NameAgnes Elizabeth May Brook [342], [4, 1911, their house at Alverstok, Hants], [3, Her birth, Q3 of 1875, St Germans district, vol 5c, p. 41], [3, Death, Q2 of 1963, Bournemouth dist, vol 6B, p. 190]
Birth26 Apr 1875, Port View, Saltash, Cornwall
Deathca May 1963, Bournemouth district, Hants
Spouses
1Captain Ernest Ellacott Pethick RN [342], [4, 1911, their house at Alverstok, Hants], [3, His birth, Q2 of 1877, Plympton dist, vol 5b, p. 279], [3, Death, Q2 of 1960, Totnes dist, vol 7a, p. 819]
Marriage3 Oct 1900, St Andrew’s church, Plymouth, Devon [4, 1911, their house at Alverstock, Hants], [5, Their marriage, Q4 of 1900, Plymouth district, vol 5b, p. 465]
Notes for Agnes Elizabeth May Brook
On her birth certificate the entries are:
Heading: 1875 Registration district of St Germans, Birth in the sub-district of Saltash in the County of Cornwall.
Certificate NO: 79
Birth when, where: Twenty Sixth April 1875, Port View, Saltash
Name: Agnes Elizabeth May
Sex: Girl
Father’s name: Thomas Brook
Mother with maiden name: Hester Brook formerly Stanbury
Father’s Occupation: Merchant
Informant: Thomas Brook father Port View Saltash
When registered: Eleventh August 1875
Registrar: William Elias Efford Webber, Registrar; Fredk W P Elverton, Supt Regr
______________________
In the 1901 census there is an Agnes aged 12, born in Ashburton, Devon and living with her parents at Brannidge farm, Torbrean (?), Newton Abbot, Devon. I wonder if this was her?
No it wasn’t.
Geoffrey’s mother was a May. Who Was Who says her maiden name was Brook. All confirmed by the BMD index entry for this marriage.
This has to be her birth as the forenames are the same as in her marriage:
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Births Sep 1875 (>99%)
BROOK Agnes Elizabeth M St Germans 5c 41
________________
I wonder if this 1881 census entry is for her:
Name Relation Condition Sex Age Birth Year Occupation Disability Where Born
WELCH, Richard Head Married M 57 1824 Schoolmaster Masboro, Yorkshire
WELCH, Elizth Wife Married F 45 1836 Stonehouse, Devon
RICHES, Harry Lodger Single M 20 1861 Musician Greenwich, Kent
HARRIS, Mary Servant Single F 23 1858 General Serv Gt Torrington
BROOK, Agnes Visitor Single F 6 1875 Scholar Saltash, Cornwall
PHILLIPS, Maud Visitor Single F 8 1873 Scholar Stonehouse, Devon
RG number: RG11 Piece: 2211 Folio: 72 Page: 12
Registration District: Stoke-Damerel Sub District: Stoke
EnumerationDistrict: Ecclesiastical Parish:
Civil Parish: Devonport Stoke-Damerel Municipal Borough:
Address: 1, Collingwood Villas, Devonport Stoke-Damerel
County: Devonshire
__________________
I can’t locate her in the 1891 census. And I certainly cannot identify her parents, short of purchasing her birth certificate or her marriage certificate for her father’s name.
TFPL, 1916: However the parish record of her and Eernest Pethick’s church marriages shows her father’s name as Thomas Brook who was a JP.
Taking this a bit further, I have managed to obtain a scan of the marriage register. This indicates that at her marriage, her father was both still alive and signed as the principal witness together with a Mabel Brook. He also said that he was a JP, which a subsequent clerk has interpreted as and added ‘justice of peace’. One of the two other witnesses was a Mabel Brook. So I looked up in the 1891 census to see if there was a household containing both Thomas and a Mabel Brook and found this combination present only at a house in Tavistock Devon:
First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Gender Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
Thomas Brook Head Married Male 45 1846 Boot & Shoe Maker Beaworthy, Devon
Elizabeth Brook Wife Married Female 46 1845 - Calstock, Cornwall
Lizzie Brook Daughter Single Female 19 1872 Tailoress Tavistock, Devon
Charlie Brook Son Single Male 16 1875 Coach Painter Tavistock, Devon
Willie Brook Son Single Male 13 1878 Domestic Servant General Tavistock, Devon
Jessie Brook Daughter - Female 9 1882 Scholar Tavistock, Devon
Mabel Brook Daughter - Female 7 1884 Scholar Tavistock, Devon
Sidney Brook Son - Male 2 1889 - Tavistock, Devon
Might ‘Lizzie’ have been Agnes Elizabeth May? Though if so, her birth year is three years earlier than on other reports. I wish I knew more! And I can’t reconcile Boot & Shoe Kaker in this 1881 census entry with Merchant in her birth certificate in 1875.
