Mary Ann Waters

LIFE GOES ON: AN INTRODUCTION

MY GRANDPARENTS - I - MY GREAT-GRANDPARENTS - I - MY GREAT-GREAT-GRANDPARENTS - I - MY GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GRANDPARENTS

THE SIXTEEN FAMILIES

KNOTT - I - BOWLES - I - WATERS - I - HARRALL - I - PAGE - I - WISEMAN - I - CROSS - I - CARTER

CORNWELL - I - HUCKLE - I - MORTLOCK - I - MANSFIELD - I - REYNOLDS - I - CARTER - I - ANABLE - I - STEARN

CHRONOLOGY - I - DRAMATIS PERSONAE - I - WHERE PEOPLE CAME FROM - I - CALENDAR

MAP OF ELY - I - MAP OF MEDWAY
MAP OF CAMBRIDGE AND DISTRICT

THE WORKHOUSE

WORLD WAR I - I - WORLD WAR II

simonknott.co.uk I home I e-mail

LIFE GOES ON

Mary Anne Waters
born Llanferres, Denbighshire, Wales, 11th August 1872
died Rochester, Kent, 15th April 1952

on the Knott family tree
part of the Waters and Harrall family stories

married to William Knott

mother of Vincent Helgia Knott

daughter of
George Waters
and Mary Ann Harrall

Mary Ann Waters (1872-1952). My Father's Father's Mother. My Great-Grandmother.

Mary Ann was born in the village of Llanferres in Denbighshire, Wales in 1872, as was her sister Beatrice the following year. But her parents were both English, from Kent. They had been married in Kent in 1871, and the family would be back in Kent again for the census of 1881. One clue might be that Mary Ann's father was an engine driver. Llanferres parish adjoins the Flintshire border, and Mold, Flintshire, three miles away, was a railway town. Alternatively, this part of north Wales had many slate mines, most of which would have needed engine drivers to move their goods. The Waters family were probably in north Wales for her father's work. Nevertheless, athough actually English, Mary Ann is the only known ancestor of mine in the last two hundred and fifty years not to have been born on English soil.

1872: Mary Ann Waters was born on the 11th of August at Tyn y Cornel, Llanferres, Denbighshire. Tyn y Cornel means 'House at the Corner'. Her name at birth was registered as Mary Anne rather than Mary Ann, but the longer form of the name was never used after this. Her father's name is given as George Waters, and her mother's as Mary Ann Waters, formerly Harrall. Her mother was the informant, and her address shows that she was born at home. Her father's occupation is given as engine driver. Mary Anne's mother signed the register with a cross - that is, she was illiterate, and could not write her own name. The birth was registered on the 25th of September 1872.

1881 census:

Mary Ann was eight years old at the time of the 1881 census. The Waters family were living at 23 Upper Brents, Preston-next-Faversham, Kent. The road still exists, and is today part of Faversham town centre.

Her father George is shown as a brickfield engine driver aged 32. Her mother Mary Ann was also 32.

Mary Ann was the first of two children. Beatrice was 7.

Mary Ann is shown as being born in North Wales, as was her sister Beatrice. Both of her parents were born in Kent, her father at Halstow and her mother at Higham. The transcript for their entry is here.

1891 census: Mary Ann was eighteen years old at the time of the 1891 census. The Waters family were living at 7 Bryants Terrace, Strood, Kent.

Her father George is shown as an engine driver aged 41. Her mother Mary Ann is 39 (probably, both were 41).

Mary Ann was the first of two children. Beatrice was 17.

Mary Ann is shown as being born in North Wales, as was her sister Beatrice. Both of her parents were born in Higham Kent, although her father is born at Halstow in other census data, and her husband to be came from Halstow's neighbouring parish of Upchurch. The transcript for their entry is here.

1892: Mary Ann married William Knott at St Mary's church, Strood, Kent on 3rd December. Mary Ann was 20, William was 23. They both gave their address as Grange Road. William's occupation was a factory labourer, his father George's occupation was a labourer. Mary Ann's father George gave his occupation as engine driver. Both signed the register, Mary Ann spelling her name without the final e. Mary Ann's witness was her sister, Beatrice Louisa.

1893: The baptism record of Mary Ann's first child Daisy Mary on September 13th shows that the family were living at Cuxton Road, Strood, Kent.

1895: The baptism record of Mary Ann's second child Gladys Violet on December 29th shows that the family were living at Tobin Villas, Strood, Kent. This was a terrace on Cuxton Road, almost certainly the same house they were living at in 1893.

