Friday 31 July 2009

MORE CENSUS INFORMATION - CLARKE FAMILY

The previous post shows Henry Clarke aged 33 living with his wife Edna aged 29 and his 3 daughters, Evelyn 4, Helena 2 and Mary Jane 1 at Bantons Lane, Ticknall, Derbyshire. He was listed in the census as working as a groom. (1901 census)

On the 1911 census - 10 years later - there is no mention of Henry Clarke - His wife Edney or Edna is listed as living at Derby Hills, Melbourne, Derbyshire. (this is between Ticknall and Melbourne - Known as The Common) She was a listed as widowed, a charwoman, living with Helena 12 and Mary Jane 11. (Evelyn would have been 14 by then and possibly working 'in service' ?)

would be interested to find out what happened to Henry Clarke.............

Wednesday 29 July 2009

1901 CENSUS INFORMATION - CLARKE FAMILY

Address
Bantons Lane
Civil Parish
Ticknall
South Derbyshire


Henry Clarke
Relation to Head of Family
Head
Condition as to Marriage
Married
Sex
M
Age Last Birthday
33
Profession or Occupation
Groom
Employment Status

Where Born
Derbys Ticknall

Edna Clarke
Relation to Head of Family
Wife
Condition as to Marriage
Married
Sex
F
Age Last Birthday
29
Profession or Occupation

Employment Status

Where Born
Derbys Ticknall

Evelyn Clarke
Relation to Head of Family
Daughter
Condition as to Marriage
Single
Sex
F
Age Last Birthday
4

Where Born
Derbys Calke


Helena Clarke
Relation to Head of Family
Daughter
Condition as to Marriage
Single
Sex
F
Age Last Birthday
2

Where Born
Derbys Ticknall

Mary J Clarke
Relation to Head of Family
Daughter
Condition as to Marriage
Single
Sex
F
Age Last Birthday
1

Where Born
Derbys Ticknall

MORE INFO ON CLARKE FAMILY

Edna Clarke's maiden name was Spencer, her father was Joseph Spencer born circa 1851, he was a general labourer. Her brother was Tom Spencer and one for the drink.

Henry Clarke was probably illegitimate so difficult to track down, hence the trouble finding him.. i have his wedding certificate to edna spencer... edna was a housemaid at calke.

Henrys mother was Clara Clarke and his father... as far as I can make out was a George Hall, they were both born in Ticknall in circa 1851.

They were both on his side of marraige certificate, when normally you only had the father... and obviously she was a Clarke, and George a Hall... if they were married, Henry would have been Henry Hall. George was a labourer.

Sunday 26 July 2009

CLARKE FAMILY HISTORY

I have logged most of what I know about the Clarke family of Calke, near Ticknall Derbyshire - this is my mother Helena (Ena) Baker (nee Tivey)'s mother (Helena Clarke) and her family.
I would like to know more about Henry Clarke, his life - he lived with his brother in Princes Street Derby at one time, how he came to be a groom at Calke and how he came to die quite young. Also I don't know much about his wife, named Edney or Edna Clarke apart from her being a laundrymaid at Calke Abbey, I would like to find out her maiden name.

WAAC (Womens Auxiliary Army Corps)

Helena Tivey nee Clarke was in the WAAC.......


With heavy losses on the western front in 1916, the British Army became concerned by its reduced number of fighting soldiers. Lieutenant General Sir Henry Lawson suggested to Brigadier General Auckland Geddes, Director of Recruitment at the War Office, that far too many men were doing what he called "soft jobs". After talks with the government it was decided to use women to replace men doing certain administrative jobs in Britain and France. These men could then be sent to fight at the front. In January 1917, the government announced the establishment of a new voluntary service, the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC). The plan was for these women to serve as clerks, telephonists, waitresses, cooks, and as instructors in the use of gas masks. It was decided that women would not be allowed to hold commissions and so that those in charge were given the ranks of controller and administrator. The WAAC uniform consisted of a small, tight-fitting khaki cap, khaki jackets and skirts. Regulations stated that the skirt had to be no more than twelve inches above the ground. To maintain a high standard of fitness, all members of the WAAC had to do physical exercises every day. This included morris dancing and hockey! Women in the WAAC were not given full military status. The women enrolled rather than enlisted and were punished for breaches of discipline by civil rather than military courts. Women in the WAAC were divided into officials (officers), forewomen (sergeant), assistant forewomen (corporals) and workers (privates). Between January 1917 and the Armistice over 57,000 women served in the WAAC.Newspapers in Britain began publishing stories claiming that the WAAC in France were becoming too friendly with the soldiers and large numbers were being sent home because they were pregnant. A senior member of the WAAC, Miss Tennyson Jesse, was asked to carry out an official investigation into these stories. In her report, Tennyson Jesse pointed out that between March 1917 to February 1918, of the 6,000 WAACs in France, only 21 became pregnant. Tennyson Jesse argued that this was a lower-rate than in most British villages. Tennyson Jesse proudly pointed out that of all the women serving in France only 37 had been sent home for incompetence or lack of discipline. Although not on combat duties, members of the WAAC had to endure shelling from heavy artillery and bombing raids by German aircraft. During one attack in April, 1918, nine WAACs were killed at the Etaples Army Camp. British newspapers claimed that it was another example of a German atrocity but Helen Gwynne-Vaughan (WAAC chief controller) was quick to point out at a press conference that as the WAAC were in France as replacements for soldiers, the enemy was quite entitled to try and kill them !


