Ethel Mary Stone [st.4.5.1]

Ethel Mary Stone was the first child of John Benjamin Stone & Jane Parker born June 14th,1868 at Lothersdale, Aston Village, Birmingham & christened July 6th, 1868 at St Matthew, Duddeston, Birmingham.

In 1871 Ethel, her younger brother & sister & her parents were living at Aston Village, Birmingham where her father was a glass manufacturer.

By 1881 the family had moved to the Grange, Erdington, Aston & Ethel now had 4 brothers & 1 sister. Her father was now a County Magistrate & flint & glass manufacturer. There was a governess living with them.

Ethel married Robert Henry Holden on December 5th, 1889 at the parish church of Sutton Coldfield. Robert, like his father, was a currier & gave his address as Great Barr. Witnesses included the fathers of both Ethel & Robert, Ethel’s uncle James Henry Stone, & her brother Barron Wilfred Stone. Robert was born October 19th, 1856 at Walsall, Staffs, the son of Caroline & Edward Thomas Holden.

In 1891 Robert was living at The Villa, Lichfield Rd, Rushall & described as a currier & leather merchant. Robert had joined his father’s leather business which traded under the name of E.T. Holden & Son at Park St, Walsall. His father, who was to be knighted, had begun the business in c1819 at the rear of the New Inn, Park St. With Robert was a housemaid, a cook & a groom. His wife Ethel was visiting her parents & siblings at the time of the census at Grange Lane, Erdington, Aston.

Robert & Ethel were both living at The Villa (Villestre) in 1901, now with 5 children – Robert Edward (5), Margaret Elfrida (4), Kathleen Mary M (2), Dorothy Caroline R (1) & Douglas Hyde (under 1 month). [ It appears that the new baby was never registered as Douglas Hyde, but there is a birth for Hyla Stone Holden on March 12th 1901 which we believe to be their son.] Robert is now described as a tanner, currier & japaner of leather. There were 5 nurses & a housemaid living with them!

Photo taken by Sir John Benjamin Stone at the House of Commons in 1909

From left: Roland Parker Stone (Ethel Mary's brother), Chas Holme J.P. & Robert H Holden J.P.

(Photo from the National Portrait Gallery collection)

In 1911 the family were still living in the same house & Robert was now called a leather manufacturer (tanner, currier, leather japanner & horse collar maker). They had their 3 daughters still at home and a 6 year old son, Oscar Douglas. They had a German governess & 4 domestic servants. It was noted on the census that they had had 7 children, only 6 of whom were living. Son Robert Edward was boarding at Uppingham School at the time of the census.

Tragically son Robert Edward (known as Edward) died in a terrible accident in the Alps in 1912 which was reported in the Birmingham Express & Star of August 27th of that year. The report revealed that Edward had been on holiday from Uppingham School & had gone to Switzerland to improve his French during the summer holidays, staying with close friends of the family. He had only been on holiday for 2 weeks when whilst on an excursion to the Ruchen Glarnish (a 9500 ft mountain near Zurich) Edward ventured out from the mountain hut to pick edelweiss. He wandered further afield than advised & fell 30 ft. When his body was found he was still clutching edelweiss in his hand. His parents were returning from a holiday in Scotland when they received the sad news.

Son Hyla served with the RAF in 1918 at the end of WW1 & qualified as a pilot.

Daughter Dorothy married Sydney R Garnar in Jan-March 1920 in Walsall & in 1939 Dorothy & Sydney were living at the Old Palace, Wrotham, Kent. Sydney was manager at a leather tanning, dying & finishing works.

There is a marriage for Margaret Elfrida Holden to Humphrey Pleydell Bouverie on June 27th, 1922 at Walsall. Humphrey was born September 10th, 1883, the son of Edith Katherine Lascelles & Major Walter Pleydell Bouverie. ( A number of records (including the Peerage.com) state that Margaret Elfrida’s father was R.A. Holden of Crandalls, Walsall. However we are confident that Margaret’s father is in fact Robert Henry as evidenced by a record of son Oscar Douglas, a dentist, sailing from Avonmouth to Kingston, Jamaica in February 1925 when he gives his address as ‘Crandels’, Walsall.) Oscar made several trips to Sydney, Australia during the 1930s & his occupation at that time was a hotel manager in Devon. Oscar had married Kathleen A Jaggar in 1938 in Dorset & at the time of the 1939 register she was living at The Manor Hotel, Hendford, Yeovil, Somerset & described as a hotel manageress.

