Blackmore. Remembering Ernest Samuel Knight

Ernest Samuel Knight
War Memorial: Place and inscription Epping War Memorial Magdalen Laver War Memorial: E Knight
Rank: Private
Regiment: Essex Regiment. 1st/ 6th Battalion.  Service No: 40199 [CWGC]
Service Details: Recorded as Samuel Ernest Knight [CWGC] Recorded as Ernest Samuel Knight [Essex Regiment Museum] Born Blackmore, Essex Enlisted Epping, Essex Residence Magdalen Laver, Essex [SDGW & Essex Regiment Museum]
Personal and family information: Son of Mr & Mrs D Knight of Keeper’s Lodge, Wintry Park, Epping, Essex [CWGC] No record of Ernest or Samuel Knight baptised at Blackmore, or Fryerning, or Ingatestone.  Baptism Register for Fryerning [ERO D/P 249/1/7] has the following entries for younger siblings: 14th July 1901. Dorothy Emma Knight, daughter of David and Emma Rebecca Knight. 14th July 1901. Ethel Susan Knight, daughter of David and Emma Rebecca Knight. 1901 Census: Gander Hall, Blackmore Road, Ingatestone. The property is on the Ingatestone and Fryerning parish census, lying in the ecclesiastical parish of Fryerning. David Knight.  Head.  Married.  [Age] 38.  Agricultural  Labourer  [Born] Highwood Emma Knight.  Wife.  [Age] 37.  [Born] Ingatestone Alfred Knight.  Son.  [Age] 18.  Worker.  [Born] Roxwell William Knight.  Son.  [Age] 16.  Worker.  [Born] Roxwell Arthur Knight.  Son.  [Age] 13.  Worker.  [Born] Highwood George Knight.  Son.  [Age] 7.  [Born] Fryerning Ernest Knight.  Son.  [Age] 4.  [Born] Fryerning Ada Knight.  Dau.  [Age] 11.  [Born] Fryerning Dorothy Knight. Dau.  [Age] 2.  [Born] Fryerning Gander Hall is the first entry on one of three census returns for the parish of Ingatestone and Fryerning.  There are two properties labelled ‘Gander Hall’ with the third in the sequence being ‘Howletts Hall’. This matches the sequence of properties in what we know as Chelmsford Road, Blackmore.  An inspection of a six inch to one mile map dated 1923 shows that these properties were outside of the Blackmore parish boundary although the road in front of the properties was in Blackmore. 1911 Census: Cold Harbour, High Ongar. David Knight.  Head.  Married.  [Age] 48.  Cowman on Farm.  [Born] Writtle Emma Knight.  Wife (m 27 yrs).  [Age] 47.  [Born] Ingatestone George Knight.  Son.  [Age] 17.  Cowman on Farm.  [Born] Blackmore Ernest Knight.  Son.  [Age] 15.  Cowman on Farm.  [Born] Blackmore Dorothy Knight.  Dau..  [Age] 12.  School.  [Born] Blackmore Ethel Knight.  Dau.  [Age] 10.  School.  [Born] Blackmore Nellie Knight.  Dau.  [Age] 7.  School.  [Born] Moreton ‘Cold Harbour’ lies in the detached part of High Ongar. The 1923 map reveals its location at being near Tylers Green where The Talbot public house is situated. It is on an existing footpath by the present Marconi Bungalows.  The head of the household gives Ernest’s birth as Blackmore, technically incorrect but the location of Gander Hall suggests a stronger association with the residents of this parish than Fryerning. The 1918 Electoral Roll for the Epping Division [ERO C/E 2/3/1, viewed online] has a David Knight and Emma Rebecca Knight living at Hall Lodge.  These surely must have been the same parents of a 4 year old Ernest living at Gander Hall, Blackmore Road in the 1901 census and confirmed by “A second Emma Rebecca Knight is buried in Magdalen Laver with her husband David, this is the couple who were living at Gander Hall Blackmore Road rather than the couple I have linked to this tree who were living in Chelmsford Road in Blackmore in 1901”. [http://www.myfamilytree.110mb.com/Knight/pafg03.htm].
Date of Death: 2nd January 1918
Age: 21
Where died: Died Palestine [SDGW & Essex Regiment Museum]
Place of Burial or Commemoration: Cemetery: Gaza War Cemetery. Grave / Memorial Reference: XXII E5 [CWGC]
List of Sources: Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Essex Record Office, Essex Regiment Museum, Rosalind Lloyd (website of Knight family), Soldiers who Died in the Great War.

Blackmore: Finding Ernest Knight

Finding the elusive Ernest Knight

A name not recorded on the War Memorial or the Church Window is an Ernest Knight. The database ‘Soldiers who Died in the Great War’ lists his name as having been born in Blackmore, enlisting at Epping, and being resident in Magdalen Laver. He served in the Essex Regiment, 6th Battalion and died in Palestine on 2nd January 1918.

