Mall Road, Hammersmith

Mall Road is in South Hammersmith, just north of the Thames, near Hammersmith Bridge. 

My grandfather, George William Ivall (1880-1934) was living at 5 Mall Road, Hammersmith when he married my grandmother Emma Armitage (1883-1970) in 1906. They moved to 11 Mall Road after their marriage and their first daughter Florence Rose Ivall was both there on 21st June 1908.

George is listed in the 1911 census aged 29, a motor omnibus conductor living at 11 Mall Road. His wife and daughter are shown at her mother's address in Stoke Newington - they must have been staying there on the day of the census.

George and Emma moved out of Mall Road sometime before 1919, when electoral registers show them living at 9 Linkfield Road, Isleworth.

Mall Road in about 1910, from its northern end. Number 11 was one of the 5 storey houses on the left.

The Hammersmith Flyover and its approach road were completed in 1961. This shortened Mall Road and required houses (including numbers 5 and 11) at its northern end to be demolished.

Mall Road in 2006, looking east

The remaining houses on the east side of Mall Road still exist. The land on the west side is now part of Furnival Gardens.

Charles Alexander Luxford (1903-59), Royal Navy and nuclear scientist

Charles Alexander Luxford was the only child of Alice Elizabeth Luxford nee Ivall (b1877), the elder sister of my grandfather George William Ivall (1880-1934). I have updated this profile with some information from his daughter, who saw the item on her father on my blog and contacted me.

Charles was born on 21st July 1903 in Kingsland, Hackney. His parents were Charles James (a builder) and Alice Elizabeth Luxford, who had married in 1901. The 1911 census shows the family living at 109 Hertford Rd, Kingsland, Hackney (the address of their building and house decorating business). Charles senior was aged 30, born in Stoke Newington. He is listed as an employer. Alice was aged 31, born in Somerstown, St Pancras. Charles was aged 7 and at school. Electoral registers show that from 1920 to 1926, the family were living at 204 Selwyn Avenue, Higham Park, London E4 (near Chingford).

The 1921 census shows Charles, aged 17 with his parents Charles (42, a house decorator etc, employer at 109 Hertford Road, N1) and Alice (43) at 204 Selwyn Avenue. His occupation is given as steel turner (I think), his employer was Associated Equipment Co Ltd, Engineers and his place of work was Black Horse Lane, Walthamstow. 

Charles senior was quite well off. In about 1927, he and his wife moved to Collingwood House, St Margaret’s at Cliffe on the Kent coast near Dover. My Aunt Marjorie remembers visiting Alice and Charles there and watching ships through a large telescope. My mother also told me how, when she was a child, she enjoyed going for holidays with Alice and Charles at St Margaret’s. 

Clockwise from top left Charles Alexander Luxford, George Ivall (his grandfather), Walter Edwin Kebbell (his uncle), Alice Eliza Ivall nee Newman (his grandmother), Winifred Rose Kebbell (his cousin), Rose Lily Kebbell nee Ivall (his aunt). Photo c 1929.

Charles junior was clever and went to university (then quite uncommon) to study science - he was awarded a BSc. The Imperial Calendar (an annual list of salaried Civil Servants) shows that he was a Scientific Officer in the Scientific Research and Experiment Department of the Admiralty in 1935. In the 1930s Charles worked as an assistant to A B Wood, one of the leading British naval scientists, on the development of the magnetostriction echo depth recorder, a device that measured the depth of water below a ship. It was later fitted not only to Navy ships but also to most sizable ships throughout the world.

In 1935, Charles married Phyllis Mary Newber at St Alban’s Church, Teddington. He was aged 31 and she was 22, born in Lambeth. Phone directories for 1935 to 1948 show Charles living at Abbots Dene, Greenways, Hinchley Wood, Esher (in SW London). Charles and Phyllis had a daughter (b1938) and a son (b1942). The family lived at 9 Carlisle Rd, Hampton (also in SW London) from 1949 to 1960.

Charles Alexander Luxford

Charles was promoted to Senior Scientific Officer in 1943. There seems to have been a re-organisation in 1949 when he is listed as Principal Scientific Officer in the Royal Navy Scientific Service. He was promoted again in 1954 when he became a Senior Principal Scientific Officer, for which the salary range was £1,500 to £1,750 (roughly equivalent to £85,000 to £100,000 now). In 1959 there were about 750 salaried staff in the Royal Naval Scientific Service – 21 at higher grades than Charles, about 90 on his grade and about 640 on lower grades. 

Following the American atomic weapon test in 1946 at Bikini Atoll, the Royal Navy decided that experiments should be carried out to determine what degree of protection a ship offered to its crew from ionizing radiation, a new hazard in future naval warfare if ever atomic weapons were used at sea. The preparation for and conduct of such experiments was the first task for a new group - initially just Charles Luxford and one other scientist. National publicity resulted from the knowledge that a naval ship, the cruiser HMS Arethusa, was to be irradiated with gamma rays. A picture of the cruiser in position in Southampton Water off the Isle of Wight appeared on the front page of The Daily Telegraph.

Charles’s daughter tells me that he was one of the UK’s top nuclear scientists and went to Monte Bello, Australia in 1952 for the first British atomic bomb tests, as the senior scientist working for Sir William Penney (who led Britain’s nuclear weapons programme). Charles worked at the Admiralty Research Laboratory in Teddington in the 1950s and used to cycle there each day from where he lived in Hampton.

Alice Luxford (Charles's mother) died in 1939 aged 62. Her husband, re-married in 1941 to Ada Constance Gay. He was aged 62, she was 40. He died in 1949 aged 70.

Charles died on January 11th 1959 aged 55 at Ashford Hospital, Stanwell, Middlesex. It seems likely that exposure to nuclear radiation contributed to his premature death.

Work at the Admiralty Research Laboratory site in Teddington ceased in 1992 and there is now a housing development there.

 Phyllis Luxford died in 2004 aged 91.

Doris Rose Salter nee Ivall (1908-2007), missionary

Doris Rose Ivall was a granddaughter of William Ivall (1859-1940), who was a brother of my great grandfather George Ivall (1853-1932). This profile contains information from David Ivall, her nephew.

