Frank, the Oldman you refer to was William who owned the bakery, Oldman's Terrace, the paddock alongside the terrace and some other land elsewhere, I have all this in writing from the time of his death in 1896. He passed the bakery on to his nephew Edward Newton sometime before his death but under what arrangements I am yet to find out, if ever. It was also a corn merchants and within my family it has always been rumoured that Edward lost the business either because of drink or due to bad debt from farmer's not paying their bills. Susannah, Edwards wife was my great grandma's sister and William Oldman's wife Sarah was her aunt.
Where any of these people are buried I do not know, I thought I would find gravestones at St Thomas's when I visited but alas no. I am sure you know that Edward Newton's son Edward Oldman Newton and his wife Hannah Maria are buried there as is Walter Broadley's ( my great uncle ) parents George and Betsey.
As a matter of interest William Oldman's brother Richard lived near to him in London Road and he was in business as a cordwainer.
How many times has it been said that we should of asked more about the relatives when we were younger and some of them were still alive. Another problem for me has always been that neither my grandmother or mother who were the links to this area lived very near and in all honesty were not too outgoing so didn't have very strong ties with their relatives in London Road. You have to take into account also that mobilty wasn't so good, my own father didn't have a car until the mid 60's.
Roger B
