Phillips

The Phillips side of the family has been the most difficult to research. There were several anomalies which appeared early on and confused the issue. I had a copy of my grandmother’s birth certificate and her mother’s name on this certificate was Harriet Ellen Jane, formerly Pelley. I also had Harriet’s marriage certificate to William Henry Jane and her maiden name on this certificate was also Pelley. I therefore started researching the name Pelley and found a Harriet Ellen Pelley born to Jemima Pelley (no father’s name) in 1866. I subsequently found a Jemima on the 1881 census, living with her mother (also Jemima Pelley). Jemima was now married to a James Long and had a new family – no sign of Harriet though which I thought was strange.

Also, I had by now found the rest of the birth details for Harriet’s children; it transpired that on 3 of the certificates, she gave her maiden name as Phillips and on 2 certificates she was Pelley!

About this time I had been trying to track down the author of a very bad copy of a family tree I had acquired. Tina, my cousin in New Zealand had sent it to me, but nobody seemed very sure where it had come from. On this tree there were some of my Jane family and also a Jemima Phillips – it seemed that there had to be a connection here somewhere and I really wanted to discover who had put this tree together. I spotted an entry in a Family Tree Magazine asking for information on Hugkulstones (one of the main names on the tree) and I realised that the name of the person advertising matched a name on the bottom of the tree. I sent a letter straightaway and it turned out that I had found the person who put together the tree 18 years previously! Rosemary Fincher had written to all my Sidey aunts and uncles at that time and fortunately had kept all the correspondence which she kindly sent to me. She had never been able to discover the link between our two families, but everybody she had spoken to at the time seemed sure that the families were related.  Unfortunately Rosemary died very suddenly in 2005 and I still miss our conversations.  Below is an updated version of Rosemary’s original tree which shows the links between her family and mine.

When I mentioned the name Hugkulstone to my mother, the name was very familiar and she also remembered an Aunt Millie and an Elsie (Mildred and Elsie were mentioned on the tree).

Anyway my main task was trying to prove that my Jemima Pelley and Rosemary’s Jemima Phillips were one and the same person.

My friend Jeff spent many hours trawling through the 1861 and 1871 censuses and found Charles (aged 22) and Jemima (aged 22) Artlett living in 1871 in Horseshoe Alley with their children Hetty aged 4 (born Westminster) and Charles aged 2 (born Westminster). I was sure that Hetty was my Harriet, although according to Rosemary’s information, Charles and Jemima’s first child was Charles, there was no mention of a daughter.

I subsequently managed to find Charles junior’s birth details (he had been registered under the name ‘Hartlett’ rather than ‘Artlett’) and it turned out that Charles was born at 33 Gardeners Lane, York St., Westminster which was the same address also given on Harriet’s (Hetty’s) birth certificate two years earlier. I found the Artlett family again in the 1881 census, Charles and Jemima were living at 14 Horseshoe Alley with their children Ellie H. (aged 14), Charles (aged 12), Lizzie (aged 9), William (aged 5), Mildred (aged 3) and Rebecca (aged 1). Ellie H. Artlett had to be my Harriet living with her mother and stepfather.

Whilst looking through the 1871 census, I found a William and Ann Pelley living just round the corner from the Artletts in York Street with their daughter Ellen aged 18. This seemed too much of a coincidence, so I looked up Ellen Pelley’s birth details and it turned out that she was also Harriet Ellen Pelley but born 14 years before my great grandmother of the same name. When I received the birth certificate of the older Harriet, all became clear. Her mother’s name on the certificate was Maria Pelley, late Phillips formerly Martin. It was now clear that Jemima’s mother Ann Maria was widowed in 1851 and remarried a William Pelley. At this time Jemima was 3 years old, so she was obviously confused as to whether her name was Pelley or Phillips and her illegitimate daughter Harriet was similarly confused.

This was a great breakthrough as I was able now to link in directly with Rosemary and her Artlett/Phillips research. I still don’t know if this William Pelley is connected to the Pelleys I found when I started my research.

