The children of Samuel Hickmott and Harriet Hartridge

2. James Hickmott (1823-c1908)

(last updated 21 November 2025)

Samuel Hickmott and his first wife, Harriet Hartridge, had three sons Edward, James and Henry who were all born at Pembury in Kent. The boys lived at Pembury until late in 1830 first with their father and mother and then, following Harriet's death in 1827, with their father and stepmother, Eliza Tester. Eliza died while giving birth to their first child, William Hickmott, and was buried in Pembury on 14 August 1830. Samuel and his three older boys went to live at the nearby village of Lamberhurst (Samuel's place of birth). He left the infant William at Pembury in the care of Eliza's family. The 1841 census shows William, then aged 10 years, at the dwelling of Samuel and Mercy Anscomb (probably Eliza's sister) at 'Rensfort' at Pembury. I have not yet been able to locate him in any subsequent censuses.

Just prior to Christmas 1833 Samuel's boys were placed by their father into Lamberhurst's Poor House. They remained there for 18 months when they were released and went to live with Samuel at Windmill Field on the outskirts of Tunbridge Wells. Sometime in 1837 Samuel and his older brother, Thomas, were indicted for stealing three lambs from the property of a Sussex farmer, Samuel Pix. On hearing the news Samuel and Thomas took off. They remained at large until Christmas 1839 when they were arrested at the 'Brighton Railway'. The two brothers were tried at the Maidstone Assizes in January 1840, found guilty and transported to Australia in April the same year.

By this time Samuel's sons were working as apprentice brick makers and brick layers at Pembury and near the River Thames in northwest Kent. Their modest beginnings and circumstances did not constrain their future lives however. Like hundreds of thousands of their countrymen they were able to take advantage of the opportunities and prospects offered by the golden age of the British Empire. The oldest boy, Edward Hickmott, and his family tried their luck in India. As we will see many of them are buried there while the remainder eventually returned home in the wake of moves toward Indian independence. We can only wonder whether and how well they were able to readjust from the sights, sounds and sheer tumult of the 'Far East' to a more tranquil and constrained English lifestyle and set of sensibilities. They may have been helped by the fact that the second brother, James Hickmott, and his family spent their lives in England albeit in and around the bustling metropolis of London. The youngest brother, Henry Hickmott meanwhile, had emigrated to colonial Australia where he and his descendants would help establish the latest and most distant outpost of British Emperialism. We don't know whether the three brothers and their wives (two of whom were sisters) wrote to each but would think it likely. While dealing with family matters and everyday happenings their correspondence would have provided a fascinating insight into a long-gone age.

Described below is what we have been able to discover to date about the lives and times of Samuel and Harriet's second son James Hickmott and his family and descendants. Those wishing to read about their other sons should click here for Edward and here for Henry. The research findings supporting these various stories are contained on the Rootsweb site for the Hickmott and Owen families.

We will see that James, who worked as a labourer and journeyman brickmaker, and his wife Mary Ann had eleven children and at least 29 grandchildren we are aware of. Most of their children lived and worked all their lives in Essex in greater London. All but one son married and all but two of the remainder had children. Like many others from this time, the family was significantly affected by the First World War. Two of the grandsons of James and Mary Ann died while serving. Another served and survived to spend two years in Britain's peacetime Army. Another may have emigrated to Canada and served in France with the Canadian expeditionary force. One of their granddaughters, who married one of her Hickmott cousins, was widowed by the war and never re-married. Another married a sergeant in the 11th Hussars and probably went with him to live in Ireland. To date we have been unable to trace with any certainty the whereabouts of six of the 27 grandchildren who survived the war. We believe that five of the remainder never married and have determined that those who did marry have produced at least 21 great grandchildren, some of whom are alive today. Unfortunately we have yet to be be contacted by any of James and Mary Ann's living descendants.

Born in Pembury in 1823 James was probably living at Tunbridge Wells when his father was arrested for sheep stealing and transported to Australia in 1840. The Catherine House records show that a James Hickmott was married in the Milton registration district of Kent in the April quarter of 1844. Although still to be confirmed, we think his wife was Mary Ann Couchman, the daughter of Thomas and Mary Couchman, who was born at Marden in Kent in 1823. The 1851 census shows a James Hickmott (a 28 year-old journeyman brickmaker who was born at Pembury) living in Milton near Gravesend in Kent. With him were his wife Mary A. (25 and born at Marden) and children William (6, Marden), Daniel C. (4, 'Perry St Kent'), Richard (2, 'Perry St Kent') and Mary A. (2m, Gravesend).

Some time after this the family moved to Buckhurst Hill in Chigwell in Essex. The 1861 census shows them living at 21 Brick Fields. In 1871 they and six of their children were at 261 Alfred Road in Chigwell. They and a number of their children and grandchildren were still there at the time of the 1881 and 1891 cenuses. The 1901 census showed that James (aged 78 and described as a 'labourer out of work') and his family had moved to Cambridge Villas (the others present were Mary Ann (a 76 year-old needlewoman), their son 'Dick' Hickmott (52 and 'too ill to work') and granddaughter Gerty Hickmott (13 and born in London). While still to be confirmed, we think that James died at Buckhurst Hill in 1908 (the Catherine House Index gives his name as William James) and his wife Mary Ann there in 1906.

Parish records and the UK censuses show that James and Mary Ann had at least eleven children between 1845 and 1868. We know that one of these, Richard Hickmott (1849-c1902), never married. We think that another, Henry Samuel Hickmott (1863-1925), married in around 1899 but had no children (the 1911 census indicates that his wife's name was Sarah who was born at Barking in Essex in around 1860). One of their sisters, Mary Ann Hickmott (born at Gravesend in 1851), was still single in 1891 when she was working as a cook at the farm of James Norris of Castle Hill in Bletchingley in Surrey (we have not been able to trace her with any certainty after that). We have had a little more success in tracing the lives and families of the remaining eight children as follows:

1. William James Hickmott. Born in Marden in Kent in 1846, William (then 26 and unmarried) was working as an attendant at the Kent County Lunatic Asylum at Maidstone in 1871. Also on the staff there were Charles William Hickmott, 23, from Maidstone (Charles was the eldest son of Charles Thomas and Hannah Lawrence Hickmott nee Jupe) and William Hickmott, a 31 year-old baker from Detling in Kent, together his wife Mary (23, Islington) and daughters Clara Emily (2, Maidstone) and Alice (2m, Maidstone). The 1881 census had William James as the superintendent of the House of Industry at Douglas on the Isle of Man. With him was his wife Alice Hickmott (aged 34 and born at Marylebone in London) who was the matron of the same establishment. The Catherine House records indicate that Alice was Alice Higginson who William married in the Maidstone district of Kent in 1872 (we don't think William and Alice had any children). The same source shows that William died in the Epping registration district of Essex in 1885, and that Alice re-married (in the Milton registartion district of Kent in 1888 - prospective spouses were Frederick George Bridge and Charles Lamb).

2. Daniel Charles Hickmott (1846-1919). Born in Northfleet (pictured above) near Gravesend in Kent, Daniel, or Charles as he was earlier known as, was twice married. We think his first wife, Sarah or Sarah Jane, died aged 23 years, and was buried at St Mary the Virgin at Chigwell in Essex on 7 February 1880.The 1881 England census shows the widowed Charles 'Hickmoth' (a 34 year-old labourer born at Gravesend) living with his parents and four siblings - Edward, Frederick, Henry and Ada 'Hickmoth' - on Alfred Road in Chigwell along with Charles and Jane's three children: Mary Ann (5), 'Willie' (4) and Emma 'Hickmoth' (1) all of whom had been born at Buckhurst Hill. On 28 September 1884, Charles re-married. His second wife was Ellen Eliza Frances Pittman (1857-1916) a dressmaker who was born at Woodford in Essex (the 1881 census shows her living with her widowed father, William Pittman, and married sister Matilda Gresham on Albert Road North in Chigwell). Charles and Ellen's wedding certificate, obtained from Ancestry's London parishes database, informs us they were married at St James' Church in Bermondsey. Daniel Charles was said to be a widower and bricklayer who resided at 79 Willow Walk. Ellen, a spinster, was 27 years old and lived next door. Her father,William Henry Pittman, was a boat maker. The wedding was witnessed by Caroline Setter (Daniel's sister).

