastle, with which it is often confused). In 1825 George Stephenson & Son organized teams of surveyors and surveyed railway routes between London and the north, London and South Wales, Liverpool and Birmingham and Liverpool and Manchester. All this activity proved overambitious and premature, for only the last-names scheme bore fruit. It had a more immediate impact on canal than on railway history by alerting canal interests and persuading them to take steps to set their houses in order to meet the coming danger. Thus there was set in motion the last phase of canal construction and improvement.
William Jessop had died in 1814, and John Rennie in 1821, leaving Thomas Telford the undisputed head of the civil engineering profession. It was to him therefore that the canal proprietors chiefly turned in this emergency. He found plenty of room for improvement. Asked to examine the main line of the Birmingham Canal , still the hub of the canal system and passing anything up to 200 boats a day, Telford reported:
"I found...a canal little better than a crooked ditch with scarcely the appearance of a haling-path (contemporary term for towpath) , the horses frequently sliding and staggering in the water, the haling lines sweeping the gravel into the canal and the entanglement at the meeting of the boats incessant; while at the locks at each end of the short summit crowds of boatmen were always quarrelling or offering premiums for a preference of passage, and the mine owners, injured by the delay, were loud in their just complaints."
It will be remembered that in 1790 the Birmingham company had eleiminated the short summit level between Smethwick and Spon Lane on their main line by reducing it to the 473ft Wolverhampton level, so Telford's reference to a short summit level requires further explanation. At Spon Lane three locks led down to the original branch canal, known as Wednesbury old loop line which, since its 1786 extension to Walsall and district by the so-called Broadwaters Canal and branches, had been carrying heavy traffic. Because this Wednesbury line was at the Birmingham level, there was still a short summit with its attendant water supply difficulties so far as traffic between Birmingham and Wednesbury was concerned.
To eliminate this, Telford recommended a further reduction of this Smethwick/Spon Lane summit to the Birmingham level, the result being the great cutting which we see today. This was completed in 1829. It is 71ft deep and is spanned at its deepest point by Galton Bridge, a fine specimen of Telford's cast-iron bridgework with a span of 150ft, which was hailed as the largest canal bridge in the world. Below it ran a canal 40ft wide with a broad towpath on each side...to Tipton where it locked up to the Wolverhampton level. West of Tipton the old tortuous route via Wednesbury Oak was by-passed by a short cut-off from Bloomfield to Deepfields which included the 360yd Coseley tunnel with a waterway width of 15ft 9in and two towing-paths. The remainder of the main line from Deepfields, through Wolverhampton to Aldersley Junction was improved and deepened. This work on the main line was not completed until 1839 , five years after Telford's death.

Saturday 6th January 2018

With the failure of the Ashby company to complete its line, East Midland hopes for a direct water route to the south centred on the Leics & Northants Union Canal , later referred to as the Old Union . This had been authorized in 1793 , the same year as the Grand Junction, and it was intended to run from the river Soar at Leicester to the Nene at Northampton, where it would be joined by the proposed Northampton Branch of the Grand Junction. In the enthusiasm of the mania period, there was even talk of extending the canal to the Great Ouse at Bedford. These bright hopes were to be short-lived. Work began at the Leicester end but, after building 17 miles of canal including 24 broad locks and a tunnel half a mile long at Saddington, the project petered out at Debdale Wharf, one mile to the north of Foxton. (See 4th August 2017 below for Tom's thoughts on this area) . Had things proceeded according to plan there was to have been a 5¾ mile branch to Market Harborough from Foxton, the main line heading south through a tunnel at the junction.
Goods were conveyed by road from Debdale Wharf to Market Harborough while the difficult country ahead was surveyed and resurveyed, both Barnes and Telford submitting plans, the target now being the Grand Junction canal at Norton, close to the end of the Braunston Tunnel. But all that the hard-pressed company could manage was the extension of their canal by 6¾ miles to a terminal basin at Market Harborough, which they completed in 1809 ...it was left to the Grand Junction company to take the initiative by promoting the final link, the Grand Union Canal, authorized in 1810 .
One of the Grand Junction's engineers, Benjamin Bevan , was appointed engineer of the Grand Union and his first task was the invidious one of reconciling the various conflicting routes for the canal that had been advanced over the years of delay. It was he who finally decided upon the present line.
Work began at Foxton where, instead of the tunnel which the Old Union company had proposed, the Grand Union climbs steeply and spectacularly to its summit level by two staircases of 5 locks each, the greatest lock staircase in England. (see 1st August below) There follows a summit level 21 miles long, to Watford, including two long tunnels at Husbands Bosworth (1166 yds) and Crick (1528 yds). The latter was originally planned on a line to the west of Crick village, but in sinking the shafts quicksands were encountered and Bevan wisely decided to abandon the works and to drive the tunnel on a new alignment passing to the east of the village. (see 30th July below) With the exception of these two tunnels and an embankment with aqueduct across the Avon valley near North Kilworth Wharf, the summit level of the Grand Union avoids earthworks, following a line a little above 400ft contour on the western slope of the Naseby Wolds...the tunnels were built by contractors Messrs Pritchard & Hoof of King's Norton. A feeder up the Avon valley, once navigable to Welford Wharf, supplies the Grand Union with water from reservoirs on Naseby Wolds. It descends from its long summit level by 4 single locks and a staircase of four at Watford and thence continues for 2 miles on the level to a junction with the Grand Junction at Norton, near Long Buckby. When it was opened throughout in 1814 , the East Midlands were at last provided with a direct water route to London.
(This canal holds a special place in my heart, as between 1974 and 1977 I attended Queen Mary College, University of London, in Mile End Road and this flowed right by us. Mile End Lock. Strictly speaking, this part is the Regent's Canal, of which more tomorrow.)
Because the waterways of the East Midlands, including the Old Union, were all built with broad locks in the expectation that wide Upper Trent boats would use them, and the grand Junction was also built to the broad gauge with barge traffic in mind, it may appear remarkable that the locks at Foxton and Watford were constructed to narrow canal dimensions. This is the more surprising in view of the fact that the Grand Union was sponsored by Grand Junction interests which had earlier cherished schemes for broad routes to Manchester. Tunnels and bridges on the Grand Union, moreover, were built to broad canal dimensions. The answer is that experience had convinced the Grand Junction company that for various reasons, most notably the passing difficulty, particularly in tunnels, the narrow boat was the most suitable type of craft.

Friday 5th January 2018

Tom Rolt moves on: We must turn now to the East Midlands where the group of waterways radiating from the Upper Trent, in most of which William Jessop had been concerned, sought some more direct outlet to the south than the roundabout route provided by the Trent & Mersey, Coventry and Oxford canals. The first of these was the River Soar, or Loughborough Navigation as it was called, which was destined to become the first link in the new line to the south and one of the rare examples of a major river that was first made navigable in the canal era. An Act authorizing the work was passed in 1766 and Brindley was called in to advise. True to his policy, he recommended a canal up the Soar valley, but because the Act did not empower the proprietors to cut a canal, nothing was done until 1778 when a fresh Act was obtained and work commenced. Brindley's advice was ignored, the river being made navigable by means of 6 broad locks, a cut 1½ miles long giving access to Loughborough. This work was completed in 1780 .
Meanwhile, the Erewash Canal, designed to tap the Erewash valley coalfield, had also been completed with remarkable speed. Authorized in 1777, by the end of 1779 the 11¾ miles from Langley Mill, falling by 14 broad locks to the Trent, was opened for traffic. This meant that boats carrying Derbyshire coal could now trade to Loughborough where the coal was distributed by land carriage to Leicester. The junction of this canal with the Trent is almost exactly opposite the mouth of the Soar and a ferry...was introduced to take boat horses across the Trent.
Later (see 17th November, below) Jessop's Cromford Canal formed an extension of the Erewash into the Derbyshire Peak District.
The Derby Canal (1795-6) ran from the Erewash canal at Sandiacre to Derby where it crossed the river Derwent on the level at the head of a weir and continued thence to a junction with the Trent & Mersey canal at Swarkeston, a distance of 14½ miles. Apart from serving Derby, this canal formed a more convenient route for through traffic between the Trent & Mersey and Erewash canals than that via the Trent.
The Nottingham Canal (1792-6) had a main line of the same length as the Derby, extending from a junction with the river Trent at Nottingham to the Cromford Canal near its junction with the Erewash at Langley Mill. It provided a much more direct route for coal traffic to Nottingham than that via the Erewash canal and the Trent and for this reason it was opposed unsuccessfully by the Erewash company. The navigation of the Trent from the mouth of the Soar downstream to Nottingham was notoriously difficult, but it was greatly improved at this time by the construction of the Cranfleet cut and lock and the Beeston Cut from the river at Beeston to the Nottingham canal from Lenton Chain to Trent Lock, Nottingham thus became part of a Trent "by-pass". Under pressure from the canal companies, the Trent was...improved at this time by gravel dredging etc.
All these improvements in waterway communications greatly stimulated industrial growth, particularly in the coal trade, in the Derby and Nottingham area, and it is not surprising that from 1785 onwards pressure built up for the extension of the Soar Navigation to Leicester. This extension, the Leicester Navigation , was authorized in 1791 and completed 4 years later. Although sometimes referred to as a canal, it was essentially a river navigation, though there were extensive artificial cuts. Because their construction involved the expenditure of comparatively little capital and carried heavy traffic, both the Loughborough and Leicester Navigations were for a time extremely prosperous. It was the construction by George Stephenson of the Leicester & Swannington Railway, bringing Leics coal to the city, which brought an end to the golden years of the waterborne trade in Derbyshire coal.
The Leicester Navigation had originally planned to tap the coal and lime resources of the Charnwood Forest area of Leics by a canal from Loughborough. As built, this consisted of an isolated stretch of canal between two tramways, but it was unsuccessful and short-lived and it was in the opposite direction that Leics coal was first provided with a transport outlet by the Ashby-de-la-Zouch canal and its associated tramways.
The Ashby canal was surveyed and engineered by Robert Whitworth and his son Robert Junior. It was originally intended to run from the Coventry Canal at Marston to the Upper Trent below Burton, thus not only affording a direct outlet for Leics coal to the Trent but a shorter route between the East Midlands and the south. In promise of this, the Derby canal bompany were persuaded to extend the western arm of their main line from its junction with the Trent & Mersey at Swarkeston to the Trent. The Ashby canal was authorized in 1794, but by the time the main line had been completed to Ashby (Moira) the money ran out and it was finally decided in 1798 to abandon the plan to extend to the Trent and instead substitute tramways for the intended branch canals to quarries and collieries. So the Ashby canal became, in effect, a long branch of the Coventry Canal, winding for 30 miles through the midland plain with no lock and only one short tunnel at Snarestone (250yds). As a result of colliery subsidence at its northern end, its length has now been reduced by about 6 miles.

Since Tom wrote this in his book, restoration has been taking place on the northern end of this canal and a section, with associated swing-bridge, has reopened (2010), near Moira. Plans are in place to complete restoration to Measham but of course this depends on funding. Permission has been obtained but an aqueduct is necessary to replace one demolished in the 1960s. Every year a canalboat festival is held to raise funds.

Tuesday 2nd January 2018 - Happy New Year to All

Tom Rolt continues... To supply the Grand Junction's two summit levels with water, extensive reservoirs were built in the vicinity of Tring and Daventry. Even so, beam pumping engines were needed at both summits to pump back the lockage water. The supply on Tring summit was augmented by a navigable feeder nearly 7 miles long, known as the Wendover Arm
See 11th September below, when I reported on the race we attended along this canal
The beam pumps are now gone and the Wendover Arm is disused.
Since Tom wrote that in 1969 much work has been done on this canal, and navigation has been extended for a mile and a half from Bulbourne to Little Tring (completed 2005). Projects continue and the aim is to regain navigable status for the entire length of 6.75 miles. The whole is in the mean time accessible on foot & bicycle (and by runners and their entourage!)
The importance of linking the Birmingham area directly with the Grand Junction was appreciated from the outset. An extension of the Warwick & Birmingham Canal was the obvious answer and in 1794 construction of the Warwick & Braunston Canal was authorized. This would have cut out the Oxford Canal altogether...and it was largely as a result of pressure from the Oxford Company that Napton was substituted for Braunston as the junction point. This meant that through traffic would pass over 5 miles of the Oxford Canal between Napton and Braunston and the high tolls levied on this short length later became a bone of contention. (See several mentions earlier in this blog, below)
The whole of the canal line from Birmingham to Napton was opened in 1800 . Apart from the 433 yard tunnel at Shrewley and the 3-arch masonry aqueduct over the Avon at Warwick, there were no works of note, but the lockage was extremely heavy due to the need to descend into the Avon valley. There are no less than 59 locks between Birmingham and Napton; moreover, despite pressure from the Grand Junction company, these were built narrow, although Shrewley tunnel and the overbridges were built to broad canal dimensions.

Saturday 30th December 2017

Meanwhile a crucially important event had taken place to the south-east which was destined to change the balance of power of the older canal companies and affect the flow of traffic over the whole of the Midlands canal system. This was the authorization in 1793 of the Grand Junction Canal , a broad waterway from the Thames at Brentford to the Oxford Canal at Braunston, with branches to Northampton and Buckingham. Additional branches to Paddington and to Aylesbury were authorized in the next two years. It was the biggest canal project that had been launched in England, for its long main line from London would hve to be carried over two summit levels, the Chiltern chalk near Tring and the Northampton oolite at Braunston, but it also promised a great reward in traffic, being no less than 64 miles shorter than the Oxford Canal route to London via the Thames...
William Jessop was appointed principal engineer with James Barnes , who had made the first survey, as resident engineer. Compared with most of the canals of this period, the Grand Junction was built with remarkable speed, but three works occasioned particular difficulty. These were
1) the long embankment and aqueduct the valley of the Ouse at Wolverton
2) tunnel through the Northants oolite at Braunston (2042 yards) on summit level and
3) same at Blisworth (3056 yards)
The Ouse at Wolverton was originally crossed on the level, but owing to the risk of floods holding up traffic, Barnes' recommendation of an alternative high-level route was accepted. On a January night in 1806, however, owing to faulty work on the part of the local contractor, the embankment blew out, greatly to the alarm of the local inhabitants. Two years later, the 3-arch aqueduct over the Ouse, which William Jessop had designed, collapsed...a temporary wooden trunk across the breach was installed to keep traffic moving until the present iron trough aqueduct...was installed in 1811
For a distance of 320 yards Braunston tunnel had to be driven through a quicksand, an unexpected hazard which foreshadowed Robert Stephenson's later difficulties at Kilsby and which cost the company an extra £5,000. Jessop also had to report that the subengineer in charge and the contractor had between them made a serious mistake and got off the correct line, an error which accounts for the dogleg towards the southern end of the tunnel
Notwithstanding these difficulties, Braunston tunnel was completed in Jun 1796 .
See 29th July below for previous discussion of Braunston, when I mentioned both the Rolts' journey in 1939 and ours in 2007.
But Blisworth proved a much tougher proposition, chiefly owing to the treacherous nature of the strata which consisted of rotten oolite and heavy clays containing powerful springs of water. The difficulties were so great that work came to a standstill in 1795 and, in the following January, Jessop recommended carrying the canal over the ridge by locks. Faced with this counsel of despair, the company called in Whitworth and Rennie to advise them on the tunnel. They recommended driving a new line on a diagonal intersecting the old one and the provision of a heading below tunnel level to carry off the water. Again, Robert Stephenson encountered similar difficulties in excavating the Blisworth cutting for the London & Birmingham railway.
On Jessop's recommendation, a double line of plate tramway was laid over Blisworth hill from a wharf below the present locks at Stoke Bruerne to Blisworth wharf. This was constructed by Benjamin Outram using templates cast at the Butterley Ironworks. In Sep 1800 the southern section of the canal from Brentford to Stoke Bruerne was completed and, as the northern section Braunston to Blisworth had been finished since 1796, the tramroad served to keep traffic moving until the tunnel was completed in 1805. The tramplates were then lifted and relaid between Gayton and Northampton where they served until the present branch canal ito Northampton was completed in 1815. By this branch the Grand Junction was connected to the River Nene, but plans to link it to the Great Ouse at Bedford never materialized.

Friday 29th December 2017

I am sorry for the hiatus: we travelled to South Wales to spend time with our family, among other things, so I have a few updates with regard to the canals there. As I have said, the canal beds are still in existence, but only patches are in water, and the whole canal is not navigable. One day my daughter and I walked down to the towpath and set off along the Crumlin branch, terminating at the Fourteen Locks Centre.

OK, moving on...

To the north-west of the Black Country the Wyrley & Essington canal was promoted and authorized in 1792 from a junction with the Birmingham canal at Horseley Fields, near Wolverhampton, with the object of serving Cannock Chase coalfield. It was progressively extended with the later development of coal working on the Chase. However, the canal acquired a more than local significance in 1797 when there was opened an extension of its main line 15½ miles long, from Birchills Junction falling by way of the 30 Ogley locks to join the Coventry Canal at Huddlesford, near Lichfield. This gave the canal network in the Black Country a much more direct communication with the Trent and the northeast via Fradley Junction and the Trent & Mersey. For once, the Birmingham Company offered no opposition to this project since it promised additional traffic for their main line.

Tuesday 12th December 2017

Despite its opposition, no sooner was the Act for the Worcester & Birmingham passed than the Dudley canal...projected a new canal from their own, through Halesowen, to a junction with the Worcester & Birmingham at Selly Oak. By now, the Birmingham company's monopolistic policy had made it decidedly unpopular and, with overwhelming support from traders, the ' Dudley Canal Line No. 2 ' as it was called, was authorized in 1793 and completed in 1798 . The Dudley compny were indefatigable moles, for not content with their previous burrowing at Dudley (see Sunday, below), their new line involved two further tunnels, one of 557yds at Gosty Hill near Netherton, and one of no less than 3795yds at Lappal, between Halesowen and Selly Oak. These were almost as restricted in size as their original tunnel with the same consequent delays. As at Dudley, it took a boatman four hours to leg through Lappal, but in an attempt to speed up this laborious business an ingenious and unique device was adopted in 1841
a steam engine was built at the Halesowen end which drove a scoop wheel to load the tunnel with water. Stop gates could be opened at either end to assist boats along the tunnel in either direction. However, this only reduced the time to pass through by one hour. Also Lappal tunnel suffered badly from mining subsidence throughout its history, and it was this which finally led to its closure in 1914.

It was not only with the Worcester & Birmingham in mind that the Dudley proprietors embarked upon their costly extension; their sights were on more distant targets. The Stratford canal from a junction with the Worcester & Birmingham at King's Norton to Stratford-on-Avon, with a branch to Warwick, was a project already in the air and was authorized by Act of 1793.
Moreover, this was the canal 'mania' period and...there was talk of a more direct (than the Oxford) canal route to London. This prospect went to the heads of the Dudley proprietors and further enraged the Birmingham company. So they hit back by promoting the Warwick & Birmingham canal to join their Birmingham & Fazeley line via the Digbeth branch. This was authorized in the same year as the Stratford, 1793.
Notwithstanding the fact that one of its original objectives had thus been snatched away, construction of the Stratford canal proceeded, albeit slowly. It was begun under the direction of Josiah Clowes and the work was continued after his death by his assistants. One mile from the junction, the 352yd King's Norton tunnel was driven to the same generous - and optimistic - dimensions as the Worcester & Birmingham canal. Its western portal is of brick embellished with a circular stone plaque over the arch bearing a carved haed of Shakespeare and with two vacant niches upon either side...appear to be waiting forlornly for two of the Bard's better known characters to inhabit them, perhaps Hamlet or Julius Caesar.
I see from photographs taken by boaters in recent years that Shakespeare is still there but the niches are at the other end - maybe Tom's memory was confused, after all he didn't have Wikipedia and all the canal sites to go by. Although of course it is possible that Shakespeare was moved from the other end...although I cannot find reference to this anywhere
By means of sizeable embankments over the Cole Valley and at Countess Coppice, the former incorporating a single arch aqueduct over the Cole the Stratford canal holds the Birmingham Level (see yesterday) for 11 miles to Lapworth where it descends through 19 locks to Kingswood. This northern section of the canal was completed in 1801 and after the usual arguments about compensation tolls and water supplies, a junction with the Warwick & Birmingham line was formed at Kingswood in May 1802 . Having got this far, the Stratford company showed a marked disinclination to proceed any farther. The failure of nebulous schemes to extend the canal eastwards from Stratford to join the Oxford having come to nothing, there was little incentive to do so and the people of Stratford began to wonder if they would ever get a canal at all. They might not have done so if it had not been for the enthusiasm and energy of that remarkable character William James , the so-called 'Father of Railways'.
James had a vision of Stratford becoming an important transport centre. Besides a meeting place of canal and river (he had an interest in the Upper Avon Navigation) it was to be the northern terminus of his ambitious scheme for a railway to Lond Paddington, with branches to Coventry and Cheltenham. These visions never materialised...nevertheless, but for these dreams the Stratford canal might never have reached its objective. (although what it would have been called is anyone's guess!)
The southern section of the canal is 13 miles long and falls by 36 locks to the Avon at Stratford, the last being a barge lock. Construction began in 1812 and the canal was opened in June 1816 . Because it is so much later in date, it exhibits a number of features of interest not to be found on the older northern section. Most notable are the cast iron aqueducts at Yarningale, Wooten Wawen and Bearsley (the Edstone Aqueduct). The last named, although no great height, is second only in length to Pont Cysyllte. The towpath, however, is not carried over the water as on the latter, but beside the trough as at Longdon. Edstone exhibits one unique feature. When the Bearley & Alcester branch of the Great Western Railway was built beneath it, that railway company, who by then owned the Stratford Canal, adapted the aqueduct as a convenient means of supplying the branch locomotives with water by fitting a pipe and stop valve into the side of the iron trough.
Other features of this canal are the unusual lock houses with barrel roofs and the overbridges. These support the roadway on cast-iron brackets cantilevered out from the brick abutments so as to leave a gap wide enough to allow a boat's towline to fall between them. In this way the need to build a towpath beneath the bridge was avoided. It is pleasing to record that the southern section of this canal has been restored and is now owned by the National Trust.
The northern section was the setting for a high-profile campaign by the fledgling Inland Waterways Association (who were, of course Tom's brainchild) in 1947, involving the right of navigation under Tunnel Lane bridge, which required the Great Western Railway to jack it up in order to allow boats to pass. These actions saved the section from closure. The southern section was restored by the National Trust between 1961 and 1964, after an attempt to close it was thwarted. The revived canal was re-opened by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in mid 1964, and responsibility for it was transferred to British Waterways in 1988.
The large summit reservoirs known as Earlswood Lakes which supply the whole canal with water were authorized in 1815. The Warwick & Birmingham Canal was entitled to a lock full of water from the Stratford for every boat passing through the junction at Kingswood and the falling lock on the connecting branch was built for this reason. The stop lock at King's Norton is, unusually. fitted with guillotine gates, because the fall might be in either direction depending on the level of water in the two canals. Of recent years, however, the two canals have been maintained at the same level and the gates remain permanently open. They were renovated in 2013 - but only after vandals had set back the project by covering them in grafitti.

Monday 11th December 2017

The next canal to be considered is the Birmingham & Fazeley which has already been mentioned in connection with the canal to the Thames - see 5th October and 7th-12th November below . It was planned to connect the Birmingham Canal Terminus at Farmer's Bridge with the line of the uncompleted Coventry Canal at Fazeley near Tamworth...Supported by Trent & Mersey, Coventry and Oxford companies but bitterly opposed by the Birmingham Company, who...finally promoted a rival scheme but this was thrown out and the Birmingham & Fazeley got its Act in 1783 ... The Birmingham Company... was amalgamated in 1784. John Smeaton was appointed engineer of the new canal, which was completed and opened in 1790 .
Of particular interest... is a pretty little ornamental footbridge near Fazeley, with two brick towers containing spiral stairs leading to the horizontal bridge deck.
In 1790 the Birmingham Company were at last moved to make the first of a series of improvements to their canal. The short 491ft summit level on their main line between Spon Lane & Smethwick, which had long been a source of inconvenience to traders, was lowered to the 473ft 'Wolverhampton Level' as it was later to be called. The result was the three locks at Spon Lane were eliminated, making an uninterrupted level all the way to Wolverhampton, but three of the 6 locks at Smethwick had to be retained in order to raise the canal from the 453ft or 'Birmingham Level'. A reservoir at Smethwick which had been built to supply the original short summit proved inadequate to the demands of the heavy traffic and the company were forced to erect Boulton & Watt pumping engines at Spon Lane and Smethwick to return the water up to the locks. With the improvement, the Spon Lane engine was no longer needed, but that at Smethwick was retained.
The company therefore decided to make the summit lower in 1787, and this was achieved in two stages. The first was a new cut 12 feet lower than the original summit, which eliminated two locks at either end, and was completed on 2 July 1789. Spoil from the excavations was removed using the upper line. A second new cut was then made 6 feet below this, to eliminate the third lock at each end, and the spoil was removed using the middle line. The canal had to be closed for 22 days to allow the ends of the new cut to be connected to the original channels, and for it to fill with water, but the new line was operational on 6 April 1790. Spon Lane Junction was now at the top of the three Spon Lane Locks.
Spon Lane Top Lock & Junction nowadays passes underneath the M5.
After a great struggle against the combined opposition of the Birmingham, Dudley, Stourbridge and Staffs & Worcs canal companies, the Worcester & Birmingham canal won its Act in 1791 . The reason for this opposition is obvious - the canal promised a far more direct route to the Severn from Birmingham than those of its rivals - and victory was only won at the price of almost crippling restrictions. These included the famous (or infamous) Worcester Bar, a narrow barrier, ostensibly to prevent loss of water from the Birmingham Canal, but in fact, by preventing reversal of traffic flow on their main line, the Birmingham company ensured no loss of mileage tolls. By agreement between the two companies, this barrier was eventually pierced by a stop lock in 1815, but 'Worcester Bar' or the 'Bar Lock' perpetuates the name in the junction, while a portion of the bar survives as a monument to the follies of intercompany rivalries.
The Worcester & Birmingham had a long struggle due to this opposition...The first 14½ miles from here to Tardebigge, near Bromsgrove, were built without a lock, on the Birmingham Level.
On this section there are two forminable embankments at Edgbaston and Bourneville and no less than four tunnels, Edgbaston (103yds), Westhill, near Kings Norton (2750yds), Shortwood (608yds) and Tardebigge (568yds). All these tunnels are of generous dimensions, the width at water level being 16ft because they were built in accordance with the original proposal for a broad canal throughout.
A plan to tap the headwaters of the river Arrow for water supply to this summit level provoked a dispute with mill owners on that river and to placate them the company were forced to build a large reservoir at Lower Bittal and a second, known as Upper Bittal, and a pumping engine ...to lift surplus water from one to another.
At Tardebigge the problem of how to cope with the steep descent into the Severn Valley was overcome with a flight of 30 locks. A vertical boat lift designed by John Woodhouse was tried but eventually the flight of narrow locks won as the lift was considered unreliable. Gates here have 14ft drop - deepest in England.
The Tardebigge Locks are followed by a further flight of 12 below Stoke Prior, the two usually referred to by canal folk as 'the thirty and twelve'. Then follows a five-mile level, on which a 5th tunnel, Dunhampstead (326yds), is situated, before the final descent to the Severn begins. Dunhampstead tunnel, has rails for pulling along using the arms.
Altogether there are 58 locks between Tardebigge and the Severn, the last 2 being broad to enable Severn trows to enter the canal company's Diglis Basin at Worcester.. The canal was opened in 1815 , Josiah Clowes being the best known of its engineers.
For a long time prior to its completion traffic was flowing on the long summit level of the Worcester & Birmingham, this flow being augmented by two canals which were built to join it. <More tomorrow>

Sunday 10th December 2017

Now Tom Rolt turns to the Midlands Network. As we have already dealt with much of this, I hope you will forgive me for repeating some information.

Although the Manchester area was the birthplace of the English canal system, what might be called the centre of influence soon shifted. The great period of canal construction coincided with the growth of Birmingham as a manufacturing centre and of neighbouring Staffordshire as the greatest coal and iron producing area in England, whose activity was such that it soon earned the name of the Black Country. As a result...soon became the hub of the canal system. It was the original line of the Birmingham Canal , winding right through the Black Country from Wolverhampton to Birmingham, which had fostered this development by providing cheap transport to the Severn via the Staffs & Worcs Canal. Consequently its owners...soon came to occupy a position of dominant - and often domineering - influence in the intricate game of canal company politics their only rival being the Trent & Mersey Company. (See 7th & 12th November below)
Another reason why the Birmingham attained such a strong position was that it had completed its line before the French wars caused rapid inflation. Consequently, while the many canal companies promoted in the mania years of the early 1790s struggled to complete their lines in the face of remoselessly rising costs...the proprietors of the Birmingham Canal grew immensely wealthy.
The old main line of the Birmingham Canal became a central trunk from which many branches radiated to serve the needs of a rapidly expanding industrial area, but the Birmingham canal itself was only a branch of Brindley's canals of The Cross, connected to it at Aldersley Junction, and this same expansion was soon demanding other and more direct outlets than those provided by the Cross (see 13th November). In this situation the Birmingham Company made itself decidedly unpopular...It automatically opposed any scheme which threatened to divert traffic from travelling the greatest possible distance over over its own canal and so earning maximum toll revenue. Any rival company that succeeded in diverting traffic despite this opposition was either bought up or else forced to pay heavy compensation tolls. At the same time the Birmingham Company refused to improve conditions on its own main line...tortuous, narrow and shallow, soon becoming quite inadequate for the vast tonnage of traffic carried.
The first successful canal promotions to merit attention were the Dudley and the Stourbridge Canals , whose lines were closely interdependent.
Dudley Castle dominates the Black Country from the summit of a limestone ridge on which the town of Dudley stands and which divides the industrial area around Stourbridge from the Black Country proper. The Dudley limestone was of great value to thelocal iron industry as a flux in the blast furnaces, and Lord Dudley exploited it by working cavernous underground quarries at Castle Mill and Wrens Nest. In 1775 he began a short private canal, mostly underground, from the old line of the Birmingham Canal at Tipton to the workings of the collieries and quarries.
The Dudley Canal Scheme was to drive a tunnel 2942 yards long under the ridge from Park Head on the Stourbridge side to join Lord Dudley's canal at Castle Mill Basin. From the southern end of this tunnel the new canal would fall...to Black Delph.
Here it would be met by the main junction of the Stourbridge Canal, falling by 20 locks to the Staffs & Worcs canal at Stourton. These two associated canals promised to be of vast benefit to the industries of the Stourbridge and Dudley area, but by the Birmingham Company they were regarded as a serious threat to the traffic over their main line to Aldersley Junction because they offered a far shorter and moore convenient route to the Severn. For despite the heavy lockage, the whole line from Tipton Junction to Stourton was only 9½ miles long, compared with 23 miles by the older route. The scheme was fiercely opposed...by the Birmingham, but the Acts for both canals were finally passed in 1776 , though at the price of heavy compensation.
Dudley tunnel proved a work of great difficulty. It was not completed until 1792 , by which time a number of engineers had been engaged on it, including Thomas Dadford Snr and Josiah Clowes (the first engineer of the Shrewsbury canal). It is very small, only 5ft 9in high above water and 8ft 5in wide, so causing much delay to traffic. Also, motors were banned due to lack of ventilation. For this reason it was superseded in 1858 by the Netherton Tunnel (has twin towpaths), though it continued to be used until 1962.
The Dudley Tunnel is the most remarkable monument...for at its northern end the limestone is riddled like a Gruyere cheese with old quarry workings. Travelling by boat from Tipton, one first enters part of Lord Dudley's private tunnel
passing through a small open basin from which side tunnels lead to Tipton colliery and to old limestone workings.
A further length of tunnel leads from this to Castle Mill Basin, which resembles a flooded open quarry with near vertical sides...tunnels to Castle Mill and Wrens Nest diverge to left and right...Castle Mill tunnel soon leads into the first of two great caverns in the limestone. From the first of these Lord Dudley's tunnel to the Castle Mill quarries diverged to the left but is now blocked by roof falls; from the second the Dudley canal tunnel proper begins. A local group has been formed to preserve this eerie industrial labyrinth.

By 1959, the tunnel was virtually disused, and British Waterways announced plans to officially close it. A number of protest groups organised cruises through the tunnel during 1960 in hope of it being kept open, but in 1962 the tunnel was finally closed. Its very existence was threatened the following year when the railway viaduct above it was found to be structurally unsafe; this was largely a goods line since the closure of passenger stations along it the previous year, but the railway authorities planned to preserve the railway line and wanted to replace the viaduct with an embankment. The plans involved sealing the tunnel off. However, the railway closed completely in 1968 and so the tunnel was saved. Following several years of preparation work, the tunnel was officially re-opened in 1973. In 1989 two completely new canal tunnels were made, linking Singing Cavern and the Rock Tunnel, via Little Tess Cavern, to Castle Mill Basin (the northern portal of the main tunnel). Visitors may take a battery-powered narrowboat trip operated by Dudley Canal Trust either through the tunnel or partway through the tunnel and the adjacent mines. The rock on Castle Hill into which the tunnel is dug, oolitic limestone, allows visitors to see Trilobite fossils preserved within it. Some fossils which were considered notable and were located close to the water line, have been removed to prevent them from being eroded and attacked by visitors. Other parts of the tunnel pass through a granite-type rock known locally as Rowley Rag and through coal measures.

Saturday 9th December 2017

I will leave the Crumlin branch for now, but will return to it with an update from a friend who lives locally. Watch this space!

The last of these Welsh waterways is of a totally different character from the rest. This is the Brecon & Abergavenny Canal . Running from west to east from Senny Bridge through Brecon and Crickhowell to Abergavenny, the Usk Valley forms the northern boundary of the South Wales massif. By building their canal along the southern slopes of this valley the promoters of the Brecon & Abergavenny hoped that by means of connecting tramways the output of the industries on the high lands at the heads of the South Wales valleys could be induced to flow northwards to join their canal instead of southwards directly to the Bristol Channel.
The canal follows the course of the Usk closely but at a considerably higher level, curving southwards with it at Abergavenny and only parting company with it at Llanover, whence it follows a winding course along the watershed between the Usk and Avon valleys until it crosses the Avon to join the Monmouthshire Canal at Pontymoile. The portion of the latter canal between Pontymoile and the summit at Pontnewynydd, with its 11 rising locks, was cut off at Pontymoile in 1854 and partially converted into a railway so that from this time forward the two canals formed, in effect, a single main line from Brecon to Newport. (Since 1970 the reopened part has been known as the Monmouth & Brecon).
This canal, improbable though it may seem today, succeeded in its object. At Tal-y-Bont, Llangattock, Gilwern, Govilon and Llanfoist in the Usk Valley, the canal was joined by tramroads which brought the products of the ironworks of Tredegar, Ebbw Vale, Blaina, Nant-y-Glo, Beaufort and Blaenavon and the limestone quarries at Dearen Cilau, high on the crest of Blorenge, to the canal for shipment. Moreover the canal was linked at Brecon by tramways to Hay and Kington and at Llanfoist with a tramway line leading through Llanvihangel and Pontrilas to Hereford.
Today all these tramroads are gone and the line of the Monmouthshire Canal has been closed. But from Jockey's Bridge near Pontypool, just short of the aqueduct by which it crosses the Avon to a junction with the Monmouthshire at Pontymoile, the Brecon & Abergavenny remains open...not only does it act as a water supplier to the new town of Cwmbran, but most of it falls within the Brecon Beacons National Park.
This stretch of canal from Jockey's Bridge to Brecon is 32½ miles long and contains only 6 locks, one at Brynich, near Brecon and 5 at Llangynidr. Running at a high level and isolated from the rest of the waterway system, it is unquestionably the most beautiful length of canal in Britain. The terminus at Brecon is on the north side of the Usk, but after 2 miles, just below the single lock at Brynich, it crosses the river by a fine stone aqueduct of 4 spans.
A mile east of Talybont is the 375yd Ashford tunnel and thereafter for many miles canal and river keep close company, with the canal terraced high on the wooded slopes of the valley. At Gilwern the canal crosses the deep valley of the tributary Clydach on a high embankment pierced by a single-arch aqueduct.
This canal was first proposed in 1792 as a separate venture, to link Brecon to the River Usk near Caerleon. The Monmouthshire proprietors invited their potential competitors to alter the plans to create a junction with the Monmouthshire Canal at Pontymoile near Pontypool and share the navigation from there to Newport. An Act of Parliament was retrieved 28 March 1793 , allowing the newly formed Canal Company to raise £100,000 in shares, with an additional £50,000 if required, and to construct railways to link the canal to mines, quarries and iron works.
The section between Gilwern and Llangynidr was the first to be opened in 1797 . The canal reached Talybont in 1799 and was open to Brecon by December 1800. The southwards link to the Monmouthshire Canal was not completed until early in 1812.
Thomas Dadford died in 1801, and was replaced as engineer by Thomas Cartwright . The Canal Company obtained another Act of Parliament on 3 May 1804 , to authorise the raising of more capital, and the section to Govilon, near Abergavenny was completed in 1805, but the company failed to raise the finance authorised by the 1804 act, and so construction stopped. By 1809 the Monmouthshire Canal was threatening litigation about the uncompleted connection from Gilwern. Help came from Richard Crawshay, the Merthyr Tydfil ironmaster, and a major force on the Glamorganshire Canal, who provided a loan of £30,000. This sum enabled the canal company to appoint William Crosley to complete the work, which opened in February 1812 .
In the 1850s canals were being abandoned as railways took over and various sections of this canal were closed in 1930, 1949 and 1962. As I said before, it only took 2 years for opinion to turn, and start restoration. Apparently this was due to funding becoming available as a result of National Parks legislation. The Brecon Beacons were covered by this and the canal seen as a valuable amenity in an area of natural beauty. The canal was reopened to Pontymoile in 1970 . The Brecon to Pontypool section was reclassified by the British Waterways Act of 1968 and upgraded to Cruising Waterway Standard. Restoration of the Old Monmouthshire Canal began in 1994 and the section to Five Locks restored and reopened 24 May 1997 . At the Brecon end, the canal terminates at the Theatre Basin, as a result of a project to rebuild the Brecknock Boat Company wharf, which was abandoned and infilled in 1881... The old wharf buildings have been re-used by the Brecon Theatre, and access is provided by a new canal bridge, named after the engineer Thomas Dadford.
The next section to be opened for navigation was a 2-mile stretch running from Pentre Lane bridge, just above Tamplin Lock, down through Tyfynnon, Malpas and Gwasted locks to Malpas junction, and then up through Gwasted Lock on the Crumlin branch, to the bottom end of Waen Lock. Work started in January 2008, and was completed in time for the Welsh Waterways Festival held at the end of May 2010 . The Inland Waterways Authority National Trailboat Festival was held at the same time, and a slipway was rebuilt at Bettws Lane, just below Malpas Lock, to enable the trailboats to be launched easily. Bettws Lane bridge was itself rebuilt to provide more headroom for boats.. the bridge was formally opened by the Mayor of Newport on 1 March 2007.

Friday 8th December 2017

The Monmouthshire Canal terminated in a basin at Newport and it was not until 1818 that it was provided with an outlet to the river Usk. From Newport the main line proceeded northwards for a mile and a half to Malpas Junction where it split into two arms of almost equal length, the westerly arm climbing by 32 locks in 10½ miles up Ebbw Vale to a terminus at Crumlin, while the easterly section ascended the eastern slopes of the valley of the Afon Llwyd to a terminus at Pontnewynydd, near Pontypool, 11 miles and 41 locks from the junction at Malpas. These summit levels were 358ft and 447ft above sea level respectively. The Monmouthshire Company owned more than 40 miles of tramroads to which numerous privately built tramroads were connected; indeed the company became so tramway minded that it eventually turned itself into a railway company.
Construction of the canal was supervised by Thomas Dadford Jr , the original Act of Parliament issued in 1792 and further Acts were obtained as the work progressed. That of 4 Jul 1797 gave powers to extend the navigation at Newport and the terminus was moved southwards to Potter Street. There was a further Act in 1802. The main line opened in 1796 Newport to Pontnewynydd via Pontymoile. The Crumlin Arm left the main line at Crindau, rising 358ft through 32 locks to Crumlin (including the Cefn flight of 14 locks near where my mother-in-law lives at Allt-yr-yn) and was opened in 1799 . In the late 1840s a short extension joined the canal to Newport Docks and hence the River Usk. Because the canal was isolated from other similar undertakings, Dadford was free to set the size of the locks and they were designed to take boats of max. width 9ft 2in, length 63ft and draught of 3ft.
On the main line, railway branches were constructed from near Pontypool to Blaen-Din Works and Trosnant furnace. From Crumlin a railway was built to Beaufort Iron Works and additional branches to Sorwy Furnace, Nantyglo Works and the Sirhowy Railway at Risca
1846 the company became the Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company. In 1865 Brecon and Abergavenny Canal was taken over by this new company. In 1879 the company closed part of the canal at the Newport end. In 1880 the company was amalgamated with the Great Western Railway.
In 1915 the “last regular Newport market boat” made its journey, and Mr G Jobbins wrote “last week for the market boat to run on the Mon canal after 120 years service. Men joined up and sent to France and served during Great War” in the boatmen wages book. In 1930 the section between Llanarth Street and the north side of the High Street Bridge was closed. The last cargo was transported on the Crumlin branch. In 1938 the last cargo was transported on the mainline. This national decline led to Parliamentary Acts allowing canals to be legally abandoned. In 1948 British Transport Commission took over responsibility of the canal and closed the Crumlin line in 1949 and the rest were closed in 1954 and 1962.

As soon as the canal closed in 1962 some parts were built on. It was such a shame they did not wait, as restoration plans were put into action only two years later. This branch has been renovated in parts, and full restoration is planned. There are plans to reopen the canal down to the Fourteen Locks then on to central Newport. This requires building two aqueducts, raising a number of roads and rebuilding 20 locks. There are plans to build a marina at the Darran quarry in Risca with a transport museum. Other plans include a new marina at and a connection to the River Usk, to connect to the main system of canals in the UK.
My Nicholsons Canal Guide, dated 2009, shows the branch navigable from Barrack Hill in Newport up as far as Pontywaun. I know much work has been done in Newport, especially at Fourteen Locks. Allt-yr-yn lock in Bygone Days (around 1900) was very picturesque, but although work has been done to restore Fourteen Locks, Allt-yr-yn Lock has vanished, except for a couple of photos a dog-walker took of beams in the undergrowth...

Tuesday 5th December 2017

So now it's the turn of the canals of South Wales , also disconnected from the main waterways network. There are - or were - five canals of major importance in this area, and the Dadford family or the Thomas Sheasbys , father and son, were concerned with all of them, as surveyors or engineers and sometimes as contractors. All were built to tap the mineral wealth of the mountainous interior and its narrow valleys, conveying it down to the growing towns on the seaboard of the Bristol Channel. With one exception they performed this function directly, following a mainly north to south route down the valleys to the sea. Where they could tap the sources of their traffic directly they did so, but where a difficult terrain made this impossible, tramroads led from canal wharves to collieries, ironworks or limestone quarries. Some of these tramroads were built by the canal companies themselves, others by individuals or groups of industrialists.
Generally speaking, these Welsh canals carried enormous tonnages and, although they are now forgotten and derelict, they continued to do so for some years after the Midland canals had begun to feel the draught of railway competition...the first railway proper (as opposed to a tramway) to tap a Welsh valley was the Taff Vale, which competed directly with the Glamorganshire Canal. This was opened in 1841, yet 10 years later the canal was carrying 287,000 tons of iron ore a year compared with 125,000 tons on rail (although the latter had more of the coal traffic).
Finally, however, these canals can be said to have become victims of their own success. For the industries they served grew so mightily by their aid that the canals could no longer cope with the traffic...The South Wales canals were ill-equipped to meet the challenge of railways, for the nature of the country made water transport slow and difficult. They were simply ladders of locks climbing from sea-level up the sides of mountain valleys...and the average depth of lock was greater than in England, a 10ft fall per lock being common.
When they were built, their engineers were usually able to tap the headwaters of streams at their summit levels which must have seemed to them to ensure a more than adequate water supply at all seasons. Yet traffic grew to such unforeseen proportions that water shortage often became a problem.
From Swansea, Neath, Cardiff and Newport these canals climbed inland from their respective valleys. Occasionally, where it became necessary to cross from one side of the valley to the other, a masonry aqueduct, sometimes of considerable size, would be built..All four canals were promoted and authorized between 1790 & 1794 and had been completed by 1799 .
The Swansea Canal left the North Dock in Swansea and climbed by 36 locks in 15 miles up the valley of the Tawe to a summit terminus at Hen Neuadd lime works, 373ft above the sea. An aqueduct of 3 arches at Ystalyfera carried the canal over the river Twrch, a tributary of the Tawe. Tramways connected the canal with collieries and lime works. The canal was also connected later to the Brecon Forest Tramway which crosses Forest Fawr to reach a terminus in the Usk Valley at Senny Bridge. The Neath & Brecon railway afterwards used part of the line of this tramway.
The Mond area shown above was very toxic to wildlife due to the industrial pollution, hence lack of vegetation. Nowadays, volunteers struggle to keep it cut back.
The canal was gradually abandoned, under the terms of a series of Acts of Parliament, starting with the Great Western Railway Acts of 1928 and 1931. The canal was nationalised in 1947 and became part of the British Transport Commission , whose Acts of 1949 and 1957 brought further closures. The remainder was closed under the terms of the British Transport Commission Act of 1962 when control of the canal passed to British Waterways , who remained responsible for the maintenance of the waterway and its structures until 2012, when they were superseded by the Canal and River Trust. In-filling of much of the canal has taken place in the past 50 years. The northern section was affected by the creation of the A4067 road around Ystragynlais, while the southern section below Clydach had been infilled by 1982, as part of the work associated with the A4067 dual carriageway. Just five miles (8 km) of the canal remains in water, from Clydach to Pontardawe where it is now a popular trail, part of the National Cycle Network. The canal empties from an aqueduct into the Lower Clydach River at the point where it joins the River Tawe. A project is underway to dredge the canal and to remove the Japanese Knotweed that grows extensively around the Swansea Valley. In 1981, the Swansea Canal Society was formed, and has been working towards restoration of the remaining sections of the canal.

The Neath Canal terminated at transhipment quays on the River Neath at Neath and Giant's Grave and was later extended privately for ½ mile from the latter place to iron works at Briton Ferry. It ran for 13 miles up the valley of the Neath to a summit terminus at Abernant House, ¼ mile above the 19th lock. Short branches and tramways linked mines, iron- and copper-works.At Ynysbwllog the canal was carried from the south to the north side of the valley by a 5-span aqueduct.
In 1980 after a heavy storm a large part of the aqueduct collapsed. Subsequently this was replaced by one of a single span in 2008
In 1824 the Neath Canal was linked to Port Tennant, Swansea, by the 8½-mile, privately-owned Tennant Canal, constructed at the expense of George Tennant. In order to make a junction with the Neath Canal at Aberdulais, the Tennant Canal was carried over the river Neath by an aqueduct of 10 spans 340ft long.
The Neath and Tennant Canals Preservation Society was formed in 1974, later becoming a limited company and charitable trust in 1977. The Society was established in order to take an active role in safeguarding, restoring and promoting the canals. The Society’s early achievements include the restoration and re-opening of Aberdulais Basin, the clearance of long sections of the abandoned Neath Canal above Resolven and the restoration of Tonna Workshops. It has successfully campaigned to protect the canals from the adverse effects of new road schemes and other developments which might impinge on their restoration, and has actively promoted their use by the public.
There are several projects in place for further restoration and regeneration, including addressing the problems of water supply, mooring, winding (turning), development of town centres, and much more. This year has not been kind, as the water level has been extremely low.
The Glamorganshire/Cardiff Canal was the most important in South Wales for it provided an outlet for the ironworks in the neighbourhood of Merthyr...In addition ironworks and collieries in the neighbourhood of Aberdare, Dyffryn and Mountain Ash were tapped when the independently promoted Aberdare Canal, running down the Cynon valley for 7 miles to join the Glamorganshire at Abercynon, was completed in 1812.
The length of the main line from the sea lock at Cardiff to the ironworks at Cyfarthfa is 25½ miles and, as the summit at Cyfarthfa is 543ft above sea level, the rise is particularly steep. Not only are the chambers of the 52 locks unusually deep, but they include no less than eleven pairs of double locks and one triple staircase below Nantgarw. Such a concentration of locks is unique in Britain
The masonry aqueduct at Abercynon is also unique in Britain in that it was built wide enough to carry the Aberdare turnpike road, the canal company erecting a toll gate on it. With the closure of the canal, the present road now occupies the full width of the structure. Immediately to the east of this aqueduct is Abercycnon Wharf where the most famous of the many tramroads associated with this canal terminates. This is the Penydaren Tramway which follows the opposite side of the valley on its course from the Penydaren ironworks. It was on this line that Richard Trevithick made his historic experiment with steam traction in Feb 1804.
Unfortunately not much of this canal exists nowadays.
The Glamorganshire Canal was, for a time, financially the most successful waterway in Britain. Although built on the cheap by the Merthyr ironmasters, it was a triumph of design, a tribute to the ability of its engineer Thomas Dadford. It qualifies as a contour canal, despite the fact it rose some 568 feet in its 25.5 mile length but Dadford's genius was not appreciated by his masters and he left the canal under a cloud. Sadly, today almost all of the routes of both canals have been obliterated due to pressure of space in the narrow valleys they occupied.
Today, limited traces of the canal remain, about one half being covered by the A470 Cardiff to Merthyr Tydfil trunk road, which was constructed in the 1970s. Much of the Taff Trail between Abercynon and Merthyr Tydfil follows the line of the canal. The section from Tongwynlais to the Melingriffith Tin Plate Works at Whitchurch has been retained in water and was used for fishing, but is now the Glamorganshire Canal local nature reserve. In addition, there are a few bridges and locks which have not been destroyed. There are also short stretches in water at Nightingales Bush and at Locks 31 and 32 in Pontypridd and there are plans for restoration here.

Monday 4th December 2017

In order to lighten the weight on their foundations, the towering stone piers were built hollow with bracing cross-walls from a height of 70ft above the ground. This was instead of the more usual rubble filling which, in Telford's words, added weight but no strength. The stonework of these piers is still in excellent condition.
As this is an important World Heritage site, it is cared for well and is still going strong after more than 200 years, including some parapet maintenance performed in February of this year
The sections of the iron trough were cast by Telford's friend William Hazeldine - 'Merlin Hazeldine' as he called him - at the Plas Kynaston Ironworks close to the site
He also cast the iron bed-plates for the Chirk aqueduct and continued to furnish the ironwork for all Telford's work with the exception of the eastern half of the Caldeonian Canal. The perfection of the Pont Cysyllte ironwork, particularly in contrast to the crudity of Longdon, is very evident. Telford maintained that the iron trough would not be cracked even by the hardest frost, but his successors preferred not to put this claim to the test, for the aqueduct is provided with an outlet valve directly above the river through which the water can be discharged in spectacular fashion in periods of severe frost.
This plug also enables the trough to be drained for inspection and maintenance.
The aqueduct was completed and opened on 26 November 1805, as a cast-iron plaque at the foot of the pier immediately to the south of the river records...It is not only the greatest monument of the canal age in England; it is also one of the finest examples of civil engineering in the world and as such now scheduled as an ancient monument.
Also, since 2009 it is a UNESCO World Heritage site - see http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1303 for more info

In default of the building of the canal northwards from Pont Cysyllte, the company constructed a 3¼ mile tramway from a basin near the aqueduct to collieries at Cefn and Ruabon Brook, but although this brought traffic to the canal it could not supply the water which would have been delivered from the projected summit reservoirs. Some other means had to be found to provide the uncompleted canal with an adequate supply of water. By agreement with the owner, the level of Bala Lake was raised so that, by means of a regulating weir and sluice, it became a storage reservoir.
A feeder branch was constructed along the northern slopes of the Vale of Llangollen... bringing Dee water to the canal. This was completed in 1808. Before the coming of the railway, this branch carried considerable traffic to Llangollen and boats also worked as far as Pentre Felin, half a mile below the intake from the Dee, above the Horseshoe Pass.

About 1852 a 4½ mile tramway was built to link these quarries with the canal at Pentre Felin.

Today the Ellesmere...plans south of Frankton junction including the whole of the Montgomery canal, have been abandoned...But happily the line from Hurlestone junction to Llangollen and Llantisilio still exists. It owes its survival to the facts that it now acts as a supply channel to the Mid-Cheshire waterboard, and that in summer it attracts an ever-increasing volume of pleasure traffic thanks to the outstanding beauty of the country through which it passes andto the sensational quality of its two great aqueducts.
I must add a note here, to update you from a canal site, concerning the Montgomery Canal :
Much of it is still closed to navigation after its official abandonment back in 1944, but it was one of the first canals to be considered for reopening by the emerging canal enthusiast movement in the 1960s and a long and dogged restoration campaign is slowly but steadily achieving results. Seven miles through six locks are now navigable from the junction with the Llangollen Canal (three of them added in 2003) and a further isolated 17 mile section is usable through Welshpool.

Sunday 3rd December 2017

With the principle established at Longdon, Pont Cysyllte went ahead, but in the process Telford's original plan underwent considerable modification.
First, at Jessop's suggestion, in order to reduce the weight of the ironwork, it was decided to give it more support by adding another pier to make eight spans of 53ft instead of seven of 60ft.
Also at Jessop's suggestion, the cross-section of the masonry columns supporting the trough was increased from 6ft x 10ft to 7ft x 12ft because, said Jessop, 'I see men giddy and terrified in laying stones with such an immense depth beneath them'.
Again, Telford had proposed a trough 5ft in depth and 9ft wide which Jessop accepted, but Telford later decided to increase the width to 11ft 10in and to carry the towpath over the trough, instead of beside it as at Longdon, forming the base of the path on iron plates supported by brackets and columns. This idea may well have stemmed from the wooden towpath in Berwick tunnel - see 28th Nov below.
Finally, the most important alteration of all was the decision to extend the aqueduct over the river meadows on the south side rather than prolong the approach embankment as first planned. Even so, this embankment is 97ft high at tip, the greatest ever raised in Britain at that time. With this extension the great aqueduct assumed the form in which we now see it: 19 spans of 53ft in a length of 1007ft, carrying the canal at a height of 127ft above the river Dee.

Friday 1st December 2017

The valley of the Dee, or the Vale of Llangollen as it is called, presented the most forminable barrier of all to all of the constructors of the Ellesmere Canal. William Jessop's original survey of the line called for two long tunnels, one 4600 yards long, which would enable the canal to cross the Dee and the Ceiriog at low level. By the time of Telford's appointment in Sep 1793 this idea had been abandoned, but the line was still undecided. In Jan 1794 William Turner of Whitchurch produced his plan for a three-arch masonry aqueduct for the Dee crossing at Pont Cysyllte. Although the tunnels had been dropped, the plan now involved carrying the canal in & out of the valley by a series of locks, wasteful and costly. At this juncture Telford persuaded the canal committee to postpone decision on Turner's aqueduct and to grant him the sum of £100 towards the cost of preparing a plan of his own. He was given until the end of March to do so and...the idea of a high-level crossing was born...This original plan was for an aqueduct of seven 60ft spans.
On 28 Feb 1895 Josiah Clowes died and Telford succeeded him as engineer of the Shrewsbury Canal ...William Turner denounced Telford's scheme (for the aqueduct) as impracticable and thus he proposed an experimental smaller-scale version on the Shrewsbury.
Clowes had started to build a masonry aqueduct over the river Tern at Longdon but, with the exception of the abutments, the works had been swept away in the great flood of winter 1794-5. Telford had reason to be grateful to this flood, for it was the replacement of the many road bridges it swept away in the Shropshire area that established his reputation as a bridge builder. An iron trough, 186ft long, was now carried over the river between Clowes' original abutments. It was given ample intermediate support by means of a series of three triangulated cast-iron bearers resting on masonry foundations. Additional vertical cast-iron columns are carried from these foundations to support the towing path which is carried in a subsidiary trough beside the main one.
Longdon is the first considerable cast-iron aqueduct in the world (the first ever iron aqueduct was the small iron trough aqueduct at Holmes on the Derby Canal, completed by Benjamin Outram in Feb 1795...Telford was not aware of this) and as such it is a monument of outstanding importance. As the Shrewsbury canal is now derelict Longdon aqueduct has stood in some jeopardy in recent years, but is now used as an accommodation bridge by a local farmer.

Tuesday 28th November 2017

On 10 Sep 1792 a scheme was launched in Ellesmere , with what a contemporary report calls a 'paroxysm of commercial ardour', for a canal from the Mersey at Netherpool (later to be known as Ellesmere Port) to the Severn at Shrewsbury. According to this Report, the books were opened at noon and by sunset a million of money (equivalent of £58m today) had been subscribed. This gives the measure of the canal mania. An Act was obtained the following spring, but the war with the French caused rapid inflation and the canal company was soon struggling. Notwithstanding the fact that it included some of the finest and boldest canal works ever executed in Britain, its main line never reached either the Mersey or the Severn. Beginning nowhere and ending nowhere, it remained for many years isolated from the rest of the waterway system.
As projected, this main line was to have been 56¾ miles long, the route running from Ellesmere Port to Chester, climbing thence up the valley of the river Alyn to a 380ft summit level at Poolmouth, near Wrexham. Descending from this summit, it then crossed the valleys of the Dee and Ceiriog and proceeded southwards through the Welsh Marches to Shrewsbury, with a considerable tunnel between Weston Lullingfield and Shrewsbury.
The northernmost portion of this route, the Wirral Line as it was called, from Ellesmere Port to Chester, was completed and opened to traffic in 1795. There it joined the Chester Canal, authorized in 1792 to connect the River Dee at Chester with Middlewich and Nantwich. Scenting a rival route which threatened to syphon off Preston Brook and Runcorn traffic, the powerful Bridgewater and Trent & Mersey canal interests (i.e. The Duke et al) succeeded in getting a clause inserted in the Chester Canal Act which forbade that company to build their canal within 100 yards of the Trent & Mersey at Middlewich. Consequently only the Nantwich line was built and the canal was a commercial failure, isolated from the growing canal network...The section of the Ellesmere from Chester over the summit to the north side of the Vale of Llangollen was never built. This was unfortunate because this would have tapped the famous iron works of Brymbo and Bersham as well as various collieries in the area. The only cutting that was ever done was a length about 2 miles long near Ffrwd, intended to be part of the proposed feeder branch from Poolmouth, which would have supplied the summit with water from reservoirs in the eastern valleys of Esclusham Mountain and also served Brymbo Ironworks. It was referred to phonetically (not being Welsh) by the proprietors as the Brumbo or Frood Branch.
The southern section of the main line from Weston to Shrewsbury was likewise never built, the canal terminating in a basin at Weston Wharf where warehouse, clerk's house and erstwhile Canal Tavern now overlook the dry bed of a canal whose course is fast being obliterated. I can see from a couple of photos online that all that remains now is a few stones in an overgrown nettle-bed. New housing obscures the area.
It is doubtful that the company incurred any substantial loss of income from failure to complete the canal to Shrewsbury as Severn traffic was...so uncertain...The Shrewsbury Canal, authorized in 1795, was built expressly to provide a means more convenient than the Severn for conveying the products of the Shropshire coal and iron district round Coalbrookdale to Shrewsbury. Where local traffic was concerned, Weston Wharf served a wide area. It is worth recalling that the links for the suspension chains of Telford's Menai Bridge were conveyed from ironworks in Shrewsbury to Weston Wharf for shipment to the Menai.
At Lockgate Bridge at the foot of the 4 locks at Frankton, near Ellesmere, a branch led away southwestwards towards the Welsh border.
This was one of the first sections to be cut because it was important to the company for 2 reasons:
1) it connected with the Montgomery Canal (authorized 1794), which was being built towards it by the Dadfords ...the two were united in Jul 1797
2) it tapped extensive limestone quarries at Llanymynech. These quarries were not only valuable in building the rest of the canal but later provided a valuable source of traffic in agricultural lime. By raising prices, the French war encouraged wheat growing and so created a demand for lime. How great this trade once was is apparent from the number of old lime kilns to be found at wharves beside the canal at its branches. There are three at Hampton Bank, two at Colemere, four at Weston and no less than eight at Quina Brook, the terminus of the Prees Branch. (I have looked at all these areas on Google Maps and can find no sign of any remains - in fact the Prees branch appears to have vanished entirely)
From the top of the Frankton locks, a branch was extended eastwards to Ellesmere and Whitchurch, but when it became obvious that the main line was not going to be completed in its original form, the Ellesmere and Chester companies came to an agreement and the country between Whitchurch and the Chester Canal was surveyed by engineers of both companies with a view to affecting a junction. The result was the present line to Grindley Brook, near Whitchurch, through Wrenbury to the Chester Canal at Hurleston, 2 miles from Nantwich, which was opened in March 1805. Thus the uncompleted main line of the Ellesmere Canal was provided with a somewhat roundabout outlet to Ellesmere Port but was still unconnected to the rest of the Midlands canal system. The Trent & Mersey stubbornly maintained an embargo on a junction at Middlewich until the very end of the canal era.
The junction at Hurleston brought welcome trade to the Chester Canal and Telford was called upon to restore it to order. (See 5th September below for when the Rolts passed this junction on their travels) Of its 14 broad locks, the two at Beeston were built on sand and had given continual trouble owing to subsidence and leakage. T elford constructed a lock lined with cast iron panels in 1828 and they still survive today
Meanwhile the section of the main line of the Ellesmere from the north side of the Dee Valley southwards to Frankton was nearing completion. On this length are situated all the major works, the two tunnels and the great aqueducts at Chirk and Pont Cysyllte for which the canal is justly celebrated. Thomas Telford and William Jessop were responsible for construction of the aqueducts, Telford the 36-year-old up-and-coming genius engineer, Jessop the experienced 48-year-old overseer. Work on the lesser of the two aqueducts, that over the Ceiriog valley at Chirk, began in 1796 and was completed by 1801 . It is ostensibly a conventional masonry aqueduct of the period although it exceeded in size even Rennie's great Lune Aqueduct, having 10 spans of 40ft each carrying the canal at a height of over 70ft above the river...
Chirk Aqueduct is in fact more original in conception than it appears. In building such masonry aqueducts, the canal engineers had from the first experienced difficulty in making the side walls resist the weight of water and puddled clay. Rennie, in his single span aqueducts, used the principle of the horizontal arch to counter this with good effect, as at Wyre. But on larger multispan aqueducts, this method was not practicable and at Dundas and Lune Rennie used iron tie rods, anchored internally in the masonry.
Further down the Welsh border the Dadfords built two aqueducts...causing the same problems Jessop had with those on the Cromford Canal (see last week). One span...collapsed and another gave continual trouble.
At Chirk, Telford triumphantly overcame this trouble by forming the bed of the canal from cast iron plates bolted together and securely bonded into the masonry on either side. These plates not only formed a watertight bed and so obviated the need for clay puddle, thus reducing weight, but they also constituted a continuous cross tie.
Immediately on the north side of this aqueduct is the 459yard Chirk tunnel. This and the shorter Whitehouses tunnel beyond it are unusual for their date in having towpaths through them. Telford may have derived this idea from Berwick Tunnel on the Shrewsbury Canal, since he became engineer to that waterway on the death of Josiah Cowes...This was consturcted of wood, cantilevered over the water on wooden bearers let into the masonry..said to be a suggestion of William Reynolds, the Ironmaster. In any case, the wooden structure disappeared in 1819 and Berwick became a 'legging' tunnel...and at Chirk and Whitehouses more durable towpaths were constucted in masonry.
I personally think this idea would make a clever drop-down alternative, like a temporary table-top in a caravan or somesuch. But it was presumably not a feasible solution.

Monday 27th November 2017

I'm back from my trip. We were most annoyed by the closure of the M4 motorway diverting us through Newbury, but found a silver lining in that our slow progress along London Road allowed me to see the state of affairs with the Narrowboat pub, which I did not feature last week due to reading it had closed a year ago. I saw first hand that it is still boarded up and looks due for demolition. What a shame.

Moving on with Tom Rolt to what he calls "The Waterways of the West":
The northernmost waterway in this group is the Lancaster Canal which was originally projected in 1792 to extend from Kendal in Westmorland southwards through Lancaster and Preston to Wigan and West Houghton. Today this may seem an improbable line for a major waterway with broad locks, but the promoters looked forward to a heavy northbound trade in coal from the Wigan area and to return traffic in stone, lime and slate from the north. They also had their eye on the rich agricultural district of the Fylde as a potential source of traffic.
Brindley had originally commenced a survey of the canal shortly before his death, when it was completed by Whitworth, but it was constructed by John Rennie , being the first of the two major waterways on which he was engaged.
The summit level of the canal is a little under 14 miles long from the terminal basin at Kendal to the first of the 8 broad locks at Tewitfield, near Carnforth. This length includes a 380 yard tunnel at Hincaster. Three feeders supply this summit level with water from reservoirs and streams. The 6 miles of canal from Kendal to the northernmost of these feeders at Stainton has now been abandoned and partially infilled. From the bottom of Tewitfield Locks the canal extends to Preston on one unbroken length of 42 miles, the longest on any single line of canal in the country. On this level there are several stone single-span aqueducts carrying the canal over the small rivers falling from the western slopes of the Pennines. That over the river Wyre is a good example of Rennie's use of the horizontal arch principle, in order to resist the pressure of the water in the channel.
<photo>This section too includes Rennie's best canal work, his aqueduct over the Lune near Lancaster: 600ft long, its 5 semicircular spans carry the canal 62ft above the river.
C ompleted in 1797 , it is without doubt the finest and largest example of a masonry aqueduct in the country and happily its stone has proved much more durable than the Bath stone of the Avon valley aqueducts. Like the latter, the style is classical and monumental, but unlike Dundas, the simpler design is Rennie's own...again, however, as at Dundas (see below) ...it includes the same exceptionally deep cornice.
At Lodge Hill, 7 miles south of the Lune Aqueduct, a branch connects the canal with Glasson Dock on the Lune Estuary. Because the main line of the Lancaster was never completed as planned, this northern section remained isolated from the rest of the canal system and its only outlet is to this tidal estuary. As originally conceived, the main line would have crossed the Ribble at Preston by an aqueduct, whence it would have risen 222ft to Walton Summit. For this Ribble crossing Rennie designed a masonry aqueduct of 3 spans, the drawings of which have been preserved, but owing to financial stringency, neither this nor the flight of locks was ever built. Instead a plate tramway, 4½ miles long, was constructed by William Cartwright and opened in 1803 .
From Walton Summit...the canal passes through a tunnel 300 yards long and soon turns southward in the direction of West Houghton. It never reached here, construction ceasing at Bark Hill, near Wigan. The Leeds & Liverpool Company originally planned to cross over the Lancaster by an aqueduct 60ft high at Bark Hill, but by arrangement between the two companies, the latter built a branch from their canal at Johnson's Hillock, 3 miles from Walton Summit, to join the uncompleted main line of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal by 7 rising locks. This branch, and the Lancaster canal as far as Kirklees, thus became a part of the main line of the Leeds & Liverpool although it remained in Lancaster Canal ownership.
The Glasson Branch was built in 1819-26 and gave access to the sea.
With the coming of the railways, the proprietors wanted to lease the canal to a railway company. The tramway was leased in 1863 and partially closed in 1864 & fully in 1879 . The London & North West Railway leased the canal in Jul 1864, then purchased it in 1885. North of Preston a daily Packet Boat Service ran from Kendal to Preston in 10 hours, but even that showed a general decline due to competition from trains. The last cargo sailing was 1947. The canal always suffered from leakage due to the limestone bed, and in 1939 the L & NW Railway closed it at Kendal, then 1941-2 the next part, then tried to close the whole canal in 1944, as coal transport was then removed to road. In 1955 an Act of Parliament closed it, despite IWA protest (Tom's organisation). In 1958 the M6 was built, and the canal had to be culverted in three places, although it was not drained as it provided water for important industry e.g. chemical works. But the 14 miles of canal north of Tewitfield Locks was isolated from the rest.
In 1976 the Lancaster Canal Trust protest led to the Garstang Branch being made navigable for small craft by the construction of slipways, but the main part was impossible to improve. The Kendal to Preston section now terminates at Ashton Basin and the surrounding land belongs to the University of Central Lancashire. However, in 2002 due to a grant from the Millennium Commission and public funds, the Millennium Ribble Link was constructed. The first new canal for 97 years, it connects the Lancaster to the national network via the River Ribble, River Douglas and the Leeds & Liverpool Rufford Branch. But it is only open for about 90 days every summer, as it still suffers from flooding and leakage. The Kendal end is similar: when we visited the Lake District last year we saw the damage Storm Desmond had done and I see that much of the canal restoration work was undone. This year much dredging and de-silting has taken place in order to make things more comfortable for users.

Sunday 19th November 2017

Construction of the most southerly of the east-west waterways, the Kennet & Avon Canal from Newbury to Bath, was authorized in 1794 and opened on 28 Dec 1810 with the completion of the lock flights at Devizes and Bath.
The idea of an east-to-west waterway link across southern England was first mentioned in Elizabethan times, between 1558 and 1603, to take advantage of the proximity of tributaries of the rivers Avon and Thames, only 3 miles (5 km) apart at their closest. Later, around 1626, Henry Briggs made a survey of the two rivers and noted that the land between them was level and easy to dig. He proposed a canal to connect them, but following his death in 1630 the plan was dropped. After the English Civil War two bills were presented to parliament, but all failed after opposition from gentry, farmers and traders worried about cheaper water transport reducing the value of fees on turnpike roads they controlled, and cheaper produce from Wales undercutting locally produced food.

Plans for a waterway were shelved until the early 18th century. However, in 1715, work was authorised to make the River Kennet navigable from Reading to Newbury. Work commenced in 1718, under the supervision of surveyor and engineer John Hore of Newbury. In 1723, despite considerable local opposition, the Kennet Navigation opened, comprising stretches of natural riverbed alternating with 11 miles of artificially created lock cuts

The River Avon had historically been navigable from Bristrol to Bath, but construction of watermills on the river in the early years of the 13th century had forced its closure. In 1727, navigation was restored, with the construction of six locks, again under the supervision of John Hore. The first cargo of "Deal boards, Pig-Lead and Meal" reached Bath in December.

The two river navigations were built independently of one another, in order to meet local needs, but they eventually led to plans to connect them and form a through route.

Tom Rolt continues: It is a broad canal throughout with locks passing craft 73ft x 13ft 10in and was the second of John Rennie 's major canal works. It is 57 miles long, with 79 locks, 31 rising to a summit level 474ft above sea level at Savernake, near Marlborough, and 48 falling to Bath. The Company obtained an Act in 1813 to enable them to acquire the Kennet Navigation (in 1797 they had bought a controlling interest in the Avon Navigation). Thus the Company gained control of the whole route from Reading to Bristol, 86½ miles with 106 locks.
On the summit level at Savernake is the Bruce Tunnel, 502 yards long, of generous dimensions, the minimum height being 13ft 2in, width 17ft 4in. Boats were hauled through by means of side chains on the walls...the portal on the east side bears a large stone tablet carrying an inscription ...to Thomas Bruce, Earl of Ailesbury, and his son
The summit level, from Crofton top lock on the east side to Wootton Rivers top lock on the west, is only a mile long. There was a great debate about whether to secure a longer lower summit level with much longer tunnel, but the Company made a fateful decision against this idea. Consequently, the supply reservoir at Wilton is below the present summit level, an arrangement which entails the constant expense of pumping. The Crofton engine house stands above the canal and Wilton Reservoir on the east side and delivers water to the summit through an open leat. It contains two beam engines which worked until recently.
I shall update the history of the Crofton Pumping station, just wishing Tom were here: In 1950s the chimney was reduced as it was unable to cope and it was cheaper to retire it and electric pumps were installed. The 1812 steam pumps were the oldest in the world, so this would have upset him. But in 1968 the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust bought the pump house in order to restore it, and in 1970 it reopened. In 1985 the building was Grade 1 listed and in 1997 the chimney was restored to its original state and height. 2012 saw the 200th birthday celebration.
While we may have reservations about Rennie's ability as a canal engineer, particularly as regards water supplies, there can be no doubt at all as to the design and quality of his masonry work, and this is nowhere better displayed than on the Kennet & Avon canal as it approaches Bath. The elegant stone. The elegant stone balustraded overbridge near Wilcot on the 15 mile level between Wootton Rivers and Devizes is an appropriate foretaste of things to come.
At Devizes the canal leaves its long level through the Vale of Pewsey and plunges down towards the Avon valley by a remarkable flight of 29 locks. This is the most spectacular lock flight in England because the locks are broad and laid out in a straight line so that they can be seen in perspective.
Below Bradford on Avon the canal crosses the rivers Semington and Biss by stone aqueducts and then follows the steep slopes of the Avon valley to Bath, crossing and recrossing the river by two superb aqueducts of Bath stone. The smaller and simpler of the two at Avoncliff has a single elliptical main span of 60ft flanked by two 34ft semicircular flood arches.
The larger Dundas Aqueduct at Limpley Stoke is more monumental

Rennie had a trademark use of extended parapet. They may be to protect the stonework below from the effects of rain, but were not very efficient in this
Unfortunately Rennie...overestimated the durability of Bath stone. The west face of the Dundas Aqueduct has weathered particularly badly and has been crassly patched with engineering blue brick by its railway owners. Rennie and Brunel would rightly have regarded this as the act of uneducated barbarians.
So, all three would no doubt be thrilled to see the result of the renovation undertaken in 2002-4, where the engineering bricks were once again replaced by Bath Stone.
One further feature of the Kennet & Avon must be mentioned and this is Claverton Pumping Station designed to pump water from the Avon into the canal on the slopes of the valley above. Apart from a small feeder at Seend, below Devizes, this is the only supply to the canal west of Crofton
A leat from the Avon drives two coupled undershot waterwheels 15ft 6in in diameter which are connected to...two beam pumps. Unfortunately this station no longer functions as some of the wooden mortice teeth are missing...and some of the floats from the waterwheels, but otherwise the machinery is complete and in sound condition. It dates from the opening of the canal and is quite unique. The design is attributed to Rennie, but who built it is not known.
The pumping station closed in 1952, but as I have demonstrated here many times, there is always help available for these projects. It lay derelict until the 1960s when students of the University of Bath took on the challenge. They have renovated the equipment and it reopened in 1976. In 1981 electric pumps were installed for efficiency and the pumphouse now runs its machinery for the public on occasion.
It was a familiar story for the Kennet & Avon over the years; due to problems with water supply most of the trade had to be carried over the summit by other means. Also it suffered from leakage through porous soil and was not the financial success it deserved to be.
However, I am pleased to say that after much restoration work it was fully reopened in 1990.

Its neighbour, the Wilts & Berks Canal , was even less fortunate. Authorized in 1795 and completed in 1810, its main line provided an alternate route from the Bristol Channel to the Thames, running from the Kennet & Avon at Semington through Melksham, Lacock, Dauntsey, Wootton Bassett, Swindon, Shivenham, Uffington and Challow to the Thames at Abingdon, a distance of 52 miles. There were also branches as follows:
Pewsham to Chippenham 2 miles
Stanley to Calne 3 miles
Swindon to Thames & Severn Canal at Latton 9 miles
Shivenham to Longcot Wharf ¼mile
Grove to Wantage 1 mile
Robert Whitworth & his brother William were the engineers. Traffic on this predominantly rural canal was never heavy. Perhaps its busiest period was during the construction of the main line of the Great Western Railway, but the completion of that line doomed it to extinction. In 1904 it was not officially closed, but navigation...had practically ceased owing to the income being insufficient to meet the cost of maintenance.
Officially abandoned by Act of Parliament in 1914 this canal too lay dormant until in 1977 public enthusiasm and the work of volunteers led to formation of the Wilts & Berks Canal Amenity Group, then in 1997 the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust. Much of the progress of restoration has been due to the dedication and extraordinary efforts of volunteers of the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust, and the enabling works of the Canal Partnership. Several miles of the waterway have been returned to water with numerous structures, including bridges, locks and lengths of towpath, restored or in the process of restoration. The Partnership is aiming to complete the restoration of this important recreational and wildlife resource by 2025.

<I am going away for a few days now, so will return to you next week>

Saturday 18th November 2017

An even more ambitious scheme 'The Grand Commercial Canal' would have linked by water, not only the Peak Forest and the Cromford, but also the Chesterfield Canal at Killamarsh. The latter was an early work (authorized 1771, completed 1777) begun under the superintendence of James Brindley and continued after his death by Hugh Henshall. It was built as a broad canal from the Trent at Worksop to Chesterfield. The chief engineering work was the great summit tunnel at Norwood. This was originally 3182 yards long until 80 yards at the eastern end fell in and were opened out. Mining subsidence caused the final collapse and closure of the tunnel in 1908.
Tom leaves it there, as restoration had, when he wrote the book, been authorized but not started. The tunnel was bricked up, but in 1976 proper organization began with formation of the Chesterfield Canal Society. At first they worked on the section east of the tunnel, but progress was slow so attention turned to the west side, where much had been filled in and built on. Tapton lock reopened in 1990, 4 more locks and 3 new bridges weere built, the 5 mile section from Chesterfield being reopened in 2002, although still isolated from the canal system. The canal's restored western section reached Staveley by 2012 and East of Norwood, Derelict Land Grants were obtained by Rotherham and Nottinghamshire councils in 1995, and restoration between Norwood and Worksop began in earnest. In 2003, the Worksop to Norwood Tunnel stretch of the canal was reopened, with 30 restored locks, one new lock and three new bridges. The western section belongs to Derbyshire County Council and is now fully navigable. In 2016 the Staveley Town Lock was completed and there now only remains a 9 mile stretch of the eastern part to go. There are plans to link it with the South Yorkshire Navigation at Rotherham, but future plans have been threatened by the route of HS2, the high speed railway, coinciding with the proposed route for some part. As they say "Watch this space"!
In the south of England two waterways were constructed to unite the Bristol Channel with the Thames. Here the watershed to be surmounted, though not so formidable in height as the Pennines, caused the canal engineers particular difficulties owing to the permeable nature of the oolite and the chalk in the escarpments of the Cotswolds and the Wiltshire Downs. The first of these...the first east to west water route...was the Thames & Severn Canal , authorized in Apr 1783 and opened throughout on 19 Nov 1789 (Happy 228th Birthday for tomorrow!). Before his death James Brindley had made a preliminary survey and the work was carried out by his assistant, Robert Whitworth .
As early as 1730 there had been a scheme to make a canal up the valley of the Stroudwater from Severn to Stroud, but nothing was done. In 1759...a curious scheme for a canal without locks to appease mill owners...also came to nothing. Finally, a canal was constructed under an Act of 1776 from the Severn at Framilode to Wallbridge, Stroud (completed Jul 1779) and this became the western terminal of the Thames & Severn Canal.
Despite the fact that the canal tunnels under the Cotswolds scarp, there were 14 locks rising from Inglesham and 28 locks falling to Wallbridge and a further 13 on the Stroudwater falling to the Severn. The mistake made on the Northern locks was avoided, for these were all broad locks, 70ft in length, designed to accommodate the craft then trading on the Severn and Upper Thames.
The Thames & Severn is distinguished for its unique round tower lockhouses of Cotswold stone, several of which survive
But the outstanding engineering feature of the canal is the great tunnel at Sapperton, 3808 yards long, situated on the summit level. At the time it was built it was the greatest work of its kind ever executed in this country. Especially rare were the entrances, embellished with artistic architecture, rather than the utilitarian structures usually seen
Throughout its history the Thames & Severn suffered from the primitive state of the Upper Thames Navigation where belated improvements came too late to save it. This, and an acute shortage of water on the summit level hastened its end. By 1895 it had become unnavigable and although a trust was formed to reopen the canal and actually succeeded in doing so for 3 months in 1899, the water problem defeated them. The canal was thn handed over to the Gloucestershire County Council, but their efforts also failed.
Again, I would like to reassure Tom and take him to see the turnaround that would reverse his misery. Although the canal did close, a bit at a time, between 1901 and 1941, in 1972 it was included in a book 'Lost Canals of England & Wales' and this prompted the reforming of support groups. As you can see from the map above, various projects are in place to restore parts, including the culverting of the canal under the motorway. It is very slow work, but a lot of progress has been made. Funding comes in bits and pieces, but gradually they are getting there.

Friday 17th November 2017

The Cromford and the Peak Forest Canals should be mentioned at this point because, although both were originally conceived as local projects for the better transport of coal and limestone, both soon became involved in schemes for through routes and, although these never materialized, they were eventually linked by a tramway over the High Peak.
The Cromford Canal was authorized in 1789 and completed in 1801. 14 miles long from Cromford Wharf to Langley Mill, from which point the Erewash canal linked it to the Trent, it was engineered by William Jessop with Benjamin Outram as his assistant.
The principal engineering works are the 3063 yard Butterley Tunnel and the two considerable masonry aqueducts, one 200 yds long and 50ft high over the river Amber at Ambergate, and the other a single span of 80ft across the river Derwent at Lea Wood, near the terminus of the canal in Derwent Valley. Masonry aqueducts were not Jessop's strong point and both caused him considerable trouble. The arch of the Lea Wood aqueduct collapsed and was rebuilt at his own expense. He started work on the aqueduct in 1790 but by 1793 his part completed structure started to fail and serious cracks were found, which were attributed to the use of a lime mortar from a quarry in nearby Crich. The mortar didn't ever set and, at his own expense, he rebuilt the structure using iron cramps, which continue to hold the masonry together to this day. Jessop was a man at the forefront of his profession, having previously been John Smeaton's deputy and was keen to establish his reputation as an engineer, hence his willingness to remedy the defects on the Cromford aqueducts at his own expense. Whilst the faulty aqueduct was being rebuilt cargo was carried via tramway on a temporary bridge. His own account of this failure places the blame squarely on his own shoulders. Apparently he was guilty of cutting corners to save money, which ended up costing more.
The Cromford Canal ran from a junction with the Erewash and Nottingham canals at Langley Mill to a terminus on the edge of the Peak District at Cromford. A heavily engineered route through hilly country, it featured two major aqueducts and four tunnels, of which the longest by far was the Butterley Tunnel. It was the tunnel which brought about the canal’s demise, with mining subsidence causing it to collapse more than once. Eventually in 1900 the canal company gave up repairing it, and the small amount of surviving short-distance traffic on the two halves of the canal had ended by the 1940s and the canal was closed apart from a short length at the south end. So far the canal has been the subject of no fewer than four separate restoration schemes. First was the Erewash Canal Preservation & Development Association’s reopening of the first lock and basin at Langley Mill to create a new terminus for the Erewash Canal. Next came the Cromford Canal Society’s restoration work which repaired the northern end near Cromford, where a horse-drawn trip-boat ran for some years until the canal society folded. Another group cleared locks at Ironville but was deterred from further work by alterations to the canal channel (including demolition of the top lock) for flood prevention. Finally in recent years the Friends of the Cromford Canal have taken on the task of completing restoration. So far work has been concentrated in the Langley Mill and Ironville areas, but the Friends have also worked hard to ensure that the Pinxton Branch of the canal will be reinstated when opencast mining ends. Article in Canal Boat Magazine 2012.
T he Peak Forest Canal , also 14 miles long, was projected in 1794, engineered by Benjamin Outram and completed in May 1800. It runs from a junction with the Ashton Canal at Dukinfield, where it crosses the River Tame by a masonry aqueduct, to Whaley Bridge and Bugsworth where connecting tramways linked the canal to limestone quarries in Peak Forest.
The outstanding feature of this canal is the magnificent masonry aqueduct, 90ft high, which carries the waterway over the steep-sided valley of the Mersey near Marple. This is undoubtedly one of the finest masonry aqueducts in the country. From the southern end of this the Marple light of 16 locks lifts the canal to its summit level and terminus.
From the first the Peak Forest became involved in schemes for through routes which would link it by water either with the Caldon Branch of the Trent & Mersey or with the Cromford Canal. These schemes did not materialize, but eventually the Peak Forest and the Cromford canals were linked by the Cromford & High Peak Tramway which was authorized in 1825 and was engineered by William Jessop's son Josias . Six inclined planes lifted this tramway from Cromford Wharf to a 12-mile summit level on the High Peak at an altitude of 1271ft above the sea. Most of the traffic on the tramway, as on the two canals, was local. It never succeeded in its aim to provide a shorter route between London, the east Midlands and Manchester.
In 1848, the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway bought the Ashton, Peak Forest and Macclesfield Canals in order to feed goods into their railway system. This helped to keep the Peak Forest Canal active and the carrying of limestone continued to thrive, but traffic slowly declined into the early part of the twentieth century and the tramway from the quarries closed in 1925, giving the Peak Forest very little traffic south of the Macclesfield Canal junction. The Marple locks, together with the Ashton Canal and lower level of the Peak Forest became neglected and difficult to navigate and by 1962 it began to look as if they might be officially closed. However, interest in using canals for leisure was growing and the Macclesfield and upper level of the Peak Forest began to attract craft for cruising. In 1964, the Peak Forest Canal Society was formed and, with the Inland Waterways Association, fought to keep the Peak Forest and Ashton Canals open and to restore them. Their campaign led to the restoration of the Ashton Canal in 1974 and the re-opening of the Cheshire Ring of canals for leisure use.
As you may remember, we traversed the Cheshire Ring in 1984 and the Peak Forest Canal was an important part of this. I say this because our dismay when encountering the silted up Rochdale Canal - see Wednesday below - can now be seen in context. The previous two days had been spent on the Peak Forest and Marple Locks, well established nowadays as one of the most beautiful parts of the canal system. On 7th June 1984 we Set off along the Upper Peak Forest Canal to Whaley Bridge. Really lovely. Weather was warm and sunny and views were fantastic. Two ranges of hills with a valley between, the canal perched on the side of one range and views across to the other. We got to Whaley Bridge about 6.30 (17½ miles) and found a place to moor for the night. We performed essential maintenance - pumped out the onboard toilet at the boatyard and followed this up by a pub-crawl of the town - both of prime importance. Next morning ( 8th June 1984) the weather was distinctly hot - the roof was more like a frying pan, but members of the party lay and fried with Ian's radio on - fantastic, peaceful slow chugging along through the beautiful countryside in the sun. We then tackled Marple locks (16 in 1 mile), beautifully kept in a well-to-do area, merging into lovely countryside. In 1984 renovations of the canal had only just been completed: in 1983 the two parts were officially named the Upper & Lower Peak Forest (had been unofficially called this for years), and upgraded to Cruising Waterway Standard . Bugsworth Basin has taken much longer, and was only reopened in 2003 . In 2004 Marple Locks held a party to commemorate their 200th birthday

Thursday 16th November 2017

In 1774 Sir John Ramsden was empowered to build a short canal, 3¾ miles long, from the Calder & Hebble at Cooper Bridge to a terminus at King's Mill, Huddersfield. This canal included 9 locks of the same gauge as the those on the Calder & Hebble and it later became known as the Huddersfield Broad Canal . Meanwhile on the western side of the Pennines, the Ashton Canal was built from a basin at Ducie Street, Manchester (see yesterday) to Ashton-under-Lyne. The construction of the Rochdale Canal provided the Ashton with an outlet to the Bridgewater Canal at Castlefield. It was then realized that if the Huddersfield and Ashton canals were linked, the result would be the shortest water route between the east and west coasts. The Huddersfield Canal was promoted and authorized in 1794 to provide this link. The Huddersfield canal, even more than the Rochdale, reflects the optimism of the canal mania years, an optimism that could drive a canal at prodigious labour and expense through entirely unsuitable country. On a map the project may look logical, for the canal is but 20 miles long compared with the devious route of the Leeds & Liverpool. But this 20 miles consists simply of two long ladders of locks, 73 in number, climbing from east and west to the highest canal summit level in England, 656ft above sea level, between Marsden and Diggle. Taking the Rochdale and Ashton canals into account, in order to reach this summit from the level of the Bridgewater Canal at Castlefield, a boat had to climbthrough 59 locks...then tackle the longest canal tunnel in England under Standedge.
Standedge Tunnel, 5456 yards long, is the major work on this canal and its construction was an extremely slow and costly operation. The canal was completed from the eastern end of the summit at Marsden and from Ashton to Staleybridge in 1798 but work on the tunnel dragged on interminably, Benjamin Outram , William Clowes and John Rooth being successively engineer-in-charge. Twice, in 1800 and 1806, the company had to apply to Parliament for powers to raise more capital. The tunnel was finally completed on 4 Apr 1811 . Apart from its great length, Standedge must have been an extremely arduous and difficult tunnel to negotiate...9ft wide and...9ft from the surface to the arch...no towing path; boats 'legged' through...only portions are lined and in the parts that are not, the rock surfaceis not only very rugged and rough but the dimensions vary considerably, at times narrowing to an extremely restricted 7ft x 7ft...it is not surprising that boatmen were allowed 4 hours for the job...traffic admitted by tunnel keepers at each end. Ventilation shafts were as much as 600ft deep and railway tunnels were constructed alongside, but at a slightly higher level.
After Outram's resignation, the well known engineer Thomas Telford was called in to advise on the tunnel's completion. Excavation had been taking place, not only from each end, but also from the bottom of the air shafts. (The spoil was hoisted up the shafts and dumped nearby, where it can still be seen.) This led to the tunnel being somewhat crooked and Telford discovered that, at one point, the two excavations were not going to meet and they were going to end up with two tunnels! Correcting this has resulted in the tunnel having noticeable bends! Once the railway was open, the railway company had no reason to promote the canal, which fell into slow decline and was eventually closed in 1944.
So when Tom Rolt wrote his book, the Huddesfield was closed. In 1974 the Huddersfield Canal Society was formed with the objective of seeing a re-opening of the canal. This seemed extremely ambitious as whole sections had been filled in or even built over and several bridges had been removed to create nice, straight roads. However, with the hard work of volunteers, the backing of Kirklees, Oldham and Tameside Councils and British Waterways, and aided by grants and work schemes, the restoration of all the sections of canal that had not been infilled had been achieved by the 1990s. Among the remaining obstacles to re-opening the canal were:
a) a stretch of just over half a mile, through Stalybridge, which had been filled in and partly built on.
b) a half mile in-filled stretch through Slaithwaite, luckily not built over.
c) two factories in Huddersfield extended across the canal.
d) a number of road bridges, including at Wade Lock, Uppermill and Wool Road, Dobcross, that had been removed to allow road widening. The Canal Company worked with the local authorities, British Waterways and property owners to overcome these costly obstacles. Luckily, funding from English Partnerships, the Millennium Commission and other sources enabled the re-opening of the blocked sections and the tunnel so that the whole canal became navigable once more in May 2001 .

Some sections were more difficult to renovate than others, as listed above, and some parts a real challenge:
pylon at Heyrod near Stalybridge
The Huddersfield Narrow Canal is nowadays part of the South Pennine Ring and a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Of these three waterways through the Pennines, the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, first to be projected and last to be completed, proved the most successful, but as arteries for through traffic between east and west all can be said to have failed. We have already remarked that traffic on the Leeds & Liverpool tended to be heavy on the eastern and western sections and comparatively light over the summit and this trend was even more marked in the case of the Rochdale and the Huddersfield...It is also questionable whether, if heavy through traffic had developed over the Pennines, enough water would have been available to pass it despite the provision of summit reservoirs.
I think our experience on the Rochdale only empasises this last comment - see yesterday.
Over and above the formidable difficulty of working traffic through them, these 3 canals all suffered to a varying extent from a wholly unnecessary break of gauge. The Leeds & Liverpool, with a long main line built by one company, suffered least in this respect, but even here the locks on the line from Leeds to Wigan were built to a slightly enlarged Yorkshire Keel gauge, whereas the locks east of Wigan were built to suit the 72ft long craft of the Mersey region.
The Rochdale Canal alone was built with locks to suit this western gauge...'affording great advantages to the populous towns of Manchester, Rochdale, Halifax, Wakefield and others'. Unfortunately...the Rochdale depended for its outlet to the east coast on the Calder & Hebble with its 57ft Keel locks...so the large locks on the Rochdale merely represented so much wasted money and water.
The Huddersfield canal was in this respect the most short-sighted of the three because it was built to Brindley's 'narrow' gauge 72ft x 7ft...for no better reason than that it was a Lancashire promotion designed to connect with the Ashton and Peak Forest canals...yet at Huddersfield it joined Sir John Ramsden's canal with Keel gauge of 57 ft. Through traffic was therefore limited to small boats measuring 57ft x 7ft.
Thus these three canals reflect the strength of a stubborn provincialism brought about by lack of communications that seems almost inconceivable to us today. It produced a lack of uniformity which undoubtedly hastened the eclipse of canals in face of rail and road competition. Today both the Rochdale and Huddersfield canals have been abandoned and only the Leeds & Liverpool survives precariously.
Of course, this was written in 1969 and the situation has, as I have said, changed hugely due to public enthusiasm and the development of the leisure industry. All of the canals mentioned have been renovated and reopened, and in many parts are much better than they ever were.

Wednesday 15th November 2017

In northern England the formidable barrier of the Pennines ruled out all thought of a ship canal, even one of the modest dimensions of the Forth & Clyde, and the three canals which eventually crossed the Pennines were designed purely for internal trade between the growing industrial towns of Yorkshire and Lancashire, although they also provided water links between the Humber and Mersey ports. So formidable was the Pennine barrier that before the coming of these canals, pack horse trains were the only practicable form of transport between Yorkshire and Lancashire for most of the year
The most northerly and oldest in origin of the 3 trans-Pennine water routes is the Leeds & Liverpool Canal , 127 miles long, the longest main line of canal in Britain to be controlled by one company. The originator of the project was a Mr Longbotham of Halifax, who was inspired by an inspection of the Bridgewater Canal. His proposed route was resurveyed by James Brindley & Robert Whitworth, an authorizing Act was obtained in May 1770 and, since Brindley & Whitworth were too busy, Longbotham superintended the building of it himself, beginning simultaneously at the eastern end from a junction with the Aire & Calder Navigation at Leeds Bridge and from the western end at Liverpool.
A public meeting took place at the Sun Inn in Bradford on 2 July 1766 to promote the building of such a canal. John Longbotham was engaged to survey a route. Two groups were set up to promote the scheme, one in Liverpool and one in Bradford. The Liverpool committee was unhappy with the route originally proposed, following the Ribble valley through Preston , considering that it ran too far to the north, missing key towns and the Wigan coalfield. A counter-proposal was produced by John Eyes and Richard Melling, improved by P.P. Burdett , which was rejected by the Bradford committee as too expensive, mainly because of the valley crossing at Burnley . James Brindley was called in to arbitrate, and ruled in favour of Longbotham's more northerly route, though with a branch towards Wigan, a decision which caused some of the Lancashire backers to withdraw their support, and which was subsequently amended over the course of development. In 1768 Brindley gave a detailed estimate of a distance just less than 109 miles built at a cost of £259,777 (equivalent to about £32.67 million as of 2014) ^. An Act was passed in May 1770 authorising construction, and Brindley was appointed chief engineer and John Longbotham clerk of works; following Brindley's death in 1772, Longbotham carried out both roles.
At first, rapid progress was made, but owing to the difficulty of the work and shortage of capital, 46 years would pass before the main line was fully completed:
1770-77 Longbotham - Leeds River Lock to bottom lock Gargrave - 33 miles
1790-96 Whitworth - Gargrave to Burnley - 21 miles
1796-1801 Whitworth - Burnley to Enfield Wharf - 7 miles
1801-10 Fletcher - Enfield to Blackburn - 8 miles
1810-16 Fletcher - Blackburn to Wigan - 21 miles
1783-90 Whitworth - Wigan to Parbold - 7 miles
1770-75 Longbotham - Parbold to Liverpool - 27 miles
Total miles=127
As you can see, for many years there were two stubs of canal with nothing in the middle. Trade soon developed in this way, giving no need to complete the difficult central section.
On the first Yorkshire section of the canal to be built, Longbotham engineered a most remarkable series of double locks and lock staircases in order to lift the canal out of Airedale. In 16 miles there are 3 double locks and 4 staircases of 3 locks each, culminating in the remarkable five lock staircase known as Bingley Five-rise or originally Bingley Great Lock.
Like all the locks between Leeds and Wigan, their chambers can pass craft 62ft x 14ft 3in. Such a concentration of wide locks is unique in Britain, and Bingley Five-rise is justly celebrated as one of the outstanding features of our canal system. It must have caused even greater wonder when it was completed in 1777 .
The most difficult and costly portion of the canal to construct was that between Foulridge and Enfield Wharf for which Robert Whitworth was responsible. It represents a variation from the original line...in order to secure a longer summit level. This summit, which is 411ft above the Aire at Leeds and 433ft above the terminal base at Liverpool, includes the 1640 yard tunnel at Foulridge and two summit reservoirs. The section also includes the 559 yard Gannow tunnel, between Burnley and Enfield, and the great Burnley embankment. This last is the most impressive work on the whole canal. ¾ of a mile long and over 60ft high, this tremendous earthwork carries the canal in a majestic curve around and above the town of Burnley, presenting the canal traveller with one of the most striking industrial landscapes in Britain.
Less industrial today, but still fascinating, especially as half way along, it crosses Yorkshire Street in the town on an aqueduct!
By the completion of the Leigh Branch from Wigan to Leigh in 1821 , the Leeds & Liverpool was linked with the original line of the Bridgwater Canal, which was extended to meet it, and so with Manchester. Finally, in 1846 , the opening of the short Stanley Dock branch with its 4 locks gave the canal an outlet to the Mersey at Liverpool.

Proceeding south, the next trans-Pennine route is the Rochdale Canal - from the Bridgewater Canal at Castlefield, Manchester to Smeaton's Calder & Hebble Navigation at Sowerby Bridge. Construction was authorized in the spring of 1794 and it was completed in Dec 1804.
Apparently in 1776 a group of 48 men from Rochdale raised £237 and commissioned James Brindley to survey possible routes between Sowerby Bridge and Manchester. He proposed two possibilities, one similar to that built and another much more expensive via Bury. In June 1791 Rennie produced a new survey and 2 months later added branches to Rochdale, Oldham and limeworks near Todmorden. The Act, early in 1792 was opposed by millowners for the usual reasons, stating that 59 mills would be affected with subsequent unemployment, and it failed. They tried again in Sep 1792 including a 300ft tunnel and 11 reservoirs, again defeated. In Apr 1794 with amendments the bill was passed.
Whereas the first trans-Pennine railway, engineered by T L Gooch under the direction of George Stephenson, follows a parallel course and pierces the summit by Littleborough tunnel, the canal engineers chose to avoid tunnelling. This decision meant very heavy lockage (no less than 92 in 32 miles) and a summit only ¾ mile long at a height of 438ft above the level of the Bridgewater Canal. The Rochdale Canal was credited to John Rennie , but it seems that he only surveyed it up to the Act was passed, then William Jessop laid out the line and where the locks should be, and acted as inspector/consultant throughout the work. Henry Taylo r and William Crosley Junior were joint engineers.
The most considerable work on the canal is the masonry aqueduct of 4 elliptical arches over the Calder at Hebden Bridge. Much more significant historically however are two adjacent stone bridges over the canal known as Gorrell's & March Barn, 21 miles from Sowerby Bridge, believed to date from 1797. Both are skew bridges, crossing the waterway at an angle of 60 degrees...Gorrell's used very large stones and March Barn...an example of true skew arch construction using winding courses
Gorrell's Bridge is no more but Dr Cyril Boucher discovered the one at March Barn and accredits the pioneering skew arch to Rennie. Tom is doubtful. although he suggests the proximity of these two bridges on the Rochdale may demonstrate the 'learning curve'.
A part from a short profitable section in Manchester linking the Bridgewater and Ashton Canals, most of the length was closed in 1952 when an act of parliament was obtained to ban public navigation. The last complete journey had taken place in 1937, and by the mid 1960s the remainder was almost unusable. Construction of the M62 Motorway in the late 1960s took no account of the canal, cutting it in two.
When an Act of Parliament was sought in 1965 , to authorise the abandonment of the canal, the Inland Waterways Association (Tom's organization) petitioned against it, and when it was finally passed, it contained a clause that ensured the owners would maintain it until the adjacent Ashton Canal was abandoned. In early 1971, a boat rally was organised on the canal, and later that year, there was public debate over the high cost of a project which had infilled part of the canal to create a shallow water park, when restoring the section for navigation would have been cheape. Discussion of the relative merits of restoring this canal or the Huddersfield Narrow Canal in 1973 led the formation of societies to promote both schemes in 1974. The Rochdale Canal Society wanted to see the canal fully re-opened, as part of a proposed Pennine Park. The Ashton Canal, which joins the canal above lock 84, reopened in 1974, and the nine locks on the Rochdale Canal between the junction and the Bridgewater were restored at that time.
Grants funded improvements in the Rochdale Canal and gradually parts were renovated and reopened. There were further threats from the construction of the M66 Motorway in 1979 and a supermarket at Sowerby Bridge the following year, but the Lottery Fund and Manpower Job Creation Scheme helped out when the canal was sold and on 20 May 1983 the section opened between Todmorden and Hebden Bridge. 1985 brought another threat, from an extention of M66 but in 1990 Sowerby Bridge to the summit at Longlees opened. It was isolated from the rest of the canal network and it took until 11 Apr 1996 for the first boat to pass from the restored Rochdale to the Calder & Hebble and 1 Jul 2002 for the canal to be open for its entire length.
The Rochdale has had many problems since reopening (often related to the shortage of water because the reservoirs were sold off in 1923).
In 1984 we travelled, as part of the Cheshire Ring, along the Ashton Canal, into the Rochdale Canal, along just over a mile of this canal to the junction of the Bridgewater. My abiding memories relate to this last sentence above and you can see why in my photos - just huge expanses of mud! As you know, I tried to write a diary and did so on that day: Entered Rochdale at about 12.30 and almost immediately hit trouble. Very little water and a heck of a lot of mud meant that we were more aground than not. There was a lot of shouting as we were in a horrible dark crypt under a block of flats. Much heaving on ropes and a bit of water from the gates, courtesy of the lock-keeper and we eventually got through. Clive and I ran ahead with the windlass and the anti-vandal key. Got through by 3.30 to cheers by tourists with cameras.
As can be seen from the history above, this area has all been renovated, although up until 2001 it looked very much the same, somebody online has posted this photo of the junction remarkably familiar. (I assume this is the other end of the tunnel, as the block of flats and multi-storey carpark is missing). In 2005 it had been spruced up and by 2013 a fancy new entrance added.

Tuesday 14th November 2017

Before the Caledonian Canal was even begun, another water link between the eastern and western seas had been built across the lowlands of Scotland. This was the Forth & Clyde Canal running from the Firth of Forth (Carron River) at Grangemouth to the Clyde at Bowling Harbour, a distance of 35 miles with 39 locks.
This should be compared with 60 miles and 29 locks for the Caledonian Canal passage, although only 21½ miles of the latter are in canal, the rest consisting of a series of freshwater lochs.
Canal proposals to link the Firths of Forth & Clyde had been made and discussed since the time of Charles II. Nothing was done until construction was authorized by an Act of 8 March 1768 to plans and estimates prepared by John Smeaton . The Forth & Clyde was indeed Smeaton's greatest canal work although he was unable to see it through to its completion. Work began under his direction at the eastern end and at first proceeded so rapidly that half the canal had been completed in two years and nine months after the passing of the Act. There was then a hiatus due to a disagreement between the engineer and the proprietors. When this was sorted Smeaton carried on, but when work was only 6 miles from the Clyde it stopped for lack of funds in 1775 . By the time work was restarted after an interval of nine years, Smeaton had retired from practice and the canal was completed under the direction of Robert Whitwell.
The outstanding engineering feature of the Forth & Clyde is the number of stone built aqueducts, 43 in all, of which 10 are of substantial size. (This fact is debateable now, but I will deal with this later) . The most outstanding are those over the Luggie Water at Kirkintilloch and over the Kelvin River near Maryhill, to the northwest of Glasgow.
Unlike Telford, who was able to use the River Garry and its lochs as a natural feed for his canal through the Great Glen, Smeaton had to construct large reservoirs to supply his 16 mile summit level. That at Kilmananmuir is 70 acres in extent with a depth of 22ft at the sluice, while that at Kilsyth, (Banton Loch) which impounds streams falling from the Kilsyth hills, is of 50 acres with a depth of 24ft.
As a sea to sea route for shipping, the Forth & Clyde was of less value...than the Caledonian on account of its more restricted dimensions. Although it was twice deepened, the ultimate depth being 10ft, the locks limited its use to craft not exceeding 68ft 6in x 19ft 8in, whereas the Caledonian can pass craft 150ft x 35ft x 13ft 6in. On the other hand, unlike the Caledonian, the Forth & Clyde enjoyed considerable local trade thanks to its position in the industrial lowlands and near the Scottish coalfields. Two of the earliest railways in Scotland, the Monkland & Kirkintilloch and the Glasgow & Garnkirk fed traffic to it until they became absorbed in a larger railway network, while there was a considerable flow of traffic from the Monkland Canal at Port Dundas via the Glasgow branch which joined the main line at the western end of the summit level.
In 1821 the Forth & Clyde was joined by another waterway. This was the Edinburgh & Glasgow Union Canal from a terminal basin at Port Hopetoun (Lothian Road), Edinburgh to a junction with the Forth & Clyde at the 16th lock, 2 miles west of Falkirk
Although the Union Canal (as it is commonly called) was constructed by Baird, its line was surveyed by Telford and is remarkable for the fact that, with the exception of a flight of locks descending to the junction at Falkirk, it follows an unbroken level for 30 miles. Like the older waterway with which it connects, it is remarkable for its aqueducts over the Avon, Almond and Leith rivers, that over the Avon being 80ft above the river.
There is also a tunnel at Black Hill, Falkirk, 696 yards long. To supply this long high-level summit with water, reservoirs were constructed at Barbauchlay, Loch Coat and Cobbinshaw. There was also a feeder from the Almond River, 3 miles in length.
Traffic ceased on the Monkland Canal in 1934 and two years later the Union Canal locks at Falkirk were filled in, thus isolating the long summit level. This withering of the branches meant that traffic dwindled on the Forth & Clyde until by the 1950s it was only used by fishing boats making for the west coast fishing grounds or by occasional pleasure craft. It was closed in 1961. What undoubtably hastened its end was that, as it had originally been planned as a sea-to-sea canal, all road crossings were by moving bridges to allow unlimited headroom for sailing vessels. Originally there were 33 drawbridges on the canal... which hampered navigation and caused obstruction on the main roads.
The M8 motorway was constructed along the route of the Monkland Canal in the early 1970s, and was for some time known as the 'Monkland Motorway'. In some places the canal is still there in a culvert underneath, in others wetlands can be seen below the motorway, where it is raised up. Further plans are still being made to reopen parts of the canal for leisure purposes. Where the Union and the Forth & Clyde joined was called above by Tom Rolt the '16th lock'. When the canals were closed in 1963 this junction had been filled in and built over, as had the locks. But as I suggested above, there has been considerable advance in recent years, bringing this canal into the public eye as never before. In 1980 there was a huge surge of interest in canal renovation for the leisure industry, and an organisation was formed to save the Forth & Clyde 'The Forth & Clyde Canal Society'. They have achieved tremendous things, including a petition to renovate the canal, joined with a Millennium Link project in 1999, which funded the process and the canal was reopened in 2001.
As part of the Millennium celebrations in 2000, National Lottery funds were used to regenerate both canals. A boatlifting device, the Falkirk Wheel, was built to connect the two canals and once more allow boats to travel from the Clyde or Glasgow to Edinburgh, with a new canal connection to the River Carron and hence the River Forth. The Falkirk Wheel opened on 27 May 2002 and is now a tourist attraction
It is only one of two boat lifts in this country and is unique in the world.

