John Oxford (bap. 26 Dec 1777), son of Henry and Mary Oxford, married Elizabeth Lang (bap. 24 Aug 1778 in Stoke Damerel), daughter of James Lang and Mary Smart, on 4 Sep 1803 at Charles Church, Plymouth.
John and Elizabeth had at least the following children, all baptised at Plymouth, Charles the Martyr (Charles Church, Plymouth):
John Oxford b. 7 Sep 1804, bap. 7 Apr 1805. With a subsequent child also named John, it is likely this child died as an infant and there's a burial of a John Oxford, although the age is not listed, on 28 Oct 1805
John Lang Oxford b. 29 Nov 1807, bap. 6 Jan 1808
Elizabeth Ann Mills Oxford b. 22 Aug 1808, bap. 27 Aug 1809. Died, aged 12, and was buried at Charles Church, Plymouth on 15 May 1820
Henry Lang Oxford b. 13 Aug 1810, bap. 28 Oct 1810
Mary Amelia Oxford b. 29 Nov 1811, bap. 15 Jun 1817. Baptism lists her as Mary Emilia (sic) and John's occupation as Shipwright
Edward Oxford b. ~1821
Emma Oxford b. ~1826
Found no baptism records [yet] for Edward or Emma, however, they were on 1841 Census and Emma's marriage, in 1847, confirms her father as John Oxford, Shipwright. With significant gaps, there may have been others.
Elizabeth Oxford died, in Stoke Damerel, on 22 Dec 1845 (1845 D Quarter in STOKE DAMEREL Volume 09 Page 262) and was buried, in the parish of Stoke Damerel, on 26 Dec 1845. Her age, estimated to 60 (she was 67), is likely just a wild guess by the overseers. Her residence at the time of death was 'Workhouse'. "Until the National Health Service was established in 1948, the Workhouse Infirmary was one of the few places where medical care could be obtained free of charge. As a result, many babies were born in the Workhouse and many older people ended their days there." [Source] Inside Plymouth's dismal Workhouses which housed the poor and disabled.
In 1851, John Oxford (74) Widower, is again listed at the Workhouse in Stoke Damerel, proudly listed as "Shipwright Employed Thirty Men".
John Oxford died, aged 76, on 16 Aug 1853 (1853 S Quarter in STOKE DAMEREL Volume 05B Page 184). Once more, the record of his burial, on 20 Aug 1853, in that parish, gives his last address as 'Workhouse'.
While researching, I found a record of a marriage of a Winifred C Trevail, in Victoria, Australia, in 1919 to a Leonard Mendoza. Even sounded like Winnie's "type" and I knew I would need to obtain the certificate to confirm, but just how many people named Winifred C Trevail were there likely to be, and in the same area? As expected, the record clearly tells us that the marriage between Leonard Mendoza (24) Bachelor, born in Melbourne, Victoria, son of Charles Mendoza, Carpenter and Annie Gordon, and Winifred Constance Trevail (19) Spinster, born in Brixton, England - both list their occupations as 'Theatrical' - in the Parish or Church District of Melbourne on 15 Aug 1919, lists her father as Herbert Trevail, Carpenter and mother as Alice Blazey, so there can be absolutely no doubt whatsoever that this was indeed 'our' Winnie.
It's said that Winnie met Con, in Melbourne, Victoria, when she was 22. What can have happened to Leonard Mendoza in those 3 years? If he'd died, or they divorced, Winnie would have listed that she was a widow or a divorcee when she married Con, so I'm certain Winnie was committing bigamy in 1926.
We know Winnie was in Melbourne before that first marriage, because in the Victoria Police Gazette of 11 Apr 1918, appeared the following report: "TREVAIL, WINNIE theatrical, 7 McKenzie Street, Melbourne, reports stolen from the dressing-room, Bijou Theatre, Bourke Street, Melbourne on the 3rd inst. a diamond cluster ring, diamond in the centre set with other stones around, the centre stone is set a little to side, gold band at side of setting is wavy. Value £8." There can be no doubt who made this report either.
