Henry Gillyon born 3rd May
1877, the younger twin
An exert from the Alan Godfrey map
of Hull (West) 1908, showing the location of Hull Seaman’s and General Orphan
Asylum on Spring Bank in Hull |
Henry was born on 3rd May
1877 after his twin brother Thomas in Grovehill, Beverley. When Henry and Thomas were 10 years old
their father died. Their mother,
Sarah Jane, moved out of the family
home which had probably been a workers cottage, into a 4 room tenement at 3 Dyer
Lane in the centre of Beverley.
During the 1891 census the twins, aged 13, were living at Hull
Seaman’s and General Orphan Asylum on Spring Bank which took in the children
of poverty stricken widows as well as orphans. This can’t have been an easy decision for Sarah Jane to
make. |
The Orphanage’s records are available
to view at the Hull History Centre and these tell us that the boys were
admitted on 6th August 1888.
The “particulars of the case” is
described as:
Father a labourer,
died 2nd October 1887, eight children, five wholly dependent on the
widow.
Paid for until elected by Rev’d E Akenshaw,
Beverley
Henry left the orphanage on 25th
April 1891 and was transferred to McNidder.
A series of five certificates were issued by the orphanage after he
left. The first one with a writing desk
which must have been nice to receive.
Henry’s were issued on the Founders Day in the years 1895, 1896, 1898,
1900, 1905. On receipt of the last
certificate there is also mention of £2.2.0.
I’m not sure what these certificates were for. His record just records the fact that they were issued and on what. The book also records his employment as
follows:
Feb 1894 Pickard,
butcher, Market Place, Beverley
1898 Hull
Tramway Company
Sept 1898 Hull Railway Company as porter
Unknown date HB Holmes & Son
Thomas’ Orphange Record
Thomas left the orphanage a few months
after his brother on 2nd November 1891 on the expiry of term and
went to Mr Bradwick, presumably to work.
His subsequent history is described as follows:
Founder’s Day 1892 |
To London & . . . . . Drug . . .
. Beverley as errand boy |
Founder’s Day 1893 |
First certificate and writing desk |
Founder’s Day 1894 |
Second certificate |
Founder’s Day 1895 |
Third certificate |
Founder’s Day 1896 |
Forth certificate |
Founder’s Day 1898 |
Fifth certificate & £2.2.0 Hull
Railway Co having entered companies service |
Henry married Sarah A Powell on
Christmas Day.1899 at St Johns Church, Newington, in Hull. By the time of the 1901 census they lived at
11 Brighton Terrace, Brighton Street had one son, Henry, born 14 Oct 1900 as
well as having custody of Albert, age 6, described as Henry’s brother. During WW1 Henry served as a driver in the
Army Service Corps, regimental number T/4 062138, disembarking in Egypt on 1st
November 1915. He earned the Victory
Medal, the British Medal and the 1915 star and was discharged 26 December
1919. His Pensioners Record Card shows
that he suffered from bronchitis in December 1918 due to exposure and also
suffered from malaria in June 1919.
There is also a mention of myalgia which was often used as a catch all
for unknown illness such as trench fever in those who served in the trenches. The medical report also mentions
1) Cough, sputum negative for TB,
fairly well, heart slightly enlarged, some evidence of emphysema.
2) Malaria contracted in ………… (possibly
Salonika)
There
is no mention of Henry in any of the Kelly’s directories I’ve seen. He died in 1957. Henry’s second son George was born 14 May 1909 from whom Henry’s
great-great-grandson James Andrew Gillyon (born Exeter in Jan 1997) is
descended. Henry also had a daughter
called Sarah born in 1913 who died aged about 14 and a son called Albert who
was born and died in 1915.
Back to Albert Gillyon’s brothers and
sisters