Thomas Phillips

Thomas Phillips was my great great great great grandfather and I found his name on his son Samuel’s marriage certificate. His occupation at this time was carpenter. This is all the information I have on him to date.

Samuel Phillips

Samuel Phillips, my great great great grandfather, was born about 1820 in Winslow, Herefordshire. This information came from the 1851 census and was found by Rosemary. From Rosemary’s information, I knew that Samuel had married Ann Maria Martin, who was born in Cornwall so on a visit to the Family Records Centre in London, I looked for the marriage details and ordered the certificate. Samuel and Ann married on 16th March 1841 at the parish church, Kensington, witnesses Ann Flanagan and Robert Walker. At the time of the wedding Samuel was a widower and living at Gore Lane. His occupation was butcher. Ann’s father’s name was given as Richard Martin, occupation smith. I have investigated the parish records for Winslow, looking for the Phillps family and found a Thomas and Jane Phillips living in Winslow, but no baptism for a Samuel. More work to be done here.

Samuel and Ann had four children that we know of, Ann Maria (born 1842), Mary Elizabeth (born 1844), Alfred Frederick (born 1847) and Jemima (born 2nd January 1849).

I found the family in the1851 census living at 2 Albion Place. Samuel’s occupation was a greengrocer.

Samuel died later that year and Ann Maria remarried in 1852. She married William Jarvis Pelley on 4th February 1852 at St.Lukes Church, Chelsea. At the time William was a bachelor aged 31, living at Albion Place. His occupation was given as farrier, his father’s name Francis Pelley, a flax worker. Ann was described as a widow aged 32 also living at Albion Place. Her father was Richard Martin, deceased, whose occupation was smith. Witnesses were William and Amelia Couchman. They had one daughter that I know of, Harriet Ellen Pelley born 23rd November 1852.

I have subsequently found William and Ann in the 1861 census living at 8 Devonshire Place (under the name Felley). William was aged 40 a shoesmith born in Compton Dorset. Annie M was aged 39 born in Charleston, Cornwall. The children from Ann’s first marriage to Samuel Phillips are there Mary aged 17, Alfred H aged 14 and Jemima aged 12 – they all have the surname Pelley. The eldest daughter Annie M aged 19 is there with her husband Samuel Tilley, a carpenter and joiner. The daughter of William and Ann, Ellen is also there aged 7.

Jemima Phillips/Pelley

Jemima was my great great grandmother. She was born in 1849 and gave birth to a daughter Harriet Ellen in 1866. By 1869 she is living with Charles Adame Artlett (born 9th March 1849). Rosemary and I have both failed to find a marriage entry.

Charles Artlett was the son of David Artlett and Elizabeth Woodcock. In 1851 he is living at 5 Cumberland Place, Chelsea with his grandparents Thomas Woodstock, born about 1798 in Norfolk and Mary Ann born about 1794 in Buinford, Norfolk. Thomas was a builder.

Edward Artlett (David?) was born abt 1823 in Worthing, Sussex and his wife Elizabeth was born abt 1820 in Norwich, Norfolk. Edward was a baker. Their children were Charles, Jesse (born 1847) and Thomas W. (born about 1846).

Jemima and Charles Artlett had seven children: Charles David (born 11th February 1869), Elizabeth Ann (born 21st June 1871), Ellen Artlett (born 1874), William Frederick (born 1st October 1875), Mildred (born 1877), Rebecca (born 29th November 1879) and Lilian (born 1882). (Jemima subsequently had two more daughters with Thomas Howe, of whom more later!) Jemima died in 1898 of kidney and liver disease and embolism of the heart.

On the right is a photo of Jemima, which I acquired from Rosemary. She is looking rather sombre and is holding something in her hand – bad news of some kind?  Photo could perhaps have been taken when her son died in 1894 (see below).

Of the seven children we have found so far for Charles and Jemima, three died at a young age. Ellen died in 1876 aged 2 years of measles and Rebecca died in 1882 aged 2 ½ also of measles and pneumonia. William died aged 11 years in 1886 of pyoemia (blood poisoning).