She was born on 27 September 1908 in Hampstead, North London, the eldest of four children born to William Charles Ivall (1883-1968) and his wife Florence Bessie nee Endean (1885-1960). Doris’s siblings were Hilda Annie (1910-99), Leonard Fordham (1912-91) and Dennis Endean (1921-2006). Doris’s father worked his way up from being a clerk to an accountant with Nobel’s explosives. He ended his career as joint managing director of an ICI subsidiary.

The 1911 census shows William Charles Ivall (aged 27, a book-keeper), his wife Florence Bessie (25) and daughters Doris Rose (2) and Hilda Annie (8 months) living at 87 Constantine Rd, Hampstead. There were also 2 boarders at the address.

Doris’s family were still living in Hampstead in 1912 but had moved to Chingford (also in North London) by 1921. Doris’s mother came from a Cornish family and they often visited Cornwall for holidays.

Doris with her parents and siblings.

From left : Leonard, Doris, William, Florence, Dennis and Hilda Ivall

Doris met Arthur Hubert Salter, a church minister who lived in North London and they became engaged. Arthur was the same age as Doris – he was born on 12 March 1908 (in Gibraltar).

Passenger lists show that Doris Rose Ivall arrived in New York on 6 May 1939 on board the President Harding from Southampton. She was aged 30 and her occupation was given as a student. Doris married Arthur Salter on September 29th 1939 in Brooklyn, New York. They had no children. By 1941 they were living in Toronto Canada.

The records of border crossings from Canada to the USA show Doris and Arthur Salter making journeys to the European Christian Mission in Brooklyn, New York on 3 January and 27 October 1941. The record of the latter gives Doris’s occupation as “Missionary”. Her height was 5 feet 3 inches, hair brown and eyes hazel. Doris and Arthur made a further crossing on 26 January 1945 at Port Angeles, Washington, USA with the stated purpose of resuming residence in the USA.

Arthur and Doris Salter in 1950

Arthur and Doris were both naturalised as US citizens on 3 August 1948 at the US District Court in Brooklyn, New York. Their address was 944 East 31^st Street, Brooklyn. Arthur made visits to Europe in 1950 and 1957 when his home address was given as 1101 East 35^th Street, Brooklyn.

Doris and Arthur visited relatives in England when they arrived at Southampton on 6 April 1954 on board the Queen Mary from Halifax (Nova Scotia). Their occupations are given as “Minister” (Arthur) and “H Teacher” (Doris). Doris’s mother died in 1960 aged 75 and her father in 1968 aged 85.

Arthur and Doris moved from Brooklyn to Lebanon, Pennsylvania in the 1960s when the headquarters of the Bible Christian Mission transferred there. After Doris and Arthur retired they moved to Michigan but found it too cold and so moved to Florida.

 Doris and Arthur c 1994

Arthur died on 17 June 1996 in Manatee County, Florida aged 88. Doris was living in a retirement home in Bradenton, Florida when she celebrated her 97^th birthday in 2005. She died on 5 May 2007 at Bradenton, Manatee County, Florida aged 98.

Royal ancestry of Martha Ivall nee James

Martha James (1796-1853) married David Ivall (1795-1850) in 1829. David later created a highly successful coachmaking business and became wealthy (see the article on his life on this blog). They had seven children (of which six survived to become adults) and have numerous living descendants.

Dennis Endean Ivall (1921-2006), my second cousin once removed, did excellent research on Ivall family history between 1955 and 1985 and in 2004 sent me a copy of what he had found, including the table below showing the ancestry of Martha James, tracing her descent from the early kings of England. It goes back 15 generations to Edward III (1327-77) or 23 generations to William I, known as William the Conqueror (1027-87).

Martha's father was the Reverend Samuel James MA. He was born c 1754, matriculated from Oriel College, Oxford on 13 March 1773 (aged 18), was granted a BA in 1776 and a MA in 1782. He became the Rector of Radstock in Somerset in 1780 and died in 1813, aged about 59.

Samuel Oram MD, FRCP (1913-1991) : eminent cardiologist

Samuel Oram was a grandson of Emily Dennis nee Ivall (1845-1911), a sister of my great grandfather George Ivall (1853-1932). He was a second cousin of my mother, Grace Evelyn Taylor nee Ivall (1922-2006). This profile contains information from Who’s Who (he is listed from 1958 to 1991) and from an obituary in the British Medical Journal.

Samuel was born 11^th July 1913 in Camberwell (SE London). He came from quite a humble background. His parents were Samuel Henry Nathan Oram (1880-1953, a labourer at Sydenham gas works) and his wife Ada Oram nee Dennis (1886-1973). 

The 1921 census shows Samuel (aged 7) living at 5 Geldart Road, Camberwell with his parents Samuel (40, a boiler hand working for South Metropolitan Gas at 709 Old Kent Road) and Ada (35).

Samuel attended Peckham Central School then became a laboratory technician and had several papers published, including "Macroscopic method of demonstrating dorsal pores of lumbricus" in the School Science Review (1934). Lumbricus is a genus containing common earthworms in Europe. In 1934 he registered to study medicine at King’s College Hospital, London and qualified in 1939. His paper "Pick's disease of the pericardium" was published in the King's College Hospital Gazette that year. Samuel is listed as a registered medical practioner living at Horton Hospital, Epsom in the national register compiled in September 1939. He was awarded a gold medal by London University for his doctoral thesis in 1941. His paper "Pneumococcal septicaemia with recovery" was published in the British Medical Journal that year.

In 1940, Samuel married Ivy Rose Amato in Camberwell. They were both aged 26 and later had two daughters. His address, as given in the 1940 Medical Directory, was 38 Hooks Road, Peckham, London SE15.

Samuel served in the Royal Army Medical Corps during the Second World War, becoming a Lieutenant Colonel. After the war he became a consultant at King’s College Hospital and later the Senior Physician and Director of the Cardiac Department there. He introduced the technique of synchronised electrical defibrillation of the heart to the UK and with surgical colleagues, helped to establish open heart surgery at King’s. In 1960, with Mary Holt, he identified Holt-Oram syndrome, a rare condition combining upper limb abnormalities and congenital heart diseases. He wrote a textbook Clinical Heart Disease, a substantial work of 920 pages that was published in 1971, with a second edition in 1981. He was also an author of many scientific papers on cardiology. There is a ward named after him at King’s College Hospital.

