Edith Ruth RANDELL 1875
Edith Ruth Randell was born 25 January 1875 in Cromer, she was the fourth, of five children born to John Randell and Sarah Ann Kirby. She was a significant eight years younger than her brother John Ephraim.
As a child Edith lived in Cromer with her parents but on the night of the 1891 census she was staying with her elder sister Sarah at their home in Overstrand. She was recorded as sister-in-law, domestic servant aged 17. Unfortunately it isn't clear, if she worked for them or was simply a visitor who's day job happened to be a domestic servant.
In January 1898, aged 23, Edith Ruth Randell married William John Chillingworth in a ceremony registered in Middlesex but immediately following the marriage, William was the gardener at Cromer Hall and the Gardeners Cottage of Cromer Hall became the newly weds first home.
Slightly more than a year after they married, Florence Hilda Chillingworth, their first child was born. In the summer of 1904 a second daughter arrived, Phyllis Grace Randell Chillingworth.
The 1911 census details the family living at a house called 'Sea Mark', in Overstrand. Given that Arthur Conan Doyle's description of Baskerville Hall in "The Hounds of The Baskerville" was inspired by a 1901 stay at Cromer Hall, Edith may have been happy to leave her first home.
In 1911 William was recorded as a domestic gardener aged 36, born in Hendon, Middlesex. Edith Ruth, also aged 36, was assigned the occupation Caretaker, presumably to 'Sea Mark'. Their two girls were separated on the night of the census, Phyllis Grace was with her parents whilst her elder sister Florence Hilda was staying with her grandparents at their home at 61 Mill Lane, Suffield Park, Cromer. Both girls were recorded as scholars and it may be that because of the proximity to school Florence Hilda was staying with her grandparents.
The death of Edith Ruth Chillingworth was registered in 1941 in the district of Wayland, Norfolk. Wayland is centred on the small market town of Watton and is around 22 miles due West of Norwich, but Garboldisham, a known home of Florence Hilda Chillingworth, is around 8 miles south of Watton centre. Both locations are in the deep hollows of sleepy rural Norfolk and in the Wayland Registration District.
Edith Ruth Chillingworth was recorded as aged 66 years at death but her husband William John Chillingworth was able to plod on for another 24 years. Finally 'returning to the soil from whence he came' in 1965 aged 90 years. The same series of records show Florence Hilda Randell Chillingworth born 5 February 1899 died aged 83 years in the same district.
 Hilda & Phyllis Chillingworth
Phyllis Grace CHILLINGWORTH 1904
Sadly, I've met very few of the people in this family tree but one I did know, my Great Aunt Lily, spoke warmly of her two cousins in Overstrand. Cousins Phyllis and Lily were both born in 1904, with Phyllis being months older.
My Great Aunt Lily vividly recalled the family visits to her 'posh' Overstrand cousins and outlined the strict family guidelines set in place. 'We had to be on our very best behaviour, especially the boys. We would go on the cart and the two older boys had to walk alongside'.
Despite the imminent threat of her brothers disgracing themselves, Aunt Lily remembered that time, extremely fondly. As an added bonus, she invariably came away with a wardrobe of 'new' clothes, presumably casts off’s from Hilda.
Unfortunately this charming Edwardian idle was interrupted by horror of the Great War and large numbers of men were stolen from their loved ones creating a generation of spinsters. Sister's Phyllis and Hilda appeared to be destined to spend their lives with this lofty company, but in an unexpected twist, Phyllis aged 64 abandoned the trappings of 'singledom' and married Ivan William Ebben.
In January 1968 under the dazzling lights of Lowerstoft Phyllis became Mrs Ivan Ebben. Ivan was a widower and friend of the family. He born 18 March 1906 in Mutford, Suffolk. Phyllis had been a close friend of Ivan's first wife, Holly (nee Hall).
Despite the late start Phyllis and Ivan celebrated 27 years of marriage. Ivan died 1995, aged 89 years, his death was registered in the administrative district of Great Yarmouth. After Ivan passed away Phyllis returned to live in Cromer with Beryl Ridley, her niece on the Chillingworth side of her family. Phyllis lived to celebrate her one hundredth birthday and died the following year in Cromer.
The turmoil of the Great War ensured neither of the Chillingworth girls had children and ultimately the line of William & Edith began to falter in idyllic Garboldisham and finally closed in Cromer, where it began so many years before.
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William John CHILLINGWORTH 1874
William John Chillingworth married Edith Ruth Randell in January 1898 and the marriage was registered in Edmonton, Middlesex reasonably close to the only known home of our groom but a long way from Cromer. How did they meet? Presumably Edith was working in or around Hendon but the other possibility has to be that William John was already employed at Cromer Hall.
