Helena Emmeline Langford

Martin Brett tells me that “Granny Whitehead” preferred “Emmeline”.

Her birth certificate gives her date of birth as 10 May 1872. She was born at home, at 5 Hill Park Crescent, in Plymouth.

Emmeline’s parents were Henry Albert Langford and Clara Louisa Braginton.

See also Whitehead family grave and Whitehead extract from Burke’s peerage.

In the 1881 census, Helena Emmilina Langford was at 5 North Hills Terrace, in the following household:

Name	Age	Relation	Marriage	Profession
Clara Louisa Langford	42	Head	Widow	Lady
Ellen Macornick Johns	22	Daughter	Single	Lady
Richard Braginton Johns	18	Son	Single	Solicitor’s articled clerk
Helena Emmilina Langford	8	Daughter	Single	Scholar
George Stawell Tuckey	27	Visitor	Single	Solicitor
Fanny Gent	47	Servant	Single	Cook Domestic
Elizabeth Dunn	16	Servant	Single	Housemaid

See the HEL 1881 census original image

In 1891 Emmeline is living at 8 Roman Road, Chiswick, with her half-brother, and one of the same servants, Fanny Gent:

Name	Age	Relation	Marriage	Profession
Edmund A Johns	26	Head	Single	Living on own means
Helena E Langford	18	Half-sister	Single	Scholar
Fanny Gent	62	Servant	Single	Cook Domestic

The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891; Class: RG12; Piece: 1034; Folio: 83; Page: 31; GSU roll: 6096144. See the HEL 1891 census original image

Edmond Johns was later (1911) staying with the husband of Emmeline’s aunt - see Samuel Henry Farwell Roe.

In 1901, the census records Emmeline living with her aunt Alice née Braginton (see below):

First name	Last name	Relationship	Marital status	Sex	Age	Birth year	Occupation	Birth place
Samuel H F	Roe	Head	Married	Male	44	1857	Clergyman (Church Of England)	Lesnewth, Cornwall, England
Helena E	Langford	Wife’s Niece	Single	Female	28	1873	Living On Own Means	Plymouth, Devon, England
Emma	Buckland	Servant	Single	Female	58	1843	Cook (Domestic)	Normanton, Leicestershire, England
Kate	Stevens	Servant	Single	Female	21	1880	Housemaid (Domestic)	Zennor, Cornwall, England
Beatrice	Lyne	Servant	Single	Female	18	1883	Kitchen Maid (Domestic)	Dolton, Devon, England
Mary J	Berryman	Servant	Single	Female	19	1882	Dress Maker (Goes Outto Work For Weeks At A Lime Boards & Lodges With Families)	United States
Sydney	Lyne	Servant	Single	Male	22	1879	Gardener (Domestic)	Dolton, Devon, England

Meanwhile, Aunt Alice was visiting someone in 10 Connaught Avenue, Plymouth:

First name	Last name	Relationship	Marital status	Sex	Age	Birth year	Occupation	Birth place
Blanch	Wheeler	Head	Single	Female	45	1856	On Own Means	Stonehouse, Devon, England
Alice	Roe	Visitor	Married	Female	54	1847	On Own Means	Devon, England

Emmeline married Gilbert Hinds Whitehead in April 1901, but Gilbert died in 1908.

The 1911 census has:

First name	Last name	Relationship	Marital status	Sex	Age	Birth year	Occupation	Birth place
Helena Emmeline	Whitehead	Head	Widow	Female	38	1873	Private Means	Plymouth Devon
Beatrice Louise	Chard	Servant	Single	Female	24	1887	Nurse Domestic	Wraxall Somerset
Alice Mary	Parker	Servant	Single	Female	21	1890	Housemaid Domestic	Swanley Kent
Marion Ellen	Haylett	Servant	Single	Female	21	1890	Cook Domestic	Winterton Norfolk
Robert Hook Seton Hinderson	Bull	Visitor	Married	Male	21	1890	Cook Domestic	Trevean Truro Cornwall
Mary Beatrice Henderson	Bull	Visitor	Married	Female	42	1869	-	Malboroughfremarth Cornwall
Margaret Joy	Whitehead	Daughter	-	Female	5	1906	-	Kent Eltham

The household is living at Newhaven Court Road, Eltham, Kent

Living with aunt Alice

Martin Brett tells me that Emmeline spent a long time in Zennor, Cornwall, living with her Aunt Alice.

Aunt Alice is Alice Jane Braginton, Clara Louisa’s sister. She married Samuel Henry Farwell Roe

Farwell Roe was vicar of Zennor, Corwall, from 1888, to around 1900, when he moved to St Micheal Penkevil, near Truro, also in Cornwall.

Sure enough, Emmeline is in the vicarage of St Michael Penkevil, as Helena E Langford, for the 1901 survey. This was soon before she married Gilbert Hinds Whitehead, when her address was also “The Rectory, St Michael Penkevil”.

Emmeline’s half-brother Edmond Allen Johns may have left Emmeline some money in his 1929 will.

Emmeline’s aunt, Alice, also died in 1929, and did leave Emmeline some portion of £6539.

Death

Emmeline died in 1949 - see BMD record.

Her probate was:

WHITEHEAD Helena Emmeline of Newhaven 87 Court-road Eltham Kent widow died 18 October 1949. Probate London 6 December to Gilbert Rathbone Whitehead solicitor. Effects £17032 3s. 3d.