John Robert Penfold and Mary Jane Wilmshurst

Millbank Estate, Erasmus Street
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Stephen Richards - geograph.org.uk/p/2294495
Looking down St Oswulf Street towards Hogarth House, built in 1897-99 by R. Minton Taylor. Grade II* listed. The Millbank Estate was one of the earliest and highest quality public housing projects of the London County Council, built in 1897-1902. The style is Arts and Crafts with touches of Queen Anne, red brick, neat white-painted windows, shaped gables.

John Robert Penfold (b. 1857), son of William Penfold and Mary Ann Charlotte Gunn, married Mary Jane Wilmshurst (b. 1856), daughter of James Wilmshurst a farmer of 26 acres in Heathfield, Hailsham, Sussex and Sarah Prior, in 1878 in the district of Hailsham, perhaps in Heathfield.

John Robert and Mary Jane had five children:

1. Frederick William Penfold b. 1879, registered in 1880 M Qtr in CROYDON Vol 02A Page 270, died 1 Jan 1918 (see below)
2. Arthur James Penfold b. 1883 D Qtr in CHELSEA Vol 01A Page 321
3. Charles Edward Penfold b. 1886 M Qtr in CHELSEA Vol 01A Page 341
4. Mary Jane Penfold b. 1888 J Qtr in CHELSEA Volume 01A Page 3
5. Mabel Penfold b. 1890 D Qtr in CHELSEA Volume 01A Page 360

In 1881, John R Penfold (23) from Hartfield, Sussex was living at Field Gate, Mitcham, Croydon, Surrey with wife Mary J Penfold (24), brother Charles Penfold (17) Grocer's assistant and son, Fred W Penfold (1).

In 1891, in the Queens Road, Chelsea, London with John R Penfold (33) Boot maker (the Chelsea boot, made popular in that district in 1960's, but the design goes back to Victorian times), Mary J Penfold (34), Arthur J Penfold (7), Charles J Penfold (5), Mary J Penfold (3), Mabel Penfold (0) and Sarah Wilmshurst (68) Widow, Mother-in-law. Frederick William, then 11, is not listed and I've been unable to find him elsewhere either.

In 1901, in Hogarth Buildings, 52, Westminster (Hogarth Buildings, Millbank Estate, Westminster. The Millbank Estate, was planned by the Housing of the Working Classes Branch of the London County Council (LCC) Architect’s Department in 1897) were John R Penfold (43) Shoemaker; Frederick W Penfold (21) Commercial clerk; Arthur J Penfold (17) Student; Charles E Penfold (15) Shoemaker; Mary J Penfold (13) and Mabel Penfold (10). Not listed in the household was wife Mary Jane Penfold, as M J Penfold (45) female patient born in Heathfield, Sussex was listed as a 'Lunatic' in the London County Asylum, The Heath, Dartford. (Heath Asylum, which became Bexley Hospital). Opened in 1898, the first patients moved in before the hospital was completed, initially with 4 male and 3 female ward blocks. All were committed ‘lunatics’, none were there on a voluntary basis.

John Robert had been elected as one of the six Labour members returned for the St. John Ward to Westminster City Council on Monday 9th November 1903 and he served for three years until November 1906. [Source]

Mary Jane Penfold (48) died, in Dartford, Kent on 29th January 1905.

In the 2nd quarter of 1906, John Robert Penfold then remarried to Louisa Morfill in the district St. George Hanover Square. Born Louisa Gamble, she had previously married Thomas Morfill, in Petersfield, Hampshire, in 1881. Or to give him his full name, Wemyss Thomas Cockburn Morfill, born in 1857, in Torrington, Devon, son of James Waugh Morfill a Professor of Music and Elizabeth Green. In 1891, Morfill was in service as a Housekeeper in Ashley Place, Westminster. He had died, at 34, in 1892.) Louisa bought with her two daughters from her previous marriage: May Morfill and Emma Louise Morfill, born in 1882 and 1883, respectively, on Portsea Island, Portsmouth.

Charles Edward Penfold died, aged 21, and was buried on 25 Apr 1907 at Hanwell Cemetery, formerly City of Westminster Cemetery.

