13 Mar 2005
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Today we scanned copies of the GRO certificates that Barry has in his files. Their details are:
Birth of Bertie Herbert Tew, 17th September 1908 in Greens Norton, Towcester. His mother was
Annie Louisa Tew, a Housekeeper (domestic). The informant was Annie Louisa Tew, mother,
living in Greens Norton. The birth was registered on 29th September 1908
source 1908BirthOfBertieHerbertTew ()
Marriage of William Alcock and Ann Chamberlain on 3rd June 1844 in the parish church of Brant
Broughton, Lincoln. He was a bachelor of full age, working as a servant. He lived in Brant
Broughton and his father was Thomas Alcock, also a servant. She was a spinster of full age
working as a servant. She also lived in Brant Broughton and her father was either Ian or Ann
Chamberlain, a Tailor. Both parties could sign their name as could the witnesses Robert Alcock
and Mary Chamberlain.
source 1844MarriageOfWilliamAlcockAndAnnChamberlain ()
Marriage of Henry Alcock and Mary Sharpe, 4th August 1859 at the register office in Newark,
Nottinghamshire. He was a bachelor aged 26 working as a plaster pits labourer. He lived in
Tenter Buildings, Newark and his father was William Alcock, a stonemason's labourer. She was a
spinster aged 22 working as a domestic servant. She lived in Osmandthorpe, Newark and her
father was William Sharpe a railway labourer. He could not sign his name but she could. The
witnesses were William Mounteroy who could sign his name and Harriet Ingleton who could not.
source 1859MarriageOfHenryAlcockAndMarySharpe ()
Marriage of Alfred Facer and Mary Ann Rymell, 28th December 1874 at the parish church of
Frimley, Surrey. He was a bachelor aged 28, working as a carpenter. He lived in St. George's
Manchester and his father was William Facer, a grocer. She was a spinster aged 28, with no
occupation. She lived in Frimley and her father was William Rymell, an ironmonger. Both could
sign their names, as could the witnesses George Walter Lambourn and Ann Charlwood Botting.
They were married by Banns.
source 1874MarriageOfAlfredFacerAndMaryAnnRymell ()
This certificate as good as proves that Mary Ann Rymell is related to Janet Rymell. Janet married a George Walter Lambourn on 10 August 1873 in Tring, Hertfordshire. George was born in Blackwater, Surrey. In the 1871 census Mary Ann is working as a servant in a house with an Anne Botting, also a servant. Anne was aged 31 and born in Rusper, Sussex
Marriage of Tom Tew and Elizabeth Jane Williams, 5th August 1884 at the register office of
Towcester, Northamptonshire. He was a bachelor aged 21, working as a farm labourer. He lived
in Greens Norton and his father was George Tew, a labourer. She was a spinster aged 25 working
as a lacemaker. She also lived in Greens Norton and her father was Thomas Williams, a labourer.
Neither could write their names. Nor could their witnesses William and Harriet (surnames
unreadable). They were married by certificate.
source 1884MarriageOfTomTewAndElizabethJaneWilliams ()
By certificate means that the couple waited 3 weeks between giving notice and getting married.
Tew, Lay
On the way home we stopped off at Greens Norton and Pattishall and had a look in the graveyard to see if we could find any Tews or Lays. Many of the gravestones were weathered so badly as to be unreadable, but in St. Bartholemews at Greens Norton we came across the following:
In loving memory of Elsie Lay who died January 30th 1955 aged 62 years and her husband Frank
Lay who died August 10th 1975 aged 85 years.
In plot K2 with a fairly recently laid wreath and remains of some flowers, were these Tews:
In loving memory of George Donald Tew who died 10th October 1965. Also his brother whose ashes
are interred here, Kenneth (Chippy) Tew who died 26th July 1973. Also his sister Mary Elizabeth
ome/iand/web/iandavis.com/wiki/htdocs/… 30/08/13 12:00
Taylor (Bessie) who died 19th July 1997. Also her husband whose ashes are interred here Douglas
Frank Taylor who died 11th July 1974.
There were a couple of Rogers too, although we don’t know of any connection between the Rogers family and Greens Norton:
In loving memory of Joseph Francis Rogers who died 1st February 1967 afed 69 years also his wife
Mabel who died 21st October 1986 aged 82 years. Resting.
