Auntie Kate’s second husband

On September 16, 2023September 18, 2023 By HelenFinchIn #SticklepathOnePlace1 Comment

Stories of the guests at Cleave House and a new husband for Kate.

While Auntie Kate, widow, was working in Cornwall, life continued in Sticklepath much as before.

Her sister Georgina, Mrs Albany Finch, had her hands full with the children and various chapel events.

From Left to right Muriel Finch, Auntie Kate, Mother Georgina (sat) and Phyllis Finch

Phyllis and Muriel, were growing up, fast approaching their teens.

Georgina was still running the guest house at Cleave House. I am sure they could have told some tales of their guests. Being Methodist many of their guests will also have been Methodist, coming to take the Dartmoor air. (Albany was a local preacher for more than 54 years).

Guests – Rev William Cowdell born 14 Dec 1853 Hinckley. Studied Didsbury College. Entered Methodist ministry 1878 – 1919. Address in 1912 was Louth. Rev Walter Lee entered Methodist ministry 1896 – 1941. Having stayed at Cleave House they sent this as thanks. Taken about 1905.

Two boys and their governess were regular guests over the summer. Miss C.R. Martineau brought Colin and Pat Browning, and their dog, from Budleigh Salterton. One Sunday, while they were staying, Albany had taken the little jingle with the rather spirity pony to a preaching engagement. On his return journey there was a tremendous storm and poor Albany arrived home that evening soaking wet. Unfortunately shortly before he arrived home, Cleave House’s substantial flat roof had sprung a leak. Colin and Pat thought it great fun to see water gushing through the ceiling and flooding down the stairs! Georgina was not so pleased. Albany quickly took a poker and made a hole in the ceiling to relieve the pressure and stop the whole ceiling from falling in. The boys enjoyed that too but after the kerfuffle they were soon sent to bed.

Sadly, when Muriel and Phyllis were 12 and 14 years old, their mother Georgina took ill with bronchitis. After a fairly short illness, she died at Cleave House on 15 April 1917, with cerebral haemorrhage the final event.

This must have come as a shock to everyone. Albany, who worked for the Finch Bros. Foundry and went to Cornwall and Somerset regularly selling their Edge Tools, will have found it difficult to manage the two girls. It was also at this time that Albany was confirmed as a new Devon County Justice, announced in The Western Times on 28 April 1917, within 2 weeks of Georgina’s death. This too will have taken up his time.

So it was that on one of his trips to Cornwall, he called on Kate with one thing on his mind. I don’t know if she was expecting it – a proposal of marriage. Kezia, always known as Auntie Kate, became his third wife on 23 Feb 1918. As she was living in Tywardreath, that is where the marriage took place. Albany’s eldest daughter Jessie and her husband Arthur Barron were the witnesses. The marriage certificate says Albany was 54 years old and Kezia, 55 years. (Though their birthdates suggest a larger gap. Kezia was born 6th September 1860, so she was 57. Ages, like spellings of names, were slightly more fluid in those days!).

Albany Finch and Auntie Kate with Phyllis behind and Muriel in front.

Kate moved back to Sticklepath as Mrs Finch and lived in Cleave House.

The following year the Western Times, 9 June 1919, reports the sale of Cleave House, “a villa residence, to Mr. A. G. French, J.P. for £550; Edge Tool factory and two cottages sold to French Brothers for £750”. Clearly French should say Finch. They must have been renting up until this time.

The house had 4 large double bedrooms and a fifth smaller bedroom. Usually these were all occupied by family members or guests. So when Albany’s daughter Muriel and her husband Charlie had a baby it was important to keep the noise to a minimum. Auntie Kate spent many hours walking up and down comforting the baby during the nights, so others could sleep.

Muriel and Charlie with little Miss Ann Bowden

As Muriel said – Auntie Kate was a lovely gentle person, who would do anything for anybody. I feel sure that having not had the opportunity to have children herself she will have relished this chance of family life.

Next… is it the end of Auntie Kate?

Auntie Kate housewife

On September 15, 2023September 18, 2023 By HelenFinchIn #SticklepathOnePlace, Local History1 Comment

Kate continues to tell us about her life: Once I was married it was my job to make our little house into a home and do all the housework. Nice to be working for yourself though, making the choices. We had various tradesmen calling, like Fishy Holman, the fish man. He came twice a week from South Zeal. The butcher never came til late in the day, the midnight butcher we called him!

