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George Tilbury was a grocer and shopkeeper listed in the 1836 register of voters. Married to Mary Wix he celebrated his golden wedding at his home, Chalkdell, Chilbolton in 1862
Chalkdell, taken in 2006 Henry
Tilbury Henry
is listed in the 1841 census as a butcher aged 20 with wife Sarah also
20. They appear again in the 1851 census, Henry now a baker (34) with
wife Sarah (32) and children Sarah (9), Jason (3) and Mary W. one month. They
have a 15 year-old niece Hannah F. Tilbury acting as house servant. Sarah Tilbury Sarah was married for less than a year when her
husband, Stephen Coppard, apparently committed
suicide by jumping under a train in Ealing.
He was only 35. The photo below
is thought to be of Sarah, after she returned to Chilbolton around 1911. Her cousin, Roland Tilbury’s wife,
Henrietta, is thought to be in the back ground. Thanks to Joanne Espenhain
for the photo.
Mary Wix Tilbury I was unable to find Mary in the 1881 census but she was living at Sea Lodge, St. Michael's Road, Bournemouth when she died. Here estate was worth only £151-13s-9d and administration was granted to her sister Sarah Coppard of the same address. Although buried in Bournemouth, she has a memorial with her sister in the churchyard of St. Mary the Less, Chilbolton. (Photo courtesy of George A. Cockman) Harriet
Elizabeth Tilbury Harriet was living with her parents in 1861 census, aged 4, and with her mother and brother George aged 14 in the 1871 census in Chilbolton. She was still living with her widowed mother in the 1881 census, marrying Henry Franklyn Hemsley in October of that year. In the 1901 census Harriet and Henry, both aged 44, were living at 27 Disraeli Mansions, Wandsworth, London where Henry was a private secretary. Henry's father was an optician, so his family was well educated. The two boys, Franklyn and George, aged 17 and 16 respectively, were both stockbroker's clerks. Harriet and Henry also had an older daughter Olive. Franklyn served in the army in the first world war and was killed in France in 1918. He is buried in the Faubourg-d'Amiens cemetery in Arras, France. William Tilbury
(Photo courtesy of George A. Cockman) William
appears to have been a bit of a rebel. He moved to London and worked as
a foreman at a timber merchant's. He married Sarah Gaiger
in 1840 in Hayes and in
the 1841 census she appears in Yeading, Hayes on
her own, and William is in Chilbolton with his parents George and Mary
Tilbury and brother George and sister Mary Ann. Maria Louisa Crowder "As a young girl, Maria, so the family legend reports, was engaged to be married; but she wouldn't make up her mind... she wouldn't set date. Whether she just kept the young man waiting too long, or whether he just changed her mind, we will never know, but the situation was finally resolved when, one afternoon when she was in the garden of the family home at Holly Villa, at the end of Church Walk, Hayes and saw her erstwhile fiancé driving back in his carriage from St. Mary's Church with his bride! It was said that it was on the rebound from this that she went to be housekeeper for her sister's father-in-law, William Tilbury. "After William's death, she boarded with a Mrs. Jackson (I think) in Nelgrove Road, a few doors down from my grandparents. As a small girl, my mother, Marjorie, would be sent down the road to run any errands she might have, with strict instructions that she was not to expect any odd farthing change to spend on treats as Great Aunt Maria was very poor! Finally, when she was too old and senile to be coped with, her landlady called 'the institution'. When the van came to take her away, Maria ran out of the house, down to my grandmother's and was chased round and round the kitchen by the men from the workhouse crying 'don't let them take me, Maudie, don't let them take me'. My poor grandmother could do nothing; she had four children, the youngest seriously (and expensively) diabetic, and had neither the money nor the space to help. Maria died in the workhouse shortly after in 1917. "One wonders why Maria did not marry William until he was old and poor, in spite of having had two or three children, all of whom died at birth. My mother remembers as a child being shown by Great Aunt Maria her two engagement rings and being asked which she liked best. A rather tragic figure, our Maria; I have always felt some sympathy for her." Written by Stephen Warden, great great grandson of William Tilbury -acknowledged with thanks. John Tilbury In
the 1861 census John is listed as living with his uncle George as a carpenter
aged 19 - perhaps, learning the trade.
I have been unable to find him in the 1851 census so suspect he may
have been at his uncle's school in Winchester. By the 1871 census John has become a beerhouse keeper aged 29 and now has a wife Ellen 28 and
three children, John (5), Ellen (3) and Alice (1). They had a 15 year-old servant, Mary
Hill. There is also a Maria L.
