George William Dimes

  General Notes:

George William's father Alfred died when George was 18 months old. His mother Julia was unable to look after him and returned him to his grandparents George and Elizabeth in Crondall in 1861.
In 1861, George William (2) was living in Dippenhall Street, Crondall with his grandfather George (59, gardener) and his grandmother Elizabeth (57) and aunt Emma (17).
In 1871, George William (11) was living in Church Street/The Borough, Crondall with his grandfather George (69, butcher) his grandmother Elizabeth (67) and his aunt Harriett (28).
On 16th July 1879 George labourer married Louisa Hobbs, witnessed by Samuel and Harriet Marlow his Uncle and Aunt.
In 1881 Labourer lived in Pankridge Street, Crondall with his wife Louisa and children Edith and Alfred.
In 1920-1935 George William would wear a large black policemans cloak (probably his fathers) during bad weather. He would meet his grandchildren from Crondall School and walk with them to his house behind the church for their lunch. Their normal lunch was oxo in hot water with bread, and then rice pudding.

GEORGE WILLIAM DIMES (1859-1943) married Louisa Hobbs, a local lass, from Crondall in July 1879. He is listed in the 1881 census as an 'Ag. Lab.' and they lived in Pankridge Street, near the Hampshire Arms. In the Farnham Herald of 22 July 1939, there is a graphic report of George and Louisa's diamond wedding celebration:

"Sixty Years of married life."
"Hearty congratulations have been showered upon Mr. and Mrs. George Dimes, of Court Cottage, Crondall who on Sunday celebrated their diamond wedding. The bells of the Parish Church rang out merrily early in the morning in honour of the occasion, and Mr. Dimes, who has been a bell ringer for the past 60 years, was one of those who took part in the ringing. Mr. Dimes also rang for the morning and evening services.

The Rev. C. E Thomwell married Mr. and Mrs. Dimes at Crondall Parish Church on July 16th 1879. Mrs. Dimes, who is 84 years of age, is the eldest daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Hobbs, of Pankridge Street, Crondall. She is proud of the fact that she was born, christened and married in Crondall; that all her children were christened at the Parish Church; and that her mother was also christened and married in the village.

Mr. Dimes who is four years younger than his wife, was born in London, but was brought to Crondall where he was put under the care of his grandfather the late Mr. G. Dimes, who carried on the first butcher's business in the village. For over thirty years he was employed on the Clare Park Estate (as a carpenter), retiring a few years ago. He still, however, does jobbing gardening in the village.

Mr. and Mrs. Dimes have six children living. They are: Mr. A. Dimes (Scarning, Norfolk), Mr. P Dimes (Berkhamstead), Mr W. Dimes and Mr. E. Dimes (Crondall), Mrs. E Hughes (Woughton, Bucks) and Mrs. Foskett (Lye Green, Chesham). One son was killed during the war.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Dimes, who claim that they are still happy in each other's company, enjoy very good health. Mrs. Dimes cannot recall ever having a serious illness. For over 20 years the couple lived in Pankridge Street and for 12 years in Heath Lane. They have resided at Court Cottages for the following 19+ years".

George died in 1943 aged 83 and Louisa in 1950 aged 95. Both are buried in Crondall Churchyard.

Excerpt of Dimes family from Crondall by Wendy Cope:
George William, Alfred and Julia's son, was not two when he left his mother and went to live with his grandparents George and Elizabeth and their 17 year old daughter Emma at Crondall. This turned out to be a far more settled childhood than he would have had otherwise. After Emma married James Garnant on 10th October 1868, her sister Harriett returned home from being in service. She then married on 5th August 1871 but remained in Crondall as her husband Samuel Marlow, a thatcher, also came from a Crondall family. It was in November that year that young George had a brush with the law when he along with George Snuggs and Thomas Porter pleaded guilty at Odiham Petty Sessions to letting off squibs in the street at Crondall on November 6th. They were fined 10 shillings each. On the death of Elizabeth in 1875 Harriett was able to care for her father and George William along with her own growing family. Life must have become very crowded in their cottage. Harriett had five children by 1879 when George William got married on 16th July, just sixteen days after his twentieth birthday and she was one of the witnesses. George's bride was Louisa Hobbs who was five years his senior and the daughter of Thomas and Jane Hobbs of Pankridge Street, Crondall, who were also married in Crondall in November 1855. Jane, nee Girdler was born in Crondall in 1838 but Thomas Hobbs came from Somers Town, London.

When the census was taken in 1881, George and Louisa were living in Pankridge street with two children, Alfred aged 1 and Edith aged three. Edith was Louisa's daughter but whether George was the father is open to doubt. Ten years on, the census tells us that they now had five children in their four roomed Pankridge Street cottage, Edith, Alfred, Arthur born in 1884, Beatrice Louise born in 1886 and William born in 1889. Another baby Frederick George was born in 1882 but died at just over a year old. Three more sons were born after this, Percy in 1894, Walter George in 1897 and Edward in 1902. After living in the Pankridge Street cottage for over twenty years, the family moved to Heath Lane where they stayed for twelve years, with George and Louisa finally moving to Court Cottages in about 1920.

George worked for over thirty years as a gardener on the Clare Park estate at Crondall and after his retirement in the late 1930s he became a jobbing gardener. He was a bell ringer at the parish church for sixty years and he had a large black policeman's cloak which he wore when the weather was wet, which had probably been his father's. In 1939 the couple celebrated their Diamond Wedding anniversary, a rare event in those days. George died in February 1943 and was buried in the extended churchyard at Crondall. Louisa lived on until February 1950 reaching the age of 95, and was buried with her husband. She would tell a story of how when she was young she went stone picking in the fields for four pence a day.

George married Louisa Hobbs, daughter of Thomas Hobbs and Jane Girdler, on 16 Jul 1879 in Crondall, Hampshire, England. (Louisa Hobbs was born in 1856 in Crondall, Hampshire, England, christened in Crondall, Hampshire, England, died on 7 Feb 1950 in Crondall, Hampshire, England and was buried on 11 Feb 1950 in Crondall, Hampshire, England.)

  Marriage Notes:

Witnessed by Samuel and Harriet Marlow.