James and Jane Cottrell

My paternal 3rd great-grandparents

James Cottrell was my 3rd great-grandfather. The family name transitioned from Cottrell to Cotterell around the 1870s. He was born in 1817 and was baptised in Northington, Hampshire on 11 November that year. His parents were James and Jane. His father’s occupation was recorded as labourer.

Jane Pitt, my 3rd great-grandmother, was born around 1817 in Twyford, Hampshire. Her parents were James and Frances (known as Fanny) Pitt, née Hammond. She was baptised on 20 July 1817 and at that time the family name was recorded as Pitts. Her father’s occupation was recorded as gardener.

James married my 3rd great-grandmother Jane Pitt on 20 August 1838 in Northington, Hampshire. James was recorded as a minor and Jane of full age. The age of majority up until 1969 was 21, at which point it was reduced to 18. This suggests that James was born after 20 August 1817, and Jane was born prior to this date. They were married at St. John the Evangelist Church in Northington, close to the Grange Lodge where James (and his father James) lived and worked.

James and Jane had their first child, a daughter, in 1839. Mary was born in Alresford and was baptised on 3 February 1839. A second daughter Emma was born the following year, also in Alresford. Emma was baptised in Swarraton on 9 August 1840.

They appear on the 1841 Census living at Grange Lodge in Itchen Stoke, Alresford, which I believe was part of The Grange Estate. James and Jane’s age was recorded as 20 years, but I think they were closer to 24. James was an agricultural labourer. Living with them were their two daughters Mary, aged 2, and Emma, aged 10 months. Jane’s mother Fanny, aged 65, was also recorded at the address. The spelling of the surname appears to be Cotheil.

James and Jane had a third daughter Ellen in 1844. She was also born in Alresford; however, her surname was recorded as Cottrill. Ellen was baptised on 12 May the same year. A fourth daughter – registered as Secelia but known as Cecelia in all future records – was born in 1846. She was born in Alresford, and her surname was recorded as Cottril, a fourth variation of the family name! She was baptised on 11 October and her name is recorded as Cecilia here. I wonder if the birth registration was an error.

Their first son, Frank, was born in 1849. He was born in Alresford and registered as Cottril, baptised on 24 August. Sadly, he died when he was 7 days old and was buried a few days after his baptism on 27 August. On the page in the burial book there is a record of a Mary Cotterell being buried shortly before Frank on 22 August. I think her age has been recorded as 10 weeks or months. I’m not sure who she is currently.

At the time of the 1851 Census, the family were still living at Grange Lodge. James was 35 years old and worked as an agricultural labourer. Jane was also 35. Emma was the eldest daughter at home, aged 10, and at school. This is the last Census I can trace Emma. The Census then lists Cecilia, aged 6, also at school; and then Ellen, aged 4. I think the enumerator has Cecilia and Ellen’s ages reversed as Ellen is the older of the two. James and Jane’s eldest daughter Mary is not with them and I have not been able to trace her since the 1841 Census. The family has one lodger (Henry Whitrod, aged 27, a gamekeeper) and one visitor (Charles Pinks, aged 39, also a gamekeeper).

James and Jane have their sixth child in 1855, a daughter Edith, born in Alresford. She was baptised on 3 June.

My second great-grandfather Walter Pitt was born on 9 January 1858. He was James and Jane’s last child and only surviving son. He was given Jane’s maiden name as his middle name. You can read more about him here.

James and Jane are recorded as living at Grange Cottage when the 1861 Census was taken. They are both 44 years old and James’ occupation is now woodman. Their eldest four daughters are no longer living with them. Edith was 5 and at school, Walter was 3 years old.

Ellen, aged 18 and Cecilia, aged 15, were both in service to families living on Broad Street in New Alresford. Ellen was serving as a house servant for the Fay family and Cecilia was serving as a nursemaid for the Gladstone family.

In 1867, Ellen married Frederick James Paice in Alresford. He was two years younger than Ellen, born in 1846 in Alresford. The Marriage Banns give the day of their wedding as 11 November. They had a son William Frederick, born in 1868 in Alresford. He was baptised on 1 March that year. Ellen sadly died at just 27 years old in 1871. She was buried on 10 January in New Alresford. The record gives her age as 25. I think that Frederick remarried in 1891 to Rosina Tyler.

Cecilia married William Crockford in Alresford in 1869. William was born in Alresford in 1846. Before the next Census, they had one son named Albert in 1869. His birth was registered in New Alresford.