His obituary (1) says that Samuel was a superb teacher, having the gift of making difficult problems clear to all. His skill as a poker player served him well in questioning students, and as a raconteur he was much in demand at medical dinners. Seventeen of his staff became consultant cardiologists, including three professors and one became a professor in the care of the elderly. Despite his busy life, Samuel served many professional organisations. He championed the cause of cardiac technicians and was delighted when asked to be the president of their society.

Samuel had some high profile patients

From Aberdeen Evening Express 17 January 1951

Telephone directories give the following addresses for Samuel Oram MB FRCP

1942-46	2 Thorndon Gardens, Ewell, Epsom
1948-50	212 Denmark Hill, London, SE5
1948-55	2 Harley St, London, W1
1952-64	123 Alleyn Park, West Dulwich, London, SE21
1956-83	73 Harley St, London, W1
1958-83	Stubb Hill Cottage, Iping, Midhurst, West Sussex
1965-83	120 Court Lane, Dulwich, London, SE21

Samuel was devoted to his family and with his wife Ivy, enjoyed the theatre. His entry in Who’s Who says another recreation was golf (execrable) ! He achieved an A Level in French when in his 60s.

After he retired, Samuel and his wife moved to 133 Cedar Drive, Chichester. Ivy died in June 1991 and Samuel on 8 November 1991 aged 78. He was survived by his two daughters and three grandchildren.

Reference 

1. British Medical Journal, Vol 304, No 6825 (Feb. 22, 1992), p.500.

Thomas Edward Ivall (1926-97), electronic engineer

Thomas Edward Ivall was a great grandson of Robert Thomas Ivall (1812-65), the elder brother of David Ivall (1816-67), my great great grandfather.

On 17 March 1926, Thomas was born in the village of Chalvey near Slough, the only child of Percy Bertram Ivall (1879-1971) and his wife Mary Ann nee Foreman (1891-1970) who had married in 1917. Percy was 46 when Thomas was born and Mary was 34. Thomas grew up at their house, 1 Chalvey Road East, which still exists.

Thomas was fascinated by radio from when he was a boy. He went to Slough Grammar School. In 1939 (aged 13) he sat the entrance exam to the High Wycombe Technical Institute and was one of 20 boys awarded a special place there. At the age of only 17 he was working for the electronics department of the BBC. He was part of a four man team who in 1944 developed the first truly portable disc recorder for use by War Correspondents. It was first used on D-Day and later used extensively during the Liberation of Europe. Tom spent a short time in the RAF at the end of the second world war.

Thomas was a talented writer and wrote a play “Badger’s Bus Service” which was broadcast on BBC radio in 1947. One of the actors was Arthur Ridley, who later played Private Godfrey in the TV comedy series "Dad's Army".

In 1948 Thomas married Mildred May Hobden in Gourock, Renfrewshire, Scotland. Mildred was related to Lucy Hobden, the mother of Thomas’s father. She had known Thomas when he was a child and met him again when Thomas visited her on a cycling holiday in Scotland. Mildred was awarded a degree in Art from Glasgow University. They lived at 185 Elms Crescent, Clapham, which was their address in 1951 when Mildred had a picture ("Urban Spring") accepted for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. Thomas and Mildred had two sons. The family moved to 159 Ruskin Park House, Champion Hill, Dulwich in 1956 and then to Staines, Middlesex in 1959.

Thomas made some radio programmes for the BBC Home Service. The Radio Times contained the item below about an episode of "Science Survey" broadcast in 1953 :

"A weekly programme about work in the world of science
Information as a Commodity by T. E. Ivall
One of the main problems of the communications engineer is to make the best use of available means of communication, such as telephone cables and radio links. Tonight the speaker describes how this is done and also shows how in recent years information theory has become mixed up with many other branches of science."

“Electronic Computers, Principles and Applications” by T.E.Ivall was published in 1956. This was one of the first books to be written about computers. A revised and updated second edition was published in 1960. The preface (written by Thomas) states “This book is an introduction for those who are beginning to take an interest in electronic computers. It is not, therefore, a book for computer experts. Nor is it a text book.” The book was translated into Russian in 1961.

Thomas’s son describes his father as a bit of a loner, who took his responsibilities seriously. He wore a moustache and was always very polite. Thomas was a member of the Labour Party and of CND. He strongly opposed the use of electronics in weaponry.

In October 1959 Thomas was Assistant Editor of the monthly magazine “Wireless World”. He left during the sixties to work on another magazine called “Measurement and Control”. However, when this ceased publication he returned to Wireless World and by April 1971 the Technical Editor was listed as T.E.Ivall M.I.E.R.E. (Member of the Institute of Electronic and Radio Engineers). In June 1973 he became Editor, and continued in this role until January 1982 when he was 55. He left the magazine because the publishers (Illiffe Press) relocated from Blackfriars to Sutton in Surrey. The journey from Staines, where he lived, to Sutton was a difficult one and, having had a heart attack in 1970 aged 44, he decided to take early retirement. He worked from home for a further 12 years doing technical writing.

Thomas died suddenly on 12 October 1997 from a heart attack. He was aged 71. In January 1998 Electronics World (the new name for Wireless World) republished one of his editorials with the comment from Martin Eccles (the editor) that Tom Ivall was “One of the most polite, considerate and intelligent men I have had the pleasure to work with.” His wife, Mildred, passed away in 2012, aged 90.     

Wedding photo of George William Ivall and Emma Armitage

The wedding was at St Matthias Church, Stoke Newington on 26 August 1906.

Emma (aged 23) and George (25) are seated in the middle. Emma’s parents Robert Melton Armitage (59) and his wife Ellen nee Pinnuck (51) are behind her. George’s parents George Ivall (53) and his wife Alice Eliza nee Newman (50) are behind him.