Monday 13th November 2017

Moving on...
The American War of Independence and the depression which followed it temporarily halted canal expansion in 1772, discouraging new promotions and delaying completion of those canals which, like the Oxford, were already under construction. Even such trunk waterways as the canals of the Cross were essentially local promotions, which made them particularly vulnerable to changes in the economic climate. But in 1776 there were signs of a renewal of confidence, the Stourbridge and the Dudley Canals, the Loughborough Navigation and the Caldon Branch of the Trent & Mersey all being authorized in this year. Thereafter there was a gradual increase in new promotions rising to a peak between 1791 & 1794. It was this period that saw the rise to eminence of such great canal engineers as William Jessop , John Rennie and Thomas Telford . Rennie and Telford, especially, were conscious of the fact that the canals for which they were responsible were national works of great social and economic significance. Hence they were concerned to endow them with a certain monumental quality...
It will help to clarify description of these canals of the middle period if we consider them geographically rather than chronologically (can't say I agree with this approach, but I will defer to Tom as the author). They fall roughly into three groups:

the East to West coast waterways
those in the Western half of England and in Wales
(Neither of these groups was directly associated with, or dependent upon, the early canals of the Cross)
those canals which were directly connected to the Cross either as feeder branches or direct routes linking one arm with another

Most northerly of the East-West canals is the Caledonian which, unlike the waterways so far mentioned, was built for the benefit of coastal shipping
[we travelled along this canal in 1990, I think it was, but I didn't keep much of a log]
In the days before railways, coastal trade was as important as inland navigation but, just as the latter was subject to delays by flood or drought, so the former was often hazardous and liable to be held up by storms. A particularly bad example was the northern passage between the east and west coasts via Pentland Firth, where ships might lie stormbound for months at Stromness in Orkney. An inland passage...became highly desirable and for this the Great Glen of Scotland offered the most likely course. The Glen was already made up of several lochs, 'only' needing to be linked up and extended to Inverness and the sea. James Watt , of steam engine fame, surveyed a canal route through the Glen in 1773 and John Rennie prepared a second scheme in consultation with Watt in 1793...
The project was, however, revived in 1801 during the war with Napoleon, when various inland ship canals—such as those from London to Portsmouth, and from Bristol to the English Channel—were under consideration with the view of enabling British shipping to pass from one part of the kingdom to another without being exposed to the attacks of French privateers.
But it was not until 1803 that construction began under the direction of Thomas Telford as part of a comprehensive scheme for the improvement of the Highlands. It was not completed until October 1822. In the 1840s considerable remedial works were undertaken including increasing the depth of the canal from 15ft to 17ft. These works were completed in May 1847.
Traffic between the western end of the Caledonian Canal and the Clyde was greatly assisted by the completion of the Crinan Canal across the Mull of Kintyre from Ardrishaig to Loch Crinan...this nine miles long canal with 15 locks saved a sea passage of 85 miles.
Here again, James Watt had made the original survey, but when construction was authorized in 1793 the work was carried out by James Hollingworth under Rennie's superintendence. Later, in 1817, improvement works were put in hand by Telford with John Gibbs as his resident engineer.
Commercially the Caledonian Canal was not a success. The threat of French privateers...provided an incentive for its construction, but by the time it was finished, the war with France had become a memory. Also timber prices were favouring import of Canadian timber. Over and above all this, however, was the more fundamental reason that the coming of steam power at sea and the rapid increase in the size of ships soon robbed the canal of its purpose.
The limited value of the Caledonian Canal and its remote location have, throughout history, tended to obscure the fact that it was a quite outstanding feat of engineering in its day...In sheer scale of excavation it is doubtful whether any single work of a similar kind in Britain surpasses the great summit cutting at Laggan between Loch Oich and Loch Lochy.
Temporary railways and barrow-runs operated by horse gins, all the paraphernalia that was later to be used by the railway builders, were employed in the construction of this cutting, while as soon as the excavation was deep enough it was flooded and the work continued by two of the first steam dredgers ever used. These were designed by that versatile engineer Bryan Donkin, built by the Butterley Company in Derbyshire, shipped at Gainsborough on the Trent & Mersey and brought up the east coast for assembly on site.
Although the great flight of eight locks at Banavie known as 'Neptune's Staircase' is probably the most celebrated work on the canal,after the Laggan Cutting the building of the sea lock at Clacknaharry was the greatest engineering feat on the canal.
The gates on the sea locks were built of Welsh oak to resist the action of sea water, but the gates of all the freshwater locks were of cast-iron sheathed with Memel pine, from the Butterley Ironworks in the case of the locks on the eastern side and from John Wilkinson's Bersham Ironworks or William Hazeldine's Ironworks at Plas Kynaston on the western side. Both these works were in Denbighshire and the iron was shipped from Chester.

Sunday 12th November 2017

On Friday we left the companies wrangling over who would build what around Coventry

However, the Coventry Company never built the eleven miles of canal between Fradley & Fazeley. Instead it was built, half by the Trent & Mersey and half by the Birmingham Canal Company, whose Birmingham & Fazeley Canal joined the Coventry at the latter place. Subsequently, the Coventry Company exercised its right to purchase the 5½ miles of canal between Fradley & Whittington Brook which had been built by the Trent & Mersey.

Further south, a protracted wrangle over toll arrangements between the Coventry and Oxford Companies produced a ludicrous result that two canals were built parallel and within a stone's throw of each other for over a mile before an agreed junction was reached at Longford. Sanity ultimately prevailed and this duplication was later eliminated by the formation of the present junction at Hawkesworth (see 10th October below) , but it still recalls bygone disputes by being awkwardly acute.

Hawkesbury Junction also provides evidence of a rare surveying error on the part of Brindley and his team. It was intended that the two canals should be built on the same level, but the Oxford Canal proved to be nearly 7 inches higher than the Coventry, necessitation the present stop lock at the junction.

Brindley made the initial surveys of both the Coventry and the Oxford Canal...Ageing and in poor health...this was an impossible burden and there were rich dividends in prospect (for others)...The Coventry Company had the temerity to sack Brindley and engage engineers who were not part of his team. The Oxford Company also complained about him and Brindley resigned, so his assistant Samuel Simcock replaced him, later joined by Robert Whitworth.

The Oxford Canal is the supreme surviving example of contour canal cutting. It represents Brindley's techniques of canal engineering carried to such extreme lengths as to verge on the absurd. (i.e. meandering all over the place) .The canal between Napton and Banbury was never improved and remains to this day in its original state. This includes the summit level between Marston Doles and Claydon which is 11 miles whereas the distance as the crow flies is little more than 4 miles.

I covered the Oxford Canal in this blog earlier: 22 July on the outward journey with the Rolts, and 13 Oct the return leg, so see below.

When the bells were rung at Oxford on 7 January 1790 to acclaim the arrival of the first of the long boats loaded with coal from the Midland collieries, they celebrated also the completion of a grand design conceived 25 years before by men who did not live to see their scheme fulfilled and the four rivers united.

The unassuming ease with which these first canals fit into the landscape is perhaps their outstanding characteristic. Their coming was unprecedented and at first they must have left scars of raw earth behind them, but now...they fit as easily into the landscape as the meanderings of a brook. All their structures too fit as easily into the landscape as the canal itself. This is partly because transport difficulties, combined with the need for economy, compelled them to use local materials. this was usually bricks, burnt on or near the site, since clay was the material most readily available in the Midlands, but where good building stone was available they put it to good use, as on the Oxford Canal on the approach to Oxford. But their buildings enhance the landscape because they were built simply and well, in what we now term the functional tradition, with no selfconscious architectural pretensions but with an eye for the good proportions that function imposed...It is true to say that in our canal system as a whole it is the buildings which are the most vulnerable. Many have disappeared, been vandalised or altered out of all recognition.

Fortunately there still remain a large number of that most characteristic feature of the canals, the typical over bridge. This design, with its delicate interplay of curves, was originated on these first canals and persisted, with minor variations, throughout the canal era.

While we appreciate these canals of the cross today for their unpretentious beauty and fitness, we should not forget their historical significance as instruments of economic change. Difficulties of communication had an isolating effect which we find difficult to imagine today. Consequently each river basin bred a predominantly self-sufficient regional culture of a markedly original character that became identified with the region because it had been moulded by it.

Friday 10th November 2017

Continuing with the Trent & Mersey Canal

Cutting the canal up the valley of the Trent from its junction with that river at Derwent Mouth was relatively easy and this may have encouraged Brindley to make his rash forecast. The only considerable engineering works were two aqueducts, one of 23 arches over the Dove near Burton, one of six arches over the Trent at Brindley's Bank, near Rugeley, and a short tunnel through rock at Armitage. (Armitage Tunnel 130 yd has a towing path, the earliest example of its kind).

The Dove Aqueduct was originally built with 23 arches and extended over several streams. This is because the Dove floods regularly and Brindley could not achieve the height necessary to swoop over it all. Now there are only 12 arches (estimated in 2009), but it still stands after 245 years.

(See 13th August below for the account of this section of the Rolts' epic journey)

Brindley Bank Aqueduct is still the same. For Armitage Tunnel see 19th August below (the tunnel is no more).

This section of the canal was completed as far as Stone in 1771 and was carried to a temporary wharf at Stoke a few days after Brindley's death. Construction of the canal line through Cheshire from the Red Bull at Lawton at the western end of the summit to Preston Brook proved much more slow and difficult, but by the end of September 1775 it had been completed as far as Middlewich, a length which includes 35 locks (the Cheshire Locks) by which the canal descends from the Staffordshire uplands into the Cheshire Plain.

In the 1830s traffic on the Trent & Mersey Canal was so heavy that the Cheshire Locks proved a bottleneck for all the goods going to and from Stoke-on-Trent so, apart from Pierpoint Locks nos. 55 and 56, all the locks in the flight were duplicated. This considerably reduced the time to pass through the flight and also helped conserve water as the likelihood of boatmen finding one of the locks already in their favour increased, so filling empty locks or emptying full ones was reduced.

As commercial traffic declined, especially after the Second World War, some of the locks suffered the effects of subsidence due to brine pumping and coal mining.

Four locks were filled in in the 1830s, a further four in 1965 and another in 1980. So when we passed through in 1984 the flight was a shadow of its former self (but daunting enough!) In 2009 a campaign was mobilised and several have been renovated and reopened.

In 1775 also the 1239 yard tunnel under Preson-on-the-Hill was completed, enabling three miles of canal to be opened from the junction with the Bridgewater at Preston Brook to Acton Bridge Wharf. The remaining section between Middlewich and Acton proved very difficult to execute. It had originally been planned to carry the waterway along the contours of the north side of the Weaver valley, but the terrace on the steep slope would not hold; there were constant slips and Hugh Henshall finally resolved to tunnel. Hence the two tunnels at Barnton (572 yards) and Saltersford (424 yards)

But the greatest task of all proved to be the great tunnel, 2880 yards long, on the summit level at Harecastle by which Brindley had planned to pierce the central watershed. (See 1st September below) Harecastle Tunnel took eleven years to complete instead of the five that Brindley had estimated.

At this point the only similar situation had been the underground canal section at Worsley (where the Duke's pits were), but here conditions were very different. First a treacherous quicksand was encountered at the northern end of the tunnel, and at least one pumping engine had to be erected to deal with the influx of water. Then exceptionally hard rock, Millstone Grit and Rowley Rag, was met with, which caused the miners infinite trouble. An experienced contractor trying to drive a second tunnel through said to Thomas Telford more than 50 years later 'The Rock I find to be extremely hard, some of it in my opinion is much harder than ever any tunnel has been driven in before excepting the one that is executed by the side of it'. But Brindley's miners toiled on...following the example of the Bridgewater Canal, side tunnels were driven to the workings of the Golden Hill Colliery and the water draining through from this mine was used as the summit water supply. At length the great tunnel was completed, though its small diameter made it a serious bottleneck to traffic, and the canal opened in May 1777 . 93 miles long, it was the greatest civil engineering work so far built in England.

On the east, the locks were built wide from Derwent Mouth to Horninglow Wharf to enable Upper Trent barges to trade to Burton.

Similarly, on the west the waterway from Preston Brook to Middlewich was of wide guage with the object of enabling the sixty-ton Bridgewater Canal boats to reach Middlewich. But they were unable to pass through the three tunnels, a circumstance that provoked some acrimonious argument, Henshall and his staff declaring that the Duke had built bigger boats since the dimensions of the tunnels had been decided upon.

The two ends were built to wide gauge to accept river barges, the section up to Burton superseding the unreliable Upper Trent Navigation, but most of the canal was built to Brindley’s new ‘narrow’ gauge to save money, speed construction and economise on water consumption. Although this limited boat carrying capacity to about 30 tons this was a vast improvement on the packhorses and road wagons of the day and proved economically viable for nearly two centuries. All manner of goods were carried but the mainstays were coal, limestone, china clay, pottery, salt and beer !

So, Mersey, Severn and Trent were united, but the fourth arm of the cross, the long line from the Trent & Mersey at Fradley to the Thames at Oxford took much longer to complete and it was not until 1790 that Oxford was reached. Not that construction involved any engineering work of a difficulty comparable with Harecastle Tunnel; the long delay was due entirely to political squabbles and financial difficulties. In this the story of the line to the Thames was a portent of things to come, for as soon as the profitability of canals was fairly proven, middle England became a Tom Tiddler's ground of rival canal companies, each jealous of their territory and intent to parry any rival who threatened to syphon off any part of their traffic, the trade in coal being the most zealously fought for.

The upshot was that the Coventry Canal Company was to be responsible for that part of the line from the Trent & Mersey at Fradley through Fazeley...and Atherstone to Coventry, while the Oxford Canal Company built the remainder of the route from a junction near Coventry to Oxford.

Tuesday 7th November 2017

Where the Trent & Mersey was concerned there was some competition between the bridgewater Canal and the Weaver Navigation as to which waterway the new canal would join. The Duke astutely won this contest by abandoning his original intention of taking his canal to join the Mersey at Hempstones, and proposing a junction with the Trent & Mersey at Preston Brook, continuing from thence to Runcorn. This would mean that all Mersey-bound traffic from the Trent & Mersey would pass over his canal as well as the Manchester traffic.

The Runcorn locks on the Bridgewater Canal were designed to admit the smaller of the 'flats' trading on the Mersey, the dimensions of their chambers being 71ft 11in x 15ft. At this juncture somebody, presumably James Brindley, made the crucial decision to halve the breadth dimension...In this way the standard type of lock used on the Midlands canals 72ft x 7ft 6in was evolved and a special type of boat, the 'narrow boat' was designed to suit them.

Economy in the use of water from summit levels was one reason for the decision to reduce lock dimensions, but a more important consideration was economy in money. With the example of the Bridgewater canal extension under construction before them, the proprietors of the new canals very probably decided that to build a trunk waterway across England upon such a grand scale would be impossibly expensive.

By this time Brindley had never built a lock, and he appears to have harboured some peculiar notions on the subject. He insisted that the Runcorn locks should have chambers of unbonded masonry and had a stubborn argument with the Duke on the subject in which, fortunately, his view did not prevail. He had not, presumably, heard of John Smeaton's use of hydraulic lime mortar for bonding the masonry of the lock chambers on the Calder & Hebble (see 31st Oct below) . By the time the first locks on his Midland canals were built, Brindley must have had second thoughts for their chambers were of bonded brickwork and masonry.

Apparently, when aged 49 Brindley married Anne Henshaw and bought Turnhurst Hall (near the summit of the Trent & Mersey).he built an experimental lock in the grounds. There are some doubts, as part of it seem to pre-date him, but although the water feature existed, he must have perfected his design of lock here, experimenting with the detail. Perhaps...he needed to prove to his own satisfaction the merits of hydraulic lime. Be that as it may, Brindley determined the standard design of narrow canal lock and the first to be built of this type is said to have been the lock at Compton, where the Staffs & Worcs Canal begins its descent to the Severn from its summit level.

Brindley adopted as his standard a single upper gate closing against a cill at right-angles to the lock walls and double mitre gates at the bottom end of the chamber (as can be seen in photograph of Compton Lock above). Lower gates have to extend to the bottom of the lock chamber (in this case the drop is over 9ft) and single gates for this purpose were doubtless rejected on account of their great weight and size. Sluices or 'paddles' raised by rack-and-pinion gearing were incorporated in all the lock gates as had become orthodox practice on river navigation locks. But in order to speed filling the lock chamber and to prevent the top gate paddles discharging over the bows of the boat when filling commenced (we have had experience of this elsewhere, I can tell you!) 'ground paddles' were provided, one on either bank at the head of the lock, which communicated with the lock chamber by underground culverts.

In order to regulate the level of the water in the canal 'pounds' between locks, and prevent them becoming over-full, it is necessary to provide a spill weir beside each lock...to one side of the upper entrance...and the water is conveyed from it to the lower pound either by an underground culvert or an open leat...The Staffs & Worcs canal lock became, with minor variations, the standard for the whole of the narrow canal system of the Midlands.

Six locks below the summit lock at Compton is the first of three unusual locks at the Bratch. At this point the canal descends so abruptly into the valley of the Smestow Brook that the three locks follow each other so closely that the top gates of the first and second in the flight are only a few feet away from the lower gates of the lock next above. It is much more economical to construct locks in a proper flight, where pairs (or more) of locks share gates, and Brindley evidently learned this here, as locks 20 & 21 at Botterham, a little further on, were built as a pair. Two other examples of double locks may be seen at Stourport...but an engraving made in 1776 shows that the doubles are not original and they were built later, presumably to economise water when single narrow boats required to lock out into the river.

However, even then these were not the first, as Henry Berry built two double wide locks on the St Helens Canal in 1760. What is known as Old Double Lock at Blackbrook at the head of the main line of the St Helens Canal is in origin the oldest lock of this type in England.

I did mention this lock on 3rd November - see below. This part of the canal is disused and in 1970 the gates were removed and the lock turned into a cascade.

Work on the Staffs & Worcs proceeded smoothly. The canal was complete by the end of 1770 and on 14 September 1772 , just a fortnight before James Brindley's death at Turnhurst at the age of 56, the Birmingham Canal was linked with it by the completion of the flight of 21 locks at Wolverhampton.

As Brindley canals go, the Staffs & Worcs keeps a reasonably direct course which it follows to this day. The Birmingham, on the other hand, was extremely devious, so much so that of the present Birmingham Canal main line the five miles from Deepfields Junction to Aldersley is the only substantial portion of the original canal remaining . In 1784 the Birmingham Canal Company merged with the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal Company to form the BCN - Birmingham Canal Network - from 1794. This network then expanded as loops were cut off and extensions made. At its working peak it included 160 miles of canals and today (2010) 100 of these are navigable.

Trade was now free to flow from the Black Country to the Severn, and Stourport quickly became a flourishing inland port, but the key waterway in the grand design, the Trent & Mersey, was still far from complete. In 1767 Brindley maintained stoutly that the canal would be completed in 5 years and was prepared to stake a £200 bet on it. But at the same time the percipient Josiah Wedgwood was writing to a friend 'I am afraid he (Brindley) will do too much and leave us before his vast designs are executed; he is so incessantly harrassed on every side, that he has no rest, either for his mind or body and will not be prevailed upon to have proper care for his health.' wedgwood's forebodings proved sadly correct for Brindley died of untreated diabetes 5 years before the Trent & Mersey was completed.

Monday 6th November 2017

Just as the story of the Bridgewater Canal epitomizes the political and financial history of the canal era, so in its engineering it set an example for others to follow, for although it crossed no summit level, it was the first canal to take a course independent of rivers. Anyone who travels the length of the Bridgewater today with a perceptive eye must agree that although subsequent canals may be longer and may boast more impressive individual works of engineering, they do not surpass this first canal in breadth of conception.

First, it is lock-free for 30 miles from Worsley to Runcorn

Secondly, the width of its channel reveals that it was laid out with wide boats in mind

Thirdly, photographs of the original aqueduct over the Irwell at Barton taken shortly before it was demolished to make way for the Manchester Ship Canal reveal...that it was indeed upon a larger scale than later, similar structures on the 'cross' of canals engineered by James Brindley.

The partnership of the Duke, Gilbert and Brindley was so close and harmonious that it is impossible to determine which individual partner should be awarded the greatest share of the credit...it is Gilbert who emerges as surveyor and engineer-in-chief with James Brindley the ingenious, illiterate craftsman, as resident engineer under him, both inspired by the Duke to give practical effect to his ideas.

Among men of spirit and enterprise the Duke's bold experiment attracted enormous interest, so that there were few who failed to visit the works at one time or another during construction. As soon as it became obvious to them that the new canal was going to be practically successful, it became equally obvious that this could be the answer to their own transport problems. The Duke's project had not proceeded far before an ambitios plan was born to link by canal the four great navigable rivers of England: Mersey, Trent, Severn and Thames and joint stock companies were formed for the purpose of carrying it out. The key feature of this scheme was the Trent & Mersey Canal or 'Grand Trunk', with which canals to the Severn and the Thames would ultimately be linked. (See 3rd October below) Foremost among the promoters of the Trent & Mersey was Josiah Wedgwood, the great potter of Burslem in north Staffordshire (see 25th August below).

Wedgwood had watched the progress of the Duke's experiment with the liveliest interest from the start since he recognised at once the immense value of a canal to his business, both for importing coal and exporting the fragile finished product.

The entrepreneurs of this national canal project needed engineering 'know'how' and they looked to the Bridgewater Canal to supply it. John Gilbert was too busy and loyal to be involved in anything else, so it was James Brindley whose name we associate with the great cross of canals that formed the skeleton around which England's midland waterway developed. From what little we know of the character of James Brindley he was far too honest and straighforward a man to make exaggerated claims for himself but he had enthusiastic supporters who claimed every development on his behalf.

James Brindley undoubtedly contributed much to the building of the Bridgewater Canal, perhaps his greatest contribution being the technique of clay puddling to render the bed of the canal watertight. This became the more vital when he had to carry canals across high watersheds where water supplies were scarce. But he also learned much from this pioneer waterway which helped to crystallise what might be called his canal engineering philosophy as revealed to this day in the many winding miles of his Midland canals...On being asked by a member of a Parliamentary Committee what was the use of rivers, Brindley made the well-known rejoinder that it was to supply canals with water. In his day there were a number of good reasons for this prejudice; delays to traffic caused by flood or drought, damage to locks and other works caused by flood - e.g. the disastrous Calder & Hebble flood of 1738 - and finally the...current, extra power required when travelling upstream.

Other canal engineers inherited Brindley's prejudice against rivers which, logical though it may have seemed at the time, in the long term proved damaging to the commercial viability of Britain's inland waterway system. While enthusiasm for canal building reached mania proportions, with rare exceptions the older river navigations escaped improvements and were in many cases archaic...Moreover, difficulties of water suppy to canal summit levels soon proved that they were by no means immune from complete stoppages in prolongued periods of drought, while traffic could also be brought to a standstill by severe frost, a condition which rarely affected river traffic. Also the use of powered craft has negated the advantage of flow, so it is the navigable rivers that have been retained and improved over the years. Brindley himself could not have surveyed and superintended all the miles of new canals. He rode to all the sites on an old mare, who he was very fond of, but then made his recommendations and plans to several assistants, who carried out the work. The best known was his pupil Robert Whitworth , his brother-in-law Hugh Henshall and Thomas Dadford Senior , so called because his 2 sons, Thomas & John, followed him as canal engineers... Both the Acts authorizing the Trent & Mersey and the Staffordshire & Worcestershire canals came into effect on the same day 14 May 1766. Hugh Henshall on the former and Thomas Dadford Snr on the latter were appointed Brindley's deputies, Henshall succeeding as chief engineer of the Trent & Mersey at his master's death in 1772.

The Staffs & Worcs canal was planned to extend from a junction with the Trent & Mersey at Great Haywood through Penkridge and Kidderminster to the Severn at Stourport. Making use of the valleys of the rivers Penk and Stour, it had its summit level on the Trent/Severn watershed at Compton near Wolverhampton. By the completion of these two waterways therefore, three of the four rivers would be united. More than this, by the authorization of a short but vitally important waterway in 1768 , the trade of Birmingham and the Black Country would be given direct access to the Severn. This was the Birmingham Canal from that city to Wolverhampton and so to a junction with the Staffs & Worcs' summit level at Aldersley. Robert Whitworth was appointed Brindley's deputy to the Birmingham Company, with Samuel Simcock, a less well known member of Brindley's team, as his assistant.

Saturday 4th November 2017

To call Francis Egerton, Duke of Bridgewater, the 'Father of Canals' is no mere figure of speech. He occupies a position unique in the transport history of these islands. Few individuals since his day have been in a position to raise and sustain such a financial burden; certainly no man since has possessed the courage to back so heavily a new and untried technical innovation. For so far as this country was concerned canals were wholly novel in 1760, too much so to attract the capital investment that was needed.

It was many years before the Duke's gamble paid off, but when it did the reward was so great that it swung the mood of investors from 'wait and see' caution to the opposite of that, over-optimism which sparked the speculative 'canal mania' of 1792. Because it was a private concern it is difficult to determine exactly how profitable the Bridgewater Canal was, though the net profit for 1803, the year of the Duke's death, has been given as £65,952 (£4.7m today). The reason why the Duke had to wait so long for his gamble to pay off was that he was opposed in principle to monopolies...With a real sense of public obligation he bound himself to carry on his canals at low freight rates. For the same reason, when his old competitors, the proprietors of the Mersey & Irwell Navigation, finally threw up the sponge in 1776 and offered their concern to him for a mere £10,000, the Duke refused, saying bluntly that he had set out to break a monoply, not to create one. Under the terms of the Duke's will, after his death the Bridgewater Canal was vested in a Trust managed by Captain Bradshaw , the late Duke's agent in succession to Gilbert. Bradshaw was a man typical of the new commercial spirit that was coming to the fore. He was what we should now describe euphemistically as a keen businessman and his old master's philosophy simply did not make sense to one who thought only in terms of £.s.d. He bought out the 'old navigators' of the Mersey & Irwell for £550,800 and, havingthus created what he thought was a safe monopoly, raised canal freight rates threefold.. Such shortsighted greed brought its inevitable nemesis. For it was their exasperation with Bradshaw's exactions that determined the merchants of Liverpool and Manchester to break his monoploy by building a railway between their two cities, with results that were far-reaching and fatal to canal interests everywhere. Faced with this threat, Bradshaw cut his freight rates by 55% and ringed the Bridgewater Estate with armed men in a vain attempt to keep out George Stephenson and his surveyors. Too late; he had effectually killed the goose that had laid such golden eggs. Perhaps Bradshaw recalled ruefully a remark which his farsighted master had made in his old age: 'We shall do well enough if we can steer clear of those demmed tramroads'.

Friday 3rd November 2017

Continuing on from Tuesday, Tom said:

It is significant that Henry Berry , the engineer of the Sankey Canal , worked as assistant to Steers on the Newry Canal. An Act of 20 Mar 1755 authorized the making of the Sankey Brook navigable from St Helens to its confluence with the Mersey near Widnes...Berry subsequently recommended that a canal should be built instead and supplied with water from the brook. His suggestion was adopted, and the work was carried out under his direction...An Act of April 1762 authorized an entrance lock from the Mersey at Fiddler's Ferry but because this proved unsatisfactory (boats ran aground apparently and had to wait for the tide, maybe weeks, maybe months, to be freed) the canal was subsequently extended 3 miles downstream to Widnes. A total of 18 swing bridges originally spanned the channel.

A staircase lock was built on the Sankey Canal and a second staircase was built later when the Ravenhead Branch was constructed in 1775. They are known respectively as the Old Double Lock and the New Double Lock.

While it is strictly true to call the Sankey Canal the first in England, it was built in the river navigation tradition; that is to say it was, in effect, a long navigable cut, paralleling the course of the brook and drawing its water supply from it. Its construction confronted Berry with none of the engineering problems which were involved in a high-level canal. Nevertheless it no doubt helped to inspire a far more significant project nearby, the Bridgewater Canal which was built by Francis Egerton third Duke of Bridgewater, his agent John Gilbert and the engineer James Brindley .

The Bridgewater Canal originated from the need to provide a more economic transport outlet for the coal from the Worsley pits on the Bridgewater estate...in 1737 the third Duke's father had obtained an Act for making the Worsley Brook navigable from Worsley Mill to its junction with the Irwell...nothing was done until 1759 , when the 3rd Duke, obviously with the Sankey Canal project in mind, opted for a canal from Worsley Mill to join the Mersey at Hollin Ferry.

The Duke soon abandoned his plan due to failure to reach agreement with the proprietors of the Mersey & Irwell Navigation. Instead, in association with Gilbert and Brindley, he conceived the far more ambitious scheme of carrying his canal into Manchester, a proposal which involved an aqueduct over the Irwell at Barton, with considerable approaching embankments, including an embankment 900 yards long over Stretford Meadows. He obtained an Act authorizing construction in March 1760 ...it involved civil engineering construction upon a scale hitherto unprecedented in England.

The Bridgewater Canal is notable in another respect. It remains the only considerable work carried out by one undertaker. Compared with river navigations, canals were so much more costly to construct that all major canal projects were thereafter undertaken by joint stock companies. To finance the building of his canal and its subsequent extension to the Mersey at Runcorn, the Duke raised money on the security of his great estates...his debts rising, in Jan 1786, to the colossal peak of £346,805 (approx £3.6m today - although I have seen this as large as £41m, it depends on the factors taken into account, including the cost of labour etc).

In 1984, as I have said, we did the Cheshire Ring and we picked up the Bridgewater Canal at Stretford, continued through Lymm, Northwich, Middlewich and continued on to Chester. We then turned round and retraced our route to Barbridge, where we turned off to make our way back to the boatyard via the Shropshire Union. Thus we covered most of the bottom part of the map above, and much more besides.

Tuesday 31st October 2017

As discussed on Sunday, by the beginning of the 18th Century the Aire & Calder Navigation had made the River Calder navigable as far upstream as Wakefield. The aim of the Calder & Hebble Navigation was to extend navigation west (upstream) from Wakefield to Sowerby Bridge near Halifax. Tom says:

It is notable in two respects. First, the difference in level to be overcome was uniquely great, the Calder here falling at a rate of 90in to the mile, which amounted to a difference of level of 178ft in the 24 miles of the navigation. Secondly, it was the work of John Smeaton (1724-92) a name justly famous in the history of civil engineering in Britain.

Smeaton's work on the Calder followed hard upon the undertaking for which he is best remembered today - the building of the Eddystone Lighthouse. In fact he first surveyed the Calder during the latter end of 1757 when winter storms had suspended his work on the lighthouse. He built 26 locks on the river and 5¾ miles of new cut. For the lock walls, Smeaton used one of his newly-discovered hydraulic limes (he invented what was to become modern cement and led to the development of concrete) . It was no fault of Smeaton's that, following a great storm over the Pennines on the night of 7 October 1758, the worst floods for 50 years swept down the Calder and the Proprietors reported ruefully that 'the navigation is ruined so far as to be no longer passable for any kind of vessels from Wakefield tp Brooksmouth, or from Brooksmouth to Salterhebble Bridge'. The Company was subsequently reformed and reconstruction authorized by an Act of 1769. Once again John Smeaton was engineer ...and his protégé William Jessop was appointed resident engineer under him. Jessop succeeded Smeaton on the latter's retirement to acquire an engineering reputation second only to his mentor. In later life Jessop advised the Thames Commissioners on the improvements of the Thames between Dorchester and Lechlade, and in his advice on the subject of locks and cuts he followed the principles which his master Smeaton had first put into practice on the Calder.

There was still no communication between the east and west coasts. Moreover, a great deal of Britain's mineral wealth, which new techniques were enabling men to exploit upon an increasing scale, was situated on the central watershed, most notably on that dividing the Severn from the Trent basins. Commercial pressure for improved communications was therefore unsatisfied, but by 1760 the money and the engineers were available to supply the remedy.

Oh, and by the way, fellow Leeds boys (Leodensians) The Kaiser Chiefs mentioned John Smeaton in the song 'I predict a riot':

"A friend of a friend he got beaten

He looked the wrong way at a policeman

Would never have happened to Smeaton

An Old Leodensian"

Ok, moving on...

One of the chief reasons for the outstanding success of the Coalbrookdale Ironworks, where the Darby family initiated so many significant pioneer developments, was that it was located on one of the very few sites in Britain where deposits of coal and iron ore lay adjacent to a navigable river - the Severn. We may be sure that...this was not lost upon other ironmasters and manufacturers, particularly those ...in the neighbouring highlands of Staffordshire. Here the exploitation of rich deposits of coal and ore was inhibited by the need to transport over land to the Severn or the Trent. In such a situation the construction of canals became inevitable, but the date of their inception was postponed until such a time as a growing commerce could afford the large amount of capital required to finance such costly works.

A glance at the central watershed of England reveals that it is in places so narrow that only the breadth of a field divides the sources of eastward and westward flowing rivers or their tributaries. This...led to several optimistic schemes for linking such rivers near their headwaters. As we have seen, Yarranton 's Stour Navigation was intended to be a part of his scheme to unite Severn and Trent (see 24th Oct below) and the same engineer advocated a similar junction between the Thames and Severn. The fact that the sources of the Waveney and the Little Ouse are only 25ft apart led Francis Matthew in 1670...to advocate their junction as part of a through water route from Great Yarmouth to York. But such ambitious projects were ahead of their time and they overlooked two things, first the provision of sufficient water supply at these headwaters, and second that the course of a river in its uppermost reaches is by no means an ideal one from the point of view of navigation. It soon became obvious that topography prescribed an upper limit on rivers beyond which it was no longer a practicable proposition to render them navigable, and that the correct solution was to link such upper limits by an artificial channel and to tap as many of the headwater tributaries as possible to supply that channel with water.

The first canal in the British Isles to exemplify this principle, that is to say the first summit level canal, was Steers ' Newry Canal in Northern Ireland, constructed to facilitate the transport of coal from the Tyrone collieries to Dublin. this had a summit level 3 miles long, mostly in rock cutting, which was supplied by a small reservoir fed by headwater streams...then the canal fell by locks 65ft in 9 miles to Newry, at the head of the Carlingford Estuary. At the opposite end of the summit the canal fell 22ft in 9 miles to Lough Neagh. There was a total of 15 locks on the canal with chambers 60 x 15 ft and two larger sea locks at the terminals. Thomas Steers completed his survey in 1736 and superintended the work until 1741, when his place was taken by Acheson Johnson , who completed the canal in 1745.

Monday 30th October 2017

Before leaving the south of England, mention should be made of the River Medway . (This is close to my heart, as we lived nearby for the first four years of married life and my family live down that way still.) 'The Company of Proprietors of the Navigation of the River Medway' owed their existence to an Act of 1664, but an Act of 1740 empowered this body to improve the navigation between Maidstone and Tonbridge, mainly with the object of reducing the cost of carriage of timber supplies from the Weald to the Navy at Chatham. The engineer is not known, nor is the extent of the work done, for the Medway Navigation as we see it today is the fruit of work carried out under Acts of 1802 and 1824.

The formation of the Company was organized by John Hooker, the Lord of the Manor of Tonbridge and owner of Tonbridge Castle. The aim was to raise £30,000 capital by selling up to 300 shares at £100 each, although it was not fully subscribed. The first meeting of the Company was held on 20th May 1740, at the Rose and Crown in Tonbridge.

Work began in January 1741 on making the river navigable, starting from Maidstone and working in sections upstream towards Tonbridge. Up to fourteen locks were eventually built, most using oak bought at Penshurst and floated downstream although some of the locks at the Tonbridge end used stone from Tonbridge Castle. The last payment for work on the Tonbridge lock was made by the Company on the 30th June 1747 and the total cost for the whole navigation construction was £11,419 with an extra £1,119 for the wharves.

One major disadvantage was the lack of a towpath suitable for horses to pull the forty-ton barges, so the work had to be done by teams of men, called ‘hufflers’ or ‘halers’ instead. They took ten to twelve hours to cover the distance between Tonbridge and Maidstone, scrambling over bridges, hedges and ditches. The work must have been extremely hard and is perhaps reflected by the records of the bargemen’s powers of invective. A writer in the 1770s declared ‘most Medway bargemen are very skilful in this verbal mode of warfare, they use extraordinary terms and generally, very coarse and dirty ones’. The Company ordered in the 1740s that a fee of 2s 6d (12.5p) was to be imposed on bargemen for immodest, obscene and lewd expressions! One of the original locks was Tonbridge Town Lock.

Next North-west England...became an important centre of river improvement activity. The rivers Mersey, Irwell, Weaver and Douglas all received attention between the years 1722 and 1742 .

Thomas Steers (1672-1730) had surveyed the rivers Mersey and Irwell from Bank Quay at Warrington to Manchester in 1712, an Act authorizing the work was passed in 1721 and it was completed about 1725. [Howley lock,was the first lock built here.

There were 8 locks in a distance of 15 miles to overcome a rise to Manchester of 52ft...Steers was also responsible for the Douglas Navigation which was completed from the Ribble Estuary to Wigan after 4 years work in 1742 . More significantly, he engineered the Newry Canal in Northern Ireland. Of this more later . He not only carried out considerable dock works at Rotherhithe (where he grew up - Kent in those days) and Liverpool but also practiced as an architect like Telford, Mylne and other engineers of the canal era.

Between 1730 and 1732 the River Weaver was made navigable up to Winsford, a distance of 20 miles, and 11 locks were built to overcome a rise of 42ft. Thomas Robinson , of whom nothing else is known, was appointed 'Surveyor General of the Works' and acted as resident engineer. He continued to hold his position on the Weaver during 1735 during which time various minor improvements were made. But the state of the Weaver Navigation was evidently not all it should have been, for in 1758 a protracted programme of improvements was embarked upon under the superintendance of Robert Pownall (1715-80) who had earlier worked on the Navigation as a clerk at Winsford. Pownall worked in association with another engineer, Henry Berry (1720-1812). Between them they were responsible for building a new lock at Northwich and new locks and cuts at Saltersford and Pickerings. Pownall's connection with the Weaver was lifelong and by the time of his death he had built four more locks and cuts on the river.

I have mentioned the Weaver several times below, throughout September, but generally where 'our' canal has crossed it.

Henry Berry was assistant to Thomas Steers on the Newry Canal and was subsequently engineer of the Sankey Canal from the Mersey to St Helens. The work of Steers and Berry forms a link of continuity between the age of river navigations and the age of canals.

Sunday 29th October 2017

There was a slow but steady expansion of trade throughout the first half of the 18th Century which spelled increasing pressure for the improvement of internal transport. Because water transport was uniquely cheap and convenient for the carriage of coal in bulk, more and more rivers were made navigable for boats of useful burden, often at considerable capital cost in making locks and cuts. These works were carried out by professional engineers like Andrew Yarranton .

The Aire & Calder Navigation was the first considerable work to be completed in the new century. The River Aire was naturally navigable to Weeland at this time and the work consisted of extending the Aire Navigation to Leeds and making its tributary the Calder navigable from its junction with the Aire near Castlefield to Wakefield.

Between Weeland and Leeds 10 locks were built to overcome a rise of 68ft in 30 miles. On the Calder there were 4 locks in 12 miles, the rise to Wakefield being 28ft. There were 5 lateral cuts of which two, one on the Aire and one on the Calder, were of considerable length. The masonry lock chambers were 56ft long x 19ft wide with 3ft 6in of water over the sills, being built to suit the ...type of craft previously used on the rivers radiating from the Humber.

The engineer of the Aire & Calder was John Hadley of whom little is known except that he was referred to as 'That great Master of Hydraulicks' and that he patented a device for raising and lowering an undershot waterwheel in accordance with the level of the stream. He was responsible for several water supply schemes and may have come from West Bromwich. He surveyed the rivers in Dec 1697 accompanied by the Mayor of Leeds...he later attended the House of Commons Committee on the Navigation Bill, which received the Royal Assent in May 1699 . He was then appointed engineer in charge at the munificent salary of 400 guineas (over £70k now) and completed the work in 1703 .

Inland navigation in this area was subsequently improved by another little-known engineer, from York, named William Palmer , who extended the River Don Navigation from Barnby to 3 miles below Sheffield at Tinsley. Palmer also deepened the Yorkshire Ouse to York by contracting its bed so that the scouring action of the current was increased. Both these works were carried out between 1726 and 1732 .

By far the most ambitious work to be carried out in the south of England in the first half of the 18th Century was the Kennet Navigation from the Thames at Reading to Newbury, if only because the fall of the River Kennet, 85in per mile, was considerably greater than any of the rivers so far mentioned. This meant that 18 pound locks had to be built to overcome a difference in level of 138ft in 18.5 miles. In this distance there were 11½ miles of new cuts. John Hore (1690-1762) of Newbury, the son of a prosperous maltster...was engineer of the Kennet Navigation. He evidently took the Wey Navigation as his model for his locks as they had sloping turf sides. They were of generous size: 122ft x 19ft. Some of these locks have since been rebuilt with smaller masonry chambers, though others survive in their original state. The construction of the new cuts involved the building of many new overbridges, most of which were timber-built swing bridges...no doubt the cheapest solution, for apart from their low first cost the need for approach embankments was obviated. But they were a hindrance to navigation, particularly in later years when the waterway became part of a through route. The construction of the Kennet Navigation was also noteworthy for the bitterness of the opposition it aroused. John Hore had to contend not only against the mill owners who, as usual, feared for their water supplies, but with organized opposition from the town of Reading, which had hitherto handled the waterborne trade of the area and now feared the loss of a substantial portion of that trade to Newbury...organized gangs molested his workers and broke down the newly finished locks. Nevertheless the work was begun in 1718 and finished by 1723 .

John Hore subsequently became engineer in charge of the Bristol Avon Navigation , 16 miles long, from Bristol to Bath, which he carried out between 1725 and 1727 .

He also surveyed the rivers Stroudwater and Chelmer , in the former case proposing a canal 8 miles long for which an Act was obtained, but nothing was done on either river. (His son, born 1730, became resident engineer of the Kennet & Avon Canal under John Rennie, so the Hore family played a notable part in the construction of this coast to coast route).

Tuesday 24th October 2017

Next is navigation of the Warwick Avon , engineered in 1636-9 from Tewkesbury to Bidford by William Sandys (1600-70), who convinced the local millowners that pound locks were the way to go.

At each mill weir he constructed a pound lock and provided navigation weirs of water gate type to assist craft over shallows in the reaches between, such as the old ford at Cropthorne, near the site of the Jubilee Bridge

A member of a wealthy landowning Worcestershire family, William 'Water-work' Sandys, as he came to be called, who, like Arnold Spencer, not only planned the work on the Avon but financed it. His subsequent work on the Teme was interrupted by the Civil War, but after the war was over he undertook to make the Wye and the Lug navigable with other members of his family. Of the same class was John Mallet , a country gentleman of Somerset who undertook the navigation of the rivers Parret and Tone in 1638 and Sir Richard Weston (1591-1652) of Sutton, Surrey, who engineered the Wey Navigation from the Thames at Weybridge to Guildford between 1651 & 1653. The Wey Navigation is generally considered the finest work of its kind to be built in the 17th Century. To overcome a fall of 86ft between Guildford Wharf and the Thames, Weston built 10 pound locks and 4 weirs but what is more significant is that out of a total length of 15 miles, 7 miles consisted of artificial cut. Previous undertakers (builders) had shown a reluctance to make extensive cuts, following the natural course of the river as much as possible. They hesitated to incur the additional labour and expense, not only of digging the cuts, but of constructing the necessary overbridges which such new works usually entailed. Weston built 12 new bridges in the course of his Wey improvements, and his work was the prototype for many of the more ambitious river navigation works which would be carried out during the first 60 years of the next century (1700s). Stoke Lock, Guildford, was the first to be built on the Wey Navigation, in 1653.

One other significant 17th Century figure deserves to be mentioned and that is Andrew Yarranton (1616-84). Although he would not have so styled himself, Yarranton was a civil engineer who, although he evidently possessed some capital of his own, carried out work on behalf of other capitalists to make the Worcestershire Stour navigable from Stourbridge to Kidderminster in 1662 , completing the work in 1665 with Lord Windsor as the chief financial undertaker. This was only a small part of Yarranton's ambitious scheme to unite the Severn with the Trent, but no further progress was made...the times were not yet ripe. Yarranton was also associated with Lord Windsor in the work of extending Sandys' Avon Navigation from Bidford to Stratford and in an abortive attempt to make the River Salwarpe navigable from the Severn up to Droitwich. He also prepared a plan for a new cut to restore the Dee Navigation to Chester, which would be carried out in modified form by Nathaniel Kinderley some 60 years later. Working on his own account, Yarranton established an ironworks at his native Astley, near Stourport and locked the Dick Brook to provide access to his works from the Severn. This was in 1652 and was therefore his first navigation work. Extensive remains of two of his lock chambers survive on the brook. Archaeologists were puzzled, as these locks are huge but the brook very small. Tom Rolt suggested that Yarranton and his staff used small tub boats like those subsequently used in Shropshire. The lock walls bear the date 1717, so maybe later modifications have blurred the issue.

The 18th Century was not far advanced before two highly significant events in the history of the Industrial Revolution took place. In 1709 Abraham Darby first successfully smelted iron with coke at his works at Coalbrookdale, and in 1712 Thomas Newcomen erected his first recorded atmospheric steam engine near Dudley Castle. These seeds of change were slow to germinate. The use of Darby's process was for long confined to the making of cast iron and it was not until the invention of the reverbatory furnace that coal could be used in the making of wrought iron. Similarly, Newcomen's steam engine was designed solely as a mine pump. It could not be adapted to provide rotatory motion, so that for driving machinery the waterwheel bremained the only practicable source of power. (Nevertheless, Newcomen's pump enabled coal to be brought up from deeper mines, necessary as forests were being cut down and thus charcoal becoming hard to come by)

DIANE'S GENEALOGY BLOG 2020

Thu, 10 Nov 2022 03:57:44 GMT

Diane's Genealogy Blog 2020/1

Our death is not an end if we can live on in our children and the younger generation. For they are us, our bodies are only wilted leaves on the tree of life.
- Albert Einstein

[if you wish to contact me, my email address is: diane27@gmail.com]

<<2022 I am so sorry, all the photos appear to have dropped off this account.>>

8th December 2021

Richard Hawkins - Richard's parents were John Hawkins and Elizabeth nee Thorp, but they were entirely from Essex, born, married and died there. They had 4 children, the youngest John, but again his siblings were in Essex all their lives, likewise his parents William and Priscilla nee Salmon. So, it was only from Richard onwards that the treet centred in Kent.

7th December 2021

The father of this branch was John Hawkins born 1770 in Chatham and baptised there at St Mary's on 30 Mar in Dock Lane, father Richard and mother Elizabeth nee Wooding. His sister Elizabeth died in infancy in 1783 (as his parents married late in life there were no further siblings). His wife Elizabeth Porter was born in 1771 in Sittingbourne, Kent and they married on Christmas Day 1792 at St Alphege, Canterbury.Their 12 children were born there and they lived in Canterbury until 1840, when John died there. Elizabeth died the following year in Horselydown Surrey (probably with one of her children).

Richard Hawkins (my 5xgreat grandfather) was born in Rochester and baptised there at St Nicholas. His wife Elizabeth Wooding was born in Cooling and baptised at St James 6 Feb 1728. Cooling is on the Hoo peninsula in North Kent, 6 miles from Rochester. They were married at St Margaret's Rochester. Elizabeth died in 1789 (buried in Wye) and Richard in 1811 (buried in Elham, near Canterbury).

6th December 2021

The search for Hawkins cousins in Kent was not forthcoming, as all the boys moved away before having families except John Francis , whose son John was born in Canterbury approx 1866, but I couldn't locate a baptism.

The females of the family I have either mentioned died in infancy, or changed their names on marriage, Sarah was helpful to my search, as she named her children Jane Hawkins Cole and Edwin Hawkins Cole , both born in Kent and subsequently lived there for a couple of censuses. Jane was baptised at St Paul's on 6 Feb 182 It seems the Coles lived in Church Street, Canterbury and William was a printer. Edwin was baptised in the same church 2 years later, by which time they were living in Broad Street, the main road, Church Street branched off, so very close indeed. After marriage (in London) he lived in Lenham, 18 miles away, then moved to Surrey.

5th December 2021

As Harriet was only in Kent as a child, the other new records come up with nothing - burials, electoral registers and newspapers. As far as I can see she was an only child so I shall move back a generation to her father.
William Henry Hawkins was born in Canterbury in Apr 1807, baptised at St Mildred's on 19 May. He was 9th of 11 children born to John and Elizabeth nee Porter, although three older sisters and a brother died in infancy. Unfortunately the record of his baptism doesn't give an address, so I am none the wiser. And he too was only in Canterbury in his youth.
His sister Mary Elizabeth was buried at St Mildred's aged 10 days in 1794

Next sister Elizabeth Ann baptised the following year again at St Mildred's
Mary Ann was baptised at St Paul's in 1797 and burird there in 1800 aged 3
Meanwhile another daughter Phoebe Maria was baptised in Sep 1799 and buried 4 months later, back at St Mildred's
Charlotte was baptised privately in Feb 1801, then J ohn Francis in Apr 1803 at St Mildred's, another Phoebe Maria in 1805, and these all survived. There was unfortunately a Thomas who was baptised 11 Sep 1804 and buried on 18th.
Charles was baptised at St Mildred's in Jul 1809 and the final sibling Thomas in 1812. Most of them ended up in London or surroundings, so don't feature in further records Tomorrow I shall look at cousins of Harriet, as later baptisms may give more details e.g. address

4th December 2021

Findmypast have just released a bunch of records from Kent - 4.6 million apparently - so I counted up my references to that county in this blog. Unfortunately there are 85, so I won't be able to study each individual one. The closest ancestor that springs to mind is my grandad's grandmother Harriet Hawkins, so I shall start with her and her family. Although I grew up in Kent, and lived there for the first 3 years of married life, we were from London, so "Kentishness" was by definition temporary.

Harriet Hawkins was born in Canterbury, Kent, to William and Harriet nee Payne. She always gave her year of birth as 1825 and she was baptised there at St Mildred's in Aug 1827. It seems they lived in Gas Street, Canterbury,
which is still there, by the castle (although this is "closed due to falling masonry"). From the end of Gas Street can be seen the Churchyard of St Mildred's, so it was definitely within a stone's-throw of their home. William was a labourer, so it isn't a surprise that by the 1841 census he had moved the family to follow the work. More of this later, but Harriet, who was by then 16, can be seen in Bristol, working as a domestic servant to a pawnbroker. When she was 18 she married James Gamble, living in the same road as her in Holborn, London. They had 8 children and settled in Mortlake, both dying in the workhouse there.

24th November 2021

Conversation turned today to my mother-in-law's mother Ivy Maud Manhire nee Buckwell . This was because of Ancestry's extension of electoral roll records to 1970, but as before I shall bring you what I know of her (ignoring her reputed birth in India, as I follow documents and she has a "birth certificate" not adoption). This places her birth at 443 Battersea Park Road on 24 Sep 1896, baptized at St Stephen's on 22 Nov that year. In 1901 census she can be seen aged 4 at 443 (the tobacconist - or later newsagent/sweetshop) with her parents. Next door, number 441 was a pub The Lighthouse, which was at one time called the Clock House. The tobacconist shop was run by her mother Jessie nee Bean, who had taken it on when her father died in 1897. Her name doesn't appear on his probate document, but as he lived in Yorkshire - and died there - it may have been a private matter. He was listed as a "gentleman" so probably wasn't short of money. It was a tobacconist business from at least 1878. In 1911 census they were the same, Ivy at school aged 14, her father retired and Jessie running the shop. I have seen an electoral roll record of 1920, where Oliver was staying with his sister Marian and her husband Hugh at 20b Albert Bridge Road, which is very nearby. Ivy and Oliver married in 1924 at St Stephen's and he moved in with her and her family. Her mother Jessie was witness at their marriage in 1924 but died 5 years later, evidently leaving the shop to her daughter, who lived there until her husband died in 1964. When the 1939 Register was compiled, however, she can be seen visiting her husband's ancestral county of Cornwall, staying with a couple called Algar in Bugle, along with the two youngest children, who were aged 4 and 2. The electoral roll reords and business directory entries show she still lived at the shop through the war years, and all the children were born in Battersea. Her eldest, Jessie (my mother-in-law) was in the Land Army in Cornwall, but as she only died last year she is redacted from the Register. After widowhood, in 1966 (when she was 70) Ivy can be seen with daughter Stephie in Wallington, then 1967-1970 the same address with daughter Marie. In what I am assured was about 1972 she moved in with Jessie and her family in Minster, Isle of Sheppey, Kent and then relocated to Wales with them when they moved in 1979. She died there in Apr 1983.

22nd November 2021

My grandfather William George Matthews came up in conversation the other day, so I have studied him again and thought I would bring you the up to date summary. I have discussed him here several times in the past, so please see other tabs:
21 Dec 2013 - his wife Florence Hennig
20 Apr 2014 - his eldest son William Horace
17 Apr 2014, 20 Apr 2016 & 31 Jan 2021 - himself
He was born 9 Apr 1882 at Percival Street, Clerkenwell (all redeveloped now) and baptized at St Philip's, Granville Square (demolished in 1938). His father died in 1886, when he was four) and he was sent off to school, so 1891 census caught him at Hanwell School. This was a charitable institution most famous nowadays for being where Charlie Chaplin was sent under very similar circumstances. William's mother remarried in 1886 and was at the 1891 census in the very place of MY birth, the Lambeth Lying-in Hospital, York Road, Lambeth, with her new son. Incidentally, William's father George died in Holborn Infirmary, at that time a newly built (1879) part of the Union Workhouse, became in 1930 the Archway Hospital, and is now part of the Whittington Hospital. His mother soon found her feet and by the next census he can be seen with her and her new family in the Pentonville area. working as a Jewellery Polisher in a factory. This was always a bad area and has been redeveloped a couple of times since then, to offices nowadays. In 1902 he married Flo at St John's Highbury Vale, giving home address as 30 Mountgrove Road, Islington (Happy 119th Anniversary tomorrow!) When son Will was born, they lived at 60 Bride St, Barnsbury then they moved south of the river and spent a few years at 1 Crewys Road, off Hollydale Road, Peckham. They were still there in 1908 but by 1910 had moved to 39a Clayton Road - regular readers will remember this as the playground where my Dad was born! They lived there 1910-1923 then in 1924 moved to 135 Peckham Rye and set up the family jewellery repair business there. 1939 Register showed him newly-widowed, he and the two sons, working together. I lived there 1956-59, but grandfather had died there in 1952. When 1921 census comes out I shall expect to find him in the playground above, but my father as yet unborn.

17th November 2021

Thomas Ayress
Born 1831 in Stoke Mandeville, Bucks to George and Mary and can be seen there aged 10 in 1841 with mother and siblings. In 1851 the family are at Paradise Yard, Long Crendon, Thomas a 20-year-old baker. On 6 Jun the following year he married Ruth Young and settled in the village - he evidently dropped bakery and took to the land, whether through necessity or wish I can't tell. In 1861 census they can be seen at Malthouse Yard with 3 children , his brother-in-law Richard Young and family. In censuses of 1871-1901 they lived in Bicester Road and had six children. In 1901 he was shepherd and in 1911 OAP (aged 80) living in High Street, just around the corner. Ruth died in 1912 and Thomas 1916, deaths registered in Thame, Oxfordshire nearby.

Marjorie Jean Ayress
(Natalie's aunt, Audrey's sister) Born Jul 1924 in Southwark, she was by 1939 at 16 Millward Road, Ryde, IOW with parents, siblings and grandmother. (Although she died in 2013 Ancestry still have her redacted on the Register). In Oct 1946 in All Saints church, Ryde she married Ronald Kimbel from Essex and they settled on the IOW. Ronald died there 1988 and Marjorie 2013.

May Edith Ayress
Daughter of Henry and Maria, she was born 27 May 1899, baptized on 14 Jun at St James, Kennington Park Road, and died 4 months later at 4 Regency Place. She was buried in Lambeth Cemetery on 3 Oct, in unconsecrated plot G3/262 with 4 others unknown to me.

Ellen Mary Ayress
Another who died in infancy, she was born in Jan 1861 at 6 Portland Place to Levi and Rebecca, then appeared in census in April of that year. She died in Sep 1863.

Norman William Alfred Ayress
Born 31 Mar 1826 in Southwark to James and Louisa, thus Audrey's brother, Similarly he appeared on 1939 Register, but is still redacted, although he died 13 years ago. In Oct 1951 in Surrey (possibly Carshalton) he married Peggy M J Clark. She may have moved with him to the Isle of Wight, as he can be seen there in 2003 and died there in 2008.

Thomas William Ayress
Eldest of Henry and Maria's twelve, he was born 24 Nov 1887 at 19 Goldens Place, Chester Street, Kennington and baptized at St Mary the Less on 14 Dec. As 1891 census for this family is missing, he is next seen in 1901 census at 4 Regency Place with parents and siblings. Although I have been told he died in 1971 I don't know where, or if he married etc in the mean time.

Victoria Emma Ayress
His sister, 8th of the twelve, (twin of "George5", who died aged 18 months), born 27 May 1897 at 12 Chester Street. The twins were baptized along with cousin Victoria Gamble at St James, Kennington Park Road. 1901 census caught her aged 3 at 4 Regency Place, with parents and siblings, but by the next in 1911 her father had died and she was in the orphan's home with sister Rose - see below. Unfortunately I cannot locate her after this as she seems not to have married and the death record in 1971 is probably a Victoria Charlotte.

16th November 2021

Jane Ayress
Born 30 Mar 1872 to Levi and Rebecca at 7 Edward Street in Lambeth, baptized at St Philip's along with sister Elizabeth Matilda - see below - on 21 April, aged 3 weeks (Elizabeth was 3 years). In 1881 census she was at 11 Regency Place with parents and siblings, then in 1891 she was servant to a hatter and family in Newington. I know many hatters suffered from symptoms of mercury poisoning, so when she died aged 21 in 1893 it could be related. She was buried on 8 Dec in St Pancras Cemetery plot R/37 and followed in 1895 & 1898 by two males (?colleagues), but I don't know them.

Joseph Levi Ayress
Born in Jan 1890, fifth of Henry and Maria's twelve, at 35 Glasshouse Street, Lambeth, he was baptized at St Peter's, West Dulwich. He should have appeared on 1891 census with the family, but this seems to be missing. He died aged 2 in August 1892 in St Thomas' Hospital and was buried in an unconsecrated plot E3/325 at Lambeth Cemetery with 14 others.

Levi Ayress
He was Maria's father-in-law, born in 1835 at Stoke Mandeville, Bucks and can be seen there aged 6 in 1841 census with lacemaker mother, siblings and maternal grandmother. In 1851 he was with his widowed father, siblings and grandmother again, by this time aged 17, an "Ag Lab" like his father and brother in Oxford Road, Aylesbury. On 20 Feb 1854 he married Rebecca Spiers at St Mary's, Aylesbury. They had five children, the first in Buckinghamshire, then in 1857 they moved to London. In 1861 census they are at 6 Portland Place, Newington with 3 children, then in 1871 above the pub - see below - with two. By 1874, when Rebecca died, they had given birth to five, although one died. He married again on 1 Nov 1874, to Naomi Ming nee Cole, who had been widowed after only two years of marriage, at St Philip's. They remained at the same address until 1880, when they moved round to Regency Place in time for George's birth. They can be seen at various addresses in that road over the next few years. Nowadays, this area, around White Hart Street, is full of blocks of flats known as the Kennings Estate, built in 1928. When Levi died here in 1900 they lived at number 50, and Naomi can be seen there the following year in the census with 3 children and a grandson. Likewise in 1911, but by 1918 she had moved to Grove Park, in the borough of Southwark, and died in 1926 in Streatham.

Lucy Maria Ayress
Henry and Maria's third child, born 22 Dec 1885 at 15 Regency Place and baptized on 10 Jan 1886 at St Philip's. As I said, 1891 census is missing, so she is next seen in 1901 at 4 Regency Place, aged 15, with parents and siblings. In Jan 1911 she married local boy James John Adams (he grew up around the Emmanuel and was baptized there 11 May 1885). In 1911 census, taken a few weeks later, they gave their address as 71 Dalyell Road, Stockwell, James a plumber's labourer. They were still at that address in 1919 but by 1936 had moved to 52 Broadway Gardens, Mitcham with daughter Lucy and father George, where they were still in 1939 Register. James died there on 8 Feb 1951, leaving £390 to Lucy. In 1962 she was at 55 Worcester Road, Sutton but when she died 30 Mar 1966 she was living in a home at Percy Gardens, Manor Drive, Worcester Park and was buried on 7 Apr at Merton.

Rose Harriet Ayress
One of the little girls who, on the death of their father in 1908 when she was 5, was put into an orphanage - see Henry below. In July 1928 she married Francis Budd from Marshalsea Road, Southwark, wharf labourer. In 1932 electoral roll records show them at 97 Fitzalan Street, a road I know well as it was the next to my grandparents' block Clayton Buildings, now modern flats. In 1938 Rose was at Gardener's Cottage, Parkhill, Chertsey with her father=in-law William. I don't know where Francis was but the following year in the 1939 Register he can be seen with mother-in-law Maria at 9 Dore Gardens, Merton, and Rose was an in-patient at Epsom & Ewell cottage hospital. Francis died 12 Aug 1950 and Rose remarried in December to Frederick Ebden (who in 1939 Register was in Carshalton with his first wife and son).Frederick died in Jan 1972 in Merton, and Rose Nov 1997, buried 2 Dec at Garth Road Cemetery, Merton in plot A/336 with Frederick.

13th November 2021

Henry James Ayress
Husband of my great great aunt Maria and father of HEJ below. Born 25 May 1858 to Levi and Rebecca in Southwark, he can be seen in 1861 census at 6 Portland Place aged two with parents and sisters, then 1871 7 Edward Street, a 12-year-old printer's boy. By 1881 his mother had died and his father remarried, so he can be seen with sister Annie and family at 1 Chester Street, by now a blacksmith. In May that year he married Maria Gamble, who was a domestic servant living in Mortlake. They married in the Registry Office in Lambeth and Maria's mother Harriet was one of the witnesses, then barely two months later along came son Henry, so draw your own conclusions... On his marriage certificate he stated he was a miller, but he described himself as many different things over the years. Miller until 1884, then Carman. I suspect he was a delivery driver and at times claimed the job associated with his customer e.g. 1887 corn chandler, 1885 pickler. In 1901 census "wine stores carman" but most documents bore the single word carman. By 1908 he was admitted to St Thomas' Hospital and died there of cancer of stomach and liver. He was only 46 and was then described as "bottle washer". I think he may have been sampling the wares he transported to the wine stores! With twelve children it's not surprising that Maria could not support them and in 1911 census she can be seen alone in Luscombe Street, working as a charwoman. Of the children three had died (although Maria said seven had, which makes me doubt her mental state), the two youngest girls were in an orphanage, Henry and Lucy were married and James living with Henry and his family, also two (maybe three) were working. By 1939 Register she was living with son-in-law Francis Budd, while his wife Rose was in hospital, in Merton at 9 Dore Gardens and she died there 3 years later.

I omitted Audrey Margaret , as I said. She was Natalie's mother, daughter of James Frederick. Born 9 Jun 1935 in Ryde, Isle of Wight to James and Louisa nee Robinson, she only died in March of this year so is still a redacted record in the 1939 Register. I can tell which line is hers though, with her parents and siblings at 16 Millward Road, Ryde. She was at this time only 4 years old, but in 1960 she married Michael Catlin and settled in Ryde, having three daughters. Latest electoral roll record I could find showed them at 35 Parkway and she died 10 Mar 2021.

James Frederick Ayress Audrey's father, born 2 Oct 1895 at 12 Clayton Buildings, Lollard Place, Kennington, and baptized on 7 November at Emanuel church, which you may remember was directly behind the buildings, where I spent much of my youth looking down on the roof. No.12 was the home of Maria and her family, in the name of her father Isaac Gamble, at this time, but by 1898 they had scattered. 1901 census showed James aged 5 at 4 Regency Place with parents and siblings then 1911 aged 15 at 26 West Square, Southwark with brother Henry and family (see above). In 1913 he joined the Royal Navy, stating he worked in a sugar factory and lived at 19 Sharsted Street. In 1918 & 1919 he was an Absent Voter registered at this address and working aboard HMS Pembroke II as stoker. Christmas 1920 he had shore leave, went home - with a medal - and married Louisa Robinson, daughter of a Newington fruiterer. They had 4 children and by 1939 were living at 16 Millward Road, Ryde, Isle of Wight (must have moved there just before 1935 for Audrey's birth). He died at no.19 (opposite) on 6 Mar 1981, Louisa having gone before on 7 Mar 1975.

12th November 2021

George 5 Ayress was born on 27 May 1897 at 12 Chester Street to Henry and Maria, twin of Victoria. They were baptized on 14 July at St James, Kennington Park Road, along with cousin Victoria Gamble. Unfortunately George died aged 16 months on 2 Oct 1898 from pertussis - whooping cough. Vaccines for this weren't available until the 1930s, so many children succumbed.

George 6 was George John Frederick , the son of Frederick John and Violet nee Newby born on 1 Oct 1926 in Milton, Kent (I understand this was near Sittingbourne, not the part of Gravesend we know as Milton today) and can be seen in 1939 Register with them at 5 Cemetery Road, Deal aged 13. In Oct 1950 he married Margaret Lorden, draper's daughter from just down the coast at Sandwich. They must have stayed in the same area, as Margaret died there in 2000 and George 5 years later.

Harriet Rebecca Ayress . Born to Henry and Maria on 30 Oct 1886 at 4 Golden's Place, off Chester Street, Lambeth - I see now it is called Denny Street. She was baptized 7 Dec 1884 at St Philip's (where my parents married) along with brother Henry. Unfortunately the vicar transcribed their surname as "Harris", but I found the record! She died the following year aged 9 months, but her parents went on to have 10 more children, although three more of these died in infancy too.

Henry Edward James Ayress Her brother (first of their 12) was born in the house on 6 Aug 1882. He can be seen with the rest of the family on 1901 census at 4 Regency Place, aged 18 listed as a stableman. In Apr 1909 he married Elizabeth Hawkes in West Ham and they went on to have four sons. Unfortunately two of these (twins born in 1916) died aged 2 and were buried in West Ham Cemetery plot 122219 JC on 6 May 1918. No details were given on the document, so I don't know if this was due to natural causes or wartime. 1911 census shows them living with only one son at this point, and Henry's brother James at 26 West Square, Southwark. It must have been after this that they moved to Essex, possibly at the death or illness of her parents. The next record is 1939 Register and Henry can be seen at 6 Church Lane, Hornchurch with sons Henry and Bernard and lots of redacted lines. Elizabeth died in 1922 and he remarried in 1924, to Amelia Allen who was 20 years younger than him. They may have had several children, but the redacted lines on the Register don't help... It seems that Amelia died in 1964 (buried 20 Feb 1964 in Rainham Cemetery) and Henry in 1968 (address given as 3 Ingrebourne Road, Rainham and buried with her on on 5 Dec).

Henry Frederick William Ayress Eldest son of the above, born on 15 Apr 1910, a year after the first marriage, and can be seen a year later at 26 West Square, Southwark with parents and uncle. In 1939 Register he was with the family in Hornchurch. There was a Frederick who became a POW that year, but I think it wasn't him, despite the fact that he did use his middle name on occasion. As he was listed in 1939 as a market gardener, he may be the one with a greengrocer shop in 1930 in Plaistow. In Jul 1944 he married Rosa May Smith from Leyton. He died 19 Nov 1973 45 Clockhouse Lane, Stifford, Grays, and when Rosa followed 16 years later, her address was a "retirement housing complex" nearby.

11th November 2021

Frederick John Ayress Born 16 Apr 1901 at 4 Regency Place, Lambeth (see Florence yesterday) to Henry J and Maria. He was a musician in the navy, enlisting on 26 Sep 1916 aged 15 and was awarded two medals for service aboard HMS Impregnable, Devonport, in the Royal Marines Band. After the war, electoral roll records show him at 80 Villa Street - this end of the road has been redeveloped into blocks of modern flats. In Jan 1926 in Southampton he married Violet Newby in the Southampton area, then can be seen in 1939 Register at 5 Cemetery Road, Deal, Kent with two sons. This address is now Hamilton Road (the name of the cemetery) He died in 1977 in Dover and Violet in 1980 in Deal.

There are six Georges on this branch, so as usual I shall number them and deal with them chronologically:
George 1 was born in 1727 in Cold Brayfield, Buckinghamshire, a village nowadays part of Milton Keynes. He was baptised on 8 Oct, probably at St Mary the Virgin and his parents were Henry and Susannah. In about 1752 he married Ann and they had 4 children, all registered in the Chalfont St Giles area (7 miles south of Cold Brayfield). Both he and Ann lived into their eighties and died there 1814 and 1808 respectively.

George 2 was their son, born 1760 in Chalfont St Giles and baptised there on 9 Mar. He ostensibly married twice, once in 1785 to Hannah Moore and then in 1792 to Elizabeth Green. The fact of most records being made as "Ayres" means he had entries as fishmonger, postal worker and blacksmith, and I don't know which is correct. He did have a son George 3 - see below - with Hannah and 3 other children with Elizabeth. He died in the Oct quarter of 1842 in Amersham, aged 82.

George 3 was born around 1800 in Chalfont and on 17 Jun 1814 joined the navy as a "boy", remaining in service until Dec 1816. in 1828 he married Mary Harris at Stoke Mandeville, when the record states he was a blacksmith. Likewise in 1841 census he can be seen in Chalfont village listed as such, with wife Mary and 6 children. In censuses of 1851 and 1861 likewise and two sons are blacksmiths too. He died in 1876, at 1 Chester Street, Lambeth, so must have been staying with his granddaughter Anne.

George 4 was George Anthony, Anne's half-brother, Levi's son with his second wife Naomi. He was born at 11 Regency Place and is there on 1881 census with parents and siblings. In 1891 they are at number 23 and in 1901 number 50. At this time his father had died and he is with his widowed mother, two siblings and a nephew, listed as "farrier and blacksmith". 4 months later he was married to Mary Ann Watson at St Paul's Lorrimore Square. The 1911 censusshows them living at 2 Wilds Place, Lambeth (off Regency Place), George a 30-year-old horsekeeper with 3 sons. In Dec 1915 he signed up to the Royal Field Artillery, Camberwell Brigade, as a Driver, giving home address of 5 Bywell Place, Brook Street (now Drive) Lambeth. He served from then until 1919, posted to France for two sessions. In 1932 a document shows him living at 53 Henry Street, Battersea along with wife Mary Ann, 3 sons and two daughters-in-law. 1939 Register gives address of 55 Winders Road, Battersea, with 2 closed records and a Kenneth, who was only5 so was probably a grandson. George was working as a lorry-loader. He died in the area in 1959 and Mary Ann in 1971.

10th November 2021

Dennis Gerald Ayress Born 11 May 1928 to Frank and Violet nee Newby, (thus Audrey's first cousin) in Devonport, Devon, although I'm not sure why there. He can be seen on 1939 Register at 5 Cemetery Road, Deal, Kent aged 11. In Jan 1953 in Eton, Bucks he married Elizabeth Goodman and it seems they settled in Devon, where he died in 2015. His family remained in Kent.

Elizabeth Matilda Ayress Born 1 Dec 1869 in Lambeth to Levi and Rebecca, thus Maria's sister-in-law, baptised at St Phillip's aged 3 with her sister Jane on 21 Apr 1872, giving address as 7a Edward Street. This is significant to me as my parents got married at St Phillip's, among other events, and 7 Edward Street was the Bricklayers' Arms, 7a was no doubt the flat above - the building is still there, but no longer a pub. By 1881 census her father had been widowed and remarried, so Elizabeth can be seen with him, her step-mother Naomi and 3 half-siblings. By 1884 there were a further two half-sibs and evidently the family was too big for the premises, so Elizabeth was admitted to Leavesden School with 2 sibs, while their father was in Highgate Infirmary. She was discharged 5 months later and evidently got a job as servant as she can be seen as such in 1891 census at 11 Brixton Road, Kennington. Incidentally there were two lodges at that address with the surname Newby, so maybe there was a family connection, her nephew marrying a Newby. Unfortunately I have no further records for Elizabeth, marriage or death.

Florence Lily Ayress Born 25 Apr 1894 in Lambeth to Henry and Maria, baptised at St Peter's Vauxhall with home address of 47 Glasshouse Street, Vauxhall. At this time, her uncle Isaac was living at number 35 (my great grandfather) with his widowed mother Harriet i.e. 6 houses away. (This road now holds some of the buildings of the Peabody Estate, built in the early 1970s). In 1901 the family was at 4 Regency Place, which was off White Hart Street, now modern, and she can be seen there with parents and sibs, aged 8. In 1911 census she can be seen working as a servant to a shipping clerk and family at Fresco, Wimbledon Park Road, then in 1913 she was listed as a teacher of music in Shirley. On 8 June 1919 she married William Albert Hickson Moyses at St John the Divine, Vassall Road, Kennington. She was working as a telephone operator and he was a shop assistant and in the army in wartime. They had 3 children and she is listed in electoral roll record of 1926 at 28 De Laune Street, a mile away across the main Road, with her brother Frederick (just prior to his marriage), By 1939 they had moved out to Dagenham, Essex and can be seen at 193 Valence Wood Road, with two sons and two closed files, William now working as a lift attendant, eldest son Frederick a milkman. William died there in 1952 aged 58, Florence in 1973 aged 78.

9th November 2021

Earlier in the year I was studying the family Maria Gamble married into - surname Ayress - but was in the middle of it when taken ill and admitted to hospital. Recently Natalie Dawkins, with whom I share these ancestors, as her mother was Audrey Ayress, (daughter of James Frederick) contacted me. Apparently I didn't have her mother on my tree, so I have amended that and worked on it to include plenty more Ayresses. Incidentally, as you can imagine, this was often transcribed as Ayres, so although unusual did cause difficulties. As I didn't let you know about them, I shall bring you what I have...

Anne Ayress Born 1856 in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire to Levi and Rebecca, who, as was the custom a lot of the time, had their first child in the mother's hometown (often in the home of her mother, in this case Port End, Haddenham) then moved on. By the birth of the next child Henry, they lived in Lambeth, and his birth was registered in Southwark. Anne can be seen in 1861 census aged 5 at 6 Portland Place, Newington with parents and siblings. The next document is her marriage to brushmaker Thomas William Hardaway, on 23 Jan 1871 at St Mary's, Lambeth, both parties under-age (she was 15) and the reason arrived 6 months later - daughter Annie - and they were living at 1 Chester Street (now Way), likewise in 1881 but now with 4 children. By 1891 they had moved round the corner to 81 White Hart Street and she died there in 1894 aged 38.

Bernard Edward Ayress Born 15 Feb 1912 to Henry E J and Elizabeth nee Hawkes in West Square, Southwark, and was baptised on 1 Mar at Victoria Docks Ascension church in West Ham. His father was a "carman for furniture stores", so there may have been a link to the docks. By 1939 Register the family had moved to Hornchurch, his father now a "labourer in market" and Bernard had gone into "Metal Manufacture" and was aged 27. He appeared on electoral roll records in 1964 & 1965 at 3 Ingrebourne Road, Havering and died there in 1986.

Beryl Sylvia Ayress Born 21 Mar 1930 in Romford to James F and Louise nee Robinson (i.e. Natalie's auntie). In 1939 Register she can be seen at 16 Millward Road, Ryde, Isle of Eight with parents and siblings, also maternal grandmother. In Oct 1959 in Ryde she married Roy Ives, who had been born in West Ham and trained as an aircraft fitter in Canada in the 1950s. In 1939 he had been with his parents in Standon, 8 miles from here, at school. After returning from Canada into Southampton, he must have remained in the area (Hampshire) as he married and settled on the Isle of White with Beryl. They had no children that I can see, Roy died in 1990 and Beryl in 2007, both on Isle of Wight.

More tomorrow...

7th October 2021

As this set of records relates to Essex, some of my tree branches are irrelevant, as I have said. For example, "Knight" brings up 3167 records, and most of mine are in Cornwall, numbering 685 on my tree! So, I shall pick and choose from now on...
The Small branch has 34 on it, so I cross-referenced with the 143 records on this list, and nothing matched (although a fair few married in Essex)
Woodfords were the reverse, the Essex list only 74 when I have 297 on my tree.
Arthur Fardell Woodford was there for his marriage to Esther Amelia Jackson on 30 Dec 1873 at St Paul's, Stratford
The record gives Esther's address as "Buckingham Villas, Stratford", which I cannot locate due to Google being distracted by "The Villas, Stratford Road, Buckingham"!

6th October 2021

The next branch, the Ingrams , has 453 recoords, so again I shall cross-reference using the 29 on my tree.
Nothing matched - not surprising as mostly they are from Bath, and a few from USA.

The Hawkins , similarly 1541 on the list, 39 on my tree. And nothing matched again.

I am in the process of setting up a new site for updating you on information gained from the 1921 census, being released in the New Year. The new site will be hertfordhistorysmith2.co.uk but isn't up yet. As they say, Watch This Space...

5th October 2021

Pressing on with the Essex Marriage Records, I have today searched the 127 in the name of Gamble , finding my 1st-cousin twice removed John Augustine Gamble 's marriage to Mary Ann Phillips. It took place on 3 June 1916 at a place called The Ascension, Victoria Docks. Her home address was given as 7 Wade Road, Custom House, which no longer exists (Custom House is still an area of London, but is now in the borough of Newham) and his as Dover. I covered them in detail previously - see 24 Apr 2015 and 5 Aug 2018.

No other Gambles match up. There are 211 Hatton marriages on the Essex list, but only 19 on mine, so I had to seek individuals.
The record of a Benjamin Brett Hatton confused me. He was the first husband of Mary Ann Coleman, who later married James Gamble, my 3xg grandfather, and he died in 1821 after only 6 years of marriage. However, looking into all the records I see that in this time they had 4 children, one named after his father, which became a bit of a habit. There were several generations of Benjamin Brett Hatton and one married Mabel Florence Pratt on 6 Aug 1905 at Emmanuel Parish Church, Lea Bridge Road, Leyton (which I passed on a daily basis 77 years later on the way to work) Home address was 29 Salcombe Road, Leyton, just down the road

No other Hattons match up, but then almost all lived in Leicestershire.

2nd October 2021

Lucy Harriet Roffey married Alfred Edward Seaden on 14 July 1934 at St Paul's East Ham. I have been unable to locate them in 1939 Register but electoral roll records show they lived at 51 Cannon Street in 1950s, then 14 Great St Thomas Apostle London EC4 in 1960s. Alfred worked as a Quantity Surveyor, probably in Hornchurch, as he had a telephone number there. They must have retired to West Mersea, Essex as he died there aged 72 in 1981 and Lucy's in 1998 in Colchester.

Of 58 Wooldridges, and 105 Dances, none were ours.

1st October 2021

Yesterday I completed the check of burial records in Leicester, but there was nothing to report. Today, Findmypast contacted me advising of new marriage records, so I shall move on to these. A little more cheerful!

Searching through the 26 surnames in my trees, I found details on Ethel May Samways . She was married on 28 Oct 1928 at Dovercourt, Essex to George Edward Francis Scott. This was useful, as it led to 1939 Register and thus exact date of birth. Ethel 2 Jan 1900 and George 18 Jun 1905. In 1939 they lived at 6 Lime Avenue, Harwich, Essex George was a wharf labourer, but worked full-time in the Auxiliary Fire Service during war-time. There was a redacted line too, who was no doubt their son Gerald, then aged 9. I see that George died 18 Jul 1969 and Ethel 27 Apr 1985, buried in Dovercourt.

Arthur Eldridge Roffey , as I did already know, married Lucy Neave on 2 Apr 1904. It was in All Saints Church, West Ham and home address was 48 East Road, not the same as in 1901 or 1911 censuses.

Charles Alphonse Roffey , his son, married Lily Beatrice Irene Bull on 25 Feb 1933 at St Bartholomew's, East Ham. When Charles died in 1962 the record gave home address as Marsh Hotel, Rhuddlan, Flintshire but he died in Mossley Hill Hospital, Liverpool. The following year she re-married and he also lived in hotels, working as a wireman for GPO. He was Arthur Jenkin Gwyn Vaugan-Morris, very welsh as you can see by the name, and he too died in Rhuddlan, on 10 July 1979. Lily was by then living in a Home in Putney, Southwest London, and she died on 26 November that year.

29th September 2021

The Pick family was in evidence for many generations in the local area (Old Dalby, Syston etc and there was a part of Melton Mowbray called Pickwell), and links with my tree at least twice. William Woodford (brother of my 3xg grandfather John b 1820, central character of this tree) married Mary Ann Pick and Mary Woodford great grandmother of John, married William Pick b 1741. I don't know if these branches are linked - investigations are not helped by the fact that most are called Mary or William! Also, there are more than 500 burials registered in this name in Leicester alone! I have 50 ancestors on my tree, so will seek them from there. For example:
Most of the females married and thus died with different names, of course
Henry died in Syston
Horace I had great hopes for, as he died in Leicester, but it was too late for these records, being 1996
James - there were two records in 1851, one in Twyford in July and one burial at Welford Road in November. I assume these weren't the same man, and as 1851 census showed the family living in Twyford, I gather the former was correct.
James William and his wife Dorothy both died in the Leicester Central area, but neither shows on Deceased Online's list
John b1834 was in the lunatic asylum in 1881 & 1891 censuses, so may well have died there in 1892. Where he was buried I cannot tell, but not in Leicester city cemeteries it seems. The asylum may well have had its own cemetery, as many did.
There were several other Johns but all died in Twyford, which has at least one cemetery of its own
Mary Ann , as we know, died as Woodford and was buried in the churchyard at Old Dalby
All three Richard s died in Twyford or nearby
Samuel was only 8 when he died, but as it was in Twyford he is no doubt there, likewise Selina aged 2 in Melton Mowbray.

28th September 2021

Alice Kate Woodford , 1st cousin 4x removed, married Herbert W Morley, had 7 children and died in December1938. She was interred in Gilroes Cemetery plot MM/733, to join her husband, who died in May of that year, his mother Jane 1923 and their son John, who had died aged 14 in 1911. This last was a lesson, as I had assumed his to be the death in 1967 aged 71, rather than 14, as it seemed more likely... Herbert's brother Frank was buried with his wife in plot SS/603 (Frank 1942, Lucy 1976). His other brother Edwin died in Sheffield. The other 4 siblings were girls, so married other names (or died in infancy).

Priscilla Woodford , 1st cousin 5x removed, married John Noble, had 9 children and died in 1888. She was interred into unconsecrated plot F/638 at Welford Road Cemetery, last of five, all called Noble. Investigating, I found that the other 3 were sons, one who died aged 5 and two who died in infancy

Martha Ellen Woodford , 3rd cousin 3x removed, married Richard Parr, they had one son and these three are in plot SS/1099 of Gilroes Cemetery. Martha was interred in 1951, Richard in 1958 and son Walter in 1991.

27th September 2021

My 1st cousin 4x removed Edith Ellen Woodford married Charles Fox, so when she died she was buried in unconsecrated plot B/344 in Welford Road Cemetery with him and two others of his family

Ann Maria Holmes , known as Maria, married Josiah Woodford and died in 1905, buried in Gilroes as outlined on 21st September below. I checked her family - parents nothing, the only sibling worthwhile was William Walker Holmes. Due to his unusual middle name (which may also have been his father's) I could match him up with several imteresting records. It seems he was born in the July quarter of 1859 and can be seen with parents and siblings in 1861 & 1871 censuses. By 1880 he had joined up to the Army Leicester Miitia, 29th brigade on 4 Jul 1877. Next we hear in 1880 he deserted in Northampton. It seems he disappeared for a few years, so maybe was deported, but when he reappeared in 1901 he was doing very well - a colliery owner who joined the Freemasons in Swansea. He can be followed through the first decades of the 20th century there, living at Eaton Crescent, finally dying there in 1925.

Another ancestor with a useful middle name was Elizabeth Ball Miles (Ball was her mother's maiden name). She was the granddaughter of Ellen Miles, who married Andrew Woodford, my 3xg greatuncle. By the time Elizabeth died in 1894 she had married John Mitchell, so her burial plot - E/46 at Welford Road - also contained her mother-in-law Ann (d1879~), her husband John (1913) and her sister-in-law Susanna (1922). The original inhabitant was John Edwin Mitchell, possibly John's uncle.

26th September 2021

Examining the siblings from last night I discovered Priscilla's eldest brother Joseph Dakin married three times, and died in 1915. I have now traced his burial in Welford Road Cemetery unconsecrated plot L/590, and over the years his third wife Emma (1935), son-in-law Edwin Jarvis (1933) and daughter Jane (1947) joined him there.

Next brother Thomas is confusing, as there are two "versions", one married a Harriet, had lots of children and died in 1916, buried in Welford Road plot F/502. The other one didn't marry, died in 1878 and was buried in unconsecrated plot R1/737. I can't tell which one is "ours".

Sister Catherine married a Charles Greenwood, had 8 sons and died in 1910.

Next brother, Samuel Dakin , died in 1942 in Derbyshire.

Jen Dakin - it seems this wasn't short for anything, as it appeared on all his documentation as such - married a Sarah in 1891 and died in 1934. He was buried in Gilroes Cemetery plot MM/604 on 6 Apr 1934. Oddly, there were 11 Sarah Dakins in the local area, so I cannot tell when/where she was buried.

Next sibling Mary Elizabeth Dakin married Harry Taylor and died in 1932 in Leeds.

Last sibling was Robert John Dakin and I think he was a draper, in 1911 married to a Fanny nee Wilson and with 3 children. By 1939 he was widowed, living at Wharf Street, where he died the following year on Christmas Day. I can see he left his legacy to son Horace, but cannot find his burial.

25th September 2021

My ancestor Mabel Hatton married into local family the Boulters, and many are buried in the Leicester cemeteries, but as she was only 2nd cousin 3x removed, they are rather obscure, so I won't pursue it.

Ruth Brewin Underwood has always puzzled me. She was born to parents called Brewin, and in 1857 aged 20 she married Joseph Woodford, my 1st cousin 6x removed. This was the only time the name Underwood appeared, and I suppose she could have married a Mr Underwood, but I cannot find him. She had given birth to a daughter 11 months earlier, called Emma Underwood. She lived with the family as Woodford, except for the 1871 census where she was called Underwood, step-daughter (this says more about the census-taker - or the fact that Ruth had just died). Ruth's death was probably due to stress of childbirth exacerbating the TB she had for 10 months. Ruth - and later Joseph - was buried in Old Dalby Church Cemetery but Emma was soon admitted to the Lunatic Asylum in Humberstone as Brewin. William Brewin, Ruth's father, was also in an asylum in Leicester, but I don't know if it was the same one (now The Towers Hospital). This may have been after Joseph's death in 1882, and she remained there until her death in 1944. She was then interred into plot P/626 of Gilroes Cemetery with 4 others who I do not know.

Harriett Woodford , my 1st cousin 5x removed, married William Corner in Leicester in 1873. Both she and William died elsewhere, but their eldest son John Robert Corner died in Leicester on 8 Sep 1943 and was bvuried on 11th into unconsecrated plot T/97with two others I don't know. However, the other 5 siblings were buried elsewhere.

Similarly Alfred Miles Woodford married Priscilla Dakin in 1885 . Neither was buried locally but her father Robert Dakin was interred into Welford Road Cemetery unconsecrated plot R1/2875 on 6 Sep 1886, Her mother Alice nee Berrington re-married the following year and died in 1909 as Laxton, when she was buried at Gilroes Cemetery. I cannot match up Priscilla's 6 siblings

24th September 2021

There were no further Woodfords buried in Leicester, as Welford Road came up with nothing matchable, also the Baptist Chapel and the Congregational Chapel.

So, moving on to the Hattons, relatives of my 3xgreat greataunt Jane Woodford. I have 19 on my tree, but they almost all died in Old Dalby and were buried in the church ground.

Two other 3xg greataunts married and died in Nottingham under other surnames.

You may remember Georgiana Bakewell married Joseph Woodford, my 1st cousin 5x removed. Her brother Joseph Edward Bakewell was buried at Welford Road Cemetery plot L/1009 with his wife and his mother., both Susannas,

23rd September 2021

Ellen Woodford nee Smithurst was the first wife of John , and died aged 37 in 1892, was buried in unconsecrated plot N/1153 with 2 others (and a third followed some years later). One of these was called Twigg, the surname of her daughter-in-law Mary Jane.

I did already know of the burial of Josiah Woodford , who died aged 3 and was interred at Welford Road on 18 Nov 1881. His father, also Josiah, and mother and two aunties were in Gilroes - see below. Josiah junior was with 6 others in unconsecrated plot N/1489, including 3 other Woodfords (but I can't match up their death dates at the moment)

I have searched many more but, especially women, found them difficult to pin down. Of course, those who marry into the surname will then rely on my having a year of death to match up with and those with names like Mary Ann, Jane etc are among many.

22nd September 2021

Moving on to Saffron Hill Cemetery records

There are only a few listed but the first one is Alan Woodford , son of Jessie. He died in 2007 in Glenfield Hospital and was buried here on 28 Feb. His wife Patricia presumably joined him in 2012.

I did think another was "mine", as it was a Florence married to an Albert Ernest, but my equivalent was Ernest AlFRED and the dates were wrong.

Next is Welford Road Cemetery

The Eliza Woodford on the list may be the laundress daughter of Joseph and Georgiana, but I don't know who the others in plot CON O/1170 were; William Spencer Woodford, Herbert Claude Hopkins and Jack Vivian Tozer.

21st September 2021

Josiah Woodford - see 18 Jul 2013 - died May 1938 and was on 13th interred into plot Z/962 with his wife Maria (who died 1905) and his sister Sarah Marvell (died 1922) and sister Annie, who died 3 months before him, so may have been contagious...

Mary Jane Woodford was the second wife of Ernest Alfred - brother of Gertrude. I covered him before, last time in February of this year, his military records. At the time of her death Mary Jane (nee Twigg) was 64 and had been married to him for 12 years (previously to Ernest Ludlam, to whom she was only married for 5 years when he died). On 30 Apr 1955 she was interred into plot NN/287 with 4 others I don't know.

Sarah Ann Woodford , wife of Francis, see Sunday, was interred on 23 Jan 1940, followed later that year by her husband.

There is another Sarah Ann record, who was interred into plot G/567 on 11 Dec 1940, giving home address of 40 Houghton Street. She was 81 years old, so born in 1859, so I cannot match her up with one of mine. She was probably married to a Woodford and I may not have her middle name...

I see that on 17 Aug 1940 a 10-year-old Sylvia Woodford was interred into plot Q140, having died at the City Isolation Hospital. She was the daughter of Ernest Alfred - see above - and I see in the 1939 Register, taken the previous year, that Ernest was living with his 2 daughters in the same house as Mary Jane and her son. They subsequently married 4 years later.

Thomas Henry Lucas Woodford was brother of Francis Pateman, born in KB the year before him, in the July quarter of 1858. In Apr 1887 he married Sarah Ann Stannage in Leicester and can be seen in census records of 1901 and 1911 in KB, working as a gardener. He died in Feb 1932 and his mother joined him at the end of that year, in plot RR/703.

20th September 2021

James Edward Woodford was one of Francis' brothers - see yesterday - 12th of Job's 14 children. In censuses of 1871 & 1881 he can be seen at KB with parents and siblings, then in 1890 he attested to the Royal Artillery, working as a driver in UK, then India 1891-1896. He was sent home as he was ill then served "at home" 1896-9. In Nov 1899 he saw more action, this time in South Africa, in Cape Colony, then returned home 9 May 1900. He, then Emma, drew an army pension for many years. In 1901 census he was back at Weir Road with wife and 2 daughters, with his widowed mother next door with his sister Fanny Matilda. By 1911 they were living in the village of Tur Langton, KB and he was working as Farm Labourer. He must have continued with the smithy as he completed the1939 Register as Blacksmith, although he was by then 70 years old and died 3 months later. On 23 December 1939 he was interred into plot Z/926 Gilroes Cemetery, 3rd of 5, and was later joined by wife Emma (1956) and then daughter Constance (1963).

John Woodford , son of John and Hannah and father of Gertrude - see yesterday - when I dealt with him before I called him "John 4", but had my doubts as the ages were all wrong on 1901 and 1911 censuses. I suspect he and/or Eliza didn't know how old they were. But burial records at the cemetery show him and Eliza in plot A/322, Eliza in Nov 1918 and John 20 Nov 1935 . Two others were put in that plot, one before, one after.

19th September 2021

Francis Pateman Woodford - I discovered his wonderful unusal middle name at his burial in Gilroes Cemetery and was able to match up records telling his entire story. He was born on 10 Dec 1859 in Kibworth Beauchamp, Leics (KB) to Job Bull Woodford and his second wife Charlotte. He lived with these parents and lots of siblings (9 eventually) in KB in 1861 and 1871 censuses. By 1881 he can be seen at 57 Upper Charnwood Street, Leicester, lodging with a pork pie maker and working as a baker. (Nowadays numbering ends at 43). In Apr 1888 he married Sarah Ann Chesher in Northampton. She was by then 37 years old, so it may not be a surprise that they had no children. He seemed to be a general manager in shops etc over the years, as in 1891 he was a wholesale confectioner at 111 St James Road, Northampton. (This was until recently a barber's shop, but has now closed, probably due to the pandemic). In 1901 census they were at 2 Leslie Street, Kingsthorpe, Northants (numbering shows no. 2 is missing), working as what was transcribed as "shoeroom foreman", but as he always worked with food I suspect should read "shoproom" or "showroom". By 1911 he was 51 and he and Sarah ran an Egg dealership from home, 59 Twycross Street, Leicester. 1939 Register showed them retired to 8 Cranmer Street, Leicester, Francis listed as Retired Confectioner, and this was where they both died the following year. Francis died in City General Hospital at the end of November 1940, was cremated and ashes scattered in the Garden of Remembrance at Gilroes Cemetery on 2 December, as Sarah had been on 23 Jan that year, having died at home. He left his money to two solicitors' clerks, as he had no close kin left.

Gertrude Mabel Woodford - I have covered her before, but had little information after 1901, when she was one of 26 laundrymaids in a convent in Oxford. I now see she was interred into plot K/644, 3rd of 5, when she died aged 71. I see that there may be an explanation for the lack of information, as she may have gone to USA as a student, and only returned to these shores on death.

18th September 2021

Continuing with the burials at Gilroes Cemetery with surname Woodford, I have come across a few more.

Edith Emma Woodford was interred into plot G/578 on 22 Jun 1944 with two others I cannot link for now. There was another burial on 27 Nov 1969 into plot Z/405 with 4 others, but I cannot tell if she was moved or if it was another by that name.

Florence May Woodford nee Hopkins was the wife of Ernest Alfred, married in 1921. She was buried 6 Nov 1934, 5th of 8 burials in plot JJ/88 over a period of 80 years. By the time Ernest died in 1975 he had been married again, and wasprobably buried with his second wife Mary Jane (although not the one I found in plot NN/287 in 1955)

*****

I am so sorry this ground to a halt. I have been ill and in hospital, but am on the mend now.

*****

17th September 2021

Findmypast informed me that Deceased Online have recently added Leicester burials to their collection, so today I have studied these. I discovered a 4th cousin once removed, who died in infancy, then subsequently was able to study his sisters. They married, so had death records elsewhere under other surnames. There are now records for 4 cemeteries in Leicester City, and in the next one I found his father.

Donald Woodford was both born and died in the Oct-Dec quarter of 1922, to Albert and Nena nee Trotter and was subsequently interred into a public plot at Belgrave Cemetery with 80 others.

Albert Edward Woodford was placed in a family plot at Gilroes Cemetery, after he died at Hilcrest Hospital on 11 Feb 1972.

There were 2 other children, but as they were girls who married, they died in other areas under other names.

20th May 2021

As you may know, I have been slowly plodding through the ancestors on my mother-in-law's tree, awaiting the release of the 1921 census in the New Year. I just came across a family I knew little about and have padded out their story, so will bring it to you.

William John Manhire was born Feb 1871 in Roche to Samuel and Elizabeth Ann nee Williams and can be seen 2 months later in the 1871 census at Paradise, Roche with his parents and 2 sisters. In 1881 census they can be seen at Caudle Down, St Austell, with the addition of 2 brothers. 1891 & 1901 censuses appear to have gone astray, but in Oct 1905 in Redruth he did me a great favour by marrying someone with a very unusual name; Boadicea Martin. She had been born in Redruth on 26 Mar 1875 to John and Jane and can be seen in 1881 with them at Carnmarth, near Lanner, her father and eldest brother tin miners. Likewise in 1891, but Boadicea was by then 16 and a dressmaker. By 1891 their father had died, so son William was head of houehold, mother Jane and 4-year-old niece living with Boadicea. In Oct 1905 she and William John married in the Redruth area, so may have been Lanner, as they settled there. In 1911 census they can be seen at Lanner Square, next to a bakery/shop, and are still there in 1939. Jane, her widowed mother lived with them until she died in 1916, and Boadicea & William had 4 children. In the 1939 Register she can still be seen there, as I say, after his death in 1937, with her eldest and youngest children, Samuel a stonemason and Lilian a shop assistant, possibly working next door. In 1946 she (Lilian) marriied Alfred Phillips, related to the baker next door, and despite being 18 years older than her, survived her by 2 years.

May the Fourth be with you 2021

In 2019 and 2017 I spoke of two versions of William Knight 3 , as I called him, who emigrated to America. I have now found almost the whole story, a third version who also emigrated there, but to Colorado, rather than Pennsylvania or Utah. He was born in Tresible, Roche in May 1847 to William and Kitty nee Roache, and was baptised there on 7 June. as I showed you in 2019. As I said, he can be seen at Tresible with parents and sibs in censuses of 1851 & 1861. On 6 Nov 1869 at St Stephen-in-Brannel he married Mary Ann Rickard, local girl 8 years older than him, and he immediately set off for Colorado. He was an ore miner, so probably went with others for work. Mary followed him, as was customary, when he had settled, in this case in 1874. In the next census in 1880 they can be seen at Silver Plume, Clear Creek, Colorado, William mining, Mary keeping house, no children. In 1885 Colorado performed their own census, which is good because 1890 is missing for many states (destroyed in a fire in 1921). In 1885 they were still at Clear Creek, William an ore miner aged 37, Mary aged 45. They seem to have boarders with the same surname, so may well be relatives, Frank and John, and a son aged 11, also John. I cannot track him down as by the next census in 1900 he was long gone. In that year, William was still mining at Silver Plume, aged 53 with Mary 61. His brother Nicholas had come over and was boarding with them, along with 4 other boarders and a 6-year-old child, William. I initially thought the boy was William's son, but the column for his mother's place of birth states Illinois, so he is no doubt son of Nicholas. William died in 1902, leaving Nicholas in charge - he signed the probate documents but these have since been lost. I do have one more thing to say here. As Silver Plume only started up in 1880, William was one of the first miners to settle there. Wikipedia says:
" Many tales circulate about the town. One involves its naming. According to records and legends, Louis Dupuy, the owner of the Hotel De Paris, was also a newspaper editor for the town. When miners from Silver Plume brought him samples of the town's ore and asked him what they should name the small camp, he allegedly wrote a short poem on the spot:

Knights today are miners bold,
Who delve in deep mines' gloom,
To honor men who dig for gold,
For ladies whom their arms enfold,
We'll name the town Silver Plume!"

What intrigues me is the first word of this poem, as William shared his surname with several there. For further information: https://www.uncovercolorado.com/towns/silver-plume as the settlement is still there.

Tuesday 20th April 2021

I have been checking records of the Knight family (Jessie's paternal grandmother Tahpenes' family in Cornwall) and not had anything worth reporting to you lately, but today found an interesting story concerning the death of Jenifer nee Knight , who was married to tailor John Martin for over 50 years. The newspaper article I found, telling the story, is very smudgy, so I shall bring it to you here:
" St Austell Star 15 August 1901
On Thursday last Mrs Martin, wife of Mr John Martin, tailor, residing at Station Road, St Blazey, attended the Flower Show at Tywardreath and was taken with severe pains in the head from the effect of the sun's heat. She was removed to a friend's house, then her home... where she was attended by... Dr Tuckey, but although every attention was paid to her she never thoroughly regained consciousness and died on Monday. Deceased was about 75 years of age."
She was actually 85, but as John was 75 she probably admitted to that.
" Mr John Martin, husband of the above, who was greatly affected by the death of his wife, after arranging for the funeral, went on Tuesday...to his brother's house at Treesmill near Tywardreath. He got up early...to go to Par Station to meet his daughter who was coming by the mail train but...a railway packer proceeding to work at about 6 o'clock found him dead on the railway bridge at Treesmill. Information was immediately given to the police and his brother. Both Mr & Mrs Martin were very well known and greatly respected, having resided at St Blazey about 50 years. Mr Martin was for over 20 years a member of the Par Volunteer Artillery ."
There was an inquest into John's death (in case he committed suicide, presumably, being so upset) and it was decided he died of a weak heart he must have had for some years.

Sunday 28th March 2021

Her brother John Noonan - see 21 Apr 2014 - was born in May 1827 in Cork and baptised on 21 Jun 1827 at St Finbarr's, sponsors John Daly and Mary Sullivan. I have told before how he travelled to London with his mother and siblings and can be seen wih them in 1861 census, working as a printer/compositor. I could not find him in 1871 census, but I think I know where he was. His mother was living with his brother William, who was a tailor, but maybe John's work had dried up, as he can be seen in the Workhousein 1870 and I can't find a release date. He may have entered the workhouse as his mother's lodgings were small, he may have required medical attention, or it may have just been his turn (mother followed in 1874 & 1881). He can be seen living with his sister Margaret in the following two censuses, when she was eventually properly married and settled. He died 12 Feb 1897 at 8 King Street, Holborn, (Margaret informant) and was buried in Manor Park Cemetery a week later.

Margaret Noonan herself - see same date - was born Jan 1836 in Cork and baptised at St Finbarr's on 28 Feb, travelling with mother and siblings as said. In about 1858 she took up with Thomas Boyce, calling herself Mrs Boyce and subsequently bearing him five children. All details are there on the 2014 tab, but I see that she didn't wait for Thomas' death to marry Alfred Cooper (although it wasn't long). She was of course 41 by then, so I'm not surprised she only had one child with him, especially as Alfred had 9 children, 3 had died, one was in the Navy but the youngest three were still at home. Her brother John was always there until he died in 1897, then Alfred followed in 1900, and Margaret 1904.

The remaining sibling was William James Noonan . He was born second child, in 1834, baptised at St Finbarr's south in July, sponsors Cornelius Donovan and Bridget Muleshy (?). As before, I have nothing more until he appeared in London in 1861 census, and then he confused me by calling himself James. (As you may remember, his father just died and he himself was recorded as both William and James at times). He (WJ) may have been in the Army in 1857, but I have no way of proving that was him. He said in the census that he was a printer compositor like his brother but as he went into the workhouse William James started calling himself a tailor. He possibly did both, then the printing failed. In 1871 he was with his mother at 8 Edward Street, Berwick Street. The next census 1881 was when his mother was in the Workhouse and died there, William seems to have popped in & out too, I can see him in Holborn Workhouse in 1868, but then not again until 1903. However, I don't know where he was at the time of the 1881 census, or 1891 for that matter. However, electoral roll records show where he was from 1890:
1890-2 21 Great Barlow Street, Marylebone, renting one room unfurnished
1894-7 240 Ossington Buildings, Portman Square
1898-1902 106 High Street, Marylebone,
1904-9 29 High Street, Marylebone, renting 3 rooms and a basement and subletting to John Noonan (I did think this was hs brother, but as he died in 1897 it must be a nephew etc)
In 1903 he can be seen in Westminster Workhouse and he remained there until 1906. He died at the age of 73 in Jul 1907, when James Tarr took over the letting arrangement.

Saturday 27th March 2021

Margaret Hyde was Catherine's other sister, born in Jan 1805 to Con and Nancy. On 3 Oct 1827 she married Edward Collins at St Mary's, Cork, witnesses Michael Hyde and Margaret Collins (maybe her mother-in-law).I did think that Edward was in the army and was killed, but although the records show a wife called Margaret all other details are wrong, so I have discounted that. Likewise, I have a death for Margaret in Ontario, Canada, but cannot confirm this. I do believe they had two children Michael and Johanna, but there were probably lots more - as you may appreciate, the names are all very common.

Catherine Noonan , my great grandmother, has been covered many times before - see 22 Dec 2013, 19 Apr 2014 & 23 Apr 2016 - she married Frederick Hennig in 1867 and then John Miles in 1886 and died in 1918 of cancer.

Thursday 25th March 2021

Catherine Hyde was born in Jul 1802 in Cork to Con Hyde and his wife Nancy nee McNamara and baptised in St Finbarr's South, on 27 Aug. She married James Noonan on 24 Sep 1826 at the same place, witnesses Jerry Mullins and Mary Sullivan. They had 4 children, all in Cork, and I have postulated that she only moved to London when James died in 1864. He was buried in Ballinakill Graveyard, Charleville . However, she can be seen with the children in London in 1861 census, so there is something wrong there. Maybe she left with the children, calling herself a widow. There had been many years of famine and depression in Ireland, and it wasn't over yet. Her sons were employed as printer compositors and Catherine as glove-maker. I have told her story before, but to summarize, she lived in Westminster with her son William, a tailor, until she entered the Holborn Workhouse (probably in need of medical attention) and he lodged locally. She died there on 1 May 1884.

Con Hyde, her father, was a bit early for the Irish records. I have told you that Irish Catholic recorda were largely lost. I am told Con can be short for Cornelius, which makes sense as Margaret named one of her sons Cornelius, and then he did himself, so the name is in two other generations of the family albeit with surname Collins. However, even with this name I still cannot find any details on him.

Wednesday 24th March 2021

I thought it was about time I reviewed my Dad's Irish connection. I'm not sure how best to do this, so I'll do as I have before, and deal with them in alphabetical order. This is the tree of Catherine nee Hyde, my great great grandmother, who married James Noonan then moved to London

Ann Hyde was the youngest sister of Catherine, born early 1810 at St Barry's, Cork and baptised at St Finbarr's South on 9 Jan 1810. This church was a mile from the house, and 18 years later she married Timothy Power there, on 10 Jul 1828. Witnesses were Daniel Collingham and Henry Hyde (evidently a relative, but not one I know). She and Timothy had two children in Cork, then in 1837 moved to Worcestershire, England and had four more there. In 1841 they can be seen in Grey stone Street, Dudley, now a narrow little passage at the back of Asda, then by 1851 they had moved 5 miles southwest and can be seen in King Street, Wollaston with 6 children. It does (from the birthplaces of the children) lokk as though they moved about a lot, possibly following Timothy's work as a glass-cutter, firstly Cork, then Dudley, then Kingswinford in 1845, then Wollaston by 1848. In 1861 they can be seen at Tobacco Box Hill, Amblecote with 2 sons, one of whom John was a glass-cutter too. Nearby is now the Ruskin Glass Centre. Ann died there aged 52 the following year and Timothy moved to Camden Street, Ladywood, Birmingham (now a multi-storey carpark) and died there in 1875. The eldest child Sylvester Power stayed behind in Ireland, and because of his unusual name I was able to follow his applications for dog licenses over the years, in Upton, Wexford, a red dog, licensed in 1897-1920. He also had some land, house and garden in Grange Upper, Gaultiere, Waterford 1845 onwards, rented from Joseph Waring.

Wednesday 3rd March 2021

Edward Richard B Samways - see 25th Oct 2016. His service number was 128452, but nothing new arises.

William Michael Burton married Alice Louisa Samways - see 16th Oct 2016, where I gave lots of detail. His service number was 146283.

William V Pack married Jane Samways - see 11th Nov 2016. Service number 107141, nothing new.

William Stanley Yeomans married Dorothy Samways - see 22nd Oct 2016. Service number was 324692 but this gives me nothing on FWR search, although there are 53 with that name, oddly, without the middle name.

John Stanton married Alice Samways - see 1st June 2019 - service number was 17842 but too early for these records. In WW1 I see he was stationed in
UK 22 Oct 1914 - 29 Aug 1915 (312 days)
France 30 Aug 1915 - 3 Sep 1916 (1 year 5 days)
UK 4 Sep - 28 Feb 1917 (178 days)
then into the Army Reserve

Frank Jabez Smith married Beatrice Mary Samways - see 17th Oct 2016 & 2nd June 2019 - I cannot track down his service number and often there is no middle name, so this search gets me nowhere

Henry W Camm married Barbara Samways - in 2019 I said "born Henry Walter Camm in Sunninghill, Berkshire on 17 May 1895 he too was a twin and was also not baptised. In 1901 and 1911 he can be seen in Sunninghill with the family, his father a carpenter/joiner and in the latter Henry was baker's errandboy. He evidently trained as a joiner, like his father. He enlisted in the Royal Naval Air Service, completing 8 trips in WW1, then was discharged to the RAF in 1918. Presumably he met Barbara in Sunninghill, as they both lived there in their teens, and married in Jul 1923 in Windsor". Service numbers were F10648 in RN, 210648 in RAF but nothing new.

Tuesday 2nd March 2021

Albert Victor Hodd - see 19th Jul 2016 - service number 118253 but no news

Stephen James Hodd - see 31st Mar 2019 - service number 11187 but no newws

William T S Epsly married Eliza Roffey in 1868. See 12th Sep 2014, where I gave a great deal of detail on his naval service. Service number 36638 gave me nothing on the FWR search, as his records were from all over the world, and too early for these wartime records.

Henry Arthur Roffey - see 1st May 2020 below. He had several service numbers, as he was with several services, Army Service Corps in 1914 (Motor Ambulance Unit 375442), By 1918 when he joined the RAF, it was apparently from the Royal Navy with rank AC2 45111, then transferred ro Class Z Reserves with this number. Each of the records has a different letter or number ahead of this, so does lead to confusion. Evidently he was with the navy for long enough to entitle him to be treated for the eyeball damage in 1924.

William Stanfield Roffey has popped up several times, including service in the Royal Navy from 1911 to 1928, service number K10748, then see May 2020 below.

Henry James Samways - see 11 Nov 2016 - confused me (and the Royal Navy) by always being called James, so the FWR search doesn't work

Ernest William Philip Samways (linkman of this tree) had service number 181591 and this brings up documents confirming my previous story.

Monday 1st March 2021

Thomas Joshua May, Cliff's Uncle Tom, was covered fully on 20-21 June 2014, now with service number 23850 I come up with nothing new.

William Robert Hodd was covered on 8th Aug 2014. I now have his service number 99561 but this comes up with nothing, searching the FWRs.

Thomas George Hodd - see 3rd Aug 2014 - service number G/8069, Killed In Action in France. I see now that although he only married in 1909 he/Lily already had 2 children. Lily was a flower-seller in Limehouse, calling herself a widow although her father had the same surname. She was 5 years older than Thomas and was thus 38 when he died and 41 when she remarried in 1919. Thomas Junior (Thomas Sidney) changed his name to Hodd, probably in order to gain from his father's war pension, daughter Daisy married in 1923.

Henry William Hodd - see 12th July 2014. Service number is given as S/3566 but this comes up with nothing in FWR search.

