Great Grandmother Winifred Violet Vernon (nee Edworthy)

My Great Grandmother Winifred (1895 - 1982) was a domestic servant, housewife and mother of three.

Winifred Violet Edworthy was born on 4th September 1895 in Exeter, Devon, to William Edworthy (43), a railway guard and horse keeper/groom/carman, and Bessie Staddon Edworthy (nee Nott) (36).

Winifred was baptised on 16th October 1895 in St Davids, Exeter. At the time of Winifred's birth, the family lived at 64 Howell Road, Exeter. Howell Road is just around the corner from Exeter Central Station and not far from Exeter St Davids Station. Winifred's father and later both her brothers worked for the railway.

Winifred was the youngest of six children:

• Edith Florence Jessie  1878 - 1895 (16)
• William Gilbert John  1880 - 1949 (69)
• Beatrice May  1882 - 1969 (86 or 87)
• Cora Agnes  1886 - 1907 (21)
• Frederick 'Fred' Cecil  1888 - 1975 (87)
• Winifred Violet  1895 - 1982 (87)

Alas two of Winifred's older sisters, Edith and Cora, passed away young.

Edith passed away in March 1895, aged sixteen, six months before Winifred was born.

Winifred as a very young girl, c 1900

The 1901 Census shows Winifred and her family have moved from 64 to 54 Howell Road:

Winifred's older sister Cora is not shown at home in the 1901 Census. Possibly due to compilations at her birth, she retained only the abilities of a very young infant. She was unable to talk, and had to be washed, dressed, fed etc by others. Her parents tried to care for her at home, but struggled. She was initially sent to Earlswood Asylum in Surrey, but in 1904 her parents got her back closer to her home in Exeter and she spent the remainder of her short life at Digby Hospital (Exeter City Asylum). Cora passed away from phthisis (pulmonary tuberculosis or a similar progressive wasting disease), aged twenty-one, on 29th December 1907, when Winifred was twelve.

In January 1911, when Winifred was fifteen, her father, William, also passed away, aged fifty-nine. Edith, Cora and William were all buried at Exeter Higher Cemetery in Heavitree, Exeter, but being poor their graves are alas unmarked. After their father's death, Winifred's older brother Fred became the breadwinner.

By 1911, the family had moved from Howell Road to Park Road, which is just around the corner from Exeter Higher Cemetery.

1911 Census:

Winifred as a young woman in the 1910s

Winifred's older brother, William, served in the First World War as a private in the Devonshire Regiment from 1916. He was transferred to the Labour Corps in 1917. Thankfully he survived the war.

It seems sometime in the 1910s, Winifred and her mother moved to 4 Morley Cottages, Paignton, to live with her sister Beatrice. During this time, Winifred worked as a domestic servant.

On 3rd April 1919, when Winifred was twenty-three, her mother Bessie passed away, aged about sixty, in the district of Totnes.

On 27th September 1919, Winifred (24) married Sergeant Walter Charles Vernon (26) in Totnes. Together they set up home at 2 Council Cottages, Cowley, near Exeter.

Winifred and Walter had three children (two daughters and one son):

• Winifred Peggy Doreen (known as Peggy)  1925 -
• Leslie 'Les' Walter  1927 -
• Christine 'Chris' May  1937 - 2012

Walter (32), Winifred (30) and baby Peggy at Peggy's christening in 1925

As their family grew, they moved next door to 3 Council Cottages, which was larger.

After leaving the army, Winifred's husband Walter, like her father and brothers, worked for the railway.

1939 Census:

Her daughter Peggy's wedding in 1944 captures Winifred and her family in the Second World War. Walter (51) is stood centre, Winifred (49) is sat second from right, bride Peggy (19) is sat third from right. Les (17) is stood furthest right, and Chris (7) is sat second from left.

After Winifred's young son Les (18) married pregnant Delma Margaret Emma Wright (20) in 1946, the young couple moved in with Winifred and Walter at 3 Council Cottage, and lived there with their three eldest children.

For Christmas 1949, Winifred's daughter Chris was gifted an autograph book. In it there are two poetical contributions from Winifred offering advice to her young daughter:

After marring American George Wise in 1944, Winifred's daughter Peggy had emigrated to America. In the 1960s, in their late sixties, Winifred and Walter travelled to Iowa, America to visit their eldest daughter and her growing family.

Winifred and Walter, with their American granddaughter Carol, in Iowa, in the early 1960s

Winifred's husband Walter passed away, aged seventy-two, in 1965, when Winifred was sixty-nine.

Winifred (74/75) in her home in 1970

Peggy says her mother had a wonderful mischievous sense of humour.

Winifred's American granddaughters also have fond memories of their Gran-in-England...

Her granddaughter Carol recalls that Winifred had lots of sayings. If told she couldn't wear something, Winifred would reply: "I'll black me arse and go naked if I bloody well please!". If a knife was dull, she would remark: "so dull one could ride to London bare-arsed on this thing 'n not get cut!"

Winifred had a parakeet called Georgie, whose cage can be seen in the background in the above photograph. Carol recalls: "She would sit in her comfortable chair between him and the coal burning fireplace, talking to him or twisting up paper logs for the fire."

Carol cherishes a small teacup gifted to her, when she visited England as a girl, by Winifred. She recalls a story: one time Winifred was "looking up and the teacups (they were displayed and then there were ones hanging off cup hooks) were swinging. She laughed and said 'it be ghosts', but it was an earthquake!"

Winifred in old age. Her displayed teacups and parakeet's cage can be seen behind her right shoulder.

Winifred's English grandchildren also have fond memories of visiting their Gran every Saturday for afternoon tea. They would sit around and watch the wrestling, followed by the football results, on the television.

Winifred had dark hair and icy blue eyes, which she passed on to her daughter Peggy. Photographs show Winifred also greatly resembled her mother Bessie.

Bessie (left) and daughter Winifred (right)

On 27th December 1982, Winifred passed away, aged eighty-seven, in Exeter.