Crowder, aged 2 with them, described as a
relative. This is Ellen's younger sister, (actually aged 22) born in
Stepney, later to marry John's father, William, see above. In
the 1881 census he is living in the High Road Hillingdon, (39) a carpenter
again (now a master) with his wife Ellen (38)
and children John (15), Ellen (13), William (9), Henry (7), Alfred (2) and a
one month old male infant. They have a
64-year old Nurse domestic. Alice, who
would have been 11, is missing and listed at the home of Daniel Crowder
as a grand-daughter. From the account
of his grandson, Stephen Warden, John lived modestly with his wife Ellen
Frances Crowder in Hillingdon. They had nine children. The youngest son, Frederick Leopold, died
aged only one year in 1884 of congenital hydrocephalus. The following
year, the next youngest son, Arthur,
died when he fell on an open fire. He was just four years old. (See
below) Listed
in the 1901 census living in London Road, Hillingdon, aged 59, still a
carpenter, but widowed and living with his children Ellen (33) and son Henry
(27). Alfred Edgar Tilbury "My grandfather witnessed his younger brother [Arthur] trip and fall into the open fire at their home. [The child died from his burns.] Thereafter Grandad always had a horror of fire and was terrified when we were small if we got within yards of even the kitchen range." Written
by Stephen Warden and gratefully acknowledged. Alfred
is listed in the 1901 census living at Poplar Cottage No. 2, Hayes, Middx. aged
23 with his wife Jane Tilbury A very Elusive Great
Grand Aunt Firstly,
I had difficulty reading the surname of William Wix's
mother; could it be Sarah Guiger or Guigers? (I was
expecting Wix.) Either way, I could not find a
marriage certificate that fitted.
However, I had a copy of the 1881 British census so I thought I would
try and locate the couple in that. I
could find no such couple, but there was a William Tilbury of about the
correct age, a widower living in Ware with a widowed daughter, Jane Cole,
aged 37, and her two children, William Edward Cole 8, and Maud Gertrude Cole
5. Aha! I thought. Maybe this is my William Tilbury and I've
found a sister for William Wix. A check at the censuses for 1851 and 1861
should confirm this. However, in the
1851 census William and Sarah appear at the Brickfields, Yeading,
where William is the 'foreman', both aged 32 along with their children
William Wix 5, Matilda 3 and Fanny 1. No Jane.
By 1861, William has become a beer shop retailer aged 42 still living
in Yeading with his wife Sarah 42 and their
children William Wix 15, Fanny 11, Mary Ann 4 and
Elizabeth 1. Again, no mention of
Jane, or Matilda, for that matter. Was
I on the wrong track? In desperation I
decided to see if I could find Jane with any other family members in the 1871
census. I found her, aged 27, living
with her father again, who is a landowner but a widower, in the High Street,
Hayes. Still there is no conclusive
link with my Tilburys. Nowhere does Jane appear with William and
Sarah, nor with their children. Maybe William Tilbury and Jane Cole are not
related to my Tilburys after all. I needed a birth certificate for Jane
Tilbury, or a marriage certificate, to provide some proof. I
hunted in vain for a Jane Tilbury getting married in the Hayes area for a
period of up to five years before the birth of her son. No joy. Jane Tilbury was proving a very
elusive person and I was beginning to doubt that she was a relation of mine
at all. But wait a minute, checking
back to the 1871 census data again, I realise that she is already Jane Cole,
a widow! How can that be when her
children weren't born until 1872 and 1875?