Treasured memories of Isabel (Bell) Laura Rogers 19 November 1906 23 June 1971 and her brother
William Herbert Rogers 9 Jan 1904 12 Feb 1982
ymell here Were The Rymells? These are the wheabouts of the Rymell family for the various censuses:
Name 1871 1881 1891 1901
William, b.1823 Tring Dead?? Dead?? Dead??
Lydia, b.1830 Tring Hove ?? ??
Mary Ann, b.1846 Frimley New Bradwell New Bradwell New Bradwell
Henry, b.1848 Tring ?? ?? ??
Elizabeth, b.1850 Frimley ?? ?? ??
Janet, b.1851 ?? Knightsbridge ?? ??
Emma, b.1852 Tring Marylebone ?? ??
(Expanded into RymellFamilyTimeline)
Mary Ann married Alfred Facer in 1874
Janet married George Walter Lambourn in 1873
Elizabeth married William Boon in 1872
Steph set about trying to locate the missing Rymells.
ay, Tew I tried to find the Frank Lay whose gravestone we found in the 1901 census. I found him aged 10 living with his father, a blacksmith:
1901 Bradden Road, Greens Norton,
Northants(Attach:RG13_1411_1413-0235.gif)
Name Relation Condition Age Occupation Where Born
John Ashby Lay Head M 56 Blacksmith Northants, Greens Norton
Annie M Lay Wife M 52 Northants, Slapton
William A Lay Son S 27 Blacksmith Northants, Slapton
Catherine Lay Dau S 18 Northants, Slapton
Tom Lay Son S 20 Blacksmith Northants, Slapton
Harry Lay Son S 14 Blacksmith Northants, Slapton
May Lay Dau S 13 Northants, Slapton
Frank Lay Son 10 Northants, Slapton
Arthur Lay Son 8 Northants, Slapton
ome/iand/web/iandavis.com/wiki/htdocs/… 30/08/13 12:00
John Lay Son Widower 29 Blacksmith Northants, Slapton
Catherine A J Gr. Dau 6 Northants, Pattishall
Lay
Richard J Lay Gr. Son 4 Northants, Pattishall
I also found Thomas and his father George Tew in Greens Norton, living a few houses away from one another:
1901 Chapel Yard, Greens Norton,
Northants(Attach:RG13_1411_1413-0252.gif)
Name Relation Condition Age Occupation Where Born
Tom Tew Head M 38 General farm labourer Bucks, Westbury
Elizabeth Wife M 42 Northants Greens Norton
Tew
Thomas Tew Son S 14 General farm labourer Northants Greens Norton
John Tew Son 9 Northants Greens Norton
George Tew Son 5 Northants Greens Norton
William Tew Son 3 Northants Greens Norton
and…
1901 Chapel Yard, Greens Norton,
Northants(Attach:RG13_1411_1413-0252.gif)
Name Relation Condition Age Occupation Where Born
George Head M 79 Bucks, Shalstone
Tew
Kate Tew Wife M 67 Bucks, Westbury
I also looked for William Tew, George and Kate’s son. I think this is him:
1901 Main St., Steeple Claydon, Yard, Bucks,
(Attach:RG13_1366_1368-0306.gif)
Name Relation Condition Age Occupation Where Born
William Tew Head M 26 Carter on farm (horse) Northants, Towcester
Edith Tew Wife M 22 Bucks, Steeple Claydon
Elsie M Tew Dau S 3 Bucks, Steeple Claydon
John W Tew Son S 2 Bucks, Steeple Claydon
Cecil W H Son S 7mo Bucks, Steeple Claydon
Tew
Looking back over earlier work we had done, I realised that we hadn’t recorded Annie Tew’s address properly in 1901. I looked it up and it appears that she was living in one of 10 houses off of Wellington Street in Northampton. After 18 Wellington Street a series of 2 room houses are listed with an address something like “1 of 3” through to “10 of 3” - it’s very hard to read. I check Wellington Street in 1891 and there was no sign of these 10 properties. Later on I came across a Green’s Norton website (http://www.greensnortonvillage.co.uk). An Albert Booth remembers:
Mr Frank Lay was greatly in demand as the village blacksmith" He lived at 'The Rest' and employed
four or five blacksmiths as well as members of his own family. Another blacksmith was Mr May who
also employed one or two of his lads" They were kept very busy, as at that time there were numerous
farm horses that needed regular shoeing, as well as farm implements that needed to be maintained
in good condition" There were many big families. About a hundred and twenty people lived in the
houses in Chapel Yard " The houses included the four at the bottom, of which only two remain" I can
recall the Phillips, the Maycocks, the Tews and the Atkins" They all had families that went into double
figures"