   The 1891 census shows a Daniel C. Hickmott (a 44 year-old bricklayer) living at 35 Godense Road in West Ham in London. With him were Ellen (34) and three children: Charles F. (6), James W. (4) and Ellen Hickmott (10m) all of whom were born at Buckhurst Hill. The 1901 census shows the family residing at Ley Street in Ilford in Essex. The family was still at Ilford in 1911 (at 2 Tyne Villa, Tyne Road). Those present were: Daniel Charles (64), Ellen Eliza Frances (54), Charles Frederick (a 25 year-old carriage cleaner who was born at Buckhurst Hill), James William (24 year-old bricklayer, Buckhurst Hill), Ada (18 year-old shop assistant, Ilford), Herbert (16 year-old office boy, Ilford), Henry (14 year-old factory boy, Ilford) and Arthur Hickmott (12, Ilford). The census return states that Daniel and Ellen had had eight children two of whom had died. Although still to be confirmed, we think that Daniel Charles and Ellen Eliza Hickmott nee Pittman both died at Ilford, he in 1919 and she in 1916. What of Daniel Charles' children?

   As noted earlier, he and his first wife Sarah had three children all of whom were born at Buckhurst Hill. Their youngest daughter, Emma Lucy Hickmott, born on 25 April 1879, was living with her grandparents at the time of the 1881 and 1891 censuses. She died at Buckhurst Hill and was buried in the local cemetery there on 23 February 1895. Baptised at Chigwell in Essex on 30 May 1875, Emma's older sister, Mary Ann Osborn Hickmott, was working as a nursemaid for the Marshall family at 'The White House' at Loughton in Essex at the time of the 1891 census. We have not been able to trace her after that. On 18 September 1899, Charles and Sarah's only son, the then 22 year-old (John) William Hickmott, married Sarah Walker at St John the Baptist Church in Buckhurst Hill. The 1901 England Census has William Hickmott, a 24 year-old bricklayer born at Buckhurst Hill, living at 19 Fifth Ave in East Ham in Essex along with his wife, Sarah (24, St Lukes London) and daughter Violet (1, Buckhurst Hill). Also registered there was a H. Hickmott (a 38 year-old bricklayer born at Buckhurst Hill) and a T. Curtis (38 year-old visitor and laundress who was born at Ilford in Essex). At the time of the 1911 England Census, William (a 35 year-old bricklayer born at Buckhurst Hill) and Sarah Hickmott (35, St Lukes Middlesex) were living at 121 Grantham Road Manor Park in East London). With them were six children: Violet (11), who was born at Buckhurst Hill), and Charles (9), William (6), Hilda (5), Gladys (3) and Ivy Hickmott (1) all of whom were born at Manor Park. The census return states William and Sarah had been married twelve years and had seven children all of whom were living.

   The 'UK British Army World War 1 Service Records, 1914-20' show a William Hickmott, a 38 year-old bricklayer living at 373 Church Road in Manor Park, enlisted in the Army at Ilford on 3 September 1916. His NOK was his wife Sarah Hickmott with whom he had had nine children between 16 January 1900 and 1911. It adds that William served as a Sapper in the Royal Engineers until 2 April 1919 including time with the BEF overseas. His address on discharge was 273 Church Road Manor Park. William and Sarah were still registered as living there at the time of the 1921 England Census along with six of their nine children: Violet (21), Charles (19), William (16), Hilda (15), Ivy (12) and Gladys Hickmott (13). We think that Sarah Hickmott nee Walker, aged 52 years, died in the West Ham RD of Essex in 1928. The 'England & Wales Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007' shows a John W. Hickmott, aged 74 years, died in the Essex SW registration district in 1951. What of their nine children?

   Derek Archer's 'Hickmott Family Tree' on Ancestry provides us with details about six of William and Sarah's children as follows: 1) Violet May Hickmott (1900-94) married a builder's labourer, George Henry Colegate (1900-91) at West Ham in Essex in June 1923 and died at Redbridge in Essex in November 1994; 2) Charles James Hickmott (1901-75), married Doris Elsie Hayden (1905-82) at West Ham on 25 December 1926 and died at Redbridge in July 1982. He and Doris had a daughter, Doris Iris Hickmott (1928-2016), who died in Norfolk in England; 3) William Harry George Hickmott (1905-87) married Florence Kathleen Samuels (1906-2001) at West Ham on 4 August 1928 and had two children; 4) Hilda Lilian Hickmott (1906-38) married Robert Alfred Sackett (1902-86) at West Ham in 1929 and had eight children before Hilda's death at Hackney in London in 1938. Robert died at Brentwood in Essex in 1986; 5) Gladys Beatrice Hickmott (1908-94) married Sidney Arthur Farmer (1907-72) at Romford in Essex in 1934 and had one child; and 7) Ivy Ellen Hickmott (1909-61) married Leonard William Wallis Walter (1907-94) at Goodmayes in Essex in 1931 and had three children including Diana Walter (1934-2006) who died at Canterbury in Kent in 2006.

   As noted earlier, Daniel Charles and his second wife, Ellen Eliza Frances Pittman, had at least eight children two of whom died before 1911 (those living with them at 2 Tyne Villa in Ilford in 1911 were Charles Frederic (25), James William (24), Ada (18), Herbert (16), Henry (14) and Arthur Hickmott (12). We haven't been able to trace with any certainty the whereabouts of Ada Hickmott beyond the 1911 census (which showed her living with her parents at Ilford). The censuses indicate that her sister, Ellen Hickmott, worked as a nurse for the Hunt family at St Hilda in Woodford in Essex in 1901, and as a cook for the Guthie family in Chelsea in London in 1911. We know she lived with her youngest brother Arthur Hickmott and his wife in London between 1946 and 1956 but nothing else. As indicated, her brother Arthur Hickmott did marry, to Annie Emma Walker in the Romford RD of Essex in 1918, and lived at 121 Coburg Road in Camberwell in London between 1946 and 1956. Although still to be confirmed, we think Arthur died in the Newcastle upon Tyne district of Northumberland in 1971. We don't know if he and Annie had any children.

   According to the 'witherspoon merged 20jul09' family tree on Ancestry.com, Ellen and Arthur's brother, James William Hickmott (1887-prob 1939), married Elsie May Drake (1893-1986) in the Romford RD of Essex on 20 February 1920. It adds that Elsie was born at Tunsted and died at Norwich in Norfolk and that she and James had two children - probably Maud Hickmott who married Harry Witherspoon in 1952 and Gordon James Hickmott (1928-80). Ancestry's records of 'UK Soldiers who died in the Great War, 1914-19' includes a Henry Hickmott, a private soldier in the 2/6th Battalion (Territorials) of the Gloucestershire Regiment who was born at Ilford and died at Aldershot on 19 July 1916. Ancestry's military records also show that Daniel and Ellen's eldest son, Charles Frederick Hickmott of 2 York Cottages, Wright's Yard on Ley Street in Ilford, enlisted in the 8th (Reserve) Cyclist Battalion of the Essex Regiment on 10 October 1914 but was discharged 12 days later after being found 'medically unfit'. His NOK at the time was given as his wife, Ethel Hickmott, of the same address. Undeterred, Charles was able to re-enlist on 6 April 1915 and serve as a private soldier in the 6th Battalion The Buffs (East Kent Regiment). According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission he died of wounds at Bethune in France on 20 March 1916. The record adds that he was the husband of Ethel Smith (formerly Hickmott) of 2 Bell Yard, Ley Street in Ilford. The Catherine House records indicate the Ethel was Ethel Faulkner who married Charles in the West Ham registration district of Greater London in Essex in 1912. A statement provided by her in 1919 indicates that she and Charles had three children all born at Ilford: Charles Frederick Hickmott (born on 13 August 1913), James Daniel Hickmott (5 September 1914) and Harry Verdun Hickmott (1 May 1915). She added that Charles' father and mother were both deceased and that he had no brothers or sisters still living. What of Charles and Ethel's own children?

