Annie Louisa Handley

  General Notes:

Annie taught at junior school. During World War II she was a 'supply teacher' which meant that she could be asked to teach at any school in Liverpool. She remained a teacher until she was 70 years of age. Source Audrey Davies July 2009.

Hilary Cheetham:
"My grandmother did end up living with us in Barnet. From what I can remember, I think she had a stroke, which meant she couldn't live on her own any longer. The original plan was for her to spend time with each of the sisters & brother, but that didn't work out & Mum ended up having her the whole time. I have to say it was not a happy time, she was extremely difficult to look after & was very demanding & the others didn't give Mum much support! I was in my early teens & remember her as being very stroppy & always critical - the teacher in her no doubt. She used to tell Mum off for letting me go out dressed in my low cut minidresses - it was the 60s! I'm not sure how long she was with us, but she run Mum ragged. I think she had another stroke & Mum was unable to look after her anymore, so she went in the Totteridge Nursing Home. Mum was very guilty about that & used to walk there every day to see her (Mum never learnt to drive). Mum said that on his deathbed, Grandad had asked her to promise to look after Granny after he'd gone, so she felt she had to do that, even though it was so hard. I never really knew Granny at all before she moved in with us, very few memories of her, so don't know if she was always so difficult. I'm always surprised to see photos of her laughing & happy, so I guess she didn't enjoy her later years of life.
Love Hilary xx

On Sun, 13 Jan 2019, 09:11 Michael Pantlin <michael@pantlin.nl <mailto:michael@pantlin.nl> wrote:

Hi Hilary,
Yes, I'm glad to have all that correspondence because it says a lot about their characters. There is reference to your grandmother Annie Handley. Her brother Jack writes saying how lonely Annie is in Liverpool in the last few years of her life and that he has encouraged her "to go south". I can see from Annie's death certificate that she died near Barnet in Totteridge Nursing Home so I guess in the end she did go to your mother.
Were you still at home then?

From Tony Davies Aug 2019:
Of my grandparents, she was the one with whom I had the best relationship as a child by far, even though we saw her about once a year at best. As a baby, I lived with them for a year before my dad was able to buy the first house in Maidenhead but of course I have no recollection of any of that. I remember her with great affection and as a very strong woman. I realize that I know nothing about her early life but I know she qualified as a school teacher at a time when this was an exceptional achievement for a woman of her background. I don't know what Oulton evening certificate classes were but, given her working class background and large family, she might well have been helping out at home or even working. I wish I had asked my mum more when I could but I recall her saying the same about her mum, and I doubt that she knew very much herself about those early days. She was herself the second youngest of a brood that had started a long time before with the ill-fated twins and Reggie.
I think Annie was religious in the sense of believing in God etc. but she was not to my knowledge a regular church-goer, and definitely C of E and not Catholic.
Tony

From Tony davy on 12th Aug 2019:
A small leather-bound bible inscribed 'Ann Handley on her marriage from Mary Wells May 5^th 1885'.

Also another similar, in its original box, with a book-plate saying 'Awarded to Annnie Handley for Geography, Earle Rd. School July 1901'. This included a photo of Reggie aged 4 that I have never seen before. Only ever seen him on his deathbed previously...

Also a small Book of Common Prayer from when she was living at 65 Barrington Rd., Sefton Park dated 30 January 1911.

Also a very small Book of Common Prayer and Hymns with wooden boards, given to her for Christmas 1945 by my mum and dad. They must have had good eyesight in those days. Perhaps she was more religious than I remembered.

  Noted events in her life were:

• Residence: 11 Argyll Street, 5 Mar 1889, Shrewsbury, England. ¹³⁸

• Education: Granby Street Council School, 1895, Toxeth Park, Liverpool, England. ¹³⁹

• Residence: 64 Ashbridge, 1895, Liverpool, England. ¹³⁹

• Education: Earle Road School, Jul 1901, Liverpool, England. ¹⁴⁰

• Education: Oulton Evening Certificate Classes, 1907, Liverpool, England. ¹³⁹

• Education: Oulton Evening Certificate Classes, Preliminary Certificate, 1907, Liverpool, England. ¹³⁹ For scripture lessons at St Mary's

• Residence: 33 Tabley Road, 1907, Liverpool, England. ¹³⁹

• Residence: 33 Tabley Road, 1909, Liverpool, England. ¹³⁹

• Residence: 65 Barrington Road, Sefton Park, 1911, Liverpool, England. ¹⁴⁰

• Occupation: Cetified teacher G.E., Liverpool Council, 2 Apr 1911, Liverpool, UK. ⁴⁸

• Residence: 49 Ferguson Road, 1939, Liverpool, England. ¹¹⁵

• Education: Earle Road School: Liverpool, England. ¹³⁹ Probably at this school between 1906 and 1908

• Religion: Church of England. ¹⁴⁰ From Tony Davy:
A small leather-bound bible inscribed 'Ann Handley on her marriage from Mary Wells May 5^th 1885'.

Also another similar, in its original box, with a book-plate saying 'Awarded to Annnie Handley for Geography, Earle Rd. School July 1901'.
Also a small Book of Common Prayer from when she was living at 65 Barrington Rd., Sefton Park dated 30 January 1911.

Also a very small Book of Common Prayer and Hymns with wooden boards, given to her for Christmas 1945 by my mum and dad. They must have had good eyesight in those days. Perhaps she was more religious than I remembered.

• Residence: 82 Langdale Road, Sefton Park: Liverpool, England. ¹⁴¹

• Residence: 1 Sixth Avenue: Knotty Ash, Liverpool, England. ¹⁴²

Annie married George William Davies, son of Francis German Davies and Mary Ann, on 3 Apr 1915 in St Bridget's Church, Wavertree, Lancaster, UK.¹³⁵ (George William Davies was born on 4 Dec 1880 in Peterborough, England ¹⁴³ and died in 1951 in Liverpool, UK.)