Wife of W.P. 'Bill'
Richardson's Great Uncle, Thomas Richardson
Mary Eleanor was
born in the third quarter of 1868 and her birth was
registered in the Tynemouth Registration District. Her
parents were John Purvis, an agricultural labourer, and
his wife Ann (nee Mayer). She was
baptised at St Andrew's Church, Newcastle on 7th August
1869. The 1871 census
recorded Mary Eleanor, aged 2 at the family home in
Harland Buildings, Long Benton with her father John
(aged 29) and younger brother John Thomas (aged 1). Her
aunt Sarah (her Mam's sister) was visiting. Mary's
Mam was not at home on the night of the census, she and
her daughter Margaret Jane were visiting her mother.
The 1881 census showed the family at
Harraton, Fatfield in County Durham. Mary Eleanor was 12
, in addition to her older sister Margaret (14) and
younger brother John Thomas (11) she had two younger
sisters Sarah Ann (8) and Martha Ada (4). Her
father was working as a farm labourer. In
the first quarter of 1888, Mary Eleanor married Thomas
Richardson, a miner from Usworth. Their first child,
Robert was born in 1889, but sadly did not live long. The 1891 census showed Mary (22) and
Thomas (22) had set up home at 43 Jubilee Terrace in
Tynemouth. Thomas was working as a coal miner.
By the time of the 1901 census, Mary and Thomas had
moved to Usworth. They were living at 6 Cooperative
Terrace and had four children, Annie (9), Margaret (8),
Florence Maud (3) and John Morley (4months).
Another little girl, Ada, had been born in 1895, but she
too died before she was one year old.
More sadness as Thomas K.H. was born in 1903 and died in
1904 then Mary Ellen was born in 1907 and died the
following year.
When the 1911 census was taken, Mary's husband Thomas
was not at home. By that time he was the Labour Member
of Parliament for Whitehaven and was recorded in Cumbria
on the night of the census.
Mary Eleanor was listed (aged 42) along with her six
children , Annie (19) who was a teacher, Margaret (18)
who was a typist working at home, Florence Maud
(13), John Morley (10), Thomas Hardie (5) were all at
school and the baby was Robert
McDonald (5 months).
There was also a young girl in the house, 'Vilot' R.P.
Harding, aged 17 who was listed as a visitor . Mary
Eleanor's husband was a Labour M.P. for Whitehaven from
1911 to 1918. In 1919, the family went to live in
Canada, where Thomas stood for election in Vancouver.
Their daughter Margaret returned to England and sadly
she died in 1923 when she was 30. The new
venture in Canada
was not successful and in 1924 they returned to
England, though some of their children stayed in Canada.
On their return they lived in London.
Mary Eleanor's husband died on 22nd October 1928.
Mary Eleanor died 22nd February 1947 at Netherne
Hospital, Coulsdon, Surrey, she was 77 years old.
Her
death was registered in the Surrey Mid Eastern
Registration District by her son Robert McDonald
Richardson. She was buried, in the same grave
as her daughter Margaret and the cremated remains of
her husband Thomas, at Streatham Vale Cemetery.
The Grave Record shows that the plot was initially purchased at the time of Margaret's death by
Alan Holmes, husband of her daughter, Annie, but ownership was transferred to Mary Eleanor's youngest
son (Robert McDonald Richardson) a few months after she
died.
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