Tag Archives: registry

19Mar/15

John Tearle 1831, Toddington, UK

Bedfordshire, UK, , , , , ,

John 1831 was home for the 1851 census, at which time he was recorded as being an Ag Lab, the same as his father, William 1796 of Stanbridge. His mother was Catherine nee Fossey. His grandparents were Richard 1773 of Stanbridge and Elizabeth nee Bodsworth. His g-grandparents were, of course John 1741 and Martha nee Archer, so he is of the branch John 1741.

On 04 Oct 1855, John married Maria Major in Toddington. According to the marriage certificate, her father was William Major, a carpenter, and it looks like she had a sister Elizabeth, who signed as a witness. In the 1861 census, we find out that her mother was Sarah and she was a seamstress from Ampthill, Beds.

I cannot find any John born 1831 Toddington anywhere in England, but at home in Toddington, there is Maria and her family:

1871 = Maria nee Major 1829 Tod William Tearle 8 John 3 in Toddington

1861 = John 1831 Tod Maria 29 Sarah Major MIL 63 in Tod

Their first little boy, Moses, was born in 1858 died in 1859. Their next child was Elizabeth, born in 1861, who died in 1863. Since Catherine is not in the 1871 census, there is the chilling possibility that she did not make it, either.

Their last child was Martha born in 15 Jun 1871, after the census was taken. It looks very much as though she went to stay with her uncle and aunt, as we have seen above, after her mother died.

Maria died in 1876, in a place called Ham, New Brentford, near Ealing and not too far from the Borough. Barbara told me she died of breast cancer. So this now places John somewhere in London.

We found him in Acton, with William, in the 1881 census

1881 = John 1831 Tod wid William 18 in Acton Mdx

There is an interesting little aside here, because also in Acton for the 1881 census was John’s nephew Egerton:

1881 = Egerton DC Cecil 1854 Worthing Elizabeth DC Cecil 29 sis Ada A Cecil 26 wife in Acton

I wonder if they met up?

I simply cannot find John Jnr (born 1867 in Toddington) anywhere.

There are stories of a William born 1863 living in Australia, and we are coming to the view that he may well be John and Maria’s boy. He is nowhere to be found in any other England census.

John 1867 Toddington turns up in the 1891 census as a machinist in Mile End Old Town. He has married an Annie from London and it’s interesting to speculate if he knows that George 1885 of Slapton is there, too.

1891 = John 1868 Tod Annie in Mile End Old Town Lon

His father, John 1831 Toddington simply is not in the 1891 census. And I can’t find either Annie or John 1868 Toddington in the 1901 census.

19Mar/15

Joseph Tearle, 1843, Toddington, UK

Bedfordshire, UK, , , , , ,

Joseph 1843 was born in Toddington to Sarah Tearle, the daughter of William 1796 of Stanbridge and Catherine nee Fossey. In 1856, a long time after Joseph was born, Sarah married John Garner, another of the Garners of Toddington. There is speculation that Joseph was John Garner’s son.

His early years can be traced in the 1851 and 1861 censuses, with his mother.

In 1871 Joseph has not moved far from Toddington, because he is in Parsonage End, married, with two children, William 4 and Moses 1. We now find out that Lois’ maiden name is Major and her mother is Phoebe Major “formerly Char Woman” and she is staying with them. Barbara tells me Joseph married Lois Major on 25 Nov 1866, in Toddington. William was rather grandly named William George Major Tearle and was born on 17 Apr 1866, in Toddington. Moses, named after his uncle, was born 06 Jun 1869 also in Toddington. I might add that both Phoebe and Lois, mother and daughter, are Toddington girls.

1871 = Joseph 1843 Tod Lois 28 William 4 Moses 1 Phoebe Major MIL 64 in Tod

The family is in New Inn, Toddington, which I understand is actually a pub. It seems to be on the corner of Friends Lane and Dunstable Rd. You can see that the family has grown with the addition of Minnie 1872, Major 1874 and Louisa 1880.

1881 = Joseph 1843 Tod Lois 38 William 14 Moses 11 Minnie 9 Major 6 Louisa 1 in Tod

Unfortunately, this is also the address at which Joseph died on 01 Apr 1886. By 1891, Lois is a widow, just 48yrs and Moses, even though he is only 21 yrs, is the “Inn Keeper (in charge)”while William, the elder brother, is a Brewer’s Assistant. Major is a butcher’s apprentice while Louisa, at 11yrs is still at school. That’s a change, isn’t it? We are used to seeing children, even this young, already at work. Lois (we’ll assume she is still running this) is also hiring a Brewer & Maltster. His name is Thomas R Green and he is lodging in the house. He is also probably the master to whom William is the assistant.

1891 = Lois 1843 Tod wid William G 24 Moses 21 Major 16 Louisa 11 in Tod

In the 1901 census we find out that they are indeed in the New Inn public house, Luton Rd, and it has been joined by the Angel public house right next door. Lois is the Publican (I thought she was running the show) Moses is the Brewer – s & . Groom, I think, and Louisa is the Barmaid. Excellent.

1901 = Lois 1843 Tod Moses 31 Louisa 21 in Tod

William died on 16 Sep 1895 in The Square, Toddington, and the 1901 census shows his widow, Annie nee Briden living in The Square, Toddington with son Hubert Major Tearle 1893 Tod. She is a dressmaker working from home “on own account” as the enumerator puts it.

1901 = Annie 1868 Tod Hubert Major 7 in Tod

Hubert went on to move to St Albans, marry Daisy Howard there on 27 Dec 1913 and become an employee of the Gas Board. He died on 09 Oct 1982 in Hadley Lawns, Barnet. 89yrs old.

Richard Tearle told me: “Hubert, of course, served in the Royal Artillery in WW1 and “… and once told us that he was recommended with four others for a medal, but there were only 4 medals awarded and he was the one who missed out.”

Major 1874 Tod wasn’t in Toddington on the night of the 1901 census, in fact I can’ t find him anywhere, but he had married Elizabeth Ann nee Turvey and she was there on the High Street, Toddington, with son William Major Tearle 1899 Tod. She does not give a profession or occupation.