Several articles mention that Winifred "claimed descent from the Earls of Derby" and it appears the source is her brother, Eric, so I assume the story was perpetuated within the family. It is very tempting to dismiss this entirely as theatrical fantasy, but there's a chance this is actually true, because Winnie's great-grandfather on her mother's side was Augustus George Stanley, a Tehsildar (revenue officer) in India. The family name of the Earls of Derby, is also Stanley, so if a link can be found between Augustus George Stanley and one of the Earls, then this would indeed confirm the story. (That would be an immense research project for another time.) On the other hand, I can confirm that Winnie was a cousin of Silvanus Trevail, famous architect and former Mayor of Truro. Her great-grandfather, Joseph Trevail, was the younger brother of Philip Trevail, Silvanus Trevail's grandfather.
Known professionally as Con Colleano, Cornelius Sullivan, was the most famous and highest paid "swashbuckling circus performer with matinee idol looks" of his time, “The Australian Wizard of the Wire”. A member of the Circus Hall of Fame, Con Colleano is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the first person to prefect the forward somersault on the tight wire.
"Mrs. Winnie Colleano (neé Trevail) was herself a well known Australian VaudevilleSoubrette", dancer and trapeze artist." One article says that Winnie Trevail began appearing on the stage in Sydney as a child, but actually, she was performing before that in New Zealand. There in Lyttelton, New Zealand in 1909 - where her father's aunts, Ellen Higgs and Mary Ann Burn Trevail Bawden then lived - reports in the Lyttelton Times in Oct 1909 detail that Miss Winnie Trevail was appearing in one of the principle roles in a production staged by the Garrick Juvenile Opera Company, at the Opera House there.
Trevail abandoned her own career in 1924 to travel with her husband.
Con Colleano on a slack-wire, circa 1920
Con Colleano, was of Aboriginal, Anglo-Irish and West Indian descent and adopted a Spanish persona and a costume of a ‘toreador’ or bullfighter.
Colleano’s Indigenous heritage was unknown to his fans – which included one of history’s most infamous racists - "Few people are aware of the fact that in the 1930’s, Adolf Hitler issued an Aboriginal Australian tightrope walker with a German passport so he could come and go as he pleased."
"Sadly Con and Winnie ultimately lost all their money indulging in a luxurious lifestyle, giving it away to friends and making a disastrous investment in a pub in outback Australia in the 1950s (what were they thinking?)."
Con Sullivan died, in Miami, Florida, on 13 Nov 1973 and in his obituary in The Stage, the wife of Con's brother is quoted as saying, "His wife WINNIE has cabled that she is broken-hearted because she found my dear brother-in-law lying dead, obviously she is too shocked to tell me more."
Winnie returned to Australia, where she died, in Sydney, in on 5 Jan 1986.
Samuel Blazey b. 13 Jul 1836, bap. 17 Jul 1836 at St Martin at Oak. Died, aged 5 and was buried on 27 Oct 1841. (This child's death was registered in 1842 M Quarter in NORWICH Volume 13 Page 205).
Harriet Blazey b. 11 Jan 1839, bap. 13 Jan 1839 at St Martin at Oak
Hannah Blazey b. 17 Jun 1845 (1845 S Quarter in NORWICH Vol 13 Page 284), bap. 7 Jul 1845 and on 17 Oct 1860 at St Bartholomew's
Elizabeth Blazey b. 1847 (1847 D Quarter in NORWICH Volume 13 Page 249), bap. 17 Oct 1860 at St Bartholomew's
Eliza Blazey b. 16 Feb 1849* (1851 M Quarter in NORWICH Volume 13 Page 324), bap. 21 Oct 1863 at St Bartholomew's. *DOB as stated on baptism record, although it's difficult to believe she was registered two years late and more likely was wrongly remembered ~12 years later.
William Blazey b. 7 Nov 1853 (1853 D Quarter in NORWICH Volume 04B Page 129), bap. 17 Nov 1867 at Holy Trinity, Heigham
Alice Blazey b. 6 Nov 1857 (1857 D Quarter in NORWICH Volume 04B Page 157). bap. 2 Oct 1867 at Holy Trinity, Heigham
Holy Trinity church, Heigham, was built in the 1860's and the parish records begin in 1867, so they were among the first to use this new church.
[i] Harriet born in 1832 doesn't appear on the 1841 census, whereas the Harriet born in 1839 does. There's no record of a burial for a Harriet, but there is a record of a burial of a Hannah Blazey at St Bartholomew's, on 10 Jun 1832, aged 1 month, which I'm confident must relate to this child.
Most of the baptism records list Francis' occupation as a Dyer. On those of William and Alice, he's described as a Labourer. One wonders what happened for him to give up a skilled trade to take up presumably unskilled work.
