Harriet Louisa "Lou" BEST

  General Notes:

Gran always referred to 8 Albion Street, Exmouth as home and where she was born. After her parents died the two unmarried children stayed there (John and Ada). We used to visit every year when we went to Exmouth. 8 Albion Street was a flat above a shop.

Birth Registration Dec 1886 St Thomas 5b 41 Best Harriet Louisa
- mother's maiden is Hooper on new GRO indexes

Birth Certificate
Entry 81, 5th November 1886 at 13 George Street, Withycombe Raleigh, Exmouth. Harriet Louisa, Girl, Samuel John Best, Elizabeth Jane Best formerly Hooper, Tailor. Registered by E J Best, mother of George Street Withycombe Raleigh on 4th December 1886.

Marriage Sep 1911 St Thomas 5b 133
Thorne Henry John
Best Harriet Louisa

Marriage Certificate
The Parade Chapel, Exmouth on 22 July 1911.
Henry John Thorne, 25 years, Bachelor, Locomotive Fireman, 31 Albion Street Exmouth. Father Joseph Henry Thorne, Bricklayer.
Harriet Louisa Best, 24 years, Spinster, Dressmaker, 8 Albion Street Exmouth. Father Samuel John Best, Tailor.
Married at the Parade Chapel according to rites of the Congregationalists by Certificate.
Witnesses were E T Thorne (brother Ernest Thomas) and S Hookway(see 1911 census for groom).
Presumably Henry was in lodgings in Exmouth whilst working for LSWR.

Death Dec 1970
Wandsworth 5e 1223 Thorne Harriet Louisa, born 5 No 1886

Death certificate
Wandsworth sub district of Wandsworth district
Eighteenth October 1970 at Springfield Hospital, Tooting. Harriet Louisa Thorne, Female, maiden name Best
born 5th Novenber 1886 at Exmouth Devon
Widow of Henry John Thorne, Engine Driver. Usual address 34 Courtlands Avenue, Hampton, Middlesex
Informant was Thomas John Thorne, son, of 34 Courtlands Avenue Hampton Middlesex on 19 Oct 1970
- she never lived at Courtlands Ave, but had given up her house in Mereway Road after she went into hospital.

Grandma was buried 23 Oct 1970. Exclusive Grave purchase £7 15s grave 109 plot G class B consecrated ground on 8 April 1949 (for burial of husband. 1st burial cost £13-1s-0d and second was £16-0s-0d. (see certificate of purchase).

Richmond Cemetery Services
Grave Details
Position Deceased name Age Date of Burial Cemetery Section Grave
2 Harriet Louisa Thorne 83 Years 23/10/1970 Twickenham Cemetery G 109 third row
1 Henry J Thorne 63 Years 23/02/1949 Twickenham Cemetery G 109 third row

MI at Twickenham Cemetery
Henry John Thorne Died Feb 17th 1949 Aged 63 Years
Harriet Louisa Thorne Died Oct 18th 1970 Aged 83 Years
In That Beautiful Land

Electoral Role 1923 (on ancestry.co.uk)
Twickenham, West Ward
51 Mereway Road
H O Thorn Harriet Louisa
R O Thorn Henry John
- R Residential qualification (man), O Occupational qualification

Electoral Role 1927 (on ancestry.co.uk)
Twickenham, West Ward
51 Mereway Road - index has 61
H O Thorn Harriet Louisa
R O Thorn Henry John
- R Residential qualification (man), O Occupational qualification

Electoral Role 1932 (on ancestry.co.uk)
Twickenham, West Ward
51 Mereway Road
Rw Dw Thorne Harriet Louisa
R O Thorne Henry John
- Rw residential qualification (woman), Dw Qualification through husband's occupation
- R Residential qualification (man), O Occupational qualification

Electoral Role 1933 & 1934 (on ancestry.co.uk)
Twickenham, West Ward
51 Mereway Road
Rw Dw Thorne Harriet Louisa
R O Thorne Henry John
R - Thorne Thomas John
- Rw residential qualification (woman), Dw Qualification through husband's occupation
- R Residential qualification (man), O Occupational qualification

Electoral Role 1935 & 1936 (on ancestry.co.uk)
Twickenham, West Ward
51 Mereway Road
Rw Dw Thorne Harriet Louisa
R O Thorne Henry John
Rw - Thorne Jessie Louisa
R - Thorne Thomas John
- Rw residential qualification (woman), Dw Qualification through husband's occupation
- R Residential qualification (man), O Occupational qualification

Electoral Role 1958 (on ancestry.co.uk)
Twickenham, West Ward
51 Mereway Road
2576 Thorne, Harriet L

This was the one grandparent I really knew, visiting her at 51 Mereway Road, Twickenham several times a week. The house had been damaged by a bomb in WW2 and was finally repaired in early/mid 1950's. She was a dinner lady at the Archdeacon Cambridge infant school in Briar Road Twickenham until well into her 70's. Gran lived at Mereway Road from about 1920 until she finally had to go into the Springfield Hospital as she had become very confused. Gran was so generous all her life and was a great comfort to me after my Mum died. At Christmas in the 1950s the whole family used to descend on Mereway Road for a party - 12 of us crammed in, somehow, into the small dining room. The five children, my cousins and me, used to play all sorts of games together. In her later years she was visited by an elderly gentleman from Devon who wanted to marry her - but she said she didn't want to start another family!