1901 = Elizabeth A 1877 Tod William M 2 in Tod

Minnie 1872 Tod was in the 1901 census. She was listed as an “Officer” and S(ingle) and Head Attendant in the Dartford Asylum, in Kent.

1901 = Minnie 1872 Tod Head Attendant in Dartford Asylum Kent

19Mar/15

Sarah Tearle, 1823, Toddington, UK

Bedfordshire, UK, , , , , ,

In the 1841 census of Toddington, William 1796 and Catherine nee Fossey, along with Sarah, Moses and John are all bracketed as “Ag Lab” which simply means general workers of one sort or another, no matter how skilled the work might be. In 1843, Sarah had her own son, Joseph 1843 in Toddington, and he was baptised by her on 16 Apr 1843. In the 1851 Toddington census, the 8yr old Joseph is listed as “grandson” in William’s family of Catherine, Sarah, John and Joseph.

1851 = William 1797 Stbg Catherine 52 Sarah 26 John 18 Joseph gs 8 in Tod

Even at 8yrs, little Joseph is already a “Platter,” making Bedfordshire straw into little strips and then plaiting it into bundles to be made into hats.

Sarah married John Garner of Toddington on 03 Nov 1856 in Toddington and in the 1861 census they are living in Parsonage End, Toddington.

1861 = Joseph 1843 Tod w John and Sarah Garner in Tod

John and Joseph are classified as Ag Lab and Sarah is a laundress.

The 1871 census image is corrupt and won’t load, but in 1881 Joseph is out on his own (we’ll catch up with him shortly) and Sarah and John, still living in Parsonage End, have been joined by their 9yr old niece Martha. She is the daughter of Sarah’s brother, John 1831 Tod.

1881 = Martha 1872 Tod niece to John Garner 58 Sarah 56 in Tod

In 1891, same address, Martha and Sarah are both listed as laundress. Without rubber gloves, and with only Victorian soap to use (my mum used to make it herself, so I suppose they did, too) one can only imagine the state of their hands. This is not trivial.

1891 = Martha 1872 Tod niece to John Garner 71 in Tod

In 1901, now 78yrs old, Sarah is living in Station Road, on one side the blacksmith Harry Holman and on the other Ann Worthington, 74 of “own means.” On census night she records a visiting Washerwoman, Eliza Ann Smith 25. The enumerator notes that Sarah is “nearly blind” and there is no occupation recorded for her – not even parish relief.

19Mar/15

Moses Tearle, 1827, Toddington, UK

Bedfordshire, UK, , , , , ,

Barbara Tearle of Oxford has told us about Moses, who married the daughter of the Lord of the Manor of Toddington. I thought I’d have a look through the censuses to see if I could put together some of his story and with that lay the cornerstone of the rest of their family’s history. Here he is in 1841, living in Toddington with his father William 1796 of Stanbridge and his mother, Catherine nee Fossey. These are the only names I have for William and Catherine’s children, but Barbara has assured me that these are the only children whom William and Catherine had. You can see that Catherine had the last of her children at 49yrs. That’s pretty good going.

1841 = William 1791 Beds Catherine 60 Sarah 16 Moses 14 John 11 in Tod

By 1851 Moses had married Amelia Cooper Cooper, called himself Henry and moved to Speldhurst, Kent – with enough wealth to support four servants. I have called him Moses in the record, but in the census you have to find him under Henry Cecil, and sometimes with a double L. Goodness knows where they got the Cecill name from, but if I might be allowed to speculate, then perhaps from the Henry Cecil of Elizabethan court fame. Amelia’s father was William Dodge Cooper Cooper of Toddington Manor and Park House, Highgate, London.

1851 = Moses (Henry) 1825 Tod Amelia 35 Aubrey 4 Dodge 1 plus 4 servants in Speldhurst Kent

There does not appear to be any good reason why he should move to Speldhurst. Perhaps because of the Speldhurst spa, famous in Tunbridge Wells. His wife is from Highgate, Mdx and they must have spent some time in London because young Aubrey was born in Paddington while Dodge was born in Worthing, Sussex. Speldhurst is close to Sussex and in fact at one time the Speldhurst parish boundary ran along the Sussex border.

In the census he records himself as “No profession” so he may have gone to a spa either for its curative properties or because he knew the rich and famous went there and the family was trying to cultivate its contacts.

St Marys, Portsea, from their website

St Marys, Portsea, from their website

Barbara Tearle of Oxford has told us about Moses who married the daughter of the Lord of the Manor of Toddington. I thought I’d have a look through the censuses to see if I could put together some of his story and with that lay the cornerstone of the rest of their family’s history. Here he is in 1841, living in Toddington with his father William 1796 of Stanbridge and his mother, Catherine nee Fossey. These are the only names I have for William and Catherine’s children, but Barbara has assured me that these are the only children whom William and Catherine had. You can see that Catherine had the last of her children at 49yrs. That’s pretty good going.

1841 = William 1791 Beds Catherine 60 Sarah 16 Moses 14 John 11 in Tod

By 1851 Moses had married Amelia Cooper Cooper, called himself Henry and moved to Speldhurst, Kent – with enough wealth to support four servants. I have called him Moses in the record, but in the census you have to find him under Henry Cecil, and sometimes with a double L. Goodness knows where they got the Cecill name from, but if I might be allowed to speculate, then perhaps from the Henry Cecil of Elizabethan court fame. Amelia’s father was William Dodge Cooper Cooper of Toddington Manor and Park House, Highgate, London.

1851 = Moses (Henry) 1825 Tod Amelia 35 Aubrey 4 Dodge 1 plus 4 servants in Speldhurst Kent

There does not appear to be any good reason why he should move to Speldhurst. Perhaps because of the Speldhurst spa, famous in Tunbridge Wells. His wife is from Highgate, Mdx and they must have spent some time in London because young Aubrey was born in Paddington while Dodge was born in Worthing, Sussex. Speldhurst is close to Sussex and in fact at one time the Speldhurst parish boundary ran along the Sussex border.

