Person:Alfred Edwards (12)

Childhood

Alfred Edwards was born on 22nd November 1884 at Pagham in Sussex, a small village on the south coast between Bognor and Chichester. He was the youngest of ten children of a dressmaker named Fanny Edwards, formerly Grant, and her husband William Edwards, a traction engine driver. The 1891 census finds the family still living in Pagham, where they lived in a four roomed house. At the time of Alfred's birth his paternal grandmother was still alive.

Alfred about the time he went into service as a footman.

Service

The 1901 census finds Alfred working as a footman at 7 Clarendon Place in the Paddington area of London. The head of the household was a 59 year old spinster named Mary Gibbs Shapter, who had no other family living with her – but she did have seven live-in servants: a butler, a cook, a ladies’ maid, two housemaids, a kitchen maid and a footman (Alf). In April 1902, Alf left Miss Shapter’s service, with her giving a “very satisfactory” character reference to his new employers, Sir Gerald and Lady Fitzgerald at 18 Cadogan Gardens in Chelsea, where he worked as footman for nearly two years.

Selection of postcards from the round the world trip.

Alfred riding in Egypt.

From there, they travelled down the west coast of America, visiting the devastated city of San Francisco, which was still recovering from the great earthquake of April 1906. They continued down the west coast of the Americas to visit the site where the Panama Canal was being built – this massive engineering project had been started in 1904 and would not open until 1914, with a total of 5,600 lives lost in the course of construction, largely due to disease in this mosquito-ridden area – although even this figure is small by comparison to the estimated 22,000 workers who died in the abortive attempt by the French to build a canal here in the 1880s.

After Panama, they sailed across the Pacific Ocean to Japan, visiting Yokohama, Kyoto, Nagasaki and Mount Fuji. They then sailed around south-east Asia, stopping at Hong Kong, Singapore (where Alf stayed in Room 106 at the Raffles Hotel) and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). They visited India, travelling inland to Delhi, before setting to sea again across the Indian Ocean to Aden in the Yemen, travelling up the Red Sea and crossing Egypt to see the newly-built Aswan Dam on the River Nile. They then sailed through the Mediterranean from Port Said to Sicily, through the Straits of Gibraltar and back to England.

After over seven years with Colonel Morgan, Alf decided to leave. Colonel Morgan gave him a good reference. Alf then found employment with Lord Cecil Manners (1868-1945). Manners was the son of the 7th Duke of Rutland and was therefore styled ‘Lord’ although he was not technically a peer – indeed he had served in the House of Commons as a Conservative MP for Melton in Leicestershire from 1900 to 1906. After two years with Manners, Alf moved to Brodsworth Hall in Yorkshire. He again received a good reference.

Brodsworth Hall

Alfred in 1915. He added colour to some of his photographs, including this one.

Alf did not always enjoy the best of health. In 1914 he was unable to join the annual summer season break with the rest of the household, having instead to spend some time in a sanatorium. That year, the Thellussons decided to break with their traditional summer in Torquay, instead hiring Amhuinnsuidhe Castle on the Isle of Harris in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, having a shooting and fishing summer. The staff travelled up by train, stopping overnight in Glasgow, whilst the Thellussons went by sea on their yacht. Whilst the Thellussons were in Scotland the First World War broke out and they hurriedly returned to Brodsworth.

Alfred driving the Thellussons' car at Brodsworth.

By 1915 Caroline had risen to become the cook. In 1916 Alf and Caroline announced their intention to marry. In light of Alf’s poor health, several people tried to dissuade them from marrying, including the Thellussons at Brodsworth. They both resigned their posts and returned to their parents’ homes, Alf to Runcton in Sussex and Caroline to Glapthorn in Northamptonshire. After three or four weeks, Caroline decided to ignore the advice. She caught the train to London, where she’d never been, and out to Chichester, then walked from Chichester station to Alf's parents' house at Runcton. They returned to Brodsworth and were allowed to take up their posts again. Caroline did not stay long as cook after her return – married women were discouraged from working. Three weeks prior to their wedding she resigned from service at Brodsworth and returned to live with her parents at Glapthorn whilst finalising preparations for the wedding.

