About this blog
A blog format, which is scroll-like as opposed to book-like, probably isn't the best format for accumulating photos and text on family history because there is no index. However, posts here are being uploaded in a chronological order so that the further down the page you go, or the further back you go on the 'older posts' link at the bottom of the page, the further down the family tree you go. Keep this in mind as you browse these pages. As new information comes in it will be added to those older posts, so please scroll down each time you visit to find new photographs and text. If you would be agreeable please send any information or jpg photographs you may have about this part of the Powsey family or your part of the Powsey family to cpowsey@shaw.ca or visit the Facebook Powsey group and contact the administrator to leave information there. The information that you send might be excerpts of real text but it might also be anecdotal stories of and from your older relatives that have been passed down orally. Bear in mind that we'd like to 'publish' them here, so feel free to exercise a bit of judgement on what you submit and we'll try and do the same as we post them. Please feel free to help yourself to any images here that you would like to add to your own family archives; files are usually fairly large when they are from scans of family photographs. At some point, a Powsey website will spring into being and Sonny (Neil) Powsey of the UK/Australia has already secured a domain name for this.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
A lifesaving award presented to Herbert in 1956 for saving two boys from the sea at Great
Crosby. Like father, like son...This image of the award and the following two photographs of a trophy are submitted by Sonny Powsey, one of Herbert's grandson's.
Two photographs taken by Sonny Powsey of a trophy passed down to him by Herbert. Herbert was trained to perform and dive by Professor Powsey with his sister Gladys, and his obituary below specifically mentions this fact. Professor Powsey himself travelled to Scandinavia to perform (for the King of Denmark according to the poster below) and it would appear that Herbert may have as well. Hodjhoppare sounds Scandinavian. High diver perhaps? I have an aquaintance who speaks both Swedish and Finnish but not so good with Danish, and says it indeed sounds like highdiver. He told me to ask the King of Demark to for confirmation.
Herbert 'Bert' Powsey.
At the Canadian Powsey end not a lot is known of Herbert; there are some family myths about him; apparently he was quite a character, and the stories at our end involve him being diagnosed with a terminal disease and travelling the world in a final fling with his wife only to discover he wasn't dying, and also a story of him being a POW in WW2. Diane Ajula, his daughter hadn't heard of stories those when we met her, so some of the myths at our end may have become larger than life. At some point in the near future Sonny Powsey will assemble some factual notes and anecdotes about Herbert and I'd be delighted to post them here.
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Sunday, November 18, 2007
Horace (Albert) Powsey and Clara Powsey
Horace/Albert meets brother Nick for the first time in about 40 years, sometime in the early 1970's.
Albert and Clara and twin daughters Jose and Jean on the Dutchess of York.
Albert and Clara at their daughter Josie's house in Ottawa.
Notes and anecdotes on the life of Horace (Albert) Powsey and his wife Clara
(These notes have been collected from the memories of a later immigration of Powsey's, the son's of Nick Powsey, Albert's brother, who came to Canada with their families in 1969 and 1970. He and Clara made a dear couple and they each were forthcoming with stories about their past. If anyone out there have further anecdotes or information, or corrections, please let us know.)
Albert fought in WW1, and was batman to an Officer, and he received a medal for carrying his wounded superior out of the line of fire while injured from a wound to the hand. Albert's arm and hand were severely damaged by the wound and he often wore a leather glove to 'hold the hand together'. He also told Tony Powsey's kids of being being bombed in a trench and being blown into the air after the bomb buried itself in the ground before exploding. He also told of being out of the war as a result of his wounds and being presented with a white feather by a woman while riding a tram; the feather was a symbol of cowardice used to spur young men to sign up for the war; Albert promptly presented her his damaged hand.
Alberts wife, Clara, apparently had a child out of wedlock before she met him. Called Gilbert, he was raised by her parents as a younger brother. Clara was said to be 10 years older than Albert, although ships records from their immigration don't support that, the records, from two voyages, aren't accurate in relation to each other. According to Albert, he met Clara on a pier where he was chatting her up while waiting for a cue to dive off the pier and save someone pretending to drown. This was presumably part of Professor Powsey's pier activities in addition to the dives, an another indication of how extensively his children became involved in the operation. All of a sudden, in mid-conversation, Albert jumped up, left Clara, and dived off the pier to save a 'drowning' soul. He obviously made quite an impression as Clara married Albert in 1916.
Apparently Clara was not accepted by family as a result of her 'illegitimate' child (sired by an Officer if not a gentleman), although Gladys Hubble recounted that they left because Clara's sister, who had never married, would spoil their two girls, the twins Josie and Jeanie. 'Auntie Jo' recounted to us that she was four at the time of their coming to Canada. Ships immigration records have been found online that document three voyages the family made. The first was with the entire family in March 1929 arriving in the port of St. John, New Brunswick aboard the Duchess of York. Albert's given age was 37, Clara's 38, and Josephine's (and Jean's) 10. See the above picture scanned and submitted by Barbara Garner, a granddaughter of Alberts brother Archie. The family must have returned to the British Isles at some point because there are further documents showing that Albert Horace Powsey (given age 36) arrived alone back in Canada at the port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, aboard the White Star ship The Cedric in March 1931. In May 1931 Clara (given age 40) and Josey (given age 8) (and presumably Jeanie) aboard the White Star ship Laurentic. Family anecdotes suggest they arrived in Canada with some savings just before the depression; Albert almost immediately met an old friend who hailed him from across the street and ended up ripping him off through some insurance racket.
There is another anecdote that sometime after their arrival in Canada the twins Josey and Jeanie were kidnapped, an event that received coverage in newspapers, particularly The Toronto Star. The twins were safely returned.
The depression was very hard, Albert spent a lot of time out of regular work, and Josie and Jeannie often went to work hungry and the school complained to Albert and Clara, requesting they go on welfare, but Albert refused ( Clive remembers him telling this story with pride and emotion in the early 1970's). Albert started working at Sears as an elevator operator, then he went into janitorial and maintenance work for the company. Later on Albert and Clara bought and ran a resort on the shores of Rice Lake north of Port Hope and Lake Ontario, and near Roseneath. When Albert and Clara retired and lived at their summer cottage on Rice Lake, Albert kept the building meticulously maintained and well ordered; as well he was capable of repairing virtually any broken household appliance or electrically operated object; he was was exceptionally handy despite his severely war damaged hand.
Apparently, in 1966, at their golden wedding anniversary party down at the cottage on Rice Lake, a telegram or phone call was received which told of Clara's 'brother' Gilbert's death, and Clara was terribly upset at the news.
When Tony and Margaret Powsey arrived in Canada Albert and Clara and their children were extremely hospitable. Clive remembers arriving at the cottage on Rice Lake on their 1968 holiday and receiving 'grab bags' from Clara; brown paper bags full of candies, gum and sweets. Albert and Clara could still 'roll' together in the late '60's. This was a remarkable stunt in which Clara would lay on the ground and Albert would bend over and hold her ankles while she held his; Albert would fall forward in a roll lifting Clara to the position he had been in and they would repeat this rolling tumbling act like a human wheel across the cottage living room floor!
Albert and Clara, like many in that day, both smoked; Clara smoked like a chimney! Clara bought hers but Albert would spend part of each evening manufacturing his own out of tobacco and papers with a machine. Albert would go to bed before Clara, and she would joke he was showing his age, and sit up and smoke. She would empty out half of the ash tray before going to bed so Albert wouldn't get on to her about the amount she smoked the following morning. In the late '60's, despite their smoker's coughs and gravelly voices, they seemed marvels of health for their age and a testament to the healthy lifestyle apparently found in Canada. In the summer their cottage was shared with their daughter Jean and her husband Bob Thompson and son Brian. In the autumn Albert and Clara would move into an apartment near the old Post Office in Port Hope. One spring in the early '70's they stayed with Margaret and Tony Powsey and family for a couple of weeks because the ice and snow was later leaving the lake and cottage than usual.
