Reginald Frank Tearle 1908
Name: TEARLE, REGINALD FRANK Initials: R F
Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Sergeant (Obs.)
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Age: 35 Date of Death: 27/04/1944
Service No: 1379571 Additional information: Son of Frank and Margaret Tearle of Watford; husband of Eleanor Tearle, of Watford.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Sec. A. Cons. Grave 158.
Cemetery: WATFORD NORTH CEMETERY
I’m afraid the CWGC is silent on the circumstances of Reginald’s death. His father was Frank Tearle 1881 Cambridge who d1927 and who married Margaret May Warr in Watford in 1905. His grandparents were Abel 1850 Dagnall and Alice Gray nee Collier, while his gg-parents were Thomas 1830 Dagnall and Jane nee Draper. Thomas 1737.
I have been having a look at the Alf Tearle of Watford correspondence of Dec 06, as a result of an enquiry by Ian Tearle.
There were two Alfred Georges registered in 1872, the other one was in Leighton Buzzard. Our Alfred is here:
Name: Alfred George Tearle
Year of Registration: 1872
Quarter of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar
District: Watford
County: Hertfordshire
Volume: 3a
Page: 400
And here is his marriage to Minnie Cyster in 1892:
Name: Alfred George Tearle
Year of Registration: 1892
Quarter of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec
District: Watford
County: Hertfordshire
Volume: 3a
Page: 922
In 1901, Alfred George (who was 29, a carpenter) and Minnie were living at 29 Sutton Rd, Watford. The whole family is recorded as having been born in Watford.
1901 = Alfred G 1872 Watford Minnie 29 Beatrice 7 Gertrude 5 Alfred E 3 Alice 2 Rosie 2m Susannah mother wid 60 John L bro 24 Samuel H bro 19 in Watford. Sadly, young Alfred E would enlist for WW1 and be killed
As you can see, living with them are Alfred's mother, Susannah and his brothers John Leonard 1876 Watford and Samuel Haws 1882 Watford. Although the birth registration of Samuel has him as Howes, the correct spelling is Haws. The name comes from his grandmother, Annie Haws 1819 of Dagnall, who was the wife of George 1818 of Dagnall. Alfred's parents were Jabez Tearle 1844 Borehamwood and Susannah nee Payne. In 1891, the family is living in 12 Elury (I cannot make it out properly) Rd, Watford. Susannah is already a widow and she is working as a laundress. Alfred is a carpenter's apprentice, Edward is a stonemason's apprentice and young John is an errand boy.
1891 = Susannah 1841 Watford Alfred 19 Edward 17 John 14 Samuel 9 in Watford
In 1881 we find out that Jabez 1841 of Borehamwood is the father of this family. This famous name - quite numerous amongst the Tearles - was first used for Jabez 1745 of Stanbridge, one of the family of Thomas 1710 and Mary nee Sibley. He never married or had children, but he seems to have been very well-known amongst his extended family and his name is perpetuated throughout the 19th Century Tearles. Mind you, it's not so uncommon as names go: 1500 Jabez were married between 1881 and 1891 in England.
1881 = Jabez 1845 Borehamwood Susannah 40 Alfred G 9 Edward J 7 John L 4 in Watford
Jabez is a brewers labourer and the family is living at 23 Albert St Watford.
Jabez and Susannah are in Watford for the 1871 census. He is a brewers labourer, she is a dressmaker and they are living in Birches Lane, Watford. I assume he says he was born in Elstree because in the 1851 census, when Jabez was 6yrs, George and Ann were living in Elstree.
1871 = Jabez 1845 Elstree n Susannah in Watford
Here are Jabez and Susannah getting married.
Name: Jabez Tearle
Year of Registration: 1870
Quarter of Registration: Apr-May-Jun
District: Pancras (1837-1901)
County: London, Middlesex
Volume: 1b
Page: 73
Which brings us back to Jabez' parents, George 1818 of Dagnall and Annie nee Haws, whose youngest son William Haws Tearle 1858 of Borehamwood, went off to Australia and started the families of the Australian Tearles.
George's parents were Abel 1797 of Edlesborough and Hannah nee Frost. And Abel's mother was the famous Fanny Tearle 1780.
Alfred George 1872 Watford
Workers at Sun Engraving and Sun Printers, Watford
Annotated by Ewart Tearle, Apr 2011.
Thanks to Rosemary Tearle
Sun Engraving and Sun Printers was a large printing company in Watford in the 20th Century. Here is their company history page and the link below is to a list of employees. I have extracted the Tearle names from this list and attempted to identify them from the information already held in the Tree.
Note the two military men in the list -
David Philip Tearle, Gunner, Royal Artillery and
Herbert Lewis Tearle, Sgt, Royal Engineers.