Ernest William Hodd - see 7th July 2014. His service number was 8546, and there are lots of documents now, clarifying the story:
He was reported "Wounded and Missing" on 10 Jun 1918, it was assumed he had died on 13 May
Discovered to be a POW in Germany 6 July 1918, reported as such 27 Aug 1918
Released from POW camp in Germany, arrived in England 17 Jan 1919
Discharged "no longer fit" 23 Jul 1919
Medals and silver war badge sent Nov 1920
(Oddly his Next of Kin was named as a Louise Blockley, guardian - I have no idea who she is; granted his father died when he was 12, but he married before he enlisted, so his wife should be)

James George Golder married Matilda Hodd in 1916 - see 28th Jul 2014, when I said James had joined up to the Royal Fusiliers in 1914 in order to fight in WW1 but had been discharged after only a couple of months as "not likely to become an efficient soldier" (he was constantly in trouble for those weeks, evidently could not take orders and was reported to have "bad character"). Service number was 319 but I found nothing new.

James Joseph Hodd had service number 624284, but all that led me to was his medal card I already had.

Gerald Richard Hodd - see 11th Jul 2014 - IOW postman with service number 40672. No news.

Saturday 27th February 2021

Herbert Henry Smith junior - see 17th Aug 2014 - no new details except service number 2590

John J Pratt (Ted) married Alice May - see 9th May 2014 for an outline. As I said, he served firstly as a gunner with the Royal Horse Artillery 1905-8, then was called up for WW1 in 1914, with service number 38289. This gives me a little more information; when wounded in 1916 he was serving in Calais as Corporal, sustained shrapnel wounds to his left shin on 15 Nov, was admitted to Ward P, treated and discharged back to service on the same day. On 4 Feb 1919 he was discharged as "unfit for service" awith the rank of Sergeant and a pension. He had served a total of 13 years 188 days, of which 3 years was in France and I understant to disability that caused this discharge was Concussion, but don't know how he came by it. His Conduct Sheet had two occasions noted; in 1806 when he was found to be "drunk in barracks", then ten years later in 1916 he was guilty of "neglect of duty" (no details). On bothe occasions he was "severely reprimanded"

Cliff's uncle Bill William John May - see 23rd June 2014 and 12th July 2016. Even having his service number 134868 gave me no more information, apart from on his entry medical to join up he was found to have tachycardia, probably due to rheumatic fever as a child. but this was not sufficient for rejection.

Charles May was in the Royal Navy 1843-73 service number 71971, then 1873-1882, as a sailmaker. He was always of "exemplary character" and received a Good Conduct Medal (maybe several, it's hard to read).

James Edward May - see 22nd May 2014, where much detail was given. I cannot find anything with service number 1022A; although having the rank of Warrant Officer, he was a teacher, not a soldier.

Thursday 25th February 2021

Richard Stephen Hancock married Claudia Retallick , but they emigrated before he was called up.

Ewart B W Retallick is the final one from this tree. He joined the King's Own Royal Lancashire Regiment on 7 Aug 1916, service number 33504, aged 18, served in UK then France (5 months), received Gun Shot Wounds to the left arm and was discharged on 6 Sep 1918 with pension and medals, including silver war badge.

The last tree is that of my late father-in-law Cliff

Manlius William Smith - see 28th Aug 2014 & 14 Apr 2019, the POW in Germany.

Ernest Sidney Smith - see 15th Aug 2014 - Cliff's father. Unfortunately his names were all very popular and there are 1,827 records for "him", in all services, with no way of telling which ones are really his. Except his final ones, service number 1043000, showing his death in El Alamein (no new details).

Wednesday 24th February 2021

Joseph Couch Knight was an Australian drafted into US Army, so there are no documents in the FWR.

Although Arthur Theodore Knight was in both World Wars he was in USA, so no documents for him either.

Hugh Hewitt, (see 11th Feb 2017) who married Sarah Knight , was in the British Army in Canada, but in 1807, too early for the FWR

Walter Cock Knight was another in USA

Elison Retallick also.

Viole Retallick - see 20th Jan 2013 - was the one who emigrated to USA with his parents but returned to live with his grandparents when his mother died the following year, as he was only 5. He enlisted on 9 Apr 1918 into the 4th Battalion Wiltshire Regiment and they intended to send him to France. Instead, as I told you, he went for training to Dunnington, then Dublin and never got to France. On 1 Mar 1919 he was transferred to Class Z and demobbed. Along with many others he put in a claim for disability pension, and had a medical on 11 Apr 1919. He apparently had bilateral otitis media (ear infection) and the skin condition impetigo, which turned into seborroeic eczema, but these conditions were not considered sufficient. He received treatment and the pension refused. He had after all only served 325 days.

Simon Retallick was another in USA, also William Drew Retallick.

Thomas Henry Retallick 's service number was 273346, but nothing comes up in a search on the FWR. This surname is so often misspelled, I'm not really surprised. See 10th July 2017.

Everet Harry, who married Olive Retallick , was in America all his life.

John Robert Smith Retallick - see 10th Apr 2020 & 3rd Dec 2012 - new information being his service number 2094, enlistment date 1 Feb 1913 and discharge 5 Oct 2016, with 3 medals and a silver war badge.

Tuesday 23rd February 2021

On to the tree of my late mother-in-law, that I call the Manhire tree.

Her uncle Claude Manhire joined the Royal Navy on 20 Aug 1895 when he was 16. I have covered him in depth on 1st July 2012 and 7th Dec 2019 and can only add now that his service number was 185355.

(Clifford) Stanley Liddicoat (who later married Gladys Manhire ) travelled to USA and joined up there, service number 319615. There are no documents available on the FWR.

Likewise Fred and David Manhire in Idaho, also Arthur Stanley Manhire.

For the story of Reu Manhire Senior see 15 Apr 2017, but there are no documents as again it was in USA

See 3rd April 2017 for Theophilus Manhire. His RN service number was 281431.

Harold Nicholson married Alma Manhire in 1923. He had served in WW1 as a stoker in Royal Navy, service number K29440.

Theodore Manhire was another only in the services in USA, also Frederick Manhire (see 5th July 2012 & 19th Mar 2017)

I told the story of Joseph Colman Manhire on 4th Apr 2017. His service number was 39736 and was dismissed with a collapsed lung after 1 year 68 day in 1871 with Royal Artillery.

Emile Minty married Gladys Manhire in 1913 and enlisted into the Royal Flying Corps on 8 Mar 1917 as Airman 3rd Class (AM3), service number 64705. On 1 Oct that year he was promoted to AM2, then transferred to RAF when they formed in 1918. On 12 Oct 1918 he was "unpaid Corporal Clerk" then the following May officially Corporal, but only for a month, as he was transferred to the reserves on 7 Jun 1919 and Deemed Discharged 30 Apr 1920.

Arthur Stanley Manhire was another of the USA branch

John Richard Manhire was one of the branch in South Wales, see 20th January 2020, His service number in the Royal Tank Corps was 200445. i told you of his medal awarded in 1919, but can now report he was wounded on 4 Oct 1918. Whether these were related I can't say but I can say he was a corporal and within a few months was home, marrying in London then settling back in Wales.

Monday 22nd February 2021 (Happy 99th birthday in Heaven to my Dad

Charles Albert Cox enlisted in the London Regiment at Camberwell in 1908. He had been in 1st Surrey Rifles VRL since 1906 as a Private, and in Jul 1909 was promoted to Sergeant, He was discharged 5 Apr 1912 (Lance Corporal) after serving his allotted time, but 1914-1919 re enlisted in the Royal Fusileers. He served in France, Salonica and Palestine, was wounded in 1916, and rose to the rank of Captain.

Archibald Charles Cox was Killed In Action on 4 Mar 1919 and buried in France. The only new information I have is his service number R4/127696 but no details. His pension was paid to his wife Winifred, living in Gloucester at the time. He had married in 1917 before he was shipped out. She later remarried, but not until 1932.

Victor Frank Cox - see 20 July 2018 for his story. All I can add is his service number was 45040 and he served 18 months in France and 8 months in UK. As far as his pension rejection, I have seen the medical report which stated that he was in pain when lifting things but could walk well. This seemed unfair as he worked as a warehouseman, so lifting was central to his job. It was his conviction that really scuppered it.

His brother Edward John Cox was the one who was diagnosed with a heart condition at his enlistment medical. They called it "soft myocardia" and evidently didn't cosider it severe enough to reject him. He attested to the ASC on 8 Dec 1915 and he was put in the Army Reserves from the following day then "mobilized" 6 Sep 1916. He evidently excelled in this role as he was promoted to Corporal on 28 Nov 1917 and to Sergeant on 11 May 1918, as which he was transferred to Z Company on 1 Mar 1919. After demob he had another daughter and evidently ran a draper's shop in Sutton with his wife until they retired to Brighton. When he died he was 77 years old.

Final Cox is Albert Charles Cox , service number 44878 Rifleman in the 14th Royal Irish Rifles, previously 2711 with the London Regiment. But no new details. He was killed in France on 21 Apr 1917, but was 47 and had 5 children.

Oops, I seem to have missed out John Augustine Gamble , but then there is no new information apart from his service number 10347, which leads to no new documents. See 24th Apr 2015 for his story. The reason his story was so difficult to read was that the documents were burned, but I don't know why, and also why only the edges!

Likewise Thomas Herbert Hatton has slipped through the net. See 7th Oct 2020 for his story, as there is nothing new, service number 42967

Sunday 21st February 2021

Reuben John Woodford 2 , as I called him, as his father was 1 and his son 3, was my great great-uncle, brother of Charlie and Carrie (and 6 others, 2 of which died in infancy). He enlisted in RFC 10 May 1917, service number 80750, and was transferred to RAF on its formation a year later, so he didn'y have much of a chance to achieve anything. He was promoted from Air Mechanic 3rd Class to AM2 but then back to Private, as his brother, when joining the RAF. In Mar 1919 he was sent to Purfleet Dispersal Station and to "G Reserve" in the November, "deemed discharged" 30 Apr 1920. I did have a fright when the War Records suggested he may have signed up again in WW2,when his wife died, and been killed in a plane crash in 1943. But when I looked into the details I saw he was 64 and died of fairly natural causes (fortunately I had the death certificate, obtained from another relative last year)

Sid Reading married Lilian Cox , but prior to this he was in the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry in WW1. He served from 1913 to 1919, including service in France Oct 1915, demobbed 5 Jul 1919, discharged 31 Mar 1920. He was disabled by deafness attributable to service, returning home sick, no longer fit for duty on 27 Apr 1919, later receiving a silver war badge and the usual medals. On 19 Nov 1922 he and Lil were married. I have found another record regarding his discharge, but it obviously isn't him. The address was Devon and he had gunshot injuries to his hand - which as far as I know has never led to deafness! As far as I know he died in 1957, death registered in the Westminster area of London.

Henry Thomas Cox (Lal) was in the Cadet Corps from 1914, aged 16, then the Army Reserve two years later, training reserve number 2145 (no records) then he joined the Essex Regiment service number42254, 18 Jan 1918. According to his medical report, he was treated by a field ambulance on three occasions for otorrhoea (ear infection) in Mar 1918. On 3 Sep 1918 he suffered a Gun Shot Wounds of his hand and shoulder, was admitted to a hospital ship then sent home until 4 November, when he was posted again, then 6 Dec again. I can't find a discharge/demob date, but they were generally in 1919/20. As I have noted before, he returned to his old job in the tobacco industry, moved with the company to Liverpool, where he died, unsurprisingly of lung cancer, aged 60.

Edward Albert Cox was his brother, born just a year before Henry. He was Killed In Action in France on 24 Jan 1917 in the 9th London Regiment, Queen Victoria's Rifles.

Saturday 20th February 2021

Ernest Alfred Woodford enlisted on 28 Oct 1916 into Royal Army Medical Corps. He was a 30-year-old grocer living with his parents at 66 Navigation Street, Leicester. He was at that point put into the Reserves, but called up for service on 23 Jul 1917, and sent off to France with the BEF on 11 Sep. He was sent home in Nov 1919, wounded, and demobbed 3 Jan 1920, awarded the usual 3 medals. By this time his home address was 12 Little Lane, Leicester (maybe his parents moved when his grandfather died in 1918) but the following year he married and his daughter Dorothy was born at 12 Little Lane in 1925.

Charles James Woodford "Uncle Charlie" - I already knew he joined the Royal Flying Corps and was transferred across to the Royal Air Force when they started up in Apr 1918. But I know more now. He enlisted on 16 Nov 1914, a 26-year-old Motor Cyclist (he had trained as a carpenter for an engineering company) and was ranked as a Second-class Air Mechanic (AM) with service number 2190. On 1 Mar 1916 he was promoted to AM 1st Class, then a month later Corporal, on 16 Aug 1917 Air Sergeant and then on 19 Mar 1918 received a MSM Award for Gallantry. It seems most unfair that on 1 Apr 1918 he was absorbed into the RAF back as a Private, but did achieve promotion later that year - he was AM class 1 on 24 June then "Acting (unpaid) Corporal Mechanic" on 24 Sep 1918.
These related to movements around the RAF; he started in "RD" then on 11 April 1918 moved to 134 Squadron, which closed and turned into 132 Squadron in July, then in December he was sent to the School of NBD (navigation and bomb-dropping apparently), on 11 Jan 1919 to Purfleet Dispersal Station and thence demobbed in April.
His story wasn't all positive though. He was evidently sent to France on 2 Dec 1914 and returned home 27 Apr 1917, being admitted to hospital for the effects of gas on 11 Aug 1915 then 18 Aug to Le Havre for the same.

John Straw married Alice Woodford on 12 Jul 1913, but he had enlisted in Nottingham on 25 May 1910, aged 24, into the Notts and Derby Light Infantry, commonly known as the Sherwood Forresters. He trained wih them for a few weeks every summer (except 1912 when he was unwell) and on 1 Aug 1913 re-engaged for another 4 years..Postings:
Home (i.e.UK) 25 May 1910 - 10 Nov 1914
BEF in Europe 11 Nov 1914 - 19 Aug 1915 (and wounded 9 Aug 1915)
Home 20 Aug 1915 - 21 Jul 1916
France 22 Jul 1916 - 27 May 1917
Home 28 May 1917 - discharged 13 Nov 1917
A familiar story emerged in that he was AWOL a few times in Sep 1915 , Oct 1915 and Jan 1916, leading to fines. On 1 Jul 1916 he was promoted to Corporal then 2 weeks later back to Private. On 11 Oct 1916 re-instated to Lance Corporal while in France, transferred ro RDC (reserves) on 21 Aug 1917 then discharged on 14 Nov.
I suspect when he was AWOL he just went home - third son and namesake was born exactly 9 months later.
In Dec 1937 he died aged 51 and his pension was paid to Alice, his widow, in 1939 a shopkeeper.

Friday 19th February 2021

Robert Johnson married Louisa Woodford in Aldershot on 2 Oct 1900, He had joined the army in the Royal Highlanders: attested 24 Apr 1896, at the age of 21
appointed Lance Corporal 15 May 1897
Corporal 22 Jun 1899
posted to South Africa Oct 1899 - Mar 1900, during which he was wounded in both arms
Lance Sergeant 23 Jun 1900
serving "at home" 5 Mar 1900 - 24 Apr 1902, during which time he was married
back to South Africa 25 Apr 1902 - 20 Sep 1902
Sergeant 12 Aug 1902
Joined The Black Watch 22 Apr 1908
Sergeant Black Watch 24 Aug 1909
posted 3 times as sergeant 1912 - 1914
promoted to Colour Sgt 17 Dec 1914 then Colour Sergeant Major 20 Jun 1916
Finally he was discharged in Jul 1918 after serving 22 years and 95 days. He was awarded the S. African medal and Kings S A medal, both with clasps and a Good Conduct Medal
He had two sons, but one emigrated to America and settled there (New Jersey) You will no doubt appreciate that Johnson is an extremely common name, so I cannot find a death for either him or Louisa.

Thursday 18th February 2021

Unfortunately, any stories today will be an anti-climax after Mark yesterday.

William Dobbins married Emily Woodford in 1918, but had been in the army throughout WW1. Actually, what I said above may not be true, as he was considered a "bad boy" from the age of 10, when he first came to the attention of the Authorities. A report dated 1 Dec 1903 states he was guilty of theft and was to be investigated until the age of 16. At the time he was living in Lochee, Scotland with his parents, but at the end of this period he was "discharged to friends" on 3 Nov 1907, then reported on in 1908 and 1909. In 1908 he was working in a mill in Lochee, then on 5 May 1909 aboard SS Greatham, where he had been sent. On 1 Sep an agent visited his home in Lochee and was told he was employed fruit-picking. On 23 Dec he was found on the pier, out of work, surly and of bad character. On 18 Oct 1910 he moved to Glasgow with his mother and found employment in the bottle-works. His father was with them too, but a coal-miner, he had lung problems and died aged 47 in 1904.of "probable pneumonia". Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a 1911 census in Scotland, so next we see him enlisting in the Royal Field Artillery on 4 Sep 1914 as a gunner. He was wounded in France in Dec 1917, but healed by 6 Apr 1918, when he was awarded the Silver War Badge and discharged 20 Dec 1918 as "surplus to requirements". 8 years later he sailed with his wife and two little daughters aboard the Beltana for Freemantle, Australia. I understand this was a sponsored scheme to rebuild Australia, but it didn't work and they moved to Perth. I heard that he served in the forces in Australia in WW2, but have no details, apart from his death in 1947 which was in Perth. One thing that intrigues me is what his speaking voice was like - he spent his childhood in Scotland, his middle years in South London and his final years in Australia, so what was his accent? He always looks very fierce in his photos, but had 3 little daughters, so I hope he wasn't.

Walter Wells Woodford was in the East African Supply Corps in WW1, service number 4047. He can be seen 18 Oct - 30 Oct 1915 in the Royal Fleet Reserve, an Able Seaman being treated for catarrh aboard HMS Glory. Then in 1918 a deck-hand aboard the SS Sabrina, when he was awarded the usual medals, with the rank of Corporal. He obviously was very taken by South Africa, as he settled there to live. In 1946 he can be seen popping back to Southampton, stayed in Hose, Melton Mowbray, his birthplace, for a few months. He died in South Africa in 1953 aged 64.

Wednesday 17th February 2021

Walter Woodford joined the Durham Light Infantry in July 1914 when he was 21. He was firstly in the Leics Regiment, service number 9908, then the Labour Corps 165798, then West Yorks Regiment 80191. He was wounded in Feb 1915 and several times late back from leave, leading to fines and eventually disobedience, so I don't think he was a happy man. In 1919 he was discharged unfit and returned to marry his landlady's daughter and settle in Yorkshire as a postman. They had 3 children and he died aged 89, his wife 102!

(Oswald Cyril) Charles Woodford , known as Charles, enlisted in 1914 when he was 17, in Exeter to the Leics Regiment, sevice number 19199 and sent to France. He was wounded in Aug 1916 and on 22 Mar 1918 Killed In Action. His effects and medals were sent to Emma, his mother and he was commemorated on the memorial at Arras, next to Bertram, who I dealt with yesterday

In 2013 I told about Mark Woodford , but I don't expect you to remember. He enlisted on 11 June 1884 in Brecon into the South Wales Borderers aged 18 but his service was one list of disasters. His service number was 1163 and his service was as follows:
enlisted 11 Jun 1884
14-18 July in hospital with bronchitis
27 July found AWOL and deficient of kit - sentenced to 168 hours hard labour and to pay for kit
9 Sept same, 10 days incarceration
10 Oct - 7 Nov hospitalized for 27 days with serious abscess on hand
27 Nov AWOL again and sentenced to 7 days Confined to Barracks
22 Dec AWOL - this time the case was taken to court and he was declared deserted from 29 Nov.. (This is odd as this date falls inside his dates of confinement.)
I did tell in 2013 what happened next; he re-enlisted on 19 Jan 1885 (i.e. merely weeks later) "back home" i.e. Leics, service number 1199. He did declare his previous service, but said he was discharged, not dismissed. On 11 Feb 1885 he did it again, and was confined 14-16 Feb, then again 1 Mar 1885, when he was docked a day's pay and given 7 days Confined to Barracks (2-8 Mar). This was really very silly, as they examined all the facts and discovered he had "fraudulently enlisted into the Leicester Regiment to obtain a free kit, worth £1 5s". I suspect he was selling these off. The case was brought to Court in London on 13 Mar 1885 and he was found guilty, and imprisoned for 56 days with hard labour (2 Mar - 5 May) instead of the above. All of this did not stop him, as he was AWOL again 4 June, confined 5-8 June, then 19 June deserted, still owing for the kit. I don't know why the list on Ancestry said Canada, I can't see that he was there at all. He appeared in England in the Police Gazette and was summoned to Colchester for Court Martial 22 Feb 1886 when he was sentenced to 6 months hard labour. When he was released he probably had changed his name, so I stand no chance of finding him.

Tuesday 16th February 2021

James Thomas Gamble enlisted on 9 Jan 1915 into Leicestershire Regiment, service number 16644, fought in France and was wounded. He was discharged on 22 Jan 1919, achieved 3 medals and a "wound stripe".

I was puzzled by my notes relating to Maria Gamble , as I had her husband James Ayress in the Navy in 1913, although he died in 1908. It turned out I was looking for her son James Frederick Ayress. He was working as a Van Guard at the age of 15 in the 1911 census, then on 2 Oct 1913 in Chatham he volunteered to join the Royal Navy for 12 years. He was at that time a labourer in a sugar factory, but served as a stoker on HMS Pembroke until 1921, sevice number K20998. He thus appeared on the list of absent voters in Lambeth in 1918 and 1919. On Christmas Day 1920 he married Louise Robinson and they went on to have 3 children. By 1939 they had moved to the Isle of Wight and James was employed as an "automatic machine inspector". Louise died there in 1975 and James in 1981. I think all the children are still alive, as they are redacted on the Register.

Michael Christopher Hayes married Elizabeth Gamble in 1911 but 10 years before this he joined the Royal Navy in his home town of Liverpool, aged 15, service number 217182. His Naval Service sheet is full, as he embarked on 27 trips over 14 years. It wasn'r all plain sailing though (if you'll pardon the pun), as in Jan 1910 he was sentenced to 42 days "patrol" for desertion. It's difficult to understand the handwriting, but it looks to me as if he went home for Christmas and didn't go back on time. This was when he was 27, ostensibly working on the docks in Liverpool, lodging with a friend (also a docker). The following year he had settled down, got married and started a family. However, I suspect his wife died in 1914 after only 3 years of marriage and one child. On 23 Apr 1919 he was discharged on demob and Christmas Day 1922 he married local widow Lily Smith nee Conner. The death I have for him would make him 95, so I am not sure.

William Charles Woodford enlisted in the Cheshire Regiment on 11 Dec 1915, service number 36966 (later 50877), a grazier aged 32. He served "at home" until 3 May 1917, when he was posted to France with the British Expeditionary Force. Unfortunately he was seriously wounded on 10 Aug 1917 and sent home. Returning to France he repeated the experience (gunshot woulds both times, the second compound fracture too) in June 1918, this time in hospital in Rouen for a month, then transferred to hospital in England before being discharged as "no longer physically fit for service" and pensioned in Jan 1919.

William Edgar Woodford enlisted in the Leicestershire Regiment in Sep 1914, was immediately sent to France and Killed in Action on 15 May 1915 aged just 30. A pension was paid to his father "for life" from 14 May 1918 (his mother had died)

Service numbers are very useful, an example is Bertram Woodford 240756, who was listed with three different middle names but the number remains the same. He joined up in 1915, also to the Leicestershire Regiment, and also was sent out to France, Feb 1917. (While there he was in hospital fr 5 days for a personal condition he would no doubt dislike me mentioning, but was soon back in the trenches). On 24 Mar 1918 he was Killed in Action, a Lance-Corporal aged 21 and buried at the cemetery in Arras.

Monday 15th February 2021

Percy John Wooldridge was one of those who joined the Royal Flying Corps and then transferred into the RAF when it was formed in 1918. I see now that his service number was 124868, he enlisted on 13 Feb 1918; from 1 Mar 1819 was AC1 (aicraftman 1st class) and 1 Jul 1919 became Leading Aircraftman. He was discharged home to his father George at 30 Apr 1920. Four years later he married and moved to Walton-on-Thames, dying in 1943.

William Brooker married Agnes May Wooldridge in November 1917, having lived in Kennington at the time and after marriage he moved in with her family at 11 Clayton Buildings until they emigrated back to Canada in 1920 (with their daughter). He was in the Canadian Machine Gun Corps, formed early 1917, probably in the group based in London after serving in France from 1915. I see now that he was born in Amersham Vale, in London, and his parents remained there. There are lots of documents pertaining to his service, which runs as follows:
Enlisted 3 Jun 1915, sent to France
Given 14 days leave to get married Nov 1917
Hospitalised 14 Sep - 6 Oct 1918 with PUO (fever)
also 23-26 Oct and 9-10 Nov 1918 with influenza (epidemic was that year) then home to recuperate for a month over Christmas
2 Apr 1919 he was demobbed and sent to Seaford depot (near Brighton)
19 May 1919 on the RMS Aquitania sent to Canada but only a week later discharged and returned to UK.
They can be seen in Canada in 1921 census with Agnes' sister Lily and daughter Ellen, having travelled out the year before.

I covered James John Wooldridge on 25th Oct 2013 and 30th Oct 2018, Although he wasn't allowed to proceed with driving as a Railway employee, he was one in the Royal Field Artillery, service number 118997. He returned to work as a porter, but was dismissed in 1921 for stealing milk and by 1939 was a general labourer.

Arthur Edward Wooldridge was in 1916 in the Royal Naval Engineering Unit, then transferred to the Royal Engineers as Major and sent to France with them to construct tunnels for the Battle of Arras. He earned 3 medals. There is a document saying he joined the Home Guard (Dad's Army) in 1941 but as he died aged 66 in 1934 I don't believe it.

Sunday 14th February 2021

Search for William Isaac Wooldridge gave me just the information I already knew - he was a Commander in the Royal Navy in 1880s, apparently dating from 1864.

I already had the information that Aleck Sawyer married Eleanor Ellen Wooldridge in 1905 then was a Petty Officer in the navy in WW1. With the service number 207180 I can now see that in 1915 he was on HMS Alert in the Persian Gulf a Leading Seaman, then in 1918 was awarded 3 medals, by then Petty Officer. He was one who appeared twice in 1911 census, as he was listed in the Navy (no details) and also at home (evidently his wife misunderstood)

At the age of 19, Philip John Wooldridge attested to the Medical Staff Corps in 1885 in Aldershot. I have a service number of 6650, but this was far too early for this to be useful in the war records. I see from his attestation, however, that he was stationed
in UK Apr - Sep 1885
Malta Sep 1885 - Jul 1889
Egypt Jul 1889 - Apr 1890
UK Apr 1890 - Apr 1891
He was discharged after this, probably because of his own bad health. He was admitted to hospital with scarlet fever on three occasions; for 6 days in 1888 in Malta, 7 days in 1889 in Cairo and 28 days in 1892 in Dublin.
Next of Kin was given as mother Ann and brother George (eldest brother Charles died aged 10)
After this, as we know, he worked as a messenger for a bank, had two children, but died in 1902 aged only 37.

Elizabeth Mary Wooldridge 's son Percy Charles Wooldridge Lea (see 6th Sep 2015) enlisted in 1915 into the Royal Garrison Artillery as a gunner. He was the one who lived in Newport, Wales (down near the hospital) and worked as a foreman of bottling for a brewery and had 3 sons. He was stationed in UK Sep-Nov 1915, then posted to India for 3 years, followed by Mesopotamia for four months. While in India he was hospitalised with dysentry and his Next of Kin informed (would be his wife). He was discharged 14 Apr 1919, documents stating he was deaf, but "not attributable to service" (despite him being in "Heavy battalion, RGA"). He appealed in 1920, calling to be listed in the Z Reserves, but by the time papers were found, the Z reserves had been abandoned. He appealed for a pension, which was eventually granted, then he had to write for his medals - he must have been considered a nuisance and ignored! As it was, he died in 1924 aged 49.

Alfred Newman Vincent Wooldridge was brother of Percival Joseph, who I dealt with yesterday, and was also a nurseryman in Ham, Surrey, enlisted in the Royal Fusiliers, service number 12800, and served in 4 different battalions over the next 3 years, then discharged wounded on 24 Sep 1918. Three years later he was widowed and can be seen living with his niece Dorothy in 1939. He died in 1960 in Ham.

Saturday 13th February 2021

On to my Mum's tree:
Walter Charles Wooldridge - I told his story on 23rd Nov 2013. On 8 Mar 1858 at Westminster he joined the army as a private in the 20th Foot Regiment. He lied about his age (he was 16 & claimed to be 18) but age was not an issue until the 1916 Military Service Act. The Crimean War had not long been over, and no doubt fired his enthusiasm. On 23 Oct 1866 he volunteered to join 107th Foot Regiment (the Bengal Light Infantry) and 10 Nov 1867 was sent to Allahabad, India. On 5 Mar 1879 at Aldershot he was discharged after 21 years service (18 of those in India) to his parents' home at 4 Askew Road, Hammersmith. As I have said before, Army records are very detailed and I know that he was a labourer, 5 ft 8 ins tall, with fresh complexion, grey eyes & light brown hair, he obtained four good conduct badges & a silver medal for long service, awarded on 7 Dec 1876. Documents from FWR confirm this, but he did confuse matters by dropping the first name (this was no doubt necessary in the family, with three generations of Walter Charleses, but not official forms!) He claimed a pension from 1878 as a Chelsea Pensioner, regimental number 2680.

Percival Joseph Wooldridge enlisted in the Royal Engineers in 1915, a nurseryman aged 25, as I told in 2013. As I also said then, he was discharged on 6 Oct 1917. As he was only 28 and the RAF was formed the following year, it isn't really surprising to see he enlisted with that service in Feb 1918. His service number was 124862 but I cannot find anything more. He died aged 38 nine years (and two more children, making a total of seven) later.

Lewis Richard Wooldridge was Killed In Action as a Rifleman in the London Regiment, service number 301413 on the Somme. I told his story on 4th Nov 2013.

As was John William Wooldridge ; he enlisted in the Honourable Artillery Company of the RFA as a driver. I don't know a date, as the pension document has a note on it "file destroyed 1966". This names as dependent Mrs Emma Ann Laws, grandmother, of 32 Pretoria Road, Streatham, and when he was killed in 1918 his effects were left to a William Henry Laws, presumably to provide for Emma, who may have been his mother. I don't know what John's wife Florence thought of this, but looking at her details I see she was brought up in Berkeley Square, London and when widowed she had a shop in Belgravia and a home in Purley. I can't imagine she was too worried about effects worth £50.

Friday 12th February 2021

The final few on my Dad's tree:
Sidney Walter Hennig was in the Army Ordnance Corps in WW1, service number 0/1332. He served in France, attained the rank of Corporal, then was transferred to Z Class on 14 Jul 1919, earning 3 medals

William Walter Hennig was in 23rd Battalion Lancs Fusiliers, service number 330003, and was awarded two medals

Herbert William Hill joined the tree by marrying Marian Parker . He had quite a story but I don't know if I have brought it to you before. He enlisted with 19th City of London Regiment on 26 Aug 1910, service number 1104, and was still with them when he married in 1912, then had 2 sons. On 1 Oct 1915 he re-enlisted for 4 years. He went over to France with the Expeditionary Force a few times. returning home in between, but on 15 Oct 1915 was reported missing, then in November they discovered he was a "POW in German hands." He was put on the injured list, and exchanged for another POW, then repatriated to a British hospital, at Christmas that year declared unfit for service and on 21 Feb 1917 discharged. I have no details of his wounds but he died only 7 years later aged 41.

Charles J R Parker enrolled in the Royal Marines Light Infantry Portsmouth on 29 Dec 1902, service number 12785. All I can see from his records is that he was discharged as invalid from RN Hospital Haslar with "waterworks problems" but with Silver War Badge as well as the usual three medals.

Thursday 11th February 2021

Albert Edward Matthews ' document confirmed what I already knew; he enlisted in RAF on 7 Jun 1918, trained for a week then was transferred to the Reserve. He never actually served, but was "deemed discharged on 30 Apr 1920. Service number was 193674.

William Seagrave married Ada Annie Matthews in 1892, but had enlisted in the Grenadier Guards in Nottingham 12 years previously. Those years had been served "at home" i.e. in UK, 6 in the Guards, 6 in the Reserves. He gave as Next of Kin his brother Thomas, who died in 1891 but then William married in 1892 so it would have been his wife.

I did know that Harold Leslie Matthews was a railway worker who emigrated to Australia in 1923, so when he enlisted for WW2 it was in Newcastle New South Wales. Thus even with a service number of N470144, I could find nothing new.

In 1916 Herbert George William Matthews was in the Royal Flying Corps, then transferred to the Royal Navy in Oct 1917. He served on board the President, then transferred to the RNVR (Royal Navy Voluntary Reserves) in 1918, demobbed 1 Mar 1919.

Herbert Frank Matthews joined the RAF at Calne, Wiltshire service number 66606, transferred in from the Army on 14 Mar 1917 at the age of 18, then in WW2 he was in Queen's Royal West Surrey regiment from 18 Apr 1939 to 17 Apr 1941, when he trsnsferred to the BARC (British Army Reconnaissance Corps), service number 6089788. This was why in the 1939 Register, his wife was living with her mother and brothers and he was nowhere to be seen. In 1946 Sergeant Matthews was awarded a long-service and good conduct award.

Wednesday 10th February 2021

Albert James Clifton married Ethel G Matthews but then emigrated to Philadelphia, where in both World Wars he completed registration documents but there is no sign of any service.

John Thomas Drummond, later husband of Winifred Jessamine Matthews , served in the Royal Navy aboard Vivid and Cumberland 1917-19. He lived in London with his parents but went to Bath to marry, then worked as a fishmonger in London but finally retired to Bath to die. During WW2 both he and Winifred were in their 40s, he fishmonger & poulterer and ARP warden, Winifred worked at a police canteen.

Frederick Maffey married Leah Matthews in 1899, but I see now that he signed up to the Royal Marines Light Infantry in Portsmouth 5 years earlier, when he was 17, service number 7605. There are no details on the document re service, but I do have a note saying that in 1901 census Leah was staying with her mother and two daughters, which suggests Frederick was elsewhere. Since he then died in Portsmouth I think he was still in the marines, but I can find no record to this effect.

Frederick Matthews 2 was only in service for the final 3 months of WW1, aboard SS Powerful, spending its final years as a boys' training facility. He was Boy second class, then Boy first class, then Ordinary Seaman, before transferring out in 1919. By WW2 he was in his 40s and was not called up, it seems, as his death was on the Civilian War Dead list. He was apparently injured in the street and buried at Paddington Old Cemetery.

I already had a lot of details re Thomas William Matthews , and service numbers have only confused matters and not provided anything new. These weren't useful in WW1, really.

I have mentioned Robert Edward Matthews before, with a lot of detail - see 21 & 22 Mar 2014 and 4 Apr 2016.

Edwin George Lomax married Madeline Matthews in 1929 and they emigrated to Australia in 1953. What I didn't know is that he enlisted in the Somerset Light Infantry. I am puzzled by the dates, though, as he was a private dated 1947 and corporal 1946, both with service number 5670343.

Henry Charles Matthew s apparently joined the 1st battalion Honourable Artillery Company in 1912, at first in UK, then France, re-engaged in 1920 to complete 6 years, then 1926 to complete 7 years. However, I can't find him in the War Records.

Tuesday 9th February 2021

I had a note to say Iris Caroline Matthews joined the army in 1950 but I cannot find anything regarding this. She got married and had a daughter in 1952 but nothing military appears under maiden name or married.

I had full details for Arthur William Matthews already

William John Francis married Alice Maria Matthews in 1897, but he had been seen to be in the army in 1891 census. I had WW1 attestation papers and now have earlier ones (under name John) showing service from 1889 aged 18.

Alfred James Matthews also joined up when he was 18 in 1904, and served his minimum 2 years (I think) as driver. He was due for transfer on 30 Oct 1906, but did not turn up, similarly his mobilization 6 Aug 1914 and discharge 30 Oct 1914. A form was prepared for his Court Martial, but guess what, he was absent! I could tell them where he was all this time - in Nov 1906 aboard the SS Moorland, he sailed from Liverpool to Philadelphia and settled there. He married a local girl and had a son and namesake, who sadly died aged 8 of diphtheria. Alfred's parents had emigrated with him and were all naturalized. In WW1 he attested to the Canadian ASC and again served the minimum 2 years. In civilian life he was a baker and sometimes a waiter. He was discharged on 15 Jan 1918 "on compassionate grounds", his son having died 2 months before. [I have now found his original attestation document, as "boy" in 1902, when he enrolled only to purchase his release for £18 on 1 July 1904 and £12 being reimbursed to his mother]. This was all very odd and raises doubt about his mental stability. All I can see regarding this is a (hilarious) comment that his "eyebrows meet". He was last seen in 1938 employed as a waiter on a ship, but his wife called herself a widow in the census.

Albert George Tobitt, my Aunt Olive 's first husband, enlisted in 1940 to the Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment, service number 6099527, then 3 years later transferred to the East Surreys. On 20 Jul 1944 he was transferred to the South Lancs Regiment and sent out to the Western Europe Front. He was Killed In Action on 8 Mar 1945 and buried at the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, at Kreis Kleve, Germany.

Monday 8th February 2021

Next one on the list was son of yesterday's Silas James, Sidney Albert Matthews , who was in Royal Artillery Ordnance Corps in WW2. This document gave me his Service No. 1518125 and confirmed his death on 4 Jan 1945 in Netherland East Indies. Also that he had been taken captive 9 Mar 1942 and held in a POW camp in Borneo until 2 Sep 1945. You may have noticed he died before this, so evidently did not get to be liberated. His father had died in 1943 so his mother was written to at 14 Wells Place, Bath (Wells Road is across the river to the south of the main town centre, but was bomb-damaged at around this time). Sidney was buried in Kranji Cemetery and commemorated on a panel of the war memorial. His mother inherited his £255 and she died 4 years later.

Robert Albert Matthews was Silas James' brother. I already knew his details, including service number in the Army Service Corps, medals and his return to civilian life in 1919. There was a gap in his children's birth dates, but little else.

George Thomas Swales joined the family by marrying Mary Ann Matthews in 1913 in Wales, and they settled there. He had been born in Jarrow 30 years earlier, worked as a bricklayer and labourer and soon enlisted in the Royal Navy (although I have no details of him in WW1, he won two medals). By the time he can be seen going to New York in 1925 he was a Steward and by1929 had five children, although two died in infancy. He remained in service between the wars (can be seen on duty aboard ships traversing the Atlantic) but died on 2 Nov 1942, Chief Steward on board the SS Empire Leopard, aged 59, when his ship was torpedoed off Nova Scotia.

Similarly Frederick Richard Pomroy married Laura Emily Matthews in 1921 in Exeter, where they both lived. He had served in WW1 in the Royal Army Medical Corps Territorial Force, enlisted 7 Aug 1914 and discharged 9 Jun 1919. This was a medical discharge through malaria, and he earned a silver badge and a pension. I may have said before that he ran a gents' outfitter shop in Exeter. He died there on 31 Mar 1969 and Laura followed 6 weeks later, both aged 74.

Sunday 7th February 2021

I made 144 references to military service, have cross-checked with my trees and will now investigate the records on Forces War Records (FWR), bringing to you anything I discover.

Silas William James Matthews , record gave me his regiment numbers, but no details, Not to worry, I have details from Ancestry

Silas James Matthews - I knew that he was a driver with the Labour Corps, transferred from the Wessex to the Royal Berks, discharged in 1919. What I didn't know was that in 1917 he was with the ASC (Army Service Corps) in Southport and was court-martialled for bad discipline, sentenced to 112 days, reduced to 56 days, detention. In 1919 he was injured in Dunkirk, returned to Britain and demobbed there.

Monday 1st February 2021

I'm not quite sure how to proceed with this project, as I'm not familiar with the site(s). This means I don't know if I have all the records on one person and when to move on to the next. So I apologise if it is confusing.
I thought I had found a worrying record, where my grandfather (see yesterday) had joined up aged 18 in 1899 and deserted, where the date and place of birth were reasonably correct, but I went on to discover he was a labourer, so evidently wasn't him. The physical descriptions didn't tally either. I don't know whether records would be available when he subsequently enlisted, as I don't know how efficient they were, so how much checking was done.

I am working my way through the tabs at the top, compiling a list of references to Military Service, and will get back to you when I have completed this.

Sunday 31st January 2021

Forces War Records have been in touch to say they now have over 7 million records relating to WW2, as part of their 26 million records collection. So, having completed the schools listings, I shall move on to these. It has to be borne in mind that the MOD has a 100-year exclusion rule on many records, but there are plenty that fall outside this.

Walter Charles Matthews , my father, enlisted into the Royal Air Force (RAF) in Oct 1941 at Cardington, Bedfordshire. This was a famous site, where airships were made and developed in WW1 but became a "barracks" in WW2. The site is now under development plans again - one shed is home to Warner Brothers Studios but the other is planned for rebuilding as homes. I see from his document that his service number was 1639995 and that he was awarded the War Medal 1939-45. I have both his medals. If he had joined up a year earlier he would have a third, the Battle of Britain medal, but I don't know why he didn't. Maybe his father wouldn't release him from his duties at home. Talking of which...

William George Matthews was his father, my grandfather, although I didn't meet him as he died 4 years before I was born. I see from his military history that he joined the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) on 8 Aug 1917. His half-brother Walter Henry Parkinson had just died at Ypres 8 months before, and this may have had a bearing. He was no youngster, being 35, worked in a factory, polishing jewellery and they were expecting their third child (my Auntie Con). According to this record, his service number was 235190, but the following March the RAF was formed and he joined their service. In the RNAS he had served on what was known as President II, an accounting and training facility located at The Crystal Palace in Sydenham. After a month there, he was sent off to Dunkirk - some baptism of fire! He must have done well, as he gained promotion from ACII (aircraftman second class) to ACI (aircraftman first class). After the creation of the RAF he remained in Dunkirk for a few weeks. Another document I have seen says:
No. 4 ASD 6/6/18 - 10/6/18 transferred RAF private
RD 61 Squadron 10/10/18 reclassified RMAM 31/10/18
Transferred to RAF Reserve 6/2/19
Deemed discharged 30/4/20
If anybody knows what this means, could you email me?

Wednesday 27th January 2021

Several stories of Taylor families in and around Lambourn, Berkshire fell into place until closely examined, then I discovered wrong dates of birth, names and professions of father which didn't match up.

I was very careful with the Smiths, and it's a shame that, as they lived in and around Battersea, this was not covered in the admissions list. Also, it wasn't possible to double-check with fathers' names, as these were not included. (Incidentally, I already had some school records from Ancestry for this area).

The same as this applied to the Mays too, largely in Oxfordshire, also not covered. This is a shame, as I was looking forward to tracing the children with lovely unusual names e.g. Eiley, Vida, Julietta, Rosina, Ena, Phyllis etc.

Tuesday 26th January 2021

I found a whole family of schoolchildren who moved to London; John Common Knight took his family to Battersea in 1880, prior to emigrating to USA in 1888. However, they do not appear on the admissions records.

The same applied to another family of six siblings who went to Wingate, Durham - some were born there - but again did not appear on the lists. Their father was Thomas, a coal miner.

Another family left Cornwall and the children grew up in Exeter, Devon. Joseph Knight senior and his wife Emma ran a Refreshment House/Coffee bar on the western side of town. After marriage, his son Henry (Harry) gas-meter maker, lived in Melbourne Street, then Commercial Road, both near Rack Street, where son Joseph was admitted to the Central School on 28 Aug 1911. I cannot bring photos as the whole area has been developed into a modern housing estate. According to the admission record, he was at this school until 30 Nov 1917, when he left because he was not attending enough (there was a big clamp-down as this school came to official notice for this very reason). Many of the boys went into the Royal Navy, hence the affectionate joke name of "Rack Street Naval College". Joseph's father served in WW1, so he may have, although I cannot find a record.

As I have searched all 679 Knights, it is time to move on. Taylor, Smith and May are, as you might expect, gargantuan searches, but I will use my own trees, bearing 56, 61 and 83 respectively, very manageable, I would say.

Monday 25th January 2021

Edgar Matthews ' family seemed to bounce about all over the place and this record places him at St Peter's School, Barnstaple, Devon, but only for a year. He was admitted 22 Jun 1896 but left 25 Jun 1897. His father was a shop assistant in a boot shop, then branch manager. Edgar's sister Laura Matthews attended Bishop Blackall Middle School in Exeter for 2 years (Sep 1908 to Jul 1910), previously at an "elementary school, Plymouth". Brother Harold was admitted to Exeter Episcopal Boys' School in on 1 Sep 1908, only to leave 10 days later for Halls school (?). The home address is given as Public Benefit, 212 High Street, which it seems was the name of the boot company:

I also now have another chapter (probably the final one) of the family at 1 Skinner Street, Worcester, dealt with yesterday. Youngest boy George Charles Matthews (baby Elizabeth died in infancy) was admitted to the Infants' School on 10 Sep 1907, was transferred to the boys' school 27 Jul 1910, then on 1 Apr 1912 left "to enter orphanage".. This was because of their father's death when George was still only 9, and presumably mother was unable to look after him. She may have needed looking after herself, as she appeared to have moved in with son Thomas at 73 Foley Road, who was in the Army Service Corps, and she died there in 1918.

Herbert Frank Matthews was admitted to Great Somerfield C of E school on 30 Jun 1902, aged 3, but only stayed for 4 months, leaving 27 Oct 1902

No more Matthews matches have cropped up, so the next to tackle is surname Knight. The search of school lists comes up with 10,380 hits, but I have 679 on my (mother-in-law's) tree, so this will take a while...

Fortunately for me, a lot of these contenders are outside the age range, but when I started searching I discovered Cornwall is not covered anyway, so not much is matchable. I have so far checked 200 of mine, to no avail.

Sunday 24th January 2021

Unfortunately most of the 257 grew up in the Bath area, not covered (yet).

Thomas William Matthews was born in Somerset but moved to Worcester in 1896 in time to go to St John's Infant school, then transferred to the Junior school on 2 Nov 1898. They lived less than a mile away, in Skinner Street.

Brother Harry was admitted in Nov 1901, then the following 4 siblings, although I do not have admission records for Albert and Alfred, Bessie went to the girls' school transferred from the Infants' 28 Aug 1902 then proceeded to the Seniors' 24 Jul 1907. William was admitted in 1908 and left 23 Dec 1913, as he was over age.

Saturday 23rd January 2021

After slogging through about 80 Woodfords I came across a match. Elizabeth Ann Woodford who in 1897 was admitted to the Derby British School, progressed well and left 4 years later, on 23 May 1901. I was looking for her sister Maud Mary, but it seems she died at the age of 5, just as she would have been admitted. So sad, but a regular occurrence in those days.

Search gives 12.398 hits for Matthews and I have 257 on my tree (including me). I am trying to match them up, but Nottinghamshire, Somerset and certain parts of London are not covered - and are the regions where my family lived.

Thursday 21st January 2021

The search for surname Parker gave me 18,541 entries on the school list. I only have 43 on my tree, only 19 in the correct age-bracket and some I already knew their school. Otherwise nothing.

There are 1609 entries for surname Small , and I have 34, 14 in the age-bracket.

602 for Woodford , but I have 289 of them

Wednesday 20th January 2021

In 1881 census blacksmith Charles Cox can be seen living at 7 Parker Road, Croydon with his wife and 4 children, as well as his parents and a couple of nieces. Archbishop Thomas Tenison had built a school nearby as well as one in Lambeth, near others on this branch. The Archbishop Tenison's Croydon school was one of the oldest mixed schools in the world, established in 1714. The only matching admission record in this set is that of Alice, dated 21 Apr 1890, when she moved across from the Infant school. The following year's census shows eldest sibling Albert is now a wheelwright, Louisa is a dressmaker, Edith Fanny (known as Fanny), Maria Mary (Minnie) and Alice were all at school. By 1901 Minnie was also a dressmaker but Alice was herself a school-teacher. Hopefully one day I can continue this story when later records are available.

Meanwhile I have found Eva Cox , admitted to St Andrew's Infant school on 16 May 1904 at the age of 3, home address 7 Parker Road. She was daughter of Albert, the wheelwright, mentioned above, and can be seen in 1911 census there with parents and 4 siblings; the youngest 3 girls were at school. Hilda was admitted to St Andrew's 7 Apr 1902 and Mabel Sep 1905. Apparently this school closed last year. Sister Minnie was admitted from the infants school on 1 Apr 1900, and brother Herbert probably too, but I cannot find his record.

Tuesday 19th January 2021

Hawkins came up with 6572 school entries, but I only have 39 on my tree.
Jane Hawkins , born to George & Betsy in early 1881 in Southwark can be seen living nin Borough in the census of that year, along with parents and sister Betsy. She and younger sister Rose were admitted to Haydon's Road C of E School on 2 Feb 1892, and can be seen living in Merton in the 1891 census. The record states that they were previously at Wandsworth Board/Council School. Both Jane and Betsy married in 1900, Rose worked as a Housekeeper. Baby sister Nellie attended a workhouse school as "pauper inmate" then went to Market Harborough, Leicestershire, worked as a boner in a corset factory and boarded with a railway clerk & family. Youngest sibling George doesn't appear on the school lists either, he married in 1914 and emigrated to Australia.

Cox comes up with over 14 thousand school entries, but I have 142 on my tree, but only 77 in the correct age-bracket.

Monday 18th January 2021

That's the end of the Dancing, on to the Burleys . As there are 2410 entries on the school lists and I only have 43 on my (father-in-law's) tree, I shall do the reverse checking I mentioned on Saturday.
It came up with nothing, as lots were too early or had no d.o.b.

The Gambles - there are 79 on my tree and 1123 entries on the school list.
[The difficulty with no date of birth is highlighted here by an entry stating "19th July 1870: gave Thomas Gamble leave for 3 weeks to assist his mother". The school is in Kew, which is where my great great grandfather and his family lived. Thomas was 5th of his 8 children and the youngest three at this time were under 9 (Thomas was 11). As the census taken the following year shows only 4 remaining at home and Thomas lodging elsewhere, it could well be him. But with no date of birth, parent's name or address shown I can only guess. If it was him, he may well have not returned from his leave. I see that he became a groom in later life, maybe he was working undeclared in stables even then.]

My great grandfather Isaac Gamble was the youngest of these, born in 1868, so only 16 months old at this time. I have found an entry for him, and this does include d.o.b. The school is the same one; The Queen's School in Kew (1824-1970) and Isaac was admitted in June 1879 aged 11. There he remained until 1884, when he left. His father ran a hansom-cab and Isaac took over the business when his father was unable to work and died in 1890. [The above does suggest this was the correct family, but an entry for the same school in 1886 "re-admitted William Gamble" cannot relate to them as he would be 33 years old! There is another entry at the same school admitting "Henry & William Gamble" in Oct 1884 in similar vein, with my ancestors in their 30s]

The next surname Hatton has 1866 entries and I have 24 on my tree, but again there are many with no d. o. b. and my search came up with nothing.

The search for surname Ingram on the school list came up with 2549 and I have 29, but almost all in the correct age-band were from USA.

Sunday 17th January 2021

There came up a similar story to yesterday. In 1873 John Henry Dance moved, with his wife Jane nee Jones and
their seven children, from West Meon, near Winchester, to Warnford, which is 34 miles away. The three youngest girls all enrolled at West Meon National School nearby, aged Alice 9, Susan 6 and Lizzie 4. They had a further two children by 1878. The record I have before me shows that on 2 Jan 1877 the three girls mentioned above were transferred to Warnford National School. They only stayed just over a year, this school no longer exists, so I don't know if it closed or they moved on. They can all be seen in 1881 census at Warnford, near Wheely Down, except Alice, who had gone into service and can be seen in nearby Winchester (11 miles away), as a domestic servant. She was in Titchfield in 1891, kitchen maid at Stubbington House, then I lose her, she may have married. Stubbington House was a naval college/boys' prep school, which relocated to Ascot in 1967, the old buildings demolished and then it was closed in 1997. Susan married William Rumbold in Apr 1889, had six children (the eldest was killed in WW1) and can be seen at Moorgrave, Hampshire (near the Southampton Arms) in censuses of 1891, 1901 & 1911, then retired by 1939 to Northam Road - where the M27 runs nowadays. William died there in 1941 and Susan in 1945 (home address still Northam Road but she died in Knowle Hospital, aged 77. Lizzie married irishman Bernard Connolly and it seems had 6 children (information from fellow genealogist).

Edward William Dance was younger brother of the three girls above, born 21 Oct 1874. He was admitted to Warnford National School on 28 Apr 1879 aged 4.5 (so the school obviously didn't close then). There is no leaving date, but he is still there with the family in 1881 census. By 1891 his father had died and he moved with mother and sibs to Lancing, eldest brother George Head of Family. Edward worked as a carter then trained as a platelayer on the railway, and married Rose Ellen nee Charman in 1901. He died Jan 1949 then Rose in 1954. As far as I can see they only had one child; daughter Harriett.

Final sibling Sarah Ann Dance was admitted to the school on 6 Jun 1881, then moved with the family to Lancing. In 1901 she can be seen as cook in a school in Hove. Unfortunately she died a few years later aged 27.

Saturday 16th January 2021

The reverse way of cross-checking worked well with this list and I have succeeded in checking all of the Brewsters , but with no matches. So it is on to the Dances, giving 647 hits on the school list. I have 67 Dances.

Mary Jane Dance came up with a match! As she was such an obscure relative; second cousin 3x removed, I hadn't studied her at all, but now I have. She was born 28 Sep 1875 in Linkenholt, Hampshire to Charles Dance and Sarah nee Walters, second of their eight children, and can be seen with them there in 1881 census. On 18 Apr 1888 she, with four sisters, was admitted to Linkenholt National School. She was 13, and her sisters ranged from Florence, aged 11 to Agnes aged 5. Brother Albert was admitted in the July, when he turned three. (Two other brothers died in infancy). Mary Jane attended until 4 Oct 1889 (i.e. a year and a half), when she left to go into service. She can be seen working as domestic servant at the Manor House, Tidcombe in 1891 census. I can see that in Oct 1900 at Hartley Wintney she married William Stent, they settled in Odiham and had 5 children, although two died in infancy. She died aged 74 in Aldershot.

Clara Louisa Dance was one of the sisters mentioned above, born 30 Apr 1879, admitted to school aged 9 and leaving 31 Mar 1893, when she was 14. Five years later she married William Scarrett, farm labourer, and they had four children. She died aged 88 in 1967.

Edith Ann Dance and Agnes Selina Dance were the other two sisters, born respectively in 1881 and 1883, Edith left 19 Sep 1893 aged 12, also to go into service I believe, this time I think in London. I lose her then, as she probably married. Agnes married William Coombes in 1912 on the Isle of Wight and died there in 1960 aged 77.

I mentioned brother Albert Charles Dance above. He was born 19 Jul 1885 in Linkenholt, then joined the school on 23 Jul 1888, I have no leaving date for him. He married Beatrice Laurence in Apr 1910 then they had a son 4 months later, followed by two more children. Albert was in the Machine Gun Corps in WW1 and a bricklayer. He died in the New Forest area on 10 Jan 1968.

Friday 15th January 2021

A finally finished checking the Wooldridges, and have to confess to zero out of 571, pleased now to move on to Brewster, which has 971 hits, but a lot of these have no date of birth for cross-checking, so are of no use to me. I only have 136 on my (late father-in-law's) tree, so it may be better to do this in reverse.
I will get back to you if I come up with anything.

Tuesday 12th January 2021

I did have a bit of excitement when I thought I had found Dorothy Wooldridge in the school list . Although in Worcestershire when she lived in Twickenham, I have been disregarding this due to the Samways family at the weekend. The father's name of John was correct, but Dorothy's date of birth was wrong and I found this one in the 1911 census with her family, nearby.

After checking off about half of the Wooldridge school list I had to stop as my concentration was going...

Monday 11th January 2021

Julia Martha Roffey was another of the family who appeared to live in South London but went to school in Southampton (see Charles & Edward yesterday). She was admitted to Woolston St Mark's on 14 Feb 1904, giving address of 58 Church Road, aged almost 9, and left 3 years later, due to "leaving the district". I see that she returned to Woolwich, married aged 20 but lost her husband in WW1 when she was expecting their second child.

That was the only branch, as all the others in the list were incorrect age, so moving on...My list is in "order of commonality" of surname, and it seems to be correct. A search for Wooldridge comes up with 571, so I shall be a while on that. I have 152 on my tree.

Sunday 10th January 2021

Percy William Samways was brother of Eveline & Frederick I mentioned yesterday. He was admitted to St James Infant School on 27 Aug 1894 but was only there a month before moving to the Junior School. On 4 Mar 1897 he can be seen on the admissions list for Peartree School but unlike his brother 6 years earlier, he did attend. He was in the Boys' school for 2.5 years, then the Mixed for another 2.5. Home address for the first of these was 74 Alexander Street, which I can't find, then 24 Olivier Street, half a mile from the school.

My next name is Noonan, but as I only have ten on this branch currently, and they are much too early for this collection, I shall move swiftly on.

The Roffey branch will take some time, as there are 434 entries on the list and I have at least 165 on my (father-in-law's) tree. However, the Woolwich/Greenwich area they mostly come from is not covered.

Charles Alfred Roffey was "mine", son of Edward James Roffey, born in Greenwich and living in Deptford with the family in 1901 census, aged 2 months. He was admitted to Woolston Junior School in Southampton on 27 June 1910, when the family ostensibly lived at 97 Manor Road, just around the corner. He left there on 3 Mar 1911 to "go to Sholing". There is a college in the area of Southampton called Sholing, that used to be a school, so maybe they meant this. I am confused, as in 1911 census he can be seen with his family in Charlton.

His brother Edward Joseph Roffey had exactly the same story; in the censuses at home with the family in Charlton, school records showing admission to Wooston 13 Mar 1905 & Sholing 25 Feb 1907

Saturday 9th January 2021

Emma Louisa Samways was admitted to Pirbright C of E School on 7 Apr 1902 aged 6 but left on 1 Aug 1902 as they "left the village". Home address was given as "No. 16 Hut", so this may have been part of the ATC Pirbright (Army Training Centre) and thus temporary. She was readmitted on 6 Oct 1902, but no leaving date was given.

Eveline Gertrude Samways (daughter of Jonas) was admitted to St James Infant School, Derby on 23 Aug 1886, the day before she turned 5. It is still there. Home address was given as 35 Malcolm Street, which is 0.4 miles away, just around the corner. There is a note on her record saying she was re-admitted, but giving no dates.

Frederick Samways was admitted to Hedge End Schools, Southampton on 14 Jan 1907, aged almost 4, In my records I can see the family still there in 1911 census, living in Freegrounds Road, right by the school. There is no leaving date in the record, but he would no doubt have left before 1917, probably to grow or transport fruit, like his father and brothers.

Frederick Charles Samways (son of Jonas, brother of Eveline above) was listed as due to attend Peartree School, Derby, in Aug 1891, moving from St James, but I was amazed to see the entry crossed through as he "altered his mind and would not come". I do see though that he was by then 13, and Peartree was over a mile away, so maybe it was decided that as he would be leaving school the next year, it wasn't worth changing.

Martha (Mattie) Sybil Samways was admitted to Gosport & Alverstoke Secondary School on 14 Jan 1908, aged almost 13. She was living with her mother, her uncle and cousin at 5 Little Anglesey, Gosport, half a mile away, while her father was in the Navy. He died a few weeks later, but Mattie can be seen in the same household in 1911 census, listed as an apprentice dressmaker. She married in 1920 and can be seen back at 5 Little Anglesey with her mother in 1939. As her husband's name was John Smith I cannot trace him. Mattie died in Wales in 1968, her mother in 1943. I see from her record that she was at the school for two years, leaving at the end of 1909, to work from home.

Friday 8th January 2021

The next name is Trethewey and search comes up with 43 records
Francis Herbert Trethewey was admitted to Tavistock Grammar School, now known as Tavistock College, on 3 Nov 1897, aged 12. Home address was originally Rock Park Villa, Tavistock then crossed out and amended with 1 Fernbank Road, Redland, Bristol. I see from my own notes that in 1901 census he was living with his uncle William Middleton, who was a headmaster in Tavistock, so this may well be his term-time address. Another interesting fact is that I see he went on a trip to Japan in 1917, before returning to UK, getting married and going off with his wife, travelling all over the world but eventually returning to UK. His wife came from Tavistock too, so they may have been at school together. This school had links with Japan, so may have set their travels in motion. Francis was an electrician and a Freemason. They both died in Bristol, while living at Redland Grove, Francis in 1963 and Marjorie in 1974

His brother (William) Reginald Trethewey also attended Tavistock Grammar School, from 19 Sep 1899 aged 9 and can also be seen in 1901 census living with Uncle William Middleton. He also bounced around all over the world, as did their father, it seems, as he died in India.

The search for surname Hodd only comes up with 14 hits, and I cannot match any up.

Oddly, a search for Samways produces 143 hits, but after checking 29 to no avail, I don't have hopes for this search either. I think the main problem is most of "mine" are from Dorset, a county not covered by these documents.

Thursday 7th January 2021

Austell Glendower Retallick was another who grew up in the North, Lancashire this time, and went to school there. His record states that he was admitted to Ulverston C of E Infant School on 18 May 1908, aged 4. with home address of 91 Quay Street, Ulverston (now part of the dual carriageway and numbers don't go up that far). He remained there for 3 years, with very good attendance, then "left to go to Council School" on 4 Oct 1910. The following year they can be seen in the census at 20 Quebec Street, Ulverston, which is nearby.

His brothers Edgar Retallick and Jon Robert Smith Retallick attended Chapel Street School (boys) in Dalton-in-Furness for a few months in 1898, giving home address of Cleator Street. The record states Edgar had previously attended Ulverston National School, so it seems they bounced about a bit. This was no doubt due to their father Adam's job. I already noted that he was an engine driver (stationary in mines) but became unemployed and took to selling fruit & vegetables.

Ella Lilian Retallick , daughter of Hart, was at Kingsteignton Council School in Devon from 1 May 1899 to 18 Oct 1901, aged 3-5. She remained in the area and I have now found her subseuent marriage and death.

Ewart Balthazar Retallick was brother to the Ulverston boys above, and attended the Boys' Infant School 15 Aug 1905 - 14 Feb 1908 (i.e. the 3 school years prior to Austell above), when he went to Dale Street School. Home address given was 9 Quay Street (which explains the discrepancy above).

Isabella and Mary Retallick , daughters of Charles, were admitted to Widecombe-in-the-Moor Primary School on 13 Jun 1904, aged 13 and 6 respectively, Isabel having attended Bovey British Scool previously. Mary left on 2 Aug 1912, as she was 14, school leaving age. The re is no date for Isabella.

Olive Retallick , sister of Ella above, attended Kingsteignton Council School from 18 Apr 1898 to 5 Oct 1906, aged 5-13. Her brother Percy overlapped with her time there, as he attended from 14 Feb 1905.

Wednesday 6th January 2021

Findmypast advised me that they have just incorporated over 7 million school records, so I am currently examining them (NB this only covers 1870-1914). Not an auspicious start, as there are none from Cornwall, but at least this cuts down the number of branches I have to search. It isn't easy to decide which approach to take; should I centre on areas/towns or branches? I think I shall try the latter, using the list of surnames I used when looking at the newspapers.

The Manhires
Of course, most of this branch were in Cornwall, so I made a shortlist of 27 to look into, born elsewhere, only to find there are only two with that surname listed - and they were the two daughters of Unita and Theophilus, Unita and Lily Beryl. This adds another piece to the jigsaw of their early life. In 1906 their father Theophilus sailed to USA, an engine driver aged 29, intending to settle there. Unita had both her daughters in UK, then travelled out to join him . On 10 Apr 1910 they arrived back in UK, Lily aged 5 , Unita aged 7 and Edwin was born in September of that year (this may be why Unita returned, as she wanted her children born in UK). The girls, it seems, were enrolled into Cadbury School, in the Devon village of that name, where they lived on Pitt Farm, on 6 Feb 1911. Unfortunately they were only there a few weeks and left on 3 Mar 1911 "to return to US". This was Unita and all three children, although Edwin evidently returned in the next few years as when he died in 1916 it was in Cornwall. I suspect there was a divorce as Theophilus started another family in USA and all the girls returned to England, around the time of Edwin's death.

Catchesides - search came up with nothing

Hennig likewise

Retallick gave me 39 results, so, learning from the above, I am listing these to tick off or otherwise.
Allivyan, David and Charles were brothers and they have come up at school in Cumberland, in Arlecdon, called Lamplugh Parochial School. I see they were admitted on 1 Feb 1880 aged 5, 3 and 4 respectively. It is noted they were previously at Millom school and again they only stayed a few weeks, leaving on 8 Mar 1880. This time it wasn't through moving, as they can still be seen in the area the following year in the census. After this they returned to Cornwall, where their father died and David & Allivyan settled as Tin Miners, Charles married and emigrated to USA.

Sunday 3rd January 2021

"Mopping up" any London burials for other branches, I found Elizabeth Knight 9 (Lizzie) was cremated on 30 Oct 1975 at Kent & Sussex Crematorium, Tunbridge Wells. Also cremated there were siblings Lucretia on 14 Aug 1962, Renee Gwendoline 17 Nov 1967, Kate 26 Jan 1968 and William 7 June 1971. Other members of the family were not, as it only opened in 1958, including Gwen's husband Henry Hellyer, but her son came along later - 2001.

Jessie's aunt Marian Dickson nee Manhire died 12 Sep 1956 in Battersea, at Bolingbroke Hospital, then was buried in plot 16/9298 of London Road Cemetery, Merton, Surrey, where her father-in-law was interred 20 years before, I don't know why Hugh wasn't there, or his mother Maria, but there were only two in the plot in Merton.

I have now searched all branches, so will only be back as & when.

Saturday 2nd January 2021

William George Matthews , the one who was 3rd cousin twice removed, not my grandfather, married Alice Laura Stone n Jan 1935 in Staines. Unfortunately he died in Kings College Hospital on 11 Mar 1935 and was buried on 18 Mar in Nunhead Cemetery, in a plot with 13 others. Alice was 86 when she died in 1999.

Uncle Will, William Horace Matthews , died on 24 Mar 1967, when they lived at 38 Croydon Road, Keston. I do remember this, as I was 11, but I thought of him as an old man, when he was only 60 (kids, eh?) and his wife (Maud) Lilian Matthews nee Purdue died in 1996, aged 90. I can't find burials for either in the list, but they were both no doubt cremated.

Friday 1st January 2021 - Happy New Year

I will continue here as a new start may be required elsewhere later in the year.

James Matthews 3 died aged 3 in Holborn, so it isn't surprising he isn't on the list, as infants/children often weren't.

As I said on Wednesday, I could not find Jane Von Joel nee Matthews or her husband Henry, but today I have tracked them down (Von was transcribed as the middle name), buried in Highgate Cemetery plot 38937 with two of their daughters. Jane was interred first. in 1913, followed by daughter Lena later the same year, then daughter Jane two years later and finally Henry in Feb 1917. Lena was married to a restaurant owner in Lynton, Devon, but maybe she and the two Janes were looking after each other when sick, then died, in London.

Jemima Stocks nee Matthews was the great great-aunt who moved from the Westcountry to London, married Samuel Stocks and founded a dynasty there. It seems she was at a Ladies School in Brighton, then married in London, and the rest of her family followed. She died at 47 Church Street, Camberwell and was buried at St Pancras Cemetery on 9 Dec 1898. Her husband had been interred there in 1880, leaving her in charge of the tobacconist/newsagent shop. She developed the printing/bookbinding side of the business with several of her children, who then continued with it whan she retired and died.

Kathleen Hutchinson nee Matthews died Oct 2004, but this is much too late to be on the list. Her husband James died in 1976 in Hendon, but appears to have been cremated in Grimsby, where he may have had family connections.

As far as deaths of the two Leah Matthews , mother and illegitimate daughter, the latter died at birth or shortly afterwards in the workhouse at City Road, Holborn and was no doubt buried in an unmarked grave on the premises. Her mother married twice and died in 1953 as Leah Flint. Her death was registered in the Pancras area of London, but I cannot find her on the list.

Mary Ann Williams nee Matthews died in Brentford, Middlesex aged 79 but she was probably visiting, as she lived in Bath, and was buried on 24 May 1937 in St James Cemetery there., in plot Con/OF/15 where her husband had been interred 35 years earlier. There were just the two of them in the plot

I thought that Norman Douglas Silas Matthews was still living when I last covered him in Jan 2019, but I see now that he died on 27 June (my birthday!) 2016. He is still redacted on 1939 Register and no burial record is listed yet. His wife probably died in Oxfordshire in 2007 but Dorothy Beatrice is a strangely common combination.

Thursday 31st December 2020

George Henry Matthews , my great grandfather, died in Holborn Infirmary 3 Jul 1886, having been at Princes Street, Clerkenwell in the previous census, which was off Northampton Street, now under the buildings of City University, I understand. I can't find a burial in the Deceased Online lists.

Henry Charles Matthews died in Dec 1953 in St Stephen's Hospital (incidentally, where my husband was born 2 years later) and then buried on 18 Dec at Brompton Cemetery. His wife Marjorie Winifred nee Russell died in a nursing home in Bristol in 1993.

Henry Charles Matthews 3 died aged 7 months on 16 Aug 1901 in Holborn and was buried on 22 Aug 1901 at Manor Park Cemetery in a plot with 14 others. He was probably part of a vaccination study, because his burial was noted with some other and the word "vacc" was by his name.

Wednesday 30th December 2020

The Matthews family was that of my Dad's Dad, some of whom ended up in London. Unfortunately it is a very common name and I always have many to choose from.
I thought I had found the last resting place of Albert John Matthews at the same crematorium as my Dad, in 2000, but that would make him 136 at death! The same man died in Washington, USA in 1908, although he can be seen in 1911 census in Woking, Surrey, and I cannot locate his wife's burial, although I know where & when it took place. Very frustrating!

Arthur Matthews died at the end of 1926 aged 55 in the City of London, and I can see he was interred into a public plot in Manor Park Cemetery on 2 Feb 1927 along with 16 others. By the time his wife Ada died 32 years later, she was living elsewhere. His brother Charles joined him on 27 Jan 1930, in a plot with 11 others

Daisy C Matthews married Ernest Dorrien Kitchener Sussex (what a wonderful name!) in 1950 in Lambeth, where they both lived, Ernest 15 years younger than Daisy. I see he was a telescope polisher, so most likely worked at Dollond, the famous optical company, less than a mile away beyond The Oval. The next thing was her death 10 years later, and burial at the Lambeth Cemetery plot ConL2/197, long with a Charles Edward Sussex, who I guess was a son she died bringing into the world. Ernest didn't pass on until 1989 in Wandsworth (so should be on the Lambeth list but maybe too recent).
NB Later I found a death record in Apr 1950 for a Charles E Sussex I think was Ernest's father, as he died aged 75 in Lambeth.

My great great-aunt Eliza Blunt nee Matthews died at the end of April 1926 in Highgate and was buried in Highgate Cemetery on 8 May 1926, in plot 25340. The plot already held eight members of the Von Joel family (her sister's in-laws), over 1882-1909, and her husband Walter Blunt, interred 14 Jun 1921. (oddly Jane and her husband are not there, and must have been buried elsewhere, although they died in Holborn in 1913 & 1917.

Eliza Emily Neighbour nee Matthews died Jan 1964 and was interred into plot 93/13844 of Camberwell New Cemetery on 10 Feb, last of ten over 3 weeks. Her husband was in the same cemetery but 18 years earlier (with 8 others). Incidentally, she was the one who lived and worked at the Prince Albert in Peckham and I said when I dealt with her before (30th Jan 2014) that it had undergone changes over the years and was currently Peckham Bazaar restaurant. I am glad to tell you that in the following year, 2015, it was renovated again to what it had been, The Prince Regent, serving real ales, and hopefully will weather the current storm and be back in full action soon.

Tuesday 29th December 2020

Moving on to the Hennig family - my Dad's mother's family

My great-uncle August Rudolph Hennig was buried on 6 Jan 1927 in Camberwell Old Cemetery plot 48/9877 on 6 Jan 1927, the final interment of the five family members. In 2016 when I visited this cemetery I said: " I was seeking a family of Hennigs, Flo's half-brother August Rudolph Hennig, his wife Hellen and their sons William Walter Hennig, Frank Edgar Hennig and Horace Augustus Hill Hennig. After a lot of searching I did find Square 48, with a lot of help from a gardener, who stopped his strimming to help me, evidently a keen genealogist! It turned out to be nowhere near Squares 46 & 47, but down a footpath in a wooded area with notices up all over, warning of unstable graves and work in progress to eliminate Japanese Knotweed! We both checked all the plots close to the path, then I moved into the wooded area and my helper moved on. There was no sign of what I wanted, but it was extremely overgrown. Stones were sometimes covered with ivy, some with trees growing up through the grave, others obscured by undergrowth or with illegible worn stones. I checked all I could, but the numbers were too high, I suspect the area round grave 9877 is now impenetrable forest. I think August purchased it when baby Horace died in 1886 and he was certainly the final one to be interred there himself in 1927 ."
About the search for my grandmother's grave I said: " Next I sought my grandmother Florence Augusta Matthews in Square 119, again to no avail. While searching I met a fellow genealogist, who works sometimes for the Nunhead Cemetery, and said he thought this was a Public Grave, as there were 6 unknown people buried with her. Examining the burial record, I can see the plot marked "Consecrated" but not "Private", so suspect he may be right. In this case, they probably just used the grave until full, then covered it over and moved on. This would have been 16 days later... I must say I am surprised my grandfather didn't purchase a family plot. (Uncle Bert did for Nellie as hers says "Private" on the record, but it hasn't made it any easier all these years later). In this case, if the grave were marked at all it wouldn't necessarily have borne Flo's name, although she was the first in there, but I also looked for the name of the final burial Thomas Henry Palmer and couldn't locate him either. Square 119 is grassy and open, with many worn and damaged stones. It is a shame I couldn't locate Flo's final resting place, as it was her I especially wished to find, to commemmorate the 30th anniversary of her son's death (ie my father) ."
With all the experience of recent searches, I do believe this was a public grave, and there wouldn't be a stone, just maybe a marker (or not) originally.

Francis Edgar Hennig was put into the plot above on 4 Jul 1910, when he died aged 18.

Frederick Charles Edward Hennig disappeared, along with his wife, after their marriage in 1905 and I cannot now locate them by burial records.

Frederick William Hennig , my great-grandfather, "fell down dead suddently in the street" from a heart attack, but I can't find a burial for him (or either wife)

William Charles Hennig died in Feb 1896 in Lambeth and was buried in unconsecrated plot UnConD2/393 on 19 Mar 1896 alone, followed 19 years later by an Elizabeth Buckman. I don't know what the story is here.

William Walter Hennig was interred on 19 Jan 1925 into the plot above, with his siblings in Camberwel Old Cemetery.

Monday 28th December 2020

I think I got the two Joseph Hodds mixed up. The one who died in 1901 (see last Wednesday) was probably Joseph Hodd Junior buried in Lambeth Cemetery, fifth of eight in plot ConB3/575. His wife Martha died 15 years later and was interred into plot ConH3/355, second of six in Jun-Jul 1916.

Lily Florence Hodd was a bit of a disaster, as I found her marriage to Charles Powell was another Lily entirely. I think she may have been the one who married Ernest Sweeney in 1915. He was in the Royal Navy and was killed in France in WW1. She can be seen in a hotel in Leatherhead in 1939, employed as a cook, and died in Warrington, Cheshire in 1978 aged 87. However, although it does hang together, I cannot prove it was her.

Cliff's grandmother Martha May nee Hodd died in early July at 18 Princes Square and I now see she was interred into plot ConI3/1304 in Lambeth Cemetery. This plot had been used in 1881 for 5 interments, then "topped up" with 22 more in 1937, of which Martha was number 5. I have the death certificate of her husband John, and I have matched it up with a death registration, He died on 5 Apr 1907 at 23 Royal Street, probably part of St Thomas' Hospital, informant was his eldest son William. I am hesitant to purchase the plot details in Lambeth Cemetery, as interment did not apparently take place for 3 months, which is odd at the height of the summer. It also mentions a middle name of Charles, not on any other document. If this record is his, there were 12 others in the plot.

Stephen Richard Hodd , Martha's brother, died end of Jan 1934 and was interred into Lambeth Cemetery on 23 Feb. The plot ConI3/1117 was used for 4 burials in Dec 1880, then in Feb/Mar 1934 "topped up" with 14 more, of which Stephen was the tenth. His wife Caroline was similarly interred, last of 24 in plot ConI3/910, on 23 Oct 1930. Six of these were 1880, the rest 1930

My great great-uncle John Noonan died in Holborn of bronchitis and was interred in pot 61/613 of Manor Park Cemetery on 20 Feb 1897, third of seven in a few weeks.

His sister Margaret Cooper nee Noonan joined him seven years later, interred into plot 6/550 there, second of eight over a month.

Sunday 27th December 2020

Moving on to the Hodds (Cliff's maternal grandmother's branch)
Agnes V Hodd married Thomas Thatcher in 1942 and can be seen at 108 Stamford Street, Lambeth (where she had lived with her parents from the age of 16) until his death in 1963. At that time, Thomas was at the Workhouse in Marylebone, where he was presumably in the infirmary, known as Luxborough Lodge. This institution closed 2 years later and after WW2 was home for the sick and the elderly. But he was on the electoral roll records at Stamford Street, so the family evidently still lived there. I think she may have died the following year in South Norwood, leaving £8197 to an Albert Thatcher. However I cannot find a burial/cremation record for her.

Albert Hodd' s death was registered Jan 1979 in Westminster but I cannot see his burial, or that of his wife Edith 5 years earlier.

Derek Wilfred Hodd , Cliff's second cousin, died 10 Sep 2010 and was cremated at Kensal Green on 14 Oct. His wife Sheila died the previous year, but I cannot locate her on the list.

Eliazabeth Hodd married Alfred Percival in 1882 and he died 1922 and was buried in Camberwell New Cemetery plot 37/27188 on 13 Mar. I see now that Elizabeth joined him on 10 Jan 1938 in the same plot, and they were the only two in there.

Ellen Hodd married William May, Cliff's great-uncle (one of twins who both died of heart conditions in their 30s.40s).William died on 30 Dec 1890 and was buried in plot 12086 of Camberwell Od Cemetery on 3 Feb, second of ten interments over 9 days in that plot. Ellen's death was registered in Southwark in Jul 1919 but I cannot find her on the list (of course WW1 did lead to a glut).

Ernest George Hodd died aged 11, so not surprising I cannot find a burial

Ernest William Hodd married twice, died at the end of Feb 1941 and was interred in plot ConJ3/381 of Lambeth Cemetery on14 Mar, with 20 interments from Jun 1886. Then when his wife Rose died, on 24 Jan 1971 she was cremated and her ashes joined him on 16 Mar 1971.

Florence Louisa Hodd married Leonard Smithers in Lambeth in 1916, and when he died in 1939, he was interred into plot ConV3/290 of Lambeth Cemetery, penultimate of 15 burials that year. Florence then moved in with her daughter in Leicester, so when she died in 1961 it was not local.

Saturday 26th December 2020

Sarah Burley 2 married twice, so when she died it was under the name Sarah Pert, nice and rare, so I can be sure of her burial; 26 Apr 1881 in Lambeth Cemetery. However, I will not buy the plot details as she is such an obscure ancestor.

Sarah Ann Burley had an illegitimate daughter but I can't see a marriage. I also can't see a burial in the Lambeth area under that name, so she may well have.

William George Burley was interred in Lambeth Cemetery plot ConE3/500 on 9 Oct 1864, fifth of 14 in that plot (1857-1921). His wife Ann died at 67 Broad Street, Lambeth (where they had lived since marriage 1825) of chronic bronchitis and was interred into plot ConK3/499 fourth of seven in one week.

William John Burley , Cliff's great great-uncle, died at 460 Old Kent Road, where he lived with his daughter since widowed, and was buried at Cambnerwell Old Cemetery on 27 Sep 1913, in plot 13/23303 fifth interment of nine over a week. His wife Eliza was in plot 75/21392, interred 24 Mar 1909, third of eight interments in a week.

Thursday 24th December 2020

I need to complete the study I made last thing yesterday, regarding the children of Eliza Chandler nee Burley . On 1939 Register Eliza and Robert can be seen at number 34 Leo Street, Camberwell and Jessie next door at number 32 with her son Walter. This road is a turning off Old Kent Road and the houses are gone, but they were close to family (and 1.5 miles from the cemetery). I can see no bomb damage at home on my map, but they may have been elsewhere.

Elizabeth Burley married William May Junior and Martha married his brother Thomas. I can see William was buried on 15 Apr 1873 at West Norwood Cemetery, tenth of twelve in plot 31/13844. There was an Elizabeth May interred in that cemetery in 1900, but as I don't have the censuses between, I can't be sure.

Her brother James Burley was living at 18 Broad Street, Lambeth when he died on 8 Feb 1893, and was buried in Lambeth Cemetery with 5 others. His wife died 10 years later at that same address and was also buried there on 1 Jan 1903, then their son Robert, who she was living with, followed in 1905

Jane Burley was only 12 when she died in Borough, Southwark, and I cannot find her in Deceased Online's list, and Mary Burley only two, likewise.

I think Samuel Burley was interred in St George the Martyr Cemetery on 18 Nov 1869 (and maybe his wife Rebecca in Bethnal Green in 1876)

Wednesday 23rd December 2029

Mary Brewster was another of Cliff's great great-aunts, married to James Perry on 4 Apr 1880 and he died a few weeks later. He was buried in Lewisham Cemetery on 30 April. Mary was left to bring up 4 daughters, three of her own and one of James', all from previous marriages. Luckily daughter Mary went to live with her sister Elizabeth and was the 14-year-old with them in 1881 census. Mother Mary died in June 1882 and was buried in Lambeth Cemetery (I'm not going to purchase the plot details though as I cannot match it with a death registration)

I knew her elder sister Susan(nah) Hodd nee Brewster died on 9 Feb 1881 aged 50, of meningitis she had suffered from for 20 days. Now I see she was interred on 15th at Lambeth Cemetery in plot ConI3/1153 second of five in 1881, topped up with 15 more in 1934. I had death dates for her husband Joseph in 1883 and 1904 but now have a burial in 1901, fifth of eight in plot ConB3/575.

Her brother Thomas Brewster died in Jul 1903 in Southwark and was buried in the Nunhead Cemetery in a plot with 21 other burials, on 16 July. His wife Emma nee Reseigh had died the year before and was also there, but in a different plot with 14 others.

I had thought his father, also Thomas Brewster , died Jul 1879 and was buried in Lambeth in plotCon D3/598, but I now see that was Thomas Walter Brewster, with a Walter Downing joining him 20 years later. Mine was Thomas Henry Brewster, but the only record I could find related to a burial in 1933, when he would have been 130 years old! Sometimes this business is not straightforward. Of course, this surname has so much opportunity for typos.

Amelia Burley died in the New Year 1940 and was buried on 10 Jan 1940 at Camberwell New Cemetery, second of eight interments in plot 90/6132.

Eliza Chandler nee Burley was interred in Nunhead Cemetery on 13 Dec 1909, with her husband, who had been there for 6 years, in plot 75/26683. Their children joined them: Jane in 1917, Kathleen and Eliza in 1943, Robert in 1948 and Jessie in 1949. I was rather worried when I saw two died on the same day in March 1943 and looking into it found that 3rd Mar 1943 the Bethnal Green Tube disaster happened. However, they were not on the list of casualties and didn't live in the East End anyway.

Tuesday 22nd December 2020

Dealing with the Small family, most of them died across the river, and Alice in Lincolnshire.
Louisa Woodford nee Small was interred in Lambeth Cemetery on 30 Apr 1904. I dealt with her husband Reuben on 11th December (see below), who died 2 years later, when he was placed in another plot when they were "topping up". Plot ConE3/611 had four interments in 1859, then Louisa was one of five more added in 1904.

Cliff's great great-aunt Elizabeth Kelsey nee Brewster died in 1900 in Lambeth and was buried 14 Feb in Lambeth Cemetery in plot ConB3/297, where she was second of four "top-ups" in a grave occupied in 1860. Her hisband Henry had died 10 years earlier, when they lived in Bermondsey/Southwark and he was buried there

Henrietta Brewster died aged 6, when her parents were in Southwark, her death registered in Lambeth in the April quarter of 1872, but I cannot see her on Deceased Online's list.

Cliff's great great-uncle Joseph Brewster died Jan 1871 aged 36 and was buried on 8 Jan, third of six in 1871, followed by three more over the following 128 years. His wife Mary Ann had moved to Poplar by her death in 1914.

Joseph William Henry Brewster 's death was registered in the October quarter of 1962 in Lambeth but I cannot find him on the Lambeth list (or indeed any other). His wife Mary died there the following year, but I can't find her either.

His sister Martha Robinson nee Brewster was interred in Nunhead Cemetery, one of 22 in plot 45/27491 over a period of a month in Nov 1904. Her husband had been placed in the Lambeth Cemetery in 1886.

Monday 21st December 2020

Henry Charles Gamble junior died in Camberwell in Nov1938 and was buried on 5 Dec 1938 in Camberwell New Cemetery. His wife had been interred into a mass grave at Tooting in 1931, with 15 others, when they lived in Kennington.

Mary Ann Hatton Pearce nee Gamble a 2xg greataunt, died in 1921, her death registered in the July quarter in Wandsworth. I see a Mary Ann Pearce was interred in Lambeth Cemetery 26 Nov 1921 but that's too long a delay, even in winter time! Also, her husband wasn't there, the nearest with his name being Brompton Cemetery in January (his death registered in Wandsworth in July quarter, presumably by Mary Ann) 1916.

I thought I had found the last resting place of Victoria Louisa Gamble , aged 12, Lambeth Cemetery. But I realise that she appeared in 1911 census the following year, aged 13. So unless someone made an error, this is wrong..

William Isaac George Gamble , Uncle Bill, died in Oct 1959 in Lambeth and I see he was cremated at Honor Oak Crematorium on 5 Nov 1959 and Aunt Mag followed him there on 21 Jan 1982.

Louisa Woodford nee Hatton was interred into unconsecrated plot D3/840 in the Lambeth Cemetery (5th out of six) on 23 Sep 1886, As I said on 11th December (see below), her husband joined her 8 years later. Again, I don't know why, but guess she had typhoid or somesuch. I had assumed TB, as that was rife and killed at least some of the children.

Harriet Gamble nee Hawkins was buried at Lambeth Cemetery in plot ConA3/1632 on 5 Sep 1913. Her husband had been interred in Mortlake in 1890, as he was in the Workhouse there at the time.

Sunday 20th December 2020

Returning to the Deceased Online records, I found that my 2xg granduncle John Dance was buried in unconsecrated ground in Lambeth Cemetery on 15 May 1901 in plot UnConG3/480. He was followed in the subsequent days by 8 others. I don't know what he died of, so it may have been typhoid etc as I said before.

The rest of the Dances died in Hampshire, so on to the Gambles

Amy Ethel Lockyer nee Gamble died in Dec 1977 and was buried on 13th in Streatham Cemetery, part of the Lambeth group of cemeteries, in plot K750, inhabited by her husband since his interment on 3 Oct 1955 (just those two in plot)

I couldn't locate 2xg granduncle David Gamble in the list, but that's hardly surprising as he died at Middlesex County Asylum (actually built as the Surrey branch, in Wandsworth, not Middlesex at all), with a home address of 14 Hamilton Road, Brentford

Great granduncle Edward Isaac Gamble died in Nov 1951 in Camberwell and was buried in plot 88/42897 of Nunhead Cemetery on 22nd, second of four interments over 4 days. His wife Fanny had been interred in a different plot in that cemetery on 11 Feb 1941

Thursday 17th December 2020

We have just returned from a trip to Wales, where we said goodbye to my lovely mother-in-law Jessie Iris Smith nee Manhire. She lived to the age of 95, a "good innings", as they say, and was cremated in South Wales, where she lived for the last 40 years. RIP Jessie.

Saturday 12th December 2020

I knew my great great grandfather George Wooldridge died on 4th Nov 1893 at 20 Clayton Buildings, Lambeth, the flat I mentioned yesterday directly below that of my grandparents. I can now see he was buried on 11 Nov in plot ConO3/352 of Lambeth Cemetery, second of six interred there over 10 days. His wife Louisa (nee Catchesides) didn't join him when she died 22 years later, as she lived for most of that time in a Workhouse at Essex, and was no doubt buried there (usually unmarked). I noticed, when looking into the above, that Louisa in 1911 said she had given birth to 10 children, 4 of which had died by then. I only knew of 8, and have tracked down only one death (*). It didn't help that she and/or George appeared to be number-dyslexic, as the ages of their children were all over the place. I had assumed that Ellen born 1862 and Helen, 16 in 1871 were one and the same, but maybe not. I thought I had solved it when I found a baptism in the Westminster records, of four children with parents George and Louisa Wooldridge on 25 Jul 1870 at St Clement Danes. However, they lived in Battersea, so don't know why they would cross the river to baptise some of ther children and not others. Also, I can't locate the address they gave 1 Eversley Court. In the end I got so confused I had to give up.

In looking for the burial site of my great grandfather Henry John Wooldridge , known in the family as Grampy, I knew he died on 1 Jul 1954 at 27 Clayton Buildings, Lambeth, so he should be there. However, the only interment I could find with this name took place in 1875, when he was only six, in which case I would not be here myself!

My great great-uncle William Isaac Wooldridge was the one I marked * above, the one of Louisa's offspring I could see died before 1911. He died in Aug 1905 at 11 Clayton Buildings and was interred into plot Con D3/602 of Lambeth Cemetery on 29th, final of three in that plot over a few days.

Friday 11th December 2020

You may remember that I (and also my mother) was surprised to find out, when I started this project, that the man we knew as Uncle Charlie, Charles James Woodford , was in fact my grandmother's uncle, born 1888, the last of his generation. I can see him on the list of Deceased Online, at Lambeth Cemetery. The surprise for me regarding this was that he was cremated and his ashes scattered on the lawns at the crematorium in Tooting. I did not attend the funeral, as I was only six, but my mother did. However, I do remember asking her about it some years ago and she remembered nothing. It seems he died in St Thomas' Hospital, where I was born. I also found that an earlier "version" of him had been born in January 1886 but died aged 6 months, presumably not baptised as he was buried in unconsecrated plot E3/457. He had been born a year after sister Louisa and Uncle Charlie followed 2 years after his death.

His brother Edmund Woodford died in 1951, while living in Brixton. However, I cannot see him on this list, so he must have been buried somewhere else (not St Matthew's church, Brixton, as I have checked)

Jane Marriott Mellish nee Woodford was buried in that cemetery on 10 Apr 1926, but as she was only a cousin 4x removed I won't spend money on the list of names of 12 others buried with her.

John Woodford , my 3xg grandfather, however, was a direct descendant, so I can see he was interred on 22 Sep into plot ConR3/33, second of six over the final 10 days of Sep 1894.

Josiah Woodford was the 3xgreat uncle who died in 1871 of smallpox 10 days after his wife died of typhoid, leaving two small daughters who were sent away to an orphanage in Bristol. Josiah was one of 6 interred into plot ConH3/696 on 18 Jun 1871, followed by another seven over the next few days. In 1917 they topped up the plot with another five. I don't know why, but his wife Millicent had been put into unconsecrated ground plot C3/404 with two others. Maybe typhoid was dealt with differently, as you couldn't be vaccinated against it, as you could against smallpox (not that vaccination helped Josiah) until 1896, 25 years later, and they didn't know at the time that it was contracted through food/water not contact.

My great great grandfather Reuben John Woodford died on 7 Feb 1906 and I can now see he was buried in Lambeth Cemetery plot ConD3/757. This was the other side of the story, in that 10 interments were performed on this plot in 1858-9 and then Reuben was added on 14 Feb 1906.

Because of the confusion in the family, the man who I knew as Uncle Reub, Reuben John Woodford junior , was actually my Nan's uncle. He was the one who lived in a flat directly below Nan, married to Aunt Lil. He died the year after Uncle Charlie 1963, and again I didn't attend his funeral, being only seven. I can see he too was cremated, on 10th May, and his ashes scattered at the crematorium.

Thursday 10th December 2020

This exercise is expensive, as Deceased Online charge £1.50 for each plot and it is mounting up. But today's discoveries have made it all worthwhile.

Cliff's paternal grandparents were Herbert Henry Smith senior and Edith Annie nee Roffey, parents of the Herbert I was checking yesterday. I just noticed I had the death record of their son in 1944 on the file of Herbert Henry senior. Finding Edith's interment in the new records, I see Herbert went ahead of her in 1932 and she was placed with him in plot ConE1/310 of Lambeth Cemetery on 11 Apr 1936. This explains why I couldn't find him/them in 1939 Register.

Edith's father Manlius William Roffey (Cliff's great grandfather) was also buried there, interred 3rd of six in plot ConM3/534 over the first week of May 1891.

You may remember that I discovered fairly recently that my maternal great grandmother Carrie ( Catherine Wooldridge nee Woodford ) had a daughter before my grandmother, called after herself, who died just before her third birthday in 1906. I have found her interment, in plot ConD3/430, first of 17. By 1934, when Carrie died, in Jan 1934, they were evidently reusing old plots and she went into plot ConI3/1135 8th of 18 in the grave originally occupied by Frederick Smith and George Spackman in 1881.

Wednesday 9th December 2020

My notes now direct me to check the Smith branch - wish me luck!

Edwin Smith was last seen in Lambeth in 1891 census. There is a burial the following year in Lambeth Cemetery, but equally he may be the one who married in 1915 in his birth-town of Potterspury. Electoral Roll records don't help as there are 13 by this name in the Vauxhall area alone (where he was last seen)

Ellen Smith was buried there in 1896 aged 19 but I have already found this plot.

Henry William Smith died aged 21 and his death was registered in the October quarter of 1875. I see a burial record in Lewisham Cemetery dated 9 August, with 7 others in the plot, but I don't want to spend more money on this surname.

Cliff's uncle Herbert Henry Smith died in Jan 1944 and his death registered in Wandsworth, where he was living, and may well be the interment of plot 11/180 of Streatham Cemetery. However, I do not recognise the Emily who joined him in 1967 (mind you, with this surname, she may not even be known to him, let alone a relative!)

The final branch I need to check is the Taylors, who married into the Coxes, but again they tended to move away from London.

( Maurice) Sidney Taylor may have died in Lambeth, as he was last seen there in 1939 Register. However, his wife died in 1942 in Camberwell but I cannot pin down her burial. There are 96 entries for Sidney Taylor, as he was known, as I can't narrow it down to year.

The trouble with this branch is that they tended to be known by their middle names. William James Taylor was an example, as he was Jim, and I have no idea when or where he died. Also, if he married.

Tuesday 8th December 2020

Moving on to Lilian Ada Cox , I found she was buried in Nunhead Cemetery, with her father Charles John Cox , who had died a year before, in plot 27/38978. Her sister-in-law Helene nee Jager was the other in the same plot, buried Mar 1947.

My great great-aunt Sarah Ann nee Cox (Tal) died 31 Oct 1931 in Lambeth and I can see her on the new records, in plot Con13/977 at Lambeth Cemetery, second interment in the grave inhabited by Jonathan Seaman since 1880, of fifteen dating from Nov 1931 to Jan 1932.

According to my notes, the next branch is the Mays (on father-in-law Cliff's tree). However, most were in other parts of the country at death.
Alice Sarah nee May 's death was registered in Jun 1945 in Battersea, and I see she was buried in plot 12/923 in Streatham Cemetery (one of the Lambeth Cemetery group) first interment in this plot, followed by 12 others over the next month.

Frances Sophia May died aged 7 and should be there in Lambeth Cemetery, but as this was 1850 it was very early.

James Edward May was interred into plot 21/30519 of Old Camberwell Cemetery on 6th Mar 1947. I visited that cemetery a few years ago, but didn't find the grave. He was 4th of five in that plot over a month.

Rachel Sarah nee May died in Jan 1930, a few months after her husband Henry. and was buried in plot ConU3/313 of Lambeth Cemetery. Her husband was one of the last listed in Southwark Parish Records in 1929, and there is no note of where he was interred. Rachel was followed in her plot a few years later by an Eleanor Miller in 1935 and an Edith in 1936, maybe Henry's sisters or daughters I don't know of.

Rosina/Rosa Alice May is probably the burial in Lambeth dated 21 Jan 1882, as she died there aged 3. I don't want to spend money on opening this record as it is transcribed as Maynard.

Sunday 6th December 2020

Albert Cox was born in early December 1886 to George William Cox, my great great uncle and his wife Bessie nee King but sadly died at the age of 3 months. He was buried in Lambeth Cemetery plot ComJ3/428, on 9th Mar 1887, the 17th in a communal plot opened 2 weeks earlier. t2 more interments followed in the next few days, then 2 more in 1940 and 1962, when the cemetery was almost full and they were "topping up".

I have four Barnard Cox es on my tree, and when I found a burial in Lambeth Cemetery I hoped it was that of my 3xg grandfather, but details led me to my cousin 4x removed, buried in plot ConB3/305 with three others in February 1900. However this led to my discovery of his marriage to Sarah Hopson in 1862 in Lambourne, birth of four children and moving to Lambeth in 1867.

Dewey Florence Cox , daughter of Edward and Harriet (Annie) nee Taylor, was born Dec 1900 (sister of author Vic, for regular readers, although born 9 years before him). She died at the end of January 1902 in Kennington, where her father was managing the Off Licence, and I now see she was buried in communal plot ConD3/225 at Lambeth Cemetery on 10 Feb 1902, 16th interment of 21 in that plot. All of these were in the first half of Feb 1902, then a final one in 2012.

When I came to Eliza Jane Gamble nee Cox , my great grandmother, I had a surprise, as she was buried in Camberwell Old Cemetery, one I had visited a few years ago. I had long lists of ancestors for that cemetery, and did find a few, but they were all on other branches. Now I can see that she was buried in plot 102/27618 4th of 15 interments over the first 2 weeks of Feb 1923.

The George Williams had very different stories. George William Cox 1 died at the Workhouse in Kennington and was "buried there by friends". George William Cox 2 died on 3 Sep 1939 (didn't quite wait for 1939 Register on 29th) and was buried on 14th Sep at the Lambeth Cemetery in plot ConV3/287, third interment of 19 over 3 months. George William Cox 3 was killed in action in France and buried there at the Doullens Communal Cemetery.

Saturday 5th December 2020

As my newspaper searches have ground to a halt, and are not worth the time they take, I have ceased.

Deceased Online sent me an email yesterday, advising of the 580,000 records they have just added to their collection of those interred/cremated at Lambeth Cemetery (which is in fact 3 cemeteries and 2 crematoria). I do know of some, especially those on the Greater London Burial Index released fairly recently. But will pick up where I left off with those, namely the Cox family (on my maternal Grandfather's tree)

Tuesday 1st December 2020

Sorry not to be updating here - I have such a lot on at the moment, I will probably only get a chance to drop in once a week for the foreseeable future. If you have any questions, comments etc please email me at the address above.

Monday 23rd November 2020

Sorry for the delay - I have another project on at the moment

Eliza Woodford search only came up with Mrs, so I moved on to Elizabeth Woodford

In 1886. Elizabeth 4 died on 2nd Aug and was buried on 4th. This was the only sure hit of 9 Elizabeths.

Emily Woodford - nothing

Emma Woodford - nothing

Ernest Alfred Woodford - there was a boy with this name of the correct age who appeared in court for stealing a ring and pawning it, but no address was given or name of father to confirm this.

Ettie Maud Woodford - nothing

Wednesday 18th November 2020

Although on Sunday, I said "nothing" regarding Algernon Woodford, I see under his father's name Edmund Charles Woodford , there is a mention of the decision that he pay towards the expenses of keeping his son Algernon in the mental hospital. He must have done so as he was still there 19 years later in 1939. Edmund appeared a few times over the years, called by the coroner to give evidence as an expert witness. He helped in 1904 by describing in detail a fatal accident whereby a trap was overturned, so when a consignment of lamb's fat was stolen in 1919 he was called again to give his opinion (same coroner and by then Ed was Deputy Meat Agent for Devon)

Edwin Woodford was secretary of the local Rugby Club in 1905 and made arrangements for the Christmas Dance

Eli Woodford appeared on the occasion of his marriage. All I previously had was month and town, so this helps a lot.

Tuesday 17th November 2020

Nothing emerged on any of the Charles Woodfords

Clara Woodford - nothing

Cordelia Woodford - nothing

David Woodford 1 appeared in court in 1882, aged 45, one of a bunch of 13 men who were found drinking in the Rutland Arms, Old Dalby after hours. They pleaded guilty and were fined 6s 3d each and Mrs Marriott (who owned the pub and may have been a relative) fined 40s and her licence endorsed. One of the bunch was a Thomas Woodford, so may also have been a relative (I can't tell as there is no age etc given)

David Woodford 2 - I spent some time on this 2nd Sep 2018 - see then, as he appeared in the newspapers several times

Nothing found for the three Edith Woodfords

Sunday 15th November 2020

Beatrice Annie Woodford . I came across what no genealogist ever wants to find; a newspaper account of a court case involving an indecent assault on an ancestor. The case was held in August 1903 and both Beatrice and her mother Elizabeth gave evidence and identified the accused. Beatrice was aged eleven, considered old enough to testify, although another youngster, William Wadsworth, aged seven, was considered too young to do so. In the end, the accused was acquitted as his workmates swore he was with them and the case fell apart, considered as Mistaken Identity. I see from my notes that the family had just moved at this time to the Grantham area from Harby, Leicestershire, and can still be seen there in 1911 census. Beatrice married in 1915, in Melton Mowbray.
NB Looking into the language used, I suspect this was "merely" a flashing, rather an actual assault.

Bertha Woodford - nothing

Bertram John Woodford - died in France in WW1 but nothing in local news

Catherine Woodford - I found this in the Leicester Journal of 3 Nov 1871, but without more detail I cannot tell if it was my Catherine, living at the time with her widowed father and her illegitimate daughter. This last detail may be related, but I cannot find out more

Catherine Emma & Catherine Selina produced nothing too

Saturday 14th November 2020

Continuing with the searches:

Algernon Woodford - nothing

Alice Woodford x2 - nothing

Andrew Woodford appeared twice - his death in 1882 and his marriage in 1860:

There were 5 Ann Woodfords, but I was unable to attach any reports to any of them, as most were just names

Anna Maria Woodford - nothing, but she did die aged 29

Anne Woodford x3 - nothing

Aubrey Woodford - nothing

Annie Woodford - nothing

Arthur Woodford x3 - nothing in the newspapers, but I have found the death of Arthur Fardell Woodford in 1914 in Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire, so he was probably still living with his daughter Ettie. I had previously put his death at 1932.

Aubrey Woodford - nothing

Wednesday 11th November 2020

Moving on to the next name is difficult, as it would be Small. As with May, this search is impossible, because it cannot differentiate between the name and the word. So on to Woodford, which I am aware is also a place, having stayed there when at University. As this is the founding family of my study, I have hundreds of them... Limiting the search to Leicestershire & Nottinghamshire (unless one of those in London) helps, but generally comes up with cricket selection/scores, which I don't do.

Abraham Woodford - nothing

Ada Woodford - I thought I had something as in 1886 an Ada Woodford was arrested for drunkenness in Nottingham, which was where one of mine came from, until I realised she was born that year. Ada Rosina Woodford was in London, no hits.

Adam Woodford appeared in a list of those accused of not submitting a list of employees not eligible to serve on juries in 1862. He was an Overseer at Old Dalby Hall, in charge of a team of gardeners, so I'm not sure how that went; gardeners probably didn't need to know how to read & write. Earlier that year he had charged one Elizabeth Greasley with neglecting her illegitimate child, but the case was dismissed. What business it was of his I don't know.
The other by that name, "infant son of James Woodford of Old Dalby" appeared in a death announcement in 1861.

Albert had died in 1911 of cancer, but in 1879 (aged 18) he had appeared in court, accusing another man of stealing his new boots at the swimming bath. Apparently the thief had swapped his old ones for Alfred's and had been seen walking off in them! The sentence was 2 months hard labour, and the bathkeeper said 5 pairs of boots had gone missing recently.

Tuesday 10th November 2020

Sorry for the delay; I have been looking into the intriguing (and confusing) stories of Uncle Bill May (Cliff's uncle) with Eunice Belsham in Australia. Now I must press on here...

William Henry Parker and William James Parker were also uncle and nephew, living in North London. A lot of hits were regarding a senior police officer who specialised in the new science of fingerprinting, which I find fascinating. But neither name came up with anything.

Thursday 5th November 2020

John Henry Parker Junior was nephew of the one I did yesterday. In order to trace him backwards, as ever, I had to search Herefordshire and Worcestershire from his death in 1973 back to 1919, when he married there, then London as a young man & child. Apart from the publisher mentioned yesterday, I found a lot of hits related to a medical officer of prisons by this name, but nothing relating to mine.

His sister, Marian Parker , remained in North London all her life, but of course after 1912 she was Mrs Hill. I found nothing for her.

Mary Ann Parker was another 2xgreataunt, and the same as Marian until she became Mrs Holgate in 1880. I hope she wasn't the one by that name who had her purse snatched from her person on 4th May 1880 (i.e. 11 days before her wedding). The thief had the cheek to blame her. Most hits on this name were a ship, but one was the capsizing of a pleasure boat due to messing around (she was 14 at the time so I could believe it) but it was in Leicester, when she never left London.

Wednesday 4th November 2020

John Henry Parker senior , my great great-uncle, lived for 19 years in north London, then died there. He and his father James caused me much frustration, as there were a couple of historians who wrote under the names "John Henry and James Parker" but were father and son the other way around. I think they were booksellers/publishers, come to think of it; they were much too proliferate and varied to be writers.
Later: I confirmed this, they were publishers and had two shops, one in Oxford, one in London.

Monday 2nd November 2020

George William Parker gave me 235 hits, covering 100 years for my ancestors; great great-uncle and his son (although he seemed to use Walter as his middle name after the death of his brother William). I have examined all of them to no avail.

I have a James Parker Senior and Junior too, my 3xg grandfather and my 2xg. I had to use the search term Clerkenwell, as there were too many hits. And came up with nothing applicable.

Sunday 1st November 2020

My great grandmother Emily Ann Parker came up with nothing, searching with her middle name, and without was again mainly a ship! There was also a "championship swimmer" who appeared in many newspapers from 1875, but she was fifteen at that time and my great grandmother was twenty - you wouldn't make an error like that at that age! This young lady also had a brother (also a swimming champion and her trainer) Henry/Harry and mine didn't. There was in 1869 another Emily Parker in the correct area, Clerkenwell, but again she was the wrong age, this time 85 instead of 14. Also an 18-year-old prostitute was attacked in the street in Marylebone when my ancestor was only 10.

Again Emma Amelia Parker came up with nothing and Emma alone thousands of hits, mostly again a ship.

Friday 30th October 2020

Albert Edward Parker started off well (for me) in that I found a newspaper article straight away that appeared to be him. It gave his names, including the middle name, but gave the address as "Evelyn Avenue, Kingsbury". He had lived at Evelyn Street, Deptford in 1911, when he was in the Metropolitan Police, but otherwise lived in Edmonton, North London. So I think this was a coincidence. The story was regarding a fatal road accident, where a pedestrian walked out in front of him, hidden by a van parked illegally at a crossing, and then drove off. He was a warehouseman and this was a delivery van, but he was by then 68, so would have been retired. He died the following year, so I hope this wasn't exacerbated by the stress. Nowadays, of course, CCTV would have confirmed his story, but there were several witnesses who did anyway.
In 1947 there was another by his name, this time a milkman from Sydenham, who helped with an illegal "betting house", but he was 11 years too young. In 1925 an article appeared mentioning a Town Hall employee, which was definitely him, as I know he worked at the Town Hall for at least 20 years. There was a most amusing article published in 1894 telling of one by his name, who had been released from Wandsworth Prison, realising he did not know where his girlfriend was living, telegraphed the Queen to ask her. He said he found that the Queen had been killed by her staff, so he contacted the Mayor. He was brought up before him and declared a lunatic, so conveyed to an asylum. This was obviously not my ancestor, as he was only seven at the time!

Amelia Jane Parker , my great great-aunt, with her middle name, had only two hits, both turned out to be married ladies. When I removed the middle name I found a very naughty young lady who I wished was mine because of the stories popping up. She was arrested in Birmingham with her friend for loitering and when searched, police found hidden in their bustles the proceeds of a robbery. When investigated, they were found to be part of a series of burglaries in the area.

There were three generations of Charles James Robert Parker , but I got no hits with all the names. Just Charles gave me thousands, including many stories regarding Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles. Charles James Parker was mostly a bishop in Gloucester, while Charles Robert Parker a firm of solicitors in Greenwich. None of this was appropriate to me.

Edith Parker died aged 25, and her name only appeared with the wrong address applying to a girl who was regularly arrested for shoplifting in the West End through the 1910s and the activities of a contralto singer, neither mine.

Great great-aunt Eliza Ann Parker was next. Both names used in a search came up with a lot relating to a breach of promise case but it was in Sheffield, not London. Just Eliza gave me mostly a boat and nothing for her.

Wednesday 28th October 2020

William Cox 2 lived quietly in the village of Oxted all of his life, so no hits.

William Cox 1 died in 1875 and the first article I found said "two young men..." As he was 85 I don't think it was him. I'm not sure what he was up to in the years between 1841 & his death as he wasn't with his wife and children in the censuses. Mind you, in 1841 where I have found him, he was at the salon in Market Place, Wantage with his apprentice. There are very many convictions in between these dates (mainly for drunkenness), so he may have been in prison, but none gives any detail (age, address etc) by which I could identify him. His wife died in 1860 and if this is him, he must have become a blacksmith - his father was, and his brother Henry, so it may have been so. She appears to be known as Mary here (or it's a typo). In 1858 a William Cox of Wantage was fined for refusing to pay an assistant William Carter, but the article doesn't say what the business was. I have just found the death of the hairdresser in Wantage in 1843, so that wasn't the same as the husband mentioned in the above article.

