Brockbank Brookbanks Brooksbank family
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5 September 2008
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Dr Geoffrey Mann |
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2 Helena Annie BROOKBANKS 1865-1945 |
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m Henry Michael BLEWETT 1886 |
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click for photographs
of Helena
click for a map of Stepney showing where the Brookbanks and the Blewett families lived
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Helena BROOKBANKS was born in 1865 at 4 Church Row Stepney where her father ran a dairy. At 16 she was in service to a family in nearby Stepney Green At 18 she was a witness to the marriage of Mary BLEWETT who lived close by in Rectory Square; it seems likely that they were close friends - perhaps Helena was a bridesmaid – as two years later she married Mary's brother Henry Michael BLEWETT. The ceremony was at St Dunstan's church and witnesses to her marriage included her former employer, and her employer’s granddaughter aged only 9. Henry Michael was a sailor, but she agreed to marry him only if he gave up the sea - which he did. They moved to Portland St where Henry started a rope business and their first daughter was born. For a year they moved to Henry’s birthplace, Mousehole in Cornwall, with Henry’s father. It must have been quite a culture shock for Helena, brought up in Stepney, to live in this remote Cornish fishing village. They soon returned to Portland St where another daughter was born and Henry’s business prospered. They moved to Streatfield St where a son was born and then to Burgess St, all in Stepney. Two more daughters were born in Burgess St before the family moved out around 1900 to the pleasant suburb of Leytonstone. As Henry’s business continued to prosper, the family made the big move to Southend, living first in Southchurch and then around 1925, moving to a large newly-built house on the sea‑front at Thorpe Bay called Kynance. About this time too, the whole family took a holiday in Lucerne, Switzerland. Henry died in 1936 and for the duration of world war 2, Helena lived with her married daughter, firstly evacuated to the supposedly safer area of Ashtead in Surrey, and then back in Southchurch. Helena died there in 1945 aged 80. There are several photographs of her and her family. The earliest I have is of the family at 7 Wallwood Rd Leytonstone taken about 1900. I remember her as kind and gentle with a quiet voice. She was fairly short, and in her later years with short grey/white hair. She was a perfect Grandma to my brothers and I. Before the war, we visited her weekly at Kynance when she would hide a bar of chocolate for each of us around her house, for us to find. |
C=Christened
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age DATE HAB HMB |
EVENT |
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18May1865 0 .2Apr1871 6
.3Apr1881 16 18Jul1883 18 11Jan1886 21 20 19Nov1886 21 20 .....1887 22 21 .....1888 23 22 16Jul1888 23 22 20Dec1890 25 24 .... 1897 32 31 .1Jul1898 33 32 11Mar1899 33 32 ..Aug1900 35 34 31Mar1901 36 35 ...??1915 50 49 ...??1925 60 59 .....1926 61 60 .1Aug1936 71 70 .....1939 74 26Sep1944 79 15Sep1945 80 |
born at 4 Church Row Stepney, daughter of a dairyman scholar living with family at 4 Church Row servant to John & Emma Gaines in nearby Stepney Green witness at wedding of Mary Wright BLEWETT at St Dunstan's Stepney married Henry Michael BLEWETT at St Dunstan's; address 113 Stepney
Green dau Helena Mary born at 52 Portland St moved to Mousehole with husband and in-laws Henry and Jane BLEWETT moved back to London dau Elizabeth Alice born at 52 Portland St son Henry Arthur born at 13 Streatfield St dau Henrietta Lilian born dau Alice started at Thomas St school; address 64 Burgess St Limehouse dau Amy Janet born at 64 Burgess St moved to 7 Wallwood Rd Leytonstone with family and mother-in-law with husband and family at 7 Wallwood Rd Letonstone moved to 49 Old Southend Rd with husband, Lily and Amy, next door to
sister-in-law Lily Booth moved to Kynance on sea-front at Thorpe Bay daughter Amy married H H Mann husband Henry Michael died lived during war with dau Lily at Ashtead and 175 Ambleside Drive
Southend made last will leaving Kynance and money equally divided between four
daughters died at 175 Ambleside Drive |
b=born m=married d=died
C=Christened B=Buried
b 18May1865 Helena Annie girl at 4 Church Row
