Cecilia Mary Taylor nee Wilkins (1884-1952)

 I have given myself the task of finding out as much as I can about the siblings of my grandmother Gertrude Wilkins (1890-1919), who was the 8^th child born to Henry and Jane Wilkins and had 2 brothers and 6 sisters. This article is about her sister Cecilia Mary (sometimes known as Bessie), who was the 5^th child of Henry and Jane. If you have any further information about her life, or a photo of her, please contact me. 

Cecilia was born 7^th January 1884 in Woolwich. She was baptised on 24^th February 1884 at Holy Trinity Church, Woolwich. The baptism record gives the address of her parents as 21 Prospect Place (in Woolwich) and the occupation of her father as greengrocer.

 In 1891 the Wilkins family were living at 31 Kidd St (a shop), Woolwich Dockyard and consisted of Henry (aged 41, a grocer), Jane (40), Elizabeth (15), Albert (13), Alice (11), Ethel (9), Cecilia (7), Annie (5), Herbert (3) and Gertrude (1). Kidd St is now called Wood Hill. The site of 31 Kidd St is now occupied by modern housing.

The 1901 census lists Henry Wilkins aged 50, a coffee house keeper, living at 11 Church Street, Woolwich with his wife Jane (49) and children Albert (23, machinist shell factory), Alice (21, shirt machinist), Ethel (19, cook domestic), Cecilia (called Bessie, 16, shirt machinist), Annie (15), Herbert (13), Gertrude (11) and Mabel (9). The site of 11 Church Street is now occupied by post war housing.

Cecilia gave birth to a daughter, Florence, on 4^th June 1903 at 11 Church Street. The birth certificate shows Cecilia’s occupation as machinist and does not give the name of the father.

On 24^th December1905, Cecilia married William Taylor at The Church of St Michael and All Angels, Woolwich. They both said that they were aged 21, although William was actually 20. This William Taylor is not part of my Taylor family. He was a carman, meaning that he was a driver of a vehicle (probably horse drawn) for delivering goods. The witnesses were Cecilia’s sister Ethel and her husband William Suter.

Marriage record in the church register.

William and Cecilia went on to have three daughters, namely Margaret Ellen (born 23^rd February 1906, so Cecilia was pregnant when she got married), Cecilia Mary (born 29^th January 1910) and Gertrude Victoria (born 23^rd May 1912).

 The 1911 census shows that Cecilia (aged 27, a shirt machinist) was living with her husband William (25, a carman working for coal dealers) and their two daughters Margaret (5) and Cecilia (1) in 3 rooms at 13 Gough St, Woolwich. Florence (aged 7) was living at 11 Church St with her grandparents Henry (62, a dining room keeper), Jane (59) and their daughters Gertrude (21) and Mabel (19). 

My grandmother Gertrude died in 1919 of influenza. A newspaper report shows that Cecilia and her husband attended the funeral. 

In 1921, Cecilia (aged 37) was living in 4 rooms at 38 Chapel Street, Woolwich with her husband William (36) and daughters Margaret (15), Cecilia (11) and Gertrude (9). William was a coal porter working for Royal Arsenal Cooperative Society, 147 Powis Street, Woolwich. Margaret was a shirt machinist. 

Electoral registers show Cecilia and William Taylor still living at 38 Chapel Street, Woolwich in 1939. The 1939 Register lists William (a general labourer public works) and Mary C Taylor at the address. In 1946 and 1950 they were living at 112 Woodbrook Road, Abbey Wood. 

Cecilia died on 9^th March 1952 aged 68 in Woolwich and is buried in grave P/359 in Plumstead Cemetery. I have looked for the grave but did not find it. The Probate index has an entry giving her address as 80 The Course, Eltham. Administration (meaning that she did not leave a will) of her estate, value £298, was granted to William Taylor, borough council labourer. William died 14^th July 1961 aged 76 in Woolwich and is buried in the same grave as his wife. 

Florence Wilkins (Cecilia’s eldest daughter) worked in the Wilkins Dining Rooms, 14 Beresford Street, Woolwich, run by her uncle Albert Wilkins and his wife Beatrice. Florence married 3 times: in 1923 in Woolwich to Albert E Graham, in 1942 in Woolwich to William T Hales and in 1955 in Thanet to Harold T Trollope. She died in 1988 aged 84. 

Cecilia’s daughter Margaret Taylor married William George Pearman in 1925 in Woolwich and died in 1989 aged 82. Her daughter Cecilia married Leonard John Thomas Finch in 1930 in Woolwich, Edward Harry Morland in 1960 in Woolwich and died in 1995 aged 85. Her youngest daughter Gertrude married Arthur Cecil Wilkes in 1937 in Woolwich and died in 2003 aged 90.