Thomas and Harriet's Children (6): Arthur Thomas Edgar

Arthur Thomas Edgar was born in the April-June quarter of 1875, almost certainly at Preston St Mary and very likely at Down Hall Farm. A family tree on Ancestry.com gives the date as April 10. He was Thomas and Harriet's first child - their marriage was on June 30, 1874.

His early childhood was comfortable, but about the turn of the decade his parents fell on hard times. One of the earliest indications of this is that the 1881 Census shows that Arthur Thomas had been sent to live with his grandparents, the Worters, who farmed at Milden. 

Distance: 4.1 miles

Confusingly they were also named Thomas and Harriet. The family had one servant and they lived at 15, Boxford Road.

St. Peter's Church, Milden: By Andrew Hill, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6898585

In 1891, aged 16, he's still living with Thomas and Harriet at Lower Farm, 17 Boxford Rd. - my guess is that this is the same place as in 1881 but re-numbered - in 1851 Thomas and Harriet are already living at Lower Farm and the number then was 22, and in 1861 it was 21 (I can't find a record for 1871). He's described as 'nephew', but that's been crossed out and 'grandson' written in. But rather strangely under 'Occupation' we find 'Farmer's grandson'. If this means anything it suggests he helped out around the farm. Lucy Worters, Thomas and Harriet's daughter, aged 34, is living with them and they have one servant.

A photo of the substantial-looking farmhouse can be seen here:

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/275569

In 1901 Arthur is living with Harriet Worters at the Lower Farm 16, Boxford Road - Thomas died in 1889. Also at home is Lucy (44) and Daisy Worters (20), presumably Lucy's daughter as she's described as Harriet's granddaughter. Arthur is  now a 'farm manager'.

Wilfred 'Bay' Edgar tells us

Arthur the eldest became Farm Bailiff for a neighbouring estate and lived with his grandparents.

This implies that he was not bailiff/manager of Lower Farm but of a property closer to Preston St. Mary.

Lucy Jane Worters and Arthur obviously stayed close. She died unmarried in June 1942 at Mount Road, Theydon Garnon - no number given but almost certainly the Edgar home at number 1 - and probate was granted in Llandudno to Arthur Thomas Edgar, a farm bailiff, and Ernest Edgar Warren, a carpenter.

In 1911, Arthur has moved - perhaps his grandmother is in retirement or has even died, although I've found no death certificate. He's living in Newton - about 3 miles from Sudbury.

All Saints Church, Newton: By Robert Edwards, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6898609

Arthur was now with the Warren family: Edgar Warren (father of Ernest Edgar just mentioned), Sarah Louisa Warren and two unmarried daughters - Edith May and Kate Helen. Arthur Thomas is described as 'nephew'. Sarah Louisa Warren was born Worters in 1846 and she married Edgar Warren in the Cosford registration district in the first quarter of 1877.[1] In 1851 she was living with her parents Thomas and Harriet Worters at Lower Farm. Hers sister Harriet Ann was born in 1852 and she became Mrs. Thomas Edgar in 1874.

That makes Sarah Louisa Warren (neé Worters) Arthur's aunt, so he's still living with his mother's family. But there's a twist to this story which I shall reserve for a later post as it doesn't concern Arthur Thomas directly. He's described as a farmer, and he's 35 and unmarried - both of which facts are about to assume an unexpected importance, because we are, of course, three years away from what was to be the greatest war in history thus far.

The Military Service Bill was introduced on January 1, 1916 and took effect from March 2. It called up all single men between 19 and 41. There's no record of Arthur ever having married, so he was eligible to be conscripted - by five weeks! There is no record of his ever having served alongside his brothers Thomas John, Wilfred, Stanley and Herbert. It's possible that his work on the farm was considered to place him in the 'reserved occupations' that were exempt from the draft:

List C;

1. Agricultural Occupations....More occupations in Food and Clothing were added in Dec 1915.[2]

It's possible he was able to argue for exemption: not all farm workers got it, but he could also plead that he was very close to the upper age limit, and four of his brothers were already (or soon would be) in France. In April 1918 the upper limit was raised to 50 (even 56 if necessary). If this did pose a new threat to Arthur, he might have been saved by the end of the war in November.

In any case, by 1939 he was bailiff on the family farm at 1, Mount Place and doing ARP service. Two records from the Register are still withheld, but also there are Annie Gibbins (née Edgar) and her son Thomas John Edward Gibbins, a carpenter and joiner. Also there is Olive Mary Baltrop, born in the last quarter of 1929 in the West Ham registration district and still at school. her mother's maiden name was Simons. Baltrop is crossed out and replaced by "Martin', because she married Harry James Martin in 1949. He was born in Hcakney district in 1925. They might have moved to Sydney.

Arthur Thomas died on January 17, 1961. He was living at 1, Mount Rd., Theydon Garnon,. On March 20 probate was granted to Stanley James Edgar, a retired farmer, in the sum of £1,787 4s. 10d. The probate notice was on the same page as that of their brother Herbert, who died on 17 December, 1960.

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[1] http://person.ancestry.co.uk/tree/7972049/person/6118516050/facts

[2] http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?/topic/190699-ww1-reserved-occupations/