Lewis Jerred and Mary Elizabeth Williams

Boscombe, St. Clement's
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Mike Faherty - geograph.org.uk/p/3127895

Louis Jerrad (sic) (b. 19 Mar 1863 in Silverton, Devon), son of John Jerred and Frances Ann Orchard, married Mary Elizabeth Williams (b. 1861 in St Erth, Cornwall), who listed her father as John Williams (deceased), Farmer at St Clement's Church, St Clements Road in Boscombe on 25 Dec 1888. Only one witness signature is on the marriage certificate, John Burt.

Lewis and Mary Elizabeth Jerred had six children: 

1. Ernest John Jerred b. 27 Feb 1891 in Bournemouth, Hampshire
2. Arthur Jerred b, 1893 M Qtr in KINGSBRIDGE Vol 05B Page 194
3. Ethel May Jerred b. 1896 M Qtr in KINGSBRIDGE Vol 05B Page 189
4. Albert William Jerred b. 9 July 1898 in KINGSBRIDGE Vol 05B 184
5. Honor Frances Jerred b. 1900 J Qtr in KINGSBRIDGE Vol 05B Page 169
6. Violet Mary Jerred b. 15 July 1903 in KINGSBRIDGE Vol 05B Page 164

In 1891, Lewis Jerred (28) Baker, from Silverton, Devon; Mary E Jerred (30) from St Erth, Cornwall and Ernest J Jerred (1) were visitors in the household of Charles H Halloway (20) Cab Driver from Ringwood, Hampshire, at Pinewood Cottage, 1, West Road, Pokesdown.

By 1893, they'd moved back to the south west to settle at Loddiswell, near Kingsbridge in Devon. There in 1901, listed as Lewis Jerred (36), Railway Labourer, with Mary E Jerred (38), Ernest J Jerred (11), Arthur Jerred (8), Ethel M Jerred (5), Albert W Jerred (2) and Honor F Jerred (0).

In 1911, still in Loddiswell, Devon, were Lewis Jerred (46) Railway Labourer; Mary Elizabeth Jerred (48), Ethel May Jerred (15), Alfred William Jerred (12), Honor Frances Jerred (10) and Violet Mary Jerred (7). Ernest John Jerred (20) had joined the Royal Navy in 1909, as a Stoker, and was with the Royal Navy At Sea And In Ports Abroad with HMS Edgar (1890). Not found Arthur.

In 1921, Lewis Jerred (56) Railway Labourer for the Great Western Railway Company was living at Quarry Park, Loddiswell, Devon with Mary Elizabeth Jerred (58), Albert William Jerred (22) Farm Labourer Out of Work and Violet Jerred (17) who was employed doing garden work at a nursery. 

Mary Elizabeth Jerred died in 1931 S Qtr in KINGSBRIDGE.

In 1939, Lewis Jerred was living at 36 Wallingford Road, Kingsbridge with daughter, Honor F Jerwood and her husband, Moysey Jerwood. 

The Great Western Railway (GWR) had opened the Kingsbridge branch line in 1893 and it was closed in 1963. Lewis Jerred, who died in 1951 J Quarter in KINGSBRIDGE, at the age of 88, thankfully, won't have seen the closure. 

Loddiswell railway station opened 1893, now disused and converted to a private dwelling
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Derek Harper - geograph.org.uk/p/1297064

Henry Sweney MBE and Mary Louisa Efford

Christchurch tramway

Henry Sweney (b. 13 Jan 1874) son of John Henry Charles Sweeney and Susannah Harvey, married divorcee, Mary Louisa Ansley, in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 22 Nov 1901. Born Mary Louisa Efford on 16 Sep 1869 in Torquay, Devon (Volume 05B Page 161), daughter of John Ash Efford Jnr and Louisa Fulford, she had previously married Frederick William Ansley (b. 23 Jan 1866 in Oldbury, Staffordshire), son of Alfred Ansley and Emma Cooper, also in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 1 Nov 1887, with whom she had three daughters: Mary Louisa Ansley, b. 16 Aug 1888; Rose Amelia Ansley (1889-90) and Emma Miriam Ansley b. 18 Apr 1891.

Henry Sweeney had joined the Royal Marines on 8 Apr 1889. He gave his date of birth as 8 Feb 1871, making himself three years older in order to enlist. He was actually only 15, but at already 5 ft 5⁷⁄₁₀in had been tall enough to get away with it. His record confirms his father as John, of 1 Stephensons Cottages, Condor Street, London. Henry grew to 5ft 9½in at final discharge; he had a fresh complexion, brown hair, grey eyes and a tattoo of a basket of flowers on his forearm. 

After initial training at the Royal Marine Depot, Walmer (Deal, Kent) and at Portsmouth Division until 5 Dec 1890, ships that Henry Sweney served on included: HMS Agamemnon (1879) until 1892, while she was part of the Mediterranean Fleet; from 1892 to 1894, HMS Camperdown (1885), again with the Mediterranean Fleet. Henry will therefore have been aboard HMS Camperdown on 22 Jun 1893, when she collided with and sank the battleship HMS Victoria with 358 deaths, off Tripoli, Lebanon. The report here offers the explanation, "Following an order by the admiral to carry out a dangerous and near impossible manoeuvre, taking into account the positions of the vessels, the Camperdown rammed HMS Victoria, off the Lebanon, which sank with heavy loss of life. Camperdown was also badly damaged, but managed to limp into port." 

Henry's final ship was HMS Rapid (1883), then serving on the Australia Station and on 30 Sep 1897, was Discharged by Purchase at Sydney.

