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Generation 1:
William Fletcher & Elizabeth Nock
William Fletcher bc 1801 in Wolverhampton and
married Elizabeth Nock, called Eliza bc 1801 in Sedgley
on 13 Nov 1820 at St Peter’s Wolverhampton. Bill was a
coal miner.
In the 1841 census we find that the family lived in
Ettingshall and both parents gave their age as
40. William Fetcher was a miner and probably worked
down the Fighting Cocks Colliery. The Fighting Cocks
pub gave its name to the colliery. What is really
interesting is that their next door neighbours in the
census were George Evans and his wife Alice, who
was daughter of William and Eliza Evans and are
intimately connected with the Fletchers.:
Their children, as far as I know were:
•
John Fletcher b 1825 Wolverhamton
•
Alice Fletcher b 1827 Wolverhamton – see
below Generation 2A on page 4
•
William Fletcher b 1829 Wolverhamton, coal
miner
•
Joseph Fletcher b 1831 Wolverhamton, coal
miner
•
Edwin Fletcher bc 1834 Sedgley, coal miner
•
Thomas Fletcher bc 1841 Sedgley. In the 1861
census he was living with his sister Alice and
brother in law George Evans in Cleveland Street,
Wednesfield – no occupation is listed for him
although he is 20.
•
Edward Fletcher bc 1833 Sedgley,
•
Mary Anne Fletcher bc1834 Sedgley. See
below Generation 2B page 6.
The map of the day shows the Fighting Cocks area
hemmed in by collieries. There was a pub called the
Fighting Cocks, demolished and the Aldi car park in
Parkfield Road now sits there. The Fighting Cocks name
lives on as a bus stop on service 1 (Dudley to Tettenhall
via Wolverhampton)
Thankfully the Sedgley School Park is still there, but not
as a school. This gives us a landmark so we can see
where the family lived. The school is now called the
Park Hall Hotel and Spa. Perhaps the author of the
webpage should have spent more time on literacy as he
states here that “The Hotel is built in the style of Indigo
Jones.” Indigo Jones??? He means of course Ingo Jones
.
The house was built in 1705 and was the home of the
family of Dudley and Ward until 1757. became a school
in 1761, founded by Bishop Challoner for Catholic
schoolboys, before the Earl of Dudley took up residence
in 1947. Park Hall finally became a hotel in 1981 when
the Grigg and Brettell Brewery bought the building and
transformed it into a hotel.
Fighting Cocks Colliery owned by John Southern;
Parkfield and Cockshut owned by Parkfied Company; ;
Rough Hills by Whitehouse and Poole <link>
The 1861 census adds confusion to the mix. Is this our
William? Now aged 6 - but working as a shoemaker?
Elizabeth his wife aged 59 and there is a daughter aged
17 living with ten
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From the 18th century onwards, Ettingshall became
heavily industrialised as a result of the Industrial
Revolution. Until April 1979, an area of wasteland on
the southside of Millfields Road was the location of the
Bilston Steelworks and old Bilston quarries. Ettingshall
Road was the location for Cables and Instruments,
Dixon's Wallcoverings and Tools and Machines. Spring
Road is the location of Tarmac Limited (head office
closed 2013) and John Thompson Limited (closed
2004). As the northern parts of the original Ettingshall
extended across the border into Bilston, many new
houses and factories were built and this area became
known as "Ettingshall New Village", the Ettingshall that
still exists in the present day.
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Ettingshall
The picture shows what the Fletcher family would have
seen every day. This is believed to have painted in
1852/3 and to depict the Springvale Ironworks at
Bilston to the south of Wolverhampton and appears in
the book “Petit’s Tours of Old Staffordshire. The
position from which the picture is painted can be more
precisely defined. A sketch from the 1845 map showing
a wider area, is shown below and indicates the likely
position – at the road junction to the top left, where the
name (presumably of a pub) is given as the Fighting
Cocks.
This is at the junction of the current Parkfield Road with
the Dudley / Wolverhampton Road. The 1845 map
indicates a cluster of housing at this point. Interestingly
the1882 map shows the latter road is the course of a
tramway, and this might also be the case for the 1845
map, although tramways and roads are not always
distinguished on these maps. If this were the case then
the horses in the foreground might be pulling wagons
along the tramway.
The 1851 census shows us that the family lived at the
Fighting Cocks and right next door to the Toll Bar and
Toll Gate house, which would have been at this spot
Genuki has an article about the minerals that can be
found in the area. They say that “The hissing of the
blast furnace, the clanging of hammers, the dusky
appearance of the workmen, and the various operations
upon unwieldy masses of red-hot iron, combine to
excite an idea of terror in the spectator:
"The ponderous hammer falls,
Loud anvils ring amid the trembling walls.
