Tanner, Thomas and Howes Mr and Phelps, Charlie

Gender: Male

Tom Tanner sang the Cherington Wassail to James Madison Carpenter between 1927 and 1935.

Carpenter noted: Mr Howes has known for sixty years. Bowl decorated with fox’s brush and holly bow, with bough, decorated with ribbons. Charlie Phelps checked the Cherrington Wassail sung by Tom Tanner. Charlie Phelps’ address was 7, Council Houses, Avening – 30 years with wassailing bowl.

(see also notes on Charlie Phelps and Sarah Phelps, Charlie’s wife)

No one with the surname Howes was baptised in Cherington between 1815 and 1913. There are, however, families called Fowles and Howard.

Francis Thomas James Tanner was baptised on 6 May 1866 at Cherington, the son of William Tanner, a gamekeeper of Cherington, and his wife, Hannah. He came from a well-established Cherington family. His father, William Tanner, had also been baptised in Cherington on 2 June 1833, the son of James Tanner, a labourer and his wife Mery (sic). In 1851 James Tanner was living in Cherington, a widower, with two sons, William and Joseph, born about 1829, where they were all working as agricultural labourers.

By 1861 Thomas’ father, William, had left home and was living at 1 National School, Cherington, with a 16 year old lodger. Both were working as labourers. In 1861 William married Hannah Arkill, , in the Tetbury registration district which included Cherington. Hannah was born in Sapperton. By1871 they were living in Cherington Village with four children, Mary Louisa baptised 16 July 1862, Eliza A. born about 1868 and Emily L born about 1870 and Francis Thomas James. All the children were born in Cherington except Emily who was born in Hadlow, Kent. By then William, Hannah and Thomas were all working as agricultural labourers. By 1881 the family were still living in Cherington where William was working as a gamekeeper and Thomas was an unmarried agricultural labourer. Their daughter, Mary, was no longer living at home. By 1891 Thomas was the only child still living at home in Cherington Village, unmarried,. His father was still working as a gamekeeper and Thomas was an agricultural labourer. In 1911 at aged 45 Thomas was still unmarried, living in Cherington and working as a waggoner on a farm.

Notes by Carol Davies December 2015