King Tree

Family orphaned
John age
James age
Mary age 14
Isabella age 13
Mary & Isabella were brought up by a guardian
Dear Little Auntie Belle

Speldhurst Bank
Speldhurst
Tunbridge Wells
Tel 63 10 Feb 66

My Dear Joan
Many thanks for your letter of Jan13th. I'm so glad you were interested about the family tree - it sounds so important doesn't it? If you want to contact any of the Liverpool connections, I should explain something of the relationships - Uncle John was Father's brother& they & 2 younger sisters Mary & Isabella wee orphaned at the age of 14 & 13 respectively and had to make their way in the world with little or no funds - barely enough to give them a limited education, while the 2 little girls were brought up by a guardian while the 2 brothers were able to care for them - Mary died young, about 20, & you may remember dear little Auntie Belle - John & James both worked hard & made their way in the world to quite considerable wealth for those days - Fathers family you know about but uncle john had only 3 - Isabella, who didn't marry, John who married a Heyworth, & Anna who married Frank Matthews - They had 4 girls & 1 boy - The eldest, Norah, didn't marry & now lives in the Wirral, Cheshire, having retired from oxford where she was county Librarian. She must be 60-61, & it was she & her next sister Nan, who came to pick up the threads again. You must have heard of the old trouble with Uncle John who let father down so badly, by speculating not only with his own money, but a large sum of Fathers, which he had access to - & lost the lot!! Hence the old family feud which separated the families & so denied us those nice cousins at Rock Ferry..

2/ It was only when I was about to be married, & required a house or flat, that I heard, through Auntie Belle & Anna Mathews of a little house at Bevington which he took furnished for 6 months. This was almost at the end of Anna's garden & we had our first married life there, Jim & I thoroughly enjoyed the Mathews family - & this was how we brought the families together again. They were all so kind & I saw both Uncle John & his second rich widow, who lived in Rock Ferry & Issy & Auntie Belle too - Also John & his family of 3 sons - Of course most of them are either dead or scattered now, but they were a grand lot & relations worth knowing - but it was Anna I knew best & kept in touch with at Christmas times until she died 1962, & then picked up the threads again when Norah wrote to tell me about her mother's death - Anna, she went blind & died at 87 & Frank Mathews still lingers after a stroke in a nursing home. I hope Norah will come and see me sometime this summer, now she has retired from her job - Perhaps someday you might like to visit me at the same time if we can possibly fix it - Otherwise you may like to write to her & verify to her the name on the old samples of Jane Cottam our mutual great grandmother. The other Mathews sisters & one brother all married & have families but they were very young children when we were in Bevington & I only really saw much of Norah, & Nan who married Philip Garson, a Liverpool throat & ear specialist who died about 4 years ago. Nan had 2 sons & 2 daughters, & comes to visit her eldest girl who is married to a dentist in Guildford & may come & see me again.

3/ other day. They have traced a James Hargreaves back to 1760 who married a Mary Brown & had a large family one of whom Thomas Hargreaves born 1798 was our grandfather. Apparently he married a widow called Jane Richardson, who was the daughter of one John Cottam of Goosnargh - which is a few miles north of Preston. There was a daughter Isabella Richardson who died young & of her mothers marriage to Thomas Hargreaves there were four children who were Uncle John, Father, Auntie Belle & another sister. Mary who died young - Uncle John's family consisted of 3 Isabella, who didn't marry, cousin John & Cousin Anna Mathews & they all lived in the Rock Ferry district. You probably know something of the old family feud which kept us apart from those only cousins. but it was only patched up when I married and we took a little furnished house in that district of Babington as our first little honeymoon home. They were all so kind to me then, & I had kept up only by letter since we left the north, But I'm only sorry none of you ever knew them - as they really are relations worth knowing. Alas Isse, John, & Anna are all dead now but these daughters of Anna came to see me last year & we've picked up the threads again.

Now I want you to verify my memory of the name on that old sampler you have. I believe it was done by a little girl of 12 or Ann Cottam & Dated 1834 ??? & this was probably our grandmother (Your great grandmother) or perhaps

4/ a great aunt of the Cottam family. I've no doubt you heard the story of how your mother discovered that old sampler hanging in the Barcroft downstairs Loo! Unappreciated by us. Probably it came to light only when we moved from Mayfield & was hung there for want of other space suitable as there were so many pictures at Barcroft & the sampler didn't suit the new modern style of the house which was very modern when we went there in 1904 but it certainly suits the old cottage. I don't know if this interests you at all but I think one should know something of ones background. Of course we never knew any grandparents because they both died when father and Uncle John were only 13 & 14 years old respectively & they had to make their own way in the world off their own bat with very little money & limited education, & 2 younger sisters to care for, So they were both clever hardworking men& did well for their families of Yeoman stock originally living near Preston, & one heard of connections in Broughton, Woodplumpton & Goosenargh- The grandparents Thomas & Isabella are buried in Broughson Churchyard & so are the 3 children that died in infancy before your father James was born. I believe James once had some records of the old family, but I never saw them, but you may come across them someday. Now I really must stop this long epistle but shall look for a letter from you soon to tell of your doings. I'm glad you saw old Willoughby & found him well - lonely old man but very wonderful for his age.

My love to you & all good wishes for 1966
Auntie Nellie

5/ I hope you can read this long story which will refresh your memory even if you have heard it all before Never seeing any of these relations in our young days & never being told the reason of the feud, we never questioned anything about our ancestors. So I can't tell you much except that they were of old Yeomans farming stock & came from the Preston - Fyloe district & we used to visit some old cousins of Fathers at a Farm called Broughton Hall outside Preston - The other relatives lived at Woodplumpton & the Cottams came from the Goosenargh cakes, a speciality of that district - Your father used to enjoy them when he could get the real thing but I doubt if they exist these days.

Now; I think this is about all I can tell you by letter & only vague memories I hope you may feel inclined to pay me a visit perhaps about daffodil time & I could try to get Norah Mathews too - Her address is Stanley House, Burton, Wirral, Cheshire

I'm Glad to know you had your Xmas party with the family when David got leave, and also had a successful party for your old people.

I've been busy in the garden sweeping leaves that still linger since before Xmas but the mild weather has been too good to miss getting some tidying up done.

Hope we don't get any more snow, tho they've got it badly again in the north. Let me have a letter again soon & I hope you all keep well

Lots of Love Auntie Nellie