Person:George Godsmark (2)

George Godsmark was born on 23rd January 1842 and baptised the following month at Crawley in Sussex, son of Elizabeth Godsmark, formerly Hart, and her husband Richard Godsmark, an agricultural labourer.

George appears in both the 1851 and 1861 censuses living with his parents and siblings in Crawley. No specific address was given for them in 1851, but in 1861 they were at the Old Workhouse, on London Road to the north of the village. Crawley Workhouse had closed as a workhouse in 1859, when a new workhouse serving the area was built at East Grinstead. The old workhouse, which appears to have been built in the late 17th or early 18th centuries, was then converted into three cottages. It has subsequently been combined into one house and renamed Fir Tree Cottage. George was working as an agricultural labourer in 1861.

On 31st January 1864, aged 22, George married Susan Bryant at Crawley. She was originally from Hinxworth in Hertfordshire, some seventy miles north of Crawley and the opposite side of London. It is not clear what brought her to Crawley, although she was working as a servant at the time of their marriage.

Less than five months after their marriage they had a son, Arthur George, baptised at Crawley. He was followed in 1866 by a son named Walter. Tragically in October 1867, both boys died, aged three and one, being buried just seventeen days apart, leaving Susan and George childless. However, Susan was pregnant at the time of the boys’ deaths, and between 1868 and 1884 they would go on to have another eight children (five girls and three boys). The 1871 census finds George and Susan and two daughters living on Crawley Street in Crawley, with George working as a bricklayer.

George, probably early 1920s.

George’s mother died in November 1882. George’s father died in September 1890. Just two months later, in November 1890, George’s daughter Louisa died aged 16. George’s remaining seven children (Emma, Rosa, Susan, George, Thomas Bryant, William and Priscilla) would all survive to adulthood and outlive him.

George’s eldest daughter married in 1888 and his first grandchild was born later that year.

The 1891 census finds George and five of his children living at his parents’ old house at Workhouse Cottage. Susan was not at home on census night that year, she was staying at Woolwich in London with her eldest daughter Emma, who had married a sergeant in the Royal Artillery named Augustus Collier in 1888. Presumably she was helping out with her two young grandsons.

In 1901, George and Susan were living at Smalls Lane in Ifield with four of their children.

Susan died in September 1910 at West Green in Ifield (again on the edge of Crawley) of apoplexy. She was 68 years old. A newspaper death notice reported that she was well-known in Crawley and had been ill for nearly six years.

George's last home at 16 Ifield Road.

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Baptisms register, in Crawley, Sussex: Parish Registers (West Sussex County Council, Chichester).

   BAPTISMS solemnized in the Parish of Crawley in the County of Sussex in the Year 1842
   No.	When Baptized	Child's Christian Name	Parents' Name		Abode	Quality, Trade, or Profession	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   			Christian	Surname
   19	Febr[uar]y 20th Born 23rd Jan[uar]y	George Son of	Richard & Elizabeth	Godsmark	Crawley	Labourer	A. Nugée Curate

2. ↑ England. 1851 Census Returns for England and Wales. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class HO107; Piece 1641; Folio 444; Page 22, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: Crawley, Sussex
   Richard Godsmark, head, married, male, 40 [1810/11], Day Labourer, b. Ifield, Sussex
   Elizabeth Godsmark, wife, married, female, 32 [1818/9], b. Dorking, Surrey
   Harriet Godsmark, daughter, unmarried, female, 14 [1836/7], b. Crawley, Sussex
   Richard Godsmark, son, male, 11 [1839/40], b. Crawley, Sussex
   George Godsmark, son, male, 9 [1841/2], b. Crawley, Sussex
   Ambrose Godsmark, son, male, 6 [1844/5], b. Crawley, Sussex
   James Godsmark, son, male, 3 [1847/8], b. Crawley, Sussex

3. ↑ England. 1861 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 RG9; Piece 580; Folio 91; Page 19, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: Old Workhouse, Crawley, Sussex
   Richard Godsmark, head, married, male, 50 [1810/11], Ag[ricultura]l Lab[oure]r, b. Ifield, Sussex
   Elizabeth Godsmark, wife, married, female, 49 [1811/12], b. Dorking, Surrey
   Richard Godsmark, son, unmarried, male, 21 [1839/40], Ag[ricultura]l Lab[oure]r, b. Crawley, Sussex
   George Godsmark, son, unmarried, male, 19 [1841/2], Ag[ricultura]l Lab[oure]r, b. Crawley, Sussex
   Ambrose Godsmark, son, unmarried, male, 16 [1844/5], Ag[ricultura]l Lab[oure]r, b. Crawley, Sussex
   James Godsmark, son, male, 12 [1848/9], Scholar, b. Crawley, Sussex
   Elizabeth Godsmark, daughter, female, 9 [1851/2], Scholar, b. Crawley, Sussex

