Patrick Comerford
When I was in London last week, I visited the alleys off Cornhill, searching for the Jamaica and Jonathan’s, two of the oldest coffee houses in London, and looking in Change Alley for the site of the home of a branch of the Comerford family who lived and worked there in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Change Alley is a collection of at least five interconnected labyrinthine passages that have changed shape and direction down the centuries and with five access points: two off Cornhill, two off Lombard Street and one leading out of Birchin Lane.
Thomas Comerford, who came from Ireland, was a tobacconist in London from the mid-18th century. He was twice married and married his first wife Alice Davenport (1735-1769) on 26 October 1759 in Saint Mary’s Church, Whitechapel. They lived in Leman Street, Whitechapel (1759-1768), and they were the parents of three sons:
1, William Davenport Comerford (1763-1763), died in infancy.
2, James Comerford (1764-1833), ancestor of the Comerford family of Holborn and Belgravia.
3, Thomas Comerford (1769-1810), draper, of Bond Street, who married Charlotte Watson (1772-1851), and who has a large number of living descendants.
Alice died in childbirth in 1769, and Thomas Comerford married his second wife, Ann Underwood (1734-1807), in Saint Botolph’s Church, Aldgate, on 28 October 1770. Thomas and Anne Comerford were the parents of two more children, a daughter and a son:
4, Mary (1775-1839)
5, Charles Comerford (1784-1849), solicitor. He married Elizabeth Edings Morgan (1797-1867) in Saint Luke’s Church, Chelsea, on 1 May 1813. He lived at East Street, Lamb’s Conduit Street, off Great Ormond Street in Bloomsbury (1807), 16 Clement’s Inn, off the Strand in Saint Clement Danes parish (1838-1840), 72 Old Broad Street (1848), and 21 Oxford Square, Paddington (1849).
I was aware of the story of Thomas Comerford’s second son James Comerford (1764-1833) and his descendants, who were tobacconists, notaries public and Victorian book collectors who had connections with Change Alley for at least four generations and another three or four generations of distinguished medical practitioners and surgeons in Belgravia.
But I had overlooked the Thomas Comerford’s third son, Thomas Comerford (1769-1810), a Bond Street draper and younger brother of James Comerford (1764-1833), and the story of his far-flung branch of the family.
My visit to Change Alley lead me to finding the stories of a branch of the Comerford family that are an introduction to portraits of family life that are both intriguing and fascinating, and at the same time often heart-rending. Over five or six generations or more, I found sad stories of infant mortality and death at childbirth, of children and whole families ending up in the workhouse, and stories too of resilience and fortitude, of trade union activism, and of death at the Gallipoli landings, of passages to India and of birth at sea off St Helena in the mid-Atlantic.
There are intermarriages in successive generations between the Comerford and Finch families that consolidate family networks. There are gun makers and shoemakers, soldiers and bus drivers, whose lives, I imagine, were worlds apart from the doctors’ consulting rooms in Belgravia of their distant cousins.
A family that at one time was at home in places in the East End like Stepney, Tower Hamlets, Whitechapel and Bethnal Green, son moved south of the river to Southwark and places such as Southwark, Lambeth, Newington, Camberwell, Bermondsey and Walworth, and north to Clerkenwell and Islington. In time, they moved on to Aston in Birmingham and other places in the Midlands, including four generations or more in both Northampton and Leicester, with four generations of bootmakers and shoemakers. I even found six or seven members of this branch of the family with the name Charlotte Comerford, and I found that many of the family baptisms and marriages took place in churches that I already know well and have blogged about in recent years.
The story of this branch of the Comerford family begins with Thomas Comerford from Ireland who became a tobacconist in London. He was twice married and he died on 29 June 1812 in the Parish of Saint Botolph, London. His third son was:
Thomas Comerford (1769-1810), born in 1769 and baptised in Saint Mary’s Church, Whitechapel, 15 February 1769. He was a draper in Bond Street, London, in 1784. He married on 23 February 1792 in Saint Martin in the Fields Church Charlotte Watson (1772-1851), daughter of Joseph Watson and his second wife Elizabeth (née Wiltshire) of Whitechapel.
