Job Thomas Sweeney and Elizabeth Fuller

St Helen & St Giles, Rainham - Sanctuary
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © John Salmon - geograph.org.uk/p/4530086

Job Thomas Sweeney (b. 27 Aug 1897 in Mile End, London), son of Job Sweeney and Eliza Louisa Tompson, married Elizabeth Fuller (b. 22 Mar 1901 in Rainham, Essex), daughter of George Fuller and Eliza Ellen Hockley, at the church of St Helen and St Giles, Rainham, Essex on 9 Dec 1923.

There were no wedding photos, I was told, because of the rather obvious expected arrival of their only child, Ivy Elizabeth Sweeney b. 5 Mar 1924 (1924 J Quarter in SHOREDITCH Volume 01C Page 31), my mother. She didn't have her birth certificate, as the original was lost when their home was bombed in WWII and had been adamant she was born in one of the Peabody Buildings, but, in fact, was born at 35 Gladstone Buildings, Willow Street, Shoreditch. (She therefore missed out on an historical 'claim to fame' too, because Police Sergeant James George Byfield, witness in one of the Jack the Ripper murders, had lived in Gladstone Buildings, Shoreditch in 1881.)

Built in 1868, the Gladstone Buildings, were demolished in 1977. The site today is, ironically, the location of the Luxury Nobu Hotel London Shoreditch. The previous building on that site certainly wasn't luxury, however, as the Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch in 1879 details:

GLADSTONE BUILDINGS, WILLOW STREET.—"In these model dwellings there are 168 suites of apartments, each suite having a separate water supply, and closet accommodation, situate in the scullery. None of the closets were properly supplied with water, so as to flush the pans effectually. The cisterns in which drinking water was stored were all uncovered, placed over the closets close to the ceilings, and immediately under the closet of the apartments above. Several of the tenants complained that their drinking water was polluted with foul liquids dripping from the ceilings, by reason of defective closet arrangements, and many of the ceilings bore evidence as to the fact."

This Charabanc excursion must presumably date to 1925.
Joe and Bet, with baby Ivy on her lap, are in the rear seats of the vehicle.

It must have been after the death of Job's father on 6 Dec 1924, that they moved back to 102, Fore Street, City of London, where Eliza Louisa Sweeney, continued as Housekeeper for Hoffnung & Co Shipping Merchants. 

My mother frequently claimed she was Confirmed at St Paul's Cathedral, but I've been unable to confirm (pun intended) if this is true. And even if it were, it should have been unlikely, as there's no record of her ever being baptised - a not-at-all uncommon omission with a baby's such 'premature' arrival. 

They were still in Fore Street in 1939, with Eliza L Sweeney, Housekeeper; Job Thomas Sweeney, Supervisor Tobacco Packing (employed by W.D. & H.O. Wills); Elizabeth Sweeney; Ivy E Sweeney, Shop Assistant and James Edward Bird, Police Constable (who I can only assume was lodging with them) and remained until their home was destroyed in WWII, thought to have been on or around the night of 29–30 Dec 1940, during the so-called Second Great Fire of London. They were away from home that day, so suffered no physical injury, but lost their home and every material possession they'd owned. 

They then moved out to Hornchurch and in the 1960's, Bet & Joe 'retired' to Pitstone, in the countryside of Bedfordshire. There, granddad carried on his hobby of fishing and was a bailiff on the nearby Grand Union Canal; he did detailed woodwork, inlay and marquetry; embroidered hassocks that were (maybe still are) in the church of St Mary the Virgin in Ivinghoe and grew very tidy rows of vegetables in his garden.

(Right: Bet and Joe on the seafront at Weymouth in the early 1960's.)

Bet Sweeney died on 22 Dec 1980. 

It was absolutely no surprise that, without his lifelong love, Job Thomas Sweeney died eight months later to the day, on 22 Aug 1981.

George Tooze and Anne Clarke

Mid Devon : Holcombe Rogus Scenery
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Lewis Clarke - geograph.org.uk/p/2812924

George Tooze (bap. 15 Jun 1778 in Holcombe Rogus) son of Thomas Tooze and Dorothy Woodbery, married Anne Clarke (b. ~1779), Spinster of this parish, at All Saints Church, Holcombe Rogus on 27 Nov 1803. The witnesses to their marriage appear to be Susannah Clarke and John Clarke.