The four bridesmaids are the sisters of Emma and George. From left to right they are Gertrude Ellen Armitage (17), Rose Lily Ivall (20), Florence Edith Armitage (19) and Alice Elizabeth Luxford nee Ivall (28).

In the row behind the bridesmaids there are, from left to right :

Henry Charles Bull (19), who later married Gertrude Ellen Armitage

Unknown woman (her face is partly obscured by hats)

Unknown man

Robert Melton Armitage* (25), Emma’s eldest brother who witnessed the signing of the marriage register and later died in WW1. He is holding his daughter Ellen Elizabeth Armitage* (2).

Ann Ellen (Maria) Armitage nee Godfrey* (29), wife of Robert.

William Frederick Armitage* (22), Emma’s brother

Albert David Ivall (17), George’s brother who later married Florence Edith Armitage.

Charles James Luxford* (27), husband of Alice.

Seated in front are Emma’s brothers George Henry Armitage (8, who became an international footballer) and Alfred John Armitage (13).

Tentative identifications are marked* 

Chancery Court Proceedings on the Estate of David Ivall (1795-1850)

David Ivall (1795-1850) ran a successful coach making business. His will left his house (14 Blomfield Road, Maida Hill) and its contents to his wife Martha until her death or remarriage. Thereafter it went to his eldest surviving son (David James Ivall) subject to him paying £1,500 to be divided between the other surviving children. David’s children were left £1,000 each when they reached 21 years. His wife received the income from the rest of his estate until her death or remarriage. Thereafter the rest of the estate was to be divided equally between his children. The estate duty record gives the value of David Ivall’s estate as £35,000 which equates to about £25 million now, estimated in relation to average earnings. The executors of the will were David’s widow Martha Ivall, William James (Martha’s brother) and George Jones.

It seems that David‘s five youngest children were not satisfied with the way that the estate was being administered. They turned to the Court of Chancery, which dealt with civil cases. Its procedure involved the gathering of written pleadings and evidence. The following claim was filed :

1851 No 68 In Chancery, Vice Chancellor Kindersley

Between  :

Martha Ivall, James Bainbrigge Ivall, Emma Ivall, Kate Bainbrigge Ivall and Albert Ivall all of them infants, under the age of twenty one years by Henry Hannam Cort, their next friend, Plaintiffs

and

Martha Ivall widow, William James, George Jones and David James Ivall, Defendants

The Claim of Martha Ivall, James Bainbrigge Ivall, Emma Ivall, Kate Bainbrigge Ivall and Albert Ivall all of them infants under the age of twenty one years by Henry Hannam Cort of York Street, Portman Square in the County of Middlesex, Surgeon, their next friend the above named Plaintiffs the said several infants Plaintiffs by the said Henry Hannam Cort state, That they are five of the residuary legatees under the Will dated the thirteenth day of November one thousand eight hundred and forty three of David Ivall late of Tottenham Court Road in the Parish of Saint Pancras and County of Middlesex and of No 14 Bloomfield Road, Maida Hill in the said County of Middlesex, Coach Maker deceased who died on the eighth day of June one thousand eight hundred and fifty and that the above named Defendants Martha Ivall widow, William James and George Jones are the executors of the said David Ivall deceased and that the said Martha Ivall widow, William James and George Jones have not accounted for or invested the shares of the residuary personal Estate of the said testator to which the said Martha Ivall, James Bainbrigge Ivall, Emma Ivall, Kate Bainbrigge Ivall and Albert Ivall are respectively entitled the said several infant Plaintiffs therefore by the said Henry Hannam Cort claim to have the personal estate of the said David Ivall administered in this Court and to have their Costs of this Suit and for that purpose that all proper directions may be given and accounts taken.

26^th November 1851

(Henry H Cort appears in the 1861 census, aged 55, a General Practitioner, living at 23 Acacia Rd, Marylebone).

The court accepted the plaintiffs’ request to administer David Ivall’s estate and this led to a series of court reports, petitions, decrees and orders (I have found 19 in total) over the next 6 years. They are in the National Archives at Kew.

In many Chancery suits the presiding judge would ask a Chancery Master (a court official) to investigate the evidence (including sworn statements from the parties) and report back to the court. Master Senior prepared a report dated 11 February 1853, which summarised the position. There were debts totalling £7,598 due from creditors to the estate. David James Ivall and Martha James Brisco Ivall had reached 21 and had not yet been paid the £1,000 due to each of them.

Martha Ivall (the wife of David Ivall) died intestate on 13 June 1853 aged 57. Letters of administration for her estate were granted to David James Ivall, her son. He and Anne Caroline Kingston were appointed as the guardians of James, Emma, Kate and Albert Ivall who were under the age of 21. The sum of £100 pa each for the maintenance and education of James, Emma and Kate was approved with £80 pa for Albert.

On 7 July 1854, the court gave permission for Emma, Kate and Albert to visit their brother David “for a period of one month at his residence in Dieppe in the Empire of France, their sister the Plaintiff Martha James Brisco Ivall by her solicitor undertaking to accompany and take charge of them and their Guardian Anne Caroline Kingston, the wife of William Wykeham Kingston, by her Solicitor undertaking that the said Infants shall return within one calendar month from this time.”

The Court approved the apprenticeship of Albert Ivall to James Rock of Hastings, Coach Builder, for 5 years from 26 January 1855 (Albert’s sixteenth birthday). James Rock was paid £250 and Albert’s wages were set at 6s per week in the first year, 7s in the second, 8s in the third, 10s in the fourth and 12s in the fifth. The amount that his guardians were allocated to spend on Albert’s maintenance and education was increased to £130 pa.

David’s six children each received about £5,000 when they reached the age of 21. This was a substantial sum then. Their biographies show that some of them such as David James Ivall, continued to be wealthy throughout their lives whereas James and Albert Ivall were later declared bankrupt.