Helena went to France with the WAAC. She trained at Harrowby Camp in Grantham and in Catterick. One of her friends in the WAAC wrote in Helena's autograph book :

'I served 6 months in the WAAC
I think I served them well
But before I serve another 6 months
I'll see them all in hell !'

Helena Tivey (nee Clarke) - photo's


Helena aged 18 years






ENCEPHALITIS LETHARGICA

My Mum's mother Helena Tivey nee Clarke died of encephalitis lethargica about 10 days after my mum was born. (Mum was named Helena after her but was always known as Ena - last 3 letters of Helena)

Encephalitis lethargica (EL) or von Economo disease is an atypical form of encephalitis. Also known as "sleepy sickness" or as "sleeping sickness" (though different from the sleeping sickness transmitted by the tsetse fly, EL is a devastating illness that swept the world in the 1920s and then vanished as quickly as it had appeared. EL attacks the brain, leaving some victims in a statue-like condition, speechless and motionless. Between 1915 and 1926, an epidemic of encephalitis lethargica spread around the world; no recurrence of the epidemic has since been reported, though isolated cases continue to occur.//

Symptoms
Encephalitis lethargica is characterized by high fever, sore throat, headache, double vision, delayed physical and mental response, sleep inversion, catatonia and lethargy. In acute cases, patients may enter a coma-like state (akinetic mutism). Patients may also experience abnormal eye movements ("oculogyric crises"), parkinsonism, upper body weakness, muscular pains, tremors, neck rigidity, and behavioral changes including psychosis.

Cause
The cause of encephalitis lethargica is not known for certain.
Research in 2004 suggested that the disease is due to an immune reaction. In this study, many of the people with encephalitis lethargica had experienced recent pharyngitis. They hypothesised that encephalitis lethargica, sydenham's chorea and PANDAS (paediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections) are mediated by variations of the post-streptococcal immune response. There is also some evidence of an autoimmune origin with antibodies (IgG) from patients with EL binding to neurons in the basal ganglia and mid brain.

Treatment
Treatment for encephalitis lethargica in the early stages is patient stabilization, which may be very difficult. There is little evidence so far of a consistent effective treatment for the initial stages, though some patients given steroids have seen improvement. Other patients have been less fortunate, and the disease then becomes progressive, with evidence of brain damage similar to parkinson's disease. Treatment is then symptomatic. The course of encephalitis lethargica varies depending upon complications or accompanying disorders.

The discovery that L-DOPA could relieve some symptoms was described in the book Awakenings by Oliver Sacks in 1973.

I remember my great aunt (Elsie Tivey) talking about Helena's illness - she believed it was caused by the tse tse fly in some bananas that she'd eaten. She said Helena would be talking and just fall asleep mid sentence.

CALKE ABBEY

Some information on Calke Abbey - Ticknall, Derbyshire - where most of the Clarke family worked and lived.....................

A country house in decline
Set on the site of an Augustinian priory, Calke Abbey was never actually an Abbey. The name was given to the house in 1808 - nearly 300 years after it stopped being used for religious purposes!

A sacred site
Founded in the early 12th century, Calke Abbey was established by Richard, 2nd Earl of Chester, a wealthy landowner. The independent religious community at Calke was not to stand the test of time, and by the mid 1100s, religious activity was reduced to serving as a cell to the nearby priory at Repton. This state of affairs lasted until Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century.
Calke's first secular inhabitant, was John Prest, an affluent Grocer. On his death, the house passed through many different hands, until it landed with the Harpur family, who held on to the house until the National Trust in the 1980s.

The building
Set in a hollow, and in a secluded position, Calke Abbey is a fascinating mixture of architectural styles. Nothing exists now of the original building, with the earliest masonry dating back to the Elizabethan age. Between 1701-1704, the house underwent a huge rebuilding project, resulting with the house being entirely remodelled.

The Abbey today
By the 1980s, Calke Abbey had fallen into a state of disrepair. The Harpur family had found it difficult to maintain the house, and the soaring debts that the house generated meant that the only solution was to donate the house to the National Trust.
A huge campaign followed to save Calke, the outcome was successful, and the rest, is history...

The collectors of Calke
In 1622 the Harpur family moved into Calke Abbey - and stayed there for nearly 360 years. Over this time some remarkable characters lived there - each shaping the ancestral home in some way.

A family of distinction
The Harpur family had been prominent figures in the Derbyshire area for many years before they bought Calke. With a rich history of political figures and justices of the peace, the Harpurs would have been fairly well-known and respected by the time Calke came into their possession.
Although the family were of a high social status, a bid to improve their standing came in 1626, when Sir Henry Harpur (the first owner of Calke) bought a Baronetcy. This social ambition continued throughout several later generations of the Harpur family, and aristocratic gestures such as exquisite furniture and seats in parliament, meant that the family were not to be overlooked by the establishment.

