PART EIGHTY

 

The Limehouse (London) Collett Family

 

Issued December 2023

 

 

Originally it was believed that Charles William Collett was the Charles Collett born to William Collett of Melksham and Harriet Mence of London, whose family line is depicted within Part 62 – The Wiltshire Line to New Zealand and Australia.  This is now known not to be correct since Charles [62M37], born in 1821, was married and widowed in quick succession, who was again living with his parents William and Harriet in the census of 1851, the same day that Charles William was married to Caroline with a family of his own.  In addition to this, and considering his stated age in the subsequent census returns, and his age at the recording of his later death, Charles William Collett was born a year earlier than Charles the son of William and Harriet.  Where there was previously confusion between the two of them, was with the groom’s father’s named as William at the recording of their respective marriages, with both men born within the a few miles of each other in Middlesex, London

 

This is the family of Sarah Anne Collett [80R5] who helped in the compilation of this new family line during 2023

 

 

William Collett [80L1] was possibly the William Collett, son of John and Mary Collett, who was baptised at St James Westminster Piccadilly on 19th February 1789.  His wife was Sophia, also born in Middlesex, who together with their children, were residing at Spreadeagle Street in Limehouse St Anne, London in 1841.  The census in June that year recorded the Middlesex born family as William Collett with a rounded age of 50, Sophia Collett with a rounded age of 45, their three eldest sons (Charles) William, George, and Edward, having the same rounded age of 15, daughter Mary being 13, and youngest son William being six years of age

 

Ten years later, according to the next census in 1851, it was only the couple’s last born child who was still living with them, but at Lower Rich Street, within the Stepney registration district, the same street in Limehouse where their older married son George was living with his wife and daughter.  William Collett from Whitechapel was 62 and a carman, Sophia Collett from St Pancras was 58, and William T Collett from Limehouse was 16 and a mariner

 

80M1 – Charles William Collett was born in 1820 at Limehouse, London

80M2 – John George Collett was born in 1823 at Limehouse, London

80M3 – Edward Collett was born in 1825 at Limehouse, London

80M4 – Mary Collett was born in 1827 at Limehouse, London

80M5 – William T Collett was born in 1834 at Limehouse, London

 

Charles William Collett [80M1] was born at Limehouse, London, Middlesex, around 1820 and was the son of William Collett.  As simply Charles Collett, he was 20 years old in the Lincolns-Inn-Fields, St Giles-in-the-Fields, Middlesex census of 1841, one of four young men at the home of Ann Cornelius and her three children.  Six years later, upon being married to Caroline Eliza Long on 4th April 1847 at St Mary’s Church (St Mary Matfelon) on Whitechapel Road in Whitechapel, Charles William Collett was confirmed as the son of William Collett.  Caroline was the daughter of William Long, with the wedding day recorded at Whitechapel (Ref. ii 523).  Over the next four years, Caroline presented Charles with three children, with all five members of the family confirmed as having been born at Limehouse within the census of 1851.  On that day the family was recorded as residing at George Street in Limehouse St Anne within the Stepney registration district, where 30-year-old Charles Collett was a journeyman carman.  Wife Caroline was 25, and the three children were Charles Collett who was three, James Collett who was over one year old, with Caroline Collett who was around six months old

 

After a further ten years, the enlarged family was living at Globe Court within the St George-in-the-East area of the City of London.  Charles Collett was 41 and from Limehouse who was a carman, and Caroline Collett was 35 and born at Shadwell.  Their children that day were recorded as Charles who was 13 and a (wall) paper stainer, as was James Collett who was 11, Caroline Collett who was 10, and Henry Collett who was seven, all of them born at Limehouse, plus twins George Collett and Mary Collett who were four years old and born at Ratcliff, midway between Limehouse and Shadwell in Tower Hamlets, Robert Collett who was nearly two years old and had been born after the family had settled in St George-in-the-East, just west of Ratcliff, as had new-born Elizabeth M Collett, whose very recent birth had not yet been registered

 

No record of the family has been found within the next census of 1871 but in 1878 Caroline passed away at the age of 53, when the death of Caroline Eliza Collett was recorded at St George-in-the-East (Ref. 1c 299) during the last quarter of the year.  Three years later head of the household Charles Collett was still working as a carman at the age of 62, when he was a widower.  The census return confirmed that he had been born at Limehouse when only two members of his family were still living with him at Conrad Street in Hackney.  The first of them was his youngest child George Collett who was 16 and working with his father as a carman who, on that day, was recorded as having been born at Spitalfields.  The other was his daughter Caroline Pike, nee Collett, a widow by then who had with her, her only child from her short marriage, Charles’ granddaughter Caroline Pike who was six years old and born at Stepney

 

Less than two years after that census day, the death of Charles William Collett was recorded at Hackney (Ref. 1b 357) during the first three months of 1883.  The record of the passing of ‘Charles Collett’ stated that he was 65, most likely an error with the informant probably not knowing his actual age.  The Will of a Charles Collett was proved at the Principal Registry in Middlesex on 30th May 1883, which also confirmed that date that he died as 15th March 1883.  That Will may relate to Charles Collett, also aged 65, when his death was recorded at Staines, Middlesex, (Ref. 3a 4) during the first quarter of 1883

 

80N1 – Charles Collett was born in 1848 at Limehouse

80N2 – James Collett was born in 1849 at Limehouse

80N3 – Caroline Eliza Collett was born in 1850 at Limehouse

80N4 – Henry Collett was born 1853 in at Limehouse

80N5 – George John Collett was born in 1857 at Ratcliff

80N6 – Mary Ann Collett was born in 1856 at Ratcliff

80N7 – Robert Collett was born in 1859 at Globe Court, St George-in-the-East

80N8 – Elizabeth Maria Collett was born in 1861 at Globe Court, St George-in-the-East

80N9 – George John Collett was born in 1864 at Spitalfields

 

John George Collett [80M2], also known as George, was born at Limehouse on 1st July 1823, the second child of William and Sophia Collett.  As simply George Collett, he had a rounded age of 15 for the census of 1841 when he was recorded at Castle Street in St Marylebone, one of seventy-three people living at that same address.  In addition to that census entry, and again as George, he was also included within the list of children of William and Sophia Collett at Spreadeagle Street in Limehouse St Anne that same day.  It was during the second half of the 1840s that George married Caroline who, together with their daughter, were recorded at Lower Rich Street in Limehouse St Anne, the same street where his parents and youngest brother were living in 1851.  George Collett from Limehouse was 27, whose occupation was that of a journeyman carman, with his father also a carman.  His wife Caroline Collett was also born at Limehouse and was 26, while their daughter Elizabeth Collett was three years of age and had been born after the couple had settled in Limehouse.  Seven years after that census day, Caroline suffered a premature death, when the passing of Ellen Caroline Collett was recorded at St Luke London (Ref. 1b 465) during the final three months of 1858

 

Three years later, the census in 1861 for the St Luke district of London in Middlesex, included George Collett from Limehouse who was 39 and a carman, residing there at Providence Row.  That day, his second wife was recorded as Elizabeth Collett from Limehouse who was 42, and George’s 13-year-old daughter was named as Jessie Collett from Limehouse.  Elizabeth’s stepdaughter may have been referred to as Jessie to avoid having two Elizabeths in the family.  There follows an odd appearance of the couple, recorded with appropriate ages in the census of 1881

 

The census return that year listed John G Collett from Limehouse, aged 58, as still working as a carman, like his older brother Charles (above), when he was living at Old Street within the St Luke district of Middlesex.  His slightly older wife was named as Caroline Collett (?) who was 61 and also born at Limehouse, as was wife Elizabeth twenty years earlier.  After a further four years the death of John George Collett was recorded at Edmonton in Middlesex (Ref. 3a 143) during the second quarter of 1885, when he was said to be 63.  Seven years later the death of Caroline Collett (?) was recorded at Hackney register office (Ref. 1b 494) during the first three months of 1892, when she was 72

 

80N10 – Elizabeth (Jessie) Collett was born in 1847 at Limehouse

 

William Thomas Collett [80M5] was born at Limehouse in London on 16th December 1834, the last child of William and Sophia Collett.  He was six years old in the Limehouse St Anne census on 1841, when as William Collett he was living there with his family at Spreadeagle Street.  A decade later William T Collett was 16, had completed his education and was employed as a mariner, when he was the only child still living with his parents at Lower Rich Street in Limehouse St Anne.  His absence from the census returns over the following years may have been due to him being at sea.  What is known, is that just over three years later the marriage of William Thomas Collett and Maria Bliss was recorded at Kensington (Ref. 1a 168) during the last three months of 1864.  Maria was born at St Sepulchre on 4th November 1842

 