Elizabeth Ann Artlett was born at 14 Horseshoe Alley on 21st June 1871. She was registered under the name Hartlett. Lizzie married William Fitzgerald on 8th August 1895 at the Register Office, St.George Hanover Square. William was residing at 24 Peter St.,Westminster and his occupation was given as labourer. His father’s name was Richard Fitzgerald, deceased, occupation shoemaker. Lizzie’s occupation was given as servant and she was residing at 2 Horseshoe Alley. Father’s name Charles David Artlett, deceased, occupation barman. Witnesses were John Francis and Kate Weatherley. In the 1901 census I found the Fitzgeralds still living at 2 Horseshoe Alley. William was aged 29, a labourer and Elizabeth was aged 28, a laundress working on her own account working at home. They had three children at this time, Rose aged 8, Mary aged 6 and William aged 3. Rose Fitzgerald was to marry Charles Henry (Harry) Jane in 1919.

Mildred Artlett married Henry Hugkulstone (Tim) 28th December 1896 and was Rosemary’s grandmother. Mildred and Henry had 11 children:

Mildred (born 1898) married H.Stubberfield and died in 1942 of T.B.
Mary Ellen (born 1899) died unmarried in 1937 of asthma.
Lilian (born 1901) died aged 13 of meningitis.
Charles Henry Du Bluk (!) married Hilda Thompson in 1930.
Thomas (born1904) died aged 4 of flu.
Gilbert (born 1907) died aged 2 of flu.
Henry (born 1907) died in 1908.
Florence (born 1909) died aged 5 of meningitis.
Frederick (born1911) married J.L.Barrett and died in 1961 (these are Rosemary’s parents).
Edward (born 1914) married G.Greenway and died in 1974.
Elsie (born 1916) married M.S.Terry

Lilian Artlett married Frederick Troke on 26th December 1912. Rosemary traced their son Eric and his sister Vera through phone books in the late 1970s and was able to gather some extra information and also some photos.

Charles Artlett died 18th February 1894 in fairly dramatic circumstances. Rosemary had sent me details of the inquest into Charles’ death which was reported in the Westminster and Pimlico News on 23rd February 1894. Rosemary had been in contact with Mildred Artlett’s daughter Elsie on a regular basis early on in her research and in 1980 Elsie had given Rosemary the family account of this incident which I quote below and which differs quite a bit from the newspaper report!

“Charles Artlett junior was permanently fitted with a silver tube, after a tracheotomy in childhood? (at any rate he had the tube for all his adult life). A family wedding was in progress, the reception taking place over their greengrocer’s shop in Vandon Street. Charles was standing in the street outside and removed his tube to clean it! A young policeman thought he was drunk and loitering so told him to move along – pushing him and accidentally knocking the tube from his hand, which could not then be found. Charles collapsed and suffocated to death. The tube was later found stuck in the door jamb. The policeman (only six months in the force) was dismissed from the force. He was not charged with manslaughter but was told that he should have approached a member of the public with more restraint and should not have laid hands on Charles at all as he was not drunk but could not speak without his tube”.

In this inquest report, another sister Winifred Artlett is mentioned but I have been unable to find any record of her. She is not with the family in the 81 or 91 censuses. Also in the newspaper report, Jemima’s surname is given as Howe and also on her son William’s death certificates in 1886, so it would seem that after her husband Charles Artlett senior died in 1883, Jemima set up home with Thomas Howe, whose wife Mary had also died in 1883. They married on 27th February 1888 at St.Johns Church, Waterloos Road. Jemima was a widow aged 37 and her father was William (?) Phillips. Thomas was a widower aged 39, occupation general dealer – his father Henry had the same occupation. Bride and groom were both resident at 54 York Road. Witnesses at the wedding were Alexander Fraser and Elizabeth Watson.

