The Pennefather Family

Agnes Theodora Forbes Pennefather

Birth: 25 September 1887

Baptism: 9 November 1887, in Rawalpindi, Bengal, India

Father: Robert Forbes Pennefather

Mother: Eleanor Alexandra (Gosnell) Pennefather

Death: 21 November 1887

Burial: in Rawalpindi, Bengal, India

Sources:

Birth: date recorded in Eleanor's family bible from William Taylor; India Births and Baptisms GS film 510883 has date as 26 September 1887
Baptism: India Births and Baptisms batch C75030-1
Parents: India Births and Baptisms batch C75030-1
Death: date recorded in Eleanor's family bible from William Taylor; India Deaths and Burials GS film 510883 ref 510-883 has both the death date and burial date as 14 November 1887; Ireland Death Index (4Q1887 GS film 101594 00261 p22)
Burial: India Deaths and Burials GS film 510883 ref 510-883 has burial date as 14 November 1887, but this is incompatible with the death date of 21 November 1887 recorded in Eleanor's family bible from William Taylor

Bessie Theodora Forbes Pennefather

Doe Pennefather

Bessie Theodora Forbes ("Doe") Pennefather, right, at Hitchin Girls' Grammar School c1910
(click for the full photograph of the boarders which also includes Bessie's cousins, Phyllis Gosnell, back row second from left, and Joan Gosnell, front row second from right)

photograph from "The School on the Hill, a history of Hitchin Girls' Grammar School 1889 to 1989" by Priscilla M. Douglas

Birth: 5 December 1896, in Malta

Baptised: 1896, in Malta

Father: Robert Forbes Pennefather

Mother: Eleanor Alexandra (Gosnell) Pennefather

Death: 8 December 1951

Probate: granted 22 March 1952 to Eric Arthur Forbes Pennefather, sole executor; will dated 2 August 1951

Census & Addresses:
1901: Clifton, Bristol, Gloucestershire
1911: Hitchin Girls School, Hitchin, Hertfordshire: Bessie Theodora Pennefather is aged 14
1940: 49 Queens Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent (will of Janet Elizabeth Gosnell)

Sources:

Birth: Ireland Birth Index (4Q1896 Malta film 101066 p11); 1901 census; exact date recorded in Eleanor's family bible from William Taylor
Baptism: Army Chaplains Registers of Birth/Baptisms 1800 - 1900
Parents: Claire Freestone
Death: William Taylor citing estate documents

Constance Aimee Forbes Pennefather

Constance Aimee Forbes Pennefather (1912)
(click for full picture)

photo from Steve Potts

Constance Aimée Forbes (Pennefather) March

Birth: 24 August 1894, in Floriana, Malta

Father: Robert Forbes Pennefather

Mother: Eleanor Alexandra (Gosnell) Pennefather

Occupation: In the 1911 census Constance is listed as a machinist in a corset factory.

Married: Henry March on 25 September 1920, in St James Milton, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England

Henry died on 12 May 1956, aged 62.

Death: 28 August 1986 in South East Hampshire district, Hampshire, England

Census:
1901: 60 Vernham Road, Plumstead district, London
1911: 72 Blackfriars Road, Southsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire

Sources:

Birth: Ireland Birth Index (4Q1894 Malta film 101065 p2); exact date from England Death Index (3Q1986 South East Hampshire vol 20 p1572); exact place from 1901 census
Parents: 1901 census
Occupation: 1911 census
Marriage: England Marriage Index (3Q1920 Portsmouth vol 2b p1146); exact date and place recorded in Eleanor's family bible from William Taylor; Henry death from William Taylor
Death: England Death Index (3Q1986 South East Hampshire vol 20 p1572); exact date from Bill Taylor

Eileen Forbes Pennefather

Eileen Forbes Pennefather (1912)

photo from Steve Potts

Wedding of Eileen Pennefather and Owen Potts

Marriage of Owen Joseph Potts & Eileen Forbes Pennefather
St Mark's Church, Portsmouth 31st July 1912
L-R Standing – George Potts, Frank Harman, Unknown, Frank Harris, Robert Forbes Pennefather, Jack Pennefather
L-R Seated – Emma Potts, Eric Arthur Forbes Pennefather, Constance Aimee Pennefather, Owen Joseph Potts, Eileen Forbes Pennefather, Edith Potts, Eleanor Alexandra Pennefather (nee Gosnell) Joyce Muriel Rait Pennefather
(names taken from typed list attached to the original photograph)

photo from Steve Potts

Eileen Forbes (Pennefather) Potts

Birth: 7 July 1890, on Spike Island, Cork Harbour, county Cork, Ireland

Father: Robert Forbes Pennefather

Mother: Eleanor Alexandra (Gosnell) Pennefather

Occupation: Shop Assistant (1911)

Married: Owen Joseph Potts on 31 July 1912, at St Marks, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England.

