1881 Cruwys distribution map

While at the Bracknell Family History Fair at the weekend I purchased a copy of a software program called Genmap UK which will enable me to produce distribution maps based on various aspects of my data. I decided to experiment by creating a map showing the distribution of the surname in 1881. There were only 84 individuals listed in the 1881 census with the surname Cruwys but I have been able to incorporate in my map an additional 34 people whose names are known to have been mis-spelt, bringing the total up to 118. No doubt as the research progresses more missing people will be identified under alternative spellings and the map can be updated. As can be seen, the greatest concentration of the surname in 1881 was in Devon but the drift to Somerset, Dorset, Wales and London had already started. The sole Cruwys in the north of England was 10-year-old John Cruwys, the son of James Cruwys and Fanny Farmer Cruwys, who was staying with his uncle and aunt Benjamin and Elizabeth Farmer. John is from the Wiveliscombe Cruwys family. Thirty-six-year old George Cruys from Barnstaple is missing from the map as he was a stoker on board the Miranda on census night and I haven't yet found a way of creating a red dot in the sea!

See also the posting on 1881 distribution.

Edwin 'boss' Cruwys of South Molton

There are only two births registered in the name Edwin Cruwys in the GRO indexes and it is quite a coincidence that just a few days after writing about Edwin Cruwys the Boer War veteran I have received an interesting newspaper article from Shirley Bray about the wife of the other Edwin Cruwys, who was the uncle of our Coldstream Guard. I thought it would be appropriate to write a short piece about Edwin's life as he seems to have been quite an interesting character. I am indebted to the late David Ryall, the former OPC (online parish clerk) for Chittlehampton and Filleigh, who assisted with the research.

Edwin Cruwys was born in 1854 in Mariansleigh, Devon, the twelfth and youngest child of William Cruwys, a mason, and Mary Meecham. Edwin married Sally Cawsey Webber in 1882. Sally was born in 1858 in Landkey. Edwin was by all accounts quite a character in South Molton. He was known as 'boss' Cruwys and was often seen around town with his 'oss 'n 'earse (horse and hearse). As can be seen from the invoice reproduced below Edwin seems to have had his finger in a number of pies and is described variously as a grocer, tea dealer, pork dealer, undertaker, and post horse proprietor. Edwin and Sally lived at 12 East Street (later renumbered as 9 East Street), where they presumably lived above the shop. Edwin also had a livery stables at South Street where he kept his horses, which is possibly the location of the Unicorn Yard mentioned in the invoice. The picture below is a view of East Street from the early 1900s when Edwin and Sally were living there.Edwin and Sally had just one child, a son called Archibald Edwin Cruwys, born in 1884. Sadly Archibald passed away on 7th March 1897 when he was just 12 years old. Sally died on 22nd February 1925. Her death was reported in the South Molton and West Somerset News on 28th February.

MRS. CRUWYS
We regret to record the death of Mrs. Cruwys, the wife of Mr. Edwin Cruwys, dealer, of Southmolton, which took place on Sunday, at the age of 67. She had been in poor health for some years, and on Saturday, when she appeared to be as usual, she was seized with sudden illness. Medical aid was summoned, but she succumbed early on the following day. Much sympathy is felt with Mr. Cruwys in his unexpected bereavement. Mrs. Cruwys was long associated with the Wesleyan Methodist church, and was highly respected.

Edwin died just three years later on 15th February 1928 at the North Devon Infirmary in Barnstaple. He was buried alongside his wife and son in the South Molton Cemetery. Edwin's estate was valued at just over £3,000 gross and £2,000 net which was then quite a substantial sum for a shopkeeper and undertaker. He left small bequests to the South Molton and Landkey Wesleyan Chapels, but the principal beneficiary was Eva Couch, his faithful domestic servant. Eva was born in 1870 in South Molton, the daughter of William and Emily Couch. Her father was a labourer, and in the 1871 census the family were living at Crispin's Court in South Molton. Eva went to work for Edwin and Sally as a young girl. She was living with them at 12 East Street in both the 1891 and 1901 censuses where she was described as a domestic/general servant. At the time of Edwin's death Eva's address was given as 9 East Street. By this time of course the houses had been re-numbered, so it is clear that Eva continued to live with Edwin until his death. It is not known what became of Eva after Edwin's death but it seems likely that she continued to live in her employer's house and probably stayed there for the rest of her life.

