Bluebell Family History Research

One thing that does not quite sit right is that knowing when my grandfather was born he would be twelve to thirteen years of age which would mean he would be too old for a Primary School if in more recent times as don’t believe any would have children over eleven in attendance.

Presumably it was different with The 1918 Act ⁶ that extended the school leaving age from 12 to 14 and potentially had some classes going on for those up to 18. Maybe this meant they just stayed on longer in the school they had been attending earlier in age.

Birth Registrations (using FreeBMD ⁷) with mother’s maiden name shown as mmn –

1. Unable to confirm Mr WILLIAMS without further research. Too common a surname and no likelihood that the teachers were local.
2. PITTOCK, James – mmn WEBB – Q4 1917 Eastry 2a 1474
3. Not definite on this one as no obvious result but a few potential names.
   • CLAPSON, Percy W – mmn FREEMAN – Q1 1914 Steyning 2b 427
     • Not definite on this one but perhaps has moved from Sussex with family.
     • In the image he is a bit taller than the other four standing lads.
   • CLAYSON, Percy W – mmn COLEMAN – Q1 1914 Bedford 3b 488
     • Also searched CLA*SON in case it is an error in writing the surname. COLEMAN is a known name in the locale.
   • CLAPSON, Ernest G – Q1 1911 Eastry 2a 1036
     • This is before mother’s maiden names are included on the index but searching the GRO should give the detail. This year of birth would make him too old to be at a primary school and likely would have left a secondary school too.
     • Was Percy a nickname or possible that he is Ernest’s brother and his record failed to be on the index?
   • CLAPSON, Frank O – mmn PILE – Q2 1916 Eastry 2081
   • CLAPSON, Frederick R – mmn PILE – Q2 1920 Eastry 2385
     • There is the potential for another PILE son to have been born between these two.
     • It is of course possible that Percy was born with a different surname and other documents may lend credence to this and help identify him.
4. PHILLIPS, John H – mmn JORDAN – Q2 1916 Eastry 2a 2087
   • Knowing Jack is usually a nickname only searched for the surname in the Eastry district and this seems the logical entry.
5. COLLINS, Christopher C – mmn GOOSEY – Q2 1917 Eastry 2a 1654
6. STOCKLEY, Frederick G – mmn WRIGHT – Q2 1918 Eastry 2a 1639
7. No likely candidates for the name born in Kent nor any Archibald HAYSON elsewhere. Hopefully would find a different source to give more details.
8. Two plausible options here giving just a hint of how they like to repeat names in the area.
   • BRETT, Alfred – mmn DIKE – Q1 1917 Eastry 2a 1742
   • BRETT, Alfred – mmn GOODWIN – Q1 1917 Eastry 2a 1743
9. HIBBERT, Douglas – mmn MAY – Q4 1917 Eastry 2a 1746
10. No suitable registrations for a Fred RATTAN at all in England and Wales. No RATTAN births in Kent until 1967 and no likely ones in rest of country either. Perhaps not on the index, different surname or even the potential that born outside the country.
11. BLAKE, Edward C – mmn BRETT – Q1 1916 Eastry 2a 1907
12. WEST, Wilfrid G – mmn ARNOLD – Q3 1917 Eastry 2a 1567
13. DANIELS, Leonard E A – mmn STRONG – Q4 1918 Eastry 2a 1570

A look at the GRO for those unconfirmed ones and undertook the following searches –

• CLAPSON and phonetically similar surnames for 1917 +/- 2 years. Ernest CLAPSON’s mother’s maiden name is PILE.
  • No other options coming up so feels likely that he may have been registered with a different birth surname if there isn’t a PILE born between Frank and Frederick called Percy or Percival that just failed to be registered correctly.
  • There are a number of Percy children born in Eastry around the time period and two Percival entries on FreeBMD.
• Similarly no further luck on RATTAN for 1917 +/- 2 years. Only one of a very different name in Wellingborough district registered.

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