48. Alfred Billson [scrapbook] was born 1 1 Feb 1850 in Loughborough. and was christened 19 Jan 1851 in All Saints, Loughborough.. He died 12 Jul 1885 in Nottingham.. Alfred married 2, 3 Elizabeth Jane James on 31 Aug 1873 in Parish of Basford. [Parents]
1881 census record: -
Dwelling: 9 Alfred Terrace
Census Place: Nottingham St Mary, Nottingham, England
Source: FHL Film 1341801 PRO Ref RG11 Piece 3356 Folio 24 Page 41
Marr Age Sex Birthplace
Alfred BILLSON M 31 M Loughboro
Rel: Head
Occ: Groom (N D)
Elizabeth BILLSON M 28 F London, London, Middlesex, England
Rel: Wife
Occ: Dressmaker
Maurice BILLSON U 7 M Nottingham, England
Rel: Son
Occ: Scholar
Henry BILLSON U 6 M London, London, Middlesex, England
Rel: Son
Occ: Scholar
Margaret BILLSON U 4 F Nottingham, England
Rel: Daur
Occ: Scholar
Margaret JAMES W 65 F Jarrow
Rel: M In Law
Occ: SeamstressAlfred died on the Saturday evening of the 12th July 1885. Family lore has it that he had been kicked by a horse at a race meeting that day and was later taken ill at the Vernon Arms pub. He had colapsed in the toilets and someone, thinking that he was drunk throw a bucket of cold water over him. A copy of a news paper artical from that time describes the event. It reads as follows:
From the Nottingham evening Post. July 13th 1885.
"A sudden death occurred in Nottingham on Saturday night. Alfred Bilsoc; 35 years of age, was sitting in the Vernon Arms Inn, when he became ill. P.c. Dean was called in, and the man was removed in a cab to his home at 4, Waterloo terrace, Gadd street. Dr Hynes was immediately sent for, but Bilson expired about midnight. Dr. Hynes was able to give a certificate as to the cause of Death."The death certificate has the cause of death entred as "Asthma - four years."
Alfred has put his occupation as a butcher on his married certificate in 1873 yet from the above 1881 census entry he considered himself to be a groom. Family lore has it that he used to keep horses in a field behind the George Hotel in Nottingham. It is assumed that these horses were used for racing as further stories tell of the family being poor and struggling financially at times and having plenty of money from gambling winnings at others.
It is interesting to note that his brother Henry, two of Henry's children, Charles H and Philip have recorded their occupations as "Groom" in the 1891 census. Henry is recorded as an unemployed butcher in the 1881 census.
It would seem that Alfred may have introduced them into horse racing some time between 1881 and his death in 1885.
49. Elizabeth Jane James [scrapbook] was born 1853 in London England. She died 1 16 Feb 1921 in 15 Ayr Street, Nottingham.. [Parents]
50. George William Knott [scrapbook] was born 12 Dec 1853 in 1 St. Jude Street, Bethnal Green, Middx.. He married Catherine Jain Baker on 19 Apr 1877 in Parish Church of Islington, Middex.. [Parents]
1881 census:-
Dwelling: 244 Caledonian Rd
Census Place: Islington, London, Middlesex, England
Source: FHL Film 1341051 PRO Ref RG11 Piece 0234 Folio 36 Page 11
Marr Age Sex Birthplace
George W. KNOTT M 27 M St Lukes
Rel: Head
Occ: Pianoforte Tuner
Catherine KNOTT M 25 F Clerkenwell
Rel: Wife
Alice KNOTT 3 m F St Marys Islington
Rel: Daur
Pianoforte Maker of Islington. Entred as Pianoforte Tuner in the 1881 census.