4. ↑ England. England and Wales. 1871 Census Schedules. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG10; Piece 1059; Folio 88; Page 6, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: Crawley St, Crawley, Sussex
   George Godsmark, head, married, male, 29 [1841/2], Bricklayer, b. Crawley, Sussex
   Susan Godsmark, wife, married, female, 28 [1842/3], b. Hinxworth, Hertfordshire
   Emma Godsmark, daughter, unmarried, female, 3 [1867/8], b. Crawley, Sussex
   Rosa Godsmark, daughter, unmarried, female, 1 [1869/70], b. Crawley, Sussex

5. ↑ England. 1881 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 RG11; Piece 1109; Folio 34; Page 36, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: New Town, Ifield, Sussex
   George Godsmark, head, married, male, 39 [1841/2], Bricklayer, b. Crawley, Sussex
   Susan Godsmark, wife, married, female, 38 [1842/3], b. Hinksworth, Hertfordshire
   Emma Godsmark, daughter, female, 13 [1867/8], General Serv[ant], b. Crawley, Sussex
   Rosa Godsmark, daughter, female, 11 [1869/70], Scholar, b. Crawley, Sussex
   Susan Godsmark, daughter, female, 9 [1871/2], Scholar, b. Crawley, Sussex
   Louisa Godsmark, daughter, female, 7 [1873/4], Scholar, b. Crawley, Sussex
   George Godsmark, son, male, 5 [1875/6], Scholar, b. Crawley, Sussex
   Thomas B. Godsmark, son, male, 1 [1879/80], b. Ifield, Sussex

6. ↑ 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 829; Folio 89; Page 14, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: Workhouse Cottage, Crawley, Sussex
   George Godsmark, head, married, male, 49 [1841/2], Bricklayer, employed, b. Crawley, Sussex
   Susan Godsmark, daughter, single, female, 19 [1871/2], b. Crawley, Sussex
   George Godsmark, son, male, 15 [1875/6], Hairdresser, employed, b. Crawley, Sussex
   Thomas B. Godsmark, son, male, 11 [1879/80], Scholar, b. Ifield, Sussex
   William Godsmark, son, male, 9 [1881/2], Scholar, b. Ifield, Sussex
   Priscilla Godsmark, daughter, female, 6 [1884/5], Scholar, b. Crawley, Sussex

7. ↑ 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 949; Folio 108; Page 4, 31 Mar 1901.

   Address: Smalls Lane, Ifield, Sussex
   Geo[rge] Godsmark, head, married, male, 59 [1841/2], Bricklayer, worker, b. Crawley, Sussex
   Susan Godsmark, wife, married, female, 58 [1842/3], b. Hinxworth, Hertfordshire
   Geo[rge] Godsmark, son, single, male, 25 [1875/6], Hairdresser, own account, b. Crawley, Sussex
   Tho[ma]s Godsmark, son, single, male, 21 [1879/80], Bricklayer, worker, b. Crawley, Sussex
   W[illia]m Godsmark, son, single, male, 18 [1882/3], Carpenter, worker, b. Crawley, Sussex
   Priscilla Godsmark, daughter, single, female, 16 [1884/5], b. Crawley, Sussex

8. ↑ England. 1911 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 RG14; Piece 5266; Schedule 97, 2 Apr 1911.

   Address: 16 Ifield Road, Crawley, Sussex
   Six rooms occupied
   George Godsmark, head, male, 69 [1841/2], widower, Bricklayer, worker, b. Crawley, Sussex
   Susan Godsmark, daughter, female, 39 [1871/2], single, House work, b. Crawley, Sussex
   Thomas Bryant Godsmark, son, male, 31 [1879/80], single, Bricklayer, worker, b. Crawley, Sussex
   Priscilla Godsmark, daughter, female, 27 [1883/4], single, House work, b. Crawley, Sussex
   Edward William Collier, grandson, male, 4 [1906/7], b. Fulham, London

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

   d. George GODSMARK, September Quarter 1923, Horsham Registration District, Volume 2b, page 332, aged 81 [1841/2]

10. ↑ England. National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations),1858 onwards. (Ancestry.com).

    1924
    GODSMARK George of West Crawley Sussex died 11 September 1923 at 16 Ifield-road Crawley Probate London 11 March to William Godsmark and Richard Sydney Smith carpenters. Effects £515.