Person:Harry May (4)

Harry Hutchings May was born in 1890 at Plymouth in Devon, son of a domestic servant named Louisa Kate May, formerly Harry, and her husband William May, a compositor printer. Both his given names were surnames from earlier in the family; Harry was his mother's maiden name and Hutchings was his paternal grandmother's maiden name - at the time of Harry's birth his great grandfather Edmund Hutchings was living with Harry's paternal grandparents, who lived next door to Harry's family on John Street in Plymouth.

The 1891, 1901 and 1911 censuses all find Harry living with his parent and siblings on John Street, Plymouth. They lived at Pear Tree Cottages, which was a small courtyard of cottages behind 21 John Street (which until the 1890s was numbered 11 John Street). In 1911 Harry was described as 'Domestic R.N.', presumably working in some capacity for the Royal Navy. It is therefore reasonable to assume he served in the First World War, but evidence confirming this has yet to be found.

Harry was married in 1912 to Blanche Smallridge, who was from the small town of South Brent, a few miles east of Plymouth on the southern edge of Dartmoor. They appear to have had two sons. Blanche died in 1919 aged only 26, leaving Harry looking after the two small boys.

In 1920 Harry married Blanche's younger sister, Lily Victoria Smallridge. There are two births registered in the 1920s at Totnes (which district covered South Brent) which might be their children, although there was another May / Smallridge marriage in 1921 (which appears to be Harry's brother William marrying Lily's sister Annie), so the birth certificates would need to be obtained to confirm which couple each child belonged to.

At the outbreak of the Second World War, Harry and Lily were living at South Brent, with Harry working at a coal yard.

Harry died in 1956, aged 65. Lily outlived him by over 32 years.

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

   b. Harry Hutchings MAY, September Quarter 1890, Plymouth Registration District, Volume 5b, page 241, mother's maiden name Harry

2. ↑ 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 1726; Folio 14; Page 21, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: 11 John Street, Plymouth, Devon
   3 rooms occupied
   William May, head, married, male, 30 [1860/1], Printers Compositor, employed, b. Devonport, Devon
   Louisa May, wife, married, female, 33 [1857/8], b. Dartmouth, Devon
   Winnifred May, daughter, single, 6 [1884/5], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Louisa May, daughter, single, female, 4 [1886/7], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Alice May, daughter, single, female, 3 [1887/8], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Frank May, son, single, male, 2 [1888/9], b. Plymouth, Devon
   Harry May, son, single, male, 1 [1889/90], b. Plymouth, Devon

3. ↑ 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 2103; Folio 11; Page 13, 31 Mar 1901.

   Address: Pear Tree Cott[age], 21 John Street, Plymouth, Devon
   4 rooms occupied
   William May, head, married, male, 40 [1860/1], Letterpress Printer, worker, b. Devonport, Devon
   Louisa May, wife, married, female, 43 [1857/8], Dartmouth, Devon
   Winifred May, daughter, female, 15 [1885/6], General Servant (Domestic), worker, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Louisa May, daughter, female, 14 [1886/7], General Servant Domestic, worker, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Frank May, son, male, 11 [1889/90], b. Plymouth, Devon
   Alice May, daughter, female, 13 [1887/8], b. Plymouth, Devon
   Harry May, son, male, 10 [1890/1], b. Plymouth, Devon
   William May, son, male, 9 [1891/2], b. Plymouth, Devon
   Bertram May, son, male, 6 [1894/5], b. Plymouth, Devon

4. ↑ 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 13001; Schedule 450, 2 Apr 1911.

   Address: 1 Pear Tree Cottages, 21 John Street, Plymouth, Devon
   4 rooms occupied
   William May, head, male, 50 [1860/1], married, Invalid, b. Devonport, Devon
   Louisa May, wife, female, 53 [1857/8], married 27 years, 8 children born to marriage, 7 children still living, b. Dartmouth, Devon
   Louisa Rimmer, daughter, female, 24 [1886/7], married 1 year, 0 children, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Alice May, daughter, female, 23 [1887/8], single, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Harry May, son, male, 20 [1890/1], single, Domestic R.N., worker, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Bertram May, son, male, 16 [1894/5], single, Errand Boy (Printer's), worker, b. Plymouth, Devon

5. ↑ General Register Office. 1939 Register
   Totnes Rural District, 29 Sep 1939.

   Address: 7 Corn Park, South Brent, Devon
   MAY, Harry H. / male / 8 Jul 1890 / married / Coal yardsman heavy worker
   MAY, Lily V. / female / 19 Jul 1898 / married / Household duties (unpaid)
   [two other records closed]

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

   d. Harry Hutchings MAY, March Quarter 1956, Totnes Registration District, Volume 7a, page 1079, aged 65 [1890/1]