r 15Jun1865 by E M A BROOKBANKS mother of
4 Church Row, Ratcliff at Ratcliff Stepney MDX
father: James BROOKBANKS dairyman; mother: Elizabeth Mary Ann BROOKBANKS
formerly BRAY
m 11Jan1886 at St Dunstan's Stepney after
banns
Henry Michael BLEWETT bch 20 rope merchant 11 Rectory Square
& Helena Annie BROOKBANKS spr 20 11 Rectory Square
fathers: Henry BLEWETT master mariner;
James BROOKBANKS dairyman; witness: C T BROOKBANKS; Emma{?} GAINES; Elizabeth
Jessie COOPER
family
story is that Helena married in brown velvet - there not being room for a wide
dress as she had to walk through a narrow passage to reach the church; the suspicion is that this was the only
suitable dress she had
b 19Nov1886 Helena Mary (Lena)
b 16Jul1888 Elizabeth Alice Elsie (Alice)
b 20Dec1890 Henry Arthur (Arthur)
b
1q1897 Henrietta Lillian (Lily)
b 11Mar1899 Amy Janet (Amy)
b 19Nov1886 Helena Mary girl at 52 Portland St
f: Henry Michael BLEWETT rope
merchant; m: Helena Annie BLEWETT
formerly BROOKBANKS
r 30Dec1886 by H M BLEWETT father of 52
Portland St, Mile End at Mile End Old Town, MDX
b 16Jul1888 Elizabeth Alice Elsie girl, at 52 Portland Street
f: Henry Michael BLEWETT general
dealer; m: Helena Mary BLEWETT formerly
BROOKBANK
r 24Aug1888 at MEOT Western by H M BLEWETT
of 52 Portland Street, Mile End
b 20Dec1890 Henry Arthur boy at 13 Streatfield St
f: Henry Michael BLEWETT rope
merchant; m: Helena Annie BLEWETT
formerly BROOKBANKS
r 13Jan1891 at Limehouse Stepney by H A
BLEWETT of 13 Streatfield St Limehouse
b 11Mar1899 Amy Janet girl at 64 Burgess St
f: Henry Michael BLEWETT general
dealer; m: Helena Annie BLEWETT
formerly BROOKBANKS
r 21Apr1899 by H M BLEWETT of 64 Burgess
St Limehouse at Limehouse, Stepney London
b 1q1897 Henrietta Lillian BLEWETT Stepney
1c447
d 1Aug1936 Henry Michael BLEWETT male age
70 at Victoria Nursing Home, Kings Rd, Westcliff on Sea,
paper stock merchant, of Kynance, Thorpe Esplanade, Thorpe Bay; cause:
gastric ulcer
r 1Aug1936 at Southend on Sea, Rochford by
H.A BLEWETT widow of deceased, in attendance, of Kynance Thorpe Esplanade,
Thorpe Bay
d 15Sep1945 Helena Ann BLEWETT female age
80 at 175 Ambleside Drive, Southend on Sea, widow of Henry Michael BLEWETT rope
merchant
cause: cardiac failure
r 18Sep1945 at Southend on Sea by H L
DUNLOP daughter, of 175 Ambleside Drive,
Henry
Michael BLEWETT of 12 Bowen St, Poplar rope and paper stock merchant s 31May1917 p 1Aug1936 £2081
all to
Helena Annie BLEWETT executrix
Helena Ann
BLEWETT of 175 Ambleside Drive Southend
s 26Sep1944 p 15Sep1945
Money at
Barclays Bank and from sale of "Kynance" to be divided equally
between my 4 daughters:Helena Mary , Alice Elizabeth Elsie , Henrietta Lilian ,
Amy Janet . Insurance policy to Alice
executor:
Henry Arthur BLEWETT; witness: E J
BOOTH of "Dagmar" Sandhill Rd, Eastwood Rise, ESS; D M G BAILEY of
same address
James BROOKBANKS he mar
39 1832 dairyman Camberwell
Elizabeth BROOKBANKS wi mar
39 1832 St George in
the east
James BROOKBANKS so unm
13 1858 scholar
Clapham SRY
Alice BROOKBANKS da 8
1863 scholar
Ratcliff MDX
Elenor BROOKBANKS da 5
1866 scholar
Ratcliff
Christopher BROOKBANKS so
3 1868
Ratcliff MDX
Francis BROOKBANKS so 1
1870
Ratcliff MDX
John M GAINES he mar 59 clerk in a
gas compy Whitechapel
Emma
GAINES wi mar 60
Hammersmith
Elizth J COOPER gd 4
Leytonstone
Helena A BROOKBANKS sv 15 general servant Stepney
Henry M BLEWETT he mar
25 1866 marine store dealer; neither Stepney
Helen A BLEWETT wi mar
25 1866 Stepney
Helen M BLEWETT da 4
1887
Stepney
Elizabeth A BLEWETT da 2
1889
Stepney
Henry A BLEWETT so 3m
1891 Limehouse
Elizabeth M A BROOKBANKS ml wid 59
1832 retired dairy woman Shadwell
Christopher T BROOKBANKS bl sgl 23
1868 blacksmith, employed Stepney
5 rooms or more; ml=mother-in-law; bl=brother-in-law
Henry BLEWETT he mar 35 1866 rag merchant own act Stepney MDX
Helena A BLEWETT wi mar 35 1866 Stepney MDX
Helena M BLEWETT da sgl 14 1887 dress makers apprentice worker Stepney
MDX
Elizabeth BLEWETT da sgl 12 1889 Stepney MDX
Henry BLEWETT so sgl 10 1891 Limehouse MDX
Henrietta BLEWETT da
4 1897 Limehouse
MDX
Amy BLEWETT da
2 1899 Limehouse
MDX
Jane BLEWETT mo wid 63 1838 Penzance
Ernest JEARY bo sgl 24 1877 traveller (soap) worker London,
Bow
bo=boarder
marriage
of Mary BLEWETT witnessed by Helena BROOKBANKS
m 18Jul1883 at St Dunstan's Stepney after
banns
Charles George TAYLOR bch 25 mariner 11
Rectory Square & Mary Wright BLEWETT spr 19, 11 Rectory Square
fathers: William TAYLOR mariner; Henry
BLEWETT mariner; witness: Henry
BLEWETT; Helena Anne Brookbanks