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Photos of Emily Rebecca Goddard (nee Carr) early 1900s?

In 2009 Lynn Hayter sent scans of two photos held by her brother-in-law Ken Thompson. Ken is the grandson of the lady featured, Emily Rebecca Goddard (nee Carr).

Lynn added some information about gas use in Brentford in the post-WW2 era in 2024, with input from her nephew Mel: this has been added at the end.

Emily Rebecca Carr carrying a ladder and canvas bag (initals 'B G C': Brentford Gaslight & Coke Company) Lynn Hayter, 2009: The lady is Emily Rebecca Carr (married name Goddard) and she is my brother-in-law, Ken Thompson's maternal grandmother.

She was born in Ewell, Epsom, Surrey in March 1874 and moved to Brentford sometime between 1881 and 1891, as she appears in the 1891 census living at The Hollows with her mother and siblings.

The photos show her dressed in the uniform of the Brentford Gaslight & Coke Company, where she was employed to clean and trim the gas street lamps.

Emily Rebecca Carr atop a ladder propped up against a gas lightThe outdoor photo is believed to have been taken in the vicinity of St. Paul's Recreation Ground, which lies behind the High Street between Albany Road and Lateward Road.

In this photo she also appears to be wearing a wedding ring, which would date the photo to sometime after September 1892 when she married Daniel Goddard.

Emily and Daniel lived at number 15 North Road in the 1901 census and they eventually had 4 children, one of which was Ken T's mother Lillian.

From the age of about 10 months Ken T. lived with his grandmother at number 15 North Road and the house continued to be occupied by another of Emily and Daniel's children, Florence Goddard until well into the late 1960's.

Ena and Ken lived there with Emily and her daughter Florence after their marriage on the 5th June 1948 until they eventually bought their own house in Clifden Road in the early 1960's.

Daniel Goddard's family also had a long history within the vicinity of Brentford High Street. In the 1891 census Daniel can be found at 69 North Road with his widowed mother, Amy, in the 1881 census he appears with his family at 4 Thames Road, Brentford and in the 1871 census his parents Daniel and Amy and elder sister Amy appear at New North Road, Brentford.

In the censuses 1861, 1851 and 1841 Daniel's grandparents, Charles and Emma Goddard, both of whom were born in Stanstead, Hertfordshire, appear with their various children at the Brentford addresses of Half Acre, New North Road and Bull Lane respectively.

Lynn added in 2024: My nephew, Mel, told me that he went to St. George's primary school, which was still lit by gas right up until he went on to Brentford Secondary School, which must have been about 1961. Also that Emily's house in North Road, where Mel lived during his early years, had gas lamps upstairs, the downstairs having been converted to electric by a relative just after WW2.

In my own childhood home at Chestnut Avenue the electric had been retro-installed by the time I was born in 1948 but I remember that the fittings had been kept in every room by my family, who perhaps didn't quite trust the new fangled electricity!

Links

Searches on the home page will find more about people who worked for the Gas Works, also photos of social events and moody views from across the Thames.

Research by David Shailes into the history of the Gas works over a 160-year period, includes links.

Published March 2009; updated April 2024