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Charles David Cruse b. 16 Apr 1874 in Wellington, Somerset He became head of Westbury workhouse . His first wife Anna Louisa was matron until she died giving birth to twins in 1914. Charles' second wife was Edith May and also matron. They were married at Westbury on 11 April 1914 - registry office [?]. The children were all born in the workhouse and Charles, Anna and Edith May all died there. I am finding it impossible to get any information on Westbury on Severn workhouse, Please,can anyone help ?

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updated 3/9/2012
http://www.workhouses.org.uk/WestburyOnSevern/

Records
•Gloucestershire Archives, Clarence Row, Alvin Street, Gloucester GL1 3DW. Holdings include Guardians' minute books (1835-1930 with gaps); Ledgers (1835-1930, with gaps); Officers' service register (1850-1930); etc.

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Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>

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Thank you so much Slowhands. I will be ' on to it ' immediately.

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Please can anyone tell me if there are there any online resources that hold the records for the Union workhouse at Westbury on Severn? My Gt x3 grandmother (Ann Halford) died there in 1892. Did they have a dedicated cemetery?
Many thanks
Paul (Halford)

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Hi Paul, glad you had a good holiday and the weather was kind.
"The" online Workhouse reference site is still the same site as highlighted by Slowhands earlier, although it has been revamped, the Westbury page is
http://www.workhouses.org.uk/WestburyOnSevern/

As can be seen this site carries 1881 Census records for staff & inmates, altho I see no Halfords are listed. In fact as far as I'm aware the Workhouses, like Hospitals etc, were all covered by the usual Census' so any inmates during Census night would be listed as such and can be found by searching the Census' in the usual way. I don't have subscription to-hand for Ancestry or Find My Past (I use the free public library access for these), but using the free search page for Ancestry can give clues. Here are their suggestions wrt searching the 1891 Census for Ann Halford died 1892
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?gl=CEN_1890&rank=1&new=1&MSAV=...

I'm no expert but as the Workhouse was a Parish-run/funded institution I wouldnt think they'd have their own cemetery, I'd expect those who died in the workhouse to be buried at the nearest Parish "municipal" cemetery, hopefully (?) as befits their religion. Again if they're in the Workhouse does that mean a "pauper's grave" scenario ie unmarked ??...

Apart from Census's you can buy on cd-copies of the following British Government instigated Survey:
"Paupers in Workhouses Ordered by The House of Commons to be printed 30 July 1861.
Returns "from each workhouse in England & Wales, of the name of every adult pauper in each workhouse who has been an inmate of the workhouse during a continuous period of five years; stating the amount of time that each of such inmates shall have been in the workhouse, and the reason assigned why such persons are unable to maintain themselves:"

Hopefully not relevant to your Ann but thought the info may be of interest on this thread.

While Googling the subject I found this most interesting site, which by pleasant coincidence also matches your time period. I quote
"Most Victorian burial registers make dry and depressing reading, but the register for Westbury on Severn is an exception. Between September 1888 and May 1902 Leonard Wilkinson, vicar of Westbury on Severn, George Linton Thorp his assistant curate and others conducted 481 burials in Westbury churchyard. About a quarter of the entries in the burial register carry Wilkinson's annotations, which highlight the hazards of life in this rural parish in the late 19th century."
http://www.rebus.demon.co.uk/wos_br.htm

The word Workhouse appears in 12 of these burial records, but I cannot find any word starting "Hal" for your Ann ??.

I hope this helps a little.

PS I did search the FoD site PRs for Ann's Burial in 1892, I see Halfords around the Lydney/Severnside area but cannot find a burial mentioning the Workhouse. If you could post your precise Burial Record that might help. This is the nearest "fit" I can find:

Record_ID: 45006
Entry_Number: 713
Year: 1892
Month: Jan
Day: 15
Surname: HALFORD
Forenames: Ann
Residence: Blakeney Hill
Age_at_death: 90 years
Officiating_Minister: E. S. Smith
Event: Burial
Cause_of_death:
Memoranda: 239
Notes:
Register_Reference: P348 IN 1/5
Page_No: 90
Parish_Chapel: Viney Hill
Soundex: H416

PLEASE can you give more detail wrt your Ann eg birth date etc, that would help.
Thanks.