Did she know something about IVF treatment, back then in the
nineteenth century, and told no one? I imagine not! There had to be some other
explanation. But
first I had to ascertain whether she was a relative of mine or not. Given her ages in the 1871 and 1881
censuses, I decided to look for a birth certificate for Jane Tilbury and
determined that she was indeed an elder daughter of William and Sarah, born
1st December 1843, although I now had an alternative spelling for Sarah's
surname, Guager. I
was left with the conundrum of how she managed to give birth to two children
at least one and four years after her husband died! Since I had failed to find a marriage
certificate prior to her son's birth, I decided to look for her son's birth
certificate and discover who his father had been. This provided the father's name as Edward
Cole, pretty much as might have been expected. However, the interesting information lay in
the mother's name which was given as 'Jane Cole late Cole formerly
Tilbury'. Finally, the jigsaw was
falling into place. Jane must have
been married twice, both times to a Cole, and widowed twice. No wonder I had been unable to find a
marriage certificate for Jane Tilbury and Edward Cole - the marriage had been
between Jane Cole and Edward Cole. The
first marriage, I discovered, had been between Jane Tilbury and William Cole,
son of William Cole, on 3rd January 1865 in Hayes. A
further search uncovered the second marriage between Jane Cole and Edward
Cole, whose father was also William, in the Registry Office, Hackney on
December 11th, 1871. After a lot more searching,
I discovered that Jane had two cousins, William and Edward, sons of William
Cole and her aunt Harriet and that William junior had died aged 26 in
1867. William's age was given as 24 on
the marriage certificate two years earlier, which fitted very well. Also, his father's occupation was given as
publican, which was the occupation of Jane's uncle. I very must suspect that the two husbands
were in fact Jane's cousins, although the fact that the father's occupation
is given as publican on the first marriage certificate and farmer on the
second makes it dubious. However,
since the father was dead by the time of both weddings, his occupation could
be suspect. More research needs to be
done but the circumstantial evidence is strong. I believe it was against the law to marry a
sibling of an ex-spouse at that time, and the unrelated witnesses to the
second marriage may bear witness to this fact. Nevertheless, what a terrible tragedy for a
young woman, to be widowed twice before the age of 37! All this just goes to show how easy it is to be misled in the genealogy business. I did finally find a marriage certificate for William and Sarah since I finally found the correct spelling of Sarah's surname, Gaiger, on the birth certificate of one of her younger daughters. I
later did find Jane in the 1861 census, staying with William Nation, her
father's cousin, the son of her grandmother, Mary Wix's
sister, Lucy, who had married Thomas Nation. With her was her sister
Sarah - see below. I also subsequently found her in the 1851 census
living with her aunt Mary Ann Tanner, her mother Sarah's sister, who was a
teacher in Winchester. (The assistance of John Browning is gratefully acknowledged in the work that went into tracing Jane.) William Wix Tilbury
William
Wix Tilbury & Jane Woodruff William Wix Tilbury gave his occupation as that of brush maker on his wedding certificate. He was indentured into the Guild of Ironmongers as an apprentice in 1861 at the age of fifteen and became a yeoman of ironmongers when he was 21, as did many of his male Tilbury relatives.
Indenture of William Wix Tilbury, 31st October 1861 However, he is listed in the 1881 Census as a farmer of 64 acres with two employees. He also employed a live-in general domestic servant. Maybe he took over his father's farm , William having moved to Hertfordshire with Maria Louisa. By then aged 35 he was living with wife, Jane (née Woodruff)(36) and children Marriette A. (12), Woodruff (8) and Alfred (6). Younger daughter, Millicent, was listed with her grand-parents, Stephen and Charity Woodruff.
Children
of William Wix Tilbury and Jane Woodruff,
By the 1901 census he had moved to Westerham Hill, Cudham Kent, still a farmer aged 55, with wife Jane (56) and younger children, Millicent (23) a Nurse Domestic, Julie (17) and Jessie Louise (15). Next door lived the Blake family, one of whose sons, Frederick, his daughter, Jessie Louise, later married. Both Frederick and his father, George, were carpenters. William and his wife Jane are both buried in Cudham Churchyard, Kent.
Woodruff Tilbury
Woodruff is listed in Kelly's Directory of Middx, 1899, as a commercial traveller living at 19 Beaconsfield Road, Southall. He became a warden of the yeomanry of ironmongers in 1910, like his father before him and a freeman of the city of London.
Woodruff and Frances Tilbury He
is listed in the 1901 census living at 7 Portland Road, Southall aged 28,
with wife Francis [sic] Alfred
Tilbury
Alfred with his wife-to-be Priscilla Madge Bailey Walter Girdler Pailthorpe (Thanks are due to Janet Tublin for the photos in the next five sections) Walter
Girdler Pailthorpe Walter Girdler Pailthorpe was born in Edmonton and married Louisa Girdler in 1884. She was 8 or 9 years his senior, but I have been unable to determine whether she was any relation to Walter or whether his similar middle name was a coincidence. They had no children so far as I am aware and Louisa died aged 52 in 1901 of epilepsy. Walter's father was a draper and in the 1901 census, when he and Louisa were staying at a boarding house in Clapham, Walter gave his occupation as 'retired draper'. Louisa was clearly fairly affluent, as she was 'living on [her] own means'. Her family was an intellectual one, her father and brother both being public notaries and one of her sisters became a doctor.