Winifred Cox is a fairly unusual name, and the only possibility told of a little girl of 2 who was run over. As I know mine married and died of cancer aged 71, I can be confident this is irrelevant.

Tomorrow, on to the Parkers, on my Dad's tree. Emily Ann was my great-grandmother and married George Henry Matthews, one of the children brought from Bath to London, and created a branch in the Clerkenwell area.

Tuesday 27th October 2020

Continuing with William Cox 3 , I was thrilled to find so much detail in his obituary. I see also that William and son Gordon had in 1945 been in trouble for not sealing a cesspit on their land. One can only imagine the "inconvenience" this caused in the village. In court Gordon stated he was going to replace the whole thing when workers came back from War Service. (The Women's Institute were also in trouble for failing to dispose safely of their waste into the existing facilities). Other than that, I found nothing in the search, as most hits were a bookshop/stationers in Whitstable High Street (oddly the place my mother, whose tree this is, retired to 150 years later).

Sunday 25th October 2020

There are three William Coxes in my tree. In reverse as usual, I shall deal with William 3 first. This has just changed, as I have discovered he didn't die in 1927 (that guy had a wife called Elizabeth who hadn't gone before him) and I can now see him in 1939 Register, at the same address as previous records; Hammer Field, Westerham, Kent, with son Gordon (master builder) and his wife, also daughters Ruth and Ethel, retired school teachers. This has led me to change his death to Apr 1947, in Tonbridge, Kent, aged 91. Gordon died the following year in Guys Hospital London.

Saturday 24th October 2020

Rebecca Cox appeared only once, and was a ship, Richard Cox nothing I could match, nor Sarah Cox, although the latter was interesting in that there was one by her name who married a bigamist, then expired just after he had given her a pill. She was not on my tree, as mine was only eight at the time of this marriage, and survived to marry my great great-uncle in 1915. Another Sarah Cox in the same year 1866 appeared telling of a man who seduced her, pretending to be a surgeon, then gave her medication to give her a miscarriage. She lived in Camberwell, as did my Sarah, but as I say she was only eight.

Sidney George Cox apparently died in Stanmore, where he was the licensee of The Fountain pub and was aged 78. This was not true as he died in Potters Bar Hospital in 1971 aged 69, lived in Kennington in his work years, packing machinery. The only time he really appeared in the newspapers was in 1943 when he was fined 20s for a light showing during the blackout at his home in Balham. As they moved to Stevenage after this, and Hertfordshire newspapers aren't listed after 1916, he appears no more.

I know very little about the four Thomas Coxes on my tree, not nearly enough to confirm any stories.

As far as Victor Allerton Cox is concerned, I know many stories, as he was an author and I have his autobiographical accounts. And anyway, with the middle name I had no hits, without it well over a thousand. I did look through these and fund one in 1905, where Victor was Best Man to his brother Edward, who was marrying a young lady with the great name of Florence Eighteen. There were several problems with this though, as my Vic wasn't born until 1909 - although he did have a brother Edward, who was also a "no-go" as he was Killed In Action in 1917 aged 18, never having married. The other Victor (Victor Frank Cox) was similar and he did marry a girl with an excellent name; Parthenia Stevens.

Friday 23rd October 2020

The 3 James Coxes on my tree were all different, so I searched individually.

"Plain" James , my 5xgreat uncle, was a little early, as he was born 1754. He had an uncle by the same name, even earlier (born 1728) so nothing for them. J ames Henry Cox my 3xgreat uncle came up with no hits - but then I don't know if he did die at the same time as his wife in 1892. His grandson was the other James Henry Cox, but again came up with nothing.

Jemima Cox had no matches, even under her other name of Jane

John Thomas Cox (poor man!) had nothing too, and the same applied to Lilian (x2) and Louisa, Maria/Minnie, Martha and Mary. The last name appeared several times, generally as victim of crime, but as all I know is her birth & baptism, I can go no further.

Thursday 22nd October 2020

My 4xgreat uncle, Henry Cox 's death was announced in the Reading Mercury on 1st June 1861. Unfortunately the landlord of a pub in the area was named Henry Cox - my ancestor was a blacksmith with 11 children, so very different. I just have to doubly check. There was also a police constable by that name, always a difficulty, and a grocer, frequently prosecuting thieves. I suppose a blacksmith could be asked to do labouring jobs, but he evidently wasn't the one who cut a branch off a tree in 1829, and fell, as that man did not survive.

Henry Thomas Cox , known in the family as Lal, had an interesting story, born in Berkshire then going to London as a child and working in a tobacco factory, injured in WW1, returning to London, then relocating to Liverpool when the company was merged, and he died there of cancer due to the product. However, none of this appeared in newspapers.

Hester Cox was too early.

Wednesday 21st October 2020

Nothing arose regarding Edith and Edward. My great grandmother Eliza Cox seemed to sail all over the world, but it turned out to be the name of a ship! I'm not sure if the lady herself ever left South London. There were a couple of hits too for a Mrs Eliza Cox. There was one very disturbing account; Eliza Cox was stabbed in the eye by Sarah Cox, her sister in Rotherhithe. Now, this was upsetting for me as my great grandmother not only lived in Rotherhithe but had a sister called Sarah. Reading the detail though, showed me they were both married, so weren't mine. It turned out to be a bigamy case and they both married a Mr Cox. Nothing else emerged on my ancestor. The other Eliza Cox on my tree was equally disturbing; an account of her, a servant aged 21, in a house fire in 1858 (she was 23 but may have appeared younger or lied about her age). Anyway, this wasn't her; the fire was in Dublin and she did not survive. "Mine" was a servant to a Water Company executive in South London.

I have only two full Elizabeths, one died aged 3 and one was born in 1777, so was actually too early for most newspapers.

There was an odd coincidence (fire) re Emily Cox. In 1870 there was an account of a fire at Rotherhithe, involving an Emily and her brother Henry, greengrocers. Henry was injured in the fire jumping out of the window, but Emily escaped unharmed. My great great-aunt Emily had no brother Henry, and although I cannot locate her for sure in 1871 census, I think she may have been a servant in Herne Hill.

There were no hits for Esther, so on to the Georges. "Plain" George gave me hundreds of thousands, so I have to use their middle names. George Henry Cox gave nothing right. I have three on my tree in the name of George William Cox; my great great grandfather, his son and grandson. This did look initially very amusing, as a George William Cox aged 92 was arrested for being drunk & disorderly in South Norwood in 1911. This would make him older even than my GW Senior, born in 1824. Investigating, I saw that the age had been mistranscribed as the type was blurred, and was really 32. None of my GWs fitted and nothing popped up for them from then on.

Sunday 18th October 2020

Today I was reading of a "little boy" Charles Walter Cox , (aged 11) "son of Charles Cox, a deaf and dumb shoemaker", who was arrested in 1888 for stealing 27 rabbit skins and subsequently sent to an Industrial School, as his mother was dead and his father "could do nothing with him". Fortunately he was not on my tree, and reading round I see that the father had been in court himself the previous year for attacking a pub landlord, so a troublesome family. The father had previous too, having assaulted a young lady in the street in 1884, then the mother hearing of the sudden death of her niece suddenly died herself (it wasn't the niece who he assaulted) and in 1883 arrested for "being quarrelsome and refusing to leave licensed premises" - I suspect we have here the reason for all this trouble.

The Elephant & Castle Inn at Hurst, Berkshire passed to Charles Albert Cox in 1878. Use of the middle name raised my hopes, but as my ancestor of that name wasn't born until 1884, it evidently wasn't him.

Most of the hits here were concerning an auctioneer, before and after his death.

The search for Dewey Cox was confusing, largely through sportsmen by both names playing in the same team, and a John Dewey who rowed, sometimes listed as a cox. The same applied to Doris Cox.

Saturday 17th October 2020

Charles Cox , my 3xgreat-uncle, lived in Croydon for all of his adult life, and I am sure this is him, as he lived a mile away from the church and was 65 at the time of publishing this article in 1908. I read a harrowing account of one by this name committing suicide in 1905 on the railway line near Farnham. He wasn't "mine" fortunately

Thursday 15th October 2020

An assortment of Charles Coxes over the years had a variety of adventures, including a schoolboy burned by putting a piece of phosphorus in his pocket in a chemistry lesson (then his teacher compounding the problem by recommending an ointment which made it worse, and prevented skin-grafting), a writer of historical/archaeological textbooks (especially one I very much approve of called The Laws of Heredity), and various others robbed from, found guilty of loitering, and members of various committees. But none I could prove my own.

Wednesday 14th October 2020

The remaining articles featuring a Thomas Hawkins in 1840s and 1830s were evidently not him, as they were of deaths, or prisoners transported for life. As he was alive and well in 1841 census, one of 10 servants at a large farm in Throwley, Kent, these were evidently concerning others by that name. One was a terrible accident at the powder mills in Dartford in 1833, but it can't have been the 21-year-old on my tree, as he was blown up and his body parts found over a large area.. Equally he coudn't have been the Thomas Hawkins who was Clerk of the Canterbury Racecourse, because articles quoting this as his occupation date back to before "mine" was born. And the announcement of his death in Strood aged 57 was when "mine" was aged 2 and very much alive.

The final ancestor was William Henry Hawkins , who was born in Canterbury but moved to Mortlake, Surrey and was my 3xgreat grandfather, father of Harriet. I couldn't link any item with him.

The next name is Cox, from the same tree, linked by the marriage of Eliza Jane (Lizzie) Cox to my great grandfather Isaac Gamble in 1892.

Despite distractions regarding rowing and apples, I am searching for individual names again. The search for Alberts, Alices, Anns, Archibalds, Barnards and Catherines were unforthcoming and Charles was full of the chairman of Gillingham Football Club. I shall continue tomorrow.

Tuesday 13th October 2020

I mentioned on Sunday finding two more generations of John Hawkins es on this tree, my 4xg grandfather and his grandfather my 6xg grandfather. However, I know so little about them and the newspapers of the 1700s are so difficult to follow, I have no news on either. All I can say is that John Hawkins Junior was born in Feb 1770 in Chatham, Kent to Richard and Elizabeth nee Wooding (3 generations married Elizabeths), married Elizabeth Porter on Christmas Day 1792 in Canterbury and had 10 children, 2 dying in infancy. He died 1840 in Canterbury. His grandfather John Hawkins Senior was born around 1700 and married Elizabeth Thorpe on 1 Aug in Colchester, Essex, having Richard 2 years later back in Kent.

John Francis Hawkins was son of John Senior, and was my 4xgreat-uncle. Unfortunately no newspaper articles exist using his middle name, and I have grave doubts about my details of the rest of his story, as he married someone 28 years younger than himself and had at least 9 children in 1841 census, all gone by the next. I had 21 possible deaths and 8 possible marriages, none of which fit the new 1841 census (with all the children)

His sister Phoebe Hawkin s came up with nothing, using any spelling.

Richard Hawkins came between the two Johns mentioned above. He was born 1729 in Rochester to John senior and Elizabeth nee Thorp and married there on 3 Mar 1754 to Elizabeth Wooding. As far as I can see they had only 2 children, their namesakes John and Elizabeth, the latter dying in infancy. Elizabeth died aged 61 six years later and Richard in 1811. I have just found a couple of sale notices of a piece of land dated Sep 1790, where Richard was living in his 70s, after his wife died and he had sold the farm buildings etc in 1785 after they lost their daughter. There was nothing for his final years, but he was buried in Elham, near the farm mentioned above in Dec 1811.

There were also no hits for his granddaughter Sarah Hawkins , and of course she became Mrs Cole in 1819.

Her brother Thomas Hawkins was born in Kent, married twice and moved to Lambeth/Camberwell, South London. So the search was complex and it is a common name. I have discovered his second wife Eliza remarried in 1873 in Lambeth, so have amended his death in 1880 in Canterbury to one in Southwark in 1871. He may well have been the "assistant" by his name who testified against an ex-colleague who forged work orders and ran off with the solder concerned, in 1864. There was a court case in Newington in 1849, where a fellow workmate stole 2 coats from him (among others), where he had to identify the guilty party. The perpetrator had been in court on several previous similar occasions, and it was decided he had been lucky and this time was sentenced to a year's hard labour in Brixton House of Correction (the magistrate said he should have been transported previously).

Sunday 11th October 2020

The next name is Hawkins, my great great grandmother Harriet married James Gamble. There aren't many on my tree, so I shall search on each individually.

Charles Hawkins was an inauspicious start, as due to the fact that I had an alternative story for him around the time of his marriage (which I have now abandoned, incidentally) I didn't knw where to look for details of him. I have located his burial record and did wonder about a baby who was added 5 years later to his plot, one Lavinia Smith. I now see that his widow Rhoda married a Thomas Smith the year after he died and thus used his plot to bury their baby daughter, who died in infancy. There is very little before his marriage (as I said above I don't really know where to look) but the chap of his name who was found guilty in Canterbury (his birthplace) in 1852 of stealing some tame rabbits turned out to be younger than 16, so wasn't "ours", he being 43. In 1846 when he was 37 there was a carrier by his name accused of taking a barrow belonging to his employer and selling it on. After detailed examination he was acquitted. He had appeared in court three times in recent years; I have seen one was for inciting a crowd against the authorities, one was when he had had a plum pudding stolen from him. And in 1841 he was acquitted of running away with a publican's wife - and some of his property. If this was my Charles, he mixed with mischievous company, including publicans, more of this later.

His sister Charlotte Hawkins married a William Marshall, so left the name, but I cannot find the marriage and they had no children. In later years, when she was Mrs Marshall, she herself was a publican, and had her brother Charles stay with her in 1861. However, I cannot find her in the newspapers under either name.

Their sister Elizabeth Ann Hawkins married William Pullen in 1827 and lived in Kent until she died aged 46. The only item I could find regarding her was the death announcement.

My great great grandmother Harriet Hawkins was their granddaughter but only bore that name from 1825-43, during which there were no hits on the search under her maiden name, or then subsequently under Mrs Harriet Gamble.

John Hawkins , my 4xgreat grandfather, lived all his life in Canterbury. I shall deal with him another day, as investigating the records, I have just taken this tree back another couple of generations...

Saturday 10th October 2020

I have read a lot this morning concerning Jane Ingram "leaky" and "lost on the sand", but this is not either of my ancestors by that name, but a vessel carrying passengers and occasionally goods between England and various other ports.
But this one was her: She can be seen as schoolmistress at Hull Workhouse in censuses of 1871 & 1881. Unfortunately I lose her at this point; she may have married but I don't know where to look for her then. I have several alternatives, but the newspapers don't help.

Jemima Ingram was the lady who found her mother hanged but this was the only newspaper article under this name (of course Jemima junior was Mrs Matthews after 1838).

Maria Ingram was her sister, 10 years older, at that time living nearby with 5 children. The newspaper search only goes back to 1835, by which she was Mrs Eldridge.

There was a Richard Ingram about the same age as my ancestor, imprisoned at age 16 for stealing the clothes of swimmers in the Serpentine (in London), but I don't know it was him; it would explain where he was in the 1841 census taken around that time. This was before he settled down and married, in London, then died there aged 28

Newspapers helped fill in the details of the teaching career of Sarah Ann Ingram . I knew she was Pupil Teacher in Exeter in 1871, then Certified Teacher in Carlton, Leicestershire in 1881. She was also mentioned as appointed Assistant School Mistress in Jan 1876 at Lincoln Street Girls' School, Hull (she was living at Downham Market at that time), then in Apr 1877 same at Sir Henry Cooper girls' school (named after the Mayor of Hull, not the boxer).

The final two are William Ingram , and the newspapers filled in the career of the prison governor. This clip shows that he moved from Bath to Devonport in 1854. I did guess this, as daughter Sarah Ann was born in the former in 1853 and daughter Emily in the latter in 1856. He was evidently at Market Bosworth Workhouse in 1869 and at the time of the census in 1871. However, the family moved in 1871 to Hull and he died shortly afterwards of consumption.

William Henry Ingram , his son, wasn't helped by the newspapers as he emigrated to USA in 1865 at the age of 18.

Friday 9th October 2020

Neither Henry Ingram appeared in the newspapers of anywhere they lived, as far as I can see (several counties).

I had trouble when searching for my two James Ingram s, with Sir James Ingram, in the papers constantly, and Rev James Ingram from Scotland, who lived to 103, likewise. Otherwise nothing.

Thursday 8th October 2020

The next name is Ingram, my Dad's great grandmother's branch. Originally mostly in Bath, unfortunately this family scattered all over the place. So I shall search on names and bring you anything appropriate. As you may remember, this family had a big drama at its centre, in that Jemima went round to her mother's house one day in 1850 to find she had hanged herself. This threw the entire family into chaos, naturally.

Charles Lewis Ingram (her son) was affected and tried to commit suicide himself. See 3rd May 2016, where I told the entire story. This was taken from newspaper accounts, so I don't need to seek them out.

There were two Elizabeth Ingram s in the correct areas, causing me difficulties. One was a midwife, much older than mine, and the other a married woman (she was entertaining as she appeared many times, using obscene language, with a variety of excuses).

Emily Ingram 's sudden death aged 63 made the newspapers.

[I have had a solution to a red herring - sorry for the mixed metaphors - Emily Charlotte Ingram, who I suffered from in the past. It seems she was a widow and thus not born Ingram]

George Ingram 3 was previously a "licensing inspector" for the police, who lost his job under suspicious circumstances - I told the story on 7th May 2016 & 13th Mar 2018. He filled the papers, for the wrong reasons, at this time 1889, but his marriage appeared in 1870. Unfortunately, they got a few details wrong, as Emma was from Stoke Dameral and George from Bath, both by then living in Salford, Lancs.

Wednesday 7th October 2020

Thomas Herbert Hatton died in WW1 in Flanders in 1917, and was reported to be one of the names on the war memorial erected in 1919. He was the son of Herbert (see yesterday) so lived on the estate at Ragdale Hall.

The other Thomas Hatton on my tree was a bricklayer who lived in Swepstone, my 5xg-uncle. He may have been the one who was noted to have attended a parish dinner at the Queen's Head, Ashby-de-la-zouch in 1856. He had no children, as his wife Dorothy was 18 years older than him and 48 years old at marriage. To be honest, I am surprised their burials didn't merit a mention in the local paper, as they were a mere 7 weeks apart. I have searched to no avail.
[There was a Thomas Hatton in Ashby who was found guilty of attacking his father, who was from Liverpool, in 1841 and got 6 weeks hard labour for it. Thomas Senior was evidently living with his son after his plumbing business failed, and they could not agree on things. It makes for fascinating reading, but is ultimately not relevant.]
The final Thomas Hatton reference was dated July 1814, when my Thomas was 26, giving evidence in a case involving stolen lead from a residence in Ashby, but no details to enable me to confirm if it was him.

In March 1864 an article appeared regarding a sale: William Hatton Senr had been a grazier but moved in with son William Junr when he retired, probably in 1848. He died in 1855, leaving his land to son William, who already farmed 72 acres. In 1881 census he says he farms 52 acres. The sale reported may have been the result of his being taken to court for non-payment of rates a few weeks before. This of course made matters worse, and he was bankrupt a few weeks later. Luckily the family survived well, due to ownership of so much land.

Tuesday 5th October 2020

After skimming through over 2500 hits back to 1993 I have come to the conclusion again that this is a waste of time, as I have found nothing. Every hit is simply the word, references to the company Proctor & Gamble or a stable of racehorses called Ruth's Gamble, Nellie's Gamble and a bunch of others.

So, skipping a century, I have resumed at 1899 and straight away found the death of a Jane Gamble , widow of John Henry Gamble. The trouble is, the only one of that name on my tree died in infancy.
Actually, I have almost the opposite problem now; lots of mentions of injured & killed soldiers, but with no full names it still gets me nowhere. I did get momentarily excited at the sight of my mother's name, Miss Kathleen Gamble, in a wedding report, where she appeared as bridesmaid, until I realised she wasn't born until 33 years later.

After a further 500+ hits to no avail. I decided to abandon this name. I had found the Rev Henry Reginald Gamble, Mr R Gamble, singer, and Mr T Gamble, referee, but as far as I could see they were unrelated to me.

The next name is Hatton, the branch of which goes back to Stephen my 5xgreat grandfather, mostly in Leicestershire. It links with the main tree in 1847 when his granddaughter Louisa married John Woodford. I have told the story here many times, as this was why I started genealogy. They lost three of their four children and moved to London, eventually leaving the family bible to their great great granddaughter, my Nan, and thence to me.

I have decided to do the named search again.

Herbert Hatton of Ragdale purchased at auction a lot including a cottage in Aug 1920. I can see him in 1901 and 1911 censuses living with wife Ann nee Biddles and their 5 children, address "part of Old Hall, Ragdale". When he died in 1929 he left effects worth £7393 to wife and daughter, so he may well have sold the cottages. He was the cousin of my Nan's great grandad Reuben, and appeared also in Nov1909, fined for weights & measures discrepancies on his farm ( fined15s 6d) and Feb 1900 drunk in charge of a horse & cart (fined 12s). There was a divorce case in 1899, citing his adultery with a married woman, but as it happened in Edinburgh and I have no evidence he ever went there, I don't know if it was him. In 1897 he had been involved in another case, regarding the sale of 4 sheep, which the buyer never paid for. It got rather complicated as the sheep belonged to the landowner, not Herbert, and the payment was evidently given to a third party to pass on. So I believe Herbert was innocent.

Thursday 1st October 2020

The next name in my search list is Gamble (that of my grandfather). I have searched previously (in June) using this name, in the National Archives records, and come across difficulties regarding reporting of gambling rather than the surname. I shall try now in the newspapers. NB the search in Surrey and London comes up with 105,733 hits, so it might take a while...

Not helped by references to the company Proctor & Gamble, an estate agent Peter Gamble (nothing to do with my cousin) and PC Barry Gamble, I have pushed it 20 years back, as far as 1998.

Wednesday 30th September 2020

James Burley lived in one street in Lambeth for most of his life, then his wife for the 10 years she survived him. However, he was not the Thomas James Burley, Benjamin James Burley, The Hon James Burley, James Hurley or Mr James of Burley Lancs who appeared on the search. Nor, unfortunately, the young hero who bore his name, assistant sailmaker who helped in a dramatic sea rescue in the 1850s. Nor the builder who fell off a ladder in London and had to have his leg amputated - in 1838 when "our" James was only a year old and not climbing ladders.

Among John Burleys were an actor, a writer, a hairdresser, a florist, a clerk to magistrates and a bookie, but "mine" was an engineer/fitter, originally trained as a smith. Anyone called John from the place named Burley appeared on the search, and even when he was aged one he married a "buxon young widow" aged 31!

No Marthas, Marys or Samuels. Sarah Burley1 was Cliff's great-grandmother, but as she became May in 1841 and there were no appropriate hits before this, that name drew a blank too. There are 3 Williams in my tree but no hits stood up to scrutiny.

Tuesday 29th September 2020

There was a John Dance in 1870 in Wandsworth who handled stolen goods in the form of some stolen lead in a sack with some old clothes. He said he didn't know the metal was in there, but as the magistrate said, he, being a seller of old metal, should know to check every time. Back then, all my ancestors were still in Hampshire, and I'm glad because I wouldn't like to think they were that stupid!

In the 1860s a John Dance wrote many letters to newspapers, but as he was from Winchester and they were all concerning various taxes, I shall move on.

All I managed to find though were John Dances who: stole 3 bushels of wheat, shot his sweetheart because he was drunk and she refused his attentions, was the owner of some clothing stolen by a miscreant and an orange-merchant who went bankrupt. All of these were unable to be my ancestors for various reasons.

Sarah was entirely items like "Sarah went to a dance"

Susannah was "a little old woman found dead in her bed" when she married and had 4 children then died at 54 in the name of Smart

There are 3 Thomases in my tree, all in Hampshire. However, nothing suitable came up on my search.

The Burley family were joined to our tree by Sarah Burley, Cliff's great grandmother. She and her sister married May brothers, creating a double link. Fortunately for me the entire family remained in South London.

Eliza and Elizabeth searches revealed nothing.

George Burley may be the one who appeared in the Debtors' Court in 1833, described as hat manufacturer previously of High Street, Wandsworth. He was only visible on my tree in 1841 staying at the Kings Head Inn, High Street, Southwark and this could easily be the same guy. He called himself a farmer then, but that may have been only because his hat business fell through. This part of Southwark was famous for hats but in 1839 & 1840 there was a George Burley in High Street Wandsworth listed as greengrocer. Intriguing.

Sunday 27th September 2020

Previously I told of Johns 1 & 2, father & son, but now I have 3 (son of 2) and 4 (son of George - see yesterday). There is also a son of 3 called John Dance, who I suspect was imprisoned for larceny for a year in 1907, then joined the army and went off to fight in WW1. I haven't studied him as he was only a second-cousin-twice-removed, but he did die in the January quarter of 1956 in Lambeth, where I was born just a matter of weeks later.

The main problem with this search, and others similar, is that much of the hits are things like "I met a boy called JOHN at a DANCE" and are thus completely useless. And in 1916 a man was arrested for pretending he was called John Dance. Apparently he had business cards bearing the name Sir John Dance M.P. and a Lambeth address, enabling him to steal items, especially car parts, take them home with him to Leytonstone and sell them on. He was apparently "wanted all over London". He was imprisoned for a year. He was apparently really a fish-fryer called Chas.

Eventually I found a real John Dance, but it turned out that he was the owner of a hay-rick in Harmondsworth, near Heathrow, so not mine. Apparently the guy in the dock swore that all the hay-ricks that he was accused of setting fire to (and there were I think five over a period of time) just met their demise through spontaneous combustion! He was sentenced to 7 years, but would be life if he ever set fire to anything again.

There was a disreputable John Dance, who appeared in court for receiving stolen goods and framing his brother for his crimes in 1899, then in 1897 damaging a shop front and assaulting the manager's wife. These took place in Stockwell, but the ages don't match up with "mine" (Later, I found the address of the latter, and he lived in Brixton. He may have had a stall in the market as in 1895 he was assaulted by a man and a woman there). As I go backwards in these lists, it may have been this John who in 1885 aged 16 was sent to remand home until he was 18, for breaking & entering. If so, it evidently didn't work...

Saturday 26th September 2020

Moving on to the Dance family - see 21 Mar 2013, 9th Apr 2015 & 22 Jul 2018. My great great Grandfather George William Cox married Dewey Dance from Hampshire and brought her to London. When searching for this family, there are 2 million hits for Hampshire & London, so I shall have to do the names individually again.

Not a good start - no Deweys, Elizabeth was imprisoned for stealing bedding and clothes, but "my" Elizabeth was only eight, and at that time went by the name of Bowley.

George Dance lived 1794-1883, so I searched 1800 (the earliest) - 1883 - he did have a son George, but he died in infancy. He was Dewey's brother and one thing I have already discovered is that I had two duplicate versions of him. Fortunately Ancestry has a simple convenient button for this nowadays and I have sorted it.

There appeared in 1869 a most dramatic account of a George Dance and his family, falling into the river in their horse-drawn trap and a local landowner saving them from drowning. However, the child was aged 4 and our George's youngest would have been 24, and this took place in Devon 150 miles from where they lived.

Friday 25th September 2020

On this tree there are 5 William Brewster s going back to 1669, all in Essex. I covered them on 7th & 8th July 2018. As yesterday, the newspapers available to search don't cover all those years. Williams 4 & 5 are too early.
The first article I found that matched was from Nov 1871, so could only have been a William who I deemed too obscure, Cliff's cousin 4x removed, the son of Abraham and Ann. He lived in Roxwell, the village where 3 young men were caught trespassing on the hunt for game, and proceeded to beat the gamekeeper with sticks, leading to 2 months imprisonment for the assault and a fine for poaching (or imprisonment for a further month if they could not pay)

It may well have been the same William Brewster who was in court in Dec 1869 for being drunk and riotous in a pub in Roxwell, and refusing to leave. His wife died in 1871, so he may have gone that step further then, committing assault and going to prison. However, it could equally have been his son, who was a boot & shoe repairer, rather than an Ag Lab. It was definitely him (the son) who appeared in court in 1868 to accuse a fellow villager of stealing some carrots.

Thursday 24th September 2020

No luck with Marys, Sarah and Susan were too early

There are many Thomases on this tree - I dealt with them 30th June - 3rd July 2018 - and they range from 1626 to 2002. The newspaper collection at Findmypast is much more restricted, only covering this name in London 1800 to 1990 and Essex 1750 to 1949.
The only article I could be sure of was the account on 5 July 1836 of a court case dealing with the theft of a watch from Thomas Brewster of Writtle. I am pretty sure this was Cliff's 4xgreatuncle, as Writtle is a small village and he would have been 61 years of age and an Ag Lab, which all fits. Apparently he attended a "club feast" at the Cock & Bell (still there!) then going to sleep in a barn nearby and while asleep was robbed of his watch & chain by an 18-year-old labourer James Gladwin. He claimed it was a joke and Thomas asked for leniency. I have mentioned how hard they came down on thieves; he was sentenced to 6 months hard labour and a whipping.

Wednesday 23rd September 2020

John Brewster (Cliff's 3xgreat uncle) appeared in the newspaper as part of a pub brawl in 1844

There are a few Johns in this tree; it could have been his uncle John Brewster2, but his son was only 8 so it wasn't him. (There was another court case concerning a John, charged with stealing iron from a local and selling it on to another, but he was 15 in 1840, so didn't fit with any of these)

In Oct 1837 there were competitions at the Roxwell County Fair, and John Brewster won the First Class ploughing contest, the prize for which was a "coat, waistcoat and breeches value 25s". However, he (or his uncle) was arrested for abusing a soldier, and the Queen. I suspect too much celebration had been consumed.

Going backwards, as ever, I see that in 1832 a John Brewster was found guilty of manslaughter, by attacking a prostitute in Chelmsford. Lots of detail was given, including that he lodged with his brother-in-law Mr Shipton. I don't have any by that name in my tree. It seems the entire party were "under the influence" and had been on a substantial pub-crawl. The man concerned was sentenced to year's imprisonment with hard labour.

This tree has a stem of three generations of Joseph Brewsters. Joseph Brewster1, Cliff's great greatuncle, his son Joseph Alfred and grandson Joseph William Henry, all living in Lambeth. Searching for London, I got no hits, and Surrey wasn't offered. However it enabled me to study these gentlemen. I won't bring you their stories now, but press on.

There are two Martha Brewsters, again both spending their lives in Lambeth, but nothing comes up for that name either.

Tuesday 22nd September 2020

Moving on to the next name, as I have skimmed hundreds of Wooldridge articles with none of "mine", so on to the Brewsters. They are part of my late father-in-law Clifford's tree, centred largely in and around Roxwell, Essex. His great-grandmother Susan Brewster married Joseph Hodd. As there are not a lot of names, I shall do searches for each, alphabetically, rather than mentions of the surname in time.

Abraham to James has come up with nothing, but I will press on tomorrow.

Saturday 19th September 2020

This was interesting, Aug 1915. It was the second marriage of John Wooldridge4 . First wife Fanny died in 1912 and he had another 24 years without her. It's nice that he found a widow to share his final years. Mary Ann Weston had married Charles Hunt, pork butcher, in 1873, had 5 children and was widowed by 1905. John moved in with her at Ivydene and lived there until she died there on 29 Feb 1928 aged 75. John followed in Apr 1936 aged 83.

Incidentally, I came across an advert for Cuticura soap & ointments, signed by a Mrs Fanny Wooldridge on 24 Jul 1912, claiming that it cured her eczema. It didn't stop her dying in the October quarter of that year. (Of course, I cannot prove it was her, as she didn't give an address or age etc)

I rather wish young Jennie Wooldridge was on my tree, because of the interesting court case she was involved in. Apparently she met an Albert Taylor of Battersea at a dance and subsequently they became engaged. The banns were called, the wedding booked, she gave him her jewellery to deposit in a bank and she had not seen him since. It turned out he had also conned £10 from her friend and was a married man with a family.

Thursday 17th September 2020

I knew as soon as I found one of mine, it would be a felon! I scanned through 700 hits, only to then find the following: On 30th June 1917 the Middlesex Chronicle reported on the James Wooldridge I mentioned yesterday, when he was only 17. He went on to be an ARP in the next war, but at this stage was just mixing with the wrong friends, it seems. Studying his record I can see that he worked as a railway porter, released for war service, returned 1920 then dismissed the following year "for stealing milk".

Wednesday 16th September 2020

The next name to seek for is Wooldridge, my Nan's family, largely centred in Surrey. I shall start with her marriage date in 1929, when she became Gamble instead. and work backwards as usual.

James Wooldridge appeared, however, he lived in Staines Road, Twickenham, not Hanwell. But of course his workplace could have been in Hanwell, it is only 6 miles away.
Later: it is not him, in a later account his home address was given and it wasn't correct.

I am having the usual trouble with interlopers (not on my tree), including George James Wooldridge, surveyor to Woking Council, a cricketer for Surrey and a Wooldridge Road, Guildford. Also a Professor G H Wooldridge, Royal Veterinary College and a Miss Ada Wooldridge, actress and ballet tuition.

I am getting nowhere, but will press on tomorrow.

Tuesday 15th September 2020

A very interesting court case was reported in the Kentish Independent of 13 Jan 1844, involving our friend George Roffey the baker. It seems he had a father Thomas Greenfield and his son in his employ, Thomas was challenged by a policeman and admitted to stealing a sack of oats from his master, and wanted to bring him in for trial. George pleaded for him not to, as he had known him for years and was concerned he would lose his army pension. The magistrate thought it was an extremely serious crime, was an unfair burden on his horse (!) and would almost certainly lead to transportation. George pursuaded him to give him another chance and limit it to a fine and loss of his job. Fine was immediately paid and all was well. (I suspect George paid the fine too.)

There did seem to be an odd double-standard in those days with regard to crime. Citizens readily took thieves to court but the sentences were so strict they seemed to regret it. George appeared the previous November, but I found it odd too that "the prisoner" was not even named. George's name was also in that year published as one of the Directors of the Woolwich Consumers' Protective Gas Company. I'm not sure what that entailed, but research tells me that the Woolwich Equitable Gas Company was formed in 1832, but concerns over the price of gas led to the formation of the WCPGC, later merging with others nearby in Plumstead & Charlton.

The 1800s ended with the "stranger-Roffeys" (i.e. those I have been haunted by, but cannot place,) fighting among themselves. Richard took on Thomas, who later ran the vestry, both in Lambeth, and the battle went on for years, with libel suits passing back & forth, getting ever more spiteful.

Joseph Roffey , gravedigger at Westminster all his life, following his father, same, was interred himself in 1810, but I cannot find records dating back that far to link them to my tree.

George was only 12 at this time, and coupled with the scarcity of interesting/relevant stories, I shall stop there.

Sunday 13th September 2020

George Roffey , baker, appeared again in the newspapers in 1855, as he had helped out a fellow baker Thomas Homewood by selling him flour when his business was in trouble. They had to go to court to get the money back, which was granted, and then presumably Mr Homewood went on to file for bankruptcy.

He appeared in the newspapers also in 1854 in conflict with a lodger who left suddenly, owing rent, she claiming he was holding a letter from her husband, which may contain money. George said he had received nothing and published a "letter to the editor" to this effect.

Through the early 1850s there were many references to Roffeys, including attendance at various local events, deaths with no initials (including one just yards from where I grew up 105 years later), assistance with bankruptcies/dissolving partnerships etc, births of children, none of which I can pin down, generally due to lack of information.

Moving back into the 1840s, George could be seen complaining in 1849 that his neighbour had an engine that produced sulphurous fumes and made living/working in Artillery Place very uncomfortable, not to say unhealthy. This may have prompted him to look into the machinery he was later so proud of (see yesterday 1857)

On 5 June 1847 the Kentish Independent reported on a case where two ladies entered the cheese shop in High Street, Woolwich, while Edward Roffey was sitting in the back. One, Ann Thomas, purchased some cheese, while the other, Catherine Johnson (18), took a piece of pork that was on the counter and left the shop. Edward followed her and challenged her outside. She denied all, but dropped the meat on the floor and Ann hit Edward in the face. The police went to Catherine's house the following day and she was arrested as she refused to apologise, and was sent to Maidstone gaol for a month's hard labour. Edward applied for a warrant against Ann Thomas for assault, but the judge only advised that if she did it again he could have one. I have noted before that in the 19th Century theft was considered much worse than assault. I have two suitable Edwards, father and son, one aged 66 and the other 32. I would imagine this was Senior, as I can't imagine a young girl would punch a young man. Ed Senior died 5 years later.

Saturday 12th September 2020

On 15 May 1858 the Kentish Independent printed a long report on a court case involving Maria Roffey , widow of George the baker. Apparently some ladies had been trying to defraud several shopkeepers in the same way (involving change for a sovereign), and gave a false address. However, when they were called next day, a friend gave a good reference and the judge let them off with a caution.

I read of an Eliza Roffey who died at London Bridge through falling on the point of her own parasol. It made interesting, if horrifying, reading, but I can't find her on my tree.

Similarly, I have attempted to find a Mrs Charlotte Roffey , but not knowing her husband's first name cannot pin her down. The story is very entertaining, although tragic. Apparently her husband was sick in bed and, although 70 years old, she was working in a beer-shop nearby and on returning to her house found a "vicious donkey" by her gate and it injured her. As she could no longer earn her 6s a week, she brought the case to court to obtain compensation. Meanwhile her husband died, so this was made even more urgent. Many villagers rallied round, providing meals etc, but in the end she was awarded compensation and the owner of the donkey (a greengrocer) paid her medical bills. Apparently the animal had been spiteful on a couple of occasions before and had attacked a horse, biting its ears off! (You couldn't make this stuff up, could you? The Croydon Chronicle headed the article "A Savage Donkey")

In early 1857 George was called to testify of the success of his smoke equipment, following the Clean Air Act, and in 1856 he had donated to the police inspector's wife, who had lost her savings in the collapse of the British Bank. As we know, his family were well-respected citizens, and 2 sons ended up becoming Special Constables.

Friday 11th September 2020

William Stansfield Roffey (see yesterday) of Albert Street, Woolwich, appeared in court in April 1862, as he was caught drinking in the pub next door outside hours, on Sunday morning. The landlord , Stephen Marsh, also his brother-in-law was fined 20s + 2s costs as it wasn't his first offence. WS had been sitting in the bar, writing a letter but he was called to testify.

Edwin Thomas Roffey died aged 26 aboard HMS Wasp at the Cape of Good Hope: (see this blog on 12th Sep 2014, it's fascinating!)

George Roffey , baker of Church Street and Cliff's great grandfather, died on 16 May 1859, leaving his effects to his wife Maria. She lost 2 sons and husband in 3 years, so it's not surprising she sold up and moved in with her daughter in Paddington. They must have owned 2 bakeries, one in Artillery Place and one in Church Street, as we know James took over the Church Street one. The alternative is that this was the Church Street one and James bought it or rented it, as he married the following year, remained in residence and brought up his family there and lived there all his life. In June 1859 the Board of Guardians dealing with the tender for bread supplied to the Workhouses had a conversation with George's wife, Maria nee Bicknell. They agreed to release her from the contract George had had with them and they then introduced the 3-month arrangement James entered into in later years.

Thursday 10th September 2020

On 10th Dec 1864 the Kentish Independent announced the death of Thomas David Roffey junior , son of Thomas David Roffey, Cliff's greatx3 uncle, tailor of St Mary Street, Woolwich and Martha nee Owen

James Roffey baker of Church Street had the tender for bread accepted by the Guardians of the Woolwich Workhouse in Sep 1864

William E Roffey (3xg uncle) featured in an article. William senior lived with his son William Stansfield Roffey at his death, then the family moved to Chatham in 1869 for a few years, then returned (WS worked in the dockyard, so travelled from one to another, as they do) by 1873. If there are children born every couple of years, as in this family, it helps to locate them.

Sunday 6th September 2020

An interesting little snippet occurred in the London Gazette in November 1869, reporting on the bankruptcy of Cliff's great grandfather Manlius Roffey , baker of Portland Street, Woolwich. I think this provides the evidence for the changeover noted in his fortunes. The bakery at 48 Church Street was in his father's name then youngest brother James took over, but in the mean time Manlius had one in 1860 directory. I studied him 16th Oct 2014 & 19th May 2019 and noted that in 1861 census he was called "Clerk HM Service" instead of Baker, then by the census of 1871 James was in residence in Church Street. I cannot find Manlius at this time, but know by his daughter's baptism that he was living in South Lambeth, listed as a baker. The business had evidently failed in Vauxhall, where he was listed in 1881, calling himself Retired Baker. As we know (see Tuesday below) he ran a sweetshop after the bakery failed, and died in 1891.It seems that they originally hadn't noticed George had died, as bankruptcy notices kept appearing through 1869 in his name, then (deceased) was added. James Roffey was already a pillar of the community in Aug 1869, not afraid to take offenders to court, although it didn't always work. He was also already providing bread to the workhouse from at least 1866. I see from a clip in 1867 that he and brother George were both listed as Special Constables in the Woolwich area, which explains the social involvement.

There was a very interesting case in Aug 1867, whereby two workmen on a building site in Dulwich, one a Robert Frederick Roffey, insisted that one of their workmates had broken the "rules" and caused a young lad carrying slates on his head to back up, when traversing a ladder, so that he could pass. This entailed the payment of a fine of half a gallon of beer. He refused to pay and was summarily strung up by his feet - twice - but still refused to pay. He was furious, as he had been suffering from a hernia/rupture for 3-4 years and was "severely injured". The guys said it was a practical joke, but because of a medical expert giving evidence, the jury found them guilty of Common Assault and they were fined £2 10s each. I do not have a Robert Frederick on my tree but wish I had! Apparently the jury were amazed at the way workmen treat each other, as this was apparently quite normal and was called Lynch Law.

On 27 Jan 1866 in the Kentish Independent the death was announced of Maria Matilda Roffey , Cliff's great-great-aunt. She was only 38. Although this says George was "of Church Street", he died 6 years before and Maria moved with her mother to Paddington to live with her grandparents. Maria left her effects to brother George.

Saturday 5th September 2020

All through the early-mid 1870s the Roffey hits are almost entirely sports-orientated. Exceptions:

James Roffey , the baker in Woolwich, gave evidence in September 1874 of boys throwing stones and breaking shop windows. He said he had suffered the same himself but claimed on his insurance and didn't take it to court.

Another article told of a Mr W Roffey (no more information) who worked at Chatham Dockyard as a temporary clerk in May 1872. He wrote direct to the Admiralty with some ideas for improvements in ship-building, considered "highly valuable", but because he didn't follow normal procedures and forward them via his head of department, but wrote straight to the Admiralty, he was immediately suspended from duty with no pay!

Friday 4th September 2020

Edward Charles Roffey ran the bakery at 100 High Street, Woolwich from at least 1871 and in 1879 was involved in a court case against a young lad.

In 1878 a Mrs Roffey , cabman's wife, and her child were killed by slipping when boarding a train (hence the call "mind the gap"). I cannot tell if they were on my tree as no first names were given. I understand recommendations were made to employ more porters at Bow Station, but I don't know if these were implemented as witnesses' accounts conflicted re this.

There were many articles regarding the career of one Thomas Roffey , elected to secretary of the Lambeth Vestry, then having an accident and some lengthy time where he was unable to fulfil his duties, then eventual retirement. Not enough information was given to enable me to match him, but it was the correct area.

Another interesting event was the death of publican John/James Roffey and the subsequent sale at auction of the site in the centre of South Croydon, the Stag & Hounds in Selsdon Road. I cannot connect him with my tree but we know the area well. Unfortunately the pub closed in 2018 and has been demolished. I say John/James because the licensee in 1867 was given as John but James later, but they may be the same chap.

Edward Charles , the baker in High Street, appeared in another court case, March 1876. It was a case of milk being watered down before being sold in a grocery in High Street. It turned out that the farmer delivered it to Edward's bakery first, where it stood for 2 hours before being taken to the grocery, then sold. As this was not the first time, the grocer wished to redeem himself of blame, but it does seem that this case only served to confuse matters as nobody was sure when it was "contaminated". It was recommended that it be placed in sealed containers, rather than the cans that were used.

Wednesday 2nd September 2020

James Roffey the baker had another experience reported in the local newspaper in May 1885. What a life full of drama they had! At the same time, though, there was a William Roffey involved in Croydon, on the receiving end of an attack by a tramcar driver wielding a lead pipe, injuring his shoulder and biting his thumb. I cannot match him to one of "mine" and the story was a bit odd anyway (and drink may have been involved). Suffice to say that driver lost his licence.

There was a serious storm on 26th January 1884, which caused a lot of damage in the Woolwich area, including James Roffey 's bakery. Roofs were lost in the Barracks and a theatre, but the bakery was listed under minor damage, probably chimney stack, slates or tiles. Two local schools were affected and classes resited.

Another James Roffey was injured by the same storm in Lambeth when a "large iron pail" fell/was blown from a building site and hit him on the head. I cannot match up the age with my tree though.

"Our" James did have history with the tram-drivers as he had spoken on behalf of the RSPCA, reporting the Woolwich & Greenwich Tramway Company for cruelty to some of their horses in Aug 1883. The case fell through as the horses that were examined were deemed fit for work.

Tuesday 1st September 2020

On 29 Mar 1889 the Kentish Mercury announced the winning tenders for bread provision to the Workhouses, including James Roffey for South Woolwich, Plumstead and Charlton (see Saturday below). Then again on 29 Sep 1888 Plumstead, Charlton, East and West Woolwich. 30 Mar 1888 East Woolwich, Plumstead & Charlton. 11 Nov 1887 East and West Woolwich and likewise through the years.

An Alfred Roffey was one of a gang of teens scrumping from a market garden repeatedly, and the court was at a loss as to how to deal with them, as fines were evidently not working. However, they fined them again this time (1887) and left punishment to the parents. Disappointingly, "my" Alfred may have been the correct age, but lived in Cheshire all his life and this ocurred in Croydon.

We have already met Sir James Roffey , but I hadn't realised he was the first engineer ever to be awarded KCB (aka Order of the Bath)

Manlius Roffey had a lovely memorable name. I have enjoyed the unusual nature of this, and can be sure the witness here in Lambeth Oct 1885 is Cliff's great-grandfather. He was here giving an account of an accident which occurred outside his sweetshop, which he ran from home after he retired as a baker. [I was going to bring you a photo of where the shop/house was but the even numbers are now Priory Park]. Apparently that part of the road was bombed and the prefabs were put there after the war. Then the whole of that side was cleared and is now a park.

Sunday 30th August 2020

Edward James Roffey , 25, labourer of 2 Star Terrace, Charlton, was quoted in the Woolwich Gazette on 17 Oct 1890, in court to testify regarding a fight between seamen he knew, resulting in the death of one of them. He (Edward) is on my tree - he was Cliff's second-cousin-twice-removed, son of William Stanfield Roffey and Martha nee Johnson and can be seen with them in 1891 at just that address. Here he helped the court to build up a picture which resulted in the jury deciding that, although both parties were drunk and fighting, there was no malicious intent on behalf of the accused.

For some weeks before this, his father William Stanfield Roffey had been the contact for those wishing to buy 1-6 Star Terrace. They were evidently spacious, as he and Martha had brought up 11 there (they had 12 but one son died in infancy). By then he was a 66-year-old pensioner, retired from the Civil Service. [as I have said, no information is available as to where these stood, as the area has been completely rebuilt and changed.]

In July 1889 baker James Roffey 2 again appeared, but only indirectly and no more details were given.

No more was available, as the Ancestry site was playing up, So I shall leave this here.

Saturday 29th August 2020

I had hoped to bring you a real soap-like story of one Mrs Jane Roffey involved in a full-scale catfight with a couple of other women (one her mother), reported in the Islington Gazette. I thought this was Jane Elizabeth nee Smith, married to George Roffey2, living in Islington. However, I see that she died in 1876, before her husband, so wasn't the one fighting in 1894.

Equally, the story of Robert Roffey and Richard Roffey attacking a Leonard Roffey outside a pub wasn't feasible, as I have none of those names.

I'm also pleased to see another felon was not mine. William Roffey aged 19 was a homeless labourer and seemed to spend his time attacking other men then turning on the policemen who apprehended him. Maybe prison was preferable to the streets...

The next Roffey mentioned was one of "ours", James Roffey 2 who I told of on 26th Sep 2014, the baker who was assaulted. Please use tab above for the story. It was reported in Lloyds Weekly and the Woolwich Gazette.

As you may know, I love names, so wish the next marriage announcement was mine. Mr Delamark Banks Roffey married Ida Constance Maria Chomley Harrison, both of Kent.

The next was an achievement of one of "mine". James Roffey (see above) the baker, was awarded contracts for supply of bread to the workhouses of Plumstead, Charlton, East and West Woolwich in March 1892. The tenders were for 6 months.

Friday 28th August 2020

A brickie named William Roffey unearthed 50 skeletons when digging in Southwark Bridge Road in 1896. I wish he was on my tree, but none fits the age. Shame.

I was less disappointed to find James S Roffey of Croydon was not "mine" as he was in court in 1896 for assaulting his wife, and we want none of that!

A lot of the hits were for booksellers/publishers Roffey & Clark, based in Croydon, as well as sportsmen by the name, and a Madame Roffey's dancing and deportment classes.

After much wasting of time, I at last found one of mine, which furnished me with much new information: Alison Johnstone Roffey . I didn't have much info on her as she was only Cliff's second cousin twice removed. I knew she was the middle child of James & Emma's seven, born in Oct 1869 in Charlton and have now researched her and built up a picture. And what an interesting family! In 1871 census she was living at 14 Kingstone Terrace, Charlton with her grandparents, mother and siblings, while father was a Naval Engineer, staying in Portsea, her grandfather listed as "no occupation, house proprietor". By 1881 her grandfather had died, and she was with her parents, widowed grandmother, siblings and a servant (father was Inspector of Machinery in the Royal Navy). These addresses in Charlton cannot be located, as that area has been completely rebuilt in recent years. But by 1891 they had moved to Hampshire (presumably for James' work) and can be seen at Pallant House, Havant, Hampshire. (I dealt with her father Sir James on 9 Oct 2014 & 30 Apr 2019 - he has quite a story in his own right!) As I noted in the newspaper list, she married John Edric Blaxland in Havant on 25 Oct 1894 and they settled in Belvedere, Erith. 1896 was rather dramatic, as Alison gave birth to a daughter in February, baptised her 29 days later John described as Captain of the Royal Navy. He may have worked with her father, as he was 21 years older than her. Alison evidently suffered from post natal depression or somesuch, as on 13 March she was admitted to West Malling Asylum, privately. On 28 July she was released, apparently much improved but the baby Kathleen, died on 4 Aug, aged almost 6 months. It was 9 years before she had another child and I cannot track her down in 1901 census, although her father was still at The Pallant and her husband at sea, Captain of HMS Hood. In 1911 they were at No. 1 The Causeway, Petersfield (now Tesco carpark) John a retired Vice Admiral, with 2 children, a cook, housemaid & nurse. John died in 1935 aged 88, but I can't find Alison in 1939 Register. She died 2 years later in Little Chalfont, Bucks, although giving her address as 10 Foster Road, Alverstoke, leaving £3000 to daughter Rebecca and a colleague from the Royal Navy. (By the time Rebecca died in 1993 this was £218k)

Tuesday 25th August 2020

Eunice Belsham and I have been working hard on Clifford's Uncle Bill, William John May and his wife Stella alias Jane Violet. We have tracked them down in their later years, and although I still cannot find Jane's death, we have achieved so much.

I shall proceed with the Roffeys in the newspapers list today, but I don't expect much...especially from "Mr E Roffey, retiring from the Croydon histrionic society" (OCR at it's best!)

In the Woolwich Gazette of 12 Feb 1897 Woolwich baker James Roffey appeared, having caught his employee red-handed, stealing bread from the shop. This was 48 Church Street and the felon concerned was Harry Carr of 43 High Street. Apparently Harry had worked for James for 6 or 7 years, who had his suspicions as bread was going missing, so he had him watched. Detective Rutherford and Sergeant Bishop saw him take them from the shop to the Criterion pub, just across the street, where he apparently swapped bread for beer (landlord denied all) as he had been doing for weeks. He was committed for one month's hard labour - and presumably lost his job.

In 1896 there was a case of stolen cricket paraphernalia (equipment and kit) from a William Roffey , club treasurer, who summoned one Alfred Webb, but it turned out that one of the youth team had taken the items in question. His name was Roffey too, but that's all I know... In another account it said the "curious cricket club dispute" was a squabble over not paying membership fees and one of the youths left, presumably with his kit & equipment.

Sunday 23rd August 2020

I read of several Noonans today; Richard, who was a policeman in London, Joseph & Michael, who were Fenian prisoners in Australia, another Michael illegally fishing. The tale of Joseph was dramatic, involving a leap from a moving train in England, but none of these are on my tree. Thomas Noonan was another felon made hilarious by the mis-transcribing by OCR, apparently "sentenced to tea" (I found that funny, not being partial to the beverage mysel) which should of course read "to ten", meaning years. A Patrick Noonan, soldier, was accused of robbery when he turned up at a jewellery shop in Kent with some gold chains belonging to a senior officer, Daniel Noonan, beerhouse keeper in Bradford was declared bankrupt. Many references were made to a jockey and/or racehorse owner.
In March 1866 an inquest was held on the body of a 9-year-old called Catherine Noonan, who had pierced her hand with a dirty stick she was running with, and developed Lockjaw (tetanus). I don't have any evidence she was on my tree, but it was in the right time and area to be a daughter of John or William that I don't know about (there was a Catherine born in County Cork late 1857 father John Noonan but she doesn't appear on 1861 census with the family)
A Patrick Noonan beat up his wife in Hampstead but again I have nobody by that name. George Dennis Noonan was house-sitting for his employer in Mar 1862, in Holborn (where the family lived, but have no George) and pawned all the contents of the house without permission.

Continuing with this tree, but moving on to the next surname, it is the turn of the Roffeys. They were centred almost entirely in the Woolwich area, which helps, but this area itself didn't know if it was Kent or London. They were on my tree from 1898 back to 1747, so I shall search on these dates. Edith Roffey, Cliff's grandmother, married Herbert Smith to link the trees in 1894.
It doesn't help that Roffey is a place, near to Horsham, and there was a police constable in Uxbridge mentioned several times, P C Roffey.

Saturday 22nd August 2020

I think maybe the marriage between James Noonan and Catherine nee Hyde had failed some years before his death, as it wasn't in 1864 that she brought the children to London; they were already here in 1861 census. Either that or he had to remain for his work. He was of course a publican (Catherine junior stated "publican deceased" on her marriage in 1867) although I cannot find any documentation re this. So, I decided yesterday to trace the others on their arrival in London. As the clips are listed in reverse order, they start in 1880s with fishing results for John Noonan. He died in London in 1897 but I cannot prove he fished. Equally, I cannot link him to the many references to the Reverend John Noonan, president of the Barking Road branch of the League of the Cross, a Catholic temperance group. He was a printer compositor, last seen living with sister Margaret & family in St Lukes, Finsbury

I suffered a lot with this search finding incorrect OCR terms, for example "Apply Fat Noonan Mouse" was supposed to read "Apply Ford, Norman House". And even worse "Noonan Catholic" for "Roman Catholic", as they were indeed Catholics. In 1883 there was a story of one John Noonan who fired a revolver at someone, but it turned out it was reported from Ireland. As, I suspect, are the fishing results.

In 1870s hits were mainly of a Rev James Noonan of Baltimore, so irrelevant.

Friday 21st August 2020

The next name is the Noonans, my father's Irish ancestors. However, despite limiting the search to Cork, I could get nowhere. I had no idea how many Noonans there were in that city, and they didn't help me by calling their children by very common names; James, William, John and Catherine, mainly. The only one I had any luck with was Edmond, but I still don't know if it is the guy on my tree. I do know that James, Catherine's father (my great grandmother) died in Cork in 1864 and his wife Catherine nee Hyde took the three "children" to London. Unfortunately, the Irish newspapers didn't even have his death, so I am at a loss... I suppose I must pick up the story at that point, but it does seem that Catherine senior spent much time in & out of workhouses, so that may not be reported.

Thursday 20th August 2020

Today's research suffered from vagueness on the part of the reporters, for example there was a fascinating account of a firearms accident in Bridport in 1858. Apparently a young boy was playing with a gun belonging to his father and it went off and blew off some of his fingers. I don't want to appear ghoulish but this is drama and the surname Samways was all that was reported.

A father and son Henry & Thomas Samways were remanded for stealing a spade. It seems they were working in the fields and the spade was later found in the father's house. Now I do have a father & son by these names, but the son would have been only 12 at the time so I have my doubts...

Equally, a Richard Samways was one of three accused of grubbing up and stealing a portion of a fence, but "my" Richard would have been 76 years old, so I doubt it...

In Nov 1857 a Mr Samways stated that he had bought a butcher's stall in Bridport market, paid off the debts that came with it, and was now paying rent for two stalls. The court insisted this wasn't valid unless he had paperwork and he was sent off to get the previous owner to draw this up (a Mr Warren) then they would be happy to deal with him.This may have been part of the story I told on Tuesday regarding Alfred Samways. Looking back, I see that in the August the council had claimed the stall was theirs as Mr Warren had not paid rent for 18 weeks, and after 13 weeks it reverted to them.

Our friend Philip Samways was advertising through 1856 & 1857 as Bridport Nursery, West Street. He appeared in court in Jan 1856, accusing one James Hayward of stealing seeds and plants from him, who was also accused of a robbery at the Royal Oak Inn. He was found Guilty and sentenced to 2 years Hard Labour at Dorchester. The same had happened in Sep 1855, two brothers accused of stealing apples from his nursery trees. They were fined 20s + costs.

In July 1849 Martha White was found guilty of obtaining from Stephen Samways a pound of butter "by means of false pretenses, with intent to cheat and defraud" and sentenced to one month hard labour. There are no details, but he had just buried his wife a few weeks before, so I can see he would be easy to con.

As there were no further tracings in 1800s - 1830s I shall leave the Samways here

Wednesday 19th August 2020

On 26 Mar 1867 the Sherborne Mercury reported the results of several court cases, including the sentencing of Ann Samways to 14 days hard labour at Dorset County Prison. She was at this time an 18-year-old servant and she stole "four yards of flannel and a pair of boots". The following year she was married off to local Ag Lab William Cox and settled down to raise a family.

In March 1867 Philip Samways was declared bankrupt. He was described as "florist & seedsman" in censuses but evidently it was his previous business which failed, that of publican, that his wife referred to, as I mentioned yesterday. It seems that the decision to go into the publican business was just badly timed in his life, and we can see that he recovered by falling back on his seedsman trade. There are in the newspapers of this time a lot of details concerning his troubles; it seems that for years he had been summoned in & out of court for minor difficulties e.g. missing barrels of beer, unpaid seed transportation bills etc which ultimately led to the bankruptcy. He published this regularly all through the year. It must have cost him a fortune! He didn't have all bad luck though: on 8 Jul 1865 he had a bit of good fortune. I'm sure this came in handy because in the February of that year they had suffered a house fire, apparently started in the bedroom by a maid searching under the bed for an item of clothing (this is where they kept a lot of their clothes) with a candle! Fortunately they were insured but lost a special violin and all of their clothing. The house was in West Street, and it may have been this that prompted the move to the George, in South Street.

William Samways and his wife Sarah nee Elliot were arrested on 12 Dec 1863 for being drunk and discorderly. They were perhaps celebrating Christmas a little early, but did a lot of shouting and abusing of passers-by at 11 o'clock at night. They were fined 2s 6d each.

Even before the fire and subsequent financial troubles, Philip Samways was evidently not one to be trifled with. In moving backwards I have now come across a court case reported on 8 September 1859 in the Dorset County Chronicle. It seemed he couldn't even have a peaceful bus ride!

Tuesday 18th August 2020

Sorry for the delay, I have been in consultation with two fellow researchers regarding ancestors Edith Caroline Gamble (from my grandfather's tree) and William John May (my father-in-law's uncle). More later, possibly.

Moving on through the newspaper collection, on 31 Oct 1873 the "other" Alfred Samways (see Friday below), licensee of the Mail Coach Inn in North Street was mentioned again, this time in a squabble with George Henry Groves, pork butcher. Apparently Alfred's dog was stealing meat from the butcher, who used a stick to beat him off. Alfred grabbed George by the collar in the town and accused him of beating his dog with a stick. He presented the stick in court, but the case was withdrawn as dog owners are responsible for their pets. [I am not convinced this is my ancestor, as I said, but he does have adventures. The previous year he had been mentioned as a member of a jury, so was respected.The same week he was mentioned as applicant for a Licence for the Dorchester Cricket Club, as he had to under under new legislation. This was accepted.] I suspect there may have been more to the story above, though, as this had appeared the previous year. But I won't go into that...

Meanwhile, in Bridport in 1872 Mary Ann Samways was summoned for using threatening language to her husband George, but after hearing the evidence, the magistrate dismissed this too. Other mentions related to assaults witnessed and references to where various Samways lived etc.

Stephen Samways had a complaint against a Mr Loveless who he employed to do some renovations and, despite dragging on for years, the case was never settled.

Miriam Samways (see Mon 11th below) testified in Oct 1868 regarding some "goings-on" in the George pub they used to run before retirement. [Her husband died 4 years later and she followed 15 years after that]

Friday 14th August 2020

The Southern Times on 21 Mar 1874 reported in great detail a court case brought against a bunch of men including Thomas Samways , accused of trespassing in order to catch rabbits. Four men were expected. having obtained persmission of the local landowner, but the traps were set on the wrong side of a hedgerow, and they did not know this land belonged to another. I suspect a setup, as they were watched when they emptied the traps and apprehended immediately. In the end they were fined 10s each or 7 days imprisonment. This was not a good time for Thomas, as his daughter Sarah Anne died aged 2yrs 3m a few weeks after this and his wife Rhoda had another girl very shortly after that. So, as was the way at the time, they re-used the name and the "second attempt" survived until she was 46 and died, married, in USA.

The next one is rather frustrating. I found a newspaper article (Southern Times 14 Feb 1874) telling of a small boy called Master F Samways whose parents ran the Mail Coach Inn, Fordington, Dorchester. He broke his leg but I was interested to see that one of "ours" ran a pub. The Directory of the day said this was Alfred Samways , and I have one who fit the bill, unresearched, so I put that to rights. He was born and baptised 7 Jun 1856 in Symondsbury to Edward and Eliza nee Crofts (see yesterday), baptised as Edward Alfred but due to his father having the same name, was always known as Alfred. When he was 22 he married Frances Emily Guppy - that family again! They had 6 children and by 1911 were running the New Inn, Kimpton, Hants with the help of their daughter Daisy. My main problem is that up til then Alfred had been a butcher with no son starting with F (who would have been born when Alfred was in his early teens) so I suspect there is another Alfred somewhere. As his father Edward was one of 13 it would be very likely. I cannot track down the Mail Coach Inn, by the way, so it probably changed its name. The address at the time was North Square, which has buildings of an assortment of ages on it. [later I found an 1881 census where Jane Samways, widow of Alfred was running the pub in North Square]

On 15 Jul 1873 the wife of the "other" Alfred, of North Square, gave birth to a stillborn son. Incidentally, I never get to hear of these by other means unless the child was baptised, which did not occur if they had not breathed.

William Samways worked as an Ag Lab and in 1871 census can be seen at home in Cattistock with his wife Mary and 4 children. The Southern Times of 19 Apr 1873 published an account of one very unusual day for him. When interviewed he said he had worked for John Peach of Holway Farm, Cattistock (a mile outside the village to the north) for many years. On this day he wandered into the barn and found his boss dead.. Mr Peach was evidently not feeling well, hadn't eaten much for a few days and his wife said she was alarmed when he hadn't returned home (he evidently didn't live on the farm), he was moody and distracted, hadn't paid the rent but withdrew a cheque from the bank. The inquest found "suicide from temporary insanity".

Thursday 13th August 2020

On 18 Mar 1882 the Southern Times reported on Edward Samways . This man was on my tree but as a very obscure ancestor I haven't researched him. Looking now, I can see he was born 7 May 1813 to Stephen & Mary nee Symes in Toller Porcorum, and baptised there on 12 June 1814. On 27 Apr 1841 he married Eliza Crofts and a few weeks later in 1841 census can be seen at Symondsbury, working as an Ag Lab. 1851 census is missing for them, but we can see the rest. They had 6 children, all working on the land in some way. I am a little concerned about his death; according to this report he maybe had a heart condition or some such, being under a doctor, but his son Stephen died 4 days before (aged only 40) and they were buried together in the same ceremony. His wife Eliza died the following year.

On 13 Aug 1874 (i.e. 8 years before) the Poole & Dorset Herald publish the following story:

William George Samways was the son of Edward & Eliza nee Crofts (5th of 6). I see that he recovered from the loss of his fiancee, as in November of the following year he married Rosalie Anne Guppy. We have come across this family before - also associated with suicide - see last Friday below, George (as he was known) and Rosalie had 11 children, 2 were killed in WW1 and one died aged 102. George served in the Wiltshire Regiment in WW1 and died in 1931 in Symondsbury. Rosalie appeared in 1939 Register, although "incapacitated", with her daughter Florence and family. She died in May 1950 aged 96 in a tiny village called Piddletrenthide. It all seems very strange that these obscure family members lived (and died) in the very village where my husband and I spent our honeymoon 30 years later. but we knew nothing at all of them.

Monday 11th August 2020

Moving backwards in time, I came across Mary Anne Samways nee Morgan again (see Saturday) in October 1887 (8 years before she found the cap), when 2 young boys - John Davis and John Cross - were brought to court to answer to assaulting her. Apparently they threw sticks at her, but she could not be sure of her identification of Cross. Davis threw a stick which hit her in the leg, and his mother told how the boys and Mary Ann often threw things at each other - which Mary Ann denied. The assault charge was dropped but a local shopkeeper swore that Davis had stolen some wooden pipes from him, so he was sentenced to 21 days in gaol followed by 5 years at a reformatory. It does amaze me how hard they punished theft in the 19th Century. And how they considered someone's opinion (here the shopkeeper) as proof, but not others (Mary Ann was 66 and called an Old Woman). Also, the fact that the boy wore "noiseless shoes" was suspicious!

On 13 May 1887 the Bridport News announced the death of Miriam nee Biddlecombe, "relict" of Philip Samways - I hate that term and am pleased it gave way to "widow". Researching this couple I found I knew nothing of her, but that they had married on 19 Sep 1847 in Symondsbury nr Bridport and Philip had died there in 1872. I am pleased to see unusual names, as I struggle with John, William etc. I'm sure they will come up again. Philip was a "liveried servant" then later became a seedsman & florist. I think they had no children.

Another case of assault cropped up in the Southern Times 31 Jul 1885, when they reported an assault on Henry John Samways by a complete stranger Frederick Wells at the Half Moon pub, who had been drinking and knocked him down twice "by mistake". He was fined 11s 6d and 9s 6d costs. Use of the middle name enabled me to identify this ancestor as the groom from Albert Street, husband of Elizabeth nee Foot, with 3 children at this point, eventually 7.

Saturday 8th August 2020

On 4 Aug 1899 Samuel Samways was prosecuted for moving 8 pigs without written permission. I have no Samuels, but wish I did! In March of that year he had been fined for not sending his son Walter to school. What a renegade!

On 18 June 1895 an inquest was held at Bridport concerning the demise of one Sidney Langley, sailor aboard HMS Blake. Apparently he had been spending some leave with his brother, who lived in Bridport at Priory Lane. Sidney had been drinking so heavily in London that he had DTs and his brother had taken him home with him and was watching and restraining him. However, he escaped and ran off towards the river. Later in the morning, Mary Ann Samways (nee Morgan, wife of Henry) was walking by the river and found his cap. In it was a pipe and a scrap of paper with a London address on it. She took it to the local police station and they centred their search to the river, soon finding his body at the mill. He was carried to the Five Bells Inn, identified by his brother and It was decided he had committed suicide while of unsound mind. With regard to Mary Ann, they lived 30 miles away in Blandford but maybe she was in Bridport for her husband to visit hospital, as he died a few months later. Granted, his death was registered in Blandford, but hers was in Bridport when she followed 10 years later, and she was buried in Loders, Bridport.

Friday 7th August 2020

Moving on to the next name; Samways. From my experience with the National Archives records in April, I have restricted the search to Dorset. They are the family of Clifford's Uncle Ernest and mostly hail from that county, although many died elsewhere. You may remember this tree is complex for the same reason as the Tretheweys and the Hodds, Mary Ann nee Adams married twice, once in 1877 to William Murray Samways and when he died 13 years later, she married George Voss Samways. "Our" family comes from the first of these, as Ernest was the eldest of her 6 children with William. Her second family goes right back to 1660 at least, and I haven't yet found a link, despite the unusual name.

As usual, I am working backwards and the first item dates from 1906, concerning an Arthur Samways involved in shoplifting. I do have an Arthur, but he was born 8 years later in Los Angeles, so it evidently was not him.

As there was a Police Constable G Samways and a Borough Accountant C J Samways, several hits popped up, but I cannot match these details. R Samways, fisherman, I had high hopes for, but still came up with nothing.

I next came up with a very detailed account of the death of one Mrs Chrissy Little, who had died when her husband slept upstairs with their young children in May 1900. The account of her funeral mentioned that her sister was Mrs Samways , and I managed to track her down. The deceased was Chrissy nee Guppy, whose brother Arthur attended too. The sister was Isabella Jessie Guppy and married Thomas Samways. Incidentally, a suicide note was found, and a letter from her mother, and the inquest decided she had committed suicide due to bad treatment by her husband, who was drunk at the time.

A few days before this the list of prize-winners for perfect school attendance had included Arthur, Frank and Samuel Samways as well as Walter Guppy. They received a Half-Crown each, equivalent to nearly ten pounds now.

A couple coming home from the pub in Bridport one evening saw a pile of wood and decided to help themselves. They were caught, taken to court, pleaded guilty and fined 10s each with 6s costs. Their names were Mary Anne Samways and Joseph Westcott. I do have a Mary Anne on my tree but she would be 75 years old and unlikely to be behaving like this. I don't have much information after her birth though, so maybe this was her daughter or granddaughter...

Thursday 6th August 2020

Having trouble still with all the irrelevant hits, I came across this - haunted by previous searches!

On 23 June 1888 the Croydon Advertiser reported on the distressing suicide of Richard Hodd , husband of Matilda nee Saunders, and I featured it here on 8th Aug 2016, so please use the tab at the top.

Wednesday 5th August 2020

Today I was confounded by a prolific barrister called Hodd, who seemed to specialise in marital difficulties and divorce cases in the early 1900s, and many hits were reports of irrelevant desertions/affairs etc

I found one I could recognise in the Croydon Guardian 31st Aug 1901; Thomas Hodd This is all very odd, not least because at the address quoted were a couple called Huggett in the 1901 census, taken at this time. Thomas Hodd lived at number 49, some distance down the road, with a married woman Caroline Chatfield and her two young children. I don't know what was going on, but Thomas married Florence Lowry in 1909 and moved to Pawons Road, half a mile away. As far as I can see, they had no children.

Tuesday 4th August 2020

On 27 Dec 1913 The Daily Mirror published a list of subscribers to Queen Alexandra's Pudding Fund, including one Matilda Hodd . She was at this time working as a Cook, so most probably donated a pudding, and she was listed as a Carol Singer too. Apparently 100 "plum puddings and toys" were donated to 500 poor children and were much appreciated.

Sunday 2nd August 2020 - Happy 68th Wedding Anniversary to my parents in heaven

After making notes yesterday, I realised the Tretheweys were almost completely blank for the rest of the years covered by newspapers in the area, so will move on to the next name

The Hodds were my father-in-law's maternal grandmother's family, hailing from London, mostly. She died in 1937, having married John May in 1882. The Hodds were covered here in Jun 2014, Jul 2016 and Mar 2019. This family is like the Tretheweys in that they intermarried and confused me with recurrence of the surname. I have two trees that interlink through marriage. I shall do the search in London only at first, then widen the net if I need to.

Of course, this is the first name I have dealt with that can be read as an everyday word - hood/hooded - the other part of this branch, the Mays, is so impossible in this regard that I cannot do it. So for this search I have had to tick the box for exact match, to miss the hoods, and hope for the best.

Unfortunately I am still pursued by sport, irrelevant here, this time cricket scores and football reports. Also lots of typos e.g. "High Hodd Heti" was "High Road, Streatham", Mrs Rodd etc gave wedding gifts and there were performances of Red Riding Hodd and Robin Hodd. Also, newspapers sometimes mention publishers Hodder & Staughton and abbreviate.

But at last I found someone I knew! Laura Esther Hodd was Cliff's 1st cousin once removed, being daughter of his great uncle Richard Stephen Hodd (RSH). She was born in Lambeth in 1899 and lived there with her parents until the death of her father in 1943. So she was there when the Norwood News published the exam results for Clapham Business College in July 1932. Apparently "the certificates for the London Chamber of Commerce are highly valued, so the students at the College are always encouraged to take them". Laura evidently did and achieved Distinction. She can be seen in 1939 Register at the same address, descibed as "Bookkeeping Clerk & Burroughs Operator". I dealt with this on 3rd Aug 2016 - exactly 4 years ago! - and included a picture of this machine.

On 18 Jun 1918 the War Office & Air Ministry published their Weekly Casualty List, and included a "Hodd 8546 Cpl E from the East Surrey Regiment, in the Wounded & Missing list. I can match this up with Ernest William Hodd , who I noted was discharged from the army at that time, corporal with the E Surrey Regiment., with 2 medals. I have had a look round, as I cannot locate the death of his first wife, although his marriage to his second would suggest it occurred around about 1920. I have located a daughter I didn't know about in the process so maybe there are more. As Louise Lydia was in the Workhouse for the first couple of years of her life I would think so. She married local "newspaper roundsman" Henry Cook and settled locally, but I cannot see they had any children. Ernest lived as a tiler's labourer and died in 1941

Saturday 1st Aug 2020

I realised yesterday that when I studied the Tretheweys previously (2018) I didn't make any notes. So that has now taken priority and as it is Cup Final Day I shall be otherwise engaged anyway. So I shall catch up and return here tomorrow.

Friday 31st July 2020

I have been "speaking" to a couple of cousins by email recently: Ray Hennig and Gavin Fraser Knight, both related to me through the Hennigs. Ray is my second-cousin-once-removed as he is the son of my second cousin Frank, Gavin my second-cousin-twice-removed, descended through Ethel Maude Hennig. For her story please see this blog on 21 Dec 2013 and 10 Dec 2018.
As far as the newspaper collection on Findmypast is concerned, it is time to move on to the next name, Trethewey. This branch is on my mother-in-law's tree and goes right back to Robert born in about 1610, Oliver's 7xgreat grandfather. However, as the Cornish newspapers only start in 1810 we will lose 3 generations, possibly more. Mind you, they had an awful lot of children, so this shouldn't be too restrictive. I shall study the newspaper articles in reverse order again, as Findmypast present them this way. This branch joined my tree when Jane Trethewey married George Manhire in 1842, so I shall start my search with that decade.

On 10 Aug 1849 the Royal Cornwall Gazette published names of those who had been elected to various committees, including one Humphrey B Trethewey . I had always been curious about him as I was told his middle name was Betty. Seeking out the scans I can see why on his baptism. I have seen it transcribed as Belly, Beattie, Belley and Batty. As an adult he always used just the initial (don't blame him), including his burial.

In Feb 1849 Samuel Trethewey married Caroline Hocking, but I cannot match this up, despite having several Samuels. Equally, I can't match the marriage of Miss M Trethewey to Mr R Telham reported in Sep 1848.

The next 2 articles report of the death in Oct 1847 of the "wife of John Trethewey aged 73" and in January of that year the birth of a son to farmer John Trethewey. I don't think these are the same man (!), but with such little information I can get no further.

On 24 Apr 1846 it was announced that Mr Trethewey, shoemaker had married Miss Truscott. I have several of both but cannot match them up.

William Trethewey said he was 14 in 1843, which would have his date of birth in 1829. Thus I cannot match him.

In Oct 1839 Miss S Trethewey married Mr S George, but the only two I have by that name were Susan Jane who became Mrs Terrell and Susanna who died aged 10.

There are lots in this vein, so I won't bore you with them.

Thursday 30th July 2020

1878 gave me only 24, a good sign, and several of those were not billiards. There were 2 stories, one regarding an officer in the German Artillery, who had been approached by an Englishman and bribed to pass on information regarding military plans. He called his superiors and the man was arrested. No Christian name was given, so I don't know if he was one of mine. The other story was of an accidental death due to a gun going off in Clifton. However this turned out to be a Mr Hennings anyway..

In 1877 a Johanne Marie Hennig arrived in Newcastle. Now, this is very similar to Johann Christian and he did have a daughter Johanne. However, her middle name was not Maria but Christiane, and as far as I know she never left Germany.

In 1876 I finally found one of my own! Pall Mall Gazette of 31st Mar 1876 featured the marriage of my great-uncle August Rudolph Hennig to Hellen Emma Hill aka Nellie.
I will talk about him at the weekend.

There were no hits for 1875 & 4, then 14 for 1873, of which 2 were not billiards, but gave no information, 24 for 1872, all billiards apart from one, which referred to Hennig von Bismarck, so irrelevant too. Nothing in 1871, then 8 in 1870, all irrelevant. The 1860s was represented by 106 items, including a meeting of London Hairdressers, where a Mr Hennig spoke against Sunday working, but no Christian name given, all I know is that he worked in High Street, Bloomsbury, which is where the billiard company had just been set up, and his company advertised through the mid 1870s, particularly proud of the technology used to brush hair

Plenty of references to Herrs Hennig in Germany were equally vague, despite talk of treason etc. And I am suspecting that the mention above of arriving in Newcastle was on a vessel called Hennig, as I have found several more that sound like this was the case.

Alexander Hennig was listed as a director of Imperial Fire Insurance Company several times, but I don't know him.

Mr Hennig mentioned above was "Deputy" for Strasburg, then part of Prussia, in the Chamber in the 1860s (elected May 1862). 1850s were largely erroneous, as they related to Hennige or Henniger.

Hennig & Wiese was one of the biggest sugar-beet processors in Germany in the 1840s, (when they led the world in this) although who this relates to I don't know. Most of the articles of this era were shipping lists, declaring the Hennig to have arrived and what it was carrying (and for whom).

The 2 articles relating to the 1820s were both concerning an old man who fired a gun off in the face of an official who had expelled him from the benefit society he was a member of since losing his job. Unfortunately I could go no further with this story, as it turned out his name was Hennigan, not Hennig.

There is of course no point in going any further back, as our family was not in this country then.

Wednesday 29th July 2020

631 hits for 1881, one was one of those typos "silk Hennigs" was "silk banners ready to be painted", one a musical evening, the rest billiards. 1880 collected 699 hits similar, the 134 for 1879 included nine of Miss Louise Von Hennig's first appearances at various theatres and the rest billiards.

Tuesday 28th July 2020

407 hits in 1883, 619 in 1882. Again the OCR typos were my only distraction - the best transcription of the ubiquitous "Hennig Brothers Ivory Works" was "Hennig Brothel hot works" oh dear. And you are urged to send for their "illustrated catalogues", which I have seen mangled into "castrated catslippers" among others!

Miss Von Hennig is I suspect called Louise, and doesn't appear in my tree. She was reported in 1882 as "singing rather too loudy, as vocalists of her school are rather apt to do". There are no clips on YouTube un/fortunately.

Monday 27th July 2020

In 1889 and 1888 there were 773 hits, all billiards etc except one OCR typo: "hennig veice" turned out to be "leaving Venice"! Mind you, the company offered all sorts of services eg "Old balls bought, adjusted or exchanged" - keeps up the spirits! Study of 1884-7 brought the tally of hits to 2629.

Miss Von Hennig and her singing lessons and concerts were a pleasant relief, but with no Christian name didn't help me. She was a professor of music, trained in Berlin, but that's all I know.

I have found a few details of the Brothers. They were "Ewald and William of Cottenham Park". In 1887 there was a dispute regarding their entitlement to go on the Electoral Roll, being "foreigners". They did not appear when summoned to court, so in their absence they were crossed off the list. I have nobody by the names in my tree. I have seen in their adverts "established 1862" so will see what happens near to that date.

Sunday 26th July 2020

The next 200 hits on the newspaper list covered half of 1898 and was entirely made up of billiard tables! This continued through the rest of that year and the next, although there were a few teaser articles about rowing teams, but this turned out to be on behalf of the company, not rowers by the name of Hennig. In Dec 1896 there was an article about a Charles Hennig who stole articles of jewellery in Lewes, but we have no Charles. In Jan of that year there was a jewish wedding between "Ross, daughter of T Hennig, to Sina Oppenheimer, at the synagogue in Hartlepool". I know nothing of these names or that place.

I have taken the search back to 1890 with nothing coming out of it.

Saturday 25th July 2020

Middlesex Chronicle 27 June 1914 announced the marriage of Arthur Henry Hennig to Minnie Biggs. He was one of the children of JFW and Minnie was (or later became) Conservative Councillor and was a local school teacher. After marriage, the couple lived at 60 Thornbury Road, Isleworth for at least 30 years. The next item, as I am going backwards, was a road accident they had on 7th June 1914, 2 weeks before the wedding. This was in the road they were to live in and presumably his fiancee was the passenger. To put this into context, it was 2 weeks after the wedding ie. 28th June that Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was killed and WW1 was declared. This can't have been an easy time for his father, who had just retired as manager in a metalworks, or really for any of the family.

The next (previous) 10 years was almost entirely billiard tables. Hennig Brothers advertised in several papers on an almost daily basis, so there were thousands of red herrings here. There was also a run of frankly thrilling accounts of the apprenhension, escape, search for and subsequent execution of a Rudolph Hennig in Berlin. Sad to say I cannot find a link with him.

When a mention came, it was almost laughable in its banality. The Middlesex Independent on 3 Oct 1903 reported on the Chess & Draughts Club in Isleworth, stating that Mr Ernest Francis Hennig asked whether a "member of the public hall (not being a member of the club) should wish to join the club". After further discussions re the extent of usage of the facilities this entailed (gymnasium etc) voting took place for officers and Ernest was confirmed as Hon Secretary. He asked for anyone wishing to join to contact him at "Ecclesfield", Castle Road, Isleworth. He was younger brother of Arthur, and was at this stage 21 years old. He died 4 years later in the West London Hospital. Another brother Herbert was also on the committee of the club. Until this year (2020 closed by Covid) the club was still alive and well, centred at the London Apprentice pub in Isleworth.

Afger perusing another 5 years of Billiard Table ads, I will leave it there and return tomorrow.

Friday 24th July 2020

Catchesides was not very productive, unfortunately, and ran out after 632 articles, mainly about rugby

So moving on to my grandmother's maiden name of Hennig. Of course, this name relates mainly to Germany, so we shall see... My tree only dates from 1845 in this country as this is when Johann (JFW) came over from Prussia, so I shall restrict my searches to this date. The surname only comes down through subsequent generations thanks to August Rudolph, as the other sons only had girls.

As before, the first personally-identified member of my tree was for petty crime. Herbert Augustus Hennig , my 1st cousin once removed, son of JFW, was fined for speeding in Ealing in Nov 1935. He was at that time 56 years old, living in Ealing, having just moved there from Maidenhead. He does seem to have moved around a lot, probably to do with his job as a motor/engineering buyer. 1939 Register says he had his own Motor & Spare Part business but it had folded. At that time he was living in Epsom.

Unfortunately I was hampered by a great many red herrings again - most of this list was made up of ether items regarding a diamond broker, a billiard table manufacturer or the characters in a very popular play.

However, gems do turn up. I just came across an article concerning Sydney Walter Hennig , another son of JFW, "mentioned in dispatches" in WW1 Apparently he was part of 2 local choirs and his employer British American Tobacco Co awarded him 50 guineas for his gallantry. I did know from his medal card that he was awarded 3 medals and that he had gone to France, but there are never any details there.

On 23 July 1915 the Chelmsford Chronicle published a notice of the marriage between William Walter Hennig and Winifred Beatrice Knowles. I can't bring you a clip, as the scan is very bad. So I shall quote: "William Walter was a member of the London Scottish, Winifred the daughter of JT Knowles of Chigwell. Guests included several of the groom's comrades in uniform. Bride was given away by her father and attended by her sister Grace Knowles and E. Hennig, sister of the groom. Mr Arthur Block officiated as Best Man...The reception at The Oaks was attended by 70 guests". The sister was Edith Kate Hennig and Mr Block was married to their sister Maude Clara.

Thursday 23rd July 2020

Yesterday I found the first marriage of Nicholas Manhire and was about to tell you the rest of the story. After this marriage, the couple firstly lived in a "portable home", sited at the clay works Nicholas worked in (possibly a caravan). 1871 census shows them at the clay works at St Enoder, which was fine as they only had one child, Effie born Jul 1869. However, she was followed by Hetty in Oct 1871, Reuben in Apr 1873, Annie in Apr 1876 and Mabel in Oct 1877. By mid 1878 Mary-Ann had had enough, it seems, and set off with the 3 youngest, leaving the 3 eldest with Nicholas, aided by his sister Ellen, bound for The New World. She was expecting her 7th child, and Guy was born on 16 Dec 1878 in Boston, Massachusetts. However, conditions there were maybe even worse than here, as on 2 August Mabel had died aged 10 months, of marasmus, a kind of malnutrition. I know the address was 169 Silver Street, but this area has been completely redeveloped and I cannot find what it was like. Mary Ann had a terrible time, losing all her children: on 18 Jun 1879 Nicholas died of diphtheria aged 4, and Effie aged 9 two weeks later the same then Guy died on 18 Aug of marasmus aged 8 months. I don't know if Nicholas visited at some point (no passenger lists) or whether she was a naughty girl, but the following January she gave birth to a still-born child and died herself of complications. She was only 28. Nicholas did wait 2 years to remarry this time.

Going back to the newspapers, the next item was marriage of Hannah Manhire to Thomas Dally of Gorran, at St Austell on 12 Nov 1866. She was daughter of John & Elizabeth nee Johns. It led me to an all-too-familiar scenario. William, Oliver's great great-uncle, married Elizabeth Grigg in St Dennis and over the years they had 15 children together, starting with Frederick a few weeks after the marriage, and ending with Alfred 26 years later. By 1871 they had lost 5 of the 15 and set off for New Zealand. Alfred, here, was one of the losses, also Nathaniel aged 29, Sabrina aged 22, Henry aged 4 and Jemima aged 1. They travelled on the "Zealandia" on 9 Dec 1871 and son Frederick followed a few years later. Elizabeth died aged 70 in 1881 and William aged 93 in 1895. Of the other children, Selina and Elizabeth remained in Cornwall, married and settled there. Daniel married and it was he who first went to New Zealand in 1863, followed by the family after his wife died. Dinah married in Cornwall and then followed the family to New Zealand, her husband died and she remarried there. Felix did things differently, he went to California, married and settled there, running a store. William remained in Cornwall.

There being no further stories for the Manhire surname in the Findmypast news records, I shall move on to the next most uncommon name in my list (for the want of an order), Catchesides.

This family is linked to me by my greatgreat grandmother Louisa Agnes, who married my greatgreat grandfather George Wooldridge. There won't be many in the direct line, as the name disappears in 1867, with Louisa's father, her brothers dying in infancy. But of course she has cousins etc.

The earliest hits were concerning a Robert and a Thomas Catchesides standing as trustees for bankrupt businessmen in Newcastle, so that probably has no relevance.

Most of the clips I can see in 20th Century are regarding rugby, but I have no H C Catchesides in my tree, although I understand he was quite famous himself and married a famous lady golfer Stella Newlands.

I have at last found one of mine, just to discover he was in court and found guilty of a crime! On 11 Nov 1905 the East London Observer reported on court case brought against dock-workers regarding the placing of their barges, in effect parking offenses on the water. As you may know, I am very fond of the canals and waterways, so am pleased to find one of my ancestors worked on them, albeit erroneously. He was Joseph Catchesides , my 3rd cousin twice removed (apparently), son of George Perfoy Catchesides, who can be seen in 1901 census at home with his parents at 15 Eugenia Road, Rotherhithe, 15 years old and an office boy. (This is all modern flats now) By 1911 he had graduated to Lighterman, but the court case was when he was 19 and was fined 20s plus 2s costs. (£123 today)

Wednesday 22nd July 2020

On 14 May 1891 the Royal Cornwall Gazette announced the marriage of Julia Manhire to Mr E Taylor of Market Harborough. She was daughter of Samuel, who moved to north London for a few years and had 2 children there, Julia being one, then returned to Cornwall. This was all I knew about her, but this marriage not only confirms that by then her father had returned to Goonbarrow, working as an engineer, but that Julia returned to London. I still can't find her in 1891 census, taken the month before. The family portrait, taken approx 1908, shows they had at least 5 children. They are Sidney Edward b 1894, Elsie Evelyn b 1897, Beatrice b 1899, Herbert Samuel b 1902 and Ivy May b 1905. 1901 and 1911 censuses show the family in railway cottages and Edward and Sidney working as railway guards (in 1901 also Elizabeth, Julia's mother was there with them). There was also a daughter Ruby Lilian, who died in 1892 in infancy. Records of burials in the plot in Ealing. Herbert was their son-in-law.

There followed dozens of mentions that were either a single initial, or related to P.C.Manhire, local bobby, very interesting but no use to me. Or they were competitions, concerts etc.

So on to Sep 1876, when an announcement of the death of Jane Manhire nee Trethewey , wife of George (Oliver's grandad) appeared. She died at Molinnis on 22 August, aged 64. (It was Richard, their son, who moved to Battersea after his marriage, and established the tree there).

Tuesday 21st July 2020

When this announcement appeared in the Cornishman on 27 Aug 1896 of the marriage between William Manhire and Adeline Nichols, little did they know what was to follow - see Sunday - where I told of the death of both William and his son (William Lambert Manhire, aged 6 months)

I mentioned Frederick on Friday, who emigrated to New Zealand with his family. The next clip gave me information about his son Alfred Manhire. It seems he married Emma Jane Potter in 1894 but she died the following year. He was still only 25 so it's not surprising that he soon remarried. This was in 1897 to Margaret McAlister from Scotland. He died himself in 1934 after a fall from a train. Then Margaret followed in 1949. One thing I will say though, is that it seems that he and his brother took a shop in a village called Hornby and started up a model-railway company. This became world famous and was eventually bought up by Woolworth's. One of these days I shall do more research on this...His father Frederick had died in Jan 1895 and the announcement appeared alongside the death of his daughter-in-law featured above.

The next story seems to have shocked the newspapers. Oliver's great-uncle Richard Manhire , "almost 80", married Katie Goodman aged 21. The authors of several reports exclaimed that she "may be his grand-daughter" but that they hoped she would "make a kind companion and be a good nurse". It seemed he died after 7 years of marriage and they had a daughter.

Sunday 19th July 2020

In account of a marriage in 1924, the bride was Unita (which I suspect was supposed to be Juanita) but here we only get an initial anyway. In another paper her name was given as Meta (which explains the initial).

Also reported on was Elizabeth Ann nee Williams, widow of Samuel , who died 12 April 1902.

I told the story of David Manhire 2 on 2nd Jul 2012, 14th Mar 2017 and 7th Dec 2019. I can now add a little chapter dating from 1902, when he was 18, living in Adelaide Street, Camborne with his parents (father a butcher) and 7 siblings. He was summoned to court for attacking another young man, Henry Dunn, in the street and it turned out to be a kind of "gang war", where he and friends were walking home at 11pm and got into an altercation with another gang. David struck Henry in the face, giving him a black eye, but one of his friends swore Henry struck the first blow, giving David an even worse black eye. "The magistrates considered the parties were as bad as one another and dismissed the case". As I told you, 4 years later he emigrated to Idaho, USA and married there, twice.

In the Deaths column of the Guardian on 16 June 1902 was " Edward Manhire at Camborne, aged 1 day". I did know Edward and Adeline of the Cornish Choughs pub had registered the birth and death of their son in the same quarter.

At the other end of life, the Births column of 7th Jan 1902 announced the arrival of daughter Dorothy Augusta Manhire to Samuel & Maud Mary.

On 3 Dec 1900 at Carrancarrow Mary Jane Manhire died aged 48. This event has been mentioned as significant because Reginald was born as Sloman... see last Sunday.

On 15 May 1900 at Carbis Levi Manhire died aged 14 weeks. He was the son of Felix & Annie. Also on 25 Jan 1899 their daughter Felicia died aged 7 months

I feel sorry for Adeline Manhire nee Nicholas , who in the space of a few months in 1897 had her husband Billy leave for Johannesburg, South Africa, she gave birth to a son, then both died, leaving her all alone in Adelaide Street.

Friday 17th July 2020

A very Happy 37th Birthday to my son-and-heir Alden Smith

On 27 Jan 1911 the funeral of Mary Ann Manhire nee Nichols was reported at Stithian. She was wife of William, who passed on himself 25 years before.

In 1909 there were a couple of court cases involving a rape of an Alma Manhire, but ages and residence do not fit either of mine, and a kitchenmaid called Laura/Dora (different in 2 papers) Manhire gave evidence against a cook - I won't investigate as it didn't involve the maid

The only other mention in 1907 was at the inquest of a Samuel Sweet colt trainer who died aged 39, leaving a wife and 4 young children. He fell from a colt he was training for a Mr Manhire, cracking his skull and subsequently died. Mr & Mrs Manhire attended the funeral (along with most of Cornwall it seems) but no more information was given.

Mary Ann Manhire nee Pinch died in Christchurch, New Zealand, where she and husband Frederick had emigrated in 1878 with 5 children (Herbert was born in New Zealand). Frederick died 13 Jan 1895 and Mary Ann 2 Aug 1906

The fate of James Henry Manhire was similar to that of Woodman, see yesterday, but unfortunately no family members were mentioned by name.

An accident occurred in Dec 1905 to several miners at Carn Brea mine, involving Arthur Manhire. This would explain (or at least contribute to) his decision to emigrate - see Arthur Stanley above

In Feb 1905 the marriage took place between Lucy Manhire , daughter of Samuel & Elizabeth and Francis Vosper.
Bridesmaid Winnie Manhire was presumably not her sister, who died in 1886 aged 8, but Florence Winifred, who was actually even younger, but still alive!

Thursday 16th July 2020

On 1 Dec 1917 Luther Best Manhire married Bessie Furse in Roche. Luther had been in USA in 1911, a 30-year-old miner, working in Wyoming, then he served with the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry in WW1, discharged due to sickness in Sep 1917. So he soon got married, as we can see, and by 1923 was in Canada, harvesting. He did get back to Wyoming as he died there in 1942, but I can't see that Bessie had joined him. She may have remained to nurse her parents. She did have an illegitimate daughter before her marriage, and brought her up while working as a housekeeper in Cornwall.

I just came across one of those local newspaper articles that shows what a small place it really is. The occasion was the funeral of Tom Bullock in Jul 1916 held at Carne Hill Church, and thence to the churchyard for interment. He was a part of Sunday School, various churches and schools and lots of people attended, including Mrs Felix Manhire, his sister Annie. The widow could not attend through illness (they lived in Ohio), but she was a relative too, being Harriet nee Knight

Next funeral was that of Elizabeth Jane Warne nee Manhire , and most of the listed attendees were from our tree. Too many to list. Deceased was only 49, died at Molinnis on 29 Nov 1915 and was interred at Treverbyn

An article relating to the demise of Woodman Manhire filled in some details regarding his latter years. I covered him on 29 Jul 2012 and 25 Jan 2020, but now know why he travelled where he did and it involves his health. According to this article, he was fine until 1912, then his medical advisors in Idaho told him to return home to UK, where "the change and his native climate would again restore him to his usual health". However, this did not work and a UK specialist advised him to go to Adelaide, where he would benefit from the sea voyage and warmer climate. But this was again not the case and he was admited to hospital in Adelaide after living there for less than 2 years and died of "TB with complications". He left his effects woth £164 to his father Thomas, retired clayworker of Molinnis, but he died himself less than 2 years later.

Fanny Payne nee Manhire died on 2 Sep 1912 aged 57 and mourners included her husband, son & 2 daughters, brother W N Manhire from London and sister Mrs Harris from Roche. Also Mrs W J Manhire, Boadicea.

Reported 8 Aug 1912, regarding Ambrose Manhire , son of Felix & Annie. At the time he was 18, so was referring to siblings (he was 3rd of eleven) and the Wiltons lived next door. The other side there was also several small children, first cousins of Ambrose. It was evidently thought a good idea for Ambrose to go into the army when the war came, and he joined the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, won 2 medals, then married on his return.

Wednesday 15th July 2020

Wedding announcement published 20 May 1921. Groom was Eli Manhire , son of Felix, bride Ella nee Chapman, best man Levi and bridesmaid Eden, both Eli's siblings.

The funeral of Hannah Manhire nee Yelland was discussed in Cornish Guardian on 9 Jul 1920. She had been a widow for 4 years, died at Molinnis on 25 June and was buried in Treverbyn Cemetery and left £753 to son Wilson. Also present were their other 4 remaining children, John Warne, Elizabeth's husband and 5 grandchildren.

A piece was published on 9 Aug 1918 and was confusing for me as it fitted Samuel , son of William John and Boadicea, except he would have been only 9. I see that this date of birth came from the 1911 census, and there is a crease on the page which may have led to a misreading of a 2. Also, the only birth registration I could find was for 1895, which would make more sense. All the army records lead me to believe he is Samuel Horace Manhire DCLI. However this all means he was born 10 years before his parents married. Mind you, it is possible as they were in their 20s.

Tuesday 14th July 2020

There was an article published in the Cornishman 6 Apr 1927, concerning a fire at the Pendarves Arms, Tuckingmill, Camborne, started in the kitchen by the wife of the licensee, where she was drying clothes. All the information they gave was that he was a Mr L Manhire and he was "at work" at the time, and it resulted in the gutting of the pub, but no damage spread to the neighbours. Looking at the current building, I suspect it was subsequently rebuilt. Unfortunately with only an initial to go by, I cannot tell if this was Leonard, Lewis or one of the Lots. I favour the former, as he lived in Camborne. He was the one with the dog, featured on Sunday, and I think this may have been a short-lived occupation (publican) due to the accident.

In the Cornish Guardian 10 Dec 1926 a wedding announcement appeared. Groom was Samuel George Manhire , son of Nicholas and Bessie (who had died in the March of that year) and subsequently father of George Keith and John Bryce Manhire. He married Fannie Varcoe.

Another item I cannot match up was from Cornish Guardian 10 Sep 1926, concerning an Edwin P Manhire of Mitchell. He was riding his motorcycle near Truro in August, with his fiancee riding pillion, when they were involved in a collision with another motorcylist, Michael Penna. Penna was killed at the site, Edwin seriously inured and Clara less so. There was an inquest and the jury found Penna blameless. They decided Edwin was going too fast and they wished to make pillion-riding illegal, but other than that, no criminal blame was attached. Edwin was still in hospital, Clara attended. The only Edwin I have would have been 79, but I think may have died in 1903.

The next story involves Edward Manhire of the Cornish Choughs pub, charged in 1924 with gambling in his back kitchen with his wife Adeline and a three local bakers. Two policemen saw a light on, so they listened and peeped in at the window, stating what they heard and saw and "after a good deal of consideration" they dismissed the action against Adeline but fined the men, £5 for Edward, as it was his premises, £2 each for the others.

A clip was from the Cornish Guardian 21 Apr 1922. I knew of Florence , but could not extend her to the 1939 Register as I didn't know her married name. I can now see her with her husband - excellent name Cuthbert Kitchener White - at 6 Edgcumbe Terrace, Roche - and two possible children (redacted so I can't be sure). The Misses D and M Manhire mentioned were probably her sisters Dorothy and Madeline.

Sunday 12th July 2020

On 22 May 1930 the Cornish Guardian featured an adventure of Leonard Manhire , This was the Leonard who was son of Archibald, brother of Joseph, mentioned on Friday. His father had died in 1922, hence the mention of "visiting his mother", who was Rosina nee Barber. I didn't have much information on him, so I have put that right. He was married in 1928 to Winnie Cornelius and they had a son Leonard Gordon the following year. This must have been what made him rush home that night...

On 1 Aug 1929 the Cornish Guardian posted a funeral notice for Hetty Bray nee Manhire , daughter of Nicholas and his first wife, who died aged 58 and was interred at Nanpean Cemetery. Among those attending were her husband Richard, daughter & son-in-law J Morcon, sons Maurice & Stanley, brothers Lot, (Samuel) George and his wife Fannie, and her sister Annie and her family.

Clip from Cornish Guardian 27 Dec 1928 concerned John Manhire 7 , as I designated him, who married Harriet Best and died aged 83 in 1928.

Reginald Manhire was married in Nov 1928 to Clarice Winifred Mennear at Enniscaven. This couple caused me no end of trouble, he being born the year before his parents married (Nicholas had to wait for his second wife to die before marrying his third!) and thus registered with his mother's surname i.e. as Reginald Sloman. He then married Clarice, who was known as Winifred (and no comment about how similar their surnames were!) He chose as his Best Man his brother Willie, the one who emigrated then vanished, and I told the story yesterday. The bride & groom honeymooned at Penzance, then moved into Chapel Road, Enniscaven.

Cecil Manhire had an accident on 18 Apr 1928. He was at this time only 28, married 2 years, and serving aboard Vivid II. Evidently his stay in hospital was brief because he was soon serving on HMS Dolphin, where he stayed on and off for many years. He was finally invalided out in 1943, and as we know spent the rest of his life in local public service.

Travelling backwards in time, the next item is the funeral of "Mrs Stanley Liddicoat" i.e Gladys Victoria Manhire , daughter of Samuel James Manhire and Hannah nee Ham, sister of Lewis and Lilian etc who I have mentioned (see below), She was the one who died aged 26, which was usually due to childbirth. This is supported by the fact that her daughter, Gladys Marjorie, was 18 months old at the time. Among the mourners were listed her husband (Clifford) Stanley, her parents, sisters (Florence) Ada and Lilian, her brothers (William) Ewart and Lewis, all gave floral tributes.

Saturday 11th July 2020

On 24 Jan 1935 the marriage was announced of Lilian Tabitha Manhire to John T Snell at Zion Methodist Church, St Austell. She was youngest child of Samuel (one of Oliver's second-cousins) and Hannah Ham, Both bride and groom lived in Treviscoe and they lived there for a while. I see that 1939 Register finds them at Hendra Downs with a daughter Sheila, followed up a few years later by another daughter Margaret. John died in 1985 and Lilian in 1988.

On 5 Oct 1933 the marriage was announced of Lilian's brother Lewis Cyril Manhire to Freda May Best, at Hendra Road Methodist Church. Best man was Lewis' brother Ewart and one of the bridesmaids was his niece Marjorie Liddicoat, daughter of his late sister Gladys. The reception was held at Freda's parents' home just down the road from the church, and the bouquet was placed on Gladys' grave.

In Feb 1933 Miss S A Kent married Mr E Grose at Zion Methodist Church, Best Man was " Chief Petty Officer C R Manhire RN " and matron of honour his wife Grace. He was Claude, Oliver's brother and was living in Islington by then. The bride and groom honeymooned in London, so maybe stayed with Claude and Grace.

A memorial notice appeared 5 years after the death of Bessie nee Sloman , whose husband was Nicholas, son Samuel George and daughter-in-law Fannie nee Varcoe. The wording here was odd, sounding like her husband was George. A comma could have made it clearer. According to my notes, Nicholas died in 1932, but then he apparently married one of his wives 2 years after she died, so not entirely reliable!

Garnet Manhire , one of Oliver's second-cousins, wrote the following letter to the Cornish Guardian in Nov 1930, when he was 46. Unfortunately, I can see that by 1939 he was Incapacitated and could not work as an engineer, as he had. He had lost both parents and many of his siblings, so maybe there were problem genes. But he didn't die until 1954, at the age of 69.

Willie Manhire , one of Oliver's second-cousins, was ready to emigrate in the summer of 1930, so arranged a sale on 28 June at St Columb to dispose of all the livestock and equipment used at his farm. I did know he left on 5 July, and with wife Louisa and daughters Ruby and Dulcie, travelled to Canada in order to start a new life. However, all cannot have been well, as the girls were all back in Cornwall by the time the 1939 Register was taken, Ruby doing an apprenticeship in a box factory, Dulcie still at school. I don't know what happened to Willie, as he vanished. Actually, I have located the passenger list and see that they returned on 19 Oct 1931, so only stayed a year.

Friday 10th July 2029

In the Cornish Guardian of 14 Oct 1937 was an account of the marriage between (Elizabeth) Madeline Manhire and Martin Thomas, at Parish Church Roche, both of Fore Street. Madeleine was given away by her father and cousins Muriel and Gwen Jago were bridesmaids, Graeme Ogglesby, her nephew, was page. He was her sister Dorothy's son from her marriage to Dennis Ogglesby from Hertfordshire.

A very odd court case was reported on in January 1937 concerning an alleged incident on Christmas Day involving Wilson Manhire , who was at that time a 54 year old music teacher, living with his sister at Molinnis Crossing. He was cycling home and passed a couple of boys, aged 15 and 12, the elder one wearing a woman's coat and hat. He drew up beside them and chatted (possibly questioning the odd clothing). The boys had been carol singing but they claimed Wilson made an obscene gesture and they called a policeman. In court his character was examined and found to be exemplary, but the two boys, policeman and a woman (who may have been a witness and/or mother of one of them) stuck to their story and he was found guilty and fined £5. We have recently become involved in a protest at plans to remove Trial by Jury in this country, and this is evidence to support keeping it. The magistrate in this case heard all the evidence then turned round and said he had to bring a verdict of guilty. As Wilson had thought the boys were up to mischief, they may have been...

Wilson appeared in several articles in the years just prior to this, purely as mentions like ..."pupil of Wilson Manhire" passes music examinations with flying colours etc as well as attendance at funerals, weddings etc

There was a very detailed account on 2 Apr 1936 regarding a death of a clay worker at Gunheath China Clay Works, resulting in a verdict of accidental death. The deceased was 18 year old Frederick Johns, and the man who found him was Joseph John Manhire . He was the son of Archibald, one of Oliver's second cousins. Apparently the deceased was standing in for a colleague, working on an incline with pulleys & ropes controlling a skip used in loading clay. He was found by Joseph, having been hit by the skip and shortly died of head injuries (apparently he said "help me up Jack" then died, but he could have been lying there for some time, as he hadn't had his teabreak). The funeral was immense, with 40 wreaths provided by friends and colleages, the deceased having been very popular.

The marriage of Lily Beryl Manhire was next, to Cyril Organ from Fowey. She was the younger daughter of Oliver's second cousin Theophilus and his wife Uneta. Both fathers had died, so the bride was given away by her mother. Bridesmaids were Madge and Ruby Cornelius, Lily's nieces. Afterwards, the couple travelled to London, where they settled in Lewisham.

Beatrice Lavinia nee House was married to Leonard Manhire in 1912 and lived at 41 Wesley Street, Camborne. She had been servant in the household of Edward, at the Three Cornish Choughs pub, who was Leonard's uncle. In Mar 1935 she was looking after her neighbour Caroline Kemp, who lived alone at no. 39, went in to see her and found she had fallen on the stairs and put herself to bed. Apparently she had a minor op shortly before, but the account doesn't say if this was related. Beatrice called the doctor but a few days later Mrs Kemp died. She was 75 years old. Incidentally, Beatrice can be seen at the same address in 1939 Register, then died there in 1955, Leonard followed in 1974.

Thursday 9th July 2020

I loved the clip from The Guardian in 1939, listing attendees at some function, including " Mr H Anti-Aircraft Company... Mr Shortage of Lorries" and the observation that " Mr S Carnival was less sizeably spectacular"

On 10 Aug 1939 the wedding was announced of Mr William Henry Chapman to Elizabeth Jane Manhire at Lanner Wesleyan Church, Redruth. These are ancestors I don't know about but this clip has told me much. The bride was apparently "elder daughter of Mrs B Manhire and the late W J Manhire of The Square, Lanner", who I assume is William John, Oliver's second cousin, son of Samuel and brother of Felix. All I had on him was a death in Kansas, which may not even be true. At this wedding, the bride borrowed her veil ("something borrowed") from her cousin Mrs M Thomas from Roche. This fixes her, as this is cousin Madeline I mentioned last week. Bridesmaids were her sister Miss L.Manhire and groom's sister Miss P Chapman, best man his brother D Chapman. Afterwards, bride and groom went off to Devon, as their future home was 44 Portland Road, Stoke, Plymouth

I have researched this branch now, and found that her father William John Manhire was born in Roche in Feb 1871 to Samuel & Elizabeth nee Williams, 3rd of their 11 children, and lived in Roche with them until Oct 1905 when he married Boadicea Martin from Redruth. They had 2 sons before Elizabeth in 1911, and followed with another girl starting with L, who she chose as bridesmaid, as I said above. By 1939 they lived at The Square, Lanner next to the bakery, but William John had died in 1937, so Boadicea was shown in the Register as widow, son Samuel was a 30-year-old stone-mason and Lilian - the sister, aged 20 - a shop-assistant. Brother William had died in infancy. Elizabeth had been married a few weeks and lived in the house above with her husband a sailmaker and brother-in-law Fred a labourer. They shared the house with a couple of other families, including a (useful) cook in her early 40s. Elizabeth died in 1984 and William in 1992, both registered in the Plymouth area.