Then there was Mr Wonnacott’s groceries. He came with a covered wagon, horse drawn of course, with a tank built into the back for Paraffin. My sister Gina made sure I was not to buy that, ‘cos of course her husband Finch sold paraffin, and coal.

The baker, Marks from Okehampton, also came with his big square basket. Ooo such lovely bread, cottage loaves and so on. Sometimes he had a second much shallower oblong wicker basket, with lids that folded over each side, you know. Contained special treats, a jam tart or piece of cake. Wasn’t very often. Course you then you would have to pop down the road to the dairy for half a quarter of clotted cream. William would often give the girls a penny to spend at one of the sweetie shops – several ladies ran a little shop in the village to help make ends meet.

Like Miss Harriet Worden down by the bridge at Waters Meet, and Mrs Ada Tucker up at number one Ska View Cottages.

William loved to be part of any social events. Either in one of the local village halls or related to church or chapel. He even helped with making banners for the church parades. It was a lovely time in my life.

Sticklepath is a pretty village and attracts tourists to Dartmoor. When Gina was too busy with the guest house at Cleave House I would offer my help.

Sadly mother died in 1911 and William soon after in 1912. I always saved the memorial cards, a real source of remembrance when I lived away. Of course, you always knew bad news was coming when one of those letters arrived in an envelope with a black edge.

William was buried in the Sticklepath Burying Ground. We always call it the Quaker Burying Ground though it had been ecumenical for 100 years by then. Hidden down behind the Finch Foundry, it is a peaceful place where you can sit and contemplate the world with the gentle gurgling of the river Taw in the background.

A rough hewn granite headstone, really suited him. Boasting of course of his Crimean adventures.

Shortly after William died, of course, I lost his war pension. Having no source of income, I found a house-keeping position down in Cornwall – Tywardreath, near Parr. So that’s where I married the second time…

Don’t miss Auntie Kate telling tales of Sticklepath School:

Auntie Kate and Uncle Middle

On September 14, 2023September 15, 2023 By HelenFinchIn #SticklepathOnePlace, Local History1 Comment

#SticklepathOne #AllAboutThatPlace

This is the next instalment of the life of Kezia Ching, also known as Auntie Kate. Auntie Kate is my alter ego and she will be talking at the #AllAboutThatPlace event to celebrate our great genealogical and local history societies and the 10th anniversary of the Society for One-Place Studies.

You will have to imagine Auntie Kate’s Devonshire burr. “Now then me dearies I be going’ to tell ‘ee someat ’bout me firs’ ‘usband…”

Ooh, I loved them hats, I could alter the decorations and make it new for each occasion. Usually did it myself but for real special occasions I took it to Miss Finch who kept the milliners in Okehampton, on Fore Street there. I dare say that’s where I bought that one you see on the right.

This here soldier is my Crimean war veteran, Private William Middle.

We were married in 1898. There were murmurings of course – he were 40 years older than me. Older than my father indeed. Twas practicality and companionship really. I couldn’t have looked after him as a single woman, lived with him without being his wife.

Anyhow being married gave me a bit more respectability, and of course I had to give up my position and come home closer to Sticklepath. Eliza was my bridesmaid and William had Samuel Knight as his best man. So many gifts, twas very useful. William had lived in lodgings and I was in service, so we needed most things for the kitchen and so on. We went to live down Exbourne, rented a little place t’other side of Okehampton to start off, but that didn’t last long.

We soon came back to Sticklepath. We had a lovely little garden there next to the chapel – see me, a lady of leisure, sat there taking tea next to my husband, with a visitor!

Yer be our house, Farley Cottage, jus’ opposite chapel. That’s William, with our nieces – Phyllis and Muriel. Uncle Middle and Auntie Kate they called us. Well I suppose, being of senior years, using his surname showed the proper respect. He would have been ‘Uncle’ before we married cos his first wife were a Finch, a relation of the girl’s father. I, of course, sister to their mother Gina.

On high days, holidays and every Sunday, William would don his Crimea medals. People gathered each week before chapel or church and walked up and down the village greeting each other and chatting, sharing their latest news. William loved that, an audience for his stories of the war and how he helped with laying the first telegraph wire to America. In those days chapel was nearly always full and about 30 or 40 children would be there besides.

We all looked forward to the annual chapel outing and Sunday school anniversary. We had started having a few family picnics on Dartmoor by then too. And a bit later, 1920s we would all go in one of them Charabancs to Ilfracombe or Bude.