Whatmore Family History

Photographs bring family history to life in a way that nothing else can. I am thus most grateful to Christopher Gill for sending me some photos of his great great Whatmore grandparents and for allowing me to reproduce them on this blog.

Francis Watmore was baptised on 4 April 1816 at Cleobury Mortimer. His parents were John Watmore 1795 -1868  and Sarah (nee Lloyd). Francis’s ancestors included John Watmore, born  1685, who founded one of the branches of the Arley family and Francis Watmore  born 1720 whose son Thomas founded the Wolverley branch of the family.

Francis Watmore     Copyright: Christopher Gill and reproduced here by his kind permission

Francis was the only survivor of three children. His brother John, born in 1817, died in 1819 and his sister Ann, born 1820, died the same year.

The home of Francis’ parents in 1841 was in Church Street, Cleobury Mortimer where his father John worked as a cordwainer (shoemaker). Francis was no longer at home in 1841 having married  Harriet Merrick from Neen Savage on 28 June 1840 at Cleobury Mortimer church. In 1841 Francis and Harriet were living about 5 doors down from Francis’s parents. Francis was working as a tailor.

Four of the known children of Francis and Harriet were born between 1841 and 1851. These were Sarah Annie 1841, Frederick John 1843, Alice 1845 and Charles 1847. Their last known child, William Lloyd, was born in 1854.

Harriet Watmore (nee Merrick)  Copyright: Christopher Gill and reproduced here by his kind permission

By 1851 Francis and his family were living in the High Street, Cleobury Mortimer. Francis is described in the census as a ‘journeyman tailor’ i.e. one who has completed a full apprenticeship.  This house in the High Street must have been quite a large one for by 1861 there were three households living there. There was Francis and Harriet and two of their sons.  Their daughter, Sarah Annie Whatmore had married William Pardoe Gill (born 1836 at Bewdley and a journeyman butcher) the previous year, and they made up the second hosuehold. The third household consisted of Andrew Moran (a Police Constable who was born in Ireland), his wife Catherine and their three daughters. If the house had its own pump there must have been quite an early morning queue for its use!

By 1871, Francis and Harriet had left Cleobury Mortimer and had moved to Claines on the northern edge of the city of Worcester, where they were living at Northfield Terrace with two of their sons. Sarah Annie and William Gill were still at Cleobury Mortimer  and it seems likely that they had taken over the Whatmore family house.

Sarah Annie Whatmore  Copyright: Christopher Gill  and reproduced here by his kind permission

Francis was still working as a tailor in 1881 at the age of 65 and he and his wife were still living at Claines. Francis died in the December Quarter of 1887 in the Gloucestershire Registration District which suggests that either he and and wife had moved from Claines since 1881 or that Francis had died whilst on a visit to friends or relatives. Harriet now went to live with her married son Charles, at Yardley, Birmingham as she was there at the time of the 1891 census.

The only Harriet Whatmore of the right age from Shropshire in the 1901 census was living at Sutton Coldfield and is described as ‘grandmother’ to Joseph and Harriet Ollis. This seemed odd, but a quick look at my database showed that Harriet Ollis was in the fact the daughter of Harriet Whatmore’s daughter Alice. Harriet Whatmore died aged 85 in the September Quarter of 1902 in Aston Registration District (Birmingham).

Turning briefly to the children of Francis and Harriet Watmore:

Sarah Annie Whatmore, born 1841, who had married William Pardoe Gill, lived all her life at Cleobury Mortimer and died there on Christmas Day 1908 aged 68. Sarah and William Gill’s children were: John 1867, Sarah Annie 1869, William 1872, Francis Henry 1875, Charles Richard 1877, Emily 1883 and Albert Edward 1887.

William Pardoe Gill      Copyright: Christopher Gill and reproduced here by his kind permission

Frederick John Whatmore, born 1843, married Clarissa Bishop in 1870. Frederick died in 1925 in the Liverpool Registration District. Frederick and Clarissa’s children were Frank Bishop 1871, Lizzie Alexandra 1876 and John Bolton 1878.

Alice Whatmore, born 1845, married Thomas Price in 1868. Alice died in 1890 in the Toxteth Park Registration District. Alice and Thomas had one child - Harriet born 1872.

Charles Whatmore, born 1847, married Emma Worthing in 1874. Charles died in 1921 in the Kings Norton Registration District. The children of Charles and Emma were Bernard Charles 1875, Ellen Worthing 1878 and Leonard Worthing 1882. Leonard Worthing Whatmore, who was a schoolmaster, was killed on 27 August 1917 at Ypres, Belgium. He was a Lance Corporal in the 1st/7th Bn of the Worcestershire Regiment, Service No. 202769. He is commemorated on Panel 77 - 77 on the Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing, at the Tyne Cot Cemetery, about 9 miles north of Ypres (Ieper).

The home of Sarah Annie Gill (nee Whatmore) and her husband William Pardoe Gill, in the High Street, Cleobury Mortimer. One of the men standing outside is their son Francis Henry Gill.  Copyright: Christopher Gill and reproduced here by his kind permission.

William Lloyd Whatmore, born 1854, married Catherine Emily Dunn in 1878. Catherine died in 1886. The children of William and Catherine were: Edith Alice 1879, William Merrick 1881, Albert Lloyd 1883 and Florence M Lloyd 1885. William remarried in 1887 to Mary Jane L Lashmore (nee Mizen). The children of William and Mary were Gertrude 1890 and Francis J 1898. William Lloyd Whatmore died in 1931 in the Cardiff Registration District.