Author Topic: Genealogy - Llandudno early families  (Read 40372 times)

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Offline steeljam

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Genealogy - Llandudno early families
« on: October 01, 2010, 07:20:26 pm »
Last year in June I posted some photos of the grave stone of Beatrice Blore Browne who is buried in the grave yard on the Great Orme.
A number of people posted details and there was a link to a discussion on this forum. Unfortunately the discussion seems to have disappeared.
I am going to the Colindale Newspaper Library tomorrow and the discussion thread would help me with the research.
Thanks.

Offline Ian

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Re: Beatrice Blore Browne
« Reply #1 on: October 01, 2010, 07:32:52 pm »
That was the old forum, but we'll try and dig out the relevant bit for you/.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.


Offline DaveR

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Re: Beatrice Blore Browne
« Reply #2 on: October 01, 2010, 08:42:33 pm »
Do you want the bad news?  :( I've just looked in the old forum database and nothing for Beatrice is coming up, could it be it was part of the postings that were lost?

All I can offer is my article on her from the Blog:

Curious Case of Beatrice Blore-Browne

One of the most interesting gravestones in St Tudnos Church on the Great Orme in Llandudno is this one:


'She feared naught but God' by SnakeCorp, on Flickr

It is the grave of Beatrice Blore Browne - born September 26th 1887 at Middlesboro, Yorkshire, died November 23rd 1921 at Delamere, Penmaenmawr (age 34).

For a long time, mystery surrounded both her life & death; it was believed that she was a racing driver who died in a car crash but the recent appearance of her death certificate reveals that she actually died from cancer. Her inscription concludes with 'She feared naught but God'.

Beatrice was certainly a unique woman - she drove a 10hp Singer car up Old Road on the Great Orme in, I think, 1911 - a daring feat which resulted in a lot of press attention, there are photos of her driving the car and reports of onlookers watching with 'bated breath' as to whether she would make it or not. I think it was this event that drew the attention of the man that later became her husband, a George Wilkins Browne.

He was another unique character - a racing driver who had held the land speed record at Brooklands (110mph I think?) for about 2 years. By 1914, he lived at 'Sunnyside' on Curzon Road, Craig Y Don, and was the manager of the Llandudno Automobile Touring Company which had a garage on Mostyn Broadway. He was renowned for being ruthless in business and there is a long history of lawsuits he brought against various people in the local area. By 1920, he had become Managing Director of Silver Motors Limited. In later years, he also became a councillor on Llandudno UDC.

In December 1920, he became the first person to drive a car both up and down Snowdon. He drove up and down the railway track in an Angus Sanderson 14hp car. This event was filmed for cinema audiences. The ascent took 1 hour 22 mins, the descent 1 hour 5 mins. He was accompanied by two of the staff from Silver Motors Ltd.

In 1920, she changed her name from Beatrice Blore to Beatrice Blore-Browne and was living at a house called Bodeon in Cadnant Park, Conwy. Her death, on the November 23rd 1921 at the early age of 34, cannot have come as a surprise as she had been suffering from cancer for the previous two years. Her unique gravestone has kept her memory alive, a reminder of a woman keen to push the boundaries of what it was considered acceptable for women to do.


Offline steeljam

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Re: Beatrice Blore Browne
« Reply #3 on: October 02, 2010, 09:35:28 am »
Thanks for the information.
It gives me some dates for my research.
Will post any findings here.

Offline DaveR

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Re: Beatrice Blore Browne
« Reply #4 on: October 02, 2010, 09:39:00 am »
Look forward to seeing them, Steeljam. :)

Offline steeljam

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Re: Beatrice Blore Browne
« Reply #5 on: October 02, 2010, 02:16:00 pm »
I checked 1911 but could not see a report. Didn't have much time this visitWill expand the search on future visits.