In the 1871 census Thomas’ father Henry and wife Jane are at 1 Horseshoe Alley. Henry is aged 54 and is a fishmonger. Phoebe their daughter is aged 12 and Susan Bone another daughter aged 23 is there with her daughter also Susan aged 19 months.I have found Thomas Howe (aged 32) in the 1881 census living at 2 Horseshoe Alley (very near where the Artletts were living) with his wife Mary (aged 34) and his son Thomas (aged 8) and a boarder Charles Brookes (aged 26). Thomas’ occupation is general dealer. Next door at No. 1 Thomas’ father Henry (aged 65) is living with his wife Jane, who was born in Jersey, Channel Islands.

I found Thomas Howe again in the 1891 census (aged 41) still at the same address but now living with Jane – must be Jemima – (aged 39). Thomas’ occupation is again described as general dealer – shop. Four children are living with them, Mary (aged 6), Nellie (aged 4), Elizabeth (aged 20) and Mildred (aged 14). Elizabeth and Mildred are Jemima’s daughters by Charles Artlett and the other two daughters are her children by Thomas Howe. Mary was known as Polly and was born on 27th March 1885 at 2 Horseshoe Alley. Ellen was known as Nellie and was born on 4th September 1887, also at 2 Horseshoe Alley.

When I made contact with a grand-daughter of Polly, Elizabeth (Liz) Welch, she told me: “….apparently Thomas Howe was quite an affluent man to start with – the family had a few greengrocery shops to start with. Old Aunt Nell told me that when she was young they used to have staff in to clean the house and they always had a dressmaker to make all their clothes, nothing was shop bought. But she said that Thomas drank all the money away and was virtually penniless when he died.”
Elsie wrote the following in 1979:
“About Polly and Nelly Howe, I believe they were my mother’s stepsisters. I remember them as a child and believe they lived in Pimlico.”

In a letter to my uncle Fred in 1981, Rosemary wrote the following:

“I telephoned Eric Troke at Christchurch and he told me that his mother Lilian Artlett was taken from home as a baby and was brought up and christened in Scotland by a Lady ‘something or other’. I first met the Trokes about eighteen months ago, and they kindly gave me a photo of Polly and Nelly Howe with their father, a photo of my grandmother Mildred and a photo of Jemima, Lilian’s mother. The Trokes understood Polly and Nelly to be my grandmother’s half-sisters or step-sisters.”

There was obviously some confusion as to the relationship between Polly and Nelly Howe and the Artletts, but we now know that Jemima was their mother, as I have recently received their birth certificates

Rosemary wrote the following at around the same time : “Eileen Sidey said that the names Polly and Nelly seemed familiar – she thought in connection with notepaper or a book shop.”

I found the following information:
Mary (Polly) Howe married William John Welch on 9th April 1904 at the Register Office, St.George Hanover Square. William was aged 22, residing at 25 Tufton St., Westminster. His occupation was carman (a carman was a delivery man with a horse and cart or someone who drove a vehicle used to transport goods) and his father’s name was also William John (deceased), occupation flour porter. Mary was aged 19 years, residing at 2, Horseshoe Alley, James Street. Her father’s occupation was greengrocer. Witnesses at the marriage were Henry Daniel Moore and Elizabeth Fitzgerald.

Polly and William had 6 children, all born in Horseshoe Alley except Gladys who was born in Pimlico. Mary (born 1904-1987), William Thomas (born 1907-1950), James Albert Edward Liz’s father (born 1910-1982) , Ada (born 1912-1988), Robert Frederick (1914-1922), Gladys (1919-1985).

