George GUMBLETON

William and Martha lived with William's father, Samuel but Martha died in 1850, when George was about 7. The 1851 census shows George living with his grandfather, father and three brothers, Morgan, Thomas and Benjamin in West Grimstead. At the end of that year, George's father was married again, to Mary Miles. Samuel, the grandfather, died in 1853, and the 1861 shows William, his new wife Mary, and George living in West Grimstead, probably in the same cottage that was occupied by Samuel. George was by this time working as an agricultural labourer.

The 1871 census lists their house as Spring Cottage, Main St. West Grimstead. William, Mary and George were still there (George still an agricultural labourer) and Flora Gumbleton, George's niece, was working there as a servant.

In 1872, George married Elizabeth Spicknell at the neighbouring parish of Alderbury. It appears that Elizabeth Spicknell must have been a widow, with three children. In 1881 George and Elizabeth, along with these three Spicknell children and George's own four children were living "near the Three Crowns, Alderbury". The Three Crowns Inn is supposedly named after an occasion when King John was joined by the Kings of France and Scotland to quench their thirst there!

In 1991, their abode was listed as Spring Cottage Inn, West Grimstead but was probably the same placeas the previous census. George was listed as a general labourer. A directory from about 1895 lists "Spring Cottage Inn. G. Gumbleton, West Grimstead, Salisbury" so presumably George was the innkeeper. Wiliiam, George's father, died in 1897 and was buried at West Grimstead.

In the 1901 census, George was shown as the innkeeper at "The Crown" inn but, by 1911, he was a farm labourer again, at the nearby parish of East Grimstead. George's wife, Elizabeth died in 1922 and George himself in 1924, in the Salisbury Registration District.