Thomas Comerford died in Mill Yard on 12 July 1810, and was buried in Goodman’s Fields, the burial ground of Somerset Street Presbyterian Church; Charlotte Comerford died in January 1851. Their children included three daughters and three sons:
1, Elizabeth (1795-post 1812), born 27 December 1795 in Everard’s Place, a small alley or courtyard off Church Lane, near Cable Street and Wellclose Square, in the parish of Saint Mary, Whitechapel, in the East End. She was baptised on 21 January 1796 in the Presbyterian Church, Somerset Street (now Mansell Street), Stepney. She married David Smith in Saint Mary’s Church, Stratford Bow, on 10 November 1812.
2, Anne (1798-1800), born 7 February 1798 in Everard’s Place and baptised 23 July 1799 in Somerset Street Presbyterian Church. She died in November 1800 and was also buried in Goodman’s Fields.
3, Charlotte (1800-1800), born 20 January 1800, and died in Everard’s Place in December 1800.
4, Joseph Comerford (1801-1848), of whom next (see below).
5, George Comerford (1803-1806), born 4 November 1803 Swallow’s Gardens, Whitechapel, died in 1806 Rosemary Lane.
6, Francis Thomas Comerford (1811-1864), of whom after his brother Joseph (see below), born after his father’s death, 6 April 1811.
The widowed Charlotte Comerford later married the widowed Samuel Hormack Dann (born 1789) in Saint George in the East Church, Tower Hamlets, on 6 July 1818. They had no further children, and Charlotte died in January 1851.
The elder of the two surviving sons of Thomas and Charlotte Comerford:
Joseph Comerford (1801-1848), born 10 October 1801 in Sparrow Corner, which was between 83 and 84 Minories in Saint Botolph Parish, Aldgate. He was baptised on 25 August 1809 in Saint Botolph’s Church, Aldgate. He married Mary Davies (1805-1862) in Saint George in the East Church, Tower Hamlets, on 15 July 1827.
Joseph Comerford died 14 November 1848 in Phoenix Court, and was buried in Goodman’s Yard burial ground; his wife Mary (née Davies) died in East London in 1862. They were the parents of ten children, five sons and five daughters:
1, Charlotte (1829- ), born 19 April 1829 in Aldgate.
2, Francis Thomas Comerford (1831-1918), of whom next (see below).
3, Joseph Comerford (1833-1899), born in Whitechapel in 1833, of whom after his brother Francis Thomas Comerford (see below).
4, Mary Ann (1834-1896), born at Sugar Loaf Court, Angel Alley, 4 December 1834. She married James Keegan (born 1838). They lived in Regent Street, Lambeth, and Kennington, and were the parents of four children, a son and three daughters.
5, Elizabeth (1836-1905) born in Aldgate in 1836. She married Benjamin George Broome (born 1840) in Saint Thomas Church, Stepney, on 5 April 1863. They were the parents of four children, three daughters and a son. Elizabeth Broome was living in Dean Street, Soho, when she died in 1905.
6, George (I) Comerford (1838-1839), born in Aldgate in May 1838, died in October 1839.
7, Martha (1840-1915), born in Aldgate 1 February 1840. She married William Finch (born 1824), a widowed fishmonger and later a postman, in Saint Thomas Church, Stepney, on 9 February 1868. They lived in Lambeth and later in Battle and then Bexhill in Sussex. Martha (Comerford) Finch died in Brighton in October 1915, and they were the parents of six children, four sons and two daughters who all continued the Comerford name:
•1a, Jessie Comerford Finch (born 1869), who married Walter West Gwynne (1866-1958);
•2a, Herbert Comerford Finch (1871-1937), who married his cousin Florence Eva Comerford (1876-1957) in Christ Church, Sparkbrook, Birmingham, on 7 May 1900 (see below);
•3a, Charles Comerford Finch (1874-1949) of Harrow and Willesden, who married Jessie Emily Farrall (1870-1961);
•4a, Frank Comerford Finch (1876-1952), of Swansea, Wales, who married Elizabeth Harriett Rees (1885-1963);
•5a, Ephraim Comerford Finch (born 1880), married in Croydon in 1903;
•6a, Emma Comerford Finch (1885-1949), who married Frederick J Walker in 1913.
8, George (II) Comerford (born 1842), born 1842 in Crown Court, Aldgate.
9, Emma (1845-) born 8 February 1845 in Aldgate.
10, Benjamin Comerford (1848-1852), born July 1848 Aldgate, died 1852 in East London.
