Served in the Military

Introduction

This post is intended as a list of those who spent any time in the military, regardless of the service, conflict or whether they returned home. I may expand on the individuals in separate posts, especially where several members of a family served their country.


Speid Brothers
James Speid Benson

1873 -1963

WWI
Private, 1st Volunteer Battalion Gordon Highlanders (previously City of Aberdeen Volunteer Regiment), November 1914; commissioned, October 1916. Home service, Aberdeen, 1914-19.

John Speid Benson

1877 - 1916

WWI
Served in Central Africa. Sergeant, 26th Squadron Royal Flying Corps. 


Brown Brothers
Clement Brown

1891 - 1928

WWI
North Staffordshire (Prince of Wales) Regiment. 15543

James Patrick Brown

1894 - 1979

WWI
New Battalion. 10559

William Brown

1897 - 1917

WWI
Served in Amara, Turkey. Corporal, 7th Battalion. 7938. 


Alexander Family
Gervase Alexander

1774 - 1857

Physician and Captain of the Halifax Volunteer Corps of Infantry 1802

William Ryrie Alexander

1824 - 1892

During the Raj
Major General H.M. Bombay Staff Corps; Late Commandant 1st Sind Horse

Charles Henry Alexander

1870  -1937

Officer in 1st Northampton Regiment 

William Ryrie Alexander

1876 - 1951

Lieutenant in Royal Navy then volunteers in Canadian Expeditionary force - special enrolment as draughtsman during WWI. 77493

Fulco "Peter" Alexander

1909 - 1983

1932 Electoral Register lists him at Officers' Barracks at Royal Arsenal in Woolwich

Henry "Harry" Cerda Ryrie Alexander

1904 - 1966

Lieutenant in Royal Navy; enrolled in 1917

Basil Charles Maurice Ward

1898 - 1956

WWI
The husband of Lillias Barbara Elsa, daughter of William (b. 1876). Served as Lieutenant in 1st Battalion, East Surrey Regiment


Heyland Family
Arthur Rowley Heyland

1781 - 1815

Officer with 1st Battalion 40th Regiment. Killed at Battle of Waterloo

Alfred Thomas Heyland

1813 - 1897

Went to the Crimea as a Captain in 95th Regiment and achieved rank of Major General


Gowland Father and Sons
Edward Lake Gowlland

1876 - 1942

WWI
Royal Army Medical Corps

See this post for more about Edward https://myfamilyhistoryfacts.blogspot.com/search/label/Edward%20Gowlland

Geoffrey Gowlland

1903 - 1988

WWI
Lieutenant in Royal Navy

Langton Gowlland

1903 - 2002

WW1
Lieutenant in Royal Navy 



Gould Family
Lionel Aubrey Gould

1873 - 1923

WWI
Corporal in Military Labour Corps. 5618.

Charles Robert Gould


1920 - 1944

WWII
Lieutenant in Royal Armoured Corps and Dragoon Guards


Toogood Family
Alexander Decimus Toogood

1826 - 1874

Captain in the Bengal Fusiliers 1870 and Gentleman-at-Arms to H.M. Queen Victoria

Seymour Hood Toogood

1841 - 1926

Enlisted in 1882 and achieved rank of Major in Royal Artillery WWI

Charles Frederick Strangways Gwynne Toogood

1861 - 1936

Lieutenant in Berkshire Militia 1881

Cecil Toogood


1870 - 1958

1891 Lieutenant in South Front Barracks in Kent. WWI Major in Lincolnshire Regiment

Arthur Seymour Toogood

1872 - 1968

WWI
Major in R. War R

Hubert de Chair Toogood

1885 - 1970

WWI
Lieutenant then Captain in Royal Engineers

Alexander Cecil Henry Toogood

1900 - 1921

WWI
2nd Lieutenant in Lincolnshire Regiment

Harington Father and Children
John Harington

1873 - 1943

WWI
Brigadier General in Rifle Brigade

John Temple Harington

1909 - 1983

WWII
Achieved rank of Major in Rifle Brigade serving in the Middle East; received an MBE. 44106

Aline Lucy Harington

1918 - 2007

WWII
Sister of John Temple. Served in the Women's Transport Service

Walter Arnold Crispian Keppel

1914 - 1986

WWII
A nobleman and Lieutenant Commander in Royal Navy; husband of Aline

Walter Egerton George Lucian Keppel

1882 - 1979

WWI
Father of Walter Arnold. He was a Captain in the Scots Guards

Carington Father and Son
Charles Robert Carington

1843 - 1928

He served under William Ewart Gladstone as Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms from 1881 to 1885

Albert Edward Charles Robert Wynn-Carington

1895 - 1915

WWI
Son of Charles. Served as Lieutenant in Royal Horse Guards (The Blues); died of complications from amputated arm at Ypres.