Once married, the couple initially settled in Clerkenwell, where their first three children were born, prior to moving into the City of London where all of their remaining children were born and where the family was living in 1871.  William Collett from Limehouse was 36 and a carman, Maria Collett from St Sepulchre, Newgate, London was 28, when their two Clerkenwell born children were William Collett who was six, and Elizabeth Collett who was two years of age.  Sadly, their son John died when he was around five months old, six months earlier

 

By 1881 William and wife Maria had six children living with them at 8 Cloth Fair in the City of London, St Bartholomew-the-Great.  At that time in his life William Collett from Limehouse was 46 and a railway carman.  His wife Maria Collett from the City of London was 38, and their six children were William R Collett who was 16 and born at Clerkenwell, as was 12-year-old Elizabeth Collett, with the next four children born after the family settled in the City of London.  They were Henrietta Collett who was nine, George Collett who was seven, Maria Collett who was five, and one-year-old Edward L Collett

 

Three further children were added to the family during the next decade, as recorded in the census of 1891, at which time the enlarged family was residing at Roscoe Street within the St Luke area of London, just east of Clerkenwell, Middlesex.  Also on that census, it was just the couple’s eldest child William who was not still living with them.  William was 56 and continuing his work as a carman on the railway, Maria was 48, Elizabeth was 23, Henrietta was 19, George was 17, Maria was 15, Edward was 11, Frederick was eight, Louisa was five, and Thomas was three years old

 

Six years after that census day, the death of William Thomas Collett was recorded at St Pancras register office (Ref. 1b 43) during the second quarter of 1897, when he was 62 years old.  The census in 1901 listed widow Maria Collett aged 58, still living at Roscoe Street with four of her children.  They were Edward who was 21, Frederick who was 18, Louisa who was 16, and Thomas who was 14 years of age, with all four of them earners supporting their mother.  Daughter Louisa was married during the second half of the next decade, and it was with her, her husband, and their two infant child, that Maria Collett, mother-in-law aged 68, was living in Islington, together with son Thomas Collett aged 24

 

80N11 – William Russell Collett was born in 1864 at Clerkenwell, London

80N12 – Elizabeth Collett was born in 1868 at Clerkenwell, London

80N13 – John George Collett was born in 1870 at Clerkenwell, London

80N14 – Henrietta Collett was born in 1871 at City of London

80N15 – George Collett was born in 1873 at City of London

80N16 – Maria Collett was born in 1876 at City of London

80N17 – Edward L Collett was born in 1879 at City of London

80N18 – Frederick Collett was born in 1882 at City of London

80N19 – Louisa Collett was born in 1885 at City of London

80N20 – Thomas Collett was born in 1887 at City of London

 

Caroline Eliza Collett [80N3] was born at George Street in Limehouse, and her birth was registered at Stepney (Ref. ii 488) during the third quarter of 1850, the third child and eldest daughter of Charles William Collett and Caroline Eliza Long.  Caroline was six months old in 1851, when she and her family were still living at George Street, and was 10 years of age in 1861 when the family home was at Globe Court in St George-in-the-East.  After no record of the family has been found in 1871, it was just under three years later that the marriage of Caroline Collett and (1) Christopher William Pike was recorded at Stepney, Middlesex, with the ceremony conducted on 6th January 1874, when the bride’s father’s name was confirmed as Charles William Collett, only the second occasion that his full name was recorded

 

The couple’s only child Caroline Eliza Pike was born later that same year, very possibly a honeymoon baby, whose birth was registered at Mile End Old Town (Ref. 1c 531) during the last three months of 1874.  The child was around two years old when her father died, with the premature death of 27-year-old Christopher William Pike recorded in the City of London during the third quarter of 1877.  On losing her husband, widow Caroline and her daughter returned to the family home which by then was at Conrad Street in Hackney

 

Sometime between 1881 and 1891, Caroline E Pike married (2) Henry S Reynolds, with whom she and daughter Caroline were living in 1891 at Allars Road in Mile End Old Town.  Head of the household Henry from London was 36 and a carman, Caroline was 40, and stepdaughter Caroline Pike was 16 and working as a dressing bag liner maker.  Daughter Caroline may have married before the end of the century, with just Henry and Caroline still together and living at Bentham Road in Hackney in 1901, when Henry Reynolds from Dalston was 47 and a general labourer, and his wife from Limehouse was 50.  Although the census in 1911 recorded Caroline Eliza Reynolds from Limehouse aged 60 as being married, on that day she was staying with her married younger sister Mary Ann Merritt from Ratcliff aged 53 at Eastbourne in Sussex.  Mary’s husband was Alfred Merritt from Mile End who was a bootmaker, having his own shop.  In addition to a boot shop assistant and a domestic servant, the other member of the household was Henry James Collett who was described as a nephew from Hackney who was 19 and a motor bus conductor employed by the corporation.  It was at the start of 1919 that the death of Caroline Reynolds was recorded at Portsmouth register office (Ref. 2b 897) during the first three months of the year, when she was 69

 

Henry Collett [80N4] was born at George Street in Limehouse during 1853, the fourth of the eight children of Charles and Caroline Collett. His father work as a carman meant that shortly after he was born the family were living at Ratcliff, before arriving at Globe Court in St George-in-the-East, where the family was recorded in 1861 when Henry from Limehouse was seven.  According to the census in 1881, Henry Collett from Limehouse was 27 and a carman, when his wife Julia Collett of London was 29, with the childless couple residing at Lamb Lane in Hackney.  The appear not to have had any children and by 1891 the couple was living at Longfellow Road in Mile End Old Town where Henry was 37 and a carman, and Julia was 39.  The later death of Julia Collett aged 75 was recorded at London register office (Ref. 1b 386) in 1925

 

George John Collett [80N5] was born at Ratcliff in 1857, another son of Charles and Caroline Collett and the older twin brother of Mary (below).  His birth was registered at Stepney (Ref. 1c 433/18) during the third quarter of the year.  As simply George Collett he was three years old in 1861, by which time his family had settled in St George-in-the-East, where they were living at Globe Court.  Sadly, he died two years later, with the death of George John Collett recorded at Whitechapel (Ref. 1c 259) during the third quarter of 1863

 

Mary Ann Collett [80N6] was born at Ratcliff in 1857, the twin sister of George (above), another daughter of Charles William Collett and Caroline Eliza Long, whose birth registered at Stepney (Ref. 1c 433/25) during the third quarter of the year.  It was at Globe Court in St George-in-the-East that four-year-old Mary was living with his family in 1861, although no record of any member of the family has been traced in the 1871 census.  Six years later, and towards the end of 1877, the marriage of Mary Ann Collett and Alfred Merritt was recorded at Bethnal Green (Ref. 1c 702a).  The childless couple was living at Carlton Road in Mile End Old Town in 1881, where bootmaker Alfred was 23 and from Mile End, while his wife Mary Ann from St George-in-the-East was also said to be 23 when she would have been slightly older.  It was the same situation in 1891, by which time their home was at Chisenhale Road in Bethnal Green where they were both 33.  The difference was that Mary was working as a machinist

 

During the following year, their son and only know child was born at Dalston in the Hackney area of London, with the family of three having moved again by 1901.  The census that year identified them living at Church Road in Hackney, where Alfred Merritt was 43 and a shoemaker, Mary Ann Merritt from Ratcliff was 43 and a leather bag maker, and their son Henry J Merritt was nine years old

 

Interestingly, in 1911, Mary Ann Merritt from Ratcliff in London, was 53 when she was living at Eastbourne in Sussex with her husband Alfred Merritt.  He was from Mile End in London and was also 53, and a bootmaker having his own boot shop, where he employed 48-year-old married bootmaker Edward Drake.  At home, Mary Ann employed the services of a cook, Amelia Morley from Kensington who was described as a lodger.  Also staying with, or visiting Mary Ann and Alfred, were two members of the Collett family.  They were Mary Ann’s old married sister Caroline Eliza Reynolds, nee Collett (above), who was 60 and from Limehouse, and nephew Henry James Collett aged 19, one of the five sons of Mary Ann’s younger brother George John Collett (below)

 

Robert Collett [80N7] was born at Globe Court, St George-in-the-East in 1859, where he was living with his family in 1861 at the age of nearly two years.  He was yet another son of Charles and Caroline Collett, whose birth was registered at St George-in-the-East (Ref. 1c 398) during the during quarter of 1859

 

Elizabeth Maria Collett [80N8] was born at Globe Court, St George-in-the-East in 1861, where her birth was registered (Ref. 1c 419) during the second quarter of the year, the youngest daughter of Charles William and Caroline Eliza Collett.  On the day of the census that year Elizabeth had already been born, when she was listed with her family as Elizabeth M Collett of no age, her birth recorded a little while later.  No record of any member of the family has been found within the census of 1871, and by 1881 Elizabeth had entry the world of domestic service when she was in the employ of coffee house owner Charles Cleare at Long Lane in St Bartholomew-the-Great in the City of London.  Elizabeth Collett from St George-in-the-East was 19