Wednesday 8th July 2020

An article of great interest was published on 1 Aug 1940, regarding the marriage of our friend Norman Charles Manhire at Lanivet Parish Church. Bride was Ivy Gardner, youngest daughter of Mr & Mrs George Gardner, originally from Plymouth, but now living at Bank Vue, Nanstallon, 7 miles from Roche. Norman was called "Sergeant Charles Norman Manhire RA, youngest son of Mr & Mrs S Manhire of Fore St, Roche". Bridesmaids were Genevieve Jago, bride's niece, and Geraldine Wheaton, her cousin, best man was Sergeant-Major S G Brokenshire. The reception was at the bride's home and before leaving the bride placed her bouquet on the grave of Miss D R Riches, late matron of the Bodmin Asylum, where Ivy had been working for 10 years.

Cornish Guardian 1 Feb 1940 mentioned Oliver's 1st cousin Wilson Manhire, also he was mentioned in another piece the previous September in the same paper, along with another ancestor on this tree, Gerald Hocken Knight. They wouldn't consider themselves related though, as Wilson was Oliver's first paternal cousin and Gerald was his 3rd maternal cousin. So the musical genes weren't passed down from one to the other.

Another clip from Sep 1939 was of the funeral of Samuel Buscombe, 2nd husband of Ellen nee Lukes, widow of David Manhire , Oliver's father Richard's cousin. It is a bit obscure but meant that of the list of mourners, a high proportion were relatives. This included her son Samuel and his family, who we met the other day, from his marriage with Hannah Ham.

Tuesday 7th July 2020

Another house contents sale due to "declining housekeeping" popped up on 17 Dec 1942. Garnet Manhire was selling his but he had not been widowed. His wife Mabel survived for another 21 years, in fact he pre-deceased her. I cannot see the term on a Google search, so maybe it was a family joke. He was second-cousin of Oliver and first-cousin of Lot (see yesterday), who sold his giving the same reason.

Liskeard County Court Sessions on 21 Oct 1942 included a variety of cases, including one Leonard R Manhire , who was charged with "trespassing in search of rabbits", fined 10s and the nets confiscated. He was with Arthur Edward Weight, who I suspect was his father-in-law and was living in the same household in 1939 Register in Plymouth, described as a "typewriter mechanic". I think this Leonard R was the Raymond mentioned yesterday, who moved to Plymouth on his marriage in 1938, but the evidently travelled to Cornwall for rabbits (17 miles). He was described as a Navy Steward, which he was in 1939 Register "steward RN barracks". Maybe he wanted to serve rabbit casserole there!

The funeral was announced on 30 Apr 1942 of Mr F R O Mewton, whose sister was Maud May Manhire , after marrying Samuel. She and her husband were mentioned, along with lots of familiar names.

On 15 Jan 1942 Uneta Manhire (wife of Theophilus, nee Wilcock) was fined 5s for breaching blackout regulations at 37 Church Street, Tywardreath.

The next clip dated 12 June 1941 was announcement on behalf of Martin Thomas (whose funeral I mentioned on Sunday) and his wife Madeline nee Manhire , giving me the child's middle name

Monday 6th July 2020

The items that come up in newspapers! I never expected to find this out about an ancestor:

I am assuming that she was the unmarried daughter Hilda May Manhire who I mentioned before (see 2nd July 2012), who left money to her father to enable him to retire, in 1952. This article above was dated 18 Aug 1949.

Still moving back in time, the next was notice on 5th & 12th Sep 1946 of a sale of a 2-bedroom cottage at Treswithian. The sale took place at the Cornish Choughs pub, as was normal, and the cottage was described as "recently in the occupation of Mr R Manhire ". This may have been Raymond, who moved to Plymouth with his wife Vera.

On 1 Apr 1943 was a report of the funeral of Silvanus Warne. He was aged 40 and died at Molinnis Crossing, the son of Elizabeth Manhire and grew up with her there, so lots of guests are from my tree. Aunt V Hawke mentioned was Verena nee Manhire , who died the following year and Miss Manhire was Lona, Mr T Tanner was Evelyn's husband Thomas, H & V Warne were Hedley and Vernon, his brothers. One of the wreaths read "fragrant memories from Aunties Lona, Verena & Cousin Lily"

On 20 Feb 1943 there was a sale by Lot Manhire of his house contents and poultry with their sheds etc. at Rosemelling. His wife had died in July 1941 and he presumably wanted a new start. He said he was "declining housekeeping".

Sunday 5th July 2020

I next found a report on the marriage of John Bryce Manhire on 5 Jun 1952. I won't bring you the entire description, as it went into incredible detail, suffice to say it gave me his middle name along with plenty of detail about his family. He was the son of Samuel George Manhire, Oliver's second cousin, and Fannie née Varcoe. His best man was his brother (George) Keith Manhire and bride was Bernice Ruby Williams, daughter of Mr & Mrs F H Williams from St Dennis. The bride had worked at the St Columb Co-op. I see that John took over the farm Coldvreath Farm from his parents, probably in 1978 at his father's death and was last seen there in 2004, when he was 72, and Bernice too. Brother Keith died in 1992, before their mother (1996).

Next clipping was the death announcement of Samuel Manhire in 1950. He was the father of Cecil Redvers and 4 others, his wife Maud May nee Newton

On 16 Mar 1950, Edward Manhire of the Three Cornish Choughs at Treswithian, spoke in court for the extension of hours during the summer months June-September, allowing pubs to remain open until 10.30, instead of closing at 10.00 as they usually had to. He represented 56 local pubs, and the request was upheld despite objections from Methodists and Women's groups, who said the extra time would mean more crime due to drunkenness (although the police were happy with it), in ten minutes.

The next clip was an announcement of the funeral of Martin Thomas, and several ancestors attended, including Cecil and Norman, who were his wife's brothers. She was Elizabeth Madeline nee Manhire , and the article said they had a "young son". I researched and discovered he was aged 8, called Harry after Martin's brother. He is still living in the area with his wife Brenda nee Gregor. Samuel and Maud (Elizabeth's parents) both attended and gave a wreath marked "Mother & Pop". Apparently, after working in London for a number of years, he had taken over a grocery & drapery business in Fore Street, Roche and became the first secretary of the Victory Hall Committee and Parish Clerk (later replaced by his brother-in-law Norman).

Adeline Manhire nee Nicholas , wife of Edward of the Three Choughs pub, died in Oct 1949 and many relatives attended. The wreath from Edward read "To my dear little wife from Eddie", from her children "To Momma" and many more.

On 6 Oct 1949 was reported the wedding of ( George) Keith Manhire , who I mentioned above to Hazel Bullock. His brother John was best man, as the situation was reversed 3 years later. It took place at Stenalees Methodist Church.

Verena Manhire , sister of Lona, Jasper and lots more, was buried in Aug 1949. Her daughter mentioned here, was Margaret Lilian Hawke, evidently known as Lily.

Saturday 4th July 2020

Continuing with the newspaper articles involving Manhires.

I read several listing various attendees at functions, usually weddings and funerals, and some more shows organized by our friend Norman Charles - see yesterday - and an invitation to send him tenders for work with extending the cemetery in 1969, as he was Clerk to the Council. [Incidentally, these newspaper articles have been transcribed by Optical Recognition software and this sometimes produces hilarious results. An example was in 1968, where he was judging another bellringing competition and one of the churches mentioned was "St Columb Pariah Church", also one advert for newborn chicks available from "Jacobstow, near Rude"]
I am moving backwards in time here and the next clip regarding Norman Charles told me he had a daughter called Annette and I have been able to ascertain that she was born in 1946 in the St Austell area (probably Roche) with middle initials D F and in Jan 1966 married local lad Kenneth Tabb. They may well be still alive, last seen living in Scotland. It seems she was an only child as there are no other births with mother's maiden name of Gardner.
A clip from 1965 thanked Norman for 15 years service as secretary to the Show committee, assisted by his sister-in-law. This was Euneta, Cecil's wife. Her address was given as a house in Roche called "Veronica"

[Another one of those typos puzzled me for a while, concerning one Darlene Manhire (who I do not know) as she was congratulated on 101 years full attendance at school! It turned out to be 10½ years!]

Almost all of the reports were for parish business involving Norman and Cecil, including request for a new Post Box, development of the burial ground and consideration of demolition and subsequent development of some derelict properties, or reports/adverts on behalf of W E Manhire & Sons. This was a business run from Spar Villas, Treviscoe by William Ewart , his wife Gladys and son Alan (see below) involving the sale of newly-hatched poultry for farming and/or consumption.

Cecil Redvers Manhire was elected in 1958 and Len (Leonard) led the silver band. (I included here a photograph, saying the reason Len may have looked unhappy was that at the same event, he had to step in himself to replace one of his orchestra members who was taken seriously ill and he may have been upset and worried)

You may remember Lona Armenia Manhire , Oliver's first cousin, who didn't marry and lived at Molinnis Crossing, in the house named Armenia. She died in Dec 1956 and the following was in the local paper a year later and several family members mentioned. She was aged 70 and Evelyn was her sister Elizabeth's daughter. Lily may have been Evelyn's daughter (her middle name being Hyacinth maybe she continued the flower theme) but as all I have is a blocked-out 1939 Register I cannot tell. When Evelyn died in 1978 she was living at Armenia.

This following clip named a lot of people; I have only included a few here. The deceased I know as Hannah Ham, who married Samuel James Manhire , Oliver's second-cousin, in 1900 and they had 6 children; Gladys who died aged 26, William Ewart, who was the owner of the poultry business, Samuel George who died in infancy, Lewis Cyril, Florence Ada, who became Mrs Key, and Lilian Tabitha, who became Mrs Snell. Evidently the author of the report got them a bit mixed up or they were known by other names (this often flows in families and Hannah/Anna may have started it). The Norah mentioned as granddaughter was no doubt Gladys Norah, William Ewart's daughter, but I don't know Eric.

Friday 3rd July 2020

As Findmypast are increasing their list of newspapers, I thought I would have a look through, to see if I could find ancestors there. If so, I could bring you some interesting stories in the coming weeks. We shall see...

Starting with the Manhires:

If you remember, Lilian Manhire , Oliver's sister, married cousin Jasper and the above was a dedication published the year after her death by her children, all of whom have died themselves since. For Lilian's story see 14 Jul 2012, 7th Apr 2017 & 16 Dec 2019.

Cecil Redvers Manhire was Oliver's second cousin once removed, so I didn't study him in depth but the funeral report in the local paper of 16 Dec 1971 gave me a couple of useful snippets of information. Among the list of mourners (not included above) were his sister Madeline - actually Elizabeth Madeline - whose married name was Thomas. So I could match up the marriage to Martin Thomas in 1937. Also a brother Charles, who I knew nothing about. Going by Madeline's evidence, he may have gone by his middle name. He was probably born after 1911, as he wasn't in that census, and in the St Austell area, So, I have tracked him down: Norman Charles Manhire, born 22 Sep 1911. He enlisted in the Royal Artillery in 1933, so that was why I couldn't track him down in the Register as army camps were secret. But he married in Jul 1940 in the Bodmin area, his wife Ivy Bessie Gardner, born in Plymouth 10 Apr 1914. He was discharged from the army in 1956 and died in Truro in 1984 and Ivy in Jan 2010 aged 95. Oh, I have seen him in other newspaper articles, in 1971 judging a bellringing contest in St Columb, and acting as secretary for the Autumn Show in Roche. He gave his address as 3 Rockland Place, which I can't find.

The next clip was announcement of a wedding between Alan John Manhire (from which I learned his middle name) and Hilary Joy Hicks (likewise), also in 1971. They evidently moved in with his parents in Spar Villas and lived with them there until they died in 1981 (Gladys, his mother) & 1992 (William, his father). They were both still there in the most recent electoral roll.

Thursday 2nd July 2020

Woodman Retallick , see 15th July 2017, I searched the baptism pages of the parish records 1874-80, in case he was baptised with his younger sister Mary Jane, but he was not. Marriage scan but of course, his burial was too recent for scans

Yvonne Retallick , see 15th July 2017, nothing new

When I completed the Retallicks in 2017 and returned to my trees in 2018 I moved on to a selection of minor branches, so thought I'd follow suit now, but with only 2 years since I last did them, it would no doubt just be a list of "nothing new"...

Tuesday 30th June 2020

Willie Courtney Retallick , see 15th July 2017, when I said a fellow genealogist said he emigrated to New Zealand but I could find the records. I think I have a coherent story now.
He was baptised at the age of two with his younger baby sister Louisa. While he was at home with his father, he was known as Willie (his father was William) but when he left home he reverted to William, which made it hard for me, unfortunately. On 3 Jul 1884 2 clerks A Retallick and W Retallick travelled to Sydney from London on the Lusitania, but evidently continued their travels; as I said in 2017 he went to New York and back in 1894. He then moved on to Sydney and married Amy Sabena Whittington the following year. Maybe he met her on his first trip 10 years before (when she was only 9 years old. 1896 electoral roll records show them at Huxley Street, Sydenham, Christchurch, where William worked as a labourer. They had 5 children but one, Olive, died aged 2 in 1903. 1916 electoral roll shows they had moved to 21 Woodhouse Street, Linwood and were still there when William died aged 76 and was buried in Linwood Cemetery. Amy joined him in 1953, having lived with daughter Gladys at 24 Surrey Street, Avon until her death, when she joined William and Olive in the family plot at Linwood.

Sunday 28th June 2020

William Drew Retallick , see 28th Jan 2013 &14th July 2017, baptism scan. However, I cannot bring you marriage in 1921 or burial in 1968 as parish records don't extend that far

William Henry Retallick 1 , see 15th July 2017, nothing new.

William Henry Retallick 2 , see 15th July 2017 & 26th Jan 2013, baptism scan and marriage. Unfortunately the burials are too recent (William in 1914 and Ann 1919)

Friday 26th June 2020

William Retallick 6 , see 14th July 2017, where I was concerned about inconsistencies in this tale. I have built an alternative, where he married Jane Rowe on 3 Apr 1817 at Luxulyan, witnesses Thomas Rowe and Rich Harper, had a subsequent child Jane Rowe Retallick, who was married on 12 Feb 1848 to Richard Cullis, son of Thomas Cullis, carpenter. However, there is no proof linking any of this to "our" William.

William Retallick 7 , see 14th July 2017, another link I cannot prove, and again baptism scan is all I have

William Retallick 8 , see same, again baptism scan only

William Retallick 9 , see same, baptism scan, I can't track down the marriage (that volume is very faded and/or damaged) but have burials and an account sheet for payments of rent to Rev W Bunce for property in 1798/9.

Thursday 25th June 2020

William Retallick 2 , see 26th Jan 2013 & 11th July 2017, baptism scan and that of marriage. I have found an interesting record of a time spent in Bodmin Gaol. The name and date of birth are correct, but it says he was born in Devon, a miner living in St Austell, married with one child. I assume these details relate to the discharge in 1853, when our William had at least two (Richard and Jane. I still don't know about Jemima, and William had died). He was a miner in Roche, but so were most men. [Incidentally, I had another look at Jemima, and despite having her mother's name I don't believe it was this family.] He got 9 months for "simple larceny" in Jan 1853, then was acquitted in 1859. Our William died 14 Apr 1886 at the Asylum and was buried in Roche then Jemima followed 3 years later

William Retallick 3 , see 28th Jan 2013, I have baptism scan, marriage, his burial and that of his wife 6 years later:

William Retallick 4 , see 11th July 2017, he appears not to have been baptised and I cannot confirm the marriage in Victoria, Australia or death/burial.

His father, William Retallick 5 , see 28th Jan 2013, I have baptism scan. (as I said, his father had just died, so was described here as "the late William") I have searched the marriage records at Roche by hand, to no avail and on the baptism of son John in 1841 I have just noticed the word "illegitimate", although the surname is Retallick. I covered him earlier this year as John 11, but didn't notice this. His sister Mary Anne was baptised by the Bible Christian Church in 1842 so is not in the Luxulyan parish book or Roche. As I said before, Elizabeth's family were Wesleyans, so maybe didn't worry about her lack of registration. Anyway, they were always known as Retallick and when they emigrated to Australia in 1855 everybody was under that name. William was mentally ill, so maybe nobody dared question him. I gave all the details in 2013.

Tuesday 23rd June 2020

Thomas Soby Retallick , see 11th July 2017, I have his baptism scan and he died aged 16:

Victoria Regina Retallick , see 19th Jan 2013, sister of all the Thomases, see below. I have her baptism scan. Her marriage to Richard Mewton is frustrating; although I can find the registration in the St Austell area in the April quarter of 1882, I cannot find the parish, so cannot track down any scan. The same applies to his burial. I suspect theses were both in Roche, but the records jump. The same applies to her second marriage, probably in Luxulyan, registered in Bodmin area but I cannot find a scan. One thing I have found which is new is that J G was admitted to the Insane Asylum on 28 Dec 1908 and discharged 26 Apr 1909 "recovered". I don't know anything about the condition, he had been a clay labourer and Sunday-school teacher when she married him 22 years before. Their son John Courtney Stockman was interesting. He fought in WW1 and earned 3 medals but was accidentally shot dead by a friend when culling rabbits in 1921 and J G had to testify in court (J C was 27). JG died in 1930, his death registered in the Bodmin area so was probably in Luxulyan. Victoria died in 1938 in the St Austell area.

Viole Glanville Retallick , see 20th Jan 2013 & 11th July 2017, nothing new, including the closed files in 1939.

William Retallick 1 , see 26th Jan 2013 & 11th July 2017, the baptism scan I mentioned. I also have marriage, his burial and that of his wife

Sunday 21st June 2020

Thomas Retallick 3 , see 10th July 2017, looking hard at the baptism scan I think I believe those who say the date was 31st October, but as to the further records, investigation is making things less, not more, clear. I now have two marriages, both in 1754, one in St Keverne to Christiane Davys on 12 May and one in Padstow to Elizabeth White (which has however been removed from the Family Search site). There are then 5 possible burial records:
4 Feb 1757 at St Eval
18 Jan 1780 Constantine
5 Nov 1780 St Gerrans (smallpox)
1 May 1788 Bodmin
9 Oct 1790 St Austell
none of which unfortunately gives the age, so I am none the wiser.

Thomas Henry Retallick 1 , see same for all 3 "versions", I have baptism scan and burial aged 3:

Thomas Henry Retallick 2 , his brother, baptism and burial (unfortunately a mistake was made and his father's name was given):

Thomas Henry Retallick 3 , final "incarnation" of this guy, and he led an interesting life. Baptism scan. On 5 Apr 1902 he travelled from Southampton to New York, remained in USA for 18 months then returned and a year later married Amelia/Minnie. I find it odd that both he and his father were described as farmers, when 3 years before, William was a "labourer on highways" and Thomas clay labourer. By 1911 he was Asylum Attendant and William OAP.
His brother Willie had travelled to USA 8 years earlier, I don't know if it is related, or who they stayed with (Willie ended up emigrating to Australia). His daughter, as I said, emigrated to New York, but retuned to UK at her death. Thomas died 9 Mar 1970 but there are no scans of records that recent.

Saturday 20th June 2020

Terence Retallick , see 10th July 2017, obviously very recent, so no scans. Similarly no deaths, though, so that's good news.

Thomas Retallick 1 , see same, a little bit more about Roy (who I seem to have missed in the general list). As I said, he continued at Hill House, alone, running the farm. [I have traced a marriage in Apr 1953 to Muriel Rowse and a death for them both. Unfortunately the latter 2 events relate to a Roy born in about 1927, so may well be his son. Looking at other people's trees, it seems not and he may not be related. This is a shame, as I have a lovely photo of Roy & Muriel and also their gravestone.] My Roy died on 2 June 1969 at St Lawrence's Hospital, Bodmin, which was the "new" name for the Insane Asylum.

Going back to his father Thomas 1 , he appears not to have been baptised, the marriage isn't available as a scan and the burial records don't go that far.

Thomas Retallick 2 , see same, who married Polly Merrifield when his cousin Jane married Christopher Merrifield. I tried again to find the link, to no avail, although Christopher was one of the witnesses at her marriage. I have scan of his burial in 1846 and that of his wife 6 years later

Friday 19th June 2020

Richard Retallick 7 , see 13th Jan 2013 I have nothing new, but can confirm his baptism

Richard Retallick 8 , see 13th Jan 2013, I have baptism scan: and marriage, his burial in 1822 and that of his wife 2 years later:

Richard Retallick 9 , see 13th Jan 2013, baptism, marriage, his burial in 1852 and his wife in 1845:

Richard Retallick 10 , see 13th Jan 2013 & 4th July 2017, I have baptism scan, I have searched for a marriage, as no search engine finds them, in registers of parishes St Wenn (where Richard was baptised) and St Issey (where son Simon was baptised) to no avail. Unfortunately I know only Elizabeth's Christian name, not surname, nor where of when she was born.

Sarah Retallick , see 4th July 2017, where I told of how she died aged 2 in Devon. As there are no scans for Devon, I can't bring you more.

Simon Retallick 1 ,son of Richard 10, baptism scan in 1752 St Issey. After he emigrated in 1774 to USA, he married Elizabeth Miles and had 2 children, but by the time his widow died there was no trace of him.

His son Simon Retallick 2 , see 14th Jan 2013 & 10th July 2017, was in the Army, as I told, and on 6 May 1812 was given a tract of landby them, in Illinois. However, I think he died on 18 Mar 1824. What I doubt, as I said in 2017, was his marriage, as he would have been 13.

Tuesday 16th June 2020

Richard Retallick 4 , see 13th Jan 2013 & 4th July 2017, I have baptism scan, marriage, burial of his wife in 1841 and that of Richard. I also can see from electoral roll records that he lived at Baytree Hill, Barn Street, Liskeard (his address in 1851) already in 1837. Thus I know where he was in 1841, when I still cannot find the census. There was one that distracted me, thinking he was with his parents or brother & sister, as he was in St Allen with a John and a Catherine, but this was incorrect as they were all dead by then.

Richard Retallick 5 , see 12th Jan 2013, I have baptism scan, marriage, burial of his wife and of Richard:

Richard Retallick 6 , see 13th Jan 2013, burial of wife Grace in 1737 and of Richard in 1746. Other scans were too early

Saturday 13th June 2020

Reginald Arthur Retallick , see 3rd July 2017, nothing new

Reuben Retallick , see 4th July 2017, baptism scan. Incidentally, I found another story here. Next to Reuben's record, baptised on the same day at Roche was a Richard Retallick Common, son of Elizabeth and William Common. I was intrigued at his middle name, tracked back and found his mother Elizabeth was Betty Retallick, daughter of Richard 3, who I shall deal with shortly, and Elizabeth. Betty was in pencil in my notes, as I had no evidence to connect her, but have found it now! Reuben died aged 29 and was buried in Roche and again I found someone missed previously. His father (the one who had been in gaol) died 2 years before him and was buried in Roche too, so his burial record was a few pages from that of Reuben.

Now for the Richards, if you remember there were ten.

Richard Retallick 1 , see 13th Jan 2013, baptism scan, marriage, burial and burial of his wife:

Richard Retallick 2 , see 12th Jan 2013, scans for baptism and marriage but no burial scan unfortunately for him in 1903 or Amelia in 1914

Richard Retallick 3 , see 13th Jan 2013 & 4th July 2017, where I hope I straightened out the confusion re his parentage. He was actually baptised in St Enoder, not St Wenn as I thought. I also have scans of marriage and burial:

I have just discovered a document I was able to get free from the National Archives; Richard's will, proved when he died in August 1803. He left most of his land, goods etc to executor eldest son John (although he was only 12 at the time), to his wife "a dwelling house...garden...with some other household furniture and if she lives to attain the age of 55 then to have £2 yearly during her life". This is worth £207 now, not a lot! She did live to that age, she was 86 at her death. In 1841 she can be seen living with her son farmer Richard of Burney House, Roche, describing herself as "Housekeeper". He had recently been widowed with 3 small children, so she must have been a godsend. She didn't quite make it to the next census in 1851 though, and Richard can be seen still there with 3 teens.
As I just discovered a new offspring, see above, I shall cover her now. As well as John b 1791 and "Richard 5" b 1800, there was a daughter between them, Elizabeth (Betty) b 1795. In 1839 she married William Common, so was not around in the 1841 census mentioned above.

Wednesday 10th June 2020

Phyllis Retallick , see 2nd July 2017, when she was a closed file in 1939 Register, and I found a marriage in 1945 in St Austell to Oswald Venton. The situation is oddly the same but I can see she died in Jan 2004 in Southampton aged 80. This doesn't actually help, as there is no sign of her husband in 1939 or dying since.

Polly Jane Retallick , see 2nd July 2017, I don't think she was baptised, but I have a marriage scan. Unfortunately Luxulyan burial scans don't go to 1912.

Ralph Clifton Retallick , see 3rd July 2017, nothing new.

Raymond Retallick , see same, nothing new

Tuesday 9th June 2020

Peggy Retallick , see 5th Jan 2013 & 1st July 2017, all I can add is her burial scan and that of her husband 3 years later

Percival Donald Retallick , see 2nd July 2017, nothing new (no scans as all events occurred in Devon), including still no sign in 1939.

Philip Retallick , see 2nd July 2017, nothing new

Phoebe Retallick , see 7th Jan 2013, I have baptism scan and she was buried in St George's Anglican Cemetery, Grafton, Northumberland, Ontario.

Sunday 7th June 2020

Myrtle Avanda Retallick (great name), see 26th June 2017, nothing new. There are lots of trips across the Atlantic in the name of Arthur Bloomfield, where he was crew, but I do know that his given name was Nugent Arthur, but he was known as Charlie, so I have no evidence this was her husband. As far as I know he was settled at home in Bugle as a dairy farmer.

Norman Kenneth Retallick , see 26th June 2017, I have filled in a few more details of what he did between age 6 and his marriages. On 8 Dec 1922 aged 18 he attested in Newton Abbott to the Territorial Force of the Royal Artillery for 4 years. He gave his occupation then as Motor Mechanic, so evidently learned the application of these skills to larger machinery in the services (by 1939 was an Aircraft Fitter if you remember). Next Of Kin at this point was his father, H Retallick of Wisteria, Kingsteignton, and Norman was discharged when his 4 years were up on 7 Dec 1926 as a Gunner. He evidently settled at 23 Woolaton Terrace, Kingsteignton until marriage, when he may well have moved to Yeovil (60 miles northeast).

Olive Emily Retallick , see also 26th June 2017, a very detailed account so it's not surprising there is nothing new.

Olive Millicent Retallick , see 1st Jul 2017, Norman's sister, who I lost track of after 1911. I see now that in Jan 1916 in Paddington, London she married Jonathan Ellery Bose (Ellery was his mother's maiden-name). A few years earlier he had been to Australia for a trip and obviously loved it so they went there for their honeymoon. I know this as son Roy George (or George Roy) was born there 9 months later. If they truly intended to stay, it wasn't long before they returned, Feb 1920. Jonathan's mother may have been ill, as she died in 1922, also the boy attended school in England. In Jul 1929 he had finished junior school and they set off again to Freemantle on the SS Bendigo, intending to stay in Australia. Jonathan was a bricklayer, so could presumably find work wherever they went but in Jan 1931 Olivia and George returned to England. This time Jonathan's father was ill and he died in the March. The family evidently settled back in Cornwall as in 1939 Register they were at Sandy Nook, Wadebridge, Jonathan a Mason, George a plumber, Olive UDD.The following year George married Dorothy Masters in Bodmin and died there aged 60 in 1977. Jonathan died at Wadebridge, still at Sandy Nook, on New Year's Day 1956 and was buried at St Menefreda's Churchyard. Olive followed 12 years later, address given as Penlee, Fernleigh Road, This address is gone now, but may have changed its name. It may have been a nursing home.

Olive Mary Retallick , see 1st July 2017, nothing new except her address at death was 14 Polvillion Road, Fowey, where they had been in 1939, 30 years before.

Saturday 6th June 2020

Returning to the "normal" way of things, I will pick up where I left off in April, with the Retallicks:

Mary Jane Retallick , see 13th December 2012 & 20th June 2017, I have now seen the passenger lists transporting her and baby William to Ellis Island in 1902 and her burial at Hillcrest Cemetery, Bessemet, Gogebic County, Michigan

Mary Jane Retallick 2 , see 20th June 2017 (& 30th Sep 2012 for her husband). Nothing new, as unfortunately many of the scanned documents previously available on FamilySearch are still missing.

Melinda Retallick , see 20th June 2017, scan of marriage is here and burial

Milicent Retallick , see 14th Dec 2012, nothing new

Miriam Retallick , see 23rd June 2017, quite a story but with frustrating holes. I have found her in 1911; at that point she had travelled to Canada, lived with her sister Bessie for a while, then moved on to be with brother Charles, but once her son William married and settled, she joined him. The Jones family, headed by William, a miner, and his wife Evelina also then included 2-year-old Ernest and year-old Miriam as well as 2 boarders. As Miriam senior was a nurse, no doubt she looked after her grandchildren. This was in Bole Avenue, Chilliwack Riding, New Westminster, BC. By 1920 census she had moved on to Livingstone, Montana, having married and been widowed again. I suspect I have the right man for her 2nd husband John Baptiste Renier, who she married on 11 Oct 1913 in Vancouver and he went home to the Netherlands in 1922 and died there. She called herself widow again in 1920, though, but I think she liked the term, having done the same in 1891 when her first husband was still alive (and so had he). She was at that time (1920) working as a nurse to a private family in Livingstone, Montana, where she remained, living with brother Charles as I described

Miriam Olivia Retallick , see 25th June 2017, another emigree. Regarding the job application I mentioned, she did get the job, but as I said before she wasn't there long - it was in fact less than 2 week then she was dismissed. I have searched again for her death, but after 1955 in Everett, Washington, she doesn't appear again.

Wednesday 3rd June 2020

I can report that as it is very slow going and not very productive at all, I am going to stop wasting my time with the Archives. I have examined 151 records in my search for the surname Gamble, selecting specific names and areas of the country, and all the records I have found relating to "mine" are available elsewhere.
The best one I found was not related to me, but was a jolly interesting tale. It told of a William Gamble, who attested to the 2nd Life Guards regiment on 3 Jul 1844 when he was 18 years and 11 months old, having been born in Norfolk. He can be seen in 1851 census in Hyde Park Barracks, London. On 1 May 1854 he married Mary Ann Holland in Chelsea, but she died - there are lots of deaths with that name, so I can't tell which one - and he remarried on 23 Jul 1859. This was to Amelia Small Pratt - she must have been grateful to get rid of that name but I'm glad it wasn't the fashion in those days to double-barrel on marriage, as she'd be Amelia Small Pratt-Gamble! By 1861 census they were living in Model Cottages, Windsor, working as servants to Colonel Vyse. His life was not so good, though, as by all accounts he was disturbed and took to drinking. He ran up debts but I don't know if this was cause or effect. On 13 Sep 1862 he borrowed a gun from a colleague and blew his face off. He was only 36 and was buried in a common grave at the (nearby, famous) Brompton Cemetery on 17 September.

So, not sure how to proceed with this, I have been asked to return to Working from Home, so will have to drop this for a few days anyway. I will return to you if I can next week.

Thursday 28th May 2020

I became aware that the same records were coming up and much of the work was getting repeated, so moving on from the Wooldridges I moved a step closer, on to the Gambles, where the National Archives digital records gave me 1546 on a search for the surname. I was aware that some were regarding gambling, so decided to turn the method around and search for individuals. On my database I have 72 with that surname, so searched for individuals I know were mine.
I'll get back to you on whether this method is better, and is a more productive use of my time. At the moment the jury is out.

Wednesday 27th May 2020

Much of the same over the past few days. Sunday I examined 15 documents, Tuesday and today 25 apiece. Only a couple of these were mine, and I already had the information. There were some with stories attached which intrigued me but were not my guys. For example Sergeant Samuel Wooldridge, who was born 27 Sep 1872, volunteered for the Royal Marines Light Infantry on 29 Jan 1890 in Portsmouth until 1909, then in several places abroad including Ostende and the Dardanelles in 1916, when he was injured and invalided out with 5 Good Conduct Badges.
Another was the Will of John Wooldridge, corporal in the Marines, Portsmouth, aboard the ship Dido at Bridport, then a patient at British Naval Hospital Leghorn, where he died on 10 Oct 1810, leaving his brother Thomas his executor and sole heir.
Archibald David Wooldridge was born 16 May 1892 in Bere Alston, Devon. The document was the Naval history sheet dating from 1913 until 6 Aug 1920 when he died of multiple injuries. The Court of Enquiry found "Death by Accident as a result of falling through opening from Upper to Lower (illegible) caused by small ducting oval spontaneous combustion, smoke resulting". I'm not really sure what that means, but it sounds jolly dramatic! Apparently "all customary precautions had been taken and therefore no blame is attributable to anyone".
William Henry Wooldridge, "Van Man" from Portsmouth in 1920 "forfeited 21 days pay for drunkenness when on active service".
Thomas Wooldridge born 9 May 1870 in Bow joined the navy in 1885 and died 16 Aug 1915 "when the trawler Japan was blown up". It is unclear whether he was on board or doing the blowing up.
And gas-fitter William Sidney Wooldridge joined the navy in 1909 aged 18, served 4 years then in Oct 1913 at Langhope, Orkneys "drowned through falling overboard from a whaler".
But by far the best story was that of Roy Lance Wooldridge, born 25 Feb 1943, who was in the Royal Engineers, 209 Field Company, in command of a unit involved in Mine lifting operations. Apparently they cleared an entire minefield with extreme expertise, so the rest of the company could pass through and engage the enemy, for which he was awarded the MBE.

Saturday 23rd May 2029

I had 30 more negative records, then got excited when I came across Florence May Elliott Wooldridge, who enlisted in the Queen Mary's Army Auxilliary in 1917, giving her address as Regents Park, London along with her Next of Kin sister N. I have a Florence M E Wooldridge on my tree, but I was disappointed to find she was only 10 and lived in Twickenham. She also didn't have a sister with initial N. But this lady was interesting, so I read on. In 1918 she was posted to Holland Park, 3 miles away, and stayed in a hostel there, then a nurses home, working as "forewoman". Her papers are very detailed, including references for her job, and she was hospitalised for influenza (this was the time of the Spanish Flu epidemic) once in 1918 and then again in 1919. Then on 8 Sep 1919 she was "discharged on compassionate leave", maybe to look after her parents, and it used the term "furlough", which we are again familiar with - in fact this applies to me at this moment. But on this document there is a hand-written note down the side "she has been missing for (illegible) years". This note is undated, and there is nothing to say whether she just did not return! Intriguing. [I see that by the next war she was working in Atlantic City then Ottawa as Companion].
Another intriguing document was a letter from "Henry Wooldridge, Guardian of the Poor of Southampton", requesting of HQ what were the expected qualifications required for the post of Medical Officer. It was dated 22 May 1844, so doesn't match up with any Henry of mine, and the list of requirements is missing from the reply, so frustrating again.
10 more documents weren't mine.

Thursday 21st May 2020

Just an update. Tuesday I studied 35 documents and yesterday 15, all to no avail. Today I did 5 then came across an ancestor I did know, Lewis Richard Wooldridge , who died in action in France on 9 Oct 1916. However, I already knew this information and had it on another medal card.
I also came across an interesting chap, Leonard Gordon Wooldridge, son of an Arthur Tylee Wooldridge, neither of whom I have on my tree, who enlisted on 2 Sep 1914. He was a legal articled clerk from Totnes in Devon and gave his father as Next Of Kin at Ellastone, Camberley, Surrey. Unfortunately his service was not a good experience and he had only been there 119 days when he was discharged and went home. The medical notes say "insomnia melancholia, nervous breakdown". He was only 19. Looking back to 1911 census he can be seen as inmate in the infirmary of Wilson House College in Epsom, so he was already ill. Mind you, he didn't die until 1970, so was OK once he settled down. In 1932 he went on a trip to New York and was listed as a solicitor, and on death he left well over £10,000 (£156k today)

Monday 18th May 2020

I examined another 26 Wooldridge documents on Saturday, then another 24 today, none advancing my trees, but there were lots of little stories popping up along the way. For example, Samuel Otway Wooldridge, who was appointed Lieutenant on 25 Jan 1846, then in 1856 "quitted his station" and was dismissed. He died on 5 Dec 1862, so there may have been a story there. Florence Elizabeth Wooldridge enrolled at RAF Cranwell (in Lincolnshire) and worked as a cook. The trouble was this was in June 1918 and the war only lasted another 5 months and she was discharged on 22 Nov 1918 and went home to her mother Elizabeth at Darby Green, Blackwater, Hampshire. Robert G Wooldridge was sergeant in the Middlesex Regiment, fighting in the Balkans and Died of Wounds but E A Wooldridge earned 2 medals that could not be issued as they had no name for him. Alfred C Wooldridge was a private in Queen's Regiment, fighting in France, was Missing in Action 25 Sep 1915 and his 3 medals were sent home.
None of these were "mine" so I haven't looked into these stories further.

Friday 15th May 2020

After 12 more blanks for Wooldridges I came across a tenuous link which may or may not be real. I found a medal card for a William Wooldridge who earned at least one medal as a private with the Army Veterinary Corps in 1918, but there is a note on the card to the effect that it/they were returned as the "Man was Inmate of Surrey County Asylum, Netherne". I have a Dinah Wooldridge on my tree who lived in the staff cottages there, as her husband worked there, and they had a son called William. However, of course he had her married name of Weller and Dinah had died in 1909. Her husband may well have been there when this soldier was inmate, but I can't locate another link. I found lots of photographs of the asylum (now converted into housing) but cannot access patient records, so I can't see if his home address was familiar.

Then followed a further 14 blanks (the one who may be my great grandfather would be in his fifties, so unlikely).

Thursday 14th May 2020

Yesterday I perused 22 more entries for Wooldridges, all strangers, then today the first record belonged to one of mine, Arthur Edward Wooldridge , who I discovered had a shining career first in the Royal Marines, then in the army. The document here was notification of his promotion from private to acting lieutenant in the Engineers Division of the Marines, dated 5 Jun 1915, but it bore a note dated 31 Jan 1917 that he was being transferred to the army. (By the end of the war I see he received several medals and was a Captain).
Then followed 26 blanks, but when I looked at the medal card of Walter E Wooldridge (not mine) I was shocked to see he was awarded 3 medals for his service, which included fighting in France, but that he died on 11th November 1918, which was of course Armistice Day! Actually, reading round, I see that there was a final 11, not just the 11th day of the 11th month, but on that final day 11,000 men died. A lot of them we can understand more this year than others, as the Spanish Flu epidemic was sweeping through the trenches.

Tuesday 11th May 2020

18 more wills etc for Wooldridges not on my tree, then I had to give up because the Ancestry site was failing. This almost always happens when they open it up to the "public" for free trials.

Sunday 10th May 2020

I soon came across a William Wooldridge but, although I had one in my tree born the same year (1885), this was not him as mine lived in Surrey all his life and this guy was in Warrington, Cheshire with a wife and 4 children when mine was (I think) a chef, unmarried in 1911. The document package contained 18 documents outlining his service in the Household Battalion, but as this only amounted to 181 days, most was an argument about whether he was entitled to a badge, as he was invalided in May 1918 and hostilities ceased in November of that year. So by the time the cogs had ground around to him it was no longer relevant. He did get a pension of 11 shillings, but how much use that was to a 32-year-old I don't know.
After 5 irrelevant wills, I decided I should narrow the search a bit, so included Surrey in the search. There followed 14 records, almost all of which I was sure were not mine. One I knew was; Charles G Wooldridge, but I already had more detail than this card gave me.
Tomorrow (or rather Wednesday) I shall return to the less specific search and hope for the best.

Saturday 9th May 2020

I completed the final 16 Roffey references, finding no more of "mine", although a few were interesting.
But moving onto Wooldridge records, there are 572, so this will take me a while. The first one was Jessie Wooldridge, which is a name on my tree but this is not her. The documents refer to her career as a Staff Nurse at Chatham in WW1 from 1915. However, by that time "my" Jessie was Mrs Carter and living in Twickenham. This story was interesting though as she was dismissed in 1917 for refusing to wear her uniform when she was off duty, which was apparently expected of nursing staff in those days. Her home address in 1915 was familiar to me, as she lived in a part of Bath I know from my work with the Matthews branch (my Dad's tree, so not related at all).
After this good start I hit a bare patch; 5 irrelevant, old wills, some in latin, and the WW1 record of Gilbert de Lacy Wooldridge OBE, who was far too grand and important for my tree!

Friday 8th May 2020

Edward Roffey , see 5th Sep 2014, 23rd Aug 2016 & 20th Apr 2019, but now I have more details at the end of his life. I know at one point I got the Edwards mixed up and thought he died in 1886 at the age of 105 but there is plenty of evidence to support 1853. In fact he was not buried in the plot I was looking at, in Charlton Cemetery, rather in Nunhead Cemetery, which I visited a few years ago. He was interred into plot 23/285 there, where a Charles Roffey had gone in 1841, and 10 other people in 1841 & 1844. I don't know who this Charles was, unless a brother/son I didn't know. Anyway, the document in the National Archives collection is one relating to a claim on behalf of Sarah, his widow, for funds owed to him by Royal Navy (probably pension payments not received), giving date of death as 30 Nov 1853 and confirming the address as 30 Coleman Street. I have referred to this address in the past, so need not do so again.
A James Goldup Roffey appeared, the document giving his naval details, also birth on 19 Dec 1873 in Battersea. I see from Ancestry that he was baptised there, father William mother Elizabeth. He had such an unusual middle name but I couldn't attach him to my tree either with or without it. He enlisted on 19 May 1892 and was sent to the RMLI Portsmouth. He trained there, then was sent out on a couple of ships before returning to Devon in 1895, admitted to hospital in Portland and died of double pneumonia at the age of 23.
I examined 22 more documents but none were "ours". There was one George Francis Atkinson Roffey of interest not merely because he was born (1874) in Bromley, near where I grew up, but that he served 11 years in the Navy then was admitted to a convalescent home in Sydney, Australia in 1900 and hanged himself, aged only 26.

Thursday 7th May 2020

Oddly enough, prior to yesterday I hadn't heard of the Army Cyclist Corps and now I have another. As I only have initials A F, I can't be sure, but think he is not on my tree. This one was awarded the Military Medal in 1917 with the rank of Lance Corporal but that's all I know.
I checked 20 more and was just about to give up when up popped Clifford's 4xgreat uncle Edward Roffey. I don't want to rush it now so I will bring it to you tomorrow.

Wednesday 6th May 2020

I was interested to see on a medal card in the National Archives collection for a Walter Roffey (unfortunately not on my tree) that as well as the Lincolnshire Regiment, he belonged to the Army Cyclist Corps. I was amazed that I had never heard of them, and reading round the subject even more so. I would have thought that my father would have told me about them in one of his many war stories, as in the 1930s he was a member of (and later ran) a cycling club in South London. Apparently the first Cyclist Corps was in North London and over the years that followed corps were formed all over the country. Granted they were abandoned in 1920, 2 years before my Dad was born, but should have been famous. This incidentally entitled Walter Roffey to draw special rations, as the trips they made were often the length and breadth of the country. They weren't often posted abroad (apparently because they were valued too highly!), but sometimes were, in small groups.

One further piece of information I have found does concern one of "our" ancestors; the stoker William Stanfield Roffey , who I told you about on Sunday. I had seen his record up to 1929 and thought that was that. I have now seen a further record that states he made 5 more trips then was pensioned in 1933. After he died in 1938 his widow was paid the pension until 1944, when he was transferred to the "permanently medically unfit roster" and presumably the pension ceased.
Today I examined 25 further Roffey documents but there are lots left.

Tuesday 5th May 2020

Continuing with Roffey records in the National Archives, I did 5 more, with only Edward Charles "ours" and nothing to add. But then Frederick Herbert popped up, who I hadn't reported on before, so here goes. He was first cousin of the guys I mentioned last week, their fathers being brothers. He was born in the April quarter of 1898 (same as his cousin Henry) in Charlton but I can't see a baptism. In 1901 census he can be seen aged 3 living at 106 East Street with parents and 7 siblings, then in 1911 aged 13 with the same at 596 Woolwich Road. This entire area has been redeveloped, so I don't know these addresses specifically, but they appear to be very close to where the other family lived. He too joined up to serve in WW1 on 29 May 1916, at the age of 18, joining the Middlesex branch of the Labour Corps. However, he was involved in an "accident involving a bomb explosion" and was discharged on 29 Apr 1918 with a diagnosis of neurasthenia (mental debilty and fatigue which nowadays would no doubt be called PTSD). He went home to Woolwich Road, where his parents lived with 3 of his brothers, but died within a few months and was buried on 24 Sep in Charlton Cemetery. The plot was already occupied by his sister Martha and brother Joseph, who had died aged 13 and 8 respectively, and their mother joined them 6 years later.
Sidney Herbert Roffey was one with further details in these documents, but I think I already knew them from Ancestry. He rose to rank, unlike most of these guys, and his WW1 medal card was in the name of Warrant Officer. There was one just under S H Roffey, dated 1926 and called him Sergeant Major, but I can't be sure it was him (none of these records state Date of Birth, unfortunately).

Sunday 3rd May 2020

Oddly, every time I recognise someone in the National Archives it fills in a bit more about that one same family. I suppose it's not surprising as there were 11 children. Today, after examining 25 to no avail, I found the eldest of the 11, William Stanfield Roffey . He was like his brothers, conspicuous by his absence after 1911, but now I have more details on him I can see he was put into the Plumstead Workhouse at the age of 10. Maybe he was a sickly child who needed feeding up; he certainly did have a tick by his name to say he was to be given a special diet, although not what that was to be. He was admitted on 4 Mar 1900 and discharged into the care of his father on 6 Mar 1900. 2 days doesn't seem long, but maybe it was enough. Either that or he had been found wandering the streets, the record doesn't say. In March 1911, at the age of 20, he enlisted in the Royal Navy as a Stoker and spent the next 18 years on 35 "periods of servce" aboard very many ships. After demob he worked as a "sink moulder" and lived at 61 Harden's Manor Way, 3 houses from his mother & brothers at no. 67. He was still living at this address when he died aged 46 at St Alphage's Hospital and was buried in Charlton Cemetery, where his brother's family joined him later. I can see that on electoral roll records, he was married and have now located the marriage record. In Jan 1916 he evidently popped home between trips and married Rosina Emily Kemp. Reading around, I see that the HMS Nottingham had returned home for repairs after being torpedoed in 1915, then proceeded after his marriage to take part in the Battle of Jutland. Stephen, his father, died in the August, but I suspect William couldn't be spared to attend... He had one daughter in Jan 1920 and a son in 1921, but we know from 1939 Register that they are both dead. After his death in 1938 Rosina moved to no.66, probably across the road from her mother-in-law. In 20 Sep 1971 she died in Greenwich District Hospital aged 73 (home adress 106 Woodhill) and was buried in Charlton Cemetery.

Saturday 2nd May 2020

I studied 25 more Roffey documents, almost all medal cards and wills, but none was ours. Of some interest was a Miss Harriett Elizabeth Roffey, aged "35¾" and described as a "Gun Cleaner Immobile", recruited in Felixstowe, but, as I say, not "ours". Also one John Horatio Roffey likewise, including lots of detailed information, including his submitted wine bill! He was described as paymaster, so maybe he was entitled...
Then I had another like yesterday, where I knew the basics about George James Roffey in that he was born approx 1894 to Stephen Francis and Martha nee Surtees, so was in fact Henry's brother (3rd of 11 children). He had the same childhood and was also missing after 1911 in my records. Today I found a medal card from WW1 which showed that he joined the London Regiment and was awarded 2 medals in 1919. 1939 Register showed he too had in the mean time got married and in the same year as his brother 1923. However, his wife was from Kingston-upon-Thames and they married in Harlesden. I have only found one child, a daughter Iris Ivy Beatrice (mother was Ivy Rose Mant), born in Oct 1927, although I can't see Iris on the 1939 Register. Unfortunately we know all too well where she was on 20 Mar 1941, at home with her mother. On that day, while George was at work, Ivy and 13-year-old Iris were at home (Iris was at school but it will have been the Easter Holidays). The Blitz started in late 1940 but March 1941 showed a terrifying new development; bombers dropped mines on parachutes, and these detonated when they hit the roof line. This was a favourite area for bombers as it was so close to the Woolwich Arsenal. On 20 March one fell on 98 Eastmoor Street and killed 9 people, including Ivy (aged 43 at the time) and Iris (13). Actually, reading round, I see she may have been at home due to the bombing of her school in previous weeks. Both were buried at Charlton Cemetery. When George died 17 years later, he was living at 106 Woodhill, where their mother had died 9 years before, although his death was registered in Dartford. He was buried with Ivy and Iris in Charlton Cemetery.

Friday 1st May 2020

Continuing with the National Archives documents, largely tedious but I thought I would show you how this can be productive. Yesterday I perused 9 more Roffeys, all of which weren't "mine" until I got to Henry Arthur. All I knew about him was his childhood, the fact that he was born in 1899 (approx), 5th of 11 children, to Stephen Francis Roffey and Martha nee Surtees and was at home with them and lots of siblings in 1901 & 1911 at 67 Hardens Manor Way, Woolwich, where his parents had lived since marriage, and his mother (previously a haberdasher but by then retired) and a couple of brothers were still there in 1939. Henry, along with lots of his siblings, had meanwhile vanished. Martha died in 1949 at another address in Woolwich, 106 Woodhill and was buried on 11th Apr at Charlton Cemetery. A document popped up yesterday with his name on, dated 8 Feb 1924. It described him as a Cable Hand aged 25 living at 8 Arthur Street, Plumstead, working for Siemens Bros. of Woolwich. It seems he had been involved in an incident and was admitted to the Dreadnought Seamen's Hospital with "severe burns of the eyeball". There was also in the Archive a Medal Card, showing that he had joined up in 1914 (possibly lying about his age as he was barely 16. At the end of WW1 he was awarded 2 medals with "clasp and roses" for service to the ASC (Army Service Corps) in the Motor Ambulance Unit. The hospital record told of his discharge on 6 Mar 1924, supposedly "cured" and a newspaper of the time spoke of a payment to him and one other man of £50 each for their trouble. If the poster above was correct, this was almost 6 months pay. His address at this point, 8 Arthur Street, Plumstead, which if it is now called Arthur Grove, was 2 miles east of "home". The next we see he is living almost back at Hardens Manor Way, at Westmoor Street, nowadays a run-down industrial estate, in 1939 and he is married to a Florence Annie. This did confuse me for a while, as the only marriage I could find was to an Annie M Edwards in Woolwich in 1923, which was before he was in hospital. But looking at the hospital record I can see it doesn't say one way or the other. So I think he married this lady (known as Annie) and then moved back "home" after his accident. In 1939 there was a closed record, which could be a son or daughter, but another child 10-year-old Jean Coates was with them, possibly an evacuee. Oh, and he was still a cable worker, by now "Head Cable Worker, heavy work". The next we hear is his death, registered in Wesminster in Aug 1967, cremated at Eltham Crematorium on 18 Aug 1967, giving home address as 139 Plumstead Common Road. He was 69 and retired. His wife followed 16 years later, and was also cremated there. The odd thing to me was that my father was cremated there only 3 years later (this is my father-in-law's tree and even he didn't know this branch). Plumstead Common Road is near to Arthur Street, and Florence's address when she died was 12 Nightingale Vale, also nearby (modern blocks now), although she actually died in Greenwich District Hospital.

Wednesday 29th April 2020

I studied 63 Roffey documents, but most were much too early for my tree. Almost all were wills and also available on the Ancestry site. Sir James and the Edwin Thomas Roffey, assistant surgeon, who died aboard HMS Wasp were there, but I knew about them already. An ancestor called Carew Roffey, may be the father of my oldest Roffey, Edward, and I have his will. So must do some more investigating at some point as he (Edward) is a direct ancestor, Clifford's 4xgreat grandfather.

Tuesday 28th April 2020

As Ancestry was very unhappy yesterday, I didn't get far. As I said, I had to cut down the Samways search using the term Dorset, and managed to cut it down to 63, then 4, 3 of which I had already via Ancestry. I then moved on to the Roffey branch of Clifford's tree, almost all of them from Woolwich and Greenwich. Using those terms I found 5, three of which were "mine" but I had already. Removing the place-names gave me 292, so I shall have to be more stringent in which ones I open. I shall continue with this tomorrow.

Sunday 26th Apr 2020

Today I looked at 106 more Hodd documents, downloading no more, as of the 9 other who were "ours", these had already been provided by Ancestry.

The next name to research is Samways, and there are 459 documents to work on. As all "my" twigs are from Dorset, I shall only consider those concerning that county i.e. 63, much more manageable. I have today done 23 of these, 16 of which I could have got from Ancestry anyway, but they were too early for my tree. One of these days I may develop the tree and take it back as far as these 16th and 17th Century records, and I will know where to look.

Saturday 25th April 2020

On with the National Archive records again.

I finished the Manhires from yesterday, only finding one worth downloading, then moved on through the Catchesides (2 of 24 *) and the Hennigs (none). I am proceeding with the Hodds now, so far downloading one will (from 11 documents). The interesting thing there was a James, who I knew about, and the possible wills of his brother and son, both Richards. They are difficult to read, so will file them for another day. * Although I only found 2 new documents for the Catcheside branch, what I did find was most satisfying. I knew that Sidney George Catchesides died in Flanders in 1918, and is commemorated on the Ploegsteert memorial there, but I see now that he had married before he left these shores and had a son and a daughter before he died. Also his brother Albert was with him in WW1 and returned. He immediately married in 1919 and had a son himself. All this from medal awards including middle names!

Friday 24th April 2020

The National Archives have opened up their site for free access to certain records, so I shall spend today searching for anything relevant I cannot get elsewhere. Don't hold your breath, though, as I'm not certain of anything after my previous attempts.

I can report that today I have located and downloaded 10 new documents regarding "my" Retallicks, and examined 43 more who were not relevant. I have listed another 20 Manhires for tomorrow, although I already did some of these before.

Thursday 23rd April 2020

Mary Retallick 3 , see 13th June 2017, I now have baptism scan and marriage but no death scan, I'm afraid.
There was another John Miners in the area who confused me, but he was 3 years younger and a sailor ("our" John lived up to his name as a miner). I'm almost disappointed, as he was a felon and there are some fascinating stories told about his larceny. He started at age 11, running away from the Union Workhouse, taking the clothes with him and ended up in Australia. Just to confuse, he died in 1911 too.

Mary Ann Retallick , see 12th Dec 2012, baptism scan and burial scan.

Mary Anne Retallick , see 20th June 2017, baptism scan. I was quite excited by the abode noted as "barges", but as Henry was a tinner, I assume it was a house by that name, not a boat. In 2017, her story stopped there, but I have found her in 1851 census living next door to her parents, so can fill in the rest. Instead of working as a servant in Falmouth, which I proposed in 2017, she married Samuel Peters on 11 May 1837 in St Austell. They can be seen in census of 1841 at Livrean Moor, St Austell with a son Woodman Peters, then 1851 (as I said) next door to her parents, Samuel working as an iron miner. Her brother Luke's household was 3 houses away, and Samuel was running a grocer's shop. As I can't find any further censuses for her or Samuel, I believ the death in 1859 of fever and burial in St Blazey may be hers, which may be why she only had 3 children. Also, the death I have for Samuel was in USA, although I cannot find emigration documents, I think he may have left these shores after her death. Both sons can be seen in the 1861 census without parents, so mother may have died in 1859 and father went abroad then. Eden Ann was only 11 but was mis-spelled in a variety of ways, so I only pick her up again at her marriage.

Mary Anne Retallick 2 , see 13th Dec 2012, who emigrated to Australia and had 3 children then died in childbirth aged 23. Nothing new.

Sunday 19th April 2020

Maria Retallick , see 9th Dec 2012 & 12th June 2017, baptism scan, marriage and burial, also that of her husband 17 years later

Marina Retallick , see 12th June 2017, baptism scan. Unfortunately I cannot track down a parish for their marriage, although it was registered in Bodmin and the following year they can be seen living in St Leonards. I also cannot find scans of burial for either.

Martin Drew Retallick , see same date, I don't think he was baptised, but I have a burial scan

Mary Retallick 1 , see 11th Dec 2012 & 13th June 2017.No scan of baptism as those in Durham stop in 1897 and no scans in Devon for burial.

Mary Retallick 2 , see 13th June 2017, scan of baptism, marriage, both in St Wenn, and burials in St Columb Major:

Saturday 18th April 2020

Luke Retallick Senior , see 12th June 2017, baptism scan, marriage scan, burial and that of his wife. Another new record is the electoral roll of 1885, showing Luke Senior at Lockengate, where he had a dwelling house.

His son Luke Retallick Jun , see same, I have baptism scan but no marriage scan, I'm afraid, or burial. Again, I have electoral roll records for 1885. He was living at "Lavrean, leasehold houses on lives"

Margery Honor Retallick , see same date, nothing new

I will stop here for now, as Ancestry is having intermittent faults.

Friday 17th April 2020

You may remember that last June Findmypast included in their records a lot of the Greater London Burials. I trawled through, cross-referencing everybody and found a few bits useful, but in the long run decided it hadn't been worth doing. Today they have extended their cover and added Surrey Burials. Learning from my previous experience, I won't go through the trees again (I do have over 13,000 ancestors on 4 trees) but will endeavour to include the new records in my regular update searches.

Thursday 16th April 2020

Lilian Maud Retallick , see 11th June 2017, baptism scan but as they took place in Devon (scans for that county not available) there are none for marriage or burials

Louisa Retallick 1 , see 11th June 2017, who was not baptised, either in 1869 or 1875, the two "incarnations". Of their four girls, Allivyan and Mary only baptised the last, Emily. The first "version" died before she was 2 and I now have her burial scan. I cannot locate her marriage; I thought it was in Roche but wasn't. One of the other villages around maybe, as it was registered in the St Austell district. When Joseph died in 1946 he was buried in the Parish Council Cemetery in Roche, and Louisa followed him 14 years later. The memorial inscription reads:
In loving memory of Joseph beloved husband of Louisa Hosking, died 18 Oct 1946 aged 77 years
Also of the above named Louisa Hosking, died 3 May 1960 aged 84 years.
(I did not know the surname when I visited the graveyard, so did not snap a photo.)
Her burial record gives her address as Providence House, Carthew

Louisa Retallick 2 , see also 11th June 2017, scan of baptism. She didn't marry and died in the October quarter of 1865 in the Bodmin registration area, probably Luxulyan as she was living in Ennis 4 years before, in the census. If she was buried at Ennis her stone was probably illegible, as I have no photograph. I suspect this is the case, as she doesn't appear in scans of Bodmin or Luxulyan.

Louisa Retallick 3 , see same, was baptised with her brother Willie Courtney on 31 Jul 1870. I can't locate the marriage in Luxulyan as it seems to jump from April to December. Also, with the burial records the one for Rochard in 1949 gives a different wife name, so must be the one in 1951. Louisa died in 1949 but scans don't go that far.

Saturday 11th April 2020

Lavinia Ann Retallick , Oliver's grandmother, see 19th June 2017 and 4th Feb 2017. Baptism scan and marriage(she was under age as was 19. Evidently grandma Tahpenes was already in evidence, as she was born 3 months later). As I told before, she died in the Bodmin Asylum in 1904 and husband Robert had a stone made for her plot in Treverbyn Cemetery. He joined her there 4 years later and had the lower part of the inscription added.

Lilian Retallick , see 9th Dec 2012 & 11th June 2017. Nothing new - her story was quite complicated enough!

Friday 10th April 2020

John Robert Smith Retallick , see 3rd Dec 2012 & 9th June 2017, Oliver's second cousin. This is the main reason for doing this updating process, it may be boring for you to read "nothing new" so many times but occasionally one comes along... I discovered today that JRS married twice! I hadn't noticed that when he was discharged from the army in 1917, he went home to Ulverston to recover from "sickness" then the following year he was married there to Ethel Lane, daughter of an ironworks labourer who died when she was 12, listed in 1911 aged 15 as a papermill hand. They had one son John George but Ethel died in 1926 aged only 30. JRS remarried two years later and the rest you know.

Joseph Nicholls Retallick , see 10th June 2012, nothing new, including where they went after 1881.

Kitty Retallick , see 10th June 2017, baptism scan and burial scan. Her husband, John Martyn, has a couple of scans too. (I currently cannot access his burial - hope to get back to you with that)

Thursday 9th April 2020

Despite their announcements, the National Archives still haven't been able to release their free records. I have given up trying, for now, but hope something comes of this.

Sunday 5th April 2020

An advantage of the lockdown we are experiencing due to the Covid 19 pandemic and subsequent closure of public buildings, including Archives, the National Archive is closed and they have just released some records into the public domain free of charge. So today I decided to peruse these.

Unfortunately my first impression is that they are well hidden, as my searches lead to dead ends. However, as this situation is to last 3 months, I shall continue to search and bring you anything I find.

Saturday 4th April 2020

John Retallick 10 , see 30th Sep 2012, marriage scan

John Retallick 11 , see 25th Sep 2012 According to his obituary he had 10 children, so I am missing one. His will was executed by son George on 6 May 1921 (10 months after his death) and filed the following month, but the death did not appear on the Death Index until 1926. A week after his death Jane wrote her will, leaving everything split equally between daughter Charlotte and sons George and Samuel. She died 24 May 1924.

John Retallick 12 , see 9th June 2017, nothing new except electoral roll records extending his residence at Sandygate from 1929. However, of course these lists do not state whether invalid.

John Courtney Retallick , see 6th Oct 2012 & 9th June 2017, baptism scan. Other new records are electoral rolls, showing 1922-1931 John Courtney and Mary Elizabeth lived at Stenalees with other family members Woodman, Emmeline and their sons. In 1930 they split into separate households and John & Mary were at 1 Wesley Cresent (where they remained, possibly until they died).

Tuesday 31st March 2020

John Retallick 7, see 22nd Sep 2012. I cannot locate scan of baptism, but can of marriage, his burial and that of his wife

John Retallick 8 , see 6th Oct 2012, which tells how I have doubts about this branch, so won't spend any time on it.

John Retallick 9 , see 2nd Oct 2012 baptism scan, marriage, his burial and his wife's.

Sunday 29th March 2020

John Retallick 4 , see 9th June 2017, nothing new but I can see on the burial record that home address was Bowdens. Unfortunately I can't discover location of this farm, or a photograph.

John Retallick 5 , see 12th & 30th Sep 2012. Baptism scan and marriage.(There are records from Bodmin Gaol, the first dated 1831, giving the right birth date and place and the fact that he had 5 children at this time, which I thought was him, however, this is followed by 2 more, in 1835 stating 5 children when he had 6 by then, and 1847, giving his wife's name as Mary Ann and his occupation as miner. So I conclude this was not him. The offenses were all stealing and the final record says he was sentenced to 7 years in prison). He was landowner at Tremoderet in 1837, leasing the farm to William Rowse (some relative of his wife, presumably) and 1851-7 at Bowdens, which he farmed himself until retiring back to Tremoderet.

John Retallick 6 , see 11th Sep 2012, baptism scan

Tuesday 24th March 2020

John Retallick 1 (Senior) , see 23rd May 2017, I have scans of the record books; baptism, marriage, burial 1799
and that of his wife Elizabeth in 1788

John Retallick 2 (Junior) , see same, scans of baptism, marriage, burial 1826 and his wife Catherine in 1796
Oh, and I have seen a Land Tax document, stating that he paid 3s 4d to Lord Edgecombe as rent for the farm for the year 1799.

John Retallicks 3 , see 9th June 2017, baptism scan is in awful condition but it reads "John son of Henrey & Elizabeth Retallick baptd Mar 2nd". There is no scan of their marriage, it took place in Hampshire. The burial scan is very blotty and his age was 76, although it appears to have been overwritten as 16!) His wife Sarah, as I said, returned to Ladock after his death and died there 24 years later.

Monday 23rd March 2020

James John Retallick , see 8th Sep 2012 & 22nd May 2017, I have now located his baptism; he was baptised at the Zoar Chapel by the Luxulyan Bible Christians on 1 Dec 1857. I won't bring you a picture of this chapel as the current one "only" dates from 1888. The other new records are directory entries from 1902, Coal Agent at Fore Street, Bovey Tracey, then 1914-1923 where he was farming at Westerbrook Farm, where he died.

Jane Retallick 1 , see 22nd May 2017, nothing new but I think she died Apr 1808 in St Wenn

Jane Retallick 2 , see same, nothing new

Jenifer Retallick , see 23rd May 2017, marriage scan

Jennifer Retallick 2 , see same, also marriage scan, this time Pallot's cards. She was only married for 8 years, Joseph dying in 1808 aged 53, but they managed to produce 5 children in this time.

Saturday 21st March 2020

James Retallick 1 , see 8th Sep 2012 & 22nd May 2017, nothing new

James Retallick 2 , see 8th Sep 2012, where I gave lots of detail. Nothing new.

James Retallick 3 , see 22nd May 2017. Baptism scan but nothing else, unfortunately. One possibility is a marriage to Elizabeth Hitchens on 2 May 1822 in St Wenn. The James there is described as Yeoman and one of the witnesses is a William Retallick, possibly his brother. There is a burial record for a James in 1850 in Tremoderet, but nothing to link him to "ours".

James Retallick 4 , see same, when I stated that he went to Australia in the 1860s wto join his brother and died there in 1882. Now, I know Retallick is an unusual name internationally but locally is common, so there were a lot of James Retallicks scattered across the Cornwall records. I have now found a burial for James on 12 Aug 1853, giving the address Polskeys (which the Australian documents did not). The age at death was transcribed as 46, but I believe it is not a 6, compared to a 6 a few lines above. Looking at the passenger list to Australia it just says "Jas & Mrs Retallick", so possibly Mary Ann did not go either. There is a possible burial record dated 1888 but the trouble with that is I can't find censuses for 1861-81

James Retallick 5 , see same, nothing new

Tuesday 17th March 2020

Henry Retallick 1 , see 19th May 2017, Oliver's 4g-uncle. Just a couple of new bits; a record of apprentices including him and a Richard Hawke in 1804. He was 76, so presumably Richard was his apprentice - or of course that of his son of the same age. Also a Land Tax bill for 12s paid to Grace Slyman in rent, dated 1798.

Henry Retallick 2 , see 19th May 2017, son of Henry 1 above, nothing new

Henry Retallick 3 , see same, nothing new

Hester Retallick , his daughter, see same. Baptism scan but no confirmation of the conjecture regarding other records

Hugh Retallick , see 20th May 2017, only electoral roll record of 1931 showing him with his parents and brothers Ralph & Raymond at 8 Council Houses, Stenalees (possibly now Stenalees Hill). In 2003 the electoral roll record shows Muriel just up the road, at 56 Stannary Road and this was where she lived when she died in 2006.

Isabella Retallick , see 20th May 2017, nothing new

Sunday 15th March (beware!)

Harriett Retallick , see 17th May 2017. She had a life-style that may make a good novel. New records are: baptism scan, admission to the Bodmin Asylum, when she was 42 and subsequent death when she was 62. Apparently she was epileptic and had dementia. I can also see she was listed at the attached workhouse in censuses of 1881 & 1891. She gave her age as 29 and 16 respectively (really 49 and 59, someone wasn't caring enough to look into that - or too busy)

Harry Retallick , see 18th May 2017, where I gave all the details, but there are no new records.

Hart Retallick , see 28th Aug 2012 & 19th May 2017, nothing new.

Saturday 14th March 2020

Findmypast have been in touch again in the runup to St Patrick's Day, reminding me that I still have much work to do on my paternal irish tree. However, as it is such a formidable task, I shall leave it until it crops up in the "rota", later in the year

Guy Wallace Retallick , see 17th May 2017. No new records, but I will repeat here the details from his obituary I posted in 2017. He was actively connected with Bugle United Methodist Church, local preacher on the local Methodist circuits. He loved music and for several years was a member of Stenalees Band. He was interred in Treverbyn Cemetery.

Hannah Retallick , see 17th May 2017. I tried to study her husband, but it seems there were several Benjamin Julyan\Julians in St Austell, oddly enough. The one who appears to fit best died 3 years before the birth of youngest son Joseph, so I am loath to suggest him. I have baptism scan and marriage scan but I still cannot match up a death for her; there are several, either mentioning people I don't know or in the wrong place. I doesn't help that there are several alternative spellings for both her names.

Tuesday 10th March 2020

Francis Arthur Retallick , see 15th May 2017, nothing new

Frederick Guy Retallick , see 21st Aug 2012 & 16th May 2017, baptism scan but none for marriage or burial, I am afraid.

Frederick Maunder Retallick , see same dates. I have baptism scan. For marriage scan see 2017, no burial unfortunately.However, I can see his wartime schedule:
21 Feb 1918 enlisted 1st battalion WOR
8 Mar 1918 transferred to Machine Gun Depot Toronto
4 Aug 1918 travelled Halifax NS to Liverpool (arrived 15 Aug)
9 Nov 1918 to France
16 May 1919 back to England
23 May 1919 discharged
19 Jun 1919 medical on demob
He may have been stationed in Yorkshire, met and married Ann there, Canadian documents only state "England". After marriage in Yorkshire, they may well have returned to Cornwall to resume his job in the China Clay industry. Son Frank was born there in 1926.

Gordon Edmund Luke Retallick , see 16th May 2017. The gravestone I featured before has been updated (2018) as Irene has joined him. I assume she was related to Joseph I featured on Sunday, as it is such an unusual name.

Gordon Reginald Retallick , see 21st Aug 2012 & 16th May 2017, nothing new

Grace Retallick 1 , see 16th May 2017, dates of baptism and burial confirmed but no scans

Grace Retallick 2 , see same, baptism scan but I can't locate anything else. If she died in 1788 her mother's name was wrong on the document (but it's not her - see below).

Grace Retallick 3 , see same, died aged 10, nothing new

Grace Retallick 4 , see same, married John Bennett. Nothing new.

Grace Retallick 5 , see same, died aged 3: baptism scan and burial scan (this was the death I referred to with mother Catherine)

Grace Retallick 6 , see same, nothing new.

Grace Retallick 7 , see same, baptism scan, marriage scan and burial scan

Monday 9th March 2020

Eulalia Ellen Retallick, see 20th Aug 2012, baptism scan. As she never married, the only document is electoral roll of 1912, showing she was the only one at 16 Blakes Road, Peckham with a vote.. So rather than lodging with her sister and famuly, as I thought, it looks as though she owned the property and rented it out to the Kents. Looking more closely at the 1911 census, she was a shopkeeper who worked on her "own account" at home, so 16 Blakes Road was a shop. Neighbours either side were greengrocer and shoe-repairer, both working from home, but I can't find old pictures. As I said, the road is now full of modern flats. She died there aged 78 and was buried 30 Jun 1933 in Nunhead Cemetery.

Ewart Balthazar Walter Retallick , see 20th Aug 2012 & 14th May 2017, I have a few more details regarding his war service. He served in the Royal Lancs Regiment (King's Own), as I said, from 1916. He was posted to France 1917, then discharged with a pension 6 Sep 1918 due to disability arising from gun-shot wounds of his left arm. He died at the age of 70 on 27 Mar 1969, when he was living in a caravan site in Havering, leaving £2859.

Frances Retallick , see 14th May 2017, I needed to sort her husband out. He can be seen after her death in 1851 census, but it is in bad condition and thus his age has been wrongly transcribed as 50 rather than 80. He was at Higher Woon, farmer of 35 acres, assisted by sons William and John. Also living there were John's wife and baby son, his namesake. So when he died aged 74 he was buried in Roche churchyard on 16 Jan 1856.

Francis Retallick 1 , see 15th May 2017. One new record I have found features him; he is on the 1799 land tax list, noted as paying rent on 2 estates to Lord Falmouth - one "Mitchell's land" with 2 others George Barratt and Peter Harwood £1 8s and one "Gibb's land" £1 - in St Enoder. I was able then to confirm his death on 11 Oct 1805 as his will concerns land called "Mitchell's". I have also seen that he subscribed to poetry in 1780 at the address of Mitchell's (this was before his marriage). Another document suggests Ann died in 1795, although I can't pin this down to a burial.

Francis Retallick 2 , see 15th May 2017, where I told about Kitty in gaol. I have found an earlier case, 1836 to be exact, when Francis was called by Bodmin Debtors' Court to account for debts he owed Lydia Oakley to the sum of £73 (a fortune in those days!) and he was charged £4 costs too. He presumably didn't have the money (they had 2 children and one on the way), as he was incarcerated for a week in Bodmin gaol). I also have a scan of his burial record.

Sunday 8th March 2020

Elizabeth Retallick 5 , see 18th Aug 2013 & 12th May 2017, where I gave many details.Also I have seen a lot of detail about their children, especially son Smith William Giles Retallick, who joined the Australian Imperial Force in Aug 1915. He stated he was a chauffeur, but didn't mention a foot injury he had sustained just a month earlier in a fall from a motor cycle. He was posted to 6 places over the next year but all the marching made his foot worse and in Sep 1916 he was discharged.

Elizabeth Ann Retallick 1 , see 20th Aug 2012 & 12th May 2017, she was the lady who went to Australia with her family but returned to Woodman Pascoe, who may have been her childhood sweetheart. They had one child out of wedlock, then 9 in. I still can't find her return journey to UK, but I did find a W Pascoe travelling out to Australia in 1863. As she had their first son the following year, it may have been him.

Elizabeth Ann Retallick 2 , see 12th May 2017. Nothing new.

Emily Ann Retallick , see 20th Aug 2012 & 13th May 2017, I didn't say anything about her husband Joseph Sandercock. He was born in the Luxulyan area, address on baptism given as Rosevean to John & Elizabeth Jane, baptised in Treverbyn on 16 Jun 1878 and grew up in Luxulyan, in a house called Minorca, attending Lockingate Infant School. They married in Apr 1903 in the St Austell area. He died on 21 Mar 1934, was buried in St Stephen in Brannel churchyard. The inscription, says: In memory of Joseph Sandercock beloved husband of Emily died 21st Mar 1934 aged 56 years. Also Emily died 18th Aug 1973 aged 90 years"

Ernest Retallick, see 20th Aug 2012 & 14th May 2017. He must have returned to UK around 1933 as I have found him, marrying Phyllis M Kent in St Austell in Apr 1935 then in 1939 Register at 16 Grove Road, St Austell (the address where he died 35 years later). Ernest is listed as Chinaclay Kilnsman (Heavy Work) and Phyllis UDD.There is also a closed file, which I think is daughter Jennifer, who was 4. Ernest died in 1974 and I have located the gravestone. Phyllis joined him 22 years later. Incidentally, Ernest, Phyllis and Eryl died at 16 Grove Road over a 43 year period. Jennifer married and may well be still alive, albeit in her mid-80s

Saturday 7th March 2020

Elfrida Retallick , see 14th Aug 2012, nothing new

Elison Gordon Retallick , see13th Aug 2012 & 12th May 2017, nothing new

Elizabeth Retallick 1 , see 12th May 2017, Oliver's 4x great-aunt. nothing new

E lizabeth Retallick 2 , see same, nothing new

Elizabeth Retallick 3 , see same, I have seen the Pallot's card for her marriage but nothing more

Elizabeth Retallick 4 , see same, several deaths, but none definitive. Richard can be seen in 1841 census with son John & family, at Gwennap. Thus the death in 1952 was too late. I favour 1838 but it is Hawkey, the one in 1800 may be the one, following the birth of Richard junior, but I would have expected Richard senior to have remarried. There are many possible marriages, but nothing to back any of these up. And she would have to have died before 1841, which is of course perfectly feasible.

Wednesday 4th March 2020

Back to the jolly old trees. Continuing from 12th February below

Donald Retallick , see 7th Aug 2012 & 9th May 2017, nothing new as too recent for scans

Eden Retallick , see 7th Aug 2012 & 12th May 2017. A fellow genealogist has photographed her grave in Moorefields Methodist Cemetery, Kingsgrove, NSW, Australia.

Edgar Retallick 1 , see 7th Aug 2012. Nothing new.

Edgar Retallick 2 , see same dates. New information is his admission to Chapel Street National School (boys) on 27 Jun 1898, transferred from Ulverston National School, with his brother John (aged 3). And electoral roll records in 1921-1924 at 16 Upper Brook Street, followed by 1924-31 at 3 Ainslie Street, on his marriage, at first with brother Austell too until his marriage. As I said before, Mystic lived here until she died there in 1976.

Edmund Thomas Retallick , see 13th Aug 2012 & 12th May 2017, a new document that has come to light is dated 1 Jul 1873 and is the Bodmin court record of 4 people accused of a case of larceny. They are Eliza and her daughter Eliza Ann, a 16-year-old servant, one Mary Franklin and a Samuel Furze. Eliza Ann was accused of stealing from her employers and her mother with receiving stolen goods. I don't know who the others were, but they were all acquitted anyway. Eliza was 47 at the time and died 2 years later, after which her daughter got a place in London, had one illegitimate son then married and settled.

Eleanor Ruth Retallick , see 12th May 2017, nothing new

Tuesday 3rd March 2020

Wooldridge stories in chronological order, as usual
William Wooldrige was reported in the Tmes 5 Feb 1813 having 2 dwelling houses at 10 & 11 John Street, Blackfriars Road, Lambeth on lease for a rent of £50 p.a. This was a little early for "my" Wooldridges; they were in rural Surrey in the early years of the century.
A Mr Wooldridge , cheesemonger at 20 Everett Street, Russell Square advertised in the Morning Post (MP) in 1813 for a nurse, 1818 for a groom, 1819 for cook/housekeeper. Again too early for us.
Thomas Wooldrige (MP 16 May 1836) was sentenced to death at the Od Bailey. All the newspaper said was this fact, so I have examined the court records for the whole story. In summary, Thomas was employed as a coachman and on 5 May 1826 he took a customer Mr Owen back to his lodgings at Oliver's Coffee House in Westminster, and charged 12s for the fare. There was an altercation due to the fact that Mr Owen was quite deaf and others thought this an extortionate fare. During the confusion Thomas disappeared and Mr Owen later discovered his purse (which he had placed on the bar) was missing. The jury found Thomas guilty of stealing the purse plus 6 sovreigns but the sentence was quashed due to a petition raised by his friends/customers who said he was of good character. He had been imprisoned 10 years before, but they evidently did not know this and I can't see whether that sentence took place. I cannot pin him to my tree, as the only Thomas I have was born 16 years before him, but lived in the same road as the coach business, ?coincidence.
James Wooldridge , reported by the Morning Post on 7 Nov 1843, was a costermonger, also living there (it's a shame that most of the streets in Vauxhall are no longer in existence due to wartime bombing and/or railway development).
"My" James didn't come to London, and died in Surrey in 1853.
Mary Ann Wooldridge lived in the correct part of Surrey, but as the Times announced in 1847 she drowned aged 12, and "mine" lived to be married, although she died aged 23 in 1862.
Mary Wooldridge brought her husband to court for bigamy. The story sounds like something from a soap! I don't have a Mary who matches
Harry Wooldridge (MP Sep 1854) bookseller of 82 Strand, London declared bankrupt. He had debts of £6000 when the company profits were only £1000. He appealed but the estate was broken up. It is currently an Itsu sushi restaurant.
James Warwick Wooldridge was also in the court of bankrupcy, according to MC 18 Nov 1854. He was shipowner of 21 Martin's Lane, Cannon Street, filed as bankrupt and ordered to join the Foreign Legion, with temporary rank of Colonel. He is not on my tree but I see from articles online that he was born in Cornwall, became Brigadier General and died in India. He had 6 sons, one with the same name. I cannot link up with any of these.
Henry John Wooldridg e died aged 12, so was evidently not my great-grandfather of the same name, who everyone called Grampy. This one was bitten by a rabid dog and died of the disease, reported in Daily News 14 Sep 1875. All the surrounding area has been redeveloped, so the addresses are long gone.
Thomas Wooldridge was guard on a train to Hampton Court 11 Sep 1880, injured in a collision at Nine Elms (the area featured above). The train was damaged and so removed, he was hospitalised but recovered. It appears in the list of rail accidents on Wikipedia:
"September 11, 1880 – United Kingdom – A London and South Western Railway passenger train collided with a light engine at Nine Elms Locomotive Junction, London due to errors by signalmen and the fireman of the light engine. Seven people were killed."
The only Thomas on my tree had been dead for 18 years.

This was interesting, and no doubt made a change for you. However it ultimately was unproductive, so I will return to the usual updating procedure from tomorrow.

Monday 2nd March 2020

Next I moved onto my own family, but immediately had the problem of searching with a very common name. Matthews searches gave me many thousands of hits, so I specified only the Bath Chronicle. Unfortunately the collection stopped at 1790, so very much limited my list. Sometimes you can't win!
Captain Matthews was a water-bailiff (river police) based in Bristol, and the BC reported on 17 May 1787 the death of his wife and then on 16 Apr 1789 his daughter "in the bloom of youth". I have seen another document dated 1791, giving his name as Isaac Matthews, so I believe this must be him. Unfortunately I do not have an Isaac on this tree.
William Matthews was a very influential man in the area at the time, a founder member of the Bath Agricultural Society and subsequently helping to form the Philosophical Society. Originally a Quaker, he worked against them in the fight against slavery. He can be seen in the newspapers selling seed, agricultural tools and ultimately property. My tree contains several Williams, but the two closest contenders, father and son, both died several years before this.
James Matthews appeared at Hereford Assizes (BC 9 Aug 1787) along with James Hughes and Thomas Whittington. They were all accused of theft and picking pockets and sentenced to 7 years transportation despite being young lads (Thomas was only 13). I don't have a James on my tree who fits.
Another William Matthews appeared at Dorchester Assizes in Mar 1790, convicted of housebreaking. His dob would be 1768, which doesn't match mine either.

The Hennigs are difficult as they only came over to this country in 1845 and the newspaper collection did not cover what was known as Prussia then. There were several advertisements for Hennig Bros, billiards suppliers of 11 High Street, London WC, Ewald and William, established 1862. But only one appropriate article appeared on the search:
August R Hennig at St Martin-in-the-Fields married Nellie, daughter of Mr T R Hill of Finborough Road, West Brompton on 29 Mar. (Pall Mall Gazette 31 Mar 1876). He was my great-uncle, half-brother of grandmother Flo. From this account I have found his wife's parents, and the address where they lived and died.

The Catchesides branch was very frustrating. With such a rare name I had high hopes, but of 168 hits, all but one were discountable immediately. Most of these were concerning a cricketer by this name who had nothing to do with me.
Matthew Catchesides was reported on 4 Jun 1871 in the Evening Standard, as one of the creditors of William Jordan from Norbiton, Surrey, who died in June 1868. Full details were being requested, he living out of the area. Matthew was a butcher in Greenwich, so maybe William Jordan had been one of his customers and run up a tab. I hope he got in touch, but suspect not as in 1871 census Matthew called himself a cab-driver, so the butchery business was presumably over. He didn't have a good final few years; first his wife died, then he went into the Workhouse and finally to the workhouse infirmary, where he died.

The surname Woodford was far too common and most of my tree was in Leicestershire, not covered in the collection.

Wooldridge was better, despite repeat appearances of an irrelevant naval lieutenant/surgeon. I shall bring you the final stories tomorrow.

Sunday 1st March 2020

Amy Samways , aged 14 and on remand, stole a black satchel, gold watch, scent bottles and various other things to the value of almost £10, the property of Annie Wren, from Belvedere, Kent in West Street, Fareham. The satchel was in a bassinette, left with Amy's sister Laura while they shopped but returning home found the satchel missing. The loss was advertised for a week in the Evening News and a brooch was handed in by Laura (Mrs Etherington, wife of the landlord of the Robin Hood pub). Amy gave several conflicting statements to the police and she had a criminal record. She pleaded guily and this time was given 10 days imprisonment in Winchester gaol and 3 years in a reformatory. I have tracked down an Amy, daughter of Matilda & John but not "ours".
Finally, HA 3 Nov 1900 reported on William Samways , a "half-witted fellow", convicted of being drunk and disorderly in Cheesehill Street, Winchester and fined 1s with 8s costs.

To follow the branch of Clifford's tree involving the Roffeys, I had to specify the London area, but couldn't drill the search down to Greenwich/Woolwich as I would like to. So again many of these are not related to my family. I did study this branch in 2014, 2016 and 2019 so you may want to use the tabs above to cross-reference.
Firstly there was a Mr Roffey who was formerly ballet-master at Drury Lane Theatre. The Morning Post (MP) reported on 19 Feb 1802 that he was in court facing a Miss Richers. Apparently he had made a contract with her mother to take her as an apprentice for 3 years, then find her employment for payment of half her salary. Unfortunately at the end of the 2nd year they were both discharged from the theatre and he could not find her employment. So she found herself an engagement and kept her salary but he brought this court action to recover his part. It was stated that she hadn't "intended to harm him but the contract was void", The jury, unsurprisingly, found for her.

There were in the newspapers of that time a lot of advertisements and articles relating to a Mrs Roffey regarding Circus, Opera etc. This may have been his wife, a formidable character by all accounts, which may have been why he and the young girl were dismissed...
James Roffey was in partnership with George Crow, straw hat manufacturers of Carey Lane, Cheapside, and the Morning Chronicle (MC) of 8 Jan 1806 reported that on Christmas Day the partnership was dissolved. Reading around, I see that George Crow had dissolved his business in 1803 "by mutual consent" and one of the signatories was James Roffey. So maybe he bought him out but the business was unsustainable. Anyway, I cannot attach him to my tree.
There was a lot of information about the estate of Edward Roffey , deceased yeoman from Surrey, datied 1807-1812. His properties were let to Mrs Ann Roffey and occupied by James Roffey. I cannot link these to my tree but have reports of Ann's death in 1820.
George Roffey , reported the MP 8 Jul 1822, along with Samuel Taylor and Joseph Young, "ring-leaders of a desperate gang who infest Spitalfields and the neighbourhood and who barbarously assaulted the Peace Officers and nearly murdered John Barr, constable". They were sentenced to 12 months imprisonment in the House of Correction. These were prisons for petty offences, and he may have been sent to the one in Clerkenwell, or Bridewell, Westminster or Middlesex. But he was probably not "our" George, who lived all his life in Woolwich.
The next two articles were very likely regarding our ancestor, though:
Mr Roffey , baker in Woolwich, was called to testify in the investigation of chimneys in that area, under the Smoke Consuming Act. He presented a report on the use of Von Rother's Apparatus. Apparently the chimney consumed its own smoke, with 2½ hours required to heat the oven. The octagonal chimney is a famous landmark, listed so is still there. The court case was reported on by MP 6 Jan 1857. He was certainly "our" George, baker of 48 Woolwich Church Street. He was further mentioned in the Daily News of 10 Jul 1857 as a creditor of Jesse Standing, fishmonger in Brewer Street, Woolwich. This is now John Wilson Street, one of the other major roads in Woolwich.
Edward Roffey (MP 17 Jun 1861 & Times 26 Nov 1864) died 13 Jun 1861 at 29 York Road, Lambeth (now a food takeaway opposite the hospital where I was born in 1956). He ran an emery & glass paper manufacture company in Edward Street (now Chicheley Street by the London Eye) and 3 years after his death the company was dissolved after his partner Mr Williams and his widow had a dispute over the dismissal of a clerk and other matters. The court dismissed the case. I cannot match him to my tree either.
However, Manlius William Roffey (Cliff's great grandfather) was definitely on it. He was reported by MP on 30 Oct 1869 to be bankrupt. He was a baker of 48 Portland Street, Walworth and I can see him still there in the Post Office Street Directory of the following year (but maybe that had already been published), nowadays modern towers.
An Elizabeth Roffey of Kennington Road (where my grandparents lived, and very close to where I was born) died 1 Feb 1873 aged 22. Apparently she was daughter of Thomas & Katherine, who I cannot find on my tree.
Back in the Greenwich area, James Roffey aged 14 was reported in the Pall Mall Gazette on 9 Jun 1881 at the Greenwich Police Court, charged with stabbing Arthur Wood and attempts at stabbing other boys. He was remanded.
Also at that court in 1885 was Annie Roffey aged 17, who along with Leah Hancock aged 16 was charged with Breaking & Entering 23 Charles Street, Deptford and stealing tools and other property. The owner, Job Nicholls was away for 6 weeks and the gils broke in and lived there. They were remanded.
Our George Roffey & Sons reappeared in the Times 16 Oct 1890, in a list of companies to provide expert advice concerning grain supplies in a dispute over wages etc at the Woolwich Docks and again in the Times 18 Jun 1901, representing the London Corn Trade Association at a meeting of the Royal Commission on the Port of London.
F G Roffey was reported in the Times 3 Jun 1918 having been killed on 28 Jan in the Royal Engineers. I did think this was "my" Frederick George, who was really George Frederick but turned his names around due to his father being George too. However, he was in the Royal Navy in both World Wars and didn't die until 1955.
Sir Gerald Walter Roffey was advisor to the Ministry of Food (MoF) from 1917, knighted in 1918 for services rendered in this way, and as chairman of the Home Grown Cereals Committee of the Royal Commission on Wheat Supply. He was also Head of the Brewing Dept of the MoF, stating in 1919 that they were hoping to expand production, SG etc disrupted by WW1. This all would follow on from George's work in Woolwich 30 years earlier, but I have no evidence that he was related.

Saturday 29th February 2020

Selina Samways was a naughty disruptive girl, it seems, so in a way I'm glad she doesn't appear on my tree. Well, we do have a Selina but she died before these accounts were published. The first in HA 9 Apr 1873 described a "young girl from the county, fined 5s plus costs for drunkenness on 5 April. The second account HA 19 Jul 1873 "formerly of Brixton [i.e. Brighstone Isle of Wight], charged with loitering about the barrack drill-field as an idle and disorderly person", she was committed to hard labour for 3 weeks. The third, HA 18 Mar 1874, "Selina Samways of Newport IOW, summoned for disorderly behaviour at Hunnyhill on the 12th". Hunnyhill is part of Newport IOW. She was cautioned and dismissed. This young lady evidently didn't learn her lesson! She may be the one born in 1859 to James & Mary Ann, birth registered in the Yeovil area. Her father died before the 1871 census, so this may be when she went "off the rails". There was a marriage under this name to a Charles Noe in Portland in 1881, which may have settled her down, as we hear no more.
John Samways , aged 20, was also convicted of being Drunk & Disorderly, this time in Queen Street, Portsea, reported in HA 22 May 1875 and fined 10s.
James Samways appeared at Gosport Police Court, as reported in HT 13 Oct 1880, with Charles Taurnic Evans, charged with stealing 4 sheeps' heads and 7 kidneys, the property of William Witt from the slaughterhouse in Clarence Road. At Charles' house freshly boiled bones were found, and on arrest James said Charles gave him 2 sheep heads. They were convicted and fined 10s each plus 5s costs or 14 days hard labour. I am not aware of a suitable James in my tree, but the history of the slaughterhouse is interesting. It was part of the Royal Clarence Victualling Yard, used to supply the ships leaving from the harbour, particularly favoured by Queen Victoria, and now redeveloped as a gym/fitness centre after severe damage in the wars.
Elizabeth Samways ' death was reported on by HT 14 Sep 1889. They stressed her state of mind so must have thought she committed suicide. Presumably they couldn't prove it so verdict was accident.
There was another report, HA 3 Sep 1890, on William Samways "drunk and disorderly again, this time 2 days in succession". He was in the High Street, surrounded by a crowd, wanting a fight, but nobody would oblige. "It required 3 people to carry him to the station. Dismissed and desired to go to harvest work". I don't know which High Street, the station was probably the police station and I don't know who desired, him or the police.
James Samways attempted suicide in gaol. Hobbs Lane was beside the brewery, which may be appropriate
Another unlucky chap, who may or may not be an ancestor, Mr Samways , young labourer, died at Fordington, Dorchester 14 Nov 1892 having "run a nail into his foot, which caused blood poisoning and thus brought about a fatal result"
It is often a source of wonder to me how the children on our trees died in childhood. Apart from illnesses which killed them prior to vaccination etc, they led more dangerous lives without consideration of health and safety. The Bristol Mercury reported that Thomas George Samways aged 7 was riding a horse in the charge of groom William Cambridge (from Bristol although the child lived in Jacob's Well, Gosport) in May 1893. "The animal suddenly became restive and fell over on top of the child, who was instantly killed". He was taken to the home of Mr Howse, Clifton Hill and Dr Barclay pronounced life extinct. The body was taken home and the coroner informed.
Arthur Samways , aged 16, was accused of stealing a jam tart (value 4d) from a shop run by Josiah Jollifee in Lake Road. Apparently he called in to purchase some mussels but "when he left the tart did too". He was pursued and they found the tart in his coat. He pleaded guilty but had lots of form, so was given 14 days hard labour.

Wednesday 26th February 2020

Emma Samways , at the Gosport Petty Sessions 19 Feb 1867, charged Jane McGuire of Clarence Place with assaulting her daughter Amelia on 8th. She was convicted and fined 5s plus costs. From 1871 census I can see George & Emma Samways with daughter Amelia, but they were not "ours". "Our" George Voss Samways married an Emma but not until 1880 and they had no Amelia.
The marriage was announced of Marcia Samways to George Hatcher Burden of Stickland near Blandford in the Bristol Mercury 8 Feb 1865. Marcia was from Puddletown, father George but again not "ours" and the wedding took place 30 Jan 1868 in Portisham. We spent our honeymoon 40 years ago in Piddletrenthide 6 miles away from Puddletown.
James Samways in the Havant Petty Session was fined 5s plus costs (reported in HT 23 Oct 1869) for being "Drunk & Disorderly in Waterloo". I assume they mean Waterlooville nearby, not the place in London or the original in Belgium.
Charles Samways was a carter, charged by the Hants County Bench with stealing 90lbs of hay from his master Benjamin Sillence at Compton on 18 Sep 1869 (reported in HT 22 Sep) - I assume this is the one near Wincehester. Railway Porter George Durnford and Harry Eades, labourer were charged with "receiving same knowing it to be stolen". Charles had been engaged in carting hay from the farm to Winchester Station but PC Steed had been given certain information, and stood near the entrance at the rear of the goods yard in plain clothes. He saw Charles take the hay into the yard, hand it to George, who "threw it down onto some sleepers" and they went off to the Railway Inn close by. Henry soon appeared and took it to his father's house in Sussex Street. When he put it down, PC Steed charged him. He said he knew nothing about where it came from but had given George 2s for it. The prisoners were remanded until the following Saturday, when they were retried. Charles pleaded guilty and was given 21 days hard labour. The others were released as it was reckoned they had "no felonious intent".
Amelia Samways appeared again (see above), this time on her own behalf. She was charged with stealing a pair of gold earrings from Mr Richard Goring, her employer. This she denied and was discharged. Information was received and Mr Goring went to Sarah West in Brewhouse Yard to find her wearing them! She said Amelia had lent them to her. She was recalled and the bench blamed her mother, convicted her and sentenced her to 14 days imprisonment (not sure if that was Amelia or Emma)

Tuesday 25th February 2020

George Samways , in HT of 10 Jun 1854, was a waterman charged with having illegally unshipped 6lbs 14oz of tobacco from HMS Vulcan with intent to defraud The Revenue. He pleaded guilty but said he had a wife & child dependent on him. He was ordered to pay 3x the value i.e. £4 5s 6d or 21 days imprisonment. I cannot pin him to my tree as the George Voss Samways I have was only 7 at the time...
Private Stephen Samways (reported in HA 1 Dec 1855) of the 13th Light Dragoons, died of cholera at Scutari between 11-18 Nov 1855. 1242 were sick, 26 wounded in hospital at the time, including the Deputy Inspector General of Hospitals and an Acting Assistant Surgeon, both of whom died of cholera there at that time. I cannot pin this to either of the Stephens I am aware of.
Mr P Samways was a master mariner in Poole for many years before HA reported the death of his wife MAria at the age of 75 on 19 Jan 1856. I don't have enough into to find them on my tree
Henry Samways , sawyer, was convicted of assault on John Rogers, labourer, on 31 May 1856 at Landport. He was fined 10s plus costs or 7 days imprisonment. The only one in my tree of the right age was a groom not a sawyer.
John Samways , broker at Southsea, according to HT 14 Jun 1856, was charged with using threats of personal violence towards Alfred Baker, statuary of Southsea. He was bailed to keep the peace for 3 months. I don't know if this meant a man who made/maintained statues or was a typo and it meant actuary.
A young woman, Lucy Samways does not appear on my tree, but this is an interesting story, reported in HA 27 Sep 1856. "On 20 Sep at 11.30 the coastguard heard her saying 'May the Lord receive my poor soul - that villain has received me' and she rushed into the sea. He dragged her to the shore but she struggled very hard. He took her to the station and the officer in charge sent a man to see her safely home". Whether this station was police/coastguard/railway I don't know, but it all seems very odd to me. If she were that keen to commit suicide why do so within earshot of the coastguard? And if it were just a call for help why fight him? (I have missed some details stressing how she did)
Elizabeth Samways appeared in court, summoned by Portsmouth Police (reported by HA 16 Jun 1860), for being Drunk & Disorderly and was sentenced to 5days imprisonment with hard labour. She appears in the records of Dorchester Prison on 12 July with the note "drunk", so this was eirher a second offence or there was a month deferral. If this was "our" Elizabeth dob 1829 (Ernest's great-aunt) she died the following January aged 32.
The next story reads like an episode of a detective show! I especially like the term "burglarious", having never heard it in 50 years of cop-shows! Of course the terms "chiffonier and cellaret" are also gone, as is the extreme concern regarding a lump of cheese! Unfortunately I cannot match her up as I have no christian name for her.
James Samways aged 10, as reported in HT on 3 Oct 1866, was charged with "stealing a calf muzzle".
Glad to hear it was dismissed, especially if this was one of our ancestors.
The next one I am pretty confident about. Waterman George Samways , was reported in HA 29 Jul 1865 in Gosport Court, charging Elizabeth Robins of Hardway with "refusing to pay the fare in his boat from Portsea to Gosport and thence to Hardway". This is a ferry route across the harbour near George Voss Samways (Mary Ann's 2nd husband, stepfather of Ernest) was a "mariner" and his mother Ann died nearby 11 years later (when he had left his job as servant and taken to the water). Oh, by the way, Elizabeth Robins did not appear in the court, but was ordered to pay 3s 6d plus costs or 14 days imprisonment.

Sunday 23rd February 2020

Two more Brewsters were reported on in the correct part of the world
James Brewster JP featured in a report in the ECS (Essex County Standard if you recall) of 16 Feb 1833 that on 12 Feb he and another JP signed a document to close a highway "The Green Lane" running from Halstead to Colne Engain past Langley Mill. I don't know why.
John Brewster appeared in the newspaper in Feb 1840, aged 15, having stolen a piece of iron, "the prop of a ladder" from Mr Brazier of Writtle and sold it on to a blacksmith. He was found guilty but Mr Brazier said he had given him permission. He was retried in front of a jury with Thomas Lake aged 17, when John was found Not Guilty and Thomas Guilty, and they were both sentenced to 21 days Solitary and whipped. It all sounds rather odd to me, but I cannot pin down an ancestor with 1825 dob. The nearest I can find is son of William and Sarah, who can be seen in 1841 census with them in Writtle, aged 11, so he may not be the one.

Next family I searched for was the Samways. If you remember, Clifford (my late father-in-law) encouraged my inclusion of this family in my studies, as he was very fond of them, although they are only related by marriage to his auntie. I was keen to do this newspaper search though, as the name is so unusual.
Captain Samways was not helpful in this regard, not providing a first name, reported in The Times 5 Nov 1788 to be returning with his ship. "The Locko, homeward bound East Indiaman, has buried upwards of a third of his crew and it is thought he has made a losing voyage". Wikipaedia has helped me out, giving his name as Charles Samways, who took over the Locko in St Helena and brought her home. This was her final journey as she was broken up on her return (not surprising after the account above). I can't locate a Charles, but my tree doesn't go back as far as mid 18th Century
Thus William Samways is too early too, although the Hants Telegraph of Portsmouth (HT) of 11 Jul 1803 tells me he won 3 guineas for rearing 103 lambs from 86 ewes in Fareham, awarded at the South Hants Agricultural Society AGM, held at the Golden Lion Inn, Southwick on 28 Jun)
The HT reported the death of one Mr Samways of Custon-House, Poole in their edition of 7th Jan 1805. Apparently he fell from the quay on 4th. With no first name I cannot proceed.
George Samways was in court for the Relief of Insolvent Debtors in Winchester, reported in the HT of 27 Jul 1829. His petition was dismissed.
Thomas Samways was one of eleven "indicted for destroying a thrashing machine, the property of John Rount on 27th November in the parish of Buckland Newton". This village is in the Dorchester area and many of my twigs come from there.
In the household of William Samways in Salisbury, so reported the Hants Advertiser (HA) on 18 Aug 1832, was an infant a few days old "discovered in the soil of a privy at Broadmayne, Dorset, where it had evidently been buried for several days". The inquest showed that Ann Allingham, William's servant, was delivered of a child and the jury returned a verdict of wilful murder. She was committed to the County Gaol for trial at the next assizes. Again my tree doesn't go back far enough although this is very much the right area.
James Samways , reported the HT of 10 May 1845, at the Magistrates Court in Gosport, was convicted of assaulting one William Searing. The penalty was 2s 6d with 7s 6d costs
John Samways was found guilty of Breach of the Peace at Portland and imprisoned for 6 weeks in Dorchester Gaol (HA 10 Feb 1849)
Stephen Samways was defrauded by Martha White, a girl on bail, who obtained from him a pound of butter by false pretenses. (HA 21 Jul 1849)
Later: I have found a whole new branch of Samways by discovering that Cliff's uncle Ernest's mother married twice - to men called Samways, thus making my tree very complicated. I can't find out if her second husband was related to her first (probably good that I can't for their sake), so as they are step-family I don't need to consider them. However, the statement I made that the tree doesn't go back that far may be wrong. I will get back to you on that one although I have done a quick check and can't match any.

I see from my 2016 blog that I did know of this branch but ignored it as "they are not related to us at all".
The reason this came to light is because the Stephen Samways I mentioned above is on that branch. He was at that time (1849) newly widowed, and so it makes sense that he was easy to cheat over household goods. In 1841 census he was in Toller Porcorum, the village of his birth. By the next census he was in Lower Kingcombe, just up the road.

Saturday 22nd February 2020

Continuing to report on the newspapers search of last weekend

William Manhire lost a son Alfred aged 8 in Redruth, reported 31 Mar 1863. William also, the lessee of the Blue Anchor turnpike gate (see Mary on Wednesday) sued William H Tamblyn for not paying the toll on his vehicle, who claimed he didn't have to as the cart was empty, but he was ordered to pay the toll and costs. This was also 1863.
Nicholas Manhire of St Stephens married Mary Ann Matthews, daughter of John Matthews of Roche, 16 Aug 1868 in St Austell. This was the first of his 3 marriages and he was Oliver's 1st cousin once removed.
William Manhire , son of George, died aged 19 on 24 Jun 1874 at Molinnis
Elizabeth Mary Manhire the inquest into her death was reported in the RCG in 1875. It was held by Mr Grenfell the county coroner at the Vyvyan's Arms, Camborne. The infant died from the effects of shock caused by falling into a tray of water the previous evening. She was the eldest child of William Richard Manhire. She would have appeared in the family photo aged 21.
Jane Manhire , wife of George, died 22 Aug 1877 at Molinnis aged 64. She was nee Trethewey and was Oliver's grandmother.
Mr R H Manhire grocer of Trevarren, St Columb Major. on 4 Nov 1877, announced the birth of a daughter in the RCG but I cannot match him up on my tree. Reading around, I can see that this child was called Annie Jane, as was her mother, and she was baptised in the Wesleyan Circuit on 3 Jan 1878. Her father was Robert Hicks Manhire, grocer and his father was Robert Manhire, cordwainer of St Enoder, who married Betsy Hicks, hence the middle name. However, although it all sounds right I cannot fix this twig to my tree. The Robert mentioned on Wednesday, announcing the birth of his son, was no doubt this man (Summercourt is in St Enoder) and the child RH, in which case the next clip is about him too:
Robert Manhire of Summercourt, St Enoder died 29 Nov 1894, as reported in RCG, aged 80.
John Manhire of Mitchell, St Enoder, was founder of the local Methodist Sunday School, and died 17 Oct 1895 aged 90, with a brother still in the village aged 95. This may be related to "J" and Richard mentioned Wednesday as they all lived at the house called Mitchell. The new Bible Christian Chapel at Roche was opened in May 1883, and John Manhire did the masonry, although there was no more detail, so I cannot tell if it is the same man as the above.
Many advertisements over the years appeared for the company I covered on 19th January below, Baker & Manhire in Newport, Wales, 1880-92. And in the Bristol Mercury, an ad for "First Hand, style & fit indispensible. State age, salary and expenses".

The Brewsters are in my tree belonging to my father-in-law Clifford and they were based in East Anglia.
Thomas Brewster , it was reported in the Ipswich Journal 23rd Jan 1787, was selling up in Woodbridge, auctioning his household furniture, and later that year his timber stocks. If he was the one on my tree with dob 1735 it was no doubt the household effects of his parents. His mother died in Beauchamp Roothing in 1785 (now known as Beauchamp Roding) near Ongar.
John Brewster had an interesting story, related by the Essex County Standard newspaper of 8 Dec 1832. Apparently the Essex Gaol in Chelmsford had just been cleared of minor offenders and the remaining 73 were retried, including this case, by Sir John Gurney from Hertford (my town), involving a procession to the Shire Hall in Chelmsford in the Sherrif's carriage, drawn by "four beautful greys". John was charged with "killing and slaying Ann Bird of Chelmsford, by throwing her violently to the ground". He was charged with manslaughter and sentenced to 1 year imprisonment with hard labour. If this is the John on my tree with dob 1804, he had only been married the year before and had a baby Maria.

Wednesday 19th February 2020

I did spend a long time perusing the newspapers listed on the site, but as you cannot specify a location on most it is a long laborious task to find relevant information. However, I did find plenty of stories to tell, and it's only me who needs them to be relevant to my trees really.

Retallick s (19000 relevant hits)
Simon Retallick had several articles:
1787 he announced in the Maryland Gazette of the relocation of his blackmith's shop from "near the old churchyard to Green Street, fronting the market house" and took advantage of the opportunity to advertise his services.
1806 Maryland Gazette announced his partnership with Ben Brown dissolved. This must be Simon Retallick Junior, as his father died in 1798.
1808 evidently his father's business took a few years to wind up as this relates to a request for claimants on the estate of Simon Senior and his wife Elizabeth. This was on the occasion of Elizabeth's death.
1811 Henry Johnson and the estate of Richard Dorsey were claiming a $200 debt from the mortgage of the blacksmith's shop and some personal possessions. Simon Jr was by this time living out of state in Columbia. (He subsequently joined the Army and died aged 39 in 1824)

Richard Retallick 1843 accidental death This would give a date of birth of 1771, and I don't know of one as yet, but as it is the correct area I will keep the information for possible matching in future.

C. Retallick, in the Royal Cornwall Gazette in 1853, was charged with beating his son in St Austell. Now this is fascinating in that both these names appear in my tree. Nicholas Besetherick/Beswarrick's daughter Kitty married Francis Retallick, who was Oliver's great grandmother. If he beat a "child called Retallick" and then accused his brother-in-law Christopher of the same, this would in all likelihood have been Thomas Soby Retallick, aged 12. This was the family who ran the pub the New Inn at Carnrosemary (later the Bugle), and Thomas died 5 years later, so there is no doubt more to this story...
The next newspaper clipping relates to Christopher too, as he was described as "cattle doctor" in 1866 and this gave details of his interest on investments.

James Huddy Retallick , farmer of Ladock, died in 1854, and the next clipping was asking for cereditors etc to come forward to claim on his estate. I cannot locate anyone with this exact name, but there are six Jameses on the tree with deaths unaccounted for. As no spouse or children were mentioned I assume he was unmarried, but his unusual middle name may be his mother's maiden name and I cannot match that up. However, Ladock is very much the correct area...

Cyrus Retallick is a name I am familiar with, but in the St Austell & Luxulyan areas of Cornwall. The newspaper article was from Butte, Montana, where other family members lived, so still may be regarding an ancestor. The Daily Post has clippings from 1897, 1898 and 1899, regarding his standing for the office of Alderman and subsequently an attempt to burgle his house in Walkerville.

The final Retallick reference is most certainly "ours", from the Royal Cornwall Gazette in 1898, regarding a dispute over ownership of property by Allivyan and William Henry Retallick in Luxulyan. They were brothers on my tree.

With regard to the Manhire tree, the search came up with 3226 hits, narrowed down to 179 in UK and Australia.
Mr Manhire of St Enoder announced his marriage to Miss E Hicks of Newquay in the Royal Cornwall Gazette (RCG) on 24 Aug 1848, but I cannot match this due to lack of detail.

William Manhire of Blue Anchor Village announced the birth of a daughter in Aug 1849, same
Robert Manhire of Summercourt a son, same as with J Manhire of Mitchell a son 26th Oct 1848

Samuel Manhire had a fatal accident, reported by Cornish Advertiser on 7 Feb 1856, at work at the Delabole mine. This sounds entirely feasible in my tree, but I have none by that name so early.

Mary Manhire , tollbooth collector at Blue Anchor, St Columb Apparently the inn was historically on the A30 main highway, so this was no doubt a turnpike collecting tolls. The paper was the RCG of 26th Feb 1858. She may have been the Mary born in 1837 and I understand that she and other members of her family emigrated to New Zealand. This may be related to the stigma of a criminal record, but I don't know.

Richard Manhire of Mitchell, St Enoder, announced the birth of a daughter in the RCG of 8th May 1858, then was featured in an article stating he was fined for using "unjust weights at Mitchell Fair" 2 Nov 1860. Evidently related to J mentioned above, I still cannot match them up.

