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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Cornwall => England => Cornwall Lookup Requests => Topic started by: m23to53 on Friday 11 November 16 09:41 GMT (UK)
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I am trying to identify a Donald Cresswell and his wife who were living in Peter's Cottage, Sennen Cove in the period 1951 to 1956. Is it possible for anyone to help me with who was living at the address during the period on the electoral rolls.
Cresswell was an actor and author of pulp thrillers, aged about 36 according to a Jamuary 1952 newspaper article reporting his disappearance from his home - and subsequent discovery a few days later.
I know that in 1950 he was living in Littlehampton in Sussex with a Lilian Cresswell/Leila Forde, actress and playwright who I assume to be his mother as she was born in 1895. He is again living with her in London around 1957 according to electoral rolls, then 'disappears'.
From his age the only suspect in the BMD records is a Donald Graham Cresswell, 1916-1976 - his death registration the only record I can find for him and thus no way of knowing if he is the Cresswell in Cornwall. Also no Donald Cresswell on 1939 register and his first reported stage appearance seems to be 1944.
Finding him on the electoral roll therefore could be the only way to identify him, perhaps with amiddle name/initial and his wife's name - hopefulluy not Leila/Lilian!
ill be very grateful if anyone can help me with this puzzle.
Thanks
John
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Is this the death of 'Leila' Cresswell
Deaths Sep 1975
Leila CRESSWELL
born 12Feb 1895
STEVENAGE 10 829
Probate Leila / otherwise Lilian Mary of 36 Gondar Gardens, London NW6. Died 8th July 1975 Probate London. The will may mention him and give an address :-\
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From his age the only suspect in the BMD records is a Donald Graham Cresswell, 1916-1976 - his death registration the only record I can find for him and thus no way of knowing if he is the Cresswell in Cornwall. Also no Donald Cresswell on 1939 register and his first reported stage appearance seems to be 1944.
Is this the death you mean :-\
Donald Graham Cresswell
Birth 8 Sep 1916
Death Registration June qtr 1980
Age at Death 63
Reg High Peak, Derbyshire
Vol 6 Page 1016
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It is possible that this is the Donald in Sennen Cove
Donald Rosslyn Cresswell
BIRTH 10 Oct 1928
DEATH March qtr 2006 - Penzance, Cornwall
Possible birth from freebmd
Births Dec 1928
Cresswell Donald R mmn Sisson
Basford reg dist 7b 294
Marriage in Basford June 1917 between George Cresswell & Gertie Sisson
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Not sure if this will help your search or not, but this https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=NDQhAQAAIAAJ&pg=RA1-PA102&lpg=RA1-PA102&dq=%22Leila+Forde%22&source=bl&ots=UgD-_mJlih&sig=hk1iHD7P_SRd11iukgF-gsyaNu8&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=%22Leila%20Forde%22&f=false
gives another alternative name for Leila/Lilian - Leila Iris Mary Cresswell
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1948 - Donald and Leila Cresswell at 5 New Row in Covent Garden ward.
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I realise this is moving slightly away from the original request, but on a whim I looked up Elfrieda Pearce on the 1939 register (she was living with Leila Cresswell at 36 Gondar Gardens on various electoral rolls). Look for the one that gives a birth year of 1919, living in Oxford. The transcription may give you some more answers about Leila.
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I realise this is moving slightly away from the original request, but on a whim I looked up Elfrieda Pearce on the 1939 register (she was living with Leila Cresswell at 36 Gondar Gardens on various electoral rolls). Look for the one that gives a birth year of 1919, living in Oxford. The transcription may give you some more answers about Leila.
Good find ;D It is a shame that the actual image does not show all of the residents showing on the transcript or their birth dates, I have reported it as poor image
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The newspaper articles said aged 36, which seems a bit way out if he was born 1928. And Donald was on stage in the mid-1940s. No indication he was a child actor.
The Lilian Creswell he is living with before and after Cornwall is Lilian Mary Cresswell, 1895-1975 whose death is also registered as Leila Forde (her acting and play writing name) and Leila Cresswell. As with Donald no trace of her before 1940s though I believe she is the Leila Cresswell on 1939 Register born 1905 though with same birthday of 12 February. -original entry says Lilian Forde, crossed out and Lilian Cresswell added, as well as Leila. I say Lilian Cresswell though the black line hiding the line above partially hides what I assume to be Lilian. Register says she is single, but may be her status as the time. No idea of her origin/ maiden name - could be Forde? And what relation is she to Donald. Married, though with a 20 year age difference? Mother? or other relation.
I suppose it possible that the 1916 birth was outside the UK, somewhere where BMD records are not readily available.
Ah, Elfrieda Pullen is opening a new line. According to a family tree she was born Lilian Elfrieda Ruth Mary Pullen 23 September 1919 to James William Pullen and his wife Lilian Mary, nee Lewis who according to a family tree has the same dates as Lilian Cresswell!