 

Just over a yer after, the marriage of Elizabeth Maria Collett and Henry Cameron Richardson was recorded at Hackney (Ref. 1b 749) during the summer of 1882.  By 1891 the childless couple were residing at Vivian Road in Bethnal Green, where Elizabeth Richardson was 30 and a leather bag maker, and her husband Henry Richardson aged 36, was a boot-laster.  After a further ten years, the couple was living at Valentine Road in Hackney, where Elizabeth was 40 and Henry was 46 and a shoe maker.  Around sixteen months later Elizabeth was made a widow, when the death of Henry Cameron Richardson was recorded at Shoreditch register office (Ref. 1c 28) during the third quarter of 1901, at the age of 47.  It was following her loss that she went to live with her younger brother George John Collett (below), as confirmed in the census of 1911, when widow Elizabeth Maria Richardson from St George-in-the-East was 50 years old and housekeeper for George and his five sons.  Elizabeth was 81 years old when she passed away in 1943, when the death of Elizabeth M Collett, rather than Richardson, was recorded at Middlesex register office (Ref. 3a 1208)

 

George John Collett [80N9] was born at Spitalfields on 2nd October 1864, whose birth was registered at Whitechapel (Ref. 1c 351) during the last three months of that year.  He was named in honour of his older brother of the same name who suffered an infant death less than two years earlier.  By 1881, when he was 16, he was living at Conrad Street in Hackney with his widowed father, when George Collett from Spitalfields was working with his father Charles William Collett as a carman.  Three years later George John Collett married Louisa Ellett with their wedding day recorded at Bethnal Green (Ref. 1c 650) during the second quarter of 1884.  The birth of Louisa Ellett was registered at Bethnal Green (Ref. 1c 223) towards the end of 1865.  In 1881 she was a domestic servant aged 15 at York Street in Shoreditch, just prior to marrying George.  By the end of that decade, Louisa had presented George with three sons, as confirmed in the census of 1891.  On that occasion the five members of the family were living at Pownall Road in Shoreditch, where George was 26 and was working as carman, and Louisa was 25, both of them born in London. The three sons were George who was six, Charles who was four, simply born in London, while Alfred who was two years old had been at Hackney

 

During the following years, two further children were added to the family which, by 1901 was living at Brougham Road in Shoreditch and comprised 36-year-old George J Collett, who was still employed as a carman, whose place of birth was recorded as Bethnal Green, as was his wife’s, with Louisa being 35.  Their Hackney born children that census day were listed as George J Collett aged 16 and an apprentice at a leather factory, Charles T Collett who was 14 and a van guard boy, Alfred W Collett who was 12, and William Collett who was six years of age.  Missing from the family group that day was son Henry J Collett who would have been eight years old

 

The family was still living in Shoreditch when Louisa Collett died during the summer of 1902, where her death was recorded (Ref. 1c 64) at the age of 36.  Having suffered the loss of his wife, George’s marital status as a widower was confirmed in the census of 1911 when George and again only four of five sons were living within Hackney St John in London.  Also living with them, having taken on the role of housekeeper, was George’s older married and widowed sister Elizabeth Maria Richardson who was 50, when George J Collett was 46 and continuing his work as a carman.  Both George and his sister were described as having been born at St Georges (St George-in-the-East).  Of the Hackney born sons, George J Collett was a married man and a postman aged 26, Charles T Collett was 24 and another carman, Alfred W Collett was 22 and a soldier, who was married four years later, while Henry J Collett was 18 and a conductor, and William Collett was 16 and a messenger

 

On that census day widower George completed the census return when two of his son were NOT living with him, although he added their names, ages, and their occupations as if they were.  The first error related to his eldest son George who was indeed married and a postman age 26 but living at Low Leyton, Walthamstow in Essex, with his wife and their first child.  The second was Henry who actually a visitor at the home of his married aunt Mary Ann Merritt, nee Collett, in Eastbourne, Sussex, where he was recorded as being her nephew aged 19 and a motor bus conductor employed by the corporation.  George J Collett who was born during 1864, appears to have retired to the south coast to be near his sister Caroline Eliza Reynolds, since it was at Sussex register office that his death was recorded (Ref. 2b 91) in 1924, when he was 60 years old

 

The Will of George John Collett was proved at Eastbourne on 6th October 1924, when the main beneficiary was his eldest son and namesake George John Collett who was also living in Sussex when he died in 1961.  The probate documentation also stated the George John Collett had died at Eastbourne on 4th September 1924

 

80O1 – George John Collett was born in 1885 at Hackney

80O2 – Charles Thomas Collett was born in 1886 at Hackney

80O3 – Alfred William Collett was born in 1888 at Hackney

80O4 – Henry James Collett was born in 1892 at Hackney

80O5 – William Collett was born in 1894 at Hackney

 

William Russell Collett [80N11] was born at Clerkenwell in London on 23rd November 1864, the eldest child of William Thomas Collett and Maria Bliss.  It was at the Church of St Sepulchre in Newgate where he was baptised on 8th January 1865 and confirmed as the son of William Thomas Collett and wife Maria.  He was six years old and a scholar in the City of London census in 1871 and had finished his education by 1881.  At that time in his life William R Collett was 16 and working as a cart boy, when he was living with his large family at 8 Cloth Fair, St Bartholomew-the-Great, near Clerkenwell in 1881

 

It was seven years after that census day, when the marriage of William Russell Collett and Elizabeth Rowland was registered at Holborn in London (Ref. 1b 1090) during the third quarter of 1888.  Less than three years later the couple and their daughter were living at Herbert Street in Shoreditch, where William R Collett was 26 and a cellarman in the census of 1891.  His wife Elizabeth who had been born in London, was also 26, and their London born daughter Elizabeth M Collett was one-year-old.  Three more children were added to their family during the last years of the century which, in 1901 was recorded at Glyn Road, Clapton Park, in Hackney.  At the age of 36 William was still working as a cellarman ‘in wine’, Elizabeth from Hoxton was 36, when their four children were recorded as Elizabeth from Clerkenwell who was eleven, William from Hoxton who was nine, George from Hackney who was three, as was Charlotte who was one year old

 

Ten years later, the family’s home was in the Homerton area of Hackney, just a few streets south of 82 Glyn Road in Clapton Park where they were living during the First World War.  According to the Homerton census of 1911, William R Collett from Clerkenwell was 46 and described as a cellarman and a whiskey merchant.  His wife of 23 years was Elizabeth Collett from Hoxton who was also 46, and unmarried daughter Elizabeth M Collett was 21 and employed as a machinist making dressing gowns.  The remainder of the family comprised William R Collett aged 19 and a labourer in a cycle rubber tyre factory, also born at Hoxton, George Collett from Homerton who was thirteen and still at school, so to was Charlotte Collett aged eleven, whose place of birth was also recorded at Homerton.  Three further children had been added to the family during the previous decade, and they were Homerton born Frederick Collett who was nine, Walter Collett who was seven, and Herbert Collett who was four years of age.  All three of them were also attending a local school.

 

It was in 1918 that the War Office informed William and Elizabeth of the death of son George, when they were living at 82 Glyn Road in Clapton Park, Hackney.  After a further twenty-four years, William Russell Collett died on 1st June 1944 when his death was recorded at St Pancras register office, while it was two months later that his Will was proved at Llandudno, North Wales, on 2nd August 1944.  The probate documentation named his son Walter Edward Collett as the main beneficiary, and mentioned that William had died when still residing within the Hackney area of London

 

80O6 – Elizabeth Maria Collett was born in 1889 at Clerkenwell, London

80O7 – William Richard Collett was born in 1891 at Hoxton, Shoreditch

80O8 – George Russell Collett was born in 1897 at Homerton, Hackney

80O9 – Charlotte Alice Collett was born in 1899 at Homerton, Hackney

80O10 – Frederick Arthur Collett was born in 1902 at Homerton, Hackney

80O11 – Walter Edward Collett was born in 1904 at Homerton, Hackney

80O12 – Herbert Charles Collett was born in 1907 at Homerton, Hackney

 

Elizabeth Collett [80N12] was born at Clerkenwell on 13th August 1868, where her birth was also registered (Ref. 1b 603) during the third quarter of that year.  She was the second child and eldest daughter of William Thomas Collett and Maria Bliss.  Although no baptism record for her has been unearthed, so far, her two adjacent brothers were baptised at St Sepulchre Church in Newgate.  Elizabeth was two years old in the City of London census of 1871 and was 12 in 1881, by which time the family was living at 8 Cloth Fair in the city.  On both occasions her place of birth was confirmed as Clerkenwell.  Elizabeth was still unmarried in 1891 when she was 23 and the eldest child still living at the family home on Roscoe Street in London St Luke.  At that time in her life, Elizabeth was working alongside her younger sister Henrietta (below), when both of them were described as upholsterer trimmers