Clara died in about 1972. Albert was hospitalised around 1976, and died soon after. While in the hospital Albert would still consume his regulation bottle of Guinness in the evening. They are both buried in a cemetery on a hill north of Port Hope, Ontario, with a fine view in all directions..
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Horace/Albert meets brother Nick for the first time in about 40 years, sometime in the early 1970's.
Albert and Clara and twin daughters Jose and Jean on the Dutchess of York.
Albert and Clara at their daughter Josie's house in Ottawa.
Notes and anecdotes on the life of Horace (Albert) Powsey and his wife Clara
(These notes have been collected from the memories of a later immigration of Powsey's, the son's of Nick Powsey, Albert's brother, who came to Canada with their families in 1969 and 1970. He and Clara made a dear couple and they each were forthcoming with stories about their past. If anyone out there have further anecdotes or information, or corrections, please let us know.)
Albert fought in WW1, and was batman to an Officer, and he received a medal for carrying his wounded superior out of the line of fire while injured from a wound to the hand. Albert's arm and hand were severely damaged by the wound and he often wore a leather glove to 'hold the hand together'. He also told Tony Powsey's kids of being being bombed in a trench and being blown into the air after the bomb buried itself in the ground before exploding. He also told of being out of the war as a result of his wounds and being presented with a white feather by a woman while riding a tram; the feather was a symbol of cowardice used to spur young men to sign up for the war; Albert promptly presented her his damaged hand.
Alberts wife, Clara, apparently had a child out of wedlock before she met him. Called Gilbert, he was raised by her parents as a younger brother. Clara was said to be 10 years older than Albert, although ships records from their immigration don't support that, the records, from two voyages, aren't accurate in relation to each other. According to Albert, he met Clara on a pier where he was chatting her up while waiting for a cue to dive off the pier and save someone pretending to drown. This was presumably part of Professor Powsey's pier activities in addition to the dives, an another indication of how extensively his children became involved in the operation. All of a sudden, in mid-conversation, Albert jumped up, left Clara, and dived off the pier to save a 'drowning' soul. He obviously made quite an impression as Clara married Albert in 1916.
Apparently Clara was not accepted by family as a result of her 'illegitimate' child (sired by an Officer if not a gentleman), although Gladys Hubble recounted that they left because Clara's sister, who had never married, would spoil their two girls, the twins Josie and Jeanie. 'Auntie Jo' recounted to us that she was four at the time of their coming to Canada. Ships immigration records have been found online that document three voyages the family made. The first was with the entire family in March 1929 arriving in the port of St. John, New Brunswick aboard the Duchess of York. Albert's given age was 37, Clara's 38, and Josephine's (and Jean's) 10. See the above picture scanned and submitted by Barbara Garner, a granddaughter of Alberts brother Archie. The family must have returned to the British Isles at some point because there are further documents showing that Albert Horace Powsey (given age 36) arrived alone back in Canada at the port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, aboard the White Star ship The Cedric in March 1931. In May 1931 Clara (given age 40) and Josey (given age 8) (and presumably Jeanie) aboard the White Star ship Laurentic. Family anecdotes suggest they arrived in Canada with some savings just before the depression; Albert almost immediately met an old friend who hailed him from across the street and ended up ripping him off through some insurance racket.
There is another anecdote that sometime after their arrival in Canada the twins Josey and Jeanie were kidnapped, an event that received coverage in newspapers, particularly The Toronto Star. The twins were safely returned.
The depression was very hard, Albert spent a lot of time out of regular work, and Josie and Jeannie often went to work hungry and the school complained to Albert and Clara, requesting they go on welfare, but Albert refused ( Clive remembers him telling this story with pride and emotion in the early 1970's). Albert started working at Sears as an elevator operator, then he went into janitorial and maintenance work for the company. Later on Albert and Clara bought and ran a resort on the shores of Rice Lake north of Port Hope and Lake Ontario, and near Roseneath. When Albert and Clara retired and lived at their summer cottage on Rice Lake, Albert kept the building meticulously maintained and well ordered; as well he was capable of repairing virtually any broken household appliance or electrically operated object; he was was exceptionally handy despite his severely war damaged hand.
Apparently, in 1966, at their golden wedding anniversary party down at the cottage on Rice Lake, a telegram or phone call was received which told of Clara's 'brother' Gilbert's death, and Clara was terribly upset at the news.
When Tony and Margaret Powsey arrived in Canada Albert and Clara and their children were extremely hospitable. Clive remembers arriving at the cottage on Rice Lake on their 1968 holiday and receiving 'grab bags' from Clara; brown paper bags full of candies, gum and sweets. Albert and Clara could still 'roll' together in the late '60's. This was a remarkable stunt in which Clara would lay on the ground and Albert would bend over and hold her ankles while she held his; Albert would fall forward in a roll lifting Clara to the position he had been in and they would repeat this rolling tumbling act like a human wheel across the cottage living room floor!
Albert and Clara, like many in that day, both smoked; Clara smoked like a chimney! Clara bought hers but Albert would spend part of each evening manufacturing his own out of tobacco and papers with a machine. Albert would go to bed before Clara, and she would joke he was showing his age, and sit up and smoke. She would empty out half of the ash tray before going to bed so Albert wouldn't get on to her about the amount she smoked the following morning. In the late '60's, despite their smoker's coughs and gravelly voices, they seemed marvels of health for their age and a testament to the healthy lifestyle apparently found in Canada. In the summer their cottage was shared with their daughter Jean and her husband Bob Thompson and son Brian. In the autumn Albert and Clara would move into an apartment near the old Post Office in Port Hope. One spring in the early '70's they stayed with Margaret and Tony Powsey and family for a couple of weeks because the ice and snow was later leaving the lake and cottage than usual.
Clara died in about 1972. Albert was hospitalised around 1976, and died soon after. While in the hospital Albert would still consume his regulation bottle of Guinness in the evening. They are both buried in a cemetery on a hill north of Port Hope, Ontario, with a fine view in all directions..
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Sunday, November 11, 2007
Gladys Powsey/Hubble
b. 1903 Wilmington Gardens, Dartford, Kent, d. 1995, Nr. Ashford, Kent.
Gladys enjoying a liquid something or other by the liquid water she spent much of her performing life in, perhaps while on holiday.
Another photo of Gladys on holiday
Gladys and her first husband Charles...no one in Canada can remember his last name...Charles died of lung cancer.
Gladys on holiday...Spain?...Majorca?...she loved her holidays in the sun, including boat cruises.
Gladys at a small cottage in Smeeth, Kent, where she lived after spending a number of years living with brother Nick and his wife Lou.
A postcard that is obviously from her days working at the West Pier in Brighton.
A postcard photograph of Gladys doing her synchronised swimming.
Gladys the Contortionist.
Gladys Powsey
A touching photograph of Gladys as a young woman that she obviously gave to her parents Professor and Rose Powsey.
The Cumberland Canadian contingent have quite a few photographs, memories and anecdotes of Gladys, and more of these will be uploaded in future edits. Gladys visited Canada on a number of occasions in the 1970's, spending time with both branches of the family that live here, her brother Nick's sons and her brother Horace (Albert) and daughters.
Notes on the life of Gladys Powsey
Gladys was born in Wilmington Gardens in Dartford, Kent in 1903, the 6th surviving child of Rose and Albert Edward Powsey. Gladys would have been born just before Bert and Rose moved to Southport; Albert Edward's obituary indicates that Herbert took over at Herne Bay and Gladys joined Eugene's Bathing Belles; there must be an error somewhere. Gladys was 14 at the end of the first world war and remembered the wars ending vividly into her old age.
As noted in A. E. Powsey's obituary, Gladys was trained by the Professor as a diver and swimmer. She later worked swimming during the summers and during the winters as a dancer and contortionist on the stage.
