Clara Earle was born on 1^st February 1862 at 5 Buckland Road Portsea. Her birth was registered by her father William Earle on 3^rd February. Her mother was Mary neé Pickernell and her father was described as a Master Bootmaker by trade at the time of her birth. She had at least three siblings: her brother Edward Dennis Earle, born on 5^th November 1863 and named after his grandfather; Maria Earle, born in 1870/1 and Alice Mary Earle born on 18 December 1871.

Before her marriage Clara was a dressmaker by profession. Her father had died when she was only 9 years old and by the time she was 19 (in 1881) she was living away from home in the crowded household of her aunt, Emily Hill, at 245 Fratton Street, Portsea. Emily was the sister of Clara’s mother (Mary Pickernell). She was married to Frederick Hill who worked as a Head Pier porter on the wharf and the couple had seven children at home as well as John Pickernell, Clara’s grandfather who was 80 years old and still working as a cordwainer.

Clara married Alfred William Lock on 28 June 1881. She may well have already been pregnant at that time as their first child, Douglas William Lock, was born on 20th December 1881. They were then living at 34 Penny Street.

William Earle was born on 8^th September 1839 ( it states the time of his birth -  5.15 a.m - on his birth certificate which may imply he had a twin but so far I cannot confirm this. His birth was registered on 10^th October 1839 by his mother Eliza Earle. The family were at that time living at 6 Trafalgar Place in Portsea.

William’s father was Edward Dennis(Dennes) Earle, a baker by trade, at the time of his birth. He had a sister Maria who was born on 25th February 1842.

William Earle himself took up the trade of shoe and bootmaking initially but is variously described on different certificates:

1861: on marriage certificate – Cordwainer

1862: on Clara’s birth certificate – Master Bootmaker

1863: on Edward’s birth certificate – Licensed Beer Retailer

1871 – on Alice’s birth certificate – Master Cordwainer

He also moved the family around Portsea – their addresses being Buckland Road Portsea nos 2 (1871) and 5 (1862) and Commercial Road Portsea (1863).

William married Mary Pickernell at St Mary’s Portsea on 24 April 1861 when he was 21 years old. They had at least 4 children surviving – Edward, Clara, Maria and Alice Mary. Sadly he died of phthsis (a kind of TB) on 29 December 1871, 11 days after the birth of his youngest child Alice Mary. His death was registered by his sister Maria on 2^nd January 1872; he was 32 years old.

Edward Dennis Earle (whose middle name was occasionally written Dennes – being the surname of his mother before marriage which was also recorded alternately as either Dennis or Dennes!!) – was christened on 2^nd July 1798 at Westbourne in Sussex. His mother being Ann neé Dennis and his father George Earle, a seaman.

Edward had at least two other siblings, his brothers Charles Earle christened on 24 September 1802 and William Earle christened 12 August 1810.

Edward married Eliza Craven at St Thomas Portsmouth on 26 September 1837 when he was 39 years old – it appears to be a first marriage for both. They had at least two children: William Earle born on 8^th September 1839 and Maria Earle born in 1843.

Edward Dennis Earle was originally a baker by trade but in 1839 he is described as a licensed beer retailer and he is listed in the trades directory for Portsea as such in 1841. He is recorded as living at 21 Lombard Street at the time of his marriage (the same street in which William Savell Lock is living some 50 years later! – at no 14). His address in the trade directory is St James Street, Portsmouth, although this may have been a premises address in 1841 and in 1839 he was at 6 Trafalgar Place Portsea. Edward Earle senior died on 24th July 1845, at the age of 47 years 2 months(!) according to his death certificate, the cause being 'Rupture of a blood vessel' - he was described as a Baker by trade and his death registered by an Elizabeth Jeffries  who was present at his death. I had initially thought that Eliza had predeceased him as she did not register the death. However that now seems not to be the case!

Eliza Craven was the daughter of William Craven, stonemason. Her address at the time of her marriage to Edward Dennis Earle was 7 Tower Street Portsmouth. At the time of her husband's death in 1845, she had two children surviving - William aged 6 and Maria aged 3 years old. and Eliza aged approx. 2 years old. On 24 November 1846 she re-married John Emery and, in 1861 the family are recorded at 76 Buckland Road where John Emery is described as a Brewer and Beer Retailer. At present I have no more information about Eliza.

