Richard MARGRETT
Ancestral line as currently established: Richard 1869, Henry 1842, Charles 1809, Stephen 1778 Stephen 1738, ?.......................Family Tree number 14
Born: 22JAN1869 in Grove Place, Leamington, Warwickshire, England
Second of nine children of -
Father: Henry Stephen Margrett
Mother: Mary Burnham, born 1869 at Showell, Leicestershire
Richard Married: 10NOV1895 in St Matthews, Rugby, England
Spouse: Mary Ann Mann
8 Children: William, 1896
Sarah Ann, 1897
Mary Elizabeth, 1899
John Edward, 1901
Ethel, 1902
Richard, 1904
Alfred, 1906
Henry, 1911
Died: 23APR1935 in Warwick, Warwickshire, England
Richard is one of those unusual persons who has the time of their birth on their birth certificate. He was born at ten minutes past eleven on the morning of 22 January. There is a reason for having your time of birth on your certificate, and that is when there is more than one baby being born of that mother that day. Richard was a twin and his brother was called Henry after their father.
The twins father was a gas fitter and we get snapshots of the family on each decade through the census returns. The earliest is in 1871 at which time Henry aged 2, the twin of Richard is missing from home. He might have been with his grand-parents.
In 1881, Richard aged 12 is with his family but they are still without twin Henry. There is his father, Henry, now aged 38 and still a gas fitter. But they are not in their own home and are lodgers in 19 Pinders Lane, Rugby, Warwickshire with Andrew Batchelor, who is a labourer, and his wife. Richard's twin, Henry, is at 31 Church Street, Rugby in the house of Richard Crowdy who is 66 and working as an 'outside porter at the railway station. The relationship between Henry Margrett and Richard Crowdy is not established. Henry Margrett's mother was, before she married, Mary Burnham, so Richard Crowdy cannot be her father or the maternal grandparent of Henry Margrett.
By 1891 both are still unmarried at 22 with Richard 'just' a labourer, and his twin Henry an engine cleaner and now a lodger with Richard Crowdy aged 39. This suggests that the Richard Crowdy (senior) has died, and this is the landlord's son.
In ten years, 1901, Richard is aged 32 and a bricklayers labourer, married to Annie who is two years younger and they have two daughters aged 2 and 1. Richard's twin, Henry, is not married and is claiming to be 30, but like his twin really 32. He is at Horsley Towers, the Mansion, Horsley East, near Guildford, and a live-in "odd man or porter" under the employ of Lionel F Kingnoel. He is a married man, aged 35 stating himself to be "a late captain of the Lancers, army". There are three other servants in the house but no children of the owners.
Our last chance for the next few years for us to see the twins is in the 1911 Census. Richard is at 81 New Street, New Bilton, Rugby in a house having 5 rooms and he fills in the return saying he is 42 having been married 15 years. Sadly, he and his wife have had 8 children of whom 3 died and 5 are still living. The eldest is a daughter aged 13 and the youngest is called....Henry aged 2. At the same time, Henry, Richard's twin, has moved South to Lindfield in Sussex. He is still jealous of his age and claiming himself to be on 38 when he is 42. He is also still 'in service' at Great Walstead a private mansion the property of Emily Rogers aged 30 and a widow living on private means. This is a much grander employment that ten years previously and there are seven other servants, with Henry leading the staff as butler. Great Walstead can be found on Google maps and today is a school.
On Sunday 19th June 1921, Richard is recorded to be living at 61 Pinfold Street, New Bilton, Rugby. This is strange. He is in the property of Joseph Allen and his wife Kate. Joseph is 74 and she 59 and they are living on the income from letting rooms. Whilst their son aged 19 lives there, so do 6 other boarders as well as Richard and his son Henry. Richard is of course 52 (ten years older than he was at the last census) and Henry is 10. What are they doing there and why? Richard is an engineer turner employed by the London and North Western Railway Company in Rugby. Other boarders are also general labourers, or more speciallist and unmarried or a widower. But, Richard claims he is still married and Henry (aged 10 remember) is at full-time school with the census entered that his parents are both still living. Is this a separation, or a temporary work assignment with Richard taking Henry with him to relieve the pressure at home? Alfred, the next youngest child of Richard will be 15 and may be out at work by then. None of the rest of the family have been found in the 1921 census; are they abroad? .
As you see above, Richard never moved very far and died aged about 66 in Warwick, Warwickshire. Twin Henry's death has yet to be traced but must be hiding in the records somewhere.
None of the life of Richard appears to have been published previously before the above record was created.
None of the Margrett Magazines from 1986 to 2012 included any of his experiences and therefore those experiences were not previously recorded in the public domain through the magazines deposited at the British Library under the I.S.S.N. 0269-0284 in those years.