Biography:
John Wilson
22/08/1884 –13/04/1962
John Wilson
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PLOT 993 JOHN WILSON
The only records of John Wilson in Berkhamsted are his 1939 Register and Burial Register entries. Fortunately, enough clues can be obtained from these to track down both John and his wife Eleanor. His Burial Register entry could be linked to a summary of his Death Register. A copy of his death certificate showed that his death was registered by his son-in-law, J E Martin. Marriage records tell us that, on 4th September 1937, James Ernest Martin had married Margaret Ann Wilson in Berkhamsted. A report of the marriage in the Bucks Examiner 6 days later revealed that both her father and her brother were named John.
The 1939 Register gave the dates of birth of John (senior) and Eleanor. From that information, the June 1921 Census, which gives ages in years and months, identified a family with parents John and Eleanor Wilson of the correct ages and children Margaret Ann and John. They were a mining family from Hebburn Colliery, County Durham. By good fortune, John’s father-in-law was resident with them on Census night, thus providing his wife Eleanor’s maiden name: Coatman.
John Wilson was born at Hebburn Colliery, County Durham on 22nd August 1884. He was baptised at St Oswald’s, Hebburn, Durham on 30th August that year with his twin sister Ethel, who sadly did not survive infancy. He was the son of Edward Wilson, a coal miner, and Ann née Forster. In 1891 he lived at 12 Ash Street, Hebburn Colliery with his parents, older sister Margaret Ann, 8, and younger sister Amelia, aged 1. John and Margaret Ann were both at school.
By 1901 the family had moved to 23 Wood Street Hebburn. John was a 16-year-old Coal miner pony driver, and his father Edward a coal miner (hewer). His younger siblings living at home were Amelia aged 8 and William aged 3.
His parents’ 1911 Census return explains the discrepancy in his sister Amelia’s ages between 1891 and 1901. That census reveals that his mother bore eight children, of whom only four were still living. These were Margaret Ann, John, Amelia born in 1892 and William. The four who had died were John’s twin Ethel, Hannah born in 1887, Amelia born in 1889 and Alice born in 1896, all of whom died aged less than 2 years. At that time it was not unusual for children to die in infancy because of the hardships their families endured, nor for a child to be given the name of a deceased sibling.
Margaret Hedley, writing about Women of the Durham Coalfield, (Women of the Durham Coalfields - The History Press) noted “The life of a coal miner’s wife was far from easy and it made sense for miners to marry the daughters of the industry. Such families often lived in poor conditions, with a husband who worked long hours and who would often come home to sleep when the rest of the household was still working.
“The logistics of organising this complex home-life fell to the woman. She was required to provide the men of the house with a hot meal before they left for the pit, and another hot meal and hot bath when they returned. Due to the pattern of shifts this could be at any time of day or night, and often there was more than one miner to provide for. This was all made more difficult by the lack of running water to their colliery cottages.
“All of the above was carried out alongside the usual routine of household chores, collecting water, baking bread and making meals, resulting in a relentless system of drudgery often lasting far longer than a miner’s 12-hour shift.”
In the second Quarter of 1906, the marriage of John Wilson, aged 21 and Eleanor Coatman, aged 18 was registered in South Shields. By 1911they were living at 14 Arthur Street, Hebburn with their infant daughter Ethel, aged 4 months. An earlier child, Elizabeth Ann, had died a year previously aged 2. John worked as a coal hewer.
In all, Eleanor bore seven children but only three survived childhood. They were Ethel, Margaret Ann, born 24th April 1913 and John, born 25th September 1915. Martha, born in 1916, Robert, 1918 and William, 1920 all died in infancy. Whether that was the result of illness or of the continued hard conditions endured by mining families is not known.