Interestingly the house where Edwin, Sally and Eva lived became known as Crucou House. It is not known whether the house was given this name during Edwin's lifetime or if it was so named after his death. Perhaps Eva named the house in memory of her former employer. CruCou House can be clearly seen in the photograph below which was taken some time in the early 1960s.
CruCou House was demolished in the late 1960s, along with the adjacent property at no. 10 known as Marley House, to make way for a new health centre. The new South Molton Health Centre opened in the autumn of 1968.

Acknowledgements
The colour postcard of East Street is from Shirley Bray's private collection. The black and white photograph is the copyright of Gordon Bray. Both pictures are published by kind permission of Shirley and Gordon Bray. The invoice is in a collection at the South Molton Museum and was kindly supplied by Shirley Bray.

The Coldstream Guards in the Boer War

Ex-Coldstreamer Bill Spence has very kindly sent me a most wonderful photograph of the Coldstream Guards in the Boer War which I am reproducing here with his kind permission.

Unfortunately the names of the men are not known but I would like to think that one of them is Edwin Cruwys.

For further information on the Coldstream Guards see the Wikipedia page.

Edwin Cruwys of the Coldstream Guards

While in the process of sorting out some papers today I came across the service papers of Edwin Cruwys (service no. 9898), who served in the Boer War with the Coldstream Guards. Edwin's medals were auctioned on E-bay in December 2005 and eventually sold to a private buyer for £500. A photograph of Edwin and a copy of his service papers were also included in the sale. I wrote to Bloomsbury the auctioneers to enquire if the buyer might be interested in exchanging information about Edwin. I heard nothing from the buyer but Bloomsbury very kindly offered to send me photocopies of the service papers which duly arrived in the post a few weeks later. I've only now got round to transcribing the papers, and I've discovered that they provide a valuable insight into Edwin's army career.

Edwin was born in 1873 in Chittlehampton, North Devon, the son of Thomas Mitcham Cruwys and Ann Beard. His father was a boot and shoemaker and was from the large Mariansleigh Cruwys family. Edwin worked as a gardener and a cabman before being recruited to join the Coldstream Guards in 1894. He enlisted with the Foot Guards (7th Battalion London Regiment) on 20th October 1894. Edwin served in South Africa during the Boer War from 21st October 1899 to 6th October 2002. He steadily gained promotion through the ranks and by 5th July 1903 he was promoted to Colour Sergeant. His service record shows that he deserted on 30th March 1904, though the reason for his desertion is not given. He rejoined the Army on 2nd June 1906 and was immediately convicted of desertion, the penalty for which was the loss of his kit and a reduction in his rank to Private. The desertion did not appear to count against him and Edwin was rapidly promoted through the ranks and by 1908 he was a Lance Sergeant. The following year he signed up for a further term with the Coldstream Guards in order to complete his 21 years' service. On completing his term of engagement he was discharged from the army, by which time he had been promoted to the rank of Temporary Sergeant Major.

Edwin received three medals during his time with the Coldstream Guards. Firstly, he was awarded the Queen's South Africa Medal with four bars. Three of the bars represented his participation in battles: Belmont (23rd November 1899), Modder River (28th November 1899), and Johannesburg (31st May 1900). The fourth bar was a so-called "State" clasp for service in the Orange Free State. There were so many incidents or battles in this area that it was not considered appropriate to issue a clasp for every individual action. The actions in the Orange Free State covered the period from 28th February 1900 through to 31st May 1902. Edwin's second medal was the King's South Africa Medal with two bars for service in South Africa in 1901 and 1902. The third medal was received for service during World War I. Edwin was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal (Immediate Award) on 26th May 1919 "for valuable services rendered in connection with the War". He was also mentioned in despatches on 24th February 1917. Edwin does not appear to have served overseas during WWI, and it is not clear why he merited such awards. His service record shows that he served at "Home" from 7th October 1902 to 12th July 1919. Home was defined as serving anywhere in England, Scotland or Ireland, though it seems most likely that Edwin was based in London for most of the War.Curiously on 12th April 1921 Edwin was called up for a period of 90 days to cover for "the present emergency", joining the 7th Battalion London Regiment (Defence Force). The precise nature of this emergency is not known. He was discharged on 10th July 1921.

Edwin married Elizabeth Mary Potter in August 1913 at St Mary's Church in Newington, London. By this time Edwin was a Sergeant Instructor with the 2nd Battalion. An account of the wedding reached Devon and was published in the local Chittlehampton newspaper: "The wedding was given a military colour, the bridegroom being held in much respect by his comrades". Edwin and Elizabeth lived at 150 Portland Road, South Norwood, London SW. Edwin died in 1933 at the age of 60. His wife Elizabeth died in 1964 at the age of 82. They did not have any children.

See also the follow-up post "The Coldstream Guards in the Boer War".