The eldest of these ten children:
Francis Thomas Comerford (1831-1918), gunmaker, was born 17 January 1831 at Sugar Loaf Court, Angel Alley, Aldgate – the site is now occupied by railway lines – and was baptised 6 February 1831 in Saint Botolph Without Aldgate, Bishopsgate. He married Hannah Matilda Govett (1832-1905) in Saint Thomas Church, Stepney, on 15 April 1850. They lived for a time in Grove Street, Tower Hamlets, moved to India in the late 1850s, and later lived in Aston, Birmingham from the 1870s. Hannah died in Aston in 1905, and Francis died there in 1918.
They were the parents of 11 children, eights sons and three daughters:
1, George Comerford (1850-1852), born in Stepney, 4 October 1850, died at 27 Grove Street, Tower Hamlets, in 1852.
2, Francis Thomas Comerford (1852-1927), of whom next.
3, Frederick Henry Comerford (1855-1936), born in Stepney, 20 August 1855.
4, Charlotte Elizabeth Comerford (1857-1858), born 4 May 1857, died in infancy on 28 October 1858.
5, Charles William Comerford (1859-1937), born in Madras, 13 March 1859. He married Polly Robinson (1863-1932), from Wednesbury, Staffordshire, in Saint Paul’s Church, in the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham, on Christmas Day 25 December 1882. They lived in Aston and do not seem to have had any children; Polly died in December 1932, Charles died in Birmingham in June 1937.
6, Henry Hardwick Comerford (1860-1861), born at sea off St Helena in 1860, died in Stepney in 1861.
7, Kate Margaret Comerford (1864-1912), born in Bow in 1864, married James Arthur Garlick (1860-1935), a travelling salesman, in Saint Paul’s Church, Birmingham, in January 1885, and they were the parents of three daughters and a son. Kate died in King’s Norton, Birmingham, in April 1912; James Garlick died in Birmingham in June 1935.
8, Alfred Edward Comerford (1866-1894), born in Lambeth in June 1866. He married Rosina Clarissa Buck (1862-1936) in Holy Trinity Church, Bordesley, on Christmas Eve 24 December 1892. Alfred died at Anderton Road, Sparkbrook, on 26 January 1894; Rosina died in September 1936. They were the parents of an only son:
•1a John Augustus Comerford (1894-1958) of Birmingham, who died unmarried.
9, Walter Comerford (1870-1873), born in Birmingham in January 1870, died in January 1873.
10, Thomas Henry Comerford (born 1874), born in Aston at the end of 1874.
11, Florence Eva (1876-1957), born in Birmingham 19 February 1876, she married her first cousin Herbert Comerford Finch (1871-1937), see above, in Christ Church, Sparkbrook, on 7 May 1900, and they were the parents of two daughters.
The eldest surviving son of Francis Thomas Comerford (1831-1918) and Hannah Matilda (Govett) Comerford was:
Francis Thomas Comerford (1852-1927), born in Stepney 9 March 1852 and baptised in Saint George in the East on 20 January 1856. He moved to Birmingham with his parents and family when he was in his teens and became an apprentice in the gun trade. He married Charlotte Finch (1851-1933) in Mile End, London, in July 1874 – she appears to be related to William Finch who married Martha Comerford (1840-1915). Francis and Charlotte Comerford lived in India on at least two occasions in the 1870s and 1880s. Francis Comerford died at 92 Milward Road, Hastings, on 9 September 1927; his widow, Charlotte Comerford, died there on 5 March 1933.
Francis and Charlotte Comerford were the parents of five children, three sons and two daughters:
1, Florence Charlotte (born 1875), born in Birmingham October 1875.
2, Lilian Rose (1878-1940), born in Ferozepore, Punjab, in 1878. She returned to England with her parents and lived in Dorset before moving to Hastings, where she died on 30 September 1940, aged 62.
3, Violet Isabel (1879-1951), born in Bexhill in 1879, she later lived in Twickenham and died in Hastings in December 1951.
4, Percy J Comerford (1881-1898), he was born in India, returned to England with his parents, and died in Aston in January 1898.
5, William Ewart Comerford (1887-1974), born in Poona on 9 December 1887. He returned to England with his parents, and later lived in Guildford. He died in June 1974.