The site also mentions the maltings (George Lay lived at Malting Yard with his mother in 1891):
Turn right down Bengal Lane. The first stone house on the right, known as "The Maltings" was used
for brewing beer in the last century. (ed. note: We are informed that The Maltings is actually the
second stone house on the right and it is not and never has been called "The Maltings"; it is by this
source known now as "The Old Malting House".) On the plot where No12 stands there were once 5
houses occupied by 18 people. No wonder there are only about 200 more people living in Greens
Norton than there were at the turn of the century! Houses on the site of 6 and 14 were originally
constructed for workers at the maltings
There was a discussion about lacemaking too (Annie Tew’s mother Kate and sister Mary was a lacemaker):
The making of pillow lace in England was confined to the area around Honiton in Devon and to the
East Midlands and started up as a result of refugee lace makers arriving from the Continent to
escape the religious persecution in the Netherlands and France in the last part of the 16th. Century.
By 1698 there were over 100,00 people employed in the trade and during the 18th. Century the
number increased still further, with Towcester as one of the main centres. It is easy to understand,
therefore, why lace was made in Greens Norton, and we know the Brookside Cottage in Bengal Lane
was a lace school. Lace schools were generally the living rooms of small cottages and were renowned
for being overcrowded, badly lit and often insanitary. Girls and some boys were put to work at the
age of six or seven and spent long hours bent over their pillows, learning the craft, until they could
produce a marketable product. Some of the children were also taught elementary reading, but on the
whole there was little other general education. The health of the children suffered from their
immobility and lack of fresh air, although they would often work outside, ranged along a village
street, in order to have better light. When they worked inside they sat in a circle with a flask of water
in the centre, with a candle behind it. The water increased the light from the candle flame. Proficient
workers sat nearest the flame, with the learners furthest away.
By the 1830's complete production of lace by machine was possible and so the industry declined;
however, some lace was still made by hand and we know that it continued to some extent in Greens
Norton. Mr John Brown of Home Farm (now Mansfield Court) remembered his uncle going to
France to bring back the patterns for the lace. The kitchen floor of his house at Paulerspury was
scrubbed and the patterns laid out on the floor. The patterns were then pricked out on to parchment,
and the lace makers given orders for so many yards of this or that pattern, so many collars, and so
on. By 1930 only two lace makers remained in the village, though several people made it for their
own enjoyment. Mrs Hornsby used to sit on the Post Office steps to make her lace and Mrs Pilgrim
made a lace handkerchief for Princess Mary.
I wanted to follow up the Lays, to see if I could find a link between the Lays and the Tews. In 1891, there were three Lay families living in Greens Norton:
Mary Lay, aged 70, living alone, a retired housekeeper.
Hannah Lay, aged 69 living with her son George 40. She was living on own means, he was a
gardener. They lived in Malting Yard.
John A Lay, aged 46, living with his wife Annie M, and 14 children. He was a blacksmith. He lived on
Church Hill.
In 1881:
Samuel Lay, aged 64 and his wife Hannah Lay, aged 60. He was an agricultural labourer.
John A. Lay, aged 36 and his wife Annie M, 8 children and an apprentice. He was a master
blacksmith.
Mary Lay, aged 60, an annuitant
In 1871:
Samuel Lay, aged 54, his wife Hannah, 49 and their son George, 22
John Lay, aged 26 with his wife Annie M and daughter Elizabeth M
Frances Lay, aged 81, a lodger with a Sarah Maycock
I re-checked the 1881 census for George Tew and noticed that Adam T Tew was actually Ada T Tew. I’ve corrected the original transcription we made.
