Arthur had a hard upbringing. He was born 20 September 1874, the fourth child of Thomas Edmund and Mary Louisa Moore, at Stakes Road, Preston, Hull - now Staithes Road. In 1881 this was the first house on the enumerator's list from the cross roads.

Certified Copy of an Entry in a Register of Births

GRO Birth: December Qrt 1874  vol. 9d  p.137

His mother died 1880, when Arthur was aged 6, and his father sixteen years years later.

1881 census   Sun/Mon 2/3rd April 1881
Source:       1881 FHL Film 1342147  PRO Ref RG11
              Piece 4752  Folio 44  Page 1
Dwelling:     Stakes Road
Place:        Preston, York, England

Name                    Rel   Mar  Age  Occ              Birthplace
Thomas Edmond Crompton  Head  Wid  41   Market gardener  Yorks, Metham
Edmond Thomas Crompton  Son        11   Scholar          Norfolk, Hoxen
Agnes Louisa Crompton   Dau         9   Scholar          Yorks, Preston 
Arthur Crompton         Son         6   Scholar          Yorks, Preston
Albert Crompton         Son         4                    Yorks, Preston

At about the age of 15 Arthur was bound apprentice, for seven years, to George Gabbetis who, judging by the 1891 census and the birth of Bertha, had recently moved to Etton. There Arthur learnt his trade of master butcher and met Jane Watts, on his butcher‘s round. Jane was then 14 and Arthur 15. She knew then she would married him.

1891 Census   Sun/Mon 5/6th April 1891
Source:       FHL Film  PRO Ref RG12
              Piece: 3910; Folio 10; Page 10;
Dwelling:     (Two enumerator houses from the Post Office)
Place:        Etton, York, England

Name                Rel Mar Age  Occ                   Birthplace
George Gabbetis    Head  M   30  Butcher Employer      Yorks, Cherry Burton
Alice M Gabbetis   Wife  M   29                        Yorks, K?  Etton
William V Gabbetis Son        7                        Yorks, Beverley
George F Gabbetis  Son        5                        Yorks, Beverley
James S Gabbetis   Son        3                        Yorks, Beverley
Bertha M Gabbetis  Dau        1                        Yorks, Beverley
Sarah Powell       Serv   S  18  General Dom. Servant  Yorks, Etton
Christina Al       Serv   S  15  General Dom. Servant  Yorks, Etton
Arthur Watts       Appr   S  16  Apprentice            Yorks, Preston

They were married in St Mary‘s Beverley on 15 April 1907. The doctor told Jane, at the time of her marriage, that Arthur needed 'kitchen physic' which involved good meals and good puddings. A hall-marked watch chain was Jane's wedding present to Arthur.

1807info6, sheet 2

GRO Marriage: June Qrt 1907 vol. 9d p.204 Beverley

1911 Census:          Sun/Mon 2nd April/3rd April 1911
Source TNA Ref:       RG14 PN 20114 
       Reg. Gen. Ref: RG78 PN RegDist: Glanford Brig SubDist: Barton En.Dist: 20 Sched: 48
Dwelling:             12 Fleet Gate
Place:                Barton on Humber, Lincolnshire 
Rooms in dwelling, other than scullery, landing, lobby, closet, bathroom: 4
Years married:        3
Children:             Alive 2, dead none 

Name                   Rel  Age Mar  Occupation                  Status    Birthplace 
Arthur Crompton        Head  35  M   Beef & pork butcher         Employer  Yorks, Preston  
Jane Crompton          Wife  30  M                                         Yorks, Beverley
Edmond Thomas Crompton  Son   3                                            Lincs, Barton
Bessie Crompton         Dau   7mn                                          Lincs, Barton
Mabel Watkinson        Serv  14      General servant (Domestic)            Lincs,

Right: Map locating 74 Fleetgate (1911 census) and High Street, Barton-upon-Humber

At some time between April 1911 and June 1912 Arthur and Jane took the butchers shop at 78 High Street, Barton upon Humber, where their two remaining children were born. However life remained hard. By moving 'round the corner' Arthur lost customers and therefore income. It is believed that Jane asked her father for financial support, the amount coming from her inheritance.

