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GBOTTOM Charles Henry F
Either Corporal MA/119435 Army Service Corps
Or Private S4/198439 Army Service Corps
Charles Longbottom was born in Kings Cliffe in 1891, his parents
being George Henry and Emma Longbottom.
George came from Newark in 1891 where he was a coachbuilder,
and had no doubt come to the village to work for one of the
coach builders there. His wife, Emma Richardson, was born
in Chatteris. They were married in Cliffe in August 1890 and
Charles arrived a year later. He was followed by Frank in 1892
and Clara Gertrude in 1894.
It looks, on paper at least, like an ideal family, with three children,
the father in a skilled secure job and living in a pleasant country
village. However disaster strikes in 1897 when George dies at
31 years of age.
Family history says that he died as the result of an accident.
Emma decides to take the children to London, possibly because
George’s brother and family live there.
Disaster strikes again at the end of 1900 when Emma also dies,
the death being registered in Chelsea. Within a matter of weeks
the family was split up. The youngest, Clara, was living with her
uncle and his family in Croydon.
Charles was in the Orphan Working School at St. Pancras with
376 other nine- to 12-year-olds. He was just nine years old, had
lost both of his parents and was homeless. The middle son,
Frank, was in The Alexandra Orphanage for Infants in Hornsey
Rise, North London with about 100 other orphans. Probably
their ages were too far apart to fit within the rules of any one
establishment.
In 1911 the Cross Keys Hotel in Kings Cliffe was being run by
Tom Fryer Richardson. He was the elder brother of Charles’s
late mother and Charles and Frank are living and working there
as a coachman and groom.
Charles’s military records did not survive the 1942 bombing of
130
Either Corporal MA/119435 Army Service Corps
Or Private S4/198439 Army Service Corps
Charles Longbottom was born in Kings Cliffe in 1891, his parents
being George Henry and Emma Longbottom.
George came from Newark in 1891 where he was a coachbuilder,
and had no doubt come to the village to work for one of the
coach builders there. His wife, Emma Richardson, was born
in Chatteris. They were married in Cliffe in August 1890 and
Charles arrived a year later. He was followed by Frank in 1892
and Clara Gertrude in 1894.
It looks, on paper at least, like an ideal family, with three children,
the father in a skilled secure job and living in a pleasant country
village. However disaster strikes in 1897 when George dies at
31 years of age.
Family history says that he died as the result of an accident.
Emma decides to take the children to London, possibly because
George’s brother and family live there.
Disaster strikes again at the end of 1900 when Emma also dies,
the death being registered in Chelsea. Within a matter of weeks
the family was split up. The youngest, Clara, was living with her
uncle and his family in Croydon.
Charles was in the Orphan Working School at St. Pancras with
376 other nine- to 12-year-olds. He was just nine years old, had
lost both of his parents and was homeless. The middle son,
Frank, was in The Alexandra Orphanage for Infants in Hornsey
Rise, North London with about 100 other orphans. Probably
their ages were too far apart to fit within the rules of any one
establishment.
In 1911 the Cross Keys Hotel in Kings Cliffe was being run by
Tom Fryer Richardson. He was the elder brother of Charles’s
late mother and Charles and Frank are living and working there
as a coachman and groom.
Charles’s military records did not survive the 1942 bombing of
130
