This is a view of Church Road in Chrishall looking towards the centre of the village. On the left hand side is the cottage named Saffrons which was two cottages at the time and inhabited by Luke and Emily Brooks (pictured right) and Carrie and Cornelius Miller.

Click on the image below for a larger version of the picture of Luke and Emily Brooks. For both Luke and Emily this was a second marriage. Luke was previously married to Eleanor, known as Ellen. And Emily was previously married to Jabez Banks.

Luke and Ellen had 8 children on the 1891 census and Luke is listed as an agricultural labourer but 10 years later on the 1901 census he is married to Emily and is listed as housekeeper on farm.

Cornelius Miller was involved in various activities in the village including the purchase of the land for use as a burial ground at the Chapel (now the village hall). You can see Mrs Miller in the picture of Saffrons below. Mrs Emily Brooks and Mrs Carrie Miller are standing by the gate with Mr Salmon the oil man and his horse and cart just coming down Church Road.

The photograph is dated 1911 when Emily was married to Luke and would have been 63 at the time of this photograph.  Mrs Miller is listed on the census as Eliza Caroline Miller (so it’s lovely to know that she was known as Carrie in the village).  She was married to Cornelius Breens Miller and was 52 at the time of the picture.

(With many thanks to Angela Phillips for the photograph of Luke and Emily Brooks.)