Pietro Chiesa (1853 - 1932) was born on 27 August 1853 in Barga, Lucca, Tuscany, Italy. His father was Antonio Chiesa.
He arrived in the UK in May 1875, as shown on his identity card, and was a plaster figure maker in Ber Street, Norwich, Norfolk, in 1883.
On the 1881 census a Louis Chiesa, a modeller, born in 1851 in Barga, was living in Mariners' Lane, Norwich. Was Louis a relative of Pietro? At the same time a Pietro Chiesa, hawker, was lodging at Cutter Inn, Holy Trinity, Ely. Even though he was Italian, his place of birth was different, so it is uncertain if he was the same person.
On 13 March 1886 Antonio Chiesa Barlee, son of Caroline Barlee, was born. He was baptised on 13 April 1886 at St John Maddermarket Catholic chapel (now the Maddermarket Theatre). Antonio was Pietro Chiesa's eldest son, named after his parternal grandfather. In the last quarter of 1886 she married Robert Bracey. Antonio was brought up by his mother at Rockland St Mary.
On the 1891 census Pietro lived in Ber Street, Norwich, and was a plasterer. He married Blanche Adamson (1975 - 1960) on 23 August 1892 in Norwich. They had five children: Luigi (1893 - 1894), Annie Louisa (1894 - 1978), Pietro (1896 - 1897), Marie Josephine (1898 - 1900) and Antonio Luigi Pietro (1910 - 1994).
The family frequently moved house: Luigi and Annie Louisa were born in Carlisle, little Pietro died in Liverpool, Marie Josephine was born and died in South Manchester.
On the 1901 census they lived at 16 York Street, All Saints, South Mancester. Pietro was a modeller of plaster images.
By 1910, when Antonio Luigi Pietro was born, the Chiesas were back in Norwich. They lived at 20 Thorn Lane, Norwich.
In the early 20th century Pietro Chiesa worked as an ice cream vendor, as illustrated by two photographs in Cromer Museum and on Picture Norfolk.
Pietro appears in the following trade directories:
Pietro Chiesa died on 13 September 1932 in Norwich. He was buried at the Earlham Cemetery on 16 September. His wife died in 1960 in Norwich.
Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service has the following documents re Pietro Chiesa:
On Picture Norfolk, you can see a photograph of Pietro Chiesa - the man with the moustache - and his wife Blanche. They are standing next to their ice cream cart. In the background you can see plaster figurines, probably made by Pietro.
Notes: