Arthur's wife Jane Watts

On 11 December 1879 Jane Watts was born, the third of John Watts' six children. He was a general carrier travelling from Beverley to Hull. The family home was next to his carrier's 'garage' at 49 Lairgate, Beverley. The carriers eventually became Watts Bros of Beverley and motor transport replaced the horse and carts, or rullies in the dialect.

GRO Birth: Jane Watts First Quarter 1880 Beverley 9d 95

1881 Census  Sun/Mon 2/3rd April 1881
Source:      FHL Film  TNA Ref RG11 
             Piece: 4748; Folio: 113; Page: 6; Sched: 30   
Dwelling:    Lairgate
Place:       Beverley, St Mary, Yorks ER, England

Name            Rel Mar Age  Occupation                 Birthplace
John Watts     Head  M  33   Carrier                    Lincoln, Louth
Sarah A Watts  Wife  M  31   Carrier's wife             Lincoln, Horncastle
Annie Watts     Dau      6   Scholar                    Yorks, Hull
William Watts   Son      4   Scholar                    Yorks, Hull
Jane Watts      Dau      1                              Yorks, Beverley,
Sarah Barr    M-i-L Wid 57   Formerly domestic servant  Kirby Castle

By the time of the 1891 census the Watts family was complete.

1891 Census Sun/Mon 5/6th April 1891
Source:   FHL Film PRO Ref RG12 
		  Piece:: 3907; Folio: 103; Page: 4; Sched: 31
Dwelling: Lairgate
Place:    St Mary's Beverley, York, England

Name              Rel Mar Age  Occupation  Status    Birthplace
John Watts       Head  M   43  Carrier     Employer  Lincoln, Louth
Sarah Ann Watts  Wife  M   40                        Lincoln, Horncastle
Annie Watts       Dau  S   16                        Yorks, Hull
William Watts     Son  S   14  Scholar               Yorks, Hull
Jane Watts        Dau  S   11  Scholar               Yorks, Beverley
Fred Watts        Son  S    8  Scholar               Yorks, Beverley
Eva Watts         Dau  S    3                        Yorks, Beverley
Arthur Watts      Son  S    1m                       Yorks, Beverley

Ten years later Jane was 'in-service' in London. Family hearsay records her being nanny for Sir Walter Gilbey, of the gin family. She stayed there some time before becoming nanny to Olga Burls. The 1901 census records her being at the home of Julia E Ellis, where she was nurse to her granddaughter Olga. Though only 21 she was recorded in the census as the senior servant. No. 1 Regents Park Terrace is now off Oval Road, north of Euston Station and east of Regent Park Zoo and is now in Camden Town.

1807info3b, sheet 2

The christening gown, though over 100 years old, is a beautiful example of the skill and delicate craft of hand sewing. It illustrates the lost skills of sewing taught to young girls with a 'domestic' education. It will be seen that the widths of lace are divided by strips of calico 'faggoted' together. This involves sewing a strip of brow paper to the hemmed material, leaving ¼ inch (6mm) proud. The same happens to the length of lace. This helped to bring the two pieces together, to keep the lace and calico parallel and avoids drawing the two pieces together. The two pieces were joined together with a feather stitch, seen above..

The yoke at the neck and the cuffs of the sleeves were made of insertion lace through which, tradition dictates, pink or blue ribbon was threaded.

18-7info3b, sheet 3

1901 Census Sun/Mon 31st March/1st April 1901
Source:   FHL Film PRO Ref RG13 
          Piece: 133; Folio: 25; Page: 41; Sched: 233
Dwelling: No 1 Regent Park Terrace
Place:    St Pancras, London, England

Name               Rel  Mar Age  Occupation            Status  Birthplace
Julia E Ellis      Head  Wid  71  Living on own means          Herts, Bps Stortford
Charles M Burls   S-i-l   M   32  Consulting engineer  Worker  Hants, Portsmouth
Clara Burls         Dau   M   41                               Herts, Bps Stortford
Olga G Burls       GDau        4                               London, St Pancras
Jane Watts         Serv   S   21  Nurse Domestic       Worker  Yorks, Beverley
Sarah Moody        Serv   S   44  Cook Domestic        Worker  Hants, Lockerley
Elizabeth Trollope Serv   S   26  Housemaid Domestic   Worker  London, Hoxton

