In previous posts I have established the origins of my Great Grandfather, Henry George Spillett, in Canterbury, Kent. He was born in 1858 in Ivy Lane.
He and his mother were living in her mother’s house with his older brother John and his Uncle Stephen. This is recorded in the 1861 Census return. Because his Grandmother was the head of the house, Henry is described in the census as Grandson.
Henry Spillett, birth certificate. 1858
In the 1871 Census return, Henry was a scholar but by the 1881 Census return, Henry was a Coach Painter living in Bognor with his new wife, Ada. In the space of nine years Henry has trained as a Coach Builder and moved from Canterbury to Cuckfield in Sussex. This was where he met Ada and they were married in St. Wilfred’s Church in Cuckfield.
Henry and Ada’s marriage register entry 1880
Notice that Henry had inserted his father’s name and occupation. This had not been acknowledged before in his birth certificate and it does ask some questions. Was this an invention on Henry’s part? If not, has he given his Grandfather’s name instead? There is a birth record that is unverified for his mother where a George Spillett is named as Father. So, he may have adopted this name, and for his marriage this does give him the respectability that he may have wished for at that time. Ada was a Domestic and although she gave Bognor as her address, she was born in Newbury, Berkshire.
This was an interesting time with the established railway systems that must be enabling people to travel what might seem to us in this century like local distances but in 1880 were quite long distances. This mobility would be assisting many people to be able to find work outside of their communities and meet and make relations with people in a way that frequently makes me ask ‘how did they meet’ ?
Henry’s older brother had trained as a Blacksmith and now Henry was a Coach Builder in Cuckfield. This is a small town in Sussex midway between London and Brighton. By the time Henry has arrived here there were several Blacksmiths and a number of Coach Builders. The latter were important for repairs and wheel replacements. There are no motor cars and all transport is by cart and carriage drawn by horses. The opportunities for employment in these trades were immense and rewarding.
At some point, possibly in Cuckfield, Henry meets Ada Willis. Ada lives in Bognor and is a domestic. How did they meet I wonder.
Ada Willis was born on 23 January 1857 in Ashmore Green, Thatcham in Berkshire. Her birth registration states that her father was Mathew Willis, an Agricultural Labourer. Her Mother was Elizabeth Willis, formerly Pocock.
It was not required in English registrations to state the maiden name of a child’s mother if they are married or using their married name. In Scotland it was required. This makes ‘triangulating’ accuracy with family searches very helpful. Elizabeth Willis in this case has chosen to tell us her maiden name.
In 1861 the Willis family were living in Thatcham and Ada has three sisters. By 1871, in the Census return, Ada’s two older sisters had left home. Her father was now a Game Keeper at Pigeon’s Farm in Greenham, not far from Thatcham. Ada, who was then 15, is recorded as being the Game Keeper’s Assistant.
My Great Grandparents get married in St. Wilfrid’s Church in Cuckfield and in 1881 they have moved to live at 106 London Road in Bognor in the outlying parish of South Bersted. Henry was 22 and was described as a Coach Painter. As was the norm in the Census returns, Ada, aged 24, had no occupation listed.
Between 1883 and 1893, Henry and Ada have three children.
| Mabel Spillett | 1883 |
| Ada Spillett (my Grandmother) | 1890 |
| Henry Matthew Spillett | 1893 |
In the year that Mabel was born, 1883, Henry and Ada become the licensees of the White Hart pub in South Bersted. This is an important location, on the main Chichester Road that runs through the village of South Bersted. Not only does he run a pub but he maintains a Coach Building business at the back of the pub. As a road house on a main road, he could not only expect a huge amount of carriage traffic with thirsty customers, but he would also expect carriage owners needing running repairs and other work being undertaken.
I found this entry in a book called Bognor Regis Pubs by David Muggleton (Amberly Publishing).
“It is documented that there was an alehouse here in the 18th Century called the Travellers Joy, owned by Joseph Rushbridge. By 1841 it was the Barley Mow under landlord John Ewens, who had changed the name to the White Horse within four years. A Wheelrights shop and stables used to be at the rear of the pub. The landlord of 1875 to 1883, Denwood John Jordan, was a Coachbuilder and Farrier. His successor, Henry George Spillett, carried on the Coachbuilding business. He was succeeded by Alf Boyling and his son Fred from 1896 to 1911, who were also Wood Merchants. In 1998 the rear of the pub was converted into an American style games bar with a classic black Cadillac bursting out of the wall. The pub was closed and sold by Fullers Brewery in 2010. It was developed into a childrens nursery called First Steps.”
The White Horse Inn was located at the crossroads of the Chichester Road at South Bersted. This map is from the 1880’s. The area around the pub is now completely developed with residential housing. (With permission from the National Library of Scotland)
Shortly after Henry Matthew was born on 1893, Ada became ill with stomach cancer. She died in November 1895. The secondary cause of death was exhaustion after three years of illness. At the time of her death, Henry and Ada were no longer living in the pub but at 2, Canada Villas in Bognor. I can find no trace of this property.
Five months later in 1896, Henry married again. His new wife was Sarah Emily Lynn. He was 37 and she was 27. She was the daughter of a Bricklayer in Westcott, Surrey. Sarah became the Stepmother of Mabel who was then 12years old, Ada aged 5 and young Henry aged 2. They were all living at 2, Canada Villas. That same year Henry Spillett gave up the White Horse and between 1896 and 1901, the Spillett family have moved to Oxted in Surrey. I can find no clue as to why they have arrived in this village. There are no obvious connections that give me any clues. It is usually the simplest reasons that cause people to move to a new area. For many it is work. However, given that Henry Spillett had been working his way into a successful business in South Bersted, why move away to a completely new location?
The 1901 Census return shows Henry now working as a Coach Painter, as an employee. He and Sarah have two new children of their own; George aged 4 who was born in Bognor and William aged 2 who was born in Deptford, London.
In the space of twenty years, Henry Spillett has left home in Canterbury and, via Cuckfield and South Bersted, he has arrived in Oxted, Surrey. He has lost his first wife to cancer and with his second wife he now is the father of five children.
In the next part of this story, I shall describe his life and the lives of his family, in Oxted.