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The tale of
a
trunk
A PICTORIAL HISTORY
OF THE BARSBY FAMILY
FROM 150 YEARS AGO
IS REVEALED
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Victorian family
albums are an important source of social history because they were
compiled with loving care from photographs of people and events which
influenced the lives of those who went before. They are also a pictorial
reference of ancestors and the way they lived and can provide a valuable
link to anyone compiling their family tree.
Two years ago, Chris Kettle opened a large tin trunk containing family
books and pictures that was stored at his home in Wimbledon. It had been handed down through the family and left to him by his
mother twenty years before and although he browsed through from time to
time, the contents had aroused little real interest.
But this time, one item did attract his attention and that was a family
album containing portraits, photographs and postcards from a century or
more ago and a little research revealed that it had been compiled by his
maternal great grandmother Letitia. As the faces in the pages stared out
at him from the past, he became curious and so began the quest to find out
who they were and to give them names, a task that has already taken two
years with searches through census records and military archives,
discussions with relatives and several visits to Bourne.
The investigation is still not complete but has already revealed a large
number of ancestors from the Barsby and Sandall families which are both
old Bourne names and in the process he has discovered the story of a young
girl who had the courage to take on a post of some responsibility and found
love, marriage and family happiness in a strange town.
In the spring of 1861, Letitia Edis, then aged 18, left her home at
Alwalton, near Peterborough, to look after her two young cousins living
in West Street, Bourne, who had been recently orphaned, Sarah, aged 9,
and Emma, aged 7. They were the children of John Barsby, a journeyman
tailor, and
his wife Mary Ann but John had died in 1854, aged 38, and Mary in February
1861, aged 44.
There were three other children who were
able to look after themselves, Ellen, aged 13, who was working as a
servant for a family living in the Austerby, Frederick, who was 16 and
working as a farm labourer, and Thomas, aged 21, who was employed as an
assistant by Frederick Green, master baker, with a house and trade
premises in West Street where he also lived.
Letitia became romantically attached to Thomas
and soon they
were courting and in 1862 were married and in the next few years they had
thirteen children.
It was during this period that the album
was compiled, some showing scenes of Bourne during time of celebration
although most are family
portraits taken by local photographers, Joseph Flatters, Richard Bertolle,
the Glendening Brothers, William Wyles, William Redshaw and Ashby Swift.
Letitia left no diaries and so all we
have from her memories are these photographs, collected and preserved with
loving care, and now her great grandson has spent time filling in the gaps
and linking the strands between one branch of the family and another from
the records that survive and those that are now available through modern
methods of retrieval, notably the Internet. The result is an endearing
portrait of a typical Victorian family, here united with these pictures
from the past.
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Letitia and Thomas photographed at
Eastbourne (left), perhaps on their honeymoon, and then in middle
age (centre) while the picture on the right shows the couple in
later years. |
Thomas was successful in his chosen career and
soon owned his own
bakery business. He died on 28th May 1918, aged 78. Letitia survived
him by three years and died on 26th September 1921, aged 79, and both are
buried together in the town cemetery with their youngest daughter, Kate,
who had died a few weeks earlier on 22nd August, aged 36. Their tombstone
is engraved with the words “Affectionately remembered” and “Rest after
tribulation”.
The writing on the tombstone is difficult to read because the front is almost
inaccessible, obscured by an ornamental cypress that has sprung up
in the intervening years although the result is that the memorial
has been sheltered from the weather and is in pristine condition,
almost untouched by wind and rain unllike those in the vicinity, while
the lettering is as crisp and clear as the day it left the
stonemason’s yard.
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The children from the marriage were:
MARY - died unmarried in November 1891, aged 28.
JOHN EDWARD married Ada Hall, became a baker living at 69 West
Street and died in September 1937 and is buried in the town
cemetery. Their son, Percy Victor Barsby, served in France during
the Great War and was killed in April 1917, aged 19, and is buried
in the Maroc British Cemetery at Grenay, Pas de Calais, France, while his death is also
recorded on the War Memorial in South Street. See item below.
