The Burman Family Coach Builders of Bedford
by Linda Ayres
In the 19th century, coach builders played a crucial role in the production of complete vehicles. They worked closely with artisans such as wheelwrights, blacksmiths, carpenters, harness makers, painters and upholsterers to transform designs into finished products. Coach building involved engineering and artistry skills, in order to make and produce durable vehicles. These included carriages, traps and stagecoaches and were specifically designed to withstand the challenging, uneven roads characteristic of the period.
Joseph Burman was recognised as a prominent coachbuilder in Bedford. He was one of eight children of Joseph Burman Snr (1795–1867) and Ann Gilbert (1796–1872). He was christened on 30th April 1823 at St Mary’s Church in Aylesbury. Joseph Snr and Ann Gilbert married on 20th January 1820 at St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury. The 1861 census records Joseph Snr as a general servant, while Ann lived on New Road in Aylesbury.
At fourteen, Joseph Burman Jnr left school to begin a seven-year apprenticeship with John Knight, a master coachbuilder and wheelwright known for crafting carriages and repairing wheels. John Knight’s workshop was on Bourbon Street in Aylesbury, a market town with family-run shops and prosperous businesses.
Joseph lived with John Knight, his wife, and their five children. As was common for apprentices from modest backgrounds, Joseph stayed with his master to receive training. In return for his labour, the master provided accommodation, meals and clothing.
The 1802 Apprentices Act, also known as the Factory Act, required John Knight to instruct Joseph in reading, writing, and arithmetic during the first four years of his apprenticeship, thus equipping him with essential trade and communication skills. Apprentices were limited to working 12 hours per day, excluding meal breaks. One hour of religious instruction was also mandated every Sunday, along with regular church attendance and preparation for confirmation. (1)
After completing his apprenticeship, Joseph moved to Bedford, where he met Sarah Freshwater, a widow with three children, who later became his wife.
Sarah Freshwater was born in Renhold, Bedfordshire, to Thomas King (1790-1847), a butcher and his wife Edith (1792-1847). She was christened at All Saints Church, Renhold, on 12th September 1813. Both parents were interred in All Saints’ churchyard on 3rd January 1847.
Sarah married her first husband, James Freshwater, on 9th February 1841 at All Saints Church in Renhold. James, born on 1st January 1814, was an accomplished carpenter and the son of William Freshwater (1773–1853) and Sarah Ireland (1778–1859). William and Sarah were married at St. Mary’s Church in Bedford on 20th August 1798.
William worked as a carpenter in Renhold, likely focusing on joinery and furniture-making. William and Sarah lived in a cottage owned by the Polhill family, prominent landowners in Renhold who lived at Howbury Hall. Both William and Sarah Freshwater were interred in All Saints Churchyard in Renhold.
The 1841 census records that James Freshwater operated the Robin Hood Inn at 69 High Street, Bedford, where he and Sarah also lived. James worked as a carpenter, while Sarah oversaw the Inn’s daily operations. In 1870, the Robin Hood Inn was renamed the Cross Keys. (2) In 1842, James and Sarah resided on Gwyn Street in Bedford with their two children, Sarah Elizabeth, who was born in 1842 and Frank Edmund. They were both christened on 26th February 1845 at St. Paul’s Church.
James Freshwater died on 17th December 1846 after a brief three-day illness and was buried at St. Paul’s Churchyard. (3)
Edith Fannie, the youngest daughter, was born after her father’s death in 1847 and christened at St Paul’s Church on 14th May 1847. After finishing school, she trained as a dressmaker. She died at 34 on 30th June 1884 at Thurlow Street, Bedford. She was buried three days later, on 3rd July, at Foster Hill Road Cemetery in Section F2-99.
Sarah Elizabeth Freshwater passed away following a brief illness at her residence on Gwyn Street, Bedford, on 23rd August 1863, at the age of 21. She was buried in Foster Hill Road Cemetery, Section F2-120.
The 1861 census records that Frank Edmund Freshwater was apprenticed to John Noble, a tinsmith and ironmonger. Frank lived with John Noble and his family above their shop on Oxford Street in Wellingborough.
By 1871, Frank Edmund lived at 18 Grange Road in St Pancras, London. The 1881 census shows he worked as a house painter and lived at 4 Queen Street, St Pancras. His household then included Lottie Freshwater, born 19th July 1853, listed as his wife, and their three children: Frank (born 1874), Ernest (born 1878), and Elizabeth (born 1881). Although Lottie was listed as his wife in 1881, records from the next year show Frank Edmund married Charlotte (Lottie) Young on 26 December 1882 in Camden Town, London, confirming that Charlotte and Lottie is the same person.