   1. Charles Frederick Hickmott (1913-81) married Evangeline Amelia Ganderton (1914-92) in the Romford RD of Essex in 1939. They lived for a time in Ilford and later Colchester in Essex where Charles died in 1981 and Evangeline in 1992. We believe they had at least two children including, possibly, Malcolm S. Hickmott who was born in the Yorkshire West Riding RD of Yorkshire in 1944.

   2. James Daniel Hickmott married Minnie Florence Pile (1911-93), the daughter of William James and Minnie Maria Pile nee Harvey in the West Ham RD of Essex in 1953. We don't know as yet whether they had any children.

   3. Although still to be confirmed, we think that Harry Verdun Hickmott (1916-93) married Ethel M. Searing in the East Ham RD of Essex in 1940. The London Electoral rolls show a Harry V. and Ethel M. Hickmott living at 198 Dore Ave in East Ham in 1964 and 1965. We don't know whether they had any children.

   The UK WWI records further show that Herbert Hickmott enlisted in the Territorial Army at Romford in Essex on 19 April 1912 at the age of 17. He was then working as a clerk for the Richmond Gas Stove Company and was living at 2 Tyne Villas on Tyne Rd in Ilford. His NOK was Daniel Charles Hickmott of 7 Tyne Rd. Herbert was assigned to the 2nd Essex Battery of the Royal Field Artillery. He was mobilised on 5 August 1914 and seems to have served in England until his discharge from the Army, at the rank of Acting Corporal, on 18 June 1919. The records further show that Herbert married Fannie Elizabeth Bills at Bethnal Green in 1917 and that he and Fannie had a daughter, Murial Grace Hickmott, who was born at Kensington on 24 November 1918. Herbert and Fannie's marriage certificate shows that he was then a 22 year-old bachelor and sergeant in the Royal Field Artillery who was living at Brentwood in Essex at the time of the wedding. She was a 23 year-old spinster and laundry maid, the daughter of Frederick Richard Bills a commission clerk (her mother was Mary Ann Norman). The wedding was witnessed by Grace Lilian Bills. Fannie was born at Chelsea in London in 1892 and died in Cornwall in 1977. We think that Herbert had died in Essex two years earlier. We don't know if they had any more children. The Catheriine House Records indicates that Herbert and Fannie's daughter Muriel married Albert E. Fordham in the Brentford registration district of Middlesex in 1946. The Fordham Family Tree on Ancestry.com tells us that Murial died at Greenford in England on 29 December 2000. Her husband Albert Edward Fordham was born in Hammersmith on 19 April 1916 and died in Greenford on 20 December 1978. He and Murial were said to have had two children both still living.

3. Caroline Elizabeth Hickmott. Born in Gravesend in 1854, Caroline, then aged 17 years, was working as a servant at Wallwood House in Leyton in Essex in 1871. She married George Setter (1852- 1928) at Bermondsey in London on 28 March 1875. The couple's wedding certificate, obtained from Ancestry's London parishes database, shows that she and George, the son of Philip Setter a labourer, were married at Christ Church in the New Parish of Christchurch in Bermondsey and that the wedding was witnessed by James Webber and Sarah Richards (we think George's mother was Mary Vickery). The same database together with the UK census returns indicate that George and Caroline had at least nine children, all born at Bermondsey: Maud Elizabeth (1877), Herbert George (1880), Lawrence (1882), Nora Jessie (1884), Ernest William (1887), Ethel Mary Ann (1889), Caroline Gertrude (1891), George (1894) and Philip Setter (1897).

   The UK censuses show that after their marriage George and Caroline and their growing family lived in Bermondsey and then Camberwell in London. In 1911 they were at 539 Old Kent Road in Camberwell where George, who was said to have been born at St Thomas in Devonshire, was working as a fruit porter. With them at the time were three of their children: Ethel Marion (a 22 year-old waitress), George (a 17 year-old clerk) and Philip Setter (14). Also present was one of Caroline's nephews, Philip George Hickmott (a 19 year-old clerk), who would marry their daughter, Nora Jessie Setter, the following year (see below). The 1911 census return indicated that George and Caroline had been married 36 years and had nine children, one of whom - Lawrence Setter - was no longer living.

   The England 1921 census shows George Setter, a 69 year-old warehouseman born at St Thomas in Devon, and Caroline Elizabeth Setter, 66 and born at Gravesend in Kent, were living at 3 Eswyn Road Tooting in London. With them were two of their children both of whom were born at Bermondsey: Ethel Marion (a 32 year-old waitress) and Phillip Setter, a 24 year-old electric telegraph printer mechanic. The London electoral rolls maintained by Ancestry show George and Caroline still at 3 Eswyn Road in Tooting in 1922 and 1925 (together with their sons George jnr and Philip Setter). They died there in 1927 and 1928 respectively. Probate from George's will was allocated to their son Philip who was then working as a mechanic and, together with his sisters Ethel Marion Setter and Nora Jessie Hickmott, continued to live in their parents' house until at least 1965. What of George and Caroline's four daughters and five sons?

   The London parishes database shows that George and Caroline's eldest daughter, Maud Elizabeth Setter (1877-1958(, married Edwin James Young (1872-1949), a sergeant in the 11th Hussars, at the Church of St James in Bermondsey on 8 February 1903. Edwin's father was said to be James Edward Young, a tailor. The wedding was witnessed by Herbert George and Norah Jessie Setter. Edwin's normal residence was then Ireland. The 1911 England census has Sergeant Edwin Young, married and born at Camden Town in 1873, was a resident in the Royal Artillery Barracks on Butt Road in Colchester in Essex. By the time of the 1921 England census, Edwin had left the Army and was working as a bank messenger. He and Maud were living at 37 Dean Road in Hounslow in Middlesex where they remained until their respective deaths on 30 November 1949 and 19 Apil 1958. We don't think they had any children. The England and Wales National Probate Calendar shows Maud left their estate to her youngest brother, Philip Setter.

   Their second daughter, Nora Jessie Setter (1884-1981), married her mother's cousin Philip George Hickmott (1889-1918) at St Philip's Church in Camberwell in London on 14 July 1912 (the wedding was witnessed by Nora's siblings Herbert George and Ethel Marion Setter). His medal card in the National Archives tells us that Philip enlisted in the British Army on 24 April 1915 and served in France before being sent to Italy. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records show a 'P. Hickmott', a 27 year-old Corporal of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, died on active service in Italy on 29 October 1918 and is buried in the Arquata Scrivia Communal Cemetery Extension (Grave IE6). The records note he was born at West Kensington in London, the son of Edward Richard and Elizabeth Margaret Hickmott and husband of N. J. Hickmott, of 3 Eswyn Road Tooting. Nora did not re-marry and lived with her parents and family members until her death in London's Wandsworth RD in 1981.

