Ann was the illegitimate daughter of Mary Ann Cowmeadow. Her father was, I believe, Stephen Allaway. Stephen was one of the Allaway family known in the area for their ownership of tin plate works and ore mines. Stephen was at one time a partner in Cinderford Iron works until being bought out in 1862 by Henry Crawshay. In 1839, when Ann was born, Stephen was working at the Cinderford Iron works, as evidenced by a newspaper article dated 1839 which mentions him as representative for the works. Around the same time he was living at The Grange near Littledean and, as such, I imagine, probably made use of the Victoria Hotel which was located at the bottom of, what was to become, Victoria Street and just a few hundred yards from the iron works. Mary Ann was living at the hotel with her parents who ran it. So Stephen and Mary Ann would probably have come into contact that way.

Ann's birth record shows she was born in Cinderford, her given name as Ann Allaway and her mother as Mary Ann Cowmeadow of Cinderford. No father is shown. On a baptism record of 18th August for Abenhall, there is a Mary Ann Cowmeadow with Mary Ann as her mother and her father as Stephen a stock-taker. I can find no records of a Stephen Cowmeadow or any other records of a Mary Ann Cowmeadow born around this time so I believe this to be Ann's baptism.

In 1841 Ann is living with her mother and grand parents at the hotel. By 1851 she is living in Stroud with a family two doors away from a girls school. The head of the house is a piano tuner and his daughter a piano teacher. There is also a Housekeeper and a House Servant listed. The area seems populated mainly with skilled/qualified people so probably a 'better off' area. Ann is listed as Annie Allaway. My interpetation of this is Ann has been sent away to school, probably paid for by her father who, by now, was married with a family and probably wanted Ann out of the way.

The only other record I can find of Ann is in her grandmother's will of 1864 where she is described as "Annie a daughter of the said Mary Ann Tyler (born before marriage)". Mary Ann Tyler is Mary Ann Cowmeadow after she married Henry Tyler.

I assume Ann became married sometime between 1851 and 1861 as I can't find her in the 1861 census or in any other records.

I can find possible marriage records searching for Ann Allaway and Ann Cowmeadow but, without getting certificates for all of them I'm struggling to find which might be her, if any.

Any suggestions or help welcome.

Here is a suggestion which may be considered either plausible or far-fetched!
Ann/Annie Allaway or Cowmeadow, born Cinderford in 1839, cannot be found unmarried in the 1861 census, and there is apparently no convincing marriage record for her.
In the 1871 census, at Chetwynd Road, St. Pancras, London were Henry J. Collier, head, 26, carpenter, born Glos., Stonehouse, and Ann Collier, wife, 33, born Glos., Cinderford.
Henry J. Collier was Henry Joseph Collier, birth actually registered in Stroud in 1848.
There appears to be no marriage registration for a Henry J. or Henry Joseph Collier between 1851 and 1871.
Henry J. and Ann Collier can be found at various addresses in St. Pancras through to the 1901 census.
They had two daughters - Minnie Elizabeth born about 1874, and Nellie Sarah Ann born about 1877.
The probable death registration of Ann Collier was 1905, quarter 3, in the Pancras, London District, age given as 67 years.
Henry Joseph Collier died on 9 May 1906 in London. A probate record exists. Admin was granted to his daughter, Nellie Sarah Ann Moody (wife of Ernest James Moody).
So to sum up, Ann/Annie Allaway or Cowmeadow was in Stroud in 1851; Henry Joseph Collier was from nearby Stonehouse; there is no apparent marriage record for Henry Joseph Collier; Ann Collier gave her birthplace as Cinderford in all censuses; her given birth year is one year out, but Henry J. Collier's is also not accurately given in censuses. No family trees on ancestry can give Ann Collier's maiden surname.
There is no way of proving this online, only the birth certificate of one of the children would give the mother's maiden surname.
This may be considered very speculative but as no one has posted anything up I put this forward for discussion and scrutiny (shooting down in other words). It may be wrong but tantalising all the same?