Ivall and Large, coach and harness makers

David Ivall (1795 - 1850) built up a thriving coach making business in London (David was the younger brother of Thomas Ivall, my great great great grandfather). After David’s death in 1850 Martha Ivall, his wife, became the proprietor of the business. The following advert appeared in The Times dated 17 May 1851

CARRIAGES – The WIDOW of the late DAVID IVALL, in returning thanks for the patronage received since his decease, begs most respectfully to assure the nobility and gentry that the business is conducted in the same manner and upon the same principles as heretofore, and respectfully invites them to an inspection of the extensive and modern assortment of well manufactured CARRIAGES, which are either for SALE or JOB, with the option to purchase, at the old-established manufactory, 158 Tottenham-court-road.

Similar adverts appeared on 19 September 1851 and 17 August 1852 in The Times.

Martha Ivall died in 1853. After his mother’s death, James Ivall (1832-96), who had served an apprenticeship as a coachmaker, formed a partnership with William Collins Large to run the coachmaking business at 158 Tottenham Court Road. Ivall and Large are listed at this address in the London Post Office Directories of 1855 to 1858.

On 16 February 1856 this advert was in The Times

“CARRIAGES” – Final closing of the executorship of the late David Ivall, and in order to ensure a speedy accomplishment of the same, the remaining STOCK of well-manufactured CARRIAGES are now on SALE at very reduced prices at the manufactory, 158 Tottenham-court-road, London, where orders and repairs are executed as heretofore by the present firm, Messrs IVALL and LARGE, Mr Ivall being the son and successor.

David James Ivall (1830-73), the elder brother of James, joined the partnership of Ivall and Large in about 1858.

William Collins Large was born in 1818 in Middlesex. The 1861 census shows William C Large aged 43 and gives his occupation as a coachbuilder employing 45 men and 3 boys. He was living at 10 Stamford Villas Fulham with his wife Juliana (42) and children Matilda (19), Emily (14), William (12) and Edgar (3) and one servant. The 1871 census shows the family living in Camberwell with two servants. In 1881 they were living at 345 Clapham Road, Lambeth and had three servants. William’s son Edgar (aged 22) is listed as a coachbuilder, like his father. 

The London Gazette of 4^th April 1862 contains the following item announcing the departure of James Ivall from the Ivall and Large partnership :

Notice is hereby given, that the partnership heretofore subsisting between the undersigned, in the business of Coach and Harness Makers, carried on at No 125 Piccadilly and No 56 South Audley Street, both in the county of Middlesex, under the style or firm of Ivall and Large, hath been dissolved, as from 31^st day of March last, so far as respects James Ivall, by mutual consent. As witness our hands this 1^st day of April 1862. David James Ivall, William Collins Large, James Ivall.

The Lloyds Weekly Newspaper printed this report on 13 November 1862 :

A third fire took place in the premises of Messrs. Ivall and Large, coach-builders, 56, South Audley Street, Grosvenor Square. The workshops were destroyed by fire and part of the roof was burned off.

Rate Books for 1868 to 1873 show that Ivall and Large occupied premises at 1 Princes Buildings, Victoria Street, Westminster. They also paid rates from 1870 to 1873 for a property in Upper Tachbrook Street, Westminster.

As well as coaches for normal use, Ivall and Large made carriages for ceremonial occasions. The London City Press (30 September 1871) describes one of these :
The state carriage of Mr. Sheriff Young is modern light, handsome chariot, painted a rich light blue body, carriage part and wheels vermilion, relieved with blue and white. The carriage is lined with rich white silk. The seat cloth is white, with blue fringe and silk hangers to correspond; there are handsome silver lamps, snake loops, and heraldic ornaments. Messrs. Ivall and Large, Victoria Street, are the builders.

The will of David James Ivall, dated 30^th January 1873 describes him as “of Victoria Street, Westminster, Coachbuilder”. He died later that year, thus ending the Ivall family’s connection with the firm (although the Ivall name was retained for continuity). William Collins Large continued to run the firm, forming a new partnership with William Alfred Parton in 1874.

An advert for Ivall and Large, Carriage and Harness Manufacturers published in the 1879 edition of Burke’s Landed Gentry.

The following item appeared in the London Gazette dated 8 February 1887:

Notice is hereby given that the Partnership which has for some time past been carried on by William Collins Large and William Alfred Parton, under the firm of Ivall and Large, at 390 and 392 Oxford Street, 10 to 13 Bird Street and 125 Gloucester Rd, South Kensington, in the business of Coach Builders and Harness Makers, was dissolved on Feb 5^th 1887. Wm C Large, W Alf Parton.

The National Archive at Kew has Company Records for Ivall, Large, Dodson and Co. An attempt was made to form this company in 1892 by the merger of Ivall and Large, coach builders with Alexander Dodson, omnibus builder. The nominal capital of the new company was to be £30,000 arising from the offer 3,000 shares of £10 each. The directors of the new company were to be William Collins Large, coachbuilder, Charles John Jones, a director of Blundell, London, Copper and Brass Work, Ltd, William Alfred Large, architect and Edgar Charles Large, carriage builder. Alexander Dodson was to be the manager of the Dodson works and Edgar Charles Large the manager of Ivall and Large. The Certificate of Incorporation was dated 20 September 1892. However, there is a letter in the file dated 2 June 1894 to the Companies Registration Office saying “….we beg to say that as no capital was subscribed, this Company (ie Ivall, Large and Dodson) was never started and in consequence both businesses were sold by auction last year.” Elsewhere in the file it says that the firm of Ivall and Large was bought by Holland and Holland, 479 Oxford Street.

In Old Sydney Town, Somersby, NSW, Australia there is an example of a barouche coach made in 1897 by Ivall and Large for the Maharajah of Mysore in India. It is used as transport for weddings. A photo of the coach is shown below.

