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Elizabeth Annie (Winfield) Whitham (1899 - 1971)

Elizabeth Annie Whitham formerly Winfield
Born in Todmorden, Lancashire, England, United Kingdommap
Ancestors ancestors
Wife of — married 21 Apr 1919 in Todmorden, Lancashire, England, United Kingdommap
Descendants descendants
Mother of , , [private son (1920s - unknown)], , [private daughter (1920s - unknown)], , [private daughter (1920s - unknown)], [private daughter (1930s - unknown)], [private daughter (1930s - unknown)], [private daughter (1930s - unknown)], [private daughter (1930s - unknown)], [private son (1930s - unknown)], [private daughter (1930s - unknown)], [private daughter (1930s - unknown)], [private son (1930s - unknown)] and [private son (1930s - unknown)]
Died at age 72 in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdommap
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Profile last modified | Created 1 Dec 2011
This page has been accessed 158 times.

Biography

Elizabeth Annie Winfield's birth was registered in the Jan-Feb-Mar quarter of 1899 in the Todmorden district. Her mother's maiden name was Baron.[1] She was the daughter of Owen Llewellyn Winfield and Sarah Jane Barron.

Notes

Birth Transcript: Name Elizabeth Annie Winfield Year of Registration 1899 Quarter of Registration Jan-Feb-Mar Registration District Todmorden Registration County Yorkshire Mother's maiden name Volume Number 9A Volume Page 228

GRO Birth Transcript: WINFIELD, ELIZABETH ANNIE BARON GRO Reference: 1899 M Quarter in TODMORDEN Volume 09A Page 228

1901 Census transcript: Name Elizabeth Annie Winfield Year of Registration 1899 Quarter of Registration Jan-Feb-Mar Registration District Todmorden Registration County Yorkshire Mother's maiden name Volume Number 9A Volume Page 228

1911 Census Transcript: First Name ELIZABETH ANNIE Last Name WINFIELD Birth Year 1899 Age 12 Where Born TODMORDEN Relationship To Head of Household DAUGHTER Gender Female Condition Year Of Marriage Years Of Marriage Occupation SCHOOL Military Info Address CROFT GATE LANFIELD TODMORDEN Parish TODMORDEN County Yorkshire, Yorkshire (West riding) Country ENGLAND Ecclesiastical District Enumeration District 23 Registration District TODMORDEN Registration District Number 493 Sub District Number 2 Category Census, Land & Surveys Record set 1911 Census for England & Wales Collections from Great Britain Census Reference RG14PN26167 RG78PN1511 RD493 SD2 ED23 SN196 Archive Reference RG14 Folio Page Piece Number 26167

Marriage transcript: Name Elizabeth A Winfield Year of Marriage 1919 Quarter of Marriage Apr-May-Jun Registration District Todmorden Registration County Yorkshire Spouse's Surname Whitham Volume Number 9A Volume Page 635

1939 REGISTER TRANSCRIPTION Whitham Household (14 People) 2 & 4 Mark Lane , Todmorden M.B., Yorkshire (West Riding), England FIRST NAME(S) LAST NAME(S) DOB SEX OCCUPATION MARITAL STATUS SCHEDULE SCHEDULE SUB NUMBER Elizabeth A Whitham 31 Jan 1899 Female Unpaid Domestic Duties Married 234 2 Willie Whitham 12 Dec 1899 Male Operator For Barber & Colman Warp Drawing Machine Married 234 1 Sorry, this record is officially closed. Check if you can open a closed record. Robert Whitham 08 Apr 1921 Male Tenter For Barber & Colman Single 234 4 Owen Whitham 12 Sep 1922 Male Warf Drawing Machine Cotton Weft Warehouseman Single 234 5 Sorry, this record is officially closed. Check if you can open a closed record. Willie Whitham 07 Aug 1927 Male At School Single 234 7 Marion Greenwood (Whitham) 27 Jan 1928 Female At School Single 234 8 Sorry, this record is officially closed. Check if you can open a closed record. Molly Nuttall (Whitham) 01 May 1932 Female At School Single 234 10 Sorry, this record is officially closed. Check if you can open a closed record. Sorry, this record is officially closed. Check if you can open a closed record. Sorry, this record is officially closed. Check if you can open a closed record. Sorry, this record is officially closed. Check if you can open a closed record.

Todmorden News How a Todmorden family pointed the way forward Published 03:11Thursday 07 December 2006 Just over 60 years ago the war in Europe had ended and people's thoughts were turning to the forthcoming election and urgent domestic issues such as health, housing and the falling birth-rate, particularly worrying to government ministers planning for a bright future.

To illustrate the problems facing the nation, top-selling weekly magazine “Picture Post” turned the spotlight on a Todmorden family who, in the June 30 1945 issue, featured in a hard-hitting article by local broadcaster and journalist William Holt.

