King family and Cecil Ager

Notes on the King family and Cecil Ager

See interview tape 26 (Miss May Georgina King)
Also tapes 37, 40, 41 (Mrs Christina Maud Ager, nee King, and her husband Cecil Ager)
Also tape 38 (Mrs Dorothy Elsie Meekings, nee King)

See also the Ager family, Cecil, Frank etc (in the People category)

Born
All the Kings were born at Beccles.
May, eldest (Georgina May) in June 1898 (lame).
William born c 1900, died c 1973 (lived in Laurence Avenue).
Dorothy (Mrs Meekings) born c. 1904.
Christina (Mrs Ager) born Christmas day 1906.
Cecil (Mr Ager), born c 1901 at Rivenhall

Parents
George William King (died at age of 77), Georgina King, nee Hudson (Hudson fruit people) (died at age of 86).

Cecil Ager’s father Arthur (known as Tom) was a seed expert at Cooper Taber for 51 years, starting when aged about eleven. Died at age of 62. His mother Jane (nee Barford) (known as Jenny) died when he was about eleven, c 1912, in her thirties. Her family lived in Suffolk originally, then came to Wickham Bishops in Essex. Her father was a fishmonger.

Brothers and sisters
Cecil had three brothers and one sister; the oldest brother Eddie died when he was seven. Next was Arthur, then Cecil, then sister Ethel (married Mr Ashby and died in 1980) (her daughter is Betty Vale of Cuppers Close), then Frank. Cecil was the only one still alive in 1981.

Residence
The King family came to Witham when May was 17 and Christina was 9 i.e. about 1915. Family lived in Mortimer Cottage, Guithavon Valley, for nearly sixty years, i.e. the parents, and May, and sometimes Cecil and Christina.
When first married in 1924, the Meekings lived in a flat in Spread Eagle yard. In 1930 the Meekings were living at 40 Bridge Street.
Then in 1975 the women and Mr Ager. moved into new flats in Rex Mott Court, Guithavon Street, which was built on some of the land of their house, Mortimer Cottage (Miss May King at number 3, Mr Cecil and Mrs Christina Ager at number 4 and Mrs Meekings at number 8)
Cecil had moved to Chipping Hill in Witham from Rivenhall when he was about 1, i.e. c 1902, then to 21 Maldon Road when about three or seven according to different versions., briefly to Chelmsford after mother died c 1912. There till sister Ethel married and then lived with her. When he and Christina were first married in 1928 they lived at Mortimer Cottage, and then back to Maldon Road (there in 1930) to look after Cecil’s father, then for a while up Cressing Road, then back to Mortimer Cottage again by 1938.

School
Kings to Church School, Guithavon Street.
Cecil to Chipping Hill while an infant and then to Catholic School in Newland Street when seven (though not Catholics).

Marriage
Christina and Cecil in 1928.
Dolly and Jim in 1924 (Jim came from Bury St Edmunds and died c 1960)

Children
Christina and Cecil none.
Dolly had two girls.

Work
May King to glove factory about 1917 for 42 years, i.e. till 1958, when 60.
Dolly Meekings to glove factory when left school c. 1918. Stopped when married, then back to factory after children born, and stayed till c 1960, ending up as supervisor. Back to work after husband died 1962, in Wine stores and then Budgen’s.
Christina Ager to International when 15 for two or three years, then to Co-op. Stopped when married in 1928, then in Second World War back to Co-op on provision counter.
Cecil Ager worked at Goodchild’s, butchers from about age of 13 to 16 (c 1914-1917). Then Cooper Taber seeds for eight or nine years, then British Oxygen when still in twenties, then Crittall’s, working there when married in 1928.

Died
Cecil Ager 22 February 1984 aged 82
Christina Ager 27 July 1984 aged 77
May King 26 June 1990 aged 92
Dorothy Meekings 24 February 2005 aged 99

Cecil’s niece is Mrs Betty Vale, 12 Cuppers Close.


Extracts from relevant documents

1901 census
RG 13/1799, ED 3, page 8, schedule 59, near Caxton Road, Beccles
George W King    Head    M    31    Gt Eastern Railway telegraph lineman    born Suffolk, Ipswich
Georgina King    Wife    M    26        born Suffolk, Ipswich
Georgina M King    Daur        2        born Suffolk, Beccles
William G King    Son        11 mo        born Suffolk, Beccles
Robert W Woods    Boarder    S    22    Gt Eastern Railway porter    born Norfolk, Docking.

1901 census (Cecil was born later that year)
RG 13/1724, page 4, schedule 25, Browns Cottages, Rivenhall
Arthur Ager    Head    M    27    Seedsman for seed firm    born Essex, Witham
Jane Ager    Wife    M    26        born Essex, Stoke by Nayland
Edward Ager    Son        4        born Essex, Rivenhall
Arthur Ager    Son        2        born Essex, Rivenhall

1920 electoral register
Mortimer Cottage, Guithavon Valley: King, George William; King, Georgina
Maldon Road: Ager, Arthur

1930 electoral register
Mortimer Cottage, Guithavon Valley: King, George William; King, Georgina; King, May Georgina; Sturt, Thomas Athole.
21 Maldon Road: Ager, Arthur; Ager, Cecil William; Ager. Christine Maud.
40 Bridge Street: Meekings, James Walter; Meekings, Dorothy Elsie.

1938 electoral register
Mortimer Cottage, Guithavon Valley: King, George William; King, Georgina; King, May Georgina; Sturt, Thomas Athole; Ager, Cecil William; Ager, Christine Maud.

1961 electoral register
Mortimer Cot, Guithavon Valley: Ager, Cecil W; Ager, Christina M; King, Georgina; King, May G; Sturt, Thomas A

One thought on “King family and Cecil Ager”

  1. This is really interesting.
    Do you know if the Kings are the first family to live in Mortimer Cottage? Thanks to this we found out that the house was Guithavon Valley rather than Lockram Lane.

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