assistance regarding how my grandparents met

[half-spanish]

Thank you Rosie99 for that comment, but my "logical" mind is saying no to local and regional newspaper advertisements in this case. Placing an advertisement would still have cost the prospective employer family money, so why pay whatever fee many times over to reach a wide audience when you could do it once - maybe at a higher cost for the advertisement - for placement in a national newspaper?! Best wishes, Carlos

[rosie99]

Looking at Situations vacant in The Times for that period the majority of 'household' jobs are for Cooks, Butlers and higher positions in London & the surrounding counties.

[half-spanish]

Rosie99. You mention the surrounding counties. Are you just talking counties like Kent, Essex and Middlesex, or also the well known healthy fresh air retreats of the era like Brighton, Bognor, and indeed the Pine scented seaside resort of Bournemouth!? I know for example that a substantial, but not large property about five minutes walk from where I live was owned by a Lord at that era. Also you mention the adverts were for senior staff. I believe the coachman, and to a certain extent the gardener were classed as "senior" staff; which could point to the fact that despite her father still appearing on the electoral role of 1909 and 1910 at the now widowed Cecilia Vidal's home - which she continued to live in right up to her own demise; maybe the whole family had already left their employment with the Vidals'; and obtained a position in the Bournemouth/Poole area by the time of their daughter's (my grandmother) marriage in 1908. Best wishes, Carlos

[rosie99]

Rosie99. You mention the surrounding counties. Are you just talking counties like Kent, Essex and Middlesex,

Yes 

I would think it quite possible that although Thomas was showing on the electoral registers in 1909/1910 Sydenham he was already resident in Poole.  If no return for the household was made the records could just 'roll over'  to the next year.

[half-spanish]

Rosie99. Thank you for that comment. I was not aware of the "rollover possibility" of the electoral register. It has always been the "timing of events in relation to beaurocratic issues" that has made it difficult for me to get some idea - I realise that I will never get the true picture but if I can get a "most likely" scenario! My grandmother was born approximately two years after her parents married. Her mother was the daughter of a boot and shoe manufacturer - so at least she had (as the daughter of a craftsman) a "safe" childhood. They married "by banns" a week after her husband completed his official twelve year service period in the service of Queen and country; he was a corporal in a cavalry regiment. When George Vidal and his family retired back to England in 1897 they would want to employ - as would anyone else - a gentleman who was smart and knew how to look after and use horses for the coachman's role. Obviously an ex cavalryman who had a bit of seniority is an ideal qualification for the post. The property that George Vidal purchased was built about 1871 and was called "The Roccles" - he renamed it "Torrington". A while before he purchased it, it was up for sale and the newspaper advertisement gives it as having 12 bedrooms, stables and a separate two story coach-house; amongst other things.  When his widow Cecilia dies, the newspaper advertisement states it has 8 Bedrooms, 3 secondary Bedrooms, Garage, Stables, and a separate two story cottage in the grounds; amongst other things. From this it is obvious that those 12 bedrooms of the earlier advert would have been 8 bedrooms and 4 secondary bedrooms and the 1901 census bears this out for it shows four servants living in the house. The ordnance survey large scale map of the area indicates that at both front and back of the property there is an outside staircase which - given the upstairs/downstairs demarcation of the era - indicates that these servants bedrooms were on the ground floor of the building, and one was converted into the garage at some time! The Coachman and his family are shown on that census as living in "The Stables", which was the only dry place for them as "the Two story coach house at 63 West Hill was all but destroyed by fire in December 1900" as per a newspaper report! So it seems that the separate two story cottage of the later advertisement was built on the sight of that original coach house and became the coachman's families new home!; for those electoral role entries show him as living at "The Lodge" at 63 West Hill.
As you can see from the above I am not one to just be satisfied with names and dates on a piece of paper, I prefer to get as complete a picture as possible, which is why I want to get a "most probable" picture of how my grandparents came to meet and marry. If they had already left the Vidal's employment and were already living in the Poole area when my grandparents married, where should I look to try and prove this? Best wishes, Carlos