The solitary gene
In 1789, Henry, 7th Baronet, inherited Calke. It was evident early on in his life that he was not particularly sociable - in fact it was remarked that he had 'an unhealthy taste for solitude'. Henry's temperament soon led to him failing to fulfil his social obligations, and then he committed the unforgivable social faux-pas of marrying a lady's maid. Though eccentric, during his lifetime, Henry did resurrect the dormant barony of Crewe of Steane, and changed the family name to Crewe.
Henry's son, Sir George Crewe revived the upper class tradition at Calke, though his son had some degree of his grandfather's eccentricity. This gene would reappear several more times, and indeed by the time the last Harpur-Crewe inhabitant of Calke died, the house had become an 'impenetrable country house'.

The Calke collectors
Visitors to Calke Abbey today can be overwhelmed by the immense variety of objects in the house. Not only were the Harpur family avid collectors, but they apparently never really threw anything away either.
Noteable collectors include John, 4th Baronet, who had a taste for articles that reflected his wealth, thus furnishing the estate with rich hangings, silver and fine furniture. Later, Sir George Crewe spent a great deal of time investing in the house, and many of the works of art hanging today are part of his legacy.
Sir George's son added more cases of stuffed birds and natural history, in the hope of making his home more of a private museum. The penultimate Harpur to reside within the Abbey devoted his time to the collection of birds and butterflies - expanding the Calke collection to several thousand items.

My Aunt remembers visiting the family at Calke for holidays. During that time she never actually saw or got anywhere near the Abbey. Servants got to work via a tunnel for access to the Abbey so they were not seen in the park by the gentry !

Saturday 25 July 2009

GRANNY CLARKE



GRANNY CLARKE - Edney/Edna Clarke




Picture taken from a book about Calke Abbey (Ticknall Derbyshire)


An old photograph of staff working at the Abbey around the early 1900's


Granny Clarke is second from the left in white apron - she was chief laundrymaid

Most of her family - husband and two sisters Evelyn and Ginny also worked there - wonder if her husband Henry, the groom is on the photo too ?

HELENA TIVEY (nee Clarke) life history

Helena Tivey (nee Clarke)
Born 1898 / 9 - died 1924 aged 25

Parents Henry Clarke, a groom at Calke Park and Edna / Edney a laundrymaid at Calke Abbey.
Married in 1920 to Arthur Marson Tivey. (my Grandad)

Three daughters Molly (1921) Edna (1922) and Helena (1924).

During the First World War was in the WAAC (Women’s Auxilary Army Corps) at Harrowby Camp in Grantham and Catterick. Went to France as part of duties.

Died in 1924 of Encephalitis Lethargica (sleeping sickness) when baby Helena 2 weeks old.

Helena, the second eldest of three daughters worked in service at the Manse on Station Road, Melbourne. Her sisters Mary Jane (Jinny) and Evelyn both worked at Calke as Laundry Maids. The family all lived and worked around Calke Park. At one time at a place called ‘White Lea’s.

Edna remember’s visiting for holiday’s but was never allowed near Calke Abbey itself. Those working there got to work via a tunnel so they were not seen by the gentry !

Helena and family lived in the bottom of the two cottages called the ‘Dog Kennels’ belonging to the estate. Evelyn lived in the other one – she eventually moved when the Staunton Harold Reservoir was constructed and it was thought the cottages would be submerged under the new reservoir (this didn’t happen and they are still occupied today). The cottages are along a private road overlooking the Staunton Harold Reservoir.

Helena’s sister Jinney had Dorothy (Wilmore) and Evelyn (Mrs Lyons) was Kate Dumalow’s grandma. Unsure how her father Henry Clarke died but by 1911 census her mother Edna/Edney was a widow aged 39 living at Derby Hills with Helena 12 and Jinny 11.

CLARKE FAMILY TREE

CLARKE FAMILY TREE

Henry Clarke married Edna / Edney (Granny Clarke)
b. 1868 Ticknall b. 1872
d. ? d. ?

In the 1891 census Henry Clarke was listed as aged 23 a general labourer and living at 57 Princes Street Derby with his brother and sister in law.

Later Henry worked as a Groom at Calke Abbey

(Edney/Edna worked as a laundery maid at Calke Abbey.
By 1911 census she was a widow living at Bantons Lane, Ticknall Derby Hills with Helena 12 & Mary Jane 11)

1901 CENSUS Eveylyn (aged 4) Helena (aged 2) Mary J (aged 1) Clarke
(Children of Henry and Edna / Edney Clarke)

Helena married Arthur Marson Tivey (my grandparents)
B. 1889/9 1920 b.1896
d. 1924 aged 25
(Encephalitis Lethargica)
Two weeks after birth of Helena

Helena (Clarke) and Arthur Marson Tivey had 3 daughters

Molly Edna Helena (Ena) (my mum)
b. 1921 b. 1922 b. 1924