In 1871, James and his family had moved to the Rectory in nearby Swarraton. James’ brother Andrew and his family also lived there. James and Jane were both 53 years old and James was still a woodman. Their children Edith, aged 15, and Walter, aged 13, remained with them. James’ grandson William Paice, son of his late daughter Ellen, also lived with the family. He was 3 years old.

Cecilia, aged 24, was living with her husband William and their son Albert at Pound Hill, New Alresford. William was 25 years old and his occupation is listed as a farmer’s son. Their son Albert was 2.

The year after the Census, James and Jane’s daughter Edith died aged just 16 years old. She was buried on 8 May 1872. A record of this can be seen below on the same page as Jane’s burial was recorded.

Cecilia and William had a second son in 1871. His name was Walter and he was born in Alresford. They then welcomed a daughter called Margaret at the end of 1873 (also in Alresford). She sadly died at two weeks old and was buried on 9 January 1874.

My third great-grandmother Jane died on 8 October 1874 aged 56. The cause of death was given as Phthisis, what is today called Tuberculosis. The certificate shows that present at Jane’s death was Emma Turner. It is possible that the mentioned Emma was James and Jane’s second daughter. There is a record of a Emma Cottrell marrying a John Turner on 25 September 1865, and her father’s name is recorded as James, a woodman. However, I am not 100% on the accuracy of this finding as I cannot confidently locate what happened to Emma after this date. The wedding also took place in Clapham, which was unusual for the family.

Jane was buried at the local church on 12 October, four days after her death. She was buried by William Lysaght. There are three other Cottrell’s mentioned on the same page. One is Edith, William and Jane’s daughter who had died in 1872. The other two (Elizabeth and Charles) I need to research further.

Cecilia and William had a third son in 1876. He was named William and was born in Alresford.

Just three months later, my third great-grandfather James died on 16 December at The Grange Park [Estate], aged 62. Walter was present at the time of his death, the cause of which was heart disease and diabetes.

At first, I had thought that neither James nor Jane were buried at the local church in Northington where numerous other family members are interred as neither are mentioned on the list of burials available on the Church website. However, I have since found a copy of the Church burial book on Ancestry (and later found Jane listed also), which shows that James was buried by Rector William Eyre three days after his death on 19 December. There is also a Jane Cottrell listed on the same page who was buried in 1881. This Jane was only a year old when she died. She was James’ granddaughter – daughter of Walter and Elizabeth, my second great-grandparents. Jane was born after James’ death in 1880.

In 1879, Cecilia and William had their fifth child, a boy. He was born in Alresford but was registered with no name. His death was registered in the same quarter.

For the Census in 1881, Cecilia, aged 34, had stayed in Pound Hill, New Alresford with her family. Her husband William was also 34 and was a coal merchant. Their three surviving children (Albert, aged 11; Walter, aged 9; and William, aged 4) were with them and all three were at school.

Cecilia and William had three more children before the next Census. Daisy Cecilia was born in 1882, Beatrice was born in 1883, and Allan in 1887. All were born in Alresford.

In 1891, Cecilia, aged 44, and her family had moved to The Dean in New Alresford. Her widowed father-in-law John and his family are listed below them. Cecilia’s husband William was also 44 and was still working as a coal merchant. Their eldest son Albert is not recorded at the address (he is listed with his grandfather John), but their remaining surviving children live with them – Walter, aged 19, a carman for a coal merchant (his father?); William, aged 14, also a carman for a coal merchant; Daisy, aged 9, scholar; Beatrice, aged 7, scholar; and Allan, aged 3.

In 1895, Cecilia and William’s eldest son Albert married Phoebe Harriet Tilling in Alresford. Phoebe was born in 1872 in Staines. They had one daughter Elsie Blanch, born 1896 in Alresford.

Cecilia and William’s third son William married Effie Florence Mundy in 1899 in Alresford. I think Effie was born around 1877 but I have not found any confirmation of this on the GRO website. I later found that this was because her surname was spelt incorrectly on the marriage registration; her surname is actually Munday. This allowed me to confirm that Effie was indeed born in 1877, in Alresford.

They had nine children, all born in Alresford: Willie George, born 1899; Harold Victor, born 1901; Edward Cecil, born 1903; Vera Agnes, born 1905; Lily Florence, born 1906; Effie Beatrice, born 1910; Dorothy May, born 1912; Percy Jack, born 1916; and Daisy Joan, born 1918.

