Hello Gary,
I
think I have reached a
reasonable conclusion to the
story behind the short note on
the postcard. Feel free to
correct. It goes something like
this:
I
bought this postcard from EBay
(apologies to any Brierley folk
who also bid) because it was a
picture of my old school in 1915
and i was intrigued to see who
had sent it and to whom. I did
not know what i was letting
myself in for but here are the
results.
The Alice referred to is ALICE
BEATRICE BRIGGS , one of only
two Alice's in infants class at
the time the card was written,
1915. Alice Briggs is recorded
on the 1911 census as a 3 year
old boarder with the BAUM family
in Brierley along with another
boarder, ARTHUR EVAN COLEMAN
aged 28 and a domestic
chauffeur. Alice Briggs was
boarded with the Baum family
because her mother EMMA JANE
BRIGGS was working as a live in
cook at LINDLEY HOUSE,
Brierley, the home of Miss
EDITH MARY CORDEUX. Also working
at Lindley House as a maid was
EDITH BAUM hence the placing of
young Alice with her family. I
am guessing that Arthur Coleman
was also the chauffeur to Miss
Cordeux.
Emma Jane Briggs was born EMMA
JANE HILL around 1876 in the
MAILING district of Kent and had
two sisters ALICE HILL and
BEATRICE HILL hence young Alice
being named after them. Emma
Jane worked variously as maid
,domestic nurse etc in Kent ,
London and Nottingham. She
married ROBERT BRIGGS in about
1906 and was living in
NOTTINGHAM (Lenton) at the time
of Alice’s birth in 1908. Robert
Briggs is variously recorded as
a journeyman house painter or an
estate farm worker. A Robert
Briggs death is recorded around
the time of Alice Briggs birth
and this may have prompted a
move to Brierley.
The card is addressed to EVA
MANNERING care of J B REEVES at
an address in TONBRIDGE WELLS.
Eva was born EVA ANNIE MANNERING
in AYLESFORD in Kent in 1898 and
worked in service for families
around Tonbridge Wells and
Speldhurst locally in Kent,
including J B Reeves.
Alice’s mum Emma Jane and Eva
Mannering must have been
relatives ,friends ,workmates or
neighbours at some time; they
were born in the same area and
both worked in the same jobs.
Further confirmation of this
comes from a member of Eva’s
family who remembers a MISS HILL
as a regular visitor to the now
married EVA TIMMS house in
Speldhurst. Miss Hill was
probably one of young Alice’s
aunts.
Alice and her mum may have
arrived in Brierley by chance
but the Cordeux family name is
recorded in Nottingham ,where
Alice was born ,again in London
and indeed a KATHLEEN CORDEUX is
recorded in 1911 as a pupil at a
boarding school in Tonbridge
Wells ,an area where Eva lived
and worked .
Please feel free to correct or
add to these facts and best
guesses.
My thanks to the family of Eva
Mannering for the link with Miss
Hill and to friend and webmaster
Gary for searching the school
records when he should have been
decorating.
Dave Nicoll.
Always of Brierley but now
living in Pogmoor, Barnsley.
Gary I have two more postcards;
I will need a long lie down
after this one but if it proves
popular I will do the others
later. They aren’t as
complicated; famous last words.
Dave
I
would think that this email took
you as long to write as it you
to research the postcard Dave. I
think you have done well
researching it and thank you for
sharing it with us.