Strokes follow strokes, the sparkling ingot shines,
Flows the red flag, the lengthening bar refines.
Cold waves immersed, the glowing mass congeal,
And turn to adamant the hissing steel."
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Generation 2A
Alice Fletcher & George Evans
Alice Fletcher bc 1827 in Bilston, Staffordshire and she
is the glue that joins us to the Evans family, as she
married George Evans on 1 May 1844 in Sedgley. They
lived next door to each other and would have known
each other from childhood. George was born in
Shrewsbury and trained to be an engine driver. He
married her 1 May 1844 and then the young family lived
at the fighting Cocks in Ettingshall.
In 1861 they lived at Cleveland Street, Holy Trinity,
Wolverhampton. They would not recognise the area
today. Now it’s hard to imagine that the quiet cul-de-
sac at the top of Hospital Street was once part of the
main route through Wolverhampton, to and from the
west, carrying large amounts of traffic into Shropshire
and North Wales via Cleveland Street, Salop Street and
Chapel Ash. The road was built in between 1828 and
1830 as part of the town commissioners' road
improvement scheme. The new ring road has turned it
into a cul-de-sac.
Alice and George had the following kids:
•
Mary Ann Evans b 1848 Fighting Cocks,
Sedgley, baptised 6 April 1848 Holy Trinity
Ettingshall. Married George Deakin 8 Nov 1869
Wednesfield. They were one of the families that
left Staffordshire and moved to the South
Yorkshire coalfields and settled in Darfield. In
1891 they lived at 26 Havelock Terrace, now
Havelock Street. The houses in the Terrace have
been demolished. Other researchers have her
listed as living in Burton on Trent aged 90 in the
1939, register but the birthdate is
wrong. Children:
o
George H Deakin bap 22 Oct 1879 St John the
Baptist
o
Ruth Deakin bap 22 Oct 1879 St John the
Baptost
o
Comfort Maid Deakin bc 1882 Darfield d Oct
1892 Barnsley aged 12
o
Aaron Deakin bc 1885
o
Edith Deakin bc 1890
•
Joseph Evans bc 1851 Sedgley. In the 1871
census, right next door to where George Evans
and William and Eliza Fletcher are living, we find
him, aged 19, a collier engine driver married to
Elizabeth aged 19 with daughter Ellen aged 6 mo
b Wolverhampton.
•
Ruth Evans b 1854 Sedgley/Wolverhampton
•
Ann Evans b 1856
•
Comfort Evans b 1861-2 Wolverhampton
•
John Thomas Edward 'Jack' Evans 1863 - see
below
•
William Evans bc 1865 Sedgley; engine fitter.
Married 6 Aug 1893 in Bilston to Emily Morris.
He and Emily moved to Mexborough, South
Yorkshire, together with brother Jack. Children:
o
Alice Evans born 4 May 1894 - 26 Jan 1985
married a Mr Thomas
o
Clara Edith Evans died 24 Dec 1985 married
Albert Burke
•
Emily Evans bc 1868 Bristol, Gloucester
•
George Evans b 15 May 1871
Blakenhall/Wednesfield. Married Jane Ann
Heafy/Heapy 1 Nov 1897 at St Luke, Leek,
Staffs. Jane was bap 15 Feb 1874 in Quarnford,
St Paul, Staffs, the daughter of George Heapy
and Sara LaviniaIn. In 1891 he and Jane are living
at House 1 Court 7 in a street beginning with a
P. He is a general labourer and Jane is a
blackstover, Jane died 12 Feb 2916 at Cheshire
House Waterfall, Staffs, widow. She left her
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estate to Minnie Heapy, spinster ad Arthur
Rushton, accountant. Effects at £1208-3-8d.
George and Alice took in the illegitimate son of Alice's
sister Mary Ann Fletcher for a time - William Fletcher
1867 - 1946 - see below.
For the next 20 years they lived at 25 Wards Meadow
Rookery Road. Rookery Road is still there and we can
see what was probably a meadow right behind it. The
original houses have all been torn down and replaced
with big modern ones. The residents are up in arms
because the council wants to build a new estate on this
vacant land.
George was working as an engine driver - he operated a
steam factory engine, used for all processes, usually
linked by a system of shafts, pulleys and belts. He was
doing well and the family had moved by 1871
to Briggin's Lane Grocer's Shop, Heath Town,
Wednesfield and it is interesting that his father-in-law,
William Fletcher bc 1804 Wolverhamton, and his wife
Elizabeth are living with them.
