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Arthur James PENFOLD (1883-1961)Tree001:W12

	Arthur James PENFOLD, Art Penfold, on left

Name:	Arthur James PENFOLD
ONS Reference:	Tree001:W12
Sex:	Male
Record Id:	285
Father:	John Robert PENFOLD (1857-1924)
Mother:	Mary Jane WILMSHURST (1856-1905)

Individual Events and Attributes

Birth	24 Nov 1883	Queens Road, Chelsea
Census (1)	5 Apr 1891 (age 7)	Chelsea, London 1
Census (2)	31 Mar 1901 (age 17)	St. John the Evangelist, Westminster 2
Occupation	31 Mar 1901 (age 17)	Student; St. John the Evangelist, Westminster 2
Death	28 Jan 1961 (age 77)

Additional Information

Census (1)	25 Queens Road
Census (2)	52 Hogarth Bldg

Marriage (1)

	Child: Donald Robert PENFOLD, 1938

Spouse	Florence Eunice SPRAGG (1881?-1928)
Children	Donald Robert PENFOLD (1915-1992)
Marriage	11 Apr 1914 (age 30)

Marriage (2)

Spouse	Daisy SPRAGG (1891?- )
Marriage	7 Jun 1930 (age 46)

Individual Note

Arthur was known as Art within the family.

According to Arthur's reminiscences he was born in a house several doors along from the family shop in Queens Road, Chelsea, and he never found out why!

"At the end of 1895, I had completed three terms work at the school in Palace Street… a great effort was made to fit me out for boarding school, (Emanuel) as it appears that my record was sufficiently promising for that effort to be made in my favour. For one of the family to be laid aside in this was no small sacrifice on the part of father and mother, for although I would be away each year for some nine months, the remaining three would be spent at home, when I would not be earning my keep. This went on for nearly five years, but during the last three, by means of a small honorarium for clearing up work each day in the school laboratories, I managed to cover most of my clothing expenses. This work did expose one's garments to occasional contact with acids or alkalis which played havoc with the best of materials, and such damage could have been reduced by the use of overalls."

By mid June 1901 Arthur joined the clerical staff of the Accountant General of the Post Office, working in the Inland Telegraph Branch which was housed in the old St. Martin's le Grand building in the City. Within a few months his health gave way and neurasthenia took over. He had a short stay in Lincolnshire and then a voyage to Dublin with his father who arranged for him to stay at a farmhouse in the Wicklow Hills. He stayed there for several months and was then allowed to resume his former work in the ITB but he then fell from a newly acquired bicycle, which laid him low once again. There then seemed little prospect of any early return to duty so he was put off for health reasons and was granted a small gratuity. His eyes were always out of focus after that accident and having fallen violently on his right side, his left was seriously paralysed. He was left-handed and this meant farewell to his left arm bowling, but later he did recover sufficiently to engage in cricket again as a main recreation. For two years whilst unemployed he opened and closed his father's boot making/repair shop.

Arthur married Florence Eunice Spragg on 11th April 1914 and they had two sons, Donald Robert born 5th March 1915 and Geoffrey born 24th January 1920.

Florence died on 11th July 1928. She was a 'Christian Scientist' and wouldn't seek treatment.

On 7th June 1930 Arthur married Daisy Spragg, his first wife's younger sister.

 

Arthur died on 28th January 1961 from Bronchopneumonia aged 77 years.

Daisy died about 1965.

(notes by Diana Smith)

Sources

1	"Census 1891 Chelsea, London RG 12 63 Folio 59 Page 117 (John R Penfold (Head))".

2	"Census 1901 St. John the Evangelist, Westminster RG 13 92 Folio 103 Page 7 (John R Penfold (Head))".