You may have found her but I need to do some work here.
Thanks
John
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Do you have Leila / Lilians will :-\
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Ah, Elfrieda Pullen is opening a new line. According to a family tree she was born Lilian Elfrieda Ruth Mary Pullen 23 September 1919 to James William Pullen and his wife Lilian Mary, nee Lewis who according to a family tree has the same dates as Lilian Cresswell!
You may have found her but I need to do some work here.
Thanks
John
James W Pullen married Lilian in Jun qtr 1916, Bangor 11b 719 - wonder if the fact they married in 1916 is significant with regard to Donald?
Lilian E M R L Pullen was born in Bangor (Dec qtr 1919 11b 756), but there are no other obvious 'our' Pullen/Lewis children
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No. The probate index has her as Lilian Mary Cresswell aka Leila. I think a copy would be useful . Am also emailimng the owner of the tree to see what he says.
No other Lilian Mary with that birth date in the records. And Elfrieda died in the Stevenage area, where Lilian died, in 2004.
If Lilian MaryCresswell does not equal Lillian Mary Lewis, its one heck of a coincidence!
Question is, is Gordon F Pearce the Donald Cresswell I am after. One possibility is Gordon Frank Pearce, 1915 to 1988 in Hampshire.
Thanks
John
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Now that would be an interesting idea RE: Gordon being Donald.
Elfrieda Pullen married Gordon F Pearce Dec qtr 1950 in Hampstead - could be worth getting the marriage cert to see what job he does?
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May be a Red Herring but:
The decree nisi for divorce granted on July 17th 1933 to Mr James William Pullen, whose address was then given as Albany Road, Blackburn, was today made absolute by Mr Justice Langton in the Divorce Division
(29 Jan 1934, Lancashire Evening Post)
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Think you should see this http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C8068413
a new alias for Donald? Victor Cornea?
May be going off on a complete tangent, so forgive me if this turns out to be bunkum!
Just having a mosey around Victor Cornea to see if I can get to the bottom of him. He appears to be a journalist, bn in Nov 1901/1902. I think he marries twice - Helen McConomy and Rose Vargolici and he dies in 1977. I can't really see when he appears - the divorce case may well be the first time so 1932ish). He is pretty easily found on 1939 index, and his death is equally visible.
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I may just be seeing Donalds everywhere ;) but Helen McCnomy (note spelling ;) ) can be found on the 1939 index. There is a Donald J A McCnomy bn 24 Oct 1912 with her (haven't checked yet to see if this is brother) - probably just a coincidence though.
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Tanks to the tip, I can tell you that Lillian/Leila Cresswell was definitely born Lilian Mary Lewis, married William James Pullen who divorced her in 1932, and died in 1975 as Leila/Lilian Cresswell.
I have been in touch with a family member who tells me that the family believe that Lilian married Donald Cresswell c1947, though no such marriage found. Perhaps began living together is the truth and she adopting his surname. She added that Lilian was somewhat eccentric and treated her daughter Elfrieda as a sister, thinking that being her mother might harm her acting career.
We known that Elfrieda Pullen married a Gordon F Pearce in 1950. They are together in Linden Ave, London on the 1930 electoral rolls. But from the 1952 roll Elfrieda Pearce is living by herself at 36 Gondar Gardens, London, joined on the 1955 roll by Donald and Leila/Lillian Cresswell. Lilian remains there the rest of her life, Elfrieda leaves by the time she remarried in 1959 (incidentally, the family believe because Gordon has died though no such death found), and Donald leaves c1958.
So Lilian/Leila is identified and Donald Cresswell remains a mystery. As does Gordon F Pearce, whose marriage to Elfrieda seems to be over within a year or so, and the family seem to know little about him. Therere three possible Gordon F Pearce born 1915-1922 who may have married Elfrieda, assuming he was around her age.
The family say Donald Cresswell is a mystery to them, and I fear he may remain so to us.
Thanks
John
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You may have already found this on the Internet, but if you case you haven't ...
https://bearalley.blogspot.co.uk/2009/11/donald-cresswell.html
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I realise this is moving slightly away from the original request, but on a whim I looked up Elfrieda Pearce on the 1939 register (she was living with Leila Cresswell at 36 Gondar Gardens on various electoral rolls). Look for the one that gives a birth year of 1919, living in Oxford. The transcription may give you some more answers about Leila.
Good find ;D It is a shame that the actual image does not show all of the residents showing on the transcript or their birth dates, I have reported it as poor image
Just dropping in to say that the image has been 'cleaned' and it is possible to see all members of the household now. I don't understand all the codes that are around the names, but it might be worth seeing if anyone can decipher some of them (I can work out that Leila and Elfrieda were ARP wardens, but that's about it!!)