Frank Edmund Freshwater passed away in St Pancras on 1st April 1883, at the age of 39, and was interred at Islington and St Pancras Cemetery. He is also commemorated on the gravestone of his sister, Edith Fannie Freshwater, at Foster Hill Road Cemetery, Section F2-99.
In 1901, Charlotte Freshwater resided at 14 Ascham Street in St Pancras, London, with her sons Frank, a French polisher, and Ernest, a house decorator. Thirteen years after Frank Edmund’s death, Charlotte had another son, Joseph Freshwater, although the records do not identify his father. By 1911, Charlotte and Joseph lived at 16 Langdon Road, Islington, London, where she was employed as a charwoman. The 1911 census indicates that Charlotte had six children, two of whom had died by that time. In 1939, she was recorded as an unpaid domestic at 74 Leighton Road, Camden, London. Charlotte lived to the age of 87 and died in London. She was buried on 29 March 1940 in Camden.
JOSEPH BURMAN AND SARAH (née KING) FRESHWATER
Joseph and Sarah stayed at 3 Little Grey’s Inn Lane in Camden, London, for 15 days to fulfil the legal requirement of reading the banns before their marriage at Holy Trinity on Grey’s Inn Road on 10th June 1850. After the ceremony, they returned to Bedford.
The 1851 census records Joseph and Sarah at 35 Gwyn Street, Bedford, with three of Sarah’s children. Joseph worked as a coach maker, and at the same address, they operated the “Prince of Wales Beerhouse”.
The Beerhouse Act of 1830 permitted individuals in the United Kingdom to sell beer, encouraging its consumption over spirits such as gin and reducing beer prices. These establishments could sell only beer.
The Act enabled any householder who paid the local poor rate to brew and sell beer, ale, or porter from their residence without requiring a magistrate’s licence. To obtain this permission, individuals paid a single fee of two guineas to the Excise Department. (4)
Selling a Short Measure of Beer
The Weights and Measures Act of 1824 established the imperial pint as the legal standard for liquid measurement in the United Kingdom, replacing a variety of regional and historical units. Under these regulations, selling less than a full pint of beer was a serious offence.
On Monday, 30th May 1859, the Inspector of Weights and Measures attended the Bedford Borough Petty Sessions to report that Joseph and seven other Bedford publicans were accused of selling beer in short measures. While others faced similar charges, Joseph was fined 10 shillings and ordered to pay 7 shillings in costs for using an earthen quart measure that was not properly filled. (5) In 1881, Joseph surrendered his license. (6)
The Prince of Wales Public House at 8 Northampton Road, Bromham, commenced operations in 1956, utilising the license formerly assigned to the Prince of Wales Beerhouse at 35 Gwyn Street. (7)
Joseph Burman sets up his Carriage Building Business
A notice in The Bedford Record on 3rd May 1856 reported that Joseph Burman and James Davey established a coach-building business on Gwyn Street, Bedford, in the former premises of Mr Charles Deane.
James Davey was born in Glasgow in 1814. He was the son of James Davey, a carrier. He married Sarah Ann Stebbing, who was born on 23 September 1817 in Drury Lane, London, and christened a month later at St. Giles in the Fields, Middlesex. Her parents were William, a Coach-Smith, and Ann Stebbing.
James and Sarah Ann were married at St John’s Church, Bedford, on 21 April 1840. At the time of their marriage, they lived at Ampthill Street, Bedford.
The Poor Law Amendment Act 1834
In 1834, Parliament passed the Poor Law Amendment Act. This new law changed how the country helped poor and needy people, replacing the old system from the Poor Law Act of 1601.
The 1834 law combined parishes into larger areas called Unions. Each Union had a board of Guardians who helped the elderly, orphans, the unemployed, and the sick. The Guardians provided money, food, clothing, and jobs. Poor children were placed in apprenticeships or sent to schools or institutions for care and education, giving them better chances in life and helping them become more independent as adults.
People needed to register with the Union in order to receive poor relief. On 21 April 1840, the day after their wedding, James Davey informed the Justice of the Peace in Bedford that his wife, Sarah Ann Davey, lived in the parish of St. John’s, Bedford. By registering, she could ask the parish for help if she needed poor relief.
According to the 1851 census, James Davey worked as a coach body builder, and Sara Ann worked as a cane worker (rattan cane), and they lived with their four children on Ampthill Street in St John’s, Bedford.