In the census he records himself as “No profession” so he may have gone to a spa either for its curative properties or because he knew the rich and famous went there and the family was trying to cultivate its contacts.

Barbara points out that Amelia was 14 years older than Moses, so it is interesting to speculate about their relationship.

Amelia died 1880, and Barbara has given me the flavour of her will and marriage settlement:

“Abstracts from Beds County Record Office of Cooper Cooper family documents including the marriage settlement of Amelia and Moses.

The marriage settlement tied up funds so that Amelia and Moses could only use the income.  Amelia and others, but not Moses, had control of it.  It was most unusual in those days for women to be in control of property.  If Amelia died before Moses, he was to have an income for life unless he re-married.  She died in 1880 and he went on to 1908, so he got his money’s worth.

Although the Cooper Cooper family in Toddington remained in contact with Amelia and her children, they did not acknowledge her marriage in things like Burke’s Landed Gentry.  I have a copy of the 1853 entry and Amelia is firmly shown as not married.”

I found Amelia Jnr – and she had married very well, a wealthy Scottish chap who made money from Dividends – and she has stayed close to her dad:

1881 = Amelia 1855 Worthing p1 James Marley 45 Amelia A 4 James C 3 in Portsea

1881 = Amelia 1855 Worthing p2 Gesugo E Marley 11m and 2 servants in Portsea

1881 Egerton DC Cecil 1854 Worthing Elizabeth DC Cecil 29 sis Ada A Cecil 26 wife in Acton

Egerton has married and is living with his sister and his wife in Acton. He says he is a Clerk in S&A.D – South Kensington.

Barbara has added for me:

“S & AD is the Science and Art Department, possibly of the Science Museum as he says in South Kensington.  The London Gazette posted notices of civil service appointments down to very humble levels (eg postmen) for many years.   In July 1891 Egerton Dodge Cooper Cecil was an Abstrator in the Science division (but it does not say which ministry) and in July 1891 he was transferred or promoted to the Science and Art Department.

But these don’t account for him in 1881.  Maybe appointments were not notified to the London Gazette then.

In 1902 he became a second division clerk but it does not say in which department.  Possibly internal promotion.

Egerton also appears in a cricketing magazine as playing for Hampshire in 1875, in one match and not exactly covering himself with glory.   Maybe he was better in village cricket than at county level.

The site gives biographical. details:  born 4 July 1853 Worthing. Died 25 September 1928 Mortlake. 

Elizabeth may be an interesting character.  I have her birth certificate: Elizabeth Dodge Cooper Cecill born on 1 July 1851 at 3 Marine Terrace, Worthing.  Father:  Henry Moses Tearl Cecill, gentleman.  Mother: Amelia Cooper Tearl Cecill formerly Cooper.

I found Dodge in Sussex and he is a “Retired Officer of the 47th Regiment,” which is why I couldn’t find him in the 1871 census – he was in Dublin. He is married and has his own little Aubrey and Amelia. Young Frederick was born in Dublin, I suppose while his dad was on active duty, taking his family with him. Dodge’s widowed father Moses is at last calling himself Moses, after all these years of calling himself Henry. I wonder if the T in his name is Tearle?

1881 = Dodge C Cecill 1850 Worthing Sophie J 30 Frederick W 10 Aubrey DC 8 Amelia TC 9m Moses T Cecill father 53 wid Tod in Sussex S Bersted

Barbara adds:

“The London Gazette is a great place for military (officer level) appointments and bursts Dodge’s pretensions of an army career.  It records that, as from 22 June 1870,  Dodge Cooper Cecill Cecill  Gent was an Ensign by purchase in the 47th Foot. Next year it records that Ensign Dodge Cooper Cecill Cecill “has been permitted to retire from the Service by sale of his commission.  Dated 7 October 1871.”  So he did not last long.”

Aubrey is also visible in the 1881 census – he is a boarder with a newish wife, Elizabeth nee Peadon and a 2yr old son

1881 = Aubrey C Cecil 1851 Tod Elizabeth 23 Aubrey BC Cecil 2 in Chiswick Mdx

He says he has “Private Income” and his son Aubrey was “Born at Sea.”

Barbara gives us this gem:

“To add to the information about Aubrey:

24 August 1878 Aubrey Cooper Cecil formerly Tearl married Elizabeth Peadon at All Saints Church, Southampton.

10 September 1878 birth of Aubrey Bruce Cooper Cecil on board ship, the “Scottish Prince”.  The certificate (which I don’t have: I think I saw it at Beds CRO) says that the last place of residence of the father, Aubrey Cooper Cecil, was Manor House, Toddington.

Don’t know where they were going, but they were back in England for him to play for Hants in 1876 and to be in the 1881 census.”

There is an interesting picture in the 1891 census. Moses is now head of the house, but lists his occupation as a solicitor’s clerk. I’m fascinated by that – I thought he didn’t have to work. Dodge and Sophia have sent their children off and there are just the three of them in the South Bersted house. And he’s calling himself Henry again.

1891 = Moses (Henry) T Cecil 1827 Tod Dodge C Cecil 41 son Sophie 40 DIL in Sussex S Bersted

Whether the enumerator got it wrong, or Egerton has changed his name a bit, he is at any rate in Wandsworth, London, in the 1891 census, and he has a 5yr old daughter, Louisa. He is in the Civil Service. I suppose, as government expanded, this became the new Ag Lab; although perhaps a little better paid and with slightly more status. Even today, Wandsworth is still largely occupied by the poor.

1891 = Egerton (Edward) 1854 Ada A 36 Louisa B 5 in Wandsworth Lon

By 1901, everyone in Moses’ house had retired: both Dodge, at only 51, and Moses at 74 are saying they are “living on own means.” The area must be fairly rural, because while they are living in Village Street, their neighbours on both sides are Ag Cattle and the neighbour two houses down is a farmer.

