PALMER

The surname PALMER can be traced back to the time when pilgrims visited the Holy Lands. Bringing back a palm branch was regarded as proof that the person had actually made the journey.
The name is spread around England fairly evenly, whereas my line leads back to Inkpen, near Hungerford in Berkshire.
Sadly not many famous Palmers, Samuel Palmer (1805-81) was a landscape painter and etcher, and Daniel Palmer (1845-1913) the founder of chiropractory. Tom Palmer has recently been playing rugby for England (2010-11). Carlton Palmer played football for England in the 1980s
Huntley and Palmer biscuits were based in Reading, Berkshire, even though I have a great liking for custard creams I haven't been able to link my Palmers with the biscuit company.
I have an advert for Palmer Tyres made in Yorkshire in the early 20th century.

In 1881 PALMER was the 96th most common surname in the UK rising to 87 by 1998 (we are increasing!). The 1881 map shows that East Anglia, Leicestershire, Berkshire and Somerset contained the most Palmers by percentage. There were 1300 Palmers per 1000000 in 1881.

RENWICK

I believe that the surname RENWICK is named after a small village in (old) Cumberland just south of the Scottish borders in north west England. The "W" is not pronounced and the name may appear as Rennick on occasions. My Renwick line goes back to Andrew Renwick bn about 1710 in Renfrewshire, a few generations lived in the (now) Borders county of Roxbrugh in villages Ancrum, Ashkirk and Smailholm.
My gt gt grandfather was Alexander Renwick who was born on the 6th July 1815 in Smailholm, he was the son of Andrew Renwick (bn 15 Jun 1773 Ashkirk) and Jean Hamilton, they married on the 22 Nov 1796 in Melrose and appear to have at least 11 children, one son James bn 1813 upped and left Scotland for Toowoomba, Queensland in the 1860s with his family and I have traced and met a number of his descendants in Australia. My Alexander (with less ambition) went to Sunderland in the early 1840s.
Few famous Renwicks, David wrote "One foot in the grave" and "Jonathan Creek", Jim played rugby for Scotland in the 1970s. A James Renwick was the last person to be publicly executed in Edinburgh for his religious beliefs. He was a covenanter and died on 17th February 1688. My Australian relations are sure that James is "our" line. Descendants of James (bn 1813) in Toowoomba became rugby coaches at the Toowomba Boys' school and pictures of them appeared in old school books. James became a builder/architect and his family firm made their own bricks and a number of buildings remain to this day in the town.
The 1881 census shows that the majority of Renwicks could be found in Durham, Galashiels and Dumfries. Only 77 Renwicks per million of the population (1881) decreasing to 72 by 1998.

McCARTHY

The original Gaelic form of McCarthy was MacCarthaigh, it is a patronymic name meaning "son of Carthy".

Unfortunately for family historians, it is one of the most common Irish surnames especially in County Cork. James McCarthy bn abt 1844 came from Glenmire in County Cork, it is almost certain that he and his family emigrated to south Wales because of the potato famine. My McCarthys finished up in the Tredegar/Bedwellty area in the 1850s where they probably worked in the ironworks. James was an iron puddler in a number of censuses, a very dangerous job working with molten metal.

The 1881 census shows that McCarthys could be found mainly in South Wales reflecting the fact that they migrated from Southern Ireland. Quite a few could be found in Liverpool as well.

1881 shows that there were 288 McCarthys per million, this had almost doubled (564) by 1998.

HALL

The surname HALL was likely given to people who worked at the local manor during the middle ages. My Halls came from the Newcastle/Sunderland area of the north east of England. Hall is particularly common in the 1881 census and was much less common in the south west of the country.
The publicprofiler map of surname distribution lists HALL as the 19th most frequent surname in the UK(1881) with the north east of England containing the most per 1000000 (291).
The 1911 census lists 9934 Halls in Durham compared to just 661 in Cornwall, 824 in Devon and 681 in Somerset.
The fact that there were so many Halls in Durham in the 19th century probably means that any headway with my Halls will be very slow.

John Robson PALMER

Gerald and John Palmer pictured in Dagenham in the late 1920s.


John Robson Palmer was born on the 26th April 1919 at Esk House, Bowesfield, Stockton on Tees, the elder son of John Newman Palmer and Margaret McCarthy. Brother Gerald was born on the 17th November 1920 in Stockton but the family moved to Dagenham, Essex in the 1920s.


He joined the RAF in the late 1930s before conscription was introduced prior to WW2.


RAF service to follow.


John married Evelyn Lima Renwick on the 26th October 1946 at St Teresa's RC Church, Filton, Bristol. He married in RAF uniform, lance corporal, and was still in the force when his twins arrived in October 1947.
I have a letter dated 29th February 1948 from Evelyn to family friend Margaret Coombs, the family was in Dagenham and Evelyn was bemoaning the fact that John couldn't get a job at Ford's car factory. The family returned to Bristol where John managed to get a job at BAC, Bristol Aircraft Company, firstly living with Evelyn's parents at 311 Filton Avenue before moving to a council house in Queenshill Road, Knowle West. In 1951 the family moved to 173 Bishopthorpe Road, Horfield, a 3 bedroomed council house on a newly built estate.

John died on his twins' 17th birthday, October 8th 1964, he had driven to Stoke on Trent and back on work's business on the 7th and suffered a brain haemorrhage in the early hours of the 8th at Frenchay Hospital.

Evelyn Lima RENWICK

Born 23rd January 1922 at 41 Upton Road, Bedminster, South Bristol.

John Newman PALMER

John Newman Palmer with Steven Martin Palmer and Jennifer Margaret Palmer early 1948.

John Newman Palmer was born 23 Dec 1883 at 28 Broomfield Road, Swanscombe, Kent, a terraced house which still exists (2011). The 1891 census shows him as the fifth of eight children, his siblings were Thomas Henry (15, a general labourer), Louisa Kate (13), George Ernest (11), Emily Eliza (9), Alice Sylvia (5), Charles William(3) and Frank Edward (6 months). The address was given as 2 Wellard Cottages, Lascelles Terrace, Swanscombe. At 6 Wellard Cottages was the Bolton family, with 3 children who were cousins to the Palmers.

In 1901 John (17) was a domestic page in the city of London working for a bank manager and his family of 3 children, a cook and a maid also worked at the address. I imagine that his ambition may have been to become a butler. Until I purchased John's marriage certificate I hadn't known that he was previously married, he married Mary Elizabeth Squires on March 20th 1905 at the age of 21. He was described as a shopkeeper and his address as 153 Fulham Palace Road. Mary's age was given as 32, Mary died 15th March 1906 Death cert Carcinoma of the intestines (Bowel cancer). Her husband was the informant with the address given as 201 Fulham Palace Road, his job was "a plate cleaner at a club"

In 1911 John's occupation was given as a valet, he was living with his younger sister (Alice Sylvia Firth) who had married John Firth in Fulham in 1907, the address wasDaisy Cottage, Stanhope Road, Swanscombe. Alice went on to have 7 children and died 15 Jun 1955 in Swanscombe)