George Richman Alley and his family

And just when I thought I’d seen all the Alley family photos, along came two more.

George Richman Alley was born in Trowbridge in 1841, the son of Job Alley, a dyer. He moved to Southampton in around 1860 where he worked as a Coach Body Maker and in 1865 he married Emma Jane Ross, the daughter of a mariner. By 1881 they had moved to Swindon where George worked as a wheelwright body maker in the GWR Works. The couple lived first at 3 Carfax Street and then at 8 Merton Street where George died in 1925. Emma survived him by seven years.

George and Emma had one son, George pictured in the back row of this photograph, and seven daughters. Four of the daughters lived into their 90s and one reached her 100th birthday. Only one of the daughters left the Swindon area, of the other six, four went into business in the town.

Eldest daughter Emma trained in London as a ladies tailor before her marriage to Walter Lloyd Hull, a Bournemouth shopkeeper.

Following her husband’s death in 1947 Emma returned to live in Swindon. Then in her 80s she became a member of the Swindon Business and Professional Women’s Club and was active in many other organisations in the town, including the Richard Jefferies Society and the WEA.

In 1954 Emma gave a talk to the Women’s Club about her involvement with the suffrage campaign. when she had been an active member of the Women’s Freedom League and was arrested on several occasions and imprisoned. At these talks she was said to have worn a badge carrying an engraving of Holloway prison pinned to her dress. Other suffragette souvenirs she had were a cocoa mug and a salt pot smuggled out of Holloway and a Votes for Women banner.

Second daughter Maud, a dressmaker and upholsterer, married Henry John Lewis, a bootmaker and moved to Chippenham. Third daughter Mabel held the role of Postmistress at Westcott Place for more than 50 years and on the New Year’s Honours List of 1960 she was awarded the British Empire Medal in recognition of her service to the community.

Fourth daughter Amelia Ann, the only daughter to never marry had a milliners business at No. 90 Victoria Road which she ran with her sister Ethel (sixth daughter) until she married Wilfrid Hewer and together they ran the Oddfellows Arms in Cricklade Street. Fifth daughter Flora became a teacher. She married William Harold Hall and lived at 42 County Road.

Youngest daughter Eva pictured standing between her parents, married George Babington on March 1, 1911 at the Baptist Tabernacle. Eva and George ran a draper’s shop at 92 Victoria Road, next door to her sister Amelia’s millinery shop.

The following photograph was published following the death of George in 1925.

In reference to the death of Mr George Alley, of Swindon, the above photograph of members of the family is of interest from the fact that all were over 80 years of age. Left to right: Mr George Alley (85), Anna Alley (86), Louisa Alley (82), Martha Blatcher (84), and Fred Alley (80). Of the present living members the Misses Anna and Louisa Alley live at The Halve, Trowbridge, and Mr Fred Alley at 8 Merton Street, Swindon.

North Wilts Herald, Friday, December 4, 1925.

And so perhaps the reporter from the North Wilts Herald got a fact or two incorrect. With an exuberant and irrepressible family such as the Alley’s it’s easy to get confused.

The Late Mr G. Alley

A Well-Known Resident of Swindon

By the death of Mr George Richman Alley, of Merton Street, Swindon has lost one of its best-known residents. Deceased, who was 84, came to Swindon from Salisbury 51 years ago, when he entered the service of the Great Western in the Carriage Department. For nearly 25 years he was in charge of the road wagon department and he relinquished his position as foreman 18 years ago, when he entered upon a well-earned period of retirement. Had Mr Alley lived until Christmas he and his wife would have celebrated their diamond wedding, and a pathetic feature of his demise is that one of his daughters was at home at the time making preparations for the celebrations. Deceased leaves seven daughters, five of whom reside in Swindon, one in Bournemouth and one in Chippenham. His only son is a retired naval engineer, and lives in Suffolk. Deceased’s only brother, Mr Fred Alley, who is 80 years old, is the secretary of the GWR Retired Workmen’s Association. He celebrated his diamond wedding 12 months ago.

The funeral took place on Tuesday, a short service being previously held at the house. The coffin was followed to the graveside by deceased’s only son, his six sons-in-law, representatives of the Foreman’s Association and the Baptist Tabernacle.

North Wilts Herald, Friday, December 4, 1925.

George Richman Alley died aged 84 years at his home 8 Merton Street. His funeral took place in Radnor Street Cemetery on December 1, 1925. He was buried in grave plot D31A. Emma Jane Alley died aged 87 at 12 Park Lane and was buried with her husband on October 29, 1932.

My thanks, as always, to the lovely Alley ladies Di, Kay, Wendy and Christine for sharing their information and their photographs.

Ellen Amanda Alley – an ordinary woman

Today I am returning to one of my favourite Swindon families, the Alley family. You’ll see the name feature frequently on this blog. My interest in this amazing family was initially piqued by Emma Louisa Hull, the eldest daughter of George Richman and Emma Alley. I discovered Emma Louisa had joined the Women’s Freedom League and served a prison sentence in the formidable Holloway Prison for protesting in the Votes for Women campaign.

Then there were her six sisters, all independent, career women who ran their own businesses, including Mabel who was awarded the BEM (British Empire Medal) for fifty years service to the community as Postmistress at the Wescott Place Sub Post Office.

And in September 2022 I was able to welcome to the cemetery three members of the extended family; Di and George from Australia and Kay from Canada.

