Tranter, T J and Evans, William

Gender: Male

T. J. Tranter sang the Minchinhampton Wassail to James Madison Carpenter between 1927 and 1935 at Minchinhampton.
Carpenter note: learned from William Evans, Tetbury Street twenty years ago; William Evans 68-70 years old; never saw in print.

T. J. Tranter

Thomas James Tranter was born in Tarlton in 1898, the son of Frederick James Tranter, an agricultural labourer born in Rodmarton, and his wife, Julia Annie J. Tranter, formerly Maberley, born in Siddington.

Thomas James Tranter’s father, Frederick James Tranter, was born in 1857 in Evergreen, Rodmarton and by 1861 was living in Grove Cottages, Cherrington where his father, William Tranter, was working as a carter. William had married Mary Meason, who was also from Rodmarton, in 1840. William and his family were living in Rodmarton in 1851 and by 1861 they had had seven children all born in Rodmarton, Elizabeth born about 1838, William born about 1843, George born about 1845, John born about 1847, Thomas born about 1850, Sarah born about 1852 and Frederick James, T. J. Tranter’s father.

Thomas James. Tranter’s father, Frederick James Tranter, married Julia Annie Joel Maberley in 1880. Annie had previously worked as a servant for Henry Mason and his family, a plasterer in North Cerney. By 1881 they were living at 54 Castle Street, Cirencester, where Frederick was working as an agricultural labourer. Their first son, Willie, had been born about 1880. Shortly afterwards they moved to Tarlton where Frederick continued to work as an agricultural labourer. By 1891 they had three further children, Albert Charles born about 1873, Ellen born about 1874 and Rose Annie born about 1889. Frederick’s mother and father had also moved to Tarlton where William was also working as an agricultural labourer. Frederick and Julia Annie then had three daughters in Tarlton: Bessie born about 1892, twins Gertrude Ethel and Margaret Alice born about 1897 and then Thomas James was born in 1898 also in Tarlton.

By 1901 Frederick and Julia Annie had had 8 children, all still living, and were living in Tarlton where Julia Annie was working as a railway labourer and Thomas’s brother, William, born about 1881 in Cirencester, was also working as a labourer for the GWR. Another brother, Albert C. Tranter, stated as born about 1883 in Tarlton (but see above), was working as a under carter on a farm. Frederick was not in the house at the time of the census. By 1911 Frederick and Julia Annie were living at Tetbury Street, Minchinhampton where Frederick was working as a carter. This was the same street where Carpenter noted that Thomas’ neighbour, William Evans, who sang him the Minchinhampton Wassail, also lived. William Evans was in fact also living in Tetbury Street in 1911. Thomas James’ sister, Gertrude, was working as a mill hand in the hook making industry and his other sister, Margaret, was working as a mill hand in the splicing industry.

Thomas James Tranter married Gladys Mary Ellins of Tetbury Street, the daughter of a plasterer, on 19 July 1919 in Minchinhampton. A Thomas James Tranter of 170 High Street Tredworth died on 17 April 1942 in Gloucester.

William Evans

William Evans was baptised in Avening on 23 April 1865, the son of James Evans, a shepherd, and his wife, Martha. His father, James, was born in 1841 in Mount Pleasant, Fairford and baptised there on 2 April 1841, the son of Charles Evans, an agricultural labourer, and his wife, Martha. Charles had a sister, Mary, who was two years older than him and two brothers, Charles, born about 1846 and John born about 1850.In 1851 Charles and Martha were still living in Mount Pleasant, Fairford where Charles was working as a labourer and they had also taken in a female lodger.

By 1861 William’s father, James, had married and was living in Dubblewell, Minchinhampton with his wife, Martha, born in Culkerton, and a baby daughter, Sarah, who was born in Minchinhampton. He was working as an agricultural labourer but by the time of William’s baptism in 1865 he had become a shepherd. By 1871 the family had moved to near Hyde, Minchinhampton, where James was a shepherd and farm labourer and they had three more children, Ellen born about 1863 in Nympsfield, Jane born about 1868 in Avening and Charley born about 1870 in Cirencester. In 1881 they had a further three children, Margaret born about 1876, George born about 1877 and Alice born about 1880, all born in Minchinhampton. By then William’s sister, Sarah was an unemployed domestic servant, his sister, Ellen, was a stick varnisher and his sister, Jane, was a stickworker. William was working as a groom and his brother, Charles, was an agricultural labourer. The family continued to live in Minchinhampton, at Crackstone, and by 1891 William was working as a carter/horse while his brother, John, and sister, Margaret, were both umbrella stick makers. His father, James, and brother, George, were both agricultural labourers. By then William had a further brother, Thomas A. born about 1882 and two more sisters, Minnie F. born about 1885 and Elsie L. born about 1887.

William’s father then moved to at Rodmarton Cottages, Rodmarton where after the death of his wife he continued to work as a shepherd, living with his son, George, an under shepherd until his death in 1902.

By 1901 William had married and he and his wife, Sarah, who was born in Tetbury were living at Summerwell, Minchinhampton. William was working as a carter of coal and Sarah as a rug weaver. In 1911 they were living in Tetbury Street, Minchinhampton at the same time as Thomas James Tranter. William was working as a road repairer working for the County Council and they had an adopted daughter, Louise Best, aged 6.They also had two boarders aged and 11 and 3 who were schoolgirls. They had been married for 18 years but had no children of their own. A family tree on Ancestry.com states that William Evans died in 1921 in the Stroud area.

Notes by Carol Davies November 2015