She also dove and Clive Powsey remembers her telling him of a dive she made of 70ft or 110ft from a warehouse into the Thames River. She said she split her forehead open on impact as a result of hitting a matchstick floating in the water, and a couple of days later suffered a brain hemorrhage.
At some time in her career (presumably before WW2) Gladys made an attempt to swim the English Channel, and made 20 of the 23 miles before exhaustion and contrary tides forced her to leave the water, whereupon she found herself unable to walk. The Cumberland, Canada contingent of Powsey's had always heard that Gladys was attempting to become the first woman to swim the channel. The first woman to swim the channel was a Gertrude Ederle in 1926 and she beat the time of all the male swimmers who had succeeded to date. We don't know yet what year Gladys attempted her swim. It was an astounding feat by her, regardless.
During World War Two Gladys was employed as a 'clippie' on a double decker bus, and after woulds moved to the Ministry of Labour as a civil servant. Gladys married twice; her first husband was Charles ('uncle Charlie'), last name at the moment unknown. He and Gladys lived in London (St. Albans?) and he died of lung cancer.
Her second husband was Alfred Hubble with whom she lived in Dartford. He died in the late '50's or early '60's of Parkinson's disease.
Gladys says she worked until she was 60 which means she would have retired in 1963. She had a long and remarkable career, at a time when it was not common for a woman to be a 'career woman'. Shortly after retirement, in 1964 or 1965 she moved in with her brother Nick at 'Venture' in Smeeth, Nr. Ashford, Kent.
In her retirement Gladys travelled to Canada at least once with Nick and met her brother Horace (Albert) and his wife Clara who lived in the vicinity of Nick's eldest son Tony. Gladys died in Ashford, Kent in 1995.
The following is an edited and roughly transcribed conversation with Gladys that was tape recorded with Margaret and Tony Powsey, March 1994, Kennington, Nr. Ashford Kent. In it she recollects some of the momentous events in her life and also memories of family members including her brothers and sisters. 'G' is Gladys; 'M' is Margaret, and 'T' is Tony.
b. 1903 Wilmington Gardens, Dartford, Kent, d. 1995, Nr. Ashford, Kent.
Gladys enjoying a liquid something or other by the liquid water she spent much of her performing life in, perhaps while on holiday.
Another photo of Gladys on holiday
Gladys and her first husband Charles...no one in Canada can remember his last name...Charles died of lung cancer.
Gladys on holiday...Spain?...Majorca?...she loved her holidays in the sun, including boat cruises.
Gladys at a small cottage in Smeeth, Kent, where she lived after spending a number of years living with brother Nick and his wife Lou.
A postcard that is obviously from her days working at the West Pier in Brighton.
A postcard photograph of Gladys doing her synchronised swimming.
Gladys the Contortionist.
Gladys Powsey
A touching photograph of Gladys as a young woman that she obviously gave to her parents Professor and Rose Powsey.
The Cumberland Canadian contingent have quite a few photographs, memories and anecdotes of Gladys, and more of these will be uploaded in future edits. Gladys visited Canada on a number of occasions in the 1970's, spending time with both branches of the family that live here, her brother Nick's sons and her brother Horace (Albert) and daughters.
Notes on the life of Gladys Powsey
Gladys was born in Wilmington Gardens in Dartford, Kent in 1903, the 6th surviving child of Rose and Albert Edward Powsey. Gladys would have been born just before Bert and Rose moved to Southport; Albert Edward's obituary indicates that Herbert took over at Herne Bay and Gladys joined Eugene's Bathing Belles; there must be an error somewhere. Gladys was 14 at the end of the first world war and remembered the wars ending vividly into her old age.
As noted in A. E. Powsey's obituary, Gladys was trained by the Professor as a diver and swimmer. She later worked swimming during the summers and during the winters as a dancer and contortionist on the stage.
She also dove and Clive Powsey remembers her telling him of a dive she made of 70ft or 110ft from a warehouse into the Thames River. She said she split her forehead open on impact as a result of hitting a matchstick floating in the water, and a couple of days later suffered a brain hemorrhage.
At some time in her career (presumably before WW2) Gladys made an attempt to swim the English Channel, and made 20 of the 23 miles before exhaustion and contrary tides forced her to leave the water, whereupon she found herself unable to walk. The Cumberland, Canada contingent of Powsey's had always heard that Gladys was attempting to become the first woman to swim the channel. The first woman to swim the channel was a Gertrude Ederle in 1926 and she beat the time of all the male swimmers who had succeeded to date. We don't know yet what year Gladys attempted her swim. It was an astounding feat by her, regardless.
During World War Two Gladys was employed as a 'clippie' on a double decker bus, and after woulds moved to the Ministry of Labour as a civil servant. Gladys married twice; her first husband was Charles ('uncle Charlie'), last name at the moment unknown. He and Gladys lived in London (St. Albans?) and he died of lung cancer.
Her second husband was Alfred Hubble with whom she lived in Dartford. He died in the late '50's or early '60's of Parkinson's disease.
Gladys says she worked until she was 60 which means she would have retired in 1963. She had a long and remarkable career, at a time when it was not common for a woman to be a 'career woman'. Shortly after retirement, in 1964 or 1965 she moved in with her brother Nick at 'Venture' in Smeeth, Nr. Ashford, Kent.
In her retirement Gladys travelled to Canada at least once with Nick and met her brother Horace (Albert) and his wife Clara who lived in the vicinity of Nick's eldest son Tony. Gladys died in Ashford, Kent in 1995.
The following is an edited and roughly transcribed conversation with Gladys that was tape recorded with Margaret and Tony Powsey, March 1994, Kennington, Nr. Ashford Kent. In it she recollects some of the momentous events in her life and also memories of family members including her brothers and sisters. 'G' is Gladys; 'M' is Margaret, and 'T' is Tony.
T- Tell something, Gladys, where were you born?
G- Dartford.
T- Dartford in Kent; the family lived there, right?
G- Wilmington Gardens.
T- Do you remember the house?
G- I was only about four...Grandad used to have curly hair and I used to put paper on it and curl it up more...
T- Grandad had curly hair? When I remember him he had pretty straight hair...
G- Oh well, I'm talking about Grandad Powsey, Grandad Powsey...
T- Yeah, Grandad Powsey, that's right...
G- Oh, I don't know about my Father...
T- Oh, you're talking about your Grandfather.... (we now know this to be William Henry Powsey--C.P.)
G- I'm talking about my Grandfather.
T- And was his name Powsey...it must have been...of course it would...
G- Lousy Powsey.
T- What did he do for a living, your Grandfather?
G- I don't know...
T- Can you remember?
G- ...retired... ( we've since discovered from the 1881 census that William Henry Powsey was a Coxswain in the Royal Navy working at a dockyard)
T- What about Great Grandma, then, can you remember her name?
G- Rose, and she was a submarine diver.
M- She wore a diving suit.
T- No, that was my Grandmother.
G- That's who I'm talking about.
T- You're talking about my Grandmother. I'm talking about your Grandmother.
G- Oh, I don't know about...
M- You can remember your Mother's name, Rose, can you remember her maiden name. Ellis?
G- Ellis.
G- When Archie was born...he had Ellismore (?)...Ellis Powsey...
M- Oh, he put her name in too...Archies not alive now?
G- No, he died last year.
T- So your Grandmother lived in Dartford as well as my Grandfather?
G- I don't think they're there...they've gone now...
T- So how many brothers and sisters did you have?
G- Archie, Eddie, Horace, Percy, Dolly, Gladys, Nickie and Bert.
M- Then there was the little one who died?
G- Hilda.
T- How old was she when she died?
G- Two.
M- The nurse dropped her, that's when they moved to Southport.
T- Did the nurse drop her?
G- Yes.
G- My Father was a teacher at Marleborough College.
T- Then you moved up to Southport, didn't you? Did you live on Virginia St. with them?
G- 79.
T- 79 Virginia St., and there was another one, Forest Road, was it Forest Road?
G- Yeah.