 

Less than three years later the marriage of Elizabeth Collett from Clerkenwell and Charles Henry J Branchflower from Bethnal Green was recorded at Holborn register office (Ref. 1b 1196) during the last three months of 1893.  They had a total of four known children, all of them living with the couple in 1911.  For the earlier census return in 1901 the family was residing at Bonner Road in Bethnal Green and comprised Charles who was 33 and a trimming and matcher of upholstery material, Elizabeth who was 32, Walter Charles Branchflower who was five and daughter Jessie Elizabeth Branchflower who was three, both of them born at Bethnal Green

 

The completed family was living at Chingford in Essex in 1911, with Charles 43 and Elizabeth 42 having been married for seventeen years.  Charles’ occupation was that of a matcher of upholstery trimmings, when the couple’s four children were Walter aged 15 and a clerk for a paper maker, Jessie aged 13 and still attending school, as were Clarence Arthur Branchflower who was seven and also born at Bethnal Green, and Ivy Edith Branchflower who was five years old and born at Walthamstow.  The much later death of Elizabeth Branchflower was recorded at Teddington on 16th June 1953 aged 84, with her passing recorded at the Middlesex register office (Ref. 5f 27)

 

John George Collett [80N13] was born at Clerkenwell on 18th April 1870 and was baptised on 21st August 1870 at the Church of St Sepulchre in Newgate.  The record of his baptism confirmed that he was another son of William Thomas Collett and his wife Maria.  His birth was registered at Holborn (Ref. 1b 611) where, tragically, his premature death was also recorded (Ref. 1b 448) during the third quarter of that same year and not long after he was baptised

 

Henrietta Collett [80N14] was born in the City of London on 8th June 1871, with her birth registered there (Ref. 1c 23) during the third quarter of the year.  She was nine years old in the 1881 census and living with her family at 8 Cloth Fair in the St Bartholomew-the-Great area of the city.  At the end of the following decade Henrietta was 19 and working as an upholsterer trimmer with her sister Elizabeth (above), when they were living at the family home in Roscoe Street within the St Luke district of London in 1891

 

Three years after that day the marriage of Henrietta Collett and Charles Henry Sweetingham was recorded at Holborn registered office (Ref. 1b 1308) during the third quarter of 1894.  Before the end of the century Henrietta had given birth to two children, the first of them born at Islington, the second at West Ham where the family of four was recorded in the census of 1901.  Charles H Sweetingham from St Luke was 29 and a General Post Office employee where he was a sorter of inland mail.  His wife Henrietta was 29, although she gave her place of birth as Clerkenwell where her older siblings were born before the settled in the City of London by the day of the census in 1871.  The two children living with the couple at Vansittart Road in West Ham were Charles S Sweetingham who was five, and Edith H Sweetingham who was two years old

 

According to the next census in 1911, Charles Henry Sweetingham who had been born at the City of London Hospital was 39 and a civil servant with the Inland Section of the GPO, living with his family at Ilford in Essex by then.  Henrietta who was also 39 gave her place of birth as the City of London who, eight years earlier had presented Charles with another daughter.  Therefore on that day, the couple’s three children were recorded as Charles Stephen Sweetingham from Islington who was 15 and a messenger to the Secretary Register of the GPO, Edith Henrietta Sweetingham who was 13 and from Forest Gate (sic), and Grace Vivienne Sweetingham who was eight and also born at Forest Gate within the East London Borough of Newnham

 

Henrietta was still living in Essex when she passed away at the age of 74, with the death of Henrietta Sweetingham recorded at Essex register office (Ref. 4a 505) during 1946.  Charles Henry Sweetingham was born on 30th August 1871 and he died three years after losing his wife, when he too died in Essex on 20th December 1949

 

George Collett [80N15] was born in City of London on 7th September 1873 where his birth was registered (Ref. 1c 25) during the last quarter of the year, another son of William and Maria. He was seven years of age in the City of London census in 1881 when he and his family were recorded at 8 Cloth Fair, St Bartholomew-the-Great.  Towards the end of the next decade that family moved to Roscoe Street, London St Luke, where 17-year-old George was a metal polisher who was still living with his family.  Just under five years later George Collett married Jane Elizabeth Barker on 19th February 1896, and it was at Holborn register office (Ref. 1b 1314) that their wedding day was recorded.  Over the following ten years they were blessed with the birth of four children

 

At the end of March in 1901, the young family was living at Cavendish Street in Hoxton, Shoreditch, where head of the household George Collett was 27 and a silver polisher, who was incorrectly recorded as having been born at St Sepulchre.  Jane E Collett from Shoreditch was 28, when their daughters were Jane E Collett who was three, and Caroline M Collett who was one year old, both of them also born at Shoreditch, and very likely after moving into Cavendish Street.

 

By 1911 the family was again residing at Shoreditch, having spent a brief time at 84 Fanshawe Avenue in Barking where the couple’s last child had been born.  On that census day George Collett from the City of London was a gold and silver polisher aged 38.  Wife Jane from London St Luke was also 38 and had been married for 14 years.  Daughter Jane was 13 and attending school, having been born at Hoxton, as had Caroline who was 11, and George who was nine, while Marie was five and had been born in Barking

 

How much involvement George had with the First World War is not exactly known, even though his military record with the Royal Air Force dated 21st July 1918 provides his service number as 275532.  It also confirms his date of birth (as above), his next-of-kin being his wife Jane Elizabeth, the date of their wedding, and that George was 44.  George and Jane both enjoyed a long life, with George being 84 when he died, with his death recorded at Hackney register office (Ref. 5c 795) during the first three months of 1958.  It was also during that same quarter of 1958, that the death of Jane Collett was recorded at Hackney register office (Ref. 5c 804) when she was 85

 

80O13 – Jane Emily Collett was born in 1897 at Hoxton, Shoreditch

80O14 – Caroline Marie Collett was born in 1900 at Hoxton, Shoreditch

80O15 – George James Collett was born in 1902 at Hoxton, Shoreditch

80O16 – Marie Louisa Collett was born in 1905 at Barking, Essex

 

Maria Collett [80N16] was born in the City of London early in 1876, with her birth registered there (Ref. 1c 19) during the second quarter of the year, another child of William and Maria Collett.  She was five years old and already attending school in the St Bartholomew-the-Great, London census of 1881 when living at 8 Cloth Fair with her family.  By 1891 Maria had left school and was 15 and working as a milliner while still living with her large family at Roscoe Street in the St Luke district of London, Middlesex.

 

Edward L Collett [80N17] was born in the City of London in 1879, the seventh child of William and Maria, who was one year old in 1881 when living at 8 Cloth Fair in St Bartholomew-the-Great in the city.  Ten years later, schoolboy Edward was 11 and with his family at Roscoe Street, St Luke in 1891.  Following the death of his father, Edward was the eldest of the four children living and supporting their widowed mother in 1901.  Bread-winner Edward was 21 and a book-binder’s apprentice still living at Roscoe Street.

 

Frederick Collett [80N18] was born in the City of London in 1882 and was eight years old in the census of 1891, when living at Roscoe Street, where he was again recorded in 1901.  By that time his father had died four years earlier so, when he was 19, he was another working member, an assistant warehouseman at a clothes warehouse, contributing to the running of the home.

 

Louisa Collett [80N19] was born in the City of London in 1885 and was the youngest daughter of William and Maria Collett.  She was five years of age in 1891 when she and her family were living at Roscoe Street in London St Luke, and suffered to death of her father when she was twelve.  So it was with her widowed mother that Louisa aged 16 in 1901 was recorded at Roscoe Street where she was a clothing machinist, most likely at the same place as her brother Frederick (above).  Later on, around 1907, Louisa Collett married Charles Barnett with whom she had two children, the four members of the family residing at Islington, who had staying there with them Louisa’s mother and younger brother Thomas (below).  Twenty-six-year-old Charles Barnett from Middlesex was a printer compositor working within the letter press printing industry.  His wife Louisa was also 26, with the two youngsters were Charles Barnett junior who was one year old and Albert Barnett who was a few months old

 

Thomas Collett [80N20] was born in the City of London in 1887 and was three years of age in 1891 at Roscoe Street, where he may have been born.  He was the last child born to William Thomas Collett and Maria Bliss, and was only ten years old when his father died.  As the youngest member of the family, he was still living with his widowed mother both in 1901 at Roscoe Street from where he was 14 and an assistant to an electro plater, and again in 1911.  However, the census that year listed Thomas Collett aged 24 and a packer of exports, and his mother, staying at the Islington home of Thomas’ married sister Louisa (above)

 

