Death Notice – Swindon Advertiser Friday, December 31, 1909.
Long, Dec 24, at the residence of his daughter, 16 Curtis St. Swindon, William Thomas Long, aged 73 years.
When William Thomas Long died in 1909 his personal effects were valued at more than £900 – worth around £100k today. He had spent a lifetime working as a boilersmith, most of that in the Great Western Railway Swindon Works.
William Thomas Long was baptised at Holy Rood, the old parish church in Swindon, on July 31, 1836, the son of baker John Long and his wife Louisa. He grew up in Newport Street where his mother took over the business as Pastry Cook following the death of his father.
By 1861 William was a married man with two young daughters living in Newton Abbot where he worked as a boilersmith. William and Ann would complete their family with another five daughters plus Margaret born in 1879 who is first described as ‘granddaughter’ and later as ‘daughter.’
Yet, there is still so much we don’t know about Ann and William.
Looking down Eastcott Hill
For more than 20 years they lived at No. 8 Eastcott Hill – they may even have owned the property; Swindonians were renowned for investing in bricks and mortar.
Ann died in September 1884 aged 48. When his wife died William had been able to purchase a grave plot in Radnor Street Cemetery where an impressive headstone was later installed; not everyone could afford to do this. He didn’t remarry after Ann’s death, which was is also quite unusual. He still had young daughters at home but presumably the elder ones took over the household duties and childcare; perhaps he could afford to employ a maid-of-all-work.
Ann was buried in grave plot E8306 on September 12, 1884 where William joined her in 1909. The cremated remains of their grandson William Clarence Heath and his wife Alice Ruth were interred in the same plot some 60 years later.
Remembering the ordinary people of Swindon.
Radnor Street Cemetery 