   George and Caroline's third daughter, Ethel Marion Setter (1889-1975), seemed not to have married and lived all her life with her parents and, following their deaths in the 1920s, her siblings. The Catherine House index shows she died in the Wandsworth RD of Greater London on 30 October 1975.

   Finally, banns for the marriage of George and Caroline's fourth daughter, Caroline Gertrude Setter (1891-1956) - pictured on the right - to Albert Arthur Perrin (both of whom belonged to the Holloway parish) were read at St James Church, Holloway in Islington in London on 18 September, 25 September and 2 October 1910. The marriage did not proceed and the 'Symonds family tree' on Ancestry tells us Caroline later married a Henry Williams (who was born in 1888) at the Camberwell Register Office in 1912. It adds that Caroline died in 1956 and she and Henry had three children: 1) Philip Ernest Williams (1915-2002); 2) Maud Marion Jessie Williams (1917-2009) who married Federick William Symonds (1912-70) at the Wandsworth Town Hall on 23 September 1939 and had three children (all male); and 3) Eveline Katherine Williams (1923-31).

   George and Caroline's eldest son, Herbert George Setter (1880-1947), married Louisa Sarah Kempton (1876-1953) at St Mary Magdalene Church at Bermondsey on 6 September 1903. According to the 'Steve Whitby Family Tree' on Ancestry Louisa's parents were George Kempton (1848-92) and Sarah Maria Meredith (1857- ) who were married in Sussex in 1874 and had a second daughter, Rhoda Celia Elizabeth Kempton, in 1882. The census returns and electoral rolls for London show that Herbert and Louisa lived initially at Bermondsey, then Deptford and then Camberwell where Herbert worked as a fruit market porter. The 1911 census has them at 539 Old Kent Road and indicates they then had four children, all living. The 1921 England Census has Hebert and Louisa still at 539 Old kent Road Camberwell with by then eight children all of whom were born at Bermondsey: Eva (17 year-old dressmaker), Connie (14, part-time student), Cecilia (12, student), Lawrence (10), George (9), Herbert (7), Philip (5) and Megan Setter (3).The 1939 England and Wales Register has Herbert G. Setter (born 17 June 1879 and working as a Covent Garden Porter), Louisa Setter (22 June 1876, home duties), Connie Setter/Smith (12 November 1906, hd), Grace Setter, (married and born on 4 December 1912) and Megan Setter/Whitby (married stationer born 10 December 1917) all living at 539 Old Kent Road Camberwell. The 1945 roll has them at 59 St Mary's Road in Camberwell where Herbert and Louisa died on 19 January 1947 and 12 February 1953 respectively. The UK and Ireland, Find a Grave website shows they are buried together in the Camberwell New Cemetery in Southwark (Square 69, Grave 9318). As noted, Herbert and Louisa had eight children we are aware of all of whom were born at Bermondsey::

   (1) Eva Rhoda Hilda Setter (1904-35). Eva married Victor Bernard Connell (1901-84), the son of William Hopkins Connell (1858-1937) and Sarah Ann Palmer (1855-1935), at Camberwell in Surrey in 1928. The London electoral rolls show Victor and Eva - pictured on the left at the time of their wedding - living at 115 Grove Park in Camberwell in 1929. Sometime after this they moved to King's Lynn in Norfolk where Eva died in 1935. The 'Connell Family Tree' on Ancestry tells us they had three children - a girl and two boys - one of whom married a daughter of a Kent couple Albert Thomas Graves (1896-1982) and Rose Victoria Ruth Austin (1906-80). The 'England & Wales National Probate Calendar, 1858-1995' shows Victor was living at 20 Norbury Road Ipswich in Norfolk at the time of his death on 1 October 1984.

   (2) Constance (Connie) Setter (1906-90). Connie was living with her parents at the time of the 1911 and 1921 censuses. Ancestry's 'London Chuch of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1940' shows she married a 24 year-old seaman and bachelor, George Philip Smith, at St Philip's Parish Church in Camberwell on 29 June 1929. It adds that Connie and George were both living at 539 Old Kent Road at the time and the wedding was witnessed by Connie's parents. Born at Tottenham in London on 22 March 1905, George was the eldest of three sons of George Whippy Smith and Dorothy Ethel Willoughby who were married there earlier the same year. Ancestry's 'UK Royal Navy Registers of Seamans' Services, 1848-1939' tells us George Philip, who had been working as a bottle washer prior to enlisting, served three terms as a rating and signaller in the Royal Navy. The first was between 12 July 1921 and 24 January 1927 and included time on the Royal Navy ships GANGES and YARMOUTH. His second term was from 22 March 1929 until 7 October 1940 and included time on the EGMONT 2 or VENDETTA and the BIRMINGHAM. Ancestry's 'RN Long Service and Good Conduct Medal Index' indicates George's third term went from 1940 until after the end of the Second World War. Over this time, Connie lived with her parents and siblings. Although still to be confirmed, we believe she died aged 81 years in the Southend on Sea RD of Essex in 1988. We have yet to find what happened to George Philip Smith. Nor do we know if he and Connie had any children.

   (3) Cecilia Getrude Setter (1909-97) who married George Curtis in the Camberwell RD in 1937. The 1939 England and Wales Register has Cecilia G Curtis, a commercial clerk born on 5 March 1909 and married, as a patient at 347 White House Albany Street Lewisham in London. The London electoral rolls show a Cecelia G. and George Curtis living at 65 Grandison Road in Battersea between 1954 and 1965. The 'Setter Family Tree' on Ancestry tells us Cecilia died at Southend on Sea in Essex on 23 June 1997. Again we have as yet to determine whether she and George had children.

   (4) Lawrence Setter (1910-91). Ancestry's 'London, England Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1940' shows that Lawrence, then a 25 year-old bachelor working as a warehouseman, married Grace Newing, a 22 year-old spinster and daughter of Wallace Newing, a painter, at Saint Philip the Apostle Church at Camberwell on 7 September 1935. The wedding was witnessed by both their fathers and Lawrence's sister Cecelia Gertrude Setter. According to the 'Setter Family Tree' on Ancestry, Grace was born at Croydon in Surrey on 6 December 1914, the youngest of seven children of Wallace Newing (1879-1963) and Minnie Jean Weaver (c1868-c1955) who were married in the Blean District of Kent in 1894. The UK electoral rolls show Lawrence and Grace living at 84 Delaford Road in Camberwell in 1936, 75 Ilderton Road Rotherhithe in 1938, 33 Dundalk Road Deptford between 1945 and 1947, and 31 Knoyle Street between 1949 and 1964. The 'Setter Family Tree' tells us that over this time Lawrence and Grace had three girls and two boys. These included Ronald Peter Setter (1851-2001) who was born at Deptford, married Janet Bullion at Lewisham in Greater Lonon in 1972, and had three children (a girl and two boys). Ronald died at Bexley in Greater London in 2001, Ancestry's 'England and Wales National Probate Calendar' shows Lawrence and Grace Setter nee Newing both died in London in 1991, she on 16 March and he on 4 September.

   (5) George Setter (1911-91). Born at Bermondsey, George was working as a warehouseman when he enlisted in the British Army on 23 July 1919 and served in the Machine Gun Corps for four years rising to the rank of Sergeant. The England and Wales Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 shows George married Queenie Ethel Eames (1907-83) in the Stoke Newington RD of London in 1938. Born at Shoreditch in London, Queenie's parents were Charles Federick and Lilian Ethel Eames. The 1939 England and Wales Register has George Setter, a bank messenger born on 19 October 1911, and Queenie E. Setter, viewer of aircraft components born on 30 April 1907, living at 41 Cecilia Road Hackney in London. Ancestry's Surrey England Electoral Registers, 1832-1962 have them at 18 Caen Wood Road in Ashstead in Surrey in 1948 (a Hebert H. and Eileen Eves were registered at the same address). Queenie died at Ashstead on 22 April 1983 and George at Ramsgate in Kent on 5 September 1991. We don't think they had children.

