Building of Cinderford (East Dean) new Town Hall c1867 (General)

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Friday, February 22, 2019, 00:09 (1888 days ago) @ Mike Pinchin

Thank you kindly sir, saved me some work. I wonder who took over the job after Frederick Durke was declared bankrupt. Not that this seemed to stop him trading, or at least calling himself a builder on subsequent census returns.

I guess this is what they might possibly have expected if accepting the cheapest bid ?.

The Gazette article makes interesting reading, the fact that he appeared to have lived in so many different places MAY suggest he was of dubious nature, or does it just mean he moved around from job to job ?

Just to fill in a couple of gaps, one hopes he'd learnt to pay his workforce by 1881 ¬

1881 Oldbarum Rd, Ilfracombe, Devon, England
Household Role Sex Age Birthplace
Frederick Durke Head M 47 Builder Employing 84 Men & Boys. Taunton, Somerset, England
Emma E Durke Wife F 48 Downhead, Somerset, England
Annie A Durke Daughter F 25 Stoke St Mary, Somerset, England
Alice E Durke Daughter F 22 Burnham, Somerset, England
Walter P Durke Son M 18 Newland, Gloucestershire, England
Elizabeth H Durke Daughter F 13 Cardiff, Glamorganshire, Wales
Rose E Durke Daughter F 11 Newport, Monmouthshire, England

So it seems that he was resident in the Forest for a while before he took the Town Hall contract;

Record_ID: 395907
Entry_Number: 1755
Year: 1862
Month: Oct
Day: 13
Parents_Surname: DURKE
Child_Forenames: Walter Perret
Fathers_Forenames: Frederick
Mothers_Forenames: Emma Elizabeth
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Whitecliff
Occupation: Contractor
Officiating_Minister: S.C.Morgan Curate
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P227 IN 1/6
Page_Number: 220
Parish_Chapel: Newland
Soundex: D620

Birth Details
Child Surname Child Forename Mother's Former Name Year District Office Register Entry
DURKE Walter Perrett PERRETT 1862 Forest of Dean Monmouth, Coleford 18 144

Walt didn't stay in the FoD, or apparently in the building trade;

1891 Ferry Side, Swansea Town And Franchise, Glamorganshire.
Household Role Sex Age Birthplace
Frederick Wm Gunning Head M 32 Wiltshire, England
Elizabeth Hill Gunning Wife F 23 Glamorganshire, England
Walter Wm Gunning Son M 3 Devonshire, England
Albert Victor Gunning Son M 0 Swansea, Glamorganshire, England
Walter Parrett Durke Brother In Law M 28 Licenced Victualler. Gloucestershire, England
Sarah Ann Price Servant F 20 Glamorganshire, England

Surname First name(s) Mother/Spouse/Age District Vol Page
Marriages Mar 1914
Durke Walter P Trenchard Cardiff 11a 517
Trenchard Agnes H Durke Cardiff 11a 517

Deaths Dec 1927 (>99%)
Durke Walter P 60 Neath 11a 872

Surname First name(s) Age District Vol Page
Deaths Mar 1940 (>99%)
Durke Agnes H 81 Neath 11a 1824

---

Another family member also in the Newnham area at that time;

Record_ID: 214644
Entry_Number: 147
Year: 1862
Month: May
Day: 22
Grooms_Surname: DURKE
Grooms_Forenames: John
Grooms_Age: Full Age
Groom_Condition: Bachelor
Grooms_Occupation: Carpenter
Grooms_Residence: Woolaston
Grooms_Fathers_Surname: Durke
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames: Henry
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation: Builder
Brides_Surname: HIGGS
Brides_Forenames: Mary Anne
Brides_Age: 20
Brides_Condition: Spinster
Brides_Occupation: [not stated]
Brides_Residence: Woolaston
Brides_Fathers_Surname: Higgs
Brides_Fathers_Forenames: James
Brides_Fathers_Occupation: Shop keeper
Licence_or_Banns: Banns
Date_of_Banns:
Signature_or_Mark: Both Sign
Witness_1: [illegible]sak Durke
Witness_2: Emma E Durke
Other_Witnesses: Samuel Hurcombe Mary Higgs
Officiating_Minister: N Mathew Thomas Curate
Event: Marriage
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P376 IN 1/12
Page_Number: 74
Parish_Chapel: Woolaston
Soundex_Groom: D620
Soundex_Bride: H200

One of the witnesses is Frederick's wife Emma, I suspect Fred is the other witness.

Interesting to find this John Durke then became a policeman !

Record_ID: 16525
Entry_Number: 179
Year: 1866
Month: May
Day: 28
Parents_Surname: DURKE
Child_Forenames: Annie Maria
Fathers_Forenames: John
Mothers_Forenames: Mary
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Ashelworth
Occupation: Policeman
Officiating_Minister: G A Jackson Off[iciating] Minister
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes: In this record a surname was not clear so the best guess was given
Register_Reference: P20 IN 1/4
Page_Number: 23
Parish_Chapel: Ashleworth
Soundex: D620

---------

Back to builder Frederick,

1901 Bishopsworth, Somersetshire, England
Household Role Sex Age Birthplace
Frederick Durke Head M 68 Builder. Taunton, Somersetshire
Emma Elizabeth Durke Wife F 69 Downhead, Somersetshire
Emily Maud Durke Daughter F 24 Yeovil, Somersetshire
Emma E P Durke Grand Child F 4 Cardiffs, Glamorganshire

Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Marriages Dec 1853
Durk Frederick Frome 5c 1043
Perret Emma Elizabeth Frome 5c 1043

Surname First name(s) Age District Vol Page
Deaths Dec 1904
DURKE Frederick 71 Cardiff 11a 240

Surname First name(s) Age District Vol Page
Deaths Mar 1905
DURKE Emma Elizabeth 72 Cardiff 11a 276