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Thanks for the wealth of information Jeff. The link to Leonard Wilkinson's notes on burials was very interesting. Your 'nearest fit' seems to fit perfectly. Ann Halford lived in Blakeney Hill all her married life and Viney Hill church is where the rest of the family are buried. I don't know how I missed this entry but may have been blinkered by the workhouse reference, I have her death certificate and the informant is listed as 'George Evans, Master of Union workhouse Westbury on Severn.Date of death 4th Jan 1892.
Once again, many thanks for your input and info.
Paul

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1891 Census, East Dean, Blakeney Hill

No. 10 Small Chapel of Ease

Ann HALFORD - Widow - 90 - living on own means - born East Dean

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Thanks M, saved once again !
Googling "chapel of ease" as it's a new term to me gives "a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapel_of_ease

Looking at Westbury area specifically I find mention of such a Chapel at Chaxhill, linked to Westbury Parish Church, which seems the right locality wrt a Lydney burial ?

http://www.uk-genealogy.org.uk/england/Gloucestershire/towns/WestburyonSevern.html
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=15769

Does this address imply this particular Ann is working for/at the Chapel as part of her living off the Workhouse Union perhaps ?. Did she live at one of the 10 or more appartments attached to it, along the lines of alms houses ?
But if she is "living off own means" then ??. Maybe she is keen to clarify that she may be living at the Chapel aka Workhouse, but "NOT" as a pauper inmate ??

Hopefully Paul can help clarify this, please.

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Does this address imply this particular Ann is working for/at the Chapel as part of her living off the Workhouse Union perhaps ?. Did she live at one of the 10 or more appartments attached to it, along the lines of alms houses ?
But if she is "living off own means" then ??. Maybe she is keen to clarify that she may be living at the Chapel aka Workhouse, but "NOT" as a pauper inmate ??

No 10 appears to be the property "number" rather than 10 or more rooms at the small chapel of ease.
The impression is that 2 families are living there in 2 occupied rooms - the other a James Vaughan Miner ( 8 people in total)

The Chapel is distinct from the Workhouse under Parish/ Ecclesiastical control rather than the Union / Poor Law

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Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>

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Good evening Slowhands, foolish of me for not twigging the address, cheers for explaining the important difference twixt Chapel & Workhouse; very helpful thanks !

Does this mean the Chapel was no longer linked to the Church if people lived there ? - unlikely I suspect given the date, but Chapel conversions are quite popular houses nowadays ?
I suppose the census address could equally refer to a closely adjacent property which wasn't actually part of the "working" Chapel at all, the Chapel merely being used as a "landmark" by the Census official ?

Clearly we need clarification from Paul that this is definitely "his" Ann and also why he believes she died "in the Workhouse", which I mistakenly(sorry) took to be somehow connected to the Chapel.

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Thanks again to 'M' , jeff and 'slowhands', what a great bunch you are on this website.
Firstly let me reiterate a previous reply to jeff. I have the death certificate for Ann Halford (date of death 4th Jan 1892) aged 90yrs, widow of John Halford (stone mason of East Dean. This all matches information I have for Ann. The informant is George Evans, Master of Union Workhouse Westbury on Severn, which where I get the workhouse link to Ann.
The burial record found by jeff matches nicely since Ann with aged date of burial and the fact that Ann lived all her married life in Blakeney Hill with her husband John with Viney Hill was their local church.
Regarding the reference in 1891 census; the second family living at Chapel of Ease is that of James Vaughan and family. James’ wife, Ann Vaughan is the daughter of Ann and John Halford (born c1844).
So, I now have a few more questions: Did Ann Halford become an inmate of the workhouse? If not why would the workhouse master be the informant of death? If she did enter the workhouse, then why? Why would her daughter and family also be living at the Chapel of Ease? The 1901 census shows their address as ‘Blakeney Hill’. I guess a visit to Gloucester archives is now a necessity and a good excuse for coming back to the Forest of Dean.
Once again, thanks to you all. I really appreciate the effort you have all put in on this topic.
Paul

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Is George Evans related to Ann ? perhaps via a NELMES ( or is it EVANS ?)connection ?

