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A family postcard dated 1925. William Clague was the Lighthouse Keeper during WW1
A story Ian's mother told us always had us puzzled until we saw a Zeppilin had bombed a hospital in Lowestoft. She described as a child of a shell she saw go slowly past her bedroom window in Lowestoft Lighthouse and the hospital across the road being destroyed, it was the hospital for wounded soldiers. The Zeppelin made sense ...a shell was nonsense, her sense of size, distance time and speed could have been distorted. |
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History
1841 Census
German Isle of Man
Wiliam Clague 53? Fisherman
Jane Clague 40 (1st wife nee Caroll?)
William Clague 15 son
Eleanor Caroll 70 mother in law
Ann Carroll 40
1851 Census
Kirk Michael German Peel IOM
William Clague 60 Fisherman born c 1790 Patrick IOM
Margaret wife 38 (2nd wife?) nee Shinnin SHIMMIN?
George 2
Robert Shinnin - Father in law - Shoemaker (also transcribed as Shimmin)
Charlotte Shinnin - House Servant
William married Margaret 26.02.1848 Patrick IOM
George Christened 4.03.1849 Patrick IOM
1861 Census
Michael Street Peel IOM
Margaret Clague - widow - 47
George 12
Robert 10
Robert Shinnin (Shimmin) - Head of Household 69 - Cordwainer
There were FIVE lodgers in the house
MORE CHECKING TO DO !
TWO GEORGE CLAGUES BORN IN THE SAME YEAR IN PEEL
ONE MOTHER MARGARET THE OTHER MOTHER MARY -TRANSCRIPTION ERROR?
ANYONE ANY IDEAS ??
1871 Census
Back Green - Peel
Baby William 1 yr was living with his grandmother Mary Kaighin - Mariner's wife
Was he illegitimate as his mother Jane 20 was unmarried and living at home? - Netweaver
Mary (sister) 18 was also in the household - Netweaver
Henry 14 - Mariner
George Clague 22 unmarried shoemaker, living with mother Margaret/Mary widow 59 and
Robert Shinnin (Shimmin) 79 Grandfather Shoemaker widower
1881 Census
5 Duke Street Peel IOM
George Clague 32 - Boot & Shoe Maker - Peel IOM
Jane wife 31 nee Kaighin
William 11 ( IAN'S GRANDFATHER)
Mary 6
George 2 months
Margaret Clague Widow - mother age 68 Housekeeper
1891
George Clague 42 Shoemaker
Jane 40
Mary 16 General Servant
George 10
Alice 7
John 5
Bertha 2
NO WILLIAM - COMMENCED HIS LIGHTHOUSE DUTIES
1901 Census
Onchan IOM
Jane Clague 49 Charwoman living on own account
Alice 17 Millgirl
John 15
Bertha 11
Margaret 8
No trace of George on this Census
1911 Census 22 Barrick Street Douglas living in 3 rooms
Jane Clague 60 Widow (total children born 10)
John Robert 24 Single Labourer
Bertha Agnes 21 Single Domestic Servant
Catherine Margaret 19 Single Domestic Servant
Charles Black 6 - Adopted son at school
I believe that the Bertha Clague mentioned in your family history was my maternal grandmother. She was born at 14 Drumgold Street, Douglas, IOM April 4th 1889. Her father was George William Clague and Mother Jane Clague formerly Kaighen. She was married in Glasgow on 18th June 1919 to my Grandfather, John Kay. She had 6 children. Due to ill health she moved to stay with my parents in Inverness where she died in 1965. I have tried to find details of her family in the past without success but was delighted to find your website
last night. Callum Macinnes
WILLIAM APPEARS ON THE LIGHTHOUSE CENSUS IN 1901
Notes:
Jane Kaighin daughter of John Kaighin Sailor born 1820 and Mary Nichol born 1817 Scotland
She had five siblings John, Thomas, Agnes, Mary and Henry
Story that William b 1870 had a first wife Helena Cole(i)ster who died shortly after marriage - only Census record is a William b 1856 married to Helena b 1857 in Douglas with 5 children. Does not appear to be the same family, as ours appear to be all in Peel
On the 1891 Census a Helena Collister (9yrs) has been found grandaughter of John (fisherman)
There were Clagues living in the same household as the Colesters on the 1841 Isle of Man Census - Peel
There appear to be several spellings of the name: Collester, Colester,Colister and Collister
William b circa 1790 who had a young wife Margaret on the 1851 census must have been married twice as well. All to be checked out
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William Clague's Lighthouse Box |  |
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Bull Point |  |
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William Clague Lighthouse Keeper 1901 - 1908
Les Hanois
(1862) Channel Isles, Guernsey Trinity Cottages,
Torteval, for relief and families
1901 'Vessel'
William Clague Lighthouse Keeper 1908 - 1910
Bull Point
(1879) Devon Mortehoe
THERE ARE NO WIVES OR CHILDREN LISTED AGAINST WILLIAM'S NAME ON THE LIGHTHOUSE CENSUS
There appears to have been some tendency for keepers to become fathers rather later in life than men in other occupations.
The wives of keepers at rock stations often went 'home' for the delivery of their children, so the place of birth does not necessarily point to the station on which the keeper was serving at the time.
Some of the younger men in the 1910 Service List would have served on into the 1940s.
1911 CENSUS
William Clague 30 Lighthouse Keeper born Rushen IOM
Helena 29 married 8 yrs born Arbory IOM
Helena Catherine 7 born Torteval Guernsey
Edith Isabel 6 born Torteval Guernsey
Marion Sylvia 4 born Torteval Guernsey
Phyllis Dulcie 3 born Torteval Guernsy
William Francis Collister 11 months born Morte Hoe N Devon
ALL LIVING AT BULLPOINT LIGHTHOUSE MORTHOE N DEVON
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Ians grandfather's first wife was a Helena and Ian had a cousin called Collister (christian name)
Light houses Ian grandfather worked in:
Isle of Wight, Mortehoe Devon, Channel Islands, The Smalls and Lundy may be others , not in the correct order. we have a photo of Ian's mother in a syncronised swimming team in Lowestoft. Thalia
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Morthoe |  |
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A Painting by Dulcie Clague Ian's mother |  |
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| Painted from the garden of Westgate Cottage which used to be the guard house |
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From lowestoft dated 1926 daddie (grandfather father clague)
Francis died early much missed affected the family deeply and made them more religious as Spiritualists painted with passion and love |
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The Clagues - Bull Point Morthoe Devon |  |
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Clagues of the Isle of Man |  |
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 | Ian's grandfather in 1935
William Clague Lighthouse Keeper
Mother far right and two aunts |
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 | Ian and Maternal Grandparents
The Clagues |
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 | Ian and Maternal Grandmother
Dulcie Clague |
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Reference letter for Dulcie - May 17th 1923 |  |
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Some old postcards and modern images of the Isle of Man |  |
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| Post cards sent from Ian's family - aunts Maud Nana and May |
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