The Blunt Connection
I'm very grateful to my cousin Angela Jefferies for her great help in supplying details of cousinly Blunts once and twice removed, plus earlier generations essential to an understanding of G Blunt & Sons, the remarkable family firm of book binders. It would be unrealistic to try and tabulate the cousins descendent from our Grandpa Blunt's brothers and sisters, so please click here to see a hand-drawn family tree extending from the early 1850's down to the late 1970's.
The following Generation Table essentially extracts that part of the hand-drawn tree relating to those of us descended via George Ernest Blunt, with additional details as to names in full and complete BMD biodates (ie "hatches, matches and dispatches").
Please note, as regards familiar names as used in this tabulation:
- A subsidiary forename used in preference to the leading forename is italicised.
- A regularly-used diminutive or nickname used in preference to the given forenames is italicised and parenthesised.
eg. My mother Kathleen was always known as such, or as Kath, within her own family, but my father and other then family friends always called her Kate, and my step-father and more recent family and friends always called her Katie.
eg The Blunt family always referred to my father as Wardlaw (his second forename), though his own family always used Walter (his first forename, which he detested). During their marriage Katie always called him Bill, or sometimes Wardlaw.
eg Katie's second husband was Paul Geoffrey Simson Coupland, known as Geoffrey.
Note however that diminutive names such as Annie, Jessie, Minnie etc were often used as given names in Victorian times, just as Harry, Sally etc nowadays often are.
| # | Individual | Spouse / Partner | Family |
| ‑3 | George Blunt (26 Jun 1852 – 25 Nov 1930) my great-grandfather |
Annie Elizabeth Chapman (1860 – 13 Jun 1942) (m 1879) daughter of Robert (b 1860) and Sara Annie Chapman |
Walter Malcolm Blunt (18 Jul 1880 – 15 Aug 1958) = Florence Rouse (d 1965) Selina Minnie Blunt (27 Jan 1883 – 11 Dec 1960) = Thomas Gover (d 1959) George Ernest Blunt (14 May 1885 – 29 Oct 1956) Arthur Herbert Blunt (9 Dec 1886 – 18 Apr 1971) = Mabel Gilbert Frank Edward Blunt (5 Aug 1889 – 30 Mar 1969) 1 = Janet Klein 2 = Violet Bertram (Bert) Robert Blunt (6 Nov 1891 – 25 Feb 1964) = Annie (Nancy) Boyle Alice May Blunt (25 May 1894 – 5 Mar 1980) Lilian (Lily) Annie Blunt (16 Jul 1897 – 2 Oct 1981) |
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| ‑2 | George Ernest Blunt (14 May 1885 – 29 Oct 1956) my grandfather |
Laura Agnes Annie Girling (9 Feb 1886 – 20 Nov 1961) (m 1 Jan 1914) |
George Francis Hounslow Blunt (29 Oct 1914 – 15 Jun 2008) Kathleen (Kath, Kate, Katie) Lilian Blunt (15 Jun 1916 – 23 May 2008) Marjorie May Blunt (24 Feb 1920 – 15 Nov 1994) |
| ‑2 | Alice May Blunt (25 May 1894 – 5 Mar 1980) |
Charles Stuart Ring Young1, 2, 3 (31 Aug 1890 – 23 Nov 1918, died of wounds received in action pre-Armistice) (m 21 Nov 1917) |
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| ‑2 | Lilian (Lily) Annie Blunt (16 Jul 1897 – 2 Oct 1981) |
Robert Percival Blake (5 or 25 Jul 1885 – 30 Jul 1977) (m 25 Sep 1956) his second marriage |
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| ‑1 | George Francis Hounslow Blunt (29 Oct 1914 – 15 Jun 2008) |
Margaret Annie Phillips (b 9 Feb 1911) (m 9 Jun or Jul 1938) |
Angela Margaret Blunt (b 1940) George David Stuart Blunt (b 1942) |
| ‑1 | Kathleen (Kath, Kate, Katie) Lilian Blunt (15 Jun 1916 – 23 May 2008) 90th birthday |
Walter Wardlaw (Bill, William) Waddell (m 20 May 1944) his first of two marriages |
Robert (Robin) Erskine Waddell (b 11 Feb 1945) Simon Charles Findlay Waddell (23 Feb 1949 – 12 Aug 2015) |
| Paul Geoffrey Simson Coupland né Weidner (m 22 Dec 1967) his second of three marriages |
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| ‑1 | Marjorie May Blunt (24 Feb 1920 – 15 Nov 1994) |
Eric Kenyon Cornes (29 Aug 1911 – 19 Jan 1982) (m 2 Jul 1947) his second marriage |
Julia Marjorie Cornes (b 1954) |
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| 0 | Angela Margaret Blunt (b 1940) |
Patrick Vernon Jefferies (b 1935) (m 26 May 1962) |
Anna Patricia Jefferies (b 1969) Sarah Margaret (Margo) Jefferies (b 1966) = Jonathan Dodd (m 4 Sep 1992) |
| 0 | George David Stuart Blunt (b 1942) |
Deirdre Kathlene Gentry (b 1945) (m 2 Mar 1968) |
George Richard Blunt (b 1969) = Michelle Dillon Katy Margaret Blunt (b 1972) Georgina (Nina) Blunt (b 1976) = Ben Simpson |
| 0 | Robert (Robin) Erskine Waddell (b 11 Feb 1945) |
Sonia Elizabeth Kaulback (b 19 Mar 1941) (m 16 Dec 1967) |
Nicholas (Nick) Henry Waddell (b 1975) = Philip (Phil) Scott Johnstone (cs 11 Feb 2012) their surname becoming Johnstone-Waddell Alexander (Alex) John Waddell / Andrea Joanna Waddell (18 Jun 1980 – 15 Oct 2009) |
| 0 | Simon Charles Findlay Waddell (23 Feb 1949 – 12 Aug 2015) |
Nicole Martin (b 1945) (m 16 Feb 1973) |
M a x i m i l i e n (M a x) Waddell (b 1979) = Nina Musiolek (m 28 Jun 2003) Gavin Waddell (b 1981) = Tiffany Dousse (m 9 Aug 2014) |
| 0 | Julia Marjorie Cornes (b 1954) |
John Mark (Jean Marc) O'Hara Walker (b 1955) (m 20 Jun 1998) | |
| Shared portrait | |||
The Rude Forefathers
Details of two earlier generations (-4 and -5) are publicly available from Angela's excellent Ancestry webpage, with the usual proviso that to view the original you must first be logged-into the Ancestry website.
