I was recently contacted by Dave Robinson who is a volunteer at the Whitaker Museum at Rawtenstall in Lancashire. The museum was recently gifted a collection of over 100 photographs relating to William Percy Rudolph Warburton, and his wife Alderman Gertrude Mary Warburton nee Howarth. The collection was gifted by a descendant of a friend of Gertrude’s sister Amy, who would like the collection to pass to a relative of the couple.
It appears that William and Gertrude had no children, and Gertrude’s siblings didn’t either. Dave was hoping I could help him with the Warburton side.
William is in my Edenfield clan, though there were few details, until I recently updated it with the results of my investigations. He was one of 4 children of William Warburton (born 1853), a chemist, and his wife Katherine Needham nee Ledger. His two sisters died young, one aged 3, and the other aged 19.
As William and Gertrude had no children, any hope of finding a descendant of the family rests with his brother Stanley. The rest of this Post describes the results of my investigations into Stanley.
It was believed that Stanley moved abroad. I found details of Stanley sailing to New York in 1919, but as his firm had paid his fare it seems he was only visiting on that occasion. This was confirmed when I found his return a few weeks later.
The following images show the records of Stanley’s departure and arrival. You may need to click on the images to see them clearly.
Stanley returned to 10 Tenterden Street, Bury in October 1919.
In October 1919, shortly after his return from New York, Stanley married Clara Rebecca Downs in Heap Bridge. The marriage is the first time Clara is called Clara Rebecca. She was registered as Clara on her birth registration, but referred to on censuses as Rebecca. In 1911 she was living at Hand Cottage, Heap Bridge with her widowed mother and 2 sisters, Alice and Margaret.
Stanley and Clara are next found returning from Calcutta in 1923.
It is unknown how long Stanley and Clara were in India, but they have not been found in the 1921 census. They returned to the same address Clara was living at in 1911.
In 1929 a Jean Warburton was registered at Hayfield, Derbyshire with mother’s maiden name Downs. This is the only Warburton registered with that mother’s maiden name.
In the 1939 Register Clara is living in Bury with her sister Margaret Starkey and her husband Ernest. There is no evidence of Stanley in the Register, though Clara is recorded as married. There is also a person whose record is still closed, implying a child. Although this person is listed before Clara, no Starkey child with mother’s maiden name Downs, was registered between their marriage and 1939.
The marriage of Jean Warburton to Laurence Wells was registered at Dartmouth in 1953. I have obtained the certificate for this marriage and it confirms that Jean’s father was indeed Stanley. Also CR Warburton was a witness. A boy Leonard was registered at Dartmouth in 1955. This confirms that Stanley had a daughter and grandson.
I have not found a matching death registration for Leonard, so he if he didn’t die abroad he is probably still living.
Stanley’s death was registered at Dartford in 1961, aged 73. Probate was granted to Clara Rebecca, widow. Stanley’s address was given as 6 Mill Cottages, Kent Kraft Mills, Northfleet. He left £1,020 10s 9d.
Clara Rebecca’s death was registered at Dartford, Kent in 1977, with a date of birth that matches her 1939 Register entry. She was aged 88.
Leave a Reply