I can find no further information on the military service of these two men, but WW2 service is no small thing.
The names below are on a single page of a large number of employees of the company:
Tearle, Anne (Miss) (d of Tearle, Donald) (m 1963, Worth, Colin) Production Cost Analysis; Prod Control w S.Print (1959-65); ph; src sn/Jun63, Sum65, Aut65, Aut67; Impr v8/3; Wood, JG
Anne Tearle 1944 Watford, dau Donald Edward T 1922 and Roma Monica nee Braham. G-gs Jabez 1844 and Susannah nee Payne.
Tearle, Anthony E. (Tony) Engraving, jnymn w S.Print 1967-85} ; src sn Aut 67; Wardlow, Adrian; Dryburgh, John; NSList
Antony E 1951 Watford, son Donald Edward 1922 and Roma Monica nee Braham.
Tearle, D. Finishing w S.Print (1981- } ; src snn/87
UNK
Tearle, David P. (Dave), Gnr. (R.A.)Letterpress m/c, asst w S.Engrv, S.Print (1932-71); src SaW/2/4; SWn Aug 42, Christmas 42, May 43; snn/23
David Philip T 1909 St Albans, son Edward Joseph T 1879 and Emma Elizabeth nee Warner. Brother of Leslie James 1896 who was killed in France 1915.
Tearle, Donald (Batman) (f of Tearle, Anne) Letterpress m/c, asst w S.Print ?; src Wood, JG
Donald Edward T 1922 Watford, son Edward George T 1898 and Nellie E nee Boultwood. Gson Edward Joseph 1874 and Jane nee Picton.
Tearle, Herbert L. (Bert) (1912-90), Sgt. (R.E.) Block Process w S.Engrv { 1939-45} ; ph; src SaW/1/2/4; SWn Aug 42, May 43; Everly, Marian
Herbert Lewis (aka Lewis Herbert) Tearle 1912 Watford. Gson Levi 1852 and Jane nee Packard. Married Freda M Minter.
Tearle, K. Gravure m/c, jnymn w S.Print (1954-67); src snNov67
UNK
Elaine and I visited the cemetery on 24 Apr 2011, armed with a printout of Tearle names and grave numbers given to Iris and I by the warden of Watford North Cemetery when we went looking for Tearle graves there a couple of years ago. We found Reginald Frank Tearle (above).
The triangle in the lower foreground is grave D-DED 441, for Charles Tearle b/d1879. The headstone on the left of the picture was also placed in 1879.Charles was the infant son of Jabez 1844 and Susannah nee Payne.
We called this Tearle Corner; the highest concentration of Tearle graves close to each other we had ever seen. There are actually three graves, but they are occupied by eight people in total.
Charles 1879
Tearle Corner
This is a general view of site 953-K: George 1902-1931, Edward Joseph T 1874-1933, and Jane 1871-1944. George 1902 was the son of Edward Joseph Tearle and Jane nee Picton.
The headstone for 953-K. Edward Joseph Tearle was the son of Jabez 1844 and Susannah nee Payne. Jabez was the son of George 1818 and Annie nee Haws. Thomas 1737 via Fanny 1780.
William 1852 married Catherine Newsham Hodson in 1875. He was the son of John 1824 and Sarah nee Bishop of Slapton, and when John died young, William was brought up in Watford by his uncle George 1818 and his aunt Annie nee Haws.
There is one name on each wing of site 861-K, the grave of Mabel Tearle 1884-1955, Elizabeth Strickland 1821-1903, Elizabeth Louise Tearle 1852-1924 and George 1854-1945.
William 1852-1913
Grave 861-K
Grave 953-K
Elizabeth Strickland was the mother of Elizabeth Louise, so she was George’s mother-in-law, and Mabel’s maternal grandmother.
When you are given a printout of the grave numbers for a person, or number of people, there is also a rather vague map of the general locations (eg K) but the only way to tell where you are is to refer to the grave numbers, such as is shown here.
Elizabeth Strickland 1821-1903
How to tell which grave is which
Mabel 1884-1955 is variously called Lizzie, Lizzie Mabel and Mabel, depending on the document in question.
Elizabeth Louise (as here, or Louisa, sometimes) 1852-1954 was a London girl from Stepney, who married George 1854 in St Pancras 1879.
Lizzie Mabel 1884-1955
George 1854 was also a son of John 1824 and Sarah nee Bishop. He was firstly a grocers assistant in Dunstable but by the time he met and married Elizabeth Louisa Strickland, he was in London working as a railway clerk. Watford has strong railway links, so George has added family links in coming to Watford.