George John Collett [80O1] was born at Hackney on 4th February 1885, the eldest of the five sons of George John Collett and Louisa Ellett.  By the time he was six years old, he and his family were living at Pownall Road in Hackney.  Ten years later it was at Brougham Road in Shoreditch that he and three of his brothers were living with their parents in 1901, when George J Collett aged 16 and from Hackney was an apprentice at a leather factory.  Where his absent brother Henry was that day has still not been discovered.  Shortly thereafter that census day, George’s mother died, after which his widowed father and the same three of George’s younger siblings were recorded residing at Hackney St John in 1911, by which time missing brother Henry was living with members of his extended Collett family in Eastbourne, Sussex

 

Some members of his father’s generation left London around the turn of the century and set up home in Sussex, with his younger brother Henry James (below) making his home with them at Eastbourne sometime during the first decade of the new century.  George’s father also moved to Sussex around the time of the First World War, where both of the later deaths of George John Collett senior and Henry James Collett were recorded.  It was therefore logical that George also moved south to Sussex at some time in his life, and where George John Collett (junior) died on 6th March 1961 in Eastbourne.  However, prior to the census in 1911, George had become a married man and, at the age of 26, his marital status confirmed that, although no wife was currently with him on the day, when his occupation was that of a postman.  Unfortunately, George’s father had completed the census return as if George was still living with the family in Hackney, which he was not

 

It was during the last three months of 1909 when the marriage of George John Collett and Louisa Sarah Churchill was recorded at Hackney register office (Ref. 1b 811).  Louisa was born at Hoxton, Shoreditch on 25th May 1889, four years younger than George.  Their son and first child was born at Stoke Newington prior to the census in 1911, when the three members of the family were recorded at Low Leyton in Essex where George John Collett from Hackney was 26 and a postman employed by the Post Office (GPO), his wife Louisa Sarah Collett from Hoxton was 21, and their son George John Collett from Stoke Newington was under one year old.  Their daughter was born during the following year when her mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Churchill

 

As stated above, later on in their life, George and Louisa left London and followed George’s father to the south coast and Eastbourne, where George John Collett senior died in 1924.  George junior was the main beneficiary under the terms of his father’s Will, which was proved at Eastbourne a month after he died.    It was there also, that George and Louisa both died in the same year, George on 6th March 1961, with the later death of Louisa S Collett recorded at Eastbourne register office (Ref. 5h 363), at the age of 71, before the end of 1961.  The earlier death that year of George J Collett was also recorded at Eastbourne register office (Ref. 5h 351) when he was 76.  It was during the following year when George’s younger brother Henry James Collett died in Sussex in 1962

 

80P1 – George John Collett was born in 1910 at Stoke Newington

80P2 – Louisa Alesandra Collett was born in 1912 at Hackney

 

Charles Thomas Collett [80O2] was born at Hackney on 7th March 1886, with his birth registered at Shoreditch (Ref. 1c 140) during the second quarter of that year, and was four years old in 1891 when his family were living at Pownall Road in Hackney.  After leaving school, and according to the census return for 1901, Charles T Collett from Hackney was 14 and a van guard boy, possibly on the railway, when he and some of his family were living at Brougham Road in Shoreditch.  After his mother passed away in 1902, the depleted family moved back to Hackney St John where in 1911, Charles T Collett from Hackney was 24 and working as a carman, like his father had been all of his working life

 

Six years later the marriage of Charles T Collett and Rose E Froggitt was recorded at Mile End Old Town register office (Ref. 1c 496) during the second quarter of 1917.  Rose Emma Froggitt was born on 2nd January 1893, with her birth recorded at Bethnal Green register office (Ref. 1c 253), the eldest child of market porter William J Froggitt and his wife Emma.  Being much younger than Charles, Rose gave birth to the couple’s eighth and last child when she was around forty-two years of age, when Charles was forty-nine.  After a further eight years the family was residing at 9 Stainsbury Street in Bethnal Green, when Rose Emma Collett, together with her two youngest children Doreen and Ronald, took shelter in Bethnal Green underground tube station during a bombing air-raid by the German Luftwaffe.  The station suffered a direct hit on 3rd March 1843 killing Rose and Doreen who were subsequently buried at Bethnal Green Metropolitan Cemetery.  Son Ronald was taken to London Hospital where he died later that same day and was buried at Stepney Metropolitan Borough Cemetery.  Both those two separate burial grounds were referred to by the Commonwealth War Grave Commission, while an alternative source states that all three of them were buried together at Manor Part Cemetery and Crematorium in Forest Gate.  Nine years after being widowed Charles T Collett died on 13th September 1952 with his death recorded at London register office (Ref. 5c 246) at the age of 66

 

Historic Note: The Bethnal Green Tube Station disaster of 1943 was the largest single loss of civilian life in England during the Second World War when, on 3rd March 1943 a total of 173 people were killed, including 62 children

 

80P3 – Charles William George Collett was born in 1917 at Mile End Old Town

80P4 – Rose Louisa Collett was born in 1919 at Mile End Old Town

80P5 – Alfred Thomas Collett was born in 1922 at Mile End Old Town

80P6 – George Henry Collett was born in 1924 at Mile End Old Town

80P7 – William John Collett was born in 1926 at Bethnal Green, Stepney

80P8 – Iris L Collett was born in 1929 at Bethnal Green, Stepney

80P9 – Doreen Collett was born in 1932 at Bethnal Green, Stepney

80P10 – Ronald D Collett was born in 1935 at Bethnal Green, Stepney

 

Alfred William Collett [80O3] was born towards the end of 1888 at Hackney where his birth was registered Hackney (Ref. 1b 621) during the first quarter of 1889.  It is possible that he was born at Pownall Road in Hackney, where he was living in 1891 at the age of two years.  Alfred was still attending school in 1901 when, at the age of 12, Alfred W Collett and his family were recorded at Brougham Road in Shoreditch.  The premature death of his mother in 1902 may have been the reason why his widowed father took Alfred and three of his four brother back to Hackney, where in 1911 they were recorded at Hackney St John.  By that time in his life Alfred W Collett from Hackney was 22 and a soldier with the British Army who, four years later became a married man

 

It may have been his military service that resulted in Alfred meeting his future wife when he was very likely placed in barracks within Bracknell area of Berkshire.  It was at the start of 1915 when Alfred W Collett married May A Coxhead with the event recorded at Easthampstead register office (Ref. 2c 787).  The birth of May Amelia Coxhead was recorded at Easthampstead (Ref. 2c 392) towards the end of 1893, the daughter of John and Mary Coxhead who had been born at Winkfield in Berkshire.  It was also at Easthampstead (Bracknell) in Berkshire that the births of the couple’s five children were recorded when, in each case, their mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Coxhead.  They were, Alfred, Evelyn, Raymond, Cyril, and Dennis.  Alfred W Collett was 65 when he died in 1955, with his death recorded at London register office (Ref. 5c 853)

 

80P11 – Alfred Frederick J Leslie Collett was born in 1916 at Easthampstead

80P12 – Evelyn J Collett was born in 1919 at Easthampstead

80P13 – Raymond Douglas Collett was born in 1922 at Easthampstead

80P14 – Cyril D Collett was born in 1926 at Easthampstead

80P15 – Dennis W Collett was born in 1927 at Easthampstead

 

Henry James Collett [80O4] was born at Pownall Road in Hackney possibly at the end of 1891, when his birth was recorded at Shoreditch (Ref. 1c 119) early in 1892.  Later on that decade, the family moved to Brougham Road in Shoreditch with Henry not listed there with the rest of his family in 1901.  It was also there, during 1902, where Henry’s mother died.  However, in 1911 when his widowed father completed the census return that year, he stated that all five of his sons were still living with him at Hackney St John.  In fact, Henry James Collett, aged 19, was in Sussex at the Eastbourne home of his father’s older married sister Mary Ann Merritt, where he was confirmed as her nephew who was a motor bus conductor employed by the corporation

 

Just over eight years later the marriage of Henry J Collett and Jessie S Tolhurst was recorded at Eastbourne register office (Ref. 2b 205) during the last three months of 1919.  Their marriage produced two children for Henry and Jessie, both of whom were born at Eastbourne where their births were recorded, when their mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Tolhurst.  Having settled in Sussex, it was there that Henry J Collett died in 1962 at the age of 70, with his death recorded at Sussex register office (Ref. 5h 255)

 

80P16 – Joan S Collett was born in 1920 at Eastbourne

80P17 – Basil Edwin Collett was born in 1926 at Eastbourne

 