1901 = Dodge C Cecil 1850 Worthing Sophie 50 Moses (Henry) T Cecil 74 wid Tod in Sussex S Bersted

At last we find out that Ada’s middle name is Amelia and Louisa is now rather grandly called Harriet-Louisa Boyd Cecil, so perhaps that’s a clue to Ada’s maiden name. We find out that Egerton is in the Education Department and there is a visitor from the Admiralty staying with them. Speculating on how they would know someone from the Admiralty was interesting. And they have gone up in the world a bit, too, because Clarence Rd, Richmond is definitely better than Wandsworth.

Wendy Skelley of Auckland, New Zealand, has beautifully written and illustrated stories of Moses’ boys Aubrey and Egerton.

Barbara Tearle of Oxford has also written an excellent piece, which you can read here

19Mar/15

Frederic Arthur Tearle, 1907, Islington, UK

New Zealand, , , , , , ,

You can tell that these two pictures of Fred (6m, and 2yr) were taken in London, can’t you? I have left the photographer’s signature, just in case.

Fred, 6 months, London

Fred, 6 months, London

Fred, 2 years, London

Fred, 2 years, London

Dad always used to tell the story that Arthur crashed Baron Rothschild’s best car, and then his second best car, on the same day. The first was when he hit a horse as he was speeding back from Leighton Buzzard railway station, being a bit of a dare-devil for a younger house member, and the second when he backed into a gas standard. He had to pick up My Lord in a horse-drawn carriage and was dismissed for the transgressions. He and Sadie were married in St Barnabus Church, Islington, London in 1904 and Fred was born in Holloway Hospital, London, in 1907. Dad told me that Sadie had got Arthur the job as a mechanic driver with the Rothschilds because she lived there. She worked from aged ten as a maid for the Rothschilds, and for Ella du Cane, the artist and book illustrator. Ella’s family were friends of the Rothschilds in both Ascot and in Mentmore Towers.

Fred and Evelyn Latta married in Invercargill on 22 Dec 1945 “in the residence of Mr R Latta, Moa St, Waikiwi,” says the marriage certificate. Robert Latta was a sawmiller and neither of the witnesses’ names mean anything to me, since they are both Invercargill residents. The family story is that Fred, getting near 40yrs and with no marriage – or even a girlfriend – in sight, put a letter in the lonely hearts column and Evelyn responded. This is the official photo of their wedding.

Fred and Evelyn Latta

Fred and Evelyn Latta

Fred returned to Hastings and took a job as a freezing company worker in the Tomoana Freezing works not far from where he and Evelyn lived in Haumoana. He kept this job until he retired. I don’t know exactly what he did there, but the work can be heavy and physically demanding.

Fred was a volunteer fireman

Fred was a volunteer fireman

There was real tragedy for Fred and Evelyn over the welfare of their girl, Edith, seen here with Fred and her grandmother Sadie. I met her only once, as a teenager, and we went for a walk around the park not far from home. She was a simple girl with limited language, and she lived in a sheltered home. However, she had enough ability to work as a maid in the home, and she earned a little money.

We received a telegram from Fred on 23 Jan 1978 saying that Edith was very sick in Hastings Hospital. On 31 Jan came the awful news that she had died. She was just 31yrs. Fred told us that she had become very depressed and that she had drunk a terrible poison. She must have been in the most horrible agony for all those days between the telegrams.

Edith, Fred and Sadie

Edith, Fred and Sadie

19Mar/15

Ewart Frank Tearle 1947, Rotorua, NZ

New Zealand, , , , , , ,
School Days. Glenholme Primary School, Rotorua. I’m 5th from the right, second row down. Nice school. The principal’s name was Mr Bassett. My friends and I spent an awful lot of time on our knees playing marbles in chalk circles on the asphalt, while other boys played rugby or soccer on the school fields.

School Days. Glenholme Primary School, Rotorua. I’m 5th from the right, second row down. Nice school. The principal’s name was Mr Bassett. My friends and I spent an awful lot of time on our knees playing marbles in chalk circles on the asphalt, while other boys played rugby or soccer on the school fields.

I still know the names of most of the children in the photo above. The principal encouraged gardening, and he showed us how to grow and prune roses.

I hitch-hiked to see Sadie one summer and this was the photo she took of me in her garden in Haumoana. She was so short she fitted under my arm, but she was very nice to me and I went fishing in the mouth of the Tukituki River not far away, whilst she had an afternoon nap.

I hitch-hiked to see Sadie one summer and this was the photo she took of me in her garden in Haumoana. She was so short she fitted under my arm, but she was very nice to me and I went fishing in the mouth of the Tukituki River not far away, whilst she had an afternoon nap.

A boy and his dog. I was too skinny to go sailing and couldn’t hold the yacht upright. I took my dog to obedience classes and he got quite good at it. Dad made the gates in the background.

A boy and his dog. I was too skinny to go sailing and couldn’t hold the yacht upright. I took my dog to obedience classes and he got quite good at it. Dad made the gates in the background.

My 21st. I didn’t know they were planning it and the occasion was quite a surprise. Doesn’t Mum look gorgeous - and young!

My 21st. I didn’t know they were planning it and the occasion was quite a surprise. Doesn’t Mum look gorgeous – and young!

This is the inside of Sadie’s cottage, below, exactly as I remember it when I visited her. The picture above the mantlepiece is of Leonard Adams, a Navy man (a marine) who visited her when his warship the Renown, carrying the Prince of Wales on a voyage around the Colonies, called in at Napier and Wellington and he was allowed some time off to go and see her. He says on his copy of the sailing plan “Napier – Where I left to see Auntie. May 4th 1920.” The radio was made of black bakelite and she listened to the BBC six o’clock news every day, as she had during two world wars. She knitted peggy squares for the New Zealand Red Cross. These were 6-inch squares of knitted wool, which could be multi-coloured, and were made entirely from garter stitch. Someone dropped off the wool she was to knit, and came back in a few weeks to pick up the finished squares. Other volunteers sewed the peggy squares into blankets for the needy. Thousands of New Zealand women knitted them – my mother did from time to time – and the project seemed to have its origins in the Great Depression of the 1930s. Sadie was knitting them both times I visited her, and she told me hers were going to London. She must have made thousands of them.