1897: Mary Ann's third child Pansy Miriam was born. Her baptism record at St Nicholas's church, Strood, on August 22nd shows that the family were living at 12 Strood Hill, Strood. This is the same house that they would be living at in 1901.

1901 census: Mary Ann was twenty-eight years old at the time of the 1901 census. She was married. The Knott family were living at 12, London Road, Strood Intra, Kent. The house still exists, a short distance from where the family were living in 1891, and is now a hairdresser's shop.

Her husband William is shown as a cement labourer aged 31.

Mary Ann had one child, Gladys V aged 5. (Another child, 7 year old Daisy Mary, was staying with Mary Ann's parents in Hitchin - the transcript for their entry is here.)

Mary Ann is shown as being born in Flintshire, Wales (actually neighbouring Denbighshire). Her husband William was born in Upchurch, Kent, and Gladys was born in Strood, Kent.. The transcript for their entry is here.

1902: Mary Ann's eldest son William George was born. His baptism record at St Nicholas, Strood, shows that the family were living at 11 St John's Terrace, Cuxton Road, Strood, Kent.

1908: Mary Ann's son, my grandfather Vincent Helgia Knott, was born on the 15th of February at 34 West Hill, Dartford in Kent. This house still exists, on the main road into Dartford from London. In the photograph above, it is the house with the white door under the trees directly through the gap in the wall. The father's name is given as William Knott, and his mother's as Mary Ann Knott, formerly Waters. Mary Ann was the informant, and her address shows that he was born at home. William's occupation is given as burner in a cement works. The birth was registered on the 21st of March 1908. He was baptised at Holy Trinity, Dartford on 22nd April 1908.

1911 census:

Mary Ann was thirty-eight years old at the time of the 1911 census. The Knott family were living at 16 Providence Street, Greenhithe, Kent. The house still exists, and can be seen clearly on Google Street View.

Her husband William is shown as a cement labourer and chalk digger. He was 42 years old. They had been married for 18 years.

Mary Ann had four children: Gladys was 15, William 8, Vincent 3 and Iris Alberta was 3 months old.

Mary Ann was born in Flintshire, Wales (actually neighbouring Denbighshire). Her husband William was born at Upchurch in Kent. The children were born in Strood, Dartford and Greenhithe, all in north-west Kent.The transcript for their entry is here. You can see the original form here.

1912: Mary Ann's daughter Daisy Mary Knott, who had been living with her grandparents at the time of both the 1901 and 1911 censuses, was married at St Michael's church, Wilmington in Dartford on 3rd April. She gave her address as the One Bell public house, and so did her new husband Charles James Marchant, who gave his occupation as an instructor in physical culture. Mary Ann's husband William and her daughter Gladys were witnesses. Interestingly, Daisy gave her age as 21. In fact, she was just 18. The One Bell was where she was living in 1911, and her grandparents kept it. But her grandfather had died in 1911. Is it possible that she gave a false age to enable her to take on the running of the One Bell with Charles Marchant now that her grandfather was dead and her grandmother was infirm?

1914: Mary Ann's mother, Mary Ann Waters neé Harrall, died of cancer at 96 Temple Street, Strood, on 27th November. Her age was given as 65. She died in the house of her daughter Mary Ann Knott, who notified the death, showing that my great-grandparents were back in Strood by 1914. Mary Ann Waters was buried in plot A237 of Strood cemetery on 30th November.

1919: Mary Ann's daughter Gladys Violet was married at St Nicholas, Strood on 8th February. She gave her address as 96 Temple Street, Strood, and so did her new husband Frederick Allen. Interestingly, Mary Ann's husband William's occupation in the register is given as stevedore, meaning a docker. This is the only time I have found it recorded as anything other than a cement or brickfield worker. Temple Street was in the area of Strood docks.

1921 census:

Mary Ann was 48 years old at the time of the 1921 census. The Knott family were living at 96 Temple Street, Strood, Kent. Her husband William was 51. He is shown as a cement labourer at Wickham Cement, Strood. There were two children in the household, Vincent was thirteen and his sister Iris Alberta was ten. William's father George had died in the house six days before the census day. You can see the original form here.

1925: Kelly's Directory of Rochester, Chatham and Gillingham records William and Mary Ann's address as 96 Temple Street, Strood.

1952: Mary Ann Knott died on the 15th April at 143 Maidstone Road, Rochester, Kent, the home of her daughter Gladys. She was 79 years old, and the cause of death was heart failure and senile decay. The informant was her daughter, Gladys Violet Allen. She was buried in the family plot A192 at Strood Cemetery, Cuxton Road, Strood on 18th April alongside her husband and his parents. This grave plot is end on to plot A237, the grave of Mary Ann's mother. Both graves are unmarked.