Person:William May (72)

Childhood

William May was born on 19th January 1861 at the Jolly Bacchus public house at 30 Pembroke Street, Devonport. He was the first child of a publican also named William May and his wife Ann Hutchings, who had married eleven months earlier in Ann's native Crewkerne in Somerset. Young William was baptised when he was a couple of months old at St Stephen's Church in Devonport. The family's next child, Kate, was born two years later at the Jolly Bacchus, after which the family left Devonport and moved to the neighbouring town of Plymouth. In Plymouth, they initially lived at the Portland Inn at 29 James Street. Between 1871 and 1881 they moved a short distance around the corner to 10 John Street. William would live the rest of his life at either 10 or 11 John Street (which were renumbered 19 and 21 John Street some time between 1891 and 1901) or at Pear Tree Cottages, which were behind those two houses.

Adulthood

As a young man, William became a compositor printer, assembling the blocks of movable type for printing. As literacy was increasing the demand for newspapers was growing. However, it could also be a volatile business, and at the time of the 1881 census William was described as a "compositor printer (unemployed)".

William was married on 24th June 1884 at the Plymouth Register Office to Louisa Kate Harry. She was three years older than him and had worked as a domestic servant before their marriage. She was the daughter of a shipwright called William Richard Harry, who was alive when they married but died shortly afterwards.

Less than a month after their marriage, Louisa gave birth to a son named William, but sadly he died as a small baby. William and Louisa went on to have another seven children together between 1885 and 1895 who all lived to adulthood. None of the children seem to have been baptised as infants, although some were baptised as teenagers.

In 1909, William saw his two eldest daughters marry - and both married sailors in the Royal Navy. In 1910, William's mother died. On 3rd January 1911 William became a grandfather, when his daughter Winifred had a son. However, this was to be the only grandchild that William would meet. In the 1911 census, taken on 2nd April, he described himself as an invalid and he was no longer working. He died four months later, on 13th August 1911, at 21 John Street. He was 50. His father outlived him by two years, and Louisa outlived him by over 21 years.

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

   1861 BIRTH in the Sub-district of Clowance in the County of Devon
   No. 160
   When and where born: Nineteenth January 1861, 30 Pembroke Street
   Name: William
   Sex: Boy
   Father: William May, Victualler
   Mother: Ann May, formerly Hutchings
   Informant: X the mark of William May, Father, 30 Pembroke Street, Devonport
   Registered: Twenty fifth January 1861

   
2. ↑ Baptisms register, in Church of England. Parish Registers of St Stephen's Church, Devonport.

   Baptisms Solemnized in the Parish of St. Stephen and Diocese of Exeter in the Borough of Devonport and County of Devon, in the year 1861.
   When Born. Jany 19th 1861 No.975
   When Baptised. March 26th 1861
   Child's Christian Name. William
   Parent's Name: Christian. William & Ann
   Parent's Name: Surname. May
   Abode. 30 Pembroke St.
   Quality, Trade, or Profession. Victualler
   By whom the Ceremony was Performed. George Mason

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 1450; Folio 11; Page 16, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: The Jolly Bacchus, 30 Pembroke Street, Devonport, Stoke Damerel, Devon
   William May, head, married, male, 25 [1835/6], Victualler, b. Collumpton, Devon
   [page RG9/1450/12/17]
   Ann May, wife, married, female, 26 [1834/5], b. Crewkerne, Somerset
   William May, son, male, 2 months [1861], b. Devonport, Devon
   John Deacon, lodger, unmarried, male, 39 [1821/2], Seaman R.N., b. Greenock, Scotland
   Samuel Walker, lodger, unmarried, male, 37 [1832/3], Seaman R.N., b. Stokenham, Devon

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 2116; Folio 56; Page 2, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: 29 James Street, Plymouth, Devon
   William May, head, married, male, 34 [1836/7], Beer House Keeper, b. Collumpton, Devon
   Ann May, wife, married, female, 35 [1835/6], b. Crewkerne, Somerset
   William May, son, male, 10 [1860/1], Scholar, b. Stoke Damerel, Devon
   Frank May, son, male, 6 [1864/5], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Maud May, daughter, female, 3 [1867/8], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Elizabeth M. May, daughter, female, 1 [1869/70], b. Plymouth, Devon

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 2194; Folio 7; Page 19, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: 10 John Street, Plymouth, Devon
   William May, head, married, male, 45 [1835/6], Publican & Hauler, b. Tiverton, Devon
   Ann May, wife, married, female, 45 [1835/6], Publican's Wife, b. Crewkerne, Somerset
   William May, son, unmarried, male, 20 [1860/1], Compositer Printer (unemployed), b. Devonport, Devon
   Frank May, son, male, 16 [1864/5], b. Plymouth, Devon, Imbecile
   Maud May, daughter, female, 13 [1867/8], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Elizabeth M. May, daughter, female, 11 [1869/70], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Annie May, daughter, female, 8 [1872/3], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Hannah May, daughter, female, 6 [1874/5], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Edmund Hutchings, father, widower, 70 [1810/1], Gardener, b. Crewkerne, Somerset

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 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

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 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

8. ↑ The Post Office Directory of Plymouth, Devonport and Stonehouse, 1906-7, accessed 24 Feb 2012
   1906.

   May W. 3 Pear Tree cotts

9. ↑ 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

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

    REGISTRATION DISTRICT PLYMOUTH
    1911 DEATH in the Sub-district of Plymouth, South-West in the County of Plymouth (C.B.)
    No. 313
    When and where died: Thirteenth August 1911 21 John Street U.D.
    Name and surname: William May
    Sex: Male
    Age: 50 years
    Occupation: Printer - Compositor
    Cause of death: Cerebral Haemorrhage Cardiac failure Certified by Jno. A. Dawes M.R.C.S.
    Signature, description and residence of informant: Louisa Rimmer Daughter Present at the death 21 John Street Plymouth
    When registered: Fourteenth August 1911
    Signature of registrar: R.C. Davy Registrar