Further details could not immediately be found on the ‘Commonwealth War Graves Commission’ website.

Our next lead was the Essex Regiment Museum database in Chelmsford where we were able to confirm details and add the fact that he was the son of Mr & Mrs D Knight of Keepers Lodge, Wintry Park, Epping. His full name was Ernest Samuel Knight. He died at the age of 21, thus giving him a birth year of 1896.

A search for an Ernest Knight born at this time did not reveal his name on the Statutory Register for the Ongar Registration District.

His name could not be found in the Baptism Register of St Laurence Church, Blackmore for 1896 and afterwards. We found that perhaps he had older siblings baptised: Joseph George on 2nd July 1893 and George, baptised on 23rd June 1895, to parents David and Emma Knight.

Remembering that names could be inverted we looked at the CWGC website again for an ‘S Knight’ and found his details under Samuel Ernest Knight. Who were we looking for? Was it someone by the name of Ernest or someone by the name of Samuel?

There was no Blackmore Parish Register entry for either an Ernest or Samuel Knight.

Progress was slow and seemed to be coming to a stalemate.

The 1901 census revealed two Knight families in Blackmore. These were:

1. Ingatestone Road, Blackmore
David Knight. Head. Married. [Age] 18. Milkman (to cattle) on farm. [Born] Blackmore
Emma Knight. Wife. Married. [Age] 19. [Born] Blackmore

2. Chelmsford Road
David Knight. Head. Married. [Age] 42. Horseman on Farm. [Born] Fryerning
Emma Knight. Wife. Married. [Age] 39. [Born] Chelmsford
William Knight. Son. [Age] 14. Grocers Errand Boy [Born] Blackmore
Agnes Knight. [Age] 11. [Born] Blackmore
George Knight. [Age] 6. [Born] Blackmore
Elizabeth Knight. [Age] 4. [Born] Blackmore

There were two households, each with David and Emma and adult occupants but no Ernest or Samuel.

More detective work was necessary. A search of the Internet revealed a site listing the descendents of Thomas Knight of Blackmore (1775 – 1835). It is large site (part of http://www.myfamilytree.110mb.com/) and is the work of Rosalind Lloyd, created in 2002. It stated that “A second Emma Rebecca Knight is buried in Magdalen Laver with her husband David, this is the couple who were living at Gander Hall Blackmore Road rather than the couple I have linked to this tree who were living in Chelmsford Road in Blackmore in 1901”. [http://www.myfamilytree.110mb.com/Knight/ pafg03.htm]. Could this be the family we were looking for?

I contacted Rosalind Lloyd who admitted that “There are a lot of Knights who lived in the Blackmore area, so it's not surprising that you are finding the research confusing.”

Ancestry had the following information about this family on the 1901 census.
Gander Hall, Blackmore Road, Ingatestone
David Knight. Head. Married. [Age] 38 Agricultural Labourer. [Born] Highwood
Emma Knight. Wife. [Age] 37. [Born] Ingatestone
Alfred Knight. Son. [Age] 18. Worker. [Born] Roxwell
William Knight. Son. [Age] 16. Worker [Born] Roxwell
Arthur Knight. Son. [Age] 13. Worker. [Born] Highwood
George Knight. Son. [Age] 7. [Born] Fryerning
Ernest Knight. Son. [Age] 4. [Born] Fryerning
Ada Knight. Dau. [Age] 11. [Born] Fryerning
Dorothy Knight. Dau. [Age] 2. [Born] Fryerning

The 1911 census showed the family living at Cold Harbour, High Ongar. Ernest, and the other younger siblings were said to have been born in Blackmore, not Fryerning.

There were two further lines of enquiry. Firstly, to see whether the village of Magdalen Laver has a War Memorial and, if so, see whether an E or S Knight was commemorated. Secondly, we needed to establish whether the family lived outside Blackmore and was covered by a Blackmore postal address, as had been established with Frederick and Charles Root, living at “Horsfrith via Blackmore” or Fred Garnham, living at “Radley Green via Blackmore” on the electoral roll for 1914.

Having been to a ‘Through Changing Scenes’ history event at Magdalen Laver a few years ago and purchased a booklet on the villages history I read that thirteen names of those who fell in the First World War are recorded on the War Memorial outside the church.

I went to the quiet church in the fields at Magdalen Laver to see the War Memorial and have found on the list ‘E Knight’. The 1918 Electoral Roll for the Epping Division [ERO C/E 2/1/3, viewed online] has a David Knight and Emma Rebecca Knight living at Hall Lodge. The fact that the name of the mother was Emma Rebecca suggested fact that surely these must have been the same parents of a 4 year old Ernest living at Gander Hall, Blackmore Road in the 1901 census?