In 1911, living at 32 Rampayne Street, Westminster were John Robert Penfold (53) Bootmaker, Louisa Penfold (59), Frederick William Penfold (31) Clerk in tailoring house; May Elisa Morfill (28) Tobacconist; Emma Louise Morfill (27) Tobacconist; Arthur James Penfold (27) Clerk inst civil; Mary Jane Penfold (23) and Mabel Penfold (20) Student. Much can be deduced about their attitudes seeing them listed in order of age, disregarding family or gender and that Mabel is listed as a Student, worthy of further education.

Frederick William Penfold of 17 Chapter Street, Westminster, died, aged 38, on 1 Jan 1918 at the First London General Hospital, Brixton (The 1st London General Hospital in Cormont Road was a school requisitioned by the military wing of St Bart's during World War I.), leaving his effects to his father, John Robert Penfold, Bootmaker. Private Frederick William Penfold, Middlesex Regiment 33rd Bn., son of John Robert and Mary Jane Penfold, is buried at Brookwood Military Cemetery, Brookwood, Surrey (XIII. E. 6.)

John Robert Penfold died, aged 66, on 15th March 1924.

Louisa Penfold of Alver Bank, West Road, Clapham Park (Residential Home) died, at 84, in Wandsworth, London, on 21 Sep 1936, leaving her effects to her daughter, Emma Louise Tapper (wife of William Frans Tapper).

Harry Authers and Mary Ann Pellew Robertson

Royal Naval Memorial, The Hoe, Plymouth, Devon
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Christine Matthews - geograph.org.uk/p/3106428

Harry Authers (as Henry Authers), son of Henry Authers and Susannah Osmond, married Mary Ann Pellew Robertson (b. 17 Mar 1862 J Quarter in STOKE DAMEREL Volume 05B Page 344, bap. 18 Feb 1875 at Devonport, St James the Great), daughter of Archibald Robertson and Mary Ann Thomas Butters, in Plymouth, Devon, in the 2nd quarter of 1887. 

Harry and Mary Ann had two sons:

1. Harry Archibald Pellew Authers b. 13 May 1891 (1891 J Quarter in STOKE DAMEREL Volume 05B Page 362), bap. 4 Jun 1891 at Devonport, St James the Great.
2. Archibald John Authers b. 31 Dec 1894 (1895 M Quarter in STOKE DAMEREL Volume 05B Page 336). Died 1 Nov 1914 (See below).

Also listing himself as Henry Authers and his date of birth as 6 Mar 1863, Harry had enlisted in the Royal Navy on 15 Apr 1885, becoming a Stoker and progressing to Leading Stoker and ultimately to Acting Chief Stoker until he was invalided at the Royal Naval Hospital, Plymouth on 5 Nov 1897. 

In 1901, Harry Authers (38) Pensioner, Stoker R.N., Mary Ann Authers (39) Laundress, Harry A Authers (9), Archibald J Authers (6), as well as a Sarah Godfrey (45) Widowed Machinist at H M Dockyard, Boarder, were living in Palmerston Street, Stoke, Plymouth.

Harry Authers died, aged 38, in 1901 S Quarter in WELLINGTON, SOMERSET AND DEVON Volume 05C Page 193.

Mary Ann Pellew Authers then died, at 42, just two years later, in 1903 S Quarter in PLYMOUTH Volume 05B Page 132.

Both of the boys joined the Royal Navy. Harry would have been only 12 when his mother died and Archibald just 9. Both were listed as having come from GH School, which I can only assume was the Greenwich Hospital School.

1. Harry Archibald Pellew Authers enlisted as a Boy 2nd Class on 6 Nov 1906, at just shy of 15. He progressed to the rank of Petty Officer, retired in 1931, was mobilised in 1938, finally being invalided in 1947. He married in 1946 and died, at 90, in Tavistock, Devon in 1982.
2. Archibald John Authers enlisted as a Boy Ship's Steward on 7 Dec 1909, also just shy of his 15th birthday. He was lost in HMS Monmouth (1901) on 1 Nov 1914, at 19, killed in action at the Battle of Coronel, off the coast of Chile. Ship's Steward Archibold John Authers, son of the late Harry and Mary Ann Authers, is remembered on the Plymouth Naval Memorial on The Hoe, Plymouth, Devon.