The Belton Cufflins

Updated 17 Jan 2009

John Cufflin 1811-1890
        John was born at Ratby in 1811 but we are not sure who his parents were. The 1851 census gives John's age as 39 indicating that he was born between March 30th 1811 and December 30th 1811, he died on 30th December 1890 at the age of 79 Years. In the 1881 census conducted on 11th April John was the Enumerator for part of Belton where he describes himself as a Draper and Grocer, his age is given as 69.
        He married Susannah Skermer in 1838 and they had two children both of whom died in their infancy. Susannah also died at the young age of 27 years in 1844.
        Following the death of Susannah, John married Charlotte Branson of the nearby village of Osgarthorpe and they had five children. During their lives at Belton they kept a Grocers and Drapers Store where John was also the Postmaster. Living with them (1851) was a servant Amey Pare and Charlotte's sister Louisa Branson. Charlotte died in 1858 at the age of 38.
        John made a will after each of his marriages : The first on 7th November 1835 and the second on 18th March 1847.

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The Family of John Cufflin & Susannah Skermer
John Cufflin				=	Susannah Skermer
of Ratby					of Belton
1811-1890					1817-1844
_____|_____
			|		|
			Mary		Sarah
			1839-		1841-1843

Mary Cufflin 1839-
        Mary was born on 3rd October 1839 and baptised at the parish church in Belton on the 3rd November 1839.

Sarah Cufflin 1841-1843
        Sarah was baptised at Belton parish church on the 24th April 1841 and died in 1843.

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The Family of John Cufflin & Charlotte Branson
John Cufflin				=	Charlotte Branson
of Ratby					of Osgarthorpe
1811-1890					1820-1858
________________________|_______________________
	|	|	|			|	|
	Caroline	John	William			Richard	Charlotte
	1847-	1849-	1850-			1854-	1856-

Caroline Cufflin 1847-
        Caroline was baptised at Belton Parish Church on 3 October 1847, she married William Shaw of Coalville who at the time of the 1881 census was the licensee of the Bull's Head public house in Belton and was also a farmer. Ten years later they had moved to Hugglescote where William was employed as a Colliery Foreman. They had two children: William born in 1878 at Coalville and employed as an Errand Boy; and Charlotte born in 1880 at White Hill, Ellistown.

John Cufflin 1849-
        John was baptised at Belton Parish Church on 20 February 1849. He married Margaret Giles of Sneinton Nottinghamshire, the daughter of John Thomas Giles and Georgiana (née) Langwith. On the death of his father in 1890 he took over the Shop and Post Office in Long Street Belton and in the 1891 Census is described as a Grocer, Draper, Rate Collector and Postmaster. Also living with them (1891) is their daughter Charlotte aged 7 years.
        In the Newarke Houses Museum there is a replica of a Grocers Shop at Belton with photographs of the shop as it was around 1894 when it was owned by a Mr J Gilbert. We have checked various sources, such as electoral rolls and trade directories in order to establish if this could be the same grocers shop that was owned by John Cufflin, but alas it seems not as according to Kelly's Directory for the years 1916 through to 1935 James Gilbert is listed as a Baker and Shopkeeper whilst John was still listed as Grocer, Draper, Rate Collector and Assistant Overseer. He no longer had the position of Postmaster as by 1908 this had been taken by a Mrs Elizabeth Gibson who was also a shopkeeper. John does not figure in the 1936 directory, which is probably no surprise as by this time he would have been 85 or so. The shop was demolished in 1982.
        There is a possibility that with the demise of John from the list of Grocers his place could have been taken by a Mrs Jane Waldrum who is listed as a shopkeeper for the first time but is not included on the electoral roll for 1935 or 1936. There is however a Joseph and Elizabeth Waldrum living at Long Street in 1933 - 1936. Could Jane perhaps be their daughter in Law, or niece?

William Cufflin 1850-
        William was employed as a Blacksmith in 1881 and was living with his sister Caroline and Brother in Law William Shaw, at the Bull's Head Public House in Belton. At the time of the 1891 Census he was still living with his sister and brother in law but they had moved to Hugglescote where William was employed as a Banksman, probably in the same colliery where William Shaw was the Foreman.

Richard Cufflin 1854-
        Richard was a Grocers assistant (probably to his father) and in 1881 was living with his sister Caroline and Brother in Law William Shaw at the Bull's Head in Long Street Belton. At the time of the 1891 census he was living on his own at Saddlers Wells Belton where he was employed as an Agricultural Labourer.

Charlotte Louisa Cufflin 1856-
        Charlotte was born in 1856 at Belton and baptised on 28th December 1856 at Belton parish church. In 1879 she married William Room of Belton who was born in 1851 and employed as a Cordwainer.
        The 1881 Census finds William and Charlotte living at Long Street Belton, with William's widowed father James aged 60 of Coleorton, a Cordwainer. Also living at the same address is another son of James, Godfrey along with his wife, Selina. Interestingly, Godfrey and Selina were Grocers, as was Charlotte's father John.

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The family of Caroline Cufflin and William Shaw
William Shaw				=	Caroline Cufflin
of Coalville					of Belton
1847-					1847-
_____|_____
			|		|
			William		Charlotte
			1878-		1879-

William Shaw 1878-
        William was born at Coalville in 1878. In 1881 he was living in Belton, Leicestershire, the birthplace of his mother Caroline Cufflin where her husband William Shaw was the licensee of the Bull's Head.
        At the time of the 1891 Census the family were living at Hugglescote where William was employed as an Errand Boy and in 1901 he was a Clerk at a Stone Quarry.

Charlotte Eliza Shaw 1879-
        Charlotte was born at Ellistown in 1879 and shortly afterwards the family moved to Belton in Leicestershire where her father was the licensee of the Bull's Head.
        In the quarter ending September 1900, Charlotte married Harry Charles Fitches of Suffolk and in the 1901 Census they were living with her parents and brother in Coalville.

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The family of John Cufflin and Margaret
John Cufflin				=	Margaret Giles
of Belton					of Sneinton
1849--					1853-1900
_____|_____
			|		|
			Georgiana		Charlotte
			1881-		1883-

Georgiana Cufflin 1881-1887
        John and Margaret had a daughter Georgiana who was born on the 25th of October 1881 at Lenton in Nottingham as the following extract from the first issue of the Melton Mowbray Mercury, produced on Thursday 10th November 1881 shows.
        BIRTHS - Cufflin. on the 25th ult, at Lenton, Nottingham, the wife of J. Cufflin, Belton of a daughter.
        There is however no mention of her at the time of the 1891 Census but there is a death record in the June quarter of 1887 at Barnsley for Georgiana Cufflin age 5.

Charlotte Cufflin 1883-
        Charlotte was baptised on 7th October 1883 at Belton parish church and is the only child living with her parents at the time of the 1891 Census when her age is given as 7 years.
        In 1901 Charlotte is living with her father, John, and is working as an 'Insurance Home Agent.'

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