Walter Stuart Blake

1880 - 1941

WWI
Served in South Africa. Sergeant, South African Infantry. 218

Percy Blow Stapleton

1879 - 1934

WWI
Corporal, Royal Tank Corps. 205492

Henry Disney

1701 - 1760

Doctor of Medicine and Captain 1720s

John Edward Sharpe

1823 - 1857

Lieutenant in 46th Regiment Bengal Native Infantry in India; he was killed during the Indian Mutiny on 14 July 1857 at Fort Sialkote. His grave is at Sialkote and has a memorial bearing the words "In memory of Captain J.E. Sharpe 46th Regt. N.I. Died at Sealkote 14th July 1857 aged 33 years. Erected by his brother officers."

Henry Charles Legge

1852 - 1924

Served as a Lieutenant in the Sudan 1884 - 1886 in 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards. Then in World War I, Lieutenant Colonel as Equerry to the King of which more elsewhere.

Banker dies in China

This is the story of the short life and career of Henry Nicholson Blake.

Henry is my 2nd cousin 4x removed. He was born about 1885 in Golspie in Sutherland, Scotland to John Blake, a farmer, and Jane Isabella Morrison. I have estimated the marriage of Henry's parents to be around 1844, though I am yet to find a record. Henry had 3 brothers and 2 sisters. 

The 1901 Scotland Census lists Henry living, with some of his siblings, with a cousin. The head of the house is listed as Jane McKibbin and she has a son Arthur. It took me a bit of time, but I finally discovered that Jane McKibbin was born Jane E Cormick and her parents were Daniel Cormick and Mary Blake (the sister of their father, John). Their cousin had been born in 1857.

The census lists Henry as a banker's apprentice and further research shows that Jane's husband, James McKibbin, was a banker with the Northern Bank Limited, Ireland. Interestingly James' sister, Sarah, had married Andrew Blake, the subject of this post https://myfamilyhistoryfacts.blogspot.com/search/label/Andrew%20Blake

Both McKibbin siblings, and I have assumed them to be, were born in Ireland. Their father James McKibbin was also a banker. While Sarah and Andrew Blake were married in Ireland, James and Jane were married in 1881 in Enstone, Oxfordshire. It is their marriage record which tells us the profession of the male McKibbins. It also tells us that Jane's father, Daniel, was a surgeon.

James junior is not listed in the 1901 census and I have not been able to track down his whereabouts. I have assumed that Henry was James' apprentice, or had at least obtained work through James. It may be that the death of both his parents was a stroke of luck for Henry and his brothers. Rather than continuing as farmers in England, they went off and explored the world, though often they reverted to farming as an occupation.

John James went into the Merchant Navy which took him to foreign shores; he married and had one son.

Walter Stuart initially served in the Army holding the rank of Sergeant in the South African Infantry where he was wounded in action. Walter married and settled in Canada; he may have continued in farming, but is also listed as a labourer.

Derrick Granville also settled in Canada as a farmer.

The next and final record I have found for Henry is that of his death. He died on 29 January 1918 in Shanghai, China where he appears to have been working for the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China. 

A brief introduction on the bank can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chartered_Bank_of_India,_Australia_and_China

Hackney Restauranteur

This advert appeared in the London Mercury on 25 May 1895

It was opened by Arthur James William Mignot who is my 1st cousin 5x removed. Arthur was born on 10 May 1833 to Samuel Mignot and Elizabeth Maria Dear. Arthur is the brother of John Samuel Mignot who is the subject of another post https://myfamilyhistoryfacts.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-success-of-french-huguenot-silk.html

The 1851 England Census lists Arthur as a confectioner's assistant. He is living with his sister, Eliza Maria's, widowed husband Lawrence Knox (a customs officer). Also listed in the household are Lawrence's children, Arthur's father and his father's 2nd wife. The household is based at 20 Seabright Street in Bethnal Green.