1807info6, sheet 3

Right: Arthur Crompton and family circa 1914. Left to right: Jane, Geoffrey, Bessie, Arthur, Donald (Don), Thomas Edmond (Ted)

Arthur Sanderson became their apprentice, later assistant butcher, and Ted's best friend. Under Lloyd George‘s social reforms Arthur had, as an employer, to contribute towards Arthur Sanderson‘s state pension "stamp". However Arthur couldn‘t afford his own "stamp" and therefore received, in later life, a four shillings tobacco allowance rather than a state pension.

It is said that Arthur got in with the wrong people and started drinking. The shop relied on Arthur Sanderson and Ted, who returned home from school, went to bed and then got up to link sausages for the next morning. Arthur imposed on his son and Jane who, worried that there were too many knives in the butchers shop, took Ted by train to Liverpool to board the White Star Dominion 'Doric' to Quebec. Ted was aged 15 and Jane full of tears. Ted arrived in Quebec on 7 September 1925 and stayed with Jane's brother Fred Watts.

Arthur Sanderson's emigration to Australia, in 1925, was the beginning of the end of the Barton butcher's shop. Jane took her sixth of the Watts "family fortune" to rescue the business but later the family had to rent Eastbourne Villa, a guest house in Eastbourne Road, Hornsea. In 1940 they moved to the corner shop at 2 Clifton Street, Hornsea, which was again rented. When the owner wanted to sell the property Jane's brother, Arthur Watts, bought the shop. Arthur died there, on 26 September 1951, from cancer of the carotid lymph nodes; a butcher‘s death caused by holding the pig slaughtering knife in his mouth. Jane continued with the shop until January 1956.

Certified Copy of an Entry of Death

GRO Death: September Qrt 1951 vol.2a p.73 Holderness

1807info6, sheet 4

Arthur's wife Jane Watts

On 11 December 1879 Jane Watts was born, the third of John Watts' six children.  Being a general carrier, from Beverley to Hull, John's house was next to his carrier's 'garage' in Lairgate, Beverley.

Certified Copy of an Entry of Birth

GRO Birth: Jane Watts 1stQt1880 Beverley 9d 95

1881 Census  Sun/Mon 2/3rd April 1881
Source:      FHL Film 1342145 PRO Ref RG11
Piece        4748 Folio 113 Page 6
Dwelling:    Lairgate
Place:       Beverley, St Mary, York, England

Name           Rel   Mar Age Occ                        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

1807info6, sheet 5

By the time of the 1891 census Jane's family was complete.

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

Name             Rel  Mar Age Occ                     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

Note: Arthur Watts married Bessie Botterill and carried on the haulage business, first from Lairgate and then from the Manor Road depot, as Watts Bros. His vehicles were famous for their hand painted maps of the East Riding of Yorkshire. He lived in The Chestnuts, New Walk before retiring to a bungalow built at the depot on the site of 'The Summer House'. He went on to become the Lord Mayor of Beverley during World War 2 and the Church warden of St Mary's, Beverley and died, it is reported, a wealthy man. The Manor Road site has now been sold for housing development with the garden of Arthur's bungalow much reduced in area (August 2001).

Jane went to London, in service, as nanny. Family hearsay records her working for Sir Walter Gilbey, of the gin family, and staying 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 Camden Town. Right: Regent's Terrace, London 2009

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

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

"Auntie Lidly" (because the children couldn't say Elizabeth) Trollope, the housemaid, and Cookie Moody all went to Barton to stay andwere responsible for making the family christening gown, when lace was 3/4d a yard. Auntie Lidley and her sister May lived at 10 Meadow Croft Road, Palmers Green, in 1946.

1807info6,sheet 6

Later she was the nanny to the Abrams and to a child she referred to a 'Boy'. Mr Abrams was a Jewish solicitor married to a Himhoff [phonetic spelling] from a Dutch Jewish family and the H in the gramophone recording company His Master's Voice. 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, which may have been the location of the Abrams home and walking round Russell Square. In later life she told how she had enjoyed the Lord Major's Show and the visit to the Abrams‘ country house at Marlow. This was her most favourite job as she kept in touch with the Abrams, by letter and visited on one occasion. From there she married Arthur at the aged of 27.

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

When the shop closed in January 1956 she 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 interned in the Hornsea family grave.

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

GRO Death: June Qrt 1969 vol.5g p.486 Surrey North

Back to TOP
This page was created by Richard Crompton and maintained by Chris Glass	Version C12 Updated 12 April 2009