 The London Post Office and Business Directories have the following entries which show the changing address of the business over the years :

Year	Entry
1841	David Ivall & Co, coach and harness makers, 158 Tottenham Court Rd
1851	David Ivall, coach and harness makers, 158 Tottenham Court Rd and 18 Cardington St, Hampstead Rd
1852	Martha Ivall (Mrs), coach and harness maker, 158 Tottenham Court Rd and 18 Cardington St, Hampstead Rd
1855	Martha Ivall (Mrs), coach and harness maker, 18 Cardington St, Hampstead Rd Ivall and Large, coach and harness makers, 158 Tottenham Court Rd
1856	Ivall and Large, coach and harness makers, 158 Tottenham Court Rd
1862	Ivall and Large, coach and harness maker, 56 South Audley St and 125 Piccadilly
1871	Ivall and Large, carriage and harness maker, Victoria St, Westminster
1882	Ivall and Large, carriage builders, Victoria St, Westminster
1884	Ivall and Large, carriage builders, 390 and 392 Oxford St, 10-13 Bird St, Oxford St & Cobrg Row
1892	Ivall and Large, carriage builders, 390 and 392 Oxford St, manufacturing 10,11,12 &13 Bird St, Oxford St
1902	Ivall and Large, carriage builders, 479 to 483 Oxford St
1912	Ivall and Large, carriage builders, 479 to 483 Oxford St

The last record of Ivall and Large is in 1912 (they are not listed in the 1913 directory).

Ann Maria Cheek / Howe nee Ivall (1865-1946)

The subject of this biography was a great grand-daughter of Charles Ivall (1779-1832), who was a brother of my ancestor Thomas Ivall (1781-1835). This posting is based on information supplied by Ann Maria’s great grand-daughter, Mary Harrison.

Ann(ie) Maria Ivall was born on 6 April 1865 in Basingstoke, the fourth of seven children of Henry Charles Ivall and his wife Mary Ann (nee Palmer). In 1871 they were living in Winton Road, Basingstoke. The family consisted of Henry (43, a carpenter and joiner), his wife Mary Ann (36) and their children Ellen Louisa (12), Alice Emma (8), Ann Maria (6), Henry Charles (3).

By 1881 the family had moved to Church Street, Dorking and Annie was a servant at West Lees Farm, Logmore nearby. She went to Leyton in the East End of London where she married Benjamin James Cheek on 12th May 1887 at Leyton Parish Church. Annie was 22, he was 26.  Benjamin, who was born in Great Dunmow in Essex, had moved to the East End looking for gardening work. He had a troubled childhood, his father was a parish clerk and a cabinet maker (like her own father) but Benjamin's father became a drunk and seemed to be suffering from a mental disorder. It was reported in the local paper that he had threatened to kill Benjamin.  He ended up in a lunatic asylum as did Benjamin's sister. By the time Annie and Benjamin were married both his parents had died.

Annie and Benjamin's first child was born on 12 June 1888. She was called Florence Annie Melita (known as Flo), their address then was 1 Sidney Terrace, Park Road, Leyton.  It wasn't long before they were on the move, as was to be the pattern for their life together. Benjamin had put an advert in the Times on 7 August 1890 looking for work. It shows his address then as The Lodge, Sheppey Court on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent. A family story has it that, as an under gardener, he would get the sack first when times were tough. The next move was to Lichfield in Staffordshire where the 1891 census shows they lived at the Friary Cottage and where their son George Henry was born in Q2 1891. Within four years the owner of the Friary died and they moved to Calne in Wiltshire where their daughter Nellie Beatrice was born on 5 October 1894 (at The Green, Calne) and Mary’s grandfather Alfred William Reginald was born on 17 May 1898 (at London Road, Calne). Benjamin worked for Miss Gabriel who was a well-known local benefactor. During this time Annie and Benjamin lost their son George. He was found drowned in the River Marden (which runs through Calne), coincidentally the same year 1899 as David and William Crouch (Louisa Ivall's sons), who also died in a drowning accident. A report in the Devizes and Wiltshire Gazette dated June 1^st 1899 said that Benjamin had sent his son to the river. Benjamin vehemently refuted this in a response in the following week's newspaper.

Miss Gabriel died in 1900 and Benjamin and Annie were on the move again, this time to Hampshire - 120 Clayhall Road, Alverstoke (near Gosport). The 1901 census shows Benjamin (40, a gardener, domestic), his wife Annie (35) and their children Florence (12), Nellie (6) and Alfred (2) at this address. This stay didn't last long either. Mary has a piece of paper that is thought to list of the places where they lived - there were several on the Isle of Wight mentioned. Happiness did not come to Annie’s family as Benjamin died of phthisis (TB) aged 45 on 25 May 1906. Their address then was 33 Cecil Avenue, Shirley.

In the 1911 census Annie (aged 45) and her children Nellie (16) and Alfred (12, known as Reg) were living at 51 Francis Avenue, Southsea. Annie ran her home as a boarding house. Flo had two rooms there, having just married Robert West. Annie moved again several more times. Mary understands that her grandfather Reg had rickets and was often hungry. He told Mary's mother that he was brought up by his elder sister Flo.

On September 27th 1914, Annie married Walter Thomas Howe at All Saints Church, Leyton. He was aged 51, a widower and  a postman from Walthamstow in East London - perhaps he worked with William Frank Ivall (also a postman), Annie's brother. She was aged 49. The address on their marriage certificate was shown as 127 Skeltons Lane Leyton.

Annie Maria (56) and Walter Thomas Howe (58) were living at 150 Guildford Road, Fratton, Portsmouth on the 1921 census. Annie's occupation was described as Home Duties and Walter was shown as a retired Postman. They were occupying one room at the property.

Annie and Walter Howe eventually settled in Southsea, Hampshire. The national register compiled in 1939 shows Annie and Walter (a retired postman) living at 18 Graham Road, Southsea.

Annie and Walter at their home in Graham Road, Southsea

Annie passed down a pedigree that showed she was related to the Wests who had set up a charitable trust for the poor and Christ’s Hospital school. We don't know whether she availed herself of any benefits from that. She also passed on the story that she was related to the Palmers of biscuit fame, but this is unconfirmed.

Annie Maria Howe with her grand-daughter Joyce West, c 1935

Annie’s house was damaged by bombing during WW2 and so she moved back to Alverstoke. Walter her second husband died in 1941 aged 78 and Annie died aged 80 on 9 January 1946. Probate records show that her final address was 27 Village Road, Alverstoke and that administration of her estate (£809 3s 7d) was granted to Florence West, her daughter. Walter and Annie are buried in Highland Road Cemetery, Southsea (plot B, row 22, grave 19). There is no marker on the grave.