Owen was born on 25 January 1889 in Havant, Hampshire, the son of George Charles Potts and Emma Palmer. Owen was an engine fitter in the Royal Navy. He enlisted on 5 January 1907, serving as an ERA (Engine Room Artificer) on a large number of ships until being pensioned off on 24 January 1929. His naval records describe him as having auburn hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion and his height is measured variously between 5'5½" and 5'7½". In the 1911 census his occupation is listed as "Engine Room Artificer H M L Latona". Owen re-enlisted during World War II, joining the Royal Arthur on 10 September 1939 but was invalided to Royal Hospital Haslar on 9 October 1940 with cardiac inefficiency. Owen died on 25 October 1975 in Tonbridge district, Kent and is buried in St Johns Carlton, Nottingham.
Census & Addresses:
1891: Havant, Hampshire
1901: Portswood, Hampshire
1911: Woolland, Dorset
1940: 25 Cliff Road, Carlton, Nottingham (Royal Navy Seamen's Services Continuous Record Card #271929)

Death: 23 June 1928, in Portsmouth district, Hampshire, England

Buried: Portsmouth cemetery, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England

Probate: dated 23 July 1928, in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England

Census:
1891: Golden Hill Fort, Freshwater, Isle of Wight
1901: 60 Vernham Road, Plumstead district, London
1911: 72 Blackfriars Road, Southsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire

Sources:

Birth: Ireland civil records Births 1890 Queenstown no.2 #65; Ireland Birth Index (3Q1890 Cork vol 5 p155)
Parents: Ireland civil records Births 1890 Queenstown no.2 #65
Occupation: 1911 census
Marriage: England Marriage Index (3Q1912 Portsmouth vol 2b p1105); exact date and place recorded in Eleanor's family bible from William Taylor; Owen birth from England Birth Index (1Q1889 vol 2b p413) with exact date from England Death Index (4Q1975 Tonbridge vol 16 p2165) and exact place from 1901 census, as well as Royal Navy Seamen's Services Continuous Record Card #271929; Owen parents from 1891 census with mother's surname from England Marriages GS film 919760; Owen occupation from 1911 census; Owen death from England Death Index (4Q1975 Tonbridge vol 16 p2165) with exact date from Claire Freestone; Owen burial from Claire Freestone
Death: England Death Index (2Q1928 Portsmouth vol 2b p687); exact date from England and Wales, National Index of Wills and Administrations folder 007707346 image 00372
Burial: Claire Freestone
Probate: England and Wales, National Index of Wills and Administrations folder 007707346 image 00372

Eric Arthur Forbes Pennefather

Eric Arthur Forbes Pennefather (1912)
(click for full picture)

photo from Steve Potts

Eric Arthur Forbes Pennefather

Birth: 17 December 1898, in Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire, Wales

Baptism: 19 January 1899, in Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire, Wales

Father: Robert Forbes Pennefather

Mother: Eleanor Alexandra (Gosnell) Pennefather

Married: Margaret Mary Payne on 15 September 1951 in Catford, London, England

Margaret was born on 14 September 1916, and died on 1 January 2002 in Southsea, Hampshire, aged 86.
Address:
1968: 34 Bramsbury Road, Southsea, Hampshire (letter to Margaret from Kenneth Arthur Gosnell)

Occupation: Railway Clerk

Death: 5 August 1968, in Portsmouth district, Hampshire, England, aged 69

Census & Addresses:
1901: 60 Vernham Road, Plumstead district, London
1911: The High School West End, Melksham, Wiltshire
1940: 22 Ember Farm Way, East Molesey, Surrey (will of Janet Elizabeth Gosnell)

Sources:

Birth: England & Wales Birth Index (1Q1899 Pembroke vol 11a p1150); exact date recorded in Eleanor's family bible from William Taylor; exact place from 1901 census
Baptism: Pembrokeshire parish registers folder 004223829
Parents: 1901 census
Marriage: England Marriage Index (3Q1951 Lewisham vol 5d p305); exact date and place from William Taylor; Margaret birth, death from England Death Records and England Death Index (1Q2002 Portsmouth vol 4971B pB59A)
Occupation: Will of Janet Elizabeth Gosnell (1940)
Death: England Death Index (3Q1968 Portsmouth vol 6b p431); exact date from William Taylor

Gladys Eleanor Forbes Pennefather

Birth: 11 June 1889, in Bideford, Devon, England

Baptism: 3 July 1889, in Northam, Devon, England
Gladys Eleanor Forbes Pennefather is recorded as the daughter of Robert Forbes Pennefather, Seargt. R.A., of Woolwich and Eleanor Alexandra

Father: Robert Forbes Pennefather

Mother: Eleanor Alexandra (Gosnell) Pennefather

Occupation: Gladys taught history and geography at Hitchin Girls' Grammar School, in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, from 1915 until 1920. This was the same school that she had attended as a girl.