I have made contact with a great grandson of Polly and William – Jim Welch and we have been able to exchange information.
Liz Welch (Jim’s aunt) gave me the following snippet about her grandmother:
“My Grandmother Polly died on the 8th February 1963 ( my 22nd birthday). She had had some form of chest infection and her children had been taking it in turns to looks after her during the day, feeding and washing her etc. but she wasn’t considered unwell enough to need some one during the night – she was able to get up and about and potter around her flat. However when her daughter Gladys went in on the morning to get her breakfast she immediately smelt gas and found her Mother dead. It appears that Polly got up during the night to make herself a hot drink. She put a pan of milk on the stove and it seems got back into bed ( it was a freezing cold winter) and either forgot about the milk or fell asleep.The milk boiled over – put out the gas flames and that was that. That winter was so cold that she could not be buried for over two weeks, newspaper articles at the time were saying that bodies were piling up in undertakers chapels because the ground was too frozen for gravediggers to dig graves.”

Ellen (Nellie) Howe married Henry (Harry) Daniel More on 13th November 1905 at Christchurch, Broadway, St.Margarets Westminster. Harry was aged 21 and was residing at 9 Horseshoe Alley. His occupation was also carman. His father’s name was William George, occupation carman. Nellie was aged 20, living at 14 Vandon Street. Her father’s occupation greengrocer. Witnesses at the marriage were William Harris and C.H.Clarke. Nellie and Daniel had 3 children, one son Henry (Harry) Daniel who never married and 2 daughters Ellen (Nellie) and Dorothy (Dolly). Dolly married Henry Fitzgerald, some relation to William Fitzgerald who married Elizabeth Artlett?

Interestingly the name of Vesta Tilley keeps cropping up in Rosemary’s correspondence with the Sideys and the Trokes. In a letter to Rosemary in 1980, my Uncle Fred’s wife Margaret gave the following information:
“Fred remembers his Granny, Emma (?) Jane, Granny Jane, as he called her and his aunt Milly (Rosemary’s grandmother), Fred Hugkulstone (Rosemary’s father) and Aunt Polly and a couple of others. There was a large photograph of Granny Jane and his grandfather in the ‘front room’ as they called it then. Also remembers an old photo of Vesta Tilley and also other relations, but as Fred’s mother died in 1934, his eldest sister Amy took charge, as Dad Sidey left it to her to get on with. Florrie was married by this time and Fred and I were married on 30th June 1935, soon after her death. Then Amy married the next year I believe, then Hetty, then Bill, then Maisie ‘Gik’ as we called her, eventually married also, but still lived upstairs in a flat. Dad Sidey married a Mrs Nute living downstairs, and now no-one knows what’s happened to all the photos and all the Sidey papers etc.”

Eileen Sidey also wrote to Rosemary: “I knew of the family relationship with Vesta Tilley, but not of anyone dying on stage.” Eric Troke told Rosemary on the telephone that he believed his mother was related to Vesta Tilley. Rosemary’s father’s family all believed that Vesta was a great aunt. They have the charred boots of one ‘aunt’ (name unknown) who died when her dress caught fire from the footlights at the Alhambra, and Jemima Phillips/Pelley was said also to have been in show business and after marriage, altered and mended costumes for Vesta and ‘two sisters’. In the 1980s Rosemary advertised in the national dailies and The Stage newspapers for anyone who knew Vesta Tilley and/or any of her relatives but received no replies. She also wrote to about a dozen older performers, like Arthur Askey and Roy Hudd and spoke to the solicitors and trustees of her estate but didn’t come up with anything.

Liz Welch, was also told by her grandmother Polly Howe about the connection to Vesta Tilley and the burning to death on stage of a family member.

My sister found a website devoted to Vesta Tilley, put together by Mike Casselden, whose paternal grandmother was the daughter of Alfred Broughton, Matilda’s only brother. He has put together a family tree but unfortunately none of the names mentioned mean anything to me as yet. More delving to do here!

