Person:George Mitchell (62)

Childhood

George William Mitchell was born on 26th December 1886 at 9 Wallace Street in Warwick. He was the son of Harriet Charlotte Mitchell, formerly Bastock, and her husband Alfred Mitchell, a farm labourer. The family's home in Wallace Street was surrounded by a mixture of industry and housing. On one side of the road was the Eagle Works (wheelwrights and implement manufacturers), whilst the other side of the street was an iron foundry and the Warwick Brewery. George's grandfather and great grandfather, Samuel Mitchell and William Mitchell, had both worked in brewing in this area, probably at Warwick Brewery. The family was well established in the Warwick area; his parents, grandparents and all eight of his great grandparents had lived on Saltisford, the main street leading out of Warwick to the north-west. When George was born, his paternal grandmother and maternal grandfather were both still alive and living locally.

George was Alfred and Harriet's second son; their eldest son, Samuel, was about eighteen months old when George was born. George and Samuel were baptised on the same day, 20th February 1887, at St Paul's Church. In Autumn 1888, a few weeks before George's second birthday, his maternal grandfather William Bastock died. A couple of months later, early in 1889, George's parents had another son, Alfred Thomas. Alfred Thomas's birth is the last sighing of the family in Warwick. Some time between 1889 and 1891 they left Warwick and moved ten miles north to the city of Coventry.

The 1891 census finds George living with his parents and two brothers at Sherbourne Street in Coventry. George was four years old and described as a scholar. His father Alfred was now working as a bricklayer's labourer. Sherbourne Street was a densely packed street of terraced houses and courtyards of back to back houses behind the frontage houses. It was in one of these courtyards that the family lived in 1891, in a two roomed house called "3 Court 2 House" - meaning house number 2 in courtyard 3. Courtyard 3 contained two rows of back to back houses sandwiched between the southern end of Sherbourne Street, the River Sherbourne and the Wagon and Horses public house. Sherbourne Street lies to the west of the city centre of Coventry, just off Spon Street, one of the main thoroughfares.

In Coventry, George's parents had a son, Henry Arthur in 1891, but he died as a baby. He was followed by another son, Charles Frederick, who was known by his middle name, in 1893.

Some time between 1893 and 1899 something happened to George's father, Alfred. Precisely what happened is not clear, but he spent the rest of his life in the Coventry Union Workhouse, apparently disabled and unable to care for himself or his family. George's mother Harriet would struggle to support herself and her four surviving sons alone. The threat of the whole family entering the workhouse must have been very real.

Harriet started a relationship with a motor engineer from Lincoln called Edward Scholes Feary, who was only eleven years older than George. The family left Coventry and moved twelve miles east to the town of Rugby, where they lived at 19 Rileys Court, another courtyard of small houses similar to those at Sherbourne Street in Coventry. Rileys Court stood directly opposite the grand chapel of Rugby School; the contrast between the wealth of the school and the poverty of Rileys Court must have been striking. At Rugby, Harriet had a daughter named Rose May Mitchell in 1899.

The family did not stay long in Rugby. By August 1900 they had returned to Coventry, living at house 11 in Court 2, Thomas Street. Court 2 contained 11 houses, all of which could only be reached through a narrow archway between numbers 16 and 17 Thomas Street. Number 17 Thomas Street was The Compasses public house, and the family's two roomed home in Court 2 appears to have backed onto it. Here, Harriet had a son, Edward, on 14th August 1900. Just seven days later baby Rose died aged sixteen months. The 1901 census finds George living with his mother and three surviving brothers, his baby half-brother Edward and Edward Feary, who was described as a boarder. George at this time was working as an automatic machine turner in Coventry's cycle manufacturing industry. Baby Edward died shortly after the 1901 census, aged nine months. Some time between 1901 and 1902 the family moved across the street from house 11 in Court 2 to house 2 in Court 11 - a confusing reversal of the numbers. Court 11 was a smaller court, having two houses backing on to numbers 82 and 83 Thomas Street and reached through a narrow arch between those two houses.

Whilst living here, George's mother and Edward Feary had four more children: Levi in 1902, Florence Maud in 1903 and twins called Lily Emma and Percy Henry in 1904. Lily died as a baby in 1905.

Adulthood

In 1909, aged 22, George was married to Ellen Wale, who was about 21 and from Coventry. Shortly after their marriage they had a son, Alfred John, born on 30th August 1909. He was presumably named after George's father, who was still alive in the workhouse where he had been living for probably well over ten years. Young Alfred John would be the only grandchild born in the lifetimes of either of George's parents.

On 8th October 1909, George's mother Harriet died, aged 43. She had been suffering with tuberculosis. George was the informant for his mother's death. Less than three months later, George's father Alfred died in the workhouse on 26th December 1909 - the day after Christmas and the day before George's 23rd birthday. George's brother Samuel was the informant for their father's death, showing that the family had remained in contact with Alfred in the workhouse.