There are 14 homes around with a Thomas Brook their head in Devon and one more in Cornwall.
__________________
Her death index:
Surname First name(s) Age District Vol Page
Deaths Jun 1963 (>99%)
PETHICK AGNES E M 88 BOURNEMOUTH 6B 190
_________________
Will notes for Agnes Elizabeth May Brook
Her probate index:
PETHICK Agnes Elizabeth May of 12 Brandon Court 308 Poole Road Branksome Poole widow died 24 June 1963 at Herbert Hospital 49 Alunchurst Road Westbourne Bournemouth Probate Winchester to Dorothy Grace Smit widow. Effects £14017 16s.
Dorothy Grace Smit must have been her daughter Dorothy Grace Pethick, though I have yet to account for her widowed surname of Smit.
_______________________
This is NOT her will. It IS data about her possible family but for which categorical evidence is lacking. An answer would be to spend money on Agnes’ birth certificate as this would reveal her mother’s forename and maiden name.
1. The marriage of her candidate parents:
First name(s) Thomas
Last name Brook
Marriage year 1863
Marriage date 29 Dec 1863
Parish St George
Place East Stonehouse, St George
Spouse's first name(s) Hester
Spouse's last name Stanbury
Denomination Anglican
City or town Stonehouse, Plymouth
County Devon
Archive South West Heritage Trust
Record set Devon Marriages
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Marriages & divorces
Collections from Great Britain
Transcription Devon Family History Society
2. The census entries with Thomas and Hester as the Head and Wife:
Last name First name Born Died Event Location
Brook Thomas 1810 — 1881 Dalton, Huddersfield, Yorkshire
Brook Thomas 1836 — 1881 Compton-Gifford, Plympton St Mary, Devon
Brook Thomas 1835 — 1891 Plymouth, Devon
Brook Tom 1868 — 1881 Compton-Gifford, Plympton St Mary, Devon
3. The census details for the 1881 family, note Agnes is missing (additionally there were three servants in the household):
First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Gender Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
Thomas Brook Head Married Male 45 1836 Wollen Draper Huish, Devon
Hester Brook Wife Married Female 38 1843 - Plymouth, Devon
Edith Brook Daughter Single Female 15 1866 Scholar Plymouth, Devon
Berth Brook Daughter Single Female 14 1867 Scholar Plymouth, Devon
Tom Brook Son Single Male 13 1868 Scholar Plymouth, Devon
Harry Brook Son Single Male 10 1871 Scholar Plymouth, Devon
Kathleen Brook Daughter Single Female 0 1881 - Plymouth, Devon
Mable Brook Daughter Single Female 4 1877 - Plymouth, Devon
4. The family of the 1891 census:
First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Gender Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
Thomas Brook Head Married Male 56 1835 Merchant & Magistrate Devon
Hester Brook Wife Married Female 48 1843 - Plymouth, Devon
Edith Brook Daughter Single Female 25 1866 - Plymouth, Devon
Bertha Brook Daughter Single Female 24 1867 - Saltash, Cornwall
Dolly Brook Daughter Single Female 16 1875 - Plymouth, Devon
Mabel Brook Daughter Single Female 14 1877 - Plymouth, Devon
Daisy Brook Daughter Single Female 10 1881 - Plymouth, Devon
George Brook Son - Male 8 1883 - Plymouth, Devon
5. Deaths:
Surname First name(s) Age District Vol Page
Deaths Mar 1892 (>99%)
Brook Hester Hannah 48 Hailsham 2b 94
Surname First name(s) Age District Vol Page
Deaths Jun 1917 (>99%)
Brook Thomas 82 Plymouth 5b 293
6. Agnes in 1881, possibly:
Name Relation Condition Sex Age Birth Year Occupation Disability Where Born
WELCH, Richard Head Married M 57 1824 Schoolmaster Masboro, Yorkshire
WELCH, Elizth Wife Married F 45 1836 Stonehouse, Devon
RICHES, Harry Lodger Single M 20 1861 Musician Greenwich, Kent
HARRIS, Mary Servant Single F 23 1858 General Serv Gt Torrington
BROOK, Agnes Visitor Single F 6 1875 Scholar Saltash, Cornwall
PHILLIPS, Maud Visitor Single F 8 1873 Scholar Stonehouse, Devon