Name:Julia I White
Name: Charles W Craymer
Date of Registration: Apr-May-Jun 1866
Registration district: Clifton
Inferred County: Gloucestershire
Volume Number: 6a
Page Number: 250

1871 Kingsdown parade Bristol
Chas Wm Craymer 24 Accountant
Julia I Craymer 23
Lilly J E Craymer 3
Violet M Craymer 2

Name: Ethel Maude Nelmes
Date of Registration: Apr-May-Jun 1875
Registration district: Thornbury
Inferred County: Gloucestershire
Volume: 6a
Page: 221

Name: Julia Isabel Craymer
Name: William George Evans
Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1887
Registration district: Barton Regis
Inferred County: Gloucestershire
Volume Number: 6a
Page Number: 178

Name: Wilfrid George C Evans
Date of Registration: Apr-May-Jun 1891
Registration district: Westbury on Severn
Inferred County: Gloucestershire
Volume: 6a
Page: 263

Year: 1891
Month: Nov
Day: 4
Parents_Surname: EVANS
Child_Forenames: Wilfrid George Cyril
Fathers_Forenames: George William
Mothers_Forenames: Julia Isabel
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Workhouse Westbury
Occupation: Master of the W.Union Workhouse
Officiating_Minister: Leornard Wilkinson Vicar
Event: Baptism
Memoranda: Born March 13 1891
Notes:
Register_Reference: P354 IN 1/15
Page_Number: 267
Parish_Chapel: Westbury on Severn

1891
George Evans abt 1858 Halesowen, Staffordshire, England Master Westbury on Severn, Gloucestershire
Iulia Isabel Nelmes abt 1852 Bristol, Gloucestershire, England Wife Westbury on Severn, Gloucestershire
Wilfred George Cyril Nelmes abt 1891 Westbury on Severn, Gloucestershire, England Son Westbury on Severn, Gloucestershire
Niolet Maria Nelmes abt 1871 Bristol, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Westbury on Severn, Gloucestershire
Ethel Maud Daisy Nelmes abt 1874 Bristol, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Westbury on Severn, Gloucestershire

1901
George Evans abt 1861 Halesowen, Worcestershire, England Head Westbury on Severn, Gloucestershire
Julia Isabel Evans abt 1851 Bristol Wife Westbury on Severn, Gloucestershire
Wilfred George Cyril Evans abt 1891 Westbury on Severn, Gloucestershire, England Son Westbury on Severn, Gloucestershire

1911
George Evans 48 Halesowen
Julia Isobel Evans 62 Bristol St James
William Craymer 70
Violet Lucy Bowdery 22
Priscilla Parry 40

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Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>

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Paul, a newbie here and I just noticed your Ann Halford name.I am researching the Vaughan name for my son-in-law and it so happens that his great grandfather married Ann Halford in 1864 but it is not Ann Halford, the 90year old widow you mention, but her daughter Ann.
I have obtained Ann Halford's (the younger) birth certificate and that gives her mother's maiden name which was WILLETTS, and she had married John Halford a Mason.
If you go to the 1891 census which shows Ann Halford,(the elder) widow at 10 Blakeney Hill, there is also her son James Vaughan (my son in law's gt.grandfather) along with his wife Ann (nee Halford) and some of the children of that marriage, including Thomas Vaughan (son in law's grandfather) but also a lodger who is named William Willets. He is aged 84? so could be the 90year old widow Ann's brother?
The rest of my research is via the Vaughan family

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Thanks for the information from Ann's birth certificate.

