Please date this old lady

[Mimble]

Yes I see your point but I  remain convinced my photo is of Grace. The evidence is this: I have only two pictures of my father's English family, as his parents emigrated to South Africa in 1920. One of them is of his grandmother, Betsey Staddon (written on the back) the other of this lady, I now know definitely taken in Luccombe or close by. We know pictures of the family have been taken in the past (as seen in the books), the lady has the same stance exactly as the younger Grace Rawle (except for a slight stoop from age), she has the same deep set eyes and quirky mouth, perhaps frowning slightly from the bright light in my picture, the same severe parting. As his grandmother her picture would have been saved by my grandfather with the picture of his mother and passed down to us (my grandfather died relatively early which is why the picture could not be identified later).  The odds are too great for it to be anyone else, in my opinion, but maybe we shall never know...
Thanks for your comments and interest,
Mary

[Mimble]

Well! I was wrong. I wrote to Graham Haw, the author of The Book Of Luccombe & Selworthy, and he replied:
The photo you attached to your email was taken outside the door of the cottage opposite to where I live in Horner. The cottage is called Mill Cottage. The colour photo of stonework (attached) shows the stonework of the right hand side pillar - to the right of the woman's ear on your photo, and matches exactly. I think the date of around the first world war for the photo is about right. The other photo is of the cottage taken about 1930. Originally both front doors of the L shaped cottages (semis) opened onto the same path but at right-angles to each other. The doorway in your photo is now no longer used and the path has been grassed over. The woman could still be a relative, maybe one of the sisters. The earliest tenants name of the cottage that I know of is COURT. Do you know who the sisters married?
 Regards
Graham Haw

I looked up the Courts in the 1901 census and Mary Court was born in 1848. Could she have been Mary Staddon, sister of great grandmother Betsey, who was born in 1847?
The plot thickens - but how amazing is that, to find the exact doorway?
Mary

[silvery]

Well !!!!!!!!

June 1870  ref:  Williton 5c 513

John Court marriage to Mary Staddon.

There is only the one couple, so no doubt at all.


How amazing!!

[Mimble]

So this lady is my great great aunt, Mary Court, nee Staddon b. 1847 in Luccombe, sister of Betsey my great grandmother. How wonderful, and thank you all so much for all your help with this puzzle. It just shows, that it is possible with detective work and co-operation for these things to be solved, and how interesting and fascinating it has been.

Regards
Mary

[silvery]

You could trace them through.......

1881 John 36, farm labourer, Mary 34, William 4, living Selworthy Cottage
1891 John 46,                        Mary 43, William 14, James 8
1901 John 56                         Mary 53, William 24, James 18

It's such a good result for the photo.  I wish I had one !!

Looks like the boys are your first cousins, twice removed, if I am correct.