Death: 6 April 1952, in Hitchin district, Hertfordshire, England, aged 62

Census & Addresses:
1891: 7 South View Terrace, Bideford, Devon
1901: Grammar School, 11 Bancroft, Hitchin, Hertfordshire
1940: 49 Queens Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent (will of Janet Elizabeth Gosnell)

Sources:

Birth: England Birth Index (3Q1889 Bideford vol 5b p491); exact place from 1891 census; exact date from Eleanor's family bible from William Taylor
Baptism: Northam Baptisms 1841-1900
Parents: Northam Baptisms 1841-1900
Occupation: Claire Freestone
Death: England Death Index (2Q1952 Hitchin vol 4b p98); exact date from William Taylor citing estate documents

John Lysaght Forbes Pennefather

John Lysaght Forbes Pennefather (1912)
(click for full picture)

photo from Steve Potts

Ethel (Balmer) Pennefather

Ethel (Balmer) Pennefather in 1972

photo from Wendy Kuhl

John Lysaght Forbes Pennefather and Ethel (Balmer) Pennefather

John Lysaght Forbes Pennefather and Ethel (Balmer) Pennefather in the back garden of their home at 22 Frederica Road, Bournemouth, Hampshire, in 1947

photo from Wendy Kuhl

John Lysaght Forbes Pennefather

Birth: 7 May 1892, in Floriana, Malta

Baptised: 1892, in Malta

Father: Robert Forbes Pennefather

Mother: Eleanor Alexandra (Gosnell) Pennefather

Married: Ethel Balmer on 27 February 1915, in St Augustine, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England.
John is recorded as single, aged 22, the son of Robert Forbes Pennefather. Ethel is recorded as single, aged 24, the daughter of Thomas Balmer.

Ethel was born on 24 May 1890, the daughter of Thomas Balmer. She died in 1979 in Worcester district, Worcestershire.

Occupation: Soldier.
John is listed as a gunner in the Royal Artillery in the 1911 census, and served in Egypt as a Battery Quartermaster Sergeant in the Royal Field Artillery in 1915. John joined the Home Guard in the Second World War serving in the in the 22nd Hampshire Home Guard (2nd SW Post Office), and on 5 April 1939 he was appointed "S" clerk in Bournemouth (Home Guard record 1939, London Gazette 14 April 1939 p2494)) On 30 November 1940 he was appointed C.O. (acting) of the Bournemouth T.M.O. (Home Guard record 1940). In 1942 John was a lieutenant in the 22nd Hampshire Home Guard, which appointment he resigned on 12 August, and on 13 August 1942 he was commissioned as Second Lieutenant on the General List, Infantry (London Gazette 11 September 1942 p4009). John served in the army as Administration Captain and Quartermaster to the same Home Guard battalion. By becoming part of the regular army his unpaid part-time service would have become full-time paid service.

Notes: known as "Jack"

Death: 1968, in Bournemouth district, Hampshire, aged 75

Census & Addresses:
1901: 60 Vernham Road, Plumstead district, London
1911: 72 Blackfriars Road, Southsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire
1947: 22 Fredericka Road, Bournemouth, Hampshire (Wendy Kuhl)

Sources:

Birth: 1901 census, and before baptism date; exact date from Eleanor's family bible from William Taylor;
Baptism: Army Chaplains Registers of Birth/Baptisms 1800 - 1900
Parents: 1901 census
Marriage: Northumberland parish registers folder 004024513 image 00527; England Marriage Index (1Q1915 vol 10b p97); specific church recorded in Eleanor's family bible from William Taylor; Ethel birth from age 24 at marriage in 1915 from Northumberland parish registers folder 004024513 image 00527 with exact date from England Death Index (2Q1979 Worcester vol 29 p0818); Ethel death from England Death Index (2Q1979 Worcester vol 29 p0818)
Occupation: 1911 census; World War I medal card; London Gazette; John Pidgeon
Death: England Death Index (1Q1968 Bournemouth vol 6b p211)

Joyce Muriel Rait Pennefather

Joyce Muriel Rait Pennefather (1912)
(click for full picture)

photo from Steve Potts

Joyce Muriel Rait (Pennefather) Edwards

Birth: 19 July 1902, in Woolwich district, London, England

Father: Robert Forbes Pennefather

Mother: Eleanor Alexandra (Gosnell) Pennefather

Married: Philip Henry Edwards on 29 November 1947, in St Alban Copnor, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England

Philip was born on 23 April 1897. He died on 4 May 1971 in Portsmouth district, Hampshire.

