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Monday, 1 December 2025

Walter Robert Thomas Parry and Emma Hockley

Holy Trinity Church, Hartland Road, London NW1
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © John Salmon - geograph.org.uk/p/1292924

Walter Robert Thomas Parry (bap. 16 Apr 1851 at St Mary's ChurchCharlton Kings, Gloucestershire), son of Walter George Parry and Annie Arnott, married Emma Hockley (bap. 13 Apr 1851 at St Mary the Virgin, Great Dunmow), daughter of George Hockley and Eliza Crow, at Holy Trinity ChurchHaverstock Hill (Haverstock) on 1 Dec 1872

The previous year Emma was working as a General servant to Samuel Knight, Architect at Maitland Park Villas, St Pancras. Walter R Parry (20) Carpenter & Joiner, had been Lodging at Collyer Cottages, High Street, Camberwell.

Walter and Emma had one daughter:
  1. Annie Emma Parry b. 1873 M Qtr in ST PANCRAS Vol 01B Page 178, who died, aged 5, in 1878 S Qtr in PANCRAS Vol 01B Page 111
In 1881, Walter R Parry (28) Joiner from Gloucestershire, Emma Parry (28) from Essex were at 152, St Pauls Road, St Pancras, London with Walter's aunt, Elizabeth White (56) Widow from Somerset living with them.

Then Emma Parry died, aged 37, in 1889 S Quarter in CHELTENHAM Volume 06A Page 215.

Walter Robert Thomas Parry remarried, in 1892, to Sarah Ann Burrows, in Northleach, Gloucestershire.

And went on to have two further daughters: 
  1. Clara Daisy Parry b. 1895 J Qtr in NORTHLEACH Vol 06A Page 378
  2. Frances Lily Parry b. 1896 S Qtr in CHELTENHAM Vol 06A Page 400
The family were living in Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, in 1901 and 1911. 

Walter Robert Thomas Parry of 3 Daisy Bank, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, died, aged 77, on 24 Jul 1928 (1928 S Quarter in CHELTENHAM Volume 06A Page 371). Probate was granted to Clara Daisy Williams (wife of Francis Herbert Williams) and Frances Lily Hatherall (wife of John William Hatherall).

David Jones and Catherine Rice

St Patrick's Street, Cork. Detroit Photographic Company, 1905 (Via)

David Jones (b. 10 Nov 1898 in Rushbrooke, Cobh), son of David Jones and Laura Elizabeth White, married Catherine Rice (b. 8 Jul 1905 in Fermoy, County Cork), daughter of Richard Rice and Mary Hagerty, at the Registrar's Office, Cork on 1 Dec 1942. Witnesses to their marriage were two of Dave's sisters, Laura Mary Jones and Alice Jones. David Jones, Labourer, of The Bungalow, Rushbrooke, Cork, known as 'Young Dave', was 44 and Catherine, a Domestic Servant, residing at 14 Middleton Park, Rushbrooke, known as Kitty, was 36 and, marrying late, the couple did not have any children.

(Catherine's parents, Richard Rice, from Fermoy, County Cork, Harness Maker, son of John Rice, Farmer, married Mary Hagerty, farmer's daughter, from Lismore, Waterford, at the Roman Catholic Chapel at Ballyduff, Waterford, on 27 Sep 1900. In 1901, they were in Princes Street, Fermoy. By 1911, they were in Bank Street (now Kent Street), with Richard Rice (42), Mary Rice (43), John Rice (9), Mary Rice (8) and Catherine Rice (5).)

Taking over the job of Sexton of Christ Church, the Church of Ireland church in Rushbrooke from his father - which has only ever had these two Sextons, both called David Jones - Young Dave seems to have kept the job even after his marriage to Catherine, who was a Roman Catholic. He also reportedly worked for the Rushbrooke Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, cutting grass.

David Jones (68) of 'The Bungalow', Rushbrooke, died on 21 Nov 1966 from coronary thrombosis, myocardia and degeneration. Under his name on the burial record, on 23 Nov 1966, kept in Christ Church, is marked (Sexton) in brackets, hence knowing he had kept the job. He is buried in the family plot at the Old Church Cemetery (Cobh), along with his mother, brother and father.

Hendrick Verwey (Visit Cobh), once told me, "I grew up just up the road from Christ Church Rushbrooke and a very small lady called Mrs Jones lived in a tiny corrugated iron house across the road. I think that her husband looked after the church, but he died many years before her." This was very obviously referring to my great uncle and aunt, Dave and Kitty Jones, yet my family in England had never even mentioned them, which I find very sad.

Kitty Jones, Widow, died on 13 Aug 1987 (aged 82) and was buried on 15 Aug 1987, also at the Old Church Cemetery (Cobh), but sadly in a different part of the cemetery and not in the family plot with her late husband.

The door from Kitty's solid fuel stove. Photo: Jerome Mc Cormick