Piddingworth Greg Benton |
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| 'Piddingworth...where St. George's Cross is not yet banned.' --Mark Steyn |
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| Honour all men. Love the Brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the King. (1Peter 2) |
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| Trust in the Lord and He will give you the strength & courage to do your Duty... Rose West Leonard |
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| "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 the family wondered of the whereabouts of Rose West's nieces and nephew, Daisy, Ann and Gordon, the children of Minnie West, Rose's younger sister. Rose, of course, is the inspiration for this site and the spirit and work of this "Piddingworth Mission". Marriage and change of names made visits to parish records in Stanmer and Falmer and a local search through the records of Brighton and Lewes over the years, quite prove impossible. 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 PIDDINGWORTH.COM, I was surprised to find a message that began: "Hello. I'm your second cousin". June Horsfall is the daughter of Daisy (Edwards), daughter of Minnie Catharine West 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 Catharine, Rosie's younger sister to whom she was so very close, died when she was a young mother of 32. Daisy herself was only four years old. Because of the obvious difficulty for Bill Edwards, Minnie's husband, to provide care for his children without their mother, it was decided that she her sister, Ann, and brother Gordon should be given over to Harriet, Bill Edwards' cousin. This was not an entirely happy arrangement and the girls were temporarily estranged from their West family, but there was concern and correspondence between them and their Auntie Rose for some time. During the war, Ray Leonard, Rose's son, visited with the girls and spent some very good time with them. Following the war, Daisy, who had served in the Auxilliary Territorial Service, married James Clegg, a "sapper" in the Royal Engineers, in 1952. They gave birth to their daughter, June, in 1956. Ann, married A. David Fowler in 1950 and lives in Worcester Park, Surrey. They have three daughters: Janet, also in Surrey, Susan, currently in Sidmouth, Devon, and Carole who lives in Folkestone, Kent. Sadly, Gordon has died. A new chapter has 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 extended family in Canada in what was an extraordinary, profoundly touching and very happy moment in the family. What a gift! |
| Minnie Catharine West Edwards with daughter Ann |
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| Daisy Edwards Clegg departed this life 25th April 2005 Eternal Rest grant unto her, O Lord And let Light Perpetual shine upon her. |
| THE PIDDINGWORTH FAMILY |
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