Benjamin Tompson Soppit and Ida Lily Hepworth

St Nicholas Church, Durweston, Dorset

Benjamin Tompson Soppit (b. 13 Nov 1884 in Bromley, Kent), son of John Soppit and Louisa Tompson, married Ida Lily Hepworth (b. 16 Sep 1891 in Exeter), daughter of Vincent Hepworth and Mary Ann (Annie) Rogers, at St Mary Major, Exeter, on 2 Jul 1913. Ida Lily Hepworth gave her residence as 3 Cathedral Yard, Exeter (now the address of Al Farid restaurant). Witnesses were Annie Adams (Ida's mother who remarried in 1908), H W (Henry Wood) Adams, her step-father, and John Soppit, presumably Benjamin's father.

The Church of St Mary Major, Exeter, formerly Exeter Minster, stood in Exeter Cathedral Yard, between the west front of the cathedral and next to The Three Gables, the building which now houses Al Farid restaurant. Having been rebuilt several times, St Mary Major was demolished in 1971.

In 1911, Ida Hepworth was a Hospital Nurse at The Croydon Borough Hospital for Infectious Diseases (Waddon Hospital). The Hospital was extended in 1911 to include two isolation pavilions and a Nurses' Home.

Benjamin and Ida had two children: 

1. John Vincent Soppit b. 15 Jul 1914 S Quarter in YORK Vol 09D Page 27
2. Ida Louisa Soppit b. 1916 M Quarter in PLYMPTON ST. MARY Volume 05B Page 293

In March 1916 Benjamin Tompson Soppit M2/115307 was serving with the Royal Army Service Corps in Salonica [Thessaloniki] on the Macedonian front. He ultimately achieved the rank of Second Lieutenant and Adjutant. 

In 1939, Benjamin and Ida were living at 46 Cambridge Drive, Lee, Lewisham.

Final resting place of Benjamin Tompson and Ida Lily Soppit

They later moved to 43 Barrack Row, Durweston, near to their daughter. 

Benjamin Tompson Soppit died on 28 Jan 1969, aged 85. Ida Lily Soppit died on 3 Jun 1995, at the age of 103 years 9 months (DOR Q2/1995 in NORTH DORSET (4301) Reg 54 Entry Number 140). They're buried together in the churchyard at St Nicholas Church, Durweston, Dorset. 

The inscription reads:

IN LOVING MEMORY OF

BENJAMIN TOMPSON SOPPIT

WHO FELL ASLEEP 

28th JAN 1969

Faithful in all things

ALSO OF HIS WIFE

IDA LILY

3rd June 1995

In her 104th year

• John Vincent Soppit married Olive Constance Archer in 1943 in Bromley, Kent. Listed in the 21 Jun 1945 edition of The London Gazette is Lieutenant-Colonel (temporary) John Vincent SOPPIT (124996), Royal Army Service Corps (Beckenham, Kent). They had one daughter, Amanda Janet Soppit, born in 1946. John Vincent Soppit died in London in 1990. Olive Constance Soppit of 54 Greenways, Beckenham, Kent, died on 1 Dec 2010. Amanda Janet Soppit appears not to have married and died on 9 Apr 2015.
• 'Betty' I L [Ida Louisa] Soppit married Alfred Ernest Woodley, in Deptford, London in 1938. In 1939, Alfred E Woodley (b. 22 Jan 1913) School Master, and Betty I L Woodley were living at 77 Salisbury Street, Blandford Forum, Dorset. They had one son, born in Carlisle, Cumberland, in 1942. Alfred Ernest Woodley of The Old Bank House, Blandford, died, aged 30, on 17 Feb 1943 at Bewaldeth Village, Cockermouth, Cumberland. Betty I L Woodley then remarried to Harold Greenleaves in Blandford, Dorset in 1944. They had one son in 1945. Harold Greenleaves, born 1904, died in North Dorset, in 2003. Betty Ida Louisa Greenleaves died, on 29 Jul 2014. Both sons appear to be still living.

Herbert Greey Taylor and Henrietta Staines Wilton

Holy Trinity, South Woodford
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © John Salmon - geograph.org.uk/p/4815591

Herbert Greey Taylor (b. 18 Dec 1874 in Hackney), son of Robert William Taylor and Sarah Keene, married Henrietta Staines Wilton (bap. 16 Apr 1879 in Great Dunmow), daughter of Stephen Thomas Wilton and Sarah Anna Laver, at Holy Trinity South Woodford on 2 Jul 1900. 

Herbert and Henrietta had three children:

1. Herbert Leslie Taylor b. 25 Jun 1903 S Quarter in ROCHFORD Vol 04A 749, bap. 28 Aug 1903
2. Robert William Taylor b. 1907 M Quarter in ROCHFORD Vol 04A 728
3. Henrietta Thora Taylor b. 1 Dec 1909 (1910 M Quarter in ROCHFORD Vol 04A 684)

In 1901, Herbert G Taylor (26) Commercial Traveller (Cloth) and Henrietta S Taylor (22) were living at 7, Gordon Road, Wanstead, West Ham.