James and Sarah Davey had six children; however, two died in infancy. Their son, Charles Davey (1851–1853), was interred at St. Leonard’s and St John’s Churchyard in Bedford. Their daughter, Emily Davey, was born in 1857 and died in 1858. She was buried on 20th May at Foster Hill Road Cemetery in Section G10-21. A few weeks later, on 29th June 1858, Sarah Ann Davey died at age 40 and was buried nearby in Section G10-221. The gravestone of Sarah Ann Davey also commemorates both of her children.
In 1861, Joseph Burman and James Davey ended their partnership. Afterwards, James Davey started a coach building business at 28 Conduit Street in Bedford. (8)
The 1861 census shows that James Davey’s business was prospering, as he was recorded as a coach maker employing two men and two boys. However, on 12th March 1864, the Bedfordshire Mercury reported that James Davey had declared bankruptcy. Soon after, James and his family moved to Stewkley, Buckinghamshire.
According to the 1891 census, James Davey aged 77 and employed as a Coach Builder, resided on High Street in Stewkley, Buckinghamshire, together with his daughter Sophia, aged 49, who worked as a dressmaker.
James Davey died in Stewkley on 27th March 1895 at the age of 81, as reported by the Buckingham Express on 20th April 1895. Subsequently, Sophia died suddenly in January 1907 at the age of 63 and was interred in St Michael and All Angels Churchyard in Stewkley.
In 1867, due to increased trade, Joseph Burman took over the premises at 28 Conduit Street, where James Davey had his coach building business, and continued trading here and in Gwyn Street. (9) By 1881, Joseph’s business had grown steadily and he now employed three men.
In 1883 Joseph liquidated his assets. The first meeting of creditors was held on 8th October at 11:30 a.m. at the Inn of Court Hotel in High Holborn, London. The solicitors overseeing the process were Messrs. Conquest and Clare from Bedford. After liquidation, his company would be removed from the official register and cease to exist as a legal entity. (10)
By 1883, Joseph and Sarah had relocated to 12 Thurlow Street in Bedford, where Sarah passed away on 19th September 1886. Her burial took place on 23rd September at Foster Hill Road Cemetery. Section F2-88
The 1891 Census records Joseph, a Coach Builder, living with his daughter, Ellen. Joseph died at 12 Thurlow Street on 10th March 1907. His burial took place on 14th March at Foster Hill Road Cemetery, Section F2-263. He is commemorated on Sarah’s gravestone.
Probate was granted on 22nd April 1907 to Joseph’s son, Arthur Joseph Burman. Effects – £726, 16 shillings and 8 pennies. In 2026, the value would be £113, 494.97
THE CHILDREN OF JOSEPH AND SARAH BURMAN
Their first child, Ellen Burman, was born in 1851. She sadly died at three months old at Gwyn Street in April 1851. She was buried at Howard Chapel burial ground on Mill Street, Bedford, on 1st May. (11)
Sarah Ann Burman, their second child, was born on January 23, 1852. After leaving school, she trained as a dressmaker. She married Charles Frederick Blakelock at St. Paul’s Church in Bedford on 2nd December 1872.
Charles Blakelock was born in 1846 in Louth, Lincolnshire, and worked as a boot maker. His parents were Ann, a dressmaker, and Thomas Blakelock, a shoemaker. The 1861 census shows Charles, age 15, working as a shoemaker, likely with his father. He lived on Eastgate Street in Louth with his parents and his older brother, Henry, age 17, an apprentice boot and shoemaker. He also became a preacher for the local Baptist Church. The younger sisters were Betsy, age 12, and Alice, age 9.
By 1871, Charles had moved to Bedford and was living as a boarder above a grocer’s shop at 14 Hassett Street. Martha Berridge headed the household. Other residents were her son, William Berridge, and John F. Osborne, a watchmaker.
After their marriage, Sarah and Charles settled in Louth, Lincolnshire, where they had three children: Joseph Ernest (1874), Ellen Amelia (1877), and Herbert Charles (1878). By 1881, the family had relocated to Queen’s Street in Bedford.
Charles was a skilled cornet player and led the Promenade Band in Bedford for several years. The band played at venues such as the Corn Exchange and St. Peter’s Green. He also trained and led the Bedford United Mission Band, equipping its members with four instruments. (12)
Sarah Ann Blakelock died at her home in Queen Street, Bedford, on 27th December 1892, at the age of 40. She was laid to rest on 31st December in Foster Hill Road Cemetery. Section F2-219.
Nearly two years after Sarah Ann’s death, Charles Frederick Blakelock died of Bright’s disease (an historical term for kidney inflammation), at the age of 49 on 3rd November 1894. He was interred on 8th November near his wife, Sarah. Section F2-228.