T- They were there before Virginia St., I was born (when we lived) on Forest Rd., at the hospital, I remember it vaguely, because I always remember climbing a big tree in the back garden.
G- Who's your Mother?
T- Louie...
G- Who?
T- Lou. Nick was my Dad.
G- That's right.
T- I remember living in Forest Rd. because I remember climbing this big tree and Grandad and Grandma below.
G- So you fell on them...!
T- No I didn't!
.
.
.
G- I had two Husbands.
M- I know you did, you had Charles and Alfred. That's Charles up there...(points to photo)
G- That's my Youngie, that's when he was coming to meet me.
T- Yeah, he was a nice man, I always remember Charles...
G- He was the love of my life.
T- Alfred was nice too...
G- Oh yes, they both thought the world of me.
T- He used to stay at home when you went out to work? What did you do up there in London?
G- I still get a pension.
T- Yeah. What was it you did?
G- He was at the offices at Euston Station.
T- You were there too?
G- I was working at the Ministry of Labour.
M- At Watford.
T- 'Cause Margaret and I came down and saw you one night, didn't we, wwe were going down to Southport on the motorbike, remember?
G- Uh...hmmm....
M- And you (Tony) slept with Alfred and I slept with Auntie Gladys and you told me you didn't move at night, and not to keep turning over and moving the bed clothes up because when you got up in the morning it looked like you hadn't even been in bed, and you didn't move all night...
G- Ha ha!
M- ....and you didn't move...all night...
G- I put my head down and go to sleep and that's that...lately I have to take a sleeping pill.
M- You should have a glass of your Advocaat, or whisky or something...
(to be continued...)
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Saturday, November 10, 2007
A. E. Powsey is awarded the RHS Bronze Medal in 1880
The obituary of A. E. Powsey notes that he won the Royal Humane Society's bronze medal when he was a boy. A few years back an internet search found pages of award winners, fortunately a copy of a page from 1880 was made ( they aren't online any more ) and sure enough, if you click on the above picture, under the 'P's you will find that Powsey, A. E., 'Boy T.S. Cornwall', of Sheerness received an award. More on the 'T.S. Cornwall' reference further below.
But what a surprise to discover, while searching for A. E. Powsey, that in 1887 a W. H. Powsey aged 13 also won the award. We have every reason to believe that W. H. is A. E.'s brother. Obviously being a resident of Sheerness would qualify W. H. as being a close relative. A search of Powsey in the 1881 census records finds this household of Powseys:
Dwelling: 50 Unity St.
Census place: Minster in Sheppey, Kent, England
William H. Powsey...Married...Age 42...Male... Born Wilmington, Kent, England
Sarah Powsey...Married...Age 45...Female...Sawston, Cambridge, England
Ann E. Powsey...Age 13...Female...Sheerness, Kent, England
William H. Powsey...Age 6...Male Sheerness, Kent, England
William H. Powsey the younger was age 6 at the time of this census and would have been 12 or 13 in 1887 when a R.H.S. Bronze medal was awarded to someone of the same name and age, so this is almost certainly him.
But there is no Albert Edward in this household...and in fact, no sign of him anywhere in the British Isles on the 1881 census list. So where is he? His obituary says he was born in 1866 and at the age of fourteen and a half he embarked to the West Indies on a merchant ship as a cabin boy. The math indicates that in 1881 he would have been approximately 15 years old and so would probably would have been away on that voyage and beyond reach of the census. There are so few Powsey's on the 1881 census, and so few hailing from Sheerness itself, that we're pretty certain that this household would be the family of Albert Edward Powsey.
Professor Powsey in a floating Borstal?
What!? Our branch of the family heard of many stories about Professor Powsey; about the R.H.S. Medal, about the lifesaving, about the voyage as a cabin boy, but we never heard this one. But there is a good chance that he found himself in such circumstances. As mentioned, A. E. Powsey is described as 'Boy, T.S. Cornwall' on the list of bronze medal winners for 1880. He would have been about 14 years old. We searched for 'T. S. Cornwall' and this is what we found:
Training Ship Cornwall
Here's a picture of the training ship Cornwall which was essentially a floating 'training school' or borstal for boys in trouble who would be in danger of becoming hardened criminals if sent to jail. It was moored at Purfleet on the Thames. Other training ships existed, mainly for poor boys to learn the discipline and skills required for seafaring life. But the T. S. Cornwall operated as a reformatory as well as a venue to provide those seafaring skills. The above picture is of the ship that apparently traded places with the Wellesley in 1868 so A. E. Powsey wouldn't have actually been on the ship shown above, although the names are the same. It would have been something similar, an obsolete tall fighting ship from earlier in the century. You can read more about the Training Ship Cornwall here.
Ensign of the Training Ship Cornwall. For more on training ship ensigns click here.
You can read even more about training ships here and here. Life was strict and by todays standards punishment brutal. Training ships continued to be used into the 20th century and there is a short clip from a documentary here in which a former 'boy' talks about his experiences including canings along with film footage from around the 1930's.
Below are some pictures taken from internet searches a few years back on training ships.
Reading some of the links indicates that boys interned on the T. S. Cornwall were between 13 and 15 years of age, sound and healthy, and had recieved sentences of 3 years detention. The aim of time spent of the T. S. Cornwall was to provide regular meals, activity, discipline and seafaring skills to it's boys to help them become useful members of society as adults. In the context of it's times, it may well have been a great success, as many of the young men indeed found positions after their internment. It would seem that A. E. Powsey was one of them; if he was on the Cornwall at about 13 or 14 it was shortly after this, at age 14 and a half, that he found employment as a cabin boy on a ship bound for the West Indies.
However, the training ships in general were not without controversy even during their time. You can read about it here. In brief, in 1891 an inquiry was launched into the Captain of the T. S. Clarence who had administered 4859 strokes of the birch over 3 years; he was cleared of excessive cruelty. Despite, or because, of the brutal discipline and punishment meted out on the ships there were regular crisis' over the years; absconding, mutinies, vandalism and attempts to burn the ships. Leaders were flogged. And in 1903 two boys stabbed a disliked officer as part of a conspiracy on the T. S. Cornwall.
One of the anecdotes about A. E. Powsey passed down to the Canadian contingent of Powsey's is that one of the reasons he left his position teaching swimming at Marleborough College was because of the exessive discipline inflicted on the boys. The suggestion was that he had a soft spot and was not a hard man; a good thing. That may well have been the case, and if indeed he had been a 'boy on the T. S. Cornwall' as the R.H.S. award suggests, witnessing cruelty against his charges at the College could have been difficult in light of what he might have experienced in his own youth.
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The obituary of A. E. Powsey notes that he won the Royal Humane Society's bronze medal when he was a boy. A few years back an internet search found pages of award winners, fortunately a copy of a page from 1880 was made ( they aren't online any more ) and sure enough, if you click on the above picture, under the 'P's you will find that Powsey, A. E., 'Boy T.S. Cornwall', of Sheerness received an award. More on the 'T.S. Cornwall' reference further below.
But what a surprise to discover, while searching for A. E. Powsey, that in 1887 a W. H. Powsey aged 13 also won the award. We have every reason to believe that W. H. is A. E.'s brother. Obviously being a resident of Sheerness would qualify W. H. as being a close relative. A search of Powsey in the 1881 census records finds this household of Powseys:
Dwelling: 50 Unity St.
Census place: Minster in Sheppey, Kent, England
William H. Powsey...Married...Age 42...Male... Born Wilmington, Kent, England
Sarah Powsey...Married...Age 45...Female...Sawston, Cambridge, England
Ann E. Powsey...Age 13...Female...Sheerness, Kent, England
William H. Powsey...Age 6...Male Sheerness, Kent, England
William H. Powsey the younger was age 6 at the time of this census and would have been 12 or 13 in 1887 when a R.H.S. Bronze medal was awarded to someone of the same name and age, so this is almost certainly him.