Walter lived with Millicent after Louisa's death although no marriage certificate can be found. (See below) However, in his will, Walter left the residue of his estate in trust to his and Millicent's four children and mentions Millicent by her maiden name, which seems to imply that they were in fact never married. Millicent Tilbury
Millicent
Tilbury in 1938 Millicent first appears in the 1881 census visiting her grandparents Stephen and Charity Woodruff at Wood End Green, Hayes, Middx. She was aged 3.
Photo
of Millicent aged about 13 with her two younger sisters She was living at home with her parents in Westerham Hill, Kent at the time of the 1901 census, aged 23, single and a nurse domestic. Two little boys were in her care, Tom Tassell (3) and Alfred Clinton (1). These would appear to be her children, Walter Henry Tilbury and Alfred Clinton Tilbury, although why Walter Henry is called Tom Tassell, is a mystery. She subsequently lived with Walter Girdler Pailthorpe who was a widower and nearly 20 years older than she was, but presumed to be the father of her two sons. At the time of his first wedding in 1884, Walter's occupation was given as 'engineer' but by 1901, the year his first wife died, he was a retired draper.
Millicent
with Walter Girdler Pailthorpe and their daughters Walter died aged only 49 in 1908 leaving Millicent with two daughters, Edie and Milly, under the age of 7 in addition to the two boys. No trace of a 'wedding certificate can be found for Walter Girdler and Millicent, although William Wix Tilbury registered Walter's death and declared himself as the deceased's father-in-law. Millicent was also a foster mother during her widowhood to Muriel Morse. It looks as though Walter Henry and Alfred Clinton were the children of Walter Girdler since their death certificates name them both with the surname Pailthorpe. Certainly, Walter Henry named Walter Girdler Pailthorpe as his father on his marriage certificate in 1936. Alfred died in 1917 aged only 17. See below under Edie and Milly Pailthorpe.
Millicent
with her children, Edie, Walter Henry (Tom?), Milly (on her lap) More than ten years after Walter died, Millicent married again, to Charles Henry Trotman and had a fifth child at the late age of 44.
Millicent and Charles Trotman with baby Frank, aged three weeks, in 1919 Charles
Trotman was later to die in an air raid in 1940 on the factory where he
worked
Millicent with Frank in the late 1920s Edie Millicent Pailthorpe
Edie Pailthorpe (left) with Muriel Morse (right) at the seaside "My foster aunt Edie was a
postmistress at a post office right next door to the Royal Hospital in
Chelsea. Each year the pensioners (who collected their pensions from her)
bought her a lovely present and I have a very nice canteen of cutlery that
she gave me which they bought her. They also gave her a membership of the
Royal Horticultural Society. In those days you could lend the ticket to the
Chelsea Flower show to others and I was fortunate to visit the Chelsea Flower
show when I was quite young!" written
by Janet Tublin, daughter of Millicent Tilbury's
foster daughter, Muriel Morse - acknowledged with thanks.
Milly Pailthorpe Milly was a draper's shop assistant. She "had a wonderful sense of humour and ended up living in a beautiful house in Putney with George Camp. I remember as a small child the most wonderful clocks in every room. She made the most amazing home-made wine of varying strengths. She always bought tickets for the Royal Tournament and it was a lovely treat for us."
Milly with Muriel Morse and Frank Trotman "Milly and Edie referred to an
older brother called Tom. I had an old postcard with his army number in the
first world war and he is shown as Walter H. Pailthorpe
on his medal card. I cannot find a date of birth for him. Apparently there
was another 'brother' who was called Tim who died 'young'." written by Janet Tublin,
daughter of Millicent Tilbury's foster daughter, Muriel Morse - acknowledged
with thanks. Milly married when she was nearly forty to George Camp. Interestingly, W.H. Pailthorpe was a witness at the wedding. Could he be the gentleman on Milly's left and did he perhaps give her away? Milly with George Camp on their wedding day 7 October 1945 In the group photo below, Edie is the third lady from the right (in glasses), Muriel Morse is on the far right, with her husband, James Stafford, behind her in uniform. Philip Pailthorpe, Milly's son, is just to the left behind Edie. Walter Henry Pailthorpe is next to Edie. Millicent is to the left of George Camp.
Frank
Trotman
Frank
with Philip Pailthorpe,
Frank with Edie Pailthorpe and Muriel Morse Julie Tilbury Julie
was still living at home in Cudham, Kent aged 17 in
the 1901 census. In the 1911
census, she was a domestic servant living with William Hallam, a fruit
farmer, and his family in Westerham Hill, Cudham, Kent.