Moved to Nottingham with his Daughter after the death of his wife.Extract from the memoirs of Maurice Henry Billson:
Young George was apprentice to his fathers bussiness and for a time the business of Henry Knott & Son flourished in Islington. When at the turn of the century fashion changed and the American organ superseded the pianoforte as the fashionable form of home entertainment the family business began to decline and George had to seek employment elesewhere. He applied and obtained a job as a piano tunner with a Nottingham firm of musical instruments traders S. Wooley & Co.In later life lived with his daughter and family in their house (Trafalgar House) on Mansfield Rd (Where a hotel was built in the70s). His grandchild, Jean Potter nee Billson recals as a child playing in the back yard, George used to have a bedroom in the top of the house, probably the attic, and he used to throw sweets down to her in the yard but, she recals, their dog, Cong, always used to get them before she did.
51. Catherine Jain Baker was born c1856 in Clerkenwell, Middlesex. [Parents]
52. Joseph White was born 1851 in Dublin (Balbriggan?) Ireland. He married Hannah.
Account of information given by Mary Billson (Granddaughter)
Both Joseph and Hannah were on a boat to emigrate to New York from Irland, when they met in Liverpool. They fel in love and decided to marry in England instead of going to the USA. After this they settled down to live in Nottingham. However this dosen't quite ring true with the 1881 census which describes all the children as having been born in Dublin.1881 Census record:
Dwelling: 177 Forest Road West
Census Place: Nottingham St Mary, Nottingham, England
Source: FHL Film 1341799 PRO Ref RG11 Piece 3349 Folio 137 Page 42
Marr Age Sex Birthplace
Joseph WHITE M 30 M Dublin, Ireland
Rel: Head
Occ: Frame Worknitter
Hannah WHITE M 30 F Dublin, Ireland
Rel: Wife
Occ: Hose Seamer
Michael WHITE 7 M Dublin, Ireland
Rel: Son
Occ: Scholar
Joseph WHITE 6 M Dublin, Ireland
Rel: Son
Occ: Scholar
John WHITE 2 M Dublin, Ireland
Rel: Son
James WHITE 3 m M Dublin, Ireland
Rel: Son
53. Hannah was born in Dublin.
54. Isadora Bunting was born 15 Mar 1857 in Bonsall, Derbyshire.. He died c1927. Isadora married Eli Wilson on 13 Dec 1874 in United Methodist Free Church, Mansfield.. [Parents]
Isadora's granddaughter Mary White reports the following information about her grandmother:
Remember her as a little old lady wearing an old fassioned bonnet. Tight sleves up to the elbow with leg - o - muton top and lace edgings. Full length bouffant skirt.
At one time in her life she had blood poisioning in her fore finger and choped it off herself because she couldn't get treatment.
She knew her as a Tipping Bunting which suggests that Isadora retained the original name of her mother, Tipping. Perhaps to reject in some way her father's name which was Bunting although her birth was illegitamate, i.e. before Job Bunting married her mother.
Mary remembers that she lived/ owned a farm in Pinkston Derbyshire and had some sort of retail business there. She got into financial difficulties after giving credit to the local miners durring the war and had difficulties collecting the debts. She was eventualy turned out of her home by her debtor and her daughter Catherin Wilson (Mary's mother) was the only one of her offspring to help. She arranged for her to rent a cottage in St Peters Street in Radford near where Catherin lived with her family.
Mary remembers that very shortly after she had moved in she had made arrangements with a local tobacco wholesalers in Nottingham and had a window converted in her house to sell cigarets to miners on their way to work at the Radford Colliery.
55. Eli Wilson was born 1 3 Mar 1854 in Greasley Parish. [Parents]
1881 Census record:
Dwelling: Common N.B.Land
Census Place: South Normanton, Derby, England
Source: FHL Film 1341790 PRO Ref RG11 Piece 3314 Folio 4 Page 4
Marr Age Sex Birthplace
Eli WILSON M 27 M Watnall, Nottingham, England
Rel: Head
Occ: Coal Miner
Isiadora WILSON M 25 F Bonsall, Derby, England
Rel: Wife
Mary WILSON 4 F Pinxton, Derby, England
Rel: Daur
Ann WILSON 3 F Kirkby, Nottingham, England
Rel: Daur
Job WILSON 9 m M Blackwell, Derby, England
Rel: Son
