Enid & family in the 1911 census

[CliffBeckenham]

In the 1911 census I have also found Florence Agnes Kernot, age 27, birth year 1884, living as a boarder in the home of a retired couple, Charles Holden, age 70 and Jessie Holden, age 67 in Brixton. Florence gives her occupation as 'Manageress of Costumier' which suggests that she purchased clothes from Thomas's wholesale business and that this is how she met him. her place of birth is Islington. This and her birth year more or less matches what Barbara Stoney told us in an EBS magazine article.
Also at the same Brixton address are Pauline May Kernot, age 14 and Jessie Jennie Kernot, age 13. Both areat school and for each girl their relation is Grandaughter. they would seem to be too old to be Florence's grandaughters.
I will leave this puzzle for time being.
For me the fact that Florence Agnes Kernot is living at another address in April 1911 confirms my view that by that date Thomas had not left Beckenham by that date.
As another reader said, in April 1911, Thomas would known for sure that Florence was now expecting his child (born in September). as he loved Florence, I imagine he must have decided that he had no option to leave Theresa and Beckenham for good. What a dramtic scene. At one moment he is completing a form with all his family details and the next he leaves to live with his new family.

[Viking Star]

Fascinating!

[Anita Bensoussane]

Thomas's writing in 1911 is hardly changed from when he signed the marriage certificate on August 11th, 1896 when he married Theresa.

I don't think I'd realised before that Enid Blyton was born on her parents' first wedding anniversary.

In the 1911 census I have also found Florence Agnes Kernot, age 27, birth year 1884, living as a boarder in the home of a retired couple, Charles Holden, age 70 and Jessie Holden, age 67 in Brixton. Florence gives her occupation as 'Manageress of Costumier' which suggests that she purchased clothes from Thomas's wholesale business and that this is how she met him. her place of birth is Islington. This and her birth year more or less matches what Barbara Stoney told us in an EBS magazine article.
Also at the same Brixton address are Pauline May Kernot, age 14 and Jessie Jennie Kernot, age 13. Both are at school and for each girl their relation is Grandaughter. they would seem to be too old to be Florence's grandaughters.

Perhaps it means that Pauline May Kernot and Jessie Jennie Kernot were the grandchildren of Charles and Jessie Holden? They might have been Florence's younger sisters. That would mean that Florence would be a grandchild too, but maybe notations like that were only added for minors?

Anita

[Katharine]

All very interesting, certainly sounds like Thomas and Florence didn't set up home together until after the census returns. I've though of a possibility to explain the story that he left home just before Enid's 13th birthday though. Did Thomas leave, then return for a while perhaps to try and patch things up, but then discovering Florence was pregnant leave to be with her. Either that, or did Theresa discover Thomas was having an affair and Enid found out about it around that time, but for whatever reason Thomas didn't leave straight away?

[Belly]

All of this is very interesting. Thanks for posting.

Anita, that explains it . Yes, still in sunny Singapore.

[Anita Bensoussane]

In the 1911 census I have also found Florence Agnes Kernot, age 27, birth year 1884, living as a boarder in the home of a retired couple, Charles Holden, age 70 and Jessie Holden, age 67 in Brixton. Florence gives her occupation as 'Manageress of Costumier' which suggests that she purchased clothes from Thomas's wholesale business and that this is how she met him. her place of birth is Islington. This and her birth year more or less matches what Barbara Stoney told us in an EBS magazine article.
Also at the same Brixton address are Pauline May Kernot, age 14 and Jessie Jennie Kernot, age 13. Both are at school and for each girl their relation is Grandaughter. they would seem to be too old to be Florence's grandaughters.

Perhaps it means that Pauline May Kernot and Jessie Jennie Kernot were the grandchildren of Charles and Jessie Holden? They might have been Florence's younger sisters. That would mean that Florence would be a grandchild too, but maybe notations like that were only added for minors?

CliffBeckenham emailed me to say he later realised that Pauline May and Jessie Jennie had the surname 'Holden," not 'Kernot,' so it seems that Florence was boarding with the Holdens.

Anita

[bavers]

Whilst looking I came across a Carey Blyton born in 1872 Newark, Nottinghamshire (Carey struck me as an unsual name so perhaps a connection)?...

Carey Blyton was Enid Blyton's first cousin once removed. He is Charles Carey Blyton, son of George Blyton and Jane Taylor. George Blyton was brother to Thomas Carey Blyton, Enid Blyton's grandfather. Interestingly two of Charles Carey Blyton's sisters married Mary Anne Hanly's brother, Charles John Hanly. His half sister Frances Ann Blyton in 1873 and then after her death in 1886, he married her half sister Ada Blyton Jan-Mar 1887 ie Charles Carey full sister. Charles John Hanly died 24 October 1888. There were two sons by his marriage to Frances Ann Blyton - George Charles Hamilton Hanly and Percy Abercorn Hanly.