Harriet Ellen Phillips/Pelley

My great grandmother Harriet (Hetty) was born in 1866 and married William Henry Jane on 12th October 1884. It would appear that Hetty was illegitimate but was brought up by her stepfather Charles Artlett and her mother Jemima. When I started researching it was thought by some members of the family that Hetty had been married three times and there was some talk of a spanish sea captain. However I have only found two marriages for Hetty and definitely no sea captain, so I think that possibly there was some confusion with Jemima, who had three partners. There was no father’s name on Hetty’s birth certificate, so perhaps he was the spanish sea captain?!I have made contact with Julie Martin on Genes Reunited who is related via the Webber connection and she said in an email:

I am researching my husband’s family. His nan was called Edith Rose and had a sister Amy and a brother George. Their father was James Julius Webber and he was married to Henrietta (of Spanish origin).
She then sent another email:

Since my email I have found some more out. We still keep in touch with Andrew & Keith Daye who live in Calgary Canada and who are Amy’s grandchildren (see below: Amy and Edith were James and Hetty’s daughters). Mary – their mum sadly died last year just after we had been to visit. Amy was very close to her sister Edith (known as Rose) who was my husbands grandmother. Andrew has just emailed me a spread sheet he has for the Webber family tree which I have attached. I also have the Census records for 1901,1891,1881,1871,1861,1851 which traces the family further back via James Webber to James Webber snr bn 1815 and fills in some of the blanks on his spreadsheet. I now know the Henrietta was a ‘blind lead’ from my mother in law (Iris) as possibly was the Flood Street bit (this may be one of his sons). However she is convinced that there is a Spanish connection somewhere. I apologise but I cannot see you on Andrew’s spreadsheet so perhaps you could let me know who you are! For your records, my husband is Carl Martin, his mother is Iris Buss, her mother was Edith.

Next email:
Thanks for this. I will forward it to Andrew in Canada & give a copy to Iris. Iris seems to think that it was Harriet’s father who was Spanish so maybe your thoughts on the Spanish Seacaptain are correct. I guess it is something we will never find out. (don’t give up hope just yet – Andrew is in the process of moving so his archives are packed away – however he did say that Amy left quite a few bits & pieces including addresses and documents which he will dig out when he is settled). I think Iris has a picture of James Julius as a boy sitting on a pig! framed on her kitchen wall – if so I will scan it and send to you.It was good to talk to you – I will forward anything else I find out.

Hetty died at 93 Winstanley Road on 24th July 1915 of a cerebral haemorrhage and coma at the age of 47.
On the birth certificate of their last child Mabel, William was said to be deceased, but despite extensive searching I have been unable to find his death registration.

In 1891 William and Harriet are living at 55 St John Road, Faversham, Kent with 2 children Lilian and Charles. William’s occupation is given as railway lampman.  However in 1893 Charles (known as Charles and Harry) is aged 4 in Sleaford Street School (A London board school so named because it was run by a board not a boarding school. These were the first elementary schools for working class children created by the state through the Education Act of 1870 to enable children from poorer families to have access to a free education.)

After their father William died in 1898, two of the children Lilian Rose and Charles Henry were sent to an orphanage. I contacted the London Metropolitan Archives and they sent me through some records for the Anerley School in Upper Norwood. The children were admitted from Wandsworth Union on 3rd June 1898 and were discharged on 5th April 1899.

NORTH SURREY INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS, AT ANERLEY, SURREY.
This establishment will be strictly industrial, and no pauper officers or servants will be allowed on the premises. There are three large school and class-rooms, with apartments for school mistresses, school and trade masters, for steward, matron, other officers, and domestics; with dining-room, chapel, chaplain’s room (for examining and instructing the children), board-room, cutting-out, work and store-rooms; two receiving wards, with clothes-rooms and baths attached; two kitchens, scullery, servants’ hall, and private rooms; bakery, larders, six lavatories, two plunging and other baths; a separate laundry building, with drying, ironing, mangling, and mending rooms; likewise a detached infirmary-building, containing eight wards, nurses’ day and night-rooms, surgery, kitchen, washhouse, and laundry. There are also bailiff’s house and offices, dairy, cowhouses, and other farm buildings; likewise large gardens; so that the boys will be instructed in trades, farming, and gardening, and the girls in dairy-work. The buildings are to be heated thoroughly throughout by hot water, and thoroughly ventilated by flues and shafts. The boys’, girls’, and infants’ departments are quite distinct; and all the servants in the house are to be women, to allow the girls to be taught baking, cooking, and house-work, and the whole is considered a model for other districts.