On 01 July 1857 Arthur marries Emma Sophia Godfrey, whose father we know from the censuses is a silk weaver. Arthur and Emma have a total of 7 children: 4 boys and 3 girls.

The 1861 England Census lists Arthur as a pastry cook, so his skills have clearly improved and this is borne out by the London City Directory 1865 where he appears listed as a confectioner at 130 Church Street in Shoreditch. The London City Directory 1870 shows that Arthur's career has advanced some more. He now has coffee rooms at 143 Drury Lane which would be a great place to also sell his pastries.

The next information we have about Arthur comes from The London Gazette, 04 January 1870 (which tells us that the London City Directory had been compiled probably in mid 1869). The story was also picked up in The Edinburgh Gazette on 07 January.

Arthur Mignot, of No. 143, Drury-lane, Coffee-house Keeper, prior thereto of Church-street, Shoreditch, Cook and Confectioner, both in -the county of Middlesex, and now a Prisoner for Debt in the Debtor's Prison for London and Middlesex, Whitecross-street, in the city of London, having been adjudged bankrupt under a Petition for adjudication of Bankruptcy, filed in her Majesty's Court of Bankruptcy in London, on the 30th day of December,1869, is hereby required to surrender himself to the Registrar of the said Court, at the first meeting of creditors to be held before the said Registrar, on the 28th day of January instant, at two o'clock in the afternoon precisely, at the said Court. Mr. Peter Paget, of No. 22, Basinghall-street, London, is the Official Assignee, and Mr. J. G.Watson, of No. 81, Basinghall-street, is the Solicitor acting in the bankruptcy

The London Gazette, 06 May 1870 announces that the hearing about the matter will be held on 25 May 1870.

What we can learn from this is that between 1865 an 1869 Arthur had been doing well and gone from operating out of Church Street to owning a Coffee Shop in Drury Lane. A search on the Internet shows a building standing on the site Grosvenor House, though probably not the original, now owned by the London School of Economics and operating as student accommodation.

Unfortunately by December 1869 he had been imprisoned in the Debtor's Prison at Whitecross Street and was facing bankruptcy proceedings. More information about Whitecross Street Prison can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitecross_Street_Prison with memories captured at https://www.londonremembers.com/memorials/whitecross-debtors-prison

The year of Arthur's imprisonment is interesting as up till that year debtors had greater privileges than those imprisoned for other offences. Debtors could receive visitors and their own food and clothing and, where it was possible to do, continue to carry out their trade or profession. When we think of debtors' prisons the image that is conjured up is that created by Charles Dickens in Little Dorritt, whose father is sent to the Marshalsea Prison, which held a variety of offenders. Dickens' novel is partly based on his own experience as a child, when his father was sent to the Marshalsea for a debt to a baker. More on this can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshalsea

Arthur must have counted himself lucky that he found himself imprisoned among debtors like himself and not thrown into the general population at Newgate.

1869 also marked the enactment of the Debtors' Act which ended most imprisonment for debt. An excellent summary is available at https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/london-metropolitan-archives/visitor-information/Documents/66-imprisoned-debtors.pdf

From the newspaper reports it seems that Arthur may still have been in Whitecross before the May hearing, but he may have been at liberty. I have not found any follow up report on the proceedings in the Gazette and will need to check offline sources in the future. The next record for Arthur is the 1871 England Census which lists his occupation as a cook.

Arthur's financial situation may not have been so bad, as the evidence indicates that he recovered in the next 10 years. The London City Directory 1880 now lists him under the category of Refreshment Rooms, based at (238) Graham Road in Hackney. The 1881 England Census gives the family's address as Dining Rooms, Graham Road and lists Arthur as a cook employing 1 man. 

And so Mignot's Restaurant is established.