William Collett [80O5] was born at Hackney in 1894, the fifth and last son of George John Collett and Louisa Ellett.  His birth was recorded at Shoreditch register office (Ref. 1c 104) during the final three months of that year.  Sometime after he was born at Pownall Road, his family moved the short distance to Shoreditch where, in 1901, William was six years old and living at Brougham Road.  He was only seven years old when his mother died and after their loss the family was residing in Hackney St John in 1911, where William Collett from Hackney was 16 and a messenger.  He later served with the Merchant Navy, most likely during the 1914-1918 War, when the records confirm he had been born in 1894.  He was the third of the five brothers who seems to have lived his whole life in London, since it was at the London register office (Ref. 5c 396) that the death of William Collett aged 61 was recorded in 1956, one year after his brother Alfred died there

 

Elizabeth Maria Collett [80O6] was born on 5th June 1889 at Clerkenwell in London and was the eldest child of William Russell Collett and Elizabeth Rowland.  Her birth was recorded at Holborn register office (Ref. 1b 657) and she was the only child living with her parents at Herbert Street, Hoxton, in Shoreditch on the day of the census in 1891.  By 1901 the family was recorded at Glyn Road in Clapton Park, Hackney, when Elizabeth Collett from Clerkenwell was eleven years of age.  On leaving school she entered the world of the manufacture of clothing who, in 1911, was unmarried and still living with her family but at nearby Homerton within the Hackney area, where 21 Elizabeth M Collett was a machinist making dressing gowns.  It was ten years later when she died at Hackney, perhaps even at 82 Glyn Road in Clapton Park, with the death of Elizabeth M Collett aged 32 was recorded at London register office (Ref. 1b 504) in 1921

 

William Richard Collett [80O7] was born at Herbert Street in Hoxton on 29th August 1891, with his birth recorded at Shoreditch register office (Ref. 1c 41) during the last three months of 1891.  William from Hoxton was nine years old in the census of 1901, when he and his family were residing at Glyn Road, Clapton Park in Hackney.  After he completed his education, he was employed as a labourer at a cycle rubber tyre factory and was 19 in 1911.  Five years later William Richard Collett was serving with the Royal Army Service Corps when he was 24 and had the Service No. 43731 in 1916.  Later on he was with the Rifle Brigade of the Prince Consort’s Own Regiment, Sapper 15314.  After the war he may have married Lilian S Bradshaw, their wedding recorded at Kensington register office (Ref. 1a 534) towards the end of 1920.  Another record, dated 17th Sept 1927 suggests that William Richard Collett of East London gained membership of the South Africa Dutch Reform Church.  The only other detail relating to him was that William Richard Collett died at Hackney in 1976, with his passing recorded at London register office  (Vol. 12 2050)

 

George Russell Collett [80O8] was born at Homerton in 1897 and his birth was recorded at Hackney register office (Ref. 1b 528) during the second quarter of the year.  When he was three years old George, born at Hackney, and his family, were living at Glyn Road in Clapton Park, Hackney on the day of the census in 1901.  Thirteen-year-old George Collett from Homerton, was still attending school in 1911 and, by then the family was once again living in Homerton.  Four years later George was old enough to sign-up for military service and in 1918 he was a rifleman with the 1st Battalion of The Rangers London Regiment.  Tragically, he was killed in action on 17th August 1918, when his next-of-kin were named as his parents, William Russell Collett and Elizabeth Collett of 82 Glyn Road, Clapton Park, Hackney

 

Charlotte Alice Collett [80O9] was born at Homerton in 1899, the eldest surviving daughter of William Russell Collett and Elizabeth Rowland.  Her birth was recorded at Hackney register office (Ref. 1b 449) during the last three months of that year.  Just after she was born the family made a temporary not to Glyn Road in Clapton Park, Hackney, where one-year-old Charlotte of Hackney was living with her family in 1901.  During the following months, the family returned to Homerton, where Charlotte from Homerton was eleven years of age in the census of 1911.  It was subsequently fifteen years after that the marriage of Charlotte A Collett and Frederick B Millward was recorded at Hackney register office (Ref. 1b 776) during the spring of 1926.  No obvious record of any issue has been found

 

Frederick Arthur Collett [80O10] was born at Homerton on 2nd March 1902, the fifth child of William and Elizabeth Collett, his birth recorded at Hackney register office (Ref. 1b 458) during the second quarter of 1902.  The Homerton census of 1911 included Frederick Collett of Homerton who was nine year old and attending school.  A few months after his sister Charlotte (above) was married, so too was Frederick, when the marriage of Frederick Arthur Collett and Louisa M Ridler was recorded at Hackney register office (Ref. 1b 938) during the third quarter of 1926.  Six years later, the couple’s only known child was born, his birth also recorded at Hackney, when the mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Ridler.  Frederick Arthur Collett died at East Barnet in Hertfordshire on 21st Jan 1966 at the age of 63, with his death recorded Middlesex register office (Ref. 5a 94)

 

80P18 – Brian Frederick Collett was born in 1932 at Hackney (Ref. 1b 569) Qrt 2

 

Walter Edward Collett [80O11] was born at Homerton in 1904 and his birth was recorded at Hackney register office (Ref. 1b 438a) during the final three months of that year.  He was seven years of age in the Homerton census of 1911 and it was nineteen years later that the marriage of Walter E Collett and Nellie R Hinton was also recorded at Hackney register office (Ref. 1b 848) in the spring of 1930.  Whilst they have not been confirmed that Walter and Nellie had any children, it is possible that James V Collett born in 1935, and Margery A Collett born in 1937, were indeed their issue, with their mother’s maiden-name confirmed as Hinton

 

80P19 – James V Collett was born in 1935 at Hendon (Ref. 3a 661) Qrt 3

80P20 – Margery A Collett was born in 1937 at North-East Surrey (Ref. 2a 72) Qrt 4

 

Herbert Charles Collett [80O12] was born at Homerton on 13th March 1907, and was the last child of William Russell Collett and Elizabeth Rowland.  His birth was recorded at Hackney register office (Ref. 1b 424a) and he was four years old in the Homerton census of 1911.  Herbert was 22 when he married the much older Cissy G Seekins during the spring of 1925, their wedding recorded at Greenwich register office (Ref. 1d 1877).  Despite the twelve years difference in their ages, it was just after they were married that Cissy presented her husband with a junior version of himself, when the mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Seekins.  Herbert Charles Collett was only 56 when he died at Hackney in 1963, his premature death being recorded at London register office (Ref. 5c 1129).  The later death of Cissy Gertrude Collett was recorded in Sussex (Vol. 18 0764) in 1977 at the age of 82, having been born at Paddington on 19th January 1895

 

80P21 – Herbert Collett was born in 1925 at Bermondsey (Ref. 1d 285) Qrt 2

 

Jane Emily Collett [80O13] was born at Hoxton, Shoreditch on 28th September 1897, the first-born child of George Collett and Jane Elizabeth Barker.  Her birth using her full name was recorded at Shoreditch register office (Ref. 1c 45) during the last three month of that year.  She was three years old in the Hoxton census of 1901, when she and her family were living on Cavendish Street.  As simply Jane Collett aged 13, she was still attending school in Shoreditch in 1911.  It was also at Shoreditch register office that the later marriage of Jane E Collett and Arthur W H Nokes was recorded (Ref. 1c 175) during the second quarter of 1922

 

No record of any children has been found, while it was at the London register office (Ref. 5b 1576) that the passing of Jane E Nokes was recorded in 1971, at the age of 73.  Nine years prior to that Jane had been made a widow, with the death of Arthur Nokes also recorded there (Ref. 5c 490) in 1962 when he was 66.  He too had been born at Hoxton around 1895, and was the eldest child of Arthur and Mary Nokes

 

Caroline Marie Collett [80O14] was born at Cavendish Street in Hoxton either at the end of 1899 or at the start of 1900, another daughter of George and Jane Collett, whose birth was recorded at Shoreditch register office 1c 51) during the first three months of the latter.  She was one year old at home in Cavendish Street in 1901, and was eleven years of age in 1911 when the family had returned to Shoreditch after a short period for the family living in Barking.  Caroline was married just prior to the wedding day of her old sister Jane (above), with both events recorded at Shoreditch register office in 1922, with Caroline’s marriage to Mark J Giddings (Ref. 1c 139) recorded during the first quarter of that year

 

It was during the first five years of their life together that Caroline presented Mark with two sons.  The first of them may have been a honeymoon baby, when the birth of George J Giddings was recorded at Shoreditch register office (Ref. 1c 43) during the third quarter of 1922.  The birth of Leonard M T Giddings was recorded at Holborn register office (Ref. 1b 885) also during the third quarter of 1927.  In both cases, the mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Collett

 

George James Collett [80O15] was born at Cavendish Street in Hoxton in 1902, the third child and only son of George and Jane Collett.  His birth, under his full name, was recorded at Shoreditch register office (Ref. 1c 35) during the first quarter of 1902.  For a short while, in his early life, when he was three years old, George and his three sisters were living at 84 Fanshawe Avenue in Barking, but later returned to Shoreditch.  It was there that George Collett from Hoxton was nine years old in 1911.  Thirteen years later, the marriage of George J Collett and Phyllis R Challis was recorded at St Pancras register office (Ref. 1b 20) during the second quarter of 1924, at the age of 22

