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I have reached the dreaded brick wall looking for my gt-grandmother Catherine Emily Marion Fordham, prior to her marriage in 1907, Brentwood, Essex , aged 29, to my gt-grandfather George Sawyer.  She was living at St Barnabas House (or Home) in Brentwood and her father’s name is shown as Walter Fordham with the occupation field blank.  We know they met in Sevenoaks where my gt-grandfather worked as a jeweller.

There was a Catherine Fordham born in the Newmarket Union Workhouse in Exning in 1877 but we can find no trace of her after that date.  Her birth certificate leaves the father column blank.

My mother was told that Catherine’s father was the coachman to a well off family and that she was ‘adopted’ by that family who possibly had the name Gray.  Mum says that Catherine was not able to cook or clean and had nannies to cope with the children which substantiates that story.

One of the witnesses to Catherine’s marriage to George Sawyer turned out to be Kythe Louisa Haselgrove, nee Gray.  The Grays lived at Wembley Park , Harrow and fit the description of a ‘well off' family but research into the Gray family does not reveal anybody who could be our Catherine.  Another witness was R Melvill Beachcroft, later Sir Melvill Beachcroft, whose work with the conditions of the poor makes him a very high profile witness to what was really a very low profile wedding.

Whilst following up on Fordham births and deaths, we encountered Ivy Kythe Fordham (born and died 1881) in Mile End, London .  We feel that the name Kythe is so unusual that there must be some connection with this Fordham family and Kythe Haselgrove nee Gray who was a witness at Catherine’s marriage, but we cannot find it, or any link to our Catherine.

Catherine named her first son Leslie Haselgrove and her second (my grandfather) John Walter and we suspect Kythe Haselgrove left part of her estate to Catherine so the will might be useful – if we could only find it. 

Interestingly, my mother, whose recollections have been quite accurate, was very surprised to hear that Catherine’s surname was Fordham.

The final mysterious point is that although she died as recently as the 1950s (we think about 1956) we cannot find her death registration. 

Any help or clues to finding Catherine Emily Marion Fordham –if indeed that was her name, would be greatly appreciated!