Rectory Lane Cemetery, Berkhamsted

Thomas Cotching (943)

27/08/1859 –03/12/1940

Station Master who moved to Berkhamsted on retirement

Relatives

Frances Elizabeth Cotching — wife

Alice Cotching (x938) — daughter

• Melanie Hilton

Plot 943 Thomas Cotching (1859-1940)

Thomas was born 27 August 1859 in Linslade, Bucks, the second son of Charles and Ann (née Richardson) Cotching. In 1861 Charles was a farmer of 286 acres, employing 8 men and 13 boys.

By the time of the 1871 census Charles had taken a complete career change and was employed as a railway signalman. The family lived at Old Lansdale Road, Linslade. Thomas’s eldest sister was a dressmaker, his oldest brother a bricklayer’s labourer and Thomas and his three sisters were at school.

Thomas married, aged only 19, on 21 December 1878 at St Clement’s, Notting Hill, London. His occupation was given as pointsman, so he had followed his father on to the railways – but by then Charles had switched occupations again and was now a painter.

By April 1881 Thomas and Frances had moved to the village of Nether Heyford in Northamptonshire. Thomas was employed as a railway signalman and they had a one year old son, Charles Thomas, born in Willesden, and a daughter, Alice born in January 1881in Heyford. William joined the family in 1884.

By the time Harry was born in 1887 the family had moved to Albert Street, Fenny Stratford in Bucks where Kate (1888) and Thomas Frederick (1889) were born.

The 1891 census revealed that Thomas had been promoted to station master and lived in the station master’s house at Marston Gate, Fenny Startford. This station was a stop on the Aylesbury to Cheddington branch line. “The main use of Marston Gate was for transportation of Milk, Cattle and Manure, and it was recorded that in the early 1900s around 50 milk churns were loaded at this station every day – heading for the Nestlé factory in Aylesbury. Fruit from the orchards in the local area was also transported from the station.” (Wikipedia). The station master’s house, now heavily remodelled, is all that remains today.

Daughters Fanny Victoria (1897) and Constance (1902) completed the family. Thomas was still station master at the time of the 1911 census and Kate, Fanny and Constance reamined at home.

The 1921 census reveals yet another move, to Braunston just north-west of Daventry. Thomas was station master at Braunston station which has now vanished, as has the railway line itself. Alice and Constance were still living at home, Constance helping her mother and Alice a chemist’s assistant at British Thomson-Houston & Co, a heavy engineering firm in Rugby.

By 1939 Thomas, now 80, had moved with his wife and two unmarried daughters to 33, Montague Road, Berkhamsted. Alice, aged 59 was performing domestic duties and Constance, 37, was an “Addressograph and Graphotype operator” – two similar machines for printing labels.

Although Thomas’s address remained at Montague Road he died 3 December 1940 at 60, Vicarage Road, Watford (possibly a nursing home) aged 81.

Alice predeceased her mother and died in 1944. She is buried in this cemetery in plot x938.

Frances survived her husband until 1949 and is buried here with him.

Frances Elizabeth Cotching

02/12/1859 –10/12/1949

Wife of station master Thomas Cotching

Relatives

Thomas Cotching (943) — husband

Alice Cotching (x938) — daughter

• Melanie Hilton

Plot 943 Frances Elizabeth Cotching (née Peters) (1859-1949)

Frances was born 2 December 1859 in Kensal New Town, an area in South Kensington/Chelsea, the daughter of John Peters, a gamekeeper born in Trumpington, Cambs, and Mary (née Yates) born in Brighton. Both her elder siblings were born in the same place as Frances, which seems an unusual location for a gamekeeper, but it might be explained by the fact that in the 1871 census she is recorded living with her widowed maternal grandmother, Frances Yates, a laundress, in Kensal Road, London. Perhaps her mother returned to her own mother to give birth.

In 1861 the family were living in Madingley, Cambs. But in 1861, when Frances was with her grandmother, her parents – John now a railway platelayer and Mary an “ironer” – were also living in Chelsea.

On 21 December 1878 Frances married Thomas Cotching at St Clement’s, Notting Hill, London. Thomas was a railway pointsman, so perhaps the young couple had met through her father.

Frances followed Thomas as his railway career progressed to the position of station master (detailed in his record on this site) and the couple were to have eight children.

By 1939 they had retired to 33, Montague Road, Berkhamsted where they lived with their unmarried daughters Alice (who died in 1944 and is buried in plot x938) and Constance. Thomas died in December 1940.

Frances remained at 33, Montague Road and died there on 12 December 1949. She was laid to rest here with Thomas.

Constance stayed at Montague Road until her death in 1984.