We now return to Joseph Comerford (1833-1899), second son of Joseph Comerford (1801-1848), and next brother to Francis Thomas Comerford (see above):
Joseph Comerford (1833-1899) was born in Whitechapel in 1833 and was baptised in Saint Botolph Without Aldgate on 3 April 1833. He was an armourer or gunmaker. I have found no record for his first marriage, but he described himself as a widower when he married Elizabeth Jenkins (1837-1918) on 7 July 1867 in Christchurch, Cannon Street Road (the church was demolished after bomb damage during World War II). They lived on Mile End Road in the East End and briefly in Edinburgh. Joseph Comerford died in London in October 1899; Elizabeth died in Islington in December 1918. They were the parents of one daughter and one son:
1, Eva Cannon (1880-1944), married Henry Percival Welbelove (1879-1933) in Saint Mary the Virgin, Somers Town, London, on 3 August 1908. They later lived in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, and Rotherham and Pontefract, East Yorkshire.
2, Joseph Jackson G Comerford (1884-1969), he married Theresa Ellen Wilson (1888-1945) in London in 1909, and they later lived in Monsell Road, Islington. They were the parents of three sons and a daughter:
•1a, Joseph William Comerford (1909-1982), married Clara Gladys Moore (1915-2001), lived in Brighton and died in Hove.
•2a, Harry James Comerford (1911-1972), married, and died in Hillingdon.
•3a, George Albert Comerford (1916-2004), died in Hastings.
•4a Patricia Joan Renshaw (1929-1994), lived in Stevenage, Hertfordshire.
We now return to Francis Thomas Comerford (1811-1864), the second surviving son of Thomas Comerford (1769-1810) above and the younger surviving brother of Joseph Comerford (1801-1848) above:
Francis Thomas Comerford (1811-1864) was born 6 April 1811 in the Parish of Saint Giles Without Cripplegate, Aldgate. He was a porter and hatter and lived at Christopher Court, off Fenchurch Street, and at Providence Street, Southwark. He married Edith Parsley (1813-1889) in Saint James’s Church, Paddington, on 1 May 1842. Francis Comerford died in 1864 at 72 Hosier Lane, Smithfield, London; Edith died in Camberwell in December 1889. They were the parents of six children, three sons and three daughters:
1, Thomas Comerford (1841-1906), of whom next.
2, Edward Comerford (1845-1918), of whom after his brother Thomas (see below).
3, Emma (1847-1920), she was born in Aldersgate 8 July 1847 and baptised in Christ Church Greyfriars, Newgate, 26 September 1847. She died in Bromley in December 1920.
4, Mary Ann Matilda (1849-1852), born 15 July 1849, baptised in Christ Church, Greyfriars, 5 August 1849, and died in July 1852.
5, Joseph Comerford (1853-1897), of whom after his brother Edward (see below).
6, Eliza (1854-1929), born September 1854. She married Gillespie George Callam (1855-1930) in Saint James the Less Church, Bethnal Green, Tower Hamlets, on 28 November 1875, and they were the parents of seven children, three sons and four daughters.
The first of three sons of Francis and Edith Comerford:
Thomas Comerford (1841-1906), wire weaver, was born in Saint Martin’s Le Grand, a former liberty north of Newgate Street and Cheapside and south of Aldersgate Street, on 18 July 1841, and was baptised in Christ Church, Greyfriars, Newgate, on 29 June 1845.
He married Mary Ann Powell (1843-1935) in Saint Mary-at-Lambeth Church, Lambeth, on 14 November 1864. They later lived in Paradise Street, Rotherhithe, Camberwell and Bermondsey. He died in West Ham on 8 June 1906; she died in Leicester in September 1935. They were the parents of one daughter and five sons:
1, Jane (1863-1932), married James Seamer Lock (1860-1950) in Enon Baptist Chapel, Woolwich, on 17 May 1881 and they were the parents of 16 children, eight daughters and eight sons. They later lived in Leicester, where she died on 29 April 1932.
2, Thomas Comerford (1865-1949), of whom next.
3, Benjamin James Comerford (born 1868), born in Cripplegate, 7 February 1868, baptised in Saint Matthias, Bethnal Green, Tower Hamlets, on 1 March 1868.
4, John Comerford (1870-1871), died in infancy.
5, Robert Comerford (born 1872)
6, Henry Comerford (1875-1946), of whom after his brother Thomas and his descendants.