In 1841, incorrectly listed as Blazeby, the family was living at Union Square, Heigham - this address was on daughter Hannah's birth certificate in 1845 - with Francis (30), Hannah (25), Francis (8), Sam (5) and Harriet (2).
Hannah Blazey (née Minns)
In 1851, Francis Blazey (40) Labourer was a Lodger in the household of Mary Wright (46) Widow at 1, Manchester Buildings, Heigham, Norwich. (Mary was Hannah Blazey's older sister.) There also were Hannah (38) Wife of Lodger; Francis (18) Labourer; Harriet (12), Samuel (9), Hannah (5) and Elizabeth (3).
In 1861, in Chapel Street, Heigham: Francis (50), Labourer, Hannah (48), Elizabeth (14), Eliza (10), William (7), Alice (3) and Mary A Wright (22), dressmaker, niece. Samuel (19) was with his brother Francis at at 2, St Pauls Street, Blockhouse, Worcester; Hannah (16) was General Servant to Anne Clifford (78), Widow, and her unmarried daughter, Elizabeth Clifford (48), teacher, at Earlham Road Terrace, Heigham, Norwich. (Today Earlham Road is part of the so-called Golden Triangle in Norwich, "The Golden Triangle's terraces house professionals, families and many students from the nearby University of East Anglia; its friendly atmosphere has resulted in the Golden Triangle being dubbed the Norwich version of London's Notting Hill.")
By 1871, Francis Blazey (60), Hannah (57), with just William (17) and Alice (13) still at home, were living at 16 Globe St, Heigham. In 1872, still in Globe Street, Francis Blazey is listed on the Norfolk Register of Electors.
Francis Stephen Blazey died, aged 62, in 1873 M Quarter in NORWICH Vol 04B Page 111. He was buried at Earlham Road Cemetery, Norwich.
In 1881, the widowed Hannah (67), was living at 3, Duke Street, Norwich Heigham, with son Samuel (35), Sam's son Alfred (11) and daughter Hannah's two children, Walter White (11) and Laura White (10).
(It is also apparently written on the back of the image of Hannah that she looked after her older sister Mary Ann Wright's children.)
In 1891, Samuel (49) and his daughter, Elizabeth (17), were still living with Hannah (78) in Manchester Street, Norwich.
In 1901, Hannah (90) and Samuel (57), still resided in Manchester Street.
Hannah Blazey died, aged 91, in 1903 S Qtr in NORWICH Vol 04B 95. Hannah Blazey was also buried at Earlham Road Cemetery, Norwich.
George Hill Adcock b. 1870 S Quarter in RUGBY Volume 06D Page 452, bap. 9 Oct 1870 at St Andrew's, Rugby
James William Adcock b. 1875 J Quarter in RUGBY Volume 06D Page 532, bap. 11 Jul 1875 at St Andrew's
Mary Elizabeth Mobbs Adcock b. 1877 M Quarter in RUGBY Volume 06D Page 612, bap 29 Apr 1877 at St Matthew's, Rugby
Louisa Cox Adcock b. 1880 D Quarter in RUGBY Volume 06D Page 514, bap. 26 Dec 1880 at St Matthew's, Rugby
In 1871, living in Rugby, we find Joseph H Adcock (29), Gardener from Stamford, Lincs; Martha Adcock (21) and son George H Adcock (0).
In 1881, living at Cemetery Lodge, Clifton Road, Rugby, Joseph Hill Adcock (39) was Cemetery Lodge Keeper. Living with him were wife Martha (31), George Hill (10), James William (5), Mary E (4) and Louisa C (0).
In 1891, in Clifton Road, Joseph Adcock (49) was Cemetery Manager. Listed also were Martha (41), George (20), William (15), Mary (14) and Louisa (10).
By 1901, living in Oxford Street, Rugby, Joseph Adcock (59) was a Shop Keeper, Green Grocer - perhaps working for or with his father-in-law, William Naseby - with wife Martha (51) and James Bazely (15) Errand Boy.
Joseph Hill Adcock died on 25 Aug 1903, aged 61 (1903 S Quarter in RUGBY Volume 06D Page 307). Probate was granted on 5 Oct 1903 with Martha Adcock being the sole beneficiary.
Martha Adcock died, aged 58, in 1908 J Quarter in RUGBY Volume 06D Page 301 and was buried, on 1 May 1908, at Newbold-on-Avon.
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