In 1901, Cecilia and her family had remained at The Dean. She was now 54 years old, but has been transcribed in error as Selina. Her husband William was also 54 and was still a coal merchant. He is recorded as an employer. Four of their children were living with them: Walter, aged 30, who was still working with his father; Daisy, aged 19; Beatrice, aged 17, a pupil teacher at a boarding school; and Allan, aged 13.

Cecilia and William’s eldest son Albert was living on the same road, at Hill Terrace, with his wife and daughter. Albert was 31 years old and working for his father. His wife Phoebe was 28 and his daughter Elsie was 5.

Their third son William was living on West Street in New Alresford with his wife and son. William was 24 years old and working for his father. His wife Effie was also 24 and his son Willie was one.

Cecilia and William’s daughter Daisy married Albert Cresswell in 1909 in Alresford. Albert was born in 1880 in Potterspury, Northamptonshire. They had one son called Henry John in 1915, born in Alresford.

In 1911, Cecilia and her family have remained at The Dean. She and her husband William are 64 years old and William’s occupation was a coal merchant. Three of their children live with them: Walter, aged 39, also a coal merchant; Beatrice, aged 27, no listed occupation; and Allan, aged 23, a builder.

Albert’s address was also recorded as The Dean when the 1911 Census was taken. He lived there with his wife Phoebe and his daughter Elsie. Albert was 41 years old and a coal merchant, Phoebe was 37, and Elsie was 15. Elsie was working as a draper’s assistant.

William was living on West Hill in Alresford with his family. He was 34 and a coal merchant. His wife Effie was also 34. They now had six children: Willie, aged 11; Harold, aged 9; Edward, aged 8; Vera, aged 6; Lily, aged 4; and Effie, aged 1. The eldest four children were at school.

Daisy was living with her new husband Albert at Claremont in Alresford. Albert was 31 and a railway clerk; Daisy was 29.

In 1914, Cecilia and William’s daughter Beatrice married Alfred Spooner in Alresford. Alfred was born in 1884 in Guildford, Surrey. I don’t believe they had any children.

Cecilia and William’s youngest child Allan married Daisy Jane Lambert in 1917 in Alresford. Daisy was born in 1884 in Petersfield, Hampshire. They had one daughter called Kathleen Cecilia Eva, born in 1921 in Alresford. Allan gave his daughter his mother’s name as one of her middle names.

Allan had enlisted in the Army on 25 October 1916 when he was 29 years old. He originally enlisted at Winchester but was transferred to a Devonshire regiment. He was formally discharged from service in 1919 following an injury in September 1918 where he sustained shrapnel injuries to his right thigh and right arm. His report is below.

At the time of the 1921 Census, it appears that Cecilia was living at the same address but it is now spelt The Dene, rather than The Dean. She was 74 years old. Her husband William was also 74 and recorded as still working as a coal merchant. Their second eldest son Walter was still living with them. He was 50 years old and also a coal merchant.

Albert and his family are also recorded at The Dene. He was 52 years old and a coal merchant. His wife Phoebe was 48 and their daughter Elsie was 25. Both women were recorded as being at home.

William and his family are recorded as residing at Hill Cottage on Pound Hill, Alresford. William was 44 years old and appears to have his own coal merchant business. His wife Effie was also 44. Living with them were their nine children: Willie, aged 21, working as a grocer’s assistant for J.J. Ellingham in Alresford; Harold (recorded as his middle name Victor), aged 20, working for his father as a coal carter; Edward, aged 18, also working for his father as a coal carter; Vera, aged 16, working as a book keeper for the same grocer as her brother Willie; Lily, aged 15, was recorded as working at home; Effie, aged 11; Dorothy, aged 9; Percy, aged 5; and Daisy, aged 3.

Daisy, her husband Albert and their son Henry had moved to Station House in Lower Clatford, Andover, Hampshire. Daisy was 39 years old; Albert was 41 and working as a station master; and their son was 6 and at school.

Beatrice and her husband Alfred had moved to 108 Church Street in Woking, Surrey. Beatrice was 37 years old and Alfred was 36, working as a contactors clerk for Messrs Hardy & Co.

Allan and Daisy were living on East Street in Alresford with their five month old daughter Kathleen. Allan was 33 years old and working as a builder. Daisy was 37.

