NAME:

KNOWN AS:
Lou
BORN:
DIED:
+

MARRIED:



TESTIMONIAL - (as recorded by her son Ern in his journal)


With such a large family she hadn't much time for outside interests. Apart from one annual holiday, a visit to one of her sisters occasionally and sometimes Sunday Chapel, well it was just one long drudge looking after us kids. Died at the age of 68.

Extract from 'Childhood Memories' + by Ernest Dunford


I well remember my mother sitting me on the table to have my toe nails cut. She had beautiful long black hair, and all the time she would be singing – Keep the home fires burning.

Mum (used to) get up in the morning, light the fire under the old copper tin in the ‘Back Kitchen’, get Dad off to work, see to all of us kids then start the week’s wash. Poor old Mum, she was still at it when we came home from school late afternoon. And then of course there was all the drying. Streams of it stretching round the living room on rope lines that Dad had fixed up. Next day it all had to be ironed and aired. Socks etc sorted out that had to be darned up and mended. What a life. Everything had to be done in front of that one open fire. No such things as gas fires.




Florence Louisa Dunford Probate 1948

1881 Census +

Wick St, Rodbourne Cheney

Name Age Relation Birth Town Occupation
William H. House 22 Hd Moredon, R Cheney Lab. Factory. GWR
Eliza A. House 21 Wf Grittenham Brinkworth
Florence L. House 0 Dt H Wick R Cheney
William J. House 3 Sn H Wick R Cheney



1891 Census +

Rodbourne Cheney, Swindon, Wilts

The house was a small cottage on Moredon Road, opposite what is now no.36 (where Ede & Reg Brown lived).

Florence Louisa would hide her pocket money in the roof thatch which sloped to the ground.

The cottage was very small. A door opened into the front room and there was a small scullery, 1 bedroom upstairs and 1 landing bedroom. It was demolished in 1958.

Map of Moredon Rd Swindon showing location of cottage


Name Age Relation Birth Town Occupation
William H Howse 32 Hd Rodbourne Machinist GWR
Eliza A Howse 31 Wf Brinkworth
Florence L Howse 11 Dt Rodbourne Scholar
John Howse 8 Sn Rodbourne Scholar
Elizabeth Howse 6 Dt Rodbourne Scholar
Arthur Howse 4 Sn Rodbourne
Albert Howse 1 Sn Rodbourne
Ernest Howse 0 Sn Rodbourne



1901 Census +

23 Graham Street, Swindon

Name Age Relation Birth Town Occupation
Thomas Dunford 25 Hd Potterne Fancy China shop attendant? Wrong age?
Florence Dunford 22 Wf Haydon Wick
Ellen Dunford 3 Dt Rodbourne?
Beatrice Dunford 0 Dt Swindon



1911 Census +

105 Montague Street, Swindon

Name Age Relation Birth Town Occupation
Thomas Dunford 33 Potterne Labourer in Eng shop - GWR Railway CO
Florence Dunford 31 Rodbourne Cheney
Victoria Dunford 10 Swindon
Frederick Dunford 8 Swindon
William Dunford 4 Swindon
Sidney Dunford 1 Swindon



1921 Census

6 Iffley Road, Swindon

Name Age Relation Birth Town Occupation
Thomas George Dunford 43 Head Potterne, Wiltshire Labourer, GWR Company, Swindon
Florence Louisa Dunford 42 Wife Haydon, Wiltshire Home duties
Victoria Dunford 20 Daughter Swindon, Wiltshire Home duties
William Dunford 14 Son Swindon, Wiltshire Butchers, E.Cousins
Sidney Dunford 11 Son Swindon, Wiltshire Full time education
Edith Dunford 9 Daughter Swindon, Wiltshire Full time education
Reginald Dunford 7 Son Swindon, Wiltshire Full time education
Louisa Dunford 4 Daughter Swindon, Wiltshire
Hilda Dunford 2 Daughter Swindon, Wiltshire



1939 Register

6 Iffley Road, Swindon

Name Age Relation Birth Town Occupation
Florence L Dunford 59 - - Unpaid domestic duties
Hilda Waldron 20 - - Tobacco stemmer
Reginald J Brown 30 - - Holder up Riveter (H.W)
Edith R Brown 27 - - Unpaid domestic duties
Rosemary Brown 2 - - Under school age