Mary (Dawson) Purvis (1903 - 1986)

Born 12 Sep 1903 in Quaking Houses, New Kyo, Durham, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Wife of Norman Francis Henry Purvis — married 30 Mar 1929 in Lanchester, Durham, England, United Kingdom

Descendants

Died 5 Nov 1986 at age 83 in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom

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Mary (Dawson) Purvis was born in County Durham, England.

Biography

Mary Dawson was born on 12 September 1903 at 13 Sycamore Terrace, Quaking Houses, New Kyo, County Durham to Lizzie Sumpton Dawson nee Birkett and George Dawson, a coal miner ^[1].

Birth registration for Mary Dawson.

Her parents' marriage had taken place less than three weeks earlier, in Whitehaven, Cumberland ^[2]. Her mother had seven children, one of whom died in infancy and another (from before her marriage) in childhood.

1911 census: Living in two rooms at 14 Maple Street, South Moor, Stanley, Durham ^[3]. (Notes: 1. George completed the form, with some information then moved or clarified in red by someone else; Lizzie had given birth to two live-born babies - Joseph Birkett and John Dawson - who had died by this time.)

Death of mother; father's remarriage: In 1914, Mary's mother died, with the causes of death being listed as (1) gastritis & enteritis 6 days (2) parturition 6 days^[4], six days after giving birth to Robert. Her father remarried, to Louisa Hyde, in 1917 ^[5].

1921 census: Working as a live-in domestic servant at Eden Place, East Tanfield, Durham, for Harold Hare (an engineer) and his young twins ^[6]. (Notes: 1. It appears from the blank line and the information that the twins' parents are both alive that Mrs Hare was away that night, perhaps unexpectedly, rather than that she had died; 2. Mary may have had to seek work to help the family finances after her mother's death and given that her paternal grandmother was also apparently supported by her father ^[7]. 3. Eden Place was colliery housing and no longer exists, the site now being a picnic park, perhaps part of Tanfield Lea Marsh, to the north of an industrial estate [8].)

Marriage and children: She married Norman Purvis on 30 March 1929 in the parish church of South Moor (which I take to mean St George's) ^[8]. It was the first and only marriage for them both. At the time of the wedding, she was again living with her parents at 16 Wardle Street (their address in the 1921 census). The witnesses were Norman's brother William and either Mary's sister Hannah or her grandmother Hannah.

Marriage registration of Norman Purvis & Mary Dawson

They had three children:

1. George, born on 7th March 1930 in Coxlodge, Northumberland ^[9]; married Margaret Patricia (Pat) Foster in Q3 1949 in Northumberland South ^[10]; died November 1991 in Newcastle upon Tyne ^[11].
2. James (Jim), born on 19th June 1934 in Fawdon, Northumberland ^[12]; married Brenda Hilda Thurkle on 15th August 1958 in Ashford, Middlesex ^[13]; died 8th October 1980 in Northampton, Northamptonshire
3. Norman, born 19th October 1936 in Coxlodge, Northumberland ^[14]; married Jean Hoggins in Q2 1960 in Northumberland South, Northumberland ^[15]; died in 2014 in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northmberland.

1939 Register: Living at 19 West Street, Newcastle upon Tyne ^[16] (a street of colliery houses that no longer exists ^[17]). (Note: The closed record is that for Norman Purvis.)

Later life: Mary was an avid and skilled knitter, who in later life said that she wished she had been able to run a shop. Opportunities for married women were very limited at that time, however.

Death of Norman: Norman died suddenly on 11th June 1977, by which time the couple lived at 99 Kenton Crescent, Gosforth ^[18].

Death: Mary died on 5th November 1986 in the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne. She had been living at 99 Kenton Crescent, Newcastle upon Tyne. Cause of death was 1 (a) Pulmonary embolism, (b) Myocardial infarction (i.e., heart attack); her son George registered her death the same day. ^[19].

Sources

1. ↑ GRO: Lanchester, Q4, 1903, vol 10A, p 316. (Certified copy dated 29 Dec 2022.)
2. ↑ GRO: Whitehaven 1903 Q3, vol 10b, p 1115). FreeBMD. Accessed January 4, 2023. [1]
3. ↑ “1911 Census: 14 Maple Street, South Moor, Stanley SO, Durham.” 1911 Census For England & Wales (RG14/29920/282). Accessed February 4, 2022. [2]
4. ↑ “Death: 1914 - Lizzie Dawson (Certified Copy of Original Registration).” GRO (Lanchester, Q4 1914, vol 10A, p374).
5. ↑ “Marriage Record for George Dawson and Louisa Hyde (1917).” FreeBMD, n.d. [3]
6. ↑ “1921 Census: Eden Place East, Tanfield, Durham.” 1921 Census Of England & Wales (RG15/24571/122). Accessed February 4, 2022. [4]
7. ↑ “1921 Census Record for 16 Wardle Street, South Moor, Stanley, Durham, England.” 1921 Census Of England & Wales. Accessed February 4, 2022. [5]
8. ↑ GRO: Lanchester, 1929 Q1, vol 10a, p 517 (Certified copy of original, 11th February 2022).
9. ↑ GRO: Castle Ward, Q2 1930, vol 10b, p 559.
10. ↑ GRO: Northumberland South, 1949 Q3, vol 1B, p 1012.
11. ↑ GRO: Newcastle upon Tyne 1991 Q4, vol 2, p 489.
12. ↑ GRO: Castle Ward, vol 10B, p 506.
13. ↑ GRO: Middlesex South 1958 Q3, vol 5F, p 5
14. ↑ GRO: Castle Ward 1936 Q4, vol 10b, p 362.
15. ↑ GRO: Northumberland South 1960 Q2, vol 1b, p 571.
16. ↑ “1939 Register: 19 West Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne (scanned image)” 1939 Register (RG101/2973K/010/21). Accessed February 6, 2022. [6]
17. ↑ Malkin, Fiona. “Life in a Colliery House in Coxlodge.” Discovering Heritage, November 19, 2021. [7]
18. ↑ GRO: Newcastle upon Tyne 1977 Q2, vol 2, p 789 (certified copy).
19. ↑ GRO: Newcastle upon Tyne, 1986 Q4, vol 2, p 710.