William Robert Towers (1839 - 1910)

Born 4 Jun 1839 in Chelsea, Middlesex, England

Ancestors

Husband of Mercy (Gridley) Towers — married 30 Oct 1859 (to 1904) in St Paul, Hammersmth, London, England

Descendants

Died 1910 at about age 70 in Mortlake, Surrey, England

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Biography

William Robert Towers, son of labourer of Church St Solomon Towers and his wife, Mary Herbert, was baptised at St Luke, Chelsea on the 28th of July 1839. ^[1]

By 1841 the family had moved to Lawrence Street ^[2] and in 1851 were living in Garden Grove where William was earning as an errand boy. ^[3]

On the 30th of October 1859 at St Paul, Hammersmith William, by this time employed as a bricklayer, married Mercy Gridley, daughter of another bricklayer Robert Gridley and his wife, Mary Pettifer. ^[4][5] For a while they lived in Kew Rd in Richmond where Mercy had been brought up ^[6] but by 1871 had moved to Bottom's Place with their growing family. ^[7] 1881 found them in George St., Battersea. ^[8]

They were living at Mortlake by 1891 with three children still at home ^[9] and two more, James and Sarah, were living with their eldest son, William. Ten more years and William by then aged 61 appears to still have been supporting their 29 year old son, Arthur, and also had their daughter, Sarah, at home with her newborn illegitimate son named William Robert Towers. ^[10]

William and Mercy's eldest and unmarried daughter, Elizabeth, died in 1901 ^[11] and their son, Thomas, in 1902, his death being registered at Nantwich in Cheshire. ^[12] Then Mercy died in 1904 aged 63 ^[13]and was buried at St Mary, Mortlake on the 2nd of April. ^[14]

William died in the summer of 1910. ^[15]

Sources

1. ↑ London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1917 (St Luke Chelsea 28 July 1839 William Robert Towers son of Solomon Towers, labourer of Church St and Mary)
2. ↑ 1841 Census of England
   Lawrence St, Chelsea, Middlesex, England

   First Name	Last Name	Relationship	Marital Status	Gender	Age	Occupation	Birth Place
   Solomon	Towers	-	-	Male	25	Labourer	Not Middlesex
   Mary	Towers	-	-	Female	20	Whitster	Not Middlesex
   William	Towers	-	-	Male	2	-	Middlesex

3. ↑ 1851 Census of England
   3 Garden Grove, Chelsea, Middlesex, England

   First Name	Last Name	Relationship	Marital Status	Gender	Age	Occupation	Birth Place
   Solomon	Towers	Head	Married	Male	34	Bricklayer's labourer	Richmond, Surrey
   Mary	Towers	Wife	Married	Female	33	Laundress	Reading, Berkshire
   William	Towers	Son	-	Male	12	Errand boy	Chelsea, Middlesex
   Mary	Towers	Daughter	-	Female	10	Scholar	Chelsea, Middlesex
   Thomas	Towers	Son	-	Male	2	-	Chelsea, Middlesex

4. ↑ London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1932 (St Paul, Hammersmith 30 October 1859 William Robert Towers bachelor of Hammersmith, bricklayer son of Solomon Towers bricklayer married Mercy Gridley spinster of Hammersmith daughter of Robert Gridley, bricklayer)
5. ↑ England and Wales marriage index (Registered Kensington 1859 4th qu Mercy Gridley married William Robert Towers Vol 1a Page 32)
6. ↑ 1861 Census of England
   Kew Rd, Richmond, Surrey, England

   First Name	Last Name	Relationship	Marital Status	Gender	Age	Occupation	Birth Place
   William	Towers	Head	Married	Male	21	Bricklayer	Chelsea, Middlesex
   Mercy	Towers	Wife	Married	Female	20	-	Richmond, Surrey
   Elizabeth	Towers	Daughter	-	Female	1	-	Mortlake, Surrey
   William	Towers	Son	-	Male	3mo	-	Richmond, Surrey

7. ↑ 1871 Census of England
   9 Bottoms Place, Richmond, Surrey, England

   First Name	Last Name	Relationship	Marital Status	Gender	Age	Occupation	Birth Place
   William	Towers	Head	Married	Male	32	Bricklayer	Chelsea, Middlesex
   Mercy	Towers	Wife	Married	Female	28	-	Richmond, Surrey
   Elizabeth	Towers	Daughter	Unmarried	Female	11	-	Mortlake, Surrey
   William R	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	10	-	Richmond, Surrey
   Henry	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	7	-	Richmond, Surrey
   George	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	6	-	Richmond, Surrey
   Edwin	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	5	-	Richmond, Surrey
   James H	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	2	-	Richmond, Surrey
   Thomas	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	9mo	-	Richmond, Surrey

8. ↑ 1881 Census of England
   3 1/2 George St, Battersea, Surrey, England

   First Name	Last Name	Relationship	Marital Status	Gender	Age	Occupation	Birth Place
   William	Towers	Head	Married	Male	42	Bricklayer	Chelsea, Middlesex
   Mercy	Towers	Wife	Married	Female	39	-	Richmond, Surrey
   William R	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	20	Bricklayer	Richmond, Surrey
   George	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	18	?	Richmond, Surrey
   Henry	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	16	Bricklayer	Richmond, Surrey
   Edwin	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	14	-	Richmond, Surrey
   Thomas	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	13	Scholar	Richmond, Surrey
   Jim H	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	11	Scholar	Richmond, Surrey
   Arthur	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	9	Scholar	Richmond, Surrey
   Harriet	Towers	Daughter	-	Female	7	Scholar	Richmond, Surrey
   Walter	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	6	Scholar	Richmond, Surrey
   Sarah A	Towers	Daughter	-	Female	4	Scholar	Richmond, Surrey

9. ↑ 1891 Census of England
   ?, Mortlake, Surrey, England

   First Name	Last Name	Relationship	Marital Status	Gender	Age	Occupation	Birth Place
   William	Towers	Head	Married	Male	52	Bricklayer	Chelsea, Middlesex
   Mercy	Towers	Wife	Married	Female	49	-	Richmond, Surrey
   Harriet	Towers	Daughter	-	Female	18	Domestic servant	Richmond, Surrey
   Arthur	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	17	-	Richmond, Surrey
   Walter	Towers	Son	Unmarried	Male	16	Gardener	Richmond, Surrey

10. ↑ 1901 Census of England
    ?, Mortlake, Surrey, England

    First Name	Last Name	Relationship	Marital Status	Gender	Age	Occupation	Birth Place
    William	Towers	Head	Married	Male	61	Bricklayer	Chelsea, Middlesex
    Mercy	Towers	Wife	Married	Female	59	-	Richmond, Surrey
    Arthur	Towers	Son	Single	Male	29	?	Richmond, Surrey
    Sarah A	Towers	Daughter	Single	Female	24	Domestic	Richmond, Surrey
    William R	Towers	Grandson	Single	Male	3days	-	Richmond, Surrey

11. ↑ England and Wales death index (Registered Surrey 1901 1st qu Elizabeth Towers aged 41)
12. ↑ England and Wales death index (Registered Nantwich, Cheshire 1902 4th qu Thomas Towers age 34 Vol 8a Page 218)
13. ↑ England and Wales death index (Registered Richmond 1904 1st qu Mercy Towers aged 63 Vol 2a Page 323)
14. ↑ Surrey, England, Church of England Burials, 1813-1997 (St Mary, Mortlake 2 April 1904 Mercy Towers of 23 Victoria Rd, Mortlake aged 63)
15. ↑ England and Wales death index (Registered London 1910 3rd qu William R Towers aged 72)