George and Anne had seven children:

1. John Tooze b. 28 Aug 1804, bap. 2 Sep 1804 in Holcombe Rogus [1]
2. Elizabeth Tooze bap. 19 Apr 1807 in Holcombe Rogus [2]
3. Susanna Tooze bap. 30 Jul 1809 in Holcombe Rogus
4. George Tooze bap. 22 Sep 1811 in Holcombe Rogus [3]
5. Thomas Tooze bap. 14 Aug 1814 in Holcombe Rogus [4]
6. James Tooze bap. 30 Dec 1817 in Holcombe Rogus
7. Anne Tooze bap. 11 Apr 1819 in Holcombe Rogus

On all of the baptisms, George's occupation is listed as Chairmaker.

1841, George Tooze (60) Chairmaker; Ann Tooze (60) with Mary Tooze (12), John Vickery (6) and Susan Vickery (3) were living at Bulgins, Holcombe Rogus. Presumably, all three children were their grandchildren.

In 1851, living on Golden Hill, Holcombe Rogus, were George Tooze (74) Pauper Formerly Chairmaker and Ann Tooze (73) Pauper.

George Tooze died, at 75, in 1853 (1853 J Quarter in WELLINGTON-SOMERSET AND DEVON Volume 05C Page 275), and was buried in Holcombe Rogus on 27 Mar 1853.

Ann Tooze died, age given as 81, in 1860 M Quarter Volume 05C Page 306 and was buried in Holcombe Rogus on 4 Mar 1860.

1. John Tooze b. 1804 is listed among Britain, Merchant Seamen in 1845. At that time he was 5ft 6in tall, with brown hair, a pale complexion and grey eyes. He married Ann Turner on 11 Oct 1847 at St Mary Magdalene, Gillingham, Kent. John Tooze was buried at St Mary's, Chatham, Kent in 1876. Ann Tooze (b. 1812) was buried at St Mary's, Chatham, in 1878.
2. Elizabeth Tooze married William Vickery, on 26 May 1833. 
3. George Tooze b. 1811 married Agnes Dearley in Halse, Somerset on 15 Jul 1836. In 1841, George Tooze (30) Chairmaker, was living in Kingsbury West, Somerset. By 1851, they were in Rockwell Green.
4. Thomas Tooze b. 1814 married Mary Keates, in Wellington, on 29 Sep 1837. (Yet another Thomas and Mary Tooze!) Their daughter, Susan Emily Tooze was born in Truro, Cornwall in 1846 (and baptised in St Helier on 26 Sep 1863). In 1851, Thomas Tooze (37) Chairmaker, was living in St Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands with wife Mary (33), Emily (4), Thomas (1) and George (0). Thomas Tooze was buried in St Helier, Jersey on 17 Aug 1858. Mary Tooze (40) Widow, was living in Dorset Street, St Helier in 1861. In 1871, son George (21) Provision Dealer, was living in the City of London with his sister, Ellen (18).

John Cowtley and Mary Pateman

John Cowtley (b. 1670), bachelor, married Mary Pateman (bap. 20 Mar 1669 at St Dunstan's), spinster, daughter of Thomas and Mary Pateman, at the church of St James Duke's Place, Aldgate, City of London on 18 Nov 1691.

Apparently, this tiny little parish church was a very popular place to get wed during the 17th century. Some 40,000 marriages were recorded as having taken place here between 1644 and 1691. Described a "Aldgate’s own version of Gretna Green", it was famous for performing irregular marriages. It's clear that St Dunstan's, Stepney was their home parish, so it's perhaps reasonable to surmise that John and Mary's marriage in this parish was one of the irregular ones, for whatever intriguing reason (that the records don't explain). 

John and Mary had two daughters baptised at St Dunstan's:

1. Susanna Cowtley b. 24 Aug 1692, Susanna daughter of John Cowtley of Ratcliffe, Brewer's Servant and Mary bap. 28 Aug 1692 at St Dunstan, Stepney (at 4 days old)
2. Elizabeth Cowtley b. 3 Oct 1696, Elizabeth daughter of John Cowtly (sic) of White Horse Street, Labourer & Mary bap. 4 Oct 1696 at Saint Dunstan, Stepney (1 day old)

Found no further records of John or Mary Cowtley nor of their deaths.