Gran used to travel to Exmouth twice a year and stay with her sister, Aunt Em, and I often went with her as far as Waterloo station to see her onto the train - The Atlantic Coast Express. This carried on until, sadly, dementia set in and she couldn't remember if she had been to Exmouth or not. At other times her relations would come and stay with her. Uncle Fred and Aunt Em (who always brought lots of pickled onions that we adored), Uncle Jim who came up to a Toc H meeting, Peggy and Reg Eyres (daughter of Gran's sister Rose) came on a motorbike and sidecar with their 3 children.

51 Mereway Road was a very basic Victorian house - 3 bedrooms upstairs and downstairs there was a lounge (rarely used), living room and kitchen (scullery). The toilet was outside, next to the coal shed (hence there were china pots under the beds). The house only had running cold water and, although there was electric light, the original gas lamps were still in place - and used quite often during power cuts. Hot water was obtained by heating a kettle on the cooker. Also outside was the mangle and a food safe. Behind the house was Combes Bakery, with deliveries of flour arriving several times a day. Despite the rugged lifestyle, gran coped very well and didn't seem to notice that she didn't have the creature comforts of modern life.

Gran used to visit us a couple of times a week, taking a "short cut" up the alleyways - it actually wasn't any quicker and I'm sure she did it to aggravate my Dad. I went to Gran's house 2-3 times a week after school and waited until my Uncle Tom had also arrived from work at "the Auto" (Automotive Engineering Ltd). Even after she went into the hospital I used to visit her regularly, but it was so sad to see her in a locked ward just sitting in a chair and getting more and more forgetful.

For a very short time my uncle Alf and Auntie Babs came back to live with gran after their business failed. It was lovely to have my two cousins, David and Marion, back in Twickenham. But it was too short a time as they soon moved to Nottingham.

1891 Census
RG12/1676 F56 P34
13 George Street, Exmouth (Withycombe Raleigh), Devon
Samuel J Best, Head, M, 40, Tailor, Devon Exmouth
Elizabeth J do, Wife, M, 40, , Devon Topsham
Rose M do, Daur, , 14, , Devon Exmouth
Alfred J do, Son, , 12, Scholar, Devon Exmouth
Kate do, Daur, , 10, Scholar, Devon Exmouth,
Emily E do, Daur, , 8, Scholar, Devon Exmouth
James A do, Son, , 6, Scholar, Devon Exmouth
Harriet L do, Daur, , 5, Scholar, Devon Exmouth
Eliza do, Daur, , 1, , Devon Exmouth
Jessie H do, Daur, , 1m, , Devon Exmouth

1901 Census
RG13/2029 F69 P13
7 George Street, Exmouth (Withycombe Raleigh), Devon
Samuel J Best, Head, M, 49, Master Tailor (employer), Devon Exmouth
Elizabeth J do, Wife, M, 49, , Devon Topsham
Alfred J do, Son, S, 21, Tailor (working at home), Devon Exmouth
Kate do, Daur, S, 19, Shop Assistant, Devon Exmouth
Emily do, Daur, S, 17, (working at home), Devon Exmouth
James do, Son, S, 15, Tailor (working at home), Devon Exmouth
Louisa do, Daur, , 14, , Devon Exmouth
Eliza do, Daur, , 12, , Devon Exmouth
Jessie do, Daur, , 10, , Devon Exmouth
Ada do, Daur, , 8, , Devon Exmouth
John do, Son, , 6, , Devon Exmouth
- Daughter Rose was living away as a nurse in Exminster at the Devon County Lunatic Asylum see RG13/2040 F145 P6, Schedule 20

1911 census
RG14PN12578 RG78PN722 RD270 SD1 ED7 SN45
8 Albion Street, Exmouth, Devon
Samuel John Best, Head, 60, Married, Tailor, Exmouth Devon, working on own account, at home
Elizabeth Jane Best, Wife, 60, Married, Assisting in the Business, Topsham Devon
Harriett Louisa Best, Daughter, 24, Single, Assisting in the Business, Exmouth Devon
Eliza Best, Daughter, 21, Single, Assisting in the Business, Exmouth Devon
Jessie Hooper Best, Daughter, 20, Single, Assisting in the Business, Exmouth Devon
Ada Tuck Best, Daughter, 18, Single, Corset Maker, Exmouth Devon
against Samuel John - married 36 years, 11 children born alive, 10 living, 1 died - should be stated against the wife
The house had 6 rooms
- no infirmities shown in the final column of the form

National Register 1939
Ref: RG101/0933A/006/31 Letter Code: BUDK
51 Mereway Road, Twickenham M.B., Middlesex, England
1 Henry J, Thorne, dob 8 Oct 1885, sex male, occ Loco Driver (heavy w, marital status Married, schedule 44
2 Harriett L, Thorne, 5 Nov 1886, sex female, occ Unpaid Dom Duties, marital status Married, schedule 44
3 Barbara K Thorne (later as Powell), 20 Jan 1921, sex female, occ GPO Telephones, marital status Single, schedule 44

In 1881, 8 Albion Street was occupied by Jacob Ide a bricklayer born in Sussex

  Noted events in her life were:

• Occupation: dressmaker, 22 Jul 1911, Exmouth, Devon, England.

Lou married Henry John "Jack" THORNE, son of Joseph Henry THORNE and Eliza Ann BLACKMORE, on 22 Jul 1911 in Exmouth, Devon, England.¹ (Henry John "Jack" THORNE was born on 8 Oct 1885 in Fremington, Devon, England ⁶, baptised on 14 Oct 1888 in Fremington, Devon, England,⁷ died on 17 Feb 1949 in Isleworth, Middlesex, England ⁸ and was buried on 23 Feb 1949 in Twickenham, Middlesex, England.)