Julie, left, with her
sister Millicent, probably taken in the early 1940s Julie later lived at 4 Gefferys Homes, Mottingham Road, London SE9
Matilda Tilbury
Matilda
and Charles were the witnesses at her father's late marriage to Maria Louisa
Crowder in 1899 (Photographs courtesy of George A. Cockman) Charles Roadnight Cockman
(Photos courtesy of George A. Cockman) Arthur Charles Roadnight Cockman
Margaret 'Maggie' Louise Roadnight Cockman
(Photos: thanks to Jinny Thomas, who lives in Anglesey and Ireland) Helen Mary Roadnight Cockman
Helen 'Nellie' Cockman Helen
Cockman married Charles Gardner in 1905 but was
widowed in 1919 when her youngest child
Charles and Nellie with baby Alan Helen
herself lived to be almost 90. She is pictured on the beach, below
right, with her three children,
Helen Louise Gardner A
fellow of St Hilda's College, Oxford from 1942, Helen
Gardner became professor of English literature in the University of Oxford in
1966. Her work led to great acclaim, being made a Dame Commander of the Order
of the British Empire (1967) and receiving honorary degrees from Cambridge,
London, Harvard, and Yale universities. Her work was largely on T.S. Eliot,
the Metaphysical poets, Milton, and religious poetry, with many books
published on the subjects, as well as on literary criticism itself. She
edited The New Oxford Book of English Verse, 1250-1950 and The Metaphysical
Poets Fanny Tilbury Fanny married James Luck in 1871 but by the 1881 census she was a widow. She is listed as a baker, stationer and Post mistress living at the Post Office Uxbridge Road, Ealing, aged 31. She had four children, the youngest 5 months. She had a Postal clerk boarding, Harriett Evaitt (2), two bakers, William Halliday (29) and Edward Jones (17), a bakers Boy (18) and a general servant Fanny Franklin (15). It must have been a hard life for her. However, she later married again, to Stephen Whitbread and in the 1901 census was living with him and his daughter Agnes, aged 27, a laundress, in Carlyle Road, Ealing. Stephen, 53, was a labourer. Sarah Tilbury
Photo, labelled 'Sarah Bance, sister of Matilda Cockman', courtesy of George A. Cockman Sarah
is another elusive member of this family. She is present in the 1871
census, living at home with her parents and aged 19, but she was missing from
the family in the 1861 census, when she would have been aged 9. By the time of the 1881 census,
Sarah was married to Charles Lewis Bance, but due
to transcription errors (Bance transcribed as
Bunce) she was difficult to find. However she was living in Hayes Town,
Middx.
Charles was a brewer's clerk as he was
at the time of his marriage. Again,
due to transcription errors, the family was also difficult to find in the
1891 census (Bauce recorded in place of Bance). However, Charles and Sarah were still
living at that time in Hayes, Middx. where Charles was a brewer's assistant. At home were
four children, Arthur Charles, 9, a scholar, twins,
Kathleen and Winifred, 4 and Nora, 2, all born in Hayes. There was a
Margaret Gypsy Bance born in Uxbridge in 1883, who
died in Greenwich, aged 6 in 1890 who could have been a member of the family,
since there is a gap between Arthur and the twins. This is not yet
proven. Sarah's five children are
mentioned as beneficiaries in her uncle George's will, dated the year she
died, but her husband's name is given as Charles Banks, which is
odd. Sarah herself is named as 'the late Sarah Tilbury, wife of
Charles Banks' which would agree with the death of Sarah Bance
in Brentford, aged 46, in 1898. Indeed, Charles, a widower, and his
five children appear living at the Bell Inn, Ealing in the 1901 census, by
which time Charles is a licenced victualler living on his own means. Reginald Bance Reginald
signed up to the 7th Reserve Cavalry on August 14th 1914 but was discharged
on February 22nd 1915 on the grounds of ill health. In 1939 he was living at home with his
parents at 45 Warwick Road,
Ealing Mary Ann Tilbury
George Tilbury Baptism
ceremony was performed by Robert Cole, master of the Free Grammar School,
Andover. George was living in Chilbolton in 1841, but moved to Hayes, Middx, by 1851 where he is listed in the 1851 census as a
carpenter aged 29, with his wife Fanny Elizabeth (23). His father-in-law, John Cockman
(69) a retired publican was also living with them. No mention of children. By
1890 he had returned with Fanny to Chilbolton again and brought an action on
behalf of himself and other owners of property seeking to establish fishing
rights on the Test from Kitcombe Bridge to
Butcher's Mead and the right of way along the bank. (George Tilbury v. Edward
Silva Law Reports Chancery Division "Church
bells rang, and the village celebrated with Mr. George Tilbury his Golden
Wedding at Chalkdell, the family home where his
father celebrated HIS Golden Wedding in 1862 and where his grandfather, who
died in 1812 (sic), lived before him.
