Mystery relative at 1961 Lydney funeral - Roland PARKER (General)

by peteressex , Saturday, November 19, 2011, 16:05 (4749 days ago) @ Jefff

Thanks, Slowhands and Jefff.

Regarding Jefff's point, the Lydney Observer and Gilbert Harris the undertaker seem always to have been pretty careful about getting its lists of mourners right. In the case of my grandfather, the paper listed family mourners, working down from sons and grandchildren. Roland Parker appears among the deceased's nephews and nieces, sandwiched between Mrs. B. Sterrey (who must have been Kitty nee Baxter, wife of Bert Sterrey who worked at Lydney Docks, lived at Ridler Road, Tutnalls and was my predeceased grandmother's nephew), and Mr J Ludlow (by then of Tewkesbury, but one-time village copper at Woolaston, who was married to my grandfather's sister's daughter.)

After other relatives there were distinct lists: firstly a list of members of the Springfield chapel and its Sisterhood, then a paragraph showing representatives of other denominations, such as Rev. D.H. Hallett (Vicar of Lydney) and George Edwards (conductor of Lydney Congregational Choral Society.) Next came a paragraph of freemasons, followed by paragraphs naming representatives of Lydney Rural District and Parish Councils, and then quite a few miscellaneous others.

It's always possible that the newspaper accidentally insinuated Roland Parker into the relatives, but such an error would have been a rarity. I have just been looking at numerous names of Lydney Council members known to me from my grandfather's era, and he isn't there. Slowhands has offered the possibility of a Leicestershire origin and south Wales death for a man who would fit in timescale, but it would be fascinating to know where he fitted in other respects, so let's watch this space.