George and Ellen lived at 12, Court 10, Spon Street in 1909. By the time of the 1911 census George, Ellen and young Alfred were living at house 9 in Court 19, Gosford Street, on the opposite side of the city centre. George was still working in the cycle trade; the manufacture of bicycles was one of Coventry's biggest industries. When the First World War broke out in 1914, Coventry's factories were used to help support the war effort.

In 1915, Ellen died, aged just 27. George was left with their six year old son to look after. He appears to have gone to live with Ellen's recently widowed father at 2 Gulson Road. This was directly opposite the workhouse where George's father had lived and died a few years earlier.

George about the time of his second marriage.

George and Mildred had four sons together between 1918 and 1924. They moved to 55 Seagrave Road, a terraced house with its own gardens to front and back. The house was newly built after the First World War as part of prime minister David Lloyd George's 'homes for heroes' policy. It was probably the first time George had lived in a house with a garden.

George (left) with his brother Alfred, Alfred's wife Dolly and George's three youngest sons, c.1929

After the war, as Coventry was gradually rebuilt, George continued to live at 55 Seagrave Road. He lived to see eleven grandchildren. He was remembered by his grandchildren as a small man, probably only just over five feet tall, but very generous. George died a couple of weeks after his eightieth birthday, on 21st January 1967, at his son Alfred's house.

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Birth certificate, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   REGISTRATION DISTRICT Warwick
   1887 BIRTH in the Sub-district of Warwick in the County of Warwick
   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
   305	Twenty seventh December 1886 9 Wallace Street St Mary USD	George William	Boy	Alfred Mitchell	Harriet Mitchell, formerly Bastock	Farm Labourer	Harriet Mitchell, Mother, 9 Wallace Street, Warwick	Seventh February 1887	C. Wilson Deputy Registrar

2. ↑ Baptisms register, in Church of England. Parish registers of St Paul, Warwick, 1845-1920. (Warwick: Warwickshire County Record Office).

   BAPTISMS solemnized in the Parish of S. Pauls Warwick in the County of Warwick in the year One thousand eight hundred and eighty seven
   No.	When Baptized	Child's Christian Name	Parent's Name		Abode	Quality, Trade, or Profession	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   			Christian	Surname
   382	1887 Feb[ruar]y 20	George William	Alfred & Harriet	Mitchell	Wallace Street	Labourer	G.A. Webb

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 2450; Folio 107; Page 23, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: 3C2H Sherbourne Street, Coventry, Warwickshire
   2 rooms occupied
   Alfred Mitchell, head, married, male, 30 [1861/2], Bricklayers Labourer, employed, b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   Harriett Mitchell, wife, married, female, 25 [1865/6], b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   Samuel Mitchell, son, single, male, 6 [1884/5], Scholar, b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   George Mitchell, son, single, male, 4 [1886/7], Scholar, b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   Alfred Mitchell, son, single, male, 2 [1888/9], b. Warwick, Warwickshire

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 2907; Folio 116; Page 4, 31 Mar 1901.

   Address: 2 Court 11 House, Thomas Street, Coventry, Warwickshire
   2 rooms occupied
   Harriet Mitchell, wife, married, female, 34 [1866/7], b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   Samuel Mitchell, son, single, male, 15 [1885/6], Brazier: Cycle work, worker, b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   George Mitchell, son, single, male, 14 [1886/7], Automatic Machine Turner Cycle Trade, worker, b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   Alfred Mitchell, son, single, male, 12 [1888/9], b. Warwick, Warwickshire
   Fred Mitchell, son, male, 5 [1895/6], b. Coventry, Warwickshire
   Edward Mitchell, son, male, 7 mo [1900], b. Coventry, Warwickshire
   Edward S. Feary, Boarder, single, male, 25 [1875/6], Engine Making; Turner / Fitter, worker, b. St Swithun, Lincolnshire

5. ↑ 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 18512; Schedule 370, 2 Apr 1911.

   Address: Ct 19 No 9 Gosford Street, Coventry, Warwickshire
   2 rooms occupied
   George Mitchell, head, male, 24 [1886/7], married, Cycle Trade, worker, b. Warwick
   Ellen Mitchell, wife, female, 22 [1888/9], married 1 year, 1 child born alive, 1 child still living, b. Coventry
   Alfred Mitchell, son, male, 1 [1909/10], b. Coventry

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

   d. George W. MITCHELL, March Quarter 1967, Coventry Registration District, Volume 9c, page 741, aged 80 [1886/7]

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

   1967
   Mitchell, George William of 55 Seagrave Road Coventry died 21 January 1967 at 29 Providence Street Coventry
   Administration Leicester 21 February to Alfred John Mitchell fitter. £1614.

8.   Coventry Evening Telegraph, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
   Page 28, 23 Jan 1967.

   Deaths
   MITCHELL.-George William, of 55, Seagrave Road, husband of the late Mildred Mitchell and dear father of Alfred, George, Frank, William and Albert, passed away after a short illness, at 29, Providence Street, aged 80 years. Funeral service, Thursday, 2p.m., at London Road Cemetery Church. Floral tributes to Grimmett and Timms Ltd., 118, Albany Road.