The Fleets of Bunbury

It was one Sunday in 1990 and my father, John Fleet had found some old family documents he wanted me to look at. They had once belonged to his father Alfred Fleet. There were birth, marriage and death certificates, memorial cards, ration books and sixteen photographs of persons unknown. The most interesting of all was a copy of a Will for Ann Fleet, widow, of Comberbach Square, Bunbury, Cheshire, written in 1913. It stated that all her effects were to be offered for sale and the proceeds were to be divided equally amongst her "then surviving children". The statement of account, which accompanied the Will, dated 1924, named these children as Mr. Tom Fleet, Mr. A. Fleet, Mrs. Thompson, Mrs. Vernon and Mrs. Thornton. It soon became apparent to us that Mr. A. Fleet was my grandfather, Alfred.

My father had never known any of his aunts and uncles, though his father often recalled happy memories of his childhood in Bunbury. It was decided that the following week we would make the relatively short journey to the home of our forefathers.

Myself, parents and then girlfriend (now wife) could not believe our eyes when we arrived that sunny day. It was like stepping back in time. The Bunbury Pageant was in progress and most of the people there were in Victorian costume. If it hadn't been for the modern cars parked along the grass verges, it would not have been difficult to imagine Ann Fleet herself greeting us that day. Our focus of attention was on the churchyard, where we felt sure we would find some Fleet graves. We were not disappointed, as to the left of the main door were three gravestones in a row, commemorating the deaths of by-gone Fleets. An extensive search of the burial grounds was to yield two more graves occupied by Fleets, (it was later discovered that none were related to us), but neither Ann nor any of her stated children were found. This did not matter, we had an enjoyable day and we came away satisfied with our efforts.

The next few months were spent making countless trips to the local library in Shrewsbury, avidly studying anything remotely connected with family history - it was too late, I had reached the point of no return, the family history bug had bitten deep and I had become a genealogical bore!

After attaining a certain level of knowledge in my new found interest, several visits were made to the Cheshire County Records Office, Duke Street, Chester; the Register Office, Delamere House, Crewe; Crewe Library and John Elsworth, the Church Warden at St. Boniface. Bunbury Church kindly supplied me with a record of all Fleet baptisms, marriages and burials taken place at the church over the past 200 years. The voyage of discovery had now begun.

My grandfather, Alfred Fleet was born at Bunbury on 7^th February 1871, the son of John Fleet, a painter and Ann Fleet, née Brooks. Although they were both from Bunbury they married at Over Parish Church, Cheshire, on 18^th June 1849. Alfred was the youngest of ten children and his brothers and sisters were: Frederick, born 1850, then Edwin, Thomas, John, Sarah Ann, Agnes, Agnes Alice, Mary Ann, Lucy and then granddad, Alfred. We thought it a good idea to find out about these people first and to go back in time at a later stage.

Agnes sadly died in infancy and I believe John did also, but a burial for him has not been found, as yet. Sarah Ann has proved to be a mystery too. She is mentioned in the 1861 and 1871 census returns, but I have nothing for her before or after these dates and whereas all her siblings were baptised at Bunbury, there is no record of her being christened at all.

According to the 1891 census, five of the remaining seven children were living in Crewe, obviously attracted by wages generated by the railway. With much help from the excellent staff at Crewe Cemetery, it was found that Frederick and his wife Margareta, Edwin and his wife Mary, Thomas and his wife Harriet plus countless offsprings of the above couples are buried there. There is a stone commemorating the passing away of Thomas and Harriet Fleet in 1927 and 1909 respectively and their daughter and son-in-law, Florrie (1962) and Stephen Lydiat (1948).

Agnes Alice Fleet married Frank Vernon, a widower of Tarporley, at Bunbury church in 1886. They were living at Eaton Road, Tarporley in 1891 and at that time they had one son named Swithin, aged one year. The last information I have of her is in 1926 when, according to the electorial registers, she was at 24, Eaton Road, Tarporley, a widow and living with Harold and Wilfred Vernon, probably her sons.

Mary Ann Fleet married Stephen Thompson, an ag. lab. also in 1886. They had several children and lived at Over. They are both buried in Over Church graveyard and their headstone tells us that Stephen died in 1930 and Mary Ann in 1934, when she was living at Rose Farm, Cholmondeston. Their daughter Alice, who died in 1903 aged only 10 years, is also buried with them.

Lucy Fleet was to marry on at least three occasions. Firstly she married Albert Bailey of Cholmondeston in 1888. According to the 1891 census they lived at 4, Ludford Street, Crewe. Albert worked on the railway as a plate layer and at that time they had two children, Maggie and Albert. My grandfather Alfred was lodging with them, his occupation being a painter. By 1923 Lucy was Mrs. David Thornton and lived at 37, Chetwode Street, Crewe. This is the address her mother Ann Fleet ended her days in 1924, at the grand old age of 93. By 1936 Lucy was Mrs. Frank Bryant and living at the same house.

My grandfather was to marry twice. His first marriage took place at Christ Church, Crewe on 23^rd December 1899 to Emma Davies. They had one son, John Alfred, born 18^th October 1900. During the next 30 years Alfred and Emma were to run three small businesses in Crewe, a café at 112 Nantwich Road, the Temperance Hotel at 9 and 11 Nantwich Road and a taxi service from Lyndale, Furnival Street. Emma died in 1931 and like numerous other Fleets is buried at Crewe Cemetery. My grandfather later moved to Merrington Green, Shropshire. He married my grandmother, Vida May Davies of Shrewsbury, (no relation to Emma) in 1936 at Shrewsbury Register Office. My father was born a year later and the rest, as they say, is history.

The above is just a mere summary of the information I now have in my records, and I know there is a great deal more to learn of the lives of my great aunts and uncles and their ancestors before them, but I think it illustrates well, how fulfilling a hobby we enjoy and how many diverse resources are open to us.

Who knows? Perhaps one day I might be in a position to put names to the faces in those old photographs in my father's possession. I am certain some of them are of the people referred to in this little story.