John Brown and Elizabeth Perry

St Dionis Backchurch

John Brown (b. ~1710) married Elizabeth Perry (bap. 27 Mar 1714 in Woolwich, Kent), eldest daughter of Philip Perry and Elizabeth Flemming, at the church of St Dionis Backchurch, located in the heart of the City of London on 13 Feb 1734 (Julian) 1735 (Gregorian). The record reads, "John Brown of the Parish of St Dunstan Stepney in the County of Middlesex Batchelor & Elizabeth Perry of the same parish Spinster were married (by Licence) on Thursday the 13th day of Feb 1734/5."

The records of five children can be attributed to this couple:

1. Sarah Brown b. Friday, 11 Jan 1740, bap. 5 Feb 1740 (at 25 days old) at St Dunstan's, Stepney. Sarah, daughter of John Brown of Poplar Brewer & Elizabeth
2. Elizabeth Brown b. Wednesday, 3 Jul 1745, bap. 11 Jul 1745 (at 8 days old). In the records of St Dunstan's, Stepney, it says 'Elizabeth, daughter of John Brown of Poplar Brewer & Elizabeth at Poplar'. Being baptised 'at Poplar' may have been at Poplar Chapel (St Matthias Old Church).
3. Susanna Brown b. Tuesday, 21 Apr 1747, bap. 19 May 1747 (at 28 days old) at St Dunstan's, Stepney. Susanna, daughter of John Brown of Poplar Brewer & Elizabeth.
4. John Ephraim Brown b. Wednesday, 14 Feb 1750, bap. 5 Mar 1750 (at 19 days old) at St Dunstan's, Stepney. John Ephraim, son of John Brown of Poplar Brewer & Elizabeth.
5. Helen Brown b. Saturday, 12 May 1753, bap. 6 Jun 1753 (at 25 days old) at St Dunstan's, Stepney. Helen, daughter of John Brown Poplar Brewer & Elizabeth.

The baptisms all list their father as John Brown of Poplar, Brewer. Additional evidence that these are the children of this family: Sarah was the name of Elizabeth's aunt and sister; Elizabeth is obviously her own and her mother's name; Susanna was another of Elizabeth's sisters; John, clearly for his father, but Ephraim after his uncle, Ephraim Seehl, married to his mother's sister, Sarah; and Helen was the widow of Elizabeth's brother, Philip Perry.

John Brown had died before 29 Apr 1775, because a Codicil to the Will of his brother-in-law, Ephraim Reinhold Seehl, of that date stated he had died. Beyond this, Brown is not the easiest name to research. Without further clues, it isn't possible to determine which of many records are relevant. 

Augustine Wynnall and Elizabeth Knighte

Great St Helen's Street, London, EC3
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © David Hallam-Jones - geograph.org.uk/p/3406231
The Grade II-listed 12th century Church of "St Helen's, Bishopsgate" occupies the centre space. This was William Shakespeare's parish church when he lived in the area in the 1590s.

Augustine Wynnoll (sic) and Elizabeth Knighte (I suspect the final 'e' is superfluous) - a pair of my 9th great-grandparents - married at St Helen's, Bishopsgate (one of only a few churches in the City of London to survive both the Great Fire of 1666 and The Blitz), on 12 May 1634. (Which, for context was during the reign of Charles I of England. Interesting times.)

Augustine and Elizabeth appear to have had five children:

1. Mary Winnall b. Monday, 17 Feb 1634, Mary daughter of Augustine Winnall of Blackwall, Waterman bap. 20 Feb 1634 at St Dunstan and All Saints, Stepney (at 3 days old).
2. Elizabeth Winnall b. Tuesday, 29 Aug 1637, Elizabeth daughter of Augustine Winnall of Blackwall, Waterman bap. 6 Sep 1637 at St Dunstan's (at 8 days old). Elizabeth daughter of Augustine Winnall of Blackwall, Waterman, was buried at St Dunstan's on 24 Feb 1640.
3. Amy Winnall b. Friday, 1 Nov 1639, Amy daughter of Augustine Winnall of Blackwall, Waterman & Elizabeth bap. 6 Nov 1639 (at 5 days old)
4. John Winnall b. Wednesday, 23 Mar 1642, John son of Augustine Winnall of Blackwall, Waterman and Eliz., bap. 31 Mar 1642 at St Dunstan's (at 8 days old).
5. Rachell Winnall bap. 19 Oct 1643. Rachel daughter of Augustine Winnall of Blackwall, Waterman & Elizabeth, buried 20 Nov 1643.