Daniel Durnford Ivall OBE (1905-2000) , senior fire officer

Daniel Durnford Ivall was a great grandson of Robert Thomas Ivall (1812-1865), the elder brother of David Ivall (1816-1867), my great great grandfather.

Daniel was born 19 December 1905 in Dulwich, SE London, the youngest of three children born to Robert Thomas Owen Ivall (1876-1953) and Florence Sarah Ivall nee Durnford (1876-1974). Daniel Durnford was the name of Florence’s father. The 1911 census shows Robert Ivall (aged 35, a fireman) his wife Florence (35) and children Robert (8), Florence (7) and Daniel (5) living at 199 Perry Vale, Forest Hill in SE London.

British Postal Service Appointment Books show that Daniel was appointed as a certified wireless watcher in August 1922. Soon after this he joined the Merchant Navy, as had his father and brother. The New York Passenger Lists record Daniel's arrival on 7 October 1922 aged 16 years and 9 months, as a seaman on board a ship called Cambridge. His height was 5 foot 8 inches and his weight 9 stones. Merchant Navy records show that he was discharged from this ship at Falmouth on 22 May 1923. His description was eyes brown, hair brown, complexion pale. 

Merchant Navy record card

In 1925, when aged 20, he left the Merchant Navy and joined the London Fire Brigade, as had his father (who was a fireman for 26 years and retired in 1924 as a Sub Officer) and elder brother Robert Daniel Ivall (1902-92). Daniel grew to a height of 6 foot 3 inches, became the British Fire Service and Police Heavyweight Boxing Champion and also won prizes for rowing and putting the shot.

On 16 June 1934 Daniel married Edith Thelma Wigzell at St Martin’s Church in Ruislip. He was aged 28, a fireman officer and she was 21, a clerk. After their marriage they lived in Shenley Avenue, Ruislip Manor (on the western edge of London). Daniel and Edith had a son and a daughter. Their son has written an autobiography (The Spirit Within published in 2006) in which he describes his father as being very strict.

The 1939 national register shows Daniel as a station officer at the London Fire Brigade Headquarters on Albert Embankment, Lambeth. His wife Edith was is shown at The Royal Oak, Andover, Hampshire in the household of Frederick R Welham, a licensed victualler. Presumably she had moved there to get away from the bombing of London that was expected. 

Daniel fought fires during the London blitz. The BBC WW2 People’s War archives contain memoirs of a fireman called Clarence Palmer. They include the following

On December 29th 1940, the fire services of Greater London went into battle against the German Luftwaffe and Won! On December 29th 1940, Reichsmarshall Goering tried to make good his threat to burn England into submission…and lost. For December 29th 1940, was the date of the great fire-blitz over London, the date of one of democracy’s greatest victories over the Axis tyrants. Three men at that fateful night were District Officer Chief Daniel Ivall, Auxiliary Fireman Rudolf Heybrook and Auxiliary Fireman Clarence Palmer. By the time they had reached the first fires they realized it was different. There was the noise of explosive bombs and fire engines in the background. They tried to get onto the roof, it was ablaze in ten different places, the sky was raining fire but more importantly the flames over the centre of the city. It was two hours before those first fires were bought under control; they received an urgent call to go to the Square Mile heart of the City of London. Two heavy falls of bombs had started conflagrations north and south of the Guildhall, every available piece of equipment in the area was fighting them. Flames and smoke billowed skyward, marking the target for explosive bombs.

In 1941 Daniel was sent to the USA and Canada with two auxiliary firemen : Rudolph Haybrook (a portrait artist) and Clarence Palmer (an interior designer and decorator) to give lectures to the N American fire services on what London fire-fighters had learned from the blitz. Pathe News reported their departure – a film clip can be viewed (for free) at http://www.britishpathe.com/video/london-firemen-to-tour-america/query/Ivall. The firemen arrived in New York on 19 May 1941 and did a 36,000 mile tour of the continent. Several American newspapers reported their visit. The photo below shows their reception at New Haven, Connecticut.

  The caption read Three British firemen, here to tell Americans how to extinguish incendiary bombs and other flaming tokens of total war, are shown as they were greeted this morning at City Hall by Mayor John W Murphy. Left to right: Mayor Murphy, Clarence Palmer, Rudolph Haybrook and Daniel Ivall.

They returned to Britain a year later, arriving back at Liverpool on 16 June 1942.

Daniel became Assistant Fire Force Commander of No 37 (London) Fire Force. He was awarded the King’s Police and Fire Services Medal for Distinguished Service in 1948

After the war, Daniel became assistant chief officer of the Middlesex Fire Brigade. He played a leading role in the rescue following the Harrow Train Crash on 8 October 1952. The Times printed the following story about the crash the next day.

Many die as three trains crash at Harrow

At least 85 people have been killed and more than 200 injured in the country's worst peacetime rail crash. The accident happened at 0820 GMT at Harrow, a north-west suburb of London. A London-bound express train from Perth ploughed into the back of the 0731 Tring-Euston commuter train as it was about to leave Harrow and Wealdstone station, on the London Midland region line. Seconds later, a third train coming from Euston crashed into the wreckage.

Survivors described hearing a deafening sound like an explosion and then broken glass and debris flying everywhere. John Bannister of Harrow was in the local train in a coach just under the footbridge at the time of the accident. He told The Times newspaper: "It all happened in a second. There was a terrible crash and glass and debris showered on me." He added: "I blacked out for a moment and when I came round I found I was lying on the line with debris on top of me. I managed to free myself and drag myself on to the platform."

There were about 1,000 passengers aboard all three trains, with most casaulities at the rear end of the Tring commuter train and the front coaches of the two express trains. Some of the victims were on the platform as carriages full of commuters were hurled onto them. Others were killed on a footbridge over the track that was punctured by a pile of coaches 30-foot (9 metres) high.