I found Harry aged 11 in the 1901 census living at 4 Gladstone Terrace, Foots Crays, Dartford. He is visiting his grandmother Mary Anne Jane aged 65, who is housekeeper to James Maitland a widower aged 72, a grocer shop keeper. James Maitland is an uncle to Mary Ann, he was married to her aunt Eliza Winkworth.  Lilian was also in Foots Crays at this time – 1 Lawn Villas. She is aged 15 and a general servant domestic. Head of the household is Frank Day aged 37, a dental…maker (?), born in Walton on Thames, Surrey. His wife is Annie aged 37 and they have a son George A aged 2, born in Sidcup, Kent.

Hetty married James Julius Webber 10th November 1898 at Wandsworth Register Office. On the marriage certificate James is a widower, aged 41 years and his occupation is railway porter. His father James is deceased, his occupation given as Inland Revenue Officer.
His address is given as 18 Lockington Road, Battersea. Harriet, interestingly, gave her father’s name as Charles Artlett. Witnesses at the wedding were H and M Hugkulstone, presumably Millie (Hetty’s half sister) and her husband Henry.
James had been married previously to Anne Adams whom he married in 1879.
In the 1881 census James and Anne are living at 7 Cornwall Street. James born in Chelsea is aged 23, a conductor (omnibus) and Ann is also born in Chelsea is aged 22. Walter H J their son is aged 9 months, born in Fulham.
In the 1891 census James is married to Anne and living at Union Road, Clapham. He is aged 34, a railway guard and his wife Ann is 32. There are 5 children living with them, Walter aged 10, James aged 9, Alice aged 7, Annie aged 3 and Bessie aged 6 months.
Anne died in 1896.
In the 1901 census I found Hetty and James living at 17 Orville Road, Battersea. James is aged 44, a railway goods porter and Hetty is aged 32. James’ 2 daughters are living with them, Bessie aged 10 and Lilley aged 6. Hetty’s two children are there also, Richard aged 6 and Mabel aged 3. Hetty and James have a son George Albert, aged 1 year.
In 1911 the family is at 69 Meyrick Road, Battersea. There are 5 offspring living with them. Richard Jane, stepson, is aged 16 an errand boy. Mabel Webber aged 13 stepdaughter. George is aged 11, Rosie (Edith Rose) aged 5 and Amy aged 2. When I got birth certificates for these two daughters, it turns out that Hetty was their mother.

James died on 16th August 1931, aged 74, at 93 Winstanley Road, Battersea. On his death certificate, James Julius Webber’s cause of death was carcinoma of prostate, no PM. His daughter E.R.Webber was present at the death. James is buried at Morden Cemetery with his two daughters Edith and Amy.

George Albert Webber the first child of James Julius and Hetty was born in 1899. He married Beatrice Ada Emily Suggers in 1922. On the marriage certificate, bride and groom were both aged 21 and resident at 24 Yelverton Road, George Albert is a railway porter and his father James Julius is a railway checker. Beatrice’s father is Thomas George Suggers a metal sorter. Witnesses to the marriage were Henrietta De Heck and Victoria Davis.

Edith Rose Webber was born on 3rd August 1905 at 17 Orville Road, Battersea. Her mother was Harriet Ellen Webber, late Jane, formerly Hartlett. Edith married Ernest Sidney Buss on 11th March1944 at the Register Office in Wandsworth. Her address at the time was given as 34 Kimber Road and her occupation was packer, petroleum works. Ernest was aged 42, a widower. His father’s name was Lewis James Buss, occupation retired potman. Witnesses at the marriage were A.B.Barrett (bride’s sister) and G.A.Webber (bride’s brother). Julie Martin told me that they had 2 children Iris and Eric. Edith died in 1993 at the age of 88. Her cremated remains are buried with her father.

