Hancock Family	Williams Family	Adams Family
Lees Family	Jane Maria Clouson	Military

     

The Hancock Family of Deptford, Kent
The earliest member of our branch of the Hancock family currently I have found is James Hancock. He was born Jacques Hancock (French for James) circa 1787 on the island of Jersey. His parents were James Hancock and Elizabeth Davau. Elizabeth originated from Lorraine, France, not far from where Joan of Arc came from. I believe that James Hancock was a member of the British Army, either from the 94th, 47th or 70th Foot Regiment.

At some point Jacques moved to the mainland and started calling himself James (probably due to the Napoleonic War as a French name wouldn’t go down too well). In 1815 he married Sarah Parkins in Chiswick, Middlesex.

James was a mariner and lighterman on the Thames. Sarah was a cook. They had 9 children in total. In 1824 they moved to Deptford, which was then in the county of Kent.

Their youngest daughter Jane married a man called Robert Clouson and they had a number of children. One of the children, Jane Maria, was brutally murdered, in a manner similar to that of Jack the Ripper. It was headline news worldwide in 1871. (see Jane Maria Clouson)

James and Sarah also had a son called Thomas, born in 1827 in Deptford. He too was a mariner. He married Sarah Ruff in 1857 in Rotherhithe. Thomas and Sarah had 8 children.

Sarah Hancock, their daughter, born 1857, was a Nurse Maid. She married John Lees, a painter from Lancashire*.

Their son Thomas Hancock also married a Sarah had a son called Thomas James, born in 1861. He, like his father and grandfather was a mariner. In 1881 he married Ann Andrews, a local girl from across the river. Ann was a dressmaker, whose family came from the east end of London.

By 1891, all 13 of the Hancock and Andrews families were all living in the same house, 23 Czar Street, Deptford.

Thomas and Ann had 13 children.

One of them was Christopher Henry Hancock, born 1895 in Deptford. In 1914, Christopher married Eleanor Lees in Poplar**. They had 2 children. Shortly after they were married war broke out. Christopher was initially assigned to a cavalry unit but was then transferred to the 22nd Battalion, the London Regiment (The Queens Own). He was killed in action on November 7th 1918, 4 days before the armistice.

Thomas Gilbert Hancock was born in March 1917, in Poplar. He was originally a carpenter by trade, but joined the Royal Marines, where he stayed until 1959.

In September 1939 he married Gwendoline May Williams of Plymouth, Devon. They had 4 children. Glenda, Thomas, William and John.

John is my father.

The Lees Family of Wigan, Lancashire

John Lees was a Cotton Power Loom Weaver born in 1795 in Lancashire. He was married to Elizabeth Cooper, a Cotton Winder also from Lancashire. They had 4 children.

John and Elizabeth had a son called James, born in 1828. He, like his father was a Cotton Power Loom Weaver.

In 1855 he married Frances Lonsdale, also from Lancashire. She was a Cotton Weaver. They had 7 children.

One of the boys, John Lees, a painter, moved to London. In 1875 he married Sarah Hancock*. He is found in the 1881 census as a convict inmate in Carisbrooke Prison on the Isle of Wight. Crime unknown at present.

John and Sarah had 5 children, one of whom was Eleanor Lees. At some point in the late 1890’s John passed away and Sarah passed away a year later. The children were sent to various places, with Eleanor and her older sister Lillian being sent to the Kirkdale Industrial School near Liverpool. It was not a nice place to be. It was very similar to a workhouse, with the aim of teaching children the hard way. It was a girls only school and the girls were taught housekeeping, sewing and a trade of some sort. Eleanor was taught dressmaking.

In 1914, Eleanor, who had moved to London, married Christopher Henry Hancock in Poplar**.

Eleanor's' mother was originally a Hancock which made Eleanor and Christopher, her husband, first cousins.

The Williams Family of Stoke Damerel, Devon

William Williams was born in 1788 in Plymstock, Devon. He was a boot and shoe maker. In 1818 he married Hannah Maer, from Stoke Damerel. They had two children, Edwin and William Jr.

William Jr. was born in 1819 in Stoke Damerel. He was an Engine Driver. In 1839 he married Catherine Coombs from Eggbuckland, Devon. They had 5 children.