On Monday 17th July 1916, Alf travelled down from Brodsworth to Oundle on the train, bringing not only himself and his luggage, but also a three-tiered wedding cake baked and iced by the still room maid at Brodsworth. They were married that day at St Leonard’s Church in Glapthorn. Caroline was aged 27 and Alf aged 31. Their wedding presents included generous gifts from the Thellussons and the other Brodsworth staff, including a Wedgewood dinner service from Mr and Mrs Thellusson, with the other staff giving them a Sheffield plate teapot, jug and bowl. Alf’s parents gave them a brass tobacco container.

Alf and Caroline's wedding photograph.

They bought various items of furniture for their new home, including a chest of drawers, wardrobe, sideboard, easy chair and oak gate-legged table. Their new cottage being rather small (the house has subsequently been knocked through with its neighbour) they only bought two smart dining chairs, but they had another two chairs put aside for when they would need them and be able to accommodate them. As it happened, events overtook them and they never got those extra two chairs.

One of the duties Alf had taken on during the war was that of chauffeur. The Thellussons had acquired a large open-top car, to which they had added a large hood, which rendered the whole car top-heavy. On one occasion shortly after Alf and Caroline’s marriage, when she was about three months pregnant with their first child, Alf was driving both Mr and Mrs Thellusson and Caroline back to Brodsworth, returning from a trip to York, when coming down a hill he lost control of the car and it toppled over, throwing Caroline out. Remarkably she was unhurt.

In May 1917, Caroline gave birth to a son. Shortly afterwards they moved to a larger house in Brodsworth, now known as Big Tree Cottage, Lingfield Road, Brodsworth.

The war which had been the backdrop to most of Alf’s time at Brodsworth finally ended in November 1918. Alf’s employer, Charles Thellusson, died a few months later, on 25th March 1919, aged 58. Brodsworth Hall passed to Charles Thellusson’s nephew, Charles Grant-Dalton. Mrs Thellusson retired to her house in Torquay. A few weeks after Charles Thellusson’s death, Caroline and Alf’s second son was born.

At this point, Alf’s health, which had often been precarious before, sharply deteriorated. He succumbed to tuberculosis and died on 25th September 1919, aged 34. He was buried in the churchyard at Brodsworth. Caroline, who was just 30 at the time, was left with their two sons, who were just two years old and five months old when Alf died. She outlived him by nearly fifty years, but never remarried. She returned to her native Glapthorn where she brought the boys up with the help of her parents. Back in Sussex, both Alf's parents outlived him too.

1. ↑ Birth certificate, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   REGISTRATION DISTRICT Westhampnett
   1884 BIRTH in the Sub-district of Wyke in the County of Sussex
   No.	When and where born	Name, if any	Sex	Name and surname of father	Name, surname and maiden name of mother	Occupation of father	Signature, description and residence of informant	When registered	Signature of registrar
   134	Twenty second November 1884 Pagham R.S.D.	Alfred	Boy	William Edwards	Fanny Edwards formerly Grant	Agricultural Engine Driver	F. Edwards Mother Pagham	Second December 1884	Frederick Heath Registrar

   
2. ↑ ^2.0 2.1 Baptisms register, in Church of England. Parish Church of Pagham (Sussex). Parish registers for Pagham, 1707-1901. (Chichester: West Sussex County Council).