The GRO Online Index now provides maiden name of mother.
This is the link: https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/indexes_search.asp

This is the family in 1881 Census:
Address Given Name Surname Relationship to Head Marital Status Age Estimated Birth Year Gender Occupation Birth City Birth County Birth Country
20 Georgiana St Henry J. Collier Head Married 31 1850 Male Carpenter Stonehouse Gloucestershire England
20 Georgiana St Ann Collier Wife Married 43 1838 Female Cinderford Gloucestershire England
20 Georgiana St Minnie E. Collier Daughter 6 1875 Female St Pancras Middlesex England
20 Georgiana St Nellie S. A. Collier Daughter 4 1877 Female St Pancras Middlesex England
20 Georgiana St Richard Tomkins Lodger 44 1837 Male Wine Merchants Clerk Falmouth Cornwall England
20 Georgiana St Joseph Daniel Lodger 22 1859 Male Carpenter Barnstaple Devon England

Checking the Birth Registrations we find mother's maiden name is GULLICK. See Below:

COLLIER, MINNIE ELIZABETH GULLICK
GRO Reference: 1874 D Quarter in PANCRAS Volume 01B Page 127

COLLIER, NELLIE SARAH ANN GULLICK
GRO Reference: 1876 S Quarter in PANCRAS Volume 01B Page 116

Back to the drawing board I'm afraid.

Mike

Thanks for the suggestion. I had already been down that route and, as Mike found out, came to a dead end.

An update on this and a question (or three).

Ann, I eventually discovered, married one Edwin Ridler in 1866. They had six children and in 1883 emigrated to Canada.

I'm still unable to find any record of Ann in the 1861 census. However, I have a Ann Lewis who was present at, and registered, the death of Ann's stepfather, Henry Tyler, in 1863 in Cinderford. Could this be her? Could she have been married twice?

On her marriage to Edwin Ridler, her name is shown as Allaway and/or Cowmeadow (still waiting for the certificate but the index shows both names) suggesting she wasn't married previously. But might she have reverted to her maiden name?

Also, I can't find a Ann Lewis that fits or appears to have any connection with the family. I also can't find any evidence that Ann married anyone called Lewis.

This is starting to bug me.

No further information about Mary Ann in 1861 but evidence of two more children in the gap between Annie and Leonard Tom.

Glos BMD Births

1874 RIDLER Sydney, Mother’s former name COWMEADOW, Westbury on Severn, Newnham

1876 RIDLER Ethel, Mother’s former name COWMEADOW, Chepstow, Lydney

Glos BMD Deaths

1874 RIDLER Sydney, aged 6w, Westbury on Severn, Newnham

1876 RIDLER Ethel, aged 6w, Chepstow Lydney

Gloucester Journal - Saturday 30 January 1875
DEATHS

RIDLER - Jan 23, at Soilwell Farm, near Lydney, the infant son of Mr Edwin Ridler, aged 6 weeks.

Gloucester Journal - Saturday 11 March 1876
BIRTHS

RIDLER - February 28, at Cinderford, the wife of Mr. Edwin Ridler, of a daughter.

As I expect you have already found they were living, with three children, in Lydney in 1871 and, with six children, in Cinderford by 1881.

From familysearch.org.
Death of Leonard Thomas Ridler gives mother's name as Mary Ann Tyler:

Name: Leonard Thomas Ridler
Event Type: Death
Event Date: 18 Jun 1957
Event Place: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Gender: Male
Age: 79
Marital Status: Single
Birth Date: 17 Aug 1877
Birth Year (Estimated): 1878
Birthplace: , England
Father's Name: Edwin Ridler
Mother's Name: Mary Ann Tyler

Mike

Hi Mike,

Thanks for that.

I do have them at Lydney and later at Cinderford. In 1881 they were living in Tyler's Terrace (where I grew up and what this is all about) which was owned by Ann's mother.

Thanks Mike. That's interesting. Tyler was Ann's step father's surname. I've not come across any other instance of her using it, though she seems to use a variety of name combinations which has made it difficult to track her.

Edit: Actually, just realised this was after Ann had died so someone else must have entered her name as Tyler. But it's further confirmation I have the right person. Thanks

Further update to this - in case anyone is interested.

Ann's marriage certificate to Edwin arrived and confirms I have the right person. What's more, the certificate confirms Ann's father was indeed Stephen Allaway - the one time part owner of Cinderford Iron Works. On the certificate he's shown as an Iron Master. It also shows Ann as a spinster so is not the Ann Lewis previously mentioned.