Their oldest son, John Williams, was born in 1847. He joined the Royal Navy and became a coastguard. In 1869 he married Caroline Lidstone, from an old Devon family. They moved to Ballycastle, County Mayo, Ireland, where John was stationed. Whilst stationed at various places around Ireland, they had 6 children. Upon retirement in 1902 they moved back to Devonport (Stoke Damerel).

One of their children, George Henry Williams, also joined the Royal Navy. He was born in 1877 and enlisted in 1895. He trained as a signalman and was stationed at HMS Vivid at the exact same time as Lewis Adams† (see below). George worked his way up to Chief of Signals on various ships. He retired in 1919 and went to work for Trinity House on the Plymouth Breakwater and Eddystone Lighthouses.

In 1896 George married Mary Edith Adams, a mangler from Pembrokeshire, Wales. They had 9 children, including Gwendoline May Williams who went on to marry Thomas Gilbert Hancock (my granddad).

The Adams Family of Pembrokeshire, Wales

Richard Adams was a rope maker for the Royal Navy. He was born in 1791 in Milford Haven, Wales. Around 1812 he married Hannah who was born in St. Brides, Pembrokeshire in 1790. They had 6 children.

James Adams was born to them in 1819. He decided to follow in his fathers footsteps and joined the Royal Navy. He trained to become a Shipwright. In 1855 he married Martha John, from St. Ishmaels, Pembrokeshire. They had 4 children.

James and Martha’s oldest child, Lewis Adams, was born in 1856. He too decided to join the Royal Navy and train as a Shipwright.

In 1879 Lewis married Sarah Jane James, a mangler from Milford Haven. They had 5 children, including Mary Edith born in 1880 in Milford Haven.

†In 1895 he was stationed on board HMS Vivid with George Henry Williams, a Yeoman Signaller. George would marry Lewis’ daughter Mary Edith.

Whilst on board HMS Astraea, in port at Malta, Lewis suffered a major coronary and died. His final resting place is Kalkarra Naval cemetery, Malta.

George and Mary Edith married 9 months after he passed away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jane Maria Clouson

Jane Maria Clouson was my First Cousin 4x removed. Her mother Jane Hancock, was my 3rd Great-Grand Aunt. Jane Hancock's father was James Hancock, my 4th Great-Grandfather.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jane Hancock married James Robert Clouson. They had 4 children, Sarah, Jane, Charles and Maria.

Now you might say "who is Jane?"

At first, that's exactly what I said, but then I found out some information that made her infamous in the late 1800's and well into the 1900's in South-East London and in Victorian crime history circles.

So, who was Jane Maria Clouson. What follows is a piece that I wrote for the Friends of Brockley Cemetery.

THE ELTHAM MURDER, APRIL 1871

Jane Maria Clouson, daughter of James and Jane Clouson (formerly Hancock) was born in April 1854 in Deptford. She had one older sister called Sarah who died of consumption in 1863, a younger brother called Charles who died aged 1, and one younger sister called Maria. Jane’s mother died when she was 13.

At the age of 14, Jane began working as a servant/maid for Ebenezer Pook, who owned a printing business with connections to The Times of London. Pook had a number of children, one being only 3 years older than Jane. His name was Edmund Walter Pook. He said that he suffered from ‘fits’ and could not be left alone. He also claimed to be a music hall entertainer. Pook used to carry a metal whistle around to "summon" any passing girl he had an interest in.

At some point in January 1871 Edmund began having a secret affair with Jane.

Early in April, Jane was dismissed from the service of the Pook family, for reasons of being lazy and generally unpleasant. This would have been a shock to anyone who knew Jane because she had a reputation for being quite the opposite.

Jane was dismissed from service because Edmunds parents had found out about the affair, and, as one of Ebenezer’s other children had already ‘married below his station’ it would not have been fitting for another child to be seen in the same position.

Jane had gone to live with her Aunt Elizabeth Trott (formerly Hancock) and her daughter Charlotte.

Letters were sent back and forth between Jane and Edmund. In one of these letters Jane told Edmund she was pregnant with his child. Unfortunately, neither Jane nor Edmund kept the letters.

Edmund arranged to meet Jane near Blackheath. Jane had conversations with her Aunt and Cousin in which she said that Edmund was going to whisk her away and make an honest woman of her.

On April 25th 1871 Jane was discovered by a policeman, on Kidbrooke Lane, near-death; having been severely beaten. Her purse, complete with money was found nearby, as was a metal whistle.

