Connors of 'Craiglea', 144 Swan Lane.
My grandparents, David Muir Connor and Isabella, his wife, lived at 144 Swan Lane from at least 1920 to 1959 when he died, his wife having pre-deceased him by 1 year.
Their neighbours, the Jeffreys owned a bicycle shop nearby, and were extremely kind to me as a child. David was a travelling salesman, and I would guess from photos, that he was a lieutenant in the army when he married in 1919. He must have also been an officer in the Home Guard during WWII.
They had 2 sons, James Graham and John, and John died tragically at Battlesbridge, falling into the river and disappearing, only to be found days later.
My parents came to live with them during the late 50s as my grandmother had cancer, and my grandfather Parkinson’s disease. When they passed away, my father inherited the house, but a developer had already bought the neighbour’s land, and so the acre or so belonging to ‘Craiglea’ was added to the development. At only 5 years old, I never made it to the bottom of their garden.
I had a mentally handicapped brother, so my poor mother needed help nursing two sick parents in law. A lady called Mrs Guilder, also a local, assisted her for some time.
I wonder if there are any people left who might remember the Connors?
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Sorry for the long delay between posts here. I didn’t realise there was no notification mechanism.
Mrs Guilder would have been fairly senior in age when I knew her in 1960, and the memory of a five year old is a little unreliable. My main memory of her is that she never seemed to draw breath when speaking. The large family seems to ring a bell however.
My research has recently determined that Isabella Connor nee Goodlet had her mother and father living at 144, when her father passed away in 1918 at just 55. Early maps show that building of any houses on Swan Lane didn’t really occur much before 1900, so now I wonder if the Goodlet’s bought the house new and my grandparents lived with them rather than the reverse.
Was Mrs Guilder the family who lived in the big house opposite Davids Way as is now, who were Coal Merchants. We called that Guilders Hill. I believe a John Barwick lived opposite, and halfway down that small hill on the west side lived a family called Sharp.
Hi Martin – I lived in Egbert Gardens from when I was born in 1964 to 1979, when we moved to Runwell Road, near the Thomas Kemble. So I wouldn’t know your grandparents, however we had some neighbours called Guilder. They were a large family (5+ children) and I remember Mrs Guilder as being very kind…..
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