Sadie's cottage

Sadie’s cottage

19Mar/15

Frank Theodore Tearle 1915, Hastings, NZ

New Zealand, , , , , , , ,

Here is the obituary I wrote for my father, who died a few months after Mum:

It is a source of great sadness to me that I should have to speak to you about my father so soon after farewelling my mother.  I had hoped to be able to speak with him and to write to him for some time yet. I shall miss him. There is no-one in the world who has had such an influence on me and on my life as Dad has.

Frank and Sadie 1925 Hastings NZ

Frank and Sadie 1925 Hastings NZ

“If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.” My dad’s life and my dad’s guiding principle in a single sentence. There is only one way of doing something – do it right the first time, do it right every time. It didn’t matter if he was doing a small job on a model motor, or whether he was working on another project on his house, he approached every job with the same serious concentration, meticulous planning and careful execution. I have stood for hours and talked with him while he worked at his lathe and made those beautiful boats and engines for which he is justifiably famous.

I can remember many nights on the porch in Western Heights watching him work his magic on a small piece of metal, a magic I longed to weave, but had no gift for at all. I always felt close to him when I stood there and watched him work.

Frank Tearle at his lathe, Hahei.

Frank Tearle at his lathe, Hahei.

Here in Hahei, Dad made a boat for Jason and we all went down to the little stream at the end of the Hahei beach to watch this delicate little steam engine drive Jason’s new boat and to marvel at the intricacies of the remote control mechanism by which it was steered. Jason absolutely loved it and promptly christened it Genevieve, in honour of his sister. This boat is now a lovely and graceful monument to Dad’s beautiful grandson. One of the very best portraits I have taken is a photo of Dad, in his workshop in Hahei, looking over his lathe at me while he worked. I am proud of it, and he thought it was pretty good, too.

I remember a few things very vividly from my childhood about Dad. The first thing was that he knew everything. There was no subject brought up at the table – and we had dinner as a family every day – that he couldn’t teach us things about. While he wasn’t very educated, he always read very widely and thus he was very knowledgeable. No man I have ever met, then or since, was as knowledgeable as Dad.

He always had a vegetable garden. He could never see any reason for growing flowers, but he had the biggest vege garden that would fit onto any back lawn he was allowed dig up. And he grew the most beautiful vegetables; fat potatoes, huge and perfect carrots, beetroot, parsnips, cabbages, cauliflowers, rhubarb and in Rotorua he had this 15 feet high trellis for the chinese gooseberries, as they were called then, right at the front of the garden. They are called kiwifruit now. He had a thing about the soil in Rotorua being too porous and he wanted lots of organic material in the soil to give it some body and retain the water properly. He dug in people’s old hay and he grew lupines and dug them in, too.

I went with him one afternoon to a fishmonger in Rotorua whose freezers had failed overnight and after Dad had fixed the freezers, the man gave him the contents; some sharks, barracudas, groupers, mostly big fish, which Dad heaved onto the back of the truck. When he got home, he dug some trenches through the garden and dumped these fish into the trenches. For years we dug up fish scales. It took the neighbour fully five years to get to know Dad well enough to ask him the burning question, “What were you trying to grow when you sowed the fish?”

Frank and Peter at Sadie’s 1958.

Frank and Peter at Sadie’s 1958.

Dad wasn’t a big man – I suppose five feet eight – but he always had physical jobs and so kept very fit. You know he built his mother’s house in Haumoana when he was only 15, don’t you? In Hyla Rd. It was originally a shed on a section his mother bought with £100 her brother sent her. Levi Tearle, her father-in-law sent her £80 and with that she dug a well. The house Dad built is still there and the well is still there. He left school and went to work for an apiarist, so he knew a lot about bees and how different honeys are made. Then he went to work for a builder and during World War II he was building houses in Wellington.

He wasn’t allowed into the army because he had had rheumatic fever as a boy and it had left his heart with an irregular beat. He had also had mumps at fifteen and that left him deaf in one ear. He met Mum in Wellington and after they were married he had work as a builder in Whakatane, a farmer in Te Aroha, a refrigeration engineer and a joiner/fitter in Rotorua so he knew his way around wood and metal. That’s well documented – everyone here will know what a lovely job he made of building his own house in Hahei and how talented he was with his lathe – what you may not know is how unbelievably strong he was.

He and Mum used to gather strays and one of them was a lady called Marlene and her boyfriend. Now, he was a weightlifter, bigger than Dad, with muscles on muscles that he liked to display. One day he and Dad replaced the big ends on this chap’s car, filled the motor with oil and tried to start the car. The starter motor did nothing, just growled, so Marlene’s boyfriend took the crank handle and gave the starter motor a hand. Still nothing. I can see him in his singlet, sweating in the warm autumn sun, muscles bulging as he strained to turn the motor over. Still nothing. “I’ll have a go,” said Dad, stepped forward, set his feet, grabbed the crank handle in both hands, and turned it over, just like that. But the motor hadn’t made a sound. Dad pulled the crank out of the hole and we saw that he had made a very tidy 360-degree worm in the middle of the crank handle. “You don’t have to have lots of muscles to be strong, you know,” he murmured to me later.

Frank and Sadie, Haumoana 1967

Frank and Sadie, Haumoana 1967

The third thing that stands out so powerfully about my dad is that he was so generous. He gave so willingly of his time and of his patience and of his considerable talents. He was kind, outgoing and friendly. You know all the work he did here in Hahei for the fire brigade and for his local water supply. You know that he did the work only because it needed to be done; he never asked for recognition and he never asked for pay. He did the work because one day he put his hand up and said, “I can do that,” and he did, not just for that day, but for years and years and years. My dad didn’t do things by halves; if a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.

When you think of him today, think of his family here in England also grieving for a lost cousin and friend. He was very, very moved when they came to see him and to correspond with him over these past few years. Thelma Shepherd, Sheila Leng, John Wallace, Jenny Pugh, Norah Lowe, Ivor and Iris Adams and lastly Roland Adams, his cousin who sent him his first lathe in about 1930 – the very one he worked his magic on for me, for his model motors and for the people in Hahei. I have spoken to all his English family, many more than just the list above, and each of them wishes to send you their heartfelt greetings and their deepest sympathy.

