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Did not read back and hadn't realised I'd already discounted :-|

I've sent for Anne's father's birth certificate, to see if she is Agnes Mary or Mary Agnes on that.

My other thought is to try and trace her cousin Margaret Westover (born Hastings 1944) - the only possible address I've found for her is Normanhurst Nursing Home in Bexhill, but when I rang there they didn't recognise the name.

Perhaps they were simply being discreet, and/or taking GDPR into consideration

I would certainly hope they wouldn't give out info over the phone

possibly?


Probate search site


WESTOVER MARGARET JOAN
Probate - 09 February 2016
Number - 4793806
Death - 07 November 2015
Grant and will Brighton

I phoned and asked to speak to her, as if I knew she was there - the receptionist checked and didn't find a Westover on her list. I got that address from the electoral roll in 2015 though.

Oh Choccy, you are such a wizard at this, I looked for a possible death for her but didn't find one. Another dead end - literally :-(

What is this probate search site, please? Is it possible to view wills?

Probate site:

https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/#wills

You can buy a copy of a Will for £10 via that site - you'll see where it says "Add to basket" beside the search result.

https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/#wills


Find a will or ‘grant of representation’ for people who died in or after 1858.

A ‘grant of representation’ gives someone the legal right to deal with a deceased person’s estate. This right is called ‘probate’.

You can order copies of documents online. They cost £10 each - you can pay by debit or credit card.


It can take up to 10 working days for you to receive your documents. Working days do not include weekends or public holidays.

I was just wondering if it would be worth getting a copy of the will of that Mary Harrington who died in 1971 in St Peters Nursing Home - it is so exactly right for our Agnes Mary.

I think it would be worth getting a copy of the Will of Mary Harrington, if only to conclusively rule her out :-|

I have today received Anne's father's birth certificate, his mother is named as Agnes Mary. So Agnes Mary there and on her marriage certificate, Mary Agnes on her son's marriage certificate.

I think this death was mentioned earlier- I don't know if it was discounted, but this lady was in the Dorset area because she was a patient at Herrison Mental Hospital, Charmouth. She died at the hospital on the 22nd November 1966 and was buried at Blandford Forum Cemetery on the 25th November in the RC section :

Deaths Dec 1966
HARRINGTON AGNES M 78 WEYMOUTH 7C 841

It is possibly our Agnes- people with mental health issues were often hidden away- a possible reason why she wasn't in Hastings?
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I also looked into the witness Sybil Vane- she was a singer. Her real name was Elizabeth (or Mary Elizabeth) Jenkins born c1887 Cardiff, daughter of Shadrach Jenkins and Sarah Jones. She was fairly well known in 1916 when Agnes married, and had already had some success in the US. She seems like an unlikely witness to Agnes' wedding, but I can't see another Sybil Vane that fits.

OK- think the above Agnes death/ burial is correct. On your other thread we discussed about this being Agnes' daughter:

1939
Convent Of Our Lady Filsham Road , Hastings C.B., Sussex, England
Dorothy M Herrington 30 Jul 1917 Female Nun Lay Sister -

and this being her death:
Name: Dorothy Harrington
Death Age: 70
Birth Date: 30 Jul 1917
Registration Date: Dec 1987
Registration district: Surrey North-western
Inferred County: Surrey
Volume: 17 Page: 802

Well, it looks as though despite her death being registered in Surrey, she was also buried at Blandford Forum Cemetery:

Burial Register
last name HARRINGTON
first names DOROTHY MARY
Death date: 14 October 1987
Burial date 04 November 1987
Location Blandford Forum Cemetery (Dorset)
Grave: Consecrated (Roman Catholic)
Unfortunately the address and other particulars on the burial register are blanked out (this is to protect potentially living people), but I'm pretty certain this is Agnes daughter.

Ohhh - Well done AustinQ !!!!

It looks like you have this sorted !!

Dea x

Thanks Dea - :-D

but it doesn't help with Agnes' birth or her father. :-|

No Austin but it is a tiny step further on the trail.............

Dea x

Oh thank you Super Sleuth AustinQ!!! How did you find that she was in a mental hospital? And the cemetery records?

Anne remembers visiting Agnes in Chapel Park Road till about 1965, then the visits stopped. She thought it was because her mother didn't want to keep in touch with her after being deserted by Agnes' son, but perhaps it was because she moved away, and/or died.

I wonder if the death certificate would give any useful information - perhaps Dorothy might have registered it. There's only one way to find out :-)

Jan- Agnes place of death is recorded on the burial register- that's how I know she was Herrison Mental Hospital.

I'm now looking into something else, I don't know at the moment if it's significant.

On her marriage certificate Agnes recorded her address as 28 Elystan Road.

Looking at the electoral registers, in 1915 a Mary Clara Thorne was listed at the address.

In 1919 there is a Clara Thorne at the same address (presumably the same lady), also a John Newton listed there (John Newton is listed in the trade directories as a surgeon also of 49 Oakley Street Chelsea).
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It's possible that this is the lady in 1911- states she's a widow with no children, I'm struggling to find any information for her:

1911 Census For England & Wales

98 Arthur St Chelsea, Chelsea, London & Middlesex, England
Clara Thorne - Widow Female 57 1854 Needle Work Worksop Nothingham

I'm not sure if I've already posted this here, but will add it now in case it helps:

I found an Agnes M Kelly in 1911 London Electoral Register at 6 Denmark Street (office), home address 82 Vincent Square, Westminster. I found 82 Vincent Square in the 1911 census, St. George's Hotel, a ladies' residential club - but no Agnes M Kelly.

Interesting that Clara Thorne was a needle worker, as Agnes was supposed to be an excellent seamstress, though the occupation given on her marriage certificate was governess.

I don't think as a single woman that Agnes born around 1889 would appear on the electoral register in 1911