The 1921 Census showed that John, still of 14 Arthur Street, Hebburn, was a 26-year-old out of work Colliery Surface Labourer. His 67-year-old father-in-law, John Coatman, who lived with them, was an out of work Coal Hewer. Both had been laid off by the Wallsend and Hebburn Coal Company. British coal output had peaked in 1913 but, by the 1920s, there was stagnation. Coal prices fell, mine owners reduced wages and sought to impose longer working hours and there was unrest in the mining industry. We do not know whether John was taken on again after 1921. Hebburn Colliery, which had opened in 1792, had three pits (A, B and C). At its peak in 1914 the colliery employed 1,864 people, of whom 1,549 worked below ground and 315 on the surface. However, the colliery closed in 1932 and the 1930s saw very high unemployment and great hardship in North East England.
By the time of their daughter Margaret Ann’s wedding at St Peter’s in 1937, John and Eleanor had moved to Berkhamsted. It seems likely that he came in search of work. In 1937 they lived in Raven’s Lane but, by September 1939, had moved to 31 Curtis Way. At that time, John was employed as a General Labourer/ Navvy; he was also a member of the ARP Decontamination Squad. Eleanor died aged 55 on 15th September 1943 and is buried in this plot.
The 1939 Register shows John and Eleanor’s daughter Margaret Ann living in the Garage Flat at Shenstone Court (her husband James had already enlisted into the RASC) and their son John, a Private Gardener, at 50 Highfield Road with his wife Kathleen.
John’s Death Certificate gives his occupation as a Gardener (retired). By the time of his death aged 77 on 13th April 1962, he lived with his daughter and son-in-law in Shenstone Cottage, Gravel Path, Berkhamsted. Whether he had gardened at Shenstone Court is unclear. His son-in-law had worked there as a chauffeur for Sir Richard Ashmole Cooper of Cooper, McDougall and Robertson fame. (Shenstone Court later became the Research Centre of Cooper, McDougall and Robertson’s and is now part of Castle Village).
John was buried here on 17th April 1962 by the Revd. R S Brown, Rector. He was one of the last burials in this cemetery and could only be buried here because a space had been reserved for him in his wife Eleanor’s grave, which dated from 1943.
View this burial in the cemetery
PLOT 993 JOHN WILSON
The only records of John Wilson in Berkhamsted are his 1939 Register and Burial Register entries. Fortunately, enough clues can be obtained from these to track down both John and his wife Eleanor. His Burial Register entry could be linked to a summary of his Death Register. A copy of his death certificate showed that his death was registered by his son-in-law, J E Martin. Marriage records tell us that, on 4th September 1937, James Ernest Martin had married Margaret Ann Wilson in Berkhamsted. A report of the marriage in the Bucks Examiner 6 days later revealed that both her father and her brother were named John.
The 1939 Register gave the dates of birth of John (senior) and Eleanor. From that information, the June 1921 Census, which gives ages in years and months, identified a family with parents John and Eleanor Wilson of the correct ages and children Margaret Ann and John. They were a mining family from Hebburn Colliery, County Durham. By good fortune, John’s father-in-law was resident with them on Census night, thus providing his wife Eleanor’s maiden name: Coatman.
John Wilson was born at Hebburn Colliery, County Durham on 22nd August 1884. He was baptised at St Oswald’s, Hebburn, Durham on 30th August that year with his twin sister Ethel, who sadly did not survive infancy. He was the son of Edward Wilson, a coal miner, and Ann née Forster. In 1891 he lived at 12 Ash Street, Hebburn Colliery with his parents, older sister Margaret Ann, 8, and younger sister Amelia, aged 1. John and Margaret Ann were both at school.
By 1901 the family had moved to 23 Wood Street Hebburn. John was a 16-year-old Coal miner pony driver, and his father Edward a coal miner (hewer). His younger siblings living at home were Amelia aged 8 and William aged 3.