The 1891 England Census shows the it is really a family business. Arthur is now listed as a restaurant and coffee keeper, son Thomas James is a cook and daughter Eliza Rebecca is an assistant. Today Graham Road, otherwise known as the A1207 is a long road with shops at one end and residential properties at the other. The photograph on the Internet shows a bridal business occupying the site, but above is what must be original to Arthur's time.

By 1901 Arthur and Emma are no longer living above the business and have moved in with son Arthur and his wife Florrie in 21 Colebrooke Row in Islington. Arthur's occupation is still listed as restauranteur and coffee house.

Looking at the records relating to Thomas, we find in 1901 him and his wife, Eliza Robertson, now living above the business at 238 Graham Road. Thomas is listed as restauranteur and coffee and must also still be doing the cooking! 

By 1911 Arthur has lost his wife Emma (who died in 1910) and is living alone in Homerton, at 26 Mehetabal Road.He is listed as a retired caterer. He dies in January 1914.

The 1911 England Census shows Thomas and his wife now living with their 2 daughters, still above 238 Graham Road. They also employ 1 female domestic servant.

The London England Electoral Register 1933 shows that the family have moved from Graham Road to 59 Benthal Road in Bethnal Green; in 1935 their address is 38 Amhurst Park in Hackney. By 1939 Thomas and Eliza are now living alone at 8 Downhills Avenue in Tottenham. Thomas' occupation is listed as cook (chef) retired. 

Thomas dies the following year. 

Very little information is available online about the restaurant or what happened after Thomas and his family moved out. I did come across an interesting short review in The Bell News And Ringers Record: A Weekly Journal of the Ringing Exercise; and Compendium of Information for the Clergy and Churchwardens. The review appears in Vol. XI, No. 562, Saturday 14 January 1893. 

The top of page 468 recalls the annual meeting of The St John-at-Hackney Society, which had been held on Saturday 07 January 1893. It says,

At seven o'clock the members adjourned to the Hackney Restaurant, Graham Road, where host Mignot had provided a most excellent repast.

The advert at the top of this post was dated 1895. Whether the establishment was called Mignot's or The Hackney Restaurant is unclear, though it certainly implies the promise of the personal touch described previously. What we do know is that the praise is for Arthur as host and no doubt some credit would go to Thomas as the chef.

Edward Lake Gowlland: medical and military man, freemason and .....

1876 - 1942

Early Life

Edward is a distant ancestor being the husband of the wife of the brother-in-law of the 2nd great-nephew of wife of my 6th great-uncle. The details of his life have required me to give him his own post. What appears below (and the photo) is partly taken from the excellent biography on http://www.gowlland.me.uk/biographies.htm#zzedwardlakegowlland

Edward Lake Gowlland was born in Thornton Heath, Surrey to Richard Sankey Gowlland and Jessie Katherine Lake. He had 2 younger sisters: Katherine and Dorothy.

I will leave the biography site to provide more information on his ancestors, otherwise I would just be repeating everything already covered there. I will briefly say that in the 1881 England Census tells us that his father was a Private Secretary for HM Office of Public Works.

On 16 October 1893 Edward is listed on the register at University College London, for those taking medical exams. I was rather surprised to find that, in 1899 while still a medical student, he is initiated into the Freemason Lodge of Sancta Maria. The the list of members shows virtually all are in the medical profession from St Mary's Hospital and there is a brief history of the lodge at https://gsml49.freemasons.london/about/ on the site of the lodge with which Sancta Maria amalgamated in 2008 (Gihon Lodge).

A quick Internet search shows tells me that Sancta Maria was only founded in 1897, initially meeting in Freemasons' Hall, but in 1899 it had moved to Mark Masons' Hall. https://www.dhi.ac.uk/lane/record.php?ID=5491. Among its famous members were Sir Alexander Fleming and Sir Bernard Spilsbury.

In 1900 Edward has moved to Bournemouth, holding the qualification of Licentiate of the Society of Apothecaries (LSA) which later became a registrable qualification with the British Medical Association, when it was founded in 1858. Edward is not in Bournemouth very long as in 1900 he is now living in a boarding house in Paddington, London and is listed as a medical practitioner. 

