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The Tinworths of High Street

by | Jul 18, 2017 | People, Village Folk | 23 comments

tinworth circa1912 jasmine cottage high street

Above is a picture of the Tinworth family who lived in Jasmine Cottage in the High Street at Chrishall.

Edward Tinworth came from Elmdon and was a labourer when he married Sarah Hopwood at Chrishall on 1st May 1849.  Edward was 19 and Sarah just 16 when they were married at Chrishall Church by Godfrey Everth.  Edward’s father George, and Sarah’s father Henry, signed the register as did Charles Tinworth and Mary Ann Tinworth, brother and sister to Edward.  Well, when I say signed, they all made their mark of a cross.  We will hear more of Charles shortly.

We thought the photograph above was taken around 1912, but I wonder if it was actually taken in 1909 as that would have been Edward and Sarah’s Golden Wedding.  It certainly looks like an important family occasion with the girls arranged with Edward on the left and the boys with Sarah on the right.

The census entry for 1911 lists Edward Tinworth, 81, and Sarah his wife aged 79 living with son-in-law Enfield George Flack, aged 31, and daughter Mary Flack who was 29.  Can we work out any more family members from the photograph I wonder?!

The Elmdon Connection

elmdon essex

A copy of this book can be purchased on Amazon. Click the image above to be taken to the Amazon site.

Edward Tinworth was born in Elmdon on March 23rd 1830 to George Tinworth and Mary (nee Gamgee).  Edward’s father, George, went through various professions during the births of his eleven children from Labourer to Butcher, back to Labourer and then Carrier. Jean Robin goes into quite a lot of detail about the butchers’ shops in Elmdon – of which there were two.  However although George Tinworth lists himself as a butcher on one of the census returns, Jean Robin does not mention him in her book so he probably did not own a shop but maybe worked for one of the village butchers.

Sarah’s family, the Hopwoods, are to be found in many of the local villages including Ickleton, where Sarah was born, and especially Hinxton.  One of Sarah’s relations, George Hopwood, was also a Butcher in Elmdon and he did own his own shop.  He also expanded his business to being a beer-seller and carrier.  Unfortunately, this was his undoing as, while carrying a load in his cart to Wendon Lofts one day he slipped and was crushed by his own cart running over him.  I don’t know what relation George was to Sarah exactly.  If anyone knows, please let us know in the comments below this article!

However back to the Tinworths.  George and Mary Tinworth at Elmdon had another ten children besides Edward: George, John, Mary Ann, Charles, Joseph, Susannah, Sarah, James, Abel and Robert.

Edward, as we know, married and moved to Chrishall.  However his brothers Charles, James and Joseph all emigrated to Australia.  They were chasing gold!

The search for Gold

Charles Tinworth, born on 25 January 1833, Elizabeth his wife and young children sailed for Ballaarat near Melbourne in Australia to search for gold.  They left Elmdon in 1854 when Charles was just 21 years old.  His two brothers joined them a little later.  Charles and Elizabeth had a tough time living in a large tented village with all the other prospectors and at one point were declared bankrupt. However in the end, after twenty years, and collaborating with his brothers he did have success and in fact died a very wealthy man.

This whole story of Charles Tinworth and his search for gold is unearthed in the BBC programme ‘Who do you think you are’ when Craig Revel Horwood researches his family history and finds that Charles Tinworth is his 3 x great grandfather.  You can view the whole programme here until 12th August 2017: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b08y6ct1/who-do-you-think-you-are-series-14-2-craig-revel-horwood#

Unfortunately the programme does not reveal when Charles Tinworth died so we don’t know whether the family pictured above knew of their wealthy relation at the time this photograph was taken. (See a follow up to this article revealing a lot more about the Australian Tinworths here.)

tinworth circa1912 jasmine cottage high street

Click on this mini photo to see a larger version.

