Thomas William Shurmer 1879-1985 and Emily Addicott 1877

Faringdon

Also Fretherne-with-Saul, Frampton-on-Severn, and Great Compton.

THOMAS WILLIAM SHURMER (SHERMER)
& EMILY ADDICOTT 

Thomas & Emily

Rhoda

HUSBAND

Thomas William SHERMER (SHURMER) 1879-1975 [P2]

father: James SHERMER b. about 1855 [P3]
mother: Sarah Ann WATKINS 1858- [P3]
born: 30 December 1879 at Union Work House, Erdington, Aston, Warwickshire
died: 13 September 1975 at North Middlesex Hospital, Edmonton
buried: 19 September 1975 at Edmonton Cemetery

Thomas' surname is recorded on his birth certificate as SHERMER, but Thomas appears to have adopted the spelling SHURMER after he moved to Gloucestershire. He used that spelling for the rest of his life.

(SHURMER is a spelling local to Gloucestershire and the Welsh Marches, however it is likely to derive from a different origin. SHERMER, SHERMAN, etc., are occupation names derived from sheep shearing, but SHURMER is more likely to derive from the germanic verb "schurm", to shield or defend.)

Thomas' birth date of 30 December 1879 is taken from his birth certificate. However his brother William was also born in a workhouse and his birth in 1877 is also specified as 30 December. This is either an unusual coincidence, or possibly because births that took place in workhouses were registered at the beginning of the new year with a standardised date of 30 December. A further possibility is that the dates were fictional to avoid late registration fines. The certificates are dated 1980 and 1978 respectively.

Thomas' marriage certificate gives his father's occupation as Sailor, which probably accounts for his birth in a workhouse. His mother may well have no means of support during her confinement if her husband was at sea.

Thomas' death certificate gives the original spelling of his name, but incorrectly gives his date and place of birth as 30 December 1877, Glossop.

It is possible that Thomas believed that he was born in 1877, or possibly he added a couple of years to his age at the time of his marriage. He certainly didn't know his father's full name which on his marriage certificate is given simply as SHURMER with no forename. Thomas is known to have obtained a copy of his birth certificate from Somerset House in order to apply for the State Pension, and it is probable that only then did he discover the true facts. Presumably he didn't tell anyone.

It was widely believed within the family that Thomas was 98 at the time of his death, and nothing was known about his birth in a workhouse. This would explain the incorrect birth entry on the death certificate where the informant was his daughter Rhoda. The spelling of his name was taken from his pension book, which, being derived from his birth certificate, was of course correct.

Thomas was a farrier and his apprenticeship might have been arranged by a workhouse charity. In the 1901 census he is recorded aged 22 as a Farrier Black at Bristol. Later he had a farrier business in Frampton-on-Severn in Gloucestershire before moving to Faringdon where he worked as a blacksmith. He later moved to Great Compton where he ran a smithy, and then finally to Tottenham to live with his daughter Rhoda following the death of his wife Emily.

WIFE

Emily ADDICOTT 1877 [P2]

father: William ADDICOTT 1851-
mother: Harriet LAYTON 1854-
born: 1877 at Burrington, Somerset
baptized:
died: 7 November 1955 at St Michael's Hospital, Enfield
buried: 11 November 1955 at Edmonton Cemetery

MARRIAGE

place: Butcombe, Somerset (Registration Disrict of Axbridge)
date: 26 December 1903

The groom's name is recorded as Thomas William SHURMER, and his age is given as 24 (should have been 23). Emily's age is given as 26.

CHILDREN

Artemus Harold SHURMER 1906-1982

born: 29 October 1906 at Fretherne-with-Saul, Gloucestershire

Rhoda Gladys SHURMER -1986

born:
married: Archibald DAVIES
children: 2
died: 1986