Residents help rescuers

Rescue workers are battling to free survivors still trapped in carriages at the bottom of the pile-up. Fire-fighters and police have been joined by railway workers and local residents. The middle section of the footbridge has been cut away to free up the front two coaches of the local train which seem relatively undamaged. Other coaches have been cut through to bring out survivors and the dead. Police officers occasionally shouted or blew their whistles for silence to listen for any signs of survivors in the wreckage.

The Queen and the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, have sent messages of sympathy to the victims and the bereaved.

  

A total of 108 passengers and four rail crew were killed and nearly 340 people injured. It later emerged that the driver of the sleeper train from Perth had passed two signals at danger when it ran into the Tring-Euston commuter train at about 60mph. Daniel was awarded an OBE in 1953 for his work at the crash and his contribution to the Fire Service.

Daniel and Edith moved to 30 Larne Road, Ruislip in about 1958 (they inherited the house from Edith’s mother, who lived there). Daniel retired from the Fire Brigade in 1959 aged 54 after 34 years service and then spent 10 years as an Assistant Inspector of Fire Services at the Home Office. The Imperial Calendar (an annual list of salaried Civil Servants), lists D.D. Ivall OBE at this post from 1960 to 1971. In 1988 Daniel and his wife, Edith, moved from Ruislip to Bridport in Dorset, where he died in 2000 aged 94. Edith died in 2008 aged 96.

The Estate of Thomas Ivall (1781-1835)

Thomas Ivall (1781-1835) was my great, great, great grandfather. The distribution of the residue of his estate after the death of his wife in 1866 seems to have resulted in some friction within the family !

Thomas’s will (dated 5 May 1835, he died on 6 June 1835) left £50 immediately after his death to his wife Jane and each of his three surviving children. His children were also left £500 each when they reached 21, with the residue to be invested to provide an income for his wife until her death or remarriage when the remaining funds were to be divided between Thomas‘s children. If any of his children were dead at this time then their share would go to their children. The executors of the will were Jane Ivall and her eldest son Robert Thomas Ivall. The estate duty record of the will values his estate “at less than £4,000”.

The website http://www.measuringworth.com/ukcompare/ can be used to get an idea of the relative worth of the sums above in current terms.  The website calculates an answer in five different ways, resulting in widely different results. However, probably the most valid calculation is by comparison with an index of average earnings. This says that £500 in 1835 was equivalent to £366,000 in 2010 (the latest date for which data are available on the website). It can be seen therefore that Thomas was a wealthy man and that his children were comfortably off when they reached the age of 21 (and received their £500 inheritance).

Thomas’s children at the time of his death were Robert Thomas, Louisa and David. All reached the age of 21 so would have each received £500. Louisa died in 1847 (aged 33) and Robert Thomas in 1865 (aged 52). When Thomas’s wife Jane died in Q1 1866, only David (my ancestor) was still alive. The probate records show that letters of administration for Thomas Ivall’s estate were issued to David in 1866. The size of the estate is stated “as less than £1,000”.

A letter dated 12^th April 1866 was sent to Thomas Ivall (1837-1908), the eldest son of Robert Thomas Ivall by Robert A Ward (a solicitor). It says

“Your grandfather left by will a residue of £1800 upon trust to pay his widow the income during her life and at her death to divide it into thirds: one to each of his children and provided that if either of his children should die in the lifetime of the mother, the share of the child so dying should be payable among his children. Your father died before your grandmother and in my opinion you are entitled to a share, notwithstanding that your father received and spent his share in his life time. I am told you are ready to give up your share in favour of your uncle (presumably David Ivall) and cousin Miss Luker (Emily Louisa Luker, the only daughter of Louisa Ivall). But I must have a letter from you to that effect before I can act upon it. Your share will be about £60. Let me hear what your wishes are.”

It seems that Thomas was not happy with the way that David was administering his grandfather’s estate. Thomas and his brother Robert Ivall (1840-97) filed a case against David Ivall at the Court of Chancery. The records are held at the National Archives at Kew. The first hearing was on 9^th May 1866 before Mr Disraeli, who ordered that the case be adjourned whilst enquiries were made regarding Thomas Ivall’s estate, debts, creditors, funeral expenses and any legacies already given. As a result, an item appeared in the London Gazette of June 5, 1866 asking anyone with claims against the estate of Thomas Ivall to send their names to Robert Ward of Maidenhead, Berks, solicitor to the defendant (ie David Ivall) before 2^nd July 1866.

A further hearing was held on 23 July 1866 before Mr Colville. He ordered David Ivall to transfer the £1125 in 3% annuities remaining from Thomas Ivall’s estate to an account managed by the Accountant General. Any interest was to be used to purchase more annuities.

A hearing on 13 February 1867 before Mr King ordered £1,125 plus £50 already paid to David Ivall minus legal costs and death duty to be divided into three equal parts. One part was to be paid to David Ivall, one part to Emily Louisa Luker (then aged 19) and the third part to be divided between the 7 surviving children of Robert Thomas Ivall. These were Thomas (aged 29 in February 1867), Robert (26), Jane (25, wife of John Bampton), Marion (22), Owen (20), Louisa (18) and Harriett (16). This outcome doesn’t seem very fair to me, as Robert Thomas Ivall had received his share of the residue when he was alive !

There was another hearing on 5^th July 1867 before Mr King. He authorized the payment of £44 1s 7d (£40 10s 8d after solicitors costs were paid) each to John Bampton on behalf of Jane his wife, Marion and Owen Ivall (who was 21 by then).

Further hearings on 10 March 1869 and 9 November 1871 instructed that £40 11s 8d be paid to Louisa and Harriett Ivall as they reached the age of 21. Their solicitor Charles Edward Abbott was paid £6 each time.

The fact that Thomas and Robert Ivall asked for the Court of Chancery to administer the estate of their grandfather Thomas Ivall might indicate that they did not trust their uncle David Ivall to do it properly. Dennis Ivall recorded a family story that David was a heavy drinker – if true, this may be the reason. It seems to have been relatively common for the Court of Chancery to administer wills, the disadvantage being that legal costs consumed a significant percentage of the estate.

The main beneficiaries of the will died shortly after they received their allocation. David Ivall died on 30 September 1867 aged 51 and Emily Louisa Luker in 1870 aged 23.