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Brentford Families - Buck and Piggott

Pam Marsh wrote:

Well I was amazed to find your website. I had found my grandfather (Harold Piggott) on 1901 census site, tracked down The Ham where he lived then started to have a look for my grandmother's family. She was born Elizabeth Buck. I believe great-grandfather Buck was one of the Alfreds but can't be sure which. My mum (born Eileen Piggott in 1920) always said that Grandfather Buck had barge horses and she was afraid of them.The family lived on Brentford Bridge. Pam sent details of her Mum's memories of her grandfather Alfred and his family, also the Piggott family.

Elizabeth Buck was born around 1890ish. She first married Job Estep (another barge family, very unusual name) and had 3 children, Esther (known as Cis), Joe and Alf. Job was killed in an accident and she married again to Harold Piggott. I remember my mother telling me that he worked as a tailor at Pennington's (161-163 High Street), which is also mentioned on your site. They then had my mother, Eileen, her younger sister Vera and brother Harold. All are now deceased, my mother only 3 years ago.

Harold left Elizabeth for another woman...Mona, I remember her still. Then Elizabeth moved with her family to Herne Bay in Kent. My mother met my father there and I live there still!

Celia Cotton replied:

I think your grandmother Elizabeth was the daughter of Alfred & Emily Buck: this was the family who lived at 8 Buckingham Terrace, Norwood in 1891, Elizabeth was the youngest child aged 2. Take a look at the canal boat registration sent by Ann Podmore, who is also a Buck descendant: this has some more details about the Buck family.

Pam Marsh:

I did wonder if it was the right family as the 12 year old (right age) is listed as Eliza but the birth records for 1889 show an Elizabeth not an Eliza so must be her.

The Piggott family lived in the Ham and Charles, my great grandfather, was also employed on the canal boats. I never knew this, only that my grandfather, Harold, was a tailor.

Though he was estranged from the family, my mother made contact when I was...not sure, maybe 10-12. That's when I met Mona. He was very wheezy, said he only had half a lung and had recurring bouts of Malaria so must have been somewhere Africa maybe in the war. Didn't stop him from getting me to make his roll-ups for him though! I used to love the little tin cigarette machine. Am still fascinated by gadgets!

When I was a student in 1968-71 I wrote to grandad and he replied. He had the most beautiful copperplate handwriting and I wish I'd kept the letters. He was in a home then in Feltham and I think Mona had died. I was going to see him but he died sometime around then. I remember (see what a can of worms you've opened? It's all coming back) I had written to him saying I was off down the pub for a few halves and he wrote back a kindly but solemn warning against the evils of drink!

When he died, someone contacted mum, said they'd got a few belongings of his to send on but they never did and mum never followed it up. Would have been nice to have a memento.

Celia Cotton:

By looking at the places adjacent to Brickfield Yard it may be possible to get a more accurate position, by looking at the 1894 OS Map (Alan Godfrey publish excellent reprints of these large scale maps). Alfred Buck lived at 'Retreat Cottage' in 1901: the 1894 map shows a Retreat Terrace and 'The Retreat' to the north of and not far from Syonpark House. This was

Regarding Elizabeth / Eliza Buck's forename: there is an Elizabeth Buck birth registered in Uxbridge Registration District (which covered Southall, where she was born) in the first quarter of 1889, it looks as if she became known as Eliza (or it was a mistake when the census entry was copied from the householder's form into the book).

Published February 2007