| # | Individual | Spouse / Partner | Family |
| ‑5 | George Blunt (b 1800) my thrice great-grandfather |
(Miss) Mantle (b 1805) |
George Blunt (1824 – Jul 1897) |
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| ‑4 | George Blunt (1824 – Jul 1897) my twice great-grandfather founder of G B & Sons |
Selina Hounslow (1826 – Jun 1918) (m 1849) |
Alice Blunt (b 1850) Edward Blunt (b Mar 1851) George Blunt (26 Jun 1852 – 25 Nov 1930) Walter Blunt (b 1855) William Henry Blunt (15 Oct 1857 – Jun 1894) Alice Blunt (b 18 Oct 1860) Selina Blunt (b 14 Nov 1866) William H Blunt (b 1866) |
Miss Mantle sounds straight from Central Casting, but sadly nothing is known of her or of any further offspring she might have borne
But, in contrast, quite a lot is now known about her daughter-in-law Selina Hounslow.
Ever since I first read of an ever-so-great grandmother with such a wonderful name – one instinctively thinks of a reckless young adventuress, open-top Rolls-Royces, sleek salukis, sand-dunes surging to the horizon, diaphanous silk scarves and exotically handsome admirers – maybe my imagination runs away with me sometimes – I have been intrigued by her.
So, quite recently (Apr 2017) I looked slightly more deeply into the back-history of the Blunt forebears, including Selena herself, and there's much to be found and some things still elusive. Selena's background wasn't exotic – though still slightly unusual – but she became matriarch of the Blunt dynasty, with a great deal to be proud of.
And the first thing to note is that there were in fact two Selina Hounslows, and that they were first cousins.
The Register of Baptisms for the parish of St Martin, Birmingham, for 1 Dec 1836 reveals a rather startling coincidence:
- Entry #1097 is for Selina, born Apr 1828, daughter of John and Mary Hounslow, of Summer Street, father's occupation baker
- Entry #1098 is for Selina, born 28 Oct 1836, daughter of Thomas and Lucy Hounslow, of Tanter Street, father's occupation brewer
It might seem (with over eight years between consecutive entries) that baptismal business wasn't very brisk in the parish of St Martin in those days, but seen in context it's evident that the older Selina's parents simply hadn't bothered to get her baptised until her infant cousin appeared on the scene. Clearly then a case of inter-parental rivalry, the baker just pipping the brewer to the font.
But it does mean we must be careful not to confuse the two families further along the line, though I think it becomes evident that John and Thomas were in fact brothers.
| # | Individual | Spouse / Partner | Family |
| ‑5 | George Blunt (b 1800) gun-maker |
(Miss) Mantle (b 1805) |
George Blunt (1824 – Jul 1897) |
| ‑5 | John Hounslow
baker, of Summer Street |
Mary | #1 Selina Hounslow (Apr 1828 – 19 Jun 1918) |
| ‑5 | Thomas Hounslow
brewer, of Tanter Street |
Lucy | #2 Selina Hounslow (28 Oct 1836 – 4 Dec 1918) |
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| ‑4 | George Blunt (1824 – Jul 1897) |
#1 Selina Hounslow (Apr 1828 – 19 Jun 1918) (m 30 Sep 1849) |
Alice Blunt (b 1850) Edward Blunt (b Mar 1851) George Blunt (26 Jun 1852 – 25 Nov 1930) Walter Blunt (b 1855) William Henry Blunt (15 Oct 1857 – Jun 1894) Alice Blunt (b 18 Oct 1860) Selina Blunt (b 14 Nov 1866) William H Blunt (b 1866) |