But there is no Albert Edward in this household...and in fact, no sign of him anywhere in the British Isles on the 1881 census list. So where is he? His obituary says he was born in 1866 and at the age of fourteen and a half he embarked to the West Indies on a merchant ship as a cabin boy. The math indicates that in 1881 he would have been approximately 15 years old and so would probably would have been away on that voyage and beyond reach of the census. There are so few Powsey's on the 1881 census, and so few hailing from Sheerness itself, that we're pretty certain that this household would be the family of Albert Edward Powsey.
Professor Powsey in a floating Borstal?
What!? Our branch of the family heard of many stories about Professor Powsey; about the R.H.S. Medal, about the lifesaving, about the voyage as a cabin boy, but we never heard this one. But there is a good chance that he found himself in such circumstances. As mentioned, A. E. Powsey is described as 'Boy, T.S. Cornwall' on the list of bronze medal winners for 1880. He would have been about 14 years old. We searched for 'T. S. Cornwall' and this is what we found:
Training Ship Cornwall
Here's a picture of the training ship Cornwall which was essentially a floating 'training school' or borstal for boys in trouble who would be in danger of becoming hardened criminals if sent to jail. It was moored at Purfleet on the Thames. Other training ships existed, mainly for poor boys to learn the discipline and skills required for seafaring life. But the T. S. Cornwall operated as a reformatory as well as a venue to provide those seafaring skills. The above picture is of the ship that apparently traded places with the Wellesley in 1868 so A. E. Powsey wouldn't have actually been on the ship shown above, although the names are the same. It would have been something similar, an obsolete tall fighting ship from earlier in the century. You can read more about the Training Ship Cornwall here.
Ensign of the Training Ship Cornwall. For more on training ship ensigns click here.
You can read even more about training ships here and here. Life was strict and by todays standards punishment brutal. Training ships continued to be used into the 20th century and there is a short clip from a documentary here in which a former 'boy' talks about his experiences including canings along with film footage from around the 1930's.
Below are some pictures taken from internet searches a few years back on training ships.
Reading some of the links indicates that boys interned on the T. S. Cornwall were between 13 and 15 years of age, sound and healthy, and had recieved sentences of 3 years detention. The aim of time spent of the T. S. Cornwall was to provide regular meals, activity, discipline and seafaring skills to it's boys to help them become useful members of society as adults. In the context of it's times, it may well have been a great success, as many of the young men indeed found positions after their internment. It would seem that A. E. Powsey was one of them; if he was on the Cornwall at about 13 or 14 it was shortly after this, at age 14 and a half, that he found employment as a cabin boy on a ship bound for the West Indies.
However, the training ships in general were not without controversy even during their time. You can read about it here. In brief, in 1891 an inquiry was launched into the Captain of the T. S. Clarence who had administered 4859 strokes of the birch over 3 years; he was cleared of excessive cruelty. Despite, or because, of the brutal discipline and punishment meted out on the ships there were regular crisis' over the years; absconding, mutinies, vandalism and attempts to burn the ships. Leaders were flogged. And in 1903 two boys stabbed a disliked officer as part of a conspiracy on the T. S. Cornwall.
One of the anecdotes about A. E. Powsey passed down to the Canadian contingent of Powsey's is that one of the reasons he left his position teaching swimming at Marleborough College was because of the exessive discipline inflicted on the boys. The suggestion was that he had a soft spot and was not a hard man; a good thing. That may well have been the case, and if indeed he had been a 'boy on the T. S. Cornwall' as the R.H.S. award suggests, witnessing cruelty against his charges at the College could have been difficult in light of what he might have experienced in his own youth.
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Friday, November 9, 2007
The Powsey family tree rough draft by the Cumberland, Canada, contingent...
Here are two pages printed out from a free family tree program downloaded from a geneaological site around 2002 by the Canadian Powsey contingent living in British Columbia. Much of the information is just from the memories of Tony and Margaret Powsey and Julia and Michael Powsey; there are some blanks filled in by Diane Aujla who visited Canada briefly with her husband Tuch and their daughter Lauren around 2002. These additions have just been penned in for the time being. There are huge blanks as you can see; any information and corrections would be gratefully recieved and this family tree will be updated as soon as possible. If you are putting yours together, hopefully you'll find something of use here. Click on each of the pages to enlarge the image and take a closer look.
You'll notice there is one dead end, quite literally, among the children of Professor and Rose Powsey; that is Hilda Powsey, who died as an infant or small child. The story that has been passed down to the Canadian contingent is that she was accidentally dropped by a nanny and died subsequently. The family was devasted by the loss, and it was this tragedy that precipitated the move up to Southport. This might be true in part because according to his obituary the Powsey's indeed moved up to Southport, but he should have been working at Brighton at that time. Anyone with stories or information on this unfortunate event?
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Thursday, November 8, 2007
Postcards and Photographs and images of Professor Powsey.
We'll add new ones if we discover them. Postcards must have been a very popular way of communicating short messages early in the last century when there was apparently same-day postal service locally and next day any where in the British Isles. Professor Powsey seems to have utilized this advertising and promotional tool and there are a number of photos in the Canadian Powsey's photo albums and also images of cards for sale or trade on the internet. Here is an accumulation of them.
We'll add new ones if we discover them. Postcards must have been a very popular way of communicating short messages early in the last century when there was apparently same-day postal service locally and next day any where in the British Isles. Professor Powsey seems to have utilized this advertising and promotional tool and there are a number of photos in the Canadian Powsey's photo albums and also images of cards for sale or trade on the internet. Here is an accumulation of them.
Photograph by Sonny Neil Powsey
The statue of Professor Powsey performing his terrific bicycle dive at the Pier End in Southport.
This is an image of a postcard in the posssession of Barbara Garner, a great-grand-daughter of Professor Powsey. She is the daughter of Ronald Powsey, who was a son of Archie Powsey, who was one of the sons of Professor Powsey. According to Barbara, this shows Professor Powsey with her grandfather Archie. The Professor's obituary suggests that it was Herbert and Gladys who were taught how to swim and dive, but obviously it was a family affair, and Alfred Amos (Nick) Powsey told his children and grandchildren stories of his helping at the diving venues. Furthermore, Horace (Albert) Powsey, who emigrated to Canada in the 1930's recalled to the Powsey's who emigrated here in the 1960's how he met his future wife while performing on a pier. More of that remarkable story later when we create a post for Uncle Albert and Auntie Clara.
The sack dive off an unknown pier. From the original postcard passed down to Mathew Powsey.
This is the image that Sonny Powsey has found and used on the Facebook Powsey group. Not sure where he found it, but this version was gleaned from the internet in a magazine called 'This is the North East'. There was an item about 'amateur photographer' Jack Wright and included in it along with a piercing self portrait of Jack himself is the information of exactly what Professor Powsey was doing at 7:00pm on August 25th 1934. Interestingly, Jack Wright was the name of the husband of Professor Powsey's daughter Dolly, but this probably isn't the same person as the photographer's real given name was John H. Wright.
This is a photo of a full size poster now in the possession of Mathew Powsey in Canada. There is no date, but the reference in the obituary below to Professor Powsey's last dive being for charity suggests that this may in fact be a poster advertising his very last dive at the age of 75.
Who was Professor Osborne? Obviously Professor Powsey had company on the Southport Pier. And who was Professor Reddish, the name of another pier diver that comes up in searches? This image was probably gleaned off the internet from a magazine. There is, however, a mention in the magazine text of Professor Powsey and his bicycle.
Another version of the Jack Wright photograph of Professor Powsey diving at Redcar Fairground. The Bovril logo appears in many photographs of dives and was presumably a sponser or paid advertiser in some way.
Another postcard passed down to the Canadian Powsey contingent. This shows Professor Powsey top left with, presumably, one of his sons diving.
