Walsall is one of those Boroughs that is located closely to other major towns, and I have found it difficult to place Cumpstons in the correct county as they moved across boundaries quite frequently.

 

"Walsall, an ancient borough, and well built and thriving market town, celebrated for the manufacture of saddlers' ironmongery, and other hardwares, is pleasantly seated on the crown and declivities of a bold eminence, surrounded by extensive mines of coal, iron and limestone, and distant eight miles N by W of Birmingham, six miles E of Wolverhampton and nine miles SW of Lichfield. On the north side of the town is a commodious station on the South Staffordshire Railway, and about two miles to the south is the small station of Bescot Junction, where that line is crossed by the London & North Western Railway. The Birmingham Canal passes the western side of the town to the Wyrley & Essington Canal, which has several branches extending into the parish.

 

History Gazetteer and Directory of Staffordshire, William White Sheffield 1851

Helen Norris kindly wrote to me that she knew a family of Cumpstons as a child. They were her next door neighbours, living at 225 Wolverhampton Road West, Bentley, Walsall. They were Samuel, his wife Miriam and their only child Jim (RJ) (who pre-deceased his elderly mother who had been widowed some years earlier). Sam fought in WW1; Helen still has his bayonet!  Sam's claim to fame was being an official at the huge funeral of the founder of Rubery Owen (where he and her father, worked).  

 

Sam gave her his bayonet when she was doing Bob a Job as a very enthusiastic Brownie, additional to the "Bob". He gave her the bob for cleaning it and then gave her the bayonet.

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My data is as follows:

 

 1895 Researcher [Hazel Cumpston] Walsall vol 6b 670 Walsall Cumpston Samuel Albert 0 parents Thomas Ada Corns

 

I also have 4 marriages:

 

Marriages Mar 1913   Cumpston  Thomas L  Cross  Walsall  6b 1113

Marriages Jun 1920   Cumpston Samuel A to Maddox Wolverhampton 6b 1839 This is probably his?

Marriages Jun 1928   Cumpston  Hannah L  Kendrick  Walsall  6b 1662  

Marriages Sep 1928   CUMPSTON  Joel A  Vass  Walsall  6b 1702  

Marriages Dec 1921   Cumpston  Frederick R  Kempson  Walsall  6b 1603    

 

There is also one service record for ratings who joined the Royal Navy:

Compson, George Ernest Official Number:  M20970 Place of Birth:  Walsall, Staffordshire  08 September 1894 ADM 188/1059

 

 

 

 

DO YOU RECOGNISE THIS FAMILY?  PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU HAVE FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THEM.