.............Furze Family of Chewton Mendip
Emma Frances Hollings daughter Gertrude Mary Rumsey married Mark James Furze in Llangattock in 1900. He was by profession a gamekeeper and the couple moved to Hartbury in Gloucester where their first son Albert James Furze was born in 1900 but died in 1908. The family grew over the next 20 years when the family moved to Chewton Mendip in Somerset when Mark (known as James) became head gamekeeper on the estate of Earl Waldergrave. The following children where born during this period. Arthur William (b1901), Doris Emma (b1903), May (b1908), Wilfred John (b1910), Elizabeth Gladys (b1912), Douglas (b1917) and Harold (b1920).

Some of the children are photographed above in 1921. On the left is Doris known as Dorrie, the centre picture shows (left to right May holding Harold, Wilfred John known as Jack, wearing the hat. Douglas known as Dougie and Doris). The right hand picture shows Elizabeth known as Betty with her brother Jack.

The family continued to live at Eaker Hill Cottage in Chewton Mendip. The 1911 census below left shows the family members living there at that time. The photo below right shows Gertrude Furze with one of her sons, during a visit from her cousin Alice Harris. Standing behind them is Alice's daughter Ivy.

We estimate that the photo dates from about 1918, two years before Ivy married Herbert Musgrove. The families remained contact for many years. In 1940 Ivy's daughter Peggy Musgrove stayed with the Furze family for over a year and worked at an Estate Agents in the nearby village of Farrington Gurney.
Mark James Furze lived to the age of 76 and died in 1947. His wife Gertrude lived until 1958 and died in Exeter aged 82.

The children all led eventful lives. Arthur married Iris Ford in 1931 they had two children, Mary (b1932) and Jean (b1939) they lived in the Cotswolds. Iris died in 1957. Arthur died in Southampton in 1994.
Doris married Leonard Driver in 1929. They had one child David J Driver (b1933 Axbridge). He married Barbara Powell in Weston Super Mare in 1954. David was elected Mayor of Weston Super Mare in the 1970's. Doris died in 1998.

May Furze married Leonard Hartree in 1931 they had one child Michael (b1935) May lived to the age of 86 and died in Weston Super Mare in 1994.

Wilfred "Jack" married Ethel Gladys Sparks in 1936. They three children, Janet (b1937), Gillian (b1939) and Nicholas (1953). Janet married Lawson Body in 1959, Gillian married Roger Danby in 1963 and Nicholas married Veronica Spear in 1968. Their father Jack lived to the age of 89 and died in 1999.

Elizabeth Furze "Betty" married Norman Brendecke in 1941. They had two children, Susan (b1944) who married and emigrated to California and Patricia (b1945). Patricia married Graham Adkins in Cheltenham in 1965. The Brendecke family ran a series of shops in the Cheltenham area. Norman lived until 1973, his wife Betty lived to the age of 85 and died in Cheltenham in1998.

Douglas Furze married Phyllis Florence Bird in Ipswich in 1949. They one son Christopher (b1949) who married Suzanne Middleditch in Braintree Essex in 1974. His parents Douglass and Phyllis were publicans in later years and ran The Hare in Long Melford in Suffolk.

Harold Furze appears to have possbly married Vivienne Dubins in Devon in 1955. Unfortunately we further information on him.

All the above information has been pieced together from Census and Birth, Marriage and Death records. Ivy Musgrove remained in contact with this family throughout her lifetime. Ivy left no details of this branch of the family when she died in 1992.
We have been rediscovering these cousins of our family and we would like to hear from any of their offsprings.

dd

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