Professor Powsey's Sensational Dive on a Bamber Cycle....Southport Pier
This image was found in the August 1981 issue of 'Lancashire Life' magazine's 'This and That' section, under the title 'Postcard Corner'. Joan Humphries, who presumably submitted the card for publication, asks in a caption under this image:
'Were Bamber bicycles built locally? Was the card produced to advertise the cycles or the feats of the diver? Were the bikes recovered by rowing-boat, or did they wait for low-tide? And who was Professor Powsey? Maybe a Southport reader will know?'
This is an image of a postcard in the posssession of Barbara Garner, a great-grand-daughter of Professor Powsey. She is the daughter of Ronald Powsey, who was a son of Archie Powsey, who was one of the sons of Professor Powsey. According to Barbara, this shows Professor Powsey with her grandfather Archie. The Professor's obituary suggests that it was Herbert and Gladys who were taught how to swim and dive, but obviously it was a family affair, and Alfred Amos (Nick) Powsey told his children and grandchildren stories of his helping at the diving venues. Furthermore, Horace (Albert) Powsey, who emigrated to Canada in the 1930's recalled to the Powsey's who emigrated here in the 1960's how he met his future wife while performing on a pier. More of that remarkable story later when we create a post for Uncle Albert and Auntie Clara.
The sack dive off an unknown pier. From the original postcard passed down to Mathew Powsey.
This is the image that Sonny Powsey has found and used on the Facebook Powsey group. Not sure where he found it, but this version was gleaned from the internet in a magazine called 'This is the North East'. There was an item about 'amateur photographer' Jack Wright and included in it along with a piercing self portrait of Jack himself is the information of exactly what Professor Powsey was doing at 7:00pm on August 25th 1934. Interestingly, Jack Wright was the name of the husband of Professor Powsey's daughter Dolly, but this probably isn't the same person as the photographer's real given name was John H. Wright.
This is a photo of a full size poster now in the possession of Mathew Powsey in Canada. There is no date, but the reference in the obituary below to Professor Powsey's last dive being for charity suggests that this may in fact be a poster advertising his very last dive at the age of 75.
Who was Professor Osborne? Obviously Professor Powsey had company on the Southport Pier. And who was Professor Reddish, the name of another pier diver that comes up in searches? This image was probably gleaned off the internet from a magazine. There is, however, a mention in the magazine text of Professor Powsey and his bicycle.
Another version of the Jack Wright photograph of Professor Powsey diving at Redcar Fairground. The Bovril logo appears in many photographs of dives and was presumably a sponser or paid advertiser in some way.
Another postcard passed down to the Canadian Powsey contingent. This shows Professor Powsey top left with, presumably, one of his sons diving.
Professor Powsey's Sensational Dive on a Bamber Cycle....Southport Pier
This image was found in the August 1981 issue of 'Lancashire Life' magazine's 'This and That' section, under the title 'Postcard Corner'. Joan Humphries, who presumably submitted the card for publication, asks in a caption under this image:
'Were Bamber bicycles built locally? Was the card produced to advertise the cycles or the feats of the diver? Were the bikes recovered by rowing-boat, or did they wait for low-tide? And who was Professor Powsey? Maybe a Southport reader will know?'
An undocumented image of the bicycle dive gleaned from the internet
The dive in flames from a post card passed down a few generations and now in the possession of Professor Powsey's great grandson Mathew Powsey. There is writing on the front and back of the postcard, and when a photo can be made of the back it will be posted as it is almost certainly an inscription by Professor Powsey himself.
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Death of Famous High Diver.
The following is a transcription of an obituary for 'Professor' Albert Edward Powsey posted in The World's Fair, Saturday, March 31, 1956. Above is a scan of a xerox copy of the paper's full sheet, and also a close up of the obituary photo. The original newspaper is in the possession of Albert Edward's grandson Mathew Powsey.
Death of Famous High Diver
The man who thrilled thousands at seaside resorts and fair grounds all over the world with his spectacular high diving into tanks, Professor Bert Powsey, died in a Liverpool hospital last week. He was 89.
For 18 years, Professor Powsey drew the crowd to Southport Pier to see him do his high dives and before that he had completed a world tour in which his spectacular dive of flames had been seen in many countries.
Albert Edward Powsey was born at Sheerness in 1866 and at the age of 13 and a half he embarked on a six month's cruise on a cargo boat to the West Indies. On his return he was first an assistant in a grocer's shop and then an apprentice steam pipe fitter.
Awarded Medal
But the water was his first love and at the age of 14 and one half he was awarded the Humane Society Medal for rescuing a woman form the sea at Sheerness. Although he completed his apprenticeship and became foreman at the works, Bert retained his interest in the sea and when he married at the age of 24 his bride was Rose Emma Ellis, a 20 year old beauty who was touring the world as the first woman deep sea diver.
In 1951 the couple celebrated their diamond wedding, but Mrs. Powsey is now in failing health and for the past month she has been in Fleetwood Road Hospital at Southport. Mr. and Mrs. Powsey have eight children, 20 grandchildren, and 19 great-grandchildren...(crease in paper makes a few words ineligible).
Shortly before their marriage Professor Powsey joined the staff of Marlborough College, Wiltshire, as swimming instructor and he remained there for the next ten years. It was here that he evolved his high diving act and he finally took it to the pier at Herne Bay.
Rescue Work
During his stay at Herne Bay he rescued several people from drowning when one of the pier trains ran off the end of the pier. He often told how one of them--a woman--rewarded him with a shilling. After a few seasons Herne Bay, Professor Powsey was offered facilities for doing his act from Brighton Pier and he accepted. During his stay in Herne Bay he had also been training his son and daughter in high diving and swimming and when he left, his son Herbert took over at Herne Bay while his daughter Gladys joined Eugene's Bathing Belles. After a few seasons at Brighton he moved to Clacton and in 1903 he started his long run at Southport.
His first act was his three times a day dive into the sea from the pier and he rapidly became as popular in the north as he had been in the South. With only a two year break in which he made his world tour, Professor Powsey was on Southport Pier for 18 years and it was there that he first evolved his dive of flames.
Dived in Flames
For this act he was covered in sacking and pieces of cotton wool soaked in petrol were fastened on. A second or so before he dived, one of his sons lit the cotton wool with a torch and it blazed fiercely as he dived into the sea eighty feet below. Shortly before he left the pier he offered to dive 150 ft. for an aeroplane into the sea but the Corporation refused him permission to do the act.
His Greatest Act
From the Pier he went to the old Southport fair ground (now Pleasureland) and there he started his greatest act of diving--from an 80ft. tower into a tank containing 4ft. of water. His only break from the fair ground before his retirement was when he was booked to perform six dives, at 50 Pounds a dive, in Glasgow's Kelvin Hall. In order to make the dive from the required height part of the roof had to be removed and the Corporation again vetoed the act. Professor Powsey then sued and, after a long legal wrangle, he was awarded 150 pound damages.
At the age of 75 he made his last dive at a gala in Southport for the Soldiers', Sailors' and Airmen's Charity funds. He then spent his retirement in Virginia Street, Southport. --T.D.S.
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The following is a transcription of an obituary for 'Professor' Albert Edward Powsey posted in The World's Fair, Saturday, March 31, 1956. Above is a scan of a xerox copy of the paper's full sheet, and also a close up of the obituary photo. The original newspaper is in the possession of Albert Edward's grandson Mathew Powsey.
Death of Famous High Diver
The man who thrilled thousands at seaside resorts and fair grounds all over the world with his spectacular high diving into tanks, Professor Bert Powsey, died in a Liverpool hospital last week. He was 89.
For 18 years, Professor Powsey drew the crowd to Southport Pier to see him do his high dives and before that he had completed a world tour in which his spectacular dive of flames had been seen in many countries.
Albert Edward Powsey was born at Sheerness in 1866 and at the age of 13 and a half he embarked on a six month's cruise on a cargo boat to the West Indies. On his return he was first an assistant in a grocer's shop and then an apprentice steam pipe fitter.
