Chignell Grave

1891 England Census for Alfred Chignell.

1911 England Census for Thomas Alexander Chignell.

Dundas_Mackenzie

The grave of George Eldred (1837 - 18.08.1874) and his wife Sarah (23.10.1843 - 06.03.1872) is in the St Faith's section, in the same row as the two Bannister tombs and the Chignell grave. They are all at the eastern end of the outline of the old chapel.

The Eldreds didn't live in Havant for very long. They married in Launceston, Tasmania (Sarah's birthplace) in 1866 and their first child, Beatrice was born there on July 25th 1868. They returned to England, where their son Herbert was born in Ramsey, Huntingdonshire (George grew up there) on 1st July 1870. 

In the 1871 Census they are living at 10 East, Havant (London House) with George's occupation listed as Draper. Sarah died in Havant the next year and was buried on the 12th March. Later that year George married Susan May King at St George's, Hanover Sq, Westminster on November 29th. Susan was born in Oving,near Chichester in 1849 and in 1871 had been living with her parents and siblings in Orchard St, Chichester.

Susan and George had two daughters, Peachy Mary born on the 19th January 1873 and registered in Portsea Island. Peachy was christened in Chertsey, Surrey indicating they may have lived there for a while. Their second daughter Elfrida Lilian was born in Havant in the second quarter of 1874. Shortly before George's death in August and burial on the 22nd. His probate record does not give a specific address. Susan's name is on the headstone but she is not buried there.

To find out what happened to Susan and the children thereafter, click on the link below

Fay headstone

Granville-tomb

As well as the two daughters whose tomb we are aware of, the eldest Granville daughter, Georgiana Pigott, is buried somewhere in the New Lane section too.  Additionally, so are two of their maternal aunts, Anne Hinchliff is one; the other is Katherine Mountain.  Katherine’s husband George Robert Mountain  who was rector of St Faith’s from 1825 to 1846 is buried in St Faith’s churchyard.

 

In the 1891 Census Grace Catherine Horril was the matron at the Union Workhouse in West St and her husband was the Workhouse Master.  Prior to her marriage Grace had been a school mistress at Milton Workhouse in Kent in 1871 and at Ashton under Lyme Workhouse in 1881.  Her grave is below a small tree close to the Dissenters’ boundary wall.

Preston Watson was born in Hougham, Lincolnshire in 1842, the third son of Joseph Watson and Elizabeth Parker. He was still living there in 1851 but in 1861 was working as a butler in a nearby village. In 1871 he was still working as butler but now for a household near Christchurch, Hants.In 1876 he married Elizabeth Jenkins at Christ Church, Rotherhithe on April 28^th. His occupation recorded as Licensed Victualler. Elizabeth was born in Cripplegate in the city of London on January 8^th 1840. In 1878, their one and only child, Bessie Amy, was born in Cowes, Isle of Wight.

 

1881 saw the family living in West End, Havant, almost certainly at the Prince of Wales pub, which still exists. 1891 saw them living at 42 North St, Havant with Preston’s occupation now Wine Merchant.

 

By 1901 they had moved to 12 North St, Havant the site that the business continued to occupy until it closed in the 1960s. In addition to the family, also living there were Bertha Kemp, niece and William Shoesmith, Wine Merchant’s clerk and future husband of Bessie Watson.

1904 Death of Elizabeth Watson in Havant on December 20^th followed by burial on December 26^th in the northwest corner of the St Faith’s section of the New Lane/Eastern Rd cemetery. It’s below a self-seeded Sycamore that has been partly cut back.

 

1907 - July, Preston married Annie Taylor (nee Onyon) a widow in Havant.

 

1911 Just Preston and Annie and a servant were living at 12 North St. Bessie and William, who had married in July 1903, were living at Southover, Langstone Rd, Havant with their son, John Preston, born 23^rd July 1906 and daughter, Elizabeth Margaret, born 23^rd August 1907. Also living with them was William’s sister Catherine. William’s occupation Manager to Wine Merchant.

 

1916 Death of Bessie Amy Shoesmith, aged 39, 31^st December. Buried 4^th January 1917 in the Eastern Rd section of the cemetery (see entry on our website under Interesting Graves/Eastern Rd).

 

1921 The family have regrouped at North St. Preston’s occupation is now Wine & Spirit Merchant. Manufacturer of Aerated Waters. William is Manager and Alice, Assistant. John Preston and Elizabeth are presumably still at school and William and Alice have a son Norman born 11^th June 1920. William’s sister Catherine is there too, occupation Dressmaker.

 

1923 Death of Preston Watson, 21^st March. He is buried in the same tomb as Elizabeth on March 26^th. His effects are valued at £9426 6s 9d.

 

1924 Death of Annie Watson, 25^th October. There is no clear indication of where or when she was buried.

 

For more detail and to learn what happened to William Shoesmith and his family download the attached document.

 

People in Photograph

Mary Kemp (nee Watson) is Preston’s sister. Her daughter is Bertha, who by then was Bertha Hann and her daughter is Marjorie Hann (not Mann as typed). Annie Rawlinson (1867 – 1941) is another of Mary Kemp’s daughters and Vera (1907 – 1975) and Enid (1903 – unknown) are her daughters and were probably just visiting, whereas the Haan’s lived in Havant.

 

Ellen Wells. Not clear who she is.

 

Aunt Gran, I assume is Catherine Shoesmith who remained in Havant after her sisters and brother John moved away and in 1911 was living in Langstone with her brother William and his wife Bessie and the two children. There is more about her in another Interesting Graves article.

 

Peggy Shoesmith was actually christened Elizabeth Margaret.