Cecilia’s husband William died on 30 October 1923, aged 77. Probate of his estate shows that he was a wealthy man as he left a sum of £31,399 7s 7d to his sons Albert, Walter and Allan. Today this sum would be worth nearly £2.5m!

Cecilia died less than two years later on 29 May 1925. She left a sum of £4,350 3s 8d to her son Albert.

When the 1939 Register was taken, Albert and Phoebe had remained at The Dean in Alresford. Albert’s date of birth was recorded as 3 June 1869 and Phoebe’s was 3 October 1872. Albert’s occupation was ‘coal merchant – retired’. Their daughter Elsie had married James McCutcheon in 1921 in Alresford. James was born in 1893 in Cockermouth, Cumberland. They had two sons: Stuart, born 1922; and Malcom, born 1928. Both born in Alresford. The Register records Elsie, James and Stuart at Grange Road in Alresford. There is one close record which is likely to be Malcolm. Elsie’s date of birth was recorded as 23 January 1896, James’ as 21 September 1893, and Stuart’s as 6 June 1922 (which coincidentally is the date in 2023 that I am writing this!). James’ occupation was a baker/grocer shopkeeper and Stuart was at school.

Following the death of his parents whom he had lived with all of this life, Walter had remained at the same address and can be seen on the same page of the Register as his brother Albert. His date of birth was recorded as 21 April 1871 and his occupation as coal merchant.

William, Cecilia and William’s fourth child, had passed away on 14 January 1929 aged 52. Probate of his estate confirms that he left a sum of £11,790 0s 6d to his widow Effie and his eldest son Willie.

William’s widow Effie remains at Hill Cottage when the Register is recorded. She was recorded as incapacitated and her date of birth was 10 February 1877. With her are four of her children: Edward, born 15 January 1903, also recorded as incapacitated; Vera, born on Christmas Eve 1904, a grocers clerk; Dorothy, born on 17 April 1912 (the record shows she later married and became Dorothy Rice); and Daisy, born on 30 April 1918 (the record shows she later married and became Daisy Stevens).

Effie passed away a few weeks after the Register was taken on 7 October in Winchester. She was 62. She left effects of £955 12s 10d (substantially less than what her husband had left her and their eldest son ten years earlier) to her sons Willie, Harold and Allan.

William and Effie’s eldest son Willie had enlisted in the Army in 1918 when he was 18. The record is somewhat faded but it does confirm that he was awarded the British War and Victory medals for his service. In 1925, he married Elsie Mary Carpenter in Alresford. Elsie was born in 1904 in Alresford. I believe they had three children: Brenda C, born 1925 in Alresford; Betty M, born 1930 in Alresford; and Bryan W, born 1939 in Winchester. At the time of the Register, they were living at Bishop’s Sutton Stores in Winchester. Willie’s date of birth was recorded as 9 July 1899, and Elsie’s was 6 March 1904. Willie’s occupation was shopkeeper. There are three closed records, presumably relating to his children. There is also mention of Margaret Aphleton (sp) and another closed record at the address but I am not sure who this is.

William and Effie’s second child Harold married Evelyn Annie Green in 1933 in Steyning, Sussex. Evelyn was born in 1907 in Steyning. I believe they had one child: Ronald E, born 1935 in Winchester. At the time of the Register, they were living at 7 Station Cottage, Station Road in Alresford. Victor’s date of birth was recorded as 19 May 1901 and Evelyn’s was 28 November 1907. Victor’s occupation was coal merchant. There is one closed record which I assume to be Ronald’s.

William and Effie’s fifth child Lily married Henry Charles Bundy in 1934 in Winchester. Henry was born in 1903 in Winchester. I don’t believe they had any children. When the Register was taken, they were living in Gosport, Hampshire. Lily’s date of birth was 14 April 1906 and Henry’s was 29 May 1903. I can’t fully decipher what his occupation was – stonehouse something?

This particular entry into the Register is interesting as below the entry for Lily and Henry, you can see an entry for Effie B Bundy and John Bundy. Effie is Lily’s sister, William and Effie’s sixth child. And John is Henry’s brother! Effie married John in 1937 in Winchester. John was born in 1914 in Alverstoke, Hampshire. They had one child: Peter, born 1939 in Gosport. The Register records Effie’s date of birth as 21 December 1909 and John’s as 6 January 1914. His occupation was a joinery foreman at a shipyard. There is one closed record which I presume to be Peter.