   (6) Herbert Ernest Setter (1914-92) lived with his parents and siblings in Greater London until his death in the Gravesend RD of Kent in October 1992. He is buried with his parents in the Camberwell New Cemetery in Southwark (Square 69, Grave 9318).

   (7) Philip Setter (1916-92) The 1939 England and Wales Register shows Philip living at Bromley in Kent and working as a coach painter. The 1946 electoral roll has him back living with his parents and siblings on Old Kent Road in Camberwell. Although still to be confirmed, we think, he had served for a time in the RAF during the intervening period. The 1962 electoral roll has him residing at 59 St Mary's Road in Camberwell possibly with his future spouse, Dorothy Elizabeth Mary Edwards nee Davies (1901-76), who was registered as living there in 1939 and working as a barmaid. The 'England and Wales Civil Marriage Registation Index, 1916-2005', shows they were married in the Camberwell RD in January 1966. According to the 'ANCESTRY ON LINE' family tree on Ancestry, Dorothy was born on the island of Gibraltar on 28 February 1901. Her parents were a Welshman, Roger Davies, and a native of Northfleet in Kent, Minnie Dartnell (c1874-1916), who were married on Gibraltar on 26 March 1898. It adds that Dorothy, who had earlier married an Alberrt G. Edwards at Camberwell in July 1927, was living at 59 St Mary's Road at the time of her death on 21 May 1976 (she was cremated at Southwark in London seven days later). Philip Setter died in the Lewisham RD of London on 13 September 2005 and was cremated at Greenwich. We don't think they had children.

   (8) Megan Setter (1917-2003) - pictured on the right with George and their son Michael - married George Edward Whitby (1916-79) who, the 'Steve Whitby Family Tree' on Ancestry tells us, was born in London on 2 July 1916, the youngest of twelve children of Arthur George Whitby (1871-1953) and Emma Ellen Schimdt (1875-1940) who were married at the All Saints Church in Newington in Surry on 33 May 1892. Emma's father was German-born Adolphe Schmidt who married a London girl Emma Hart in either 1870 or 1873, It adds that George died at Southwark in Greater London on 22 February 1979, and Megan in Lewisham Hospital on 12 May 2003. They had three children - two boys and a girl - and at least three grandchildren all still living.

   

   Along with the three preceding photos, this if from the 'Steve Whitby Family Tree' on Ancesrty,
   and shows, (L/R): Megan Whitby nee Setter, George Whitby, Louisa Setter (Megan's mother),
   brother Philip Setter, brother George Setter and his wife Queenie.

   British military records obtained from Ancestry.com show that George Setter jnr enlisted in the Army on 10 September 1914 and was allocated to the East Surrey Regiment. He went to France with the British expeditionary Force on 30 August 1915, serving there for 45 days in the Ist Battalion Machine Gun Corps and reaching the rank of Cpl. He was then in England from 14 September until 10 December 1915 before returning to France where he served until 15 February 1919. He served as a corporal in Britain's post-war Army for two years and later lived with his parents and siblings. George died in the Brent RD of Greater London in 1973. Although still to be confirmed, we don't think he married.

   Born at Bermondsey in 1891, Lawrence Setter was working as a private soldier at Tanshelf Barracks in Yorkshire at the time of the 1901 census (he was probably with the 3rd Battalion Yorkshire Rifles although that has to be confirmed). The 1931 electoral roll had him living at 539 Old Kent Road together with his brother Herbert George Setter and his family. The Catherine House index shows that a Lawrence Setter and Grace Newing were married in the Camberwell RD of London in 1935. The electoral rolls show them living in Camberwell before the Second World War and in Deptford after it (until at least the mid-1960s). We haven't been able to find either Lawrence or Grace in Ancestry's death records.

   The London Electoral Rolls on Ancestry show that Philip Setter lived at home with his parents and siblings in Tooting in London for much of his life. Although still to be confirmed we think he might have married Dorothy Edwards there in 1966, and died in the Wandsworth RD of Greater London in 1983.

4. Emma Sophia/Sophy Hickmott (1856-96). The 1861 England Census shows Emma S. Hickmott, aged 5 years and born at Ilford, living with her parents and siblings - Daniel C., (16), Richard (12), Mary A. (10), Caroline E. (7) and Edward G. Hickmott (2) - at Brick Fields in Buckhurst Hill in the Chigwell Parish of Essex. Ancestry's 'Essex, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1921' informs us an Emma Sophy Hickmott, daughter of James and Mary Ann Hickmott, was baptied at St John the Baptist, Buckhurst Hill on 21 August 1864. At the time of the 1871 census, the then 14 year-old Emma was still living with her parents and siblings - on Alfred Road in Buckhurst Hill - and working as a servant. The 'London, England Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1940' informs us an Emma Hickmott, the daughter of James Hickmott, gardener, married John Aslett, son of Henry Aslett, ink manufacturer, at Saint James the Less, Bethnal Green, in Tower Hamlets in London on 26 June 1881. The marriage was witnessed by a George Setter - Emma's brother-in-law - and her sister M. A. Hickmott. The 'Varney Family Tree' on Ancestry tells us John's parents, Henry Aslett (1829-87) and Mary Ann Elizabeth Saunders (1828-83), were married at Spitalfields Christ Church in Stepney in London on 15 March 1852 and had eight children between 1853 and 1869 (including a Mary Ann Elizabeth Aslett later Hurley (1858-1928) - see below).

   The 1891 England Census has John T. Aslett (a 36 year-old manager of a boot shop and born in London) and Emma Aslett (34 year-old shopkeeper) living in Hackney in London along with their three children - Maud (8), Ethel (6) and Leonard Aslett (4) all of whom were born in London - and a 20 year-old female servant. Ancestry's 'Essex, Church of England Deaths and Burials, 1813-1996', informs us that Emma Aslett, aged 39, was buried at St John the Baptist, Buckhurst Hill in Essex, on 29 February 1896. The 1901 England Census has a J. Aslett, a 45 year-old widower and salesman who was born at Mile End Town in London, as a visitor at the home of a widow and laundress, M. A. Hurley (41 and born at Stepney). Also present were Mary Ann's daughter and son-in-law (F. and B.T. Lazarus) and her nephew, L. J. Aslett, a 14 year-old errand boy who was born at Mile End Old Town. Ancestry's 'City of London and Tower Hamlets Cemetery Registers, 1841-1966' tells us a John Aslett, aged 48, died in the Mile End London Infirmary and was buried in the London and Tower Hamlets Cemetery on 4 August 1904.

   John and Emma Aslett nee Hickmott had three children we are aware of. According to the 'Surrey Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1937' their eldest daughter, Maud (Emma) Aslett, 24, married after banns Eugene (Cherie) Molin, 27, at St Marys Church at Reigate in Surrrey on 28 November 1906. Maud's father was said to be John Aslett (deceased) and Eugene's was Leon Molin, a hairdresser who was a witness to the marriage as was Ethel Aslett (Maud's sister). The 1911 England Census shows Eugene (a 31 year-old hair dresser born at Reigate in Surrey) and Maud Molin (28, Bow London) living at 61 Station Road in Reigate along with their daughter - Muriel Molin (3 and born at Redhill in Surrey) - a work assistant and a female servant. The 'Varney Family Tree' on Ancestry tells us Maud and Eugene had a second child - Eugene Molin jnr who was born on 23 October 1911 and baptised at St Matthews Redhill in Surrey on 26 November 1911. It adds that both he and his mother died the same year and were buried at St Marys at Reigate, she on 27 November and he on 29 December 1911. Following the onset of the First World War in 1914, Eugene Molin enlisted in the British Army at Brighton in Sussex and served as a private soldier in the 10th Battalion of the Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment. He was killed in action on 5 January 1917 and is buried in the La Clytte Military Cemetery in Belgium (Grave II. E. 22). At the time of the England 1921 Census, Maud and Eugene's daughter, Muriel Maude Molin (13 and born at Redhill in Surrey) was living with her grandfather, Leon Molin, and some of his family on Bill Street in Reigate. The 'Varney Family Tree' tells us she maried a Walter W. Atkinson in the Surrey South Eastern RD in August 1939 and died in East Surrey in 2002. We don't know if she and Walter had any children.