Awarded Medal
But the water was his first love and at the age of 14 and one half he was awarded the Humane Society Medal for rescuing a woman form the sea at Sheerness. Although he completed his apprenticeship and became foreman at the works, Bert retained his interest in the sea and when he married at the age of 24 his bride was Rose Emma Ellis, a 20 year old beauty who was touring the world as the first woman deep sea diver.
In 1951 the couple celebrated their diamond wedding, but Mrs. Powsey is now in failing health and for the past month she has been in Fleetwood Road Hospital at Southport. Mr. and Mrs. Powsey have eight children, 20 grandchildren, and 19 great-grandchildren...(crease in paper makes a few words ineligible).
Shortly before their marriage Professor Powsey joined the staff of Marlborough College, Wiltshire, as swimming instructor and he remained there for the next ten years. It was here that he evolved his high diving act and he finally took it to the pier at Herne Bay.
Rescue Work
During his stay at Herne Bay he rescued several people from drowning when one of the pier trains ran off the end of the pier. He often told how one of them--a woman--rewarded him with a shilling. After a few seasons Herne Bay, Professor Powsey was offered facilities for doing his act from Brighton Pier and he accepted. During his stay in Herne Bay he had also been training his son and daughter in high diving and swimming and when he left, his son Herbert took over at Herne Bay while his daughter Gladys joined Eugene's Bathing Belles. After a few seasons at Brighton he moved to Clacton and in 1903 he started his long run at Southport.
His first act was his three times a day dive into the sea from the pier and he rapidly became as popular in the north as he had been in the South. With only a two year break in which he made his world tour, Professor Powsey was on Southport Pier for 18 years and it was there that he first evolved his dive of flames.
Dived in Flames
For this act he was covered in sacking and pieces of cotton wool soaked in petrol were fastened on. A second or so before he dived, one of his sons lit the cotton wool with a torch and it blazed fiercely as he dived into the sea eighty feet below. Shortly before he left the pier he offered to dive 150 ft. for an aeroplane into the sea but the Corporation refused him permission to do the act.
His Greatest Act
From the Pier he went to the old Southport fair ground (now Pleasureland) and there he started his greatest act of diving--from an 80ft. tower into a tank containing 4ft. of water. His only break from the fair ground before his retirement was when he was booked to perform six dives, at 50 Pounds a dive, in Glasgow's Kelvin Hall. In order to make the dive from the required height part of the roof had to be removed and the Corporation again vetoed the act. Professor Powsey then sued and, after a long legal wrangle, he was awarded 150 pound damages.
At the age of 75 he made his last dive at a gala in Southport for the Soldiers', Sailors' and Airmen's Charity funds. He then spent his retirement in Virginia Street, Southport. --T.D.S.
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Rose Emma Ellis; Rose Powsey.
Woman Marine Diver.
Woman Marine Diver.
This is the only image allegedly of Rose posessed by the Canadian branch of the family, an old newspaper clipping passed from Professor Powsey to Alfred Amos (Nick) Powsey to his son Tony and now in the possession of Mathew Powsey, one of Rose's great grandsons. We're all presuming that 'Millie Marnier' was a stage name of Rose's.
The following are notes put together a few years back with all the information available to this branch of the family; more information and anecdotes would be gladly recieved.
The following are notes put together a few years back with all the information available to this branch of the family; more information and anecdotes would be gladly recieved.
Rose Emma Ellis married Albert Edward Powsey.
At 20 years old Rose Emma Ellis was 'touring the world' as the first woman deep sea diver. A family anecdote also tells of her diving in the Brighton aquarium for spectators. We know virtually nothing of her stunts or of her family, who must have been involved in her aquatic prowess. Tony Powsey remembers her as a very good cook from the part of his childhood spent living with Rose and Bert at 79 Virginia St. in Southport. He also remembers her telling him at Bert's funeral that she wouldn't be seeing him again because 'now your Grandad's gone I won't last long'.
Rose was with daughter Dolly Wright (Powsey) at 79 Virginia St. when she died just 6 weeks after the death of Professor Powsey. She was buried with him, and the ashes of Dolly were put in the grave of Rose and Albert when she died in 1995 by Dolly's grandson Tony McLaughin, with whom she was living on the Isle of Skye.
The 1881 census was checked for a Rose Emma Ellis and there were some candidates for her and her family, but nothing substantiated. However, a Rose Ellis was found in Dartford, born in approximately 1870, which is the area Powsey's seem to have emerged from.
An internet search for 'Millie Marnier' found a brief paragraph on a page of miscellaneous notices on a site of extracts from late 19th century and early 20th century newspapers. The paragraph was transcribed from 'The Sphere' newspaper dated 1 November 1913, p. 105, and reads:
Click on the quote to see the actual page.
This possibly isn't the Millie Marnier pictured and creates questions as to whether the picture is actually Rose Emma Ellis. This is because Rose was over 40 at that time and should have been living in Southport. But the woman in the photo certainly looks like a lot of Powsey women, including Aunt Gladys. Perhaps Rose continued to perform occasionally for charities until her 40's?
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A photographic postcard of William H. Powsey himself that was sent to his son Professor A.E. Powsey on November 9th 1919. These scanned images are kindly sent by Barbara Garner, a Grandaughter of A.E. Powsey. Barbara says ' From the Powsey Family Tree we have decided that this is a picture of our Great Great-Grandfather- William H Powsey...' The card appears to say: 'Nov. 9 1919, Dear Son and Daughter hope you are well if this old Veteran lives to the 19 of this month he will be for (81 years?) Still in the Pink W H P Wilmington' In context, this card would have been sent not long after WW1 in which many of his grandsons would have gone to fight...Horace had been wounded in the hand, Archie allegedly in the head, Percy allegedly in the stomach and back, and allegedly a prisoner of war. It was also not long after the great influenza epidemic. If the 1881 cencus has his age correct at 42 years W.H. Powsey would have been 80 or 81 years old when this card was sent.
The Immediate Family of Albert Edward Powsey, and Powsey's in the U.K. 1881
Sonny Powsey, currently in the UK and researching some births, and the Canadian Powsey contingent using the 1881 census have both independently come up with a likely candidate family for A. E. Powsey to have been born into:
Dwelling: 50 Unity St.Census place: Minster in Sheppey, Kent, England
William H. Powsey...Married...Age 42...Male... Born Wilmington, Kent, England
Sarah Powsey...Married...Age 45...Female...Sawston, Cambridge, England
Ann E. Powsey...Age 13...Female...Sheerness, Kent, England
William H. Powsey...Age 6...Male Sheerness, Kent, England
Albert Edward Powsey would be absent because it is likely that in this year he was beyond the census on board a merchant ship working as a cabin boy in the West Indies.
To provide a rough idea of how small a pool the Powsey name consisted of here's a breakdown of the Powsey's found on the 18881 British census:
-A total of 32 Powsey names appear on the census.
-There are 8 dwellings with a Powsey as a head of the household.
-The bulk of the Powseys are in Greater London and the spawning grounds of the Dartford and Wilmington area of Kent.
-A woman called Harriott Powsey and her daughter live in Norfolk.
-There are 2 dwellings with Powsey's as guests or visitors or live-in relatives.
-3 unfortunate Powsey's are in workhouses.
-There is a note on the margin of the printout suggesting that there is also a Phyllis Powsey in jail. Will check up on this later!
Occupations of the Powsey Clan include: Laundress, Agricultural Labourer, 'Scholar' or school child, shoemaker (but in the workhouse), Carpenter, General Labourer, Brewers Servant, Domestic Servant, Paper Pattern Makers, and, in one family, a Printer-Compositor with a Photographer son.
William H. Powsey, head of our candidate family for A. E. Powsey, is a 'Coxwain H M Dockyard (Seaman)'. This seems to be an appropriately maritime family, and the only Powsey family in Sheerness, Kent, where A. E. Powsey is known to have been born.
