I have named this post 'Wentie' after a project I have been working on for my Uncle who lives in New Zealand. He is a Carden and his Father, my Grandfather, was born on Military Road, Canterbury. Laterly in the early C20th the family lived on St Peters Grove with my Grandfather becoming the vilage Sergeant for Lenham in the 1930s where he lived for the rest of his life and it was there that my Uncle was born. My Uncles request was based on a walking stick that my Aunt now uses that had been passed to them from my Grandmother and via another Aunt and Uncle. The request was as follows:
"When I was very young, in some time between 1944 and 1947 my father took me on a visit to someone called ‘Wentie’ (Mrs Wentworth) who at that time lived in a charity home (Almshouse) in Canterbury overlooking the River Stour and the witches dunking stool. It is now a museum and features as one of the ‘views’ of old Canterbury one sees to display the picturesque and historical features of that fair City. Wentie appeared to me as being very old – probably any age between 65 and 80! I think my father explained that she had been a very good friend of Nannan, my grandmother, my father’s mother and their family. We never saw her again or visited that area………………………………………Cleaning a silver ferrule at the top of this stick I found the legend ‘Presented to A Wentworth as a mark of esteem from his late comrades County FB (fire brigade?? – IAC) April 1894. How that stick came into our possession is a complete mystery."
The results from my research found a Wentworth Family on St Peters Grove in the 1901 and 1911 census. In the 1901 there was a Charles and his Wife Sarah at 45 with their son Alfred a Police Constable. The 1911 had Sarah again with her spinster Daughter Alice, but now at 68. Charles was born in London, married Sarah near Chatham when he was a Sergeant in the Royal Marines and all their children were born in Chatham. Alfred shows as being a 19 year old in Canterbury as a Telephone Instrument Installer in the 1891 census while the rest of the family were still residing in Chatham. Could Alfred be the A. Wentworth on the stick's silver ferrule? If so was it Canterbury Fire Brigade? Was he a retained or part time Fireman? I have not been able to find anything in my searches. I am hoping someone could give me some pointers/tips/links that could help me to identify trhe A. Wentworth on the stick.
Wentie herself I am now 90% sure was miss Alice Wentworth as they lived close to Nannan; Rebecca Carden, and she was of a similar age. Alice herself is showing on the death records as dying aged 88 in Canterbury in 1946 just 2 years before Rebecca died in Lenham at my Grandfathers house. Hopefully I am on the right track. All and any help gratefully received.
