Jessie Elizabeth M Hickman 1874 - 1932
The following details have been researched from publically availiable Birth Marriage &
Death indexes and local Electoral Registers
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Henry and Jessie Cole's 4th child was born in Lambeth and named Jessie Elizabeth M Cole in 1874.
There is no record of the child being baptised.
1884 Jessie Cole St Mary the Less School
Below is an extract from the school attendance register from 1884 for St Mary the Less School
Lambeth. Jessie Cole transferred here from Vauxhall Street 15th September 1884. The register
also shows her address and date of birth
Above is an engraved view of St Mary the Less School. Jessie remained here until transferring to
Walnut Tree Walk School Lambeth. The extract below from the attendance register shows she
started there 28th September 1885. Note the discrepancy on her birth date.
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1893 Birth of Robert Cole in Kennington
On 30th September 1893 Jessie Cole gave birth to a son who was named Robert. The birth does not appear to have been officially registered, and no birth certificate was issued. Therefore there is no record of the father's name.
School records show that Robert was educated at Kennington Road Schol from 21st June 1898. The school Attendance Register extract below shows Robert Cole's address as 35 Princes Square Kennington which is shown below.
Princes Square was later renamed Cleaver Square. The houses retained their original numbers. 35 is the property with the red door. As Robert Cole was registered at this address we assume his mother Jessie and other members of the Cole family also lived here for a short while.
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1901 Census Cole family 321 Kennington Road
The Census below shows Jessie living with her father Henry Cole and brother Walter Cole. Also
shown is Jessie's illegitimate son Robert aged 7 who was born in 1894 in Lambeth. There is no
record of the child's birth being registered or the child being baptised.
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1904 Marriage Jessie Cole to Sidney Robert Hickman
Jessie Cole married Sidney Robert Hickman 3rd September 1904 at St Mary Newington. Sidney was the son of James Benjamin Hickman a lithographic printer. Over the next ten years Jessie and Sidney
had 5 children. Sydney Henry Hickman was born 1905 (see below). Jessie Madeline Hickman was born
1907 but died in 1912. Henry James Hickman was born 1910, Violet May Hickman was Born 1912, and
Charles Herbert K Hickman was born in 1915. Jessie's son Robert was the eldest child in the Hickman family but retained the Cole surname.
Houses in Cleaver Street
The Hickman Family at this time were originally living at 26 Cleaver Street Kennington.
At the time of 1911 census they lived at 22 Cleaver Street.
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1918 Hickman Family 16 Ravensdon Street
The Hickman Family had moved to 16 Ravensdon Street Kennington by 1918.
Jessie's son Robert Cole was also living with them having
served in the British Army during the 1914-1918 war.
Robert Cole is now known as Robert Henry Cole, the Henry being Jessie's father's name.
1919 Marriage of Robert Henry Cole
On the 8th June 1919 Robert Henry Cole married Ida Beatrice Maud Wallis, a fishmonger's daughter.
The certificate above shows witnesses Maud Alice Rose Wallis (mother or sister), and Henry Abbott Hickman (brother of Sidney Robert Hickman).
Notice Robert's father is named as Robert Henry Cole, cabinet maker, deceased. This is incorrect as Robert's fathers name was not known to him. It was his,mother Jessie's father George Aitchison who was a cabinet maker.
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1920-35 Robert H Cole & Hickman Family
16 Ravensdon Street Kennington
The Electoral Registers below are between 1920 and 1933. They show all adults over
the age of 21 living at 16 Ravesdon Street. In 1920 Jessie Hickman's son Robert Henry Cole
was called up again by the Army for 90 days Emergency Service. At this time
Robert and Ida had had their first child Jessie Maud Ida Cole who was born 14th January 1920.
Over the next 5 years Robert and Ida had 3 more children. Maud V R Cole was born in 1921,
Bruce W Cole was born in 1924, and Robert Sidney H Cole was born in 1925.
Robert and Ida Cole's marriage appears to have ended around 1932 when he fathered another
child named Leslie J V Cole with another women. BMD indexes show the mother's
surname as Westlake. They had another child named Marian Jean Cole who was born in 1935.