Married Life

On 10 February 1902 Edward marries Dorothy Mary Thornhill, whose father Herbert is listed as a gentleman. Edward's own father is still at HM Office of Public Works. Edward and Dorothy move to Faversham in Kent where Edward joins the Freemason, Lodge of Harmony. He is now practising as a surgeon and physician in the firm of Anderson and Gowlland, listed at address of 54 East Street and 7 Newton Road. I have not been able to find out more about this firm.

Edward and Dorothy continue to live at 54 East Street and in 1907 Edward's name appears in the UK Navy Lists for 1907, against East Swale; I am unsure of the significance of these Sick Quarters records at the moment. The 1911 England Census shows that Edward must be running a successful medical practice as he now employs 3 servants and a governess for this 2 sons (twins Langton and Geoffrey born in 1903). 

With the outbreak of World War I the records show that Edward is sent to France where he achieves the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Army Medical Corps. He is back living in the family home in Faversham in 1915. 

Things go wrong

On 29 January 1916 Dorothy receives a letter from Edward while she is living with her parents (dated 23 January). He writes,

Dear Dor

I think in these very bad times it will be best if you can persuade your mother and father to go to Faversham and live with you and shut up their house (this is of course no business of yours or mine but merely a suggestion for economy) they to pay you each what you paid them for board and lodging. I .. to tell you now that I have been particularly stupid and broken the 11th Commandment, which I didn't mean to do until after the War. Our life together has been so peculiarly unhappy that I am sure you will be glad to know that we need never live together again. I met someone in Devon whom I am fond of and we were found out, the result will probably be in the papers very shortly. I mean that the lady's husband is seriously thinking of taking proceedings and I am frightfully sorry that this should have come now when I simply cannot sit down and write business letters there is no time and opportunity. I have written to my Bankers to say that they shall in future send you £23 rather than £29 per month, as you won't have to pay for your board and lodging.

Yours affectionately

EG

Dorothy replies to Edward on 01 March 1916,

Dear Edward

I have been thinking on the situation arising out of your letter to me of the 23rd Januar 1916, and for the sake of our children I have come to the conclusion that I will allow bygones to be bygones but in return I ask you to give up this other woman and to now provide a home for me and the children and to live with me and them whenever your military duties will allow you to home whether on leave or permanently. If on consideration you are now ready to do these things for me and them please let me know as soon as possible when you will provide a home for us so I may make all the necessary arrangements before the children return from School for the Easter holidays. I may say I have not told the boys of your conduct as I have no wish to poison their minds against you and I hope they may not hear of the trouble which has arisen between us. 

Yours faithfully

Dorothy

Edward writes to her again on 03 March 1916

Dear Dorothy

You must understand me well enough to understand that I should not have behaved as I have done without due consideration. I adhere to every word of my letter dated 23rd January 1916 and under no circumstances do I intend to give up "this other woman".

I am very glad that you have not told the boys, it can serve no purpose to make them unhappy. I have written to them and told them that we shall not live in our old home and I want you to understand that my conduct in this other matter has had no bearing whatever on the necessity of leaving our house. 

Yours 

Edward Gowlland. 

On 10 March 1916 Dorothy petitions initially for a decree of restitution of conjugal rights. In short it required Edward to return to the marital home. Dorothy was granted her decree and it was served on Edward at 9 Bedford Row in Middlesex, where he was currently living. He was given 14 days to obey.

On 14 July 1916 Dorothy petitions for divorce. In a letter supporting her petition she states that Edward has not returned and is therefore guilty of desertion without reasonable cause; he has also frequently committed adultery with Mary Florence Alexander. She goes on to say that between the 02 and 08 May 1915 Edward and Mary Florence committed adultery at the Cotteridge Private Hotel in Woking and repeated this activity on 20, 21 and 22 May 1915  at the "Galloway", Commercial Road in Woking. 

Dorothy states that Edward is a Major in the Royal Army Medical Corps and is now living at 4 Grafton Street, Fitzroy Square in Middlesex.  

On 20 October goes back to the court and states that, since then, Edward is guilty of adultery coupled with desertion. The court rules that the couple's children stay with Dorothy and that Edward needs to pay his wife's costs of £42 9s. 5d. In later proceedings Dorothy provides further information and petitions for maintenance; Edward is initially given 6 weeks to respond but is then allowed a further 2 months to respond. I am unsure from the documents if Edward responds to this? In 1929 there are further proceedings regarding maintenance. At this the court orders that Edward pay Dorothy £200 tax free from October 1929, in monthly instalments for as long as they both shall live. 