The Children of Charles and Sarah Ann Blakelock
Joseph Ernest Blakelock, the eldest child in his family, was born in 1873 in Louth, Lincolnshire, and christened on 13th February 1876 at St James Church in Louth. After completing his schooling, he began an apprenticeship with Charles Edward Timaeus, a prominent printer and bookseller located at 90 High Street, Bedford. Upon completion of his apprenticeship, Joseph relocated to Windsor Street in Wolverton, Buckinghamshire, where he worked as a compositor at McCorquodale and Co. McCorquodale and Co. was a major printing company located on Stratford Road in Wolverton, Buckinghamshire. It became the town’s largest employer after the Wolverton railway works. (13)
Joseph married Annie Robinson, a dressmaker, on 25th December 1900 at the Wesleyan Chapel on Harpur Street in Bedford. Annie was born in 1877 and was one of four children of Jane and Robert Robinson. Jane was also a dressmaker, while Robert worked as a railway guard. The Robinson family lived at 30 Costin Street in Bedford. Jane Robinson died on 17th June 1907 at age 68 and was buried in Foster Hill Road Cemetery, Section B3-84. Robert died on 13th January 1915, aged 63, and was buried next to his wife, Jane, in Section B3-95.
After they married, Joseph and Annie lived at 109 Windsor Street in Wolverton. Their only child, Margaret Annie, was born there on 30TH October 1913. Later, the family moved to 14 Windsor Street. Both loved music. Annie taught music, and Joseph took part in music activities with the Wolverton School Parent-Teacher Association.
Joseph died at the age of 41 on 1st October 1915. He is commemorated on his parents’ gravestone at Foster Hill Road Cemetery, (Section F2-228) and was buried at Wolverton Cemetery. A gravestone is erected in Wolverton Cemetery in memory of Joseph.
In 1918, Annie’s sharp business sense shone as she opened a sweet shop at 9 Market Square in Wolverton. Her daughter, Margaret Blakelock, attended York House School in Stony Stratford, where she excelled and became head girl. (14)
In 1930, Margaret started working at Messrs. McCorquodale and Co.’s Printing and Envelope Works in Wolverton. She stayed there until she married Alfred Henry Old on 28th August 1937 at the Wolverton Wesleyan Methodist Church. (15)
Alfred Henry Old was born on 31 August 1913 and lived at 10 Radcliffe Street in Wolverton, Buckinghamshire. He was the youngest of three sons born to John Charles Old (1877-1963) and Alice Jane Busby (1879-1961).
After finishing school, Alfred attended the Wolverton Science and Art Institute and earned a Bachelor of Science degree.
After they married, Margaret and Alfred moved to Kent where their son Geoffrey was born on 19th November 1939. Shortly after, Margaret and Geoffrey stayed with Annie at 9 Market Square in Wolverton.
In 1939, Alfred lived in Chatham, Kent, and worked as an aeronautical stress draughtsman, focusing on strength calculations. He probably used these skills at Short Brothers, a well-known aviation company with a large factory in nearby Rochester.
When the Second World War started in 1939, the British aviation industry expanded quickly to support rearmament. During this period, stress draughtsmen like Alfred played key technical roles.
In 1945, Alfred began teaching at Medway Technical College. Three years later, he moved to Luton College of Technology in Bedfordshire. In 1954, he became head of the mechanical engineering department at East Warwickshire College of Education and retired in April 1976.
Annie sold her sweet shop and moved in with her daughter and son-in-law at 3 Cawston Way in Bilton, Rugby, Warwickshire. She lived with them until she passed away at St. Luke’s Hospital in Rugby on 26 December 1962, at the age of 85. (Source Rugby Advertiser 9th March 1962.)
Alfred Henry Old died at the age of 82 in March 1996 in Rugby, Warwickshire. Margaret Annie Old died on 8 August 1993 at Fawsley Leys in Rugby, Warwickshire.
Ellen Amelia Blakelock was born in 1877 in Louth, Lincolnshire, and christened on 10th June 1877. She was the second child of Charles and Sarah. By 1901, she worked as a cook for Henry Cookson and his family, who lived on Rawlinson Road in Oxford.
In 1939, Ellen lived with her brother Herbert at 42 Thornton Street, Kempston, and worked as his housekeeper. She died at age 85 on 17th November 1962 at North Wing Hospital in Bedford and was buried at Kempston Cemetery.
