Elizabeth Cross

Only know of Mary from the various birth records on microfiche at CRO where she was mother with Waite Savil. Have not yet found her birth. Marriage is from IGI.

Only know of Waite from the various birth records on microfiche at CRO where he was father with Mary mother. Have not yet found his birth. Marriage is from IGI.

The Essex Marriage Registers at CRO Chelmsford have record of Joseph Cross marrying Sarah Chopping on 10th November 1778 in Stebbing. This is confirmed by references online by Janet Pritchard who has contacted me but unfortunately does not seem to receive my emails back. (If you read this, perhaps you could try setting up another email for easier communications such as hotmail or googlemail?). She has the marriage witnessed by Mary Bird and Martha Pawsey.

There is also a marriage of a Joseph Cross to an Elizabeth Pament on 28th December 1756, I wondered if this may have been his parents. However, I could not find his birth record on microfiche and ran out of time. It does look like the microfiche is missing a couple of pages at that time so on a subsequent visit I would need to look at the original book.

Birth date now confirmed (although a month different) from microfiche at CRO which also gives her parents as Waite Savil and Mary. She is also mentioned on internet forums by Janet Pritchard. See http://genealogy.ainslie.org.uk/gbview.asp. 

Marriage is on IGI and the Essex Marriage Registers at CRO, vol 54 Bardfield Saling - although the date is slightly different. The register notes she signs Savill. Oddly, I could not find this on microfiche.

Baptism on microfiche at Chelmsford CRO dated 29th July 1815, Stephen was bricklayer (confirmed in census)

Emigrated to Australia on board The Netherby in 1866 that famously sank, with all surviving.

Baptised 12th August 1839 in Birmingham to John and Harriet. Marriage appears to be 1858 West Ham with her name as Mireumn Cross, and the 1861 census has birth place correct for Mary Ann. Emigrated on ill-fated Netherby with wife & two children in 1866. 

Birth record shows as Mira. Also known as Maria and Myra.

Married Frederick Charles Healey in 1899, he died in 1903, but cannot find in 1901 census.

Thomas Fidler can be seen with his father in 1851 census, and was shown as born in Tinkfield, Wiltshire. Tinkfield appears to be a small area in Etchilhampton. See http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=102781

Died of typhoid fever while living at Water Lane, Cheshunt according to his death certificate

Ethel “was brought up in the Plymouth Brethren and was a Sunday School teacher before going to university. She graduated with 1st Class Honours in French at Somerville College, Oxford, in 1916. While on a travelling scholarship to Paris she met Don at the "Rue de Sevres Meeting" in January 1920 and they were married in September 1922. We have been told that Don first spotted Ethel on a bus in Paris and was so attracted by her that he followed the bus on his own bicycle. In 1924 they had their house Noonsun, 25, Churchfields, Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, built to their own designs. Here their three children, Eirene, Rosalind and Peter were born. Ethel later obtained her Oxford M.A. and was an active academic all her life, mainly at the London University Institute of Education and as G.C.E. Chief Examiner. One person who has particularly made a point of telling me that he studied under her at the Institute is Mr. Southey, organiser of the Spring and Autumn concert seasons at Deal. Her nickname at the Institute of Education was Prudence, and her character in later life probably reflected the influence of the Plymouth Brethren in her childhood. Like her husband, she was an ardent pacifist.”

Frank Middlemiss’s online notes

Was living at 52 Hertford Road at time of death. Probate showed her leaving £13,184

Enlisted: Westminster

Residence: Enfield

Rank: Corporal

Regiment: Corps of Royal Engineers

Number: 113094

Theatre of war: Western European Theatre

Died: 10th June 1918

cause: Died of wounds

Comments: "F" SPEC. COY., R.E.

Source: Ancestry quoting Military-Genealogy.com

Fred’s last letter transcript (he died two days later):

8/6/18

Dear Ethel,

For twenty four hours political discussion and conjecture was the universal diversion here and then ceased as suddenly as it began. The immediate cause of its rise was the distribution of printed cards for the sequestration of “the mugs” under the Representation of the People Act (which will next October at the latest be instrumental in supersceding the Repression of the People act — otherwise DORA — [Defence of the Realm Act] by something more sane). The discussion which ensued was amusing for political ideas are rather like army jam at present — mixed. And it is to be hoped that those men of influence who do not hold highly salaried positions in the present government or are not so sychophantic as to sacrifice their nationality to their purses will see that the election is held on social and humanitarian issues instead of political. If it is political it will be a [farce?]. If the issue is for Knock out Blow or negotiations the

------ reverse side of page -------

war will not drag on its detested existence to mock and desecrate another Christmas.

However, from May to October is a long cry, and many things may happen between. In fact the papers hint at startling events at the present moment, more “victories” apparently only Fritz doesn't regard them in that light.

The weather has threatened to break again, but today has been sunny though fresh and of course we have been for our daily swim. We usually have one a day when we are down here unless the weather is unusually cold, and if it is decently warm the one becomes two or three. After all the salt water of last year I find swimming in fresh is quite difficult, though of course there are no waves to contend with.

The writer of “Two years before the mast” [Richard Henry Dana, Jr., 1840] (which I have been reading) continues to make you quite interested in the intricacies of a sailing ship and the problems of sea trade and transport before the era of the steamboat and steam labour saving machinery.

------ page 3 ---------

Have you noticed how mainly the ideals of different writers — and of the same writer — are at varience concerning the best way of arranging if not a perfect, at least a more sane and stable system of life than has been evolved in the last half century? They drift towards the opposite poles of single self-sufficing existence on a basis of 40% of agriculture and a revival of farmhouse industries, and of highly complex civilisation in which manual labour in its unskilled sense has no place and old [??????] work is done mechanically. I think that H. G. Wells was right when he wrote (in the War in the Air)[see book as html ] that the only solution was entirely to destroy the existing [status?] — or rather give it room & time to compass its own destruction and allow a new system to evolve itself. And in our country at least this has happened & we don’t know how soon it will happen in others.

Well tea is just up so I suppose I had better leave off.

Quite well.

With best love.

Fred.