and the marriage of Richard Welch and Elizabeth:
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Marriages Jun 1859 (>99%)
Stanbury Elizabeth Grace E Stonehouse 5b 494
Welch Richard Brewer E Stonehouse 5b 494
Welch Richard Drewer E Stonehouse 5B 494
This leads to the query whether Elizabeth and Hester were sisters in the 1851 census:
First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Gender Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
Henry Stanbury Head Married Male 44 1807 Baker Hatherleigh, Devon
Elizabeth Stanbury Wife Married Female 38 1813 Wife Baker St Budeaux, Devon
Elizabeth Stanbury Daughter Unm Female 15 1836 Scholar East Stonehouse, Devon
Lidia J Stanbury Daughter Unm Female 12 1839 Scholar East Stonehouse, Devon
Esther Stanbury Daughter Unm Female 8 1843 Scholar East Stonehouse, Devon
George Stanbury Son Unm Male 4 1847 Scholar East Stonehouse, Devon
Francis Stanbury Son Unm Male 3 1848 Scholar East Stonehouse, Devon
James Stanbury Son Unm Male 0 1851 - East Stonehouse, Devon
Yes, I would surmise, they were sisters. And they were both married in the East Stonehouse district. So in 1881 Agnes was (probably) staying with her maternal aunt.
Elizabeth’s baptism:
First name(s) Elizabeth Grace
Last name Stanbury
Birth year 1835
Birth date 01 Jul 1835
Baptism year 1835
Denomination Anglican
Baptism place East Stonehouse
Father's first name(s) Henry
Father's occupation Baker
Mother's first name(s) Elizabeth
Residence Stonehouse
County Devon
Archive South West Heritage Trust
Record set Devon Baptisms
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Births & baptisms
Collections from Great Britain
Transcription Devon Family History Society
Esther’s birth regisgtration (baptism not found, not within 20 years of her birth in both Devon and Cornwall):
First name(s) ESTHER
Last name STANBURY
Birth year 1842
Birth quarter 4
Registration month -
Mother's last name -
District EAST STONEHOUSE
County Devon
Country England
Volume IX
Page 323
Record set England & Wales births 1837-2006
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Births & baptisms
Collections from Great Britain
__________________
Notes for Ernest Ellacott & Agnes Elizabeth May (Family)
Their marriage:
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Marriages Dec 1900
Brook Agnes Elizabeth M Plymouth 5b 465
Pethick Ernest Ellacott Plymouth 5b 465
and from FindMyPast, their church record:
First name(s) Ernest Ellacott
Last name Pethick
Age 25
Birth year 1875
Marriage year 1900
Marriage date 03 Oct 1900
Denomination Anglican
Place Plymouth, St Andrew
Father's first name(s) Thomas
Father's last name Pethick
Spouse's first name(s) Agnes Elizabeth May
Spouse's last name Brook
Spouse's age 25
Spouse's father's first name(s) Thomas
Spouse's father's last name Brook
Archive Plymouth & West Devon Record Office
County Devon
Record set Devon Marriages
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Transcription Devon Family History Society
TFPL, Feb 2016: Note that, in the church record, verified in the copy of the image of the register page downloaded from FindMyPast’s site, his father is named as Thomas Pethick, deceased. Note further that Ernest gave his age as 25.
In fact, on the original document the entries are:
Heading
-------
Year: 1900
Church: Parish of St Andrew
County: County Borough of Plymouth
Details
-------
Cert No: 1
Date: October 3 1900
Item Groom Bride
---- ----- ----
Name: Ernest Ellacott Pethick Agnes Elizabeth May Brook
Age: 25 25
Condition: Bachelor Spinster
Jon: Engineer RN -
Abode: Old Town Street St Laurence Road
Father: Thomas Pethick Thomas Brook
Father job: Deceased JP [struck out] Justice of Peace
Married: after banns
Signatures: [in their own hand]
Witnesses: Thos Brook, Mabel Brook, Arthur J Simson
____________________