She managed to say the words “Oh let me die” before passing out. She was rushed to Guy’s Hospital but never regained consciousness.

Jane died on April 30th, two days after her 17th birthday.

A hammer was found, covered in blood in the grounds of Morden College, about 1 mile from where Jane was found, and the shop that sold the hammer was quickly discovered with the shop owner identifying Pook as the man who had purchased it.

A man matching Pook’s description was seen fleeing Kidbrooke Lane. Police interviewed Edmund, who simply stated he was somewhere else and offered the Police the name of a person but the Police declined his offer. He then stated he wasn’t with anyone else, but he was running home, alone, because he felt a fit coming on. When asked about the clothing he wore on the night, it matched the description. The blood on the clothes was ruled out as being from biting his tongue during the fit. It did seem like a lot of blood for a tongue bite. When asked about the location of his whistle he made an excuse for its loss.

The case went to coroner’s trial first, and Edmund was found guilty of the wilful murder of Jane. This was then rushed through to the Central Criminal Court at The Old Bailey.

What followed was a farce. First, the judge ordered that Jane’s last words to her cousin, in which she identified Pook as the man she was meeting, were inadmissible as they were hearsay. Secondly, the judge chastised the police, saying that they were after a quick arrest and hounded Pook with no real evidence.

Pook was found not guilty.

Public unrest followed. It was obvious to most people at the time that social class was what helped Pook get off.

A pamphlet was written which identified Pook as the killer. Edmund hired one Henry Pook, apparently no relation to him, to prosecute for slander.

This was a bad move on Edmund’s part because during the civil trial he had no choice but to answer questions that in the criminal trial were not allowed. Everything pointed to him being the murderer. Nevertheless Pook was awarded £50 in damages.

A committee was formed; part of their role was to raise the money to pay Edmund Pook the £50.

The funeral was a huge event. The road between Elizabeth Trott’s house in Deptford and the cemetery was lined with thousands of people. So many, that the police came out in force to control the crowds. Jane’s body was transferred by horse-drawn carriage. Many people threw flowers onto the carriage and in the path of the horses.

Unusually, the pall bearers were all woman dressed in maids uniforms. Jane was laid to rest on a plot of land not far from the place where her mother and older sister lie. This land was given by the local council.

The committee formed to raise the money for damages also raised money to have a statue erected on her grave in Janes memory.

The murder also gets a mention in books about Jack the Ripper and the Whitechapel Murders and a ballad was written with an excerpt below.

Good people all pray give attention,
And listen to a dreadful tale,
For this shocking cruel murder,
Far and wide we must bewail.

Maria Clouson lived as servant
With Mr Pook, in Greenwich town,
And there her beauty captivated,
And did beguile her master's son.

She wanted to marry him but,
He took a hammer to her.
Good people all, with tender feelings
Will mourn the Eltham tragedy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Military

Thomas Gilbert Hancock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Grandad, Thomas G Hancock (far right) was a Royal Marine and very proud to be so. He would quickly correct anyone who called him a Marine, he would remind them he was a ROYAL Marine...........my memories of him as a child consist mainly of a few things. Frequent trips to the Imperial War Museum, his cooking (especially his Yorkshire Pudding) and the runner beans he grew in his garden.

He never spoke to me (or anyone else from what I can gather) about his service/war record. Sadly he passed away in February 2001. Since then I have been researching his record. Here is what I have so far......In October 1953, he joined Commando School and served as part of the above elite units in places such as Malta, Suez (The Suez Crisis) and Cyprus.

He also trained as a chef, which is probably why he made such a good Yorkshire Pudding!

He was also awarded the following medals:

1939/45 Star, Atlantic Star, Africa Star, Burma Star, Defence Medal, War Medal, Navy Good Conduct with Cyprus and Near East Clasps
Long Service Medal

 

George Henry Williams

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Great-Grandfather, George Henry Williams (centre) served in The Royal Navy during The Great War.

Originally born in County Mayo, Ireland, he joined the Royal Navy at Devonport, Plymouth. He served as a Trainee Signalman on a number of ships, working his way up from Trainee to Lead Signalman, Chief Signalman and finally Chief Petty Officer.

Whist stationed onboard HMS Vivid at Devonport, he would have met Lewis Adams, from Pembroke Dock in Wales, who was a Shipwright/Carpenter in The Royal Navy as they were both stationed there at the same time. Lewis Adams' daughter Edith would eventually marry George in 1898.