William John, known as 'Will' in the family was born in the October quarter of 1874 in Florence Street, Hendon, Middlesex. His parents were William John Chillingworth and Elizabeth Ellen Cook who were married in Barnet, Middlesex the previous year. William John (junior) was oldest of at least eight children, with an option on a ninth as an Annie Florence Chillingworth was born and died in Hendon between two census.
William John Chillingworth 'senior' was a Plaster, hailing from a family of House Painters & Plasters. From the census record William 'senior' appears to be the son of Edward J Chillingworth born 1832 in Bethnal Green, Middlesex and wife Sarah Chillingworth 1828 Weston, Huntingdonshire. Edward J Chillingworth was significantly also a Plasterer, perhaps the first generation of at least three.
I was unable to find a exact Chillingworth marriage for 'Edward J to Sarah' but a marriage in Hackey, Edmund John Chillingworth to Sophia Sarah Paine 1854 seems a reasonable option.
Elizabeth Ellen Cook was born in the September quarter of 1852 in Merton, Surrey and her parents were Henry & Sarah Cook. In the census of 1891 branches of the Chillingworth and Cook families were living in Florence Street, Hendon. Elizabeth Ellen's brother Samuel John Cook and his son Samuel George were Gardeners. A map of 1877 reveals Hendon as almost a remote village but with no particular association with Market Gardens. Despite this, Florence Street had a reasonably high concentration of Gardeners. These included William John (junior) as a Garden Boy potentially in the employ of Frederick Webb, both his immediate neighbour and owner of a local Market Garden.
By 1901 William Chillingworth, aged 27, was the Gardener at Cromer Hall. He was married to Edith and living in the Gardeners Cottage with their first child Hilda. To this day a Gardeners Cottage exists in the grounds of Cromer Hall, it's rather secluded at the edge of the wooded area west of the Hall. Significantly, it's a short stroll from Edith parents home at Chesterfield Villas.
The Field (valuation) Books of 1911 describe Cromer Hall, as an expansive Gothic residence with 9 acres of gardens, 36 acres of parkland and 35 acres of woodland. The entire estate comprised two Lodges, a Bailiffs House, a Coachman's Cottage and the Gardeners House once occupied by Edith and William.
By 1911 William Chillingworth describe himself as a 'self employed Domestic Gardener', an occupation which presumably, was a variation of the work he did at Cromer Hall but as a private contractor for a wider range clients. The late Victorian period saw a significant influx of very wealthy people, who holidayed in Cromer but maintained their principle residence elsewhere.
Whatever the exact nature of his work, it was working for them because the couple were able to retain two live in staff. Alice Lloyd, Domestic Servant and Margaret Kirley, Scullery Maid, completed the Chillingworth household of 1911.
It's impossible to know exactly what roll each member held in a family but I thought it significant that William Chillingworth was person that registered the deaths of both his mother & father-in-law.
Ultimately William John Chillingworth retired to Garboldisham and live beyond his ninetieth birthday.
Edith and William had the following children;
Florence Hilda Randell CHILLINGWORTH 1899 Cromer
Phyllis Grace CHILLINGWORTH 1904 Cromer
Florence Hilda R CHILLINGWORTH 1899
An issue of the London Gazette announced the death of “Florence Hilda Randell Chillingworth, 68 The Street, Garboldisham, Norfolk, Shop Keeper. Died aged 83 years, 21 March 1982.” The brief article detailed who to contact in relation to her Will. In this instance not family but a Trust in Norwich.
'Miss F.H.R. Chillingworth' without doubt the longest name in this family tree was affectionately known to her family as Hilda. Hilda was born 5 February 1899 during the time the family lived at Cromer Hall.
Hilda was never to marry and for many years ran a small general shop with her father. A living relative, Diane Amure recalls, 'We used to love visiting Cousin Hilda and Uncle Will at the shop in Garboldisham. A lovely old thatched house full of beautiful old furniture and stock for the shop. Uncle Will made the most of the large garden, growing vegetables and I remember him showing me the toads near the greenhouse.'
A similar reminiscence by Amanda Cruttwell paints a warm and vivid picture of her shop. 'I grew up in Garboldisham and have many memories. Dearest in my mind is Miss Chillingworth's little cottage shop set down the lane, at the very bottom. I can still hear the clanging of the bell above the door that alerted the lovely lady to appear round the counter from her private quarters within seconds. She always wore her long hair in a braid which was wrapped around her head and although sometimes she could be a little snappy, she never turned us kids away, even when we only had pennies to spend. The front of the shop was full to the brim with everything you can imagine and had an especially fantastic selection of sweets and chocolate - it was the best place to go.
At Christmas she would take you into her 'back room' where she had so many things for us kids to buy as secret gifts for our mums and dads - it will stay in my memory forever.”
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