Saturday 15th February 2020

As Newspapers.com is allowing a free weekend of access to Ancestry subscribers I am using this to peruse their records. Currently I am looking at Retallicks, but it is difficult, as there is a place with that name, and many many mentions in the correct countries. I will get back to you tomorrow/Monday with stories.

Wednesday 12th February 2020

Daniel Retallick & Daniel Edgar Retallick , see 9th May 2017, nothing new

David Retallick 1 , see 6th Sug 2012 & 9th May 2017, for baptism scan see Charles below 5th Feb. Nothing else.

David Retallick 2 , see same dates. I have baptism scan and burial

Tuesday 11th February 2020

Clara Retallick , see 8th May 2017, was quite annoying as I still cannot find her after 1891, when she was last seen in service in Devon. The only baptism with her parents' names was her brother Adam, and marriages and deaths don't match. As far as emigration is concerned, a C Retallick born the same year doesn't help, as he is seen bouncing around all over the world, a surgeon native to Australia.

Claudia Ann Retallick , see also 8th May 2017, unfortunately no scans for baptism or marriage. After I posted in 2017 it seems I did much work on her but haven't brought it to you so I shall do so now. I said she married Richard Stephen Hancock in 1911 in Roche, and on 26 May 1915 he can be seen aboard the SS Philadelphia travelling from Liverpool to New York along with her brothers Frederick, William and Ellison "from the household of Luke Retallick, Bugle". Fred, William and Richard were listed as Clay Agents, Elison a Clerk. In WW1 Richard was drafted into the Canadian Army and in 1918 was part of the Canadian/British Expeditionary Forces, so in 1919 Claudia travelled with her two children (Alfred Maurice and Lilian) as "military dependents" to join him in Halifax, Canada. In 1921 she had a still-born son and the following year she returned to UK to have her next child, Rosalie. She remained to look after her father, who died in 1929, (while her husband returned to Canada) then in 1933 travelled back to Canada "to Stephen Hancock Ontario from mother Ellen Retallick Bugle" with Rosalie. In 1949 the household at 359 Kane Avenue, York, Ontario contained (among others) Richard, Claudia, Rosalie and her husband Harold Collins. I have a note "1968 1539 Bathurst Street, St Pauls, Ontario" but no details of who was still around, and I can't find the record. Neither can I locate death records for either Claudia or her husband, who was known as Stephen, so confusing the issue.

Constance Beryl Retallick , see 9th May 2017, I have a few details to add. Not scans as she was too recent, but I see that her father died in 1916 when she was 5, and her mother remarried in 1924, when she was 13. I mentioned her husband was a bus conductor, but not that he worked on National Buses. He ma well have been involved in evacuating children out to the West Country. After Constance died (probably of childbirth problems) he married Frances Chapman in 1945 St Austell. She was still alive in 2010 (latest records), still living in the area, but as her 1939 file is clear (not redacted) she must have died since. Leslie died in 1966.

Cyrus Retallick , see 9th May 2017, Clara's brother. Despite the very unusual name I can't find anything new.

Monday 10th February 2020

Christopher Retallick 4 , the son who died of TB after running up debts. Scans are available of baptism and marriage
It was on this occasion that Christopher Senior transferred the business, but Junior was already ill, and died 4 years later, the business in ruins. Jane married Thomas Udy the following year, then 2 years after that emigrated to USA. She died there in 1921 aged 79. There was one child from the marriage of Christopher and Jane; Effie Maud Mary, born 1864 and can be seen on the passenger list with her mother emigrating in 1869. She married in 1883 to George Ingalls, had 10 children with him then on his death re-married to a Levi B Strong (no, really!) in 1910, then died 2 years later herself.

Christopher Retallick 5 , see 4th Aug 2012, the one with the chippie in Cumberland. I told the story in quite a lot of detail then, and can only add scan of marriage. I told of the court case where he was found guilty of wrongful dismissal of one of his staff at the fish & chip shop (in 1904) but this was not his only appearance in court. The previous year he had successfully appealed against a demand that he vaccinate his child Harry against smallpox. He argued that in the place he previously lived 11 years had passed with no vaccination and no cases (may have been Cornwall, I can't imagine they would consider Australia to be relevant) This was all under ferocious debate at that time in UK and Australia, so he may have picked up the prejudice then. It was of course mandatory in England until 1980, when the disease was eradicated and vaccination stopped. He was on the "other side" in 1913, as he was one of a jury at the inquest looking into a mine accident. No burial scans are available, unfortunately, as 1926 & 1927 are too recent.

Sunday 9th February 2020

Charlotte Retallick 1 , see 5th May 2017, baptism and marriage scans are available but her death was too late for scanning, in 1907.

Charlotte Retallick 2 , see 8th May 2017, one who emigrated to Australia. All I have to add is her burial record from Lexton (the final date - 29th Sep 1927 - was her "grant" i.e. probate)

On to the bunch of Christophers - see 4th Aug 2012 & 8th May 2017
Christopher Retallick1 , Oliver's 3xgreat grandfather, was born & baptised in 1734. I have a date of 2 Dec 1734, but now have found an alternative occasion in St Columb Major on 26th Jul. Maybe this was an earlier "incarnation"; a Christopher born to the same parents earlier in the year, who then died. However, I can't find a death/burial record. I have also been searching again for a mariage which resulted in the birth of son Christopher2 in 1761, but still cannot.

Christopher Retallick 2 , the son mentioned above, has no baptism scan or marriage, but I have his burial and his wife's

Christopher Retallick 3 , their son, was the one with the businesses. I told his story in 2017, thinking his financial problems came in 1860s, but I can now see he was incarcerated in Bodmin Gaol for a while in 1836, even before his marriage, for debt problems. Although my source for newspapers starts at 1850, I can see details relating to his admission to the gaol on 18th May 1836. He was described as 30-year-old farmer from Luxulyan, height 5ft 7in, grey eyes, brown hair, fresh complexion. The plaintiff, widow Lydia Ann Oakley, who claimed he owed her £73, won her case and he was charged £4 costs and incarcerated until 25th May. I told the rest of the story in 2017. He married Ann Thomas nee Hoare on 12 Jan 1837 in Luxulyan and I now have scans of his burial and that of his wife.

Saturday 8th February 2020

Charles Rowse Retallick , see 5th May 2017, the scanners at Family Search were very kind to him; we have baptism, marriage and burial scans for him.

Sorry, I didn't get very far due to wi-fi problems. I'll continue tomorrow.

Wednesday 5th February 2020

Charles Retallick 1 , see 3rd Aug 2012 & 5th May 2017, nothing new, including the story of how son John became disabled.

Charles Retallick 2 , see same dates, I have now noted that along with Charles and David at the baptism was cousin John Courtney Retallick. This was the first one, who died shortly afterward. See later. I still cannot locate the 1891 census for Charles, but can see Margaret, a 16-year-old servant in Penzance. I'm not sure whether Charles was still in Cumberland or had gone to Cornwall as yet. I think he should have gone with the family, but he is not in the house at Withiel with them. His father had just died there, so maybe Charles had gone travelling. He was back in the area in 1899 to marry Margaret, although his mother died in the mean time. Seeking the marriage scan was odd, as the dates seem to jump from June to November, when the marriage was registered in the October quarter, then to 1900. I told the rest of the story previously but have recently found the burial record from Montana. At first I didn't believe it was him, as it listed him as a Butcher, rather than miner and gave his father's name as James (not John) but all the other info is correct. I shall transcribe it for you:
Charles Retallick male married Aug 14 1867 (his d.o.b.) (age) 61y 7m 17d Butcher England. (father) James Retallick (mother) Mary Ann Matthews (informant) A Retallick (brother Allivyan) Mar 31 1929 (time sick) Mar 9 1929 to Mar 31 1929 Cerebral "Hemorage" (stroke) 1yr 6m (had condition) Dr J M Wolfe (died at) Home (buried at) W S Springs Montana.

Tuesday 4th February 2020

Austell Glendower Retallick , see 2nd May 2017, no scans as too recent and I was disappointed to see all 7 of the redacted lines on 1939 Register are still the same. Several of those chi;dren have established families in the Lake District. I must investigate when we next holiday there.

Barnet James Sturbridge Beswetherick Retallick , see also 2nd May 2017, nothing new

Bathsheba Retallick , see same, no scan of baptism, in fact I cannot find one. Her first marriage is there though, although not her second. Burials

Bessie Retallick , see 2nd May 2017, I know it's odd nowadays, but she was actually registered as Bessie, although I can't find a baptism. In 2017 I sorted out their movements and have nothing new to add.

There were 4 Catherine Retallick, see 1st Aug 2012 & 5th May 2017
Catherine 1 bapt 6 Apr 1777 should have a scan, but I don't have access to it. Her marriage although this (Pallot's Index) seemed to suffer from typos as both surnames were mis-spelled, they should be Payne and Retallick. However, by the time of their burials in Roche they were spelled Paine

Catherine 2 , born the same year but died aged 6

Catherine 3 , no baptism but marriage has been scanned. John died in 1889 and was buried in Roche. When Catherine died she had retired to Devon, and the records from that county have not been scanned.

Catherine 4 was one of the deaths in the Bodmin Asylum, a lunatic aged 90. I have found a criminal record, but it dates to 1863 when she was 50, and was for concealment of the birth of a child. I was thinking that it's difficult having a child that late in life anyway, but I have found further details that say she was single servant aged 20, so that probably wasn't her, imprisoned for 6 months. Weirdly, though, the newspaper accounts give the name of her employers as Mr & Mrs James "Retallack", so that may need further enquiry at a later date...

Sunday 2nd February 2020

Asenath Retallick was a puzzle. She only appeared in 1841 census with her family at Savath. Her parents were Francis & Kitty nee Beswetherick and she was entered as 10 years old. I do think that, bearing in mind that they did a lot of "rounding up & down" in that census, she is the one baptised as Asenath Beswetherick, mother Catherine, spinster, on 20 Jul 1828. However, this doesn't help because she didn't appear again; I have searched marriages and deaths with this Christian name along with emigrations etc to no avail

Augusta Courtney Retallick , see 2nd May 2017, scan of baptism showed the same problem with the mother's name as her sister Alma, see below, reading Ann Grose instead of Grace Courtney but at least it was there. As she died single aged 24 there is no marriage scan, but I have confirmed she worked at the Asylum in Bodmin; she started there on 1 Sep 1885, when almost 18, and died 5½ years later.

Augusta Ruth Retallick , see also 2nd May 2017, nothing new for her but I think I have tracked down son Egerton in 1939. He was in the Public Assistance Institution in Falmouth, as a patient. He died there 11 years later. (This was the Workhouse by its new name)

Saturday 1st February 2020

Ann Retallick 3 , see 1st May 2017, no scan of baptism, but Pallot's marriage index card is available. This was an unfortunate family, as they had 5 children who died young. Only one married and had 2 children, then died aged 32. 1818 was a bad year for them; 3 children died aged 13, 17 & 25 and were buried in St Wenn cemetery. There were several epidemics in UK that year, so it may have been typhus or measles. Ann herself died in 1838 and joined her husband and 4 children in the cemetery, followed 8 years later by the final child

Anna Maria Retallick , see 1st May 2017, baptism scan and marriage scan but no burial as is London.

Wednesday 29th January 2020

Alma Retallick , see 29th Apr 2017, where I gave baptism details of 24 Feb 1864 in Luxulyan, father William, mother Ann. Transcriptions abound with father William Henry, mother Amee RetallAck nee Grose baptising daughter Alma on that day but I think that Amee Grose should read Ann Grace and RetallIck. I still can't find her in 1891 census, but as she was employed her boss probably mis-spelled her name. Mind you, her sister Augusta had just died, so who knows. I don't know what happened to her marriage record, as the Luxulyan book seems to jump from April to September, and her marriage was ostensibly in the July quarter (which that is). Their burials were too recent for scans.

Alvon Retallick was frustratingly void again. In fact I think the name Alvon could have been Allivyan and/or a complete error, when it was only Henry who was baptised.

Ann Retallick 1 , see 1st May 2017, and Sunday below as she married Adam. Her baptism scan and marriage see below, burial too recent, I'm afraid

Ann Retallick 2 , see same date, should have a scan of baptism but I can only find that of a printed page. Marriage is there though. I still cannot match a death for her, although I have found several. George died in Bodmin in 1811, when their sons were in their 30s. The elder, Robert, was admitted to the Bodmin Asylum aged 77 and died there.

Monday 27th January 2020

Allivyan Retallick 1 , see 30th Jul 2012, baptised on 14 Feb 1841 at the Ebenezer Chapel by the Luxulyan Bible Christians along with his cousin Reuben, who unfortunately died aged 2½. Also there is a scan of his marriage but no scan of burial this late unfortunately.

Allivyan Retallick 2 see same dates. Nothing new.

Sunday 26th January 2020

Adam Francis Retallick Senior , see 29th Jul 2012, his baptism scan is very faint - sometimes I swear the registrars used disappearing ink! It confirms the details as 19 Nov 1837, Adam son of Francis & Catharine, from Ennisvath, father a tinner. The marriage scan is better; Bride and groom were 3rd cousins twice removed, I think. He appears on electoral roll lists as "leaseholder of house & land" 1885 & 1897. Although his death was recorded at ocurring on 11 Oct 1918 I cannot locate a burial record. It was wartime though...

Adam Francis Retallick Jnr, see 29th Jul 2012 & 28th Apr 2017, his son, this time the baptism scan was made difficult by the lack of blotting paper, and much too enthusiastic ink! This was the ancestor who went to Lancashire to work, and married the daughter of his landlady, however I don't have a scan. In 1939 Register he can be seen at 1 Braddyll Terrace, Ulverston, lodging with the Young family and another lodger, the story of whom I told in 2017. And although I know he died in Apr 1945 in Ulverston, agsin it was wartime and I cannot find a burial record.

Agar Alexander Retallick , see 30th Jul 2012 & 28th Apr 2017, nothing new unfortunately

Agar Lloyd Retallick , see 28th Apr 2017, his gravestone leads me to believe he didn't marry or have a family, as it names his parents and he was 67 years old. Interestingly his burial record states as abode"Newquay ex Stenalees", which is a lot more helpful than most.

Albert Retallick , see also 28th Apr 2017, nothing new

Alfred James Victor Retallick , Oliver's 4th cousin, was born on 5 Jan 1901 at Bovey Tracey, Devon to James & Janie nee Cock and registered at Newton Abbot. He can be seen in censuses of 1901 and 1911 with them in Bovey Tracey, then in Jul 1923 married Thirza Alice French there. 1939 Register shows them at a property called Westerbrook, near Bagtor, where there is still a hay/straw dealer called H&M Retallick. There are two closed files in 1939 Register, although I only know of one daughter Thirza, so maybe the other was staff/visitor. Alfred died on 21 June 1960 at Westerbrook Farm, leaving effects worth £1872 to his widow. She died on 3 Mar 1980 at Langworthy Brook Cottages, just down the road and left £4568, probably to her daughter.

Saturday 25th January 2020

William James Manhire , see 25th Apr 2017, where I told his story, including his demise in a mine in South Africa. As I said then, his widow went on to marry his brother Edward and I now have two more newspaper clippings, showing marriage and death

William Richard Manhire , see 28th Jul 2012 & 25th Apr 2017, his father - nothing new

Willie Manhire 1 , see 25th Apr 2017, the first Willie, who died aged 11

Willie Manhire 2 , see same date, where I told his story. He was the one who emigrated to Canada, sent for wife and daughters only to have them return to England the following year, as it evidently wasn't to their taste. So Louisa can be seen in 1939 Register at Enniscaven, with Ruby, 15-year-old Box Factory Apprentice and Dulcie, almost 12 at school. There is also a closed file at that address and her mother Armnell 3 houses away. On the other side her brothers Harold, Samuel & John with their families/partners, then a family called Davey, that Dulcie later married into. Ruby married William Gordon Truscott in 1945 and stayed in Cornwall. I said in 2017 that when she died, Louisa left £557 to Willie's attorney. I see that the probate document actually says "...to Ruby Irene Truscott married woman attorney of the said Willie Manhire..." This is enlightening now I know daughter Ruby's married name. However, it shouldn't be read as it seems; that she was her father's attorney. There is no mention of this fact anywhere, and there would be! I think the word "and" has been missed off. When she died on 9 June 2005 she was living in a nursing home in Fraddon (in all probability since the death of her husband, apparently known as Gordon) in 2002. Prior to this they lived in a retirement bungalow in Roche. She joined him in the grave in Roche cemetery.
Apparently they had 3 children and several grandchildren.

Wilson Manhire , see 28th Jul 2012 & 25th Apr 2017, Oliver's first cousin. I said he was the most famous twig on this tree. I was going to bring you a list of his compositions but it is too long. He wrote pieces especially for piano and for violin (and both) and a lot of hints & tips books for music examinations. Also he wrote sheet music in collaboration with others. Although famous, he just lived with his sister by the level crossing to the end, when he left his effects to her and was buried at Treverbyn.

Woodman Manhire , see 25th Apr 2017, Wilson's brother. He emigrated to Australia with the other brother Jasper and I can now inform you that he was buried at West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide on 15 Dec 1914 after dying aged 46 in Adelaide Hospital.

Tuesday 21st January 2020

Continuing on from yesterday, John Richard's children:
Alec William Manhire , born 25 Mar 1920 in Newport, was probably one of the closed files in the 1939 Register, as I can't find him anywhere else. In Jan 1944 in Daventry, Northants he married Betty Poole, who in 1939 Register can be seen at School House, Kings Lane, Flore, Northants. Her father was listed as Storeman Odnance and she Shorthand Typist. They had 3 children, the first two in Daventry died at birth in 1949 & 1950, but in 1954 they had Wendy in Newport. 1974 - 1984 directories show Alec at Sunnyside 74 Victoria Avenue and he died there in 1993, leaving £187,780. Now, that is an awful lot of money, so may include the house. Betty moved to Green Gables, Redfield Hill, Bitton, Bristol with Wendy and her husband Peter. They were still there in 2003 (latest records) after Betty died there in 2009. (This family seem to retire to Green-somethings)

Elizabeth Mary Manhire , born 8 Apr 1922 in Newport, another of the closed files in 1939 on Ancestry. However, I have searched on Findmypast and they have cleared her line and that of Phyllis the servant. So she can be seen living at 74 Victoria Avenue with her parents and a closed file, as well as a domestic servant. Elizabeth was 17 and a student. She went with her mother to the retirement cottage at Ottery St Mary (see below), probably to look after her and stayed on after her mother's death in 1982, dying there herself in 2016. She can be seen there in electoral roll records of 2003.

John Goudie Manhire , born 15 Nov 1926 in Newport, is the remaining closed file in 1939 Register. He married Pamela S Weldon in her home town of Aberystwith in Jan 1957 and they had a son David later that year in Exeter. I think Pamela is still alive, although John died in 2016 in Honiton. They were recorded in 2003 electoral rolls at Churchill Farm, Whimple, Exeter (could have taken the name from his birthplace) As far as I can see, the latest generation has all grown up elsewhere. Wendy & Peter went to Bristol, David to Exeter. One genealogist has two more siblings for David, but there are no details, and the family was in Devon by then anyway. The latest Manhire in Newport is given as Betty Manhire in 2002, living at 74 Victoria Avenue. We do know though that she (nee Betty Poole) moved out the following year. So I think that if we went to Victoria Avenue today we would find no Manhires.

Monday 20th January 2020

The final child born to William Henry was John Richard Manhire , born 25 Mar 1888 at Sunnyside (see below) and lived there for a lot of his life. In 1891-1911 censuses he can be seen with his parents & sibs, as described yesterday. In the latter he was described as "draper assisting in business" as his father had died and his mother was "draper/dealer", while he presumably managed the shops. Apparently he was apprenticed to a William C Thomas 1906-1909, who may well have also been a draper. On 15 Sep 1914 he attested to the Army as a private, stating he had previously been turned down for service due to a weak heart. By 1914 of course the services were much less choosy and he was accepted into the RH RF Artillery in the motor machine gun section as a gunner. On 7 Feb 1915 he was posted with the British Expeditionary Force to France and was fortunate enough to survive, being posted to other places in 1915 & 1916 with the Machine Gun Corps. He was finally demobbed in 1919 with the usual medals and also the Military Medal which was apparently given for bravery in the field. He was discharged as a corporal and returned to Sunnyside. In Apr 1919 in Edmonton, Middlesex he married Helena Maud Goudie and they settled in Newport, near his family, although his mother had just died, so the listings say "Misses Manhire". In 1923 directory they can be seen at 21 Woodland Park Road, literally round the corner from his sisters. They had 3 children but by 1939 Register, as I said, had settled at number 74, next door to his remaining sisters Bessie and Lily.
At this point I think it most interesting to tell you about his wife. She was born on 10 Dec 1888 in Madras, India to the Rev William Goudie, Wesleyan Minister from Shetland, Scotland and Elizabeth nee Routledge from Consett, County Durham. Her parents evidently spent some years in India, as several of her siblings were born there, probably up to about 1894. She grew up with her mother in Headingley, Yorkshire then Highgate, London, where she trained as a teacher. It is very rare for me to have the pleasure of finding a relative in the records of the University of London (where I myself studied in 1970s), let alone a female one! She graduated with a BA in 1910 but by 1939 was described as UDD, so she will have given up her career at her marriage, which was the norm. There are on the entry for 1939 Register a further 3 closed files, but the "children" have all died, so these lines should now be open (however this was only 2016 for two so maybe is too recent). In 1946 they were still at Churchill Villa, next door to the "Misses". John died in 31 Aug 1970 in Newport, address Sunnyside, leaving £75615, presumably to Helena. She was by then 81 and evidently retired to Devon, where she died aged 93 on 25 Jan 1982 at Greenbank, Winters Lane, Ottery St Mary, a lovely retirement bungalow.

Sunday 19th January 2020

William Henry Manhire was, as I said yesterday, the son of William 2, the greengrocer, the cornishman who moved to Wales. They can be seen in 1851 census at the greengrocer's shop in Newport. As his father died when he was 5 years old and his mother remarried almost immediately, he lived with his mother and step-father (also half-sister) in the draper's shop opposite the greengrocer's where he had been born (number 90/91 but this has been replaced with new-build. I cannot track down the census of 1871, but we know that William Henry married the daughter of his business partner, Mary Elizabeth Baker in January of that year in Newport. They had 9 children, but unfortunately the first two died in infancy, then 2 others aged 17 and 20. By the time of the 1881 census Mary can be seen with her parents at Sunnyside Villa, Victoria Road, Newport. Meanwhile, William was staying at the shop, registered in the census at 40a High Street, Newport with a staff of nine: 4 Assistant Drapers (including 2 called Spencer from Somerset, who may well be relatives of his mother-in-law), 2 Dressmakers, 2 Milliners and one General Servant. In 1891 they were back together, at Sunnyside with 6 daughters, one son and 2 servants. Likewise in 1901 census, with 4 daughters, one son, one visitor and 2 servants. William died on 8 May 1902 at Mendip Villa (now Churchill Villa), leaving £10555 to Mary. So in 1911 census she can be seen at Sunnyside, described as a widowed Draper/Dealer, her son now in charge of the drapery business. Sunnyside was her parents' address, but they died in 1885 & 1891. Her father came from Churchill in Somerset, so that may explain the renaming of the house. The business Baker & Manhire featured in newspapers a few times; in 1871 a 12-year-old girl stole a jacket/cape from the shop and was sentenced to 14 days hard labour (theft was very strictly punished in those days). In 1886 the partnership was dissolved, James Baker retired and William took on the debts and continued the business. There were at this point two shops, 40a High Street and 117/118 Commercial Road. [The one in High Street is now a Subway and the one in Commercial Road has been two ethnic shops for some years.] James Baker retired aged 63 just after the death of his wife and died 5 years later. I have searched for more details of the business, as it seems there are/were records up to 1970. However, they are held in the National Archives by "Unknown", so I cannot access them.

As I have only just discovered this branch, I shall expand on his children etc now, and maybe learn more about the business.

William James Manhire was born in Oct 1872 and died aged 4 in Oct 1876

Eleanor Elizabeth Manhire was born in Apr 1874 and died the following January, aged 9 months

Kate Mary Manhire was born Jul 1875 and died aged 41 at Sunnyside. She never married and I can see why; she was severely epileptic since the age of 3. Censuses show her in 1881 aged 5 to 1911 at Sunnyside, with parents and sibs, and there were servants in the latter two, presumably to help with her condition. They employed servants with lovely names; in 1901 Norah Crush and Nellie Wookey, then in 1911 Sarah Crisp and Gwendolin Green!

Mabel Anna Manhire was born Jul 1877 and died aged 20 in Oct 1897, appearing in the censuses of 1881 & 1891 as above. This may well have been an unexpected demise, as there doesn't seem to be a will.

Alice Marguerite Manhire was born Oct 1879 and died aged 17 on 14 Feb 1897 and also left no will.

Winifred Muriel Manhire was born in Oct 1881 and died at Sunnyside aged 44 on 1 May 1926, leaving £9431 to John. Again she never married and can be seen with the family in several censuses.

At last, one who survived until the 1939 Register! Lily Mildred Manhire was born 27 Jan 1884 and died aged 67 on 22 Sep 1951 at 73 Victoria Avenue, leaving £35275 to brother John. She appeared with the others in censuses of 1891-1911 and in 1939 still at the same house, with her sister Bessie and a servant (continuing the previous theme) with the name of Mabel Sniffills. This family is an unhelthy one, as she survived the longest but was described as "Incapacitated". Brother John can be seen next door with his family.

Bessie Spencer Manhire was born on 6 Nov 1885 and died 7 May 1950, appearing in censuses and Register as above. When she died she was still at the same address, also unmarried and left £22691 to John.

John is very interesting and has a complex story, so I shall continue tomorrow

Saturday 18th January 2020

William Manhire 1 , see 24th Apr 2017, Jessie's great-uncle, nothing new except death notice

William Manhire 2 , see 28th Jul 2012, however I suspect the middle of this story was wrong, as the records were mistranscribed. 1851 census at Colevreath was wrong as he was called John. I suspect he was already in Wales by then, and the census of 1851 showing him with wife Elizabeth, son William (aged 4) & cousin Jane Yelland (23 year old dressmaker), showed William working as a "potatoe merchant". In 1844 Directory his premises is numbered 132 Commercial Road and listed under "Fruiterer & Greengrocer". He died in Jan 1852, as I stated in 2012 but it was in Newport and wife Elizabeth remarried as I said. His son William Henry I will deal with tomorrow. When he died the shop was presumably sold as his son was only 5 years old.

William Manhire 3 , see 24th Apr 2017, one of the Devonshire Manhires, who died aged 20. Nothing new.

William Manhire 4 , died before he was 2 and was buried in Roche - this was the burial I thought was that of William 2 above.

Tuesday 14th January 2020

Theophilus Manhire, see 3rd Apr 2017, to which I can add quite a lot more details. See Sunday below for baptism scan and that of marriage:

Unita was born in Cornwall too, but her name (and also her namesake daughter) did sometimes get transcribed as Juanita (especially in the States). As you see, she and Theophilus married in 1903, but he left these shores in 1906 for New York. He stated he was staying with a "friend" William Wilcox, who may well be a relation of his wife. Unita remained in England as she was pregnant, and gave birth to her namesake daughter later in 1903 in St Austell and Lily Beryl followed 2 years later. She must have joined Theo with the girls, as I can see the 3 girls returned to UK in 1910 for her to give birth to son Edwin John in Cornwall, then returned to USA by 1911, when Theophilus was Naturalized, giving the family home address as 788 Riverside Drive, New York. In 1914 he was drafted into WW1, then settled into New Brunswick, 40 miles southwest, working as an Ordering Inspector for Evans Engineering Corporation. I cannot track down a death record in USA but see that the fellow genealogist I mentioned has him mixed up with Theodore. What I can say is that Unita returned to Cornwall with her daughters (son Edwin died in 1916) and Unita Junior married local boy Frank Cornelius in Oct 1924. Lily married Cyril Organ in 1935, so 1939 Register shows Unita Sr and Lily at 37 Church Street, Tywardreath, St Austell both UDDs and also a closed record, I think this may be Lily's 2-year-old son Michael. They lived in Lewisham, but I would imagine were living with her mother as London was unsafe in wartime. Unita Jr was at Trewoon with husband Frank, a "concrete block maker" and 7-year-old daughter Ruby. All died there, Unita Sr 1965, Jr 1972 and Frank 1986

Thomas Manhire 1 , see 24th Apr 2017, Jessie's great greatuncle, I have scan of baptism although I can't locate that of either marriage, I do have his burial.

Thomas Manhire 2 , see same date, Jessie's greatuncle, but nothing new

Thomas John Manhire , see same date and also 17th Jul 2012, who was a bit of a mix-up, and I haven't managed to sort him out. A record from Australia may explain it all; a jeweller in 1905 living in Western Australia. But he keeps getting mixed up with a Thomas John Manhire born to a Richard and Mary nee Williams in South Australia in 1877 (i.e. 2 years before ours).

Verena Josepha Manhire , see 24th Apr 2017, also 17th Jul 2012, where I showed she was sometimes known by her middle name - just to confuse me, I'm sure! She seems to have been registered as Josepha, but I cannot see a baptism (all her sibs are there with Bible Christians then Methodists). She married William Hawke as Verena, but no scan. They lived at 7 Glen Road for most of their married life, possibly all of it, and as I said, both died here. Margaret Lilian, their daughter, died in 1974, registered in the Bodmin area, aged 74.

Sunday 12th January 2020

Samuel George Manhire , see 18th Apr 2017. As I said in 2017, I was concerned regarding the wording on his gravestone "all his children" and have spent a long time searching for these. The only glimmer I have is that there is one other person in 1939 Register with a closed file, and I subsequently found a birth registration in 1932 for a John B Manhire, who is still alive, living at the same farm, Colevreath, along with his wife Bernice. However, this still doesn't explain the wording, so maybe he fostered or something similar.

Samuel James Manhire , also see 18th Apr 2017, nothing new except a Directory entry for 1910, showing the address as Enniscaven, St Dennis

Sarah Manhire , see 21st Apr 2017, including baptism scan. Burial was from Union House, i.e. the Workhouse but she was buried at Holy Trinity

Susannah Manhire , see 18th Apr 2017, where I mentioned her illigitimacy, but couldn't find the documents, probably as I had the wrong name for her mother. She was Jane Trethewey, not Hewett, but Susanna's baptism (on 1 Nov 1840) was transcribed at Manhare, and I can't find a scan.

Theodore Manhire , see 21st Apr 2017, which is a detailed account. The "mass baptism" at Treverbyn on 3 Dec 1888 has been scanned as has his first marriage and his second. I have also now seen his naturalization document dated 18 Oct 1900 and censuses of 1910 & 1920 in Goldfoeld, Nevada, both listing him as widow (Jeanne died in 1908). I have mentioned his death, and brought you his obituary, now I have the death certificate.

Wednesday 8th January 2029

Roderick Manhire , Jessie's uncle, see 17th Apr 2017. I can't locate a baptism, nor a scan of marriage. Electoral rolls and directory entries track him before marriage in Battersea, then afterwards at 57 Stratford Road, Thornton Heath.
I see now that they did have a son in 1914, born there but he died soon afterwards, named Roderick too. After Roderick's death, Edith can be seen living with their son Gordon at 4 Falconwood Road, Addington, 6 miles away, the other side of Croydon and she died there on 14 Dec 1971 aged 83, leaving £1326.

Rosalind Manhire , see 17th Apr 2017, nothing new, despite a lot of searching. I did discover, though, that Archie had been in the Coldstream Guards in WW1 and achieved 2 medals.

Samuel Manhire , see 18th Apr 2017, I can't find a scan of his baptism, but understand it took place at the St Dennis chapel, performed by the Bible Christian Circuit of St Ervan. Also his marriage was in London. By the way, his youngest son Felix was "caught" at the Royal Free Hospital as a patient by 1901 census and died there 3 months later, aged 13. See gravestone I mentioned in 2017. Samuel's burial record was only 2 pages on from his son's in the Treverbyn records.

Tuesday 7th January 2020

Reu Elwood Manhire , see 15th Apr 2017, was the miner whose young son accidentally shot his mother. I can't locate a baptism record for him, but once he reached the shores of America he was well documented; naturalization, marriage and WW1 draft. He was 45 years of age by then, and died within weeks. He was buried at Idaho Springs,
joining his wife Bessie, killed some 5 years earlier. I have discovered another snippet of information - the unusual middle name was that of a popular local doctor. As this middle name only appeared in the years in America, he may well have adopted it then. Through his life, he was recorded as many things from Reuben to Ben, Ren, Rene and Ruh. As I told before, Reu Junior was taken into care and raised well, becoming a choir-master and clerk in a newspaper office. He died aged 91 in 2000.

Richard Manhire , see 17th Apr 2017 & 17th Feb 2017, Jessie's grandfather. I have his baptism record and of course, his marriage. No burial scan, unfortunately.

Richard Williams Manhire , see 17th Apr 2017, baptism scan but nothing more. I can see Kate in 1901 census, after his death, with 6-year-old Florence, but she died before 1911. Florence can be seen in 1939 Register, working as a Paid Domestic on a farm in Penwith. It seems she never married and died aged 73.

Saturday 4th January 2020

Welcome back everyone. I will get back to work here, having spent the "holidays" with family, albeit sharing a cold, but at least we suffered together!

I am here embarking on the final page, so this time next year I have to have found something/somewhere else. In the mean time...

Maud Manhire , see 14th Apr 2017, no new records. I have a photo I suspect was taken in 1914, William Henry Senior expecting to serve in WW1. I can find no documents to show his service, although William Henry Junior apparently served in the Desert Rats in El Alamein in WW2.

Nicholas Manhire , see 14th Apr 2017. I knew he was baptised at the age of two, and can now see that this was due to waiting for his sister Elizabeth, who joined him for the ceremony on 9 Sep 1850, but unfortunately died aged 16.
Nicholas was the one (you may remember) who married 3 times to younger women and ended up alone, possibly at St Austell Priory. Unfortunately I can't find anything new here.

Oliver Manhire , see 15th Jul 2012, Jessie's father. I have no new records, but can see in 1939 Register that he is the only resident at the shop in Battersea Park Road, the others being in Cornwall. There is a little red note saying "removed" on the second line. Ivy can be seen staying at Hallew Farm, Bugle, St Austell with farmer Norman Algar and his wife Beatrice. Two lines are shown redacted, they had 6 children in all but 3 of them have died, all too recently to show on the Register, so I don't know which these are.

DIANE'S GENEALOGY BLOG 2019

Thu, 10 Nov 2022 00:57:16 GMT

Diane's Genealogy Blog 2019

<<2022 I am so sorry, all the photos appear to have dropped off this account.>>

Tuesday 17th December 2019

Mabel Manhire , see 10th Apr 2017, nothing new, as she lived all her life in Devon, where Family Search have no scans

Maria Manhire , Jessie's great-aunt, see 11th Apr 2017, nothing new

Marion Manhire , see also 11th Apr 2017, nothing new

Mary Manhire , see 14th Apr 2017, who married and went to Australia.

Mary Ann Manhire , see 14th April 2017, at last a scan of burial, but I still cannot find her in 1841 & 1851 censuses - I thought I had in Portsmouth but she turned out to be a widow, and from Hampshire.

Monday 16th December 2019

Lilian Manhire , see 14th Jul 2012 & 7th Apr 2017, the cousin who married Jasper (see last Friday) and Jessie's aunt. Nothing new.

Lona Armenia Manhire , see same dates, nothing new

Lot Manhire x3 , see 7th & 8th Apr 2017, nothing new

Louie Edith Manhire , see 14th Jul 2012 & 7th Apr 2017, again nothing new

Lucy Manhire , see 10th Apr 2017, nothing new except the stone in Roche Cemetery: Inscription reads: "In loving memory of Lucy, the beloved wife of John Cock, wo died at West End, Roche Jan 14 1912 aged 54 years One of the truest, one of the best, God in his mercy called her to rest. Also Cuthbert Charles, their youngest son, who died Feb 7 1899 aged 4 months."

Sunday 15th December 2019

Joseph Manhire 1 , see 3rd Apr 2017, I have a baptism scan. Seeking out Rees Hill again, it appears to be at Trezaise. There are footpath/bridleways leading across the fields but, as far as I can see, no houses.

Joseph Manhire 2 , see same, again I couldn't find a baptism and again he seemed to be buried 3 days before death! These two dates are from different sources though.

Joseph Manhire 3 , see same, many thanks to Linda Cane for the memorial card on Ancestry. It is always lovely to see something personal attached to these trees, it brings them to life so to speak. oh, and I have his baptism scan.

Joseph Colman Manhire , see 4th Apr 2017, where I told his stories. This is all most amusing to me as this is my husband's tree and Joseph spent quite some time in the area frequented by my own ancestors in Dalby, Leicestershire - and met his end there. The other odd detail was that he received his "exposure" leading to discharge from the services at Sheerness, where his grand-niece Jessie ended up aftrer marriage into the Smith clan.

Her first cousin Kenneth Croydon Manhire , see also 4th April 2017, was another odd one, named Croydon, where Jessie lived for many years but I cannot see a link in 1907, when he was born in Cornwall. I have no scans, as this is too recent.

Leonard Manhire , see 10th Jul 2012 & 4th Apr 2017, nothing new

Lewis Cyril Manhire , see same dates, nothing new, nothing scanned. And in every record his wife was spelled Freeda, so it wasn't a typo. I have managed to find them in 1939 Register, together at 6 Virginia Terrace, St Stephen. At no. 2 Virginia Terrace was a Frederick & Elizabeth Best, but I can't see that they were related to Freeda. Lewis was a Clay Labourer, heavy worker, and Freeda UDD. There was a closed file too, but probably a lodger as I can't see that they had a child

Saturday 14th December 2019

John Manhire 2 , see 28th Mar 2017, son of John1, far from confirming, I found other possibilities. However, I do know he had children so can discount some.

John Manhire 3 , see same, was his son, and I had better luck with scans: baptism, marriage and burial

John Manhire 4 , his son, see same date, I see that he was baptised on 15 Feb 1792 at St Austell, but can find no scan. I have one of marriage, though, which shows it was "with consent of their parents" as Philippa was under 21 (by 10 months), he was 23. His burial scan shows his interment at St Dennis on 2 Sep 1863. he died 4 days prior to this and left <£50 to his son John, wife Philippa having died 10 years before. There was a John Manhire accused of larceny, twice acquitted in 1830 but found guilty in 1865, so if the same man it was evidently not him.

John Manhire 5 , see same date, I have a baptism scan, but no scan of marriage or burial.

John Manhire 6 , see 31st Mar 2017, Jessie's great great-uncle, nothing new

John Manhire 7 , see 2nd & 3rd April 2017, where I gave a huge amount of information, including the stories of his 11 children. I cannot locate scans to add anything, so will leave this now.

Friday 13th December 2019

George Manhire 1 , see 19th Mar 2017, Oliver's great-grandfather. Unfortunately no scans, and no new records

George Manhire 2 , see 20th Mar 2017, his son, however, does have a baptism scan. Unfortunately I still cannot track down a marriage, and the alternative names Hewitt & Trethewey for his wife don't help matters.

Gladys Manhire , see also 20th Mar 2017, Jessie's auntie, has nothing new, apart from the fact that her husband Emile served in the RAF, joining up on 8 Mar 1917, a mere 2 months before son Frederick was born.

Gladys Victoria Manhire , see 9th Jul 2012 & 20th Mar 2017, nothing new

Gordon Richard Manhire , see also 20th Mar 2017, one of Jessie's first cousins, had plenty of holes in his story, but the only thing I have achieved today is to discount the chap who sailed to & from New Zealand. He had the middle name of Henry, not Richard. It is very odd that he doesn't appear in his childhood. I have found 2 more records in the 1960s, when he was living at 4 Falconwood Road, Croydon with his mother Edith and May, but this doen't help fill the gap.

Hannah Manhire , see 21st Mar 2017, nothing new

Hetty Manhire , see also 21st Mar 2017, although no scans, I have managed to sort out her death. I have found a record dated 13 Apr 1950, stating she died at 5 Dartmoor Cottages, Wotter, Shaugh Prior, leaving effects worth £150 to Samuel, who registered her death at Plympton.

Hilda May Manhire , see 21st Mar 2017, nothing new again

Jane Manhire , see 9th Jul 2012 & 26th Mar 2017, and I also mentioned her with regard to her sister Ellen (see below). As she was baptised in Devon, I have no scan to bring you, likewise her marriage. She died in Calgary and was buried 2 days later in Union Cemetery.

Jasper Manhire , Jessie's uncle, see 28th Mar 2017, who confused matters by marrying his first cousin and thus linking up the twigs on this branch of the tree. He had a fascinating story, so please do look. I can't findanything new though.

John Manhire 1 , see 28th Mar 2017, Jessie's 5xgreat grandfather, should have scans of baptism and marriage, on Family Search, but I suspect these have been withdrawn as I am coming up empty every time, even back then, prior to registration in 1837. A very sad state of affairs if this is the case...

Wednesday 11th December 2019

Emily Manhire , see 19th Mar 2017. As I said then, she was the youngest of the 14 children and did not go to USA with some of her siblings, but remained at home in Cornwall. There are no scans but when I mentioned her address at death was 17 Adelaide Street, I didn't realise it was her sister Elizabeth's home (see below).

Ethel Annie Manhire , see also 19th Mar 2017, I wasted a lot of time seeking out the baptism scan, as Family Search would only give me one of the file cover, not the document itself (no use to anyone), and she didn't marry there is nothing new to bring you.

(William) Ewart Manhire , see also 19th Mar 2017, nothing new

Felix Manhire , see 24th Mar 2017, he was registered in July quarter of 1864 in St Stephens, but I cannot find a baptism or scan of marriage or death. One thing I can do though is to fill in the gap I mentioned around 1891. As I said, Annie & Lot returned to England and can be seen in Cornwall in 1891 census with her mother, but Felix was naturalised in 1889 and appeared in the Directory of 1890 at the Works Power House at the Anaconda China clay Mine. He evidently left for UK before summer 1893, in time to conceive Ambrose, born the following spring. So they weren't there for long.

Frederick Manhire , see 5th Jul 2012 & 19th Mar 2017, I gave a lot of detail previously, but he was similar to Felix in that he travelled across the Atlantic around the time of his marriage, which was confusing. I think he sailed back to UK in 1919, got married in 1920 then took his bride to Michigan and settled there. He also was naturalised in 1930 and remained there until he dided in 1963. Beatrice followed in 1982.

Tuesday 10th December 2019

Ella Manhire , see 3rd Jul 2012 & 18th Mar 2017, was baptised Ellen, like her mother, but was always known as Ella I have scans of baptism and marriage. An interesting thing about her emigration to USA was that she travelled out to New York on the same ship used 4 years earlier by her uncle Arthur on his trip, the SS St Louis. They sailed on 3 Nov 1915 fromm Liverpool, arriving in New York 11 Nov. Further information is now available on their deaths. William died in 1955 (I previously had his death date as 1942 but think "reports of his death are exaggerated" at that time) and was buried at Crown Hill Cemetery, Twinsburg, Summit County. Ella died on 1 Apr 1971 aged 93 and joined him in the grave.

Ellen Manhire , see 18th Mar 2017, no scans as she was born in Devon, but Ancestry have found her marriage for me. In 1909 her sister Jane Hicks went out to Canada with her 3 children to join her husband (who was working there), and died the following year. Ellen had followed her a few weeks later and may have helped with her children. 1910 was rather a year for them, as Ellen married Frederick Vincent (Canadian record only gives the year) then her sister Jane died at Christmas, when her youngest child was not quite 3 years old. 1911 census shows her widower had moved the children in with his brother, so Ellen was free to marry.

Elsie Manhire , see 19th Mar 2017, sister of Ella above. Baptism scan, but by 1901 census she had left home, but I still cannot locate her or her husband-to-be. On 31 Oct 1914 she married him in St Columb but I cannot find a scan, for that or burials for either.

Sunday 8th December 2019

Dorothy Manhire , see 15th Mar 2017, Jessie's first cousin. I have been searching Tehidy Road, Tywardreath again on Google Streetview, but to no avail as several houses are quite modern, very few have names and the numbering system has no doubt changed since 1939. No new records, I'm afraid.

Edgar Manhire , her brother, see also 15th Mar 2017. Searching for his wife Alice, I found an Alice Jeanne Baudet nee Derrien from St Helier, Jersey. She was married before, to Louis Joseph Baudet, and had a son with him by the name of Ronald. I cannot find his birth record, or her marriage, but both Louis & Ronald are buried in St Peter, Jersey. Also I have found a burial record for her there, under the name of Manhire, the problem being that I had a year of birth for her as 1901 and it seems to be a typo for 1911. This makes more sense, as she was a similar age to Edgar. Edgar was also buried there, and the 1987 year given by another genealogist was probably a guess as he died on 9 Aug 1988. Alice died in 2004, Ronald in 2015.

Edward Manhire , see 2nd July 2012 &15th Mar 2017. Nothing new, I'm afraid, apart from the fact that he left £10,604 on his death.

Elizabeth Jane Manhire , see 15th Mar 2017, since which I have found her death and it was in 1946, as I suggested. Unfortunately no scans of birth, death or marriage, I am afraid.

Elizabeth Mary Manhire , see 3rd Jul & 6th Aug 2012, I told the full story then with the help of another genealogist but can now add the 1939 Register, where they can be seen at 17 Adelaide Street, with her brother Charles next-door-but-one at number 13. There is a redacted line in their household, no doubt Doreen, who is still alive, as I understand it.
Later: I have just discovered she died in 2014, aged 95.

Saturday 7th December 2019

Betty Joan Manhire , see 13th Mar 2017, Jessie's first cousin, nothing new

Charles Manhire , see 1st Jul 2012 & 13th Mar 2017, no new records, I'm afraid.

Claude Manhire , see 1st Jul 2012 & 13th Mar 2017, Jessie's uncle. As I confirmed in 2017, he did in fact marry Grace Jones nee Underwood on 2 Jan 1916, despite it being wartime and he was serving aboard SS Campania as AB2. He was no doubt given leave as the ship was undergoing modifications in dock between Nov 1915 and Apr 1916 for service as an aircraft carrier. Other details I was not aware of when I covered his story before was the deaths of him and his wife. His death was registered, as I said, in the January quarter of 1941 in the Surrey Mid-Eastern area, postulating he may have been in hospital at the time. I have now seen the burial record, which states he died in St Ebbas Hospital, Epsom, which was at that time a specialist unit for epilepsy patients (later became a mental hospital under the NHS) and was buried at the Finchley Burial Ground (Islington Borough Council) on 26 Mar 1941. On 1 Oct 1964 Grace was cremated in Islington and her ashes buried with Claude.

David Manhire 1 , see14th Mar 2017, I have baptism scan, but am still struggling with this surname, and cannot bring you a scan of their marriage or his burial record, I am afraid.

David Manhire 2 , see 2nd Jul 2012 & 14th Mar 2017. I have a scan of his first marriage, it shows the witnesses were his brother Edward and Thomas Eva, relative of bride's mother. Emily died in 1911 and was buried at Greenwood Cemetery, Kellogg and David remarried. As I said in 2017, he died less than 4 years later and Laura remarried. David died on 11 Jan 1923 at Murray Hospital, Butte of lobar pneumonia aged only 41. Informant was his brother Arthur.

Friday 6th December 2019

Annie Jane Manhire , see 30th June 2012 & 13th Mar 2017. The only new document I can see is the passenger list for her journey to USA. She sailed on 4 July 1923, aboard the SS Majestic, 2nd class to New York, giving age as 34 (would be 35 a few weeks later), address as 5 Adelaide Street, Camborme and occupation as "Housework", intending to settle in USA. The ship docked on 10th July in New York and she stated her final destination was Detroit. I would say it wasn't surprising she was unhappy and returned to England in 1933; both her parents and baby daughter died between 1925 & 1929 and being aged 40 she was unlikely to have any more children. In 1939 Register I think she is the widow who is "paid housekeeper" to a retired draughtsman/marine engineer, at 3 Carclew View, Devoran, Truro.

Arthur Stanley Manhire see same dates, also emigrated to USA.I have the scan of his marriage. Most of the information on this document is dittoes; he was married on 19 Jun 1917 at Wallace, Shoshone, Idaho to Florence Bane, also living in Kellogg but born in Washington. The ages are a surprise, she was only 18, he 32! So it's not for the same reason that this couple only had one child too. I can now also see his WW2 draft, listed as 57 years old, living at 23 East Nevada Avenue, Detroit (on Streetview now a gap, the area run down and nearby properties boarded up), working for National Bank Building Co.

Betsey Manhire , see also 13th Mar 2017, Oliver's great-aunt, scan of baptism. But none for marriage, as this took place in Devon. I have her burial and that of Samuel the following year.

Tuesday 3rd December 2019

Yvonne Eugenie Marjorie Knight , see 10th Mar 2017, nothing new

Zerua Rosina Knight, see 26th June & 29th Oct 2012, also 10th Mar 2017, I have scans of marriage and burial

So, having now completed the update of the Knight branch, it is time to redo the main stem of this tree, the Manhires. Unfortunately, records from Devon have not been scanned by FamilySearch, so again I will look for Cornish ones etc.

Alma Manhire 1 , see 12th Mar 2017, nothing new as all records from Devon (see above)

Alma Manhire 2 , Oliver's 1st cousin once removed, not covered before, was born Jan 1859 in Roche to John & Elizabeth nee Johns. I always struggle with this surname (see 26th June 2012) and she was no exception. I can see her in censuses of 1861 with parents & sibs at Hillyvreath, Roche and St Stephen-in-Brannel respectively. On 5 Sep 1880 oddly in Kensal Green, London she married Thomas Richards from Madron. They gave an address in Southam Street, but there is much online about how this was a slum area of Kensington, so they soon returned to Cornwall (maybe they eloped as he was still legally a minor). In 1881 census they were just married and shown living with her parents in St Stephens. Tom was a china-clay labourer and may well have worked with her brother Felix. (As you can see above, he had worked as a bricklayer in London, an end-product of clay-production). They were not in UK for 1891 census because they travelled across to USA that year and can be seen in Michigan in 1900 census there. Both her parents died in 1897 & 1899 and they went home in 1900, returning to USA with her sister Ellen to work with them as a servant. It may have been the deaths of her brothers Samuel and George which brought them back to England in 1902, and they can be seen back in Roche in 1911 census, Tom back to mining clay (he had mined iron in Michigan). He died aged 56 in 1916 and Alma 1924 aged 65. Tom was buried in an unconsecrated plot in Nanpean Cemetery, Alma in Roche, giving home address as Enniscaven, St Dennis.

Andrew Manhire , see 26th June 2012, nothing new

Ann Manhire was his sister, born 3 years after him, in 1860 in Illogan. Unfortunately she died aged 10 in Sep 1870 and was buried in Tuckingmill churchyard attached to All Saints church in that village. She had been recorded in 1861 census aged 1 at Brea, Roche with parents and siblings.

Monday 2nd December 2019

I am back, now to finish off the Knights before I move on to the next branch

William Alfred Knight , see 27th Feb 2017, nothing new

William James Knight , his uncle, see also 27th Feb 2017, also nothing new, although a man by his age and exact name was imprisoned in Sydney, Australia for stealing tools and sentenced to 6 months hard labour, I have no evidence that this was him. I see from his probate that he died at Higher Woodley, Lanivet, where he had been in 1939 Register. He left £19,365 but it is too recent to state to whom, but was probably his daughter Maud.

William James Leslie Bevill Knight , see 28th Feb 2017, seemed to have a collection of names he was known by, right up to his cremation.

William John Knight , see 17th June 2012 & 28th Feb 2017, where I followed him and his family via USA to Australia.

William John Knight 2 , see also 28th Feb 2017, I have now seen the baptism scan and noted his birth was on Christmas Day - must have been interesting! He died aged 14 and was buried in the Old Churchyard, Lanivet - I just noticed this was Christmas too!

William Orinsa Knight , see same date, died aged 13 baptism and burial

William Roberts Knight , see same date, nothing new

William Udy Knight , see same date, I see from the scan that transcription of his marriage date was a month early. It is very faint, but on close inspection I see it was dated 16 Jan 1826. Otherwise, nothing new.

Woodman Knight , see 7th Mar 2017, was baptised with his cousin Orlando. No marriage or death scans, unfortunately

Tuesday 19th November 2019

William Knight 7, see 24th Feb 2017, I see he was baptised William Junior, but William Senior must have been his uncle, as both father and grandfather were Anthony. This was William 6 I featured yesterday. The marriage was unusual, as I said in 2017, as Ann's first husband was not buried until 3 months later. Looking at the record, it was not on an official form, although the wording was copied by hand from one. They may have been particularly keen to marry as Ann was by then 40 years old (13 years older than her husband). As it turned out, he died 8 years before her.

William Knight 8 , see 26th Feb 2017, all details correct. I have scans of baptism and marriage. No scan of burial I'm afraid, but it was in Majorca, Victoria, Australia.

William Knight 9 , see 27th Feb 2017, now with scans of baptism, marriage and death

William Knight 10 , see also 27th Feb 2017, where I lost him in his teens. Ancestry has suggested a marriage in Derbyshire, which I am happy with as it gives his father as John. Ann Elizabeth Wass was nee Boyce, born in Suffolk and another older wife, this time 12 years older than William. She was only married to John Wass for 4 years before he died aged 25 of smallpox, then 4 months later Ann lost her little daughter Kezia before she was even 2 years old, probably of the same condition. She married William 9 years later in her home town of Staveleys, Derbyshire and can be seen with him in 1881 census as a farm labourer in Chesterfield, Eckington 1891 & 1901 as horsekeeper at a colliery, along with 2 lodgers. In 1911 he was working for the railway as platelayer and they had moved to Whittington Moor (about 6 miles southwest). They may have remained there for the rest of his life, as his death was registered there in Newbold in 1923, then Ann's death was registered back in Chesterfield.

I am going away now for a week, see you when I return.

Monday 18th November 2019

William Knight 4, Oliver's 5xgreat grandfather, see 24th Feb 2017, unfortuntely has no scan of baptism, although I do know when it occurred (see 2017 blog). I am glad to see the marriage record in such good condition, considering it is 325 years old! Unfortunately the burial scans only start at 1731, so this is all, as he died aged only 38 in 1710.

William Knight 5 , see also 24th Feb 2017, similarly nothing new as scans are not available for those years.

William Knight 6 , see same date, I have scans of baptism and marriage but no burial scan for him or his wife.

Wednesday 13th November 2019

Walter Cock Knight , see 20th Feb 2017, I still don't know why they waited until he was over 2 before baptising him.
His marriage was in USA, so I have to snip into 2 parts as there are so many columns. I have seen his call-up papers for WW1, but as he was 45 years old and didn't enlist until Sep 1918, he may well have never seen service. After his death, Pearl can be seen in 1940 census, a widow aged 61, doing housework, with a live-in farmhand, and income from other sources. When she died, she was buried with Walter. There was an obituary in the local newspaper the Lancing State Journal, on 17th Apr 1967, but I cannot view it without paying a subscription, which I am loth to do. Oh by the way, I discovered he had a grandson called Alden - the same as my son and extremely rare in this country (less so in USA where both he and my son live).

William Knight 1 , see 16th Jun 2012 & 20th Feb 2017, scan of baptism and of marriage. He died in New Zealand.

William Knight 2 , see 21st Feb 2017, where I gave a lot of detail, so can just bring you scans of baptism and first marriage. (I showed his second marriage in 2017 blog). See 28th Oct 2012 & 17th Dec 2016 for his grave.

William Knight 3 , see 21st Feb 2017, son of the above, as I said there are various "versions" which could be him, many of whom emigrated and I cannot prove any. His baptism must have been an interesting spectacle, as both babies were christened William Knight (the other one was William John, who I will cover at a later date) - the fathers were 3rd cousins, I believe. However, this doesn't help me get any further with this William, as I have nothing to go on. William John was a bit of a globe-trotter, but I don't even know if they ever met again after the baptism.

Monday 11th November 2019

Thomas Oscar Knight , see 19th Feb 2017, nothing new.

Uriah Knight, see also 19th Feb, where I gave a lot of detail, so all I have is scan of baptism and his first marriage. Also I did see a reference to the "rank" of Captain. It was in Kelly's Directory of 1889, referring to him as Captain of Clay Works, Virginia, St Stephens.

Sunday 10th November 2019

Thomas Knight 2 , son of Thomas 1 below, Oliver's great great-uncle, see 18th Feb 2017. Scans:
baptism, marriage and burial

Thomas Knight 3 was his son, see also 18th Feb 2017, first "attempt" with this name, baptism and burial then second, baptism and marriage. Unfortunately not a burial scan of this guy

Thomas Knight 4 , see 18th Feb 2017, Oliver's 4xgreat uncle, but I still only know his baptism: as there is no sign of him after this.

Thomas Knight 5 , see also 18th Feb 2017, baptism scan . I suspect (although cannot prove it) he is the Thomas Knight, sergeant & carpenter, who was a Chelsea Pensioner in the Royal Engineers, discharged with a pension in 1867. He was born in Lostwithiel in 1828, so fits the details. However, he could have gone anywhere on discharge and may be the one buried in Ewell, Surrey on 13 Nov 1871 aged 43.

There was another one; I should call him Thomas Knight 6 , I haven't mentioned him before as he died aged 7. He was born in St Stephen in Brannel in the January quarter of 1857 to John & Amy nee Rowe. It appears that he was not baptised; John & Amy did not do this for their children. So all I have is his burial scan. He died in Jan 1864 and was buried in St Stephens on 17 Jan. Oh, he did appear in the 1861 census aged 4 with parents and sibs at Bloomdale, St Stephens.

Saturday 9th November 2019

Susan Knight , see 4th Jun 2012 & 14th Feb 2017, nothing new and no scans.

Susan Jane Knight, see same dates, I have scans of baptism and marriage

Next is Jessie's grandmother Tahpenes Knight , see 17th Feb 2017, the only new thing I have is scan of marriage

Thomas Knight 1 , see 4th June 2012 & 18th Feb 2017, Oliver's great great grandfather. Scans of baptism, marriage and burial. As I said in 2017, I was puzzled by Elizabeth's death. I have looked in the burial book above, and cannot find her. I was concerned she may be Betsy or Liz etc but no sign of these either. I also searched the newspapers of 1814 for anything on the story, to no avail.

Tuesday 5th November 2019

Sarah Knight 1 , see 11th Feb 2017, nothing new, unless she was buried on 5 Jan 1794 at St Dennis. I cannot confirm this as no age was given (she would be 39).

Sarah Knight 2 , see also 11th Feb 2017, baptised as Sally, married as Sarah. 1841 census was as Sally, 1851 as Sarah, then her death was registered in Jan 1856 as Sally, but there is no scan that I can see.

Sarah Ann Knight , see also 11th Feb 2017, I have scans of baptism and marriage. Sarah Ann died 23 Jan 1938 and joined her husband in the grave at Roche, where he had been for 6 years.

Simon Knight , see 2nd June 2012 & 14th Feb 2017. I have scans of baptism and 1st marriage. Grace died in1883.
Simon married Fanny Brokenshire at St Columb on 29 Mar 1884, but there doesn't seem to be a scan. This is a shame, as the transcription claims to say they were in their 20s, not their 60s. Anyway, as I said in 2012, she lived with her step-daughter Mary Jane at "Margate", Bodmin until her death in 1905, leaving £780 to her at her death. As you can see, Simon was buried with Grace and son David. I understand Fanny was buried in Treverbyn, so I should have a photo of her grave somewhere...
.
Saturday 2nd November 2019

Robins and Roberts tended to get muddled in the past, when most ordinary folk were illiterate, so I apologise if I have muddled these guys.

Robin Knight 1 , see 7th Feb 2017, when I called him "Robin Senior", was Oliver's 4xgreat uncle. He was the one who married Mary Robbins and was possibly the father of Robert 1, studied on Wednesday. I have scans of baptism and marriage (when both bride and groom "made their mark"). They had 5 children, although the first Mary died aged 2, Mary herself then died in 1895 aged 40 and was buried on 23 June in Luxulyan. Robin lived on for a further 34 years and when he was buried on 5 Mar 1829 his home address was given as Bodmin Asylum. I can find no more details.

Robin Knight 2 , see also 7th Feb 2017, ostensibly his son. Whether Robert or Robin he married Eleanor Kite of Liskeard on 15 Sep 1794 but I cannot find a scan. Eleanor died aged 55 at St Stephen in Brannel and was buried 25 Apr 1825. 13 years later Rob died at St Stephen and joined her on 5 Nov 1838

Robin Knight 3 , who I have never mentioned due to lack of information, was born around Christmas 1773 to Joseph & Elizabeth nee Mark in Roche and baptised there on 3 Jan 1774. I can't see any more; I see his mother died when he was 10 and his father re-married but they remained in Roche and I can't see a marriage or burial there that fits.

Rosa Mary Knight , see 8th May 2012 & 7th Feb 2017. This story is interesting as it links two branches of the tree. I have scan of baptism. As I told in 2012, Rosa and Joseph were distant relatives; his mother was Betsey Knight who married Joseph Trudgeon, and their grandfathers were cousins. I suppose this kind of thing happened a lot in the emigrating families in a distant land (and no doubt even closer relatives intermarried). Joseph emigrated after the death of two sisters in 1871, and married Josephia Haydon, also from Luxulyan, 2 years later. She died in 1890 and Joseph married Rosa at the end of that year. She had probably emigrated in 1888 after the death of her father.After giving him 6 sons, she died aged 38 and was buried at Jordan Cemetery. Emma Trethewey from St Issey in Cornwall, travelled out to join and marry Joseph the following year, then he died in 1917 and she in 1926.

Wednesday 30th October 2019

Robert Knight 1 , see 22nd Oct 2012 & 6th Feb 2017, Oliver's great grandfather. I have a dilemma here: his baptism appears to relate to a duplicate Robin/Robert (the name appeared to be interchangeable) born in the same year but who married a different lady and produced a different family. I had taken them to be brothers/twins but there is only one mentioned on the baptism scan. The more I look into this the more confusing it gets. I shall just hold off the assumption that Robert and Mary were parents of this guy; I know his connections down the tree. Again there is no scan for his marriage to Betsy Udy but the OPC site has 3 versions of it, so I know it is correct. The same applies to his burial.

Robert Knight 2 , see 28th May 2012 & 6th Feb 2017, son of the Robert who married Eleanor Kite. Scans of baptism and marriage. And in 1838 they emigrated to Australia, had 5 more children and Robert died aged 49 in 1855: I have the burial card from Botany Bay Cemetery. Elizabeth moved in with her son Lancelot and died in 1872 after a long illness with liver cancer aged 61.
An unfortunate aside is addressed in the New South Wales Police Gazette of 1864, showing that they were trying to find Robert and Elizabeth, 9 years after his death. I don't know who had died, as his father died only weeks after they left England. I also don't know if Elizabeth got this information.

Robert Knight 3 , Oliver's grandfather, see 6th Feb 2017, scans of baptism and marriage. Lavinia died in 1905 at the Asylum, as I stated, then Robert 4 years later at the Station. They were buried at Treverbyn.

Robert Knight 4 , see 7th Feb 2017, their son and thus Oliver's uncle. But there is nothing new.

Monday 28th October 2019

Richard Knight 2 , see 26th May 2012 & 6th Feb 2017, seems not to have been baptised, but then I cannot locate the marriage either in the form of a scan or on OPC website. The only new record is details of the grave: Wording says: "In loving memory of Richard, dearly beloved husband of Emily Knight. Died at Whitemoor Jan 21 1923 aged 68 years. Until the Day Break and the Shadows Flee Away. Also Emily, his beloved wife, Died at Whitemoor Mar 31 1944 aged 82 years. Ever Remembered by All" She sent Obituaries to the Western Morning News, and possibly some others, but I cannot access scans, so the above will have to suffice. She lived at Whitemoor for another 21 years until she died there, then joined him in the grave above.

Saturday 26th October 2019

Prudence Knight , see 21st May 2012 & 5th Feb 2017, her baptism scan shows birth date of 31 Jul 1856 and baptism took place at the Lanivet Wesleyan Chapel on 30 Sep 1856. It is an unusual name, so I was tempted to believe she was imprisoned in 1870 for receiving stolen goods from one Mary Jane Knight, servant indicted for larceny. If you look at my entry for Mary Jane on 14th October below, she disappeared for years, so this may be the explanation. However, there is so little detail - merely names - that I cannot state this as fact. My tendency is to believe this was Mrs Prudence Knight, wife of William, Redruth blacksmith, as there was a Mary Jane Knight in her household, her daughter. This makes more sense than passing stolen goods to a 14-year-old. So, the next we see is her death at 16

Rebecca Knight , Oliver's great great-aunt, see same dates, no scan for baptism but I do have one of marriage, where witnesses included her siblings James & Eden. Also no scan of her burial, which took place at the Innis Chapel on 29 Jan 1879.

Reginald Woodman Knight , see 5th Feb 2017, nothing new

Renee Gwendoline Knight , see also 5th Feb 2017, nothing new

Reuben Knight was not discussed before, as he died aged 2, but has two new records. He was born and died at Colbiggan, Roche and baptised at Roche on 27 Jun 1833

Richard Knight 1 , see 26th May 2012 & 6th Feb 2017, born 1832 to Anthony & Philippa, has a full set of scans, baptism, marriage, burial and Mary Ann's burial

Wednesday 23rd October 2019

Philip Knight 4 , see 3rd Feb 2017, I have baptism scan but I still cannot really confirm the marriage. FamilySearch, who hold the scans, deny online access for some, stating we have to attend a Family History Centre (run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints) to see them. My nearest is apparently in Stevenage and only open once a week. Much though I admire them for their diligence, I have no wish to attend a church, so will leave it here (I thought I owed you an explanation). Burial scans: As I said in 2017, he died in the Workhouse, maybe because of poverty maybe for medical treatment. All his children were unavailable to look after him.

Philip Orlando Knight , see 3rd Feb 2017, baptism scan: and marriage scan but there is no more: although I see the passenger list showing his return in 1895 I still cannot locate a death.

Philippa Knight , see 4th Feb 2017, where I told the whole story. I have scans of baptism, marriage and burial

Tuesday 22nd October 2019

Percy Kngdon Knight , see 31st Jan 2017, nothing new. There was a red herring, who travelled to New York in 1948 but turned out to have a wife & daughter ours didn't, and came from Leeds.

Philip Knight 1, see 31st Jan 2017, Oliver's great grandfather, I have scans of baptism, marriage and burial (his probate showed he left effects worth less than £100 to his widow Betsey) and Betsey's burial

Philip Knight 2 , see same date, son of the above, scans of baptism, marriage and burial

Philip Knight 3 , see 3rd February 2017, Oliver's uncle. It looks as if he wasn't baptised, so I just have burial scan.

Monday 21st October 2019

Oretta Knight , see 31st Jan 2017, Oliver's aunt, there are no new records even in the form of scans, unfortunately.

Oscar Orlando Knight (Oscarlando), see 19th May 2012 & 31st Jan 2017, the only new record is baptism scan.

Paul Knight 1 , see 20th May 2012 & 31st Jan 2017, only new document is burial scan.

Paul Knight 2 , see same dates, I have scans of baptism and burial (with his father, who was buried 11 days after him)

Sunday 20th October 2019

Nicholas Knight 2 , see 27th Jan 2017, son of 1 above, 2017 account has much detail but I now have new records: baptism and marriage

Nicholas Knight 3 , see 30th Jan 2017, who died aged 3, there is a baptism scan but unfortunately not one for burial

Nicholas Roach Knight , see also 30th Jan 2017, a detailed account and again emigration to USA. I have baptism and marriage scans and he was buried at Wheat Ridge Cemetery, Jefferson County, Colorado.

Wednesday 16th October 2019

Nancy Ann Knight , see 16th May 2012, I have scan of baptism. It took a while to find her first marriage scan, and when I did I could see why there had been problems transcribing it; they didn't seem to know what name to put for the bride; she was named as Nany twice then settled on Ann and that was what she signed. Witnesses were her brother Anthony and a John Rowe. Marriage was by licence as she wasn't 21 until the following February, but she was already expecting, so time was of the essence. Unfortunately, as I reported before, they lost the child at the age of 2 (of croup), by which time her husband had died too (of fever) - record only a few pages on in the same register
I stated how they had 7 children, then when daughter Sarah died in 1869 they emigrated to USA. I have now seen the passenger list, and the family left England at the end of 1867. Also, Sarah Jane may have married rather than died, but I won't investigate as she is 3rd cousin twice removed, and thus somewhat obscure. The passenger list of the "Tarifin", sailing from Liverpool and landing at New York on 5 Nov 1867 included Thomas & Nancy, Thomas jr and his wife Anna, also daughter Jenifer and an infant Sarah Ann Jane (probably illegitimate daughter of Jenifer and possibly the reason for the move). No records are new.

Nicholas Knight 1 , see 27th Jan 2017, another story ending with emigration to US. New records show that he became a china-clay Agent from 1883 (Kelly's Directory). I have scans of baptism, marriage and Sophia's death

Tuesday 15th October 2019

Milda Knight (Ludgamilda) , see 24th Jan 2017, I have baptism scan but I cannot find anything further on her.

Muriel Ellen Knight , see 27th Jan 2017, she married Leslie Leeds Paine in Jul 1940 in Surrey, where I have found him living with his mother in 1939 electoral roll in Wracclesham, Farnham, Surrey. Likewise they (Muriel & Leslie) can be seen in 1953 & 1955 at Barry Cottage, Bat & Ball Lane, Farnham. When he died in 1986 he was buried in St Peter's Cemetery, Wracclesham and Muriel moved 60 miles, across to West Oxfordshire, and died 3 years later.

Monday 14th October 2019

There was one more Mary Ann Knight, 6 I suppose, born to William Knight & Kitty nee Roach in Jul 1848, who I did not report on, it seems. She was baptised on 4 Dec 1848 by the Bible Christian Church in Luxulyan. She can be seen in censuses of 1851 & 1861 at Tresibble with parents and sibs. Then on 18 May 1868 she emigrated to USA aged 20, aboard the "City of Paris". After that I cannot tell which of three with her name & year/country of birth is her.

Mary Jane Knight , see 24th Jan 2017, where I disproved my story up to then. and this hasn't left much. She can be seen in censuses of 1851 & 1861 with parents & sibs at Polpinka, Menheniot but by 1871 she has left home. She may have emigrated, as Mary Jane above, or married, but I cannot match up either. If not, there is a death at the correct age in Apr 1899 under her maiden name, at Goonhaven, burial at Perranzabuloe on 16 May, but where was she in the intervening censuses of 1871-91?

Matthew Knight , born to Robin/Robert & Mary nee Robbins, baptised 29 Oct 1777 was all that I knew. I see now that he may have married a Mary Harris from St Columb in 1817, witnesses George Harris and William Sleeman. The latter also got married in st Columb 3 years later, with Matthew as a witness, to an Ann Knight, so may be related. There were two "versions", owning freeholds of houses in St Columb in 1851 & 1852, but these both died in 1853 & 1863, with incorrect ages. A third Matthew died 16 Mar 1797 in Luxulyan. All rather inconclusive, I'm afraid.

Saturday 12th October 2019

Mary Ann Knight 2 , see 15th May 2012 & 23rd Jan 2017, I have scans of baptism, marriage and burial

Mary Ann Knight 3 , see same dates, scans of baptism, marriage and burial

Mary Ann Knight 4 , see same dates, scans of marriage and burial

Mary Ann Knight 5 , see 23rd Jan 2017, baptism scan, that of marriage and burial of her husband Peter. I thought I had found her burial on 12 Apr 1860, but when I saw the scan realised it was not her. This lady was aged 45 and was staying at the Commercial Inn, "a stranger". Our Mary Ann would have been 68 and no doubt still resident in Roche. I can't be sure about her if this is not her death, she may even have gone to Australia to son Henry. The other possibility, buried in Jan 1861, turned out to be a 2-year-old.

Thursday 10th October 2019

Mary Knight 4 , Oliver's 5xgreat-aunt, see 22nd Jan 2017, I have baptism scan. No scan of marriage, I'm afraid, but I do have her burial

Mary Knight 5 , see 23rd Jan 2017, baptised in Roche on 3 Jul 1783. I hadn't noticed that her mother died less than 3 weeks later and was buried on 21 Jul in Roche, probably due to complications with the birth. She was 41. Joseph never stopped having children, so Mary grew up as one of 16! She married at 20 and had 13 of her own. She was buried at St Dennis on 8 May 1860:

There are a few more Marys I have not dealt with here, but not much known on them.

Mary Knight 6 , Oliver's 4xgreat-aunt, born to John Knight & Dorothy nee Bray, baptised 2 Nov 1726 and buried 2 days later, both in Roche

Mary Knight 7 & 8 were born to Robin/Robert Knight & Mary nee Robbins, "7" was baptized 7 Jun 1779, buried 20 Jan 1782, "8" was baptised 28 Sep 1783 but I cannot find her after this.

Mary Ann Knight 1 , see 11th May 2012 & 23rd Jan 2017, but her baptism was mis-transcribed; I can now see she was baptised at a month or so old, rather than aged 4. I also have scans of her marriage and burial

Wednesday 9th October 2019

Lucretia Elsie Ashton Knight , see 1st May 2012 & 20th Jan 2017, where much detail was given, as there is nothing new apart from the fact that she was cremated on 14 Aug 1962 at Kent & Sussex Crematorium, Tonbridge. See sister Kate last Saturday.

Lucy Beatrice Knight , see same dates, where I told the whole story, including 2 attempts at divorce. There is nothing new.

Mabel Knight , sister of the above, see same account. What's new is her death certificate, stating she died of pneumonia she had suffered from for 2 days.

Maria Knight, see 20th Jan 2017. I have now seen her marriage record.

Mary Knight 1 , see 7th May 2012 & 22nd Jan 2017, baptism scan but nothing else new except scan of daughter's marriage, which I will not include here.

Mary Knight 2 , see 8th May 2012, difficult as she was last seen in 1891 in Devon, working as a cook, and her parents both died in 1896.

Mary Knight 3 , see also 8th May 2012, nothing new, I'm afraid

Sunday 6th October 2019

Lavinia Knight, see 29th Apr 2012 & 17th Jan 2017, Jessie's great-aunt. New records include a passenger list showing George & Lavinia leaving Southampton to go to New York, visiting their daughter Maude, no doubt. 5 years later Lavinia went with daughter Eva, as I said in 2017. The other new record is a scan of their marriage.

Lavinia Jane Knight , see 28th Apr 2012. New records are a trip to New York with her husband and 3 children on 10 Sep 1890, which may explain where they were for the census the following year, although they were in West Ham in 1892 for birth of Florence. Also her burial on 9 Feb 1895 in Walthamstow Cemetery, Queens Road says she died at 50 Somers Road, Walthamstow, just a couple of streets from the cemetery

Lezzette Munro Knight , see 17th Jan 2017, I have her burial scan

Louisa Knight 1 , see 20th Jan 2017, was ever confusing, and now even more so. I can see a birth in Cheshire in her name with mother's maiden-name Bennett, and another in Durham with the same, but she and her family never moved from Cornwall.

Louisa Knight 2 , see 1st May 2012 & 20th Jan 2017. There is no scan of her baptism but I now know it took place on 28 Jul 1868, when she was 3 months old, at Zoar Chapel, Roche, the Strict Baptist chapel. I also have her marriage scan

Saturday 5th October 2019

OK, that was fun, firstly our son came over from USA with his family, then we all went across to Norway to stay with our daughter. Now I must get back to this.

Kate Knight , see 17th Jan 2017, updates include 1939 Register (no change) and a cremation record. On 26 Jan 1968 she was cremated at Kent & Sussex Crematorium, "Royal Tunbridge Wells" in the name of Kathleen Knight.

Kitty Knight , for which I only have a birth, baptism & 1841 census, was matched up by Ancestry hints with death in 1893, but with nothing between I cannot accept this and have to believe the one in 1853 aged "35". I have said before that death ages can be way off, and maybe she was so ill that she looked 6 years older... In this case she was born to Joseph jr and Betsey Merrifield, baptised on 12 Dec 1824 and was buried on 27 Aug 1853, both in Roche. Unfortunately, Christiana Knight, born 5 years before, was also known as Kitty and has confused matters.

Sunday 28th September 2019

Just popping in to say I have been away and will be so for another week. See you on 5th October

Monday 9th September 2019

Continuing the story of Joseph6 and Priscilla, and their son Joseph Henry Hocken Knight, see 23rd Apr 2012 & 14th Jan 2017, where I told his story in a somewhat fragmented way. I didn't mention his baptism but knew there must be one, his father being so prevalent in the Bible Christian Church. I was correct, he was baptised by the Bible Christian Church at Ebenezer Chapel in Luxulyan on Christmas Day 1851. As I said in 2012, he was only a child when his father died and he went to live with his uncle William. However, when things were sorted out he returned to his mother at Rock Cottage and they ran the family business from there. In 1875 he married for the first time. Emma died in 1911, when they had moved to Devon and settled down in the Refreshment House/Hotel. He remarried in Oct 1912, to Agnes Groves, who I think was a Devonshire lass in her 50s, thus no children. I'm afraid there are no scans of Devon marriages on FamilySearch, Similarly when he died on 14 Dec 1918 there is no burial scan, but I have already brought you his obituary and probate details. The hotel was being run by his daughters Priscilla and Minnie in 1911, so by 1939 Register (when Agnes had died) Minnie and her husband were running it, with Priscilla "retired hotel proprietor" as a resident. Son Harry was a married Meter Maker, living in Exeter with wife and invalid son and other daughter Evelyn likewise married to an "Insurance Supervisor" and living in Exeter.

Josiah W Knight , see 15th Jan 2017, had an interesting life, including the accidental shooting of his son. Starting at the beginning, I now have a scan of the baptism. As this occurred "at their home" I had assumed Higher Menedew, but of course 1851 census showed the family at an address called "Croft, Luxulyan", very near to Innis, and they weren't at Menedew until the 1861 census. George Ruffin, who baptised him, would have been the minister who came out from Innis Chapel to perform the ceremony. As I said, he inherited the farm and lived at Menadew all his life. Unfortunately I cannot track down scans of his marriage or burial.

Joyce Knight , see 15th Jan 2017, baptism scan says "Sept 19th was baptised Joyce daur of John & Joyce Knight". At her marriage, both bride & groom "made their mark" as they could not read/write, so neither notice the mis-spelling of Joyce's name as "Joise Knigh". She died aged 69 in 1839 and was buried on 9 Jan in Roche, having lived all her life there. Edward died there too 10 years later.

Sunday 8th September 2019

Joseph Knight 5 (Junior), see 24th Apr & 13th Jan 2017, son of Joseph 4 and Elizabeth (see Friday) baptism was in 1790. I can't find a scan of the marriage but am assured that it took place on 14 Jan 1817 in St Wenn, bride's hometown. He was buried on 8 Nov 1870 at Roche and it seems that Betsy spent her final years in the Workhouse, as her burial record gives that as her address. I have mentioned before that sometimes, in years prior to the formation of the NHS in 1948, the only way people could get medical treatment, particularly in childbirth or death, and this may have been the case here, as they had plenty of children to take her in. Incidentally, I noticed that the next name on the burial register (and from the same place) was the same as her step-mother-in-law Mary Pappin. This was almost a century later, so I don't know if they were related.

Joseph Knight 6 , see 23rd Apr & 21st Oct 2012 and 13th Jan 2017, the Bible Christian lay preacher, Oliver's great great uncle. I have scan of baptism 1815. No scan of marriage, unfortunately, although I know it took place between him and Priscilla Hocken in Apr 1845 at Michaelstow, Camelford, where she had been baptised. When he died, as he was a devout Bible Christian, he was buried at Innis Chapel, leaving effects to Priscilla, and she continued to live at Higher Menedew, as he owned the Freehold. After his death, Priscilla can be seen in 1861 still at Menedew, listed as "retired farmer's widow", aged 50, alone with a servant of the same age. By 1861 she had moved to Rock Cottage, with all three "children", running a Manure & Coal Merchants business. See 3rd Sep below for her son John Hocken Knight, with whom she moved by 1881 to Fore Street, St Blazey and can be seen there in 1881 and 1891 censuses with him and his family. She was still there in 1893, when she died and was buried at Luxulyan.

Joseph Knight 7 , see 26th Apr 2012 & 14th Jan 2017, baptism scan throws up an address that puzzles transcribers.
Even the locals working for the Cornwall OPC site have transcribed this as "Lea-?" and I'm not even sure of that. Anyway, he must have been baptised at St Clement's. I have marriage scans: dated 14 Feb 1857 and 24 Nov 1860
Nothing more, though, as all the names are far too common.

There was another "plain" Joseph Knight, I suppose he should be no. 8 . He was born in Oct 1866 to Simon & Grace, at Polpinka, Menheniot and baptised privately there on 25 Jan 1867 aged 4 months (I don't have a scan). This was evidently due to the fact that he was ill and was followed immediately by a burial on 1 Feb also at Menheniot

There was a Joe Knight , son of Joseph and Jane, baptised as such on 19 Oct 1789 but died aged 4 and was buried 2 Sep 1793

Friday 6th September 2019

Joseph Knight 2 , see 24th Apr 2012, I have a bit more information now, baptism scan shows the address at the time of baptism (and thus possibly where he was born) was Tresibble Common, to the south of Criggan Common. That of marriage (witnessed by two of Jane's brothers - she had plenty! - although both bride and groom "made their mark"), his probate which confirms he left his effects to brother David, as I postulated in 2012. The OPC site has a transcription of his burial, showing his residence as Slades, St Austell. This was not a farm then, it may have been a nursing home. He was buried in the council cemetery at Roche where inscription says "In Memory of Joseph Knight of Criggan in this parish who died at Slades, St Austell, August 12th 1901 aged 79 years and of Jane his wife who died June 7th in the same year aged 73"

Joseph Knight 3 (Senior), see 24th Apr 2012 & 13th Jan 2017, Oliver's 4xgreat uncle. Scans of baptism 1736, 1st marriage, 2nd marriage and burial

Joseph Knight 4 , see 24th Apr 2012 & 12th Jan 2017, eldest son of 3 above and thus known generally as Junior. He was not the one baptised Joe - see later. There is not a scan for his baptism, which took place at Roche on 12 Jun 1763, but when I located his marriage document I made a discovery that when he married Elizabeth Williams in 1788 he was already a widower!. I have now found he married Mary Pappin on 14 Oct 1782 in St Austell, aged 19 and she died 5 years later at the age of 26. They had by then produced one daughter Mary, born 1785. Scans of the first marriage and Mary's burial. Elizabeth's burial was at St Austell on 6 Dec 1793, and she was one of the "first in the new ground". In 1793, the government approved a new burial ground in High Cross Street. Land described as “High Cross Field and Enclosure” was purchased from William Flamank for £38-17s. Flamank also received three fields known locally as Polkeys (presumably Polkyth) from the Parish Council in exchange for the High Cross Field. At this stage only the area already enclosed by a stone wall was to be used for burials while the rest of the land was to be used as a “public fair place”. By the time Joseph died in 1837 he was living at Woon, and was buried on 12 April in Roche

Tuesday 3rd September 2019

John Knight 14 also had a short life. He was born in August 1849 at Polpinka, Menheniot to Simon & Grace nee Bennett, they had a private baptism ceremony on 25 November that year and he died shortly afterwards, buried on 14 Dec 1849. Unfortunately the Menheniot records on FamilySearch (source of scans of Parish Records) starts on 1st Jan 1850, just a few days later!

John Common Knight , see 12th Feb 2015, a very detailed account so not much to add. Just a death certificate scan.

John Gerald Ashton Knight (Jack) , see 12th Feb 2015, no scans, just birth registration in Bodmin in Aug 1891 and death in Tonbridge, Kent in Sep 1916

John Henry Knight , see12th Feb 2015, no baptism, so no scan for that. He didn't marry, so all I hoped for was at his death. The scenario is a little unclear there though. He was last seen in 1901 living with his mother at Nanpean, but she died in 1908 at Whitemoor. This is just a mile from Nanpean, and the burial record I have for him is a mile in another direction, at St Dennis on 14 Mar 1911, home address Well Lane, which doesn't seem to exist any more.

John Hocken Knight , see 13th Feb 2015 & 10th Jan 2017, the clay works manager. He was baptised at Ebenezer Chapel, Luxulyan on 23 Aug 1846 - by John Knight! I also have scan of his marriage. I gave plenty of detail of his burial. The inscription says "In loving memory of John Hocken devoted husband of Elizabeth Jane Knight of Priory Mead who died December 30th 1927 also Elizabeth Jane wife of the above who died November 14th 1934".

John Roberts Knight , see 13th Feb 2015, nothing new, including the 1948 burial of his wife Louisa. Her death was registered in the October quarter of that year in Stratton, Cornwall, but no burial record as yet.

Joseph Knight 1 , see 10th Jan 2017, also 24th Apr 2012. Littlejohns was a pit near St Stephen in Brannel, which maybe was why he and his father were baptised in Roche, as I discussed in 2012, as there may not have been a church nearby. (incidentally, this volume of parish records started in the New Year 1813 and the first three entries were all Knights! This is the earliest in Roche held by FamilySearch, although some go back to 1538, I understand, and the OPC site has transcriptions of records they hold dating from 1571). I also have scan of marriage. As they were both from miners' families, it isn't surprising that both bride and groom "made their mark", rather than signed, as did Mary Kellow, one of the witnesses (possibly sister of the bride, her mother had died 2 years before). Burials at St Cleer were listed on a typed list, unusually and Frances joined him in the same cemetery in 1881

Monday 2nd September 2019

John Knight 11 , see 9th Feb 2015, scans are of baptism, showing home address as Venton Vale, Roche - I cannot locate this, so may have related to a mine etc no longer in existence - marriage, where groom from Kernick signed, bride from Nanpean marked, bride's father Thomas Rowe was blacksmith, groom's father Thomas Knight yeoman. Witnesses were Philomena Rowe & Absalom Hore). I gave details of death and burial in 2015.

John Knight 12 , also see 9th Feb 2015, I have scan of baptism but no scan of marriage I am afraid. Burial records for him and wife Charlotte are so close as to be on the same page of the register of grave spaces. It was the probate document giving his date of death a week after his burial, and was a simple typo, probably should read 17 Dec 1896, or maybe even 7 Dec.

There is another John Knight(13) born 1781 to Robin & Mary, but as all I have to go on is 1841 census where the ages are all approximated I hesitate to include him. He seems to have married a Sarah, but I cannot rind a record to match.

Friday 28th August 2019

John Knight 7 , see 8th Feb 2015 & 10th Jan 2017, I have a full set of scans: baptism 1765, marriage 1792 burial 1839 and of course Elizabeth died in 1806

John Knight 8 , see 8th Feb 2015, now I have seen his baptism scan I see that he was actually born in June 1808 and baptised on Christmas Day aged 6 months. At their marriage in 1826 the bride "made her mark" but John had a go at signing the register. He evidently wasn't used to it and made a big blot with the ink - most of our guys were labourers etc After emigration to Australia, I lose track of him, and still cannot track down his death record

John Knight 9 , see 8th Feb 2915, I have scans of baptism 1802 and marriage, but when it came to his burial, I had a shock - there was another Knight buried on that day! It turned out to be his little grandson Charles Edward Knight, who died aged 6 months. In the local newspaper there was a mention of John's demise, but not of his grandson, whose death may have just been a coincidence

John Knight 10 , see 8th Feb 2015, scans of baptism and marriage. The Annears were a familar local family, Melinda had been baptised in the Wesleyan faith 10 years after John. When John died aged 58 in 1871 he was buried in St Gomonda's churchyard and a stone erected, on which was a mention of two sons John and Albert who had died in infancy a few years before. Melinda remarried and died in 1885 under the surname Grose.

Tuesday 27th August 2019

John Knight 4 , see 7th Feb 2015 & 10th Jan 2017, scans: marriage, burial and that of Grace his wife but no new facts.

John Knight 5 , see 7th Feb 2015, Oliver's great great-uncle, baptism, marriage (I just noticed the date was not completed on this, but it stood, there's no doubt) and burial. Mary Ann died 10 years earlier and was buried in the same place, Roche, but I can't locate a scan.

Their son John Knight 6 , see 7th Feb 2015, I was hoping to find his emigration on the Cornwall OPC site, but the only one was for a 13-year-old, and he was in his 30s with several children by then. Actually the children's place of birth tells us they left in 1842, as Susan was born in Canada. I have scans for baptism, marriage and deaths

Saturday 24th August 2019

Jenefer Knight , see 6th Feb 2015 & 9th Jan 2017, Scan of baptism 1809 says "Jenefer and Ann twin daughters of Robert and Betsy Knight June 19th". Marriage scan is difficult too and and I cannot track down a scan of her burial in 1869, just her husband's the previous year.

Jenepher Knight , see same dates, scans of baptism and marriage ok but I had difficulty with their deaths. As I said before, it seems they both died in the same quarter, Jul 1901, not long after the census, so we knew where they lived; Station Road, St. Blazey. However, the ages didn't match up on the burials I found and when I found John's probate, nothing tallied at all. So...

...On to the Johns.
John Knight 1 , see 7th Feb 2015 & 10th Jan 2017, which is very difficult due to being so early. I have been unable to confirm Family Finders' information on his birth as Cornwall OPC don't have a John Knight born around that time. What I have found is an entry on a list of banns read in Bradoc (Broadoak) for him and Elizabeth, made from the Parish Registers. Apparently she died the following year, having son John, who also died in the process, but I cannot find her death record. He apparently survived long enough to be baptised on 10 May 1670 but died 6 months later and I cannot find a scan of his burial either, although know he was interred at Braddock on 6 Nov 1670. The second marriage (ostensibly in Nottingham) and subsequent son William, sent to me by Family Finders, I cannot find any confirmation, so it is tempting to disregard it, but for the fact that we are descended from his son John2. Finally, I do have a scan of John1's burial record from Roche Parish Records.

The grandson I mentioned above, John Knight 2 , see 7th Feb 2015, was responsible for the huge size of this tree, having 11 children! I have fortunately now got a full set of scans; baptism 1701, marriage 1726, burial 1781 and that of his wife Dorothy in 1767.

John Knight 3 , his son, see also 7th Feb 2015, Oliver's 3xg grandfather. I hadn't noticed before, but Joyce's mother had the most wonderful maiden-name; she was Rebecca Templeria before she became Mrs Williams. I have scans for him: baptism 1727, marriage 1755. Now, as I said in 2015, I was told by another genealogist that he died in Feb 1800. However, the only burial record I can find is in the wrong place and 3 months later but I do have a scan of Joyce's burial in 1790.

Friday 23rd August 2019

James Knight 11 , see 2nd Feb 2015 & 8th Jan 2017, nothing new except scans of baptism and marriage

Two other Jameses yielded little: One baptised on 16 Nov 1768 in Roche by parents Joseph & Elizabeth nee Mark may have been the one who died in Redruth in 1837, but I have no way of telling, as there was minimal information on both documents. The other one died aged 2, but I do now have a scan of the burial entry in Roche:

James Helman Knight , see 8th Jan 2017, nothing new

Jane Knight 1 , see 2nd Feb 2015, scans of baptism and banns. Cornish OPC site tells that the ceremony took place on 7 June 1813 in St Austell, witnessed by Joseph Knight - probably her father but could be her brother - and Luke Thomas). Deaths were complicated - the one I thought was hers in 1861 turned out to be for a 47-year-old and she was 68, and the one in 1869 was a 16-year-old when she was 76. The remaining date is Apr 1864, but the record has no age that I can use. William, however, has a burial scan although I still cannot locate him in 1871 census. He may well be already in the Workhouse with an error in name/age etc.

Jane Knight 2 , see 2nd Feb 2015, a very detailed account, the only new detail I can add was his war pension, dating from 13 Nov 1868, adjusted to widow's on 21 Apr 1892 (3 days after he died).

Jane Knight 3 , see 3rd Feb 2015 & 9th Jan 2017, scans of baptism, banns (the OPC site informs that the marriage ceremony took place on 16 Oct), witnessed by John Darnell & John Rowe. Also I have that of his burial

Jane Knight 4 , see 5th Feb 2015 (ignore 2017, I had a mix-up) her burial scan and that of husband John)

Jane Knight 5 wasn't mentioned before because all I knew was she was born 1827 to Anthony & Ann nee Jeffery then died aged almost two in 1828 and was buried 9 Dec in Roche. I now have scan of baptism

Jane Merrifield Knight , see 5th Feb 2015, scans of baptism and marriage

Tuesday 20th August 2019

Hilda Clarice Knight , see 30th Jan 2015 & 8th Jan 2017, nothing new

On to the huge bunch of Jameses
James Knight 1 , see 30th Jan 2015 & 8th Jan 2017, the only new record is scan of burial document, otherwise it is still a matter of removing red herrings, i.e. the lives of others by the same name in USA and Australia.

James Knight 2 , see same dates, nothing new

James Knight 3 , see 31st Jan 2015, nothing new

James Knight 4 , see 31st Jan also, now scan of marriage.

James Knight 5 , see 1st Feb 2015, scans of baptism and burial

James Knight 6 , see 1st Feb 2015, new information is that witnesses at the marriage were Philip (probably an uncle named after bride's grandfather) & James Robins, bride signed, groom "made his mark" and both were "of this parish". James was buried 13 Feb 1805 in Roche, then Blanche 1831.

James Knight 7, see 1st Feb 2015 & 8th Jan 2017, son of James 6 and Blanche, burial scan 1838 and Philippa followed in 1842.

James Knight 8 , his son, see same dates, further information on burials is that James was interred in Roche on 30 Dec 1868, followed by Frances 8 June 1876, both home addresses Woon. No scans available I'm afraid. The OPC site is stubbornly insisting on the marriage in 1831 and I have diligently searched through those held on Familysearch's site. I can only suggest that banns were read in 1814 and not sealed by a ceremony, although I cannot locate banns either (but that document may have been lost when nothing came of it). I do have scans of burials.

James Knight 9 , see 1st Feb 2015, I have scan of his burial.

James Knight 10 , see same date, scans of burial of 1st wife, marriage to his second wife and his burial

Monday 19th August 2019

Frederick Robert Knight , see 29th Jan 2015 & 3rd Jan 2017, nothing new

Gerald Hocken Knight , see 6th Jan 2017, no doubt the most famous of all our ancestors, nothing new as the previous study was so detailed.

Grace Knight , see 7th Jan 2017, Oliver's 5xgreat-aunt, still no confirmation, which is a shame. The Cornwall OPC site has many possible marriages, but, as I said, no father is mentioned as he died when she was 3 years old so I shall have to leave it there.

Grace Mary Knight , see 7th Jan 2017, again too early for Registration, and again OPC has many or nothing, and again no father.

( Ozmasinda) Hannah Knight , see 29th Jan 2015, nothing new

Harriet Knight , see 29th Jan 2015 , again nothing new

Harriet Ann Knight , see 29th Jan 2015 & 7th Jan 2017. Slight discrepancies in the emigration document when the family arrived in Australia; her father Robert was said to be "in very good health" but there is a note alongside the (funding of the) rest of the family saying "Knight family not allowed for in consequence of himself being sent to General Hospital". I don't know what that meant as he was a quarryman and miner, not hospital worker, so it must have been as a patient. They had been sponsored by a Mr Marshall, as had the others on that ship, presumably Robert's employer. He evidently survived his illness, if that were true, for another 17 years - and a further 4 children!

Hart Knight , see 29th Jan 2015 & 8th Jan 2017, as I said, several by this name died young in Roche - I can see he was one of 4 in the Roche parish in a 7 year period and he was much the eldest.

Sunday 18th August 2019

Emily Elizabeth Stick Knight , see 23rd Jan 2015, although her story was short, as she died and was buried at age 14:

Ernest Alfred Knight senior , see 24th Jan 2015 & 2nd Jan 2017, I now have burial scan:

Ernest Alfred Knight junior, see 24th Jan 2015 & 2nd Jan 2017, nothing new.

Ethel Mary Knight , see same dates, new info is that her husband owned a general store, was at his death called "merchant" and left £11k to Ethel, worth very nearly a million today. She left it invested, it seems, as she left £19,500 when she died, but this was not a good move financially as the depression in the years between took it down to a value of £663k. However, this does not take into account the move to Kent; Tonbridge is a well-to-do area and her heir (nephew/grandson) to whom she left her legacy was a company director.

Eva Augusta Knight - see Augusta Eva 15th July below

Fanny Knight 1 , see 25th Jan 2015, nothing new

Fanny Knight 2 , see 26th Jan 2015 & 2nd Jan 2017, nothing new

Fanny Knight 3 , see 26th Jan 2915, I have just realised she was the sister of Edward, see 9th Aug below, who died aged 19 in 1841. She died aged 21 in 1846, both at Tresibble. That must have been a harrowing time for the family, although the other 3 brothers lived into their 70s.

Frances (Fanny) Knight , see 26th Jan 2015, where I told her story, full of heartbreak. Her mother died bringing her into the world, then her father had children with the lodger (although he did eventually marry her). Fanny married aged 18 but I suspect he deserted her and she ended her days in the Lunatic Asylum. She died there on 30 Mar 1913 and was buried in Bodmin on 3 Apr. I have found a death of a Thomas Warne in the area the previous year in St Columb Minor, but cannot be sure it is him as the record has no middle name.

Friday 16th August 2019

Ellen Jane Knight , see 1st Jan 2017. Nothing new and hard to prove what I do know, due to the surname being spelled in several different ways, despite being a well-known local name.

Emily Knight 1 , see 2nd Jan 2017, I found her marriage - in Bury, Lancs in 1879. They had 6 children in 16 years, the last one Margaret only dying in infancy. They emigrated to Australia when the eldest Norah was less than a year old, and had all the others there. In 1917 an electoral roll record shows Norah (home duties) and Mick (Joseph Michael or vice versa, stockman) at home with Emily (home duties) and William ("lengthsman"). Home was called Plum Tree, Charters Towers, Kennedy, Queensland and was still their address on the death of Emily in 1923 and William in 1932. The eldest son Thomas fought in France in WW1 and was invalided home due to gun-shot-wounds and compound fracture to his leg.

Emily Knight 2 , I hadn't mentioned her before as I had so little information. I can now see that she was the one christened on Christmas Day 1862 by the Bible Christian Circuit, at Zoar Chapel, father miner Christopher and mother stated as Jenefer. This was what threw me as she was always called Jane (nee Roberts). The lovely thing is that Emily was christened Emily Betsy Merrifield Knight, after Christopher's mother Betsy Merrifield, but when it came to registration, she was entered as Betsy Emily Merrifield, which caused the search engines to miss her. She can be seen in censuses of 1871 & 1881 at Criggan Down, with her parents & sibs, in the latter described as a Domestic Servant. In March 1890 she sailed on the SS City of Paris to New York and thence to Connecticut. I don't know if she and William Oliver already knew each other; it is very likely as they grew up in the same area and were much the same age. He had emigrated 3 years earlier, but they left it until their first baby was a few weeks old before they married. This was on 19 Mar 1891 in an area oddly (or possibly not) called West Cornwall, Lichfield, Connecticut, where they can be seen in later censuses, so they were there for many years. The odd thing here is that they can be seen back in England for 1901 census. I can't tell whether they were in USA in 1890 as the census is missing. A couple of her siblings were married around that time (1901), so maybe it isn't so odd. William and Emily can be seen living next to the "signal cabin", probably at what is now Lostwithiel station, William a self-employed blacksmith and they had 2 daughters Ethel and Olive aged 9 and 7 respectively. By 1910 they were back in Cornwall, Connecticut, William farming , Ethel dressmaking and Olive at school. As Ethel married Wallace Hart by the next census, there were only 3 at the farm in 1920, although Ethel & Wallace lived only 4 houses away. By 1930 they had moved next door to her parents and can be seen in the census of that year with 2 daughters themselves and a servant/housekeeper from New York looking after them. Olive still lived with her parents, working as a clerk in the Post Office. The home is still called a Farm, but William is listed as Blacksmith making "Fancy Iron Work". In 1932 Emily died and was interred into the local cemetery, a stone laid in her maiden name interestingly. although it is definitely hers and alongside a family monument. In 1940 census they can be seen living in Cottage Row, Lichfield with the Harts again 4 houses away. Of course this may all be the same, just renamed/numbered. Ethel had died in 1929 so Wallace Hart (now Postmaster) had remarried and his wife now Mabel. William was by now 76 and Olive still in residence, keeping house for him. He died in 1953 and joined Emily in the cemetery.

Tuesday 13th August 2019

Elizabeth Knight 9 , aka Lizzie, see 22nd Jan 2015 & 20th Dec 2016, where I haven't dealt with the 1939 Register for her. She can be seen on the family farm at 8 London Road, Hadlow. Her mother Elizabeth had just died there in the February of that year (Register was taken on 29th September) and listed at the farm with Elizabeth were her 3 unmarried sisters Kate, Lucretia and Hilda, aged 64, 54 and 52 respectively (Lizzie was 60) and there is a redacted line I cannot assign. The younger siblings were either married or dead, so maybe this was a tenant/lodger like the other household members, Mr & Mrs Waller and their child. There is in 1954 electoral roll record at 26 Sutherland Street, London SW1, but it is a common name and I have nothing to link it.

Elizabeth Knight 10 , see 22nd Jan 2015 & 20th Dec 2016, burial scan but nothing else. There is another "plain Elizabeth" Knight, born in July 1838 at Roche to James & Grace nee Woon, baptised there on 12 August and died on 2 Apr 1939 aged 9 months. The death date fits with this but as the age is obscure I cannot tell.

Elizabeth Charlotte Knight was another "attempt" by these same parents, but she died aged 3

Elizabeth Treverton Knight , see 23rd Jan 2015 & 20th Dec 2016, nothing new

Ellen Knight 1 , see 23rd Jan 2015 & 1st Jan 2017, nothing new

Ellen Knight 2 , see 1st Jan 2017, when I suggested the marriage to William Brewer in 1883 may be wrong, as father of the bride is called James. Having looked at the detailed records on the Cornwall OPC site I have reverted to believing this is her. The witnesses signed as Simon Knight and Fanny Brokenshire, so are obviously her father and step-mother-to-be. Grace died on 20 May 1883, so was probably in her final illness, so didn't sign (or maybe even attend). Simon married Fanny a year later, on 29 Mar 1884. Following Ellen & William through subsequent censuses I can see them at Carbis, Roche, William mining China Clay, like most thereabouts. They had 3 children, and they can be seen there too. Also brother Joseph was boarding in 1891 and a Fanny Knight visiting in 1911. I did think this may be Ellen's stepmother but she was with her son Alfred & family, aged 82 and this lady was only 21. It is interesting to see visitors with the surnames Knight, though... By 1911 William had started up his own business from home, delivering coal, assisted by Ellen and son Fred kept the house. Two children of the 5 born to them had died, but all I can find with these parents' names is 2 baptisms for sons called Samuel in 1883 and 1886 with no attendant deaths. Looking into it, these were in St Dennis and I can see they were a completely different family. William died in 1926 and Ellen followed in 1928, and was buried with him at Roche Council Cemetery on 17 November.

Monday 12th August 2019

Eleanor Knight 1 , see 12th Jan 2015, nothing new

Eleanor Knight 2 , see 19th Dec 2016, also nothing

Eliza Jane Knight 1 , see 16th Jan 2015 & 19th Dec 2016, also nothing

Eliza Jane Knight 2 , see 16th Jan 2015, I have now seen the probate document of Rhoda's first husband, as I had thought she was a "rich widow". Far from it; William left her the minimum sum of "<£20". I still don't know why the family went to Cumberland with a small baby (Willie), and it evidently didn't do Eliza much good...

Elizabeth Knight 1 , see 16th Jan 2015 & 20th Dec 2016, nothing new, including confirmation (or otherwise) of a marriage late in life and/or death.

Elizabeth Knight 2, see 16th Jan 2015 & 20th Dec 2016, and I see that she was one of those who my colleague assigned to the effects of the Laki volcanic eruption (see 7th July below)

Elizabeth Knight 3 , see 18th Jan 2015 & 20th Dec 2016, all that is new is her burial on 3 Jan 1848 at St Columb Major, home address given as Castle Downs.

Elizabeth Knight 4 , see 19th Jan 2015 & 20th Dec 2016, burial scan is available, not from the workhouse itself but from parish records. As far as her marriage went, it seems they had banns read in St Austell, both being "of this parish", in July 1824 but didn't have the ceremony until 24 October, witnessed by both Joseph's parents, although they could not write and only "made their mark". Joseph's burial record was 7 pages further on from Elizabeth's, his death occurring 5 months later

Elizabeth Knight 5 aka Betsey, see 19th Jan 2015 (Oliver's great grandmother), nothing new, as there was much detail before.

Elizabeth Knight 6 , see 19th Jan 2015, nothing new

Elizabeth Knight 7 , another Betsey, see 19th Jan 2015. Nothing new, although I do have a query regarding her burial. The record on the OPC site gives her burial in Breage on 11 Apr 1877, giving residence as Troon Row, but her death was not registered in St Austell until the October. 11 years later Joseph was interred at Treverbyn, not the same cemetery.

Elizabeth Knight 8 , see 22nd Jan 2015 & 20th Dec 2016, scan now available of her marriage in Menheniot

Friday 9th August 2019

Returning to "normality", at least for a while...

Eden Knight , see 9th/10th Jan 2015, the only new document is a scan of the Bible Christian baptism record

Edith Leonora Knight , see 10th Jan 2015, I have a scan of burial record. Her subsequent sister Edith Annie Knight, also see 10th Jan 2015, was confusing, as Ancestry came up with a complete alternative, parents names the same, married twice (in USA), possibly 3 times, with burial details. But it was not her. I can see she was an entirely parallel person living and dying in America, with "ours" never leaving these shores, born, married, living and dying in Cornwall. Otherwise I have nothing new.

Edward Knight 1 , see 10th Jan 2015, nothing new

Edward Knight 2 wasn't actually reported on before. He was born in Oct 1821 in Roche to John & Mary Ann nee Williams and christened there on 18 Nov. Unfortunately he died just before the 1841 census aged 19 and was buried at St Gomonda's on 30 Apr 1841. Thus there are no scans and only the two records.

Edwin Knight likewise, but for different reasons. I found his baptism at St Stephen-in-Brannel on 2 Aug 1840, thus can infer his birth the previous month to Thomas & Betsey nee Hammer, upheld by census returns of 1841-81, with his mother. However, after her death in 1884 I lose track of him, and there are (as I said in 2016) no confirmations of several possibilities.

Edwin Paul Knight , see 12th Jan 2015, a very detailed account so nothing new

Monday 5th August 2019

Back to Wednesday's walk. Proceeding up St John's Road, we passed through St John's Gate and spent some time in the museum there and the Priory Gardens. As my family arrived in the area in 1857, the old church would have still been there, not the one we visited, now a museum. This was very interesting and the garden full of herbs etc. but not really apt here.
Number 14 is I understand, now a very modern office block known as The Smithson, built only a few years ago. In 1861 Charles & Jemima lived there with their 4 children and nephew William (Charles' brother James' son), baker, fishmonger, cheesemonger, 2 pursemakers and a schoolchild in their household. Moving on through St John's Square, we passed through Jerusalem Passage to Aylesbury Street. In 1861 the pencil-case maker I mentioned yesterday, James Parker, lived in Aylesbury Place with his family, including 5-year-old Emily (my great grandmother) and this can be seen on the contemporary map. As this was all redeveloped as slum clearance a long time ago, there was no chance of finding it, but her youngest sister Amelia Jane Parker worked as a servant in one of the big houses in St John's Street that backed onto the Place, to the west.
The house concerned became part of the Pollards Shopfitting works in 1900 and the buildings remain to this day. The Parkers lived in Aylesbury Place through the 1840s, at number 19 then 11 until he died in 1895 (when he was lodging near the hospital and hes wife Ann was housekeeper to her sister in Lowestoft).
The next phase of the walk took us to Clerkenwell Green, at the end of Aylesbury Street (to the left of map above) and St James' church.This church was most memorable to me as the venue for the baptism of my Uncle Horrie (great-uncle Horace George Matthews). His parents were living at 24 Rosoman Street at the time - see later - not far away behind the church.
We went around the church, but although I examined all the wall plaques I couldn't find a Matthews. We then set off westwards, past the Clerk's Well that gives the area the name
First mentioned 1174, lost 1850, rediscovered in building works 1924, so my ancestors never saw it!
Here we changed to another of my interests and followed the New River to Percy Circus. This was the first man-made canal in UK, made to bring water to London from the Chadwell Springs, Amwell, Ware a few yards from my house, to what was known as New River Head in the area of Clerkenwell known too as Amwell. These roadnames are the same as Ware; Myddleton named after the founder of the company Sir Hugh Myddleton, who started the process in 1602. There is a Myddleton Road in Ware too, opposite the springs on my road, where my son used to have a paper-round in the 1990s. Unfortunately there was no water to see at New River Head, as the water now goes no further than a reservoir in Stoke Newington. We turned eastwards and walked across to Myddleton Square and Chadwell Street and Spa Green, passing Sadlers Wells, to City University (we had an alumnus with us and he sought out his lodgings of the time). This route took us in a wide circle back to Rosoman Street
This was originally a footpath over the fields, called Bridewell Walk as it led past the former prison, built 1615 and pulled down 1804. Thomas Rosoman was proprietor of Sadlers Wells Theatre 1747-71 but by trade a builder. He built Rosoman Row, good houses on the west side of Bridewell Walk. Merlin's Tavern stood in these fields with large gardens and a skittle ground in 1735, but the gardens were built over in 1833. So to get to St James' church, my family will have crossed the field along what is now Corporation Row, a cut-through alongside Spa Fields playing fields. The numbering of Rosoman Street is confusing as renumbering took place in 1877 and 1936, so what is there now bears no resemblance. The truncated bit that now retains the name does not have houses on it anyway, so I cannot track down number 24 where Uncle Horrie was born. In the subsequent censuses the family can be seen at addresses in the same area of Amwell, 26 Richmond Street, and 5 Warren Street, which likewise I cannot locate.
I mentioed Corporation Row a moment ago, so must introduce another ancestor; Arthur Matthews, son of the fishmonger Charles I mentioned yesterday who married Maria Benson, thus grandson of Charles & Jemima. He was born in 1872 at Greville Street then married his neighbour Ada Bryant in 1896 at the Church of Our Most Holy Redeemer, Exmouth Market, which we next visited. Again I searched the boards but no Matthewses. Arthur lived at 8 Corporation Row and worked just around the corner at the Sekforde Arms as a potman. It was at this point that I hoped we could eat there, at the bar my ancestor worked at 120 years ago, but they couldn't fit a large party. We wandered into several places to no avail, then ended up at the Crown back at Clerkenwell Green, after which we returned to Farrington Station and home.
The Crown is very close to to St James', so I suspect many family members would have known it. There has been a pub on this site since at least 1790 and is supposedly where Lenin and Stalin met in 1905.
The other address of significance is 5 Allen Street, where Charles the baker lived and died, then his son Charles lived until they moved to Greville Street. Thus his grandchildren were born there. It was at the eastern end of Aylesbury Street, where it led through to Goswell Street, and is now called Dallington Street. They had all their 9 children there then moved on by 1881 census.

