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Please help, this side of my family has been really well covered up and was kept from me for a long time.

I am looking for the marriage of Edith E (previously unofficially Wrenn up to 1920s, Penfold from 1916 and previously Buxton from birth) who having married a Mr Jennings, died in Dec Quarter 1956:

Edith E Jennings  72  Croydon 5g p88 on 18/12/1956 in Mayday Hospital.

When was her marriage - it was in London I think as Mr Jennings was a Londoner.  They married PROBABLY between 1930-1950.

I don't know his first name, but if you could find the death of a Mr Jennings who died between 1954 and 1960 in Croydon or Wandsworth it might help in your search as this is when he died I think.  I think his name was Albert/Alfred.

I have the death certificate, she died in Mayday hospital and Edith's daughter registered it. 

As Edith had children from a Mr Wrenn (but did not marry him as he stayed married to a different woman), there are four surnames she went by in her life - I wouldn't be surprised to find a fifth! e.g.

Marriages Mar 1925   
Penfold  Edith E  Barclay  Brentford  3a 239

Did an Edith E  Barclay marry a Jennings??  or is there another marriage for an Edith E Penfold anyone can find after 1923.
any answers?
Chris

 

Hi Faith,

I have recently seen your request for information.
Before the houses in Wardley street were demolished  due to slum clearance, I lived at number 75 next door to your relatives.
At the side of our house was a passageway connecting Wardley street to Lydden road.
The Charringtons public house in Lydden road was called the Prince of Wales,directly opposite the passageway. The pub was managed by Florrie a great personality and  loved by her customers.

When entering Wardley street from Garrat lane, The Jolly Gardeners public house on the right and Gattos tool store on the left, the houses with odd numbers were on the left and even numbers on the right.The first  houses on the left were occupied by the Lea household, of Romany descent and very beautiful people with wonderful complexions. Also further down the street on the right there was a closed in area
containing six or more Romany caravans(The original type drawn by horses).
beautifully decorated inside and out and owned by the Wrigley household.
Noah being the elder.

Halfway down the street on the righthand side was Wardley mission Hall occupied and ran by committed born again Christians, latterly The London City Mission Society.
In the area they were highly respected for there concern and assistance  they were able to give the community. For an example each year they would take children on holiday from the area to the coast for two weeks at a small charge to the parents, and sometimes for no charge. The Hall was used regularly by the close nit community, children, young people and adults.

Further down the street on the lefthandside was  Toms yard, this closed in area spread from Wardley street across to its entrance in Lydden road.
Within the yard there were stables for the traders horses , storage for horsedrawn carts and storage for articles for trading ie: Logs, Cutlogs, Kindling(Shortcut sticks of wood for firelighting), Horse Manure, graded by the amount of straw mix and sold by the Bushel for customers garden compost. Storage for fresh greengrocery and flowers bought and transported by horse and cart from The original Covent Garden. The street traders would leave home at two or three in the morning to get to market and buy there stock then return home, clean and dress their horses and carts for selling the produce that day.
During the process of every day life Horses had to be cared for groomed,and stables cleaned out and fresh straw laid. Corn and horsefeed bought and  fresh water supplied. Carts had to be washed down, wheel unions greased,horse harness dubbinned and polished and horses hoofs blacked and horses curry combed for next day.
Further down on the righthandside of Wardley street opposite no 73,75, was another large yard owned by my relatives. This was also used for storing Vehicles for traders.

During a working week most people Flower sellers, Greengrocers, Totters,  were out on the road either collecting scrap metal and old clobber or clothes with the call (Rag-iron-bone), or selling produce greengrocery etc.
At the end of the day some people would congregate in Florrie's pub and men and women would spend their days profits. Most evenings ended with a noisy raucous session of rows, fights and colourful slang shortened terminology.

With the approaching weekend Gambling and betting took place in Lydden road.
Groups of men would gather ten or twenty to a group, three or four groups stretched out ten or fifteen yards apart. transactions took place on the spin of two or three coins
being thrown or tossed in the air and the resultant heads or tails the winners.
betting also was achieved by playing cards: Blackjack,Pontoon, Poker,Brag.
Also men and children would play pitch and toss winner getting nearer the edge of the pavement that anyone else.
The police would never enter wardley street or Lydden road for fear of their own safety.If at anytime they sent a squad of police ,the groups of men would vanish into the rear gardens of the houses in Wardley street that backed onto Lydden road.
The houses also had stables for horses.

Some of the families that lived in the street were:Lea, Wrigley,Penfold brown, Smith, Hughes, Brooks, mathews,Wymark, Chambers,Owen,Goldsmith,Gilbert, Hilden, Cox, Etc.

My grandfather was Edward Penfold he was a greengrocer with his ownhorse and cart.
My Grandmother was a flower seller in picadilly circus.as were others in the street.
MY mother was louise penfold, married my Father Gus Oakes.
I knew your gran Rose, also Harry, Voilet, Rhoda,Colin, Raymond, Allen.
The family named mason lived next to them,and then brooks to them.
next door to my family lived the Gilberts also greengrocers.
Your family moved with my parents and a few more to  Strathdon Drive Aboyne esate of Burntwood Lane Tooting london SW17.

Well I do hope this gives more information.

Best regards

Philip.