Herbert Charles Blakelock was born on 8th June 1878 in Louth, Lincolnshire, and was the third child of Charles and Sarah. He attended Harpur Trust Boys’ Elementary School from 18th June 1886 to 30th August 1892. After finishing school, he trained as a compositor. By 1901, he was living as a boarder at 9 North Town Cottages in Maidenhead, Berkshire.
He later moved back to Bedford and married Elizabeth Mary Johnson on 26th December 1909 at the parish church in Kempston. (16)
By 1921, Herbert and Elizabeth were living at 42 Thornton Street, Kempston, with their three children: Ellen Ann, Frederick George, and Winifred May. Herbert worked as a crane fitter at Bedford Engineering Co., which made steam cranes on Houghton Road, Bedford.
Elizabeth died on 31st August 1925 at their home at 42 Thornton Street after a long illness. (17)
The 1939 register shows that Herbert worked as an engineer and lived with his unmarried sister Ellen. His 23-year-old married daughter, Winifred M Thomson, also lived with them and worked as a confectionery experiment assistant at Meltis Ltd on Miller Road, Bedford, a sweet factory known for making New Berry Fruits.
Herbert joined the Bedford and District Provincial Grand Lodge of the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes in 1918. By 1968, at age 90, he was the organisation’s oldest member. To celebrate, the Buffaloes held a special event for him at the George and Dragon on Mill Street, Bedford. (18) Herbert died in 1970 and was buried in Kempston Cemetery on Green End Road, Kempston.
Arthur Joseph Burman was born in Bedford on 25th June 1856. He was the fourth child and the only son of Joseph and Sarah Burman. After finishing school, Arthur worked as a coach painter alongside his father.
Arthur married Sarah Harlow on 8th May 1878, at Holy Trinity Church in Bedford. Sarah was born in 1855 in Salph End, Renhold, Bedfordshire, to John Harlow, an agricultural labourer, and Jane née Goodliffe, a lace maker. John and Jane married on 16th September 1850 at All Saints’ Church in Renhold.
The family lived in a cottage with a garden that belonged to Captain Frederick Charles Polhill Turner (1826-1881), the landowner at Howbury Hall in Renhold. The Howbury Estate included several farms and smallholdings in the area. (19)
Most farmworkers on the Howbury Estate, including John, lived in tied cottages. These homes were simple and often had low or no rent, since housing was part of their pay. When their jobs ended, they had to leave the cottage. (20)
In 1881, Arthur and Sarah lived at 79 Greyfriars Walk, where Arthur worked as a coach painter. By 1891, they had moved to 31 Hassett Street and later to Cavendish Street in Bedford. By 1903, Arthur and his son Sidney John Burman ran their coach building business, Burman and Son, at 12 Thurlow Street. Arthur owned the property, including the house and outbuildings. (21)
Arthur Burman’s Gallant Rescue of a Drowning Child
On 15th May 1911, four-year-old Daniel Richardson from 2 Tavistock Place in Bedford fell into the river while playing near the old bridge. Arthur, who was on the bridge, heard Daniel scream, ran to the water, jumped in, and saved him. Afterwards, Daniel was taken to Freeman Hardy and Willis’s shoe shop at 28 High Street, where he was wrapped in a blanket and cared for before being taken home to recover. (22)
By 1918, Arthur had relocated to 129 George Street, Bedford. By the early 1920s, as the coach-building industry declined due to the mass production of motor cars, Arthur could no longer compete in this new market. The 1921 census shows that after leaving coach building, he became a painter and doper at Royal Airship Cardington, Bedfordshire, where he worked directly on airships.
At Royal Airship Cardington, Arthur applied a special lacquer called dope to the airship envelope. Made from cellulose nitrate and cellulose acetate, this coating provided an airtight and gas-tight seal. As it dried, the fabric tightened, ensuring a secure fit.
R101 Disaster
The crash of His Majesty’s Airship R101 likely had a significant impact on Arthur. On 4 October 1930 at 7:36 p.m., the R101 left Cardington with 48 crew members and six passengers. Among them was the Secretary of State for Air, Lord Christopher Birdwood Thompson, First Baron of Cardington, C.B.E., D.S.O.
Early the next morning, R101 faced strong headwinds and heavy rain. The airship lost altitude, crashed, and caught fire on a hillside near Allonne, Beauvais, in northern France. Only six survived. The victims were returned to London and lay in state at Westminster Hall. (23)
Arthur J Burman Tragic Accident
On 11th February 1941, 84-year-old Arthur Burman was hit by a van while crossing the road outside the Fox and Hounds pub on Goldington Road. He hesitated when he saw the approaching vehicle.
