William Henry BLACKMORE

  General Notes:

Initially discovered from the 1871 census

Births
Sep 1854 Barnstaple 5b 459 - William Henry - parents William (labourer) and Ann (formerly Muxworthy). The address was just Fremington.

Marriages Sep 1880 Fulham 1a 531 - 18 September 1880 Broadway Independent Chapel, Hammersmith
William Henry Blackmore, 26, Bachelor, Joiner, 4 Brunswick Cottages Hammersmith. Father William Blackmore, Engineer
Mary Ann Holman, 21, Spinster, - , 4 Brunswick Cottages Hammersmith. Father George Holman, Joiner
Witnesses were George Holman (father or brother) and G.F. Blackmore (brother)

I am now convinced that William Henry who died in Weston was the same person, as the evidence is overwhelming
- in Bath in 1931 and similar occupations
- family info has same date of birth
- family info says WHBs father is buried in Ilfracombe
- family say he lived in Bath before coming to Weston
- one son was called Henry Holman Blackmore
- another was called William George Frederick (had a brother GF)
- Another was called Florence Maud Mary (had a sister florence Mary)
- family prayer book refers to Ann Baker, wife of William Blackmore, previously married to John Arnold of Burrington
- they have the pestle and mortar bequeathed to WHB by his father
- they have the same photograph of William Blackmore (1826) that I have

Death - searched 1920 to 1950 for William H in Bath
Sep 1939 Weston 5c 630 Blackmore William H age 84
8 July 1939 at 16 Shaftsbury Road Weston Super Mare
William Henry Blackmore, Male, 84, Railway Inspector Works and Ways (retired). Informant was R. A. Skyrme son in law of same address on 10 July 1939. - confirmed name Skyrme with Register Office in Weston

Probate 1939
Blackmore William Henry of 16 Shaftesbury Road Weston Super Mare died 8 July 1939 Probate Bristol 27 October to Dorothy Eileen Skyrme (wife of Reginald Albert Edward Skyrme) effects £43 15s 1d

Details of probate and will
William Henry Blackmore of 16 Shaftesbury Road Weston-super-Mare in the County of Somerset formerly of 209 Milton Road East Weston-super-Mare aforesaid died on the 8^th day of July 1939 at 16 Shaftesbury Road aforesaid
The will was proved and registered in the District Probate Registry at Bristol and Administration of the estate was granted to Dorothy Eileen Skyrme of 16 Shaftesbury Road aforesaid wife of Reginald Albert Edward Skyrme the daughter of deceased the executrix Named in the Will there being no National Bank of england
Dated 27^th October 1939

Will and Testament of William Henry Blackmore of 209 Milton Road East in the County of Somerset made this 16 Sixteenth day of May 1933. I hereby revoke all Wills made by_ at any time heretofore. I appoint The Manager of the National Bank of England and Mrs Dorothy Eileen Skyrme of Weston super Mare to be my Executors. I give and bequeth all my tools of whatsoever kind to Mr R Skyrme. All monies after paying Funeral Expenses to be devided between Mrs D.E.Skyrme and Audrey Evelin Baily. Other property belonging to me to be disposed of as my Executors may decide. The Crown Agents for the Colonies 4 Millbank Westminster S.W. should be notified and Certificate of death sent to them and a claim for any Pension that may be due
W.H.Blackmore
Signed by the said testator in the presence of us present who at his request in his presence and in the presence of each other have subscribed our names as witness
J.W.Bond Manager National Provincial Bank Limited Weston-super-Mare
W. Brown Clerk National Provincial Bank Limited Weston-super-Mare
On the 27^th day of October 1939 Probate of this will was granted at Bristol
Certified to be an examined copy
-Audrey Baily was his grand daughter, the daughter of Florence Maud Mary.

1861 census
RG9/029 F101 P50
8 Town Meadows, Sands End, Fulham
William Blackmore, Head, Mar, 34, Railway Labourer, Wevonshire Burrington (sic)
Ann do, Wife, Mar, 30, , do Fremington
Eliza Ann do, Daugh, Un, 9, Scholar, do Fremington
William Hy do, Son, Un, 6, Scholar, do Fremington
George F(?) do, Son, Un, 4, Scholar, Suffolk Martlesham
Samuel J do, Son, Un, 1, , Norfolk Worthwold

1871 census
RG10/057 F13 P18 (cont'd on F14 P19)
St Peters Wharf Cottage, Hammersmith
Ann Blackmore, Head, Wife, 39, Labourer Wife, Devonshire Barnstaple
William do, Son, , 16, Errand Boy, Devonshire Barnstaple
Samuel Blackmore, Son, , 11, Scholar, Norfolk Wortwell
Thomas do, Son, , 9, Scholar, Middx Fulham
Lucy do, Daur, , 6, Scholar, Devonshire Barnstaple
Ellen do, Daur, , 3, , Middx Hammersmith