Bavers

[tsumare]

What questions are on the 2010 census management test? I just got a call back from the Brooklyn census office to come in to take a management test for the census tomorrow. I am going for Assistant Manager of Recruitment. What kinds of questions can I expect on the test? They say they are testing manager scenarios. What can I expect and quick please! I take the test tomorrow at 5:30!

[Lucky Star]

What can I expect and quick please! I take the test tomorrow at 5:30!

Hang on I'm thinking. I should have an answer by about Six-ish.

[Daniel Blyton]

Having just joined the EBS this post is somewhat late, but nonetheless may be os some interest. Gebir (Thomas Carey's third child with his mistress, which seems to have gone unregistered) is more than likely inspired by an epic poem of the same name by Walter Savage Landor, first published in 1798. It is known Thomas Carey was well read. The poem can be found at the following: http://www.fullbooks.com/Gebir.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Regards,
Daniel

[Anita Bensoussane]

Thanks very much for that, Daniel. Didn't Gebir have his name changed to Leslie after his father's death?

[bavers]

Some light has been shed on Thomas’s residence during 1910/1911 by civil divorce records recently released on a major genealogical research web site. One of these records was of particular interest. 0n 29 November 1911 Theresa Mary Blyton filed a petition for a judicial separation from husband, Thomas Carey Blyton. Within the record there is the affidavit served by Theresa in support of her petition.

This outlines details of the breakdown of the marriage. The relationship of Thomas Carey Blyton and Florence Agnes Kernot had begun as early as May 1908:

"3 That on the 9th and 16th May 1908 at Buxton in the County of Derby the said Thomas Carey Blyton eommitted adultery with Florence Agnes Kernot."

It is then sworn within the affidavit that a 2nd act of adultery occurred 13 April 1911 at Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire; that from November 1910 to February 1911 Florence Agnes Kernot was employed by Thomas Carey Blyton at Nos 19 & 20 Hamsell Street, City of London where adultery was also committed on "divers occasions"; and that during the months of May, June July August and September 1911 they were living as man and wife at 16 Thornton Road, Mortlake, Surrey.

However, I cannot help but think this sworn fact was the last straw for Theresa:

"7. That on the 3rd September 1911 the said Florence Agnes Kernot gave birth to a child of which the said Thomas Carey Blyton is the father."

The one month when apparently Thomas & Theresa were living together in Clockhouse Road are March/April 1911. Of course given the reply to the census it would have been difficult for Theresa to swear Thomas was elsewhere. Does the census therefore actually represent who was present in the house on 2 April 1911?

There is another interesting fact revealed by the petition. The solictors for Theresa Mary Blyton were Attenborough & Sons, 15 & 16 Thavies Inn, Holborn. This is almost certainly the firm of solicitors of which John Attenborough (‘Grandpa Attenborough’), father of Mabel Attenborough was a partner – see London Electoral Registers 1915 – where John Attenborough’s abode is 34 Oakwood Avenue, Beckenham & address of qualifying property is 15 & 16 Thavie's Inn London.

Clearly therefore John Attenborough knew about Enid’s home situation, and, given Mabel’s age, maybe she too was aware of the reasons for Enid’s need for affection and sympathetic understanding. It could also explain the close relationship Enid had with the family, as with them she did not have fear revealing facts her mother had forbidden her to talk of.

Bavers

[Belly]

Fascinating, Bavers. Thanks so much for posting and I don't doubt that many here will be intrigued by this. Very sad though too. No doubt all involved suffered.

[Anita Bensoussane]

I agree that this new information is fascinating, especially as it had been suggested previously that Theresa wouldn't agree to divorce Thomas.

[Katharine]

Bavers, thanks for this bit of information. I'm a little surprised though that it's only just been released. I thought that as recently ast the 1970s, divorces were published in local newspapers, although not with all the gory details. Does any one know if I'm totally mistaken here, or was it something that was done for a few years, but not as early as 1911?

As for Thomas appearing to have lived with Theresa for the month of the census, I can think of two possible explanations. He may have agreed to come back just for appearances sake, after all, it would be another 10 years before another Census would be taken, or possibly Theresa lied on the form? I suspect that lying on a Census form is some kind of criminal offence, but Theresa may have felt that the shame of admitting her husband had left her might have been the lesser of two evils. Or possiblly she was hoping his 'fling' would run it's course and he'd return. When Florence gave birth she may have finally realised that the marriage was truely over.

Whatever the circumstances were, I do feel sorry for her.