Piddingworth Greg Benton |
pidd.net |
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| 'Piddingworth...where St. George's Cross is not yet banned.' --Mark Steyn |
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| Thank you very much for your support! |
| "Miracle" of the internet unites "piddcousins". |
| Those who are familiar with the story of "Piddingworth", know that the West family suffered greatly and most died while still very young. The circumstances that met with the children of George Ambrose West and his wife Sarah Ann meant uncertainty for their children and grandchildren; their whereabouts and well-being. Following the death of Rose West Leonard, the "West" family lost contact with each other. For four decades we wondered of the whereabouts of cousins Daisy, Ann and Gordon, the children of Minnie West, younger sister of Rose West, whose life and legacy is the inspiration for this site and the spirit and work of this "Piddingworth Mission". Several visits to Stanmer and Falmer and a local search through the records of Brighton and of Lewes didn't help. Then, in a remarkable turn of events, the "miracle" of the internet solved the mystery! In the course of opening the daily e-mails here at pidd.net, I was astonished to find a message that began: "Hello. I'm your second cousin". June Horsfall is the daughter of Daisy (Edwards) and the grandaughter of Minnie West. When her husband, Peter (Horsfall) typed in the search for the name, "George Ambrose West", our great-grandfather, he came upon this site and discovered his wife's family and much of their history. June and Peter live in Sale, Cheshire. Minnie, Rosie's younger sister, died when she was a very young mother at 32. Daisy was only four years old. It was decided that she and her sister, Ann, and brother Gordon should be cared for by a cousin, Harriet, of her father. Following the war, Daisy, who had served in the Auxilliary Territorial Service, married James Clegg, a "sapper" of the Royal Engineers, in 1952. They gave birth to their daughter, June, in 1956. Ann, married David Fowler in 1950 and lives in Surrey. They have three daughters: Janet, also in Surrey, Susan in Sidmouth, Devon, and Carole who lives in Folkestone, Kent and we have been keeping in touch through letters and telephone...bit by bit, we're catching up! Sadly, Gordon has died. Thus a new chapter opened for the family and indeed, for "Piddingworth" . Once again, it would appear that the unseen hand is at work in this pilgrimage that began just over a decade ago. Just as stones became bread in the days of old, so the "stones" of Piddingworth are alive in the spirits of sisters, brothers, cousins, and a family within the communion of saints. The gentle, loving hand of Auntie Minnie securing the little hand of her daughter is, I thought, a wonderful symbol of the very true and loving legacy shown to us who would dwell for a moment in a reflection on the good purpose, faith and virtue we have received from the hands of Rose, Minnie, and their mother and father, that enlivens us still. In September, 2006, June (Clegg) Horsfall and her husband Peter visited their cousins in Canada in what was an extraordinary, profoundly touching and very happy moment in the family. What a gift! |
| Cousin Ann and Auntie Minnie |
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| Daisy Edwards Clegg departed this life 25 April 2005 Eternal Rest grant unto her, O Lord And let perpetual Light shine upon her. |
| PIDDFAMILY |
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