This is a brand new series of blogs, telling the life stories of my eight Great-Grandparents. I have previously documented the biographies of my eight great-grandparents, but this is a fully updated version that includes some additional pieces of information. I have decided to start with my great-grandmother, Caroline Rosina Keyes, or as she was affectionately known, ‘Granny Chiddicks’. I always look at this picture of her and think of her as one of those typically ‘fierce women’ that you see unsmiling in many family history photographs. But just to set the record straight, she was a very soft and gentle lady, so I have been told, so picture her here now with a warm and welcoming smile on her face……
The Church of St. Peter & St. Paul’s in Grays is shown below and was taken by me around 2005. The first firm evidence of a church in Grays comes in 1040 AD when a priest, Wulfstan the Wild One, inherited the Manor of Thurrock although there is no structural evidence of a Saxon church. The oldest part of the present building dates from a few years either side of 1100 and consists of the present chancel and part of the nave built by the Peverels, who were then Lords of the Manor. Like all towns across the Country, as the Industrial Revolution took hold, the needs of the town changed and the requirements of local church did as well. In the early 19th century the population of the small market town of Grays was growing with the industrial development and the church had to provide more accommodation. In 1846 the church was largely re-built and galleries added in the base of the tower and at the west end. This was not big enough by 1867 and the nave was extended again to its present length and the north aisle added. There were minor changes and alterations cosmetically to the inside of the church in later years, but the structure of the church has remained pretty constant throughout the last 150 years.
(St. Peter & St. Paul’s Church, Grays, from my collection)
Caroline Rosina Keyes was born 9th September 1875, she was the first child of Joseph Keyes and Elizabeth Keyes nee Bishop. She was born in Grays in Essex and was baptised on 28th November 1875 at St. Peter and St Paul’s Church in Grays, coincidentally the same Church that I was Baptised in myself! At the time her Father, Joseph Keyes was a Plate Layer on the Railways.
There a couple of links here that give an insight into the role of a Plate Layer and the type of work that this involved.
The baptism record for Caroline Rosina Keyes can be seen below, she was baptised on 28th November 1875, her parents are recorded as Joseph and Elizabeth Keyes and their address was recorded as ‘Grays’.
(Baptism Register; Service of Church: Registers of Baptisms, Marriages and Burials; Incumbent; Grays Thurrock, St Peter and St Paul; Parish Records;1853-1886)
At the time of the 1881 Census, the family are living at 18, Chapel Row, Grays, Essex and five year old Caroline is living with both her parents and two younger siblings, Clara Elizabeth Keyes and William Henry Keyes. Although Chapel Row was classed as Grays for the census, it was in fact what we would now today call West Thurrock and was part of a series of ‘Rows’, many of which were housed with workers and their families from the local chalk and cement industries. At the time the census was taken, her father Joseph Keyes as recorded as a ‘Labourer Cement’ and in later years her husband, William Chiddicks, also worked in the cement industry which was a key part of Thurrock’s Industry at the time.
(Class: RG11; Piece: 1753; Folio: 60; Page: 29)
By the time of the 1891 Census, Caroline is listed as a scholar and still living at home with her parents at 26, Prospect Row Grays. Again her father is recorded as working as a Labourer in Cement Works. She is also with her siblings, William Henry Keyes aged 11, Albert George Keyes aged 6, Rose Amelia Keyes aged 5 and little Alice Maud Keyes aged just 2.
(Class: RG12; Piece: 1377; Folio: 5; Page: 3)
Between the 1891 Census and the 1901 Census, Caroline Rosina meets her husband to be, William Chiddicks and they are married on 3rd April 1897 at The Parish Church, Plaistow. The likelihood is given the connection that both her husband and her father worked in the same industry, that there paths might have crossed this way. Many of the large cement companies at the time provided social clubs for their workers and they might have met this way, something that I am unable to prove either way of course. At the time they married William was recorded as a bachelor aged 28 and a labourer and Caroline was a spinster aged 21.
(Caroline Rosina Keyes Marriage Certificate)
Caroline’s husband, William Chiddicks, was the first born child to James Chiddicks and Elizabeth Chiddicks nee Lake. At the time of the Marriage they were both living at 19, Winkfield Road, Plaistow, which is shown below. There are no direct family connections that I have been able to find, that would explain why William and Caroline married in Plaistow, but there are two possible explanations. They could have moved for William to find work of course, but I suspect the real reason is that their first born child, Louisa Alice Chiddicks, was born just four months after their Marriage, on 20th August 1897. Sadly she dies just a few weeks later on 12th September 1897. By the time that Louisa’s death was registered, Caroline and William had moved back at South Ockendon, which is why I believe that the marriage took place elsewhere.
(19, Winkfield Road, Plaistow)
There are no direct family connections that I have been able to find, that would explain why William and Caroline married in Plaistow, but there are two possible explanations. they could have moved for William to find work of course, but I suspect that the real reason is because their first born child, Louisa Alice Chiddicks was born just four months after their Marriage, on 20th August 1897. sadly she dies just a few weeks later on 12th September 1897. By the time that Louisa’s death was registered, Caroline and William were living back at South Ockendon, which is why I believe that the marriage took place elsewhere.
Four years later, on the 1901 census, the family were living at Station Road, South Ockendon and by this time they had two further children, Herbert Ernest Chiddicks born 28th August 1898 and William Leonard Chiddicks (Known as Len), born 14th January 1900. A further Son, Frederick James Chiddicks, was born 4th August 1901 in South Ockendon and by the time their next Son was born, Percy Edward Chiddicks on 13th July 1903, the family had moved home to 44, Benson Road, Grays.