Their seemingly only son, John Winnall, who was my 8th great-grandfather, therefore, was born in the same year as the start of the English Civil War.

Sadly, almost all the records of the Company of Watermen prior to 1666 were destroyed in the Great Fire of London so finding these records of a waterman from before that time, is gold. That it's my direct ancestor, breath-taking.

Buried on page 408 of the Calendar of the Quarter Sessions Papers: pt. 1. 1591-1621, is the following item: 

If this is the same Augustine Wynnall (and, with the same fairly unusual name, just seven years before the above marriage, I imagine it must be), then several conclusions may be drawn: he appears to have been wanted to appear before the Quarter Sessions for some reason that I have yet to discover; he probably originally hails from Buckland, Gloucestershire and he had been a Labourer. Lending more circumstantial evidence for accepting that this is the right man, is that among the notable burials at St Helen's Church, Bishopsgate is the tomb of Sir Thomas Gresham (1519-1579), royal agent to King Edward VI (1547–1553) and Queens Mary I (1553–1558) and Elizabeth I (1558–1603) and founder of the Royal Exchange, whose father, Sir Richard Gresham (1485-1549), Lord Mayor of London, and Member of Parliament, who served as a commissioner under Henry VIII - both of whom had held the manor of Buckland. One imagines, therefore, that Augustine Wynnall had probably come to London in the service of their descendants.

Augustine Wynnall of Blackwall, Waterman was buried, on 2 Feb 1642, at St Dunstan's, Stepney. Being in the first part of the year, prior to March 25th, this was likely 1642 per the then used Julian calendar, which would equate to 1643 in our modern Gregorian calendar, making sense of the date of his youngest child. This also suggests Rachel was a posthumous child. 

Blackwall and the Watermen

Samuel Pepys, who commuted by water from his home to his job at the Admiralty, refers to the death of his waterman in his diaries of 1665 revealing the particular vulnerability of Thames watermen to infection. 

On Sunday 20 August 1665, he writes, "And I could not get my waterman to go elsewhere for fear of the plague."

Thames watermen and ferries: "Wherries could be hired at many stairs that led down to the Thames. Watermen gathered at each, jostling for custom, crying “oars oars sculls”. Working a passenger wherry, ferry, or barge on the Thames in all weathers and tides required knowledge and skill, with tides used to achieve remarkably quick journeys up and down river. The men who operated such craft, as well as those who transported goods by barge or lighter, were a special breed, whose families undertook the same work for generations."

Blackwall had a proud maritime tradition and both Raleigh and Nelson are said to have had homes here. The first colonists of Virginia sailed from Blackwall in 1606 and later the East India Docks - a group of docks in Blackwall, east London - brought thriving inter­na­tional trade.

Blackwall Yard was famous for building East Indiamen, which vessels were often called Blackwallers. Built in 1614, it was the first wet dock in the port of London and was the East India Company's principal shipyard, "... residential development at Blackwall commenced in earnest during the 1620s and 1630s, and it continued throughout the century as both the shipyard and overseas trade prospered and the demand for labour in the area increased." 

• Anthony Tompson of Blackwall, Sawyer, aged 26 years married Mary Winnall aged 20 years, at St Dunstan, Stepney, on 13 Feb 1654.

Charles Baker and Sarah Hoile

St Mary Aldermary, Bow Lane, London EC4 - West end
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © John Salmon - geograph.org.uk/p/885942

Charles Baker married Sarah Hoile in the parish of St Mary Aldermary with St Thomas the Apostle on 12 Jan 1822. Since the church of St Thomas the Apostle was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and not rebuilt, it's probably safe to assume that the venue was St Mary Aldermary. 

The couple had two children, baptised at St Leonard's, Shoreditch:

1. Sarah Baker b. 1 Nov 1822, bap. 10 Jan 1823 
2. Charles Hoile Baker b. 23 Aug 1825, bap. 9 Oct 1825

On the record of son Charles Hoile Baker's marriage, he describes his father's occupation as Waterman. I've not [yet] isolated further records for this pair.

