The Coward family entered the Loosemore line when Harry Loosemore married Juliana Coward while he was working as a butcher’s assistant in Lambeth. This chapter starts with Juliana’s father John Coward.
John Coward 1836 – 1888 and Grace Goddard 1842 - 1925
John Coward 1836 - 1888
The first appearance of John Coward is in the census records is in 1841 in the village of Buckhorn Weston at the age of four.
John Coward 1836 – 1888 and Grace Goddard 1842 - 1925
John Coward 1836 - 1888
The first appearance of John Coward is in the census records is in 1841 in the village of Buckhorn Weston at the age of four.
John Coward married Grace Goddard in Wincanton Q3 1860 vol 5c page 789. Grace Goddard was born in Wincanton Q4 1842 vol 21 page 613. The first appearance of Grace Goddard is in the 1851 census
By 1861 John and Grace are married and living in Buckhorn Weston.
The census for 1871 is shown under Julia A Coward 1865 - 1934
By 1881 the Coward daughters Jane and Flora no longer appear at the family home in Buckhorn Weston. A relative John Loosemore who is 73 is staying with the family as a lodger. This is possibly Julia’s paternal grandfather who was married to Jane ??? A new addition to the family, John, arrived in 1865
The census for 1881 is shown under John Coward 1808 – 1870
John Coward died aged 49 in Wincanton Q3 1888 vol 5c page 258
The census record in 1891 shows that Grace is now widowed and working as a Char Woman. She still has 5 daughters and a grandson living with her and the family is partly supported by the oldest remaining son Frederick who is shown as a farm labourer. Louisa, Clara and Lynda were all born since the 1851 census and the youngest being only 3 indicates that it is likely that Grace became a widow about 1886 although I am unable to locate an appropriate record of the death of John Coward.
Ernest is shown as being a grandson and 4 years of age. This would give a birth date of about 1887.
By 1881 the Coward daughters Jane and Flora no longer appear at the family home in Buckhorn Weston. A relative John Loosemore who is 73 is staying with the family as a lodger. This is possibly Julia’s paternal grandfather who was married to Jane ??? A new addition to the family, John, arrived in 1865
The census for 1881 is shown under John Coward 1808 – 1870
John Coward died aged 49 in Wincanton Q3 1888 vol 5c page 258
The census record in 1891 shows that Grace is now widowed and working as a Char Woman. She still has 5 daughters and a grandson living with her and the family is partly supported by the oldest remaining son Frederick who is shown as a farm labourer. Louisa, Clara and Lynda were all born since the 1851 census and the youngest being only 3 indicates that it is likely that Grace became a widow about 1886 although I am unable to locate an appropriate record of the death of John Coward.
Ernest is shown as being a grandson and 4 years of age. This would give a birth date of about 1887.
In 1901 Grace now has two daughters and a grandson living with her. The grandson Ernest is now shown as being 18 years of age which would make his birth year about 1882 or 1883 some 5 years different from that provided by the 1891 census.
Grace Coward died age 82 in Shaftesbury Q3 1925 vol 5a page 178
John Coward 1808 – 1870 and Jane ??? 1801 - 1882
John Coward 1808 – 1870
John Coward was born about 1808 in Gillingham. John Coward married Jane ??? before 1841. Jane ??? was apparently born in Charlton Musgrove Somerset in about 1801.
In order to discover the surname of Jane I would need to locate their marriage certificate. The online BMD records only start in 1837 and as John and Jane would have been 30 and 34 respectively in that year and they have children with birth dates from 1829 onwards they were probably married between 1825 and 1828.
In 1861 after John jr had married Grace Goddard and moved to another house in the same street, his parents were still living alone in Quarr. The rest of the children have by this time left home. Even the youngest Sarah who would have been 15 is no longer living with her parents.
John Coward 1808 – 1870
John Coward was born about 1808 in Gillingham. John Coward married Jane ??? before 1841. Jane ??? was apparently born in Charlton Musgrove Somerset in about 1801.
In order to discover the surname of Jane I would need to locate their marriage certificate. The online BMD records only start in 1837 and as John and Jane would have been 30 and 34 respectively in that year and they have children with birth dates from 1829 onwards they were probably married between 1825 and 1828.
In 1861 after John jr had married Grace Goddard and moved to another house in the same street, his parents were still living alone in Quarr. The rest of the children have by this time left home. Even the youngest Sarah who would have been 15 is no longer living with her parents.
John Coward senior does not appear in the 1871 census. The 1871 census is shown under Julia A Coward 1865 – 1934.
Following the death of her husband John in 1870 Jane Coward seems to have moved in with her son John and his wife Grace as she appears with them as a widow in the 1871 census for Buckhorn Weston.
There is a Jane Coward who died aged 81 in Wincanton Q4 1882 vol 5c page 305. The age is about right so I believe this is John’s wife even though I cannot find her in the 1881 census. There is however a John Coward age 73 in the 1881 census shown as a widower lodging with John and Grace Coward. The age is feasible for a John Coward born in about 1807. The problem is that in 1871 in Buckhorn Weston, John and Grace Coward have his mother lodging with them age 69 and a widow. This indicates that John senior must have died before 1871.
These two records are incompatible unless the John Coward in 1881 is a different person. If it is then the death of a John Coward in Wincanton Q1 1870 vol 5c page 438 is probably the husband of Grace who we are looking for. So the question that remains is who is John Coward who is visiting the family in 1881. Given his age he is likely to be of their parents generation but it is unlikely but not impossible that there would be two children of the same name in the one family both born about 1808.
These two records are incompatible unless the John Coward in 1881 is a different person. If it is then the death of a John Coward in Wincanton Q1 1870 vol 5c page 438 is probably the husband of Grace who we are looking for. So the question that remains is who is John Coward who is visiting the family in 1881. Given his age he is likely to be of their parents generation but it is unlikely but not impossible that there would be two children of the same name in the one family both born about 1808.