 

Their marriage resulted in the birth of two children, with their son’s birth recorded at St Pancras, and the birth of their daughter recorded at Shoreditch.  On both occasions, the mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Challis.  George was still living within the London area when he died in 1968, with the death of George J Collett recorded at London register office (Ref. 5c 819)

 

80P22 – George W Collett was born in 1926 at St Pancras (Ref. 1b 135) Qrt 3

80P23 – Phyllis D Collett was born in 1932 at Shoreditch (Ref. 1c 38) Qrt 1

 

Marie Louisa Collett [80O16] was born at 84 Fanshawe Avenue in Barking, Essex, on 6th September 1905 and was baptised at St Margaret’s Church in Barking on 4th October 1905, the last child of George Collett, a labourer, and his wife Jane Elizabeth Barker.  Her birth was recorded at Romford register office (Ref. 4a 583) during the last three months of 1905.  Not long after she was born, the family returned to Shoreditch where her three older siblings had been born and where Marie was five years of age in 1911.  Although not proved, it seems highly likely that the death and burial of 13-year-old Marie Louise Collett at Abney Park Cemetery in Stoke Newington on 19th May 1919, was the daughter of George and Jane Collett

 

George John Collett [80P1] was born at Stoke Newington on 25th June 1910 and was the first-born child of George John Collett and Louisa Sarah Churchill, although no record of his birth has been positively identified.  However, in 1911 and at the age of nine months, George John Collett from Stoke Newington was living with his parents at Low Leyton within the Walthamstow area of Essex. He was 30 years old when the marriage of George J Collett and Doris Webb was recorded at the Essex South-Western register office (Ref. 4a 1006) during the second quarter of 1940.  He was one month short of his 65th birthday when George John Collett (the third) died at Waltham Forest in Essex on 16th May 1975, his passing recorded at Essex register office (Vol. 15 0839).  After six years as a widow, the death of Doris Collett, who was born on 6th April 1908 at West Ham, was recorded at Essex register office (Vol. 15 0994) in 1981.

 

Louisa Alexandra Collett [80P2] was born at Hackney on 26th June 1912, with her birth recorded at Hackney register office (Ref. 1b 810) during the third quarter of the year, when her mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Churchill.   Unlike her brother George (above), Louisa travelled south to Sussex with her parents, most likely because of the air-raids on London between 1914 and 1918.  It was there, at Eastbourne, that the marriage of Louisa A Collett and William A Poole was recorded (Ref. 2b 225) during the third quarter of 1934, when she was 22.  Their two daughter were born in quick succession, with theirs birth recorded at Eastbourne register office; Letitia Alexandra Poole (Ref. 2b 115) at the start of 1935, and Sybil J Poole (Ref. 2b 114) in the summer of 1936.  On both occasions, the mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Collett.  Louisa Alexandra Poole was still residing in Sussex when she died in the spring of 1997.

 

Charles William George Collett [80P3] was born at Mile End Old Town on 28th April 1917 and was the first of the eight children of Charles Thomas Collett and Rose Emma Froggitt.  His birth was recorded at Mile End Old Town (Ref. 1c 599) during the second quarter of that year, that quarter-year also the being same one in which parents marriage was recorded that year.  His birth record also confirmed that his mother’s maiden-name was Froggitt.  When he was around the age of 25 the marriage of Charles W G Collett and Doris M Brand was recorded at Bethnal Green register office (Ref. 1c 173) during the second quarter of 1942.  Only two children having Collett-Brand parents were born in England in the years after 1942, and they were Charles in 1944 and Anthony in 1947, as detailed below.  Doris M Brand was born at Bethnal Green and was a few years younger than Charles, her birth recorded there (Ref. 1c 224) during the first three months of 1921.  The death of Doris Miriam Collett, who was born on 30th January 1921, was recorded at the Oxfordshire register office (Vol. 6981 49b) in 1994.

 

80Q1 – Charles R Collett was born in 1944 in Hertfordshire

80Q2 – Anthony P Collett was born in 1947 in London

 

Rose Louisa Collett [80P4] was born on 14th November 1919 at Mile End Old Town, where her birth was recorded (Ref. 1c 736) during the last quarter of the year, when her mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Froggitt.  She was twenty-three years old when the marriage of Rose L Collett and Edward J Coffey was recorded at Bethnal Green register office (Ref. 1c 145) during the last three months of 1942.  It was during 1946 that their daughter and only known children was born in London, where the birth of Christine R D Coffey was recorded (Ref. 1c 64), when her mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Collett.

 

Later on in their life Edward and Rose made their home in Kent, where Edward J Coffey died on 19th March 1999 at Westerham.  After that sad event, Rose moved to North Kent and when she passed away six years later, on 13th June 2005, she was living at Greenhithe on the south bank of the Thames River.  Rose was 86 and was buried in the grounds of St Nicholas Church in Southfleet, to the south of Greenhithe.

 

Alfred Thomas Collett [80P5] was born at Mile End Old Town on 28th February 1922 whose birth was recorded there (Ref. 1c 589) during the fourth quarter of that year, when his mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Froggitt, another son of Charles and Rose Collett.  The later marriage of Alfred T Collett and Florence M Harris was recorded at East Ham register office (Ref. 5a 71) during the fourth quarter of 1946 when he was 24.  The birth of Florence M Harris was recorded at West Ham register office (Ref. 4a 639) during the first three months of 1920.  Two years later Florence presented Alfred with a son, Alfred junior, whose birth was recorded at London register office (Ref. 5c 1639) during 1949, when his mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Harris.  It seems that Alfred spent most of his life in London, since it was at Tower Hamlets (Vol. 2461d d46) where he died during the month of August in 2005 at the age of 83.

 

80Q3 – Alfred W Collett was born in 1949 in London

 

George Henry Collett [80P6] was born at Mile End Old Town in 1924 just prior to his family moving to Bethnal Green, where all of his younger siblings were born.  The birth of George H Collett was recorded at Mile End Old Town (Ref. 1c 572) where his mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Froggitt.  On 26th November 1948, a George Henry Collett aged 24 was described as a merchant navy able seaman having four-and-a-half-years-service, and was part of the manifest of the British vessel Port Darwin when it arrived in New York, having sailed out of London and Liverpool.

 

William John Collett [80P7] was born at Bethnal Green on 27th May 1926 with his birth recorded at Stepney register office (Ref. 1c 298), when his mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Froggitt.  It was also at Bethnal Green register office that the marriage of William J Collett and Vera L Burcombe was recorded (Ref. 5c 322) during the first three months of 1951.  Vera was born on 28th November 1927, whose death was recorded at Tower Hamlets register office (Vol. 2461c c34) during June in 1999, at the age of 71, after she died on 13th June 1999.  No record of any children for William and Vera has been found, with the premature death of William John Collett being recorded at the Poplar & Bethnal Green register office (Vol. 14 1318) during the spring of 1974 when he was only 47.  

 

Iris L Collett [80P8] was born at Bethnal Green in 1929 and was the second daughter but sixth child of Charles and Rose Collett, whose birth was recorded at Stepney register office (Ref. 1c 305) during the last three months of the year, where her mother’s maiden-name was recorded as Froggitt.  It was also as Iris L Collett that her wedding with Charles H Dye was recorded at Bethnal Green register office (Ref. 5c 333) during the first quarter of 1952.  His birth was recorded at Shoreditch register office (Ref. 1c 79) during the second quarter of 1929.  The birth of the couple’s only child, Janet D Dye, was recorded at Stepney register office (Ref. 5d 704) during the summer of 1953, when her mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Collett.

 

Doreen Collett [80P9] was born at Bethnal Green in 1932 and her birth was recorded at Stepney register office (Ref. 1c 312) during the second quarter of the year, when her mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Froggitt.  During the war years, the family was residing at 9 Stainsbury Street in Bethnal Green.  She was eleven years old when Doreen, her brother Ronald (below), and their mother all died in the Bethnal Green Tube Station disaster on 3rd March 1943, when the station was bombed during a German air-raid that day.

 

Ronald D Collett [80P10] was born on 17th January 1935, possibly at 9 Stainsbury Street in Bethnal Green, when his birth was recorded at Stepney register office (Ref. 1c 247) with his mother’s maiden-name confirmed as Froggitt, the last child of Charles Thomas Collett and Rose Emma Froggitt.  Ronald, his sister Doreen (above) and their mother, sought shelter in the underground tube station at Bethnal Green, where they all perished when the station was bombed by the Luftwaffe on 3rd March 1943.  While his mother and sister were killed outright, Ronald sustained serious injuries and was taken to London Hospital where he died later in that same day.  Two different sources claim (a) all three of them were buried at Manor Park Cemetery & Crematorium in Forest Gate, and another (b) suggests mother and daughter were buried at Bethnal Cemetery, with Ronald buried at Stepney Cemetery.