Frank and Genevieve, NZ 1994

Frank and Genevieve, NZ 1994

Is it too much to say that for all my life Dad has been my hero, the one person I never wanted to let down, the one man I always hoped would be proud of what I do? I shall miss him. I shall miss his presence in the back of my mind as I walk around London and get to know the world so familiar to his parents, composing the letter that I write to him each month about what I have seen and what I have discovered. I shall really, really miss him.

Ewart Tearle

St Albans 2002

19Mar/15

Jason Gordon Tearle, 1979, Hamilton, NZ

New Zealand, , , , , ,

This little plaque in the Hamilton Lawn Cemetry, Newstead, marks the grave of my own son, Jason Gordon Tearle, born 3 Jan 1979 in Hamilton NZ. He was helping his school raise funds for a tour of England to play cricket. One of the venues was to be Rugby School. He was struck by a car and tragically killed.

Gravestone, Jason Tearle, Hamilton

Gravestone, Jason Tearle, Hamilton

His school, Hamilton Boys High School, commissioned a memorial called the Jason Tearle Memorial Trophy, which is awarded annually to the best all-round Year 10 student in the school. To date almost every recipient has gone on to become Head Boy.

Jason Tearle Memorial trophy

Jason Tearle Memorial trophy

While he was actually born in Waikato Hospital, in Hamilton, Jason was a son of the Waitomo District, in the King Country. Here is his memorial on the window of the Millennium building in Te Kuiti, NZ.

Memorial, Te Kuiti

Memorial, Te Kuiti

Jason’s branch is also John 1741.

We met the first of our English relatives in the summer of 1993, when John and Corinne Wallace came to see us with photos and news of Levi and his family. John took this photo of Jason, and taught him a few things about cricket. This visit was the beginning of our association with our English family and was the inspiration for Jason’s desire to go to England on the cricket trip. John’s mother, Sheila, was one of the three women who came to see us late in 1994 and to plant the walnuts from Wing in the story I have told on Thelma’s page.

Jason during John and Corinne's visit

Jason during John and Corinne’s visit

Jason had a very good sporting and academic record. He played soccer and cricket for King Country and was capped for his role in a King Country v Taranaki tournament in Taupo. At HBHS he was in the choir, he was learning the guitar, played soccer and he was, of course, selected for the cricket squad to tour England. He was in the the first five in all of his academic subjects and, as the Headmaster pointed out was “A good kid.” It was because of his all-round excellence that the school determined to remember him with a major school trophy, named in his honour, and given to a boy who has those qualities. She told us that Jason would probably have gone on to be Head Boy, which is why she is not surprised that most of the recipients of the trophy have done so.

The last photo of Jason, 2 weeks before his death

The last photo of Jason, 2 weeks before his death

 Elaine is tending the two seedlings that grew from the Wing walnuts. One of them was planted out on the farm with a service by Rev Fred Day of Te Kuiti, conducted in Latin.

Elaine Tearle and Wing Walnut Tree

Elaine Tearle and Wing Walnut Tree

19Mar/15

Marguerite Matilda (Tia) Tearle, 1921, Wellington, NZ

New Zealand, , , , , , , ,

Here is the obituary I wrote for Mum’s funeral:

For my mum, Tia Tearle.

For longer than I care to remember, I have dreaded this day because from this day forward I have to face the future without Mum.  I can no longer ring her up and talk to her, and I can no longer write to her.  All I can do now is to commune with the memory I have of her. But this day had to come; death is one of life’s absolute certainties, it happens to us all and there is no appeal.

The Queen recently said, “Grief is the price we pay for love.” The hurt and the pain we feel, and the tears we cry, are all because of the love we have for Mum.  But in spite of that, however sad we feel and however much loss we suffer, today is not a tragic day; it is a day of rejoicing in a life full of richness and many friends, full of laughter and a wicked sense of humour.

Tia Tearle, Lakeside Flats Rotorua C1952

Tia Tearle, Lakeside Flats Rotorua C1952

Although poverty was a constant companion in her childhood, Mum grew up in a relationship with her father and older brother Maurice that was rich with incident and variety. I shall be forever grateful to her younger brother, my Uncle Dick, for coming to New Zealand a few years ago and helping her to lay the ghosts that had so haunted her life and the memories of her family. James Ewart Dawson was a tall, gaunt man of immense physical strength and strong moral fibre, with a wonderful laugh and a generous, humane nature. Her father gave her from his huge heart the unbounded generosity which so enriched her life. He also gave her a lifelong love of horses. This was a mixed blessing.  “Racehorses,” she used to say, “kept us poor.” But it was a passion she shared with her father and through it she met jockeys, trainers and some memorable horses.  She had even groomed the mighty Phar Lap.

James Ewart Dawson, Tia’s father (left) with Maurice, her brother, at the Wellington races. James was known as Lofty by all who knew him. The Dawsons were from Lisburn and Belfast.

James Ewart Dawson, Tia’s father (left) with Maurice, her brother, at the Wellington races. James was known as Lofty by all who knew him. The Dawsons were from Lisburn and Belfast.

My Mum was also a lady of definite opinion and she hated pretension.  She was home early one day from her job as a nurse’s aide in Rotorua Hospital when I was still in Intermediate School.  She was sitting with her neighbour at the table in the window of our Western Heights house and she was alternately laughing and crying.

Tia and Frank’s wedding cake

Tia and Frank’s wedding cake

“They’ve sent me home early,” she said. “This horrible woman had moaned and complained about everything from the moment she woke up. When we made her bed she wanted to be left alone.  When we left her alone she complained because we hadn’t adjusted her pillows.  I took her the morning’s porridge.  It was nice and warm, I had poured the milk on it and there was a heap of brown sugar just as she liked and she said to me, “What’s this stuff? I don’t want porridge today I want toast.” I couldn’t stand her any more! I said to her, ” Well if you won’t eat it you can wear it,” and I threw the plate of porridge all over her.”