The Lyttleton Times on 13 Dec 1898, reported on: ANSLEY V. ANSLEY

This was a case in which Mary Louisa Ansley petitioned for the dissolution of her marriage with Frederick William Ansley of Wanganui on the grounds of cruelty and bigamy. Mr Cresswell appeared for the petitioner. The respondent did not appear, and was not represented by counsel. The evidence of the petitioner showed that she had lived six and a half years with the respondent, who had commenced to ill-treat her two days after the marriage. During the last six years they had been separated by mutual consent, owing to ill relations arising from the cruelty referred to. Amelia Stevens [1], sister of the petitioner, gave corroborative evidence. The written evidence of William T Clapham, clergyman, of Brisbane, taken by the Registrar on Nov 25, showed that he married the respondent to a woman in Brisbane on August 6, 1896 [2]. The respondent subsequently disappeared, and witness heard that he was already married and in New Zealand. His Honour granted the petitioner a decree nisi, with custody of the children and costs against the respondent.

[1] Amelia Efford married Archibald Stevens, in 1896. In 1911, Archibald and Amelia Stevens were listed on the New Zealand Electoral Roll at the Sailors Home Lyttelton, of which Archibald was the Superintendent.

[2] Frederick William Ansley (30) Bootmaker, who was listed on the Australia Electoral Roll in 1896 at 1 Downing Street, Spring Hill, Brisbane, Australia, married Nellie Ashton, in Queensland, Australia on 6 Aug 1896. Frederick, who died on 20 Apr 1956 (aged 90) and is buried at Aramoho Cemetery, Whanganui, [bio] appears to have been very partial to wedding cake!

In 1911, the New Zealand Electoral Roll places Henry Sweney, Hairdresser, at 89 Lower High Street, Christchurch East with Mary Louisa Sweney, Married, and Mary Louisa Sweney Jun (Jnr) (Mary Louisa Ansley). 

Step-daughter, Mary Louisa Ansley Sweney it appears married Herbert Charles Ford in 1916 and went on to have five children. [Source]

In 1925, Henry Sweney, Commission Agent, and Mary Louisa Sweney were listed at 64 Abberley Rd, St Albans, Christchurch.

Then Mary Louisa Sweney died, at 65, on 22 Jan 1934 and is buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Block 31. Plot 14.

(Henry Sweney remarried to a Kathleen Elizabeth Hocking (b. 10 Mar 1892), but unfortunately, I've not been able to find when this marriage took place, nor whether Hocking was her maiden or a previous married name. Kathleen Elizabeth Hocking Sweney died in 1977, aged 85.)

In the 1955 New Year Honours (New Zealand), Henry Sweney was awarded an M.B.E. for social welfare services. This bio offers some background: 

"Henry Sweney came to New Zealand in 1897 after purchasing a discharge from the Royal Marines after 8 1/2 years service. He was house manager of Christchurch Musical Society and Christchurch Harmonic Society and a worker for charity and patriotic funds for nearly 60 years.

In 1909 he and several others founded the Christchurch Competitions' Society. Henry worked as a stage manager and had his own concert party which gave charitable entertainment. He raised money for children's homes and was Justice of the Peace in Christchurch."

Henry Sweney died on 3 Jun 1963, aged 89, and was also buried, on 6 Jun 1963, at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Block 31. Plot 14.

Photos of Henry Sweney provided by Jon Gilbert, descendant of Rosina Sweeney 

Jane Rundle Trevail and James Robinson

Eastern Monarch (ship, 1874)

Jane Rundle Trevail, youngest daughter of Joseph Trevail and Jane Rundle, aged 14, embarked on the Eastern Monarch, one of seventy-four single women, mostly domestics, all as Assisted Immigrants to Canterbury, New Zealand. In Jane's case, it would appear that the New Zealand Government bore the whole of the cost of her passage. The ship sailed from Plymouth on 7 May 1874 and arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand on 22 Jul 1874. (Jane's two eldest sisters, Ellen Higgs and Mary Ann Bawden and their husbands, had emigrated together, to Lyttelton, New Zealand, at the end of 1862.)

The initial report, on 23 Jul 1874, on the ship's arrival, said that "During the voyage (73 days) fifteen deaths, principally infants, occurred." A subsequent report, on 24 Jul 1874, called it a floating village with talk of entertainments. It also remarked, "The Eastern Monarch brings 552 souls, representing 473 statute adults. They appear to be a well selected and healthy-looking lot of immigrants ..." which makes them sound like little more than slaves!

In 1875, when Jane must have been no more than 15, she married James Robinson, in New Zealand. Later records suggest that he was born in 1854, so will have been 21. Unfortunately, there are far too many people called James Robinson and no other clues, to be able to trace his origins.

The records I could find point to James and Jane having five children:

1. James Robinson b. 1876
2. Elizabeth Jane Robinson b. 1878
3. Alfred Trevail Robinson b. 1888
4. Mabel Eveline Robinson b. 1890
5. Eva Mary Robinson b. 1891 (appears to have died 1891 or 1892)

James Robinson died on 16 Jul 1945, aged 91. He is buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch City. Jane Rundle Robinson died on 9 Jul 1947, at 87. She also, is buried at Linwood Cemetery, alongside her husband. 

Jane's will appoints daughters, Mabel Evelyn Price and Elizabeth Estall as the Executrices and Trustees of the Will. To Mabel she left properties at 241 Hereford Street and at 244 Hereford Street, Christchurch and to Elizabeth Estall her property at 242 Hereford Street. Jane also left a property at 49 Keppel Street, New Brighton, to her son Alfred Trevail Robinson. Son James isn't mentioned, so may also have predeceased her. Again, as there are too many people called James Robinson, it's not possible to identify the relevant record to confirm. There are no records to suggest what James or Jane did for a living, but to have property they seem to have done pretty well on it.