As we know she was born around 1806 in Blakeney (census), her surname was Willets and she had a brother called William born around 1807 (1891 census), this could be her family:

IGI: C023302 Ann Willets - birth
parents:John Willets, Sarah George
Name: Anne Willets
gender: Female
baptism/christening date: 31 Mar 1807
baptism/christening place: AWRE WITH BLAKENEY,GLOUCESTER,ENGLAND
birth date: 30 Mar 1807
father's name: John Willets
mother's name: Sarah George
indexing project (batch) number: C02330-2
system origin: England-ODM
source film number: 91511

IGI: C023302 William Willets - birth
parents: John Willetts, Sarah George
name: William Willetts
gender: Male
baptism/christening date: 18 Aug 1811
baptism/christening place: AWRE WITH BLAKENEY,GLOUCESTER,ENGLAND
birth date: 29 Jul 1811
father's name: John Willetts
mother's name: Sarah George
indexing project (batch) number: C02330-2
system origin: England-ODM
source film number: 91511

Sarah George and John Willets - marriage

Record_ID: 39539
Entry_Number:
Year: 1802
Month: Dec
Day: 12
Grooms_Surname: WILLETS
Grooms_Forenames: John
Grooms_Age:
Groom_Condition: B[achelor]
Grooms_Occupation:
Grooms_Residence:
Grooms_Fathers_Surname:
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames:
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation:
Brides_Surname: GEORGE
Brides_Forenames: Sarah
Brides_Age:
Brides_Condition: Sp[inste]r
Brides_Occupation:
Brides_Residence: of the Forest of Dean extraparochial
Brides_Fathers_Surname:
Brides_Fathers_Forenames:
Brides_Fathers_Occupation:
Licence_or_Banns: Banns
Date_of_Banns:
Signature_or_Mark:
Witness_1:
Witness_2:
Other_Witnesses:
Officiating_Minister: Charles Sandiford Vicar
Event: Marriage
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P30 1 IN 1 Part 2
Page_Number: 353
Parish_Chapel: Awre
Soundex_Groom: W432
Soundex_Bride: G620

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On the 1841 census Thomas Willets is living with John Halford and Ann - and William Willets (aged 25) is living two doors down.

Record_ID: 133075
Entry_Number: 138
Year: 1815
Month: Nov
Day: 15
Parents_Surname: WILLET
Child_Forenames: Thomas
Fathers_Forenames: John
Mothers_Forenames: Sarah
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Forest of Dean
Occupation: Labourer
Officiating_Minister: John Bowen Sub Curate
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P50 IN1/1
Page_Number: 18
Parish_Chapel: Blakeney
Soundex: W430

BP.

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Thanks 'slowhands'. My wife and I just had a weeks holiday near Lydney 'trawling' the local churchyards when we weren't walking in the stunning scenery. I guess as good as an excuse as any for coming back.
Paul

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They were married at Westbury on 11 April 1914 - registry office [?].

CRUSE Charles David
LEAR Edith May
Forest of Dean Westbury-on-Severn (FoD) Register Office
1917
Register 17
Entry 47

Name: Charles D Cruse
Spouse : Edith M Lear
Date of Registration: Apr-May-Jun 1917
Registration district: Westbury-On-Severn
Registration county (inferred): Gloucestershire
Volume Number: 6a
Page Number: 582

Name: Charles D Cruse
Death Registration Month/Year: 1947
Age at death (estimated): 73
Registration district: Gloucester Rural
Inferred County: Gloucestershire
Volume: 7b
Page: 442

Name: Edith M Cruse
Death Registration Month/Year: 1967
Age at death (estimated): 86
Registration district: Gloucester Rural
Inferred County: Gloucestershire
Volume: 7b
Page: 517

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Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>

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Slowhands,
Yes this is the family. I have visited the site you gave me this morning and gleaned much interesting information. I have come to the conclusion that a trip to Gloucester Archives is the answer, as they apparently hold the records I am looking for.
Very many thanks for your immediate reply which is greatly appreciated.

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