At the inquest led by Coroner Reginald George Rose, Dr J. M. Stuart reported that Mr Burman was admitted to the hospital on 17th February with a fractured leg. He did not recover from the shock of the accident and died in hospital on 9th March from heart failure.
Leonard Arthur Burman, his son, noted that his father was a retired coach painter who was blind in his right eye but had good hearing.
Van driver Lesley William Harriss, from 157 Castle Road, stated that it was a foggy morning. He saw Mr Burman crossing the road. When Mr Burman hesitated in the middle and returned to the footpath, Harriss applied the brakes and stopped close to him. He believed his vehicle may have brushed against Mr Burman.
P.C. Lesley G. Groom of Bedford Borough Police interviewed Mr Burman after the accident. Mr Burman said he looked both ways before crossing, but visibility was limited to 4 yards. The van struck his right leg, causing him to fall.
The coroner determined that the verdict was accidental death. (24)
Arthur died on 13th March 1941, and was buried at FHR Section C6-71. Sarah Harlow Burman died in December 1941 and was laid to rest in the same grave as Arthur, Section C6-71.
Children of Sarah and Arthur Burman
Florence Jane Burman was born on 13th January 1879 at 79 Greyfriars Walk in Bedford. On 11th February 1884, Florence started at Ampthill Road Infants School. At age 11, she began attending Midland Road Girls’ School. In 1890, she won a class prize. (25)
Class prizes were given for good behaviour, regular attendance, and strong academic performance. Winners often received books. When she was 21, Florence worked as a dressmaker and lived with her family at 30 Cavendish Street.
Florence married William Henry Brown in Bedford in 1913. William was born on 21st December 1886 in Dartford, Kent. He worked as a wagoner before moving to Kempston in 1908, where he became an engineer at Elstow School, also called the County School or the Middle Class College.
After they married, Florence and William lived at 130 Ampthill Road in Bedford. When World War I started, William joined the East Anglian Royal Engineers and served for four years in Gallipoli, Egypt, Syria, and Palestine. After the war, he worked as a maintenance engineer at Cosmic Crayon.
Cosmic Crayon Ltd was established on the former site of Elstow School. The school closed on 4th April 1916, due to World War I. Its facilities were converted into a military college, causing a decline in student enrolment. Reverend Charles Frederick Farrar, who became Headmaster in 1898, later assumed ownership. (26) In 1920, the Rev. Charles Farrar sold the buildings to the Cosmic Crayon Company Ltd. (27)
William was a prominent member of Bedford’s sports community. He played for the Eagles cricket team and continued playing throughout his later years.
William was ill for two months before passing away aged 56 in September 1943 at his home, 130 Ampthill Road, Bedford. He was interred at Foster Hill Road Cemetery, Section G7.222. (28)
Florence passed away at age 85 on 19 July 1964. She and William had no children. She was cremated at Foster Hill Road Cemetery, and her remains were interred in William’s grave, G7-222.
Rose Ethel Burman, born in 1881, was the second child of Arthur and Sarah. Sadly, she died aged 10 years on 28th November 1891, at her home at Hassett Street. Her burial took place on 2nd December 1891 at Foster Hill Road Cemetery, Section C6-71.
Leonard Arthur Burman was born on 6th February 1883, the eldest son and third child of Arthur and Sarah. School records show he began attending Ampthill Road School in 1886. The 1911 census records Leonard living with his family at 30 Cavendish Street, Bedford, likely working for his father as a carpenter.
Leonard married Gertrude Beeby in 1907 at Keysoe Church, Bedfordshire. Gertrude was born on 2nd April 1884 and raised in Keysoe Row, Keysoe, Bedfordshire. She was the daughter of Thomas Beeby, an agricultural labourer, and Mary Hannah née Ruff, caretaker of the Keysoe Row Baptist Chapel.
At age 17, Gertrude worked as a servant for James B. Taylor, a pharmaceutical chemist, and his family at 31 Goldington Avenue, Bedford.
The 1911 census lists Leonard and Gertrude residing at 7 Pembroke Street, Bedford, with Leonard employed as a joiner in the motor industry. By 1921, he worked at Royal Airship Cardington as a foreman and airship erector. Records indicate they had four children: Reginald (born 1909), Sidney A. (born 1911), Marjorie (born 1916), and Joan (born 1921).
Gertrude died on 9th April 1971. She was cremated at Foster Hill Road Cemetery on 15th April, and her ashes were scattered in the Garden of Remembrance.
Leonard died on 30th July 1971. He was cremated at Foster Hill Road Cemetery on 4th August, and his ashes were scattered in the Garden of Remembrance.