   The 1911 England Census, shows John and Emma's second daughter, Ethel (Mary Ann) Aslett, a 27 year-old housewife who was born at Mile End in London, living at 50 Twyford Mansions in Marylebone with her partner Ernest Hazlett (33 and working as a furniture dealer) and their one year-old daughter, Hildegarde Aslett, who was born in London. The 1921 England Census has Ethel Hazlett, 37, married and born in London, living at 11 King Edward Mansions in Fulham together with her 11 year-old daughter, Hilda Hazlett (born at Marylebone in London). It also shows an Ernest Hazlett, 43, married, born at Heligoland in Germany and working as an 'Agent For Glass Toys and Novelties', at Bloomsbury in London along with Ethel's brother, Leonard John Aslett, 35 and single, who was working for Ernest as a traveller. The 1939 England and Wales Register has them all at Oak Croft in Ruislip-Northwood in Middlesex. Hilda Coxon/Hildegarde Jervis, who was born on 2 January 1910, was married and her uncle, John Leonard Aslett, was still single. The 'Varney Family Tree' on Ancestry tells us Leonard John Aslett died in the Uxbridge RD of Middlesex in January 1941. The England & Wales National Probate Calandar shows Ernest Albert Hazlett of Oakcroft Mahton Avenue in South Ruislip died at Hillingdon Hospital in Middlesex on 10 June 1944 (probate from his will was granted to Ethel Mary Ann Aslett spinster). The same source informs us that Ethel Mary Ann Aslett or Hazlett of the same address died at Hillingdon Hospital on 15 March 1966. Probate from her will was awarded to Hildegarde Ethel Jervis, a married woman, and Ian Henry Jervis, telecommunications technical officer. The 'Edney-Collins Herring-Brewer Family Tree' on Ancestry informs us that Hidagarde and Ian, the son of Cyril Henry Jervis (1893-1973) and Ethel Lily Howick (1894-1964), were married at Harrow in Middlesex in 1954. Both died at Taunton in Somerset, he in 2005 and she the following year. We don't know if they had any children.

5. Edward George Hickmott was born at Ilford in Essex in around 1859. He married Alice Ellen Chapman (1864-1949) at Bermondsey in London on 15 July 1894. Their wedding certificate shows they were married at St Mary Magdalen Church in Bermondsey. Edward was 35 years old and Alice, the daughter of John Chapman, a deceased labourer, was 29. They were both living at 79 Willow Walk at the time of the wedding which was witnessed by a G. W. Treadwell and E. A. Gould. The England censuses show that Alice's birthplace was Margaret Roding in Essex and, after their marriage, she and Edward lived initially at Buckhurst Hill in Essex - where their first three children were born - and then nearby Ilford. Ancestry's 'UK and Ireland Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960' shows Edward and Alice and three of their children sailed from England to Halifax in eastern Canada, the then 54 year-old Edward on the CORSICAN which left Liverpool on 4 April 1913 and Alice (aged 48), Emma (18), William (11) and Nelson Hickmott (9) from Bristol on the ROYAL EDWARD on 8 April 1914. They were all bound for St John in New Brunswick where Edward was presumably contracted to work as a bricklayer. The 'UK and Ireland, Incoming Passenger Lists' show Alice (51), William (15) and Nelson (11) sailed back to Liverpool on the NORTHLAND arriving there on 1 December 1916. Edward George, whose normal address was said to be Pyrmont Road Ilford, returned to Liverpool on the TUNISIAN which arrived there on 20 January 1919. Their daughter, Emma Lucy Hickmott, did not return to England until September 1926 when she sailed from Montreal to Southampton on the MINNIDOSA (the ship's passenger list states she was then a 31 year-old bank clerk and her proposed address in England was 9 Pyrmont Road Ilford). The 1921 England census has Edward George (a 62 year-old brickiayer) and his wife Alice Ellen (57) then living at 9 Pyrmont Road. With them were two of their sons: William James Hickmott (a 20 year-old labourer born in Seven Kings in Essex) and Nelson Hickmott (a 16 year-old bakers hand born at Chadwell Heath in Essex). By the time of the 1939 England and Wales Register Edward, who no longer worked, and Alice were residing at 44 Lockwood Road in Ilford along with Nelson Hickmott who was still single and working for the War Reserve Police. The Catherine House records tell us Edward George and Alice Hickmott nee Chapman both died at Ilford, he in 1941 (aged 82 years) and she in 1949 (aged 85). What of their childen?

   To date we have only been able to identify seven of their eight children. As noted in the 1911 England Census, two of these - probably Grace Lilian Hickmott (1903-3) and Caroline Elizabeth Hickmott (1899-1904) - died young. Edward and Alice's two eldest daughters, Mary Ann Chapman (Cissie) Hickmott (1887-1949) and Emma Lucy Hickmott (1895-1946) seem not to have married. As we have seen, Emma travelled to Canada with her mother and two younger brothers in 1916 and did not return to England until 1926. The '1939 England and Wales Register' shows her to be 'incapacitated' and a patient at Severalls Mental Hospital in Colchester in Essex. Emma died at Colchester in January 1946. The 1911 England Census has a Cissie Hickmott, 24 and born at Buckhust Hill working as a general servant for a Lamb family at Stroud Green in Middlesex.The 'UK, Womens' Royal Air Force Service Records, 1918-1920' shows a Cissie Hickmott aged 32, served as a cook from 19 June 1918 until 15 April 1919. After that Mary Ann/Cissie continued working as a cook - she was at St Marlebone in London in 1921 and Sunbury-on-Thames in Middlesex in 1939 - until her death at Ilford in October 1949. Edward and Alice's youngest son, Nelson Hickmott (1905-43), was born at Chadwell Heath in Essex, and lived most his life with his parents. Ancestry's 'UK WWII Civilian Deaths, 1939-45' shows that a Nelson Hickmott, a 37 year-old constable in the Police War Reserve and son of Mrs A. E. Hickmott, died at their home at 44 Lockwood Road on 12 March 1943.

