Constance Blanche Bear (bef. 1858 - 1933)

Born before 24 Nov 1858 in Exeter, Devon, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Died 6 Jun 1933 after age 74 in Kensington, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom

Biography

Constance Bear was born in Devon, England.

Constance was the fifth child of John Bear and Annette Williams, and was born in 1858 in Pennsylvania, Exeter, Devon, England.^[1] She was baptised in the Bedford Chapel, Exeter, on 24 November 1858.^[2]

As a young child Constance went to Victoria, Australia, with her family, and returned to England in 1868.^[3] It is known that her sister, Annette, was educated at Cheltenham Ladies College in Gloucestershire,^[4] and it is likely that Constance was too.^[5]

By 1881 Constance was living in Marylebone, Middlesex, but still a scholar at 21 years of age.^[6] She was not enumerated in the 1891 census, so was likely in Australia with her family. Her mother and sister Annette were known to be there in April 1890.^[4]

Constance and her mother returned to England by 1901, and resided at 28 Clanricarde Gardens, Bayswater, Middlesex, with sisters Edith, Beatrice and Evelyn. All four sisters were teachers, with Evelyn teaching physical subjects and the other three teaching music.^[7]

In 1911 Constance resided with her mother in a large house at 9 Campden Hill Court, Kensington, Middlesex, where they lived on their own means.^[8] Her mother died there in December 1922.^[9]

Constance moved into 3 Nevern Mansions, Nevern Square, Kensington, which she shared with her surviving siblings. She died there on 6 June 1933.^[10]

Sources

1. ↑ England & Wales General Register Office, GRO Online Index - Birth (https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/ : accessed 3 April 2021) database entry for Bear, Constance Blanche (Mother's maiden name: Williams) GRO Reference: 1858 Q4 in Exeter, Volume 05B, Page 92.
2. ↑ Devon Baptisms (FindMyPast, http://www.findmypast.com : accessed 3 April 2021), baptism record (image) for Bear, Constance Blanche (Baptism Date: 24 November 1858, Father: John Pinney, Father's Occupation: Gentleman, Mother: Annette Eliza, Residence: Pennsylvania, Baptism Place: Exeter, Bedford Chapel, Denomination: Anglican, Archive: South West Heritage Trust, Archive Reference: 958A/PR/1/1).
3. ↑ Public Record Office of Victoria. VPRS 948/P1 Outward Passengers to Interstate, UK and Foreign Ports. (Public Record Office of Victoria, https://prov.vic.gov.au/explore-collection/explore-topic/passenger-records-and-immigration/outwards-passenger-lists : accessed 3 Apr 2021) Passenger list for Somersetshire, departed Aug 1868, destination London, page 5. Passengers include Mrs Bear (40), Miss Bear (14), Miss F. Bear (12), Miss Constance Bear (10), Miss Edith Bear (7), Master Bear (3), Infant Bear (1), Servant (24).
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Janice N. Brownfoot, 'Bear-Crawford, Annette Ellen (1853–1899)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/bear-crawford-annette-ellen-5168/text8681, published first in hardcopy 1979, accessed online 3 April 2021.
5. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1871", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V5B7-JVS : accessed 3 Apr 2021), Constance Bear in entry for Annette Bear, 1871.
6. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1881," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK65-54XT : accessed 3 Apr 2021), Constance B Bear in household of John P Bear, St Marylebone, London,Middlesex, England; from "1881 England, Scotland and Wales Census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing p. 29, Piece/Folio 146/91, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey; FHL microfilm 101,774,345.
7. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1901," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X941-YW8 : accessed 3 Apr 2021), Constance B Bear in household of Annette E Bear, Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom; from "1901 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing Kensington Town subdistrict, PRO RG 13, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.
8. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1911," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XWLC-8JD : accessed 3 Apr 2021), Constance Bear in household of Minstle E Bear, Kensington, London, 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.
9. ↑ England & Wales General Register Office, GRO Online Index - Death (https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content : accessed 3 April 2021) database entry for Bear, Annette Eliza (Age: 90) GRO Reference: 1922 Q4 in Kensington, Volume 01A, Page 172.
10. ↑ England & Wales General Register Office, GRO Online Index - Death (https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content : accessed 3 April 2021) database entry for Bear, Constance Blanche (Age: 74) GRO Reference: 1933 Q2 in Kensington, Volume 01A, Page 148.