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Thomas Sandell
Stevens Figgitt
Agnes Figgitt
t
William
Figgitt (Figgett)and Rebecca
Cotton
William was my Great Great Grandfather he was born 26th July 1846 in the parish of Snowshill, Gloucestershire. He lived with his older brother John, younger brother Richard and his parents Richard and Ann (nee Ireland) in Snowshill until the early 1850s, when the family moved to the next village Broadway.
Williams father Richard occupation was described as labourer on William's birth certificate and as an Agricultural Labourer aged 30 in the 1851 census.
William married Rebecca Cotton on 18th November 1865. Rebecca (or Rebekah) was born in 1847 and was the daughter of Edward and Elizabeth Cotton of Broadway. In 1865 Rebecca had a daughter Mercy Annie shortly before she married William. In the 1881 census William's occupation was described as a Pedlar and Rebecca as a Pedlar's Wife.
Wilford was the oldest son of Wilfred John and his first wife of Church Street, Broadway. Wilford was born in 1892 and lived with his wife Tryphena Jane at 55 Council Cottages, Broadway. Like many men of that era he joined up to serve his country in the 1st World War. Wilford was private 10503 in the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Warwickshie Regiment. He lost his life on Saturday 25th September 1915 aged 23 and is currently buried with over 1,700 of his comrades at Loos, Pas de Calais, France. The Loos memorial commemorates the men who fell in the area from the River Lys to the old southern boundary of the First Army, east and west of Grenay, and who have no known grave.
Walter was the eldest son of Walter Figgitt and Elsie (nee Newbury). Walter was born in 1919 Emma Ann Mary in 1926. With his parents they emigrated to Australia around 1919 where they lived for 6 years during which time Elise was born in 1920, Wilfred in 1922 and Herbert in 1924. There was a brief return to England where Emma AnnMary was born in 1926 before they emigrated again this time to Canada in 1927. They eventually settled in Canada and started farming at Balcarres in Saskatchewan. After a few years James was added to the family in 1930, followed by Alexander in 1932 and Betty in 1933.
Walter joined up with the Canadian forces to serve in World War 2. He was private L/84120 of the Royal Regiment of Canada, R.C.I.C.. He lost his life on Monday 14th August 1944 aged 25. He is currently buried at Bretteville-Sur-Laize at the Canadian War Cemetery. Buried here are those who died during the later stages of the battle of Normandy, the capture of Caen and the thrust southwards to close the Falaise Gap, and thus seal off the German divisions fighting desperately to escape being trapped west of the Seine.
Cecil Ernest was born 17th December 1898 to Christopher and Ellen Figgitt in Chipping Campden. Christopher was my Great Grandmother's brother. Cecil enlisted in the Navy at Devonport on 7th September 1914 at the age of 15. He was described as being 5ft 3˝ inches tall. He had blue eyes and a scar on the back of his neck. On 17th December 1916 Cecil signed up for a further 12 years service. His service record in brief:
Appointed Boy 2nd Class 7th September 1914
Appointed Boy 1st Class 7th February 1915
Appointed Ordinary Seaman 28th July 1916
Appointed Able Seaman 16th February 1917
Appointed Petty Officer 19th June 1921
He was still a Petty Officer and still serving in 1929 when the available records terminate.
Thomas
Sandell Stevens Figgitt
Thomas Sandell Stevens Figgitt (my grandfather) was born on 24th October 1903 in Weston Subedge near Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire. He was born to Agnes Figgitt who was not married at the time, and we are unsure as to who his father was.
Tom moved away from Gloucestershire to Swindon to work on the railways for Great Western. It was around this time that he met his future wife Kathleen Mary Bale who was working in Marlborough, but was born in Collingbourne Ducis, Wiltshire, where some of her family remained until quite recently.
At the age of 21 Tom's job took him to Birmingham where he was based at Tyseley. At first Tom was in lodgings but eventually he married Kathleen Mary Bale in 1930 in the village of Collingbourne Ducis. They then moved back to Birmingham where they lived in Boscombe Road, Tyseley.
Tom remained with Great Western Railways working his way up through fireman to train driver until he retired in his sixties.
Kathleen died in 1981 and it was shortly after this that Tom left Boscombe Road after living there for around 57 years. He died in 1984.
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Thomas Figgitt and Kathleen |
Thomas with his mother Agnes in Chipping Campden |
Agnes Figgitt
Agnes Figgitt was born in 1875 according to the 1901 census in Saintbury Glouestershire, to parents William and Rebecca. In 1894 at the age of 19 she had her first child Constance May. In the 1901 census Constance May Figgitt (7) is recorded as living with her grandparents, William and Rebecca, along with her aunts and uncles, Emanuael J (20) Walter (15), Frances E (13). The family were residing at Brickyard Houses in Weston Subedge not far from Chipping Campden in Glos.
Not recorded living with the family, however, is
Agnes. Further investigation reveals Agnes, now 26, working as a domestic cook
and living with her employers in
It is interesting to note here that Agnes is not
living with her daughter or family and one could wonder if she was quite
literally “sent to
Other questions concern the occupation of her
employer at this time. In the census both Thomas J Stevens and his son are
recorded as ribbon manufacturers. We do know that around this time
Agnes went on to marry William Booker and between
them they had many more children http://www.pcatchpole.btinternet.co.uk/LesMorrey.html.
My grandfather chose to keep his mother’s maiden name otherwise the Figgitt
line would have stopped here and I would be doing a page on the Booker family !
Last Revised: 15th April 2005