The eldest son of Thomas Comerford and Mary Ann (Powell) Comerford was:
Thomas Comerford (1865-1949), shoemaker, born Southwark 27 July 1865, baptised in Saint Matthias Church, Bethnal Green, Tower Hamlets, 1 March 1868. He married Mary Elizabeth (Lizzie) Patey (1872-1936) in All Saints’ Church, Walworth, on 16 September 1889. They lived in Camberwell, Newington, Walworth and Southwark, and had moved to Leicester by 1897, living at Knighton Fields Road.
Lizzie died in Leicester on 24 December 1936, and Thomas died there in March 1949. They were the parents of two sons and four daughters:
1, Thomas Comerford (1890-1962), of whom next.
2, Amy Ellen (1892-1952), married Henry Davey Radford (1890-1971) in Leicester in June 1915 and died in Leicester in 1952.
3, Elizabeth (1893-1961), baptised in Saint Christopher’s, Walworth, 6 December 1893, married James Lakin (1893-1972) in Leicester in July 1915.
4, Mary Ann (1895-1981), born Preston Buildings, Southwark, 8 December 1895. She married Frederick William Jackson (1894-1973) in Saint Mary Magdalene Church, Knighton, Leicester, on 11 May 1918, and they were the parents of a son and a daughter.
5, Henry Comerford (1897-1997), born in Leicester 27 October 1897.
6, Helen (Ellen) Winifred (1902-1988) in Leicester, 7 April 1902. She married Jack Kyle (1900-1989) from Kettering, Northamptonshire, in Leicester in 1929, and they were the parents of a daughter. She died in Leicester on 20 June 1988.
The eldest son of Thomas and Lizzie (Patey) Comerford was:
Thomas Comerford (1890-1962) was born in Camberwell 15 March 1890, and was baptised in All Saints’ Church, Newington, 2 April 1890. He moved to Leicester with his parents, and he married Charlotte Barton (1887-1955) in Leicester in December 1907. Charlotte died in Leicester June 1955, and Thomas died at 3 Northdene Road, Leicester, on 5 March 1962.
Thomas and Charlotte Comerford were the parents of seven children, including two sons and four daughters:
1, Thomas William Comerford (1908-1978).
2, Florence Winifred (1909-1966) of Leicester, married Cyril James Gilbert (1908-1996) in 1928.
3, John Henry Comerford (1913-1997) of Leicester, married Edna Austick (1914-2003) in Leicester in September 1937.
4, Barbara Elizabeth (1920-2002), married in Acle, Norfolk, in December 1946.
5, Elsie May (1920-1975), married in Leicester in September 1940.
6, Mary (1924-2001), married Alan A Bassett in Leicester in June 1946.
The sixth child and youngest son of Thomas Comerford and Mary Ann (Powell) Comerford (see above) was:
Henry Comerford (1875-1946), bus conductor, born Newcastle on Tyne in March 1875, and grew up in London. He married Rebecca Louisa Hudson (born 1879) in Saint James’s Church, Bermondsey, 25 December 1899. Henry died in Finsbury in March 1946. They were the parents of five children, three sons and two daughters:
1, Henry Thomas Comerford (1900-2001), born Walworth 30 October 1900, baptised Saint Matthew’s, Newington, 18 November 1900. He married Florence M Waller in Edmonton in 1940. He lived to 101 and died in Enfield in December 2001.
2, (Male) Comerford (1902-1902), who died at birth in Southwark in September 1902.
3, Jessie Rebecca (1903-1974), born in Walworth, 22 May 1903, baptised in Saint Matthew’s Church, Newington, 7 June 1903, and died in Newton Abbot, Devon, in December 1974.
4, Charles William Comerford (1905-1961), born in Walworth, 19 March 1905, died in Southend on Sea, 28 May 1961.
5, Isabella Mary (1908-1920), born in Walworth, December 1908.
We now return to the second of three sons of Francis and Edith Comerford:
Edward Comerford (1845-1906), coachman and bus driver, was born 2 June 1845 and baptised in Christ Church, Greyfriars, Newgate, 29 June 1845. Edward was twice married; he married his first wife Louisa Trimmer (1846-1888) in Saint Mary-at-Lambeth Church on 29 September 1867. They lived in Saint John’s Square, and later in Newington, and Louisa died in March 1888. Edward and Louisa Comerford were the parents of three sons and three daughters:
1, Louisa Elizabeth (1869-1903), born in Cheap 1869, baptised in Saint John the Baptist Church, Clerkenwell, 24 April 1870. She married William Griffin Walker (born 1867) in Saint Peter’s Church, Walworth, in June 1888, and they were the parents of two daughters. She lived in Newington and died in July 1903.