E-CON 76, the grave for Sarah Ann 1851, Elizabeth Amelia 1821, George 1818, Jabez 1844 and Lucy 1857; potentially the most important grave of all. It probably never had a headstone, and you can see that, sadly, the site is re-used.
George 1854-1945
E-DED 441 is the grave for Albert Edward Tearle 1906-1907. It is the unmarked grave in the centre foreground. Albert was the son of John Leinad T 1876 and Alice nee Allainey, and grandson of Jabez 1844 and Susannah nee Payne.
F-974 Alice Mary Tearle 1868-1917 was the daughter of Thomas 1847 (the railway engine driver) and Mary nee Bowler. She is descended from John 1780 and Sarah nee Claridge. William 1749.
Albert Edward Tearle 1906-1907
Alice Mary Tearle 1868-1917
F-892 The grave of Thomas Tearle 1847-1925 and Mary nee Bowler is immediately behind that of their daughter, Alice Mary 1868. Thomas is the son of Thomas 1820 and Sarah Jane nee Elliott. He is the grandson of William 1749.
F-892 Thomas 1847-1925 and Mary nee Bowler
Ewart studies the names on Arthur’s headstone
Jabez 1844 was here
615 H-CON Arthur Fred Elliott Tearle 1877-1948, Florence Mary 1905-1907 and Annie nee Hodges 1872-1954. Arthur is a son of Thomas 1847 and Mary nee Bowler, so he is the brother of Alice Mary, above.
Here is a general view of the graveyard showing the site of the grave of Arthur and family.
Arthur Fred Elliott Tearle 1877
Location of Arthur’s grave
561-L Mildred Annie Tearle 1884-1908. Unfortunately, this grave, too has been re-occupied and Mildred Annie’s name is no longer on it. Mildred was the daughter of Anne Elizabeth Tearle 1859 before she married Joseph Moore in 1888.
The grave is definitely 561-L which is listed for Mildred Annie Tearle. Here is a close-up of the corner post showing (just) its number. She is the grand-daughter of Abel 1833 and Sarah nee Davis and g-granddaughter of Joseph 1797 and Maria nee Millings.
Mildred Annie Tearle 1884-1908 was here.
Close-up of corner post - definitely 561-L
Grass plot 1150 L-CON for William 1857-1933. The clipboard marks the site. William married Mary Jewell nee Trust nee Cox. He was the son of Abel 1833 and Sarah nee Davis, so he was the brother of Ann Elizabeth 1859, and Mildred Annie’s uncle. Joseph 1737.
A general view showing the location of 1150 L-CON. The headstone beyond is for a chap called Rogers.
William 1857-1933
1150 L-CON, William’s grave
790-M As the corner post shows, the grave for Olive Archdeacon Tearle 1881-1985. This is not the name on the grave, so it’s another re-used site. She was the sister of Lizzie Mabel, featured above.
Olive Archdeacon T is the daughter of George 1854 and Elizabeth nee Strickland. She was born in 413 Commercial Rd, Tower Hamlets, and George was in the railways as a clerk in those days.
The families:
There are three separate families associated with the headstones above:
Family 1.
Abel 1797 and Hannah nee Frost. He was the son of Fanny 1780 and g-son of Thomas 1737. Two of his boys were the fathers of families as follows -
John 1824 and Sarah nee Bishop of Slapton - William 1852 and Catherine nee Hodson, George 1854 and Elizabeth nee Strickland.
George 1818 and Annie nee Haws’ son, Jabez 1844 and Susannah nee Payne and three of their sons, Alfred George 1872, Edward Joseph 1874 and John Leinad 1876.
Their sister Elizabeth Amelia 1821.
Family 2.
John 1780 married Sarah nee Claridge. He was the son of William 1749 and father to a line of theatrical Tearles one of whom was Sir Godfrey Tearle, the movie and Shakespearean actor. Thomas 1847, the railway engine driver, married Mary Bowler. Their daughter is Alice Mary 1868 and their son is Arthur Fred Elliott T 1877. He married Annie Hodges and their daughter Florence Mary 1905 is featured on their headstone.
Family 3.
Joseph 1797 and Maria nee Millings. Joseph was the son of William 1769 and Sarah nee Clark, and grandson of Joseph 1737. Mildred Annie 1884 is their grand-daughter, the daughter of Ann Elizabeth 1859 who was the daughter of Abel 1833 and Sarah nee Davis, son of Joseph 1797 and Maria nee Millings.
William 1857 was the brother of Ann Elizabeth 1859 and Mildred Annie’s uncle. He married Mary Jewell nee Trust nee Cox.
Annotated list of Tearle graves in Vicarage Rd and Watford North Cemeteries
Here is an annotated list of all the graves in both Watford cemeteries
On this page: Reginald Frank Tearle 1908
Alfred George Tearle 1872