William Henry Heaton

William Henry was the son of Abraham and Frances Alice Heaton (née Cook). Although military records gave William's place of birth as Besthorpe, near Newark but on the Lincolnshire border, it was recorded as Moorhouse, Nottinghamshire, on the earlier census records. Other siblings were born in Moorhouse. Although William's date of birth was given as 8 May 1871 on RN/RM records his birth was registered in 1872 (A/M/J Southwell), suggesting that he had added a year to his age when he enlisted in the Royal Marines/Royal Navy, probably to be entered at the age of 18 on an 'adult' engagement. His father was born in Norwell, Nottinghamshire, and his mother in Ossington, Nottinghamshire. Abraham and Frances Alice (known as Alice) were married in 1866 (reg. Southwell) and had at least nine children: Ann Eliza b. 1867, Alfred b. 1869 and William Henry b. 1872 who were born in Moorhouse, Elizabeth b. Alfreton 1874, Walter b. South Normanton 1878 and John Thomas (Thomas) b. 1880 d. 1902, and Frederick b. 1882 who were born in Moorhouse and Charles b. 1887 d. 1888 and Harry b. 1889 who were born in Mansfield Woodhouse. Abraham, an agricultural labourer, his wife and two children, Annie and Alfred, were living in Sutton on Trent in 1871. They then moved to Derbyshire where their next two children, Elizabeth and Walter, were born in 1874 and 1878 respectively, but were back in Nottinghamshire at Ossington, his wife's birthplace, by 1881. Abraham was now working as a wood labourer. Five of their six surviving children were in the home on the night of the census: Alfred, William, Elizabeth, Walter and Thomas. Their eldest daughter Annie has not yet been traced on the census but she married Henry Radage in 1885 (reg. Mansfield). A sixth son, Charles, was born in 1887 but died the following year and their youngest son Harry was born in 1889. By 1891 Abraham, a general labourer, and Annie had moved to Mansfield Woodhouse where they were living with four of their eight children Walter, a cotton factory hand, Thomas, Fred and Harry. Also in the household was Abraham's unmarried brother, John, a bricklayer's labourer. Their married daughter Annie (Radage) was living in Mansfield Woodhouse and their second daughter Elizabeth, a lace dresser, was living in Nottingham with her paternal widowed grandmother, Mary Perkins, a married aunt Hetty Tuckwood and her three children, an uncle, Thomas Heaton and another grandchild Mary Heaton (b. 1874). Their eldest son Alfred (b. 1869) has not yet been traced after 1881. William Henry, a private in the Royal Marines, was recorded on the 1891 Census at East Stonehouse Barracks, Devonport. He married Ann Lashbrook (b. 1869 Northlew) in 1898 (reg. J/A/S Plymouth) and they had two children who were both born in Plymouth: William Henry b. 1899 and Catherine Alice b. 1903. By 1901 Abraham, a coal miner, was living in Mansfield with his wife and sons Walter, a railway labourer (Midland Railway), Fred and Harry. Also in the home on the night of the census was Thomas who was serving in the 1st Bn. Sherwood Foresters and probably on leave after returning from South Africa in January that year. He was discharged from the army later that year, 'medically unfit for further service', and returned to live in Mansfield (See 'Extra information'). Annie (Radage) was living in Mansfield with her family but her sister Elizabeth has not yet been traced after 1891. Thomas died age 22 in 1902 (reg. A/M/J Mansfield). William was serving in HMS Rupert at Port Said in 1901 while his wife Annie and their son William were living with her parents, William Lashbrook, a carpenter, and his wife Catherine, in Northlew, Okehampton, Devonport. Annie Heaton and her two children, William and Catherine, had moved to Plymouth by 1911 when William, now chief stoker, was serving in HMS Express at Sheerness, Isle of Sheppy, Kent. Abraham and Alice with their sons Walter a boot agent, and Harry a coal miner, were living at 3 Fosters Row, Nursery Street, Mansfield, in 1911. Their son Frederick was living at 3 Nursery Street, Mansfield, with his wife Mabel (née Mounteney m. 1908) and their infant daughter. Annie (Radage) was also living in Mansfield with her husband and nine of their ten children (another had died in infancy). Both William's parents predeceased him: Frances Alice Heaton died in 1912 and her husband Abraham in 1915, both deaths registered Mansfield. It is not clear whether William's wife moved to Mansfield before his death in 1916. The WW1 Pension Ledgers record gave her address as Northlow Devon, but two RN records and the later CWGC record gave her address as 44 Heywood Street, Mansfield. His widow and two children were still living in Mansfield in 1921. In 1939 when the England & Wales Register was compiled, Annie was living at Skerry Hill, Mansfield, with her married daughter Catherine Rowell (m. 1923), her husband Wilfrid and their son Derek. Annie died in 1946 (reg. Mansfield).