George Tilbury served in every office in the service of Chilbolton and
gave financial assistance and help to the poor, widows and children. The good health of Mr. and Mrs. Tilbury was
attributed by Sir William Jenner, Physician to Queen Victoria, to the
invigorating air of Chilbolton, which was one of the healthiest parts of the
country."
George
& Fanny Tilbury Francis Tilbury
Francis grew up to be a
‘licensed victualler’ as were many of the Tilburys
and Coles. He married Nancy Cole, his
cousin, daughter of Robert Cole and Mary Ann Tilbury in 1875. Tragically, he died less than four years
later, of a cold caught after duck shooting on the River Test. He left
Nancy a widow at the young age of about 27. Nancy Cole
Nancy
with her daughter Florence In
the 1871 census, Nancy Cole, unmarried and age 19 years, is a barmaid at the
home of her uncle George Tilbury, age 41 years, and his wife Fanny E.
Tilbury, age 49 years, at the Bell Inn, in Christchurch, Ealing,
Middlesex. At the Bell Inn there are
servants listed but at the end we find Sarah Tilbury, unmarried and age 29
years. Sarah is also a niece of George and Fanny E. Tilbury. Her parents are
Henry Tilbury and Sarah Child. She is a barmaid too and was born in
Chilbolton, Hampshire. Florence Tilbury In
the 1891 census, Florence Tilbury, age 14 years, is a Boarder at a Ladies
School, at 8 Albion Place in Maidstone, Kent. This leads one to the
conclusion that her uncle, Robert Cole, had taken over responsibility for her
after her parents' deaths since he lived in that area. Roland Tilbury In
the 1891 census, Roland Tilbury is a Boarder at school in West Maidstone, Kent.In the 1901 census, Roland Tilbury, age 23 years, is
head of the house at Preston, Sussex. His wife Henrietta,
is age 24 years. By the 1911 census, Roland Tilbury, age 33 years, is
living at 61 St. James Park, in Tunbridge Wells, Kent with his wife Henrietta
Anne, age 34 years. Roland is a Clerk to a fishmonger. Roland and Henrietta
have 2 children at home; Florence Vera, age 9 years, born in Portslade,
Sussex; and Iris Ellen, age 2 years.
Iris Eileen Tilbury
Iris Eileen Davies (née Tilbury) in 1944 Alice Maud Cole
Alice
Maud Cole circa 1885 – 1887
Alice
Maud and George William Duckett with their daughter
Dorothy Mary, (Photos courtesy of Joanne Espenhain) In
the 1901 census, George William Duckett, age 40
years and a National Schoolmaster, is living with his wife Alice Maud, age 44
years, at Winchester Street, in Chilbolton, Hampshire. George and Alice Maud
have one child: Dorothy Mary, age 5 years and born in Chilbolton. Audrey Edith Tilbury
Audrey
lived with her mother almost all her life.
When Frances died in 1968, we thought that Audrey might blossom on her
own. However, it became clear that
Audrey had been dependent upon her mother and not vice versa, as might have
been expected, especially as my grandmother lived to be 95. Audrey found it impossible to look after herself, so my mother reluctantly offered to have her live
with her, but found that they were too incompatible to live in the same
house. Audrey moved into a hotel and
literally faded away. It was a very
sad ending for a person whom my father had described in her youth as the life
and soul of the party. Freda Tilbury
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In her late forties she developed rheumatoid arthritis and suffered considerable pain for the rest of her life. The illness restricted her from walking any distance and I remember her staying in the car on numerous occasions when the rest of us went off walking on holidays. |
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Norman Woodruff Tilbury
Norman in his Bluecoat School uniform Norman married Muriel Evans shortly after the end of the Second World war. His mother disapproved of the marriage, and although she witnessed the ceremony, she does not appear in the wedding photographs. Norman's sisters were not present either. The bridesmaids were Muriel's sisters. At the time of the wedding, Norman was an army driver.
