Inherited Craziness
A place to share all the nuts found on my family tree

Showing posts with label Knapman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Knapman. Show all posts

Tuesday 23 March 2021

Tom Stone and Margaret Knapman

Royal Marines' Stonehouse Barracks, Durnford Street, Stonehouse, Plymouth

There's a record of a marriage, in the 1st quarter of 1889, between Tom Stone (b. 11 Dec 1861 in Ashbrittle, Somerset), son of Henry Stone and Mary Ridgeway, and Margaret Knapman. However, the British Royal Marines Marriage Registers, gives the date they married as 5 Apr 1893 and lists the place of marriage as the Register Office, East Stonehouse. As there was no such thing as a Register Office (until after 1929), I assume that this is merely an administrative ratification, once permission was granted, of the ceremony that took place in 1889. There are civil registrations for both dates. 

Peter Calver at Lost Cousins, potentially provides the explanation, as these rules probably apply to Marines too, "... soldiers needed the permission of their commanding officer if they wanted the marriage to be recognised (which is why you will sometimes come across a couple who married each other twice)." Either marriage was a little late and you can imagine, in the haste to legitimise their eldest, may have forgotten to ask permission of the CO.

Margaret Knapman was born on 28 Aug 1863 at Mary Rows Cottage (bet that should be Mary Rose), St Budeaux, daughter of Thomas Knapman and Kitty Horden. There were a Thomas and Catherine Knapman in Tamerton-Foliott in 1881, who I believe to have been her parents, but further research is required to confirm this. That Catherine Knapman was from Waterford, Ireland. In 1881, Margaret Knapman was a General Domestic Servant to Henry Couch (58) Farmer at Hays End, Tamerton-Foliott, Plympton.

In 1871, aged 9, Tom Stone had been living with his parents and siblings in Ashbrittle. Then, aged 18, in 1880, Tom enlisted in the Royal Marines. At 18, Tom was 5' 6¾", fair complexion, dark brown hair and hazel eyes. His record states, "Right little finger amputated through second phalanx." In 1881, aged 19, he was listed on the census as a Private R M L I - Royal Marine Light Infantry (RMLI) - at what was then called Stoke Damerel.

Tom and Margaret had six children:
  1. Archer Henry Stone (Archie), b. 28 Mar 1889 in Plympton, Devon, bap. 21 May 1889, at the Wesleyan Methodist church, Tamerton Foliot
  2. Frederick Thomas Stone, b. 20 Jan 1892
  3. Beatrice May Stone, b. 14 Mar 1894, in Plympton 
  4. Bertram Charles Stone, b. 24 Feb 1899 (died 2nd quarter of 1899)
  5. Leslie Victor Stone, b. 21 Feb 1901 
  6. Rosina Kathleen Stone, b. 14 Apr 1903
In 1891, Margaret Stone (25) and Archer H Stone (2) had been staying with her sister, Lucy Hoskins (23) in Star Lane, Tamerton Foliott.

In 1901 the family were living at 9, St Paul Street, East Stonehouse, with Tom Stone (39) listed as a Marine Pensioner. (Tom served in the Royal Marines for 21 years (+ 2 days), from 11 Mar 1880 until 13 Mar 1901, transferring to the Royal Fleet Reserve on 3 Jul 1901.) Also listed were Margaret (35), Archie (12), Frederick (9), Beatrice (7) and Leslie (0). 

Archer Henry Stone enlisted in the Royal Marines, aged 14, on 11 Nov 1903.

Tom Stone, General Labourer and Marine Pensioner, died, aged 43, on 2 May 1905, from Pulmonary Tuberculosis, at 3 Ashley Place, Plymouth.

Then just two years later, on 11 Nov 1907, Archie Stone died at the Royal Naval Hospital (Medway Maritime Hospital) in Gillingham, Kent, of a Tubercle of the lung (Tuberculosis again) and cardiac failure. He was just 18.

It seemed incongruous that there could be a commemorative stone to Archer Henry Stone in Rookwood Cemetery in Sydney, Australia, as Arthur H. Stone (his mates may have thought that Archer was a mistake or a nickname, not knowing that it really was the name he was registered and baptised with) and the inscription includes: Bugler, R.M.L.I. This would appear to be one of many memorials to shipmates who died elsewhere. A closer look at Archer's Royal Marines record shows that in Feb/Mar 1907 Archer was with HMS Powerful (1895) and there's a note in brackets next to the ship name that begins with 'Syd' one assumes this infers Sydney. After a 1905 refit, Powerful became the the flagship of the Australia Station. He then transferred to HMS Prometheus (1898) and finally to HMS Pioneer, at that time a drill ship with the Australian Squadron of the Royal Navy (she became HMAS Pioneer when was transferred to the Royal Australian Navy in 1912). Archie's last line with Pioneer says he was 'on passage' and wonder if that means he was not working, but ill and being taken home. Initially, it didn't seem to make sense that he would be remembered in Australia, but it's incredibly touching and he must have been well thought of to be remembered so far away.

In 1911, Margaret Stone, widowed and in receipt of Parochial Relief, was living in East Stonehouse, with Leslie V (10) and Rosina K (7). Frederick had enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1907 and Beatrice (17) was working as a Servant for Samuel Reed, Hairdresser and Tobacconist, in Devonport.

On 11 Apr 1919, aged 18, Leslie Victor Stone joined the Royal Tank Corps

In 1921, Margaret Erne Stone (57) Widowed; Frederick Thomas Stone (29) Royal Navy (Leading Signalman) and Rosina Kathleen Stone (18) were still living at 9, St Paul Street, East Stonehouse. Leslie Victor Stone (20) was with the Army Tank Corps at Pinehurst Barracks, Farnborough, Hampshire. 

Margaret Erne Stone died, on 1 Sep 1921, at around 55 years, and probate was granted to her son, Frederick Thomas Stone, on 24 Dec 1921.