No sign on 1881-1901 censuses, but it appears that he worked outside the country - like his father he was working on building railways and docks abroad. First daughter was born in late 1881 in Ceylon, so they were probably there for the 1881 census

There is an entry on the 1890 electoral role for a William Henry Blackmore living at 25 Albion Gardens in Ravenscourt Park, Hammersmith

There is also an entry in Kelly's Directory of Devon & Cornwall 1893 [pt 2 Court & Trades Directories]
Blackmore William Henry, 40 St Brannocks Road Ilfracombe
- not found on 1891 or 1901 censuses

Postcard sent by his daughter, Alice, to her mother on 14 Jan 1911 is addressed to
Mrs W H Blackmore
79 St Brannock
Ilfracombe
Devon

1911 census
RG14PN13366 RG78PN775 RD284 SD4 ED16 SN215
79 St Brannock's Road, Ilfracombe, Devon (9 rooms)
William Henry Blackmore, Head, 56, Married, Pensioned Malay State Government, Fremington Devon
Mary Ann Blackmore, Wife, 52, Married 30 years, , Bunwell Norfolk
Dorothy Eileen Blackmore, Daughter, 7, , School, Malay States
- against Mary Ann it states there were 5 children born alive, 5 still living none had died

Kelly's Directory 1914
P851 Devonshire Private Residents (P54 in bottom right hand corner)
Blackmore William, 15 Westbourne grove, Ilfracombe
Blackmore William Henry, 79 St Brannock's Road, Ilfracombe
P975 Devonshire Traces - Carpenters & Joiners
Blackmore Thomas A. 96 Pilton st Pilton Barnstaple

1920 - living in Bath according to newspaper report of his father's funeral.
In 1931 when his wife died at 3 Bruton Avenue, Bath he was described as Railway Official, Federated Malay States (retired) - these states consisted of Penang, Perak, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.
No sign of him in the 1911 Post Office Directory for Bath (and not at Bruton Avenue)

Notes on Malaya Railway

In the decade prior to the establishment of the FMS (1895), the area had become of extraordinary economic importance, because the TIN MINES opened there by foreign enterprises produced over half of the world's tin production. A FMS railway line was built to facilitate the shipping of the ore.

Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) or the Malayan Railway is the main railway system in Peninsular Malaysia. It was formerly run by the Malayan Railway Administration, but since corporatisation in 1991 has been run by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTM Bhd or KTMB), which is wholly owned by the Federal Government. The railway system dates back to the British colonial era, when it was first built to transport tin. Fares are generally reasonable, but the slow speed of trains on the ageing narrow-gauge tracks does not usually make them competitive with aeroplane or even coach travel.

There are two main routes from Singapore through the Malay Peninsula into Thailand, the eastern and the western line. The main western track starting from Singapore passes through Johor Bahru, Gemas, Seremban, KL Sentral (Kuala Lumpur), Ipoh and Butterworth (the connection point for Penang) before continuing onto Hat Yai in Thailand. The eastern "jungle line" separates from the western track at Gemas, crossing the mountainous backbone of Malaysia to Wakaf Bharu (near Kota Bharu) and Tumpat. There are no direct through trains to Thailand, but the border and Thai terminus of Sungei Kolok is not far away.

Since corporatisation of KTMB a programme of modernisation has been underway, but the ambitious project of electrifying and double-tracking the entire western line has been put on hold until further notice by prime minister Abdullah Badawi

William and Mary went to Ceylon after their marriage, where William worked on railway construction. The first two children were born there. They returned home briefly and had their third child in Hammersmith before moving to Bombay and then the Federated Malay States. Returned to the UK between about 1906 and 1908, after their last child contracted malaria.

The descendants have three bibles and prayer books handed down from the Blackmore and Holman families, which confirm the information I had found.

The family also have a pestle and mortar with the name Wm Blackmore 1788

There is a passport application on 24 Jun 1898 for Blackmore W H. Possibly this William Henry

William married Mary Ann HOLMAN, daughter of George HOLMAN and Phoebe HOWES, on 18 Sep 1880 in Hammersmith, Middlesex, England.^{1 2} (Mary Ann HOLMAN was born on 23 Dec 1858 in Bunwell, Norfolk, England ^{2 5 6} and died on 3 Jan 1931 in Bath, Somerset, England ^{6 7}.)