His parents’ 1911 Census return explains the discrepancy in his sister Amelia’s ages between 1891 and 1901. That census reveals that his mother bore eight children, of whom only four were still living. These were Margaret Ann, John, Amelia born in 1892 and William. The four who had died were John’s twin Ethel, Hannah born in 1887, Amelia born in 1889 and Alice born in 1896, all of whom died aged less than 2 years. At that time it was not unusual for children to die in infancy because of the hardships their families endured, nor for a child to be given the name of a deceased sibling.
Margaret Hedley, writing about Women of the Durham Coalfield, (Women of the Durham Coalfields – The History Press) noted “The life of a coal miner’s wife was far from easy and it made sense for miners to marry the daughters of the industry. Such families often lived in poor conditions, with a husband who worked long hours and who would often come home to sleep when the rest of the household was still working.
“The logistics of organising this complex home-life fell to the woman. She was required to provide the men of the house with a hot meal before they left for the pit, and another hot meal and hot bath when they returned. Due to the pattern of shifts this could be at any time of day or night, and often there was more than one miner to provide for. This was all made more difficult by the lack of running water to their colliery cottages.
“All of the above was carried out alongside the usual routine of household chores, collecting water, baking bread and making meals, resulting in a relentless system of drudgery often lasting far longer than a miner’s 12-hour shift.”
In the second Quarter of 1906, the marriage of John Wilson, aged 21 and Eleanor Coatman, aged 18 was registered in South Shields. By 1911they were living at 14 Arthur Street, Hebburn with their infant daughter Ethel, aged 4 months. An earlier child, Elizabeth Ann, had died a year previously aged 2. John worked as a coal hewer.
In all, Eleanor bore seven children but only three survived childhood. They were Ethel, Margaret Ann, born 24th April 1913 and John, born 25th September 1915. Martha, born in 1916, Robert, 1918 and William, 1920 all died in infancy. Whether that was the result of illness or of the continued hard conditions endured by mining families is not known.
The 1921 Census showed that John, still of 14 Arthur Street, Hebburn, was a 26-year-old out of work Colliery Surface Labourer. His 67-year-old father-in-law, John Coatman, who lived with them, was an out of work Coal Hewer. Both had been laid off by the Wallsend and Hebburn Coal Company. British coal output had peaked in 1913 but, by the 1920s, there was stagnation. Coal prices fell, mine owners reduced wages and sought to impose longer working hours and there was unrest in the mining industry. We do not know whether John was taken on again after 1921. Hebburn Colliery, which had opened in 1792, had three pits (A, B and C). At its peak in 1914 the colliery employed 1,864 people, of whom 1,549 worked below ground and 315 on the surface. However, the colliery closed in 1932 and the 1930s saw very high unemployment and great hardship in North East England.
By the time of their daughter Margaret Ann’s wedding at St Peter’s in 1937, John and Eleanor had moved to Berkhamsted. It seems likely that he came in search of work. In 1937 they lived in Raven’s Lane but, by September 1939, had moved to 31 Curtis Way. At that time, John was employed as a General Labourer/ Navvy; he was also a member of the ARP Decontamination Squad. Eleanor died aged 55 on 15th September 1943 and is buried in this plot.
The 1939 Register shows John and Eleanor’s daughter Margaret Ann living in the Garage Flat at Shenstone Court (her husband James had already enlisted into the RASC) and their son John, a Private Gardener, at 50 Highfield Road with his wife Kathleen.
John’s Death Certificate gives his occupation as a Gardener (retired). By the time of his death aged 77 on 13th April 1962, he lived with his daughter and son-in-law in Shenstone Cottage, Gravel Path, Berkhamsted. Whether he had gardened at Shenstone Court is unclear. His son-in-law had worked there as a chauffeur for Sir Richard Ashmole Cooper of Cooper, McDougall and Robertson fame. (Shenstone Court later became the Research Centre of Cooper, McDougall and Robertson’s and is now part of Castle Village).
John was buried here on 17th April 1962 by the Revd. R S Brown, Rector. He was one of the last burials in this cemetery and could only be buried here because a space had been reserved for him in his wife Eleanor’s grave, which dated from 1943.
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