Norman and Muriel's wedding at Southall Holy Trinity Parish Church, September 1945 Muriel Evans
Robert Cole In the 1841 census, Robert Cole, age
20 years, (probably rounded down) is at “The Street”, in Chilbolton,
Hampshire. With Robert, is his father, James Cole, a farmer age 55 years,
Robert’s mother Ann, age 50 years, his siblings James, age 25 years; George,
age 15 years; Martha, age 20 years; and Harriet Cole, a F.S., age 15 years.
All were born in the same county. For entries in subsequent censuses
see below under Mary Ann Tilbury. Mary
Ann Tilbury In the 1851 census, Mary A., age 27 years is with her husband Robert Cole, age 33 years, a Miller in Chilbolton. Robert and Mary Ann have 2 children at home: Fredrick, age 3 years and Mary A., age 9 months. Both were born in Chilbolton, Hampshire. Fanny Carey, age 12 years and born in Wherwell, is a servant in the home. In the 1861 census, Robert Cole, age 43 years, is a farmer of 370 acres employing 3 boys and 7 men. Robert and Mary Ann, age 37 years, live at “The Village”, in Chilbolton. They have 6 children at home: Fredrick, age 12 years; Mary Ann, age 10 years; Nancy, age 9 years, Alice Maud, age 4 years; all of whom are scholars. Then follows: James, age 2 years and Elizabeth, age 4 months. All of the children were born in Chilbolton, Hampshire. Emma Smith, age 18 years and unmarried is a home/farm servant. Robert’s brother, George, age 39 years, is an annuitant, unmarried and lives by himself, next door to Robert and Mary Ann. In the 1871 census, Robert Cole, age 53 years, is a farmer of 370 acres employing 8 men and 4 boys. Robert and Mary Ann, age 47 years, have 7 children at home and in this census it reveals that 2 are deaf. All were born in Chilbolton. They are Mary A, deaf, age 20 years, Alice A, age 14 years, James, deaf, age 12 years, Elizabeth, age 10 years, Robert, age 8 years, William, age 6 years and Kate, age 4 years. In the 1881 census, Robert Cole, age 63 years, is a farmer of 370 acres employing 7 men and 13 boys. Robert and Mary Ann, age 57 years, live at Village Poplar Farm, in Chilbolton, Hampshire. They have 4 children at home: Fredk., age 31 years; Mary Ann, age 30 years; William, age 16 years; and Kate, age 14 years. George William Duckett "Children took slates to school.
It was not until George William Duckett became
Headmaster in 1891 that pupils practised writing on
paper. Mr. Duckett, of Cotswold, Station Road,
rendered 54 years service to the village as
schoolmaster, officer for Hampshire Friendly Society, newspaper
correspondent, over seer, Peoples Warden, secretary to the Parochial Church
Council, Clerk to the Parish Council. He loved to sing and Gilbert and
Sullivan was often heard across the school meadow. He assisted at every
parish event and was also church organist." 'Chilbolton Fragments' by
Eleanor M. Lockyer. George William Duckett died at age 84 years. The England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858 – 1966, gives the following information: DUCKETT George William of Cotswold Chilbolton Stockbridge Southampton died 9 January 1946 Probate London 21 June to Thomas Weston Cole retired watchmaker and jeweller. Effects 4135 Pounds 10s. 3d. Dorothy Mary Duckett
(Photos courtesy of Joanne Espenhain) Leonard W. Gundry
Leonard Gundry (Photo courtesy of Joanne Espenhain) Elizabeth Cole
Elizabeth
Ames (née Cole) George
William Ames
George
William Ames In the 1881 census, George was lodging with Philip and Jane
Davies, presumably employed by Jane who was a dressmaker aged 57 since his occupation
later was tailor's cutter. They lived at Tan Bank, Wellington, Shropshire. They also employed a 13year old domestic
servant Elizabeth Overton. At that time Elizabeth, later to be his
wife, was working for her uncle George at his inn in Middlesex. John Tilbury Ames
(Photos courtesy of Joanne Espenhain) Jessie Duncan
Robertson Walker
(Photos courtesy of Joanne Espenhain) Louis
Michael Espenhain
Donald Ames
Donald
(left) with his elder brother John Mary Ann Cole Mary
Ann appears to have been deaf from birth and lived with her brother, Robert
Cole (see below), Extract from the Sevenoaks and Kentish Advertiser, 12 May 1933
Robert
Cole
Robert Cole in his garden in Staplehurst,
Kent Robert seems to have been the good Samaritan of the family, since he had three of his sisters all living with him in the 1891 census. He had also probably taken his nephew and niece, Roland and Florence, the children of his sister Nancy and Francis Tilbury, under his wing after they were orphaned, since they were in boarding school very close to where he was living in Maidstone, Kent. Robert's occupation was watchmaker, stationer and jeweller. Even after his marriage, in the 1901 census, his sisters, Mary Ann and Kate were still living with him. In the 1901 census, Robert, is living at High Street, in Staplehurst, Kent, age 38 years and still a Jeweller and Stationer, is married to Harriet M, age 38 years, who was born in Marden, Kent. Robert and Harriot have 2 children at home: Robert Clifford, age 9 years; and Thomas, age 8 years. Both boys were born in Staplehurst, Kent. Two of Robert’s sisters are living with him; Mary A., age 50 years, is single and the census states that she has been deaf from childhood; and Kate, age 34 years. Kate is single and she is an Assistant in Shop. Esther Wood, a widow, age 75 years and a charwoman, is a boarder.