She had genuine steel in her, too. I was very sick in my third form year and Mum stayed home to look after me. I was hot and feverish and she rang the doctor, but he was busy. I can still feel the resolution and determination, I can still hear that icy tone as she instructed him to come and see me. And he came. After his examination he declared I had tetanus, but it should be treatable because it had been diagnosed at an early stage.  I ate pills the size of Oddfellows for a week, but it may well be possible that she had saved the life of her middle son.

Tia’s boys. I’m the one in the middle, in my school cap and jersey. The boxing is around a pipe that fed hot mineral water into a very large bathing tub. It was closed later due to fears about poisonous gas.

Tia’s boys. I’m the one in the middle, in my school cap and jersey. The boxing is around a pipe that fed hot mineral water into a very large bathing tub. It was closed later due to fears about poisonous gas.

So what are the memories of my mum that I shall particularly treasure?

Mum drove me to Hamilton each month for a year to see Mr Davies, the orthodontist, who straightened my teeth.  Gertie the Anglia could run at 45mph “cruising nicely,” said Mum and 60mph downhill with the wind behind her.  We drove up the narrow, winding metal road through the Mamakus and Mum would curse at the car in front if it slowed her down on an especially steep, windy bit. “Look at that,” she fumed, “a bloody great Vauxhall. That silly bugger’s got more power in his car than a dozen of mine, and he slows me down on tight corners like this. It’s all right for him, but Gert takes a long time to get back to speed if she’s slowed down right now.” She tooted and the car ahead surged away. “See?” she said. “He just needed reminding to concentrate on his driving and stop thinking about his floosie in Rotorua.” I don’t remember a single conversation – if we had one – but I remember the feeling of being special because Mum was doing something for me alone.

Tia and Frank cut the cake.

Tia and Frank cut the cake.

During the summer of my 6th form year – my second 6th form year, I think – Mum didn’t go to work and she asked me to come home for lunch. As I walked along the road behind our house I could see the house across the gully and Mum would wave to me from the dining room window. When I arrived home we would sit at the table in the window and eat our lunch.  It seems to me now that every day was a sunny day because I can only remember blue skies and bright sunlight across our back yard.  There are few more precious memories in my life.

Tia comes home with a new baby, our sister Tups.

Tia comes home with a new baby, our sister Tups.

I had trained for weeks to do well in our annual High School Cross Country race. The day of the race was sunny and warm and we ran up the very steep slope of Ngongotaha Mountain, down the newly sealed roads and then past our house in the last mile of the event. I was exhausted. Suddenly I heard Mum’s voice. “Go, Ewart – you’re third!” I couldn’t believe that Mum had come outside to watch me run. I don’t know why, but I was really surprised. I tried to run down the boy in front of me but he heard me coming and kept surging away any time I got closer than about 50 feet. I ended up third, all right. There is a little corner of my mind where I can still hear Mum encouraging me.

Tia and Maurice Dawson. Morrie ended up slightly brain-damaged after a fall from a pony, and died in his late middle-age, never marrying.

Tia and Maurice Dawson. Morrie ended up slightly brain-damaged after a fall from a pony, and died in his late middle-age, never marrying.

She taught me a lesson about women. Whenever it was Dad’s birthday, or at Christmas time, I would get him something he wanted, like a drill or a chisel, so when I was about 10 and Mum’s birthday was coming up, I heard her complaining about her eggbeater being almost useless and a lot of work to get it to go properly. So I bought her an eggbeater for her birthday. To my utter horror she just cried.

“What’s the matter? What have I done?”

“It’s my birthday and you have given me tools,” she sobbed.

“What should I have done?”

“You don’t buy a woman tools,” she said. “I am not someone who just works for you all in the kitchen. You could have bought me something nice, like perfume.”

I had never thought of her as a woman. I was shocked. It is a lesson I have never forgotten and a lesson I have completely subsumed.

Frank, Tia and Gertrude the Anglia at Sadie’s, Hastings, Hawkes Bay, 1958

Frank, Tia and Gertrude the Anglia at Sadie’s, Hastings, Hawkes Bay, 1958

For the last 20 years we have taken our Christmas holidays at Pauanui. Every year we have had Christmas with Mum and Dad and for the past 10 years or so, they have travelled to Pauanui on Jason’s birthday, the 3rd of January. It has been a time that brought us closer together and given our children a good sense of their grandparents.

She had so many friends! Any time you sat in Mum’s living room for more than an hour, you would meet someone who was just dropping in to say hello. Some of them were her friends and neighbours calling in to give back a plate that Mum had given them full of biscuits, some were calling in to give her a present. Some of them were the stray pups she picked up as part of her AA work, calling in to get a little encouragement, a few words of advice or a good kick up the bum.  

Frank, Tia, my brother Graeme and his children, with Elaine sitting. Pauanui, Christmas 1994.

Frank, Tia, my brother Graeme and his children, with Elaine sitting. Pauanui, Christmas 1994.

Mum’s fundamental belief was that nothing would happen of its own accord – you had to want it to happen first. If you wanted change in your life, you had to recognise that change was necessary. Until then no-one could help you, and she wouldn’t hesitate to say so. She had half a lifetime of helping people and she gave them the help they needed, even if it wasn’t always what they expected. People loved her because she gave. But she had a keen eye for the bludger and she didn’t suffer fools at all.

So in the midst of your sorrow, reserve a space for happiness and laughter.  Mum had a huge and infectious laugh and if her sense of humour didn’t always overwhelm her immediately, she could see the funny side once she calmed down.  Today is a time of music because she loved to sing and dance and play; today is a time of sadness and tears because she is gone and we shall not see her again in our lifetime; and today is a time for laughter and telling stories. She was our Mum; no-one can ever take her place and we shall love her for ever.

In a little chapel in our wonderful St Albans Cathedral two small candles are burning bravely. One is for my beautiful son and other is for my lovely, lovely mum.

Fly towards the Light, Mum, for in the Light there is peace.