Sunday 4th August 2019

Well, I shall now report on the walk we did around Clerkenwell, but don't worry, I'll try to keep it brief. And relevant.

Starting at Farringdon Station, we met the others at the pub along the road, now called Sir John Oldcastle,now a Wetherspoons pub. This stands on the corner of Greville Street, straight away into my father's tree. If you have read this blog before you will no doubt remember that my 2xg grandfather Charles Matthews came to London after his wife Jemima had the traumatic experience of finding her mother had hanged herself in her house in Bath. He closed up his bakery in Bath and brought the family to London in 1857, and by the next census in 1861 he can be seen baking in Clerkenwell. They lived at 14 St John's Square, then in 1871 at 5 Allen Street. Son Charles married in 1864 (registered in Clerkenwell but I can't find which church) and in 1871 can be seen at 14 Greville Street, as a fishmonger, which he did until his death aged 54 in 1895, firstly at number 14 then at number 8. However, I doubt the shop changed; I suspect renumbering took place. In 1891 census though, the family lived at 2 Cambridge Buildings, Westminster, not at the shop, but his son Arthur remained in the area and I will get back to him later.
Retracing our steps, we passed the station and Smithfield Market and headed off down St John Street. Let me introduce you to another branch of this tree. My great grandmother Emily Jane Parker was born in Clerkenwell to a carpenter who made pencil-cases, in Aylesbury Place, off Aylesbury Road (see later) and met and married Charles, son of Charles & Jemima above, Again I cannot track down which church but I know he was a brass-foundry worker and they settled in Princes Street (which I can't find exactly as it has changed its name; apparently was off St John Street, leading to Percival St). Unfortunately he had a heart condition and died aged 35 at Holborn Infirmary and Emily moved to Taylor's Row, apparently now Wyclif Street also off St John's Street. She was there when she married H J Parkinson, probably a colleague of George, as he was a brass foundry worker too. They married at St Peter's in Clerkenwell Road and lived at Princes Street, Rosoman Street, Richmond Street, Warren Street and Rodney Street over the years, all in the area. Her son William was my grandfather, born in 1882 when they lived at Princes Street and baptised at St Philip's, Granville Square.
This is now gone, so we didn't see it, although we did pass by the site. Apparently the land was undermined by the railway, and it was unsafe, so the church was demolished in 1938. William and his sister Eliza were baptised there, but by the time Horace aka Uncle Horrie came along in 1885 they lived nearer to St James', so baptised him there. More of this tomorrow.

Sunday 28th July 2019

I have been spending time perusing these blogs of previous years, seeking out ancestors who spent time in Clerkenwell in London. This is because I am going on one of our history walks, run by one of my husband's friends. I have found 25 ancestors and will try to attach them to sites we may find on Wednesday. I will bring you notes and/or photos. However, I am a little concerned that much of the area is long gone. But watch this space.

Tuesday 23rd July 2019

Daniel Knight , see 8th Jan 2015 & 18th Dec 2016, the Police Constable. I have a scan of marriage also transcriptions of a couple of court cases at the Old Bailey in London, where he was a witness, in 1868 and 1871, and a very interesting document from the police force when he left regular service in 1875: (this pension sum would be worth £7000 today). As I said in 2015, he went into railway employ, then into the newly-formed CID. I can see from his railway records that he was found asleep on night duty twice in 1886, and removed to other areas in London. Retiring at 65 in 1893, he moved to Bletchley and Frances died there. Fenny Stratford, where he lived when he died, is a place dear to my heart on the canal system.

His son Daniel James Knight , see 8th Jan 2015, I have scan of his baptism and new records include the death of his wife Emma, on 4 Jan 1951 in New York. There is a stone commemorating several members of the family at St Michael's Cemetery, East Elmhurst, Queens County, New York.

David Knight 1 , see 9th Jan 2015 & 19th Dec 2016, was another who emigrated to USA. I gave the details of his demise in 2016, dying of erysipelas aged only 37, and his mother's gravestone, which mentioned him.

David Knight 2 , see also 9th Dec 2015 for the full story. I have also seen Kelly's Directory entries for 1893-1910, listing him as cowkeeper of Criggan, Roche. He reverted to his first job, that of farm worker, after a lifetime of mining; first copper, then tin then clay.

Dorothy Knight 1 , see 9th Jan 2015. I am still not sure whether hers is the death aged 6 in 1785 (possibly due to volcanic activity) or in 1799 aged 19. If the latter, there is a burial record in Roche, stating "buried in sheeps wool only", which was a statement of the time, to encourage the use of British wool rather than foreign linen.

Dorothy Knight 2 , see also 9th Jan 2015. She married George Hicks in 1821, then died having her second child in 1824. I see now that George remarried in Padstow in 1826 to Catherine Randall. They had 3 sons and lived in Padstow for 35 years until they both died there, George in 1861, Catherine in 1867.

Dorothy Knight 3 , see 9th Jan, nothing new

Monday 22nd July 2019

Cheveletia Annie Knight , see 4th Jan 2015 & 17th Dec 2016, nothing new apart from her burial document. She died on 26 June 1941 and was buried in Lanivet Church, where she was baptised 75 years before. Her address on death was 21 St Nicholas Street, Bodmin.

Christiana Knight 1 (born 1815), see same dates, but as she was "step granddaughter of 4xgreat uncle" I shall draw the line at much seeking. As far as I can see, there is nothing new.

Christiana Knight 2 , born 1819, see same dates, aka Kitty, nothing new except scan of her burial record.

Christopher Knight , see same dates in blog, nothing new except I see from the marriage record that there were 3 Janes involved; his new wife Jane nee Roberts and both witnesses were Jane Manhire and Jane Brokenshire. I'm not sure if Jane Manhire was Oliver's grandmother (the age is right), and if so what her relationship was to Christopher. As I said in 2015 blog, this kind of thing gets your head spinning). I have also seen several Directories, but all the same; farmer at Criggan, Roche.

Clara Knight , see 5th Jan 2015 & 17th Dec 2016, Oliver's aunt, nothing new.

Clara Ann Knight , see 5th Jan 2015 & 18th Dec 2016. I see they were Methodists as son John was baptised in Primitive Methodist Chapel on 6th Dec 1899 (born 7th Oct). He died aged nearly 4 and his mother the following year, having his brother Arthur. I feel really sorry for John senior as he was left aged 52, to take care of a new baby and a 3-year-old. It's not surprising that he remarried quickly. By the time Arthur John had emigrated to Canada and married (a Scottish girl) there, it was Annie Heller's name on the paperwork (John senior had died in 1919). Clara's stone in St Austell Cemetery says
"...of Slades, Tregonissey, age 37. Also John, her husband, who died 20 May 1919 aged 67. Also John Wesley their son, who died 3 Jul 1902 aged 3y 10m".
William fought in WW1 and Arthur emigrated, as I said. By 1939, Annie was all alone at 81 Slades Road, as UDD. She died there in 1955.

Clara Mary Knight , see same dates, all that is new is a scan of her death certificate in Canada. Otherwise I gave all the information in previous blogs.

Sunday 21st July 2019

Cecilia Knight , see 3rd Jan 2015, where I included a photo of her grave that I took on my visit there. The burial has now been placed on the Find A Grave site with another photo. I still cannot find a baptism, even on the Cornish OPC page, so presume it didn't happen.

Charlotte Knight 1 , see 3rd Jan too, but I still cannot track down a marriage or burial. I would imagne if hers was the death in Devon in 1905, she would have been buried where her roots were, in Cornwall. However, sister Elizabeth was living in Bovey Tracey, Devon, so she may have registered the death.

Charlotte Knight 2 , see 3rd Jan 2015 & 17th Dec 2016. No scan of her baptism, but I did show her marriage in 2016. Her death was in 1905, so caused me much confusion with her namesake above, but as she was buried in Roche churchyard towards the end of the year, the details are clear.

Tuesday 16th July 2019

Bessie Knight , see 21st Dec 2014. I have seen a copy of the marriage certificate. Other than that, nothing new. Her granddaughter has posted a letter describing her death, but this was merely slipping away through a heart condition. Regarding the intriguing question of Oscar's parentage, his middle name may be a clue; Garland is a very unusual name. His birth certificate names no father and I have been unable to find one. There was a family called Garland in St Blazey, but Richard had young children of his own...

Caroline Knight , aka Kate, was not mentioned before as the evidence was confused, due to her names. I can see she was born Dec 1845 at Burney Farm, near the Rock in Roche, and baptised at St Gomonda on 9 Jan 1846.The 1851 census had caused a bit of confusion as it is very faded and Ancestry had transcribed her age as 3. She was at Carbis Common with parents and sibs and FindMyPast have her as 5 (better). By 1861 and 1871 she can be seen with them at Bodelva, St Blazey (now the site of the Eden Project. After 1871 I lost her, but was aware that in these two censuses she was known as Kate (odd but my own great grandmother was always Carrie, despite her name being Catherine not Caroline. It seems that these two were interchangeable). The Cornwall OPC has a burial recorded for one of her name in St Dominick, living in Calstock. The worry here is that this is 30 miles away and the age was out by 4 years.

Catherine "Kitty" Knight , see 22nd Dec 2014, where I told the story in fair detail, and nothing new has emerged

Catherine Lambert Knight , see 22nd Dec 2014, was the lady who married a Customs Officer from the North and they bounced around the country. The Cornwall OPC have no baptisms for children of James & Emmeline (although they had 8) and no scans have been made of marriage or burials (apart from banns, which may or may not have led on).
I'm not sure what time I will have for this in the next couple of weeks, but we shall see.

Monday 15th July 2019

Augusta Eva Knight , Oliver's aunt, Jessie's great-aunt, see 19th Dec 2014 & 16th Dec 2016, which was covered in great detail. New records are a marriage scan (this being in London). Also, I wanted to fill in the gap 1911-1939, and electoral roll records did just that; in 1930 she csan be seen in Balham with daughter Eva and her husband, before returning to Cornwall in wartime. She returned after the war and can be seen in Kensington by 1948, at 171 Holland Park Avenue, Kensington, where she lived when she died the following year. All I can see about this house was that it was next door to a vicarage (which may or may not be relevant) and that in 1935 a dental surgeon practiced from that address. She died about a mile away, in what I suggested in 2016 was a private clinic, aged 83.

Benjamin Knight 1 was Oliver's 4xg uncle. All I knew in 2016 was that he rented Hallew from John Knight, his brother, in 1798. He had been born in Roche to John & Dorothy nee Bray and chrstened there on 27 Mar 1739. He wrote a will on 24 Feb 1809, leaving his effects to his nephew Thomas, son of John, and then died aged 75 at Pentevale, Roche. He was buried on 17 Sep 1814 at Roche.

All I know for sure is that Benjamin Knight 2 , was born in Roche to Joseph and Elizabeth nee Mark and christened there on 7 Jun 1779. I have no further information so don't know if he married or when/where he died.

Benjamin Knight 3 , see 21st Dec 2014. New records are censuses of 1851 & 1861 at Castle Dinas, St Columb, in the latter spelled "Castleindina", at Castle Downs, where Christiana can be seen alone with granddaughter Elizabeth Jane (daughter of son James, with whom she lived in 1851) looking after her as Housekeeper (aged 13).
Castle an dinas. Then there is now a scan of Christiana's burial, showing she was interred into consecrated plot no. 205 at St Columb Major Cemetery.

Sunday 14th July 2019

Anthony Knight 1 , see 16th Dec 2014, Oliver's 4xg uncle. Nothing new.

Anthony Knight 2 , see 16th Dec 2014 & 11th Dec 2016, nothing new

Anthony Knight 3 , see same dates, was son of AK2 and his first wife. Nothing new.

Anthony Knight 4 , see same dates, half-brother of AK3. Nothing new. (There was a court case whereby an Anthony was accused, along with his son Thomas, of obtaining a wooden plank unlawfully. Our Anthonys did not have a son called Thomas and this one was a Clay Agent. The accused was acquitted anyway, although his son got 3 months as he forged an order for the timber. They lived in Egloshayle 10 miles to the north of Roche.)

Anthony Knight 5 , see 19th Dec 2014 & 13th Dec 2016. Nothing new.

Arthur Theodore Knight, again nothing new, as I had so much detail before. See 19th Dec 2014 & 13th Dec 2106.

Arthur Tom Knight, see same dates, I may have found Arthur in 1891 census; he was boarding in Wales, working as a coal miner, (along with a Joseph Knight of a similar age, maybe a cousin I am not aware of), under the name Tom. I was wrong about their retirement and deaths in Sussex, though, as I have found Arthur & Ann in 1939 Register. They were still living in Victoria Street, where they had been in WW1, Cinderford, although it appears to be called Bilson Green Road at the time (maybe Victorian things were frowned upon). They didn't last much longer, however, as Ann died the following year 1940 aged 77 and Arthur the year after that 1941 aged 76.

Saturday 13th July 2019

Back to normal now.

Ann Knight 2 , see 9th Dec 2016, Oliver's 2xg-aunt, I see the reason I couldn't trace her through life was that she died at or around her first birthday, and was buried in Roche churchyard on 23 Mar 1794

Ann Knight 3 , see 6th Dec 2014 (then called Ann2, confusingly and also Oliver's 2xg-aunt), no scan of baptism or marriage. In fact, nothing new, here or in Canada.

Ann Knight 4 , see 14th Dec 2014 (Ann3), where she vanished on setting foot in New York. Unfortunately this is still the case

Annie Knight , see 14th Dec 2014 & 9th Dec 2016, I have scans from Michigan of marriage and death

Annie Louise Knight , see 14th Dec 2014. This was a mess, to be honest. I discounted the USA connection, but then when I had a closer look at her marriage, I realised it wasn't Ernest she married, but Joseph Bunch, on the same page on the marriage records of Canford in Dorset. So I can move on afresh from here. They had two daughters, in Dec 1899 (5 months after their marriage) Doris Irene was born in Branksome, where they lived over the butcher's shop in Poole Road. They can be seen there in 1901 census, and in 1905 had Gladys here. However, in 1911 they had moved 335 miles north to live in Byker, Newcastle, where Joseph had given up butchery and was working as a tarmac labourer. I don't know what went wrong with the shop and forced this change, but I suspect Joseph was ill, as he died in 1924 at the age of only 46 and the family moved back south. Gladys died aged only 22 in 1927 in Poole, Dorset and was buried on 1st June in Broadstone. So in 1939 Annie and Doris can be seen alone in Sheringham Road, Poole, Annie UDD and Doris a "tailoress coats and dresses". Annie died there in 1947 and joined Doris in the cemetery. Gladys lived on for another 20 years and died there (unmarried) in 1980.

Friday 12th July 2019

I'm sorry but I cannot access Ancestry.co.uk. There is no point in doing this without it, so I will be back tomorrow.

Tuesday 9th July 2019

The other Amelia Knight , see 1st Dec 2014, who had a tantalising history with gaps. She was baptised at the age of 10 with her sister Charlotte, in Menheniot, then lived with her family at Polpinka through to her teens. In 2014 I couldn't find her in 1881 census, and I now see that she was mis-transcribed and I can see her in Bodmin. She was working in Lower Bore Street for John Cardell, JP and Mayor of Bodmin. as a domestic servant. Tracing the census, I think they lived approximately where the (former) library is. In my 2014 blog I said that both she and her husband William worked at the asylum, and this was probably where they met. I see now that she was employed there (was not an inmate) on the staff. I told the rest of the story in 2014, how they lived with a grocer then took over the grocery themselves and she worked there until her death aged 73 in 1932 in St Blazey. She was buried in Rosehill Cemetery; unfortunately when I went there in 2012 I didn't have a list and didn't find anyone. (I'm not sure I would have looked for Kneebone anyway!) The grocery shop, by the way, is currently looking the worse for wear, the plumbers who occupied it having moved to St Austell in recent years.

Angelina Knight Oliver's second cousin once removed, was born in May 1850 at Tresibble, Roche to William & Kitty nee Roach, was baptised at Roche on 29 May, died aged 4 at Tresibble May 1854, her mother having died 10 months before, and was buried on 18 Jun in Roche churchyard. In her little time she managed to be "caught" on 1851 census and can be seen at Tresibble aged 1 with parents, two siblings and two servants.

Ann Knight 1 , Oliver's great-aunt, see 4th Dec 2014 & 9th Dec 2016, where I was very confused as she married twice and I couldn't find her after the 1861 census, despite finding her second marriage in 2016. I think I have tracked down her death in Devon in 1871, aged 45. If her husband John Webb was the one who died in May of that year in Australia, this may have been where she was at the time of the census, returning here only to die herself. But as it is such a common name I cannot be sure.

Monday 8th July 2019

Alwyne Knight , see 29th Nov 2014 & 9th Dec 2016. Again there is no baptism scan but there is one for his first marriage (the Cornish Parish Registers cover 1538-2010 but are few and far between). There are no scans for his second marriage or any of their burials - there are only 4 Knight burials in Par, and all much too early. I have seen entries in Kelly's Directory for various years, in several parts of Par e.g. 1893, 1906 & 1914.

Amelia Knight , see 30th Nov 2014. She was the lady who emigrated to Australia, married and built the Railway Hotel, Creswick, Victoria, with her husband and they ran it to their deaths in 1905 & 1914. I have just found an event which will have impinged upon their lives in 1882, when their business was well-established and they may well have been involved in some way:
"No one could have imagined that in the small but prosperous town of Creswick in 1882 there would occur the worst gold mining accident in Australia – a record that stands to this day." The evening of 11 December 1882 was no different from any other when 41 night shift workers reported for shift at the New Australasia Mine No. 2 approximately 2km from Creswick. The men descended 250 feet down the mine shaft then made their way another 2,000 feet to the face and started mining. Unknown to anyone working at the mine, a dam of water had been steadily building in the disused Australasia No. 1 mine, not far from the face they were working. Some time around 4.45am on the morning of 12 December, without warning, the wall of the reef drive burst from the pressure of the water, flooding the Australasia No. 2 mine and engulfing the workers. Whilst rescue in Creswick would occur within three days, 22 men would not return to their family. The disaster would leave 18 women widows and 63 children orphans. For almost three days the three engine drivers from the mine ran the engines at over 10 times their normal speed, in an attempt to lower the water and save the trapped men. A special train was sent from Melbourne with specialist diving equipment. This equipment was borrowed from the H.M.S. Cerbrus along with competent divers. When the rescue came Thursday morning unfortunately it was too late for 22 men (one body was still warm) and only 5 men came out alive from the foul smelling mine shaft.The funerals of the men took place the next afternoon. Every mine in the district was shut so all could attend the funeral – in fact the whole town shut up shop so everyone had the chance to say their last goodbyes. Shortly before his untimely death one of the trapped miners, John Tom Clifton, forecast that their funeral would be the biggest ever held in Creswick. He was proved right. About 4,000 people marched in the procession, including 2,000 members of the Miners’ Association, with 15,000 onlookers. Within two years Parliament had changed the fund to “The Mining Accident Relief Fund Act, 1884” for the benefit of all victims of mining accidents. The Fund was finally wound up in 1949 long after the last widow had died. A memorial was erected in the cemetery to commemorate the tragedy.
Australasian Mine Safety Journal 2012

The hotel is no longer in existence. Just after WW2 it became a hostel for dutch immigrants and when this was no longer necessary it was demolished. The area nowadays is rather flat and certainly not a bustling township, the railway having been closed for some time (the station is now a kind of museum, as it was itself saved in 2010 by public demand)

Sunday 7th July 2019

If you are a "regular" here, you may remember that my mother-in-law Jessie's father was Oliver Manhire, his mother Knight, grandmothers Retallick and Trethewey, so these are the surnames that make up her tree. Again, for simplicity, I shall give here their relationship to Oliver.

Agnes Knight , (1st cousin 4x removed) see 26th Nov 2014 & 9th Dec 2016. Unfortunately, the Cornish baptisms etc have not been scanned, but the OPC (Online Parish Clerks) have detailed records. Agnes was baptised in the parish of Roche on New Years Day 1773 but unfortunately died just after her 11th birthday. She may well, like two of her siblings, been the victim of the effects of the Laki volcanic eruption in Iceland. This created devastating clouds of sulphur, resulting in lung problems over a wide area and crop failures lasting for years. She was buried on 8 Feb 1787 at Holy Trinity St Austell.

Albert Edward Knight , (4th cousin once removed i.e. 3xgreat nephew of Oliver's 4xgreat grandfather - OK I'm not going to do this every time!) see 27th Nov 2014 & 9th Dec 2016. I thought I had found a good bunch of documents relating to military service but the details aren't correct for this guy. There are several other Albert Edward Knights around the country. The one I favoured was enrolled in the Territorial Force of the Duke of Cornwall's Infantry on 3 Aug 1915 For the Duration, had a father Richard and they both lived in Cardinham, near Bodmin, not far from where he was born. The problem came when I saw the words "under 17 years of age at date of application for discharge". On joining he had given his age as 19 and served 205 days. Now "our" Albert was born in 1866, so was 49 then! Also, he gave Richard as Next of Kin, rather than his wife, and he had died in Feb 1915. So, it does look as if he was too old for the services and remained a Bank Manager until he died in 1927, and I do have a scan for his burial

Alberta Emmeline Knight , another 4th cousin once removed, see 28th Nov 2014. The challenge here was to find the 1939 Register, but immediately Ancestry came to my aid, putting the page rght in front of my face, so to speak. As expected, the family can be seen at Mount Pleasant, next to Colbiggan Farm, Roche. The A30 used to go through here but was moved, much of the life went out of this area and Mount Pleasant, which used to be a hamlet, is now merely a couple of farms.In 1939 it was already this way, with the page showing individual farms; several cottages in Roche, 2 farms in Mount Pleasant and 3 Colbiggan. The other farm called Mount Pleasant housed Thomas & Phyllis Knight, possible relatives, with 2 closed files, probably children. William was a 77-year-old farmer, Alberta, 68, UDD and son Fred 29, a motor mechanic. Daughter Mary was married (and incidentally had a daughter called Alberta) and elder son Tom had died in 1921 aged 15. No scans for burial, I am afraid (and no details on OPC site as it is late for them). By the way, the A30 is about to be rebuilt and will pass this way again, but I fear it is too late for Colbiggan/Mount Pleasant.

Alexander Adolphus Knight , Oliver's uncle, see 28th Nov 2014. The reason I couldn't find his baptism became clear when I did track it down. The family belonged to a Methodist movement called the Bible Christians, which had formed in the Southwest of England in 1815, and babies were baptised by a band of roving ministers called the Circuit. Typically, Alex was baptised in a "Private House" (presumably Molinnis), when suitable for the church, in this case when he was almost 6 years old. As he moved to the London area as an adult, I have a scan of his marriage.
After this they settled in Hounslow for a while; he can be seen in PO Directory of 1900 at Hambledon Cottage, Hanworth Road (I have looked at this road and there are many houses of the right age, but cannot see any are called Hambledon. Anyway, they weren't there long as the following year they were in Dulwich, and that was where Muriel was born. (Incidentally, if you read 2014's account, where I talked about them living right behind my favourite pub, this is no more. We hope someone will buy it and reopen it as a pub, but it won't be the same). They still lived there when they died, Ellen in 1924 and Alex in 1930. I have searched the Greater London Burial Index I studied a few weeks ago, to no avail, 12 Milestone Road, but maybe Croydon wasn't Greater London then.

Saturday 6th July 2019

William Murray Samways Senior , Ernest's great-uncle, see 6th Dec 2016, has a baptism scan, but I'm afraid no marriage scan. I still cannot find him in 1851 although his future wife Mary can be seen in Cattistock with her parents, in the dairy. There are a couple of criminal records in the name of William Samways of the same age, where he was accused of stealing some rope, but I cannot be sure they refer to him. He was "never in custody" and was acquitted of the charge anyway. But it may explain that he went into hiding at the time of the census. The other census he is missing for is 1901, when daughter Emily had died. There is one possibility but he has a wife Sarah and I cannot find a marriage. He died in 1906 aged 82, and there is also a wife Sarah mentioned in the burial in Longburton.

The other William Murray Samways , the father of uncle Ernest, see also 6th Dec 2016, doesn't have a baptism scan but does have marriage and burial.

At this point I come around to the tree belonging to my mother-in-law Jessie née Manhire, whose ancestors I last studied in Dec 2016 - Apr 2017. I apologise in advance but this will be the third run through of some, and fourth of others. Most of them are from Cornwall, and there have been many new records put on by the OPC, so I have hopes it may be of interest.

Tuesday 2nd July 2019

Thomas Samways 1 , see 5th Dec 2016, when I was seeking a death either side of the Atlantic. I thought I had found one but it, like so many records, turned out to be that of his son Thomas Junior. I think I was correct in saying he travelled home in 1926 aged 80, to die a year and a half later in Bridport, Dorset. I'm not sure who he stayed with as all his children had gone to America with him and the remaining 4 died there. Scans are of baptism and marriage

Thomas Samways 2 (Junior) , also see 5th Dec 2016, his eldest son. Scans: of baptism and both marriages. I found a death record dated 12 Apr of the first child of his 1st marriage, born prematurely. When I searched again for 1910 census I found him with his parents in North Main Street, Fall River, listed as Thos Jr, divorced wage earner doing Odd Jobs but in full employment. After his second marriage he can be seen in a directory at home at 75 Oak Street, just around the corner from his parents' lodging house. The other concern was that he was not buried with wife & family, but I see that he died in 1944 in Swansea, Massachusetts, just across the Taunton river, where they had been since 1940, retired. By the time Marian died in 1956 she had moved back across the Taunton to Fall River.

His cousin Thomas W Samways , see 5th & 6th Dec 2016, scans are of baptism and marriage. I spoke at length about his entry in the 1939 Register, but I am unable to add details of the 6 redacted people, as they are still so. They are, as I said, probably stable-boys etc. Unfortunately in the electoral roll records there are lots of Thomas Samways records but none with middle initial to enable me to pick them from many others.

Another cousin William Ewart Samways , see 6th Dec 2016. I can't find a baptism scan for him, but I have seen one for his wife Alice. They moved around a bit, together and separately, in 1911 he was a stoker on board ship but settled over the next decade, having 4 daughters in Dorset. In 1920 he worked with his mother at Bicester Villa, Kennel Ride and also lived with Alice at 2 Dove Cottages, Toller Porcorum until she died there in 1924. As I noted in 2016, after Alice's death her sister came to work as Housekeeper for William in Toller Porcorum. He died there aged 70 in 1957, mother Elizabeth having gone in 1940.

Monday 1st Jul 2019

Mary Elizabeth Samways , Ernest's sister, see 22nd Nov 2016, where she was covered in much detail, which is good because there are no scans or new records.

Their brother Philip Harold B Samways , always known as Harold, also see 22nd Nov 2016. I was concerned about his marriage to Ellen Marie White, as she was only 14, so have removed the first name, as she was known as Marie. I had got this from 1939 Register, so now need to anchor her somewhere else. I see there is a birth in Weymouth in 1921, so this is much more likely as she would be 20 at marriage. However, I cannot find her in 1939 under that name, although I have tracked down her parents in Shaftesbury. I have also found him (couldn't be anyone else as it has his complete name) at 42a Venning Road, Wokingham, Berkshirein 1960. It says this was a Service Vote, which does seem a bit odd. I have looked for military records and there are lots in the name of H B Samways (he was always called Harold) but unfortunately these go back to 1928, when he was only 9. Probably safe to just believe this came through his involvement with the development of torpedoes, as I explained before.

Sarah Ann Samways , 2 second cousins of Ernest, born 1871 and died aged 2, then 1874 in Axminster, Dorset, see 30th Nov 2016. You may remember her story: she emigrated to Massachusetts with her family at the age of 9 and ran a hotel with a husband 37 years older (she was 18 on marriage). She was widowed aged 38 and died aged 47.

Sophia Samways , see also 30th Nov 2016, has new scans of baptism and burial but no marriage scan I'm afraid. I do have that of her husband's burial

Sunday 30th June 2019

I have wasted a lot of time trying to pad out the story of Martha Samways (daughter of Henry & Mary Ann), but she only appears on two censuses and there are no BMD records for her, so I assume Martha was a middle name she was known by and I cannot identify her by this.

Moving on, Cliff's cousin Molly was really Martha Mary Molly Samways , see 21st Nov 2016. In 2016 I couldn't find her in 1939 Register and postulated that it may have been because she was working in a hospital in wartime. Nothing so romantic, I'm afraid. She was sitting quietly at home with her parents in Weymouth under the name of Mary. Ernest Samways , her father, was listed as Prudential Agent (retired) and ARP Warden, mother as UDD. Molly was Manageress Confectionary Business and brother Philip Apprentice Fitter/Turner at Whitehead Torpedo Works, as was John Tyler, also at this address. See 22nd Nov 2016, where I went into the significance of this. There is one closed file, possibly brother Jack, who appears to be still alive, so redacted. I have traced her husband George Alexander Bryan, birth, school entry and marriage in Battersea and Lambeth and his parents' deaths there.

Martha Matilda Samways , Ernest's sister, see 20th Nov 2016 has scans of baptism and marriage. No scans of burial, I am afraid.

Saturday 29th June 2019

Mark Samways , one of Ernest's second-cousins, see 20th Nov 2016 for his detailed story, unfortunately falls outside the scanned area for baptism and marriage, although this is a scan of the listings for marriages in Massachusetts in 1903. I gave all the details in 2016, but now have a couple more; daughter Catherine was born only 3 months after they married and in 1936 he still had a vote at 400 West Colorado Street, listed as a chef, aged 66. I have also found that both his parents died in Massachusetts too, in 1926 and 1944. It may have been after his mother's death that he moved to LA, as the first voter list he appeared on there was in 1928.

Tuesday 25th June 2019

John Taylor Samways , one of Ernest's second cousins, see 18th Nov 2016, a very interesting story, so please use the tab above. I have scans of baptism and both marriages. No other new records.

John William Samways , see also 18th Nov 2016, scan of baptism shows a note "at Chilfrome for Cattistock". I have researched St Peter & St Paul, the lovely church I showed in 2016 blog and found what this note means. Lovely though this church is, it only dates from 1956, so a century earlier babies were baptised in the nearby village of Chilfrome. I have tracked him down in 1881 census now; he was aged 23, working on a dairy farm in Litton Cheney. I cannot find his future wife in 1881, but she grew up in Dorchester and they married in Upwey. Then they settled in Hobb Lane, Hedge End, Botley, which is nowadays all fairly modern bungalows, and remained there until at least 1927 (last electoral roll record I have for them). The fact that both their deaths were registered in the Winchester registration area suggests that they retired there (12 miles to the north). In 1927 Botley was incorporated into the Eastleigh area, having been part of South Stoneham prior to this, so they had not remained there.

In 2016 I worked on Ernest's daughter Lilian Daphne Hope Samways out of order because I didn't know her full name (always known as Daphne in the family) and it was only due to my studies that we discovered her husband's name, as he had always been "Lefty" only. So see 22nd Nov 2016 for the full story. This was an even more interesting story than above, so please do pursue it. As I told, Albert junior ended up in a children's home because his father Albert Senior beat his mother, breaking her nose, while drunk, and was sentenced to 13 months in prison. She was an upright soul, working as an officer in the Sunday School and in later years undertaking motor trips in Nova Scotia to raise funds for them. Junior changed his middle name and enlisted in the Army, then took Daphne back to Massachusetts with him.

Monday 24th June 2019

Jane Samways1 , Ernest's aunt, sister of Henry James dealt with yesterday, see 11th Nov 2016. I have baptism but no marriage scan unfortunately. I have found her death in Hove, just missing the Register by dying in Jan 1939 aged 78. Husband William died 14 years earlier.

Jane Samways 2 , see 14th Nov 2016, when I followed her to 1881. Scan of baptism but suspect she married a Joseph Smith and unsurprisingly I then lose her.

Jane Samways 3 , Ernest's great-aunt, see also 14th Nov 2016, I have baptism but no marriage scan unfortunately, again. In November 1889 Jane died and was interred in plot A/1389 of Blandford Forum Cemetery on 30 Nov 1889, joined on 18 Oct 1902 by John. In the census of 1901 the previous year he was with daughter Eliza and family, and I suspect in 1891 he was in Wareham with son John and family (although many of the names were spelled weirdly).

John Charles Samways , brother of Jane1 and thus uncle of Ernest, see 14th Nov 2016 I have baptism. The reason they married in Uckfield was that Ellen's family lived in the Kent/Surrey/Sussex area and they bobbed around that area, John presumably following the work (he was a carpenter), having children as they went. When John died in 1907 they were in the Croydon area and he was buried on 13 Apr at Bandon Hill Cemetery. Ellen became a boarding-house keeper, which of course entailed staying put, so she lived at 17 Allens Road, Enfield for some years, until she retired. As I said in 2016, she can be found aged 80 in the 1939 Register at 8 Orchard Road, Enfield and died the following year.

Sunday 23rd June 2019

Henry George Samways , one of Ernest's second-cousins, see 4th Nov 2016, where I described this file as "very difficult", due to a duplicate and the fact that he was always known by his middle name, his father being Henry (see below). I can still only find one in 1939 by his name, living with a Matilda Samways, widow, "incapacitated" OAP (aged 85) but I don't know her and cannot find Lily anywhere. If this is him, he was a painter & paperhanger. I have found a death record in the right area in 1973 with the same exact date of birth, making him 91.

Henry John Samways , his father, see also 4th Nov 2016. Scans are of baptism and marriage. I have found that in 1918 when he died he was living at The Mermaid in Sherborne. He was very comfortable with pubs, as his in-laws ran the Castle Inn, Blandford when he met her. The Mermaid has just been renovated and reopened under the new name Carpenters Arms.

Henry James Samways , Ernest's uncle, see 11th Nov 2016. Scans of baptism and marriage 1. In 2016 I couldn't find 1901 census, and the one I have found I think is wrong. So I believe the death of Emma took place in 1899 (there are several errors in this census, including that he was an Ag Lab, rather than sailor). I think that he died just prior to the 1939 Register, in 1935, which is why Ellen is shown at 43 Broad Street, Portsmouth, a widowed charlady, with son James, listed as "AB Mercantile Mariner". He had evidently followed his father to sea. She died in 1953 in Portsmouth, aged 72.

Friday 21st June 2019

Henry Samway s, Ernest's great-uncle, see 31st October 2016. I have scans of baptism and marriage1, So far so good, but I have spent many hours searching the many alternatives here. I outlined the problem in 2016 in that, although he remarried in 1846, I can see no death record for Martha. I have tracked down her childhood from father's name James above, but this only supports the bigamy story. I can see her in censuses of 1841 & 1851, in the former in Wyke Regis working as a servant, in the latter with Henry (tailor) in Preston, Dorset, then in 1861 at The Rectory, Corfe Castle, Cook and Housekeeper. I have also tracked down her death record, probate and burial documents for a death in 1879 and burial. In her probate, it specifies she was "formerly of Wyke Regis, late of Upway, widow, who died at Upway on 26 Apr 1879", leaving effects worth less than £100 to a gardener William Peters, executor. She had a sister Lydia, who explains one of the alternatives I mentioned.

Tuesday 18th June 2019

Ernest William James Samways was Uncle Ernest's son, see 30th Oct 2016, and I have advanced his info significantly today. He was difficult to pinpoint, as both his father and his son were also Ernest. He was often therefore known as William J, and ran a business under this name, listed in 1935 as a "Motor Cycle Agent", based at 14 Crescent Street, Weymouth. I have studied this premises on Google Streetview and see that it has changed hands several times over the years, but in 2016 before it was renovated you could see the words "For Hire" revealed - I am thinking this may have referred to Motor Cycles for hire or sale in his day. This was after their marriage, and they may have lived "over the shop". As I said here in 2016, all the children were born in Weymouth, then they moved back to London in the 1940s. I have tracked them down in the 1939 Register before they went, at 19 William Avenue, Weymouth. At that time, Ernest was working as an "Engineering Process Clerk" and also an ARP warden for the area, Kathleen UDD, daughter Angela was only 4 and the other two children are still redacted. She has two subsequent surnames noted too (very helpful; I can see marriages to Cyril Wray and then Stephen Pickering, although not her death yet). By 1948 they had moved to London and can be seen in electoral roll records at 14 Lincoln Road, Feltham, where they remained for some years. When Ernest died, his death was registered in the Hounslow are, which was only 2 miles away, so it may well have been here. By the time Kathleen died in 1995 she was probably staying with son Ernest in Guildford.

Ernest's uncle Froud Samways - see 30th Oct 2016 - I have been desperately trying to fill in his story, as I love the name, but to no avail.

Frederick Samways was around for less than 3 years - see 30th also - but he managed 2 scans: baptism and burial

Helena Samways - see 30th Oct 2016 for her story, as there are no scans or new records.

Monday 17th June 2019

Elizabeth Samways 1 , Ernest's second cousin, see 26th Oct 2016. Scans of baptism and marriage

Elizabeth Samways 2 , Ernest's great-aunt, also see 26th Oct 2016, nothing new.

Elizabeth Hannah Samway s, also see 26th Oct 2016, scans: of baptism and marriage

Emily Jane Samways , see same day. She has a full set of scans: baptism, marriage and burial

Uncle Ernest himself, Ernest William Philip Samways , see 29th Oct 2016, has nothing new except a scan of the marriage.

Sunday 16th June 2019

Here we go with the big lists! Instead of 9546 Taylors, my Ancestry list holds 49, which is much better, and only a few in London anyway. So it's not surprising that I came up with nothing.
59 Smiths rather than 25,398 was better, but wasn't productive with new information.
A search for Cliff's great-uncle Alexander Smith didn't produce anything but I knew he was one of the very lucky babies who had a burial plot near home. Charlotte Emily Smith I also knew was buried nearby (in Southwark) but came up with nothing here. 40 years later her mother (of the same name) was interred in ground belonging to London County Lunatic Asylum, but doesn't appear here either - and I'm not surprised in this case! Great-aunt Ellen Smith fitted until I read the smallprint on the burial record, where it said she was wife of George and 20 years older than mine (who was sadly only 20). Henry William Smith I also knew was buried in Lewisham, but there was no sign on this list, likewise grandfather Herbert Henry Sr (1944) and uncle Herbert Henry Jr (1972). I was oddly disappointed not to find a record for Muriel, Clifford's still-born twin. She hadn't been baptised, so would not necessarily have a named record anyway, but I could find no burial record in Kennington under any name in 1934.

In retrospect, I don't think this was worth all the time it took, but you don't know until you try...

Now it's time to get back to the Samways tree. Tomorrow.

Saturday 15th June 2019

There are 2329 with the name Matthews in the Greater London Burials, 256 on my list. So I have gone through those, quite enough but finding no matches.
Similarly 3843 with the name Parker, only 34 on my list but all in London. Unfortunately they are almost all too late. Closest was John Henry Parker, died 1862 but aged 6 months instead of 19 years.
2592 were buried with the name Hawkins, but I only have 24 on my tree. I did find that of Betsy Hawkins, who died aged 39, but unfortunately for this study she had married before her demise and died as Smallwood in Netherne Asylum, which is in Reigate anyway, so not the part of Surrey that is Greater London. However, the next one Charles Hawkins matched up in every detail, his death being in 1862 in Old Brentford and his burial:

Looking at Jane Hawkins I found two more siblings and an admission to the Workhouse in her childhood, but then found a marriage, so negated her death in the name of Hawkins. I have found Nellie Hawkins' school admission but she moved out of London after a time in the workhouse, thus disappeared from this study. I also have the school admission for Rose Hawkins (one of the new siblings I discovered when studying Jane) and her 1939 Register, when she was working as a housekeeper, but I suspect she married in 1941 as there are no Roses on the list. I have found many details about William Henry Hawkins, including marriage and several children, but no death matches up. Harriet's father was also William Henry, and I know his death in 1877, but nothing comes up on this list.

I only have Taylor (9546 in Greater London) and Smith (unsurprisingly over 25,000), which I shall peruse tomorrow.

Friday 14th June 2019

The Wooldridge branch goes back to 1690, but still wasn't very forthcoming, as much of Surrey was separate and did not come into Greater London until recent years,. The only one that was even close was Jemima Wooldridge, who was buried in Esher (not Bermondsey as this record states) aged 23 (not 68) in 1854 (correct year), also William Wooldridge who died 1853 but again wrong place & age.
615 Hattons - ours not in London area
428 Smalls - all in the correct area but the list is generally too early. Our branch goes back to about 1780 but married into the Woodfords in 1870. The first record made me wish it was mine: it was for unnamed daughter of Captain Alexander Small, army surgeon, but we have no Alexes of either kind. Another of unknown name was "stillborn of John" but was born 86 years before our only John. Others I wish I had included John Little Small and Damaris Small, purely for their lovely names.
When it came to the Ingrams, we know all of our branch were in the Bath area until Jemima moved to London with her husband Charles Matthews, but several siblings did too. Charles' wife Charlotte died in 1866 and he in 1890, both in London, but far too late for this list (and he in the Workhouse, so unmarked anyway). Sister Maria in 1879 but she (like Jemima) had married another name. Brother James and Richard died in London in 1886 and 1853, again too late for this list (this last is a shame, as there were 22 Ingram burials in London in 1853 but not ours).

Tomorrow I shall move on to study the branches with over 1000 GLB entries, so I shall see you then.

Tuesday 11th June 2019

continuing with Dance burials:
all 199, none ours
197 Gambles - none ours (although there were 2 babies as yet unnamed. One was a "stillborn daughter of Thomas" born in 1816 and one died aged 16 days in 1831, address Mellick Place, Bermondsey, neither of which fits either. I think a lot of the problem with these is that they are much too early for my trees. As I have outlined here before, cemeteries in London were deemed to be full in mid 1800s and out of town sites were used instead, then cremation took over from 1885. From 2007 reburial has been allowed but people are understantably not keen. This collection is made up of records from 300 parishes in Middlesex 1538-1992, South London 1545-1905 and the City 1754-1855. This is of course limited, but I am very grateful for them, especially if in the future if I can push these trees further back in time (which does, unfortunately on many occasions push them out of London).
There were 147 Woodfords but as our family didn't come to London until 1870 and the latest burial listed was 1857, it wasn't worth studying unfortunately.
The same applies to the Wooldridges, but I will study them as they only came in from Surrey, which may be included here. I shall return later in the week and let you know.

Monday 10th June 2019

Still trawling through the burials:

120 Burleys - only one definitely ours (George), one fits (Samuel) but I have no link to prove it is him. If so, he died a year after marrying, common in women through the perils of childbirth, but rare in 23-year-old men.
3737 Coxes - there were so many I had to work in reverse and search for the 70 on my list (unsatisfactory I know but even the software couldn't cope with lists as long as this). Of course, most of those won't be ours and many of ours didn't die in London. This was totally unproductive, so I shall have to rethink...
199 Dances - I have started on these and will get back to you. I don't expect a lot, as most of my Dances were from Hampshire.

Sunday 9th June 2019

Results of searching the Greater London Burials:
71 Brewsters - none ours
10 Catchesides - all ours
I was very happy with this last item, especially as I found 2 middle names I wasn't aware of, one entire person likewise.and a lot of exact dates of birth/death.
25 Noonans - none ours
10 Hodds - none ours
4 Retallicks - none ours
80 Roffeys, including one female baby, who died before she was registered in 1842, daughter of George the baker. He and Jane had married in 1840 and Henry arrived in 1845, an unusual gap in those days. This partly filled it, and I can see there wasn't even time to baptise her. A similar record stated "infant son of B Roffey, died after 4 hours". I have no Bs in my tree.
19 Samwayses - none ours

I am well aware of the limitations of this, in that in tracing them by name at death it will not detect whether ladies have married into the name, and will miss those who married out of it. When I have more time I will take each separately to follow this up, but for now it is being fairly productive, I suppose...

Friday 7th June 2019

Edward Richard Samways , Ernest's brother, see 25th Oct 2016. I have scan of baptism (although this clearly says "Edgar" it is also clearly him). No further news, I am afraid.

Edward Richard B Samways , uncle of the above, see also 25th Oct 2016, unfortunately with no scans or new documents.

Quite unproductive today. However, Findmypast have just added thousands of names to their collection of Greater London Burials, so I am perusing them and will be back...

Tuesday 4th June 2019

Charlotte Mary Samways , Ernest's aunt, see 19th Oct 2016 - I can't find a scan of her baptism, but marriage I can.
Unfortunately, once they moved to Guernsey I lost them, as I only have census records and the Channel Islands were not covered by the 1939 Register.

Dorothy Samways , another of Ernest's second cousins, see 22nd Oct 2016, where I told her story with much detail. I have scan of baptism. Despite distraction by a couple called William H Yeomans and Dorothy H Yeomans, dates of birth out by some 3 years, living in Guildford, Surrey, I have confirmed my couple were in Cardiff, his home town, in 1939, with two closed files and another family. William was a motor mechanic and Dorothy UDD. She died in Cardiff Jan 1972 and William died there too on 4 Jan 1974, leaving £7152.

Edward Samways 1 , uncle Ernest's great grandfather, see 24th Oct 2016. I have scan of marriage 1 1820 to Maria Murray, who died aged 32 and was buried at St Mary & St John, Melcombe Regis. No scan for marriage 2 unfortunately, but Elizabeth died aged 43 and was buried 7 Feb 1844 at Winfrith Newburgh. No scan for his third marriage either, but as I said in 2016 both he and third wife Fanny died within a month of each other and were buried together in Wyke Regis

Edward Samways 2 was his son, see also 19th Oct 2016, Ernest's grandfather.. Scan of baptism. Again, my account in 2016 was very detailed, so I advise you to use the tab at the top of this page. Scan of marriage 1. No new information except PO Directory records show he had business addresses of Queen's Row and High Street in 1855, and when 1871 census showed him visiting in Alvestoke to prepare for relocation, this directory shows his new premises in 1875 at Clay Hall. This may have been the address Haslar View they remained at for another 20 years, when Edward retired and they moved 10 miles west to Fleet End, Warsash. His death in 1918 was registeredin the Fareham district, which includes Warsash. Annie continued to live there until at least 1930 but was in Gosport when she died in 1937 (so just missing the Register).

Monday 3rd June 2019

Charles Samways , father of twins Barbara and Helena, see 18th Oct 2016 (and yesterday for Barbara) baptism scan.
The lost census records are found, and show him in 1871 a 13-year-old stable boy (one of 19) at Pentridge (immortalised by Thomas Hardy as Trantridge) and in 1881 he was already a groom at Cumberland Lodge, Windsor Great Park. He was one of 6 grooms at what was called the HRH Prince Christian Stables, Windsor Great Park. Cumberland Lodge was and is very spectacular, so it is no wonder he lived and worked there for at least 20 years, and brought up his children there. (Prince Christian was Queen Victoria's son-in-law, married to her 3rd daughter Helena, and was Ranger of the Great Park from 1867). Cumberland Lodge is shown here in the centre, with the stables to the right. It is now a conference centre and has been very well maintained. [Apparently Roald Dahl attended one and was so impressed he featured Cumberland Lodge in his book the BFG]. Charles and his family lived in the upstairs rooms, the lower part in those days more open-plan for the horses. As I said in 2016, when he died on 20 May 1905, tragically aged only 47, they lived at Kennel Ride, Ascot and he was buried at St Michael & All Angels, Sunninghill. One thing I regret in this story is that I never discussed it with Cliff (as I only found out 3 years after his death). He would have loved the fact that an ancestor of his worked as a groom for royalty!

Charley Samways , was his nephew, 2nd cousin of Ernest, see 19th Oct 2016. I have baptism scan. With his record, I struggled as I had nothing after 1911, when he was 17 years old, living in Sherborne with his sister and her family, so he could have gone anywhere after that. He too was a groom, one of three in that household. Armed with this information, I have traced him here to Hertfordshire, where he married Florence Sadgrove from Harpenden in the April quarter of 1928 at St Albans. Electoral roll records show that he lived a The Kennels, Kinsbourne Green and Florence appeared there with him from 1928. Built in 1866, the kennels were used to house the hounds belonging to Luton Hoo (big local stately home and grounds), used from 1876 for the Herts Hunt until in 1939 this was transferred to Houghton Regis, Essex as a wartime measure and the kennels site used as an Ordnance Depot. In 1950 the kennels buildings were converted into a dairy farm for Luton Hoo estate, and recently into residential property. No. 2 sold last year for a million. So in 1939 Register, Charles and Florence can be seen at The Stables, Houghton Hall, both working as Domestic Servants. Charley died in Oct 1972 in the Luton area aged 77 and Florence died aged 76 in Biggleswade Jan 1973.

Sunday 2nd June 2019

Annie Samways , Ernest's second cousin, see 17th Oct 2016 - scans: baptism and marriage but no new records.

Barbara Samways , another second cousin, also see 17th Oct 2016 - I can't see baptisms for any of this family, and the surname of her husband had proved difficult as Camm can be mis-spelled in many ways, so I can't find a scan of marriage. I have found out more about him though: born Henry Walter Camm in Sunninghill, Berkshire on 17 May 1895 he too was a twin and was also not baptised. In 1901 and 1911 he can be seen in Sunninghill with the family, his father a carpenter/joiner and in the latter Henry was baker's errandboy. He evidently trained as a joiner, like his father. He enlisted in the Royal Naval Air Service, completing 8 trips in WW1, then was discharged to the RAF in 1918. Presumably he met Barbara in Sunninghill, as they both lived there in their teens, and married in Jul 1923 in Windsor. They settled in the area, as over the next 48 years they can be seen on electoral roll records at various addresses close by:
1930 Bicester Villas
1935 Crispin Cottages (and 1939)
1945-60 Crown Cottages
1965 Queens Gate Cottages
All of these addresses are within a few miles, nowadays near Legoland, around Windsor and Ascot. When Henry died on 16 Jan 1971 it was at 28 Queens Gate Cottages, which may be modern-day almshouses, leaving £700 to Barbara, but she died too a few months later.

Beatrice Mary Samways , Uncle Ernest's sister, see 17th Oct 2016. Scan of baptism, which occurred on Easter Sunday, and the part of Chickerell where they lived was called "Charlatan". I can't find any reference to this, but, as I said in 2016, they lived on Chickerell Road, next to the Marquis of Granby pub. This is still there but is modern, so I think the site of their house is under the road junction alongside. I cannot track down her or her future husband Frank Jabez Smith in the 1901 census, but they married in 1904 in Weymouth. Having said that, he was generally very useful in using his middle name, allowing me to see he attended Stanley Street School in Lewisham (born in Deptford 30 June 1874) and then joined the navy. He was a Freemason in 1900, giving home address as Whale Island, Portsmouth and he was a Petty Officer. I can see he paid funds to at least 1909. Meanwhile, Beatrice was at 133 Abbotsbury Road, where she had six children. Frank served in the navy in WW1 and received a medal, although I cannot access further details. In 1920 he sailed to New York on the SS Adriatic, serving as an Able Seaman, giving home address as 9 Maycroft Road, Weymouth (confirmed by electoral roll 1921 for both of them). Frank didn't wait for the Register, as he died in Jan 1937 aged 62. So, Beatrice is seen at the same address, listed as widow, with son William, brewer's clerk, his wife Evelyn née Dunkley, who was a shop assistant in a chain store, selling dresses, and their 16-month-old son Anthony. When she died in the July quarter of 1953, Beatrice was 69 and her death was registered in Hayling Island, Hampshire.

Saturday 1st June 2019

Alice Samways , Ernest's aunt, - see 16th Oct 2016 - I have the baptism scan from Holy Trinity, Weymouth. I lost her previously in 1888, after her mother died and her father remarried, but I have now discovered that on 19 Dec 1889 in Gillingham, Kent she married John Stanton. At this point he was in the army, a 27-year-old Sergeant in the Royal Engineers, and they lived in married quarters for a while (presumably why they married in Kent). His army records are very detailed (as usual), but I shall forego the personal description and tell you of his career. In 1883 he had been an apprentice carpenter for 5 years in his home town of Crewkerne, Somerset, and enrolled for a period of Short Service with Royal Engineers 40th Company as a Sapper. He was posted to Hong Kong and in 1886 he was promoted twice; in March to 2nd Corporal, then in May to Lance Corporal. In 1887 he returned to Gosport, UK, and a further promotion took him to Corporal. Another promotion 18 months later to Sergeant led to him signing up for an extension to take his service to 12 years. 1891 census shows us that he was living back in Alverstoke, at 5 Marine View, alone with Alice. The following year John extended his service contract to 21 years, and took several exams; Jun 1893 Electrician Skilled, Nov 1893 Certificate of Musketry, May 1895 Electrician Superior and Dec 1898 Lab. Mining Very Superior (odd names, these qualifications!). In 1896 he had been promoted to CSM and in May 1901 to Quartermaster Sergeant (QMS). On 11 Jan 1904 he was discharged with a pension as a QMS. 1901 census record appears to be missing, but by 1911 they had moved 50 miles east along the coast, to Hove, and can be seen at 41 Leighton Road, with John's niece Gladys Stephens. John, by this time 48 years old, was a Chelsea Pensioner and worked as an "instructor at a prep. school" of which there are several very close by. In 1914 he signed up again for WW1 but only served a year (invalided home; he was 52). In 1939 Register they can be seen at the same house, with a baker and wife, also one of John's sisters Mahala, living on "private means". Very shortly afterwards, John died aged 77, leaving £1427 to Alice. Alice lived in the same house for another 21 years, and died there aged 96, leaving £3313 to two of his nieces, one a spinster, one a widow, who may have looked after her in her later years.

Alice Louisa Samways , Ernest's sister, see also 16th Oct 2016. Scan of baptism. She was another who married a serviceman, this time in the Navy. Witnesses to the marriage were Alice's three eldest siblings and one A L Burton (obviously not Alice herself), who I cannot identify. Electoral Roll records show that they lived in Weymouth in 1913-15 and were still there when Alice died in 1933 then William in 1938.

Friday 31st May 2016

As this is the branch of Cliff's uncle-by-marriage Ernest Samways, I shall give you the relationship to him, rather than Cliff, as it gets rather complicated otherwise

Agnes Samways - see 5th Oct 2016 - baptism scan. As she didn't marry, the next new piece of information is her burial. I did have doubts about this but it seems that her death was registered in the Bath area for some reason (odd because it is 42 miles away and there is one in Blandford), but she was buried in Blandford Forum Cemetery, where the family lived, in plot A/1474, where someone called Annie Lawrence had been interred in 1886, 15 years earlier.

Agnes Blanche Samways - see 8th Oct 2016 - Ernest's 2nd cousin - hers is an interesting history, please do go to the 2016 tab above and read it. I have scans of baptism, marriage, burial and husband Frederick's burial

Tuesday 28th May 2019

Thomas David Roffey 1 , son of Thomas of yesterday, - see 30th Oct 2014 - no baptism, the only one I could find in the area was for a Thomas Christmas Roffey in 1811. I almost wish it was mine, but had the wrong parents. I do have a marriage scan though. Electoral roll records show him at St Mary Street from 1856 and we know from the census that the family lived at 13 Coleman Street by 1871, where Martha died in 1878 and Thomas the following year. They were both buried in Woolwich Cemetery, in plot W/484, which was presumably bought for daughter Jane, who died aged 14 in 1859, followed by Thomas David Junior in 1864, then their niece Eliza Epsley who died aged 1 in 1871. Then Martha joined them on 29 Oct 1878 and finally Thomas David Senior on 1 Jan 1879.

Thomas David Roffey 2 was his son - see 30th Oct 2014 - who died aged 29 on 2 Dec 1864 , so all I have is a baptism scan.

Thomas James Roffey died even younger, so I don't think I have mentioned him here, but now I do have a couple of scans: baptism and burial, both at St Mary Magdalene

William Eldridge Roffey - see 30th Oct 2014 & 4th Oct 2016 - son of Thomas & Jane from yesterday - I have lots of scans: baptism, 1822 banns, 1823 marriage and Elizabeth died aged 36 and was buried at St Mary Magdalen. When William E died he was living with son William S and was buried at St Thomas, Charlton on 27 Dec 1863,

William Richard Roffey - see 5th Nov 2014 - scan of baptism. I can't find a scan of the marriage, unfortunately. When Lucy died she was buried in Charlton Cemetery plot E/CON/327, where there were already three of their children who died 1896-1919. When William died in 1938 they chose to put him in plot E/CON/324 nearby with five others 1890-1905, which seems strange but maybe none of the surviving children objected.

William Stanfield Roffey - see 30th Oct 2014 - baptism scan, interesting to see Elizabeth was known to the vicar then by her middle name Rebecca. Marriage scan: Martha was under-age, being 19, and majority was 21, but it was not a "shotgun wedding" as Sarah didn't arrive until 1854. When William S died, he was interred into plot E/CON/328 (next to his son WR's) on 1 Jan 1898 and Martha joined him there 6 years later. 3 sons followed in 1916, 1929 & 1931 and daughter-in-law Julia in 1951 (son Edward's wife).

William Stephen Roffey was his eldest boy, and unfortunately died in infancy aged almost 9 months. Scan of baptism
on 4 Feb 1855 at St Mary Magdalene and burial at St Thomas' Charlton.

Now, at this point in 2016 I went on to the Samways branch of Cliff's tree. As I explained at the time, they may be a little obscure but Cliff himself asked me to study them some years ago, as he was very fond of his Auntie Beat and the family she married into. As I have not studied them since, I shall run a check now, well starting Friday.

Monday 27th May 2016

S tanley Gordon Roffey - see 29th Oct 2014 - I have found quite a lot more on him now. Firstly his baptism, I can say this took place on 12 Jun 1880 at St Paul's, Birkenhead, Cheshire. This church was called St Paul's Working Mens Church, was demolished and rebuilt in very modern style in 1978. In his 20s he worked in London as a shipping clerk (oddly enough the same line of work as his 2nd cousin twice removed, Clifford Smith did 50 years later). Scan of marriage. On 21 Aug 1910 in Highbury, where he was living, he married Florence Emma Matthews and the following year they had a son Gordon, in Birkenhead. He was followed by daughter Kathleen in 1913, also in Birkenhead. More about her later. Stanley was working for the Post Office and over the next few years moved about with the work as a "Wireless Telephone Operator". 1915 he worked in Southend, 1916 in Braintree - both in Essex - then 1920 in Caistor, 1922 Grimsby and 1928 Mablethorpe, all in Lincolnshire. In 1937 Florence died aged 56 and the family were back in Birkenhead. Stanley moved in with his brother Alfred at 19 Clarendon Road (see 15th Apr below) and can be seen there in 1939 Register with daughter Kathleen I mentioned above. In 1947 she married Joseph Davey (Joe), who was well known in Wallasey, where they lived. He owned a venue which unfortunately failed, then got involved in another called The Cavern, famously where The Beatles began and the rest of the story is legend. Stanley died in Birkenhead in the July quarter of 1968 but I know no more.

Stephen Francis Roffey - see 20th Nov 2014 - nothing new

Thomas Roffey - see 30th Oct 2014 & 4th Oct 2016 - scans of 1771 baptisms at St Mary Magdalene. I had another search for the marriage: as they were both baptised and buried at St Mary Magdalene church they must surely have been married there. Annoyingly, the list of marriages I can see starts in Aug 1796, the month son George was born, so they probably married a year before. But I do have burial scans.

Sunday 26th May 2019

Sarah Grace Roffey , the aunt mentioned yesterday, see 24th Oct 2014 - scans are of baptism and marriage. When she died she was interred into plot Q/168 at Woolwich Cemetery on 25 Apr 1868, then Henry joined her on 15 Jan 1887. They had the plot to themselves.

The final Sarah Roffey previously had the middle name of Grace too, but checking through now I cannot find where this came from, so have removed it. Scan of baptism. I have also amended her death as the 1871 census I had with her son Frederick had mis-matches with his age and their places of birth. As Charles was buried in Camberwell Old Cemetery I would expect her there but he was interred into plot 40/2600 with 15 others, all strangers, over a period of just 2 weeks. I cannot find a death for Sarah, but she may have married and have a different name.

Sidney Herbert Roffey - see 29th Oct 2014 & 3rd Oct 2016 - I have baptism scan but no marriage scan I am afraid. As I said before, he was useful to me in that he always used his middle name. Thus I can trace him through the years, including 1939 Register, where I have found him living in Battersea, working as a barman at the pub known as the Prince of Wales, now reborn as the Lost Angel. In the years just prior to this he had a business address as an accountant 1920-1938 in The Grove, West Wickham then after the war at 174 Minard Road, Hither Green. When he died on 2 Jan 1961 it was in Farnborough Hospital, Orpington and I cannot access Bromley borough's burial/cremation records for that year (the hospital closed in 1998 and has been rebuilt as Princess Royal Hospital). When Lilian died in 1974 she was cremated at Hither Green on 18 Mar and Sidney may have followed when he died on 2 Jan 1961. I cannot see a record, but there was a Roffey grave removed in May of that year with no Christian name recorded.

Stanfield Parkinson Roffey - see 24th Nov 2014 & 5th Oct 2016 - nothing new. When he died he was interred into the family plot E/CON/328 in Charlton Cemetery with his parents and brother Stephen & nephew Charles, his son. Afterwards (20 years later) they were joined by sister-in-law Julia Roffey, wife of brother Edward. His wife Emily didn't die until 1963, when the cemeteries were closed, so her death was registered in Middlesex and I can't locate burial/cremation.

Saturday 25th May 2019

Sarah Roffey - see 24th Oct 2014 - daughter of John & Sarah - was rather sparse in terms of records, and remained so. Thus, although I may have found her death and burial, I cannot prove they are hers. She was last seen aged 36 in 1871 census, working as a servant in Brighton. The possible death was in Godstone, so she may have been working there. However, the age is wrong. Having said that, I only have her word for this, as there are still no birth records. In 1841 she was stated to be 6 (although that census was notorious for rounding up or down, even that was usually correct for children), in 1851 and 1871 16 and 36 but census information given by employers is unreliable too. If the "new" death & burial is correct, she was interred into St Nicholas churchyard in Godstone (living/working there) aged 46 on 26 Feb 1876. There is also a death registered in that quarter for her in Woolwich, maybe registered by her parents.

Sarah Adelaide Roffey , Cliff's great great-aunt - see also 24th Oct 2014 & 28th Sep 2016 - I have scans of baptism and marriage, but this raises the problem of further records abroad, as both groom and his father were in "Military Service of Sardinia". After marriage it seems Sarah & John lived in Napoli, Italy for some time, having son Ernest there. I don't speak Italian. If anyone reading this could transcribe/translate it for me I'd be very grateful.
I have had no luck with records in USA after 1865, as there are so many different spellings.

Sarah Ann Grace Roffey - see 24th Oct 2014 & 1st Oct 2016 - scans: are of baptism and marriage. (it's strange that at her baptism the middle name chosen was then dropped. She evidently liked the name Grace, as she made sure it appeared on her marriage - albeit as an error correction - and used the name for her first - and only as it turned out - daughter. Ironically it was the use of her father's middle name that confirmed she was the same one). She had been named after her aunt Sarah Grace, who died shortly after her marriage, so they may have been close. Charles died in 1903 and was buried 23 Jan in plot E/63/A in Woolwich Cemetery, and Sarah joined him 13 years later on 28 Apr 1916. They had the plot to themselves.

Sarah Elizabeth Roffey was the eldest of William Stanfield's 12 children - see 31st Oct 2014 & 4th Oct 2016 - scan of baptism (the first 5 children were baptised). No scan of marriage, unfortunately. I can see that Sarah lived at 440 Woolwich Road, Greenwich from 1918 at least, and we know she was there in 1939, and I suspect died there in 1943. In 1892 William bought plot E/CON/325 at Charlton Cemetery as daughter Rebecca died aged 7 and was interred there on 12 Jul 1892. A baby brother Charles Samuel followed almost 5 years later, then a Charles William in Dec 1901 (I cannot track him down but I suppose he may have died before being baptised). William was interred there on 9 Nov 1937 and Sarah on 11 Mar 1943. Daughter Eliza Louise followed on 9 Jan 1963, the final interment into this plot.

Tuesday 21st May 2019

Percy Harry Roffey - see 19th Oct 2014 & 19th Sep 2016 - scan of baptism with brother. No scan of marriage I am afraid. Further electoral roll records have confirmed the family movements I knew, until the end. In 1936 the address moved from 194 Amesbury Avenue, Streatham (where they had been since 1918 at least) to 54 Upper Mulgrave Road, Cheam, living above the shop. In 1949 they moved into number 224 and that was his home address when he died. Percy died after 2 years there, Ada after 11. In 1953 Ada lived there with her son Edgar and sister Mary Ann Barker. Percy and Ada were both buried in plot CX/32 Sutton Cemetery, Percy on 5 Dec 1951, Ada 6 Aug 1958. I think they kept the shop on, as that address was given on Ada's death, although by then she had moved in with daughter Eunice.

Rebecca Mary Ann Roffey - see 17th Nov 2014 & 4th Oct 2016 - nothing new, but I am convinced she was the lady who died aged 103. Unfortunately I cannot access local newspapers of the time as Sussex cover only goes to 1946 and this was 1967.

Rosetta Ruth Roffey - see 19th Oct 2014 & 19th Sep 2016 - scan of baptism but no marriage scan unfortunately. As I reported before, they moved to Nantwich, Cheshire in the late 1870s - son Robert was born in London, but moved with them to Cheshire and married there. His wife Rosa was buried with his parents in Crewe Cemetery on 1 Mar 1900. Rosetta had been interred into plot B/2507 on 9 Mar 1895, then Frederick 21 Apr 1899. Robert then moved on to Salford with his daughter Violet.

Ruth Roffey Cliff's great-aunt (after whom his twin who died was no doubt named) - see 23rd Oct 2014 & 19th Sep 2016. New records are marriage scan and a photograph another relative clipped from a wedding photo taken in 1929 (son Victor). Unfortunately, as she died in Tooting in 1954, I have no details of her burial/cremation, but this was probably at the Lambeth Cemetery there.

Monday 20th May 2019

Maria Matilda Roffey - see 16th Oct 2014 - I have scan of baptism and when she died in 1866 she was interred into plot I/366 at Woolwich Cemetery with her parents (see 29th Apr below)

Martha Roffey - see 17th Oct 2014 & 17th Sep 2016 - scans: of baptism and marriage. Their son Seymour Crowfoot confused me for a while, as he married a Martha Mabel, and the records I saw were his wife, not mother. William died 1913 and Martha in 1918, both buried in Islington Cemetery, Seymour in 1949 and his wife Martha Mabel in 1947 in Camberwell Old Cemetery (which I visited in 2016)

Mary Ann Roffey 1 Cliff's great great aunt - see also 17th Oct 2014 - I have scan of her baptism with cousins but for some reason, there is not a scan of the marriage. This is a shame as I wanted to see his occupation. In 1851 he was listed as cheesemonger, along with the rest of his family, but by 1861 he was a railway clerk. I have a (very faint) scan of his railway record. Apparently he joined on 27 Jul 1852 and worked at Paddington station (which was why they left Woolwich) until he was dismissed in June 1870 (no details). This was why he stated in 1871 census that he was "railway clerk unemployed", although in 1881 he was back working for the GWR again, as was his son George. It seems he was re-employed from 24 June 1872 as a Shop Clerk, retired in 1890 and died in 1897. What I find amusing is that on his son Frederick's marriage in 1891 he calls himself Gentleman, instead of Railway Clerk Retired. Mind you, at his death he left effects worth £497 to son George, describing him as Gentleman, and as we know he worked for the railways too.

Mary Ann Roffey 2 - see 17th Oct 2014 - scans: of baptism and marriage. When Mary Ann died aged only 44 in Jul 1886, she was buried in Camberwell Old Cemetery.

Mary Ann Roffey 3 - see 17th Oct 2014 - nothing new except that when she died, she was not interred into the "family plot" but instead was the 4th of 11 burials in plot 20/344 in Woolwich Cemetery (I don't know the others)

Mary Elizabeth Roffey - see 18th Oct 2014. I have scan of baptism. I still cannot track down a scan of marriage, unfortunately, as Ancestry doesn't have Cambs or Northants (Girton is on the border) and Findmypast just has a transcription. But due to this I know that groom's occupation was groom and his father was a thatcher. I think I have tracked down a death record for Richard; he died when they were both working in Petersham, Surrey and he was aged 53. He was buried in St Mary's churchyard, Feltham on 2 September, which explains why he was not there in 1871 census. As I said, I think she ened her days as an "inmate" in Marylebone Alms Houses, St Johns Wood. There was a death registered in Camden in 1891 and a burial on 12 June in Manor Park Cemetery.

Sunday 19th May 2019

I am so sorry for the hiatus; I have been unwell.

Joseph George Roffey - see 21st Nov 2019 & 5th Oct 2016 - new details are that 1939 Register at 84 Rectory Place has the previously redacted file open, that I suggested was George, and sure enough it is. I cannot find scans of baptism or marriage, unfortunatrely, for Joseph. When Emma died in 1954 she was cremated at Honor Oak Crematorium on 27 Aug.

Kate Elizabeth Martha Roffey - see 13th Oct 2014 & 13th Sep 2016 - nothing new

Manlius William Roffey (Cliff's great grandfather) - see 16th Oct 2014 scan of baptism. I have been examining the Post Office Directory of 1860, which shows him at 29 Artillery Place, (since built over by the barracks), between the General Abercrombie pub and the Queen's Arms (Hotel in 1901). There was also a pub at no. 48 The New Gun, all now gone, but I was amazed at 3 pubs in so short a road, comprising only 60 dwellings! He was listed as a baker, and the bakery had dining rooms run by Mrs Ann Ford on one side and James Daniel, bootmaker's house on the other. Scan of marriage. After marriage, they moved to Walworth, rather up-market now but in those days made up of shopkeepers mainly, and had 2 daughters there. Unfortunately, living in Wandsworth when he died in 1891 and Isabella in 1904 means I cannot find records of their burial etc.

Saturday 11th May 2019

Jane Sarah Roffey - see 10th Oct 2014 & 12th Sep 2016 - scans: baptism and marriage. When Jane died, on 14 Apr 1912 in Woolwich, she was interred into plot X/227 to join Edward & Emma Marriott, who had died in 1871, just prior to Timothy. Although he was also in that cemetery, it was in a different plot. Emily Marriott joined them 4 years later, but I can't see how the family related to ours. It must have been because there was no more burials allowed in plot T/158, where her family were:
1858 brother John
1872 husband Timothy
1876 sister Sarah
1878 mother Sarah, father John and nephew Charles
1880 brother-in-law Charles
1893 sister Eliza

John Roffey Senior - see 13th Oct 2014 & 13th Sep 2016 - scan of baptism but no Kentish marriage scans I'm afraid but for burial details see above.

John Roffey Junior - see same dates - I can see where he ended up - in plot T/158 - in 1858, which matches up with the death record I found, but still doesn't explain his whereabouts in 1851, or his lack of birth/baptism records. He may well have been a twin of Ebenezer, and all I know of him (Ebenezer) is his death. Strange.

John Pratt Roffey - see 13th Oct 2014 - scan of baptism. As I said when dealing with his father George (see below) he was the first to be interred in plot I/366 at Woolwich Cemetery, when he died aged 33.

John Richard Roffey - see 13th Oct 2014 - scan of baptism. Before, I couldn't find anything on him, but the Greenwich cremation I just found dated 2010 would make him 199 at his death, so I don't believe that is him. Unfortunately, that is the only record using this middle name.

Tuesday 30th April 2019

Henry James Roffey - see 25th Sep 2014 & 12th Sep 2016 - scans were of baptism - no problem - but as the marriage was so faint it's not surprising the transcription was so awful. I nearly missed it as the bride was Sarah Wm Rossell and the groom's middle name Jame. This would no doubt have upset father of the bride, a copper-plate printer). He died Jan 1904, his death was registered in the Greenwich area and on 16 Jan he was buried in Nunhead Cemetery with 19 others.

Henry Thomas Roffey - see 3rd Nov 2014 & 4th Oct 2016 - I have a baptism scan for him but not of either of his marriages. He purchased plot N/263 in Charlton Cemetery and all four family members ended up in it, firstly daughter Martha, interred 30 Dec 1921, then first wife Fanny 27 Aug 1924, then Henry himself 8 May 1952 and finally second wife Anna Maria/Hannah 6 Dec 1956.

There is another Henry Thomas Roffey on this tree, but as one of William & Lucy's 11 children and a mere 3rd-cousin-once-removed, I will not bring him to you. Suffice to say his records have been a nuisance!

James Roffey 1 - see 26th Sep 2014 - I have scans of baptism and burial aged 9

James Roffey 2 - Cliff's great great-uncle - see 26th Sep 2014, which has a lot of detail - scans: are of baptism and marriage. When he died on 8 Jan 1898 he joined his parents in the family plot at Woolwich Cemetery (see yesterday) on 12 Jan, then the following year Annie joined them.

I told the story of Sir James Roffey on 9th Oct 2014. I can add scan of marriage after which he set off on his naval career, as Chief Engineer aboard the Devastation, then the Sutlej, both in 1860. In 1883 he did a stint on board the Pembroke until 1888 and troopship Crocodile in 1890-1892. He had been retired for many years (he was aged 78) when King George V knighted him in his coronation honours list and died the following year. He may well have served with the king in 1880s, so they may have been old friends.

Monday 29th April 2019

Ancestry is better this morning. However, all the hints I could not see yesterday involving Emma were regarding the baptisms of her children, so I shall move on...

Cliff's great great grandfather George Roffey - see 19th Sep 2014 & 12th Sep 2016 - I have scan of baptism but no marriage scan I'm afraid. As I said in 2014, they had a son in Oct 1817, 4 months before their marriage. He was baptised George Edward Roffey in Brighton on 8 Nov 1817. They took him back to London, married and set up home in Rotherhithe (Clarence Street above was there, now called Canon Beck Road) but unfortunately baby George died aged 1 and was buried at St Mary, Rotherhithe on 5 Jul 1818. They moved to Woolwich to join the rest of the family, George worked as a baker there and they lived at Warwick Street. In the December they had another son, who they also called George, baptised him - see below - at St Mary Magdalene, and remained in the area for the rest of their lives. On 29 Aug 1856 George had purchased a family burial plot I/366 at Woolwich Cemetery and they interred son John Pratt Roffey there (he had died aged 33 on 25 Aug). 3 years later George himself joined his son on 24 May 1859 (died 16 May), then his wife Maria 6 years after him, followed by daughter Maria Matilda in 1866, son James in 1898 and James' wife Annie the following year.

George Roffey 2 was the second son mentioned above, also see 22nd Sep 2014 - scan of baptism. In 1836 a George Roffey of his age was imprisoned one month for larceny. This may have been him, he was a Coal Merchant, maybe something with the books. Anyway he settled down by 1840 and married Jane Elizabeth Smith, daughter of a tobacconist neighbour of his father. He tried at the bakery in Paradise Street, Rotherhithe, but was happier as a Rep. and settled in Woolwich for some decades. However, when Jane died he moved to Islington, where he lived with his daughter Emily & family, then died in 1885 aged 66. He was buried in plot I/3/11482 at Islington Cemetery, 2nd of 9 interments over about 9 weeks.

George Thomas Roffey - see 22nd Sep 2014 & 12th Sep 2016 - grandson of George 2 above. No baptism, I am afraid. But I have scan of marriage. He died in Jan 1934 and was buried in Hither Green Cemetery, plot U/Con/499, 10th interment of 15 buried over one month. When Emily died 12 years later, she went into another plot at the same cemetery with 19 others.

Harold Goodwin Roffey - see 7th Nov 2014 & 4th Oct 2016 - baptism. No marriage scan I am afraid. When he died in Apr 1917 in Charlton, he was buried on 28 Apr in Charlton Cemetery. Ada remarried and when she died 33 years later it was in the same cemetery but a different plot.

Henry Edward Roffey son of George & Maria, and brother of George 2, was born, baptised, died and was buried all within 3 months in Woolwich. I have scans of baptism and burial both at St Mary Magdalene.

Sunday 28th April 2019

Ellen Hannah Roffey - see 14th Sep 2014 & 8th Sep 2016 - nothing new

Emily Roffey - see 15th Sep 2014 & 8th Sep 2016 - also nothing new

Emily Jane Roffey - see 18th Sep 2014 & 8th Sep 2016 - scans: of baptism and marriage

Emma Roffey - see 19th Sep 2014 - there is no baptism but marriage and death records have been scanned. As far as I can see, there is no more. However, the Ancestry site is playing up, so I may well have to return at a later date...

Saturday 27th April 2019

Ellen Roffey - see 14th Sep 2014 - no baptism or marriage scans. She emigrated to USA in 1874 with 3 children and went on to have 10 more. I already went into detail in 2014 but amongst all the births and deaths I can now see she was committed to hospital in June 1880 for what was called "Melancholia". At that time she had 7 children, they were living in Oskaloosa, Mahaska, Iowa and looking closely at the census return, taken on 1st June, she was listed as "insane". The committal document is dated June, so she was probably admitted shortly after the census. It wasn't a good time for her, as in June she was committed for 4 months, locked in at night, and while she was there her youngest daughter died aged 9 months. By the time the next census was due in 1890, she had given birth to four more children, but one died that year aged 6 and the next one also 3 years later. The 1890 census is largely (99%) missing, so they cannot be seen in the area they had just moved to, San Marcial, New Mexico (the US census taken that year was destroyed by fire). Frank was born there (child 11) in 1889 and Edith (no. 12) was born and died there (1890 & 1893) and her final child Arthur born there in 1895. I mentioned the disaster in this town in 2014, and can now bring you the timeline of this settlement:
1880s - the railway came and regenerated a settlement which had previously been here, but swept away by a flood in 1866. They should have learned a lesson, but didn't.
1917 - villages in the south of the town evacuated due to flooding
1920 - again flooded, much work done on flood defences
1929 - flooded again, entire area abandoned
Some tried again to resettle, but floods again only 1 month later led to the railway pulling out and the entire area remaining a wasteland.
So, when she died in August 1921 it was in San Martial and her death was registered there, but the family had already relocated to California the previous year, so she was buried in the family plot in Kern.

Tuesday 23rd April 2019

Edward John Roffey - see 11th Sep 2014 . Scans of baptism and burial, both at St Mary Magdalene.

Edward William Stansfield George Roffey - see 11th Sep 2014. I can't find a baptism for him and London marriage scans only go to 1932. So no new records. 1939 Register shows him with his mother Hannah and sister Ellen at 278 Woolwich Church Street. Gertrude was still at 56 Pendle Road, Wandsworth. working as a "National Machine Operator", which was evidently important war work (although not secret), as they had recently married (and she was listed under her married name). Over the next few years they were often apart, so it's no surprise they only had one child! When Edward died on 15 May 1979 he was cremated at Eltham Crematorium on 22 May and Gertrude moved to Wilton Lodge, a care home in Shenley, Radlett, Hertfordshire, she lived there for 28 years and died there on 20 May 2007.

Edwin Thomas Roffey - see 12th Sep 2014 for his adventures - and now I have baptism scan from Naval & Military Gazette Jul 1861, his probate

Eliza Roffey 1 - see 12th Sep 2014 - as I noted, she had no baptism or marriage. I do have a little more information re her burial. She was interred in plot T/158 at Woolwich Cemetery, the 8th and final incumbent, to join both her parents, several siblings and in-laws.

Eliza Roffey 2 - also see 12th Sep 2014 - I have scans of baptism and marriage. When her husband died on 24 Jan 1925 he was buried on 29 Jan in plot Q/243 of Woolwich Cemetery, then she joined him on 30 May 1927, having died on 25th. They had the plot to themselves.

Elizabeth Roffey - see 7th Sep 2016 - a full set of scans: baptism, marriage, burial and William's burial, both in St Margaret's, Plumstead, 11 years apart.

Elizabeth Mary Roffey - see 13th Sep 2014 & 8th Sep 2016 - for baptism scan see yesterday below. I cannot find a scan for marriage. When John died he was buried on 19 Nov 1887 plot C3/AB/581 at Greenwich Cemetery with 4 others I don't know, but when Elizabeth died, she went into plot Q/243 with a Henry Thomas Hyam. It does seem odd that she couldn't join her husband, but that plot was filled and closed within a week, so maybe there was some contagion they were worried about.

Monday 22nd April 2019

Edward Charles Roffey Senior - see 8th Sep 2014 - scan of baptism with his sister but not his marriage, I am afraid. On 21 Sep 1906 Jessie died aged 71 and was buried in Greenwich Cemetery plot M/62 and Edward joined her there on 5 Feb 1912, having died on 30 Jan.

His son Edward Charles Roffey Junior - see 8th Sep 2014 & 6th Sep 2016 - I see that his army pension was paid to 16 Gloucester Road, Bristol (nowadays over a coffee shop) and in Jul 1938 he died there; I have a death record but I cannot find a burial record.

Edward James Roffey - see 21st Nov 2014 & 5th Oct 2016 - no baptism or marriage scan. As I said in 2016 he andhis wife Julia seem to have split up and were buried in different cemeteries; Edward in plot J/169 of Greenwich Cemetery on 20 Apr 1940 with 8 others, in later years topped up with 2 more. This was in wartime, so confusion may have caused him to be interred elsewhere, but I do believe he was living separately. When she died in 1951, Julia joined his family in plot E/Con/328 of Charlton Cemetery. His parents had been interred there in 1898 and 1904 and his siblings 1904-1931

Sunday 21st April 2019

Edward Roffey 3 - son of ER2 yesterday - see 6th Sep 2014 - scan of baptism but none of marriage, I am afraid (despite being London in 1855). Nothing new until his burial -- see yesterday. After his death, Ann moved in with daughter Ann & family at 52 Etta Street, Deptford and can be seen with them in 1891 census "living on her own means" (i.e. savings/inheritance). When she died there later that year, she was buried locally, in Brockley Cemetery (plot K/Con/128), previously occupied by Clara Maria Boyler (who I cannot identify).

Saturday 20th April 2019

Ebenezer Roffey - see 1st Sep 2014 & 23rd Aug 2016 - 9th child of John & Sarah, brother of Charles below. He is still being elusive, born, living at home until in his 20s, trained as a blacksmith, then disappeared completely. In 2016 I suggested he changed his name. Electoral rolls don't help, as they all seem to just be for E Roffey and there are many Edwards.

Edith Annie Roffey - see 5th Sep 2014 - Cliff's grandmother. I have scans of baptism and marriage but nothing new.

Edward Roffey 1 - Cliff's 4xgreat grandfather - see 5th Sep 2014 - the only hint Ancestry has given me since is a marriage in 1854. But as almost nobody gets married at the age of 108 I shall disregard that. Besides, he died in 1779. Trying to trace him from such little information was difficult, for example from notes I made in the past, I knew he was born around 1747 but as he was the first Roffey in Woolwich, and I had a note ?Surrey, I searched the baptisms there. St Andrew's in Gatton gave me an Edward baptised on 19 Jun 1746, 7 days old, to a couple Richard and Jane Roffey. They had at least 6 other children baptised there 1734-43. Another couple Carew and Sarah Roffey had 10 children baptised in St John, Coulsdon, including an Edward on 3 Sep 1746. Sadly, there were several burials for both sets. I have a scan for the marriage Of course, they didn't have many children themselves as Edward died after only 8 years of marriage aged only 32.

His son Edward Roffey 2 was born 5 months after his father's death - see 5th Sep 2014 & 23rd Aug 2016 - scan of marriage is the only new document. He died in 1853 in Woolwich and Sarah in Sep 1857. When she was buried on 23 Sep 1857 it was in plot E/381 of Woolwich Cemetery. When I saw the details, I thought I had the wrong date of birth for Edward and he was in 1886 put in the same plot with her. But that would make him 105, and I realised it was their son Edward who lived with them in the 1850s. I shall deal with him tomorrow
.
Friday 19th April 2019

Charles Edward Roffey - see 1st Sep 2014 & 23rd Aug 2016. He was the father of Alfred & Arthur - see below, and son of Charles, studied on Friday. I have a baptism scan. As I said in 2014, he went to sea for 4 years, then settled in Dublin in 1897 and established a business there. In 1911 census he can be seen boarding at 3 Sydenham Road, Dublin, with a William Hogan & family, as well as another boarder and 2 servants. In the Dublin directories he is seen with two entries, one with a business address of 9 Berg Quay, Dublin, and one with a home address of 9 Herbert Road, Ballsbridge. These addresses are 2 miles apart. In the July quarter of 1914 in Dublin South he married Louisa Schomberg Howard and they had 2 daughters, Phyllis in 1916 and Florence in 1918. Ireland did not compile a Register in 1939, as they were a neutral country. I have seen newspaper articles showing him to be a very respected member of the community; he was called as expert witness in 1923 and 1937 in cases of collision of ships. The other four times he appeared in the newspapers were at his death, which occurred on 6 Jan 1956 at no. 9 When he died he left effects worth £2543 to Rev. Sydney Craig, his son-in-law, living in Connecticut, USA (see Phyllis later).

Tuesday 16th April 2019

Ann Roffey was born on 30 Jun 1813 in Woolwich to Edward & Sarah née Loe and christened on 18 July at St Mary Magdalene. On 9 Dec 1838 at St Nicholas, Deptford she married John Reilly, a local cheesemonger. He can be seen in Trade Directory of1839 running a business as cheesemonger at 10 Old Street, London and the following year they had a son James. All seemed well and they can be seen in 1841 census in High Street, Woolwich with baby James and a lady Bridget Reilly aged 69, who could be John's grandmother from Ireland, but in Jul 1849 at the age of 37 John died. She may have married in 1851 but I cannot trace her, or she died in 1891 and was buried in Plumstead Cemetery. Suffice to say son James was away at school at the time of 1851 census, married in 1859, lived in Woolwich until he died there in 1883 aged 43. I have lost Ann, as I don't know her surname if she married.

Ann Sarah Jane Roffey - see 30th Aug 2014 - scans of baptism and marriage. I have more details about their deaths. On 3 Jan 1931 at home in 52 Etta Street, Deptford Ann died aged 74, leaving £164 to Samuel, and was buried on 9 Jan in Brockwell Cemetery. Then he died there on 29 Dec 1932 aged 88 and was buried alongside Ann on 3 Jan 1933, leaving effects worth £386 to Harry Samuel Scott, crane driver. As they had no children Harry was no doubt a friend.

Arthur Eldridge Roffey - see 22nd Aug 2016 - I have not found a baptism, or his first marriage (to Lucy Neale in West Ham, where she lived) but have a scan of his second. They had both been married before, and 7 children between them. When Arthur died he was buried on 24 Sep in Charlton Cemetery plot Q/926, where he was joined on 14 Apr 1955 by stepson Thomas Spooner. As I said, Florence retired to Worthing and died there.

Back to the Cheshire branch for the next one. Arthur George Roffey - see 31st Aug 2014 - and Alfred below for early years. I have just found a baptism, on 22 May 1875 at St Paul, Birkenhead, along wit a brother I knew nothing about! He had a little brother Herbert Wheeler Roffey, born 2 years after him and unfortunately died 2 years later. Please see the entry in 2014, as I followed his movements in detail there. I have seen the Naturalization papers I referred to, assuming he was succesful, and can see now that he was. The document won't paste here though, as it is too big and the writing faint and small. I was glad to see he passed, unlike the one previous in the file, who was not admitted due to "lack of intelligence"! I cannot see any children, and they settled in Richmond, New York, where he died on 25 Apr 1948 aged 77.

His father Charles Roffey was the ancester who linked Woolwich with Birkenhead, born in the former and moving to the latter as an adult. I included all details in 2014, and there are no new scans except his Will.

Charles Alfred Roffey - see 24th Nov 2014 & 5th Oct 2016 - nothing new except the plot number in Charlton Cemetery is S/104 and both Charles (buried 17 Jun 1926) and Lucy (2 Oct 1967) were interred there .

Monday 15th April 2019

Alfred Clarence Roffey - see 28th Aug 2014 & 22nd Aug 2016 - baptism scan.The other new documents are a couple of electoral rolls showing that in 1911 and 1915 he was living at 48 Falkland Road, Egremont, Birkenhead (same as 1911 census), renting a 1st-floor bedroom and use of the rest of the house from his father Charles, who lived at the same address at that point. When his father died the following year (1916) the home address was 19 Clarendon Road, and Alfred lived there until his death in 1960. Incidentally, the redacted line in 1939 Register that I suggested was Gordon is still closed, so nobody has pointed out his death to Findmypast. The other line (below Annie) has been opened and it is next door, so not relevant.

Alfred Leonard Roffey - see same dates - scans of baptism and marriage. I think Alice died on 31 May 1968 aged 87 and was buried in Geelong, Victoria, but I cannot find a death for Alfred. Oh, I have seen an Army record for WW1; he signed up for the Australian forces in 1918, having been in UK Army before emigrating, but failed the medical due to "defective vision" (although passed for "non-combatant duties"). Considering his children, Leonard died in infancy, Elsie aged 4 just after they emigrated, Frank married local girl Lily Victoria (Lyn) Nation and died aged 43.

Alfred Stanfield Roffey - see 29th Aug 2014 - I still cannot find a baptism, but know they already lived at the bakery, 100 High Street. Please take the time to read through the section on the Woolwich area I included on 30th Aug 2014. The family ran two bakeries in the area; 100 High Street and 29 Coleman Street. It's a shame there are no old photos of the New Steam Packet pub as it was next door. There are no scans of their marriage, unfortunately. Alfred died aged 57 on 15 Feb 1934 and was buried in Woolwich Cemetery, plot 8/294, leaving effects worth £415 to Hannah. She remarried in 1947 to Charles Rolfe, who died in 1961, then she did on 6 Oct 1981, joining Alfred in his plot the next day. She left £25,000.

Sunday 14th April 2019

Cliff's uncle Manlius William Smith - see 28th Aug 2014 & 22nd Aug 2016 I have scan of baptism. When I studied him before I despaired at his putting aside of his rare first name in adulthood in favour of his mundane and very frequent middle name. However, the Army does not do this, fortunately, so his wartime papers since released have enabled me to find him easily. I stated that he was in "the 23rd London Regiment Territorial Force then the 2nd London Regiment, being discharged as a corporal with 2 medals". Strictly speaking he was not "discharged" as he was taken Prisoner of War in Germany and died in captivity on 17 Jul 1918. There is a stone at plot VC11 in the cemetery at Stahnsdorf, 22k SW of Berlin on which the inscription says "245017 Corporal Manlius William Smith 2nd Bn London Regt Royal Fusiliers 17th July 1918 Age 20. Of Battersea".

His sister Ruth Isabella Smith (Sis) - see 28th Aug 2014 & 22nd Aug 2016 baptism scan. I am most confused about the 1939 Register. I have found her, by searching for Ruth Loder, one of her housemates, and found them... at 124 Stewarts Road, Battersea! There must be 2 records for this! As expected, she was with Ruth Loder (née Roffey), her widowed maternal aunt, and Richard & Edith Stanbridge, her cousin, also a closed file, probably one of their children. As I said before, she lived at Huron Road with them for some years. Electoral Roll records now extend further, but I can't be sure which is her. Anyway, I am pretty sure the death in 1973 is her, as they used the middle name and correct date of birth. Surrey Mid-Eastern included Sutton as well as Coulsdon, Dorking and several more areas.

The end of the Smiths ushers in the branch relating to the mother of these final two; Edith Roffey, Cliff's grandmother.

Saturday 13th April 2019

Herbert Henry Smith Junior was son of Senior I dealt with yesterday. See 17th Aug 2014 & 21st Aug 2016. Calling your children after yourself is good and bad news for a genealogist, and here is a case in point. Yesterday I attached the WW1 army record to HHS Senior, but it was Junior it relates to. It didn't help me that they lived at the same address and both worked on the railways, albeit different fields; Senior was a boiler rivetter, Junior a porter/guard. I have double-checked and the summary I posted yesterday matches up with the pension documents of Junior, and the Next Of Kin is Edith (this would be the case for both), marked Mother. After marriage he is the HH with Daisy, living at 25 Hartington Road, Kennington at first (medals sent there) then 98 Prince's Road (later part of Black Prince Road) until at least 1926. Scans: baptism and marriage. After this they moved to Croydon, 1939 Register is confusing as Herbert appears with a Winifred Frances Smith and an Ada, and I don't know who these are, unless they are daughters I know nothing about. Daisy appeared to be in Camberwell with a couple of other Smiths, but she is of an age with the married one, so it is probably some other family entirely. I have two deaths in the Croydon area which suit her; 1960 and 1966. Herbert died on 19Jan 1972 at 114 Croham Valley Road, leaving £2166.

Great great grandmother Jane Smith - see 18th Aug 2014 & 21st Aug 2016 - it has just struck me that both her mother and her husband's mother were called Mary Hayward, I certainly hope they weren't the same lady; the dates of birth are very similar! Mind you, I suppose even if this were so, they had no children... No new records, although the Criminal Records show a John Hutchings got 6 months for forgery in Exeter and a Jane Woodman 3 months for "breaking buildings... and dealing". I'm not sure what the latter means, but I can't prove these are "ours" anyway. There was also a James Woodman in 1867 tried for "riotously injuring property", but the case was dropped. Exeter is/was not a huge city, so these are likely, in which case she mixed with a bad crowd.

Her brother John James Smith - see 21st Aug 2016 - was the third John Smith, whose records fell into place when I last studied him. The only new document I can find though, is a naval career covering 4 ships over 14 years, as a cook. But I have nothing to prove it was him and Devon is not mentioned at all...

The plain John Smith - see 22nd Aug 2014 - was father of John James & Jane above and I still cannot decide on his baptism or death, as there are just too many!

John Sidney Smith was very odd, born 13 Nov 1834 in Sidmouth, Devon to John James & Mary Ann, baptised in Bombay, India and possibly enlisting as a sailor in Baltimore for 6 months and dying aged 90 in Philadelphia. Or, more likely, marrying a Sarah also from Devon, settling in London, working as a "Master Batler", employing 2 men - he trained as a stonemason in his teen years. It is all very confusing with a name so common.

Friday 12th April 2019

Henry Smith Cliff's great grandfather - see 16th Aug 2014 & 20th Aug 2016 - nothing new. I still can't find his whereabouts in 1841 and his wife's maiden name. I have located a possible death for her; at the London County Lunatic Asylum, Ilford, buried on 15th Apr 1895, but I cannot prove this. I only know that by 1901 Henry was widowed and living with his son, then died himself in 1910, possibly the one buried in Woolwich Cemetery on 25 October, died 14 Oct,

His son Henry Smith 2 - see 17th Aug 2014 - scans are of baptism, marriage 1 and marriage 2. I may have found burials for his first wife Georgina 28 Oct 1903 in Nunhead Cemetery (with 22 others in the plot), his second wife Emily 5 Dec 1924 in Ladywell Cemetery, Lewisham, and he joined her in Ladywell 27 Nov 1933 (in a different plot).

Henry William Smith - see 17th Aug 2014 - always called William, baptised with his sister Charlotte when aged 2. He never married as he died aged 21. There are several possibilities for burials in Norwood and in Lewisham.

Herbert Henry Smith Senior , brother of the above and Cliff's grandfather. - see 17th Aug 2014 - I have his baptism with sister Ellen and marriage. As before, I cannot track him down towards the end of his life. Edith died in 1936 but it is very difficult to follow him. There were at least 3 other Herbert Henry Smiths (apart from his son) in the Lambeth/Wandsworth area. One, in WW1 roll, was definitely him but I cannot trace him afterwards, and he doesn't appear to be on 1939 Register. There is a Fire Watcher H H Smith inscribed on the Civilian War Dead memorial at the Lambeth Cemetery Tooting, who died in the course of his duties on 3 Aug 1944, but I don't know if this was him. I do know that 124 Stewart's Road, Battersea did not contain anyone called Smith in 1939, so if he was still around he didn't live there.

Tuesday 9th April 2019

Eric Benjamin Smith Cliff's uncle - see 15th Aug 2016 - scan of baptism on 15 Apr 1912 Christ Church, Clapham.
Unfortunately, although I thought I had found his death it was wrong, as he was last seen in 1939 in Tooting, so could not have died in 1931. Daughter Jennifer was born in 1942, but as that was in Watford it was no help. I fear I must give up again as there are, as you can imagine, many many records in the names of Eric and Florence Smith. Even Jennifer...

Grandpa Ernest Sidney Smith - see 15th Aug both 2014 & 2016 - baptism, As I have said before, the scanned London marriages only goes to 1932, this date is 1933, so no scan, but I do have record of his death. This is from the El Alamein memorial roll, which runs to 7368 names in WW2 alone. He was buried in plot XIII c16.

Gladys Smith - see 15th Aug 2014, 16th Aug 2016 and Friday below. I have scan of baptism. No marriage scan because it was in Essex. I said Frederick was a widower, I now suspect he had four children. He married Ethel Lobley in 1907, lived in Ilford until she died in 1926, running a business as a fishmonger. He died in 1934, so as I said she was a widow in the Register. The closed Outten was probably their only child Phyllis. I still cannot track down the death record, but there are many mis-spellings of his name. Gladys died in 1957 in Romford.

Friday 5th April 2019

Edwin Smith - see 14th Aug 2014 - it is the censuses that give birth areas of him & his siblings, but he seems to have slipped through the net, as the 2 oldest & 2 youngest siblings were baptised, but not him. As I suggested in 2014, he may have been registered & baptised with another name; there were a lot of Smiths in Potterspury in 1855 but with no parents' names, so that is no help. And I suspect that after his mother died and his father went to live with Herbert and family, he lived elsewhere under another name - and died so - and thus I have to drop this file again.

His sister Ellen Smith - also see 14th Aug 2014 - was baptised on 29 Jun 1882 at St Augustine's Mission Church aged 6 with her brother Herbert [one of the first baptisms at the church with this name, previously St James, Bermondsey] She died aged 19, and was buried on 24 Oct 1896 in p;lot 83/27105 at the Lambeth Cemetery, West Norwood. In May 1898 she was joined by John S Smith, her grandmother Jane's nephew.

Ellen Smith 2 - see also 14th Aug 2014 - and 15th Aug 2016, where I thought I disproved my previous work! I see from my notes that I have since found a marriage in 1920 in Orsett, Essex and a matching 1939 Register, so will go with those. Baptism scan. She joined the Infants of Larkhall Lane School on 7 Oct 1895, giving home address of 25 Clifton Street, Larkhall Lane, beside the park, then the Juniors on 29 Mar 1897, when they were living along the other side of the park at 31 Courland Grove (now modern buildings, as the park was redeveloped in 1943 and again recently) As I said, she was a visitor in 1911 census, in Newington, listed as a domestic servant. Then in Jul 1920 in Orsett, Essex she married George Edward Wilks, Essex born & bred, and settled there with him. They had 3 children and in 1939 Register can be seen at 32 Hall Avenue, Aveley with them. Also at this address was widowed invalid Gladys Outten, Ellen's sister and another, closed file (not Daisy, as she was with her family in Yeovil - see below). Arthur is the only child unredacted as Rose is no doubt still alive, he died in 1995 (George died in 1942 but it was at sea, so remains hidden). George was listed as "Alum Attendant"/Cement Works Labourer and Ellen UDD. They evidently remained living in the same house for another 20 years at least, as George died in Oldchurch Hospital in 1956 with this home address, and Ellen at home in 1961. She left £544 to son Arthur, an electrician's mate.

Tuesday 2nd April 2019

Victor William Hodd - see 12th Aug 2016 - nothing new

Violet Josephine Hodd - see 7th Aug 2014 & 13th Aug 2016 - scans of baptism and marriage. No more, I'm afraid.

The 3 generations of William Hodd - see 8th Aug 2014 & 13th Aug 2016 - William Senior was toll-collector on the Isle of Wight and his story was told in great detail. Nothing new. His son William Robert Hodd likewise and grandson William George Hodd too.

So, on to the Smiths, Cliff's father's people.

Anthony Smith - see 11th Aug 2014 & 14th Aug 2016 - Cliff's 3xgreat uncle, whose story is mainly of court cases and time spent in prison. Unfortunately, Devon is not well-served with scans, details etc so the western branches of this tree may be devoid of news.

Anthony Gordon Smith , Cliff's uncle Tony - see 15th Aug 2016 - despite being born in London, he was too recent for scans. One of the redacted lines on 1939 Register has been opened, but is an Ivy Benney insurance clerk. The other line may be him, still closed.

Charlotte Emily Smith , a great-aunt - see 11th Aug 2014 & 15th Aug 2016 - died aged almost 3 but managed a baptism scan. I cannot tell where she was buried as there were three possibilities that year with her name.

Daisy Olive Smith - see same dates - I can see a scan of her baptism but the London marriage scans stop at present in 1921, hers was 1923. And no Burge burials in Somerset.

Monday 1st April 2019

Thomas Henry Hodd - another great-uncle - see 4th Aug 2014 & 9th Aug 2016 - no baptism but I do have a marriage scan. Nothing else new.

Thomas Henry Hodd 2 - see same dates - I can now see he was baptised aged 2 with his cousin Albert Head, at Christ church, Deptford. His mother had died the previous year and he and his father lived with his grandparents for a while, then his aunt Caroline, at this point, until she died the following year. By 1885 his father was also gone and in 1891 he was lodging with what could have been a friend/workmate of his father, who may also have apprenticed him, in Sussex. By 1901 he was back in Croydon, training up as a bricklayer and settled there after marriage. In 2016 I found Florence but couldn't track him down in 1939 Register, but think I may have him, also in Croydon half a mile away at 151 Queen's Road, working as a builder's labourer and acting as ARP for his employer. Florence died in Croydon in 1958 and Thomas followed in 1965.

His father Thomas Stephen Hodd - see 7th Aug 2014 & 12th Aug 2016 - scans of baptism [his parents must have dropped their Hs to be recorded as Odd], also marriage. Annie died in 1881 and Thomas in 1885, both in the Croydon area.

Sunday 31st March 2019

Stephen James Hodd - see 1st Aug 2014 - there are now several documents relating to military service and his final days. I see from medical notes that he was treated by army medics at the 189th Field Ambulance hospital in France for scabies (no doubt due to the poor conditions) and discharged back to the trenches on 23 Aug 1916, then reported Missing In Action 2 weeks later. He was awarded 2 medals and commemmorated on the Thiepval Memorial when it was built in memory of the thousands who met their end here. He was 26 years old with 9 months service, 3 of these in the field, and the medals and his effects sent home to his father in London.

Hs father Stephen Richard Hodd , Cliff's great-uncle - also see 1st Aug 2014 - there is no baptism record, as expected, but there is scan of marriage. Both fathers were deceased and both bride and groom were illiterate (strange for an "optician"; I think the description on the census was more accurate in that he was a manual worker, planing lenses, rather than an optician himself. If you'll excuse the pun, he was on the cutting edge of this technology, as the planar lens was only created by Zeiss in 1896 for photography and Stephen no doubt worked for Dollond's company in Kennington). No burial records are around, unfortunately.

Susan Hodd - see 3rd Aug 2014 - another great-aunt, one of the married sisters who were baptised after their mother died. The previous year she had married her next-door neighbour George Dodge and moved to Fulham with him. When she died aged 56 in 1916 George married her sister Elizabeth. I have continued looking for his railway employment records, but the George Dodge I found was 2 years younger than him and was based in Wiltshire. His death was registered in Croydon - see Elizabeth below.

Thomas George Hodd - see 3rd Aug 2014 & 9th Aug 2016 - baptism scan aged 10 but nothing else.

Tuesday 26th March 2019

Cliff's great-aunt Mary Ann Priscilla Hodd - see 28th July 2014 & 7th Aug 2016 - I do have a baptism scan. She was one of the daughters who were baptised after they were married with their sister Elizabeth (see below). She was 24 and had already had 4 of her own children baptised. I think they waited until their mother died as they didn't want to upset her. Marriage scan also. When it came to the end of her life, I was dismayed in 2016 to find her not with Ada and Charles in 1939 Register, but now I can see the scan more clearly, I see she was there (under some tape) as widow "Margery" Freeman, date of birth 3 Sep 1957, UDD. So I will revert to her death in 1944, and can see that in plot 48/33262 in West Nrwood Cemetery there are 4 occupants. On 27 Apr 1912 Henry was interred, followed by Mary Ann on 28 Feb 1944, Charles on 20 Dec 1957 and Ada 2 Aug 1961. (The only death I can match up with that date for Henry is in Stockport, Cheshire. Why he was there I don't know, but otherwise he was buried 7 years before he died, which is never a good thing!)

Matilda Hodd - see 28th July 2014 & 7th Aug 2016 - one of the siblings baptised in 1889, when she was 3 and the daughter I suspect had an illegitimate baby and passed her off as her sister, so she didn't lose her job at the Savoy. Of course, there is no documentation to back this up. I do have her marriage scan. When it comes to the 1939 Register, now one of the redacted lines has been opened and had produced a surprise - a son Richard I knew nothing about! He slotted in between James and Sarah, went on to marry an Eileen Deeley and as far as I can see is still living in Croydon. (The other redacted line is a little odd, as it is 1st in the household of Matilda & Thomas Brewer, so maybe is one of his parents). James died just before the Register, aged 49 and Matilda on 5 Feb 1966 aged 79. I cannot find burial details on either, unfortunately.

Matilda Hodd 2 - see 28th July 2014 & 7th Aug 2016 - nothing new, including scans

Richard Hodd Junior - see 31st July 2014 & 8th Aug 2016 - from Kent, father of Matilda 2, Mary Ann etc. I told the story of his life in detail, especially his end. Nothing new.

Richard Hodd Senior - see 8th Aug 2016 - putting together the bits & pieces in his history, I can say he was born in the Woking area of Surrey on 26 Jun 1791 to James & Susanna, and baptised at the nearby Independent Chapel, Shackleford Tything on 22 Jan 1792. On 7 May 1812 in the Tonbridge area of Kent he married Priscilla Clarke from Bidborogh. This was by licence as they were both aged 20, so "under age". They settled in Kent, but Richard Sr died in Dec 1816 aged only 27. His son Richard Jr was born the following year and you can read the rest of the story elsewhere. Suffice to say, the difficulties of his childhood with no father may have compounded the medical condition mentioned... Priscilla died in 1841. In researching this branch I have discovered many more relatives, but as this is only a branch of "in-laws", i.e. only related to Cliff by marriage, I will go no further. It turns out that Richard was one of possibly 12 children, and each of those will spawn a tree. Suffice to say his parents were James Hodd 1747-1830 and Susanna née Clayton 1756-1834 both from Woking.

Great-uncle Richard Stephen Hodd - see 31st July 2014 & 8th Aug 2016 where I told his story in detail. I now have a marriage scan, but as for burial details, I told about the plot at Merton yesterday and Saturday.

Monday 25th March 2019

Laura Esther Hodd - see 20th July 2014 & 3rd Aug 2016 - baptism scan. As she never married there is no scan for that, but I now know she died on 21 Mar 1980 at 6 Woodstock Road, Carshalton and was buried in the Family Plot in Church Road Cemetery, Merton to join sister Florence and their parents (see Saturday below) on 18 Apr 1980. She must have moved to Carshalton in her final decade, as electoral roll records place her still at Elgin Road in 1970 with brother Henry. She probably moved in 1974 when he died.

Lily Florence Hodd - see 21st July 2014 - for baptism scan see Ernest William below (on Friday). She is really confusing, as I found in 2016 and had to give up. The same applies today; I don't believe the marriage I found to Ernest Sweeney in 1915 is correct, as the date of birth in 1939 Register (Leatherhead) is completely wrong. However, the one with the right date of birth to Charles Powell is hiding from me, unless her name was Mallett.This marriage says she was a spinster, and there are Malletts living with them in 1939, so it is confusing.

Cliff's grandmother Martha Hodd - see 24th July 2014 - There was no baptism records for any of this family and they were fortunate enough to not lose any in infancy. I do have a scan of marriage. When John died in 1905 she moved around a bit; in 1910 4 Albert Buildings, Lollard Street, in 1915 at 2 Wickham Street (right behind Vauxhall Street School) but by 1918 she had settled in 18 Princes Square and remained there until she died 20 years later. I have studied the history of this house in a little detail, one day I will do so in more depth. In 1913-15 they lived there under the name of William, the eldest boy, who was then 29, but he put it in his mother's name when he left to join the Army in 1916. Built in 1788, the terraces face onto a square with gardens, named Prince's Square after Joseph Prince, then in 1937 renamed Cleaver Square after Mary Cleaver, who had owned the land in the 18th Century. These buildings are all still standing and are listed, so will continue to do so. Clifford was born there and his mother Ethel brought up the boys there until they moved around to Kennington Park Road after Ernest was killed.