   Edward and Alice's two remaining children did marry but as far as we can tell had no children for their beloved parents to fuss over in their later years. Their eldest son, Edward George Hickmott jr was born in the Epping RD of Essex on 28 May 1897 and was living with his parents at Ilford at the time of the 1901 and 1911 censuses. Ancestry's UK Outward Passenger Lists show an Edward Hickmott, a 16 year-old hairdresser's assistant, sailed from Bristol to Quebec in Canada in 1913. Its database of 'Canadian soldiers of the First World War' includes an Edward George Hickmott whose NOK was a Mrs A. E. Hickmott. The 'UK, RAF Officer Service Records, 1918-1919' on Ancestry shows an Edward George Hickmott, date of birth 28 May 1897 and living at 9 Pyrmont Road Ilford, enlisted in the RAF on 27 July 1916. He served in England until July 1919 (initially as a cadet and then a Second Lieutenant) before sailing on the ST MEGANTIC to Canada on 15 September 1919. The Find a Grave website shows a 2Lt Edward George (Ted) Hickmott, born at Buckhurst Hill on 28 May 1897, died at Edmonton in the Alberta Province of Canada on 13 July 1989 and is buried in the Beechmount Cemetery there (Plot 641, 24). The following information about Ted was included on the website:

   Before the war, Ted Hickmott was an unmarried barber living in Edmonton, Alberta. His mother E. G. Hickmott was living in Edmonton, later Ilford, Essex, England. 2nd Lieutenant Edward George Hickmott enlisted in the 66th Overseas Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force Regimental No. 100987, at Edmonton, Alberta on the 20th of July 1915. He served in Canada and England with the 66th Overseas Battalion, the 9th Reserve Battalion, and the Canadian Army Medical Corps Training School and was appointed to Acting Corporal on the 2nd of September 1916. He was discharged on the 12th of September 1918 by reason of being appointed a Flight Cadet in the Royal Air Force. He was promoted to Temporary 2nd Lieutenant effective on the 15th of February 1919 and sailed for repatriation in Canada on the 15th of September 1919. Edward G. Hickmott married Margaret C. Murphy at Edmonton, Alberta in 1943. Margaret Hickmott passed away on the 1st of August 2011 [the website indicates Ted may have been earlier married to an Ellen Hickmott/Hickman (1885-1977) who is also buried in the Beechmount Cemetery (Plot 549, 04)].

   William James Hickmott (1901-79). The England 1921 Census has William, aged 20 and born in Seven Kings in Essex, living with his parents and younger brother at 9 Pyrmont Road in Ilford and working as a brick layer. The Catherine House records shows he married Ethel L. Wolfe in the Romford RD of Essex in October 1936. The 1939 England and Wales Register has William J. Hickmott, born on 8 July 1901 and working as a bricklayer, and Ethel L. Hickmott, born on 3 August 1907, living on South Park Road in Essex. The 'Essex, England Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1921' shows an Ethel Louise Wolfe was born on 3 August 1907 and baptised at Great Ilford, St Mary the Virgin on 10 November the same year. Her parents were Robert John and Florence Wolfe nee Cope who were married on 28 September 1901. The 1911 England Census shows Ethel Louise Wolfe, 3 and born at Seven Kings in Essex, living at 62 Betchworth Road Seven Kings with her parents: Robert John Wolfe, a 30 year-old telegraph clerk born at Camberwell in Sussex, and Florence Wolfe, 33 and born at Warton in Warwickshire. Also living there were a Florence Elizabeth Wolfe, 8 and born at Clapton in Essex, and Kathleen Wolfe, 1 and born at Seven Kings. The census return states Robert and Florence had been married nine years and had four children one of whom was no longer living. The 'Ferris McCarthy Family Tree' on Ancestry tells us Robert John and Florence Wolfe both died at Ilford, Robert on 28 July 1916, and Florence, who later married Robert's brother, Adrian Valentine Wolfe (1894-1985) at West Ham in Essex in 1920, on 30 March 1958. The London electoral rolls on Ancestry show William James and Ethel Louise Hickmott were living at 44 Lockwood Road during the 1960s (along with a Lawrence V. Wolfe, Ethel's half-brother who was born at West Ham on 19 January 1924 and working as an apprentice type setter in Staffordshire at the time of the 1939 England & Wales Register). Ethel Louise Hickmott nee Wolfe died on 7 February 1968 and was cremated at Newham in London six days later. William James Hickmott was still living on Lockwood Road when he died on 27 November 1979. He was also cremated at Newham. Although still to be confirmed, we don't think they had any children.

6. Born at Buckhurst Hill in Essex in 1865, Harriet Alice Hickmott was living with her parents there in 1871. At the time of the 1881 census Alice (as she was then called) was working as a house servant at 17 Frant Road in Tunbridge Wells (Alice's older sister Mary Ann was the cook at the same house). The Catherine House Records show that Alice Harriet Hickmott married Fred Basden in the St Olave registration district of London in the October quarter of 1889. Their wedding certificate shows that Fred was aged 33 years and worked as a licensed victualler. His father was Thomas Basden, a gardener (deceased). Alice Harriet, as she was called, was 28 years old. Her father was said to be William James Hickmott also a gardener. The marriage was witnessed by George and Caroline Elizabeth Setter. We think that Fred was born Frederick Robert Basden who, Ancestry's 'Essex, England Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1921' tells us was baptised at Walthamstow in Essex on 30 November 1856, the son of Thomas and Eliza Basdon. The 1871 England Census has Frederick Basden, a 15 year-old farm servant born at Walthamstow, living at Buckhurst Hill with his parents and four siblings: George (a 16 year-old bricklayer also born at Walthamstow), and John (13), Ellen (10) and William Basden (7) all of whom were scholars and born at Woodford in Essex. Their parents were Thomas (a 46 year-old labourer born at Chigwell in Essex) and Eliza Basden (44 and born at Dunley in Gloustershire).

   The 1901 England census shows Fred, a 44 year-old bricklayer, and Alice living at 3 St Stephen's Cottages in Buckhurst Hill. Also present were their two daughters Lily (9) and 'Beatie' (4), both of whom were born at Buckhurst Hill. By the time of the 1911 census Alice was widowed and living at 1 Robert's Cottage in Buckhurst Hill along with her daughters - Lily Marion Basden (a 19 year-old domestic nurse) and Caroline Beatrice Basden (14). The 1921 census has the widowed Alice at 80 Lower Queens Road in Buckhurst Hill. Also registered there were two 'visitors': Frederick George Laws, 25, who was born at Ipswich in Surrey and was working as a ticket collector for the Great Eastern Railways, and Lilian Marion Laws, 29 and born at Buckhurst Hill. The 1939 England and Wales Register shows Harriet Alice Basden, a widow born on 6 June 1864, living at 71 Alfred Road in Chigwell in Essex. The same source has a George and Lilian M. Laws residing at 'Honeypot' on Main Road in Bognor Regis in Sussex. George, who was working as a gardener, was born on 8 May 1894 and Lilian on 28 April 1892. Also registered there was a Violet F. Laws, who was born on 1 June 1920 and working as a tailoress. It further shows a Caroline B. Webber, married and born on 17 May 1896, living at 7 New Road Ilford along with six other workers some of whom, like Beatie, were described as engaged in 'Capstan Hand Heavy Work'.

   The Catherine House index shows that Harriet Alice Basden nee Hickmott died in the Ilford Registration District of Essex in 1946. In addition to the two daughters already mentioned, the 'Essex England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-192' on Ancestry tells us she and Fred had a son: Frederick 'Jathes' (probably James) Basden who was baptised on 20 October 1893. Sadly he died at Epping in Essex four years later. What of their two daughters?

   Lilian Marion (Lily) Basden (1894- ). Born at Buckhurst Hill in Essex, the then 19 year-old Lily was living with her mother there at the time of the 1911 census. The Catherine House Index shows she married Frederick George Laws in the Epping Registration District of Essex in 1921. As noted above George was born at Ipswich in Sussex on 18 May 1894. The 'O'Neill Family Tree' on Ancestry tells us Lily and 'Fredrick' had a daughter, Joan Lilian Laws (1922-2008) who was born in Suffolk on 2 August 1922 and died at Rayleigh in Essex on 18 June 2008. It adds that Joan married Stanley George Wardley (1911-85) at Ipswich in Suffolk in June 1948 and had two children: Michael George Wardley (1950-2022), plus a daughter each of whom had two children. Although still to be confirmed, Frederick and Lily may also have had two daughters before they were married. These were the Violet F. Laws, single and born on 1 June 1920, who was living with them at the time of the 1939 England and Wales Register and a Mabel Evelyn Laws who, according to Ancestry's 'Suffolk, England Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1924' was baptised at Ipswich in Sussex on 19 January 1913 and was said to be the daughter of a Frederick George and Lily Laws.

