Whatmore Family History

 This post continues the story of the Whatmore Families of Arley - described in an earlier post. The families of Thomas and his brother Samuel were the most recent of the Whatmore families at Arley.

Thomas was baptised on 25 September 1831 at Highley. His parents’ address at Highley is not given in the register but the family were probably living at the Court House.  Thomas married Hannah’s daughter Susan Sheward on 21 May 1861 at Upper Arley. The witnesses were Henry Jordan and Phoebe Phillips. The married couple lived at Arley for the rest of their lives. Susan Whatmore died aged  68  on 20 April 1904 and was buried on 23 April 1904 at Arley. Thomas died  aged 79 on 14 January 1911 and was buried on 18 January  1911. Their grave, the earliest of  my branch of the Whatmores that has been traced, is just to the north of the church tower. 

The children of Thomas and Susan were:

 Samuel Whatmore who was baptised on 11 August 1861 at Arley. He was at home in the 1871 and 1881 censuses. In the latter he is described as a railway porter.This was at Arley station on the other side of the river. He was killed by a train at Arley Station and  buried, aged 20, on 20 July 1881 in the plot which was to be the burial place of his parents. The inscription is at ground level and was probably inserted when the stone to his parents was erected.  The railway accident is described in an earlier post. 

James Whatmore was baptised on 5 July 1863 at Arley. He was at  home at the time of the 1871 census and in 1881 he was living and working as a stable boy and groom in the house of John Walkeys at Northfield, now part of Birmingham. At the time of the 1891 census James was  a Private in the Enniskilling Dragoons and living in the house of Lt Col Alexander McKean at Hove.  James married Julia Elizabeth Kingsmill  on 31 August 1893 at Hackington , Canterbury. In the 1901 census the family were living at Stanford in Kent. James is described as a coachman.  James and his family subsequently moved to East Chinnock near Yeovil in Somerset where James died in 1945 and Julia died in 1949. James and Julia had two children: Bertha Margaret (1894) and Alice M (1897/98).

James Whatmore   Copyright: Chris Baldock and reproduced here by her kind permission.

 William George Whatmore was baptised on 15 July 1866 at Arley. He was at home at the time of the 1871 and 1881 censuses At the time of the 1891 census, William George was living at Pains Cottages, Trimpley near Kidderminster in the house of Ann Carter. James is described as an agricultural labourer. William George married  Ann Carter in the December Quarter of 1892  in the Kidderminster Registration District. Ann was a widow and was at least twenty years older than William.  In the 1901 census, William and Ann were living at Camberton, Kidderminster. William is described as a  waggoner on a farm. Ann would have been past the age of child bearing at the time of her marriage to William George. William George is believed to have died in the March Quarter of 1927 aged 61 in the Kidderminster Registration District. The date of Ann’s death has not yet been identified.  

John Thomas Whatmore 

John Thomas Whatmore with his daughter Ruth about 1920 Copyright: Thomas Whatmore of Arley and reproduced here by his kind permission.

John Thomas was born on 20 May 1868 and baptised on 21 June at Arley. He was at home in the 1871 and 1881 censuses.  In the 1891 census John Thomas  was a lodger in the house of Benjamin Kiteley at Harbourne.  He is described as a General Labourer. John Thomas    married Emily Fletcher in the December Quarter of 1892 in the Wolverhampton Registration District.

 John Thomas Whatmore, ferryman, in the punt which he used when the river was low. Copyright: Thomas Whatmore of Arley and reproduced here by his kind permission.

 By the time of the 1901 census, John Thomas  and Emily were living at Arley. John is described as a General labourer. He also acted as the Ferryman at Arley and was Head Bellringer at Arley Church, establishing a tradition of Whatmore bell ringers which continues to this day. John died on 18 May aged 59 and was buried on 20 May 1928 at Arley. Emily was buried aged 67 on 17 April 1934 at Arley. The children of John Thomas and Emily were: Thomas James (1893 - 1957), Cecily Susan (1895-1895), William George (1896), Allen (1897), Annie (1898), Walter (1900-1966), Herbert George (1902), Samuel (1903), Charlie (1904-1964), Harry (1905-1983), Frederick (1907-1977) and Ruth (1910-2003)  

Frederick Whatmore, son of John Thomas, became one of the two ferrymen at Arley ( the other was Bert Jones) and my father met him working the ferry in the 1950s without being aware that they were closely related.  In August 1957, Fred and Bert were involved in a dramatic rescue. Further upstream, William Parkes had been crossing the river Severn in his 18 foot ferry boat at Hampton Loade when the overhead security cable snapped. The ferry boat was swept down the river for over an hour. At Highley, two miles below Hampton Loade police and villagers tried to stop the ferry boat with a rope, but the latter snapped. Warned by telephone, two miles further on at Arley, villagers awaited the ferry boat, lighting up the river with car headlights. As the ferry arrived, Bert Jones and Fred Whatmore rammed it with their own boat and grabbed Mr Jones as he jumped from one boat to the other. Mr Jones was unhurt but the ferry boat continued to be swept further down the river. Some of the descendents of Harry Whatmore, another son of John Thomas, still live at Arley.

