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William George GOTHAM
1870 - 1961 (91 years)
Has 28 ancestors and 4 descendants in this family tree.
Set As Default Person 
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Name William George GOTHAM Relationship 
with Teresa Ann GOATHAM Born 23 Jan 1870 Compton, Plymouth, Devon, England 
- Aged 23 at marriage. Place from the 1871 census.
GRO ref: Gotham, William George q1 1870 Plympton RD 5b 248; GRO online index shows mother's maiden name as Williams
Actual date from 1939 register.
Gender Male Birthday 80th Military Service WW1 - in the RAMC Occupation From 1893 to 1897 labourer - at the time of his marriage and when his children Lilian and Wm were bapt in 1897
Residence 1897 35, South Milton Terrace, Plymouth, Devon, England - When his children Lilian and Wm were bapt
Residence 1899 64, South Milton Street, Plymouth, Devon, England - At the time his first wife died
Occupation 1899 General Mason - When his first wife died.
Military Service From 22 Jan 1900 South Africa Private in the Devonshire Regiment - Attesting on 22 January, he was only briefly in England (until mid Feb.) before going to serve in the South Africa Campaign.
Residence From 1927 to 1961 3, Hawarden Cottages, Prince Rock, Plymouth, Devon, England - William and Edith the only two voters listed as living at this address in 1927.
Shown as William's home at the time of his death (in probate calendar entry)
Also in the 1939 register
(Ref: RG101/6790F/019/26 Letter Code: WEKQ)
Died 11 Dec 1961 3, Hawarden Cottages, Prince Rock, Plymouth, Devon, England - GRO ref: GOTHAM William G aged 91 q4 1961 Plymouth RD 7a 667
Actual date and place from probate calendar entry
Buried 14 Dec 1961 Efford Cemetery and Crematorium, Efford Road, Plymouth, Devon, England Probate 18 Jan 1962 Bodmin, Cornwall, England Calendar entry - "Gotham William George of 3 Hawarden Cottages Prince Rock Plymouth died 11 December 1961 Probate Bodmin 18 January to William James Hugh Gotham health service clerk. Effects £55 12s."
Siblings4 brothers and 2 sisters Patriarch & Matriarch 
GOTHAM, d. Bef 1615 (6 x Great Grandfather)
Grace PROUT, b. Abt 1796, Ugborough, Devon, England, d. Dec Q 1869, Plymouth Reg Dist, Devon, England (Age ~ 73 years) (Grandmother) Person ID I300056 All | All in the Goatham / Gotham One-Name Study , All subjects of the Goatham / Gotham One-Name Study Last Modified 24 Nov 2022
Father William George GOTHAM, b. Abt 1818, West Teignmouth, Devon, England , d. Mar Q 1901, Plymouth Reg Dist, Devon, England (Age ~ 83 years) Mother Eliza WILLIAMS, b. Abt 1831, d. Dec Q 1910, Plymouth Reg Dist, Devon, England (Age ~ 79 years) Married 16 Feb 1858 St. Nicholas’ Church, Shaldon and Ringmore, Devon, England - From PR entry (image on FMP, viewed 15 Nov 2014)
"William George Gotham, of full age, Bachelor, Gardener, residence at time of marriage St Nicholas [Shaldon], father: Thomas Gotham, Fisherman
[married]
Eliza Williams, of full age, Spinster, Servant, residence at time of marriage St Nicholas [Shaldon], father: Henry Williams, Miller"
GRO ref: Gotham, William George, to Williams, Eliza q1 1858 Newton Abbott RD 5b 216
Surnames used as 2nd (or occasionally 1st) Christian names were by no means always the mother's maiden name, but the majority were probably the maiden name of the mother of paternal grandmother.
I don't know where Pearn came from that William and Eliza gave to a son. Their PR marriage entry (i.e. certificate data) shows that Eliza was a spinster when she married, and William's parents marriage entry also shows Charlotte was a spinster (a Prowse) when they married. Eliza William's mother was Grace PROUT, probably a Prout by birth as a sister of Eliza's was named Grace Prout WILLIAMS.
Although such names were nearly always family names in the broadest sense, they could be from in-laws etc. e.g. a sister's husband (possibly used when he was a Godfather) or a step-father.
I wonder if it's possible that William married Eliza accepting that she was pregnant by another man - their first son, the only one given a surname as a Christian name, was born somewhere between 6 weeks and 4½ months after the marriage.
There is probably some significance in the name Pearn being given with the Christian names 'Henry John'. A Henry John Pearn was baptised in Dawlish, not far from Teignmouth, in 1840. Maybe he was Godfather to Henry John Pearn GOTHAM. His parents were John and Joanna, they appear to be the couple who married in Exeter in 1836, Joanna being a Cox at the time of marriage; the PR entry does not show whether she was a spinster at the time.
Family ID F300021 Family Group Page | Family Chart
Family 1 Selina Lilian Mary BOVEY, b. 17 Feb 1873, Plymouth Reg Dist, Devon, England , d. 16 Dec 1899, 64, South Milton Street, Plymouth, Devon, England (Age 26 years) Married 2 Jul 1893 Holy Trinity Church, Southside Street, Plymouth, Devon, England - seen PR entry (image on FMP)
GRO ref: Gtham, William George to Bovey, Selina Lilian M q3 1893 Plymouth RD 5b 495
[William's surname typed as Gtham in the index, but in the position in the middle of names beginning 'Go' where Gotham should be.]
Although Selina died before the 1911 census and he had remarried by then he included the number of children of his born and still living - two in each case, which confirms that the two I had found is all there were. ('None' was entered by his second wife showing both were with Selina)
Children2 children Last Modified 14 Feb 2017 Family ID F300016 Family Group Page | Family Chart
Family 2 Edith Isabella MARSH, b. 2 Dec 1878, Ashford, Kent, England , d. Sep Q 1947, Plymouth Reg Dist, Devon, England (Age 68 years) Married 25 Feb 1906 St. John the Evangelist’s Church, Exeter Street, Sutton on Plym, Devon, England - GRO ref: GOTHAM, William George to MARSH, Edith Isabella q1 1906 Plymouth RD 5b 395
Last Modified 14 Feb 2017 Family ID F300172 Family Group Page | Family Chart
- Aged 23 at marriage. Place from the 1871 census.
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Event Map Click to hide 
Born - 23 Jan 1870 - Compton, Plymouth, Devon, England 
Married - 2 Jul 1893 - Holy Trinity Church, Southside Street, Plymouth, Devon, England 
Child - Lilian Maud (“Lily”) GOTHAM - 20 Aug 1894 - Plymouth Reg Dist, Devon, England Child - William George GOTHAM - 19 Feb 1897 - Plymouth Reg Dist, Devon, England 
Military Service - Private in the Devonshire Regiment - From 22 Jan 1900 - South Africa 
Married - 25 Feb 1906 - St. John the Evangelist’s Church, Exeter Street, Sutton on Plym, Devon, England 
Residence - From 1927 to 1961 - 3, Hawarden Cottages, Prince Rock, Plymouth, Devon, England Died - 11 Dec 1961 - 3, Hawarden Cottages, Prince Rock, Plymouth, Devon, England 
Buried - 14 Dec 1961 - Efford Cemetery and Crematorium, Efford Road, Plymouth, Devon, England 
Probate - Calendar entry - 18 Jan 1962 - Bodmin, Cornwall, England = Link to Google Earth (if installed; see link below to install) Pin Legend 