Martha Eliza Hodd - see 25th July 2014 - from the branch I called the "Kent Hodds", she links trees by marrying Cliff's great-uncle Joseph. Scan of baptism. For scan of marriage see Joseph Junior yesterday below. I have updated my thoughts on her "surprise" in 1903, as you know, believing now that Edith was not her daughter, as was claimed, but that of her daughter, Matilda, who was at that time a 17-year-old servant working at The Savoy. Other than that, she lived in the Vauxhall area until she died there on 5 Jun 1916. I can't find anything relating to her death except the registration.

Her eldest sister, Mary Ann Hodd - see 25th July 2014 & 7th Aug 2016 - where I told her story in detail. I can't find a scan of her baptism, as this was in rural Kent, but have her marriage. I told how she was a school mistress but they had money troubles and she took up dressmaking, although this did not suffice and David died in the workhouse in 1891. Mary Ann's death was registered in the West Ham registration area, which may mean she had to resort to the workhouse herself, or remained in Plaistow, where she llived, which was also part of the West Ham area.

Sunday 24th March 2019

Henry William Hodd - see 12th July 2014 & 1st Aug 2016 - scans are of baptism and marriage. I have a few updates: the closed file in 1939 Register has been opened and it turns out to be the next house, so is not relevant here. I can trace Henry & Ellen by electoral rolls 1919 & 1920 with her parents at Block T Peabody Square, then on their own 1921-1938 in Block A 1939-1945 (war years) he ran the Myddleton Arms, Islington, then 1945-1962 The Garland in Redhill. He retired then, and as I said in 2016, went to live with sister Laura in Sutton. I see now that he died there on 26 Feb 1974, leaving £986, presumably to her.

James Joseph Hodd - see 14th July 2014 & 2nd Aug 2016 - scan of baptism but no marriage scan, unfortunately, no changes on 1939 Register, and no further death info.

Jean Violet Hodd - see 2nd Aug 2016 - no new information except that her husband Bryan Catchpole was a 5-year-old patient in North-Western Hospital, Hampstead at the time of the 1939 Register (originally a smallpox hospital, it had by then become a general hospital and later became part of the Royal Free).

Joan Iris Hodd - also see 2nd Aug 2016 - I had wondered why they lived in Durham and had their children there, but now know that John came from that city. The same fellow genealogist says that John died in 2004 in Isle Of Wight, but has no date for Joan. She is still redacted on the 1939 Register so may be still around.

Job James Hodd - see 14th July 2014 & 3rd Aug 2016 - baptism but nothing else new.

Joseph Hodd Senior - see 18th July 2014 & 3rd Aug 2016 - was rather confusing and I got rather tangled up. I think, coming back to it now, that it is much simpler, they never went to Croydon and he died in Lambeth in 1883 ony 2 years after Susan. Although Ancestry don't seem to have the record, I have found it on Findmypast, although no further info.

Joseph Hodd Junior, his eldest son - see 18th July 2014 & 3rd Aug 2016 - all I have is scan of his marriage, and if I am correct, his father died only a matter of weeks later. I have no scans for baptism or details of burial, I am afraid. Hodd is unfortunately misspelled frequently..

Saturday 23rd March 2019

Florence Louise Hodd - see 10th July 2014 & 30th July 2016 - scans of baptism and marriage. That's all really.

Florence Rose Hodd - see 31st July 2016 - as she died aged 17 there isn't a lot on her, but I have now seen her baptism scan and a lot of useful details around her death. As I said in 2016 she died aged 17 while living at 7 St Mary's Square, and I now see that she was buried at Church Road Cemetery, Merton, Surrey in plot Q89, where an Ethel Blogg had been interred 2 years before. I don't know this lady, but she may be family as all of the others in this plot were. After Florence was buried there on 23 Nov 1918, her parents joined her after 25 and 41 years, then her youngest sister Laura in 1980. Church Road Cemetery/St Peter & St Paul dates from 1559 with records from 1883

Frederick William Hodd - see 10th July 2014 & 31st July 2016 - for baptism scan see yesterday, below, as he was baptised with brothers Ernest and George. I told his story in 2014 until he vanished in 1953 and suggested maybe he left his family. I think I have now found his death record - misspelled "Hood" and registered across the river in Chelsea, but it fits. He was buried on 6 Mar 1952, the 4th of 8 burials in plot 33/31005 in Camberwell Old Cemetery (buried over 11 days). Winifred died on 16 May 1974 in Lambeth and was cremated at the crematorium in Tooting on 24 May.

George Hodd hasn't been mentioned before, as he was born in Apr 1848 in Cudham to Richard & Matilda née Saunders, baptised 14 June 1848 and died there in Apr 1851 aged 3. Just prior to his death he was seen in 1851 census at Leaves Green, Cudham with parents and sister Amy (who also died, only 6 days later) - see 17th March below.

George Henry Hodd - see 11th July 2014 & 31st July 2016 - brother of Frederick above, so see the joint baptism below. No scan of marriage as it was in Norfolk and quite recent. I also cannot track down a burial record for George in 1984 and Annie in 1987.

Gerald Richard Hodd - see 11th July 2014 & 31st July 2016 - nothing new

Friday 22nd March 2019

Ernest George Hodd - I haven't mentioned him before as he died aged 11, but I now have a scan of his baptism, which took place on 15 Aug 1906, when he was 8 years ald, with two of his brothers. He can also be seen in census of 1901 aged 3 at 30 Doris Street with parents & sibs. He died in the October quarter of 1909 but I don't know if/when/where he was buried

Ernest William Hodd - see 7th July 2014 & 27th July 2016 - I have told how he was baptised twice, one aged 8 months at St John's, Croydon. I'm still not sure why Croydon, as his parents had lived there but no longer did. They moved to Lambeth in 1885, but maybe they had loyalties/connections to their old church. He was also baptised with sister Lily at the age of 5 at St Mary the Less, Lambeth. I do have a scan of his second marriage but I cannot find a scan of his first marriage to Lydia, or of Lydia's death, but records do exist to confirm these events. Equally, I have found Rosa's death record, but no scan (mind you it was 1971 so too recent for this)

Tuesday 19th March 2019

Elizabeth Hodd - see 3rd July 2014 - scans: of baptism and marriage. From the late 1880s they lived at 33 Great Guildford Street, Southwark, part of a warehouse building he rented from Truman Hanbury & Co, the brewers. In 1922 Alfred died, the tax was totted up and Elizabeth moved out to Dulwich. As Alfred died in the Dulwich property, it looks as though they had already moved, probably in 1920 on his retirement (he was a porter/warehouseman, so maybe Truman were his employers). He was buried in plot 37/27188 in Camberwell Old Cemetery on 13 Mar 1922 and Elizabeth joined him in the plot on 10 Jan 1938.

Elizabeth M Hodd - (Cliff's great-aunt) see 4th July 2014 & 27th July 2016 - I still cannot find a baptism for her; and this will be the case for all of her siblings, I suspect. I know the family lived in the parish of St Mary Newington. In 2014 I outlined the family movements around Kennington.
Later: I have found a baptism for 3 of the siblings! Evidently Joseph & Susan did not believe, so none of their babies were christened. On 1 Aug 1882 Mary Ann, Susan & Elizabeth all underwent Adult Baptism at Emmanuel church (on John Street/Gundulf Street, where they were living), aged 24, 22 & 16 respectively. Two of the three were already married but their mother had recently died and their father the following year. Elizabeth took jobs as servant in Brixton & Clapham, then when her sister Susan died in 1916 she married the widower George Dodge and had 13 years with him in Fulham then after about 1925 in Croydon, where he died in 1929. Elizabeth was resident at 180 Kingston Road, Merton, which I think may have been a nursing home then, when she died on 23 Oct 1952 and buried on 29 Oct in plot K/387 in Garth Road Cemetery. Six other people were put in that plot over the next few weeks, but I can't find George at all. She left effects worth £123 to Ada Bennett, who I see now is her niece, sister Mary Ann's daughter.

Another great-aunt Ellen Hodd - see 6th July 2014 & 27th July 2016 - sister of Elizabeth above. She also was baptised as an adult, this time on 25 Mar 1882 at St Alphege, Southwark aged 27. This was a few months before her sisters, also just after the death of their mother. (Ellen had by then a daughter of her own, who had been baptised at the same church 3 years earlier, and she was expecting her second). Also a marriage scan [to the chap I called William John May 2 on Saturday]

Monday 18th March 2019

Audrey D Hodd - see 23rd July 2016 - I thought I had found a death record and burial for her husband Anthony Robinson, but he turned up in electoral roll records of 2003, so his is probably the death in 2011 and Audrey is still living aged 75.

Caroline Hodd - see 30th June 2014 & 26th July 2016 - scans of baptism and marriage. I managed to sort out the confusion by 2016, so no difficulty now. Unfortunately she was only 27 when she died, I suspect from difficulties in childbirth, although I cannot see any child who survived to baptism. As I said, Henry went on to remarry but he did join her in this cemetery when he died in 1918 (Brockley Cemetery). Caroline was interred into plot V/Uncon/233 but Henry a different plot as it was 34 years later.

Daisy Maud Hodd - see 3rd July 2014 & 26th July 2016 - I have scans: admission aged 4 to Walnut Tree Walk School and baptism aged 6. I now know why I couldn't find her in 1939 Register; she died in Jan 1934 in Lewisham aged 46 and was buried there on 1 Feb in Ladywell Cemetery with son Kenneth, who had died aged 2 in 1928. Alfred remarried early in 1939, so can be seen in the Register, taken in September, at 32 Playgreen Way, Lewisham, with new wife Florence née Kinnaird. The previous year he had been working as a Postman, but now was listed as Lavatory Attendant. Mind you, I can see how he could be doing both of those jobs at the same time... He died in 1961 aged 72 and was cremated at Hither Green, Florence the same in 1975 and their ashes are together there.

Derek W Hodd - see 3rd July 2014 & 26th July 2016 - son of Athur I dealt with yesterday - nothing new.

Edith Hodd - see 26th July 2016 - in 1911 they were still pretending she was Martha's child and she was baptised as such (although I wonder how they explained Joseph's absence). In the census taken a few weeks later they were indeed at 124 Tyers Street but Martha admitting to being a widow. The church where Edith was married in 1924 was St Cosmus, Blean (near Canterbury) and very lovely. There are no further scans, as these records are too recent, but I can say that since I wrote in 2016, youngest son Albert must have died, as his redaction in 1939 Register has been removed. Victor & Edith evidently lived in Kent all their lives, near members of my family again, through to their deaths in Canterbury in 1978 (Victor) and 1982 (Edith).

Sunday 17th March 2019

As you are aware, the Mays are inextricably linked with the Hodds, so I always move on to them next.

Agnes V Hodd - see 16th Jul 2016 - nothing new, despite a long search for her death (in my database programme I have a note "died 1971 in Lambeth" but I can't find a record and I don't know where that information came from).

Albert Victor Hodd - see 26th June 2014 & 19th July 2016 - He was baptised on 26 Oct 1898 with brother William, who died very soon afterwards unfortunately. No scan of marriage as it took place in Lincolnshire, not covered by Ancestry. Likewise burial, although this occurred in London. Edith died at 157 Hyde Tower, Regency Street, London on 14 Jul 1974, leaving £469, presumably to Albert, who died at the very end of 1978. I suspect he was cremated at Manor Park on 29 Dec 1978 and his death was registered in the New Year in the Westminster registration area.

Alfred William Burgess Hodd - see 19th July 2016 - Cliff's second cousin, who lived so close to Lollard Place (as I said in 2016 "little did I know when I stayed with my grandparents in the early '60s only a couple of streets away that my future husband's relatives were so close") 1949-1962 in Doris Street. Then in 1964 they (he and his mother) can be seen at 18 Malmsey House, Vauxhall Street (where my mother went to school) and this was where his mother died in 1974 and was cremated at Lambeth Crematorium in Tooting. Alfred remained there for a while, but electoral roll records then stop until his death on 8 Dec 1989, registered in the Greenwich registration area, and he was cremated on 28 Dec that year at Eltham Crematorium, which is incidentally where my father was cremated and his ashes were interred in 1986.

Amy Hodd didn't last long but managed to generate some records, although unfortunately not scans. She was born in June 1850 in Leaves Green, Cudham, Kent and baptised there on 14 July. The following March the 1851 census was taken and she can be seen at Leaves Green with her parents and brother. Unfortunately she died a few weeks later aged just a year and was buried, probably in the churchyard there.

Arthur Augustus Hodd - see 30th Jun 2014 & 23rd July 2016 - brother of Albert above. I have scan of baptism. There is no scan for the marriage, even though Surrey records ostensibly go to 1933. I still have no luck in sorting out the children either. Arthur died at 32 Grant Road, Addiscombe (where he had lived for at least 30 years) aged 69 and left £1175. Dorothy had gone in 1947, aged only 38.

Saturday 16th March 2019

William John May 1 - Cliff's Uncle Bill - see 23rd Jun 2014 & 11th July 2016 - I have tracked down his baptism and it tallies with the dob he gave in 1939, so that's good! I can't find a nice scan of the troublesome marriage in 1939, as Ancestry London marriages stop at 1932. I think what happened was (and of course I may be wrong) Jane Belsham changed her name on the run-up to WW2, but when Bill found he had married a girl with a false name, he married her again in 1941 under her real one. The government found out about this in 1949, so added the note to the Register. Maybe the other Stella was her sister, as she was at the same address in 1939. Anyway, it was all sorted except that I couldn't find a death in either name, or even (as it turns out) for Bill - the death I favoured for him turned out to be a baby. I wish I could ask Cliff if he knew where his uncle died, and when. He was last seen in my records at 76 Worham Road, Hornsey in 1965, but the only cremations I can find around that time in London were both in Lambeth. There were several cemeteries within a couple of miles of that address

William John May 2 was his uncle - see 23rd Jun 2014 - twin of John. I have scans of baptism and marriage. I know that he died on 20 Dec 1890 aged 35 at 14 Market Street, Southwark, as I have his death certificate. The nearest burial I can find is 4 Dec 1891 in Brompton, which is not feasible. I can't find a burial for Ellen, although I do know that she died in Jul 1919 probably in Goda Street, where she was living with daughter Rosina, registered in Southwark.

Friday 15th March 2019

Thomas William May - see 20th June 2014 - scans of baptism and marriage. I have also seen a document which may relate to him, aged 16, dated 27 Oct 1859, joining the Merchant Navy and being posted aboard the "Lustre". However, I can't be sure, as no address is given. And by 1861 he was back in Lambeth, working in the bone yard. After marrying Martha at St John the Evangelist, Waterloo, he lived for a while in Clerkenwell, then they settled in Islington. Other "new" records relate to their final years. On 25 Apr 1908 Thomas was admitted to St John's Road Workhouse, then discharged to Banstead Asylum on 1 May, which explains why he died out of the area. Evidently he was ill, although no details were given, and his death was reigistered in July in the Epsom registration area. So in 1911 census Martha can be seen widowed, in St Luke's Workhouse, Shoreditch, listed again as Char but this evidently didn't bring in enough to keep her out of the Workhouse. She was buried on 28 Oct 1914 in Islington Cemetery (home address 21 Lowman Road) interred in plot O/20026 with 13 others over a period of a month. No doubt this was one of those public plots and there is no marker.

William May Senior - Cliff's great great grandfather - see 21st June 2014 & 11th July 2016 - I think the correct marriage is 29 Jul 1811 at St Sepulcre Northampton. They were both "of this parish", so it looks like the end of the London connection (there is a birth in the area in 1791, although in 1841 census there is a "yes" against born in Surrey). As I have outlined, they spent the 20 years of their marriage working their way slowly northwards up the river bank towards Westminster Bridge and Ann died in 1831 living at Stangate Street. She was buried at St Mary's on 26 Oct, joining daughter Sarah.. [I'm not sure why the confusion with her middle name, if they weren't sure I would have thought they'd leave it out]. Hence the 1841 census in Griffin Street, William 55 year old (give or take) waterman and daughter Mary aged 20. When he died, William was buried in Islington on 28 Apr 1844; presumably one of those burials I have mentioned at this time, where there was no longer space locally, so bodies were transferred to other areas some miles away.

William May Junior , his son, see same dates - baptism. I mentioned that he was originally a carman then followed his father into the occupation of Thames Waterman. I have seen a document swearing him into the Worshipful Company of Paviours through the membership of his father, giving him Freedom of the City. They were a livery company responsible for the laying down and maintenance of the highways. I understand how a cabman would need to be involved if he could as it was important to travel on good surfaces. The Watermen/Lightermen equally needed good travel logistics. William Senior was a member in 1808, Junior joined in 1834. In 2016 I still had a gap in his story in 1860s & early 70s, but despite a thorough search, I still cannot track down the census returns. The scan of their marriage shows Elizabeth was a minor, William of "full age". What it doesn't say is that she was just 19, he 48! I suspect this is why the returns are elusive; they lied about their ages, and who knows what else! He died aged 62 in Apr 1873, giving home address of 2 Wellington Road, Stockwell, buried in one of the reused plots (31/13844) at Norwood Cemetery, one of 12 burials in that plot over a period of a year.

William Frank May - see 22nd June 2014 - where I told the whole story. Scans:baptism and marriage. No burial scan I am afraid, but I do know it took place on 2 Jan 1915 in Morden, Surrey, his death registered in Battersea on the last few days of December 1914.

Monday 11th March 2019

Sarah May - one of Cliff's great great-aunts - see 13th June 2014.
But first a quick summary of St Mary's Church Lambeth: the original building was pre-Norman, owned by Countess Goda, the sister of Edward the Confessor (hence Goda Street), made part of the lands of the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1197. The body of the church was rebuilt in flint and stone 1374-7, but an account in 1791 stated that only one tower remained of this. Over the centuries various changes were made and in 1972 it reached the end of life as a church and was deconsecrated. It was due to be demolished but has several famous people were buried there, including the Tradescant family, naturalists and garden experts, so the building was reinvented as a museum of garden history. Also interred there were Admiral William Bligh (famous for the Mutiny on the Bounty). Elizabeth Howard Boleyn (mother of Anne), Peter Dollond (famous optician and telescope-maker) and of course many Archbishops of Canterbury who served under many sovereigns.
I remember it as a church and my auntie was married there in Oct 1963. I have searched through the records but cannot find any family members in the burial records. This is, I understand, because there were 26,000 burials there of which 570 had memorials/stones. I have looked through these for you, and found nothing familiar. But of course, something may pop up at any time with no stone etc recorded.
Returning to Sarah, she was born, christened and buried locally, at the Eastern end of Lambeth Bridge, by Lambeth Palace, and had no memorial herself. The church is where Lambeth Bridge is now and they lived at Bishops Walk/Stangate Street, just north of the palace (all St Thomas' Hospital these days). I have her scans of baptism 1818 and burial 1826. I understand some of the burials were relocated when the church closed, but not that of a child from 150 years before, I would have thought.

Sarah Elizabeth May - also see 13th June 2014 - I cannot locate a baptism for her and she didn't marry. I mentioned in 2014 that she left her effects to an Alice Fanny May, who I was going to investigate. The lady I found, however, was married 25 years before, so was not May. I see now that her niece, who I have always known as Fanny, could well be the legatee; she was also employed as a servant in Islington when I lost track of her...

Sybil May - see 5th July 2016 - nothing new, except her address at death was Oakbeam Cottage, High Street, Haddenham and she left £3843.

Thomas May - see 20th June 2014 & 6th July 2016 - Cliff's great grandfather and brother of Sarah above. Scans of baptism and marriage

Thomas Joshua May - Cliff's uncle - see 20th June 2014 & 11th July 2016 - was his grandson, born where his grandfather died, in Walworth. But he was one who was moved to Leicester for a few years, so fragmented his story.
I have scan of his baptism. The family was back in London in 1892, when he was 8, living in 90 Regent Street (which was renamed the next year and became Ethelred Street, as it remained until 1970s), then Goda Street, a turning off Ethelred, until he joined the Navy on 6 Sep 1907, in the Light Infantry, Chatham Division - see 2014 for his postings etc In 1920 he was back at 18 Prince's Square with his family until his marriage in 1932, when they settled in Ilford. I have had another look ar 1939 Register, and the redacted line is still hidden so am none the wiser. Fast-forwrd to his death in 1961, it appears this was in Wanstead Hospital, home address still Endsleigh Gardens, when he left £314 to Muriel. She, as I said in 2014, remained there for some years. I do now know that when she died in 1975 she was resident in Goodmayes Hospital, which was a mental health institution. She died on 25 Apr, leaving £1896.

Sunday 10th March 2019

Phoebe Mary May - see 6th June 2014 & 4th July 2016. I have scans of baptism and marriage

Phyllis G J May - see 9th June 2014 & 5th July 2016. Scan of baptism. No scan of the marriage, I am afraid, but I have had another look at 1939 Register. William is now unredacted and I can see that there is only one hidden line now in their household, the other three belong next door. I have no idea who this could be, so will have to wait a few more years... I don't know now who led me astray weith the death in 1953, as I have found a death record in Henley in Jun 1942.

Rachel Sarah May , another of Cliff's great-aunts, - see 9th June 2014 - faded out after 1871 so I had a good look for more and found her baptism and managed to solve the riddle, much to my surprise. Apparently she was married aged 16 to another teen Henry Joseph Miller and they had two children, Beatrice May Miller in 1887 and Henry (Harry) in 1889. As I cannot locate ythem in 1881 census, there may be more older children who have slipped through the net. She did confuse me by being known as Sarah and there was another Sarah married to a Henry Jasper Miller, both couples in the Lambeth area. Our Henry died there in 1929 and "Sarah" in 1930.

Rebecca Sophia May - also see 9th June 2014 - I have scans of baptism and marriage. I did know that she was widowed in 1892 but I have now seen William's burial record and it is in a familiar place; Camberwell Old Cemetery, one of those I visited in 2016, although I didn't know to look for the surname Bull. He was interred into plot 13015 on 28 Dec 1892 along with one other, then 13 more people were added over the next 12 days. As there were so many, I imagine this was one of the unmarked plots and I wouldn't haveseen anything if I had looked. By 1956 when Rebecca died, the London cemeteries were full, so she probably didn't have the option of joining him. She had anyway been living with her daughter Rebecca Emmett for some years and her death was registered in Surrey Mid-East area (Dorking), so she was no doubt buried there. 7 years later her daughter died in Walberton, Arundel, Sussex to which they had probably retired.

Rosina/Rosa Alice May was born Jun 1879 at 8 Queen Street, Walworth (nowadays King Street and Queen Street are combined and have fairly modern blocks) to William and Ellen née Hodd (Cliff's great uncle & aunt), was christened 6 Jul at St Alphege. She appeared in 1881 census aged 1 (almost 2 really) at 7 Pontypool Place, Newington (just over a mile away) with parents & grandparents but unfortunately died in Jan 1883 aged 3½.

Ten years later Rosina Amy May was born to the same parents - see 12th June 2014 - and was christened at the same church on 6 Oct 1889. I have a scan of her marriage but for the rest of her story see 2014. I have more detail now about her death; she died on 27 Oct 1961 at Dulwich Hospital aged 72, giving home address of 55 Kirkwood Road (as expected). She was cremated on 3 Nov at Honor Oak Crematorium and her ashes were scattered. William joined her 2 years later, on 29 Nov 1963, having died similarly in Dulwich Hospital on 24 Nov and cremated at Honor Oak, leaving £1025 to a Frank George Rogers.

Saturday 9th March 2019

Mary May - see 4th July 2016 scan of baptism. She died aged 16 months and was buried in Deptford.

Mary Elizabeth May - see also 4th July 2016 - the servant who had an illegitimate baby, then married and settled in Deptford. I have seen a couple of new documents that add interesting details to her story. One is her baptism and one a roster of the Workhouse in Princes Road, Lambeth, from 17th to 23rd July 1850 she (aged 29) and her son (aged 6) were residents/inmates. I don't know why they were there or if anything was done, but a few months later they were lodging with her brother William in Edward Street, by Waterloo station, a mile away to the north. The next thing we see is her marriage to Joseph Westcott. In 1851 Joseph had been living with his widowed sister in Catherine Street, right by the Workhouse. Electoral roll records show Joseph had a shoemaking business in Deptford High Street until at least 1875. Then he continued at home in Stanley Street in 1880s. The next "new" document is her burial, on 17 Sep 1886 in Brockley Cemetery in plot H/Uncon/277/A (it seems she was never forgiven for her misdemeanour having a child out of wedlock, as she was buried in an unconsecrated plot), followed in the next 2 days by 4 other unknown men. Her husband joined her 2 years later, but in a different plot.

Olive Eileen May - see 6th June 2014 & 4th July 2016 - Jack's daughter. Unfortunately no baptism has come to light. I told you she married the boy who lived opposite. In 1939 he had been living in Margate with his mother Dollie, she UDD, he "Seaman & Motor Driver". This will be why they married in Margate, his family home. His mother died there in 1981 (his father may have gone to Australia, as one with his unusual name died there in an accident in 1972). As I said in 2014, in 1956 Olive and Dave lived in Lewisham until he died on 12 Oct 1984 at 244a Baring Road, Grove Park, leaving £14,648, presumably to Olive, who then moved to Eastbourne to look after her mother, her father having died 3 years before. Then she herself died in 1991.

Friday 8th March 2019

Julia Hetty Christina May - see 26th May 2014 & 26th June 2016 - scans are of baptism, marriage 1 and marriage 2
No burials I'm afraid.

Julietta Christina May was her aunt, who she was named after, to the confusion of genealogists for many years to come! See 26th May 2014 & 1st July 2016. No further details but a couple of scans: baptism and marriage.

Kenneth Leslie May - see 1st July 2016 - I have located his burial details and this is very informative. It seems he died in Ratcliffe Infirmary in Oxford although the family home was at Beacon View, Lewknor. There was an ancient burial ground here, called Beacon Hill, and in 1972 when the M40 motorway was being constructed, graves were found and the area studied. Apparently the cemetery was in use in Roman times, but had been disused for centuries. There is no sign these days, and the area called Beacon Hill doesn't even appear on maps. The M40 dominates the area around and is only yards from these cottages known as Beacon View.

Leslie Frank May - also see 1st July 2016 - was his father, baptised on 28 Apr 1909 in Thame with 3 siblings.(see Ena last Sunday, below). 2 years later, at the 1911 census, they had moved (so Google tells me) 459 feet to 64 Park Street. He married in Oxfordshire but settled in London, as discussed before. After marriage they can be seen in Battersea then Southall, where they were in 1939, Leslie working as an inspector on the buses. (I had followed them in electoral roll records in Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham, then discovered these records related to a couple with very similar names: Leslie Frank May and Dorothy May née Russell. On the marriage certificate the groom's father's name is wrong and he is a fireman). Son Michael had been sent out of London to live with grandmother & aunts in Oxfordshire and soon Doris and Leslie joined him and had 2 more sons. As Doris' death was registered in Oxford city itself, she may have died in hospital like her son. Leslie's was in Bullington, a part of Oxford to the east of the city.

Tuesday 5th March 2019

John May 2 - see 25th May 2014 & 20th June 2016, where I went into a lot of detail regarding his occupation on the Thames Steamers. Do take a look, it's fascinating. I have his baptism. There is unfortunately no scan of the marriage, but I can see details of his burial. On 16 Oct 1856 he was interred into plot F/98.6/158 at Brompton Cemetery. Over the years that followed, four further men joined him. The fact that they were all men and buried over the next 25 years suggests to me that it may have been a plot for Watermen/Steam Captains. I cannot see anything in newspapers relating to his burial, but he was the first there.

John May 3 , my husband's great-grandfather, see 25th May 2014. Scans of baptism and marriage. No scan of burial, unfortunately, and I don't know where it was

John May 4 (Jack) - see 26th May 2014 & 26th June 2016. Scans of baptism and marriage. I can't track down a burial in Eastbourne, although there must be an awful lot of them!

Joshua May - I haven't mentioned him before - was older brother of the twins, born Aug 1849 at Vauxhall Walk to Thomas & Sarah and christened on 16 Sep at St Mary's. He can be seen aged 1 in 1851 census with parents & sibs, also uncle & family. However, he died at the end of May 1854 aged 4. I have found a burial record and at first was puzzled, wondering why he was buried across London in Hackney. Then I realised that the mid 1850s was the time when London was fast filling up with burials and several cemeteries were closed. The 1852 Burials Act allowed for transportation to places further afield, including those used by the Necropolis railway, running across from Waterloo to Brookwood Cemetery with bodies to inter there. Now, Joshua won't have been transported by the Necropolis train, as it only started in November of that year, 5 months later. But he was transported in some way (he was small after all) from home in Vauxhall and interred in the non-conformist part of the burial ground in Victoria Park, Bethnal Green, Borough of Hackney, fairly new then If this wasn't fascinating enough, I have discovered that the cemetery was renamed Meath Gardens after it was closed 40 years later, and was situated just behind the University where my husband and I met 80 years after that! He never knew his great great-uncle was lying only yards away

Monday 4th March 2019

Harriet Charity May - see 21st May 2014 & 15th June 2016 - I have scans of baptism and marriage. Interestingly, she was entered onto the register as Charity Harriet, and signed as such. This was a one-off though, as she was in all other documents correctly shown.

James Edward May - see 22nd May 2014 & 15th June 2016 - where I gave a detailed account up until his retirement, when I lost track of him. Scan of baptism. Looking into the possible death records, there is a feasible one on 23 Jun 1920 at Bolingbroke Hospital, Battersea, and I have seen the probate document, where he leaves £150 to Esther Emily May, spinster. I don't know anyone by that name but it is in the right place and she may be a cousin, niece etc I haven't yet met.

Jessie May - see 23rd May 2014 - I cannot find a baptism but have both marriage and burial, unusually for London, at St Mary's Cemetery Battersea, still there but long closed for burials. Her address was given as 3 Ceylon Street. This was quite new at that time, built in the 1860s on land adjoining St George's church in the Nine Elms part of Battersea. Now long gone, built over by the New Covent Garden Market complex.

Joan May - see 24th May 2014 & 20th June 2016 - I still think she may have been evacuated with her sister to Somerset, as the 1939 Register is definitely her sister Olive, but her possible file is still redacted. In 1960s there are electoral roll records in West Wickham, Kent for a Trevor & Joan Brooks, but I can't tell if it is them. As far as I know they are both alive, although 90 and 86 respectively.

John May 1 - see 24th May 2014 - baptised at Lambeth St Mary's. In 2014 his story faltered around the time of the 1861 census, where I thought he was working at the Hanover Arms in Peckham. Now if this was the case, he had quite a few years following this, as I suspect he made one Sarah Ivil from Hampshire pregnant in 1863 and she gave birth to a daughter Fanny, who she registered under the surname May. They did marry on 14 Sep 1867 at St Mary's Lambeth and in 1871 can be seen at 51 Marsham Street, Westminster with 8-year-old Fanny, John a "labourer in the iron trade". In 1881 they were in Islington, John an engineer, with Walter Ivil (?cousin) boarding and Fanny a resident servant in an orphanage nearby (aged 18). By 1891 they were at 57 Calverley Grove, Islington (close by) with Sarah's brother Henry and a family of boarders. As John died in 1899, in 1901 census Sarah can be seen living just around the corner with granddaughter Miriam Garrett aged 13 and lots of boarders. Yet again, by 1911 census she had moved just a short distance, living with 11-year-old grandson Stanley May, and died there in 1920 aged 81.

Sunday 3rd March 2019

Ena Constance May - see 4th June 2014 - I have a scan of her baptism now, performed with sisters Gertrude and Phyllis and brother Leslie in 1909. 1939 Register shows her at 12 Kings Road, Thame with her widowed mother, sister Sybil and possible nephew Michael. Ena was transcribed as Eva, listed as "saleslady wools & children's wear". 2 years later she married Eric Pearce but he died 2 years after that, hence no children. She only followed him 50 years later, in 1993, aged 85, when she was living at 8 Old Mill Close, Haddenham, Aylesbury, leaving £78584.

Ethel Grace May , my husband's grandmother, was covered in detail on 17th & 20th May 2014 & 21st Nov 2015. The only new record I have found was admission to Harper Street School from Lollard Street School on 2 Sep 1907. This was odd because it was over the border in Southwark. I can't be certain it was her as, although the date of birth was 18 Oct, it was a year out, although her father was given as John, and Lollard Street School would have been the correct infants' school. As it was, she only attended for 6 months before being removed, so maybe they found a place somewhere nearer to home. The address given on this record was 6 Ayliffe Street, which was in Newington. So if this was correct, they moved back into Kennington in time for the 1911 census. John had died in 1905, so this may explain the temporary chaos. I have seen a scan of her baptism, when she was christened at St Mary the Less church, Princes Street with two younger sisters. I have no scan of the marriage, as these only go up to 1932, the year before!

Ethel Louise May - see 30th May 2014 & 14th June 2016 - scan of her marriage. I see now that in 1939 she was housekeeper to Michael Thompson, student of Aeronautical Engineering, whose parents no doubt paid her wages (he was 23 at the time). When she died, she was in Honey Lane Hospital, Waltham Abbey This was originally an isolation hospital for smallpox and the like. But by 1952 it had become a general hospital, and she died here on 19 May 1978, leaving £9397.

Florence Maud May - see 14th June 2016 - emigrated to Australia, married there and I lost track of her.

Gertrude Olive May - see also 14th June 2016 - see Ena above for baptism. I have sorted out hr confusing marriages by finding the one to Carl Starup in the name of Bonnet, so it was evidently a second marriage. I don't know why she was also registered under her maiden-name, maybe it was an error. Anyway, on 31 Aug 1929 in Flaunden Herts she married Leslie Percival Bonnet. I know these are only banns (called in both Herts and Oxfordshire) but I am informed that she definitely married him. Oddly, it looks as though they divorced, although this was very rare and I cannot find a record. They both remarried in 1943, Gertrude to Carl Starup as I said, and Leslie to Joan Villette Hutt from Royston, Herts, "an artist who made cinema slides". Both Joan and Leslie died in Wales in 1985, another genealogist tells me Gertrude died in Copenhagen, but has no idea where Carl came form or went to.

Friday 1st March 2019

Before I continue, I would like to share the good news with you. Findmypast have given notice that they will soon start work on the 1921 census. This is the first in years and may well be the last, as the records of the census taken in 1931 were damaged in WW2. It will be released in Jan 2022, which is less than 3 years away now!

Edward May - see 15th May 2014 - this was left very vague when studied previously, so I was pleased to see Ancestry had come up with some suggestions to help. However, they have only succeeded in confusing the issue further, I am afraid. Various records with various middle names, some married, some not, have blurred the issue until I no longer know who he is. I lean towards the death in 1896 in Battersea but cannot find him in 1891 to corroborate this. I did find a birth registration in Apr 1850 in Chelsea, but no baptism, but of course this wasn't mandatory.

Eiley Mary Muncey May (always sounds to me like "Eeny Meeny Miney Mo"!) - see 30th May 2014 (out of sequence) & 8th June 2016, where I explained why she was born in Scotland, raised in Oxfordshire and ended up in Essex. Nothing has changed since, even the redacted file, possibly servant/nurse in 1939, but I have seen her probate document, giving exact date of death as 20 Dec 1969 aged 90. She died at 31 Theydon Park Road, Theydon Bois, Essex, leaving £1884.

Ellen Louisa May - see 16th May 2014 & 8th June 2016. Scans: of baptism and marriage. And I now have a lot more details regarding her death & burial. When she died in Dec 1968 she was interred into plot C/Con/202 in Brockley Cemetery, joining her husband George, who had died in Sep 1951, and his parents George & Amelia, who had died in 1936 & 1918 respectively. In that plot too were earlier occupants; families named Matthews and Banks (I don't know who these people were, but probably not related to me and my Matthews families).

Emma May - see 16th May 2014 & 13th June 2016. All details were there; Ancestry has just given me some hints, but they were all wrong. I had thought I found a baptism but although parents were John & Mary Ann in Chelsea, baptised at the same time were siblings John born 1842 and Rebecca born 1847 and father John was a bootcloser, not a waterman, so I have thrown them out. Unfortunately, she did not survive until 1939 Register.

Tuesday 26th February 2019

Before I start on the Mays, I must reassure you that it does not contain one ineffectual prime minister!

Alice May - see 9th May 2014 & 6th June 2016 - scans: of baptism and marriage. The only other new things since last time is that son Jackie has been unredacted from the 1939 Register, and I now know the address in Edmonton where Alice lived when she died; 6 Cuckoo Hall Lane

Alice Sarah May - see 10th May 2014 & 6th June 2016 - scans of baptism, marriage 1 and marriage 2

Amy Constance Elizabeth May - also see 10th May 2014 & 6th June 2016. I have her baptism with several siblings, but unfortunately no marriage and/or burial scans.

Beatrice May May - see 12th May 2014 & 6th June 2016. I have found her baptism, on Findmypast as Ancestry doesn't have it, at All Saints, Leicester, also her marriage. Oh, by the way, I found out that her son-in-law "Lefty" was Albert Francis Trull Junior from Massachusetts.

Charles May - see 30th May 2014 & 7th Jun 2016. This account is very detailed and I have no updates, so I suggest you use the tabs above a look there.

His son Charles William May - see 4th Jun 2014. I still haven't tracked him down in 1901 but I did find his death in 1959 in Calgary, Canada and burial in Burnsland Cemetery.

Monday 25th February 2019

Marian Parker - see 29th Apr 2016 - born in 1888 to George William senior & Elizabeth (see yesterday). Scans of baptism and marriage. I have discovered a lot about her husband, so will tackle him now. Herbert William Hill was born in London on 17 Nov 1882 and was baptised on 18 Feb 1883 at St Luke's, West Kilburn. Incidentally, his father had the wonderful name of Joseph Remington Hill and was born in Great Dalby, Leics, which as you know if you are a regular here, is where my maternal grandmother's ancestors originate. Small world! On 26 Aug 1910 Herbert attested to the 19th City of London Regiment, Territorial Force, stating he was a driver, lived at 11 Argyle Street and was 27 years old. He gave his father as Next of Kin,address 78 Highgate Hill, Holloway. He had a medical and was passed fit for service. He served "at home" for the next 5 years (i.e. UK) so in 1911 census can be seen working in a hotel in Argyle Street as a porter. On 7 Aug 1912 in Edmonton he married Marian and had 2 sons before he was sent to France to fight with the Expeditionary Force in 1915. He came home for 5 months, then was sent off again 6 Feb 1916, when he was transferred from 1st to the 3rd battalion. On 15 Sep 1916 he was declared missing and was found to be a Prisoner Of War! On 9 Dec 1916 he was returned to UK in an Exchange of Prisoners programme, but was no longer fit for service. He was issued a £15 "bounty" and discharged, having served 6½ years and earned the 1914-15 Star medal. His health was evidently compromised but I don't know any details. Just that he died in 1924 aged 41 in Edmonton.

Mary Ann Parker - see 5th May 2014 - I have scans: of baptism (aged 8 with her sister Amelia) and marriage
(witnesses her sister Eliza & husband Charles). I also know now that she was buried on 17 Apr 1938 at Waltham Forest Cemetery, presumably because Joseph had been 3 years before (although I cannot find a record)

William Henry Parker - see 6th May 2014 & 1st May 2016 - I searched again for them in 1939 Register, to no avail, so all I can offer are two scans baptism and marriage and similarly no firm burial records.

William James Parker - see 6th May 2014 - I cannot find anything after 1861 census, so do believe he died aged 22 in 1870, unfortunately. But I do have his baptism.

Sunday 24th February 2019

Emma Amelia Parker - see 1st May 2014 & 26th Apr 2016 - unfortunately I can't find a baptism or burial but have a scan of her marriage. I'm afraid this was one of those where the father's name was wrong. It says "Albert Parker deceased". I think this is a classic misunderstanding on the part of the registrar; because her father Charles had died 4 years before, she was probably given away by her older brother Albert (eldest, Charles was in the Royal Navy and no doubt away) and the registrar got the wrong end of the stick!

George William Parker senio r (great great-uncle) - see 1st May 2014 & 29th Apr 2016 - where I told their dramatic story. I now have scans of baptism and marriage, but no further details, apart from a rather scary picture of the only known surviving doll made by Elizabeth's father Anthony in 1850 and a photo of Ely Place, off Harman Street, where smallpox raged.

James Parker junior my great great grandfather - see 2nd May 2014 & 29th Apr 2016 - when I managed to straighten him and his wife out. I see the marriage took place on 1 Jan 1837.

His father James Parker senior , my 3xgreat grandfather is still very messy, as I have 3 possibilities for baptism and different sets of parents, giving several dates of birth in 1782 & 1793. I believe the latter, as I have seen the 1851 census record of 34 Sudeley Street, Islington, showing him aged 58, a Master Jeweller (I wish I could tell my Dad), with wife Harriot and apprentice Stephen Hoole. He died the following year and was buried on 9 Sep 1852 at St Mary's, Islington. I have sought 1841 census and found dozens to fit Harriot but with no James. Equally, there are several deaths but the only one in Islington is before the marriage date, so is no good.

There were also two John Henry Parkers, one the son of James & Ann and one of George & Elizabeth.
John Henry Parker 1 - see 5th May 2014 - was the eldest son of James Junior & Ann, who died aged 19. I have his baptism b ut unfortunately I can't find a burial..
John Henry Parker 2 - see 29th Apr 2016, ostensibly born 1896 to George W & Elizabeth above, but I have now found a baptism that throws the cat among the pigeons: 1894 St Luke's, Islington, making him 18 months older than he thought... they said he was 5 in Apr 1901, when he was really 7, when you would have thought it would mean a lot. However, ths was the period they lived in the very unhealthy area. They were very lucky to survive; only brother William died in infancy and one out of five was quite normal. There is a marriage to an Edith Phyllis Hooper in her home town of Upper Sapey nr Worcester and a 1939 Register to go with it, at a cottage called The Oaks, The Common, Upper Sapey, John and his son William farm labourers, Edith UDD and two closed files. Other trees have children on them; apart from William born 1920, Mavis in 1924, Henry in 1927 and Geoffrey 1930. There are also deaths in the correct area; in 1958 for Edith and 1973 for John.

Saturday 23rd February 2019

As described in previous years, there were three generations of Charles James Robert Parkers.
CJR Parker 1 - see 24th Apr 2014 & 26th Apr 2016 - b 1852 - this is especially interesting with the detail of Gilpin Grove I mentioned yesterday. I have baptism scan and I now believe the correct marriage to be in 1883 to Mary Ann Canfield in Aston, Herts, not far from here, as it has the correct father's name. Aston and Edmonton are only 22 miles apart, but from my perspective in opposite directions (in fact to get from one to the other, you have to pass right by my house!). Nevertheless, for some reason they settled in Edmonton and the rest of the dynasty followed.
CJR Parker 2 was his son - see 25th Apr both 2014 & 2016 - b 1884. I have his baptism. He was brought up in Edmonton, then in the Royal Navy. I can't find a scan of his marriage in 1922 to Minnie Speller, unfortunately, nor details of burial.
CJR Parker 3 - also see 25th Apr both 2014 & 2016 - b 1924. Nothing new here, I'm afraid. Lots of questions remain unanswered, for example why he died in Milton Keynes and what happened to his wife Patricia. Of course she may be still alive aged 92. No scans either, as this was all too recent. I can see them in electoral roll records, living at 1 Junction Road, Edmonton 1949-60 at least.

Edith Parker - see 26th Apr both 2014 & 2016 - daughter of CJR 2 above. I have baptism scan but nothing new.

Eliza Ann Parker , great great-aunt, see 26th Apr 2014 - she was the elder sister who married Charles Prangnell senior (see Amelia yesterday). I have scans of baptism and marriage. She was buried on 19 Jan 1926 in Islington Cemetery, in plot Z/16914 with 27 others, interred over a 5 week period to 27 Mar 1926. As a widow she may not have been able to afford a proper burial plot and just had a public one. At least the dates and names were recorded.

My great grandmother Emily Ann Parker was covered in detail on 28th Apr 2014 & 24th Feb 2016, the latter showing her in Woolwich with daughter Alice Pilott & family, described as "Invalid OAP". She died 3 months later, on 3 Jan 1940 and was buried in plot N/1444 of Plumstead Cemetery. In 16 and 27 years, John and Alice joined her in the grave.

Friday 22nd February 2019

Today would have been my father's 97th birthday. Happy Birthday in Heaven, Dad. So it's appropriate to stay on his tree for just a little longer. Following the pattern of previous years, I shall study his paternal grandmother Emily's branch, the Parkers.

Albert Edward Parker was born in 1887 to Emily's brother Charles and his wife Mary Ann, and can be seen with them aged 4 in 1891 census at 5 Leicester Terrace, Lawrence Road, Edmonton, the family having recently moved there from Holborn. In 1901 there were more children in the house, so they had moved round to 6 Gilpin Grove and Albert was working as an Errand Boy. On Christmas Eve 1905 at St James church, Upper Edmonton he married Jane Elizabeth Howard and they moved into 44 Gilpin Grove. The Bell at Edmonton was famously a place mentioned in the John Gilpin story, so several features in this area are named after him. Albert was at that time working as a warehouseman. They had a son Henry here in 1907 then moved to Deptford, where they had daughter Dorothy in 1910. They can be seen the following year in the census at 338 Evelyn Street, Deptford with 2 young children and Albert's brother William aged 15. This area is now modern blocks, so I can't bring you a photo. As there was significant bomb damage here in WW2 I suspect all was lost. The census records show the reason for moving south of the River; Albert had joined the Metropolitan Police. The police station was a short walk behind the house, in Amersham Vale, and has now been converted into a museum/gallery so no doubt Albert would recognise his workplace should he return today. I'm not sure how long he worked there, as by 1921 they had moved back to Edmonton. Daughter Rose was born there then, and by 1939 Register they seem well established. They were living in Fore Street, near their home of 1901, and working as pillars of the community. Albert was listed as Town Hall Keeper (it makes sense, a lot of police officers move onto caretaker roles). Jane is described as "cleaning staff supervisor", so I suspect it was the Town Hall she cleaned. The Town Hall in Edmonton was in Fore Street, built in 1884, extended in 1903 and demolished 1989. There was also a closed file, probably Dorothy as I cannot find her elsewhere, and Rose, listed as "unfit for work". She married in 1948 but cannot have been very unfit as she lasted until 2003. Henry was married and living in Southgate, not far away. Examining the editorial roll records, I can see Albert had been at the same address since at least 1925, maybe before 1921 but I have no baptism for Rose to confirm. He died in Edmonton on 1 Nov 1955 aged 68.

Amelia Jane Parker - see 24th Apr 2014 & 25th Apr 2016. She was Emily's youngest sister but please see previous tabs for the convoluted story. I have now seen scans though: baptism and marriage. Not burial I am afraid, for Amelia or Charles.

Tuesday 19th February 2019

I spent the whole of today checking the burials at West Norwood Cemetery against all of my trees and have now completed them. I have nothing new to bring you, so will move on again on Friday to the next of the Maintenance Checks.

Monday 18th February 2019

Henry Edward Matthews died in infancy, born in the October quarter of 1899 to Robert Edward and Florence Beatrice, he was buried a year later on 19 Nov in plot 7E17 of Bath Abbey Cemetery. 5 unknown people were also in that plot, Henry being the third, over a 45-year period (of a variety of ages).

Iris Caroline Keen née Matthews died on 16 Jul 2005 in Bath and was buried on 4 Oct in Haycombe Cemetery in plot 21A336. Her husband Maurice was still alive (and in the Bath area) in 2010, although he was then 88.

Jane Tucker née Matthews may have been buried in 1865 in Lyn & Wid cemetery, as her husband Thomas was there 40 years later. However I cannot be sure of this as there is no date of birth on her plot.

I dealt with Louisa Burgess née Matthews under Alice Kate last Monday - see below - who died aged 81 and was buried on 22 May at Locksbrook St Saviour's, joining her husband and daughter.

Mary Ann Hill née Matthews died aged 48 and was buried 8 Jan 1886 at Locksbrook St Swithin. Her husband had been buried there early the previous year (not in the same grave, but without plot numbers...)

When I updated Nellie Doris Iris Witts née Matthews on 29th Jan below, I had little information on the end of her (and Ivor's) life. So it was a nice surprise to find her on this list with lots of added detail. When Ivor died in 1980 he was buried in plot 30J400 in Haycombe cemetery and Nellie joined him on 20 Jul 2004 aged 82. Their only son (the other three were girls) Michael died aged 13 months in 1951 and was commemorated on a little stone here.

Rosina Kathleen May née Matthews , daughter of Robert & Henrietta, is also buried at Haycombe, plot 30A380. What seems odd here is that she was buried with the brother of her first husband John Vallance, who had been interred into the plot in 1966. Harold had gone to Lyn & Wid cemetery when he died in 1941 with a bunch of others. That cemetery had closed in 1937 when Haycombe opened, but I had thought spouses could use existing plots. Not a lot shows nowadays, and there isn't an inscription to help. Her second husband lived until 2005 and was buried in Haycombe plot 21A427 on his own.

Sarah Elizabeth Matthews , daughter of Silas & Sarah née Coombs, died aged 4 and was buried at Locksbrook St Swithin on 27 Nov 1884.

Edith May Matthews née Gifford was buried on 24 Nov 1960 plot 43H424 Haycombe Cemetery aged 61 and was joined there by her husband (Silas) William James on 8 Sep the following year aged 66.

Violet May Matthews married Sidney James Miller in 1936, they had 5 children then he died 2 May 1968 aged 55. He was buried in plot 42R388 at Haycombe and she joined him on 6 Aug 1990, aged 73

William Jonathan Matthews was born in 1863 to Jonathan & Mary Ann. He died aged almost 13 and was buried on 16 Mar 1876 in Locksbrook St Swithin

Sunday 17th February 2019

On to burials of the Silases, all three in Locksbrook St Swithin's.
Silas Matthews 2 born in 1822, died on 17 Feb 1875 aged 52, registered by his second wife Sarah (who isn't buried here as she had remarried and moved away).
His son Silas Matthews 3 , born 1856, died 1923 aged 67
His son Silas James Matthews born 1877 died 27 Oct 1943 aged 66

The next burial, Violet Matthews , was very interesting. I have told the story before (see 10th Apr 2014, 13th Apr 2016 & 5th Feb 2019) of the air-raid in 1942. Violet was the one who went home after visiting the cinema and her body was found by her brother Leonard. She was evidently buried in plot 38Q221 at Haycombe cemetery along with Lilian Chapman and Gilbert Robbins, killed the same day (but unknown to me), on 1 May 1942.
Haycombe cemetery in Whiteway Road opened in Jul 1937 and all of the other local cemeteries were closed. It originally occupied 30 acres, containing over 23,000 plots, including an area set aside for military graves. There was a mass burial on 1 May 1942, as the Bath Chronicle reported “Simple coffins, they were; plainly constructed with, in most cases just a name - occasionally several names- and a number, painted in black paint. Some bore only a number, others just one-word explanation, “Unidentified.” There were further mass burials during that week." Violet's case was evidently more informed, as Leonard found her. The Crematorium was built at the western end of the site in 1961 and there have been over 110,000 cremations to date. There is a memorial wall surrounding the courtyard for cremation memories. In 2012 a further piece of ground was opened and extended the area.

William Matthews 1 born 1882 to Silas 3 & Sarah Coombes, died aged 60 later in 1942 and was buried on 29 Nov in plot 41S317, occupied the previous year by a Thomas Griffiths (who I don't know). This is evidently not a related death, as sections 38 & 41 are not together.

William Matthews 2 born 1868 to Silas 2 & Sarah Williams died aged 46 was buried 30 Apr 1915 in Locksbrook St Swithin's. His wife Nellie went on to remarry but both she and her second husband Henry Dunford died in 1938 and were buried in the same cemetery (separate plots).

William Walter Matthews died aged 22 months and was buried in St Swithin's. It isn't clear whereabouts and maybe a little clarification is in order
St Swithin's Church originally dates from 10th Century (parts of the crypt are original) with 33,168 burials from 1711. The church was pulled down in 1777 an the current much larger building constructed. Much of the cemetery has gone and the chapel is now a gallery (Walcot Gate), but there are still gravestones around it. Lansdown cemetery took most of the Walcot burials after 1848 then Locksbrook from 1864.

So, William Walter is probably in the graveyard above at Walcot Gate.

Charles Reginald Matthews was an odd record. He was said to have died aged 40 but his birth and death dates were 50 years apart, so I put him to one side to look at later. If I ignore the obviously wrong date of birth, he could well be my Charles Reginald, who died 15 Dec 1963 aged 41, his birth being in Oct 1922. He was last seen in 1939 Register at 22 Otago Terrace with his mother, grandmother and brothers, and this was still his home when he died, although this took place at St Martin's Hospital, and he was buried at Locksbrook St Swithin's.

I found two Edwin Barnard Matthews , Senior born 1826, died aged 81 on 4 Apr 1908 at 8a Westgate Street, buried on 10 Apr in plot 7.24 in Bath Abbey Cemetery.His son EBM Junior died only two years later, but in the Royal United Hospital, Walcot, which may be why he was interred in Locksbrook Cemetery St Swithin's - see Monday - in what was called a "family plot" but no records show any other burials. Son Albert followed in 1917 and Emma's remains were moved to join them (she having died in 1916)

Florence Mary Matthews was a baby who died in infancy and was buried on 21 Dec 1912 in plot PL67 in the St Saviours section of Locksbrook Cemetery. Her parents had only just got married at this time, and didn't die themselves for many years. I can't track down her father, as he died in 1930 and doesn't appear on this list. Her mother Henrietta née Jones died aged 96 in 1980 and I have found her here, buried in the St Swithin's section.

Another buried in Locksbrook St Swithin's was Florence Valentine Tucker née Matthews , iterred in 1945 after dying aged 53.

Yet another was George Henry Matthews , born 26 Sep 1919 to Silas James & Lily. He died aged 16 months and was buried in Feb 1921.

Saturday 16th February 2019

The next burial plot was a revelation. I found plot no. PB22 of Lyncombe & Widcombe cemetery because it was used to hold Herbert George William Matthews in 1937, after his death aged 39 on 12 July that year. His address was given as Westfield House, Bloomfield Road, which you may remember was the Bath address of Herbert William, the famous architect, who was his father. He (HGW) was buried on 15 Jul 1937, and I see now that the same plot was used for his parents. There was apparently an inscription but I don't know what it said. His mother Minnie Agnes née Candy was next in the plot, buried on 9 Jul 1945 after dying on 6 Jul aged 69. I got a surprise when I looked at her husband's record though, as it seems he remarried almost immediately. I see that in the October quarter of that year in Marylebone he married Constance Arline (I am not sure if this was her maiden name or she was married before but I know her date of birth was 12 Jan 1886, so she was 10 years younger than her husband). I cannot find her 1939 Register entry but she was living in Chelsea through the 30s under this name. They were only together for 9 years, though, as Herbert died on 4 Mar 1954 and was buried in the plot on 8 Mar. Constance continued to live in London, and died there on 15 Aug 1970 aged 84, buried with the others here in Bath on 26 Aug and leaving £42,583 (although I don't know whether to Margaret & John, Herbert's remaining children, or not). I can see from his death record that Herbert did have two addresses; 3 Dunraven Street, Park Lane, London W1, where he died, and Westfield House, Bath.

John Matthews was buried in Locksbrook cemetery, St Swithin's part, on 27 Mar 1901, having died 2 days before at Morford Street, Bath. He was the one who married twice, lastly to Hannah who had a criminal record but went on to become a nurse. He was 74 at his death, but I cannot find Hannah in 1901 census and he had described himself in 1891 census as "widowed", so all is confusing. There is no sign of Hannah in this burial plot and there is a note "second interment", suggesting his remains were moved, but from where? I think that Hannah was buried in this cemetery too, 6 years later, but with no plot numbers I am none the wiser.

Jonathan Matthews was also buried in that cemetery, on 7 Jul 1893, having died aged 66 two days before, of apoplexy at 2 Turners Buildings. His wife Mary Ann was informant, present at the death, but she was evidently unwell herself, as she died 3 months later. She was buried in a different plot, but as neither had numbers, I cannot tell if they were buried near each other, again.

Robert Matthews was buried in the same cemetery on 11 Jul 1892, having died aged 37. As his wife remarried, she was buried under her new name of Walker, and I haven't looked her up.

There are two Roberts who died as children: one Robert Matthews on 18 Jun 1852 aged 3 at the Union burial ground at the Workhouse. This was in Midford Road, and at that time was new, having only been built in 1846
(an article in the Bath Chronicle in 1847 said: “the Bishop proceeded to the Union Workhouse and consecrated a piece of ground for the interment of such poor persons as may die within the house. Thus the inconvenience of removing the bodies to different parishes will in future be obviated.”) The original graveyard was an area of ground to the southeast of the chapel and held 1111 burials, with two memorials, including one to Eddie Cochran, who was killed here on the way home and is buried in California. In Apr 1858 a second ground was consecrated by the Radstock Road, took 3191 burials and was closed in 1899. Thereafter those who died in the workhouse were buried at home in their individual wards. I did mention this place on 8th February - see below - in its latter years as an independent institution. Robert's mother Emily Matthews née Matravers was also in the workhouse with him at the time and she died the following year, aged 28, and was buried here too (but not in the same plot).
The other Robert Matthews (my 3xgreat uncle) was buried on 7 Apr 1815 aged 5 in the Independent Burial Ground attached to the Argyle Chapel, Snow Hill. This area has been redeveloped and the burials can no longer be seen. Apparently the land was in a bad state in the 1950s and the council tried to tidy it up. Many of the records were also lost, so all that is known is there were over 1100 burials and 66 vaults, dating from 1790.

Oh, in plot number G10 with Uncle Robert there were also another 6 burials dating from 1805-1815, but none was related.

Friday 15th February 2019

This seems to be a week for release of cemetery lists. As you are aware, I am currently going through Bath Burial List for Matthews ancestors buried in that city. Today Deceased Online have announced thousands of burials in West Norwood Cemetery, Borough of Lambeth, London. As I have several major branches in that area I have been looking them over and will bring news at a later date. This means I haven't done anything in Bath today, so will have to continue that tomorrow.

Tuesday 12th February 2019

Continuing with the theme of yesterday, the burials in Bath, the next one is in the cemetery called
Bath Abbey Cemetery
Now, this did initially confuse me, as Bath Abbey is in the centre of the city and has no grounds around it for burial. The cemetery is a mile away to the south-east, on a triangle of land purchased in 1844, by the rector of the abbey from the catholic bishop, next to the catholic burial ground. You can see the Abbey from there. It covers 5 acres and contains 6439 burials and 2036 memorials.

The plot I am most interested in here is 4C29, where Doris Laura Matthews and her parents ( Richard) Edward and Florence Beatrice née Byfield are.

Florence died on 13 Feb 1955 (i.e. 64 years ago tomorrow) aged 75 and was interred into this plot on 17th, then her husband joined her on 2 Jul 1963 aged 89. Their daughter Doris died 19 Mar 1977 aged 73 and joined them in the grave, although she was not added to the inscription. The flower vase stone may be hers.

The next burial of interest is that of Eliza Margaret Matthews née Robins , who I dealt with last Friday. As I said then, William died in 1919 and Eliza lived in London, until she died in 1941. What I didn't say last week was that they were both buried in Twerton. I now see that they joined Eliza's sister Maria in her plot...

Twerton Cemetery is another piece of land to the south of Bath given over to local burial. In 1881, the Twerton Burial Board considered a plot of land on the Wells Road as a possible cemetery but this was too close to houses to comply with the regulations on burials. Instead a 2½ acre plot was bought from the Trustees of Bellott’s Hospital later that year. There were 8438 burials and 814 memorials and it too closed in 1937 when Haycombe opened.

... Maria Mulhall née Robins was buried in plot CMM16 on 7 Jun 1917 having died aged 77, then William joined her 2 years later, followed on 7 Apr 1941 by Eliza. The plot is rather neglected nowadays, unfortunately.

I dealt with George James Matthews on 10th Feb 2014, outlining how he lived with his parents all his life until they died, then he died a few years later. I can see now that his mother Jane née Rackett died aged 71 and was buried in Locksbrook St Saviour's (see yesterday) plot BG150 on 26 Mar 1884. James followed her on 7 Jul 1889 aged 75 and then George joined them on 24 Jun 1894 aged 47.

Gordon Samuel Ronald Matthews was brother of the twins Doris & Iris that I mentioned yesterday. He was stillborn or died in early infancy, and I cannot locate a baptism (although his birth was registered in Walcot in Apr 1930. He has an entry in the burial register of Locksbrook in the St Swithon's section, but no plot number or inscription.

The next burial is that of Harry Charles Matthews , painter & decorator, who died aged 75, living at Avalon, Midford Road, South Stoke, Bath. This is very much the southern outskirts of Bath, Midford Road runs south-east to Midford, and the village of South Stoke is just off it. St James church is surrounded by graves and some are very old. Records date from 1800 and there are 1008 to date, with 189 memorials. Apparently it is still open, but only to those living locally. Although his wife Elizabeth died the following year there does not appear to be a record of her joining him. Many of the gravestones here have been photographed but many have no inscription that can be identified, including this record.

The next burial on the list is that of Henry Matthews and two Sarahs. This is plot 3E23 in Lansdown Cemetery, a logical step as Ballance Street is just off Lansdown Road, which leads north out of Bath and the cemetery is 1½ miles up Lansdown Road.

Lansdown Cemetery opened in 1848 and holds 5785 burials. The council mows it in November, so in June when we visited ot was rather overgrown with grass etc and we didn't manage to identify much. Beckford Tower adorns the site, erected by the daughter of William Beckford, the owner of the site, and one of the first "residents".
Plot 3E23 was originally occupied by Henry's mother known as Sarah, although a note on the record says "forename Mary in burial register" and I know her as Mary née Gilbert. She died 16 Jun 1871 of "senile decay" aged 72 at 31 Ballance Street and was buried on 21 Jun. Although I am told her husband Robert died the following year he isn't mentioned here and to be honest I can't find a death record. The next to be buried in the plot was Henry himself, who died at Gloucester Terrace aged only 46 and was buried with his mother on 21 Jan 1877. He was followed 11 years later by his wife Sarah Ann née Alexander, who joined him 6 Nov 1888 aged 56, by which time she was living in Wells Road, south of the river, but still joined her family in Lansdown.

Monday 11th February 2019

I have found in the Bath burial list no fewer than 28 of my Matthewses, so will examine each in detail.
Albert Edwin Matthews was previously quite unsatisfactory, so it is good to find more on him. He was born in 1872 and in looking for him today I have found a baptism previously elusive. I think I have tracked Mary Ann down too, in 1939 Register, living in Holwell Cottages, Frome. Both her death and Albert's were registered in Wells, Somerset registration area, so they may have lived at that address for some years. Mary Ann died not long after the Register was taken, and I can't see her burial on this list, so she presumably didn't join him. His interment was in Locksbrook Cemetery and it's worth spending some time on it here.
Locksbrook Cemetery

This cemetery sits to the west of Bath, on Upper Bristol Road. It opened in 1864 with separate areas for the parishioners of St Swithin's in Walcot and St Saviour's. A further section for Weston opened in 1877. There were 29,591 burials for Walcot, with the first burial on 17 Jan 1864, the area covering 12 acres, laid out by Edward Milner, the landscape gardener to the Crystal Palace project, who no doubt inspired Herbert in his designs for the Exhibition many years later.

While on the subject, the St Saviours section was open 1864-1998 and took 4550 burials in this time. The area slopes down rather to the river. The Weston section also opened in 1877 and has 5322 plots. It too slopes down rather at the edges

All are now closed, as Haycombe is now the only cemetery open for new interments, and it has the crematorium.

Moving on, Alice Kate Matthews (aka Kate) was the sister who stayed on at Holly Mount, Belgrave Road to help take care of the 11 children of Louisa and George Burgess, when the rest of her family moved away. It isn't a surprise then that at her death she was buried in the Burgess plot in Locksbrook. They evidently attended St Saviour's as this was in that section of the cemetery.The plot concerned held Kate's nephew baby Victor Thomas, who died in infancy in 1879 and niece Bessie Kate who died unmarried in 1910, aged 33 (possibly named after our Kate). When Kate died aged 71 on 30 Apr 1923 she joined them, interred on 3 May, and 19 years later was joined in 1944 by 75-year-old Edith Ann, another niece who lived by then in Weston-super-mare but died in St Martin's Hospital, Bath. Kate's sister Louisa was buried in a separate plot with husband George and another of the children Nellie. George had died in 1904, Nellie in 1906 and Louisa joined them in 1931.

You may remember that Silas William James Matthews married Edith May Gifford in late 1920 and had twins Doris & Iris a few weeks later, and they died at or shortly after birth. They were buried on 16 Mar 1921 at Lyncombe & Widcombe/St James cemetery , which opened in 1861 and interred 24,724 before closing. It sits on the Lower Bristol Road just southeast of Locksbrook, between that and Bath city. It has a large part dedicated to Nonconformists and there are large parts unconsecrated too. There was much bomb-damage in WW2 and not all of the cemetery has been mapped and identified. There were many memorials which have not been discovered since.
The baby twins were placed in a plot already holding a baby Kate Wiltshire, a 23-year-old Jane Newton and 79-year-old William Walker, at he same time as a Mark Payton was interred. I don't know if this was significant, as I haven't identified a link. In 1942 a 67-year-old Queenie Trapps joined them.

Sunday 10th February 2019

William Matthews 4 my 5xgreat grandfather - see 18th Apr 2016 - I have a scan of his baptism in 1719 where a smudgy date at the end says "Nov 13". Otherwise nothing new.

William Ewart Matthews - see 17th Apr 2014 & 18th Apr 2016. One thing I do like about Ancestry purchasing the 1939 Register is that records attached to our Ancestry trees are always updated. Thus Bernard's closed file that I mentioned has now been opened and all 6 family members are there. Otherwise nothing new, though, as Worcester is not well covered for baptisms.

William Francis Matthews , his father - see 17th Apr 2014 & 20th Apr 2016 - he appears not to have been baptised, so I cannot confirm (or otherwise) his father being called "William" on his marriage. As far as I know, he was always called "Edwin Barnard" - maybe this was one of those cased of mis-hearing or misunderstanding. He died aged 45 in Jan 1912 in Worcester, so no further info.

My grandfather William George Matthews - also see 17th Apr 2014 & 20th Apr 2016 - nothing new apart rom scans of baptism and marriage

The other William George Matthews - see 20th Apr 2016 - nothing (there was a record showing he was killed in WW1 in France/Flanders but I don't think it was him).

William Horace Matthews - see 20th April 2014 & same 2016, my Uncle Will. As I said in 2016, the 1939 Register was dealt with on 24th Feb, where I showed them in Beckenham, living over the shop. I had a message from the shop in recent years to confirm Bernard now ran the shop/owns the business.

William Jonathan Matthews died aged 13 and was buried in the part of the Locksbrook Cemetery for parishioners from Walcot St Swithin's. I shall return to this later or tomorrow.

William Walter Matthews died aged 18 months and was buried at St Swithin's itself. Also see later.

Winifred Jessamine Matthews - see 18th Apr 2014 & 20th Apr 2016 - I have a scan of her baptism but not marriage, as this was too recent. 1939 Register was dealt with in 2016 but I can now add a couple of details. The closed record appares to be a J Drummond, so could be a child but I cannot locate a birth to go with it (it is still closed, but the name is poking out of the redaction due to a correction on the original). Also, both she and John volunteered for service in wartime; he as an ARP warden for his company, she a volunteer at the police canteen. When Winifred died on 21 Jan 1994 she was living at 2 St Marys Close, Timsbury (and had been there 2 years prior to this, when John died). She was cremated at Haycombe Crematorium on 28 Jan, leaving £125,000.

I was delighted to find, on searching for these, that the local archive in Bath have transcribed the thousands of records of burials in Bath cemeteries and churchyards. The listings are vast, so I shall study them and get back to you tomorrow.

Friday 8th February 2019

William Matthews 1 - see 14th Apr 2014 & 18th Apr 2016, when I couldn't find him in 1939 Register. I have now done so, as expected in an institution. This was called at the time the Public Assistance Institution, Frome Road House, at Odd Down. He was one of hundreds of inmates and patients there, and I assume the death record in Oct 1942 was his; residents were buried in one of two cemeteries nearby. The workhouse was built in 1836, when the Poor Law Union was set up, and in WW2 contained a EMS unit (Emergency Medical Service), then in 1948 was incorporated into the NHS as St Martin's Hospital. It closed in 2010 and has now been converted into apartments.

William Matthews 2 - also see 14th Apr 2014 - had an interesting story, as he was the one who was at the Industrial School, then spent 7 years in Canada, returning to marry and produce one son. I can now add one more snippet, as his son Silas in his WW1 documentation, in 1912 gave his parents' address as 11 Weymouth Square, Bath, very near to their address in 1911, and this was no doubt where William died in 1915

William Matthews 3 - see 17th Apr 2014 - a couple of snippets here; when he married, his bride Eliza was only 16 but it wasn't a "shotgun marriage" as they didn't have daughter Eliza for 4 years. Their parents were neighbours in Museum Street. After William's death in 1919 he left £3767 to Eliza and she moved back to London. When she died 22 years ater her address was given as 62 Abingdon Road, Kensington. (They may have had properties in both London and the West Country; on the marriage certificate her father's profession was "gentleman" and although her address was this house in Kensington, she died in 1941 in Wiltshire). 1939 Register was taken not long before she died and she was at the above address, listed as of "Private Means", some of this maybe the rent paid to her by the others in the house, an accountant and a family of railway-workers. She also had a companion/help in her 30s. When Eliza died in 1941 she was at 58 Ermine Street, Stratton St Margaret, Wiltshire, where she may have moved to for the duration of war, safer out of London, even though she was 90 years old, leaving £1333 to son Herbert (the Crystal Palace architect, who also lived in London and the West Country).

Tuesday 5th February 2019

Victor Stanley Matthews - see 12th Apr 2016 - burial

Violet May Matthews - see 10th Apr 2014 & 12th Apr 2016 - nothing new; even the closed record (probably Frank) on 1939 Register is still closed. She died on 24 Jul 1990, living at 134a Carfax Avenue, Tongham, Surrey, leaving £115000, probably to her children (no doubt this included the flat above)

Violet E May Matthews - see 10th Apr 2014 & 13th Apr 2016. She was the sister who went home after the cinema and was killed in an air raid (see brother Leonard below).

Vivian John Matthews - see 13th Apr 2016 - nothing new

My father Walter Charles Matthews - see 11th Apr 2014 & 13th Apr 2016 - I think the account in 2014 is a good summary of his life and there is nothing new

Walter James Matthews - see 12th Apr 2014 & 18th Apr 2016 - nothing new except I may have found him in 1871 census aged 2 with his grandmother, in a green-grocers shop in Lyncombe (worryingly with a lady who had leprosy!)

On to the Williams on Friday...

Monday 4th February 2019

Silas Matthews 2 - see 31st Mar 2014 - was son of "senior" I dealt with yesterday. I told the (ultimately sad) story of his life, but now have a scan of his baptism. Unfortunately the marriage records of the Register Office have not been scanned. The only other snippet of information I have is that he was unable to pay the fine in Oct 1874 for not sending his children to school, due to being in hospital and thus unable to work, so he was imprisoned for 3 days. This did not do anyone any good at all, as he had TB and died 4 months later.

Silas Matthews 3 - I called him "junior" on 31st Mar 2014 - was son of 2 and his 2nd wife Sarah and he was baptised on 4 Aug 1861 at St Swithin aged almost 5, with siblings Robert and Sarah but again he married at the Register Office so no scan of that.

Silas James Matthews - see 31st Mar 2014 & 6th Apr 2016 - was his son and was baptised on 15 Feb 1878 at Christchurch Bath aged 7 months. And I can now see all but one of the lines on the 1939 Register - see Sidney below.

Silas William James Matthews - see 5th Apr 2014 & 6th Apr 2016. I now see why I couldn't find his baptism. I have said that registrars and census enumerators were often, in the past, elderly and thus misheard names. This Silas was written in the records as "Cyrus" (and also called his mother Emma, but that was corrected at the time). Nothing else new.

Stanley Matthews - see 6th Apr 2016 - nothing new

Sylvia May Matthews - see 7th Apr 2014 & 19th Apr 2016. At her death on 20 Dec 1979, the probate record said "...of Varley Hall of Residence, Coldean Lane" (Brighton University Halls of Residence). I'm not sure why this was her address; at 48 she was hardly likely to be a student. Maybe she was a matron of the Halls. She left £23827, presumably to her 2nd husband Alan and/or son Christopher.

Thomas Albert Matthews - see 7th Apr 2014 & 10th Apr 2016 - died on 7 Feb 1987 when he lived at 15 The Brow, Twerton and he was cremated on 11 Feb 1987 at Haycombe Crematorium, leaving £8935, presumably to son Trevor as Beatrice had died in 1970 (also cremated at Haycombe, on 16 Mar)

Thomas Robert Matthews - see 10-11 Apr 2016 - I have found his baptism dated 5 Jul 1874 at St Swithin's and a possible emigration in 1896 aged 22 (although under his middle name of Robert, maybe he went against his parents' will). For lots of further detail see 2016.

Thomas William Matthews - see 7th Apr 2014 & 12th Apr 2016 - did have a baptism record in Bath but they moved to Canford, Dorset, then Worcester, as I said. Nothing new is forthcoming, but there is plenty of detail on 2016 blog.

Sunday 3rd February 2019

Roy Arthur Matthews , my cousin, see 5th Apr 2016 - married Sylvia Dabbs from Rochford, Essex and she grew up in a bungalow called "The Nest". She can be seen there in 1939 Register with her parents and 4 siblings, she herself 9 years old "at school", her father William a builder's labourer by trade but also in the Special Constabulary for the duration of the war. I see that her line has now been unredacted so she must have died in recent years.

Ruby Lilian Matthews - see 24th Mar 2014 & 5th Apr 2016. The only new record is electoral roll records in 2003-10 at 22 North View Close, Bath, and a picture from 2014, just the time she died. Her 1939 Register line is still redacted, unfortunately.

Sarah Matthews - see 24th Mar 2014 - was baptised on 4 Aug 1861 aged 2 with siblings. Also I have a scan of the banns for her marriage. As you know, I don't much like banns, as the ceremony may not take place, but this one has a note on it that they were married on 10 Nov 1890. I did have a lot of trouble finding her, but now realise that after she married Joseph, who was 12 years younger than she was, she took 10 years off her age... So, in 1891 they can be seen at 71 Avon Street, Bath and in 1901 at "4 Newborn Street" (as far as I can see, this address never existed and may have been a mishearing of "New Bond Street"), Joseph a fish dealer and Sarah "shellfish shopkeeper". By 1911 they were in the next street to Avon, son William now also a fishmonger, Westgate Buildings. Where they lived is now a Tesco Express with apartments above, no doubt they also lived over the shop. By 1939 they were at 18 Tennyson Road, a mile to the west, Joseph had retired, William married and living elsewhere, Sarah UDD. She was then 80, admitting to 68, but died 3 years later and Joseph followed 5 years after that.

Sarah Ann Matthews - also see 24th Mar 2014 - I have scans of baptism and marriage. This was all fine, until I came across a 1939 Register which seemed to suggest she was living in Islington, London with a family called Alcock and 2 other UDDs. I had her death in Oct 1923, which I am tending to believe, as Charles did not leave her anything on his death 5 years later.

Sidney Albert Matthews - see 28th Mar 2014 & 6th Apr 2016 - when discussing the 1939 Register of Silas and his family - see Lily Louisa below - I hadn't realised the significance. Sidney is there aged 19, his record presumably recently unredacted despite his dying abroad. They were at 8 Weymouth Square, Bath and Sidney was described as "Coal Lorry Driver". As I told you, he died in Singapore in the Ordnance Corps in 1945.

Silas Matthews Senior my 3xg grandfather - see 28th Mar 2014 - was baptised 9 Nov 1783 in Gillingham, Dorset and in answer to my query in 2014 I can see he married Martha in St Swithin's. When she died on 22 Dec 1854 it was from hepatitis, and he re-married in just over a year. Silas died of "Natural Decay" aged 84, then his second wife Sophia died in 1878 of bronchitis aged 57.

Friday 1st February 2019

Phoebe Sophia Matthews - see 16th Mar 2014 & 3rd Apr 2016 - as elusive as ever, however I have traced the couple in Florida and discovered it is not our couple, as the dates of birth are wrong and they are black. None of the other records fit with date of birth and I cannot find a death under either Matthews or Hall.

Phyllis D Matthews - see 17th Mar 2014 & 3rd Apr 2016 - I have found her in 1939 Register, at Mount Rosa, as expected, with George & Rosina (her uncle & aunt). She is listed as "Confectioner's Shop Assistant" and a note is attached saying she became Vowles. This all tallies with what I knew, but it is always nice to have things confirmed. Findmypast and Ancestry have evidently processed her death in the past 3 years and so removed her redaction. Nothing new otherwise, as her dates are too recent for scans.

Robert Matthews 1 my 4xgreat uncle - see 17th Mar 2014 - is at the other extreme, very early, but I have found a scan of his baptism in 1787(which says "2nd Sep Robert son of Edward and Mary Matthews"). I still cannot track down the marriage, but having located her baptism 2 years earlier than she would admit, I suspect this may also be earlier. This of course supports the record I found in 1810, but as this was in Chichester I have my doubts...Anyway, I have now found her death on 16 Jun 1871 and subsequent burial at St Swithin's on 21 Jun.

Robert Matthews 2 - see 20th Mar 2014 - died aged 5, but I now have scans of baptism and burial

His nephew, Robert Matthews 3 - see also 20th Mar 2014 - I did think he maybe wasn't baptised, but I have now found a record dated 1861, when he was almost 7 years old when Robert, Silas and Sarah were baptised together at St Swithin's. He returned to that church to get married on 5 Mar 1876.

Robert Albert Matthews - see 21st Mar 2014 & 4th Apr 2016 - aka Albert. He was baptised on 20 Dec 1885 at Bath Christchurch. No further scans, I am afraid.

Robert Edward Matthews aka Teddy - also see 21st/22nd Mar 2014 & 4th Apr 2016. These accounts paint a very detailed (if somewhat fragmented) picture, and I recommend you take the time to look, using the tabs for 2014 & 2016 above, then ctrl-F to find Robert Edward. I have scans of baptism and marriage

Rosina Kathleen Matthews - see 4th Apr 2016 - was baptised on 23 Feb 1913 at Bath St Saviour, giving home address of Dafford's Villa. Marriages were both too recent for scans, I'm afraid, but in 1971 there was a directory entry, just after her second marriage (still under her old name of Vallance, as it took sometime to change these things) with an address of 109 The Oval, Englishcombe Park.

Tuesday 29th January 2019

Mary Matthews - see 10th Mar 2014 - nothing new except her baptism scan.

Mary Ann Matthews 1 - see 13th Mar 2014 - nothing new but scans of baptism and marriage

Her niece was Mary Ann Matthews 2 - see 10th Mar 2014 & a little bit on 30th Mar 2016 - scans of baptism and marriage. Mary Ann 1 & husband John (above) were witnesses at her marriage. Groom's father William Williams had run the Old Fox Inn, local pub, until his death 6 months before the wedding (both fathers had died but certificate doesn't say "deceased", which seems odd), when he had been living at Lisbon Cottage, Holloway, Bath. This was where Mary Ann was living. Maybe she nursed both fathers. They probably knew each other from working in the same trade. [This pub was called the Young Fox Inn, Bridge Place, Holloway, Bath in 1965. The name may well have changed between 1876 and then, as the address appears the same. I suppose the owners may have rebuilt it and renamed it].

Mary Ann Matthews 3 - see 14th Mar 2014 & 30th Mar 2016 - after a few red herrings in the shape of a couple Herbert Swales and his wife Mary Ann, who emigrated to Australia, I have managed to find her baptism. Welsh marriage records have not been scanned, but I do have the card relating to her husband's death.

Nellie Doris Iris Matthews - see 30th Mar 2016 - I can't see a baptism scan, as these only go up to 1914, and likewise the marriage is too recent. I have seen an electoral roll record from 2003-4 at Culverhayes, the nursing home where she spent the final years of her life.

Norman Douglas Silas Matthews - I know nothing except that he was born in the Apr quarter of 1934 in Bath to Henry & Caroline née Spurrell and is probably one of the 4 redacted lines in their entry in 1939 Register at 6 Albert Buildings. I think he married Dorothy Beatrice Dyer in Jan 1967 in Bath.

Olive Ida Matthews - see 15th Mar 2014 & 30th Mar 2016 - I can see now that the 1939 Register entry has three redacted lines and as I found a third child Kenneth born in 1935 this all makes sense. This was one of the few Register pages which was typewritten, rather than hand-written, and is typed on a clunky old machine with line spacing slightly larger than the form was designed for, so sometimes it doesn't match up, but was probably cutting edge technology at the time! I can also see that they both were cremated at Kensal Green Crematorium, Edward on 1 Dec 1971 and Olive 10 Feb 1976.

Olive Rosina Matthews - see 15th Mar 2014 & 3rd Apr 2016 - there are a couple of interesting points here. Although she was born and married in Bath, electoral roll of 1935 finds them in Newbury, Berkshire, living in High Street, before returning to Bath for 1939 Register (this may not have been a good plan, as Bath was on the receiving end of a lot of "attention" in WW2) and David was only 5 months old. In the end, he survived until 2014 and has only recently had his record revealed. As I said in 2016 their house was destroyed but they survived, Bill going on to run the Swan Inn, Tytherington, Gloucs and remarrying after Olive's death. I see now that she was buried with family in St James' Cemetery on 5 Apr 1947 (I was initially thrown by a burial there of a William Coffin Stainer, but it turned out to be his grandfather) and her husband in Gloucs in June 1973.

Monday 28th January 2019

Lucy Matthews - see 29th Mar 2016 - she was baptised aged 5 on 11 Mar 1911, with sister Kathleen. At this time they had moved from 32 Devonshire Street, Marylebone across the road to number 53, then a month later the 1911 census found them at 18 Colin Road, Willesden. After their parents died, she and Kathleen lived together and can be seen in 1939 Register at 14 Lawrence Crescent, Wembley. As I said in 2016, she remained with them for decades and finally died in Jul 1986 in the Hendon area.

Madeline Matthews - see10th Mar 2014 & 29th Mar 2016 - I have now found Madeline & eldest child Audrey in 1939 Register, at 9 Claremont Buildings, Bath with 4 closed files, presumably Frederick, Ronald, Sylvia & Barbara, all babies. I have found that the death that was postulated in London was a Madeline Matthews, when "our" lady was Lomax. So, I believe the death in 1983 in Adelaide is probably correct, although I cannot locate it.

Margaret Edith Matthews - see 29th Mar 2016 - as often is the case, I have found new records from either end of her life; baptism on 16 Jun 1907 at Bath Abbey and her death, 18 Mar 1981 aged 73, at home , which they evidently named Dundas after their previous home in Bath, Campden Hill, Ilmington, Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire. She left £18,611 but when Colin died at the same address 6 years later he left £234,184, the difference no doubt being largely the house.

Martha Matthews - see 10th Mar 2014 - nothing new

Saturday 26th January 2019

Lily Louisa Matthews - see 28th Mar 2016 - was a little difficult as I never quite got to the bottom of her exact name. It appears she was baptised on 14 Apr 1902 at St John, Peasedown as Elizabeth Louise, her father Silas James recorded as James. Her birth was registered as Lily Louise, but as that was her mother's name also it isn't surprising she was known as something else in the family. But in 1911 she was living with her aunt Elizabeth, so was called Lily there, however in 1939 when with her parents she was Elizabeth L. She died (still single), in Bath and was cremated on 11 Oct 1979 at Haycombe, under the name Elizabeth Louisa.

Louisa Matthews1 - see 7th Mar 2014 - I have found her baptism, but it appears to be a year later than I thought. This may be due to a typo somewhere or it may be correct. Her brother William had just died, so they may have been shaken up and rushed her off for baptism, although I am surprised they didn't also baptise 2-year-old Ethel at the same time. On 5 Aug 1901 at St Stephen's she married Frederick John Ricketts and Ethel was a witness. I have also now found voters' lists from 1940 and 1963; she can be seen at Vernon, Yale, British Columbia with sons Fred and John, listed as a Housewife, Fred as a driver, then a warehouseman.

Louisa Matthews2 - see 9th Mar 2014 - nothing new

Tuesday 22nd January 2019

Leah Matthews - see 6th Mar 2014 & 25th Mar 2016 I have scans of baptism, 1st marriage and 2nd marriage (although banns can be untrustworthy, this one definitely took place). She had her first child in the workhouse because she was illegitimate, then followed her first marriage with Rosa and Ernest (Lily may be Leah). After Frederick died in 1906 she remarried, this time to James Flint, who had at least 4 children already. I wasted a lot of time trying to pin down his first wife, but she doesn't really matter, except as mother to these children. I think she was either Emily Ensten or Maria Farrell, but she died in 1900, possibly as a consequence of Stanley's birth. After her second marriage Leah produced Ivy, Jessie and Amy. Electoral roll records place her at 14 Gee Street in the Old Street part of Finsbury 1920-31. As I said in 2016, James died in 1937, so in 1939 Register, Leah was alone, a disabled pensioner, and died in 1953.

Leonard Harry Matthews - see 28th Mar 2016, when I said that in 1939 Register both siblings were redacted. I see that they have now released Violet's line, and she can be seen with date of birth 18 Jun 1916 describing her occupation as "light machinery and assembling small instruments and guage work". Leonard is still redacted, despite dying in 1995. Beatrice died 6 Jun 1989 and was cremated 13 Jun, Leonard in Jul 1995, cremated 20 Jul, both at Haycombe Crematorium. Royston, her son, is probably still living in the area, electoral roll records place him in Batheaston in 2002-3, daughter Heather married twice and died in Trowbridge, Wiltshire in 2014.

Leonard William Matthews - I haven't mentioned him before, as I know very little. He was born 10 Mar 1925 in Walcot to Robert & Henrietta née Jones, married Brenda Humphries in Bath in Apr 1950 and died in 2004 in Mendip, Somerset. He was the remaining closed file in 1939 Register with his mother and siblings at 22 Otago Terrace, as his father had died 9 years before.

Sunday 20th January 2019

John Matthews 1 - see 2nd Mar 2014. I have found his baptism and his first marriage. Unfortunately I couldn't find a scan of his second marriage, to Hannah Daniel, originally a glover, then cook, although there are transcriptions, so I know it took place in Bath in Jul 1863. I have seen in the criminal records accounts of Hannah and her mother Mary in court for receiving stolen goods, in the 1850s, with descriptions linking the cases; Mary had lost her front teeth and Hannah was pockmarked. Despite this she must have been a good soul (maybe her mother was a bad influence) as she went on to be a nurse in Ilfracombe.

John Matthews 2 - see 3rd Mar 2014 & 23rd Mar 2016 - proceeding with the marriage to Agnes and subsequent emigration to America, it seems that he took a first trip to USA in 1913 when he was 19, then after the war went out again and established the tea business. He can be seen in directories of 1922-27 in Bristol, Connecticut, and Agnes joined him in 1923. He was naturalized in 1929 at Hartford, Connecticut and in 1930 census John and Agnes were living at the Home for Soldiers, Fitch. I can't see that the children went out with them, but don't know what happened to them back home if they didn't. It does look like Agnes travelled back to die in UK in 1955, but again I can't find her on any passenger list. We do have to bear in mind that this whole timeline may be false... and the fact that his middle name of Burton only appears on US documents doesn't help.

John Arthur Matthews - see 23rd Mar 2016 - nothing new

Jonathan Farland Matthews - see 3rd Mar 2014 where I told his full story but can now bring you scans of his baptism and marriage, both at St Swithin's. The marriage certificate gives his father as Jonathan too, but I think that was a typo/misunderstanding, as with that middle name it has to be him! I have also traced him through Directory entries; in 1847 & 1852 at Mary Le Port Street, a Freeman, then after marriage, settled with a family at 35 Northampton Street in 1864, shoemaker, and in 1884 at 2 Turner's Buildings as Porter. This was where he died 9 years later.

Kate Mary Ann Matthews - see 3rd Mar 2014 There are no scans for marriages in Hampshire, and I can't find her burial.

Kathleen Matthews - see 23rd Mar 2016 I have seen scan of baptism but nothing else.

Laura Emily Matthews - see 6th Mar 2014 & 25th Mar 2016 - nothing new

Saturday 19th January 2019

Jemima Matthews - see 1st Mar 2014 - nothing new

Jemima Ann Matthews - see also 1st Mar 2014 - I have, as I have said before, new information on either end of her life - scans of baptism and burial. She was buried on 30 May 1900 at Chingford Mount Cemetery, home address still 9 Sedgwick Street, Hackney

Friday 18th January 2019

Iris Caroline Matthews - see 24th Feb 2014 - it seems FindmyPast haven't noticed she died in 2005, because she is still redacted, along with her 3 siblings, in Bath in 1939 Register. There is nothing new except an electoral register in 2003-5 when both she and Maurice lived at 47 Quarry Roack Gardens, Bath, which is in a "park home estate". This was presumably where she died.

Of the bunch of James Matthewses I studied in 2014 & 2016 I found nothing but frustration. So I will just summarize here in a list:
James1 born 1822 Bath: I have now found his baptism record However, although he can be seen in censuses of 1841 and 1851 in Walcot with parents and sibs, by 1861 he appeared to have married an Ann from Wiltshire and moved to London. Try as I will, I cannot match this up with a marriage and there are innumerable deaths under his name to provide alternatives.
James 2 (my 4xgreat-uncle) born originally in 1778 Gillingham, Dorset, died 1780, born 1781. His father died when he was 16, so I suppose he may have been the one who joined the army and went off to Egypt, lying about his age and consequently confusing me... All I have is a really bad scan of his entry in the baptism record at St Mary the Virgin, Gillingham.

James 3 I sorted the problem with his being called Eli by seeing a scan of the baptism record, where I can see the registrar went to enter the wrong name in the column; Charles instead of James. He has corrected the address too, so wasn't firing on all cylinders that day, it seemed! (Anyway, now I know that the 3-year-old who died in Oct 1871 was the one christened James in 1868)

The important James, however, is the one my database called James 4 , my 3xg-uncle, born 1814 in Walcot - see 27th Feb 2014. I have scans of baptism and marriage with the exact date now of his marriage (even closer to Eliza's birth than I thought!) I cannot find any burial records for Jane or James, except in London, which will not be correct as they lived at 22 Eastbourne, Bath with son George, still running the mason business until his own death in 1894.

Jane Matthews - see 28th Feb 2014 - my great great-aunt. No baptism I'm afraid, but I have the scan of her marriage. I have discovered a tenth child also, but as he died in infancy it isn't surprising he didn't show up in censuses etc.

Jane Ann Matthews - see 28th Feb 2014. I think she did die in childbirth a year after marriage, and her husband remarried. Scans are of baptism and marriage (although the certificate clearly lies, stating "of full age", it has been transcribed as "minor", which she was, as she was not quite 19 and age of majority then was 21)

Tuesday 15th January 2019

Herbert Edward Matthews - see 20th Feb 2014 & 15th Mar 2016 - I have found his baptism now and his cremation on 11 Jul 1985 at Haycombe.

Herbert Frank Matthews - see same dates - again cremated at Haycombe, this time 7 Feb 1978. With regard to his absence in 1939 Register, I have found a record which may explain it. A Herbert Frank Matthews joined the Queen's Royal West Surrey Corps in April of that year, was with them for 2 years, then transferred out on 17 Apr 1941. I can't say for sure that it was him, but service personnel were excluded from the Register for fear of "giving away" information to the Enemy.

Herbert George William Matthews - see 21st Feb 2014 & 15th Mar 2016, where I gave much detail. However I can add a few more, he was baptised on 19 Jun 1898 at Bath Abbey. I have also seen his name on the Navy List, compiled in 1919, stating he was a temporary Sub-Lieutenant in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve, presumably after hostilities ceased, aboard HMS President. It was 7 years later that he married and went off to Singapore. I have news of his end too - he was buried at St James's, Bath on 15 Jul 1937.

His father, Herbert William Matthews - see 22nd Feb 2014 & 15th Mar 2016, the architect and prominent person in Bath and London. I am very proud of this ancestor and his involvement in the great Empire Exhibition at Crystal Palace and forerunner of the Commonwealth Games, then sympathetic development of the Spa Hotel in Bath. the only new documentation is a scan of his marriage and some newspaper articles in the early 1950s mentioning his appearances in a Breach of Promise case between friends of his (not interesting). I see that when he died it was on 3 Mar 1954 in Westminster and he was buried 3 days later in the plot already occupied by his son at St James' in Bath. Apparently in 1970 they were joined by a Constance Matthews, but as I don't know her age, or marital state, I have no idea who she is.

Hilda Annie Matthews - see 24th Feb 2014 & 16th Mar 2016 scans of baptism and marriage. The 1939 Register has been updated to show John William aged 13, at school, who must have died in recent years to clear his redaction. I assume that Hilda & William decided to evacuate the whole family, to avoid being separated in wartime, as a lot of families did if they could. Wiltshire was much safer than London, so they were wise. And they remained there for many years, William dying at 1 St Philips Road in 1994. As I said in 2014 Hilda died in Windsor in 1952, which is 70 miles away, near to London, so she may have had to have specialist medical care - she was only 55.

Horace George Matthews (my Dad's Uncle Horrie) - see 24th Feb 2014 & 16th Mar 2016. Also see 22nd Mar 2016 for my account of visiting the grave. Scans are of baptism, marriage and baptism of his wife Elizabeth

Monday 14th January 2019

Henry Matthews1 - see 14th Feb 2014. I have found new documents for either end of his life. He was baptised on 21 Nov 1830 at St Swithin's church and he returned there 47 years later, as he was buried in St Swithin's churchyard on 21 Jan 1877

Henry Matthews2 - see 16th Feb 2014 & 12th Mar 2016 - was also christened at St Swithin's, on 31 Jan 1892. I see that he was in the services in WW1, but I cannot be sure which are his records (I wish they included date of birth/address on all the medal cards). Two are likely possibilities: Private Henry Matthews with Royal Irish Rifles & Royal Fusileers and Sergeant Harry Matthews with Royal Engineers. (The other possibilty was Killed in Action in 1915 and medals sent to his widow in Yorkshire).

Henry Charles Matthews - see 14th Mar 2016 - I think I had the wrong 1939 Register, as he was not on it. I have found one now, in the right area, and has a wife Winifred. Unfortunately the date of birth is 3 years different and he is a conductor, but on the buses not musical... It seems the more I look the more confusing it becomes, and everybody is missing in 1901 census

Henry Francis Matthews - see 17th Feb 2019 & 14th Mar 2016. All I have to add is the marriage certificate scan

Henry James Matthews - see 17th Feb 2014 & 15th Mar 2016. I have found his baptism, on 26 Oct 1851 at St James' Bath. I have also found wife Ann's death, in 1931 hence her absence from the Register 8 years later. No scans of marriage or burial, I am afraid. I have spent a very amusing but somewhat unproductive few hours chasing after a felon by the name of Henry Matthews, around the newspaper reports of courts in Glamorgan, only to find he was 30 years older than "mine"! He operated in a gang which included one John Matthews, who I had suspected was his father, but "my" John never left Bath! I must admit I am relieved, as they not only trespassed and poached, but raped and assaulted.

Sunday 13th January 2019

Harry Charles Matthews Senior - see 14th Feb 2014 scans of baptism and marriage. In directories of Bath he can be seen listed in 1895 at 3 Pierrepoint Street as decorator with lodgings (hence calling himself "indoor porter" in 1901 census), in 1902 at 6 Lyncombe Place, decorator and 1911 32 Claverton Street a Carpet Layer.

His son Harry Charles Matthews Junior - also see 14th Feb 2014 I have straightened him out now. He was born 19 Mar 1893 in Walcot, christened there on 21 May and in 1922 in Bath he married Rhoda Rawlings, who in 1911 was a parlourmaid at 18 Belmont (a very salubrious address in those days) However, it seems she died in 1920, as by 1939 Register he was a widower. This Harry was a grocer, in Kelly's Directory at 5 Newark Street and 70 Walcot Street in 1919 and 1923. (Newark Street was in an area badly bombed during WW2 and is now in the Southgate Shopping Centre). By 1939 Harry had moved to Bristol and is listed as "invalid". Maybe the two facts here are related! I cannot find a newspaper article regarding damage there, but have seen a map where the area is marked. In 1939 he was living with James Knowles, a decorator, who may have known his father, and Irene Knowles, probably this man's daughter. There is a note on the Register, to say that Irene became Matthews, written in 1944, then Toogood, written in 1952. I see that she married Harry in 1943, then he died 3 years later. She married Robert Toogood in 1952 and died 1966. The address in 1939 468 Gloucester Road, Bristol, was where Harry died

Harry Francis Matthews - see 14th Feb 2014 & 8th Mar 2016. As I said in previous studies, in 1915 he married Prudence Mackins, who at the time was a tailoress. By 1932 she had a shop, although I can't find out what she sold at that time, at 16 Talbot Street, Leek, Staffordshire. It seems that they moved to Stoke quite soon before 1939, as Prudence is in Leek still in 1936, with her shop. Looking at a map of the area at that time, it is obvious why they went there, as all around them were a multitude of railway lines, all gone now, as are the collieries and steel works they worked with. She ran her pub from home, but all I can find about this was that it was listed as a Beer House, not a pub as such with a name. I had thought it may have been the Trafalgar and gave the road its name, but it was the battle it was named after. The area just to the west was known as Etruria, and you may be familiar with the name from my Canal Blog, as Josiah Wedgewood and his potteries took over the area with the associated canals. When Harry died on 10 Dec 1972 and Prudence on 28 Jan 1974 they were living at 14 Cavour Street, Etruria. Nowadays numbers start at 64, as the road has been realigned.

Saturday 12th January 2019

George Albert Matthews - see 10th Feb 2014 & 8th Mar 2016 - nothing news but scans of baptism and marriage

George Charles Matthews - see 8th Mar 2016. I have seen the school admissions records for him; 10 Sep 1907 he was admitted to St John's Infants School, Worcester (the home address was 1 Skinner Street, which is in the area known as St John's) In the summer of 1910 he moved on to the Boys' School but on 1 Apr 1912 he had to leave, as his father died, and entered an orphanage. I'm not sure how long this was for, but the family was in chaos, as the father William died not long after they lost the baby Elizabeth. Mother Elizabeth presumably had to resort to an orphanage as she couldn't cope. Oddly, his brother William (2 years older) remained at the local school until 1913.

George Henry Matthews - see 10th Feb 2014 - nothing new except a scan of Emily's second marriage:

George James Matthews - also see 10th Feb 2014 - nothing new

Gertrude Annie Matthews - see 10th Feb 2014 & 8th Mar 2016. I see from the scan that her marriage was on 1 Sep 1912 at St Paul's, Bremhill, Wilts. No baptism scan for her, I'm afraid, but there is for her husband Fred. At her death, she was cremated at Haycombe Cemetery on 6 Mar 1972.

Harold Leslie Matthews - see 13th Feb 2014, when information petered out when he emigrated. I have now seen some Australian records and know his life afterwards. As I said, he travelled in Aug 1923 to Australia, saying he would settle as a farmer. After 10 years working on the railways I must admit I was surprised, but that was probably what they wanted to hear. He did settle well enough, marrying Mary Ann Gill Smith in 1927 in Maitland West, New South Wales and they can be seen there in electoral roll of 1931, at 23 Bull Street, Harold working as a "winch driver" (and Mary Ann "home duties"). During WW2 he enlisted 1939-48 in Newcastle, NSW into the Army Citizen Military Forces. After demob he returned home and can be seen with Mary Ann in 1949 at 22 Cross Street, Lambton, NSW, working as an engine driver. By 1958 he had moved on to driving a crane and lived at 12 Miller Street, Mayfield, Newcastle, then retired from driving in 1963, aged 65 to live at 46 Baker Street, Mayfield, but he kept earning, working as a "casemaker", maybe piecework from home. He may have continued this up to his death in 1972 aged 74, then Mary Ann followed in 1975 aged 67.

Friday 11th January 2019

Frederick Matthews2 - see 7th Feb 2014 & 7th Mar 2016 - nothing new except scans of baptism and marriage. In the search for heir Marjorie Beber, I see she was born in 1906, i.e. only 5 years after Frederick, so cannot be a daughter. In 1939 she can be seen with a Joseph (born 1875) and Mary E Matthews, who I do not know. So Joseph may be a cousin of Frederick I am not yet aware of..

Frederick Herbert Matthews - see 7th Feb 2014, when I thought he died in 1876. I see now that he married Ellen Kettlety on 18 Sep 1875 in Bradford-on-Avon, her birthplace. He is with the family in 1881 census, and by then they have 2 children. A third was born shortly afterwards; William Henry, aka Henry, and he can be seen in 1891 census with his grandparents, Ellen's parents, with his siblings, but the parents are nowhere to be seen. In 1901 Ellen resurfaces, calling herself married, but still no sign of Frederick, still in Bradford-on-Avon. She was listed as a woollen-weaver and son Henry a gardener, as in 1911 at 10 Kingston Road, Bradford, with Henry and a boarder. This was the address where she died in 1920, leaving her effects to Frederick junior and Florence, presumably her house to Henry. The only records I could find for Frederick senior, which may explain this, were criminal records for larceny on several occasions, each time with a term of imprisonment. The ones I found were too early to account for these gaps in the census, but he may have started young! (The records I was looking at ended in 1892). There was a death in Warminster, Wiltshire under his name in 1911, which may explain why she said "married" in censuses and "widow" at her death.

Geoffrey William Matthews - see 7th Mar 2016 - he was the cousin who emigrated to Australia and was killed in a car accident. I have nothing new to add except my puzzlement at where he was in 1939 Register. He was 11 but wasn't at home with his parents in west Wickham so must have been evacuated. I hadn't realised this.
Later: I have just found his brother Roy in Brighton and there is Geoffrey spelled Jeffery! They were living with a Harry Stone, master gardener, at 42 North Road, Preston, Brighton and I now have the exact date of birth 15 Feb 1928. He left these shores 10 years later and I still cannot find a death in Australia.

George Matthews - see 10th Feb 2014 & 7th Mar 2016 scan of baptism. I was concerned about an apparent daughter Phyllis with George & his wife in 1939 Register, but I have confirmed (now her file is open) she was his niece (the Register did not give relationship status). A nice touch was that George called his house on Mount Road "Mount Rosa" after Rosina, his wife. George was a "scrap iron and metal sorter", very useful in wartime, and Phyllis worked in a sweet shop, Rosina kept house.

Tuesday 8th January 2019

Florence Minnie Matthews - see 6th Feb 2014 & 1st Mar 2016 - I can confirm the details given by scan of baptism and that after marriage they lived next door to her parents. I have described the 1939 Register, and have sought the other children, but they could be evacuated anywhere. I think Florence died in Apr 1948 in Willesden aged 43 and Alfred in 1960 in nearby Hendon aged 58.

Florence Sarah Matthews - see 3rd Feb 2014 & 2nd Mar 2016, where I have told the detailed story.
There are no new records/scans.

Florence Valentine Matthews - see 6th Feb 2014 & 2nd Mar 2016. I see now that she was baptized on 21 Feb 1898 aged 3 with little brother george. Apart from this there is nothing new.

Frances Annie Matthews - I haven't covered her before, as all I really know is at her birth. She was born on 26 Dec 1904 to Henry & Annie née Hudson and christened on 15 Jan 1905 at St James, Clerkenwell. She can be seen in 1911 census aged 7 living at 6 Rheidol Terrace, St Peter's Street, Islington with parents, sibs and 2 boarders. I had thought the next record was marriage to Robert W Warner in Islington but 1939 Register had thrown a spanner in the works! This record has all the features of a second marriage, in other words the Frances concerned was Matthews by marriage, not birth. And her date of birth is all wrong. She has a couple of children, surname Matthews, and a couple of closed files. So, I hesitate to attach this and the subsequent death in 1953 in Edmonton...

Frederick Matthews1 - see 5th Mar 2016. I have located him in 1901 census, at Foxham with his widowed grandmother Ann Newman, helping her out on the farm, along with his brother Alfred, aged 6. The search for a marriage document has produced banns (which are not worth a lot, as the ceremony may have never taken place)
but in this case I have seen transcription of the ceremony, on 19th Aug 1916, stating he was a 29 year old chauffeur from Chippenham, and she a domestic servant aged 24 from Great Somerford. Fathers are named as George Matthews and Andrew Porter, both labourers. I have also discovered his middle name was William. Again it was difficult to trace the children in 1939 and beyond, because I have no idea where they were evacuated or if they stayed there. Frederick died in 1965 in Chippenham aged 79. I found this ancestor somewhat emotional, as my late mother loved Malmesbury, and spent a lot of time there. Frederick's great-grandfather was my Dad's great great grandfather, which made him his 2nd cousin once removed I believe. Mabel grew up there and all these places mentioned here are less than 10 miles away.

Monday 7th January 2019

Ethel Georgina Matthews - see 2nd Feb 2014 - I now have her baptism aged 1 month and her marriage. Albert, as I said in 2014, had been born in Cornwall and emigrated with his family at the age of 5. He can be seen in Philadelphia with his family in 1900 census, aged 18, a silk weaver. In May 1906 he was naturalized and on 18 Apr 1910 they were married. Other scans are death records. Albert died in 1966 in Delaware Valley Hospital and was buried at Whitemarsh Cemetery, Prospectville. Ethel died on 16 Aug 1981 in Elizabethtown, Pensylvania and was buried at North Cedar Hill Cemetery, alongside the grave of her nephew Alfred J B Matthews, who died aged 8.
NB I have tracked them down in 1930 census, rooming in New Haven , Connecticut, Albert an iron worker with a construction company, but no sign in 1940 (he gave home address as North Percy Street, Philadelphia 2 years later on draft papers).

Ethel Kathleen Matthews - see 3rd Feb 2014 (the one who was designated Imbecile). There are no scans for baptism or marriage, so all I can bring you is the entry for her death at the Lunatic Asylum in Wells. This shows she was admitted on 21 Nov 1911 (so from the Workhouse) and died there on 21 Jul 1921.

Evelyn May Matthews - see 1st Mar 2016 (please do, it's a dramatic story!). Looking for family members in 1939 I have tracked down Leonard & Violet, as expected, at 18 Third Avenue, with Elizabeth Giddings, their grandmother. Looking into this, I see that she too was killed in the air-raid in 1942, along with Eric, Violet and Evelyn, aged 68. I can also now see her name on the memorial plaque in the gardens. Going back to the 1939 Register, the only entry I can see for Evelyn is in Bristol with a couple called Frank & Mary Ann Matthews and their probable son Humphrey, all of whom I don't know...

Florence May Matthews - see 1st Mar 2016 - another dramatic tale! There were even more staff than I thought at Fanhams, as records extend onto other pages. I still know nothing about her husband Sidney Webb, and there are se vel 1939 Register records for that name. As I don't know his date of birth or if he was local, I cannot find his birth or even his death. He could be the Sidney Webb from Devizes who married Beatrice Hawkins there in 1912, but then again he may not. If so, he died in Chippenham in June 1975 and his middle name was Alfred, Beatrice died in 1959. I think Florence died in 1993 in Stroud, Gloucestershire aged 92.

Sunday 6th January 2019

Ellen Matthews my great great-aunt - see 1st Feb 2014 - I can confirm they remained in Germany after their marriage, as daughter Anna was baptised there on 26 Sept 1864, and unfortunately died there before she was 5 years old, on 18 March 1869. As she was named after Phillipp's mother Anna Maria Ottilia née Kurtz this must have been a great tragedy to all. I have scans of marriage and baptism/death of Anna. Philipp was born 17 Jul 1839 in Frankfurt to Johann Bernhard Schirold and Anna Maria Ottilia nee Kurtz, elder sister Eva born 1831 in Frankfurt and died there aged 48 in 1880. Philipp himself died there on 8 Nov 1882 aged 43. Ellen followed on 3 Jul 1919 aged 76 (can't have been easy to be a Brit in Germany then!)

Ellen Beatrice Matthews - see 1st Feb 2014 & 14th Feb 2016 - as I said, her husband moved around the country so their children were born in Bristol, Birmingham and Bradford (Ronald, Maisie & Beryl respectively) and Maisie died there aged 5. I can't find them in 1939, but as Ellen died in Bradford 6 years later, they were probably there. I have found son Ronald, who married in 1935, settled in Pudsey, nearby, with what could be a grandchild. Ellen has no scans etc, I am afraid.

Emma Jane Matthews - see 14th Feb 2016 - nothing new except a possible emigration, sailing from Liverpool to New York on board the Teutonic on 17 Aug 1903, listed as a 16-year-old servant. However, her name looks more like "Monthouse" to me, and she is crossed out with NOB by this, possibly Not On Board?

Friday 4th January 2019

Happy New Year Everyone. Hope it's a good one for you.

Elizabeth Matthews3 - see 1st Feb 2014. Although I can find nothing new, the scans confirm my story: baptism and marriage. No burial scan, unfortunately, but no doubt it would be in Birmingham.

Elizabeth Kate Matthews - see 1st Feb 2014 & 15th Feb 2016. I now have her baptism record, conveniently giving both parents' names for confirmation. The marriage on Isle of Wight was disproven by the scan showing father named as James. I know this is not always reliable, but I had my doubts anyway, as I said. There is one in 1914 in Peckham but she is a widow, so not Matthews. I can't find her with middle initial in 1939 and there are far too many without, as I said in 2016.