This Tinworth photograph has been in our collection for many years and I have always rather enjoyed the fact that it commemorates not only the Tinworth’s but their cat who is just entering the front door, probably intent on having tea!  Now with a little background tracing we can perhaps imagine some of the conversations that went on round the tea table with the awful accident that befell George and perhaps the excitement of the pioneering gold diggers.  Next time you pass Jasmine Cottage take a second glance and remember the Tinworths!

23 Comments

  1. Mark Ward

    I am descended from the Tinworths on my paternal grandfather’s side and from the Gamgees on my paternal grandmother’s side, so I’m distantly related to Craig Revel Horwood twice over. I didn’t realise this until last week’s WDYTYA? Quite a surprise! I’ve had his 3gt grandfather Charles Tinworth b1832 Elmdon on my family tree for years. To answer your question, Charles died in Ballarat East in 1905. His wife Elizabeth Ann (nee Revel) died in the same place in 1912.

    Reply
    • Rosemarie Gant

      That’s great Mark – thank you for the answer to the question too! Are there still Tinworth’s in Australia do you know? As always I find it fascinating to see how all the families are interconnected. There is still a Gamgee connection in Elmdon as I’m sure you know.

      Reply
      • Sarah tinworth

        Edward and Sarah are my 3 great grandparents wow this is amazing

        Reply
    • Ally

      My children are descended from Edward Tinworth 1811-1854 & Ann, whose daughter Fanny married Charles Flack

      Reply
  2. Mark Ward

    A lot of my Chrishall/Elmdon ancestry comes from my paternal grandmother Miriam Wright b1890 Hamlet House, Lower Pond Street, Wenden Lofts. Miriam taught Irene Cranwell in Clavering in the 1910s. The family tree is more like a tangled hedge of inter-breeding families in the area: Wrights, Warrens, Flacks, Pratts, Gamgees and Hoys. I actually think Craig is also descended from the Pratts which would give me a triple connection. I didn’t know any Gamgees were still in Elmdon. Yes, there are Tinworths in Australia…but I’m not. I was raised in Orwell and now live in Norfolk! Anyone can contact me, mgw61, on Ancestry.

    Reply
    • Rosemarie Gant

      I love the ‘tangled hedge’ analogy Mark – that’s so right. And I’m not sure whether you are aware that Irene Cranwell was my grandmother. So your grandmother taught my grandmother – how good is that! Thank you so much for getting in touch and I’m glad that you didn’t follow the gold trail to Australia too.

      Reply
    • Rosemarie Gant

      Mark – we have some glass slide photos, possibly from the 1920s, that might be of interest to you. I have emailed you but if you don’t receive those please reply here and I will get in touch via Ancestry.

      Reply
    • Darren Gunner

      Hello Mark – I descend from Gamgee/Hoy. Joseph Gamgee who married Mary Ann Hoy in 1721 is my 8th great grandfather.

      I then descend from John Gamgee who married Susannah Wright in 1799. Then through their daughter Mary who married George Tinworth. Their son Edward is my 3rd great grandfather – he married Sarah Hopwood in 1849. Their daughter Emily married Charles Dyer in 1872 and then their daughter Beatrice married James Blackwell and moved to Kent.

      It’s quite funny actually as Craig is a friend of mine, so was quite surprised to see we were ‘related’.

      Reply
  3. Adam Tinworth

    I have very little problem remembering the Tinworth, given the names of those who surround me.

    Interesting to see a little more of my distant relatives.

    Reply
    • Adam Tinworth

      (Charles is my 3rd Great Uncle, and his father my 3rd Great Grandfather.)

      Reply
    • Rosemarie Gant

      Good to know the Tinworths are still going strong!

      Reply
  4. Darren Gunner

    Very pleased to have found this site and the picture of the Tinworths. I descend from Edward Tinworth via his daughter Emily who married Charles Dyer in Saffron Walden in 1872. Their daughter Beatrice married James W Blackwell and they moved to Kent.