Entitled “Bringing up a very big family”, the article graphically described the day-to-day life of the Whitham family, of Tennyson Road, Todmorden, in particular the difficulties faced by mum Elizabeth Annie as she battled with rationing, shortages and the sheer hard work involved in bringing up a family in post-war Britain.

Annie, aged 46, and 45-year-old husband Willie were the parents of 17 children aged between 25 years and seven months, 12 of whom were still living at home (four of their sons, William Spencer, Robert, Owen and Kenneth, were in the forces; a little girl had died in infancy).

Holt called together with renowned “Picture Post” photographer Ken Hutton, whose stunning dossier of pictures revealed an eye-opening reality to readers all over the UK.

“If they want big families they should make it possible for them,” Annie told Holt, getting straight to the point as she rifled through the “library” of ration books on the kitchen table and grumbled about the challenge of feeding a family on so little. “They that’s had them does know, them in Parliament don’t know. I haven’t had so much work – it’s harder than in a factory”.

Wrote Holt: “Imagine yourself starting out to spend 312 points so as to make them go as far as possible. Sometimes Mrs Whitham has to cut up as many as 12 loaves of bread a day.

“When the things are all put on the table it looks a lot – at first.

“On a four-egg week, 52 eggs. Twenty-six ounces of butter looks a colossal mass – before the family starts on it. And when you have two washing days a week and six schoolchildren to keep clean, besides the babies, you need plenty of soap.”

Annie previously worked in local textile mills: now daughters Anne, 19, and Marian, 16, were “at the looms at Waterside Mill, weaving Florentines,” added Holt, while 17-year-old Willie junior was employed at Rodwell End Farm.

That left Mary, 15; Molly, 13; Ellen, 11; Connie, 10; Arthur, 8 and Edwin, 6, all at school, and David, 3; Betty, 2, and baby Jeanne, at home in the care of Mrs Whitham.

They cannot all sit down together to a meal, Holt observed, they take their meals in two sittings – Father Whitham is strict – “I’ll give him full marks for that,” says Mother Whitham.

“‘Just look at these,’ she said, taking a pair of children’s sandals in her plump fingers. ‘They used to be 3s 6d now they’re 10s. And when Anne was elected May Queen she had to have new frocks.’”

Holt continued: “I watched her and Mary get the youngest child ready for school – ‘Four of them go to Castle Hill Council School, they’re allowed to wear clogs there. If their clothes are clean and mended they always look smart with well-cleaned clogs.’”

Holt knew the Whitham family personally and praised the parents for bringing up children who were “fine, happy and healthy,” sadly not always the case, he added.

He concluded the article by urging a future government to introduce much-needed social reforms such as payment of a Family Allowance, free school meals and a free health service (when Labour came to power in the 1945 election many of the proposals suggested by Holt were, in fact, implemented.)

He voiced a note of warning: “To applaud the cheerfulness, courage and tolerance which has made this particular big family a success is not enough.

“As things are today, a big family too often causes poverty, overcrowding, neglect and malnutrition, and has been regarded as a dreadful warning by young couples beginning their married life.

“People have talked airily about children being the nation’s greatest assets and yet have withheld the help which the community can give in easing some of the burdens which the children’s harassed mothers and badly-paid fathers have had to bear.

“Mothers and fathers assured by these new social reforms that the children will not be mere liabilities, and will not make life one long, overworked drudgery, will begin to have different ideas about big families.

“And as Mr and Mrs Whitham, and all the little Whithams could tell them, will be happier in consequence.”

Death Transcript: Name Elizabeth Annie Whitham Year of Registration 1971 Quarter of Registration Apr-May-Jun Registration District Halifax Registration County Yorkshire Date of Birth 31 January 1899 Volume Number 2B Volume Page 1498


Sources

  1. Birth Registration: "England & Wales General Register Office", (GRO Online Indexes - Birth : accessed 14 August 2022), Winfield, Elizabeth Annie (Mother's maiden name: Baron). GRO Reference: 1899 Jan-Feb-Mar in Todmorden Volume 09A Page 228.

Birth Transcript: Volume Number 9A Volume Page 228

GRO Birth Transcript: Volume 09A Page 228

1901 Census transcript: Volume Number 9A Volume Page 228

1911 Census Transcript: Census Reference RG14PN26167 RG78PN1511 RD493 SD2 ED23 SN196 Archive Reference RG14 Folio Page Piece Number 26167

Marriage transcript: Volume Number 9A Volume Page 635

1939 REGISTER TRANSCRIPTION Whitham Household (14 People) 2 & 4 Mark Lane , Todmorden M.B., Yorkshire (West Riding), England

Todmorden News How a Todmorden family pointed the way forward Published 03:11Thursday 07 December 2006

Death Transcript: Volume Number 2B Volume Page 1498





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