The other party

So let me now give the other side, regarding the "other woman", Mary Florence Reiffenstein who was born in Glasgow, Scotland to Christian Eduard Reiffenstein and Lillias Jane Corbet. Her family had moved first to Camberwell and then settled in Hampshire. Mary had 4 brothers and 2 sisters.

In 1902 Mary Florence had married William Ryrie Alexander who was a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy. The couple had 1 daughter. In 1914 William went to Canada on special enrolment as a draughtsman in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. 

On 31 August 1915, having returned from Canada, William files for divorce on grounds of adultery, and names Edward Gowlland as a co-respondent. In his supporting letter William refers to the same instances as Dorothy Mary, and we know from Edward's correspondence that has been he who was told or discovered the two. 

William states that he lives in England, but is currently stationed at the Napier Barracks and is a Lance Sergeant in the 30th Canadian Regiment. Mary is living Wodcombe Hyde Road in Paighton, Devon. At another hearing the court rules that his daughter will stay with him, presumably he will move out of the barracks. William receives his Decree Absolut on 16 August 1915 and there is one final proceedings for costs held in May 1916 which rules that  Edward Gowlland needs to pay costs of £69 12s. 8d.

At this point we know that Dorothy has only recently started on her divorce proceedings, but we must assume that once Mary was divorced she and Edward were still meeting up.

Later Life

In July 1917 Edward Gowlland marries Mary Florence Reiffenstein in Kensington and he continues to practice medicine in Surrey until his death in 1942. Mary dies on 18 June 1962 and leaves her effects to her now married daughter (from her first marriage) and a Richard Dallas Wood (solicitor). The value was £1865 18s.

In 1920 William marries Sibyl Marguerite Harrison in Thanet. The couple later move to Kensington where William is listed in the 1939 England and Wales Register as the director of a print supply company. William dies in 1951.

Dorothy does not re-marry. The 1939 England and Wales Register has her living with her mother; both women are living on their own means. They are still living at Dorothy's marital home and the women appear to have 3 other women living with them. Dorothy dies on 07 May 1963. Her home address is now listed as 28 Kenilworth Road, but she dies in King Edward Hospital. She leaves £890 6s. 8d. to her son Langton.

Final Words

I feel I need to make some sort of concluding statement. I doubt that "adultery" was unusual at this time (any more than it is now). Both men were in the military at a time when the country was at war, meaning the men would have spent time overseas or stationed at barracks in England, but away from home. I do feel sorry for Dorothy as she wanted to put Edward's affair behind her and for the two of them to make a home for their boys again (though they obviously went to boarding school). There has clearly been some trouble in Dorothy and Edward's marriage which has created increasing pressure and contributed to the situation. There is no hint at the state of marriage between William and Mary and, in this case, it is the wife who was having the affair. The only one to come out of the whole situation worse off is Dorothy. Although she received maintenance for the rest of her and Edward's life, she did not re-marry and was probably not making ends meet due to the 3 lodgers listed with her and her mother in 1939. Mary lived the longest and left a small sum compared to Mary.

The success of French Huguenot silk weavers

Introduction

In 1685 Louis XIV, King of France, revoked the Edict of Nantes, which had granted religious tolerance towards Huguenots (French Protestants). I will write more about this elsewhere, but want to focus on one individual in this post.

John Samuel Mignot

1826 - 1908

John is my 1st cousin 5x removed. He was born in Bethnal Green, East London to Samuel Mignot and Elizabeth Maria Dear. He had 3 brothers and 3 sisters. It was John's grandfather, Alexis Mignot, who had come from Picardie, France and settled in the area. He was a silk weaver and this trade continued in the family.

The 1841 England Census shows John living with his father, and some siblings in Warwickshire; both father and son are listed as silk weavers. 

On 03 March 1850 John married Esther Parsons in the Parish Church of West Hackney. The records indicate that, by this time, his father had also left Warwickshire and was working as a book binder; Esther's father was a baker.