In the 1881 census we also find that William Fletcher,
his grandson aged 14 b 1867 Sedgley was living with
them. Moving on 10 years they are in the same place
and two of their children are there as well – Eliza who
works at home looking after her parents and
William aged 20 is a labourer.
Not sure where the family is 1901 but there is an Alice
Evans boarding in the home of Rosamale Barrett, a
widow aged 62 b Cosely, working as a coal dealer. Her
daughter, Rosamale aged 21 is there as well. Alice Evans
is a widow aged 76 b Wolverhampton. Also in the house
is Clara (12)and Laura (10) Southaw, grand daughters
Eliza is still going strong in 1911, living in the home of
her son William, now a furnace man in a steelworks.
Their address is 3 Holcrofts Meadow , Ladymoor,
Bilston. Alice is now aged 17 and Edith is 12 both born
Sedgley.
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Generation 2B
Mary Ann Fletcher
Last child of William and Elizabeth (Nock), she was
baptised 5 June 1842 at St Leonard’s church Bilston.
There is a Mary A Fletcher aged 58 living with her
brother on own means at 97 Bilston Street, Sedgley. Her
brother is Edward Baker a former shopkeeper aged 72 b
Sedgley. Mary had an illegitimate child, William
Fletcher (1867-1946), who was brought up by his aunt
Alice and uncle George (Evans). For more information -
see below.
William Fletcher
This story has been written by Nick Shaw.
William Fletcher married Emma Barratt on Christmas
Day 1890 at St Chad`s church, West Coseley. On his
marriage certificate he gave his father`s name as Albert
Fletcher (deceased) a miner. A considerable amount of
time and effort went into trying to find Albert Fletcher
and it was only after William`s birth certificate was
finally obtained, that it was discovered that Albert was a
figment of William`s imagination.
William was illegitimate. He was born 14 September
1867 at a location near to the Fighting Cocks Hotel in
Sedgley and his mother is listed as Mary Ann Fletcher,
aged about 23. No father is named.
Mary Ann and William should have appeared on the
1871 census, just four years after he was born, but
despite all my efforts, I have been unable to find them.
It is not unusual for people to dodge the census
enumerator and this appears to be the case here. So we
do not know if Mary Ann lived at home, or was forced
to fend for herself. It would appear from later
investigations, that the latter was the case.
The 1881 census is the key record. William is shown as
aged 14 living with George Evans, an engine driver and
one time publican/bar manager, born in Shrewsbury
and his wife Alice from Bilston. William is listed with
their five children, as a “grandson”.
By this time, I believe that William`s mother Mary Ann
had moved on and had married a man of Italian
extraction. When she left William is impossible to be
sure, but in 1881 she would have been in her late
thirties, so I suspect that it was not long after 1871.
I traced George Evans and his family back to the 1871
census and there was in fact a William Fletcher living
with them. But this was William Fletcher aged 67 and
his wife Elizabeth of the same age. They are listed as
mother and father and are the parents of George`s wife
Alice. She was Alice Fletcher, who married George
Evans at Sedgley in 1844. Further investigations show
that Mary Ann Fletcher (William`s mother) was Alice`s
younger sister. The plot thickens….
So who could be William`s father?
Firstly, it must be said that it obviously could have been
anyone. Mary Ann could have been in a long term
relationship, or she could have had a number of
partners, but the circumstances of William`s upbringing
mean that we should look more closely at the Evans
family.
The spotlight is now shining on George Evans himself. It
is not unique for a man to have a relationship with his
wife`s sister, but we should look at this from Alice`s
viewpoint. Her husband has a relationship with her
sister which results in a child, which she then agrees to
bring up, whilst her sister wanders off. That is a big call
and I can`t help feeling that most women would have
shown George the door. But realistically, who would
support her and her children (they had a total of 10), if
George moved on? So he has to be in the frame.
There is, however, another possibility. Let`s turn the
spotlight onto George and Alice`s eldest child – a boy
named Joseph. Born around 1850, he would have been
some six years Mary Ann`s junior but would have been
17 when William was born. Add to that the fact that if
he was the father, then the term “grandson” on the
1881 census is accurate. However, the relationship
between a nephew and his aunt (in this case his
mother`s sister), would have been regarded as
incestuous. It is certainly genetically worrying but, as
William does not appear to have been born with two
heads, it must be a consideration.
There is one more document that helps with William`s
history and that is the 1939 Register. This is a document
that was compiled just as the Second World War started
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and was used to determine who should receive a ration
book. Somehow it seems to have circumnavigated the
100 year ruling that is applied to the census and has
been released now. It is heavily redacted, which makes
it virtually illegible in some parts, but is very useful in
this instance.