2, Edward Thomas Comerford (1870-1917), born in Clerkenwell 1870, baptised in Saint John the Baptist Church, Clerkenwell, 24 April 1870. He was a private in the East Surrey Regiment by 1901. He died in Southwark in 1917.
3, Arthur Comeford (1876-1946), born in Southwark 30 September 1876 and baptised in Saint Mary, Newington, on 15 December 1876. He was a plumber and gas fitter, and lived in Bermondsey. He married Alice Elizabeth Howard (born 1879, Bromley Bow, Poplar) in Saint Dunstan and All Saints’ Church, Stepney, on 21 May 1899. He died in 1946 and was buried in Greenwich.
4, Harriet Eleanor (1878-post 1955), born in Newington, 1878, baptised in Saint Mary’s, Newington, 25 July 1879. She married William Henry Pearson (1877-1967) in Saint Mark’s Church, Walworth, on 31 July 1898. The lived at Ethelred Street, Lambeth, and Blandford House, Richborne Terrace, Lambeth, and were the parents of one son and three daughters.
5, Rose Matilda (1881-1933), born Newington, 13 July 1881, baptised in Saint Mary’s Church, Newington, 24 August 1881. She married William Henry Chaproniere (1878-1916) in Saint Paul’s Church, Bermondsey, on14 May 1899. They lived in Bermondsey, and were the parents of three sons and a daughter. He was a corporal and died in the Battle of the Somme on 1 July 1916; she died in December 1933.
6, Albert Edgar Comerford (1887-1915), born in Kennington on 25 June 1887, and baptised in Saint James’s Church, Kennington, on 28 July 1887. A printer, he was a private in the Royal Fusiliers City of London Regiment 2nd Battalion by 1911, in Jubbulpore, India. He was killed in Gallipoli on 5 June 1915 and is named on the Helles Memorial Gallipoli.
Louisa died in March 1888 and Edward Comerford married his second wife, Jane Julie Osborne (1866-1943) in Saint Mary-at-Lambeth Church on 27 July 1890. Thomas and Jane Comerford later lived in Camberwell, but by 1913 they were described as ‘destitute and homeless’ and living with their children in Saint Olave’s Workhouse, Bermondsey. Edward died at the end of 1918; Jane died in Staines in 1943. They were the parents of two daughters and a son:
1, Jane Agnes (born 1901), born in Camberwell 11 March 1901, baptised in Emmanuel Church, Camberwell, on 28 April 1901. She married Frank Gill.
2, Frederick Charles (aka Charles Frederick) Comerford (1907-1985), born in Old Lambeth 23 April 1907. He married Phoebe Carpenter (born 1908) in Brighton in December 1929, and died in Hove in December 1985.
3, Ellen Elizabeth (born 1911), born in Camberwell 10 February 1911.
We now return to the third of three sons of Francis and Edith Comerford:
Joseph Comerford (1853-1897), a boot maker, was born in St Georges Borough in 1853. He married Catherine (Kate) Miller (1854-1915), from Aspley Guise, Bedfordshire, in Saint James the Great Church, Bethnal Green, on 7 August 1874. Joseph Comerford moved to Northampton, and moved between Northampton and Newington as Joseph Comerford continued to find work in the shoe industry. They eventually lived at 32 Wellington Street, Northampton. Joseph died in Northampton in October 1897, when he was only 45 and his children were still young. His widow Kate later kept a boarding house at 84 Dunster Street, and died in Northampton in October 1915. They were the parents of eleven children, six daughters and five sons:
1, Catherine (born 1874), born in Bethnal Green, Hackney, July 1874. She married William Thomas Tyler (1863-1908) in Saint Michael’s Church, Northampton, 6 August 1893, and they were the parents of seven children, three daughters and four sons.
2, Clara (born 1876), born in Hackney, married William Muddiman (1878-1942) in Saint Giles Church, Northampton, in January 1897. They lived in Dallington and Marlboro’ Road, Northampton, and were the parents of one son and four daughters.
3, Joseph Comerford (1879-1958), shoe finisher, born Northampton. He married Esther Mary Clarke (1871-1957) in Northampton 16 September 1906; he died in Daventry 16 November 1958; she died at11 Baker Street, Northampton, 29 November 1957. They were the parents of one son:
•1a, Joseph Cyril Comerford (1906-1985), born Northampton, 19 March 1906. He married Florence Isabella Liggins (1910-1975) in Northampton, March 1932. They lived at 59 Northfield Gardens, Watford, Hertfordshire. She died June 1975; she died 8 December 1985.