Edith Sarah Burman was born on 30th May 1884 as the third daughter and fourth child of Arthur and Sarah Burman. Edith started at Ampthill Road Infants School on 4th September 1888. On leaving school, Edith trained as a dressmaker.
Edith married Thomas Jesse Gardner on 19th April 1908 in Bedford. Thomas was born on 23rd August 1886 in Kempston, the son of Jesse Gardener and Caroline Miller. His father, Jesse, was a well-known coachman who drove the High Sheriff’s carriage at official events.
When he was aged 14, Thomas worked as a page boy in domestic service. The family lived on Clapham Road at that time. The 1891 census shows Thomas living with his parents and younger brother, William, on High Street in Kempston.
Thomas served as a Private in the Royal Army Service Corps (R.A.S.C.) during World War I and received the Victory Medal and the British War Medal. In 1939, records show he worked as an Air Raid Precautions (ARP) Warden and ambulance driver, though his main job was an ironmonger.
Thomas died at his home, 46 Pembroke Street, at age 76 on 11th November 1962. He was cremated on 15th November. Edith Sarah died at age 90 on 3rd August 1974, and her cremation took place at Foster Hill Road Cemetery. Their remains were scattered over the grave of Edith’s older sister, Rose Ethel Burman, in Section C6-71.
Sidney Joseph Burman was born on 11th November 1888. He was the second son and the fifth child of Arthur and Sarah. In 1911, Sidney lived with his parents and two sisters, Florence and Daisy, on Thurlow Street. He worked for his father as a coach painter.
Sidney served in World War I as a Sapper with the 483rd East Anglian Field Company of the Royal Engineers. This unit belonged to the Territorial Force and was based at Ashburnham Road, Bedford. His company served on the Western Front.
Sidney married Mabel Alice Smith in Luton in 1918. Mabel was born on 7th June 1893 and was one of ten children of Annie Elizabeth and Frederick William Smith. Her father worked from home as a self-employed tailor. Before marriage, Mabel worked as a machinist in the hat industry. In 1911, her family lived at 143 Wellington Street in Luton.
Luton was once the centre of the UK hat industry. In the 1930s, the town produced over 70 million straw and felt hats each year, employing more than 10,000 people. The industry began in the 17th century with cottage straw-plaiting and focused on women’s fashion. It became central to the town’s identity and inspired the local football team’s nickname, ‘The Hatters’.
In 1921, Sidney and Mabel lived at 113 George Street in Bedford with their son Jack, who was born on 31st October 1919. Sidney worked as an airship erector at the Cardington airship works.
By 1926, Sidney, Mabel, and Jack had moved to 20 Russell Rise in Luton. In 1939, Sidney was working as a coach painter and living at the same address. Mabel continued to work as a machinist in the hat industry.
Sidney died on 14th June 1974, and Mabel died in 1977 in Luton.
Daisy Ada Burman was born on 29th November 1891, the youngest child of Arthur and Jane Burman. At age eight, Daisy did well in her studies as a pupil at Clapham Road Mixed Infants School and won a special school prize in 1898 at the annual Elementary Schools of Bedford presentations.
From 14th October 1901 until 29th September 1905, Daisy was a pupil at Clapham Road Mixed School. The school was initially part of the Harpur Trust and transferred to the Bedford School Board in 1902. (29)
Alderman Richards in the Bedfordshire Mercury 21st October 1898, pointed out the
important work being done at Clapham Road school, which was the only infant school in the northern part of town. At that time, Alice Mary Ann Chesher was the Headmistress. (30)
Alice Mary Ann Chesher was born in 1863 in Hexham, Northumberland. She was christened on 20th December 1863 at Saint John Lee Parish Church in Hexham. Mary was one of five children of Maryann and William Chesher. William worked as a gardener, and by 1871, the family lived at Little Mill in Northumberland.
In 1891, at 27, Alice worked as a schoolmistress and lived in Derbyshire. The Governors of the Harpur Trust later appointed her as headmistress, and she opened Clapham Road School, Bedford, on 16th January 1894. She stayed with the Trust for nine years until the school was handed over to the Local Authority. Alice retired in December 1923. (31)
Alice died at the age of 85 at 66 The Grove, Bedford, on 2nd May 1949. She was laid to rest at Foster Hill Road, Section S-163.
After finishing school, Daisy worked as a milliner. She married Frederick Alex Clarke on 3rd April 1915 at the Parish Church in Lancing, Sussex. At the time, Frederick had served as a driver in the Army Service Corps since 1914.