The register shows William Fletcher living at 55 Oliver
Street Mexborough. His wife Emma is a patient in the
Montagu Hospital in Mexborough. Presumably being
treated for the breast cancer that was sadly to end her
life some four years later.
Two further entries are of importance. Firstly, it shows
William`s date of birth. This matches that of his birth
certificate, proving beyond doubt that we have the
correct document. Secondly, living with William in
Oliver Street is George Evans son of George and Alice.
He is shown as being a widower, three years younger
than William. George was one of the children that
William grew up with. He married Harriet Holding at
Wolverhampton in 1892. She died at Mexborough in
1937.
There is little else that we can find out about William`s
birth and life, but there are still questions regarding his
mother. I have so far failed to find her birth registration
and certificate, which are proving irritatingly elusive.
We know that Mary Ann and Alice`s parents were
William Fletcher, born at Wolverhampton in 1801 and
Elizabeth, born at Sedgley in the same year, but
Elizabeth who??
There are three candidates and until I find Mary Ann`s
birth certificate, we will not know which one it is. I may
have to try looking for her slightly older brother
Thomas.
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Generation 3A
John Thomas Edward Evans
Jack and Eliza - got to respect these two battlers.
Tough as nail with hearts of gold
John Thomas Edward Evans (Jack) was born circa 1862
in Ladybride Street, Bilston, Staffordshire (1881 census
lists Sedgley and hi is working as a boat builder). He and
his brother Bill moved to Mexborough at a time when
the canal transportation system was being developed,
in order to move the vast amounts of coal to Sheffield
and Doncaster. He found employment at Waddington's
Boatyard down near the canal. He would be delighted
to know that they are still there and I expect that he
could walk right in and get on with the work, though he
would be amazed with modern tools.
Jack Evans married Eliza Barrett (who was born 21
Canal Street, Corstley 1864) at Corstley Parish Church.
Eliza's mother (known as Great Grandma Barrett died
aged 96 Rene gave me these dates and recalls a
Great Grandma Potter, and Jack's parents died aged
88 and 86 years respectively).
Jack and Eliza lived at 37 Oliver Street, Mexborough.
Oliver Street was in the poorer end of Mexboro and
was considered the other side of the railway tracks.
Not true now though. In 1930, at the age of 60 and
when most of the children had left home, they
should have been looking forward to a gentle old age
in retirement. However, their son's wife - Ada Severn
- died of pneumonia.
This was a hard time - the General Strike of 1929 was
followed by the Great Depression - money was scarcer
than ever before and work was hard to get. Jack and
Eliza took in Ada's three children: Rene, Stan and
Marian, as well as their own son, Bill. At the time their
youngest son, Frank, was still living at home. And then,
just two years later, Thomas' wife, Ellen nee Goddrd
died and two more children were gathered in.
Jack and Eliza (called "Granny Evans") were typical
products of the Victorian age. Strict and very religious,
they ruled their house according to biblical ethics.
Sunday meant 3 visits to church. No-one was allowed to
work on Sunday - that meant not even cutting your nails
was allowed.
Maureen recalls that
"Jack had a slight Welsh
accent and Granny Evans
had a big organ in the
front room. The house
was made into a 3 up/ 3
down and God help you
if you moved on a
Sunday. On that day you
were given two books to
read - the Bible and
Pilgrims Progress.
Granny Evans wore high-
button boots, black
stockings, big baggy drawers, 3 skirts under another
black one that extended down to the top of her boots
and a white blouse. She only ever had one coat until she
was quite old. Jack was a hard
drinker - consuming 18 rum and
peppers before going to work,
though he became timid later in
life" Editor: Do people from
Shrewsbury have Welsh
accents?
Granny and Jack Evans circa
1910. Photos donated by
Maureen Evans.
Jack died Oct 12 1942 aged 80
and Eliza died 2 December 1943
aged 79. They are buried in Mexborough Cemetary.