ROBERT worked as an assistant baker before joining the army and was
posted to the Lincolnshire Regiment in March 1885, marrying Emma
Smith at Chatham in 1888 and died in 1895.
ADA died in June 1868, aged four months, and is buried in the town
cemetery.
ELLEN remained unmarried and living in a house near the cattle
market [now Budgens car park]. She died at St George's Hospital,
Stamford, in January 1961, aged 91 and is buried in the town
cemetery although there is no memorial stone over her grave.
GEORGE FREDERICK also worked as a baker and married Sarah Clark,
living at No 62 Woodview where he died in April 1953, aged 82, and
is buried in the town cemetery.
EDITH LAETITIA married Alfred Mitchell and went to live at Boston
where she died in August 1921.
LOUIS EDIS worked as an apprentice grocer in Leicester.
WILLIAM married Sarah Sandall who was born at Morton.
FREDERICK ARTHUR married Sarah Cann at Tintagel, Cornwall, where
they lived until the spring of 1938.
THOMAS married Clara and lived near Lincoln until the spring of
1932.
EDGAR was a compositor apprenticed to J T Morris at his printing
works in West Street. He emigrated to Queensland, Australia, where
he joined the Australian Imperial Force in 1915, subsequently
serving in Egypt and Gallipoli and was medically discharged with
nephritis after contracting dysentery in April 1916. He married
Olivia Vance and lived at Gympie, then Brisbane. His son, Flight
Sergeant Edgar Alan Barsby of the Royal Australian Air Force, died
after a flying accident in February 1945, aged 20, and is buried at
the Brookwood Military Cemetery in Surrey.
KATE died unmarried in 1921, aged 36.
FREDERICK BARSBY, Letitia's cousin who started his working life as a
farm labourer, later established his own grocery
business in North Street, married Hannah Rudland, and lived at a
cottage in Albion Terrace, North Street. |
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THE DEATH
OF PRIVATE BARSBY
242390 Private Victor Barsby
was serving with the 5th Battalion, the Lincolnshire Regiment,
and his death was reported by the Stamford Mercury on Friday 11th May 1917:
Pte Barsby son
of Mr & Mrs J Barsby, West St, was mortally wounded by a
bursting shell on April 24th. He died before gaining
consciousness. Several Bourne boys were in the same action.
Pte Barsby went out just after Christmas and for several weeks
was in hospital.
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The
Lincolnshire Free Press also reported his death on Tuesday
8th May 1917:
KILLED BY A
SHELL: On Thursday last, Mr & Mrs J Barsby, West St, Bourne,
received a letter from an officer of the Lincolnshire Regt to which
their son Pte Barsby was attached containing the sad tidings that he
had been killed in action. Pte Barsby was killed by an explosion
from a shell and died whilst being taken to the dressing station.
The officer adds that they all sympathise with the parents in their
loss, but hoped that the fact that he did not suffer, for he did not
regain consciousness, would help to lighten their trouble. Pte
Barsby went to the front just after Christmas and had several weeks
in hospital, and had latterly been in action with other Bourne Boys. |
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NOTE:
Private Barsby was killed during the spring offensive of
April -May 1917, also known as the Battle of Arras, and he is
buried to the North of Arras, near Lens. This particular
campaign lasted for 39 days and had a daily casualty rate
which was higher than the Somme or Passchendale although as a
battle it tends to be overlooked.
See also
A soldier's tale
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After Letitia’s death, the photograph album
passed to her son William and he left it to his daughter, Edith, who passed
it to her son,
Chris, thus resulting in the present
search to put names to faces from the past.
Here are some of the pictures from the
album:
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Edgar Barsby |
Robert Barsby |
William Barsby |
Thomas Barsby |
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George or Louis Barsby |
Frederick Barsby |
Louis or George Barsby |
Ellen Barsby |
WRITTEN AUGUST 2007
NOTE: Chris Kettle, aged 54, who works as
director of a media company, is researching the
Barsby family tree and I am
indebted to him for his assistance while writing this article.
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