Robert
Cole's shop In
the 1911 census, Robert, age 48 years, is still a watchmaker, Jeweller and
Stationer and carried on his own business at home. Robert lives in a house
with 10 rooms on High Street, in Staplehurst, Kent.
His wife, Harriet Maria, age 49 years, assists in the business. Robert and
Harriet have been married for 19 years. They had 2 children born alive and 2
children are still living. The 2 boys are still living at home: Robert
Clifford, age 19 years, is single and is a civil service student; Thomas
Weston, age 18 years, is single and is an apprentice watchmaker. Robert’s two
sisters, Mary Ann and Kate, are still living with him: Mary Ann, age 60 years,
is single and her brother has written that she has been deaf from birth; Kate
is age 45 years, single, and assisting in the business. Daisy Harriet Young,
age 21 years and single, is a domestic servant in the house. (Harriet’s Christian name is spelled
variously as ‘Harriot’ in some censuses but I have used the more conventional
spelling., which was used on her death certificate.)
Robert and Harriet with
Miss Shoobridge (in centre) Harriet Maria
Clifford
(Photo
courtesy of Michelle Tribe, grand-daughter) Robert Clifford Cole
Robert
Clifford Cole (left) with his brother,
(Photo
Robert Clifford Cole courtesy of Bob Bonner) Bernice May Cole
(Photo
courtesy of Bob Bonner) As can be seen from her photo above, Bernice Cole was
a beautiful woman who Thomas Weston Cole
(Photo
courtesy of Michelle Tribe) Mary Elizabeth Fuller Mary and her husband, Robert Clifford Cole,
travelled extensively. Below are
photos of Mary Elizabeth (left) in Sorento and
(right) with her father-in-law, Robert Cole, in St. Mark’s Square,
Venice. It must have been quite
unusual for people to travel so widely in the 1920s.
(Photos
courtesy of Bob Bonner) Kate Cole Kate was
first diagnosed with mental problems when she was 17 and spent a lot of her remaining
life in and out of mental institutions.
When she was not in hospital, her elder brother Robert seems to have
looked out for her as she appears in several censuses living with him in his
home in Staplehurst, Kent.
William Cole An article in the Hampshire Chronicle 08 May 1886 reads: SUICIDE AT CHILBOLTON. – An inquest was held at the New Inn, Chilbolton, on Monday, before Mr. Spencer Clarke, County Coroner, on the body of William Cole, a builder’s clerk, age 21 years. John Wills, a shepherd, said the deceased lived at Chilbolton with his father, Mr. Cole, a farmer. The witness last saw him on Friday afternoon a little after 3 o’clock. He was coming down Cart-lane in the direction of his own home, and carrying a gun. Witness did not notice that he had anything the matter with him. He had noticed that the deceased had gone about alone the last week more than he ever had before. Mr. W. Tilbury, farmer of Chilbolton, said last Friday in consequence of what he heard he went to the top of Cart-lane, and found the body of William Cole there. He was dead, and had apparently been injured by a discharge from a gun. A double-barrelled gun was under his body. Deceased had hold of the muzzle with his left hand; one barrel had been discharged, the left hand barrel was loaded and cocked. He had the body sent to his home. When he got home deceased’s brother Fred showed him an un-opened letter addressed to deceased’s father. It was opened in witness’s presence, and he read it to the family present, including the father. He saw deceased that morning, and thought he seemed to avoid him, which was not usual. The jury returned a verdict that deceased killed himself by shooting himself with a loaded gun, and in their opinion there was not sufficient evidence to show the state of deceased’s mind. Page updated October 2019 |
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