Frederick Alex Clarke was born on 27th September 1892 in Coalville, Leicestershire. He was one of three children of Liberty Clark, a colliery clerk, and Mary Anne. In 1901, the family lived at Ivydown Villas on Belvoir Road in Coalville. At eighteen, Frederick was a surveyor’s clerk.
By 1921, Frederick, his wife Daisy, and their two-year-old daughter Joyce Peggy, lived on Leicester Road in Loughborough. Frederick worked as a civil service clerk.
According to the 1939 register, Frederick, Daisy and Joyce lived at 44 Pembroke Street in Bedford. Frederick had retired from the civil service, and Joyce worked as a shorthand typist.
Frederick died aged 47 on 30th November 1939 and was buried in section C6, 71, at Foster Hill Road Cemetery. Daisy Ada Clarke, who died on 28th March 1989, was later buried with Frederick.
Joyce Peggy Clarke was born on 10th October 1919 in Coalville, Leicestershire. She was the only child of Frederick Alex Clarke and Daisy Ada (nee Burman).
On 1st July 1943, Joyce married Sergeant Charles Clayton Eairleywine in Bedford. At the time, Charles was stationed in Thurleigh, Bedfordshire. He served with the United States Eighth Air Force from 21st October 1941 to 9th October 1945. Charles was born on 30th April 1920 in Cody, Cherry, Nebraska.
He was one of four children of Charles Clayton Eairleywine (1883–1948) and Ethel Lillian Morton (1900–1956).
Joyce and Charles’ first child, Judith Sharron, was born on 16th June 1944 at Rena Nursing Home Ltd., 24 & 26 De Parys Avenue, Bedford. Their second child, Diane Rae, was born on 21st December 1945.
On 30th March 1946, Joyce left England with her two children on the ship Queen Mary. They arrived at her husband’s home in Nickerson, Nebraska. She was the first G.I. bride to arrive in Nickerson. (32)
The 1950 United States census shows that Charles worked as a garage mechanic. He later joined Hormel Foods Inc. in Fremont, and then worked for the former Campbell Soup Company in Fremont, retiring as a supervisor in 1983. Joyce worked at the Fremont Medical Centre until she retired.
Charles died on 27th May 1996. He was buried at Ridge Cemetery in Fremont, Dodge County, Nebraska, in Block 258, Lot 4.
Joyce died on 6th November 2005 in Freemont, Dodge County, Nebraska. After cremation, her remains were taken to Bedford and interred in her parents’ grave at Foster Hill Road Cemetery, Section C6-71. (33)
Research by Linda S Ayres
Photography by Colin Woolf.
I am deeply grateful to Colin Woolf for his invaluable help in locating the grave references and carefully restoring the gravestones.
Sources:
1 The Factory System. By R.W. Cooke-Taylor (1899-1849)
2 The Bedfordshire Archives
3 The Bedford Mercury, 19th December 1846
4 The National Archives Victuallers and Alehouse Keepers 1716=1804
5 The Mercury, 30th May 1859.
6 The Bedfordshire Times and Independent, 20th August 1881. Pg 6
7 The Bedfordshire & Luton Archives & Records Service.
8 The Bedford Mercury, 9th February 1861
9 The Bedfordshire Times and Bedfordshire Independent, 1st October 1867
10 The Bucks Herald 29th September 1883
11 The Bedfordshire Times and Independent, 5th May 1851.
12 The Bedfordshire Mercury, 15th December 1894).
13 A Living History of Milton Keynes.
14 The Bucks Standard, 27th July 1929.
15 The Wolverton Express, 3rd September 1937).
16 The Bedfordshire Mercury, 1st January 1909
17 The Bedfordshire Times, September 1925.
18 Times Past: Bedfordshire Times and Independent, 16th July 1993.
19 The Bedfordshire Archives.
20 Renhold 1864-1866 Valuation Records.
21 Bedfordshire Times and Independent. 21st August 1903.
22 The Bedford County Record 16th May 1911
23 The Nottingham Evening Post, 9th October 1930
24 The Bedfordshire. Times and Standard, 14th March 1941, Elderly Pedestrians’
Death Inquest.
25 The Bedfordshire Mercury 8th November 1890
26 The Bedfordshire Times and Independent. 10th March 1916.
27 The Bedfordshire Times and Independent 24th December 1920
28 The Bedford Record, 7th September 1943).
29 The National Admission Records and Logbooks.
30 The Bedfordshire Mercury 21st October 1898
31 The Bedfordshire Times, 28th December 1893.
32 The Bedfordshire Times and Standard, 26th April 1946,
33 The Fremont Tribune
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