    Reply
    • Rosemarie Gant

      Hello Darren – thank you for getting in touch and great to find another Tinworth link. We have Dyer’s in the village too of course – I wonder if they are connected somewhere along the line!

      Reply
      • Darren Gunner

        Hello Rosemarie – yes all very interesting.

        My 3rd great grandfather was Charles Dyer who married Emily Tinworth in 1872 – she was the the daughter of Edward Tinworth and Sarah Hopwood.

        I would be happy to see any other pictures you may have.

        Reply
  5. Cherry Gilbert

    Hello Rosemarie I was born in my Nans bed at Glenlyn, Mill Causeway December 1957. I lived at Mill House for 21 Years. My Nan, Grandad and Mum lived in Rose Cottage before moving to Glenlyn in Mill Causeway. My Nan was Ivy Miller nee Cranwell the daughter of Oswald and Ann Cranwell.
    I was very interested in your photograph of Edward and Sarah Tinworth as my Grandads (Wilfred Miller) Mum was Florence Tinworth daughter of Edward and Sarah. Florence married Ebeneezer Miller Junior. I have a photograph outside this exact same cottage of their wedding group.

    I love your website and visit it regularly. I hope to visit your Museum at the pavillion soon and will bring the few photographs I have to show you. I also have a painting of the Methodist Chapel painted by George Cranwell, my Nans youngest brother, in 1915 the year before he was killed in the Battle of the Somme on 23rd October 1916.

    Reply
  6. Rosemarie Gant

    Aha – then we are related Cherry because Oswald and Ann Cranwell were my great-great grandparents! I can’t wait to see your photographs and look forward to meeting up soon. Drop us a line on the contact form here on the website to let us know when you are coming. And we should have some school items coming out on the website in September which should be of interest to you too! Best wishes. R.

    Reply
  7. Amanda Billing

    Hi
    Edward and Sarah seem quite extraordinary people for the time.
    Married for such a long time live to Nineties and Eighties plus according to 1911 Census they had 15 children and only 5 had died.
    What amazing couple.
    I am distantly related to the Hopwood line from Ickleton.

    Reply
    • Rosemarie Gant

      I think if you made it through those first childhood years, you stood a reasonably good chance of making a good age, Amanda – but yes I think they certainly were quite a couple!

      Reply
  8. Darren Gunner

    My sister and I did a little tour of some of the villages linked to our family on Saturday. We came to Chrishall and had a look at Jasmine Cottage to see the house of our Tinworth ancestors. (I hope the new owners didn’t mind). We also went to Great Chesterford in search of links the Stacey George Dyer and his daughter Edie who were in the choir. We aldo went to Elmdon for our links to the Gamgees and Hoy families.

    Reply
    • Rosemarie Gant

      I hope you enjoyed it Darren – it was a lovely day for such a nice tour round!

      Reply
  9. Carol Tinworth

    Hi Rosemarie,

    George Tinworth & Mary Gamgee are my 3rd Great grandparents.
    Their son Charles Tinworth born 25 Dec 1832 in Elmdon, died 23rd Sept 1905 in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia married Elizabeth Ann Revel born 1831 in Hertfordshire, died 21 Dec 1912 in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia are my 2nd Great Grandparents. Their son Edward born 1 Feb 1859 in Ballarat East, died 23 Oct 1954 at 74 Barkly St Ballarat married Agnes McNamara-King born 1858 in Ballarat, died 22 Aug 1940 in Ballarat are my great grandparents. I am 5th generation Ballarat line of the Tinworth family

    Ballarat line is still going strong,

    Is the book about Elmdon b Jean Robin available to be purchased from Amazon UK to be sent to Australia – would love a copy

    Reply
  10. Ally

    My children are descended from Edward Tinworth 1811-1854 & Ann, whose daughter Fanny married Charles Flack

    Reply

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  1. Exodus - Chrishall Village History - […] The story of the Tinworths of Elmdon is a real rags-to-riches tale. Charles and Elizabeth Tinworth from Ickleton Road…

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