Work in progress October 2022 Random notes
Kate's father, John, a watchmaker and jeweller, came from Hartlepool, but he spent some time in Hackney in 1871, probably where he met his future wife, Annie Maria Ballard who came from Shoreditch, like many of her family. She was soon to be Kate's mother. Annie Maria, who John soon took back to Hartlepool, had 9 siblings, including a sister, Kate Ballard. Kate Loughborough had a twin brother, John Mowbray Loughborough, who died in infancy. Her mother, Annie Maria, died about a year later from tuberculosis. John remarried, to Emily Walker Henderson, a local draper, ten years his junior, and had another daughter, Margaret Louisa. Although they lived locally, Kate was brought up by her grandfather George Loughborough, John's father.
George, a Londoner, was married to Elizabeth Mowbray. Both George and Elizabeth had many siblings. Elizabeth's sister, Jane, was married to Samuel Frazer, a master mariner. (Kate's father John lodged with Jane and Samuel in 1891, along with a police sergeant). George was a seaman for most of his life, (he described himself as a boat builder in 1891), becoming a baker and grocer in the family business (run by Elizabeth's sister, Margaret since at least 1871) in later years. They had at least 9 children. Three of their sons had large numbers of children, George Jr, a steel (pleasure) boat builder and boilermaker had 9, Thomas Robinson Loughborough, an iron moulder, had 5 and Chapman Loughborough, a shipyard labourer, had 7. Chapman's eldest son, Henry, followed his father into the shipyards. Thomas's eldest son became a house painter, like his Aunt Anna Maria's father. George and Elizabeth's eldest daughter Jane had 4 children. All in all, Kate had at least 27 first cousins! There were possibly others who died before the subsequent census. Most of these grew up in Hartlepool and the surrounding area.
George Loughborough had a sister, Ellen, who emigrated to Australia, surviving cruel treatment by the crew, including being locked in a box. One of her fellow passengers died as a result of an accident on the 5 month voyage. This was extensively reported by the Australian press. Ellen found herself a husband and later returned to England.
Two of George and Elizabeth's daughters, Jane and Elizabeth, a milliner, were (successively) married to Matthew Bulmer, an engineer and neighbour, Jane giving him four more cousins for Kate. One of the daughters, Sarah, worked in the family shop. Life on the Hartlepool Headland was a bleak existence, constantly at the mercy of the North Sea tides and weather. The family had at least two properties, one in Croft Terrace and another in adjacent Bedford Street. Family members moved back and forth between the two houses, as age gender and marriage required. The headland residents, living literally in the shadow of the enormous St Hilda's church, formed a close-knit community, sharing each others lives and tragedies, often at the hands of the unforgiving sea. Work in the local dockyards was hard and dangerous. One neighbour was the local lighthouse keeper.
George's son, Chapman, named for Jane Chapman, Elizabeth's mother, was once fined 10 shillings for riding a bike on the pavement. His future wife, Sophia Ellen Smith, gassed herself in 1943. Edward, one of Chapman's children died in Flanders in 1916, still a teenager.
Both George Jr and Chapman had sons called George, as did their sister Jane.
James Sedcole Watson, Kate's husband was the 5th of six brothers, sons of Thomas Christopher Watson, and Isabella Fraser. Isabella had a sister, Maria Ditchburn Fraser, who married one James Sedcole. They also had a child of the same name. Thomas Christopher Watson had two brothers. They were born in Bishopwearmouth, Sunderland, before moving to Jarrow. Their father, Robert Watson, was an apprentice butcher. Thomas Christopher Watson often got drunk and beat his wife Isabella. On one occasion, William Holmes Watson, then 14, had to give evidence in court against his father, after a particularly nasty drunk violent incident. He was unable to pay the fine, nor to get surety from anyone against his future behaviour, and served gaol time. After yet another drunken incident he died in police custody. These incidents were all reported by the local press.
Mr and Mrs Loughborough, 29 Brougham Street, Hartlepool, have received news that their son, Edward, of the West Yorks., was killed in action on the 14th of July. Prior to enlisting Private Loughborough was apprentice plumber at Irvine's Shipyard, Middleton. 5 August 1916
Kate's daughter, May, married Thomas William Leggett in September 1927, and delivered a child, Harry, the following April. Soon after, Kate and James unofficially adopted Harry as their own. Not long after, May delivered a second child, following an affair with the soon-to-be-married boyfriend of a friend. Eight years later, living in London, May had a third child with another man. May worked variously as a shorthand typist and bus conductress.
Kate's second daughter, Constance, probably named for Constance, the wife of James' eldest brother, William, (Connie) Anne Watson worked in a furniture and radio shop, before marrying and moving south, ultimately to the northern Home Counties.
William Holmes Watson had a son who died on the Isle of Man during WWII. The daughter (a rarity in the Watson family) of James's youngest brother, Ernest, died in 1930 after falling from a train. Ernest was a teacher, and, later, a headmaster. His wife was called Dorothy Perkins. James requested only male mourners at his funeral.