| My grandfather, Edward Groves, was born
in Wateringbury, near Maidstone, Kent, England, on the 8th September 1875,
the birth registered in East Peckham, Kent. The
birth certificate entry confirms the parents of of Edward Groves as Thomas
and Margaret Groves (formerly Curley, as in Edward's marriage certificate to
Janet Lawson Wyllie). The address of 9 Wild Court, Great Queen's Street, St.
Giles in the Fields, confirms the 1881
census record, the latter though poorly transcribed!
|
| |
|
|
|
The Birth
Certificate of Edward Groves (entry 218). |
|
| |
|
My father, Edward Archibald Groves, the youngest of
the eight children of Edward and Janet Lawson Groves (M.S. Wyllie), was born
in the village of Lesbury, about 4 miles from Alnwick on the 24th March
1917.
The others were Thomas (born 20th June 1902, Ayr), George Hugh (born 21st
July 1903, Ayr), Margaret (1904), Jessie (1906), Joan (1911), Sheila
(1912) and Mary (1915). |
|
|
|
The only known
photograph of "ma" Groves, possibly taken outside the greengrocer owned by
her in London, either in or in the vicinity of Cornwall Street, near
Waterloo Station. Here she is flanked by Louie, wife of Bill Groves and one
of her sons, Tom Groves, brother to Ed Groves, my grandfather. Also in the
photograph is Sue, daughter of Bill and Louie.
Edward's sister Margaret Groves.
The eldest
offspring of Edward and Janet Lawson Groves - Tom, Margaret Joan and George
Hugh.
Janet Lawson
Wyllie |
|
| |
Details of my grandfather's travels and anecdotes are contained in a
set of memoirs written after his retirement. In 1988, during a 4-month European sojourn, I
made an attempt to trace the birthplace of my father
in Lesbury. At the time, with the assistance of local folk and archival
information, I was also able to verify and embroider on important detail
contained within the memoirs.
Discovery of the marriage certificate of Edward Groves and Janet Lawson
Wyllie from Scottish records reveals that the marriage was registered in
the County of Ayr, Scotland, dated 11th September, 1901. This document
yields the names of the parents of Edward Groves as Thomas Groves,
artificial florist, deceased and Margaret Groves (maiden surname not
decipherable). The parents of Janet Lawson Wyllie are stated as George
and Joan Wyllie (maiden surname Gebbie). One of the marriage
witnesses is Andrew Groves, brother of Edward Groves. According
to the memoirs, sister Margaret was also present at the wedding. |
 |
|
The 1901 marriage
certificate of Edward Groves and Janet Lawson Wyllie (entry 164). |
|
| |
| |
|
Discovery of a
1901
census record for the London civil parish of St. Giles in the Fields reveals
the family resident at 39 Neal Street, St. Giles in the Fields: |
| |
Margaret Groves |
Head |
Married |
48 |
Artificial Florist |
| |
William
Groves |
Son |
Single |
25 |
Masons
Labourer |
| |
Margaret
Groves |
Daughter |
Single |
21 |
Theatrical dresser |
| |
Andrew
Groves |
Son |
Single |
18 |
Errand
Boy |
| |
Mary
Groves |
Daughter |
Single |
15 |
Errand
Girl |
|
| |
 |
|
The 1901
census record for 39 Neal Street, St. Giles -in-the-Field, London (entry 159). |
|
| |
| This
sets Margaret Groves's year of birth at 1853. All of those listed appear to have been born in St. Giles in the
Fields, London. It is interesting to note that at the time of the
census (conducted in April, 1901), Margaret is recorded as "married"
is widowed by the time of Edward's wedding (in September, 1901). |
| |
| |
|
An
1891
census record for the London civil parish of St. Giles
in the Fields reveals the family resident at 62 Neal Street, St. Giles
in the Fields: |
| |
|
Thomas
Groves abt 1842 St Giles, London, England Head (Flower maker-artificial) 45
Margaret Groves abt 1853 St Giles,
London, England Wife 38
William Groves abt 1875 St Giles,
London, England Son (Flower maker-artificial) 16
Edward Groves abt 1877 St Giles,
London, England Son (Flower maker-artificial) 14
Alfred Groves abt 1878 St Giles,
London, England Son (scholar) 13
Margaret Groves abt 1879 St Giles,
London, England Daughter (scholar) 12
Andrew Groves abt 1884 St Giles,
London, England Son (scholar) 7
Mary Groves abt 1886 St Giles, London,
England Daughter (scholar) 5 |
| |
 |
|
The 1891
census record for 62 Neal Street, St. Giles -in-the-Field, London (entry 911). |
|
| |
| |
|
A badly transcribed
1881
census record for the London civil parish of St. Giles
in the Fields reveals the family resident at 9 Wild Court, St. Giles
in the Fields: |
| |
|
Thos.
Graves abt 1849 St Giles Head (Florist) 32
Magt. Graves abt 1853 St Giles Wife
28
Thos. Graves abt 1870 St Giles Son
(scholar) 11
John Graves abt 1871 St Giles Son
(scholar) 10
Hugh Graves abt 1873 St Giles Son
(scholar) 8
Wm. Graves abt 1874 St Giles Son
(scholar) 7
Ed. Graves abt 1876 Kent, England Son
(scholar) 5
Alfred Groves abt 1878 St Giles Son
3
Magt. Groves abt 1879 St Giles
Daughter 2
Anna Groves abt 1880 St Giles
Daughter 6 months |
| |
 |
 |
|
The 1881
census record for Wild Court, St. Giles -in-the-Field, London (entry 176). |
|
| |
|
The inclusion of John, Hugh and Anna Groves are somewhat of a mystery, as
they are not referred to in the 1891 census record nor in the memoirs of
Edward Groves. |
| |
| |
| One
generation back, an
1861
census record for the London civil parish of St. Giles
in the Fields reveals a Groves family resident at 6 Little Whitesand Street, St. Giles
in the Fields: |
| |
|
Deborah
Groves abt 1850 London, England Daughter St Giles Middlesex
Emma Groves abt 1852 London, England
Daughter St Giles Middlesex
Jno Groves abt 1860 London, England
Son St Giles Middlesex
Mary Groves abt 1855 London, England
Daughter St Giles Middlesex
Susan Groves abt 1829 London, England
Wife St Giles Middlesex
Thos Groves abt 1816 London, England
Head St Giles Middlesex
Thos Groves abt 1846 London, England
Son St Giles Middlesex
William Groves abt 1857 London,
England Son St Giles Middlesex |
| |
 |
|
The 1861
census record for 6 Little Whitesand Street, St. Giles -in-the-Field, London (entry
388). |
|
| |
- Is Thomas Groves, chimney sweep, born about
1816 and husband of Susan Groves,
- the father of Thomas Groves, artificial
florist,
- grandfather of Edward Groves and
- therefore possibly my great, great
grandfather?
|
|
The marriage record for 1868 hopefully
sheds more light on the 1861 census record: |
| |
|
THOMAS
GROVES
Male Family
Marriages:
Spouse: MARGARET CURLEY Family
Marriage: 27 OCT 1868 Saint
Martin In The Fields, Westminster, London,
England
|
| |
|
|
|
The Marriage
Certificate of Thomas Groves and Margaret Curley at the Parish Church of St.
Martins in the Fields in the County of Middlesex, 1868. |
|
| |
|
I wish to express my gratitude to Gill Joye and Karen Nichols for
their assistance in tracing some of the above records. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