 Fred Whatmore, one of the ferrymen in the 1950s  Copyright: Rhys Whatmore

Henry Whatmore (1870) was at home at the time of  the 1871 and 1881 censuses.  In the 1891 census there is a Henry Whatmore of the correct age, born Kidderminster, at Norton Juxta Kempsey Barracks, Pershore. Henry is shown as a Private in the Infantry.  Henry has not been traced in the 1901 census. He is possibly the Henry Whatmore who died aged 68 in the December Quarter of 1938 in the Kidderminster Registration District.

Walter Whatmore (1872) was at home at the time of the 1881 census. He joined the Inniskilling Dragoons when he was 16  and served for 14 years. In the 1891 census he is shown as a Private in the 10^th Inniskilling  Dragoons at the Cavalry Barracks, Preston, West Sussex. Walter served in the Boer War and was wounded twice and later joined the 2^nd Scottish Horse (Australians) becoming Regimental Sergeant Major He also served with the Imperial yeomanry and in the First World War he acted as Instructor.  

Photograph of members of  the 2nd Scottish Horse in South Africa during the Boer War

Sergeant Major Whatmore is in the centre of the photo, looking sideways

Picture from www.awm.gov.au  Copyright: Australian War Memorial and reproduced here by their kind permission

Walter married Alice Willey Cossins in the June Quarter 1903 in the Greenwich Registration District.  

 When Walter was demobbed he settled down with his wife at Arley where they ran the post office.  

Walter was a member of the ‘Eight Club, which he joined on 30 January 1920. The club was founded in 1916 and consisted of eight friends who would meet  four times year at 8.00 p.m at ‘The Harbour Inn’ or the ‘Valentia’ at Arley for a meal of leg of mutton and a sing song. The minutes of the Club have survived as has a letter from Walter’s  widow to the Chairman of the Club. 

Walter died aged 54 on 15 February 1927 and was buried on 20 February 1927 at Arley.  At his funeral, the Rev S H S Spooner said that if there was one person in the parish who could sincerely be called popular, Walter Whatmore was that man. The vicar went on to say that 

 ‘Walter was deservedly popular, industrious, possessed of sterling qualities, genial, cheerful, loyal and always punctual. ‘He was a soldier, every inch of him, going through the Boer War and the Great War, which latter left its mark on him. These soldierly qualities made him exact and neat in civilian life and such things marked a man’s character. He was faithful in his duties towards God and man. You know with what enthusiasm  he supported the formation of a local branch of the British Legion and that he was a member of fully seven organisations in the parish, not the least of which were those of bellringer, chorister and member of the Parochial Church Council; indeed in many ways he will be deeply missed. He was a devoted husband and we deeply sympathise with his bereaved widow.’ 

Alice died on 9 June 1942 and was buried with her husband at Arley. 

The grave of Walter and Alice Whatmore at Arley    Copyright: Rhys Whatmore

Herbert Septimus Whatmore (1874) was at home at the time of the 1881 and 1891 censuses but his whereabouts in 1901 are unknown. Herbert  married Elizabeth Head (grand daughter of Louisa Whatmore and thus his first cousin once removed) on 16 July 1904 at Alveley. The witnesses were his brother Walter, and Mary Hannah Hemmings. Elizabeth died aged 76 in the June Quarter of 1956 in the Kidderminster Registration District. Herbert died aged 83 in the March Quarter of 1958 in the Kidderminster Registration District.   

Allan Octavius Whatmore (was born at Upper Arley on 10 September 1876. He was at home at the time of the 1881 and 1891 censuses. He married Amy Taylor in the December Quarter of 1898 in the Kings Norton Registration District.  In 1901 Allan and Amy were living at Northfield, Birmingham. Allan was working as a Journeyman Baker.  Allan died aged 69 in the March Quarter of 1946 in the Birmingham Registration District. Amy died a few years after her husband. Allan and Amy had four children: Doris (1899), Charles Leslie (1901), Allan (1903 -1981) and Stanley James (1908). Charles Leslie and Stanley James both emigrated to Australia.

Allan Octavius Whatmore with his Family

Back Row: Allan Whatmore, Family Friend, Charles Whatmore, Stanley Whatmore

Front row: Doris (Diana) Whatmore, Allan Octavious Whatmore, Amy Whatmore

Copyright: Roger Allan Whatmore and reproduced here by his kind permission.