4, Edward William Comerford (1880-1949), born Newington, 25 May 1880, baptised Saint Christopher’s Church, Walworth, 12 October 1887, and moved to Northampton with his parents. He worked in the boot trade and married Harriet Longworth (1881-1961) in Saint James’s Church, Northampton, 8 May 1902. They lived in Duston, Northampton, and Abbott Road, Manfield, and were the parents of six children, five daughters and a son. Edward Comerford died in Mansfield 1 May 1949; Harriet died 10 August 1961.
5, Thomas James Comerford (1884-1975), born Northampton 10 June 1884, married in Northampton September 1921, and died there December 1975.
6, Herbert Comerford (1886-1970), of whom next.
7, Eliza Edith (1888-1933), born Southwark 28 April 1888, baptised in Saint Giles, Northampton, 13 September 1893, along with two of her sisters. She married William Henry Beal (1885-1933). She died at 187 Hampstead Road, St Pancras, London, 10 May 1933, and he died in June 1933.
8, Elizabeth Miller Comerford (1890-1967), born Northampton 13 August 1890, baptised in Saint Giles, Northampton, 13 September 1893, along with two of her sisters. She married Frederick Stevens (born 1890) in Northampton in April 1915. She died in Poplar, London, in December 1967.
9, Sarah Victoria (1893-1983), born Northampton 28 January 1893, baptised in Saint Giles, Northampton, 13 September 1893, along with two of her sisters. She married William Thomas Hollowell (1890-1963) in Northampton in January 1910, and they were the parents of a son, Ernest William Hollowell (1910-1990), who lived in Bolton Lancashire.
10, George Albert Comerford (1895-1897), born London, 27 May 1895, baptised in Saint Giles, Northampton, 21 January 1897, died later that month in Northampton.
11, Lily (1898-1899), born in Northampton in April 1898, died there an infant in October 1899.
The sixth child and fifth son of Joseph and Catherine (Miller) Comerford of Northampton was:
Herbert Comerford (1886-1970), of Northampton. He was born in Southwark 25 June 1886 and moved to Northampton as a child with his parents and siblings, and grew up in Alcombe Terrace and Dunster Street, Northampton. He married Mabel Louisa Lamburn (1891-1982) in Northampton in April 1915. Herbert died in Northampton in June 1970; His widow Mabel died in Northampton on 2 August 1982. They were the parents of:
1, Herbert Comerford (1915-2005), of whom next.
2, Reginald Comerford, born in Northampton 10 February 1921
The elder son of Herbert and Mabel Comerford of Northampton was:
Herbert (Bert) Comerford OBE (1915-2005), born in Northampton in November 1915. Bert, Comerford attended Kettering Road Intermediate School, and at the age of 15 followed his father and grandfather into the shoemaking trade. He first became a clicker in the shoemaking industry, working for G Webb & Sons at their factory in Brockton Street, Northampton. The clickers became known as the elite or the ‘gentlemen’ of shoemakers. They cut out the shoe uppers from the precious fine leathers using knives with curved and sharply pointed blades.
Bert married Ella Mary Everitt (1917-2011), daughter of George Everitt and Maud EE Bennett of Northampton, in Northampton in January 1940. Bert was in the British Army during World War II, but returned to shoemaking in Northampton in 1946. He was a long-term member of the National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives (NUBSO) when he began working full-time for the union in 1959. In the 1960s, he was living at 10 Lea Road, Northampton. He became the union’s assistant general officer in 1969. The union merged with other unions in 1970 to form the National Union of the Footwear, Leather and Allied Trades (NUFLAT), and Bert Comerford was elected as its first General President. The union sponsored Labour Party candidates in several parliamentary elections.
The 1970s were a difficult period for the footwear industry in Britain, and when Bert retired in 1980, he described how he regretted leaving while the decline continued. Today, Northampton and the county’s shoemaking industry are thriving once again, and the town is still recognised across the world for making high-quality footwear.
Bert Comerford was made an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1981 New Year Honours list. In retirement, he was an honorary member of the Clothing and Footwear Institute. He died in July 2005; his widow Ella died on 28 January 2011.