Amy Beatrice Webber was born on 11th January 1909 at 4 Este Road, Battersea. Her mother’s name was given as Harriet Ellen Webber, formerly Artlett. Amy married Cecil Keith Barrett on 19th June 1932 at the Church of the Ascension in Battersea. At the time of her marriage she was living at ? and was aged 23. Her occupation was given as domestic servant. Her husband was aged 29, a bachelor, resident at ?. His occupation was window cleaner and his father Harry Barrett was also a window cleaner. Witnesses at the marriage were William John Frederick Wilkins and George Albert Webber.
They had one daughter Mary.
Amy died in 1996 at the age of 87. Her cremated remains are also buried with her father.

Lilian Rose Jane

My grandmother Lilian was born in 1885 and married Frederick Thomas Sidey in 1905.

According to a relative:
“I remember mother’s sister (actually a half sister) in Chiswick. Her name was Lilian – she died suddenly as she foretold her death six weeks before. I believe she was a spiritualist. She told us some remarkable things. We were very close. I often stayed with them during the holidays.”
Tina told me: “Apparently Lilian wouldn’t have anything to do with Grandad’s family, and after he had his accident, it was Aunt Millie who went to see his family for some financial help, apparently without success. I get the feeling Lilian felt she married ‘above her station’ and had a bit of a chip on her shoulder.”

Apparently according to my Aunt Hetty, her mother was sent to Scotland when she was young but I have no further information on this. Rosemary also says that her grandmother Lilian Artlett was supposed to have lived with a Lady Ogilvy in Dundee as a child, so there would appear to be a Scottish connection somewhere along the line.

Roger Sidey, son of Charles has passed on some family photos and there were some of the Sideys with the Fox family. The families were very close apparently and I recently found Selina Fox as a witness on Aunt Hetty’s marriage certificate.  Selina Elizabeth Barnes was born in 1880 and married Frederick Fox in 1908 in Wandsworth.  The Sidey family and the Fox family were all living at 21 Pyrmont Road on the electoral roll in 1918 and in 1920 – Bertie Barnes, Selina’s brother is with them in 1920.  I have found 2 daughters Amy May Fox b.1909 and Annie Selina Fox b.1910 but no Maisie or Barbara who were mentioned by Aunt Hetty.   Amy Fox married James Bell in 1934 and Annie Fox married George Hobbs in 1935, both marriages took place in Brentford.  Amy and James Bell are living at 296 Lionel Road in Brentford in 1935 with Fred and Selina.  They are at 100 Central Avenue, Hounslow in 1936.  George and Annie Hobbs are at 15 Birkbeck Road in 1939.  Would be nice to find some descendants of the Fox family.

Lilian died suddenly at 21 Pyrmont Road on 11th March 1934 at the age of 48. She died of a cerebral haemorrhage and her son Charles Albert was the informant on the death certificate. She is buried in Chiswick Cemetery in a common grave, which was a bit of a shock as my mother had always presumed that she would have a private grave.

Lilian and Frederick had seven children.

Lilian Amy (Amy) was born in 1906 and married George Faulkner, who died in the Second World War at the age of 31. He is buried in the Tripoli War Cemetery in Libya. They had no children. She died in 1988.

Charles Albert (Charlie) was born in 1907 and married Eileen Hey. They had 6 children. He died in 1973.

Florence Emily (Florrie) was born in 1909 and married Ernest Kimber. They had one daughter. She died in 1999.

Frederick Thomas (Freddie) was born in 1911 and married Margaret Hey, sister to Eileen. They had two sons. He died in 1996.

Hetty Irene Selina was born in 1916 and married Jack Perryman. They had one daughter. She died in 2012.

Harry Lionel (Bill) was born in 1917 and married Kathleen on 11th July 1942. Kath told me that apparently Bill was called Billy Bullfrog as a small child and the name stuck! They had no children. He died in 1969.

Maisie Mildred

My mother Maisie Mildred was born in 1924 and married David Brymer Crawford on 8th August 1943.  They had 3 children. She died in 2020.