The 1851 England Census shows John and Esther living at 38 Squirries Street, in Bethnal Green. He is working as a silk weaver and she as a dress maker. Sadly the couple had no children, as Esther died sometime before mid 1854.

On 15 October 1854 John married his 2nd wife, Margaret Ann Clark in St Barnabas, Bethnal Green. Margaret's father was also a silk weaver and John's father is again listed as one. About a year later John and Margaret have a son called John. In total they had 3 children: 2 sons and 1 daughter.

The 1861 England Census is difficult to decipher and John's occupation is unclear. Whatever he is doing, Margaret is doing the same. John is listed as a silk weaver, but his parents do not have the word silk next to them. By the 1871 England Census John has clearly been successful; he is now listed as a silk manufacturer employing 8 hands.

The London Gazette of 19 August 1873 provides information on a petition by John, made on 30 July 1873, in respect of improvements in the manufacture of twilled fabrics for covering umbrellas, sunshades and parisols [sic]

I have been able to get a copy of part of his petition which had sample of the fabrics.

The London Gazette of 10 October 1873 tells us that John's petition was approved on 20 September. 

The 1881 England Census lists John as an umbrella maker, but the 1891 England Census again lists him as a silk weaver. It is interesting to note that Margaret does not have an occupation listed against her name in 1881, which perhaps indicates that she did not need to, due to John's success. Unfortunately Margaret died in 1887. 

In 1900 John's success is obvious from the listing in the Post Office London Directory for that year. The company of John Samuel & Son Mignot are now listed at 1 Fell Street, Wood Street, EC. It should be noted that they are just one among a long list of umbrella and parasol makers listed in the directory.

Looking on a modern map we can see that Wood Street is a long road running from as far north as St Giles, Cripplegate (near the Barbican) to Cheapside in the south. I am not entirely sure where Fell Street is; I get a location near Baker Street or St Paul's Cathedral!

The 1901 England Census shows that the Mignots have moved up in the world, as they are living at 21 Colebrooke Road in Islington. John seems to have retired, with Alfred (the son from 1900) listed as umbrella maker, and Alfred's wife, Eliza [Woodham] as a book keeper. In 1904 the family have moved again as the Electoral Register lists John and Alfred as tenants in common, living at "Norfolk House", Chadwick Road, Leytonstone. 1 Fell Street is listed as the qualifying property. At the time Leytonstone would have been even more suburban and green, than their address in Islington. Chadwick Road today is still near large green areas and not far from Whipps Cross Hospital. 

4 years later John Samuel Mignot died. 

Normally the death of the main individual would mean the end of the post, but I wanted to complete the story of the family. The 1911 England Census shows that Alfred and his family (wife Eliza and daughter Eliza Dorothy) have moved again. They seem to like the name "Norfolk House" but are now living at 32 Poppleton Road in Leytonstone. Strangely Alfred is now listed as a glass bottle maker being assisted by Eliza Dorothy, who is listed as a clerk; presumably she has taken over this similar role from her mother.

Looking at a modern map Poppleton Road is actually at the end of Chadwick Road, so it may be that the family had not moved after all, but that their property stood at the end of Chadwick Road and had possibly been re-designated?

Alfred continues to be listed in various directories at Poppleton Road, until 1922 when he has moved to 66 Pall Mall in Essex. This appears to be near Southend on Sea and even further out from his Bethnal Green roots; it would also seem to explain another fact. On 12 April 1886 Alfred had been initiated into the Freemason Lodge of Confidence, with his profession listed as a silk manufacturer. He is still listed in their records up to 1922 when the family moved, probably indicating it was too far to travel to the lodge from Southend.

Eliza Woodham, whom Alfred had married in 1891, died in 1935 followed a year later by Alfred himself. The probate records confirm that the family had moved to Southend, as Alfred dies in the Southend Municipal Hospital in Rochford. By the time of her father's death, Eliza Dorothy, the couple's only child, was married to Henry Dunbar Pearson, an electrical engineer. Both Eliza Dorothy and her husband are named on the record. Alfred's effects are recorded as £7473 9s. 10d.

Who lived in 15 Cobbett Road?

Introduction

I blame this research on a book which was published in 2017.