Edward Dennis Earle, son of William Earle and Mary (Pickernell) and the brother of Clara was born on 5^th November 1863 and christened on 29 November the same year, at St Marys Portsea.

At the time of his birth the family were living at Commercial Road Portsea and William Earle his father is described as a licensed beer retailer although his profession was in fact that of a cordwainer or bootmaker for most of his life.

Clara was his elder sister by just one year and he had two younger sisters, Maria, seven years his junior and Alice Mary, eight years younger. His father died when he was 8 years old.

In 1881, he is listed on the census as a Private in the 2/19^th regiment which was that year to become the Princess of Wales (Alexandra's) regiment and later was to gain the nickname of the Green Howards. At that time he was in the Barracks Sheffield, Nether Hallam in Yorkshire. He may have lied about his age to go into the army as he is listed as 2 years over his correct age of 17.

By 1901 when he is 38 years old, he has married and is living at Westminster Mansions in London with his wife Nellie, his son Edward Dennis Earle (the 3^rd!!) age 9 years old and cousin/step-sister Kate Stollery who is working as a servant for the family. She is 21 years old and deaf. Edward himself is described as a newspaper representative.

Maria Earle, the aunt of Edward Dennis Earle (above), is the sister of William Earle and child of Edward Dennis Earle and Eliza Craven. She was born on 24 February 1842.

Maria was a witness at the marriage of her brother, William to Mary Pickernell and was also present at his death in 1871, she was named as the informant on his death certificate. At that time she was living at 27 Manor Terrace, Portsea.

Maria married Thomas William Blundell, a Messman on H.M.S Hector, at St Marys Portsea on 20 December 1864 when she was 21 years old.

Maria and Thomas had a daughter Lily Earl (e) Blundell born on 10 June 1875 when the family were at 181 Fratton Road, Portsea. At that time Thomas was a steward working for the P & O lines however, it would seem that Thomas may well have died at sea. I have found a reference  in the GRO Marine deaths indices for the death of a T.W. Blundell aged 32 from the vessel Monarch in 1878. The age would seem to be slightly wrong but Maria did re-marry in 1879 to Reuben Stollery a former Royal Marine and now retired and running the Highland Tavern in Eastney, Portsmouth. Sadly the marriage was a short one. On 10 December 1879, a daughter Kate was born to the couple but, the following year, Maria died of Enteric Fever after 21 days illness on 8 September 1880. Her death was registered 3 days later by Reuben. 

LILY EARLE BLUNDELL

I have included Lily here also as her name has appeared again and again in my researches and she does seem to have had an eventful childhood! She was born on 10 June 1875 at 181 Fratton Road, Portsea to Maria and Thomas Blundell. Her mother registered her birth on 15 July. Her father was probably not at home often as he was regularly at sea according to the documentary evidence. He probably died c 1878 when Lily was only 3 and she may not have had any strong memories of him at all. She does not appear to have had any full -blood siblings but her small family set up was to dramatically change when her mother re-married in 1879 to Reuben Stollery a retired Marine who was running the Highland Tavern and also a licensed cab service. Reuben had been previously married and, in 1881 is recorded as still having a number of his children from the former marriage still at home. With Maria, Reuben had Kate, a half sister for Lily, but within a year Lily had lost her mother too to illness (see above). She would have been only 5 years old. Reuben was no doubt less than happy to have a very young baby and a step daughter as well as his own children to look after - he was aged 60 years at this time. In March 1881, Reuben married again - to Mary (nee Pickernell) Earle, Lily's aunt! He had now married twice into the Earle family effectively - once to William Earle's sister and then to William Earle's widow. Lily however we must assume thrived under the care of her one-time aunt Mary (now stepmother) and stepfather Reuben. She married Frederick James Ranger on 4th June 1899. She was 23 and he 25 years old. Frederick was described as a silversmith's manager. Kate Stollery, her half sister and Edward Dennis Earle, her uncle were the witnesses at the marriage. Two years later they can be found on the 1901 census, now with a child of their own, Frederick junior, living at 12 Northcote Road, in the same house with Reuben and Mary Stollery. And when Mary Stollery herself died aged 90 years old, on 13 April 1930, Lily Ranger was living there, at 5a Oakmead Road and registered the death the following day.