Drusilla Madeline (Foster) Clay (1908 - 1961)

Born 30 Aug 1908 in Folkestone, Kent, England

Ancestors

Wife of Gerard Leigh Clay — married 19 Oct 1931 in The Cathedral, Herefod, England

Died 3 Dec 1961 at age 53 in Brockhampton, Herefordshire, England

Biography

Drusilla (Foster) Clay was born in Kent, England.

Birth and Parents

Drusilla, the eldest of two children of Cuthbert Wellesley Foster and Ruby Garman was born on 30 August 1908 at Folkstone, England.^[1]

Marriage and Children

Drusilla married Gerard Leigh "Peter" Clay (1904-1995), the son of Charles Leigh and Margaret Amelia (Press) Clay on 1 October 1931 in Herford Cathedral at Hereford, Herefordshire, England.^[2]They had two children:

1. Jeremy Peter Foster Clay (b. 1932; d. 2017)^[3]m. 1) 1956 at Winchester, England, Ann J. Fuller; m. 2) 1962 at Herefordshire, Mary Elizabeth Anne Pryce Jenkin (1939-)
2. Drusilla Clay (b. Jul 1934; d. Sep 1934, Ross-on-Wye, England)^[4][5]

Brockhampton Court, Herefordshire, England

Druscilla and husband Gerard "Peter" Clay resided at Brockhamton Court, which was the Foster family estate. Their wedding was celebrated at Brockhampton Court. It was sold and served as a hotel until the late 1940s and is currently a nursing home. ^[6]In 1939, The England and Wales Register indicates that Drusilla Clay and Gerard L. Clay (as well as household staff members) were residing at Brockhampton Court. Their son, Jeremy, is listed as being at school.^[7]

Death and Probate

Drusilla Madeline (Foster) Clay died on 3 December 1961 in her 53rd year at Brockhampton, England.^[8]Her probate date is listed as 22 March 1962 at Gloucester, England.^[9]

Sources

1. ↑ FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. Original data: General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes. London, England: General Register Office. © Crown copyright. Published by permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Office for National Statistics. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/3968759:8912?ssrc=pt&tid=10258253&pid=212134178215 FreeBMD Births Dec 1908 Elham 2a 1060 FOSTER Drusilla Madeline.
2. ↑ "England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV87-942X : 8 October 2014), Gerard L Clay and null, 1931; from "England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing 1931, quarter 4, vol. 6A, p. 1131, Hereford, Herefordshire, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.
3. ↑ "England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVQ4-SVG6 : 1 October 2014), null in entry for Jeremy P F Clay, 1932; from "England & Wales Births, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Birth Registration, Marylebone, London, England, citing General Register Office, Southport, England.
4. ↑ General Register Office; United Kingdom; Reference: Volume 6a, Page 605. Source Information: Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/25532226:8782?ssrc=pt&tid=20294826&pid=320085477779
5. ↑ General Register Office; United Kingdom; Volume: 6a; Page: 462. Source Information: Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2007. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/32557004:7579?ssrc=pt&tid=20294826&pid=320085477779
6. ↑ https://herefordshirepast.co.uk/buildings/brockhampton-court/
7. ↑ The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1939 Register; Reference: Rg 101/5170g. Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1939 England and Wales Register [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2018. Original data: Crown copyright images reproduced by courtesy of TNA, London England. 1939 Register (Series RG101), The National Archives, Kew, London, England. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/31987391:61596?ssrc=pt&tid=10258253&pid=212134178215
8. ↑ General Register Office; United Kingdom; Volume: 9a; Page: 79, Source Information: Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2007. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/36313440:7579?ssrc=pt&tid=10258253&pid=212134178215 Original data: General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes. London, England: General Register Office. GRO Death Record : Dec Q 1961 Ross, Herefordshire 9a 79 : CLAY Drusilla M Age 53.
9. ↑ Ancestry.com. England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data: Principal Probate Registry. Calendar of the Grants of Probate and Letters of Administration made in the Probate Registries of the High Court of Justice in England. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/19715134:1904?ssrc=pt&tid=10258253&pid=212134178215

Census records

• "England and Wales Census, 1911," , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X7K6-SDF : 22 July 2019), Drusilla Madeline Foster in household of Cathbert Welleby Foster, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, United Kingdom; from "1911 England and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 14, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.

Acknowledgements

• Biography written in full with inline sourcing, children listed with sources, and photo added following further research byt Carol Baldwin on 18 January 2024.