In 1932 Jessie Elizabeth Hickman died aged 57. The following year's Electoral Register below
shows Sidney Robert Hickman, his son James Henry, his daughter Violet, Robert & Ida Cole,
and Annie Pratt a lodger.
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1934-60 Sidney Robert Hickman 16 Ravensdon Street
Sidney Robert Hickman remained living at 16 Ravensden Street until his death in 1958 aged 80.
The above Electoral Register from 1958 shows that the other householders with him were
James F Westlake and his wife Mary who had married in Lambeth in 1955. The Westlake family are linked to Robert Cole during this time.
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1936 Robert H Cole 3 Milverton Street Kennington
The above Electoral Register for 1936 shows Robert and Ida Cole had moved from Ravensdon
Street to nearby Milverton Street. It is odd that Ida is listed with Robert as he has had two
children since 1932 with another woman named Westlake. We do not know her first name as she never appears listed with Robert on any Electoral Registers.
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1938 Robert H Cole 4 Oval House
Rushcroft Road Tulse Hill
The above Electoral Register for 1938 shows Robert and Ida Cole had moved from Milverton Street
to 4 Oval House Rushcroft Road. It is still very strange that Ida is listed with Robert as he has had
two children since 1932 with another woman named Westlake.
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1939 Robert H Cole 11 Plato Road Stockwell
The above Electoral Register for 1939 shows Robert and Ida Cole had moved from Rushcroft Road
to 11 Plato Road Stockwell. Again it is still very strange that Ida is listed with Robert as he has had
two children since 1932 with another woman named Westlake. Interestlingly a James Frederick
Westlake is now listed in the same household but we have no idea how he relates to the mother of Robert's last two children. Also in 1939 Robert & Ida's eldest daughter Jessie Maud Ida Cole now
aged 19 married Stanley Thomas Green.
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1945 Robert H Cole 62 De Laune Street Southwark
The above Electoral Register for 1945 shows Robert Henry Cole now living at 62 DeLaune
Street Southwark. There were no Electoral Registers made during WW2 and in 1945 Ida
Cole is no longer living with her husband and has moved to 35 Guernsey Grove Tulse Hill.
Robert's daughter Maud is shown living with her father, but no Westlake's are mentioned.
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1947-53 Robert H Cole 15 Barrington Road Brixton
The above Electoral Register for 1947 shows Robert Henry Cole now living at 15 Barrington
Road Brixton. Robert's daughter Maud is still living with her father and also her brother
Robert S H Cole. but no Westlake's are mentioned. However, the 1949 Electoral Register
below shows Robert's married daughter Jessie Green now living at 20 Wiltshire Road Brixton.
She would now be 29 and since marriage has had 3 children. Micheal S Green was born
1940, Valerie J Green in 1942 and Robert J Green in 1947.Also note that within the same
household are 2 Westlakes! These are George H W Westlake and his wife Helen who had
married in Lambeth in 1938. They appear to have had only one child, named Wendy I
Westlake
who was born in 1946. In 1963 Wendy married John R Connelly, who we presume was the son
of Arthur & Louisa Connelly who also lived at 20 Wiltshire Road. We do not know how these
Westlake's relate to the mother of Robert Cole's last two children
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1954-67 ? Robert H Cole 10 Lyall Avenue Camberwell
The above Electoral Register for 1954 shows Robert Henry Cole now living at 10 Lyall
Avenue Kingswood Estate Dulwich. Robert's son Robert S Cole is shown living with his father.
Five years later in 1959 the Electoral Register lists Robert H Cole with his son Robert S Cole
who would now be aged 34. He married Betty Callaghan in 1956. She appears after 1960
at this address. Also shown below is Robert Henry Cole's son from his 2nd partnership with
Ms Westlake, Leslie J V Cole who was now aged 27. He had Married Gladys G Wayland in
Lambeth in 1956.
Robert Henry Cole lived until 1967 when he died aged 73. His wife Ida Beatrice Maud Cole never remarried and lived until 1977. Robert's daughter Maud V R Cole married James W Still in
Camberwell in 1952. Robert's other daughter Marian Jean Cole married Ronald B J Cansdale in
1955. She lived until 1999.
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The map below dates from 1914 and shows the area between Kennington Road (left side) and
Kennington Park Road (bottom right corner). Various roads where members of this family lived
are highlighted in red.