Now I have been able to discover the burial place of Ellen Amanda Alley, the daughter and 5th surviving child of Frederick Alley and his wife Elizabeth. Ellen was born in 1876 and is recorded on the 1881 census living with her parents and six siblings at 65 Gooch Street. By 1891 fourteen year old Ellen was working as a baister at Compton & Son, a clothing factory which employed a large female workforce situated on Station Road. The family were then living at 108 Princes Street.

In 1897 Ellen married Charles [Herbert] Thomas, a boilersmith employed in the GWR Works, and the young couple began married life with Ellen’s parents in the crowded Alley home at 9 Gordon Road.

The 1911 census lists Ellen and Charles living at 94 Bruce Street, Rodbourne with their three daughters Ada, Elsie and Gladys.

It would appear that Ellen led a quiet life fulfilling a typically female role, unlike her seven, trailblazing female cousins. But did she? So often the lives of women go unrecorded. I would urge all the women out there to write down the story of their life. Collect and record the lives of your mothers, grandmothers, aunts, female cousins, friends and neighbours. Set up a Facebook page and let’s link everyone in – make one huge history page for the ‘ordinary’ women out there. What do you think? Shall I get us started?

Ellen Amanda Thomas died on January 2, 1924 at the Victoria Hospital. She was buried on January 5 in grave plot D615. Her last address was at 32 Morris Street, Rodbourne.

Photographs are published courtesy of Wendy Burrows – family historian extraordinaire!

The lost Alley family babies

It was my great good fortune to recently meet up with some overseas visitors researching the Alley family. Di, George and Kay are all descended from Frederick Alley and his wife Elizabeth. When we visited the couple’s grave in Radnor Street cemetery with local Alley family historian Wendy, we talked about their large family (18 children) and the seven who had died, whose burial places were unknown.

Originally from Westbury and Trowbridge the young couple arrived in Swindon in the late 1860s, appearing on the 1871 census living at 64 Cheltenham Street with their two sons, Frederick 4 and one year old Albert, both born in Trowbridge. Two children had already died.

So many of their lost children were born and died in between the taking of the 10 yearly census returns, but the visiting family members knew their names and all I had to do was discover where they were buried.

Eldest daughter Annie Phedora, born in 1865 who died in 1870 was buried in St Mark’s churchyard. George Martin, born in 1868 died in 1871 and was also buried at St Marks.

View of St Mark’s taken from the cemetery

Three boys and another little girl are all buried in Radnor Street Cemetery although, sadly not together.

Charles was 9 months old when he died in April 1883. He was buried in a public plot number A490 which he shares with six other babies and young children who died between 1883 and 1902.

Later that same year Frederick and Elizabeth lost another baby son. Sidney was only 16 hours old when he died in November 1883. He was buried in a public plot number A62 which he shares with two others; a girl aged 11 years who died in 1901, almost 20 years later. The third burial was that of a gentleman aged 89 who died in 1928, so again another long gap between interments.

Arthur was 11 months old when he died in November 1885. He is buried in plot number A110 with five other babies and young children who died between 1885 and 1915.

The family home at the time these babies died was at 65 Gooch Street.

Lizzie died aged 3 years old and was buried on January 1, 1891. She is buried in a public plot number B1922 with five other babies aged 2 – 13 months who died between 1891 and 1917. At the time of her death the family lived at 16 Princes Street.

Unfortunately, I have been unable to find the burial place of one remaining daughter. Elizabeth Maria was born in 1873 and died before her first birthday, but at least we now know where six of those seven little children are buried. I didn’t like the thought of them being ‘lost’.

The Alley family reunion

Local history is a wonderful discipline. When I first began researching those buried in Radnor Street Cemetery I came across a fascinating family by the name of Alley. Fast forward some 15 years and yesterday I was a guest at the Alley family reunion where more than 30 members of the local family (plus Colin and his wife who travelled from Bedfordshire) gathered to celebrate their shared ancestry. The event was organised by Wendy and Christine who welcomed not only local cousins but Di and George from Australia and Kay from Canada.

It was an afternoon packed with stories and discoveries, fun and laughter. There were photographs and spread sheets and family tree charts that people were adding to and updating.

Di, George and Kay joined me on a cemetery visit to the grave of their common ancestors Frederick and Elizabeth Alley. We also paid a visit to the grave of George Richman Alley and his wife Emma and marvelled at the story of their seven daughters, one of whom was Emma Louisa Hull, suffragette.

I’m waiting for the reunion photos to circulate, which I will add to this blogpost, but meanwhile here is the story of Frederick and Elizabeth Alley.

As promised, here a few reunion photographs

Frederick married Elizabeth Gould in 1864 in Trowbridge. He was 19 and she was 17. They had a very large family – 18 children, although sadly seven of them died in childhood.

Frederick arrived in Swindon in 1868 to a home in Cheltenham Street and a job as a railway labourer, later becoming a machine man. He worked in the GWR factory for 51 years and when he retired he set up the GWR Retired Workmen’s’ Association.

The couple were members of the Baptist church where Frederick was a lay-preacher for more than 45 years and from 1890-1924 he was a Trustee of the Baptist Tabernacle.

Elizabeth died in 1927 aged 80. Frederick died the following year aged 83 at 45 Buller Street, the home of his daughter Ada.

The couple had already purchased this grave ten years previously when their youngest son Edgar died in 1918. Edgar had joined the navy as an 18 year old in 1909, initially for a 12 year period. However, in the middle of his service war broke out. Edgar was invalided out of the navy in 1916 – family sources say he had suffered shell shock – and returned to Swindon and a job as an electrician in the ammunitions factory known locally as the Powder Works.

He died on November 28, 1918 suffering from broncho pneumonia and influenza. Edgar was 27 years old when he died. He left a widow and two young children.