JANUARY 15TH - EDWIN GALE & LOUISA KENNETT

Today we celebrate the marriage of my maternal g-g-grandparents, Edwin GALE & Louisa KENNETT.

Edwin and Louisa were married on this day in 1885 at the Parish Church in Cheriton, Kent. At the time, Edwin was a Corporal in the 10^th Hussars and would have been stationed at the Shorncliffe Army Camp while Louisa had been born and raised about 9 kilometers away around Lyminge. 

This was a second marriage for Edwin whose first wife, Alice Matilda EVANS had died in childbirth in 1882, leaving Edwin with a young daughter, Maud. However, Louisa did not take on the role of step-mother as Maud was raised by her paternal grandparents after the death of her mother.

  

Louisa and Edwin went on to have at least 6 children during their marriage and as is to be expected from army life, each of the children has a different place of birth. Percy Edwin (granddad) was born in Aldershot in 1886, Lionel Sidney in Hounslow in 1887, Albert Victor in York in 1889 and Charles Edwin was born in Clogheen Ireland in 1892 (and sadly buried there the following year). Even after he retired from the army Edwin & Louisa moved around. Their only daughter, Mabel Olive Lily was born in Edmonton in 1902 & finally, Arthur Vernon was born in Newington in 1906. Interestingly, on the 1911 census, Edwin records that there were 9 children born alive of this marriage with only 4 currently still living but I have yet to find any record of the other 3. 

 After 34 years of marriage, Louisa passed away. She was buried in a common grave at the St Pancras Cemetery in Camden on 28^th July 1919.