There is a death for Robert Henry Holden on March 10th, 1931 at Morben Hall, Machynlleth, Montgomeryshire, Wales. Probate of his estate which was £4,842.15s.6d was granted to the Public Trustee.

Ethel Mary of the Old Palace, Wrotham, Kent, died on May 2nd, 1948 at Malling Place, West Malling, Kent. Administration of her will was granted on December 12th, 1949 to Hyla Stone Holden, company director. Her effects were £542.9s.7d.

There is a marriage for son Hyla S Holden to Eileen M Partridge in Oct-December 1923 in Walsall & Hyla & Eileen were living at 34 Wood Lane, Aldridge, Staffs at the time of the 1939 register. Hyla was described as managing director of Brook Tool Co, Greater Birmingham. Hyla Stone made a number of trips to New York (often on the Queen Elizabeth or Queen Mary) during the period 1940-1960 during which time he was described as a company executive or director & noted as married. It is not known what happened to his wife Eileen, but Hyla married again. In 1952 Hyla married Barbara Frances Leach (or Clarke or Taylor or Holden) at Westminster, London. Barbara Frances Leach was born August 26th, 1913 in Malta, the daughter of Mabel & Alfred Leach, a shop assistant with the Forces overseas. There is a record of Barbara Leach, aged 5, sailing to Southampton from Malta with her mother Mabel & 2 sisters in 1919. Presumably Barbara had married 3 times prior to her marriage to Hyla and indeed after his death in 1965, she married again in 1967 to Denis Charles Patrick Manley. On her death in Solihull in 2002 as Barbara Frances Manley her birth date was given as August 26th, 1913.

Daughter Kathleen Mary never married but in 1967 she decided to change her surname to Woodhouse, as revealed below.

I, KATHLEEN MARY MYFANWY WOODHOUSE,
of 13 Hassock's Road, Hurstpierpoint, Sussex, a
natural born British subject, originally called and
known by the name of Kathleen Mary Myfanwy
Holden, hereby give notice that I have renounced and
abandoned the name of Kathleen Mary Myfanwy
Holden and that I have confirmed by assumption
many years ago and my intention since then and
henceforth on all occasions whatsoever and at all
times to sign and use and be called and known by
the name of Kathleen Mary Myfanwy Woodhouse in
lieu of and in substitution for my original name of
Kathleen Mary Myfanwy Holden. And I also hereby
give notice that such change of name is formally
declared and evidenced by a Deed Poll under my hand
and seal dated the 25th day of December 1966 and
duly executed and attested and that such Deed Poll
was enrolled in the Central Office of the Supreme
Court of Judicature on the 23rd day of January 1967.
—Dated this 2nd day of February 1967.

The children of Ethel Mary Stone & Robert Henry Holden were:

st.4.5.1.1 Robert Holden born July-September 1893 at Rushall, Walsall; died July-September 1893 at Walsall
st.4.5.1.2 Robert Edward Holden born August 4th, 1895 at Rushall, Walsall, Staffs; died 1912 in Switzerland
st.4.5.1.3 Margaret Elfrida Holden born April-June 1897 at Rushall, Walsall, Staffs; died Oct-December 1976 at Bideford, Devon
st.4.5.1.4 Kathleen Mary Myfanwy Holden born April 17th, 1898 & christened September 23rd 1898 at St Paul’s, Dolgelley, Merioneth, Wales; died October 7th, 1976 at Littlemead, Albourne Rd, Hurstpierpoint, West Sussex
st.4.5.1.5 Dorothy Caroline Rowena Holden born January 7th, 1900 at Rushall, Walsall, Staffs; died December 22nd, 1974 at the Old Palace, Wrotham, Kent
st.4.5.1.6 Hyla Stone (Douglas Hyde) Holden born March 12th, 1901 at Rushall, Walsall, Staffs; died December 18th, 1965 at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham
st.4.5.1.7 Oscar Douglas Holden born July-September 1904 at Rushall, Walsall, Staffs