Offline Trojan

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Re: Beatrice Blore Browne
« Reply #6 on: October 04, 2010, 09:00:31 am »
Here's a photo of George Browne in 1920 after taking three and half hours to reach the summit of Snowdon by car. The photograph was taken at the platforms of the old summit station.
« Last Edit: October 04, 2010, 09:02:35 am by Trojan »

Offline DaveR

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Re: Beatrice Blore Browne
« Reply #7 on: October 04, 2010, 09:19:28 am »
Nice find, Trojan!  *&(

Offline treslade

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Genealogy - Llandudno early families
« Reply #8 on: October 14, 2010, 01:52:59 pm »
I am looking for the baptism of Agnes Farrell born 15 March 1882 in The Union Workhouse Conway......  mother Mary Farrell.  I have searched the local area without finding her, her mother Mary was a Catholic and I looked in the Catholic Church in Bangor, but it wasn't there, I am hoping someone seeing this may have come across the baptism.

Mary at the time of the 1881 census, was living in at the The Refreshment Rooms in Mostyn St, Llandudno..............I don't know why she had the child in the workhouse. Mary married in Oct 1882 to John Owen( born Liverpool), he was not the father.

Agnes was brought up believing her grandparents were her parents, Francis and Bridget Farrell of  20 William St, Bangor ( 1871) and 21 Union St ( 1881 and 1891)........Agnes gave her father's name as Francis Farrell, when she later marries ( Francis and Bridget Farrells are Irish, all their children  were born in Bangor).

Agnes shows in the 1891 census as Agnes Owen daughter of John and Mary Owens at 3 James Street. Llandudno - although I don't think she went by that surname, she thought Mary was her sister. By 1901 Mary is dead and her husband has a new wife, and Agnes was put into service in Derbyshire.

I have tried to find some trace of Agnes , with a baptism or a school she attended. I contacted the Conwy Record office and she did not attend Lloyd School , St. George School or St Beunos School..........maybe she attended a Sunday school ( do they keep records?), or do you think she went to Bangor to school and she was staying rather than living with John and Mary Owens in LLandudno?

Any little clues to where you may think there may be a trace of Agnes, would be very gratefully received.


Many Thanks Lee  
« Last Edit: October 15, 2010, 11:10:48 am by Ian »

Offline Llechwedd

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Re: Agnes Farrell in: Bangor, Conway or Llandudno
« Reply #9 on: October 19, 2010, 12:16:28 pm »
Parts of workhouses were used as "hospitals" for poor people they were not necessarily residents.  Have you tried the Registrar at Llandudno Registry Office, Town Hall, Lloyd Steet? he can look through 1882 for you and will sell you a certificate if available for £9.00.  Try BMD, North Wales and also Family Search the Mormon site.

Offline suepp

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Re: Agnes Farrell in: Bangor, Conway or Llandudno
« Reply #10 on: October 19, 2010, 03:10:20 pm »
It might be worth contacting the Catholic Church in Llandudno which  had a very small congregation at that time

Offline treslade

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Re: Agnes Farrell in: Bangor, Conway or Llandudno
« Reply #11 on: October 19, 2010, 10:13:44 pm »
Thank you for the tips, we have a birth certificate for Agnes Farrell, which has no father's name and the address of the workhouse in Conwy..........we feel she would have a baptism somewhere local to the workhouse as it wasn't done in her local church in Bangor................

I will look at the church in Llandudno, thank you


Lee

Offline Llechwedd

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Re: Agnes Farrell in: Bangor, Conway or Llandudno
« Reply #12 on: October 21, 2010, 01:59:11 pm »
You can also look at baptismal record at Llandudno Archive in Lloyd Street scroll through the whole year.  Mind you children were not necessarily baptised immediately after birth some were a few years old.

Offline suepp

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Genealogy - Llandudno early families
« Reply #13 on: November 01, 2010, 10:05:07 am »
This was a popular thread in the old forum so I thought it worth reviving, so that people could post  interesting facts  or queries relating to Llandudno's early families. My own origins in  Llandudno go back to the  late 1890's when my Great Grandfather D.J. Roberts  moved to the town  and worked as a house painter. He lodged at Waverly House Llewellyn Street and married my  Great Grandmother at the Welsh Calvinistic Chapel  in 1898. He was born in Llanderfel. When I discovered this fact through looking at census returns  I realised that the name of their house "Bryn Derfel" was of personal significance.


Offline Ian

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Re: Genealogy - Llandudno early families
« Reply #14 on: November 01, 2010, 10:15:44 am »
Suepp:

Excellent idea, restarting this topic. I've merged it with the other two topics about early families, so that we now have a single topic which relates to all Llandudno, CB and Conwy early families.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.