(Class: RG13; Piece: 1658; Folio: 33; Page: 15)
Two more children were born in 44, Benson Road, Florence Lilian Chiddicks born 24th January 1906 and Horace Frank Chiddicks (My Grandad) born 21st August 1907. 44, Benson Road, Grays is shown below and taken from my collection dated 2005. A stereotypical terrace house of the time which is still standing today.
(44, Benson Road, Grays from my collection)
The family then moved to 12, Brook Road, Grays and had two more girls, Hilda May Chiddicks born 10th March 1909 and Gladys Maud Chiddicks born 29th April 1913. Below in the picture, on the right, that I took in 2005, you can see the new Health Centre in Brook Road, Grays which stands on the spot where 12, Brook Road used to be.
(Brook Road, Grays)
At the time of the 1911 Census, Caroline was still living at 12, Brook Road, Grays, with her husband William and all seven surviving children were still living at home. The record shows a total of eight children born to the couple of which seven survived. We have already learnt that poor Louisa Alice Chiddicks had sadly died a few weeks after she was born. The delight from this document is that this is the first surviving census that we get to see the actual schedules themselves, all the previous ones were destroyed. The fact that we can actually see our ancestors writing on the schedules themselves, makes them that little bit more meaningful. I am pleasantly surprised at the remarkable clarity in William Chiddicks handwriting, assuming it was indeed him that filled out the form. Plus of course we get a feeling for the size of the dwelling that was occupied by the Chiddicks family, just five rooms for all those people doesn’t seem a lot for a family of that size.
(Class: RG14; Piece: 9973; Schedule Number: 100)
The recent release of the 1921 Census of course gives us even more information than the previous census returns. We get a bit more of a glimpse of what family life would have been like for the Chiddicks household. We can see that Caroline is at home carrying out ‘Domestic Duties’ or keeping house as we might say, whilst her husband William was working as a cement miller at the Tunnel Cement Company in West Thurrock. The cement industry was a major employer and significant industry in the Thurrock area for at least 100 years. Also at home and living in just 5 rooms were the children, Herbert aged 22, Len aged 21, Fred aged 19, Florence aged 15, Percy aged 17, Horace aged 13, Hilda aged 12 and Gladys aged 8. I would thought that it was unusual for the time, to find all the couple’s children still living at home by this time. Tragedy wasn’t very far away however as their son, Herbert Ernest Chiddicks was to die just two years later in 1923 from Tuberculosis.
The next record that we find for Caroline Rosina follows the sad Death of her Husband William Chiddicks on 3rd October 1932. William died aged 66 from ‘Shock and Haemorrhage’ after an operation for an enlarged Prostate in Guy’s Hospital, Southwark in London. The informant on his death certificate was his Son William Leonard Chiddicks and the death was registered on 5th October 1932. Why he was in Guy’s Hospital is the subject of much speculation, but I would hope that he didn’t die there alone.
(Death Certificate for William Chiddicks)
William had not made a will and his estate left his widow Caroline Rosina Chiddicks the sum of £453 1s. 11d which is worth appx. £36,000 in today’s money, a tidy amount. I have no idea where he would have accumulated this type of money from.
(William Chiddicks Probate Record)
After the loss of her husband, I did manage to find Caroline listed in the 1934 Electoral Register’s, living at 30, Kent Road, Grays with her two children, William Leonard Chiddicks and Gladys Maud Chiddicks.
((1934 Electoral Register scanned image from Grays Library)
My Aunt remembers as a child visiting Granny Chiddicks house, which was a large white house located at Sockets Heath in Grays and this fact is supported by her entry in the Electoral Register for 1937 living at “Woodmede”, Sockets Heath, Grays, Essex. Sadly I have been unable to find an image anywhere of the house, but from memory my Aunt described it as a ‘large white house’. The context of large is difficult to comprehend, but it was a privately owned property, that I do know, presumably purchased with the money left from her deceased husband’s estate.
(1937 Electoral Register scanned image from Grays Library)
By the time of the 1939 Register, Caroline is living with her Son-in-Law Edwin Bradford and her Daughter, Florence Bradford nee Chiddicks, at 6, Fairleigh Drive, Southend-on-Sea, Essex. By this time we already know that her husband William Chiddicks had died and she is listed as a Widow, living off Private Means, old age Pension. Edwin later married and emigrated to Canada where he joined his brother-in-law and Caroline’s son, Fred Chiddicks to start the Chiddicks family in Canada, but that’s another story for another day.
By the time of the 1939 Register, Caroline Rosina is living with her Son-in-Law Edwin Bradford and her Daughter, Florence Bradford nee Chiddicks at 6, Fairleigh Drive, Southend-on-Sea, Essex. By this time her husband William Chiddicks had died and she is listed as a Widow, living off Private Means, old age Pension.
(The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1939 Register; Reference: RG 101/1456D)
For the remainder of her life, Granny Chiddicks remained living with her Daughter and Son-in-Law at 6, Fairleigh Drive, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. Below is a picture of 6, Fairleigh Drive taken around 2010.
At some point towards the end of her life she was admitted to the Connaught House Old People’s Hostel, where she sadly died on 19th December 1960, at the age of 85. After 1948, the former Southend Workhouse became Connaught House Old People’s Hostel, and most of the former workhouse buildings were demolished in the late 1990s.
(Connaught House, image kindly supplied by Rochfordtown.com )
She was cremated at Rochford Crematorium on 22nd December 1960 and her ashes placed in the Garden of Rest on 31st December 1960 in area X.10. Her Daughter, Florence Lilian Bradford applied for the Cremation to take place. A grand old lady that I sadly never had the privilege of meeting, but although a foreboding looking g woman, a lady with a warm heart who I now hold fondly in my memory.
(Cremation Records from Rochford Council)
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