Death: 20 June 1980, in South East Hampshire district, Hampshire, England

Census:
1911: 72 Blackfriars Road, Southsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire

Sources:

Birth: England Birth Index (3Q1902 Woolwich vol 1d p1348); exact date from England Death Index (2Q1980 South East Hampshire vol 20 p1652)
Parents: 1911 census
Marriage: England Marriage Index (4Q1947 Portsmouth vol 6b p917); exact date and place from William Taylor; Philip birth from England Death Index (2Q1971 vol 6b p1494); Philip death from England Death Index (2Q1971 vol 6b p1494) with exact date from William Taylor
Death: England Death Index (2Q1980 South East Hampshire vol 20 p1652); exact date from William Taylor

Robert Forbes Pennefather

Robert Forbes Pennefather (1912)
(click for full picture)

photo from Steve Potts

Robert Forbes Pennefather

Birth: 23 November 1860, at Darver House, Jenkinstown, county Kilkenny, Ireland
The Pilot 29 December 1860
BIRTHS.
Nov 23, at Darver House, co Kilkenny, the wife of John Pennefather, Esq, of a son

Father: John Pennefather

Mother: Susan (Darlington) Pennefather

Married: Eleanor Alexandra Gosnell on 1 February 1886 in St Pauls, Amritsar, Bengal, India, by Rev. F. Dale.

Children:

Agnes Theodora Forbes Pennefather (1887 - 1887)
Gladys Eleanor Forbes Pennefather (1889 - 1952)
Eileen Forbes Pennefather (1890 - 1928)
John Lysaght Forbes Pennefather (1892 - 1968)
Constance Aimee Forbes Pennefather (1894 - 1986)
Bessie Theodora Forbes Pennefather (1896 - 1951)
Eric Arthur Forbes Pennefather (1898 - 1968)
Joyce Muriel Rait Pennefather (1902 - 1980)

Occupation: Sergeant, Royal Artillery. In 1901 his occupation is listed as "Writer Royal Arsenal".

Notes:
The Times 22 February 1934
Croydon Woman's Death
Inquest adjourned for two months

The inquest was opened at Croydon yesterday on the body of Mrs. Elizabeth Juliet Ray, 76 a widow, who was found dead at her home in Handcroft Road, West Croydon, on Saturday night.
Leslie Martin, 32, motor-driver, of Mitcham Road, Croydon, is at present on remand, charged with her murder. He was not present at the inquest, but Chief Inspector Wesley, of Scotland yard, and other detectives were in Court.
The Coroner, Dr. H. Becher Jackson, told the jury that he would take only brief evidence that day and adjourn the inquest until the termination of the criminal proceedings, and then probably dismiss the jury and witnesses.
Robert Forbes Pennyfather, an army pensioner, said that he had lived at Mrs. Ray's house for about 10 years. He left her alone in the house last Saturday in the back sitting room on the ground floor and when he returned at 8.35 p.m., having been absent about an hour, he found the mats in the passage disarranged and the door leading from the passage to the back sitting room bolted on the passage side. He opened the door and found Mrs. Ray lying on her back on the floor, her apron over her face. He called a neighbour and then summoned a policeman, who telephoned for the police surgeon.
Sir Bernard Spilsbury, who made the post mortem, described the injuries on the body of Mrs. Ray, and said there was evidence that she had made some resistance. Death was caused by shock due to partial asphyxia as a result of external pressure.
The Coroner adjourned the inquest until after "the probable termination of the criminal proceedings." It would be resumed, he said, on May 1. The jury and witnesses were discharged.

Death: 20 September 1934, in Portsmouth district, Hampshire, England

Buried: Milton cemetery, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England

Census & Addresses:
1890: Spike Island, Cork Harbour, county Cork (Ireland civil records Births 1890 Queenstown no.2 #65)
1891: Golden Hill Fort, Freshwater, Isle of Wight
1901: 60 Vernham Road, Plumstead district, London
1911: 72 Blackfriars Road, Southsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire
1924-1934: Handcroft Road, West Croydon, London (The Times 22 February 1934)

Sources:

Birth: The Pilot 29 December 1860
Father: India Marriages GS film 510878
Mother: Pennyfather One Name Study
Marriage: India Marriages GS film 510878; exact church from Eleanor's family bible from William Taylor
Occupation: Ireland civil records Births 1890 Queenstown no.2 #65; 1891, 1901 census
Death: England Death Index (3Q1934 Portsmouth vol 2b p600); exact date from Claire Freestone
Burial: Claire Freestone

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