   BAPTISMS solemnized in the Parish of Pagham in the County of Sussex in the Year 1885
   No.	When Baptized	Child's Christian Name	Parents' Name		Abode	Quality, Trade, or Profession	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   			Christian	Surname
   631	1885 January 4th Born Nov[embe]r 22nd 1884	Alfred	William & Fanny	Edwardes	Pagham	Engine driver	J. John Hewitt

3. ↑ England. 1891 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG12; Piece 841; Folio 96; Page 8, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: Pagham Hamlet, Pagham, Sussex
   4 rooms occupied
   William Edwards, head, married, male, 42 [1848/9], Traction Engine Driver, employed, b. Sidlesham, Sussex
   Fanny Edwards, wife, married, female, 48 [1842/3], b. Sidlesham, Sussex
   William Edwards, son, single, male, 15 [1875/6], Agricultural Laborer, employed, b. Sidlesham, Sussex
   John Edwards, son, male, 13 [1877/8], Agricultural Laborer, employed, b. Pagham, Sussex
   Thersa Edwards, daughter, female, 10 [1880/1], Scholar, b. Pagham, Sussex
   Lily Edwards, daughter, female, 9 [1881/2], Scholar, b. Pagham, Sussex
   Louise Edwards, daughter, female, 8 [1882/3], Scholar, b. Pagham, Sussex
   Alfred Edwards, son, male, 6 [1884/5], Scholar, b. Pagham, Sussex

4. ↑ England. England. 1901 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG13; Piece 13; Folio 136; 25, 31 Mar 1901.

   Address: 7 Clarendon Place, Paddington, London
   5 or more rooms occupied
   Mary Gibbs Shapter, head, single, female, 59 [1841/2], Own Means, b. Bloomsbury, London
   Thomas Saul, servant, single, male, 29 [1871/2], Butler Domestic, b. Olney, Buckinghamshire
   Frances E. Harvey, servant, single, female, 31 [1869/70], Cook Domestic, b. Colbourne, Hampshire
   Julia A. Reed, servant, single, female, 27 [1873/4], Ladies Maid Domestic, b. Hawkhurst, Kent
   Anne M. Cooke, servant, single, female, 29 [1871/2], Housemaid Domestic, b. Bridge North, Shropshire
   Florence E. Bangham, servant, single, female, 19 [1881/2], Housemaid Domestic, b. Oxford
   Fanny Flippance, servant, single, female, 21 [1879/80], Kitchen Maid Domestic, b. Marlboro, Wiltshire
   Alfred Edwards, servant, single, male, 17 [1883/4], Footman Domestic, b. Pagham, Sussex

5. ↑ Deaths index, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   d. Alfred EDWARDS, September Quarter 1919, Doncaster Registration District, Vol. 9c, page 662, aged 34 [1884/5]

6. ↑ ^6.0 6.1 England. National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations),1858 onwards. (Ancestry.com).

   1919
   EDWARDS Alfred of Brodsworth Doncaster died 25 September 1919 Administration Wakefield 23 December to Caroline Emma Edwards widow. Effects £355 3s. 10d.

7.   Letter in possession of family:
   18 Cadogan Gardens, S.W.
   March 20th 1902
   Lady FitzGerald has received a very satisfactory character of Alfred Edwards from Miss Shapter, so Sir Gerald will be glad to engage him, & would like him to come, as arranged, on Thursday April 3rd.
8.   Letter in possession of family:
   14 Grovenor Place S.W.
   25th May 11.
   Alfred Edwards has been in my service for seven years and four months, as first footman, and valet, during which time I have found him to be thoroughly honest sober and trustworthy.
   He had travelled extensively with me, and has acted as valet on my yacht for several seasons.
   He is a good loader, and now leaves me at his own request to better himself. I regret parting with him and I can confidently recommend him to any Gentleman requiring his services.
   A. Hickman Morgan
   Lt.Colonel
9.   Letter in possession of family:
   6 May 1913
   6 Charles Street, Berkeley Square, W.
   TEL. 7184 GERRARD
   Alfred Edwards has been with Lord Cecil Manners a valet since July 10th 1911 during all which time he has found him a very good servant – absolutely sober, honest and willing; a good loader – careful with guns – used to foreign travel – and speaks a little French. He is leaving for no fault – but because Lord Cecil is dispensing with a valet for the present – and is thoroughly recommended as a good servant.
10.   The personal details of the narrative on this page are drawn from the recollections and writings of Alf's son and daughter-in-law, which were in turn based on the stories of Alf's widow Caroline who lived with them for many years.