Mr Keith Billinghurst, The Origins and Evolution of the Progress Estate: Eltham's Garden Suburb which covers the reasons for the building of the Progress Estate in Eltham, as well as other garden villages. In short, the Estate was built to accommodate the workers at the Arsenal munitions factory in Woolwich and Keith's book was written to coincide with the centenary of the Progress Estate, and it got me thinking about who lived in my house. Using Keith's book as a starting point I visited the Greenwich Heritage Centre, in Woolwich, which at time of writing, is closed for redevelopment, though enquiries can be made to staff at Charlton House. I also created a tree on Ancestry. To qualify for a house on the Estate you had to be working in the munitions and be from outside the area. When I use the word qualification below, this relates to an individual's entitlement to appear on the Electoral Register

Timeline

1915 - the property is built as part of the Progress Estate

1916 - there were no electoral registers taken during World War I

1917 - despite the lack of electorial information a baptismal certificate told me that the Hills family were living in the property

1919 - members of the Hills family are joined by the Roberts 

1921 - there are now two families living in the property: Roberts and Griffin

1922 - only the Griffins are in residence

During World War II there is again no electoral information, but in 1945 the Griffins are still there, so it must be assumed that members of the family were living at the address during the war years.

1945 - Griffin and they remain in the property until 1968

1969 - unknown

1970 - the Ruane family are living at the address

2000 - my partner and I buy the property from the Ruanes

The Hills Family

The first confirmation I have of the Hills family living in the property is the baptismal certificate of Thomas Hills and Gladys, of their second son from 1917.

The 1918 Electoral Register shows that Thomas qualifies by occupation, presumably at the Arsenal, and Gladys qualifies as his wife.

On the death of her husband, Gladys continues to live in the property, qualifying by occupation, until about the mid 1920s. She appears alone in the 1920 Spring Electoral Register and I am unclear whether she moved out, died or married.

In 1937 Thomas John Hills comes to live in the property and is joined the following year by his brother Frederick Charles Hills. In 1939 Frederick alone is living with the Griffin family.


The Roberts Family

The first record of a member of this family is the 1918 Electoral Register, which lists Charles Roberts living with the Hills, and qualifying by occupation; so he is also working at the Arsenal.

In 1919 Charles is listed in the Electoral Register with an Elizabeth Roberts, however they are both absent in 1920.

In Autumn 1920 John Roberts is living alone in the property.


The Griffin Family

The property is occupied by the married couple, James Griffin and his wife Gladys Roberts in 1920, and they have a son James who is born in June that year. I have not been able to prove that this Gladys is the widow of Thomas Hills, but it would not be a ridiculous thought.

The Autumn 1920 Electoral Register does not list the couple, but they are back living with John Roberts in 1921. At this point I assumed that the latter was Gladys' father.

The Griffins continue to live in the property, with any children under voting age, until 1937. During this time Gladys appears to have taken to using her full name, Gladys Elizabeth Mary Griffin. The property also appears to have become a family home, in the ownership of the family, as it is listed in Kelly's Directory as a private residence.

They are also joined in the property by another Hills' family member and yet another in 1938.

During World War II as with World War I, limited electoral registration information was collected. I have found no records for the property from 1940-1944.

By 1945 James and Gladys now have children of voting age: one daughter Elsie Pauline and one son Denis W Griffin. The following year Denis has left the property, but the year after, 1947, the Griffins appear to have had another daughter reach voting age. Her name may also explain why Gladys senior, had adopted a full name. Their second daughter is called Gladys Mary Griffin.

James and Gladys continue to live in the property with their two daughters until they are rejoined by their son Denis in 1952. Sadly at the end of the year, James Griffin dies. In 1953 Gladys and her three children are living together in the property.

In 1954 Elsie has left, and the remaining three members of the Griffin family live together until the death of Denis in 1962. Mother and daughter continue to live in the property until the death of Gladys Elizabeth Mary dies in 1966.

Gladys Mary Griffin is now joined by a male John T Griffin who would have been 18 years, voting age.

I was unable to trace a record for 1969.

The Ruanes

In 1970 the property is now owned and occupied by Shirley and Thomas Ruane and they remain in the property until my (now ex husband) and I buy it from them in 2000.

I am still here.