The South Yorkshire Times issue dated 17 October 1942
(page 10) had an advert from the family. It read:
“The wife and family of the late Mr John Thomas
Edward Evans desire to express their sincere thanks to
Nurse Crawley and Dr Agascar for their very hard care
and attention to Mr Evans during his illness. Also to all
friends and neighbours of the Mexborough Reform
Club for their very kind sympathy and for the many
beautiful floral tributes received during their recent
sad bereavement. 37 Oliver Street, Mexborough”
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The South Yorkshire Times issue dated 17 October 1942
(page 10) reported his funeral. It reads:
“The death of Mr JTE Evans (80) of 37 Oliver Street
occurred on Monday. Mourners were:
Mrs JTE Evans (widow); Mr & Mrs A Prosser; Mr & Mrs
W Evans; Mr & Mrs E Evans; Mr & Mrs T Evans Mr &
Mrs
F
Evans;
Mrs
W
Fletcher;
Ernest
Prosser; Thomas Evans; Robert Evans; Mrs J
Heaton; Marian Evans; Maureen, Nancy & Chrissie
Evans; Mr & Mrs T Donaghue; Steve, Don, Edith &
Alice; Mr W Fletcher; Mrs Norton; Mr & Mrs Barrett;
Mrs Chipp;
Bearers were Messrs Marsden, Slater, Oxley, Haigh,
Baker & Wright. Funeral arrangements were by
Millwood & Sons, 105 Main Street & 24 Market Street,
Mexborough. Tel 2138”
The backs - Oliver Street 1997
Above: Granny Evans. Donated by Nancy Ellor
Below: Jack Evans in the garden with his grand-
daughter Nancy Ellor. Donated by Nancy Ellor
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37 Oliver Street,
Mexborough.
Amazing how tiny
the house is and
Jack and Eliza
brought up their
kids and looked
after their kid's
kids.
Jack died Oct 12
1942 aged 80 and
Eliza died 2
December 1943
aged 79. They are
buried in
Mexborough
Cemetery. The
South Yorkshire
Times issue dated 17 October 1942 (page 10) had an
advert from the family. It read:
“The wife and family of the late Mr John Thomas
Edward Evans desire to express their sincere thanks to
Nurse Crawley and Dr Agascar for their very hard care
and attention to Mr Evans during his illness. Also to all
friends and neighbours of the Mexborough Reform Club
for their very kind sympathy and for the many beautiful
floral tributes received during their recent sad
bereavement.
37 Oliver Street, Mexborough
The South Yorkshire Times issue dated 17 October 1942
(page 10) reported his funeral. It reads:
The death of Mr JTE Evans (80) of 37 Oliver Street
occurred on Monday. Mourners were:
Mrs JTE Evans (widow) Mr & Mrs A Prosser
Mr & Mrs W Evans
Mr & Mrs E Evans
Mr & Mrs T Evans Mr & Mrs F Evans Mrs W Fletcher
Ernest Prosser Thomas Evans Robert Evans Mrs J
Heaton
Marian Evans
Maureen, Nancy & Chrissie Evans
Mr & Mrs T Donaghue
Steve, Don, Edith & Alice
Mr W Fletcher
Mrs Norton
Mr & Mrs Barrett
Mrs Chipp
Bearers were Messrs Marsden, Slater, Oxley, Haigh,
Baker & Wright. Funeral arrangements were by
Millwood & Sons, 105 Main Street & 24 Market Street,
Mexborough. Tel 2138.
Jack and Granny Evans had 6 children whose histories as
far as I have been able to find out are described below:
•
John (Jack) Evans married Sarah Ann Birch. They
moved to Pittsburgh, in the USA between the
two World Wars. It is believed they had three
children - listed below. Maureen said that Jack
had a friend in Pennsylvania who promised to
give the lads jobs if they had his name (Bertram).
o
John Bertram Evans who became a
Presbyterian minister
o
Alfred Bertram Evans
o
Bobby Bertram Evans
Extensive research has not produced anything
further from this family.
•
Lilian Evans married Arthur Prosser. Lilian and
Arthur had 2 children: Maureen said that they
managed a club in Brickworks then a Working
Man's Club in Gorton, Manchester.
o
John A Prosser born circa 1915 died 22
January 1944 - killed in Salerno, Italy. He was
a batman to an officer and the jeep that he
was riding in ran over a mine and exploded.
o
Ada Prosser born 1916. Maureen told me
that she died of leukemia (known
aspernicious anemia) aged about 17. She
used to have a green cast to her face - called
chloriosis. She died 17 August 1933.
o
Ernest Prosser married Helen and moved to
Manchester
•
Frederick William (always known as Bill) Evans
joined the Army during World War One and was
a driver in the Royal Engineers (I think). He
certainly looked very smart in his uniform. He
married Ada Severn. Family tradition has it that
the marriage wasn't approved of by Ada's
parents. Maureen reports that "Ada used to
teach Sunday school and was a typical lady ....
but then she met that bugger Bill." See Gen 5A
•
Thomas Evans born c 1898 and died 3 November
1978. He married a girl called Ellen Goddard