Margaret Beardmore’s notes on the family
Four handwritten pages by Margaret Beardmore (born 1901), John and Emily’s granddaughter, written between 1970 and her death in 1976, probably for her nephew Rick. The dates of John and Emily’s children come from the family Bible; the rest is Margaret’s own memory of her uncles and aunts. A note at the top, probably by Rick, says: “Aunt Margaret’s contribution – hard to read but may have useful info.” A few words are hard to make out and are marked [?].
Transcription
The Beardmore Family
George Beardmore. Born ? Died ? [Father of Edward and John]
Edward Beardmore. Born ? Died ? before 1910 (I think)
John Beardmore. Born 1845. Died between 1907 and 1920 (I think)
The above Edward and John were the sons of the above George.
Children of the above John who married Emily Hancock. Emily died in May 1923. She had been the President of the local British Women’s Temperance Assn: and she had been active in affairs of the Swan Bank Wesleyan Chapel, Burslem.
Edward Harry, born Sept. 5th 1869, died 1932
Francis William, born Oct. 19th 1870, died 1936
John Ernest, born Dec. 3rd 1871, died ?
(Maria, still born Dec. 31st 1872, buried Jan. 1st 1873)
(George Harold, born April 12th 1874, died Jan. 12th 1875)
(Charles Edgar, born Feb. 27th 1876, died June 25th 1877)
Emily Mary, born Oct. 29th 1878, died ?
(Ada, born June 28th 1884, died Sept. 1884) twins
Agnes Ethel, born June 28th 1884, died Nov. 17th 1970
The above information is taken from a Bible (weighing 7 lbs) which was presented to John Beardmore in 1856 “Having attended School for at least 2 yrs & having been examined and approved by H.M. Inspector, the Revd. J. P. Norris M.A. etc. etc.” by “The Association for the Advancement of Education in the Mining and Manufacturing District of North Staffordshire”. Note: on the board cover of the Bible, printed in gold, are the words “Presented by the Iron Masters and Manufacturers of North Staffordshire 1856”.
“Children of John and Emily Beardmore” contd.
Edward Harry. His parents always called him ‘Harry’; hence ‘Denry’ of some of Arnold Bennett’s books. He was head of the firm of “Pidduck & Beardmore”, Ironmongers and Iron Manufacturers of Market St, Burslem, with a factory in Longport. He did not marry, though he was once engaged to his brother Ernest’s future wife Pattie, who broke off the engagement in order to marry Ernest. (In a letter from my auntie Agnes she has told me he once said he’d only loved two women and his brothers had married them: you can work out who the other woman was!) He it was who gave me the silver hair brush etc. you now have. He lived in the parental home, Aspley House, 188 Waterloo Rd, Cobridge, where also lived May Marsden after her husband was killed. After the death of his mother, Edward built a house in Woodland Avenue, Wolstanton (in about 1920), which house soon suffered from subsidence for which he was frequently compensated. With him lived May, and they were tended by the wonderful servant Emma, who dated with the family from my childhood at least. After May died I don’t know what happened to the house except that it vanished and on the site is now a garage (or was 10–20 yrs ago). He and A.B. were friendly but of course A.B. left the district.
Francis William, who was always called Frank. He took out his money from Pidduck & Beardmore’s and set up as a potter at the Sutherland Pottery, Fenton, where he failed in, I think, 1914. His business life was more or less a failure but as a man and as a father he was completely successful. He married Fanny Gertrude Bennett and they had four children: Francis Alan born 1899; Margaret born 1901, Roger born 1904 and George Cedric born 1908.
John Ernest married Pattie Dickinson (of Buxton, high class grocers I think). They lived at Rode Heath and at Congleton and had three children: Helen, who died about 10 years ago (I think she was born about 1904); Jean, who is married to Colonel Rigby and lives in Mere, Cheshire – she is nice & has visited us here and with whom I correspond quite a lot; John, perhaps about Cedric’s age: he is head of P. & B.’s & is a very nice man and a very good business man and he married Anne ? and they live at Congleton and have I think three children.
Emily Mary, always called ‘May’. She married Sidney Marsden, who was killed in the 1st war, and they had one daughter, Joan, who is married to Dagnall (can’t spell it) Ellis and lives in Blewbury and in Westminster.
Agnes Ethel, who was always called Agnes. She was the delicate one who was rather expected to die with her twin but who survived 33 years after the last of her brothers and sisters. She married Leonard Arrowsmith, Arrowsmiths being a firm in Moorland Road, Burslem, who made stilts, spurs, thimbles etc. for pottery ovens. They lived first at Wolstanton, then Pipe Gate, then Whitmore and lastly at Swynnerton, Staffs. They had two daughters, Mary and Kathleen. Mary has three sons and one daughter, Pat, Peter, Richard and Madeleine. Kathleen has three sons, Nicholas, Jonathan & Francis.
Note. John Beardmore was a magistrate of Burslem.
Edward Beardmore, brother of John, married Alice ? (his housekeeper, and very nice too). They had one daughter, belatedly, Dorothy, who was born in 1900, who married somebody Green of Newcastle-u-Lyme and who died ages ago, I should think in the 1920s. Edward and Alice lived at The Grange, Barlaston.
Sidney Marsden had at least three sisters & I don’t know about brothers: Maud, who married Septimus Bennett & had two children, Ruth & John; Clare, who married Dagnell Ellis & had I think 3 children; Gladys, who married ? Wright & had some children I think.
What the notes tell us
Margaret’s dates for John and Emily’s children agree with the family Bible as summarised on this page, except that she gives Agnes Ethel’s death as 17 November 1970; we have 19 November. Her sketches add colour that no record holds: Harry the model for Bennett’s “Denry”, his broken engagement to Pattie, the house in Woodland Avenue that sank, the faithful servant Emma, and Frank, whose “business life was more or less a failure but as a man and as a father he was completely successful.”
Her note that Maud Marsden married Septimus Bennett links the two families again: their daughter was Ruth Bennett, whom George called his cousin.