Tricia's Mother's Mother's Family

WILLIAM CIRKET (1797?-1872), was born in Elstow, Bedfordshire. He may have been baptized into the Moravian Brethren at their Bedford Meeting House on 12 February 1797, the son of Samuel and Alice. He married Elizabeth, aged 83 in 1881 and from West Tilbury in Essex. In 1851 he was an agricultural labourer. William died, aged 75, at the end of 1872. Elizabeth lived on with her son Charles and daughter-in-law Jane, and died, aged 91, at the beginning of 1889. They had issue:

1. FREDERICK WILLIAM CIRKET (1828-1902), baptized at Elstow on 17 August 1828. In 1851 he was a blacksmith. He married Mary Ann Ford on 26 June 1851 at Elstow. They had at least four children. the fmaily moved to Enfield. In 1901 he and Mary Ann were living with his son Henry at 3 Ivy Cottages, Totteridge Road, Enfield. Frederick died in the Greenwich registration district at the beginning of 1902. Mary Ann died at the end of 1909, aged 76.

1.1 HENRY J CIRKET (1864?-19??), born in Bedford. He married Eliza, and they had a daughter, Ivy, aged 1 in 1901.

2. HARRIET SARAH CIRKET (1830-??), baptized at Elstow on 14 November 1830.

3. MARY ANN CIRKET (1833-??), baptized at Elstow on 3 March 1833. She married John Hall at Elstow on 5 June 1854. Their children were Elizabeth (5 in 1861), Thomas C (3) and James W (1).

4. CHARLES GEORGE CIRKET (1835-1872), born in Elstow, Bedfordshire, and baptized there on 5 July 1835. The 1851 census lists him as James George, probably a transcription error by the enumerator. He was an agricultural labourer. See below.

5. LOUISA ELLEN CIRKET (1837-??). In 1851 she was thirteen, and a lace maker, living at home. She married Thomas Disher at Elstow on 21 February 1865.

6. EMMA JANE CIRKET (1841-??), baptized at Elstow on 2 May 1841.

CHARLES GEORGE CIRKET (1835-1872), was born in Elstow, Bedfordshire, and baptized there on 5 July 1835. He began employment as an agricultural labourer, but followed in his brother Frederick's footsteps as a striker in an iron foundry, probably the Britannia Iron Works, established by John Howard in 1857. He married Eliza Cooper on 14 July 1859 at St Peter's, Bedford, but she died shortly after marriage and was buried at St Peter de Merton, Bedford on 23 February 1860, and the 1861 census lists Charles as a widower at home with his parents.

He remarried, to Jane Fowkes at Elstow parish church on 24 December 1862. Jane was aged 44 in 1881. A family bible gives her date of birth as 30 October 1836. Charles died on 17 June 1872. Jane survived him, and died, aged 71, at the end of 1907. They had issue:

1. SAMUEL GEORGE CIRKET (1863-1939), born on 19 October 1863 in Elstow amd baptized on 13 December. In 1878 he was placed in the Third Class in the list of pupil teachers in Bedfordshire. He moved to Arlesey, Bedfordshire, and married Annie Elizabeth Crawley on 30 April 1889. They had met in the local church choir. In 1891, he was alone, boarding out, a schoolmaster at Theddlethorpe in Lincolnshire, where he had just been appointed to the Wesleyan Day Schools after working in Atherstone. Annie was staying with the Crawley family at Arlesey.

In 1895, he assumed the post of headmaster of Sutton-on-Sea elementary schools in Lincolnshire, where he remained for 28 years until his retirement. In 1901 Samuel and the family were at 1 Victoria Terrace, Alford Road, Sutton-le-Marsh. Ten years later he was Headmaster of the school at Sutton-on-Sea in Lincolnshire. He also became an urban district councillor and Justice of the Peace. He was active as a Methodist lay preacher and in 1932 was appoinred Lincolnshire County President of the Local Preachers' Aid Association. He died in the Louth registration district on 31 July 1939. Annie died at the beginning of 1949.

Samuel and Annie had one child:

1.1 ANNIE CIRKET (1894-19??), born in Theddlethorpe, Lincolnshire, in the first quarter of 1894.

2. WILLIAM ARTHUR CIRKET (1866-1945), born on 24 January 1866 and baptized at Elstow on 18 March. He was a bricklayer. In 1891, he was living at home, but in the third quarter of that year, he married Ruth Emily Stapleton. He was clerk to Elstow parish council for 29 years, and also for ten years a Bedford Rural District councillor. He was a member of Elstow Bunyan Meeting place "since the age of four", and also treasurer, trustee and organist there. He was also secretary to the Elstow branch of the Ancient Order of Foresters. He was at Elstow in 1911 and at 172 High Street, Elstow in 1939. William died on 6 April 1945. Ruth served for over 40 years as treasurer of the Bunyan Meeting in Bedford. She died at the beginning of 1958.

William and Ruth had three children:

2.1 WILLIAM CIRKET (1891-1973), born on 24 October 1891. In 1911 and 1939 he was a bricklayer. He married Mabel Harper in the third quarter of 1919. In 1939 he was living with his wife Mabel and son Claude in Birch Lea Moss Lane, Bedford. He died at Birch Lee, South Avenue, Elstow on 19 August 1973. William and Mabel had two sons:

2.1.1 ALAN F CIRKET (1921-??), born early in 1921. He was a civil servant, and also drew up a family tree. He married Nora F Sharpe on 16 July 1945 at Wilstead Methodist Church.