Job Sweeney and Eliza Louisa Tompson

Globe Road, Bethnal Green
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Stephen McKay - geograph.org.uk/p/4697355
Very much a part of the traditional East End, Globe Road runs north from Stepney Green station to Roman Road, and then on to this northern stretch up to Old Ford Road. 

Job Sweeney (b. 6 Feb 1870), son of John Henry Charles Sweeney and Susannah Harvey, married Eliza Louisa Tompson (b. 24 Aug 1868), daughter of Dan Tompson and Mary Ann Green, on 5 Jan 1893, at the Parish Church of St Anthony, Globe Road, Stepney. (The church of Saint Anthony stood in the borough of Bethnal Green, but was part of the rural deanery of Stepney. It closed in 1936 and the building was demolished in 1937.) Both claimed to be 24 and both gave their address as 3 Monteagle Street, Stepney. 

Their only son, Job Thomas Sweeney (right), was born at 25 Monteagle Street, Stepney (which further research suggests was a boarding house) on 27 Aug 1897 (registered Job Thomas Sweney 1897 D Quarter in MILE END OLD TOWN Volume 01C Page 499, with mother's maiden name TOMPSON) and baptised at St Dunstan and All Saints, Stepney, on 19 Sep 1897.

In 1901, Job Sweney (sic) (33) Warehouseman, Eliza Sweney (sic) (32) and Job Sweney (sic) (3), were living at 8, Repton Street, Limehouse. 

My mother always claimed that her father and grandmother, Eliza Louisa, had been living in Sidney Street at the time of the Siege of Sidney Street, or Battle of Stepney that took place in January 1911. Improbable, though not impossible, but I can find no records to support this. Eliza Louisa was well away from the area when Cable Street (where she was born) had it's own battle in 1936.

By the time of the census on 2 April 1911, the family were living at 102 Fore Street, in the City of London. They lived in a flat above the warehouse that came with the job, where Job Sweeney (41) was employed as Packer and Caretaker; Eliza Louisa Sweeney (41), Job Thomas Sweeney (13) and Amy Dobson (19) Domestic Servant, Friend (Amy Dobson b. 1892, was the sister of Ruth Christmas Dobson, wife of Job's brother Charles Sweeney.) 

In 1921, Job Sweeney (51) Packer, was still living and working at 102, Fore Street, City of London, for Hoffnung & Co Shipping Merchants; with wife, Eliza L Sweeney (52) and son, Job T Sweeney (23) Warehouseman, working for Wills & Co (W.D. & H.O. Wills) at their Holborn Viaduct factory (for whom he eventually worked for around 36 years.) (Calling herself Amy Margaret Dobson (29) Charwoman, in 1921 - no idea where the Margaret came from - living at 102, Hind Street, Poplar, this census tells us she was working for Messrs Hoffnung & Co Ltd at 102 Fore Street, City, E C.)

Press Gangs and the King’s Shilling: Job Sweney (sic) died, on 6 December 1924, aged 54 (1924 D Quarter in HENDON Volume 03A Page 374), and as family stories go, this has to be one of the best (as in the myth is about as far away from the truth as it's possible to get), but also one of the saddest. 

My mother won't have known her grandfather, as he had died when she was only a few months old, but throughout her life, she recounted this story so many times it would be impossible to count: The story went that Job Sweeney had been "press ganged" into the navy no less than three times. Once would be unlucky, you'd have thought. Anyway, this account, undoubtedly passed down to her by her grandmother, Eliza Louisa Sweeney, was further embellished with the assertion that Job liked his drink rather too much, hence was always in the pub and the worse for wear and, therefore, had been tricked, in serial fashion, into taking the King's Shilling. 

All absolute poppycock, of course, like most family stories are.

As I say, I'd heard and nodded along to the retelling of this story umpteen times, but never really considered or questioned it. It wasn't until I met the current 'him indoors' who knows his military history, who immediately said "wrong century", that it became obvious the whole thing was invention.

With hindsight, I can see where it will have come from. Job's father was a dock labourer (sometimes listed as a stevedore); his great-grandfather a mariner and many of their ancestors were sailors, ship's carpenters and shipwrights. Eliza Louisa's family ran pubs around the London docks. They'll have grown up with 'press gang' stories and other seafaring folklore.

