KEAR, Cinderford shopkeepers, Agnes Whittle nee Lawson (General)

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Friday, November 21, 2014, 21:41 (3655 days ago) @ macast

Unsure as to what you do or don't know, but I think I'm right in believing you're following the Whittle family rather than just "Kear's shop" itself ?
Again I doubt there's anything new here, but;

Thinking about Mrs Whittle who you say ran the shop after George's passing,

I see this site carries the photo of Cinderford Girl Guides in 1945, I presume you've seen it, a young Ann Whittle is at bottom right.
http://www.forest-of-dean.net/gallery/cinderford/pages/page_19.html
http://www.sungreen.co.uk/Cinderford/_t_Cinderford-Girl-Guides.htm

As I'd hoped it seems Ann is indeed from your family;

Surname First name(s) Mother District Vol Page

Births Mar 1923 (>99%)
Whittle Margaret L Lawson Westbury S. 6a 480

Births Dec 1932 (>99%)
Whittle Anne E Lawson Westbury S. 6a 381a
Whittle Annie E Lawson Westbury S. 6a 381

I cannot find an obvious marriage within the area for Ann, but do find younger sister Margaret;

Surname First name(s) Mother/Spouse/Age District Vol Page
Marriages Mar 1948 (>99%)
Barnard Reginald S Whittle F.of Dean 7b 801
Whittle Margaret Barnard F.of Dean 7b 801

So still in the area c1948.

The ONLY Barnard/Whittle births listed in FreeBMD are;
Surname First name(s) Mother District Vol Page
Births Jun 1949 (>99%)
Barnard Michael A Whittle F.of Dean 7b 615
Births Sep 1954 (>99%)
Barnard Keith J Whittle Thornbury 7b 769

Does this suggest this couple, and perhaps mother Gertrude, had moved away from the Forest by 1954 ?. I cannot find her death within this site's PRs, or on FreeBMD !

Foolishly I'd forgotten I'm now subscribed to Ancestry !
However thats equally frustrating wrt Gertrude's burial (not as rare a name as one might think within the County). However following MPG's lead they do have Phone Book entries from 1954 until 1976 for "Mrs G.A.Whittle, 54 belle Vue, Cinderford. Cinderford 2123."
I suggest perhaps a little unusual, in the 50s, to have a phone unless in business ?

As per earlier newspaper notice, George's burial is within this site's PRs,

Record_ID: 9124
Entry_Number: 2092
Year: 1942
Month: Feb
Day: 24
Surname: WHITTLE
Forenames: William George
Residence: Belle Vue R[oa]d Cinderford
Age_at_death: 51
Officiating_Minister: Frank W Wilkes Vicar St Stephens
Event: Burial
Cause_of_death:
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P85/1 IN 1/15
Page_No: 262
Parish_Chapel: Cinderford St John
Soundex: W340

As is;
Record_ID: 8508
Entry_Number: 1476
Year: 1935
Month: May
Day: 2
Surname: WHITTLE
Forenames: Eliza Harriett
Residence: 40 Belle Vue Road
Age_at_death: 70
Officiating_Minister: C Paul Gliddon
Event: Burial
Cause_of_death:
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P85/1 IN 1/15
Page_No: 185
Parish_Chapel: Cinderford St John
Soundex: W340

Not sure if that's the same address for both ?. Does the Register reference infer same grave plot ?.

Also in the PRs, as mentioned earlier;
Record_ID: 1058398
Entry_Number: 361
Year: 1923
Month: Mar
Day: 25
Parents_Surname: WHITTLE
Child_Forenames: Margaret Lawson
Fathers_Forenames: George
Mothers_Forenames: Gertrude
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Bell Vue R[oa]d
Occupation: Grocer
Officiating_Minister: H M Biddell Vicar
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes: Surname not clear best reading given
Register_Reference: P85/2 IN 1/3
Page_Number: 46
Parish_Chapel: Cinderford St Stephen
Soundex: W340

I cannot easily find any other PRs in Cinderford for this immediate family, such as Baptism of girl guide Anne b1921, or Margaret's marriage.
However I did find a PR for an earlier Annie Whittle born 1893, to Tom & Eliza Harriet of Woodside aka Cinderford St Stephens area. Her marriage PR of 1919 shows a witness is William George Whittle, presumably her Uncle ?.

I think searching the local newspapers is the next best bet, namely the D.F.Mercury c/o Cinderford Library.

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Ref that Girl Guides picture, a few family friends there such as Beryl Evans (nee Lees, Cornish miner immigrants) who I chatted to only last week. Beryl's still living in the family house in Parragate built by her father, my best man's mum and a good neighbour to my mum.