In 1911, at Summerfield, Burnham Road, Leigh-on-Sea, were Herbert Greey Taylor (36) Merchant Italian Cloth; Henrietta Staines Taylor (32), Herbert Leslie Taylor (7), Robert William Taylor (4), Henrietta Thora Taylor (1) & two servants: Louisa Ellen Sargent (23) and Annie Garnish Threadgold (16).

In 1921, Herbert Greey Taylor (46) Italian Cloth Merchant; Henrietta Staines Taylor (42), Herbert Leslie Taylor (18), Robert William Taylor (14), Henrietta Thora Taylor (11), Dora Ella Taylor (18) General Domestic Servant and Ethel Maud Taylor (38) Sister-in-law were living at Hurst Lodge, Hadley Road, Monken Hadley, New Barnet.

In 1939, living at "Terra Nore" Longdown Lane South, Ewell, Surrey were Herbert Greey Taylor, Textile Merchant & Agent; Henrietta Staines Taylor and Henrietta Thora Colley, Private Secretary. (Henrietta Thora Taylor had married Henry Colley, in Ewell, Surrey, on 29 Oct 1938.)

Henrietta Staines Taylor died, aged 77, in 1956 D Quarter in LEWES Volume 05H Page 433.

Herbert Greey Taylor also died in Lewes, in 1970, at 95.

William Henry Southwood and Rose Anna Land Stone

Church of St Peter, Uplowman
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Derek Harper - geograph.org.uk/p/2510447

William Henry Southwood (b. 23 Aug 1875), son of Joseph Southwood and Maria Wood (née Hayes), married Rose Anna Land Stone (b. 2 Aug 1880), daughter of Frederick James Stone and Loveday Jane Land, on 29 Jun 1903 at St Peter’s Church, Uplowman. Witnesses were Frederick James Stone and Loveday Jane Stone, either the bride's parents, or siblings.

William and Rose Anna Southwood had four children:

1. Rose Anna Southwood b. 31 May 1905, bap. 16 Jul 1905 at St Peter's Church, Tiverton. At the time of this baptism, the family's address was in one of the courts off Barrington Street, Tiverton.
2. Frederick William Southwood b. 19 Jan 1907, bap. 17 Feb 1907 in Cove
3. Lily Southwood b. 7 Sep 1908, bap. 11 Oct 1908 in Uplowman
4. John Southwood b. 8 Sep 1910, bap. 16 Oct 1910 in Uplowman

In 1911, William Henry Southwood (34) Cattleman on Farm, was living at Chieflowman Cottage, Uplowman, with wife Rose Anna (30), Rose Anna (5), Frederick William (4), Lily (2) and John (0), as well as John Land (45), Horse Man on Farm, (Rose Anna's Uncle) and her sister, Laura Alice (12).

In 1921, William Henry Southwood (45) Farmer was at Bungsland Farm, West Anstey with Rose Anna Southwood (41), Rose Anna Southwood (16), Frederick William Southwood (14), Lily Southwood (12) and John Southwood (10), as well as Rose Anna's Uncle, John Land (56) Royal Marine Pensioner.

In 1939, William Henry Southwood, Farmer; wife Rose Anna and son, John, Farm Carter Assisting Father, were living at Twitchen Farm, South Molton.

Rose Anna Southwood died, aged 68, in 1949 M Quarter in BARNSTAPLE Volume 07A Page 326 and William Henry Southwood died, aged 79, in 1955 M Quarter in BARNSTAPLE Volume 07A Page 363.

• In 1927 Rose Anna Southwood married William Ernest Watts and in 1939, were at Chambercombe Farm, Ilfracombe. William Ernest Watts died in 1989, aged 87, and Rose Anna Watts in 2000, at 95.
• Frederick William Southwood married Nora Ames in 1930. At Greenhills, South Molton in 1939. Frederick William Southwood died in 1994, at 87. Nora died in 2006 in her 100th year.
• Lily Southwood married Percival Henry Clark in 1930 and in 1939, they were living at Steps Cottage, Stuckeridge, Tiverton. Percival died in 1982 and Lily Clark in 1999, aged 91.
• John Southwood died in 1995, aged 85.

Robert Hockley and Elizabeth Cramphorne

St Mary, Great Dunmow
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © John Salmon - geograph.org.uk/p/3988759

Robert Hockley (bap. 20 Apr 1755 at St Mary, Great Dunmow), son of Robert and Mary Hockley, married Elizabeth Cramphorne (bap. 4 May 1755 at St Mary, Great Dunmow), daughter of George and Anne Cramphorne, on 28 Jun 1775, at St Mary the Virgin, Great Dunmow. One of the witnesses was Mary Hockley, who could have been the bridegroom's mother or sister.