Right: Regent Terrace, London in 2009

In later years Jane retold the story of being nanny to the Abrams/Abrahams family and to a child she referred to as 'Boy'. Mr Abrams/Abrahams was a Jewish solicitor who married a Himhoff [phonetic spelling]; a Dutch Jewish family and reputed to be the H in the gramophone recording company His Master's Voice (M for Muckel?). Grandmother Himhoff, always said of Jane, 'Nannie you will go to heaven mit de [sic] brush and shovel in your hand'. Jane frequently mentioned Finchley Road and walking round Russell Square. She told how she had enjoyed the Lord Major's Show and the visit to the Abrams‘/Abrahams' country house at Marlow. As this was her favourite job she kept in touch with the family by letter and visited on one occasion.

It is difficult to substantiate this account. By supposition:

• Jane worked for the Abrams/Abrahams family between the 1901 census and her marriage in 1907.
• After 1908 the Gramophone Company issued records under the HMV label. Jane would know this from her continued contact with the family.
• Himhoff could also be spelt Himhof, Himhoffe, Himhofe
• The use of 'mit de' assumes that Grandmother Himhoff's first language was Germanic.
• Ancestry records no female Himhof and variations living in London at the time of the 1901 census.
• In the 1950s a company named Imhoff, based in Holborn, were the Harrods of HiFi.
• There were 30 Imhof and variations living in London at the time of the 1901 census, but only Marie Imhof was recorded as born in Germany. She lived in Mile End and was married to a Cellarman.
• There were no female deaths of Himhof and variation in London between 1901 and 1911.
• Five female Imhof and variations died in London between 1901 and 1911. None had a Germanic first name.
• Arthur Edward Abrahams, of the 1911 census, may be the family Jane worked for. The age of his son Eric, perhaps the child known as 'Boy', fits with the assumed dates of Jane's employment.
• As a solicitor living near Portman Square, he would be wealthy enough to have a country house in Marlow.

Jane left the Abrams/Abrahams in 1907, at the aged of 27, to marry Arthur.

1807info3b, sheet 4

1911 Census:      Sun/Mon 2nd April/3rd April 1911
Source:   TNA Ref:        RG14 PN547
          Reg. Gen. Ref:  RG78 PN19  En.Dist: 11 Sched: 101
          RegDist: St Marylebone  SubDist: St Mary's
Dwelling: 5 Gloucester Place, Portman Square, W             
Place:    London              
Rooms in dwelling, other than scullery, landing, lobby, closet, bathroom: 13
Years married: 13         
Children:      Alive 2, dead none 

Name                      Rel  Mar  Age  Occupation            Status  Birthplace 
Arthur Edward Abrahams    Head  M    45  Solicitor                     London, Middlesex  
Clare Augusta Abrahams    Wife  M    34                                London, Maida Vale  
May Helen Clare Abrahams   Dau       11  Student                       London, St Pancras  
Eric Arthur Abrahams       Son        7                                London, St Pancras  
Olive Skelton             Serv  S    29  Cook Domestic                 London, Battersea  
Ada Dollenmore            Serv  S    34  Parlour maid Domestic         Herts, Hatfield  
Dora Kate Ingram          Serv  S    26  Housemaid Domestic            Berks, Wargrave  
Margaret Rayner           Serv  S    23  Kitchen maid Domestic         Scotland, Leith  
Elsie Rodford             Serv  S    19  Nursemaid Domestic            London, Pimlico

In 2010 there appeared to be building works and modernisation of the buildings which should contain 5, Gloucester Place. Right: Gloucester Place, London near Portman Square

Jane survived a double mastectomy, the first in August 1945 and a second in early 1951.

1807info3b, sheet 5

Hornsea holidays

Holidays with Grandma Jane were the seaside and North Cliff beach. We had arrived by train into Hull Paragon Station and then onwards by East Yorkshire Motor Services’ navy blue double-deckers, some with rounded roofs and four seater bench seats on the top deck. The journey was a treat in its self, with the four seater top deck front seat prime choice. Right: East Yorkshire Motor Services double-decker one of which is Hornsea bound. Source: Old bus photos

Since the wind always blew off the North Sea we left Grandma’s bundled with woollies and wind break as well multi-coloured inflatable beach ball. Along the passage, across the road and right down Morrow Avenue. It was a bare-foot challenge to reach the beach without stubbing toes. The cinder of the passage was no obstacle: the hot tarmac was comforting. The difficulty, however, were the pebbles of pea-shingle carried by car tyres from the Morrow Road car park to the pavement. Grandpa’s allotment once backed on to this car park.