Gander Hall Cottage, (CM4 0SG) is in Chelmsford Road, Blackmore [http://www.zoopla.co.uk/home-values/essex/blackmore/chelmsford-road/]. It is opposite Spriggs Lane [source: Google]. It looked as if Ernest Knight was born in Blackmore after all.

But there was a problem. The 1901 census referred to the Gander Hall as being in Blackmore Road, Ingatestone. A fellow researcher commented, “It's very unusual for the census return to be as much in error as to assign a property to the wrong parish.”

Perhaps there was a Gander Hall on the Blackmore Road nearer to Ingatestone near Fryerning Church? The only way to solve the mystery was to visit the Essex Record Office to look at the census piece and work out the route the enumerator took to call at Gander Hall.

On inspection of the census return for Ingatestone and Fryerning parish for 1901, Gander Hall is the first entry on one of three census returns for the parish of Ingatestone and Fryerning. There are two properties labelled ‘Gander Hall’ with the third in the sequence being ‘Howletts Hall’. This matches the sequence of properties in what we know as Chelmsford Road, Blackmore. An inspection of a six inch to one mile map dated 1923 shows that these properties were outside of the Blackmore parish boundary although the road in front of the properties was in Blackmore.

There was one matter to settle. Was Ernest Knight baptised at Fryerning Church?
The Baptism Register for Fryerning [ERO D/P 249/1/7] has the following entries for Ernest’s younger siblings: Dorothy Emma Knight, and Ethel Susan Knight, daughters of David and Emma Rebecca Knight were both baptised on 14th July 1901.

We have not found any record of Ernest Knight other than in the census returns but are convinced that although technically his place of birth was Fryerning, it would be incorrect to disregard the family as having no connection with Blackmore.

We will include Ernest Knight on our Roll of Honour.

Blackmore: Remembering ... others born here

Wallace King.

Ernest Knight, who lived at Magdalen Laver.

Bertie Millbank, who died 23rd September 1914. http://www.cwgc.org/search/certificate.aspx?casualty=258392

Walter Ovel, who lived at South Weald, died 8th August 1915 http://www.cwgc.org/search/certificate.aspx?casualty=109576

Joseph Thomas, who lived at Bishops Stortford.

Also Walter Gray, born at Stondon Massey.

Magdalen Laver: Blitz Of The Harvest Moon

‘The Blitz of the Harvest Moon’ (24 September to 1 October 1917) was the most intense period of German aid raids on London during the Great War. (see entry, ‘The First Blitz’, 12.9.08). Revd. Edward Reeve, Rector of Stondon Massey, wrote of his experience at the time dodging the shrapnel in Magdalen Laver. Knowing the places personally one can follow his footsteps that moonlit September evening. He wrote in his notes [ERO T/P 188/3]:

3rd October 1917

We have had a succession of nightly raids during the moonlit period.

The evening of Wed Sep 26 was cloudy. This kept off the Germans and we held a Harvest Thanksgiving Service at Stondon Church undisturbed by alarms!

On Saturday a number of the enemy appear to have got through to London and to have caused considerable damage. The loss of life and number of personal injuries is not perhaps so great as might have been expected, but the population has been instructed to take shelter, and numbers have been accommodated in underground shelters, and in the corridors of halls of our underground and “Tube” railways.

Guns have been greatly multiplied lately all round London, and here at Stondon we are nearly in the centre of a ring of fire, guns being placed at Epping, North Weald, Fyfield, Radley Green, Swallows Cross, Barretts Corner, Ingatestone, the nearer London suburbs and so round to Epping again. The danger for us is the dropping of our own shells.

On Sunday evening Sept 30 a Harvest Festival Service was held at Magdalen Laver Church and I was invited to preach the sermon. The moon was full, and there was a good congregation. I did not expect the probable Raid till past eight o’clock and most people elected to stay awhile in the building. I was to stay the night with Sir Godfrey Thomas at Wynters, and we had about 1½ mile to walk from the Church. We set out, and had reached the Rectory when the scream of the shells and the roar of the guns all round us suggested shelter there temporarily. A number of pedestrians followed our example. When, after half an hour or more we pursued our way we found in the solid granite highway a hole some 5 inches in diameter and a foot of more in depth made by a falling shell, and we were ready to admit that our delay has been dictated by prudence. Lady Thomas and the other ladies with us were not sorry I think when Wynters was safely reached at a little before nine o’clock. The bombardment lasted about an hour longer.

On Tuesday Oct 2nd we heard the heavy drone of German “Gothas” at mid-day, but understand that the raiders met a “warm reception” and returned without reaching London.