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The Family Surname of Powsey
Compiled by Sonny Powsey
The History of the Anglo-Saxon surname Powsey reaches back into chronicles of the Saxon Race.
Other names with the same origin are Pewsey, Pewse, Pusie, Pusey, Posey, Pusye, Puseye, Peasey, Pesy, Pezey, Pizey, Pizzey, and Pizzie. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.
Powsey, So called from Old English peose, piosu meaning ‘island’, ‘low-lying land’. The origination is from the pre 7th Century "pisu", meaning pea. An island or low-lying land was where peas were grown. This in itself is unusual in that vegetables generally formed only a small part of the pre-medieval diet.
The Saxon Race originated from the Rhine Valley area of Europe. In early times they settled as far East as the river Elbe, as far south as the Danube and north into Denmark. They were a fair skinned people and first arrived in Briton in the 4th Century first settling in the county now know as Kent and spreading gradually north and westward. They were led by two brothers Hengist and Horsa.
Over the next 5oo years they pushed the Britons back into Cornwall Wales and the north of England. The North folk (Norfolk) and the South Folk (Suffolk) prospered under a number of Saxon Kings the last of which was Harold II who was defeated at Hastings in 1066 by William “the Conqueror” Duke of Normandy.
The Name Powsey is locational from a place originally called Pesei originally in the county of Berkshire but now in Oxfordshire in the Vale of the White Horse. Pesei is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086.
Folklore says the first recipient of the title to the estate, obtained it from the great King Canute (AD 995-1035) in person. The King is said to have had a residence at Cherbury Camp (Charney Basset) in the 11th century. It was to here that a group of opposing Saxons set out from Uffington Castle. William Pewse was a young shepherd boy who saw the men marching across the Downs and warned Canute and his army of the ensuing ambush by blowing his horn. He was rewarded with a commission in the King’s Army and all the land within the sound of his horn. King Canute had the instrument inscribed and otherwise embellished and returned it to William as proof of his gift. The inscription reads:
Kynge Knould gave Wyllyam Pewse thys horne to holde by thy Lande.
In or about the 12th century, probably under Norman influence the village name spelling adopted the (near) modern form of 'Puseye'.
After the Norman Conquest many Saxons fled from Norman oppression to the North of England and back across to northern Europe, those who remained were treated harshly by the Normans.
During the Middle Ages when migration for the purpose of job-seeking was common, people often took their former village name as a means of identification. Spellings varied often even within the same family from father to son. The first documentary recording of the name in English history is from the Domesday Book (1086) and is spelled Pewsey.
The Pusey’s Estate was under an ancient form of land tenure known as Cornage whereby the tenant had to undertake to keep on the alert and to be ready give warning in case of invasion by enemies. The original Pusey Horn, preserved by the family for centuries, is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum London.
The family died out in 1710. Several families changed their name to Pusey in order to inherit the estate. It was one of the last Pusey descendants, John Allen, who instigated the building of the present Pusey House in 1748. It is a beautiful five bay two-and-a-half-storey mansion with two-storey wings. Allen had come into the estate through his mother, who was a Pusey heiress, and he added the name of Pusey to his own. It was he who built the charming little parish church in the classical style which houses a fine marble monument to himself and his wife by the Dutch sculptor Scheemakers.
John Allen Pusey died childless and his sisters, Mrs. Brotherton and Miss Jane Pusey, inherited the estate jointly. The temple at the end of the herbaceous border is a memorial to Mrs. Brotherton and contains a statue of her and busts of the four cardinal virtues. It was erected as a memorial by her sister Jane Pusey who was to die unmarried, the last of the Puseys of Pusey.
Miss Jane Pusey looked around for an heir to her estates and chose the Hon. Philip Bouverie, a younger son of the 1st Viscount Folkestone and brother of the 1st Earl of Radnor.
Philip Bouverie's aunt had been the wife of John Allen Pusey but, as there were no children and as the Puseys seemed to have come to an end, the estate was bequeathed to Philip, who was not in any way related by blood to the Puseys, on the understanding that he would assume their name and arms which he did.
His mother, Lady Folkestone, was a formidable woman and prevented him from marrying when a young man. She lived with him at Pusey where he carried out many experiments in industrial farming including installing the first reaping machine. He was a founder of the Royal Agricultural Society. On his mother's death he married, at the age of fifty-two, a young widow and had in all nine children.
His second son, born on August 22nd 1800, was the Rev. Dr. Edward Bouverie-Pusey D.D., Canon of Christ Church and Regius Professor of Hebrew at Oxford - a distinguished scholar. But he was to become more than that. His name became synonymous with the Oxford Movement and the extraordinary upheaval in religious thinking which occurred during the 19th century. Of all the Tractarians - Newman, Froude, Keble and the rest, he alone gave his name to a group - the Puseyites - who, though retaining their original enthusiasm for a return to catholic principles strove to prevent others from following his friend and mentor John Henry Newman on the road to Rome.
Edward was educated at Eton and Christ Church. His mother, Lady Lucy Bouverie-Pusey, was a relic of the 18th century - her speech and her habits were a hangover from that time and she was one of the last to use a sedan chair in London. Pusey and its estate had considerable effect upon the young Edward. Geoffrey Faber in his Oxford Apostles wrote of the Georgian house...
…'standing where manor house had followed manor-house for a thousand years, looking over water and trees and the miles of Pusey land to the unchanging outline of the downs, house and church and tiny village keeping company together as they had done for centuries - all this spoke to the boy of a permanent, immutable yet gracious and living order, the soul of which was the living mystery of a religion once and for ever revealed.'
The Land surrounding the Pusey estate today, perhaps even more, exudes this feeling.
In 1822 Edward was elected a Fellow of Oriel and so came into contact with Newman and Keble. He worked with these two on the famous 'Tracts for the Times' and was to become leader of the Oxford Movement. Although it was feared that he might follow Newman to Rome, and although he was accused at one point of heresy, he never wavered in his loyalty to the basic tenets of Anglicanism.
Later he pressed for unity with Rome, but the Vatican itself prevented any move towards this end. Up to his death in 1882 he consistently maintained that the true doctrines of the Church of England were enshrined in the works of the early church fathers and the neglected 17th century Anglican divines.
After his death Pusey House was founded in Oxford to continue his work and to house his library. His portrait and surplice are preserved in Pusey Church.
On the death of Phillip Bouverie-Pusey, the estate was inherited by his eldest son also Phillip and Edward's elder brother. Philip had two children, Sidney Bouverie-Pusey who inherited Pusey and Clara who was married to Captain Francis Fletcher. Sidney died childless and Pusey went to his nephew Philip Francis Fletcher who adopted the name and arms of Bouverie-Pusey.
The estate was sold in 1935 to the the Hornby family who, by a curious and happy coincidence, have as their crest a horn similar to that owned by the Puseys and which is carved on the marble chimneypiece in the entrance hall of the house.
Pusey House is a private house. The gardens are no longer open to the public. It was last offered for sale in 1998
The Pusey Coat of Arms was granted prior to 1710, this being a red field, with three silver bars, and a crest of a wild cat.
Related early settlers in the New World include:
Elizabeth Pusie who settled in Virginia 1656
Caleb Pusey and John Pusey settled in Pennsylvania 1682.
Modern descendants:
Nathan Marsh Pusey Ph.D. President of Harvard University 1953-1956.
Link to Map of Pusey, Farringdon, Oxfordshire England.
1. http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=Pusey,+Faringdon,+United+Kingdom&oe=UTF-&ie=UTF8&oi=georefine&ct=clnk&cd=1&geocode=0,51.667947,-1.485385
Link to Map of Pusey, France (70 miles NW of Dijon)
2. http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=Pusey,+Haute-Sa%C3%B4ne,+Franche-Comt%C3%A9,+France&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF8&oi=georefine&ct=clnk&cd=2&geocode=0,47.651970,6.127473
Compiled by Neil Sonny Powsey. Nov 2007.
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