2.1.1.1 STUART HOWARD ALAN CIRKET (1946-), born on 17 November 1946.

2.1.2 CLAUDE A CIRKET (1923-19??), born on 6 October 1923. He married Jean G Rimmington in the second quarter of 1949.

2.1.2.1 DAVID CLAUDE CIRKET (1952-), born on 27 December 1952.

2.2 FRANK CIRKET (1893-19??), born on 15 January 1893. In 1911 he was a carpenter. He married Elsie G Wells in the third quarter of 1915. In 1939 he and Elsie were at 39 Cauldwell Street, Bedford. By then, Frank was a funeral director.

In the Bedfordshire Times and Independent for 8 January 1954, his firm, Clarabut and Plumbe, announced that the Proprietor Frank Cirket has no connexion with any other firm of a similar name. A lifetime of experience is still at your disposal at their only addresses: 39 Cauldwell Street and 74 Midland Road, Bedford. This was occasioned by the appearance of an advertisement from R Cirket and Son, funeral directors, of 46 Bromham Road, noting that they had a new hearse and limousines.

Frank and Elsie had two daughters:

2.2.1 BARBARA R CIRKET (1924-??), born in the second quarter of 1924. She married Bryan Luddington in the third quarter of 1946.

2.2.2 SYLVIA GWENDOLINE CIRKET (1927-??), born in the second quarter of 1927. She married Jim George Burridge at the Bunyan Meeting, Bedford, on 27 March 1952.

2.3 MAUD CIRKET (1894-19??), born in the first quarter of 1894. She was a dressmaker in 1911. She married Archie L Pestell in the second quarter of 1923.

3. SARAH JANE CIRKET (1866-18??), born on 30 December 1866 and baptized at Elstow on 10 March 1867. In 1881 she was a lacemaker.

4. CHARLES CIRKET (1868-1937), of whom more below.

5. LOIS LOUISE CIRKET (1870-1963), born on 28 November 1870 and baptized at Elstow on 5 March 1871. She married John Henry Rose, an iron turner, in the last quarter of 1900. In 1901 and 1911, they were at 44 Hurst Grove South, in Bedford. John died in 1946, and Lois died at the end of 1963, aged 92. Their children were:

5.1 EDITH CIRKET ROSE (1905-??), born in the third quarter of 1905. She married Cyril H Edwards at the beginning of 1929.

5.2 DOROTHY ANNIE ROSE (1908-2000), born on 10 February 1908. She remained single, and died in the summer of 2000.

Jane was also from Elstow, a year younger than Charles, having been born on 7 January 1869. In 1891, she and her sisters Ada and Sarah were in service in Kensington. Her sister, Sarah Ann Bowler, who married Peter Masters in 1899, is mentioned in the family bible as dying on 26 December 1905 at the age of 33. Another sister, Bertha, was living with the Cirketts in 1901, and married Frank Seville in 1906. Frank worked for the Mansfield Electricity Company. The Sevilles lived at 22 Beech Hill Drive in Mansfield, and remained good family friends.

In 1901, the family had moved to 11 Portland Terrace, Mansfield. Charles was a locomotive stoker. In 1911 the family was at 61 Milton Street, East Kirkby, and Charles was now an engine driver with the Midland Railway. They were still at Milton Street in 1925. Jane died on 7 April 1937, and Charles survived her by only a few weeks, dying on 13 July the same year. They had issue:

1. BERTHA DOROTHY RITA CIRKET (1896-1897). She was born in Mansfield on 14 July 1896 and died on 31 August 1897, soon after her first birthday.

2. CHARLES HUMPHREY CIRKET (1897-1897), born on 30 July 1897, who died on 24 August the same year.

3. SYDNEY LAMBERT RAY CIRKET (1898-1984), known as Ray. He was born in Mansfield on 15 August 1898. He served in the First World War as a private in the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment, with service number 100046. He married Winifred Evelyn Swindell in December 1920. The couple lived for a time in Kirkby-in-Ashfield. He took over his cousin Charles' undertaking business in Bedford. Winifred died in Bedford on 19 February 1969. Sydney died in Bedford on 12 November 1984. They had an adopted son, John, and a son:

3.1 KENNETH CHARLES CIRKET (1931-), born in the first quarter of 1931 in the Basford registration district. He married Pauline Joan Knibbs at St Peter's Moravian Church, Bedford, on 17 April 1953. They lived at 131 Spenser Road, Bedford.

4. ETHEL MAY CECILIA CIRKET (1901-1980). She was born in Mansfield on 8 May 1901. She married Charles Gordon Parkin on 19 March 1930. She died on 2 June 1980.

5. BERTRAM CHARLES MAYHEW CIRKET (1904-1961), known as Bertie, born in Mansfield on 28 May 1904. He married Doris Victoria Wright on 5 July 1924 in the Basford registration district. He suffered from asthma. He worked as an agent for the Prudential. In 1939 the couple were living at 35 Newlands Estate, Forest Town, Mansfield, Notts. Bertie died in Hastings on 15 July 1961.

5.1 PETER E T CIRKET (1933-), born on 22 April 1933. He became a submariner. He was best man at his cousin Kenneth's wedding in 1953. He married Rita E T Ireton at Hastings at the end of 1955.