Beach access was marked by a dark green Coastguard look-out and a substantial series of steps and platforms. Wide and safe but leaning with the effects of erosion, they lead down to the elaborate and substantial concrete promenade marking the end of coastal protection. Beyond this, winter and high tides saw new climbable deposits of eroded Holderness boulder clay at the foot of the cliff. Left: Modern steps leading down to Hornsea beach © Stephen Horncastle but licensed for further reuse under the Creative Commons Licence.

1807info3b, sheet 6

At North Cliff there was no accommodation for tourists. Soft, deep, high-water footprint dimpled sand lapped the foot of the stairs. The way to the water was marked by a line of large tumbled stones, which preceded the tide line, the strings of weed and bands of small shingle sitting on the wet compressed sand. Wave breaking and protecting groynes, draped by beards of green weed and adorned by razor sharp, knee grazing limpets, reached into the water. The windbreak was strategically positioned, hammered into the sand with beach stones and regularly turned. And, there we sat and, I am told, frequently shivered.

Above: North Cliff, Hornsea circa 1950

Somewhere in this area a World War 2 pill box had fallen to the beach. Though resting at an angle the door was accessible to the darkness and ‘Biggles’ adventures. The wet sand was for racing between the groynes, cricket and for digging. One year the soft sand made the base for Jokari, a ball on an elastic string attached to a post. Alternate players hit the ball until her bat came in contact with my forehead. The resulting scar is no longer on my hair-line.

Jane's death

When the shop closed in January 1956 Jane moved to live with her daughter Bessie at 23 Egerton Road, Wembley. She died on 06 June 1969 in a Shepperton nursing home and was cremated at Golders Green, London. Her ashes were interred in the Hornsea family grave.

GRO Death: Second Quarter 1969 Surrey North 5g 486 

Certified Copy of an Entry Pursuant to the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953

In her will, it is believed, Jane left her diaries to her grand daughter Jennifer Beckwith. These diaries must have recorded a fascinating life: a life of a young and successful Edwardian Nannie who nurtured a husband who had not had the same fortunate early life. As her married life developed and her family grew she took the responsibility for keeping them together and maintaining the families finances through difficulties and new ventures.

1807info3b, sheet 7

Watts Bros of Beverley - Brother Arthur

Certified Copy of an Entry Pursuant to the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1836 to 1874

After retirement James Watts continued to live at the Lairgate address. Arthur Watts, Jane's youngest brother, who married Bessie Botterill, carried on the haulage business as Watts Bros. First from Lairgate and then from the Manor Road depot, built on a plot of land which once was the site of 'The Summer House'. His vehicles were famous for tail gates adorned by the hand painted maps of the East Riding of Yorkshire. Right: 15 Westwood Road, Beverley, Arthur Watt's home in 1925 before moving to The Chestnuts, New Walk. Below right: The Lairgate garage and house at 49 Lairgate in 2001. The garage, now used as a carpet warehouse, still carries the Watts Bros logo above the door.

Below: The same scene some years earlier showing the range of vehicles used.

1807info3b, sheet 8

Above: The Manor Road depot

Right: The early livery of a Watts Bros removal van, the painting of which was always completed with pride. In later years this logo was replaced with a map of the East Riding of Yorkshire centred on Beverley. Source: Chris Hodge Photos

When Watts Bros was bought by British Fuels Ltd., who were co-owned by The National Coal Board and Amalgamated Anthracite Holdings Ltd, Arthur Watts built his retirement bungalow within the brown-field development site of Manor Road. In 1986 the business was sold-on, with other non fuel concerns, under the umbrella of AAH Ltd, to Baylis Distribution of Goole.

Arthur Watts died, it is reported, a wealthy man having been the Lord Mayor of Beverley from 1938 to 1943 and the Church Warden of St Mary's, Beverley.

Note: The Manor Road site has now been sold for housing development with the garden of Arthur's bungalow much reduced in area (August 2001).

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This Page: was created by Richard Crompton and maintained by Chris Glass	Version A1 Updated 20 December 2010