Bellamy, Mrs

Gender: Female

Mrs Bellamy sang The Frog He Went A-Courting to Francis Collinson (1898-1984) at 3, Albert Street, Cheltenham at some time between 1916 and 1945.

Mrs Bellamy née Hornsby’s ancestors lived in Stow on the Wold where her great grandfather, George Hornsby was baptised in 1770. He married Elizabeth Lawrence in Stow in 1791. They had at least three children, Elizabeth, baptised 1795, Arthur baptised 1798 and Mrs Bellamy’s grandfather, George Hornsby who was baptised in 1793 in Stow.

This George Hornsby married Susanna Kislingbury from Sonning, Berkshire, in All Soul’s Church, St Marylebone, London in 23 November 1825.His father died in Stow and was buried there on 6 April 1845. The family went back to Stow where George worked as a tailor and they had six children, Eliza baptised 1826, George baptised 1828, Edward baptised about 1832, Harriet born 1833 , John Henry baptised 1850 and Mrs Bellamy’s mother, Frances, baptised 18 April 1830. The family continued to live in Stow where George Hornsby was working as a tailor in 1841 and 1851.

Frances Hornsby was living at home in 1841 but by 1861 she was working as a housemaid at 1, Paragon Parade, Cheltenham. Her daughter, Susan, was born early in 1863 in Cheltenham but in 1871 aged 8 she was living at Stream Cottage, St Luke’s, Cheltenham with George Hale, a painter, his wife, two daughters and his unmarried brother, Henry. By 1881 Susan Bellamy was working as an under housemaid, one of 6 servants living at Westall, Montpellier Parade, Cheltenham in the household of Edward Thomas Wilson and his seven children.

Edward Thomas Wilson was born in 1832. In 1859, he became a general practitioner and consultant in Cheltenham, pioneering modern medical practices such as the use of clean drinking water, isolation fever hospitals and district nurses. His fifth child and second son was also living at Westall in 1871. This was the Naturalist and Antarctic Explorer Edward Adrian Wilson who was born on 23 July 1872. He journeyed to the Antarctic on the Discovery expedition with Captain Scott and Shackleton during  1901-1904 and in 1909, accepted Captain Scott’s invitation to act as Chief of Scientific Staff on a second Antarctic Expedition, which set sail in the Terra Nova in June 1910. He died with Captain Scott in the Antarctic in 1912.

On 14 October 1889 at St Mary’s Parish Church Susan Bellamy married Charles Maurice Bellamy who had been appointed a postman in 1885, the son of Thomas Bellamy, a leather cutter. At the time Susan Bellamy was living at 2, Vittoria Walk, Cheltenham. They then moved to 34 Millbrook Street, Cheltenham where they then had a son, Thomas Charles Bellamy, who was baptised at Christ Church, Cheltenham on 14 December 1890.

By 1891 Susan and Charles were living at 1, Brooklyn Terrace, Cheltenham with Thomas Charles and Susan’s mother, Frances, a domestic servant who was described as single. Charles was working as a letter carrier. Charles continued to work as a letter carrier and they had a daughter, Daisy who was baptised on 5 June 1892. When living at 2, Garden Cottages, High Street, Cheltenham Susan Bellamy gave birth to a son, William. He was baptised at Christ Church, Cheltenham on 18 March 1884.

They then moved to Sun Street, Cheltenham and firstly lived at number 58 where they had another son, Arthur, who was baptised on 15 March 1896 at St Peter’s Church. At Arthur’s baptism Charles was described as a labourer. They then moved to number 12 Sun Street where they had a further son, James, who was baptised on 21 December 1899 at St Peter’s Church at which time Charles was still described as working as a labourer. In 1901 Charles and Susan were still living at 12 Sun Street with their family and Charles was working as a builder’s labourer. Susan’s mother, Frances was living in the same house as a greengrocer’s family at Orchard Villa, St Peter’s, Cheltenham. She was working as a dressmaker and described as a widow.

By 1911 the family had moved to 13 Hamilton Place, St Pauls Road, Cheltenham. Charles was working as a bootmaker’s porter. Sons William, Arthur and James were still living at home and William and Arthur were both working for a gunsmith and cutler. William was a porter and Arthur was a carter.

Charles Maurice Bellamy died in 1916 at Cheltenham Hospital at the age of 34 and was buried in St Mary’s Church on 7 June 1916. At the time of his death he was still living in Hamilton Place.

By 1939 Susan Bellamy had moved to 3 Albert Street, Cheltenham, living with Joseph E.Dutton and  Lilian Amy Dutton. In 1939 she was noted in the electoral register as acting as a housekeeper to Joseph E. Dutton, a widower and Monumental sculptor’s labourer. The three of them were also living at the same address in 1945.

Susan Bellamy died in Cheltenham in 1947.

Susan Bellamy’s son, William, married Ethel Mary Tarling in 1919 when he was working as a clerk and living at 13 Hamilton Place, St Paul’s, Cheltenham. She was a dressmaker, the daughter of a butcher living in nearby Albert Street in St Paul’s in Cheltenham. Her family had previously lived near William’s family in Millbrook Terrace. They lived at 16 St Paul’s Street North, Cheltenham at least between 1921 and 1927.  He died in 1929 when probate was granted to his widow and to Charles Edward Bellamy and William Urban Bellamy, both plumbers . His wife, Ethel, died in Cheltenham in 1970.

Susan Bellamy’s daughter, Daisy, married Henry Herbert Ewart Camden, a house painter from Cheltenham.  In 1910 they had a son, Chris Camden, who died the following year while they were living at 26 King Street Cheltenham.

Notes by Carol Davies 2020