Having spent his entire life in the East End, it was finding that his death had been registered in Hendon that made me dig further in order to solve the mystery. It even crossed my mind that holidays 'At His Majesty's Pleasure' might well have explained these absences that we were all led to believe were when he was 'at sea', but it was not so. Having ordered his death certificate, this confirmed that the actual place of death was Colindale Hospital.

Built originally as the The Central London District Sick Asylum in 1898-1900 - to provide care for the sick poor in London, separate from the workhouse - in 1919, it was taken over by The Metropolitan Asylums Board and used as male TB sanatorium. The cause of Job Sweeney's death was given as 'Pulmonary Tuberculosis, Certified by Marcus Patterson MD.' 

Dr. Marcus Sinclair Paterson (1870–1932) was the medical superintendent of the Colindale Hospital for Pulmonary Tuberculosis, Hendon. "Here Paterson made valuable innovations in the symptomatic treatment of advanced cases", says his obituary in the BMJ. He developed a system of treatment called 'graduated labour'. "He has described how his observations on out-patients led him to the idea of introducing manual work, as well as walking, into the sanatorium regime, with the hope of fitting his patients for immediate return to their work, and of successfully meeting the charge that sanatoriums turned out work-shy loafers." (Not unlike attitudes today, because victim blaming is a whole lot cheaper than doing research and actually treating the sick. Looks like we can see who was originally responsible for ideas that led to the much maligned, ineffective and harmful Graded exercise therapy (GET) too.)

So, we can deduce that the "press gang" story was made up to explain a series of absences, which were probably stays for 'treatment' - forced work when you're already too ill to do your normal work - at the sanatorium. And the saddest part is this tells us that, so strong was the social stigma attached to TB that families preferred to paint their nearest and dearest as 'feckless, drunken, work-shy', etc., rather than admit they had an infectious, then incurable, disease undoubtedly contracted through no fault of their own. 

Eliza Louisa Sweeney with her granddaughter, Ivy. Edited with ImageColorizer

The internet isn't just useful for looking up dry-and-dusty old genealogy records, there is so much more to discover. Take this for example. Among lots of family photos I inherited from my mother and hers before her was one of my mother and her grandmother, Eliza Louisa Sweeney (née Tompson), taken in the 1930s (my mother was 15 in 1939, so I estimate this is close to then). Only because there was a distinctive looking window on a building that looked like a church in the background behind them, it peaked my interest and I thought I would try to find out where the photo had been taken.

At that time, my mother, her parents and grandmother, still lived in the City of London, in Fore Street. It didn't look like anywhere I knew around there, but then it got a bit altered in the interim. I'd also tried the facility to Search with an image on Google, but it just told me it was a snapshot. Duh! 

Eventually, I asked the The East of London Family History Society Group for help, but whilst they weren't able to answer, members made many useful suggestions that led to more searches ... that finally turned up images of the Trinity Methodist Church, Clacton-on-Sea, which perfectly fit the round window, as well as other elements of the architecture. As confirmation, they sent me a link to this map of Clacton (Revision of 1939), which shows the position of the post box (marked L.B.) that you can see behind them. 

Trinity Methodist Church, Clacton-on-Sea
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © JThomas - geograph.org.uk/p/2944160

Then and now: Clacton's Trinity Church in Rosemary Road in 1881 and 2015

So, from this, we can deduce that, since this church is in the background, then they must be walking down Pier Avenue (shown here in c. 1925), in the direction of the sea front and pier and, as they lived in the East End, they can only have been on a day trip (no, I don't suppose they were flush enough for a whole holiday!) to Clacton-on-Sea. I'd wondered what they were up to that was special enough - in those pre-selfie days - for a photo. Now I know.

Mind you, "... if you stood where they were walking now you'd get mown down by the traffic, those trees, hedges and post box long gone too."

In 1939, Eliza Louisa was still living at 102 Fore Street with her son Job and his wife, Elizabeth (Bet) and granddaughter, Ivy, and remained there until their home was destroyed in WWII, thought to have been on or around the night of 29–30 Dec 1940, the so-called Second Great Fire of London.

Eliza Louisa Sweeney, otherwise Sweney (as it says on her death certificate), died on 13 Feb 1953 (1953 M Quarter in ROMFORD Volume 05A Page 846) from coronary thrombosis, influenza, chronic bronchitis and old age, at 84.