   Caroline Beatrice (Beatie) Laws (1896-unknown). Also born at Buckhurst Hill, Beatie was living with her widowed mother and older sister at the time of the 1911 census. The Catherine House Index shows a Caroline B. Basden married Frank Webber in the Romford RD of Essex in 1934 (4a, 1280).The 1939 England and Wales Register shows Caroline B Webber, married and born 17 May 1896, living at 7 New Road Ilford along with six other people. The occupation of her and many others on the page wwas 'Capstan Hand Heavy Work'.

7. Frederick Herbert Hickmott. Born at Buckhurst Hill in 1867, Frederick was living with his parents at Chigwell in Essex in 1871 and 1881. The Catherine House records show that he married Amy Clark in the Edmonton registration district of Essex in the April quarter of 1890. Amy was born at King's Cross in London in 1872. The 1891 census shows Frederick and Amy as visitors at the house of Fred and Agnes M. Mills at 4 Adelaide Place in Hanwell in Middlesex. Frederick was than a painter and was said to be born at Maidstone in Kent. The 1901 census has Frederick, a 35 year-old cabman and groom, living at 79 Upton Park Road in West Ham in London with his wife Amy and daughter Mabel who was eight years old and had been born at Buckhurst Hill. The 1911 census shows Frederick, a 42 year-old traveller for a brewery, boarding at the home of Joshua and Annie James of 26 Westbury Road Forest Hill in London. The census return indicated that Frederick was married, had been so for 22 years and had three children, two of whom were no longer living. It seems that around this time Frederick and Amy either separated or were divorced. The 'England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915' shows a Frederick H. Hickmott married Beatrice Mary Lydiard at West Ham in London in the first quarter of 1914.

   The 1921 census has Frederick, 54 and an unemployed labourer, residing at 58 Stafford Road East Ham in Essex (no one else was recorded as living there). The form says he had four childrren aged 4, 6, 13 and 15. The census also shows Beatrice Lydiard, a 34 year-old widow born at West Ham in Essex and of no fixed address, a visitor at the residence of a married couple Harry (32 and born at Stratford in Essex) and Minnie Fox (24 and born at Forest Gate in Essex). Their residential address was 31 Browning Road Leytonstone in Leyton in Essex. Also present were Beatrice's four children: 1) Clara Lydiard (16, born at Forrest Gate in Essex, father deceased and working as a shirt presser); 2) Alice Lydiard (14, born at East Ham in Essex, father deceased, and working as a domestic servant); 3) Beatrice Hickmott (6, born at East Ham, father alive) and 4) Frederick Hickmott (4, born at East Ham Essex and father alive). According to Ancestry's 'England and Wales Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-97', Amy Hickmott, born around 1873, died aged 56 years, in the Brentford RD of Middlesex in October 1929. It also has a Frederick Hickmott, born in around 1868 and died, aged around 63, in the West Ham Registration District of Essex in January 1931. The '1939 England and Wales Register' shows Beatrice Mary Lydiard/Hickmott, born January 1887, a widow on unpaid domestic duties, living at 77 Malvern Road Leyton in Essex along with Frederick H. Hickmott (born 4 October 1916, single and working as a radio salesman) and Beatrice Mabel Hickmott/Bonnett (born 15 January 1915, single and working as a contometer operator.

   Frederick Herbert Hickmott seems to have fathered five children, three with Amy Clark and two with Beatrice Mary Lydiard. As noted above, he and Mary's children included a Mabel Hickmott who was born at Buckhurst Hill in Essex in around 1893. According to the 'Pearman/Mathews and Ball/Wells' and a number of other family trees on Ancestry, Mabel Violet Hickmott (1893-1962) married Philip Norman Glendining (1893-1966) at West Ham in Essex in January 1924. The London Electoral Rolls show a Mabel Violet and Philip Norman Glendining living at 'The Nook' in the Parish of West Drayton in Uxbridge in 1929 and at 22 Yew Avenue in the Parish of Yiewsley between 1930 and 1935. They seemed to have lived the latter part of their married lives in Gloucestershire where Mabel died in 1962 and Philip in 1966. The above sources tell us they had two daughters, Jean Stewart Sheldrick nee Glendining (1926-2019) who was born in Uxbridge in Middlesex and died at Painswick in Gloucestershire, and one other.

   The 'Poerava Bonnett family tree' on Ancestry tells us Beatrice Mabel Hickmott (born in London on 6 January 1915) married a lorry driver, Robert Stanley Bonnett (1910-99), in Essex in October 1945. Robert Stanley was born at Forest Gate in Essex on 6 June 1910 and died at Thanet with Dover in Kent in June 1999. 'Barbara's Family Tree' on Ancestry tells us Robert Stanley's parents were Robet Henry Bonnett (1885-1965) and Emma Devine (1887-1960) both of whom were born at Bethnal Green in London and died at Leytenstone in Essex. They were married at Epping in Essex in 1908 and had a daughter in addition to Robert. Beatrice Mabel and Robert Stanley Bonnett had two daughters: Barbara Jean Yates nee Bonnett who was born at Ilford in Essex on 3 February 1949 and died in Essex in August 2919, and one other. Frederick and Beatrice Mary's second child, Frederick Herbert Hickmott jnr was bon at West Ham in Essex on 4 October 1816 and married Mercy Florence Melbourne nee Rogers (1913-94) in Essex in 1946. The 'Biddlecomb' family tree tells us Mercy, born at Leyton in Essex, was the youngest of seven children of Hadley James Rogers (1881-1918), who was killed in action in Flanders in France on 20 March 1918, and Sarah Jane Maguire who were married in West Ham in 1903. Mercy Florence died at Lewishman in Greater London on 19 Aprril 1994 and Frederick Herbert jnr in Greenwich in London in 2002. They had at least one son still living.

8. Ellen Ada Hickmott (1870-1943). Born at Buckhurst Hill in Essex in 1870, Ellen was living with her parents at Chigwell at the time of the 1881 and 1891 censuses. The Catherine House records show she married Harry Edmund Blott (1868-1935) in the Epping registration district of Essex in 1900. Harry, a butcher, was the son of Jonathon and Eliza Blott who, along with Harry and his older sister Maud, were living in Bethnel Green in 1891. The 1901 census shows Harry and Ada at 69 Bridge Road Battersea in London. With them was a 24 year-old 'servant' and 'butcher's assistant', James Hughes from Bethnel Green. The 1911 census has Harry E. Blott, a 42 year-old market butcher who was born at Bethnal Green in London, and his wife Ellen Ada (41, Buckhurst Hill) living at 168 Church Road Manor Park in Essex. With them was their seven year-old niece, Doris Rose Hickmott, who had been born at Manor Park. The census indicates that Harry and Ellen had been married ten years and had no children. At the time of the 1921 England Census, Harry, a 52 year-old butcher born at Bethnal Green, and Ada E. Blott, 52 and born at Buckhurst Hill, were living at 91 Dersingham Ave, at Manor Park in East Ham in Essex. The Catherine House Index shows that a Harry E. Blott, aged 66 years, died in the Romford registration district of Essex in 1935 (4a, 485). At the time of the 1939 England and Wales Register, Ellen A Blott, a widow, incapacitated and born on 15 June 1870, was residing at 11 Wards Road West Ilford in Essex. The Catherine House records tell us Ellen A. Blott, aged 72, died in Essex four years later.

Last updated: 14 October 2025

Image sources:
'Northfleet 1834', engraving by Wallis from original drawing by William Tombleson as part of his 'Views of the Thames and Medway' series; from Richard Nicholson of Chester Antique Maps and Prints.