Currently, I have not found any record of William and Effie’s youngest son Percy on the Register.

Daisy, Cecilia and William’s daughter, and her family had moved from Andover to 126 Kingston Road in Staines. Daisy’s date of birth was 24 January 1882. Albert was born on 17 March 1880 and he was still a station master. He was also noted as a Chief Warden for Air Raid Precautions. Their son Henry’s date of birth was 17 May 1915 and he was now a certified Ford motor mechanic.

Beatrice and her husband Alfred had moved from Woking to 4 Middle Road in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Beatrice’s date of birth was 16 October 1883, and her husband Alfred was born 4 August 1884. Alfred was a civil engineer.

Allan’s wife Daisy had sadly passed away on 25 November 1930 (in Alresford). She was just 46 at the time of her death. At the time of the Register, Allan had remained living at East Street with his daughter Kathleen. His mother-in-law Eva also lived with them. Allan’s date of birth was 1 August 1887 and his occupation was master builder. Kathleen’s date of birth was 16 January 1921 and the record shows that she later married becoming Kathleen Bailey.

Cecilia and William’s eldest son Albert died aged 73 on 29 June 1942. He was still living at The Dean in Alresford when he died. His effects went to National Provincial Bank Limited – perhaps this means he did not have a last will and testament?

Albert’s wife Phoebe died aged 81 twelve years later on 10 March 1954. She was also recorded as living at The Dean (spelt The Dene this time) but passed away in Angene Nursing Home in Winchester. Her effects went to her daughter Elsie. Elsie died when she was 73 on 22 December 1969 in Alresford. Her husband James died eight years later in 1977, aged 83, in Winchester.

Cecilia and William’s son Walter died at 83 years of age on 23 April 1953 in Alresford. Like his older brother Albert, his effects went to National Provincial Bank. His residential address was also The Dean but he actually died at a nursing home in Farnham, Surrey.

Daisy, Cecilia and William’s eldest surviving daughter, died aged 85 on 16 January 1968 in Staines. Her husband Albert had died 13 years prior in 1955, aged 75. His death was registered in Middlesex South. Their son Henry died in 1992, aged 76, in the New Forest.

Beatrice died, aged 83, on 8 January 1967 in Woking. Her husband Alfred died five years later in Chichester, Sussex aged 87.

Allan died, aged 76, on 29 October 1963 at St. Pauls Hospital in Winchester. Interestingly, he left his effects to Peter Clifton Gregory solicitor and to Edward Benjamin Bailey (builder). Edward was his son-in-law, having married Kathleen in 1946. Kathleen herself did not pass away until 12 April 1982 – I wonder why Allan left the money to his son-in-law and not his daughter.

Willie, William and Effie’s eldest child, passed away on 28 April 1981, aged 81. His wife Elsie died 11 years later in 1992, aged 87.

Harold passed away on 19 June 1972, aged 70. His wife Evelyn died 7 years later in 1979, aged 70. I believe the wrong year of birth was recorded on her death registration as her date of birth was given as 1908, rather than 1907.

Edward, having been recorded as incapacitated on the 1939 Register, died aged only 45 on 11 March 1948. He had never married and he died at The Firs Nursing Home in Bournemouth, though his residential address was recorded as Alresford. He left his effects to his brother Willie.

Vera also never married. She died, aged 61, on 25 February 1966. She left her effects to her brother Percy and her sister Daisy.

Lily lived to the age of 94, passing away on 1 April 2000. Her husband Henry had died 12 years earlier in 1988, aged 85.

Effie (daughter of William and Effie) died aged 79 on 19 April 1989. Her husband John had died many years earlier when he was only 45 on 10 February 1959.

Dorothy married shortly after the Register was taken in 1939; she married Jack L Rice in Manchester (though the registration under Jack’s name gives Winchester as the place of marriage). I haven’t located any details of Jack. Dorothy died, aged 79, on 19 August 1991.

Percy died aged 77 in 1994. I don’t think he married and I have not found a probate record for him so no exact date of death.

Daisy married Alan V Stevens in 1952 in Winchester. Prior to this, there is a record of her serving in the Women’s Land Army from 1 March 1943 to 29 June 1945. She died aged 60 on 8 February 1979. I haven’t found any records of her husband Alan.

All children except Effie (who died in Stockport, Manchester) and Dorothy (who died in Bristol), died in Hampshire.