 

Alfred Frederick J Leslie Collett [80P11] who was known as Les, was born on 15th May 1916 at Easthampstead, the eldest child of Alfred William Collett and May Amelia Coxhead.  His birth was recorded at Easthampstead register office (Ref. 2c 784) with his mother’s maiden-name confirmed as Coxhead.  It would appear the Alfred F J L Collett was married twice during his life; the first time to (1) Betty M Heritage at Elham in Kent near the end 1940 (Ref. 2a 4758), whose life was cut short during the early years of the Second World War.  The second marriage of Alfred F J L Collett was recorded at the start of 1943 at Ryedale in Yorkshire, his wife being (2) Bessie Panton.  No children have been credited to Alfred from either marriage.  He was 81 when he died, the death of Alfred Frederick J Leslie Collett recorded at Berkshire register office (Vol. 7051 21b) in 1997.

 

Evelyn J Collett [80P12] was born in 1919 at Easthampstead where her birth was registered (Ref. 2c 831) during the final three months of that year, when her mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Coxhead.  She was another daughter of Alfred and May Collett.  At the age of 27, Evelyn J Collett married Revell C R Powell in 1946, when their marriage was recorded at Hampstead register office (Ref. 5c 1918) during the last three months of that year.

 

Raymond Douglas Collett [80P13] was born on 25th May 1922 with his birth recorded at Easthampstead register office (Ref. 2c 754) when his mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Coxhead.  During the Second World War, Raymond served his King and Country with the armed forces in the Far East and was captured by the Japanese and made a prisoner of war in the notorious Changi Camp in Singapore.  However, despite the terrible conditions and treatment received at the hands of his captors, Raymond survived.  After returning to England, the marriage of Raymond Douglas Collett and Irene M Edwards was recorded at Windsor register office (Ref. 2c 1525) during the second quarter of 1946.  Irene’s birth was recorded at Windsor register office (Ref. 2c 772) during the first quarter of 1922, with her mother’s maiden-name recorded as McPherson. 

 

Their marriage resulted in the birth of a son and a daughter who were born at Ascot, with their birth recorded at Berkshire register office, when their mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Edwards.  It was also during that phase of his life, that Raymond was still a member of the armed forces who was station on Christmas Island for the testing of the nuclear bombs.  Because of his hard life, Raymond was around forty-nine years old when he died, with his death recorded at Oxford register office (Ref. 6b 2842) in 1971.

 

80Q4 – Anthony John Collett was born in 1948 at Ascot

80Q5 – Sheila M Collett was born in 1950 at Ascot

 

Cyril D Collett [80P14] was born in 1926 at Easthampstead where his birth was recorded (Ref. 2c 661) during the first three months of the year, when his mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Coxhead, another son of Alfred and May Collett.  Tragically, he did not survive and was only three years old when his infant death was recorded at Easthampstead register office (Ref. 2c 832) during 1929.

 

Dennis W Collett [80P15] was born in 1927 at Easthampstead , his birth recorded there (Ref. 2c 680) during the summer of that year, with his mother’s maiden-name confirmed as Coxhead.  He was the last child born to Alfred William Collett and May Amelia Coxhead. 

 

Joan S Collett [80P16] was born at Eastbourne in 1920, the eldest of the two children of Henry James Collett and Jessie S Tolhurst.  Her birth was recorded at Eastbourne register office (Ref. 2b 151) during the third quarter of the year, when her mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Tolhurst. 

 

Basil Edwin Collett [80P17] was born at Eastbourne on 15th February 1926, the son of Henry James Collett and Jessie S Tolhurst, whose birth was recorded at Eastbourne register office (Ref. 2b 107) during the first three months of the year, when his mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Tolhurst.  It is possible, but not proved, that the marriage of Basil E Collett and Peggy M Lomax recorded at Middlesex register office (Ref. 5f 126) during the final three month of 1953, relates to the son of Henry and Jessie Collett.  By 1960 their family was complete, following the birth of two sons, their births both recorded at Middlesex register office when their mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Lomas.  Much later, when Basil Edwin Collett was 86 years old, he died at Twickenham on 27th September 2012.

 

Q6 – Nicholas J Collett was born in 1958 in Middlesex

Q7 – Charles G Collett was born in 1960 in Middlesex

 

Charles R Collett [80Q1] was born in 1944 when his birth was recorded at Hertfordshire register office (Ref. 3a 1939) and his mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Brand.  He was the first-born child of Charles William George Collett and Doris M Brand.  The later marriage of Charles R Collett and Barbara A Yeates was recorded at Stepney register office (Ref. 5e 207) during the second quarter of 1972.  Their marriage produced two sons for Charles and Barbara, whose births were recorded at Chatham in Kent, where their mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Yeates.

 

80R1 – Steven Charles Collett was born in 1974 at Chatham, Kent (Vol. 16 0458) Qrt 4

80R2 – James Edward Collett was born in 1977 at Chatham, Kent (Vol. 16 661) Qrt 2

 

Anthony P Collett [80Q2] was born in 1947 with his birth recorded at London register office (Ref. 5d 1081) when his mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Brand.  He was the younger of the two sons of Charles William George Collett and Doris M Brand.  The marriage of Anthony P Collett and Gillian M Noble was recorded at Stepney register office (Ref. 5e 175) during the first months of 1969.  Once they were married, the couple moved out of London and settled in Kent, with the birth of their two children recorded at Sheppey register office where their mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Noble.

 

80R3 – Peter Nicholas Collett was born in 1972 at Sheppey, Kent (Ref. 5f 1799) Qrt 4

80R4 – Louise Jane Collett was born in 1975 at Sheppey, Kent (Vol. 16 1835) Qrt 2

 

Anthony John Collett [80Q4] was born at Ascot on 14th May 1948, the son and eldest child of Raymond Douglas Collett and Irene M Edwards.  His birth was recorded at Windsor register office (Ref. 6a 327), when his mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Edwards.  The later marriage of Anthony J Collett and Patricia Evans was recorded at the Oxford Bullingdon register office (Vol. 20 1820) during the last three months of 1976.  The marriage resulted in the birth of four children whose births were all recorded at Oxford register office, when their mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Evans.

 

80R5 – Sarah Anne Collett was born in 1979 at Oxford

80R6 – Christopher Nigel Collett was born in 1981 at Oxford

80R7 – Sophie Louise Collett was born in 1983 at Oxford

80R8 – Benjamin Ian Collett was born in 1989 at Oxford

 

Sheila M Collett [80Q5] was born in 1950 at Ascot where her birth was also recorded (Ref. 6a 226), being the daughter of Raymond Douglas Collett and Irene M Edwards.  Later on in her life, her marriage to Charles F Warner was also recorded at the Oxford Bullingdon register office (Vol. 20 2768) during the summer months in 1981.  Over the next eleven years Sheila presented Charles with four children.  Their birth were all recorded at Oxford register office, as follows: Christina Jane Warner in 1983, Nicola Ann Warner in 1985, Raymond George Warner in 1989, and Steven Martin Warner in 1992.

 

Nicholas J Collett [80Q6] was born in 1958 in Middlesex where his birth was registered (Ref. 5f 54) during the spring of that year, when his mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Lomax, the first of the two sons of Basil Edwin Collett and Peggy M Lomas.

 

Charles G Collett [80Q7] was born in 1960 and his birth was also recorded at Middlesex register office (Ref. 5f 28) at the start of that year, when he was confirmed as the son whose mother’s maiden-name was Lomax.

 

Sarah Anne Collett [80R5] was born at Oxford in 1979 where her birth was recorded (Vol. 20 2915) during the last quarter of that year, when her mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Evans.  Sarah was the eldest of the four children of Anthony J Collett and Patricia Evans, and it was Sarah who helped with the compilation of this family line during 2023.

 

Christopher Nigel Collett [80R6] was born at Oxford in 1981 and his birth was recorded there (Vol. 20 3274) during the second quarter of the year, with his mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Evans.

 

Sophie Louise Collett [80R7] was born at Oxford towards the end of 1983 with her birth recorded at Oxford register office (Vol. 20 3078), when her mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Evans.

 

Benjamin Ian Collett [80R8] was born at Oxford where his birth was recorded in June 1989 (Vol. 3760), the fourth and last child of Raymond Douglas Collett and Irene M Edwards, his birth record confirming his mother’s maiden-name as Evans.  His sister Sarah (above), when supplying the details of her family, referred to her youngest sibling as Jason Ben Collett.