Ewart Tearle

St Albans 2002

18Mar/15

Edward Tearle, 1868, Preston, UK

Preston, UK, , , , , ,

As so often seems to happen, we simply “fall over” a Tearle incident and then we spend many hours in research and discussion trying to find out the story behind the incident. Edward’s story begins with a bottle and Richard tells it thus:

“Two or three years ago, I saw an old ginger beer stoneware bottle advertised on e-bay, which indicated that it ‘belonged’ to Edward Tearle of Oldham. I had never heard of him (we had not got the information about the Preston Tearles from CemSearch at that time). Nor was I entirely sure if ET was the maker of the bottle or the provider of the contents! Some token investigations revealed nothing and the matter became a ‘pot boiler’. Other – glass – bottles came up on offer, but still research fell on stony ground. Finally, about two months ago (Sept 07) one came up that I could afford but I was outbid. Every time one came up for auction, I would mail the seller and ask if they had any information about Edward – none of them knew anything. Many bottle experts and collectors were mailed, but I still no progress.

Vintage bottle

Vintage bottle

Out of the blue, a seller of a previous example offered to send me, free gratis, another bottle he had. I accepted gratefully and it duly arrived. At last I could see exactly what was on the bottle. The seller had dated the ir as 18th century, but this was clearly incorrect: the figures 1707 appeared on the base of the bottle and it would be easy to assume that this constituted a date. As it turned out, it was a maker’s mark. The maker’s name was ‘N & Co’ which I was able to establish as Nuttall & Co of St Helens. They were active in the mid 19th century until 1913 or so when they were absorbed by the United Glass Co.

The markings on the bottle were decisive: ‘Edward Tearle’ and ‘Oldham’ were prominent as was the trade mark – an 8 pointed star with ‘E.T’ and an embossed circle inside. Either side of the star were the words Trade and Mark – this helped establish that 1707 wasn’t a date as trade marks were not noted until the mid 19th century.

There was some speculation in the group as to whether this might have been, in fact, Ebenezer Tearle, who was a known brewer in the London area, and whether the trade mark had any connection with Thomas Tearle’s Star Brewery, also in London.

But a second bottle turned up in quick succession which was exactly the same except for the bottle makers – CS & Co – who were also based in St Helens.

For me, it was impossible to get away from the Lancashire connection and much renewed research began – but with little to add except to confirm the few things we already knew:

CS & Co seemed to have been active mostly between 1872 and 1916: United Glass Co was formed in 1913 by 4 companies, two of which were CS & Co and Nuttall and Co. CS & Co were also based in St Helens and one thing which comes up a lot is descriptions of bottles whereby the brewers (or whatever) have their marks and location on the side of the bottle, with the maker’s details on the base. The point of this is that it would now be fairly certain that Edward Tearle was active in Oldham as both bottles have that place on the side.”

We knew we needed local knowledge, but with none available, we could not conduct the enquiry any further.

We were contacted by Hazel Anderson of Preston, great-grand-daughter of Mary Ann in the photo above.  She volunteered some local research, a quite extraordinary note from Susan Smith of the Oldham Local Studies and Archives:

“Edward Tearle only appears in the Worrall’s 1895 Trade Directory of Oldham along with a Henry Tinsley trading as Tinsley and Tearle, Herb Beer Brewers. Edward’s home address was 14 Minton Street, Oldham and Henry Tinsley’s home address was 9 Firth Street, Oldham. Their business was located on Rink Road, off Union Street, Oldham. This may have been a short lived business as they do not appear in any other trade directory either as partners or as individuals brewing herb beer. In the 1891 census, there were many drapers living in Minton Street, but not Edward, so maybe the Edward Tearle living in Preston

is the man who brewed herb beer in Oldham, but whose later occupation was as a draper.

I have tracked his partner, Henry Tinsley in the Electoral Rolls and he was listed at 9 Firth Street in 1894 and his previous address was 15 Cromwell Street where he was living at the time of the 1891 census. Cromwell Street is very near to Rink Road. Henry’s occupation then was given as a carter. See attached census extract.

I could not find Edward Tearle in any Electoral Register.”

We had hardly drawn breath from this revelation when Hazel wrote again:

“I have been to Preston reference library today to find out where Sophia and Joseph’s grocers shop was. It seems they had two. One at 34 Maitland Street and one at 139 Ribbleton Lane. It looks like a lot of the Tearles owned businesses in Preston.

There was mention of Edward Tearle a draper at 91 Ribbleton Avenue, Preston”

As usual in these circumstances, Barbara Tearle of Oxford came up with the key:

“I’ve just consulted one of my favourite sources, the London Gazette, and come up with the following:

The Gazettes of 1892 and 1893 contain details of Joseph Tearle of Preston and Oldham going bankrupt.

Joseph Tearle, of 100, Wilbraham Street, Preston, trading at 139, Ribbleton-lane, Preston, also at Rimes-road, Union-street, Oldham as a Provision Dealer [at the first address] and as a Herb Beer Manufacturer [at the second address].

The words in brackets are my additions based on the layout of the page in the Gazette.

The Official Receiver at Preston dealt with this and Joseph managed to repay 1s 11d halfpenny in the pound of his debts.

Is Joseph, Edward’s father?”

Richard:

“it identifies our man quite a bit and may well point to your Edward being a one-time herb beer manufacturer, possibly before he became a draper….”

Hazel:

“Edward Tearle is the son of Joseph and Sophia Tearle and therefore my great grandmother Mary Ann Tearle’s brother. The information you have found in the Gazette seems to prove that Edward Tearle of Oldham and Edward Tearle of Preston are one and the same person.”

Richard:

“Mystery solved. Although a small thing in Family History investigation, I feel that persistence, collaboration, lateral thinking and perhaps a little bit of luck have contributed to this story having a successful conclusion!”

We had uncovered the story of Edward, the herb beer maker of Oldham and seen into the life of Joseph and Sophia nee Kibble. We had been witnesses to a drama of the past and filled in some of the details we could only guess at from the 10-yr apart snapshots of the censuses.

Edward died in 1903 and a colourful chapter of Tearle history in Preston closed.