William Charles Ivall (1883-1968), accountant

William Charles Ivall was a son of William Ivall (1959-1940), who was a brother of my great grandfather George Ivall (1853-1932). This profile contains information from William’s grandson, David Ivall.

William was born on 5 September 1883 in Islington, the second of eight children (4 boys and 4 girls) born to William and Matilda Ivall. He was baptised on 23 September 1883 in St Mary’s, Islington.

The 1891 census shows William Ivall (aged 32, a plumber’s shopman) living at 44 Freeling St, Islington with his wife Matilda (33) and their children Matilda (9), William (7), Elizabeth (5), Harriett (2) and David (6 months). William’s brother George Ivall and his family were living nearby at 51 Freeling Street.

The family were still at 44 Freeling St in 1901 and consisted of William (aged 42, a plumber’s shopman), Matilda (43), Matilda (19, an artificial florist), William (17, a chartered accountant’s clerk), Harriett (12), Albert (7) and Nellie Ivall (4). Charles Booth did a survey of London in 1898-9. He classifies the inhabitants of Freeling Street as being in category 3 (out of 7) “Poor. 18s. to 21s. a week for a moderate family.”

A report in the Islington Gazette dated 27 June 1906 shows that William played cricket for Barnsbury Amateurs 2^nd XI in a match against Ayres 2^nd XI. He was the star player, making 30 runs (the highest score) and taking 5 wickets for 21 runs.

In 1907, William married Florence Bessie Endean in Hampstead. Florence, who was born in St Pancras but came from a Cornish family, was 22 and he was 24. They later had four children namely Doris Rose (1908-2007), Hilda Annie (1910-99), Leonard Fordham (1912-91) and Dennis Endean Ivall (1921-2006).

The 1911 census shows William (27, a bookkeeper for a firm of cartridge manufacturers), Florence (25), Doris (2), Hilda (8 months) and two boarders living at 87 Constantine Road, Hampstead. The property consisted of 5 rooms. Letters in the possession of David Ivall show that William worked for Eley Brothers, who were cartridge manufacturers with a factory and offices in Edmonton. After the war, Eley Brothers became part of the Nobel Group.

In the 1921 census, William (aged 37) and his wife Florence (35) were living at "Newlyn", Hampton Road, Chingford (in NE London) with their four children. William is shown as a "Secretary's Assistant" working for Eley Brothers, ammunition manufacturers, Angel Road, Edmonton. This probably means that he was Assistant to the Company Secretary.

 

Electoral registers for 1918 to 1925 show William and Florence living at "Newlyn", Hampton Road, Chingford. In 1926 they moved to "Hampton House", Hampton Road. In 1930 and 1931, their address is given as 71 Hampton Road, Chingford. 

Florence (William’s wife) was a student at the Trinity College of Music, London in 1929. She was a pianist and piano teacher.

William and his wife Florence

William worked his way up to becoming an accountant with Nobel’s Explosives, which became part of Imperial Chemical Industries in 1926. The 1939 national register shows William (chief accountant at works making armament components from paper and mill board), Florence and their son Dennis living at 54 Beeches Avenue, Carshalton (S London). William ended his career as joint managing director of an ICI subsidiary. Telephone directories show that he was living at 54 Beeches Avenue from 1940-3.

Sport was William’s great interest - playing football, swimming, etc as a young man, miniature rifle shooting in his middle years and watching sport on television in old age.  He smoked heavily all his life and had six spoonfuls of sugar in every cup of tea (and still lived to 85!). He was a wizard at mental arithmetic.  Apparently his temper could be quite short, but his wife always said "He's good in other ways".

After his retirement, William and his wife moved in 1943 to St Agnes in Cornwall where, for a few years, they ran a clifftop café - Greencaps, Penwinnick Rd, St Agnes. They moved back to London (122 Ainslie Wood Rd, E4) in 1949, because their son Dennis was a student and his mother thought he needed looking after ! Dennis married in 1952. William and Florence then moved to Pol Major, St Agnes, running it as a café.

In 1960, William and Florence moved to Barnstaple, where their son Dennis was living. Florence died there in 1960 aged 75. William was then cared by his daughter Hilda at his bungalow at Hillcrest, Old Sticklepath Hill, Barnstaple until 1964 and then at her house, The Croggan, Polberro, St Agnes until his death in on 24 October 1968 aged 85 at Meneagh Hospital, Helston, Cornwall. William is buried in Barnstaple Cemetery in the same grave as his wife.

William’s will (made in 1961), appointed Dennis Ivall as his executor. His “gold chain and the gold watch presented to me by Imperial Chemical Industries” went to William’s son Leonard. Dennis was left a silver pocket watch. The rest of his estate (£459 gross, £342 net) was divided equally between his four children.