Records exist for four children of this couple:

1. Robert Hockley bap. 1 Oct 1775
2. Elizabeth Hockley bap. 8 Sep 1776
3. Mary Hockley bap. 4 Jan 1778
4. William Hockley bap. 4 Apr 1779

All were baptised at St Mary the Virgin, Great Dunmow.

Robert Hockley died at 52 and was buried at St Mary, Great Dunmow on 23 Oct 1807. The burial record tells us he was a Seedsman (seed merchant).

Elizabeth Hockley died, age estimated to 75 (she'll have been 73), and was buried at St Mary the Virgin, Great Dunmow on 11 Nov 1828.

Wilhelm Kritzer and Flora Wilhelmina Gleichauf

The Catholic parish church of St. Johann in Donaueschingen, Germany. The building with a double tower façade in the Bohemian Baroque style was built from 1724 to 1747 to a design by the Prague architect František Maxmilián Kaňka. Photo H. Helmlechner, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Wilhelm Kritzer (b. 10 Jan 1844), son of Michael Kritzer and Maria Agatha Hall, married Flora Wilhelmina Gleichauf (b. 26 Jan 1851), daughter of Johann Nepomuk Gleichauf and Waldburga Baur, on 26 Jun 1873 at the Katholisch (The Catholic parish church of St. Johann, consecrated to John the Baptist) in Donaueschingen, Villingen, Baden, Germany. 

Wilhelm and Flora Kritzer had five children, all baptised in that same church:

1. Amalia Kritzer b. 7 Oct 1873, bap. 19 Oct 1873
2. Julius Kritzer b. 18 Aug 1874, bap. 23 Aug 1874
3. Karl Kritzer b. 3 Nov 1875, bap. 14 Nov 1875
4. Josef Kritzer b. 30 Oct 1877, bap. 11 Nov 1877 
5. Wilhelm Kritzer b. 10 Mar 1879, bap. 23 Mar 1879,
   but who sadly died on 14 Sep of the same year.

Eldest son Julius Kritzer of 26 Karlstrasse, Donaueschingen, Germany died on 12 Feb 1925. (Karlstraße, appears to be the town's main street.) Probate was granted, however, in 1929, in England, to Mortimer Rooke, solicitor, attorney of Justina Kritzer, widow. It seems strange to have probate granted in England, unless they also spent time in the UK, but I can find no record of either of them having done so and no other record of Julius, nor Justina.

The three other surviving siblings certainly came to Britain to work in service in some very distinguished households and were in the UK at the outbreak of the First World War, where they found themselves at the epicentre of the anti-German hysteria and Spy Fever, incited by the press. 

Pelham Place, South Kensington
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Marathon - geograph.org.uk/p/2730271

Amalia Kritzer (27), daughter of Wilhelm Kritzer and Flora Gleichauf, in 1901, was employed as a Lady's Maid in the household of spinster sisters, Mary and Adela Ram at 20, Alexander Square, Kensington, a garden square in London's Chelsea, SW3. (Like the private communal gardens seen in Notting Hill.) 

In 1911, she was working as Lady's Maid for a 3rd sister, Elizabeth Ram at 19 Pelham Place, Kensington. The two older Ram sisters were born in France and the latter in Ireland, so the family don't appear on any census in England until we find them, living with their father, Stephen Ram, in the similarly upmarket Egerton Gardens, in 1891, where he was 'Living on own Means'. (Stephen Ram (1819-1899), of Ramsfort Park, Gorey, County Wexford, Ireland (The Rams of Gorey), had married Mary Christian Casamayor at Marylebone Church on 6 Aug 1839, with whom he had 7 children.)

In 1921, Amalie Kritzer (47) Lady's Maid from Baden, Germany was still working for Elizabeth Ram (62) at 19, Pelham Place, South Kensington, London. Living with Miss Ram was her niece, Christina M Ram and the pair were attended by Amalie, a Cook, a Parlourmaid and a Housemaid.

Elizabeth Ram died, at 67, in 1926 S Quarter in KENSINGTON Volume 01A Page 111 and The London Daily Chronicle of 15 Oct 1926 reported on, "£300 A YEAR TO MAID. Miss Elizabeth Ram of Pelham Place, South Kensington, whose estate is valued at £100,441 [nearly £8 million in 2024], left £200, the contents of her rooms, and £300 a year to her maid, Amalie Kritzer."

Amalie Kritzer, spinster, of 125 Beaufort St, Chelsea, London died, aged 60, on 4 Oct 1934. She left £1267 5s 8d (~£114,000 in 2024). Probate was granted to Mortimer Rooke and Alexander Herbert Macdonald, solicitors.

Source of the Donaubach in Donaueschingen (historically considered the source of the Danube)
Donaueschingen, in the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) near the confluence of the two sources of the river Danube, close to the borders with Switzerland and France, is postcard perfect. This video gives us a look around the town today and the pronunciation of Doe-now-ess-shingen.