After leaving the Royal Navy George worked for Trinity House, the Lighthouse Service. He worked as the Lighthouse Keeper on the Plymouth Breakwater Lighthouse and the famous Eddystone Lighthouse, 14 miles off the coast of Plymouth.

Relatives have told me how my Gran and her sisters/nieces/nephews would be taken out by boat to the lighthouse for quick visits as George would spend up to three months at a time on the lighthouse. When George served on the Plymouth Breakwater lighthouse, his family would actually enjoy a picnic with him on the breakwater.

George eventually retired and became a bit of a handyman. He passed away from natural causes in 1934. He is buried in an unmarked grave in Weston Mill Cemetery, Plymouth.

 

Christopher Henry Hancock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Great-Grandfather, Christopher Henry Hancock served in The British Army during the Great War.

He was a member of the 22nd Battalion The London Regiment (The Queens) and until recently I knew very little about him and his war record.

A copy of his certificate from the CWGC is below.

 

I undertook some research on him at the National Archives and found the following medal cards.

 

This first card, shows my Great-Grandad being awarded The Military Medal (awarded for acts of bravery; source: www.firstworldwar.com) and I have researched this and that it was awarded to him on 25th October 1918. Notification was sent to his CO in September 1918 which means that whatever he did to deserve the award happened in the months beforehand.

This second card shows him being awarded The Victory Medal and The British Medal. Both awarded posthumously.

After speaking with a military expert at "Who Do You Think You Are Live!" I have found out that my Great-Grandfather was originally in the cavalry. He was Private C H Hancock, 36709 Hussars of the Line.

At some point in August 1918 he was transferred to 47th London Division, 22nd Battalion The Queens Own. He would have been present at the liberation of Lille.

After the battle of Lille the 47th London began to make their way to Tournai. The road between Lille and Tournai was deadly, with no cover and open warfare taking place all along the way. My Great-Grandfather would have been awarded the Military Medal for something that he did during this time.

Upon reaching Tournai, a German stronghold, the 47th London attacked from the north, taking the German forces by surprise and wiping them out. The liberation of Tournai was complete.

Cpl Christopher Henry Hancock G/69778 MM. was killed in the battle.

 

The war diaries for his battalion are only available for the last 3 months of the war. The rest were destroyed. The diaries show that he was presented the medal on 25th October 1918 and he was killed in action on 7th November  4 days before the end of the war....the last soldier to be killed in his battalion before peace was declared on November 11th.

The 47th London Division, 22nd Battalion The Queens Own, left Tournai in February 1919.

 

Thomas James Hancock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thomas James Hancock was the brother of my Great-Grandfather Christopher Henry Hancock, making him my 2nd Great-Uncle.

He served in the British Army during World War One, in the Royal Garrison Artillery, 301st Heavy Siege Battery.

Gunner Hancock was unfortunately killed during the Battle of Zonnebeke Church, one of the many campaigns of the 3rd Battle of Ypres/Passchendaele.
 

Lewis Adams

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lewis Adams was my 2nd Great-Grandfather. His daughter, Edith married George Williams whom he probably met whilst in the Navy.

Lewis, originally from Milford Haven in Wales was a shipwright in the Royal Navy, serving first on wooden sailing ships then the first steam ships.

Lewis is a bit of an mystery. I know from his death certificate that he died in 1896. The Marine Death Index (below) for his vessel the HMS Astreae (below) states that he died of Heart Failure whilst stationed in Malta (which is a strange coincidence as my family have many links with the island).

The mystery is...where is he buried? I've been told that he would not have been buried at sea whilst the ship was in port and would have been interred in a naval cemetery in Malta. The problem is no one in authority can tell me where! I'll have to keep looking!
 

Mystery Solved! Lewis is buried in a mass grave that was transferred from Bighi Naval Cemetery to Kalkarra Naval cemetery, Malta. Unfortunately, the memorial book mentioned on the gravestone below has gone missing....

John Thomas Williams

John Thomas Williams was born in Stoke Damerel, Devon and joined the Royal Navy at an early age.

He was assigned to the coastguard section and spent many years with his wife Caroline Williams (nee' Lidstone) at various Coastguard Stations around the coast of Ireland.
 

Whilst in Ireland they had a number of children including George Henry Williams, my Great-Grandfather.

John and Caroline eventually moved back to Devonport, Plymouth.